A Bumbling Suitor

"Hell Janice, you should be a lecturer. I see the picture you have painted me."

"Thank you Douglas. I'm no expert but thinking about this, do you believe it's possible that at law school all you thought about was law, sport and getting women's under women's panties and you are still locked into that era and haven's expanded and grown your life to the full?"

"I-I...hell is does sound plausible doesn't it?"

"There will be an answer Douglas but you'll have to look beyond pussy to find it."

"You're talking about romance, aren't you?"

"Substantially because that provides the vehicle. I'm talking romance and people, especially family. You grew up without much family Douglas according to your CV, so it would be good for you if the woman has a close extended family around her."

Next morning a courier delivered a personal package to Janice. She opened it and her head reeled -- if any perfume was her dream perfume this hugely expensive one was it. There was no card. She walked into Douglas' office holding it up.

Douglas grinned. "Don't fuss. You're worth it."

CHAPTER 3

A few weeks later Douglas felt he was no closer to resolving her personal dilemma that when Janice had opened his eyes. A ball was coming up to celebrate the 125th founding of the law firm. He received the invitation that name him 'and partner'. What partner? He zeroed in on women to fuck them, not to take them to a dance. Well, he could call Stella and then dropped his phone as if it were red hot. That was the very sort of liaison Janice had said he must look beyond. Well he'd take some woman he'd never fucked: that was looking beyond pussy, er sort of because he would have expectations after leaving the ball.

Well, he'd drop into the bar after work...no no. Unless he attempted to uplift himself it would never happen. He'd ask Janice to go to the ball with him instead of her husband. Good one, he grinned. Vern would wonder what was going on between his wife and Douglas and Janice would be mad at Douglas in attempting to deny her the opportunity of showing off her husband in a tuxedo to other personnel.

Lindy Maxwell one of his juniors called to discuss a problem. The lithe body of Lindy in a ball gown filled Douglas's mind and the sound of a church choir singing sounded from above. He knew what he had to do because never had he thought about Lindy's pussy.

"Look Lindy, we have never had much of a chat since you came aboard. What to do this over lunch?"

"Well only if you don't think it will impinge on my reputation."

"I wouldn't think so Lindy, it's only lunch."

"Well you do have rather a reputation with women Mr Jones."

"Oh Lindy, you haven't been listening to gossip have you? Please regard it as a business lunch to put your mind at rest and I can charge it to the firm."

"Is that moral?"

"Lindy, this appears to be getting out of hand."

"Okay, give me the details where to meet. I'd prefer being seen entering independently."

"As you wish Lindy."

Fuck, what a waste of time, Douglas thought. Little wonder people who were good looked harassed; it was so tough going.

At lunch Lindy almost fell out of her chair when asked to accompany Douglas to the office ball.

"What?"

"I-I wasn't going?"

"Why not?"

"Because I don't have a partner right not and if Toby was home I wouldn't easily be able to afford a classy gown."

"Hire one."

"I don't wear other people's clothes."

"I'll buy you one."

"Mr Jones!"

People nearby looked at this slightly amused. Douglas being Douglas automatically thought they'd been thinking he'd just asked his lunch companion to lay over the table and spread.

"Lindy, look. Sometimes one has to spend a bit of money to advance in life. Make a good impression on the senior people in our firm and you could be assuring your career path."

"Won't every other attorney go to the ball with that intent and hope Mr Jones?"

"Lindy, you'll obviously make a fucking great attorney. You have me there."

"I would appreciate if you didn't use that word unless we are in an intimate situation and that is unlikely."

"Of course, I apologize Lindy and please call me Douglas because you are my ball partner."

"I'm not."

Douglas glared at her and Lindy sighed and said very well. Douglas smiled and said he'd loan her money if required but Lindy said primly, "No thank you Douglas."

Douglas returned to his office feeling as if he'd been through a court trial rather than just lunch. It turned out she had a brief that had plunged into complexity and should be handed on to a more senior counsel but at the restaurant Douglas called her supervisor and said Lindy would have to report to him on this one for instructions because he had an interest in it.

Lindy had asked what was his reason and he'd said he had to give a reason to satisfy her supervisor so she asked why that route rather than calling in a senior. Douglas said because he thought she could handle it rather than have it taken from her. She asked why did he think that and he fudged and she then took him head on.

"This is about more than a couple of dances and having me beside you at supper, isn't it?"

The problem for Douglas was he didn't really know. All he thought he was doing was acting on Janice's advice and here he was in a canoe without a paddle. Well if she were a virgin he'd find out, wouldn't he? Wrong. If she were a virgin he wouldn't find out. What? Feeling that his forehead might be showing sweat beads, Douglas said, "If you think this is about more than a couple of dances and having supper with me then so be it. I can't control what you think."

"How about being honest with me?"

Douglas capitulated. "All right and I ask you don't repeat this. Someone within our firm says it has been noticed that I appear to have a preoccupation with fast women and that it would be good for my career path to be associated with some mousy or straight-jacketed or only latently sexy women."

"I see," Lindy said, acting not at all concerned. "And in which category do I fit?"

"Well I hadn't given it any thought, real thought I mean. I would hope latently sexy and a damn good young attorney."

She smiled.

* * *

The brief involved the proposed dissolution of partnership and the couple couldn't agree on the split. The wife wanted to bring in a business consultant to make a through investigation of the company but the husband wouldn't agree. There was a dispute whether he had a right to refuse that request and although the answer was no there was an impasse, they had agreed to seek dispute resolution.

At further meeting with Raymond Silver and his wife Pru, Lindy who had been attempting to negotiate settlement introduced Douglas and said, "We appeared almost resolved and then stalled with Mr Silver becoming less than conciliatory."

"Why was that Raymond?"

"Well Douglas, after hour and hours of talking, arguing and now four hours with Lindy involved, my feeling is Pru is attempting to bleed me. We have agreement on everything but goodwill. I put the value of goodwill at $30,000 and Pru puts it at $1.5 million. This concerns me because I don't wish to sell, I wish to buy her out. Our revenue flow is generated by goodwill because of the nature of our business."

"I see. Pru?"

"He's trying to rip me off Douglas."

"That will be hard to prove. Answer me this Raymond, How long have you believed Pru's illness might be terminal. Don't lie to me David."

"I haven't. I mean..." Douglas waved his hands in the air and looked upset.

"You stinking asshole," Pru blared. "You thought I was dying so decided to abort settlement talks and keep the dispute out of court in the hope I'd die before the hearing date."

David hung his head.

"Right, Lindy and I am out of here for fifteen minutes. Call us if you reach agreement sooner."

In the side room Lindy asked, "What did Pru tell you she didn't tell me?"

"Nothing I would expect. I only spoke to each of them alone for five minutes just to get a feeling."

"A feeling?"

"Yes. I concluded Raymond was cagey so worked on that. Pru was open about being ill, the reason for wanting to quit business and use some of the money to travel. She said she had a nervous disorder. So thinking about Raymond being cagey I grabbed a hunch and put it too him. Fortunately he cracked."

"Well I looked at Raymond when you put that aggressive question and his face remained passive to the point of when he cracked."

"Yes Lindy, but what was there about his eyes?"

"Oh god, I let that focus go despite my training. You saw the shiftiness from the moment you began talking to him."

"A useful lesson eh? He was under strain. We'll be called back with the goodwill agreed at $500,000."

Minutes later the couple signed the sale and purchase agreement with goodwill set at $600,000.

Raymond left immediately.

"Thank you for all the spadework Lindy and you for turning the knife Douglas. Now where do I go to talk divorce?"

"We have a department for that Pru but it's routine at this point although we will need to serve papers on Raymond and launch enquiries to uncover any other undisclosed assets he's kept hidden from you. He looks the type who might do that. You have a relationship with Lindy so may I suggest you continue with her."

"Yes, good suggestion. I fact I think I'll transfer all my legal work to you Lindy."

Douglas and Lindy were often seen together in the office, and lunching, and it was simply assumed the discussion was about business because Mr Seducer would never look twice at the countrified Lindy. When Janice found out she just grinned. Douglas had swung the pendulum back too far but if he didn't wish to think pussy then how could she fault his choice. She didn't gossip about that matter, however.

* * *

Lindy had told Douglas her gown was black with a deep bodice of gathered dark green velvet. He'd said 'Very nice' and was astonished to see Lindy blush. It was a first and the delicate pink enhanced her white complexion beautifully but the poor girl was embarrassed enough without him telling her that. He almost whooped as well, thinking the blush also meant she'd decided to go to his apartment after the ball to display she did have some sexual expertise. Well, if that were true, who was he to stand in her way?

Already Douglas was thinking Lindy was so much better suited to him than the faithless Stella. The thought of delicately tunneling into sweet Lindy put him off his work for almost an hour. He then decided to shelve that thought because he must act and think differently to be different about women and sex.

Douglas arrived at the Maxwell's large and unpretentious home out in the country. Her parents had retired from farming but ran 70-head of dry cattle and her father worked at the nearby farm produce barn.

John Maxwell met him at the door and shook his hand, eyeing the chauffeur driven town car without comment.

"Everyone's in the lounge waiting for you. I hope you don't mind as some of the aunties and uncles have arrived as well. No one in our mob has even gone to a ball in downtown."

"No, that's fine Mr Maxwell."

"What's this minister thing? We are rural boy, call me John."

"Right John. Nice crop of bulls I saw coming in."

"They are called a herd and there are all ex-bulls we call steers. Other than that your comment was about right."

Douglas cringed although the corrections were not presented as a rebuke.

"Is my eldest going to make it in law?"

"Who is your eldest John?"

He grinned and said touché. "The eldest of our seven children, Linda Mae Maxwell. You may know her as Lindy."

"Oh right. I would say in full confidents she has a great career in law rolling out in front of her."

"I hear you have given her guidance and have taken her under her wing. Is that likely to continue?"

Douglas threw an arm over John's shoulder and hauled him to a stop.

John said, "That's a mighty solid arm. Do you work out Douglas?"

"I do but what I wanted to ask, what kind of question was that one you asked about my likelihood of continuing with Lindy? This is our first date."

"I know that. I was just testing and can conclude you get up with the chickens early morning. Chickens are hard to catch out."

They grinned and walked into the room. There was a quick and noisy round of introductions to nineteen people and then Cath went upstairs to fetch her daughter. They came down the stairs walking straight toward the half circle of family and Douglas. Lindy had been professionally made up and looked so beautiful.

Douglas swallowed.

People clapped and he joined in enthusiastically and she waved back and winked at Douglas. He loved it and held up the gardenia for her hair.

The noise became almost an uproar.

Douglas stood back, watching the women agreeing on the right place for the white flower on her jet-black hair and catching the women glancing up at him and smiling broadly. The guys just hung around but the girls were touching the grown and all talking together at Lindy who seemed to be coping very well and even managed a smiling glance in his direction.

Looking and thinking Douglas knew what this was about. There was a whole family waiting for him if he wanted it and handled Lindy in the manner in which she'd want to be treated.

He sighed and smiled at everyone.

He wanted that family and above all he wanted to expand his life with Lindy. All she had to decide was did she want him, a guy almost eight years her senior.

* * *

In the end it didn't matter entirely what he thought. Just before dawn next morning Lindy propose marriage. Wide-awake Douglas, up with the chickens, accepted the proposal.

"Sorry I had to force you Douglas," she said. "I was anxious to end my misgivings about being loose with you."

He said gravely, "As a matter of fact I found you very tight."

"Oooh," said she. "What do we have planned for today?"

THE END