Forty Fucking Years Pt. 02

part two -

One Ringy Dingy...

And so it evolved - the weirdly wonderful, flirty long distance friendship between Catt and Tom. In the beginning, he called her because it was easier; sometimes he called from the construction trailer on the job site. He usually called at the end of his work day which was just before her dinner service, so she had a bit of a break to chat. They discussed world events, politics and so much more, but also there was a certain amount of flirting, sexually charged innuendo and sexy teasing. It was hot dirty, sexy double entendre and very often initiated by Tom, knowing full well that she was in a much more public environment and couldn't respond tit-for-tat. He got a charge out of her reactions -- she got tongue-tied and whispered into the mouth piece: 'Just wait until I get you alone!' laughing at the ludicrous position in which she found herself.

"I can't wait for that! What are you going to do to me? Or should I ask -- for me?" Tom would tease.

At other times, he would call her late at night from his hotel room, usually catching her at the end of a long day in the restaurant kitchen when she was tired but always horny for him as soon as she heard his voice. Those were the most fun phone-sex chats! What are you wearing eventually evolved into describing 'what I'd like to do with you, and to you,' until the two sexually frustrated, aroused lovers pleasured themselves on the distant ends of the telephone cord as they attempted to describe the physical stimulations and pleasurable touching that aroused them and brought orgasmic bliss by masturbation.

While the sexually provocative conversations relieved sexual tension between them, it was also very frustrating. Catt had never again broached the subject of her travelling to Texas after Tom first raised the possibility. She knew it was too dangerous to even consider and assumed he had realized it too.

Sometimes during their conversations, when he slurred his words a little and sounded as if he'd had too much to drink, the subject would wander into what-ifs territory. One night, Tom made a remark, almost to himself, 'I wish I had initiated something with you that night when we first met... but you and Cory were newly married... and well, I thought... and I couldn't. Damn I wish I had.'

For her part, Catt tried to keep their maturing friendship on an even keel, but she often found herself thinking about what her life might have been like if Tom had initiated interest in her before... before their lives had switched tracks in different directions and went off the rails. Tom certainly seemed more interested in Catt, more protective of her and certainly was the kind of lover she had never imagined could bring her to orgasm beyond comprehension. Tom would've absolutely been a contender for her affections in those early days. And now, what she knew firsthand about their abilities to arouse and sexually please each other - Tom would have been the sole member in her private Hall of Fame for Outstanding Performance of Sexual Gratification and Pleasure.

*****

Spring had turned into summer in the Nation's Capital and the restaurant had been given superb reviews by several renowned local food critics, while Catt was falling into a predictable routine. Food was becoming more important to her than anything else in her hum-drum life. Once or twice a month Tom would call her, usually after work when they could talk in a more relaxed mode -- often a little flirty with splashes of sexually erotic undertones -- but nothing overtly sexual. Both Catt and Tom innately knew if they started to sexually tease and arouse the other it would not stop until they were physically together again. The physical attraction was that strong. As a result, the unspoken rule was they would try to maintain a platonic (G-rated albeit flirty) friendship because they each cared so deeply for the other.

Catt learned from one such call that Tom's family home in South Florida had been sold; school had just ended for the children and Tom would be going home to move Giselle and the kids to Texas where they had purchased a small ranch near his current job site.

Catt was surprised to privately realize her envious reaction their family dynamic, but truly happy for them to have reunited together in Texas after so many months apart. She assumed she would hear less from Tom now because of his demanding job and his busy and growing family. She was correct.

Every couple of months Catt would receive a call from Tom -- usually after her lunch service was completed at the restaurant. It was a time she could take his call and be away from the kitchen area for a while but always nearby if she was needed. It kept their conversation chaste.

He always asked about Catt's wellbeing, her job and then seriously probed her personal life: was she dating, was she sleeping with anyone, did he satisfy her... needs? She thought it was sweet, and knew that his concern was genuine -- she began to think of Tom as a big brother, and decided that was most probably a healthy thing for their relationship. Catt did not want to lose Tom from her life -- she had an emotional, physical and physiological attachment to him and if there was no longer a sexual component to their friendship, she hoped that they could still be friends.

With each call Catt learned more about his busy life and the responsibilities of a construction manager. She knew a little bit about construction from her former father-in-law's business so she could ask pertinent questions when he discussed some problem on the job site. Tom seemed to like the work and was really enjoying the ranch and their children growing up in a rural area. They had four kids, in a blended family, so when Tom casually told Catt on the phone one day that he was about to have a vasectomy she was surprised at the intimate reveal, but not that he had made the decision. When she reflected back on the conversation years later, she decided their relationship had been deep enough that he felt at ease talking with her about something that was especially intimate for a guy -- his manhood. He was comfortable enough with his relationship with Catt to discuss it. Tom even managed to tell the tale of the aftermath of the 'snip-snip' with some dispassionate humor, albeit it a little too gory, even for Catt.

She felt, without ever seriously discussing the topic with Tom that the friendship was solid and either one of them would stand fast to help the other out in an emergency.

*****

Catt sensed a change in her work environment. The owner of the building was increasingly involved in the day-to-day management of the restaurant and not in a good way. He and the Chef argued every time they were in the same space for more than five minutes. The Executive Chef was away from the kitchen more frequently, and for unspecified reasons, so it fell to Catt to cover his absences working very long hours, often with no days off to recharge her mental batteries. Fatigue was causing her to make stupid mistakes in food ordering and kitchen assignments; she began to dislike being around food preparation and presentation -- a concept previously unimaginable to her.

At the end of dinner service one night, Catt sat quietly in the Chef's cramped office planning the next day's menus when she overheard a conversation between two of the wait-staff in the hallway outside the door.

'So are you going to take the offer?'

'Yeah, I'd be crazy not to. This place is on life support, and I've heard a rumor that the building owner wants to pull the plug on it, for a new, innovative chef with fresh ideas who will attract a more upscale crowd - the city's movers and shakers, who are willing to pay big bucks to see and be seen.'

Suddenly the puzzle pieces slipped together for Catt. The building owner was squeezing the Chef because he didn't want the costly legal consequences of summarily firing him and then closing the restaurant. He wanted the Chef to quit. The space was intimate, perfect to renovate for a nouveau, chic themed eatery, conveniently located on K Street for the expense-account crowd. Old-school French cuisine was considered passé. Catt saw her day's numbered and she didn't know whether to be relieved or frightened.

*****

Catt's grandmother often used an apt food metaphor for situations such as the one she now found herself in: 'when life hands you lemons, make lemonade.' She may not have discovered the recipe for the lemonade, but she could tinker with the ingredients and re-invent herself as a new flavor sensation.

Catt began a carefully executed, yet very discreet search for her next career move. She started with a review of the local restaurant advertisements in the local upscale magazines and searched the newspapers for gossip about where the 'in crowd' was dining - certainly not at her fine-dining establishment anymore! The process was slow, because she was flat-out running the kitchen these days without the presence of the Executive Chef.

She was prepping a fresh produce list to call in an order when the phone rang. She absently picked it up and the male voice on the other end enquired if he was speaking with Catt Hogan. 'Yep, that's me.' She quipped flippantly.

"I'm Matt Henderson, Findley Brothers Organization." He paused to see if she responded to either his name, or his employer. She did not.

Catt thought the call a bit odd, but maybe it was an employment verification for one of her friends, or even one of the kitchen or wait staff, since the rats were beginning to desert the proverbial sinking ship.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Henderson?" Polite, but also not interested, not even really curious.

"Could we meet to discuss an idea I would like to roll out to you. You came to my attention a while ago - after your kitchen fire. I was very impressed with how quickly and efficiently you did the clean-up and re-start. We're looking for someone, like you, who can problem-solve and motivate people. I've eaten in your restaurant several times in the past month, your menus are fresh, creative and beautifully presented. You are just the kind of experienced chef we are looking for. Want to talk?"

Catt first reaction was that this was a prank call, but she swallowed that smart-assed retort. The silent pause on her end went on over-long... not a good first impression. Finally, she replied, "Sure, what did you have in mind? I don't have a lot of free time these days, our Executive Chef is out of pocket quite often, so I am here running the kitchen most of the time. Oh, and thanks for the compliment about my menus - I'm glad you liked my food concepts."

"You are quite talented, and we're looking for someone like you who can create as well as problem solve. Also, you appear to be able to motivate people without brow-beating them -- a rare talent in the industry." Matt seemed to be showing all his cards, and all the flattery worried Catt -- wonder what's up with that, she thought. They selected a nearby coffee shop for the meet the next day, and rang off. Catt considered for a moment that recipe for lemonade, but needed to get back to work.

*****

Catt was tired, lonely and bored with her unfulfilled life, and more than just a little horny. Tom kept popping into her head at the damnedest, inappropriate moments, but in the shower seemed okay. She stood under the hot water and fondled her nipples and imagined Tom's lips on her, running his hands down over her hips and circling, and then inserting his long, very flexible index finger into her cunt. The memory of his warm hands on her body caressing, stroking and arousing her made her wet in anticipation. Catt began to move her body against her own fingers and the friction made her anxious for sexual release -- she kept moving her slit against her fingers suddenly slippery with her own juices.

The phone rang simultaneously with her orgasm. She ignored the ringing and reveled in her own pleasures. When the recorder finally kicked on she heard Tom's voice, she pulled her wet fingers out of her lady parts, grabbing for the receiver. "Tom, Tom! I'm here! I was...ah... enjoying a moment of personal pleasure. You encouraged me to fondle myself -- and it works -- I can bring myself to orgasm! Wow! Is that nice, or what?" She didn't seem the least embarrassed by her revealing remark -- Catt's innate shyness was disappearing whenever he and she discussed even the most intimate topics.

Tom laughed at Catt's enthusiasm for her own sexual prowess and offered that he was certainly glad he could help guide the lady into her own personal insights and pleasures. However, he wished he could be there in person to enjoy her pleasures and satisfy himself as well. Catt really aroused Tom, he thought about her many nights when he lay in bed alone and masturbated.

As they habitually did in these phone calls, they chatted easily about a variety of topics, from the weather in Texas to the frustrations, as well as the rewards, of her job and his. Eventually, as usually happened these days in the conversation, Tom would begin to describe what he would like to do to physically take Catt onto new and pleasing levels of sexual arousal and eventually bring her to ultimate gratification and release. He always started to talk with her about what he would do to her when they were together again; not coarse or crude or graphically condescending, but to pleasure Catt's body (and stimulate her imagination) with his hands, his tongue until she was very aroused exploding into orgasm -- literally. With Tom's carefully chosen, descriptive adjectives he talked to Catt until she was hot and ready to release. It was almost as good as having him in her bed, in her love canal. Her innate shyness and feelings of sexual inadequacies had morphed into carnal pleasures as Tom schooled her in the possible responses of her body.

Catt attempted to 'return the favor' for Tom by describing what sexual pleasures she would like to do to, and with him, but she was tongue-tied and struggled for the appropriate words foreign to her because she had been raised that some things were not EVER discussed in polite company, or with the opposite sex, even a partner.

Tom seemed to understand Catt's reluctance was not a reflection of her feelings for him and reassured her that he was well satisfied with everything about Catt, most especially her shyness and inexperience. At idle moments when he was alone, Tom's mind would slip back to the memory of their weekend together; he was amazed at her sexual naiveté and her innocence in carnal knowledge or the intimacies of her own pleasure. Tom had seen Catt's body respond when they had sex -- but it was her amazed reaction to the orgasm -- her first evidently -- that captivated him. He wanted to be the one who brought her to sexual gratification repeatedly, every day. There was only one grand obstacle to that goal.

*****

Catt met Matt for coffee early the next morning, before work. She had arrived first and sipped her coffee watching the entrance over the rim of the cup. A tall, well-built, blond guy opened the coffee shop door and immediately spotted her sitting alone; with long strides he approached the table, extended his hand and introduced himself.

"Hi, Matt Henderson. And you are, I believe, Catt Hogan. Yes?" He smiled and simultaneously pulled out a chair to join her.

The waitress approached to take their breakfast order and poured coffee which gave the two diners an opportunity to surreptitiously check out the other's appearance.

"Thanks for inviting me for coffee. It's a rare treat for me to dine out for breakfast." Catt's mind slipped immediately to another recent breakfast - with Tom. Which had been hot with sexual tension. She suddenly realized she was blushing at that memory. She straightened herself in the chair and banished the memory, but just for a while, and focused on the moment. Catt discreetly evaluated her host.

Matt was handsome and exuded a confident sexuality -- not overtly -- but he knew he was attractive and enjoyed the admiring appraisals he garnered from women, and even some men. He knew that Catt was 'checking him out' with her lowered eyelids.

Now that Matt was face to face with the woman he only knew about by reputation, he was impressed with her attractiveness; he already knew of her capabilities in a restaurant kitchen.

He had done his homework and learned about her background in culinary training and experience as a sous chef, assistant to the executive chef, and currently running the fine-dining kitchen in her boss's absence. Those were her bona fides, but Matt suddenly was attracted to the woman beyond those accomplishments.

The two strangers felt their way along in the informal interview conversation while they continued to evaluate each other discreetly on a more personal level. Catt learned that Findley Brothers Organization was embarking on a massive expansion of its hotel and restaurant businesses internationally and they were looking for someone who was unencumbered with family responsibilities and who could travel the world and oversee the installation and execution of its restaurants.

She was intrigued with the concept of the job and of the world travel. Catt had travelled to Europe for a couple of summers - before and after - culinary school, but her dream of seeing Asia was paramount on her bucket list. This might be a way to do it on her employer's dime.

Catt was also attracted to Matt on a personal level, but she was especially attracted to the man sitting in front of her offering a career opportunity of a lifetime. This could be making lemonade that had a jigger of Tequila in it for added flavor and excitement.

*****

Catt was extensively interviewed within the Findley Brothers Organization and eventually offered the job of Executive Director of International Culinary Development. In the real world this was otherwise known as the all-encompassing planning, execution and oversight of the restaurant openings in hotel venues worldwide. It was her dream job, with lots of hard work and hopefully some wonderful travel 'perks and bennies' along the way.

She was very excited to tell Tom about her new job and when he next called her she blurted out the details -- the words tumbling out of her mouth -- with great enthusiasm. He was very glad for Catt's success, but secretly wondered how it would affect their relationship. Would they drift apart? Was their unique, intimate friendship falling by the way because they both had busy lives and only very occasionally could take the time to be together - virtually or in real-time?

Catt had very similar thoughts but wouldn't put into words how much she longed to be with Tom, more than just the occasional phone call. In her heart Catt knew that she had fallen deeply in love with Tom Sanford, but she couldn't reveal those thoughts to anyone, most especially to him. He was a happily married man with a passel of kids and no matter how much she wanted him in her life she would not hurt any of the parties involved most especially Tom. This job opportunity might put some distance and perspective into their relationship. Just friends.

Only in my dreams...

The next several months were a whirlwind for Catt. She was thrown into an intensive corporate training and orientation program in addition to emphasis on language training in Mandarin and Japanese. She was expected to be able to communicate -- at least with polite, basic conversation and customs - preparing her for her first assignment in the Far East. Two new hotel complexes were being built simultaneously and Catt would be overseeing the installations of the culinary designs for the kitchens, hiring and training local kitchen staff and installing the requirements of the multi-talented executive chefs for both locations. It was a challenge, but she loved the work and enjoyed the exotic travel -- it was a dream job! It was however, stressful, exhausting work.