Harry's Protégé Ch. 04

Near lunchtime Harry sat at a table set for two in the crowded bar-restaurant, nursing a beer and thinking he'd change to wine - perhaps he'd kill a whole bottle. He had thought of inviting his protégé for lunch but did not relish the thought of a rude rejection.

He was feeling sexy. It had been a long time and some fine examples of womanhood were around him but all accompanied by men. He pictured Sierra in her apartment...oh boy, pulling on her stockings, her briefs hanging on her outstretched foot...

"Hello, I do believe you are Harry O'Hern - are you?"

"Yes."

"Hi, may I sit with you?"

"I guess knowing my name gives you that entitlement," Harry joked, rising to his feet and inspecting the unspectacular low-thirty-something in a tight blue and white patterned strapless sun frock masking smallish breasts and a body that looked beautifully proportioned.

"Very droll," she said, placing her cocktail on the table, sitting and inspecting him closely.

Harry decided she must be intelligent, recognizing his class and therefore not being a barfly who picked on guys who'd exchange $100 or even $600 for an inadequate romp.

He wouldn't ask her name which could make her interested in him. He'd stood when inviting her to sit, so her comment was inevitable, she being quite short: "God, you're tall."

She then diverted to suck down some fruity looking coconut-based concoction through a glass straw.

"My mum used to stretch me on a medieval rack whenever I was naughty, so I had a stretch twice a day."

"Oh genuine humor; how refreshing. I'm Jenni Bannister - perhaps you've heard of me?"

"No, can't say I have. Are you famous and going to say I'm taking a risk talking to you?"

Jenni laughed, said no, and announced the strength of her drink was lethal.

Two hours, a light lunch and several drinks later, Jenni led Harry into her apartment, shared with two other females who were away for the weekend.

"I have to say, Jenni, I don't do it on first dates."

"Do what?" Jenni asked, straight-faced, then giggling at Harry's embarrassment said it was okay, neither did she, but weren't they lucky as this wasn't a date.

Harry licked his lips and buried them in his favorite position, between the breasts although she'd not removed any clothing.

In the bedroom - Harry had lost all sense of time as one tends to do in such situations - he unzipped her sundress. It fell, revealing she was bra-less and in a pair of panties that tightly covered a well-shaped moist camel-toe.

Jenni unbuttoned the top of his shirt and pulled it over his head, dropped his trousers and smacked her lips, saying "What have we here?"

Dropping to her knees she licked and sucked and eventually crammed it into her mouth with gusto.

As she began to wilt, Harry flipped Jenni on to the floor and joined her into a sixty-nine, and soon had her screaming and watched her eyes roll into her head as she popped, big-time.

Realizing she was looking for more, Harry spun Jenni around and sank into her virtually up to his pubic bone - there was plenty of width.

Although unspectacular, her titties were responsive and turned mottled red below the rather purple looking nipples that remained small but had hardened into tiny rubber extensions and were inviting to be nibbled and he obliged.

Finally Jenni tensed, began writhing and uttering obscenities and gurgled and shuddered as if being wracked by an internal earthquake.

Harry pulled out - he'd forgotten to ask if she were on a contraceptive but kept working his fingers.

Sensationally, as she convulsed and began drenching his fingers she cried out, "I'm one of Sierra Bycroft's best friends."

The enormity of that disclosure hit Harry between the eyes and he ejaculated all over Jenni. Never had he pumped so copiously.

"Friggin' fuck," Jenni gasped, regaining her breath and looking at the mess over her chest and feeling it on her face almost up to her hair. "Are you on something?"

Harry had long-known the possible ramifications of having unprotected casual sex with partners one only knew by a first name if lucky. He'd also heard about the dark side such as blackmail, being coated in STD's, pregnancy real or imagined, involvement in court proceedings, being mugged and even terrible maimed by irate associates of the casual recipient. Then there were casual recipients not wishing to disappear and thus became horrendous clinging nuisances.

It was a wonder anyone had casual sex. But never had the aftermath reactions of disgust, humiliation and undeserved sense of betrayal been explained to him: now amid such an experience, he was feeling betrayed and had betrayed and his ego was severely cracked. He'd been deceived by Jenni and he'd been unfaithful to Sierra!

"That was beautiful," Jenni said, softly stroking his cheek. "I have to admit I feel totally fucked."

So was Harry, and they drifted off to sleep in a cuddle.

Harry awoke first, gently sponged Jenni's dried-goo front with a dampened towel, marveling that he could have deposited so much. He then showered, made coffee and shook her awake.

Jenni took the coffee and saw he looked so serious.

"What, are you going to tell me you have a STD?"

"No I wouldn't have shafted you even if I suspected I might be contaminated. Jenni you should have told me you were Sierra's best friend before we got down to it."

"Why?"

Her unemotional frankness startled him because he'd always believed it was men who were disloyal.

"I would have thought you'd be loyal to Sierra because after all these years she appears to be taking an interest in me."

"You've done it with her, or handed her a friendship ring?"

"No."

"Well when I saw you and she said she worked with you but there was no sexual association, I asked could I make a pitch - and she said go for it."

"When was this?"

"A couple of days after she returned from Europe, if that makes any difference. She's not cancelled that offer and so I possessed the go-ahead."

"It does make me feel somewhat relieved; it makes me feel as if I have not betrayed her."

"So it's likely to be her, rather than me," Jenni said, not attempting to conceal her disappointment.

"Jenni would you kindly not breathe a word about this to Sierra."

"Bang me again and I'll think about it."

"I'm sorry but no."

Jenni looked at Harry keenly.

"Are you prepared to risk everything that might develop between Sierra and you for the sake of denying me Round Two?"

"Yes, you're a fine young woman Jenni, but that's how it has to be."

"Oh God, you are so heroic. I swear I'll not say a word, not even make the slightest hint. Had you screwed me again you would have dishonored all three of us and I could not have tolerated that. You are doing your best to be true to her and yourself. I'll be true to you both."

"Thank you sweet heroine," Harry smiled, hugging her, aware she really liked this cuddling. "I'll go now."

Walking with difficulty - he felt so physically and emotionally drained - Harry left the building with very mixed feelings. He went to bed, deciding to forgo his usual Sunday morning visit to the gym and was due at 'the estate' for Sunday lunch at 1:00.

That would allow him to have a big sleep and so he turned off his cell phone and disconnected the wired-in phone.

Harry stirred just after 10:00 a.m. feeling ravenous. That must be the mechanism restoring sperm reserves screaming out for him to ingest protein, he reasoned. He cooked a big breakfast.

Amazingly he felt no guilt and reflected that's how it should be. He'd not known of the relationship between Jenni and Sierra and, needless to say, Sierra had not yet earned any sort of commitment from him. Basically she was a conceited, self-centered, wasteful and under-performing bitch, though he loved her, sort of.

"Sort of? What kind of gutter grammar is that?" he growled aloud, trying to comprehend the stupendous though qualified declaration of love that had shot into his mind.

The thought was crazy. Sierra was only interested in using him in her ambition to ultimately control the publishing company. He was a digit or a widget or a pawn - whatever. He also thought about Jenni, pleased she hadn't really double-crossed her best friend - she'd been granted approval to grab what she could get.

She was very average in looks, body and conversation ability but she had her own personality that shone and a code of conduct that sluts didn't have, not that he was an authority on that. If he had any brains he'd go for her instead of the vivacious but flaky and distant Sierra who wouldn't know the meaning of fidelity.

Time for confession: he'd felt a tinge of something that could pass for fledging love the first time he'd set eyes on Sierra. She appeared to be AAA-class in looks, body appearance and he mistook her initial attitude towards him as shyness rather than sullenness and proportioning her attention and energy, as he would come to understand, for people and things that really interested her.

How, then could he harbor that illogical thought that his feelings towards her had more than softened. Why...justify these thoughts...how has she changed to earn this new respect and puppy love?

He scowled.

"Shut up you evil interrogating mind; if you have to explain your love, then it's not love. Think about that!"

He pushed those deeper thoughts and brief outburst about Sierra aside; why dwell on something he didn't fully understand. Enlightenment may become apparent in time. He smiled, feeling in control of the situation and decided he had more worldly important things to ponder, like a fall-off in advertising indicating cost-cutting loomed unless there was a distinct reversal.

He sighed; relaxed for a second and instantly the image of Sierra, hips swaying as she walked away from him filled his mind. He was disappointed she was clothed. He accepted he could be so carnally shallow.

On the way to his parents, cruising on the near-deserted country road at 40 mph in the veteran pickup, Harry's thoughts were on his last trip down this tree-lined road, a journey which ended in reunification with Betsy.

This visit would be without incident, no Betsy and his father was nursing a hangover.

Harry went riding with his mother and that brightened her day. At the stables before unsaddling she kissed him, which was a surprise, until she expressed her thanks for working on Betsy who was a changed young woman, back to her old self of laughing and singing again.

Harry decided he must visit his parents more often as they seemed in need of their own wake-up call and they were drifting apart.

Returning the basement of his apartment building and washing and polishing 'Bessie' and driving her into the steel-framed alarmed lock-up apartment management had installed for him, at great expense, Harry checked his calls in the way up on the elevator and found one from Sierra. Her mother had slipped in the shower that morning, twisting her knee, and her doctor had confined her to bed for a week.

They had been due to fly out to an international newspaper symposium in France that night and Sierra was calling to advise she was travelling with her father in her mother's place. A visa was not required for the purpose of her visit and she would be away for three weeks.

Harry called Sierra but she didn't answer which wasn't surprising as the flight had been due to leave almost an hour earlier. He cursed for not taking his cell phone but that was a futile action - it was not his practice to take his phone whenever he left home on a Sunday.

Being phoneless gave him freedom, but it could come at a price. He was pleased that Sierra had called her boss and asked for permission to be away from work for three weeks, and since he wasn't available to respond, she'd gone without approval. Her message was if his answer was no, she would return on the first available flight, no matter what the company chairman had to say about that.

That pleased Harry but he thought the alternative was she could have waited and gone a day late with his approval...expecting Sierra to think like that, he mused. Was he serious?

A phone call awoke him at 11:30 and he thought for a moment it would be Sierra.

"Hi did Sierra get you before she flew out."

"No Jenni unfortunately. I would have liked to wish her well."

"I helped her pack this afternoon and when I used her phone I saw your name in her listings so noted down your private number which I assumed is a restricted number."

"Yes, it is, but I'm delighted for you to have it."

Jenni said that pleased her.

"Call me if you wish to talk or go out for a drink while she's away; I've become rather fond of you, especially after you scampered from me. I thought that was so heroic but I warn that Sierra will never see anything heroic in you."

"I did not scamper. I walked out of your apartment in a dignified manner, turned and went back and kissed you again."

"Ah yes, but on the cheek."

"And where else could I have been expected to have kissed you?"

Jenni audibly drew a deep breath. "I can think of a number of places."

"Slut."

"Fire hose man."

"Oh gawd, how embarrassing."

"I could have been drowned, you know."

"Oh come on."

"Yes, whenever I hear the word come I'll think of you, whichever way it's spelled. Best I say goodnight before I become randy."

"Good night, my dear new friend."

"Good night, you sweet man."

"Wait, Jenni."

"Yes."

"Do you run?"

"Yes, regularly."

"Why don't you join me in the morning?"

"I'd love that - say 7:30?"

"Say 5:15 from my apartment. We run six miles and then it's my breakfast treat at the Old Immigration Wharf."

"I can manage six miles and I can manage a cooked breakfast but 5:15? That's torture."

"Well, if it's..."

"I'll be there - I have your address, noted from your wallet which I nosed through when you were taking a nap after fire hosing me."

"You nosey bitch."

"Yes, aren't I? You didn't use a condom so I was just curious to see if you pack any. The only thing I took was your address. Why don't you add a flavored one to those two you carry?"

"Goodnight, Jenni."

"Goodnight Mr Fireman."

Harry nursed his coffee, smiling as he shaved. Well, two girl friends in the true sense of the word added to his social list - Betsy and Jenni. Suddenly he seemed to have regained the knack of getting women to communicate with him in terms he could understand.

He still has problems though, the complicated and dangerous Sierra who her father wanted tamed and he wanted to, er, road test. Her mother was a problem. She might have her feathers ruffled if he began joining her daughter in bed. Mommy probably fancied Sierra deserved the male heir to another newspaper dynasty or a handsome guy heading towards the top in politics for her sweet little girl who probably never showed her bad side to mommy.

In the cool of next morning, Jenni and Harry kissed lightly on the lips and set off, Jenni displaying good fitness and wonderful staying power. After cooling down and a flannel and towel wipe down in their respective bathrooms at the wharf restaurant, they attacked their meals ordered on arrival. Midway through Harry's phone went.

"Hello how's Paris with daddy?" Harry grinned, watching Jenni slap a hand over her mouth and color.

He talked for a while and then said, "Want to chat with Jenni - she's here at the restaurant with me? We've just completed the waterfront run."

Harry smiled at Jenni's horrified look.

He and Sierra talked some more until he said, "No, we haven't been doing that. We arranged to meet in a bar and I found she's a fitness runner so invited her along. She called me to see if I'd managed to contact you before you flew out, saying she's one of your best friends and knew you had been trying to call me. She's good and may come out some more mornings with me. Phone me at this time each weekday morning if you like. It's a great time to talk. Here's Jenni."

Grinning, Harry handed over the phone and went walkabout to give Jenni privacy, expecting she'd have some explaining to do. He returned as she was calmly finishing her meal.

"Go well?" Harry asked.

"The first thirty seconds and the last thirty seconds were difficult, but in-between was fine - absolutely normal. She couldn't believe I would blatantly contact you. She'd expected me to do a bit of stalking and corner you in a bar. But we sorted that one out."

"Um right at the end she said I was to look after you sensitively and that she didn't care if I fucked your brains out, that she'd given me permission to try you out. And that's where it ended, we saying goodbye happily."

"That's good, isn't it?"

"I suppose so, but the thing is I've never known her to talk to me like that - she was choked up and almost crying. I think she's realizing she's falling for you."

After recovering from initial disbelief, Harry managed, "Well, she has a funny way of showing it. If you love a guy you don't treat him like dirt."

Jenni sipped coffee and chose her words carefully.

"That comment suggests you really don't understand women Harry. Being swayed emotionally is difficult enough, but when some of that swaying takes off as if it has a mind of its own, it can be exceedingly frustrating to deal with. Usually that's when men resort to clichés like 'She's going to pieces' or 'It's that bad time of the month' and usually without having a clue what's going on."

Warming to her task, Jenni said: "When Sierra's brother finished law school and turned his back on the family business so unexpectedly, her father almost had a coronary."

"Since that time he's been pressuring Sierra to prepare herself for the mantle while at the same time indicating without actually saying it that he doesn't think she's going to make the grade. She's tough, always has been since I've known her when we first met as eight-year-olds but she also has a soft side to her nature, believe it or not, and her father wants to ruthlessly stamp that out of her."

"All of this has made her a little rebellious which is the way she finds release. It is my honest belief she now thinks she's met a man who can make life different for her."

Harry was tempted to joke and say, 'Who's the guy?' but this was no joking matter.

"I don't know what to say."

"Say nothing - my advice is to just let it drift if you're really that interested. She's the one who has to change if she wants to settle for you, even on a temporary basis. As you two are now, you're poles apart and I wouldn't be surprised if she has doubts about your ability to perform to her high standards sexually. But Sierra have I news for you; only I can't tell you about how good he is because I've been sworn to secrecy."

Harry flipped his fringe back into place, watched very closely by Jenni.

"That was quite a speech. Yes, I am interested and interested enough to try to help her unravel herself a little. She's been unlovable to me for many years Jenni. That will be the reason you and I have never met until you took the initiative - she didn't wish to acknowledge me as thing but an obliging work-mate."

He cleared his throat and said, "Currently I have this growing desire to help her achieve her goals as I picture myself becoming deputy chairman of the company in time. I also have this secondary desire to know her carnally."

"Oh heavens, Harry - cut back on the passion, you're making my panties damp. Anyway, a man is not supposed to talk to a woman about another woman like that, especially when she likes him."

"I apologize; that was crass of me."

"An apology is unnecessary; I can take it," Jenni smiled, "I mean haven't I've taken it during one session already?"

"Er..."

"Put a sock in it, Harry. "Call a cab - I'm not running the six miles back to your place."