Around the World in 80 Men Series: Boxed Set 21-30 (108 page)

“Here.”
She popped her gum and pointed down, into the case. “The
brooch is nearly fifty years old, and the two rings to the left are
seventy five. Is that old enough?” Morgan's brows came
together as she judged the lack of salesmanship.

“No,
they aren't. But I am looking for older rings, so I think we're in
the right ballpark.” The younger girl's face took on a look of
confusion, and Morgan made a mental note to stop using western slang
when in another country. “Okay, do you have any other rings?
Like....close to a hundred years old?” That, the girl
understood, and answered with a slow shake to her head. “Oh.
Okay, well thank you anyway.” Morgan turned to leave, but was
stopped by the sound of the original older woman.

“Here.
Old.” Morgan's eyes dropped to the bottom shelf behind the
counter, and behind the woman. There, displayed like the crown
jewel, was a small row of rings under soft individual lights. She
stepped forward, and looked at each one carefully. At the end of the
row, with the light burnt out above, was Julius' ring.

Shit!
Shit! Oh shit!
Morgan took a deep breath as quietly as she could,
and pointed to the ring. “May I see that one, please?”
The old woman followed her finger, and picked up the case. She held
it still and looked back to Morgan. “Yes, that one.” As
the old woman was about to hand it to her, the younger woman stepped
between the counter and Morgan.

“It's
very expensive. You look with your eyes, not your hands.” The
woman stared at Morgan, daring her to attempt anything. Morgan
nodded, and looked at the ring closely. It was definitely the ring.

“I'll
take it.”

“It's
six thousand dollars. American money.”

“Do
you gift wrap?”

Epilogue

“What
the hell are you doing here? Leave!” Eva pointed dramatically
over Morgan's shoulder, and waited for
Julius' whore
to
remove herself from the property.

“Sure,
I'd love to come in, thanks.” Morgan pushed her way past the
woman and into the foyer. A tightly gripped hand was around Morgan's
wrist within seconds. Without even turning around, Morgan spoke
again, “I'd remove that hand if I were you, you're already a
phone call away from a ten by ten room without a view.” The
hand relaxed and was pulled away as if bitten by a viper. Then,
Morgan turned to face her foe.

“This,”
Morgan held the ring box in her palm, and opened the top, “is
going to be returned to Julius.” Eva started to protest, and
Morgan was almost interested in the lies that would fall from the
woman's lips. “Save it.” Morgan's hand went up to mere
inches from Eva's lips. “You will return it. Then,”
Morgan walked slowly towards her, “you'll put him back in the
business. I don't expect you to apologize, I don't think you have
what it takes to be...human. But, you'll admit that you misplaced
the ring, to everyone, and the smoke will be cleared.” Eva's
head began to move back and forth, she wasn't going to do anything
that Morgan was telling her to do. Even in her confusion as to how
the young girl managed to get the ring, she still wouldn't budge from
her story.

“No?
Okay, have it your way.” She closed the box and took a step
back. “But....I do have a sales receipt for the ring. I also
have written testimony that you personally sold it to them. Oh, and
then there's that silly little police report that you filled out,
claiming that it was stolen. By the way,” Morgan's finger came
up and she slowly tapped her chin, “what did you do with the
insurance money that was collected after this ring was
stolen
?”
Morgan's eyes narrowed and she dared the older woman to answer.
Once again, Morgan held the box and opened the lid. “Like I
was saying, you'll return the ring to Julius, and you'll bring him
back into the family, and the business.” She handed the box to
Eva and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “You have two
hours to make it happen. If it doesn't, you'll be in jail by the
time I sit down for dinner.” Eva's head dropped, then she
nodded silently. Morgan began to walk past her, but stopped as they
were shoulder to shoulder. “One more thing.” Eva looked
up and met Morgan's gaze. “I'll be holding on to the receipt,
and the testimony. If you are ever even slightly rude to that man
again, I'll see to it that you're locked up, and that all of city
finds out about your little indiscretion. Are we clear?” Eva,
once again, nodded. As Morgan left, tears of self pity fell from the
older woman's eyes, and Morgan smiled. “Follow your heart,
Eva. If you have one.”

*****

“Morgan?”
She answered her phone, and Manuel answered with an obvious question.

“Yes?”
Morgan closed her laptop and crossed one leg under her body as she
sat back down on her bed. She had just spent the good part of her
afternoon searching for a client, and although she had seen a few
good potential men, she wasn't in the right mindset to pick a new
man.

“I
just wanted to say, thank you. For having faith in my brother, and
trying to make him happy again, it means the world.”

“Mannie...”
She didn't know if he knew she'd found the ring, but it didn't
matter. If Julius was going to be happy again, that's all that
mattered. “You're welcome.”

“Hey,
uhm. I know this is a lot to ask, and maybe even a little sudden,
but, you know, since you're not with Julius this week...”
Manuel went quiet, and Morgan bit her lip, waiting to hear what was
next. “Okay, I'm just going to say it. I paid for a week for
your company, and...granted, I know it wasn't for me, but I would
hate for it...your company... to go to waste.”

“What
are you asking, Manuel?” Her voice held amusement, and Morgan
knew right then, who her next client would be.

“I
want you to come to California with me.”

“Okay,”
Morgan giggled, and nodded to her empty room.

“Okay?”

“Okay.
I'll go.”

“Great,
I'll pick you up in an hour at your hotel.”

Morgan
agreed and hung up the phone. She would be spending the rest of her
week in California, with the gorgeous Manuel.

And
I promise, the rest of the week, I am going to have fun, relax, not
try to fix anyone...
Morgan tapped her finger to her chin,
thinking of anything else she could add. “And have lots and
lots of sex.”

California

Book
Twenty-nine

Chapter
One

Manuel
stacked Morgan's luggage into the trunk of the limo and joined her in
the back seat. “It's not too far to the hotel.” Morgan
nodded and suppressed a giggle as she tried to hide her yawn. It was
nearly a nine hour flight from Lima to Los Angeles, making it a
quarter until two in the morning.

“
You're
lucky you're so damn cute. I'm missing out some serious beauty rest
right about now.” Morgan inched closer to Mannie and laid her
head on his shoulder. She couldn't believe she had agreed to going to
California with Manuel, but when it came down to it, she couldn't
think of any good reason why not to go. If she had a chance to meet
any of her clients before working with them, it would make her job a
lot easier. She was attracted to Manuel, and spending the rest of the
week with him didn't sound bad at all. She yawned again, that time,
it wasn't quiet at all, and she sat back up and put her window down,
hoping some fresh air would keep her awake for a bit longer. “So,
what hotel are we staying in?” Morgan turned her head away
from Manuel and allowed the cool night air to brush against her face.
“I'm sure it's a place fit for a king.” She smiled at
herself, but Manuel didn't reply. “Mannie?” Nothing.
Morgan turned towards him and saw a look of sadness on his flawless
face. “Did...did I say something wrong?” Mannie's eyes
dropped to his hands that were clenched together on his lap. He
shook his head and took a deep breath. Mannie was exhausted, and
after the ordeal that his brother had just gone through with their
parents, and then feeling as if he were being judged by Morgan, his
emotions started to show in a way that he wasn't quite used to.

“That
life you saw, back home....it isn't what I ever wanted.”
Morgan sat up and turned her body to face him, hoping to encourage
more information. “Look, my dad and Eva bought that house. I
mean, it's my house and it's in my name, but they're the ones that
wanted me to keep up appearances since I run most of the stores that
we own. It's just... I miss the life I used to have, where we all
just had fun and enjoyed the simple things.” Mannie never
looked up, and his eyes began to shine with the threat of tears.
Morgan put her hand on his and squeezed gently. She allowed him the
several moments that he needed to get his emotions in check. When he
was ready, he continued. “Even coming here, to California, it
reminds me of better times...before her.” Morgan knew that he
was talking about Eva, and she nodded.

“What
did your family do, before
her?
” Finally, Mannie's smile
returned, and he met Morgan's eyes.

“We
did so much, but twice a year, we would come here, to California, and
go camping. Those were the best times.” She watched his face
change, and the happiness continued to fill his mind, as he allowed
beautiful memories to surface. “No butlers, no dinner parties,
no Eva, and no worries.” Morgan laced her fingers between his
and smiled.

“When
I was little, my grandmother took me to a lake not far from where I
grew up. It's called Atwood. Anyway, Gran saved up one year and we
stayed in a little cabin for a week. We fished, rented a boat for a
day, sat by the campfire every night, and laughed from the moment we
woke, to when we finally crashed at night in exhaustion. It was...,”
Morgan looked beyond his shoulder, and gazed out his window, “the
best week ever.” Mannie nodded, and brought their hands up to
his chest.

“That's
settled then.” Morgan's eyes moved back to his in question.
“Driver!” Mannie sat up, still holding her hand against
his body. “Take us back to the airport.” Morgan laughed,
and was ready for anything that he had in mind.

The
airport was still only a few minutes behind them, so Morgan didn't
have much time to wonder what was going on. They pulled in front of
the entrance, and the driver helped Manuel remove their luggage from
the back. He was smiling so much that Morgan didn't ask right then
what he was up to, she let him enjoy his secret that obviously made
him very happy.

Within
moments, however, Morgan figured out what he was up to. They walked
straight to the rental car counter, and he secured an SUV for the
week, and shoved the keys in his pocket. “Are you up for an
adventure?” Morgan smiled and nodded as they walked towards
the cars. “Good, because we're about to do what makes us both
happy.” Morgan laughed and was already excited about their
destination, even though she didn't know exactly where that would be.
But one thing was for certain, Mannie was taking her camping.

Manuel
drove for an hour, before he was forced to look for a hotel. Morgan
had already fallen asleep, and he was having a hard time keeping the
car straight. It was after they were all checked in, he finally awoke
Morgan.

“Are,”
a loud yawn cut off her own words, “we here?” She climbed
out of the car and stretched her arms over her head.

“Nope,
but this is where we're staying for the night.” Manuel winked
at Morgan and grabbed her hand as they walked toward their room. It
wasn't a fancy hotel, maybe three stars. They had HBO and an outdoor
pool advertised on a neon sign, scrolling above their roof. That was
more than good enough for Morgan.

Morgan
disappeared into the small bathroom to brush her teeth, and when she
came out, Manuel was fast asleep on the one bed in the middle of the
room. Morgan giggled, and stripped down to her tank top and panties,
and crawled in beside him. She was asleep in seconds.