A Window of Opportunity

"I guess I'm just too damned picky, Brien and I can be a tough nut to handle…high maintenance is the correct term, I believe. I'm a romantic at heart…I admit it. I need to fall in love…be in love…I'm not interested in, 'settling'."

Kay demeanor became more kidding and cajoling. "That's the way you…you and Mary...trained me…never accept second best. He's got to be strong, comfortable with his own success, cute wouldn't hurt…he has to love me absolutely and be faithful to me forever. If he's good in bed, that would be a real plus."

Mary realized that her last words were almost certainly the only time she had ever even hinted at the subject of sex with Brien.

"Any good prospects on the horizon?"

Was he asking because he wanted to know if the window was open or just being friendly, Kay wondered?

Kay became slightly bolder. "Sorry to say that my love life---and my sex life---is decidedly dismal. You?"

"About the same, babe. After Mary died I went through a pretty rough time emotionally. We were in love…forever…you saw that. The kids were in their own high maintenance phase and work was very demanding…not much time for anything else. Not to mention the fact that other women I met…I'm pretty picky too."

Kay decided to go for it, albeit subtly. "And now?"

Brien was quiet for a moment. "You fall off the bicycle, you've got to climb back on, don't you?"

"Yes you do."

"Plus, I've made a pretty big decision. The kids are in college now and I need to change the way I'm living. This is not for publication, but this will probably be my last meeting with the company."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm perennially the number one or two guy in the company; they want to make a radical change in the way sales is compensated. There won't be any more million, half million or even quarter million dollar a year sales people. They're going to phase out the straight, unlimited commission program. It's not working with the younger people they're bringing in…bluntly they can't handle it. They're going to go to a salary, expenses and bonus program. Rather than sales running the company as it has been for decades, it's going to be far more management driven. You know how the CEO always talks about us, 'running our own business' and operating like a franchise? Well that's soon going to be over. In any event, there are only about a dozen of us, 'big hitters' left. They're going to buy us out. A few will also stay on as glorified consultants, the ones that are handling it well, aren't bitter and have something to contribute in developing a new sales training regimen."

"How are you going to make out in this deal…you certainly don't seem bitter?"

"Kay, I started college just after my seventeenth birthday. I dropped out of college and joined the Army at eighteen, got my degree in night school and a masters on the GI Bill, also in night school right after I went to work for the company at twenty-two---eighteen years ago. I resisted the lure of management and stayed in sales. My folks didn't have two dimes to rub together; we weren't dirt poor but certainly not flush. I got it. I learned quickly. Within a year I was making over a hundred thousand dollars a year at a time when that was a hell of a lot of money. My dad never made that in his five best years. I grew up with just enough financial insecurity to have that deep seated fear that it could all go away with little notice. If you remember back, Mary and I were never flashy. We virtually lived on one paycheck---the smaller one. I've grossed over a million a year for the last five years---and close to it in the five years before that. We were both savers. I went after the airline after Mary's death---I had the money to hire top legal counsel. I was also angry and pissed at their negligence and wanted to make them pay through the nose---which they did."

Pausing for a sip of water, Brien continued. "The company buy out is more than fair…and I never had to raise the specter of legal action…they knew if I left and took the other big hitters and their business with me, it could ruin them. It's actually a pretty creative program. They granted me enough points to be eligible for early retirement, it's as if they suddenly gave me seven more years of service---fourteen 'points'---which makes me eligible for early retirement as if I had twenty-five years. They'll end up paying me fifty percent of my top five years averaged, which amounts to over half a million a year for the rest of my life---and they'll still make money on the deal. Plus there's the consulting gig, for as long as we both find it beneficial, low hundreds and a Senior Vice President title. I could have gotten more on that end but I negotiated a distinctly, part-time arrangement. I'll do it as long as it's still fun…but I don't need it. Kay, in essence, I'm done. I've worked my butt off since I was fourteen; it's time for a change."

"What will you do?"

"Dote on my children, travel, buy a little farm somewhere, do something socially important---you know, give back---find time to fall in love again." Brien paused again, never letting his eyes leave hers.

"Kay, I loved being in love. For a while I didn't think I ever could, you know, fall in love again. But I'm okay now…and it's time to take that jump, that risk. I was so complete with Mary…I want to feel that way again…for the rest of my life. I've come to the belief that Mary would expect me to do just that."

Kay so desperately wanted to blurt it out…could you fall in love with me, Brien? I've been in love with you far longer than you could even imagine.

"Brien…"

"Kay, I don't have any real official function here. If I skip out early on one of the rotators or products fairs or take a long lunch, no one is going to care. This is a marketing dog and pony show so you couldn't have too much to do officially. Let's spend some time together. There's really no one here I'd rather spend time with than you."

So we can fuck or fall in love…or both? Kay thought to herself. It didn't matter…well, yes it did. There was no one on earth she more wanted to be with than Brien…whatever the outcome. But could it be, could they…?

Kay was upset with herself; she was always a very direct woman. Why didn't she just tell Brien the truth: I love you and I so desperately want to be in your arms that it hurts. I know you feel something for me…I just know it! Plus, I'm horny as hell, so since there's nothing on the agenda for the next four hours,just take me back to your room and make love to me…today and every day for the rest of my life.

"I'd like that Brien. I've got nothing on the schedule until the welcome dinner this evening, how about you?" Kay said, beginning to formulate a plan.

"Same here." Brien replied.

"Well, I need to put my clothes away, freshen up, change into something comfortable after the flight…and relax. I'm sure you're in the same boat. Why don't we meet somewhere in half and hour?"

"On the off chance that girls still take longer to do those things than guys do, why don't you come to my room when you're ready and we'll check out the resort facilities book and figure something out?"

"That'll work. What's your room number? Mine's 1107."

"It's 1888; you'll need a key card for the elevator---here, they gave me a spare."

"I'll be as close to thirty minutes as my femaleness allows." Kay said, as the two rose, and again embraced.

"I'm glad I found you again, babe. You're a very special woman." Brien whispered in her ear.

As Kaye walked to the elevator she knew she wanted to be more than a very special woman in Brien's life; she wanted to be the only special woman in his life. She so desperately wanted to go for it. What if he said no, that's not the way I feel about you? She needed to work on her courage; this meeting only lasted for three more days and a wakeup. Lose him now…again…and it might just be forever. Better that he said no than that she went away not knowing…never knowing. The window of opportunity…it could close so quickly.

How to dress for this, Kay thought to herself. Sexy, seductive…no that's not what she was there for. Just be Kay; he liked you…back when that's who you were, that bright eyed and bushy tailed Indiana farm girl. Just be you…modest shorts and a nice blouse…sandals…why not….you have pretty feet. You're not that bouncy twenty-four year old anymore; you're thirty-two…you're a woman…a woman with a little more curve where it counts than eight years ago…hell you were almost too thin back then. He's forty…he doesn't really look that much older…just a bit more distinguished…a little hint of gray…still in great shape…those eyes…that incredibly warm and knowing smile.

Brien returned to his room almost in a dream. He'd found Kay again…not that he had ever really gone looking for her…or had he? Certainly not when his dear Mary was alive and after…well, it had only been in the last year that he'd righted his emotional ship…given even a hint of a thought to the idea of love again. But it was Kay…he and Mary had both liked her so much…she had become almost one of the family. That night, that red dress…he had flirted with her…he had been physically attracted to her…she felt so good in his arms on the dance floor…he'd gotten a hard on…had she noticed?

They had all gotten to know each other so well back then…now it was eight years later…how had she changed? How did she view him? He had less than four days to find out. They were working on opposite ends of the country; if there was something there---something that mattered…he…they…needed to find out over the next four days. Brien donned modest shorts, a nice shirt and sandals; before he knew it, she was standing at his door.

God she was so damned pretty; there was still that hint of the impressionable young MBA almost masked by the aura of the mature business woman she had become. Kay had been cute at twenty four…a young hottie in that damned red dress. At thirty-two she was beautiful, rather than cute. She wore the maturity very well; she'd filled out a bit. He'd always thought she was too thin eight years before. She was still damned hot…and a blond…Brien had never seriously even dated a blond…he'd married two brunettes. Where were they going?

There he was…the Brien she had always known and once fallen in love with…hell, still was in love with. Was he the same sweet, funny, caring guy she had known? He had always been so relaxed and comfortable with her…would he still be? Had events changed him? How in the world would the fact that they were both available change the way they interacted?

"Hi, babe, you look great, as usual." Brien said, taking her in his arms and hugging her tightly…brushing his lips against her hair line…the same way his lips had touched her that night…more than a business hug, less than a lover's embrace…those arms felt so damned good…she still fit perfectly in his arms. She never wanted the hug to end but propriety said it had to. Why did love between men and women have to be so difficult, so damned complicated? They both had the same thought at the same instant.

Both wanted to say, "I love you. Do you love me? Good. Let's spend the rest of our lives together. Now that it settled, let's go to bed."

"I never drink the swill they serve at dinner at these meetings so I decided to open a bottle of my own early…can I pour you a glass?"

"Absolutely! Everything I know about wine you and Mary taught me. I've become quite the wine aficionado. I was such a bumpkin!"

Brien sat down next to her on the small sofa. "Okay, well, let's see…I guess we need to finish bringing each other up to date…why don't you start?"

Kay related her travels and travails of the past eight years. She spoke of her family and friends. She didn't talk about other men; there had been a few but none that were worth remembering. In short order she had brought Brien up to date on her current job and location in Los Angeles.

Brien in turn related his saga. He had stayed in the same area in which they had all first met since that's where his business was. He talked a lot about his kids…the typically proud dad. Did he want more kids, Kay wondered? She knew that he and Mary had tried unsuccessfully due to a physical problem Mary had...endo something.

Back then it seemed as if Mary got a lot of satisfaction out of being a step mother, particularly after Brien's first wife decided she no longer wanted residential custody of the children. She had met the kids a number of times…a boy and a girl one year apart…cute, smart and fun…just like their dad. They'd been ten and eleven back then and she had enjoyed being their big sister. At the end of the saga, Jim raised an issue that needed to be raised.

"Kay, Mary and I were disappointed when you took the corporate job. It certainly turned out okay career wise, but you were a special friend and we missed you…and you moved so damned quickly!"

"I had a change of heart. After careful consideration, I…" Kay paused in mid sentence. It was time for the bull shit to end…it was time to kick it up a notch.

"No more bull shit, Brien…we never did that to each other. I left because I had fallen hopelessly, madly, head over heels in love with a man…a married man…a man I could never have, or so I thought. I think the attraction was mutual, at least at some level. I cared about him---and his wife---too much to do anything remotely inappropriate. I knew how I felt and knew that it would be too impossibly painful to be around him on a regular basis. If he felt anything for me it would have been difficult for him too."

Brien was silent for a minute, but his deep blue eyes never left hers. He smiled and spoke.

"I sure hope you're going to tell me that you realized you loved this married man one night at a national meeting, like this one, while wearing an incredibly slinky and sexy red silk evening dress with a slit up the thigh, a diamond choker and PFMPs?"

Kay nodded but was unable to speak…he knew…he'd sensed it. Were they on the same wave length? Her mind was mush. Oh please Brien, I'm not feeling like the tough business executive right now…I'm back to being that impressionable little girl from a farm in Indiana; you've got to take the ball...you've got to be the man I know you are and take charge.

"Kay, you became such a very special part of my…our…life. I liked you the first time I met you. I grew to love you as a friend…as part of my family…but that night… I knew I was skating on thin ice. Mary was the first woman I ever really loved and I loved her with all of my heart and soul. And then you came along…that night, that dress…that perfume. At the time I wrote it off as pure lust…I was already in love with the woman of my dreams. When I saw you at that trade show a few years later, I knew I had to beat a path to the exit…I knew I couldn't spend time with you. It's good that you took the corporate job and moved away…I thought of you often. I even tracked you down…your phone number is written on a card by my phone. After Mary died, it would have been so unfair to draw you into my grief and anger. I came out of it in the last year. I even dialed the phone several times…so much time had passed…you'd moved on with your life…it was one night and one red dress…I knew how I felt about you but I was scared…afraid…"

To Kay's surprise, Brien stood up and began almost pacing. "Fuck! I'm rambling on like a complete idiot! Kay, dammit, there was no window of opportunity eight years ago…for either of us. There is now. I've got to know…hell, we've both got to know what it was, is, could be… One special evening? Infatuation? A crush on a mentor? A strong physical attraction to a young, attractive woman? It's become an obsession for me…if I'm not careful I'll turn into a stalker. When I look at you sitting there in front me…oh God you melt my heart. I'm a decent looking guy…I'm successful…I've dated over the last year…but no one comes close to grabbing my soul the way you do...always did."

Brien paused, but Kaye knew there was more. "I am not a man who gives his heart away easily; I've only done it once before in my forty years but if you want it, it yours…but it's got to be forever and all I ask is the same in return."

Brien sat back down and looked at her expectantly. No man had ever uttered such incredibly sweet words…if you want my heart it's yours…Kay started to cry softly. Yep…he was the man she knew he was and he'd taken the ball as far as was humanly possible. It was Kay's turn. Like the little farm girl she was at her center, she crawled into Brien's arms, holding on for dear life, letting her tears of joy, the pent up emotion of eight years of wondering and wishing escape. Those strong arms she had longed for were around her, protecting her…loving her.

Kay spoke softly. "Well, Brien, you covered all of the bases...you read my mind…I've gone though every one of those doubts and questions over the last eight years...not much sense in me rehashing it. Without even knowing it, you've had my heart all the time. Just one warning, Brien…I want it all…it has to be forever. Now I know there are things we need to work out, but, I'm taking you at your word. I accept your heart with sheer joy and officially give you mine in return. If we discover that it can't be, that we're terribly incompatible in some way, it's going to be crushing to both of us, so let's clear the decks quickly."

Kay left Brien's arms regretfully. She had regained a modicum of control.

"Deal breakers, Brien…you've come to adore rap music, you've become a radical tree hugger, you drink light beer or white Zinfandel, you're a crack head, you've joined a weird cult or religion, you not interested in having more…"

"Babies?"

Kay nodded silently.

"How many?"

"Two, I would think."

"That works for me."

Kay was back in Brien's arms instantly. "I suppose none of the other issues I raised are relevant?"

"Not remotely."

"One other thing…"

"Yes?"

"Suppose we're absolutely awful together…in the sack, I mean?"

"I guess that would put a crimp on things." Brien said, checking his watch. "We've got almost three hours before we have to change for dinner…maybe we should find out?"

"Brien!" Kay said, nipping his ear lobe. "Are you trying to get in my pants?"

"Well, now that you mention it…yes! But you brought it up."

Reaching a slim hand down to the front of Brien's shorts, Kay spoke. "It's looks like I might have just brought something else up…oh, my, Brien…you are glad to see me!"

"Are we going to talk, or fuck?"

"Fuck."

The two lovers were naked in seconds and under the covers but they did not immediately fuck. They made out, they made love…and then they fucked.

Kay was neither a prude nor was she sexually inexperienced. She had found too often over her life dating back to her college days the need to tell a man what she needed…and not all took direction well. Brien needed none. He was an astounding kisser; they made out for almost half an hour like a couple of high school kids. Brien knew his way around a woman's body…her body. She was so excited, so ready by the time his lips and tongue found her special spot, that she came almost instantly. Quickly they had switched places…Kay was intent on providing the man she loved with the same degree of ecstasy which he had provided her. It was a big, hard, smooth cock…and she devoured it quickly.

Kay loved going down on a man, even a man that she was not terribly interested in. Cock sucking was an art and Kay had long ago become one of those special women that gets as much pleasure as she gives with her mouth. Brien came quickly; Kay sucked every last drop, extending his almost painful pleasure. Looking up into his eyes she smiled; he kissed her, sharing their essence.

"We're doing pretty well so far." Brien quipped.

To her surprise, Kay quickly discerned that in spite of her exceptional oral efforts, Brien was still very hard. "It's time for act two, baby…I want you inside me."