The Dark Lady Ch. 02

I turned out of the garage and asked, "Is this official travel?"

"Very. One, I have been instructed to be your shadow. Two, I have to see Selma about space planning and timing. She said to come out to school. Three, you may need me to go with you to Erica's. Four, that vamp Clara is dangerous."

"Five, you are still giving me the shivers." Her hand was on mine, fingers carving lines in my palm. I was hard.

"After my meeting with Lyle, the football coach, what bed are we going to relax in while you explain yourself?"

Her nails dug in. "I can be violent when teased."

"You think I didn't learn that last weekend when the two of you flattened me?"

The hand put my fingers in her mouth. "Actually, I have a better idea. Get a key to one of the VIP suites at Keeler if you have one. Arrange for food there. I'm happy to cook, or help cook. At 5 o'clock, the four of us are going for a run to get rid of suppressed energy. You go with Selma to get clothes at her house and we'll meet at Keeler. Tell Erica that she will be going on the run with us at 5 and meeting with me later. If she complains, tell her it is a command performance and I will be by to get her at 4:45."

She was sucking hard on my fingers and didn't want to let go, but we were turning into the school parking lot.

As we were walking in, I gave her a hug and said, "I kind of like having a shadow."

I got another pink tongue pointed at me. Must be catching.

In his office, Lyle was relaxing with a magazine full of pro football reports. Like most high school coaches, he taught PE for a living, and trained kids for the joy of it.

We shook hands and he looked me over. "That head doesn't seem too swelled."

He sat back down and said, "I get to school yesterday and the first thing the kids in period one said was, 'Theo is President, Theo is President.' I'm standing there, feeling like a fool and asking, 'Theo who and President of what?' " We laughed.

"The reason I asked you to come by is that I got a call from my friend Larry at UA. He and his colleague Arthur want us to come over for lunch at the faculty club."

"I know Larry is the head football coach, but who is Arthur?"

"I didn't know either. I looked him up. He is Chairman of the math department."

I looked at Lyle. "What do we do?"

He chuckled, "We go over and get a free lunch and see what they are up to."

On my way to Erica's, I wondered whether I was going to be offered something at the university. That would give Kim a shock.

Erica had her running clothes on when she climbed in. She tried to look tough. "What is this business of ordering me to report for a run?"

"You need it. You are a bundle of nerves with your whole world turned upside down. No more cool collected analyst. You have to get that fancy behind out there and do something. You have to knock down smartass executives that think they can hire anyone they please."

We smiled at each other and she said, "You are damn right about that!"

Keeler had a nice path leading away from the cul de sac into a shallow rocky ravine. I told the women, thirty minutes out and thirty back. Then work conversation over dinner and after that, they could do anything with me they wished.

Because of football, I was in the best shape, and made sure they broke a good sweat and got the heartbeat up. On the way back, Laura had the bit in her teeth and tried to make a race of it. I let her have ten yards on me until almost the end, then closed slowly but surely. We came tearing out of the ravine in a dead heat and fell into each other's arms.

"You are bad, letting me think I had a chance to beat you."

"You did, I might have tripped."

Her arm came around to swat me but caught the side of my head full on. I snapped back and pretended to fall on the pavement. Erica and Selma rushed up. I lay there motionless while Laura cried, "OMG, I didn't mean to hit him!"

I carefully opened one eye. They stared at me. Selma's toe prodded me, "Get up." Erica's toe prodded me, "You are a faker." Laura rubbed her eyes and said, "Ok, no slugging the boss. I'm probably fired."

Selma and Erica walked her away, threatening terrible retribution if I did anything nasty to Laura. I caught up and pinched three different behinds. "I think I need to run slower. The view from back here is fabulous."

The women relaxed in terry robes as I served white wine and imported cheese and crackers. "Laura, remind me what we need to talk about."

"Theo, there are several misdeeds to report about you. First, you and Selma had a meeting with Karen, the principal at your school, that ended with your hiring her to run a new arts training program. I think we will need help from Selma to learn what went on and what should have gone on."

"Second, you allowed your secretary to take sexual liberties with you in the office, and when I came in, you both attacked me. This was totally inappropriate behavior for the President's Office. The only good thing I can report to Selma and Erica is that you did forbid any more sex in the office."

"Third, you allowed Clara, one of our best art salespersons, to hit on you in a dark corner of the gallery after lunch. When I approached with a message, there was no air between you, and you were promising to get together with her after hours."

Selma asked, "Useless one, did you actually earn any of your exorbitant salary today?"

"Well, I'm not sure, but Coach Lyle says he and I are invited over to the Univ for lunch with the head football coach and the chair of the math department."

Selma and Erica stared at me, "You're kidding?"

"Sorry, no."

Selma said, "He has very good hands. I guess after last weekend, I don't have to tell you that."

Laura asked, "When you are destroying my tits, are you thinking about catching footballs?" She opened the robe and flashed her generous boobs at him.

Erica frowned and said, "Young one, this is supposed to be about work. I know he makes it hard to stay on work, but we must try. So the best supposition is that the Univ is going to make you some kind of attractive offer. Your mother is going to have a triple fit." The three of them smiled at each other.

"Wait a minute, let's not count any chickens. Maybe it's something dumb like a nothing offer."

Selma interrupted, "About the Karen affair, she was so overwhelmed with the study hall that she came on to us and one thing led to another. Theo may have gotten a little carried away, but this is one hot talented woman who will do a great job for Parsons."

Erica asked, "When do I get to meet her?"

Selma looked at me and raised her eyebrows. I said, "We have a planning meeting on Saturday night. Would you like to join us?"

Laura said, "Oh shit, I knew it." She stood. "We need to eat in. I'm going to get food. You stay here and sort this out."

I led the way to the bedroom with the king bed and arranged it so they could lie on their towels while I did some massage. The approving moans got quieter and quieter and in ten minutes they were asleep.

I was just coming into the living room from the shower when Laura returned with bags and a six pack. I helped her put things down and grabbed her. She wrapped her arms around me and hugged tight. I whispered into her ear. "I hope it is ok for you to be my helper right now. I have feelings for you. I know having all these hot bodies around is confusing. It is for me too. Promise me you will pound on me if I'm being bad."

Her eyes were wet when she looked up and sought his lips. "Damn you, Theo, you make a girl all soft. I think I have a crush on you."

Voices behind us said, "He does that to others too." More emotional kisses. After a while, I got us moved back to the big bed, making a mess but enjoying Thai food and Thai beer.

"Hang on a sec, I need to check something." He found his phone and punched in a number. She answered immediately and I said, "Hi, I hope I'm not disturbing you."

I put the phone on speaker and put it down on the pillow. "No, not at all. Actually, I'm sitting here thinking about what a mess you have made of my life... A delightful mess that is."

"Could we borrow you for a couple of hours. I have a meeting going on that could use your experience and advice. If it's ok, Laura will come by and get you in ten minutes."

"Oh yes, that sounds much better than teacher evaluations. What do I wear?"

"A tee and shorts. We're casual. See you soon."

"Laura, go commando in your thinnest teeshirt. When you get back, bring her right in here. and drop your clothes."

She did a cartwheel to the doorway and was gone.

He pulled Erica into his lap and said, "You asked to meet her, and sooner is better than later. You could tell she is already mentally moving on from that school job."

"This is going to be nude encounter?"

Theo laughed and said, "She already had the pleasure of meeting Selma and me in the nude, now it is your turn and Laura's turn. You will be impressed."

Laura and Karen were back in twenty minutes and walking into the bedroom. Staying where he was, half covered with the bed sheet, Theo said, "Come in, welcome to our conference facility. You know Selma and have met Laura. This is Erica Manning, the new Director of Human Resources at Parsons. I owe both of you an apology for not arranging this meeting sooner. You're welcome to leave your clothes on or off. We've been for a run and a shower and are lounging around, having dinner and thinking about new programs at Parsons to go with the new talent that is being recruited."

Karen looked at him, at the three naked women, the opulence of the room, and the view of the city out the big window. With a big smile, she said, "Point me to the shower, I need a run thru myself." When she came back, the towel was being used on her hair and the rest of the fine body was gloriously revealed. She climbed onto the bed on all fours and kissed Theo, then kissed the others. Theo held out his arms and she crawled into his lap.

"Selma, is he having sex with all the women around him?"

"Pretty much. There is a certain attraction, don't you think?"

"Oh god, yes!" She turned her head to kiss Theo again and asked, "Last night doesn't have to be a one night stand, does it?"

The room roared with laughter. Karen blushed. Theo reached down and tweaked her hard nipple.

Erica said, "If you ask nicely, he usually grants sleep over privileges."

"Oh my, that sounds good. Theo, may I have a beer and a chance to collect my wits before I have to answer questions about the arts training program?"

Selma and Theo smiled at each other. The chemistry between Erica and Karen was off to a good start. If Erica and Karen and Theo spent the night together, more progress was likely.

On a hunch, Theo whispered to Laura to get his little voice recorder and then everyone relaxed and began what turned out to be a fascinating hour and a half discussion about migrating the staff from a group of mostly women with their attention focused on selling art, to a more professional staff with more men and more competence in a range of art related activities that could be a community and regional resource. How to motivate and compensate staff in a more diffuse work environment. How to engender a teaching frame of mind in every staff person. Karen and Selma and Erica were bouncing ideas around in a great flurry of conversation, hands and arms expressing their engagement with the subject.

Theo carefully balanced his comments so as to show interest without displacing the ownership of the meeting the three women held. Laura slipped in next to him and held his hand. Every once in a while, she sucked his finger. Karen noticed and smiled. "Laura, in addition to being sexy as all get out, I think you are probably the kind of staff person we are talking about. Does any of this make sense?"

She sat up and blushed. She hadn't expected to participate. "Um, I'd like a chance to get all this written down, but it is really exciting. Kim and Theo want to move Parsons forward and the three of you seem like people to make it happen."

Theo clapped at the pretty speech and started wrestling with Laura. "Karen, this shedevil has a twin who is in Mexico City with Kim. Together, they make my life miserable, forcing me to do things I said I would do, getting me to appointments on time, it's just terrible."

They were on the floor now and she was giving back as good as she got. He stood and tossed her into the middle of the bed. "Be nice to her, she's special." He stared at them. "You are all special. Can we go to sleep now?

He was brushing his teeth when Karen nudged up against his side. "Last night was terrific. Tonight was even better. Do you have any more surprises for me?"

He looked at her in the mirror. "Nice tits."

She slumped. "So that's it, huh? Nice tits."

Her hand was halfway to his head when he scooped her up and went back to the bed. "I keep having to throw women back in my bed. Must have a problem." He turned out the light and crawled in. There was a lot of wiggling and shifting around and kissing noises.

When he woke, Laura was on her phone taking an early call from Sarah. Rapidfire girl shorthand. In the kitchen, coffee was hot and eggs were in the pan. Selma was doing omelets to order. He went back and put some clothes on and returned to the nice soft concoction he loved, full of chopped up vegetables.

"Selma, I'll be your slave forever if you make those omelets for me. He hugged and kissed her. Laura appeared and delivered the report from Mexico. "They are coming back on the noon plane, The Director is with them. The locals laid on a fantastic dinner last night. Details later. They spent a hundred thousand buying art. Sarah says she was that close to taking a young handsome guy to bed with her last night, but chickened out at the last moment. Says she is scared Theo will tan her hide for straying."

Theo growled, "Damn right," and the others laughed.

Karen came rushing through, saying she had an incredible time but had to get home to get changed and make it to school on time.

Between bites, Theo eyed Erica and said, "Well?"

"You're right, she is outstanding. But I am still going to beat you for going over my head." She stood behind him, nuzzling his ear and pulling his hair, and whispering terrible threats. He gestured to Selma and Laura to come over.

"I am violating our lawyer's instructions by telling you that those rocks have gold in them. Not just a trace either. But nothing can be said to anyone until the documents that protect the property have been inspected and no errors found. I have an appointment with the lawyer at five, so with any luck we can surprise Kim and Sarah at dinner."

Erica clung to him. "Right there in front of our eyes! But Theo saw them! OMG."

Laura hissed at him, "Another goddam feather in your cap! When is this going to stop?" Her lips and tongue were busy all over him. He pulled her into his lap and rubbed between her legs. "If you two hadn't been fooling around so much, we would never have stopped there. Parsons may have to give you and Sarah a bonus."

It was Erica's turn to hiss. "You give her a bonus all the time, right where your hand is!"

"Oh, you are so nasty, I'm going to cry. Selma do something!"

Theo stood and beat on all three of them. "Work, not play! We have to make it look like we are actually running the Southwest's premier art dealership when Kim gets to the office."

Clemmie was subdued when Laura and Theo appeared. "Am I forgiven?"

Laura and I dragged her into the office and locked the door. Laura's voice was dark and threatening. "We should strip you naked and beat your ass until it bleeds. Trying to seduce your boss in broad daylight!"

I held her hands tightly above her head, facing the wall, and Laura began a drumbeat on the incredibly beautiful globes twisting and writhing under her hand. After five sharp hits, I picked her up and dropped her on the sofa facing up. Laura was by my side.

Clementine looked fearfully at us. "Is that it? You must like me after all, if you let me off so easily."

I kissed her mouth. Laura kissed her nipples. We kept our hands away from her bottom.

Laura wrapped her in the sofa blanket and we rolled and prodded and rubbed her through it. I ran my hands in her long blond hair and licked her ears.

"Oh god, this is too much. I'm going to cry."

There was a lot of three way kissing. I said, "We love you. You are doing a fantastic job. You are so sexy, it drives us mad. What if we move the office to a teepee out in the desert and run around naked?"

Both of them were laughing and hollering about how bad their boss was. We helped Clemmie get her clothes back on and had her check the flight information for Kim's plane. I said, "Laura's got a full plate, would you like to handle the pickup duty today?"

When she was out the door, Laura dropped in my lap and asked, coolly, "What's that about?"

I gave her a chaste peck on the cheek and said, "Lulubelle, we've got work to do. There has to be a two page executive update ready when they get back, and we need real meat to put in it. Get Clara up here to feed us some hot gossip and pending sales. Ask Accounting for the latest revenue and expense numbers. I'll start drafting something and put in an oblique mention of the gold that will have her all over me."

Laura wasn't used to being mobilized like that, but between the three of us, there was a very credible report in the center of Kim's desk by the time she walked in.

The three of them made an elegant entrance. Mexico City shopping was very much in evidence. Laura and Clara and I were introduced to Carmella Dolores Santiago y Albanez. If you can tell good breeding by looks, she had it. And seemed athletic and down to earth at the same time.

"Please call me Marty, all my friends do." I looked puzzled and she said, "Yes, it doesn't have anything to do with my given names. One of my girlfriends used it when I was a kid and it stuck."

Sarah and Laura disappeared to deal with lunch, which was going to be brought in. Kim and Marty said they were eating out too much and getting fat, so a little salad would be nice.

Kim left me to entertain Marty while she checked her desk. In about fifteen minutes, she came back, waving the two pager and saying, "You've been up to no good while I was gone. These are better sales and better numbers than I do in a year." Laura caught my eye and grinned.

I tried to look serious and presidential, but Kim put a headlock on me and delivered a hot wet kiss right in front of Marty. She and Marty looked at each other and Kim said, "That one has wormed our secrets from me already. We may not be able to let her go back to Mexico."

Kim and the girls put together an afternoon schedule for Marty. I suggested that if they wanted to eat in, we could assemble at Keeler at 4:30 for a run or a walk, and then have cocktails and dinner there.

Selma came in and was introduced, falling immediately into a cascade of rapid Spanish. Selma rolled her eyes and commented on the liquid Castilian Spanish she was hearing. Marty said, in English, "I went to university in Madrid and inhaled all this high brow language." She laughed and added, "It is very useful when I am chasing money from rich Mexicans. It is like the success those women from England have in the U.S." We all laughed.

On the way to Keeler, I remembered about the deed review and stopped for a quick call to the lawyer. "Theo," he said, "so far things are checking out. The deed included mineral rights and there are no other conflicts about minerals we can find so far. The assay is stratospherically high, but of course there is no telling where those rocks were washed down from and whether the source is on your property. We need some very discreet prospecting by someone we can trust."