Dark Desires: Deliverance (9 page)

Keyaan
pushed the dinner cart out of her room and left it in the hall. One of the
servants would take it away. As he walked back to his office, he felt at peace
with himself. Having dinner with Val had been the most enjoyable thing he'd
done in a very long time. In her presence, he felt like the man he was a decade
ago, not at all the leader he was portrayed and under pressure to be. From his
bookshelves, he picked out one of his favourites – The Art of War by San Tzu.

Val was about to
climb into the catacomb of sleep when the door opening jarred her awake. Like
the last time she kept her eyes closed and pretended at sleep. Fortunately, she
decided to keep her clothes on tonight. The same smell of Sandalwood and
Vanilla permeated the air from the night before. She had gotten a whiff of that
scent throughout dinner but was too focused on satisfying her curiosity to
pinpoint its familiarity. She opened her eyes and in front of her stood
Keyaan
,

"Why do you come
in to watch me sleep?"

"You were awake
last night?"

"Yes, but I
didn't know it was you."

"And now that
you do know?"

The air between them
was charged with the intensity of her anxiety and the weight of his gaze.
"I want to go to sleep in peace. That excludes you stalking me."

He gave her a smile
that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I brought you a book. Something to keep
you entertained during the day." He dropped the hardcover from his private
collection on her bedside table and then left.

She was not about to
thank him for something she didn't ask for. Right now, her instincts were
telling her not to trust his acts of kindness. There was a method to his
madness and she would have to be vigilant to ensure that she didn't get caught
in whatever it was that he devised.

For the second time
that night,
Keyaan
left her bedroom at her request
even though he was not one to follow orders. If he had learnt one thing about
women from his only relationship and those who catered to his vices, it was
that they often needed time to warm up to his advances before they welcomed the
attention. He wouldn't rush his plan with Valerie.

He returned to his
office and reclined in the comfortable, leather chair. He replayed their
conversation and analysed every word that her delectable lips had spoken. After
the third rerun, something jumped out at him – she was still in the same
clothes she arrived in. He would ask Gabriella to get her a few things. On
second thought, Zainab would be more agreeable to his request.

The
fact that Valerie was not just a pretty face, but also highly intelligent,
meant that she was probably going out of her mind with boredom.
He had already given her one of his favourite books yet he doubted it would be
enough entertainment. Maybe he could have a T.V installed? His current thoughts
of her well-being were beginning to aggravate him. If he didn't regain control
of the distraction she was creating, he would lose focus on his objective and
the real reason behind why she was there.

"Khalil!"

"
Your
Highness"

"Fetch
Aida for me."

A few minutes later,
the olive skinned beauty with long, ink-black hair arrived and stood patiently
on the other side of the desk. As soon as the door closed, she went around to
the other side, got on her knees between his legs and began to unbuckle his
pants.

He fast forwarded the
footage from earlier on in the day to the portion that he had tried to avoid.
His current obsession looked glorious in the nude as she washed her hair. He
watched the shampoo suds run down her back, slide over the curve of her ass and
continue the trail down her toned legs. The erotic sight made his dick harder.
When she got out and began towelling herself dry, he closed his eyes and
imagined he was the one to do it for her. The thought had him coming in Aida's
mouth longer and harder than usual.

*****

For the first time
since the kidnapping, Vlad felt like he was finally making progress in getting
Valerie home. He was on a plane with Andrei on the way to Turkey. No one had ever
forced The
Impaler
into business and no one ever took
from him without paying dearly. Both were happening on account of Val. For the
first time in his life, he was savouring the taste of humility and he hated it.

He'd been depriving
himself of sleep to avoid her ghost that continued to plague his dreams. During
the eleven hour flight, he succumbed to his body's desperate need for rest.

˜ζ˜

Vlad stretched his
arm out to caress the brown beauty that had become a permanent fixture to his
bed. When his search come up empty his eyes instinctively flew open and he sat
up wide awake. Careless of his nudity, he stood up and went to find her. He
headed to the front of the suite where the light spilled into the bedroom from
underneath the door. She was sprawled out on the couch, wearing his shirt from
earlier, and deep in thought. He hated to admit it, but she looked better in it
than he did.

"Why are you not
in bed?" he inquired as he took a seat beside her, placing her legs on his
lap.

"I couldn't
sleep."

"I didn't work
you hard enough?"

Val smiled at his
insinuation. No man had ever worked her body as hard as Vlad did and she
doubted anyone else ever would. "I'm tired but my mind is restless."

"What's on your
mind?"

"Nothing you can
fix." She had noticed that he was a fixer
however,
this was an internal struggle she had to overcome alone.

"Try me."
He began stroking her legs in a soothing motion willing to cut down whatever
obstacle it was that stood in her way.

"I'm just
wondering if I'm on the right path." Vlad froze in his actions wondering
whether this had anything to do with him. "People are studying things that
make a difference. Engineers design solutions. Everyone in the medical faculty
helps the ailing even if they aren't a doctor. Even the arts have a purpose -
they try to understand people through culture or psychology or so many other
interesting subjects. What am I supposed to do with finance?"

Vlad returned to his
soothing strokes glad that he wasn't the cause of her dilemma. "You
control the circulation of currency in the economy."

"The
same economy that is in a state of crisis.
People are
getting poorer while corporations get larger. That's not a spectrum of society
I'm trying to perpetuate. I don't know, maybe I should change degrees?"

"You have a natural
talent when it comes to understanding businesses. You should play to your
strengths and hone your skills."

"Yes, but how
can I be a positive influence to people that actually need help in
finance?"

She was asking the
wrong person, to be honest. Vlad was not a charitable man and had never given
thought to those less fortunate, even though he had come from poverty himself.
After a few minutes of really thinking about it, an idea came to him. "You
can use your skills and expertise to focus on start-ups that wouldn't be able
to afford or have access to your skillset."

"Like a
non-profit venture capitalist?"

"That is the
first oxymoron I have ever come across when discussing the commercial
industry." He smiled at her kindness. "Bill Gates may be a philanthropist
but he is not known for running a non-profit business. What you could do is cut
the frivolous costs mainstream corporations have, and in doing so, you would
make your services accessible to the wider, developing market."

She sat up on her
elbows and looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "Who knew there
was a little guidance counsellor under all that indifference and hostility you
exude?"

Vlad reached over and
picked her up by the waist, positioning her to straddle his lap. He slid the
shirt over her head and bent his head to suck one of her dark nipples into his
mouth. He was in love with her breasts. No matter how many times he saw them,
held them or played with them, he couldn't get enough. She had mentioned that
she wanted them reduced, but he would never allow it. They were perfect.

When she
mewled
her pleasure, he pulled back. "Can I help you
stay in bed this time?"

"I think Rose is
on the verge of packing her bags and walking out on me" she mumbled
breathlessly.

"Who's
Rose?"

"My vagina"
she replied shyly.

He smiled at the pet
name. "I can convince her to stay." Vlad flipped her onto the couch
and placed her legs on his shoulders. He teased her
cliterous
with the tip of his tongue before pulling the bundle of nerves into his mouth.
Slowly, he inserted two of his fingers into her pussy and massaged her walls in
preparation for his entry. Once she was ready, he sat up and coaxed her back
onto his lap. Slowly he guided his hungry dick into her core. Once she was
fully seated, he spanked her ass. "Ride me baby. You know I enjoy watching
you."

Val's nether regions
felt so tender. She didn't think she would be able to have sex for a few days
after their back to back marathons this past week. Somehow, her body wasn't
able to deny the call of his glorious tongue, or his insatiable manhood,
whenever they beckoned. She began to rock back and forth adding in a swivel to
her hips. Her blood boiled in her veins and sweat dripped down her back as her
heart worked double time. The feeling of Vlad inside her was hedonistic and she
lost herself in the feeling of working over his magnificent organ.

Vlad sat back and
tried to enjoy the show as her tiny body, in comparison to his larger one,
worked his ever-hungry beast. He wanted to allow her to set the pace,
understanding the taxing lover he had become. His inner animal could only sit
idly for so long. He stood and carried her to the opposite wall, using it as
leverage to prop her body up. Thrusting his hips into her, he swallowed the
moans she let out as he worked her core. He felt her walls shudder around his
cock but kept going until she sprayed out her orgasm - a release he then felt
run down his legs. It was the most erotic sight he had ever seen and it spurred
on his own climax. After emptying himself into her, he remained hard.

"Fuck! That was
so hot." He could feel her legs shaking against his waist once he pulled
out of her.
"One more time baby."
He licked
at the sweat that had gathered at the hollow of her neck.
"Just
one more time."

Val felt delirious.
That was the most intense peak she had ever experienced. Her eyes were still
closed as the aftershocks ran through her body. She didn't trust herself to
move or speak but shook her head in assent. She felt him moving as he walked
them to the bedroom while still locked in the same position.

Vlad placed her near
the edge of the mattress and positioned both of her legs across his right
shoulder. The look of unyielding desire on his face rekindled her passion in
having him inside of her yet again. He thrust into her tightened passage, from
this angle he felt much larger than he already was. He drilled into her pussy
at the pace of a jackrabbit. The storm she had just weathered was returning.
Her legs shook on his shoulders and in his large hands. Involuntarily, her cunt
closed around his cock in quick, incessant tremors. The feeling was euphoric.
She was on the greatest high she'd ever known and slowly, the colours that were
exploding behind her eyelids faded into black.

When Val orgasmed, it
felt like his cock was in a
vise
-grip. He stopped
moving and allowed her channel to milk him. Again she had drenched his shaft
when she came. His lower abdomen and thickly muscled thighs were covered in her
juices. She fell asleep immediately afterwards while he was still inside her.

He didn't know how
long he remained in the same position he had taken her in. All he remembered
was staring at her, transfixed by how intense their lovemaking had gotten. He
had fucked other women but he would always make love to Val.

He gently slid out of
her, cradled her body in his arms and carried her to his side of the bed. He
got in behind her and spooned her sleeping frame. Kissing the back of her head,
he thought about how right everything between them was at that very moment and
fell into a blissful sleep.

˜ζ˜

Vlad jerked awake
when a blanket landed on his lap. He turned to find Andrei sitting next to him
and remembered they were still on the plane. He wanted to curse for falling
asleep but he rather enjoyed the rerun of that particular night.

"I've been a
bystander to numerous disturbing events in life. What I witnessed in part right
now has me considering therapy."

"Fuck!"
Vlad pulled the blanket over his lap to cover his erection and adjusted
himself.

"Were
you thinking of her?"

"She's all I
ever think about."

It had been a few
days since Val had sat down for dinner with
Keyaan
.
He had also stopped his nightly visits, or so she suspected since she didn't
smell his cologne or feel his presence when she went to sleep at night. Moe was
still giving her the bare minimum and she was on the verge of quitting the
bridge of friendship she was trying to extend. Her boredom won over and she
managed to finish The Art of War within a day. Along with breakfast, Moe always
brought in a new book. When the door opened that morning she was excited to see
what literature would arrive as well. The books were the only thing she had to
look forward to. To her surprise, it wasn't Mohammed who greeted her.

"Gaby!" she
said in excited disbelief.

"Hello! I wasn't
expecting such a warm welcome" she supplied in her Portuguese accent.

"I just didn't
think I'd see you again after you know…"

Gabriella waved her
hand dismissively about the way they had parted ways. "Forget about him.
You're right, though, it was actually Zainab who was supposed to come in and
see you. She's a bore though so I stepped in and convinced Kamal who in turn
talked to
Keyaan
. I swear that man could sell a fish
to an Eskimo."

Val laughed at the
incorrect idiom.
" I
think the term is ‘sell ice
to an Eskimo'."

Gabriella rolled her
eyes and began speaking in rapid Portuguese. She stopped when she realised that
Val couldn't understand her. "English is so complicated. I know enough to
communicate,
these other little things are irrelevant."
She walked towards Val, assessing her from head to toe. "I see you did
something to your hair" she concluded, running her fingers through the
thick strands.

"Well it was
coming undone and I have nothing but time" she replied, touching her hair
self-consciously.

"Have your
breakfast I will be right back."

Before Val could
reply, the other woman was already out the door. She ate her food in silence
but instead of looking forward to a book she was looking forward to actually talking
to someone. Gabriella had this aura about her. Not only was she beautiful, she
was also friendly and inviting. The kind of friend you never knew you wanted
until you had them. As she was finishing up, the Portuguese beauty came back in
with a small Louise Vuitton bag.

She placed it on the
bed and began unpacking its contents. Val came to where she stood and noticed
the hair products, blow dryer and straightener. She recognized some of the
items but others looked foreign. Gaby's hair was much longer than hers. It was
sleek, straight and fell to her waist.

"I have only one
rule: whether you're having a good day or a bad day, always look your best.
It's not about how other people perceive you it's about how you feel about
yourself. Now sit."

Val followed her
instructions. She knew that her hair was a wild mane but she didn't think it
looked terrible. Either way, she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the
mouth. After copious amounts of product and heat, her hair was reduced to half
its volume.

"Okay, now you
are ready."

"Ready
for what?"
At this point alarm bells rang in her
head. She had established that
Keyaan
and Gaby didn't
get along and that she'd never see the woman again. She should have known that
something was up. Gabriella walked to the door and retrieved a few bags. Moe
walked in with a few others.

"The sheik has
said that I could accompany you as you walked the grounds."

"Why? Why is he
letting me out and why am I getting all this?" Val queried, pointing at
her hair and the clothing.

"I don't know
why." She looked at Val with sincerity in her big brown eyes. "No one
ever tells me anything but as far as I can tell there's nothing about it that
should worry you." She changed gears and switched to a more cheerful tone
as she began to pull out the items. "Now, I got you the basics and forgive
me, but I went according to my tastes. I must warn you that there are no shorts
or vests" she elbowed the other woman's side teasingly.

Val smiled. She would
even walk around with a sheet if it meant she got to take off her drab attire.
Once she changed into a three-quarter, white cotton top, black slacks and
comfortable black flats they walked out of the room. The style reminded her of
Macy with its air of sophistication. She missed her friends terribly. She
wondered whether they knew she was missing, whether they tried to contact her
or came to the beach house. The thoughts brought on the feeling of melancholy.

They walked the
grounds of the compound. Again the beauty of it was lost on her. She didn't
want to be here. She missed her family, talking to her friends, especially
Natasha, and she missed Vlad even though he was the reason she was here. They
exited the interior and walked the open grounds which were
 
surrounded
by trees, shrubs and gardens of flowers. She also noticed
that over and above their personal guards, the place was littered with armed
security.

"Why
the need for all the sentries?"

"We're among
royals. Of course, they have a large security detail."

"Does everyone
have their own shadow?" her eyes briefly wondered back to Moe who walked a
few feet behind her and another man in similar uniform who walked behind Gaby.

"Something
to that effect."

They arrived at a
bench set under a phoenix palm. Gaby took a seat and she followed. She lowered
her voice so that her words only reached her companion's ears. "Moe told
me that he's assigned to not only keep me in but to also keep people out."

"You mean your
boyfriend? Vladimir is what they call him?"

Val's heart beat
picked up at the sound of his name. "So you've heard them talk about
him?"

"Not really. I
just picked out the name."

She wanted to know
more. She wanted to know whether she would be leaving soon. She had so many
questions and this woman presented her the opportunity to have them answered.
"I… I had dinner with
Keyaan
. Do you know
why?"

Gaby
quirked her eyebrow at the revelation.
She had
promised Kamal not to stir up trouble so she had to tread carefully. "No,
I can't think of why he would want to sit down with you. Was he… unpleasant?"
She was close to using the word hostile.

"No,
not at all.
He's actually quite different to the
way you described him."

"We have our
differences" she sighed. "But Kamal believes in him and loves him so
my views may be jaded."

"He brought me
flowers that morning."

"What? Are you
sure?" she had not spent much time with
Keyaan
but she knew of his attitude towards people. This was out of the ordinary and
she didn't know whether to be worried or pleased at the change.

"Yes, he asked
me at dinner whether I liked them."

"What did you
talk about?"

"Mainly the
circumstances around why I'm here."

Gaby wanted to find
out more. She had given her word to Kamal that she would behave. The urge
gnawed at her brain like an itch begging to be scratched. She tempered down her
inquisitive nature and reached over to squeeze Val's hand in her own. "I'm
glad they are treating you well." She felt like a sell-out because of how
much she was censoring herself but a promise was a promise. "Soon you will
be
back
home and you can forget about all this"
she waved her hand at their surroundings as she gave her reassurance.

At the declaration of
the words, hope bloomed in Val's heart. She closed her eyes and breathed in the
outdoor air, feeling the sun's warmth on her skin. Yes, soon she would be home.
She had to believe that and hold on to it, if not to get through the coming
days then for her sanity's sake.

*****

Vlad met up with two representatives
from the Saudi organization to sign the terms of the agreement and discuss drop
off locations. Andrei sat in on the meeting as he would be heading the
transportation. He had already identified and rounded up the key people that
would be used in the delivery. After hearing about the fiasco with the last
driver he made sure everyone involved knew that betrayal was not an option. He
wasn't as vicious as Vlad's hands on brutality but he wasn't averse to
dispensing his own form of torture.

"Now that we
have the formalities out of the way, I'm going to need proof of life."

"We are not men
to reneging on deals struck in confidence."

"Pardon me if I
don't trust in your ethos. You intimidating me into this deal by kidnapping
someone very dear to me
is
a testament to your
questionable tactics." Vlad had displayed a level of coolness he did not
feel. He wanted to beat both men to a bloody pulp, stake them and root their
mounted bodies at their headquarters for good measure.

"We understand.
Our boss thought you might need some surety." One of the negotiators who
introduced himself as
Saad
reached into a folder and
handed him two photographs with the previous
day's time
-stamp
at the bottom. He stared at the pictures of Val. In one she was walking outside
in a garden and in another she was seated next to another black woman. She
looked as beautiful as he remembered and, more importantly, she was unharmed.
He didn't doubt that it was her in the images presented, however, he didn't
trust these men and for all he knew the date and time could have been forged.

"We'll give you
a date and time by the end of the week." He stood up to indicate that
their meeting was over. When they stretched out their hands in acknowledgement
of the agreement, his only answer to the gesture was to walk to the door and
open it in impatience of their departure.

After they left, he
poured himself a drink. He still held the photos in his hand as he looked off
into the distance.

"
Frate
–  "
He held
his finger up, halting whatever it was that Andrei had to say. He looked down
at the images again. Placing the empty glass back onto the minibar he went to
his laptop and began typing. He then moved to the all in one photocopy machine
he requested be brought in and scanned the images.

"And
that?"

"There's a woman
in the photo along with Val. I've requested that Mike finds out who she is. The
background is also telling. She is in a garden and with Saudi being a desert
basin,
we may be able to narrow down her location."

Andrei was impressed
by his quick thinking.  His brother had managed to pull himself together
and was now the formidable force that everyone knew him to be. Somewhere
between their departure from Cape Town and landing in Istanbul he had found his
focus. At one point he thought the man was going to crack. It didn't help that
Vlad would be leaving for Russia the following day in order to negotiate the
shipping order personally. His associates appeared to be playing hardball with
Razvan
. Something he didn't appreciate with the deadline he
had set for them all.

*****

Razvan
was frustrated with the little to no progress he had made on his end. His
meetings were with all the junior fellows of the people he had requested to
speak to. The message was loud and clear, the suppliers weren't interested in
dealing with him. If Vladimir wanted their merchandise then he would meet with
them in person. It was the only way they handled their trades and they weren't
changing the rules. They didn't trust outsiders and he was an unknown in the
industry. It didn't aid his cause that his brother had quit a week before and
was now suddenly
back
on the scene. When he relayed
the news, Vlad was beyond pissed off.

In retrospect, Vlad
should have assigned himself to this particular task.
Razvan
suspected that
him
wanting to meet with the members of
Shaebi
was personal. He wanted to look each
man that had played a role in the abduction of his woman in the eye, and place
them on his vendetta list.

In the boardroom,
five men sat at the rectangular table.
Vladimir and
Razvan
on one side and
Borya
,
Ermolai
and
Taras
on the other.
Andrei was still in Turkey waiting for the consignment to be finalised. The
three Russians were men who he had partnered with over the past five years. He
had made them all very wealthy but right now their sight repulsed him.

"
Gospoda
, I am disappointed in your behaviour.
Razvan
is my brother. He is closer to me than blood. You
snubbing him
is
a direct insult to me."

"Vladimir,
moy
drug
, you must understand that this order
comes as a surprise to us all," said
Ermolai
.