Episode 78: Familiar ground

Bill turned the key and pushed the door as Mai's bodyguard moved past him quickly and stepped into the apartment first.  Reaching for the light switch next to the door he flicked it on and moved quickly around the somewhat spartan apartment.  Mai held Bill's arm at the door, but Bill pulled free and stepped into the living room.  Realized that the airless space was oppressive after being empty for so long he reached for the master switch to the overhead fans he flipped them on as Mai stepped in behind him. 

Mai's bodyguard came from the bedroom and nodded almost imperceptibly that everything seemed clear.

Prior to entering Bill's apartment complex she had won a small concession from him by getting Bill to agree to have her bodyguards accompany them, but her whispered conversation to her team had seen them move stealthily in advance as they entered the complex much to Bill's chagrin.

To be safe Mai had positioned her body guards at the front gate and doorway to his apartment complex as well accompanying them to Bill's apartment.

She was less than pleased that Bill wanted to stay in his apartment, but also sensed that he needed to decide what was best without pushing him too far she acquiesced...but only to a point. 

She began planning their next move...

Episode 77: Investigations

It was the second day in a row that John sat with Phuong in the office, observing him go about his work.  There was something about this man that gave John confidence that Bill was in good hands.  Although quiet and somewhat reserved he noted Phuong's ability to digest, translate and summarize detailed news feeds into palatable and easy to read articles was astounding, it was as if he sensed what the intent was over the words and was able to capture the essence of the story.

Suddenly the phone rang breaking him out of his observation. John quickly reached for the jangling relic sitting on Bill's desk.  "Hello, The Times" he said almost too quickly.  However, on the other end of the phone the person was speaking in the unfamiliar Vietnamese.  John was perplex and quickly handed the receiver to Phuong who was standing along side him.

Phuong took it and putting it to his ear listened carefully to the voice on the other end, he nodded and hung up.

Turning to John he said that the call was from a trusted friend that had provided him with invaluable information that he needed to corroborate for a story he was following.  He went to his desk and gathered the small note pad from his desk headed to the door.  

Putting his head in his hands he unconsciously rubbed his eyes, noting that he still no word from Craig on Lea's whereabouts...   

Episode 76: Heat

As the aircraft touched down after its flight from Hue, a refreshed Bill and Mai deplaned onto the steamy evening air at Noi Ban airport.  After a short walk from the plane to the terminal she quickly found that she was surrounded by her familiar bodyguards who led them through the busy terminal to the car parked directly out front.

They eyed Bill suspiciously as they strode toward the terminal entrance, but given their loyalty to Mai there was not a flicker of emotion shown by any of them.  They had seen it all before, he would be just like the others they collectively thought...

Once ensconced in the car Mai leaned into Bill, and feeling his warm and familiar scent she smiled.  Where are you going to stay darling she whispered?  It's far too dangerous to go back to your apartment on Cát Linh Đống Đa.  "I'll be fine love" he said confidently.  No one will expect me to stay there, it's the perfect place.  

I know the kind of people who did this to you and they will stop at nothing to drive you away from Hanoi, you've seen what they can do, and I'm afraid that the next time...her voice trailed off as a tear glinted in the corner of her beautiful green eyes.  Don't be afraid he said pulling her into him and kissing her tenderly.  

Mai's heart melted every time he held and kissed her like this...

Episode 75: Unsteady

Lea was feeling hot, tired and exasperated as she patiently waited in the long line for the airline ticket counter.  She looked behind her and now saw the line stretching well beyond the doors to the terminal building, there was definitely an air of panic in the air particularly with all of the military now pushing their way through the lines, sometimes leading people away...

She felt a tug at her arm and turning was confronted by an army officer demanding to see her passport, she fumbled as she tried to open her purse too quickly and it fell to the floor.  Feeling flustered she bent down and picked it, but standing too quickly felt light headed and wobbled unsteadily on her feet.

Given the obvious change in situation Alessio had returned to the airport in the hope of finding Lea, but it had taken him quite sometime because of the traffic choking all the roads to the airport.  He entered the terminal building into the sea of humanity and began scanning the lines to the ticket counters.  

Finally locating her in the crowd to tried to push his way through to her and as he neared noticed that an army officer was holding her elbow and sensing that something wasn't right he forcefully pushed his way through to her side.  

Lea breathed deeply as her momentary wooziness cleared, noting that the officer had grasped her elbow to steady her but not in a friendly way, it was this uneasy feeling that helped clear her head quickly.

After a couple of moments, she pulled her elbow from his grasp just a little too hard and handed him her passport, he began meticulously leafing through the pages, his eyes darting between the pages and her face as he sized her up...

Lea felt an arm go around her waist and turned quickly to find Alessio's handsome face inches from hers, she fell into his arms, hot tears began welling in her eyes...

Episode 74: The Yard

After Phuong's enlightening conversation with John he called the London office to see if they had heard from Lea.  No word, except that there were reports coming out of Bangkok that there was a military coup under way in Thailand.

Surely Lea can't be in Bangkok, she should have been here by now he thought as he tried to piece together the timeline.

He then put in a call to his old friend at Scotland Yard, Detective Inspector Craig Jarvis to see if he could locate her.

"Hello Craig, I need your help.  It's my niece Lea she's gone missing... 

Episode 73: Returning

The next morning Bill awoke early and reached for Mai's naked and beautiful form, he touched her in a way that made her body shiver with goosebumps before rolling her onto all fours and entering her dripping pussy from behind.  He grasped her hips and drove into her time and again at her urgent cries of pleasure, pulling her cheeks wide as his balls slapped at her ever hardening clit.

They collapsed on the bed under the overhead fan dripping from sweat, feeling totally spent Bill realized that this was the first day where he had initiated sex with Mai in the morning since his release from hospital, he could feel his strength returning finally.

He rolled onto one elbow and traced his finger along her beautiful cheek bone leaned in and kissed her passionately, Mai smiled and placing her arms around his neck held him tight.  

He was back she thought to herself...

At breakfast Bill was ravenous and ate more than he had touched in the entire time they been away, "I'm so glad to see you getting back to your old self darling" she said smiling with the double meaning playing on her lips.  They both laughed at this playful innuendo.  

We need to get back to Hanoi as soon as we can Bill said turning toward her, I need to talk to Lea and she should be there by now. 

Given their recent conversations Mai understood completely and asked for the concierge to be sent out to the terrace.  She would make all of the arrangements at once.  

Time was of the essence...

Episode 72: Strong Arm

Over the ensuing days after Anh's release she quickly exerted her influence and reclaimed the Chợ Đồng Xuân as her own.  Trung and his gang had been ruthless as she had ordered and quickly put down any opposition or dissension to the doubling of the monthly tribute after brutally making an example of one or two of the truculent stall keepers.  

She needed to find her equilibrium as she plotted her next move...however, as she pondered her options she discovered from Trung that the head of the Times newspaper had arrived into Hanoi.  Deep down she knew that this would be to her advantage...

Anh not heard from Mai, and rather than risk losing her forever she decided to not push her but rather to wait the Australian journalist out.  Surely they would recall him, especially given the trauma of recent events she thought smiling to herself. It was jut a matter of time now she thought 

And when he's gone Mai will come back to me... 

Episode 71: Terse

Mia showed the doctor to the door and in a low tone asked "Bác sĩ là anh được chứ?" (Doctor is he okay?)  The doctor, turned and in a terse tone replied "Những gì hiện nó vấn đề, ông là một người nước ngoài? (What does it matter he's a foreigner?)  Mai was rarely spoken to like this and although not accustomed to it, she shot back "Người đàn ông này là một khách mời quan trọng của Hội đồng cách mạng, vì vậy giữ lưỡi của bạn! (This man is a guest of the Revolutionary Council, so hold your tongue!") 

The doctor turned and walked to the elevator feeling slightly embarrassed that this beautiful and now obviously well connected woman had just put him down so fiercely...

Bill was feeling better that he was out of the heat and lying down, the sedative the doctor had given him was starting to take affect.

Mai walked back into the bedroom and smiled her most beautiful smile as she sat on the bed she kicked off her heels, flipping her legs around she curled into Bill and ran her hand over his handsome face.  "You need more rest baby" she said as Bills's eyes began to flutter and close, his breathing became deeper and steady as he fell asleep.

For the longest time Mai just lay there looking into his face, she felt a deep and warm feeling of love for this man, something she'd never felt before.  She did not questioned it, but merely basked in its strong glow.  

Finally she felt at peace...

Episode 70: Coup d'etat

As Lea made her way back to the line she began noticing a greater military presence than she had expected in the terminal.  As she turned around she saw that these were special forces troops clearly identifiable by their deep red berets, and full battle dress.  More soldiers were now streaming into the terminal building and she could feel the tension begin to rise around her, as the noise level increased significantly.

Within a couple of minutes the loud speakers came to life with an announcement firstly in Thai, French, then English. Although generally meant for flight arrival and departures announcements today it was the bearer of bad news...    

"Please remain calm...a state of emergency is now in force across Thailand, a state of martial law now exists. Please remain calm...the military leadership has taken control of the country and will advise you when the situation is stable."

There was real panic in the air and although Lea had never been in a situation like this she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck prickle and stand on end.  

"I wished he was here, he'd know what to do" she thought anxiously...

Episode 69: Hanoi or bust

Lea had finally gotten to Bangkok and now needed to re-book a flight onto Hanoi.  She felt torn as a big part of her didn't want to carry on to Hanoi, but rather to stay in Bangkok with Alessio. 

Her conscious was conflicted, how could she possibly make it work with Bill now that she had been unfaithful to him she wondered...  There was only one thing for it, she would tell him everything when they met and see how he reacted.  Perhaps there would still be time to get back to Bangkok to Alessio if things didn't work out with Bill.

As she made her way to the ticket counter she noticed the incredibly long lines of people all waiting... 

Lea walked to the front of the cue and enquired as to how she could rebook her flights, the harried ticket agent said that she'd have to get in the line like everyone else.  "I have a first class ticket for god's sake surely you can do something for me now" she said he voice noticeably higher.

The agent looked at her and said in a steady tone "Madam, please get in line and we will serve you as fast as we can".

Lea felt like she was in quicksand...when was she ever going to get to bloody Hanoi she said exasperatedly to herself.

Episode 68: Again

John was aghast at what Phuong told him as they walked slowly toward the Star cafe.  The roughing up and then kidnapping of a foreign journalist was beyond the bounds of decency, and even though he'd been on overseas assignment a number of times during his early career he had never felt the need to worry about his own personal safety.

Phuong wrapped up the abridged version of events for John, but he had decided to leave out the connection to Hanoi Rose as that would likely mean Bill would be sent back to London in disgrace. Phuong's sanitized version of events ended by telling John that Bill had gone to the countryside for some rest to regain his strength.  With concern etched into John face he asked where he'd gone and how long ago.

As if John wasn't already concerned enough with one of his key journalists being tortured and brutalized, his attention now turned to Lea.  Phuong had not heard from Lea and wasn't even aware that she was be assigned to the Hanoi desk...

John was perplexed, she had left two days ahead of him...but where on earth was she?  

His emotions lurched once again...

Episode 67: Losses

Mai's story filled in many of the gaps that Bill didn't know about her life, going into great detail about her childhood with her parents until their untimely deaths during the bombing raid on Hanoi in 1971. 

Bill brushed away the tears from Mai's cheek as she cried for the loss of her parents... He held her to his chest with his arms wrapped around her as she sobbed uncontrollably, the tears tumbling from her cheeks onto his shirt.

After regaining her composure she then went on to explain her adolescent years spent living with Uncle Duong, and although he was kind to her he could tell that the sense of loss was almost unbearable for Mai and that she had hidden the grief even from herself until now.

The moment instantly evaporated with a loud knock on the door...

Episode 66: Leap of faith

Lea's thoughts had wavered all throughout the flight, but when the captain came on the intercom to announce that the flight was beginning its decent into the Don Muang international airport her stomach flipped.  

Should I stay with Alessio or go onto to Hanoi as planned...she closed her eyes and turned each scenario over in her mind.  Why was it so hard she thought to herself...

As the airplane touched down with a slight thud, Lea turned to Alessio and holding his hand leaned in and thanked him for being so kind to her during the past 48 hours. Alessio smiled his magical smile, "il mio piacere bella" (my pleasure beautiful) he whispered as he looked deep into her eyes.  

Oh my god Lea felt a moment of panic and indecision, he had to stop being so damn irresistible...

As the plane came to a stop, Lea stood to get her bag from the overhead compartment, but as quick as a flash Alessio had already retrieved it and placed it on the seat in front of her.  

"I hope you find what you're looking for in Hanoi" Alessio said in his strongly accented english, Lea could do little but blush.  The stewardess then began directing them down the stairs from the upper deck of the 747, and as they got to the bottom of the stairs Alessio turned and squared Lea's shoulders and said that if she changed her mind she could find him at the Hilton Hotel.

Lea blushed deeply and smiled, desperately trying to hold it together...

Episode 65: The visitor

John was unable to raise anyone at the office and so decided to go in early the next morning.  After a restless nights sleep he made his way to the office but found it locked. He checked his watch, almost 9:00 am and no sign of anyone.  What sort of bureau were they running out here he thought?   

Nothing could have prepared him for the heat and humidity in Hanoi, although he'd cut his teeth on foreign assignments back in the day he was ill prepared for this after being in London for so long.  The sweat accumulated in little beads on his forehead and arms, his handkerchief was already moist from wiping his brow and was uncomfortable to say the least.

At five minutes to ten, a middle aged Vietnamese man walked along the corridor toward him.  Phuong was not prepared for whomever was waiting outside the office, but just by the look of him observed that he was English perhaps someone sent out from London.

"Good day" said Phuong smiling.  John extended his hand, you must be Phuong said John smiling and shaking his hand strongly.  Phuong nodded and was surprised when he introduced himself at John.  But why had he come out to Hanoi?  

After opening the office, Phuong offered John a chair, any chance for a cup of tea ? John asked expectantly.  Phuong shook his head but asked John to follow him to the Star.  On the short walk to the Star cafe Phuong listened intently as John told him the reason for his visit to Hanoi. 

Stopping momentarily Phuong leaned in toward John and whispered to John that he had much to tell him, but to do this they must be outdoors.  

John was perplexed...

Episode 64: Traitor

Nhu Ha being kidnapped was no mere coincidence she thought, who ever was behind the kidnapping was also the same person who alerted General Binh about the Australian journalist.  

Anh chided herself for her impetuous actions, and wondered who had been working on the inside of her organization to alert General Binh, after all he was just a foreign journalist and Hanoi can be a dangerous city especially for foreigners...  

There was more, much more to this than met the eye and she vowed to get find the traitor and make a public example of them so that there could be no question of who controlled the Chợ Đồng Xuân and all that lay within.

She would show no mercy!

Episode 63: Confessions

When Bill got back to the room he was visibly shaken and pale...  Mai immediately called the reception desk and asked for a Doctor to be summoned at once.  Not to be trifled with, the receptionist quickly hung up and called the house doctor.

She then came to sit on the side of the bed and lovingly placed her hand on his cheek and caressed his chin, she smiled and looked deeply into his eyes and realized that he was troubled by something.

Bill grasped her wrist and said that he had something to tell her, her first thought was that he was going to divulge a part of his tortuous ordeal to her.  Her heart ached for him and the trauma he'd been through and so straightened herself and listened intently as Bill began to tell her the story of Lea.

For the next twenty minutes Bill told Mai the full story of Lea and the circumstances that had brought him to Hanoi, he left nothing out...  As he drew to a close he fully expected her to get up and walk away, but instead Mai sat staring at him.

She said "chúng ta đều có bí mật tình yêu của tôi" (we both have secrets my love...) before reverting to his native English. 

Bill was stunned that Mai had taken his confession in stride and that seemingly nothing had changed in her demeanour.  In fact, she leaned in and kissed him softly, looking deeply into his eyes she smiled and began to tell him the real story of Mai.

Episode 61: A moment of clarity...

Bill woke with a start, his mind had been searching for something for the past day or so but he couldn't quite grasp what it was.  His ordeal at the hands of Trung and his thugs has addled his brain to the point where he could only think of survival and had seemingly erased all other vestiges of his memory.  He desperately wanted to call Phuong, for surely his old friend would know what was making his mind restless but it was 3:00 am and he knew better than to disturb the man who had saved his life.

Instead Bill spooned into Mai and held her to his chest and kissed the nape of her neck pausing between soft kisses to breath in her scent, but even this couldn't distract him from what churned through his minds.  He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the night unable to quite grasp what was deep within his subconscious...

The following morning they had decided to take a picnic lunch out to the Thien Mu Pagoda just 5 km from the Citadel on the banks of the Perfume River, and enjoy the peace and quiet of the river and surrounding jungle, Bill stood beside Mai on the sidewalk outside their hotel.  

It was a relatively busy morning, although this was the first time they'd made it out of their room before 1:00 pm it was difficult to gauge whether it was busy or this was normal, when a car stopped and deposited an attractive blond westerner some distance away. Bill sensed something about this woman that reminded him of his past, but was struggling to get his brain thinking but then out of nowhere he realized that Lea was on her way to see him in Hanoi.

The first thing Mai felt was a tug on her hand that Bill had clasped so tightly all of a sudden, she turned to see him unsteady on his feet and looking a little woozy.   "Are you okay?" she asked, starting to feel concerned.

Perhaps its too soon and led him back inside the sanctuary of the hotel grounds.  Bill's memories had flooded back to him, as he tried to comprehend the timeline and expectations of the last call he'd had with Lea.  

Episode 62: Tortured soul

Once back in her seat Lea fell into a deep sleep, aided but their shattering orgasms and the complete feeling of ecstasy.  Lea woke some four hours later, opening her eyes she turned toward Alessio's to see his beautiful brown eyes staring intently upon her, he smiled his easy smile the one which Lea knew she was falling in love with...  

She couldn't help but feel the sense of dread at having to say goodbye to Alessio in Bangkok.  On the one hand she'd reasoned that whole reason for the trip was meant to win back Bill.  

One moment she'd be resolute and determined to go to Hanoi and see Bill...and the next, well, the gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach told a far different story.  This was the one which tortured her soul and conscience to the point of distraction.

Alessio whispered "buongiorno bellissima" as he reached his hand to cup her chin and leaned into to kiss her lips so tenderly that Lea thought she might pass out.

His dashingly good looks and cultured, charming disposition combined with the way he carried himself was making her decision of leaving him in Bangkok almost impossible to imagine.  Her mind was racing...what if things didn't turn out with Bill...would she ever be able to forgive herself for walking away from Alessio.

She breathed deeply, smiled her winningest smile and leaned into the passionate kisses...

Episode 60: Wrath

Anh's reaction to seeing her mother safely ensconced back at her stall was one of relief. Nhu Ha rose from her squatting position, and putting her hands together greeting her daughter, their foreheads touching softly as they whispered their greetings to one another.  

Anh enquired after her mothers health and well being, to which Nhu Ha smiled and nodded as she began to ladle some phò into a bowl from the small pot on the brazier. She then placed a small handful of beansprouts and garnishing's into the warm liquid passed it to Anh who now also squatted beside her mother. When her father Quang shuffled toward them a few minutes later he recognized Anh squatting beside his wife, and at once his lined and leathery face broke into a broad smile.

It had been many years since Anh had eaten with her parents at the market stall, in fact since taking control of the Chợ Đồng Xuân from her bourgeois predecessor, but if nothing else the last few days had taught Anh that she knew what was important to her.  

Later that afternoon Anh was in her apartment overlooking the market when a battered and bruised Trung along with his three most trusted lieutenants reported in. He told Anh that they had forcefully conveyed the message of the new tribute to the stall owners who were less than thrilled at the change, he only had to hand out a beating to one truculent owner and the rest quickly fell into line... 

Trung then went on to tell Anh of the treatment meted out to them by the soldiers at the barracks, and smiled vengefully that scores were still be settled on that front but at a future time.  They all looked sheepishly at their feet when Anh questioned them as to the state of the Australian journalist.  

He is in the hospital recuperating they mumbled...Anh anger rose at once 

Những gì bạn đã phát hiện ra? (What have you found out?) she demanded looking squarely at Trung.  

Trung averted his eyes and shifted uneasily, before saying that the Australian had left the city earlier that day.  Anh smiled, but sensed that he wasn't telling her everything and so pressed him for details.  Trung was trying to find a way to tell Anh what he knew would be devastating.   

Episode 59: Night Flight

After an easy flight to Rome they waited only two hours before catching the connecting flight to Bangkok in the early evening, not surprisingly Guido with all of his connections within the travel industry had been able to secure them seats on this Thai Airways flight direct to Bangkok.  As was the case with their initial flight he had also been able to also arrange for them to sit together, however today they were seated in the last row of First Class on the upper deck of this 747 Jumbo jet.  After taking off, they sat talking as the pre-dinner champagne arrived and drinks continued through their meal, by this time Lea was feeling a little light headed.

Alessio attentiveness was so appealing, his smile infectious and his constant touch a source of sheer excitement.  The cabin lights were dimmed and everyone pushed their seats back, hoping to catch some sleep before their arrival into Bangkok some 12 hours after leaving Rome.  Alessio had been softly touching Lea with every opportunity since boarding the plane, and shortly after the lights were dimmed he leaned into her and kissed her passionately on the lips.  She felt his tongue graze hers and she responded, kissing him deeply.  Her heart began to race and breath became a ragged as their kissing continued.

Without thinking she pulled back from him, and smiling mischievously whispered for him to follow her in one minute, Alessio smiled broadly as Lea stood and slipped silently into the aisle, her tight well shaped ass just inches from his face as he touched her hips to help her slide by.  The though of her inflamed him and was excited by the thought of what she might have in store.

After pausing for a minute he quietly slid out of his seat and padded to the toilet, tapping softly on the door it opened and a flood of light emanated from the enclosed room.  Lea quickly reached for Alessio and forcefully pulled him into her, ensuring the door was securely closed behind them as their lips met once more.

She sat back on the toilet and reached for his belt, her eyes flashing as she took him from his entangled briefs and took his thickening cock deep into her mouth and swirled her tongue all over the tip to taste his sweet pre-cum.  Alessio was soon on the verge of climax, before pulling Lea to her feet and spinning her around so that she now faced the mirror.

He reached for her panties, but she wasn't wearing any...he noticed her impish grin in the mirror as he lifted her short skirt.  She tilted her ass and pushed back toward him as he began rubbing his hard cock along her dripping lips and rock hard clit before grasping her hips with his strong hands and slowly sliding deep into her.   

Their eyes locked on each other in the mirror as they rhythmically made their way toward orgasm.  Lea was first to cum and as her body spasmed she involuntarily gripped Alessio's cock with her tight, wet pussy which in turn brought Alessio to his shattering climax moments later.  Now breathless, they tried to gather themselves but the power of their orgasms had been so intense that it took a few minutes to find some level of composure.

Moments later Alessio slide out of the cubicle into the darkness and was back to his seat in seconds...

Episode 58: Shaken

After acquiescing and providing the location to where Bill was being held, Anh was held for an additional three days, and although moved to a small cell from her interrogation room her confidence was shaken.  Early on the third day two guards came for her and escorted her to General Binh's office.  As she entered he stood smoking and looking out the window, he turned as they entered and he pointed to a chair.

Nhà báo này cho bạn là gì? (What is this journalist to you?) Anh pondered his question...but then spat ông là không có gì! (he is nothing!)  Bạn có từ chối bắt cóc anh ta? (Do you deny kidnapping him?)  Anh remained silent but was not able to hold eye contact with the General, he went on Mày đã gây cho tao embarresment tuyệt vời (you've caused me great embarrassment) and without pausing went on cống nạp tiền của bạn bây giờ là tăng gấp đôi (Your monthly tribute is now double).  Anh's knew that protesting would only further enflame the General for which she had no appetite, she just wanted out of this hell hole.

The general nodded to the soldier standing guard at the door, he stepped aside and opened the door.  Anh's gaze fell upon the cold face of General Binh, and noted for the first time that he never seemed to blink.  She stood, nodded once more and left his office.  She was sandwiched between the two guards who led her to the main gate where she waited while one went into the adjacent hut and conversed with the commissar on duty.  The commissar, a wiry man in his mid 40's eyed Anh suspiciously from the office, before reluctantly instructing one of his men to open the gate.

Anh was relieved to be free, but her mind soon turned to the possible repercussions of having been away for such a prolonged period, not to mention the way she and her gang had been rounded up and extracted from the market so quickly and without a show of force made her look weak in the eyes of her enemies, for which there were many only too willing to step into the void.  She steeled herself to the immediate task of reestablishing her iron grip on the market and the change in protection pricing that was about to come into effect.  She must leave no doubt in anyone's mind as to who is in charge, but she knew there would be resistance to the increasing in their tribute...

Sending a runner for Trung and his top lieutenants as soon as she got to her building, and within minutes he and his men entered her office Anh noting the bruised and battered faces of many of them, including Trung.  

As of today, we are doubling our monthly payment from the stall owners she told them forcefully.  Ensure everyone is informed, spare no mercies when you inform them of the new price and crush any resistance she spat.  Turning she walked to the balcony overlooking the frenetic chaos that was the Chợ Đồng Xuân and stared down harshly.  

They will pay she said under her breath..., they will pay.

Episode 57: Smitten

The first rays of light slipped through the cracks in the bamboo slats and glistened on the mosquito net that hung from the four poster bed, it was the time of the day that Mai cherished most with Bill as she lay naked, her body wrapped in his.  She pushed gently back into him as they spooned and felt the stirrings of his hardening cock against her.  Her nipples began to harden at the very thought of their love making that was to follow...   

Mai turned in his arms and tenderly ran her fingers over his handsome and now healing face, although still drowsing Bill sighed deeply as her fingertips ran gently across his collarbone and down his chest.  She snuggled into him and breathed him in before softly kissing slowly down his body.  As she reached his belly button she looked up to find Bill's eyes locked on hers, the desire evident in his features.  Without taking her eyes off his she gently circled his belly button with her tongue before inching her way down his taunt, hard body .  

Teasing him, she slowly ran her tongue over the tip of his cock before taking him deep into her mouth, slowly at first, as her hand slowing slid up and down the length of his shaft, she tasted his sweet juices before adjusting the speed and tempo, just the way he like it.  As she knelt between his legs she reached her other hand back to tease her hard clit, before sliding her fingers inside her wet pussy.  When her fingers were dripping she would rub her juices over Bills lips and push her fingers into his mouth; which drove them both crazy with desire. 

Mai then moved back up his body, their eyes locked as she lifted her hips and slowly slid down onto him, he pulled her into him and kissed deeply as she ground down hard onto him, over and over again before they both exploded in a shattering orgasm. 

The affect they had on each other was without bounds, as each day when Mai left the hotel room she would purposefully not wear underwear just to arouse and inflame him, which also in turn made her wet with desire just knowing how much it turned him on. 

It had been three days since they had arrived into the Old Imperial City of Hue and she had not only arranged every aspect of the trip but had pampered him with her affections unconditionally.  

The mornings were a languors affair of love making, coffee and the most divine french pastries on the balcony of the hotel. Lunches were late and informal as they sat on the terrace shaded by the giant bamboo grove and cooled by the omni present fan whirring away overhead.  They sipped and chatted with an aperitif late into the afternoon, before heading out for a walk along the Perfume River at dusk.  They were both shocked at the collateral damage from the American War on this beautiful and once regal capital, and although the rebuilding was underway it was going to be a long haul.  

It was the first time in her life that she could remember that she felt so completely at ease and could be completely herself, but it wasn't just a one way street.  Far from it, Bill kept pinching himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming and could hardly believe that he was with the most beautiful woman in the entire world. 

They were smitten!

Episode 56: Single minded

John' stepped across the threshold of his plane at Noi Bai airport just before midday, the heat and humidity hitting him like a sledgehammer as he exited the plane doors and made his way down the stairs and across the tarmac toward the terminal.  

After booking his flight to Hanoi via Bangkok John realized that he didn't have an entry visa and so had hastily engaged his legal team to expedite it through the Paris consulate as per the protocol, fortunately for him the Times had been a good supporter of the Vietnamese regime and so there were no hold ups.  However, this two day delay had made him even more anxious as he still didn't have word regarding the whereabouts of Bill or Phuong.   

The line was long at the single passport window, the perspiration ran from John's forehead and dripped from his chin in a steady stream of oozing moisture.  He held his jacket across this arm and tried to fan himself with his passport while slowly inching toward the control point, wondering if this had been such a good idea...

After finally making it to the front of the line and sliding his passport and paperwork through the window the official slowly looked over his documentation, stopping every now and then to look up at John, which he found rather unnerving.  The soldier then took his passport and paperwork and disappeared to an adjacent office, returning a few minutes later he eyed John suspiciously once more before stamping his passport with a hard thud.  

Kế tiếp (Next!) he barked before waving John away. 

Fortunately, John's secretary has booked him a car and driver to take him to the hotel and after gathering his bag he exited into a veritable sea of people. Craning his neck to find his name was quite a chore but eventually he located his rather sullen driver and followed him toward the car park across the road from the terminal.  Even during this short walk to the carpark John noticed that the primary mode of transportation seemed to be scooters, but more so the cacophony of noise that they emanated from them as they zipped by. 

Following his drivers lead he tried to stay close behind as the stepped off the curb into the swarms of scooters that seemingly bore down on him from every direction.  He cursed loudly as a scooter narrowly missed him, its horn blaring loudly as the driver swerved around him.

Eventually he reached the hotel just before three pm, too exhausted to move he struggled to gather himself as the car drew up to the front doors of the Hilton Hotel.  He took in the beautiful architecture of the hotel, it's French pedigree obvious even to the untrained eye...and sighed deeply.  

After checking in and being shown to his room he took a long, cool shower to wash the grime of his travels from his body.  Feeling a little more refreshed he set about calling the office, hoping to speak with someone, perhaps even Lea he thought, maybe she had made contact with Bill and Phuong he thought fleetingly.  Noting the phone in his room was a relic that belonged in a museum and likely dated from the 1940's, he smiled and slipped his finger into each number as it slowly rotated and dialed.     

The line was busy, and so waited a few minutes before trying again...  

Episode 55: Warmth

Lea woke with a start, her mind flashed as she quickly reached to turn the alarm clock toward her.  "Shit" she said out loud...we're going to miss our flight.  Alessio blearily opened his eyes, and smiling in a barely audible voice said "non ti preoccupare ti cattura il prossimo volo bello" (don't worry we'll catch the next flight beautiful)  Although Lea wasn't fluent in Italian although she knew enough to get by and she turned on him with flashing eyes and spat "you don't understand I have to be on that flight".  

But before she could move from the bed Alessio had reached for her and pulled her into him, she struggled to free herself but his strong arms held her as their lips met...

Guido smiled as they glided down the stairs a little after 10:00 am for breakfast, although he noted that Lea didn't make eye contact with him when they greeted each other but rather blushed a little.  Guido, the consummate host had already called the airlines and rebooked them onto Bangkok with the flight leaving later that afternoon, via a connecting flight in Rome.  For the most part she had tried to not think about her liaison between her and Alessio but tried to take it in stride and minimize the feelings of guilt that began washing over her after their love making.  

As the day wore on she felt completely out of sorts, on the one hand she reasoned that she loved Bill and that's why she was traveling half way around the world to be with him and so make their relationship work, but then why had she fallen so easily for Alessio and been so sexually active with him, she was perplexed.

Alessio was his attentive, talkative and attractive self...damn he looked good, and smelled even better Lea thought to herself as the boarded the plane bound for Rome.   Why was she being tortured she wondered, especially now of all times?  

She just hoped that she would stop lusting for him or they would be in big trouble on the flight to Bangkok, at the very thought of him her stomach flipped and her pussy tingled with anticipation...god he was so distracting.

Episode 54: Recovery and reunification

Bill's eyes peeked open to the view of the overhead fan slowing turning above his bed, the cool, crisp hospital sheets felt good on his sensitive and now healing skin.  He lay perfectly still, breathing slowing and deliberately as he tried to remember the events of the last few days, his mind struggled to grasp the details and felt as though a heavy fog had descended over his mind and details dark and sketchy.

Phuong's ubiquitous smile was warm and generous as he entered Bills room, Bill sensed that he owed his life to Phuong and that he had in some way engineered his rescue from his captors.  After the initial pleasantries Bill asked Phuong what had happened so that he could piece together the events and try and make sense of the experience, but Phuong, in his usual style remained elusive and non committal.  

It was then that Bill sensed Mai's presence long before seemed to materialized out of thin air and swept into the room, filing it with her beaming smile. Phuong rose from his chair and offered it to Mai who accepted it without acknowledging his presence.  As she sat, Phuong stepped back and gave a slight nod of his head to Bill and quietly exited the room.  Mai reached for Bill's hand and held it firmly as she survey his handsome features, he noted the glimmer of concern cross her face as she endeavored to give him her best smile.

Bạn có ổn không? (Are you okay?)  He smiled and squeezed her hand, "yeah I'm fine, just a little worse for wear I'm afraid", nothing a few days rest won't fix though he went on.  Do you know how long you're going to be in here? Mai asked as she reverted to English.  I'm not sure, but I feel fine, Bill said trying to sound chipper.

I know just the place where we can go to help you recover Mai said, with a mischievous grin, at this Bill's face flushed "I'd like that, yeah I'd like that a lot"...