Only the Strongest Survive (21 page)

They chatted for a while longer and then hung
up.

For the next
two hours she couldn
’t focus on her work.
She was so happy, yet at the same time, afraid.
What if I make a mistake? What if I lose huge
amounts of money? What if I’ve only been lucky until now? What if
….

She knew it
hadn
’t been just luck but nonetheless
felt a twinge in her stomach occasionally. At the thought that
something could go wrong, she began feeling anxious. She decided to
take a walk.

*

While
wandering around the nearby park,
Emely
observed the people around her and daydreamed about the future. She
was aware that success lay ahead of her. She would have to act
smart and be careful, and things would only keep getting better.
The worst was behind her. She had worked hard and now she’d reap
the rewards. With all the experience she had gained she was bound
to succeed—at least that was what she thought.
I’m finished with poverty. Now I’ll be able to
buy a luxurious apartment and, if necessary, get a professional
massage every day. I’ll only go to the best restaurants, buy the
most expensive clothes, and visit only the most important
people.

She stopped
and became serious.
Oh no,
what am I turning into? Full of myself. No, I must remain modest
and not allow money to change me.

*

All week she
worked from morning till night. In the morning she sat in front of
the computer
, watching hundreds of graphs
showing fluctuations in the value of stocks. And then in the
afternoon she tried to forecast the future of those securities. The
person capable of forecasting the ups and downs on the securities
market would be the richest person in the world. She knew it was
impossible. All you could do was look at the history. There were
always certain up and down trends, repeated again and again. For
over eight years she had been studying the movements of certain
securities and reached interesting conclusions. Diagrams showing
the movement of a specific share or bond through a specific period
were most helpful. Usually this period was from a month to five
years at the most. In this way, long-term values could be seen.
According to the shape of the curves in the graphs she was able to
forecast certain trends with great reliability. She could never be
completely certain when buying a security, whether its value would
move the way she predicted, but she had noticed that 70 percent of
her expectations panned out.

Often she
didn’t notice when the workday ended. Studying shares and bonds
occupied her mind so much that time stopped to exist for her. She
went to work early in the morning and returned late at night.
Sometimes she forgot to greet her employees because the night had
been too short for sleeping and she had a feeling she had seen them
only an hour earlier.

She lifted
her left arm and looked at her watch. It was Friday and
nearly
eight o’clock in the
evening.
Oh, no, it can’t
be,
she thought. She put her hand on her
mouth and said, “Damn it, I completely forgot I was invited to the
Grodnys’.”

She grabbed
her keys and ran
to the office door. As
usual at such a late hour she was alone, everyone else having gone
home long ago.

She locked up
and
rushed to the elevator.
What should I wear? Silly me, how
could I have forgotten the party?

In twenty
minutes she was home, took a quick shower, and had something to
eat. Then she dried her hair and looked into Sally’s closet.
Pleasantly surprised, she spotted a grayish-purple evening gown
which should fit her very well since Sally and she had similar
figures. On seeing herself in the mirror, she was more than
pleased.
Now for some
makeup.

Half an hour later she was in front of the
building where the party was supposed to be. She paid the driver
and gave him a tip.

Wow, what a villa. The house must have at least twenty
bedrooms.
The windows were huge and
decorated in an interesting way, the entrance guarded by two Greek
male statues. As if the president lived there rather than a Dr.
Grodny.

“
Oh, Ms.
Donnovan, welcome
,” Dr. Grodny said,
approaching her as soon as she entered the crowded room. “I was
beginning to think you wouldn’t come. I’m very glad you’re here.
Tell me, how are my finances doing?”

“Oh, nothing much to report. This week was
pretty dead. It wouldn’t have mattered if I’d been on
vacation.”

Dr. Grodny kept searching with his eyes, as
if looking for someone. “I’ve got to admit I find you very
interesting. A woman who is an expert in stockbroking.
Fantastic.”

“Thank you.”

From a tray
s
he picked up a glass and took a sip, but
immediately choked—she spotted
him
. Blake Crouse. Her heart
began to beat fast and she downed the martini.

“
Oh look,
there’s my wife
,” Dr. Grodny said. “Let
me introduce you.”

They walked over to a tall, elegant woman who
smiled at them kindly.

“My husband keeps talking about you. I’ll get
jealous soon,” she said jokingly.

Emely didn’t
know what to say.

“He’s enthralled by your profession. He said
you trade with money.”

“
Not with
money, but with securities,” Emely said.

“
Oh yes,
that’s it, that’s what he said.” Mrs. Grodny giggled and then
excused herself to go over to an older couple who had just arrived.
Dr. Grodny also had to mingle with other guests, leaving Emely on
her own. For a while she looked around the spacious room that must
have measured at least three hundred square feet. The men, many
smiling, were enjoying the elegant atmosphere, and the women looked
stunning in their evening gowns. Emely’s eyes stopped on the
interesting stucco work on the walls and the expensive
chandeliers.

“I hope I didn’t offend you the other day. I
really had to leave.”

She
immediately recognized the voice.
“Why
should I get offended,” Emely said, lying. “I’m glad to see you.
You’re the only person I know here. I’d feel awkward on my
own.”

“
I’m sure you
wouldn’t be on your own for long.”
Blake
looked at her in a friendly way. “There’s a room with a pool table
upstairs. Shall we give it a try?”

His proposal
surprised her
. “But I’ve never played
pool.”

“It’s easy, I’ll teach you. Anything to get
away from this crowd.”

She
followed.

The
only furnishings in the room were a pool table
and a drinks bar made of dark wood. The air smelled of
cigars.

“
No one will
disturb us in here
,” he said.

Emely nodded.
She didn
’t know what she was letting
herself in for. Due to working so hard she had very little
experience with men.

Blake
showed her how to hold the cue and, in doing so,
brushed against her unintentionally. She shivered.

The balls
waited, nicely arranged on the table. Blake bent over, holding the
cue, aimed
, and then struck quickly.
Every ball shot off in a different direction. Emely loved it. He
turned to her, offering her the cue for her turn.

She forgot
her desire and tried to focus on the game. She decided not to let
him win easily. Even though this was the first time she played, she
wanted to make the most of it. It was in her nature.

She bent over
elegantly and directed the cue toward the nearest ball. She
envisage
d where the balls would go after
she had struck the first one. Racking her brain, she tried to
remember the fundamental laws of physics from school. Finally she
plucked up the courage and struck as hard as she could. The balls
hit each other and the table edges, running here and there like
ants when disturbed. But sadly not one ended up in the
pocket.
I’ll have to aim
better. I’ll be more focused next time.
She felt slightly on edge.

“
Not bad,”
Blake
said, and took the cue from
her.

He was
luckier and pocketed two balls.
It was
Emely’s turn again.

“
Let me show
you.” He straightened her fingers and put them in the right
position. “This is how you should be holding the cue.” He
wasn
’t aware that by doing this he had
completely confused her again.

She was about to say something, but changed
her mind because she thought she may stammer. Instead she focused
on his lips and imagined them kissing her passionately.

“Come on, focus,” he told her.

She knew she
was taking too long, but with the best will in the world she
couldn’t concentrate on the game. She wanted to play well, but her
hands trembled and she knew that the next move would be the crucial
one. She decided to strike, whatever happened. It was just a game.
Centering on what she was about to do she chased away the thoughts
that didn’t belong there.

Finally she
struck. The ball bounced slightly differently than she had
planned, but nonetheless she was lucky. One ball
hit another and pushed it into the pocket.

“
You have
another turn,” he said, smiling, happy for her to get it right once
in a while so that the poor thing wouldn’t give up.

Emely was
getting ready for another shot. She took nearly a minute to
concentrate
and then she
struck.

“
I don’t
believe it, you got two balls in the pocket. If you keep this up,
I’ve had it,” he said jokingly.

Emely took
the next shot, but this time she was out of luck. The cue ball
bounced off the edge of the table a few times and stopped. “Your
turn now.
”

He struck the cue ball, but without luck.

Emely smiled
coquettishly. “You watch now.” Thanks to Blake, she managed to get
another two balls into the pocket
, as his
last shot had been clumsy and two balls were close to the holes.
She had no choice but finish what he should have done.

“
This can’t
be happening, I really am going to lose,” he said, his voice no
longer sounding as if he was joking
, but
worried.

She was
beginning to like the game and decided to take some time in
the future and learn to play properly. She had
no hobby and could do with one since she was spending too much time
at work.
Shares, shares,
shares, nothing but shares and bonds.
Sometimes she had a feeling her life was dull.

She pocketed another ball, but not as easily.
The ball bounced twice before moving toward the opening and then
slowly rolled in.

Blake made a
sound of disappointment. He had never been beaten by a woman. “Damn
it,” he said
when he was unlucky again.
No hits. “Let it go to hell.”

“Well, well.”

Emely
completed the game. She hit the balls with great pleasure and they
sped toward the black opening willingly. Blake forgot to close his
mouth as he looked at the disappearing balls.
In disbelief he realized the game was over for
him.

E
mbarrassed, he looked at her,
wanting to say something funny, but her beauty rendered him
speechless. Never before had he felt such attraction. Blake watched
her for a few more moments, then went closer and shook her hand.
“Congratulations are in order. Considering it was your first time,
you played really well.”

Emely found
it funny that he would congratulate her. The strong pressure of
Blake’s hand made her feel uncomfortable. She lifted her head and
wanted to say something, but his face was so serious. His lips were
moist and parted. Emely’s heart began to beat fast and she could
feel herself blushing. She stood motionless in his arms, hoping
that his lips would touch hers.

He put his
right hand beneath her chin and leaned over. The first kiss was
barely noticeable but immediately after, they were kissing
passionately so that they both lost balance for a
moment.

He kissed her once more and pulled her toward
him.

It had been a
long time since Emely had felt a man at her side. She had forgotten
how it is to want someone. She was hungry for love and
tenderness.

Then she felt
his hands slip under her dress and
, while
sighing and purring like a cat, she let him stroke her bare
skin.

They both heard the door open and jumped
apart.

A man came in and approached the pool table.
“Excuse me,” he said as he noticed Emely adjusting her clothes.

All
three
exchanged awkward smiles. The
stranger immediately left the room and Emely could see him
laughing.

Blake
said,
“It doesn’t matter.”

But this
was
too much for Emely and her Catholic
upbringing. Within a second she became aware of her sin and began
feeling so embarrassed that she wanted to vanish then and
there.