by D D Bridges
I simply nodded my head and said, “Cool. I respect that.”
Chapter XVI
We arrived at Francisco’s house just after noon the next day. I thought that my house was big, but Francisco’s place was immaculate. The long drive way leading up to the three-story mansion was lined with rose bushes. His groundskeepers were scattered about his lawn, each of them doing their assigned job. Many of them smiled and waved at us as we rode by and I was beginning to get used to the friendliness of people in France.
After our meeting the day before with Mr. Ziegler, me and my crew all went sight-seeing together. Paris had a lot to offer from the Eiffel Tower to the Arc de Triomphe to the Louvre, just to name a few. We received the invite to Francisco’s house and I figured that it wouldn’t hurt to pay him a visit. Besides, we didn’t want to be rude since we were in his home country.
It turned out to be a beautiful day after a rainy night. The sun beamed down on us audaciously as we stepped out of our vehicles. We all stared up at the mansion in complete awe. There were large windows across the front of the house. Some of the windows had small balconies, and the window above the front door hosted a larger balcony which I figured was apart of the master suite. At the top of the mansion were pointed pillars that seemed to almost touch the sky from our vantage point. This place was truly like something straight out of a fairytale.
“I knew Francisco was rich, but damn,” Jeff said as he came up beside Natalie and I.
“Yeah, this place is breath-taking,” I said as I removed my shades.
“Listen, I spoke to Walter last night,” Jeff said as he turned toward me and lowered his voice a little. “He seemed kinda skeptical about this impromptu lunch meeting. For Francisco to invite all of us to his house, it seems like an inconvenience. Don’t you think so?”
“What are you saying?” I said after weighing his words in my mind.
“I’m just saying that it seems like he sure is going out of his way just to gain your trust,” Jeff explained. “I think that before we leave here today we need to find out what it is that Francisco really wants and what his intentions are. He may be trying to impress you so that you will let your guard down.”
Jeff did have a point but I didn’t know yet how valid it was. What did Francisco really want? Did he just want us to be allies, or was there more to it?
“So he gets me to let my guard down, and then what?” I asked Jeff.
“I don’t know, but that’s what we need to figure out.”
We all walked up the large staircase and to the front door. Before we could ring the doorbell, the large oak doors swung open. There was a man standing there who I assumed was the butler by the way that he was dressed.
“Good afternoon, Mr. King. We are glad to see that you and your friends arrived safely. Please, come in,” he said as he stepped to the side and allowed me and my entourage to enter.
Once inside we were approached by two female servers who were carrying chilled drinks on a tray. We each said thank you as we took a drink. Almost immediately our attention was arrested by the elegance of the place where we stood. Over our heads was a huge crystal chandelier that looked like it must have cost a fortune. There was a two-sided winding staircase that lined the walls which were decorated with foreign art.
The butler began to lead us through the mansion, giving us a tour of the entire first floor. That in itself took close to an hour so I knew that we wouldn’t have time to see the rest of the house. Francisco’s house was different from mine in many ways. His place had a very antiquated look but still held a modern flare. He had all kinds of paintings and sculptures in every room which was no surprise since he was an art buyer.
The butler led us onto the patio in the back yard where an impressive spread was already laid out for us. There was a small fruit and salad bar, an array of breads and pasta, and some other foods and gourmet meats that I had never even heard of.
“We hope that you all will find everything to your liking. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. You will find the servers in the kitchen right through this door,” the butler said pointing over his shoulder. “And Mr. Baptìste will be with you shortly. He said that you all can go ahead and help yourselves.”
“Shit, you ain’t gotta tell us twice,” Kenny said as he was already grabbing a plate and beginning to serve himself. I just shook my head at him.
“Thank you, sir,” Jeff said on all of our behalves. The butler smiled and then turned to go into the house.
Me and Natalie made our way over to the table and my boys were already halfway down the line. They were all bumping each other and fussing over the food like it was going to go away before they got some.
“Come on, y’all. Stop acting like y’all ain’t ever been anywhere,” I told them.
“You know Kenny don’t know how to act,” Derek commented.
“Listen, a nigga is hungry, you feel me. And this food look too damn good, so excuse me if I act like a fool for a minute,” Kenny said while loading his plate with everything that was within his reach.
“Well I guess it’s befitting for you to act like a fool since you already look like one,” D.J. said, making all of us burst out into laughter. My friends had actually been warming up to D.J. over the past couple of days which really didn’t shock me since he was a pretty cool dude when he wanted to be. I could admit that even though I still had my suspicions about him.
We all sat around the patio and talked while we ate. It was the type of atmosphere that you would expect at a cookout. We were all just chilling and eating up all the food like we didn’t have a care in the world. The place was filled with laughter and I was sure that this was probably something that Francisco and his workers weren’t used to.
Natalie and I made ourselves comfortable on a cushioned bench by the waist-high brick wall that separated the patio from the rest of the back yard. I happened to glance over my shoulder and did a double take when I caught a glimpse of three of Francisco’s men out in the field near his tennis court. I began to pay closer attention to my surroundings for the first time since stepping foot on the property. I could now see that Francisco had men all around his mansion. They were wearing regular clothes instead of the black t-shirts, and they all wore dark shades and carried those semi-automatic rifles. What was Francisco’s deal and why the hell did he need so much damn protection?
Before I could get too deep into my thoughts a train of beautiful women came up the stairs that led down to the pool and joined us on the patio. They seemed to appear out of nowhere and they were all wearing beautiful sundresses that looked like they were very expensive. My boys wasted no time as they immediately began to engage the women in conversation and it seemed as if the women had been sent there specifically for our entertainment. But it was all good though. My boys had been working hard and deserved to enjoy themselves. Even Jeff was having a good time with the women.
“Which one of you is Darius?” one of the women asked. She was the last to join us and she seemed to be more outspoken than the other women since she spoke fluent English. Not to mention the fact that she was the most beautiful out of all of them.
“I’m Darius, baby,” Kenny said with a sly grin on his face as he stood up and tried to get close to the beautiful lady. He didn’t get far though before Terry was pulling him back by his shirt.
“Don’t mind this nigga,” Terry said. “That’s our boss over there,” he said as he nodded his head in my direction.
The woman turned her attention toward me and eyed me in a way that I couldn’t quite describe. Her exotic green eyes had the ability to seduce any man. Not to mention the fact that she had a beautiful face and perfect body. Her caramel skin color seemed to be glistening in the sun and her long curly hair framed her face perfectly.
“Are you Darius King?” she asked me expectantly.
“Yeah, that’s me,” I said as I stood and extended my hand as she approached. “And you are?”
“I’m Janelle,” she s
aid as she took my hand and grinned at me. “It’s nice to meet you. Francisco has told me a lot about you. Francisco wanted to come join you all for lunch but he had some business to take care of. He’s in his study and he instructed me to bring you there.”
“Uh… okay,” I said skeptically.
“You want me to come with you, boss?” Jeff asked. He was the only one who had pulled himself away from the girls and caught the tail end of my conversation with Janelle.
“Nah, it’s cool. You stay here and keep an eye on everybody,” I told him. I knew that if I could trust anybody to be levelheaded at the moment then it would be Jeff. My boys were already heavily distracted by the other women.
I turned to Natalie who was still sitting in our spot. “You gon’ be okay without me for a few moments?” I asked her as I pulled her to me.
“Yeah, I guess,” she said plainly.
“I’ll keep her company,” Jeff said.
“Okay,” I said before giving Natalie a kiss on the lips. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
Janelle led the way down the stairs and through one half of the back yard. I tried to keep my focus but it seemed that the way that she walked was meant to purposely distract me. Though I tried, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her round ass. The way that her hips swayed was hypnotizing me so I decided to break her trance by having a conversation.
“So you said that Francisco has told you a lot about me,” I said.
“Yes, that’s right,” she said and I could hear the smile in her voice even though I was behind her and couldn’t see her face.
“Well, what did he tell you?” I asked.
“Just that you were a young, rich American guy. He said that you run a major investment firm in the United States. Is that true?”
“Yeah that’s true. Is that all that he said?”
“Yeah, pretty much,” she said with a laugh.
“So can I ask where you’re from?” I said as she continued to lead me right past a group of Francisco’s goons. They all eyed me impassively but I couldn’t remember if I had seen those particular men in any of my previous encounters with Francisco.
“I’m from Tahiti,” Janelle told me. “I came to Paris to pursue a modeling career. I met Francisco at one of my shoots and he hired me to be the operations manager for his auctions here in Paris and other countries.”
“Oh, okay,” I said, showing mild interest. “So Tahiti, huh? That’s a place that I may need to visit one day, especially if all of the women there look like you.” Janelle stopped once we arrived outside of a door on the side of the house. She turned to face me and her eyes had captured my attention once again. “I’ve never seen a woman that looks like you. You are absolutely beautiful,” I told her.
“Well, thank you, Darius,” she said as she smiled at me. “You know, Francisco also said that I would probably find you attractive. And I must say that he was right,” she said before opening the door and leading the way inside.
After going through the door and up a flight of stairs, we ended up in a hallway that seemed to narrow the further we walked. I followed her down the hallway, around a few corners, and finally to a door. Janelle knocked and then we heard Francisco’s voice telling us to come in.
“Mr. Baptìste, I have Mr. King here, as you requested,” Janelle said politely after we entered the study.
“Wonderful,” Francisco said with a smile as he looked at me from behind his desk. “Thank you, Janelle.” Janelle turned to leave and closed the door behind her as she left.
“Darius, it is great to see you again,” he said as he came from behind his desk and approached me. We shook hands once we were face-to-face. “How are you?”
“I’m good, Francisco. How about you?”
“Hey, it’s a beautiful day, and I have no complaints,” he said. “I hope that you and your friends found everything to your liking.”
“Yes. The food was great and so were the beautiful women. I know that my boys are having a good time,” I told him.
Francisco chuckled and then said, “I’m sorry that I had Janelle pull you away just as things were getting fun, but don’t worry. There will be plenty of time for us both to partake, my friend.”
“Well, actually I won’t be partaking in anything,” I told him. “I brought my girlfriend, Natalie, along with me to Paris.”
“Oh really? I wasn’t aware that you were seeing anyone seriously,” Francisco stated.
“Yes, we’re very serious. As a matter of fact, I’m falling in love with her,” I said, and this was the first time that I ever admitted this out loud.
“Wow. Oh, to relive the days when I was young and in love. That’s such a happy time for any person,” he said reminiscently.
“Are you married?” I asked him.
“No, divorced,” he told me. “After fifteen years of marriage my wife left me. She said that she simply didn’t love me anymore.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said as I watched Francisco walk over to his mini bar and pour us both a stiff drink. “Did you and your ex-wife have any kids together?”
“Yes,” he said hesitantly before handing me a glass. “We have a son together. As a matter of fact, my son has been working on a very important business venture for me. That is why I admire your father so much, even posthumously. He was able to raise up two sons to carry on his name and legacy. And you are both doing a fine job of running his business.”
It was obvious that Francisco wasn’t aware of the fact that D.J. was a very new addition to the company, but I chose not to bring it up because it wasn’t important.
“So those women, do they work for you?” I asked.
“Yes,” he informed me before smirking devilishly. “They mostly do special favors for me, if you know what I mean.”
“I think I know exactly what you mean,” I said, smirking as well. “So, what about Janelle? Does she do special favors for you as well?”
“No, Janelle is here only for business,” Francisco said sincerely. “It’s too bad that you are already with Natalie. You and Janelle would have been good together.”
“Janelle is beautiful,” I said, managing to keep a straight face. “But I only have eyes for Natalie. She’s really special.”
“I’m sure she is. You have that look in your eyes,” Francisco said with a gentle smile. “I would love to meet her, but first I’d like to discuss business with you.”
“Yes of course. That is why you invited me to Paris,” I stated and then watched as Francisco began to pace in front of his large windows which were partially concealed by expensive drapes.
“My informants tell me that Benjamin Ziegler and some of his key businessmen have also arrived in Paris. Were you aware of this?” he asked as he stopped pacing for a brief moment. He was now standing on the other side of the room as he turned to face me.
“Yes I was,” I told him. "Ziegler and I met with one another yesterday.”
“Good. I assume that he showed you the falsified documents of his company’s records, right?”
“Yeah, he did show us his company records,” I said with a confused expression on my face. “But how would you know that?”
“Because, those were probably the same documents that he showed the feds and tried to use to frame me,” Francisco said as he went behind his desk. He opened one of the drawers on the side of the desk and pulled out a manila folder that was about two-inches thick. I walked over to the desk and Francisco handed me the folder.
“There’s an American detective by the name of Lee Willis. He was the lead FBI detective on the money laundering case. This is his full report. And all of his contact information is right there as well. He would be able to confirm his findings on the case.”
“What was the end result of all of this when it was an open case?” I asked as I lay the folder on the desk and began to look through it.
“It was determined that all of the information gathered was inconclusive. The FBI couldn’t prove or disprove that there wa
s any illegal activity taking place with the parties involved. They even did a sweep of Ziegler’s corporate office, but they didn’t find anything. I think that someone tipped them off and Ziegler’s people were able to clean up their files before the feds got ahold of them,” Francisco said.
I sighed as I ran my hand across the top of my head. “So you think that Ziegler is still up to no good? You really think that he’s trying to bring my company down through his illegal activities?”
“Yes, I do,” he said as he came around to the front of the desk and sat on the edge of it. “But it doesn’t matter what I think. It’s about what you think. It’s about what and who you believe. It’s about who you think you can trust.”
The truth was that at this point I still didn’t know what I should believe or who I could trust. Ziegler claimed that he has always been doing business honestly and that Francisco is the snake. But Francisco says that Ziegler is a liar who tried to get off the hook by framing him. And somehow I ended up in the middle of all of this. This was my second day in Paris and I had yet to find out the truth. My gut was telling me that the truth was lost somewhere in both of their stories.
“I think that I want to talk to both of you. Together,” I told him. His face dropped and I could tell that he hadn’t been expecting me to say this. But he quickly regained his composure and that subtle smile came back to his face.
“Fine. I personally have no desire to talk to Ziegler, but if us all meeting at once will make you happy, then I will do it,” he said. “Besides, I think there is a lot of good that can come out of a meeting. Maybe we can finally get to the truth.”
“My thoughts exactly,” I told him before picking up the manila folder from the desk. “You don’t mind if I take this with me, do you?”
“No, of course not,” Francisco said as he stood.
“Thanks for everything.”
“It has been my pleasure, Darius,” he said as he raised his glass. “To future success.”
I slowly raised my glass as well. “To future success.”