Chapter 3

While our business partnership was growing at a slow, steady pace, our personal relationship had become a wild, impetuous sexual growth with no boundaries. We loved each other and both of us sought to bring pleasure to the other.

While I was no longer a virgin, my sexual experience and knowledge was at a beginning point. Charlie was a considerate and vocal lover who pushed me to experiment and seek higher and higher levels of sexual fulfillment for both of us.

She insisted that we talk to each other during and after each sexual encounter. I was learning the sensitive areas of her body that turned a cold, logical computer wizard to a screaming, wailing sex addict who lost herself in the joys of physical pleasures.

No areas were off limits. One night she announced that it was time that I tried anal to see if I liked it. That night, as she knelt with her head on the bed, she opened herself to me. My cock, liberally soaked with lubricant and her own moisture, pushed its way slowly into her ass as she encouraged me with words and gasps of small pain and pleasure. When I had sunk my entire cock into her, we paused. She told me how it felt to have my cock in her ass, and she insisted I tell her what I felt and thought.

I started a gentle in and out motion that quickly grew more aggressive. Knowing I was about to come, my fingers found her clit and quickly brought her to the edge. We came together, quite violently.

After I cleaned up, I lay next to her and talked. Much to my surprise, I wasn't disgusted at what we had just done. I told Charlie that, although it wasn't my favorite thing, I had enjoyed it.

What was near the top of my favorite activities was eating Charlie. It was a combination of factors, but leading all was that I knew she loved it. For me it was a sensory feast of delights. Charlie would lay on the bed, submissive, as I spread her legs. Sometimes her legs were flat and at other times I put pillows under her ass, giving me even more access to her vagina.

Her musky smell was an aphrodisiac to me when I started to tease her with my fingers and tongue. When aroused the moisture flowed freely from her (I sometimes remembered to put a towel under her, saving us from changing sopping-wet sheets). I loved her taste on my tongue as I licked her wetness. My fingers touched her everywhere; the touch was soft, to create arousal, but not to cause climax. When we realized how much we both loved this act of love, Charlie trimmed her pubic hairs so that only a small tuft of hair remained above her vagina; the rest of her mound was incredible smooth to my touching and licking. If I penetrated her with my fingers, it was shallow and gently.

The sense of sound was very significant in this act of love, as Charlie would go from giggles to moans. Early on she would tease me that, of course, I wouldn't sexually torture her; although she knew full well it was exactly what was coming. Later, her sounds would escalate to groans and gasping wails as I refused to give her final release. Occasionally, when things were going right, the wails turned into begging screams, pleading with me to let her come.

I eventually learned the little physical signs that told me that she was about to come, and I learned how to alter my teasing to prevent her orgasm. It was a loving game that lasted thirty or more minutes, and when I sensed she was at the apex of sexual excitement, I penetrated her with two fingers and curled them up, exerting pressure on her wall as my tongue assaulted her clit.

She would scream my name and her hips would go through repeated violent spasms that I often thought would never end.

If it were a particularly good night, when the screaming was over and the spasms had subsided, she lay there motionless. At times it appeared as if she passed out, but minutes later she would open her eyes and give me a smile that spoke of her intense love for me. That smile was my reward and I treasured it.

We would cuddle then, often not speaking as we enjoyed the touching of our naked bodies. Later she might turn on her back and I would slide my cock into her and gain my release; usually she would be able to have another orgasm. Often though, she would turn on her side so that her back was pressed against my chest. I would change my position and adjust her legs so that I could enter her from behind. I would slowly move in and out until I knew I was ready, and then I would reach over her hip and finger her clit with the right amount of pressure. I would feel her vagina muscles gently clutch my cock and we would come together. Many times I would fall asleep with my cock still in her with my hand resting on her breast.

In those months, with Charlie's help, I learned to love Charlie's body. At the same time, ignoring the sex, it was obvious that I fallen deeply in love with this female who was my lover and my best friend.

Our business continued to grow; then one day the phone rang and Charlie answered it, "C & C Computer."

"Yes sir, we did a project for Mr. Olsen and we think he was very pleased with the result."

In fact we absolutely knew Olsen was happy. Charlie would call him at least once a month to check if there were any problems. There never was, but keeping our company in front of him might get us his referral some day. In addition, it was obvious that he was very fond and proud of Charlie; almost as if she were the daughter he never had.

My thoughts were interrupted when Charlie said, "If the project is acceptable, we could start right away."

There was a pause and then Charlie answered, "I'm sorry. I used a poor choice of words. Obviously, money is important, but what I meant is that if we don't think we can do the job you expect, we will turn you down."

Another pause, "We can be at your office in two hours."

She hung up the phone and faced me. There was excitement on her face as she blurted, "They want us to bid on a huge project Clyde. I can tell it's big money. Olsen sent them to us."

We were escorted into a large conference room where two people waited for us. They introduced themselves as Bob Jacobs and Sam Fisher. Neither said what their titles were.

"You're kind of young," said Jacobs.

Charlie smiled sweetly, "So that means were not contaminated with the theory that the old way is the only way."

Fisher started talking. "Our company is a specialty mail order house. We are in seventy-five percent of the United States. This new region will complete our nationwide coverage. In two months we are supposed to be open for business. We'll take orders over the phone or through the Internet. Originally we plan to have thirty people covering the phones. Eventually, if we're like the other regions, the telephone staff will increase to one hundred.

"We've already prepared a marketing blitz for two months from now. We'll have radio, television and some celebrities endorsing our products.

"We went out to bid on a system that could handle our anticipated volume. Telephone orders and Internet purchases are not leading edge applications. There is plenty of software out there that can be bought and tied together. We have a great many products so the database access has to work quickly.

"We didn't want it to be fancy; we wanted it to work."

I asked, "Why not duplicate what the other three regions have?"

Jacobs answered, "Because they've bastardized the system for fifteen years and it's falling apart. There's lousy or no documentation and the staff is average at best. We thought it would be cheaper and better to get a new system up. We were told it could be done on time and within budget."

Charlie interrupted, "It sounds as if you already hired a company. Why are we here?"

"We booked a company and gave them an advance. They came back and said they needed at least eighty percent of the contract paid up front. We refused. We got a call yesterday; they filed for bankruptcy."

Fisher interrupted, "We called three large companies yesterday trying to get them to bid. They all turned us down even though we said we would pay a premium price. They told us they have committed their teams to other projects and could not come close to completing it on time."

I asked, "What about the hardware?"

"That's part of the bid. We really want a turnkey operation where you do everything."

Charlie glanced at me and said, "We're not sure we want to bid on this. Interfacing multiple software products into a seamless database with large volumes using both the phone and the Internet is not leading edge, but it is a major project.

"Before we even talk money we want to see all the specifications of the project, what the first company has done, and we want access to your processing staff in the other regions to find out the quirks that come out of your business.

"When we get all information, we'll tell you yes or no."

Fisher said, "We'll pay good money."

"Doesn't matter," Charlie said. "If we can't honestly feel we could do it, we'll pass, no matter what the money is."

Both of them looked surprised, almost shocked. Promising big money should have gotten an immediate yes.

"Screw them," I thought.

For the next two days Charlie and I pored over the specs, spent hours talking to the staff at the other regions, and studied what the first company had planned to do.

Charlie and I agreed on most things: The concept to buy outside software that was proven was logical, and the concept of simplicity also was solid. The problem was that five major software programs were going to be interfaced with a unique database, and that was the rub. Some systems expected a particular database and others expected a different one. The management reports were designed as generic reports, and our company already wanted to tweak them. Finally, there was a hardware implication; the hardware we bought had to handle the software packages, the database, and have the speed to handle large and growing volumes.

Finally we recognized that two months was really pushing it. You can go into crash mode for maybe a week, but two months was impossible. For hardware, we would bring in some of the geeks I knew; we didn't have time to do it alone.

We were back in the conference room, facing Jacobs and Fisher. Charlie said, "We can do the project if the price is right, but the time constraint is going to really push us. We'll have to bring it outside people."

"What's the price?"

Charlie answered, "$250,000. We want ten percent up front. The hardware is in the quote, but when we buy the hardware, you pay for it."

Jacobs said, "That's not acceptable. You buy the hardware. If it works, we'll pay you."

Charlie answered, "That's a deal breaker. We're not a bank and we won't finance your hardware purchase. If that's not acceptable, we pass."

We had already talked this out. We couldn't afford to take the risk of borrowing money to buy hardware for this company.

I had mixed emotions about the project. The concept was simple and I was confident we could do it. We wouldn't be in crash mode, but it would be an intense two months out of our lives. I suspected that sex would take a temporary back seat to the project.

Jacobs and Fisher looked at each other and then Fisher said, "We really don't have a choice. We agree. I'll have a contract drawn up today and cut you a check for your ten percent.

We went back to the apartment both elated and scared. This was a big deal.

We talked late into the night. I told Charlie I had to bring in a hardware geek. I was good, but this guy was an expert. I knew the hardware was in the $60,000 to $80,000 range, but that was it. I warned Charlie that when I brought in Skinny, it would be ugly.

"Why?" asked Charlie.

"Geeks want to buy the leading-edge products. If it's announced today, they want to buy it. We don't want to take that kind of chance; we want good, tested hardware. Skinny will fight for the leading-edge stuff."

When Skinny came over Charlie was shocked. He was six-foot and weighed over three hundred pounds.

He went over the specs and suggested the hardware we needed. It was brutal; Skinny and I fought over each piece of hardware. Finally we were done. The hardware was going to cost about seventy-five thousand dollars.

After Skinny left Charlie asked me, "How can you be so tough and aggressive when talking about computers, and then be such a pushover in day to day confrontations?"

I shrugged. I didn't have an answer.

...

It was tough. Charlie and I worked ten hours a day seven days a week. After three weeks I saw Charlie was as burned out as I. That afternoon we agreed that we would have a night of sex and then take the whole next day off doing nothing. Finally, we would have dinner at a nice restaurant and then more sex.

We woke two mornings later feeling refreshed and went back to the project.

Charlie brought up the problem that we had to document every aspect of the system and we also needed an operator's manual for employees taking telephone orders—when a purchase call came in, the operator would have to know what to do. We realized that someone had to teach them. Neither Charlie nor I had the time to document and teach.

I suggested we call Amy and see if she had any friends who might be qualified. I dialed the number and Amy's cheerful voice said, "Wilson Accounting."

I explained the problem to her and asked if she knew anyone. "How much are you paying?" she asked.

I thought for a second and said, "For someone really good, $25 an hour."

"I got just the person for you."

"Who?"

Amy giggled, "Me. It's kind of slow right now and Bill can take care of the office and answer his own phone if I'm not here. I think I can do a good job for you."

Hiring Amy was a serendipitous stroke of genius. She was perfect in bringing together all the documentation so that there was a ready reference for any of the software packages that we were using. When we tweaked one of the programs, we told Amy how to write it up so that all changes were in writing.

For the operator's manual Amy suggested that we show her the various screens and teach her what she should do if she were an operator taking an order. When she ran into a problem or the answer was unclear, she made sure the operator's manual explained what to do.

The documentation was over 300 pages that Amy had copied or typed, and the operator's manual was an additional 50 pages. Charlie and I would never have had the time to accomplish what Amy completed.

We quickly agreed that Amy would stay with us until the project was completed. Amy never complained about the long hours. She liked to work, and always was laughing or teasing to keep the atmosphere in the apartment loose. Bill complained good-naturedly that we had stolen his best employee.

"Your only employee," Amy corrected.

We were running out of time. There were two weeks to go and there was a tremendous amount still to accomplish.

Skinny called me from the company's office. The hardware had arrived and he was going to install it. He had pulled up the raised floor and saw the pre-installed cables for the first time. He said simply, "They're a piece of shit. They went with the cheapest cables—they might work for a year or so before there's a problem. I can't install hardware knowing the cables are bullshit."

I sighed and told him to buy the right cables and get it done. I told Charlie that night that we just spent an extra $5,000 on cables and installation that wasn't anticipated. She just nodded and went back to her programming.

With eight days to go we were ready for testing. Skinny had all the hardware hooked up and we installed the programs. I had created a simulated telephone and on-line ordering volume program along with the actual database. We were ready for testing. The simulated ordering was set at a very low volume for testing. When low volume came out clean, we had the ability to have the simulations kick in to three and four times the volumes anticipated. It was the high volume aspect where we expected to find problems.

On the first day of testing we lasted ten minutes and the system crashed. At first, I was sure that it was a problem with Knucklehead's database manipulations, but many hours later I discovered it was an error in my database conversion program.

A day later we tried it again. This time we lasted three hours and it crashed again. We found the problems and started again. Twelve hours later it crashed again.

I wasn't in panic mode, but we needed this system tested really well and we were running out of time. We decided to go to twelve-hour shifts. Charlie bought an air mattress and some sheets and took over an office in the company's building. She lived there twelve hours and then I took over for the next twelve hours. For the next three days we never made it though a shift without a problem. Usually that meant the one who was home had to come in. We were now in crash mode.

Finally we made it through twenty-four hours without a hitch. The system seemed to work. We set the simulation program to four times the anticipated highest volume expected. With a big sigh of relief from both of us, the high-speed test went fine. For the rest of the test period the system never had a problem.

The company had hired the people who were going to take telephone orders and they had read the manual Amy had created. During the last two days when we were testing, Amy used the simulated system to train the telephone order people on what they were going to see. She created problems and tested their ability to find the answer in the operator's manual. She was an excellent teacher.

After the system settled down, the top manager of the department requested a meeting. He knew the testing was going well, but he pointed out that Charlie and I weren't always going to be available and he thought he should have a two-person staff to monitor the hardware and the programs. He asked if we could recommend anyone.

I immediately thought of the people who were taking our home requests. I thought two of them would be perfect for the job. I called them and asked if they were interested. They jumped at the chance to be interviewed by the company and I arranged the interviews.

On the day before we went live the testing was going fine. I suggested to Charlie that we have a celebration dinner and invite everyone who had been involved in the project. She thought it was a great idea and quickly found a nice restaurant with a private room. We invited Skinny and his gang of three, the two people who we recommended to the company for staff, and Bill and Amy. It was a great party with lots of jokes and kidding about all the goofy things that happened during development. Skinny kept teasing me about the cheap cables that he found installed. The party broke up at eleven and Charlie and I went home happy, but exhausted.

The company went live and for three days Charlie and I kept to our twelve hour shifts. Amy was there during the day shift to help the telephone operators. It became a joke that we were sleeping on the floor, waiting for a problem.

On the fourth day, we met with Jacobs and Fisher. Charlie said, "I think we're clean. We're going to stay in close contact with the two people you just hired for problems, but things seem to be going well."

Fisher said, "You guys performed. It was a great job and I have to admit that I was skeptical when we first met you. We have a check for $150,000."

Charlie calculated quickly and said, "That's too much. You gave us $25,000 up front and the hardware and cable was $80,000. You only owe us $145,000."

Fisher grinned, "The cables were the first contractor's fault, not yours. We'll eat that expense."

Charlie and I walked out of the building and looked at each other. Charlie said, "Clyde, we have a check for $150,000 in my pocket. That's a huge amount of money for us, even after we settle up with Skinny and Amy."