Read Online Surrender: Keeping Her in the Dark Vol. 4 by Leslie Sansom - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Leslie Sansom
Tags: Keeping her in the Dark
Ads: Link
outcome of our last business transaction two years ago and I wanted to thank you personally.”
It repulsed me to refer to Norah as a business transaction, but it had to be done. Tonight I had to talk about my wife like she was a piece of furniture. I tried to put myself in the mindset that buying Norah was just like buying one of the companies in my business. For this charade to work, Norah had to be reduced to another part of my mergers and acquisitions.
“Please,” he gestured toward the hallway.
We walked down the long hallway entering a large dining room. There was a large dining room table with enough seating for at least 16 people. There were several little groups of men standing all around chatting quietly.
They all stopped talking when we entered the room.
“Gentlemen,” Amir announced and held out his hands welcoming them to gather around him. “Please, let me introduce you to Mr. Liam Hastings, he is a new friend of ours,” he paused and held his hand out to Nasun, “and you all know Mr. Bendi.”
A bell rang and another butler in a tuxedo with tails announced that dinner was ready. The other men began taking their seats. Amir asked me and Nasun to join him at the end of the table.
Waiters started moving around the table like they were gliding on the tops of clouds. They brought us bread, and shrimp cocktails and then filled our glasses with wine and white liquor.
The conversations were about normal things. They talked about real estate, stock markets and bank statements. They discussed birthday parties for their children, school events and even family vacations. They spoke as if this was a completely normal dinner party. As if all of these men at this table hadn’t done horrible things, including myself.
I talked about ‘Nantucket Oil’, a small oil company my group had just acquired. I talked about my recent travels to Venice and Belgium for business.
We were served lamb chops with rosemary and mint sauce, escargot with a rich herb butter, quiche lorriane and as a main course, beef bourguignon that tasted as if Julia Child herself was in the kitchen.
Just before dessert we were given a sterling silver chalet with a scoop of lime sorbet to cleanse our palate. Part of me was amazed at how civilized it all was, the other part expected nothing less.
It was a fine meal. Despite my company, the food was some of the most delicious cuisine I had ever tasted.
When our chalets were taken away I was speaking with a man sitting at my left who was in the process of planning his daughter’s Quinceanera, a celebration in the Latino community for a girl’s 15th birthday. Her dress was being made by a very prominent American designer.
For a short time I actually forgot where I was and what I was there to accomplish. Then Amir asked me a question that brought me back to reality.
“Mr. Hastings, I’ve been told you recently got married. Is that true?” he asked. Have you ever been asked a question by someone so arrogant and full of themselves, with such confidence that you know, they already know the answer? Besides Detective Shaw it had never happened to me, but I know it when I hear it. Usually I am the one asking the questions I already know the answers too. He asked, but he knew, so I didn’t lie.
“Yes it is, but I don’t know if I still can say recently. Although it feels like yesterday, it was over nine months ago.” I took a sip of my wine. A few of the men at the table started to laugh. Including Amir.
“Nine months, did you say?” he laughed. “Well that means that you’re still wearing training wheels, doesn’t it,” he laughed again. They all laughed. I smiled even though I didn’t find it funny at all.
“Tell me something,” he said, again like he was about to ask me something he already knew the answer to. “If you have only been married for nine months, why do you need my services again so soon? Mr. Bendi tells me you are in the market for another girl. Please, I have
It repulsed me to refer to Norah as a business transaction, but it had to be done. Tonight I had to talk about my wife like she was a piece of furniture. I tried to put myself in the mindset that buying Norah was just like buying one of the companies in my business. For this charade to work, Norah had to be reduced to another part of my mergers and acquisitions.
“Please,” he gestured toward the hallway.
We walked down the long hallway entering a large dining room. There was a large dining room table with enough seating for at least 16 people. There were several little groups of men standing all around chatting quietly.
They all stopped talking when we entered the room.
“Gentlemen,” Amir announced and held out his hands welcoming them to gather around him. “Please, let me introduce you to Mr. Liam Hastings, he is a new friend of ours,” he paused and held his hand out to Nasun, “and you all know Mr. Bendi.”
A bell rang and another butler in a tuxedo with tails announced that dinner was ready. The other men began taking their seats. Amir asked me and Nasun to join him at the end of the table.
Waiters started moving around the table like they were gliding on the tops of clouds. They brought us bread, and shrimp cocktails and then filled our glasses with wine and white liquor.
The conversations were about normal things. They talked about real estate, stock markets and bank statements. They discussed birthday parties for their children, school events and even family vacations. They spoke as if this was a completely normal dinner party. As if all of these men at this table hadn’t done horrible things, including myself.
I talked about ‘Nantucket Oil’, a small oil company my group had just acquired. I talked about my recent travels to Venice and Belgium for business.
We were served lamb chops with rosemary and mint sauce, escargot with a rich herb butter, quiche lorriane and as a main course, beef bourguignon that tasted as if Julia Child herself was in the kitchen.
Just before dessert we were given a sterling silver chalet with a scoop of lime sorbet to cleanse our palate. Part of me was amazed at how civilized it all was, the other part expected nothing less.
It was a fine meal. Despite my company, the food was some of the most delicious cuisine I had ever tasted.
When our chalets were taken away I was speaking with a man sitting at my left who was in the process of planning his daughter’s Quinceanera, a celebration in the Latino community for a girl’s 15th birthday. Her dress was being made by a very prominent American designer.
For a short time I actually forgot where I was and what I was there to accomplish. Then Amir asked me a question that brought me back to reality.
“Mr. Hastings, I’ve been told you recently got married. Is that true?” he asked. Have you ever been asked a question by someone so arrogant and full of themselves, with such confidence that you know, they already know the answer? Besides Detective Shaw it had never happened to me, but I know it when I hear it. Usually I am the one asking the questions I already know the answers too. He asked, but he knew, so I didn’t lie.
“Yes it is, but I don’t know if I still can say recently. Although it feels like yesterday, it was over nine months ago.” I took a sip of my wine. A few of the men at the table started to laugh. Including Amir.
“Nine months, did you say?” he laughed. “Well that means that you’re still wearing training wheels, doesn’t it,” he laughed again. They all laughed. I smiled even though I didn’t find it funny at all.
“Tell me something,” he said, again like he was about to ask me something he already knew the answer to. “If you have only been married for nine months, why do you need my services again so soon? Mr. Bendi tells me you are in the market for another girl. Please, I have
Similar Books
