Gemsicuted

Written by Julian Robov


Sixty Two


After paying the taxi fare, Miko had a glimpse of the building. Floraville looked gorgeous and exceptionally well designed for international guests, and Miko wondered where the money was coming from for Citrina to stay in such a posh place.

The receptionist had a message ready for him. She was well organized. He waited at the lounge, and in less than ten minutes, Citrina arrived in her casuals to greet him. He accompanied her to the elevator. She explained about the facilities, and if he was interested she was willing to take him on a guided tour. He was not interested.

As she kept talking, he forgot to note on which floor she was living. It was all at a quick pace, as she opened the door for him. The place was beyond description with oriental decorations, and the bright lighting made it all look as if he was in a mini grand palace. It was a three-bedroom suite with every convenience. He was too scared to ask if she was living alone in such a spacious facility. Instead, he observed her gestures and the real reasons behind the invitation. He couldn’t believe how she managed to keep the place clean and tidy without the maids. The music was on as she emerged from one of the rooms with two glasses of fruit juice. He thanked her and waited.

There was an immediate silence, and then she smiled at him. Before he could open the briefcase, she said something different. That gesture took him by surprise.
“Why do you prefer to remain single, Miko?” she asked staring at him.
It was too direct and he had difficulty finding the right answer. Instead, he laughed and decided to make it look less serious.
“Oh, me? No particular reason,” he answered plainly. “Why? Something wrong?” She didn’t reply, instead she kept gazing at him. He felt that the woman was interested in gems and other special activities. He had heard from other dealers what the rich women in Bangkok did when their husbands were away for business. They had all the time in the world to do nothing, and out of boredom there was even the existence of a special club where they went for sex and couples swapping for experiments. His immediate guess took him in that direction by the way she looked and behaved.
“I have the rubies with me,” Miko reminded, “and if you want to view them I can show you how to look for a good color. The rubies I have at present are from Burma and Afghanistan.”
“Really? They have rubies in Afghanistan too? I didn’t know that. Show me the piece,” she said casually.
Miko opened the briefcase and picked five stone boxes, and put them on a white tray for her to view. He knew the incandescent room lighting enhanced the rubies and to make it clear, he advised her to have a look near the window so that she saw the difference in its color. Instead of giving her a tweezer, he held the ruby in a stone holder for her to avoid dropping the stone. He saw the excitement as she slipped the stone holder in between her fingers, and then moving toward the window to see if there was any difference. They looked the same red with a slight tint of pink. The absence of orange or brown made the rubies from special localities desirable for private collection and normal daily wears. The rubies were transparent with minimum inclusions thus making the brilliance flashes and the quality luster more desirable.
“I like both the rubies from Burma and Afghanistan. How much do they weigh?” she asked.
“Well, the Burmese ruby is 10.45carat, and the Afghani piece should be 8.01carat. I have more if you want to view them,” he said, while checking once again the price and weight.
“Are they from the same localities?” she asked again curiously.
“Nope. I have five pieces, all in the range of 5 to 10carats. They are from John Saul(Kenya), Luc Yen(Vietnam), Bo Rai(Thailand), Mong Hsu(Burma), Ural (Russia),” Miko said holding his breath.
Miko put them all in a white tray so that she saw for herself the difference face-up (table-up) since that was the best position to view color in rubies. He waited for her decision, as she kept looking at them in a meditative mood. It was a hard choice for her, as they all looked so good and exceptionally beautiful in quality and of course, the size.
“I think I will go for three pieces now,” she added, “the Burmese, Vietnamese and Kenyan. Do you have the prices?” she said calmly.
“Sure,” Miko continued. “In fact, I have the origin report from New York and Switzerland for all the rubies I have here. The prices are......well, here it is.” He handed her an envelope for her attention. She opened it, and then paused.
“How do you want me to make the payment?” she asked quickly.
“Here is our account in Singapore,” Miko said, and then handed her a piece of paper. She glanced at them, and then nodded.
“The money should be in your account by early tomorrow. Is that okay with you?” she asked, and then signed a check.
“Thank you, Citrina,” Miko said, and put the remaining stone boxes in his briefcase. She collected the three pieces and kept gazing at them again, while drinking the remaining fruit juice.
“Miko, I want to show you something. Can you just follow me?” she said, walking to an adjacent room. He had no choice other than follow her with his briefcase. He remained composed as he entered her room, and then all of a sudden a remote control device locked the room. He stood lifeless not knowing what she was up to. He watched her putting the rubies in a safe deposit box and then walked toward him.
“I have to tell you something,” she continued, “and I forgot to mention this first. There are many rich ladies who would love to buy rubies from you, if you would give something in return. You don’t have to sell any of them to those filthy Europeans or Americans. You now what I mean?”
“I am afraid no,” Miko said, puzzled. He had no idea what she was up to, but decided to see the end of it. She then took his briefcase and placed it on her dressing table. Miko waited. She then walked towards him and took his hand. He was shivering like a leaf, but she was so cool. Then she embraced him and stood like that for sometime whispering in his ears not to be afraid. She reminded him that she had no intention of hurting him, instead she wanted him to understand her deeply. Miko wasn’t trained to respond to such requests, but he knew that the room was locked and doing anything stupid meant several things. Not only he was losing a customer, but the money and if anything went wrong his life too. He wasn’t sure why she was doing this but the way she stood and rubbed his shoulders and neck meant she was experienced. She wasn’t urging him to take off his clothes or hers, but she wanted him to stay close and to be a good listener. Suddenly, the music was on and she urged him to dance with her so that she could talk and feel his warmth. He complied with her request dancing like a novice, but she was good.

After a while, she talked about her husband and children who had only one thing on their minds. Business and money! She wanted something more from them. Her two children had no interest visiting her, as their father took care of them and their education in America, while he was always traveling making deals for Phil Win and his group of companies. Miko didn’t know what else to say other than feel sorry for her. She was like a lonely bird in a platinum cage wanting love and affection from anywhere, but selectively. Citrina wasn’t an airhead bimbo. But she was taking one step at a time wanting to know his move and reactions. He remained noncommittal but a good listener by pressing her hair and back carefully. He was too scared and when she asked if he had been with a woman alone like this before, the ambiguous reply assured her that he was a novice or a rough gem. Now she had an upper hand in controlling him.

On the other hand Miko wondered when the music was going to stop so that he could go home and do some sensible work, as Tito and Sanders were preparing to get back to their old friendship and business. But she wasn’t, as she kept explaining about this and that and all those story women always talk about. He responded carefully avoiding giving any wrong signals. Everything seemed to be going well and then finally she raised his face and kissed him hard. They stood like that for sometime and she released him when the music stopped. After that she laughed loudly for so long, Miko wondered what in the world she was laughing about when he almost felt like dying from that deep kiss. She in turn laughed at him the way he looked. Immediately she grabbed a hand mirror from her dressing table for him so that he saw for himself how he looked. He too began laughing at his frightened face, and they both laughed till they dropped. It was an unforgettable experience for both, as they got back to their senses. She didn’t want to frighten him again. The next thing he knew was that the door opened and there was a maid waiting with two glasses of fruit juice. He couldn’t believe his eyes, as he took one glass and walked to a nearby sofa.

Meanwhile, Citrina walked towards him with his briefcase assuring him that she didn’t open it during the course. He laughed at her funny remark and remained silent. He checked the time. It was nearly noon. He wanted to get out of the place desperately. He waited. She arrived from her room wearing jeans and a T-shirt to say something. She tried hard to persuade him to stay for lunch, but he declined politely reminding her of an important meeting with a client back at his office. Later, she accompanied him to the ground floor. She hailed a cab for him. Before leaving, she reminded him to visit her again if he wanted to sell more rubies. He nodded. While sitting in a cab, he didn’t have a clue regarding the right thing she just mentioned. What a way to sell rubies! He said that a bit loudly. The driver looked back at Miko wondering whether he was drunk or mad. Instead, he smiled assuring the driver that he was fine.