Part one
The phone in the back of the Rolls Royce began to ring just as the car pulled onto the long drive which wound its way up to the manor house. Lord Everett Obéir sighed and reached for the handset whilst, with the other hand, he raised the glass partition between the front and back of the vehicle. This would ensure the phone conversation remained confidential. It was most definitely not for the ears of Joseph the chauffeur. Even though his long years with the family would probably ensure nothing he learnt would be shared with anyone. The Lord waited for the glass to rise completely and then he pressed the answer button and raised the phone to his ears. At the same time, he noted the name on the screen.
"Everett," he said, making sure his voice was stern. This had better be good news he thought and then he added wearily. "Oh, it's you!" Even though he knew precisely who it was. There was another pause and then he added, "yes he is here I'll pass you over." He was referring to his brother who was sitting beside him in the car and who was getting increasingly frustrated in his attempts to find out who was calling. The raising of the partition had got his attention. It took two attempts but finally, the silent mouthing of the caller's name made sense and the brother nodded and then frowned. Duke Aslan Obéir reached out his hand and snatched the phone.
"This had better be good," Aslan said into the handset aware of his brother watching him intently but unaware he had mirrored his sibling's thoughts. There was a long pause with only the faint unintelligible sound of the caller's voice breaking the silence in the car. It had come to rest outside the house and the engine had been turned off. "That's what you said last time and several times before that," the Duke added. "It's getting so tiresome, sending you these young women, and then having to clear up the mess afterwards." The two brothers exchanged a smile at their little act. The victims were really of no consequence there was always a plentiful supply but it did not do to say so. "I would have thought being three years late and two no two and a half million pounds over budget is more embarrassing," Aslan suddenly said enjoying the now routine game of humiliating the caller. "Yes, of course, we have someone ready. I'll have her sent over. By now you know the cover story." Then he simply hung up the phone and knocked irritably on the car window for the chauffeur to let him out.
As the door opened Everett casually asked if he should send Arabella or Melanie. He was surprised at being told to send Arabella. She was the current favourite he thought and they had seen what had happened to the others. However, he knew better than to query so Everett simply nodded his understanding and wandered off to do as he had been bid. I wonder what Arabella has done wrong he chuckled to himself. But he knew. She had just got engaged and that was not what young ladies in the service of the Obéir family did. So she was now expendable. Everett wondered what would be worst for her. The experimentation finally working and the life-changing impact that would have or it failing again and the consequences that would result.
It was just twenty-four hours later when the same Rolls Royce with the same chauffeur deposited Arabella Černý outside the same stately home. As the rear door was opened she stepped out one very shapely leg after the other before standing up and looking up at the impressive building in front of her. Three sets of eyes looking from an upstairs window retreated swiftly so as not to be seen as her head lifted. They had been expecting that. Everyone took a moment to take in the beautiful architecture of this house. The three men grinned at each other. It was not the beauty of the stonework that they were thinking about. It was her legs. They needed to make it work with this one. All three stepped smartly out of the bedroom they had spent the morning converting back into their laboratory and sped downstairs each wanting to be the first to meet the new girl.
"Good morning," Arabella said brightly as she reached the top of the staircase which brought visitors up to the great house's huge oak front doors. "You must be Oliver, Lucas and William," she paused after saying each man's name to shake their hand. She hoped the fact she could pick out who was who would impress them. Judging by the looks on their faces it hadn't. It was no surprise. They had seen this routine before but there was something different this time. This one was special. Each man found himself distracted by the faint sense of her perfume. Even outside they could just catch its scent. It was wonderful and distracting enough to make them breathe deeply and pause. This meant everyone ended up standing silently and staring at each other.
Conscious of her need to get these men on her side and of the task given to her by their Lordships Arabella broke the silence.
"Arabella Černý," she said firmly introducing herself with confidence before adding with a tone of deliberate uncertainty. "Asy told you I was coming? Or at least he said he would but then he is very forgetful sometimes." Arabella hoped the use of such an informal name for the Duke and the suggestion of his forgetfulness would convey a sense of closeness to the Duke that would unsettle these men. There was no actual closeness but the Duke had suggested that she should act that way. For that moment it felt like it was working for the three men nodded dumbly and stepped back to allow her to enter the house. As she walked past them swaying her hips a little in the very tight, short skirt she was wearing she added quietly. "You must call me Bella," she said. "All my friends do." The men followed their eyes fixed on the wondrous ass hidden beneath the pattern white skirt Bella was wearing. Not to mention the tanned, bare skin of her legs on show from mid-thigh downwards. Oliver, Lucas and William vowed once again that this time they must get it right.
Part two
Arabella's head was spinning and she could feel her heart racing. What these men were working on was horrific but she kept a poker face and tried to remain as matter-of-fact as they were being. She had been sent to investigate and had hit the jackpot it seemed. Holding herself together she had managed to get Oliver, Lucas and William to show her into a little study so she could phone the Duke. He needed to hear right now what was being done in his name and to come home as fast as he could to take charge. She might have been appointed as Head of HR for all his businesses but this issue was way above her pay grade.
She dialled the phone, getting the numbers right taking all of her concentration. She reached the Duke directly and on only the second ring. This was odd he had a reputation of being hard to get hold of but then again perhaps he had some instinct that all was not well with his team of medical techies. Maybe he was waiting for her call. Arabella took a deep breath, once again her head spun and she drained the final drops of coffee that Oliver had insisted she had. Partly because she hoped it would help and partly to buy the time to collect her thoughts. Then in one long monologue barely pausing to breathe because that was when the room spun the most she dumped on the Duke everything she had learnt.
"Have you finished?" He finally said when she paused and showed no sign of carrying on and then he laughed. "Why else did you think I had employed you, my dear?" He said the amusement still in his voice. Arabella finding it harder and harder to concentrate was confused by this merriment. This would surely be a total disaster for his reputation and business career if this got out. She managed to string a sentence together to say so and once again this was met with mirth. "My dear, that's why you are there, to help the boys with the next steps in their research." Arabella dropped the phone receiver in shock, not believing what she was hearing and she stood up quickly. Much too quickly for someone feeling as dizzy as she was. Behind her, the door opened at exactly that moment and the three men came swiftly in.
"Hey," she said meaning that Oliver, Lucas and William should not be in the room with her. The call was confidential and she meant to tell them so. However one was already grabbing the phone. He said light-heartedly down the phone that she would call the duke back and she replaced the receiver. The other one was holding the door open. Unable to think straight Arabella decided to head to the door. Maybe fresh air was what she needed. "Hey," she said again not because any of the men had tried to stop her but because she had taken a step, stumbled, tried to support herself and being unable to she was now falling forward." Hey," she said for a third time as Oliver stepped forward and extended his arm.
"I've got you," he said as she fell across it thus saving her from hitting the ground. Arabella's head spun more than ever as she was roughly whirled around before Oliver bent down, placing one arm under her knees and another under her neck he lifted Arabella into the air. She tried to protest and asked to be put down but she was ignored. "Let's get you to the laboratory," he said thanking Lucas for holding the door as he carried her into the hallway and headed for the stairs.
"Where are you taking me?" Arabella managed to finally say but only in a whisper. There was no answer but she was aware that she was being carried upstairs. One of the other men William she guessed told her it would be somewhere she could rest and Arabella relaxed a little in Oliver's arms and closed her eyes. That would be good she thought. She needed to rest.
Suddenly though her eyes jolted open and her body tensed. She could feel herself falling and an instant later she realised she was. It was not her spinning head playing tricks on her. She had been dropped almost tossed. Before she could scream or put her arms out she hit something soft. Her body bounced a couple of times before she came to rest giving her a moment to appreciate she had fallen onto a bed and she was bouncing on the mattress. Oliver could have been a little more gentle she thought but at least she could now rest and recover. Then there was a lot of work to do but now she was far too tired.
Immediately though she felt that she was being pulled down the bed, Lucas had taken over from Oliver and with a look on his face that she did not like he was removing her skirt by trying to pull it over her hips. It was tight so it was a struggle. She tried to tell him it was not necessary to undress her. She just wanted to sleep and Arabella tried to get her hands to reach out and stop what was happening but it was already too late. She was halfway down the bed and the skirt was over her hips. It was now easy for Oliver to remove it and he speedily slipped her legs from within it. Each of her high-heeled shoes were removed in the same process. She heard William and Oliver observing what lovely legs she had.
