Warming the IcePrincess Pt. 02

Moving quickly get myself a front row seat, I cut the corner near the one side of the dais and smacked right into someone executing the same maneuver. It was my friend and unrelenting suitor from the computer room Database Dan.

"Shit, I'm sorry Dan," I said after looking up at the hulking obstruction in my path.

He was as startled as I was and asked in his normal rapid-fire delivery, "What the hell is going on Jane? I was told to be here tonight but no one told me why. Damn don't you look nice."

I grabbed his hand and pulled him along without a word finding a seat right in front of the assembling dignitaries, "Sit down, shut up, and you'll find out any minute now buddy," I told him growing more excited as the crowd settled into their seats.

Claire's father stood behind a small podium and began thumping the microphone asking tersely, "Is this damn thing working, or do I have ta yell?"

I gave him two thumbs up and he flashed me a grateful smile and began, "I think you all know me, some better than others, but just to be clear I'm Bart Stilwell board chairman and C.E.O. and to my left here is a little lady most of you know as Claire McAllister."

He paused for effect and then loosed the first bombshell of the evening, "Well she aint, she's really my baby girl Katharine Clarisse Stilwell or Katie as I sometimes call her." He paused to let the hushed murmurs die down before continuing, "As a favor to me, the company, and the U. S. Justice Department, She has been working under wraps for the past few years trying to uncover how that snake Clifton Adams was stealing this company blind."

The two Gentlemen to my right here are with the FBI they have been coordinating her efforts to document his criminal activity. There were some strong suspicions that he had done the same damn thing over at Allied before the merger. But no one there could ever figure out his dirty tricks and catch him with his hand in the cookie jar."

He went on smiling and looking right at me now and said, "For certain legal reasons we can't let all of the cats out of the bag but I can tell you that the one who first uncovered Adams scheme was one of our own accounting people. Sneaky as he was Clifton Adams couldn't outsmart our own Jane De Marco."

He pointed right down at me and motioned for me to stand, "Get up there for us Jane honey and let everyone get a look at you."

I was so shocked I'm sure my face was as red as Claire's dress when I did get my legs to work. I glanced around the room shyly giving a quick wave as every eye in place was riveted on me. I quickly sat to escape their scrutiny.

I heard a soft chuckle from Mr. Stillwell before he continued as I bowed my head in embarrassment. "She provided the forensic accountants in the FBI with the hidden clues they needed to unravel his whole criminal enterprise and help us shut him down."

Still feeling the scrutiny of the entire room, I wanted to crawl under the table and hide. Finally I looked up at Claire and her father they were both smiling warmly down at me. I saw nothing but love and pride on their faces and I felt my discomfort quickly melting away.

He continued with his explanation no longer drawing attention toward me, "It appears now that Adams was trying to hide his double dealing in among the flurry of claims that comes in after each hurricane in the past few years. There were indications that He may have been doing it over at Allied for years before that. Miss De Marco found out how he was running a shadowy scheme electronically duplicating payments to our legitimate customers and sending that money to his own offshore account before erasing his tracks. Jane caught on to it and brought it straight to my baby girl here. That's when the FBI was called in. It took quite some time to track where the money was going after he stole it, but just this week we found than out too. That's why he was taken into custody this morning and I can tell you all about it now."

The room erupted into applause as everyone picked up on the relief in Bart's voice.

His voice strained to brake through the excited murmurs so he could continue when the group was slow to settle down, "That young fella sitting next to Jane there is Mr. Daniel Phillips. He designed a sophisticated data trap on Adams computer activity without ever being told what it was about. He did such a fine job of it we have an unbroken record of every dirty little trick Adams tried to pull on the good people at Continental. That information is now in the hands of the U. S. Justice Department. Actually, I can tell you now the data trap he designed collected information from every workstation in the company. Therefore, in the next few days some of you may be hearing from the Human Resources department. They seem to feel some of our folks need a reminder of the proper behavior on the company's computers," his wide smile brought a quiet murmur of uneasy laughter from the assembled group.

"Thankfully thought, Ms. De Marco and Mr. Phillips uncovered only the one thief. Because of the solid work done by our own people with the help of the authorities that evidence will be used to help send him to prison for a very long time." The spontaneous applause exploded around us but my eyes were fixed on a single point in the room, Claire's radiant face and happy smiling eyes.

Even though his voice grew more serious, his mood remained buoyed, "Now the board members will have to get to work. We will have some hard decisions to make in the next few days." He scanned the room looking for the faces of those he was addressing, "We will be filling the vacancy of a corporate officer. As well as beginning some preliminary reworking of the budgets we've all had to strangle. Those changes need to be ready to implement as soon as the funds are released by the courts. The funds recovered from his off-shore account will give us a bit of elbowroom that we haven't had in a good long time."

Everyone was on their feet clapping wildly when he turned away from the podium and the older of the two FBI agents stepped toward it. I watched him as he stood and moved along the dais. For some reason as he walked to the podium, his eyes never left mine. He was a very handsome man, tall, distinguished, and impeccably groomed but something in the way he kept his eyes fixed on me was a little unnerving. When he finally spoke his voice carried with the instantly recognizable accent of an upper crust native New Englander. I smiled to myself privately deciding that was something else not to like him for.

"Without taking up too much of your time this evening," he started finally looking away from me to scan the room. "I'd just like to extend to the thanks of everyone in the Bureaus fraud investigation unit to the people of Continental."

"Without their help and cooperation," he paused, his gaze sweeping over me again, "we might never have been able to arrest a man we have been tracking for years."

I looked away from him focusing my attention on Claire while he droned on, "With the evidence that has been collected in this case, I consider the eventual conviction of Clifton Adams a virtual certainty."

"Thanks to the bright and talented people here and in the Bureau we were able to conclude this long investigation in a very satisfactory way," He smiled through a bit of polite applause.

"It is the belief of many at the Bureau that once Mr. Adams is confronted with the weight of the evidence against him he will want to be cooperative." He grinned adding in an ominous tone, "If not, well let me assure you the Justice Department knows how to play hardball."

A smattering unsettled laugher from the group behind me indicated that no one present doubted that for an instant. He continued in that same vein saying, "We can play it just as rough as Mr. Adams wants us to. It might even include the liquidation of his considerable personal assets."

I couldn't help the private grin that slipped across my face when I thought to myself, "Good god won't this guy ever shut up?"

With that statement, he scanned the happily clapping crowd once more before surrendering the podium and returning to his chair.

Claire's father raised his hands for quite and said, "That about wraps it up for tonight, I'll be seeing see many of you bright and early tomorrow so let's not stretch this out too long tonight. For now though the bar is open, but the beer is mine," he added scowling around the room before breaking into a lopsided grin. "Now they'll be serving some dinner in just few minutes so go ahead and relax a little, I think we could all use it now that this thing is over. Thank you all for coming."

He offered his hand to Claire and left the two flatfoots sitting like statues as he made a beeline for the bar.

The rest of the evening was a blur of happy chatter and congratulations coming from a mess of people I didn't even know. I saw Claire only twice through out the night and then only briefly before she was hauled away into yet another round of congratulatory conservations with one group or another. When the wait staff began setting tables to begin serving, I made my way back to the corner bar and found my old drinking buddy with a fresh longneck in his hand.

"Mind if I join you?" I asked stepping up next to him and leaning against the simulated wood rail.

His eye's brightened immediately and he roared, "Barkeep another beer here," his speech was becoming slightly slurred.

A cold brown bottle came sliding down the bar to smack into my waiting palm, he said warmly "I was wondering if I'd see you again tonight little lady."

I sipped the smooth malty liquid and answered him, "I have no where else I want to be as long she's still here." I pointed my bottle roughly in Claire's direction.

His smile was warm and his eyes misty when he chuckled to me, "Damn that's good to hear, I don't mind telling you how relieved I am that she finally has someone, and from all she tells me a pretty good someone at that."

Surprised by his admission I finally said to him gratefully, "Thanks...Bart, it means a lot to me to hear you say that."

"Aw," he said waving my gratitude away, "Claire spent nine years in Los Angeles trying to hide from her mother, and me that she wasn't never going have no husband," he said wistfully.

"She wasn't fool'in her mamma none though, but I had a real hard time accepting it at first," he said his voice tinged with regret. "But before Emma passed away she finally got it knocked it into my tick skull the only thing I should ever want is for my baby to be happy." His grin widened and he stared hard down the bar at me and said, "From the looks of the two of you together coming in that door tonight I figure she's doing alright."

We shared a quiet laugh, and then a thought popped into my head that might nudge this conversation in an entirely new direction. So I asked him, "Claire tells me not many people around here know what your real name is, how come?"

He looked at me his eyes hardening for a second before his smile warmed and he answered, "Because my mamma had a perverse sense of humor that's why," he leaned a bit closer, and asked me, "Did she tell you what it is?"

Answering truthfully I said, "Nope, her lips were sealed when she got to that part."

"God bless her," he said in his quiet drawl, before telling me conspiratorially "If you grew up with a name like "Alistair" in southern Oklahoma you wouldn't want no one knowing about it neither."

"Thank god the woman gave me a decent middle name that shortened up into "Bart" sounded lots tougher," he said with a smirk.

Before I could say anything more he pointed his bottle in my direction and said sternly, "Now don't you go spread' in that name around or I'll whoop your ass for ya girlie."

Tipping my bottle for another sip that I damn near choked on, I said defiantly, "Oh yeah, you might wanna pack a lunch ya old coot, you might need it."

We were still laughing at each other's tough-guy routines when Claire appeared between us and said tiredly, "Well it's nice to see you two are enjoying the evening."

He smiled proudly up at her after giving me one of his trademark winks and answered, "Yup, found me a new drink'in buddy. Truth be told, all she wants to talk about is some pretty girl she met up with. You know anything about that Katie?"

She beamed down at me and answered, "I might, and you can stop calling me Katie or Katharine right now old man. You know my name same as I know yours... Alistair."

She slapped him on the shoulder and then snatched his beer from the bar stealing a quick gulp like a mischievous teenager.

He smiled over at me and said drunkenly, "Her hide's bout as thick as her ol' man's. You might want to remember that, Jane honey."

I looked from one smiling face to the other, deciding that this was an ongoing game with these two, I answered, " Doesn't worry me a bit Bart, the way I figure it if she gets out of line I'll just have to knock her down a peg or two." I turned my grin on him and added, "Same goes for you."

They both chuckled at my inflated bravado and Claire returned her fathers bottle before asking him slyly, "So tell me dad, this girl she's been going on about all night is she anyone I know?"

After pausing to savor a flavor of his beer her father said, "Could be, could be, I'll tell ya something sweetie, if it was me she was looking after so hard I wouldn't let this one slip away, she's a sharp cookie."

That did it, now I was blushing furiously again as they both stared at me grinning, "Cut that out the both of you," I said trying to hide behind another sip of beer.

Her father finally ended the teasing by announcing in a surprisingly sober voice, "I'll need to see the both of you in my office sometime Wednesday morning I'll be tied up all damn day tomorrow with board, maybe knocking a few heads together." His smile turned a little wicked with that phrase suggesting that some long-standing scores were about to be settled.

We both grinned with him and then briefly at each other until he made his next pronouncement, "You two take the day off tomorrow you've earned it, Don't let me hear you've been up to anything except making travel arrangements tomorrow young lady," his menacing bottle neck was pointing squarely at his daughter.

"Yes daddy, "she answered sweetly and asked, "Can we go now?"

He said sternly, "Go on git the both of you. You don't want to be sitt'in around here with a drunken old fart anyway."

Giving his arm a squeeze as I stood, "That all depends on who that drunken old fart is, wouldn't you agree Claire?"

She laughed at my quip but before she could interject her thoughts he cut her off saying, "You keep talking like that missy and I'll be taking you home with me."

I was really enjoying being with her father and decided it was Claire's turn to for a little teasing and said, "You keep feeding me this fine tasting beer and I just might go with you."

Claire, finally finding her voice barked decisively, "Not damn likely," and pulled me away from the bar and my new drinking buddy with a parting, "see you daddy," as we hurried toward the door.

Chapter 8

A Satisfactory Surcease

Claire occupied the center of the enormous bed lying flat on her back when I slithered overtop the sheets to snuggle close beside her. With a contended sigh, she wrapped an arm around me and kissed my cheek before lying her head wearily back down on the downy pillow.

I could hear the satisfaction in her voice when she said, "Now that was quite and day."

Snuggling against her shoulder I mumbled an agreeable, "Ah huh," While my eyes feasted on her nude body from this interesting new perspective. My eyes traced all along her curves broken only by my arm lying across her middle.

"You made quite an impression on my dad you know. He reserves that "sharp cookie" remark only for people he really thinks highly of. In fact other than my mother I can only remember him using it one other time."

Caressing the smooth skin under my hand I asked her softly, "Oh, so who else earned this marker of his high esteem?"

"She was some retired math professor he consulted with a few years ago when this whole Adams thing began. He told me it was just to brush up on his rusty accounting skills but I think he may have found time to have a little fling with her," she said with little amusement in her tone, along with some genuine warmth for her dad.

Lying against her still admiring the curvy surfaces of her body I said, "Hmm...Good for him, she must have been special, wonder who she was?"

"He told me once," she paused trying to remember and then said a name I recognized instantly, "it was Emily... no...Elizabeth Cromwell I think, yeah that sounds right."

For a second I didn't know whether to laugh or cry but my inner clown took control and I burst into gales of laughter, "Holy shit I don't believe it."

Claire sat up and asked insistently, "What's so funny?"

It took a minute for me to settle down but when I finally told her she saw, the ironic humor and was laughing along with me, "Ah, Claire you know that cute little school girl outfit you found so very interesting this afternoon?" I asked.

She nodded and a smile of happy remembrance immediately wiped away her confused expression.

"It was given to me as a graduation present by my former math professor who promptly seduced me and spanked me silly," I could hardly choke it all out through my laughter.

Finally gasping out, "Care to guess what her name was?"

"No fucking way," She said her eyes and mouth were both wide in complete astonishment. A second or two later she joined in with my giggles saying, "Holy shit is right!"

"She told me since I was no longer one of her students she thought it only "appropriate" that she actually got to give me one of the many spankings I had earned over the years as her student." I was laughing so hard I was having trouble speaking in complete sentences.

After we both calmed down she added, "Wow, small world isn't it?" her shining eyes stared off distantly and then asked me, "Do you think he knows she swings both ways?"

I answered her flatly stating, "Don't you dare tell him, he'll find out if Liz decides to tell him," I admonished her. "Your Dad is so sweet, besides I don't think it will matter a bit." I went on telling her, "Liz is a remarkable woman viewed in any light." I thought for a moment and added, "Besides babe your Dad is the charmer, now that I think about them together it seems like they might be a perfect fit."

"She really was something Claire," I said remembering being in her classes as well as our one special afternoon together, "You'd like her she's smart, pretty and tough as nails too. She was a sly one too, always testing you when you least expected it."

I paused framing the words in my mind before I continued, "She managed to pack more number theory and advanced mathematics into my skull than I though would fit in there. Under it all she was always very sweet and so funny she was more than the best teacher I ever had, she was my friend."

"You loved her?" Claire asked me after settling back to the bed.

I thought the question over before answering her honestly, "I suppose a little, I admired her more but yeah I'll admit there was some love there too."

Abandoning my memories in favor of the warm, firm body beside me I asked her in a teasing inflection, "You're jealous?" as I asked her I planted a kiss on her upper breast and trailed my fingers down her smooth belly finally reaching my fingertips across to lightly stroke her inner thigh.

Her answer came mixed in with a purr, "Well a little...maybe."

I raised my lips from her skin just enough to say, "I can fix that for you," as I urged her legs apart and resumed sampling her delectable skin.