Jack Al woke up at half past ten, feeling exhausted. He noticed that the TV was on. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, then switched it off. It had been on the whole night. He drew his bedroom curtains and saw Lilly swimming in her swimming pool at the backyard of the house.
He watched her for a while, then put on the previous day’s gray T-shirt and walked into the living room. The whole place was quiet, and Bud lay by the front door. On seeing Jack Al, he sprang to his paws and followed him.
“I didn’t say I need a bodyguard,” Jack Al told him. He followed him anyway.
There was some tea and pieces of cake on the dining table. Jack Al helped himself to some. It had been a long time since he ate cake. While he ate, Bud was perched on an opposite chair watching him intently. He was already used to it, so he ignored him. He cleared the breakfast and stretched.
Life was going well for him. His boss and friends were waiting for him with a huge surprise back at the West Side for a job well done…then he thought about Roxanne. He felt that he needed to see her but remembered the trouble he had put her in. He felt sorry for her. All in all, a job was a job, and if she got caught up in it, well, it’s unfortunate, he reasoned.
Afterwards, he stood and went to the swimming pool area. He found a short, slender man with spiky hair and a camera with Lilly.
“Pose for me, my beautiful lilly. The camera loves you,” he said to Lilly as he took pictures of her as she struck a pose in a bikini. She caught sight of Jack Al.
“Hey, Beanstalk. Did Bud wake you up again?” She asked while maintaining her picture-perfect pose. The man stopped taking pictures and turned to Jack Al.
“You’re quite a hunk,” he said, as he observed Jack Al from head to toe. His brown eyes rested on Jack Al’s broad chest.
“Um, allow me to do the introduction. Beanstalk, this is Simone Jacques, my designer cum photographer,” Lilly introduced while looking at both men in turns. Simone stretched his hand to Jack Al. He shook it. “Simone, this is my childhood friend Jack Al, but I call him Beanstalk,” Lilly continued. Jack Al nodded to Simone briefly. He found Simone’s continuous stares at his chest and groin to be annoying.
“Is he a model?” Simone asked Lilly.
“No, he’s not,” she replied briefly.
“What a shame! The camera is hungry for a yummy-looking body like his!” Simone exclaimed while scanning Jack Al’s entire body. Jack Al raised his eyebrows at Lilly. She shrugged.
“So where do the pictures you shoot of Lilly go?” Jack Al asked Simone.
“To the elegant magazines such as Vogue, Romance, Thrill, and Super Girl, not to mention Seventeen for teen girls. Your friend has a body that any normal person can desire, and her face has that natural beauty that perfectly complements the lens. She gets good money, monsieur,” he replied.
“Good money?” Jack Al repeated, more interested. Simone nodded surely, then looked at Lilly’s gorgeous frame.
“She deserves it, and you will too, if you start modeling. You have the body for it,” he replied. Lilly nodded. Jack Al stroked his hair.
“I don’t know,” he started weakly. Lilly grabbed him by his right hand.
“Oh come on, Beanstalk. Do something exciting for once in your life. Come on. It’s easy. I’ll show you,” she said, as she led him by the pool. Simone prepared his camera for some good shots while Lilly taught Jack Al how to pose. “That’s it. Now flex your muscles and pout,” she encouraged him. When he did, Lilly clapped and squeaked in delight.
“Are we ready?” Simone asked them. They both nodded. He shook his head. “No, mon ami, that won’t do. You have to be a part of the setting,” he said to Jack Al. Jack Al looked at Lilly for an explanation.
“What he means is…” she started, then suddenly pushed him into the huge pool of blue water. He plunged in with a loud ‘sploosh!’ “...get into the scene,” she continued, then laughed when huge drops of water splashed on her and Simone. Simone protected his precious camera from the water. Jack Al struggled back to the dry ground. He hoped to dodge the morning bath, but it caught up with him. Once out, he tickled Lilly slightly.
“Now?” He asked Simone. Simone shook his head firmly.
“That T-shirt is covering the goodies that God blessed you with that should be exposed,” he said. Jack Al rolled his eyes and slowly took off the T-shirt. Simone and Lilly stared at his broad, well-built chest as he did. When it was off, Simone clapped.
“Excellent, Jack. Now we’re ready,” he said, and instructed, “Okay, Jack, I want you to hold Lilly around her lower waist and press her against you. Lilly, I want you to rest your head on Jack’s chest. I want you both to give me a look of passion, yet calm. Pleasure, yet peace. I want magic, my models. Understand?” They nodded. “Alright. Places,” he said, as Jack Al and Lilly got ready for the shoot.
As Jack Al held Lilly, she looked at his pecs—how they gleamed in the warm, mid-morning sun—then looked into his gray eyes, and at his bushy brows, goatee, and finally his entire face. Even after she felt their bodies pressing against each other, she remained collected. She had been taught during a modeling class that models must always conceal their emotions.
Meanwhile, Jack Al felt hot blood rush through him. He desired Lilly, and the heated effect her body had on his when they pressed together didn’t make things easier. Nevertheless, he managed to keep his emotions intact.
Mr. Reynolds was pacing about his office in disbelief. He sat again and examined the figures on his computer. He wasn’t dreaming. $100,000,000 had been withdrawn from his company’s shares behind his back. Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. He took his seat and leaned back, then took off his spectacles. He wanted to see Roxanne better. Perhaps, he thought, his specs blinded him or made her be someone she wasn’t.
“Come in!” He called out. The door opened slowly and in came Roxanne.
“You wanted to see me, sir?” She asked meekly.
“Yes, Miss Roxanne. Please have a seat,” Mr. Reynolds replied, then outstretched his hand to one of the empty seats before him.
Roxanne shut the door then sat down. Mr. Reynolds looked into her eyes for a while. She returned his look, unmoved. He cleared his throat, then sat up and turned the computer monitor towards her.
“Would you care to explain this, Miss Roxanne?” He told her, while indicating the figure in bold. She looked at it, then him.
“I’m sorry, sir, I’m not following. Explain what?” She asked. He wore his spectacles, then joined his hands together. There was a knock at his door. They both looked at it.
“Yes?” Mr. Reynolds responded. A cateress walked in with his coffee. “Get another cup for the young lady, Flora. And this time when you come, don’t bother knocking,” he instructed. She poured him some tea, nodded, then excused herself.
When she closed the door, Mr. Reynolds faced Roxanne once again.
“Would you care to explain how a sum of $100,000,000 was transacted from the company’s shares from your computer’s records?” He asked her, then sipped his coffee.
“I have nothing to say. I have never accessed those records. I never even knew they existed,” she replied, then kept quiet when Flora walked in, set a cup before her, and poured her some coffee.
“Thank you, Flora, that will be all,” Mr. Reynolds said. Flora nodded, and just as she was leaving, Bree appeared at the doorstep of the office with files and knocked. She was in a well-fitting blouse, knee-length mermaid skirt, and heels. Her hair was tied into a French pleat.
“Yes, Miss Bree, come in,” came the reply.
She got in, looked at her friend, then said to her boss, “Here are the files you needed, sir,” and left. Mr. Reynolds nodded, then sipped his coffee and put the files aside. When Bree shut the door, he motioned Roxanne to continue.
“As I was saying, I have never gone through the company records’ shares,” she said calmly.
“So are you saying that the figures are lying?” Mr. Reynolds asked coldly after taking off his spectacles and narrowing his eyes dangerously, making his appearance stern.
“No, I’m saying that there is a mix up here, sir,” Roxanne replied gently.