Chapter 20: An Ordinary Friday

-- FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2008 (EIGHT DAYS LATER) --

7:00 AM

The alarm clock on my nightstand blared to life, and with a start, I jerked awake.

Cognizant of the sleeping blonde snuggled up against my side, I quickly stretched my arm out and slapped the top of the clock, silencing the infernal, unwanted noise before it could further disturb her slumber. Still, she had been stirred from the peace of blissful unconsciousness, and she whined like a puppy while adjusting her arm around my midsection and squeezing me tight.

I let her cuddle me for another two minutes while I took deep breaths and let my foggy mind gradually come alive. When my conscious mind finally took control of my corporeal body, I took one more deep breath, checked the clock, and then bent down to kiss her crown.

“Sorry,” I muttered softly before swinging my legs out to the side and off the bed.

Adrienne moaned unhappily as I slid away from her, but by now that moan was no longer enough to stop me. The first time she’d moaned unhappily like that had been four days ago on Monday morning. Then, I’d allowed her to whine and whimper until I snuggled back up with her. And then less than fifteen minutes later June had come to knock at my door, scold me for making us late on our first day back in the office, and only then had I hurriedly jumped out of bed to get dressed.

Tuesday, I let her keep me in bed for an extra ten minutes.

Wednesday had been five.

Yesterday had been two.

Today, I ignored her moan completely and sat up. Adrienne followed me to the edge of the mattress, keeping both arms around my waist like she’d become my personal belt. But I unbuckled her hands, stood up, and headed into the bathroom to begin my morning ablutions.

Behind me, I heard her whine, “Tigerrr...”

I paused just long enough to glance back at her. “I love you, but I’ve gotta get to work. Go back to sleep.”

Adrienne pouted without ever opening her eyes and rolled over the other way, immediately curling into a fetal position. I smiled one last time and then continued on my way.

7:15 AM

“Hiii ... Daddy...” BJ greeted me, unprompted, at my approach. Now two months past his second birthday, my son was becoming more and more independent every day.

I knelt down beside him and tousled his hair. “Morning, little man.”

BJ grinned at me, showing off his new teeth. He was up to seventeen now, with two more on the way. But with the morning pleasantries out of the way, he returned his attention back down to his Handy Manny picture book, and I was subsequently ignored.

Kim wasn’t around - I assumed she was still getting ready for school. June, however, was ready for work and sat at the dining table, clad in a no-nonsense business suit. June’s laptop was already open and she was typing away, as she had been doing all week already. Whereas my style of going on vacation was to turn off everything and not think about work until I actually had to walk back through the doors, June had been going online and reviewing emails since the Saturday BEFORE our first day back.

June, engrossed in her screen, did not immediately notice my approach to the dining table. But when I leaned down and my head entered her peripheral vision, she quickly turned and a bright smile lit up her face.

“Good morning, Ben,” she greeted quite warmly and puckered up.

I gave her a quick peck on the lips. She beamed at me in response, and I immediately smiled at the unguarded expression of love and happiness on her face. I was still getting used to that.

“I made breakfast.” June gestured to the kitchen and then returned her attention to the screen, her expression returning to the impassive blankness of a department store mannequin. I’d ceased to exist in her universe, and THAT was something I was a lot more used to.

I scarfed down the simple pork and noodles dish June had set out for me in a bowl, ready to go, alongside a hot mug of green tea. Afterwards, I had ten more minutes to drop onto the floor and play with BJ a little bit. And during that time, Kim arrived downstairs to give me a quick kiss and give BJ a quick tickle and a squealing bear hug. For a little while, the three of us were all cuddling together, and for a brief moment I had not a single other care in the world.

Eventually, June packed up her laptop, shouldered her computer bag, and rapped the tabletop with her knuckles. “Time to go,” she stated matter-of-factly.

I nodded, gave both Kim and BJ quick kisses, and then stood up to grab my own bag and follow June to the front door. We headed outside together, and her fingers automatically slid through mine.

I glanced over at June and found her smiling back at me, that unguarded expression of joy on her face once again. And hand-in-hand, we hit the sidewalk to make the short trek over to the BART station.

Just another ordinary morning in my life.

8:41 AM

“Mmm ... yeahhh...” June sighed in utter rapture as inch after inch of hot penis burrowed into her backdoor channel. Bent over the small conference table, with her business slacks and bikini-cut panties around her ankles, my normally hyper-focused-on-work project partner now surrendered herself completely to pleasure. She turned her cheek to the hard, unyielding wood and spread her arms out to the sides, relaxing as much as possible until my pelvic bone was pressed up snugly against her bare buttcheeks. The usual blank expression she showed to anyone and everyone had been replaced by a deep-rooted smile of satisfaction as she stared back at me, her normally emotionless eyes now blazing with naked lust. And only then did she clench her own asshole around my cock, her way of saying ‘hello’.

I didn’t pause to exhale and enjoy the moment of complete penetration. As soon as I hit full-depth, I retracted almost all the way out and then smoothly pushed all the way back in.

And then I did it again.

And again.

And again.

It didn’t take June’s backdoor channel very long to stretch out to accommodate my thick intruder. In less than a minute I was able to pump my prick back and forth within June’s highly-trafficked heinie hole, pounding my pelvis off her posterior at a rapid pace. She grunted in rhythm as I rode her roughly, really ramming my rod in and out of her ravaged rectum.

She loved it. June had always loved me fucking her hard and fucking her fast, which was really well-suited to these clandestine work-fucks. I pounded her to a clenched-teeth climax in less than four minutes, after which I could REALLY lay down the lumber and go for my own release.

As my ejaculation built, I didn’t bother to ask her “In or out?” anymore. In the beginning, June could perhaps get too worn out by a spectacular orgasm to summon the energy to spin around and swallow my sperm, and she would therefore prefer an internal combustion. But by now she was well-practiced in recovering quickly during these quickie brainstorming sessions, so less than a minute later, I grunted, “Gonna cum” and then promptly pulled out.

June immediately flipped around and sank to her knees, grabbing my ass while wrapping her lips around my pulsing purple prick. Her cheeks caved in while she sucked me with the force of a Dyson vacuum, and I groaned while the contents of my testicles suddenly evacuated themselves through my throbbing prick.

“Oh, DAMN...” I grunted while filling June’s hot little mouth with wave after wave of steaming semen that shot out of my swollen schlong straight out of her own super-tight asshole.

She swallowed every drop like a pro, staring up at me to watch the rapturous ecstasy cross my “Ugly O” face. And after I finished spunking every last drop I had to give – which was quite a lot this morning – she took the time to lovingly lick every last square millimeter of my prick before withdrawing and tucking me back into my pants.

With a sigh, I staggered over to my chair and sat down wearily, feeling far too tired given that it wasn’t even 9am yet. June headed over to her desk, fished a small compact out of her purse, and double-checked herself for stray droplets before spinning around in her seat to look back at me. She made no attempt to get up and unlock the door or open the blinds.

“So that’s eight nights in a row now,” she began without preamble.

“What, jealous? You know she won’t mind if you want to join us.”

June waved me off. “While I admittedly came to appreciate the subtle bliss of waking up wrapped in your arms, I was never going to become the kind of girl who wants to sleep with you every night. So no, I’m not jealous. Just concerned. Concerned for her, but more concerned for how this impacts you.”

“You mean you’re concerned for how this impacts you,” I stated just a little tersely. “Literally the day after you and Eve both declare your love for me and even make a few not-quite-joking comments about becoming my girlfriends, Adrienne came home broken-hearted, moved in with me, and more or less stole your thunder.”

“Eve and I understand the situation. This really isn’t about us; it’s about you.” June frowned. “You’re being testy for no reason and are quite obviously stressed out. It’s not even 9am and that was the fastest you’ve blown your load since ... well ... I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cum faster than you did just now. What was that: three minutes?”

I frowned. “I made you cum first, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did your job.” June shook her head, finishing, “but this isn’t about me.”

“No, it’s about Adrienne. And I’m doing what I can to support her.”

“And I’m doing what I can to support YOU. I did say that if you ever needed a brainstorming session, I’d be happy to bend over and let you plug it into me.”

I frowned and thought back over the past fifteen minutes. “Waitaminute. I thought YOU wanted that brainstorming session. You started purring and licking my ear and rubbing my chest from behind my chair.”

“I did. For you.”

I frowned. “I told you I don’t need pity fucks.”

“Yes you did. And if it makes you feel better, don’t think of that as a pity fuck. I was thrilled to feel your massive cock stretching my tight asshole, and I very much enjoyed my orgasm.”

I narrowed my eyes. “But you started it when you did because you believed I needed it.”

“You DID need it. You’ve been antsy every morning this week. I know Adrienne’s not putting out for you.”

I sighed. “I’m supporting her in ways other than sexual.”

June shook her head disapprovingly. “This isn’t healthy for her. She’s a sexual creature. For her to have gone eight ... no nine days, inclusive ... without having sex, it’s--”

“It’s to be expected,” I finished for her. “She’s heartbroken. She’s not in the mood. I’m not about to press her.”

“I know that. Hence my utter and complete willingness to bend over so you can... ‘press’ ... me before nine in the morning.”

I chuckled and shook my head.

June leaned forward, held her hand next to her mouth, and stage-whispered quite loudly, “This is the part where you say, ‘thank you’. I know. I’ve been studying up on proper timing for polite responses such as these.”

I chuckled and shook my head again before giving her a warm smile. “Thank you, June. Sincerely.”

My puppy-love project partner rather perkily popped out of her chair and came to sit sideways in my lap. “You’re welcome,” she replied just as warmly. And then she kissed me.

But it was just a quick kiss and she soon dismounted my lap and returned to her own chair.

“Seriously, though,” June continued. “How long is Adrienne going to stay in our house?”

I frowned. “Do you feel like she’s imposing or something? I realize that you and Kim should properly each have a one-third say in the matter, but--”

“Don’t misunderstand,” June cut me off brusquely, right back to business. I was getting whiplash from her mood swings. “I am not the kind of person who requires a significant amount of personal space, and she spends nearly all of her time in your room anyway. I’m fine with her staying as long as she needs. It’s just ... has she even LEFT the house since she moved in? Even once?”

I winced. “Well, we went to the apartment last Friday to pack up a bunch of her things while Sasha was at work. But no, she hasn’t left the house other than that.”

June once more shook her head disapprovingly. “I recognize the irony in me passing judgment over Adrienne in regard to anti-social behavior, but even I know this isn’t healthy. Can I give you some advice?”

I snorted. “Do you see the irony in you giving me relationship advice as well?”

“Well this one actually comes from Kim. She said you need to take Adrienne out this weekend. Just go for a drive somewhere, perhaps a pleasant hike.” June suddenly perked up. “Maybe you can bring her to basketball tonight!”

I arched an eyebrow. “You want me to bring a world-famous supermodel known for wearing skimpy lingerie to a public gym full of workout junkie meatheads who are guaranteed to recognize her on sight?”

June shrugged. “I assume she can wear a baggy Cal hoodie and sunglasses.”

“Right. Sunglasses and a hoodie indoors on a Friday night in a gym. Not suspicious at all.”

“I’m sensing sarcasm.”

“You’re sensing correctly.”

June pursed her lips. “Well it’s not like -I- can bring her home with me, and I’m assuming you don’t like the idea of her being alone for long periods of time.”

“I don’t. I mean, she’s home alone right now. She’s not the type to physically hurt herself, but I do worry about her turning back to drugs to drown out her pain. She’s done it before and it’s one reason I really need to be with her as much as I am. For myself, not just for her.”

June nodded. “Kim checks in on her every few hours between classes. Dawn and Summer too.”

I sighed. “Maybe we should skip basketball tonight.”

“You already skipped basketball last Friday to stay with Adrienne. Dawn, Kim, and the twins need quality time with you, too. Even Bert.” June frowned and then snapped her fingers. “Hey, send her to Lynne’s when you drop off BJ for babysitting.”

I waggled my head. “Okay well that one at least makes a little more sense.”

June smiled.

“That’s assuming Adrienne’s willing to let me out of her sight after I get home. She hasn’t been doing a great job of that yet, though, apart from letting me go to work.”

June’s smile faded. “Believe me, I know. Eve would never complain directly to you, but Adrienne put you on lockdown literally the day after she finally found out how incredible sex can be. At least I still get brainstorming sessions.”

“Oh ... right...” I sighed. “Tell Eve I’m sorry.”

“Don’t need to. She gets it. I told you: we both understand the situation. It’s just how things worked out.”

“Still, tell her,” I muttered with a sigh. “As for bringing Adrienne to Lynne’s, it’s worth a shot. Because you’re right. It’s not healthy for her to stay cooped up in the house all day every day. I definitely think we can manage a hike somewhere at least tomorrow. Thank you for being considerate and making the effort to be thoughtful of her.”

June nodded slowly. “Like I said: I’m concerned for her.”

I snorted and shook my head. “If someone had told me a year ago that June Song would be concerned for Adrienne Dennis’s well-being, I’d have told them they were crazy.”

June smirked. “A lot’s changed since last year. I was the Tin Man back then.”

I frowned, not immediately getting the reference. “Tin Man?”

June’s smirk turned into a warm smile, and she crawled into my lap once more. “You gave me a heart.”

And then she kissed me again.

10:30 AM

“Morning, Penny,” I greeted as I pulled out the high-backed leather chair next to the pretty redhead’s.

She glanced up at me, and just like the other half-dozen times we’d seen each other this week, she initially blushed pink in mild embarrassment before collecting herself and fixing me with a prim and proper smile. “Good morning, Ben. Morning, June,” she replied politely.

June nodded succinctly and wordlessly took her seat to my other side. June and I had been called to meet in the Executive Boardroom, a plush conference room with a commanding view of the San Francisco skyline and The Bay beyond, although neither of us had been told precisely what the meeting was about, nor had we even known Penny would be present.

But before I could ask Penny if she had any clue what this was all about, the boardroom door opened and our manager Hye-Kyoung came in, and he wasn’t alone. A statuesque woman with graying blonde hair strutted inside, looking for all the world like Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons. I recognized her immediately as Mila Visser, one of the top executives in the Europe Region. Although I’d met her once or twice in New York, I’d never worked with her directly, but it was hard to forget a face and figure like hers.

June, Penny, and I all stood politely as she came in. Miss Visser gestured for us to be seated, and then she and Hye-Kyoung took chairs directly opposite us. We exchanged pleasant greetings at first, but the woman in charge very quickly got to the point.

“We are all very busy people so I’ll cut to the chase,” she began in a clipped Dutch accent with an almost predatory smile. “Top management is very impressed with how your team executed 4D. These are trying times we’re in, and between the SEC sanctions and Mr. Kwong momentarily sidelined, it is successes like 4D that will help the company not only survive, but thrive. You all did an excellent job.”

The three of us nodded, but I also spoke up by saying, “Thank you for the praise, Miss Visser, but 4D was Dalton Alistair’s brainchild. He truly deserves the lion’s share of the credit.”

Miss Visser’s eyes twinkled for a moment. “I am well aware of Dalton’s role in the project. He has ... many ... skills, and has been on my radar for some time.”

She’s totally banged him. It’s so obvious.

Not now, dude.

“In fact,” the older woman continued without batting an eyelash, “It was Dalton’s glowing recommendation of the three of you this week that is the reason I am meeting with you today. I have already spoken with your management, and as of this moment, all three of you are being reassigned to a new project coded ‘Strawberry’.”

I’ll remind the gentle reader that roughly a quarter of our projects went by code names because they were of the hostile takeover type, situations where for operational security we wouldn’t want the target company to ever get wind that they were being targeted.

Penny blinked and couldn’t help muttering in confusion, “Strawberry?”

Miss Visser shrugged. “Would you be able to guess what the project is about?”

“Uh, no ma’am.” Penny blushed and shut up.

“This is where I take my leave of you.” Hye-Kyoung pushed his chair back and prepared to stand. “I want to thank all three of you for being excellent, hard-working employees.”

“Thanking us?” I frowned and looked at Miss Visser. “Will Hye-Kyoung no longer be our managing director?”

“No longer necessary,” the older woman replied. “Your team will be reporting directly to me.”

That popped my eyes open in surprise. I already mentioned before that projects with code names had such names for operational security. They also tended to be very high-profile, in the sense that such projects were typically subject to increased visibility from executive management. And the mere notion that Miss Visser had flown out from New York just to meet us seemed very high-profile indeed. And now she was telling us we’d be reporting directly to her?

That notion also seemed quite incompatible with our comparatively lowly status. I mean yes, June and I now merited a coveted corner office, but we were still mere Senior Analysts who had been with the company for only two-and-a-half years. Penny was still a regular Analyst. And an AVP like Miss Visser did not have lowly Analysts – Senior or otherwise - reporting directly to her.

So now my eyes narrowed, and catching my scrutinizing gaze, the beautiful but imperious woman folded her arms and leaned forward to brace her elbows on the large conference table. The position revealed a two-inch line of pressed cleavage exposed above her unbuttoned blouse, although I kept my gaze on her face. She gave me an arch look and asked, “A question?”

“Observations, actually,” I clarified. “Two of them.”

“I would expect no less of one of our top analysts.”

“First, you stated it would ‘no longer be necessary’ for Hye-Kyoung to be our managing director. Second, nowhere else in the company’s Org Chart does an AVP have direct reports who are Analyst-level.”

Miss Visser’s eyes twinkled again. “Correct statements. What conclusion do you therefore draw?”

I popped my eyebrows. “A promotion would seem to be in order.”

“Indeed. Yours.” Unfolding her arms, Miss Visser extended her right hand across the table to me. “Congratulations, Benjamin.”

“Project Manager,” Hye-Kyoung confirmed. “With a team of two direct reports, for now. No points for guessing which two.”

I chuckled and tried to not look surprised. I shook Miss Visser’s proffered hand, and then Hye-Kyoung’s, before glancing back at both June and Penny to either side of me. June gave me an unguarded look of pride and happiness. Penny looked ... shocked ... for lack of a better term. But I quickly returned my attention forward. “Thank you,” I stated graciously. “Thank you very much. But I do have one more question.”

Miss Visser smiled affably and nodded.

“I am grateful for the opportunity, but I’d still like to better understand the situation. Quite frankly, you’re not from the APAC Region, and yet you’re bringing the three of us into your Org Tree. While I can certainly vouch for the team’s analytical expertise, I humbly submit that we don’t have much experience in the European market.”

“Oh, you won’t need it in this case,” Miss Visser explained. “Strawberry is an exceptionally complicated project with many moving parts. Strawberry is a global corporation, with a significant presence in nearly every market across the world. Their headquarters are in Germany, but I have four teams working on this: one for Europe, one for the Americas, one for the Middle East, and your team for Asia.”

“Ah.” I found that June, Penny, and I were all now nodding our heads in understanding. “Will we be meeting up with the other teams?”

“Not until after the New Year,” Miss Visser explained. “We are still in preliminary stages, gathering data. I understood 4D was on an extremely accelerated track. Strawberry will be the opposite. I anticipate that we likely won’t close until this time next year.”

“Wow...” Penny couldn’t help but remark. Waiting a full year to close was unheard of, especially for a hostile takeover. There was just too much opportunity for the secret to get out.

“This time, I will actually leave you.” Hye-Kyoung stood up from his chair and gave us a short nod.

I stood up first, and then Penny, and finally June. The three of us all shook hands with our now-former managing director, and then he left the room. By the time he was gone, Miss Visser had pulled out her laptop and hooked it into the built-in projector cable. A title slide in the JKE company template was on the screen, blank except for a single word: Strawberry.

Miss Visser smiled and said, “Let’s get started.”

12:20 PM

Despite the fact that I no longer lived here, I still had my keys and access card to the apartment building, so it was an easy matter for me to breeze through the security gate and head up the elevator to the 35th floor without being stopped. Likewise, I was able to fit my key into the door and go right in, although I rapped my knuckles against the wood while entering just to be polite.

“You’re late,” Sasha complained as I came into the living room, waggling her iPhone at me as she stood up. “I gotta get back to work soon.”

“I know, I know. It couldn’t be helped,” I apologized with both hands up.

“I get it. Congratulations on the promotion, by the way,” Sasha smiled while tugging the spaghetti straps of her camisole down her arms and then tucking the fabric of the hunter green material beneath her black bra. She also hiked up her business skirt to her waist and then reached underneath to yank down on her matching black panties before stepping out of them. By leaving the rest of her clothes on, Sasha wordlessly told me this was gonna be a quick and dirty one, all the better to get back to work in a hurry after our nooner.

“Thanks,” I replied, unbuckling my belt and then my slacks as well. I’d kicked out of my shoes by the doorway and started to step out of my pants, but at the rate Sasha was going, I was pretty sure I’d never get my shirt off. At least I’d loosened my tie.

Speaking of my tie, Sasha latched onto it with her right hand and pulled, tugging me into her for a fierce kiss, while her left arm went around the back of my head. At the same time, I grabbed onto her upper arms and held her close, both of us groaning as the instant chemical rush of lust and love surged through both our bodies. Whatever else might be going on between Adrienne and Sasha right now, my attraction to the busty brunette hadn’t waned a bit, and the feeling was mutual. Plus, we had both been reassured that Adrienne didn’t want us to stop hooking up on her account. Although the two of them had hit “pause” on their romantic relationship, we both knew Adrienne truly did love us and value our happiness. And for us to keep ourselves separated for her sake would only cause her even more anguish than she already felt.

We had come together midway between the front door and the living room. I started to walk Sasha backwards so we could at least make it onto the couch, as getting into a proper bedroom seemed like it would take too much time today. But Sasha was even more impatient than that, finally letting go of my tie long enough to reach down between us and start stroking my dick. I was already half-hard, but that wasn’t good enough for her. So Sasha suddenly squatted straight down and my amazingly awesome Armenian lover immediately crammed my growing cock into her mouth. She took every inch straight into her throat and sealed her lips around the very base of my shaft, the sort of “training wheels” blowjob that June had first accomplished a couple of times. But as my dick elongated and Sasha worked her throat muscles to get my cock to concrete hardness as fast as possible, she proved that her deep-throating abilities were no fluke as she started to fuck her face on my turgid tool.

Apparently satisfied with the rigidity of my rampant rod, Sasha stood back up and sealed her lips over mine again, moaning in obvious heat. I grabbed her bare-naked buttcheeks and felt moistness on my fingertips. I knew she was ready to go, and so shifting my grip down to the backs of her thighs, I prepared to hoist her up.

Sasha was on the same wavelength, and she bent her knees to jump into my arms while I pulled. Timing was everything, but I clenched my biceps to keep her aloft long enough for my questing hips to get my upright erection centered in the right spot. And as I at last felt my mushroom head notch into her familiar folds, I relaxed my arms and let gravity do the rest.

“Uuuunnnngggghhhh...” Sasha groaned as she dropped down, impaling herself on eight inches of man meat. She crossed her ankles behind my ass and hung onto my neck like a Koala bear in a Eucalyptus tree, and then set her forehead down atop my right shoulder while gently gyrating herself against me.

Sasha was not a small girl by any means, but we’d practiced this position enough for me to know how to handle her. Her dancer’s muscles and experience supporting herself from various trapezes and aerial rings certainly helped. And even now, I regretted never actually getting such a device installed here in the apartment. No matter, I walked around the living room a bit, letting the motion help bounce her body up and down my prick. I snickered to myself at the situation, me still with my shirt and tie on although bottomless below the waist, and Sasha still with her shirt, bra, and skirt. It occurred to me that June and I had never tried this position in the office, although she might not have the arm strength to pull it off.

In any case, Sasha started nibbling on my neck while I continued to walk around and fuck her. But as much fun as it was to be in this position, I knew we didn’t have a whole lot of time to waste. By now we happened to be close to the kitchen, so I moved over a few feet and set her ass down atop the kitchen counter right next to the living room barstools. And after pausing for a moment to catch my breath, I set my right foot atop the nearest barstool’s footrest for leverage and started to steadily pump myself in and out of her.