Chapter 88: My New Security Chief and the Mall

Monday, June 7, 1971

“I didn’t think I’d ever get rid of that newspaper man!” Catherine said. “I never should have invited him in! But I was afraid he would trap you coming back from lunch.”

We were in the limo, headed to a mall near Newark, to meet the girls.

“I never thanked you for getting us past the paparazzi,” I said to Penny.

“You’re welcome. But you’ve got to promise me that you won’t run off and not tell me you’re leaving like that. I was waiting to go with you to the office this morning. And when I found out you had left without me, I got very worried,” Penny said.

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t think,” I apologized.

“But when I finally got there, and you were gone, and nobody knew where you went ... well ... I guess I really started to panic, then. I was so worried that something had happened to you!”

I’m sorry. I guess you’ll be glad when this babysitting assignment is over?” I said, more as a statement, than a question.

“Well, not really,” Penny sighed.

Catherine raised her head from the paperwork she had in her lap, and cocked one eyebrow.

“Okay, Agent Lane, what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” I asked her.

“It’s just that ... well ... I mean ... I don’t want it to end!” she finished in a rush.

“Go on,” I told her.

“When I joined the FBI, I had hopes of attending the academy, and becoming a ‘Special Agent’, you know, like the guys. Instead, they sent us to training classes that were all female, and probably harder than the guys’ classes. But no matter how well we did, we could never get posted to become special agents. They kept telling us that when Hoover retired, then we could get posted. In the meantime, we were used as ‘bait’, or in undercover roles calling for couples, or where men might stand out,” Penny explained.

“Such as a nurse?” I asked.

“Exactly! When they first approached me in college, I thought it was because they were finally hiring women as special agents. I soon found out that nurse was the second most common undercover role, behind fake wife. They wanted my nursing skills, and my boobs, but they didn’t want to recognize my other skills or training. Every assignment I’ve gotten is because I’m female, or a nurse, or both! And I’m tired of it. I mean they won’t even let us wear pants in the office. Skirts or dresses only. It’s not fair!” she cried.

Of course, this punched Catherine’s buttons big-time! She hated inequality, especially sexist inequality.

“Are you saying you would consider working for us?” Catherine asked.

“Oh. Absolutely! However, you need to know it’s not actually ‘Agent’ Lane,” Penny continued, “although they allow us to use that designation when we’re on an assignment. But, I’m not a ‘special agent’. I don’t have an 1811 designation,” she said sadly. (Note: FBI Special Agents used to be designated general service series 1811/Criminal Investigators).

“Miss Lane, I have known your status since the day after you revealed yourself at the hospital. I pay very well for information concerning those who are protecting my family, and I generally get what I pay for. My offer of employment was made in good faith and the clear understanding of what your credentials are. However, having observed your performance these last two weeks, and Michael’s judgment of you, I believe we are getting more for our money than I originally thought. My offer stands,” Catherine said.

“You knew? And you still want me?” Penny asked incredulously.

“I believe that’s what I said. What kind of notice do you have to give?” Catherine asked her.

“Ah ... two weeks, I think,” she replied.

“Good! Your current assignment is supposed to end on Michael’s completion of his assignment in Houston and his subsequent return which will probably be on the twenty-fourth. Can you start on June twenty-fifth?” Catherine asked.

“I’ll probably have to go through debriefing for a day. Could we say the twenty-sixth?” Penny asked in return.

“Done!” said Catherine quickly. “You will start on the twenty-sixth. Your title will be Michael’s Chief of Security, with the compensation package we discussed. I’ll have it drawn up and sent to the ranch before you arrive there.”

“I can’t believe it! That’s more than the top agents make!” she squealed in delight.

“Congratulations, Miss Lane. And welcome aboard. Just so you know, I’ve hired Kip as well. He will be coming onboard on the twenty-ninth, and will be reporting to you,” I said.

“Oh!” she said as concern filled her mind.

“What’s wrong Miss Lane?” Catherine asked.

“Well, it’s ... it’s just that Kevin ... Kip, I mean. Well, we ... sorta spent the night together Saturday night, and I...” she stammered.

“Penny,” I said. “Saturday night, neither of you worked for me. For the next two weeks, neither of you will be on my payroll either. So you both have two weeks to decide where this relationship is going. If you decide that it may go somewhere, and you wish to continue it while you are working for me ... well, I have no problem with that, since it started prior to your employment. If it interferes with the performance of your duties, then we’ll talk about it. Until that time, I wouldn’t worry about it,” I said smiling.

“It’s hard to believe you are only sixteen, sometimes,” she said. “Thank you. I think you’ve given me more than I could possibly have dreamed of.”

“Ah ... thanks, I guess,” I said shrugging my shoulders in typical teen fashion.

“I need to remember that I still need to act sixteen sometimes,” I thought to myself.

“My bedroom is always available for you to practice in!” Catherine said mischievously.

“Just remember Penny, we’ll be going back to the ranch next week,” I said.

“Okay. I should get the rest of your itinerary too. And we need to discuss your other plans and I need to start on security for your new home in Tennessee. You are going to be living...”

Penny’s verbal checklist stopped in mid-sentence as the implications of what I had said finally hit home.

“The ranch. The nude ranch ... I had forgotten. I guess I’d better inform Kip right away,” her voice took on an ethereal quality as her eyes became unfocused. I didn’t bother to scan. I was aware of how uncomfortable she had been last week. She’d have to make up her mind, on her own.

“Michael?” Catherine thought to me.

“Yes?” I replied.

“She hasn’t ... overheard you, has she?”

“Not yet!” I replied teasing Catherine.

“Oh, Michael. What am I going to do with you?” she said, faking exasperation.

“What am I going to do without you, for the next two weeks?” I asked in return.

Catherine smiled.

“I feel like the first time I went away to summer camp,” I thought to her. “I’m almost ready to start crying and beg to stay with you!”

The limo pulled into the parking lot of the new mall, stopping beside the coach that would take us to the rail yard.

“Miss Lane, would you give us a moment?” Catherine asked.

“Certainly,” she replied, stepping out of the limo and closing the door.

When we were alone, I leaned over and kissed her, gently. Catherine wrapped her hand behind my head and pulled me into a searing kiss.

Finally, she let me go, pulling away slightly.

“I’ll miss you,” she said softly. “Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah. Jeannie gave me my credit cards, and I still have almost all the cash you gave me,” I replied.

“That’s not what I meant. I was talking about Adriana. I could feel you almost the entire time you were gone,” she told me.

“Sorry. I don’t know what to do about that,” I grinned sheepishly.

“Oh, it wasn’t that,” she said. “It’s just that I recognized those feelings. And they reminded me of how you felt about Grace ... or me.”

“And Nicky. And Anna. And all the rest. Just remember, regardless of how I feel, she has to decide for herself. On her own,” I told Catherine. “But to tell you the truth, I hope she does.”

“I know. I could feel that too. I guess I’m worried about you getting hurt again,” she said.

“Don’t. You’re just wasting energy. Getting hurt doesn’t kill you. I know. I lived my whole first life, being hurt like that all the time!”

“I’m sorry, Michael. I know it was painful.”

“But you know what, when I was with Adriana today, I actually felt the power running through me. I’ve never felt it like that before,” I told her, changing the subject away from my depressing previous life.

“That must be why I could feel you from so far away,” she replied.

“The girls felt you and me from even further away, Saturday!” I reminded her.

Catherine blushed.

“Look, don’t worry. It will all work out!” I said.

She was silent for a long moment. Finally she told me, “Take care of Nicky and the others. Be sure you watch after Penny, until she gets her feet on the ground.”

“Where should we start looking for them?” Penny asked as we entered the cool air of the mall.

That was one of the attractions of this relatively new (for 1971) concept in marketing. Gather a bunch of stores in one place, and make it easy to get from one to the other, without going out in the weather.

“If you’re referring to my wives and my cousins,” I replied, “my evil sister and her magical, redheaded witch are holding them hostage in the shoe department at Nordstrom’s.”

Of course, I could hear the giggles in the background. Vickie had found me while I was still in the limo with Catherine.

“And you, Mr. Wagner, are amazing!” Penny said. “I wish I could do that.”

“Witch? What do you mean, witch! I’ll witch you, you...” Vickie’s threat dissolved into giggles, as she relayed what I’d said about her.

“Thank you, Miss Lane,” I said. “I also smell a sinister trap. My evil twin sister undoubtedly wants to get her diabolical hands on my allowance again! So I suggest we wait them out. And we’ll do it ... right ... here!” I told her, stopping suddenly.

Penny looked around, and smiled.

“So ... you want to wait them out, huh?” she asked for the sake of confirmation. “Right here?”

“Uh huh,” I said grinning at my soon-to-be ‘Chief of Security’.

“You mean, you want to wait them out, right here? Outside the sexiest, most expensive, lingerie store on the east coast?” she asked with a sly grin.

I honestly didn’t know if Vickie had got to her, or not. I didn’t bother to check. But it made sense. And therefore, she was letting them know exactly where we were.

“Well, not exactly outside. I figure it would be safer for me, to be inside the store, than to be standing out here in the open, where it would be harder for my NEW Chief of Security to protect me.”

“Ah ... but you can’t just go and stand around inside a women’s lingerie store. They’d probably have you arrested!” she replied, before realizing...

“I guess my NEW Chief of Security will just have to do whatever it takes to protect me. Even if it means trying on some of those super skimpy panties for me! What are they called? Thongs?” I asked as I went through the door.

Yep! I was right. The girls were all connected through Vickie, not to me, but to Penny. And they were laughing at my antics, as they rushed to finish what they were doing, to come join us.

Meanwhile, Penny really had a dilemma.

She thought I was teasing, but she wasn’t totally sure. And she had just accepted a position at a pay rate that was almost four times what she made now. So she knew she must follow me into the store. However, did I really expect her to try on skimpy underwear? And if so, how could she do it without letting me out of her sight? Especially since she was the only one available to guard me? The answer began to dawn on her, and she was not thrilled.

“C’mon! Let’s go in. You can model for me, and I’ll make you a deal. When you model it for me, if YOU like it, I’ll buy it for you! Okay?”

Penny wasn’t real happy, but the other girls were all going crazy in her head, shouting for her to try on everything, and do it quick. Anna actually told her to stall, until she could get there, because she wanted new lingerie too!

I walked straight to the first person I saw with a name tag.

“Hi, Helen,” I said, reading the name on the name tag. “Are you the manager?”

“I’m the Assistant Manager. The manager is off on Mondays. Can I help you?” she asked.

“My girlfriend is shy about modeling in front of strangers, so I’d like to rent your store for an hour or so,” I told her.

“I don’t know ... that’s not something I can ordinarily authorize,” Helen said hesitantly.

“Helen, I would imagine that a Monday afternoon is one of your slowest times,” I said. I could see her nodding her head in agreement, even though she said nothing.

“What’s your busiest? Saturday, maybe?” I asked.

Again, she nodded without speaking.

Drawing out my credit card, I offered it to her.

“Why don’t you call and get authorization for an amount equal to your last Saturday’s sales. Then, if everything is satisfactory, you can close up for an hour while my girlfriend models for me. You’re welcome to stay, of course, and ring up everything we buy.”

Taking the card, she said with a big smile, “I’ll be right back!”

She called the bank first, then immediately called the store manager.

“No, Margaret, there are no other customers in the store right now, it’s dead,” she said into the phone.

She listened to the voice on the other end.

“No, it’s just Cathy and me,” she told her manager. “He says it’s for an hour or so, and guarantees receipts equal to Saturday’s!” she said excitedly.

“I did! The card is a Gold Card, and they authorized anything up to twenty,” she said.

“No! Thousand. Up to twenty thousand!” she was almost beside herself with excitement.

“The name on the card is Wagner. I think he’s the guy from the papers, yesterday. You know, the kid with the two Princesses!”

“No. It’s only one girl. And she’s a lot older than he is. I’d say late twenty’s...”

“Well, I’m going to do it. They seem nice, and the only thing I’ve sold all day was some stuff off the sales table!” she said.

“Okay. I will,” she replied, hanging up the phone.

She kept my card in her pocket and went straight to the large double entrance doors, locking them and hanging up an ‘Out-to-Lunch’ sign.

“Mall regulations don’t like it when we close during business hours, but they usually don’t say too much if we take a lunch break on slow afternoons,” Helen explained.

“Now, is there something particular the young lady has in mind?” Helen asked me, while she cast an appraising eye over Penny.

“Helen, this is FBI Agent Penny Lane. I just hired her to be my new Chief of Security and I want her to have some panties and bras that are not Government Issue. You know what I mean? I want her to FEEL every bit as sexy as she looks, while she’s guarding me,” I explained.

“Oh!” Helen said. In her mind she was thinking that rich people sure have some funny quirks. But as long as I was spending money in her store, she didn’t care what the reason was.

“Okay dear, excuse me, Agent Lane, was it? Let’s see what size you are. If you’ll just step back here, we have a private viewing area already set up,” she said, leading us to a large room at the back of the store.

There was a small stage with mirrors and a small curtained changing room. Three plush chairs were positioned around a short runway, obviously for viewing anticipated purchases.

Penny’s blush went from light pink to bright red as she realized what was coming next.

“Michael!” Penny pleaded, “What are you doing?”

“I told you, we’re waiting out the ambush by my sister,” I said with a laugh.