Chapter 20

Mary had talked to Darcy and was on board for opening factories in the different countries or regions around the world but not to start importing goods made with cheaper labor to the wealthier countries.

As I hung up, I found Sophia looking out over the city and I asked, “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes, this place is amazing. This room is bigger than my whole house.”

“It is a bit much but it lets me relax and not get too worn down as I travel. Why don’t we sit down and talk before we go out and start working?” She sat down on one of the couches and I sat on the sofa across from her. “Sophia, I work for a company that makes clothes in America. I came to India to try to figure out why our clothes weren’t selling as well here as they do in the States, England, and France. I think that the clothes are made in the US and that they are too expensive for the average Indian citizen to buy.”

“I know we had dinner and were going to talk about what you did but we never really talked about what it was specifically.”

“I think we would do well to open a factory or factories in India to make the fabrics and the clothes that can be sold here in India. To do that, I must figure out what people buy now and how much they spend. I need to understand what people are willing and able to pay and then figure out if we can make the goods at a price that we can sell the clothes and make a profit. So today and maybe the next couple of days or weeks, we will be talking to people asking questions. We will talk to merchants and consumers. If they speak English, you can listen. If they speak Hindi or something else, then you will be there to interpret for me.”

“I can do that. It is an interesting concept. Most of the clothes made for American countries are taken out of India.”

“We’ll get you a pad to take notes as well.”

Her eyes kept going to the topless maid that was only wearing her shoes and panties. “Why doesn’t she have clothes on?”

“I told her to take them off and she wanted to obey and please me.”

“You made her get naked. Why?”

“Because she wanted to. She is proud that she listened to me and obeyed me. She will get a reward for her obedience.”

“You’ll pay her?”

“No, she is paid by the hotel to clean the room, although I have been known to tip my maids for good service.”

She looked like she wanted to ask another question but decided against it and sat quietly until I stood. She stood with me and we left. I had a taxi take us away from the hotel to a neighborhood area where more families lived and further away from downtown.

We went from store to store talking to people about what people bought clothing for, the level of quality and pricing. We did buy a few things for Sophia and we picked up some lingerie for the maids in case we saw them again. Sophia and I had a good day it was fun and relaxed and we got to know each other’s personalities.

When we got back to the room, I had her come into my room and I showed her the interconnected doors. “There are two doors, one on my side and one on yours. I can lock my side and you can lock yours. This is where I’m living and sleeping while I’m here in Delhi. It’s also where I’m working. I’ll leave my side unlocked so like this morning when you had to knock and I was on the phone you could have just come in through that door, these suites are designed to expand for families or people that travel with coworkers or security. Do whatever you need, to help you feel comfortable.”

“OK. What’s next on the agenda?”

“I’m going to shower and change. We are meeting another employee in the lobby to have tea around four. Then as far as business goes, we are done for the day. I’ll come back and make some phone calls and then around seven or eight we can go to dinner. While you work for me, everything is taken care of. Your hotel, food, and other things. Just let me know.”

“This is great. I hope that I was of service to you today.”

“There are many that either don’t speak English or don’t speak it well. By having you there, it made them comfortable enough to speak freely and more in depth to answer our questions. You did great today, little one.”

She paused when I didn’t call her Sophia but she let it slide and I went to show her how the door worked. She went to her room and opened the door there but then closed it as she was going to shower as well. I don’t know if she locked it or not but at least she knew how it worked if she needed anything.

It was too early to make calls back to the states when I got out of the shower so I started to organize my notes from the day. About twenty before four o’clock, there was a light knock on the door as Sophia opened the connecting door and walked into my suite.

She had a pretty smile. She wasn’t as dark skinned as many Indians and could have almost passed as Italian with her dark hair and dark eyes. She had large full breasts. She wasn’t fat at all but did have a nice body that wasn’t just skin and bones. Overall, she was a very attractive young woman.

She sat quietly as I made some notes and then put everything away. When we exited the elevator, a very happy looking Debbie was waiting in the lobby. I said, “It looks like someone is well rested this afternoon.”

“I slept for a long time. Your little friends said something about me sleeping so late and wondered if I was with you. Is this the person you had to meet this morning?”

“Yes, it is. Sophia, this is Debbie, and Debbie, this is Sophia. I’ll explain what the other person does over tea but I could use something to eat and drink about now.”

Debbie put her hands together like she was going to say a prayer and slightly bowed her head, “Namaste.”

Sophia returned the gesture.

Debbie said, “While I was waiting I asked about a good place to have tea and the tea lounge here at the hotel is one of the nicest in the city but if you want to go out, there is a bakery and tea room that is also supposed to be very good.”

“Why don’t we stay here for tea and then go out somewhere for dinner later this evening?” They were both nodding so we made our way to the hotel’s tea lounge. Sophia was a blessing as she could explain what different things were or what they meant and I ended up getting a chai tea which had many more spices than a normal leaf tea.

I explained the strategy of our company and what each woman’s role would be. We talked about our families and where we grew up. Las Vegas was very different from the poor village that Sophia grew up in and very different than the hills of West Virginia where Debbie was raised.

When I eat, I try to be healthy but cookies are my Kryptonite and there were a few distinct types from more savory to sweet. I tried them all along with some other sandwiches, and Indian finger foods. I probably made a pig of myself but was feeling good.

Debbie was excited about getting started with work and so we went up to the room to talk some more. She went to her room and I unlocked the connecting door. She and Sophia walked in to my suite about the same time from their rooms.

We all talked about strategy and planned what we wanted to do. We decided to continue to look in the city and then out in the surrounding areas to understand what people buy and how much is too much. We still wouldn’t be the cheapest but wouldn’t cost more for a pair of underwear than the average family made in a month.

Then we would talk to factories about making the fabrics to see what that cost would be, then talk to factories about the cost of making the products. Shipping cost and then profit for us and the merchant would be last. If the numbers added up, we’d move forward. If not, then we’d just walk away and not spend our money on the start-up.

We all seemed comfortable with the plan and I told them to take a break and come back when they were ready for dinner. They went back to their rooms. I was on the phone with the girls and was telling Patty the angle and force in which to fuck Eve with the large, thick, Jack sized vibrator when Sophia walked in with a light knock. Eve was close and I wasn’t going to stop being who I so I talked to my pets back home the way that I always did until Eve begged for her release and I granted it to her. I told them all that I loved them and told them to work hard and have a great day.

Sophia said, “I’m sorry for interrupting but you said to come back.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. I was just on the phone with the states. I should have taken it in the bedroom. You have a phone in your room if you want to call someone like your parents. Just dial 9 then the phone number.”

“Okay.”

Just then Debbie made her entrance and Sophia got quiet. Something was rattling around in her mind but she didn’t say anything.

We did leave the hotel for dinner and found a nice place not too far away. My dad taught me when I was younger to look for the restaurants with the full parking lots if you’re looking for tasty food and in the case of the place we ended up, it was the line forming outside of the building. I Debbie got in line with me and Sophia went to check on if we had to give them our name.

While we waited, I did what I always did and spoke to the people around me to find out what was good and why the place had a line. There was a young couple in front of us named, Neha and Parth. Neha was tall for a girl and Parth was about the same height. It was Friday night and they were just happy to have the week over with. We talked about some of the specialty dishes like the different kinds of Dal and the Lamb Raan. I went with the lamb but meeting new people and talking is always a good way to learn about different cultures.

Sophia agreed that the food was very good and showed us how to eat without fork or spoon. She would use the bread to pick up the food and eat it with her hands. It seemed that was how all the other people were eating so we tried it as well. As we were walking out, Neha and Parth had just finished their meal as well and Parth asked, “We were going out to a bar and maybe a club to do some dancing. Would you like to join us?”

I looked at the girls to see if they were interested and they were so we all walked a few blocks to a club that was starting to fill up. We found a table that we could stand at and had a few stools if we wanted to sit. A waitress came and took our orders. Parth and Neha had both graduated from college and were working. They were married but no kids yet.

They asked about why Debbie and I were in India and we explained that we were in the clothing business and were exploring some options with manufacturing in India. They had both heard of Bolts but neither owned any and I asked why. Neha said, “They are just too expensive for a new couple. I have some single friends that are working but live at home and they say that the fit and feel is wonderful.”

“I haven’t seen any since I’ve been here.”

“There are a couple shops that sell them. Both are sporting goods stores that cater to the very wealthy. Tennis, golf, and cricket players are who they mostly sell to. I can write down the names if you’d like.”

“I’d like that very much and if you write down your name and address, I might have some sent to you as well.”

“That would be wonderful.”

We all took turns dancing and were drinking when we weren’t out on the dance floor. The ratio was a few more men than women and as the night got later the place got increasingly crowded. Debbie, Sophia, and Neha all complained about wandering hands on the dance floor.

Neha said that public transportation and places like this were known for men getting out of line with how they behaved. They didn’t see anything wrong with trying to cop a feel of a woman. Give them some alcohol and there was no telling how far they might go. That was one of the reasons that there were more men than women. I asked if they wanted to leave and go somewhere safer for the ladies and Parth mentioned a roof top bar that had live music.

I picked up the tab and we walked further from the hotel but did come to a nice club with a patio roof. There was a band playing and we found a table off to the side. Debbie said that she needed to use the ladies room. We’d just sat down when a woman walked by. I got her attention and asked where the ladies room was.

“It’s through that door, down one flight of stairs and to the left but I don’t work here. I just know where it is.”

Thank you. When the waitress stopped by, I ordered for Debbie, Sophia, and myself. Parth ordered for himself and Neha and then I ordered another round for the woman that gave me directions and the other woman that she was with. The waitress left and all three of the girls returned from the lady’s room. There was a light breeze but it was still warm.

“Sophia, how do you stay cool in this country of yours?”

“It isn’t easy. We don’t have air conditioning at our home. On nights like tonight, I would sleep outside on the roof to stay cooler. The breeze helps.”

“You sleep outside?”

“That’s what I do. Some families have sleeping porches or the rich ones have air conditioning but not too many rich people live in my town.”

Neha asked her something in Hindi and they were off talking about where she lived or something. Our drinks arrived and then the waitress went to deliver the round to the ladies at the next table. They both turned to look at me and I just smiled and turned to answer a question that Parth was asking me about everyone owning cars in the States.

I explained that I was a bad person to ask about cars but told him that the average family had a car for every person of driving age. At least that was true for when they had graduated school.

We kept talking with the conversation moving from the whole group to just two people talking in our group. We would order a new round every so often and we would order another round for the ladies that were next to us. It was about half past midnight when the waitress told us they’d be closing in thirty minutes and if we wanted a last round that we needed to order now.

I never order last call because I will thank myself in the morning. Neha and Parth wanted one and so did Sophia but she was a little past drunk already. Debbie passed and I stood and walked to the girls next to us. “It is time for last call. If you’d like one more round, I’d be happy to pay for it.”

“No, we don’t drink as fast as you and have a little more than a full one still to finish.”

I waved off the waitress so she could get the other drinks and turned back to the girls. “This is a lovely place. I’m sorry if I offended you when I mistook you for the manager. You just seemed to know where you were going like you owned the place.”

“I wasn’t offended. You didn’t have to buy me and my friend drinks all night.”

“But now you can always have a story about the night you went out and were bought drinks all night just for having a pretty smile.”

They both smiled. I said, “See?”

“Thanks again for the drinks and the smile.”

“You’re welcome, have a good night.”

I went back to the table and listened to the band until the lights came up at one in the morning and they told us to be careful on the way home. I paid our bill and told the waitress that I was paying for the girls next to us as well. Parth and Neha started to protest but I told them that I would bill it to my company and they calmed down and let me pay the bill.

The two ladies stopped by as they walked out to thank me for picking up their tab and that I really didn’t have to. I told them that it was my pleasure. We were about a minute behind them as we left the bar. Many bars were closing and the streets were seeing more people out and moving towards their homes. Parth and Neha walked with us for a couple of blocks before they turned off after confirming what I thought was the best route back to the hotel.

I could still see the girls in front of us from the bar as they headed in the same direction as us. They were a block and a half ahead of us when I saw three guys stop them. They might have been friends or asking directions but a red flag went up and I picked up my pace as we walked to close the gap sooner.

“Debbie, Sophia, the girls from the club have three guys around them. I want you two to stop here in case the guys don’t have the best intentions. I will signal you when it’s safe. If they start coming at you for any reason, go someplace very public and stay together.”

They both stopped and neither argued. I didn’t run but picked up my pace as I saw one of the men reach out for one of the ladies. It didn’t take long for me to get to where they were and I could hear them arguing. The men wanted them to come with them and the girls didn’t want to go. I stopped and said, “Guys. I’m sorry to break up the party but the girls are with me and it is time to go home. You’ll have to find someone else to go home with you.”