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 15 (MH, MF, oral, anal, fist, preg) (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 ________ (Author's note: Susie Bright is a real person. She's an author, actress, activist, former sexworker, and mother of one. Check her out at http://www.susiebright.com/) (A special thanks to GreenEyedFemme, editor supreme, for her help with the home birthing aspects of this chapter, in addition to her usual help polishing the rough edges!) I sucked gently at the head of Patricia's cock, imagining I could hear the rapid beat of two separate tiny hearts, underscored by the slower sloshing of their mother's pulse as my left ear rested on her engorged belly. Through my other ear, I could hear the sounds of my ex-wife, Mary, priming my wife's breasts for the babies, ensuring that there would be a good flow of milk when they needed it. Patricia lay on her side at the edge of the bed while Mary and I knelt side by side, getting her ready to bring our twins into the world. "How 'bout it kids?" I asked my wife's belly, "Do you like the way I suck your mom's cock?" I thought I felt a kick in response, and, grinning, went back to my ministrations. These 'perineal massages' had become a nightly ritual, and Me'apo, the old midwife Le'ini had brought with her from the Islands, continued them during the day. I added a third finger to the two already probing my wife's pussy, drawing a moan from her as she drew her legs further apart. "I'll have to remember to message Susie Bright," she said, breathlessly, "to thank her for clueing us in about the joys of pregnancy!" Patricia, while doing research about pregnancy, had come across an essay by Ms. Bright. During her own pregnancy, Susie had discovered that 'perineal massage' was a euphemism for 'fist fucking', which, coincidentally, helped prepare the vaginal passage for birth. That lead us to the practice in which we were currently engaged. I removed my mouth from her prick long enough to say, "Okay, here comes another. Just relax, now." The fourth finger, heretofore, had always been a bit of a struggle for Patricia. For some reason she seemed to have this mental threshold that said three fingers was all she could take. This time, however, she took a deep breath, and as she released it, I felt her body relax and the tension drain from around my fingers. With almost no effort, my hand slid into the lubricated tunnel of Patricia's vagina, all the way to the base of my thumb! "Hurry, baby!" she gasped, "Get the whole thing in there!" "Okay, sweetheart." I said, once again rising off her shaft, "Here it comes! Try to relax!" I rolled my fingers into a tube and tucked my thumb inside. My beautiful, gloriously pregnant lover moaned luxuriously as I took her rigid shaft to the root while my entire hand slipped gradually into her cringing vagina! The fit inside was tight, and I could feel movement on the other side of her membranes! "Oh my God!" she cried, "Is this what it will feel like when the babies come out?" "Not quite," I relinquished my hold on her cock once more to reply, "It will feel more like this..." Carefully curling my hand into a fist, I slowly pulled it out of the opening, feeling Patricia's muscles quiver as they strove to stay relaxed against the stretching. "Me'apo told me that my fist might even be a little larger than the babies' heads, which will be the big stretch, so if you can handle this, you shouldn't have any problem with the twins! Of course, unlike my fist, once the babies heads are out, you'll still have the rest of their bodies to go, without as much stretching!" Carmen, Le'ini, their kids, and the ancient midwife had arrived more than a month earlier. To my surprise, I found I took great pleasure in the uncomplicated company of the young children! Patricia and I got plenty of opportunities to hone our diapering skills with Carmen's little ones. "Okay," the mother-to-be panted, "can we dispense with the lesson now, and get back to the sex? Oooohh, yeah!" She cooed as my hand slid back into her. This time, when I made a fist, I deep-throated her cock, and rotated my fist inside her, stroking only a fraction of an inch at a time. Our twins occupied most of the available space inside her, and I was careful not to disturb them too much! As Patricia gasped and trembled toward her orgasm, I could hear Mary slurping loudly at her tits. I had time to wonder if the babies were at all aware of what was happening to their mother, and whether they would be affected by her pleasure! Suddenly, my wife's thighs clamped down on my forearm and she rolled to her back as her dick erupted in my mouth! I had to move quickly to keep my arm from being wrenched from its socket by the strength of her spasm! "Oh, damn!" the sexy blonde panted, finally releasing my hand, "Thank you Gary! I thought my sex life would be over for a while when I got pregnant! Then all those hormones and the extra blood flow kicked in. Now I'm horny all the time! Thanks to you and Susie, I don't have to wait until the babies are born to do something about it!" "It's understandable that you feel that way," I said, wiping some of her cum off my face, "you are, after all, the sexiest mother-to-be in the world! If you don't mind, though, you're going to be a little loose for me at the moment, so Mary and I will take care of each other while you recuperate!" "You two go right ahead." she said, a little petulantly "I'll just lay here like a beached whale and catch my breath!" "You know you're still my one true love darling." I said, solicitously, "but blowing and fisting you have got me horny as hell, and screwing your pussy right now would feel like... well, it wouldn't offer much in the way of friction." "There IS more than one way to screw a pregnant wife, you know." she said. "There is indeed," I grinned, "What did you have in mind?" "Well, I'm laying here on my side," she replied coyly, "unable to move, due to the great weight of my belly. I suppose I wouldn't be able to stop you from doing pretty much anything you wanted to that doesn't involve hurting these precious babies!" "All right then, sweetie!" I said, "I never sodomized a beached whale before. I wonder what that would feel like?" "Well why don't you come over here and find out, but please use plenty of lube!" she said, "Even my ass is sensitive these days!" I lubricated both of us thoroughly, then lay down behind her, gently easing my erection between her cheeks. With infinite care, I eased myself into the orifice that had taken me innumerable times before, but now seemed reluctant to admit me. I watched Patricia's face as I pushed, pausing for each wince, waiting until her features relaxed before resuming my journey. I stroked gently into her ass, and soon, she was moaning and pushing back at me. I paused, deep inside her, and I could swear I felt the babies move next to my cock! Something about that image just blew me away! My unborn infants were experiencing first hand the love Patricia and I shared! "Our kids seem to enjoy sex!" I whispered to in her ear as I stroked her reawakened member with my hand, "It feels like they want to participate!" "You nasty, wonderful pervert!" she gasped, jamming her ass back onto my shaft, "Oh shit!" I was right with her! My seed blasted deep inside her as she came for the second time that evening! "Oh, that was marvelous!" she sighed as we rested, "But I miss having you ravish me, without worrying about hurting me or the babies!" "Well," I panted, "it shouldn't be too much longer. Those kids should make their debut pretty soon, but I don't know if I'll be able to treat you all that roughly. After all, you are the mother of my kids, now!" "I'll just have to do something to really piss you off," she smiled, "so you'll have lots of aggressions to work out!" "You piss me off too much," I warned, grinning, "and we'll be doing that 'perineal massage' even after the babies are born!" "Oooohh!" she rolled toward me, slipping off my wilting penis and hugged me as best she could, "Promise?" "Yeah," I said, delighted with her, "but when there's more room in there, I'll be in up to my elbow!" "Oh you dear, sweet man!" she sighed, "You really know how to sweet talk a girl, don't you?!" I mimed blowing a breath on my fingernails and buffing them on my chest, saying smugly, "It's a gift!" "Oh stop!" she laughed, smacking me on the butt. "Oh!" she exclaimed, as Mary began stirring beneath me, "Carmen and Le'ini and their kids want to go sightseeing tomorrow. I told Walt to take them in the limo." "I'll have him drop me off at work in the morning, then, so you'll have a vehicle here in case of emergencies." I said. We had decided on a home birth with a midwife from the Islands where dual-sexed people were revered instead of ridiculed. This would minimize the number of unsympathetic people who knew about Patricia's special physiology. Her OB/Gyn knew, of course, but all those nurses and orderlies and such didn't need to know unless it was absolutely necessary. "I'll be fine, silly!" she said as Mary cleaned me with a warm washcloth, "I'm not due for another two weeks, at least!" "Yeah," I grinned, "but do the babies know that?" I patted her belly for emphasis. Patricia punched me in the shoulder, saying, "You're incorrigible!" Walt dropped me off at the 'Corporate Headquarters' for Collins Industries the next morning. Patricia kept an office in her accountant's suite for her own use. I leased a space two floors down because there was nothing else suitable available in the building. It came with an outer office for Gloria. I was amazed at how much work there was for the CEO of a paper company, but when you're building empires, I guess you stay busy! A little after ten, Rachel Hancock called. Without taking time for her usual banter she said, "Someone's buying SyncComp stock." I was about to say what great news that was, when something in her voice stopped me. "Any idea who?" I asked. "I've got a call in to a friend at NASDAQ," she replied, "but I haven't heard back yet." "Are we vulnerable?" I asked. "Depends on three large shareholders, I guess." She said, "Two, I'm pretty sure we don't have to worry about, but this Luella Dawson I don't know about." "Give me their contact info and I'll get in touch with them," I said "and see which way the wind's blowing. If necessary, CI will buy them out. I don't want this getting out of hand." Rachel sent me email with the contact information for the three investors who, besides Collins Industries, held the most SyncComp stock. The first two, as Rachel guessed, were solidly in our court. They liked the way the company was being run and wanted to hold the stock long term. If it came to a proxy battle, we would have their vote. I had just hung up from my third try at reaching Luella Dawson when my cell phone rang. "Hello?" I answered. "Mr. Travis?" the voice on the other end sounded uncharacteristically nervous, "this is Edgar, sir. Mrs. Travis has gone into labor, sir! Her water has broken!" Perfect timing, crap! Well, Patricia was my priority! "Are Carmen and our other guests there?" I asked. "Yes, sir." he replied, "They are with her. I phoned Walter as soon as the contractions began and they returned right away. Mrs. Travis insisted that I not bother you at work, saying it wasn't time yet. When the water broke, however, Ms. Carmen insisted I call." "Good! Carmen will act as 'doula' and Le'ini will translate for the midwife." I said, "Okay, we've talked about this. If at all possible, she wants to have the baby at home. If they haven't already, get her into the birthing room, then make sure everyone follows the midwife's instructions. If the midwife says something's going wrong, get Patricia to the hospital right away, got that?" "Yes, sir!" he answered, "Will you be coming home soon, sir?" "I'm on my way!" I called Rachel to bring her up to speed as I headed for the parking garage. "I found out who's buying, Gary." she said. "So, are you going to share this information with me?" I asked, a bit more irritably than she deserved. "Seer." Was all she said. Shit! I was afraid of this! That damned Lenny Erikson would buy SyncComp and dismantle it just to keep his own company on top! He knew that without SyncComp, Collins industries had nothing that could challenge him. If SyncComp stayed under CI control, however, his market would dwindle quickly unless he could adapt his products to the new order. Well, I wasn't going down without a fight! "Okay, dig up everything you can on Seer, Erikson, and this Luella what's her name!" I said, "Get Gloria to help you - she's got resources you wouldn't believe! I've got to get home and help my wife have a couple of babies, but I'll call you as soon as I can." "All right." she answered, "Hey, congratulations! Give Patricia my love and best wishes!" "Will do!" I reached my customary parking spot only to find it empty, and was about to call the cops to report it stolen when I remembered that I hadn't driven! My car was at the house. I thought about calling Walt to come pick me up, but if there were any complications with the babies, he was their best bet for getting to the hospital in time. There was one other possibility... I punched up the speed dial on my cell phone. "Felicia?" I said as she answered the phone. "Uncle Gary!" she exclaimed, then to someone in the background, as I thanked every deity I could think of for spring break, "Hey, it's my Uncle Gary!" "Hey, sweetheart!" I said, "Say, where are you?" "I'm at Union Square with a couple of friends, why?" "Can I ask a big favor?" I replied, "Patricia's just gone into labor at home, and I don't have a ride. Can you help me?" "Sure!" she said, "Where are you?" I gave her the address. "Oh yeah, I know the place!" she said, "That's right down in the financial district! Be there in a sec!" I was waiting out front when the little Miata pulled up to the curb. "Hope you don't mind if Jenny sits in your lap!" Felicia laughed, "She wanted to meet you, so I told her she could tag along!" Jenny was a pretty, petite young redhead, with just enough freckles to break up what would otherwise be a pasty white complexion. "I suppose I could get used to it." I grumbled, grinning, as I folded myself into the little car's low-slung seat. Jenny wasn't shy, that's for sure. When she went to straddle my legs, her micro-skirt bunched up around her waist, leaving her thong-uncovered derriere exposed for my perusal. "Hi!" she said brightly, as she settled her almost bare butt in my lap, "I'm Jenny! I've heard SO much about you!" The way she said 'SO' gave me pause. What had Felicia been telling her? "Pleased to meet you Jenny!" I said, shaking her fragile hand, careful not to apply too much pressure. Jenny giggled as Felicia's take-off threw her even closer to me. "Thanks for getting here so quickly, Felicia." I said as she wove in and out of the downtown traffic. "No problem Gary!" she said, then with a sidelong glance, "Of course, I'd have been here even sooner if you guys had got me a real sports car instead of this little tin can!" "And I wouldn't have to listen to this crap," I grinned back at her, "if we hadn't gotten you a graduation present! I guess no good deed goes unpunished!" "You know I'm just teasing you, Uncle Gary!" she said, "I was hella glad to get ANY kind of car! Hell, you could have hooked me up with a Corolla or something like that but you didn't! At least you got me something cute!" Any other time, I would have been delightfully aware of the charms of the young lady on my lap, but as Felicia threw the car through turns, narrowly missed oncoming cars, and generally drove my blood pressure through the roof, I sat white-knuckled, praying I'd get home in one piece! Jenny, apparently unaware that her life was in danger, said, "I'm a Business Major, and you're like, my hero! It's so cool what you've done for SyncComp and Collins Industries!" "Don't give me too much credit," I said absentmindedly, watching yet another near miss go by, "the ideas were all my wife's." "Maybe so," she said, "but you were the one who made them work! Do you suppose I could, like, call you sometime, and, you know, like, pick your brain?" "I'll give you some advice now, if you like." I said a little irritably, still fearing for my life. "Cool!" she squealed. "First: get a minor or better yet, a second major in a subject appropriate to whatever industry you're targeting. Preferably an engineering course of study." I said, expressing one of my pet peeves with new business graduates, "Having a business degree with no knowledge of what it is that your company does is worse than useless, it's almost criminal. Learn something besides business and you'll be much more marketable." "Yeah," she mused, "that kinda makes sense!" "Second: Drop 'cool', 'like', and 'you know' from your vocabulary." I lectured, getting on another of my 'hot buttons', "Listen to people who are in business, especially those who are successful at it. Learn how they communicate and emulate them. You're no longer in high school and you need to start looking ahead." I finished just as Felicia screeched to a halt in front of 'Collins Manor' as she called it. I had another delightful view of Jenny's cute little ass as she let me out of the car. "Thanks, Felicia!" I said as I headed for the front door. "Bye Uncle Gary!" she waved. "Bye Uncle Gary!" Jenny called from the passenger's seat, blowing me a kiss. I grinned, then hurried inside. Edgar met me in the hallway. "She's doing fine, sir." he said, "You got here just in time. The midwife says the babies are ready to come out!" I had never known anything that could ruffle Edgar's feathers, but he was as close to excited, at the moment, as I ever expected to see him! "Okay. Let me wash up and I'll be right in!" I scrubbed hands and face as best I could in the washroom next to the guest room we had pre-empted for use as a birthing area, and entered the room just as Patricia shrieked through a contraction. Carmen held Patricia's hand, while her other hand tweaked her sister's nipples. Her eyes smiled a greeting and she giggled at my flustered expression. I smiled back at her and nodded a greeting to the ancient Island woman who sat on a stool between my wife's legs, looking straight up into the portal that had hosted my fist just the night before! Le'ini stood to one side, also smiling at me. I smiled and nodded in her direction. The old woman said something as her fingers probed Patricia's gaping vagina. "She says it's good to see that you white people have finally learned about preparing the opening!" Le'ini interpreted, smiling mischievously, "The babies will come out easily!" I nodded acknowledgement and went to take Patricia's other hand. "Where the HELL have you BEEN!" she ranted, "You were supposed to BE here!" "I didn't have a car, remember? I had to have Felicia pick me up." I replied, kissing her. "Oh, yeah... AAAAAGGGGHHH!" She almost broke my hand as another contraction hit her! "Damn, that hurts!" she panted. "They're getting closer together!" "Are we still on plan?" I asked. "Oh, yes!" she gasped, "It hurts, but I'm horny as hell, see!" Sure enough, her cock was as hard as I'd ever seen it! "Okay, baby," I smiled, "just let me get comfortable..." "Why the hell should YOU be comfortable!" she shouted, "I'm sure as hell NOT!" I felt it best to not reply to that, and knelt on a pillow next to the birthing stool, then bent to my task. My lovely wife moaned in ecstasy as my warm mouth engulfed her dripping cockhead. From the corner of my eye, I could see the old midwife grinning from ear to ear! She turned and said something else to Le'ini, who giggled before translating. "She says that the man-woman's husband is truly a wonderful man!" Le'ini said, smiling. I must have fellated Patricia for half an hour as the contractions got more intense and closer together. Finally, her cries changed to grunts, and she began pushing involuntarily! Everyone encouraged her, and on the second push, I saw a round, wet object begin to emerge from her pussy! These babies weren't wasting any time! I could only get to the head of her cock as I moved to give the midwife room to work. It was probably just as well as a flood of body fluids accompanied the infant, assaulting my nostrils with the iron-rich smell of fresh blood, and the scent of amniotic fluid! To my surprise, as the baby's hips slipped from her vagina, Patricia came in my mouth! I don't know if anyone else noticed - they were all busy oohing and aahing over the newborn, but I, knowing another was to come, continued my ministrations. With the umbilical cut and the baby entrusted to Le'ini's tender care, the midwife reached deep into my wife's body, feeling for the second one. A satisfied nod seemed to indicate that the other baby was in an acceptable position. I heard the lusty cries of the newborn baby as I continued sucking on my wife's cock. Suddenly it hit me. I was a FATHER! I had no time to celebrate, as, just then, Patricia pushed again! As if its sibling had greased the way, the second baby squirted out into the waiting hands of the midwife! To my astonishment, the cock in my mouth also gave birth a second time, coating my mouth and throat with my wife's nectar! As my second child gave its first cries, I stood and went to my wife. Her sweat-sodden hair lay in streaks across her beautiful, sated countenance, and I thought she had never looked more radiant. There was a softness, a warmth about her that I had never seen before. I kissed her tenderly and she held me tightly. "THAT," she whispered, "was INCREDIBLE!" "YOU'RE incredible!" I whispered back. "Where are our babies?" she asked anxiously, pushing me away. I looked at Le'ini who smiled and brought two white-wrapped bundles to the bed. "You have a handsome boy..." she said, handing Patricia one of the bundles, then the other, "...and a beautiful baby girl!" Now, I'm something of a pragmatist, and have never really seen beauty, per se, in newborn infants. Fragility, vulnerability, innocence, and an absolute lack of guilt, yes. Physical beauty, no. My own infants, I fear, were no exception. They were tiny, wet, wrinkled little things with a LOT of potential, but no physical beauty! Nonetheless, I made the appropriate noises. Innocence and guiltlessness, after all, have their own beauty. "So what are you going to name them?" Carmen asked. We had agreed that if they were boys, I would name them. If they were girls, or dual-sexed, Patricia would do the honors. Now, it seemed, we would each get a turn! I looked at my beaming bride and nodded for her to go first. "I think..." she said, "...Artemis! Yes, that's perfect for this little nymph! Artemis, the Goddess of the Moon and fertility!" "Is there to be a second name?" her sister prompted. Before she could answer, I said, "Patricia. Her middle name will be Patricia." The new mother started to protest, but I silenced her with a finger over my smiling lips. "Artemis Patricia Travis!" Carmen pronounced, writing it on a form she held, "And the young man?" "Atea." I said without hesitation. "The father of all gods in Polynesian mythology!" Le'ini said reverently, and the old woman looked at me in wonder. "Is this acceptable to you?" I asked Le'ini. She smiled and said, "It is a tall order for a child, but children should have names to live up to! It is good!" "Atea..." repeated Carmen, "...and the middle name?" Patricia gave me a sharp look as I opened my mouth to reply, and cut me off. "Gary." she said, "His middle name is Gary!" "Atea Gary Travis!" her sister said solemnly. Just then, a commotion arose in the hallway, and Felicia and Dolores burst into the room over Edgar's futile protests. "Are we too late?!" Felicia cried. "Dolores!" Patricia cried, "Felicia! Meet our new babies! This beautiful young lady is Artemis, and this handsome guy is Atea!" I stood back to let the ladies fuss over the babies. With the placenta removed and Patricia cleaned up somewhat, I asked Le'ini to ask the midwife if my wife needed stitches. They spoke in their own language for a little while, then Le'ini turned to me saying, "She says there was no tearing. The babies were small and the opening well prepared. All she needs is time to allow the tissues to return to their normal state." "Thank you, Le'ini. Please thank this kind lady for her help, as well!" Again, they spoke in the language of the Islands. "Me'apo thanks the man-woman and her husband for allowing her to serve them." she said, finally, "She asked if you really named your son 'Atea'. When I told her it was true, she almost cried with joy! You have done her old heart good, Gary!" "Please tell her the honor is ours." I replied, "And tell her we shall do everything in our power to see that our son and daughter live up to their names." We moved Patricia into our bed and I shooed everyone out. I bent to kiss my wife before I left, but she was already asleep. I doubt if she even felt the kiss. There was much excitement about the babies, but they, too, had been through the rigors of birth and I gave them over to the tender care of Maria and Mary, overseen by Me'apo. They were weighed and footprinted, then Me'apo insisted on taking them back to their mother to breastfeed and sleep with her scent in their nostrils. When they had gone, I took the time to introduce Dolores and Felicia to Le'ini and her two-year-olds. They also fussed over Carmen's twins for a while. The kids were tired and cranky after a day of being mostly ignored by their parents, though, and their mothers took their leave to care for them, leaving me alone with my best friend and her daughter. After reassuring Felicia that she was still my 'first born' and spending several minutes of talking about the babies and the excitement of their birth, I changed the subject. "So, Felicia, how's Stanford?" I asked. "It's great, Uncle Gary!" she said, "A lot more challenging than high school, but that makes it more interesting!" "Did you meet Jenny there?" "Yeah, she's in a couple of my classes." the young lady replied, "We just kind of hit it off. Her dad's some kind of High Mucky-muck at some company around here, like you." "So have you got everything you need?" I asked, "Got all your books and supplies and everything?" "Yeah," she said, "Hank's taken care of all that. He even bought me a Laptop to use at school!" "Well, I hope you remembered to thank him," I said, "though I'm kind of jealous that WE didn't get to do it!" "Oh, yeah!" she said, "Hank's cool, and I did thank him, a lot, but in my mind, you're still my 'dad'!" "That's nice to know, sweetie!" I pecked her on the cheek, to show my affection. "How about you, Dolores?" I asked, "Three months on, is the honeymoon over?" She gave me a wry grin and said, "Well, I do kind of miss that little cracker box we lived in, but I've fallen head over heels for Henry and he shows every sign of feeling the same way about me. I'm still shocked that he refused to have a pre-nuptial agreement drawn up. The man must be as daft about me as I am about him!" "Have you gotten used to signing 'Bullock' on your documents yet?" I laughed. "I've had to void about half the checks I've written," she replied, laughing too, "but I'm getting better. So, how are things at CI Mr. Travis? Funny, your head doesn't LOOK any bigger!" "Things are okay, for the most part." I said, remembering Rachel's call for the first time, "But there's a small issue with SyncComp that I need to spend some time on, now that we've got the babies safely delivered." "Well, we won't keep you." she said. "Felicia must have broken every speed limit on the books between here and Pacific Heights dropping her friend off and tearing home to get me! You've got two wonderful little children there, Gary, and from what I've seen of you two and my daughter, you'll make great parents!" "Well, it's a scary proposition, nonetheless." I smiled, "I never had to change Felicia's diapers!" "Ah, well," she replied, kissing me on the cheek, "You've got good instincts, and I have faith in you!" Felicia kissed me full on the mouth as her mother turned to go. "See you, Uncle Gary! You know, I think Jenny's got a crush on you!" I was pretty sure Felicia wouldn't have mentioned our sexual activities, but still I took a moment to wonder what she HAD told her new friend. "Well please express my regret, when you see her," I said, smacking her pert little fanny, "and tell her I'm taken, okay?" "I told her already," she laughed, "but I bet it won't stop her! She knew you were checking out her butt in the car!" "Indeed I was," I said, "and a very nice butt it is, too, but unlike some men, I don't think with my dick. I love my wife, she loves me, and that's the way I want to keep it!" "I'll tell her!" she followed her mom out the door, giving me a nice view of her own cute little butt as she did. Gloria met me at the office the next morning, as usual, but wouldn't give me my coffee until I filled her in about the babies. Finally, she relented and we got on with the business of the day. That morning, the red folder was chock full of information on Seer Corp., its flamboyant CEO, and the major mystery in SyncComp's bid to prevent a takeover - Ms. Luella Dawson. Ms. Dawson owned a significant percentage of SyncComp stock, and unlike most of our investors, had shown a marked tendency toward making short-term profit. If she sold her stock to Seer, or went their way in a proxy battle, we could be in real trouble. Seer's offer for the purchase of SyncComp, intentionally priced ridiculously low, had been faxed over by Rachel's assistant, as well. Erikson clearly had no intention of making a fair offer, he simply wanted to take over. Before trying to decide what to do, I went through the separate folder of Seer financials and SEC filings that Gloria had provided. I was about to toss it aside when something caught my eye. Hmmm. That might offer some significant possibilities. A quick peek at NASDAQ's web site gave me a couple more pieces of the puzzle. I scribbled a few notes on a post-it and slapped it on the outside of the folder. I stuck my head out and handed the folder, with my notes to Gloria. "Check this out for me, will you please?" I asked her. One of the great things about having an assistant who's attuned to your style of work is that you seldom have to elaborate. Sometimes I was almost convinced that Gloria could read my mind. She asked no questions, just read the note and said, "I'll get right on it!" I read the material on Luella Dawson, and thought it might be worthwhile to try paying her a visit. She lived in a custom-built house on the upper slopes of Twin Peaks, and I was glad for the power of the Mercedes as it climbed the tortuous streets above the city. Ms. Dawson had not picked up the phone or answered any calls, but I had a hunch she was just being coy. Sure enough, there was a Lexus in the driveway, and a Mercedes in the open garage. The woman just climbing out of the Lexus would have been beautiful if not for the permanent expression of bitter disdain etched on her features. I had the nagging feeling I had met her before. She turned to look in my direction, pointedly examining me from head to toe. "Ms. Dawson, hi!" I said cheerfully, "I'm..." "I know who you are, Mr. Travis." she said, almost irritably, "Grab a couple of bags of groceries and follow me, if you please." I raised the unlocked trunk lid and picked up the three plastic bags of groceries inside without comment. If she wanted to play power games, let her. I had bigger fish to fry, and if she started out with the opinion that I was weak, perhaps I could use it to my advantage. Without being told, I placed the bags of groceries on the counter in her spacious kitchen, and waited silently for her to speak. "What's on your mind, Mr. Travis." she said abruptly, pouring herself a glass of wine without offering me any. "You know perfectly well why I'm here, Ms. Dawson." I said, "You didn't get here..." I waved my hand around, indicating the posh surroundings, "...by being stupid." For the first time, a hint of a smile crept across her features. "You want to know my intentions with regard to Lenny Erikson's bid to take over SyncComp." she stated flatly. I said nothing, just waited. "Tell me, Mr. Travis," she said, a seductive quality entering her voice, "what are you willing to do to keep me in line?" "Anything within reason, Ms. Dawson." I said. "Ah! So now we must determine what 'within reason' means!" she sipped from her glass, studying me over its rim. I remained silent. "I'll make you a proposition, Mr. Travis." she said, "And I urge you to think it over carefully. You wouldn't want to be responsible for allowing all your wife's pretty dreams to come crashing down, now, would you?" Suddenly, I remembered where I had seen her before. One of many faces I had hoped to forget from the night of our wedding reception. The plastic smile, the deep seated jealousy in her eyes, and the wooden offer of congratulations. This was not about business for her. This was personal! I kept my recognition to myself, hoping it didn't show on my face, and remained silent. "You're not a bad looking guy, Mr. Travis." she said, running a hand across my chest, slipping it under my jacket to let me feel its warmth. "If you agree to spend one night with me, and do anything I ask, I'll sign my proxy over to you to do with as you will. If you don't, Seer will get SyncComp." "How well do you know Lenny Erikson, Ms. Dawson?" I asked. Her surprise at my change of subject was evident, and when she answered, I could see the lie in her eyes. "Why, not at all!" she said, "What makes you ask a question like that?" "No particular reason." I said lightly. Both of us could feel that the momentum had shifted, and I tried to press the advantage, "So the fact that you've been a major investor in Seer for many years and only began buying SyncComp stock in the last year or so is just a coincidence...?" "I-I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Travis!" she snapped, "And I don't like what you're implying!" "Oh, I'm not implying anything, Ms. Dawson." I replied calmly, "I simply came looking for information, and you've told me what I need to know, so I'll be going now." "Wait!" she cried desperately to my back, "What about my offer!" "I'll keep it in mind, Ms. Dawson." I said, hoping the inflection was right, "Have a nice day!"