A Dubious Position (A Colton Banyon Mystery Book 7) Read online

  “Good, you passed the test,” she said cheerfully.

  “What test?” he demanded with confusion. Sweat was running down his back.

  “The test to find out how susceptible you are to ‘honey traps’, of course,” she answered as she wiggled in her clothes. Banyon knew honey traps were usually female spies who used their sexuality to gain information.

  “Your job is to test men, to see if you can convince them to have sex with you?”

  “You would be surprised how many fail,” she told him. “I work with the men here to teach them how to resist. Some are slow learners, like Timmy. I make his life miserable. I also teach the women here how to entice men. It’s a fun job.”

  “You’re very good,” he admitted as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

  “I sometimes work in the field as well.” She suddenly offered her hand.

  “Doing what?”

  “Draining men, of course,” she replied with a double entente.

  “Oh,” he replied.

  “I think we will be friends,” she offered with a smile.

  He took her hand and felt a jolt of electricity pass between them. “I’d like that,” he found himself saying.

  “The managing partner will be here in a couple of minutes. He will fill you in on the rest of the operation and answer any questions.”

  “So, we are done?”

  “Yes, we are, and I‘m actually the office manager. I can supply anything you need. Just page me by pressing this button.” She leaned over him, brushing his body with her hair, and pointed to a red button on his phone. “I’m usually busy working on some man in the building, but I’m never more than ten minutes away. I will also deliver you a Bluetooth to keep in touch in the office. We all wear one.”

  “That’s good to know,” a relieved Banyon told her.

  “Oh, and Colt, many of the other girls in the office are taking lessons from me. They’ll want to try out their lessons on you, so watch yourself around them.”

  “Okay,” he answered. “Can I ask you one question?”

  “Of course,” she brightly replied, showing a perfect set of white teeth.

  “When did you…er…retire,” he delicately asked.

  “When I received a master’s degree in Psychology from Berkley,” she quickly replied. “That other job was temporary until I got an education.”

  “So, you’re like the resident shrink here?” Banyon asked.

  “Amount other things,” she evasively answered.

  “I’ll probably not use your services. I’m mentally sound,” he said, not really believing that he meant it.

  “But if you find that you are overstressed, or need to relax, or even just talk, I hope you will call on me. I am really quite satisfying.”

  “I’ll remember that,” he said as watched her sashayed out the door.

  Chapter Nine

  While he waited for the managing partner, Banyon fired up his computer. It was up and ready to go in seconds. While, he didn’t visit any of his personal accounts, he surfed the web and discovered that Timmy was right. His computer was extremely fast. He noticed many shortcuts on his desk top, but before he could explore them, there was a knock on his open door. “Come in,” he said.

  The man that entered the room was a throwback to a Raymond Burr movie from the fifties. He wore a blue-pinstripe suit, complete with pleated pants, a three button vest, and a bright blue bowtie which accented his white on white shirt. A gold chain hung from one of the buttons and disappeared into a small pocket on the vest. Banyon believed it was connected to a gold watch. But that wasn’t the most startling feature of the man. He was also rotund. While he was over six feet tall, he was about six feet around as well. He looked like a big balloon as he waddled up to the front of Banyon’s desk. Banyon immediately stood.

  The man spoke in a deep baritone voice. “Hello, my name is Bart Longwood. I’m the managing partner of Dewey & Beatem. Welcome aboard Colton,” he said using Banyon’s complete first name to be formal. “I’ll only use my last name once. We do not use last names here — for security reasons.”

  “Hello, Mr. Long…I mean Bart,” Banyon said, as he held out his hand. “Please have a seat.”

  Bart looked at the small arm chair and declared, “I am quite comfortable standing,” he replied. He then shook Banyon’s hand precisely three times, then dropped his hand like it was a hot potato.

  “Quite an operation you run here,” Banyon opened.

  Bart ignored Banyon’s comment. “I have four things to tell you,” Bart said formally. “Do not take notes.”

  Banyon quickly realized Bart was a no nonsense manager. He wanted to get right to the point. “I’m sure you are very busy,” Banyon said graciously.

  “First, I want you to know this office handles many legal cases for our clients. The United States government is just another client to us. There will not be any hijinks or inappropriate behavior in the lobby or in the hallways — especially when clients are in the building. What you do in your closed door office is your business. All the offices on this floor are equipped with counter surveillance devices. No one can hear or see anything going on in your office. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Perfectly,” Banyon answered. “But how do I know when clients are in the building?”

  “Heather will supply you with a Bluetooth connecter in a few minutes. It’s to be worn at all times while you are in the building. Whenever a client enters the building, Mandy will beep everyone from the front desk.”

  “Okay,” Banyon said as he tried to recall if Heather wore a Bluetooth. He had seen Timmy’s, Edgars and even Mandy’s, but while he recalled several things about Heather, he didn’t notice a Bluetooth.

  “By the way, the doors open at eight o’clock in the morning and close at five-thirty at night. If you stay any long, Heather will have to be present.”

  “I don’t think I’ll ever be here after five o’clock. She is too distracting,” Banyon muttered.

  “Yes, she is a very talented girl,” Bart observed as he rubbed his chin. “That brings me to my second bit of information.” Bart stopped for emphasis. Banyon knew he had to say something, but was still trying to remember if Heather had a Bluetooth.

  “I’m listening,” he replied.

  “Most of the people here have unusual skills. We employ them for their legal abilities, but they often are asked to perform services for outside contractors like you. Whatever need you have, we can supply an expert.”

  “I’ve already met Mandy, Edgar, Timmy and of course Heather,” Banyon recapped for him.

  “Yes, Mandy will be a superstar someday, once Heather fully trains her.” Bart commented. “If you need an expert driver, we have one. If you need a mountain climber, an explosives expert, a safe cracker, or any other skill, please check with me. We can supply your every need. We also have people in other offices to draw from.”

  “I usually work alone, or with my own team,” Banyon said. “But I’m sure there will be times when you can help.”

  “Good,” Bart said as he extracted a sheet of paper from the inside of his suit. “The employees here all work by contract. Here is the price list for their services. It can never leave this room,” he added. Bart then tossed the paper onto Banyon’s desk.

  Banyon quickly scanned the two paged list. No abilities were stated, but prices for time, on an hourly basis, and percentages of contract fees were listed. On the second page, Banyon found several names. Higher prices were listed for their services. He was not surprised that Heather commanded the highest fee. Mandy was listed near the bottom. Suddenly, he saw the name of Bart Longwood. He snapped up his head to ask Bart what he did, but Bart was gone. Instead a diminutive balding man stood across the desk from him. Now he looked like a college professor. He smiled at Banyon.

  “I’m an illusionist,” Bart said as an explanation.

  Banyon sat down with his jaw open. “How did you do that?”

  “This is the third thing I ha
ve to tell you. I am also for hire.”

  “Well you certainly had me fooled,” Banyon commented.

  “You will find, I have many personas,” Bart noted.

  “Which one is the real you?”

  “You may never find out,” Bart said sincerely. “By the way, you are entitled to carry a company gun in your position. Suddenly, a puff of smoke appeared before Banyon and a hand gun materialized on his desk.

  “I never carry a gun,” Banyon said as he pointed to the weapon.

  “As you wish,” Bart said. Immediately, there was another puff of smoke and the gun disappeared.

  “It would have been easier to just pick it up,” Banyon dryly noted.

  “But not as impressive,” Bart replied with a smile.

  “What’s the fourth thing you have to tell me?”

  Another puff of smoke produced a credit card. “All your expenses will automatically be posted to this credit card. It has a limit of five hundred thousand dollars. You will be expected to pay it off after every mission. The company charges a one percent processing fee.”

  “And everything I do is an expense right?” Banyon knew how lawyers worked. “Every pencil will be charged to my account.”

  “Right,” Bart nodded his head.

  “Figures.”

  “Do you have any questions?”

  “I have only one,” Banyon pointed to the price list. “Down at the bottom of this price list, there is a little statement which says, and I quote, ‘Any project undertaken from this office must have at least one employee under contract and two percent of any monies collected belong to the firm of Dewey & Beatem, LLP’. What does that mean?”

  “It’s quite simple really. You must understand, we have to cover overhead for the building, the firm, and we must keep our employees satisfied. You get to choose anyone you want to use for the mission. But you must choose at least one. What could be fairer,” Bart said like a true lawyer, as he spread his arms. This is their version of padding the clients’ bill, Banyon thought.

  “And the President wants me to work out of this firm, right?” Banyon was beginning to understand the true rules of politics. Rub my back and I’ll rub yours.

  Acting a little flustered, Bart replied, “Well, he has referred clients to us on occasion. But we provide a much needed service.”

  “And how do you know the President?”

  “Ah…well, we were college roommates,” Bart admitted.

  “Figures,” Banyon muttered with a small feeling of being manipulated once again. This time it was by his friendly government.

  Suddenly, looking at his watch, Bart said. “Which reminds me, don’t you have an operation going down in the next fifteen minutes?”

  “Oh God you’re right,” Banyon spoke out loud. Everyone seemed to know about his business but him.

  “I’ll have Timmy plug you into the situation room right now,” Bart declared. He moved his hand to his Bluetooth.

  “On my computer?” Banyon asked with surprise.

  Bart held up his finger to stop Banyon from talking. “Timmy can you give Colt access to the President’s situation room immediately,” Bart said commandingly into his Bluetooth.

  Within seconds Banyon’s screen started to change. He just stared at it in disbelief. “He can get me into the situation room that quickly?”

  “Of course he can,” Bart announced cheerfully. “Now which of our contract people will you hire today?”

  “You mean I have to pick one right now?”

  “It is required,” Bart said evenly.

  “Do they have to be here? I prefer to work alone,” Banyon asked wondering how he was going to talk to Wolf with someone else by his side.

  “They must be with you,” Bart clarified. “Otherwise, there might be some minor misunderstandings, you understand. Don’t worry they all have top-security clearance. You must choose now, Colt, before the President comes on.” Bart ordered.

  Feeling like a trapped rat, Banyon finally responded. “Send me Mandy. At least she can exercise while I work and I can watch her.”

  “Excellent choice,” Bart grinned and pressed his Bluetooth.

  “Mandy, your services are needed in Colt’s office. Wear your speedo.”

  Chapter Ten

  Bart continued. “The monitor will automatically open at precisely three o’clock and you will be connected to the situation room. The President doesn’t like people to be early and snoop around. You will get a two minute warning. So please be ready. Keep Mandy out of the picture as well,” Bart added with a point of his finger at the monitor.

  “The President will not even know she is in the room,” Banyon countered. “I’ll make her stay over there,” he pointed to the open office area.

  “Good, now if you want to go off screen for a minute, just hit the escape button. When you want to return hit it again. When the operation is over, the screen will automatically go blank. Any questions?”

  “No,” Banyon replied.

  “The time is now two forty-seven. You have thirteen minutes before everything starts. Are you ready?”

  “I’m good,” Banyon replied as he studied the icons on his desk top.

  Bart then told Banyon he had other pressing business issues and turned to leave. Before he got to the door, Banyon noticed movement out on the balcony. Mandy had just leaped over the railing and was opening the sliding door. She had on her light blue speedo and carried a large white towel across her neck. She struggled with the big door, but finally got it to move, then sprinted into Banyon’s office. She stood at attention at the edge of his desk, just as Bart closed the door.

  “Agent Mandy reporting to duty,” she said with nervous excitement and saluted him like he was a general.

  “You may be at ease,” an amused Banyon said smoothly. She assumed an ‘at ease’ position with her legs apart and her hands behind her back. Her body all but vibrated with enthusiasm. A broad grin was plastered on her face.

  “How shall I serve you Colt. I am ready to do whatever you want. Do you want me to chase down someone, steal their briefcase, or crawl through some ductwork maybe? I’m ready for anything.”

  “Relax Mandy, you won’t need to chase or steal anything, for this assignment,” Banyon told her.

  She seemed perplexed for a minute, then suddenly her eyes widened, “Oh,” she uttered. “It’s a personal services mission, I get it. I’ve been training with Heather, I can do this Colt,” she said unconvincingly. A slight bit of fear showed on her pretty face. “Who is the target?” she asked, to cover her concern.

  “There is no target,” a slightly annoyed Banyon responded.

  Her eyes widened further. “Oh, it’s for you then,” she whispered and suddenly appeared more confident. “I’ll need to get the plastic bag Heather gave me,” she quickly added and got ready to take off.

  “No,” Banyon ordered as he realized Mandy thought she was summoned to provide sex for him. Before he could say more, Mandy reacted.

  She threw out her short arms, with her fingers splayed in the hold on position. “Okay, your right, I don’t need it,” she said quickly. Her hands went nervously to the shoulder bands of her suit and quick as a flash, her speedo fell to the floor. She immediately struck a pose like Heather had done earlier.

  Banyon was shocked, but couldn’t help but look anyway. Mandy was fully developed, but smaller than he had first realized. His mind quickly filled with shame for staring at her naked body. “Mandy, I don’t need…” But she was already on the move.

  She grabbed her towel flung it across the desk and was laying on her back on the towel before he could continue. “I’m ready Colt,” she said nervously.

  Suddenly, it all became clear to Banyon. Mandy thought that she was required to have sex with Banyon. “Mandy, please sit up for a minute so that I can see your face and not your other parts. I want to talk to you.”

  She quickly sat up and dangled her legs over the side of the desk.

  She gave him a perple
xed look. “Have I done something wrong?”

  He ignored her question. “How many lessons have you had with Heather?” he asked.

  “Just one,” she sheepishly replied, with her head hung low. Her thick hair covered her face.

  “And how many contracts have you completed for the firm?”

  “Please don’t fire me. I’ll do anything you want, Colt,” she whined. Her perfect posture was now slouched in defeat.

  “So, this is your first assignment, right?”

  “Yes,” she hissed. “Heather seems to get all the business. But I need money too,” she added.

  “I have no intention of firing you,” he quickly replied.

  “Really,” she exclaimed as her head raised and she looked directly into his eyes. A smile spread across her face.

  “Do you have any idea how much money you will make if we can complete our mission?” Banyon asked.

  “No, I assumed that you will pay me by the hour, so maybe a thousand dollars. I could sure use the money.”

  “Mandy, based on the percentage rate, you stand to earn fifty thousand dollars when this is done,” Banyon informed her.

  Shock filled her cherub face. “Colt, that’s more money than I’ve made in my entire life so far,” she exclaimed excitedly. Before Banyon could react, she dropped to the floor and bounced high in the air. When she came down to the ground she was suddenly very serious. “Colt please tell me that you are not trying to mess with me or fool me,” she pleaded.

  “The money is yours, if we can complete the mission. It will start in five minutes. Put your speedo back on please. You are too distracting.”

  Her body shuddered, “Wow, that gave me a jolt,” she announced. “Glad to hear that. She grabbed his hand and shook it rapidly and then attempted to hug him, but a voice came over the sound system.

  “Connection in three minutes,” a female voice announced. The spell was broken.