by Jay Aury
She welcomed the fact she wasn’t the only woman. Some were clearly with men, others on their own. It was generally easy to tell. The women who were there alone always had an air of danger about them. A tigerish quickness of the eyes and movements, walking with the easy grace of someone who knew how to handle themselves. Those who went with men were more serene. She could sense the subtle artificialness of them. The air of submission. Their every step close to their companions, like they were simply another piece of decoration, while their diamonds and jewels gleamed in the floodlights like stars.
Which do I look like, she wondered? She stiffened at the thought, and walked more proudly beside Raphael. She felt his glance, and his hand rested on hers with approval. She flushed a little at that. At the idea most would simply take her as the old Arab’s trophy wife, or even his escort. After all, what else would such an attractive, young woman have with the overweight, indolent older man beside her?
A good cover, she thought firmly. He would draw the eye.
Men in the tan uniforms of Egyptian military greeted them. False, or real, Audra didn’t know. It could be either. This much money did not come together without greasing some wheels, and she spotted a few men in the long white robes of oil princes.
Then they were aboard. The guards were less obvious here, clad in dark suits and tinted glasses. Down a set of steps they entered the hold, where the true market was.
Audra had been to similar events. The interior had been cleared of the massive containers which normally peopled the hold. Some remained, turned on their side, opened to unveil their illicit goods to prospective buyers. The whole ship sprawled with men and women selling stolen weapons by the crate. The holds dedicated to bulk buyers, the passages to more private meetings. Scarred mercenaries with their representatives moved about, chatting with warlords and smugglers. A slave market had been worked out, and Audra looked at the miserable creatures being traded with a pang of pity.
She glanced about the milling crowds. The seething, naked black heart of the underworld on full display. Low lights glowing on raw steel. The sharp scent of paint and oil and misery and money. In the distance she heard the sharp crack of a gun as someone tested the merchandise. The low, droning voice of an auctioneer murmured above the hubbub as he traded his fortune. She was in. At last. And likewise, she knew she needed to begin her search. Yet she found herself curiously reluctant to leave Raphael’s presence. She lingered uncertainly but finally forced herself to pull away.
“I will see you soon, my desert rose.”
She glanced back at his knowing words. The broad man smiled knowingly, his eyes dark and hungry. Audra flushed, then grinned. “Maybe you will Raphael. Maybe.”
She felt a little more herself as she turned and made her way through the crowds, plucking a glass of champagne from a waiter’s tray. Raphael’s laughter carried after her as she eased her way through people, paying close attention to faces, scanning them intently.
“Good day.”
Audra paused, turned. A man stood beside her. He had fierce, hawk-like face and wore a heavy jacket with epaulets over his shoulders like a cape. Beneath was a trim suit, cut so acutely it was without wrinkle or seam, as if he had been built by a machine. He had a sharp way of moving. Economical, without a wasted gesture. Only the limb in question in motion while the rest of his body remained still. It made Audra’s skin crawl a little. Tanned, he had a Spanish look and one eye was covered with a patch. A parrot was perched on his shoulder, its head cocked, eying her.
“Sylvester Sterling,” the man said, bowing his head a fraction. “A pleasure.”
Audra smiled back without showing her trepidation. The man struck her as cold. Not just cold. Icy. Immediately her suspicions sharpened. “Amelia Lamen. Likewise,” she said, offering her hand.
“Pleasure!” the parrot squawked, bobbing.
“Ignore him,” Sterling said in a clipped voice. “He talks too much.”
“Squawk! Spank me harder!”
Audra’s eyes flicked to the bird, back to Sterling. His face remained impassive. “Are you enjoying my Market?”
“Yours?” Audra said.
“Indeed,” he said, gesturing to the dark belly of the ship. “Mine. Well, let us say I am the arm of the industry in this. I prepare the work for my benefactors, who would prefer to remain anonymous. And we take a cut of the profits. An overall beneficial arrangement, I find.”
“Squawk! Cum on my face!”
“It’s an impressive arrangement,” Audra said sincerely.
“So glad you think so,” he said. “I take it you know Raphael? You were nearly hanging off his arm.”
Audra blushed a little. “Ah. No. We knew each other from a ways back. He’s always looking to bed me.”
“One can hardly blame him for such good taste,” Sterling said without a hint of a smile.
“Fuck me harder daddy! Squawk!”
With increasing difficulty Audra continued to keep her eyes on the man before her. She ran her thumb around the rim of her glass. “Oh?” she said, inhaling, her breasts swelling against the low top of her dress. “Anything interesting being sold tonight?”
“Naturally,” Sterling said. “The Market always draws the most fascinating of items to our hold.”
“Squawk! Pieces of eight!”
“Your ah… parrot is quite vocal.”
“Yes. An infuriating creature. He took my eye.”
Audra glanced at the patch he wore. “That… must have been painful.”
“It was,” Sterling said, swishing his glass. The odd, sharp economy of the movements made the hair of Audra’s neck stand on end. He gestured, the sudden motion making the contents of his glass swirl near the rim, though not a drop went over.
“Over there is the true prize of the evening.”
Audra turned and caught her breath at the sight of a familiar face.
The photograph had not been flattering, but it would take a lot to make Richard Mayview look good. He stood, fisting a wine glass, shoulders hunched defensively in his drab, ill-fitting suit and looking annoyed at most everything. He had a cruel twist to his mouth and a squint, eyes flicking about with the hunted look of the coward. The look of a man convinced the world is out to get him. Yes, Audra thought. Such a man would betray his country if he thought he could profit by it.
A pair of guards in dark suits stood at hand. She wondered if he had bought them himself, or if they were provided to him? Her eyes lingered intently on their faces, masked with dark glasses.
Could be…
Audra sipped her drink, taking in Richard’s company. He was far from popular, it seemed. Save his guards, his only companion was a wealthy looking beldame with large glasses and what looked like a dead weasel wrapped around her neck. For a jacket, she appeared to be wearing a thick fur coat, her breasts uncertain lumps beneath. It was painfully obvious Richard was not enjoying the conversation with his raucous partner, constantly trying to edge away, only for the woman to touch his arm, belting out another braying laugh. They were drawing more than a few eyes, and everyone was avoiding the pair.
“Richard Mayview,” Sylvester said. “He has some interesting information from his former employers.”
Too true, she thought, giving the room a quick scan. America had many enemies, and even its friends would be more than happy to know about any operatives that might be in their countries. Such is the game of espionage.
“And you’re his current?”
“Aha,” Sylvester said, his laugh, like him, sharp. Abrupt. And utterly without humor. “No. We merely provide the venue. And some security.”
“Squawk! Oral doesn’t count! Oral doesn’t count! Squawk!”
“Well,” Audra said, ignoring the parrot with the greatest of effort. “I suppose I should introduce myself, then.” Swiping a second glass from a passing waiter she crossed the room.
It didn’t take long for Richard to notice the sultry blonde approaching. Partly because he was quite obvious
ly looking anywhere but his current companion. Audra felt his wary eyes run up and down her body, lingering on her prominent breasts and wide, rolling hips.
“You must be Richard,” Audra said with a smile.
Suspicion instantly sharpened his eyes. “What! Who told you? Was it him?”
He pointed at one of his bodyguards, who had the wooden expression of a man deeply reconsidering his life's choices.
“Why, you’re the talk of the Market!” she said.
“Oh. Well..."
God he's repulsive she thought, watching his ferrety eyes snap about suspiciously. His lips twitch and writhe.
“Oh yes,” Audra said, passing him the second glass. He took it, eying it warily. “Everyone who’s anyone knows your name tonight. We’re all eagerly waiting to see the offers start rolling in.”
“Not surprised,” Richard preened. "It's a real game changer you know. People would kill me if they knew I had it. Murder me in my sleep! But I showed them. Showed them all!" He cackled, grinning wildly as his eyes rolled in his skull.
Yeah, smile you slimy fucker, Audra thought, never flinching in her gushing adoration. She drew nearer, slipping an arm around his. “Oh yes. I hear you’ve got something any information broker would give their right arm for. Tell me,” she breathed, pressing herself against him, trapping his arm between her plump breasts. “Are you taking… private offers?”
His eyes snapped down, gazing into the deep valley of her breasts. His face grew flush with desire and drink. “Maybe,” he said, wrapping an arm around her. She suppressed a wince as his hand crudely groped her plush rear. “I think we could negotiate a bit.”
“Oh but dahling!” the large woman in the fur coat cried.
“Take a step back, ma’am,” one of the guards said, interposing himself between the woman and Richard.
“Maybe we can speak more… privately,” Audra breathed.
Richard glanced back at the immense woman and nodded with relief. “Yeah. I think we can. I have a room. Real private...”
“Well!” the large woman gasped. “I never!” They left her commiserating to a stunned looking Nigerian while they crossed the room towards one of the sprawling tunnels through the ship. Audra caught the two guards following them and cursed privately. Oh well. She would deal with them when the time came. For the moment she pressed herself against her companion harder, stroking his arm wantonly.
“However did you steal such invaluable information?” she breathed.
Richard chuckled, eye twitching as he guided her through a door and down one of the dark corridors of the ship’s depths, piping crawling in a maze along the ceiling. “Well, it wasn’t easy, of course. I had to wait for my chance and seize it. The Pentagon has good security. Real good. But I got around them. They never even suspected me.”
“Of course,” Audra said, stroking his shoulders. “A man must seize his opportunities.”
Richard nodded enthusiastically, sloshing some drink on his shirt. “No worries there. I knew it was risky, but the rewards were well worth it. What was that!"
"What?"
Richard's head swivelled atop his long neck like a periscope. "Did you hear a whispering?"
"Er… No."
Richard nervously licked his lips like a lizard. Audra, with a supreme effort of will, pushed herself more against him. "You must be clever indeed."
"Yeah," Richard said, wild eyes refocusing on her. "Yeah. Barely even needed Sterling's help. Used him you see. How I got in. He invited me. Wanted to buy it himself. But I wouldn't have it. Make him sweat," Richard said gleefully. "Make him pay for it too! Think he can control me? Me! When I took all the fucking risks! Ha! Not likely!"
“Ohhh,” she gasped, leaning against him. “So clever! Do you have it?”
“I couldn’t exactly risk leaving it with anyone.”
They’d moved up into the upper decks where the crew would normally be housed. Quarters lined the hall. Grabbing a door Richard opened it, admitting them to a plain room. Richard peeked in, eyes swinging round. Then, with a jerk, he pulled inside, twisted her around and slamming her against the wall. She winced at the impact, and at the sudden rough, sloppy crush of his lips. As he crudely groped her, squeezing her hip until she gasped, she reflected on how tender yet firm Raphael had been with her. A boy, she thought with contempt of the man assaulting her with his hands and mouth.
But she played to his fantasy, knowing his ego was his weakness. She moaned against him, and if she overplayed it, Richard was hardly a man who would notice. “Yes,” she gasped as one of his hands grabbed her breast roughly, squeezing it through the slinky black fabric of her dress. “So brave,” she said heatedly.
“I know it.” His eyes glowed with molten lust. “Would you like to see it?”
“Very,” she moaned, and didn’t have to feign the note of excitement. “Show me your triumph.”
Richard grinned. He reached into his shirt, and pulled out a small hard drive, wrapped in a protective black case. It dangled from a golden chain and Audra had to suppress a laugh at how garish the whole thing was.
“Ohhh,” she moaned, stroking his chest. “Amazing.”
“Yes,” he said. “It’s my fortune.”
“Such cleverness,” she gasped.
“Yeah,” he said, kissing her again. He hiked up her dress, then glanced at the two guards watching him. “You two. Look away. And shut the door! Can’t get any damn privacy here.”
“Sir, we-“
“Quiet! Do as I say!”
The two men glanced at one another, then shut the heavy metal door.
“They spy on me you know,” Richard growled. “Bugged my room. But I fixed them! No one’ll hear us here. Now,” he said, grinning lecherously, roughly molding her ass through the thin fabric of her dress. “Let’s talk offers.”
“Ooooh, let’s,” Audra moaned. His finger brushed her folds through her panties, and he grinned hungrily.
“Already wet? What a slut you are.”
Audra choked on her laugh. “Oh yes,” she moaned. “I can’t help it before such a strong man.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning up and kissing him deeply. As his tongue slapped at her, her fingers deftly disconnected the latch of the necklace. She drew back, moaning as she rubbed herself against him. She pressed her plump breasts against his chest and released her hold on the chain, sliding the hard drive into the deep valley of her breasts.
Richard never noticed, humping her wantonly. She groaned, clawing at his back as he kissed her.
She shifted, her panties falling, baring her tender cunt. She needed to get it done quickly. “Fuck me,” she moaned.
Richard grunted. “Gladly.” He reached down, fumbling with his pants, freeing his cock.
Then froze.
Fear like ice water crawled down Audra’s back as he groped his neck, sensing the sudden loss of weight. His eyes snapped about, then locked on her. “Where is it?” he rasped.
“What?” she said.
His hands grabbed her shoulders. “The hard drive. My hard drive! Where is it?”
“Around your neck.”
“No it’s not,” he snarled. His hands found her, wrapping around her throat. “Where. Is. It!”
She choked, flinching as he squeezed. The world flickered. Panic fluttered in her chest. But she fought it down. Smothered it. She lifted her foot, and slammed her spiked heel down on his toe.
Richard screamed. He hopped back, reflexively releasing her and bending to grab his foot. As he did so Audra brought up her knee, slamming it into his descending face. Richard fell against the opposing bulkhead with a bang, sliding insensate to the floor, his nose a broken mess of blood and cartilage.
Audra took a shuddering breath, rubbing her throat. Guns clicked. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
Very slowly Audra turned to the two guards. They stood in the open doorway, summoned by the noise. She looked at their guns, trained unerringly on her. Slowly, she raised her hands. Her heart thu
dded with adrenaline. “I… don’t suppose one of you would like to turn your gun on the other?” she said softly.
The two men exchanged a look. Turned back to her. “No.”
There was a dull thump, and one of the guards crumpled to the floor. The other turned around to see the plump woman in the fur coat holding her purse.
“How rude!” the braying woman said. “Threatening a young woman like that! Have you no shame dahling!”
“Who the-“ The second guard’s teeth snapped shut on the last word as the purse slammed into his chin, lifting him off his feet and laying him out on the floor with a bang.
Audra stared at the three bodies. Then she looked at the massive woman. “That’s your disguise?” she said incredulously.
“Well it worked,” Alistair said, heaving off the massive fur coat, revealing a more modest suit and tie beneath. He flung away the glasses and grabbed her arm. “Come on! Someone’s bound to come after that racket!”
“Sure, dahling,” Audra said, giddy with adrenaline.
“Oh shut up,” Alistair grunted as he tugged her down the corridor.
Their footsteps echoed through the clanging decks. Passing through narrow passages lined with twisting pipes. Up a final staircase they reached the deck of the ship. The night gathered around them, broken by lamps along the docks and warehouses. Taking her hand, Alistair dragged her towards the rear of the ship.
“Miss Lamen. I trust your meeting was fruitful?”
“Squawk! Fruitful!”
They froze. Audra painted a calm smile as she turned to face the speaker. Sterling stepped out of the shadows of two abandoned shipping containers, his one eye fixed on her. Two suited guards followed.
Alistair stood close by her arm, his grip tightening slightly. Audra took a slow breath, mind racing.
“Ah! My star!”
Both looked as Raphael swayed out of the darkness. The large man beamed, his white clothes fairly glowing under the glaring floodlights. He pushed past Sterling’s men and caught Audra’s stunned hands, pulling her into a demanding kiss.
Audra moaned with surprise, her lips parting to Raphael’s tongue. She quivered a little, pressed against his broad belly. He pulled back, sighing. “Ah my dear! So this is where you hid. Oh how, you worried me so!” He looked to Alistair. “Thank you, sir, for escorting my most precious jewel.”