To Our Many Tomorrows...

This is a follow-up to One Gifted Secretary (Romance, 6/16/2020). A few readers requested one, and I'm curious myself what's in-store next for CEO James Alexander LaPierre and his brainy secretaries.

James Alexander LaPierre, the CEO of Worthington Mutual, chess player and also a player of hot, brainy women, had made his choice. He would put aside his playboy ways and date the chess-playing, blond and sexy Alyssa Combs on an exclusive basis, a first for him.

Alyssa was the latest winner of a contest called Sexy Secretaries Week. JL, obsessed with brainy young ladies with high IQs, had invented this improbable competition himself. Instead of parading his secretaries around the boardroom in swim suits, he had them take the Wonderlic Personnel Test, a twelve-minute, fifty-question IQ test. Alyssa had scored a 41, way higher than her nearest competitor. But unlike past winners, Alyssa wasn't content with just a bonus check and a night in the sack with JL. She wanted something more intimate and serious. JL wanted that also. He adored Alyssa, and was determined to accept her condition that he not sleep around as long as they were an "item."

It wasn't easy, not for a handsome playboy who had slept his way through Worthington's elite female secretarial pool. Lexi Cook. Ashley Pritzker. Marissa Rogers. Beth Farmer. The list of these past Wonderlic winners went on. Lexi, my "raven-haired beauty," JL had called her, was a particular favorite of his. Before Alyssa had come onboard with the company, Lexi and JL had slept together on and off. She had scored a 35 and, like Alyssa, had bested many of those in management. Sexy Lexi, with her long, shapely gams and that sensuous mouth and straight, silky, raven hair that blew around her pretty face in the wind. Oh, lord. She wasn't easy to "give up." Yet JL did, because he thought Alyssa was worth it, the super-brainy Alyssa, who could beat him in chess and, like him, enjoyed reading the New York Times every day and working the paper's crossword puzzles.

It didn't take long for the other secretaries to get wind of what was going on between the boss and his latest Wonderlic champ. Lexi already knew that Alyssa had won because Alyssa herself had told her. It took a few weeks before Lexi and the rest of the "girls," as JL called them, to realize that JL had changed, at least for the time being. Never had he dated any of them exclusively, though that was the aim of some, including Lexi Cook. He was the proverbial 'good catch,' successful, good looking, culturally astute. Marriage material, if only he was marriage material, if only he could save his bed for that one special girl, and Alyssa appeared to be her, if the rumors were true, and at Worthington rumors usually were.

Alyssa could feel the envy bordering on jealousy, could feel it as she might a biting wind that blew in. The sarcastic looks, the snickers and silent treatment from some of the secretaries made for an uncomfortable work space. JL had anticipated such petty jealousy when he began his Wonderlic contests, which is why he always informed the winning secretary in private. However, human nature being what it is, the winners more often than not gave themselves away in subtle and not so subtle ways. Envy followed, mostly good-natured in tone because the girls knew that JL's interest was only skin deep, confirmed playboy that he was. Confirmed, that is, until Alyssa charmed him into putting that status on hiatus.

Alyssa endured the envy of her professional peers with a steely resolve to ignore it as best she could. She felt it was a small price to pay for being with JL. They saw each other after work hours a couple times a week and all weekend. All those romantic dinners and day trips and overnights, all those chess games (Alyssa won a little over half of them) and those mornings where they lingered over coffee reading the New York Times.

JL hardly lost his lust for other women, those in the office and others he met outside of it in passing. Still, after two months of dating Alyssa, he remained true. "I'm still being a good boy," he said to a male friend. "I'm crazy about the woman." He genuinely cared about her to the point where it hurt him knowing that she had to face a small but vocal group of catty, envious women every day.

Lexi Cook was one of those women, at least when it came to the envy part. She kept her mouth shut, kept herself "above the fray," as she put it. She didn't snicker, didn't bad-mouth Alyssa behind her back. In fact, she felt kind of sorry for her, while also envious of her thing with JL. Weeks before, after Alyssa had revealed to her that she had been crowned the new Wonderlic champ, Lexi told her not to expect much more than a bonus check and a romp in the sack. JL would never stick with one woman, she maintained. "Long-term to JL would mean something longer than eight hours," she had said.

Weeks later, it was obvious that he was proving her wrong. If only JL had poured that kind of affection on her, his "raven-haired beauty," smart enough to win one of his Sexy Secretaries contests, sexy and pretty enough to fuck a few times a night but not good enough for him to "anoint" her The One, if only for a couple months, the way he had done with Alyssa. It bugged her because she was competitive by nature, in her job, on the tennis court and when it came to men. She had a feeling that JL couldn't remain monogamous for long. He'd break down soon enough, perhaps even before the next Sexy Secretaries contest. Lexi knew that she was one of JL's favorites, that he fancied her, as a Brit might say. Where past Wonderlic winners normally got one night in bed with JL, Lexi didn't need much persuading to get him to accommodate her multiple times after her win. For Lexi, it wasn't just about the sex; it was about her hope that something long-term could develop between her and JL. It hadn't happened, yet Lexi never gave up hope that it would, even with Alyssa in the picture.

She began to think of ways to make it happen. "Maybe I'll learn how to play chess," she told a lady friend. Lexi knew that Alyssa and JL were both chess players, had sort of bonded over the game. Lexi soon dismissed that idea with a laugh. "I don't have any interest in chess. Of course," she continued, "JL also plays Scrabble, something I'm quite good at. We used to play together. He's very good, but I held my own, even beat him a number of times."

The friend suggested that Lexi start with the "basics," her sexuality, in other words. It hadn't been enough to snag JL all to herself in the past, but it was where Lexi needed to start. "As far as JL's concerned," the friend said, "your performance in the bedroom is your greatest asset. If he's the confirmed playboy you say he is, he's probably getting antsy for another woman right about now, so it shouldn't be too difficult to seduce him and you shouldn't have to win another IQ test in order to do it."

But where and how? When JL wasn't at work, he was with Alyssa. She'd seen them leave work together, no doubt to have dinner, then to overnight at his place. She and JL had that going on during her six-month reign as Wonderlic queen, though not to the extent that Alyssa now enjoyed. This "project" wouldn't be easy. This would take all the guile she could muster and then some.

*****

Lexi's friend had been right; JL WAS getting antsy for another woman. Variety was the spice of life, right? JL believed that, especially when it came to sex. He was trying, oh how he was trying to stay monogamous. Eight weeks had passed since he and Alyssa began dating, the longest JL could remember being with just one bed partner. Of course, his thing with Alyssa wasn't just about sex. It ran deeper than that. He shared personal information with her that he hadn't shared with others except for his immediate family. She did the same. He treasured those mornings they spent together reading the New York Times. What woman had he ever done that with? None. And what woman he knew intimately played chess, much less gave him challenging games? None. He could even, gawd forbid, see himself one day "settling down" with her.

And yet...

And yet he wasn't quite ready to settle down, because it meant monogamy, and monogamy sounded too much like monotonous—as in sleeping with the same woman for months on end. Years on end? Not possible! Guys weren't monogamous creatures, he believed. Guys needed more than one woman to satisfy their carnal urges, at least younger and even middle-age guys did, and JL wasn't yet forty. He hated the idea of "cheating" on Alyssa. He was crazy about her, as he told a friend. Perhaps he was even falling in love with her.

And yet...

And yet his mind and eyes wandered, and his cock stirred, and he found himself flirting with his raven-haired beauty, the sexy Lexi Cook. They'd had their go-arounds, their fun. It was always great fun with sexy Lexi. Not a chess player. Not a reader of the New York Times. A Scrabble player, yes, and a damn good one at that. Brainy Lexi: her Wonderlic score of 35 bested his by a few points. Not in Alyssa's cognitive league but damn fine. Verbal, articulate Lexi: able to leap complex thoughts with a single phrase. Irresistible Lexi: the erotic way she shook her head, letting her hair fall over her pretty face and dark eyes, and the sensuous way she crossed and uncrossed those long, shapely legs; and her scent, intoxicating as a bed of honeysuckles one day, a bowl of strawberries topped with whipped cream the next; and her body, slender and lithe, accommodating to whatever position he desired.

He could feel his resistance breaking down. With JL, flirting wasn't just flirting, wasn't just an end in itself, but a conduit to his bedroom.

*****

JL was flirting with her. It was a start. Her friend knew and Lexi knew it, too. JL didn't have it in him to stick with just one woman. She figured as much when he entered her cubicle, bent down to where she worked behind her computer and said, "I'd like see you in my office after hours."

"He must not be seeing Alyssa tonight," she whispered to a co-worker. They both giggled.

He liked his secretaries to dress professional, "tasteful," he called it. And Lexi was, in her blue skirt and white blouse and high heels that made her tapered, beautiful calves look even more beautiful. She sat in front of his big wood desk and crossed her legs, rubbing them together to create that sizzle sound that she knew got him excited, and then letting the hem of her garment ride halfway up her thighs. Of course, he gawked, he always gawked, and she grinned, confident that she knew the reason he wanted to see her. "Is this meeting about what I think it's about?" She shook her head hard enough for her hair to bounce around her face and swished her tongue across her lower lip, taking with it some of the pink lipstick she wore.

"It is if you're thinking politics. I'd like to discuss the upcoming presidential race. Bush or Dukakis? Who do you think will win?" He kept a straight face.

Politics? He wants to discuss politics? He must be kidding, she thought, one of JL's practical jokes. It was part of his charm, just like his Mickey Mouse watch, his thinning gray hair and the chauvinistic but also respectful way he approached women, the only man she knew who could pull off that seeming contradiction. "Sure, let's discuss it," she said, playing along. "Being the vice-president of a popular outgoing president, I'd say that Bush has the edge."

Hands folded on top the desk, he nodded. "That's my thinking also. Bush should get in riding on Reagan's coattails." He sat back, loosened his tie and then assumed his previous position. "Also, I wouldn't mind another Scrabble game if you're up for it." Slowly, his serious look gave way to a broad grin and then laughter."

She laughed with him. "JL, you'll never change. At least I hope not." She paused, shook her head. "But what about Alyssa? You're still seeing her, right?"

"Yes. And if that bothers you, I'll understand."

"Won't it bother YOU? I mean, you two seem so close, all lovey-dovey."

He pursed his lips together, as if straining to answer. "In a rational sense, no. In an emotional sense, maybe." He caught her curious look. "What I mean, is that Alyssa and I aren't married, not engaged, not even—what's that archaic word—pinned. On the other hand, she made it clear that she wouldn't see me if I slept around, and I told her I wouldn't. In the legal sense, I wouldn't be cheating on her because we're not married. In an ethical sense, I would be."

She sighed. "Now I'm all confused. You call me in here to suggest a game of Scrabble—and I'm hoping that's mostly a metaphor for something else—and then you tell me you'd feel bad violating Alyssa's trust. Of course, if we just played Scrabble, then there's no trust broken." She swished her cute derriere side to side across the seat, then continued. "Of course, that would mean none of those erotic skits we used to play, the ones where we even dressed for the part. Remember the one where I wore a short skirt with crotch-less panties and you did me over the sofa from behind? Or how about the time I bounced up and down on your cock in the back seat? I made you feel like you were eighteen again, you told me."

He took a few deep breaths. "You bet. And I'm hungry for an encore."

"Then let's do it, JL, because you know that I've made no such monogamous demands on you." What Lexi didn't tell him is how she envied Alyssa for having JL all to herself, something she'd love to claim someday. Admitting that now would be counterproductive, she knew. "Look, if it will make you feel any better, I'll promise not to tell. Not Alyssa, not anyone in the office. And yes, I know that's one bold promise considering how gossipy we secretaries can be. But trust me."

JL stood up from behind his desk. "I won't need to trust you," he said, looking serious for the first time since Lexi walked in. "I'll tell her myself."

She uncrossed her legs and slid to the edge of the chair. "Excuse me?!"

"Just what I said. I might be a playboy but I'm a virtuous playboy. I wouldn't feel right going behind her back."

Both amused and incredulous, she shook her head. "JL, you're one of a kind, the most charmingly eccentric man I've ever known."

"Just being me, is all." He glanced at his Mickey Mouse watch. "Well, the hour is late. We can have dinner and then repair to my place for that encore. It's on rather short notice, I know, but—″

"I'm ready," she cried, and then sprang up from her seat.

*****

"Just like old times," Lexi said, settling into her booth seat at Applebee's. "We ate here a lot before going over to your place."

JL nodded, though he didn't completely agree. Back then, he wasn't dating anyone exclusively. Sure, he saw Lexi more than anyone else, but he hadn't passed on the opportunity to become intimate with another girl. 'You'll never change,' Lexi had told JL, but he had. Sort of. Never before had he debated whether he should or should not become intimate with a woman. Now he was, and it was all because of his feelings for Alyssa. Desire, as it usually did, was pulling him into something he knew might end that relationship. He couldn't help himself. Or maybe he could but refused to put forth the effort. Lexi had a way about her that could drive JL wild. He could start with her smooth, light olive complexion, then her eyes, dark and mysterious, with more than a hint of mischief. It was also her mannerisms, the way she shook her head and pursed her sensuous lips, squirmed in her seat and wiggled her adorable nose that fit so well on her cute round face. She was in her late twenties but could pass for nineteen. Like Alyssa, like all those high-scoring Wonderlic secretaries, she could master new computer software quickly. And she always impressed him with the way she could come up with the most arcane words on the Scrabble board.

After their meal, which included sharing a carafe of Riesling, Lexi got into her Subaru Forrester and followed JL to his renovated town home in gentrified Cob Hill. Maybe it wasn't just like old times, because when she and JL were frequent bed partners, he'd sometimes drive her there, then drive her back to the office in the morning. Not this time, so she assumed, after their date, that she'd be sleeping in her own bed tonight.

Still, there was a feeling of déjà vu when she went in. She didn't notice any major changes, including the fancy chess set in his tiny den, the same set, she knew, that JL and Alyssa played on. She was going to suggest a Scrabble game, then changed her mind when they both kicked off their shoes, then stood and smooched on one of the living room scatter rugs. "Ohmygod, JL, you've got me wet already." She took his hand, pulled back her pantyhose, then shoved it inside her panties.

"So you are," he said, then slipped off his sports jacket and threw it on the sofa. "The master bedroom awaits our presence."

The master bedroom. Ah, she knew it well, the place where most all of JL's Wonderlic winners ended up. Ashley. Marissa. Beth. They'd all been here, including Alyssa, who no doubt spent more time here than the others. But she did notice one thing that had changed, the bed. "You finally replaced that tiny double of yours with a queen," she said, "something I had urged you to do for over a year."

"Right. Well, I thought it was time. We got tired of being cramped all night."

"Should I assume that Alyssa is the other half of we?"

He chuckled as he began to unbutton her blouse. "Actually, it's more of a collective we."

She let him keep going even though she felt slighted by no longer being a part of that collective we. Her car was parked out front and she expected to be driving it later tonight, not sleeping beside him in his new queen. It might have been enough to make her cry if not for the undivided attention she was getting from him now. Her blouse and bra were off and his tongue was on her "smooth, lovely boobs" as he once called them, making her even wetter. She had smelled his sexy, manly scent when they were downstairs. But now, with his shirt off, it came through much stronger, enhanced by the sight of his dark chest hair. She especially missed seeing those shoulders of his, broad and thick and strong, her idea of what a man's shoulders should look and feel like.

When he buried his face between her boobs and inhaled deeply, she said, "Guess you still like the way I smell."

"I said it back then and I can say it now. Like fresh strawberries topped with whipped cream." He paused to rub his fingers through her silky hair and along her prominent cheekbones. "You're impossible to resist, Lexi."

She rested her hands on his shoulders and gazed up into his hazel eyes. "Then feel free never to resist me again. No matter who you're involved with."

He nodded with a cautious grin, and then proceeded to step out of his pants and underwear, at the same time she stepped out of her skirt and then her pantyhose and panties. She wrapped her hand around his erection, then slid it fore and aft. "Oh, my, JL, is it my imagination or have you grown since last time?"

"A natural penis enhancement brought on by my raven-haired beauty who I've missed. More than I knew, apparently."

She knew that he knew how much she missed him also. No need to say it, but there was plenty need and desire to show it. Once in bed, she kissed him long and deep, losing herself in his tall, hard body and that manly scent that her olfactory memory had stored away for safe keeping and now burst forth in waves of nostalgic delight. She felt herself melting under his passionate kisses, a sign, she hoped, that his passion, both carnal and emotional, matched hers.

Now he was inside her, on top, looking at her, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something. She watched his eyes, trying to read him, then looked away, looked at the high ceiling, with its 19th century embroidery around the borders. Her vision blurred, then she closed her eyes, savoring the love making, the steady rhythm of his gentle thrusts, his heavy breathing. She moaned, she called his name and despite the almost dream-like state of her being, she had the presence of mind not to say what she felt and wanted to say: I love you, James Alexander LaPierre. Of course, she would have if he felt the same. He didn't; she knew that, knew he probably never would. He was the great catch that couldn't be caught, at least by her.