Chapter 24: The Next Task

One of the things that Jim had done when he crashed the FMCA’s computer system was to steal the software they used to monitor Master PC activity. When he got home after a very successful series of seminars in Washington, he began to work on the software, improving it, adapting it, and making it operable on his laptop. Then he set to work finding out who else had discovered the magic program.

He also announced his retirement from his state job and endured the inevitable retirement party with good grace. His longtime assistant, who had just retired herself, came back from Arizona to attend. He managed to get through the event with a smile and a kind word for all present. His consulting business was going well with lots of referrals from very happy customers.

Cheri was turning out to be an excellent assistant. They worked out of his house – he’d put an extra desk in his home office and purchased her a new computer – and she was kept busy handling the new firm’s marketing chores and booking consulting gigs and arranging speaking engagements.

She and Susan and Sam, with Dave jumping in from time to time, kept each other busy and satisfied. Jim only occasionally joined them in their sexual frolics. Since coming home he’d become somewhat monastic in his habits. He was focused on his mission: finding out who else had the Master PC program and neutralizing them.

He would, of course, allow Tiffany to keep her copy. He’d given it to her after all, and he knew he could trust her to be careful with it. A lot of people, and he was NOT one of them, underestimated Tiff. Their assessment stopped at her tits (which were formidable, to be sure) and they never bothered to pay attention to how smart she was. Their loss. He felt better knowing that the FMCA wouldn’t be bothering her, or anyone else, ever again. He would never forget that wonderful evening with Tiff and Pi at the Red Roof Inn. He’d do it again in a heartbeat. His cock got hard every time he recalled what it had been like to be with the two of them.

After the computer crash and the deal, he’d struck with Joe Friday the FMCA was pretty quiet. He’d helped make sure of that by influencing a few members of Congress to question the program’s cost/benefit analysis. The FMCA was pretty much shut down except for a skeleton crew and Joe Friday. Jim was going to do their work for them and he was going to do it without their interference. He wanted to collect his bounty money and then permanently retire someplace private where he could enjoy the company of beautiful people of both genders without fear of government hassles.

Now if this was a Tom Clancy or Ian Flemming novel the next bit would be pretty technical and very exciting. Since it isn’t either a Jack Ryan or James Bond story I’ll just say that Jim spent several months cleaning up the last of the Master PC mess and making himself financially secure for life.

He was sitting on the patio on the first warm day of the following spring with a 16 oz insulated mug full of Arco Coffee (cream, 2 Sweet’N Low) contemplating. Susan was babysitting the grand kids at their daughter’s and he had the place to himself. He was not a happy camper. He should have been. He was rich, he owned a successful consulting business that Cheri pretty much ran for him, he was the proud owner of, as far as he knew, the only surviving copy of the Master PC program on this side of the Mississippi. The only other copy of which he was aware lived in Boulder and its owner, having been severely chastised by her husband when he discovered what it could do, was laying low in the computer department.

Jim wondered if Tiff had replaced her laptop yet.

His every sexual want, need, fantasy, desire, or goofy notion was being met frequently and imaginatively by a growing group of swingers both locally and in various places he travelled. His mental powers grew with use as he figured out what he was capable of.

He should have been a very happy man. That he was just the opposite was evident to anyone who knew him well, and that was a pretty small group.

“Jim? I thought I saw you out here. Enjoying the first breath of spring?”

Samantha had come upon him unaware and her cheery greeting was the first intimation he’d had of her approach. Damn, she was sexy – he never got tired of looking at her or fucking her for that matter. He always had a smile for her.

“Hey, Sam. Yeah, I’m just soaking up a little of this late March sunshine. The wind isn’t off the big lake today so it’s pretty nice out here.”

“You looked kind of down – is anything wrong?”

“Now what could be wrong? I’ve got money in the bank, I’m retired, I own a big and very successful consulting company, I have a beautiful and sexy assistant, a lovely and attractive wife, a foxy neighbor lady who could give a corpse a hardon, and some pretty good friends. Why wouldn’t I be the happiest man in the world?”

“I don’t know. Why wouldn’t you be? Jim, we’re friends. We’ve shared a lot of pretty intimate things (more than you know, Jim thought). If there’s something bothering you can’t you talk to me about it?”

“Sam, I think you may be one of my closest friends. If I had some clue what was wrong with me I’d spill it, but I just don’t know what’s going on. There’s something missing. I just can’t put my finger on it.”

“Everything OK with you and Susan?”

“As far as I know – why, what have you heard?” This last was said with a chuckle – it was a standard Jim Olsen line.

“You know what I mean,” Sam said, punching Jim playfully on the shoulder.

“Want some coffee? I’ve got more inside,” Jim said.

“Sure. That’d be nice.”

“Might even have some muffins to go with it. Let me check.”

Jim walked back into the house and got another insulated mug, filled it, grabbed a paper plate and put some muffins, a large pat of butter, and a plastic knife on it and made his way back out to the patio.

“Here we are. Enjoy. I think Susan just made these last night.”

“Oh, are these those sour cream muffins she makes? I love those, but I’d better just have one – got to protect my girlish figure you know.”

“Your figure looks just fine to me, which reminds me – when are we going to get together for some playtime again? We haven’t done anything for a few weeks and I’m jonesing for another shot at your sweet sexy self, not to mention that studly hubby of yours.”