Saving The Game

by Constance Bright

  Saving the Game

  By: Constance Bright

  Copyright © 2013 Blue Ribbon Books

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

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  Chapter 1

  "Again?" Karen was incredulous. "Daddy, this will be your fourth wife! Do you plan to pay alimony to half the women in New York?"

  James Stevens smiled at his daughter, his only child, "I knew you wouldn't take the news well but I had to tell you before the wedding. Sweetheart, I'm only fifty; you don't expect me to be alone for another few decades do you? Besides, why do you assume that this time it won't last? Lucille is wonderful. I'm sure you two will get along just fine." Looking at his daughter tenderly, he added, "We really are in love, Karen. Lucille makes me happy."

  "Daddy, I know you don't want to be alone. Yes, you're not an old man yet and I don't expect you to stay single for the rest of your life. I just don't see how it's going to be different this time. You can't have known her for very long; that's one reason not to tie the knot. Besides, marriage ruins everything. I don't know why people still perpetuate that institution. Why don't you just ask her, Lucille, I mean, to move in and just "live in sin" as they say. I don't see what difference getting a religiously, not to mention legally, binding contract will make--besides the fact that, when the honeymoon ends, she'll have a piece of paper that says she owns half of your company, and just under that will be written, 'Additional hundred years in Purgatory to James Steven's sentence for parting before death.' Just move in together, Daddy. Really, why do you need to get married?"

  James put on a grave face. "Karen, if we live in sin I will have condemned myself to an eternity in Hell rather than a mere hundred years in Purgatory. I can't take that risk, sweetheart. I must marry this woman," he finished with a wink.

  Karen groaned, "Daddy, I'm serious. And don't turn my argument against me. Besides, what about the legal part. What's your counter to that?"

  "Even if you're right and the fourth time's not a charm, your inheritance is safe. Lucille is an heiress herself and we both decided to keep each of our estates separate from the marriage. The contracts have already been signed."

  "A prenup, great! I'm glad I'm not the only one trying to prevent the company from getting chopped in two again. Still Daddy, you evaded my point about not knowing her for very long." Karen tilted her head up and crossed her arms.

  James put his hands in his pockets. "We've been seeing each other for almost two years now, dear."

  Karen's eyes widened in incredulity once again, "And I'm finding out about this just now? Why didn't you tell me, Daddy?" Sounding hurt, she added, "You always used to before."

  "It was a long distance relationship for over a year. I would see Lucille whenever I had business in Amsterdam. She hasn't been here, even on business, since we met, or I would have introduced you. We kept it quiet because neither of us was sure of anything until a month ago. Lucille's father has put her in charge of their company's American holdings and since she needed to move here anyway, we decided to make it official." James looked at his daughter, hoping she would understand.

  Karen relaxed a little. She uncrossed her arms. "Well, who am I to stand in the way of true love?"

  "You seem to forget I've known you since you were born, Karen. Now you're thinking that this marriage might have been better if it didn't have so much protection regarding the wealth of the parties involved," James said, his eyes twinkling as he looked at Karen.

  "And you seem to forget, Daddy, that you've been training me for almost as long to look after Sine Industries and to always do what's best for the company. So how big is her family?"

  "Lucille's father owns enough land to open up shop as a small country in Europe, and that's all I'm going to say. So, are you happy for me now?"

  Karen gave her father a hug. "Daddy, if you're in love then I'm happy for you. I care about the business you built, and you know that you wanted me to grow up doing that, but I care about you more; you come before Sine." She squeezed James for a few moments then looked up into his eyes. "I really do hope this is the last time though, Daddy. You know what I mean?"

  James took his daughter's face in his hands. "I know exactly what you mean, dear."

  ******

  Bram Van Meer waited until his secretary closed the door to his office before he turned and spoke to Lucille, who had just been ushered in. "I hope that--"

  Lucille had come up to Van Meer and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Hello, Papa."

  "Yes, hello, Lucille. You are well, yes? Good, good. I was saying, I hope that all is going as planned? When is your wedding?"

  "In three weeks, Papa," Lucille forced a smile.

  "Good. Sit down." Van Meer took a seat in his high-backed armchair and motioned towards the other. "Now, bring me up to date. He is in America now, yes?"

  "Yes, Papa. James went ahead as he was anxious to tell his daughter. He said that he had already waited too long to tell her and that he was sorry that we would not fly to New York togeth--"

  "Ok. Yes," Van Meer interrupted. "When are you leaving?"

  "Tonight, Papa."

  "You are packed and ready?"

  "Yes, Papa."

  "You are flying Business Class, yes? We do not want to appear lavish. Just give me the details, I do not need to hear long stories. Did you confirm with that American lawyer whose number I gave you? Is it six months or one year before you can file?"

  Lucille took a deep breath and braced herself before she spoke. "I'm sorry, Papa. Yes, I have a seat in Business Class on the 9 p.m. flight. I spoke to attorney Stein and he said that six months is the minimum amount of time..."

  "Good. Good." Van Meer interjected. "Continue."

  Lucille cleared her throat. She did not know how to say it without her father exploding so she just stated the facts. "There is a problem, Papa. Revealing that our family had comparable wealth to James Stevens--well, it backfired."

  Van Meer's eyes darkened and his calm expression turned anxious. "Backfired? How so? What is the problem?"

  "James did seem relieved when I told him of our wealth, as you said I should do. I told him that I wanted no secrets between us. That part was fine. And he did confess to me that he would have probably asked for a prenuptial contract had I not told him this. Then, as if a huge load had been taken off his shoulders he told me that it was only fair, and that it would be a show of faith on his part, if he had his attorney draw up a contract in light of what I revealed to him--only in this contract both parties would be protected. All assets and liabilities will not be part of the marriage contract." Lucille was glad she had gotten this far without her father interrupting.

  "What?!" Van Meer rose from his seat thunderously. "He opted for a contract anyway?" He started pacing, cursing in Dutch. Although Lucille was raised in America, she was taught the language of her father from birth and she listened wordlessly to Van Meer's words of hatred directed towards her husband to be.

  Van Meer stopped and looked at his daughter. There was a jeering tone in his voice. "Yet you are still flying to New York tonight. You still plan to marry the man? What is there to be had from your marriage now? You're going to tell me you're in love." He sits down and leans towards Lucille with his hands on his knees.

  "I knew you would not take the news well, Papa, but--"

  Of course I would not take this news well! D
id you think I would laugh and dance around when I learned that you would be marrying for no reason?" Van Meer paused and assumed a look of enlightenment. "Ah, I see. You would say that your reason is love and that was enough reason to marry this bast--"

  "I was going to say, Papa," Lucille strengthened her voice but retained her composure, "that all is not lost. I will proceed as planned and deal with the changes to the circumstances. The reason that I am still going to marry James is that, though the contract was carefully worded, there is within it a means to rectify the situation but I must be married to him to do so. Is your contact still in place and ready for my call?"

  Van Meer narrowed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "He is ready and is waiting for your call, yes. You will fix this?" The last statement a command rather than a question.

  "I will take care of it, Papa." Lucille stood up. "I have a few more things to finish here before my flight."

  Van Meer looked his daughter in the eye. "I trust you to take care of it. You will not disappoint me, Lucille."

  Turning towards the thick oak door to her father's office and walking with full composure she stated simply, "I have not disappointed you yet, Papa." She exited the room and closed the heavy door behind her noiselessly.

  Van Meer stared at the empty chair where Lucille had sat. "This is true. Not yet." He stood and walked to his desk. Pressing a button on his phone he told his secretary to connect him to the secure line.

  ******

  James relaxed in one of the leather-upholstered chairs in the large bay window of his office in his upstate New York mansion. Outside it was a warm early summer evening and the western sky glowed orange behind the line of beech trees across the far side of the vast lawn. The office remained at a perfect 68 degrees, the entire mansion having centralized air conditioning.

  His former body guard and now one of his best friends, Arthur, occupied the other burgundy leather chair and he raised his glass of bourbon. "Congratulations, Jim."

  James raised his glass and commented, "You don't exactly look overjoyed, Art."

  "We've both been here before, Jim. I do hope Lucille's the one; from what you've told me she sounds terrific. I guess...I don't know, Jim; maybe it's because I haven't met her and out of the blue I find out that you're getting married...again."

  James smiled and sipped his drink. "You been talking to Karen recently? You sound just like her."

  Arthur laughed, "Haven't seen her in weeks, actually. She's got about a thousand friends for each day of the week. It is true, though, that both of us have learned a great deal about business, and the care and feeding of it, from you; so it doesn't surprise me that she's voiced her opinion about what has come before the company gets sliced down the middle twice before. But, hey, you had a prenup made out and it didn't seem to bother Lucille--in fact, it protects her as much as you--so, yes, I am happy for you. Like I said, Jim, when I meet her in person she'll probably seem more like the perfect match that you describe her to be."

  "Believe it or not, Art, I had the exact same reservations as the both of you. I didn't want to think of her that way but, I admit, I was relieved when she came forward and told me that she was a Van Meer and had only kept her former husband's name to fly under the radar, as they say. I already had my mind made up to get a prenup this time around but I couldn't think of a way of telling her without it looking like it reflected badly on her. Then she tells me that her father is Bram Van Meer and I saw an opening. A prenup would be best for both of us. I hope she didn't see how eased I was when she told me." he squinted out the window at the glowing beech trees.

  "You lucked out there then. I can see how it made it a lot easier to broach the subject of a prenup." Arthur said, looking at his friend.

  Still gazing out the window, James commented, "Yes, I suppose I was lucky. I really can't say if I would have ever got up the nerve to ask for a prenup if events didn't turn out this way."

  Still looking at his friend, soon to be married again, who was staring at the sunset, Arthur made his own comment, "You do love her, Jim. I see that now more than ever. She really must be an amazing woman."

  "I do." James looked from the window to his friend and smiled warmly. "And she is."

  The two friends continued to drink and talk long into the night.

  ******

  Lucille was alone in the back of one of the Van Meer family limousines on her way to Schiphol. She was taking public transportation but that didn't mean she had to go through all the lines and checks that the average person did. The limo would drop her at the unofficial VIP entrance just beside the boarding gate of her plane. There, a semi-private team would inspect her and her luggage. She had just asked the driver to take his time and now fingered a button on the console and the divider between the two sections of the luxury vehicle slid up, closed and soundproof. Taking out a mobile phone she hardly used, she dialed one of only eight numbers on it. The voice that answered after an eternity of ringing sounded drowsy and incoherent.

  "Hello, Lucille. What do you need."

  Lucille half expected this but was irritated nevertheless, "Jesus Christ, Julian. Don't tell me I woke you up. Do you know what time it is?"

  "No. Enlighten me."

  "Nearly 8 p.m. here, making it nearly 9 p.m. there in godforsaken Swaziland or wherever you are in the colony at the moment--and I know you didn't just go to sleep. Did you drink until noon again? Jesus. Never mind. Don't tell me. Just take a few moments and wake up fully. I need your attention on this." Lucille waited. She heard some bumping sounds and a loud crash.

  "Fuck! My morning bottle!" she heard Julian shout over the line.

  "Unbelievable." She thought. Yet, somehow he gets things done. And I need him to get this done.

  Lucille heard a bubbling sound and when she realized it was Julian taking a piss she held the phone away from her ear. "Jesus, that boor."

  After a few more moments she heard Julian calling out, "Hello! Hello!"

  "I'm here," she answered. "I just didn't want the full audio of your morning routine. I could almost forget you graduated from a VWO with honors and were accepted into U of A--not that you finished there."

  "I made up a quick batch of some hair of the dog. Vodka, egg, hot--ach, you don't want to know what else is in it. I'm good now. What is it, Lucille?" He did sound much better.

  "Your services are needed."

  "Okaaay! Another job from my favorite employer. My schedule happens to be wide open. What do I need to do?"

  "Listen carefully. It's only a few minutes before I get to the airport. I am marrying an American. His name is James Stevens. Soon I will inherit his company, Sine Industries."

  "Well, congratulations then! I raise my glass to you, Lady, thousands of miles to the North!"

  "Thank you, Julian. Now listen until I am finished. Clear?"

  "Crystal as the glass in my hand."

  "There is a kink in the plans. Long story short, I need you to take care of someone--his daughter. A ticket to New York will arrive for you in a few hours. Her debut is in three days and you will be properly introduced there. You will stage it as a hunting accident in Africa. Things are getting too hot for you to deal with this in your usual way. We need to take care with this one--more people are involved. We're almost at Schiphol, I will brief you when we meet in New York. You don't need to pack much. Just clean up and, for God's sake stay sober until--"

  "No." Came Julian's reply over the clear connection.

  "What did you say?" Lucille's question terse.

  "I've done this kind of thing for you before. You know I quite enjoy the hunt--whatever it may be that I am hunting--even eighteen year olds, hell, younger than that as you well know. But a girl? No. I will not do this. You can be extreme and I know that from first-hand experience. But, Lucille, this time I think you've gone too far. Mijn God, Lucillja! A child! A girl!"

  "Have you calmed down yet? Good." Lucille spoke in a paced manner, but other than that, was beginning to sound like her father
. "You like your lifestyle, yes? I know you do. Good. Who gives you the money to live the way you do? I do! Do you want to continue your work-free, carefree lifestyle, boozing and womanizing in the colony in between shooting whatever animal comes to mind--or some goddam combination of all of the above? Because as far as I know, if I don't assign you to a job, that's exactly what you will have, no job! This is what you are paid to do, Julian--supported in the style to which you have become accustomed. And, as you said, you love the hunt. I don't see what is any different this time."

  Julian was silent for a while. Still, when he answered he was still firm. "No, Lucille. I can't do it. Men are animals--I should know. A girl...A girl is human."

  Lucille hoped she wouldn't have to play her ace, but apparently Julian was not threatened by loss of income. "Bram's orders, Julian." She waited calmly for his acquiescence.

  "Drol." Julian said, defeated. "Van Meer, eh? When does the fucking ticket arrive?"

  "Check your agent now. And whatever you do, don't show up at Kennedy looking like you just came from a month in the bush." Lucille was about to end the call.

  "This is a risky move even for Van Meer." Julian said, in a final attempt to bargain.

  "After I explain the details to you, in person in New York, you tell me if you can come up with a better method. For now, leave the risk to me. You of all people know this is not the first time I've done this kind of thing. Now get moving." Lucille ended the call.

  Julian tossed his phone onto the kitchen counter. He had just come from the bush--damn near two months, in fact. Two rhinoceros, God only knows how many wildebeest, more springbok than even God could count, a gorgeous sable antelope, four lions--but only one had a good mane on him--and a bull elephant that he dropped ten paces before it dropped him. Oh, and the Cape Buffalo that damn near killed him as well. His hunting companion for almost ten years now, Ijoye, always frowned and shook his head when Julian drank while waiting in the hide. After that elephant and the even closer encounter with the buffalo that Julian swore had flaming red eyes, he began to side a little bit more with his friend Ijoye--but only when it involved game that could kill him.