The phone woke me at 4:30 in the evening. It took me a second or two to recognise my whereabouts. The feel of Natalie’s naked body against mine reminded me. I smiled as I recalled the few pleasant hours ensconced in her arms and the playful banter she insisted was necessary. I touched her porcelain smooth skin as I reached to the floor to pick up my phone.

“Tony Harris.”

“Pat Dennison, Tony, am I disturbing you?”

“I was just lying in bed, Pat.”

“I’m sorry, did I get you up?”

“No, I had to get up in any case, the phone was ringing.”

“Oh, good.”

“What’s up, Pat?”

“I called your office but they told me you had taken a bit of sick leave.”

“Yes, the doctor called it stress leave.”

“You’re probably overworked,” he said.

“No, I’m fine in that regard. It’s just stress.”

“Listen, I think we got off on the wrong foot today. We should have a face to face before the meeting in the morning and clear the air.”

“I’m out for a week, Pat. You can sort it out with Mr. Cadden; you might take him seriously.”

“I know, it’s a stressful time for us all, Tony. I can do without all of this backwards and forwards nonsense.”

“And I can do without the stress caused by a verbal threat of violence and intimidation from a playground bully like you, Pat. I was just doing my job.”

“I didn’t actually threaten you, Tony.”

“I have it on tape, Pat. Everyone in the office heard it and my bosses are not amused. I’ve handed it off to our solicitors. I don’t appreciate being the loss of a few day’s salary because of your insecurities.”

“What’ll it take to put this behind us?”

Natalie woke up and was listening intently. She snuggled into me and licked my nipple. My penis began to form a semi.

“Hang that phone up, Mr. Harris. I have to take your temperature, orally,” she said in a soft voice.

“Yes, nurse. Let me finish this call please.”

“I’ll prepare my thermometer and I can see it’s almost at maximum readiness.”

“Tony? What’s the story?” Dennison said into the phone.

“The nurse wants me, I have to go.”

“You have a nurse?”

“Yes, Mr. Cadden insisted. He says you’ll be getting the bill, so thanks for that.”

“Now hold on there. I’ll be doing no such thing.”

Natalie took the phone from me and held it to her ear.

“Excuse me, sir. That’s quite enough of your shouting for one day. Mr. Harris is quite ill and you’re not making him any better. You’re a very rude man.”

She took my erect penis in her hand as she spoke to him, softly caressing the tip with her thumb.

“I suggest you call Mr. Cadden. Mr. Harris has taken legal advice and I’m sure they will be in touch with you soon.”

She switched the phone off and kissed me slowly as her hand slid down towards my penis.

“Have we got time?”

“No, I’ve got to get home, love.”

“This was a nice little unexpected bonus, at least,” she said.

“You know you’re welcome to visit Galway any time you wish, Natalie.”

“Yes, but Galway? Really? I don’t think so.”

We kissed and I extricated myself from her bed, dressed and left the apartment. I pulled out of the car park and was driving into town when my phone rang.

“Hello, Mr. Cadden, how are you?”

“All good, Tony. I take it you’re out and about?”

“Yes, I had Dennison on the phone earlier. He’s got quite the hair trigger temper.”

“Yes, he called and asked me to apologise for that. He’s under a bit of pressure, as you can well imagine.”

“Yes. What’s your end game here?”

“Oh I want him lying prostrate at my feet whilst kissing my shoes, Tony. That attitude of his belongs back in the fifties.”

“Ah, the good ol’ days.”

“All that aside, he’s made an initial offer of a €5k payment to us for pain and suffering. I’m waiting for a confirmation email from him.”

“Sounds like there’s a bit more juice in that to me.”

“Indubitably. Hence my call. What are your thoughts on it?”

“What are our costs, Mr. Cadden?”

“Hard to pin down, Tony. You’re the main victim. You, of course, won’t suffer financially from a few days off, they’ll be covered.”

“I can’t take a few days off.”

“I know. I’m speaking metaphorically. Pain and suffering is a veritable movable feast when the issue of compensation to an individual is involved. The last thing one needs is a court case like that hanging over one’s head.”

“True. What are you thinking?”

“Our solicitors place a value of €10k in lost company revenue with a further €25k in minimum compensatory damages to you.”

“Is that a lot?”

“Seemingly not. It’s a drop in the ocean in comparison to what you’d get in a court case, given the existence of the tape.”

“So lay it out for me, please.”

“We accept nothing less than our solicitor’s recommendation, while pushing for double that as a starting point. We’ll tell him it’s a take it or leave it deal or we’ll just go into court and thrash it out in there.”

“What if he goes to court?”

“Our claim will be €250k, Tony, that takes us into the High Court. The legal fees will be four times that alone.”

“Ok. Fuck him,” I said, thinking back to him waking me up at 4:30, “but start him off at triple the solicitor’s recommendation.”

“I’ll do that, Tony. I’ll do that now that his email has arrived.”

“Keep me in the loop.”

“Will do. I’ll talk to you later.”

I had no idea where this would go, but for now, I was off work until I went to Galway. I needed a distraction. I needed a shower first, so I set a path for home. Cadden called as I reached the house.

“News from the front line, Tony. We have a start to a negotiation.”

“Go on,” I said, as I watched Tara Jones walk in my direction.

She was looking really nice. I held my finger up to indicate the phone call and she stood at the car window while I talked to Cadden. My mother was watching from behind the curtains in the bedroom window.

“Ok, he’s upped his offer. It's contingent on you being in attendance at tomorrow’s meeting. €20k total settlement.”

“Tell him to fuck off. We’d want €20k just to cover the security guards at the meeting. Have they sent the paperwork we requested yet?”

“We’ve got most of it.”

“Ok, tell him we’re not budging from €105k and that he has to stay one kilometre away from me.”

“I’m on it. I’ll let you know.”

“Sorry about that, Tara. Work,” I said, with a weary smile, as I rolled the window down.

“Hi, Anto,” she said, and placed her hand on the window sill.

“What can I do for you?”

“I hear you’re going away for a bit.”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t want to let you go without apologising for what happened between us.”

“There’s no need, Tara. Honestly,” I said, and touched her hand.

“Thanks, I’m relieved. I hear you’re seeing Clodagh Murray.”

“We had a couple of dates, I wouldn’t call it seeing.”

“We never had a date.”

“To my eternal regret, Tara.”

She smiled. “It’s never too late you know.”

“What do you mean?”

“We could go on a date, if you’re willing.”

“When?”

“Whenever.”

“I’m leaving town on Saturday, Tara.”

“I know.”

“I’ll tell you what, leave it with me for now. I can’t commit to anything right now. Can I call you later or whenever?”

“Yes, thanks, Anto.”

She kissed me and skipped away. Bitch! She had a fantastic little bum, though, God bless her. The phone rang. Cadden again.

“Mr. Cadden, we have to stop meeting like this.”

“Very good, Tony. Ok, news from the front. His offer is €70k and he doesn’t even want to be in the same country as you.”

“You’re breaking my heart. That’s acceptable but we want the full €105k.”

“Jesus, you’re a hard negotiator. I’ll put that to him now. Give me a few minutes.”

I went in to the house and switched the kettle on. My mother walked into the kitchen behind me.

“Are you making tea, love?” she asked.

“Yes, do you want a cup?”

“Please. Busy day?”

“A little and it’s not over yet.”

“Is there something going on?”

I laid the whole thing out for her. She put her arms around me just as the phone rang.

“I hope this is the end of it now,” I said, and answered the call.

“Ok, Tony, you win. €105k and one kilometre radius.”

“Good. We’ve got all the paper we asked for?”

“Yes, it just arrived.”

“Good. What’s the breakdown on the split?”

“€30k for us, €75k for you.”

“I thought you only wanted €10k?”

“Very funny.”

“It was worth a shot.”

“You’re welcome to the entire amount, Tony.”

“No, it’s a good faith agreement, sir. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Thanks for that, Tony.”

“We want it in our account by morning for the meeting to proceed. I’m gonna have a cup of tea and a quick look at the site before I head back to the office to go through the paperwork.”

“You’ll be here all night!”

“I’m just looking for one thing, Mr. Cadden,” I said. “I’ll bring Peter in with me. You’ll cover the overtime won’t you.”

“Of course.”

I hung up and my mother had made the tea. She actually looked at me with a proud smile. I held up my tea.

“Sláinte, Mam. You’ll never beat the Harris’.”

“What did Tara want?”

“To bear your grandchildren.”

She slapped my hand. “Anthony! That’s not funny.”

“Go on, you’re delighted.”

She preened a little.

“I have to admit, I was tempted.”

“Were you? Does that mean you refused?”

“Not yet, she looked very well.”

“They all look well when they want my lovely son,” she laughed.

“I’m not going there, in any case, Mam. There’s too much drama attached to her for my liking.”

“So what are you doing tonight?”

“I’m going back to work.”

“Ok, don’t be too late.”

“I don’t plan to.”

I stopped off at the Cabra site and it had been cleaned up quite nicely. I pushed open the unlocked gate and went for a stroll around the place to see what I could see. A flap of red polythene, sticking out of a hole in the wall, was waving at me in the slight breeze. Curious, I went over and pulled it from a vent hole in the wall. It was attached to a bunch of keys. The keys of the building.

'Those lazy bastards,' I thought.

I carried the keys with me on my tour of the facility. One of the windows in an apartment on the ground floor was open but I managed to close it. It couldn’t be secured from outside the building, so I checked the labels on the key ring and found one marked, Block A Apt 7. I inserted the key in the lock and it opened. I went inside and locked the window.

While I was inside, I noticed an acrid, foul smell in the air. It was from the sewer system and it explained why the window was left open. In the bathroom, the sanitary ware had been installed and the water hadn’t been turned on as yet. I found an empty paint tin and filled it with water from an oil drum outside. I then went around every waste fitting in the apartment and filled the U bends with water. That would block the foul odour from backing up from the drains into the living space. I locked up, placed the keys in my pocket and left the site. I called Peter as I walked through the gate. He answered just as I got it closed over. I sat on the front wing of the van to talk to him.

“Are you coming to this Cabra meeting in the morning?”

“Are you fucking mental? Yes, what time?”

“8:00.”

“I suppose I’d better.”

“The paperwork is in. I’m heading back to the office now, wanna join? The overtime is cleared with Cadden.”

“Great. Tell you what, drop in here and collect me. Mam’s making her world famous, Œuf et Pommes Pont Neuf, for dinner.”

“Combien d'oeufs.”

“Several. All of them poached.”

“I’m in! Want me go pick something up?”

“Yes, get something on the south side.”

“What would you like?”

“Anything.”

I laughed and cut the call. The site was at the junction of a busy roundabout and I had to wait for a gap in the traffic to get to the driver’s door. I was engrossed in what I was watching and didn’t notice someone standing beside me on the footpath.

“Hey, Tony Harris,” the girl said, with a smile.

I looked at her. Her face was familiar but I struggled to place her. An amused look played on her face as she recognised my quandary. She had long dark hair, piercing blue eyes, delicious lips, and was a couple of inches shorter than me. It was frustrating that her name was just there in the top left hand corner of my brain.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Enjoying what, Tony?”

“You think I don’t remember you, Marie, don't you?” I said, as recognition finally set in.

“You were struggling for a bit.”

“I just didn’t recognise you with your clothes on.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Your street clothes and not your work uniform. I’d never forget those delicious lips, though.”

“You’re not getting off that easily, Mr. Harris,” she said, laughing.

“What are you doing around this end of Cabra?”

“I live down off the Navan Road. What has you here at this hour?”

“I’ve a meeting here in the morning, Marie, and I’m just doing some advance reconnaissance on it.”

“Have you time for a drink?”

“I’ve to get over to the office for an hour or two, I could be back here by 8:00 or so.”

“Do you know The Halfway House? I’ll meet you outside at 8:30. Is that enough time for you?”

“I’ll make it work, Marie. Do you want a lift home?”

“That’s very nice of you, thanks.”

“Show me the way, Marie.”

She laughed.

“What’s funny?”

“Nothing. It’s like everything you say has a double meaning.”

“Possibly. It could also be someone’s filthy little mind.”

“Maybe that too. But it is really nice to see you again, Tony.”

"I'm glad you stalked me. I was thinking about stalking you at some point."

“Anywhere along here will be good for me. I can walk the rest of the way and you can continue on into town,” she said.

I pulled in and she smiled at me. I touched her pretty face, her eyes were smiling. She lifted her lips to mine and we kissed. It was a beautiful soft kiss which lingered beyond where she meant it to last. My lips took hers and opened them; my tongue touched her bottom lip before searching for hers. She was hesitant until my hand stroked behind her ear, after which she joined me fully in disregarding the nuances and playfulness to descend into our own world where nothing existed except the two of us, joined in our quest for something that couldn’t be seen but was very real.

“Jesus, Tony. What was that?”

“I never know. I don’t think anyone does, Marie.”

“Do you have to go to work?”

“Yes, but it won’t take long.”

She handed me a card. “Here’s my address. Can you come there instead of the pub?”

“Yes, I’d like that, Marie.”

We kissed again and I went on my way. I drove straight up to Peter’s house and had his fancy egg and chips and we went to work.

“What are we looking for in here, Tony?”

“There are documents pertaining to the registration, competence and experience of a guy called Joey Navan. I’m hoping they’ll think we’re just assembling a file; that’s why I asked for so much.”

“What’s wrong with Joey Navan? Besides the fact that he has a stupid name. I’m thinking that the priest could barely contain his laughter at his christening.”

“He could also be a marsupial. He certainly looks like one.”

“We shouldn’t objectify people because of their appearance. After all, we’re no oil paintings ourselves, especially one of you.”

“I know, that was bad of me.”

“Think on in future, young man. Would you look at the baps on that thing over there in the sprayed-on skirt? There’s eating and drinking on that. What’s your suspicion of Mr. Navan? It sounds like a male beauty contest winner.”

“I think he’s not qualified to be a subbie. All of the land work machinery belongs to his company, The Builders Yard. I want to see who he used for tradesmen; he looks like someone who’d chance anything himself to save money.”

“Would a few leading questions be in order tomorrow?”

“We need to sneak up on him a bit. Put pressure on the others and tease out some information before we jump all over him.”

“Did this guy do something to you?”

“Yes, he’s an arsehole.”

“That’s good enough for the God Squad. Are we having pints afterwards?”

“I can’t. I met a girl outside the job and I’m going to her place for the evening.”

“Are you the fucking Pied Piper of women or something?”

“Yes. I wouldn’t mind but I left my pipe at home.”

“So you’re gonna disappoint the young lady?”

“I’ll do my best not to.”

“It’s good to see that chivalry is alive and well in the world.”

We reached the office and immediately set to work. Peter accessed all of the requested documents and made the printer ready while I looked though the mountain of stuff that Dennison had sent over. Everything I asked for was there. Peter began printing some of the Dennison general information and the admin stuff that was directly related to this project. This would have been presented to the Council Architects at the inception of the project so it was deemed pure.

I, meanwhile, tracked through all of the rest of the stuff and quickly found the material pertaining to The Builders Yard. A quick reading of the preliminary description gave me what I needed. It was his list of qualifications. My intuition was correct; he was a land works contractor and the only official qualification he had was a license to operate each of his machines. In my mind's eye I remembered him working on a group of kitchen cabinets during my first visit to the site. I then searched for his list of subcontractors nominated and identified for the Cabra project and approved by Dennison and the Council architects' office. The list didn't include a carpentry firm nor, curiously enough, a plumbing contractor. It did have the name of a reputable heating contractor, however. I picked up the office phone and called their out of hours number.

"Academy Heating," a bored female voice intoned.

"Hi, I'm calling about a job you are currently working on out in Cabra for the Council."

"Can I have your name please?"

"If I can have your name first," I said.

"Leah."

"Hi Leah, I'm Tony Harris."

"Hi, Tony, how can I help you? Hold on, not the Tony Harris from Cadden's?"

"Guilty as charged."

"Lisa in Dennison's told me all about you."

"Did she, now. I've never actually met Lisa, just a couple of phone calls. What did she say?"

"Oh, she's my boyfriend's sister, I could never divulge that. All I'll say is that you can expect a call from her."

"They all make promises like that, Leah. I won't sleep, now that you've got me excited."

She cleared her throat. "You might even get one from me, but I've a few flashing lights so what do you need?"

"Thanks, Leah. I was over there this evening, and the smell from the drains was overpowering. I filled up some of the traps with water to stop it ruining the place, but my question is, why did your lads not do that when they installed the sanitary ware and made a final connection to the main sewer line?"

"In Cabra you say?"

"Yes, Senior Citizens accommodation."

"Ok, I have it here on the computer, if you'll give me a second or two."

"Take your time, Leah. Do you get a lot of stupid calls at night?"

"Not only at night, Tony. Here it is, yes, we aren't doing the plumbing over there. Were just doing the heating installations."

"Does it actually say that in the file?"

"Yes, it says that the plumbing will be done, in house, by the contractor."

"Does it mention the contractor's name?"

"Yes, The Builders Yard."

"Would I be able to get a screenshot of that, Leah?"

"Yes, of course. Are you involved with the project?"

"Yes, in an advisory capacity."

"Ok, I'll send you the first page directly from the file. It sounds like you might need more than a screenshot."

"Thanks, Leah, you're an absolute star. I'll send you my email address," I said.

"I might need your number too. In case of emergencies."

I gave her my number and hung up. The email came into my phone within a few seconds. I printed it off and also the other stuff I had found. Peter was at the printer when I got there. I looked at my watch.

"Eighteen minutes, Peter; we're slowing up."

"Tell me you agreed a four-hour night slot with Cadden for this."

"Yes, at time and a half."

"You are a boy genius. Let's get out of here. Will you drop me home?"

We headed off in the direction of Peter's house.

"So what's the name of this nubile young temptress who picks up strange men outside senior citizens' accommodations? Assuming you actually got her name. Or is that convention just an irritation for you nowadays?"

"Marie."

"There's a biscuit called Marie, if I'm not mistaken. Or is it Marietta?"

"It's both, actually."

"The Marietta are a nuisance because they're too wide for the cup when you want to dunk them in your tea."

"For fuck's sake," I said, "where is this going?"

"I'm just passing the time of day. I think we should have a small wager on the colour, cut and style of her underwear."

"Ok, given the cut and style of her clothing this evening, I'd say it would be a thong, black with lace accoutrements."

"It's the north side, Tony. Lace accoutrements? You can fuck right off! They don't sell those in Dunnes or Penneys."

"Fuck off. Well what would you say, Mr. Know-it-all?"

"I'm gonna agree with the smaller style, a G-string, perhaps. I'd disagree on the colour, I'm going with pink and no accoutrements. Just the usual fake satin that all north siders aspire to, but I'm loath to exclude animal print or tartan."

"You know what? I'll give you any one of those three. The wager is for two pints in the Sheaf."

"If you win, that is. If I win you have to put me up in Galway for four of your twenty-four weekends."

"Done. You can come and live over there for the entirety if you like."

"No thanks, Galway's a dump."

"You said it was the best of the bunch."

"I have no recollection of ever using those five words in that order, ever in my life. For the record, though, if you don't come in with the said garment at the meeting in the morning, my bet wins."

We shook on it.

"You'll be surprised at how quaint the Sheaf actually is."

"Why, have they got dedicated areas in the corners of the lounge for people to piss in?"

"Of course. It's a much underrated thing these days."

I dropped Peter off and headed straight to Marie’s place. I had a good idea of where it was and I made good time, arriving earlier than anticipated. She lived in the top half of a semi-detached house near the Phoenix Park. It was a lovely setting with lots of mature trees and assorted greenery abounding in the grounds of the houses along the entire road.

I parked outside and walked to the front door, found her buzzer and pushed it quickly. I stood there for a few minutes and thought it would be better if I sat in the car for thirty-five minutes or so, until our official meeting time came. I had reached the gate when I heard my name being called. I turned and went back to the door.

“Sorry Marie, I’m a bit early. I’ll wait in the car,” I said to her, as she looked through the open window.

“I’m just out of the shower, Tony,” she said and threw a set of keys at me. “Let yourself in and come on up. I won’t be long.”

I followed her orders and found myself on the landing facing two doors. One of them opened and I heard the sound of somebody running away from it inside the rooms behind.

“It’s open, I’ll be two minutes. There’s coffee in the pot if you need something to drink.”

I went through the door into what looked like the kitchen. It was spotless. The coffee pot was one of those that percolates the coffee grounds and leaves you with a whole pot of good coffee. I hadn’t seen one for years and I was messing with it when Marie, finally, joined me in the kitchen. She kissed me and smiled.

“I’m sorry about this. My Mam waylaid me when I got home and I’ve been rushing around getting ready. I take one step forward and another back.”

“You look beautiful to me, Marie,” I said, and put my arms around her, pulling her to me.

Her hair was damp and appeared as though a towel had just been taken from it, stray lengths of it cascading down over her eyes as it hung haphazardly and kissed her shoulders.

“I’m a mess, forgive me, please.”

“I think you look so sexy, Marie,” I said, a semi brewing as I allowed my hands slide across the black satin of the robe she was wearing.

“I’m not even dressed,” she whispered.

“That could be a positive, if you’re of a certain mind,” I whispered in reply.

She laughed, then looked me in the eye. “A certain mind, eh? Whatever do you mean?” she whispered, seductively.

My hands slipped downward and slowly over her perfect bottom. I smiled when I realised I had just lost a bet.

“What’s that dirty smile for?” she asked.

“Oh, I always smile when I’m happy, Marie.”

She kissed me then, a deep soul-searching kiss that went straight through me. It took me by surprise and I raised my hands to her back so I could hold her tighter.

“Please put your hands back, Tony. I love the touch of your fingers on my bum.”

I kissed her and loosened the tie of her robe. I received unspoken consent as I kissed her face and neck softly, removing the robe as I tasted her skin, down to her breasts, white with beautiful pink nipples that stood to attention and held perfect balance as they stood proudly on her chest, small but delicious, inviting but unwilling to compromise as they remained comfortably balanced in my hands.

“Not exactly Dolly Parton, am I?” she said, a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

“No, but you’re you, Marie. Your breasts are you. The same as every part of you. You are what I want right now, what I need.”

“Oh Tony. Let me undress you.”

Ever the gentleman, I assisted her and less than ten seconds later I stood naked before her, fully aroused as we appraised each other while holding each other’s hands outwards.

“Jesus, you’re beautiful, Marie,” I whispered, as we clung to each other.

Hungrily we kissed, our arousal on vivid display. She took my hand and led me to her bedroom, my eyes drawn completely to the sliver of pink undulating sensuously in the cleft of her bum in time to her seductive walk.

She sat on the edge of the bed and took my erection in her hand. She shook her head from side to side, clearing her hair from her face, as she bent forward slightly to taste the tip with her bright pink tongue, pausing to heighten my arousal further, before slowly taking the head between her perfect lips. Lips I had dreamt about. Lips that now owned the head of my penis as they gently held it inside and allowed her tongue to move agonisingly slowly across, around and under it. Taking me as high as I could possibly be taken, stoking a volcano of fire inside me.

She released my penis from her lips and knelt before me, her mouth now concentrating on my shaft, her thumb sliding across the eye as it secreted a larger than usual volume of clear viscous fluid, and her lips surrounding the base as she looked directly into my eyes, a look of lust, love and desire inherent in them. A smile of pleasure mixed with intent and devilment evident within them. She moved lower, to my scrotum, using her tongue and lips to tempt me before taking one of my testicles inside, causing me to involuntarily groan loudly as I held her head in my hands, unsteadily trying to remain standing.

She released me slowly and looked up at my tortured face. I lifted her to her feet and gently pushed her on to the bed.

“That was so sensual, Marie. You’re such a sexy woman,” I whispered. “It’s your turn now.”

“Oh God, Tony.”

I lay beside her on the bed and kissed her deeply, returning her kiss with my lips and tongue. She grabbed my head and held it for dear life as my hand found one of her breasts and took it prisoner. She sighed as my thumbs touched her nipple and again when I gently twisted it and pinched it softly before taking it in my mouth and suckling on it as she held the back of my head with her hands.

My hand felt the soft skin of her stomach as it made its slow journey downwards, flattening out and finding her inner thigh. My lips found her navel and kissed around the softness of her stomach, my tongue leaving a trail of wetness as her hips began to rise and fall in uncontrollable expectation. My hand, all the while, stroking her inner thigh from just above her knees to just below her vulva.

“Oh, Tony, that’s so fucking fantastic,” she whispered as her hips rose in search of my fingers.

I moved my hand inside her G -string and lifted it away from her smoothly shaved mons. She groaned at the intrusion and held her hips high in expectation of its removal. I didn’t make her wait and slowly slid it from her body, over her legs and onto the floor, where it joined my clothes in a tableau crested out of love and desire.

Her legs far apart, she offered herself to me. Demanding my touch. My tongue found her glistening vulva, lightly touching the pink inner lips of her labia as they peeked out at me. My hands supported her hips from below and my thumbs gently opened her up to my tongue. She was magnificent, one of the nicest, most perfectly formed vaginas I had ever seen. A dribble of fluid ran like a tear downward across her perineum toward her anus. My tongue caught it half way across and she bucked her hips wildly while allowing a slightly shocked scream to leave her lips.

Like a flower in spring, her vulva proudly showed its beauty. Proudly on display, it demanded attention. My tongue tasted her at last. She tasted of musk and a hint of lavender backed up with a scent of patchouli and fields of wheat. It was intoxicating as my tongue massaged her soft pinkness, over and over, covering her completely as I flattened it to enable her experience the softness and total effect of intimacy that our bodies required for fulfilment.

Her breathing became laboured; the sounds of her breath rose in tone as my tongue focused on her clitoris, circling it and massaging it as it lay protected under her clitoral good. I moved my hands to allow my thumbs to expose it to me and she rocked in ecstatic arousal as my tongue made first contact with her centre of pleasure.

Holding it with the tip of my tongue, I listened to her noises of arousal as they changed in pitch over several octaves. I introduced some light movement to her, slowly increasing the depth and the speed of my tongue until she pulled my head tight against her clitoris and her body rocked with the force of the orgasm that coursed through her. She pulled her hips away and pulled me to her to hold me as she sought the security she needed in reassurance that we were together at that moment. We held each other as her trembling limbs relaxed and I stroked her skin to aid calmness. She looked deep into my eyes and kissed me forcefully.

I pulled her on top of me and she slid my penis inside her. A pool of her fluid immediately formed on my stomach as she took me all the way inside her in one thrust.

"Oh, Tony! That's so good," she gasped.

She rolled her hips gently at first as I moved in time with her. She looked sensational as she rocked her body to maximise her connection, grinding down on me, her eyes closed, focusing on her building release. A film of sweat covered her skin as it became a light pink blush. She increased the pace of her hip movements as she reached a point of no return. I ceased all movement inside her and gave her rein to take her to her peak of ecstasy. It was an instant, a moment in time. She suddenly sat up straight, her lips forming a wide perfect 'O'. Her eyes closed tight as her body began to shudder. Needing support, she threw herself down on to my chest and rode out the orgasm in a storm of tears, squeals and cries of joy.

We remained connected; my penis remained as hard as it had ever been. I flexed it a little and she smiled. A soft sigh escaped her lips in the form of a silent laugh. She lifted her head and threw her hair back, wild in her demeanour, free of restraint and convention, her arms off to the side with the fingers of her hands grasping the air for something elusive. I reached for her hands and found them damp with sweat. She interlaced her fingers through mine and leaned in for a kiss. Her beautiful breasts softly fell forward, forming the shape of an upside down cone as they teased my lips from their graceful perch on Marie's chest. Her nipples, hugely extend and irresistible.

Holding her hands in check, I lowered her nipples slowly to my lips. I held her so they were just a flick of my tongue away from me. She watched me through hooded eyes as I licked my lips and then reached for her with my tongue, softly swiping across the very tip of each nipple.

"Oh, my Jesus Christ, Tony. That's such a turn on. Fuck!"

I eased her forward a little more and took one of them in my mouth, releasing her hands at the same time so I could embrace her and hold her to me. She swayed in time to my ministrations, gasping for breath as the stimulation to her nipples and vagina became more than she could bear. I turned on my side, taking her with me. Her arms held tightly around my neck as I began to thrust slowly inside her. Her hips rotated seductively in time with my movements.

"I'm gonna come, Marie," I groaned.

"Yes, don't stop, Tony. I'm so close too," she gasped, as her hair fell over her face.

The length and pace of my thrusts became longer and harder as I reached for the escape that was waiting to cascade forth. She suddenly jolted and held me tighter as she rolled her hips faster, chasing another journey to her peak. We reached that place of heaven close together, mine a little before hers, and we lay coupled until our bodies adjusted, kissing softly and smiling all the while. My softening penis slipped out of her and I rolled away to lie on my back. Her head rested on my chest as she moved to be close to me. I stroked her hair and she laughed as my fingers became entangled in it.

"I need to wash that again, love."

"Not just yet, Marie. This place that I'm in is where I always want to be."

"Just hold me, please," she murmured quietly and drifted off into a satisfied sleep.

I lay under her, safe beside her in a haven of wonder and love that I never wanted to leave.

I woke the next morning when Marie left the bed. It was 5:30. She came back a few minutes later with coffee. I sat up in the bed and took a cup from her as she bent to kiss me. She smiled warmly.

"That was fantastic last night, Tony."

"For me too, Marie. You were amazing. I wish we could have went on all night."

"I don't think I could have survived much more. I'm still very tender; I thought I was on fire last night."

"You should have said, love."

"Fuck no! I didn't want to stop. I came about four times!"

"Drink your coffee and get back in here beside me. I need to feel you in my arms for a while."

"What have you got in mind?"

"I just want to feel your skin against mine."

"I'd like to feel you come in my mouth before we get up."

"I'd like that too."

"I hoped you would." She reached for my penis and kissed me softly, her lips wide and her tongue tantalising mine. "I have a question for you first, though."

"Shoot! I'm an open book while my penis is being held in a beautiful woman's hand."

"Last night."

"It was amazing, love. Really amazing."

"Yes, it was beyond amazing."

"What about it?"

"When you arrived at first, you felt my bum when we kissed."

"I did, I remember it well, how could I forget? It will live inside me forever."

"With me too. I also recall a devilish little smile on your face. A filthy smile almost."

"I don't recall that," I said, trying to look innocent.

"I do. You said that you always smile when you're happy."

"Ah yes, I recall that now."

"I thought you might. So, Mr. Harris, what was that smile really about?"

I thought it through briefly and decided that I should be upfront with her. After all, it was just a childish thing.

"Well, Marie love, I'll be perfectly frank with you, even though anyone I've ever met, named Frank, was far from frank," I said, trying to buy some time to get my thoughts in order.

"I have all day, babe."

"You also have my penis in your hand."

"For the moment."

"I would never use the threat of withdrawal from an intimate and lovingly affectionate moment as a weapon, my beautiful angel."

"Well, I'm not you, my handsome lover."

"Ok, but I need you to promise me that I won't be judged adversely or otherwise, once I tell you."

"Tick tock, Tony."

"Right. I have this work colleague, Peter Smith. Now at this stage, I want to place on record the fact that Peter is a bit of a maverick. A cynic, if you will, in the ways of romance and romantic actions."

"Noted. Peter is not particularly, ehm, gentlemanly, shall we say?"

"Harsh but accurate. He's had a difficult life."

"I'll make the allowance."

"Thank you. His mother is the most wonderful lady. She's a Cordon Bleu chef, you know."

"How wonderful!" She smiled, at least.

"Yes, she makes the most perfect Pommes Pont Neuf. Triple cooked in beef dripping."

"Chips. I work in a restaurant, Tony."

"Yes, I didn't forget that, Marie."

"I'm delighted that we've established my culinary qualifications."

She squeezed my penis gently and kissed me.

"Oh that was so good."

"For me too."

"Ok. Peter has this thing about asking any girl he sleeps with for her underwear as a souvenir of a fantastic liaison."

"Souvenir or trophy?"

"I'd hardly call it a trophy, babe. It's rather endearing, I feel."

"Continue."

"He also has this south side of the city superiority about him."

"He's a bit of a snob?"

"I suppose one could call it that, if one feels the need to place a label on everything."

"Continue."

"After we finished work last night I dropped him home in the van. On the way he asked me if I wanted to go for a few pints. I told him I had other plans."

"Yes, and I was so excited."

"As was I, so I told him about us. He did what he always does, and gave a brief perspective on it in his own inimitable way. In its own childish way it was quite funny, actually."

"How so?"

"Oh it was an extrapolation on a situation whereby we ran into each other outside a senior citizens' apartment complex."

"I can't see the humour in it, Tony."

"I suppose you really had to be there, Marie, but it was harmless fun."

"I sense there's a lot more."

"Not really. The subject of ladies lingerie came up."

"I see. My lingerie?"

"In general, rather than specifically."

"How so?"

"I believe he said, we should have a small wager on the colour, cut and style of your underwear."

"Did he? That's original. Did you agree with him?"

"Not at all, Marie. I was outraged."

"You're my knight in shining armour," she said, and kissed me slowly. "So how did you respond to this blatant attack on my honour?"

"I took an initial protective stance, on your behalf, of course, and told him that, if your mode of dress when we ran into each other was any indication, it would be elegant, sophisticated and ladylike. I guessed it would be a black thong with lace accoutrements."

"I see, but it wasn't, was it?"

"I honestly don't remember, love."

"It was a pink G-string. Just to jog your memory."

"It's burned into my mind, Marie. Believe me."

"Oh I do."

"What was his guess?"

"Peter's?"

"Yes, sorry, Peter's."

"Well, he guessed it pretty much correctly straight off the bat, Marie. When my hands experienced your fantastic bum for the first time, I could feel the garment beneath that sensuously arousing satin robe. I realised I had lost the bet, which made me smile, because I didn't care."

"What was the bet?"

"Well, I had to produce the evidence at the site this morning. If I didn't, I would lose the bet."

"How did you plan to steal my underwear?"

"I didn't. I had lost the bet. Not producing it this morning meant I had to pay up."

"There was money involved?"

"No, the forfeit was typical of Peter's south side superior mindset. If I won, he had to drink two pints in my local out in Coolock. If I won, I had to let him have four weekends in Galway when I'm there for training."

"When are you going to Galway? For how long?"

"Over the weekend. For six months."

"You never said."

"You blindsided me with your allure, Marie. I never thought we'd become so close, so quickly."

"We're close?"

"I feel we are. Do you not?"

"I had hoped you'd think that way, Tony."

She squeezed my penis again and gave it a soft stroke upwards.

"I do, love," I said earnestly and kissed her.

Her eyes betrayed a smile. "Continue with your tale," she said, returning to the subject at hand.

"That's about it, love. A tale of dastardly proportions, I agree, but it wasn't meant to diminish you or your beauty in any way, shape or form. I promise you that. It was just the imaginings of two bored adolescent minds, nothing more. I would never do anything to hurt you."

"I know that, Tony, but I need a few moments to consider it in its entirety before I respond fully."

"I understand."

We snuggled together until the presence of my erection focused our minds in a different direction.

After a shower I left her at 7:45 and made my way to the site. I was early, so the place was deserted. I parked outside on the roadside, retrieved my paperwork from the rear of the van and was opening the gate when Alan Smullen arrived. We shook hands and stood chatting about things as we waited for everyone else to join us. Peter arrived at bang on 8:00. He parked his car and walked towards us with a look of disgust on his face.

"It's a bit like release day from Mountjoy Prison out here, isn't it?"

"Peter, this is Alan, Alan, Peter." They nodded at each other.

Joey arrived next with one of his cronies.

"Is Mr. Dennison joining us this morning?" I asked.

"No, he won't be here," Alan said grimly.

"Ok, well let's get inside and get this thing started," I said, and threw the keys to Joey.

"What are these for?" he asked.

"I found them hanging out of a hole in the wall last night, Joey," I said.

He and Alan looked at each other. I think Alan would have decked him, if Peter and I weren't standing there. They went inside to open up, while Peter and I discussed our strategy. As we stood outside I felt a tug on my arm and the soft touch of a woman's lips on my cheek. Marie.

"Hi, love. This is a nice surprise. Are you ok?"

"I just wanted to take another look at my handsome man before I go to work," she said.

I introduced her to Peter who was effusive in his attention to her. She pulled me away by the arm until we were out of his earshot. She put her hand in mine and smiled.

"This is for Peter, love. I wore it for 30 minutes to throw him off the scent, so to speak. I'll see you both in the Sheaf and I'm really looking forward to four weekends away in Galway with you."

I opened my hand and it held a black lace thong. I smiled at her.

"The lace accoutrement is the panel at the front that protects my modesty and the small triangle at the back that shows you where I like to be kissed, Tony."

"I think you might need this for Galway, Marie," I smiled.

"Oh I have one in every colour. You'll see them all."

"I'm so happy right now, I could kiss you."

"I'm not stopping you but, remember, this thong I'm wearing now has to last me the whole day. Don't get it wet."

"Gotcha. I'll call you later."

We kissed and she skipped off to work. I waited until we were in the meeting room before I handed it to Peter. The looks on all of their faces was priceless. Peter held it up to his nose and smiled.

"Kudos, young master. I bow to your expertise. Now let's get these bastards in line."

They all laughed but he wasn't joking. A few other men arrived and followed Alan and Joey in though the gate and Peter and I walked in behind them.

The meeting room was set up in one of the ground-floor apartments, or flats. Those seated were sitting around an old office desk with a sheet of white melamine screwed to the top of it. An assortment of different chairs were loosely scattered around and the presence of some old filthy mugs and a battered electric kettle indicated that this was also used as an ad hoc canteen.

I perused the assembled attendance. There were nine men in the room, seven of them seated and two loitering against a wall. I only knew Alan, from Dennison's, and Joey, the arsehole. Peter placed his file folder on the tabletop beside mine; both were quite thick. I sat down while Peter remained standing, flicking through his top paperwork as he waited for us to begin. I stood up to kick it off. Before I had a chance to speak, Joey piped up,

"Are we not being introduced to the chap standing beside you, Tony?" he asked with a smirk.

"No," I said.

"Why not? It would be only a sign of good manners."

"I agree, Joey, but there is a protocol that must be observed first."

"Ooh, a protocol. Very fancy."

"A bit like your meeting table."

"Beggars can't be choosers, Tony."

"I wouldn't know, Joey, never having been a beggar myself."

Eight of the nine men laughed uproariously. They obviously liked Joey as much as I did.

"This is a private meeting where privileged information will be discussed, Joey. I don't know seven of the people in this room so I'd like to know who everyone is and what their role is in the project before I discuss anything, including the identity of my colleague here."

Peter pushed a sheet of paper and a pencil in front of me as I spoke.

"Will everybody please sign this attendance sheet, please? I need your names and the company you work for."

Everyone gathered around and signed the sheet. Peter picked it up and compared it with the top sheet of his file. He ticked three names and handed it back to me.

"Can we have a quick round robin of introductions so I'll have the lay of the land, so to speak. Alan, Joey, would you mind introducing the lads that are with you please?"

"Yes, Tony," Alan said, "this is Gerry Harkin, he's just taken the position of Contracts Manager; the previous chap had to resign for personal reasons. Gerry is in a period of orientation this week but it will be his baby from Monday onwards. We thought it'd be a good idea if he was here today."

"Is that, Brian, who resigned?" I asked.

"Yes, how did you know that?"

"It's in the paperwork you submitted."

"Oh, right, yeah, I forgot about that. Sorry."

"You must have forgotten about Gerry too."

"Yes, sorry again."

"Unfortunately, Gerry can't be in here at this time, Alan. He's going to have to step outside."

"For fuck's sake, Tony."

"Enough, Alan! I've had enough of this nonsense from your company this week. You know the rules; we can't have anyone here who hasn't been vouched. Gerry is not vouched. It's your error, not mine."

Gerry stood and left the room, shaking his head as he did so. I was going to pull him on his attitude but I left it alone, for now.

"Joey, who have you got with you?"

"This is Pako," Joey said with a sneer in his voice.

I looked at Peter, who picked up his folder and opened it fully.

"Is that Pako with a K, two Ks, a CK or a C?" he asked without irony.

"One K."

"No, there's no Pako with one K on your list of employees."

"Are you calling me a liar?" Joey asked.

I stepped in again.

"Lads, before we go any further, I’d like to remind you how much that attitude has cost Dennison's this week. We have no compunction in suing the arse off anyone who threatens or abuses us. So think on."

"Pako works for me, Tony," Joey said, quietly.

"Not according to your submitted paperwork, Joey, so he’ll have to step outside."

Pako left the room with a shrug of his shoulders. Next along were three lads sitting together. I nodded my head at them and one of them stood up.

"Yes," he said, "I'm Gavin Jones from Black and Tan Electrical and this is my brother, Mick, and our foreman, Alan Clarke."

Peter riffled through his file and said, "Alan isn't on the list, Gavin."

"Sorry, that was an oversight on my behalf. Alan can go sit in his van."

Two other men sat to my left at the end of the table. I nodded at them. The heavier of the two stood. "Hi, I'm Ritchie Horan from Academy Heating and Plumbing, and this is Jim Dolan, our senior estimator."

Peter checked through the file one more time and cleared them both.

"Ok, welcome everyone. I'm Tony Harris from Cadden Architectural and my colleague, here, is Peter Smith. Peter will assume control of this project from next Monday forward. I'll start with the mechanical and electrical systems, if you don't mind," I said. "Ritchie, I was in here last night and there was a foul odor from the sewerage system inhabiting the space. All it needed was a drop of water in the U Bends, which I attended to myself, to alleviate it somewhat. Can I ask why your lads didn't do that when you installed the sanitary ware? Was it just an oversight?"

Alan and Joey looked pensively in my direction and then quickly at Peter, who stared right through them, his annoying smirk shining for all to see.

"We haven't got the contract for the plumbing, Tony," Ritchie said.

"What do you mean, Ritchie?"

"The plumbing was taken out of our contract to be done 'in house' by Joey's lads. You need to talk to him about that."

I looked at Joey. "Joey? Care to elucidate?"

"Ah it's only a bit of plumbing, for fuck's sake, Tony. We always do our own plumbing."

"How do you heat the water storage cylinder?"

"It's a combi unit, there is no cylinder."

I riffled through some papers and Peter handed me one from his file.

"I have the Schedule of Works here. Alan. This concerns you as the main contractor. Are you familiar with this?"

He cleared his throat. "Yes, Tony, I am."

"Line four of the plumbing specification requires the installation of a 104-litre copper cylinder, factory insulated and installed with a sacrificial anode and an indirect coil for ambient water heating."

"Yes, but," he tried to reply.

I stopped him.

"Item three of the Heating Schedule requires a condensing system boiler with a minimum seasonal efficiency of 91%. It does not mention a combi boiler anywhere. This is your one Ritchie."

"You need to talk to Joey, he's the one that changed the specification, not me. He was trying to keep costs down."

"Joey?"

"As the main contactor of the job, I have the right to make those decisions, Tony."

"Do you?"

“Yes."

"Alan?"

"Sorry, Tony, no, he doesn't."

"Why not?" Joey asked.

"Dennison is the main contractor, Joey, you're a subbie," I said. "You haven't submitted a credit for the alterations either."

"It's not worth doing a credit because I added other stuff in and didn't charge for it," he said.

Peter handed me a page from his file.

"This is the breakdown of the quote for the plumbing and heating contract. We've isolated the boiler and cylinder proposal along with the necessary works and applied it across the entire development and there is a credit of €1,500 per unit due. That’s €45,000 plus tax. You haven't supplied a Credit Note for this, so that, basically, is fraud, Joey."

I turned to Ritchie. "Ritchie, would you do me a favour and work out the cost of reinstating the heating to the original specifications please?"

"I will, but there's the plumbing to consider. It's a linked system. Where's the line?"

"I'll get to that, Ritchie."

I put my hand in my pocket and threw a brass and plastic fitting on the table. "Do you know what that is, Joey?"

"Yes, it's a pipe fitting."

"Do you know where I got it?"

"No."

"It was on the end of a pipe sticking out of the floor over there in the kitchen behind you."

"So?"

"It's a Tectite fitting from a Qualpex pipe, Joey. The specification was for a full copper installation with soldered or compression bends."

"Nobody told me."

"Ritchie, we need to go back to first principles on this. Can you work out the cost of ripping all of his shit out and reinstating it in line with the specification please?"

"I will, but it won't be cheap."

"Oh don't worry about that. Dennison will be footing the bill."

"Tony," Alan shouted but I stopped him again.

"I'm not finished, Alan. Please bear with me and we'll shovel all of this shit up in one stinking heap."

He sat back in trepidation.

"Fire doors, Joey."

"What about them?" he said petulantly.

"If I was you, I'd lose the fucking attitude. Where did you get them? We don't have certificates for them."

"I got them made for cash back home."

"Are they half-hour, two-hour or three-hour fire rated?"

"They're an hour rated."

"Says who?"

"Me, are you deaf?"

"How would you know? You're a ground works contractor, not a joiner. Besides, the fire doors should be two-hour rated, so they'll all have to be changed."

He was beginning to boil.

"Where did the kitchens come from? I notice only ten of the thirty kitchens are in progress."

"We make them ourselves."

"Who actually makes them? You've no carpentry or joinery subcontractor noted in your file."

"I do them, they're a straightforward assembly."

I tapped the tabletop. "Is this part of the kitchen materials?"

"Yes, I use them for end panels."

"Where are the VOC and Toxicity stickers?"

"I must have taken them off."

"I don't see the residue of adhesive from where they were."

"I've had enough of this," he said and made to leave.

"Sit down, Joey. I'm not finished with you yet, but I’ll make this quick, so we can all go away and be productive for the day."

"Alan, I don't know where you got this guy from and I don't care, but our advice to the Council will be to remove you as main contractor and minutely examine every other job you've ever done for them to see where omissions were made. Joey, here, needs to be relieved of his position. We are going to issue a barring notice to make that happen if you don't do it voluntarily. You will be included in that barring notice named and will pay for the costs involved in putting it in place. There has been fraud committed here, lads. Fraud involving taxpayers' money. Fraud in using substandard materials and untrained or unvouched labour. Fraud in under the counter purchasing of materials from nonregistered and unaccredited sources. In a fucking development for the safe and comfortable housing of our senior citizens. You'll have every fucking local and national advocate group for the aged on your backs."

"I apologise, Tony. I did not see any of this. I took him at face value."

"What are you going to do, Alan?"

"He's out. He has to be."

"Ok. Wise move. You all need to spend a week here estimating the costs of putting this right. You've got until Wednesday. To save you time, we'll have it done independently also. Joey, or Dennison, will foot the bill. Meeting closed. Joey, get all of your equipment off the site by three o'clock this afternoon or the police will remove it for you at four."

Peter and I handed out our cards to everyone and we closed the meeting and left the site.

TBC