The Voice

By Zelda Claassen

<Kevin OConnor is a selfish, ruthless business man involved in drug trafficking. After he is involved in a car accident, he heard a voice informing him that he will receive a task list. The list has names of all the people to whom he did injustice in the past. He has to go back to all those people and seek forgiveness. He starts to trace all these people and discovers that he has become a person without a purpose in life that masked his mission in life: to be truthful to himself and God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: Oct 15, 2012
• ISBN: 9781479731367

Zelda Claassen

I am a professional nurse and risk coordinator by profession but always had writing on my bucket list. With my books, I want to convey a message to the readers. I am passionate about life and also dedicated in delivering my part of positive influence in this sometimes cruel and dark world. I believe that if one has a dream, that the dream must inspire you to become the best that you can be . . . and never to give up until you have reached your goal. Thank you Xlibris for helping me to reach my dream!

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

The Last Straw

‘Y ES, I WILL meet you there in about half an hour?’

Kevin puts the phone down and turns to his girlfriend. She is busy setting the table for the two of them. She has just lit the candles to create a romantic atmosphere for dinner, and the lights are dimmed. A hint of rose petal aroma is floating in the air. Kevin feels irritated with Candice’s presence. Romance isn’t in his nature. The only reason for keeping this relationship going is because Candice is the daughter of a multibillionaire, and her father has access to a lot of influential people who can benefit his career. A number of times he was on the brink of breaking up this relationship, but just as he was about to do so, Candice’s father would reward him with a project worth of huge financial gain.

‘Sorry, my love… I need to go out urgently to see a client.’

He bends over to give her a kiss on the cheek. He can see the disappointment in her eyes, and for the umpteenth time, he wishes that he never agreed that she could move into his apartment. She doesn’t reply but sits down at her usual place at the table and bows her head in order to hide the tears in her eyes. This is the third night in a row that she will be home alone after Kevin promised her that he will be home.

Without saying another word, he turns around and leaves the apartment. The call he received moments ago was from Richard Bailey, who invited him for dinner. He told Kevin that he wants to introduce him to a woman ‘who has it all’. Richard has been his business partner for the last seven years, and he acquired a lot of his wealth from business deals Richard initiated.

Kevin has the looks, and he certainly has the money to lure in the best-looking girls in the city. Candice is not too bad looking, but her homely nature irritates the shit out of him. Who wants to sit at home when the nightlife out there is calling?

He enters his garage and looks at his three vehicles. He has a 4 × 4, which he bought for his safari trips with his friends, and then there is also a silver Mercedes Benz 500 SLK, which he uses on a daily basis. However, tonight, he will use the red Lotus as he could sense that he needs to impress.

He could always rely on Richard when his colleague says that a girl has it all. He just wonders why Richard wants to introduce this girl to him as Richard himself is a bachelor. Maybe Richard did try his luck and wasn’t successful. Richard is about ten years older than Kevin—he is short, overweight, and has lost about all the hair on his head. Kevin, on the other hand, is what every girl dreams of: tall, dark, and handsome. He has a lot of chest hair, and his bronze skin tone and firm build make him very attractive to the opposite sex.

—oo0oo—

Inside the apartment, Candice sits and stares at the empty plate in front of her. She loves Kevin, but she can’t carry on hoping that one day he will love her too. She needs stability. Financially, she is stable, but her emotional life is a roller coaster. It is now the third night in a row that Kevin goes out in the evenings, and when she tries to contact him on his mobile phone, either he doesn’t answer, or his phone is switched off. When she asks him about it, he gets upset and tells her that he is an adult and she must stop treating him like a child.

She checked his messages on his phone yesterday, and there were lots of messages from females. Some very intimate, proving that Kevin indeed did have physical intimate relationships with these women. He claims they are just friends, but friends don’t send intimate, suggestive messages like the ones on his phone.

She needs to get out of this relationship. As difficult as it may be, she cannot stay any longer. She makes a call to a hotel for accommodation. She doesn’t want to go back to her parents’ house as she needs time on her own to hide her wounded soul from her family and the rest of the world. The last two years feels like a total waste to her, and despite her friends’ telling her to get out of this relationship, she always hoped for a miracle.

She books three nights’ accommodation, without enquiring what the cost will be, and then goes to the room to pack her clothes. She anticipates leaving a note but then decides against it. Kevin clearly is not interested in this relationship, and experience has taught her that you cannot force someone to become what they don’t want to be. She is turning twenty-nine next month, and her biological clock is ticking. She wants to have children of her own, and Kevin made it clear that he is not interested in getting married.

—oo0oo—

Kevin arrives at the restaurant where Richard and two females are already waiting for him in the lounge area. Both girls look stunning, and Kevin tells himself that if he plays his cards right, he can benefit from both of them. The blonde is clearly Richard’s claim for the night as he notices Richard standing with his arms around her waist. The brunette looks awesome, and she has a sexy, husky voice. Her short outfit and the flashing gold jewellery announce a lifestyle of glitz and glamour.

After they are introduced, Richard leads the way to a table, which he has obviously booked earlier on after he made the call to Kevin. The table is secluded, and the lights are dimmed. Soft classical music is playing in the background.

Her name is Janine, and she appears to be very sensual. Her eyes make contact with his, sending messages of lust, and as soon as they are seated at the table, she takes his hand and places it on her leg. He instinctively moves his hand up under her short dress. He is not surprised that she has no underwear on.

Their table is in a private setting, and the long overhang of the tablecloth hides the foreplay of what will definitely become a pleasurable night.

He cannot let this opportunity slip through his fingers, and after they have sat at the table for a while, he excuses himself from the table to make a call and then proceeds back to the lounge area, to make a reservation for two at a hotel, which he normally uses to entertain eager women such as Janine.

Back at the table, he picks up the wine list and orders an expensive bottle of Merlot. He doesn’t ask Janine what she wants to drink as it is clear that she is not in the least interested in what will be served on the table tonight. He always needs to be in charge, and laggard is not his style.

‘So, Richard… where did you meet these two fine ladies?’ he asks as he is sure that Richard has something up his sleeve.

‘You have to go places to meet people, my dear friend. I told you lots of times that there is life beyond your apartment.’

Kevin reads between the lines. What Richard actually wanted to say is that there is life beyond Candice, and he tells himself that Richard is right. As soon as he gets back home tomorrow, he will tell Candice that the relationship is not working for him. The confine of their relationship makes him feel like a wild bird locked up in a cage. He doesn’t care that his interests are selfish and self-centred. All he wants is to be free to do as he pleases.

As the night progresses, Kevin learns that Janine and her friend Pat have very important contacts with people in highly influential positions at the harbour and that they can assist to clear all their illegal imports. She has a close connection with the Director of Customs, and she can arrange that containers are not inspected when brought to the customs department when the containers are docked.

Kevin shares an import and export business with Richard, and they have a number of business contacts in need of loopholes in the customs department. Janine, indeed, can be the link to unlimited business transactions with their business associates in the Eastern world.

After dinner, Kevin asks Janine if she wants to go with him for the night. She doesn’t answer but stands up from where she was seated and holds her arm out to him in a gesture to hook up with her. He stands up, hooks his arm in hers, and excuses them from the table.

Richard and Kevin have been friends for long, and they have the same agenda. It is just that Richard can take Pat to his house, but he will have to take Janine to a hotel. Kevin promises himself to make an end to his relationship with Candice as soon as he gets back to his apartment, which will not be tonight. For tonight, he needs to be with Janine. It is a certainty that his relationship with Candice has reached a point of being beyond repair.

As they walk up to the Lotus, Janine noticeably moves closer to Kevin, and he senses that this lady has an appetite for wealthy men. He doesn’t mind though, as she will be the link between him and an even wealthier lifestyle—a lifestyle that he has accomplished through illegal deals.

At the hotel, he parks the Lotus, and as soon as the electronic doors move upwards, he goes around and holds his hand out to Janine. She gets out, and he pulls her towards him. The Lotus has a very low profile, and when she gets out, he can get a clear view of her shaved womanhood. He first kisses her softly on the lips and then starts kissing her with urgency. She doesn’t resist but moves her pelvis closer to his.

‘You are provoking the tiger in me. I hope you can finish what you are starting, princess,’ he says to her, clearly aroused. Kevin knows how to turn on the charm in the presence of female company, and this opportunity having access to influential people in the customs department comes once in a lifetime.

‘If it is pleasure you seek, it is pleasure you will get, sir,’ she replies whilst running her index finger over his nose and lips.

He takes her hand, and they walk hand in hand up the stairs to the reception area to book in at the hotel.

As they approach the reception desk, Candice walks up the stairs to the reception area of the hotel, where she booked accommodation with—the same hotel where Kevin has booked a room for him and Janine. She leaves her luggage in the car, thinking that she will ask the receptionist to allocate a porter to take her luggage to her room. She has packed enough clothes for the three days. The rest she will collect later or have it collected by someone else. She doesn’t want to face Kevin again as she might not be strong enough to seek consolation.

At the top of the stairs, there is an area where guests can relax on the outside of the reception lounge. As soon as she reaches this area, just before entering the reception area, her phone rings. She walks away from the door and puts her handbag down on one of the tables in order to reach for her phone in her bag, but she is too late. The phone stops ringing before she can answer.

‘Oh well, if it is urgent, I’m sure the person will phone again,’ she tells herself. The call is from an unknown number; she can, thus, not return the call.

The hotel is situated on a hill, and from where she stands, she can see a large portion of the city. She wonders how many other people out there in the city are involved in one-sided relationships. She is standing behind a medium-sized potted tree. The lights are dimmed, and she cannot help feeling isolated from society. For the past two years, her entire existence revolved around Kevin and all his needs.

She cut her hair in a certain style as Kevin wanted her to do. She bought clothes that Kevin wanted her to wear. If Kevin wanted special meals, she would go out of her way to prepare it as best as she could. For the past two years, she breathed, ate, and lived a life that Kevin wanted. She spent her life running after Kevin’s needs, and a lot of times she had to sit up with his rude remarks in front of his friends to impress them.

As she turns around and looks through the window into the reception area, she freezes in her footsteps. At the reception counter, she sees Kevin standing with a woman. Her heart wants to tell her that Kevin is on his own at the hotel and that the lady just happens to be there at the same time, but then the woman stands closer to him, and he puts his arm around the woman’s waist.

It feels like the earth is giving way under her, and she sits down on a chair whilst she keeps staring at the reception desk. Although she knew for some time now that there is no hope for their relationship, she cannot help feeling worthless and insecure. What is it that Kevin is seeking that she can’t give to him? She saw this coming, but she endured a lot of humiliation in the name of love.

She keeps sitting in the dark, staring into space without seeing anything. Although she feels hurt, she cannot cry. Her soul is filled with emptiness. With certainty, she now finally realises that trying to save their relationship is a hopeless case, but she can’t help feeling smutty and rejected.

At the bottom of the stairs leading up to the reception area, there is a large