Money, Money, Money

This was the life I thought as I sipped the cold, and very expensive,champagne on the balcony of the five star hotel I was staying at. The view was amazing. The beach was pure white sand, the sea a clear crystal blue. Beautiful woman in the tiniest bikinis you had ever seen walked along the beach, their bronze toned bodies shinny in the sun light. I stood there for a few more minutes taking in the breath taking views and realised how lucky I was. This was the holiday I had always dreamed of, the lifestyle I had always wanted. A dream come true.

I walked back into the penthouse suite that I was staying in and surveyed the surroundings once more. The white leather suite in the middle of the sparsely decorated room. The grey marbled floor that showed your reflection as you walked on it. The 50" Plasma telly that hung on the wall. The walls themselves decorated in pattend wallpaper that had gold leaf imprinted into it. The huge dining table at the far end of the room, its design based on some french furniture Id seen may years ago. It was the most beautiful place I had ever stayed in.


The bathroom had gold plated taps on the sink and bath, the marble floor, the same colour as the other rooms, was heated in here, a comforting touch when I got out of the bath. The bath tub had jets in it so as I could turn it into a jacuzzi if I wanted to. A TV set into the wall above the bath, a chance to catch up on the local news if I wished. The bedroom was bigger than my old front room at home. Plush carpet spread across the room, the bed was huge, with the softest crispiest sheets Id ever had. Another TV raised itself from the end of the bed at the touch of a button. I forgot about the flat I had left behind, the small cramped flat that had been my home for many years. Its dark decor, a reminder of my broken dreams.I had left it all behind just a few short weeks ago. This was the life that awaited me now and I couldn't get enough of it.

I grabbed my keys and wallet and placed my champagne glass down on the table. I would be leaving here shortly and I wanted one more tour of the island before I did. I opened the door and walked along the thick cream carpet towards the private lift that would take me down too reception where the Ferrari was waiting for me. The lift door opened and there stood Troy the lift manager. He smiled at me as I entered, I smiled back, his training meant that unless I spoke first he didn't. I had found this a little uncomfortable at first I wasn't used to it. I had asked him once why he didn't greet me by speaking and he had told me that some of the people that stayed in this suite didn't like to be spoken to so he was told only to speak when he was told too. I made a note to myself that I wouldn't let the money change me in such a way as this. I didn't want to become a person who didn't talk to others unless they spoke first, I couldn't think of anything worse.

We reached the ground floor and the door opened. I stepped out into the most splendid scenery, the mahogany panels on the wall, the chandelier that hung from the center of the room, the people dressed in Gucci and Channel that loitered in the lobby. The staff in pressed uniforms who couldn't do enough for you, the place stank of money and I breathed it in deeply. Nothing was too expensive, this was the life I thought too myself as I crossed the floor and headed out into the sunshine. I placed the Ray Bans over my eyes and waited as the concierge handed me the keys to the bright red Ferrari that I had hired for the week. The roof was down and I climbed onto the soft cream leather seats. Id never felt more comfortable in a car in all my life. The black steering wheel with the yellow prancing horse in the middle waited for me to place my hands on it. I gripped the wheel running my hands around it, taking in the smoothness of the precision engineered made car. I placed it in gear, turned the key and slowly revved the engine, I could feel every part of the horse power racing through my body as I gently placed my foot on the accelerator. I smiled to myself and pushed a little harder on the pedal, the wheels spun and I was off, leaving the splendour of the hotel behind me.

I drove along the winding road, the sun beating down on me content with my life and the way it had turned out. Palm trees whizzed past me as I drove further into the island. Id worked so hard for what I had, desired it, dreamt about it, now I had the money it was everything I had hoped it would be. It had been an unbelievable trip. Arriving at the airport I was ushered into the first class waiting room for my flight. No longer did I have to que with the family's and the screaming kids. Here I was greeted with champagne, handed to me by a beautiful lady dressed in the uniform of the airline. I was allowed to roam freely with the haves no longer a have not. When we boarded the flight the seats were as big as settees, with the leg room to match. The food menu wouldn't have been out of place in a top London restaurant. People knew my name. No longer a nameless, faceless commodity in economy, it felt good to be someone for a change. I had savoured every minute of the flight, tasted the finest food, drank the finest champagne and then when I was full to bursting, reclined the extra large leather seat and slept it all off.

I pulled over and parked the car. The beach looked too inviting for me not to walk barefoot along the white sands. I took off my hand made leather shoes, holding in my hand loosely, the soft leather feeling warm on my skin and walked slowly, taking in the breath taking surroundings. The sand felt warm and hot between my toes. I placed my other hand in my white chino trousers pockets, my white cotton shirt allowing the cool sea breeze to swirl around me. I walked slowly to the edge of the clear blue sea and stood there taking in my surroundings for a final time before I moved on to my next destination, I was having the holiday of a lifetime. There was nothing on the horizon apart from blue cloudless sky and the sea. I had never been so happy or content in all my life. Suddenly I was aware of a voice calling my name, I stood there taking in the view one more time before I turned to see who it was.

"Mr Johnson, could you tell me how you plead to the charges that are bought against you?" With that I was back to reality with a jolt. Standing in the dock of court number 6 at the Old Bailey. There I stood a broken man, extradited from my one of my destinations and brought back to face justice. No longer did I have the smart clothes, the cars, the money. Here I stood in a plain grey suit and a pale blue shirt, facing a jury of my peers. The judge was staring at me waiting for me to respond. I had no choice I entered a plea of guilty as I had been advised to by my solicitor. I faced prison, I knew that, it didn't scare me I had the memories to get me through the difficult times that lay ahead. I faced prison for the crime I had committed. It had been fun while it lasted, but it didn't last long enough.

You see the hard work and planning I had put into my new life wasn't as clear as it seemed. It wasn't my money. I had embezzled it from the bank I worked for. I had worked hard all my life to get the standard of living I craved, but time after time I had been over looked for promotion. So I planned to get my revenge. I had worked out a way of taking over £5 million pound from the banks accounts and transferring it into my own one, a private account which was off shore. I would have got away with it as well if I hadn't had made one stupid silly mistake. The one thing that would cost me everything.

I didn't take my wife with me.