cell phone being a liability.”
“Freeing, isn’t it?” Edgar’s smile had no trace of genuine humor.
“I’ll call later to find out where my dream date is going to take place tonight.”
“Give Rob a chance. You may find that he’s not so bad.”
Jet stepped onto the shore and disappeared into the crowd of pedestrians moving around the water on the perimeter path.
Edgar fished a phone out of his windbreaker.
“How did it go?”
“She agreed to the meet, but I think she’s suspicious.”
“Of course she’s suspicious. She’s not an idiot,” Arthur said.
“She wasn’t happy.”
“No, I bet she wasn’t. Do you think we’ll have a problem?”
“Too soon to know. I read her the riot act about the locals. I hope she’s as good as you say or she’s going to be eaten alive before she gets within a hundred miles of the jungle.”
“She is.”
Chapter 11
Raffle’s was bursting with diners lapping up the faux-British atmosphere. Black-and-white photographs of David Niven in cinematic triumph adorned flock-papered walls that brayed a shade gaudier than the hues of the green and pleasant land it strove to emulate. An insufferably arrogant hostess showed Jet to a table, in keeping with the behavior Thais believed would be authentically representative of the UK. Jet didn’t have the heart to break it to the girl that the food there was generally regarded as horrible. Let her have her moment.
A young man with neatly-trimmed hair and a deep tan stood as she approached, then waited until she took a seat before joining her. She looked around, confirming that nobody was within earshot.
“So you’re Rob.”
“Nice to meet you,” Rob said, affecting an obviously fake smile.
“Sure it is. What have you been told about me and why I’m here?”
“Just what you would expect.”
“Then you should know I don’t work with a partner.”
“It was mentioned.”
“Yet here you are.”
“Don’t hold back. It’s okay to let me know how you really feel.”
A waiter approached and asked what she wanted to drink. She ordered a bottle of mineral water and returned her gaze to Rob. He was a good-looking young man, fit, with a deceptively ordinary face – she wouldn’t have given him a second glance in a crowd. Brown hair, brown eyes, no scars or distinguishing features. Put a pair of glasses on him or a mustache and he would be a completely different person.
“It’s no secret that I’m against this whole idea. But I don’t have much say in it, apparently, so here we are,” she observed.
“That being the case, what’s for dinner?”
They considered the menu, and when the waiter returned with her drink, they ordered.
“We can’t just sit here and not talk,” Rob said, taking a sip of his beverage.
“Sure we can. Everyone will think we’re married.”
“Hmm. So, what’s the first move?”
“You tell me why I should ever see you again once I leave this restaurant.”
“Well, let’s see: I speak Thai, know Bangkok well but am not known in the circles you’ll want to travel, can hold my own in any situation…and because you have instructions to work with me.”
“Rob. Let me make this as clear as I can. I have no instructions. I have a man with a melted face asking me to consider using you as an asset for a short time while I’m in Bangkok. So, sweetie? It’s not the way you think it is.”
The entrées arrived after a tense back and forth. They ate in silence, Rob sulking and looking almost as unhappy as Jet did. When the bill came, he paid, then Jet stood up abruptly.
“Thanks. Come on. Let’s take a walk, and I’ll fill you in on where I’m at.”
“Yes, master.”
“I think that would be ‘mistress’.”
They exited the restaurant and strolled side by side, and she brought him up to speed on her thoughts. Once she’d finished, he nodded.
“I agree with the thinking that I can help on this. If we pose as a couple looking to swing,
“Freeing, isn’t it?” Edgar’s smile had no trace of genuine humor.
“I’ll call later to find out where my dream date is going to take place tonight.”
“Give Rob a chance. You may find that he’s not so bad.”
Jet stepped onto the shore and disappeared into the crowd of pedestrians moving around the water on the perimeter path.
Edgar fished a phone out of his windbreaker.
“How did it go?”
“She agreed to the meet, but I think she’s suspicious.”
“Of course she’s suspicious. She’s not an idiot,” Arthur said.
“She wasn’t happy.”
“No, I bet she wasn’t. Do you think we’ll have a problem?”
“Too soon to know. I read her the riot act about the locals. I hope she’s as good as you say or she’s going to be eaten alive before she gets within a hundred miles of the jungle.”
“She is.”
Chapter 11
Raffle’s was bursting with diners lapping up the faux-British atmosphere. Black-and-white photographs of David Niven in cinematic triumph adorned flock-papered walls that brayed a shade gaudier than the hues of the green and pleasant land it strove to emulate. An insufferably arrogant hostess showed Jet to a table, in keeping with the behavior Thais believed would be authentically representative of the UK. Jet didn’t have the heart to break it to the girl that the food there was generally regarded as horrible. Let her have her moment.
A young man with neatly-trimmed hair and a deep tan stood as she approached, then waited until she took a seat before joining her. She looked around, confirming that nobody was within earshot.
“So you’re Rob.”
“Nice to meet you,” Rob said, affecting an obviously fake smile.
“Sure it is. What have you been told about me and why I’m here?”
“Just what you would expect.”
“Then you should know I don’t work with a partner.”
“It was mentioned.”
“Yet here you are.”
“Don’t hold back. It’s okay to let me know how you really feel.”
A waiter approached and asked what she wanted to drink. She ordered a bottle of mineral water and returned her gaze to Rob. He was a good-looking young man, fit, with a deceptively ordinary face – she wouldn’t have given him a second glance in a crowd. Brown hair, brown eyes, no scars or distinguishing features. Put a pair of glasses on him or a mustache and he would be a completely different person.
“It’s no secret that I’m against this whole idea. But I don’t have much say in it, apparently, so here we are,” she observed.
“That being the case, what’s for dinner?”
They considered the menu, and when the waiter returned with her drink, they ordered.
“We can’t just sit here and not talk,” Rob said, taking a sip of his beverage.
“Sure we can. Everyone will think we’re married.”
“Hmm. So, what’s the first move?”
“You tell me why I should ever see you again once I leave this restaurant.”
“Well, let’s see: I speak Thai, know Bangkok well but am not known in the circles you’ll want to travel, can hold my own in any situation…and because you have instructions to work with me.”
“Rob. Let me make this as clear as I can. I have no instructions. I have a man with a melted face asking me to consider using you as an asset for a short time while I’m in Bangkok. So, sweetie? It’s not the way you think it is.”
The entrées arrived after a tense back and forth. They ate in silence, Rob sulking and looking almost as unhappy as Jet did. When the bill came, he paid, then Jet stood up abruptly.
“Thanks. Come on. Let’s take a walk, and I’ll fill you in on where I’m at.”
“Yes, master.”
“I think that would be ‘mistress’.”
They exited the restaurant and strolled side by side, and she brought him up to speed on her thoughts. Once she’d finished, he nodded.
“I agree with the thinking that I can help on this. If we pose as a couple looking to swing,
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