The Layered World Pt. 07

She looked around. "Given the crash, is there a tag line about common interest in combatting terrorism?"

Natalie said, "Yes, but softly and save it for the right conversational moment. If no moment, don't use it."

Everyone clapped quietly and Jay moved to give Sybil a hug. "Well done."

Ninety nervous minutes later, they were in dressy casual clothes and headed to the front entrance. Saudi security had arranged three limos, each of which would take a separate route to the suburban mansion that was entirely given over to the delegation and its security force.

Jay had chosen to take Jennifer and Fina with him. Hugh and Allan were separated as well

"Jay, this is elegant but pretty damn scary!" They were tight to his side and would have been in his lap if there were not a Saudi guard up front with the driver.

His fingers sought two bare stretches of upper thigh and squeezed, which produced squeals of complaint. "Not now, for god's sake!"

"I am just reminding you that professionals remain calm under stress. Tell me you are calm and ready to be utterly professional this evening in the company of the most misogynistic males anywhere."

He warded off hands reaching between his legs as they kissed his cheeks and repeated, "Utterly."

There was an informal reception hall inside the entrance to the building. Several of the senior males were in traditional thobes, but the others, including women, were in western dress. Sybil knew several of the Saudis and accompanied their protocol person to assist with introductions. Jay and his counterpart, who carried a House of Saud royal name but was here as Deputy Minister of Finance, were introduced first, and then the others in no special order.

They were ushered into a room filled with deep cushioned sofas and offered juice cocktails and canapes. The protocol chief explained that under other circumstances, westerners would be offered alcoholic drinks but it did not seem advisable this evening. Jay made a point of assuring the Minister that he and his colleagues were pleased with that decision. Most of the Saudis seemed to have good English, and the few who did not had interpreters at their side.

The Minister, who told Jay that in western surroundings he was known as Jack, expressed his appreciation for the meeting, saying that tragedies such as the plane crash made it important to stay in close touch with valued supporters such as Jay and his staff.

Shortly, a top hatted Maitre d' guided them to the dining table, where Sybil and the Saudi protocol person had arranged place cards. Jay restrained himself from smiling at the sight of all the traditionally dressed males clustered at his end of the table. He got an utterly professional nod from Jennifer as she was seated in the distance.

He quietly informed the Minister that his senior advisors were all women and would it be agreeable for Sybil to take the seat next to his? After hurried glances by subordinates, this was made to happen. The elder Saudis maintained inscrutable faces.

The menu and the service were western and the food was excellent. The Minister and Jay kept up a steady conversation into which Sybil and the Minister's assistant, seated on the far side, were not drawn.

At one point, an aide came up and shared a small sheet of paper covered with Arabic with the Minister. He nodded to the aide and said to Jay with a smile, "One of my many cousins has been placed under house arrest. It is just as well not to be in Riyadh this evening."

At the conclusion of the meal, an announcement was made that the dining table would be used, after a twenty minute break, for a working business meeting of those so involved. In the meantime, coffee and sweets were served in the next room. The Minister made a slight gesture for Jay to follow and led him to a separate and small space where three older men in thobes had gathered. One was a brother, and the others uncles. The Minister said to Jay that only the brother would be in the business meeting but that the uncles wished to have a private word.

The oldest family member spoke immediately to the radical Islam problem, admitting to Jay that the crash which claimed Claude Abramowich's life was an ISIS problem in origin.

"Our security people cannot be everywhere at once, so the Kingdom's strategy is one of containment and infiltration. You can see that our security strategy and our investment strategy go hand in hand."

He paused and the Minister picked up the conversation. "We will not discuss this topic at our meeting tonight, but we will endeavor to keep you informed of information which might be useful. We understand that the British and American intelligence agencies coordinate with you as well. Your reputation for discretion is deserved and appreciated. Please feel welcome to contact us at this level if necessary."

There was a brief silence while Jay collected his thoughts. They were sharing more than he expected. They were opening an information path not available to many westerners. The moment would surely come in the next few weeks as Orange was executed when he would need to use it.

"Sir, my associates and I value your business and appreciate the confidence you show by sharing this information and this future opportunity with us. I assure you both our respect and our discretion for your work to deal with the radicals in our midst."

It was a sober meeting with a sober group. Jay was silently elated as they turned to rejoin the others.

Three hours later, Jay was back in a limo with Jennifer and Fina. They and the PA's had performed flawlessly in the business meeting. Other than opening and closing remarks, he hadn't said two words.

He kept a stern face, but drove his nails into the muscled thighs. "Utterly professional."

"Fina! We may have earned our keep!"

They wiggled and twitched, unable to do what they had in mind because of the guard in front, who undoubtedly was debriefed about their behavior in the vehicle.

To distract the guard, Fina said, "Jay, that was the most marvelous evening. The locale, the food and drink, our companions. Even the meeting."

She accompanied bimbo looks with bimbo talk. He smiled and drove his nails deeper. She frowned and said under her breath, "You will suffer later."

Jennifer whispered across the front of Jay, "Fina, do not tease the boss. He delivers terrible punishments."

By this time, the several limousines had arrived at their hotel. He assisted them out and maintained a poker face as befitted the Boss.

The group was about to erupt into cheers when Hugh made a shushing motion and opened his case of bug detectors. Sure enough, there were not one, but two. He made small talk while writing a note, "Let's leave them and take a midnight stroll."

It was a mild and quiet evening with a small moon. Allan had the wild ones in his grip. Sam and Sybil had Jay between them receiving light kisses. Emily and Natalie each took a side of Hugh, who said quietly, "Could be several different parties with several different motivations. Since we are leaving first thing in the morning, let's allow them to listen to idle chatter about how professional the Saudis are and how successful the meeting was. Nothing about next week, however."

Jay squeezed his women and inquired, "More suggestions?"

Jennifer used a tiny voice, "Is it permitted to ask if a little champagne might be in order?"

Allan immediately tickled her and asked Jay, "Did you happen to notice, Sir, how utterly professional our youngest analysts were this evening?"

This broke up the group completely in laughter and startled passersby.

An hour later, the tension of the day plus bubbles had overwhelmed them and bodies were seeking beds. Jay and his PAs were in a huge four poster. Jay's big paws were caressing in all sorts of naughty places, but he said, "Your delightful bodies are safe from me tonight." There was hardly time for a goodnight kiss before they were asleep.

In the very early morning, there was a light knock at the door and Hugh's face inquiring, "A short walk?"

Jay was into his workout clothes and out the door in a minute or so. "Just you and me?"

"Yes, although I told Allan that when he finished fooling with the twins, to get the three of them dressed and ready for action."

They quickly were in a deserted side street and Hugh said he had heard, just a little while ago from Anthony, that western intelligence forces were on alert for an ISIS-inspired attack somewhere in the Middle East. Not known whether military or civilian sites were targeted.

"He said that the alert to us was mostly for information purposes, especially since the Saudis would be aware and probably leave abruptly. I called my Saudi counterpart and indeed, their most vulnerable people are already gone by armored limo to the Madrid airport."

Jay asked, "Do we change our travel plans?"

"I think not, but Allan will go up his chain to see what advice, if any, they have. It is hard to see us as a target absent a more important group, such as the Saudis, and we are free of them at this point."

"That is Anthony's view?"

"Yes. By the way, his channels already report that the Saudis are pleased with the meeting and with the support they are getting from the Manco group."

They smiled at each other and turned back to the hotel. "The important question, Hugh, is will they still be pleased after we have released Orange?"

Passersby were surprised to see two important looking men feinting with each other on the sidewalk while smiling. Hearing a shout, they looked up to see three bodies careening down the block at them.

"You were not supposed to leave your bodyguards behind!"

Hugh frowned at Allan while Jay took the two women into headlocks, which further amazed the onlookers.

"I'm sorry sir, they are very fast in those sneakers. But I did talk to Sinclair, our local contact, and they are alert but not changing any plans over this latest threat."

Fina and Jennifer were squeezing Jay between them. "Jay, we have our knives and our little pistols. We are not being taken out on the streets of Toledo!"

He muscled them around and said quietly, "I like your instincts, tigers. Hugh and I needed a few minutes to discuss his conversation an hour ago with Anthony about a supposed ISIS event in the Middle East."

He added, "Take the others for a walk before breakfast and fill them in. For the moment, we will stick exactly to our script and behave as though our business plans are in good order and we are returning to Madrid. Jennifer, please ask Sybil to join you and find me out here. Allan, please join Hugh in advising Madrid intelligence colleagues that our Saudi business meeting was successful and we are returning to Madrid before traveling eastward. As we agreed last night, no conversation inside the hotel except ordinary business details."

Jennifer laughed and went to punch his arm, except that Allan grabbed her hand and had it painfully behind her back in an instant. "No rough stuff, agent," he growled and took a fold of her shoulder flesh between his teeth as though about to shake a recalcitrant kitten. She gave him a fierce look and relaxed against his arm.

In a few minutes, Jay was still strolling, but accompanied by Sybil and Jennifer, his logistics experts, both of whom were full of suppressed energy and not happy about having to behave on a city street.

"I am impressed by your amazing work so far, but am going to add a complication or two. It so happens that Mr. Manco, very happy with his Saudi meeting, is tweaking his onward itinerary to suit some non-business pleasure. Maintain all the paperwork you have and make cancellations only at the last minute. Arrange for Mr. Manco and three of his assistants to travel by high speed rail to a rendezvous with Kelly and helpers in western Catalonia near the high speed rail connecting from France. Perhaps an elegant retreat near Lleida or Zaragoza. The others will travel in the van by a route different from that previously planned. Make sure that our absence from electronic communication is anticipated by those who need to know."

Jennifer lay her head on Sybil's shoulder and cried, "It's not fair. How does he know these things?"

Sybil was not kind, "He expects you to step lively, young one. You could have anticipated that if things went well here, he would have a new burst of ideas. Besides, you need some private time with him to discuss Orange."

Jennifer made an unhappy noise and did a quick front flip right on the sidewalk, then urged Sybil to jog back to the hotel with her. Jay kissed the older sister on the cheek and whispered, "Such energy!"

By ten o'clock, the first echelon of Allan, the wild ones, Sam and Natalie had departed for the train station. Jay was having a leisurely second cup of coffee with Hugh, Emily and Sybil, enjoying the restored elegance of the former palace.

"How many days before the next meetings in Tarragona?" he asked Sybil.

"Six, counting the day we arrive. Had notes this morning from the Qatari and Emirati liaisons that arrangements on their end were complete."

"Good. We are able to enjoy the sights of Catalonia?" His expression conveyed that this was talk for the people who had planted the bugs.

"Yes. Your staff will prepare a possible itinerary before leaving Madrid in the van." Sybil enjoyed playing this game. They were subject to surveillance now and for the next several hours while traveling, but the early morning conversation had everyone up to date on actual plans.

By the time Jay and his group arrived in Madrid, the van had been rescued from its storage spot and picked them up at the station. Allan asked Fina to drive so that he could brief the others.

"Things are quiet here. The station chief is happy that Saudi and Manco groups are departing his city. I was lectured about my responsibility to collect information and protect you at the same time. My female companions are well behaved and provisioning of the van for the next leg is almost complete. I am advised that you wish to be picked up at the Parador de Alcaniz, which is not far from Zaragoza and a short drive from Tarragona."

Jay looked around. "Actually, it might be best for us to travel with Kelly and her group. That leaves you free to wander the countryside with the apprentices, rooting out jihadis."

"Actually," said Natalie in a sultry voice from Jay's lap, "Sam and I will go along to provide adult supervision. We cannot afford international incidents."

As they drew up to the front of their Madrid hotel, the young ones were blushing and the others laughing at the prospect of the van joy riding across Spain.

Sybil's voice was firm, "We need to be checked out and back here in the van in forty minutes so that the Zaragoza group makes their train." Jay nodded at Allan and Hugh, who accompanied him down the sidewalk.

"Allan, thank you for being an attractive nuisance. You will take precautions, and make sure your precious cargo is prepared as well?"

Hugh added, "Do not be afraid to use the emergency phone if need arises."

"Yes sirs. The two of them do an incredible job of being foolish college girls while being prepared for an attack."

As they headed back to the hotel entrance, Allan asked, "Should I expect a tail? I told the station chief it wasn't necessary and he was pleased since bodies are scarce. There will be someone in Tarragona when the Arabs arrive."

Hugh said, "I will double check with my side to the same effect."

An hour later, Jay relaxed in his first class seat as the train picked up speed, headed east and north from Madrid. Sybil was next to him, with Hugh and Emily in the facing seat. A porter was advancing up the aisle with refreshments.

He asked quietly, "Was it wise of me to divide our forces?"

After a moment of silence, Hugh said, "Impeccable decision, as usual. If there are any radicals nearby, we have just made their job harder. And we have reduced the potential visibility of our rendezvous with Kelly and her menfolk."

Jay looked at Sybil, "We have arrangements for rendezvous?"

"You are teasing, I hope?" She tried to look offended.

"My dear Sybil," he began an apology.

Her elbow was sharp. "They have been here since last night. There are adjoining rooms near the train station. The Concierge in Madrid made a van reservation in the name of Manco Enterprises at a reputable company that will allow a return at their facility in Tarragona."

The refreshment cart interrupted them. Jay advised, "Ladies, help yourselves to the wine. Hugh and I will sample the mineral water since we are on guard duty at the moment."

Sybil said to Emily, getting back at Jay's insult, "I don't feel safe, what are we to do?"

Hugh's pretty wife laughed, "Sybil, do as he says. We are in this together."

Kissing her ear, Jay pleaded for forgiveness. She pushed him back, "Better."

Chapter 29 - Rendezvous with Kelly

Kelly rushed into his arms with a hot kiss as they exited the Zaragoza station. "Jay! It is so good to see you!"

He twirled her around and put her down in front of two smiling men who were doing their best to be inconspicuous, which was difficult.

"You must meet the two who have got me here. Mark is the smaller one, and Stan is the very large one." She put an arm around each of their necks.

"Jay, we are a strong party. A very strong party, and glad to be here to assist with the meetings."

Everyone shook hands and moved to the hotel van, which was nearby. A very efficient young man loaded their luggage and drove three blocks to the hotel. Kelly and Sybil had quick words as they went.

"Jay, do you think we need the travel van today? The hotel driver says he will take us to the agency first thing in the morning."

"If you offer the driver a generous tip, will he take you over there this afternoon, just to be sure there are no slipups in the morning?"

Mark and Stan were nodding. "Good idea in a foreign country."

After turning the baggage over to a bellman at the hotel, the driver departed for the rental agency with a brilliant smile as he tucked away a fistful of euros. Kelly looked very comfortable with a tough looking guy on either side.

They had adjoining suites, with another pair on the opposite side of the corridor. Jay and Hugh smiled at each other. Sybil stood in the middle of a nicely appointed parlor and waited for a compliment. Jay frowned, "Too much chrome."

She rushed into his arms, "Take that back, devil!"

He twirled her and relaxed both of them into a nearby sofa. Paying no attention to Hugh or Emily or her good travel clothes, she frenched him madly.

Emily said, "Hugh and I are going to change and relax. Call us when cocktails are ready." She made a point of closing the door between the suites firmly.

Letting up from kissing all around his head, Sybil whispered, "Do you still get it on with old ladies like me?"

He teased, "Are we free tonight, dear? No engagements?"

She dragged him off the sofa and into the bedroom, rapidly shedding clothes. Soon, naked Sybil was standing in the middle of the room, giving him her best come hither stare.

In the brief moments he had while undressing, Jay realized this woman needed attention. She knew that Kelly was going to be all over her boss after an absence of more than two weeks. Both the success of last night's meeting with the Saudis, and the tension of their risky plans were making her especially needy.

He dropped his briefs, exposing a rampant cock, and tried his predatory male grin, accompanied by a low growl. "On your knees, wench."

He didn't need his cock sucked. Not at all, but best to attack full force. He advanced, but she ran to the far side of the bed. "No! I am not your ordinary slut!"

He roared and in seconds had their bodies aligned for his fierce thrust.