"Have you met the new girl, Ollie?"
Oliver Linden looked up to find Simon Poole hovering over him. "I haven't, no. She's a secretary?"
"Consultant of some sort," said Poole. "They sent her over from the main office. A German girl, I think. You really must chat her up, old boy."
"Oh? And why must I do that?"
"Well, she's a pretty little thing, isn't she?" said Poole. "And she's single. Right up your alley, I'd say."
Oliver smiled politely. As the only bachelor in the office Linden was used to his co-workers living vicariously through his sexual conquests, but the winking and smirking sometimes got to him. Childish, really.
"I'm sure we'll meet soon enough," he said. "Er...was there something else, Simon?"
"No-no. Just wanted to give you the old heads up Ollie. Cheery-bye."
Jeremy Sims, who headed up the acquisitions department, brought the "new girl" around just before lunch. "Oliver? I'd like you to meet Miss Aniela Schell."
Oliver rose and extended his hand. "How do you do, Miss Schell?"
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. linden." Her hand was soft and fine. She had a confident smile and a grip to match. Poole's right, thought Oliver. She's very pretty, indeed.
"Oliver here is our top man in mergers," said Sims. "You'll be working closely with him."
Linden looked up from Aneila Schell's impressive bosom. "What is it that Miss Schell and I will be working on, Jeremy?"
"Oh, yes. You haven't been briefed yet, have you old boy?"
"Not yet."
"It's the Egyptian proposal," Sims explained. "Miss Schell is here to help us iron out the finer points. Dot the i's and cross the t's, make sure we've all done our sums. She's crackerjack at this sort of thing aren't you, my dear?"
The woman frowned briefly at Sims' familiarity but recovered quickly. "You're too kind, Mr. Sims," she said graciously.
"I take it then you're fluent in Arabic?" said Oliver.
"As spoken and written. Have you been to Egypt, Mr. Linden?"
"Afraid not. Came here to Rio right after the war and never got to travel about much."
"It's a beautiful city," she said. "Perhaps some day you might show me more of it."
"You may start with lunch," said Sims. "Someplace nice, mind you Oliver. Expenses paid. Take your time, get acquainted, kick the old ball around a bit."
"That's very generous of you Jeremy." Oliver turned to the woman. "I know a lovely outdoor cafe."
Sims leaned against Linden's tidy desk and watched them walk away, his eyes on Aniela
Schell's seductively swaying behind. Lucky man, our Ollie, he thought.
***
They ate feijoada with orange slices and manioc root and washed it down with a bottle of Barca Velha. "This is good," said Aniela, pointing a fork at her plate. "But I expected it to be spicier."
"Do you like spicy things?"
"Sometimes."
"Do you like pierogi?"
"Should I?"
"Well, you're Polish, aren't you?"
"Yes I am." She took a sip of wine. "Most people assume Schell is a German name."
"You've only a trace of an accent," he said, "but it's not German."
"You have a good ear, Oliver."
"Something of a hobby." He shrugged modestly. "Aniela means angel. doesn't it?"
"So I'm told." She took a sip of her wine. "Let me take a stab at you. Let's see..." She closed one eye and looked intently at his handsome face. "East Sussex?"
"Brighton, actually. Bravo."
"I cheated. I've snooped through your personnel file."
"Find anything of interest?"
"Well..." She looked away to avoid his steady gaze. "You're staring at me again."
"Sorry. I don't mean to be rude."
"Do I remind you of someone?"
"Not at all," he said quickly. "It's just that you're quite beautiful."
She rolled her eyes. "Rio de Janeiro is full of beautiful women."
"True. But I'm partial to blondes."
"I'm a fraud," she said. "It's dyed."
"I know. It doesn't matter."
She pushed her plate away and crossed her hands on the table. "Am I going to find you difficult to work with, Oliver?"
"How do you mean?"
"You know perfectly well what I mean." Aniela touched a napkin to her red lips and then dropped it onto her plate. "This is an important assignment for me, you see. A significant advancement is possible if I do well."
"Do you suppose me the sort of man who would sabotage your career?"
"Not deliberately. But I need your complete cooperation on this project," she said. "I need you to be focused on the work and not fantasizing about whether I'm a good fuck."
He into her eyes for a long moment. "I suppose there's only one way to put that question to rest."
"My hotel's not far from here."
"I think we'd be more comfortable at in flat."
***
Oliver set down the stylus and Frank Sinatra's This Is The Night crooned from the speakers.
"You like American music, then?"
"Some of it. Can't say I'm fond of their rock and roll. Jungle music, that."
"I like Elvis Presley," she said. "And Johnny Mathis."