Sara glanced out the window of the town car and noticed a man and a woman having sex on the sidewalk. They were both completely naked. The woman sat on a low concrete wall and the man was crouched in front of her, between her legs. Sara watched with wide eyes for a moment, captivated by the image of their bodies intertwined, moving against each other.
"So sorry for the delay," the driver said. "The traffic, these days, it's unbelievable. Too much new construction."
Sara quickly turned away from the window and saw that the driver was looking at her in the rear view mirror. She must have looked guilty, because the driver glanced to the side. He noticed the couple having sex and chuckled.
"Oh yes," he said. "Your first time in Meleprija?"
"Yes, it is."
"I'm here now three years." His accent sounded like he came from somewhere in Eastern Europe. "You wouldn't believe you can get used to it, I know, seeing things like that. But, I find, I start to get used to it."
"I'd read about it but it's a different thing to see it." Sara glanced back just as the car started to move. She watched the couple until they passed out of view. Further up the block, she spied two naked women standing outside an apartment, smoking cigarettes.
"Not so much in the downtown. But the neighborhood I live, I see the sex all the time. No one cares. I tell you, I don't even notice anymore. I just walk by." The driver gestured at the two naked women. "The Melepria... it's how they are. The money doesn't change it."
Reminding herself that the town car had tinted windows, Sara peered at the two women as the car slowly drove by them. The women had the dark wavy hair and golden brown skin of the Melepria. They were both young, in their early twenties maybe, and they seemed completely oblivious to the fact that they were naked. Sara knew from what she'd read on the airplane that these women might spend the entire day that way.
The driver said, "You'll see a lot of it today. Last two weeks has been rain, every day. But today, sun is shining. Today is beautiful day."
***
"Would you be able to fly to Meleprija next week?" Vicki had asked Sara.
"Sure," Sara answered immediately, not bothering to check her calendar. Since she'd broken up with Patrick three months before, her calendar was always clear. "For what?"
"Due diligence. The Kokaya Orchard deal. Everything is signed, but it depends on our evaluation of the trees. We want to fly you over there to check the quality."
"Okay." Sara nodded. "Just me? Or is Dr. Chen going also?"
Vicki shook her head. "Albert is in Amapa for six weeks. It's all he can do these days to stay on top of our agreements there. We need someone else in Meleprija. You've worked with Albert, you know what he looks for."
Sara nodded, keeping her face expressionless while inside she jumped up and down in excitement. She understood the opportunity she was being given. For five years, she'd worked as a botanist at TTX Energy Solutions, evaluating the sagana trees and the sap that was becoming so important in the manufacture of rechargeable batteries. Dr. Albert Chen had been her mentor when she first arrived at the company, but then the sagana industry exploded and he disappeared. He was in South America most of the time now, traveling to that narrow region where the sagana trees thrived. The company relied heavily on his judgment, and he had personally inspected and approved every sagana deal they had made.
Everyone knew Dr. Chen was stretched thin. They did business in Meleprija, Brazil, French Guiana. Dr. Chen was constantly on airplanes and in hotels, performing orchard inspections on deal after deal. It was becoming too much for one person, and the demand for sagana sap was only increasing.
If the company was offering to send Sara to Meleprija by herself, that meant that Dr. Chen had finally consented to share his responsibilities, and she had no doubt he had personally selected her for the task. That was a boost to the ego in itself. But Meleprija was also the company's largest sap provider. If she proved herself there, Sara realized might find herself solely responsible for approving all sagana purchases from the island nation. The idea was staggering.
Vicki gave her a moment to absorb the implications of the assignment. Then she said, "Have you ever been to Meleprija?"
"No. I've been to Brazil with Dr. Chen, but never Meleprija."
"I have." Vicki leaned back. "You should read what you can online, maybe buy a guide book. Prepare yourself before you go. It's an interesting place. A beautiful island, but some of their customs are different from what we're used to."
"Okay."
"They're pretty open-minded when it comes to sex. Are you aware of that?"
Sara tried to suppress a smile. "I've heard some things."
"It's a cultural thing. A hundred years ago, they were barely aware of the modern world. Fifty years ago, they were farmers, selling sagana sap for hand lotions. Did you know that's what they used sagana sap for back then? Hand lotions?"
"Yes, I know."
"Oh, of course you do. I forgot who I'm talking to." Vicki waved her hand. "Twenty years ago, the Melepria all hit the lottery when sagana sap turned out to be the key to the energy revolution. Now they have huge houses, expensive cars, investments all over the world. But they still hold a lot of the same traditional beliefs that they've always had. Over here, nudity is considered taboo, and sex is a private thing done behind closed doors. Over there, nudity is commonplace and accepted, and sex is a natural thing that doesn't need to be hidden. It's a little shocking, to be walking down the street and pass a couple having sex in broad daylight. But they don't believe there's anything wrong with it, and I hope it won't bother you when you're there. Will it?"
Sara shook her head. "No. I'll be fine. I'm going there to do the orchard evaluation. Everything else is background noise."
"Excellent. I'll have someone call you from corporate travel." Vicki smiled. "Have a good trip, Dr. Olson."
***
The driver pulled into the underground parking garage of the Pariva building. A security guard stopped them, but waved them through after the driver explained he was bringing Dr. Sara Olson to an important meeting.
"I'm not sure how long it'll take," Sara told the driver. "Do you want to drop me off and then I'll call you when I need you?"
The driver dismissed the idea with a vigorous shake of his head. "Waiting is something I'm good at. I'll read a book, I'll take a nap. Just come to me when you're done."
"All right." Sara stepped out of the car with her black laptop case. She felt a nervous flutter in her stomach as she walked through the parking garage to the elevators. The tap of her heels echoed against the concrete.
"You're a rock star," she murmured to herself, trying to calm her nerves. "They're the ones who should be nervous meeting you. If this goes well, you're going to be queen of the whole island. Your stamp of approval is going to turn people into multi-millionaires." The elevator opened and she stepped in. She pushed the "11" button. Top floor.
The elevator had a mirrored interior, and Sara gazed at her reflection. She was in full professional mode: pencil skirt, white blouse, dark jacket. Her eyes lingered on her bare legs. For fifteen minutes that morning, she'd vacillated on whether or not to wear nylons. They were definite business wear back in Chicago, but seemed like too much for the heat and humidity of Meleprija. Now Sara noticed a red dot on the back of her calf, possibly an insect bite, and she wished she'd worn nylons to cover it up.
She shook her head. "Come on, Sara..." she scolded herself. "Tomorrow you're going to be dirty and sweaty out in the middle of the jungle. Who cares about a red spot on the back of your leg? The queen of Meleprija. That's who you are... don't forget it."
The elevator pinged at the eleventh floor and the doors opened. Sara stepped out into a rectangular antechamber. To her left, a set of glass doors led into the office. The room was painted a soft eggshell, illuminated by track lighting directed towards impressionist art on the walls. Sara glanced at a garden scene as she passed, wondering if it was painted by anyone famous.
She stepped through the glass doors and stood in front of a long white counter. A pretty woman with dark hair sat behind the counter, typing on a computer. The woman glanced up. "Can I help you?" On the wall behind the woman, "Pariva" was written in large gold letters.
"Hi... I'm Dr. Sara Olson, and I..." Sara was about to say that she had a meeting with Miguel Korhika but she didn't make it that far. The woman perked up as soon as she heard Sara's name.
"Oh! Of course, Dr. Olson. Please, go right in, to the left and straight ahead. Karita is Miguel's assistant, I'll let her know you've arrived. Would you like some coffee? Tea?"
"Oh... no, thank you. This way?" Sara turned left as instructed and walked down a short hall. She passed through a doorway and into a reception area. It was comfortably furnished with two leather couches and a wide table of dark polished wood. A woman, presumably Karita, sat behind a large desk. Behind Karita, the door to Mr. Korhika's office was closed, and the office itself, visible through a rectangular window, was dark.
Sara started towards Karita's desk, but then abruptly froze.
Sitting on one of the couches was a naked man.
He was clearly Melepria. Aside from his nakedness, he had the natural bronze tan of a Melepria, and his long dark hair was pulled back and bound in a ponytail. He had a wide chest and solid arms, the muscles of a man who did enough physical labor during the day that he could skip the gym. His pubic hair was shaved, and in its place he had a tattoo, an intricate pattern of lines that radiated from the base of his penis.
Sara only caught a quick glimpse of his penis before she looked away in embarrassment. It was larger than she was used to seeing, sprawling across his lap like a sleeping snake. She hoped she wasn't blushing as continued walking to Karita.
"Hello, Dr. Olson," Karita greeted her. "I'm Karita. I'm Miguel's assistant."
"Yes, right. Nice to meet you. Um... you can call me Sara."
Karita smiled. "Okay, Sara. Miguel is running a bit late, but he said he should be here in ten minutes or so. Do you mind waiting?"
"No, not at all."
"Would you like something to drink? Coffee? Tea? Water?" Karita rolled her chair back, preparing to stand.
"No, I'm fine, thanks." Sara stepped away from the desk. At first glance, Karita had appeared to be wearing a simple, sleeveless black dress. But standing closer, Sara could see that the dress was made of a loosely woven mesh. In Chicago, a woman would have worn a slip underneath, to give the illusion that the dress was sheer. But Karita didn't seem to be wearing anything at all underneath, and Sara could clearly see the outlines of her nipples through the holes in the fabric.
Still, it was more than the man on the couch was wearing.
Sara walked over to the couch opposite the naked man. She sat down, carefully avoiding looking in his direction. To distract herself, she pulled her phone out of her bag and checked her e-mail.
