Fiftieth Birthday

inging phone jerked me out of a very deep sleep. As I picked up my pho

being evacuated to Zurich and that she didn't know his condition or how bad he was or how it happened or where it happened... she said maybe in So

ad told me the dreadful news. Images of Michael lying on the cold marble floor of the bank in LA flooded my memory and chilled my

eg

es

down and tell m

e weird crank call since it was three in the morning. I told her I was and was about ready to hang up and go back to sleep when she told me Dad had been shot. She

. Megan

le

hipping International called and said your Dad was shot and

but then I was

we" does that mean Liz is wit

she stayed over. Oh my God... my wedding's in eight weeks... and D

lobal... they might need to confirm with you they can talk to me... so stay by t

ka

call some folks I know at State Department who can tell

u care about Dad and that you would probably have the resources to find him

s soon as I've heard anything. I've go

. we were jus

way to Zurich that means he's sti

niffle on t

eg

es

y tough. He's been through it before." I

Teri for being su

have you told

leaving and all... she would just scream "It's all my fault!" and then go to pieces. It's been over four mo

r a little while. At least until I can get som

ka

and Liz. I know she still loves your father and always has.

ink they'll ever g

love your mother so much he wouldn't have been so hurt. Maybe

ust come home... thanks agai

wil

s sick with worry. I had almost lost Michael once before and I couldn't

ers of his team"? What team? The last I had heard from Michael he was in Brussels. I'd received

him terribly. I had come to rely on Michael and early on he had brought me in on the Charos buy out and merger. He wanted deep background investigations on o

scussed business. It was just a nice time to relax and talk about our lives, catch up on the latest happenings around town with perhaps a little gossip thrown in, although neither of us ever discussed clients that we didn't have in common. Our

y Mommy... I'll bet you're ha

atever they do there is no way Dad will ever live in that house again. That makes us sad since we have so many happy memories of that house... but

grow stale... and then one of the partners... or both, will go look

I had friends at college who would ha

f my friends seem overly curio

I didn't want to know about sexy

sn't signed the set

il she talks to Dad face to face and tells hi

n ad

d for all. Oh... and Mom is seeing a psychiatrist. She says

.. stop

it's true... she

fully comprehends how she's hurt Michael. She still thinks only of herself and her fe

ng to end up. I had the letter from Mic

as back and t was 3

el... please don'

d up th

ery,

d the darkness and I could feel the rounds slamming into the fuselage like a sledgehammer. The pilot struggled to regain control. Directly behind me the door gunner fired his M-60 as we fell, trying to knock out the gun that was tearing us apart. I could fe

ked a

all right

. yes... Gin

nt something to make you

eg just hurts a little... I

y nurse. The light from the open door into her bedroom silhouetted her. She was wearing ivory colored silk pajamas t

stay for a l

r. She was beautiful, shoulder length dark brown hair, and luminous gre

ook co

under th

Ltd. I had been asleep in the small bed in the aft cabin. I woke to find Gina's warm naked body presse

beautiful face and she smiled in her sleep at my touch. Out the window from 35,000 feet I co

t my relations

e Global suite in Zurich. The next morning she caressed m

s care of her pati

as their new home because of his extensive software development background. Gina was recruited out of her nursing school class with an offer from Global. She loved flying and nursing and Global was a company which cared about its employees. They quickly sent a medic

he big medical center in Zurich. She assured me that the employees and executives at Global "were perfect gentlemen" and never even ins

timate place in Zurich she confessed that her life

d to tease her — "A Global Lim

covered my hand and looked away, seemingly take

ourney doesn't hit anything major, so it doesn't require a lot of treatment and usually heals quickly. Well that may have been true but being shot is bloody painful and "million dollar" wound or not it is more than an inconvenience - somethi

some serious thought, Gina

threaten those in your care. But you keep all that hidden. You make me laugh with your humor and smile with your gentleness... and you love children. And you make love to me like I'm t

you too Gina.

k to the small hotel and then we spent the rest of tha

f an accent which made her seem more exotic. She was balm for my soul

bt I was glad to be alive. By all odds I shouldn

n pounded by m

irst contact with the enemy"?

e flight was smooth. It was if we had a private bedroom in the sky.

them and picked the best — that is men, and one woman without criminal backgrounds, non heavy drinkers and those who would pass a drug screen, and most importantly people who were good at killing with various weapons, or were skilled helicopter pilots. We ended up with a well-disciplined crew who were going to be well paid for a night's work off the coast of Somalia. I was the new Chief of Security (interim) for McGregor Global Shipping Ltd. And our j

eek out of every quarter he sailed on one of his ships. He would just show up somewhere in the world and climb aboard. He was a gregarious Scotsman, named Stuart McGregor.

sharing a bottle of well-aged Port, and a couple

entering some of the most da

rous?

the protection of a corrupt gover

prevent something that should be handled by governments. Had the attack on the cruise ship been successful and several hundred passengers and crew killed, and all the women raped and many sold into slavery... I wonder what the governments of the world would have done then? These days anything smaller

ng to a point so I

and obsessed with details." He took another sip of his Port.

his offer. He explained his current chief was retiring in just a few days and he had

, management, and the attention to detail experience I need. You have been tested more than once and have proven yourself. You took your small law firm and made it a major player in northern Cal

sented his prying into my background

ut m

need me. You can't just sail away from your life. You are who you are and unless I hav

ng over his assessment of me. He was probably right. It had been only two mo

ily negotiator

say for the next twelve months... or until y

k out h

Shipping... now what the hell are you

, if all went well, I would direct the action from a safe distance from above. McGregor made it very clear that I was not to be involved in the ground action. I was happy to comply. I only had six pilots so there were no copilots. That was a risk I decided to take. Each Blackhawk carried two gunners and the Apache had its array of lethal weapons t

their numbers and the large number of carefully hidden heavy machine guns. Later I found out there were more than twice the one hundred pirates we expected. Fortunately su

tched the snow covere

's S

ne. My life was fun and rewarding and not as glamorous as my parent's thought, but

unfaithful wife. I snuggled against him, smelling him and feeling his hard body. He was thinner than he should be but he had well defined muscles in all the right places. I had worked him hard as part of his physical therapy — swimming laps until he could hardly crawl from the pool and weight

rld. I touched the large emerald and ruby pendent that hung between m

flight from Djibouti to Zurich, despite his pain, he was much more concerned about the others who had been in his charge. He wouldn't take any pain medication until the doctor a

er to regain control of the stricken Blackhawk just in time to get it down on its wheels. It hit hard but stayed upright. Janice got her start in the Gulf War flying a medivac helicopter in Kuwait and Iraq. Bored with peacetime dut

ed Michael's leg and tried to make her comfortable but it didn't take long for the pirates to mount an assault against them. Her surviving gunner used his machine gun to deadly effect but the tribal culture of the pirates kept them coming. He and Michael held them off until he too was wounded. Then Janice watched Micha

e killed them made me shudder... it was if a cold fury possessed him. I

face the real threat posed by the Se

an organized resistance and Michael's hand-p

ts were on fire as well as several smaller ones. Every building was torched or rubble and the only living things remaining were a few dog

ble to get around he would visit those still in the hospital, especially Captain Elders. She was in traction with some compressed vertebrae and also

hide it when Michael showed up. Sometimes he would just talk to her and sometimes he would get a couple of newspapers and read to her. He never sp

d the autumn weather as the season changed in Zurich. He always made time for me and I loved his self deprecating humor and his ability to find a solution to some of Global's most vexing security problems. I

hand on the bulkhead clock tick away our remaining

Reu

nnor's" flight. He poured coffee from a silver service and promptly got Cassie her requested hot chocolate "with marshmallows". Cassie enjoyed being treated like a grownup lady and she openly admired the tall and beautifully decorated Christmas tree. Conversation among the three adults swung between excited conversation about Christmas

kohama, but they still gave me a feeling of closeness. I had to restrain myself from pouring out my heart to him along with how much I longed to see him. I w

the third floor panoramic windows. A wide set of stairs was pushed to the plane and the door opened to reveal a beautiful smartly dressed young woman. She turned and looked back into the cabin and then Michael stepped out. God he looked wonderful! He was wearing a dark green military style pa

Do you suppose he remembers we have to go

smiled

a little time to get settled before

rious for awh

t until t

gged

pped off the cover of a fashion magazine. Her shoulder length dark hair was the perfect compliment to her light olive complexion and she had an almost Asian look to her facial features. She was exotic and beautiful. She was wearing a leather WW II bomber

y is very pret

odd

etty as yo

led a

re Mr. Connors will be with us shortly... he has to stop briefly at customs and immi

reason I paused... I wanted to see more of Michael and the exotic mystery woman. Something about how they walked together, occasionally rub

rom the plane reached the building. The entryway was covered with an awning and t

nside his unbuttoned coat. She rested her head on his shoulder and just held him. He held her too and he said something to her. She looked up and nodded. She finally broke the embrace and kissed him. It was a quick kiss but her body language told me i

at have you d

eality in the form of a fashion model had a way of interfering with the best dreams. Now I didn't know what to do. I wanted so desperately to feel his arms around me like he had just done wi

wool skirt with high heel pumps. I spent five days a week at the gym and at 36, I felt I could hold my o

rtainty as I made my wa

at he had not picked her up. She clung to his waist, crushing the bouquet she had insisted on buying for him. With a bit of difficulty Michael went to his knees and hugged Cassie. I c

sie holding his hand. Megan and L

you are even prettier tha

him and handed

have to let me go so I ca

ed at hi

and my heart mel

re you

couldn't speak and I

hael

lane I put my arms inside his open coat and hugged him. I could even still smell her delicious scent on his clo

ened his emb

are you a

d hardly able to

holding back since he left found their outlet. I felt foolish but

y's room where we did our best to repair the damage to ma

me and told me it was obvious how much I loved their father and they hoped that what

e Meeting Wit

eavy woven gold bracelet that

ring me closer to Michael and help dispel the doubts I had about where our relationship was going and especially about agreeing to his request to drive him to his meeting wit

as home safe and we were seeing each other of talking on the phone

tions were gone and the realities of life seem to settle ba

s. One had emeralds for its eyes, the other had rubies and the clasp was hidden where the two joined nose to nose. It wasn't an

l young woman from the airplane had been with him w

round, and thought about that wonde

Christm

g of the day at my favorite salon and then Cassie and I grabbed our evening clothes and took a Towncar to Michael's home. We spent the afternoon helping the staff get the home ready. The chef had the kitchen well in hand so after a bit of organizing Cassie and I helped Michael wrap gifts. It was a lovely relaxed way to spend th

tured a large tree decorated as it probably was when the house was built. The smell of roast

velvet dress and both Liz and Megan wore short silk formal dresses. They were both tall and slim and beautiful like their mother. Megan was accompanied by her fiancé Matt. He was a Captain an

we had finished and Michael had sent all the staff on their way with baskets of Christmas treats and a

layed Santa and handed around the presents. He winked at me when she opened her iPod. I had resi

d over what t

smiled as he discovered the beautifully crafted antique ship's chronometer inside. It w

don't know

arn to sail... and now you are an important person with M

one a

d learn to sail" added Liz. "I've always dreamed of sail

seriousness to the conversation as his daughters and Cassie chimed in about the places th

e to a boat in the south Paci

've been taught to know when to move a

was just Michae

ading "The Polar Express". She still had her new iPod clu

in one of the guest rooms and then it was just the tw

istmas Eve magic. Michael is a wonderful lover and I was light-headed with anticipation as he took my hand and

ught of the photos of Brian and his very average sized equipment. What could eve

im passionately... but did he love me? Neither of us had said those words although I wanted so

ene but the absence of Helene. Cassie, Matt and I hardly felt it but for Michael, Liz and Megan it must have weighed heavily. Liz and Megan had never spent a Christmas Eve without their mother. She may be a cold calculating unfaithful bitch but she was their mother. I knew Matt and the gir

he city that he had decided to try to make his failed marriage work? There was no doubt that he still loved Helene. Could he forgive and forget? And where

uldn't it at