Emily's Home - Ginger's Out Ch. 09

"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" I was way more curious than upset. Actually, it explained a lot of things.

"I didn't really feel it was necessary until tonight. Candy won't make a move on you, Ginger. She really likes you. She's totally cool about us as a couple. Georgia is too." She smiled that sly smile of hers. "She kisses really good doesn't she?"

I could only laugh. Candy must have known what we were talking about. I looked up to see her smiling. I blushed. "Yeah, it was hot. I'd be lying if I said otherwise." Reenie took my hand and squeezed it. I leaned in for a soft kiss. "What do we want to order for dinner?"

We decided to order from Cassano's and split a ten inch chopped steak sub. I took the menus back to Candy, told her what we wanted, and told her to order whatever she wanted. We would pay for her sandwich.

"Wow, thanks Ginger." I shrugged and asked her to bring us fresh drinks, no rush, and headed back to the table.

"Did I mention that I love you, Reenie?"

"I think it might have been mumbled once or twice, yeah." Okay fine. I straddled her, wrapped my arms around her, and kissed her breathless. We heard glasses get set on the table.

"Do you want those sandwiches served here or in your hotel room?" Reenie's laugh was stifled by our kiss. I felt her raise her arm and assumed she was flipping Candy the bird. Candy laughed. "You two are impossible." I pulled Reenie's blouse out of her jeans, unbuttoned it, took her bra off, and buttoned it -- sort of. Ginger: payback.

We were both breathless and flushed when I finally lifted from her lap, bra in hand. "Oh dear, I seem to have missed a few buttons Reenie. I kind of like the look." She stared daggers at me. "What?" I calmly picked up my drink and took a sip as though nothing had happened. And, I stuffed her bra in my purse. The sandwiches were delivered. I reached into my purse for my pocketbook. I grabbed it and stood. Candy was paying the delivery dude. She brought ours in a plastic bag. I asked how much; she waved me off.

"Why Reenie, I love the look. Too many buttons though." She reached to unbutton one; Reenie's hands grabbed hers. "Oh my, is Mo-Mo upset with her Ginger?" Candy sat on Reenie's lap and kissed her. "We can't have our Reenie upset can we, Ginger? Hmm, what can we do to bring a smile to her face?" I leaned in and whispered something in Candy's ear -- the one away from Reenie. "Hmm, is that a spider I see?" Reenie looked at me. I smiled sweetly. I took the food out of the bag, opened the foil paper, and fed Reenie the sandwich. She glared at me and took a bite. "Aw, there's my good girl, taking a bite of her sandwich." Candy leaned in and kissed Reenie. Reenie had a mouthful of food and the curse words were muffled. Candy and I were both laughing. Even Reenie had a smile as she tried to chew. Candy got up and headed back to the bar. Reenie's shirt was completely unbuttoned but her breasts -- yeah okay, the swells were visible but her nipples weren't. I buttoned one strategic button to preserve her dignity and turned my attention to my sandwich.

"I'll get you back for this Ginger." I know.

"I love you Maureen Henry." She rolled her eyes, smiled, leaned over and kissed me. "What do you want to do on date night tomorrow? You get to pick what we do this time. Next time is my turn." Oh lord, after what just happened that may not have been the best thing to do. The blues glimmered -- I shivered.

"You have Kathy at six, so I'll meet you there; after, I don't know; maybe a movie and dinner." Hmm, I think it's going to be dinner and Ginger starring as dessert. There are worse things that can happen. We ate as we talked.

"Okay, that sounds like fun. You'll pick the movie too?" Let me pull the string and see what she does with it.

"Yeah, I'll find something." Dang, she didn't take the bait.

"There's the Dollar Saver Theater just south of the Dayton Mall. Maybe you can see what's showing there."

"Oh yeah, that's right. We did see that when we shopped Sunday."

"We're going to wait until tomorrow night for nookie right?" Reenie nearly spit up the sip of beer she had in her mouth.

"Nookie? My god, I haven't heard that word ... I can't remember."

Okay, so I'm a dork. I'm horny and I want her but I would wait. What I really want is the house furnished. I know. Too many 'I wants.' Relax and enjoy the company of the woman you love, Ginger. What will happen, will happen when it's supposed to; trying to rush things is just silly. Besides, Reenie shared something very important with me tonight. I'm really happy about that.

"Are we ready to go Ginger?" Tonight had been so crazy I hadn't paid a bit of attention to the time. It was getting late.

"Sure, if you are." Reenie started to button her blouse. "They'll just get undone in the car." My redhead smiled. She took my hand and we headed out. I left forty dollars on the bar. Candy came from behind the bar and kissed us both. Reenie told her to say hi to Georgia. We headed to our cars. I clicked my doors open and held the passenger's side door open. Reenie got in; I followed her. I turned and knelt on the floor facing her.

I undid the buttons just like I said and made love to her breasts. My fingers opened the jeans. She lifted to help me get them past her hips. She didn't question and didn't ask, just let me love her. My fingers slipped in easily. She moaned my name, lifting her hips to meet me. I slid deep inside her, adding a third finger. My mouth ravaged her nipples, one at a time. Her hand slipped to her clit. I was okay with that. Audience participation is encouraged. I moved from one glory to the other, leaving wet to cool. I suckled, nipped, teased as my fingers drove into her.

I knew it wouldn't take long. She bucked, her fingers tightened in my hair, I felt her pulse and clench around my fingers. She pulled me to her mouth for a demanding, urgent kiss. She moaned into it as I fucked her. I could feel it slipping away; she groaned in frustration. Don't worry lover. I slid my fingers from her, gave her two and kept one for myself. I bent to her and loved her with my mouth. Her scent was wonderfully musky. I lapped, my tongue determined to pleasure her again. Reenie lifted her jean covered feet up and over my head. I knew where her fingers were; one hand was still in my hair, the other would be toying with a nipple. The next came at her with a raging flood of heat. I felt her belly tense; her legs thrust upward as she arched into my mouth, her fingers holding me tight to her. Cries of pleasure begged me not to stop. I drove my tongue into her, desperate to prolong her bliss. I drank every bit of what her body gave me. I cursed silently as I felt it leave her. I only hoped it had been enough.

I slid up to her mouth. Her legs and arms held me close as we kissed. There was a wonderful blend of thanks and need in her kiss. I was so glad. I think that bond got a little stronger tonight -- and not in the car. Our loving is amazing. I was very pleased Reenie had shared what she did about Georgia and Candy. I like them both. I knew in my heart that Candy and Georgia would be part of our lives and no more. Finally, after we said our goodbyes, I climbed over the console and Reenie waved as she closed her car door. No tears tonight. I fell asleep quickly and slept very well.

Friday, April 6 -- Today marked the end of my first week as a boss. Reenie had the day off. I had asked George about taking personal days, explaining that we'd like to do some furniture shopping on Reenie's day off. He told me to take the full day. I said leaving at lunch would be fine. The groups were fabulous. While speaking with George, I hinted that I thought they'd both be finished with their projects sooner than expected. I would talk to each captain today and ask their opinions. I felt we'd be able to combine the teams by the middle of next week.

Jodi had called the two candidates and schedules interviews for Monday the ninth at lunch and Tuesday the tenth at 8:30 am. I would brief the team captains today. I mentioned earlier that both groups were fabulous. Craig, as the floater, gave each group a little insight into what the other team was doing. It seemed to give each team a little extra motivation. I did speak with Nick and Deanna. Each of them thought their respective teams were ahead of schedule. Both voiced their enthusiasm and appreciation at being included in the hiring process.

There was a benefit, I thought, to having a team member as the floater rather than me. That thought came to me driving to work Thursday. I called George and asked when I could stop by. His vacation started tomorrow so his day was slow; come by anytime. I explained what I'd seen during the week and voiced my thoughts about a new hire. He seemed surprised but promised to give it some thought and give me an answer before the day was over. It was late afternoon when he came downstairs. We huddled in my office with the door closed. George mentioned the possible downside of workload -- right. He really liked the notion of the floater being a team member. He agreed that bouncing from group to group each day seemed to have significant benefits. We talked it over for a good thirty minutes. I would go through with the interviews. If someone blew us away we'd hold the resumes if we needed them later but we'd keep the team as it is.

I let Jodi and both teams know I was taking a half day earlier in the week. Everyone seemed fine with it. Jodi wished me a great weekend. I headed to the cave. Reenie would meet me and we would shop.

Date night Tuesday was wonderful. Reenie was waiting for me. She and Kathy were cordial. We decided to go to the early show of 'This Means War.' It really was very good. There was a little tiff about Reenie staying overnight. We settled it this way: Reenie would bring an extra set of clothes on date night, stay over, and leave early. We also agreed to try it for a couple of weeks and see how it worked. It worked for her regular days off too. We got take out and headed back to the cave. I suspect you know that our lovemaking was sweet, spectacular, and satisfying. Wednesday morning, as we said our goodbyes, we agreed to avoid scheduling date nights on my nights with Kathy.

I had done a little nosing around on the computer. I wanted to check out Morris Home Furniture. They had designers and they had this really cool "room planner" thing. You could plan rooms on a computer, including downloading graph paper and furniture icons. Since neither of us really had a clue what we wanted I suggested we ask if the designer could come with us for an in home visit today. Reenie agreed enthusiastically. I think she missed me. (Wink)

It was mid-afternoon when we got to Centerville and the store. It was Good Friday, but the weather was fabulous, so there weren't many people in the store. I asked for a designer. The young lady made a call. She told me that someone would be with us shortly. Reenie and I wandered a bit looking at sofas, couches, fabrics ... geez it was confusing.

A voice called, "Ms. Butler." We turned. A stunning blonde smiled as she walked to greet the two of us. "Hi, I'm Tara, Tara Randolph. Welcome to Morris Home Furnishing. How may I help you?"

I introduced Reenie. "This is my girlfriend Maureen Henry. I've recently leased a home and we need help furnishing it. As you may imagine it's empty." Tara's eyes lit up -- rather comical but expected. "The house isn't too far from here. I know it's kind of out of left field but would you be willing to look at it with us so you know what the layout is? I saw that you offer room planning service. If you're going to be our designer, we thought it might be helpful if you saw the house."

To her credit, Tara never blinked or missed a beat when I described our relationship or what we wanted. Hmm. Family? I put that thought out of my mind. Tara asked if she might be excused so she could speak with her manager. Of course.

Reenie whispered to me, "My god that woman is gorgeous." I smiled; I'd noticed. She was a bit taller than me, had gorgeous eyes, and oozed confidence and poise with her words and body language. I'll try to be subtle. Those weren't her only assets. Tara returned a few minutes later with a notebook and purse in hand. We were good to go, so we did. Reenie pulled the passenger's seat up a bit to accommodate Tara's longer legs.

The trip to the house was about twenty minutes. Tara was very gracious sharing her background, which was impressive. "I owned my own design business for quite some time and sold it two years ago. I finally was able to travel, relax and enjoyed myself." She mentioned a cruise to the Caribbean and extended trips to Europe -- Italy, France, Belgium, and England. "I got bored and wanted to work but on my terms. Morris allows me that freedom." Reenie and I looked at each other. I thought, whoa, we really lucked out. The back and forth was wonderful. I pulled the car into the driveway.

Tara's first comment was on the fabulous curb appeal. I smiled. I opened the front door. I made a mental note to crack at least a few windows to get some fresh air in the house. Tara had her notebook open, going from room to room, making notes, page by page, of each room. Reenie and I followed quietly. Tara loved the kitchen, the patio, and questioned what we wanted to do with the extra bedroom. Reenie spoke up. She mentioned a headboard in the master bedroom but no clue as to the other. I stifled a smile. I mentioned getting a dog. That was noted as well. Tara seemed to have a good enough eye to draw and get accurate dimensions without the laser measuring thing. Impressive. I looked at Reenie and raised my eyebrows; she nodded in agreement. While the three of us wandered from room to room, Tara asked about our jobs. Reenie tensed; I squeezed her hand and gave her the information she needed. Tara said she had what she needed in the house. The rest would be on the drive back to the store and in a conference room. We headed back.

I won't bore you any more than I may have. The gist was: Did we have any idea of style, favorite fabrics and colors? We laughed -- yeah, kind of. Not modern. Tara chuckled and mentioned that she needed a bit more help. We both groaned. The trip back to the store was filled with questions. She asked and we did our best to answer. The questions kept coming ... subtle but more and more penetrating. I looked at Reenie. Her eyes let me know she was impressed. We were, in spite of ourselves, making progress. This gorgeous, experienced woman was proving to be a godsend.

After we had spent a bit of time in a conference room, the inevitable question came: budget. I told Tara the truth.

"I don't want to break the bank but Reenie and I have talked and agreed. We value quality. A little more spent now would pay off over time."

The smile came slowly and was brilliant. It seemed we'd answered well. "How should I contact you?" I gave her my cell number. "May I call during business hours?" Absolutely. Tara stood, shook Reenie's hand and said, "Thank you both for the opportunity to be of service." Her smile was sincere and reached her eyes. I smiled when we shook hands.

Reenie and I talked on the way out to the car and in the restaurant. I was confident that when Tara called it would be with several different options for each room -- well within the paltry guidelines we had given her.

We stopped for a late lunch. In my subtle way I let it be known my hunger didn't just extend to food -- by tracing ranch dressing from the chicken wings on Reenie's lips, then kissing it off. As you might imagine, it was dark -- after. We had ordered extra to take back to the cave. That made what was left of the night a carnal delight. That body painting thing - glorious. Hot and tasty referred to more than the barbeque sauce. Reenie's day off had proven to be simply fabulous. We slept, spent, bodies entwined, covered in ... oh never mind. Lovers who had loved thoroughly slept soundly together.

Tuesday, April 10 -- The second of the interviews was completed this morning. Dorothy Camp was an impressive candidate. She had graduated from Indiana University and was close to finishing her MBA in Marketing, part time, at Wright State. Divorced, with a twelve year old son, she had been contacted by a recruiter. Dotty, as she preferred to be called, wasn't unhappy where she worked but felt it was good to explore new opportunities. I appreciated her honesty.

She responded very positively when I explained the working interviews with potential co-workers. "I think it's great to have me work on an actual project with others from your department." She didn't know that I had taken an older project, pulled a few pieces from it, and used that to conduct the interviews with Nick and Deanna.

It was close to ten when Jodi brought Dotty back. She bubbled with enthusiasm. "Ginger, if the rest of your group is like those two, this is a great place to work. They treated me like an equal, asked me questions and listened to my opinions and suggestions. It was great! Thank you for the opportunity to interview." I promised to be in touch as quickly as possible, explaining my boss was on vacation till next Monday. A shadow of disappointment crossed her face but she expressed understanding. I genuinely and warmly wished her well and thanked her for her enthusiasm and interest.

Monday's interview was at lunch. Reed Jackson had his undergrad from U.D. -- Dayton. Young (twenty two) he was working temp jobs and bartending while looking for his first full time job. "Yes, I admit it's a little frustrated but I'm happy to keep my name out there doing temp work. There is always the hope that one of my assignments could turn into a full time job." It was very obvious that he was bright, ambitious, and itching to get his career started.

He was wide-eyed after the project work with Nick and Deanna. "They are both so professional and friendly; they were quick to accept my thoughts and comments." He raved about the atmosphere. "Chris shared your team concept. I don't think I've heard of anything so original." As computer literate as you might expect for someone his age, he had done some digging about Iams, P&G, and the product lines. A nice, impressive young man, I thanked him for his interest and promised to be back in touch. He took my explanation of the delay in stride. He shook my hand and said, "I'm really grateful for the chance to interview and hope the results will be positive." His smile was genuine and warm.

I asked Deanna and Nick to go to lunch with me. We went to First Watch, where I did have that Monterey Club George had. It was very good! Nick and Deanna were very candid about Dotty and Reed. Nick said, "Dotty would be a great addition. She's a bit reserved but very knowledgeable." They both really liked Reed. Deanna echoed Nick's comments. "His youthful enthusiasm and computer skills will serve him well."

I urged them to be completely candid. "Do either of you have any reservations?" Nope. I nodded and said, "Where do your teams stand?" Both thought they could merge Wednesday and finish Thursday. Deanna actually thought they might be ready to merge today. I told them both we'd merge early tomorrow morning.

After we got back to the office and I used the ladies room, I went to my office and closed the door. I wrote notes on the interviews with each candidate. I noted Chris and Deanna's thoughts, and Dotty and Reed's feedback. It was kind of crappy that we wouldn't be hiring either of them. Dotty had a job; Reed would remain in limbo. Kathy tonight; date night was tomorrow. I would call my sister. It felt like it had been forever.

I spent the rest of the afternoon with Deanna's team. This foursome is scary good together. Deanna was right -- they might well finish by late this afternoon. The work was brilliant. It was crisp, clear, and told the story to perfection.