Kitabı oku: «In Hugs of Dream», sayfa 3

“Get out of here now!” Jordanna pronounced quietly, slowly articulating words.

“What?” Max was startled of such rudeness from the mouth of the woman in white doctor’s gown. He glanced at her and swallowed his words. So much hatred was burning in her eyes that it seemed to penetrate deeply inside of him. Her lips were fasten, red blushes appeared on her ideal cheek-bones.

“I repeat; get out of here until I call the security and you will be kicked out of here in your fivethousanddollar suit to the sidewalk.”

“Wait, Doc. I just want to be sure that you put the right diagnoses. Everybody makes mistakes without any exceptions, especially doctors. OK, OK. I understand. The seductive.” he put his hands up placatingly, seeing her eyes looking daggers into him. He couldn’t understand at all, why his simple harmless remark caused such a stormy reaction from a very calm, tranquil doctor.

“I’m not going to stay here and hear out so dirty comments about my competence. I’m saving lives here but not drinking tea. Respect the profession of the doctor. Is it clear to you?”

She abruptly turned her back to him, came to Alex’s ward and threw it open. She was still shaking from fury; she was ready to kill that snobbish jerk. As much as she worked to get that diploma, despite all that he had done to her and that hincty Mr. Fancy pats just spoke her ill before the stuff and the patients eyes.

Alex slowly opened his eyes and immediately closed them because of the bright day light. He was woken up with a loud voice, he listened to; it seemed like Max’s. He winked several times and sat on the bed. He didn’t understand anything. Why was he in some unknown place looking like the hospital ward? He froze for a second. Hospital ward! What was he doing there, God damn? He forcefully dropped off his blanket and got up from the bed. Coming to the middle of the room he understood that he was wearing the hospital gown. Who put off all his clothes and where took it?

The door of his ward opened and a woman in a white gown came in, she was very angry according to her very tightly pressed lips. She gave him a look and asked:

“Why are you out of the bed?”

“Who are you?” Alex grumbled.

“I’m Doctor Jordanna Pierce. I’m asking you to get back to the bed until you are in the hospital I’m responsible for you.”

“Why am I here? “Alex lowered his voice.

“You were taken here by an ambulance yesterday. We were waiting for your blood analyses to define, why you were in a condition of such a strong sleep that you couldn’t be woken up. Despite the fact that all your indications were well. Now the analyses are ready and everything is clear.”

“Clear? It’s not clear for me. Explain doctor.”

“Nitrazepam was found in your blood, it’s the seductive medication.”

“What the seductive medication do you mean?”

“Nitrazepam, it is the soporific drug from benzodiazepine group. It is prescribed according to the recipe and used in a cases of insomnia, anxiety sleep and also to reduce the emotional stress, to lease off alert, fear, annoyance. Did you take any sleeping pills?”

“What?” his eyes rounded in astonishment and the voice lowered to the whisper. “The only seductive I use is whisky.”

“Alcohol is also found in your blood. It was exactly its combination with the seductive that drown you into such a deep sleep.”

“You were filled up with the drug for abusers, my friend,” Max who seemed to be really amused with that information stood leaning to the jamb of the door. “The bombshell obviously decided that the expectation in the queue to the access to your chic body could be elongated to the next Advent, so she decided simply to drink you up and take a lark.”

Come into the ward, he dropped on a small sofa with a smile of Cheshire cat. He frankly made fun to his heart enjoying almost the panic expression on his usually imperturbable friend’s face.

“The drug that is really used for women abuse is called rohypnol and it is forbidden for spreading in the USA,” the doctor couldn’t stop to put a hair spin. It was such a pleasure to put Max into his wrongness with its nose.

“Ah, no matter,” the last one unabashedly responded. “I hope, the lady took care about the safety or it can happen that you’ll be in a role of Daddy in nine months term.”

“You’re an idiot, Max! What crap are you talking about? Drugs for abusers? As if it’s not enough that I’m standing here in some sucky hospital ward in a vest and with a bare ass, you wanna to finish me off.”

Alex’s roar was heard around the whole hospital. Jordanna screwed up a little; the last thing she needed was to get a trauma of her eardrums from his screams. Without turning to Max, she addressed to Alex.

“In spite of the fact that, there is no danger for your life existing, I would strongly recommend you to stay in the hospital till tomorrow morning.”

“Leave your recommendations, doctor, for the feeble old bones who has no other trouble in their lives as lying on the bed and let to stick in them all possible tubes,” he cut off.

Jordanna blushed, she was insulted for the second time in the last five minutes. And not controlling herself, she burned off:

“Mr. Dimond, in a case if you forget, I remind you I am a doctor. And I am here to do my job to save people, but not for serving as a punching bag for two self-centered egoists. That’s why if you make up your mind to get to this hospital one more time I advise you to check my schedule before that and try not to get in my shift here. Because the next time, I’ll prescribe for you and your overconfident friend a very good two-liter clyster. For each of you.”

And throwing back the bunch of gorgeous dark red hair, she went to the door. While holding the handle, she turned and added:

“With soup and glycerin. For better and faster cleaning up. I can’t wait for our new meeting gentlemen.”

And she was out with the banging door. Alex was standing with his mouth light open in a dismay. Such brainblow he didn’t get for years, especially from the woman. Some strange sounds like sobbing or grunting were heard aside. He turned and saw his ever best friend in the world and partner cracking up with a mute laughing holding his belly. That was the real support. He glared at his friend putting his hand on his hips. Max squeezed out from laughing.

“You won’t… believe. This toughy… lady – the doctor prescribed me… the same pill… in the corridor. Apparently it… will be necessary to check her schedule… as I’m not ready for the sacrificial sitting on the toilet.”

And laughed his head off. Alex just shook his head.

“Instead of neighing, you’d better help me to find the pants and at least some clothes. It’s time to get out of this dead-house.”

He messed his hair up in irritation. His memory didn’t want to recover in any way. He hardly could remember what had happened yesterday. He remembered that he was drinking with a model then a posh blonde appeared, who spilled the champagne on him, then his memory shifted him to the lift and that was it… the blackout.

“Max,” he hailed his friend, who was already out of the door, “that girt who I left the party with; do you know her?”

“Actually she is in the next wart to yours,” Max declared with a smirk, seeing his friend’s face losing its imperturbability for second time in a few minutes.

“How can she be in the next ward? What’s wrong with her?”

“Have no idea. She fell on my hands when I came to your office. It’s a sin to think like this but I got an idea that I was the next victim for the greedy madam, but the doctor said that she had a fever.”

Alex plucked up his head and fell down to the bed. Several seconds he was lying still then he got up and directed to the door with broad steps. He was holding the divergent sides of the gown on his fifth bare point with one hand and going to the next room. “The scene for the cover of the magazine”, Max thought with a smile and followed his friend foretasting another turning of the scandal. What else the real lawyer needed.

Coming into the next ward, they saw a bewildered nurse who was holding a dropper in her hand and a man – a doctor.

“Where is the girl from this room?” Alex asked.

They turned to him.

“We don’t know. We’ve just come here,” the man said, “doctor Pierce sent me here because the patient was mute and deaf and I had to talk to her with a help of the signs. But she had disappeared somewhere.”

“Mute and deaf?” Alex turned to Max questionably raising his eyebrow. “It’s very interesting.”

“Do you happen to know her name?”

“Carrie Meeber,” Alex answered automatically. He was surprised to remember her name actually.

Doctor’s eyes widen. He obviously read Theodore Dreiser too. And that meant the only one thing that the girl with a fake name hardly had an insurance.

“I need to report about it to doctor Pirece,” the man said to the nurse, “the girl’s name is a real fake and who is going to pay for her being here.”

“Max, ask the hospital to send the bill for the girl to our company’s address. What happened to her? Was the seductive medication found in her blood too?”

“No, there was found the medication from flu. Strong enough. And a little of alcohol. All together it caused fainting.”

Alex nodded and mutually left the ward. Sitting in the car, he was watching to the window and trying to recover the events of yesterday evening. His memory didn’t want to come back, no matter how hard he tried.

“What the hell is going on Max? I can’t remember anything, except the moment I came to the lift with the girl who’s face is a real mystery to me. And I don’t remember what happened in the office. How long was I absent?”

“Half an hour approximately, plus minus five minutes.”

“I need to know who she was and find her. Maybe it was she, who gave me those sleepy pills.”

“It could be anybody at the party as you didn’t watch at your glass all the time.”

“Why? It’s the main question Max. I want to check the office immediately. Is everything on its place there? Maybe she is just a thief and decided to steal something from there. Though, there is nothing valuable there and, moreover, there’s no money.”

“Possibly you were the only precious thing for her in the office and apparently she didn’t have strength to take you out on her back. Or maybe it was somebody else and the girl just wasn’t lucky enough. Though, it is unknown when you had a blackout after or before.

“Not funny. Don’t even dare to hint about the rape in the sleep. I’ll choke you.”

“Gotta,” Max chuckled. “Be sure, I forgot.”

Alex turned and looked into the laughing eyes of his best friend and clearly sensed that he didn’t simply forget but he would remind about it in every convenient and inconvenient moment. He sighed, nodded his head and turn to the window. He would remember. One day he would certainly remember. And he would know who gave him the seductive and the most important thing why?!

CHAPTER 5

Five months later

Angie went to the doorstep of the small cottage in her parents’ camp. Now in the end of May there weren’t too many people there, so she enjoyed with all her soul with the warm weather and calmness. In a month all those houses would be full and find a place where she could sit alone would be almost impossible. She sat into the twisted chair and put the cup of coffee on the little glass table with twisted legs and frame which she had bought last summer at the fair in the nearest town and loved it a lot. It created the coziness on her terrace. In the morning she met sunrise, in the evening enjoyed the sunset and she was always astonished with the beauty of the nature in that paradise place. She was unbelievably happy that she had been able to defend that place even in the way of such a risky adventure which she had dared to at Christmas. She still shuddered with horror remembering her escape from the hospital in somebody’s clothes, taxi to the hotel and then the plane here to Monte-South. She had to stay in the hospital several days because the flu caused the complication in a form of bronchitis, and the doctor strongly recommended her to be inpatient. She felt so bad that she agreed without thinking. At once after the discharge from the hospital, she lost herself in her work trying to raze from her memory so dishonorable act she had to commit. She didn’t know what ate her away more: roguish change of the report with a help of the seductive or passionate embraces with Alex on his couch. She didn’t remember when her body had reacted so willingness to the pettings as if it wasn’t her but some another strange, crazy from frenetic passion in her blood woman. He woke up something in her that had been dreaming all twenty-sixth years, a mad desire. The desire that still came to her in her dreams with Alex. That man was a real obsession if you tried him once you would be lost forever. Her body remembered his tender touches, soft lips, insatiable tongue which found the most sensitive parts and made her languishing in the lust. She shook her head getting memories about Alex away, deeply into her conscience. The only thing that made her completely happy was the abolish of the factory building. She was personally informed about it by the Mayor’s wife, Unity Douson.

A stout lady in her mid-fifties she proudly wore things that were likely more suitable for the young girls. She died her hair platinum blond and always put the long chignon in a form of a horse tail. She reminded aunty-fairy from the cartoon “Sleeping beauty”, so much brisk, nimble and sharp-tongued. God save to be her enemy. She destroyed her enemies slowly but clearly. That’s why there were no wishers in the town; the old ones she had already driven out and the queue of new ones nobody strived to replenish. Unity was a real intrigante, she took part in every event of their small town. It seemed that not a marriage, a baby birth, birthday or a divorce could happen without her personal participation. She adored gossips, secrets; the more awful the better. She gladly supported Angie in her crazy decision to stop the factory building near their town despite the fact that she knew Alex Dimond personally because she had been Alex’s mother friend. Her intention to help Angie was based on the simple points: A) Alex was rich enough to build at least ten such factories in any other places and he wouldn’t suffer a lot without that land. B) Angie was like a daughter for her she had known her from the birth and understood well how hard it had been for the girl to live here without her father, how she was happy when he bought that camp and how much it meant for her and her family. That’s why her decision to Angie’s side was natural and the only true one. Two months after her trip to New York she called personally and informed with her thin, squeaky voice:

“Sweetie! All’s hunky-dory. The bird has brought me the news that Dimond-Westwood Enterprises refused to buy this land. Short and clear. It’s not suitable. Dot. Congratulations, you’ve done a great job. I hope, in a way to thank me you’ll leave me that cottage where I always stay.”

Angie smiled, question-order. That was how Unity kept in her small fist the whole town including her kind, calm as a bear, husband. Mayor Timothy Douson.

“Of course, Unity. You know this cottage is always at your hand,” – Angie answered.

“Awesome,” Unity yawped. “I’ll go and ask Timmy whether he goes with me.”

“Yeah, right, you ask” Angie thought with a smile and said goodbye.

After the talk with Unity she slept calmly for the first time since Christmas. False report served her aim and likely vanished in nonebeing in a shredder. Nobody would ever check. Alex read the false report and understood that he would lose more if he built it in that exact place, and like a real businessman he would find another one. In a result, she didn’t steal anything from him. For him whether that land or any other one was just a place for building up. She made a sip of strong, morning coffee and unblocked her mobile. There was a message from Teresa.

“Did you get up sleepyhead? Don’t forget about the celebration of anniversary of our hero-town on Saturday. And on Sunday there will be the opening of the restaurant. Everything must be prepared. We are all here, waiting for you.”

She smiled. She was very glad that all her workers became her friends in spite of the main rule in business, friendship comes with friendship and work with work, she couldn’t play a role of unpassionate boss and based all her work on the mutual understanding and support. Though, that role of cold-blooded boss was acted by her aunty Daisy with great pleasure. That was the right person to give orders. Moreover, she was an accountant both according to her education and to the calling, that’s why all hassles with the internal service were lying on her delicate shoulders. If it wasn’t her, Angie would never be able to make her dream of opening her own restaurant come true. Almost one year she prepared the project, then she found contractors and looked for the financing. She wanted that opening to be the main event of the town. She worked so long in completing her dream that now, when only two days separated her from it, her knees were knocking down with fear. She dialed Teresa’s number.

“Hi, hi! Are you hinting that I’m a lazybones sitting here and drinking coffee while you are all working like slaves?”

“Not me, aunty Daisy.”

“Is she already there?” Angie was appalled. “She was supposed to come back from Denver only after the dinner.”

“I’ll open you a secret,” Teresa whispered to the phone, “your aunt has magical abilities to transfer from one place to another one during mere hours. She is a witch, for sure.”

“Watch out that she doesn’t hear you or we’ll spend the whole holidays not at the fair but on the restaurant’s kitchen.”

“That’s why I’m whispering. Common, get ready and come here until she doesn’t drink all our blood.”

“Coming.”

Angie put her mobile and smiled. Aunty Daisy was really a lady with an engine. How she managed to do everything on time was a riddle for Angie form the childhood.

She finished her coffee and went to dress up for the restaurant. The camp was situated only in two miles from the town. That’s why the way to the work and back home didn’t take a lot of time. All her life consisted from the work and the camp. There was not a word about her personal life. After school relationships and a short marriage with Henry Millestone, she was dating with economist Steve from the local Mayor’s office during four years. When she was ready to put a ring on her finger, buy herself an apron and bring up a couple of children, her groom realized that he wasn’t actually ready for such a determinate step, and, yeah his career, oh what a miracle, went up. He was invited for the training period in Finance Department in Denver. He got away from the town with a lightspeed, forgetting not only about his fiancée but also about his dog. Small, golden-fur beauty named Goldie the breed of King Charles Spaniel had jumped into his car at the gas station and didn’t get out of it until he came home. Steve decided that the safe-keeping wouldn’t be inapplicable. But when the question of moving to Denver arose he was murmuring awkwardly something about the rental apartment and the problem of walking the dog that Angie simple didn’t have any other way out. Getting such sweet thing to the shelter for euthanasia, she just couldn’t so she took the dog to her place. Now Goldie was the only mistress in the camp and demanded all other dogs coming to leisure with their masters played with her. Angie bended and scratched her softy fur. Goldie immediately turned on her back asking for continuation. She could lie by hours and enjoy her belly being scratched. Taken a look at her watch, she left Goldie warming under the sun and drove to the restaurant.

In a several minutes she was standing in the restaurant’s kitchen near the huge batch of unpacked boxes. Her faithful fellows were standing near. Teresa was her main assistant; a tall woman in her thirty-five with earthy manner of speech and a very tart-tongued sense of humor. Kate was Teresas’s assistant, small, brisk with the same age as Angie, a fan of making jokes and laughing. Danny was her economist, a computer genius of twenty-eight; in glasses, always shaggy looking whether the student or a vagabond, crazy in love with Kate and ready for everything to win her favor. He was invited to work in the leading companies in Denver but he appeared to be the faithful soldier and was true to Angie helping aunt Daisy to betide the computer submission of document and handover the reports through the online system. Teddy was the chief cook; big, bulky man with dark hair tied in a tail and with the same color moustache. The master of any dish. Angie met him in Denver where she worked as a restaurateur in a popular restaurant. He accepted her suggestion to move to Monte-South and became in charge of her kitchen without thinking. That veteran of Iraq war wanted only silence and calmness. And here in Monte-South he founded both. And the most important as Angie suspected, he found Teresa who blatantly ignored him but the attention of such an impressive man evidently flattered her. Angie proudly looked at her team and smiled; everything was like anywhere else: work, love, intrigues. They were her family.

“So, are we going to stand like this and stare or maybe some men start to open these all?” Teresa declared out loudly, squinting at Danny.

Teddy mutually accepted the order and rushed to open the boxes. Danny immediately blushed and snapped: “You personally banned to touch anything until Angie came.”

“Angie is here. What are we waiting for?”

Danny blushed more and joined to Teddy. Teresa glanced at Angie and winked. Angie only shook her head. For all seasons, Teresa didn’t miss a chance to tease the boy and it really amused her in fact as she liked to check people’s endurance and often quirked and needled. Only Danny took it all too seriously especially in Kate’s presence. As for Teddy, she preferred to turn a blind eye on him. In next several hours they were unpacking all the boxes, taking out all the products and putting them into the fridges. In the end of the day, when everything was done Angie gave a stretch and with a content smile said: “Great. Everything we had ordered came. I think, there’s more than enough, so we will be able to send some food to the fair as an advertisement and leave here for the opening.”

“We don’t need any advertisement, the whole town can’t wait the moment when you take off the sheet from the building and show everybody your masterpiece. All town will be here, well, and some tourists too.” Teresa declared.

“There aren’t too many tourists right now here but if some of them appear here, I’m sure, their Socials will be filled with selfies against the restaurant,” Kate interfered. “In this case we will possibly have to open more such restaurants or sell them in franchising.”

“Your words to the God’s ears, Katie,” Angie laughed. “But for now, we start from what we’ve got. Teddy, do you have enough assistants or I shall hire some additionally?”

“No, I chose and checked every who is going to work on my kitchen personally,” the powerful bass of the chief cook sounded. “I’ve got everything ready Angie, don’t worry. Just do one thing for me, keep aunty Daisy with her advices as far as possible from my kitchen. With all my respect to her but the kitchen is my territory. Until I’m here, I’m in charge.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already talked to her after your loud hassle which was heard to the whole town or even the whole state. She understood everything, so as you see she isn’t here. She is in her study making her accounts and planning our murder.”

Teddy nodded satisfied and went to make correction to the menu. Angie thanked her friendly team and left. She was so tired for the last few days that she fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pill.

CHAPTER 6

Five months later

Alex Dimond made himself comfortable in the chair, took his i-pod with a fixed keyboard from the bag and opened the last draft variant of the contract with Rainford Building Enterprises for building the steel factory in France. The President of that company Christian Rainford had to come into Denver for negotiations. Building that factory with such constructional giant like Rainford-Building Enterprises was supposed to open the supplements of the steel products all over Europe and, in prospect, the possibility of collaborative building of one of the most expensive, up-date complexes for leisure on Cote d’Azur⁴. Those were his first steps in construction including DWB, but he was learning fast and now he was going to get a Master’s degree in civil engineering. This education was strikingly different from his first one, which he had got while working at the steel factory at the same time. It was the place where he understood that for the creation his own company, he needed to learn the bases of economy. That’s why he successfully finished New York University and got the bachelor’s degree in economy at the age of twenty-four.

He ran his hand over his eyes and closed i-pad. The contract was on the level as usually, Max knew his business very well and it was he who coped with all those crafty twists and turns of the legal nuances. It was his passion. The only thing to do was to meet with Christian Rainford and discuss all the details. He looked at his friend who was sprawling in the opposite chair and snuffling calmly. Alex pushed him lightly with his leg. Max rolled over and opened one eye.

“Hmmm,” he murmured sleepily. “I can’t see you.”

And turning on his side tried to bend his legs but with his height of 6 feet 10 inches it was really hard to do and his legs constantly slid down to the floor. Suddenly he made a sound obviously showing the extreme degree of annoyance and sat with a sigh still sprawling his legs. He didn’t look his best way with his shaggy hair and scrub, he could easily be taken as a vagabond if it wasn’t his expensive suit and Rolex on his hand. He said hoarsely glancing at Alex dreamingly:

“I hate you! With all my heart and my soul”

“Do the lawyers have them?” Alex interested with a smirk.

“Touché,” Max murmured watching though the illuminator. “How long shall we fly?”

“Forty minutes,” Alex answered thoughtfully. “I’m working here and you’re shamelessly flopping. It won’t go.”

“Awsome,” Max exclaimed, “it is not enough that you got me out of the great party where I almost found the only one who I was ready to live in the richness and poverty with and here, in a few minutes, all my plans went down the chute and I’m a hostage on the board of the plane.”

“Your every mistress is a wife and a mother. You’re killing me, Max. Until you get marry the Atlantic Ocean will dry out. And you as a company’s lawyer must be present on the meeting. Moreover, there is a possibility that somebody will need to go to France to see everything on the location.”

“Somebody you mean me. Talk the true. I know you set sights on some village near Denver for holidays.”

“Wanna an exchange? Unity craves to behold you personally not according to my stories.”

“Oh, Gods, no way.” Max’s face sprawled with horror. “I’m going to France. There is business up to my neck I’m needed there as the air.”

“So we finished off. Christian is leaving in three days. We’ll have to discuss everything now before his departure. And being there in France you’ll check everything and call me out for the signing the contract. So stop whimpering. By the way, did you pay the detective services?”

“Yes. Everything is paid, the detective has already started to work. But for now, there is no move. I have no idea how she could just disappear that even the detective tripped out. She didn’t leave any tracks.” Max shrugged his broad shoulders. Foxy girl, nothing to say. And why do you need her?”

“I want to brighten some events of that night, Max. I didn’t use to forget what happens with me. I’m not an old man suffering Alzheimer.”

“But you aren’t sure that it was she who gave you the seductive. Moreover, we searched the whole office from the floor up to the ceiling. Nothing missed either money or documents.”

“I’m up a gum tree what she needed in fact.” Alex said thoughtfully. He mistily remembered the beautiful stranger girl and here his memory failed him. He couldn’t remember anything more. “Not a word.” he gave Max a warning look.

“I’m mutual,” Max grinned, “the detective also checks everybody who was at the party. That seductive is ethical, so if it was prescribed to anybody he’ll find.”

“I really hope.”

In forty minutes the plane landed in Denver. Coming out from the plane, Alex made a deep breath of the air of his native town with pleasure. He came here today not as a usual worker of the steel factory but as a busy successful man who created himself. Yawning Max was standing nearby.

“Back to the past,” he smirked coming down the air stairs. “I remember us coming here as eager beavers from the steel factory and going to all companies and banks in a search of the financing.”

“If you’ve got a nostalgia we can attach you to one of our factories,” Alex needled his friend.

“Oh, big thank you. Now I’m a lawyer, so you better kill me.”

Still laughing, they came down the stairs and sat in an awaiting limousine. The advantage of big money was that there was no need of getting get through the severe control.”

The next morning, they were sitting in restaurant “Glenn” – the best one in Denver.

“There is nothing healthier than a full breakfast,” Max noticed and ordered special scrambled eggs with fried bacon slices and orange juice.

“Agree,” Alex answered and made an identical order, plus toasts with jam and black coffee.

“The same for me,” Christian Rainford said, taking off his expensive suit. Tall, sinewy with the aristocratic appearance inherited from his mother who was pure French, and had in her family tree the nobles with the royal blood, he effected the lasting impression. Arrogance appeared in every part of his beautiful face. Thin with a small crook nose, firm chin, clear formed mouth and light-grey like melted silver eyes. Light brown hair with the sun burned golden lines only emphasized the eyes color and the steady tan. He was more handsome than many modern top-models.