Chapter 66: Long, Slow Seduction

March 21, 1992, Chicago, Illinois

“You seem to be doing a good job with your new friends,” Jessica said as we walked to karate.

“I think so, yes. Michelle will be here tomorrow for our usual Sunday afternoon chat, and I already told you about Gina.”

“She just tries to wind you up with that stuff!”

“Oh, I know,” I chuckled. “And I give as good as I get. I have plenty in reserve!”

“What about your artist friend? The one you’ve adopted.”

“You know how you girls say I give off a vibe? I’m getting a VERY strong one from her.”

Jessica laughed, “Unless I miss my guess, you two are just dancing around the fact that you want to fuck each other senseless!”

“Maybe,” I said. “I’ve given her plenty of openings but she deftly sidesteps or avoids them.”

“Maybe she doesn’t want to seem like she’s easy. You know, like you are!”

I chuckled, “I don’t think I’m all THAT easy these days. And remember my reputation for talking a girl half-to-death first!”

“True. Speaking of friends, how are things between you and Jeri?”

“It was a bit tense yesterday, but I think we’ll be fine. She was pretty angry with me.”

“You tend to take the bull by the horns,” Kara said. “This one seems to call for more subtlety.”

“I don’t like those kinds of games,” I sighed. “I want everyone to be direct and to the point. You’ve seen that when we talk to Doctor Green, or when I’ve been in the hospital. I’ll leave the embroidery to diplomats like Tanya. I prefer the straight talk of a Major General of tanks!”

“Doctor Barton says the same thing when he has to talk to the Board at the hospital,” Jessica said. “I think the two of you are cut from the same cloth. But even he recognizes there are times when you need to be diplomatic.”

“Because of the trouble he’s gotten into over the years!” I chuckled. “This is different, though. I’m volunteering my time and I’ll be damned if I’ll put up with that kind of crap for very long.”

“Uh-oh,” Kara worried. “Should we keep him home tonight?”

I let out a long breath, “No. I’m just venting. I’ll be on my best behavior tonight.”

When we arrived at the dojo, I went to see Sensei Jim in his office. After inquiring about his wife’s health, which was still good, I asked if I could work with the lower belts on kicks and strikes with the bag.

“Got someone particular in mind?” he grinned.

“Yes. A VERY annoying someone! I’d much rather take it out on the bag than the person!”

“A wise choice. Yes, by all means! Work out your aggression and teach the yellow and white belts!”

I bowed and left his office. After leading exercises, I took the lower belts into the smaller practice room and proceeded to put on a five-minute demonstration of kick and punch combinations, all the while imagining Margaret Lundgren’s face on the bag. My aggression sated for the moment, I began giving individual instruction on how to make the hardest strikes and kicks possible.

“Feel better, Tiger?” Jessica teased while we were walking home after class.

“A bit. It’s going to take some getting used to. And probably quite a few saunas and sessions with the sparring bag. And some showers to wash off the slime.”

“It’s that bad?” Kara asked.

“Jeri described it as aristocracy and you know my feelings about THAT!” I said fiercely.

“Perhaps you should have declined her request.”

“Perhaps she should have realized my position before she invited me!”

“I think she did, Tiger. I think what she’s asking you to do is play the long game. You won’t be corrupted or co-opted by the system. But your no-holds-barred, direct style isn’t what’s called for. Think of it as a seduction.”

I chuckled, “You would know, wouldn’t you?”

“I think Jess was a mix of direct and subtle,” Kara said. “It would be more like Jacqui. Now THAT was a subtle, long-term seduction if there ever was one! You didn’t even realize it!”

“True,” I laughed. “Not until she was standing there naked wearing my fedora! And even then I didn’t realize it had started in the dojo nearly a year before that.”

“I think that’s your model.”

Eight hours later, Jessica, in a full-length gown, and I, in my tuxedo, were standing next to Jeri and Howard just inside a large ballroom at the Hilton.

“How do you deal with this?” I asked Howard.

“I keep my mouth shut, then go home and kick the dog!”

“We don’t HAVE a dog,” Jeri laughed.

“Because I kicked him off the balcony after the last one of these! It’s worse than a room full of flag officers!”

I chuckled, “The only flag officer I know is a Major General of tanks in the now Russian Army!”

“Count yourself lucky!” Howard laughed.

“Let me give you the lay of the room,” Jeri smirked.

“She’s standing next to me!” I chuckled.

“I hope you mean ME, Tiger!” Jessica teased.

“I’m sure not talking about Howard!” I grinned causing the other three to laugh.

Jeri proceeded to point out each person or couple and give me a brief commentary about them, whether they were donors, friends of her mother, or political guests. I knew I’d never remember everything, but tried to file away bits of information as she did so.

“OK. So it’s a who’s who of Chicago society,” I said. “The local aristocracy.”

“Yes. Doctor Jessica, Howard? I need a private moment with Steve. Do you mind?”

“I’ll buy you a drink, Doctor Jessica!” Howard laughed.

“A soft drink, please, but I’d be delighted, Commander!”

“Not yet!” he grinned. “Another ten days and I’ll have a thin stripe between the two wider ones.”

They moved off to get drinks.

“Remember what I told you. Shut up and listen. Be polite. And be on guard!”

“For?”

“Women on the prowl!” she laughed. “I left out some details before! Do you see the young woman over there in the dress that looks like it’s about to fall off? That’s the new wife of Clinton DeFriez, the board member.”

“The one who looks like he’s about 150 years old?”

“Yes. She’s very good at cementing deals and using that as blackmail. Her father is that guy over there in the tux with the gray bowtie. He talked her into marrying a man more than fifty years her elder for business and tactical reasons. I’m warning you because she is EXACTLY your type, minus the fact that she acts like a stuck-up bitch.”

“Which makes her not my type! But damn! Really?”

“Yes, really. Purely a business deal on her father’s part to get control of the old man’s holdings. She’ll hit on you, for sure.”

“Thanks, but no.”

“The other thing to watch out for are those young girls over there. You’re new meat, so to speak. And if you notice, they’re way younger than most of the men here who aren’t society kids. At least one of them will make a play for you if you give them a chance. Don’t fall for it. I know your predilection for innocent types, but that’s a minefield you do NOT want to walk into.”

“I thought sex was currency!” I chuckled.

“It is, but if you want to help me win, we need to play by different rules in THIS situation.”

“One set of rules in the boardroom, and another here?”

“Yes. Will you trust me on this? It’s OK to flirt, but don’t get taken in. And don’t go to bed with any of them without talking to me first!”

“I have no intention of doing anything of the sort. Not to mention I doubt any of them have STD test results in those little clutch purses!”

Jeri laughed, “No, probably not. Two guys to be careful of. Zach Walston, the one over there next to the woman in the blue dress, and Walter Faust, standing next to my mom. Two very influential donors. And two complete cads and snakes in the grass. Do not believe a word they say, and after you shake hands, count your fingers, and check your rings and your watch.”

“Corrupt?”

“The very definition. They make money the old fashioned way. They steal it. Well, legally, but they employ greenmail, contract loopholes, bankruptcy laws, and political connections to enrich themselves.”

“So, quintessential Chicagoans,” I said.

“Yes.”

“Is there ANYONE in this room that’s worth knowing? I mean besides you and Howard?”

“Talk with Alec. He’s a good man, and his wife is lovely and sweet. His daughter is here, and she’s very nice as well, though she’s engaged. Also, the youngish woman over there, in the red dress. Her name is Janet and she’s the widow of a bank president, and is a very nice person. Start there. Alec, his wife Wendy, his daughter Lisa, and Janet.”

“And just what am I supposed to do?”

“Be seen. See. Listen. Start to learn the lay of the land. At some point, I need to win over the majority of the people in this room to my side. It’s a VERY long game.”

“A slow seduction,” I grinned.

“Exactly. Play this my way and we can get rid of most of the bullshit at the Foundation. These people will mostly never change, but we don’t have to play their game to win.”

“Got it.”

“Good, now you can buy me a drink and we can keep our respective other halves from finding a room together!”

I laughed, “You and I are far more likely to do that than either of them! Far more likely!”

“True!” she laughed. “But our deal doesn’t include that, and it can’t. As we agreed.”

We went over to the bar and got drinks and then joined Howard and Jessica. After a brief chat, Jessica and I went to talk to Alec and his wife. Jeri was right in that both of them were very down to earth, and Alec made it clear that he was just as out of his comfort zone as I was. I liked him and his wife. We talked until dinner, and then after dinner, Jessica and I talked to Janet for a bit, then danced with each other a bit, then she danced with Howard while I danced with Jeri.

“I see you’ve avoided talking to anyone except Alec, Wendy, and Janet.”

“Start slow, right?” I asked.

“Yes. But don’t send off a vibe that you’re stand-offish either. Why don’t you ask one of the debutantes to dance when we finish. That’s expected.”

“And let some lech dance with my wife?” I chuckled.

“I can have Howard protect her!” Jeri laughed. “The dress blues tend to keep the riff-raff at bay!”

We finished our dance and I went to Jessica and told her what Jeri had said. She laughed and told me to have fun. I rolled my eyes, then put on a ‘game face’ and selected a beautiful blonde with sparkling blue eyes in a royal blue dress. I couldn’t tell how old she was for sure, but I guessed she was seventeen or eighteen, though given the makeup she was wearing, it was possible she was a few years younger. She accepted my invitation to dance and we danced in what I referred to as the ‘Junior High’ stance.

“I’m Samantha Spurgeon!” she said.

“Steve Adams.”

“I know. I heard Mrs. Lundgren introduce you at dinner.”

“Who are your parents?”

“Over there talking to the Mayor’s Chief of Staff. Mom is in the light-blue dress and Dad has the matching cummerbund. Dad runs an investment company. Mom spends his money!”

I chuckled, “And you?”

“Junior in High School. I go to Sacred Heart in Winnetka. What do you do?”

“I run a computer software and consulting company in Hyde Park.”

“You’re married to the doctor, right?”

“Yes. And Jeri works for me.”

“Oh! You’re THAT guy!” she laughed.

“What’s that supposed mean?”

“The guy who Mrs. Lundgren was ticked at for keeping Jeri away from the Foundation. She threw a fit!”

I chuckled, “I know! But it worked out OK in the end.”

“May I ask why you asked me to dance?”

“I saw a beautiful young woman and decided to ask. Should I not have?”

She laughed, “No. My nickname is ‘Ice Princess’ because I give every guy the cold shoulder!”

“But not me?”

She smiled, “You aren’t old enough to be my dad or young and trying to impress me with your daddy’s money!”

“I take it you don’t like these society galas?”

“I like the food, and I have a few friends here, but mostly I’d rather be anywhere else. My dad wants me here, so here I am.”

“Do you always do what he says?” I chuckled.

“No way! But I’m sure you know about sacrifices. He pays for private school. He’ll pay for any college I want to go to. Nice vacations every summer. My own horse. Flying lessons. I figure the least I can do is let him show me off at these parties! He pretty much lets me do what I want otherwise. Didn’t you figure that out with your parents?”

“No. My mom was the classic abusive bitch. I got out of the house as quickly as I could. Paid my own way through college, mostly, and started my own company.”

“That sounds like Mr. Glass. He grew up in Bridgeport and left home at seventeen because his dad was abusive. Now look at him!”

“I talked with him before. He seems like a nice guy.”

The song ended and I stepped back.

“Thanks for the dance,” I said.

“Ask me for another one later!” she said with a sweet smile.

I walked back to where Jeri was standing with Howard and Jessica.

“Right into the teeth of the tiger?” Jeri laughed.

“She told me to ask her for another dance later,” I said smugly.

“No way!” Jeri laughed. “I just told Doctor Jessica and Howard that you’d selected the least likely girl in the entire room!”

“Least likely to WHAT?” I grinned.

“Even talk to you civilly. She has a reputation.”

“‘Ice Princess’?” I grinned.

“I TOLD you he was smooth, Jeri,” Jessica laughed.

Alec and Wendy walked over and he asked Jessica to dance and I took the cue and asked Wendy. The music was intermediate, so we danced a short distance apart without contact. That wasn’t conducive to talking, so we just danced and when the song ended, Alec and I reclaimed our wives and went to stand with Howard and Jeri who were talking with Lisa and her fiancé, John.

“What do you do, John?” I asked.

“I’m an attorney with Hart-Lincoln. We use your software.”

“Good to hear! What do you think of it?”

“It seems useful. My paralegal and my legal secretary do most of the work with it. I mostly just use it to look up past cases. It gets the job done.”

“If there’s anything you think we can do to improve it, just let Jeri or me know.”

“I’m a relatively new associate, so give me a few years and I’ll have a better idea!”

“What kind of law do you practice?”

“Mostly tax law, but also general business law.”

“His firm handles all of my business,” Alec said. “I’m sure you can imagine real estate investing has some real tax pitfalls if you aren’t careful.”

“The tax laws are a mess,” I said. “I’d certainly like to see them simplified.”

“I’d be out of work!” John protested.

If he was marrying Lisa I didn’t think he’d NEED to work! And with a law license, he could certainly find another area in which to practice. I almost said something, but remembered Jeri’s caution about being careful with what I said.

“I hear you,” I chuckled. “Where did you go to law school?”

“John Marshall. I met Lisa at Northwestern where I did pre-law.”

“Two of our best friends went there, but that was years ago. Another friend of mine will start her Residency at the hospital in June.”

“Where do you work, Doctor?”

“UofC. But please, either Jessica or, if you feel it’s necessary, Doctor Jessica!”

We talked for about ten minutes before they moved on and Jeri led us to talk to a few others. I mostly stayed quiet and listened as she spoke to them, observing as she’d requested. We eventually moved on to where her mother and father were standing. I took a couple of deep breaths to prepare myself for the conversation.

“I take it my daughter has done a better job of explaining how things work since your display at the Board meeting?”

“Yes, Ma’am. I’m sorry I caused a disturbance. I didn’t understand how things worked. She had explained it to me, but it obviously didn’t take. We had a long conversation on Thursday and now I understand.”