Chapter 12

Ralph Granger could sit back in his chair at work and be pleased with how things were going for him. He had reviewed the investments he had in the stock market and didn’t have any concerns or planned any changes. He did notice that there was more unvested money in the account because of the dividends and interest payments that he needed to invest. The market goes up and the market comes down, but the long-term trend for the market is up. He was satisfied with his overall investment performance since he was beating the S and P 500 year-to-date results by eleven percentage points.

There were some investment purchases Ralph would like to have made, but Kevin Reeves had asked him not to invest in bitcoin and crypto types of investments along with cigarette manufacturers. Kevin told Ralph he was uncomfortable with owning those types of stocks because he either didn’t understand them or he didn’t want to be associated with them. Since Kevin was the boss, Ralph did what he was asked to do.

The portfolio of business properties owned continues to grow. Paul had just purchased a large medical building in the Carolinas which was leased back to the physician’s group for ten years with an option for another ten. That group would handle the maintenance and the property taxes. Jason was concentrating his efforts in the mid-west and was presently negotiating the purchase of an apartment complex on the outskirts of Dallas.

Ralph couldn’t complain about his social life regarding women as now he was involved with Emma. Ralph was dating Emma fairly regularly and was developing a solid relationship with her. They had engaged in some serious petting but had not yet proceeded to the ultimate act of lovemaking. It would have been nice for that to have happened, but just being in Emma’s company was sufficient for him.

In the course of conversations Ralph had with Emma, he mentioned the unusual company benefit he had of being able to reserve time to vacation at a four-bedroom home with a private pool in Orlando, Florida. He said that besides the main attractions everyone knows that are at Orlando, there are many other attractions and sites there that make it an excellent place to vacation. He said he was planning to take two weeks of vacation and go there. With a little nervousness on his part, he asked Emma if she would want to go there with him.

Ralph could see Emma giving it a quick thought to what he suggested before she said, “Sure, why not, but I can only be gone for one week.”

There was a little discussion with Ralph saying he would change his reservation to one week and he confirmed with her when they would go there. He wasn’t sure what the sleeping arrangements would be but he did have hopes that he wouldn’t be sleeping alone. While this house had four bedrooms, he hoped they would only be using one. It would, however, be up to Emma to make that decision. Either way, just being with her and seeing the sites should make for an enjoyable week.

After flying to Orlando, they were driven to the house by an Uber driver. Their first impression in seeing this house was this was one great company benefit. Doing a walk-through and seeing how the house was decorated and the private pool further impressed them. Emma remarked on this being an outstanding company benefit. She said she could see why the employees and their families would want to vacation here.

In the liquor cabinet, they found the fixings and Ralph made some drinks. He said they should make a list of what items they used while they were here and replace them before they left. That would enable anyone who followed them here to find the same items they found.

The drinks gave both of them a little bit of a rosy glow. Emma suggested that for dinner, they go to the Texas Roadhouse restaurant that they saw coming here on the drive from the airport. They found the keys to the SUV that were hanging on a hook inside a kitchen cabinet door.

At the restaurant, they had a good meal and discussed the sites they wanted to see. They selected one of the major theme parks, the Kennedy Space Center, and two of the smaller attractions. Emma said they could see the other attractions when they were back here at a different time. Her remark gave Ralph the impression that Emma was thinking of having a long-term relationship with him. That was fine with him, as he was thinking the same way about her.

When they were back at the house they watched the television for a little while before they decided to call it a night.

Ralph had placed Emma’s suitcase in one of the other bedrooms and his suitcase in the master bedroom. He had changed into his pajamas and was pulling back the covers when Emma walked in and closed the bedroom door behind her.

“It’s nice of you not to be assuming anything because of where you put my suitcase, but you should know that I don’t plan on sleeping there.” With a little bit of a giggle, she continued saying, “Or doing anything else there,” and walked up to him. She put her arms around him and kissed him.

Ralph had the quick thought that this was going to be one great week as his arms went around her and returned the kiss. His hands were going up and down the silky nightie she was wearing. With the kiss ending nothing was said as the both of them moved to recline on the bed.

Once they were on the bed the lovemaking became serious. They removed what they were wearing and went back to hugging and kissing. Their hands roamed each other’s bodies concentrating on the more sensitive places. Ralph’s hands found that her breasts were a handful and that the nipples were stiff. It seemed that Emma was pleased by the size of his now erect shaft which she was stroking.