A Womanizer Reforms

"Oh Macy," he called as she was leaving. She stopped. He came over and kissed her, beautifully she thought.

"Happy birthday for tomorrow."

She expressed surprised he'd remembered.

Next morning Macy found a package on her desk and opened it excitedly, wondering whom it was from. It was a beautiful bra and panty set, the right size. The card with it stated: "Happy Birthday 34C. Great tits!"

Macy called her mom and told her about the present.

"Would you like me to invite Hal to your birthday dinner tonight?"

"Oh yes please. Here's his phone number. You may have to leave a message"

* * *

Davina had been surprised on Wednesday night when she asked and Macy revealed Hal had not hit on her. Macy then told her Hal had suggested their relationship ought to be confined to a professional one.

"But why?"

"I really think he's afraid of how dad might react with me and how other people might react."

"Do you want me to call off your father?"

"No it's really no business of his what Hal and I do providing it doesn't affect our work adversely. Its expensive for the newspaper to provide Hal with an assistant and really quite unnecessary and I think I'm almost ready to go solo."

"Darling this is absolutely confidential and I mean that Macy."

"Understood mom."

"Your father is about to announce Hal will replace Susan Fields as managing editor in three months when she retires. Hal will be appointed assistant editor forthwith and work with her."

"Omigod Hal of all people?"

"Yes I rather wobbled when he told me. But he said it sometimes pay to take risks and who is to know when it's the right time to take risks or avoid the risk such as this?"

"Then he has confidence in Hal?"

"Absolutely."

"What is the attitude of the deputy editor Mr Joyce?"

"That accounts for the delay. Ray Joyce has been given all this week to come back with his objections, if any."

"He'll be devastated."

"Ray knows he is not very good with people. Your father believes Sylvia will tell her husband to ride with the decision, that the humiliation will last only days once the appointment bypassing him is made."

"So dad hasn't spoken to Hal about this?"

"No and that is why you must not alert Hal in any way."

"God Hal will want to take The Sentinel apart and reassemble it."

"You father hopes he does because he's a very creative young man and would be our youngest-ever editor. But he'd have to establish a working party to review anything approaching major change."

"Fair enough. It would keep the lid on things and ensure proper change management."

"You are talking like a managing editor yourself darling."

"We studied change management."

"Hmmm, did you now?"

Davina smiled, recalling that conversation. It seemed Macy was proving a surprise package simply because she'd been a slow starter.

Her phone went.

"Hi Dav...eena. You left a message asking me to call."

"Yes not much notice I'm afraid but Macy has asked that I invite you to her birthday dinner her father and I are giving her this evening. Apparently she found just the sweetest birthday present from you on her desk this morning when she had no idea you'd remember it was her birthday. We have booked out Le Beaujoloiais Restaurant."

"Well it's lovely to receive that invitation Dav...eena but first I need to know what is your opinion about Macy and I becoming more closely attached?"

"I'm ambivalent."

He laughed. "Great answer. It leaves me uncertain whether I have inched forward or been pushed back a step. Tell me, do you believe your daughter's reputation would be harmed if she associates with me?"

"I'm quite certain she would come to no harm."

"Great and then the final question, "Do you find me acceptable?"

"Yes of course."

"Great answers Dav...eena. You have raised a great daughter and she is on the cusp of an outstanding career. She's just a lazy starter but the talent is there."

The birthday dinner was a great success and Davina looked at her radiant daughter and thought yes she really was a young woman now.

Macy was hard-pressed to spend much time with any individual with so many family and friends seeking her attention. But Davina saw Macy greet and kiss Hal and marveled how long it took Macy's arm to fall away from his shoulder. Well it was obvious Macy wanted some action from him.

Late in the evening Macy kissed Davina and thanked her for organizing such a memorable event for her.

"It is what you deserved my dear sweet daughter."

"Mom say no if you feel the need to say no and I promise I won't be too disappointed but is it okay if I ask Hal to take me home tonight and to sleep with me?"

"Yes dear you have my approval but don't ask your father; I'll deal with him."

When most people began leaving Davina saw Hal kiss Macy goodnight and he left, and Macy's body language indicated rejection.

Davina placed an arm round her daughter and squeezed and said, "It will work out okay darling. He asked me on the phone this morning is it okay with me if he associates with you and I said absolutely."

"Omigod, Omigod. Oh how relieved I am to hear that. Thanks mother. He has this notion that he must allow a relationship between us to develop slowly so that people around us don't paint me as one of his conquests."

"I suggest you admire him for that darling and wait patiently."

* * *

Hal enjoyed the event, sitting at dinner between Davina's 10-year younger sister Lisa, who said she'd been divorced for almost two years. Unfortunately one of Macy's great-aunts on the other side of him monopolized conversation and everything had to be repeated two or three times because she was partially deaf.

As Hal reached his car a woman emerged from beside a vehicle opposite and called Hal. It was Lisa and she was straight into it.

"I'm in a predatory mood. Would you like to come to me home for a night cap?"

Of course Hal thought. He must be a gentleman and say yes.

Hal followed her home and the 43-year old kissed him heavily as soon as he entered the house, making her intent even clearer.

"You don't really want a drink do you?"

"Nope."

"Then what do you want?"

"This," he said, grabbing a handful of tit.

"Mind my dress, it's new and expensive. I'll take it off."

They fucked ferociously on the hallway mat, ferociously because she set the mood.

He went home feeling a little battered but smiling. They'd only done it the once but she was so good that she got him off really big time. It was the best sex he'd had in a couple of years but the bitch had raked his back. He grinned even more when she stood and fell against the wall for support and sighed, "Jesus Hal you are much too much for me."

It was a pity she hadn't remarried and chosen a robust guy who'd go to work each day with a big smile on his face. He was pleased she'd handed him a condom.

Hal walked into his office on Monday morning and said hi and Macy said hi brightly.

"Alan came in looking for you and went out grumpy and snarled you were keeping gentleman's hours."

"I get my work done so there is no need for him to be nasty."

"Well perhaps I have reason to be nasty. Mom saw you kissing Aunt Lisa in the parking area last night. Did you fuck her?"

"Yeah."

The guilt ravaged him when he saw Macy's face turn pale. Shit he should have lied; she would have been expecting him to lie.

She bit her lip and then said, "Why her and not me?"

"You have a reputation to develop. Your aunt couldn't care a fig about her reputation."

Macy stood and began unbuttoning her shirt and she opened it, not bothered about the door being open.

"I wanted you to see your birthday present, um the top half of it.

Hal looked at the beautifully made and decorated garment but then a bra is a bra. He was more interested in the way the breast was tightly packed into it.

"Show me a nipple."

Macy calmly pulled up the left-hand side of the bra and what Hal saw made him lick his lips.

"Now put both hands around the breast and squeeze."

He was almost certain she wouldn't do that and might even yell something like 'How revolting'. But no, she looked down at her breast and did as he'd asked.

The compacted breast pushing forward to emphasis the nipple was thickening accelerated Hal's breathing rate and that made him feel randy.

"Thanks, put it away," he croaked. "That was a magnificent display baby. I admire you doing that for this foul lecher."

"I don't regard you as either foul or being a womanizer. It's just something in you and from what I know you control it well. Would you fuck my mother is she came on to your strongly?"

"Jesus Macy. You probably sense I won't lie to you. Just be careful what you ask me. Actually I am able to say no because it would be the end of you and me as a duo."

"But you thought I'd accept you having sex with my aunt?"

"Yes but the truth is I did not think about it because there wasn't much time to think and we both were a little randy."

"Well off you go, our immediate boss wishes to see you."

Alan walked in and said, "No he doesn't, and he wants to see both of you."

He looked at Macy doing up her shirt and frowned

She smiled and undid the buttons. "You may as well look too. It was my birthday yesterday and this is part of the lingerie set Hal gave me."

Alan's eyes bulged. "Jesus Macy, there's more of you than I had thought. Er nice bra. Please button up. We have to talk."

"Hal you are about to be re-assigned. This was dropped on me only an hour ago. It means a reshuffle here. Bert Shaw has agreed to take over the column. I'm sorry Macy but you are still too inexperienced to be responsible for grinding out a column day after day. However I'm taking a risk and placing you in Bert's chair and that's reporting new business."

"No thanks Alan. If I can't stay with Hal then I'll be resigning."

Frank looked shocked. "You can't throw your career away on a whim. Tell her Hal."

"Macy is a big girl, quite capable of making her decisions. Personally I think you ought to try TV baby. You have the full on personality to earn really high ratings and from there you go into presenting, study drama and then specialize in directing."

"Yes Hal I do think I should try for a job in TV but if I succeed I think I would not go beyond presenting. With experience under my girdle I might attempt to come back here as features editor. You'd welcome me back wouldn't you Hal?"

"To see you working back on The Sentinel, yes sure."

"Macy I strongly recommend you consult your father."

"I hear you Alan, and thanks for your concern. I'll have my resignation to you within fifteen minutes. Could I leave at the close of work today? I know this is irregular but..."

"Sure Macy. I realize you had decided your next step was to become a columnist but you first need a good grounding in basic journalism."

"I know the news editor on Channel 4 Macy," Hal said. "C-4 is a network affiliate with strong emphasis on news and current affairs."

"Thanks guys. You are being so kind to me."

"Your father will kick my ass allowing you to walk like this Macy."

"His bark is worse than his bite Alan. He'll know you buckled under pressure."

"Rude bitch," Alan grinned.

"Right let's begin working on tomorrow's column," Hal signed. "Who knows but the end of today I may be without a job. No way do I wish to run Features. A female is more suited for that kind of work."

Later Macy told Hal she had an interview with Roger Wilson the news editor of C4 at 4:00 that afternoon.

Hal said fine and excused himself to take a call. He said to Macy, "Something's up. That was your dad's PA. He wants to see me now in the board room."

"Gosh I wonder what that's about? Perhaps he needs a few tips on womanizing?"

"Bitch," Hal laughed and strode off.

He returned half an hour later looking dazed. "The board chairman and deputy chairman, your father and the manager of HR were there. I was offered the editorship of The Sentinel and have accepted, effective in two months. In the meantime I work alongside the retiring editor. It will be announced in an all staff email at noon today."

"Oh congratulations. With you being aware of your huge womanizing reputation, that offer must have come as rather a shock."

"It was." He caught himself, "What womanizing reputation?"

"Oh I hear people talk."

Hal chose to ignore that. "Did you know about this?"

Macy calmly lied and said of course not.

"So that's why Bert Shaw has been given the column. Alan knew about the decision to make me the offer and assumed I would accept. Macy you must have known because that why you resigned."

"Bullshit. I'm aware I'm totally unsuited for business reporting. It stifles a creative mind, er apart from being a columnist."

"I think you knew."

"Right I don't wish to have you whining on about this. I'm calling dad and you can ask him if he told me about that proposed offer."

"Um no don't do that. I accept you told me the truth."

Alan came in with Macy's termination check and documentation to sign at 3:00 and said she could go. "So what do you think about Hal now?"

"Providing he stops shafting every woman who makes eyes at him, he will in time be hailed as one of the great editors of The Sentinel."

Both men looked at Macy wide-eyed.

"Well bye guys, it was great working in this department and I feel I was treated exceptionally well. Hal when you feel you can unbend enough to sleep with me, give me a call. Alan I regret I'm unable to make a similar offer to you."

Macy kissed them both and went into the business department to say goodbye to everyone.

They were all shocked to learn she had resigned.

She went to the general newsroom and spoke only to Gillian the news editor who was preparing to go to the mid-afternoon news conference.

"Oh god this is a shock," Gillian said. "I guess it's because of Hal's appointment, you'll not have him as your mentor?"

"No I resigned before Hal was made the offer. I had decided I'm not suited to general reporting or business reporting."

"You should try TV darling. You would excel in front of camera."

"I'm seeing someone on C4 in an hour."

"Great that's the strongest channel for news and current local affairs. I'm genuinely sorry to see you go."

"Well I'll return eventually. My aim is to be features editor."

"I'll mention that to your father," Gillian said. "I must go. Best of luck darling."

CHAPTER 2

Macy expected the meeting with the news director would be a preliminary assessment and if she interviewed well she would be recalled for a formal interview. But when she arrived the news editor's PA took her straight through to make-up, explaining she would be interviewed formally after the screen test.

"Just be yourself Miss Law and don't fret. A preliminary interview wasn't necessary. We know who you are?"

We know who you are? Jesus this was a step up on the drubbing she'd received when beginning in the general newsroom of The Sentinel despite her father being the executive editor.

A woman standing beside the operator of the sole camera said, "Just chat with me and try to keep relaxed Miss Law. Nothing will jump out of the camera to garrote you. I will ask you questions. This is to test how you would appear on-screen to viewers watching your news reports if you are hired to work here. Are you ready?

Macy said yes and assumed the people who would be interviewing her would be either watching this or would watch the replay before she faced them.

Interviewer: It's a lovely day today is it not?

Macy: I would think not. Brief but heavy rain bursts plus wind from the north are not my idea of pleasant weather.

Interviewer: And what is your idea of a lovely day?

Macy: Sitting in the shade near a pool on a hot day, a gentle caressing breeze and with a glass of chilled white wine beside me.

Interviewer: Do you like being caressed?

Macy (giggling): Don't we all?

The woman said that was it.

"Oh was I that awful?" Macy asked, stretching her hands back to straighten her ponytail.

"In my opinion you presented perfectly. That's all Jack."

The cameraman straightened and placed a cap over the camera lens, making Macy aware filming had only just ceased. She sighed.

She was taken to a room where a round-faced guy with a beer belly introduced himself as Roger Wilson. He introduced his two females colleagues to Macy.

"Set the clip rolling Thelma."

The room darkened and the test clip played on the monitor.

Macy heard the three on the interview panel talking quietly but took no interest. She thought she looked good and moved and spoke naturally and smiled when she saw the extension when she was adjusting her hair, showing just what a great bra she was wearing, she sighed in satisfaction. If these guys want to see sex appeal, er camera appeal, they'd just looked at it.

The interview got underway and she was asked numerous questions such as why was she leaving The Sentinel and why hadn't see asked her illustrious father to save her ass and why was she so bereft of experience.

The big-jowl bitch on the panel, the HR manager, Anna Bowler, alleged, "You only got a reporting position on The Sentinel because of the influence of your illustrious father didn't you."

"No."

"Macy darling I simply cannot believe it."

"Well you are wrong. I got the position because of the tremendous influence on senior editorial people of my mother, who was Davina Allen-Jones at her peak when she was perhaps the best-ever female newspaper journalist within 500 miles of where we sit."

"Ah yes, Davina who scared the crap out of people who had something to cover-up and they knew they were doomed," Roger said. "Are you claiming to have the journalistic genes of your parents?"

"No although I won't be surprised if time proves that I have."

"Our top reporter Meg Thurlow wants to become a trainee director and we were about to seek her replacement. Do you know her?"

"Yes she was two years ahead of me at college but we were in the same swim and hockey teams and I was chosen to thank her when she addressed us one afternoon at the School of Journalism and we went to dinner that evening and I've occasionally seen her socially because our mothers are good friends."

"Well we are willing to hire you to replace Meg. What do you say to that?"

"Thanks and you'll not regret taking the chance with me although I have little frontline experience."

"But we hire people like that Marcy. We like to train graduates ourselves and don't look at experienced newspaper reporters; they find it difficult to make the transition because of the differences between their media and experience our distinctive requirements."

"When may I start?"

"Go with Mrs Bowler and she will present you with our standard contract offered to new recruits and you can refine conditions in discussion with her."

During the next two weeks Marcy accompanied Meg on assignments and also attended long coaching sessions by the TV station's training officer.

Marcy had called Hal to thank him for opening the door to television reporting for her and he was pleased to hear that and said it was lovely hearing her voice.

"Um I have decided to abandon my licentious ways."

Macy giggled and said how disappointing.

"What?"

"If you reform as a womanizer you might not be exciting enough for me to take much interest in you."

"Well I've never failed to disappoint a woman yet Macy. Give me eighteen months to reform. You probably will see me photographed with a woman from time to time but it's likely to be the same woman to reinforce public perception that I have changed my ways. But rest assured it will not be a woman that I'd want to marry."

"Why not."

"Figure that out for yourself my sweet lady. Bye and I'm pleased you are in through the door of TV. You'll be a top personality."