Road to Casablanca (3 page)
“Go on in.
Turn right and her office is the last one down on the left.”
“Thanks.”
The office door at the end of the long hallway was open and the first thing Erick saw was the buxom beauty framed by a picture perfect view of the Hollywood Hills sign.
This wouldn’t be cheap; he hoped it was worth it.
“Erick!
Come on in, sit down.
I’m Diana Lovemore.
What can I do for you today?”
Clearly arriving at pseudonym central, Erick took a seat but refused to lean back on the wing backed leather chair.
“Is that your real name?”
“Diana is, yes, Lovemore…well, let’s just say that’s what my attorney gets paid for.”
Unable to help himself from taking a survey of her curvy shape, Erick forced his attention back to her face and the urgent purpose of his visit.
“I don’t have a lot of time.
In fact, I have no time, which is why I’m here.”
“Yes, I understand.”
She leaned forward, shined her headlights on him, and smiled as she slid a contract to the edge of her desk.
“What’s this?”
“Sign on the bottom and I can find you someone today.”
“You don’t understand.
I don’t just need
someone
.
I need the
right someone
for a very important business matter.
If I wanted just anyone, I could go to the local bar.
This person needs to have….”
“You want a nice girl, marriage minded, not too flashy…am I correct?”
“Yes, but….”
“Sign here and we will get going on it.”
“I need her by the end of the week.”
“Yes, I understand, which is why we need to get cracking on it; don’t you agree?”
She pushed the papers again and this time laid a thick red Lovemore Agency pen on the desk next to his hand.
Erick usually enjoyed aggressive women like her, but for once, he needed someone more timid and reserved.
“Okay, but I expect you to find exactly what I am looking for or I will not pay you a dime.
I have to be in
Morocco
for a meeting that is absolutely crucial to the future of my business venture.
This woman must be conservative and able to leave town immediately.”
“Mr. Redmund, I’ve been in business for over twenty-five years and I guarantee if I didn’t think I could find just the right someone for you, I would tell you.
I have to admit, though, that your request is going to be tough.
First of all, the short notice….”
“I told you on the phone I need her by Friday.”
“I realize that and as I said, I think it can be done.
The other challenge we face, Mr. Redmund, is that most of my clients are a bit more—shall we say—flashy than what you seem to want.”
“I’ve seen plenty of flash in my day, Ms. Lovemore.
I need substance.”
“Sign, and we will go from there, Mr. Redmund.”
Erick scratched his name on the contract and looked at the writing on the pen.
“Keep it.”
“Thanks, I will.
I paid for it.”
Diana seemed to ignore his comments and reached behind her desk, grabbed a file and placed a photo on the desk in front of her.
“I’m happy to say I think we may have just the girl for you, Erick.
She just signed on yesterday.”
A beautiful brown haired girl with deep brown eyes was standing with her dog next to a tree, a farmhouse in the background.
She looked like a nice person, happy and wholesome–nothing like Erick’s normal date, but seemingly perfect for his current undertaking.
“I’ll take her.”
Laughing heartily, Diana snapped the picture up and put it back in the file.
“I’m afraid it’s not quite that easy, Mr. Redmund.
The girl has to be available first, and I don’t know that she is, and many people work for companies that do not pay for time off.
That can be a hardship for many people.”
“Whatever she makes in a week, tell her I will double—no,
triple
—her salary while she’s away.”
Making a quick note of his concessions, Erick noticed Diana seemed quite pleased with herself as she called for what he assumed was her assistant.
“
Douglas
?
Will you come in here please?”
A lanky young man with wavy hair flitted into the room, brushing Erick on the sleeve and stood in front of her desk.
He looked Erick over from head to toe, surveying him like a sirloin.
“Oh my!
Isn’t he a looker?
Won’t be hard to help you, honey.”
“
Douglas
, this is Erick Redmund.
I want you to take his file, call this girl and get back to me as soon as you reach her.
Mr. Redmund is the one I told you about this morning who needs a blind date for a trip overseas.”
Douglas
raised a limp wrist and smiled excitedly.
“I’m free, and oh so low maintenance.”
Erick stood up and moved toward the door.
“Get it done, Ms. Lovemore.
I’ll be waiting for your call.”
“Give us until this afternoon, Erick, and I will call you personally.”
Erick was halfway down the hall when he heard Lovemore and the Queen Bee of matchmaking calling after him to wish him a pleasant day.
Bambi was busy on a call when he walked through the lobby, but made sure to wave and smile at him as he left the place.
Hollywood
, typical
Hollywood
.
All-flash, no-cash types with little or no substance.
It was what Erick loved about the place, but for once, in order to get his business deal off the ground, he was going to have to become an actor and play the role of his life as a devoted conservative man.
It shouldn’t be too difficult for him to do.
Erick reached the ground floor, hopped in his red Lamborghini and sped through the San Fernando Valley past billboards of
Hollywood
stars.
How hard could it be to play house with a plain Jane for a week or two?
He could do anything for a few days, especially when so much was riding on it.
Chapter Three
The following morning, Cindy arrived to work early as usual, brewed the day’s first pot of coffee, and smiled as the hot liquid melted cobwebs from her sleepy mind.
Cindy reveled in the feeling of hearing only her footsteps at this time of day.
It made her feel she was getting a jump start on everyone.
That thought always made her smile, but not today.
The only thing she noticed this morning was the growing stack of files on her desk.
Why do I bother staying late?
Her computer was still running from the night before, the indicator message showed a few new emails in her inbox.
Delete, delete, delete…
Cindy hated junk mail.
The fourth email in her box looked vaguely familiar.
The subject line sent an uncomfortable jolt to her system:
A Potential Match – Urgent!
Call us immediately!
The email was from Diana Lovemore, nobody Cindy had ever heard of before…until yesterday.
Oh shit!
Cindy immediately picked up her phone and called
Victoria
.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
Frustrated, she slammed the receiver down and scrambled through her rolodex until she finally found Victoria’s cell number and called there, thrilled to hear her pick up.
“
Victoria
?”
“Yes?
Is this…Cindy?”
“Yes.
Where are you?”
“On my way to work. Why?
Where are you?”
“I need to see you right away.”
“Is something wrong?”
“You could say that….”
“I’m only five minutes from the office so I’ll be there in just a few minutes, okay?”
“Okay, but hurry!”
Cindy looked at the email again, afraid to open it, but more afraid not to.
Dear Ms. Brown,
We have a client who is extremely interested in you based on your profile and photograph.
Cindy forgot she uploaded a small photo of herself.
What a stupid thing to do!
“Oh no.”
There was more, but Cindy could hardly bear to read any further. Her coffee splashed on her desk as her shaking hand grabbed the mouse and scrolled down the page.
The letter went on but Cindy paid no attention to it except for the last paragraph:
He would like to request the pleasure of your company at a week-long function in
Marrakech
,
Morocco
, beginning this Saturday evening.
Please get back to us ASAP regarding this urgent request.
“Oh shit!”
“What’d I miss?
Sounds juicy!”
“Agh!”
Cindy’s chair tipped back and she almost fell on the floor.
Victoria
stood laughing in the doorway.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.
What’s up?”
Heart racing and palms twice as clammy as the day before, Cindy, hardly knowing where to begin, garbled her speech as she tried to explain.
“What?
I don’t understand you.”
Cindy breathed slowly and deeply in an effort to calm herself and tried again.