Chapter 6: Cynthia's Finances

Cynthia's insistence that I be there to meet her investment advisor and his wife was so persuasive that I couldn't turn her down. We were waiting around the corner, dressed in the same clothes we'd worn to work that day, when Robert opened the door and welcomed the couple to Mrs. Collingsworth's home.

David Ferris was about an inch taller than me, slight build, and parted his thinning hair in the center of his head. I had mixed feelings about him as Cynthia introduced me, simply, as Sammy, and he offered his small, soft hand.

"And this is Dora," Cynthia said. I smiled, took her hand in mine and seeing that Robert was helping David with his coat, offered to take her coat.

It was obvious that David and Dora Ferris had come directly from work. His suit was slightly rumpled. Dora wore dark slacks, a white turtleneck shirt and there was a dark opal pendant hovering between her breasts. I noted that it matched her eyes.

David was the first to speak of Cynthia's new look. I was mixing drinks, concentrating, trying to rid my mind of the feeling I'd gotten about Mrs. Ferris. It wasn't pity, just a feeling I'd gotten. It was more of a need to help her cope with her marital situation. Who was I to judge? Perhaps she was happy being subjugated by a weak, domineering husband.

"Cynthia, you've discovered the fountain of youth. Doesn't she look years younger, Dora?" David asked, not expecting his wife to answer.

"It was Sammy's idea," Cynthia confessed, accepting the compliment.

David had downed half of his drink without waiting for me to finish preparing my own drink. "I can't get over how relaxed you seem."

"I've cut back on my work in order to spend more time with Sammy," she admitted, watching me as I lifted my glass in the air.

"To financial advice," I said before taking a sip of my scotch and water.

"To excellent financial advice," Mr. Ferris said as he drained his glass. I took the empty glass and refilled it, noting that he was the only one that needed a refill.

Margaret announced that dinner was served. Cynthia directed me to sit at the head of the table, saying that she preferred to sit to my left where she could catch Margaret's eye when we needed something from the kitchen. I helped her with her chair. David helped his wife with her chair and took the seat next to her.

Margaret appeared with a tray of appetizers, indicating that we were to have a choice of shrimp cocktail or a fruit cup. Mr. Ferris and I chose shrimp while the ladies preferred fruit.

As soon as Margaret disappeared into the kitchen, Robert was there, showing me the label on the bottle before pouring a mouthful of wine in my glass. I caught him off guard by commenting on his white gloves before pronouncing the wine, "Superb!" The butler was still grinning when he retreated to the kitchen.

As the meal progressed, I became irate at the way David Ferris directed his conversation toward Cynthia. He was making a sales pitch, inquiring if she'd perused the prospectuses he'd forwarded to her. She answered that she'd been too busy, but promised to open the package the following night.

I gave my full attention to Dora and found out that she worked in one of several child care centers her parents owned.

Hearing this, Cynthia disregarded David's appeal for her to speak to Tom Collingsworth about his services.

"I envy you. Taking care of children must be very satisfying," she said, watching Dora smile.

"It's extremely rewarding," Dora responded, and then as an afterthought, "This opal you gave me is magical. The children respond to it when nothing else works."

"That's good to know. I'll wear mine the next time Sammy takes me to visit his friends. They have an adorable little girl," Cynthia said, searching my expression for a sign. It was like she was asking when I planned to visit Doug and Phyllis again. Didn't she know I was soured on Doug?

"My wife is far too modest. Her title is Senior Vice President of the firm, and she is an indispensable contributor to her parents' business. They would be lost without her," David Ferris said, oblivious of Dora's embarrassment.

Cynthia used David's praise for his wife to her advantage, wanting to know about Dora's role in her parents' business. I teamed up with her, effectively halting David's attempt to seek her help in recruiting her father-in-law as a client.

Our questions reminded me of an endless tennis match, where evenly matched opponents keep the ball in a constant volley. Cynthia wanted to know about the children, their ages, and which activities they enjoyed the most. I was more interested in knowing about the facilities, special requirements, and the ratio of staff to children.

Dora explained that some of the centers were located within companies that were large enough to support a child care center. She went on to say that studies showed that mothers were more productive if they could visit their child during breaks.

"I don't know if we've been approached by a company to build a child care center in any of our buildings," I admitted.

"If you ever get a request for a child care center, I would be happy to show you how we typically set it up," Dora offered.

"That's good to know. I'll keep your offer in mind," I said, glancing at Cynthia, and seeing that she'd scarcely touched her food since we'd started the volley.

"Finish your lamb chop," I suggested, implying that she could forget about eating the rest of the food on her plate. She smiled at me as she cut off a bite of the thick chop.

David took this opportunity to renew his attempt to ask Cynthia to mention his services to Tom, but she didn't respond. Instead, she looked at me, fondly, as she cut a second bite of the chop.

"We'll have coffee in Mrs. Collingsworth's study," I said to Margaret, as she collected the plates.

"Would you like for me to serve the dessert in the study, Mr. Sammy?" she asked.

I glanced at Cynthia before answering. "Yes, please, Margaret."

David sprinted around the table to help Cynthia with her chair, leaving his wife for me to assist. I let him move out ahead of us enjoying the way Dora linked her arm in mine as we followed her husband and Cynthia.

"I became interested in the nursing home business last year. I suspect the requirements are much the same as your business," I said

She stopped, seeming to digest what I'd said. "You may have a point."

"It seems to me that the dedication of the staff is critical to the success of either business."

Dora stopped to look at the pool, and I noticed that David and Cynthia were entering her study.

"That must be a pleasant way to relax after a hard days work," she observed.

"It is," I agreed. "You should see Cynthia slice through the water. She's especially agile when we're nude."

"Hmmm," Dora said, like she could visualize us cavorting in the water. "You've done wonders with her, Mr. Oldham. I can see how she relies on you to make the decisions."

"Thank you for noticing, Mrs. Ferris. I take my job of guiding Cynthia seriously."

I felt a jerk on my arm, and when I looked down, I saw that she was standing on tiptoes to whisper in my ear, "I'll call you Sammy if you'll call me Dora?"

I grinned to show that I was in agreement. We entered the study to find David explaining something to Cynthia. She looked perturbed, and I didn't like what I was seeing.

"It's only the first pass," David said, inferring that a second pass would improve the picture.

"I can't continue taking these short term losses year after year, David." Cynthia said, sounding more upset than before. I decided they must be talking about her income tax filing for the previous year.

"They're small losses compared with your total income, Cynthia."

Seeing the way her eyes were darting around the room, like she was trying to think of something to say, made me concerned that she would burst a blood vessel. "Thirty thousand dollars may be a pittance to you, but three such losses in one year is a tidy sum, even to me."

"I informed you that a sale was imperative on all three occasions," David said, now sounding defensive.

"Yes, you did that, David. I recall that you phoned me each time on Friday afternoon, an hour before the stock market was to close. May I remind you that I purchased those stocks only a few months earlier on your recommendation," Cynthia said, looking to me, for help, I thought. I was right.

I jumped to my feet, covered the short distance between us, and took her into my arms. She was crying and shaking, uncontrollably. What I was able to discern from her babbling was that David had interrupted her work, told her he was unloading a stock and demanded her approval. This had happened three times in late 1993. When I'd heard enough, I addressed David.

"You called her at work?"

"I had to. The stock was in freefall and she refused to authorize my acting without her approval. I'd never buy or sell without Mrs. Collingsworth's okay."

"You called her on three occasions, always near closing time, demanding that she agree to sell? I don't even disturb her when she's in her cutting room and I'm her boyfriend," I said, feeling Cynthia's body slump against mine.

We were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Enter," I said, knowing it had to be Margaret bringing the coffee and dessert. I continued to hold Cynthia as we watched the maid place a tray on a table in the seating area.

"Will there be anything else, Mr. Sammy?" she asked, watching me whispering in Cynthia's ear. I was telling her that I was going to get rid of our company. She was unable to speak, but she nodded to signify that my solution suited her.

"That's fine, Margaret, thank you," I said and waited for her to leave the room before I turning my attention to David.

"We'll review the forms and be in touch with you if changes are required," I said, effectively telling him it was time for him to leave. He differed.

"You may have wormed your way into her confidence and her bedroom, but you know nothing about her finances. I've managed to improve her net worth three years in a row," he spat out.

"I've gained her confidence because I care for her. You would do well to respect her wish to work without interruption in the future."

"Is that your advice, Mr. Oldham? I've heard stories about the way you treat women. Cynthia, I hope you don't fall for this kid's line. He'll drain you of everything and leave you without a penny to your name."

He must have put a lot of stock in my being hobbled by Cynthia clinging to me. Her warning, "Don't, Darling," whispered in my ear saved him from waking up from a short nap.

"Thank you for coming, Mr. Ferris. It was nice meeting you, Dora. I enjoyed hearing about the child care centers. I hope we'll have the opportunity to discuss it further sometime."

"You're making a big mistake, Mr. Oldham," David said, already gathering the folders up from Cynthia's table.

"Leave the files, Mr. Ferris. We'll go over everything after Cynthia has a chance to calm down," I said, and drew a look of scorn from him. I reached for the phone, dialed the kitchen extension, and informed Margaret that our guests were leaving. She said she would have Robert show them to the door.

"Are you a CPA, Mr. Oldham?"

"No, I'm not, but I've studied Cynthia's stock portfolio, and we've discussed some changes that she's considering."

I could see that he didn't believe me, and I didn't blame him because what I'd said about studying her stock portfolio was bullshit. I'd perused the stocks she owned, but absorbed nothing about their merit or value. However, I couldn't let him leave with her files. We might never see them again. I felt Cynthia's body sort of giggle, and knew that she was amused about what I'd said. We hadn't discussed her making changes.

Dora was at the door, but her husband was inclined to put up a fight. I had my hands full supporting Cynthia's limp body.

"Leave the files, Mr. Ferris," I repeated, and watched him empty his case, albeit reluctantly. He turned at the door, making one last stand.

"Cynthia, I hope you will put in a good word about me to Mr. Collingsworth."

Her body stiffened for a second, and then she stood erect. "I certainly will, David, but I would suggest that you not call him at the office."

Dora looked back at me as she pushed her husband out the door. "Have a good swim, Sammy."

"Thank you, Dora. I intend to do just that, and after she's relaxed, I plan to make her forget about her losses."

Dora Ferris blushed, showing that she was picturing my method of making Cynthia forget her losses.

We left the tax files spread out on her table and the coffee untouched. I undressed us on our way to the pool. We were in the pool when Margaret appeared, watching us as she collected our clothing.

Two hours later, Cynthia was completely relaxed when I carried her upstairs, still wet and laughing.

"I hope you'll forget what he said about leaving me penniless. I trust you with everything I own. It would be nothing without you, anyway," she said as I ran the towel over her body.

"Thank you for trusting me, but let's not discuss the unpleasant part of our evening. This is my time to make you forget it happened."

"Hmmm, that sounds delightful, Darling."

I did such a good job of relieving the tension from her body that she fell asleep without partaking of the finale I had planned for the evening. I must have fallen asleep too, because I awoke refreshed at six AM. Cynthia was still sleeping. I slipped out of bed, tiptoed downstairs and placed the income tax files in a cabinet before carrying the tray to the kitchen. If Margaret noticed that I was naked, she didn't say anything. Instead, she was incensed that we hadn't touched her chocolate layer cake. I picked up a slice and took a bite as I left the kitchen. At the door, I looked back to see her smiling at me.

Nothing else was said about the evening before or her losses until I was dropping Cynthia off at her office. "We'll look at the taxes tonight, right?" she asked.

"Ah, okay, but tonight's the night we meet Jessica at the ice cream shop. We'll need to leave the house at about seven-thirty, I reminded her.

"Must we?"

"You're the one that wanted to meet with her."

She leaned over to kiss me goodbye. "You're right, Darling. I do want to be present when you meet with her."

I was struck by the way she lingered, quite intent on obtaining my concurrence. I put my forefinger under her chin and drew her lips to me for a short kiss. "I'll come by early so we have time to look at the tax filing."

She smiled, and I thought she was going to open the door when she looked at me. "I'm sorry about last night."

"What about last night?" I asked, hoping it had nothing to do with David Ferris.

"I let you put me to sleep before we had our fun. I was so looking forward to fucking you."

"You make me laugh," I said, pushing her toward the door. She was grinning as she got out and she was still grinning when she waved at me from the door.

What was I thinking when I let myself become involved with this woman? We'd gone well beyond my changing her mind about pulling out of the realty trust. I'd not only tamed her, I gained her confidence and become meaningful to her. I was in so deep now that I couldn't pull out, not that I wanted to. What was it about this woman that held me captive? Was I in awe of her wealth? Was it the fulfillment that I felt from being needed? What must others think? How could I explain it to them if I didn't understand it myself?

I waited until ten AM before attempting to reach Doctor Mercer in his office at the school. I was told by a student secretary that the professor had changed his free hour from ten to eleven. "He goes home for a long lunch with his family," she explained.

I told her that I would try again at eleven and she took my name, saying that she would make sure Dr. Mercer waited for my call.

"Sammy, how have you been?" he asked. After I inquired about his family, I got right to the point, telling him that a friend was in need of a financial advisor and I was hoping that he could recommend a former student who was excelling in the field. He wanted more information and I gave him the minimum, divulging only that my friend was wealthy and had recently been dissuaded by someone less than competent. He pressed for more and I agreed to send him a list of the stocks in Cynthia's portfolio.