Chapter 11

New Characters:

Eric: Mid-twenties Property Manager in Boston Office.

Henry Agar: Vice President of Marketing.

Hilda Honeycutt Hegg: Fashion writer, Trisha's cousin.

Jerry Bastian: Office Manager, Baltimore Office.

Mark Stone: Office Manager, Boston Office.

Sharon: Administrative Assistant, on loan from Admin while Stacy is on vacation.

Simon Barker: Manager of Administration, Home Office.

Phyllis: Kelley's friend, baby-sitter and swimming instructor.

Doug: Phyllis's husband, outdoorsman.

We drove to my house where we planned to spend the day in my room and not come out until it was time to go to work on Monday morning.

It was ten A.M. when I parked my car in front of the garage, grabbed my shaving kit out of the duffle bag and went into the house, Kelley at my side.

"Sammy, did you have a good time?" Suzanne called to me from the sun room.

I looked at Kelley, watched her roll her eyes, and went to the door of the sunroom. "I caught a fish and we had fun playing in the woods," I said, summing up our weekend's experiences, without mentioning the highlights; great food and no sex.

"You look sunburned. Did you put something on it?" she asked, getting Mr. Oldham's attention now.

"Not yet, but I will," I said, feeling Kelley's hand tug on mine.

Suzanne noticed Kelley for the first time. "Come in and sit down, dear."

I wasn't sure which one of us she was talking to, but I dragged Kelley into the room and took a seat on the floor, explaining that I was too dirty and sweaty to sit on furniture. Kelley sat down in front of me and I opened my legs so she could lean her back against my chest the same way we'd sat around the campfire.

"We've been talking about the glut of office space..." Suzanne said before being interrupted by Mr. Oldham.

"You made some good points about making concessions to hold our vacancy rate to a minimum, Sam. I believe that's something we should adopt. We've got to be careful and do it in such a way that doesn't alienate current tenants. We'll give our office managers leeway in their negotiation, but only on a case by case basis. I'm going to talk to Shepard tomorrow about conferencing the offices. I'd like for you to sit in when he makes the call, Sam."

Mr. Oldham hadn't finished his last sentence when I felt Kelley's hand on my ankle. She turned to look me in the eyes and I could see that she wanted us to go up to my room.

"Those guys report to him. Won't Ralph Shepard be touchy about me looking over his shoulder?" I asked.

"I'll make sure he understands you're not stepping on his toes. He'll be grateful to you for speaking up. This change in sales philosophy will be subtle. The price is the price. The concessions we'll make will be in the form of free rent and generous build out. We may even help new tenants with their moving expense. We may reward existing tenants for renewing their lease in any number of ways. But one thing must be clear; the price is the price."

I felt another tug on my ankle. I looked down to see that Kelley had untied both boots. I blew on the back of her head and watched the red hair flair up. "That tickles," she giggled.

Suzanne was listening to our discussion, intently, without interrupting.

"What about offering shorter terms like we're doing in the Omaha building?" I asked.

"That's not what we're doing in Omaha. We require a five year lease, but with buyouts after the second and third years. Most startups will know if they're going to make it after two years. We're still taking a risk because those that don't make it won't have funds to pay their way out of the lease."

I felt another tug on my ankle and when I didn't respond, Kelley said, "Suzanne, may I talk to you in the kitchen?"

Suzanne rose to her feet and Kelley got up, too, giving me a 'wait-until-you-see-what-I-have-for-you' look. She followed Suzanne into the kitchen. Mr. Oldham and I resumed our conversation.

He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, like he had something confidential to share with me. "That point you made about eight out ten buildings being vacant on the same street registered with me. Nearly every week I receive a flyer advertising a building for sale. Most of them are vacant or going to be vacant soon. I'm considering forming a group of investors to buy one or two of these buildings."

He leaned back in his chair and let me absorb what he'd told me. Did I dare question the soundness of his idea?

"The empty buildings I saw were not in the best condition," I said, cautiously calculating his reaction.

"The investors I'll approach about this will understand that this is a long range plan. We'll be saddled with expense for two or three years. Then, there'll be costs to refurbish."

"We?" I asked.

"Naturally, I'll be a member of the group."

Suzanne came back into the room. "Kelley's gone upstairs. Let him go too, John. You can discuss this later."

I knew want they'd talked about in the kitchen. Kelly had told Suzanne that we hadn't had sex since the previous Monday night. I could see by her expression that Suzanne knew about the condoms that we'd discarded. Was she actually sympathizing with Kelley?

"How many ... how many investors would you be able to attract, Sir?"

Suzanne took her seat, watching me with pity in her eyes. I'm sure she wondered if I was just stupid or if I was teasing Kelley, which would have been accurate.

Mr. Oldham soon proved that he'd given his idea considerable thought. I let him talk for ten minutes without interrupting. His plan was to compile a list of buildings for sale in our markets and have the field office managers advise us about the location and condition of the buildings. If they recommended further pursuit, he would have a consultant look at the building.

"I was thinking this would be a good use of Neill Fenton's time. I'd like for you to tag along," he said, watching me for a reaction. I guess he knew what I was going to say. "You and Neill can meet on a Saturday morning, Neill can check the structure and estimate refurbish costs and you can plug in the numbers and make recommendations for further study or to pass. It will be good training for you."

A dozen questions flooded my mind, but I saw Suzanne's expression and decided I'd teased Kelley long enough. "I want to talk to you some more about this, Sir," I said, getting up.

He started another sentence, "The trips won't be frequent and you can take..." stopping in mid sentence when Suzanne placed her hand on his arm.

As I made my exit, I'm sure I heard her begin to tell him about the condom mishap.

I saw steam coming through the open door of the bathroom the moment I stepped into my room. I closed the door to the hallway and crept to the bathroom door. Kelley was standing next to the sink, facing the door with a towel draped around her body. There was an anxious look on her face.

"Don't come near me, Sammy. You're filthy," she said, drawing the towel tight around her.

"I may be sweaty, but I'm not filthy," I said, dropping my shaving kit to the floor and stepping out of my hiking boots.

"You're filthy and you smell," she said, backing up one step as she watched me remove my shirt.

"I'll shower," I offered, letting my pants fall to the floor and stepping out of them.

"No," she said, taking a step sideways as if to guard against me showering.

I pulled my shorts down, kicked them away and stood before her, still wearing my socks.

Kelley's eyes scanned my naked body, beginning with my feet, upward to my hard cock and on to my whiskered face.

"You're filthy and you haven't shaved in days," she observed in a scolding tone.

"I'll shave after I shower," I proposed, knowing that's not what she wanted to hear.

With an exasperating expulsion of air, she removed the towel from her body and spread it on the tiled floor. "If you want to shower, you'll have to go through me," she said, taking her place on the towel in a supine position, face up.

I looked down at her lying on her back and realized that she was completely dry. How long had she been waiting for me to enter the room? Her legs were spread, inviting me to 'go through her'.

She spread her legs wider to accommodate me as I got on my knees. The fright had left her eyes; now they were somber, yielding. I moved slowly, taking my time to survey my prey. Her legs moved impatiently as I watched the lips of her pussy part, spontaneously.

I heard her suck in air as I covered her pussy with my open mouth. "SAMMEEE," she shouted in response to my fluttering tongue as it explored her opening. It didn't take long to bring her to orgasm. I felt her heels beat on my back and her hands hold my head in place. She wilted and I was able to look at her face. She sighed and opened eyes.

I moved up her body and took one of her nipples into my mouth. She watched through narrow slits in her eyes, smiling lazily, letting the dimple appear in her left cheek.

"Do I still smell bad?" I asked.

"You smell fantastic," she said, grinning lovingly.

"May I use the shower now?" I asked.

Kelley shook her head from side to side, still grinning. "You still have to go through me to use the shower," she said, opening her fist to show me a condom.

She watched as I rolled the condom onto my cock and pulled me down for a kiss before I entered her. It was clear to me that she had no expectations of climaxing as we fucked on the bathroom floor, laughing. I didn't apologize for filling the condom with cum in such a short time because I knew she didn't expect it.

After showering together, she sat on the counter while I shaved; teasing me about the three nights we'd slept together without sex. "I would like to try it on one of those air mattresses," she said.

"Try what?" I asked.

"Fucking, of course," she said with no sign of embarrassment.

I finished shaving and we used another condom before going downstairs for lunch. Kelley was as anxious as me to make up for the days we'd gone without making love.

I did get a few more chances to talk to Mr. Oldham about business and I caught Suzanne alone in the kitchen for a few minutes.

"Is he going to be able to attract partners to invest in vacant buildings?" I asked her.

"Don't make it sound like he's lost his touch, Sammy. John Oldham is a savvy, calculating man and he has followers who believe in him. He wants your involvement so play along. You just may learn something."

"I'd hate to see him destroy the faith others have his wisdom," I said.

Suzanne read my mind and quelled my fears. "We're not destitute, Sammy, and neither are our investors. We can take a million dollar hit if it comes to that, but I don't think it will. We know that we're in for a dry spell, but we're not running scared."

"Thanks, Suz," I said and gave her a hug before joining Kelley in the room for another romp.

We walked to Mrs. Ford's house to brief her on what I'd witnessed at her son's apartment. I stopped short of describing it as squalor, but I believe she got the picture. She thanked me for my candor and then turned her attention the Kelley.

"I suppose you've heard the stories about Cromwell Military Academy?" she asked and Kelley responded that she had heard them all.

"My son was the starting quarterback his senior year," she continued.

"He also graduated second in his class," I said and watched Mrs. Ford smile with pride.

We left and on the walk home Kelley declared, "If you can't beat them, join them."

I stopped in my tracks and turned to her. "What's the meaning of that?"

She took my hand and we continued to walk. "I've watched you sneak downstairs to talk to your dad about business every chance you get. You're becoming incredibly involved and I guess I envy that. I want to be with you every minute and since I know we can't fuck all the time, I'm going to become involved with my dad's business the same as you."

"You're involved," I countered.

"I'm a pissant with a fancy job title. You're twice as involved as me and you're still in school."

I wasn't ready to tell her the real reason for my urgent need to learn the business, Mr. Oldham's suspected ailment. "Are you going to become a troubleshooter," I asked.

She stopped walking and turned abruptly. "I may settle for becoming your Suzanne," she said.

We didn't discuss it again, but as the days passed, it became increasingly clear to me that she was serious. Alternating our nights in each other's rooms came about by a complaint from Penelope, "I never know when to expect you and Kelley to be here," she said and that's when we made it simple for her by saying she could expect us every other day.

Of course it didn't always work out that way. Kelley didn't come to my house when I was away, but she drove my car, saying it was to fool her neighbors into thinking it was hers. I knew better; she dropped me off at work and came to pick me up so that I couldn't work late. But as the summer progressed, she showed up later and later to pick me up. Our nights were spent working or discussing work with our parents, between swimming or lovemaking sessions, of course.

As directed by Mr. Oldham, I sat in on the conference call to the field office managers. Ralph Shepard outlined the new strategy to secure new tenants or to retain existing tenants. We stressed that offering incentives would be granted on a case by case basis. Requests would be submitted through Mr. Shepard and my dad would be the final authority.

After we ended the conference call, Ralph Shepard stood up and shook my hand. "You've got balls, Mr. Oldham. You convinced your dad to relax the rules."

"Desperate times call for desperate actions," I laughed.

When I returned to my office there was a message from Jerry Bastian, the Baltimore office manager. "I know you were behind that strategy initiative and I wanted to say thank you," he said.

"Good luck with your sale, Jerry. I'm looking forward to hearing that you make it work," I said.

We presented a plan to solve the communication issues by directing all field people to let me know if they were unable to get answers from the home office within a reasonable timeframe. I drafted an announcement for Mr. Oldham's signature, stating that we were heading into a difficult period and that supporting our field staff was imperative.

In order to handle the increased workload it was determined that I would need the services of Sharon from Administration. She was delighted, but her boss wasn't. I had a chat with Simon Barker and convinced him that the move was best for the team. I don't think he ever did get it that he was one of the culprits.

Wanda got her wish to move closer to my office. She happily accepted being seated in a double cubicle with Sharon at her side. Being told that she could use my office when I wasn't there softened the blow of losing her office.

Within a week, calls to the home office were being answered by the second ring in order to avoid field personnel from having to leave a message on voice mail.

Within a month, we had eliminated frivolous calls from field personnel. This freed Sharon's time to the point that she could assist Wanda in the preparation of presentations. By this time, Wanda and I were turning out some good shit. We had a database that indicated which way the wind was blowing in almost every market in the country.

Kelley was there, waiting when I came back from visiting Newark. I kept waiting for her to ask about my dinner with Hilda Honeycutt Hegg, but she didn't. Finally, I couldn't contain myself and longer.

"Hilda gave me the autographed photo for the shopkeeper," I said.

Kelley nodded and I knew she was dying to ask if I'd used my free pass.

"Is she as beautiful as her picture?" she asked.

"Every bit, we had a nice dinner and I dropped her off at her building."

"You didn't... ?"

"No, I didn't even find out what floor she lives on," I said and watched her scrunch down in her seat. I wondered if that was a sign that she was relieved or disappointed that I hadn't used my free pass.

Actually, I did know which floor Hilda lived on. After a very enjoyable dinner, we took a taxi back to her apartment building. My plan was to drop her off at the door and take the taxi to the ferry.

"I forgot to bring the photo," she said, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the cab. I paid the driver and we went into the building. The doorman spoke to her and looked me over as we headed to the elevator. She smiled at the doorman and pushed the button for the twenty-fifth floor.

"How silly of me," she said. "It's a good thing I remembered it now because you never know what condition..." she stopped talking and looked at me. "Are you all right, Sammy? You look pale."

I made an excuse about not being used to riding elevators. I was weak-kneed pale because I wasn't sure if I could resist her, assuming, of course, that something might happen. Hilda knew I had a girlfriend. I'd gone on and on about Kelley while we were having dinner.

The elevator stopped and I followed her to one of four doors on the floor. "Here it is," she said, putting her key in the slot. "Are you light headed? Can I get you some ice or a cold drink?"

"No thank you, just get the photo and I'll be on my way. Big day tomorrow, you know."

I stayed near the door while she went to get the photo. When she returned I saw that she was wearing slippers. Without heels she was three inches shorter than me. She held an envelope in her hand and the opening at the top of her dress, that I'd been avoiding looking at all evening, was still open.

"Thank you," I said, reaching for the envelope. Our hands touched; so did our lips.

My mind was racing. Go for it? What would I say to Kelley? Go for it, stupid.

"We're bending it," Hilda said, laughing.

I don't know what else was said. The next thing I knew I was on the elevator, calling myself stupid, feeling relief that I wouldn't have to explain anything to Kelley. Why had I told her that I didn't know which floor Hilda lived on? Was I feeling guilty for having thoughts?