Free James (Teumessian Trilogy Book 2) by Ana Elise Meyer Page B

ushered him into the house. He followed her through the marble covered foyer. The diamond encrusted chandelier hung over his head. It was a new level of opulence for the man. He had never seen anything like it before. He was ushered into a large greeting room where a Chinese woman sat at a marble desk located at the far end of the room. A Siamese cat sat in her arms. She lifted her gaze from the cat to the man as he entered the room. Her beauty was greater than her reputation had given her credit. She looked younger than her age, but he knew she was in her fifties. An expensive silk Kimono was covering her body.
    As she looked at the man, she smiled, “So I hear you have business for me?” she questioned, as she allowed the cat to jump onto her desk.
    “Yes, Madame, my employer wishes to employ your services.” He pulled the envelope from his breast pocket.
    “Come closer, dear, I can barely see you.” She reached out to pet the cat.
    The man walked forward to within touching distance of her desk. He repeated, “My employer wishes to use your services.”
    She smiled, “Which services, or better yet, which of my girls does he want?”
    The man stood tall, “Not those services. My employer wants your real services, Madame Ming.”
    “I don’t know what you are talking about, dear. I run a simple business. I provide girls to lonely men, that is all.” Ming sat back in her large silk office chair.
    “You can cut that crap with me. I know your real services and my boss is willing to pay for them,” he said, throwing the thick envelope onto her desk next to the cat.
    The cat didn’t flinch, and neither did she. “Who’s saying I am for hire?”
    “For a price, everyone is for hire.”
    She smiled, “I like you, you have a pair on you. What does your boss want done?”
    “Observation and protection.”
    “Really, who does he want protected? It is not normally our specialty.”
    The man reached back into his breast pocket and pulled out a piece of paper with James’s picture and information on it, “His name is James Gold. He is a member of the CIA who will be moving to the US Embassy in England for a mission. I believe you are aware of why they are there.” He looked deeply into her eyes as he placed the paper in front of her.
    “I am aware,” the smile had left her face as her tone and eyes went dark.
    “Not a hair is to be harmed on his head. My employer wants your best. They want Blossom.”
    Ming’s eyes narrowed, “No, she is my best and you know it. I need to keep her to be free for myself.”
    “My employer wants her on it and you don’t want to mess with my employer. You are being well paid to send her to England. I know you could use her there as well. This could be very useful to the both of us.”
    “You are well informed and so must be your employer. Who is this person I must not mess with?” Ming asked with sarcasm in her voice.
    “For your safety and mine, we will not discuss them.” The man’s eyes were serious and dark.
    Ming read him clearly, “So if I were to, say, have my girls take care of you and just take this money, it would be a poor decision?”
    “They would take you apart.”
    Ming smiled, “Okay, I like making new friends. They can have my Blossom, but they will owe a favor in return for my generosity.”
    “They are amenable to that,” the man replied with a smile.
    “Then you can let them know that we are taking this and James Gold is going to be safe. I will make sure of it.”
    “Your reputation will provide my employer with a lot reassurances that the job will be done. I can tell you that if a hair is harmed on his head, they will come for you,” the man said, turning and walking from the room and straight through the front door.
    Ming sat back into her chair and looked to the Indian woman in front of her. “Get Blossom. I need to speak with her.”
    The woman nodded and turned to leave the room. A few minutes later, a tall young Caucasian blonde entered