by Stuart Woods
“The lamb is from the estate next door,” Stone said, “and the vegetables are from our own garden.”
“And the wine?” Gala asked.
“A Chateau Palmer 1978,” Stone replied, swirling some in his glass and tasting it. “I think we’ll drink it.”
Both women made appreciative noises about the wine.
“Felicity,” Gala said, “Stone tells me you are in the intelligence business.”
“I hope that’s all he told you,” she said, “or I’ll have to have him clapped in irons.”
“He was very discreet,” Gala said. “But I’m a screenwriter by trade, and I sometimes write about your sort of derring-do. Perhaps if Stone gives you enough wine, you’ll tell me some trade secrets that I can put into a film.”
“If Stone gives me enough wine, he knows I’ll tell all,” Felicity replied. “So I’d better be very careful.”
Stone poured her another glass of the Palmer, and they all had a good laugh.
14
In bed after dinner Gala threw a leg over Stone’s and stuck her tongue in his ear.
Stone responded.
“Now that I have your attention,” she said.
“You have it. Now what?”
“I wanted to bring up a subject that I have not broached before.”
“Why haven’t you broached it?”
“Because the occasion had not arisen.”
“The occasion for what?”
“A potential threesome.”
Now she had his attention. “When did that occasion arise?”
“At dinner.”
“Somehow I missed that.”
“Men can be so obtuse.”
“I suppose so.”
“It was obvious that you and Dame Felicity have, in the past, been an item. Perhaps you still are.”
“Not at the moment.”
She laughed. “Well, right now, I’m taking up all the space.”
“Are you saying you’d like to share the space with Felicity?”
“The thought crossed my mind. It crossed hers, too.”
“Somehow I missed that.”
“Of course you did. She made it perfectly clear to me, though.”
“How, exactly, did she do that?”
“I’m not sure I should tell you. I don’t know how you would react.”
“Try me.”
“All right, she ran a fingernail up the inside of my thigh, under the dinner table.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
“And how did you respond to that?”
“With pleasure. I told her I’d get back to her.”
“I didn’t hear that, and I was there all the time.”
“Oh, not in so many words. I just gave her to understand that the matter was under consideration.”
“How, exactly, did you convey that?”
“Let’s just say that I was discreetly receptive.”
“Oh.”
“And, need I point out that since the subject arose, you have responded in your own particular way?” She held him in her hand and squeezed.
“I think I must be responding to you.”
“Well, I hope so, but the subject under discussion produced a pronounced indication of interest. Have you and Felicity ever entertained another woman in bed?”
“Not that I recall.”
“Well, if that had occurred, I’m sure you would recall it.”
“I expect so.”
“What experience have you had with threesomes?”
“That’s a very direct question,” he said.
“I’m a very direct woman.”
“I’ve noticed that and found it attractive.”
“So, answer the question.”
“A couple of times.”
“With what success?”
“Well, it happened—I guess that’s success.”
“And how did you respond?”
“How do you think I responded?”
“Let me put it another way—on each occasion, who seemed to enjoy it most?”
“On both occasions, the women seemed to enjoy it most.”
“Enjoyed each other, you mean?”
“Well, yes.”
“At your expense?”
“You might put it that way.”
“That’s unfortunate. It shows a lack of courtesy on their part. You were, after all, the host.”
“I suppose so.”
“Well, let me make you a promise. Should we, you and I, decide, both of us together, to invite another woman into our bed, you will not go unattended. By either of us.”
“How can you speak for the other woman?”
“It’s a matter of judgment. Felicity, for example, is more interested in you than in me—although she is certainly interested in me. She demonstrated that to my satisfaction tonight.”
“You amaze me.”
“I assure you, should we decide to extend the invitation, Felicity and I will both amaze you.”
“How does one extend such an invitation?”
“You leave that to me.”
“Now that I’ve answered your questions, how much experience have you had in this area?”
“Five or six times, starting in college.”
“With what result?”
“After some initial fumbling, very satisfactory.”
At that point, the phone rang, and Stone picked it up. “Hello?”
“It’s Felicity.”
“Hello, there.” He held the phone away from his ear, so that Gala could listen in.
“I’m down at your dock, and my boat won’t start. Neither Geoffrey nor I can make it work.”
Stone looked at Gala, who was smiling and nodding. “In that case, I think Geoffrey should return you to the house, and Gala and I will make you comfortable here. The boat can wait until tomorrow.”
“What a lovely invitation.”
Gala leaned in. “We will both look forward to receiving you. Just come up to the master suite.”
“How delightful. See you shortly.” She hung up, and so did Stone.
“See how easy that was?” Gala said.
“I am astonished,” Stone replied.
“Now, you move over to the center of the bed, and leave room for her on the other side of you.”
Stone complied.
Shortly, there was a soft knock on the door.
“Come in,” Gala called.
Felicity entered the room, came over to the bed, and kissed, first Stone, then Gala.
“Use my dressing room,” Gala said, pointing. “There’s a dressing gown, if you need one.”
“I don’t think I will need it,” Felicity said, heading for the dressing room. She emerged shortly and got into bed next to Stone. Everyone kissed, then, as if by plan, the two women concentrated on Stone, who received the attention with alacrity.
Then they turned their attention to each other, while Stone watched and offered the occasional caress.
When they had satisfied each other and given Stone time to recover, they received him in turn, while the other watched and helped.
Then, exhausted, they all fell asleep.
—
The following morning, they repeated the experience, with variations. Then, while the two women showered together, Stone ordered breakfast and joined them, until the food arrived.
—
Following breakfast, they returned custody of Felicity to Geoffrey, who returned her to the dock.
“Oh, I’d better go and have a look at her boat,” Stone said.
“Don’t bother,” Felicity replied. “I’m sure it will start immediately.”
They both laughed.
&nb
sp; “Now,” Gala said when Felicity had departed, “was that a satisfactory experience?”
“Entirely satisfactory,” Stone said, kissing her.
“It could happen again,” Gala said, “with Felicity or some other suitable woman.”
“How will I know when?”
“I’ll be sure and let you know. Just place yourself in my hands, so to speak.”
“I rather enjoy being in your hands, so to speak.”
15
Stone was settling into the study to get some work done when Gala came in. “Would you mind terribly if I missed lunch with you today? I’d like to run up to London and get some shopping done.”
“Of course, go right ahead. I’ll give you a car.”
“I’d rather take the train, if someone will give me a lift to Southampton station.”
Stone lifted a phone and spoke to Geoffrey, then hung up. “The car will be out front in five minutes. Get Geoffrey’s number and let him know on what train you’re returning, and he’ll meet you at the station.”
She kissed him and departed.
Stone worked until early afternoon, having a sandwich in the library for lunch, then, as New York began its day, began receiving calls. Joan was first.
“We’re still alive and well here,” she said.
“Good. I think you can dismiss Mike’s men. I have reason to believe that Tirov has left the city.”
“Will do.”
Bob Cantor called next. “I’ve made some refinements to my tracking software,” he said. He gave Stone instructions on reloading the software. “There,” he said. “Would you like to add any other numbers to be tracked?”
Stone thought about it, then gave Bob Gala’s new number.
“Great, you’re all set. I’ve assigned the color yellow to her phone, to make it easier to distinguish it. If you want to add any other phones, you’ll be given a choice of colors.”
“Thanks, Bob.” He hung up, then switched on the phone and checked for Gala. He picked up a yellow dot in the Savile Row area of London, and by zooming in, he was able to identify the location of Cecconi’s, a restaurant. Then, to his surprise, a green dot appeared on the screen at the same location, but slightly apart from the yellow. He called Gala’s number.
“Hello?”
“Hi, where are you?”
“I’m at Cecconi’s, having a bite at the bar,” she said.
“Then you should know that Tirov appears to be in the same restaurant.”
“Oh, my God! How did you know?”
“I neglected to tell you that Bob Cantor’s app had tracked him to London. My advice is just to pay your check and sneak out, so as to avoid a confrontation.”
“I certainly will. Goodbye.”
Stone watched as the yellow dot left the location and moved down to Burlington Arcade, while the green dot remained. Relieved, he closed his phone.
Geoffrey came into the room. “Dame Felicity is on the phone for you, Mr. Barrington. Line one.”
“Thank you, Geoffrey. Any trouble getting her boat started this morning?”
“None whatever, sir. I think it must have been flooded.”
Stone picked up the phone. “Good morning again.”
“And good morning to you.”
“No trouble getting your boat started this morning?”
“None. I expect the engine was flooded. Did we surprise you last night?”
“Yes, but very pleasantly. I can’t think when I’ve enjoyed being surprised so much.”
“You certainly rose to the occasion, and you acquitted yourself very nicely.”
“I had a lot of inspiration.”
“Perhaps we’ll do it again sometime.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“She’s a lovely girl. I can see why you’re so attracted to her.”
“She said much the same about you.”
“I’m so glad. Oh, has your post arrived yet?”
“Not yet.”
“When it does, you may expect to receive some interesting news.”
“Is that meant to be a surprise, too?”
“It is.”
At that moment, Geoffrey entered with some letters on a silver tray.
“Ah, here’s the post now. Which one is the surprise?”
“The one posted from the Isle of Wight.”
Stone found the postmark and opened the letter. It was from the secretary of the famous old yacht club across the Solent, informing him that he had been elected to membership. “Good God!” he said. “How did this happen?”
“Secretly,” she said. “You made a very good impression at the club, and if you’ll remember, you had several flag officers as guests at your dinner party last year.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“It was not difficult to gather the requisite number of proposers for your application, all of them prominent in the club. Those things can’t be rushed, but nearly a year has passed, and the wheels ground steadily in your absence.”
“I can’t thank you enough, Felicity,” he said earnestly. “It’s a wonderful club, and I shall enjoy using it.”
“Let me give you a phone number,” she said.
He wrote it down.
“That’s the club tailor, in Southampton. Ring him and he’ll come over and measure you for a reefer suit and a mess kit, and he’ll sell you a cap, as well. You’ll need both.”
“I shall certainly do so.”
“You’ll also need a stickpin for your necktie. That’s part of the regalia. Benzie’s, the jewelry store on the Parade in Cowes, will provide that.”
“I’ll stop in on my next trip over.”
“I can’t wait to see your new boat.”
“I’ll ring you as soon as I get my hands on it.”
“Goodbye then, and congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“And au revoir.”
“Indeed.” He hung up, called the tailor to make an appointment.
“You’re at Windward Hall, on the Beaulieu, is that right, Mr. Barrington?”
“That’s correct.”
“I have another call to make near you today. I could visit you at, say, four?”
“Perfect.”
“And may I ask, sir, what size hat do you wear?”
“Seven and a half.”
“I’ll bring a couple.”
“Good. See you then.” He hung up.
He had been working for an hour when a call came in on his cell phone. “Hello?”
“Stone, it’s Phil Bennett, at Hinckley.” Bennett was the sales director.
“How are you, Phil?”
“Very well, thanks. I have good news. Your boat arrived at Southampton the day before yesterday and cleared customs yesterday. Our team is working on unpacking and cleaning it now, and they tell me they can deliver her to your dock tomorrow around noon.”
“Excellent news!”
“Their names are Chris and Dustin. I’ll give you their cell numbers.”
Stone wrote them down.
“They’ve arranged lodging at an inn near your house, so your training can begin tomorrow, if that’s all right.”
Three days of training were included in the price. “It could not be more perfect.”
“Is your dock well marked?”
“There’s a sign saying ‘Windward Hall.’”
“They’ll call when they’re a few minutes out.”
“I’ll look forward to seeing them.” He hung up and Geoffrey reappeared.
“Ms. Wilde has rung from London. She’ll be on the five-ten from Waterloo Station. Shall I meet her, sir?”
“No, just bring the Porsche around, and I’ll meet her myself.”
“You know the route to the station
, sir?”
“I do.”
Geoffrey handed him the keys to the Porsche. “The car is already out front, sir. I’d allow twenty minutes to drive to the station.”
“That’s good. I’m expecting a tailor at four o’clock. You may show him in here when he arrives.”
“Very good, sir.” And Geoffrey left him to his work.
The tailor arrived on time, and Stone selected fabric for the two suits, then tried on a hat. He had never worn a club yachting cap, and, in the mirror, he thought he looked ridiculous. Nevertheless, he bought two.
16
Stone met Gala and several shopping bags at Southampton station and drove her back to the house. “How did your day go?”
“Just fine. I enjoyed myself.”
“Did you encounter Boris at Cecconi?”
“I was sitting on the back side of the bar, and I saw him come in and take a table on the other side of the room. I got out without being seen, I think.”
“That’s a relief. What do you suppose he’s doing in London?”
“Business, I expect. He often shoots at Pinewood Studios.”
“So, he’s not stalking you in England?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Good. Oh, more good news—my new boat is being delivered to the dock at around noon tomorrow. Part of my deal with Hinckley is that I get three days’ training. Would you enjoy that?”
“I would. Will it be hard, do you think?”
“Hinckleys are very easy to handle. Do you mind if I ask Felicity to join us?”
“Not at all.”
“She called this morning. She got me elected to the yacht club at Cowes while I was away.”
“Congratulations.”
“I’ll take you to dinner there. You’ll enjoy it.”
They arrived back at Windward Hall, and Gala went to put away her things and take a nap. Stone called Felicity, told her about the boat, and arranged to pick her up at her dock.
“I’ll need to leave for London around five,” she said. “Early meeting Monday morning.”
“We’ll have you back by then.”
—
The following day, they took a box of sandwiches down to the dock, just in time to see the new boat coming up the river. She pulled alongside, and Stone and Gala took her lines.
Half an hour later, they had been through the drill of checking fluids, locating the major systems. They picked up Felicity, and she and Gala were introduced to the JetStick, which controlled the boat.