by R. R. Banks
Robert shook his head subtly as he placed both of his hands on the ledge and leaned forward a bit toward the glass. “Actually, I don’t have a ticket,” he said softly, keeping his mouth closed before biting his lip and looking at the attendant with pleading eyes. “I was hoping there was something you could possibly do to help me get into the stadium.”
A few seconds of awkward silence was followed by a genuine smile from the attendant. “Perhaps,” she said softly. “Mr. Rodriguez, I’m terribly sorry about the struggles in your trip from Valencia today, but I am impressed that you were able to make it here in time for kick off,” she said loudly, confusing Robert for a bit as she reached into the drawer and pulled out a ticket. “Mr. Rodriguez, I hope you find our accommodations and hospitality to be second to none, and I implore you that if you have any issues, please do not hesitate to contact a steward or any other official.”
“Right,” stated Robert plainly, playing along with the will call attendant as she gave him his entrance into the stadium. He leaned forward and placed his mouth close to the glass so the attendant could hear him without him having to speak loudly. “Is there anything I owe you?” he asked softly.
The attendant grinned as she looked around the booth. “Sir, after you leave the stadium, make sure you return here so that I can give you your voucher for this evening,” she said confidently. “I would hate for you to not be taken care of in the best of manners.” she stated with a wink.
“I will make absolutely sure of it,” he replied. “Will you be here throughout the entire game? I have a feeling I will probably leave by half time.”
“Yes sir, I will be stationed here until the game has finished and the stadium has emptied,” she assured politely, smiling at Robert earnestly as he stepped away from the booth, not breaking eye contact with her until he turned toward the gate. He handed his ticket to the steward and walked through the turn-style to see the twenty-two players already commencing a battle of skill and wits on the pitch. The inside of the stadium was impressive, as the fans of AS Monaco created a white and red mosaic out of the clothes they were wearing, with each square section of the stadium filled with an alternate color, though one small patch of blue was located in one of the corners. Having studied a map of it at his home before making his way to the arena, he stood at the railing looking around the stadium,
Robert paused briefly while he examined the stadium, noticing the nine arches at the far end of the stadium, as well as the large boxes located directly above him. “There they are,” he said to himself as he finally found them. Looking around the area he saw three young women walking in front of him, catching his eye with their choice of clothing: red t-shirts, short white shorts, and their faces painted with red and white stripes. As he gazed at the three women, a thought went through Robert’s mind that put him in a state of disadvantage – he looked completely different than everyone there. With his wool jacket and khaki slacks, he looked more like the coach on the sideline than any of the fans in the stadium.
Here goes nothing, he thought, resigning himself to failure as he walked toward the escalator to start his progression toward the luxury suites. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Dillon, letting him know he was able to make it into the stadium but now his new journey had begun.
The escalator rose slowly through the stadium as it climbed to its apex, allowing Robert to reach the terrace level where the luxury suites resided. He breathed slowly as he gripped the railing with the stairs slowly rising up to the appropriate level. The screams from the stadium were still audible through the concrete stands. Finally making it to the top Robert stepped off the metal stair and onto the concrete ground, releasing his grip as he started to walk toward the luxury boxes. He walked confidently toward the suites without having much of a clue what his next move was. He knew he’d have to negotiate his way into the suite, though after his first encounter with the steward outside the stadium, he was worried over how his fortunes would fare.
As he wandered around the terrace level, Robert looked around for an official or steward to potentially help him get into the luxury suites. Fortunately, many of the luxury boxes were semi-private, making it possible to wander from one to another through a common hallway. He walked up to the door to find a steward standing there, guarding the door and making sure the luxury suites stayed remotely private. “Sir, how are you not watching this game?” playfully asked Robert as he walked up to the steward, engaging him in conversation “Are they purposefully keeping you from this match of titans?” he continued, becoming a bit awkward to the frustrated steward.
“You don’t have much of a clue about this sport, do you?” bluntly asked the steward, seeing through Robert’s fake demeanor and appreciation for the sport.
“None at all,” answered Robert. “I’m here for another purpose. You see, I need to get in that hallway so that I can find someone to talk about a business transaction while they watch the game. I have absolutely zero interest in being in this stadium longer than I have to be.”
The steward grinned while he stretched out his hand. “Who are you looking for?” he asked as Robert placed one hundred Euros in his hand.
“Indian woman named Sulagna Patel,” he replied. “She’s supposedly in one of these boxes.”
The steward grinned as he placed the money in his pocket. “Third booth when you walk in,” he replied. “You should not have a hard time finding her.”
With a smile on his face, Robert passed the steward and headed into the hallway that led to Sulagna Patel’s luxury suite. The suites were not very impressive, but offered several amenities not available in the general seating area. The seats were larger and padded, and a small bar with several servants to provide the guests with food and beverages. As he walked past the first two suites, he noticed that no doors separated them from the hallway, only an open stairway that led down to the seats and a small landing at the back for a waiter’s quarter.
He made it to the third booth and started examining the people around the area. There were three levels of seating with three chairs on each side of the aisle with the bottom row positioned right in front of a glass wall. The view from the booth was positioned between the halfway mark on the field and the eighteen-yard box on the left side of the stadium, which was currently AS Monaco’s goal.
Eighteen seats, Robert thought to himself as he examined the room, looking for his target before moving in. He had come so far in such a short time, he wanted to ensure he had a plan in place to achieve success. With a soft exhale, he looked over to notice how only half the booth was full, with Sulagna Patel sitting in the front row on the right with an empty seat on her left, but a very large man seated to her right. Seated behind her were two more large men in suits, lending to the idea they were her personal security detail which complicated things. To the left of the aisle sat a young lady in the center with a young man beside her, both of which Robert didn’t know. Behind them were two older men, both in suits, but again, Robert couldn’t make out who they were.
With another soft exhale, Robert knew what he needed to do and moved forward into the luxury suite and onto the far aisle, walking down the stairs quickly to sit in the seat beside Sulagna before her security detail could stop him. “I’m only here for five minutes; I swear!” pleaded Robert as he looked back at the two large men behind him and the even larger man beside Sulagna. “I promise all of you, I mean you no harm and only want to talk to Ms. Patel for a couple of minutes.”
The three large men looked down at Sulagna, who was currently not amused at the situation but exhaled slowly as she turned back toward the field to notice a player on the ground, injured from a collision with a teammate. “Mr. Acostis, I do not appreciate you ambushing me while I watch this game,” she said sternly before looking back at him. “However, play is going to stop for the next few minutes while the player finds his pride, so I will talk to you until it resumes.”
“Thank you, Ms. Patel,” replied Robert with relief on his face
as the three security guards sat down and leaned back in their chairs. “I promise you, I will not take much of your time.”
“Oh, I know you won’t, Mr. Acostis,” she stated sternly. “I have two loves in this world before business, which I’m sure is why you are here. My daughter, Mina, is the first love. The second is Paris Saint-Germain, which are currently on the field in front of us. Talking business with you is something that I was not intending to do at all today, but since you’re here, please get to it.
Sulagna Patel was a middle-aged Indian woman with incredible connections and an amazing reputation in the business community. She was a shorter woman with a dark complexion and dark hair pulled back into a pony tail with a few strands of grey poking through. Her face was a bit worn, though still attractive and well kept. Her makeup was subtle, highlighting the two dimples in her cheeks when she smiled while also accenting her beautiful brown eyes. She dressed modestly, wearing a purple dress that hung down to the bottom of her knees with matching heels on her feet.
Her position in the Consortium of Oil Traders allowed her to dine with sultans and sheiks, though she still made it a point to discuss business points with every member of COT, no matter the size. She was humble, always working hard for every member of the Consortium and doing everything in her power to increase their bank accounts and their production.
Robert composed himself quickly as he looked back at the field to see the medical staff for AS Monaco running out onto the field. “First, I want to give you my condolences for you and your daughter’s recent loss,” he began, referencing the recent death of Sulagna’s husband, Amin. “I hope you find whatever peace you can to help you in this trying time.” He paused as she nodded, closing her eyes a bit and patting Robert on the knee in appreciation.
“He was my everything,” she replied. “These past few weeks have been the hardest of my life, which is why my daughter and I elected to attend an away fixture for our favorite football team, hoping to take our mind off our loss.”
“I understand, and doing whatever it takes is important,” continued Robert, trying to be sincerely comforting to alter the tone of the conversation. “I remember when my grandfather died and how I spent the next three weeks at their winery in Athens making batch after batch of wine to take my mind off it. My grandmother died a year before, and the two of us made wine after her death. Then when he died, I did the same thing.”
Sulagna nodded. “I was unaware you made wine,” she said softly. “I love a great glass of red in the evening after dinner, but I can also appreciate a good white, too. One of the things my husband and I used to do was to visit small wineries around the world and sample some of their more obscure batches. It is one of my fondest memories with him.”
Robert smiled softly as he looked out at the field to see the player still on the ground. “Wine is something that I have always treasured as an art form, and if I could spend all day making wine instead of investing in companies, I would.”
“And if I could spend all day drinking wine instead of helping oil companies, I would, too,” she said with a laugh. “Perhaps I could try one of your personal labels one day.”
“If you can help me now, I’ll personally bring you whatever you want,” laughed Robert as the conversation relaxed. “Ms. Patel, I’m going to be incredibly blunt and get to the point. I would like for you to consider our admittance into the Consortium and allow us to take up the distribution networks in Australia.”
Sulagna grimaced as Robert spoke, turning her head and looking away from Robert to see how the player was doing.
“Robert, I’m sorry, but I cannot allow you to apply for admission,” she said softly, turning her head to face him while adjusting her hips and placing her hands on his knees to comfort him. “I’m very familiar with you and how you do business, and you are an incredibly successful businessman, but the Consortium values stability more than profitability.”
“What are you saying?” asked Robert, not used to hearing someone deny him what he wanted.
“If you showed more of a track record of holding onto companies as they grow and become stable, I would honestly consider your admittance into the COT. But your reputation lends to the notion that you would sell the company immediately and profit from it while we would not know what kind of organization would exist there.”
Robert’s facial expression relaxed a bit as he turned in his seat. “Please, I promise you that I will not sell the company if you let us in.”
“Robert, I would love to believe you, but unfortunately, history says that I should not,” answered Sulagna, noticing the genuine disappointment on Robert’s face. She sighed softly and looked out at the field again to see the player starting to get up and the fans starting to applaud. “But perhaps I will give you an opportunity to change my mind. The entire board of the Consortium is meeting in Zurich in two days. I will sanction a meeting between you and the board, to give you an opportunity to plead your case for admittance.”
His eyes lit up as he slowly looked around the box aimlessly, shocked that he was given this lifeline. “So, I can plead my case to the entire board?”
“Yes, so come with a solid business plan about how you can not only help us, but how your company will be the pinnacle of stability,” she continued, adjusting her hips again to watch the game. “When you reach Zurich, message the Baur au Lac hotel and inform them that you would like to schedule a meeting with the executive committee for the COT. The concierge’s desk will forward you to our representative, and she will inform you of the time your meeting is scheduled.”
Robert stood up from his seat and placed his hand out to shake Sulagna’s, which she did quickly and politely. “I will see you in two days,” he said politely as she nodded. “I cannot wait to impress you.”
“And I cannot wait to be proven wrong,” she replied softly as she let go of his hand and faced the pitch where the game was resuming. Robert turned to see her daughter, Mina, leaning forward to watch the game with the young man beside him. He smiled as she turned her head and smiled back at him, though not long and started to move up the stairs in the aisle and up to the hallway. Robert walked down the hallway and out of the luxury suites, nodding to the steward again before making it to the escalator and walking down it quickly to the bottom level. He walked through the area and out to the railing before turning and making his way to the gate.
He stood in front of the gate for a moment to debate how he was going to hail a cab before remembering that he promised to return to see the lady at the will call window. I’ve never been one to disappoint, he thought to himself before turning and walking toward the window. He also thought about how that evening would be spent with Dillon at the Casino de Monte Carlo and the next morning would be spent traveling to Zurich. Robert constantly kept a revolving reservation ticket with the Eurail, allowing him to travel in luxury whenever he chose, so he figured that would be the best route to take. He pulled out his phone as he walked up to the desk and pressed a few buttons, notifying the Eurail company that he would be traveling on the high-speed rail from Nice to Bern by way of Milan, and his journey was set.
With a smile of accomplishment, he placed his phone back in his pocket before walking up to the will call window to see the lady still waiting for him. “That was fast,” she said in her thick British accent. “Are you already sick of the game?”
“Yes, it does not take much for me to get my fill of football,” he replied calmly. “Thirty minutes is really all the excitement I need.”
“I understand,” she replied. “So, what are your plans for tonight?”
Robert smiled. “Well, I’m meeting a friend and business associate of mine for dinner and drinks at the Casino de Monte Carlo, but I was honestly hoping I could take someone with me who reminds me a lot of home, especially in the way she speaks.”
“Oh, well I wonder if you’ll have a hard time finding her,” she said coyly, seemingly playing hard to get.
“I don’t know. I ma
y have already found her,” he stated with a smirk on his face. He looked at her nametag and nodded. “Camille, darling, tell me, how do you feel about casinos?”
Chapter 3
Robert stood outside the Casino de Monte Carlo as the sun set over the horizon in Monaco. He stood still, leaning against a marble pole in front of the casino as he watched the taxi line, waiting for his date to arrive. With a brief text forty minutes prior to alert him that she was en route, Robert eagerly anticipated her arrival and the night of subdued celebration and reserved expectations that was in store for him.
A small black sedan that stood out from the rest of the taxis, pulled up in front of the casino. The driver got out, wearing a black suit and opening the back door, revealing a very tall woman that Robert happened to be waiting for.
Camille looked stunning as Robert surveyed her. She wore a dark grey dress which was almost black in the right light and hung down to just above her left knee and slanted towards her right knee. The dress had thin straps above her shoulders with black beads and sequins sewn randomly throughout the dress that made it shimmer when light touched it. Her chest was larger than Robert remembered; though when they first met, she was wearing a plain white shirt with the logo of AS Monaco emblazoned on it. Her breasts were holding up the dress nicely as her pale skin tone was complimented by the dark grey shades of the dress. Her dark brown hair looked the same as it did earlier with the long curls in it and the length hanging down between her shoulder blades. She stepped away from the taxi to show off her matching heels, accenting her well-toned legs with every step she took. Robert stretched his arm out for her to grab so that he could escort her inside.
“You look incredible,” he said as she wrapped her arm around his. “Though I wasn’t expecting you to be this tall.” Camille chuckled as Robert looked her in the eyes without struggling.
