Free The Reinvention Of Rudd Carter. A Western Action Adventure Novel by R.L. Davis Page B

the right tailor to have you fitted for clothes that are befitting your station here at the bank. He also will help you get settled in at the hotel where you will be living, and he’ll introduce you to restaurants and establishments you might like to frequent.” He hesitated for a moment, smiled, and gave Rudd an approving pat on the shoulder. “I would like you back in this office ready to work by next Monday. And, by the way, everything your father has written to me about you is not negative. He is quite complimentary about your abilities, and I for one am looking forward to working with you in the coming years. I knew your father quite well in our youth, and it appears to me that you’re a chip off the old block.” Pausing, he said in a more serious tone, “I’m sure you will be an asset to the bank. Now go and enjoy what Hong Kong has to offer.”
    Rudd smiled politely. “Thank you for your kind welcome, sir. I will do everything in my power not to disappoint you. I’ll be here and ready to work come Monday morning.” He held out his hand for a polite shake, then turned and exited.
    Sui Yen waited for him in the foyer. “As you know by now, Master Carter, I have been charged with helping you settle in to your new quarters and see that you are ready to work at the bank by next Monday.”
    Rudd noted that Sui Yen spoke amazingly good English with an American accent and appeared to be just a year or two older than him. He liked the young man immediately.
    Together they stepped onto the street, entered the rickshaws, and were taken to the Emperor’s Hotel. Sui Yen helped Rudd check in and carried his two suitcases in for him. The room was large and clean, though a bit run down, as was the entire hotel.
    Retiring to the bar after unloading the luggage, they were met by the strong fragrance of cheap perfume. The moment they sat at the bar, they found themselves surrounded by a crowd of young, attractive, overly made-up, unaccompanied Chinese women dressed in tight-fitting silk dresses with slits up the sides almost to their hips, leaving little to the imagination. Rudd had never seen anything like this at home in England.
    “They dress in the style of the famous Chinese prostitute from San Francisco, Ah Toy,” Sui Yen explained. “Master Carter, if you have the need, any one of these girls is available for a price… a pretty low price at that.” Turning to the bar, he asked, “Would you like an ale?”
    “Please,” Rudd answered.
    A dozen girls hovered around, flirting, giggling, and reaching out to touch Rudd. The girls called to him repeatedly in Chinese. “You’re all very beautiful, but not tonight. I’ll be living here in the hotel for some time, and we’ll have lots of time to get acquainted,” he said with a boyish grin, though it didn’t appear that the girls understood one word. He turned to Sui Yen. “I don’t think they understand English. Will you translate for me?”
    Sui Yen repeated in Chinese what Rudd had just said. The girls applauded, giggled, and dispersed in search of other companions.
    The truth was that he wasn’t ready for female companionship just yet. Not a day went by that he didn’t long for Elizabeth. He hadn’t seen or heard from her in over six months. The fact he wouldn’t be with her for the birth of their baby tormented him.
    Rudd and Sui Yen left the hotel late in the afternoon.
    Once they were in the street, Sui Yen asked, “Master Carter, would you care to meet the tailor now, so he can begin tailoring your new suits right away?”
    “I think that’s a very good idea, Sui Yen, but I’d like it very much if you would call me by my first name, Rudd, and not Master Carter. All right?”
    “Rudd, it will be,” he answered with a smile.
    For the next few days, Sui Yen met Rudd at his hotel in the late mornings and took him around to the various establishments and government offices that he needed to visit in order to live and work in Hong Kong. In the