Road to Casablanca

by Leah Leonard

  Road to Casablanca

  By

  Leah Leonard

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Road to Casablance By Leah Leonard

  Red Rose Publishing

  Copyright© 2007 Leah Leonard

  ISBN: 978-1-60435-160-6

  ISBN: 1-60435-160-8

  Cover Artist: Leah Leonard

  Editor: Lannea

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews. Due to copyright laws you cannot trade, sell or give any ebooks away.

  Red Rose Publishing

  www.redrosepublishing.com

  Forestport, NY 13338

  Road to Casablanca

  By

  Leah Leonard

  Chapter One

  The energizing smell of freshly brewed coffee filled Cindy Brown’s nose as she poured a cup and walked toward her office, surprised to see her light already on and her friend Victoria Cliburn standing next to her desk carrying what looked like a stack of paperwork.

  “Hey, what are you doing here so early?”

  “I have a little surprise for you.”

  “Just put it on the pile.”

  “Not work…a surprise.”

  As she took a closer look, Cindy was relieved to see her friend holding a magazine article in her hand, waving it in front of her.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s an ad for an executive dating service. Check it out.”

  Cindy squinted at the fuzzy letters and grabbed her glasses: Rich, powerful…and desperate? Why more of America’s elite are turning to Lovemore Agency to find Mr. or Ms. Right.

  “I’m confused. Is this your next big plan for finding Mr. Right?”

  “Not mine, yours.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  The leggy blonde laughed mischievously, alerting Cindy to the fact she was more than likely up to no good.

  “I signed up for the service and I thought you should too, which is why I’m here.”

  “From the looks of the ad here, I’d say it looks more like an escort service than a dating service.”

  “It’s not an escort service, Cindy, it’s an upscale, old-fashioned matchmaking service.”

  “Old-fashioned? Yeah, right. I can just see me calling dear old mom back in Iowa and telling her I’ve been led astray since coming to the big city and how I’ve evolved from legal secretary to professional escort. Don’t you think she’ll love it?”

  Victoria picked up the ad and began to read aloud in the dramatic tone that always made Cindy laugh.

  “Listen to this:

  It’s Lonely at the Top

  Let’s face it, when you’re at the top of your game, there aren’t many qualified people to choose from. Let our team assist you in finding the love of your life in a confidential and time efficient manner.

  The experts at Lovemore Agency have a proven track record of matching our clients with the perfect partner for marriage and committed relationships and will help you do the same.

  Take a few moments to fill out our questionnaire…

  …doesn’t that sound great?”

  Cindy recalled the last couple of guys Victoria went out with and couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Yeah it is…for you. This might be just what you need, especially if they actually have jobs and cars.”

  “Just because the last guy met me for lunch in a cab, how was I supposed to know…”

  “My point exactly. How can you expect strangers to pick them any better than you can?”

  “They won’t be picking them for me; they’re picking them for us, or at least that’s what I’m hoping.”

  “I don’t need any help in that department.”

  “Oh, really? You know what I think? You don’t ever go out at all so you don’t ever end up picking anything out at all, which is exactly why I wanted to show the ad to you so you can….”

  “Like I said, it sounds great for you. Go for it!”

  “I think it’s what we both need, but especially you, Cindy. You could use a fun night on the town once in a while, don’t you think?”

  “Maybe, although I’ve been catering to wealthy executives ever since I came to work here, so I don’t need to answer an ad for that.”

  “I hardly think filing legal briefs for a bunch of attorneys is the same thing as this. You’ve been in Dallas for how long now, and how many men have you dated?”

  Cindy’s mind ran quickly over the past two years as she realized there wasn’t much to recall.

  “Not many; why?”

  “Some of the men who sign up for this service are millionaires. Wouldn’t you like to meet a millionaire?”

  “I’m pretty pleased with the man I have now. He’s neat and quiet, doesn’t leave his socks lying around the house, is completely devoted to me and waits up when I have a late night at the office. What more could I possibly ask for?”

  “You mean your cat?”

  “Of course! Who else? He’s the perfect man as far as I’m concerned.”

  “Actually, I can kind of see your point.”

  “Look, thanks, but no thanks. I have to get back to work now.”

  “I thought it would be fun if we both do this. All you have to do is go online and fill out a little form and they may or may not call you.”

  “How much did this cost you?”

  “That’s the best part – it’s free!”

  Cindy stubbornly turned her back on her friend and started looking over the files on her desk.

  “Sorry, but regardless of whether it’s free or costs thousands of dollars, I’m not playing. I’ve heard horror stories about those places and just the idea of it gives me the creeps.”

  “Everyone’s background checked, everyone is…..”

  Cindy shook her head, closed the file she opened, picked up the ad again and stared into the faces of the staff at the Lovemore Agency.

  “Did you take a good look at these people? They’re from California, not Texas. You know what kind of people live in California? Fruits and nuts.”

  “Hey! I grew up in Los Angeles.”

  “My point exactly.”

  Cindy moved around her desk and settled in her chair, the stack of files nearly blocking her view of her leggy friend, who sat across from her filing her nails with an emery board and primping in a tiny compact mirror.

  “Okay, girlfriend. You go on and be that way. Just forget about me bringing this to your attention, giving you a possible means of introduction for you and your currently unknown dream man. But what if you signed up and they did call? Don’t you think you’d be forever indebted to me, singing my praises at your wedding? It could happen, you know!”

  Coffee splattered on a file as Cindy held her aching stomach and laughed.

  “Wedding? You are too much, Victoria! Besides, I am already indebted to you as it is.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “For starters, you didn’t bring more work for me to do—in fact you’re the only attorney in this wing of the firm who hasn’t—and you make me laugh. So thank you.”

  “But what if I could do more? What if you were grateful to me forever?”

  “You’d love that, wouldn’t you? Look, it sounds exciting in a strange sorta way, but it will never happen, Vic. Look at me. Look at you. You’ve got the look they’re after; me, I’m a plain Jane. Not exactly the kind of woman a millionaire wants to date, b
elieve me.”

  “C’mere.”

  Victoria stood up and pulled Cindy by the arm, dragging her reluctantly over to the large mirror she kept in her cabinet door. As they stood side by side and stared at their reflections, Cindy clearly saw the contrast of her plain brown hair against Victoria’s platinum mane. She was right, and she knew it.

  “See?”

  “See what? Take your glasses off. You’re a beautiful girl. Can’t you see that?”

  Cindy held her thick glasses in her hand and looked straight into her dark brown eyes, and then over to Victoria who’s sharp icy stare cut into the glass.

  “See, this is what I mean. Millionaires want flash, like you. I’m fun, but not flash. It will never work.”

  “It takes all kinds, my friend, and you are a wholesome and natural beauty who I’m sure some rich guy would love to sweep off her feet.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “Keep an open mind. It could happen.”

  The sound of voices filled the hall as the rest of the staff arrived to work and Cindy smiled at Victoria, who was now too busy touching up her lipstick and smoothing out her hair to notice.

  “Thanks, Victoria. I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but let’s just say I won’t exactly be holding my breath waiting for prince charming to arrive, k?”

  “Anything is possible, Cindy; believe me. Keep the faith. Gotta run.”

  Cindy picked up the ad and laughed again as she wadded it up, threw it in the trash and finally went to work, staring at the files, unable to understand a word in them.

  She considered what Victoria said and wished she could be more like her. What would it be like to be so fearless you didn’t care what people thought of you?

  Cindy looked in her empty coffee cup and wandered down the hall for a refill, passing by the other legal aids and several finely dressed attorneys. She began to realize that most of the people in the firm were married with the exception of her and Victoria.

  Several staffers were lined up in front of the coffeepot and she decided to notice their ring fingers, which were all filled with gold and diamonds.

  “Good morning.”

  She had nodded politely and said “hello” to them every day for over two years now, but she really didn’t know any of these people. They were too busy with their families and children to notice her or spend time with her after hours.

  At a corner table, one new dad was happily showing off baby pictures to his friends, while two married women were complaining about their husbands spending far too much time on the golf course. Cindy wished she had those kinds of concerns.

  Warming her hands on her mug, Cindy walked quickly back to her office, noticing every person she passed in the hall was also married.

  What would it take for her to find somebody? It was a question she often asked herself in her quiet moments, although normally she filled those moments with work so she wouldn’t need to feel lonely or as though she’d been missing out on something. For the first time in a long time, she felt the pang stab her in the heart; Victoria’s words were acting as a long overdue wake-up call.

  Closing her office door behind her, which she often did when her workload was high, Cindy sat the coffee cup down on the desk and stared into her trash can, bent down and picked up the crumpled advertisement.

  I wonder what would happen……

  She took it around to the desk and plugged in the web address on the ad. After a short introductory video, a button appeared asking her to Fill Out Our Online Questionnaire.

  Curiously, Cindy clicked on it, practically jumping out of her chair when the first question popped up and filled the screen:

  What are you looking for in a man? Click all that apply.

  Love, friend, companion, financial support, shoulder to cry on…..

  Cindy laughed at the ridiculous question before realizing she’d never thought much about this type of thing. She wanted love, friendship and companionship, of course, but didn’t feel she needed financial support; she was doing more than well in her current position.

  Once she clicked a few boxes, a NEXT button allowed her to continue:

  Right side of the bed or left?

  What kind of question was that? Cindy tried to push the NEXT button, but it wouldn’t let her until she answered the question. It was something she’d not considered in quite some time, but clicked the word left and the survey continued.

  Ladies: Fuzzy slipper or stiletto heels?

  Men: loafers or wing tips?

  That was easy – fuzzy slippers. NEXT…

  City or country?

  Cindy had to think on this for a moment. She loved country life, grew up there, but had to admit the city was exciting to her now. Why she was even giving it a second thought was beyond her. Nobody was going to see this, anyway. City. NEXT…

  An exotic overseas destination or a weekend at home?

  None of this mattered, Cindy realized as she clicked the exotic destination and moved on. She’d never been out of the country before, but it sounded fun.

  Within minutes the final screen appeared asking for name, address and phone, and Cindy felt her stomach tighten at the prospect of giving out personal information. She navigated away from the page and clicked on the FAQ button to read more:

  At Lovemore Agency, we are extremely selective about who we choose for potential matches. Our clients are leaders in their communities and businesses who have been hand-picked as the most successful and eligible bachelors in the country. In order to ensure everyone has a positive experience, we screen literally hundreds of potential candidates for our clients and only one out of twenty five ever receive a call….

  One out of twenty-five seemed like a low number. As she thought about it, a screen appeared in front of her saying:

  FINISH YOUR ONLINE QUESTIONAIRE NOW

  She clicked on it and once again landed back on the contact page. What the hey? Surely she’d never get a call. One out of twenty-five was practically a shot in the dark.

  She filled in her office address and phone number and held her breath as she clicked the final NEXT button. It was too late to go back now, she realized as a new screen popped up:

  Thank You for your interest in our firm. Someone will contact you if we find a potential match.

  Her heart raced and she felt ever-so-slight perspiration on her palms at the thought of what she’d done, wanting to push it as far from her mind as possible, when someone knocked at the door.

  Adrenaline shot through her as she quickly clicked off the site hoping nobody would find out.

  “Come in.”

  “Here you go. I’ll need these by noon.”

  Cindy smiled at her boss, laying the files on top of the crinkled advertisement.

  “Will do.”

  As soon as she was alone, Cindy pulled the ad out, crunched it up and threw it in the trash under a stack of papers and two empty cups so nobody would know what she’d done. It was time to get back to real life. Cindy smiled to herself, opened the first file of the day and got back to work.

  Chapter Two

  Erick Redmund held his breath as he approached the double glass doors of the Lovemore Agency. He hated having to resort to something like this; it felt like a copout. Once he saw the buxom blonde sitting at the reception desk, however, the only urge he had was to get a closer look.

  “Welcome to the Lovemore Agency where our goal is to bring more love into your life. My name is Bambi; how may I help you?”

  “Bambi? You’re kidding, right? Surely that’s not your real name.”

  “Didn’t you see the movie? My mom loved it, and my friends all say the name fits me because I look like a deer in the headlights.”

  Erick never heard a girl as good-looking as this one snort like when she laughed. He couldn’t help letting his eyes travel down a few inches from her face so he could read the ‘Got Love?’ slogan on her t-shirt, her—headlights—nearly blinding him.

  “Headlights…uh, right. I�
�m here to see the owner.”

  “Do you have an appointment?”

  “I called this morning and she’s expecting me.”

  Bambi picked up the phone and paged her boss.

  “Hey Diane? You have a super hunk here to see you…. Yes, a real cutie! What’s your name?”

  “Erick….Erick Redmund.”

  “He says his name’s Erick. Okay, I’ll send him in.”

  Bambi turned her doe eyes up to meet Erick’s and snorted again. This was just the kind of girl you’d approach in a bar and run kicking and screaming from the minute she opened her mouth. It was exactly the reason he was here today soliciting the advice of an expert.

  “Go on in. Turn right and her office is the last one down on the left.”

  “Thanks.”

  The office door at the end of the long hallway was open and the first thing Erick saw was the buxom beauty framed by a picture perfect view of the Hollywood Hills sign. This wouldn’t be cheap; he hoped it was worth it.

  “Erick! Come on in, sit down. I’m Diana Lovemore. What can I do for you today?”

  Clearly arriving at pseudonym central, Erick took a seat but refused to lean back on the wing backed leather chair.

  “Is that your real name?”

  “Diana is, yes, Lovemore…well, let’s just say that’s what my attorney gets paid for.”

  Unable to help himself from taking a survey of her curvy shape, Erick forced his attention back to her face and the urgent purpose of his visit.

  “I don’t have a lot of time. In fact, I have no time, which is why I’m here.”

  “Yes, I understand.”

  She leaned forward, shined her headlights on him, and smiled as she slid a contract to the edge of her desk.

  “What’s this?”

  “Sign on the bottom and I can find you someone today.”

  “You don’t understand. I don’t just need someone. I need the right someone for a very important business matter. If I wanted just anyone, I could go to the local bar. This person needs to have….”

  “You want a nice girl, marriage minded, not too flashy…am I correct?”