Vic Stone Takes the Hard Road

* * *

Vic's new office was on the twentieth level, just two below the presidential floor and boardroom.

He called his seven personnel into his office and introductions were made. Miss Ryan was a great-looking chick, probably only a couple of years older than Vic but her body looked pretty so-so.

"Right, you all know your previous manager has gone and why and that I'm the new guy in charge and am younger than any of you. That's just how the dice rolls. Upstairs wants no muck-ups over this and that's why they've handpicked me. Before I interview you all separately, and I said interview, not interrogate, I invite anyone who was involved in any way with Alf Godfrey's theft and the tens of thousands of dollars he siphoned from this company to clear your desk and walk out within the next hour. Do that and you'll walk away free. If you are contaminated and stay on here and I find out you will be dealt with severely. Now those comments I've just made don't apply to the innocent."

Miss Ryan flared, "But we are considered guilty until you are satisfied otherwise?"

"That's a fair assumption Miss Ryan. Tell me, in my position what would you do?"

"Well just let's say I'm applying for transfer to another department."

"Me too," said Mr Ross who wore old-style horn-rimmed glasses. "I feel insulted beyond belief."

"What would you do in my position Mr Ross?"

"Who knows, I'm an auditor not a fucking detective."

Vic eyed the three females one by one. "Is it acceptable to you ladies and also you other males if we use the word fuck in such a context, with no outsiders present?"

The responses were all yes.

"Are there any noes?"

There was silence.

"Okay Mr Ross, the restrained use of the word fuck may be used when letting off steam."

"Thank you. Call me John."

"Thank you."

"Everyone else took turns to invite Vic to call them by their first name and he reciprocated. He found out that Miss Ryan's first name was Katrina.

"Right, any questions?"

There were none.

"Who is my PA?"

"You don't have one," John said. "Katrina looks after administration for all of us and Kitty does our department's formal correspondence, photocopying and runs messages."

"Katrina please add being my PA to your duties and Kitty may deputize for you. If you don't like it leave. Now we need to go somewhere to get to know each other better. I'm aware that except for the café we are the smallest department in the company. But our role is massive. For those of you who elect to stay I invite you to join me for drinks at 4:00 across the street at Katie's Bar to chat informally. I'll pick up the tab for the first hour. Oh, attendance is compulsory for those who are staying on but you are not required to drink alcohol; just order alternative drinks."

Vic sighed, "I'm off now for an appointment with the investigator who found that the former manager of this department was a thief. I wish to hear from him about what he found and how he conducted his investigation rather than hearing about it second-hand. I'm reputedly a good guy and am usually not this aggressive so give me a chance. I'll see you later."

Vic wasn't surprised to find the investigator had looked through hours of tapes until he found a tape showing the manager taking that money from the reserves held in the safe for extraordinary demands on petty cash. It was the only money in the safe that wasn't regularly audited and that was a huge oversight. Although the safe was locked, the key was hidden where all senior staff in finance and audit knew it was kept. The secure time lock switched in twenty minutes after the last person had left that office that evening and minutes later the camera recorded the time of the theft being conducted. The money had not been found missing until three weeks later when a spot audit was being made. Those security holes had since being filled.

The session at the bar went well. As Vic left at 5:20 Katrina fell into step beside him.

"You were a real asshole to us earlier today, walking straight in and coming down on us hard as if talking to a bunch of thieves."

"Katrina you know it had to be done."

"Yes but anyone else would have picked a more pleasant way."

"Are you sure of that?"

"Oh how would I know? Would you believe me if I said I believe absolutely Alf Godfrey acted alone. He never was one of us."

"Yes."

"What?"

"I believe you believe that."

"Oh god, there's hope for you yet."

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Yes."

"Even so will you come to dinner with me tonight."

"Yes in a manner of speaking. You come home for dinner at my parent's place."

"Ah no thank you. I haven't met you father yet. I should wait to visit his home until he invites me, if it ever does."

"He's in Hong Kong on business right now."

"Oh excellent. I'll accept you invitation providing you call your mom and clear it with her first. Tell her who I am."

Katrina walked away and made the call. She returned and said it was okay but her mom wondered why she was inviting him but not Mike."

"Is Mike your boyfriend?"

"Yes, just a boyfriend. Mom is aware I've never invited him home to dinner."

"I see. I'll have to think about that one."

"So will I. It probably means potentially I like you better than I like Mike."

"Mike will be thrilled to hear that."

They laughed. She gave him the address and time and kissed his cheek, going off to her vehicle.

Vic went to the mini-mansion by cab because he hadn't taken delivery of his vehicle yet and anyway he'd been drinking and would be drinking more. He went feeling uneasy and that proved justified. The meal was only okay despite being served by the family's salaried cook; he knew if his Aunt June were the cook here she'd win the accolades from this family.

The mother was, to say the least, rather frosty and Katrina proved to be a vacuous show-off, talking about their society events including the annual garden party held at their home that always received media coverage with daughter and mother wearing designer garden party dresses. It was sickening.

At the first opportunity after dinner he announced he felt he was going to be sick and both mother and daughter picked up their phones to call a cab.

"You don't like me," Katrina sniveled. "I saw the expression on your face when you looked at me over dinner."

"We'll what did you expect," he said vaguely, tossing the ball into her court and then added, "Stand clear, I'm about to vomit."

Katrina yelled and jumped back inside, slamming the door, leaving Vic to wait for the cab alone. She had been such a disappointment to him. He grinned, wondering what she now thought of him. He was fine, not at all feeling unwell.

CHAPTER 2

Vic was back to his new apartment in time to call June about the new job but something told him to wait. He watched TV and ninety minutes later, yawning, he was about to go to bed when the phone went.

"Hi Vic, it's Evan Wood. Our company president has called me from Hong Kong and has given me the unenviable task of firing you forthwith. Sorry buddy."

Vic couldn't remember Evan being his buddy but held his tongue expect to say ominously, "Is that so?"

"Vic, please remain cool. Wait until I meet you in the morning."

Evan gave Vic the address of the café to meet at 10:00. "I'm going to butter your hand buddy and part of the deal is you are not to go near the office again or near Katrina again. She and her mother have been talking to the president. Your personal possessions will be delivered to you early morning."

"Okay Evan. I'll withhold my counter-attack until after we meet. You better make that butter very thick buddy."

"Er right."

Vic was reasonably happy. He'd reluctantly but nevertheless ambitiously had accepted that huge promotion into internal audit. What a fucking boring job. Providing the payout was large enough this was the perfect way out and to find a small business that he could run and capitalize on what he knew he had: entrepreneurial flair. He was being fired from a company that specialized in providing financial services and planning and staging fund-raising events for charitable organizations. He really had not interest in that. Yawning after a couple of more drinks he went to bed

Evan Wood looked decidedly nervous. The company's head of legal who looked totally detached accompanied him.

"Hi buddy," Evan said. "This is our head attorney Max Fife."

"Hi Max. Are you here to spoon feed Evan?"

Max ignored that cheap shot.

They all ordered light and talked generally and after eating Evan had the table cleared and got down to business.

"We wish you to sign this letter of resignation, effective forthwith and I give you my acceptance of that resignation and you request to leave the company immediately. You cite the reason as you think your new promotion is too onerous for you."

"I see."

"If we fired you we'd have to give a reason and you could fight your dismissal on legal grounds and if it went to court you would bring out the fact that the president's daughter has taken a huge dislike to you."

"Oooh, the company would be ridiculed throughout the business world for dismissing a senior executive on those whimsical grounds wouldn't it buddy," Vic grinned.

Max said, "That's enough Evan."

"Here's the deal Vic. Since you have already suggested legal action against us is possible we will hand you \$100,000 cash in return for your resignation and signing a legal document Max will go over with you in which you undertake to take no legal action against the company whatsoever."

Fifteen minutes later Vic walked off to his bank and deposited the big bundle of cash. It counted to exactly 100 grand.

A little dazed Vic went home where he found his possession from his office waiting for him. He called June and told her how he'd landed a fabulous promotion yesterday and today he'd been fired, under coercion of resigning because the boss's daughter didn't like him.

"They can't do that."

"Well they have."

"Well take them to court for unjustified dismissal, complete reinstatement and seek damages of $25,000."

"I can't. They have paid me $100,000 to resign and keep quite about it and not to take legal action against them."

"Christ, which kind of business do they do in Chicago? It sounds like those peopled are doped out of their brains."

"I was going to invite you to come to Chicago this weekend to celebrate my big job. Could you still come and celebrate my hugely successful exit from the company."

"Yes, we'll come. Larry is itching to visit Chicago."

"Oh great, I'll show him around while you and Ken check out suppliers and some of the leading men's clothing stores and their suppliers. Then we'll dine out together and do a couple of shows. You guys buy your return flight tickets and I'll reimburse you. I'll book you into a two-bedroom classy hotel suite and everything this weekend is on me. You guys treated me just great for two years."

"Ken won't like it; he'll think of it as charity."

"Kick his ass June and tell him that's the way it is. Phone me re your arrival time at O'Hare."

They had an amazing weekend, doing everything tourists strive to do and doing it expensively. The family stayed at the Peninsula Hotel and the three of them were awed by it, making Vic very happy.

Just before entering security at the airport June raced back to kiss Vic again. "Darling, if you find you are unhappy living in Chicago please come home."

He waved as she caught up to Ken and Larry who were waiting and Vic found himself sniffing and blew his nose.

During the next five weeks he worked at answering business ads that had some initial appeal and visited business agencies. It was thankless work because half were patently scams and almost half were undercapitalized failing businesses promising the world to get their hands on his cash. It became quite depressing.

Paula had turned up at his apartment a week after he terminated with the company to cook him dinner and cheer him up. She didn't have to really think what to do to achieve that result, at least temporarily.

She came another twice and then called to say she believed her husband had become suspicious because he'd phoned her girlfriends he knew to see if they knew where she was. "I better withdraw my services darling."

Vic soothed, "I understand."

"Sorry."

"Paula, your family comes first. Just remember that."

She called next day. "I approached my friend Joan, you'll remember her, a fleshy redhead. She and her husband have this agreement about playing around."

"Ah yes, she wanted me to make her pregnant."

"Yes that's the one. If you want her on Friday night you can have her."

"Yeah okay."

"She doesn't cook well; you'd be advised to eat out."

Over dinner at a restaurant after fucking themselves almost legless, Joan asked what work was Vic involved in.

"Looking for work."

She giggled and they talked about it and she became interested. "You ought to talk to my brother's girlfriend's much older sister. She's a new divorcee with a barrow load of money looking for a business partner with acumen who today was as rare as hen's teeth. Most people she's contacted act suspiciously like latent swindlers."

"What's a latent swindler?"

"A person who rises up and bites, separating you and your money when you least expect it."

"Oh, I know the problem."

"Marcia knows Paula whom I know would give you a glowing testimonial."

* * *

Vic was walking to the café following a sexy bitch who had A1 legs and a ass that any guy would like to use to write sex messages and then he did a double take... black hat, red top and white skirt. Jesus, it was her!

He hurried closer. "Marcia?"

She turned, smiled and asked. "Vic?"

He said yes and kissed her on the lips before he had time to think he shouldn't do that.

She grabbed on to her hat and looked surprised. "God you are a fast worker."

"It was a greeting."

"I know but you kissed me in a very familiar fashion."

"I'd sorry."

"Don't be. There's the café fifty yards in front of us."

She'd suggested on the phone to meet at 1:30 as by then some of the 'one o'clockers' as she called them would have gone, freeing up tables. She was correct. They walked through a found a table outside just being cleared overlooking the river.

"How's this?"

"Perfect."

She blushed, becoming aware Vic was looking at her boobs.

He said smoothly, "Eating while looking over water aids the digestion."

"I bet not as much as chewing slowly and thoroughly," she giggled.

Joan had said Marcia was thirty and was getting over her divorce very well.

Vic had resolved not to mention that. "I sorry to hear about your divorce."

He cringed.

"It's already behind me. I wanted kids, he wasn't ready to have kids he said, we argued. We argued lots more and the marriage just fell apart. Neither of us is bitter but found out our basic differences too late. He still calls me to check that I'm getting along okay. What about you? Going steady I would think, a catch like you?"

Vic pretended not to have heard that last bit. "I made a mistake by openly criticizing a woman I'd just met and in front of her mother I'd already thought didn't like me much. Bang and I lost my job."

"Oh is that what happened? Paula's version was you resigned suddenly, thinking the job was too complicated for you."

"Or too boring. Well I must not talk about it. I entered a hush money agreement."

"Oh I see. Those fucking two cows."

"What is a lovely woman like you using language like that?"

Marcia laughed and said, "I think I rather like you. Let's get some wine."

Two hours later they stood in a marketplace crowded with women buying cheap designer brands of clothing, jewelry and cosmetics.

"You want to develop a business like this?"

"Yes Vic, but not here and not near-junk like this. Same thing but top-end product... end of lines, lines with minor defects, end of season's lines, stock from clearances to make way for new stock coming into designer brand stores."

"Isn't that being done?"

"Yes, in many places in the city and some designer stores even have their own outlet shops. My thinking goes beyond that."

"Designer Outlet City?"

"Oh, good boy and I love the name. Come, I'll show you."

It was just a short cab ride away. The walked around the 'island' supermarket bounded by streets on all sides with parking lots on three sides and then walked through the huge building.

"As far as supermarkets go this is obsolete. The operators want it bigger, brighter and anchoring a host of smaller mainly service type stores that create a one-stop shopping center based around kitchen-bathroom-laundry-garden needs. Their replacement opens in six weeks and this one closes two weeks later. My father, a prominent attorney, and my mother own this property and are prepared to lease me the entire site with the first four months rent free, what's called a rental holiday."

"And is what you propose viable?"

"It looks that way. I can show you the figures."

They walked to a line-up of cabs. "So you want my money and my business head to run the show for you?"

"Yes, more or less. Your one hundred grand and I put in one hundred grand and we borrow working capital from me at lower than commercial rate to get the building tarted up and stocked. I received more than three million bucks in my divorce settlement. I want you to talk to my father to check this all out. During the last couple of days he's had you checked out and is satisfied. I have no business experience and he won't allow me to launch into this with just anyone."

"Okay, I'm interested. What now?"

"Vic you appear to have ended disastrously when you last went to a new girlfriend's place for dinner so I won't invite you home for dinner. Oh, don't blush but Joan did say go to your place and cook dinner. If you like me enough you may deliver what I need. I don't have that kind of guy at present. As in business, just any guy simply will not do."

"I see. Well come to my humble apartment and we'll talk about this. I have good food supplies on hand."

* * *

There was nothing much to look at in the apartment so Marcia just glanced around and then settled into the tiny open kitchen and asked Vic to fix drinks.

She kept glancing at him and he knew what that was about. She really wanted it, or at least to know she would be getting it tonight.

In the crafty way Vic's thoughts went, he handed Marcia her Vodka on the rocks with a dash of lime juice and asked, "Do I need to go out for condoms?"

She looked at him deeply, said cheers and threw down a slug of her drink. "No unless you are no confident about the health of your cock."

"I'm confident. You're a great looking chick Marcia. I'm looking forward to sharing bodies."

The cutting knife chopped dangerously close to Marcia's fingers. "Put some music on darling."

* * *

Marcia thought he really was a smooth one. He was practically up her all ready. Those dark amorous eyes and his slick black hair were doing things to her, making her legs feel like opening wide. Even so first impressions were he was appeared a straight upfront guy; she already felt she could trust him and work with him. Having great sex with him would be a bonus. She might even live with him until she met a guy who looked fatherly; this guy looked 100% female predator.

She pushed her crotch against the drawer handle below her. She couldn't recall ever wanting sex this much. The divorce had thrown her off balance, totally disrupting her hitherto smooth life and she'd had sex with a few guys since the marital breakup but had failed to be blown away. Perhaps that was about to change.

The guy she'd just involuntarily called darling had soft music playing and was now sliding in behind her as she worked. She braced to feel him grope her breasts. But no, he shocked. Wordlessly he dropped down and reaching up under her skirt pulled her panties down. Also wordlessly she stepped out of them, her mind spinning and her breathing rate lifting.