Long Road to Find a Heart

"Can we have Amy over for dinner tonight," he asked, his mom screaming to be put down.

"Sorry kiddo," Kate said. "Her father won a big promotion and went to England six weeks ago and Amy and her mom left ten days ago after the house sold."

"But Amy... college... me?"

Kate smiled, "She left very happy and excited. You know what women are like. Um you should see her; she's really sexy now."

"Kate don't be a devil. She's teasing son," Dianna said. "Amy remains a lovely young woman and she's left a letter for you and invites you to visit them in England."

That evening Rosa Collins came over to visit Kate.

"You'll remember Rosa," Kate smiled wickedly as Tom came into the room.

Rosa gaped. "Is this Tommy? Ohmigod."

Tom noticed Rosa had also developed, probably as a result of serious fucking. Her mouth was wide and generous and her tits had become developed and noticeable. Suddenly there was no reason to pine over the loss of Amy.

Amy who?

CHAPTER 2

Successful divorce settlement negotiating attorney Thomas Curtis (no longer common Tom) was sent to London by his law firm Able, Long and Saltmarsh to try to persuade Sarah Saltmarsh to scale down her demands for financial settlement with her husband Tony, one of the principals of the firm. Tony had initiated the annulment of the marriage after the embarrassing discovery Sarah had for years been in a lesbian relationship with their housekeeper.

After three meetings with Sarah and her team of solicitors, Thomas had succeeded in reaching agreement that Sarah would reduce her demands by 65%. Initially the offer was a 30% reduction. Thomas asked for a private meeting with Sarah and said unless she agreed to slash her original claim by 70% the reason for the marital breakup would be spread over the Sunday newspapers in England (she was English) and America.

"I have an agreement with Tony that he would say nothing about the reason for our divorce," Sarah said.

"Ah yes but your former housekeeper wishes to retain her position in Mr Saltmarsh's home and has agreed following my representations to confess to her misbehavior with you. Please allow me to play this recording of what she said to me."

Sarah broke down and her legal team held out for a 60% reduction. Thomas called Tony and he said to hold out for 65% and Sarah instructed her counsel to accept.

"Stay ten days in England at my expense," Tony said expansively, influenced by the fact Thomas had saved him being stripped of $3.7 million above what he would now pay in settlement.

Thomas arrived in the London dormitory town of Cumford-on-Water that was sixty-five minutes by train from The City although only townspeople long in the tooth could remember when the trains ran on time. It had been nine and a half years since he'd last seen Amy Wishart and this was where she resided and held the position of deputy headmistress at Cumford Girl's Grammar School. The wives of seven British Prime Ministers had attended the school during the 178 years since it's founding.

He'd called Amy and she was astonished to hear from him and that turned to excitement when she learned he was in London.

"You must come and visit," she'd said.

Thomas had said wasn't she married and Amy said no that was behind her. She'd married the second son of a baron who turned out to be uncompromisingly gay.

"Surely you should have know before marriage when, um..."

"Unfortunately no Thomas. He didn't push to take me carnally before marriage and I never questioned his motive, thinking perhaps it was the customary way within the peerage."

So that explained that and Amy suggested Thomas meet her in the Hampton Hotel, the town's finest hotel, for high tea at 4.30.

"Um I don't drink tea."

She giggled and said coffee was also available. If was simply late afternoon tea of some note.

Thomas didn't ask what 'of some note' meant. Perhaps the menu was noted on a blackboard.

On the train he massaged his dick over his pants until the woman setting opposite him asked him to stop because it was making her feel light-headed.

That was so embarrassing but he was in England where no one apart from Amy knew him.

Thomas thought he should ensure the meeting was low key because women can get rather emotional.

He spotted Amy in the quarter-filled dining room and sped to her, kissed her hand and said, "God you look beautiful."

That of course misfired because Amy's eyes rolled up and she fell. Thomas caught her but her face squashed a plate of petit fours glacé (according a small notice on the plate).

A waitress in black with a white laced apron and magnificent tits rushed over and wiped Amy's face with a napkin and asked, "Are you preggie dear?"

Well that was sorted and Thomas had watercress and fish paste sandwiches (ugh, actually just a half), scones with Black Doris plum jam and clotted cream (four) and five pastries. Amy had just a cup of strong English Breakfast tea.

Conversation was as to be expected rather uneven and a little awkward. Amy had paid for the high tea in advance so to play his part Thomas steered Amy into the bar and pumped two brandies into her. She then settled down but he knew it was futile, that Amy was a changed woman, no longer the vibrant young woman that matched his memories. He took her to her flat and a square-shaped and severe-faced older woman took one look at Amy and said, "What has this vile man done to you my darling?"

"Nothing excessive."

The larger woman scowled, pushed Thomas backward while pulling Amy forward and warned, "Don't you ever darken our doorway again."

The door slammed and Thomas was left feeling two lesbians had ruined his day. Fucking women.

Thomas caught a train back to London and thought he'd spend a week touring southern England and pop across to Ireland but by the time he reached his hotel he decided to return home and boarded a flight next afternoon.

He was so unhappy.

'Nothing excessive,'

What a stupid answer that had been but her consoled himself by the fact nothing had gone right in meeting with Amy. He fell asleep desperate not to dream of fucking Amy while she fed him petit fours.

The next thing he knew was a square-faced female cabin attendant shaking him to serve him dinner. Well his visit to England had plunged from triumph to tragedy. He later fell asleep again and dreamt of the only real woman in his life, Aunt Gina but she had cheated on his husband the cow.

Awake again, he thought what was it with women? After a bit more thinking he thought he was not very good with his choices of women and decided he was too focused on sex and that had skewed good judgment and perhaps blurred all the other considerations.

So how did one find the right woman? Did the right woman exist? Well she would but would she find him? He sighed thinking if she did she probably wouldn't like him. The problem was apart from his mom and sister the only two women he'd ever really felt attracted to had been Amy and Gina. Well he supposed some guys would not have had even that success. Women probably had similar lack of success, especially with guys like him about.

He wished he'd joined the Coastguard and had been assigned to patrolling Arctic waters.

Seven months ticked by with excellent results in his work, not shortage of women but where was She? Nowhere to be found it seemed. Then why wasn't she doing something to find him?

To cap that, his PA asked was there a problem with health? He appeared to have become grumpy.

Jesus!

Then lo, into his life came Mrs Greer Able whom he'd met several times and recalled she always appeared to be haughty.

Haughty"

Yes haughty. Well she was British. .

* * *

One of the partners, Mac Long was handling the divorce of the third partner Michael Able and negotiations had hit the wall. Mac took Thomas to lunch to brief him and find out what Thomas thought.

"Mrs Smith is asking too much and Michael dug in too early."

"Yeah well we were astute enough to come to that conclusion ourselves."

"Mac you invited me here to sound me out. Is that it or do you wish to listen?"

Mac laughed and poured more wine and said he'd heard Thomas had become grumpy.

Mac said, "Being grumpy is the sign of a married man. The world's your oyster. We married guys envy you."

"Yeah, yeah. You only know what you haven't got when you know it's what you want."

"Oh very deep Thomas."

"Shut up and listen. This stalemate is the classic situation in pre-divorce financial settlement where greed and historic fixed positions dominate. Before I can give an opinion that might assist your tactics, tell me about Michael's millstone. I know Michael reasonably well."

"Well he married a generation below himself. She's more your age. We warned him."

"What about her haughtiness?"

"No about age difference but... Jesus, that's what she is, haughty. She's a disdainful bitch."

"I don't think so Mac; it's not that deep-seated. You know her better than I do but I'd say she's not actually rude or even arrogant."

Mac thumped his fork on the table, prongs upward and dabbed his lips with his napkin. "No but I agree with you she's haughty.

"Remember this quotable piece by Charlotte Bronte? '...the habitual expression of her arched and haughty lip?"

"Is Charlotte Bronte a client of ours?"

"Mac," Thomas groaned.

"I'm winding you up son. My mother read Charlotte Bronte and read passages to me but I can't recall that bit."

"Yeah my grandmother has a pad of quotable quotes from literature, her favorites, and that one appealed to me because it painted such a subtle picture I could actually visualize the bitch."

They laughed and Mac was now more interested. "So what is her problem?"

"Well thinking about her I reckon she can't help acting with condescending pride because she'd British."

Mac considered that: "You may be right."

He thought for a minute and said, "Look I can't talk to her alone because I'm representing her estranged husband. What about me setting up with a meeting between you and her."

"It should be done smoothly, er almost by accident to avert suspicion.

Mac said, "That's unlikely but I'll talk to Elaine. She and Greer meet every couple of weeks for coffee."

"Whoa, that's it. Perfect. I walk in on them having coffee."

"And?"

"I'll be invited to join them and your wife will have to leave in a hurry because she's remembered she's left her car unlocked."

"Elaine won't lie."

"Jesus, why do women have to be so difficult... I know, get her to leave her car unlocked but tell her why."

"She won't like it."

Thomas said firmly to tell Elaine it could be the only chance Greer and Michael have left of avoiding their settlement dispute going to court.

"You know of course what her answer to that will be?"

"That Michael and Greer both have to compromise?"

Mac looked at Thomas and shook his head. "She'll say Michael will have to compromise and accuse us of ganging up on Greer."

Thomas grinned and said, "Just winding you up pal. I know women."

Later in the day Mac called Thomas and said to be as Barbara's Café at 11:00 on Thursday, that Elaine had said a most surprising thing.

"That Greer was as fault?"

Mac laughed and said, "No Elaine thought you'd be exactly the right person to break the deadline because you are skilled and sensitive."

The call was cut and Thomas sighed. What did women really know about men? He resolved to curb his apparent grumpiness.

During the night Thomas awoke, wide-eyed. Unsure whether he'd been dreaming he knew his mind had been active: The haughty Mrs Able. She could be SHE. Er her. Er the one. His mind told him to go back to sleep and stop dreaming.

As Thomas entered the café Elaine waved and he went over and said, "Hi, Elaine and hi Greer." Both women smiled at him.

"Will you join us?"

"Er that would be intruding."

"Nonsense Thomas, please join us," Greer said.

Fifteen minutes later Thomas suggested more coffee. Greer said thank you and Elaine said, "Ohmigod my car... I didn't lock it."

"I'll go," Thomas said but Elaine said no she'd go. She reached the door and returned and almost gave Thomas a heart attack when she said, "Greer why don't you seek friendly advice from Thomas about your stalled divorce settlement talks? He's one of the best in the business over settlement negotiations."

"Bye Elaine," Thomas choked.

Greer said, "Ohmigod, I've been guilty thinking this was a set-up but no one would be that brazen if involved in a set up."

"I haven't spoken to Elaine for almost a month," Thomas said innocently and that was easy because it was true. So the talks are not proceeding smoothly?"

The freckled-faced woman with classical lines and rich, wavy auburn hair looked at him. "Is it proper to be talking to me about my divorce?"

"Well you are not my client but there is a suggestion of impropriety as your legal adviser is probably Mac or Tony and I work with them but I'll take the risk if that's why you want and accept anything I say in complete confidence."

"Very well Thomas. I have always admired you from the distance because the partners of your firm are so uncouth."

"Including your husband?"

"God Thomas," she said, a blush now underpinning her freckles.

He waited and she lowered her gaze to his chin and said yes.

"Good, we have honesty. I cannot give this my best without your total cooperation and openness Greer."

Thomas led her through the process on financial settlement to date and then said, "You don't have to answer this question Greer but have you ever thought of your husband as a pig, or something similar?"

Her green eyes didn't leave his gaze. "Yes, rather too frequently I must say and I was stupid falling for him. I have thought the word pig."

"Good."

"What?"

"Listen carefully Greer. Is Michael the pig going to settle if he thinks he's giving away too much?"

"No definitely not."

"Then what do you suggest is his current thinking on this?"

While she was thinking Thomas looked at her tits and thought it would be great getting his mouth and hands round them.

He looked up to catch her looking at him wide-eyed.

He smiled.

She smiled.

Thomas said not to answer that question. He believed he'd taken it as far as he could. He regretted he'd not been of much help."

"You have cleared my mind on this," she said, " and I'm grateful. Would you care to have dinner with me tonight? Rumor has it I'm a great cook."

Thomas picked up her right hand and kissed it. "I regret I must say no and plead for a rain check. I have no wish to jeopardize your chances of a favorable settlement and then being forced to proceed to court."

"Thank you for your very ethical response."

"And you'll think of me?"

Thomas hoped he was wearing his sexy smile. "And I'll think of you."

Greer blushed. "When I suggested dinner I was not thinking beyond dinner and that's the truth."

"I know. I recognize you as a woman who's in control Greer. Goodbye and good luck."

"So I can't phone you?"

"Not before settlement completes."

"I might not call."

Thomas was walking away when she called that out. "Then that would be a shattering loss to me but I'll get over it."

* * *

Greer watched Thomas walk away, hoping he'd look back but he didn't. God what was she doing attempting to seduce one man while in the process of having her marriage annulled?

Almost fourteen years ago Greer at the age of sixteen had immigrated to America with her parents and two older brothers. Her father a Professor in Physics had been head-hunted by a university in New England and her mother, a senior lecturer in Victorian Literature had found at suitable position at the same university. Greer had gone on to complete a master's in Communications and Public Relations and had been hired as chief communications officer by a company organizing a major law convention in Chicago. She'd not known anyone in Chicago or anyone attending the convention so when a smartly dressed attorney Michael Able began talking to her in the bar on the first night he invited her to accompany him to the dinner the next evening, disclosing he had just been divorced and had arrived without a partner.

Two months later they married quietly and Greer soon found that Michael was not the sophisticated charmer she'd stupidly had believed he was in Chicago. Even on the eve of the wedding those small doubts were growing but at the age of twenty-eight as she was then she was ready for marriage. Michael proved to be kind and generous and good in bed but beyond that he was practically running on empty in the social sense. Then she found she had a rival and when Michael admitted it they agreed to divorce. Joanne her female attorney was great on giving information and doing the paperwork but almost hopeless on negotiation so she hired Mac Long who was her friend as much as Michael's to join Joanne with Joanne's consent as an adviser.

With her 31st birthday coming up Greer wished to be well provided for by Michael after doing the dirty on her within three years of tying the knot. God some men were pigs and it was only right he should pay for his unfaithfulness. Now thanks to that little chat with Thomas the burning desire to make Michael pay had dimmed somewhat and she was beginning to see unless she moderated her claims she'd end up in front of a judge who'd want to know if she was at fault in Michael straying within three years of marriage. Saying Michael was drinking rather heavily and she'd found she no longer liked her husband touching her would scarcely impress a judge. No she had to back down a little.

At home that evening Greer had brief thoughts about Michael living in the apartment of that adulterous bitch and then she began thinking of Thomas. Blonde with blue eyes and great shoulder development he was more her idea of a lover. In a different era he would have been of warrior class. Greet knew she had romantic notions but she had her mother to blame for that. Her mother being a MacGregor had grown up on lusty tales of heroic deeds with knowledge about hardship, cattle stealing and clan infighting being conveniently overlooked and then of course her mother, married to a Cameron, become immerses in that family's history. In comparison most American's she'd met who talked history seemed to relate their history to wars, railroads, mining, transportation and money with emphasis on money. Her Scottish ancestry on both sides of course had come up short on claims to financial wealth. Michael, perhaps not unexpectedly, had no interest in family history. She wondered about Thomas Curtis's interest in family history.

Oh so she would be talking to him again?

Greer giggled and scolded herself for being stupid.

Oh giggling were we. Was that a garden-variety giggle or a sexy giggle?

"Oh god," she wailed. "Why was I gifted with a mind that seems so intent on pushing and punishing me?"

She snorted. "Okay mind, what say Thomas Curtis is in a conspiracy to strip me of some of my claim to wealth?"

On no, not sweet Thomas. She was appalled and then came relief when she decided all Thomas could be guilty of was undermining her confidence in her claims. But then he wasn't involved in the negotiations and everything she was involved in rested on her decision making, didn't it?"

Eating dinner and reviewing some of her thoughts, Greer said to herself, "Sweet Thomas? She was startled and said, "Did I think that? Oh god, you are ready to jump in and make another mistake over a man. Won't you ever learn? Men were never what they appear to be."

Driving to work next morning as head of PR for a major bank, Greer thought it would be lovely have a hot affair with Thomas. Feeling almost reckless she hoped he had enough to spray her breasts. She just loved that but Michael was a bit underpowered and virtually had to climb over them to wet them. God wasn't she a revolting woman and laughing swept into the basement parking building and only just missed ramming the bank president's limo.