Travel Companion

It was the moment Bryan had been dreading, watching her pack for someone else's enjoyment. After their failed lovemaking attempt the previous evening, a devastated Bryan tearfully farewelled his wife and fell back on the sofa, having called the veterinary hospital to say he would be late .

A chauffeur driven black Mercedes limo was parked in front of the office as Anne arrived just before nine, dragging her roller case behind her. Inside, a beaming Dan greeted her.

"It's great to see you Anne. Just one question. Do you have your cell?"

"Of course."

"May I have it please?"

With a quizzical look, she passed it over. He set it down on the side of her desk.

"Come." He said simply, taking her case in hand and placing his free hand in the small of her back. "You won't be needing it anyway."

Allowing herself to be led away, Anne was ushered into the waiting limo, where Dan slid alongside her and reached into the fitted bar. As it pulled away, Anne looked back just in time to see one of her colleagues pick up her phone.

The drive to the airport took less than ten minutes. Anne had no taste for alcohol and had not touched her drink by the time they arrived at the VIP lounge. A valet took her case and disappeared with it. A uniformed girl greeted them from the limo and escorted them inside. After a few words, the girl asked them to follow.

Unexpectedly, they did not walk to the departure lounge, but to a small elevator where they were whisked down to tarmac level and escorted to a waiting Learjet.

"After you," Dan smiled, aware of the impression he was making on his guest. After all, first impressions count, do they not?

Back in the office, Jenny picked up the ringing cellphone.

"Hi, it's Jenny speaking,"

"Hi Jenny, it's Bryan, Anne's husband. May I speak to her please?"

"I'm sorry Bryan, she just left the office. In fact I can see them driving out of the yard right now."

Realising his helplessness, Bryan begged her to try to stop the car. He had to talk to his wife urgently to stop her making a terrible mistake. A confused Jenny could do nothing to help and he slammed his phone down in frustration. He had to put a stop to this before it was too late.

Unfortunately it was already too late.

By the time Bryan had worked out the name of Dan's organisation and phoned them, Dan and Anne were many miles away, quietly strolling through a leafy park on the edge of the city. Dan's secretary took Bryan's call and like a good mother would, tried to calm him down before patiently explaining (as Dan had instructed her to) that Mr Connell was away on leave for the next two weeks and could not be contacted during that time.

Bryan sagged back into his chair and not even bothering to hang up the phone, sobbed uncontrollably.

Dan was the perfect gentleman. He explained during the short flight that today would be a lazy day, to give them time to relax and get to know each other a little. Later, they would dine at the hotel, which is reputed to be one of the finest in the city. Tomorrow would be a day to start on the selection of clothes.

It helps to know your way around the big cities of the world, and if you find a good spot, to make yourself remembered. Dan had found a glorious little café on the edge of the park. Their table was screened from public view but still offered them a view of the lush greenery of the park. The pair enjoyed a leisurely lunch and a bottle of vintage chilled wine.

"Tell me a little about yourself Anne," Dan started.

Hours later, they were chatting like old friends. Anne allowed her hand to be covered by Dan's on the table and happily regaled him with stories of her childhood.

Dinner was served with a French vintage shiraz in a beautiful restaurant featuring classic Victorian elegance. The short journey to the hotel introduced Anne to a stunning suite with a king size bed over which a sumptuous canopy was suspended. Dan gave her a quick peck on the cheek before heading to his own room across the hallway.

"I hope you enjoyed the evening Anne. Tomorrow's a busy day so can we meet in the restaurant for breakfast at eight?"

Anne smiled, retired for the night, and contemplated picking up the telephone to ring Bryan. She desperately wanted to reassure him that everything was proceeding exactly as planned. Dan had been very specific in their agreement though, that there was to be no contact while she was away. She left the phone untouched, suspecting that if she tried to call, an alert might go directly to Dan.

The next few days were a blur as Dan dragged her from one high end store to the next, helping her select a dazzling array of casual wear, formal wear and evening ensembles, together with all the shoes and accessories required. They also visited sports stores, ordering bikinis, coveralls and casual beachwear. At each store, staff happily rang up the purchases and promised to have them delivered that day to the hotel.

Returning to her room after dinner, Anne gasped at the pile of clothing packages stacked up for her. Over dinner Dan had told her to select attire suitable for dinner with a few friends at an upmarket restaurant. The restaurant, overlooking the city from one of the upper floors of a skyscraper, was exquisite, as was their food. Dan's guests were two business acquaintances and their wives.

After introductions, conversation between all six guests flowed freely. Both the men and women were very friendly towards Anne and were careful to include her in their conversation. When the time came for the inevitable trip to the bathroom, all three women rose as one.

The taller of the two women, Beth, stood by the mirror to touch up her makeup.

"You're a lucky girl Anne," she began. "Most women I know would kill for a week away with that wonderful man."

"I feel privileged," Anne replied cautiously, "but it was a difficult decision to go, and not one my husband was completely happy with, even though he agreed I could go."

"I shouldn't worry dear. Dan does not make demands on his guests and will return you to your husband a very happy girl."

The comment startled Anne. "Does he often invite strange women to accompany him on his trips?"

"Lately his constant companion has been Jill Simson, but before Jill he was accompanied by a different lady each time we saw him."

"It's good to know that Dan's arrangement is not as unusual as I feared at first. He's a very nice man and while I enjoy his company, I would be devastated if he tried to take advantage of me. I love my husband and would never betray his trust."

"Don't you worry. You'll find Dan the perfect gentleman. He won't make any demands on you but if I was in your place ...."

Beth let the comment hang in the air and having finished their ablutions, they returned to their table.

Dan was true to his word. He and Anne attended many rounds of meetings and conferences and each evening they dined together with people important to Dan's business. Each evening, following dinner, Dan escorted Anne to her own room and opening the door for her, ushered her inside with a warm "goodnight".

Dinners were light hearted and fun. Work was rarely mentioned and most of Dan's guests were quick to engage Anne in conversation. Dan frequently complimented her appearance. He was the perfect partner, holding the door open for her when she entered or exited a cab or limo, guiding her with a gentle hand in the small of her back and extending his hand to her as she rose from her chair at the dining table. He was also attentive to her, remembering those little details like her favourite colour, particular likes and dislikes of food when they dined, her favourite wines and even the schools she attended and which subjects she favoured.

Towards the end of the week when Dan escorted her to her room and stood aside to let her enter, she paused, turning her head toward him and rising onto her toes to offer her cheek for a kiss. Dan accepted the invitation, gently placing his lips against her offered cheek and backing away to keep the contact entirely appropriate.

Leaning back against the door as it closed behind her, she sighed with relief. She convinced herself that it was no more than a quick peck on the cheek, which even in a room full of people it was perfectly acceptable. How she wished she could call her husband. She longed to share her experiences with him and reassure him that he had nothing to worry about.

Back home, Bryan was frantic with worry. His attempt to stop Anne's departure had failed by just a few minutes. He knew that her cell phone was at Dan Connell's office and his attempts to locate the pair had so far yielded no results. They could have been anywhere in the country. He checked their bank account earlier in the week to discover that the deposit promised by Connell had been made. He could pay out the remaining mortgage on the house, buy a new car and still have money to spare, but at what cost, he wondered. He missed his wife terribly.

With no idea of where the couple were headed, he struggled for a starting point, but realised that since the contact had started at the car dealership where she worked, a discreet enquiry should give him that information. Armed with it, he could start searching for industry gatherings and expos around the country. He rang Anne's office and asked for her boss, Doug.

"What's going on Bryan?" he asked in response to Bryan's request for information about Connell. "Anne was given two weeks of extraordinary leave at the request of Dan Connell, who happens to be one of my best customers. I could hardly refuse the request but it was Anne's decision and what she intended to do during that time is none of my business. I would much rather she had stayed here though."

Bryan quickly filled him in on the details, eliciting a broad smile from Doug.

"What?"

"Bryan, you really don't need to worry -- Connell is gay. He probably just needs some eye candy to accompany him at functions in order to keep up appearances. Many of his foreign clients don't take too kindly to homosexual relationships so he goes to great pains to hide it."

"If he's gay, why would he ask her to join him for a second week in a tropical holiday resort?" Bryan wondered. He was also disappointed that she had made no attempt to phone him and that hurt, even though he knew that the agreement had stipulated no contact between them.

Still, Bryan left the dealership with the knowledge that Connell's oil company had extensive interests in the Arab world and he was currently at an industry seminar somewhere. Doug had no idea where that might be, but back at home it only took Bryan a few minutes to discover that the only industry gathering was winding up in the nation's capitol the next day. Searching for registration details, he found the name of Connell's company, but no reference to the man himself. On the registration page were the names of three prominent hotels which offered special deals for convention guests. Phone calls to each of them only deepened Bryan's frustration. Each must have read from the same hymn book, citing privacy confirms as the reason why they could neither deny nor confirm the names of guests.

At dinner that evening, Dan and Anne were joined by a suave, tall young man dressed impeccably in a tailored suit, open neck shirt and sharkskin shoes, who Dan introduced as Amir. It registered after a short time that Anne had indeed, met Amir once before, when Dan brought him to the car dealership to review the specifications of their latest order.

Unlike their previous evenings together, conversation with Dan was awkward. She eventually deduced that Amir was the son of a sheik with whom Dan had lucrative contracts. He spoke perfect English, albeit with a slight accent, suggesting that he may well have studied at one of the major British universities. To her discomfort, he rarely took his eyes off Anne during the meal.

Determined to put an end to his wife's travels, Bryan booked a flight to the city for early the following day and by lunchtime he was at the convention centre. What he saw was a vast hall, with exhibitors all busily deconstructing their displays. He corralled a particularly garrulous young man trying to dismantle a stand with minimal enthusiasm.

"I thought the conference was finishing today, but it seems that it's already over," he grimly observed.

"Our work is done, but the convention guests are having a long lunch to wind things up."

"Where?"

"Not sure, friend. Maybe go to the Supervisor's office over there," he said pointing to the corner. "They would have the detailed program in there."

With the address memorised, Bryan hailed a cab and a few minutes later, pulled up in front of the city's best hotel. It took no time to locate the function room, but security staff firmly denied entry.

"Guys I'm trying to get an urgent message to Dan Connell" Bryan tried desperately. "If I can't get in, will you at least ask one of the wait staff to let him know Bryan Barker is here with some important information?"

A concierge approached Bryan a few minutes later.

"Dan Connell was not booked in for today's luncheon function."

Bryan reeled as he faced yet another brick wall.

"Do you know which hotel he is staying in?"

"Well yes sir. I believe he was staying right here. Our reception desk will probably take a message for you."

Finally, Bryan thought, there was a glimmer of hope.

"I'm sorry Mr Barker, but Mr Connell and his party checked out early this morning. I believe they were heading for the airport."

Another brick wall. "Do you know which company supplied the limo?" he asked desperately.

It took time to get by the gate keepers on the limo company's payroll, but finally Bryan determined that a group of four had gone directly to the airport's private hangar section. Bryan's attempt to get information by phone were stonewalled at every turn, but when he looked up departures on the airport's web page he hit paydirt within seconds. A private Learjet took off for Fiji about an hour before.

Totally defeated, recognising that nothing could stop his wife's adventure now, Bryan trudged wearily to a waiting cab and four hours later, collapsed onto his bed at home, utterly exhausted. Still, he reasoned, the Fiji holiday could be quite innocent. He castigated himself for not having greater belief in Anne's loyalty. Infidelity was a deal breaker for both of them and he drew comfort from the fact that though Anne had been hit on and flirted with hundreds of times, she had never once given him reason for concern. He fell into a deep but troubled sleep.

The resort in Fiji was breathtaking. Dan had arranged immediate transfer from the Learjet to a float plane that would transport them directly to a luxury resort on Kokomo Private Island. From the moment they set foot on the island, resort staff attended to their guests like long lost friends, escorting Dan and Anne to a sumptuous villa, slightly elevated and nestled next to a pristine white beach.

The villa was magnificent. Personal service staff, a massage room, private pool, their own chef and five or six bedrooms set in a circle around a central great room, all with en-suite facilities. A cool, gentle breeze wafted through the open doors, keeping the air warm and comfortable without the need for air conditioners. Out on the lagoon several surf cats and windsurfers skidded across the water.

"You like?" Dan enquired softly.

"It is absolutely beautiful Dan. Heaven on earth. How Bryan would love to be here."

Dan's face darkened for a moment before he quickly regained his composure.

"We have so much planned for the next few days," he smiled enthusiastically. "Today we rest, maybe try the pool, drink a few cocktails and go to bed early, but for tomorrow I've chartered a helicopter. It's the only way to see the beauty of this place. Later in the week we can swim, snorkel, or go sailing -- whatever you like."

A drink waiter ghosted in, took their drink orders and disappeared again.

"Why don't you slip into one of your bikinis and we'll sip the cocktails by the pool," Dan suggested.

In the shelter of a huge umbrella, the two settled comfortably into padded cane lounges to chatter about the hectic schedule of dinners and meetings of the past week.

"I was proud of you, you know," beamed Dan. "You not only attracted a lot of attention but you were wonderful company for me. How did you come to know so much about oil production, by the way?"

"I don't know very much at all," Anne admitted sheepishly, "but once the decision was made for me to travel with you, I did some quick research. I also found out quite a bit about you, by the way!"

And so the conversation flowed easily into the evening. Their chef created a superb local salad with freshly caught crayfish, accompanied by a fine French riesling. Anne was watchful. This was the first time they had been truly alone. Dan had been so attentive to her all day that the possibility that he was setting her up for something worried her.

By Thursday evening however Anne felt completely at ease in a string bikini which barely covered the essentials. Dan had behaved exactly as he promised. A chaste peck on the cheek as they split up in the evening to head to their respective rooms was their only physical contact.

"By the way," Dan said casually, "we have a guest arriving tomorrow. Amir is staying with us for our final two days here. I think he will be good company and from my point of view, good for business, too."

Remembering how this man had ogled her at their previous meeting, Anne's spider senses were on full alert but she tried the professional approach.

"I will be polite to him because I know it's important to you Dan but he made me feel very uncomfortable last week and I hope you will not allow any inappropriate behaviour."

"Of course my dear," he smiled. The smile was forced, Anne realised as she turned to go to her room. She would need to be on her guard tomorrow.

They heard the helicopter long before they could see it. It was huge -- the sort of machine you might see in the military rather than private transport. It touched down on the beach in front of the villa as the chef was preparing lunch. Amir skipped from the aircraft with a small valise tucked under his arm, bowing under the rotors as he jogged towards the villa where Dan and Anne waited. The chopper took off again before he reached the building.

Lunch was spectacular. The conversation -- not so much. Anne sensed something between the two men that she could not understand. Dan's usual relaxed conversation gave way to stilted one liners. After lunch the trio headed for the pool, but Anne selected her most conservative swimsuit, a black one piece suit which showed off her body nicely but could not in any way be considered provocative.

Amir and Dan settled into loungers next to the pool, leaving one vacant between them. Anne delicately avoided the implied invitation and instead selected her own, leaving Dan between Amir and herself. Dan was clearly unimpressed but refrained from comment. When Amir rose to refresh his drink at the bar, he returned to a seat on the opposite side of Anne, placing her between the two men. He tried to engage her in conversation, which she successfully steered towards neutral topics such as the beauty of the local scenery on the island, the enjoyment of snorkelling in the lagoon and the wondrous meals dreamed up by their resident chef. All safe topics. All forced, awkward conversations which even the affable Dan could not liven up.

When the trio finally rose for dinner, she sensed a degree hostility emanating from their new guest. What worried Anne more was the absence of the close camaraderie she enjoyed with Dan before Amir's arrival. Dan was nervous in the newcomer's company, and it showed. Amir had been flirting with Anne all afternoon and Dan had done nothing to intervene.