Sold Page 4

  When they boarded the plane in Paris, Cheri noticed that it was just the two of them. “Where are we going?”

  “Mon Cheri, we are returning to Germany.”

  Cheri looked out the window and smiled. Now she would know. Soon she and Jav would have time to talk. But what about the others? “Where are the others?”

  “They will be returning to Germany soon.”

  If she had only one day with Jav, maybe that would be enough.

  As soon as they were airborne, Jav handed Cheri an envelope.

  “What’s this?”

  “It is a gift from the Prince.”

  When Cheri opened the envelope, ten one-thousand dollar bills were inside. Her mouth gaped open, but Jav cautioned her not to say a thing. “What does he want for this?”

  “He requested your company which you gave to him. That is merely a token to him.” He winked at her and Cheri quickly looked away. Ten grand was a lot of money to her. She wondered if she had to give it to the exchange program, but Jav placed his hand on hers and as if reading her mind he said, “That is yours to keep, a gift which no one needs to know about.”

  Cheri would miss the Prince, but she no longer wished for a regal man. Her infatuation with Count Mario had also waned fairly quickly. She learned that the Italian loverboy belonged to many women. As the plane descended, Cheri hoped to return to the cabin resort away from the city where she and Jav first met. As they left the airport she asked, “Where are we going?”

  Jav smiled a devilish smile. “It is the lady’s choice. Where does the lady wish to go?”

  Cheri thought about it for a minute and then she asked carefully, “Where will the others be?”

  “They will be taken to the hotel until they return to their country twenty-four hours from now. Do you wish to join them?”

  The outspoken girl in Cheri was beginning to return after having been suppressed in the past weeks. “No, I would prefer to go to the cabin.”

  Jav called a driver who whisked them away from the city and to the countryside resort where they first met. No one was there and Cheri seized the opportunity to inquire about the man who was here before, the man Jav had called his partner.

  “Is your partner here?”

  “No, Cheri. He and I are not partners in the way you may think. We are what you call friends.” Jav’s careful choice with his words made Cheri wonder if he was telling her the truth. He was hiding something and yet she still did not know what it was.

  Surprisingly, there was a meal waiting for them. Cheri’s look of surprise was quickly addressed. “Who did this?”

  “It is my place to make your stay a pleasant one,” he answered. He turned his back to her and Cheri said nothing more.

  Cheri realized that she knew this man much less than she cared to admit and she wondered if she would have been better off remaining in the city with the others. As darkness set in, she accepted the wine that Jav offered, drinking a little too much in an attempt to deal with everything that had happened.

  When the fire died out, Jav led Cheri to the bed. “My memories of you will remain with me, mon Cheri.”

  Cheri melted into the arms of the smooth talking man as he undressed her. His lips she would never forget and his passion overwhelmed her. Jav kissed her with abandon, and his hands upon her breasts was indescribable. He lifted her onto the bed and undressed as she watched. She would never forget the body of this man. He was gorgeous, perfect in her eyes, and she opened herself fully to him. Despite her misgivings about him, she still wanted him. Jav smiled down at Cheri before entering her for what he knew would be their last time together. He moved with ease inside the woman who had meant more to him than any of the others. He would quit the program for this woman, if only he could. “Kiss me,” she begged. He knew he would regret it later, but once he had tasted the sweet lips again he could not stop. Passion overpowered him and lust controlled him. He kissed her as he entered her, taking her as she gave herself to him. She moaned his name as she reached the pinnacle of pleasure. As Jav relinquished his seed to this woman, he wondered where he would find the strength to let her go. They lay together wrapped in the warmth of the fire.

  When the fire died out and a chill swept across Jav’s butt, he awoke and very slowly distanced himself from Cheri. When she awoke a few hours later, he was sitting in a chair stoking the fire.

  “Jav?”

  “Over here.”

  “Why did you leave me?”

  “It is nearly time for your departure.” That wasn’t what she meant and he knew it, but he could say no more.

  Cheri was tired and not looking forward to the long plane ride. She would not be traveling on a private jet today, nor would she be seated in first class. She and the other girls would be seated with weary travelers and businessmen not in the best of moods. She showered, and dressed in comfortable clothes for the grueling day ahead of her.

  Jav made breakfast for her and informed her that her bags were packed and waiting in the car. “The garments given to you are yours to keep, mon Cheri. They are worth much in American dollars.”

  Cheri forced a weak smile. She didn’t care about the fancy clothes. She wanted Jav.

  “This is yours also, Cheri…from me.” He opened a beautiful jewelry box with a black pearl necklace. The pearl was surrounded by tiny white diamonds that sparkled like nothing Cheri had ever seen.

  “It’t beautiful, Jav. But why?”

  Jav stood up to fasten the chain around Cheri’s neck, and he kissed her ever so gently on the cheek. “You will remember me, Cheri.”

  Still the secrecy. Something like this meant much more than friendship to Cheri. “Of course I’ll remember you, Jav. You saved my life, and I think I…”

  Jav pressed a finger to her lips. He would not allow her to speak the words of so many before her.

  “What’s with you, anyway?” Cheri’s temper was beginning to flare.

  “Cheri, I am your guide and nothing more.”

  “Really, then why did you have sex with me?”

  “Ah, my lovely, how could I not have you when you are so special?”

  “Is that what you tell other women? How many women have you ‘guided’, Jav?”

  “Cheri, the choice to be a part of the exchange program was yours, and the choice to be a guide was mine.”

  Oh, fuck it all. Cheri was getting nowhere with this man. The ride into the city was a quiet one. Neither Cheri nor Jav spoke a word. At the airport the others were waiting. The driver took care of Cheri’s luggage and as Cheri stepped out of the car, Jav gripped her arm.

  “Cheri, this is for you,” he said, and handed her an envelope. “Please do not show it to anyone, and let no one know about it.”

  Cheri nodded as she fought back tears. Jav quickly turned away and stared out the window as Cheri entered the airport. As the doors closed behind her, Cheri watched the long black car pull away from the curb, stealing Jav from her. She took her seat on the jet airliner and pulled a blanket across her lap. She listened somewhat to the other women, wondering what kinds of experiences they had, but she mostly thought of Jav.

  Once she had reached the solitude of her little apartment in New York City, she dropped her luggage and opened the envelope that Jav had given her. She stretched out on her bed and stared at the words:

  I was but a poor boy when I joined the guide program. Now I am a wealthy man. There are some things which money cannot buy, and you, Cheri, are one of those things. You may argue that you are not a thing, but in a sense we are all things. You asked how many women there had been. There have been many, but none has touched my heart as you have, mon Cheri. I could soothe you with pretty words and tell you that I wish things were different, but I will not do that. For as much as I want you, I am afraid that exchanging my life of wealth for one woman is a trade I am unwilling to make. For this I make no apologies. I do wish you the life you desire and to that end I have enclosed a check for one million United States dollars. Fair three well, mo
n Cheri.

  Cheri unfolded the check and her first instinct was to rip it into a million pieces, one for each dollar represented, and burn the remains. But Cheri was no fool. Choices are made much more easily when one is not concerned with such things as food and shelter. The possibilities flooded her brain. With this amount of money she could do whatever she wanted. Money is fluid. You have it – you give it. You need it – you take it. Cheri had decided to take it.

  ~K. Lyn~