Chance Encounter Ch. 09

At long last, Paul's orgasm came upon him. He thrust in as deeply as he could and poured himself into her. With each of his spasms he watched Glenda gasp for breath. He kept himself inside her after he finished. Glenda resumed her pace. After two or three more cycles she came strongly, her climax causing her to exhale all her breath as she remained tensed for long seconds.

As they descended from their heights, Paul withdrew from her and dismounted. The release of their energy into one another refilled a cavity in their souls that had so long needed mending. Their forced separation was over.

Paul laid on his back, Glenda aside him, her head on his shoulder. They said nothing for a while as they savored the special moment. They would make love again before drifting off to sleep, but nothing could match the intensity that they had just achieved.

Glenda broke the silence.

"I should never have shut you out."

"It's in the past." Paul answered. "I'm more worried about the future."

"You deserve some answers. Don't you want them." she asked.

"Not really!" was the reply.

"Why not? You have a right to them!" she insisted.

"Because no matter what you would say, it wouldn't change my mind about anything. I'd still want you." he countered.

"You're never going to make me explain or apologize?" she asked.

"Nope!" he replied.

"Then we can go back just like we were before?" she was making sure she understood.

"It can't be like before." Paul declared. "We've been through a lot since before. I care for you more now."

Paul's statement froze Glenda. She knew Paul well enough to know that he didn't make such statements lightly. She knew that she must decide to accept his terms if she could, or tell him that she could not. She realized that she could not close herself to him, even if she wanted to—and she did not want to.

They eased into one another; Paul was stoking her back.

"Don't you want to ask me anything?" she tried him one last time.

"Yes!" he said. "Do you want to order breakfast from room service tomorrow, or eat in the dining room?"

"Ohhh!" she growled in mock frustration.

They decided on the dining room.

*********

Paul arrived at the office the next day at four in the afternoon. Life was looking up since reuniting with Glenda. As he passed Marge he set a vase with a rosebud on her desk that he bought for her at a florist as he drove to the office from the airport.

"You deserve more, but it's the thought that counts." Paul said as he walked by.

"So it went well?" Marge confirmed as he disappeared into his office.

"Better than well." Paul called back from inside his office. "Thanks, Marge."

Marge had all the thanks that she needed. "I charged the baseball tickets to your credit card." She called out.

Paul emptied out his briefcase, preparing to write up a summary of his New Jersey trip. He was full of energy, although he had no right to be. He and Glenda had saved little time for sleep the night before. He was finishing off a tough East Coast trip, and just came off a flight from Chicago. Putting things right with Glenda changed his outlook.

He spied a pile of unopened mail on the corner of his desk. He sorted through it for anything that appeared urgent. One of the envelopes was an inter-office correspondence that was marked 'Confidential'. Paul didn't open it; he knew that the Ethics Committee was at it again.

Marge buzzed and told him that Glenda was on the phone.

Paul: Hi, Glenda. How are you holding up? We didn't get much sleep last night.

Glenda: It was alright with me. Once in a while we have to pretend that we're still twenty. But Paul, that's not why I called. I only have a few minutes, and then I have to get to my Paralegal class. I have some news that I think that you should know.

Paul: Sounds serious—what is it?

Glenda: It came over the news this afternoon. Dean Judson and Arthur Hopkins committed suicide last night. They jumped together from the roof of the building where Judson's condo is located. The news article was really about Judson, since he's local. Hopkins was only mentioned in passing.

Paul told Glenda of Hopkins' AIDS revelation.

Paul: Did they leave a suicide note?

Glenda: The news report didn't say.

Paul: How do you feel?

Glenda: I don't know how to feel. I can't be glad of that happening to anyone, but it's hard to feel bad after what they did to me. It makes me feel guilty because of the photos.

Paul: I understand. But the photos didn't give him the disease—keep that in mind.

Glenda: I know. I've got to run. Thanks for listening.

Paul hung up and thought about the news. He wasn't surprised. He reached down deep and looked for some sorrow to pull to the surface, but found none. He wouldn't stoop to hypocrisy, especially to himself. He wondered if the Ethics Committee would shelve their inquiry, since the victims were gone.

At that moment, Ted Wilson appeared in the doorway. Paul motioned him inside.

"Welcome back!" Ted greeted him. "There's news about your friend, Hopkins."

Paul decided to forego correcting Ted about whether or not Hopkins was his friend.

"I know." He replied. "Glenda just called and told me."

"So you two are back together! That's great!" Ted digressed. "That's not why I'm here. The Ethics Committee is going forward with its inquiry on the Hopkins photos. You're on the hot seat again, I'm afraid."

"I thought that they might forget it now that Hopkins and Judson are dead. Between you and me, I'm ashamed to say that I'm glad that they're dead. They had a lot to answer for." Paul confessed.

"You might want to adopt a more sanctimonious attitude—at least outside these four walls." Ted warned him. "The suicides are heating up the Ethics Committee's inquiry, not cooling it down. I was just a fly on the wall in the Directors' Meeting and Allison Greene is quite upset. Frankly, she let everyone know that she's blaming you, personally, for the deaths."

"I didn't do anything but shred the photos when I received them." Paul retorted.

"You can probably convince them of that." Ted began. "They're going to make you divulge where you got them."

"I won't do it." Paul declared.

"You better think about it. You have a week. At least contact those involved and see what they think." Ted advised.

"Alright, Ted. Thanks for letting me know."

Paul's mind was already made up. He would tell them nothing. It would jeopardize Glenda's standing when she received her Paralegal Certificate, Jim Spencer's career, and Harry Carmichael's status as a prime Dunn contractor.

***********

The Ethics Committee meeting was under way. Marge had testified earlier that she had shredded the photos. She told the members that Jim Spencer was present when Paul gave her the material for destruction, but that she had not seen Jim give anything to Paul.

The three members of the Committee took their accustomed stances. Allison Greene was aggressive in pursuing the case. Elizabeth Pender kept questioning why the inquiry was important at all. Alan Richardson maintained his elder statesman role in the middle. To add seriousness to the proceedings, Earl Carleton, Board Chairman and CEO, and George Adams were present as observers. Ted Wilson was asked to sit in for legal advice.

It had been revealed that Judson's final note blamed the photos for his and Hopkins suicide decision.

Greene led the inquisition.

"So you admit receiving blackmail materials, Mr. Crane." accused the bitter Allison Greene.

"I acknowledge receiving the photos. I took no part in acquiring them, and did nothing with them except destroy them. In a sense, I prevented blackmail." he answered.

"That's what Mrs. Bates said." Greene sneered. "Who gave you the photos?"

"I refuse to tell you." Paul said.

"You have to tell!" Greene insisted.

"I won't!" Paul shot back.

"Did Jim Spencer give you the material?" Greene asked directly.

"No!" Paul replied emphatically.

It was a moment of great import for Paul. It was the first time in his career that he had lied to any superior about any business matter. It didn't go down easily, but he had decided on his action before the meeting started. It was a bitter taste, a stain he was forced to smear on himself by Allison Greene and Alan Richardson. It was brought on him so that Richardson could receive sex from Greene. They robbed him of that which he treasured most highly, and Paul knew that they would squander his treasure as easily as a spoiled heir spends his allowance. The turning point had arrived.

Greene turned to her colleagues.

"This man is the cause the deaths of two prominent men. He must be directed to tell us who gave him the photos."

Paul interjected by recounting how Hopkins had revealed his contracting the AIDS disease. He argued that it was the real impetus for the suicide. The Committee members looked at him in silence.

"Paul, we are going to recommend that the Board direct you to disclose the information to us." Richardson declared.

"Wait!" Pender cried. "We're risking losing one of our best executives over nothing."

"Guys like him are a dime a dozen!" Greene snarled.

"Come to order!" Richardson demanded, before Pender could respond. "We'll vote on the record. The motion is to recommend to the Board of Directors that Paul Crane be ordered to divulge the source of the photographs he received of Arthur Hopkins and Dean William Judson."

Greene seconded.

Carleton and Adams remained silent.

The clerk called out the names.

"Greene!"

"Yes."

"Pender!"

"No."

"Richardson!"

"Yes."

Paul knew that his career at Dunn was over. The Board would not override the Ethics Committee, and he would never tell them what they wanted to know.

Paul stood up to leave.

"Please think it over, Paul." George Adams finally spoke up.

Paul turned and left the room.

**********

Paul knew that the Board would not meet for a week. It gave him some time to clear up some of his details.

Paul told Marge what had happened. She started sobbing.

"Relax, Marge!" he told her. "It will be easier for us to be friends if I'm not your boss."

Paul called Jim Spencer on Peoria.

"My final order to you, Jim, is to never admit that you gave me those pictures. You did nothing except carry them to me in your briefcase, but they'll crucify you anyway. What would be the point?"

He called Larry Wilton to inquire about Grafton. When Hopkins died, Montgomery cut Grafton loose. He had lost his leverage with them. The case on him, however, was placed on the inactive list because it was hopeless without Morehead's testimony.

On his final day Paul was packing his desk. He was nearly ready to go. He had said all his good-byes. Ted Wilson appeared at his door.

"I'm supposed to convince you to change your mind." Ted told him.

"I can't do that, Ted."

"Can't—or won't?" Ted asked.

"Both, I guess." Paul answered.

"What are you going to do? You're too young to retire." Ted queried.

"I'm still the best engineer that I know. I'll set up a consulting business. Harry Carmichael already asked me to join up with him. I think that I'll go it alone for a year and build up some clients. I might go in with him when I can bring something of my own to the party."

"So, you're not going to change your mind?" Ted tried a last time.

Paul shook his head 'no'.

"The company won't be the same without you." Ted pleaded.

"It's not the same company anymore." Paul answered. "Allison Greene and Alan Richardson are calling the shots now. You heard Greene. She said that guys like me are a dime a dozen. If that's what they think, let them give it a try and see how far they get."

"Nobody but Greene thinks that. I know Richardson doesn't. I can't figure out what's wrong with him." Ted was not giving up.

"Sometimes people like Greene and Richardson win, and there's not a thing that anyone can do about it. I don't have to worry about it anymore." Paul declared.

"You'll worry about it, anyway." Ted warned.

"I'm going to try not to." Paul quipped back. "Look, if they want to back down, you have my number."

Ted realized that he had tried as hard as he could, but Paul was not turning back.

"I'll see you on the golf course." Paul said, shaking hands with Ted. "My handicap is down to eight, you know."

He took a final look around, picked up his briefcase; he hugged Marge one last time, and left.

*********

The early morning rain woke him. He was at his cabin on the Peninsula. Glenda lay atop him. July was just around the corner; the weather had been hot and humid. This rain would break things up.

Glenda's soft, rhythmic breathing let him know that she was still asleep. It was her first trip up to the cabin that summer. Her Paralegal courses kept her tied down to Chicago most of the time. They had arrived at the cabin late the night before. They stripped down for sex, but Glenda was so tired she asked for a rain check. Paul didn't mind. He understood why she was tired, and he felt fortunate just to have her lying naked beside him.

While he waited for her to awaken, he thought how close he had been to losing her. Glenda was like few women that he knew. In a moment she could be a buddy in the cabin, laughing, drinking beer and playing cards. She could turn on a dime into a sultry temptress, and she knew just the right moment to do it. She sensed when he wanted a confidant, and the moments that he needed solitude. She would never lavish sympathy on him or betray is trust. She would pour out his own troubles to him, because she knew that he needed to take them on as his own.

Little-by-little Paul filled Glenda in on the details surrounding the Peoria Plant and all the players in the episode. It was mostly a sad tale of broken lives, and a few mended ones; of betrayal and disillusionment; of struggle and desperation, and the escape of it. He never allowed her to explain why she had folded under Hopkins' torment, or run away from him when he wanted so much to help her. If had listened to her reasons, he would have had to judge them, and he wanted no part of it. They put the year of trial and torment in the past, but not forgotten.

Lost in his analysis of her, Paul failed to notice that Glenda was awake. She nudged him a little to let him know it.

"Time for a morning swim." she whispered to him.

"It's raining." he answered.

"Are you afraid of getting wet?" she asked. "We're already dressed for it." She added, referring to their nakedness.

"I thought that we could stay here a while longer." he said, pulling her a fraction tighter against himself. At first, Glenda wondered what had happened to him, but then realized from the grin that he was stifling that he was testing her.

"Get those terrycloth robes out!" she insisted playfully.

"I already did." Paul answered. "They haven't been used for over a year, when you were here last time. They're hanging on the door."

They strode to the end of the dock where they let the robes slide to the wooden planks. They dove into the lake, one after the other. The water was a little warmer this year. They swam together. As their naked bodied would occasionally slide over one another they let their imaginations run free. They came together in an embrace and held the kiss as they slid under the water's surface where they broke apart. When they resurfaced he called to her.

"Follow me over here!"

They swam about thirty yards out toward the middle of the lake. Paul stopped and circled a bit and then found what he was looking for. At their distance from shore, the water should have been twelve or fifteen feet deep. Paul's feet found the rock and he stood on it. The water rose only midway to between his chest and navel.

It was a secret rock, known only to him and Sally—now Glenda. It was a giant, underwater boulder deposited ages before by retreating glaciers. It had been saved there for them to use.

Paul held out his arms; Glenda swam to him. She did not hesitate, but wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist. He looked into her face and saw eagerness. His gaze drifted lower and he saw the small breasts that she had bared to him in a forest grove decades ago. She pulled him closer to kiss him. He held her to him with one hand and held a breast in the other.

She felt his hardness pressing against her. She reached down to separate her lips and placed him inside her. They stayed that way for many minutes, allowing the gentle rocking of the waves to provide all the motion needed to slowly draw their pleasure over them. When they were done, they made their way to the cabin to prepare breakfast.

**********

It had been a year to remember, and a good one to forget. It was lived in the wilderness and in the cities. The year brought sorrow and joy. Some lives had been ended, others shattered and a few renewed. There was the joy of discovery and the sorrow of loss. There were battles between good and evil, with neither side winning. There had been many defeats.

There was only one victory. Life went on for those determined to live it.

THE END

************

Dear Readers,

At long-last "Chance Encounters" has ended. I hope that you enjoyed reading it. As always, I welcome your comments.

There are several characters in the story to whom I am sad to say 'good bye'. Perhaps they will appear again in the future.

Thanks for reading and best regards,

Autumn Writer