Forty Fucking Years Pt. 02

Catt explained who he would need to talk with, gave him the phone number and name, and then went further by saying she would follow-up directly with the accounting office to ensure the expense check with his correct name would push through promptly. She then asked if he had heard any further about a job offer.

"Yeah, and I'm not sure about this Catt. They want to hire me as a contractor, not a direct hire. I'm not really set up to be an independent contractor -- I see lots of downside here. But we've started the wheels in motion down here, and I'm not getting any other real offers right now. The money is good, not great, but it does have possibilities and the work seems straight forward -- just like I have done for several years now. Any thoughts?" Tom really wanted and valued Catt's opinion.

Catt hesitated. She was disappointed that the offer was not a more stable one for permanent employment, but often employers will pick up someone under contract when they don't have an open slot to fill, just so they don't lose individual they would like to hire under different circumstances. They discussed his other options and Catt offered to make some discreet inquiries for him to see what else she might find out.

After they disconnected the call, Catt spent a few minutes staring at the phone -- lost in contemplative thought. How could she help Tom -correction Tom and Giselle? Could she, or should she let fate take its course. Catt knew she had feelings for Tom. Deep in the core of her being -- all the way to her cunt, which became wet and aroused each time she saw him, or even just heard the timbre of Tom's voice on the other end of the phone. If they moved nearer to her, and he worked for the same corporation, even in a different division, she was putting herself in a vulnerable position -- a potentially very dangerous position if their intimate friendship turned into something else. She tried to not think about that, using the old 'Ostrich method' burying her head in her work.

*****

For most of the rest of the summer Catt travelled between Washington and George Town, the Capital of the Cayman Islands on a regular basis. The work was progressing, but it was stressful trying to accomplish deadlines on laid-back island time. Thoughts of the Sanford's possible relocation were not on her radar. When she returned from a trip, there was a message on her home answering machine from Tom. He had accepted the contract position and the family were in the process of moving to the Virginia suburbs outside Washington. It would be a rental house until they got settled because the children would be starting school very soon. Tom thanked Catt for all her help and told her they'd catch up for a celebratory drink as soon as he started work in a very few weeks. It was a done deal!

Catt listened to the message a couple of times to catch any inflection in his voice - happy, sad, unsure... maybe she was even hoping for something else from Tom. More.

*****

Tom and Catt met for drinks after work a few weeks later. He had settled into the new job requirements and found a routine, except for the appalling Northern Virginia commute each way, each weekday. He wasn't happy with the snail's pace of rush hour traffic after giving up the wide open spaces of Texas where the commute usually entailed driving around sagebrush and a few cattle loose on the back country roads.

Their greeting was polite -- for public consumption -- a hug, not even a peck on the cheek. However, their bodies responded to each other in more subtle ways. Catt was happy to be in Tom's arms again, if only for a fleeting moment.

Tom gave Catt an appraising look, "You look great, the Cayman project must be going well."

"Yeah, it is. I really like the Cayman's even if I don't have much free time there. The beaches are beautiful and there are some great restaurants, but it is very much a 'couples' paradise. Hard place to visit for a single woman travelling alone." Catt wasn't feeling sorry for herself as much as stating a case, but Tom picked up the tenor of her complaint: loneliness.

"So, when was the last time you got laid?" That was Tom - right to the point. No beating around the bush -- Catt's bush or the proverbial one either.

She laughed so hard she almost spit out her sip of wine. "Always right to the point, aren't you? Ah... let's see..." she said as if really trying to recall her most recent sexual encounter, "well over a year ago... a wonderful spur of the moment weekend with a fabulous lover."

They stared at each other for a long moment, neither one said a word. Each was remembering that 'lost weekend' and what it had meant to them. Probably it meant much more to Catt that to Tom because he seemed so very much more experienced to her. She presumed that she was just another sex partner for Tom -- a fun spur of the moment fling. She on the other hand, had taken that weekend into her heart, but Catt was determined that she would not wreak Tom's marriage.

"You need to get laid!"

Catt's heart skipped a beat. Did Tom mean he would bed her? Satisfy her needs, wants and desires? Dare she ask?

"Maybe I do... Know anybody who might want to satisfy my needs?"

A long tentative look crossed his face. Slowly he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket, pulled one out, lit it and inhaled. Tom finally raised his eyes to Catt's looking deeply into her cool blue eyes and replied,

"No, unfortunately I don't. But I'll keep my eye peeled for someone who might just be able to satisfy you... give you the love and attention you deserve."

Catt's breath caught for a moment. Tom was saying 'no' to anything more intimate between them... and that was as it really must be. They had enjoyed a wonderful, passionate lark -- a spur of the moment -- double-dog-dare-you weekend. Now it was over. They were friends now. Just friends, and that was how it must be going forward. Catt would paper over any hole in her heart where her true feelings for Tom had been kept.

Catt wanted Tom in her life, no matter how emotionally sterile the circumstance. If she had to choose: Tom's continuing friendship was worth more to her than the risks of an occasional lover -- and clearly, Catt was going to have to accept that choice. It was the only way to keep Tom close. He meant so much to her. Tom would be Catt's friend.

*****

Catt was recently back from one of her extended trips to George Town; the project was getting closer to completion and she was tying up many loose ends. When the phone rang on her desk, she answered it automatically presuming it was work related.

"Hi Catt! It's Giselle Sanford. I'm so very sorry I haven't called you sooner. This has been a crazy time for us with the move, the kids starting school and Tom settling into his new job." Giselle's voice was warm and pleasant.

Catt processed for a moment who was speaking to her, and then it clicked:

"Giselle! Please do not apologize! I feel badly that I haven't offered you more help since you arrived! I'm so glad to hear from you! I have been travelling between Washington and the Cayman Islands on an assignment that is just being completed as we speak. How are you settling in? It is belated, but if I can help in anyway, please let me know. I'm happy to help." Catt was trying to be gracious and hoping that her voice didn't reveal nervousness.

"Thanks," Giselle replied, "but the 'Welcome Wagon' lady in our neighborhood stopped by with some goodies and a raft of information about the area. I know you probably know more about Northwest D.C. than Northern Virginia, but I appreciate your offer.

"The reason I'm calling, I'd -- we'd, um like to invite you to come to dinner. I've been remiss not calling you before, but Tom explained to me that you have been traveling a lot, and I didn't want to have anyone out here until we were a little more settled in."

"Giselle, please do not feel you need to entertain me. I am just glad that I was able to make the intros for Tom, and that the job, and the relocation, worked-out for you all." Catt spoke sincerely about her motivations.

"It has, and thank you for all your help. But truly we do want you to come to dinner. Would next Saturday work for you? I'll have Tom give you the directions to our house -- probably better than if I do it and get you horribly lost -- I still am learning my way around this rather convoluted highway system."

Both women laughed at the truth in that statement.

"Sounds wonderful. I'll get the directions from Tom, as you suggest. What may I bring?" Catt was attempting to be a polite guest.

"Just come about five and we'll show you the house and have a casual evening. We're looking forward to seeing you, Catt."

The two women rang off, and Catt placed the phone back in its cradle. She stared at the phone for a few minutes, mentally replaying the conversation in her mind. Under different circumstances Catt believed that she and Giselle might have been fast friends -- they shared some common interests (including two certain men!) and had the same innate good manners -- reciprocating for kindnesses offered. However, Catt could not see a deeper friendship developing between them with so many obstacles standing in the way: kids, jobs, suburban versus urban lifestyles and of course two men - Cory... and Tom.

It would be an interesting evening -- dinner in the suburbs.

*****

Tom seemed slightly incredulous when he called Catt the next day. Evidently Giselle had invited Catt without clearing it with her husband, but Catt couldn't suss whether he was pleased, or worried.

They discussed the invite time and directions. Tom teased Catt about watching her speed in the 'burbs as he had learned the Virginia 'Smokey's' like to hide behind shrubs with their radar gun and he knew first-hand that Catt liked to drive fast.

"I only drove fast when I was anxious to get back to my house and have my way with you!" There was a flirty, laughing teasing tone to her remark. But as soon as the words were out of Catt's mouth she regretted it. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that to you."

There was a long silence on Tom's end of the phone before he replied, "Why would you apologize? That was a wonderful weekend, even if you did drive like a bat outta hell."

"Thanks for that. I just feel that special time together was a 'one and done' and I need to put those wonderful memories in a pretty blue box, tie a ribbon on it and move on."

Tom responded, "You never know... you never know. See you Saturday." He hung up before either of them had time for another word.

This time Catt stared at the phone wondering what Tom's remark had meant. No matter how she tried to interpret his possible meaning it led her to the realization that he had possibly thought about another time together. And now that he was living nearby, that might actually happen. That thought was fraught with good and bad no, scary feelings for Catt. She quickly followed her own suggestion: tied a bow on it and sealed the memory away.

*****

Following Tom's directions into the Virginia suburbs Saturday evening, Catt was amused to realize how little she knew about that part of the greater Washington area. The directions were straightforward and she arrived on time looking up at a long expanse of lawn leading to a pretty brick house with a wide front porch with several rockers on it. As Catt gathered a bottle of wine and a box of chocolates into her arms she could hear children's voices somewhere nearby. A few moments after she rang the doorbell the door swung open and Tom appeared welcoming her into their home. Was he blushing? Embarrassed, or nervous -- she opted for nervous, as was she.

Giselle came quickly, from the kitchen, warmly welcoming Catt and graciously accepting the 'hostess gifts' she asked Tom to chill the wine and invited Catt back to the kitchen where hors 'd oeuvres were set out to nibble. The adults chatted while the kids ran in and out of the house checking on the status of dinner -- 'When do we eat?' Catt sat comfortably observing the family interaction and was envious of the easy give-and-take, teasing-and-testing by the children. Despite being an only child, and not accustomed to being around kids of various ages, she felt quite comfortable in the Sanford's kitchen with their blended family.

When everyone settled at the dinner table Catt was seated on Giselle's right at the head of the table near the kitchen, with the children scattered on either side down the eight-foot-long table with Tom facing his wife at the opposite end. A private smile appeared on Catt's lips -- no flirty-footsy with Tom under the table tonight.

The dinner was delicious and the conversation casual and informal, even if everyone seems a little nervous. Catt tried to include each of the kids in the conversation by asking questions about school, and so forth. All in all, it was a lovely meal with four charming, well-behaved children, and their gracious parents. The evening had been a success all the way around, but somehow Tom looked relieved when Catt glanced at her watch, and thanked her hostess profusely, announcing that it was time for her to head back to the city.

As Catt drove home she thought about the wonderful 'all American family' she had spent the evening with, as she considered how their complex relationships successfully fit together in a cohesive unit.

Catt tossed and turned restlessly that night, as a torrent of thoughts about children, families and especially Tom, filled her head with good and bad dreams. As delicious as Giselle's dinner had been, Catt decided she had slept fitfully because she ate too much and had indigestion.

The workplace routine gets complicated...

Catt had worked with several world renowned chefs to install commercial kitchens to support their high-end restaurants within several newly built or renovated resort properties around the world. As she did so, she found herself working with the hotel chains in-house architectural and engineering teams who were responsible for coordinating with tempermental professional architectural designers. This division served as a financial control on the creative whims of designers, and tempermental executive chefs. It was an interesting job to diplomatically say 'no -- too expensive' to the very people the corporate headquarters were paying to be creative.

Catt had developed solid professional working relationships with the Corporate Chief Architect, as well as the Chief Engineer, and several of the other division Chiefs. Upon occasion, these business relationships were even extended to include spouses. Some work days were insane with stress and tension, so the Chief Architect and Chief Engineer would get together for a drink after work to socialize, decompress and work toward resolving business related issues. Catt was often invited to join this all men's 'club' as she was considered one of the team and struggled with some of the same managerial issues.

She was pleasantly surprised, when arriving one evening to join her colleagues, to see Tom sitting at the table with them.

"We thought we'd include our newest recruit, and then we discovered you two already know each other. Fancy that!" said the Chief Architect with a seemingly knowing chuckle.

Catt greeted the men with a smile and then reached over to hug Tom and plant a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Tom, what a nice surprise! How are Giselle and the kids? Settling in comfortably, I hope." She wasn't going to give too much away to her other friends, but just enough to keep them guessing.

Tom blushed at the overt physical greeting Catt gave him, but not because he was ashamed of their friendship, rather because her body contact caused him to have an immediate hard-on. He patted her on the shoulder as a further greeting, but sat down quickly to hide the bulge at his crotch.

The business colleagues got along famously with shared work experiences and there was an easy rapport among them. It wasn't long before they were meeting for lunch together fairly regularly as a group, as well as the occasional after work drink. Tom was the 'new kid on the block,' but he was welcomed into the circle and not just because of his friendship with Catt.

*****

Both Catt and Tom were busy with assigned renovation/new construction projects and it kept them from seeing each other very often -- not even meeting for drinks along with their colleagues.

Tom rang Catt in her office, late one morning, very unexpectedly. She was glad to hear from him -- she was having a really crappy morning with one problem after another and his interruption was welcomed.

"So, how are you this fine day, m' lady?" Tom seemed to have a flirty, funny side that always appeared when Catt really needed a good laugh. He had a sixth sense when he needed to check in with his friend.

"Oh Tom! I am so glad to hear from you!! It's been a really shitty morning... I've been chewed out royally by our newest, prima donna chef-in-residence. I'm still smarting from the tongue lashing."

With no hesitation, Tom responded, "I'd like to give you a tongue lashing too... but with a slightly different goal."

Catt's cheeks flushed with embarrassment at the thought... but his remark sent an instantaneous thrill through her which started her lady parts tingling. "Tom! You're embarrassing me!" Catt laughed as she responded.

"Tell you what, let's have lunch and feel better over a drink and some great, suggestive conversation."

Catt only needed to consider her friend's invitation for a moment, "Yeah, let's do it! I need a break, and it would really enjoy having a lovely lunch with you."

"Just lunch?" he teased. "How about a nooner?"

"Tom! Stop it! If you keep that up I won't come with you!" Catt was frazzled by Tom's sudden, very suggestive tone and overt remarks.

"Oh my dear, I can make you come, even if you think I won't"

"Stop, Tom! You are very bad!! Let's go to that burger joint, have a nice lunch and keep the conversation G-rated. Okay?" Catt wondered what had provoked the sudden sexy, innuendos, but she secretly admitted she was glad to know the flirty, sexy guy who had given her mind-blowing sexual satisfaction all those many, many months ago was still interested in her.

They agreed to meet -- just the two of them for lunch. Tom rained it in. It was G-rated.

*****

Over the succeeding months, depending on travel schedules, business meetings with clients and other obligations, the tight knit group of business colleagues got together regularly for lunch and occasional drinks after work. Sometimes it was just the core group, the founders if you will, and sometimes the group was expanded with visitors, clients even spouses. Catt fit into the basic male club as 'one of the guys' -- she didn't see herself as a threat to anyone's spouse and enjoyed the comradery of the work-related friendships that had developed. However, that description didn't fit quite for Tom.

Catt found herself determined not to raise eyebrows with 'the gang' whenever Tom was included. She went out of her way not to be the one who invited him -- she left that up to the guys who worked with him, even if she had known him much longer, and more intimately. However, she felt a pulsing desire to be near him, smell his musky, sexy scent which aroused her animal spirits, especially when she had drunk a couple of glasses of wine. More than once, she had slipped her shoe off and slid her toe under Tom's pant cuff. It had become a private game - to see if she could pull it off without anyone else at the table noticing what she was doing.

It was fun for Catt to watch the expression on Tom's face when he felt something crawling up his leg -- especially when they were enjoying a group picnic-lunch in a nearby city park. A creepy crawly, or Catt's toes? Only once did he succeed in catching her foot in his hand while making it look like he was knocking away a bug crawling under his pant leg. Catt struggled to contain her laughter, but she allowed an interested, very concerned smile when she asked Tom if everything was okay. Catt always enjoyed teasing Tom, especially when he couldn't do anything to her in retaliation.