10 Minutes

One way or Another

November, 3, 2021

Can held the napkin in his hand and before any foolish thoughts entered his mind he tossed it into the toilet and flushed it away. The message from her publicist that he hoped would bring him closer to his goal was not what he hoped for at all. Jamie Bermudez, Sanems publicist; from what he had read was also her good friend. Can read the personally penned note once more.

"Mr. Johansson, thank you for your wonderful and generous support of  the children of Costa Rica. Your generous donation has provided the necessary resources to continue to assist the children of this region. Congratulations on winning the bid for a private sitting with Ms. Aydin and for the very collectible piece from her own personal collection. I understand that you wish to make your appointment as soon as possible and that will happen of course now that you have been vetted. Unfortunately Ms. Aydin will be traveling for the next few months. Once I have an itinerary in hand I will be better able to schedule your meeting and give you the details of the meeting location. As you know Ms. Aydin is a very private person and prefers to proceed in that manner. My card is enclosed should you need to reach me for any reason. Thank you again and I look forward to meeting you as well. Regards, Jaime Bermudez.

Can read the message several more times trying desperately to extract a clue of any kind but there was nothing. He slipped the card into his wallet and put the note back in the envelope and tossed on the bed before rising to go for a run. He used his accountants name as a cover knowing he would be persona non grata had he approached with his own. It hadn't seemed to buy him any inroads. It appeared staying in Costa Rica wouldn't change the outcome of his mission. She may or may not even have been in the vicinity and yet he felt in his gut that she was nearby. What remained of that night he spent restlessly in his room alternating between clicking the stations on the TV set and looking up information of Sanem. Information that he had seen countless times already. By the time the sun was rising he had decided to check out one more thing.

He stopped at the reception desk on his way down to have some good Costa Rican coffee. He had a plan and hoped he could gain some information from it. "Excuse me, can you tell me the location of the children's hospital here in San José?". The young woman at the desk was only too eager to help him and wrote down the address for him explaining that it was only a few miles up the street from the hotel. He thanked her, smiling wide making sure that she would remember him if he needed anything else. It had always been easy for him to attract any females attention but he had never abused it or used it to manipulate a woman but it wasn't lost on him that his looks helped greatly in that department. He exited the hotel and immediately turned in the direction of the hospital. Perhaps this was the way to find out more about the very private Sanem Aydin.

Sanem walked back up from the beach where she had spent most of the morning after Alejandro left. Once she walked inside she checked in with the staff and asked that Mr. Alex's favorite dishes be prepared for the evening. He simply went by Alex but the staff added the Mr. for professionalism. The house manager was most efficient and kind. A woman of about sixty with grandchildren who had been gentle and carrying with Sanem during her hardest days. She would be grateful to this woman forever. She reminded her of her own mother and a feeling of nostalgia swept over her making her sad when she should have felt only happiness. Leaving her loved ones had been deeply traumatizing because it hadn't been for the right reasons. She had run away because she couldn't deal with the sadness anymore. She had paid a heavy price for her choices but maybe now life was willing to spare her some happiness. She made her way to her room where she selected a pale pink halter sundress made of the softest brushed cotton. The bodice was stretchy and lined and the fell to mid thigh. She had plenty of time before Alejandro returned to change into something nicer for him later. She chose a lacy white thong and headed over to her shower before changing her mind and walking into his room instead. His room was larger than hers with a large bed in the center of the room. It was made of black iron, in a farmhouse style sat in the middle of an otherwise very modern bedroom. She closed her eyes and recalled the hours before. Every word he said to her before he kissed her senseless and then rose up and off of her. He walked out of her room without saying a word. She was stunned and before she could get herself up he was back and pulling her out of the bed and into his arms. He carried her into his bedroom where he gently placed her in the middle of the bed. He crawled in after her but before she could ask another question he kissed her again making her toes curl up and her flesh tingle with anticipation. "I want to see you here every morning. This is where I want you every night from now on. Si?" She nodded in agreement and he slowly traced her face with the tips of two fingers before moving down to her collarbone. She couldn't help staring at this man who had been in her childhood dreams and fantasies and never in a million years could she have believed he held a love for her as well. She opened her eyes and stood in the center of the room smiling. It had been along time since she had smiled so big and wide and the fact that it was because of a man made it all the more special.