“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain
speaking. We are making our final
approach into Santos
Dumont Airport four o’clock PM .”
I enjoyed
the view from my window seat. The
Brazilian coastline was stunning, and the beach water was pristine. Charles even peeked over a few times in awe
as we descended to the runway. The
landing was as smooth as the take off.
Our plane came to a rest on the far end of the tarmac near the other
commercial planes. Charles and I were
swiftly ushered to a waiting helicopter.
In no time at all, we were hovering over the massive jungle Arango
estate in Urca. We made a flawless
landing in the middle of a large, grassy field.
A tan and
muscular man stood beside a huge hummer sixty yards away. He simply beaconed us in his direction with a
whistle followed by a long, swaying wave.
Upon further examination, I noticed that the Hummer didn’t have a
top. During our ride through the jungle,
I acquired a greater appreciation for this feature. The open, fresh air and sunlight was the
perfect remedy for jet lag. The scenery
captivated and distracted me a bit.
Before I
knew it, the rough terrain below the Hummer’s wheels transitioned into smooth,
black pavement. We rode own a long,
tow-lane road in the middle of the jungle.
Eventually, the canopy opened to expose a towering mechanical gate made
of solid silver. The buff driver flipped
a switch near the center console. The
gate slowly rolled open. We continued up
a long, winding driveway. The elaborate
driveway led us pass even more extravagant gardens until it ended at a garage
bigger than any I’d ever seen in my life.
A fleet of
magnificent automobiles littered the end of the driveway and the interior of
the garage. Most notable was the late
model Audi sedan with a solid silver body.
One of Leo’s multiple servants met us at the front door.
“Bom dia,
gentlemen.” He gave us a warm greeting
in Portuguese. “Right this way. Senor Arango has been expecting you.”
It seemed
like Charles and I walked a mile pass the foyer following the suited servant
before he led us to Leo’s main sitting room.
“Senor
Arango, your guests have arrived,” the servant announced before retreating
nobly to his quarters.
Leo sat
alone on a large sofa puffing a cigar.
He was perfectly content lounging there enjoying his unique jungle and
coastal view through a large window. He
seemed almost oblivious to our presence, but he did turn his head slightly
towards us and smile. Like most South
American tycoons, Leo had a very good handle on the English language, but he
spoke with a heavy Latin accent.
He said,
“I’m glad you had a safe trip. Welcome to
my home.”
For an
infinitely wealthy baron, Leo Arango was a very simple man. He was not simple minded at all, though. It was his incredible cunning that aided him
in building his empire in the first place.
Leo met his wife in the beginning when he was just a lowly ranch hand in
Sau Paulo. Twenty-five years later, Leo
and Bernice were married with three beautiful adult children. Leo reminded me a lot of Charles. They were both devoted family men. Thy both adored their wives and
children. Last year, Charles bought his
wife a brand new Mercedes for their anniversary. I knew Charles and Leo would get along.
Leo and
Charles exchanged a quick, comfortable and cordial introduction as we joined
him on the sofa. This confirmed my
hunch. The servant returned with fresh
cigars to offer us. Charles took
one. I declined politely.
“This is
the best cigar I’ve ever had,” Charles complimented.
“Thank
you. By this time next week, we will
have a giraffe out there grazing gracefully,” Leo said. “Then, I will look into my wife’s beautiful
eyes and profess my undying love for her.”
“Bernice
doesn’t know yet?” I asked.
“She has no
clue,” Leo answered. “I want it to be a
surprise. I have already hired a staff
of skilled giraffe trainers and caretakers.
I convinced Bernice that they’re just extra servant I hired since we
have added the new wings and wrap-around balcony to our home.”
“She will
be surprised when she sees her new pet giraffe for sure,” I said.
“Shhhh,
here comes my love now,” Leo warned.
“I did not
know we would be entertaining guests this evening,” Bernice said to her
husband.
“I
discussed this with you last week, Bernice,” Leo reminded. “These are the gentlemen from Daisy Cola in
the United States . Mr. Anderson and Mr. Scott, this is my lovely
wife, Bernice.”
“Now I
remember.” Charles and I stood up
quickly to greet Mrs. Bernice Arange before she joined her husband on the
large, lush sofa. “Leo tells me you are
interested in some sort of merger with the Arango Beans Company.”
“Bernice,
please,” Leo said. “I promised these
gentlemen there would be no business talk this evening. They’ve had a long flight.”
“Of course,
of course. Where are my manners? I understand you two will be in Rio for a few days,” Bernice said.
“Yes, the
scenery is so beautiful here. I wish we
could stay longer. I can certainly see
an extended stay here in the near future if this merger of ours works out. Oh, look at met getting into business
talk. My apologies,” Charles said.
“No
worries. I know I can look forward to
doing business with Daisy Cola. For now,
you gentlemen are guests in my home, and I will hospitably accommodate you,”
Leo stated. “Feel free to help
yourselves to anything in my home.”
“If you
want, I can have Alonzo give you a grand tour of the place,” Bernice
suggested. “Dinner won’t be ready for
another couple hours. Perhaps you would
enjoy a walk on the beach after your tour.
The wind and the waves are enchanting at dusk.”
“That
sounds like a great idea,” Charles admitted.
Before I
could complete my nod in agreement, Alonzo, the same servant who escorted us
inside and brought the cigars, re-entered the sitting room. He whisked Charles and me away on a grand
tour, but it was more like a grand adventure.
The Arango estate was vast and sprawling. Everything about the mansion was awe
inspiring: vaulted ceilings, crystal
chandeliers, ancient artifacts, Indian crafts, wood sculptures, rare gemstones. This convinced me that Leo could afford to
pay us two hundred million dollars to steal a giraffe.
After the
tour, I donned some more beach appropriate attire. Charles decided to stay behind. He wanted to phone home and speak with his
wife and daughter, so I ventured down to the beach alone. I thought I’d be alone since it was a private
beach. Much to my surprise, there were
three bronze goddesses and one fair complexioned woman in bikinis playing a
two-on-two game of futevolei. I watched
as they skillfully and gracefully volleyed a ball back and forth across the net
using only their feet.
I studied
Leo Arango’s profile before this mission.
I knew he had three adult daughters living at home: eighteen year old Bianca, twenty-one year old
Paula, and twenty-four year old Linda. I
also learned that Linda Arango was rendered mute after an accidental overdose
of Robetussin when she was eight. I
assumed the fourth, fair-complexioned female was a friend of the sisters.
During a
brief break in the action of the futefolei game, the ladies saw me approach
from the south. When I was upon them, I
said, “You must be the famous Arango Sisters.
My name is Victor Anderson.”
“You are
correct, and it’s nice to meet you, Victor,” Paula said.
“You must
be the man Papa hired to trap a giraffe for Mother,” Bianca said.
“You’re in
on the surprise, too?” I asked.
“Yes,
Mother will be quite pleased,” Paula answered.
“She has been absolutely infatuated with giraffes since she was a young
girl.”
“Now all
the giraffe sculptures and paintings inside make sense,” I noted.
“I am Kara
Bray, one of the handlers Mr. Arango hired to watch after the giraffe,” she
introduced herself.
“If you
have advanced knowledge of giraffes, I’ll have to pick your brain and learn
their tendencies. Honestly, I don’t have
an official plan yet,” I admitted.
Linda
smiled at me, and spoke using sign language.
She asked, “Can you execute a trap
and transfer alone?”
“My partner
is inside,” I told her.
Linda
signed, “Just the two of you? You still seem a bit short-handed.”
“Linda is
right,” Kara stated. “A giraffe
transport can be deceivingly complex. If
you want, you can come to the servants’ quarters after dinner, and I can give
you a few tips.”
“I might
have to take you up on that offer,” I said.
I left the
ladies to their game. I walked further
towards the coast. The waves swayed
around my ankles on the beach. I closed
my eyes. I tried to focus. Nothing.
No new ideas. The key to a
successful giraffe heist boggled my mind.
I turned around to observe the ongoing futevolei match forty yards away.
Linda
outperformed everyone. Bianca was lucky
to have her as a partner. They dominated
for the duration of the match. Linda
displayed a deceptive type of tenacity.
Her foot-eye coordination was stellar.
Every strike was accurate. I
could tell Linda was fiercely competitive.
Every time they lost a point, there was a hint of frustration in her
body language. She couldn’t manifest
those frustrations verbally, but every once in a while she would sign to Kara,
“Let’s pick it up.”
Linda and
Kara prevailed as the victors. When the
game concluded, Alonzo rode up in a golf cart.
He announced that dinner would be served soon and chauffeured us back to
the mansion in the golf cart.
Bianca,
Paula, and I had time to change into our dinner ensembles. Kara went to the north wing on the second
floor to have dinner in the second dining room near the servants’
quarters. Charles, Leo, and Bernice were
waiting for us in the main dining room.
We joined them and enjoyed a lavish six course meal.
After the
meal, I retired to my room to relax.
There was a knock at my chamber door.
Charles entered and said, “You never told me how much Leo is spending on
this special anniversary give, Victor.”
“Two
hundred million dollars,” I told Charles, “and that doesn’t include what he
spent on the chopper and cage.”
“That’s a
lot of loot, but that won’t make things any easier for us,” Charles commented.
“I
know. I’m actually on my way up to the
servants’ quarters to talk to Kara, one of the giraffe handlers. I met her on the beach earlier,” I said.
“Good, can
you handle that by yourself?”
“Sure, I
only need to ask her a few questions about giraffes.”
“Cool
beans. Leo gave me permission to take
one of his cars into the city. I need to
find a pub, so I can check the Celtics highlights.”
“Go ahead,
Chuck. I’ll give you a call later.”
Charles
left, and I made my way to Kara’s room.
Her door was ajar. I saw her
inside sitting at the foot of her bed reading a book. I knocked to get her attention. She looked up at me.
“Come on
in, Mr. Anderson,” Kara said.
“Please,
call me Victor,” I insisted. I joined
her on the foot of the bed and closed the door behind me. Then, I asked, “What are you reading?”
“It’s a
book about giraffes. You can borrow it
if you want. Let me show you a few things
first.”
Kara
thumbed through the pages and highlighted some relevant points. I don’t know why, but hearing her use so much
complex terminology turned me on. When
she got to the mating chapter, my libido took over. I placed my hand on her thigh and massaged it
softly. Kara did not resist. They never do. She blushed and looked into my eyes. I leaned in for a kiss, and she met me
halfway.
Her lips
were plump and inviting. Kara’s tongue
seductively slithered into my mouth. She
let her book fall, and it plopped on the floor.
Kara caressed the side of my face while we kissed. Then, she gently pushed me backwards onto her
bed. She straddled me and began
disrobing me sensually. Soon, we both
were blissfully nude and swooning. Kara
slowly lowered her hips, and I felt her wet warmth consume me entirely. The sensation of deep penetration was
mutually stimulating. Sex had always
been my biggest and best muse.
Kara’s
breathing became heavy, and she moaned passionately. I unleashed a flurry of patented,
climax-inducing sexual maneuvers.
Eventually, I was ready for my own climax.
“Oooooh,
Kara,” I huffed upon completion.
“We
embraced tenderly. I ran my fingers
through her hair. It felt as soft as
silk. Kara whispered in my ear, “That
was fantastic.”
“You’re the
one who got me all riled up with that pheromone talk,” I joked. “Wait a minute! That’s it!”
“What?”
“Pheromones. Can you get me some giraffe pheromones?”
“Yes, yes,
I can. I can place a special order. Are you thinking of somehow using the
pheromones to lure the giraffe into the transport cage? That’s actually a good idea.”
“I wish I
could figure out the somehow part.”
“Don’t
worry. It will come to you soon,
Victor.”
“I hope
so.”
