Chapter 24: M. I. N. D. Y.

By the time Monday came around Dave, Emma, Ginger, Stacy, and I had a long list of things we needed Holly to do for us. The list spanned things like printer ink, stiff paper for report covers, travel tickets and other arrangements, organizing our frequent flyer miles, searching out better hotel bargains, typing up interview notes, organizing our client files on computers and hardcopy, and on and on. Ginger and I both needed organizing.

Everyone else took off for various client sites, and I was left to welcome Holly and get her started. I was going to have her use my desk as her workstation. It already had my desktop computer on it that she could use; as well some of the piles of paper I needed her to organize. After I left I wouldn’t see her until Friday, although Dave and Stacy would see her on Thursday and Friday.

Holly arrived right at nine a.m., as we’d arranged. I was already packed and ready to walk out the door to catch an afternoon flight to San Francisco so I could work with Carol and Todd at KMC. I hadn’t seen them except on our video calls for two weeks. The calls seemed to be working though.

The first thing Holly did was kiss me. The kiss was really hot and made me shift gears rapidly from being all business to being all something else. At her suggestion, we tumbled into my bedroom and made love. She was hot, energetic, and expressive. I hadn’t recalled what an expert at dirty talk she was, but then Megan shared many of those same skills. I also logged that I had again serviced a mother-daughter team.

After our tryst, we showered and redressed. Only then did we get down to business. I showed her the presentation on Carson Consulting LLC capabilities and history, ran through the task list we’d made, and we talked about the company, the people in it, the clients, the leads we had, and what my aspirations for everything were.

Holly also went over and opened my luggage and went through everything carefully. She did the same with my briefcase. She explained, “If I’m to be as useful as you want me to be, I’ll be needing to help you pack so you can get back on the road and to working with clients. I’ll do the same for Stacy, Ginger, and the others if they want.”

I gave Holly a key to the house so she could get into her ‘office’ and the other desks for Ginger, Dave, and Emma, and left for Tampa airport and my flight. At least on this one I’d be able to get in some billable hours while we were at flight level.

Carol and Todd met me for dinner at my hotel in San Jose. They were pumped with the work and with the successes they were having at KMC. I got an update, and a solid outline of what they wanted me to do while I was there for two days. They were well organized and were thinking well ahead of what was happening that day.

As we talked I nevertheless got the feeling there was some other undercurrent between them and the client that I was missing. The more we talked the more I was sure that there was something else going on.

I finally confronted my feeling aloud, “I applaud all you’ve done and your planning. I can’t think of any contingencies to worry about based on what you said. Nonetheless, there’s something else going on that I feel I should know about.” I shut up at that point and let the silence build between the three of us. I stared at each of them.

I knew there was something when Carol and Todd kept locking eyes, as though they were silently trying to figure out who would be the one to spill the beans to me.

Todd finally took a deep breath and spoke. “Errr, Carol and I have kind of fallen into a relationship with two people on the client team.”

I looked at each of them and sensed what I thought was happening. I smiled slightly, “A sexual relationship?”

Carol nodded before Todd could respond. She volunteered, “A couple – maybe you remember them because they were in our kickoff meeting: Peter Miller and Brit Collier.”

I did remember the two, but hadn’t known they were a couple. Peter easily fell in my description of highly competent, tall, dark, and handsome. Brit came across as a ditzy blonde until she opened her mouth and profound analytics and statistics started to spout out. She had a keen and analytical mind, made astonishing linkages about interesting facts she knew, and probably belonged to Mensa.

I asked, “And the two of you?”

Todd blushed, “Think the world of each other and have also formed a relationship.”

“Are either of you or Peter or Brit risking a relationship with a significant other?”

“No. We talked about that,” Carol said. “We just kind of fell into a dinner with them one night after we’d worked late. Well, we got really chummy over dinner, and chummy turned into romantic. We went dancing and that cemented the deal. We ended up in Todd’s hotel room for a night cap and things happened.”

I hadn’t put any expectations or burden on them to form those kinds of relationships within the client. In fact, having met the two of them I thought that they would remain very asexual and at best form some nice friendships that stayed in the work environment. I had that thought, but then looked at my own experiences over the past year, and then at Ginger’s.

I shrugged. “Just keep whatever you’re doing out of the workday and the client offices. This is the voice of experience talking.”

Without much thinking Todd said, “But you’ve actually had some of your clients come to the parties at your house.”

I shot him a glance. “Yes. And how do you know this?”

“I don’t want to get him in trouble, but Dave told me. We kind of talked to them to be sure we were aligned with what was happening with your and Ginger’s thinking. We learned about your open marriage, Stacy, and the outside relationships, in the process.”

“So, you set out to replicate what I was doing?” I teased.

“Oh, no. But we did think as it started to happen that we weren’t exactly forging new ground. We also hoped we wouldn’t get into trouble.”

I quickly said, “You aren’t in trouble, at least as far as I’m concerned.”

Both Carol and Todd visibly relaxed a little.

Sensing that I was just fine with what they were doing, Todd strode forward one more time. “There is a slight problem that we’re hoping you could help us with in regard to Peter and Brit.”

I nodded, “Sure, if I can.”

Todd said, “Oh, you can, but ‘Will you?’ is the question. You see besides Brit there’s also Mindy.”

“Mindy?”

“Mindy. M. I. N. D. Y. Mindy Marlow. She knows about our foursome and she asked me today whether she could sometimes be a party to the sex we’re having. She specifically asked about your availability and said you turned her on and made her wet and horny during the kickoff meeting. I was there; I thought you were just a normal business guy.

“And what is Mindy like? I don’t remember her specifically from our meeting with the managers.”

Carol pulled out her cellphone and punched at the screen for ten seconds. She turned the phone to me, and there in glorious color was a very cute, tanned, hot looking brunette, about thirty, smiling at the camera with a come hither look that included a crooked finger in my direction. “I took this earlier today right after she asked. I told her you’d ask for more information about her.”

“And what is that information?”

Carol said, “I don’t know that much. Mindy is divorced after a three year marriage that apparently was kind of stormy. She has a scar on her neck and I’m guessing that has something to do with her ex. She mentioned that she has a five-year restraining order against him. She’s really into cyber security, too; probably knows more than any ten experts you could gather together, and she’s a whiz about tech problem solving. She’s also athletic. She did a marathon a week or so ago. Overall, though, she’s an important player on the client team. Everyone will do what she says, even the CEO. I think they’re related.”

I commented blandly, “Well, I will look forward to meeting Miss Mindy tomorrow. We shall see where this might go.”

Peter said tentatively, “We’re all going to dinner and dancing tomorrow night – you included.”

I shrugged. “I guess my social secretaries have taken care of my evenings.”

Mindy Marlow was a ball of energy. Why I didn’t remember her as more significant from our kickoff meeting was beyond me, except I suspect she allowed the CEO of KMC to lead things rather than takeover for him when things faltered. Everything she talked about came with a dose of enthusiasm that felt highly contagious.

Our initial meeting dealt with the problems in collecting some of the data for their acquisition targets. I led her to my laptop and in seconds showed her a couple of online databases that held the source data that could be used to impute the necessary market share and financial information. Mindy didn’t take notes; she went back to her office. She showed up an hour later, and commented that other data on the websites I’d showed her allowed even more profound looks into the companies than we’d suspected. She jumped up and down with excitement about the discovery.

By that time, I had also assessed Mindy as a potential sex partner and decided that seemed like a really great idea. She was cute, and I did cute just fine.

I led a progress meeting with the whole client team and us in the afternoon and Mindy spoke in glowing terms about how I’d helped her on the tasks she’d taken on. I didn’t think I’d done that much, but came out of the meeting smelling like jasmine and with increased respect, even by Todd and Carol. Todd gave me a wink and a thumbs up.

After the meeting broke up I helped a couple of others on the task force team with issues they were having, making headway in each case. This was where twenty years of experience in the field we were working in made a difference. I’d been there, done that! I’d starred in and seen the movie. Carol stuck with me and made lots of notes.

We knocked off work at six-thirty. As we were leaving the building Mindy came bouncing up to me with her short hair flying out behind her and carrying a stuffed backpack. “Hi. Can I ride with you?”

I looked over at Todd, who had his car that he and Carol had driven in. I had a rental. He said, “Sure. We’ll meet you at the restaurant at seven thirty. Mindy knows it and can guide you there.”

I said to Mindy, “I was going to take a shower to freshen up, if you don’t mind waiting?”

“Oh, that’s fine. Maybe I can join you.” She grinned. Carol rolled her eyes and then left with Todd.

I didn’t reply but got pensive. I wondered how fast this relationship was going to move. After we’d gone about a mile, Mindy said in rapid clip, “I know from Carol that you’re in an open marriage and I like that. I’d form that kind of relationship when I fall in love with someone. I really resonate with you, and have from the first time we shook hands. It was electric for me. I trust my instincts.”

I teased, “So, you met a guy, trusted your instincts, and now are divorced?”

Mindy laughed. “Touché – you went right for the jugular. Fact is I didn’t trust my instincts. I trusted my lust instead. He was a hunky guy – still is. He turned out to be a misogynist, and then discovered he liked to abuse women – me, in particular.”

“Sorry about that.”

“Not your fault. I’m older and wiser. I apologize if I’m a little too direct. It’s always been one of my faults. I’m outspoken, cut to the chase, drive to the obvious conclusion often skipping the details along the way. Besides I’ve collected a lot of data about you. You’re my kind of guy.”

I laughed, “Just quit talking and give me an orgasm!”

“Ah, now you understand me. I like that about you.”

“Should I be worried about you?”

“Not the least. I promise I won’t stalk you. I have a clean STD test from a month ago and haven’t screwed around since – and not much before either. I’m on birth control but starting to think about taking serious offers to come off of it. I’m not too psycho. I don’t embarrass people, well, too much, anyway. I won’t come on to you at work except to maybe tease a little. Oh, yes, I don’t bite and I do swallow.” She giggled.

I asked, “Can I send a picture of you to my wife? We often share that way.”

“Yes, I suppose so. You wouldn’t put it on the Internet, right?”

“Nope. That’s my daughter’s gig. We don’t compete with her.”

“Huh?”

“Our daughter is a porn star named Jill Janes. She’s pretty open about sex, so she’s also helped us broaden our thinking and horizons.” I felt that would be a good conversation starter.

Mindy frantically pecked away at her phone as we drove. I then heard the tinny but melodious strains of Jillian’s voice from the cellphone’s speakers urging some guy to fuck her brains out with the biggest cock she’s ever seen.

Mindy said, “Wow! She’s cute and really graphic. I wouldn’t mind doing her.”

I chuckled, “You’ll have to visit sometime when she’s home from school or not working. She’s a senior at our local university. You’ll also have to stand in line, although she usually makes herself available to family, friends, and neighbors.”

Mindy gasped but with a smile, “Oh, my God. You’ve fucked your daughter?”

“Under advise of counsel I cite the Fifth Amendment and invoke my right to refuse to answer questions in order to avoid incriminating myself.” I grinned at her.

“You devil. I’ll tell you a few things about me some day, and then maybe you’ll tell me more. I should warn you that I do love to talk about any aspect of sex that you might choose. I love all the who, what, why, where, when, how, and how many stuff.”