Spies Like Me

by Doug Solter

  With Miyuki’s help, Emma dressed to impress. A sleeveless, long red dress that opened up just over her chest. A slit to the side exposed the side of her legs in a peek-a-boo style that shaped her long form quite nicely. The outfit suggested quite a lot of things for wondering eyes. It wasn’t a dress for nice girls. It was a dress for a young woman who wanted to conquer the room.

  Still posing as her entourage, Miyuki and Nadia wore nicer, more classic dresses for the gala since Emma was the one who needed to stand out. Olivia didn’t want to squeeze into another dress, so she wore dark business slacks and a white blouse. Nothing dressy, but she felt more comfortable, and it went along with her cover as Emma’s assistant.

  The taxi released the Gems in front of the new Raymond Foods world headquarters skyscraper. There was excitement in the evening air. A large RF symbol made of steel and glass rotated on a motorized platform. As the emblem rotated, it glinted from the spotlights placed at the far corners of the street. Various elegant couples in full formal dress made their way inside the new building. The sounds of music and people having a good time escaped from its doors.

  Emma was nervous. Her mission was to seduce a boy and she didn’t know how she would do that. Would she have to pretend to like this son of a billionaire? What if he looked like a toad? What if he smelled like garlic? Or Cheetos? When she was on stage, Emma pretended to love her leading man, but that was a play. All she needed were a few good lines that someone else wrote for her and boom, he was in love with her. But this was real life. How could she seduce a guy without a script?

  She would have to improvise. It wouldn’t be easy. Most likely Emma would have to charm a nerdy rich boy who had never talked to a girl a day in his life and pretend to like him. And of course this boy would have no clue it was all fake, making Emma feel bad when she had to burst the guy’s heart wide open after they used him. Or worse, his money could have made him into a total jerk, making him expect Emma to give him all the attention he thought he deserved, and Emma would have to go along with it while inside hating herself.

  Emma pushed her thoughts away and prepared the actress inside for tonight’s performance.

  The Gems stepped into a giant lobby area that was three stories high at least. Glittering crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. The light they produced bounced off the large silk curtains of white draped over sections of new walls that still lacked decorations. Well-dressed people were everywhere, soaking up the celebratory vibe.

  Olivia touched Emma’s shoulder. “I want you to circle around the party and—”

  “I’ve got this,” Emma interrupted. “I’ve been to parties like this since I was ten. I’ll make my rounds, make sure everyone in the room gets an eyeful of me and my beautiful entourage, then we find Mr. Raymond. I’m sure his son will be nearby. Was I close?”

  Olivia’s mouth tightened. “Try not to fall in the punch bowl.”

  Miyuki whispered to Olivia, “What will you be doing?”

  “I’ll look around for Bertrand. If he’s here, I’ll capture him. You and Nadia keep your phones handy if I need help.”

  “If you find him, let me know too,” Emma said.

  “You worry about charming the Raymonds, love. I know it’ll be a heavy burden for you.”

  “Hey.”

  Olivia retreated without a word and melted into the crowd.

  “Why is she saying that? What did I do?” Emma asked.

  Nadia showed her a grin. “She’s only jealous. We’re all jealous. Look how beautiful you are.”

  “Every girl in this room will hate you,” Miyuki said. “Own it like a rock star.”

  “You’ll stay close, right?” Emma asked. “I need at least two girls to like me.”

  Nadia and Miyuki followed Emma as she made her first large circle around the gala. Eyes turned. People whispered. Emma held her head up with a confident smile, stopping to chat with groups of people. Strangers laughed. Men stared. Wives emptied their wineglasses. One old man rested his hand on Emma’s behind, wanting to take her on his yacht down in Florida. Emma was about to look for help when Miyuki pulled the old man’s arm and pinned it to his lower back. Surprised and in discomfort, the old man allowed Miyuki to move him far away from Emma.

  Completing her circle, Emma placed herself near a railing that overlooked the floor of the gala. A place where everyone could see her. And a place the Gems could keep a watch on everyone else.

  “By everyone’s reaction, I’d say you’re making a good impression,” Nadia said.

  “That was the whole point, right?” Emma asked.

  “I don’t see Mr. Raymond anywhere.” Miyuki took out her phone and pulled up some pictures of a short, bald man who was oversized in the belly department.

  Emma glanced at the image. “Hard man to miss. Doesn’t look like the Steve Jobs of food, does he?”

  “If Steve Jobs ate all the food, yes.”

  “That’s a terrible thing to say,” Nadia said.

  Miyuki frowned. “Sorry. You would think a billionaire could afford a gym and a diet coach.”

  A new problem came to Emma. “Do you think his son looks like him?”

  Both girls shrugged.

  Emma prepared herself. She might have to give her best actress of the year performance tonight. Would she have to kiss him? Touch him? Emma’s stomach turned sour. All she could imagine was a fat, sweaty teenage boy who didn’t put on enough deodorant or bother to brush his teeth.

  Her night didn’t look too promising.

  “Guess who’s her.” Miyuki pointed downstairs.

  Emma leaned over the railing and found Jacqueline poised with a glass of champagne. Her dress was cream white and tight-fitting to her body, which she was obviously showing off. She sipped her champagne as her personal assistant, Pierre, talked to her. There was also a much younger guy with them. Emma couldn’t make out his facial features from this far away, but she could make out two things. One, he was around her age. Two, he looked really damn cute.

  “Who’s that hottie?” Miyuki asked.

  “You spotted him too, huh?”

  “He’s very nice,” Nadia added. “What is he doing with Jacqueline?”

  The crowd below started clapping. A short, fat man came into view, showing off a well-fitting-for-his-size tuxedo. Mr. Raymond held up his hand to acknowledge the crowd. The older man’s face was still attractive. His forehead, nose, and cheeks formed gentle angles. His hair was becoming gray on the sides but not on top. He had a cute dimple on his chin. But that was where it ended. His body was more like a bowling ball. Still, people wanted to talk to him as he greeted his guests.

  Mr. Raymond glanced up at Emma. She straightened her back and stood against the railing with the confidence of a powerful queen. Mr. Raymond took her in for a moment before returning his attention to his guests. He greeted a fat teenage boy with a fatherly hug. They looked similar in the face. The boy then followed Mr. Raymond through the crowd.

  Emma sighed. It was just as she feared.

  “That must be Ryan,” Nadia said.

  “I guess so.”

  “Good luck,” Miyuki said in her positive voice.

  Emma took her time walking down the stairs, step by step, slow and deliberate so people could watch. Emma did another half circle of the crowd while Nadia and Miyuki stayed farther back, but close enough for support if Emma needed them. Soon she came within a few feet of the Raymonds, but Emma didn’t make an effort to approach them. She knew this game too well.

  Mr. Raymond came right up to her and introduced himself. “You’re Emma, Kenneth Rothchild’s girl. Is that right?”

  “Yes, a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Raymond.”

  The man softened. “I’m sorry to hear about your father. I admired him. A great business leader. And your father’s companies always did top-notch work for me.” Mr. Raymond paused. “How’s your family coping with all this?”

  “As well as they can, under the circumstances.”

  “Of cour
se. Of course. It’s a difficult time for any family, I’m sure.”

  The boy next to Mr. Raymond had the largest goofiest smile ever. Emma forced herself to smile. “Hello, I’m Emma.” She gently squeezed his arm. “Are you Ryan?”

  The boy lost his smile. Mr. Raymond laughed and wrapped his arm around the boy’s neck. “Nah, this is my nephew Derek from St. Louis.”

  Emma removed her hand. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “I would be Ryan,” a male voice said.

  Emma spun around and peered into the deepest blue eyes ever. They were like vivid paintings of an ocean, colors deep enough to draw you in. Emma refocused her eyes on the face. Same facial features as his father. But…his hair was dark. His chin strong with a gorgeous dimple in the middle. A strong neck that sat on top of a thick frame that had no fat on it whatsoever. The boy was dressed in a sharp tux that concealed his body like a present just begging to be opened.

  Emma shook off that last thought, then realized this was the boy she’d noticed earlier with Jacqueline.

  The hottie.

  “You’re turning red,” Ryan said. “Are you all right, Miss…? Was it Rothchild?”

  “Emma.”

  “That’s a lovely name.”

  Emma thought Ryan was quite lovely too. Maybe her assignment was turning around after all.

  Ryan held her eyes without blinking. There was a confidence behind the boy that Emma thought was hot. He touched her hand. “Are you sure you’re okay? Looks like you could use some water.”

  “Water?”

  “Yes, it’s this liquid that comes from the sky. Very popular with the humans these days.”

  Emma caught herself giggling. She was totally losing it.

  “I think this girl needs a refreshment,” Mr. Raymond said. “Be a good host and take care of her, son.”

  Ryan touched Emma on the square of her bare back and her legs moved instantly. They would follow this boy anywhere. Ryan led Emma over to the bar, where he asked for two Cokes. The bartender popped open two bottles and placed them on the table. Ryan offered one to Emma. She sipped a little and forced herself to watch the gala. She wanted him to talk first.

  Ryan let a moment or two pass. He was in no hurry. “How do you know my father?”

  “One of my dad’s companies did business with Raymond Foods,” Emma said.

  “And where is your dad? Shouldn’t he be protecting you from boys like me?”

  She felt a sharp pain that reminded Emma why she was here.

  “He’s dead.”

  Ryan’s confident posture disappeared as he stared at the floor. “That made me sound like a total jerk.” He peeked up at her. “Forgive my insensitivity?”

  Emma liked how his bangs hung over his eyes. It created this mysterious aura around him. “I kinda dropped that on you without warning. Not exactly fair.”

  “Did he die recently?”

  “Actually, it’s the reason I’m here. My father was murdered.” Emma told Ryan about the plane crash. The sabotage involved. How she wanted to find out who was responsible. But she was also the heiress to her father’s estate, and since Emma would own Rothchild Industries when she turned eighteen, she wanted to learn more about who her father did business with.

  “What a load to carry,” Ryan said. “Is running your father’s empire something you want to do?”

  Emma paused. No one had ever asked her that. “I wanted to be a doctor…or a vet. Most likely a vet.”

  “But now you can’t?”

  “Who says I can’t? I could sell all the companies, I guess. I don’t care.”

  “Why wait until you’re eighteen? If it’s in a trust, you could set up an agreement with the trustee to sell it all off to the highest bidder. Then you’d have this huge pile of money waiting for you on your eighteenth birthday. You wouldn’t have to go to college. Heck, you wouldn’t have to do anything. I’d love to be in your situation.” Ryan took a swig of cola.

  “I don’t want to be one of those rich, bratty girls who do nothing with their life except spend money like it’s leaves on a tree. No, I want my life to mean something. I want to do something that helps people.” Emma tried to stop herself, but couldn’t. “But my father built Rothchild Industries from the ground up and I feel like…I’m supposed to protect what he built. Not sell it off. To be honest, I feel trapped.”

  Ryan examined his bottle. “Did you get along well with your dad?”

  Her emotions pushed Emma hard. A good cry would relieve it, but she didn’t want to embarrass Ryan.

  “We got along really well. He was my everything.” She forced out a smile. “What about your dad? Does he have your life all planned?”

  “Planning my life out would require him to pay attention to it,” Ryan leaned against the bar. “My dad is obsessed with his company. Twenty-four seven. That’s all he cares about. He works eighty hours a week. No joke.”

  “Eighty hours? That’s crazy.”

  “Work is a religion to him,” Ryan scoffed. “He missed my Little League world series game. We were a kick-ass team. Won all-city. Went to state. Won that. And then we were invited to play in the world series against this other Little League team from Japan. The game was on television all over the world. It was a huge thing. And I wasn’t in the dugout either. I played first base. I led the team in home runs.” Ryan took another sip of cola. “Do you think my dad cared? Do you think my dad could trouble himself to go to one of my games? Even with his son playing in a major game like that?” Ryan stepped away from the bar. “I’m boring you.”

  “Not at all.” Emma touched his arm to prevent him from leaving. “My dad missed a piano recital when I was ten. It wasn’t as big as a world series, but I was still upset. I understand more than you know.”

  Ryan gazed at Emma for a long moment. “Would you like to dance with me?”

  She eyed the room. “There’s no one dancing.”

  “Maybe these people can’t hear our music.”

  Emma cocked her head to the side. “What music?”

  Ryan took Emma’s hands and swayed in place. “You don’t hear it? I do.” The boy gently swung her hands back and forth to the invisible beat. “It’s old school. The Beatles. ‘Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band.’” Ryan’s lips moved as he whispered the lyrics.

  Emma found this to be kinda weird, but she went with it because it was kinda cute too.

  “I never listened to their music before.”

  “Seriously?” Ryan faked a shocked look. “How can you dance with me if you don’t know the music?” Ryan tapped his chin as if he was thinking. “I have an answer to your problem.” His hand slid down into his tuxedo pocket. Out came his digital music player and a set of earbuds. He held up one to Emma. “Would you be so kind?”

  Emma smiled and placed it inside her ear. Ryan came in close to her face, as he placed the other bud inside his ear. Emma didn’t smell garlic or Cheetos on Ryan’s breath. It was mint. A delightful mint.

  Ryan fiddled with his player before selecting a song and tapping play.

  The music tickled her ear. “Is he singing about a walrus?” Emma asked.

  “Crap. Wrong song,” Ryan tapped a few more buttons. “Let’s start at the beginning.”

  The opening beats of “Sgt. Pepper” started and Ryan was in the groove immediately, thumping his head to the music. Emma found her body mimicking Ryan’s without her brain making any conscious effort. Soon they danced in place as their bodies synchronized with the song. The next was “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” which drifted in with strange swirling sounds of psychedelic beats that made Emma feel like she was on drugs. She said something about it to Ryan.

  “John Lennon was experimenting with LSD when he wrote this song. Not that you could tell, right?” Ryan added with a dash of sarcasm.

  Emma thought it was still fun to try to dance to the song. Before long, they brushed against each other numerous times, thanks to the short-length earbuds gluing them together. Neither one of them
complained.

  Ryan skipped the player ahead. “Strawberry Fields Forever” caressed their ears like silk. Emma shut her eyes and let the music take over her body. She and Ryan moved perfectly together. As the song’s tempo increased, Ryan and Emma moved with it, orbiting each other like the earth and the moon. One in sync with the other. Then Emma noticed Mr. Raymond and Jacqueline Boyay watching them.

  She stopped dancing and yanked out her earbud. Ryan followed her glance.

  “Look at you two kids gyrating all over the place,” Mr. Raymond said. “Are you already bored at my gala?”

  “Not at all, Mr. Raymond,” Emma said. “Ryan was talking about this new song he liked and I wanted to hear it, so—sorry if we embarrassed you.”

  Mr. Raymond waited for Ryan to say something.

  But his son didn’t open his mouth.

  “Music is a luxury for the young,” Mr. Raymond said. “Emma, I do believe you’ve met Jacqueline?”

  Emma presented a smile. “Yes, she gave me an informative tour of your AgEurope facilities in Paris. Most impressive. How are you?”

  Jacqueline raised her eyebrow. “Excellent, Miss Rothchild. I see you’re alive and well.”

  Emma wondered what that was supposed to mean, but she blew it off.

  “You must be proud of your new office building. It looks tall.”

  “Looks tall?” Mr. Raymond looked hurt. “Miss Rothchild, this building is the state of the art in architecture. It’s strong enough to take a direct hit from an EF-five tornado and the foundation can survive a nine-point-zero earthquake. The security system is only a few steps below the Pentagon and Strategic Air Command. It’s one of the best corporate headquarters ever constructed.”

  “And I thought you were only excited about food,” Emma said.

  Mr. Raymond stiffened and held his stomach in while his hand subconsciously touched his gut.

  Emma wanted to kick herself. She’d just insulted a fat guy about his weight.

  Ryan smirked.

  Emma had to save herself. “Your passion and dedication for the advancement of food science is remarkable. The underground farms and seed vaults I visited were amazing. I’m thrilled that my dad’s company was able to contribute to such a scientifically valuable project.” Emma straightened. She thought that sounded mature and hoped it was flattering enough.