by J. A. Rawls
“I’ve tried that and all I get is his answering machine. I need the cost breakdown on that merger he’s been working on.”
Susan bundled the papers on her desk into a file folder. “I’ve got all the info right here. I was just completing the last piece of documentation so it’d be ready for him to present to you on Monday.”
“I need the file tonight.”
“Yes sir,” shit, the boss left me hanging out there on this one! “If you let me complete this I’ll give you a copy.”
“What if I have questions?”
“I can give you my home and cell number,” Susan handed him a card, hoping he didn’t notice her shaking hand. “You can call me if you need something this weekend; if you’re still not able to reach Mr. Stevens that is.”
“Okay, I’ll wait.” Mr. Thompson sat down in the chair in front of her desk, his hat in his hand. He twirled it while he looked around her office.
“Sir, can I get you anything,” he was making her nervous.
“Just the file, I’ll discuss my other concerns with Stevens on Monday.”
“Fine!” What an ass. I could answer anything about this merger but he’s too pig headed to even ask me. He can wait for Stevens; I’m done here. She sent the cost proposal to the printer and waited. Retrieving it from the tray she placed it in the folder, handing everything to him. “There you go.”
He took the folder and left the room, but stopped and looked over his shoulder, a charming smile lit up his face. “Thanks Susan, I really do appreciate you having this ready today.” He left her office, closing the door behind him.
Wow, that was too weird. Guess I’m done for the day. She grabbed her purse and headed for the elevator, but she was too fast. Mr. Thompson was still waiting for it to arrive. The door opened and they both entered, not even acknowledging each other’s presence. When they reached the lobby he gestured, indicating she should leave the car first, very gentlemanly, and she walked out and to the parking lot. I understand why he’s not married.
As she approached her car she felt someone step up behind her.
“Susan, would you like to have dinner with me tonight?” he asked softly.
“I’m sorry sir; I have plans; maybe another time.” She didn’t want to hurt his feelings.
“How about tomorrow night?”
“Sure, she brushed aside a lock of hair, trying to be nonchalant, “that’d be fine. Where did you want to go?” Oh my God, I can’t believe I accepted. I need another man in my life like I need a hole in my head.
“Let me call you tomorrow and we can work out the details.”
“Okay my number is…”
“I have your number Susan.” He held up her card and flashed that charming smile once again. “I’ll call you to finalize our plans. It was good to see you.” He held up the file with his other hand, “Again, thanks for the merger info.”
The words were coming out, but Susan couldn’t remember saying them. “Talk to you tomorrow. Have a nice evening.” When she got in her car she took a deep breath to settle her nerves. I wonder what he wants. Martha’s not going to believe this. Hell, I don’t believe it.
Two
“Martha you aren’t going to believe this. I have a date tomorrow night with Mr. Thompson.”
Martha turned off the blender and poured the margaritas. “Why would you do that?”
“He asked; and I was so shocked I didn’t know what to do. In fact he asked me out for tonight but I told him I had plans. He immediately asked about tomorrow night and I agreed.” Susan leaned back on the counter and folded her arms. “What do you think he wants?”
“He’s probably horny and needs sex,” Martha sipped her third margarita.
“You are so bad.” Susan bit her lip. “I can’t figure out what he wants.”
“Don’t worry about it. You said he was going to call you tomorrow to make plans. Just tell him something came up and you can’t go.”
“No! I want to go. I want to know him better.”
“I think you’re making a mistake. My mother always told me you don’t shit where you eat.”
Susan flinched, “God, what does that mean, exactly?”
“It means, dummy, that you don’t sleep with people you work with. You definitely don’t sleep with someone you work for. That’s a big no, no.”
“I’m going on a date,” Susan retorted. “Who said anything about sex or sleeping with anyone? How did you jump to that conclusion?”
“Actually, I’m worried about you. I don’t want you to do anything stupid.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence. I’m hungry; let’s eat and then we can talk about the other two men in my life and what I should do about them. Mr. Thompson is not, as of yet, a man in my life. Hell, tomorrow he’ll probably call and cancel the date because he came to his senses.”
“Nope, he’ll keep the date.” Martha raised her glass in a mock toast. “If he’s been divorced for over a year he’s in need of a female companion in the worst way.”
“Martha stop, it’s not that way. As I said we’ve never even talked about anything other than work. Why would you think sex is on his mind?”
Martha took another sip of her margarita, “Because that’s the number one thought on every man’s mind.”
“You’re awful. Do you want another drink?”
“Sure, I’ll get them while you bring in the food.”
As they ate they discussed the work project Martha was leading. Susan gave her a couple of alternatives to problems she was facing and they agreed she needed two more people to finish the effort on schedule.
“I’ll let Human Resources know; they need to give you a couple of the new interns on Monday. They were slated to go to John’s team but his project is ahead of schedule. I’ll promise him the next two and he’ll be fine with the change.”
“Thanks Susan. That should keep me on track. I’ll send you a point paper on the requirement for additional resources so you can put it in the project file. Now enough about work; tell me about these two men you’re seeing.”
Susan laughed, “You just want to hear about the sex.”
“True. Since I don’t get any I have to live vicariously through you.”
“I know you’re lying, but I’ll indulge you. Let’s see; you know I’m dating two men.”
“You’re having sex with them as well.”
Susan’s eyes narrowed, “Yes, that too and I think it’s creating problems. Both men are very different, and I don’t think either is interested in marriage, at least not to me, or a long term relationship for that matter. Don’t get me wrong, when we go out we have fun, but neither make my toes curl.”
Martha vigorously shook her head, “I told you before; you need to kick them to the curb and start looking again.”
“No listen, let me tell you about them and then we can discuss a course of action.”
“Okay shoot - and this better be good - I want all the sex details.”
“You are one kinky lady,” Susan laughed. Martha was her best friend. They’d actually started work the same day and immediately hit it off. Martha had been her tower of strength during her divorce from James. I can’t think about that now.
Martha giggled, “Yes, and that’s why we’re such good friends. You’re as sick as I am.”
“Probably true; okay here goes. Tom is first. He’s both sexy and handsome and unfortunately he knows it. His facial features are very English; chiseled but aristocratic. He’s a good head taller than I am and sports both a mustache and goatee. Oh and he also has a beautiful accent,” she could hear him talking to her, “though I can’t quite place it. I do love listening to him talk.”
Martha wiggled her eyes suggestively. “I like the mustache and goatee. That truly has some sexual innuendos in my mind. I can visualize what he does with those little babies.”
“Will you behave? Now Charles, on the other hand, has been in my life on and off since James moved on. We met at a single’s counselin
g session and commiserated together over the divorces we were going through. We’ve only had sex once and that was last week. He’s sweet; has a great job and really hates being single.” Susan paused, considering her next statement, “I feel like a square-filler for him. Don’t get me wrong, he’s handsome, maybe an inch or two taller than I am. He has long black hair, a sexy mustache and he works out so he’s very trim and fit. I don’t think he has an inch of fat anywhere on his body. He’s also got bedroom eyes. They’re beautiful; hazel and gray with gold specks. Just thinking about them makes me wet.”
“That’s a picture I can visualize,” Martha smiled. “Keep him; send the other one to me.”
“You’re not helping me here,” Susan frowned.
“Oh stop being such a pain in the butt. I’m listening. Tell me the rest.”
“Tom is the perfect lover. He never takes his own pleasure without being sure I’m satisfied. Which for me is a first as James never gave a shit if I was happy.”
Martha chuckled, “James never cared if anyone was happy. He only married you because your dad threatened to remove his male parts for getting you pregnant.”
“True, but the joke was on them. I didn’t get pregnant until after we’d been married for three months. Getting married at fifteen was never my plan.”
“Shit happens.” Martha grabbed the pitcher and topped off their margaritas. “You survived and moved on. James hasn’t, but he’s a shit so who cares? I’m actually amazed your daughter spends so much time with him.”
“It amazes me too. She loves her father, and even though she’s old enough to realize he’s an ass, well, he’s still her father. They get along and he’s good to her which is all I can ask.”
“Yea, you got off lucky. He didn’t have a clue how much money you’d put away from your internship.” Martha walked into the kitchen to get more chips.
Susan could only smile; Martha was exactly right. When James had asked for a divorce, though at the time she was shocked, she knew it was for the best. She recalled exactly what happened when he told her what he wanted. I asked him what it would cost me to keep him out of my life forever. He told me $5,000 and I had to keep the kid. I told him to put it in writing and I’d get him the money. He had no clue that I’d saved over ten times that amount. He could have gotten what he wanted and then some if he’d just asked for an equitable split of our assets. I didn’t offer and he didn’t ask. When the divorce was final he came to pick up his money and I wrote him a check, he left the apartment and never looked back. Within ten minutes I left as well, leaving everything behind except for keepsakes of Sara. I bought a condo after the divorce was final and that’s where we went.
Martha watched Susan, concerned for her friend. As strong as she was, Martha knew the divorce had been rough. The two had drifted apart when Susan went back to school getting her GED and then her Bachelor and Master’s degrees. James couldn’t relate to her anymore, resenting her attempts at education, and the sex they had, though good, wasn’t enough to keep him from sniffing around. Yes, she’s better off without him. “So tell me about these two. Why are you sleeping with both of them? That’s not like you.”
“You’re right, it isn’t and I can’t tell you why it happened; only that it did. Sex with Tom is great, I never come away unsatisfied. He’s a very considerate lover. Let me set the scene for you. We usually meet at his place and have dinner or drinks. I know if he wants me to come there that he wants sex because we never do it anywhere else. It’s like a script.” Susan raised her hand, “Not that it’s boring, or anything like that! We have ‘blow your mind’ gut wrenching sex and it’s truly amazing. He always has soft music playing and candles burning; it’s very romantic. He takes my clothes off, lays them respectively on the chair and leads me to bed. He lays me down fondles me in the appropriate places, gets me hot and bothered and then we have sex. He has amazing endurance, can last forever.” Susan shook her head trying to make sense of the sex scene. “His erection - come to think of it; maybe we always do it at his house because he’s using Viagra or something. Maybe he wants to stay home just in case he has a hard on that lasts four hours. I never thought of that.”
Martha laughed so hard she choked on a chip, “Stop thinking and just tell me the rest.”
“Sorry, got off track there. The sexual act has lasted as long as ten minutes. I’ve tried to pretend I’ve had an orgasm, but he seems to know. Until he’s sure I’ve had one, he doesn’t stop. His steely rod is thick, about eight inches long,” she smiled to herself, “it’s a very effective tool. My biggest problem is he continually asks me while we’re in the physical act if I’ve climaxed yet - like that equates to a notch on his jock strap or something. But when it’s all said and done, trust me - it’s good sex, he wants me to describe how I felt. He tries to ‘shrink’ me. He wants to know if he can do anything to make it better. Last night we had sex and when it was over I was exhausted. He kept asking how I felt and was there anything different he could do. What I wanted to say is ‘shut the fuck up’ but I didn’t. I smiled nicely and told him it was perfect. So with Tom there are issues that need to be worked even if the sex is good. I’m pretty sure that’s not enough to build a lasting relationship. What do you think?”
“I don’t know. I have to go to the bathroom, I’ll be right back.”
Susan sat back on the sofa and closed her eyes replaying the sex scene last night with Tom. When she went to his place he’d immediately taken her into his arms, kissing her. There was no foreplay to speak of. He immediately helped her undress, complimenting her on her sexy underwear and her beautiful body. He was good at making her feel she was the ideal woman for him, at least with his words. His kisses were potent; they ignited a fire in her soul, but regardless of how hard he pressed she held back. Tom had the ability with his tongue, his hand, or his male member to bring her to orgasm multiple times. The problem I have is he only wants to do it missionary style. He has to be on top each and every time and we always have sex in bed. No bathroom sex, no sofa sex, and no car sex. He’s almost anal in how the scene has to be set. I know if he’d loosen up and let me be on top that my experience would be better and ultimately so would his. I’ve tried to discuss it with him but he’s not interested. He says as long as I’m satisfied what does it matter how the act was accomplished, end of discussion. Sex with Tom is satisfying, but frustrating. I’m definitely not an equal partner in this relationship.
“I thought about this while I was in the bathroom,” Maratha said as she walked back into the room. “I don’t want to hear any more about this guy. You need to kick him to the curb. I mean it; he doesn’t have the potential to be a husband and he’s too driven by his own needs to be a success in the bedroom. He wants to know he’s done his job. I don’t think he cares about your needs. He’s nice looking, great arm candy, but he’s not for you.”
“You decided about my sex and love life in the bathroom?” Susan gave a half-hearted laugh. “I was thinking about this too and I agree. I do like spending time with him but it’s not enough of a reason to keep him around.” I just hate to be alone.
“True, and keeping him around because you don’t want to be alone,” Martha knew what she’d been thinking, “is not the answer. That’s not a reason to stay with someone. What about Charles?”
“I’m not sure about him either. We do have a lot in common in that we worked through our divorces together but that seems to be all there really is; a shared experience of misery. Last week we ended up in bed for the first time. I really believe it was a mistake. I can’t tell you how it happened or why.”
“Yea, right,” Martha giggled. “You know exactly why, you both needed sex.”
“Yea, okay,” Susan said. “It really did seem like the next logical step. But I have to say even though the sex with Charles blew my socks off - it felt wrong. The man knows what he’s doing in bed, that’s for damn sure. He comes well equipped. Afterwards we were both awkward and didn’t know how to act. He went to the bathr
oom to get his robe and when he came back I was fully dressed, standing at the door. We haven’t spoken since and I’ve been debating whether to call him or just leave it alone.”
“Hmm, awkward,” Martha said. “Tell me about the sex; I want details.”
“Oh God, okay. We went to his place last Thursday to pick up some CDs he was going to loan me. He played one and we sat down on his sofa to listen. Within seconds he had his arm around me and we were kissing, with a lot of tongue. He began running his hands up and down my blouse, caressing my breast through the fabric. He unbuttoned the blouse and I had on a front hook bra, which he unhooked and began in earnest running his hands over my breasts. Charles knelt down in front of me, between my legs and continued to caress and suckle each breast. I was in heaven.”
“And?”
“And, he removed my blouse and bra and laid me back on the sofa. He’d removed his shirt and we were rubbing flesh to flesh; his kisses…” Susan shuddered. “He unzipped my pants and removed them as well as my panties. As he reached between my legs he told me he knew exactly how I’d look and he wasn’t disappointed. He began licking and caressing me, sliding his fingers into my wet channel. He remarked how ready I was for him and I agreed. As he removed his pants I could only stare. He was ten inches long and a good two inches in circumference. I was afraid he wouldn’t fit. He spread my legs, placed the head of this huge shaft at my entry and I sighed in anticipation. Slowly he entered me, jeez Martha, it filled me up. On his first push forward he didn’t go in all the way. I knew he didn’t because I couldn’t feel his balls.” She inhaled deeply, remembering how it felt to have Charles inside her. “He pulled out and pressed forward again, giving me time to adjust to his girth. The next time he entered me completely. Then he began to move, in out, in out. It was great. It went on for a good fifteen minutes before I finally climaxed and he still kept going. It took probably another five minutes before I climaxed again and then I felt him stiffen and he came as well. We laid there in each other’s arms for a few minutes not saying a word. Then he got up and said he needed to get his robe. When he left I got dressed. When he came back I made some stupid excuse and left. He hasn’t called and I’ve made no attempt to contact him either.”
