“Oh...I don’t recall mentioning that trip.”

“You didn’t.” She left that line hanging like a hidden beehive. She wanted me to stick my hand in the honey. How well could I play?

I grinned at Mathews, who just grinned back with a “You’re on your own, buddy,” look.

I knew something, well, quite a lot, about Charlie from her and the others, and I’d had just enough champagne to give into some dark humored desire to play the role, so I said, “My doctor will probably think I’ve lost it, but...Tell me, Lauren, how did you find out I’d visited the office?”

By the look on her face, my own brand of one-upmanship hit the mark. She was suddenly uncomfortable.

Mathews became suddenly alert.

I was suddenly... “Someone you know. Ms. Sobel? Someone you know saw me there, yes?”

As fate would have it, Toi arrived with the coffee and tea. She grabbed the tray like a life jacket and hung on for as long as she could.

“Thank you, Toi. You may leave us now.”

Toi moved quickly out of the lounge, pulling the double doors shut behind him. “D.S.R. still has offices there, as you now obviously know.” she answered with a gratuitous smile.

“And the far-reaching hand of the Vice President monitors its every move, right? I quipped with a return smile. ”Who was the spy?”

Sobel waved her hand. “Oh, I wouldn’t call him a spy. Just an honest man who didn’t want us to get into any trouble from his being honest with you as well.”

“You’re describing old Doctor Ching, or should I say young Doctor Ching, yes?”

“Yes.  Harder than hell to guess their age, don’t you think?  He was most complimentary of you. ‘Spirit reigns supreme in your ‘special’ man’ I believe he said.”

I respectfully rose.  “Yes. But that’s not what you believe, is it?”

I moved to the bar, made a quick survey of the choices and poured myself some water. “Need anything before we continue?”

I remember there was almost a sad, child-like response in the smile and courteous shake of her head...as if this “wildcat” of an executive had suddenly allowed herself to become vulnerable. It was short lived.

I returned to the table and poured her some water anyway.

“So here we are,” I continued in a soft tone, glancing over her backside to Mathews, who knew I was mimicking his approach.

I sat down on the end of the couch next to her, affording her no place to slide. I handed her the water. “Tell me something... “

She didn’t like this sudden close proximity.

I leaned in even closer. “...How would Charlie handle this situation? Beat the shit out of you first or after you write him a check for...thirty-nine million? That’s really giving you the benefit of the doubt and… a million for expenses. I’ve heard he was tough, but fair.”

She shot to her feet. The seal of “nicety” had been obliterated.

No longer at peace, we were special, very special warring factions readying for combat.  And, of course, I was feeling out of my league and not knowing what the hell I was doing.

She did.

“Okay,” she said. She stood there, staring me down. “Chameleon son-of-a-bitch. ‘Spirit reigns supreme in that man.’ You really did a number on Ching… just like you’ve done on the doctor here… like you’ve tried to do on me.”

She backed off and moved around closer to Mathews. “Did he tell you the first time he did me was on this boat, Doctor? On this couch? He wanted me even before I made him legal, even before I knew his millions came from gambling, prostitution, drugs and the real moneymaker...babies.  Yes.  Oh, yes.  Charlie’s international trade market of babies. Mr. ‘spirit’ man here knew how to find babies didn’t you, Charlie? She turned back to Mathews.  “Didn’t tell you about that, did he. Charlie Stevens’ money was the dirtiest. But I unknowingly legalized this guy, the guy nobody bothered to check out because we all turned into whores to get a piece of it. Bet you know what that’s like, don’t you doctor?”

Mathews remained un-fazed.

“But,” she went on, “You can’t fuck like me, right Charlie? Or is the new Charles really different?”

She leaned down and looked into both my eyes. “No. He’s still the prick who let me put his filthy money into legal investments that gave him four and five to one returns.

Forty-four million to two hundred million wasn’t bad for a year and a half, was it Charlie?”

The tears welled up in her eyes. This was an angry, hurt and pitiful Lauren Sobel. For a jilted woman, this was the only sweet revenge she had left. She stared at me with the look that told me she was just warming up. But only I knew this person she talked of wasn’t me. How could this be the man who loved a woman named Sara, revered a doctor named Mathews, and honored the Ivans, Julians, Maxs and Peaches of the world?

How could we both be so wrong?

Like a bad dream though, I wasn’t far from an awakening. Mathews stood up.

This sudden change in her and me was suddenly frightening even to him. A shout from him would have been appropriate, but he quietly said, “Hey, you two. You need to sit down and just talk. Do you understand? Just talk.”

Sobel turned suddenly and walked to the window, standing until the heaving of her shoulders ceased. “I’m sorry, Doctor. What’s between Charlie and me is between Charlie and me. That outburst was inappropriate. I apologize.”

She was still wiping her eyes when she turned and said, “But, I didn’t do anything to deserve your suspicions of theft, or fraud, whatever I’m supposed to have done with the buildings in Hong Kong. Your attorney will charge you a fortune to investigate a clean, but unfortunately losing deal. I’ve always kept your money clean, Charlie. Always.”

The only thing I was sure of at that moment was my wanting the ugliness to stop. “I’m sorry if Charlie hurt you. I’m sorry if I’m not who you want me to be.”

She just shook her head and peered out the window at the last moments of the sun setting. “No, Charlie, and you are Charlie Stevens. You lost that chance in New York. I’ll be happy with just a simple admitting of the truth. You owe that much to me.”

Mathews, for the first time since I’d met him, looked at me with… was that distrust?

I turned again toward the window. Lauren was looking at me for an answer.

As I walked to the deck, I said, “I need a break,” with the smallness of the tiny insect my memory suddenly flashed at me. Standing between the narrow white bars of the porcelain sink, the shiny bright eyes of the trusting creature I remembered watching for such a long time, filled my vision now...filling it until he disappeared, pulling me with him into the protection behind the bars.

Leaning on the rail, filling my lungs with the sea air was the pause I needed. Before me, the horizon was darkening with the night.

A few feet to my right, Lauren stood. She too was welcoming the break.

To my left, Mathews’ arm was loosely locked through mine. I let my head drop to my chest. The ocean was moving by us in shades of purple and pink, the last remains of day passing into night.

“I’m still in trouble, aren’t I?”

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

I forced a smile. “I guess I am.”

“Don’t cave in. Pain is no fun.  Neither of you are immune, but you’re getting answers.”

“You believe she’s right?”

“I believe she’s telling us a lot about Charlie Stevens and the more you know, the less there is to hide from.”

“I’m Charlie, aren’t I?”

“Keep listening,” he said with a reassuring pat of my arm.

My eyes welled up. I was tired, but I was going to let myself be someone I liked less now than ever...someone who, for a brief moment as I squeezed my eyes shut, peered out from behind the white bars and saw me peering back.

One, two, maybe three minutes passed. I didn’t know how I was going to get back into the fray. Maybe I’d just lean over the railing ‘till we docked. My doctor had a different idea.

“You two can talk this through now, can’t you?” he said with the casualness of a father telling a son to make up with his sister.

I glanced again to my right. She was still standing erect; her scarf now wrapped around her head. By design, I thought, she was letting her perfume blow my direction, to probably remind me that it was a favorite scent of Charlie’s.

I turned back to the ocean.

“Well?” he said, giving me a nudge.

“I really can’t carry this… Charlie very well. I’m going to make things worse,” I admitted.

“All I want you to do is listen. Let her tell you more about yourself. Ask for it. She likes men with power, but she’s a sucker for a vulnerable man.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I tried it when I auditioned for your role, remember?”

“There was nothing on the tape... “

“I turned the recorder off. There was no need to upset you.”

“Upset me?”

“She’ll probably tell you in person, now that she believes you’re still alive. I think she really loves you. Learn. I’ll be below. Just be a listener. You’ve had a good role model for seven months. You can handle it.”

He was gone.

I was alone.

She was waiting. Just do it, I thought.

Four steps closed the gap.

I was next to pure hell once again.