Executive Affair by Ber Carroll

Author:Ber Carroll
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bolinda Digital Pty Ltd
Published: 2009-05-26T16:00:00+00:00

Claire fought her way through the thronged airport, shaky from the landing, intimidated by the crowds. She was relieved that all the signs were in English as well as Chinese – it was easy to find her bags and make her way outside to the taxi rank. The taxi driver didn’t speak English but when she wrote down the hotel name for him, he seemed to understand where he was going. As the taxi sped towards the city centre, she was mesmerised, trying to take everything in. The office towers were lit up in an array of electric colours, and conveyed a city that was an unusual mix of East and West. The traffic was fast and heavy, zipping impatiently along the maze of freeways and flyovers.

The hotel was luxurious by her standards but probably nothing out of the ordinary in such an opulent city. Her room had a view of the harbour and the lights from the buildings glowed through the dusk and reflected on the water. She moved away from the hypnotic view and sat on the bed. It was only six o’clock but it was already getting dark. It was a daunting prospect, going out on her own in a strange city at nightfall, but it would be a dreadful waste to stay in her hotel room. The phone rang, intruding on her thoughts.

‘Claire?’ The voice was American.

‘Yes, speaking,’ she answered cautiously.

‘Hello, it’s Tony Falcinella. I’m glad you arrived safely. Welcome to Hong Kong.’

‘Thank you! I’ve just got to my room and I’m trying to decide what to do for the rest of the evening. Do you have any recommendations?’

‘I certainly do. I was calling to see if I could show you some of this wonderful city.’

‘Great, I’d like that. I need about an hour to unpack and have a shower. Is that okay with you?’

‘That’s fine. I’ll see you in the lobby.’

She arrived at the lobby within the hour. Tony wasn’t there. About five minutes later she saw his short, stocky figure approach.

‘Claire, it’s good to see you again.’ Tony was a formal man – he extended his hand for a firm shake.

‘It’s no problem. It’s a welcome break from the humdrum routine of my job back in Sydney.’

‘Where would you like to go? You’re the tourist – you say and I’ll lead,’ he said as they walked from the very cool lobby to the very humid street.

‘I’d like to take a walk around the city and get a feel for it.’

The horrendous rain of the previous week had abated and the evening was sticky but dry. The chaos was charming, too many cars and too many people competing for limited space. They wandered for two hours before Claire announced she would faint unless they went for something to eat. They chose an American-style steakhouse.

‘This isn’t very adventurous but I’m so hungry that I can’t take the risk of not liking what I get,’ she said, sitting down gratefully and studying the menu without delay.

‘You’re right – you do have the rest of the week to sample the local delicacies – like cat and chicken feet.

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