Chapter 3: An Unexpected Romance

Bill and Jennifer

Bill Winters and Jennifer Carrington met the following Wednesday at 10 am in an executive suite at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Pittsburg. Jennifer was dressed casually. She looked very much the engineering student that she was. Bill was wearing a dark suit that screamed accountant. They shook hands.

“Jennifer,” Bill said, “Thank you for coming. I have a lot to go over with you. Don’t hesitate to interrupt or ask questions at any time.”

Jennifer nodded. “Please call me Jen.” She slipped into the chair beside Bill. She patted his hand. “I am so grateful that you guys are doing this for me.”

Bill opened his briefcase and pulled out a small box. “This is your iPhone. Emerson will pay for it and your monthly charges until you get established with Ford. We have already activated it. My work and home numbers are preprogrammed so that you can call me at anytime. I have also written down John, Ed and Joan’s number so you can add them to your contacts list if you wish. The instructions are in the box. Please, keep the phone with you at all times. It doesn’t look like much, but this is the future of communications.”

“The next item is numbered bank account in the Cayman Islands in which we deposited $430,000.” Bill handed Jen a piece of paper with the internet site for the bank, instructions on how to access the account and how to change the password. “You should change the password as soon as possible. Don’t pick something obvious. Then store the password in a safety box or other secure location. If you forget the password, neither you nor anyone else will ever be able to access that money.”

“Later, I will go over how to transfer money out of that account without triggering a report to the IRS. The important thing to remember is that it is easier to spend money outside the U.S.”

“Next, we deposited $8475.53 in your checking account here in Pittsburg. We also opened a checking account in the same amount at a St. Paul bank. You need to fill in and return this signature card to activate your access that account.”

“Transaction over $10,000 must be reported to the IRS. So, don’t do that unless the transaction can be supported with a legitimate source. I don’t need to state the obvious, but I will. Your prize money and most foreign source income doesn’t provide that support.”

“Bill,” Jen interjected, “Is it too early to get a drink? I need one. And, I need a few minutes to digest all this.”

Bill opened the mini bar. “What would you like?”

“Scotch.”

“Got it. I’ll have one too.”

They sat quietly sipping the whiskey. Jen fiddled with the iPhone instructions.

Finally Jen almost whispered, “I never thought of the consequences. I just wanted an easy way out of my student debt. Now, I have prostituted myself, watched a man’s sexual obsessions drive him to suicide, and have all this money that I don’t seem to be able to use to pay off the student debt that started this whole mess.”

Bill hugged her to him. “We are also coming to grips with what we have done. I believe that we both intended to solve a financial problem and do a good thing as well. We launched the business without enough thought. Now, we need a midcourse correction to right the ship. Steve will find a way for us. You are blameless.”

They parted. Jen walked to the mini bar. “Another Bill?”

“Sure, why not?”

The rest of the morning passed quickly. At noon, Bill declared that it was time for a lunch break. He asked Jen if she wanted room service or would prefer to eat in the hotel restaurant.

She demurred. “I can’t stay any longer. I have classes all afternoon that I can’t miss.” she said as she gathered up her new possessions and headed toward the door. “We can reconvene tomorrow morning if that is all right with you Bill.”

“I am afraid that I have other commitments. So, we will need to find some time next week. Would next Wednesday at 10 work?”

Jen turned. She smiled broadly and stepped back to Bill. She pulled him to her and kissed him on the mouth. “Thank you, Bill. That will work. But, I really must leave.”

Bill blushed all shades of red. “Jen, I am having dinner with some friends tonight. Would you join us?”

“Of course,” she said.

“Great! I will pick you up at 7:30. Its casual. So, you don’t have to dress up.”

After Jen left, Bill sat down and sighed. What the hell was he thinking. He was 16 years older than her. She was vulnerable. He didn’t want to take advantage. Yet, he really liked her. There was a yearning in his groin for the first time since his wife had died in a car accident two years earlier.

Damn!!!

Jen couldn’t stop smiling on the return trip to school. Bill was hot. He was kind. He acted like a 17 year old around her. She liked the feelings she had when he was near. She wondered if he was married.

Oh Shit!

A Visit with Stan and Mary

Promptly at 7:30, Bill arrived at Carnegie-Mellon. The suit was gone. He was dressed in jeans, dockers, and collared mauve shirt.

Jen wore a floral skirt, a white sleeveless blouse, and brown flats. Her first thought when she saw Bill was: “Who would ever buy that shirt?” She began to think that, maybe just maybe, he wasn’t married after all.

After a brief kiss that drew the attention of almost everyone in the dorm lobby, they took a taxi to Stan and Mary Hearst’s home in suburban Pittsburg. Neither spoke during the ride.

Mary opened the door. She hugged Bill like the long lost friend that he was. “And, who is this vision of loveliness?” she asked.

Bill introduced Jen as a client with whom he was working. “Well, the quality of your clients is improving.” Mary said.

“Stan, Bill is here and he brought a client with him. Come, talk to them while I set another plate at the table.”

“You didn’t tell them that I was coming?” asked a clearly stunned Jennifer.

Bill blushed. “Stan and Mary are my best friends. I didn’t think. I’m sorry.”

Just then, Stan entered. He gave Bill a big bear hug. He just as fiercely hugged Jennifer.

“Wow. Bill. Robbing the cradle, are you!” he laughed affectionately. “Come in! Come in! Both of you. God, it is so good to see Bill with a woman.”

He laughed again at Jen’s puzzled look. “No, Bill isn’t into men. Well, at least, he isn’t into me.” Stan laughed again.

“Seriously, since Mandy died, Bill has been in the dumps.”

Bill glared at Stan. She is a client, Stan.”

Jen wanted badly to ask who was Mandy, but decided to wait until she was alone with Bill.

Stan pulled the couple into the living room where he passed out large cocktail glasses filled with martinis. “I hope you like martinis, Jen. I also have some wine and single malt scotch if you prefer that.”

“Martinis are fine.” Jen gulped it down. By the time her glass hit the table, Stan had refilled it.

Mary reentered the room. “I hope Stan hasn’t got his foot too far down his throat while I was away.”

Jen smiled wanly. Bill laughed. “No. Just the usual. I’ll probably never see Jen again after tonight.” he added ruefully.

Mary turned to Jennifer. “Don’t pay Stan any attention. He makes that bull in the china shop look like a veritable ballerina. He means well. Beneath the oaf is a man that I love more than life. So Stan, shut up and turn the interrogation over to me, honey.”

“Whoa, guys. Be nice.” Bill pleaded.

Jen finished her second martini. She looked longingly at the bar. Stan followed her gaze. He jumped up and refilled her glass.

“If you get her drunk, she sleeps here.”Bill warned.

“We have a very big bed, Bill.” Mary replied.

‘Don’t go there,” Bill growled.

“Mmmmm. I might like that.” Interjected Jen.

Stan changed the subject. He regaled Jen with stories about his college days with Bill. Mary even added a few salacious tidbits of her own.

Jen relaxed. She fell into the conversation as if Stan and Mary had been her friends for life. She even told a few stories of her own. She was pleasantly buzzed by the time dinner was served.

At the table, she ran her hand up and down Bill’s thigh until he told her to stop or he would cum right there. But, his hand remained firmly pressed against Jen’s pussy. Stan and Mary didn’t make any effort to hide their pleasure at the goings on across the table. Jen blushed. She tightened her thighs to prevent Bill from moving his hand.

The taxi ride back to Carnegie-Mellon was nothing more than a teenage make-out session in the back seat. They were oblivious until the driver discreetly coughed and announced that they would arrive at their destination in three minutes.

Bill straightened up and removed two fingers from Jen’s pussy. She, however, continued to vigorously stroke his cock that she had removed from his pants almost as soon as they entered the taxi.

Jen leaned forward and whispered, “Let’s skip the dorm and go to your hotel room.”

Bill snapped out of his swoon when Jen began to lower her head to his lap. He pulled her up. “No, Jen. We are drunk. I don’t want to do anything with you until we are both sober. I really like you. I don’t want a one night stand. I want to know if we can have a real relationship. We can’t do that if start out drunk.”

Jen reluctantly sat up and pushed his cock back into his pants. “You’re right. I really like you too. I don’t want to screw this up before we even get started.” she sighed.

Their clothes were rearranged by the time they arrived at Jen’s dorm. Seeing the huge tent in Bill’s pants, she told him to stay in the taxi. She said that she would call him in the morning. She quickly kissed him good-bye. He started to say, “That’s my line,” but she was already gone.

Back at the Fairmont, Bill paid the taxi fee and added a generous tip. He more or less staggered to his room. He took a steaming shower and jerked off to dreams of a naked Jen.

The following Tuesday, Jennifer called Bill to cancel the Wednesday meeting.

Jennifer and Joan

Jennifer woke with a pounding headache the morning after her dinner date with Bill. It was 10:30. She tried to reconstruct the events of the previous night. She groaned and went back to sleep.

“Oh God,” she mumbled to herself. “What a perfect slut I am. Bill will never want to see me again.” She slammed her pillow over her head in an attempt to shut out the flooding memories. It didn’t work. She crawled out of her bed to get some aspirin.

By the time she felt well enough to call Bill, it was 3:30 pm. The hotel clerk told her that Bill had checked out around noon. She called his office number in Philadelphia to reconfirm Wednesday’s meeting. Bill’s secretary informed her that he had not yet returned from Pittsburg. She promised to relay the message.

Jen reread her iPhone instructions. She decided to add Joan and Ed to her contacts list. She hesitated over including John Emerson. He intimidated her. She completed and mailed her signature card for the St. Paul bank.

The Cayman bank was more difficult. After navigating several confusing screens, she accessed her account and changed the password. Her account indeed showed a balance of $430,000. Her own checking account had grown $8,475.33 overnight. At least, she wasn’t dreaming about the money.

But, what about Bill. She fervently hoped that she hadn’t lost him. How could she feel this way about someone who she had known for only one day. It was unreal.

She decided that she would search the internet to find out about Mandy. Her search skills sucked. So, she gave up. She thought to ask Joan, but decided that if she was ever to resurrect her relationship with Bill, he would have to tell her.

That night, she dreamed of Bill. Her pussy never stopped tingling. Her breasts ached. Every time she moved in bed, the sheets scratched agonized nipples. She wanted him desperately. She imagined his cock plowing her to orgasm after orgasm. When she woke the next morning, her sheets were soaked with sweat. Her pjs were saturated with the aroma of sexual secretions. She threw them in the dirty clothes hamper and headed to the showers.

Classes were a blank that day.

On Monday, her world came crashing down. The Ford recruiter called to tell her that the job offer had been withdrawn. He was very sorry, but refused to explain what had changed. Jen feared the worst. She was certain that word of her relationship with Lou had leaked.

She called Joan in a panic. Joan assured her that no one at Ford Motors knew anything about Emerson Services or what Jennifer had done with Lou Ventana. She promised to see if she could find out what happened to the job offer. She ended the conversation by once again reassuring Jennifer and reminding her that she had an open offer at Emerson.

Joan called Steve Amundson next. “Is anything going on at Ford or its St. Paul plant?” she inquired.

Steve replied that there were rumors of plant closings. NAFTA was causing more realignments in auto manufacturing throughout North America. He said that he would check further and get back to her. He didn’t have to ask what prompted her interest.

John Emerson had also heard rumors about layoffs and moving automobile manufacturing to Mexico and Canada. He wasn’t surprised when Steve dropped by to get his insight. John volunteered to call one of his close friends who was an executive vice-president at Ford.

John reported back that the executive was evasive. He complained about the high costs of assembly in the United States and even pointed to the St. Paul plant as one of the more expensive to operate. He did confirm that many job offers to graduating engineers had been rescinded. Steve’s own sources indicated that the St. Paul plant would be shut down by the end of the year. Layoffs were expected through mid-management. Even if Jennifer had reported to work after graduation, she would have been unemployed by December.

The information was relayed back to Joan. Steve felt that Jen’s recruiter had done her a huge favor in letting her know early. At least, she had the opportunity to find other work before she graduated. Joan didn’t think that Jen would be all that grateful.

Jennifer, however, was relieved to learn the true reason why Ford had reneged. She asked Joan if her job offer was still open. Joan said yes. The two agreed to meet in Philadelphia the following weekend to see if an agreement could be reached. Jen doubted that she had the necessary skills.

With her job opportunities uncertain, she called Bill’s office and cancelled the Wednesday meeting.

Saturday morning, a taxi dropped Jennifer in front of the Emerson Management Consulting building, located in a small office complex in suburban Philadelphia. The parking lot was empty except for two cars. She wondered if she had mixed up the date and time for her meeting with Joan Thompson.

Looking through the glass doors into the lobby, Jen spied Joan waiting for her. Joan waived when she saw Jen. She unlocked the entry door and ushered Jennifer into the lobby.

After quick hug and some air kisses, Joan said, “I picked Saturday because nobody works here on weekends. We have the whole building to ourselves. I want you to be completely comfortable. We will be meeting in the conference room on the third floor. At first, you will meet only with me and Emily Mills. She was our first prize and helped devise the auction concept. If all goes well, Steve Amundson will join us for lunch and outline some of our strategic planning.

Arm in arm, the two ladies rode the elevator to the third floor. Standing in the glass conference room across for the elevator doors, stood a gorgeous auburn haired beauty dressed in a black sheath and 4 inch silver heels.

She came out and extended her hand to Jennifer. “Hi, I’m Emily Mills. Joan has raved about your beauty and courage. I couldn’t wait to meet you.” Jennifer instinctively pulled Emily to her and kissed her on the cheek.

“I was auctioned off a little over three years ago in the very first Emerson Services event. Joan asked me to share my experiences with you and to urge you to join the Emerson Services family.” Emily continued.

“Slow down, Emily.” Joan said. “There is coffee, bottled water, and pastries on the credenza. Let’s get something and sit at the conference table. We have all morning to sell Jennifer.”

After they were seated, Jennifer said. “That is some outfit Emily. It is smoking hot. Do you wear it often?”

“Joan gave it to me. It is very special to me. I only wear it for the most important occasions. And, I think that this is one of them. But if it is too much, I can always take it off.” Emily answered wickedly.

“Maybe later.” Jen replied with an equally wicked smile.

“Ladies,” Joan interjected, “We are here for business. Please.”

The three women talked for hours about improving the experience of the girls and the men who paid for their services. Joan wanted Jennifer to learn both the good and bad experiences of the girls who were willing to share. She also wanted to get suggestions for future auctions. Emily pointed out that the men also should be asked what went right and what went wrong for them.