Looking at Gerhard, her arms out, holding him lightly by the wrists, Eva leaned toward him and said, "He's been there for twenty minutes. Before you got here I strolled by once, then back again. People have come and gone, no one stationary; I'm sure he's alone."
"You've seen nothing of Mr. Templeton? That one makes me a little uneasy. When I first contacted him to make the offer I could tell that under his casual, almost nonchalant, friendly American attitude there was a cold and calculating persona. It was in his eyes. And there was something about his mannerisms, too. I could see myself in him and that scares me. I'd rather not deal with him any more than is necessary."
"I had a good look at him in the park in Bern. I would have recognized him if he were here. The boy is alone."
"Good. I guess he has waited long enough then. Take a table at the café where you can keep an eye on the area and also watch his face. When it comes to reading men, I know no better than you, Liebchen. We will talk later."
She leaned in close, her lips close to his ear as she whispered, "Until later, when the talking will be brief, I hope." Before she pulled her head back her tongue darted out, its tip caressing his ear for the briefest of seconds. She continued holding his wrists as she now looked him directly in the face, a most domestic smile on her face, and said through her smile, "And, if you ever call me 'Liebchen' again I will bite your balls off when you least expect it." She pivoted smartly and walked toward the café, turning her head back, a grin on her stunningly etched face as she called out, "Bye, Liebchen."
Gerhard watched as she sauntered down the promenade to the café, and despite the seriousness of the situation, he could not help thinking of her naked body nor could he still the stirring in his loins. There will be time for that later. He forced himself to become the dispassionate observer, his thoughts now flying ahead to his meeting with the OSS representative.
Kent looked at his watch again and silently cursed the supposed German punctuality. He looked up to scan the approach for Gerhard and was distracted by a very attractive woman being seated by the waiter. His eyes followed her to her table, at first riveted on her face, then lowering to focus on her breasts, her light sweater doing little to obscure the firm uplift or the swell of her nipples. Her narrow waist, gently curved hips and rounded bottom completed a picture that Kent knew must drive men into a near frenzy. Sighing inwardly and thinking of his attractive wife back home with her parents, a feeling of loneliness washed over him, his feeling of isolation increased by the path he had now chosen. When he turned back he found himself starring at a rather dapper looking man in his early forties wearing sharply creased pleated slacks, a cream colored silk shirt open at the collar and a sweater draped neatly over his broad shoulders. A stylish hat at just the right angle completed a picture that said good taste and a personal tailor. The outfit was a bit more Spring than Winter but, considering the balmy conditions, was certainly appropriate. A firm but pleasant, clean-shaven face sat atop a well-muscled body, and Kent was greeted by a smile that topped off a figure that would no doubt be acceptable in even the most exclusive men's club.
"How do you do? You must be Mr. Kay," Gerhard said, using the prearranged appellation, "I am Hans Goedell and our mutual friend has told me that you are interested in buying some of my cleaning supplies for your factory." Kent, somewhat flustered by the materialization of Gerhard apparently out of nowhere, automatically accepted the outstretched hand, noticing the firm handshake as well as the manicured nails. Mallory continued to stare for a moment while the man stood there, the smile seemingly indelible, waiting for the proper response.
Kent blinked back to reality, taking a split second to search his memory and replied, "Yes, we are particularly interested in cleaning solutions that will remove fabric dyes from floors and machinery." Here was the enemy before him, he had shaken his hand and was about to discuss a "business" proposition. He shuddered internally. What have I done? His shame and inner anger at himself now redirected itself outward and Kent felt a rising loathing for this natty figure standing before him, now motioning if he may be seated. Kent did not reply and the expression on his face showed the disdain he felt. Gerhard ignored the lack of response and, if he read Kent's feelings from his face, he showed no reaction, the smile still on his face as he pulled out a chair and sat down. He motioned to the waiter, ordered an espresso, and then turned back to Kent.
"It is a most beautiful day for this time of year don't you think?" The sullen look on Kent's face as he stared at Gerhard, ignoring his comment, left no doubt that he was not happy about this meeting. Several tables away, Eva watched events unfold and smiled as she sipped her coffee. How naïve, these young pups. Gerhard, not really a man of great patience, endured the silence for a full thirty seconds before he began, "My friend..."
"We are not friends!"
"Very well then. Mr. Kay, we have a business deal to discuss, one that will be very profitable for both of us, and one that people in your organization are anxious to see consummated. We do not have to become comrades or great friends, but we do have to get along well enough to bring this plan forward. Can we at least agree to conduct our business on a professional level?
"Yeah, we can do that. You know, I just met you and I already don't like you, but business is business." Some measure of the professional in him returned and he straightened, sitting up a bit higher, having sunk down slowly in his chair, settling centimeter by centimeter as his dour mood had deepened. Placing his hands on the table he inhaled deeply and said softly, "And so it begins." He continued in a more normal, though subdued voice, "Well, Hans, just what is it that you can offer us? I think we should review things before going any further."
His condescending manner was not lost on Gerhard, whose face remained placid nonetheless, since he, too, believed in the adage "business is business." However, since he also thought highly of retribution, he allowed himself a slight smile as he put down his cup to reply. Dueling would be nice. I would love to look into his face and see his eyes widen as my blade penetrates his body. Too bad that is an unlikely option, but then, there are so many ways to kill someone. Having docked his cup neatly in the saucer, he began.
"It seems that a certain officer in the Wehrmacht had a prominent member of the Italian business community relay a proposal to your company at its Swiss headquarters. The Italian gentleman and I are also acquainted and, unknown to the officer, he mentioned the details of the transaction to me one evening over drinks; a great many drinks as I recall. I realized that this could be very profitable information, for both of our companies, particularly if upper management, as it were, was insulated from what was really happening, while we took control of the real situation. Through personal contacts I arranged a meeting with your friend, Mr. T, who also agreed that this was a fortuitous situation and one which should be exploited to its full advantage."
Gerhard was about to continue when Mallory interrupted, "Before you go any further, I need to tell you that we'll need some kind of proof that you can actually deliver. We can't be handing out money and exit passes to every Kraut that wants to sell out before jumping ship." Conversation paused as a waiter approached, asking in a solicitous voice if anything else was needed and, when he was briskly waved off by Kent, withdrew with a pained expression.
Gerhard Waldman relaxed his fist where it had clenched on the arm of the chair, his face without expression save for a slight smile as he replied, "Yes, of course, that is perfectly reasonable. Please, listen to my explanation, discuss it with your friend and see if you don't think it is a worthwhile project." Kent acquiesced, enjoying the brief feeling of power that came with his sense of being in charge. Gerhard continued, leaning forward slightly, lowering his voice, "The officer of whom I spoke has a, how shall I say it, 'ward' I believe is the term he uses, a young woman, barely twenty years old. What the real relationship is I leave to your imagination. He keeps her in an apartment in Munich and visits her whenever he can, whenever conditions allow him to leave the front, s
omething that is becoming quite rare these days. She is the key to the location of the merchandise. My contacts within his command structure —— officers whom he feels he can trust, soldiers that he has known for many years but who send useful bits of information to me because they are more practical, more worldly if you will, especially now that the outcome of the war is obvious —— well, these contacts have reported that he has given the information to her. I know where she lives and troops loyal to me are nearby."
"And you, being an honorable officer, no doubt have ways to make this young girl talk." Kent paused, staring into the eyes of the man who sat across from him. "Yes, I'll bet you do."
Gerhard, with more patience than he thought he had, and less anger than he knew he harbored, replied calmly and softly, "My dear sir, honor is a word whose definition changes with the expediency of the moment, regardless of the language or culture. This is a fact that is certainly not lost on you." And it wasn't, for as Waldman now looked into the eyes of the man who sat across from him, it was with a genuine look of compassion in his face for he realized for the first time what Kent was struggling with. Honor, country, duty; the turmoil that all of these created for Mallory had been apparent in his face and in his actions this morning now that Gerhard grasped what he had been seeing. Kent was more of a novice than he had thought.
Mallory swallowed. What Gerhard said hit home and they both knew it. All his rationalizations were feckless attempts to still his conscience. Perhaps it was time to simply admit to himself what he was and what he was doing. However, his inner struggle was, at the moment, still unresolved and all he could muster in reply was, "Yes." In response to Gerhard's slightly raised eyebrows, he continued in a matter of fact voice, "So you get her to tell you where the merchandise is and then what?"
"Ah. The general may be old fashioned, a Prussian of bygone days, but he is not stupid, perhaps a little rigid in his operational plans, but certainly not stupid. You see, his ward knows where it is, or at least has the information on how to find it, but is apparently unaware that she is the custodian of such vital knowledge."
"How is that possible?"
"Oh, there are various possibilities; a trinket that he gave her with some hidden compartment, something he told her that he led her to believe referred to something different. Or, maybe he just hid it in her apartment. It is of no real consequence, a slight delay perhaps, a minor change in our plans but that is all; the outcome will not change. I know what to look for now, and no matter what attempts at concealment have been made, at the end of the day the information will be mine."
"OK, so you find the location —— I believe you when you say you can. How do you pick up the merchandise and how do you deliver it to us?"
"The colonel who is the commander for the city where she lives once served with me and is in my debt for teaching him some of the non-military skills one needs to prosper in the military."
And I'll bet you taught him well.
"He will provide the logistic support, really only a few men and a truck, that I require for the task. Once I have secured the product, the fulfillment of the terms of the purchase need only be confirmed, and the delivery will be completed."
"What's to stop the other Prussian from simply doing what you're proposing?"
"You and me. There will be no logistic support for him. He cannot come to Munich himself because of the near chaos in the region under his command; and, in the unlikely event that he does, he will find all military assistance unavailable. If he tries to acquire the merchandise himself, he will simply be ... he will be stopped. Your management, I believe, is trying to arrange for one of its own members to pick up the delivery. Those plans will have to be modified, but I will leave the details to you and your partner." Waldman leaned forward again, his elbows on the table. "But, in my humble opinion, I would suggest that you set your operation in motion, provide us with the particulars and allow us to, how shall I put it, cancel it from our end. We can then proceed with the plans that you and I agree on"
Kent tried to keep a poker face, but mentally he flinched, and the physical signs, despite his best effort at control, were not lost on Gerhard or on Eva, who continued to observe from her table. He had been close to accepting what he and Julian were setting in motion, but this aspect of the operation would involve killing an American, a very targeted and specific murder, and this was something he could not allow. Forcing these feelings as far down as he could, Mallory merely replied, "We'll take care of that detail ourselves."
"As you wish. We can deliver to a variety of locations; let me know your thoughts on a site. Also, we must work out guarantees, for both of our companies. In that regard, perhaps our friends, the Swiss, can be of assistance."
Without waiting for a formal end to the meeting, Kent stood up. "Next get together to be arranged through the usual channels." Not sure if his composure could survive another snub, Gerhard did not offer his hand, but simply nodded acknowledgement. Kent gave the slightest of nods before turning and walking down the waterfront promenade toward the taxi stand, glancing once over his shoulder at the church, as if he was waiting for some ecclesiastic reprimand from its somber façade, but its silence was the greater rebuke.
Gerhard watched till he was out of site, then sat down again as Eva joined him. "That boy is a virgin," he said, "although not in the way that would usually concern you, my dear. Did you see it?"
"They are so open, these young ones. He tried to hide it but it showed in the way he held his body, the way he sat in the chair and if I could have seen his eyes I'm sure they would have also confessed. Something upset him at the end though; it caused a visible tremor through his whole tight little virgin body. What was it that you said?"
"I merely suggested that we could eliminate loose ends for him even if the loose end, so to speak, was a member of his company."
"Ah, yes. I can see how that would be disturbing. He still thinks in terms of 'we', the same 'public school' mentality of the English. Cheers for my class at Eton. Rubbish!"
"He will soon understand this world in which we live. The Americans may be naïve, but they are quick learners. I can see there is a conflict; his mind wrestles with principles that have become obsolete in these times but he fears to relinquish them nevertheless. They are deep rooted, but money and the power it can bring have a way of loosening old ties. I believe he will come around, but in reality, as long as he does his job, it doesn't matter; he is only a messenger and the one who controls him has no such problems."
"As long as he can be controlled and doesn't get overwhelmed by his scruples to the point where he feels compelled to take some action."
"That will be the point where we get involved. Why don't you watch him the rest of the day; he is probably leaving on the evening train to Bern."
"Until later." Eva quickly stood up, blew Gerhard a kiss, smiled, delicately flicked her tongue across her upper lip and walked off briskly in pursuit of her quarry.
Slightly less than five hours later she returned to their room at the Splendide Royal, tossed her purse on the table and her jacket on the chair, then walked out on the balcony where Waldman sat reading the newspaper. The balcony overlooked the lake with an unobstructed view, and Eva breathed in the clear brisk air as she surveyed the panorama. Gerhard tilted his head up as she came up behind his chair and placed her hands inside the front of his open shirt, spreading apart her fingers and absent-mindedly, yet sensually, caressing the taught muscles of his chest.
"Did you see anything?"
"Only a poor confused boy wandering the streets, staring at his own reflection in store windows and looking off into space while he had several beers at the café next to the train station. He spoke to no one." Her fingers played across his nipples and she bent down to kiss him on the neck. Gerhard closed his eyes. Her lips and tongue moved as she explored several areas before straightening and retreating into the room. "I must get out of these clothes and take a bath."
Gerhard focused his attention o
nce more on the paper, looking for clues in the articles written by foreign correspondents that might provide useful information about the impending end of the German Reich, the Reich of one thousand years that was now on its deathbed after less than a decade. The information that came down to him through military command was not always accurate these days and he often had to resort to other sources, cobbling together bits from here and there to get a more realistic picture. He was, however, distracted by Eva's lingering scent, which filled his nostrils as well as his thoughts, and he soon put down the paper and stared out at the scenery. His eyelids fluttered and a pleasantly soporific state soon evolved to sleep. He awoke to the sound of Eva talking to him from the room. The sky was dark, with twinkling lights visible along the lake front, and the air, which had earlier been soft and warm, now had an edge and a chill about it that spoke of a winter not yet ready to capitulate to spring. Gerhard turned in his chair to look into the room.
Eva stood at the door to the balcony, the cool breeze billowing her silk dressing robe, unfastened and blown back to reveal the most enticing body he had ever seen. Her breasts captured his gaze first; firm and uplifted, the nipples erect from the cold, or perhaps from her own excitement. Next, his eyes tracked downward, admiring a perfectly flat midsection that disappeared below into shadows, her body outlined from behind by the light from the room. He had seen her naked many times before but it never failed to ignite a passion within him, a lust that seemed to know no bounds, one that shut out all reason, all hope of thinking of anything else but his desire. Gerhard was obvious in his gaze and he knew that she enjoyed it. After a moment he stood up, still staring at her, and slowly walked toward her. She smiled with parted lips, her mouth slightly open as she reached up and slid the robe from her shoulders. The silk gown floated to the floor and she stood there, naked, statuesque and proud as he came to her and placed his arms on her waist, their faces only inches apart. He inhaled deeply wanting to fill himself with all of her. He moved his hands gently up her sides, caressing her body and feeling the slightest of trembles as they slowly swept past the lateral bulge of her breasts. His hands retraced their path then moved over the swell of her hips before reaching behind her to cup her firm posterior as he pulled her to him, their mouths meeting slowly, opening, exploring tongues caressing even as their limbs did. As always happened, an urgency quickly overcame them and Eva pulled off his shirt as Gerhard undid his trousers. Falling onto the bed they were immediately entwined and Eva became the aggressor, guiding his hands, his mouth, his body to satisfy all of her needs. Finally, Gerhard pinned her arms over her head while she writhed beneath him, Eva struggling in almost a feral way, not yet ready to relinquish her power. Despite the chill they were soon drenched in sweat, their bodies sliding against each other. When he finally entered her it was with a forceful slapping of his pelvis against hers, and as she enveloped him, holding onto his thrusting penis with powerful contractions as if to prevent its exit, he let out a holler of pleasure that was almost a scream, and which blended with the freshening breeze blowing in off the lake. The sounds of their lovemaking rose up and danced with the wind for a long time before they were spent and lay panting next to each other.
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