Chapter 5

Howard got into the rented car and pulled out of the parking lot fast. He was driving much too fast. He had about ten thousand dollars in his suit that he had "borrowed" from the company. He had to make a score just one time and pay off the casino. He knew that the casinos in Monaco were open twenty-four hours and he decided to try a different casino this time. He was afraid that the casino he owed the money to would confiscate his money and kick him out of Monaco if he went back there. He took the stack of bills out of his suit and kissed it for good luck. Just one big score, that's all he could wish for. After that, no more gambling-ever. He held the money in his hand and edged his speed a little higher. A pothole in the road shook the steering wheel and the bills were knocked out of his hand. He felt around on the floor for the stack of bills and could not find it. He looked at the floor for a second to locate the money. He never saw the truck that pulled in front of him.

Carl got dressed and gathered his papers together to confront Howard Smith. The fool had fallen for the setup at the casino and lost even more money. He didn't know that his picture was on the wall above the cashier's cage and the money that he signed for was not casino money. Carl had sent five hundred thousand dollars to the casino knowing that Howard would borrow money. That way there would be no paper trail back to any Detroit company and his gambling wouldn't show on the casino's books. This was going to be fun. He wasn't sure yet if he would send Smith to jail or if he would just keep him in servitude for the rest of his life. He also had the pictures of Howard's wife sucking his cock and having sex with a woman. He couldn't wait to see the reaction on his face when he saw the price his wife had to pay for his gambling. He kissed the women goodbye and started for the office in downtown Paris.

Becca watched him as he left. She continued to stare at the door for several minutes. She knew that Howard was in for one of the worst days of his life.

"Don't do it," a voice behind her said, "Don't have any feelings for that guy. You never come out on top playing that game."

Becca snorted and turned to face Marie, "What about you? You're under his thumb as much as I am."

"No way honey. I just like sex and I love living the good life. With Carl I get plenty of both. I know that one day I'm going to be history. When that day comes, I'll just take what he gives me and move on. Until then I'm just enjoying the ride. Carl pays well and he pays most of my expenses. I bank almost everything that I make for that rainy day ahead. I have a nice little bank account and it just grows and grows. I've been with Carl for five years now and if I'm a good girl he bumps my bank account a little to show his appreciation."

Carl's limo pulled in front of the office building. He gave instructions to the chauffeur to pick him up at 3 o'clock and entered the building. He caused quite a stir. He had not told anyone that he was in Paris. He always walked into his companies unannounced. The Paris office of Detroit Global Funds was one of the leading European stock funds in Europe and was the leading venture capital provider in Europe. Everyone started working much faster than they had earlier in the day. He walked the entire building watching each operation, making mental notes of departments that he needed to shake up.

He asked where Howard was, and went into a rage when he found out that he had taken the day off. He went into Howard's office and started to go through his computer files and paper files. Several items that he found on the computer caused him concern and he ordered the staff to get additional and backup files from other departments. He smiled when he saw that Howard had taken another ten thousand dollars from the company. What a fool this jerk was! The office was a mess. Howard Smith was definitely no manager. He would have to replace him immediately.