The Samui Conspiracy

by Carline Bouilhet

  The call which woke him up barely three hours later was most inopportune: Louis stirred grouchily, having slept little, his body aching all over thanks to the previous day’s exercise. Moreover, he suffered from sunburn despite the suntan lotion he had lathered on and nursed an inconvenient hangover as well. Swarmani ordered him to dress casually and come to the main house right away. From there, a woman in a lab coat and a severe hairdo led him to one of the bunkers tucked away behind the main building. After being put through the paces of a general check-up, another female assistant, also dressed in a white embroidered coat falling over wide white pants, offered him a jade pill with a glass of water. She then indicated that Paul was already waiting for him to lunch by the pool and without further ado wished him a pleasant afternoon. She added it would be nightfall by the time she would check on him again.

  Louis walked gingerly to the pool, feeling marginally better as he walked along, the drug slowly coursing through his veins. Paul was waiting for him, reading the Bangkok Times and as they broke bread, this time around, they spoke of international politics, the up-coming French presidential elections and the latest artistic trends coming out of the American East Coast. They spoke openly and laughed at each other’s jokes, comfortable in each other’s company. Once again the wine was irreproachable and the food delicious, and Louis thoroughly enjoyed himself, realising that it was the first time he had stopped thinking of Jade for more than five minutes. His earlier headache was also gone and his body no longer sore. Despite the lack of sleep and the gruelling morning medical routine, he had not felt as good in well over a week. When he took leave of his host, he was surprised to feel so alive, his every sense tingling.

  Chapter VII

  The Proposal

  In fact, after lunch, Louis was feeling no pain. Paul had not offered him a pill but Louis had not known that his wine had been spiked regardless, as had his coffee the night before. As he walked back to his room, he only registered that the smells were somehow more intense, the colours brighter, the sounds more acute. He suddenly felt very warm though but could not decide whether he ran a temperature or whether his discomfort was due to the tropical heat and unusual humidity levels. In any case, he could hardly wait to re-enter the air-conditioned comfort of his room. Perhaps a lengthy nap and a good movie would help. Or perhaps he should attempt calling Jade back once again, even though so far his calls had just rang out. Paul though had warned him that reception in the country was sporadic at best. Or perhaps, after the nap, he should make his way into town and check it out. He smiled at the thought, remembering that he had been requested to stay indoors for the first 72 hours, and in fact had no idea which way town was. Indeed, as soon as they had landed, he had been whisked away in the black four-wheel drive which tinted windows had muted most of the countryside, falsifying all sense of direction. And now the little jade pill was due to erase all sense of time. Louis laughed at the idea that not only he did not know where he was but that soon, he would not know which day it was. If that was not a recipe for disaster, what was?

  Still laughing, he opened his bungalow door and a blast of cold air welcomed him home. The sound of soft lounge music drifted through the room. Since he had left so precipitously that morning, he was sure he had not turned it on, but guessed that the maid must have left the radio on. The floor-to-ceiling glass pane windows were fogged on the inside and it reminded him of a frosted fishbowl, yet he did not bother wiping off the condensation. Instead, he walked up to the screens which separated his room from the seating area and stood still, blinking a couple of times and then unbelieving, rubbed his eyes. On his king-sized bed, two very pretty, very petite women, who looked almost identical, were asleep under the silk coverlet. Scratching his throat, he mumbled, “Excuse me,” yet they did not stir. He approached the bed cautiously and, as he did so, could not help noticing the smooth turn of a leg, the naked curve of a breast and the small round buttocks peaking under the sheet. Gently, he touched the first girl’s arm and she jerked awake.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, sir. We waited for you. We fell asleep. Please don’t tell Mr Paul. He’d be angry with us.”

  The startled woman had lovely amber eyes, a smooth oval face, a fringe that kept falling over her eyes and long jet-black hair which disappeared behind her back. The other woman had also sat up and was assessing him, staring at him squarely, with a mocking smile on her lips.

  “Were you here to clean my room?” asked Louis dumbfounded, having no doubt that Paul would indeed be angry at the idea that his maids fell asleep on the job.

  They both giggled then, without guile.

  “Oh no, Mr Louis. We’re here to relax you. Do you like us? This is Lon, my sister, and my name is Apple. We work for Mr Paul. He send us for you to have good time now. Tell us what you want. We do what you want.”

  Louis, incredulous, shook his head. Even though their English was far from being grammatically correct, there was no mistaking the invitation.

  Louis sent a mental thank-you note to his considerate host. He had vainly tried to repress the intense sexual urges which had plagued him since the night before. At first he thought they were nothing more than his longing for Jade. Now he wondered whether the dosage of the little pill he had been given that morning was in fact responsible. After all he had agreed to participate in the drug’s trials and questioning every intake had not been part of the deal. The nurse had told him she would check on him later and he would mention it. Until now, he had tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling, certain it was all part of the tests he would be subjected to during the experiment. As Paul’s guest for a while longer and without any other possible outlet, he had decided to dismiss them. However, temptation now laid across his bed.

  He could not have described either girl as less than beautiful. Both looked at him beseechingly. He was now certain it was all part of the trial phase. He certainly would not be hurting anyone and reasoned that Jade wouldn’t have to know. Paul struck him as a gentleman; surely he would not mention this to his niece, especially if he were the instigator? His conscience appeased, Louis grinned back at the two women now fully exposed on his bed. He took off his shirt.

  “Would you ladies like a drink first? Champagne maybe?” he offered.

  “Champagne OK,” they chorused.

  Louis walked back to the small living room and withdrew three piccolo champagnes from the shelves and expertly popped the corks opened. He handed them a bottle each and offered them a straw. More giggles and whispers accompanied his every gesture.

  “What is it?” asked Louis unable to peel his eyes off the gracious limbs intertwined on the bed.

  “You look like big boy,” replied the one who had introduced herself as Apple, staring at his crotch unabashedly. “We Thai women very small.”

  Well, grinned Louis, that should be even more interesting.

  His manhood certainly had not been a hindrance as far as his previous conquests were concerned; Jade had not mentioned anything either, even though he remembered her complaining of a certain tenderness afterwards.

  “Me gentle,” he replied, falling automatically into the same speech pattern. “You both beautiful. I’ll be careful.”

  They motioned for him to climb onto the bed and they pushed him back gently until he laid on his back and closed his eyes, visibly relaxing. As his vision began to blur, one of them, he could not remember which, took a vial of scented oil from the top of the nightstand and began to pour the warm liquid onto his taut stomach. The other straddled him and began to massage him with long sensual strokes, sometimes stopping to grind her knuckles on particular pressure points. The shock of her pubic hair against his leg, the warmth of Apple’s body while Lon had cradled his head in between her open legs, stroking his hair, lifting and pulling strands in a continuous rhythm, increased his desire exponentially. He kept on fretting and it was not long before Apple expertly delivered him from his plight, sliding his shorts down his bronzed legs. Then the massage became pure bliss with d
elicate hands cupping his sex and expertly teasing all of his nerve endings. Classical music continued to fill the room and he only registered then that while the TV was on mute, it had been tuned to a porn channel. Louis distractedly watched the proceedings for a minute or so, and then reverted back to his own world, one of guilt free pleasure, all of his senses catered to at once. He closed his eyes and when the movement over his loins accelerated, he tensed and suddenly felt the release with such joy that tears sprung to his eyes. Surely he would wake up to realise it was all a dream but never had a dream been so intense before or so vivid, nor did he actually care for that matter. The powerful feeling of pure well-being which washed over him had been its own reward.

  When Louis woke a few hours later, the sun was already sinking on the horizon. He woke to the rustling of sheets, languorous caresses along his back punctuated by small kisses on the nape of his neck. He grew accustomed to the twilight and saw the form of the two women still tangled with his own in a mess of pillows, dark hair and crumpled sheets. He opened one hand to find the sleigh of a hip weighing it down while a breast fit snuggly in the other. He shook himself awake worrying that it was probably high time he checked in with the doctors, as recommended earlier. He switched on the light on the night table and saw two eager faces looking up at him.

  “Hello, ladies, how are you in this fine afternoon? Or is this morning already?”

  “Fine, Mr Louis. You sleep OK? You want shower now?”

  Tempted, Louis thought about it but he could see where a shower with the two gorgeous creatures might lead to and decided instead that he was late enough as it was.

  “Maybe later. I need to go see the Doctor now.”

  “OK,” they replied together, smiling broadly. “Maybe Doctor has candy for us too?” Lon asked pertly.

  Does everyone know what I’m up to? wondered Louis, suddenly feeling a trifle paranoid. Or was it part of the lifestyle in this remote villa up on the hills?

  He would check with Paul if it were possible to share since he could see no harm in giving the owners of such expert hands a good time as well.

  “I see what I can do. See you later,” replied Louis.

  “See you, Mr Louis…” they chorused as they hastily dressed, disappearing from sight noiselessly.

  Louis dressed and walked up to the house. Under the veranda, the same lab technician he had first seen that morning waited for him. Without humour she inquired whether he had a good afternoon and whether everything so far was up to his satisfaction. Avoiding the bait of the double-entendre, Louis followed her to a smaller building located on the periphery of the property. She opened the door to what appeared to be a doctor’s surgery and asked him to sit.

  “So, how do you feel since this morning?”

  “Great, shouldn’t I?” replied Louis automatically, who thought his wide grin would have betrayed his overall state of contentment.

  Nonplussed, the lab technician then asked him a series of questions ranging from his appetite levels to his perception of visual depth and from his bowel movements to his sex drive. Louis replied patiently and as accurately as he could. He only wanted to get on with it and return to the cocoon of his room. At the end of the interview, she handed him a small velvet purse filled with jade-coloured pills and recommended that he take one only every four hours. She would see him again in the next couple of days or so. Louis nodded in agreement. As he went past the main house, Paul intercepted him.

  “Louis, come here, why don’t you? I’ve something to share with you. I need to return to the mainland right away to attend to a rather urgent business matter. Do you mind staying here on your own for a day or two? Is there anything you’re missing? Is everything all right?” asked Paul, playing the genial host.

  “Everything is fine,” grinned Louis. “Have a good time. Do what you need to do and don’t worry about me. It seems that you have thought of everything,” he added with a wink.

  “Please ring room service whenever you’re hungry. Staff is on stand-by basically all night,” said Paul in acknowledgement. “And, Louis, I’ve left a surprise in your room, just in case. Is everything going all right with my medical team? They will report to me at the end of the trials so I’m not quite sure what they are up to on a daily basis.”

  “Everyone has been most helpful,” replied Louis, thinking all the while that if his companions returned tonight, he could share some of his stash with them, without anyone the wiser. The men shook hands and Louis saw Paul to his car and waited for the gates to close before following the garden path back to his room. As Paul’s limousine rounded the driveway, he waved to him one last time and it took all of his self-control not to run the rest of the way. With no particular plans for the next few days, he was eager to re-enter the jade-coloured world of the little magic pills. In his overall state of floating above reality, he was unable to appreciate that in fact he had returned to the same world he had left behind in Paris, four months earlier, when he had last entered the rehab clinic. Albeit, this time he had claimed re-entry by a very different route.

  Slightly disappointed to see that no one waited for him this time around, he went straight to the refrigerator, noted that it had been refilled, and opened a Smirnoff Ice. Suddenly ravenous he dialled 0 for the operator and asked what was available for dinner.

  “May we recommend the lobster Pad Thai Sir? It’s an updated and more contemporary version of the old stand-by. And perhaps some Imperial rolls for starters? And a chilled Toblerone mousse for dessert?”

  “Absolutely perfect!” replied Louis, clearly astonished by the menu on offer since he had expected a standard club sandwich at best.

  “It’ll be brought to you in ten minutes, sir. What sort of wine would you like with that?”

  “Surprise me,” replied Louis, hanging up the phone.

  He then popped another one of the little pills the lab technician had given him and remembering Paul’s words, began to look for the surprise which had allegedly been left behind. He did not have to search far. A small coffin-shaped box, which he swore had not been there earlier, sat on the coffee table. When he opened it, Louis found 6 perfectly rolled joints, four lollipops, and many more jade-coloured pills.

  How perfect, he thought, but how could Paul ignore that the doctors had already given him his dose for the day when he saw them earlier? Weren’t the contents of the box going to put him over the edge? Or was that another test? Was he supposed to leave it alone and follow doctor’s orders instead?

  A soft rap at the door interrupted his deliberations. Two different, yet equally stunning women as those he had met earlier, dressed in the traditional silk Thai robes and followed by an androgynous looking boy, came in, each carrying a small tray with his dinner courses. Louis welcomed them in and asked them to set the food on the table. He looked speechless at the amount of food. Surely he was not expected to eat all of it, was he?

  The young women laid the table wordlessly and it soon became clear that the table had been set for 4 and that the new arrivals had intended to stay and share his fare.

  The young boy introduced himself as Cam and, in flawless English, asked him whether he wanted company or whether he would rather eat alone. Louis answered enthusiastically that he much preferred company and motioned for them to sit. The women tucked their feet under their posteriors and waited politely for him to start.

  “And what are your names?” inquired Louis.

  Smiling shyly at first, one introduced herself as Pretty and the other as Sassy.

  “If this is meant to be a party,” interrupted Cam with a mischievous smile, “then perhaps we should begin with a languorous smoke, don’t you agree?”

  Louis could not agree more and opened the box Paul had left behind. Cam lifted a joint in his perfectly manicured hands and the girls eyed the pills with barely concealed glee.

  “Do you want one?” asked Louis seeing the light in their eyes.

  They vigorously nodded their agreement and Louis poured the wine
to swallow them with. They ate with gusto and drank without restraint. Louis asked them all manners of questions about the island, about their job and in general about their lives. He was surprised to hear that they had all been educated in Australia, thanks to Paul’s beneficence and that he had brought them back after graduation to work with him. They remained vague as to the specific nature of their jobs, but they were clearly indebted to him and it was evident that none would ever dream of doing anything which might displease him. Paul indeed had seen their way out of poverty; he had given them a chance and now they found nothing untoward in repaying their debt by working for him, no questions asked. Moreover, they seemed very content with their lot in life.

  Louis’s new companions laughed at his jokes, listened to his tales in the jungle looking for rare snakes and lit another joint while the pills slowly worked their magic. Despite the air conditioning, the temperature had slowly risen in the now smoke-filled den and it was not long before they all peeled off their shirts. The girls displayed skimpy t-shirts and the boys remained bare-chested. The conversation was rife with sexual innuendoes and the former Australian-educated youngsters evoked many funny stories about the Sydney bar scene. At the mention, Louis thought briefly of his sister, wondering if she had experienced any of it or whether she was too straight-laced to have delved into the dark side of the metropolis. He made a mental note to write to her soon and thus asked casually where he could buy some postcards to send home. Cam promised to bring him some the next day and to post them afterwards. Quite stoned, Louis laid back on the couch, when Sassy came to lie next to him, her head resting on his naked shoulder. Automatically, Louis caressed her silken hair, closing his eyes, unable to focus on anything but the feeling at hand. When he noted that her breathing had sharply accelerated, he opened his eyes and realised that Cam’s head had disappeared between her legs, while Pretty was desperately tugging at his shorts. Quickly coming to his senses, Louis suggested they all moved to the bed, which, in his opinion, offered at least a flat, broader and more comfortable surface. What little remained of their clothes was rapidly shed. After a while, Louis could not remember whose mouth he was kissing and whose breasts he was stroking. None of them heard the whirr of a small camera, which slowly followed their romps and ecstasies across the oversized mattress.