Closing Time 02 - FTDS

This story is fictional. That includes all the characters and some of the technology. I tried, but could not maintain the mood of the song in finishing the damned story.

Ah we're drinking and we're dancing

and the band is really happening

and the Johnny Walker wisdom running high

And my very sweet companion

she's the Angel of Compassion

she's rubbing half the world against her thigh

And every drinker every dancer

lifts a happy face to thank her...

© 1992 Leonard Cohen

Part 2

Sometimes silence is more expressive than any words. The emptiness it creates can be more meaningful than any poem. Kevin, Caroline, and I sat next to each other on the couch, occasionally wiping an eye, blowing a nose. Our wordless communication was comforting.

"You know, your mother was right about one thing. It wasn't appropriate to bring you to that club, to expose you to her behavior. It's something I should have kept strictly between her and me."

"But it wasn't just between the two of you. She lied to all of us. And besides which, I'm the one who told you about it." Kevin nestled his head deeper into my arm.

"She missed my play," Caroline hissed. "Whatever it was she was doing was more important to her than her daughter."

I sighed.

"She thinks she's so smart that she can trick us like that. I'm smarter than her. I proved it!"

"Kevin, you are the smartest, most perceptive person I know. I hope that doesn't get you in too much trouble."

Caroline grinned. "It sure got Mom in trouble."

"Don't ever tell anyone how, or she'll figure out how to get around it. She'll block our numbers, or keep her phone off. We won't know when calls go straight to voicemail."

I ruffled Kevin's hair. "Only you would notice a second-long delay before a phone started ringing when a person was traveling. Only you would figure out that the system was searching for a phone outside of her home area. You definitely are the smartest person I know."

Caroline reached over and gave her brother a gentle nuggie. "How did she sound when you called her at the bar?"

"Like my mother... but different. The first time she sounded puzzled. When I called right back she sounded angry. I heard her say "robocall" to someone just before she hung up. Thank goodness for star-sixty-seven, blocking caller ID."

"What else did you hear?"

Kevin touched my arm to reassure me. "Laughter, talking, old people slow music."

"Yeah." I hugged both my kids.

"How could she lie like that, telling me the next day that she had gone to bed early that evening?"

"Thank goodness my children talk to each other and saw the discrepancy."

"How did you know where to find her?"

"I got a text message from her date, thanking me. He seemed to think I was okay with it. Strange guy." I tried to smile at them, and we lapsed back to silence.

Not for long.

"What's the battle plan, Dad?"

"Battle plan? We're not at war."

"Mom's at war with our family."

"Caroline, Mom's as much a part of our family as any of us."

"What she did is going to destroy our family."

How could I answer that? It was true. "That's not her intention. She really thinks she's helping us, that she'll make us rich. She's wrong. She's going to destroy herself along with our family, I'm afraid."

"Are we going to be poor? Would you like me to sell ads in your newsletter, so we can live without her salary?"

"It's not that kind of newsletter. No ads, but paid subscribers. It's a new business and it's growing quickly. If your mother had bothered to ask, she'd realize that we have no problem with money." I looked at my watch. "Kevin, it's past your bedtime. Go on, scat."

He stood up, took my hand, and looked me in the eye. "Will you be okay, Dad?"

"With a son like you, I'm always okay."

He nodded and went upstairs. I made a note to myself to watch out for signs of him getting too arrogant about his brilliance. Caroline snuggled closer to me and shut her eyes. I focused mine on the blank TV screen in front of me. We both drifted towards sleep.

I was taking a chance by going out with the Firstens just a few days after the blow-out in The Hamptons parking lot. I knew that Arnold wouldn't like it. I knew my kids wouldn't understand. But the potential rewards were too great for me to give up now. I just hoped the drama outside the club didn't set Albert back too far. When I first met him he could barely make eye contact with me. When we were last at The Hamptons, we danced with his hands on my ass, squeezing me against his erection. He was ready to take me, and I'd have probably succumbed again. I still couldn't believe it happened the first time. I should be grateful that my family rescued, or should I say kidnapped me. How did I get myself into this mess? I wanted to enrich, not destroy my family.

Albert Firsten was somewhere on the spectrum; shy and socially inept. He's a nice guy, good-looking, just very awkward. His father started bringing him into our business meetings, and by the third one, Albert was able to participate, occasionally saying "yes," "no," or shrugging his shoulders. Thomas upped the ante by scheduling our meetings to just before noon, then suggesting we go to a nearby restaurant. The restaurant meetings then became the norm, and Albert gradually became more talkative, addressing me as "Sarah" rather than "Mrs. Sanborn."

I was surprised when one day Albert sat beside me in the booth, with Thomas opposite us. Albert's hands were trembling. It was either nerves or perhaps frustration; his father had clearly directed him to sit next to me. It didn't last. Albert excused himself to go to the washroom.

"He's more comfortable with you than he's ever been with a woman."

I looked at Thomas in surprise. "Oh... that's, well, nice."

"He's made a lot of progress recently. He's more conversational. He interacts with people. He's even learned to chat with text messages."

"That's good."

"Sarah, he's twenty-four years old. He's never touched a woman. I need you to help him."

"How? Should I start texting him? Sexting, maybe?" I smiled, presuming Thomas would understand the joke.

"Maybe. Be his friend. Let him get comfortable being with you, talking to you... touching you."

"Touching?"

"Yes. Not sex, but a friendly touch on the arm, a pat on the cheek... Maybe go dancing together one evening."

"I don't know. Albert is a handsome young man, but I have a husband and two children. I'm thirty-six years old. It wouldn't be appropriate."

"Again, no sex. Just get him comfortable around you, around your body."

"My body..."

I had been focusing on Thomas and didn't realize Albert had returned. He slid in beside me.

"What about your body, Sarah?"

I was flustered. "Do you, um... like it?"

Albert looked at my face, then down at my arms, checking out the protrusions on my chest. "I don't know what your body looks like. Your clothes are nice. Your face is nice. Your... your breasts look big." He turned red, while his father grinned.

I laughed at Albert's embarrassment, and he turned even redder. I squeezed his hand. "It's okay, Albert. I'll take that as a compliment."

"You're very nice looking."

I decided to hold onto his hand until dessert arrived. I didn't like the chocolate mousse I ordered, so I asked Albert if I could taste his. He slid his plate towards me.

His father stopped him. "Be a gentleman and feed her a piece of cake."

"What did you say I should do?"

"You heard me, boy."

I sighed. I didn't like this idea but turned to face Albert with a forced smile on my face. When I saw the fear on his, my forced smile melted into a look of concern. "It's okay, I like being fed by a handsome young man." He was still trembling, so I touched his thigh. "It's okay." I handed him my fork.

He carefully, slowly, edged cake into my open mouth.

"Delicious!"

He grinned as if he had baked the cake himself.

"Can I have another bite?"

He nervously looked at his father.

I put my hand back on his thigh. "Please?"

I ended up eating the whole piece of cake. Albert was having a great time, occasionally glancing down at my hand near his knee. There was a mishap with the last bite, though. It slipped off the fork and onto my lap.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" He snatched it up, touching my skirt way above my knees. He looked like he was about to cry as he spotted the icing that remained on me.

I forced myself to smile. "Are you going to leave me like that?"

Thomas was curious. "What?"

I stood up to show him the icing smear.

"It looks like... well you know what it looks like. You can't walk around like that."

I looked down. Indeed, at first glance, it looked like cum. It was right at my crotch. "I'm going to the washroom to try to clean it off."

"Go with her, boy. It's your cake."

I was appalled by what he invited his son to do. Albert followed me into the cramped washroom and locked the door behind him.

I tried to make the best of the situation. "How am I going to do this without making a bigger mess of my skirt?"

"I don't know." He tried to wipe it with his finger, which meant rubbing it against my crotch. It helped a little bit. I thought he would be embarrassed beyond belief to do this, but he wasn't. Albert was totally focused on the problem at hand. "Let me try again," he said.

"Albert, it's not proper for you to be rubbing my crotch through the skirt."

He shrugged. "Take it off, then. I don't want to be improper."

The absurdity of his statement disarmed me. I nodded and took it off. We bumped against each in the tiny bathroom. In the back of my mind, I was bothered that he didn't seem to be aroused.

Albert wet his fingers and scrubbed furiously at the stain. When satisfied, he grabbed a paper towel and blotted it as best he could. There was no sign of the icing.

"Thank you. You did a great job cleaning it."

Albert nodded. The task accomplished, his focus shifted to the unclothed half of my body. He stared brazenly at my crotch, at my legs. "You're beautiful, Mrs. Sanborn. I want to see more."

I didn't know if he was asking me to undress further. He was clearly nervous about making the request. I decided to turn around and show him my covered ass.

"I like your body. Can I touch?"

"No, Albert. That would not be right."

"Can you pull down your panties, Mrs. Sanborn? I won't touch."

"No Albert. " This was getting very uncomfortable. "Call me Sarah, remember?" I didn't want to make him more nervous.

"Please, Sarah?"

"Let's not keep your father waiting. Maybe some other time." I realized the instant I said it that it was the wrong thing. Albert would never let go of the suggestion. He handed me my skirt and helped me balance myself as I put it on. We bumped some more in the small bathroom.

When we got back to the table our plates had been cleared, the table cleaned, and there was a business document in front of my seat. Thomas stopped me before I sat down and peered at my crotch. He nodded approvingly. He gave his son a fist bump, which was returned half-heartedly. "You did well."

Albert moved closer to me on the bench seat and draped an arm over the back. Not touching, but hinting at possession. "Can I hold your hand again?" I ignored the request.

Thomas pointed to the document. "First Pharmaceuticals is going public. We're doing an IPO in about a month. I want you in on the IPO, and I want you to come work for us."

"I have a well-paying job that I'm really good at."

"When we go public we're going to source our supplies directly. We won't need your employer, and I suspect that he won't need you. You're good at your job, and I want you to do it directly for us. I'm offering you a terrific compensation package, including stock options. You'll have many perks, including--"

"Me," Albert said.

Thomas winced. His son had deviated from the script. "It's true. You and Albert will be working closely together."

This was too much of a setup. "It all sounds very interesting. Are you expecting me to sleep with you, Albert?"

I didn't expect him to grin. "Only if you want to. I'd like that." He squeezed my hand.

Thomas was quick to take back control of the conversation. "Please don't discuss this with anyone for now. We need to keep things under wraps. Take a quick look at our offer, and if it piques your interest, we'll discuss it further next time you come to our office to sell raw materials."

There was something off about this. "I'll have to discuss it with my husband."

"Not yet please, Sarah. We have our reasons. Wait till we're a little further ahead."

This was not what a business lunch was supposed to be. I looked at my watch. "Thank you for the lunch, but I have to get back to my office."

"My pleasure, Sarah." He looked at his son.

"Yes, father." Albert turned to me. "My pleasure, Sarah. I especially enjoyed seeing you without your skirt on. I'm looking forward to when you take off your panties for me."

"That wasn't a promise, Albert."

"I know. You said 'maybe some other time.' I hope it's soon."

I must have been beet-red. "Please stand up so I can get out." He squeezed my hand and stood. We all walked outside together, Albert staying very close, too close to my side.

Thomas looked at him. "I forgot to leave a tip. Go give our waitress twenty dollars."

"Thank you, Sarah. I can't believe how much you've accomplished for him today. Believe me, I'll make this worth your while. Some doctors say he's autistic, others say he's just shy. Whatever shell he's in, you've cracked it open."

"Well--"

"Did you really offer to take off your panties for him?"

"Absolutely not! He wanted to touch me, then he asked me to take them off. I told him maybe another time, just to put him off."

Albert came back out. Thomas leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "Till next time, Sarah." Albert leaned over and kissed my other cheek. "Till then, Sarah."

I pretended not to understand what he was talking about.

I usually met with the Firstens every couple of weeks, so I was surprised when Thomas called me a few days later and invited me to a nightclub. "Albert's been taking dancing lessons for several months, and he's gotten really good. Trouble is that he's never danced with anyone but his instructor. You two will make a handsome couple."

"I can't do that. What would my husband say?"

"I know how to deal with that. You've told me he works in the investment field. Tell him about the IPO, and that we don't want to discuss it during regular business hours with our staff around. Don't tell him where we're meeting, or give him any details about the IPO."

"I don't know any details of the IPO. I'm not going to lie to my husband so I can go dancing with your son."

"It will be the truth. The Hamptons club has some small meeting rooms. I'll reserve one, and we'll talk business between dances. Sarah, this will make Albert very happy. It will make me very happy. It can make you very rich."

I acquiesced. It was true that Albert was a great dancer, though he barely touched me at first. When the band played "Only You" by the Platters I was swept up in the mood and told him to put his arms around my back. I clasped mine behind his neck. When the song ended, I gently kissed his lips.

"That was fantastic, Albert. You're a wonderful young man and a terrific dancer."

Joy was radiating from his eyes, from his grin. "I enjoyed it too. Does that mean you'll take off your panties and let me touch you?"

I was giddy from the dance, and maybe from the cocktails I had consumed. "Take my panties off AND touch me? You're pushing your luck, young man. Like I said, maybe some other time."

"Okay."

"I left a bag in your car with my regular business clothes. Can one of you go get it? I need to change out of these clubbing clothes before I go home."

Thomas volunteered to go to the car. "Go into our meeting room, you two. I'll be back in a minute."

Albert followed me into the room. "Do you mind if I watch you change?"

I wasn't changing my top, and he had already seen me bare-legged. I was in a good mood, so to have a little fun I asked him to undo the clasp on my skirt and let it fall to the floor. Albert quickly wrapped his arms around me in a tight embrace. "Will you take off your panties now?"

"No."

"Okay. I'll wait."

We both turned at the sound of Thomas clearing his throat. He moved over to the wall and flicked a switch. "Maybe you and Albert would like to dance a little more." The club's live music came through a tinny speaker. "Albert, offer the lady a dance."

I wanted to go home, but Albert held his arms open in invitation. I sighed. He had made a lot of progress with me, maybe too much. "Last song before I leave." Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love" came on, and Albert wrapped his arms around my back, resting just above my ass. As we danced, his hands slipped a little lower. One of us, I'm not sure which, moved in a little closer. The song ended and we kissed. Not a long, lingering kiss. Just friends expressing their appreciation of a beautiful dance together.

Or so I told myself as Thomas and Albert drove me back to my car. I touched up my appearance in my rear-view mirror and headed home.

Two days later it was lunch again with the Firstens. Thomas introduced me to Candy Ortega, who represented Managua Capital, the investment bank for his IPO. Albert kept his hand on my thigh throughout the entire meal as his father explained the ins and outs of his proposal for taking the company public. The Firstens stood to make a fortune from it, and if I quit my job and joined them, so did I. It could bring me multiple millions of dollars, depending on how much I would invest at the outset. Initial Public Offerings were complex affairs, closely regulated by the SEC. Thomas explained he brought on the best advisors to work with him.

I refused his suggestion that I talk to Arnold about getting a second mortgage on our home but told him I would give notice at work. After some arguments, I agreed to cash in my retirement account. I would invest that along with the funds in my personal savings. Arnold and I were separate as to property according to our marriage contract. I wasn't going to put his money at risk while I endangered my marriage whoring with Albert.

Yes, I recognized that's what it was. Thomas had plenty of wealthy people he could ask to come in with him on the IPO. He wanted me because of the "fringe benefits" (as he described them) that only I could provide his son.

The Firstens' next suggestion was more brazen. My equally outrageous response was to accept. I lied to my family that I had to go to New York for a few days to learn about new sources of drug ingredients. I didn't tell them that I had given two weeks' notice at work.

The Hamptons club was next door to the Bridgehampton hotel/resort; the two played off each other's clientele. Thomas got a two-bedroom suite, with a sitting room and kitchenette. He took the smaller bedroom for himself, leaving the king-size bed for Albert and me. I was aghast at the arrangement though in truth, I expected it. "No sex," I told both of my johns. Thomas said that he was a great admirer of Bill Clinton.

My children were upset at my going on a business trip. Kevin especially kept on calling, till I told him that he was keeping me from my work, and I would have to stay away longer if I spent all my time on the phone with him. Thomas Firsten smirked as he listened to my side of the conversation. I was surprised and happy that I didn't get fucked that evening. Albert wore flannel pajamas to bed; I wore a cotton nightgown. We didn't even snuggle. Thomas came into the room with the rise in his underpants indicating what he had in mind; we both ignored him. I woke up with Albert's hand resting on my breast, the rest of him a few respectful inches away. I smiled, stroked his chest, and gave him a good-morning kiss.