Saving Gina Ch. 04

Tinba nodded, "What would you like to do first Mr. Carter? Everything is available on your schedule."

"First tell me what you have been told about why I am here."

Tinba was very precise, "Prince Tulan's secretary told me that you may be working on a five year long project; may use this villa and the office building as a base; that I should extend you every courtesy, as if you were the Prince; answer every question truthfully and be your guide for the next few days."

"I want you to know more details because I will be asking your advice. First, I would like for you to review two documents that summarize my proposals to Prince Tulan. Yoni will stay with you and answer any questions you may have. While you are doing that, Gina and I would like to get settled in the master bedroom and begin reviewing the grounds and main house on our own for a couple of hours. Then I would like for all of us to have a light lunch together. And you can ask me directly anything you would like. Give me a moment to talk to Yoni and you can show Gina and me the master bedroom."

I whispered to Yoni, "Be careful not to disclose our personal plans and thoughts. She does not know or trust us. And we cannot trust her. She may be the Prince's biggest supporter and best spy. Make absolutely sure there are no records of your talk with her. No cameras. No notes. No anything." Yoni nodded. As Tinba walked Gina and me to the bedroom, I asked, "Are there any cameras in the master suite?" She was shocked by my to-the-point, knowledgeable question.

"There are no cameras there."

"Generally, where are cameras located around the villa?"

Tinba was following orders, "Everywhere else." She left us and we all went about our tasks.

The master suite was beautiful and well furnished, in a gaudy sort of way; it needed few changes. Gina took notes while I listed possible changes. On the large, but very stark, master patio I had her list: a surrounding high wall for privacy, a spa, colorful plants that would tolerate the climate, a shaded area for breakfast, patio furniture, servant access other than through the bedroom and some way to shade the back right wall of the bedroom from the afternoon sun. Gina got into the swing of things and began making excellent suggestions. The time went quickly, as we walked the entire five-acre compound. In our last few minutes before we were due for our meeting, Gina and I returned to the main house and walked through it quickly, just for orientation. The formal living room and dinning room could easily seat forty; there was a large indoor pool with bar and enough room to socialize; the kitchen wasn't really part of the main house but it was five star – I had Gina make a note to ask about the cook; there were six bedrooms with baths and there were extra bathrooms to support the common areas; I briefly saw a large outside party patio.

Yoni and Tinba were deep in conversation when we arrived. "Tinba, I assume you have caught on to the big issue that can really hurt the project."

Her quick answer made me hope she would buy into our dreams, "Prince Tulan must get the Sultan's approval to use Albian women."

"Excellent. What do you think of our project and its approach?"

"You could help Albai in many, many ways. What would you want me to do besides what is listed in your requests to Prince Tulan?"

"First and foremost, help with personnel selection, if we can use the women. I hesitate to say anything else."

"Yoni told me you would be concerned. I am well aware of why and I am willing to speak first and risk telling you what I think. Albai's women, me included, are wasting away and very dissatisfied. I would like to know I am working toward a possible change."

"In that case, Tinba, I am willing to risk telling you more of what I have not written. I will need a team of special, talented women who can do their jobs and build support with other women. If the project succeeds, I will assure that the world press praises the Sultan for his inspired leadership in allowing women to work freely. I would make all aspects of the project public. There will be so much visibility, I think the Sultan will feel free to allow sweeping progressive moves. I'm sure he knows how bad his decision was and just needs a way out.

"The team will have to be committed to improving the plight of Albai's women, but not militantly. At the top, we need three doctors for a full hospital at the office complex; one electric generation engineer, one water distribution engineer and an office manager. I cannot have the team disrupted or the project delayed for having babies or anything else. The project comes first. The more it succeeds the more everything else will fall into place. As the project progresses successfully, I have plans for women to be with their children, daycare operations, family planning education, keeping the women working after development and reasonable pay.

"I also hope you will want to manage the household and protocol?"

Tinba responded, "You are risking a lot, Mr. Carter."

"You saw that I have also asked for a lot. That is so I can take care of everyone who helps. Let me be direct with you. I will make this project happen. I like people and do not want anyone to get hurt. However, I am committed to the project's success and can be a very rough businessman. I will try to please Prince Tulan to get the project done, even if I have to cater to his darker sides. I am no boy scout; I have healthy appetites. Still there is no reason that a lot of extra good cannot come out of this project."

She showed us a risqué playful side by saying, "I understand all that you are telling me. In addition, I know Tonya, Mr. Carter. I have even seen your videos."

Gina and Yoni looked very puzzled. I said, "Who is Tonya?"

"I believed you called her ‘Keri' for the night Prince Tulan gave her to you."

She was enjoying my embarrassment. "Since you have seen that much of me, when we work in private, please call me, David. Sometime in private, if you can remember that my ego can be fragile, maybe you will give me your critique of my performance. I knew the Prince was watching. I had to please him. Poor Tonya had to pay the price."

"She still talks about your time together. You made an impression. I don't think she minded very much."

In that instant, we became friends. Gina and Yoni did not like being outside the joke. I put my new friend to work. "Give us the grand tour of the office complex."

That evening, I asked our hostess to join us for dinner and to turn off the cameras first and leave them off for the rest of our trip. "Tinba, why did the Sultan stop women from working?"

"Many of the women that the Sultan trusted, including at least three of his wives, used their influence to request and organize things that he did not know about. Some went so far as to have sex slaves trained to pleasure them. Just like the Sultan, himself, does. The Sultan got mad and made his decree. It has hurt all aspects of Albain life and everyone in Albia. Still he cannot be seen as backing down or being wrong."

Yoni was very uncomfortable when "sex slave" was said. I needed to talk to her about that. I needed to come completely clean with Gina also.

That night, while Gina bathed, I called Yoni over. "You were trained early and have been a sex slave for a long time, haven't you." Yoni was totally ashamed, nodded but would not look at me.

"Yoni, it is alright. We all do what we have to do for survival. It changes nothing for me. I am totally satisfied with you and want you to be with me." She brought her eyes up, sort of smiled, but this was too horrible for her to trust me with. "You are so good at sex, I suspected you had been trained and had many years of experience and many partners.

As long as I have a say, I swear to you, you are no longer a slave and I will not let any one will treat you as such. You can choose your partners and you can choose to say "yes" or "no" to anything you are asked to do. That includes me. I want you to feel free to talk to me about anything and ask for my help on any subject. I will not claim any right to punish you." Yoni could not comprehend all that I said. It was foreign to her. She would just have to see it all in action. At least, I got it all said. Gina came out of the room. This was worse than a soap opera. Yoni, head swimming, went to take her bath.

"Gina, I need to tell you a few things and re-state a few things." She looked horribly worried. "Back in Portland, when I heard you were missing, I concocted all this just to come look for you. I fell in love with you years ago and I'm in love with you now. I know that scares you. I know you cannot say that back. I will not bring it up again, unless you do. I do not consider you as my property. You do not have to have sex with me and you do not have to do what I say. I'll work to get us home, in any case. All I demand is your honesty." I reached for her. She came to me and we kissed. Her body and kisses felt good; something was still wrong; I did not feel any better.

My weakness has always been women. I want them all. For the most part, they have liked me and sought me out, usually for what I could do for them. Now that I'm older, I love a romp in the hay with no strings attached as much as I ever did but I now am searching for a woman who wants me for just being me. Stupid, I know. That situation might never exist for me. I've had lots of good sex and loving in the beginning of several relationships. Regrettably, something about me turned all my women into demanding, mercenaries. When I couldn't fix a relationship, I always lost myself into work and making money. I was excellent at that. My relationships dragged on until something would happen and I would have the guts to break it off.

That night no one made love. There was too much to think about. We all touched. I held Gina again hoping she would feel safe. I daydreamed for a long time, imagining that I could feel the love from Gina that I so desperately wanted.