Chapter 4

A lot happened since Mark made that visit to Tampa-St.Pete some 14 months earlier. The two companies that Mark visited had done well. The investments Mark made in their stock had doubled in value. Both companies were doing so well that, if the double-digit increases in sales continued, the companies would be rated as mid-cap companies in the near future.

Trish did change the flights she worked on to give her a layover in Chicago. Twice she called Mark when she landed in Chicago and he showed her the city. No matter where she was, in restaurants, walking on Michigan Ave or walking on Rush Street, she drew the eyes of admirers as a man magnet. A photographer approached her about being a Playmate but she refused. Mark just marveled at the attention she attracted.

While she appeared to be cool and aloof, once inside the bedroom she became insatiable. She didn’t want to stop. Mark at first thought this was wonderful. Later on he thought that there should be more to a relationship than just the act of sex. He wasn’t connecting with her intellectually. While he was questioning where this relationship was going with Trish, he received a phone call from her.

“Hi, how are you doing?”

“I am fine, where are you?”

“I just landed in Chicago.”

“Where can I pick you up?”

“Mark... , something happened last night in Paris. This isn’t going to be easy since I like you a lot. Stu Nelson, a pilot who I have dated on and off, asked me to marry him. While I long have had deep feelings for him, he didn’t seem to be serious about me. Well it turns out he was and I accepted his proposal. Since I am now engaged, I can’t continue the relationship I have with you. I can’t be engaged and at the same time be sleeping with other men. You are a nice guy and I hope you will understand.”

“I do and am very happy for you. You deserve all the happiness you can get. You are a super girl and I can only wish you the best. It has been my pleasure in knowing you and I consider you to be a good friend. Good luck and please keep in touch. Please let me know how things are going for you. If I can ever be of any help to you in the future, please let me know.”

Mark thought it was a good news/bad news situation. Her engagement solved a problem but the sex with such a beautiful passionate woman was something only a few men in this world would ever enjoy. Trish did have a good heart and Stu was a lucky guy.

A thank-you note was received from Connie for the gift he had given her. The note was sent to him two weeks after he returned to Chicago. In the note she was quite frank and said she was already on another set of batteries. She had thought about buying something like that herself but she never would have had the nerve to walk into a store to do it.

She thanked Mark and told him she now had a complete and happy life. Her note said that when she told Gordon about her new toy, he was happy for her and said it was something he should have thought of himself. Connie told Gordon, a girlfriend had purchased this toy for her. Gordon did go and buy a smaller model for her to use when they travel which is called, ‘The Pocket Rocket’. She finished her note by saying Gordon enjoys using the vibrator on her when they make love. They were flying in one week to Vegas to get married.

Unfortunately six months later, Mark got a note from Connie saying that Gordon’s heart gave out and he passed away. She extended an invitation to Mark to visit her if he was ever back in the area. Mark responded expressing his condolences and said he would keep her invitation in mind, but there currently weren’t any plans for him to visit the area. Mark thought he wouldn’t be seeing her in person again because of another relationship he now had, but he thought it best not to say so.

When Mark was back in Chicago he ordered of two-dozen red roses to be delivered to Nancy at office at school. He specifically wanted them to be delivered to her office instead of her apartment. Mark wanted her co-workers to know that someone appreciated this fine woman and was interested in her.

About a week later he received an email from her. The subject on the email only said ‘Remember Me.’ He clicked to open the email and saw that it was blank. There was however an attachment that he clicked on. The attachment turned out to be a photo of Nancy wearing those fabulous jeans with her back toward the camera but looking at the camera because of the mirror that was behind her.

Mark just laughed and laughed but he did save the photo. He sent her back an email and told her he had her photo now on his computer as a screen saver. That caused her to respond back and this evolved into emails being sent between them about two times a week with each one trying to get the better of the other. Mark also phoned her about once a week and enjoyed hearing her voice and her infectious laugh.

A recent article Nancy had published caused a stir in the industry among the big investment firms. The title of the article was “Conflicts”. It spelled out the many conflicts that occurred in corporate business and how the self-policing was either lacking or in name only. She didn’t pull any punches on the lack of oversight exercised by boards of directors. Some recent business scandals were cited as examples. The stock price of the companies in the scandals dropped like bricks and people’s pocket books and pensions were affected, Congress was now getting involved. Mark thought that Nancy wasn’t afraid to stir the pot of controversy and she was a fighter.