Twisted Love and Money (11 page)

Crawford
smiled. “Call me Leo, Simmons and I will call you Janet.”

“O.K.” she
smiled back.

“Let’s go,”
Crawford said and stood up.

He took Janet
by the elbow and steered her out of the Hotel. They crossed the
road and Janet directed them to a nearby block of apartments.
Crawford could see that there were a number of blocks in the
complex.

“I took a
penthouse on a three months lease, furnished,” she explained.

The penthouse
flat was small. There was a small lobby with an imitation Picasso
on the wall to provide a splash of colour. To one side there was a
bedroom with a bathroom en suite on the other side a large living
room with a kitchen set in at the far end. The Kitchen was cut off
from the living area by a bench cum breakfast area. There was a
French window leading to a small balcony.

“Small but
beautiful,” Janet quipped. “Let me take your coat.”

She led him
into the living room. A large leather couch and two leather
armchairs dominated the room. Carpeted and softly furnished it
looked warm and cosy. Janet clicked on the CD and the music from
Swan Lake came softly into the room.

Crawford
stretched himself out on the couch.

Janet opened
her briefcase. “Spare copy of my report,” she said, giving it to
Crawford.

As he flicked
through the Report she went and got him an Alka-Seltzer.

“Drink this,”
she instructed. “I will make us a salmon steak with a side salad.
Is that O.K.?”

“Perfect.”

“A drop of
white wine?”

“Wonderful.”

Janet had a
satisfied gleam in her eye. Everything was going as she planned.
When she heard Crawford was coming personally to follow up her
report she had done some shopping. She preferred to do business
with him on her own turf rather than in an impersonal Hotel
room.

While Janet
busied herself Crawford skimmed her report.

“This Howlette
Holdings proposal,” he threw out.

“Yes?” Janet
replied, pausing her chopping.

“I think this
could mess up the pitch. Thank you for sending me a copy.”

“What do you
think we should do?” Janet asked.

“Send a copy to
their Chairman, was the name O’Donoghue?”
“Yes Leo, and I believe the address is in one of the
appendices.”
“If you send it to O’Donoghue he’ll have to come into play and find
himself a white knight or some other solution to confound
O’Byrnes,” Crawford suggested.

“Will do,”
Janet said cheerfully.

Crawford
continued to peruse Janet’s report, but he had no further
questions.

Then he layback
listened to the music and let himself relax. Before he knew it he
was asleep.

Janet finished
the cooking and put it on a plate. She saw him sleeping and she put
the food beside the microwave. It would not spoil and when he awoke
she would heat it up.

Janet went and
tidied up her bedroom and had a shower.

She opened the
wine when she came back. Crawford was still asleep. She decided she
would make him have a shower when he woke up. She poured herself a
glass and sat in the armchair opposite Crawford.

He did not look
any better in his sleep. He was short, wide and powerfully built.
Thick skin, strong thick fingers, no impression of sensitivity or
artistry about the face. Just a sense of power and confidence. Of
course his eyes were penetrating. But he was far from sexy. His bum
was too wide and his belly too soft. Janet liked them strong and
firm muscled, with neat backsides. She sipped her wine and
waited.

Half an hour
later Crawford snorted snored, snorted again and then awoke with a
start.

“What...” he
began, sitting up.

“Are you all
right Mr. Crawford, I mean Leo?” Janet asked.

Crawford looked
over at her. She was dressed in a black dressing gown, her slippers
off beside the couch. She held a long stemmed glass of white wine
and appeared as if she had been absorbed in the music.

“Excuse me,” he
was embarrassed. She looked so cool, confident, “I must have dosed
off. Inexcusable, excuse me.”

“Don’t worry
Mr. Crawford. There’s only me here. Are you feeling better?”

“Yes...yes.” He
repeated the second yes with more confidence.

Janet put her
glass down on the coffee table and went over to him. “Your Jacket
is crumpled. Let me have it. I’ll hang it up. I think you should go
and have a shower to freshen up.”

“A shower?”

“Yes, to
freshen up. I have a big dressing gown inside that you can borrow.
Freshen up and then we can discuss my report.”

“Your report,
right.”

Crawford sat
up. He put his hand on his back. “A shower, good idea. I’m not as
fit as I was.”

“I did Shiatsu
at college. You know, it’s a sort of massage technique. If you
promise to be good I’ll give your shoulders a rub after your
shower.”

“Simmons,”
Crawford said appreciatively. “You are a star.”

He stood up.
Janet pointed the way to the bedroom and Crawford found his way.
There was a large unisex towelling dressing gown on the bed. He
stripped and went into the shower.

Fifteen minutes
later he reappeared again in the living room wrapped in the
dressing gown, carrying a towel that he was using to dry off his
hair.

“That was
super,” he declared.

“Something to
eat?” Janet offered.

“You said a
shoulder rub. That would be nice.”

“O.K., come
over here.”

Crawford came
over to the couch. “Lie down on the carpet.” she instructed. “Face
down, use your towel to rest your head.”

Crawford got
down awkwardly and then lay out flat.

“Now just relax
for a minute. Let your shoulders go slack,” Janet instructed. “I
can’t do you in this dressing gown. I’ll just be a minute.”

When she
re-emerged she was wearing a black leotard. She had a small bottle
of perfumed oil. Crawford looked up at her from his position on the
floor. He was speechless at the sight of her long legs. Janet
smiled, she wondered how often Crawford had found himself in this
position with his Male protégées. She guessed never. Despite her
youth she was in charge of the proceedings. It gave her a kick to
see how easy it was to get a powerful man stretched out on the
floor.

“Don’t move,”
she said.

With a wisp of
a smile Janet peeled the dressing gown back off his shoulders. She
loosened the belt and revealed a wide slab of white flesh that was
his back. She went further revealing his buttocks and short stubby
legs. “Don’t move,” she repeated and threw the dressing gown onto
the couch.

Janet knelt
astride his back and he trembled.

She started
with his head, fussing his sparse damp hair. Then she began tapping
his head with her fingers. He began to relax. The girl knew how to
do what she was doing.

Janet worked
her way across his shoulders, down each arm, back down his buttocks
and legs. She pulled each toe in turn.

“Turn
over.”

Crawford turned
over without any obvious sign of embarrassment.

“Mr. Crawford?”
Janet commented, and put a cushion from the couch to restore his
modesty. It bobbed but held its position.

Janet climbed
on to his chest and began to massage his face. Crawford began to
move his arms but she slapped down his hands.

“Lie still or I
stop.”

He lay
still.

Janet smiled
down at him as she massaged the front of his shoulders. Under the
leotard her breasts moved with her every movement and he was
tantalized with a view of her cleavage.

“Janet,” he
sounded choked but he was keeping still, afraid to break the spell.
She raised an eyebrow. Moving down his body she sat on the cushion
and began to massage his chest.

“Janet, people
are sometimes afraid of me,” he said.

“Why?”

“Because I can
see their souls. I can read people. It is the secret of my
success.”

Janet paused at
her massage. She straightened and he was conscious of the increased
weight on the cushion. “And my soul Leo, what do you see?”

“At first I
thought you were innocent.”

“And now?”

“Now I think
you are innocent in a naive sort of way, but not sexually
naive.”

“In these times
few women of my age are, especially if they have any sort of
looks.”

“Janet, I think
you want everything.”

“Everything?”
Janet climbed off him and began to knead his stomach.

“Everything
Janet. You want to be in the jet set, the boardroom, powerful. You
want a strong handsome lover, money and position.”

“Is that
unusual?”

“No, but not
every one wants it as much as you. I think you don’t want to wait.
You want it all yesterday.”

“Suppose you
are right?” Janet said and began to work on his thighs.

“I am
Janet.”

“I want to have
you Janet,” he added hoarsely.

“I don’t want
you to have me Mr. Crawford,” she said firmly in a mild tone.

“We both know
that I am the key to what you want.”

“I don’t want
to be a Bimbo.” Janet increased her pressure. The eyes rolled in
his head and with difficulty he kept his hands still as his legs
tensed.

“You won’t be
Janet,” he promised, “but first I want you. That is what will open
all the doors.”

Janet smiled
and stood up.

“Janet,” he
pleaded, catching her ankle.

“Leo,” she
replied, her tone amused and warm.” You can’t do anymore tonight.
Get dressed, we will eat and then we will go through my report.
Then you go back to your hotel.”

He looked up at
her. “You will be coming to Dublin again soon, I presume?” she
added with a smile.

Crawford took
this as a promise and he let her ankle go. “I’ll get dressed,” he
said.

When he came
back Janet had slipped into her black dressing gown again. She had
set the table.

“The leotard
suited you,” he remarked cheerfully. He was feeling very
pleased.

“I don’t want
to have to kiss you,” Janet said as he sat at the table.

“No kissing?”
he asked puzzled.

“Not on the
lips. It is something I am saving up. My private place.”

“Fair
enough.”

“Now, get
dressed Leo and then we’ll eat.”

Janet brought
some fresh bread rolls and they began the meal. Crawford poured out
the wine and they touched glasses in a silent toast. Crawford felt
himself almost tremble with excitement every time their eyes met.
He had her, but only on a promise, but they had an understanding.
She would come through.

For Janet, she
was pleased with progress. They had reached a new level of
intimacy. It had been obvious to her from the first time they had
met what Crawford had really wanted. Now that he had a taste he
would be dying for more.

But on her
terms she thought determinedly. He had to work with her on the
deal. Associated Finance had to pay up and get her career moving
into the big time. Crawford was right. He was the key and she was
going to turn that key. However he could not be allowed to feel
that it was easy. He might know business, but she knew men. He
would have to work as hard for success with her as she had worked
on the project for him. “My report Leo,” she prodded.

Crawford
smiled. “It is very good. I don’t need to read every line. It is
very clear, O’Byrne’s have a new factory under way; they are just
doing a German takeover with other acquisitions under
consideration. You really got that guy to spill it all.”

“Immature, he
was trying to impress.”

“Impressive it
is. But obviously they are stretching their funds. We can take
them.”

“Anything from
your end Leo?”

“I have
enquired through our sources. Apparently O’Byrne’s have four
backers. First their ordinary bank, also a merchant bank, an
insurance fund and a pension fund. The funds are hungry for good
Irish stock.”

“
Very good,” Janet said agreeably

“I had an idea
on the plane,” he said, “ Instead of giving O’Byrne’s extra
business and then stopping payments, why not just stop payments? We
owe them about ten million a month according to our supermarket
buyers, that is taking their full business with us. Some of it is
low margin stuff for them, but cash flow wise it is big money.”

“I don’t think
so Leo,” Janet shook her head. “Remember the fair trading
regulations. We must be very careful. If we do something blatant
and then move in and take over, frankly I’d expect the shit to hit
the fan.”

“O.K. Janet. It
is your play. What do you propose?”

Janet took a
breath. Crawford noticed with warmth the rise of her bosom.
Concentrate, he reminded himself. He sensed that if he did not take
her business acumen seriously he could lose her.

“We have built
a cover story about doing a supplier quality audit. I think we
stick with it and build on it. We give them confidence first. Then
we give big advance orders. Get them to commit themselves with
their suppliers. Then we raise quality queries. Start a dispute and
withhold payments. Finally cancel orders.”

“By which time
we hope they are in deep shit.” Crawford added with relish. “Sounds
great Janet but you will have to get more on the Financials. You
will have to stay in touch with your source. What was his
name?”
“Peter O’Byrne.”

“You may have
to sleep with him,” Crawford threw out, titillating himself, his
eyes alert to her reactions.

“What?” she
said sharply.

“You
heard.”

“I’m not a
whore and you Leo Crawford are not a whoremaster.”