by Unknown
‘Come on, you know why! What the hell’s going on? Are you involved in something with him?’
Red laughed but it was a short, tight laugh. ‘We know him, Bliss. But we’re not involved in anything with him; rather, against him.’
It sounded almost theatrically serious. I just sat there, had a gulp of tea and pinched the last bacon roll, watching their faces and waiting for an explanation.
‘You know this agency he works for? ETP? Do you know what it represents, not to mention what it stands for?’
I shook my head. ‘I don’t know what ETP means, but it’s some sort of aid agency, though he said it wasn’t funded by charity.’
Robbie cackled with laughter. ‘You bet it’s not! It stands for en todas partes, Bliss – even your Spanish can tackle that one.’
‘Cheek. Everywhere, right?’
‘Right. And if you were to take a guess at ETP’s mission statement, it would read something like, we will infiltrate markets anywhere on behalf of our clients, no matter what the cost to the local community, any disruption it may cause, who else we have to put out of business or however much we have to manipulate, connive or bribe in order to achieve our aim.’ Red sat back with a look of grim satisfaction on his face.
‘You left out the use of force, too,’ added Robbie.
‘OK, manipulate, coerce or bribe. Pretty good from off the top of my head, eh?’
I had a feeling they could keep up the Bill and Ted all day if I let them. ‘All right, if I can just have a bit more light shed on what you’re talking about here?’
‘Sorry,’ said Robbie. ‘In a nutshell, ETP is the South American arm of a US firm that represents big companies, massive companies. It gets them in to closed markets, usually by bribery but sometimes by force, manipulates local and national governments to give planning consents where they shouldn’t be given, smooths it all over with a bit of PR, and even helps import cheap labour where necessary. Clear enough for you?’
‘Christ. And Carlos works for them?’
‘Carlos very big man for them,’ said Robbie in a mock Latin American accent. ‘If the agency specialises in troubleshooting, he shoot the troubleshooters – if that’s the right expression.’
It might not be, but I was getting his drift. ‘Is it legal?’
They both screwed up their faces. ‘Part of it is, part isn’t. More a bending than a breaking of rules . . . in the main.’
‘So what was he doing at Macchu Picchu?’
‘Failing, if my sources are to be believed.’ Robbie grinned. ‘You know they’re going to expand the hotel, make a whole new tourist complex? Well, there are a couple of your mate’s clients who are just dying to get their little hands on a contract for that. But I think he got in too late. He’s only been down here for a few months, and the plans are already in progress. That’s why the agency needs him. If he’d come down here sooner, he might have twisted a few arms. Metaphorically, of course.’
‘Glad you added the last bit. But what do you mean, your sources? How do you know what he’s up to, and how do they know he’s failing? And where are they?’
‘Questions, questions; you should join our little investigation,’ teased Red. ‘Now you know what the e-mail kid here gets up to. We’re keeping in contact with our guys in the States and back home, as well as a couple of contacts down here. That’s why we went off the day after we got back from the Trail, to meet up with our man in Lima. He reckons he’s busted as far as Macchu Picchu’s concerned. Though he’s got another big project to go for next, and that’s his own little pet scheme –’
‘Hang on,’ I interrupted. ‘Who are you?’
‘Good point, Red, who are you?’ asked Robbie.
‘Stop being such a tosser, Robbie. I’ve had enough of men for today, quite honestly, and if you’re not going to finish telling me when I didn’t even ask you to start –’
‘Sorry, Bliss,’ he said contritely. ‘ETP are in Australia, too, though called something different. We’ve been in this action group for a while now and came up against them there, so we linked up with a similar group in the States who tried to help us fight some of their plans. We’ve managed to put a spanner in a couple of their little projects, though the way they work, it’s not easy. Anyway we were planning to travel in South America and when the guys in the States found out they told us about your mate getting things moving down here. The local support’s a bit useless, so we said we’d see what we could do.’
‘Hang on a minute. Your little action group, the one in the States . . . what are you? Anarchists? Communists?’
Red laughed. ‘Nothing so streamlined. We’re just against multinational companies and the global economy and for local, sustainable, ecologically sound activity. Not too sinister for you?’
I was a bit taken aback. ‘Of course not. I’m right with you in principle. I can’t stand the way every city in the world is starting to look alike.’ My memory stirred. ‘Funnily enough, I said that to Carlos.’
‘Oh man! I bet he was surprised.’ Red was in fits. ‘Don’t tell me he agreed?’
‘No way! We’d just been arguing about McDonalds.’
‘Magic! But you don’t have to get involved with us if you don’t want to, Bliss. He’s not going to harm you. If you want to just carry on seeing him like you are now, meeting up in Santiago, whatever, that’s fine. On the other hand, you could help us just by asking him some innocent questions.’
I wasn’t too sure I trusted them. ‘Maybe. Let me ask you a couple first. Did you know that Carlos was having his meeting at Macchu Picchu that day? We were originally going to leave for the Inca Trail the day before, I seem to remember, then you suddenly changed it.’
‘Well done, Bliss. You should be a detective.’
‘Yeah, right. Then when you left me in the restaurant you were sniffing around?’
‘Very good. Not that we found out anything.’
Now I had to ask the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question. ‘And you didn’t know at that stage that I was anything to do with Carlos?’
Blonds are so transparent. Under his tan Red’s face turned the colour of his name, or rather my version of his name.
‘Well . . . not exactly. I mean, we didn’t know what your relationship was.’
‘So how did you know I had any sort of relationship with him at all?’
Red looked shamefaced. ‘This is the embarrassing bit, Bliss. We saw you with him, in Lima. We followed you into a restaurant, and then hung out around his flat and found out you were going to Cuzco. We were planning to go there anyway, honest.’
‘You mean I’ve been followed by two secret agents?’ I didn’t know whether to be impressed or incensed. Mainly I was thinking that while I hadn’t planned, or not yet, to share with them that my relationship with Carlos was conducted in cuffs and corsets, if they’d seen me in thigh-high boots and massive cleavage in Lima they must have some idea. Still, that could wait.
‘Great! I won’t even ask how you found out where I’d be in Cuzco, seeing as Carlos tracked me down to the right place here. So you decided to seduce me to try to find out more about him!’
‘Hey, I’m not sure which one of us did the seducing.’
I guiltily remembered it might have been me who first suggested spending the afternoon in his room.
‘OK, but –’
‘Bliss, if you’re pissed off and want to ditch us, no worries. If you’re meeting him in Santiago, that’s not really much help to us anyway. We’re more interested in a project he’s trying to get going in Chiloe, an island off the coast –’
‘I know where it is,’ I said impatiently. ‘He mentioned he had some big thing lined up there.’
‘What else did he say?’ asked Robbie intently.
I scoured my memory. ‘Not a lot . . . that it’s crying out for development.’
‘Oh yeah, like a huge tourist complex with imported labour and materials, run by international corporations, food imported from global consortia;
you see the problem?’
‘Of course! Really, I’m right with you. But I didn’t know that was what he did. He said that his agency helps to set up industry . . . I took it like the Oxfam thing, you know, helping people to help themselves.’
Robbie ruffled my hair. ‘Sweet. Look, Bliss, we’re sorry we’ve got you into this. But if you get the chance, will you help us?’
It was a little on the unbelievable side. ‘What, you mean see what information I can get out of him?’
They were both looking at me eagerly. It was hard to believe that these two endearing Aussies thought they could take on the forces of global capitalism, but if they thought I could help, I was in. After all I’d been brought up in a non-material household. Mum would be proud of me.
‘Like a sort of double agent?’
‘Not quite,’ said Red drily. ‘After all, we don’t want you betraying us to him. Just the other way round.’
‘Yes, of course.’ I smiled at them both. ‘All right, you’re on. You’ve recruited a new member to your cadre, or whatever they used to go on about in the seventies.’
‘We’re not going to be kidnapping anyone or bombing Wall Street,’ said Robbie gently. ‘Just a little information gathering.’
‘OK.’ I put my mug down and gave him a theatrical sideways look from under my eyelashes. ‘The name’s Bon. Van Bon.’
Red threw himself on me, laughing, and Robbie joined in and we tumbled around in the grass. There was nobody else on the campsite and Red’s roughhousing turned into a kiss, then a caress. Robbie watched avidly. Although just a couple of hours earlier I had been furious at being exposed by Carlos, this was different, and when Red lifted off my T-shirt and started fondling my breasts in the bikini top, I gave a little moan of pleasure and turned to Robbie with pouty lips. He had a smile that began slowly but finished wide and I looked forward to the next story that would come out of that mouth. But in the meantime, Carlos was still here and presumably waiting for me, so I told the guys they’d have to hang on till he was gone or find themselves a couple of girlies to play with until I’d completed phase one of my investigation.
Carlos seemed completely unconcerned by my absence, sitting in the courtyard drinking beer with Sue and Donna. I joined them till the girls decided to shower before dinner and we were alone.
He looked at me sardonically. ‘Got over it? It wasn’t such a big deal, was it?’
‘No, I suppose not. It’s just . . . it’s just that when it’s people you know, it’s not like strangers.’
‘Oh? And when you let the Australian’s friend watch you two fucking, that’s like strangers?’
‘No, but that’s different. I choose that.’
‘OK. I guess you’ve been having your own revenge with them?’
‘No!’ I said indignantly. ‘I just stopped by and had a cup of tea with them to say hello.’
His smile returned. ‘Good, because I’m leaving tomorrow, and I was looking forward to our last night for a while.’
So, he’s not a very nice man as far as business is concerned, but I couldn’t, and didn’t want to, resist those brown eyes. He could – what had they said? – he could infiltrate and manipulate me as much as he wanted, though I was going to stipulate a strict twosome tonight.
Chapter Six
For the first time since Lima he dressed me up for dinner. I wondered how many outfits Carlos had, and how many women he had to wear them, as he laced me into a white bustier, this one front-lacing and made of cotton lycra so I could wear it to the restaurant. I was glad that was all; this was a holiday town and I didn’t want to look too over the top, although almost over the top of the boned cups was just where my tits were. I’d started to get a bit of a tan and they looked good against the white. The only other piece of his equipment was a solid white metal choker, which looked like any other item of jewellery, though when I teased him that I expected it would be chained to the wall later he grinned without denying it. A white thong and a short denim skirt were allowed while we were out.
Dinner was pleasant but I was disappointed when he told me he wouldn’t be able to meet me in Santiago. I started to wonder if my chance to play superspy was over before it had begun until he said that instead he had to go to Chiloe a couple of weeks later, so we could meet up in Puerto Montt and go together.
‘That’ll be great,’ I enthused, partly sincerely as Bliss the willing captive and partly warily as Bliss the spy. ‘Did you say you had development plans there?’
‘If it works out,’ he said, shrugging. ‘Sometimes the best-laid plans don’t come to anything –’
I assumed he was thinking of Macchu Picchu.
‘– but this is a big project. A major holiday complex, it could get tourists in from all over the world, never mind Chile.’
‘I thought they had bad weather there?’ I ventured, trying to remember the guidebook spiel.
‘Only on the west coast. It’s a pretty little place, Bliss. It’ll be good to have you along because you can give me unbiased opinions.’
‘Glad to be of service.’ I was excited at the thought that I would actually be seeing him in action, though I didn’t have the faintest idea exactly what sort of action to expect.
After dinner we went back to his room and he pushed me back against the door as soon as we got in and kissed me, standing up, his mouth hard and demanding. It was definitely the same kiss as the one I’d had in the tunnel and I responded just as positively.
‘I really need you now,’ he whispered, lifting my skirt and pulling down the thong; no finesse at all, but sometimes I do love the directness of real urgency. He thrust a finger inside me but it wasn’t a caress; he was just making sure I was ready for him. After displaying my tits all over San Pedro and having my mouth penetrated by his tongue I was wet enough and he pushed me on to the wooden floor on my knees and got behind me. As he dropped his jeans and rubbered up I lowered my head submissively on to my arms because that’s how I thought he’d like it, but frankly I don’t think he even noticed. He pushed inside me and thrust eight, nine times, not many anyway, and came.
Of course, I expected him to get the condom off, maybe take his trousers off properly, not to mention his shoes, before giving me some well-deserved attention but, while I was waiting on the floor for some reciprocal action, he got up and stretched himself out on the bed.
‘Hey! What about me?’ I asked indignantly, kneeling up and looking at him.
‘Oh, sorry, Bliss, I thought as you’d already had your Australians this afternoon you wouldn’t be interested – and we did have an early start. I’m really knackered.’
‘You’re joking. And I told you, I just had tea with Red. What do you want me to do, beg for it?’
He sat up and laughed. ‘Now, that would be something. But seeing as you’re into exhibitionism, why don’t you just masturbate for me?’
‘Why don’t you do it for me?’
He yawned exaggeratedly. ‘I can’t really be bothered, Bliss. But if you want to wank, I’ll happily watch you.’
‘Thanks a lot. Perhaps I’ll just go back to my own room if I’m going to do it for myself.’
I pulled my thong up and my skirt down and stood up. I couldn’t believe that was it. After all, why had he put the choker round my neck if he wasn’t intending to tie it to something?
His eyes were laughing. ‘Sit down, Bliss. Don’t worry, you’re going to get your share.’
Feeling resentful I sat on the bed with my back to the wall, ready for the chains but feeling more than a bit put out.
‘If you really can’t be bothered –’
‘Well, to be honest, I don’t have to.’
Before I could wonder what he meant he opened the door and looked up the courtyard. ‘Oh, there they are.’
‘Oh no!’ I said firmly, standing up and walking towards him. ‘If you think you’re going to have Marc or Christian fuck me again –’
He pushed me back on to the bed. ‘Bliss, if you don�
�t sit down nicely, I’m going to chain you to the wall. What on earth would they think then?’
‘Probably just what they thought yesterday,’ I said sulkily. But I sat down. What the hell. They were nice guys and they weren’t into rape – I hoped.
They came in eagerly at Carlos’s call and sat down: Christian next to Carlos on one bed and Marc next to me on the other. Carlos turned to Christian.
‘Are you going to go first?’
‘Christian, I’m sorry but –’ I started.
‘Just listen to what he’s going to say, Bliss,’ broke in Carlos, leaning over to detain me by the wrist. He held it firmly enough to make me think he meant business. What was Christian going to propose? Maybe not a two-pronged attack. Maybe he thought it was just his turn and he wanted me to go to their room while Marc stayed with Carlos.
Simultaneously my mind was running a mental porn video where Christian was fucking me and Marc had his prick in my mouth while Carlos watched, and my sex muscles contracted involuntary. I heard Carlos say, ‘Bliss doesn’t think she’s going to be interested.’
‘It’s fascinating, Bliss.’ Christian’s eyes were shining. ‘And it’s set in Peru. This guy gets wind of a series of insights that, if everybody knew about them, would change the world as we know it. He goes off to Peru to find out more and they’re gradually revealed to him one by one, though the authorities try to prevent him . . .’
The fucking Celestine Prophecy. Carlos, you bastard. His eyes were full of mischief and he couldn’t control his smile. I bet he wet himself when he thought of that one.
I settled down to be bored as Christian rattled on enthusiastically. I’d heard it all before, but sod it. In my mind I replayed the foursome in various combinations, mostly involving me getting nonstop finger action on nipples and clit and three different cocks inside me, and hoped my resulting excitement was going to be satisfied by a hand other than my own.
‘I thought you might have put up a bit more of a fight,’ Carlos grinned when the guys eventually left. ‘What if you’d been gang raped?’