I escorted his client upstairs, all the while wishing that I was dragging Sam into my lair.
I delivered my client back to the waiting room where Sam was still waiting patiently all on his own. He stood up and discreetly handed me a hundred-dollar bill. I gave him a kiss on the cheek but instead of kissing me back, he whispered, ‘Call me.’
So as not to show favoritism I kissed my client and said, ‘Sayonara,’ then left.
The following day I called Sam to thank him for the recommendation and tip. In truth I just wanted to call him, I wanted once again to bask in his intelligent and suave company. He was glad to hear from me. He told me it was a bad time to talk right now and could he call me back? I certainly didn’t want him having my home number in case Ben answered the phone, even though Ben wasn’t due back for four days. I told him that I wasn’t going to be near a phone all day as I had rehearsals. I was proud of how quickly I could come up with half-truths and make them sound so convincing yet not insulting to Sam’s pride. Instead, I agreed to meet him at his palatial house after dance practice.
For reasons only I was aware of, I danced up a storm and my creativity seemed ablaze. I changed routines, tried out new moves, and my enthusiasm was so contagious nobody wanted to go home. I checked my watch to see if I was running late.
The address Sam had given me was on the same street as a friend of my brother’s, who had dropped by a few times at the strip. I rang Charles, the oldest brother, who was three years older than I was.
‘Charles, it’s Annika, I have a date up the road from your place this evening, but I’m running late. Could I pop over to your house and get dressed there, because if I get a cab back to my unit, shower and change, then jump another cab I will be really late?’
‘Hey, you know I’m always happy to see you, come straight over.’
Charles had two brothers, Mike and Todd, and both were delinquents. At only sixteen and fourteen they were both practically alcoholics, much like their father, Craig. He was incredibly wealthy, but a complete cretin. The four bachelors lived together in a mansion that backed on to the harbour. Craig had employed two girls to be maids, cooks, bartenders and live-in ‘sex-on-tap’, to quote Craig. I thought they were all sexist pigs but one couldn’t help being entertained. Charles was the only sane one, mind you, I think he was gay.
I had to drive past Sam’s house on my way to the bachelor pad and was surprised to see a number of cars out the front. One incredibly well-dressed Asian lady, who looked to be around forty was walking into the house. I thought that was odd, as Sam had assured me we were going to be alone. As I was pulling into Charles’s driveway, Sam passed me in his car—I waved but he didn’t see me.
Upon entering Club Mayhem—as I liked to call Craig’s house—I was invited by the family for a drink on the veranda. I had OJ, while everyone else was served fancy drinks with cherries and umbrellas by Ming, the maid. Ming wore no shoes and lots of make-up, she was very touchy-feely and always giggled, no matter what you said.
From the veranda, I could figure out which house was Sam’s as it backed on to the harbour as well. I could see a boat docked off the jetty with about four Asian men standing beside it. I started to feel very uncomfortable. In about forty-five minutes I was meant to go to Sam’s for a quiet, private evening. I recalled Sam saying that he owned a boat but I was starting to doubt the address I had been given. Craig let me use the phone so that I could set my mind at rest.
‘Hi Sam, this is Annika.’
‘Hi, are we still on for this evening?’
‘Sure, I may be about ten minutes early, is that all right?’
‘Well, I’m still in my car, about fifteen minutes from home, but that should be fine. I look forward to seeing you,’ he lied.
‘What have you got planned for tonight, maybe it would be easier to meet you at a restaurant?’
‘No, I want to be alone with you and have a quiet dinner. I’ll have you know that I’m a pretty good cook.’
‘All right then, I’ll see you shortly.’ I hung up.