The Teeth of the Tiger - Tom Clancy [149]
"Oh, Uda. you are a beast!" Rosalie Parker exclaimed as he finally rolled off her body. She checked her watch. He'd gone late, and she had an appointment just after lunch the next day with an oil executive from Dubai. He was a rather dear old fellow, and a good tipper, even if he had told her once that she reminded him of one of his favorite daughters, the nasty old bugger.
"Stay the night," Uda urged.
"I can't, love. I have to pick up my mum for lunch and then take her shopping at Harrods. Good Lord, I must be off," she said with well-feigned excitement, springing to an upright position.
"No." Uda reached for her shoulder and pulled it back.
"Oh, you devil!" A chuckle and a warm smile.
"He is called 'Shahateen,' " Uda corrected. "And he is not part of my family."
"Well, you can wear a girl out, Uda." Not that it was a bad thing, but she had things to do. So she stood and got her clothes off the floor, where he tended to throw them.
"Rosalie, my love, there is only you," he moaned. And she knew that was a lie. It was she who had introduced him to Mandy, after all.
"Is that so?" she asked.
"Oh, that one. She is far too skinny. She doesn't eat. She's not like you, my princess."
"You're so nice." Bend over, kiss, then put the bra on. "Uda, you are the best, the very best," she said. It was always good for the male ego to be stroked, and his ego was bigger than most.
"You just say that to make me feel good," Sali accused her.
"Do you think I'm an actress? Uda, you make my eyeballs pop out. But I have to go, love."
"As you say." He yawned. He'd buy her some shoes the next day, Uda decided. There was a new Jimmy Choo store close to his office that he'd been meaning to check out, and her feet were a spot-on size 6. He rather liked her feet, in fact.
Rosalie made a quick dart into the bathroom to check the mirror. Her hair was a fright-Uda kept messing it up, as though to mark his property. A few seconds with a brush made it almost presentable.
"I must be off, love." She bent down to kiss him again. "Don't get up. I know where the door is." And a final kiss, lingering and inviting for the next time. Uda was as regular as regular could be. And she'd be back here. Mandy was good, and a friend, but she knew how to treat these wogs, and, best of all, she didn't have to starve herself like a bloody runway model. Mandy had too many American and European regulars to eat normally.
Outside, she hailed a cab.
"Where to, dear?" the cabby asked.
"New Scotland Yard, please."
It's always disorienting to wake up on an airplane, even in good seats. The window shades went up and the cabin lights came on, and the earphones played news that might or might not be new-since it was British, it wasn't easy to tell. Breakfast was served-plenty of fat, along with no-shit Starbucks coffee that was about a six on a one-to-ten scale. Maybe a seven. Through the windows to his right, Brian saw the green fields of England instead of the slate black of the stormy ocean that had passed during his thankfully dreamless sleep. Both twins were afraid of dreams right now, for the past they contained, and the future they feared, despite their commitment to it. Twenty more minutes and the 747 touched down gently at Heathrow. Immigration was a gentle formality-the Brits did it much better than the Americans, Brian thought. Baggage was on the carousel quickly enough, and then they walked out to the cabs.
"Where to, gentlemen?"
"Mayfair Hotel on Stratton Street."
The driver took this information with a nod and headed off east toward the city. The drive took about thirty minutes with the start of the morning rush hour. It was the first time in England for Brian, though not for Dominic. The sights were pleasant for the latter, and both