Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 ________________________________ This is a story about a sexual FANTASY
written for consenting adults.  If you're not both of those, don't read it.
Characters in a FANTASY don't get sick or die unless I want them to.  In
real life, people who don't use condoms and other safe-sex techniques do
get sick and die.  You don't live in a FANTASY so be safe.  The fictional
characters in my stories are trained and experienced in acts of FANTASY -
don't try to do what they do - someone could get hurt.

   If you think you know somebody who resembles any of the characters here,
congratulations, but you're wrong - any similarity between the characters
in this story and any real person is purely coincidental, since all of
these characters are figments of my dirty little imagination.

   This is my story, not yours.  Don't sell it or put it on a pay site. 
You can keep it and/or give it away with all of this information intact,
but if you make money off of it without my permission, you're breaking the
law and pissing me off.  _________________________________ Surviving the
Divorce - Chapter 14 (MH) (C)Copyright 2005 - Shakes Peer2B
shakes_peer2b@NONOsbcglobal.net (remove 'NONO' from the above address to
contact me)
/files/Authors/Shakes_Peer2B/
http://storiesonline.net/library/author.php?name=Shakes_Peer2B

   ________

   "What the hell does your board want with me?" I asked.  I had requested
that Patricia not intervene on my behalf in matters regarding SyncComp, but
if I had done something wrong, I figured it would be SyncComp's board that
took me to task for it, not Collins Industries.

   "You'll just have to attend the meeting and see." she said evasively. 
For once she gave no hint as to whether this was to be good or bad.

   "Have I screwed up or something?" I probed.

   "This is a matter in which I need to stay entirely hands off, Gary."
Patricia said, "so please don't ask me any more questions.  I simply cannot
answer them."

   I was worried.  I had never seen her so serious.  Had I screwed up
something so badly that she had to let her board handle it because she
couldn't face me?

   "You'll at least be there..." I began, but the expression on her face
answered my question before I could finish it.

   "I told you," she said, "I need to stay hands-off on this matter. 
Besides, I have something else that I need to do."

   Great!  She was probably going to be in her lawyer's office drawing up
the divorce papers while her board raked me over the coals for screwing up
her company!  Crap!  Had I somehow screwed up the best thing I'd ever had
for a relationship, in addition to letting her down in running the company?
That would be a messy divorce for sure!  Sure, there was the pre-nup, but
it didn't spell out things like who would keep my FIRST wife, who was now
our family slave!

   Sleep was long in coming that night, and Patricia, tired of my tossing
and turning, moved away and slept with her back to me.  Finally, about two
o'clock in the morning, I ran out of things to worry about, or at least ran
out of energy to worry about them, and fell into a fitful sleep.

   To my surprise, it was almost nine when I woke up, and Patricia was
already gone.  Neither Edgar nor Walter were forthcoming about her
whereabouts, so, in a foul mood, I drove my old Buick to work.  I dumped on
poor Gloria over a cup of coffee, while she tried to put a positive spin on
things, but I wasn't to be cheered up.

   Finally, I could procrastinate no longer.  I drove the old Buick down to
the financial district and parked in the garage under the accountant's
building.  The fifty-ish receptionist flashed a genuine smile as she
directed me to a seat in the hallway outside the conference room.

   To my relief, I didn't have long to wait.  An attractive, grey-haired
lady ushered me in with a pleasant smile.

   "You're just in time, Mr.  Travis!" she said, not acting at all like an
executioner, "We've just finished with the other items on the agenda, and
can now devote our full attention to you!"

   I wasn't absolutely certain that having their full attention was a good
thing, but I smiled mechanically and took the seat that she offered me at
the foot of the table.  As I looked around, I noticed that, rather than a
stuffy, wood-paneled boardroom, this was just another multi-purpose
conference room, and its ordinariness somehow put me more at ease.

   "Welcome, Mr.  Travis!" the gentleman at the head of the table said,
"I'm Henry Bullock.  I'll be filling in for our chairperson today."

   He went around the table and introduced me to each of the others in
turn. I found that, not only did I know most of them by reputation, I had
borrowed from those reputations in my decision-making at SynComp.

   "We were quite impressed by your handling of the P2P product strategy
rollout," Bullock said, "not only at SyncComp, but through all of our
companies.  I'll never understand how you were able to get buy-in from all
of the other CEO's without escalating the issue to us even once, but not
only did they come on board, they did so enthusiastically."

   "I did my homework, verified my assumptions," I replied, "checked my
math, then showed each of them, in detail, how it was going to make them
successful beyond anything they could produce on their own.  After that,
good old capitalist greed took over and they jumped on board.  It helped
that I had detailed answers to their questions at my fingertips."

   "It was an excellent job," Bullock continued, "but well beyond the scope
of your position."

   Ah, here it comes, I thought, here's where I get my wrist slapped.  To
hell with it.  I had been trying to do the best job for Patricia that I
could.  If they had a problem with that, then I definitely WAS in the wrong
position!

   "It was going to have to be done one way or another," I said, "and I
figured they'd buy into it easier if it was sold to them by a peer than if
it was shoved down their throats from above."

   "Did your wife suggest that you do that?" one of the others asked.

   "No." I answered, hoping to HELL I hadn't turned them against her, too,
"I just saw the need, and figured she had enough on her plate.  She was the
back-up plan in case my efforts were unsuccessful."

   "Tell us, Mr.  Travis," the elegant older lady, Rachel Hancock, asked,
"Where do you see Collins industries in ten years?"

   "I can sum it up in two words," I replied, thinking 'in for a penny, in
for a pound', "'Seamless Enterprise'."

   "That's a nice catch-phrase," she said, "but what does it mean?"

   "We've got the P2P stuff nailed.  Now we need to tie it back into the
enterprise applications, and tie them all together so the whole thing works
seamlessly." I stood and began pacing.  If they were going to ask, they
were going to get the full answer.  I hoped they'd ordered lunch.

   "Take CollinsPM, for instance." I said, giving each of them a fraction
of a second of individual eye-to-eye, "We've got the distributed project
thing down pat with the ability to link schedules on different machines and
even between different apps, so, if you're a project manager, you can
create and manage your own schedule, and link it to other subproject
schedules so you can see how changes to someone else's schedule impact
yours.  The problem is that to get the bird's eye view of the whole project
requires laborious export and import of CSV data into a central scheduling
tool.  The tasks of normalizing the data and ensuring the uniqueness of
names alone is so time consuming it's hardly worth the effort.  If,
however, those individual schedules passed their data to a peer that acted
as a client for the enterprise program management tool, you get the whole
thing rolled up and summarized at the drop of a hat.  Reporting, reviewing,
resource management, all of that gets much easier.  But that's just the tip
of the iceberg."

   I paused to pour a glass of water and drink deeply.

   "Speaking of resource management - everyone in the enterprise is a
potential resource, and there is a central repository of information in
every company about each employee, yet Program and Project managers have to
enter each person working on a project into the scheduling database.  Why
isn't that information linked, with proper controls, from the HR database?
Not only would it save time in creating schedules, it would give us the
opportunity to finally understand just how much work we can undertake with
the staff we have, and project what our headcount needs to be with a much
greater degree of accuracy.  It would also tell us what skill sets we need,
when, so we can plan and direct our recruiting efforts BEFORE we have reqs
to fill.  But that, too, only scratches the surface."

   "Program and Project Management has, for a long time in this industry,
gotten short shrift in terms of training and proper execution.  Properly
done, our project schedules would drive our budget cycles, and our time
accounting for project status purposes would also feed into our FASB
accounting so that we could get accurate tax data for our research and
development efforts.  Turn to sales, now tied in with pre-sales,
manufacturing, and support via SyncComp's interfaces, but all of that needs
to feed back in to CRM so that every service call is a potential sales
opportunity.  CRM, in turn, needs to feed into marketing and product
management, whose product feature requirements also need to feed into
project planning.

   "Now that's focussing on the operational aspects of the thing.  Consider
for a moment the OLAP applications that could be built upon such an
integrated system.  What would it be worth to be able to correlate sales
data with development cost?  What would it mean to finally, completely,
fulfill the promise of ERP without having to have a single megalithic
application that nobody understands or can maintain?"

   "I'm seeing some glazed looks," I said, glancing around the room, "so
maybe this would be a good time to pause for questions..."

   "Have you discussed these ideas with Patricia?" Rachel asked.

   "Not yet." I said, "I've just begun to realize their potential myself."

   They exchanged looks among themselves and Bullock finally asked, "Do you
know why you're here, Mr.  Travis?"

   I shook my head.  "Not a clue."

   "Patricia didn't tell you?" he asked, incredulous.

   "She said she needed to stay 'hands-off' on this matter." I replied,
even more puzzled than ever.

   "She could at least have told you why we wanted to speak with you!" he
laughed, "I fear your wife is having a little joke at your expense, Mr. 
Travis!"

   "I suppose it would be too much to ask for you to let me in on the
joke...?" I said.

   Bullock smiled and said, "Your wife apparently wants to take some time
off from her position as CEO of Collins Industries, and has charged us with
the task of finding a suitable replacement."

   "Wait," I said, "let me guess.  She suggested that I might be that
candidate?"

   "Actually, no." he replied, "She suggested we look within Collins
Industries first, then, if we didn't find a suitable candidate, that we go
outside.  We've already interviewed all the other potential candidates
within Collins Industries.  You're our last."

   "I see..." I said.  I didn't know whether to hug Patricia for making
this something that I had to get on my own merit, or to be mad at her for
not giving me time to at least prepare.

   "We're very close to a decision, I think." Bullock said, getting a
chorus of nods as he looked around the table "Would you be so kind as to
wait in the hall for a few moments while we discuss this?"

   It wasn't until I was once again seated in the hallway that I had time
to wonder why Patricia was looking for a replacement.  She had not
discussed anything of the sort with me, and the fact that she had kept it a
secret filled me with foreboding.  I had thought we shared everything, and
to have this dropped on me by the people looking for her replacement was
very disturbing.  I was so wrapped up in worrying about her keeping secrets
from me that it didn't occur to me to wonder why they wanted me to stick
around.

   The handsome silver-haired Rachel Hancock was once again all smiles as
she ushered me back in.

   "...T-r-a-v-i-s, yes, just like hers.  Just bring it in when you've
finished, thanks Trudy!" Bullock was saying into the phone as I reclaimed
my seat at the foot of the table.

   "I think you're in the wrong seat, Mr.  Travis." He said, rising,
"Traditionally, the Chairman and CEO sits at this end of the table..."

   "Chairman AND CEO?" I asked, "How could you decide so quickly, and why
both?"

   "Patricia, as CEO of Collins Industries," he said, gesturing for me to
take his place, "Has always held the Chairmanship of the board, as well. 
Since we have decided that you should be the new CEO, it stands to reason
that you should take the Chair, as well."

   "Actually, Mr.  Bullock," I said, staying where I was, "it does nothing
of the sort.  It's my understanding that my wife wanted you to find a
replacement for her as CEO, and while I'm still mystified as to why you
should choose me for that position, I don't believe the assumption that it
includes the Chairmanship is warranted.  I believe a seat on the board is
appropriate, but board membership is a new duty for me.  If Patricia no
longer wants the chair, then you should elect a new Chairman, one with at
least SOME idea of what this board does."

   "I'll keep the Chairpersonship, for now, if you don't mind!" Patricia
said, sweeping in through the conference room door, "Thank you, dear, for
clarifying that for them.  Will that be a problem for anyone?"

   No objections were raised, and Patricia, seating herself in Bullock's
former position, said, "Very well, is there any other business before the
board today?"

   "Just the signing of the contract, dear," Rachel said, "but that really
requires only the two of you."

   "In that case, I would like to thank the members of the board for their
diligence in this matter, and ask if there is a motion to adjourn." This
was the Patricia I knew!

   "I so move," Ms.  Hancock answered.

   "Second!" said Bullock.

   "All in favor?" Patricia looked around the table and all the hands
raised.

   She looked at me with a smile, "Are you opposed to adjournment, Gary?"

   "Oh!" I said, startled, and raised my hand.

   "The motion to adjourn passes unanimously!" my wife said.

   "You'll get the minutes recorded and reviewed as usual, Rachel?"
Patricia asked the silver-haired woman.

   "Of course, dear!" Rachel replied.

   Each board member stopped to say a few words to us as they filed out,
then, suddenly, Patricia and I were alone, except for the receptionist who
had the contract for us to sign.  With that done, my wife turned to me.

   "Are you very angry at me darling?" she asked, caressing my face.

   "Confused, I guess." I said, "Why didn't you tell me you were
considering stepping down?"

   "Because then," she said, "I would have had to tell you why.  I wanted
to be sure the company was in good hands before I discussed that with you.
You're not angry that I didn't recommend you?"

   "I'm pleased that you didn't, dear!" I said, "While these people could,
I suppose, have done this to suck up to you, I dont think any of them need
to, so while I still don't understand their reasoning, I feel better about
the fact that they didn't do it because you asked them to.  Now that I
know, by the way, I'd really like to know why you're stepping down."

   "Drive me home." she said, taking my arm, "I'll tell you in the car."

   We took the elevator down to the level where I had parked the Buick.  I
guided Patricia to the spot where I had left it, only to find that it
wasn't there anymore.

   "Crap!" I said, "Why the hell would someone want to steal that old
bucket of bolts?  I guess we'll have to call Walt to bring the limo.  I'll
call the cops and report it stolen!"

   "Why don't we just take this one?" Patricia asked, waving at the brand
new Mercedes Benz S600 sedan that occupied the spot where my Buick had
been.

   "Well, among other things," I said, exasperated, "It wouldn't look too
good for the new CEO of Collins Industries to get arrested for stealing
someone else's car!"

   She took my hand and pressed a set of keys, with a fob for remote entry
into my hand.  Attached to the key ring was a small card.

   "Why would he get arrested for driving his own car?" she said, smiling.

   I stared at her, wondering what the hell she was talking about, then my
brain kicked into gear and I glanced at the card.

   'Congratulations, Gary!' it read, 'Thanks for everything!'

   In a daze, I experimentally pressed the 'Unlock' button, and lo and
behold, the Mercedes' doors unlocked!

   I turned, open mouthed, to stare at my smiling wife.  She tiptoed and
kissed me tenderly.

   "I got tired of hinting!" she laughed, "I decided if you weren't going
to get a new car, I'd get one for you!  Walt will clean all your junk out
of the Buick before dropping it off at the charity of your choice.  You'll
get a nice little tax deduction out of it."

   "So THIS is that 'something else' you had to do!" I exclaimed, wrapping
her in a vigorous embrace, "You might at least have given me a hint about
what was going on!"

   "In all the time I've known you," Patricia said warmly, "the only time I
ever surprised you was the first time I undressed for you.  I thought it
was about time for another!  Now come on!  Drive me home!  We have a lot to
talk about!"

   I held the passenger door as my lovely wife slid into the leather seat,
deliberately giving me a long look up her skirt as she did.  I kissed her
passionately as I leaned across to fasten the seat belt for her.

   I took a few minutes to explore the features and controls of my new
'toy', and to inhale the smell of fresh, new leather, before actually
starting it and backing out of the parking spot.  I could not believe the
smooth power of the V12 engine nor the luxurious feel of the controls.

   Finally, out on the street, I said, "Okay, what gives?  Why are you
giving up your position with Collins Industries?"

   Patricia leaned over and put her head on my shoulder as she answered.

   "I want a baby." she said simply.

   "A baby?" I replied, "You already have...  Ah!  Of course!  You want to
give birth to your own baby!"

   "OUR own baby, sweetheart." she said, "I know we never discussed this,
and I hope you're not too angry with me, but I want to be the mother of
your child."

   I was silent for a long moment, piecing together in my head the little
clues I'd gotten over the last couple of years.  Suddenly, much of it came
clear.

   "And you needed someone you could trust to run Collins Industries while
you take time off to be a mommy?" I said "You've been setting me up for
this all along?"

   "Actually, no." she said, "I never thought I'd be able to let go of my
responsibilities to the company long enough to give birth, much less be a
mother to our child, and that was making me sad."

   "Yeah, I noticed that." I said, "I was getting ready to confront you
with it and try to force you to tell me what was wrong, but then it
stopped. What happened?"

   "You happened, dear!" she said, "Without even discussing it with me, you
went out and took over driving the product strategies for the P2P stuff. 
You felt even more strongly about the vision than I did, and you went and
made it happen!  My board was impressed, even then, and I began to think I
might have found someone who could take over for me."

   "Ah.  I remember now." I said, "That was about the time I stopped seeing
the sadness and wistfulness in your eyes.  So is that when you started
setting me up for this job?"

   "You don't understand, dear." she said, "That was when I began to hope.
YOU set yourself up for this job by taking ownership of my vision and
making it your own!  When I told the board that I wanted them to find me a
replacement, several of them came up with your name right away.  Without
saying whether I was in favor of their choice or not, I asked them to do a
proper search, starting within Collins Industries, then outside, if
necessary.  They looked thoroughly at everyone who might possibly fill the
position.  They talked to the CEO's of each of my companies, and a couple
of the other executives as well.  I think they had pretty much decided on
you before you came in, but for them to insist on having you sign the
contract before you left, they must have been quite impressed!  All I
really did was to give you free rein to show what you could do."

   "But, all those other guys have so much more experience than I!" I said.

   "Certainly experience is important." she replied, "But I picked the
members of that board because they have the reputation for depending on
people who get results, among other things, and that's what you've done. 
You did my job when you didn't have the power or the authority to do so. 
They couldn't wait to see what you'd do if you had the position, too!"

   "Wow!" I said, "Why didn't you just tell me what you had in mind?  I
don't know if I'd have done anything differently, but I'd certainly have
tried to help you out!"

   "I wanted to see, and I wanted the board to see, just what kind of
executive you would be." she said, "If you had been trying to do it for me,
we wouldn't have known if it was you, or you trying to please me.  Anyway,
it worked out well, don't you think?"

   "Passably!" I said, turning my new car smoothly into the driveway of our
home, "Now, about this baby thing..."

   "What about it?" Patricia asked, with some trepidation.

   "Want to start tonight?" I asked, grinning.

   She threw her arms around my neck and whispered, "Oh yes!  We should
probably wait until after dinner, though."

   "Because...?"

   "Because I took the liberty of inviting Dolores and Felicia and a few
others to dinner, to celebrate." She answered, "Hope you don't mind!"

   "Pretty sure of yourself, weren't you?" I said.

   Patricia smirked a little when she said, "Let's just say, I know you,
and I know my Board, so I was fairly confident things would work out the
way I wanted them to!"

   'A few others' included Rachel from the CI Board, and Mr.  Bullock, as
well as a couple of the people who had seemed sincere in their
congratulations when we got married.

   Patricia seated me at the head of the table, since the dinner was in my
honor.  I wound up with Felicia on my right and Rachel on my left. 
Bullock, seated between Dolores and her daughter, seemed taken with both of
them, and divided his time between them.  Felicia seemed flattered by the
attention.  At nearly eighteen, she had developed into a beautiful young
woman, with her mother's flashing eyes, a figure to die for, and the grace
and poise of a princess.  That left me with Rachel, who turned out to be an
engaging companion for the evening.

   I had admired her career from afar through the business journals, and
was delighted to find her as sharp in person as I had imagined her to be.
She was one of the rare CEO's who valued the investment the company made in
its people, and had become quite creative in finding ways to deal with hard
times that didn't involve laying people off.  About two thirds of Rachel's
employees were cross-trained in at least one other area, so that they could
be shifted as the changing business environment forced a de-emphasis in one
area or another.  This allowed her to keep her headcount steady while her
competitors were laying people off.  Not only that, she believed in
investing heavily in new product development as the economy waned, so that
she could hit the market with capabilities her competitors couldn't match
as soon as the economy turned up.  As a result, her company had gone from
near the bottom of its markets to a 72% share in only a few years.

   "I'm still mystified about what really happened this afternoon." I said,
as way of starting the conversation.

   "That's because you think it happened this afternoon!" she laughed. 
Despite the silver hair, the only lines I could detect in her face were
smile lines around her eyes.  "We've been watching you for almost two
years, and when Patricia asked us to find a replacement for her, you were
the yardstick by which we measured everyone else."

   "How can that be?" I asked, "I've only been CEO of SyncComp for a little
over two years.  My experience has been somewhat limited, to put it
mildly!"

   "Your experience at doing what it takes to be successful, though,"
Rachel replied, "far outweighed that of any of the others!  Those glazed
looks you saw after your soliloquy on the future of Collins Industries
weren't from people who didn't understand what you were saying.  They were
from people who hadn't dared to dream that CI could ever achieve anything
so grand.  You laid it out like it was all but accomplished, and that
really fired them up!"

   "Oh, there's still plenty of work to be done," I said, "but the
groundwork was laid with the P2P stuff.  This is the first time it's been
practical to even dream of this level of integration with diverse
applications, and we should jump on it while the rest of the industry's
still catching up."

   "It's good to know that you really believe in this, Gary." Rachel laid a
hand on mine, "Tell me, have you thought about what you're going to do
now?"

   "Barely scratched the surface!" I said, "I'm still trying convince
myself that this has all happened!  I guess the first thing I need to do is
find a successor at SyncComp.  I've done some succession planning there,
but we don't really have a good candidate in house.  I don't suppose you
could be convinced to work for me...?"

   I was joking, but the response I got from Rachel made me think.

   "Oh, I don't know." she said, as if she was really considering it, "I
might be persuaded!"

   She leaned closer and I felt a warm hand on my thigh, working its way
upward.

   Rather than cause a scene, I said, "Rachel, in many other circumstances
I would be happy pursue this, provided my wife approved, but I don't think
bribery, sexual or otherwise, is the right way to start a business
relationship.  I also have a policy of not getting sexually involved with
people who work for me.  If you want the job, I'd be happy to consider you
as a candidate, but you won't get there through my bedroom."

   To my surprise, Rachel smiled and turned to look at my wife, shaking her
head ironically.

   "Okay, what was that all about?" I asked.

   "Patricia told me you wouldn't go for anything like that, but I had to
know for myself before I considered taking over your old job." she said,
patting my hand on top of the table, "She's a very lucky woman!"

   "No," I said, "I'm a very lucky man, and I know it.  I also know that my
luck won't continue for very long if I let my dick do my thinking for me."

   The rest of the dinner was relatively uneventful.  At the end of the
evening, I was getting ready to drive Dolores and her daughter home, but
Mr. Bullock insisted that it was on his way.  Felicia had been looking
forward to taking a ride in my new car, but it didn't take much persuasion
from Bullock to get her to change her mind.

   Finally, the only one of the guests remaining was Rachel.  As we walked
her to the door, I tried to guess her age.  Despite the silver in her hair,
her skin was smooth and unblemished, and she looked much younger than the
color of her hair would seem to indicate.

   "So he passed your little test?" Patricia asked, linking her arm with
that of the other woman.

   "With flying colors!" Rachel laughed, "I'm happy to see that he's got
the integrity you said he had, but can't help feeling at least a little
disappointed!"

   "Well, dear," Patricia said, "You can't have everything!"

   Then, linking her other arm with mine, she said, "I, on the other hand,
seem to have found a way to do just that!"

   "Thank you so much for a lovely dinner, Patricia!" Rachel said at the
door, taking both of my wife's hand in hers.  Then turning to me, she
clasped my offered hand in both of hers and said, "Congratulations, Gary!
On your new position, and on your wonderful wife!  Please, when you start
interviewing candidates for your replacement, give me a call!"

   "I will, Rachel." I said, "If you promise to stop testing me!  I get
that all the time from my wife!"

   "Perhaps I should back off a little," Patricia said, laughing, "but you
delight me so when you continue to exceed my expectations!"

   She hugged Rachel and said, "Thank you for coming to help us celebrate!
Now go home!  We have a baby to make!"

   The long, wet, mouth-to-mouth kiss they shared before parting filled in
part of the picture for me.  Their relationship had seemed to be more than
just a business association, and I was beginning to understand why.

   "Former lover?" I asked as the door closed behind our last guest.

   Patricia nodded.  "Yes, I'm still very fond of her, but I couldn't very
well continue a physical relationship while she was on my board of
directors."

   Mary was waiting in our room when we arrived.  The bedcovers were turned
down, the lights were dim and soft music played on the stereo.

   "May this worthless slave speak?" Mary asked.

   "Yes, Mary," Patricia said, beginning to undress, "but please make it
quick!  I'm finally getting to do something I've dreamed about for a very
long time, and don't want to wait a minute longer than I have to!"

   "Yes, Mistress!" Mary said, helping her with her gown.  "Edgar says you
and Master want to have a baby?"

   "That's what we intend, yes!" my wife shot me a burning gaze as I
removed my tie.

   "Oh, I am SO happy for you, Mistress!" my ex gushed, "And for you,
Master!  I had so hoped that one day the two of you would have children of
your own!"

   "Why is that, Mary?" I asked, puzzled.  She had never wanted children
when we were married.

   "Because you are so perfect together!" she replied, "Your babies can't
help but be beautiful, and if they take after you, they'll be kind and
intelligent as well!"

   "Thank you, Mary!" Patricia said warmly, "It means a lot that you
approve.  Do you intend to help with this?"

   "Oh NO, Mistress!" the slave replied, shocked, "If you will permit, I
will help the two of you get ready, then I shall retire to my other
duties." She giggled a bit, "I believe Edgar and Walt have plans for me!"

   Mary started to go down on Patricia's cock, but my wife stopped her.

   "I won't be needing that tonight, dear" she said, "go over there and get
my husband ready, then we'll see you tomorrow!"

   "Yes, Mistress!" Mary replied, kneeling in front of me.

   It took only a few moments to have me hard as a rock, though I think it
was more the vision of my lovely wife, laid out like a banquet before me,
than Mary's expert ministrations.

   As instructed, Mary took her leave and, finally, we were alone.  An
exploratory finger told me that Patricia was ready to accept me, and I
crawled between her legs, positioning my cock at her opening.

   I leaned forward, holding my weight on my hands, and gave my sexy blonde
wife a long passionate kiss as I took the warm plunge into her welcoming
folds.  Those slender, elegant legs wrapped themselves around me as she
returned my kiss and we made slow, luxurious love.

   With long, slow strokes I endeavored to bury my cock deep within the
wet, clinging confines of Patricia's welcoming womb, feeling no urgency,
other than our need to be together.  When my climax finally approached, I
pushed those sleek, lovely legs back to her shoulders and drove deeply into
her cavern, kissing her again as I shuddered through my orgasm.

   When Patricia felt the warmth of my discharge within her, she too came.
This was not the wild, explosive climax of our other sexual adventures
though, just a deep, slow wave that washed over her entire body, causing
her to buck upward, once, twice, then a long third time as my final drops
squeezed out inside her!

   We lay entwined for long moments afterward, until the twitching and
squeezing of that wonderful, wet constriction revitalized my erection.

   "Ready for another dose, baby?" I asked.

   She smiled and kissed me.  I rolled off and urged the lovely blonde to
her knees.  It took much longer this time, following so closely on the
heels of my previous orgasm.  We shifted through a number of positions as
weary muscles demanded.  When I finally finished, Patricia was lying on her
side, her top leg drawn back to her chest as I knelt astride her extended
bottom leg, driving deeply into her from a new angle.

   My sexy wife sighed through another almost relaxed climax as the last of
my fluid drained into her womb.

   "I don't know if we've succeeded, darling." I whispered as I collapsed
onto the bed behind her, still coupled, "But just to be sure, I think we
should keep trying!"

   "Oh, I'm already thinking of how I might be able to ambush you..."
Patricia said, "Do you suppose Gloria would let me kidnap you tomorrow?"

   "You'll have to get on my schedule!" I laughed, "And we need to be
careful about leaving, um, evidence, on my desk!  She scolded me about that
when you came to visit me after your return from the Islands that time!"

   I was feeling on top of the world when I arrived at the office.  I had
never been much of a car snob, but after that old Buick, I figured I could
get used to driving a car that cost as much as my first house.  The whole
FEEL was different.  The doors closed with a solid 'THUNK' instead of a
muffled clank, nothing rattled or squeaked, and the interior, even at
freeway speeds was very quiet.  At least it was until I put a CD into the
sound system and cranked it up!  My ears, no longer as accustomed to loud
music as when I was young, couldn't stand it for long, but it was
incredible to hear every nuance of the music from an AUTOMOTIVE sound
system!

   I got some admiring comments from arriving employees, and wound up
giving Sanjay a tour of the engine compartment and interior after I parked
in my reserved spot at SyncComp.  When I finally got to my office, Gloria
greeted me with her usual smile and a cup of black coffee.

   "Gloria, why don't you come on in!" I said, "We're going to have to make
some changes to my schedule, and I need to talk to you about something
else, as well!"

   "Sure, Gary." she said, shooting me a dubious glance, "My!  Aren't WE
chipper this morning!"

   "WE sure are, Gloria!" I said as she closed the door behind her, "And WE
would like to spread it around a little!"

   "O-o-kay." she said, "What's on your mind?"

   I sipped from my coffee and leaned back in my chair, putting my feet on
the desk for the first time since I came to SyncComp.

   "Gloria," I said, smiling contentedly, "how would you like to work for
the CEO of Collins Industries?"

   "For Patricia?" she gasped, "Your wife!  I'd love it!  But I couldn't
leave you!"

   "Well," I said, so full of myself I should have been nauseous, "you
won't have to!  You see, my wife has decided she wants to be a mommy, and
the CI board has selected me as her replacement!"

   "You're kidding!" Gloria gasped, "That's wonderful!  I just KNEW you
were going places!"

   "Well," I said, "if I haven't been too terrible to work for, I'd like to
take you with me...?"

   "Are you kidding?" she exclaimed, "This is the best job I've ever had!
Of course I'll go with you!"

   "Great!" I replied, then took a moment to get a grip on my euphoria,
"You don't know how much that means to me, Gloria.  I wouldn't have been
able to accomplish even half of what I've done here without you, and I'd
hate to have to try to find a replacement.  You've been more like a partner
than an assistant, and I appreciate that very much!  Of course, with
greater responsibility comes greater compensation."

   "You don't get it, do you Gary?" she replied with a twinkle in her eye,
"I told you, I'm a power-phile.  I do it for the satisfaction I get from
helping to make someone like you successful."

   "I DO get it Gloria!" I replied, "I know you wouldn't do all that you do
just for money!  Nonetheless, in the new position, you're going to need an
even more extensive wardrobe and a nicer car.  You're going to need a
membership in a gym, since CI has no facilities of its own, and you're
going to be asked to work certain evenings and weekends for social events
and the like.  Therefore, you will need more money, okay?"

   "Ah.  Okay." she said thoughtfully, "Why a nicer car?  My Toyota is less
than a year old."

   "You'll be driving a Lexus or BMW or something similar since you may be
required to provide transportation for out of town guests." I replied.

   "You're not going to expect me to, um, 'entertain' these guests, are
you?" she frowned.

   "Absolutely not!" I sat up straight and met her gaze levelly, "You will
maintain a certain level of decorum and personal grooming at all times, and
in social situations, be outgoing and pleasant.  If, however, ANYONE makes
unwanted sexual advances, no matter who, you will kick that person as hard
as you possibly can in the most sensitive portion of his or her anatomy you
can reach, and report the incident to me immediately.  Does that make my
position on this matter clear?"

   "Yes sir." Gloria replied with a sigh, "Thank you, Gary."

   "Nothing to thank me for." I said, "I have my own sexual harrassment
policy and it's even tougher than the one in the CI Policies and Procedures
manual.  I suppose, however, I should modify what I said before.  The
kicking part is optional."

   "In the meantime," I continued, "We need to find a replacement for me.
See if you can get in touch with Rachel Hancock and get a copy of her
resume.  She's expressed interest, and from what I know of her, she seems a
good fit.  Then, I suppose, we should start a confidential search to see
what other candidates pop up."

   "Rachel Hancock!" Gloria said, surprise in her voice, "She's done so
well at Bellamy I thought she'd stay on forever!"

   "I don't know the reasons," I replied, "and certainly, in the interview
and background check, we should try to determine why she wants to leave,
but she told me herself that she'd be interested."

   "She told you herself?" Gloria asked, incredulously, "How did you meet
HER?"

   I waggled a chiding finger at her.  "I see you haven't been keeping up
with the CI news!  Didn't you know she was on the Collins Industries board
of directors?  As such, she was invited to the dinner my wife gave last
night in my honor."

   "AH!" my assistant replied, "Of course!  She would have been part of the
selection committee!  Okay, boss, I'll get right on that!  Anything else?"

   "Yes," I said, "This may strain even your prodigious resources, but see
if you can get someone to put together an arrangement of Orchids and Day
Lilies, with a card written in Mandarin, that says "May all your wishes
come true!".  If you can get that done, please have it sent to my wife at
my home address, okay?"

   "Orchids and Day Lilies?" she replied, "And the card in Chinese?  Do you
mind if I ask the significance?"

   "I understand that the Orchid is a Chinese symbol for many children," I
explained, "and Day Lilies signify Motherhood.  My wife happens to read
Mandarin, and the card will give her a clue where to look for the flower
meanings!  She's been testing me since she first met me, now I'm going to
give HER a little puzzle to work on!"

   "Ah!" Gloria said, "I know just the florist in Chinatown!  She should
have them before you get home!"

   "Thanks Gloria!" I said, opening the ubiquitous red folder.

   The day was fairly routine, though it hardly seemed like it with all the
changes pending in my life.  I wouldn't take over my new duties until I
hired a replacement at SyncComp, but it was hard to concentrate on work
when I had all those thoughts and plans running through my head.

   The drive home was even more pleasant than the drive to work.  The quiet
and the plush interior of the car seemed to melt away the stresses of the
day.  As I turned out of the parking lot, my cell phone rang.

   "Hello!" I answered when the hands-free set up connected the call.

   "Uncle Gary?" I recognized Felicia's voice immediately.

   "Hi sweetie!" I said, "What's up!"

   "Can I stay with you and Aunt Patricia for a couple of days?" she asked,
"Mom wants to go off with Hank somewhere, and even though I'm old enough to
take care of myself, it's kind of boring around here!"

   "Hank?" I asked, "Oh, you mean Henry?  Henry Bullock?"

   "Yeah, they hit it off pretty well last night, and he wants to take her
on this cruise." she laughed, "He must like her a lot, cause he called the
other person he was going to take and cancelled with her!"

   "Well, if she likes him that well, good for her!" I said, "Look, I'm on
my way home, if you want to pack real quick, I can just swing by and pick
you up."

   "I'll be ready in five minutes!" she replied, "See you in a few!  Bye!
Oh, and thanks, Uncle Gary!"

   "Hang on a sec, Felicia!" I said, "There's something you should probably
know before you come over.  Patricia and I are trying to have a baby, so
we're kind of being exclusive with each other for a while, just so you
know..."

   "You ARE!" she screamed, almost busting my eardrum, "That's FANTASTIC!
You're gonna have BABY!  That is SO COOL!"

   "So I take it that's not going to be a problem for you?"

   "No way!" she cried, "Just wait 'til I tell Mom!"

   "Okay, see you in a few minutes!  Bye!"

   I rang the doorbell at Dolores' place a few minutes later, and Felicia
came to the door.

   "I'm going now Mom!" she called.

   "Do you have everything you need?" I could hear Dolores' voice from
inside, coming closer.

   "Yeah!" Felicia said, then gave me a wink and said, "If I forget
something, Uncle Gary will buy it for me!"

   Then, still standing on the stoop, she showed me her fingers as she
counted off the seconds.  She got to three before Dolores exploded!

   "He will NOT, young lady!" she hollered, storming out the door to find
us grinning at her, "I don't care HOW much money he...  You set me up
again, didn't you, you little imp!  I ought to take you over my knee right
here where everyone can watch!"

   We all got a good laugh at Dolores' expense as she hugged her daughter
and turned with her to walk to the car.

   "You brought the new car!" Felicia exclaimed as she saw the Mercedes,
"It's about time!  I know you liked that old Buick, but DAMN it was getting
RAGGED!"

   "Oh this is nice!" Dolores cooed, peering into the interior as I opened
the door for Felicia.

   "It was a gift from my wife!" I said proudly, "I guess she got tired of
that ragged old Buick, too!"

   I offered Felicia my hand, saying, in my best Edgar imitation, "Your
carriage awaits, my lady!"

   Felicia giggled and tossed her head imperiously, saying, "Thank you,
driver!  Take me to the Travis residence immediately!"

   Dolores stopped me as I started to round the car to the driver's side.

   "I don't think I ever thanked you for all you've done for her, Gary."
she said sincerely, "So, thank you!  She's growing up to be a fine young
woman, with far more confidence than I ever had at her age.  That's hard to
achieve as a single mother and I couldn't have done it without you and
Patricia."

   I took her hand in both of mine and kissed the back of it.

   "It's the least I could do after you two gave me safe haven and got me
back on my feet." I replied, "Besides, Felicia is a delight to have around.
You've done a great job raising her.  Too many parents concentrate on
raising good kids.  I think you've done an excellent job of raising a good
adult!"

   "Still a good friend, I see!" Dolores said, hugging me, "That means a
lot to me!"

   "Me too." I replied, "But what's this about you going off with Henry
Bullock?  I mean, he seems a nice enough guy, but I've known him for about
a day, and you only met him last night!"

   Dolores stood back and looked up at me, blushing.

   "Silly, huh?" she said, "I've never been a believer in love at first
sight, but here I am like a schoolgirl with a crush on this widower that I
just met!  I just hope his sister will forgive me for bumping her from this
cruise!"

   "Oh, I suspect she will!" I said, "I imagine she's happy to see her
brother interested in another woman.  Family members are like that, aren't
they?"

   "Well, it's been about three years since his wife died," she said, "so
you're probably right.  Anyway you two have fun!  I've got to finish
packing!"

   "Have a good time, Dolores!" I said, "Felicia will take good care of us
while you're gone!"

   With a wave, she was gone, and I climbed into the driver's seat to have
my ears explode to the heavy beat of the hip-hop music Felicia had brought
up on the sound system.  I could see her mouth moving, but couldn't hear a
word!

   I turned the volume down and said, "Nice system, huh?"

   "It's awesome Uncle Gary!" Felicia replied, "Better than the one in the
limo, even!"

   "So what did your Mom think when you told her about the baby?" I asked.

   "Oh, she already knew." the pretty teen replied, making a face, "I guess
Aunt Patricia told her when she invited us for the celebration, and Mom
forgot to mention it."

   "So what do you think about her going off with Henry?" I asked, changing
the subject.

   She thought for a while before answering, then said, "I like him Uncle
Gary.  I think it would be good if they got together."

   "Well, make sure you tell your Mom, if you haven't already." I said,
"I'd hate for her to blow off a good relationship because she thought you
weren't on board."

   "Oh, we talked for a long time after he dropped us off last night." she
said, yawning dramatically.  "She knows how I feel."

   "Good!" I said, "So what are your plans for while your mom's gone?"

   "Well, I was just going to hang around with you guys," she said, looking
pointedly around the interior of the car, "but now...  Can I borrow the
car, 'Dad'?"

   I laughed at the way she said it, and replied, "I think we'd better talk
that over with my wife!  It IS a gift from her, you know, and I've only had
it for a day and a half!  That does remind me, though.  You'll be
graduating soon, won't you?"

   "Yep!  Valedictorian, if you can believe it!" She laughed, "I guess all
of that help you gave me with my homework paid off!"

   I tried to think of how I had helped, but for the life of me couldn't
think of a single insight I had given her.

   "Help?" I said "All I did was ask a bunch of questions about the
assignments you were having problems with."

   "But that was just the help I needed!" she said, "You got me to look at
things in different ways, and when I did, I was able to figure them out for
myself!  If you had just given me the answers, I wouldn't have known any
more than I did when I started!"

   "Well, I'm glad I was able to help," I replied, "but be sure to reserve
most of the credit for yourself.  You've done a great job with your
studies, honey, and should be very proud of yourself!"

   "Oh I would be," she said, deadpan, "if it wasn't a sin."

   She couldn't hold it when she saw my raised eyebrow, and cracked up,
shaking with laughter!
   "You know me too well, Uncle Gary!" she said, hugging my bicep.