Chapter 3

Pippa’s boss, Ernie, was a rather tall, swarthy fellow with a strong hint of one of the Pacific nations to him, though he was also part something else, no doubt. He could probably intimidate someone if he wished, though I got the quick impression that he was a bit sweet on Pippa. I didn’t mind that idea in the least, and in fact, I made a note that perhaps we could set something up for him, given his amorous ways. The look on his face made it clear that he was both surprised and confused that Pippa was in his office, and not alone.

“Look, if you’re a lawyer, Pippa can tell you that I’ve never hit on her. Wanted to, yes, but never done it. You’re not a lawyer, are you?” Ernie lit a cigarette against company policy now that the door was closed, wanting to steady his nerves.

“I’m not suing you, Ernie! Don’t be silly, love. No, I’m just here to offer my resignation. I shan’t be employed here any longer. Nothing personal. Just something’s come up,” Pippa assured him, making him relax a little.

“And the beefcake next to you is here for moral support, or is he your sponsor? I mean, how do you plan to stay in the country if you’re out of work? Not trying to scare or bull you, but just concerned for your future, plus I’ll miss you here. I won’t lie about that,” Ernie told her in front of me.

“I’m actually her fiance,” I explained now, “and the something that came up is her upcoming marriage to me. As in as soon as possible. Pleasure to meet you. Pippa likes working here, I think, but she has another job in mind for her long-term career.”

“Which is?” Ernie asked out of pure curiosity.

“Housewife,” Pippa answered him with a wink.

“And how did you get so lucky?” Ernie turned to me.

“I ... called her this morning to fix a mess that my girlfriend had caused for me, asked for her number after being impressed by her very helpful attitude, though admittedly the British accent helped, too, and then, well, we set up a lunch date and really hit it off!” I chuckled now.

“I ... guess so!” Ernie stammered, as if aware that lightning struck in this case, “What about money? Do you have enough to provide for her? And what about ... your girlfriend, for that matter.”

“Girlfriend’s future is up in the bloody air, whether or not she can stomach being mistress to my fiance, but as for affluence, I think that Mr. Stern should answer that part,” Pippa interjected.

“Mr. Stern?” Ernie asked incredulously.

“Armin Stern, in fact. You might have heard of me,” I laughed now, watching the look on Ernie’s face as it dawned on him that I was a major stockholder in the firm that employed him.

“Oh, of course ... Mr. Stern! Thank you for what you’ve already done for the company. I’ve heard of you indeed. But, if I might ask out of curiosity, why doesn’t she use your Christian name?” Ernie admitted his confusion.

“Well, I don’t exactly have a Christian name, being Jewish, but she doesn’t use my given name due to a personal quirk of hers. She can explain it to you later, but there’s no real time for that just yet. In any case, I think that you can guess just how well I can provide for the girl. She’s mine now, and I’m going to take excellent care of her,” I shook his hand, “Now, she gets her vacation time and such, right?”

“Yes, and all paid personal time, that should take care of the two weeks’ notice, effectively. I’ll miss you a lot, Pippa. I won’t lie about that. Don’t be a stranger, please,” Ernie told us, shaking my hand and kissing Pippa’s.

“She won’t. And just like I might have a girlfriend or two on the side, perhaps she can have a boyfriend for her part. Who knows?” I dangled the carrot, though I was vague enough to cover my ass.

Pippa definitely caught my drift, making her blush as she signed the resignation paperwork. Ernie coughed and we made a discreet exit, while he fought to keep a goofy grin off his face. We walked over to her cubicle, where she cleared out her desk and collected her things to put in my Jeep. Then she waved goodbye and hugged people before exiting the place for the first time and turning in her employee badge to security. She also collected her sack lunch from the fridge, having apparently intended to eat that instead of her steak and kidney pie at St. George’s.

“Did you drive to work?” I asked Pippa.

“Not this time. I carpool. It was Tory’s turn to drive. Speak of the devil,” Pippa noted that her friend and colleague Tory followed us out.

“Sorry, I had to meet the man who got Pippa out of the ranks of single womanhood. Lucky bastard, but then she’s got a lucky cunt, isn’t she? Very lucky from the looks of you. You look sharp as a saber. See now, you’re what ZZ Top meant with that song, and you, honey, well, now that you don’t work with me, maybe I should cop to being bi. If you two ever want to open up your marriage, do threesomes and the like, call me first, okay? I’ll be a very happy unicorn, I swear!” Tory nearly drooled in front of me, making me hard and Pippa ready to squirm with her arousal.

“Give me your number, unless Pippa has it already,” I told her, “and then you might want to return to work.”

“She does, and it’s my smoke break. Don’t worry. I know that I’m not as lucky as Pippa, no wealthy benefactor to rescue me from my drudgery, though, honestly, it’s not a bad job. I just envy Pippa’s new life as your missus. I can tell that you’ll spoil her rotten, and I swear that she’ll do the same ... and if you ever want a third in your relationship, ever want to make a triad, look no further than me, please,” Tory put emphasis on the please, too.

“Well, I like you, Tory, and we’ll take that under advisement, okay?” I winked at her, making Pippa blush and laugh as we departed in my Jeep for my lawyer’s office.

“She’s a good one for sure. I wouldn’t object if you wanted to toss her in as a fringe benefit of marrying me,” Pippa teased me as I drove, making me chuckle at her eagerness to share her good fortune.

“Duly noted, my love. In the meantime, Procter and Associates, here we come,” I told her as we pulled into the parking lot for my attorney’s office.

I took Pippa inside and was immediately met by Donna Haley, the receptionist, who quickly informed her boss, none other than Allen Procter, that I was here. We had a long-running, mutually profitable relationship, Allen and I, ever since we were in the same National Guard platoon together. We endured all of the teasing from friends, girlfriends, and family about being “weekend warriors,” knowing that when flooding or natural disasters hit, they’d be glad that we were around. He had left at one grade higher than me, but I now made a lot more than him, so we both had something to goad the other about if we wished.

“Good afternoon, Corporal Stern,” Allen teased me, sure enough.

“Same to you, Sarge,” I grinned back at him, taking the ribbing ... we both knew that Captain James Wendell was the reason that I made never it to at least buck sergeant.