Yes Man

"There's been a development. You and Ms. Robinson are to return and report back to the office tomorrow." Stanwood's secretary sounded like she'd rather be talking to anyone else except me.

"Why?" I had to ask.

"I don't have that information. All I can tell you is that you're to return and report in by tomorrow morning. Tickets will be waiting for you at the terminal. Your flight leaves at five pm, local time."

"Is someone going to come cover for us here?"

"I don't have that information." She repeated what she'd just told me.

"All right, I'll let Lydia know when I see her this morning. Is there anything else?"

"I don't have any other information." She sounded even more bored now.

"Ok, thank you. I'll let Lydia know as soon as I can and we'll be in the office tomorrow morning." Not having anything else to say, I said goodbye and hung up.

"What was that all about?" Lydia came out wearing nothing while toweling her hair.

"Something's come up and they want us back in Oklahoma City by tomorrow morning." I told her what was happening and that we had to leave late this afternoon.

Her lips compressed for a moment, then she went back to using the towel on her hair. Her breasts did interesting things while she rubbed. Catching where my eyes were looking she rubbed more vigorously. I could feel an erection growing in my pants at the sight. Not much of one, and I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to do hardly anything with it, but I still had the desire. My secretary was beautiful and the fact that she wanted to sleep with me, with no commitments, was amazing.

Finished with her hair for now, she tossed the towel onto the sink counter in the bath, and headed for the closet, patting me softly on my crotch as she went by.

"Yes." She licked her lips. "It'll have to be later because we don't have time for me to take another shower, but yes I still want you again today. If you can."

I stepped behind her to fondle her breasts while nuzzling her neck. She arched and sighed happily. A moment later, I let her go and started hunting for my shoes. We had to get downstairs, eat, and then get to the conference meetings and presentations we'd planned on doing for the day.

"Do you want me to call Cassidy now or wait until she meets us for lunch?" Lydia turned around and presented her back to me so I could zip her up. "I have her personal contact number."

"You do?"

"She gave it to me yesterday." She nodded. "I think she's really serious about wanting to keep seeing you because she said she doesn't give her private number out to just anyone."

I looked at her wondering why she hadn't given me her number instead of giving it to Lydia.

"You were sleeping." Lydia read my mind then stepped into the bathroom. "Let me get my hair and makeup done. I won't be long."

I sat on the bed thinking and was reaching for the phone to leave a message through the hotel switchboard for Cassidy's room when Lydia stepped into the bathroom doorway, her little brush in her hand again.

"Don't."

"Don't what?" I stopped my reach for the phone.

"Don't call and leave a message for her. It doesn't matter if you explain or not, she'll think you're telling her you're not interested her anymore now that you've slept with her." She pumped the brush in the bottle a few times and drew it out again. "It's probably too late to use her private number too, so tell her in person at lunch. That way you can figure out what you both want and where to go from here."

"What we both want?"

"Jason, do you like Cassidy? More than just as someone to have a good time with?"

"Yes but..."

"But nothing. I spent hours with her yesterday listening to her talk about you. You, and only you, was all she talked about the whole time." She reappeared in the doorway, lipstick in her hand this time. "She really likes you. More than just a one night stand or being infatuated with you, she really likes you. The question is; do you like her that much in return?"

"Yes." I did.

"Is it just because she slept with you?"

"No. She's smart and likeable. She has her head on straight and..." I trailed off because the reason I liked her wasn't really any of those things. It was all of those things, and more. I liked her. A lot. It wasn't just the sex, or that she was pretty, it was because she was interested in me. Me, Jason Penterwast. Not just some guy at a conference who she could have a casual fling with, me.

"Tell her that when you let her know we have to leave." Lydia came out of the bathroom and did a full spin for my inspection and approval. "Am I all good?"

"You're lovely." I stood up and grabbed my suit coat.

"Keep that up and we won't make the conference." She picked up her purse. "Not at all."

FIFTEEN

"Relax, she's only a little bit late." Lydia told me as we waited at the tiny restaurant we'd been having dinner at every evening. "She hasn't called to cancel lunch so she'll be here."

I nodded, but my stomach still churned from anxiety. Glancing at the entrance for the millionth time, I saw her walk in. Before I was even aware of it, I was on my feet raising one hand to let her know we were already there. At the motion, she turned and just blinked at me with no change to her expression.

"Wait for it." Lydia cautioned me about assuming anything over Cassidy's lack of a response. "Just wait for it."

For a fraction of an instant, a supernova lit the restaurant when Cassidy smiled at me. Then, as soon as it flashed on it disappeared again, leaving me wondering if I'd made it up. With one small finger lift, she told the hostess that she was meeting us. The hostess nodded and led her our way.

"Hi." She leaned close and kissed my cheek. "Sorry I'm late. I had to make a call to my grandfather."

"Your grandfather? Why?"

"About the meeting I had this morning. He wanted to know what I thought." She explained.

"About what?"

"Can we just have lunch instead of talking shop?" She looked at Lydia. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you." Lydia smiled back. "Jason only said I was lovely."

"I try to mix my compliments on a daily basis so I'm not boring." I told them when they both looked at me. "Yesterday you were beautiful, today you're lovely."

"And tomorrow?" Cassidy's tone had humor in it. "Mr. totally not boring?"

I glanced at Lydia for a fraction of a second.

"What's happening?" Cassidy's tone instantly changed as she asked the question, the lightheartedness that had been present in it wiped completely away. "Talk to me. What's going on?"

"We've been called back to the office." Lydia told her. "They didn't say why but our flight back to Oklahoma City is this afternoon."

"Is it me?" Cassidy's eyes went to my face. "Or something I said? Or did? Or didn't do? Or didn't say?"

"No." I reached for her hand. "I want to stay but the company wants us to come home so we have to go."

She looked at Lydia then back at me for a second before dropping her eyes toward the table. A second later she shook off my hand and reached for my water glass. Lifting the glass to her lips, she took a drink, her eyes rising to meet mine as she did. Finishing, she placed the glass on the table. Not where it'd been, but on the table halfway between us, her eyes never leaving my face.

I didn't hesitate, lifting the glass to my own lips, I swallowed several times before putting it back on the table. Cassidy flicked her eyes to Lydia who took the smallest of sips from the glass before setting it back in it's original location. None of us said anything. We'd stated our positions and intentions without saying a single word at all.

"Will you be back?" Cassidy asked me after I sipped from the water glass again.

"I don't know. It depends on what's going on and what the company is doing. They didn't tell me anything other than I have to be there tomorrow morning." I paused for a second. "Lydia said she has your private number. If you want, I can ask her to let you know what's happening. We'll probably know first thing tomorrow."

She didn't say anything. I could see she was thinking but she wasn't talking to me.

"Cassidy..."

She shook off whatever she was thinking about and grasped my hand, squeezing lightly.

"Let's eat. I have to call my grandfather." She grimaced slightly. "And my mom. I want to spend as much time as I can with you until you have to leave and that changes my plans for the day so I have to call and let them know."

"You're sure?" I looked at her trying to see if she was just being nice or not.

"Yes. Absolutely yes." She squeezed my fingers again and let go. "Let's eat, I'm hungry."

We had lunch and then went back to the hotel where, despite Lydia previously telling me that she wanted me again before we left, we didn't do anything except talk.

"You know, you never did tell us what company you work for." I casually mentioned it while not really caring about the answer because it was just something to talk about while we waited for the clock to run out on us.

"I told you, I work for my grandfather." Cassidy stretched her arms over her head from where she sat on the unused bed in the room. "It's just a family owned company."

"And?"

She looked at me.

"The name?"

Oh." She looked like she was thinking fast for a second. "Corby Shannon and Associates."

"Corby Shannon?" I'd never heard of them.

She nodded. "I'm the Associates part."

"And what does Corby Shannon and Associates do?" I continued to ask questions.

"We're contractors. We build stuff."

"Like?"

"Homes and stuff like that."

"Like Pardee Homes?"

"No." She snorted. "We're not even close to their mega-tract style of homebuilding. It's just my grandfather's company, that's all."

"And your mom works there too?"

"You know what I think?" She moved across the gap between the two beds to straddle my knees and put her arms over my shoulders. "I think you ask too many questions and there aren't enough kisses in the world to get me interested in those kind of questions right now."

I looked her in the eyes.

"I want to be with you. I want to see you after the conference is over. I want to make love with you again." She bent her neck slightly and kissed me. "I want you in my life Jason Penterwast. For better or worse."

"That sounds like a marriage vow."

"If that's what you want, we can talk about that too." She kissed me again.

"Don't you think you could be rushing into that?" Lydia asked when Cassidy let me breathe again. "You've only known Jason for three days."

"Three days, three eons, three eternities, I want to love you as much as I can as often as I can." Cassidy answered Lydia's question by telling me what she wanted. "I'm hoping you want the same thing with me. Do you?"

"Yes, but I'm a nobody."

"You are Jason Penterwast, Love's Highway cruiser extraordinaire." She kissed me again. "And, just like Lydia, I really want to give your shocks and suspension a very thorough and frequent workout."

Her car metaphor told me what she wanted. Me. As much and as often as she could manage it, she wanted to be with me.

"However, we will not be discussing anything to do with the size of any backseats." She kissed me to take the scolding tone away. "My mother hasn't gained an ounce since she was my age, and I expect I won't either by the time I'm hers, so there will be no discussion of rumble seats or big back seats or rear cushions or bumpers or anything else of that nature." Another kiss. "Understand?"

"Yes." I answered her. "One question though; are you driving or just coming along with me to the next bus stop?"

"I want you to drive and I want to come with you until the road crumbles to dust." She looked over at Lydia. "Your secretary can come too. She and I can switch off playing with the stick and adjusting the mirror."

"Lydia is married." I reminded her about what was obvious since Lydia's wedding rings were still on her finger.

"Can he drive a stick?" Cassidy turned to look at Lydia.

"Yes." Lydia answered her with a little laugh.

"Then what's the problem?" She put her forehead against mine. "Unless you don't want me around. If that's the case, say so."

I just stared into her eyes some more.

When it was time to go Cassidy came with us to the airport. She held my hand while walking next to me then hung on me with her arms around my neck until we either had to board the plane or get left behind. One last kiss and she let me go. Turning around in the boarding tube for a final look at her, I could see she was already on the phone talking to someone. She didn't look up to see me wave.

SIXTEEN

The office was quiet when I got there in the morning. Checking in with Stanwood's secretary about why we were called back, I was told that he was in a meeting but would be available later to talk to me. Shrugging mentally to myself, I headed back to my office.

"Jason!" A call had me pause in the hallway and turn around. Tom Elkins stood halfway through the office door for Human Resources and looked at me. "Man, you really messed up."

"What'd I do?" I couldn't think of doing anything wrong.

"We got a tip that you've been sleeping with your secretary. She's been fired."

Without waiting for any further explanation, I immediately started jogging down the hallway toward my office.

Lydia was putting her things into a cardboard box when I got there.

"Lydia?"

She looked up at me briefly then put the next picture from her desk into the box.

"This is what happens when you go against company policy." Elkins had followed me. "It would have been better if you'd admitted it. You might only have gotten a reprimand and a demotion that way."

"What the hell are you talking about?" I turned on him.

"You were seen."

"Seen doing what?"

"We were told that you were sleeping together at the conference. Apparently you didn't even try to hide it so everyone knew." He turned to Lydia. "Your secretary didn't deny it."

"Lydia admitted that we're having an affair?"

"No. But she didn't deny it either."

"I see." I looked at Lydia continuing to put her things into the box. "So, if you accuse someone and they don't admit to what you're accusing them of, then they're automatically guilty even if there's no proof."

"It's company policy."

"If that's the official line, then I quit." My voice went flat.

He nodded once.

"We thought you would. Otherwise, you'd have to admit it too."

"Admit what?" Cassidy's voice interrupted us as she came into Lydia's office space and looked at me. She had a "visitor" tag clipped to her lapel. "Hi. What's up?"

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Detroit."

"Business. I flew in overnight." She shrugged as if that was no big deal. "What's going on?"

"Lydia's been fired and I just quit."

A startled look crossed her face.

"Why?"

"They said someone told them that she and I were sleeping together at the conference."

"Oh." She looked at Elkins. "Who are you and what's your involvement in this?"

"I'm with Human Resources. Company policy forbids interoffice affairs. Ms. Robinson did not deny that she was having an affair with Mr. Penterwast while at the conference. She has been terminated for it."

"And I quit because of that." I finished up with what he left out.

"Oh." Her response was the same as the first time.

"Cassidy?" The call came from the hallway. "Where did you go?"

"Down here mom." Cassidy called back before looking at me. "Do you want me to tell him?"

"Tell me what?" Elkins asked.

Cassidy waited for me to say something. Before I could, three more people came into the office area. Stanwood, another older man with grizzled gray hair, and a woman who could only be Cassidy's mother because she looked exactly like the picture I'd seen.

"Cassidy..." Her mom started but stopped when Cassidy held up one hand.

"Yes or no?"

"Your choice." I left the decision up to her.

She mulled that for a second or two then turned to Stanwood.

"I've just been informed that my friend Lydia Robinson, who is one of the only two reasons we're here this morning, has been terminated because she won't deny having an affair with my fiancé."

Everyone, including me I'm sure, looked shocked at that announcement.

"Cass..." Her mother tried again but got the same upraised hand to stop her.

Cassidy turned to Elkins.

"For your information, sir, I'm the one who was sleeping with Jason at the conference. I spent Saturday evening with him at the social get together. I even danced with him in front of everyone. I also spent Sunday, after Lydia and I went shopping, and most of yesterday afternoon with him too. I sure as hell don't see where he had the time to have an affair with Lydia since I was sleeping with him myself at the time and when I wasn't sleeping with him, I was with Lydia."

"Impossible. We had a tip."

Cassidy ignored that and turned to me, touching me on the top of my shoulder.

"He has a bite mark right there. It's a little sore but not serious enough to need medical attention." She smoothed my shirt carefully then ran her hands down my arms before unbuttoning my sleeve to push it up and expose the bruise colored crescents still visible on my forearm.

"These marks are from my fingernails." She rested her fingers on each one in illustration and proof that they were indeed from her as she explained. "I accidentally did these on Sunday while we were in bed together. He has a matching set on his other arm."

"We had a tip from a reliable source, Vance saw them together." Stanwood tried to explain why they'd fired Lydia as soon as we'd returned. "We checked it out with a couple of other conference attendees and Ms. Robinson won't deny it. We had no choice."

"You had a choice. What you did instead was believe McSweaty, who was stalking me for days, when he called out of the blue trying to eliminate his competition by lying to you. You fell for it and fired someone you didn't care about because she was just another employee to you." Cassidy sounded like she was getting hot under the collar. "What you don't know is that Lydia means something to me. By firing her you've lost the two best assets this company ever had going for it. That's very poor management policy and I've reconsidered our offer to have you provide us with project services. In light of your irrational decision-making regarding essential personnel and soft assets, we are withdrawing our proposal and will not be needing your services after all. Thank you for your time and I wish you the best of luck in the future."

She turned away from Stanwood and looked at me.

"Hi, need a job? I know a company that's hiring."

"Cassidy?" Her mother spoke up again. "What are you doing?"

"Creating a new department in the company. If we have in-house project management we won't need to contract for outside services. It'll save us a ton of cash." She replied but kept looking at me. "The job's in Denver so if you accept you'll have to move. There's an incentive that comes with the job offer."

"An incentive?"

"Yes." She jerked her chin down firmly. "Absolutely, definitely, yes."

I looked at her mother who was now just looking at Cassidy and letting her do all the talking. Glancing at the older man I saw him nod at me briefly. Cassidy caught my glance and looked over her shoulder.

"Corby, Shannon, and Associate." She pointed at the man, her mother, and then herself in turn with each name. "Welcome to the family business."

"Mrs. Dane..." Stanwood began to address Cassidy's mother.

"Be quiet." The ice that instantly formed in her voice stopped him before he got started. "You insufferable little man."

"Mrs. Dane?" I looked at her as Stanwood's mouth gaped open.

"Call me Shannon." She smiled back at me, with lower wattage, but I could see where Cassidy got her supernova.