Shoot First(Stone Barrington #45)(55)

Stone took a deep breath and tried to restore his heartbeat to its pre-fellatio condition. A large swig of bourbon helped. They finished their drinks, and she poured them both another. The doorbell rang, and she called out, “Come in!”

Tommy calmed himself. A waiter had appeared, pushing a cart, and he set it up by the windows. After that terrific first act, he was going to have to watch them eat dinner. He hadn’t expected a caller, he hadn’t expected the sex, and he hadn’t expected them to remain in the suite for dinner.



* * *



—

THE WAITER SERVED their first course of seared foie gras and said that he would return to serve their second course.

“How was your day?” Stone asked.

“Very good. Margo Goodale and I completed all the co-op forms, and my accountant faxed me three years of tax returns and my financial statement, and you, Dino, and Arthur sent over your letters of recommendation. I have to pay to have their detective service do a background check on me, which is supposed to be happening tomorrow.”

“That means a man will sit down at a computer and do a search for a criminal record, both federal and state. Have you committed any felonies or misdemeanors?”

“None.”

“Any DUIs?”

“None.”

“Any lawsuits against you active?”

“None.”

“Then he will so notify your board and collect his outrageous fee.”

“It certainly was outrageous, for so little effort.”

“Well, he had to pay for his computer and the software. Everybody has to make a living.”

“Sometimes I have to think that everybody has to make a living off me.”

“It’s what happens when you become suddenly wealthy in public. Everybody in the United States who reads the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, or any other newspaper subscribing to the Associated Press wire service now knows your approximate net worth, and a significant number of them are trying to figure out how to separate you from a portion of it by selling you some product or service. Another, hopefully smaller, number are trying to figure a way to swindle you out of some of it.”



* * *



—

TOMMY WAS GETTING bored. He considered going down there, letting himself into the room, and shooting both of them at the table, but then the waiter returned, removed some of their dishes, and set new ones before them. Also, it would be unprofessional to make that sort of mess. He’d rather the bodies were discovered the following morning, when the maid entered to clean the suite.



* * *



—

“I’VE HAD FIFTEEN or twenty e-mails trying to sell me a private jet,” Meg said.

“That’s something you should consider,” Stone replied. “You’ve already seen, flying with me, how convenient it is to have your own airplane at your disposal.”

“I have indeed,” she said. “What would your recommendation be?”

“Your first consideration should be how far you are likely to fly and how often. Will your work take you, say, to Europe or the Far East, or will you most often just fly between San Francisco and New York?”

“I don’t anticipate flying to the Far East, but I would like to travel in Europe.”

“Well, a Citation Latitude will get you to London or Paris from New York, or to Hawaii from San Francisco.”

“And how much does it cost?”

“Between fifteen and twenty million, I should think, depending on the equipment you choose.”



* * *



—

TOMMY WAS CONSIDERING shooting them again, but the waiter kept coming and going, and shooting him, too, seemed excessive. After all, he was being paid to shoot only one person.



* * *



—

THE WAITER TOOK the tray table away and put the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door. Meg took Stone by the hand and led him into the bedroom, where she proceeded to undress him.



* * *



—

TOMMY HAD BEEN prepared to go downstairs as soon as the waiter was out of the picture, but now they were in the bedroom, and he thought he might as well watch the sex. As she undressed him, he caught sight of a shoulder-holstered pistol. He wasn’t going into that room if the guy was armed.



* * *



—

SOON THEY were both naked and Meg led him to the bed and climbed on top of him. “Now,” she said, “let’s consider our options.”



* * *



—

TOMMY SIGHED and settled down to watch the sex. He was not disappointed with what he saw.



* * *



—

“IF YOU LIKE, I can recommend a consultant who will, for a fee, help you choose what you need in terms of speed, range, and accommodations.”





42




Tommy woke up a little after seven AM; the camera was still on in the bedroom, and Harmon and Barrington were just waking up, too. In a moment, they were at it again.



* * *



—

TOMMY WATCHED the performance and was again impressed. Then they phoned down for breakfast and did it again while they waited for room service. Tommy shaved, showered, and dressed and checked the camera again. They were finishing breakfast and talking about getting up. The man went to take a shower, and Ms. Harmon lay naked on the bed.