Read an Excerpt
Past and Future Sins
The Fifth Book of Gabriel
By Ernest Oglesby
iUniverse, Inc.
Copyright © 2012 Ernest Oglesby
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4759-3600-1
Chapter One
It was about one o'clock in the morning when the man came out of one of the waterfront bars. It was quiet at this time of the evening, with only the lapping of the waves against the jetty and the odd squawk from one of the seagulls.
Jakarta had attempted to modernize its tourist face after the student riots of the nineties, and many such establishments now littered the waterfronts as the vast docks were extended and renovated.
The taxis weren't allowed too close to the waterfront, mostly a pedestrian zone these days; and so it was a short walk south, which usually allowed the prostitutes to ply their trade along the route. Strangely tonight, there didn't seem to be a living soul about, but even as drunk as he was, he couldn't help but notice the lithe lovely in the black cheongsam who was smoking a cigarette against a wall, half-lit by the nearby streetlight.
The red dragon across her bodice stood out, accentuating her chest where it bulged nicely, and her long legs were nicely revealed by the slit in the side of her cheongsam. She blew cigarette smoke into the air, and he watched it spiral, highlighted by the artificial light from the streetlamp.
He wasn't too drunk as yet. The alcohol hadn't fully kicked in, and the fresh salty air had a slightly sobering effect. This gorgeous looker with her long black hair looked interested enough, and he was certainly interested in her. He still had money in his wallet, and he glanced around as he considered his options.
Muggings weren't uncommon, but the area looked safe enough. As long as he didn't stray too far with the girl, he should be okay. He didn't want to take her back to his hotel in case someone blabbed to his bosses. He was staying at the Hilton till the conference was over. He also didn't want to take a chance on taking her somewhere she knew, but he didn't. That meant doing her somewhere close by. The docks were quiet and deserted at this time of night, and activity wouldn't resume until about 3am, when the boat-crews would start readying their vessels for the early morning tide.
"Hey baby, you look lonely. Want some company?" he smiled as he approached her. Her eyes slowly ran over him, as she took another drag on her cigarette, making him wait for her answer. As he got closer, he could see she was no Asian, though she looked and dressed like a Thai. Her skin was white, not just made so by the streetlight. A Caucasian hooker out here? Well, it wasn't unheard of. He had heard stories of some bored housewives of businessmen who turned tricks at night, and there were rumors of girls being made available at the right price to the right people. Mail-order, so to speak.
"I'm expensive," the woman warned, with a faint smile on those blood-red lips of hers, and he caught a glimpse of her white teeth, as she slowly and sensuously licked her lips. He felt his blood rising just where he wanted it to rise.
"Are you worth it?" he asked, amusedly.
"Oh, yes," she smiled, revealing brilliant white teeth.
"How much?" he asked. She chuckled.
"My price is high, but you'll pay it after we're done. Every man has willingly paid my price," she boasted. Now it was his turn to chuckle.
"That good, eh?" She turned her head sideways, and shrugged. She dropped the cigarette, and ground it out under her foot.
"Let's go somewhere quieter, and you can find out," she suggested, and linked arms with him. He was all set to protest, but she led him out along one of the piers, where there was no suggestion of anyone lying in wait for him. At this hour of the night, it would be private and secluded enough for what he had in mind. The click clack of her stilettos and the gentle lapping of the waves against the wooden pier was the only sound he heard. Even the seagulls were mostly quiet at this time of night. He felt her hip brush against him as they slowly walked, and he found himself getting even harder in anticipation.
The end of the pier finally came, and they could walk no more. In the moonlight, she was even more beautiful, and she melted into his arms as he embraced her and their lips locked together in a slow passionate kiss. She pressed against him, moaning into his mouth, as his hands began to move over her body, pressing the silk of her cheongsam against her flesh. She slid her own hand in between their bodies, rubbing his stiff length, and making him groan.
He slowly sank to his knees before her, hands lifting the slit of her cheongsam to one side, rucking it high on her hips as he pressed his lips against her pale belly, eyes widening at the colourful snake tattoo that wriggled and undulated in time with her belly, vanishing down into her black silk panties. With one hand, he pulled them aside, and his eyes widened even more at what was revealed. He opened his mouth to speak, but a firm hand on the back of his head forced his face into her crotch.
"Suck it!" she ordered, enjoying the feel of his hot mouth on her sex, and he dutifully obeyed, pleasuring her with his lips and with his tongue, sucking on her sex, and making her gasp and hunch her loins into his face. They remained locked like this for almost two minutes, before she cried out, and achieved orgasm, shuddering against him, fingers locked in his hair.
When she let him go, he gasped for air, and then started laughing drunkenly. "My God! No one would fucking believe I just did that," he laughed. "I always wondered what it would be like. I heard there were people like you out here, but I never thought I'd run in to one. But now it's my turn, baby. Now you get to suck me, too. Fair's fair." He fumbled with the bulging zip of his pants.
She smiled broadly, exposing those white teeth again, as she watched him hurriedly unzip. "Don't worry darling, I'm going to suck on you real good," she promised, and leaned forward to lightly kiss his exposed neck. He chuckled, enjoying the feel of her lips, and succeeded in exposing a stiff erection, which she reached for and began to manipulate lightly in her cool fingers.
She leaned closer, wanking him off against her thigh, as she took another playful nip at his neck, and this time he felt her teeth, though the sensations from his cock were paramount in his brain at that moment. Then those red lips fastened on his neck, and he gasped in undreamed of pleasure, as she drew blood, mouth fastening on like a leech, and drawing hungrily.
The distended fangs bit deep, injecting a paralysing venom, which also acted as a powerful stimulant. The sensation was all-powerful, and he was helpless to resist the sheer pleasure of it. His legs went weak at one point, but powerful hands held him up, and she sucked voraciously, with the hollow fangs draining him of his blood.
It took her nearly five minutes to drain him unto death. There was hardly any blood left in him, and he would die soon enough. She raised her head finally, lips and chin red with his blood, and then leaned forward and bit once more, ripping a huge chunk out of his neck, to disguise the wound. She spat the flesh out into the lapping waters, and then, after rifling his jacket and pocketing his wallet, threw his almost dead body into them as well. He would drown, too weak to swim, and the outgoing tide would take his body out beyond the docks and into the open sea. Fish and crabs would feast on the body, and if it did resurface at all, it would leave very little for the police to go on. She would dispose of the wallet later, and popped it into her handbag for now.
She tidied her appearance, and smoothed down her dress. Damn! He had come against her thigh, the semen soiling her cheongsam. She would have to get it cleaned. Even in the pale moonlight, she no longer looked pale. Her skin had a nice healthy pink glow about it. In fact, she looked almost human.
The click-clack of her heels rang out along the deserted pier, as she made her way back towards land. The night's fun and games were over for now.
Chapter Two
Monday: The two women joked and chattered away merrily as they walked through the souk. Both women were dressed lightly for the hot sun. Laura wore a thin loose white dress, while Belle dressed in slacks and a loose blouse. Both wore dark sunglasses against the glare from all the white painted walls and the hot sun.
They had only arrived in Cairo a few days ago, and were still acclimatising, before seeing the Valley of the Kings, the Pyramids etcetera in typical tourist fashion. In the meantime, a bit of retail therapy never went amiss, and they spent some time touring the back-alleys of the souk in search of bargains.
The background noise of chatter and Arabic music blaring out from the various establishments deafened them at times, and the exotic strange smells of heavily-spiced foods and strong coffee, tantalized their taste-buds. They say only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun, but the heat of the day, at least, kept the flies down, otherwise they could be quite a nuisance. There were other nuisances to consider, of course.
"Basta!" Belle complained to her mother." That's three times I've had my culo grabbed in the last half-hour. They sneak up on you through the crowd, and get their hand away before you even see them, they're so small. It feels like they're following us around and targeting us, though I'm sure they get up to the same antics with the other tourists."
"Yes," Laura grinned, amusedly. "It's hard not to react, but it only gives them more enjoyment. We're two hot looking ladies, and I'm sure they'd rather target us than some old fat broad. Even the old shopkeepers find it funny. All part of the tourist package in this part of the world."
"Back home in Italy, and even in Greece, it's something women come to expect, even appreciate, when a man pinches your derriere. It's a macho thing, and no woman wants to consider her ass too ugly to be pinched." Belle revealed. "Here, the men leave you alone, and it's these little urchins that play grabass. Just not the same," Belle sounded disappointed.
"They're just young boys, having a little fun, that's all. Probably the closest most of them will ever get to a western woman. Ahhhhh!" Laura stiffened, crying out suddenly as a tiny hand went up between her own legs, and she whirled as the grinning youngster disappeared back into the relative safety of the crowd, after giving her crotch a friendly squeeze. Much muffled laughter went on around her, including Belle's, who had watched the boy's approach and deliberately said nothing. Laura glared at her daughter for a second. "Liitle Bastards!" Laura cursed, trying to regain her dignity. "That fucker nearly shoved his thumb up my ass!"
"Yes, mother," Belle replied, smugly. "Welcome to Cairo."
"Damn it, Belle! It's not as if we're asking to be molested. We are dressed quite conservatively, even considering this is a Muslim country. They all look the same once they blend into the crowd, so the only way I could catch them would be to get my crotch dusted for fingerprints."
"It's a difference in cultures, as you say. They're Eastern males and we're Western females. Eastern males have a low opinion of women, and their own women aren't usually allowed out in public by themselves, certainly not showing their faces. Such women are looked upon with a lack of respect, and that's how they see us, I guess," Belle shrugged her shoulders. "Foreigners are always an easy target, I suppose."
"Thank God not all of the Middle East is like this. At least at the hotel we can behave more normally. In a crowded market like this, it just makes it too easy for them."
Belle joked, "The only reason I can sunbathe topless by the pool is because some of those young waiters like to gawp at my tits," she giggled. "Not likely to snitch on me if they can't get a free flash," she added.
"Yes, this part of the world is a nice place to visit, but I certainly wouldn't want to live here, or anywhere else in the Middle East. Too restricting, and full of hypocrites and double-standards," Laura agreed, and then drew her daughter's attention to yet another shop display.
* * *
The old Arab shopkeepers were either very polite or very pushy, sometimes inviting them in for coffee and haggling, others just kept tugging in a very bad mannered way on their arms, to try and get them into their shops. It was hard to say "No" and get them to accept the refusal. The old Curiosity Shoppe caught their eye with the strange exotic display in the window, and the two women so on found themselves in an Aladdin's Cave inside, pouring over old tomes and strange objet d'art, as the proprietor, who introduced himself as Abdullah, ushered them inside and showed them around. Some of the books were covered with what looked like skin or flaking leather, and some of them had a damp musty smell to them.
Abdullah showed the two women around his establishment, drawing their attention to all manner of strange and exotic items he had gathered 'from the far corners of the Earth' if he could be believed, though they had both heard similar spiels before, in other establishments. His English was cultured and polite, and he was fluent in both German and French, too, as he was quick to demonstrate. Of indeterminate middle age, he wore simple western clothes, albeit with a small, tassled fez on his head. The short goatee beard and moustache were kept well-trimmed.
Many years of dealing with all manner of tourists had made him quite glib in his manner, well used to people of different cultures.
It was Belle who found the feather, larger than normal, and she assumed it was from some Eagle or other bird of prey. It had been made into a quill-pen, and the two women both laughed. "I bet Gabriel would just love it," Laura enthused. "I have to buy it for him," she insisted. "I'll see if the hotel will send it off by special courier for me."
Laura bought the quill pen, and Belle fussed over a small statuette, though eventually refrained from purchasing it. She hummed and hahhed over one or two other items, but couldn't make her mind up. They still had a few days here, before moving on, so plenty of time to see what else was available in other shops before paying a return visit if necessary.
* * *
The special delivery arrived at Gabriel's villa on the outskirts of Buenos Aires five days later. The villa was west of the city itself, away from the tightly packed barrios of the second largest metropolitan area in South America. Only Sao Paulo was more congested, and Gabriel spent as little time as possible in the concrete jungle. Located on the western shore of the Rio de la Plata, Buenos Aires had a massive population, and one name among many was very hard to trace. It might not be the most aesthetic of places to live, but it served its purpose in the anonymity it gave him.
Gabriel was taking a breather from his workout in the mini-gym in the basement. His hollow bones, and strong musculature helped make it easy to keep his body in trim. He took a sip of water, from the dispenser, and used a towel to dab at his sweaty upper torso.
The package was delivered to Gabriel by his aged manservant Manuel, who left his master to open it in private. The card dropped out first, and it said simply 'Thought you'd enjoy this, Love, Laura.' Then Gabriel upended the package a bit further. It was so light, he wondered if there could be anything in it at all, and then out dropped the quill-pen, and the absolutely unmistakeable feather.
He gasped, taken aback. The last time he had seen a feather like this had been in a laboratory complex in Madrid. After scientists working for the Sword of Solomon had taken Matthias to pieces in their efforts to find out the secrets of the angels' longevity.
It could be a fake or it could be genuine. The only way to tell would be to have it analysed, and the research facility in Cordoba would be able to do that quickly enough. They could also carbon-date it to tell how recently it had been grown. But unless Gabriel was wrong, this feather came from one of his kinsmen, another angel.
Gabriel quickly made a phone call to the medical research facility he funded, and spoke to Luis Montalban, one of the few men alive who knew of Gabriel's unique physiology, and origins. Some of his staff might guess, but all of them depended on Gabriel's sponsorship, and so they could all be trusted. Luis was now Gabriel's personal physician, and was in possession of all the data Gabriel had retrieved from Madrid regarding the physiology of his race.
* * *
Cordoba was about 700km northwest of Buenos Aires, in the foothills of the Sierra Chicas, but in the same time zone. Luis looked up from his desk, and enjoyed the view out over the Suquia River for a moment, as he interrupted his work to pick up the receiver. "Yes?"
"Luis, I have something urgent for you." Luis recognised Gabriel's voice. "I'll be sending it by courier tonight. You'll know what it is when you see it. Run whatever tests you can, and give me a report no later than tomorrow morning."
"This is all a bit sudden, Gabriel, but of course I'll get onto it straight away. I know you wouldn't ask the impossible, so if you think I can get whatever tests you want doing by tomorrow, then of course I will do so. The last plane arrives here around eight pm. I'll mobilize the staff in the lab, and we'll work through the night."
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Past and Future Sins by Ernest Oglesby Copyright © 2012 by Ernest Oglesby. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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