Chapter 63

Natalia had wanted to have immediate control of Betts’s mind and body. To do so, she had dressed appropriately. She knew about his past and the wanderings of this man and she would lure him where she wanted him to follow.

The Spanish in Natalia had been creative with her hair braided. It had also been seductive. She hid the fact that she was not wearing just a simple sweater from the crew and Captain by her long woollen dark coat. This kept her warm and gave her an air of anonymity.

The freighter gently touched the wooden mooring posts and the crew lowered the mooring lines to the waiting dockside workers. As the boat was secured, arrangements were quickly being made for the cranes to start unloading the crates in the hold and for any deck cargo to be separately swung to shore using the freighter’s smaller hoists.

The boat became a sea of life, with the cranes swinging back and forth. Urgent instructions were being given to low loaders on the shore if certain sea crates needed moving, and the customs officials were already taking an interest in a number of the crates as it was clear that the freighter had travelled directly from Lima, which was rare.

Natalia trod carefully down the gangplank in her sensible trainers and jogging bottoms. These were her first footsteps on the United Kingdom’s rich soil and she enjoyed practising her accented English phrases as she entered the passenger customs area. Her documents were checked without comment and she proceeded to the ladies room.

It was a different, stunning lady that left the same room twenty minutes later, appearing immaculate and beautiful and, well, breathtaking. She had make-up that accented her strong Spanish face with off-red rouge on the lips and light mascara hidden behind the designer sunglasses. The figure hugging black top accented her natural curves and highlighted the medium sized pearls that sat above the rise and fall of her breasts.

Natalia was proud of her legs and showed them off to full effect. The stockings would be saved for Betts’s touch if she really had to go that far. The high heels kept her on tip-toe and accented and extenuated the shape of her athletic lower limbs, which seemed to have been exaggerated by the belt-sized skirt.

The black, tightly fitted micro-skirt was short. Short enough for the person wearing it to keep pulling it down around the edges, to immediately cross their legs whenever sitting and to appear to be brushing crumbs or dust off the front when in reality the wearer had realised that she had gone too far and was not wearing enough material.

Natalia, however, was in a position of power. She felt in control. She soaked up and absorbed the mainly male glances of lust, the female glances of spite and jealousy, and confidently stepped out into the passenger pick-up point.

There was the man in his rusty van; waiting like a puppy dog. He was late middle-age, and still in good physical shape, although past his prime. The hair was fighting the brown-grey war and he had a very determined look on his face, but she could see that he knew of her reputation and would do what she said. It had to be Betts.

Natalia walked straight towards him and Betts had to recover from his natural male desire to look at anything except this beautiful Spanish woman’s face. He stared at Natalia and gazed directly into her hard eyes. He immediately came to the conclusion that she had experienced much in her life and like himself, had had to confront tough issues head on. They were kindred spirits, he thought. Betts would stop at nothing and do whatever it would take to know this lady thoroughly.

Having had years of experience, Betts pulled out the charm. He scurried round to the passenger door and opened it for her. He paused for the extra second to enable her to adjust her skirt to hoist herself into the seat.

Driving to the top hotel in the area where Natalia was staying her first night, Betts missed the gear stick and accidentally stroked Natalia’s stockinged thigh. She just smiled as though she had not noticed. Betts was not aware of the irritation that lay just behind her outward mask.

Natalia asked just one question on the journey, “Is my consignment safe, Betts?”

“Yes it is, Senorita Morales,” Betts replied.