MY TREASURED DESIRE

Chapter THIRTY-FIVE: Michelle’s Follow-Up!

Friday. 7:30 am Local Time (11.30 pm, GMT or UTC.)

Office of the G.O.C, A.S.S.S., Lagos, Achaia.

29 Days Before the Proposed Traditional Marriage Between Alexa and Reynold.

Michelle’s Reformer Move.

I genuinely care for my boss and my erratic friend; hence, I would not allow any harm to befall them under my watch. I hope I would find reasons to appreciate my boss for approving my permission to meet with him this morning. I gently tapped at the door, and I was allowed to enter. The General’s inner office was opened by his Command’s Adjutant, while the General’s Ai-De-Camp had just walked past us, only stopping in a quarter of a minute to salute me. The adjutant also, smartly, saluted me and walked out, to the secretary’s office. I tapped at the General’s personal office door and gained entrance. I stood still when I saw him and saluted… He only gestured that I should sit on the visitors’ white with gold trimmings, classical, royal three-seater. I will wait for him to conclude some paper works. In five minutes, he came to sit on a single-seater separated from my seat by a rectangular, archival, marble-top luxury table – making our meeting look quite informal…

I smartly stood up as he came around, but my boss gently gestured with his hand, sending me back to my earlier sitting position. I had to speak…

“I am so grateful to you for allowing me to have this cherished audience with you, My Mentor,” I started. He nodded and urged me on. “I have a personal matter to report, Sir. It has to do with the Monarch of Middleville who had called me on a friendly invitation to Bandar while we attended the Crown Prince’s Health Recovery Thanksgiving Party on Wednesday.”

“Yes, I got his call just before you arrived, stating that since he would be facilitating Greta’s return to my heart, I should release you for a possible courtship with him! Have you met him before, familiarising with one another?”

“Never, my love…” I used my two hands to cover my mouth for that slip… How stupid and cheap? “I mean… Sir!”

“Leave formalities, Colonel, and feel relaxed! Just feel free as if you are with your elder brother!”

“Oh, Yes Sir!” I barked the normal response and it felt awkward, then I frowned deeply: “How could I have fallen in love with you, if you were like my brother,” I thought. He saw the frown on my face and said…

“Greta is your friend… And you know how I feel about her... You are a totally attractive, lovable, chaste, responsible girl and I care about you as a brother. Nobody should mess with you, Colonel. You have my permission to attend his birthday as you had the passion to…”

“How did you feel when you saw my bare body in Italy? You kissed me all over and told me that you will love me forever if I stay alive for you… You said you will be unmarried and miserable if I die because you love me so deeply… Those were your exact words, aren’t they? When my aunt died and I fell terribly sick and collapsed, you picked me up, skinned me naked in my room when I froze and used your bodily warmth to bring me back to life… Was that a military doctor’s duty? You also wept and promised to be with me always, for life… Did you think I was paralysed in the brain? You never took advantage of my closeness because – you told my dad – I deserve the best. You wished that you were qualified to keep me… What were those performance feats, just some drama?”

“Who informed you about all those dialogues, Colonel? You were in a coma in those cases!”

“Please, I will never accept to be in your Sisters’ Zone, Raymond!” I never knew where I got that boldness to call his first name; the same way I did not know what gave me the courage to kiss him on the lips at Greta’s party. But, I continued, “I heard you, clearly, on that day in the ambulance… I heard everything you said while extracting those bullets and crying like a boy who is about to lose his first love. How did Greta take you away from me, General? Why did you save my life on many occasions when you had always wanted the beauty queen, Greta?”

“It is all complicated, Colonel Michelle Guan…”

“Stop the official nonsense… Did you mean all you said while I was in a coma in the two cases or not?”

“Yes, I still do… You are my first love and my goddess.”

Those confessions hit me like thunderbolts, and I felt something wet in my pants. But, the soldier in me replied: “Then, why are you playing on my intelligence, reading some official code of conduct to me?”

He tried to be smart with me, saying, “Don’t you want to marry the Monarch of your paternal home and nation? You already planned to...”

“If you reject me!” I said sharply as I watched him getting unsettled, burying his face in the palms of his hands. I sharply inhaled some cold air and exhaled loudly! I told him some home truth: “I cannot help you to make this choice. I have done my best by letting Greta know how I feel about you, though she was not making efforts to lay claims on you. But I could see that she has discovered - that she also loves you back. You will get what you want… But mine shall be a hapless arranged marriage with the schemer if that is what you want!”

He stood up and tried to come to me, but I also sprang up and stopped him, saying… “Sort your heart out. We are soldiers… Let me complete my mission!”

“Michelle, I promise to put things in order and fulfil my promises… Let us settle the matter of our national interest, first.”

With this understanding, I continued my speech: “General, Sir… May I express my absolute loyalty to the just cause of uniting Achaia and Middleville, too. Please, I seek your permission to be involved. I want to play a role in ensuring that my bosom friend positively considers the offer to back-down on the blackmail mission.”

The General seems to start flowing with my plans: “In that case, will you want to play an official role of relating with the Merkel family, as their sympathisers? And will you allow the A.S.S.S. team carve out a brief to guide your interactions with the Prince of Middleville?”

“In that case,” I counselled, “be careful about submitting such information, videos, and records of your personal encounter with Greta for official consumption. That is double-faced hypocrisy! All of us in the Secret Service understand the fact that though you express hearty love for my bosom friend – you would leave no stone unturned to expose every breach of ethics and criminality… You and your Command will never get any intimate details about the Monarch and I… You must trust me: as I did not interfere between you and Greta. It is a difficult job we have given ourselves, My Love!”

My boss was calm as he appreciated my understanding. So, seeing his unalloyed trust for me, with patriotic thoroughness, I made my request:

“Seeing that we are on the same patriotic page, would you trust me to disclose some personal matters to you, which I would never discuss in the office environment? You will only come if you have agreed to keep this as a bond between you and me. You will also keep that personal file to yourself until it becomes necessary, and we both agree, to do otherwise!”

“What do you want me to do, Colonel?” He asked me with some sense of curiosity.

I looked at him with my most innocent gaze and said: “Can we have a very private date at my own residence, Sir? No eavesdropper devices or bugs, please.”

I guess he had visited me alone before. Heaven did not fall. Maybe that is why he nodded but noted: “Date, you said? Why should I sabotage your very personal interest…? You know who Greta is, and how devious she had been…”

“While she thought that your love was one-sided… Not now,” I cut in, with precision.

He nodded and opened his hands… “Okay. Carry on,” he said.

“My disclosure would also involve my personal plans for the Middleville Monarch that should give the two nations the legal propensity to maintain consolidated position, and keep the unity,” I tried to convince him, deeper. “I have been your confidant for long. So, why are you stung by the sudden bug of cautiousness? Is it because I told you that I love you?”

Another thing I love about General R. C. Chang is the speedy pace of his recovery: hear him: “This is a private discourse about our Mission, Colonel... Will 5: 15 pm today be okay? No space to plan anything special. I will not come with my own car, so as not to attract the prying eyes.”

I appreciated our agreement on the new pact and said: “My relationship with the monarch will neither disgrace nor enamour the monarch or me, but certainly foil his cabal’s persistent sly contrivance for power,” I confided in my boss with a salute. He did stand upright when I arose, accepting my compliments with a salute. Then, he confessed again:

“I could not express my love for you because there is time for everything. But will you let ‘him’ have an erotic hold on you…?” the General asked in low tones, but with deep compassion. He cares for me, perhaps! So, I replied:

“Get hold of yourself, General… I will try my best to remember the lover of whom I am. I will not betray our love, even when you are being confused right now…”

The General cuts in: “Love does not easily remove the deeply etched indoctrination impacted by evil. But it surely shows the way of justice, equity, and fair play… For your ears only, therefore, I say: It is meet for everyone to see the love for Greta in my eyes for now… I promise to make things clear to all when the time is right!”

“I believe in you, Sir!”  I said and moved out of his office so fast - before we could betray any further emotion.

Friday. 5:09 pm Local Time (9.09 am, GMT or UTC.)

Colonel Michelle Guan’s Official Residence, Senior Military Officers’ Quarters, Achaia.

29 Days Before the Proposed Traditional Marriage Between Alexa and Reynold.

Michelle’s Modifier Mode.

Due to the mutual and professional certitude that had existed between us for many years, the Military Intelligence General acceded to his teammate’s request! I decided that it should be nice to explore the beauty of the indoor swimming pool, which our Achaian Government had added to the structure of each Senior Military Officer’s Residence.

However, about three months ago, I had contracted an interior decorator to beautify my poolside. The colourful lights are now remotely controlled. The poolside now has three pairs of wood-crafted sun loungers, complete with puffy upholstery beds, covered with waterproof outer layers, and placed under 7 sets of 10 feet high artificial leafy palm trees. The leafy palm trees are surrounded with colourful indoor flowers in my tastefully padded swimming pool deck. There, couples could enjoy their romance under the natural coolness of the evening. There is also a section where I had three picnic tables, each suited for a couple near my poolside bar. The table had been pre-decorated.

Today, I have stocked the bar with assorted wines and spirits. My pretty Orderly had been sent to her own room with whatever she would love to eat and drink. Hired waiter and bartender would, however, serve us food and drinks while I had also hired a good chef for the night. The picnic tables were covered with real fruits, and classy decors: It is not every day we have “my boss” visiting!

I wore a pink, sexy swimmers’ bikini underneath a thigh-length floral picnic suit that could disarm any strong-willed member of the opposite s*x. After all, I warned my boss that it was going to be a date – whether it was a mission discourse or romance is another issue. But I know that the General would not appear with his security details, ai-de-camp or orderly because he should know that this meeting is for terse business and a real pleasure! I got his favourite meal prepared, with a few other cuisines.

At 5:15 pm., the Military Intelligence General appeared in a lovely, floral casual, scenting so heavenly. He brought a very expensive looking, luxurious bouquet of my favourite red roses with him as I welcomed him inside my Residence’s gates. I had ordered my security details to usher his vehicle right into my compound. The accompanying packs, which the driver of the luxurious cab brought in along with my guest were gorgeous, and the colourful bouquet, which I personally received from the General, was absolutely stunning! The hired bartender collected my bouquet and ushered the driver who carried the gift packs to the indoor poolside. He placed all those flowers in the spots prepared for them, to make our table side so luxurious, and ushered the driver away from the poolside to have dinner elsewhere, while my guest and I were catching up.

The usher met my Orderly in my sitting room, and she gave him my colourfully prepared blueprints, as planned. That pair of documents contain everything I planned to achieve on the new mission, and we should have time to see that when we retire to my inner room. He placed those spiral-bound files on a tray and courteously brought it to the bar desk, decorated with roses. Then he carried a bucket of Champagne and brought it to us. The female steward, uniformly dressed like the bartender, came before the General, genuflected and said:

“You are respectfully welcome, Sir. With the permission of the Lady of the House, I will take your order. What would you like to eat, Sir?”

The General decided to be humble. He looked into my eyes and said: “Your Choice, Goddess!” So, I nodded at the lady, and she went to bring his favourite: Italian Bread and Tomato Soup, Ribollita.

“My Prince, I see that the weather at the poolside has turned cold, and there seems to be nothing like a warm tomato soup with chunks of crusty bread mixed in. This version was put together using frozen spinach, cannellini beans, and some extra spices I heard the crown prince talking about while he discusses your best meal,” I told him seductively, and his green eyeballs squinted in delight.

“Looks like a delicious trap, Goddess,” the General told me.

So, I announced, “Let our meeting begin! Champagne, please!”

The bartender moved briskly and served the champagne. The General and I took a glass apiece and clinked the glass for a sparkling sound, then I said, “To the love-life that will never be jinxed, but shall blossom forever!”

The General surprised me with his toast: “To General Raymond and Colonel Michelle Chang, by God’s Grace!” I was so delighted. We downed the slim glass of Champagne together. We looked into each other’s eyes, and I moved closer to him. He kissed me gently on my lips… and with a smile, I said, “His favourite music, please.” The song was from the Grammy-winning soulful music of Michael Bolton. We danced for a while. Our audience was three people on my payroll. His hired driver was not there.

After a while, we retired to our table, relaxed and I said:

“Your food,” as I scooped a spoonful from the served plate and put it in his mouth. He also scooped a spoonful and put the same in my mouth. I gently closed my eyes to feel how delicious the Ribollita is, and I loved what I ate… “Ummm!”

The general made me realise that he was still there when I felt the softness of his lips against mine, and he said, “Now, I can feel it… Super delicious. Michellicious!”

We fed one another until he raised his hand. He gave me a cosy romantic hug, and I noticed that my topcoat has been stained with the food. I grabbed the remote control and whispered into his ears… “We are going to have a dip.” I turned the large indoor space into a dimly lit place. The colour was more romantic than I thought… I tugged at his shirt as I moved away from our embrace and started removing my picnic attire, leaving only my sexy swimsuit that hardly concealed my cleavages… Of course, he could only see my shape, faintly.

“I am wearing a swimming pant under, so do not try to scare me, Goddess,” he surprisingly said. He got himself out of his expensive casual wear and placed it on another seat attached to another table near him. He looks so gorgeous for a non-model… He tried to touch me, but I made myself elusive and pressed the remote again: The swimming pool space became much darker, tiny lights sparkled here and there, but I could see him moving away from our table to the side of the water.

I pressed the remote again to increase the brightness of the red light so that I can admire Prince Charming. I threw the remote on the sun lounge beside him. But he caught me, swept me off my feet and securely raised me up to the level that our lips met. I enjoyed the feel of his lips for a while, that when he suddenly leapt, it caught me unawares. We both crashed into the deep side of the pool: the lowest depth was about four feet. The water splashed heavily, and we went deep down a bit…