The yacht slid smoothly to a stop in the secluded cove off the coast of a small southern Greek Island. Jesse slipped the motor into reverse while Ken, standing at the bow, dropped the main anchor overboard.

Jesse looked at the sun-bronzed body of her husband, clad only in small white shorts, as he bent to the work of securing their boat. Once the anchor was safely embedded she turned off the motor and went out of the spacious cabin to the deck.

On an impulse she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him lovingly.

“Hey now,” he protested, laughing as she kissed him again. “One more kiss like that and I won’t be able to go ashore and you know I have to. “ He smiled into his wife’s blue eyes.

“Make sure you come back soon. This offer might close.” She giggled.

“Oh really?” he countered. “Then I better not dally with the client for too long. After all, what is money when there’s love in the offing?”

“Exactly,” she said, kissing him again.

He went below and returned in a casual shirt and white slacks befitting the locale and the mood. Kissing her again, he got into the dinghy moored behind the yacht and motored off to the beach.

She watched him pull the boat ashore and walk towards the town. His meeting with the client would take several hours but he would be back aboard before sunset.

Jesse went below, pulled out her black bikini and stripped off. She looked at herself in the mirror. It had been two years since their escape from the harem ordeal at the hands of the cruel sheik Ramullah. Her body showed no signs of her slavery and abuse except that her pubic hair had never grown back and her nipples still bore the slight scars of the rings which had been forced through them. Her clit remained sensitive and tender despite having the gold ring removed two years ago. The three rings had fetched a thousand pounds each – solid gold. The big cruel nipple clips and the devilish clit clamps returned over a million from the jewels embedded in them.

In total the jewelry she had removed from the harem had amounted to two million pounds when it was sold through a discreet international market.

Her fellow escaped harem slaves, the Australian girl, Helen, got nearly three million and the Italian, Maddy, slightly more. They had been slaves for longer but were well set up for life now. The French mother and daughter had resumed their lives helped by their jewellery sales. They deserved it.

Slipping on the tiny black bikini, Jesse went on deck and lay in the shade of the awning. A glass of champagne and a good novel would see her out for the couple of hours Ken was away. His business had flourished after identifying the security weaknesses of the sheik’s computer system. He had lost his job but with enough capital behind him had set up his own software business which was so successful that he could now run it from the yacht a lot of the time. The other two harem escapees had invested money in their business as well.

Jesse intended to cook on board tonight as she had plans for her husband after dinner. Their love life had resumed despite the traumas of their captivity, thanks to their youth. As the boat rocked gently in the Mediterranean, she did not take notice of a large luxury motor yacht slipping quietly into the bay and anchoring some distance off shore. She was also not aware of the fact that it had been following them discretely for several days as they cruised.

A rubber zodiac detached itself from the yacht and cruised slowly towards the shore. It passed close to the yacht and the three well-dressed men and one woman aboard scanned the deck as they passed by.

Jesse took no notice as she heard it change course until it came alongside the yacht. An attractive young woman in a business suit popped her head up and spoke to Jesse. “Good morning, Mrs. Wallace, is it?”

Jesse sat up and replied.

“I’m Linda Stone from International Recovery Ltd. We are a security firm and I was wondering if I could talk to you and your husband?” the attractive girl asked confidently.

“He’s ashore at the moment. In fact he’s meeting a client in town. He won't be back for some time. You are not that client, are you? I hope there hasn’t been a mix up?” Jesse replied, not thinking this was unusual as in the security business now they met all kinds of people in different ways.

“No not at all.” Linda Stone replied. “This is other business. May we come aboard please?”

Jesse hesitated; she didn’t like the look of the two strongly built men accompanying this woman. The girl noticed this reaction.

“We can talk privately if you like?”

Jesse nodded and the girl climbed aboard followed by one of the men who remained on deck.

“Come down into the cabin.”

Jesse led the way into the cabin, feeling a little uncomfortable in her bikini in front of these well-dressed business types.

She indicated the lounge and slipped on a shirt which didn’t cover her legs at all. “Now, what’s this all about?”

Linda opened a folder and Jesse caught a glimpse of jewellery photographs in it.

“My business is in international investigations and recovery of lost property. We are working on behalf of a client who had some precious items stolen and sold. We have successfully recovered most of the items but the client has made a special request.”

Jesse had a sense of growing unease, beginning to turn to fear.

Linda turned the page in the file and there were photographs of Ken and her taken recently in port.

“My client says there is the matter of a broken contract you and husband entered into in the Sultanate of Myzeer.”

The blood drained from Jesse’s face as Linda went on.

“My client requests a meeting with you and your husband face to face to settle the matter. We would like to settle this issue as a matter of expediency.”

Jesse thought quickly. “I can’t deal with this without my husband present and I’m not sure when he’ll be back… if at all tonight,” she said, playing for time “Perhaps we can meet tomorrow and discuss whatever it is you want?”

The girl’s tone hardened. “Then I think you might be better to join us on our vessel and wait for him there.” As the woman spoke the man entered and stood by Jesse. She felt really uncomfortable now.

“Oh no, I’d rather not leave this boat right now I’m sure…”

That was as far as she got as the effects of the stun gun knocked her out.

The other man came into the cabin and they rolled the inert Jesse face down onto the table and handcuffed her hands behind her back and then her ankles. One man went to the bedroom and returned with a sheet. He wrapped her up and they carried her on deck after checking for any possible witnesses.

Linda searched the papers on the yacht and left a message taped to the wireless transmitter. “Do not call the police. We have taken your wife. We will be in touch with you tomorrow evening at 9.00pm. Here is the contact frequency to listen in on. Do nothing until then.

“Sheik Ramullah.”

The two men slipped the bundle containing Jesse’s inert form into the waiting rubber boat and sped back to the motor yacht, which had already weighed anchor and was cruising slowly seawards. A few minutes at maximum speed and the Zodiac ran onto a platform at the side of the yacht and was lifted aboard by crane. The motor yacht accelerated and was soon over the horizon. The whole operation had taken less than twenty minutes.