Chapter 24: Employment Benefit the Third: Ascension

Tuesday at noon Marta arrived at Joe's firm. She'd never visited before and realized immediately stepping from the elevator that it presented itself as the high class firm Joe had suggested. She smiled at the beautiful receptionist. "Laura I presume."

"Yes. Have I met you?"

"You shagged my fiancé," Marta leaned down and whispered.

"Oh fuck!" Laura jumped back. "I'm sorry. It's just that me and Debra ... Oh shit!"

Marta laughed making Laura look cross eyed in confusion yet still beautiful. "Yes I know about you and your roommate raping my poor Joe."

"Rape. Exactly. We tied him down and..."

" ... forced him to eat his omelet."

"Jesus. A detailed confession, hunh? He didn't say you were engaged."

"That happened after his confession."

"Man. You're a lucky woman."

"About the harem..."

"Uhm..." Laura giggled uncomfortably.

"He said you're beautiful. I have to agree."

"You like girls?"

"Recently, when I'm sharing with my man. Interested?"

"What about Debra?"

"I have to meet her. Can you abandon your post?"

A beautiful black woman emerged from the elevator. "Actually yes," Laura smiled. "Marta right? This is Carmen. She relieves me for lunch."

"How long."

"Forty-five minutes."

"Could you make it an hour?"

"Uhm, Carmen?"

"I'll call down. Shouldn't be a problem."

"This is Joe's fiancé."

"Good catch," winked Carmen.

"I think so. We'll check back on the hour. Come Laura and introduce me to your roommate."

"That'll be easily arranged."

"Why's that?" asked Marta.

"Joe didn't tell you? I suppose he couldn't. It happened this morning."

"What..."

"Hi Debra, this is Marta, Joe's fiancée."

"Shit. Fiancée?"

Marta brushed off the fear. "Don't worry. Is Joe in?"

"Should I... ?" Debra picked up the phone.

"Don't," said Marta smiling and winking and pressing her hand on Debra's to lower the phone. "You're his secretary?"

"I can tell Mr. Phillips to find me another..."

"Why? It sounds perfect. When did Joe get a secretary?"

"This morning. You really don't mind?"

"Stand up. Better yet, lead us inside." Marta saw what Joe saw in Debra, clothes masking a hot body. And her face, pleasantly pretty, had a wry honesty beckoning friendship. She enjoyed the subtle muscle movement of Debra's heart shaped butt shaping the knee length skirt draped over it.

As expected Joe busily typed on his laptop, waiting to finish his thought before looking up. "Oh my, what a parade of beauty," he remarked with a smile. "I take it introductions have been made."

"Congratulations on your engagement," said Laura.

Joe stood. "Thank you." He took Laura's hand and threatened to pull her into his arms.

"Wait," Debra warned and pulled the blinds for privacy. "Okay. Me next."

The hug pressed bodies close, genitals pressing near and lasted several seconds.

"Congratulations Joe," said Debra and embraced him. "She's more beautiful than her picture," Debra whispered as Joe lowered his body bending his knees and pressing sexually against his new secretary.

"Thanks."

Marta embraced Laura and kissed her. When Debra and Joe separated Marta did the same for her. "So what happened this morning," she finally asked.

"Let's have lunch and talk," suggested Debra. "I know a Mexican lunch place too lowbrow for lawyers."

The phone buzzed. Joe started to grab it when Debra scowled at him making him chuckle and plucked the phone off the hook and pressed a button. "Yes sir? Much better thank you. No I don't think it's a demotion. I think it's an honor. Thank you. I know he'll keep me on my toes and I look forward to it. I'll let them know." She hung up. "Joe, the boss wants to see you and Marta."

"Me?"

Debra nodded. "Don't worry. He's ruthless when he has to be but otherwise charming and a big Teddy Bear. He said it would just take a minute."

Marta followed Joe down the hall and around a corner. Mr. Phillips secretary, a charming, heavy woman nearing fifty smiled at them. "Go right in," she said.

An imposing large man even sitting in sartorial splendor of a perfectly tailored suit and sporting a close cropped graying brunette hairdo and beard smiled at Joe. "I heard a young woman came ... Uhm." The smile transformed into a complicated frown.

"Oh," muttered Marta.

"You know each other?" asked Joe. He knew of two possible reasons they might, and Mr. Phillips at Choice seemed unlikely. "This is Marta, my fiancée."

"He knows me as Sadey. I know him as Phil. Maybe I should leave."

With all the fortitude he could muster in the presence of the man who held his career in his hands, Joe stood tall and spouted, "No! If there's a problem, we leave together. Mr. Phillips, Phil, I know all too well about my future wife's past. And I'm aware of the caliber of her clientele, both her and Angelique. You know her as well?" The bear nodded. "As usual boss, you have impeccable taste. You may not feel the same about me. All I can say is I love Marta with all my heart, and still find room to love Mary, aka Angelique. Neither came into my life as escorts. That they were, or in Mary's case still are, is ... complicated, but completely understood and in a way respected by me. I won't dwell on your visiting Sadey. Marta can explain it if she wishes. Just know she's the most important ... she's more important than anything, even than the fantastic opportunity you've given me in your firm. I..."

"Joe, I won't let you..." Marta began.

Mr. Phillips interrupted. "It's an honor to meet you Marta." He stood, still tense, the flushed face just beginning to recover, and walked around his desk and lifted his hand. Instead Marta embraced him. "What can I say without sticking a foot in my mouth," whispered the boss.

Marta released him and smiled up into his large face. "You said the perfect thing, Phil. Sadey's a ghost who you can remember fondly as she remembers you."

"I wanted to say you've done well to capture Joe's heart."

"You're worried that might infer Marta ensnared me with her skills as a seductress," Joe commented. "If she tried..."

"You'd have run out the door screaming," chuckled Marta. "And probably tripped over yourself in the mad dash. You see Phil, our eyes met, we smiled, and both of us knew."

"Two lonely entities bonded instantly and forever."

"Pretty corny, hunh?"

Phil smiled and shook his head. "I always knew I'd find a reason to hate you Joe."

"You never..." began Joe before being interrupted by his boss.

"I fell in love twenty-five years ago. She too had a past which my proper upbringing ... I've been married three times, all acceptable and essentially ... well maybe the last one turned out to be a complete disaster but the others, proper women, good women ... And my love remained focused on three people, my son, my daughter and Marielle. We met frequently, more than two separate lives might expect."

"Why didn't you..." began Joe, confused.

"She was my father's mistress. A mix of everything forbidden in the Brahmin world of New England: a Hispanic mix of Native American, African American and Caucasian. Like you Joe I clung to my ambition which in my case involved my father's purse strings and my mother's pride. Mom flipped out when she discovered us together and I proclaimed my love. They banished the beautiful servant girl. I came to Chicago where I tracked her down, got my law degree at the University of Chicago instead of Harvard where I got my Bachelors. I might have convinced her to marry me, but instead I let her convince me not to. She married a man of with a simple mind who turned out to be a brute. A devout Catholic, she felt trapped. I threatened to kill the motherfucker and she divorced him and had to change her name and became a bought woman, my bought woman in the apartment I bought her. She played maid and mistress to others along the way. I couldn't keep her to myself. It wouldn't have been fair. And she had abortions, her faith murdered by me because she refused to have my child. She didn't want me to be forced to raise a bastard child even if it might have been of her other master's seed. Why did we persist in this untenable relationship? Because we remained as close physically as well as mentally as anyone ever could. She had a remarkable mind and sought knowledge to share my career and passions which inevitably, at least as far as she led me to believe and for me she was transparent so it had to be real, matched mine."

"How long ago did she die?" asked Marta.

"Five years. She ... Uterine cancer. I can't help feeling it was my fault. All those abortions..."

Eyes in Phil's large corner office filled with tears. Marta smiled through hers. "You might not think so Phil, but you both were lucky to find each other, to share two lives and two great loves. It wouldn't have lasted if it hadn't been pure. If heaven exists, and I'm sure she believed it did, she's there waiting for you to join her for eternity. Not to hurry you or anything..."

The chuckles salved the pain. "She always was a patient woman," smiled Phil. "Speaking of hurrying, I promised a short congratulatory meeting and I seem to have taken a large segment of your lunch hour. Where are you at with the Stiles case?"

"My brother Roger has a photographic memory. I don't think I've experienced it like I have with the case."

"Excellent. Be in my office at nine. We'll strategize until the ten o'clock meeting of adversaries. Take the rest of the day off."

"Thank you sir."

"Uhm, Phil, could Debra and Laura join us?" asked Marta. "Debra might want to celebrate with us Joe's ascension and Laura's her roommate."

Phil pressed a button on his complicated phone and brought the receiver to his ear. "Phyllis, have whoever's breaking Laura at reception ... Carmen ... Okay have Carmen stay for the rest of the day and see who can work the desk downstairs. Naomi? That's right, she got promoted from reception. A genius as usual Phyl." He hung up and nodded. His complexion re-reddened when Marta gave him a kiss on his lips and a quick hug.

"Thanks Phil. You really are a big Teddy Bear."

"Don't make me change my mind," Phil huffed amusingly.

Again awakened from a sex dream, Joe discovered a sword swallower had taken his shaft into her throat. "Fuck Debra!" whispered Laura intensely.

"He's awake," shouted Marta, immediately straddling his face.

"Hop on Laura," Debra insisted through a roughened voice box, grabbing Joe's slippery rod and coating it even more with lubricant. After a few seconds nursing on Marta's swollen lips and clit and making her moan, he felt resistance and then unexpected tightness surround his cock.

"God he's big," moaned Laura. The narrow orifice slowly filled. He felt something sliding along the bottom of his cock. "Oh, unh," repeated Laura at the rhythm of fucking.

"What's... ?" Joe started.