Young Widow Bounces Back

"Only to date... is that you being frank, Nick?"

"I find you very desirable Debbie and wish to get to know you intimately."

"Ooh, how intimately?

"Jesus, Debbie."

"Say it Rick if you wish me to become interested."

"I want to sleep with you er... after having sex with you."

"I'd hoped you'd say that Rick. I think I'd like that to happen. But what about the reaction of your partners and staff when they find out?"

"Well they'll just have to cope with their jealousy won't they. I'm managing partner so I'm in control unless I do something illegal or professionally unacceptable.

"So, fucking me won't be professionally unacceptable?"

"Err, no way!"

"Well good night Nick. Expect me to start on the 1st of next month."

Debbie was very happy. She decided to focus entirely on Nick and not to succumb to the advances of other men although she accepted that she'd find it hard to resist if Frank Bond made a play for her pussy.

Everything appeared to be going her way. She had three prospective buyers return to inspect her property for the third time and one had commissioned a pre-purchase inspection to check out the structure and to independently appraise the market value of the property.

The Realtor had made it quite clear to all three that the first one to front up with the asking price, or near to it, and was ready to sign would be the successful buyer. Debbie had been told she could expect to end up with approximately $2.3 million after settlement. Further, her attorney had reported making good progress in restoring her identity to Debbie Nelson.

Chapter 3

In great excitement, Carrie told Frank about Debbie's job offer and because of his unsurprised reaction she charged, "You knew."

"Yeah Nick told me three days ago, told me confidentially."

"You beast. You could have told me."

"Darling, if I breached Nick's trust in me, I would expect him to never trust me again."

"So?"

"Oh, come on. Although we have not discussed it I trust you not to become involved with another man so long as you and I are in a relationship."

"Well I can understand that, I think. You feel the need to trust me."

"God, Carrie. Can't you see it. You don't steal from the bank where you work because you perceive you have a duty of fidelity."

"Yes of course. The bank trusts me not to steal its money. But it has internal security system in place just in case I began thinking of becoming a rogue."

"Are you likely to do that?"

"No, because I have a responsibility to my employer. We call it fiduciary accountability and I understand what my obligations and duties are. We are periodically reminded of them."

"Do you not accept in your personal life you are still bound by fiduciary accountability even though it's never discussed?"

"It has never been discussed. Had it been discussed I would have been aware of such expectations."

"Are you aware of moral standards and aware of the meaning of ethical behavior?"

"Well yes, I do work in a bank."

"What about in your personal behavior?

"Well we girls had a tough up-bringing and Debbie and later I did under her influence adopted the secret code that for us anything goes but I suppose in our minds there always was a barrier beyond which we'd not go, such as stealing money from our parents or denting dad's car and not telling him."

"So you were aware of morality and the demands of ethical behavior."

"Yes of course. Well more or less."

"God and you work in a bank."

"Well instead of having sex why don't we sit down and you go through the standards you think I need to apply at all times to satisfy you. I want you to be very happy about your relationship with me."

"Um rather that missing sex, what say we concentrate on sex and do that morality appraisal at some later date?"

"Okay. I'd rather have sex than a lecturer tonight but we must have that discussion. You are free to deepen my awareness about um, personal morality and my commitment to ethical behavior."

"Yeah right. Get your top off and show me those tits."

* * *

The following Saturday afternoon, Carrie arrived at Frank's apartment to cook dinner. Frank had invited two other couples to dinner and he helped Carrie. They worked as a team and she told him yet again it was a lovely apartment, that he should buy it.

She'd first visited it three weeks earlier and immediately felt at home. Frank's sister was an interior designer and had it redecorated and then refurnished for him.

"As I said before an economic downturn is not a great time to take out a big loan."

"Are you going to marry me, Frankie?"

"What?" he said, stalling for time.

"You heard."

"Are you proposing?"

"You are too conservative for me to try that and get away with it. Are you ready to answer?"

"Yes, I will marry you. When?"

"If you commit to marry me, I'll give you the additional money you require to buy this apartment. There will be no need to repay me."

"Are you crazy? I need heaps of money. Apartments of this quality in this location cost big money."

"How much Frankie."

"Three months ago, I was told a price that left me short of $176,000."

"Carrie said easily, "Well get the amount required updated, Frankie, and inform me. I ought to be able to cover your short-fall easily."

Meanwhile, back in the apartment, Debbie had misgivings. Everything seemingly was going well for Carrie and yet she was uneasily about it. What if Frankie made a pitch for her and she succumbed? She would be guilty of betraying her sister and perhaps destroying Connie's new life and ending her happiness.

Debbie made herself a Vodka Martini and sat brooding. She attempted to analyze her relationship with Nick and came to the unhappy conclusion that she was uncomfortable about it, that Nick was more interested in making things comfortable for Nick than he was for her. She concluded in alarm that Nick was potentially a huge liar and was simply setting her up to be his mistress pending the long route to secure his divorce.

She worried that she might be misinterpreting Nick's motives and she was inventing possible circumstances that didn't exist. But she sighed and thought well Frankie's restrained overtures to her probably reflected the desires of a potential fornicator.

"Oh, heck," she sighed. "I'm a hot hen among the strutting male pigeons."

Debbie wondered what she should do, and the answer came much sooner than expected.

Carrie rushed in, smiling hugely, and said, "Mix me a Martini but use Gin for mine.

"Omigod, it's happening for me. Frankie and I got down to discussing possible marriage and agreed it was a possibility. I moved to consolidate our relationship by suggesting he buy his rented apartment and I'd provide any shortfall in cash that he faced since considering buying it almost two years ago. He appeared ecstatic and said I was taking a risk and I said I was up to it."

"Needless to say, we lunged at one another and did it on the carpet."

"Oh, I'm so happy for you Carrie. Just take a few days to turn everything over in your mind to ensure you are extremely confident that this is the right thing for you."

"Yes, I will. Debs do you approve of me taking this plunge so soon after my bereavement?"

"I do, providing you are absolutely highly confident that you are making the right moves."

"Debs, I'll accept your advice and will think about this deeply over the next couple of days. I've had one marital failure and had no intention of opening myself recklessly to another failure."

"Good girl, rush off and have a quick shower while I make our drinks."

During that night, Debbie emailed a polite rejection of her job offer, citing unexpected personal reasons, and quietly packing her bags and left a note for Carrie thanking her for her hospitality and stated that she was moving on because she had misgivings that Nick was secretly setting her up to be his mistress during his long-await for divorce once the papers were filed, if indeed that was his intention, and that was a role that she had no stomach for She had that evening declined her job offer saying that unexpected personal reasons had cropped up.

'Tell Frankie no more than that, darling. That's all that anyone else needs to know. You have been a great hostess, and I loved it and thank you and wish your well in your new life. I'll keep in touch and leave today for a major city south of here as I intend settling down to hard work, in marketing if I can land a plum job, and wait for a good man to find me and impregnate me. Debs, xxx.'

The End