Apparition

I work for a small, Midwestern company specializing in the development and manufacture of unique hybrid materials useful in both commercial and military products. My business card reads, "Lewis Carmichael, Director of non-Commercial Marketing and Sales."

It doesn't sound like much, but there are only two other individuals that rank higher than I do in our forty-two employee company. One of them is Cameron Wilson. He's the Vice President of Commerce and reports only to the President and CEO of the company.

Cameron and I have been working for almost two years to develop opportunities within the United States government. Our work began to show progress when a shadowy, three letter alphabet agency contacted us about eight months ago.

We managed to negotiate a meeting with representatives of the agency. The meeting was postponed for five weeks while Cameron and I were vetted for security clearances sufficient to be allowed to meet with the government people and another, seven weeks to also vet Alexandria Devon. Alex is brilliant and the lead developer in our metallurgy, plastics and organics integration department. She's also personable and easy to look at, making her a must attendee with the government agents.

The three of us headed for San Antonio for a week of meetings without knowing specifically where the meetings were to be held. All we knew, is that we were booked into a hotel near the center of the city from Sunday night through the following Saturday. That means we planned travel to San Antonio on Sunday and return the following Saturday morning.

We were required to ship all our presentation materials, including samples and prospective contract materials to the hotel at least a week before the meetings and bring nothing except a blank notebook and writing materials to the meeting. No smart phones or recording instruments of any kind.

Cameron, Alex and I arrived in San Antonio on a Sunday afternoon in March and checked into the hotel. We were assigned adjacent, non-connecting rooms at the end of a hallway on the ninth floor. Cameron's room on the corner of the building had a conference table with windows on two walls and we gathered there late in the afternoon to finalize our approach for the next day. The environment was unusual enough that we were all careful to discuss only items that were non-controversial and, hopefully, not classified.

We brought copies of everything we had shipped to the hotel the previous week. We laid it all out on the table and went through our presentation for the twentieth time. We packed everything away and went to a late dinner in the hotel restaurant. We ate modestly, without alcohol, and retired to our rooms for a long rest before meeting the agency representatives the next morning. I didn't sleep well, wondering about how the next day might develop.

Dressed conservatively, we met for breakfast at the same table in the restaurant. Suits and ties were unusual at work and home and I was slightly uncomfortable in one of the two new suits I had purchased for the meeting. Cameron wore his suit like the uniform it was. I knew he was a West Point graduate and probably used to formal wear. Alex, on the other hand, looked amazing in her blue striped, pencil skirt suit and silk blouse. She had her long brown hair up in a high pony tail similar to how she usually had it at work. I had the fleeting thought that she was sexier in her suit than her usual jeans and untucked button downed shirts.

After breakfast, we waited, as instructed, in the hotel lobby for our hosts. Exactly on time, two men, dressed casually, approached us. We identified ourselves and presented our business cards. They introduced themselves and Bob and Ray, probably not their real names and no last names. Their business cards simply said "Bob" and "Ray." They handed us badges with our names and pictures on them and told us to follow them.

In the elevator, Bob blocked the access panel with his body and punched in four numbers. We descended to a basement level. We followed Bob through a tunnel, followed by Ray, to another elevator. Bob pushed an unlabeled button on the control panel and we rose. The elevator door opened at a security check point at the end of a long hallway. We were all, including Bob and Ray, searched and wanded. Alex was required to check her purse, Cameron relinquished the keys to the rental car with its electronic key fob and I left a memory stick containing supplemental information I thought we might need.

Bob scowled when he saw the memory stick. He led us down the hallway to a small, windowless room with a conference table, five chairs and a coffee station with five mugs.

The morning session was quite short. Bob and Ray both indicated that they had reviewed, more likely digested, the material we had forwarded and we quickly began to answer a series of questions. I had anticipated one area of potential concern and, when the issue arose, I told Bob and Ray the information they wanted was on the thumb drive left at the security station. Bob got a sheet of paper and a pencil, wood naturally, and asked me to write down the file name and location on the drive.

Bob and Ray both left us alone in the room with a "Make yourselves comfortable. We'll be back soon."

"Soon" was an idiomatic metaphor. They were gone almost two hours. We busied ourselves as best we could, drinking coffee and napping, afraid to openly discuss what was happening since we were sure the room was being monitored.

Near one pm, another gentleman brought in a tray of five sandwiches, five bags of chips, five apples and five bottles of water. He left without introducing himself. The sandwiches were basic fare, a long way from what we catered for meetings at home. We were hungry, so we ate. It was something to do while we waited.

About twenty minutes later, Bob and Ray returned. When I inquired about the thumb drive, they told us they had reviewed the information and were satisfied with the information. Another hour of questions later, we were finished.

Bob stood. "We're satisfied with the information you've presented and we think some parts of your technology could be integral to our efforts."

We still had no idea what their "efforts" were.

"We'll meet at the same time tomorrow to discuss the contractual specifics," he concluded.

We reversed course, picked up Alex's purse, the car keys and my thumb drive and parted with Bob and Ray in the hotel lobby. It was only four pm. We headed for Cameron's room and the conference table.

We had several immediate reactions to the meeting with a government agency so secret we still didn't know their acronym. First, we didn't have a clue what they did or how an unspecified part of our technology would fit in to their plans.

Second, we also didn't know where we had actually held the meeting.

Third, we didn't know how to begin to review the contractual language without information about who they were, what they wanted, what they wanted it for and what they were willing to pay for it.

Other than that, we felt confident that the meeting had gone well.

We had an early dinner and took a walk outside as the sun was setting. We guessed about how far and in what direction we had walked in the tunnel. Only one building seemed possible. It was a large windowless, cube of bricks and mortar that filled most of the block. The only label, high on one side of the building said it belonged to the local telephone company. Not surprising. We didn't think it would just have a three letter sign.

I slept better Monday night. We had made progress. Everything seemed to be a go if the "XYZ" boys wanted to talk contracts.

We met for breakfast the following morning. We considered more casual dress but decided to keep the environment on a high plane even if Bob and Ray didn't. Also, Alex wasn't required for the contractual discussions but we were a team and stuck together.

Tuesday, Bob and Ray met us at the same place, walked us through the same tunnel and endured the same security check as the day before, this time without a purse, car keys or a thumb drive. We met in the same room.

After a short recap of yesterday's meeting, Bob passed out copies of our standard contractual material and wooden pencils.

We began at the beginning. Where the contract specified our corporate name, Bob told us that, for security reasons, we needed to use a pseudonym. When we looked confused, he explained that the contract, once agreed to and signed, would be part of a public record, difficult to find but still public, and he didn't want anyone who reviewed the contract to know the source of the technology so they couldn't procure it for their own purposes. He mentioned a few potential international bad characters as examples. We settled on an alternate name for our company that implied we provided water proofing material for public bathrooms.

A similar problem existed with the name of the customer in the contract. When I penciled in "XYZ" he said, "That'll do for now."

Except for a break for lunch and two bathroom breaks, we spent the entire day reworking and rewording about three quarters of the contract. We stopped about six pm and agreed to start again Wednesday morning.

Wednesday was a repeat of Tuesday except we finished the contract rewrite just after lunch. An hour later, Bob handed out printed versions of the finished product including fictitious names. When we all agreed that it was accurate we signed the copies. Signing wasn't as simple as it sounded. We couldn't use our real names as they could be used to identify our company. Bob gave each of us an affidavit stating our real names and ridiculous stage names. Bob told us the affidavits would not be part of the public record but they would be available to tie us and our company to the contract if necessary. We signed the pre-notarized affidavits and then the contracts with our new names. Bob and Ray simply signed their names: "Bob" and "Ray."

Bob then explained that we now had a preliminary agreement between us and the government. What we had needed to be reviewed by attorneys and management of both parties and final signatures would be required before we could start. He reminded us his representatives would be signing with pseudonyms similar to ours.

We left with our copies of the contract and got back to the hotel before dinner. Cameron took all three copies of the proposed contract and met us for dinner as usual. We had our first alcoholic beverages at dinner. During dinner Cameron told Alex and I how much he appreciated what we had accomplished. He said he was heading home early with the contracts the next morning but, since the hotel and rental car were already paid for, we should hang around, see the sights and unwind. He said we deserved a break but to be ready to work Monday morning. We all toasted to the new plan.

That was Wednesday evening. Alex and I agreed to meet for a late breakfast and we went to our rooms.

Wednesday night started something I still can't explain. I was sleeping soundly. Sometime in the middle of the night, I woke feeling as if I wasn't alone in the room. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. A figure, in a white robe was standing next to my bed. Somehow I suppressed my reaction and just looked at her. It was definitely a woman. She had long dark hair configured in a high pony tail much like Alex's hair. But it clearly wasn't Alex. This woman's breasts were significantly smaller.

While I watched, she untied the belt around her waist and let the robe fall to the floor. She stood next to me, her pale skin glowing in the dim room. Her breasts were perfect hemispheres on her chest and her nipples pointed just slightly upward. She had a neat triangle of pubic hair and an aroma that aroused me like no cologne ever had.

When I tried to speak, she leaned over and put a finger to my lips and another finger to her lips. She didn't want us to speak. Her breasts moved only slightly away from her body as she leaned forward and hung invitingly above my chest. When I lifted my hand to touch her, she nodded almost imperceptibly.

Her breasts were warm and firm. Her nipples were hard.

She pushed me away from the edge of the bed, toward the center, and she slid in beside me. Her nails performed erotic and intense circles through the hair on my chest. My nipples hardened. She raised her body, stretched upward and kissed me.

Her kiss was electric. Shock waves echoed up and down my spine and took a second lap as her kiss lingered, eventually morphing into an open mouthed, tongue extending exploration of my gums and palette.

She settled back with her head on my shoulder and her hand moved down my body, beyond my navel, to the waistband of my Nike briefs. Her hand slid under the elastic and wrapped around my already very erect penis. I pushed the sides of my underwear down and she helped me. Soon, my briefs were jammed under the sheet at the bottom of the bed.

Her head followed her arm as she helped push my underwear off. She took the obvious opportunity and knelt next to me, surrounding my erection with her mouth. The electric aftershocks continued up and down my spine and attached themselves to my primitive mammalian brain. I touched her leg and she moved on top of me, straddling first my body and then my head. She lowered her body in invitation.

The environment was incredible, indistinct in the low light and out of focus at the close distance. However, the musky aroma was overpowering, almost paralyzing. Almost but not quite. I put my hands on her hips and guided my tongue to her opening. Her taste was amazing, slightly salty with an undercurrent of cocoa and the sweetness of blackberry.

I was familiar with the territory if not this specific location. My tongue found the usual suspects in the usual places and started a joyful process of probing, licking and sucking. Her clitoris seemed unusually dainty at first but soon blossomed into a stiff projectile. I added two fingers inside her and she responded by forcing herself against me. However, when I probed her rectum with a single finger, she shifted her hip vigorously side to side to dissuade me.

Undeterred, I focused my efforts on her clitoris and G-spot. My efforts rewarded both of us and she shuttered into a magnificent orgasm. While she recovered, I turned her around and over onto her back. Her legs came up reflexively and I entered her still quivering vagina. She was tight and incredibly deep for a woman her size. I disappeared inside her until our pubic hair wove together without reaching bottom.

We moved together, rhythmically fucking each other. I could feel her small labia prolapsing back and forth as I moved in and out of her. I could also feel the tension in her body building again. She obviously felt it too and she tightened her pelvic muscles putting pressure all around my erection. The effect was immediate and intense. She came, pulling me against her with her arms and legs. Her soft moan was the only sound she made. When she relaxed slightly, I joined her, pumping repeatedly until I felt the fluid draining alongside my cock and over her thighs.

We hung together for an eternity. Eventually, I rolled off her and out of her. She put her arms around my neck and kissed me. She got out of the bed, unmindful of the viscous material running down her inner thigh, picked up her robe and exited the room without putting it on or saying a single word.

I fell asleep. I slept better than I could remember. I woke early. I lay in bed replaying the events of the night and wondering if it was a dream or reality. The mess on the bed spoke of reality but it was mostly mine so a wet dream was still possible. Either way, I felt incredible, ready for a fun day, touring San Antonio with Alex.

On the way to breakfast, I stopped at the concierge's desk. "Strange things happened last night in my room," I told her. "Have there been any reports of unusual activity in the hotel?"

"What floor are you on?" she asked. Just her asking the question answered my question.

When I told her the ninth floor, she said, "We've had reports of odd happenings on that floor since we opened in the hotel fourteen years ago. The original hotel at this location had only nine floors and there were rumors of a long ago event in which a pregnant young woman was killed. Most of the stories come from room 923."

"That's my room," I said.

"We've never confirmed any of the stories but I can give you another room if you like," she offered.

"No. That's all right. The experience wasn't that frightening," I told her and headed for the restaurant and Alex.

Alex was sitting at our regular table. She had ordered coffee for both of us and was patiently sipping hers while waiting for me. "You look invigorated today," Alex commented as I sat down. "Sleep well?"

"I did," I responded, "and it's a relief having things work out so well this week."

I didn't mention the events of the night in my room.

After breakfast, we discussed how to spend our free day. We decided to walk to the Alamo since it was San Antonio's most famous landmark. The walk took less than a half hour and we spent over three hours wandering its displays and absorbing its history. On the way back, we stopped for a late lunch and wandered through the King Williams neighborhood on the way back to the hotel. It was almost six pm. We agreed on dinner at seven in the hotel.

I showered and dressed in my last pair of casual trousers and a shirt I wore earlier in the week that I ironed to make it presentable. Dinner took longer than usual. It seemed that neither of us wanted to leave. I took the opportunity to tell Alex how much I had enjoyed the day together and hoped we could spend the next day together again.

Alex agreed. We planned to meet for breakfast early in the morning so we could drive out to the Natural Bridge Caverns nearby. We left the restaurant at almost ten and headed to our own rooms for the night.

I fell asleep almost immediately, thinking about Alex. I woke in the early morning darkness with an indistinct figure standing next to my bed. Clearly the same woman as the night before dressed in the same white robe as before. I watched silently as she dropped the robe on the floor and climbed into the bed next to me when I moved over to make room for her.

Her kisses were as powerful as the night before. When she reached for my equipment, she discovered the absence of underwear and my already over extended erection. She climbed on top of me and settled down with me inside her. She ground her hips against me and arched her back with her hands on my chest. I palmed her small perfect breasts and pinched her nipples. She moaned silently and I felt the moisture as she came. She came a second time before I joined her, leaving a significant quantity of squirming sperm inside her.

She lay alongside me while she waited for me to recover, something she encouraged with first her hands and then her tongue and mouth. When she was satisfied, she rolled on her back and pulled me on top of her. I entered her again and began moving within her, slowly building the tempo. She came a third time and turned over, inviting me to enter her from behind. In this position, I felt I was deeper inside her than physically possible and came heartily about three minutes later.

We lay on our sides, spooned together until I fell out of her. Then she got out of the bed, picked up her robe and left the room without a word as she had the night before leaving only the faint aroma of cocoa and blackberries.

I slept soundly until my alarm woke me in the morning.

Alex and I arrived at the Natural Bridge Caverns as it opened. On the way, Alex commented my energy level seemed elevated and that something in San Antonio must be good for me. I replied that it must be my present company and she smiled and held my hand. No mention of my night visitor.