Chapter 4

Craig quickly discovered that not having a job to go to wasn’t the greatest situation to be in because it led to inactivity. He worked hard at not becoming bored or turning into a couch potato. There were things like surfing the net, checking on his investments, golfing twice a week, and dating Monica that took up some of his time. Doing some remodeling on his condo, daily walks and getting elected to the condo’s board kept him further busy. The evenings were a little boring when he wasn’t going out with Monica and that was something he needed to work on.

He was giving more thought to what to do during the winter months when he walked into the laundry room and saw Lori bending down, taking items of the dryer. He mentally acknowledged the fine ass she had which he had previously confirmed.

‘It seems like we are always meeting here in the laundry room.”

“Now don’t you be getting any ideas, I haven’t asked you about Brea.”

Craig chuckled a little to himself as he remembered the threat he made to Lori a while ago about what he would do to her if she asked him about him and Brea again. Lori apparently remembered what he said as well.

“No you’ve been pretty good about that, so you don’t need to worry about me doing anything like that. That to me is a great disappointment I might add. I was thinking about this coming winter and what you said about Sarasota. The area sounds nice from what you related. How should I go about finding something to rent down there? Do you know of any units for rent in the area or realtors who handle rentals?”

‘No I don’t but let me send an e-mail to a friend down there who should know about rentals and realtors. While I think you would like my building, the by-laws indicate that rentals must be a six month minimum and that’s more than you want. I’ll get back to you when my friend responds.”

Craig’s doorbell chimed later in the afternoon. Lori handed Craig a printed out e-mail when he opened the door. It had the name of Nicole Powers and her phone number on it. Lori said this is the realtor her friend recommended.

After a little thought and writing down some notes, Craig entered the number Lori had given him into his cell phone.

“This is Nicky, what can I do for you?”

Craig introduced himself and explained that she had been recommended to him and he was looking for a condo rental in the Sarasota area starting in January. Nicky asked him some specific questions as to what he was looking for. When Craig was a little hesitant and told her this was the first time he would be wintering there, she asked him a number of questions to learn his likes and preferences.

“Okay, I think I have a good idea of what you’re looking for. Give me your e-mail address and I’ll send you a web page with some rentals that I think will meet your specific needs. The particulars about each unit will be listed. Get back to me if you have any questions or if you have decided on which unit you want to rent. I will say that some of these rental units are because the owners purchased them with the idea that they would flip them for a big profit in a short time. That did not happen due to the downturn in the housing market and those owners now find themselves in the rental business.”

Craig checked his e-mail later that afternoon and saw that he had one from Nicky.

He opened the web page she sent him and went through the listings he saw there. They all looked nicely decorated. He looked their addresses up on Google maps and developed a feeling for where in the area they were located. The biggest decision he probably had to make was whether he wanted a one or two-bedroom unit. While he wasn’t planning on having visitors, that could change if his brother or his niece decided to visit. After some further thought he doubted that they would visit.

Craig selected a one-bedroom unit that was on the tenth floor about two city blocks from the water. He asked Nicky to send him the necessary paperwork which he said he would complete and return along with his deposit.

The days were flying by and the weather was starting to change. Leaves had fallen as well as some snow, and the weather had turned colder. Craig would be heading for the warmer weather of Florida in another month. What to do when he got there was something he started to think about. He also started making a list of things to take with him.

When one of his golf days was cancelled due to rain and cold weather, Craig decided to take a ride to Albany Savings to see how things were going there. He was warmly greeted by Phil and Nancy as well as a few of the other employees. They told him over coffee of some things that had happened and most of them were for the better. New repos were down and the total they had was being substantially reduced. There was some pressure from the government to start making sub-prime loans again but they were going to resist this pressure for as long as they could. Craig was pleased to hear this good news.

Phil later told Craig jokingly that Nancy was doing a better job than Ed ever did and that she was the right person for the position. Phil said he was glad he promoted her. Craig thought it best not to remind Phil that he was the one who trained her and made this promotional recommendation.

He ran into Paula who was just coming in as he was leaving the building. He talked with her briefly and she thanked him for her position. She said the bank has saved money by making an effort to sell the repos themselves first and this has also been monetarily rewarding for her as well. She couldn’t thank Craig enough for what he did for her.

The holidays were a little bit of a bummer for Craig. He was invited to spend Thanksgiving at his brother’s house and Christmas day at his niece’s home. Craig knew that it was only because of his brother’s insistence that he received these invitations. Craig did not get along with his brother’s wife for some unknown reason. She didn’t care for him and Craig didn’t care for her. He would have preferred to spend the time with Monica but she was committed to spending those days with her relatives.

New Year’s Eve was time he would be spending Monica. Dinner and some dancing were on the agenda before returning to Monica’s townhome for the remainder of the evening’s festivities.

He enjoyed holding her in his arms when they were dancing. The way she was pressing herself against him was stimulating and he thought was a forerunner of what was to come. She was all woman, one for whom he was developing a strong attraction.

They went all out to welcome in the New Year back at her townhome. He wouldn’t stop licking and nibbling on her clit even though she kept saying he should stop. Craig could tell by now when she was serious in asking him to stop. He didn’t stop and knew she had come many times. He stopped knowing she was serious when he heard a little change in the inflection of her voice asking him to stop with her hands were tugging on his ears. He moved up to cuddle with her and kiss her.

Monica told him she wanted this to last her a long time when she mounted him. She slowly moved her hips and bent to teasingly brush her nipples against his lips at the same time. He lasted as long as he could but it was a losing the battle. The smile on her face as she felt his warmth entering her, told her she accomplished what she wanted. It was one great night and even a good morning when they went at it again.

She shared the flight plans she had made to fly down to Florida and visit him for a week before he left her townhome.

With his car packed, he was on the road heading toward Florida two days later. He made the trip in three days without pushing it. He stopped and took an audio tour of two Civil War battlefields along the way. There were no other visitors at this time of the year doing this at these battlefields.

Craig met Nicky at her office where he secured the keys to the condo and paid the monies due on the rental. She was an attractive lady but the pictures of her three children and the way she talked about her husband made his thought of developing a relationship with her only wishful thinking.

Finding the rented condo was easy and he liked what he saw when he entered it. The furnishings were nice and there was a great view toward the water. He read a note on the counter which informed him about a number of things pertaining to the condo as well as the password for the wireless internet connection. All things considered, he was pleased by his selection of this rental.

Craig left the condo after unpacking and drove around the area, making mental notes of what he saw as to where the businesses, restaurants, and watering holes were located. He stopped to get a sandwich and made a final stop at Publix to purchase some food and liquid refreshments.

He put his purchases away back at the condo and signed on to the internet to check his e-mail. Craig watched a little television, familiarizing himself with the channels available and then called it a night.

The remainder of the week was spent getting comfortable with the area, eating at different restaurants and reading the paper to see what was the entertainment being offered in the area. Golf would start next week. Craig had joined a golf association he found on the net. This association hosted two a week golf outings at various courses with morning and afternoon shotgun starts. He thought this would save him the hassle of getting a tee time as well allowing him to meet people. Maybe he could develop some new friendships.

It was the internet that called his attention to the cruises that left from the Port of Tampa. There was a five night cruise leaving the day after Monica was coming down for her visit. The price was a bargain and she said yes when he phoned to ask her if she wanted to go. He phoned and made the cruise reservation after confirming that she had a passport and getting the information.