A New Life Ch. 01

The following story is an original work of fiction. All characters described in this story are over the age of 18. If any of these characters resemble actual people, it is a coincidence. All rights are reserved.

The story takes place in Atlanta, Georgia, and all the places and businesses mentioned are actually there. So, at least, that part is not fictional.

The editor for this five-chapter story was XTipsyX. Her spelling and grammar expertise was a critical help along the way. She also suggested some scene changes that I incorporated. Any errors remaining in this story are mine alone and probably occurred after her last edit.

Thank you for reading my stories and I really appreciate your comments and constructive criticism. Now, grab your adult beverage of choice and enjoy A New Life.

*

Reaching the top of the exit escalator at the Atlanta Airport, I saw a young man holding a sign with my name. I approached and said, "Hi, I'm Jim Munson."

"Hi, Mr. Munson. My name is David and I'll be driving you to the hotel. Do you have luggage?"

"Only one bag?"

"Delta's over on the South Terminal side. Let's go this way. How was your flight from Zurich?"

"Very tiring. Coming this way makes for a long day but at least it was uneventful."

We exchanged the normal pleasantries while waiting for the bag. David then said, "I was told to take you to the Westin but that you wanted to see the area around Marietta before I drop you off. Is that right? "

"Yes, that'd be great. I'm planning to move here and I just want to get a quick look at houses. Do you know that area?"

"I live in the little town of Kennesaw which is next to Marietta. So I know it pretty well."

The bag finally arrived and we headed to his car. Since it was the middle of the day, we had a quick drive up I-75 and arrived in downtown Marietta in about 30 minutes. This small town had a lovely square surrounded on three sides by shops and restaurants. The courthouse was on the fourth side.

We were both hungry so I treated him to lunch at the Marietta Pizza Company. David was a practiced conversationalist and I learned quickly about the local customs, people and something called the "big chicken," a local landmark.

After lunch, David drove through several of the very nice housing developments and told me the approximate price ranges. I was amazed at how much house you could get for the money. Of course, money was no longer a problem for me but I really needed to blend into the community and not look out of place. There were a lot of bad people looking for me.

"David, do you know any realtors that you could recommend?"

"I don't know any agents but my sister Linda works as a secretary in a Keller Williams office. They're a large nationwide realtor with a number of local offices so I think they would be OK to use. I'll give you her phone number and you can ask her."

David then drove to the Westin in downtown Atlanta. It's a round hotel that looked to have 60 or more floors. As I expected, there was a message from a Mr. Lewis but it showed only his phone number and a request to call.

After unpacking what few things I brought, I used the room phone to call Mr. Lewis. He picked up on the second ring.

"Mr. Lewis, this is Jim Munson. I have a note to call you."

"Good afternoon Jim. Welcome to Atlanta. I was told by mutual friends to expect your arrival. If possible, I would like to drop by your hotel and leave a package of documents. They have to deal with Project Icon."

I instantly relaxed. "Project Icon" was the code name assigned to me and anyone who knew I was in the witness protection program would use that name when first contacting me.

We agreed to meet at 5:00 in the lobby and he would be wearing a grey sport coat.

When he arrived, I learned that his name was actually Brian O'Malley. He said he used "Mr. Lewis" when leaving messages. We went to my room rather than speak in the lobby.

After closing the door, Brian held out his badge and said, "Jim, I'm a US Marshall and will be your contact here in Atlanta. Here's my cell phone number and you can call me anytime day or night. If you ever feel that you might be in danger, you're to call me immediately."

"How much longer do you think I'll be in danger? It's been more than a year since the last trials were held."

"We don't know for sure. Even though the FBI staged an elaborate ruse to make it look like you were killed in an accident, the mob may still have their doubts."

"While I was tucked away in Switzerland, I was told that you found my burned body in a car. How did you manage that?"

"Well, we always have a few unclaimed bodies laying around. And since the FBI lab verified the dental records as yours, of course, it was easy. Your funeral was well attended, even by the mob. You had a lot of friends. Your estranged wife even came."

"Did she bring her latest sugar daddy?"

"I have no idea."

"Unfortunately, we are still technically married since our divorce wasn't final before all this happened."

Brian asked, "How can she be married to a dead man?"

"Hey, that's right! I just wish there was a way to let my parents know I'm still alive."

"That's always the difficult part about this program. In order to protect you and your loved ones from danger, you have to walk away from your past life. Just remember, you cost the crime families in Chicago and Milan over $600 million. That's why there's such a large price on your head."

"Were you able to confiscate all those accounts I traced?"

"Yes, and we found a few more you didn't know about. Money laundering is often very convoluted, especially at the scale you identified."

"You mentioned that you had some documents for me?"

Brian reached over and opened his briefcase. Inside were a stack of papers and a large bundle of currency.

"Jim, we've been doing some banking and other stuff for you. Along with your new name, we had to create a new financial history. Your new credit record, by the way, is excellent. Congratulations!" We both laughed.

"Here's a copy of your new birth certificate, your Georgia drivers license and your new VISA credit card. Of course, they gave you the US passport before you left Zurich.

"As I think you were told, the Bank of America helps us out and they've set up accounts for you. You indicated that you wanted to live up in Marietta so we used that branch. The manager there doesn't know you're in the program, he just knows that you have $4 million on deposit and I'm sure he's anxious to suck up to you. Here's his name and phone number."

"Looks like you guys have thought of everything."

"We've had a lot of practice. Now, I need you to sign all of these documents that legally establish the accounts. Here's your copy. We'll make sure that the bank gets the originals. Oh, by the way, you have a box at the Marietta post office and that's your legal address for now. Here's that information. If you buy a house and want to change addresses, just let them know."

"Did all this cash come from my account?"

Brian smiled and responded, "You don't think we took up a collection, did you? You have more money than all our marshals in Atlanta combined."

"And I feel a little guilty about that. I never expected that I'd get 10% of the confiscated money. With my old job at the bank, I would have to work 10 lifetimes to make that much."

"Jim, that reminds me. There is one more document I need to give you." He reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out a sealed envelope. "This arrived just this afternoon as I was leaving. I was told that these are the transfer instructions you should use when moving money from your Swiss account to the bank here. This is your equivalent of a get-out-of-jail-free card. The funds will move without all the legal scrutiny, bank fees or taxes that normally happen.

"Now for the cash, this is actually from your old bank account in Chicago. When we rushed you out of there, you didn't have time to close your accounts. So we did it for you. There's $9,435.00 here."

"Good. Thanks for doing that. Do you know what happened with my house and furniture?"

"The court turned that over to your wife. We couldn't find your last will and testament so there was no other choice.

"Now your job, Jim, is to hide out in plain sight. Enjoy your new life and try not to be paranoid. The chances of the mob finding you now are very slim. The plastic surgeon did a great job on your face, by the way. I never would have recognized you from the old photo I had."

Brian and I shook hands and he left. I was very tired and decided to lie down for a few minutes. The travel and time zone changes from Europe were killing me.

*********************

I awoke at 5:00am and struggled for a few seconds to remember where I was.

After showering, shaving and putting on fresh clothes, I realized how hungry I was and decided to go down to the café in the lobby. The young lady who served tables there was very attractive. She appeared to be a natural blonde and had an impressive chest and a firm little butt.

At 9:00am, I called David's sister at the realtor's office and she picked up. Wow, a human voice actually took the call. I loved not having to go through six levels of computer answering nonsense.

"Hi Linda, this is Jim Munson. I got your number from David yesterday and he suggested I contact you."

"Of course. David called last night and said you might be calling in. Welcome to Marietta."

"Thank you very much. It's a lovely town and everyone is really nice. I understand from David that you know the agents pretty well and can recommend someone to work with me the next few days."

"That's right. We have about 30 agents working out of this office. The one I really like and who moves a ton of property is Ashley James. She is young, aggressive, knows the area and will work her tail off to save you money. She's an excellent negotiator and sold more property in her first three months than anyone else here."

"Wow, that's impressive. So does Ashley have a few days open this week?"

"Yes, I talked to her early this morning. She was planning to take a couple of days off to see her parents down in Savannah but quickly changed her plans when I told her about you. She just stepped out but I'll have her call you when she returns."

"That's great, Linda. I appreciate your recommendation."

After the call, I walked to a nearby AT&T store and purchased an iPhone and a calling plan. The new VISA card worked fine and, with my sterling credit rating, AT&T waived the activation fee.

I returned to the room, called Brian and gave him the new cell phone number. I also told him that I would be house hunting the next few days.

A few minutes later, the room phone rang.

"Hello."

"Hi, is this Mr. Munson?"

"Sure is."

"Great, my name is Ashley James and I'm an agent with Keller Williams Real Estate."

"Hi Ashley. Thanks for calling back. Linda speaks highly of you and wouldn't hear of me using anyone else."

"Linda is a sweetheart. We look out for each other which can be interesting." She laughed. "She told me that you're here this week and would like to see houses in the Marietta area. Would you like to go out this afternoon and start the search?"

"I sure would. Why don't you come by the Westin Downtown for lunch? We can meet in the lobby around 1:00 if that's OK."

"That'll work. What price range are you thinking about?"

"Something in the $700 to $900 hundred thousand range."

"Great. I'll download a number of listings to my laptop and bring it along. So, I'll see you at 1:00. I'll be wearing a blue dress."

Ashley had a lovely voice. Her Savannah upbringing gave her a southern accent that flowed like warm honey. I'm not sure why but visions of Gone With The Wind characters flashed through my mind.

It was still only 11:00 so I decided to read the newspaper that had been dropped at my door that morning. One of the below-the-fold stories was about Habitat for Humanity, which is headquartered 130 miles south of Atlanta. Seems like a benefactor just donated a fantastic sum of money to help build houses for poor people. They appeared to be doing great work.

As 1:00 approached, I walked down to the lobby and started watching people going in and out. Then she arrived. Even had I not known what she would be wearing, I could have told you it was Ashley when she walked in. The image was that of a bubbly cheerleader, spreading cheer to everyone as she glided across the lobby.

I waved and smiled as she approached. Her teeth sparkled. "You must be Jim. Welcome to Atlanta." she announced to everyone within twenty feet.

"And you've got to be Ashley. Very nice to meet you."

She was a natural light strawberry blonde, appeared to be in her late twenties with brilliant medium-blue eyes. Her dress indicated a nice pair was just out of sight. I would estimate her height at 5'6" or 5"7" and her hairstyle was full and really attractive. It nicely framed her face. She almost looked like a younger and prettier version of Jessica Simpson.

Ashley wore a light blue summer dress that didn't quite reach her lovely knees and several pieces of elegant jewelry. The fragrance she wore was just perfect-spicy. She was dressed to please.

"I hope I'm on time." She knew she was, of course, but it was still a nice thing to say.

"You're right on time. Hungry?"

"A little bit. You want to eat here or go to one of my favorites, Ray's on the River? It's down on the Chattahoochee just north of town."

"That sounds like fun. Let's go."

We walked outside and the valet immediately opened the doors of her BMW convertible. I sensed that he was expecting her to return immediately since he had not moved the car. So, I thought, Ashley is accustomed to getting her way. I wondered what she would have said had I suggested we stay at the hotel for lunch?

The drive to Ray's was interesting. Her dress was relatively short which gave me a great view of her legs as she drove. She only ran two red lights but was close on many others. Thankfully, we arrived in just a few minutes and the valet welcomed Ashley like he had known her forever. She had probably been here with clients many times.

The young lady at the entrance seated us immediately, even though the restaurant appeared to be full and several people were waiting for a table.

Our table was actually a booth in a remote part of the restaurant. Ashley asked me to sit next to her since she wanted me to see some of the listings on her laptop.

As I studied the menu, a waiter arrived and took our order. He already knew that Ashley wanted unsweetened ice tea and a Cobb salad. I ordered a cup of seafood bisque and a prime rib sandwich with a Stella.

After he walked away, I asked, "How did he know what you wanted?"

"I'm fairly predictable, I suppose. I come here often for lunch. I have a friend who's a part owner. Now, let's talk about Jim. Where are you from and what do you do for a living?"

"I'm coming here from Zurich. I worked for a large international company after college. Then I started an import/export business, ran it for several years and recently sold it. Right now, I'm between jobs and planning to move here. I may wait a while to look for something else. I'm tired of working so many hours."

Ashley replied, "I sure know how that is. In the realty business, an agent has to be available to work sixteen hours a day, seven days a week. When the market is hot and properties are moving quickly, I end up working all the time. I never know when a client will call and ask for help."

I thought I would play with her mind a bit so I asked, "I'll bet that really hampers your love life, huh?"

"Well, it could for sure, but I try not to let it. I'm not married and really not seeing anyone seriously right now."

She suddenly changed the subject.

"Let me open up the listings I downloaded to see what you think."

We looked at photos of at least a dozen houses in the $800 thousand to $1.2 million range; and all were beautiful and had any feature one could want. I picked out three that seemed to be the best and she quickly called the listing agents to arrange appointments. The food then arrived and we enjoyed light conversation, just getting to know each other. Several times during our conversation, her leg would suddenly touch mine and rest against it for several seconds before retreating. Interesting.

Our first appointment was in an hour so Ashley suggested we drive around Marietta. It seemed to be a typical small town with many stately old homes along Church Street. Very quaint.

The first home was absolutely huge. It had six bedrooms, seven baths and the largest great room and kitchen I had ever seen. The media room was like a small commercial theater and the pool was kidney shaped and landscaped perfectly. It was the most expensive of the three at just over $1 million.

The second house had several of the same features as the first but it had a very naughty master bedroom. Ashley and I walked in and gasped. The bed was huge, much bigger than king size, and round. The color palette used was red and more red. Above the bed, on the ceiling, was a mirror at least as big as the bed. In the bath was a Jacuzzi big enough to accommodate at least eight people. This was definitely a party house. Now I know why the listing didn't show photos of this room. Ashley and I looked at each other and just laughed.

The third house was almost as big as the first one and was conservatively decorated with muted earth-tone colors. The kitchen appliances were by Viking. The five bedrooms were very large and each had a full bath. When we walked into the master bedroom, there was an audible sigh of relief. No red and no mirrors.

Since Ashley had not toured any of these three houses before, I asked for her initial impressions.

As she enumerated the pros and cons of each from a woman's perspective, I could see her mind was really into the sales mode. She wanted to sell a house and sell it quickly.

I thought it might be fun to be around her for a few days so I was in no hurry. She clearly played in another league than me and this might be my only chance to be with her. "Ashley, let's look at several others tomorrow and see what we can find. I could go with number three but really want to see more of the market before I decide."

"OK. Let's head back and I will drop you off at the hotel."

The drive downtown was easy since the rush hour traffic was going the other way. Again, I couldn't help but notice her shapely legs and the way she had them open as she drove. I might have to jerk off to that memory tonight.

*************************

When she picked me up at 9:00 the following morning, I was surprised by her even shorter dress. Now, she was getting serious. Ashley wanted to influence a decision and was clearly in the bartering mode. She was willing to entertain me if I was willing to buy a big-ticket house that gave her a large commission. Maybe if I could postpone the decision a few more days, I would see a lot more skin. Let the games begin.

We headed back up the road to Marietta and the wind coming into the convertible played havoc with our hair and her dress. Her legs were now fully exposed along with the ruffles on the edge of her panties every now and then. She spread her legs as she drove and was clearly advertising. Nothing was said but she kept glancing over at me to make sure I was buying what she was selling. I was.

The fourth house she showed had a lot of steps leading to the porch. I let her take the lead. Her ass and legs had my full attention. The house was very nice, like the others, but there was really nothing out of the ordinary. And I didn't like all those steps.