Chapter 28: Closing out the year

Karen was standing next to the gate, dressed in black. She got in the car and that's when I noticed that the skirt was longer than the heavy pea coat. She directed me to turn right at the next corner, and turn again when we got to the alley.

"Stop," she said, already opening her door and getting out of the car. I turned the engine off and got out, too.

"What the hell is this?" she asked when she opened the back door.

"A child's seat," I said, beginning to explain that K.O. had gone with us to collect toys.

"I know what it is. Get it out of here," she ordered.

All that kept me from warning her to stop ordering me around was that I could see that she was incredibly horny. I unfastened the seat from its anchor and saw that Karen had her coat unbuttoned as she jumped into the back seat, landing on her back.

She lifted the long skirt, and I got a glimpse of her naked pussy before the door closed, extinguishing the dome light. We mauled each other's mouth as I fumbled with the buttons on her sweater. She became impatient, separating her lips from mine and tugging at my belt.

I helped by lowering my jeans and she took possession of my cock.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! That's GOOD!" she exclaimed when we were fully joined. I agreed with her.

Karen had both hands on my ass, and was pulling me into her when the strangest thought crossed my mind. I was back in Pontiac, fucking Sheila in the back seat of her husband's car. Was this a reenactment of that day? The similarities were too numerous to count.

Sheila was Charlie's mother; Karen was Kevin's mother. Sheila was a married woman; Karen was not married. That time we were behind the dress shop; this time we were behind the Parkers' property. That time we were in broad daylight; this time it was dark. Sheila had to be persuaded to fuck; Karen had persuaded me to fuck her. Sheila had been ... who cares, that was then; this is now.

Karen brought me back to the present with a bite to my lower lip. Her arms were wrapped around my back and her legs were around my thighs. Between bites and whimpers, she was talking gibberish. Wanting to show her who was boss, I bit her, and pushed deep. Her response was to cry out, "I love the way you do me!"

"Can you?" I asked, and felt her inner walls tweak the head of my cock. Was that a yes? Another tweak confirmed that it was okay for me to release my cum, and from the way Karen's body shook, she was experiencing a big one. Minutes passed before her legs went slack, and I felt the cool air hit my ass.

"Damn, Girl! What happened tonight to stoke your fire?"

She giggled, and I felt her arm reaching into her coat pocket. "He proposed; wait until you see the ring."

"Wow, you actually pulled it off."

"Why are you so skeptical? Didn't you think I could do it?"

"I have a confession. The first time I met him, Gary told me he was not going to marry again. I should have known that if anyone could change his mind it would be you."

"Move so I can mop up your stuff," she said, quickly using the tissues she'd retrieved from her coat pocket to absorb my semen.

"You came prepared," I said, marveling at her ingenuity. I pulled my jeans up to keep my ass warm.

"What are you doing? You can't fuck me once and call it a night."

"Karen, you're an engaged woman. You said that once you got the ring that you were going to give him a sample. Are you wearing the ring? Let me see it."

"I agreed to go away with him after Christmas. Feel it, isn't it enormous?" she asked, sticking her left hand in front of my eyes. It was too dark to see the ring, but I felt it and agreed with her.

"It does feel big."

"Do you think I should have the diamond appraised?"

Her question struck me as ludicrous. Obviously, she didn't know him very well if she couldn't trust him. I didn't like the way she'd set her sights on Gary from the beginning, but up until now, I didn't think she had a chance of persuading him to propose. In one night, she'd elevated my estimation of her feminine prowess. Should I warn her that this would never work? What was Gary thinking? Couldn't he see that they were making a mistake? Was the diamond a fake? Had he done something like this before? Could he be that devious?

"Yes, you should have it appraised before you go away with him," I said.

"Pull your pants down and do me again," she said, as she discarded the used tissues on the floor of the car.

"This is the last time," I said, as I surrendered my cock to her left hand, the one that was wearing another man's engagement ring.

"We'll see," she said, and at that moment I wasn't sure if I could resist her if she summoned me again. We settled down for a slow and leisurely fuck. Karen used more tissues to clean us, and I drove her back to the front gate. She admitted that she'd borrowed the remote gate opener and shunted the alarm system.

As she got out of the car, she left me with a parting shot. "When I first saw your short hair, I thought that it would sap your stamina, but I was wrong. Short hair improves your performance."

It was after two AM when I got home. I didn't even try to reattach the child's seat, and I forgot about the discarded tissues.

Stephanie called to tell me that she'd had a good time the evening before. "I know it's not the girl's place to call, but it's not like we had sex or anything."

"I'm glad you called. I wanted to ask about the work you're doing at the shelter. Beth seemed quite appreciative of the help you're giving her."

"I do what I can," she said, like she would prefer to change the subject.

"I hear that you're helping some of the others, too."

"I do what I can," she repeated, and then, "I was thinking that we could go to the Reapers meeting together. It will give you a chance to drive the Lexus."

Did she have any idea how much she was taking for granted? Did she have the slightest idea that I'd fucked her brother's fiancée an hour after he had proposed? I told myself to be careful, but just for fun, I called upon an old crutch; shock never fails to confound.

"That sounds good. Shall I drive to your apartment, or would you like to meet my parents?"

Stephanie fumbled for an answer, finally saying that I should come to her apartment.

Roland called me on Monday night. "How about lunch tomorrow?" he asked.

"Sure, but I can't take long. I'm driving up country to visit a high school friend's family business."

"I'll go with you. We'll take the Audi," he said, and since I was accustomed to following his suggestions, I said okay.

We stopped for lunch, and when we were ready to set out, he told me to drive since I knew where we were going.

I was getting used to the way the car handled when I saw him pull his cell phone out. For the next hour, Roland made numerous phone calls, conducting business. His telephone demeanor was no different than he projected in person. It was hard to tell when he was talking to a subordinate or when he was speaking to a customer.

"We're here," I said, when I pulled in the Bertram Metals parking lot.

"I'll stay in the car," he said, holding his phone up to show that he had more calls to make.

"You've made more calls in the last hour than I make all day. Come inside with me. You may learn something."

Russell Bertram II was expecting me, and he devoted the next hour to giving us a tour of the facility. What we learned was that metal is stocked in a multitude of shapes and sizes, and is used in just about every manufactured product. I didn't learn the reason I'd been invited to visit the company until we were ending the tour.

"I understand your company has a building in Denver that would be suitable for a startup operation," Russell said.

"That's right; we're subdividing a building, and some of our tenants are startups."

"I'd like Russell to see it. I'm considering putting him in charge of a small distribution center in that area."

Russell emerged from his inside sales station and I introduced him to Roland, explaining that Russell III was my high school teammate, and that he'd recently gotten married. Except for losing a few pounds since the wedding, Russell hadn't changed much from the kid I knew at C.M.A. We made arrangements to travel to Denver after the first of the year, and I thanked Russell II for considering our building.

Roland drove his car on the return trip, and questioned me about Russell. I told him how we'd met, how we'd played on both sides of the ball, and how we'd stuck together through thick and thin. I was not ready to reveal that I was adopted, and for that reason, I let him assume that I'd attended C.M.A. all four of my high school years.

"You had an eventful high school career," Roland observed.

"How's that?" I asked.

"You got court-martialed for breaking a kid's hand, and you got your cheek punctured in a football game. Nothing like that happened to me."

"It wasn't a real court-martial and I didn't break his fucking hand. We had this self-absorbed Colonel who used my case to demonstrate how military justice works. The reason I told you about those incidents was to illustrate how Russell had my back. I got him out of some scrapes too, but nothing like the lengths he went to, to keep my record from being tarnished. We got even with the running back that punctured my cheek, but I'd already reaped my reward for the pain it caused me."

Roland looked my way. "What reward?"

"My parents were away. We convinced my girlfriend's father that she needed to stay with me that night," I said, thinking about how Cindy had comforted me all night.

It was obvious that Roland had lived a sheltered life. I don't think he believed that a girl's father would permit her to spend the night with her boyfriend. He didn't ask any more questions, and I decided to stop telling him about my sexual adventures. He would not believe that I'd made Spence dunk his head in a toilet just for dancing with Cindy.

"By the way," I said when he was dropping me off at the office. "I'm taking Stephanie to the Reapers meeting. We'll see you there, okay?"

My taking Stephanie to the Reapers meeting didn't set well with Roland. I had told him that I had plans for the previous Saturday night, but he didn't know that Stephanie and I had met her half-brother and my fuck buddy for dinner.

Seeing Roland's response reminded me of the night Beth dropped her baby in my lap. He'd remained silent, hardly looking at her. He nodded, and took off as soon as I closed the car door. What the fuck?

It had been a few days since I'd checked on Heather's business account. I was pleased to see that she was making daily deposits, but I had no way of knowing if the amounts were reasonable. Another good sign was that she had not discovered the backup account that I'd established.

By day, John and Suzanne ran a multi-million dollar company, but Heather's entrance into the business world fascinated them. After telling them my findings concerning her bank account, I confessed that I did not know what meals she was serving, the prices she was charging, or how many hours the restaurant was open.

They knew the distrust I held for my sister, and when I mentioned that Heather was using my mom's car, everything else fell into place. It was quickly decided that mom should have the Florida car, and that I would help her drive it home. This would give me the opportunity to obtain Heather's signature on the legal guardian document, and for me to get a first hand look at her restaurant's operation.

"Jane will be surprised at how much K.O. has grown. Make sure she's there in time for his birthday," Suzanne said.

I sent my mom an airline ticket, and when she wanted to know why it was only for one way, I told her it was to be a surprise.

Stephanie and I turned heads when we entered the room where the Reapers were meeting. We separated to mingle, but it was clear from the number of questions that I had to field, that everyone was making more of our arriving together than it warranted. Kelley was inquisitive at first, but became ruthless when I told her that Stephanie had let me drive her car.

"You're driving more than her car. Does she corner nicely at high speeds or does she roll over? Does she respond to your lightest touch? Is she quiet or do you have to muffle her? How's her mileage? Can you drive her all night or does she run out of gas?"

Kelley was just getting warmed up when I interrupted her. "What makes you think there is something going on between Stephanie and me?"

"It's obvious by the way she's wearing her hair down. It makes her look ... driven."

I laughed and said that I needed to catch up with Roland before the meeting got under way. He seemed glad to see me, like he'd forgotten about Stephanie being with me. We made plans to have lunch the following week, and I was about to tell him about our Florida trip when Stephanie came to tell me the meeting was beginning.

"Stephanie, this is Roland," I said, and became concerned that he was going to be sick as she offered her hand.

He mumbled something that sounded a little like, 'It's nice to meet you, ' and I suggested that we take our seats.

"What's his problem?" she whispered in my ear as soon as we were seated.

"He's allergic to a pretty girl, especially if she owns a Lexus," I whispered, and felt Stephanie's lips brush my cheek as she shifted in her seat.

Marsha Cody was very complimentary with her praise for those who were becoming involved with the homeless shelter, although she didn't single out any of us for our work or contributions. The meeting dragged on with announcements of upcoming events and appeals for volunteers to help carry them out.

Stephanie continued to whisper in my ear, which made me nervous. I was almost certain that we were attracting the critical attention of Roland, Cynthia and Kelley.

I may have given Stephanie the wrong message when I rushed her out of the meeting as soon as it was adjourned. We talked about her brother's engagement to Karen on the way to her apartment.

"How long do you think it will last?" she asked.

"Let's just say that I hope I'm wrong."

"In that case, I hope you're wrong, too."

She invited me to come inside. "I'll let you see my second bedroom," she offered, in a seductive tone. I made up an excuse about needing to prepare for a busy day. She prolonged our goodnight kiss, suggesting that her second bedroom was only the beginning.

On Tuesday, Roland and I had lunch. I told him that my parents were leaving for Florida the following day, and that I needed to be there on Friday for my nephew's fifth birthday. He offered to fill in for me at the shelter, and I promised to call him as soon as I got back.

Karen called to tell me about the report she'd received on the diamond. "It's genuine, I guess I'll have to go through with it," she said, letting disappointment creep into her voice.

I wasn't sure if she meant she'd have to go through with their 'get acquainted' trip, or their wedding. "That's great," I said, not sure if I was glad to hear that the diamond was genuine or that Gary could apparently be trusted.

"Would you like to come over? I know how to shunt the alarm system," she offered.

"I'm getting ready to go to Florida for a few days," I said, carefully sparing her the reminder that she was engaged to be married, while avoiding revealing how much it hurt me to turn her down.

"Don't forget me; I'll never forget you," she said, and I assured her that she would always occupy a prominent corner in my memory.

I considered calling Stephanie to let her know that I would be gone for a few days, but upon the advice of my inner voice, I decided it would send the wrong message.

The day I was to leave, Wanda came rushing into my office, waving an envelope. "She's appointed you as her designated assignee."

I opened the envelope and was surprised to find that an affidavit was enclosed, giving me authority to cast votes on all matters concerning the shares in the two Oldham Companies real estate trusts owned by Cynthia Collingsworth.

The two paragraphs contained words such as unconditional, making it clear that she wanted nothing to do with the investments, now and forever.

After the unwelcome response I'd received before, a telephone call to her was out of the question. I wrote a formal letter, thanking her for the faith and confidence she'd shown on my ability, promising to keep her best interests in mind with each vote.

"This sounds like you never met the woman," Wanda said when she read the letter.

"I don't know her. She's a different person than the one I knew," I answered. As I boarded my flight, I couldn't help but think that I was a different person than the one she'd known, too.

It was good to get away from the office for a few days. We hadn't told K.O. that he would be entering kindergarten. It would be a big disappointment to all of us if Heather refused to sign the document. He had all the excitement he could handle anyway. In addition to having his grandmother there to celebrate his birthday, there were presents to open, and the anticipation of Santa Claus stopping by two days later.

We spent a lot of time taking advantage of the warm weather. I stayed busy reading, running and playing with K.O. and Samantha. Mom and Suzanne renewed their friendship, and gossiped about me. At least, that's what I thought they were doing. The days passed quickly, and it was soon time to tell my mom that she was to receive the car.

K.O. didn't understand why his grandmother was squealing, and although we took turns explaining it to him; he was mystified that she could become so excited over a car.

We left early on Thursday, the twenty-eighth of December. My plan was to arrive on Friday, visit the restaurant, obtain Heather's signature, and catch a late flight home in order to celebrate the New Year with Roland. I took the wheel for the first two hundred and fifty miles, and after a pit stop and coffee, mom drove the next one hundred miles. We didn't talk about anything serious that first day. I told her about the history of the car, first owned by Suzanne, then by me, before we'd designated it as the Florida car. Even while we were having dinner after stopping for the night, we skirted the issues that had clouded our relationship over the last nine years.

On Friday, she began talking about my childhood. I didn't have to prompt her; there were some things she wanted me to know. She spoke about her three husbands, her reasons for marrying them, and what had gone wrong. I didn't particularly care to learn why her first and third marriages had failed. I guess I tuned those parts out, but when she spoke of my birth father, I listened intently.