Chapter 4

Buzzing, loud noises, alarm. I hate alarms. I hate alarms when I am sleeping on my couch at work. I hate sleeping on my couch at work. Still dark. Mouth tastes like a sewer and I have not even been drinking. Where is the alarm coming from? Oh, PC. I pull myself erect and stumble over to my PC and silence the noise. It was not that loud, but when the only noises in the room are PC fans, it was loud enough. My head ached and I had to go to the bathroom. It was going on for 5:30 in the morning when I prodded my machine back to life, hoping it would somehow jumpstart my own brain. I had given up hope on my body. My phone was ringing and I felt like I had a hangover.

"Yeah?" I was not in the mood to deal with anyone.

"Good morning to you, too, dear. I hope to be out of here at lunch. No, I can make it home on my own. Have a good day at work, I love you, too." Spending the night at work was not unusual, but I would have to make it up to Fay.

The restore had worked without errors. I took a quick look through the restored files and was happy with what I saw. It was time to start rolling the changes into the files. I slipped into gear and started typing. The knock on my door brought me up with a start and probably a growl. I think I scared Jerry a little because he brought up both hands in a defensive gesture.

"Sorry." We both said it at the same time and a second later we started laughing.

"Sorry, Jerry. You want a status report, right?"

"Yes, if you can give me one."

I took a minute, looked at the clock and wondered how it got to be 7:30 already, marshaled my thoughts and began. "We are about 75 percent of the way there. I think that by 8:30 AM we should be ready to kick the system over to accounting and let them see if it is fixed. We have a real DBA coming today?"

"Yes, should be here anytime now. You get any sleep?"

"About 4 hours on the couch, so no, not really. I am trying to hold it together until the cavalry arrives and then I can have a breakdown. Just keep people out of here and I should be fine. I probably smell too."

He laughed as he walked away.

"Good morning, Nikki. You might want to give him a wide berth this morning," I heard him say as he walked down the hall.

"Good morning, Jerry. He doesn't scare me." I heard Jerry laughing as he returned to his office.

"Good morning, Gary, you..." Her mouth kept moving, but no words were coming out. I think she was going to say I was in early, because I was, except I had yet to leave. Nikki glanced around the office, taking in the state of the couch, my rumpled clothes and haggard appearance. She almost looked like she was looking for something.

"Luci left around 11 last night, Nikki."

"Um? Oh, I know, she called me." Six hours ago that information would have come as a surprise to me. Now it was just simply data. She stopped and looked at me from across the desk.

"Besides a shower and sleep, can I get you anything? Have you had anything to eat since last night?"

"No, and no, but I don't expect to be here long."

"Do you want coffee?"

"Yes, but I cannot take any coffee on an empty stomach."

"Not to worry, Gary." She looked like she was going to say more, but instead turned and left. I went back to work.

Nikki slipped in a little later and dropped off coffee and a bagel. I do not know where she got the bagel from, but I was very happy she had.

"Are you going to be a bad boy and resist going home?" Luci was leaning on my doorjamb, wearing a long blue skirt that almost touched the floor. She had a tight deep pink cable knit sweater on that showed of her chest. She looked stunning. Blue dangle earrings with gold and silver drew your attention to her face, where she had put on a subtle layer of makeup and lipstick. Stunning. And then she walked into the office, and you saw the slit in the skirt that went well above her knee. She had on two inch heels and black stocking and was marching into my office and around my desk. I found myself standing up, arms out to touch her and not knowing what to do. She stopped far enough away to be businesslike, but with a gleam in her eye and smile on her face. She reached out for my hands and took them in her own and squeezed them, then kissed each one in turn then stepped back. I almost fell into my chair.

"Luci, you look wonderful. I must be delirious; I thought you were an angel."

"Oh, you are going to resist."

She was grinning, happy and very beautiful. My PC chose that moment to chirp at me.

"Hot damn!" I slapped the desk causing Luci to jump and brought Nikki and Pete in at a run.

"What now?" Pete looked like the world was coming to an end.

"We have ourselves a functioning accounting system," I said. "And 20 minutes before I said it would be ready!" I received a polite round of applause from the ladies. Pete looked like I had just told him the world was flat.

"Gary, are you busy?" Missy was standing in my door way looking that the small crowd.

"For you, never!" I was giddy. I was tired and I wanted to go home. Badly.

"This is Jason Tanner, our new DBA," she said ushering Jason into the office. Jason was about 45, a little grey at the temples but otherwise unremarkable. He held out his hand to me, not quite sure what to make of my attire. He was wearing a suit. At least he knew how to dress.

"Good morning, Jason, welcome to Fort Apache. This is Pete Mannor, head of networks, Luci Phelps, our lead network engineer and Nikki Wilson, our lead application engineer. What do you know?"

He gave me a look that said he was about to spit out his resume and I could almost see him change gears.

"I don't know anything. What do I need to know?" I liked him already.

"Pete, get Jason an account and whatever else he needs to do Paul's job. Fill the paperwork in as you go and bring it by for my signature." Pete was gone before I changed my focus. "Nikki, he will be using Paul's machine. Go ahead and log me out and then image the thing in case we have a need it later."

"10 minutes, tops," she replied heading out the door.

"Grab a seat Jason and some paper if you need it. Here is what I know."

Jason pulled up the empty guest chair and Luci slid onto the couch, pushing my blanket out of the way. I suspect that if Jason had any questions later today, Luci would be the one answering them. I needed to make a note of that. I brought Jason up to speed on what I knew, suspected and had done over the better part of the last 18 or so hours. I may have shown my ignorance in doing things, but I did them the only way I knew how. We spent over an hour discussing the best ways to keep things afloat and what we might need to do to shore up the dike and keep it from happening again. He was bright and articulate and I felt better about turning the whole ball of wax over to him. Once we had our game plan in place, we went and did it all over again in a brief for Jerry and Bob Norton. By 10:30, Jason was in front of a machine and implementing the plan. I wished him luck and dragged myself back to my office.

"You are going home now, right?" Luci asked me from the couch.

"No, but I am going home in about 20 minutes. Less if I can arrange it."

"I can live with that. Let me go and take care of a couple of things and I will walk you out."

"Thank you, Luci, but that isn't necessary. I am a big boy." I got a smile for my effort.

Almost 30 minutes later, I was heading for Jerry's office.

"Unless you need me, I am going home," I said as I stuck my head in the door.

"No, go get some rest. You have earned it. See you tomorrow."

"Yup. Probably around 8, I have to take Ellen to school."

"See you then. Drive safe." He returned to what ever it was he was doing and I headed for the elevators. Luci was waiting for me.

"Going to make sure I actually leave?" I asked coming up to her.

"Yes, actually," she replied pushing the button.

"You do look wonderful this morning, Luci," I said as I entered the elevator behind her.

"Thank you. I decided that since you would not be here to see me today, then no one should get to see anything either."

"Except that you are leaving very little to the imagination, even though there is very little skin showing."

"True, but they will have to settle for their imaginations, you know better."

She kissed me soundly but quickly before the elevator doors opened.

"Get home safe. I will see you tomorrow."

"Take care of yourself," I responded, stepping out into the foyer and heading for the parking lot.

Wednesday was a bit of a blur. I did go home but I did not immediately go to sleep. Instead I went home, showered, changed into casual clothes, did a clean for dirty swap at the dry cleaners, picked up some stuff for dinner and spend a couple of hours in the hot tub. OK, I fell asleep in the hot tub. Not safe I know, but I guess I really was tired. I picked up Ellen at school and was rewarded for my effort with squeals and hugs and kisses. Six-year olds have such energy. We went home and played on the floor for a few hours before I started dinner. Fay was home by six and we had a nice, quiet family dinner. We played a board game or two and headed to bed. Thursday would be here soon enough.

===//===

When the alarm went off Thursday morning, I was feeling more like my old self. Fay had left somewhere in the middle of the night, or so it had seemed. She was working on a major project and was trying to come home in time to get Ellen, so I got to sleep in and take her to school. It was supposed to be unseasonably warm today and I almost grabbed a suit off the rack, but instead decided comfort was the name of the game. I pulled out a pair of my favorite cargo pants and was pulling on a polo shirt when I thought better of it and reached for a button up Hawaiian shirt. I was not violating the dress code, just stretching it a little. I had earned the privilege I thought. Ellen was already dressed and we had a quick bowl of cereal together and headed to school.

"Daddy, we have to pick up Chloe this morning." Chloe was one of her friends and lived around the corner from us.

"OK. Now were does she live again?"

"Daaadddyy..." I do so love teasing her.

We picked up Chloe and made the short trip to school where I dropped the girls off and then made my way to work. I decided that I was going to stop and get some gourmet coffee on the way, along with a bagel to keep me going until lunch. Skipping meals like the last two days was something I could do, but if I did it too often, my body would rebel. At 8:15, I pulled into a parking space and made my way upstairs.

"Hey Gary, you da man!" Pete gave me high five as I stepped off the elevator. He was coming out of our spaces heading for where ever it was he was going. I do not think I would not have gone that far, but if he felt good, then things were looking up. I entered the secure hallway and turned the corner only to be tackled by Nikki. Now Nikki is not heavy, but she sure is not light and when you do not expect it, well, we wound up falling to the floor like a house of cards. I am surprised neither one of us was hurt. What surprised me more than being tackled was the flurry of kisses she was giving me, topped off by a very deep, long kiss, her pelvis grinding against mine. And we were in the middle of the hall! The security door opened and Jerry was standing there looking down at this scene with a mixture of humor, interest and a little longing. Nikki, sensing my attention had shifted looked up to Jerry and smiled then slipped back and offered me a hand up.

"Sorry, Jerry, I couldn't resist," she said.

"I understand Ms. Wilson. Perhaps next time a little more decorum might be exercised?" He was trying not to laugh. I managed to get myself to my feet and saw Janice behind Nikki. She came up and pushed Nikki out of the way and started wiping my mouth with a tissue, one hand holding my chin so I could not get away.

"Yes Nikki, one must always maintain decorum," she said, and then she kissed me. And what a kiss it was. Maybe it was the after effects of having Nikki kiss me first, but I do not believe so. She curled my toes and brought me to hardness in a matter of seconds, drawing a moan from deep within me before she broke away. Those in the hallway were applauding, even Jerry. I was speechless and blushing.

It was then that I noticed that all the ladies were wearing polo shirts with the company logo and IT Department on them and khakis. In fact, everyone was wearing the same thing. Except for me that is. Even Jerry had one on.

"Clearly, I missed a staff meeting. Or at least a memo?"

"At least," Jerry replied and ushered us into the library. Luci was there and she too was wearing the uniform of the day, a room-illuminating grin on her face. They ushered me to the head of the table and Luci and Nikki took up positions of honor, standing on either side of me, each resting a hand on my shoulder. I had no clue what was going on. I was about to find out because Craig Kelly came through the door at that moment, followed by Patricia. Craig was wearing a suit, but Patricia had on one of our IT shirts and a khaki skirt. She must have borrowed the shirt from someone because it was a little tight on her. Not that it looked bad mind you.

"Mr. Preston," Craig began, "I understand you have a problem with the corporate dress code?" I was going to respond, but both Nikki and Luci chose that moment to squeeze my shoulder. I shut up, but I looked directly at Craig.

"I have also heard that you feel it is discriminatory." I was going to have bruises as the girls squeezed harder.

"Further, I have heard that you would like to see it modified." He looked at me and started grinning. Everyone else in the room was as well.

"It would seem, Mr. Preston, that the members of this department have a very high opinion of you, especially when you choose to open your mouth. Further, it would seem that they are not the only ones who hold you in such high esteem." He pulled out some papers from his jacket.

"This is a memo, Mr. Preston, from the Board of Directors, to the Human Resources department of this company, instructing them forthwith to adjust the dress code of this company to correct the injustice done to the female employees and to put them on an equal footing with their male counterparts in all aspects of company culture. This is a memo from the Human Resources department to the IT department, indicating a change in dress code that should be applied to all members of the IT staff. And this, Mr. Preston, is a Certificate of Merit from the Board for bringing this issue to our attention." He took a framed certificate from Patricia and handed it down the table to me. The girls let me stand up.

"Gary, you have seen an issue that needed fixing and you brought it up. Like all of your work, we are all very proud to have you here. If you ever find coming to work here is not as fun as it used to be, you come and see me. We will see what we can do to keep you in the family. Understood?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

Patricia tapped her boss and handed him an envelope.

"Ah, this Gary is a more substantial thank you for all your effort in this matter." He passed the envelope down the table to me.

"Thank you, sir."

At that moment, Missy arrived with a trolley of food and coffee and juice. I guess we were going to have a party to celebrate the new clothes the ladies got to wear. At one point during the fete, Craig and Jerry slipped out. I saw them leave, but I was surprised that Patricia stayed. A little later, she cornered me and took my hands, slipping something between them.

"The women of the company are very thankful for your intervention, Gary. This is a little thank you that we know you will cherish." She gave me a peck on the cheek and made her way out. She had handed me a memory card from a digital camera. I slipped it in my pocket for later. A little after 9 AM, I chivied everyone back to work and returned to my office to start my day.

My office was remarkably clean. The piles and the stacks once scattered all over the floor, were now altogether on the lowest shelf of the bookcase, the books were back on the shelf and pretty much in place. The loose components were back in their boxes or, I was guessing, in the filing cabinet. The camera was on its charger and the couch actually looked inviting. Someone had folded my blanked and put it over the back and put the pillows against each side. There was another envelope on my desk. Actually there were no less than six.

I plugged my laptop in and started it up while I pulled the accumulated goodies out of my pockets. I put the certificate on the corner of my desk. I would have to get a picture hook for it, although it was not that heavy. Maybe a push pin would do.

I put the data chip over by the laptop and opened the envelope Craig had given me. Along with an official letter of commendation for my file, there was a cheque for $5,000, less taxes. No a bad bonus really. The cards on the desk were from some of the female staff thanking me for my efforts on their behalf. There was a big one on the bottom signed by just about everyone as far as I could tell. Luci came in while I was looking over the signatures and reading the comments. At some point, someone, I was guessing Nikki from her comment that read "Thank you for helping us get undressed," changed the whole tone of the comments and they became risque and even a little pornographic as the card had made its way through the ranks.

Luci had signed it as well, but her comment was completely above board. It read "Thank you Gary for all your hard work and effort. I cannot wait for your next deal." Anyone reading that could infer anything they wanted. I knew what she was referring to.

"Did you read these?" I asked as she settled in the guest chair.

"Yes. It started it after Jerry gave us the news yesterday. Nikki almost got changed in the meeting."

"I bet that raised some eyebrows."

"It was a token strip. She took off her shoes and rolled down her stockings and threw them in the middle of the table. Janice and I followed suit. There were more than a few eyes popping out. Poor Jason didn't know which way to look." She giggled at that.

"How is Jason doing? I guess I should go an look in on him," I had started to rise and Luci held up her hand.

"He is doing fine. Pete and I both looked in on him yesterday and things look good this morning. He will be in later, I am sure."

"OK," I said without any real conviction. "Why do I get the feeling there is a 'but' coming."

"Can I close the door?"

"Yes." I was not quite sure where this was leading. Luci got up and closed the door, making sure it was locked when she did so.

She turned around and looked at me then walked over to the couch and sat down.

"I would rather not yell this across the office," she said, indicating the couch.

With a sigh I got up and walked over to the couch and sat down opposite her.

"You were serious the other night when you said that if I broke the deal, we would never be alone together and you would not come within ten feet of me weren't you?"

Was I? "Yes, Luci, I was very serious."

"Did I fulfill my part of the deal?"

"Yes, Luci, you did. I can find no fault."

"Can I renegotiate a clause?"

Where was she going? "I guess so. Since you fulfilled your part of it, and I left my part rather open, I suppose you can, subject to discussion." I was getting a sinking feeling in my stomach.

She took a deep breath and seemed to steel her will. She looked me straight in the eye and there was a little tear there. Now I really did have a bad feeling.

"I want it all, Gary." She said it with such emotion that I wanted to reach out to her, but she put her hand up to stop me. She needed to finish, so I let her. "I want it all, but I know I cannot have it all, so I am willing to settle with what I can get. But please, don't ever threaten me like that again. I don't think I could bear to be separated from you by five inches, let alone five feet. Ten feet would kill me." Tears were streaming down her face and she let me take her into my arms. I held her while she cried and kissed the top of her head. My mind was spinning with the implications of what she had just said. I expected another sleepless night.

I sat and held her for several minutes while she cried herself out then went and got her some tissues.

"You should look at the pictures," she said between dabbing her eyes, indicating the chip Patricia had handed me.

When a woman, who has just had a crying fit tells you to do something so she can pull herself together, you do it. I walked over to the PC and moved the required programs into place and put the chip in the reader and opened it. There were 5 pictures on it.

The first picture was in the Board Room. It was a vote of the Board of Directors. All thirteen of them had their hands in the air. On the screen behind them was the resolution tasking HR to amend the dress code.

The second picture was of the signing ceremony.

The third picture was the IT meeting and Janice rolling her pantyhose down and a pile of nylon and shoes on the table.

The fourth picture was, what looked like the entire female staff (or as many as they could get) in the Board Room with a big sign that said "Thank you, Gary." It was very sweet.

The fifth picture blew my mind. It was a much smaller group than before. But instead of being dressed in their office clothes, most had taken off their tops so they were standing in their bras. But at the front of the group, in front of the sign, wearing noting but smiles were Luci, Nikki, Janice, Patricia and two ladies that I did not immediately recognize. The first row was stripped down to their bras and panties. It was a very interesting picture. I looked up at Luci who was smiling at me.

"It was Janice's idea actually. She and Patricia. Rachel and Bonnie didn't need any convincing and I think Nikki was nude before Patricia was." Patricia had nothing to be ashamed of. Her breasts had a little droop to them, but her body was firm and her pubic hair trimmed but not extensively. Bonnie and Rachel were both stunning. Both had small breasts, but they were very attractive ladies. It did not look like either one shaved. Janice is pretty. She does not have Nikki's exotic qualities or Luci's drop dead beautiful look, but she is attractive, something I had forgotten about. Her pussy was bare and her lips seem to poke out. The room must have been cold because Nikki's nipples were full and erect like erasers on a pencil. The thin line of hair ran from her navel to the cleft of her pussy. Luci was beautiful. Her nipples were erect and she was looking right at the camera, knowing that I would be looking back at her. She was sitting ladylike on the floor, legs tucked under her like the rest of the women, but she had her legs split just a little and you could see the folds of her bare pussy.

BARE?! I looked up at Luci, sitting on the couch, then back at the picture. I then pulled up one from the other night I remembered. Luci was sitting on the the Board Room table, legs hanging over the side, hands on the table, shoulder width apart, keeping her legs spread open. A broad patch of hair covering her mons, but her lips was smooth and glistened. Then I noticed something else. She was SITTING ON THE EDGE - what was holding the camera? I flipped back a few and found, sure enough, that you could not see the edge of the table, like the camera had been sitting on it. Now I had a picture of my beautiful, sexy, Luci, and SOMEONE ELSE had taken it. I looked up a Luci again and she smiled back at me.

"You must have been tired yesterday," she said with a grin getting up from her place and coming to stand next to my desk, putting one hand on my shoulder and looking at the folder laid out on my screen. She took the mouse and maneuvered it to another picture and opened it. Yes, I guess I was tired, I had not gotten this far. It was not a picture of Luci, but of Patricia, sitting in Craig's chair in the Board room wearing nothing but a smile, one leg thrown over the chair. One hand cupping her breast and the other working the stem of the gavel in and out of her open slash, her eyes closed and clearly enjoying herself. I looked up at Luci.

"I didn't think anyone was around when I started. Patricia caught me and I told her what I was doing and why. She offered to help anytime. She also asked for a copy of that one. I think she wants to give it to Craig. Something about a fantasy of his."

"If she wants a copy, she can have one. Hard or soft?" I asked.

Luci reached down between my legs and squeezed my member. "Hmm, soft, but I think I can make it hard with a little work." She turned my face to hers and kissed me, her tongue pushing past my lips to find my tongue and wrestle with it while I let my hands stroke her sides and back. I had not noticed it before, but she was wearing a bustier under her polo shirt and as I let my hands slide across her ass, I felt it move and slide under the fabric of her pants. A moan escaped us as I ran my fingers up the cleft in her ass as she squeezed my erection which had become hard in her hands. We broke our kiss, a little winded and she turned and sat in my lap, resting her head on my shoulder and running her fingers into the spaces between the buttons on my shirt. The buttons on her polo had all come undone, and the view of her breasts was magnificent. She had managed to get a button undone and had a hand in my shirt, playing with one nipple, rolling it between her fingers.

"Not fair, little girl. You have an advantage over me." I kissed the tip of her nose as she undid another button.

"Who said anything about fair?" she asked as she pushed my shirt aside flicked her tongue across my nipple, sending little electric shocks through my body. She sucked my nipple for a minute or two, wiggling her hips against my cock, straining in my pants.

"I told you," she said, buttoning up my shirt, "I am willing to settle for what I can get." And she kissed me again and stood up. "But, we have work to do young man," she said in a stern voice, "and I cannot get this monster to cooperate," she said, pointing to the workbench. "So go clean yourself up and then you can show me what I need to do to get this system to behave itself."

What else could I do? "Yes ma'am, right away ma'am. Permission to use the facilities ma'am?"

"Permission granted. Don't linger. Every drop of that is mine." Such fierceness in her tone, who was I to argue. I hustled myself to the men's room to get myself in order.

I managed to make it to the kitchen without being molested, kissed or high-fived by anyone and picked up some water for Luci and myself and was on the way out when Missy came through the door.

"Hi Gary. You seem to be the man of the hour," she always seemed to be happy.

"It does seem that way. You would think that letting women wear pants was not a big deal, but I guess it is."

"Some men just don't get it," she said as she stepped up and kissed me on the cheek. "And some understand better than others. Those we want to keep." She pulled something out of the refrigerator and I headed back to my office. This was turning into a strange day.

Jason caught up to me on the way back to my office and I joined him at his desk, Alex was there as well and we covered some outstanding issues. Jason had managed to get a pretty good grip on the situation and complemented me on my skills, even though I was not technically a DBA. He even offered to show me some tricks, which I would have liked to have learned but decided that Alex needed them more than I did. Alex was ready to learn and Jason seemed a good teacher. If I could get the two of them working well together it would resolve a couple of issues that Jerry and I had been wrestling with. A missing persons report had been filed on Paul on his behalf but otherwise, we did not know if we would ever see him again. Some were of the opinion we were better off without him. I passed Nikki in the hall and she flashed me. Well, she would have if she was not wearing a bustier, too. Was this some new fashion trend I had missed? Hers was emerald green, a colour she favored, with black highlights and green garters that slipped down into the waist of her pants. I got the feeling that she would have worn stockings just to get a reaction out of me. As I passed Janice's office, she called me in.

"I hope I didn't offend you this morning, Gary," she said in a low voice from behind her desk.

"No, Janice, you did not," I assured her. "In fact, I approve!" I smiled at her and she smiled back, then she got a grin on her face and pushed her chair back a little and pulled the hem of her shirt out of her pants. She too was wearing a bustier, pale pink in colour with white and red highlights. Her shirt was red, like Luci's.

"The three of you will give me a heart attack. You know this, right?" I asked shaking my head. "Very sexy by the way Janice. The colour suits you."

"Six of us. And thank you." She stood up and came around her desk and kissed me again. "You did a good thing bringing this up for discussion. Now get back to work before Luci comes looking for you with handcuffs."