The Call Girl and the Businessman Ch. 05

It was unclear if he were speaking metaphorically or if he was pulling my leg. Yet I gave him a grateful smile because he was not referring to me as a call girl, but as someone uniquely different from him. I took pleasure in his words. I too wanted to bridge the gap between us.

"Why are you grasping my hands when just now you wanted me to release yours?" I said breathlessly.

"I missed them; your lovely hands." He said, playfully.

Yet there were undertones of seriousness in his voice.

We had all but forgotten our drinks- the plain, old water. We finished what was left in one go, after which he went to the kitchenette to refill our glasses. The prior conversation which made him ecstatic was brought up again. But first, he had to ask me questions which went to the core of his character.

"Do you think me crazy, perhaps even beyond salvation?" He asked me in a quiet voice.

"I have never thought you crazy, Mr. Boardmann. Not in that way." I said.

I liked to think that he would never hurt me, but I could not be sure. I trusted him enough but I did not trust his raw, brute strength. When he was in sudden passion, he tended to use force, and he was unaware of the extent of his strength.

"Then, Lila, hear me out. Don't judge me." He said quickly.

His voice held hints of anticipated dread.

"Never." I said, just as quickly.

"To hearing me out or to judging me?" He asked.

"I don't judge you." I said truly.

Despite this, in my mind I did judge him of his character, try as I might not to. He was a mysterious presence who overstayed his welcome in my mind during waking hours. During the sleepless nights, his likeness entered the realm of dreams.

"I did not imagine things. I did not make things up. To the best of my mind, I did not forget what I did." He said.

He sounded like a person, not quite in charge of himself, trying to rationalize unexplained events in which I played God. A pang of guilt zapped through me.

"I believe you." I said again.

"Oh Lila, you would, wouldn't you? After all, you're the one with the moonstone." He said, with a sigh, but he did smile kindly at me.

I squeezed his hand again, reassuring him that all was going to be well. I wondered why I kept on doing that. Was there not another gesture which I could have done in place of physical contact?

"There's nothing to lose in having faith." I said.

His gaze was deep and therein some passion arose when he spoke next.

"The proposal - I cannot explain it. Apparently I had emailed the proposal to the shareholders at ten this morning. But I can swear I did not do it. I thought I must have forgotten and that the damn medication was causing lapses in my memory." He said, starting his explanation.

"Mr. Boardmann, I am quite sure there were no lapses in your memory." I said, emphasizing on the word no.

"Do you know your confirmation means the world to me, Lila?" He said.

He looked genuinely appreciative and humbled. I felt like I had grown wings which spread high into the sky, flapping towards the golden moon, brightening up this moment of time together.

I blushed. I could not hide it any more than I could pretend that I was not blushing. Seeing me blush, he said not a word, but smiled knowingly. He was smart enough not to want me to get me into another defence of my unchecked weakness when it came to him.

"I was rational enough to check for my own alibi. I was still asleep at ten, and my personal assistant phoned at eleven reminding me of the meeting. I remembered answering the phone groggy and grumpy. I had intended to sleep in and wither my day away, considering that I've got nowhere with the proposal. However she blew my mind away by telling me that she had received the proposal and would proceed to make copies for the meeting." He continued rapidly.

"I see." I said, trying to stay calm while my heart was practically jumping out of its confines.

"What do you see?" He asked.

"Technically that's not how an alibi works." I said, quite unrelated to the main point.

I could not think of anything else to say which would not give away my role in this unfolding series of events. I thus avoided speaking of the proposal.

"What?" He said, barely registering my words.

"Not important. Did something bad happen then?" I asked.

I held in my breath as I kept my fingers crossed.

"No, Lila. It was all good! It's a miracle. The moonstone you let me hold in my hands. It worked its magic. My wish was granted by the power of the moon!" He exclaimed.

I heaved a sigh of relief. Threefold - it was a good proposal, he did not know it was me, and I could blame it on the poor moonstone.

"Your wish has come true. The moonstone worked its magic." I said then, beaming at him.

I could barely contain my happiness too.

I briefly looked at him and I smiled my first genuine smile in the whole day. I did not look him in the eye too much though as he was very perceptive and I felt that if I were not careful, he would be able to weed out any suspicious behaviour.

"You think so too? It really worked despite me not believing? I was just going through the motions for fun, and it didn't really have any meaning for me except that you had faith in it." He said.

To put it bluntly, I had not a whit of faith in my moonstone's capability for miracles, but I had faith that sometimes the universe listens and tries to help when it can. Of course, a little push here and there works too. I sought to be this facilitator.

"I know it's against all odds, but it really worked for you. Do not question further. Miracles work best when unquestioned. Don't spoil the flow by questioning." I said.

Naturally, the less questions about miracles, the better. I fished out the necklace from my neck and my fingers skittered over the icy cold surface of the moonstone. All to avoid looking him in the eye. I was a child of the moon. I came into this world during the full moon. My mother had wrung it round my neck to commemorate my birth. That was all there was to it. She did not believe in its powers. She just thought it a beautiful shade of bluish white, and so did I. And every time I touched it, it was always icy cold. It was magical in that way. It became an indication of acquiescence to tasks which I undertook to do, but needed that extra acknowledgement.

After making a ploy with my stone, I inserted it back under my dress.

"I do believe in the power of the moonstone now. Lila, thank you so much for allowing me to make the wish with your stone." He said.

I had to look up then. I could not be avoiding his gaze for too long. He would suspect something amiss.

"There is no need to thank me. I did nothing. I just wanted to see things work out for you, and I am grateful that they did today. Your joy is my joy." I said.

Our eyes locked, and his shone with gratitude at mine. He gave me a big bear hug. He flung his arms around my back. I felt warm and protected. I hugged him back, enveloping my arms around his waist, then moving upwards to around his neck.

Due to the pressure of my fingers on his neck, he gazed into my eyes, giving me an unexpected boyish wink. I blushed again, letting go of my fingers which were at the nape of his neck.

"Now, tell me, what was the reaction of the shareholders?" I asked, trying to speak all professionally as it should have been.

"They loved the proposal. They agreed to change our customer base. The proposal was so well-written and compactly substantiated that I don't think I could have done it myself. It was a miracle indeed!" He said.

He was overwhelmed by the miracle. I was deeply relieved that everything turned out well for him.

"The vote of no-confidence is now a thing of the past. They have decided to do away with it. I have been spared!" He continued in a very grateful voice.

"Mr. Boardmann, I am so happy. You can start afresh now." I said.

All this while, we were locked in our bear hug position. I was comforted that I did not have to face him. My eyes would give me away; not my gestures or words. So I had to hug him longer. It was a small price to pay, and if I were honest with myself, I did enjoy the hug far too much.

"Lila, I would like to get a moonstone for myself first thing tomorrow. I was wondering if you could accompany me to the jewellery shop at the boulevard after lunch, that is, if you do not have other plans." He asked.

I looked at him now. I would have loved to, but I did have plans with Cherie at the library. We were going to discuss advertising and ticket sales.

"I'm sorry. I would love to but I have already made plans." I said.

"Is it another client?" He asked immediately.

He had a frown etched on his otherwise ecstatic face.

"No. It's my friend, the librarian I told you about. We have an appointment." I said, informing him that I was not with another man.

His frown turned into a smile of sorts. He seemed less interested now in my plans for tomorrow.

"The day after next I am free the whole day. We can go then, that is, if you're free?" I said, smiling back at him.

I realised that I was basically paraphrasing his sentence. I would tell Cherie tomorrow I had an afternoon work appointment the day after. She would not mind at all.

"I will make myself available. I am the CEO of the company after all." He said.

"It's a date then." I said.

"Wait, I do not know how it works. How do I pay you for the extra time? Technically I have booked you only for the nights." He said.

I was not even thinking about remuneration at this point. However I guess I should consider it now that he has mentioned it.

"Shall we spend an afternoon together as opposed to a night then?" I asked.

He looked at me and said yes. I looked at him and saw hope in the grey of his eyes and my heart warmed knowing that he had that drive in him to move forward and rise from his troubled past.

At the balcony that night we both watched the night sky. He held my moonstone in his hands and thanked the moon, the stars and finally the universe. I watched him, feeling a little out of sorts again. I had lied; I had concealed the truth from him. Yet he was happy; he was free and it was all worth it. It was selfish of me to think about my guilt. I was not important in the long run of things.

He told me tonight at the balcony; just when the wind was at its gentlest point; that he would be kinder to himself. He could rise against all odds. I felt my heart bursting with pride.

"I think the moon brought you to me, Lila." He said, while we both gazed at the moon.

The full moon phase had passed yesterday; but she wholly dominated the night sky with her presence.

"I like to think that too." I said dreamily.

"When I think more about it, it seems that there are many unanswered questions about how this all came about. I don't know what to make out of my good fortune." He said, in a voice which radiated surrender.

I fished out the moonstone from my neck and put it in his palm.

"Hold it for now." I said.

Our eyes swiftly met before I looked down again at my moonstone and then at the moon. Surrounded by countless stars in the Milky Way, the moon outshone them all.

He took my hand in his, and we both grasped the moonstone together. I felt the smooth surface of the stone- icy and cold; and I felt his hand- warm and tender against my skin. I flinched slightly when he tightened our linked hands. He always had this extraordinary force in him; and whilst I felt uneasy whenever he grasped my hands, I knew that his strength and passion would get him far in achieving his goals. He made no mention now of my icy cold hands.

He looked at me; his eyes were compassionate towards mine. I saw a miracle in his eyes. I saw life unfolding in his pupils. I saw him; raw and unfettered in his strive to recover from his troubled state. But I also saw much more. What was it in this lushness of grey; where the grey wolf roamed? I just felt it in my heart that he was special to me, and I would never forget him ever. It was an experience of a lifetime to know him; and I would have lived a thousand lifetimes just to experience this feeling again.

He was my miracle. If I had done something good in this life, then it was by helping him. My karma would be fulfilled. I remembered the Buddhist monks who took me under their wing. They told me that if I did enough good deeds, I would never have to be reborn again. I did not wish for rebirth. Life was too painful. The scars live on no matter what.

"Let us be grateful for the miracle of today, and for the promise of tomorrow." I said.

My voice sounded too emotionally driven. When I heard myself, I felt that it was not my voice which had been speaking, but it was my spirit which addressed his. I was caught up in the moment. This was my happy ending of fairy tales. At the moonlit balcony with a millionaire businessman, it could not get any better. It was like a Mills and Boon novel. Soapy with happy endings. That was what I liked to read. This was enough for me and I was satisfied. I dared not ask for more. None of the complicated conversations of the past three days. Pray, do not go there anymore, Mr. Boardmann.

Oh, but am I not the complicated one as well? Whilst I liked light and airy stories, I read with fervour passionate stories not of sexy embrace, but of passion in character. I likened the plain Jane Eyre to be my true heroine. She worked hard to get to where she was. With her raw determination, she stuck to her beliefs and she sacrificed her love for the moral high ground. Such pain had she endured, such suffering had she eventually overcome.

"I am so grateful, more than you would ever know, Lila." He said.

His gaze rose to the moon, and then he gazed upon me, as intense as the night.

I felt uneasy at the attention and I diverted my gaze to the moonstone in our clasped hands. I could get used to this. His hands on mine, or mine on his. It was very therapeutic.

"When all is lost, you made me believe that miracles are not fairy tales. I have hope and faith because of you." He said.

His voice was raspy and getting more guttural by the second. His words sunk deep into my heart. He lowered his head significantly until he was facing me. He planted a kiss on my left cheek.

I looked at him in amazement. His kiss was neither a quick peck nor a wet slab. It was as tender as I could have imagined the one special kiss to be. He waited for my reaction. My heart fluttered; I felt it no longer mine but his.

I felt that this moment was pure. For once in my life, I felt that my sins were taken away. Not by the many long soaks I had in the bath, but by the feeling of being serenaded by the musky saturation which was all him. I was bold enough to want to feel it a little bit longer. To push the moment till no further it could go. Half way there was good enough for a call girl. In fact, it was perfect.

"Thank you." I said.

"Is it for the kiss?" He asked, looking at me.

His eyes bore a compassionate spark which I found irresistible. No words could describe that beautiful light in his eyes.

I could only look at him. I was obviously affected by the touch of his lips but my head shook from side to side.

"For what then?" He asked softly, although there was no need to speak in hushed tones.

"For sharing this experience with me and for letting me be part of your journey." I answered.

I meant what I said, and I felt enriched by his acquaintance. No doubt for just a fleeting moment in time, but strongly felt. He was a pleasant stranger in the plane now. Our flight was ongoing. It would be another one month before we touched ground.

He looked at me with an unfathomable expression in his face.

"I knew you were special when I first laid my eyes on you." He said, still in that soft voice carrying with it a restrained emotion.

His lips parted, as if he wanted to say more, yet no words would form. Instead he reached out for my other cheek and kissed me there too, ever so tenderly.

"Kisses have to be symmetrical." He said to me, in a seductive whisper.

It was the first time I heard him speak to me in this manner. I was seduced, oh God, I was seduced by the tone of his voice. Imagine the paramour he would be when he was fully regained his usual lifestyle.

Then he waited for a bit. There was a silence between us. Only the wind was blowing in haphazardly, producing a whistling sound as it swept through the spaces between the balcony arches.

I could hear and feel him breathing; his heated breaths were upon my cheeks in soft heaves. I could feel him so close to me; catching whiffs of his scent- the musky saturation that was him had never been so intense before.

I stayed on like a wooden doll in his arms; keeping very still. Gazing up towards him, I saw him bending down towards me. He seemed a little unsteady, but he caressed my face with his hands, brushing my hair away so that he viewed my face completely. He traced the contours of my face with his fingers. I shivered. His hands traced down to my neck, my décolletage and then as he was bringing his hands lower still, I shifted uncomfortably, trying to get hold of his roving hands, which I did eventually.

I could not bring myself to look at him. It was more than I had bargained for. I thought then that he would have made a very romantic lover, perfect for hapless romantics who defied conventions. The woman whom he would have would be a very fortunate woman.

Thoughts of finally performing my standard duty did cross my mind. I lingered a bit with the thought of reciprocating his kiss. He was expecting some reaction on my part, now that his confidence was spiking and that he viewed the world with rose-tinted glasses. My body however would not respond towards his. It kept itself cemented to the ground. A far cry from the previous three nights when I had been trying to seduce him into sex, just to avoid conversation.

Suddenly it dawned upon me that I did not want to reciprocate. I did not want to have sex with him. If I had, I would be going through the whole standard routine. I would feel like an automaton, feelingless and numb. That was how I normally felt when I had sex with clients. It was neither pleasant nor unpleasant. It was strictly work. I would lose the sensations I was feeling right now, and I very much wanted to hold on to them. They were heart-wrenchingly powerful sensations which grew in my heart like the blooming buds of May, signifying spring. And for eternal spring I had always yearned. Spring meant freshness.

I realised that I was unable to perform my duty as a call girl tonight but we still had one month to go. Sooner or later, I would get round to having the expected sexual intercourse with him. I would be able to go through all the motions without a hitch. I would not feel the way I felt now. I would have pulled myself together. Penelope's words rang in my head.

A client and nothing else.

With his hands in mine, he smiled.

"You just can't let go of my hands, can you?" He said, whispering into my ear, with that same seductive resonance.

He bent his head, and was so close to my very own. He was going to kiss me on my lips. I felt it, and I knew better this was how it worked. His lips were barely grazing mine. He had never been so close to me, yet never so far away when I cried out softly. A small whimper of protest escaped my lips.

"Please, Mr. Boardmann. Not tonight." I said, barely comprehending my words.

The words escaped my lips before I became aware of them.

His hands I held still in mine, and I sounded like l was making a plea for my life. I felt utterly unprofessional, quite sure that I brought my profession to its lowest point. I could hardly afford to be squeamish but I was, terribly so.