Up T'Smoke Ch. 03

3. Games people play.

The next morning started slowly. Fiona gave me that "doe-eyed' look.

"Eat me out Petey, and make me come again" she asked smiling sweetly. "Then we had better get up: the day is passing."

I obliged. Was I ever lucky!

We had brunch, like a couple of weeks ago, then the rest of the day we did the tourist thing. In the evening we saw a West End show, light and fluffy, and eminently forgettable. At one point Fiona asked me if I had a dinner jacket and I replied yes. She said she asked because we have been invited to a Christmas Formal at her hospital. What she meant to say was that she had been asked and I was assumed to be willing if suitably attired.

My tuxedo was an inheritance from Mum's older brother. He was a policeman, a big man at 6' 3," so Mum had it taken in for me and I had used it at Bristol U for the formals there. Nothing flashy but it was serviceable, and people only looked at the women's outfits anyway.

The day passed most enjoyably. The kitbag was not mentioned again, and when I got home there were messages. The important one was from Alastair telling me a meeting had been set up for Wednesday morning and could I prepare a 15-20 minute Power Point presentation, without details.

I could say that I sent a lot of time preparing for the Wednesday meeting, but I didn't. I simply listed 4 ideas I had developed to varying degrees plus the patent already shared with Bristol U and Glaxo Smith Klein. The meeting was at the National Cancer Institute and I set off early so I could have a coffee beforehand.

Alastair was there when I arrived and Starbucks was nearby; where are they not? We found the conference room with 20 minutes to spare and I synced my computer with the projector. Soon a woman and eight men sat down and we all introduced ourselves with our affiliations. Alastair gave me a brief introduction and I gave my talk. There were lots of questions, most of which I could answer, some I couldn't for various reasons and some Alastair cut off.

Alastair and I left for a sandwich lunch agreeing to meet back in 2h.

"Peter, I have been offered a named chair at Stanford in Palo Alto, California, starting in the late Spring or early Summer," Alastair stated as we ate our sandwiches. "It has been in the works almost since I left Bristol. I would like you to come with me, in fact your agreement may make the difference to whether I go or not. This group are going to make you an offer which I feel sure you will accept, and it could set you up for life."

"I've been talking with the group for 3 weeks now. They all want 'in' on your ideas and first choice at licensing your patents. There were more companies interested but for practical reasons we narrowed the group to four: GSK, Novartis, Merck and J and J. Big Pharma is so competitive as you know, companies concentrate on specific areas and your ideas overlap many disciplines. But the major point is that they all recognize your unique ideas and your unique methods for testing. They will explain the details of their offer to you this afternoon."

We returned to the conference room.

There was only one speaker of the 4 people present after lunch. Dr Jos van Osterlin of Merck summarized the offer: my scientific directorship, the stand-alone building, my salary, budget, staffing, Alastair's involvement, progress reports and a wealth of details. All areas were open to discussion including start date. Would 2 months be long enough to make decisions and, if positive, some of the details?

"Dr Banks and I will need some time to discuss the overall plan and the details but this proposal is very much in line with the ideas we discussed separately" said Alastair, raising his eyebrows questioning me.

I smiled and nodded back. We rose and shook hands. The industry people left and Alastair and I sat back down.

Alastair opened the conversation, "Well, what do you think Pete, can you handle it?"

I replied, still thinking "No problem with the science side Alastair and obviously the sponsors are OK with it too. But it's the admin that I'm not familiar with: presumably we - I - can hire someone to do that?"

"Otherwise it's a fabulous opportunity. And before we go on, thank you so much for all the arranging you've done. Obviously nothing would have happened without you directing traffic."

"I wasn't alone in this Peter. You remember I mentioned Jack Muir to Prof at your exam? He and I are old mates and he knows both the science side and patents. He also has contacts all over the world so together we drafted a somewhat cryptic message to several Pharma companies. Their response was immediate and positive: they all wanted in. The rest was in the details. And it's not completely altruistic: I get to benefit by 10% of what you get, and Merck plus J and J helped me land the chair at Palo Alto. A win-win situation."

"Two other points before we head home Peter. The first is that GSK have an apartment a few blocks from the Royal Marsden. It is currently unoccupied and after you sign you should get a memo offering it to you until you leave for Stanford, free of course. The second is your salary. Nobody mentioned it at the meeting but the word is it will be around 350. Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars that is, minus my ten percent. So with what I make as chair plus your 10% we will be making about the same. How does that sound?"

"I have to stay seated Alastair, before I fall down," I replied. "That's a fantastic offer and of course I will accept it. But what should I do next? I suppose I should just sit back and wait for the paperwork to catch up with me."

"Good thought! Go out for a beer and relax!" He laughed and we parted company.

I called Jeff Mitchell to go for a beer. It was time I caught up with him for a chat about his experiments. I had been busy with my own work but Jeff was always ready for a drink, especially if I was buying. I got to the pub before Jeff and had time to make a few notes: I needed to find a lawyer who was not part of Big Pharma, must talk to Mum and Dad (and sister Sandra). Question: who can I tell about Stanford? Answer: nobody, not even Fiona, at least for a long time - months.

My routine was now established. I worked in the lab till late most evening and occasionally had a beer with Jeff. His experiments were interesting and I could often help with suggestions. He had some idea of my work but I was cautious in what I said. These evenings Fiona was busy with her clinical course.

At one point I was giving a research seminar and at the end a visitor asked a probing question which implied he knew more of my work that I expected. I began to explain when I caught sight of Alastair in the audience waving his hand across his throat: stop! It was clear to Alastair where the questions were leading and later he told me that the questioner worked for a generic drug manufacturer. Once again my naivety was showing. I must be more careful.

The weekends were almost all with Fiona, with occasional games of rugby. I didn't play often enough to secure a slot in an upper team and I was disillusioned with the kind of coarse rugby at the lower levels. I had to make do with a couple of games of squash, at 45 minutes, during the week rather than the 3h for rugby.

Life with Fiona was great. A week after the Pharma meeting I turned up at her apartment when Elspeth and Duncan were away, and we had dinner at the Italian place two blocks away. As we walked back to her place she told me she had a surprise for me.

"Go on to the bedroom" she asked. "I'll be a couple of minutes."

She returned wearing her house coat and fresh makeup. She walked over to the clothes cupboard, turning to me with a big smile and holding Lady Margaret's bag of tricks.

"Remember these?" she asked. "I've been dying to ask you to play with me. Aunt Maggie was very discrete but she did say that you know how to use them and I've always wondered about the D/s scene. Can we, please? Pretty please?"

"Do you know what you are asking?" I replied. "There is pain involved and a lot of trust. Do you trust me that much? Have you read about this lifestyle at all?"

"Of course I have, and yes I do trust you Petey. I know you wouldn't really hurt me. I just want to experience what you and Aunt Maggie did for that time in Bristol that she enjoyed so much. Will you please?"

So saying she shrugged the housecoat off her shoulders to reveal a half-bra and lace panties.

Obviously Lady Margaret had been quite open about my fantasies. The half-bra Fiona wore was a white lace strip supporting the two glorious globes with nipples standing at the ready. I reached for her and she came into my arms so readily, looking up for a kiss with closed eyes.

With one arm around her I reached down to cup her breast with the other hand, gently rubbing my thumb over her nipple. Our tongues met and jousted with each other while I rolled her nipple between thumb and forefinger.

"Oh Petey you know just how to get me going. Is this going to be a vanilla evening or can we start playing with the toys?"

"It's up to you my darling." Darling? Where did that come from? Freudian slip, I hope. Did she notice?

"Oh let's play with the toys, please," as she pulled away and picked up the 'toy bag', emptying it on the bed.

"I've looked at these but I'm not sure what they are or their use" she commented, picking up the monoglove and the mid-sized anal plug.

"These are nipple clamps I think, but what about these?" as she held up mini nipple suckers. There was also the flogger, the two ball gags, assorted Velcro strips and soft rope in coils.

"All right," I said "we can play for a while. Depending on how long it takes me to get organized, but just for an hour. Then we stop and you tell me how you feel. OK?"

"Yes Sir," she replied.

"Don't speak unless you are spoken to!" I admonished her.

I laid out the armbinder and asked her to start lacing it while I found the tall clothes horse with four legs in the walk-in closet. I put it at the bottom of the bed.

"Lie on the bed on your belly" I instructed Fiona and I pulled her arms together. I folded the armbinder around them, tightening the laces slowly so her elbows touched. She winced and looked around at me. I used a Velcro strap around her wrists and another around her elbows. The I tightened the leather tie under her armpit, around her shoulder and across her back to the D-ring on the other side of the binder. Her arms were now immobile.

Next I placed the soft red foam ballgag in place using the head harness, and slipped the sleeping mask over her eyes. I gently raised her to her feet and led her around the bed in front of the clothes horse. I placed her arms in the armbinder over the back of the clothes horse and tied her wrists to the second rung.

Then I undid the ties to her bikini bottoms and let the lacy fabric fall to the ground. Finally I moved her legs apart and secured them with Velcro ties to the legs of the clothes horse.

What a sight! Fiona looked superb. She was flexing her arms and her legs, and there was enough slack to allow maybe an inch or so of movement. Her nipples stood proud in the half bra and her face was a slight pink.

"How are you doing so far?" I asked. "If you want to stop now, just move you head sideways and I'll undo you. If you're OK, just nod."

Fiona nodded; I was not surprised. I reached up and flicked her nipples with my index fingers: they stood out proudly. I attached a non-piercing piece of jewelry to each. These were elastic loops with an adjustable slider and fake pearls at the end. I slid the adjustment up to capture the nipples. Then I flicked the pearls to see the effect. Fiona shook, unused to having her breasts played with this way.

I stood back and picked up the flogger. This had a leather handle and a dozen or so 15" by 1" doeskin strips attached to the handle. I twirled the strips around in a loop, touching Fiona's midriff every second. I continued this for about two minutes, then I flogged the side of her breasts and down the middle, carefully avoiding the areolas and nipples.

Finally, after about five minutes I flogged the end of the nipples, alternating right then left. By now her body was showing a bright pink over her breast area and she was trying to make a noise, close to an orgasm. I could see her thigh muscles tense and relax and her head started to shake.

I kept the flogger twirling but moved away from her body. She could hear the sound of the strips moving through the air but they were not touching her: she was being edged closer to orgasm but not there yet.

I let the strips touch the inside of her legs, down by her knees and up to her thighs, but away from her pussy. She knew what I was doing. Gradually I moved closer to her Mound of Venus, gently touching the outer lips, softly stimulating the whole of her pussy. The outer lips became engorged with blood and Fiona tried to move her knees together, to prevent the inevitable eruption of her senses.

Then it happened: all the muscles in her body tensed, her head went back and she wailed into the ballgag. Then her head fell forward and her knees collapsed.

I was there to hold her up, undo the ankle straps and lift her off the clothes horse. I placed her on the bed, took off the sleep mask and the ballgag, and released the armbinder straps.

"Are you OK?" I asked.

"I'm OK; that was intense" she said, "but it was great. I am so tired: come to bed with me Petey. No, don't take the armbinder off yet, it makes me feel so vulnerable, just loosen the elbows please."

I picked her up and carried her to her side of the bed, pulled down the bedclothes and slid her in, pulling the sheet and blanket around her. I put the toys back in the bag, tidied up, cleaned my teeth and slipped in beside her. She was asleep.

I cuddled up beside her and put my arm around her. We both slept.

Sometime during the night I released the laces and the armbinder slid off. Fiona was lying with one arm across my chest, her short bright red hair just touching me. I reached down, pulled her hair back and kissed her cheek. She looked up at me and smiled.

"You bastard Petey, that was wonderful last night: you've got me hooked. We've got to do some more."

"And there I am thinking only about me: you didn't get to come last night poor laddie. I'll make it up to you."

Her hand reached down and touched me.

"Hold on! Morning wood," I grumbled and slid out of bed.

"Hurry back" she replied.

I did and we began our activity in a more usual fashion. Fiona liked to have me on my back, kneeling over my hips with my cock in her hands. She would examine it, rub the palm of her hand on top, and fellate me. That was enough for me to become erect and ready for action. Then she would play with it, slap it gently, hold my balls in one hand and the crown with the other, kiss it, take it in her mouth. You get the idea: 100 things to do with your guy's cock.

At some point I would lose it and throw her on her back and suck her pussy till she writhed like a snake or a bucked like a bronco. Then into the condom and I would pound her until she came again. It was good fun and enjoyable for both: classical 'friends with benefits.'

I wasn't sure if it wasn't becoming more than that though.

Life was good. Fiona's Christmas Formal came and went: I was in my penguin suit, like all the men, and Fiona wore this really hot number: a three-quarter length gold satin dress with a low front to show her attributes to their advantage. My initial reaction was "Wow" and I immediately sensed a reaction, as I think all the males did when we arrived.

We were at a table with six of her friends. I knew one of the guys vaguely from seminars: we were all fellows or junior staff members. Quite a nice meal with wine, then the floor was cleared and we danced. I had the first couple of dances with Fiona then she was off doing the rounds. I danced a few with the other women at the table and a couple with nurses I knew from The Marsden. Before I knew it Fiona came over a grabbed me for the last, slow, dances, to the envy of many. I felt quite proud to be with her. She hugged me tightly and reached up for a kiss.

"Time to go, lover boy" and we left.

Fiona was going up to Scotland for Christmas and I had plans to visit my folks in Dorset. I figured to be away about 10 days. Neither of us suggested meeting parents. The weekend before we left Fiona told me she would like to 'play with the toys again.' I asked if she had something in particular in mind and she replied:

"I'll think about it and get back to you."

I knew what was in the bag of tricks so I had several scenarios to fall back on.

During that week I got a package of documents from GSK about the contract and several other details. I heard from a patent lawyer friend of Alastair who was going to look over the legalities of our positions and patents, just to make sure we were not being taken advantage of. Once again, Alastair looking out for me. I also heard from a realty company that the apartment was ready for my occupancy and an agent would like to show me the place.

I was busy in the lab that week too. Using the bacterial mutant, I prepared samples of unusual bases with rare sugars as potential anticancer chemicals, which I passed on to the cell biologists at Marsden working with both solid tumours and ascitic cells.

There were no emails from Fiona during the week until Thursday night.

I didn't want to discuss my week with Fiona over the phone so I waited until we got together on Friday. This was apparently to be a pizza date, at least at first.

I arrived about 6 o'clock and Fiona was not happy, in fact she was furious. Her face was red, she had been crying and I couldn't get near her.

"That stupid fucking sister of mine!" she spat, "she gone and got herself pregnant. Of all the stupid cows! She and Duncan are getting married in January. I know it is only three months before she had intended, but it's really going to fuck up my plans."

I decided to say nothing, just wait for the storm to subside.

"Oh Petey" she snivelled "you haven't done anything to deserve this. Of course Mummy will be here for the foreseeable future, Aunt Maggie and Sophie too. Elspeth wants a quickie here in London, Daddy will be furious, he hates London."

This is where I disappear I thought. Change the subject?

"Listen Fee, how about I just go out and get us some supper, maybe Chinese or Italian take-away, or pizza as we planned. You can stay here."

"Ah Petey, you're brilliant! Nothing we can do about it anyway. I'm coming with you."

So off we went to the nearest source of take-away: the Chinese chippie. Four cartons and a bottle of cheap Italian red and we were back at her place in an hour.

No sooner had we got in the apartment then Fiona started up again.

"Stupid cow! How did I get a sister like that? You better keep a good stock of Featherlite Petey."

I nodded sagely, put the bag with the cartons on the table and turned to kiss her. Her body was rigid. I took her hands in mine, held them behind her back, then released them, pulling her to me. She was crying.

"It was going to be so good. I had a nice bridesmaid outfit chosen and Mummy and I had all these plans. She was going to tell Daddy at Christmas." She sniffed.

I held her tight. Gradually her body relaxed as I held her and I kissed her forehead.

"Let's eat" she said.

We sat at the bar in the kitchen and devoured the contents of the cartons. In retrospect I have no idea what the dishes were. We finished the bottle while we sat on the floor, our backs against the sofa, watching a chick flick - something about Tuscany or Provence. I had my arm around her, she had her head on my shoulder.

About 10 o'clock I moved to go to the bathroom: she was asleep. I picked her up and quietly put her to bed in her underwear. I rinsed my face, cleaned my teeth and crept in beside her. What a week!