Road to Casablanca (22 page)

There was always tomorrow for them to be together, but time was passing more quickly than Erick liked and he wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms and make passionate love to her all night long.
 
It was all he wanted virtually since they first met.
 
Now, with each fleeting moment they spent together, he wanted her even more.
 

“I’m sorry. I wanted to spend the rest of the night with you.”

“That’s fine, Erick; I understand.
 
It’s okay.”

“It’s okay, huh?
 
I thought you’d be crying in your wine glass from disappointment by now!”

“Yes, I will be, but I’m saving my tears for later when I’m back in my room all alone tonight freezing from the cold without your body to keep me warm.”

Erick felt a stiffness in his crotch at the thought of what she was saying.
 
He wanted to keep her warm tonight and every night thereafter.
 

“I could come by your room later whenever we’re finished, only I have no clue when that will be.”

“Don’t worry about it, Erick. The anticipation will build until the proper moment; I’m sure of that.”

Her aloof response made him even hornier, and if it weren’t for the presence of so many millionaires sitting around them at the table, Erick would have picked Cindy up and carried her back to the room.
 
As it was, it would have to wait. He knew it, she obviously knew it, and that was that.

“Thanks; you’re the best.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Erick smiled as he thought about how lucky he was to have her, even if it was only for a few more days.
 

“How was the meeting today?”

“I think the meeting went well this afternoon and I’m hopeful the investors are just about ready to go.”

“That’s great, Erick. I didn’t ask you about it before because I wasn’t sure it was any of my business, but I’m happy for you and think you need to do whatever you need to do to get this going for yourself.”

“Thanks, Cindy.
 
You’re the best wife I could ever ask for.”

A delectable four-course dinner was served next, followed by a delicious chocolate cream pie and a strangely strong sherry for dessert. Then came the awards ceremony, where several well-known actors got up to receive awards.

“I recognize that guy, but I don’t know his name.”

“That’s the way it is around here a lot.
 
These well-known character actors from the States can come here and get more recognition than they do at home.
 
It’s really something.”

“Do you see a lot of celebrities when you’re home?”

“Yeah, from time to time you run into people in restaurants, but it’s no big deal to anyone in
Hollywood
because it’s an everyday occurrence.”

“I haven’t seen any celebrities until now…”

“Stick with me, precious, and that’s not all you’ll see!”

When dinner was over, the men agreed to meet in twenty minutes in the bar.

“Gentlemen, I am going to escort my lovely wife back to our room and I will see you shortly.”

Jibade nodded. “We will see you soon, Mr. Redmund.”

The truth was, if he had an hour, he would rip her clothes off as soon as possible.

Erick tenderly put his arm around Cindy’s shoulder as they made their way back upstairs and down the hall to her room.
 
As he kissed her, he slid his long fingers down the swoop in the back of her dress and this time Cindy didn’t flinch, which made Erick even sorrier he wasn’t able to stay.
 
He ran his hands up the gown to the halter neck and started tracing his fingers down to her more delicate parts.

“Grr. I can’t stand not being able to be with you tonight.”

“I know, but we have tomorrow and the next night.
 
Besides, I’m tired from the spa today.
 
I think I got too relaxed or something.”

“Oh, poor you!
 
I want to make sure you get more of that kind of pampering, if you’d like it.”

“I would, and I want to thank you again for that.
 
It was really special, Erick.”

She kissed him on the cheek and he couldn’t help but pull her close to kiss her deeply one more time.

“If I don’t get out of here, I won’t.
 
I know this is ridiculous, Cindy, but so help me I am going to rip your clothes off as soon as I can.”

“Try if you’d like, we’ll see…”

She was such a tease, he loved it.
 
He kissed both her hands and turned to go.

“Until tomorrow, my princess.”

“Until then, goodnight.”

Erick had an extra spring in his step as he went downstairs to his meeting.
 
She gave him a strange feeling of confidence and enthusiasm he had never felt before.
 
He couldn’t wait until tomorrow and regardless of what tonight’s meeting brought, he could face it knowing she would be with him.

“Breakfast tomorrow morning, and then maybe a trip to the city center?
 
They have a wonderful open air market there and some palaces we could visit that are supposed to be quite spectacular, and I’ll even buy you lunch and anything else you want.”

“I have all I need right here.”

Cindy reached out to him once more and squeezed him a little tighter than she had before, and he could tell she meant it.

Erick leaned in and kissed her.

 
“I can hardly wait.”

Chapter Twenty-One

As Cindy and Erick sat and sipped their coffee while overlooking the expansive desert valley, she noticed the dark circles around his eyes and hoped it was from a late meeting and nothing else.

“You look tired today.”

“Yeah, it was a long night, to say the very least.”

“What happened? Are they going to invest in your company?”

Erick looked away and sighed.
 
Although Cindy sensed he was under incredible pressure, he managed a faint smile between bites of his omelet.

“I hope so.
 
I think Mr. Jibade is on board, but the rest don’t speak any English, so it’s tough to tell.
 
I have trouble reading their facial expressions, their body language.
 
The whole culture is so different, I just can’t tell. Just when I think we’re all getting along, it seems we’re not, and when they are frowning another minute and I wonder what I said to offend them, they come back with roars of laughter and praise.
 
It’s definitely been quite a learning curve.”

“I can imagine it would be.
 
I’m sure it will be okay.
 
If they weren’t interested in it at all, I’m sure they wouldn’t waste their time sitting in a meeting half the night.”

“That’s true.”

“And just what time did the meeting get done last night?”

Although she hated to ask him, she couldn’t help it.
 
The other night he was flirting in a bar, and as much as she wanted more than anything to trust him, she wasn’t quite sure she could just yet.

“One o’clock in the morning.
 
By the time I got back up to the room, I sat up for another hour just going over it all in my mind.
 
I was replaying everything I said, rethinking how I presented myself, everything.
 
I don’t think I’ve ever felt as up in the air about things in my entire life.”

“I think it’s just fine, Erick.
 
In fact, I’d bet on it.”

“The thing is, Cindy wife, I’ve been incredibly successful in the past.
 
Heck, it seems everything I’ve touched for the past decade has turned to gold overnight.
 
I don’t lack confidence; it’s just that without the ability to communicate, I feel out of the loop, and more dependant on Jibade than I’d like to be.”

“Did you consider taking some Arabic lessons?
 
Or getting one of those tape programs?
 
That might help.”

Erick reached over to take Cindy’s hand. He smiled, sending chills through her body and butterflies through her stomach.

“You are quite the lady, you know it?
 
I have studied a little Arabic on tape, but the trouble here is that the people speak so many kinds.
 
Some speak Moorish, some what’s called Moroccan, so when people are talking so quickly in so many styles it’s tough for me to understand it all, even with the interpreter.”

“So, you do have an interpreter?”

“Yes. I thought it was for the others to understand me, but now I see Jibade cleverly made it seem that way. It’s really me who is benefiting most from the service.”

“Are they learning any English?”

“Well, Jibade and his wife are fluent, as you know, but the others don’t seem too interested in learning it, from what I can see.
 
I can look at a man’s eyes and size him up fairly quickly though, and I can tell they are good people.
 
Jibade is a wonderful man and so I trust him and my own gut to lead us in the right direction.
 
Anyhow, I’m sorry to be burdening you with all this.
 
You and I are going to have a good time today and forget all about this business.”

“I don’t mind, Erick, really.
 
It’s actually very interesting.”

“You know what I think’s interesting?”

“What?”

“I’m looking at her right now.
 
Are you ready to go hit the streets of Marrakech before the
Hollywood
types buy out all the souvenirs?”

Cindy chuckled and took her last sip of coffee. “I hardly doubt that would happen.
 
I’m sure they’re quite prepared to sell us anything and everything that’s not tied down or holding up a building.”

“Think so, huh?”

“Yep, I do.”

“Well then, let’s get to it.
 
I want to make sure you go home with all of that and then some.”

Erick helped her out of her chair and took her hand as they walked down to the car.
 
The driver was there as he always was waiting eagerly for them.

“Madame, sir, good morning.”

“Hello.
 
How are you today?”

“Very well, sir.
 
Where may I take you today?”

“Downtown to the best shops available and to any other sights we need to see here.”

“There are the palaces, sir, which are quite ancient and most popular.”

Erick looked at Cindy as if letting her make the decision, which she greatly appreciated.

“What is your pleasure, lady?”

“Well, since we already determined the shops will be full whenever we get to them, let’s go on to the palaces…if that’s okay with you.”

“You heard the lady.
 
Off to the palaces, then.”