An unusual job.
The next year was busy for me, thanks to Val's understanding of planning laws and Emma greasing some palms, my ideas for the Regents Hotel, soon got the green light. Angela used her contacts, finding high spec materials and labour at rock bottom prices. The renovations were well ahead of schedule, so much so, I would be able to open the pool, complete with saunas and jacuzzis, way before the holiday season started, giving the locals an opportunity to use the facilities at a much reduced price, which would not increase during the busy period. Paula had agreed to run the restaurant for me, her eye for detail and knowledge of the catering industry, ensured we provided a service of the highest standard, whilst keeping the cost down. Deals were done with local farmers, butchers, bakers and fish mongers, each one getting a small weekly retainer, irrespective if anything was purchased from them that week, on the assurance that, if and when we needed their services, they delivered the best quality.
During the week my time was spent servicing my regular clients needs, an ever increasing work load, kept me busy from morning till night, sometimes through the night, but I was not complaining as my bank balance was considerable healthy. Friday afternoons, I would travel down to the hotel, check on progress, whilst on Saturday and Sunday, I worked on two special rooms on the top floor, my project, a guarded secret for now. My evenings away were spent in the company of Veronica, Brenda or Sarah and on a few occasions all three of them together.
It was during a weekend away that I received a phone call from Angela, informing me that she had cancelled all my appointments for the next week and I needed to be in her office by 7am on Monday morning, where she would explain it all.
When I arrived at her office, the Angela who greeted me, was someone I had never met before, the confident, I don't give a damn who you are person, had been replaced by an anxious, nervous wreck, pacing up and down the office, clasping her hands.
"Sit down Shaun, I need your help." She virtually appealed to me.
Now after all Angela has done and is still doing for me, there is no way I would ever refuse to help her out.
"Angela, calm down, relax, tell me what you want and I'll move heaven and earth to do it, I owe you so much."
"My sister is coming to visit for a few days, I need you to take care of her for me, show her a good time." She said, adding
"I'll cover all costs and your loss of earnings."
There was no way I was ever going to take money off her, but I needed to know exactly what she meant, so I asked,
"As in a good time, do you mean, wine and dine her, show her around, be her chauffeur or what?"
"All of them plus more." She said, looking down, her hands still clasped together.
"You're not telling me you wan me to fuck your sister, are you?"
"NO!!!...YES!!! I suppose you will have to." She responded.
"What do you mean, I will have to? You are making no sense." I told her.
Tears filled her eyes, when she dropped the bombshell,
"Shaun, I want you to make her pregnant."
Holy fuck, what did I just hear!!!!!!!
"Let me check the calendar, no this isn't the 1st of April, so you're not joking, are you?"
"No"
I slumped back in the chair, really not knowing what to make of the situation, when a composed Angela went on to explain.
"My sister and her husband."
I stopped her right there,
"HUSBAND!!!!! She is married?"
"Please Shaun, let me finish, this is hard enough for me as it is, I don't want to be in this situation either, but I would do anything for her."
"Okay carry on." I answered.
"My sister and her husband are the most devoted couple you could ever meet, both would lay down their lives for each other, they have tried for years to have a child, but recent test have proved he is incapable of fathering one. Her biological clock is ticking down, so it's now or never. They turned to me for help, I'm turning to you. I promise the child, your child, will have the most loving of parents, he or she, will not want for anything."
Angela had facilitated everything I now have, if I did this for her, it would go a long way to repaying her.
"If I agree and get your sister pregnant, should all go well, what would be my roll after he birth?" I enquired.
"Nothing, by luck, he had one little determined piece of sperm, that survived the perils of her womb and fertilized her egg, just at the right moment, game over."
"No comebacks?"
"Definitely, no comebacks."
"It seems so mechanical but for you, I'll try." I said.
She burst out laughing,
"Mechanical!!!! You wait."
I arranged to meet Angela and her sister Deborah later that evening, unsure if I could go ahead with this. To make matters even more complicated, she turned up with her husband Mike, who was huge and scared the shit out of me. When he stood up to shake my hand, I barely came up to his chest, my hand felt engulfed in his and when he shook it, I could feel the power within his arms, imagining the force with which he could deliver a single punch.
Deborah on the other hand was short, dark haired, tanned and had a fairly good looking figure. At first the conversation was strained, each not really knowing what to say, skating around the obvious.
Angela was the first to break the ice,
"Deb's, I've asked the hotel to provided you with a reinforced bed, the last thing I want is a bill for damages at the end of the week."
Mike burst out laughing before joining in,
"And the table, chairs and sofa to, I hope,"