Chapter 10

Matt Grodin, my ever loving honcho, CEO of Datronix, glared at me across the conference room table.

"You can't tighten up the software?"

"Correct. I've stripped the RTE, the Real Time Exec, to bare bones and the sampling loop time is not the issue. We need faster AtoD conversion. That's the main problem. I hand selected some for faster settling times, but that didn't help much. We're just not getting a fast enough sampling rate."

"So you're proposing?" Matt let the question hang heavy between us.

"Two recommendations, either buy five times faster AtoD's or interpolate and smooth the data with post capture processing."

"How much more," Matt winced, "money? For the faster converters." He scrubbed his grey flattop with a nervous hand.

"Factor of ten."

I watched his pained face contort even more.

"Can we renegotiate the contract since they doubled the number of strain gauges on us?"

"Not likely." Matt ground his teeth.

"The number of guages is not the issue. Our EE designed for low bid."

"Okay, give me an estimate on the post processing software costs."

"Right here." I slid a paper across the table.

He eyeballed just the bottom line. "Just three days? Double that, more likely." Matt smiled for the second time that day. Or was it that week?

"I did already. You got something goin' with Linda?" I'll get this guy to stop belittling my task time estimates yet.

"Uh." Matt's mouth hung open.

"Heard you two Monday morning. Congrats, honch, she's the hottest babe in the company."

Matt's mouth snapped shut.

"Did she swallow or spit?"

I stood, looking down at his bright red face.

"Enjoy." I turned and left the room, wondering which direction my next review would go. Not really giving a damn. Not in this job market.

Back in my office, I sat staring at the HP beast. It's register LED's were flashing slowly, as if it were meditating. I pulled its plug, wishing it would emit a death squeal.

TGIF, I thought, reaching for the phone.

Moira's voice mail responded.

"Hi, Moira. How 'bout a beer at the Irish Pub. I'm in a pissy mood, and need your smile. I'm headed there now."

We all had had a good week, finding a big old victorian in Los Gatos. The lease to buy option reasonable. We could try it for a year and opt out or buy the thing, the rent contributing to the down. I felt a little twist in my gut, thinking about the place. Something was bugging me, but I couldn't put a finger on exactly what.

Kerry and Dave were happy. Dave seemed to glow when she was nearby. Aly was back to little girl mode, not vamping my ass. Much anyway. Moira intensely involved with her work. Why did I feel... Unsettled?

"Shit, shit, shit. I need to go fuck somebody." I snarled, a little too loudly. Someone snorted a laugh in the hallway.

Linda stuck her head in, leaning against the jam, mashing a large breast.

"Smatta you, Rick? Talkin' trash isn't your style." She seemed concerned behind her leering grin.

"You want a beer?" I looked up at her calm face. "I need to talk to somebody. You got a sympathetic ear this afternoon?"

"Sure. I'll get my stuff."

We walked in silence to the pub, moving slowly in the bright afternoon heat.

"Rick, you're acting depressed. What's the matter?"

We'd found a relatively quiet corner, and leaned our elbows on the table, tall pints of Guinness between us.

"Oh, I don't know. I shouldn't be feeling so..." I had to think for a moment. "Ambivalent."

I examined the laugh wrinkles in the corners of her eyes. Hadn't noticed them before.

"It's gotta be a woman," Linda barked a short laugh. "It always is with guys like you."

"Guys like me?" That was a surprise. "Waddya mean by that?"

"You've dropped below our radar. You're not the party animal you used to be." She smiled and reached out to squeeze my arm.

"You don't even flirt with me anymore." She arched her back slightly, drawing my eyes to her deep cleavage. "You used to come over for a peek down my blouse at least once a day. Now..." She shrugged, causing major tremors to ripple across her chest.

I gulped, somehow getting my eyes back to hers.

"Well, you and Matt..." My turn to shrug.

"Matt? I don't..."

"Last Monday, you and he were..."

"Honey, Matt and me, we don't have anything goin' on," she laughed. "He's been hinting for me to drop my panties since he hired me, begging for just five minutes. I finally gave it up just for the hell of it." Linda laughed a big horse laugh, loud in the large room. "I was feeling horny, but I made him beg for it." Her eyes danced. "I wouldn't make you beg for it." Linda's eyelids slowly drooped half shut.

"Beg for what?" Moira's sharp question snapped our heads around. She stood, arms folded, eyes glaring, body stiff, over us.

Linda, momentarily flustered, quickly recovered. She leaned back and crossed her arms. The gesture seemed to emphasize her breasts.

"A little joy ride," she smiled. "His rep is that he's hung and sucks pussy with enthusiasm."

Moira's turn to show fluster.

"Don't go 'way. I need a beer." She turned and stalked to the bar, waving at the bartender.

Linda chuckled softly. "She gonna get territorial? She your first squeeze?"

"Only squeeze," I replied, realizing the lie as the words left my mouth, images of Kerry and Aly popping into my head.

"Lucky you. She's very pretty."

I ackowledged her understatement with a nod, and a grimacing smile.

"Not much chance, then, for you and me?" She squeezed her arms slightly, forcing major cleavage.

"Not much," I said, feeling some regret. "You look delicious, but..."

"I can come if you suck my nipples. They are very sensitive."

"I was breast fed for almost a year." I laughed, feeling better with this exchange.

"Honey," Moira said softly.

I raised my face to hers, and she put a soft kiss on my mouth. She pulled a chair close, and sat, leaning her shoulder against mine.

"Now," she said with great calm and dignity, "about his rep. He's not available." She put her hand on my leg. "Except under special circumstances." Moira grinned, her eyes dancing.

Linda laughed nervously. I just stared.

"Do you take it up the ass?" Moira asked quietly. "I'm too small for someone his size so if..." Moira's eyebrows lifted.

I felt her fingertip prod my dressed left dick.

Linda's body lurched as if she might flee the scene, her mouth hanging open, her face flushing.

She glanced at me for a long moment, then nodded her head.

"I might," she said with a soft smile, "if it's part of a larger package." She smiled at Moira, and licked her lips.

The negotiations were interupted by Dave and Kerry. Dave leaned and kissed Moira's cheek. "Hi, guys." he said, very jovial. Kerry put a soft kiss on my mouth, holding the back of my head for a moment, smiling into my eyes. "Howerya?"

"TGIF," I shrugged.