The Incubus, Succubus and Son of Perdition Box Set: The Len du Randt Bundle (33 page)

‘The minimum is usually around forty
thousand dollars,’ she answered. ‘Depends on the cause, I suppose.’

‘Dollars?’ He asked. ‘U.S or
Zimbabwean?’

Natasha giggled and lightly slapped
Jared’s leg.

‘Per person?’

She nodded.

Let’s assume that only half of the
people here pay the forty thousand dollars
, Jared thought.
This organization
would make a cool seven hundred thousand dollars. Minimum. For one session.
That’s a heck of a lot more than the Church makes.

‘Thank you for attending,’ the man
said after his speech. ‘Please enjoy your dinner and feel free to stay as long
as you like. May we be victorious in our many struggles.’

The audience clapped as the man left
the stage and Jared was impressed with the short, yet profound speech. He
finished another drink and became aware of the slight spin in his head as a
re-fill was placed down in front of him.

‘I will support this cause,’ Jared
said. ‘Just for the hell of it.’

Natasha smiled. ‘You’re a good man,
Jared Greene.’

He wrapped his arm around her
shoulder and pulled her closer. ‘And you’re a good woman,’ he said and kissed
her on the forehead. He finished another drink and then another as the rest of
the evening blurred by.

*   
-    -    -    *

It took Jared a moment before he
could manage to open his eyes. It felt as if they were swollen shut. His head
felt as if it was clamped by a vice grip that was slowly squeezing tighter and
tighter. The pain increased with each passing second, stabbing into his nerve
centre while his temples throbbed to the rhythm of pain. Jared swallowed hard
at the cork taste in his mouth and pulled his face. He moaned as his cell phone
chirped next to him and he flapped his hand around on the bedside table in a
feeble attempt to pick it up.

Shaun.

Jared didn’t answer the phone. He
sat up straight and rubbed his numb face. When the ring tone stopped, Jared saw
that he had four missed calls and three voice messages. The two numbers
registered as missed calls were from Shaun and Amy. He checked the time.

11:37 A.M.

The first voice message was from
Shaun, asking him why he wasn’t at the office yet. According to him, there was
another problem with a Patterson shipment and that they were about to breech
service agreement once again. Jared deleted the message without listening to
the rest.

The second message was from Amy. She
said that Shaun was looking for him and that she too was worried about him. He
was to call her at work as soon as he received the message.

The third message was from Shaun
again. Patterson wanted to know what was going on with the shipment and why it
was late. According to Shaun, Patterson himself wanted to see them both at two
o’ clock regarding the hiccups of the last few days.

Jared swallowed hard. The saliva
scraped down his throat like tiny shards of glass. He flinched and switched off
the phone. He had no intention of getting out of bed for another few hours
still. Shaun could handle Patterson. How hard could it be?

‘Who was that?’ Natasha asked as he
dropped the phone to the floor.

‘No one,’ he said and kissed her. He
wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. ‘Wrong number.’

‘Where the hell have you been, man?
Why didn’t you return my calls?’

‘Not now, Shaun,’ Jared said and
rubbed his throbbing temples.

‘Not now?’ Shaun asked. ‘Have you
gone insane, Jared? Have you totally lost your mind?’

Jared stopped at the door to his
office. ‘What do you want from me?’ he snapped. ‘I just got here, for crying
out loud!’

Shaun didn’t back down. ‘Patterson
left after waiting over an hour for you. We’re losing it. The contract is as
good as gone.’

‘We’re not losing it,’ Jared said.
‘Patterson should just keep his big boy pants on.’

‘He had all the right in the world
to throw his toys, Jared. We had a meeting scheduled for two o’ clock.
Two!
And here you are, casually strolling into the office at three thirty as if
nothing’s wrong. Do you even know that we lost two clients in just the past
week alone?’

Jared stared at Shaun and pulled his
face into a
get-to-the-point
frown.

‘The employees are spreading rumours
that we’re going to blow this one and that everyone would lose their jobs.’

‘It won’t happen.’

Shaun could only shake his head at
Jared’s blindness. ‘You didn’t hear Patterson’s words and tone of voice when he
left here.’

‘I’ll handle it,’ Jared said and
opened his door to indicate that the topic had come to an end. ‘Don’t worry
about it.’

‘I’m serious, Jared. If we mess up
one more time, Patterson—’

‘
I don’t care about Patterson!
’
Jared’s voice exploded. It took him a moment before he could calm himself
enough to speak again. ‘I told you that I’d handle it. Now just leave me alone
for a while, please.’

Shaun looked as if he had been
physically struck, but he just remained quiet and took a step back, allowing
Jared to enter his office and slam the door shut behind him.

Jared made his way to the liquor
cabinet and poured himself what was left of the Scotch. He swivelled the glass
in his hand as he watched the afternoon traffic build up. The ice cubes clinked
against one another as he contemplated the excuse he would give Amy about the
previous evening. Since she unofficially moved in over a year ago, he had never
stayed away for an entire evening. He would definitely have to keep a cool head
about this. Once Jared had his ducks in a row, he walked over to his desk and
dialled her number.

‘Hello?’

‘Hey,’ he said softly.

There was a moment of silence before
Amy spoke. ‘Are you all right?’

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry that I
didn’t come home last night.’

More silence. Jared allowed her time
to speak first.

‘What happened?’ Amy asked, trying
her best to sound concerned and not as if though she was interrogating him.
‘Where were you?’

‘Well...I went to that fund raiser
after work and had one too many drinks.’ Most important rule of lying: Keep it
short and simple. The more you explain, the less believable the lie. ‘A friend
of mine suggested that I stay at his place. According to him, I wasn’t fit to
drive.’

An uncomfortable silence lingered
between them for what felt like forever to Jared.

‘Are you coming home tonight?’

Jared wanted to smash the handset
into the African Blackwood desk. He wanted to slam it into the wood again and
again until the table cracked. Why did he have to ask permission for anything?
He was rich! He was his own boss! Why did he have to explain himself to anyone,
or be subjected to a curfew in his own house? ‘I’ll be there,’ he said, his
voice barely above an audible whisper. ‘Just finishing up a few loose ends at
the office.’

‘I’ll make sure that there’s
something nice to eat when you get here,’ Amy said. She made no effort to hide
the relief in her voice. ‘Anything in particular that you’d like?’

‘No.’

‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ Amy
probed.

‘I’m fine, Amy, thank you.’ He
didn’t care for the sliver of irritation in his own voice. A stabbing pain shot
through his head and he dropped the glass, spilling the Scotch on the Persian
rug. He didn’t care; couldn’t care. He wanted to be with Natasha, not bound by
people and their insecurities. Jared wanted to be free from the bondages of
monogamy. ‘I’ll see you soon, okay?’

‘All right.’ Amy caught the hint.
‘Just call me if you need anything, okay?’

The door opened and Natasha stepped
into the office. The sight of her made Jared’s heart flutter and he yearned to
hold her in his arms.

‘I will,’ he said.

Natasha closed the space between
them with the graceful skill of a hawk swooping down on its prey. Her legs
barely moved and her feet didn’t appear to be touching the ground at all. She
came to a standstill right in front of Jared as he replaced the receiver back
into its cradle. She brought her lips close to his, lightly breathing into his
mouth. ‘Is there anything you need?’ she asked, her eyes locking onto his.

Jared didn’t answer. He pulled her
closer and pressed his lips firmly against hers. He couldn’t resist her; didn’t
want to resist her. Patterson could wait. Orange melted with gold as the
afternoon sun sank behind the horizon, bowing down to the darkness of night.
Patterson could definitely wait. Jared kissed her fully and lustfully. His
heart raced and his stomach floated upward inside him as he completely and
utterly lost himself to her.

*   
-    -    -    *

Dinner was an apricot-jam basted
chicken with rice, potatoes, and mixed vegetables.
Two starches
, Jared
thought as he absentmindedly picked at the food with his fork.

‘I really hope you like it,’ Amy
said. ‘It’s a new recipe that I wanted to try out.’

‘It’s nice,’ he said blandly. He
couldn’t get Natasha out of his thoughts. Some things were better left unsaid;
some secrets better left undisclosed.

‘Oh,’ Amy said, not sure whether his
answer was truthful, or just a bad attempt at humouring her. She searched for a
topic changer and pointed at the television. ‘Did you hear about the earthquake
that struck last night?’

Jared looked up. ‘Earthquake?’

Amy turned up the volume. ‘Somewhere
near Australia,’ she said.

Jared decided to get the information
from the news reader instead and focussed his attention on the television.

‘The death toll has risen to twenty
five thousand since the earthquake that struck to the northeast of Australia
last night. The quake that measured eight point six on the Richter scale left
thousands homeless and millions of dollars in structural damage. Tsunamis
caused by the quake washed two miles inland into Australia, New Zealand, and
New Guinea. Smaller islands like Caledonia and the Solomon islands have
completely disappeared under water.’

‘We have clients in Australia and
New Zealand,’ Jared said. Had the quake struck a week ago, he would have been
on the phone with Shaun, trying to do some damage assessment while attempting
to get hold of their clients to find out if there’s anything that Whyte &
Greene International could do to assist them. Today he couldn’t care less.

‘This is terrible,’ said Amy.

‘Rescue workers have worked non-stop
to put out fires, save people from flooded areas, and provide shelter for those
who have lost their homes.’

‘Enough of this,’ Jared said and
switched off the television. ‘I’m going to bed.’

‘Now?’ Amy asked. ‘It’s only nine o’
clock. Is everything all right?’

‘I’m tired.’

‘You never go to bed this early.’

‘I’m never tired this early, okay?’

Amy nodded. Once Jared had decided
on something it was useless to try and convince him otherwise. Amy followed him
to the kitchen where he left his mostly untouched food on the counter. He then
made his way to the bedroom and went to bed without as much as a goodnight.

Amy wasn’t tired. Tears welled in
her eyes as she sat down on the living room couch. She ate a few bites of her
chicken and put the plate down on the ground. She then switched on the
television and turned her back on it as she lay down on the couch, jerking
slightly as she softly cried herself to sleep.

*   
-    -    -    *

The buzzer jarred Jared back to
reality. He was having another day-dream about Natasha. The abrupt ending of
the dream invoked an irritation he couldn’t control.

‘
What?
’

‘Shaun is here to see you.’

Natasha’s silky smooth voice calmed
him instantly.

‘Thanks, Nats. Send him in, please.’

Both doors opened and Shaun burst
into the room in a steady stride. Natasha closed the doors behind him. ‘What’s
this?’ Shaun thundered. ‘I have to make an appointment to see you now?’

Jared didn’t flinch. ‘I told Natasha
to let me know before letting anyone in.’

‘But it’s me, for crying out loud!’

‘
Anyone
.’

‘And how long is
she
still
going to be here, anyway? Where’s Lisa?’

‘I don’t know,’ Jared said calmly.
‘Did you come here to discuss Lisa?’

Shaun clenched his teeth. He closed
his eyes and breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. After a few seconds, he
opened his eyes again. ‘You weren’t up to discussing any of our problems
yesterday,’ he said. ‘So I figured I’d sit down with you today and sort this
mess.’

‘What mess?’

Shaun almost choked. ‘The Patterson
deal,’ he said. He could feel the anger slipping in again. ‘You know that they
want to cancel the contract.’

‘They can’t do that.’

‘They can, Jared. That’s the point.
They had three months to evaluate us.
Three months!
We managed to mess
up their shipments three times in only two weeks. Yes, Jared, they
can
back
out, and you know it.’

‘We can fix it,’ Jared said. ‘This
is merely a small bump in the road.

‘Fix it? How? We’ll be lucky if
Patterson doesn’t sue us. Hell, we’ll be lucky if he ever speaks to us again,
especially with you looking like that.’

‘What do you mean?’ Jared asked and
looked down at his clothes. He couldn’t see anything wrong with his appearance.

‘Your clothes look dirty and
wrinkled; you’re not wearing a tie; and it doesn’t even look like you’ve
bothered to shave or brush your hair. What’s going on with you, man?’

‘Wrong with me?’ Jared asked and
stood up. He walked around the wooden desk and approached Shaun like a lion
approaching a cornered gazelle. ‘Why would anything be wrong with me? Natasha
thinks I’m fine.’

Shaun rolled his eyes. ‘Oh brother,’
he said. ‘Don’t you realise that since that woman’s been here, you’ve been
focussing on nothing else? You’re losing your grip on reality, Jared; you’re
losing control of your business and your private life, and I can’t just stand
by idly and watch it happen.’

Jared brought his face up close to
Shaun. He narrowed his eyes and pulled his lip into a snarl. ‘So what are you
going to do about it?’

‘You’re obsessed, Jay,’ Shaun said.
‘You need help.’

‘And
you’re
going to help
me?’ Jared asked and shoved his friend back hard. Shaun almost fell over, but
regained his balance. ‘I suggest you keep your nose out of my business, Shaun.’

‘I’m just trying to help you, man!
Can’t you see that? I’m trying to save you and the company.’

‘I’m not the one who needs saving,’
Jared growled. ‘Now leave my office before I say something that you might
regret.’

*   
-    -    -    *

The garden was coming along quite
nicely. Rebecca took a step back and removed her gardening gloves before wiping
her forehead with the back of her arm. She smiled, impressed with the fact that
a fifty-year old woman could build a beautiful garden all by herself. She
looked at the house. Justin was still in there, hacking away at the revisions
of his novel.

She squinted at the late afternoon
sun. Fridays always had a different texture in the afternoon air than any other
week day. There was an added tint of copper that always reminded her of
Kelwick. Small town. Brown leaves. Refreshment with every blast of the cool
breeze as it hit one’s face on a warm summer afternoon. Kelwick.

Rebecca sighed.

Jared went to the small town to
visit Tanya for a holiday and instantly fell in love with the place. She
couldn’t blame him. It was unlike any other town in South Africa. In fact, it
was unlike any other town in the world.

Rebecca wanted to add the finishing
touches to her garden but decided that she would offer Justin a glass of cold
orange juice first. He would appreciate that. She neatly arranged all the tools
that she would use when she returned and started making her way back to the
house. A figure in the corner of her eye made her freeze. There was a man
standing by the huge oak tree by the fence. She could feel it. Slowly she
turned her head.