RESTLESS : The Hunt For Peace Episode 181

0
225

Unedited

Continued from the last episode

“Hmm…I’m wondering who this your boss could be,” Maxwell remarked. “He owns a big hotel, casino, club, and many other centres in that single facility. I’ve been wondering how he does keep himself out of the news. I’ve never seen his picture.”

Emily chuckled. “My boss is a kind of complicated man. As long as I have known him, he stays off camera and never likes public attention.”

“That’s strange,” Maxwell remarked.

“Really strange, he avoids the news, unlike other businessmen.” She replied.

“So, who represents him when it comes to public affairs?” Maxwell asked.

“I do when it concerns the club matters,” she answered. “And for his other franchises, the directors of each one step up.”

Maxwell chuckled. “That’s surprising,” he muttered.

There was silence between them for a few minutes before he spoke again. “Is there an overall executive officer for the DIA club or all the different directors report to your boss?”

“I’m not sure how he runs the other facilities, but I see him visit the club more often whenever he is around.”

“Interesting,’ Maxwell mumbled. He decided to stop the questioning for that moment, so as not to get her suspicious of him.

Most of the remaining minutes of the trip were done in silence. Maxwell only began to speak when they were close to the hotel.

“So, when do we see each other again?” His voice was calm and clear.

“Well, I can’t tell. But it depends more on you,” she glanced at him. “How long are you staying in Benuit?”

“We are here to establish a branch here,” Maxwell replied. “So, I would be here for a long time.”

“I’m busy at nights because of the club but I can always make time for us to see during the day,” she answered.

“Hmm… For now, we could meet at day time, but I’m not so sure it will be the same after we start full work here.”

She smiled. “I understand. Your work is at daytime, mine’s at night time.”

“We could work it out,” Maxwell stated.

She seemed to be deep in thoughts for a moment and then let out a sigh. “Yeah, we could if we want to.”

Maxwell faced her. “I want to,” he stated and took a brief pause. “Do you?”

She drew in a breath. “I think I want it too.”

He turned his face forward. “Then, we would work it out.”

They remained in silence for the next two minutes until they were close to the gate of the hotel.

“You could just stop here for me,” Maxwell suggested.

“No,” she shook her head. “I will just drive you in and drive out again.”

He widened his eyes at her. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“Yeah, it isn’t but I feel like doing so.”

Maxwell smiled and shook his head. He wasn’t going to try convincing her otherwise this time. A thought came into his mind just as the gate was opened for them to drive in.

“Since you’re driving in, then you’ll have to come in for a drink,” he offered.

She flashed a look at him immediately. “No, I think we’ve had enough for today already.”

“Enough?” he raised his brows at her. “We haven’t taken anything apart from snacks and water today.”

“Yeah, I think that’s enough. There’s no need to bother you anymore.”

“It’s not a bother to me,” he shook his head. “It’s not even up for discussion. You’re coming in with me to take a drink,” he said conclusively.

She glanced at him and laughed. “I really think you shouldn’t bother,” she stated as she parked the vehicle at a good place for him to step out and walk into the hotel building.

He turned and stared straight into her eyes. “So, you don’t just want to come in with me?”

“No, not that,” she shook her head. “I…”

“You gotta park at the garage and we go up together for a drink.”

“Okay,” she finally conceded with a sigh. “I’ll come in but only for five minutes. So that you can have enough time to rest.”

“Who says I want to rest?” He smirked.

Eight minutes later

Maxwell opened the room door for her to step in first and then followed after her.

“You may sit over here,” he quickly ushered her to one of the sofas.

“Thank you,” she said as she walked towards the sofa while her eyes hovered around the beautiful hotel room.

There were two comfortable sofas in the room with a glass centre table. A king-sized bed laid at the other end with a wardrobe and mirror on the left side. The door to the restroom was at the right-hand side, standing in between the bed area and the sitting area.

The walls of the room were painted glossy white and at the windows hung wine-coloured curtains. An air conditioner hung above at the wall where the headboard of the bed rested against.

“Would you like some fruit juice or wine?” Maxwell asked, already standing close to the refrigerator.

“I can take any, what do you have there?”

“I have some Damilano wine here, but I can order for anyone you want right away.”

“No, Damilano is good, let me have that,” she replied and turned her gaze away from him.

He took out the wine and brought with it two glass cups. He placed everything on the centre table and then opened the wine.

“So, how much do you take of alcoholic wines?” He asked as he tried to take off the lid.

“Not so much, but I know a lot of brands because of my job,” she replied. “I’ll take just a little,” she added quickly as he began to pour into her cup.

He filled both cups halfway.

“To a great day?” he raised his cup first.

“Yeah, to a great day,” She smiled as she raised hers too.

He watched her take a sip first before he took his.

“So, how long have you been here?” She asked after dropping her cup.

“Since I arrived Benuit,” he answered. “After we settle all formalities, I will need to rent an apartment, maybe you will join me in choosing a good one.”

“Sure, I will be glad to,” she smiled as she took another sip.

She dropped his cup to find her staring at him with a smile on her face. A smile escaped her lips as she stared back.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.

“You look beautiful,” he stated with a calm voice. “I wonder how stunning your daughter would look.”

She blushed. “You’re flattering me so much.”

“I’m not flattering you, I’m being honest.”

She only smiled and took another sip from the glass cup.

“You want some more?” Maxwell asked but didn’t wait for a reply before he poured into the cup. She didn’t object.

He also gulped down the remaining content from his cup and added more to it.

“You’re yet to update me on business,” Emily asked after the thought suddenly popped on her mind.

“Oh… Well,” Maxwell dropped his cup and sat back, taking a few seconds to think of a reply. “The board is yet to decide. But there’s something they’ve been considering.”

“What’s that?”

“They want to have recurring events and would like to partner with a venue provider on a long term basis,” he replied.

“Well, we’re also available for long term partnerships, so you can discuss the terms with me.”

“If it’s going to be a recurring partnership, there would have to be a renegotiation. And they thought we should do that with the boss instead.”

“The boss?” She frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“Well, we weren’t talking business before, I didn’t want to ruin our moment. Besides, a decision hasn’t been made yet. I just got the information from a board member who is a close friend.”

“The boss never really discusses such deals, you still have to go through me.”

“I see…”

“He’s got numerous businesses to attend to, so he never interferes with running the club except he needs to.”

“Uhm… Talking about that,” Maxwell cleared his throat. “Do you guys have branches in other states of Bethanna?”

She was quiet for a moment.

“I’m asking because we plan to network throughout Bethanna, Benuit is not the only focus. If we get a brand that has venues in different states, it makes our work and partnership easier.”

“But I’m not so sure you’ll get a nightclub that operates across all states in the country. Some very old brands could be available in three to four states but I’m not so sure that the quality of their facilities is the same in every state.”

“We won’t work with the low-quality facilities, only top-notch venues will work for our events,” Maxwell replied. “Is DIA only available in Benuit?”

“No,” she shook her head. “We have a bigger facility in Bexford.”

“I thought as much, is that where your boss is travelling to tomorrow?”

“No, he’s going to Venux. I guess he has his family there, he frequents there often.

”Oh! Whatever though. I think we may have to work with DIA in Benuit and Bexford.”

“Yeah, but when it comes to that, you’ll truly have to meet with the boss. I only control the activities here.”

“I see.”

“If you were ready, I would have set up a meeting for you and the boss before he leaves.”

“Oh! That’s not up to me. I only move when they tell me to,” Maxwell replied.

“Well, he might not be around until next month. That doesn’t stop the business anyway.”

“Yeah, his physical presence doesn’t stop it.”

Emily picked up the wine glass and gulped down the rest of the liquid. “I think I’ve got to go now,” she stated, getting up to her feet.

Maxwell quickly drank the remnant in his cup too and stood up to join her.

“Thank you for coming in to take a drink with me,” he said as he stepped closer to her.

She smiled. “It’s nothing to thank me for. I should be thanking you for inviting me in,” she said and was about to turn towards the door when he held her by the right elbow. She turned and stared at his face.

He adjusted his grip to her palm and squeezed it in his. Then he reached for her face with his right palm. Gently, he stroked her cheeks and hair.

She stared at him unblinking with her feet still fixed to the ground and no effort to move. She twitched as his thumb moved across her lips briefly.

He moved closer to her and she didn’t move back. The fragrance from her body filled his nostrils as he brought his face closer. She didn’t move or resist, instead, she closed her eyes and her lips parted slowly to welcome his.

They kissed gently for a few seconds before Maxwell pulled back. The moment seemed magical as their eyes locked. There was an overwhelming feeling in the air that couldn’t be explained.

Again, their lips met. However, it was fiercer and more passionate this time.

Maxwell’s hands moved down her body to her butt. Gently, he moved her gown up slowly and grabbed her butt his palms.

The romance got more intense and before they continued to kiss and smooch until they got to the bedside. Emily helped him take off his shirt quickly while he unzipped her gown from behind and took it off halfway. He followed by unbuckling her bra and flinging it away, revealing her bosom.

His hands reached for her b**bs as he bent to place his mouth on hers again. Her hands also moved towards his pants and unbuttoned it quickly.

____ 

Back at the base

“News reaching me reveals that Maxwell has been able to get Emily into his room,” Henry said, walking into the living room where the others were. “He’s been in there with her for thirty minutes.”

Dave laid on the three-seater sofa while Samantha sat on the one-seater adjacent to him.

“Let’s not make assumptions so fast,” Samantha joined in. “Maybe nothing is happening, they could be discussing business.”

Dave laughed and glanced at Samantha. “You mean they couldn’t discuss business while they were out in public, so they got into his hotel room to discuss business.”

Samantha shrugged. “It’s possible.”

“Come on, Sam. You’re pretending like a little kid,” he jeered. “Maxwell should be banging the b***h hard at this moment.”

Samantha shook her head with a mischievous smile. She knew Dave’s thoughts were most likely right but weren’t ready to give in to him.

“Tasks like this makes this mission cool,” Dave continued. “Maxwell is banging some good b***h for free.”

“I guess you wish you were the one there,” Samantha jeered.

“Nah,” he sneered. “Not at all. At this moment, I’ve got so much on my mind. Don’t have intentions to bang any girl yet.”

Samantha smiled, staring directly at Dave with a taunting look. “So what are your intentions?”

“My intentions?” Dave found himself reechoing. For a moment, he thought about what answer to give but he couldn’t find any. “Why should I tell you my intentions?”

She laughed, still staring at him.

“And what’s that look on your face?”

She laughed even harder this time.

“So you’re saying you ain’t gon bang if I arrange some fresh a$$ right now for you?”

Dave took in a breath as if to think about her questions. “Trust me, I’ve got something else on my mind for now.”

“Something like what?” Samantha questioned. He stared at her without answering. “Love?” She probed further.

“F*** you, it’s none of your business. I’ve got many things to think about than women.”

“Well, you’re thinking with your mind, not with your D. So whatever you’re thinking about shouldn’t stop your D from working,” she continued to make fun of him.

“Oh! Yea,” he rolled his eyes at her. “My D is working perfectly but you never told me you wanted some of it.”

“Hahaha…” She laughed. “That stuff you call your D is too f****ng weak, I’m sure it would break if I try riding on it.”

“What the…”

“It’s enough guys,” Henry who was quietly watching their banter interrupted. One could tell from the look on his face he was listening all through and struggling to stop himself from laughing out loud.

“You should let me talk back to her,” Dave said stubbornly, flashing glances at Samantha who was making faces at him.

“It’s okay for now, I need you to get some items for us from town,” Henry said to Dave.

“You ain’t gon let me talk back to her and you want me to go to town?” He said with a stubborn look. “You better send her cos you appear to be on her team, isn’t it?” He smirked and turned away with his face to the sofa.

Henry smiled while Samantha laughed out loud.

“I think you should be the one to go, it’ll help cool off a bit,” Henry suggested.

“Who needs cooling off?” Dave turned back to them, staring with a funny facial expression. “If you want me to go, you let us finish this banter and pick a winner. Else, you send her since you’re on her side.”

“Okay then, Sam will go into town,” Henry concluded.

“Good!” Dave smirked. “That would even help her get some good D to reset her brains properly.”

Samantha laughed harder, sensing the hurt in Dave’s voice.

Henry turned to Samantha. “You go into town, fill the gas cylinders and stop by at the bridge to Epa Hill. Evelyn would be there in fifty-five minutes, you bring her home.”

“What the f***!” Dave exclaimed loudly and sat up. “You never told me picking Evelyn was part of this.”

Henry shrugged and got up. “I shouldn’t stress you with that since I’m on her team.”

Dave scoffed.

Henry’s phone beeped and he took it out to check the message.

“Venux,” Henry mentioned loudly after reading the message. “Ryker is going to the Venux tomorrow. We need to find out what he’s going there for.”

“That message is from Maxwell?” Samantha asked.

“Yeah,” Henry nodded.

Dave shrugged. “Banging the club director is finally paying off.”

“I think you should leave now,” Henry said to Samantha before walking out of the living room.

Samantha turned to Dave once more to jeer at him before walking out.

__

Maxwell laid back in the bed after using Emily’s phone. She had gone to the restroom to clean up herself after their time of passionate sex.

Emily stepped out three minutes after getting into the bathroom, with a white towel wrapped around her body. She stood at the entrance of the bathroom for a moment, staring at Maxwell who was also staring back at her.

After a few seconds of staring, he got up and walked up to her. A broad smile appeared on her face as she watched him come closer. He stopped right in front of her and placed a kiss on her lips.

“You look sweet even in a towel,” he remarked. “Why didn’t you allow me to come with you into the bathroom,” he eyed her seductively.

“No,” she chuckled. “I know what’s in your mind and I wasn’t ready to fall for that temptation.”

He raised his brows. “What was on my mind?”

She laughed. “You’re a bad guy.”

He chuckled. “I have nothing on my mind, I just wanted to clean up like you.”

“You would clean up after I leave,” she replied and kissed his lips briefly. “I have to go now,” she added as she walked further into the room.

– – –

Benuit, Bethanna

Kahn, Hutton, Chanda, Florence Brown, five other men, and two other ladies were in a room that looked like a meeting hall. They were sitting around a large table, except for Hutton who stood at the front like a teacher, communicating the plans to them.

“So, what if Abraham fails to show up at the conference in Venux?” One of the men asked.

“He shows up every month at the UN conference, there’s no reason he should miss it this time,” Hutton replied.

“What happens if Abraham does not take the drink as we expect?” One of the ladies asked.

“If he doesn’t, we’ll handle it with a rough backup plan,” Hutton answered.

“Uhm…Are you going to tell us this backup plan?” A man asked.

“No,” Hutton shook his head. “It’s an undesirable process. The main plan makes it smooth. And I must remind you that anyone who misses their role in the task would pay with their lives. That’s why you have enough time to master the plan for perfect execution.”

The man did not look satisfied with the answer but he could not probe further.

Hutton looked at their faces to see if he would get questions from anyone else. “Is there anything anyone isn’t clear about?” he asked and they all stared at him silently. “Since we all understand our roles, you may leave right away.”

Except for Chanda and Hutton, the others got up to leave the meeting room.

“Florence Brown,” Hutton stared at Florence who was also preparing to leave with the others. “You should wait.”

She stepped back and returned to the stool she was previously sitting on before the meeting was dismissed. The other men left, leaving Hutton with Chanda, Kahn, and Florence.

“I need us to remember that we’re the main actors of the plan. Chanda is attending the conference as a dignitary and will be going with two bodyguards. Then, our girls would join the attendants on the stage. Their job is to serve Abraham the wrong drink. We’ll make the air conditioners malfunction. The place would be hot and it would cause thirst. Abraham would take his drink earlier than usual” he began discussing with the three. “I and Kahn would also be in the venue. I will be getting Abraham’s voice on the tape when he leaves the hall after developing a running stomach.”

“You didn’t explain fully to everyone,” Chanda put in.

“Yeah, because not everyone has to know the real plan,” Hutton replied. “The main goal is to let the world know that Abraham was involved in the explosion. After the explosion takes place, he dies.”

“Sir,” Florence Brown called his attention. “You mentioned this task some time ago, why did the timelines change?”

“A lot of things have changed since you met with Rex Morris in the UK. Carl Winston is moving fast and we’ve got to go faster.”

“Is there a backup plan in case Rex Morris fails to meet up with our goal for him?” Florence asked.

“Yeah, there always is a backup plan.”

To be continued