Thursday Afternoon...
Danny had been distant since our chess game Monday morning. One reason was because his gaming computer had been ready for pick-up on Tuesday. Knowing how much he'd wanted a computer that wasn't cobbled together from this-n-that, I'd sat quietly on his new couch reading Cosmo while he babbled on-and-on about computer shit as he set up the computer. He was childlike in his delight as his 'fantastic processing speed' made even the most bang-bang-first-shooter games available to him. I just nodded and agreed absentmindedly while reading an article about how to keep men happy and interested in you. I decided I'd had that figured out even before I'd even lost my virginity.
The second reason he'd been withdrawn and distant was because I'd re-started seeing clients. He tried. But I knew he wasn't happy when he came home from work, knowing I'd been with other men while he'd been moving bricks.
Today I hadn't had a client. Today I'd met a man for an entirely different reason. Which was why I was at Syd's bar. I was celebrating while nursing the one drink Syd allowed me. When Danny walked in, I had to smile at the contrast.
Syd's regular clientele consists of lonely, tired looking men in suits. Junior associates in established law firms, future financial tycoons and corporate drudges. All of them working hard to climb just one more rung of the ladder to a job where they'd just work harder. All of them dressed in identical shined shoes and expensive suits, and all of them, at least at work, acting puffed up with their own importance. I'd met many of their type as a call girl.
Here at Syd's they let their guard down. Here, they were just depressed and drank too much. Most of them reeked of more cologne and aftershave than I wore perfume. I thought of them as perfumed peacocks and most of my clientele consisted of older versions of them. Danny in his dirty cover-alls and scuffed work boots stuck out from the herd like a bull in a pig pen.
Danny spotted me and I slid off my bar stool as he drew near. Throwing my arms around his shoulders, I pulled him close and indulged in one of my little pleasures. I buried my nose into the nape of his neck and inhaled deeply.
"Olivia! I'm all sweat, grime and brick dust," Danny complained as he tried to push me away. "You'll get your clothes all dirty."
I didn't care. Dirt washed out. I tightened my arms more while mentally I 'Mmm'd', in contentment as the wafting odors of too much cologne and aftershave fled from the smell of sweat, dirt and of a healthy man who'd worked in the sun all day instead of behind a desk. It's said that smell is the most intense of our senses. One sniff of a particular scent and a man of sixty will remember the girl from his teens who'd worn the same scent. Danny smelled just like my dad had when he'd come home after work and a much, much younger me had run to be picked up.
"Olivia, everyone is looking at us," Danny said in embarrassment.
"They're just jealous I'm hugging you instead of them," I replied.
"Probably," Danny replied, then began to put real muscle in his attempts to push me away.
Syd slid a Long Island Iced Tea in front of Danny with a warning, "Let her take even a drink from this and I'll toss you both out again."
"Oh, I really didn't want a drink. I just came because..." I squeezed Danny's thigh to remind him to use my Call Girl persona. "Because Viv asked."
"Believe me," Syd said, walking away. "You'll need it."
Syd limited me to one drink. At nineteen, I really wasn't old enough to be in here at all if Syd made an issue out of my age. But Syd welcomed working girls like me and Sandra as long as we didn't 'work' his clientele. He didn't ask for ID because pretty girls like us frequenting his bar drew in more men. Men who stayed longer while daydreaming if they'd have a shot with one of us. Men who stayed longer drank more. So, we were good for Syd's bottom-line but under-age girls like me were limited to one drink. No more. So unfair!
"So, why did you call and ask me to meet you here," Danny asked.
"I'm celebrating what I did today," I answered.
"Oh, crap. I'm afraid to ask what you did," Danny said in a disapproving tone and took a gulp of his drink.
"Why do you automatically think it's something bad?"
"Well, let's look at your track record. Since we've done more than just exchange 'Hellos' on the stairs? So far, you've told my mom we're engaged, and I had to buy you a ring. An expensive ring! I was stuck with the bills for re-doing my floors and painting my apartment that I never asked for! You threw out all my furniture and I had to buy more furniture. Expensive furniture! And somehow between the basement storage closet of our building and my apartment, a lot of my clothes mysteriously disappeared and I've had to buy more. Clothes you pick out and tell me to buy. Then, there's the..."
I brushed away Danny's complaints with a wave my hand and interrupted, "Pffle, minor irritations. Not even worth mentioning. Water under the bridge."
I leaned over to bump shoulders, "Besides, admit it! Your life was boring before you became my nerd. But what I'm celebrating has nothing to do with you. I bought a car!"
"What kind is it?"
"She's red!"
"Of course, it is. You wouldn't buy any other color, but what's the make and model?"
"She's a convertible!"
Danny hung his head down and asked tiredly, "Let's try this one more time. What year was it made?"
"Sometime in the Sixties I think."
"Over fifty years old. It's a classic then. A red, classic convertible." Danny sighed. He took another long sip of his drink and with dread in his voice, asked, "How much did it cost?"
I told him and he looked puzzled. "That's a low price for a classic."
"Well, she needs some body work. Oh, and there's a noise in the engine. Come on," I said and grabbed Danny's hand to pull him from his stool. "It's in the lot and you can see it."
I snagged Danny's Iced Tea and finished it in two long gulps. Before Syd could throw us out, I waved and called out that we were leaving anyway.
In the lot, Danny took one look and, "It's a piece of junk!"
"No, she's not," I cried and patted the hood to soothe any hurt feelings. "Just wait till I get her fixed up. She'll look so good."
In my mind's eye, I could see Gwendellyn already re-painted. All firehouse red and gleaming chrome! My hair streaming in the wind... I'll look so damned good driving her. Danny walked around inspecting my car and even got down on his hands and knees to look under her. He asked me to start her up and after the cloud from the exhaust dissipated, he asked me to cycle through the gears. Yelling at me over the noise from the muffler, he told me to turn off the engine. Then he shook his head, "The engine has at least one cylinder not firing. That grinding noise is the transmission. The muffler is shot, and the rear seat looks like a family of squirrels has nested there for years. Just the body work it needs..."
"She!"
"She'll need will cost a small fortune."
"Then it's a good thing I have a large fortune. If you ever get around to researching how I, we, can get it," I accused.
"Are you seriously accusing me? When have I had a chance," Danny accused back. "I had Final Exams. Then my sister's wedding... Shopping for an engagement ring... I found out that Tim's secretary and a law partner were kidnapped the same weekend you went missing! Then someone had me tossed out of my apartment for a week and had my computer locked up..."
Again, I waved away Danny's completely unjustified complaints and accusations with an airy hand wave and a piffle, "More water under the bridge. Want a ride home?"
Danny gave Gwendellyn a dubious look, "I'm not sure it, she, will make it."
"Of course, she'll make it," I replied and proved it by doing so. Our apartment building had assigned parking spots. I'd never used mine. As soon as I parked and the thick, noxious smelling exhaust cloud rolled over and then past us, Danny got out and did something in the front of my car and lifted the hood.
"How did you do that? I looked all over in the car for the latch to pop the hood."
"This car was built before latches were put inside cars," Danny replied and showed me where the latch was. Then he shook his head, "That's a 390 v8. How the hell did they fit that in here? You bought a muscle car!"
"Is that good?"
"Not for anyone else on the road while you're driving."
"Ha-Ha! Well, I'll worry about finding someone to fix Gwen up tomorrow. I hope it doesn't rain tonight. I think the things that lets the top up is rusted because it won't raise." I said, looking at my watch. "I need to get dressed. I have a, ah... Meeting later."
"A meeting," Danny asked sourly.
"Don't be an ass about it, Danny. Marla called earlier. It's a last-minute thing. I'm to wear a nice dress to an office building so I'll probably be expected to be arm candy at a company party. Nothing more."
Danny didn't reply, just turned away to walk towards the steps of the backdoor of our building. I followed, "We agreed I'd act as usual in case someone starts looking at me as the tall blonde Tim gave stuff to. No one will suspect me of having the key to hundreds of millions of dollars if I keep seeing clients."
"I know all the arguments," Danny said in a strained voice as he opened the door for me. He stopped on the stair above mine and blocked me from entering. With an effort, he kept his voice low, "I want to get you your damned money so you can stop, but I can't keep pirating the Coffee Clutch's Wi-Fi and everything that delays me is just so frustrating!"
Danny took a long breath and let it out slowly before continuing in a calmer voice, "I'm sorry. I'm not really pissed at you. I'm pissed because I can't use our Coffee Clutch's Wi-Fi anymore. And I'm pissed I didn't realize that sooner and I'm pissed at how that will slow me down!"
"Why can't you," I asked in bewilderment.
"What happens if all the web searches that might trigger a response is traced to one location? A location that a certain tall blonde frequents almost every day. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but not doing much for so long may have been the best thing for us. It gave me time to think."
"Oh," was all I could say as the implications set in. "Well get a car and go to other places that have Wi-Fi! Hell, drive Gwendellyn!"
"I wouldn't trust that car to get me out of the parking lot," Danny said. He sat down on a step and continued in a more rational voice, "Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but with all that money... The type of men who will be looking for it, for you! Being paranoid is new to me but we know someone is searching for that money. The Fourth of July is three weeks away. I'll get my car out of storage then and go to places all over town and never to the same one twice in a row. In the meantime,..."
"In the meantime, I act as usual. A call girl hungry for easy money," I finished.
"Exactly," Danny agreed, though he sounded less than thrilled. "Tonight, I think it's time to finally mail Tim's letter to the Feds. I should have done this sooner. I'll get the letter from your apartment and make sure there are no fingerprints. I'll do that while you're on your damned date. I think it will be a good thing if the Feds start snooping around."
"Okay," I agreed and pulled Danny onto his feet. As we continued to climb the stairs, I asked," Will you come up to my apartment later tonight?
"We don't need to do anything," I hastened to add. "I keep waking up before dawn and what's the use of waking up that early if you're not there to yell at for waking me up so early?"
Danny looked confused as he tried to parse my logic and as an inducement I added, "We can play chess. I won't let you win, but I'll play."
Danny seemed almost persuaded, so I threw in an extra inducement, "If I win the first game in less than fifteen moves, I'll play two games."
**********
The sun had set but there was still a hint of red in the west as I exited the taxi. Late Spring was now early Summer, and the night breeze felt good on my arms and legs as I walked towards the office building doors. I like dressing up and I had on a snazzy party dress I'd had in my closet forever just waiting for the right party. Accessorized with Louis Vuitton strappy heels and a Gucci clutch purse, I felt like partying. If there was a company party upstairs, I wondered if they'd have an open bar.
The security guard let me pass after a short telephone conversation to someone upstairs. I was in a dress that was good for a social occasion. Thin straps held up a halter top that covered most but not all of my large boobs and cleavage. The waist was tight and the flared, pleated skirt stopped just above my knees. The looks that the guard gave me when he thought I wouldn't notice convinced me that I looked like sweet arm candy that would satisfy any man. After taking the elevator to the floor I'd been given, I knew immediately I wasn't here to be arm candy at a party. No one was around and many of the hallway lights were off to conserve energy.
Stepping out of the elevator, I called out, "Hello? Ben?"
"Down here," responded a voice from the hallway to my left. "Sixth door on the left."
I stopped at the doorway and looked around the brightly lit area. Looked like a conference room. A balding, middle-aged guy was sitting at the head of the table that stretched down the middle. I thought late forties or early fifties. Fairly decent in appearance. He had love handles but at least he didn't have a large beer belly I'd have to move out of the way to find his cock. But, UGH! I could smell his cologne all the way from the door!
"Whoa! I've never met you! Damn, Marla's been holding out one of her prettiest girls from me."
"Thanks for the compliment but Marla hasn't been holding out. I've only recently begun to meet clients at night. So, what's up," I asked, leaning against the door jam. I'd read the notes Marla had kept on Ben. He'd used our service several times and had never wanted more than straight sex.
"I am," Ben laughed. "I sometimes use the excuse of having to work late when I'm horny. My wife accepts that I may need to work late but she also knows my office's landline number. For some unexplained reason, she also thinks I'm cheating on her. So, if you hear a distant phone ring and I take off running to answer it, don't be surprised."
Ben sighed and made a sweeping motion to all the papers scattered about the large table. "Tonight, I'm actually having to work. Four times a year I have to give a quarterly report to the board..."
I filled in the silence as I walked towards the table. Picking up papers in front of one side chair, I flipped through them before setting them down, "So you're here getting all your ducks in a row and, let me guess, you feel like taking a break right about now."
"Good guess," Ben laughed more. "When I saw your photo in that bunny mask... All the other girls had on a black mask and took rather uninspired photos. All of them were beautiful, but yours looked like some thought had been put into it."
God! That stupid photo! Marla kept photos of all her girls she could send out to clients to look through and select from. None of them showed our faces. We all wore bunny masks with big ears with our measurements listed underneath.
"I had an advantage," I replied, thinking of Charley. "I look good in red, and I know a former professional photographer. When I asked if he'd take a photo of me... Well, even I didn't expect him to make such a production of it."
"It's way too bright in here," Ben complained, rubbing his eyes. "Hit those light switches, will you, and come on over for a closer look see."
I complied and walked over to the table. The only light came from the dim hallway and his computer screen but once my eyes adjusted it was enough. Pulling my dress up a little, I sat on the edge of the desk facing Ben. Propping my feet on Ben's chair to either side of his legs, my dress slid up my thighs. My knees were open enough that Ben's gaze was drawn to my visible upper things and that part of me which was still hidden by my skirt.
I leaned back to prop myself up on my arms. Opening and closing my knees a little, I asked with a smile, "You're wondering about it, aren't you?"
"Wondering about what?"
I leaned forward to cross my arms over my knees so our eyes could meet. "You're wondering if I'm wearing panties," I said in what I called my Triple-S Voice. Soft, Slow and Sexy...
I opened my knees a fraction more. "Well? What's stopping you from finding out?"
Ben put his hand on the inside of my knee. As fingers moved slowly up my thigh to disappear under my skirt, I leaned over more and opened my legs wider. As fingertips touched my bare pussy lips, I put my arms around his neck and pulled his lips to mine. I scooted my ass closer to the table edge and opened my knees even wider to give Ben's hand easy access to me. My breath caught when Ben's fingers slid up my slit and over my clit. As he continued to explore under my skirt, my tongue tip was playing across his lips. When I felt a finger slid inside my pussy, my tongue slipped into Ben's mouth.
"Mmm, that feels good," I whispered as Ben continued to finger me.
"You surprised me. I expected panties," Ben whispered back.
"I like surprising men."
"I just bet you do," Ben said with a leer. I let him finger me as we continued to kiss. Ben's thumb was pressing against and circling my clit as another finger was pushed inside my pussy. It wasn't long before his other hand slipped under my halter to fondle my boob. Ben gave my tit a hard squeeze and kissing lips became grinning lips, "You surprised me again. When I read your measurements and then saw you in the doorway, I thought for sure your tits couldn't be real."