by Cher Etan
“Like I said, every outlet has its own resident accountant who keeps the books on a daily and then my overall account manager consolidates everything.”
“And you are the only signatory to your account?”
“Yes.”
“Which means money is disappearing somewhere between the till and the bank?”
“Something like that. There are the daily expense accounts which each accountant and manager must sign out for together. These expenses are accounted for under petty cash and expenses. So where is money disappearing from?”
“The thing I don’t understand Tony, is that the discrepancies I’m seeing are coming from more than one of the individual outlets. Which either means that there is a massive amateur conspiracy in place involving multiple establishments or someone in your accountant’s office has found a way to doctor these individual accounts.”
“What are the odds of a conspiracy?” Tony asked thoughtfully.
“Low. I’m thinking its one person. We just have to lay a trail and follow it to the money. To do that though, I would need your permission to go in and lay a trap.”
“This is all very James Bond; I’ll need to know everything that you’re doing.”
“Very good. That’s how to be careful.”
“Once bitten.”
“Yes. Well, I’ll come up with a plan for you and we’ll regroup next week after your getaway with Sophie.”
“Assuming she’ll go with me,” Tony muttered.
“Oh, she’ll go. I happen to know for a fact that her grandfather would like to see her dating some nice young man as much as I would.”
“And I’m ‘some nice young man’?”
Curtis shrugged, “You have a job, you’re single…you are single right?”
“Yes,” Tony said curtly, offended that Curtis would even ask.
“Great. You’re single, you have a job, you’re relatively good looking…what’s not to like?”
“Nothing I guess. Unless he objects to blue eyes or pale skin?”
“Man come on, since the cute Kardashian married the rapper, mixing the races is all the rage. Think of the beautiful children you’ll make. Every grandparent’s dream.”
“We would make some good looking children.” Tony gushed his eyes far away.
“Damn, you got it bad don’t you?” Curtis said.
“I do,” Tony agreed unhesitatingly.
“Wow, okay, good luck with that then,” Curtis replied.
*****
“Hey Granddad, how are you?” Sophie asked as she came home to find him making vegetable stir fry in the wok.
“Granddad? Uh oh, what’s wrong Soph?” he asked giving her a look of exaggerated fright.
“Nothing’s wrong. Why do you think that something’s wrong. Just because I call you Granddad? Isn’t that your name?”
“Nope. My name is Elijah.”
“Anyhow, how was your day?”
“It was good, thank you for asking. Now tell me what you need.”
“Remember the guy I was kissing on the doorstep last night?”
“Uh huh…what happened?”
“He uh, he asked us to stay during the weekend.”
“Stay where?”
“Apparently he has a B&B in New Shoreham.”
“And you said we would go to this…B&B?”
“No, I said I would ask you first.”
“I thought you said it was your first date yesterday,” Elijah said, placing the stir fry on two plates and getting some orange juice out of the refrigerator.
“It was,” Sophie replied, sitting down at the table.
“And for the second date, he wants to take you and your grandfather on a weekend trip?” Elijah asked pouring juice into glasses.
“Apparently.”
“And this is not strange to you?”
“This is very strange to me. That’s why I said I’d have to ask you first,” Sophie admitted picking up her fork to eat her vegetables.
“Ah, so you wish me to refuse for you?”
“Yes…no…I don’t know,” Sophie hesitated picking up her juice and downing it.
“You don’t know? Do you like him?”
Sophie paused to swallow before saying “I think so. I mean, yes. So far he’s been great. A little too great. It all seems too good to be true.”
“And don’t you think spending a weekend with him would be a good way to find out if it really is too good to be true?” Elijah asked smiling at his food as he ate.
“Wouldn’t want to give him the wrong idea.”
“The wrong idea being? That you’re interested in him?”
“No! Just, I don’t want him thinking he owns me just because he took me and my grand pappy away for the weekend.”
“Again, perfect way to find out what kind of man he is.”
“So you think we should go?” Sophie asked him, putting down her fork to stare at her grandfather.
“I guess so,” he replied, clearing the last of the vegetables from his plate, “New Shoreham, here we come. I always wanted to visit these rich white people towns anyway.”
“It’s not exactly Cape Cod, G,” Sophie smiled as she took the plates to wash.
“Close enough,” Elijah replied languishing in his chair with a second glass of juice at his side.
Chapter 3
The town of New Shoreham, population 1000 was located on Block Island 10 miles off the southern coast of Rhode Island. They took the ferry over and though the day was overcast, windy and very, very cold, Elijah had a beatific smile on his face as he leaned on the railing. Sophie watched him watch the horizon and thought that whatever happened this weekend, just to see that look on his face was worth it. Tony came up to her and handed her a hot cup of coffee.
“Thank you,” she said, taking it with a smile.
“Are you warm enough?” he asked, taking the lapels of her coat and pulling them closer together.
Sophie laughed and sipped her coffee, “I love that you’re solicitous of my welfare, but I think I can button my own coat.”
Tony removed his hands and smiled sheepishly at her, “Forgive me; I just want you to be comfortable.”
“I am. Relax,” Sophie said softly briefly covering his hand with hers. As she made to remove her hand, he turned his hand around and grasped it, caressing it thoughtfully with his other.
“Your hands are really soft,” he murmured, staring at them.
“It’s the Aloe Vera in my lotion,” Sophie replied unthinkingly.
“Yeah? Well, it works,” he said still looking down at them.
Sophie took a deep breath, there suddenly seemed to be a deficit of oxygen in the air.
“So tell me about your B&B. How and when did you start it? Is it your main gig or is this just a side hustle?”
“Well, it’s a funny story actually. See, I have a degree in business administration from Stanford.”
“Oh really? You don’t say.”
“Yeah. Anyway, my first job was working as an administrator for this Italian restaurant. The owner wanted to enjoy the fruits of his labour rather than take care of the day to day running of his business. I’d just graduated college, I had no more experience than holiday internships, but this guy; he takes one look at me and tells me that I have a trustworthy face.”
“Good job sticking that in there,” Sophie interjected making him smile but ignore her.
“So he says he’ll give me a chance and if I do well, my reward will be more than I ever imagined.” Tony glanced at her self-deprecatingly and Sophie lifted her brows, urging him to continue.
“I’m this wide-eyed idealist straight from college, determined to conquer the world; Or at least, that Italian restaurant. I assure him I won’t let him down and he takes me on.”
“The American Dream,” Sophie grinned.
“Yes, exactly. Anyway, long story short the guy sodded off to Europe as soon as I was settled in and I used to send him monthly reports of how the business wa
s doing. The restaurant was doing well when I took over, but I made sure to double old man Sorrenti’s profits within six months. Within a year, the restaurant was so successful that a conglomerate wanted to buy it from Sorrenti but he wouldn’t sell. So the conglomerate tried to poach me, but I wouldn’t go.” Tony paused at this point in his story, staring off at the horizon where the grey skies met the water. Sophie watched his dreaming face; his eyes seem to take on the color of the skies and his cheekbones stood out pale in the windy cold.
“Then what happened?” she prompted him.
“Sorrenti died. Cancer. He’d known for some time that he was dying, that’s why he...” He stopped to swallow convulsively and Sophie realized he had really cared for his former boss.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” she apologized sympathetically.
Tony looked at her and smiled, “Thank you. Anyway, Sorrenti was a widow and his only son lived in California. He wasn’t interested in his father’s businesses. He sold the restaurant to the conglomerate soon after the funeral. They wanted me to stay at the helm, but the old man, he…made good on his promise to reward me for good service. He left me a house on this island, and a bit of money to run it. It was too big for me and I didn’t want to sell it, so I turned it into a bed and breakfast. It was my first establishment. One eventually became five, and here we are,” Tony finished with a shrug.
“Wow. That’s quite a Cinderella story you got over there,” Sophie said shaking her head.
Tony turned his head to stare at her, “Cinderella you say? How Cinderella? All she had to do was fit in a shoe. I worked damned hard for everything I’ve got.” His tone was a bit clipped she thought.
“I’m sorry; I wasn’t trying to denigrate you or anything. I just meant that…nothing. Never mind,” Sophie apologized.
“No, go ahead, tell me what you meant,” Tony demanded in a hard voice.
“I just…well, in my experience black folk don’t get to be given such chances to prove themselves. I don’t mean to get on the racism soapbox or anything. I’ve just never heard of a black person being hired because they have a ‘trustworthy face’.” Sophie tried to make her voice matter of fact, but judging from how Tony’s face closed she guessed she hadn’t been too successful.
“I’m sorry about that, but it’s hardly my fault,” he said.
“No, of course not. And I wasn’t trying to say that it was or that you shouldn’t have gotten the opportunity you did.”
“So what were you trying to say?”
Sophie opened her mouth, then closed it helplessly, “Never mind,” she said at last, “Let me check on my granddad. He’s been in the wind for a long time.”
“Okay,” Tony replied, turning his face away.
‘Wow, did we just have our first fight?’ Sophie thought with bemusement as she walked away, ‘That was fast Devereaux, even for you.’
“Grandpa, are you okay?” she asked as she came up to him.
“I’m fine. The air is very clear around here,” he said.
“It damn well should be. Not that many people to breathe it are there?” she replied wryly leaning against the rail next to him.
“I guess not. You okay Sophie?” He asked straightening up to stare at her.
“I’m great. Just had my first fight…I think,” she grimaced.
“The first one is the hardest, after that it gets easier,” Elijah said with a reminiscent smile.
“Assuming there will be a next time,” Sophie replied sadly.
“I’ve seen how he looks at you. There definitely will be,” Elijah promised.
“Forgive me,” A voice said from behind her. She turned around in shock to see Tony behind her looking contrite. She stared at him and he stared back at her.
“Err, I’ll just go get a cup of coffee,” Elijah said as he edged away from them grinning.
“I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to...” Sophie began.
“No, I was too sensitive. My father, he tends to put me down for my achievements and I guess I was transferring emotions to you. I get it, what you were saying. I’m sorry I took it personally.”
“I’m sorry your dad’s a dick. And I’m sure you worked hard for everything you have. I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.”
“Don’t call my dad names,” he said, but in a friendly way, “and thanks.”
“Sorry. I can’t seem to open my mouth without putting my foot in it. Bear with me?” Sophie said face falling and making Tony laugh.
“You just tell the truth. People get mad at that. I guess we’ll just have to get over it, right?”
Sophie stared at him for a long time eyes wide and shiny with unshed tears. Then she lunged forward into his arms and locked her lips with his. Tony froze, but just for a moment and then he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. Sophie’s arms went up and she grasped his head with her hands, holding it in place as her tongue explored his mouth. He let her do as she pleased with him, only starting slightly when she bit his lip. His arms drifted downward, catching hold of her ass and squeezing them with such force she could feel the hard outline of his penis pressing against her navel. His fingers kneading her cheeks were making her insides turn to water and his tongue collided with hers doing a delicate dance and making her forget that they were out in the open. She wanted to pull him down on the windy deck and have her way with him, but he staggered away from her clutching the railing with both hands.
“Wow,” he whispered.
“Tell me about it,” she whispered back, holding the railing as well so as not to jump his bones right there and then.
He looked around the empty deck, breathing hard. “Where is everybody when you need them?” he asked no-one in particular.
“Probably below decks, getting away from this wind huddled around their coffee cups,” Sophie replied dazedly.
“Right,” Tony whispered, bending over double to hide his erection from her. She smiled at the sight, but walked slowly away, even though it hurt her, so as to give him some time to recover.
*****
The Sorrenti Bed and Breakfast was a picturesque old two-storey house set in a field of grass, overlooking the sea. They were greeted at the door by a fat pleasant lady in a pink apron who handed out hot apple cider as a doorman carried their luggage up to their rooms. Sophie and her grandfather had adjoining suites on the second floor. For a moment, Sophie worried that Tony expected to share with her, but he did not come up with them, instead informing her that he had his own room in the staff quarters downstairs.
“Seriously, you sleep in the dorms with the cook?” she had asked with amusement.
“Well, if the dorm is good enough for my cook it should be good enough for me right? Why should I expect my staff to sleep somewhere I wouldn’t want to sleep?” he had replied seriously.
“Damn. I really need you to start displaying some vices now Tony,” she teased making him laugh out loud.
“I’m a serial killer on my days off,” he said grinning.
“I like Dexter,” she joked back.
“Of course you do.”
“See you later?”
“Count on it.”
*****
She stared out of her window at the water, watching the waves undulate slowly back and forth and at the people in the boats and yachts that dotted the bay. It was a peaceful scene, with the empty beach stretching before her. She figured it was probably too cold for anyone to be larking about in the sand. God knows she just wanted to burrow in her warm looking bed with a hot cup of something and maybe catch up on her reading. Just as she thought this the phone rang, startling her.
“Hello,” she answered cautiously, wondering who could possibly be calling her here.
“Hey. Want to go for a walk?” Tony’s voice came down the line.
“Now?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know it’s kind of cold out. My Granddad should probably stay in.”
“That’s why I’m not asking him; I’m ask
ing you.”
“Hmm. Funny. Can’t we do something more warm and toasty? Like maybe coffee and toast in front of a fire?”
“We could. And we will. But I wanna show you something first. Pretty please come with me?”
Sophie sighed deeply in resignation.
“Wonderful, meet me in the lobby. Dress warm,” Tony said happily and hung up.
“Yeah, no shit,” Sophie said and turned to pick up her coat and wear her boots.
She was about to leave when the wind rattled against the windows. She turned back and extracted a woollen hat from the closet and pulled it as far down over her hair and face as she could.
“Are we going for a walk or to rob a bank?” Tony asked her in amusement when he saw her covered visage.
“Ha ha.” Sophie said, sweeping past him without stopping and heading out the front door. He turned quickly and followed her running a bit to catch up. He reached for her hand and grasped it in both of his, rubbing it to keep her warm.
“I know it's cold, but you gotta admit it’s beautiful too isn’t it?” Tony said staring out at the cloudy sky.
“Ye,s it’s beautiful. But I can see that just as well from my window,” Sophie replied ,making him laugh.
“When I first met you, I didn’t take you for much of a laugher. You were always so solemn.” Sophie admitted.
“That’s true. I don’t think I’ve laughed so much since…” his voice trailed off and the smile slid off his face.
“Since what?” Sophie asked, not one to let these things slide.
“Since…my mother died,” Tony told her with a glance at her that was more eloquent than words. Then he took a deep breath and visibly pulled himself together.
“I’ve told you a hell of a lot of things about me and you haven’t said a word about yourself. It’s your turn now.”
“What would you like to know?” she asked, heart sinking at the thought of telling him all about her family tragedies. But he was right; he had been forthright about himself. She needed to do the same, so she braced herself for his questions.
“Do you like me?” Tony asked.
“What?”
“I want to know, do you like me?”