Vincent Chan was lying on the sofa just about to doze off when the buzzer alerted him to someone entering the outer office. He walked over to his desk and pressed the monitor to see who had entered. What he saw was a tall red headed Goddess looking directly up into the camera through owlish sunglasses. He pressed a button on the desk and a message was relayed requesting her to have a seat and somebody would be with her in a moment.
Vincent went over to the sofa and slipped his bare feet into a pair of Guy Maddin loafers. Picked up the pillow and placed it in the ornately carved chest in front of the Italian leather sofa. He entered his private washroom to tidy up before inviting the beauty inside. He was wearing a fashionable pair of Buffalo Jeans and a white western stlye shirt with pearlized snap buttons.
He smelled his pits, gargled and walked himself through a mist of Paco Rabanne on his way to the waiting room door
"Good afternoon my name is Vincent Chan; How may I help you?
"You don't look Chinese."
"That's just as well because I don't speak it either."
"I thought that with a name like Chan you would be Asian."
"My Father is Chinese but my mother is Afro-American. What you see and some of what's hidden comes from my mother's gene pool."
"What do you have from your father?"
"I'm good at math and I'm inscrutable. Please come in and sit down and tell me what brings you here."
She entered the inner office and sat at a Barcelona chair facing the desk and crossed her long shapely legs a la 'Sharon Stone' only with panties. Pink!
He tore his eyes away from her ample cleavage to discover that her own eyes were scanning the room. Thank God he had time to push his eyes back in their sockets and roll up his tongue before she noticed.
"Would you like a cup of tea or a glass of water?" He could offer her something stronger but that wouldn't look very professional and besides she might think he was some kind of lush looking for any excuse to have a drink before noon.
"Water will be fine. You have a very interesting office, sort of a living room slash office with a contemporary euro antique asian theme."
"Really? That's exactly what I was going for."
Vincent crossed over the the fridge behind the wet bar and took out two Evian waters and retrieved a highball glass from the bar sink, checking it first to make sure it was clean. I inherited most of it from my uncle. I expect that some of it is hundreds of years old. The sofa and the chair are my contribution to the decor." He handed her the water and the glass.
"I didn't get your name"
"I'm sorry, that was rude of me. My name is Blaise Parnell."
"May I ask you how you managed to find me and why out of all the snoops in this city did you show up at my door?
The last time I checked there was only one small ad in the phone book sandwiched between two very large ads advertising professional investigators with modern equipment, and comprehensive reporting with discreet customer service. How did Chuck e. Chan get your attention."
"It had bold letters and it sort glimmered, you know, stood out on the page. Didn't you say your name was Vincent?"
"Glimmered? I had to check the page three times before I found it when I looked. Chuck E. Chan is my late uncle he left me the business in his will along with a crap load of terms I had to agree to that I won't go into here."
"I get the feeling that you don't really want my business and I find that really odd."
"No, I can't turn away customers... that's one of the terms. I just don't go out of my way to attract them." Vincent wasn't about to tell her that his uncle left him a Fortune to be paid out in monthly installments as long as he maintained the business, didn't move and took care of his mystery guest hidden away in the closet behind the antique chinese screen.
"Well I'm afraid that I need to have someone that is committed and interested in helping me so I'll be leav..."
Vincent watched her as she froze halfway out of her chair and looked behind her.
"Is there someone else in the room? Are we being watched by someone or am I being taped?"
"I assure you that there is not a living soul or a pixel to be found."
"I got the strange feeling that something passed through my body and gave me the most reassuring sense that I came to the right place and everything would be resolved."
Vincent gave a nervous look towards the closet. Damn! She done it again; he thought.
"Something passed through your body, you say."
"Yes and I know now that your the man for the job. I don't know why because 10 seconds ago I was ready to walk out of here. I'm going to write you a check for however much it takes to retain your exclusive services."
Vincent sighed and slumped back in his chair. "That won't be necessary. We can settle up later. What would you like me to do for you?"
Ms. Parnell retrieved a photo from her rather large bag. "Beau Brummel the 3rd has been kidnapped and I need you to negotiate the ransom. I can't go to the police."
She handed the photograph and ransom note across the desk to Vincent.
Vincent rubbed his eyes and cursed himself for answering the buzzer "I think you mean dog-napped. This a picture of a dog."
"Not just a dog. His name is Beau Brummel and he's a CHAMPION!"
