34

MADAME LIU STOOD AT THE edge of Lake Micmac and watched as a small steam launch approached from the island. This was an important meeting. She’d met the man she thought of as her boss only once before. Considering he was the CEO of one of the world’s major oil companies, he remained something of a mysterious figure. She wasn’t even sure of his nationality. The man moved about the world on a series of private planes, yachts, trains, and limos, all paid for by humanity’s constant, surging need for energy.

That he was a cautious man, she well knew. Their interactions had gone on for nearly a decade before she’d been allowed to meet him in person. That she had been first vetted extensively and, indeed, been financed in ways that linked her own security to his, were all part of the intricate buildup of their relationship. One thing she clearly understood: he was a man in control of what seemed to be an endless supply of money. She hoped to get as big a chunk of it as she could for her new acquisition.

As the boat pulled close to shore, she waved a hand and the giant got out of her car, unlocked the rear door, and pulled out Kitty Wells. The reporter was completely made up and had on new clothes specially bought for her. She’d been bathed and perfumed and had her hair done. There had been no time for conditioning. When the call came in from Madame Liu’s boss for someone special, there had barely been time to get the woman ready. She was a little nervous about tendering an untried prospect. But … one did what one could.

The two women climbed into the boat and sat in comfortable chairs. The giant handed Liu a manila envelope, then pushed the boat off and drove the car away. Kitty was hardly sad to see him go, but the boat held several more men and she saw no hope of escape.

They motored slowly toward the island. It was a quiet, warm evening with a full moon. She might have enjoyed herself if she didn’t know that whatever was about to happen would very likely determine the rest of her life … whether she would have the rest of her life.

“When we get there,” said Madame Liu, “do not speak unless you are spoken to. There will be several men. One of them is the most important. You will do whatever he says. Do you understand?”

Kitty nodded. She was totally helpless and knew it. Still, the one part of her they couldn’t completely control was her mind. She could still use it to try to think of some way to escape.

The little launch puttered into a small cove and a man came out to receive the lines and tie it up. Then he stood to one side and watched the women get out, admiring Kitty in the process. He knew what she was here for.

They crossed a central compound and entered an oversized log cabin that was reminiscent of some of the large Adirondack “great camps” Kitty had seen. Very luxurious.

Inside, four men sat in comfortable chairs around a huge fireplace. They were drinking highballs and looked like members of a middle-agers’ fraternity. Kitty felt all eyes fall on her as they approached. Three of the men appeared to be in their thirties or early forties. Two looked of Arabic descent; one was black. The fourth man, Kitty instantly knew, was the one to be afraid of.

He was probably in his early fifties, tall and stockily built. He looked very powerful. He had thick black hair beginning to fleck gray around the temples and wore brown corduroy trousers with a leather vest over a pale maroon shirt open at the neck to reveal a heavy gold necklace. There was a wedding band on his finger. It was difficult to determine his race or nationality. He had a trim mustache and sharp, almost fierce features. Kitty had never seen eyes so black and cold.

Madame Liu went over to the man and spoke to him quietly. He nodded, never taking his eyes off Kitty. All of the men were watching her.

“Let’s see the video first,” said the man, settling back in his chair.

Madame Liu opened the manila envelope and handed a disc to one of the other men, who put it into a DVD machine and turned on a large flatscreen television. There was a moment of snow and then Kitty took in her breath as she saw herself in her former life.

The video was one of her television broadcasts. It had been taken within the last few weeks. She tried to remember the big news events of that day, but mostly she just stared, feeling totally surreal about her circumstances. The video lasted five minutes, then ended, and the same man got up and turned the machine off.

Now Kitty felt the eyes of the men on her even more intently. The man in charge smiled slightly. “I believe I promised you something special this evening,” he said to the others. “Meet Miss Kitty Wells, lately our local news broadcaster. Come over here, Miss Wells.”

Kitty glanced at Madame Liu, who nodded for her to comply. She moved forward into the circle of sitting men and faced them. She was beginning to feel that strange warmth again, flowing up from her toes.

“Been something of a life change for you, I imagine, Kitty,” said the tall man. “Hard to accept, but it will be easier if you do accept it. You aren’t the first good-looking woman whose looks got her ahead in this world. In your new life, it will take you farther than you could ever have imagined.”

She stared into his eyes, afraid to say anything. Seeing the images of herself on television, so in control, the center of a busy news studio, had brought home like a lead balloon just how rapidly her circumstances had changed. She was terrified and felt a near paralysis of both mind and body. But there was something else, that strange sense of intense warmth beginning to surge through her.

“Let me put your mind at ease,” said the man. “Nothing bad will happen to you here tonight. This is simply …”—he glanced at the other men and smiled a hard smile—“a get-acquainted meeting. Madame Liu said she had someone special and you certainly qualify. Your final disposition has not yet been determined.”

He paused, his eyes taking in her diminutive size. “You look bigger on TV,” he said. “But I suppose we are all smaller in real life. We would like to see just how small you really are. Would you be so kind as to disrobe.” He looked away and picked up his drink.

The warmth had now progressed up Kitty’s legs and into her torso. She knew what was about to happen and the prospect was as distressful as it had been with Lloyd. But there was nothing she could do.

She began to take off her blouse, looking into the eyes of each man in turn. A moment ago they’d been watching a sophisticated, well-known TV reporter read the news to many thousands of people. Now that same woman was about to expose herself to them utterly. It was an added bit of titillation, a stroke of genius for Madame Liu to bring that video.

Kitty undressed slowly. As she had the last time, she felt a sense that if she could only delay a few seconds, something might save her from this humiliation. But there was nothing, and in a moment she stood naked before the men.

Their eyes ran up and down her body like probing lasers. Madame Liu told her to turn around and she did so, allowing the men to examine her backside. She felt like a prize steer in a stockyard. Two of the men spoke to each other conversationally, pointing out one part of her anatomy or another.

Kitty felt totally out of control. The warmth was taking over, sweeping across her body. She tried to resist but it was impossible. She shuddered as her body flushed red from her toes to her face. The men exclaimed at the phenomenon. The older man stood up and went over to her. He stared at the red flush on her body. He reached out a finger and touched her stomach, watching the momentarily white skin quickly return to red again.

“Quite extraordinary,” he said. To Miss Liu, he added, “You were right. She might be a keeper. At least for a while.”