Ann: A Love Story Ch. 32

"Well, in case I didn't tell you, I got you vacation to cover that too. You'll get a week off for the wedding, up to two months stay in a hotel until you find a place to relocate...and we'll move you and Ann from Indiana. I can't do anything about moving Ann from California, though."

"We've already got that covered...that's why I'm flying out. Are you serious about all of this?"

"Absolutely. When can you start?"

"Well, I have to give two weeks. And like I said, I'm on vacation next week. So...I suppose it would be two weeks after I get back."

"I think we can make that work. Andy wouldn't have it any other way than for you to give two weeks notice. Three shouldn't matter since you're going to get Ann. So, are you on board?"

"Well, I need to talk to Ann first. But yeah, I think so. What do I need to do?"

"Talk to Ann as soon as you can, and get back in touch with me. If it's a go, I'll send a packet overnight. You'll sign the paperwork, and send it back. But we need to do that before you leave. I can't wait until you get back...Andy wants to know before the end of the week if you're on board, or if we need to go to our second option."

"God, Carol. I can't thank you enough."

"For what? It was all you. I didn't do anything. You asked me not to."

"For the package...the money and the vacation and all of that?"

"Oh...yeah. I did do that. But you and Ann can thank me for that when you get out here," Carol laughed.

"I'll be sure to mention that to her today when I call her."

"Goodbye James. Call me as soon as you can."

"Uh...Okay...Holly!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

Sometimes it's the strangest of things that can motivate you. I'd oddly found some threads of inspiration in talking to Carol. She had mentioned leaving my company on a high note. The high note she was referring to would be leaving my department with the new contract, ensuring its future success after I moved on. But in order to do that, I had to come up with something that would seal the deal. And 'high note' was the message of inspiration.

The problem with the proposal I'd drafted to that point had been the rates for services. The company was impressed with our work, and our services. But they were looking for a monthly rebate on their orders. I was reluctant to do that, based on the lack of commitment on their part regarding the volume they would actually order. Carol's mention of high note made me think of what that meant. To me, it meant the highest point that we could reach, at least based on whatever self imposed quota or benchmark we came up with.

And that was the gimmick I needed. I did some quick math, and came up with where I thought the ceiling should be for 9 months worth of steady work. I figured that if we got that kind of guarantee from them, we would be able to offer a substantial discount for the balance of the year. I wanted no part of having to cut checks back to them as part of a rebate program. They would prove too costly, and cumbersome. But a discount? I figured that once they hit a certain dollar amount in annual sales, a discount could kick in and be factored in at the invoicing stage. It wouldn't cost us any more money as far as administration fees were concerned, and since we'd already be beyond the internal revenue figures that would make it a very successful contract, anything past that would be icing on the cake. Giving a percentage back prior to invoicing would be negligible. It looked like a win win.

My mind was flying along with my fingers on my calculator as I ran different scenarios. The two weeks of painstaking, frustrating work that had gotten me nowhere was suddenly reduced to two hours of math that seemed more like two minutes. Everything looked good on the first pass, but I decided to take a break and look at it again, wanting to make sure it was perfect before I sent it off. So, I left for home on my lunch break.

I didn't go home normally for lunch. As I drove, I couldn't remember the last time I'd done it...four months, maybe? But I wasn't really going home to eat. I was going home to use the phone. Ann hadn't called me during the morning, which was unusual. I couldn't remember the last time she hadn't called me on a Wednesday morning, and I needed to talk to her about the job offer so I could get back in touch with Carol.

I left a message at her house, listening to Dana's kids on the answering machine. They sounded cute as they spoke together, telling me to leave a message after the beep. Calling her work, they said she hadn't come in yet, and they weren't sure what time she'd be in. I found that odd as well, but Cynthia, they girl I spoke to, said Ann had been there really late the night before, and she was sure that she was catching up on some sleep because it was going to be another late night. I gathered from the way she spoke that Cynthia was Ann's replacement. I left her a message to have Ann call me as soon as she got there.

It was a little discouraging. I wanted to share the news with Ann, and get thing rolling towards our new future. But as I steered my car though the quiet streets, a realization hit me. I'd gotten the job, and that also meant that, if I took it, I'd have three weeks with Ann before I had to start. We would have what I hoped would be another magical week together while we traveled from California to Indiana. And then we'd have two weeks together, but she'd be and her parents and I'd be at mine. And I'd be working my ass off, training a replacement, so who knew how much time we'd get to spend together. After that, I'd be alone in West Virginia, and Ann would be stuck in Indiana. We wouldn't be over two thousand miles apart, but at close to 500, we might as well be. Doing the calendar in my head, we were looking at two more months apart. Needless to say, I was a little depressed as I drove back to the plant.

I finished the proposal, putting the final touches on it just before the end of the day. Faxing it off, I called to let my contact know I'd sent it. He said he'd look it over, and give me an answer before the end of the week. While I felt good about it, it was just one more instance where I had to wait. It seemed like that was happening to me at every turn, and that put me on edge. Most frustrating was that I still hadn't heard from Ann by the time I left work.

The evening dragged. I was pent up, not being able to talk to Ann. Instead, I talked to my parents about the offer. I wanted to get their opinion, particularly my Dad's. I even called Marlin, just to feel him out. Oddly, both my father, and my future father in law, said the same thing in the end. They said I needed to talk to Ann, and we needed to make the decision together. They both thought it was an incredible opportunity, but that didn't matter as much as whether Ann and I would be happy.

Holed up in my room sometime after dinner, I was spent, worn out from the stress of the day. The contract had basically kicked my ass for two weeks. But what weighed on my mind was the job. And it wasn't really the job so much, as it was the thought of taking it, and being without Ann again for two more months. Frankly, there was a small part of me that wasn't sure if it was worth it, because I didn't think I could handle it.

"Hello?" I said, groggy from that deep out of it sleep I'd fallen into. I don't know how many times it rang. I almost didn't answer it, forgetting that my phone was the only one in the house that had the ringer turned on at night.

"Hey babe. Did I wake you?"

"Huh...uh, yeah," I said, trying to wake up enough to comprehend what she was saying.

"I'm sorry sweetie. Go back to sleep. I'll call you sometime tomorrow."

Her words hit me like an alarm, and I sat up in bed, and almost shouted. "ANN...no! For God's sake, don't hang up!"

"What? Is something wrong?" she asked, reacting to the panic in my voice.

"No. Nothing's wrong. I've just been hoping you'd call me all day."

"You sound stressed babe. Are you sure everything's all right? It's that proposal, isn't it?"

"No. I've been stressed about that, but I actually think I may have figured that out today. Ann, I got a call from Carol today."

"Oh. Really?" Ann said, her voice quivering.

"Yes. We got a job offer. We really need to talk."

"You did! Neil, that's fantastic!"

"Ann, you didn't hear me. WE got the offer. This is not about me; it's about us."

"I know Neil. I'm just so happy for you, and your career."

"It's not about my career either, Ann. It's about our marriage, and whether we're going to be happy there."

I walked through the entire compensation package with Ann, making sure she knew the ramifications. The biggest sticking point was that, at some point, I would begin rotating shifts as a Supervisor. I'd work a month on first shift, then a month on second and then on to third. I'd be rotating every 4 weeks. It wouldn't happen right away, but it was part of the job, and when we got three shifts going, it was a part of what I was going to have to do.

"Well, it's not the greatest. But I think we can deal with it. Besides, the money is fantastic, especially for that area. And you got extra vacation too. Not to mention the time off for the wedding...I still think we need to do this Neil."

"What are you going to do? The closest mall is 40 miles away. Would you work at the outlets?"

"I'm actually thinking about getting out of retail for a while. Actually, I'm sure of it now. I need a job that's got hours that are stable...something more 9 to 5. If not, we may never see each other, and I am NOT doing that. I'm going to put in to cash out."

"Cash out? What's that mean?" I asked.

"Well, as a manager, I've got a lot of company stock as compensation. If I leave, I can cash that out, and we can reinvest it so we can use it to get a house. I don't want to live in an apartment. But I wasn't going to do that if I was going to stay with the company."

"Stay with the company?"

"My company has stores all over the country, baby. I could get a job in one...but I really don't want to. I think cashing out is better for us."

"Seriously? You think you'll have enough to help us get a house?"

"I don't know. But I think so. It really depends on what it costs there. I could never do it here in California; it's just too expensive. But in West Virginia, who knows. I really think we need to do this, Neil."

"Have you thought about the fact that it will mean two more months we'll be apart?"

"No it won't. It's only nine hours to drive it. You can come back for some weekends if you leave right after work. It will be a short weekend for you, but I promise I'd make it worth your drive," she said with a laugh. "Plus, there's Thanksgiving, so you should have a long weekend there. And I could come out for a week to look around and see if I could find us a place to live. Plus, you're going to be busy learning a new job, and I've got a wedding to plan...time will fly by. I know it's not ideal, but we'll make the best of it."

I loved Ann. She was definitely a glass half-full person. I'd been looking at all of the negatives, thinking they were obstacles in our way. Ann looked only at the positives, and where we were going to be together in the future. She was thinking of things on a whole different level than I had been, and that was refreshing.

"So, are we going?" she asked.

"Yeah. I think so. It's a little scary, but I think we should do it."

"Of course it's scary, babe. This whole thing is a little scary. But I know I'm safe in your arms. Let's think of it as another adventure. Instead of scary, let's make it fun."

"Okay. I'm calling Carol tomorrow, and I'll have her send the packet. I hope she can get it to me during the day. I need to give my notice before the end of the day on Friday."

"So, you're calling...Carol?"

"Yeah. I told you before, she's the one that is dealing with the compensation packages. That's one of the reasons we're getting such a good one."

"So, say you wanted to...negotiate. You know, for more. She'd be the one?"

"I suppose. I mean, I'm sure she'd have to get anything approved. But she's the contact, and she said she was the one handling them. Why?"

"Because. We seem to have an in with her. Maybe we should take advantage of it."

"Ann, we already have a pretty sweet deal here. I don't think we should blow it by playing hard ball."

"We're not going to blow it Neil. Come on...let's have some fun. Tell her you want two grand more a year, and another week of vacation."

"There never going to give a new employee four weeks, Ann. I'm lucky I got three. And they're paying me higher than anyone else they've got now, and I don't know the equipment."

"You'll learn that, babe. And I thought she told you they needed you for your other skills...like hiring people. So, why not try and go for it. And didn't you tell me once that you're just a year away from getting four weeks where you are?"

"Well, yeah. Less than that, actually. I'd get four weeks here in January."

"Then tell them you want four weeks. You want one week this year and three weeks next year...and then four weeks a year the following year. Tell them you don't want to go backwards."

"Okay, say I do that...what if they say no, and this whole thing gets fucked up?"

"Will you trust me? It's not going to get fucked up, babe. Just tell Carol if she does that, I'll do what she asked."

"You'll WHAT?" I said, worried I'd said it too loud and woken up my parents.

"Tell her I'll do it. I'll give her a 'date'."

"Are you serious?"

"For $2,000, you bet."

"Jeez, Ann...isn't that a little like prostituting yourself?"

"Wow...I never thought of that. I just got a little wet babe. That's kind of...exciting. I mean, I'd never ever do that for real...but in this case..."

"Really? Wow...you never cease to make me wonder, Ann. Okay, what if Carol comes back with a counter offer. Like if she only offers $1000, or if she wants more...from you."

"Well, anything more than what we already got is gravy, so take it. And as for more from me?" Ann paused. It was a very long pause. She'd already committed to a one-time trial with Carol. I really never thought she'd do that. The longer the silence went, the more I wondered what she was thinking. But I knew not to ask. I just waited her out. Finally, Ann said, "You know what? I trust you babe. I've said I'll do one. If you need me to do more than one to get us more, I'll leave it up to you."

"Oh...so now I'm your pimp?"

"Shit...I think I need to go, babe. I need to find out where I put my Neil cock and get off. And it's way past your bedtime, so I don't think you should be talking me through this one. You've got a long couple of days coming up. I'll talk to you Friday before you get off of work, okay?"

I told Ann I loved her, and she did the same. I tried to go back to sleep, but that proved impossible at first. I was too hard, and suddenly very horny. The thought of Ann and Carol together intrigued me, and I found myself replacing images of Tina and Carol in my mind with Ann standing in Tina's place. I came in just a couple of minutes as I mentally pictured Ann squatting in front of Carol, licking my cum from Carol's pussy as she sat in the rental Camaro on our trip.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Thursday sucked. Starting with waking up to a mess. I'd fallen asleep without cleaning myself up again, and I'd rolled over. My sheets stuck to me like flypaper when I tried to get out of bed. A start to my morning I didn't need. I ended up just making the bed like it was, knowing I'd have to do laundry when I got home. But that slowed me down to the point I was late for work...and I couldn't remember the last time that had happened.

That was followed by nothing but production problem after production problem all morning long. I never made it into my office until after lunch...and I left for lunch, because I was in such a rush to make it to work on time, I'd forgotten my wallet. I decided to go home and just make myself something to eat rather than try and stop somewhere else in the limited time I had. It also gave me an opportunity to start the laundry early, and make my bed.

But a benefit to going home, one that I'd not thought about until I went to make a sandwich, was that I could call Carol from the house instead of the plant. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of the need to do that before in the first place. Using the company phone for an outside call to a company I was thinking of going to work for was not a good idea, on any level. It was one thing if Carol called me. There would be no record of that. But making a call? That was another issue entirely. So, placing the call from my parent's house was actually more practical. Unfortunately, Carol was out to lunch as well, so I had to leave her a message to call me at the plant. At least I got to eat something before heading back to work.

My luck continued, as I got stuck by a train going through the middle of town...one of the chances you take if you lived on one side of the track and had to make it somewhere on the other. It almost never happened that a train would go through town in the middle of my lunch hour. Well, half-hour. As a result, I was actually late twice! In one day! And that had never happened before, in all the years I'd worked there. At that moment, I knew I needed a new job. I was tired of being an hourly employee in a management position. It angered me to no end that I had all of this responsibility to run and grow this new department, and they didn't see fit to treat me like every other manager in the plant.

Digging into the mound of papers heaped in the middle of my desk, neglected all morning by the issues on the production floor, I sighed. I actually got a little depressed staring at it. But I went about getting them in order and began the monotonous task of sifting though them and handling whatever mundane duty they required.

"Hello," I said, so out of sorts I didn't think to answer the phone in the way I normally did. I was sullen, pissed that my day seemingly was getting worse by the moment, and angry that the phone had interrupted me.

"Uh...Hi. Is this Neil?"

"Yes...sorry. How can I help you?"

"Neil, it's me. Carol. Are you okay?"

I fought the temptation to tell Carol I'd had it, and I'd come to work for half of what she offered. I also fought the urge to tell her to send me the packet as it was. Ann flooded my heart. My love for her, and my lust for her. I could feel her spirit with me, lifting me up; telling me to take a deep breath.

"Sorry, Carol. Not been my best day. It's no excuse that I didn't answer the phone more professionally. After all, I am still employed here...although the way my luck has been today, who knows if that will even last. I may not make it through the day."

"They rejected the proposal?" she asked. I was surprised she even remembered it.

"Fuck!"

"What?"

"I don't know. I totally forgot about that. Man this day sucks."

"You forgot to send it?" she said, sounding shocked.

"No. I forgot to...worry about it, I guess. Hell, I don't know. He said he'd get back to me by Friday. I haven't had time to think about it. It's been such a messed up day from the time I got up."

"Oh, one of those days you want to go and crawl back into bed, huh?"

I laughed. "That would have been great if I hadn't made a mess in it last night," I said, one of those moments where I wondered why what I was thinking came out of my mouth.

"What do you mean you made a mess?"

Having a choice to make, I decided to start by seeing how serious Carol was about spending an evening with Ann. "It's nothing really. Just a bad day...but I'm glad you called. I talked with Ann last night."

"Great. So, are you going to accept our offer?"

"That would depend. Is this your offer, or is it the company's offer?"