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Unity-Allan Walker

7.//Are you into older men?

Waridi

"What are you doing here," she asked. She had been sitting at the airport, in the first-class lounge area, keenly concentrating on the business magazine, when St. Claire showed up, a duffel bag packed.

"I'm coming with you," she stared at him baffled, the nuts he had picked up from her bowl crunching loudly under his teeth. "You said you needed someone with experience to be there, and I'll help you,"

"And your deal, you mentioned you were supposed to close it today,"

"I'm fast, I did it yesterday instead,"

"And my flight details, how did you know? " she indicated, remembering she hadn't told anyone. "Are you stalking me,"

"And what if I am," she watched his facial expression, waiting for something to give him away but there was nothing.

"Well, are you?" the sound of their flight being announced saved him from answering."I guess that's our flight."

"I'll take your bag for you," he remarked picking in up already, she opened her mouth to protest, but thought the better of it, he wouldn't agree anyway, and that was one less thing for her to do.

She was in first class he was in business class. They never got a chance to talk.

***

"We offer you a perfect I in-between business and leisure, look at it," Waridi said pushing the portfolio toward the suit-clad businessmen she was meeting.

She really didn't understand what she was doing, but was willing to try anyway, she already felt like blowing up, she flew all the way to Mombasa just to have these men stall her project, without even looking at it.

Her jaw clenched, hands tightening under the table, closing into fists, forming nail marks on her thighs when she felt St. Claire's hands-on hers, she relaxed into his touch raised her head, and smiled nevertheless.

"Why should we choose you," and she had never felt her patience pushed to the wall so high up she couldn't breathe like it was being pushed right then. She couldn't believe there was anyone more stupid or maybe ignorant like they were, she groaned and facepalmed herself internally.

"If you could just look at the portfolio she gave you you'd get an idea of how accomplished we really are," St. Claire joined in before she could tell them to go and stick their project up there asses... well maybe not in such an explicit manner but still something similarly catching." And what we are offering, we've clearly had discussions about this, but we don't seem to understand each other. Maybe reading will work much better?" he handled it like a perfect gentleman.

"This is clearly not working," she remarked standing up and tucking her purse under her arm. "We should meet later on. Maybe in the evening, at my expense of course,"

Maybe Clement had been right, after all, maybe she did not have the perfect expertise to deal with them, but so what, she was a woman and she had brains and she knew she was beautiful of course. She would make them follow her instead.

"St. Claire, shall we meet in my room. Please," smiling demurely she turned and left, feeling three pairs of eyes digging into her back. Never giving them a choice to refuse, well, or accept, they might just stand her up.

Pacing around the hotel room, she tried to think of something, anything. She needed leverage, of just one of them, and who in turn could convince the other one, but she sadly couldn't think of anything.

"So, what are we going to do," St. Claire asked after he entered the room. "We've literally tried everything we can think of by the book, and they are still not even considering us,"

"I don't know," she furrowed her eyebrows thoughtfully. "But if they are not going to come to us legally, then they are leaving me no choice. We are not working by the book then.I'm not coming all the way here, just to go back empty-handed"

"What are you going to do,"

Taking her laptop from beside the bed, she sat cross-legged and started her research. He just stared at her silently because he didn't know what to do to help. He had spent a lot of time with her to learn that she needed silence when she worked.

When she concentrated, her eyes always often narrowed, trying to take in as much information as she could. Frankly, he was awed by her involvement in the firm. No one had expected her to take the reins after her parents' accidents. They left her all their shares, and she became the overall president.

Honestly, everyone knew she didn't want to be there, but at least she was trying her best. Wading into waters she couldn't swim in, going in with the sharks that could swallow her alive given the chance.

She was a woman, in a 'man's world', with a huge position. He knew what the men they had met that morning wanted, he just didn't know how to tell her that, and they did not know how to say it directly.

"Do you want me to have coffee delivered," she raised her head slightly when he said that, her eyes glassy, she had already almost forgotten he was in her room and she took some time for her to understand what he was asking.

"Oh, no thank you," she answered her fingers returning to the laptop keyboard. "But you can have yours delivered if you want. You can also help me research them... if you want that is. This is not really your assignment, so I'll understand if you don't."

"I came with you all the way here. Of course, I want to," he answered back, his voice laced with an overlay of hurt, but she did not notice. Sometimes she always was in her own world. "I said I would, right?"

A comfortable silence settled between them. Her sitting on the bed and him on the chaise, both of them trying to find something they could use. The coffee arrived and she didn't even notice.

"Stop staring," she interjected fiercely when she felt his eyes on her. "I found something,"

"What?" he moved closer to her.

"Phillip is trying to acquire land illegally, and Trevor the other one has a wife and a mistress. Which one do you think will hold,"

"Can you prove that Philip is doing it illegally?" she shook her head. "Then I suggest we go with Trevor instead, it's immediate, it holds more information. And besides, he holds his reputation closest to his heart, closer than his family. He wouldn't want to be exposed as not a very family man now that he is running for a seat next election, he wouldn't want his perfect image soiled."

"That does make sense, but I'm not about to lose the other leverage, I'm acquiring that land, legally. That way he'll have to get it from me, he will owe me, but first, I have to make a few calls,"

She was familiar with Linda, Trevor's mistress. They did move in the same circles although they never really were friends, they had exchanged a few hellos here and their and she knew someone who was friends with her, so it wouldn't be that hard for her to get her number.

"Hello, who is this," a nervous voice asked on the other end after the call was picked. This was the downside of dating people's husband's, you always were wary with whatever you did, or wherever you went. You were even worried about your own phone calls.

"Hello, Linda," she started but didn't go straight to whatever it was she wanted, that would alarm her. Waridi knew Linda wouldn't hesitate to give her gossip about the recent happenings, after all, she had been missing from the social circles for months, and she was a little bit curious.

"Waridi," Linda continued, recognition lighting up her voice. "What can I do for you? First, I'd like for you to receive my heartfelt condolences. I'm so sorry I couldn't be there for the funeral, I was away on vacation with my boyfriend to Italy..." she tuned her out after that, putting the phone on loudspeaker and continued with the paperwork on her bed.

"Thank you, you're most kind," she said after Linda stopped talking. "Actually, that's what I wanted to talk to you about,"

"What vacation spots," Waridi hadn't even noticed that was what Linda had been talking about. "You know, you should probably take one yourself. I could give you my travel agents' number. You've been so depressed the last couple of months, and I just think you should get out of Nairobi and get some tan. You don't even come to the sports club anymore. Are you okay? "

"Yes I am, thank you, Linda. Your boyfriend, how is he,"

"Oh, I think he's okay. I'm very angry at him at the moment," and Waridi couldn't have received better news. "You see we had a little disagreement. We are not talking, his wife called and I received it. But why are you asking, don't tell me you're into older men as well dear," so that meant he was also not talking to his wife.

"Oh no, no that's not it," she could hear her laughing gaily at the other end of the phone, and she cursed at her internally. She was embarrassed that Linda had asked that question while St. Claire was just beside her. "I want a membership to his golf club,"

"I was joking about the older men Waridi, you're not offended, are you? I know you wouldn't touch Trevor with a ten-foot pole, you've always been afraid of confrontations, and you know he is taken by me, right? We are clear, aren't we?"

"Yes we are Linda," She laughed again, that low, husky pitched chuckle. Dangerous, she could tell by the way she laughed. In truth, she had already gotten what she wanted out of her, but if the price was to have her torture her ears for a few more minutes then she would pay it.

"Sure. About the membership, I'll ask him when we meet again, or when I talk to him."

She made a call to a jewelry shop and a florist, and her plan was in motion.

"So that's it? " St. Claire asked.

"I hope so,"

"So, are you into older men?"

"What sort of a question is that,"

"The good kind," he shrugged.

"I think you're getting a bit too personal. I have to make that call to land offices. Excuse me."

I feel much it's much easier to write about Simi than it is to write about Waridi. What do you guys think, which ones come out better?

Anyway, don't forget to vote and tell me what you think.

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