"When am I going to meet you? I owe you so much."
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"I don't get out much," her friend said. "But maybe one day."
It had been her friend who insisted that a computer be bought for the Raleigh headquarters of Bleem International. She approved it, even though she didn't know what they needed a computer for, because she still didn't know what the company did. Every time she had to make a presidential decision, she asked for a written memo on it. And every night, her friend would call her on the telephone, and she would read him the memo, and he would tell her what to do.
She learned not to argue. Her $600,000 had mushroomed to almost $900,000,000. She might be America's first industrialist woman billionaire, she thought. As long as her friend stayed by her side.
So far, she had done nothing to displease him. Until now.
She settled down behind her desk with the drink in her hand and waited for what she knew would happen.
She had time for one large sip before the telephone rang.
"Hello."
"This is Friend," the warm voice said. "I'm disappointed in you."
iCT
"Don't explain right away. Finish your drink."
How did he know she was drinking? She gulped the rest of the Stolichnaya hurriedly.
"Why are you disappointed, Friend?" she asked. "I tried to do what you said."
"But you didn't succeed. I wanted you to get the bacteria in the Hamidi oil supply. You didn't do that. I told you to take care of those two men, to try to find their weaknesses and see to their removal. You failed at that. I asked you to try to find out who they worked for. You failed at that also."
"One of them is gone," Reva said. "The old one. I couldn't find out the weakness of the other one. And I was holding back using the bacteria to promote a fight
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between them. It was just by accident that it never got into the oil supply."
"So the one man still exists and may yet interfere with our plans. This is not good, Reva. Is this any way to treat a friend?"
"I'm still trying. I have him coming to my office later today," she said.
"Well, that is good. Maybe we can find a weakness in him. Be sure to show him the computer when he comes."
"Why?"
"Reva, we have gotten along so far very well,
haven't we?"
"Yes."
"Then why do you ask me why? It would really crush me if you didn't trust me."
"I trust you," she said quickly. "I'll bring him in to see the computer."
"Good. I'm going to make you terribly rich, Reva."
"You already have."
"A pittance. I mean really rich. And I'm not mad at you, Reva. I really like you. Just do what I say. Toodle-oo."
And the connection was broken. Reva got up to pour herself another drink. Her course of action was clear. Remo was good in bed, but her friend was good for the long haul. She would do whatever she had to do for him. And maybe she could get Remo back in bed too.
At five after five Remo arrived at the headquarters of Bleem International. The guard at the closed building escorted him to Reva's office, and when Remo opened the door, Reva ran into his arms.
"I've missed you," she said. "Why'd you leave Hamidi Arabia so quickly?"
"I had business," Remo said.
"Without saying good-bye?"
"I knew it would never be good-bye between us," Remo said. Dammit, he hated Chiun. If he couldn't fig-
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ure out a way to keep this woman off him, he would have to play royal stud to her forever.
"Want a drink?" she asked.
"No. You have one. Have a couple." Maybe he could get her drunk.
"Thank you. Maybe just one," she said.
"Have you spoken to your friend about meeting me?" Remo asked.
"Yes."
"I wish I knew his name."
"So do I," she said. "He's just my friend."
"What did he say?"
"He wants to meet you," Reva said.
"Good. Call him now and set up a date."
"I can't do that," Reva said, sipping her Stolichnaya. "I don't know how to reach him. He always reaches me." She motioned with her head for Remo to follow her as she sat on the suede sofa, but Remo walked past it to perch on the edge of her desk.