The Virgin Vagabond

Chapter 18

Even though they traveled privately now, the trip from Berlin to Perth was exhaustingly long. The fuel in the plane didn’t take them all the way so they had to touch down in Doha to get some gas before continuing to Perth. Kesia made herself busy on the plane by listening to an audiobook while sipping drinks that she kept ordering. When she ordered her third cosmo Luke carefully leaned in.

”Haven’t you had enough?”

”Luke, we are going to be on this plane for so long that I will have more than enough time to drink these drinks, fall asleep, have a hangover and then recover before we even land. So, even if I have had enough, which you are suggesting, I think I’ll have some more. Do you mind?”

”No, not at all. Get drunk, by all means” he said and then he looked at her and continued, ”but I feel like I should talk to you about something before you get too… wasted.”

”Ok, what?”

”Well, I have a contact in Perth, or rather I have a contact who will meet us in Perth.”

”Is there anywhere in the world where you don’t have a contact?”

”Well, yes, a large number of places.”

Kesia rolled her eyes at him and took a sip of the drink that the flight attendant had just brought her.

”Continue” she said.

Luke waited a few seconds, until the flight attendant were out of earshot.

”I will hand over our statement to him for protection.”

”What do you mean? What statement?”

”I will make sure he gets all the information that we have about the game and the commission. You know, the diamond-smuggling and everything.”

Kesia just looked at Luke and tried to wrap her head around what he had just said.

”Wait” she said and closed her eyes for a minute. ”Can you say that again?”

”Good god you’re slow when you’re drunk.”

”Yes, I am. But isn’t this exactly what Cornelia told us not to do?”

”Yes, but then everything changed, remember? She has been lying to us all this time. John and Karen are not who we thought they were and everything is just generally screwed up. I feel like we need to take some precautions, you know. We need insurance or something.”

”Ok, but how would this help us?”

”I will tell my contact, let’s call him Frank, that we will be in touch every 24 hours or so and if he can’t get in touch with me, he will hand over the information to the police.”

Kesia nodded slowly while she repeated everything to herself in her brain. Luke was pretty handy to have around after all.

”That’s good. That’s not just insurance, it’s leverage.”

”Exactly” he said and smiled cunningly. Kesia suddenly felt the urge to kiss him, something she hadn’t really done since John. Then she was reminded about that, the steamy night she had had with the mysterious man they had since realized they didn’t know at all. She sighed and covered her face with her hands, screaming into her palms.

”What is it?” asked Luke and put his arm around her as to comfort her.

Kesia thought for a few seconds and then she looked at Luke.

”There is something I have to tell you and I have no idea how I should even begin to phrase it” she said and looked at him. He looked like a question mark.

”Ok, how about you don’t think about how to phrase it and just say it. As short and concise as possible?” he suggested.

”Good idea” she answered and met his gaze head on, ”I had s*x with John” she said without looking away. She didn’t want to make him think she was ashamed or regretted it or anything. Even though she might feel like she kind of did.

”What?” he said, ”you did what?”

”Oh, don’t make me say it again. You heard me.”

Luke looked at her quietly.

”Say something” she begged him. ”Be mad at me if you want to.”

He looked up at her and scoffed.

”Mad? Mad!? No, honey, I’m not mad. I thought we had something but clearly I was wrong. Let me just ask you this: Did you ever think of me as your boyfriend? I know we never had ’the talk’ or anything but I thought we were something.

”We never talked about being anything, you just assumed! As soon as I told you I was a virgin you started assuming a lot of things! Like how you would be my first and you would decide when we were going to do it and where. At first it was kind of cute, you really seemed invested, like you cared. Then, it started to feel like this was just one more thing you wanted to control, one more thing you could steer in the direction of your choice.”

Kesia paused to breathe and looked at Luke.

”I din’t realize you weren’t on the same page” he said. ”You never said anything.”

”You never asked.”

Luke didn’t say anything. Kesia tried to read his expression but she knew he had a good poker face and he often used it. The rest of the flight, they each sat quietly in their seats. After a while, Kesia fell asleep.

Eventually, they landed in Perth. As Kesia stood up to get off the plane she realized it had been hours since she last stretched her legs. She shook them, one at a time as to wake them up.

”Excuse me” said Luke who was standing behind her, waiting to pass. Kesia made space for him to pass by her and was on her way to say something but he didn’t even look at her. He carried his bag and simply nodded at the flight attendant as he passed her before he got off the plane. Kesia sighed and realized that it was probably going to be like this from now on. He was going to be all reserved and professional, only talking about business. It was going to be torture.

”Kesia!”

Luke called for her outside the plane. Kesia quickly gathered her things and went through the door, thanking the flight attendant on the way. Outside of the plane, a black car was waiting for them and standing by the car was their new assistant, Fabian.

”Welcome!” he exclaimed as Kesia walked down the stairs. ”So nice to see you! I trust the trip was ok?”

”Eh, yes, thank you, it was fine” said Kesia and glanced at Luke who was already rolling his eyes.

”I suppose you’re Fabian?” asked Kesia.

”I the flesh! Let me take those for you.”

He grabbed Kesias luggage and put it in the trunk of the car.

As they reached the hotel, Kesia and Luke excused themselves from Fabian and quickly checked into their room. There, they could finally rest. Kesias head was pounding from all the drinks but she couldn’t admit that to Luke.

”How are you feeling?” asked Luke, who apparently noticed that Kesia seemed a little out of balance.

”I’m fine!” Kesia lied and sat down on the couch. ”Our conversation from before isn’t over, is it?”

”I don’t think so” answered Luke and sat down next to her. ”I think we have quite different perspectives on what our relationship is and those perspectives might stand in the way of us finding common ground.”

”I think you’re right and I know I’m not going to waste time holding grudges, life is too short for that. Shall we just let bygones be bygones and start fresh?”

Luke was quiet for a second.

”No” he said and grabbed her hand. ”I don’t want us to be just business associates or friends. I want more with you” he stood up, ”and I want to balance the scale”.

He pulled at Kesias hand and she stood up next to him. His hand slided down to her hips as he leaned in real close.

”If that’s ok with you?” he whispered in her ear.

Kesia felt her heart racing and warmth starting to tingle inside her. She had almost forgotten what it was like to have Luke so close. She was reminded of his scent and the way his body felt close to hers. She closed her eyes.

”It’s ok with me” she whispered back.

The same second those words passed her lips, Lukes hands found their way in under her shirt. Kesia gasped a little at the intoxicating effect his mere touch had on her. This wasn’t the first time he had touched her, they had had many intimate moments before, yet this felt different somehow. Lukes lips were soon merged with hers in a passionate kiss and Kesia realized they hadn’t really kissed in forever. She felt Lukes hands stroking her back, discovering her body like two little explorers. Lukes lips continued down her chin and her neck. Kesia was panting by the time he had reached her neckline.

”Come on” she said and grabbed his hands, ”let’s go to bed.”

When Kesia woke up the next morning she felt in a new way. Inevitably she started comparing this experience with the one she had had with John. Back then, she had not spent the night and the whole thing was over pretty quickly. Now, that she had something to compare that with, she understood that s*x could be something that was enjoyed slowly, without any stress or deadline to think of. It could be explorative and relaxed. She also understood that it could go on for a long time. John had made it seem like it was over when he had finished but Luke seemed to be able go again and again, with little hydration-breaks and cuddle between the sessions. She turned over and looked at his relaxed face, he was still sleeping pretty deep. Without waking him, she crept closer and rested her head on his chest. There, she only got a couple of minutes before there was a shy knock on the door.

”Ms Kesia? Mr Luke? Are you up?”

It was definitely Fabian. For a split second Kesia thought to herself that he had probably slept on a rug outside of their door all night. She laughed a little bit as she pictured him in a dogs basket, cuddled up in a little pile.

”What’s so funny? Being woken up by Fabians annoying knock isn’t the best I can imagine” said Luke and kissed Kesias head.

”I didn’t know you were awake” said Kesia and sat up.

”Don’t get up” said Luke and pulled her closer, ”I can think of at least one thing I would like to do before we leave this bed to be tormented by Fabian and his never-ending need to gain our favor.”

He kissed her softly as his hands slowly caressed her back. Kesia felt the warmth starting to rise up inside of her and she laid back down next to him.

Having lunch with Fabian was a new experience to Kesia. Luke ate his food and seemed to essentially ignore the annoying assistant but Kesias manners made it impossible for her to do the same. She tried her best to engage in conversation with him, although that proved to be quite a challenge. She barely even kept up with him. He spoke fast and he spoke a lot. He seemed to be following a pattern though, a pattern that Kesia figured out fast. At the end of each rant, he made short pause and then asked a question, usually connected in some way to what he had just talked about. Kesia patiently waited for those pauses.

”So, have you been to Perth before?” Fabian asked after a while.

”No” answered Kesia, ”although I have been wanting to go to Australia for as long as I can remember. I think it has to do with the fact that it is basically on the other side of the world. Feels exciting and exotic somehow.”

”Of course, of course” said Fabian and glanced at Luke. ”When was the last time we saw each other?” he asked.

Luke looked up from his plate.

”Ehh, I don’t know… Maybe last time I played? The way I remember it you came into the game about halfway through, like now, and you spiced things up. In your own way.”

Fabian looked like he was about to say something but his phone started ringing. He picked it up.

”Yes? Aha. Sure. Will do, sir.”

He hung up.

”Was that the commission?” asked Luke.

”Yes, they told me that your seekers are in town as they have made the assessment that they did not abduct Kesia in Berlin. Is there anything I need to know?”

”No” answered Luke without any elaboration.

”Very well” said Fabian, hiding how curious he was about their dealing in Berlin. ”They also told me it was time to give you this.”

He handed an envelope to Kesia, but looked firmly at Luke. Kesia took it and gave it to Luke.

”Have you had this the whole time?” Luke asked Fabian.

”Yes” answered Fabian.

”Why didn’t you give it to us sooner? We could have had a head start.”

”Yes, you could have. Funny how that works” said Fabian and shrugged.

Luke frowned as he opened the envelope.

”On an exceptionally hot evening early in July a young man came out of the garret in which he lodged in S. Place and walked slowly, as though in hesitation, towards K. bridge.”

”Oh, hey, that’s the first line of Crime and Punishment. I read that last year, in my literary studies” said Fabian.

”Oh, did you now? Good for you. I think I’ll double check it if you don’t mind” said Luke.

”He’s right” said Kesia before Luke reached for his phone. ”It’s Crime and Punishment.”

”Well, I hope that doesn’t mean we’re going to Russia” said Luke and took a sip of his coffee.

”Is there anything else in the envelope?” asked Kesia.

”Yes, wait, there is a… brochure?”

He took the piece of paper out and gave it to Kesia.

”’Wine cruise on Swan River’? That sound really nice! I don’t mind a wine cruise on a river.”

”Sure, wine sounds nice but our seekers will be there to, you know.”

”Right. I forgot about them. They will be on the cruise?”

”We can only assume they will. At the very least, they will know that we have been given the brochure. We probably have to go on the cruise the get the location of the drop and the key to the quote.”

”Do you know what your seekers look like?” asked Fabian.

”Yes, we lured them into a little trap when we were in Assisi but we also had an encounter in Cape Town, as well as in New Delhi.”

”That’s good, then you know what to look out for. What’s your next move?”

”I say we act really fast in order to maybe beat our seekers to it” said Luke and looked at Kesia.

”You mean, go right now?”

”Yes.”

”Okay! Let’s go for it!”

”Fabian, get the car!” said Luke and Fabian was up from his chair in less than a second.

”Yes, sir” he said and disappeared.