The Unexpected
Copyright© 2025 by Technocracy
Chapter 9
Fiction Sex Story: Chapter 9 - "If you do not expect the unexpected, you will not find it; for it is hard to be sought out, and difficult." -- Heraclitus of Ephesus
Caution: This Fiction Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Consensual Heterosexual Fiction
Needham, Ma -- 05 March 2001
Benny’s two laptop computers sat next to the store’s main cash register. One laptop screen was filled with a line graph, displaying a steady progression of four lines, each a different color. The other computer displayed tables of ever-changing discrete numeric values. Benny watched the screens as two elderly customers browsed the canned goods, while a third patron engaged Andrea at the meat counter.
“Benny, I need that pork rump.”
Benny nodded to Andrea is he went to the rear of the store, into the back of the storage room. Entering the walk-in refrigerator, he noted that Lizzy was perched on a shelf next to the reefer.
“Lizzy? Why are you studying while sitting on that shelf? You have a nice desk.”
“Wanted to be down here.”
“You ready to take the last battery of tests?”
“All except Spanish; mom is working with me on that.”
“What else remains?”
“English Lit and American History.”
“What did the admissions counselor say?”
“There is a max limit of twenty four hours of courses that can be tested-out for credit. But I’m taking all of the departmental exams, so I can start with mostly upper division stuff.”
“Sounds like a good plan. Have to get this meat to your mother...”
“Benny, I know about the kitten. You gonna tell mom?”
“I will tell her. It is of no matter, as I intend to ask Harry and Doris to take the animal.”
Passing by the case of tuna on the storage shelf, Benny extracted and pocketed a single can. As Benny re-entered the store, he was ‘accosted’ by Mrs McDearmond.
“I talked to Father Byrne about those Satan-worship games being played in the open. And about how you brought a child into those evil doings.”
Benny had yet to determine what he should do about the wacky Irish woman, or why she considered Dungeons and Dragons to be demonic. He adored her heavily-accented, rapid-fire speech, but her Catholic superstitions had become grating to Benny’s sensibilities.
“Good morning, Mrs McDearmond. It would seem that you are in top form today. Are you ready to check out?”
“That would be true.”
Mrs McDearmond crossed herself, kissed her crucifix, then went to the cash register to wait for Benny. Benny smirked at Andrea as he plopped the large chunk of pork onto the meat counter. Andrea shrugged in response, knowing that Benny had tacitly made his point about the misguided beliefs of religionists.
As Mrs McDearmond turned to exit, Benny wished the woman a nice day. Next up was Mr Doyle.
“Good Morning, sir. How are you today?”
“Doing fine. That woman is some gobshite. Pure is as in eejit. Aye?”
Benny was not familiar with Irish, or Scot, or whatever the origin of the terminology. Nonetheless, he acknowledged the tall grey-bearded man with a nod and brief comment.
“I would not know, sir. I am just a store clerk.”
“Keep that fool cailin away from your lovely mot, I say.”
“Uh, yes sir.”
Benny had no idea what the man had said, but he took it as sympathetic advice for dealing with religious fanatics.
“Have a good day, sir.”
Mister Doyle pulled out a small flask, demonstrating the container of Irish whiskey, then flashing a big smile at Benny.
“That I will, young man.”
Benny returned his attentions to the two laptop computer displays, as Andrea finalized the sale of several slabs of meat to Mister Lopez, most likely for his food truck.
Andrea walked across her store, her eyes sweeping over and adoring Benny as he stared at his computers with an expression of consternation and confusion. Standing behind her lover and putting her head to the side of his left arm, Andrea glanced at the two computer displays, not understanding the various squiggles and numbers.
Quickly tiring of the view, Andrea closed her eyes and buried her face between his shoulder blades. Deeply inhaling his scent, she felt a slow surge of yearning. It was not an empty yearning, but a good feeling that made her feel full and complete. Andrea pressed the front of her body into Benny’s back, then encircled her arms around his waist.
“What are we looking at, my love?”
“To be honest, I am not certain. These three-month bond rates, and the respective projections, make no sense. I will have to consult Harry.”
“The phone is right there.”
“It is. And so are you.”
Benny turned around to face Andrea. As he filled his hands with the silken strands of her thick black hair, Andrea looked up into Benny’s blue eyes. Benny moved into her and started to close his eyes. Andrea ran her tongue over her lips, preparing for the kiss that she knew was coming.
Benny had come to marvel at the plain and straightforward act of kissing Andrea. The metrics of each kiss could have many, sometimes disparate, meanings. The meaning of this particular kiss was simple affection, with a secondary undertone of sexual desire.
“You know, I’m thinking that doing that in a place that sells food is violating health regulations.”
Benny and Andrea ignored the girl’s comment, completing their kiss. They entered into a second kiss, with a different meaning. This kiss was one of defiance. It announced their indifference to the surrounding world, that the world’s concerns had little significance; at least until Andrea felt the hard lump of a tin can pushing into her abdomen.
“Benny, why do you have a can in your pocket?”
“It is tuna, for a cat.”
“The kitten that has been behind the store for the last two days?”
“Yes. I had intended to ask Doris and Harry about it.”
“They already have a cat.”
“Precisely. Harry grew up on a ranch, and Doris has always had pets. The rational assumption is that they would be the most likely to take a small animal into their care.”
“Mom, what about Benny? Maybe a kitty would be a good thing for him.”
Benny was quick to end that suggestion.
“I think not, Lizzy. I have never had a pet, and have no experience caring for animals. Not to mention that my lease has a no-pets clause.”
“Mom? How about it?”
“Benny, do you want to keep this kitten? This is not a short-term task or another one of your problems to be solved; it’s a long-term obligation and expense. Not that the expense would matter to you.”
“What is the purpose of a pet?”
Lizzy swung her arms around, as if trying to dissipate the stupidity of a self-evident question.
“Are you serious? Harry is right. You’re the most stupid smart person in existence. Dogs and cats can be good friends. They can be fun, and can be nice to hang around when there is no one else.”
“I have several good friends to hang around with. I have yourself and your mother to hang around. So, non sequitur...”
Benny paused when he realized that a possible solution was to his immediate left.”
“Andy, what about yourself?”
“I can only take cats in small doses. If I’m next to one for too long, I get asthma.”
“If Andy is allergic to cats, then we certainly cannot risk having a cat in either of our apartments ... What about Mrs O’Leary?”
“Hearest thine name?”
“Ah, Mrs O’Leary, good day. If you would wait a few moments ... Isabelle, please get the animal.”
Lizzy rolled her eyes at Benny’s formal use of her given name, as she went to retrieve the kitten.
Needham, Ma - 17 April 2001
“ ... and it all reflects in the fed’s ‘effective’ rates. Probably well under three by the end of the year.”
“Should we chase it, Harry?”
“Dunno, Benny. Let’s wait for the corporate bond reports, maybe the third quarter of 2002.”
“Why the third quarter?”
“The most accurate numbers for 2000 and 2001, to date, will be derived from the second quarter earnings reports. Which will drive the corporate-debt bond volumes and rates for the third quarter. It may be the only way that we can verify the bottom.”
“So we place our butts on a park bench and feed the birds for six months?”
“Not what I said, Benny. We consolidate. Tweak your process variables for the inside loop-control.”
“And the set-points? You have yet to provide an understanding for the subject. Is there an economic basis for adjusting only the inner control loop?”
“Mostly because I do not understand your circuit that provides the the error term, the output that feed-backs into the three outer loops.”
“Ah yes, grasshopper, one must...”
“Shut up, Benny. Just ‘splain it, Lucy.”
“Getting senile, Harry? You actually wrote about this in your doctoral dissertation. Because two of the three outer control loops are physical, and the other is hybrid, we have a propagation delay due to digital conversions times.”
“But you said that don’t matter, at least relative to the inner loops, them being all digital and super-fast when compared to the circuit time constant.”
“True, but I changed that several months ago when you declared the second NASDAQ peak to be the last major rebound. The integral term of the outer control loop seeds the inner loop’s derivative term every twenty control cycles.”
“The fifth derivative?”
“Exactly, grasshopper. So tell me about rates and what we should do about it.”
“Nada, Benny. Absolutely nothing. Let the feds play their rate games. The rate bottom, whether for three-month or five-year constant maturities, are gonna be in for a long and hard dive into the dirt. It ain’t gonna be pretty, my friend.”
“So walk away from the bond auctions at five per cent? That is my set-point?”
“Yep. Mark my words, Benny. Five percent is gonna seem to be an outrageous luxury for any return in less than a year ... Investigate that noise.”
Benny went into the kitchen to answer the ringing phone. Harrison Spoons was left to contemplate his place in life, still not able to believe that they were on a trajectory to much greater wealth. When he started his economics PhD, and before he met Benny, his one great goal, nee ambition, was to get his PhD then seek tenure at Texas A&M or UTSA. Benny had been instrumental, albeit unintentionally, in helping him find a cure for his academic bent.
As Harry logged out of the monitor system, Benny returned with a quizzical smile.
“Our lawyer received a call from Goldman Sachs.”
“Yeah? What do those bandits want?”
“Robert says that Goldman Sachs, most likely, does not know what they want to do, but that they do want us.”
“They can’t have me. My body belongs to Doris ... wait, they want to freaking buy us out?”
“As Robert said, they do not know what they want to do with us. The want to enter talks. Maybe to buy us out, maybe to hire us.”
“Don’t make sense, Benny. They’re makers. We don’t need that.”
“What are ‘makers’?”
“They provide liquidity for individual trades or for a class of equities or debt, typically in an effort to stabilize for some limited period of trading. But they’re not allowed to do the stuff we do ... Another thing, they’ll want to follow our puts with naked shorts. But as we’re not public, I don’t know.”
“So they cannot legally do what we do, and we are not public. This would make no sense. The question remains, Why?”
“Could be several things. Our IP? Access to our brains? ... But there is one thing they could be doing ... by quietly moving our numbers to the attention of the big guys, they could be doing a stealth price discovery.”
“Which is?”
“Establish our market value.”
“Once again, why?”
“Dunno ... ya know what, Benny? I’m guessing that we got the hound dogs scared outa their pants because they can’t keep up with the coons. And because they can’t keep up with us, they’re gonna get the SEC and FTC to look at us more closely, maybe forcing our numbers public.”
“Still does not make sense. Why would they be concerned about us? I doubt if we have ever exceeded one half of one per cent of their daily volume. We do nothing that affects values or volumes.”
Harry shrugged to Benny’s relevant question, then waving his arms along with his non-response
“Damn ... Why? I dunno. We’re going in circles. What ya gonna do?”
“I will not do anything. You and Robert will go talk to them. We need to know why a major institutional would be after us.”
“Don’t wanna go to New York. That place freaks me out. And traveling there is too damn expensive to justify.”
“Then have Robert invite them to Andy’s store, where we shall demonstrate that we are the village idiots, and see what they have to offer.”
Benny operated the broom with precision, sweeping the floor in front of the meat counter, while watching Robert Northrup and Harry Spoons introduce themselves. Lizzy was behind the check-out counter, servicing two customers.
The four men assumed their chairs at the table to the side and in front of the meat counter. Benny went out back, bringing several boxes of canned goods, then proceeded to re-stock the retail shelves as the two Goldman-Sachs guys gave their spill.
“ ... and because of that, we believe that we can offer broader investment opportunities, widen access to bond markets, and make overseas markets available to your registered funds.”
Benny almost dropped the four cans he was stacking, suppressing a laugh, wondering if these Goldman Sachs people knew that most of their capitol was in unregistered funds. Harry, to Benny’s delight, decided to play along.
“So you guys are legal to be a market-maker on the Frankfurt exchange?”
“We are. Do you have a particular interest in the EU?”
“Nope, at least not now. Just sorta wondering what happened with your Siemens deal.”
The two well-dressed men shifted with unease in the hard wooden chairs, being called out on a notorious case of malfeasance.
“We are not authorized to discuss that.”
Harry smiled politely, deciding to prolong their agony a bit more, before getting down to business.
“I see ... So your floated fund didn’t meet it? Or did y’all just not do the arithmetic for the down-side? Just sorta curious, ya know. It does make me think that you boys may have a bit of a math problem ... Anyway, tell me what y’all really want. Ya wanna buy our IP, hire us, or what?
“Doctor Spoons, where is the other principle?”
“I’m the CEO. I’m the guy that signs on the dotted line. What more ya want? Oh, and call me Harry.”
“Very well. Suffice to say, our researchers have read yours and Doctor Harrison’s dissertations, and other published papers.”
“How did ya get our thesis?”
“Various MIT libraries.”
“Yeah, didn’t know that just anyone could access ... never mind. Uh, just for the record, Benny never received his doctorate. There was an administrative mix-up in the registrar’s documentation that he never bothered to fix.”
“Interesting. So where is Mister Harrison? I was hoping to meet both principals.”
“Benny is most likely minding the store.”
Benny had to turn away to avoid revealing his broad smile. Lizzy was less circumspect, snorting a short laugh from behind the checkout counter at Harry’s statement, which was generally ignored.
“So he is at your computer trading center? Where would that be?”
Northrup genuinely liked Harry and Benny, but he did not care to take part in their games. Northrup knew they were probing, so took the reins away from Harry.
“Gentlemen, our computer center is close by. Is there interest in licensing our IP, or does your company’s interest lie in our people and good will?”
“Both, sir. But, for the immediate future, we would like to arrange for, shall we say, a tutorial. We consider the understanding of your trading process, at this time, to be precursor and essential to IP acquisition or trade-mark rights ... James?”
The younger man, for the first time, spoke with a quiet and timid voice.
“Doctor Spoons, the five different systems models, as defined in your papers and dissertations, are opaque to us, and the hundreds of pages of complex mathematics were not explanatory.”
Harry replied with a carefully and purposely modulated Texas drawl.
“Yeah? I thought we explained the crap outa that stuff. So tell me what needs explaining.”
“There are three items of interest to our market research group. One is the electronics that inject control-loop coefficients into the models. Two, is the controller system. The algorithm seems to depend on asymptotic behavior, that is, well, it, at least to our analysis, appears to be essentially recursion; thus we can’t determine the exit, or even how it could be bounded in polynomial time. And the third item is the system-level synchronization method. The sync subsystem was referenced in your dissertation as a footnote to a patent, which cannot be seen.”
Benny, again, smiled broadly as he placed the last two cans on the shelf, then taking the empty cardboard boxes to the dumpster behind the store. Leaving Robert and Harry to their games, Benny went upstairs to visit Andrea.
“You still reconciling your books by hand? I told Lizzy to set you up with a spreadsheet.”
“You’re not at that meeting with the big corporate people?”
“No reason for to be at such a meeting, as I do not know much about business stuff, and Harry is there to handle the technical stuff. So why are you doing this manually?”
“Because I am. Okay?”
“Okay. Whatever you prefer.”
Benny spread his hands over her shoulders, gently pressing and kneading as he progressed down her back. Andrea closed her eyes, feeling the relief to her back and shoulder muscles.
Progressing upwards, Benny worked on Andrea’s neck and the top of her shoulders. Andrea was melting into a pool of bliss, estimating that in another four minutes, she would be asleep. She knew of another form of massage stimulus, in which Benny was quite adept, and not likely to result in slumber. Andrea pulled his hands down from her shoulders, to cover her breasts.
Benny observed Andrea’s bodily responses as he gently pulled her sweat shirt upwards. Noting the extended nipples, Benny cupped her breasts, then lightly rubbed small circles over the surface of the dark nipples with his thumbs. Benny, having kept a running mental log of Andrea’s pulse and breathing rates, decided the time was measured and appropriate. Benny pulled Andrea up and into an embrace. Andrea breathed deeply of Benny’s scent, then losing the sexual intoxicant when he pulled away to lead her into the bedroom.
... in short, they want the ‘secret sauce’.”
“You know that there is no such thing, Robert. Did anyone bother to make it clear that we are not wielding a singular tool? It is a system of systems.”
“Yeah, about that, Benny. Ya would’ve known what we were dealing with if you hadn’t disappeared.”
“It appeared the younger guy to be competent and asking relevant questions.”
“The kid wasn’t up to it, Benny. You left me in the hands of fools. As far as I can tell, they both think we’re some freaking genius group; and that’s about what he told that executive guy.”
Benny sighed, realizing that it had been a mistake to leave the meeting. He changed his thoughts to risk mitigation.
“What risks were revealed, Robert?”
“There are minimal short-term risks. Long-term eventualities will depend on what those two Goldman Sachs analysts tell their executives, and what they project for our run-rate.”
“And if they see us as significant competition, what would follow?”
“The SEC would become much more inquisitive.”
“Robert, do we have the resources to deal with SEC investigators and other such regulators?”
“A full-court press for an investigation? I would think not, Benny. I would have to bring in a consulting regulatory specialist. And, perhaps, an accountant.”
“Harry, you said that we would not have to deal with exogenous forces and interference until we were five years in.”
“So send me to bed without supper. It’s happening now. We deal with it.”
Benny stood, stepped away from the table, and complained to the gods.
“Damnation! Damn it all! All I wanted was to run our trading systems for another three or four years without interference. All I wanted was to play with my designs. All I wanted was...”
Benny caught his emotive explosion when Andrea put her arm through his. All were surprised at his emotional outburst. Benny sat back down, his composure regained. Benny resigned himself to the fate of a growing company. He thus voiced his capitulation to the gods of industry, and to Robert and Harry.
“People, I have to conclude that these regulatory games represent significant risk for the uninitiated. If all agree that we need the support of a corporation with the knowledge and the industrial resources specific to our niche, we will go forward. Robert, find someone to license our IP, that is willing to hire all of us. If we have to go ‘fully corporate’, whether it is Goldman Sachs or someone else, I want the savings and efficiencies associated with an enterprise structural cost.”
“What would you be willing to give, Benny?”
“Forty per cent, maybe fifty if they have infrastructure plus an R and D budget.”
“Interesting. Harold? Are you in agreement?”
“What the hey, why not? Benny, if you’re sure about working for someone else, guess that I’m crazy and stupid enough to do it. So who do we sell our souls to, Robert?”
“I can think of several possibilities. I need to make some calls. Shall we meet in two days?”
“ ... so what did the people from Goldman say about that?”
“That it was not unexpected, and they well knew that we we would be looking at all possibilities. They also requested that I come see them last.”
“So we got Goldman Sachs hot to trot, along with, what did ya say? Yeah, that ‘enlightened interest’ has been expressed by AMP Limited, Janus Capital Group, and Kansas City Southern. That’s a heckofa lot of traveling, Robert. Ya up for that?”
“Not an issue of import, Harry. I did much business travel for my previous employer. In any case, Kansas Southern, Janus, and Amp can be done in ten to twelve days.”
“Robert, book all flights first class. I do not want you worn out.”
“Thank you, Benny. There is one other provision for the Goldman Sachs meeting.”
“Which is?”
“All three of us will be required to be at the meeting.”
“Man, I ain’t gonna go there.”
“You will not have to travel to New York, Harry. I informed them of your reticence. They have agreed to meet us at their Boston office. They will send a company vehicle to pick us up.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Re-think that, Harry. That indicates that we would be at their convenience. Robert?”
“I am not dismissing your concerns, Benson. But if there is some reason we would need to quickly leave, we could easily take public transportation. The orange and red lines are close to their offices.”
“That would work. Robert, please call if you need anything while traveling. I need to leave shortly. I have an important date with the bicycle shop. I will you in two weeks.”
“Ya finally gonna get that Trek hybrid?”
“That is my intention, Harry. The advance 2002 models arrived yesterday. And I will procure one for Andy, and one for Lizzy. Have a good trip, Robert.”
125 High Street, Boston, Ma
Benson Harrison, Robert Northrup, and Harison Spoons exited the Cadillac Escalade into the company of two waiting women, dressed in severe business attire. Harry was, as usual, in boots, jeans and “straw’ cowboy hat. A nice button-down shirt was his only ode to any resemblance of business garb. As had been planned, only Robert would talk. Robert Northrup stepped forward for the introductions. A tall woman took ‘command’.
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