Climbing the Ladder 5 - Reaching New Heights
Copyright© 2026 by Michael Loucks
Chapter 58: I'm Just That Good
Fiction Sex Story: Chapter 58: I'm Just That Good - Jonathan's business life is booming, but he's also suffering from yet another loss. While he's done his best to pick up the pieces of that sundered relationship, he can't help but feel responsible. However, where two close relationships have withered, another blooms. Violet has transitioned from a badly damaged girl to a vibrant woman. Will he continue to climb this ladder, or will there be another ladder to climb in his future? No matter what, the only direction he plans to go is up.
Caution: This Fiction Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Workplace
October 7, 1984, Chicago, Illinois
On Sunday morning, CeCi and I got out of bed, showered together, then went downstairs to have breakfast before her friends arrived for what CeCi was mirthfully referring to as a 'screen test' even though she wasn't filming.
"Does that make the loveseat in the Japanese room the casting couch?" I asked with a smirk.
"Sadly, that's still a real thing in Hollywood, despite all the denials. The most at risk are teenage actresses who are just getting started. Roman Polanski wasn't an aberration."
"This is where I'm going to suffer for asking 'who?'," I said.
"I won't hold it against you that you don't know! He is an acclaimed, award-winning director and producer. About seven years ago, he was arrested in California for giving an underage girl drugs and having sex with her. He pled the charges down to the equivalent of statutory rape, but the night before his sentencing, he fled to Europe because he had learned the judge intended to reject the plea bargain. The deal was for time served, but the judge told some friends he planned to sentence Polanski to fifty years."
"I think I can see why he fled. He can't be extradited?"
"Not from France, because they can refuse to extradite their own citizens, and they refused. Last year, in an interview, he basically bragged about preferring girls who were thirteen to fifteen, and that they all liked him."
"And I thought Noel Spurgeon was bad for being interested in girls who were fifteen or sixteen!" I said, shaking my head.
"There's one other twist — he was married to Sharon Tate, one of the people murdered by Charles Manson's cult."
"Wow!"
"There's a lot more to his story, but what I told you is the relevant part to the 'casting couch'.
Bianca and Nicole joined us a few minutes later, followed by Chelsea and Deanna. I made breakfast for everyone, and we had just finished eating when the doorman buzzed. He announced the girls, and I instructed him to send them up to the condo. When I opened the door and invited them in, they had the typical reaction of people seeing the condo for the first time. I offered them coffee, which they accepted, and the four of us went into the Japanese room.
Both Becky and Liz had brown hair, and they shared enough of a resemblance that it would be easy to believe they were sisters. Both girls were nineteen, but Liz looked younger, and as such, would play the younger sister, who in CeCi's screenplay was eighteen, while Becky was supposed to be twenty-two. CeCi's original plan had been for Liz to be sixteen, but she'd reconsidered because she knew I would be uncomfortable, even if the actress was over eighteen.
"Let's start with the three of you getting to know one another a bit," CeCi suggested. "Just give a short bio."
Liz went first. She was from Wyoming and was majoring in interior design. She came from a ranching family with a history that dated back to before Wyoming became a state and was the first person in her family to pursue a degree. She had acted in several plays in High School and was an avid horseback rider. She came from a big family, with four older brothers.
Becky was pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts and was from Philadelphia, and was an only child. In High School, she'd been on the student newspaper and had also entered drawings and paintings in local contests. She had won a few prizes, one of which had included a partial scholarship.
After she finished, I gave my two-minute pitch.
"Let's try a few things," CeCi said. "First, Jonathan, would you hold Becky loosely in your arms?"
"If it's OK with Becky," I replied.
Becky laughed, "Seriously?"
"CeCi didn't ask you, so I did."
"Jonathan is a stickler about consent," CeCi said. "His work environment is basically what I wrote in the summary paragraphs for the film."
"Is it really that bad?" Becky asked.
It was worse because she'd left out Noel Spurgeon's predilections.
"The 'coke and hookers' stereotype is not far from reality," I replied.
I stood up, and Becky got up and moved over to stand in front of me. CeCi suggested a pose, and I ended up holding Becky close, but not mashed against me.
"You look like you could be a couple," Liz observed. "And I want him!"
All of us laughed because that was her role — the scheming little sister who seduced her older sister's stockbroker boyfriend.
"I have part of the script," CeCi said. "I'd like you to read one scene.
She handed each of us a piece of paper and asked us to read through it a few times. The scene was 'Krissy' confronting 'Jake' about cheating with her little sister 'Kelly'. We read through it a few times and, at least from my perspective, it would work. Her character was outraged, and mine was remorseful. We read the scene three times before CeCi said it was enough.
"That was good," CeCi said. "I think you two have sufficient chemistry together to have the fight and make it believable. What do you think, Becky?"
"I'm good if Jonathan is."
"I am," I replied.
"Then if you two are OK with a couple of tight hugs and a few quick kisses on film, we're good."
"No problem for me," I replied.
"I'm OK with kissing him," Becky said with a smile and a twinkle in her eye.
"OK. Liz, you have the love scene, so why don't we start with you sitting in Jonathan's lap with his arms around you and your arms around his neck?"
I sat back down on the love seat, and Liz got up, moved over to me, and carefully sat in my lap, putting her arms around my neck. I put my arms around her, and she snuggled close, resting her head on my shoulder.
"If you two are both comfortable, how about a kiss?" CeCi suggested.
"Peck, soft, or sexy?" Liz asked.
"Whatever you're comfortable with right now," CeCi said.
Liz lifted her head and presented her lips for a kiss. It started soft, but when her lips parted, it became sexy, with our tongues dancing the way our characters' bodies were to dance off-screen in the film.
"I think that's enough!" Becky exclaimed about forty-five seconds later.
Liz and I broke the kiss, and Liz turned and stuck her tongue out at Becky.
"You're just jealous!" Liz declared.
"You read the script," CeCi said. "Are you comfortable with everything in it?"
"Absolutely!" Liz declared emphatically.
"I'd like you to read the scene when 'Jake' is dressing after having had sex with 'Kelly'."
The scene showed 'Jake' having enjoyed himself, but being concerned about 'Krissy' finding out. 'Kelly' assured him she wouldn't say anything, and so long as he acted as if nothing had happened, everything would be OK. Of course, later, 'Kelly' would brag to 'Krissy' about losing her virginity to 'Jake', setting off the conflict that made up about seventy-five percent of the film, most of which was 'Krissy' and 'Kelly' talking to their friends or fighting with each other, and 'Jake' seeking advice from his friend 'Ken', who would be played by Rick.
We read the scene twice, and CeCi said she was happy with the results.
"If everyone is on board, we'll shoot the scenes with Jonathan next Saturday and Sunday, with the following Sunday for any retakes we need to do. I'll shoot the scenes with the girls during the evenings over the next week. Rick's scenes will be shot next Sunday."
"We're shooting here, right?" Becky asked.
"All of the scenes between you and Jonathan will be shot here because the condo is perfect for a stockbroker, as it is in real life! The scene with Rick will be filmed in Jonathan's trading office because the trading terminals are great props. Jonathan, I'll have someone to help me with lights, but otherwise, it's just me with a Sony Betacam BMC-110."
"No sound man, or whatever?" I asked.
"No. It has an integrated mic. This isn't about high-quality video or sound, but rather about framing shots, pacing, editing, and other elements of filmmaking."
"Where are we filming the seduction scene?" Liz asked.
"At a house Jonathan owns in Rogers Park. He rents it out, but the renters are close friends who are cool with it being the house where 'Krissy' and 'Kelly' live. We'll have the full day the Saturday after next. I think that's it, unless any of you have questions?"
"None for me," Becky said.
"Me, either," Liz agreed.
"Or me," I added.
Our brief session ended, and the girls left. I went to sit with Bianca, who handed me a very happy Sofía, a big change from the previous morning. Misty climbed gingerly onto the couch and lay next to me, though she clearly wasn't happy with the cone around her neck.
"May I ask what that was about?" Chelsea inquired.
"A class project," CeCi said. "I need to make a short movie. Jonathan agreed to act, as did our friend Rick, plus four girls from school."
"What's it about?"
"A stockbroker who cheats on his girlfriend with her little sister."
"Cheating is the lowest of the low," Chelsea observed.
"It is," I agreed.
After holding Sofía for about fifteen minutes, I went upstairs to write my second paper on The Canterbury Tales, this one about the overarching theme. Misty didn't come upstairs with me, and I realized I actually missed her company. I spent only an hour working on my paper before going downstairs to help prepare everything for our friends' arrival for the Bears game.
The Bears had a much better day than they had the previous Sunday, beating the New Orleans Saints 20–7 to improve to 4–2 for the season. Before Jack and Kristy left, I confirmed that we could use the house on Saturday afternoon to shoot CeCi's film. Once everyone had left, I watched the first Presidential Debate between Walter Mondale and President Reagan, moderated by Barbara Walters.
Reagan appeared tired and, at times, seemed confused. Despite having a considerable lead in the polls and a significant advantage in the Electoral College, I wondered if he had the mental acuity to serve another four years as President. In the morning, I'd need to revise my estimates of the outcome of the election, but I didn't think Reagan had hurt himself badly enough to wreck what had become an eighteen-point lead in national polls or to harm his likely 400-plus votes in the Electoral College. But there was another debate to come, and that might just doom what should have been a 'gimme' election.
As was usual for a Sunday night, CeCi joined me in bed, and as had become the norm for us, we made love rather than fucked before falling asleep, cuddled together.
October 8, 1984, Chicago, Illinois
"I'd say subtract five points from Reagan's national poll numbers," I said. "For the individual states, three points in the ten states where he won by the widest margin and seven points in the ones he won by the smallest margins."
"You really think he performed that poorly?" Tony asked.
"After sleeping on it, I do. It wasn't a complete disaster, but it threw Mondale a lifeline he didn't have before the debate. Consider the situation had Reagan not been rambling and tired."
"A knockout blow and a potential sweep except for DC."
"And now?"
"The odds are he'll win, but it's not a sure thing. If the second debate goes badly for Reagan, all bets are off."
"Which also has implications for the House and Senate," I observed. "Those numbers in Steve's model will automatically adjust based on Reagan's poll numbers, and I expect the model to suggest that several Senate races will be more competitive and a number of House races will flip. We'll know more by the end of the week after post-debate poll numbers are released."
"What do we write in the analyst report?" Tony asked.
"That Reagan's debate performance calls into question his mental acuity, and if the public agrees, and there is a second poor debate performance, there is a risk Reagan will lose the election, or if he wins, he'll have a diminished mandate. I'll include a statement that new uncertainties about the President raise the risk our predictions for next year's market may not pan out."
"Oh, that will go over SO well based on everyone, including you, pre-loading for next year, assuming Reagan will win in a landslide."
"And yet, it's our job to analyze new information when it's available, even if it throws our current projections into complete chaos. I won't change my strategy before the second debate. If Reagan does better, I'll continue; if he screws the pooch, I'll re-evaluate."
"OK. Let me get this written up and plug the numbers into the modeling spreadsheet."
He left, and I continued working on my portion of the analyst report. I felt Tony had raised what was likely to be the question for the next two weeks. There was a basically meaningless Vice Presidential debate scheduled for Thursday, and I couldn't imagine Bush or Ferraro moving the needles much either way. Everything would come down to the second and final Presidential debate on the 21st.
I completed my portion of the analyst report and let Violet know it was ready, then gathered my notebooks and headed up to the conference room on 32, where my depositions would be taken for the lawsuit filed by the three former Wabash Street Fund clients. Tim Liston from Legal was there, along with Kendall Roy from Compliance, and a court reporter was setting up her steno machine.
"Do you know how this works?" Tim asked.
"I do," I replied. "I've sat for a few depositions about paternity and custody cases — not my child, mind you."
They both laughed, and I saw the stenographer trying hard to suppress a smile, but failing in her attempt. Before anyone could say anything further, Julie escorted Thomas Hart into the room. I stood and shook his hand, then introduced him.
"This is my private counsel, Thomas Hart, of Hart-Lincoln," I said. "Tom, this is Tim Liston from our Legal Department, and this is Kendall Roy from our Compliance Department."
Tom shook hands with both of them, then we sat down. Noel hadn't been happy about my retaining outside counsel, but I'd accepted Tom's advice that a successful arbitration for the plaintiffs could lead to an SEC investigation, and I should be prepared for it, even though I hadn't traded that fund.
About two minutes later, Julie escorted in a trio of attorneys, and introductions were made.
"Mr. Spurgeon will join us momentarily," Tim Liston said after the introductions were completed. "Please help yourself to pastries, bagels, or doughnuts and coffee. There is also orange juice, and we can get you tea if you prefer."
Noel arrived a few minutes later, and after further introductions, the deposition began.
"Good morning," Tim Liston said. "We are here for the consolidated deposition of Jonathan Edward Kane for three cases — Daubert v. Spurgeon Capital, et al., de Jong v. Spurgeon Capital, et al., and LeFleur v. Spurgeon Capital, et al. The plaintiffs, Martin de Jong, Clark Daubert, and François LeFleur, are represented respectively by Robert C. Wittcomb, Peter F. Morrison, and Charles M. Devlin. Mr. Kane is represented by private counsel, namely Thomas A. Hart of Hart-Lincoln. All are licensed to practice in Illinois and admitted to practice before the 7th Circuit.
"I, Timothy A. Liston, represent Spurgeon Capital and Mr. Kane as In-house Counsel, and I am licensed to practice in Illinois and admitted to practice before the 7th Circuit. Also in attendance are Kendall S. Roy, Chief Compliance Officer; Noel D. Spurgeon, CEO and Chief Investment Officer; and a duly authorized court reporter who will take the deposition by stenographic device.
"By agreement, Mr. Wittcomb will lead for the Plaintiffs, though the other attorneys are permitted to ask questions. The time limit agreed by all parties is three hours, which does not include fifteen-minute breaks at forty-five minutes past each hour. As agreed by all parties, no questions of a personal nature will be permitted, except insofar as they are necessary to establish identity. Mr. Witcomb?"
"Thank you, Mr. Liston. Court Reporter, we are on the record."
She administered the oath, and then the questioning began.
RCW: State your full name, birth date, birth place, address, and occupation, please.
JK: Jonathan Edward Kane; I was born on November 3, 1962, at Clermont County Hospital in Batavia, Ohio. I live at 175 East Delaware Place, Suite 9100, in Chicago. I am Chief Analyst for Spurgeon Capital and the registered manager of the Cincinnatus Fund."
RCW: Do you hold any securities licenses?
JK: I hold a Series 3 license, issued in November 1982; a Series 7 license, issued in January 1983; and a Series 30 license issued in June of this year.
RCW: You're twenty-one, and you hold a Branch Manager's license?
JK: Correct.
RCW: What is your educational background?
JK: I received a High School Diploma from Goshen High School in Goshen, Ohio, in May 1981. I am currently attending the University of Illinois Circle Campus.
RCW: You do not have a college degree?
JK: Correct.
RCW: When did you first begin working at Spurgeon Capital?
JK: June 1981.
RCW: In what capacity?
JK: Mailroom clerk.
RCW: How long did you hold that position?
JK: Until June 14, 1982, when I was promoted to supervisor in the mailroom.
RCW: How long did you hold that position?
JK: Until March 1, 1983, when I was promoted to analyst.
RCW: Chief Analyst?
JK: No, that promotion came on September 12, 1983. It was a newly created position to manage the newly created Research Department.
RCW: You mentioned you're the registered manager for an investment fund.
JK: Correct. The Cincinnatus Fund was opened on December 1, 1982.
RCW: While you worked in the mailroom?
JK: Yes.
RCW: What is the AUM for your fund?
JK: As of this morning, pre-market, approximately $417,500,000.
RCW: Was that capital raised externally or transferred internally?
JK: Raised externally, except for approximately $11,000,000 from internal sources."
RCW: Returning to your role as Chief Analyst, do you generate a report on a daily basis?
JK: My team creates an Analyst Report each trading day before market open, and also generates both flash reports and fulfills requests for custom reports.
RCW: What is the nature of the reports?
JK: They contain a wide-ranging analysis of global markets, the global economy, global governments, and any other person or thing we believe will affect the global or American economy, and thus the global and American financial markets.
RCW: Do these reports provide specific trading guidance?
JK: No. The analysis is presented, along with a confidence factor, and individual heads of desks determine how to apply that analysis based on the goals of their fund, its asset allocation plan, and its risk tolerance.
RCW: Your reports do not list securities as 'buy', 'sell', 'hold', or any other ranking?
JK: Never. We propose price targets and probabilities, and assign risk factors to specific companies, currencies, sectors, and other relevant entities, but the actual trading decisions are always left to licensed professionals who execute the trades.
RCW: I'd like to see one of those analyst reports.
TL: Spurgeon Capital will provide three lightly redacted reports from the relevant period, as per the discovery order.
RCW: Thank you. Mr. Kane, who receives these analyst reports?
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