Side Bet Bluff Ch. 11

Part 11 – Thursday (Jan. 22)

"Mister Jennings, what did you do to that door?" Allison asked. I hadn't taken her winter coat from her as I normally would for a guest. She'd be needing it.

"Oh that? That is the result of some really wild sex with Jaycee," I said, straight-faced.

Allison looked at me wide-eyed.

"Allison, I'm kidding."

"Oh, ok." I'm not sure she believed me.

"Here, let's go down to my home office and I'll get you set up," and I directed her down the hallway.

I entered the room and made my way towards my desk. I'd already been up for hours and had made all sorts of preparations for the day. Allison stopped and stared at the broken door.

"Oh, that, right," I said. "Maintenance should be up sometime today to fix both doors."

"Uh-huh," Allison replied. Now I'm quite sure she really didn't believe me. Ah well. Her imagination must be giving her some white hot fantasies about now.

"No, really," I insisted. "One of your first responsibilities is going to be to hold down the fort here while I'm away. I'm going to be with Steven Beck and his group for a good portion of the day, and I've got a meeting with Glenda at two. So I'd appreciate it if maintenance does come in that you would look after them?"

"Ok. Are there any other things that you and Jaycee need fixing?" she asked, once again eyeing the door.

"Yes, the shower stall door, the master bathroom sink, the coat closet shelf rack, and one of the bed posts on my bed," I joked again.

"Maybe I should write this down," Allison said.

"Allison, I'm kidding again."

"Oh, right, sorry," Allison looked embarrassed.

"Will, who are you talking to?" came Jaycee's voice from the hallway.

"Jaycee!" Allison jumped up and ran to give Jaycee a hug. I didn't blame her. Jaycee is immanently huggable.

"Allison?" Jaycee asked. "It's great to see you again, but what are you doing here?"

"Mister Jennings hired me, just like you said!" I could practically see Allison's smile beaming through the back of her head.

"He did, did he?" Jaycee looked over Allison's shoulder at me. She looked awfully smug.

"Ok, enough of that," I called out. "You two will have plenty of opportunities for hugging each other later."

"Right," said Jaycee. "Go impress your new boss." And as Allison turned around to return to my desk, Jaycee gave Allison a big smack on her behind. Allison gave a squeak, but hurried over to me while clutching her bottom. Her smile was still fixed to her face, though.

After Allison settled in and calmed down I got down to business. I only had a few minutes before Jaycee and I had to leave to meet Aaron.

"First off, how much were you making at the firm?" I asked. Allison looked as if she was too nervous to tell me. "Don't worry, no matter what you say I'll think it's too low."

"What if that's what I'm worried about?" asked Allison.

"How about this? I'll make you an offer of ..."

"Eighteen dollars an hour," Allison answered. "That's how much I made. Well, technically, seventeen ninety-five."

"That's right, paralegals are hourly," I reminded myself. "I don't know if that will work for me, at least in the beginning."

"I'll work for less," Allison blurted.

"No, Allison, that's not my concern," I told her. "I'm not sure exactly where I'm going to end up, either working for a company in-house, working with a firm, or on my own. Regardless, I need help now, and a lot of it." I thought quickly.

"I wish there were a way around paying you hourly, but coming up with some excuse to make you salaried wouldn't be fair to you. How about I pay you ... twenty dollars an hour to start, and it's highly likely that I will ask you to work extra hours. So overtime rules apply — I'll give you time and a half for any time over forty hours a week."

"You will?" Allison asked.

"Yes, and I can pretty much guarantee that you're going to work a lot of overtime at first. I hope that's ok?"

"Yes, sir. I'll work as much as you need me to," Allison replied.

"Now when I do make a final decision regarding where I end up, then we'll have to revisit this. I'll do everything in my power to bring you with me," I promised. "And if I go it alone, then I'll find an office so you don't have to keep working out of my apartment. But regardless, we'll have to sit down at that point and have this conversation all over again."

"Whatever you say," Allison said. "Can you afford to pay me so much?"

"I wouldn't offer it if I couldn't, and that amount doesn't include any health insurance or other benefits yet, which is part of the reason why we'll have to re-visit this later. Do you have any health-related costs that you need help with in the meantime?" I asked.

"No, no, I'm fine," Allison said. "I was thinking of getting contacts, but I don't think the health insurance from the firm gave me any help with that, so I'm fine, really."

"Ok, then, I need to leave, so let me give you your two assignments for the day. First, on this flash drive is the master file for my contacts database. I want you to familiarize yourself with this as much as you are able."

"Why isn't Karen doing this?" Allison asked.

"Karen's rich, remember?" I replied. "She doesn't need to work for me anymore."

"Oh, well, sir, I don't think I can replace her," Allison complained. "A paralegal isn't the same as a legal secretary. We have very different skill sets."

Jaycee wandered back into the room holding my coat out for me. Yes, we needed to go.

"I know, Allison, just do your best for now," I said. "Second, I need as much information you can find about the legal liability facing banks for their actions related to the financial crisis, especially Atlantic Financial. Here's a preliminary outline I started this morning. Also, I need to know what's being debated regarding upcoming financial reform legislation, both in the U.S. Congress and in the state legislature. There are some banking-industry–specific publications I'd start off with for both matters. I've made a list here. Finally, I need a list of every current lawsuit in which Atlantic Financial is a party, with pertinent details about the largest as measured in dollar amounts. Got it?"

"Got it."

She immediately added two more publications that I should have included on my list. Good, she was demonstrating strong familiarity with the subject matter.

"There are some commercial databases that I had access to at the firm," she reminded me. "I don't suppose you have them on your own?"

"No, I don't," I answered. "Tell you what, I'm leaving you with one of my credit cards. Use it if you have no other way of finding the info. If you think a charge is high, then give me a call and we can decide together."

"That sounds good," she said. "Now, you two need to go." And she plugged the flash drive into my computer.

Jaycee looked concerned as I directed her towards the front door. "Will she be ok here all by herself?" she asked.

"I'll be fine!" Allison called out from the other room. Ok, I must always remember that Allison has excellent hearing.

On our way down the elevator, Jaycee turned to me and asked, "So, what made you hire Allison?" And she had a smirk on her face, too.

"I think she's motivated to help me, she'll be loyal, and I know she's capable," I responded.

"Uh-huh," Jaycee said knowingly. "And when do you think you'll be ready to hire a receptionist?"

I raised my hand in a mime of wanting to spank her. Jaycee turned away from me and stuck her ass out at me a bit. I gave her one swat just because she was begging for it.

Once we got into my car, I decided to kick off the special, private enjoyment I had planned for me and Jaycee today.

"Jaycee, this is your Master talking," I said.

Jaycee let out a little giggle. "Oh goodie," she said. "I mean, yes sir."

"It's going to take less than five minutes to get to the hotel. By the time we pull up in front I want your panties in my pocket and your pants back in place."

"Back in place?" she smiled. "What does that mean? Because I think their proper place is crumpled up on your bedroom floor."

It ended up taking us eight minutes to get to the hotel, mostly because I kept getting stuck at traffic lights staring at Jaycee instead of paying attention to the signal changing. Jaycee made sure her task took seven minutes and fifty nine seconds, and for some reason there was a lot of stretching and twisting involved. Jaycee was acting like yesterday never even happened, and she was back to her care-free, happy sex-slave existence. I'd have to ponder on that.

After barely avoiding rear ending a cab in front of me, I saw Aaron waiting just inside the hotel lobby. I pulled around into an open parking space and Jaycee and I went inside to meet him. I used the car to hide my adjusting the erection in my pants first.

"Hey Aaron, how're you doing?" asked Jaycee.

"If you're referring to this morning, I'm already jacked up on caffeine. I stayed up really late preparing for today."

"What else would she be referring to?" I asked.

Aaron and Jaycee glanced at each other, seeing if the other was going to answer my question first.

"Susan broke up with me," Aaron said.

"Sorry man," I said unsurprised. "Though weren't you thinking about breaking up with her?"

"I don't know if I'd go that far," he said. "I was just wanting to think some things through. I really didn't care that much about her being a virgin."

I cocked an eyebrow at him.

"No, really," he said. "I was just trying to figure out if she was the one I wanted to try to commit to, you know?"

Jaycee turned to me. "You were right, Will. He is one of the nice guys."

"Are things going to be weird between us today?" Aaron asked Jaycee.

"Not on my end. Are you going to hold a grudge against me for setting you up with Susan in the first place?"

"Are you kidding? I'll take another set-up tomorrow if you've got one," Aaron answered. "Well, maybe not tomorrow. Give me a couple weeks to mend my bruised heart and broken ego first."

"Isn't that supposed to be the other way around?" Jaycee asked.

"Aaron loves to intentionally mess up clichés," I told her.

We made our way upstairs and greeted Steven Beck and the rest of his group, already up and ready to start the day. Once again they had a little buffet of breakfast foods for us. Jaycee and I grabbed some coffee while Aaron set up his laptop and a projector aimed at a blank, white wall.

Aaron really outdid himself. This was a smooth presentation. He started with a map of the city, highlighted the few neighborhoods which had homes that fit Steven's criteria, talked about the pluses and minuses for each using plenty of pictures to capture the look and spirit of each area, then sequentially went through the available houses one at a time with virtual tours. I began wondering if we even needed to bother with visiting the homes in person.

"I'm liking Lake Astin," Belinda said.

"Yes," Steven agreed, "especially its surprisingly short commute to downtown."

"Good, because I've got one more to show you in that area," said Aaron. "This isn't officially on the market yet, but it is the grand jewel of the luxury homes in the city. I have it on good authority that it should be put up for sale in the next month." He hit a button on his laptop and up sprang another virtual tour.

Billy let out a whistle. "Who lives there? Louie the Fourteenth?"

"It was built just three years ago at a cost of twelve million," Aaron told us. "It was such a huge project that all but one bank balked at financing a private home of that scale."

All of Beck's group laughed.

"What's so funny?" Aaron asked.

"A house like that would cost five times as much on Long Island," said Belinda.

"Which bank pulled the trigger?" Paula asked.

"Atlantic Financial," Aaron said.

Jaycee leaned over to me and whispered, "You sure you want to work for them?"

"Jenny's dad was the lone voice in upper management railing against the excessive risks being taken," I explained. "That's why he's the new president. When the shit hit the fan, he's the one who had the track record to win the resulting power struggle."

If I'd thought the earlier homes were large, this was a monster. It might have to be classified as a castle. When the presentation shifted to interior rooms, there were similar noises of disbelief. I'd never seen so much marble and gilding in my life. At least, I hope it was just gilded, but given the ridiculousness of the entire structure maybe that stairway railing was a solid block of gold.

"What? No diamonds embedded in the walls?" Alex joked.

"Oh? You've heard about the master bath?" Aaron asked.

There were several disbelieving "no"s and "you're kidding"s from the group. But when the presentation made its way to the master bathroom, there were hundreds of diamonds glittering all around the primary mirror.

"Who built this monstrosity?" Belinda asked.

"Carlton Hinshaw," Aaron said.

"That name sounds familiar," said Jaycee.

"Owner of the Wildcats," I told her, naming the local pro football team.

"I want it," Alex said.

"You?" Siri asked.

"That house will be the ultimate pad for my harem," the nerdy analyst replied. "I'm thinking I'll offer it as the training facility for the Wildcat dance team, and then seduce them one by one."

Paula laughed at him. "Seduce them? You've got no game."

"Are you kidding?" he scoffed. "Money is the most powerful aphrodisiac in the world, and I'm going to put my new riches to good use. I am King Midas and ladies will beg me to polish my golden rod."

"That was bad," Billy groaned.

"I'm going to break off your golden rod if you keep talking like that," Belinda warned.

"What can you tell me of the owners of those other homes?" Steven directed to Aaron.

That brought Aaron up short. "The owners?"

I had my cell phone out a second later.

"Allison, I'm going to send you a list of five addresses. Pull up the county records and immediately send me back a list of their current owners, then start a search on any public information on them."

Three minutes later I had the list.

"Only one of these names is familiar to me — Archie Coxwold."

"That sounds like a name that would be hard to forget," commented Jaycee.

Steven grunted. "Just fired CEO of Hackimac Investments. He received an enormous and completely undeserved golden parachute. Ok, cross that house off the list."

"Why?" asked Aaron.

"He won't be desperate to sell," I told Aaron. "Steven here is looking for a deal." Aaron nodded his understanding.

"Of the remaining four, three of them have been put on the market in the last sixty days. The fourth has been sitting on the market for a year and a half."

"Then we'll visit that one last," announced Steven. "Let's head on out, then. Will can provide us with the necessary info on the owners when we arrive at each home."

Steven and Belinda went with Aaron in a luxury SUV he borrowed from his uncle for the occasion. Since Billy already knew the area, he had rented a car for his stay and he and Siri followed behind. Paula and Alex joined me and Jaycee in my sedan.

"So Jaycee, you're Will's girlfriend?" asked Paula.

"No, I'm his sex slave."

I turned towards Paula, sitting diagonally back from me in the rear seat and gave her a wink and a smirk.

Meanwhile, Alex jumped all over it. "Bullshit. Will doesn't have enough money. Or are prices that much cheaper down here?"

"It's not about money, Alex," Jaycee answered. "It's about being the type of person who engenders so much trust that I can place my entire well-being into his hands. Oh, and of course it helps that he is capable of providing me with the greatest orgasms I've ever experienced."

"You're playing with me, right? You're getting me back for that harem comment."

Jaycee seemed to be imploring me with her eyes that I prove her status to Alex. What the hell?

"Jaycee, flash your tits at Alex."

Jaycee smiled, turned in her seat, grabbed her shirt and lifted up. She dug her hands underneath her bra and lifted that as well, proudly showing off her breasts to Alex behind her.

"I said flash them, Jaycee, not sit for a portrait."

"Sorry, sir," she answered and replaced her garments.

"What the fuck?" whispered Paula. I, again, turned to look at her, gave her a little head shake and a wink.

It took Alex a while to get his tongue back into his mouth. "Dude. You know any other chicks who are into that?"

"What did Jaycee tell you, Alex? I've known Jaycee for five years. It takes a long time to build up that level of trust."

"Well, that's just the way we did it," Jaycee added. "We met a woman recently who followed a different path. I don't know, maybe there's a black market in willing sex slaves out there. But if you talk to Marie at the Pleasure Palace, maybe she can point you in the right direction. If you're serious that is."

I guffawed and shook my head. I think Alex was going to look the fool if he did that.

"Well, if not," Alex said, "Will, could I rent Jaycee from you for a bit?" I knew Alex and the rest of Beck's inner circle liked to joke around. But this didn't sound like it. He sounded completely serious.

"Will you be satisfied with just a 'fuck you' or am I going to have to break a few of your teeth first?"

"You sure? Not even for a million dollars?" he asked.

"I'm about to give you a beating that will require a million dollars worth of plastic surgery," I warned.

"I don't think his face is worth a million," added Paula. "But if you throw in some damage to his scrotum."

Jaycee just smiled at me. I'd almost have to describe her as giddy.

"Ok, ok, I was kidding anyway," said Alex.

For the rest of the short drive, Jaycee and I made various comments about stores and restaurants we passed or made comparisons to other areas of the city. Paula asked some good questions. Alex, smartly, kept his trap shut.

It took a few minutes to get through the security gate into the neighborhood. Apparently, a realtor visit composed of three separate cars was atypical and the guards were suspicious. I was glad to see that they took their jobs seriously.

When we exited the car at the first house visit, I quickly moved to Paula's side. Alex moved off to talk to Billy.

"Jaycee likes to say and do things to shock people. Flashing people is one of her favorites. It's one of the things I like about her, how free she is about some things, but you just have to not always take her at face value. It's just Jaycee having a little fun."

"Ok," said Paula uncertainly. "So she's not your sex slave?"

"We're doing a little bit of role playing," I admitted, "and Jaycee is running with it a bit."

After leaving Paula to look at the house, I found Jaycee patiently waiting for me.

"Jaycee, do me a favor and try to tone down the whole sex slave thing, ok?"

"I will if you want, but I want to tell everybody."

"You love shocking people that much?"

"No, sir. I'm so happy that I want to tell everyone the reason why," she said.

"Well, hmm, that's rather flattering actually. But I know you well enough to know how much you like provoking people. Just be more circumspect with whom you provoke or I might have to start leaving you behind."

"Whatever you say," Jaycee replied. "But just to let you know, Karen and I told Belinda last night."

"It's probably bound to get around this group anyway," I said, "but at least they are an isolated unit for the moment."

We joined the rest of the group and I informed them that this particular house had been owned by an Arthur Millstone, whose obituary appeared in the paper three months ago and named seven children and nineteen grandchildren as his successors. We assumed the proceeds of the house sale were to be split amongst his issue with, of course, a good chunk set aside for their Uncle Sam.