Road to Casablanca (10 page)

As Erick stood and pondered whose head should roll when he got back to the States, he realized this was not Cindy’s fault at all, but the Lovemore Agency’s.
 
They were the ones who should have screened her better, asked her questions, made sure she could handle it.

Erick smiled through clenched teeth as he looked her over.
 
The truth was that at this point and regardless of the circumstances, she was better than nothing.

He’d already scanned the hotel crowd today for possible replacements just in case she didn’t make it, and realized nearly every single girl he saw was far too glamorous for his purpose.
 
Surely with a little work, Cindy would do just fine.
 
In fact, the more that he looked at her, he realized she conjured up such a wholesome and pure image, it might work to his advantage to tell his partners she was ill.
 
It would make him look like a doting husband and her like a part of his family.

“That’s fine; I got your suitcase already.”

Cindy seemed surprised.

“How did you find it?”

Erick didn’t want to say because it was the only one with her name on it that was emblazoned with Hello Kitty emblems.
 
It seemed she hadn’t purchased a new piece of luggage since she was five.
 

“Oh, I just figured it out.”

“Thanks.”

Cindy reached out to take her bag from him.

“No, I’ll get it, or he’ll get it, I should say.”

Erick handed the porter some money and they began to head toward the doors.

“You will notice that the women here don’t carry anything.
 
You leave it to the man, and when you’re with me, we leave everything to these people.
 
It’s good for the local economy, puts food on their table, and it is custom for women in this part of the world.”

Cindy nodded and seemed to understand what he was saying.
 
She didn’t touch her door when the car pulled up and allowed the men to help her get in the car, which pleased him.
 

He was also pleased to notice that underneath all those clothes it looked like she had an incredible figure.

Erick and Cindy sat side by side in the back seat of the car. He smiled at her and did his best to make her feel comfortable.
 

“I do appreciate you coming so far to be here.”

He meant it.
 
Regardless of how she looked or what she was like, he needed her more than she could know right now.
 
One thing was certain – she looked like the kind of respectable woman his father was talking about.
 
If they could only manage to get along with each other until the end of the year, he could always pay her and get her out of his life then; meanwhile, he would be required to act as though he was in love with her and planned to make her his wife.

“You are most welcome.
 
What is the event?
 
Is it the film festival?”

“You mean Lovemore didn’t tell you?”

“Well, no, there wasn’t much time.
 
I assumed it was for the festival, though.”

The strong wind blew Cindy’s hair in her face as she tried to look Erick in the eye.

“Well, yes, are attending the Marrakech International Film Festival. It is one of the most important in the international community these days.
 
There are lots of movie stars from the States and all over the world here this week.
 
It’s the African equivalent to the Cannes Film Festival in
France
.
 
Have you ever heard of that?”

“Yes, I think I have.
 
Are you in the film business?”

“Yeah…you could say that.”

Erick wanted to be mysterious, and did not want to tell her too much.
 
As silence filled the car, though, he realized if she was going to be his “wife” he had better learn to be more open with her, so he decided to tell her more.

“Let’s just say I want to get into the business…..that’s why I’m here to see if I can put some money into a film and get other investors to do the same.”

“It sounds neat. Oh my…look!
 
There’s a fire!”

Erick looked out the window and saw the fire Cindy pointed out.
 
It was common to him, but he could see why she would find it frightening.

“Don’t worry about that. They like to start fires around here for some reason. I think that’s how they get rid of trash, or something, but it seems to be a perfectly normal part of Moroccan life, from what I can tell.”

Just past the flames, the driver made a left down a long, walled drive lined with tiny dark blue-and-gold tiles and hundreds of enormous palm trees.
 
He drove along the narrow tunnel and pulled into the circular drive in front of the Sultan Hotel.
 

“We’re almost to our hotel.”

Erick noticed Cindy’s excited expression as she seemed to notice every little detail about the place.
 

“This is incredible.”

“Glad you think so. Just wait until you get inside, if you think this is neat.”

Erick had to admit she was a very nice person and underneath her disheveled hair, her face, he noticed, was exquisite.
 

“Oh, I already think it is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Uniformed bellmen stood sternly by the hotel doors draped in turbans and long woolen gowns as the driver pulled up to the curb, the trunk was opened and their bags were whisked away by hotel employees.
 

Erick came around to Cindy’s door to help her out of the car himself.

 
“My lady.”

“Thank you.”

Cindy took his hand and he instantly noticed how soft her skin was and how fragile she seemed.

 
As they walked hand in hand around the back of the car toward the steps leading into the lobby, someone called out.

“Mr. Redmund!”

Erick turned to see Mr. Jibade and Dalila waving as they walked toward a waiting limousine.
 
He wanted to ignore them until he had time to explain his charade to his date, but it was too late.
 
They had made eye contact.

The Jibade’s, both impeccably dressed, quickly walked up to Cindy and Erick.
 

“Oh this must be your lovely wife, Mrs. Redmund.”

Mr. Jibade said, bowing to her, seeming not to notice her personal disarray.

“This is Cindy,” Erick said, as Cindy stood by wondering why he was not correcting the error.

“Oh no, I’m not….”

“She means she’s not used to being in such a warm and hospitable country, are you sweetheart?”

Erick squeezed her hand gently, but enough for her to know to keep quiet.

“We will hope to see you for dinner tonight, Mr. and Mrs. Redmund?”

Erick noticed Jibade’s demanding tone.
 
Like Erick, he obviously expected to get the only answer he was willing to accept:
yes
.

“Absolutely. We will see you at dinner, let’s say six o’clock?”

Erick had not planned to get together with them until tomorrow night or even the next. “Nine would suit us better, Mr. Redmund,” Mr. Jibade said, subtly correcting him on a cultural difference.
 
Erick had forgotten that for the people of
Morocco
, especially the sophisticated ones, the later the better was always the correct time for the evening meal.

“Nine it is.
 
See you then.”

Erick privately thought the later hour was a godsend since he would need all the time he could get to have Cindy ready to make a more formal appearance in public.
 
She smiled and waved politely to them as they walked away, another feather in her cap, as far as Erick was concerned.

“Have a nice day.”

As the bellman helped them up to their suite, Cindy kept quiet and acted like a perfect lady in Erick’s eyes, but once the door was closed and they were alone, he saw her change on a dime.

“What is going on?
 
Why were you telling those people we were married, or I should say why were you not correcting them?”

Erick smirked, an uncontrollable reflex that had annoyed his former girlfriends beyond measure.

“I didn’t tell them we were married.
 
I just….”

“What kind of game are you playing with me?”

Erick was impressed by her sudden outburst; in fact, it kind of turned him on for some strange reason.
 
Seemed the tame little kitten was turning into a tiger after all, and he liked it.
 
Grrrrrrrr….

“I’m not playing a game, at least not any game that you have not agreed to play with me.”

“What are you talking about? I’m not into playing games.”

When she scowled like she was doing now, he couldn’t help but notice the little wrinkle she got between her eyebrows and he thought it was incredibly sexy and cute.

“You must be, little Miss Priss. Otherwise, why would you have flown halfway around the world to date a man you don’t know unless you’re hoping to take your little silver spoon and dig for gold with a rich man!”

“How can you say such cruel things to me? A coworker convinced me to sign up for the dating service.
 
I have no idea how much money you make, nor do I care.”

“Yeah, right…”

“It’s absolutely infuriating for you to sit there and make such accusations toward me when you don’t know a thing about me any more than I know about you.
 
You’re no better than I am!”

“Oh, yeah?”

“You’re a pompous ass, you know that?
 
I don’t know who you think I am, but I am not some floozy escort, which is probably what you’re used to having in places like this.
 
I am a lady and I expect to be treated as such. Do we have an understanding?”

She sure is sexy when she’s mad.
 
This blind date might be more fun than I thought.
 
Much, much, more fun.

Despite his absolute best intentions, Erick smirked again as he stood and looked at Cindy, who he could tell was infuriated.

“What’s so funny?”

Erick didn’t know what got into him, but this scraggly haired chick was making him so hot, he reached out and kissed her hot, feisty lips.

Cindy struggled to get away from him as he grabbed her with strong arms and pulled her closer.
 

“Stop it!
 
Stop it!
 
What are you doing?”

“You are so sexy.”

He smiled at her and found himself moving in for more.

“Stop! You are an asshole!
 
You give me the creeps!”

Cindy pushed him away, turned and walked toward the window.
 

Erick stood watching her, panting, wanting more.