The Incubus, Succubus and Son of Perdition Box Set: The Len du Randt Bundle

by Len du Randt

  Amy’s face lit up. ‘Really? Who?’

  ‘Well, I thought that Tanya’s niece might be perfect for the position.’

  Amy continued carving the onions, not saying anything and not letting her facial expression give away any thoughts.

  ‘It’s only until Lisa returns. Two; three days max.’

  ‘That’s nice,’ Amy said. She made no effort to hide the disgust in her voice. Dinner and a movie would certainly not cut it this time.

  Jared sighed intentionally loud. ‘Are we going to go through this again?’ he asked. ‘I need a personal assistant, Amy. You know that.’

  ‘Why her?’ Amy asked and dropped everything into the basin with more force than she intended. Her voice was barely above a whisper. ‘Of all the people in the world, why did you choose her?’

  ‘Because I needed someone that could do the job immediately. Someone that I could trust. I don’t have time to interview and train people. What the hell is your gripe with this woman, anyway?’

  ‘I just...’ don’t trust her! ‘...nothing.’ If you feel that this complete stranger that you haven’t interviewed or at the very least checked out will be perfect for the position, who am I to doubt your wise judgement?’

  ‘I didn’t ask for your sarcasm,’ Jared said. He spat out the words and slammed his fist onto the kitchen counter. Amy jumped at the sudden slamming sound. He closed his eyes for a few seconds as he tried to subdue the rage inside him. ‘I didn’t ask your permission either.’

  With that he stormed from the kitchen, slammed the door to the garage, and sped off in his Vanquish.

  * - - - *

  Amy turned and stretched out her arm. She felt nothing. Slowly she opened her eyes and squinted at the early morning sunlight that penetrated the strategic split in the curtains. She sighed when she realised that Jared was no longer there.

  No sounds coming from the bathroom or kitchen.

  Thanks for saying goodbye, she thought as she slipped out of bed. She immediately made her way to the bathroom where she brushed her hair and teeth before heading to the kitchen. On the fridge was a post-it note with a simple message scribbled on it.

  Had to go in early. Sorry about last night. Will make it up to you. Promise. Love, J.

  She pulled the note off the refrigerator and placed it on the counter where she read it twice more. She then poured herself some cereal while she contemplated her schedule for the day.

  The shrill ring of the telephone jerked her back to reality.

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘Amy?’

  ‘Oh, hi Rebecca; how are you?’

  ‘I’m fine, my dear. How are things at the book store?’

  ‘Not bad,’ Amy said. ‘There’s a floor manager position I’m shooting for.’

  ‘That’s great, Amy. I’ll pray that you get it.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  Rebecca got down to business. ‘Is Jared there, dear?’

  Amy looked at the post-it note on the counter. ‘Afraid not,’ she said. ‘It appears that he had to leave early. Probably to welcome the new girl.’

  Rebecca picked up on the bitterness of Amy’s tone. ‘New girl?’

  ‘Tanya’s niece. She’s Jared’s new personal assistant.’

  ‘Tanya’s niece? I didn’t know she even had a niece.’

  Amy frowned. ‘She never told you she had one in all the years that you’ve been friends?’

  ‘Not that I can recall, no.’

  ‘Strange...’

  ‘What’s her name?’

  Amy thought for a moment. ‘Natasha.’

  ‘No,’ Rebecca said. ‘That name certainly does not ring a bell.’

  ‘Well,’ Amy said. ‘I don’t like that woman; don’t trust her for a minute. Something about her gives me the creeps.’

  ‘Don’t worry too much about it. You know that Jared only has eyes for you, right?’

  Amy sighed. ‘I guess you’re right. I just wish that he got someone else for the position.’

  ‘I’m sure that you don’t have anything to worry about,’ Rebecca assured her. ‘Everything’s going to turn out just fine.’

  * - - - *

  Silence fell over Whyte & Greene International’s accounts department as Jared walked into the office with Natasha. Everyone stopped doing what they were busy with and gaped at the charismatic woman smiling at them.

  ‘This is Natasha Sinclair,’ Jared introduced her. ‘She will be my personal assistant for the next few days until Lisa returns.’

  ‘Lisa’s gone?’ Maggie, the head of the department asked the question that everyone wanted to ask, but was too afraid to.

  ‘Only for a short while,’ Jared tried to re-assure her and the rest of the ladies in the office. ‘But I trust that you will find Natasha equally up to the task. If there’s anything at all that you need from me, please do not hesitate to give her a shout.’

  The women nodded and then resumed their tasks.

  ‘You make quite an entrance,’ Jared whispered as they left. ‘That’s the third department you’ve single-handedly brought to a grinding halt.’

  Natasha smiled. ‘Must be the dress.’

  Jared eyed the dress. Not bad at all, if I do say so myself. ‘Well, it is a stunning dress, if you don’t mind me saying so.’

  ‘Not at all.’

  Jared liked her calm and cool attitude. He could see that she was one that could get the job done, regardless of how daunting the task might be.

  ‘Jay,’ Shaun said as he approached them. ‘We have an urgent...’ his voice trailed off and he stood there, saying nothing as he gawked at the woman standing at Jared’s side.

  ‘Nice to see that she has that effect on you too, Shaun,’ Jared smirked. ‘This is Natasha, by the way; the one I was telling you about.’

  Shaun shook his head to clear his thoughts. ‘Um...urgent...we...’

  Natasha took his hand and shook it. ‘Pleased to meet you, Shaun.’

  ‘We have...Patterson...’

  ‘We do?’ Jared asked and chuckled. ‘Focus, my friend.’

  Shaun jerked as if he woke from a terrible dream. ‘Sorry,’ he said as he locked eyes with Jared. ‘The workers at one of our couriers are on strike and they’re holding up three of our clients.’

  ‘I take it from your earlier attempt that Patterson is one of them, right?’

  Shaun nodded. ‘It doesn’t look good. Twice in the span of a week.’

  Jared shot a glance at Natasha. ‘And what do you propose we do?’

  ‘Oh, I’m sure that your colleague here is capable of figuring it out,’ she said and walked off, swaying her hips just a fraction with each step she took. ‘It was nice meeting you, Shaun,’ she called without looking back.

  The two men just stared at her and finally Jared snapped them out of it. ‘Gotta go,’ he said. ‘Have to show her the rest of the building.’

  ‘But what about the strike? What about Patterson?’

  ‘You heard the lady,’ Jared said over his shoulder as he joined up with Natasha. ‘Figure it out.’ With that, the two of them disappeared into Jared’s office.

  * - - - *

  ‘This is nice,’ Natasha said and walked to the massive wall made entirely of glass.

  ‘I aim to please,’ Jared said with a smirk. ‘Mind if I pour you a drink?’

  ‘Not at all,’ she said.

  ‘Anything specific you would like?’

  ‘Sssurprise me,’ she said with a slight purr in her voice.

  Jared merely smiled as he made his way to the liquor cabinet. He took out a small martini glass and placed it down on the shelf. He then took a few ice cubes and dropped them into a shaker where he added a measure of coffee liqueur, cherry liqueur, and amaretto. Jared then shook the shaker and latched the strainer. With the skill of a professional bartender, he poured the chilled drink into the martini glass, making sure that no ice escaped through the strainer. Next came the hard part where, with a steady hand, he poured a layer of cream, using a b
ar spoon to float the cream on the alcohol before he finished it off with a cherry on top.

  ‘Impressive,’ she said as he handed her the Black Forest cocktail.

  ‘I picked up a few things here and there,’ he said modestly.

  There was a moment of comfortable silence as the two of them stared out over Kelwick together. In the distance, tiny people drove tiny cars. Jared couldn’t help but feel massive as he stood at the window next to Natasha, watching the tiny people get on with their tiny lives.

  ‘Would you care to join me for a function tomorrow evening?’ Natasha asked. ‘Or do you have something else planned?’

  ‘No plans,’ Jared said immediately. ‘What function is it?’

  ‘Oh, just a small fund-raiser that a few people I know are holding over at the town hall.’

  ‘Here in Kelwick?’

  She nodded.

  ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘What time is the function?’

  ‘It starts at six.’

  ‘Great,’ he said. ‘We can finish up some things here and then go together in the Vanquish.’

  ‘That would be splendid,’ she said. ‘But now I have to go. There are some items on your itinerary that I need to work through.’ She took his hand and gave it a quick, yet sensual squeeze before handing him the empty martini glass. ‘If there’s anything you need,’ she said, ‘please buzz me.’

  Jared merely stared at her as she gracefully moved toward the door in a motion so fluent that it almost appeared as if she was floating. She gave him one last smile before she left the office.

  * - - - *

  ‘Your mother called today,’ Amy said once they ran out of conversation. ‘She wanted to speak to you about something.’

  ‘Thanks,’ he said. ‘I’ll call her in the morning.’

  There was a moment of silence before Amy spoke again. ‘So,’ she said. ‘You mentioned something about making up for last night, right?’

  Jared nodded. Trying to watch the news here, do you mind?

  ‘So would you like to go out and do something?’

  He looked at her. ‘Maybe tomorrow,’ he said and focused his attention on the news again.

  Amy bit her lip, wondering if everything was all right. She wanted to ask him about his day and if Natasha could indeed manage the job. She wanted to ask what was so obviously bothering him, but instead, she just cuddled up against him and pretended to watch the news with him. Something was distracting him and she couldn’t suppress the gut feeling that it was a certain new staff member at Whyte & Greene International.

  * - - - *

  The phone rang.

  Jared tightened his grip on the receiver.

  From across the room, Natasha read a magazine, looking up every now and again to smile at Jared.

  The phone rang.

  Natasha nibbled the end of a pen as she pretended to be in deep thought.

  The phone rang.

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘Hi, love,’ Jared said. ‘How are you?’

  ‘Oh, hey,’ Amy said. ‘I’m fine. Finishing off some stuff and then I have to head to the grocer to get us some apples for tonight’s desert.’

  ‘That sounds promising. What are we having?’

  ‘It’s a surprise,’ she said. ‘You’ll have to see when you get here.’

  Jared bit his lip. ‘About that,’ he said and paused. For a moment the thought of declining Natasha’s invitation and rather going home after work crossed his mind. One look at Natasha removed all doubt. ‘I’m going to a function after work,’ he said and closed his eyes. ‘Came up at the last minute.’

  ‘A function?’

  ‘Fund raiser. Very important people. It’s an executive-only thing, so I can’t take guests this time, I’m afraid.’

  ‘And Natasha?’

  ‘She’s not a guest, Amy. She’s my personal assistant.’

  Natasha looked up.

  Silence.

  ‘Amy?’

  ‘What time will you be back?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘Ten; maybe eleven.’

  ‘So we’re not going out?’

  Damn it! He had completely forgotten about that! ‘Sorry hun,’ he said. ‘We’ll go out tomorrow evening or Friday. I promise.’

  ‘Should I wait up?’

  He thought for a moment. ‘Nah, it’s fine. Don’t wait up. Who knows what time this thing will actually finish?’

  Amy sighed. She was looking forward to a nice evening with him. ‘Should I leave your food in the oven?’

  ‘No need. I’ll eat at the function.’ He wrapped up the rest of the call as quickly as he could and hung up. Jared exhaled deeply. He then looked at Natasha and smiled victoriously. ‘Sorted.’

  ‘Are you sure you want to come?’ Natasha asked in a voice as sweet as honey. ‘You could always attend the next benefit.’

  ‘Of course I want to come,’ he said. ‘It’ll be fun.’

  For a moment Natasha didn’t say anything. ‘What does she do for a living?’ she finally asked.

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Your fiancé.’

  Jared frowned. ‘She’s not my fiancé. Not yet, anyway. But to answer your question, she’s an Admin Assistant for a Christian book shop.’

  ‘Well, she’s a very lucky Cinderella to have hooked someone like you.’

  Jared forced a change of topic. ‘Come,’ he said. ‘The benefit starts in half an hour and I always like to be early.’ He held his arm in an arc toward her. ‘Shall we?’

  She hooked her arm into his. ‘Sure.’

  Arm-in-arm they strode down the hallway. Jared’s heart boomed in his chest. He looked at her and she blushed. He didn’t know exactly how or when it happened, but by the time they reached the car, they were holding hands.

  * - - - *

  Thirty five people in total showed up at the fund raising benefit. Multi-millionaires networked and made small talk as they waited in eager anticipation for the guest speaker to deliver his keynote speech. Most of those present were bankers, movers and shakers from all over who controlled the economy.

  ‘How can all these people be super rich without me knowing at least one of them?’ Jared asked as he surveyed the crowd.

  Natasha shrugged. ‘They prefer to stay out of the lime light. But I can assure you, they have all heard about you.’

  Jared suddenly felt aware of himself and looked at those around him. No one seemed to pay him any attention. Why would they all know me? Where does Natasha know them from? ‘What is the purpose of tonight’s benefit?’ he asked. ‘What are we raising funds for?’ He initially thought it would be a simple save-the-whale campaign, but as he met the people around him, he realised that something much larger was at stake.

  Natasha didn’t have time to answer. The lights dimmed and a well-dressed gentleman walked onto the makeshift stage at the front of the room and briskly made his way to the podium. He tapped the microphone twice with his finger and gently blew into it before speaking. ‘I would like to thank you all for attending,’ the man said in a husky voice. ‘If you would all be so kind as to take your seats, we will commence this evening’s schedule.’

  Jared and Natasha made their way to their designated seats and sat down at a large round table with six other people. The man left the stage and took his seat at his own table while Tuxedo-clad waiters made sure that drinks were in ample supply.

  A tall, self-assured man walked onto the stage in perfect stride and took his place behind the microphone. The clapping subsided as the background music faded.

  ‘We are gathered here tonight because a brother needs our help,’ the man said. ‘Aaryan Omar, a young but powerful leader for the Colombian Armed Forces, has been captured by local militia.’

  Definitely not save-the-whale.

  ‘A small band of rebels plan to free him, since he is a key player in a major upcoming event. The problem is that they are under-supplied on foodstuff, weapons, and ammunition.’

  Jared finished his drink and a wait
er appeared as if from nowhere to replace his glass with a clean one. The waiter also re-filled his glass and just as stealthily as he came, disappeared again. Jared caught a glance of Natasha and for a moment lost track of the speaker as he gazed at her, mesmerized by her enchanted beauty in the dim light.

  ‘Since we support young Aaryan’s cause, we would like to see him succeed. We would like him to accomplish the tasks laid out to him.’

  Random clapping resounded through the audience, though not enough to evoke emotion.

  ‘Let us unite our hearts and our wallets for one single objective tonight. Let us be one voice for one cause.’

  Jared didn’t know who this stranger was talking about or what cause they supported, but something in the man’s voice made him want to give him everything he needed. ‘How much do people donate at functions like these?’ he whispered to Natasha.

  ‘The minimum is usually around forty thousand dollars,’ she answered. ‘Depends on the cause, I suppose.’

  ‘Dollars?’ He asked. ‘U.S or Zimbabwean?’

  Natasha giggled and lightly slapped Jared’s leg.

  ‘Per person?’

  She nodded.

  Let’s assume that only half of the people here pay the forty thousand dollars, Jared thought. This organization would make a cool seven hundred thousand dollars. Minimum. For one session. That’s a heck of a lot more than the Church makes.

  ‘Thank you for attending,’ the man said after his speech. ‘Please enjoy your dinner and feel free to stay as long as you like. May we be victorious in our many struggles.’

  The audience clapped as the man left the stage and Jared was impressed with the short, yet profound speech. He finished another drink and became aware of the slight spin in his head as a re-fill was placed down in front of him.

  ‘I will support this cause,’ Jared said. ‘Just for the hell of it.’