by R. R. Banks
“And how exactly are you going to do that?”
“I don’t know,” replied Robert. “I was hoping you had a few ideas.”
Dillon’s eyes opened wide as he processed the information. “You need a company to look stable suddenly? I wish you the best in that dark and murky forest, because you’re going to need more than a flash light and a guide to get through that.”
Robert nodded. “I know, but maybe together we can figure out what it might take,” he said. “I mean, will you go to Zurich with me and at least help?”
“Robert, I don’t own any stake in that company,” answered Dillon. “I would be completely off base if I stepped in and helped with you a business negotiation.”
“What if I gave you a percentage,” stated Robert. “I’ve already done the math, and it could appear as a play for stability.”
Dillon looked perplexed as the two girls walked back up. “We’ll finish this talk later,” said Dillon as he turned to face Marisol and Camille. “Girls, welcome back.”
“Beautiful facilities,” stated Camille as she took her seat next to Robert. “Did you miss me?”
“Every second you were gone,” replied Robert coyly, turning back to see the waiter bringing out their food. With their appetizers in front of them, they all started to dig in with their entrees all coming out shortly thereafter. The meal progressed from there with the four of them enjoying each other’s company. Within a little while, the food disappeared and dinner was over, allowing the night to continue in the casino. They walked down the stairs together and looked out into the amazingly elaborate casino.
“What do you like to play?” asked Robert, looking over at Camille as she stood in awe at the casino.
“I’ve always enjoyed craps,” she answered quickly. “But I’m one to play blackjack or slots if I’m bored.”
Robert nodded. “Dillon and I usually play blackjack when we’re here.”
“Yeah, but I heard the abrupt change in your voice when Marisol and I came back to the table from the washroom,” she stated plainly. “I think you may need a few moments with your friend without Marisol or I hanging on your arms and watching you lose all of your money.”
Robert smiled. “That’s okay,” he said. “I’d like to spend some time with you tonight if I can.”
“You will,” she said with a seductive tone. “I’m not letting this night end until I’ve spent some more time with just you.”
“Oh really?” playfully asked Robert.
“Robert, you intrigue me more than any man has in a long while,” she explained. “I would really enjoy getting to know you a bit more tonight.”
With a laugh, he placed his arm around her side and pulled her into him, looking into her eyes and planting a soft kiss on her lips. “You will. I promise.”
He released her and Camille turned to look over at Marisol who was completely entranced by the flashing lights and loud noises of the slot machines. “Are you a bit curious about the machines?” asked Camille.
“I am,” answered Marisol. “My father never lets me leave his sight when I visit a casino with him, and I’m always stuck playing baccarat, which is essentially him playing the game and me doing what I’m told. I’ve never had an opportunity to actually look at them and see what they do.”
Camille smiled and grabbed Marisol by the hand. “Come on. I brought a few hundred euros that I intended to donate to this place.” She pulled her with her as she turned back to Dillon and waved goodbye, following Camille toward the slot machines to give the two gentlemen their privacy.
Dillon looked on as the two women disappeared into the machines. “How did you do that?” he asked Robert, staring off as the two women walked away.
“What? Attract that amazing woman?” asked Robert playfully.
“No…actually, yes,” answered Dillon. “How did you manage to find a woman that amazing?”
Robert laughed. “I was due for some good luck,” he said calmly.
“Then you’ll probably not have any tonight,” stated Dillon as they walked over to the closest blackjack table, sitting beside each other with no one else at the table. Dillon and Robert both reached into their jackets and pulled out their wallets, placing several hundred euros on the table and receiving chips matching their contribution. “How have you been tonight?” he asked the dealer.
“On fire,” said the dealer in an Italian accent. “Everyone who has braved this table tonight has referred to me as the employee of the month because of how much I have made the casino.”
Robert and Dillon laughed as the dealer dealt their cards face up – Robert receiving two kings and Dillon receiving an ace and a nine. The dealer showed an eight with a card hidden underneath it. “Well, this is a good start,” announced Robert as he waved his hand over his cards to hold with Dillon quickly matching it. The dealer flipped over the other card to show another eight, giving him sixteen and forcing him to take another card. He pulled it from the shoe and flipped it over, revealing a five and giving him twenty-one, beating both Dillon’s and Robert’s twenty.
“And it begins,” announced the dealer with Robert and Dillon looking perplexed and defeated. “Do you wish to continue?”
“Of course, it was just one hand,” stated Dillon defiantly. The dealer nodded his head slowly as Robert looked on with a stoic expression. He dealt both men matching face cards, giving them both twenty with the dealer only showing a four. “You’re not going to do it again,” said Dillon, continuing his defiance. Both men held and the dealer turned over a jack, giving him fourteen and forcing him to hit. He pulled the next card out of the shoe and turned it over, revealing a seven and giving the dealer twenty-one. “What the hell,” said Dillon. “Are you sure this game isn’t rigged?”
“I told you, I’m on fire.”
“Relax, Dillon. He can’t do it again,” said Robert as he motioned for Dillon to calm down.
The dealer shrugged his shoulders, sensing that he would, in fact, do it again. He dealt the cards again, this time dealing Robert a seven and a four, giving him eleven and dealing Dillon a five and a six, also giving him eleven. The dealer revealed a six with the card hidden beneath. Without hesitation, both men placed another chip down to double their bet and receive one card. Dillon was first, getting an eight to give him a nineteen with Robert getting a seven, giving him eighteen. The dealer turned over his bottom card, revealing a queen and giving him sixteen. He pulled the card from the shoe and turned it over, showing a three and giving him nineteen and the winning hand.
“That’s enough for now,” announced Robert as he pushed himself away from the table.
“Yeah, you really are on fire tonight,” said Dillon. “Have a good evening.”
“Thank you, sir and I’m sorry for your luck,” replied the dealer as Robert and Dillon stepped away from the table.
“Why don’t we go have a drink on the balcony and see if our luck will return,” said Robert as he motioned for Dillon to follow him. They stopped at a bar on the way and grabbed drinks before walking up a marble staircase and heading to a large balcony that hung over the Mediterranean. With the moon glistening over the water and only a few clouds in the sky, both men walked out to the balcony and stood at the railing with their drinks in hand.
Dillon leaned against the railing with the moonlight beaming down on the water, illuminating the area. “Alright, so let’s go through this again. You have to show to the Consortium that your company is stable and can be beneficial to them?”
“More or less,” he replied, sipping from the glass he got from the bar while leaning against the marble railing. “I have to figure out how I can make this company look stable and profitable, while probably reinventing myself at the same time.”
Dillon laughed. “It’s odd that Sulagna Patel knows so much about you,” he quipped. “I knew you had a reputation that followed you, just like there is a reputation following all of us, but I didn’t know yours reached all
the way to the executive committee of the COT.”
“I know,” said Robert. “I mean, I know a lot about her, and her position makes her past easily accessible.”
“Still, for her to have any idea about you is not a good thing,” continued Dillon. “You will have to knock your meeting with the executive committee out of the park.”
Robert nodded while sipping on his drink and turning to look out at the ocean. “I know, but what about what I proposed earlier? Is that something you would consider?”
Dillon smirked. “Robert, this strikes me as a challenge. It’s something that I am not qualified to do and is completely out of my comfort zone. He paused, shaking his head before turning back to Robert. “Where do I sign up?”
“Great,” said Robert as he raised his glass to toast him. “I’m going to need you to go to Zurich with me tomorrow morning.”
Dillon moaned in disbelief. “Really?”
“Yes, you’ll have to be there to help me through the discussions,” continued Robert. “And I’ll have you know that I have already booked your passage on the train with me tomorrow morning in Nice, and I have reserved you a private quarter for both of our trips.”
Dillon nodded. “I hate trains, Robert. I’d much rather fly.”
“It was too late to book a direct flight but the trains will have us there within twelve hours and with plenty of time to spare,” stated Robert as Camille and Marisol walked up. “Hello, ladies. How was your luck?”
“Pitiful,” announced Marisol. “I should’ve taken my father’s advice and stuck with baccarat.”
Camille laughed. “She experienced firsthand why those dreadful machines are referred to as one-armed bandits.”
Dillon and Robert laughed as the two ladies walked up beside them and placed their arms around their respective dates’ waists. “Let’s get out of here,” whispered Camille to Robert, looking at him with a seductive gaze. “I’d like to spend some time with you in private.”
“As would I,” he replied quietly. “Dillon, I think Camille and I are going to head out of here. I’ll meet you in the morning at the train station in Nice.”
“It was nice to meet the two of you,” announced Camille politely as she held onto Robert’s waist. “Maybe we can see each other again sometime.”
“I would love that!” shouted Marisol as she wrapped her arms around Dillon. “Tonight, was incredible!”
Dillon sighed. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Robert.”
“Don’t sound so glum, old friend,” replied Robert. “In two days, you’re going to have the best day of your career!”
Chapter 4
“Oh wow,” Camille said with awe as she walked into Robert’s flat, walking straight through the small foyer and to the large windows across from the entranceway. “The moon is hung perfectly tonight,” she continued, pushing some of the curtains back as she enjoyed the view from Robert’s living room. She stood with her hands placed on the glass, leaving a small smudge where they rested as she gazed out at the serene, moonlit waters. “This has to be one of the best views in Monaco.”
Robert smiled as he walked up to the window to stand beside Camille as she stared into the blue waters. “It was one of the things that convinced me to purchase this place,” he explained softly as he stepped away from the window and toward the other side of his great room where he kept the alcohol. “The overall space is incredible, but to wake up every day to that view was the selling point.”
Camille turned around and looked for Robert, noticing how he was on the other side of the pool table at a small counter. She stepped away from the window and looked out at the entire flat, noticing the modern kitchen on the far end, tucked away a bit, and the vast great room in front of her. She walked around and looked in his kitchen while Robert stood at his bar, pouring a single drink from a bottle. “If you would like a beer, I have a few in the kitchen,” he announced as she walked toward the large, stainless steel refrigerator. She opened it up to find it nearly empty except for the beers he referenced as well as a few other quick things to prepare for him to eat.
“Well I don’t have to look hard for the beer,” she stated loudly, reaching in and grabbing a green bottle before reaching for her purse and pulling out a bottle opener. “You must not eat here very often.”
Robert chuckled as he stepped away from the small bar and walked through the great room toward her. “You’d be correct,” he replied. “Unfortunately, I have to travel a lot because of my career. If I actually have an opportunity to cook and prepare something in the kitchen, I’m better off purchasing what I need prior to preparing them.”
Camille nodded as she started sipping her beer. “How often do you actually get to sleep here?”
“Twice a week if I’m lucky,” he answered bluntly, almost appearing to be a bit perturbed by his inability to sleep in his own bed. “I keep two suit cases packed at all times with seven days’ worth of clothes in each. Fortunately, I’m able to get home at least once a week to change suitcases, where I have all of the clothes in the one I brought home cleaned, pressed, and the suitcase repacked for me. It makes my life a lot simpler, though I still miss being able to walk into my closet and pick out my wardrobe with my view of the Mediterranean on my back.”
“Do you make it a point to get home at least once a week or does it just happen like that?” she asked, prodding into his life a bit while trying her best to really get to know him. “I don’t mean to pry, but I’m trying to get to know you a little better before my dress ends up in the corner with the rest of my ensemble elsewhere.”
Robert laughed. “You’re quite forward,” he laughed.
“It’s one of my biggest flaws,” she stated plainly, smirking and shrugging her shoulders.
“I think it’s one of your best features,” replied Robert. “And to answer your question, I plan on being home at least once a week.”
“When my father decides to retire, if that day ever comes, I will sell off every company that I have a stake in and run the winery full time, possibly even moving to Athens to make it happen.”
“Do your parents not live in Athens?”
“No,” replied Robert with a smile. “The business is run out of England, which is what my father prefers, and I handle all of the distribution, which I can honestly do from my phone. The winery and the warehouses are in Athens, which from what my grandparents told my father and I, must always stay there.” Robert turned and walked away from the pool table, holding his glass in front of him and talking with his arms in a very animated state. “I remember my grandmother telling the two of us in a very stern, matter of fact tone, that too many wineries are making products dedicated to regions of the world without actually being in that region, and it’s a blasphemy to the product, the customers, and the grapes.”
Camille laughed. “The grapes?”
“Yes, the grapes,” replied Robert, still talking with his arms. “While my grandfather handled the bulk of the production, my grandmother had an eye for the grapes and the yeast that was unmatched. Even with her frail eyes as she aged, she could still spot a bad batch of grapes just from the smell and could tell when a batch was going bad because the yeast was not cooperating. It was my grandmother who told me that my first batch was ruined because of the yeast, though she waited until it was done because she didn’t want to hurt my feelings.”
“That was sweet of her,” Camille remarked as she continued to sip on her wine, finishing half of the glass while Robert was pacing. “Was she always that kind?”
“Of course not,” replied Robert, sloshing his wine about his glass though not spilling a drop. “She was Greek! Blunt is what they specialize in, and believe me, she was good at it. However, I could not have asked for a better person to be my grandmother, and the things I learned from both she and my grandfather have molded me into the person that I am today.”
Camille was positioned behind the pool table, leaning forward with one hand on it and the
other holding the green bottle of beer that she was sipping on, as Robert poured himself a glass of wine.
He sipped on his wine, noticing that Camille had just finished her beer. “Would you like another beer?” he asked as he turned up his glass, downing it quickly in an attempt to keep up with Camille.
“No, that’ll be alright,” she said. “I have to be at the stadium tomorrow morning for an executive meeting. If I drink anymore, it might make for a much longer night than it already will be.” With another innuendo, this time a bit subtler, Robert stepped away from the pool table and made his way to the couch, sitting on one end and placing his empty glass on the end table beside him.
“So, Camille, you have yet to tell me about your family and your upbringing,” said Robert, taking the moment to pry into Camille’s life.
“Well, there really isn’t a lot to tell,” she said, walking over to the couch and sitting on the other end, away from Robert. “I was born and raised in Portsmouth. My family had lived there for several generations and all worked in the harbor. My father was a Boatwright, building ships and vessels for merchants and sailors that were of immaculate quality. He preferred making small sail boats over the much larger commercial vessels. My mother was a nurse in the local hospital, taking care of the sick sailors and tourists. Her life was much more uneventful, but she and my father were both happy with it and did very well for themselves, making enough to send me off to college in Oxford where I started learning about my craft.”
She paused while she adjusted herself, placing her left leg under her right thigh and turning her body to face Robert. “I have a family who loved me so much that they allowed me to leave Portsmouth and follow my dreams. I make it a point to call them every day to chat about life back home, check on my grandparents, and just see how they’re doing. Even though I’m a country and small body of water away from them, my heart is still there, but I do not want to go back.”
