One Joke Too Many.

Addison looked unbelievingly at her stepsister. "I don't believe you! And you are pregnant?"

Meredith showed her sister some pics on her phone from their little trip 10 weeks ago and said, "Look."

The man stumbled to his car and drove off. The next day the girls discovered that he had vanished into thin air.

<><><><>

Peter and Meredith became fast friends. They were happy in each other's company and most people thought they were a couple. In time they grew to each other and became fast friends and friends with benefits. They discovered that it was not in the stars for them to be fully committed to each other. In some ways, some of the gaps were too big to be in a committed relationship without harming one another's character. They were too different in one way and too alike in other ways to become a couple.

That went on until a few months later Peter was called by the CEO and owner of his Global Constructions.

When Peter entered the head office, he was met by the man himself and ushered into his office. Without any preliminaries the man asked Peter, "Can you remember that project in Central Asia? That freshwater basin?"

Peter nodded and replied, "Of course. One of the demands was that we must use local labor. Incorporating that financially and planning the work was next to impossible."

Then he waited patiently until his boss was ready to tell the rest.

That took a while and after a few minutes he said, "This must be kept a secret between us two. There is serious trouble brewing over there. People are leaving, even though we pay twice the rate of what they are used to.

The project has almost come to a standstill while the costs are rising exponentially. I need someone there who can get the project going again. The future and the name of Global Constructions balances on this one."

Peter nodded but waited for more.

The CEO went on, "You don't make it any easier for me, do you? Anyway, here's the deal. I'd like you to go there. You get full mandate and control. You get hazard pay as long as you are there. 150% extra pay on top of what you have now and a bonus if you pull this off within a year from now. I'll arrange off-site living quarters with a housekeeper. Last but not least. I'm getting too old for this shit. You're my best man, if you pull this off, you are capable enough to handle this company and I will appoint you as my successor."

Peter was completely taken by surprise by all this. He didn't even have an inkling that he was in the picture for a higher management function, let alone CEO. He asked, "When do you need an answer Sir."

"About five minutes ago. If you say yes, what I hope you will do, you will be on tomorrow's flight to Tbilisi."

"Ok. I'll do it. I have to say my goodbyes to some people, but I keep vague about my mission.

One other thing. Since this is staying between these walls. All the extra money. Can you pay me that afterwards as a bonus? I'm in the middle of divorcing my wife and I don't think she deserves to be rewarded for, among others, cheating on me.

It also makes sense, not to announce my arrival to the people over there."

"Consider that done and let's shake hands on it."

Peter and the CEO shook hands and Peter went home to pack. The first thing he did was calling his children to tell her that was away for work and that he did not know when he was back.

Miranda regaled him with the family antics after the two uncles were convicted. That uncle Kevin had packed his bags, disappeared without telling anyone and only after emptying the savings account. Elizabeth and her mother still tried to fight the divorce.

Half an hour later they promised to email and keep Peter in the loop. Next came packing, He was done quickly.

The last part was the most difficult one. He called Meredith to see if they could have lunch together. When they were seated in the booth of a restaurant she said, "You are going to tell me something and I'm afraid that I don't like it."

Peter waited until they had their food on the table and said, "Yes, you are right."

Meredith immediately interrupted, "You found another woman and want to break us off."

"No. I haven't found another woman. It's work. I can't tell you what it is, nor where I go to but I'll be gone for a long time."

"Indeed. I don't like it. I love you and I will miss you. I'll wait for you. But it's the secrecy that bothers me the most. Can't you tell me anything?

"Actually, that I tell you that I'll be away until further notice is already too much. So please don't tell anybody." Peter said. "There is another thing I need to discuss and that is very difficult for me to say."

"I'm listening." Meredith replied.

"You just said that you are going to wait for me. I don't have the slightest idea how long this is going to take. I can't expect that you practice overall abstinence. I know how much you like sex.

Here is the crux of my plea. If you meet a man you really like and see a future with him, don't hold back. Please be happy. I will be the first one to congratulate both of you. But tell me honestly. Just send me a 'Dear John', or in this case a 'dear Peter' letter or e-mail."

Meredith got tears in her eyes when Peter pitched his plea. He drove her to her home. He wanted to see Tobias for a moment to tell him that he will be gone for a while. When he walked back to his car Meredith ran after him.

She hugged him hard, "You know that I love you, don't you? Please be careful. I don't like all this secrecy one bit. Whatever happens. I do want to see you again."

Peter replied, "I promise. I love you too. Hand on to my heart, I'll be back."

The next day.

He was boarding the flight to Schiphol Amsterdam Airport to connect to Tbilisi in Georgia. When on board he made himself comfortable and after take-off he started to work.

First, he had a quick look at the finances of the project. When he started to dig, he noticed that the local labor was paid in cash. But the money to pay them was, each week, withdrawn in Euros. That made him think, why not in Manat, the Azerbaijani coin? And why wasn't it noticed at the main office? A few hours later when the aircraft was already descending, he was struck with another thought. Peter made another note and shelved it until later.

It was time to disembark and get some rest. Six hours later he took off again. During this flight he familiarized himself with his original planning and cost calculations. Then he checked the quote for this project. After 9 hours he was through customs and was met by a man holding up a sign with his name.

After identifying himself and the man handed him a set of car keys with the papers and a sealed box. The man waved his hand at a parked Toyota Landcruiser and walked away.

Peter pressed the key fob and the Landcruiser blinked back. The car was not new and therefore inconspicuous and that suited Peter just fine.

Inside the car he opened the box. Inside the box was a small antenna together with a satellite internet router, a Chromebook and a military grade GPS navigation device.

On the bottom was an envelope. Peter knew what was in the envelope. Now it was time for the drive into Azerbaijan. He opened the envelope and got out his authorization and documents and a keyring with a number of keys. Finally, he found the maps and the GPS coordinates. He punched the coordinates into his navigator. He started the last leg of his journey.

<><><><>

The first part of the drive was rather easy and went by quickly. After 150 miles Peter the GPS told him to take an exit and he left the highway. The road deteriorated quickly, and it became a lot harder to drive.

Luckily his car was up to the task and after 5 grueling hours he finally got in the vicinity of his destination.

Suddenly he heard gunshots echoing through the mountains and a plink sounds on the roof of his car. He looked up and there were a few holes in his roof.

He pushed the accelerator down and the car sped forward. Just in time. Just behind him a small avalanche of rock and debris rained down on the road and would have pushed him down the slope into the river below. He kept on driving like possessed.

It seemed that there was no backup for his assailants further down the road and at last he reached his destination. A house, half built in the slope of the mountain with a good oversight of the surroundings and the path towards it.

He got out of his car and had to steady himself against the door. He was nauseous from the adrenaline withdrawal now he finally arrived and had to fight to keep the content of his stomach down when he heard a female voice behind him shouting angrily, "S?n burda n? edirs?n?" (What are you doing here?)

Peter wanted to turn around when she said, "Dayan!" (Wait!)

The message was obvious. He looked out of the corners of his eyes and saw a gorgeous looking woman pointing an AK47 at him. Peter lost it. He heaved and everything he had inside his stomach spewed violently out of his mouth. When he was done, he turned around, not caring what happened next and carefully got his letter of recommendation, written in Azerbaijani, out of his pocket and threw it at the woman. Not letting her eyes waver and the AK47 trained on him she picked up the letter and started to read. Then she asked in good English, "Why didn't you say so? Are you ill?"

Peter started to get his wits together again and answered sarcastically, "You didn't give me a chance, did you? And no! I'm not ill. That's my reaction at being shot at just before an avalanche almost pushed me in the river down in the ravine and a woman pointing an automatic at me. All within two hours."

The eyes of the woman went wide, "Somebody tried to shoot you? Who?"

"Look at the roof of the car. And how should I know? Is this how you receive guests? And who are you?"

The woman replied, 'I'm Alyana. It seems that I am your housekeeper."

Peter took a good look at the woman. Thirty-ish, dark, almost black, hair, light brown eyes, high cheekbones and voluptuous lips. Her body was hidden by woolen jumper and wide trousers. But these couldn't hide her big breasts, sitting high on her chest, and long legs.

He said, "How convenient, a housekeeper who speaks almost fluent English. Couldn't you get a better job?"

Alyana almost burst out in tears when she answered, "No. Now can you please come in so I can apologize for your reception?"

Peter was sitting in the kitchen, in front of him a cup of very strong and very sweet tea. Alyana sitting at the opposite of the table. But before she could start Peter said, "Please don't apologize. There is no need. I'm actually glad that you are that careful. My reception in this area was not very welcoming hence my reaction after you pointed a gun at me. That was just too much."

Alyana asked, "Do you have any idea why they tried to prevent you from coming here?"

Peter hesitated but he had to trust someone so he decided to probe her a bit. "It's obvious that you are an intelligent woman and you speak English. So why are you my housekeeper when you could at least be an interpreter?"

I'm an accountant and I studied English. When I applied for these functions, they had additional demands."

"What kind of demands?"

Alyana blushed when she said, "I had to service them sexually."

"What? People employed by Global Constructions?" Peter almost shouted.

Alyana nodded, her head to the ground. Peter was aghast when he said, "I will add that to my list."

Alyana looked questionably at Peter and Peter made his decision. He said, "They sent me here to investigate why this project is running off the rails. During my flight I found a few things that bothered me. You are an accountant. Can I hire you as an accountant and interpreter? Without alerting the current project manager. You remain, for the rest of the world, supposedly my housekeeper."

"I would like that very much. But I need to be at home in time for my daughter. My parents are getting older and she is a whirlwind to take care of."

"I can understand that. Maybe your husband can fill in sometimes?"

"I have no husband. Nobody wants me." She blurted.

Peter said nothing. They knew each other for two hours and he was already smitten by her.

"What happened at the gorge? Alyana asked.

Peter, glad for the distraction, started to explain and ended his story with, "Nobody ought to know that I'm here. But I am afraid..." Peter didn't finish his sentence. He looked at the clock and asked, "Is there something to eat and a bed? I'm dead on my feet."

Alyana busied herself in the kitchen while Peter took a shower. When he got down, she had a simple but wholesome meal on the table. She was donning her coat when she said, "I'm still your housekeeper, so leave the dishes till tomorrow, I'll wash them when I get here. Good night."

Alyana walked the 4 miles to the village, taking stock. He seems like a nice man. I could see that he was honestly shocked when I told him about trying to whore me out and he had the decency not to ask any further when I told him that it's just me and Petra. I wonder if his offer to be his accountant is genuine.

Meanwhile Peter closed his bedroom door, dropped everything, donned a t-shirt and crawled under a down duvet. He was out like a light within seconds.

The next morning.

Peter looked at the cold barren landscape. He made coffee to chase the cobwebs out of his brain. He was jet-lagged and didn't sleep well even though he fell asleep immediately. Alyana promised to be here at eight and he asked himself how she got here yesterday. He didn't see a car parked when he arrived.

The door opened and Alyana stepped inside. Immediately Peter asked, "How did you get here? I didn't hear a car?"

"I walked. It's only 6 kilometers."

"That has to change. I'll arrange some kind of transport. What would you like? Do you know a car for sale? It comes with the job as housekeeper. You need to go to the shops, don't you?" Peter told Alyana while he winked.

Alyana looked surprised. "A car? Really? That would solve a lot of my problems. Yes please. But you have to come with me, I don't know anything about cars."

"That's ok. We'll do that. Now, did you give a thought to being my personal accountant and possible interpreter?"

"I have a problem with that. My parents are too old to take care of Petra the whole day. They can for a few hours, or so. Any longer will become a problem and I don't have anybody else to do that."

"Take her with you. Bring her to school and pick her up afterwards and take her with you. How old is she? I'll arrange one room as a play, rest or sleeping room for her."

"She's ten. Are you willing to do that?"

"Of course. That is company policy. Day-care comes with the job if an employee needs it. Now, will four thousand Euros monthly be enough?"

"What? That much? I would have said yes if you paid me that in Manat."

"But people are paid in Euros here, don't they? That's what is withdrawn from the bank before payday."

"No, the people from here are paid in Manat."

Peter thought for a while and said, "Ok, car first and a computer. Do you need a GSM? It all comes with the job. Don't worry about the cost. If we have you set up, we start cracking? I want to know why the accountant withdraws Euros and pays in Manat. Now I have coffee ready. Want a cup?"

A few weeks later.

Because Peter wanted to keep his profile as low as possible it took a while before things started to get clear. The wages of the workforce were withdrawn in Euros and paid in Manat. The snag was that if a worker was on the payroll for 500 Euros per week, he got 500 Manat paid instead. Peter found out when he, with Alyana's help, started to interview the village people. The rate for Manat which was about 1 Euro to 2 Manat meant that someone was skimming the wages.

Now Peter and Alyana needed proof. Someone embezzled the other half. They decided to involve Alyana's family. Her father, though an old man, had great standing among the people in the village and he knew who could be trusted and who not so.

Now they looked into the foreign employees. To his astonishment, he found a picture of his ex-brother-in-law Kevin Rhodes on the list. He was hired under another name through an international employment agency. He was the one who handed the workers their pay each week. Peter decided that he had to be extra careful now otherwise his past with Kevin could play tricks on him.

<><><><>

Peter was four months in Azerbaijan still trying to find out exactly how and most important to prove, who was skimming the wages. He was also trying to find out how Kevin Rhodes was able to get employed under a false name and with all relevant certificates. That proved difficult because the information was in a local database and therefore not available to him.

His relationship with Alyana was getting better and better. Now Petra was able to come to the house with her mother, Alyana stayed longer and they spent many hours just talking. Peter took Petra into his heart. The bright dark eyes, happy demeanor just made his heart melt. He also started teaching her math and physics. One afternoon they found themselves taking a break when Peter's phone indicated that his mailbox from his private account was full. He forgot to check it and didn't open it for at least a month. He coupled his phone with his laptop and downloaded his inbox. Meanwhile he went on with the conversation he had with Alyana.

Alyana was happy. The introverted man finally opened up a bit. Her feelings for this man went way beyond liking him. He was funny, clever and trustworthy and as a bonus, good looking and physically in good condition. He ran every day to the village, vice versa and worked out religiously. Suddenly she looked up and saw Peter looking at her. She asked "What?"

Peter replied gently, "You were woolgathering. I asked why you are alone with Petra. You don't have to tell me. It's none of my business but I'm wondering why a gorgeous woman such as you doesn't have a man, or a woman in her life."

It was the question Alyana was dreading. She was afraid that the answer would alienate the one man she was interested in. The man who didn't try to get in her pants, treated her as an equal and took a shine to her daughter as well. But he was honest and open. She had to decide now. She just had to risk it. If he found out through others, she might lose everything she now had and maybe he could arrange another job for her if his job was finished here and he goes back home.

Alyana took a deep breath and softly started, "Nobody wants me anymore. I'm 30, too old to be a wife for the men here. I was to be married to the younger brother of my uncle. That is the husband of my mother's sister. But before we were wed my uncle decided that he could 'test-drive' me and raped me. That was when I became pregnant with Petra. Of course, it was all my fault and no man ever wanted to touch me after that. I am damaged goods. My parents sent me off to study in the hope to get a job at GC and you know where that led to." She said with a quiver in her sad voice.

Peter looked at the woman he fell for within an hour after they met. He stood, opened his arms and said softly, "Come here."

Astonished by his request but unable to resist, she stood up and walked into his arms. Peter closed his arms and whispered into her ear, "I'm so sorry to hear that out of the mouth from someone I hold dear. I hope that what I am going to say now won't create a rift in our friendship but it is very important that I say it. I've fallen for you. Hard. I promise you that I will get you, and Petra, out of this morass, one way or another. Understand?"

Alyana was shocked. Peter didn't reject her; the opposite was true. He came to the rescue. She softly started to cry and squeaked, "But I'm soiled and damaged goods!"