Chapter 32: Back to Work

April 3, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

After lunch, I'd fulfilled CeCi's request, and we lay cuddled together in the afterglow of great sex.

"I'm curious," CeCi said, "and this isn't an accusation, but is sleeping with you part of the arrangement to live here?"

"Jack would take serious offense at that idea because of Kristy, but even more so because of HIM!"

"OK, you don't swing AC/DC!" CeCi said with a laugh. "Good to know! But that's not what I meant! I didn't mean that you required girls to sleep with you! I want to know if I would have bed privileges with you?"

"Until such time as I decide what to do in the future, my bed is available to any girl who asks to whom I'm attracted and who isn't in a committed relationship."

Well, not Jeri, but that wasn't something I felt I needed to bring up.

"Is Bianca in charge of that?"

"Not in the sense that she has any say, but she did work out a basic schedule with Deanna and Keiko. Tuesdays are free."

"Mind answering a question?"

"As I said earlier, it's OK to ask anything, and I'll either answer or tell you why I can't answer."

"How many girls are regular or occasional bed partners?"

"I'd say twelve to fifteen, but it varies, as some of them are away at college."

"You're seriously considering the kind of relationship that was discussed before?"

"I'm not sure how I'd classify it other than to say I haven't foreclosed any possible future. I might end up in a traditional relationship, I might end up with what Bianca wants, or I could simply have what one friend calls a harem."

CeCi laughed again, "You mean like now?"

"It's one thing to be college-age and fool around as much as possible with as many girls as possible. It's another thing altogether to do that for life. And at some point, most people are going to pair off. Obviously, what Bianca is proposing is some kind of middle ground where I marry someone, and she and I have a kid together and still have sex. Of course, finding a girl who would accept that situation would be key."

"You could also split the difference," CeCi said. "Have a kid with Bianca before you marry, achieving most of what she wanted. She prefers girls, right?"

"I'm not quite sure how to describe it except to say she wants to have a kid with me and have sex with girls. Beyond that, you'd have to ask her. And on that topic, are you sure you want to experiment that way?"

"Who are you trying to protect? Dee? Me? You?"

"All of us," I replied. "I make zero moral judgments, but I also know it's not for everyone. I teased before about Jack, but that's a deep-seated thing with me. I have zero desire to experiment, and it's not open for discussion. I know girls who feel the same way about being with other girls. I also know that girls will do things they might not otherwise do because they think I want them to."

"Hang on! You said you would do things girls ask you to do that you don't want to do."

"That's absolutely the case," I replied. "And I know my mind on the matter, and I've given it due consideration in what is my usual cold, calculating manner. Not everyone is able to analyze things dispassionately the way I do, and I don't want someone to do something in the heat of the moment that they would later regret."

"But isn't it possible someone would regret doing something even after they gave it careful consideration?"

"Yes, of course, but think about the difference from my perspective."

CeCi was quiet for a moment, "If it was in the heat of the moment, as you say, you'd feel responsible. If they had plenty of time to consider it, you wouldn't."

"Exactly right!"

"Then it's my turn to ask if you're really OK with what Deanna proposed."

"If I wasn't, I'd have said 'no'," I replied. "That was, by the way, my problem the first time a girl kissed me without swallowing — she hadn't asked or even suggested she intended to do that. In addition to upsetting me emotionally, it upset my stomach, though I managed not to throw up. The same is true of the one girl I've had in the butt — she didn't ask and surprised me by straddling me and putting it there instead of where I expected."

"Same girl or different girl?"

"Different girl."

"If either of them had asked or suggested it, what would you have said?"

"Initially? I'd have said 'no'. Whether or not I'd have reconsidered is an open question I can't answer for sure because it is, in effect, a hypothesis contrary to fact. If I was forced to speculate, I think, eventually, both likely would have happened. I'm not sure about the kissing without the girl swallowing, but doing it in the butt would certainly have been discussed after seeing it in the porn movies. I've only ever done that with one girl, and Deanna and I discussed it at length. You know the resolution."

"That she offered reciprocity if you let her do you. But as I see it, the only thing you get out of it is fulfilling Deanna's fantasy. I mean, you don't really want to put it in her butt or mine, right?"

"Right. But given I've done it before, and it's a special request, AND with you here giving it a totally different character, I'm willing."

"You mean watching me and Dee do it?"

"Yes. I know that's something Deanna has wondered about — what it's like from a guy's perspective. And I'll be very curious to see how that works."

"Have you done anything else that might be considered extreme?"

"Earned my red wings," I replied.

"I have no clue what that means. I know all the so-called dirty words for sex; I just don't use them, well, not before today. I also know a bunch of euphemisms, obviously, but that one I don't know."

"Cunnilingus during the girls period, which results in menstrual blood on her thighs and the guy's cheeks, hence 'red wings'."

"That didn't gross you out? I mean, kissing without swallowing seems tame by comparison!"

"Think about it from a straight guy's perspective!"

"Got it! It's too much like you giving a blowjob."

"Yes, though given it's mine, it's different, but not, if you get my meaning."

"I do. And the red wings? I take it a girl requested that?"

"Yes. And then we had sex, and she sucked me afterwards. She really got off on it."

"I think that's one that I'm going to pass on!" CeCi declared.

"Which is exactly the point I've been making. I've had enough time to recover. What next?"

"Anything I want?"

"That was what I said."

"Slow, like the first time, but finish the way you and Deanna do, then French kiss me!"

I chuckled, "Your wish is my command."

We had a nice, slow, tender screw, and when I was close, I pulled out, moved up so CeCi could take me in her mouth, and after I came, I pulled out, leaned down, and gave her a deep French kiss, sharing my cum.

"Happy?" I asked with a smirk.

"Very!" CeCi declared. "Thank you."

We stayed in bed for the afternoon, then showered and joined Deanna for pizza she'd ordered. After we ate, CeCi and I went back to my bed, fooled around, and cuddled until it was time to go to sleep. We spooned together, with my arm around her, and fell asleep.

April 4, 1983, Chicago, Illinois

On Monday morning, CeCi and I were up early so I could get to work. We showered together, ate breakfast with Jack, and then Jack and I headed to the office.

"You have class today, right?" Jack asked as I backed out of the driveway into the alley.

"Yes. You'll need to take the L home on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. On Fridays, obviously, we'll be out together. Tuesdays will depend, but this week, I have a date with CeCi."

"OK. I'll just plan on the L four nights a week. Riding in with you gets me to my desk a bit early, but there's always plenty of work to do."

"That's for sure!"

"I heard from Phil you're getting a new IBM PC to replace your Apple II."

"Yes, because of the Nexis software we're testing. It'll replace the Apple and my IBM mainframe terminal and work as a Nexis terminal. Basically, one unit instead of three. It'll arrive tomorrow, and Phil and his team will transfer all my data and spreadsheets to the IBM PC."

"What happens to the Apple II?"

"It's going to Eric Thiele's new analyst whenever he's hired."

"I'm struggling a bit with the spreadsheets."

"Ask Bianca or Juliette for help," I replied. "They're both computer science majors, and Bianca helped me tremendously."

"I'll do that!"

I turned onto Lake Shore Drive and popped in a tape Allyson had given me on Friday.

"It's not Friday," Jack observed. "But great song!"

"And the only one I know by Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah," I said. "The tape is of the album Lake Shore Drive, but I've never heard the other seven songs. I'll leave it in."

As we listened, I thought about the previous twenty-four hours and realized I had developed some kind of connection to CeCi in the short time we'd been together. I found that strange, but, at least for the time being, she was going to be in Ohio. Well, after our planned Tuesday night romp with Deanna.

I hadn't had a chance to discuss with Bianca about CeCi moving in, but I couldn't imagine Bianca would object. Not having the spare room wasn't really a big deal, as once Shelly and Bianca had ended their relationship, I'd allocated it to Shelly. The only real concern would be Keiko's reaction, but she'd given every indication that she was, in effect, waiting me out, believing that eventually, I'd decide on a monogamous long-term relationship and that my strong preference for Oriental girls would cause me to choose her.

What I'd discussed with CeCi was absolutely the case for the short term — basically no-strings-attached sex with many girls, though eventually all of them would, in all likelihood, pair off much as Shelly and Kristy had done with Perry and Jack. That said, I tended to agree with CeCi's assessment about Deanna not marrying. That, combined with what Bianca wanted, led to all manner of possible futures.

But all of that was for later. As I pulled into the parking garage, I shifted my focus to work, as I had been away for a week. We had new team members starting today — two portfolio managers, an assistant trader, and a second overnight trader, who would actually work from 5:00pm until 2:00am, an hour after Rich began his day. That would give us true twenty-four-hour coverage for global markets. The FX desk would have a total of fifteen staff, including analysts and secretaries, just in time for the capital raise.

The only downside of new people coming on board was the dilution of the bonus pool, but unless Spurgeon and Matheson failed in their plans, in the end, it would pay off with more business, which would offset the new staff. In addition, the new structure added another possible promotion level — portfolio manager, which was between assistant and full trader. Assistants never spoke to clients, while portfolio managers would. The FX Desk was the only team with portfolio managers and was now more than double the size of the next largest team.

At the Hancock Center, Jack headed for the freight elevator, and even though I could ride with him, that would be frowned upon by Mr. Spurgeon. While the chances of being seen were small, I took the passenger elevator to be completely safe.

"Morning!" Rich called out when I walked into the office. "How's the new house?"

"Everything's good, and we're all moved in. How were things last week?"

"Fairly quiet. Murray was out with Mr. Spurgeon on the cap raise. Forty-three million in commitments so far out of sixty targeted. We onboarded those two new clients for Monroe and one for Foulks, totaling close to forty million. We're almost at the goal of $800,000,000 in outside assets under management."

"Great stuff! I'm going to put on a pot of coffee and get started on my report. I have a week's news to digest!"

I started the coffee and went to my desk, noting that all the new equipment was on the new desks and in the new offices. Tony and Joel arrived a few minutes later. They greeted me, but I was already up to my eyeballs, so I didn't have time for the usual chit-chat, though I promised we'd catch up after we had turned in our reports. I finished mine with just seconds to spare, leaving it on Mr. Matheson's desk just as he walked into his office.

"Cutting it close, Kane!" he declared.

"And even with a week of data to review, I did get it in on time."

"You all set in your new house?"

"I am."

"No more time off until you take your Sensitive Leave and use the house in Saint Martin, right?"

"That's right. Congratulations on the capital raise."

"Thanks. It's going gangbusters, and we'll beat the target. Noel thinks we can have $4 billion under management at the firm within the next two years and five billion in less than five, not counting gains in that period."

"I'll do my part, but I have a lot to learn."

"You have good instincts, you're a good analyst, and you've made some good, gutsy calls. Keep it up, and you'll continue to move up quickly."

Unsaid, of course, was screw up and be out on my butt.

"That is my intent," I replied. "Anything you need?"

"An update of your currency and precious metals analysis. It's a week out of date!"

"I'll update that this morning."

"Also, see Thiele. He's hiring a new analyst and wants you to interview candidates."

"I'll see him after lunch if that's OK."

"It is."

"Then I'll get to it."

The morning was very busy, as I had a week's worth of data to enter into my spreadsheets and information to digest, but I handed Mr. Matheson the revised report just before lunch. We had a catered lunch so that everyone could meet the new team members — Mark Sampson, an overnight trader; Larry Howell, an assistant broker; and Walter Dawson and Charlie Duncan, the new portfolio managers.

The downside was that I had to skip going to the gym, but missing one day wasn't a serious problem, and I'd been plenty active the previous week with all the work we'd done on the two houses as well as moving. When we finished lunch, I headed upstairs to speak with Eric Thiele. The conversation was quick, and he let me know his secretary, Debbie, would coördinate times with me the following week.

When I left his office, I had to walk past Mr. Enderlee's office, where Sharon got up and stepped in front of me.

"You've changed your mind about girls who work here," she said. "Haley, and now Anna. Debbie, Lydia, and I all want our turns!"

I should have expected the request, but I hadn't and hadn't figured out a response in advance. I had to be very careful what I said, as I didn't want to cause trouble, but I also had no interest in becoming involved with any other girls at Spurgeon. I'd made the exception for Haley and Anna, though, with Haley, she was planning to leave, so that was different. Anna, as far as I was aware, had no intention of leaving, which meant I had to deal with it.

"I'm extremely busy for the next two months because I have class three nights a week and other commitments," I said.

"There's always lunch!" Sharon said. "Remember, Enderlee has a condo in the building."

"I go to the gym three days a week," I said.

"So the other two are free! And I'm sure Friday or Saturday nights are free!"

"I don't want to upset Anna," I said, hoping that would work.

"Oh, please! Everyone knows how things work here! And now you're with the program, too!"

I wasn't, but unfortunately, my actions had sent the wrong message, and I knew the girls wouldn't give up easily.

"Not really," I replied.

"Actions speak louder than words!"

"And both can be misinterpreted," I replied. "I have work to do, so if you'll excuse me."

I didn't wait for her to respond but walked directly to the elevator, not making eye contact with either Debbie or Lydia. I'd worried about this turn of events, and now it had come to pass. The question was, what, if anything, should I do about it? My first take was to simply do nothing and rebuff any future attempts. I also had to consider how it might affect Anna because I was certain nothing the secretaries could do would have any real impact on my situation.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to speak with Anna as we were both very busy all afternoon, and she stayed late at Monroe's request to help him with a new client, so I couldn't speak with her on the way out. I made my way to my car, then drove to University Village to have dinner with Violet and go to class.

Nothing out of the ordinary had happened, and I'd seen Violet several times during the previous week, so there was no need to catch up with her. After class and our usual pie and coffee, I headed home, where I now had seven housemates rather than two, though Shelly would be moving out soon and might be replaced by CeCi. Once I'd changed out of my suit into comfortable clothes, I asked Bianca to join me in the front room, as everyone else was watching TV in the great room.

"What's up?" Bianca asked.

"CeCi asked if we'd be OK if she rented the bedroom that will be empty once Shelly moves in with Perry."

Bianca smirked, "And all you had to do was wave your magic wand!"

I chuckled, "She did ask if sleeping together was part of the arrangement."