Road to Casablanca

by Leah Leonard

  “What makes you think this film will actually turn a profit?”

  Cindy saw a group of men gathered around a long conference room table and Erick standing up at the far end of the room. She ducked so he would not see her, but couldn’t resist the temptation to listen a minute longer.

  “All of my other ventures have made millions. There is no reason to doubt this will be any different.”

  “But what of your reputation, Mr. Redmund? News of your personal life has plagued you for a few years now. How will we know our money is in reputable hands?”

  Cindy shook her head, not wanting to hear what they were saying about Erick, feeling certain that whatever it was they were talking about could never be true and not wanting to face it if it was.

  She knew she should not be listening in and proceeded down the hallway toward the pool. She trusted Erick. He said he was going to behave himself and she needed to take him at his word and stay away from spying on him. She had to believe he was honorable because if she didn’t, they could not have any kind of relationship at all; not even friendship.

  When Cindy reached the pool, a group of people in suits stood around outside as a bartender walked through the crowd, generously offering them drinks and hors d’oeuvres. He approached Cindy to see if she wanted anything to eat or drink.

  While admitting to herself they looked quite yummy, Cindy wanted to wait until dinner. She waved away the plate of food. “No thank you.”

  She continued looking around at the poolside gathering, once again recognizing several people’s faces from various films, but not recalling any of their names.

  By five o’clock, Cindy could feel a cold breeze begin to pick up. She wrapped herself up again and went back inside, through the hall where the meeting had been. The room was empty and she wondered whether Erick had called her or if he was back in his room resting up for the evening. She thought it must have been stressful for him to get grilled by those men like that.

  As she passed through the lobby to go toward the elevators, she noticed Erick in a small cocktail lounge just off the lobby having a drink with Mr. Jibade and two other stern-looking men who wore turbans with their grey business suits. Erick looked like he was having a decent time. He happened to glance her way as she walked by.

  “Cindy, how was your day?”

  “Great.” Cindy waved to them all now, not wanting to have to talk to these men while she was hardly wearing a thing, particularly with what she knew about the culture there. She quickly walked away and got on the elevator.

  She thought about Erick as she went into her room and showered for the evening, considering what it must be like to be in charge of so much money and to have all the responsibility that went with it. It might not be all it was cracked up to be.

  Queen for a day, she told herself, thinking a day, or a week tops, was just about all she could ever handle of this lifestyle.

  Chapter Twenty

  As promised, at 7:00 p.m. sharp, Erick knocked on Cindy’s door. As he looked up at the beauty in the black silk gown before him, he nearly lost his breath.

  “Wow! You look incredible!”

  “Thank you.”

  “No, I mean it; you are absolutely beautiful. Not that you weren’t already, but whatever they did for you in that spa today…well, let’s just say it worked!”

  “It’s amazing what a little mud can do for a girl! Who knew?”

  “Yeah, well…I guess we’ll be getting you more of that then!”

  The sight of her shot a feeling from his groin to the top of his head, energizing him and causing his arms to automatically reach out to her to touch what he was seeing.

  “Hey! You can look, but don’t touch.”

  Cindy swatted him playfully but Erick could tell by the spark in her eye that what she meant to say was don’t touch – yet. He felt certain that after playing it aloof last night, tonight would be the night she would tumble into his arms and he could finally taste and feel the sweet sensation he’d been seeing and smelling all week.

  “Okay, if you want to play hard to get, go ahead. Just know it goes both ways!”

  “Hey Mister! You were the one who left last night without even a single grope, so don’t go telling me about playing hard to get!”

  She fell laughing into his arms and the sweet smell of that perfume, or whatever it was she was wearing, made it impossible for him to stop himself from kissing and nibbling her neck.

  “What is that smell you have on tonight?”

  “Lotus oil from Egypt. Or at least that’s what they tell me in the spa.”

  “Well, whatever it is, I want more!”

  Erick nibbled her to a ticklish frenzy and they twirled around and fell laughing on the bed.

  “Stop! Stop! I’m ticklish!”

  “Are you? Then I want even more!”

  Erick continued for a minute, then pinned her on her back and looked into her eyes. He wanted her now, but a glance at the clock said they needed to get going if they were to arrive on time for the opening ceremonies. This was the biggest and best part of the whole festival, and regardless of how much Erick wanted Cindy right now, he suspended his needs long enough to want her to have fun even more.

  His actions must have puzzled her because she got a strange look on her face.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes; more than okay. I want to rip this little thing off you right now, but I also know we’re about to be late so maybe I can have a rain check for later, if that’s okay?”

  Cindy looked even more stunned at first but she quickly recovered, smiling and rolling onto her side.

  “I’ll think about it. How’s that?”

  “I guess it will have to do.”

  Erick reached his hand out for hers and as she turned to walk away he caught a full look at her sleek, sexy back and the tiny chain holding the dress together. He reached out to her and ran a strong hand down the center of her back and whistled as he gently tugged the chain..

  “Hey! Finally a good look at the whole package!”

  “You like?”

  “Yeah! I was wondering if anyone has some wire cutters around here? I’m tempted to cut that chain off myself and if there aren’t any tools around, I’ll just use my teeth!”

  “How about I put you in chains later?”

  “Hey! Now you’re talkin’! That will be well worth the wait!”

  “You’d better believe it!”

  “That is if I don’t just bite that dress off you right this minute.”

  “Are you sure your teeth are strong enough for that?”

  “Come here and we will find out, missy.”

  Erick gently bit her neck and grabbed her thin waist and squeezed her butt. This time, she didn’t resist and he kissed her deeply and lovingly until the heat inside him was beginning to rise to a boiling point.

  He wanted to throw her back down on the bed, but unfortunately there were people waiting for them downstairs, so it would have to wait.

  “Mmm. You taste good, too, Erick.”

  “Thanks.”

  He reached his hands around her neck and noticed she was wearing the same jewelry she had on the night before.

  “Sorry I didn’t get you any new jewelry for tonight, but there will be more coming up, I promise.”

  Cindy stopped kissing his neck and looked him square in the eye.

  “Are you kidding? Haven’t you done enough already? I think this looks perfectly fine with what I have on tonight, don’t you?”

  Erick did a once-over from head to toe. “Uh yeah, I’d say it does. You want to know what would look even better with that jewelry?”

  “What?”

  “Your naked body.”

  Erick reached out and kissed her deeply again, feeling her body melt like butter into his hands and her breath slow and.

  “Mmm….” Cindy murmured.

  “Mmm is right!” Erick forced himself to back up again and wiped his mouth off with his hand, still feelin
g the hot wet kiss she gave him only seconds before.

  “Okay, my lovely wife. Are you finally ready to go?”

  “Uh, hello! Who has been distracting whom around here? We could have left ten minutes ago!”

  “You have been purposely distracting me. I know it. You put on those sexy clothes, those tempting smells covering your skin. How is a man to resist?”

  “Too cute. Let’s go.”

  “Shall we go, my wife?”

  “Yes husband, we shall.”

  Erick smiled as Cindy slid her arm around his bicep. She felt good there, fit well on him.

  “I wanted to let you know about what’s going on tonight. We’ll be having a formal dinner in the Grand Ballroom with all the investors and their spouses.”

  “Okay, just tell me what I need to do.”

  “Just be your charming self and everything will be fine. Besides, tonight is when a lot of the big stars come out. Tonight more than any other time all the bigwigs will be out, so I think it should be quite an exciting and star-studded evening for you.”

  “I can’t wait!”

  Downstairs, the ballroom flickered with the faint golden glow of candlelight and the glitter of sequins and fine jewelry. Erick quickly assessed the situation and finally located the table.

  “There they are, over there.”

  “Wow, this is really something. I’ve never been to anything like it before.”

  “You look beautiful and you will be wonderful!”

  Erick squeezed her hand as a finely dressed man approached.

  “Good evening Sir, Madame. May I escort you to your table?”

  “Yes, we are with Mr. and Mrs. Jibade.”

  “Of course, sir, this way.”

  The man seemed to perk up at hearing the name and quickly seated them at an elegant round table at the center section of the front-row upper balcony, where they had a perfectly unobstructed view of the goings on all around them.

  “This is incredible, Erick!”

  “Told you it would be.”

  “Yes you did, and you weren’t lying!”

  They were the first to arrive to the table and Erick now wished he’d taken time to be with Cindy in the room. Later he would make sure to finish what they’d started, but for now, they were both far too busy looking around the room at all the elegantly dressed people, trying to see if any celebrities were in their midst.

  “Look, there’s Samuel L. Jackson over there with Martin Scorsese!”

  “Wow! You were right, there are celebrities here!”

  The Jibades approached with two other couples and Erick and Cindy rose to greet them.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Redmund; how lovely to see you this evening.”

  “Mr. Jibade, Mrs. Jibade, it looks like its going to be quite an event tonight.”

  “Indeed it will be…”

  Erick introduced his wife to all at the table and they enjoyed a drink together before dinner was served.

  Jibade made sure to sit next to Erick so they could talk business over the meal.

  Cindy continued to stare over the balcony, smiling at the woman next to her, the wife of an investor who spoke no English at all.

  Erick spoke with Jibade in a hushed whisper. When they were finished, Erick reached over and put a tender arm around her shoulder and whispered in her ear, still smelling the sweet scent of lotus.

  “You still enjoying it?”

  “Of course I am, silly. What’s not to enjoy?”

  “See any more celebrities?”

  “I thought I saw Steven Spielberg, but when I got a closer look, I think it was just a local man.”

  “Oh well, you can’t have it all, I guess…”

  “Who says?”

  Erick laughed and squeezed her thigh. She was a funny woman and a beautiful one as well.

  “Jibade said we need to meet with some of the men tonight after dinner, of all things, to go over some of the items we talked about this afternoon – to clarify things for them I guess. They don’t speak English and there are lots of cultural differences in how we define different terms and concepts, and I need to be there to explain some things in my proposal.”

  Erick searched her eyes, expecting to find disappointment or chastising there, but he didn’t.

  “It’s okay, Erick; I understand.”

  Pleased she was being such a good sport, Erick had to admit he didn’t feel as accepting of it as she did. He wasn’t mad at all about tonight’s meeting and he of all people understood the delicacy of international relations and how communication varied with culture. It was just that tonight, of all nights, he wanted to spend it with the deliciously dressed Cindy. He wanted to taste her, have her for his after-dinner drink and peel that satiny gown off her body. Now all that would have to wait, and he was sick about it. The fact she seemed okay with it made him want her even more.

  There was always tomorrow for them to be together, but time was passing more quickly than Erick liked and he wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms and make passionate love to her all night long. It was all he wanted virtually since they first met. Now, with each fleeting moment they spent together, he wanted her even more.

  “I’m sorry. I wanted to spend the rest of the night with you.”

  “That’s fine, Erick; I understand. It’s okay.”

  “It’s okay, huh? I thought you’d be crying in your wine glass from disappointment by now!”

  “Yes, I will be, but I’m saving my tears for later when I’m back in my room all alone tonight freezing from the cold without your body to keep me warm.”

  Erick felt a stiffness in his crotch at the thought of what she was saying. He wanted to keep her warm tonight and every night thereafter.

  “I could come by your room later whenever we’re finished, only I have no clue when that will be.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Erick. The anticipation will build until the proper moment; I’m sure of that.”

  Her aloof response made him even hornier, and if it weren’t for the presence of so many millionaires sitting around them at the table, Erick would have picked Cindy up and carried her back to the room. As it was, it would have to wait. He knew it, she obviously knew it, and that was that.

  “Thanks; you’re the best.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  Erick smiled as he thought about how lucky he was to have her, even if it was only for a few more days.

  “How was the meeting today?”

  “I think the meeting went well this afternoon and I’m hopeful the investors are just about ready to go.”

  “That’s great, Erick. I didn’t ask you about it before because I wasn’t sure it was any of my business, but I’m happy for you and think you need to do whatever you need to do to get this going for yourself.”

  “Thanks, Cindy. You’re the best wife I could ever ask for.”

  A delectable four-course dinner was served next, followed by a delicious chocolate cream pie and a strangely strong sherry for dessert. Then came the awards ceremony, where several well-known actors got up to receive awards.

  “I recognize that guy, but I don’t know his name.”

  “That’s the way it is around here a lot. These well-known character actors from the States can come here and get more recognition than they do at home. It’s really something.”

  “Do you see a lot of celebrities when you’re home?”

  “Yeah, from time to time you run into people in restaurants, but it’s no big deal to anyone in Hollywood because it’s an everyday occurrence.”

  “I haven’t seen any celebrities until now…”

  “Stick with me, precious, and that’s not all you’ll see!”

  When dinner was over, the men agreed to meet in twenty minutes in the bar.

  “Gentlemen, I am going to escort my lovely wife back to our room and I will see you shortly.”

  Jibade nodded. “We will see you soon, Mr. Redmund.”

  The truth was, if he had an hour, he would
rip her clothes off as soon as possible.

  Erick tenderly put his arm around Cindy’s shoulder as they made their way back upstairs and down the hall to her room. As he kissed her, he slid his long fingers down the swoop in the back of her dress and this time Cindy didn’t flinch, which made Erick even sorrier he wasn’t able to stay. He ran his hands up the gown to the halter neck and started tracing his fingers down to her more delicate parts.

  “Grr. I can’t stand not being able to be with you tonight.”

  “I know, but we have tomorrow and the next night. Besides, I’m tired from the spa today. I think I got too relaxed or something.”

  “Oh, poor you! I want to make sure you get more of that kind of pampering, if you’d like it.”

  “I would, and I want to thank you again for that. It was really special, Erick.”

  She kissed him on the cheek and he couldn’t help but pull her close to kiss her deeply one more time.

  “If I don’t get out of here, I won’t. I know this is ridiculous, Cindy, but so help me I am going to rip your clothes off as soon as I can.”

  “Try if you’d like, we’ll see…”

  She was such a tease, he loved it. He kissed both her hands and turned to go.

  “Until tomorrow, my princess.”

  “Until then, goodnight.”

  Erick had an extra spring in his step as he went downstairs to his meeting. She gave him a strange feeling of confidence and enthusiasm he had never felt before. He couldn’t wait until tomorrow and regardless of what tonight’s meeting brought, he could face it knowing she would be with him.

  “Breakfast tomorrow morning, and then maybe a trip to the city center? They have a wonderful open air market there and some palaces we could visit that are supposed to be quite spectacular, and I’ll even buy you lunch and anything else you want.”

  “I have all I need right here.”

  Cindy reached out to him once more and squeezed him a little tighter than she had before, and he could tell she meant it.

  Erick leaned in and kissed her.

  “I can hardly wait.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  As Cindy and Erick sat and sipped their coffee while overlooking the expansive desert valley, she noticed the dark circles around his eyes and hoped it was from a late meeting and nothing else.