Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 This is a work of fiction.  It contains explicit descriptions of sexual
acts (or not).  It is not intended for minors.

   Stacy Lancaster: A Long Farewell By Boondocker (Boondocker42@gmail.com)
Synopsis: Phil's last day at work (nosex this part)



   The party had been better than she expected.  Stacy Lancaster's
co-workers at Laugher & Giles Plastics and Rubber managed to find an excuse
to take a long lunch and get a little drunk just about every week. 
Usually, she found the affairs an irritant.  Stacy didn't drink for one
thing and some of the people she worked with tended to get a little
obnoxious after they had a few.  Also, she was stuck shuffling schedules
around for the rest of the day trying to keep the more inebriated
individuals away from their customers.

   But this party had been different.  She still didn't drink but for once
the occasion was one she thought had merit.  Phil Sistack was leaving them.
She was sad to see him go but was happy for him.

   Phil and Stacy had both been hired when the company first opened the
Cincinnati branch nearly five years ago.  Phil got a job as what he
referred to as an "IT drone".  He was just twenty-one at the time.  Stacy
had just graduated with an associate's degree in accounting and was hired
to assist the veteran office manager Larry Kennedy.

   Phil was now still essentially an IT drone.  Mr.  Kennedy returned to
the home office after a year of mentoring Stacy when she became the office
manager several years ago.  She was making good money and ran the place
like a machine.  True, machines break down from time to time and tend to
make a lot of noise but Stacy could be quick on her feet when necessary. 
She could also shout with the best of them.

   There were a lot of drawbacks to her job - too much responsibility and
not enough authority for one - but she found it to be rewarding.  She was
an organizer and problem-solver and took pride in being good at it.

   Phil was a very quite young man and Stacy hadn't taken any notice of him
at first.  But after a few late nights working on databases and whatnot she
had come to know him as a funny and thoughtful guy.  He was very shy but
when a topic of conversation came up that he felt comfortable with he could
be very witty and animated.

   No one could deny he was a bit of a geek but Stacy had learned there
were other sides to him.  He skydived and bungee jumped and was learning to
fly.  He wanted to be a writer.

   Phil had also gotten to know Stacy.  He got to know a little something
about her moods.  He usually saw her serious and focused side but on a
handful occasions had witnessed her playfulness.  He was impressed by her
grasp of the basics and many of the details of networking and computing. 
He had taught her some of the scripting used in their databases and had
been delighted by her genuine interest.  He ended up feeling a little
guilty about being so surprised by her intelligence.

   He also thought Stacy Lancaster was beautiful.

   Stacy knew that Phil was smitten with her.  Sometimes she found it
flattering, other times she found it awkward.  She was careful not to
encourage him.  She had turned down a number of invitations from him to
drinks after work.  She wouldn't have minded a little casual conversation
with the guy but she didn't think that was all he had in mind.

   She was scared of hurting him.

   But now he was leaving and Stacy had made a decision.  Phil of course
knew that Stacy was married but he didn't know how her and her husband
Jared's relationship had evolved in the last year or so.

   As the end of the day neared, Stacy called down to Phil and asked him to
come up to her little office.  She had briefly considered the possibility
that he might decide to leave early on his last day but quickly discarded
the fear.  Phil was responsible and conscientious to a fault; he'd put in a
full day just like always.

   She asked him to close the door.  She came around the desk to stand near
him.  He was several inches shorter than her, not that she was all that
tall, and had a slim frame.  His mop of black hair was as disorganized as
it usually was.  She gave him a genuine smile.  "I'm going to miss you,
Sissy." She said.

   He smiled and blushed at the same time.  "God I hope no one at my new
job ever hears that nick-name."

   Stacy chuckled deep in her throat.  She silently scolded herself... 
that chuckle had been entirely too deep and suggestive.  But she soldiered
on.  "Sorry, with a name like Sistack it's more or less inevitable.  You
could be a twenty year marine veteran with tattoos and a buzz-cut and
people would still call you Sissy."

   As he often was, Phil was at a loss for words.  "Did you like the
party?" she asked.

   He nodded.  "Sure.  Thanks for being there.  I know you don't like those
things.  Actually, I usually don't either but..."

   "But it's different when you're the guest of honor.  I enjoyed myself.
What were you thinking when Rose and Elle kissed you?"

   Now his blush turned crimson.  "I felt like a fool.  Everyone laughed at
me!"

   Stacy's smile vanished.  "No Phil, they weren't laughing at you.  We
were all just having fun.  I thought you'd like it."

   Phil wasn't quite pouting.  "But they didn't mean it.  It was just a
joke."

   Stacy had a moment of doubt.  She planned to play a bit of a joke on
Phil herself...  a joke that would lead to a very very nice gift.  If he
was already feeling so self-conscious maybe she should skip the little bit
of deception.

   Marshalling her nerve, she carried on.  "Well, I have one more
going-away present for you."

   "Oh?"

   She held out a card to him.  It looked like a credit card.  Phil took it
and looked at it.  No, it was a hotel key card.

   "What's this for?" he asked.

   Now for the bit of deception.  Stacy usually wasn't much of a liar
but... among his other traits, Phil was fairly trusting (a nicer word than
gullible).  "The guys decided to get you a going away present.  They
thought it would be funny if I gave it to you."

   Stacy watched Phil's puzzled frown.  The kid wasn't naive.  It didn't
take more than ten seconds for the implication to dawn on him.  "Oh, jeeze.
No way.  I'm not falling for this."

   "What do you mean?" Stacy asked, not yet willing to give up on the gag.

   "There are two or three possibilities." He said, holding the key card up
like a piece of evidence.  "Either they got me a hooker or their going to
be waiting in the room to laugh at me when I show up looking for a hooker."
He slapped the card down on her desk.  "Or maybe the hooker will be there
and they'll wait until the worst possible moment to bust in on us."

   Stacy pursed her lips in consideration.  "What if I told you that I made
sure everything is kosher?"

   "What does that mean, that you picked out the hooker?" he started
looking a little angry and hurt.

   "No, what I mean is..." she was very close to confessing the truth but
she had so hoped to make a bigger impact.  One more try.  "Phil, honey,
look.  Let's just say this.  I give you my word as your friend that if you
go to that hotel room, you won't regret it."

   Phillip stood looking at her quietly.  His expression was nearly blank
as his mind churned over all the possibilities.  "I'm going to miss you a
lot, Stacy.  You're my best friend here."

   She stroked his arm and peered at him from behind her bangs in a very
Stacy way.  "I know.  I'm so proud of you.  I'll miss you but I'm also
happy for you.  You deserve a better job than to slave for all the ingrates
around here." She said less than half in jest.

   He picked up the key card.  "You vouch for this?" he asked seriously.

   She nodded.  "I do."

   He put the card in his shirt pocket.  Suddenly, his eyes took on the
deep look of a puppy's.  "Stace', when Rose and Elle kissed me, do you know
what I was thinking?"

   Stacy grinned at him.  "Whoopee?" she suggested.

   Sistack shook his head.  "I wanted you to kiss me."

   Stacy stood straight.  She looked into his eyes and saw sad desperation
there.  It almost hurt to look in them.  She'd always known that Phil was
lonely; it was part of the reason she had decided to get him that hotel
room.

   "Come here." She said, pulling at his shoulder.  She had to bend down a
bit.  She kissed him on the corner of the mouth.  She tried to make it warm
but chaste.  Phil was almost stiff in response.

   Pulling back and letting go, Stacy looked at him.  "What's wrong?"

   Phil shook his head.  "Nothing.  I...  no, nothing.  Thank you" his hand
felt the card in his pocket.  "I should go.  Thank you again Stacy.  For
everything."

   Stacy sighed.  She hoped she wasn't making a mistake.  She hoped that he
used that key.  "You too, Phil.  And good luck."

   He slipped out of her office without another word.

   Stacy sat down behind her desk nervously, watching the clock.  After
about five minutes, she bolted out of the office.

   She rushed down a disused hall to the back staircase and down to the
ground floor.  She hit the fire door at the back into Cincinnati twilight.

   She had parked in the dingy, almost deserted back lot that morning. 
When she got in her car she grabbed the small overnight bag she had left
there and checked to see that the other room card was still inside.

   As she pulled out of the parking lot she called her husband.  "Hi hun. -
Yeah, the party was fine.  - No, I'm on my way over there now.  He doesn't
know what will be waiting for him.  - Well I hope so but I'm a bit worried.
God Jare, he's such a nice guy but he seems so unhappy.  - Yeah, well
that's the plan.  If he doesn't show I guess I'll give him a call and
explain things.  - Right.  - Okay, well with any luck I won't see you till
morning.  - Love ya too."

   She raced down the street to the hotel.  She needed to beat Phil and
have some time to prepare.