Chapter 1

May 31, 2013

As if moving to a new home in a new city wasn't stressful enough, the reason I was moving had me nervous as well. If I may back up a few spaces,...

I work for a Nanoscale Science firm, World ChipTech, involved with the making of microchips for a contract with one of the largest computer manufacturers in the world. The particular department I worked in, and many like it in our plant were overstaffed until our next contract, rumored to be a government commitment worth Billions. We were all electrical engineers whose skill would be needed down the road and the thought of laying people off didn't sit well with HR, only because by 2015 they would have put the call out for all of us and more to fulfill the upcoming contract order. As simple as it sounds, skilled micro engineers in Nanoscale science do not grow on trees and don't have much problem finding work, especially if you're willing to relocate, but usually it's overseas.

For the past 2 months, while we waited for the bulk of our production contracts to kick in, many of our production wheels were being skimmed. (Skimmed was a company term for "transfer out" A wheel was 9 work stations manned by 9 engineers doing precision work. Each work station was referred to as a spoke, 9 spokes in a wheel) They would send you to one of our 5 other plants around the world with no promise of a return to your former plant. I didn't want to leave California for any place out of the States, and my only domestic option was going to be New York. At the end of 2012 they skimmed 6 of our 9 wheels, sending 6 men and women in the same boat as me, age 28 to 35 and just comfortable in our post college careers.

I was just preparing to leave work on the last day of May this year when I got an email flash to report to HR before I left. I had no way to avoid it, as much as I wanted to. I was just going on vacation for a week. My electronic timecard wouldn't scan and a "report to HR" message would appear on the scanner. I had seen it tried before. So I closed up my computer and set things straight as if I were just going on vacation and trudged up the hallway to the elevator and the 6th floor, past the doors that held people making after work plans.

I expected there would be 5 or 6 of us in the waiting area, but I was alone. The receptionist desk was empty and I contemplated just sitting and waiting when the receptionist came out of the main office with signed documents she must have had to mail and smiled real big at me.

"Mattie Cymbol?" She asked brightly.

"That's me." I said, not half as excited as she was.

"Go right in, they're waiting for you!" She sparked as she slid into her high crescent reception desk.

I went to the door and took a deep breath and opened it. Instead of one HR head sitting there behind his desk, waiting to swing his ax at me, there were 4 suits behind a long table adjacent to the empty desk.

"Mattie, grab a seat right here." The guy, second to the right said pointing to 3 chairs just to the left of the table.

I wanted to just say, "Just do it, get it over with. Tell me where I'm being skimmed to fuck up my life forever."

"I'm Roger Dean, head of HR and this is Doreen Patterson, HR Coordinator, and these two gentlemen to the other side of me are Simon Heifitz and Joseph Condon, both evaluators who micro manage our science talent, to put it simply."

I nodded and half smiled to each, looking to see if Ms Patterson had a ring on, she was quite a looker. She didn't.

Roger Dean cleared his throat and got my attention and began to speak.

"We've managed to avoid skimming these last two quarters, but your work has got our attention and we've decided to make a move."

""Holy FUCK!" I thought, "They're gonna fire my ass!" Ran through my head and I was prepared to fight for my job, but then Dean spoke up again.

"Do you think you could command a wheel of spokes at our facility in Upstate New York? That's 9 work stations or spokes in the wheel, just like here. You'll assign the work, distribute it where it works best and fastest. Your work is exemplary, imaginative, and constant. We need a new command position doing exactly what we do here. As a matter of fact, when you sit at your computer there you'll think you're right here in California at our plant. They are that much alike. Before you judge and give us an answer, we realize you've stagnated, salary wise as we wait for the next phase of THE CONTRACT. I'm thinking you would be happy to get a 30K increase to go along with your responsibilities. Your personal production alone has kept your wheel from being skimmed and we need that attitude when this position opens in New York. We see you have next week off, then how about giving you two paid administrative weeks to move and get settled. Then you can go in and observe for a week before taking over the command of the wheel."

I was overwhelmed and couldn't think of anything to say except, "Who am I replacing?"

"A woman who was from Norway and wants to go home to our facility there. She's a very special talent, much like you, and we did not want to lose her. Her request came at a time we had to make a HR move over there. This opens quite a door for you. Funny how dominoes fall." He said as I felt my breathing begin to turn to normal.

Ms. Patterson sat up and looked at me carefully, knowing she had my attention. "How does this sound? Take your week vacation and come back a week from Monday and give us your decision. Look at the logistics of the deal and decide if it's right for you."

I nearly jumped out of my chair. "I don't need the week! I'll take it! I love California but I have no ties here. No family, no wife. I've needed a jump start and at this point in my career it would be foolish to refuse such an opportunity."

The way Roger Dean's eyes looked at me as I said that I knew he thought to himself "refuse it and it will be the LAST offer you ever get."

"You're absolutely sure? No one to talk this over with?" Ms Patterson said.

"No, I don't even have a person to call and announce it to."

"Parents? No brothers, sisters, aunts or uncles, a girlfriend?" She asked with a weird smile.

"No one." I said sensing she felt sorry for me, but I never knew those connections, so I never missed them. I've had plenty of girlfriends, but nothing ever serious. My parents had me late in life, a certain mistake, but certainly welcome. I was an only child after some miscarriages when my Mom was younger, and I was unexpected. They both passed before they got to 70, my Dad from emphysema, he had worked in coal mines when he was younger, and my Mom from lung cancer, and she had been a heavy smoker before I was born. They were both oldest of small families, and it ended up, I really had no one.

In my field at college we were all career minded geeks and sex was a check valve of life. I hooked up with many co-eds, but they all considered school and career as number one priority. Most of us were on some sort of scholarship that, if we lost it, we could never afford the education it was providing. "If you're special and you know it, raise your hand." was a common theme.

Ms. Patterson looked to Roger Dean and the others before Dean nodded to her and she got up and heel clicked her way out of the room. All eyes were on the chassis that carried her out and then we all looked down, embarrassed that we all had the same thoughts.

I looked up to Dean and he smiled to me. "Swallow. Your heart is still in your throat. Yes, this is really happening."

He couldn't have been more right. I was elated, frightened, and trepidatious, all at once.

I looked back at him and suddenly he seemed to take a fatherly position towards me and said, "Don't worry, you can do this. Multibillion dollar operations don't do these things frivolously. We've checked you out quite extensively. You are our man."

His words gave me an orgasm of the mind, like confetti and streamers in my head as Doreen Patterson came back in the room with a folder and a thick leather brief. She handed me the brief with its gold clasp and my initials engraved on it and retook her seat at the table before me as she opened the folder.

"In that brief you will find everything you will need to facilitate this move. Information on selling your condo, with our assistance of course, your hotel reservations in New York as well as information on 3 condominium communities we think you'll find a good choice with. You keep paying your current mortgage and we'll take care of your new mortgage until you sell. We'll provide you with PODS to pack in and we'll see they are moved to your new place, when you find one. In the meantime we'll put them into a storage facility until the time you need them. Your plane tickets are in there, you just need to make the reservations for the day you are leaving. You have a voucher for a rental car there good for a month, and by that time your vehicle here will have been shipped. That can take a few weeks. Go home look that over and call me if you have any questions. Here is my cell number for any questions." She said her last line as she got up and came to me with a hesitation and a quick wink only I saw.

"Holy Shit!" I thought to myself. "Not only was I getting the prize package of my life, I think she came on to me."

I tried to give an acknowledging smile without being overt to the other men.

Roger Dean stood and the others joined him.

"Mattie, we've facilitated these transfers before and Ms. Patterson has got all your bases covered. You take your vacation, when you get back, get packed, and PODS will load the unit or units and ship them to a site nearby our New York plant. Then fly to New York, get your rental car, check into your hotel and look for a place to live. Once you have it call Ms. Patterson with the details. Let the office out there know you're in town, your badge is in the packet. Everything is arranged and all you have to do is put the pre-planned actions in motion. Your cubicle has been packed and is waiting for you at the desk out in the waiting area."

I stood and was about to shake hands with each of them when it occurred to me, and I asked aloud.

"My cubicle is packed? What if I turned it down?" I asked with a half smile.

"You were going to be skimmed and work for whomever we chose instead of you." Dean said adding, "We weren't trying to be heavy handed with that alternative, it's just business Mattie."

I was a little miffed at his words, but I do understand that if a person turns down a promotion, they usually have blocked any forward progress in their career. But, here I thought I made a decision about my career, and they had already made it for me.

I went into the outer office and there was the box with my life at World ChipTech.

"Here are your things Mr. Cymbol!" The bubbly Admin Assistant said. "Would you like me to call someone to help you carry them out?

"No, I can handle them myself, thank you." I said smiling.

"Well, you're on the management team now and these things are available to you." She bubbled.

I took the box of my things and walked the elevator asking myself if I was going to become a prima donna now that I was in management. I answered myself with a decisive NO. I hated executives who inherited a chip on their shoulder to go with their nameplate on a desk. I was a hard worker, a conscientious worker, and that was not going to change.

I sort of floated on air the rest of the night and stayed home to celebrate, feeling that if I called any of my friends, most of who I worked with, I would be throwing it in their face. I drank a split of champagne that came in a gift basket last Christmas and began to gather things in preparation of moving. I stopped my packing and sorting for a moment to call and cancel my reservation Las Vegas where I had planned to drive Monday morning.

"Shit," I thought to myself. I'll pack up Monday, Tuesday, and finish getting out of here on Wednesday. If I tie up all my loose ends FIRST, my vacation can be the free days I have before I start work.

I took the brief from Doreen Patterson and got the information on my flight, my NY hotel, but search as I might I couldn't find the info on PODS or the voucher for them. It was only 8:30 so I decided to call Ms Patterson and ask about it. I wanted an excuse to call her, and now I had a good one.

"Hello?"

"Good evening Ms. Patterson, this is Mattie Cymbol."

"Oh, so glad you called. After you left I saw the PODS folder on my desk. If you want to stop in at the office next week to get it. Oh, wait a minute, you're going on vacation next week." She said.

"Well, that's part of the reason I called. I'm going to take care of all of that stuff next week and free up some time AFTER I get to New York."

"You didn't give me time to finish, I was going to say you could come over and pick it up this weekend, or ... even tonight if you want." She said, her voice softening.

I thought "Damn, she WAS coming on in the office, unless I'm a total idiot to assume it."

"Um Yeah, I could come over, where do you live?"

"Are you familiar with Red Basin Estates?" She asked

"Oh yes, it's only a few minutes from here. I drive by on the way to work."

"Great then. I'm at 777 Red Circle Drive. I'll leave a light on. There's a red Mustang in the drive. You can't miss me." She said finishing.

Hoping I wouldn't make a fool of myself I ran to the bathroom, turned on the shower and hopped in. I did a quick wash and put on clean shorts and a new colored tee, going commando with no underwear. If she just came to the door and just handed the stuff to me, it was all in my imagination.

I was at her door within 15 minutes of when I called and she came to the door in short shorts and a bikini top (Not out of the ordinary, this WAS California, and it was the beginning of summer.

"Hi Ms Patterson, I hope it's not an inconvenience to get this stuff to night I..."

"Oh stop it Mattie! Call me Doreen, come on in." She said, turning and walking giving me a great show with her ass in those little shorts. She turned and saw me looking and she blushed.

"You know what? Come out by the pool. I was working out there and that's where I noticed I still had those vouchers. She said.

"Oh?" I said "I thought you said you noticed the PODS folder on your desk after I left." I said raising my eyebrows and giving her a little smirk.

She blushed real hard and searched for words before smiling back.

"I guess I'm busted. You're cute, actually hot and you won't be in this office anymore so..."

She said while turning crimson and then losing her word train.

"So ... what?" I asked smiling that I had gotten the upper hand.

"So we could date and still be within company policy." She stuttered out.

"This is a date?" I asked.

"It can be, if you want it to be." She said getting her bravado and confidence back but reaching to the table beside the pool where her briefcase was spread open.

She picked up the PODS folder and was going to turn and show it to me, but I had gotten right up behind her, so when she turned I was in her face. She was flustered for something to say and I asked her, "Is it a play date?"

Suddenly her voice and demeanor got soft and she grabbed a handful of the cloth of my tee right in the middle of my chest.

"I told you I was busted and said I thought you were hot. Why are you making me squirm?"

"Because you weren't honest with me, did you think I was going to proposition an officer of the company without being sure what was happening?" I asked moving my face closer to hers.

"We all thought you were very bright, and I guess we didn't miscalculate." She said placing her lips to mine for a quick kiss.

"One more question, are we alone and do you expect anyone else anytime later?"

"No, I live alone and I have no ex's of any kind. My job takes up a lot of my time. I rely on hot guys with roving eyes for companionship." She said with a smile that finished against my lips.

I pulled her hard to me and took a half step that backed her to the edge of the table she was working on. She scooted onto it, never losing my lips. I reached behind her and fiddled looking for the tie on her bikini. My quest was purposely obvious and she made no effort to stop me. I pulled the string and it fell and I parted lips to look.

"Your breasts are gorgeous." I said, fully taken by their beauty, they were perfect.

"I know. I love them too. Be sure you're nice to them." She said as I began to go for her lips.

"Wait, my top is off, yours should be too." She said smiling.

"Not that I worry about it, but can your neighbors see in here?" I asked.

"No, I go naked in this corner all of the time."

"With men?" I asked, being a smart ass.

"Maybe, ... maybe not. Shut up if you want to find out." She said with a smirk as I took my shirt off and filled my hands with her tits while I pressed my mouth back to hers.

She sighed deeply as I pinched her nipples. Once they were hard I slid my arms over her back and pulled her close to go chest to chest with her, knowing my hairy chest would tease her ripe buds. She squirmed hard and pulled from me twisting to lay back on the table sideways.

"Suckle me, hot boy. Show me how you love my boobies."

With me standing over her while she lay crossways I need only bend to feast on the red hot, rock hard nipple buds while I squeezed and manhandled those beauties. Eventually I slid my hand over her belly while my mouth was still working on her. I unsnapped her tiny shorts and un-did the two buttons to loosen them. When I pushed at them she raised up and helped me get them off. She had only a little pink panty underneath. As I ran my hand between her legs over the gusset she moaned and said, "Time for you to get even." As she reached to unsnap my shorts.

I chuckled a bit as she began to unzip me and my shorts fell, revealing I had gone commando.

I pulled my mouth from her tits to see the look on her face.

She smiled and stared for a moment and then met my eyes.

She turned up on her side a bit and said, "Nice dick." and craned to put her mouth over the tip.

As she slowly worked her mouth over me I got my hand under her panty and got my fingers in her soaking pussy. Then she turned to her stomach thwarting my pursuit of her wetness but made it possible for her to bob her head over me.