OPERATION DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

OPERATION: DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

Alex opened the file, and the first thing he saw was a picture of Beverly Scanlan. He didn't need Blunt to tell him who she was. It is a rare week when Beverly Scanlan's picture isn't on the cover of at least one major magazine. She was a popular subject for the media for several reasons; chief among them was that she was incredibly wealthy and she was spectacularly beautiful.

Alex wasn't entirely clear about how she made all her money, but he knew that good genetics and the best cosmetic surgery money could buy made this 50-something woman one of the sexiest females on the planet. Even though she was old enough to be his mother, Alex was always drawn to the magazine pictures that showed Scanlan on the beach in a bikini or at a movie premier in an evening dress that highlighted her sexy figure.

Alex looked up at Blunt and said, "Don't tell me she's a SCORPIA agent – or that this was the Dick's disguise!"

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course that's not Kirby. As for whether she is a SCORPIA agent, well, frankly, we don't know. There's a lot about Beverly Scanlan I wish I knew more about."

Inwardly, Alex couldn’t help but agree, but it's unlikely that he was curious about the same things that Blunt was. Chief on Alex's list of things he'd like to know about Beverly Scanlan is how those huge breasts look without any clothing on them and how she manages to keep them looking so firm and inviting, despite her advancing years.

Blunt continued, oblivious to Alex's stray thoughts.

"Dickson informed us in his last communication that he had uncovered a plot to pass TOP SECRET defense information to SCORPIA using a courier. He was in the midst of transmitting information that would help us identify the courier at the time of his ****. It is vital that we intercept that courier before our defense secrets are revealed to our greatest enemy."

Alex asked, "But what's this got to do with Beverly Scanlan?"

"Scanlan is hosting a large gathering of very wealthy people this weekend at her estate. We have reason to believe that this informant will be present at this gathering."

"So why don't you just wait outside the gate and arrest him?" Alex asked.

"If it were that easy, we would," said Blunt, rather patronizingly. "The problem is that we don't know who the informant is. We don't even know if it is a male or a female. All we know is that this person has a tattoo somewhere on his or her body that looks like this."

Blunt handed Alex a photograph showing a blue, multi-faceted diamond.

"To further complicate matters, we don't know where on the body this tattoo is located – only that it is in a place that is not normally visible to the public."

Mrs. Jones added some more information. "Kirby was on assignment at Spank Me Productions when he learned that Scanlan is throwing a major party this weekend for people who – like her – have a rather voracious sexual appetite. She contacted Spank Me for some costumes and props to … um…. contribute to the ambiance of the occasion. When Kirby tried to infiltrate the group that would be delivering these items to the Scanlan estate, he was killed."

Alex's head was swimming as he tried to piece this all together. "So the Dick died a horrible **** trying to solve this mystery, and you want me to go try the same thing?"

Blunt answered. "Blunt had exposed himself too much."

No kidding, thought Alex. When you consider the hundred of women whom he screwed in dozens of major porn productions, he was probably one of the most "exposed" men in the world.

Jones continued, "We knew Kirby was close to being identified as an agent, and we wanted to pull him off the assignment, but he insisted on finishing what he started. You do not have the exposure that he did; no one will be looking for someone like you."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"Find the informant and call it in to us. We will come and take custody of him or her, and this will all be a thing of the past and you can go back to you boring little life and oversexed girlfriend," said Blunt.

"How am I supposed to find a person who has a tattoo that stays covered up?"

"As Mrs. Jones explained, this gathering is one of people who seem to be about as hormonally charged as you and Sabina," responded Blunt. "I doubt if you will have much trouble getting a chance to look at everyone there – particularly with the job we have lined up for you to assist Beverly Scanlan throughout the weekend."

Alex's eyes fall back to the picture of Scanlan. The realization that she was some kind of nympho and that he would almost certainly get a chance to see her naked gave him a definite interest in the mission that he had never experienced with any other. Of course, given his history with Blunt, he couldn't help but be suspicious.

"So, Alex… Do you accept the mission?" asks Blunt.