The Map of death

Changes

Instead, I whispered: " Please do"

She entered the office and calmly walked to the desk. She did not look around but went straight next to the chair that I grabbed asking her please to sit.

"Would you like a drink? Some water? A soda?"

"Sure thanks, it so hot today. I'd love a Margarita if you know how to make one"

"Holy shit! This is my lucky day indeed" I thought. If there was A drink that I could make perfectly it was a strawberry margarita.

"Strawberry?" I dared. " I make a really good strawberry margarita if you want"

"That would be wonderful. Are you going to join me on that?"

"Of course I will with great pleasure " I said with a smile.

I went over to the small bar we had next to the couch and blended the ice, took the strawberry syrup out of the fridge along with the bottle of Tequila. Mixed it and poured into the glass. Moved it to a small tray and poured whatever the extra was, in a pitcher, next to a small plate with a slice of lemon and some salt.

"Wow. What a service .. thanks." She said preparing her hand with the salt and the lemon. She took a sip of the drink. We toasted: "To the heat of South Florida" She suggested. "To our meeting today" I continued.

"What brings you to our humble office today Mrs. Dannell?" I said glancing quickly at the business card she just handed me.

"You may call me Serena, MIss that is..and you would be ..?"

"Mark . I'm Mark, Mark Accorso, Serena"

"I am a model and I need to produce a professional portfolio. It is very urgent. Can you handle it? money is not an issue for me, I would pay to double your fees if you can do it professionally and fast."

"How many photos are you looking for and when is your deadline Serena?"

"Can I smoke Mark?" She asked, and lit the cigarette when I handed her the camera's shaped ashtray I kept in my drawer for occasions like this one.

"I'm looking for a hundred pictures. The deadline? Yesterday."

She smiled for the first time and I could see for the first time what the real meaning of "white teeth" was. She had the most beautiful mouth I had ever seen. Sensuous sexy and real.

"Oh, Lord. I'm used to working on deadlines but it would take at least a couple of days of hard work to produce the pictures and another day for the editing and the printing. Three days around the clock, I would say."

"What are your daily fees for shooting?"

" One thousand dollars plus expenses"

" I'll pay you ten thousand if you can do it in two days"

"Well.. we should be working day and night, it isn't impossible but I'd feel I need to work without a great pressure in order to give you the professional photos you need. Let's give it a try, I'll do my best. If I can't make it in two days you'll pay me a thousand a day. If I will and you'll be satisfied you'll give me the ten figures ok?"

"Sounds like a deal. Here, this is a thousand dollars in advance for your expenses" She counted ten "one-hundred dollar bills" and laid it on the desk.

"Let us start tomorrow, at nine o clock sharp. Do you know where Golden Beach is just South of Hallandale Beach Blv. on A1A?"

"I know where the place is"

"Meet me there tomorrow, there is a public beach, about half a mile on your left as you pass the street sign "Golden Beach". I'll meet you there, we'll take some pictures outside and then we'll move to my house for the rest of the day."

She smiled once more and I escorted her to the door and the elevator.

"You didn't finish your margarita Serena.."

"Well. I'll take a rain check on that. Bring the syrup and the Tequila tomorrow, I'll have the ice. Hasta la vista!"

"Hasta Manana!"

I checked on that ass once more before she closed and disappeared behind the elevator's door.

I was still shocked and puzzled by that visit. Shocked because of her beauty, puzzled but the request she made to me.

I wasn't the most famous photographer in the world but something wasn't right. Usually, a portfolio isn't needed that fast and why did she offer to pay a small fortune just to have a one hundred photos taken? Something was fishy and wasn't right.

In cases like this, I needed the "moron's advice". The Dude was the right person I thought. He was the last person one would want to be advised. He was a compulsive liar and a pot head who lived for many years in Hawaii, surfing, and smoking. Eventually, he gave up surfing and moved to Miami where he drove a taxi. He looked a lot like the professor in "Back to the Future". A strange human being but for some reason, his craziness had made him wise when he wasn't too high on weed.

I had an option: Lucy!!!

She always knew the answer, she was wise, besides if I went to Lucy's I could spend the night there, get laid and be closer to Golden Beach for tomorrow shoot. I loved the way I thought of things some times, I'd even surprised myself. I called Alan first but I didn't tell him about the ten thousand and I gave him a few details. I just told him I'd be out of the office for a couple of days and would be back with two or three thousand dollars. He seemed to like the idea and hung up on me saying "I'm watching you man" "Fuck you" was my answer as I hung up.

I was honest and never screwed anybody who trusted me. Alan did trust me and I did as well. I didn't mention about the ten thousand she promised because I wasn't going to create false hopes and also because I did not know if I was really going to get it. Besides, if I told Alan the whole story I had the feeling he would start bitching at me and lecturing me like a wife about the rule that "if the money is too easy, there must be something fishy about it". I heard that from him so many times and I did not want to listen to all that bullshit.

In my mind, I had it clear: if I made ten thousand, we'd split it in half like we always did. If it was going to be two thousand, we'll do the same. I would leave the entire story for later, and explain him the whole crap when it was over.

Serena's ass got me horny. It was time to get to Lucy's.