My phone dinged with an incoming text. It was from Lillian. It said, “Tony, a room has been reserved for you at The Dylan Hotel along with breakfast and dinner reservations on the night of your arrival. You will be meeting Lindsay, your companion for the stay. She will be sitting at a nest of chairs and sofas in a glazed nook in reception. This is a five-star hotel, a jacket and tie is required for dinner. Check in is from 3:00, Lindsay will be there from 4:00. Enjoy each other. X Lillian.”
I returned my phone to my pocket and walked into the canteen at work. It was empty. I checked the smoke shed. Empty too. I checked my watch. It was working.
“What’s wrong, Tony?” Raffles asked as he walked up from his car.
“I’m looking for Smithser.”
“He’s in his office. The ‘do not disturb sign’ is up.”
“He must have a woman in there.”
He laughed. I took the stairs to his office. Sure enough, there was a sign on his door. I pushed it open. Peter was working with his head down. I snapped a picture with my phone. He turned around at the sound of the click.
“Oh, Tony. What’s the craic?”
“Sorry, I’m looking for Peter Smith, have you seen him?”
“Get it all out now, Tony. You can laugh, but I’m just finished these contract amendments. Here, take a look.”
He handed several pages to me.
“I’ll take them to my desk and read through them. We’ll need Cadden to sign off and after that …..”
“Let the games begin,” he said.
“You’re fucking enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“I’m fucking loving it. I’m on a promise tonight, too. All because of this.”
I pulled a chair over.
“Tell me.”
“You know I’m not one to kiss and tell, my good man. But for you, I’ll make an exception.”
“Ooh. Is it salacious?”
“We won’t know until later, but if it’s not, I’ll want my money back.”
“She’s a hooker?”
“I refuse to charge for it.”
“Will you fucking tell me?”
“Well, you won’t believe this. Last night I was in Searsons with a few of the boys and Jill Adams comes over with her mother. She was asking about you and about the progress of the project.”
“Nosey cow!”
“Of course I gave you all the credit.”
“As if. Go on.”
“Anyway, Destiny, I think that’s the mother’s name, or is it Dani? It’s something like that anyway. By the way she’s a fox. With the best tits. Forty two. Ripe for the picking.”
“For fuck’s sake.”
“Ok. We’re chatting away and Debbie, that’s her name, not Dani. Debbie tells me that she and Ben are three years into a divorce. Now you know how sympathetic I am towards the unfortunate divorcees of the world, especially the foxy ones.”
“You didn’t.”
“No, I didn’t. Her daughter was with her. Do you think I’m a caveman?”
“No, I don’t.”
“But I will tonight. All things being equal. Deirdre! that her name. I think. It starts with a D, I know that much.”
I had a call to return to Ben Adams. He was most likely looking for an update, given that his wife and daughter were hassling Peter in the pub. I sat down and pored over Peter’s work. It was top class. He’d covered everything, as far as I could see. I got my checklist out and spent an hour comparing them. It checked out, so I brought it up to James Cadden for his imprimatur. I dropped it on his desk and returned to my office. I called Ben.
“Hi Tony, thanks for returning my call.”
“Hi Ben, what do you need.”
“Just wondering where we are with everything.”
“James got the paperwork this morning. I’d hope to have it ready for signature later today or in the morning. Once we have that we can begin site surveys and assessments. I’ll be doing those myself so it won’t drag on.”
“Excellent. Can you take a lunch with Jill and I tomorrow?”
“I’ll check my diary. Where and when?”
“The Shelbourne at 12:30?”
I ruffled some blank pages on my desk.
“I can do a 12:00?”
“That’ll work too, Tony. I’ll book a table.”
“Great, see you then.”
I ran up to Peter’s office.
“Do you have Jill’s number?”
“No, but I’ll get it in ten seconds. Why?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
He made a call and wrote the number down for me. I dialled it as I walked down the stairs.
“Hello, Jill here.”
“Hey, Jill. Tony Harris.”
“Oh, Tony. Hi, lovely to hear your voice. How are you doing?”
I sat down at my desk.
“Pulling the devil by the tail. Truthfully, I’m ashamed of how I reacted the other night and I hope you can accept my sincerest apologies.”
“I feel ashamed too. It was an awful thing we did. We were thoughtless and hurtful, but when you kissed me, that changed everything.”
“I’d like to move past all that, Jill, and start over,” I said.
“I don’t. That night is part of our lives, Tony. It was beautiful. I’m not letting that go. Do you understand me?”
“I do, thank you for that. I remember every little smile, touch and nuance of you and our evening together. One of my biggest regrets is that I missed waking beside you and watching your beautiful face at rest in the morning light.”
“Oh. God. Do you think we can repair it?”
“I’d like to try, Jill. We made beautiful love that night, you’re part of me now. Even if it goes nowhere, you’ll always be a part of me. A part that I cherish until the day I die.”
“Please, Tony. I pray for that.”
“How about we start with lunch, are you available today?”
“Even if I wasn’t, I’d cancel everything. Yes. I am.”
“Ok. I’m around in Fitzwilliam Square, where would you like to go?”
“You could come here, to the house. I’ll order some food.”
“Sounds great. 12:30?”
“Yes. Thank you, Tony.”
Peter was passing my door as I walked into the stairwell.
“Canteen?” I asked.
“Sure, trouble?”
“Not yet. Advice.”
We sat in the canteen with a mug of tea each.
“Ok, spill it,” he said.
I laid it out for him.
“Bastard! You have to do it, Tony. Take the rest of the day and have a matinée with her.”
“The weird thing is, I think she’s a beautiful girl, Peter. It’s not a burden by any means.”
“Yes, but will she give you a thong? That’s the test.”
“For fuck’s sake, Peter. Just cover for me.”
“Natch.”
I rang the bell at 12:30 sharp. She took my breath away when she opened the door. She wore the most beautiful short, A-line, V-neck chiffon dress that emphasised every facet of her beauty. She smiled shyly as I handed her a bottle of wine and welcomed me in.
“You look beautiful, Jill.”
“Thank you, Tony. You don’t look too shabby either, in your suit and tie.”
“Yes, people mistake me for an undertaker sometimes, I should probably get a different colour.”
“It suits you. You look handsome.”
She kissed me on the cheek and led me to the kitchen by the hand.
“Hungry?”
“I can eat.”
She was doing something with the food and had her back to me. She was telling me something that she was working on. She was animated as she spoke. I touched her bare shoulder, she turned her head and smiled.
“I love the way you touch me.”
I kissed her shoulder and slid one of the spaghetti straps of her dress to one side.
“Would you like to come upstairs?”
“I fear we’d never leave it.”
“Oh. Tony.”
We almost ran to her room. She reached behind her and zipped her dress open. I stepped over to her and took her in my arms.
“Allow me, please. There’s no hurry.”
Our lips met in a soft kiss as I opened the zip the rest of the way. I kissed her neck down to her shoulder, multiple little light kisses that had her purring like a kitten. My hands touched the bare skin of her back.
“No bra?”
“It’s built into the dress,” she whispered.
“I love this dress.”
She took my lips with hers, her tongue sought mine and she sighed softly when they met. I eased her dress off and it dropped slowly to the floor. She loosened my tie and opened my shirt while I undressed the rest of the way myself.
She wore a tiny pale blue silk thong and I knelt before her and kissed around the edges of it, she took a deep breath as my tongue made contact with her inner thigh.
“I’m so wet, Tony.”
Her musky scent overpowered me as I slipped her thong down over her hips and gently eased her on to the bed. She kicked it off the rest of the way as my tongue touched her vagina and my hands slid up to her breasts and held them gently. She moaned as my tongue continued to stimulate her inner labia. She sighed as I placed my finger inside her, she screamed when my tongue found her clitoris and her orgasm took her away, leaving me hypnotised by her beauty, her scent and her outpouring of fluid. I held her hips in my hands as they gyrated and her thighs quivered. Her head was on a swivel and she climaxed again. I climbed on to the bed beside her and held her as she descended back to me.
“That was amazing, Tony. My insides feel like jelly.”
We kissed again as my hands roamed all over her beautiful soft skin.
“I need you, Jill.”
She turned onto her back and led me inside her. I took it slowly, savouring the heavenly feeling of being held inside her soft, warm and welcoming vagina. My penis was fully inside her and we began to move together. What seemed like only seconds later her eyes closed, her breath caught and I felt a tremor running right through her as she fell off the cliff again. My climax wasn’t far away and, following a few more gentle thrusts I could feel my orgasm building towards completion. We were both covered in a light sheen of perspiration as we joined together somewhere outside the room, near the stars. Far, far away.
Thirty minutes, or so, later, it could even have been sixty, we lay face to face, swimming in each other’s eyes, our lips on automatic pilot as our tongues gently danced together. She laid her head on my chest and we drifted off together. It was dark when we woke, we were at peace and she had me totally in her thrall.
“Tony.”
“Yes?”
“I’m starving.”
“I thought you’d never mention it, let’s get something to eat.”
We left the bed, she picked her dress off the floor.
“Let’s not get dressed, love. I like looking at you.”
She smiled and took a satin robe from a hook on the door.
“You’ll have to live with a little mystery, my dear. A lady needs to preserve her allure.”
“You’re very wise, there’s also the health and safety aspect to keep in mind.”
I picked my shirt off the floor.
“What are you doing?”
“Preserving my allure,”
She doubled over laughing.
“I’m delighted you find that amusing.”
“I take my Mam to a castle spa twice a year. She’s a toiletries thief. She also takes the odd robe too. I’ll spot you one and I’ll wash your shirt for you.”
She kissed me.
“How do I know you’re not gonna steal my shirt too?”
I kissed her.
“You don’t. You’ll just have to trust me.”
She kissed me again.
“You expect me to trust the daughter of an admitted thief?”
She slapped my arm and laughed, took my hand and led me to a walk-in wardrobe.
“Here. Try this. They’re all too big, you’ll look sexy.”
“By the way, what’s your Mam’s name?”
“Maria. Why?”
“No reason. Just curious.”
We reworked the lunch delivery that hadn’t been touched and chatted away about everything. There was the sound of a sharp knock and a key turning in the hall door. She glanced towards it and smiled as a man walked into the kitchen.
“Hi Daddy,” she said as she hugged him. “This is Tony Harris.”
“Finally, we meet.”
He shook my hand.
“Nice to meet you, Ben. Sorry about the stolen robe.”
“Not to worry, Tony, there’s a few more at my place if you want them. So. I assume you kids have kissed and made up?”
“Whatever gave you that idea?” I said.
They both laughed. He stayed for a while and we chatted about the job and Jill. We decided to cancel our lunch the next day and to have James drop the paperwork into his office when it was ready. When he left, Jill and I finished eating. She began to tidy up and I took her in my arms. We kissed for a while and returned to her bedroom, where we made love until early morning and slept until 7:00.
“Tony? Are you ok?” she whispered, as I left the bed.
“I’m absolutely fabulous, Jill.”
I leaned on the bed and kissed her.
“I have to go to work, we’ve a busy day.”
“Can I not tempt you?”
“Your allure is slipping,” I said with a smile.
“You fucker,” she said, and pulled me into a headlock.
“I was planning to wake at 5.00 and inhabit your dreams for a couple of hours, but somebody wore me out last night.”
“Was she nice?”
“She was everything a man could ever want.”
“She sounds like a bitch.”
“You do know I’m talking about you, don’t you?”
We both laughed.
“You make me so happy, Tony.”
I kissed her again.
“Tell you what. As we no longer have a lunch with Daddy, why don’t we take a two-hour lunch break at noon? We can perform a post-match analysis where you can give me a blow-by-blow account of my inadequacies. It can be a learning moment for me.”
“That sounds perfect. I’ll clean these sheets, they’re destroyed.”
“That goes down as one for me.”
“It was way more than one. I lost count.”
“Go back to sleep, love. I’ll see you later,” I said and kissed her. “By the way, I’m taking your thong in case I miss you more than I expect to. I’ll bring it back at noon.”
“Take it and treasure it, Tony. I like the idea of you having it with you.”
I took a quick shower, dressed and headed out. I was at the turn for Baggot Street and my phone rang. Peter.
“You dirty little bastard.”
“What now?”
“I’m looking at you on Wellington Road, trying to look like you live there.”
“Do you want a lift in?”
“Fucking right I do.”
I hung up and he ran across the road to get in the van. He had the smile of a proud father.
“Please tell me you haven’t been home.”
I reached into my pocket and handed him Jill’s thong.
“They’re pretty clean, she only wore them for about half an hour?”
“You’re the fucking man!”
“How was it?”
“I’m not going to go into detail, Peter. All I will say is that I’d marry that girl in the morning if I could trust her one little bit.”
“No, you fucking wouldn’t! Why can’t you trust her?”
“There’s just something a bit off. For example, I met her at her house at 12:30 yesterday.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“Ten minutes later we were in the sack.”
“Fuck off!”
“I’m guessing that we were at it until about 1:00 this morning. Before we zonked out.”
“Ok, impressive.”
“But, get this, we took a break for food at about 7:00, just in time for daddy to let himself in with his own key. Coincidence much?”
“There must have been a text sent or a prearranged time to ‘drop in’.”
“It definitely wasn’t random.”
“I’ve been replaying the conversation in my head and what’s hitting me in the face are two words he slid past.”
“Knob head?”
“Hah. Yes, I think that he thinks we’re idiots.”
“What words?”
“Protected structures.”
“Oh that weasely little bastard.”
“Tell me that we’re covered on that, Peter.”
“Not only are we covered, young maestro, we’re claiming it under the miscellaneous liquidated damages clause. Gentle Ben may or may not know about any listings, but I certainly do. I’ve lived around here all my life, he’s just a blow-in.”
“Are they listed?”
“Not completely. That’s what gets everyone. The party wall was built with bricks from the Dolphins Barn Brick Company. The yellow bricks? As such, you can’t even lean up against them when someone is blowing you, let alone touch them with a hammer.”
“So how do we treat them?”
“With kid gloves. We need to bring in a heritage specialist. Lots of fucking commission.”
“I bet Jill doesn’t know about that.”
“Does she know I have her thong in my sweaty little hand?”
“Not yet. One other thing, Peter. I’ve a feeling she’s seeing someone else. It doesn’t bother me, but I’d love to know because I’ve a couple of other things on the simmer. Can you find out?”
“Give me a minute.”
He thought for a while before dialling a number on his phone.
“This one should know. She knows where all of the bodies are buried.”
“Hey, sexy tits,”
Then,
“Peter. Who else is gonna call you at an odd hour like this?”
Then,
“Lucky him. Are you getting up or are you going to work?”
Then,
“Be careful of that at your age.”
Then,
“Just a quickie. You’re good for a quickie.”
Then,
“I’m hearing little miss Adams is munching a hedge or two of late.”
Then,
“Spooky. I think I might know one of them.”
Then,
“Really? Is that a thing?”
Then,
“Really? When is that?”
Then,
“Well, little miss gossip, I have some solid gold info for you.”
Then,
“You get me the details by 9:00 and I’ll give you a nice little bit of tit.”
Then,
“Tidbit. I mean a tidbit.”
He disconnected.
“Well, that’s interesting.”
“Before you start, who exactly is ‘sexy tits’?”
“Never you mind. She’s a bloodhound, licks like one too. Ah! Memories. That girl can work magic with her tongue, a glass of orange squash and a swizzle stick. It’s almost a trade in itself.”
“Get to the point.”
“Ok, well you’re in the right area. Tina, that’s sexy tits, says that little Miss Adams is bouncing two guys off each other. One of them plays rugby for Ireland and the other is in a band. She’s gonna confirm everything by 9:00 and I’m gonna add you to the mix as payback. Only I’ll be telling her about how you were seen entering her at 12:30 and pulling out at 7:30 the next morning. Leaving poor Jill comatose in bed behind you. That’s fucking nineteen hours! Fuck!”
“Go easy on the rhetoric. Is this one for real?”
“Yes, she’s a nosey cow, but it’s handy to know her.”
We got into work and I had Peter show me what was covered in the contract. He was right, it was all boxed off. Jill’s nomination was also included in some very fine print hidden in the boring safety and insurance text covering subcontractors, Ben could bring her in but she would fall into the safety miasma that every contract for tender included.
At 9:45, Peter came down to my office and locked the door. He was like a spy.
“News from our source,” he said.
“Sexy tits?”
“The very pair.”
“There’s two of them.”
“Tits? Yes.”
“I hope she isn’t ma-nipple-ating you.”
“You know, that may have sounded funny in your head.”
“I’m sorry, it wasn’t bad, though. How does she stay abreast of all the news?”
“Keep it up, arsehole! Do you want to hear this or not?”
“Go on then.”
“Right. Jill is supposed to be getting engaged to Austin O’Reilly, the rugby player, when the season ends. Big party being planned, all that good stuff. She’s also seeing a guy called Perry McCall, guitar player in a soft rock band with no music of their own. The rumour is that he has quite a sizeable cock.”
I started laughing.
“Anyway, there’s a fundraiser for someone on a ventilator at The Four Seasons on Thursday night, Austin is doing part of the auction and Jill will be holding his hand. Tina will get us in, she has a few comped tickets. That’d be a nice surprise for her if we showed up, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes, it would, but I’d just need a picture of them as a couple. I’m not going to the Four Seasons, Peter.”
“I’ll go and get some pictures.”
“Ok, I’ll go see Cadden and get this contract on the road. Jill wants a lunchtime spin, do I cry off?”
“No, act normal for now.”
I went to James Cadden’s and he had the notarised contract.
“Ah, Tony. This is very good. The solicitor couldn’t find anything missing. It’s all signed and notarised so I’ll have it couriered over.”
“I’ve a lunch with Jill, I’ll have her bring Ben along and get it signed over lunch.”
“He might want his legal team to look at it first.”
“He might, but I don’t think he will.”
He handed me the file.
“Give it a go if you like. Best of luck, Tony.”
I texted Ben,
“Contract sorted and signed. Meeting Jill at Jill’s for lunch, will I drop it in your office on my way over or are you around?”
“Excellent! You work quickly. I’m in the area, I’ll see you there about 1:00.”
“K.”
I pulled up outside Jill’s house at 12:55 exactly. She opened the door with a less-than-pleased expression on her face.
“Hi, Jill. Sorry, I’m a bit late. I got caught in a meeting.”
“My Dad’s here,” she said.
“Oh great, I need to see him,” I said, “give me a second please.”
I strolled out to the van and retrieved the file. I was just inside the gate when my phone rang. I held up a finger to Jill.
“Let me get this,” I said, and answered the call.
It was Peter.
“Did we time it right?” he asked.
“Perfect. Do it again in twenty five minutes. I can deflect her for that long.”
“Will do. You’re gonna wreck her head you know.”
“Better than her wrecking mine.”
I made a show of jogging to the steps leading up to the entrance hall.
“Sorry about that, I’m spread too thin today.”
She didn’t say anything, so I rushed past her and joined Ben at the kitchen table. Jill came and watched me as she pulled a chair out to sit on. I looked at my watch.
“Right, Ben. Here’s the paperwork, you just need to sign it and get it back to us. We’ll program the initial survey and inspection work immediately and get moving on construction and tender drawings for ready for approval. I’d like to break ground in six weeks, with an estimated completion date ten weeks later on the first unit.”
“That’s a very aggressive timeline, Tony.”
“No point in faffing around, Ben.”
“What do you think, Jill?”
She blew her cheeks out.
“I don’t know. You guys are the experts, but it would suit me down to the ground.”
“If you look at the calendar you’ll see that we’ve only one Bank Holiday to contend with, if we can move on it immediately. Three weeks later, there’ll be three. It’s almost a week wasted.”
“That’s pretty impressive, Tony,” Ben said,“that’s not something I ever even consider.”
“It’s from years of working alongside my father, Ben. He was very practical in his approach.”
My phone rang in my pocket. I looked at my watch, Peter was five minutes early.
“Sorry, do you mind if I get this?”
Ben waved agreement while Jill fumed.
“Tony Harris.”
“Hi Tony, it’s Gemma.”
“Hey Gemma, how are you?”
“Are we still on for tonight?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Great, see you about 7:00?”
“Perfect.”
“Sorry guys. Sometimes you get days like this.”
“Do I need to have this checked over?”
“I would if I were you, Ben. But there’s nothing different in there than in any other contract you’ve ever signed. The fees are pre-agreed as well as the language. Plus you have a five-day disclaimer period where you can pull us on anything extraneous.”
“Fuck it, Tony. Give me a pen. You’ll start tomorrow?”
“If the cheque clears.”
We all laughed as he took out his chequebook, “€60,000?” He began to write.
“€66,000, I believe, plus the VAT.”
“Yes, of course.”
“I’ll need a set of keys to access the site tomorrow, Ben.”
“I’ll leave a set with Jill. You can pick them up later this evening.”
“I’m heading out northside now, Ben. I’ve a presentation to do for a public consultation process in Blanchardstown. I’m booked until 9:00. Can Jill drop them into our office at 8:00 in the morning or even meet us over there at 9:30?”
“Jill will meet you there.”
“Excellent. It’s a pleasure doing business with you, Ben. I’ll see you on-site in the morning, Jill. Sorry, I have to run.”
The phone rang as she began to speak.
“Sorry.”
“Tony Harris.”
“Did you know that the male turkey is unlikely to be eaten at Christmas?”
“Hi Peter, yes, I’ll be with you in ten or fifteen.”
I smiled a forlorn smile and hot-footed it out the door and away. I went straight to Cadden with the signed contract and the cheque and he laughed.
“He gave you a cheque, signed the contract and didn’t get an invoice?”
“Yes, he’ll pay the VAT when he gets the invoice?”
“I don’t know, Tony. You’re some man. I suppose you’d like a cheque for the bonus now?”
“It’ll be fine on Friday, two cheques don’t forget. I couldn’t have done this without Peter.”
“Rallying the troops too. I wish I could clone you.”
“Thanks, but I have to get the stuff together for tomorrow morning. Jill Adams is meeting us with the keys at 9.30.”
“Us?”
“Peter and I.”
“Fine. I’ll give you your head, Tony. Don’t let me down.”
Peter had gone to make the tea for us and I joined him in the canteen.
“How’d it go?”
I smiled and gave him a high five.
“The Golden Eagle shits on Friday.”
“I need to show you something.”
“What?”
“I’ve this funny-looking growth,” he said, as he reached into his trousers.
“Fuck off! Put that back.” I screamed, but he was nearly on the floor laughing.
“Get a grip, will you? I’m messing with you. It’s just a normal growth, I’ll get most of it off with a blade.”
“Prick. What do you want to show me?”
He produced a folder with six sheets of paper. On it were two sets of floor plans, specifications and hand-drawn renderings of the two mews apartments.
“Jesus, Peter. These are fantastic. Fucking hell.”
“You like?”
“I love. You’re a genius, they are beautiful. When did you do them?”
“I did them for a college project a few years ago, they were a bit ahead of their time but the professor was way behind the times. I took a failing grade rather than educate the bastard.”
“You’re an awful man, Peter. I knew you had it in you. This’ll win a design award, I’ll fucking make sure it does.”
“We’ll see if it gets the nod. I’ve done a cost-optimal estimate and it should come in under budget.”
“Let’s not tell anyone that. We’ll get a couple of colour renderings done of them and blow them all away with them.”
“Already done.”
He handed me another folder. I took out six pages with six different representations.
“Fuck,” was all I could say. It was an emotional moment.
Peter recognised it too, he patted me on the shoulder and squeezed my arm.
“Thanks for including me, Tony. I really enjoyed it.”
“You’re not finished, Peter. You’re running lead on this. We’ve done all the graft, we’re gonna see it through.”
“I was hoping you’d say that. I’ll tell Mrs. Adams that tonight when the tip slips halfway in.”
“By the way, I’ve seen Maria Adams.”
“That’s not her name, it’s Dee, or something.”
“Whatever. I don’t want her thong, I doubt if she wears them in any case.”
“Oh, she does. She actually wears them well. But wouldn’t it be nice to frame them in the same frame and hang them on the wall of the finished project? A mother and daughter exhibit. The fox and her cub. I need to think of a name for it.”
We spent the rest of the day tinkering with ideas and making ourselves ready for the following morning. We were in and out of each other's office, running up and down the stairs every ten minutes, until Raffles pulled us in for a chat.
“The boss has had a call from a chap called Toal O’Meara, primary contact for Ben Adams. He’s none too pleased with you two.”
“Why?” I asked.
“It seems that you rode roughshod over his processes and policy integration system. He wants a reset and a renegotiation, with him in charge.”
“Did you tell him to go fuck himself, Raffles? Or did you take it up the arse like you usually do?” Peter piped up.
“Keep it in check, Smith. This is serious. Tony, I need you to contact this guy and unruffle his feathers.”
They were both staring at me, waiting for me to sort it out.
“It’s simple, lads. Ben Adams contacted us directly, bypassing this prick and his fancy office dynamics. I suggest we call his bluff and tell him to fuck off. That the adults in the room are in charge.”
Raffles was looking at the doorway and I followed his gaze to see Cadden standing there, listening. He stepped into the room and looked each of us in the eye.
“Tony, Peter, you appear to have a better handle on this than I thought. It might be wiser to gently deflect this guys input than be outwardly hostile. We don’t know how close he and Adams actually are, personally or professionally. You may gain an insight from the daughter tomorrow, or the wife tonight, Peter..
“You mean, pillow talk, Mr Cadden?”
“I wouldn’t put it as crudely as that, Peter, but, in a nutshell, yes.”
“But how can she talk with her mouth full?”
Camden almost choked, Raffles sat down with his mouth open, I just said,
“On that note, we should adjourn. Leave it with us, this is an easy one to negotiate”
I headed home to clear my head. I took a long shower, made a sandwich and was back in town outside Gemma’s place at 7:00 on the dot. She was just coming through the door as I parked the van.
“Punctuality becomes you, Tony.”
“I couldn’t wait to see you, Gemma.”
I picked her up and kissed her. She took my hand and led me away from the apartment block.
“Is it ok if i hold your hand in public?” she asked.
“Absolutely. You can hold anything you wish.”
“How was your day?”
“Frenetic, but productive. I had a call from Jackie today.”
“How is Jack?”
“You know Jack yourself. He called to thank me for teaching you how to give head.”
“Give head?”
“Sorry, blow job.”
“He did not! I’ll kill him.”
“Don’t get angry, Sandra told him about it, maybe she was jealous.”
“Or maybe Jack was.”
“Possibly, either way, it was a nice conversation.”
“Sandra asked me all kinds of questions about us. I was happy to tell her what was relevant.”
“Such as?”
“I told her what a fantastic lover you are. I didn’t go into detail about it, but she got the idea.”
I smiled at her excitement.
“Will we do it again tonight do you think?” she asked quietly.
“I’d love to if you would, Gemma.”
“I would, Tony.”
We arrived at The Harbourmaster and went inside. Gemma knew lots of people there and she was obviously very popular. We sat under a window overlooking a repurposed canal lock and ordered drinks and food. There was quite a buzz in the place and Gemma was shining. She was dressed quite casually in a white loose fitting blouse, navy blue gypsy skirt with a gold concentric circle design, a short denim jacket and black flat shoes.
“You look very nice, Gemma. Come sit beside me please. I can’t kiss you over the table.”
“Let’s sit over near the corner window, there are single chairs we can move to suit ourselves.”
“Good idea.”
As we walked my hand strayed to her cute behind as it called to me.
“I like it when you feel my bum.”
“I’m just trying to assess what I’ll be up against later.”
“I think you’ll enjoy it. I’m enjoying wearing it.”
“Suddenly, I’m not hungry anymore.”
“You’re incorrigible. You’ll just have to wait.”
We sipped our drinks as I checked the place out. In the corner, beside the bar, there were a group of six people, three couples. One of the girls saw Gemma and they came over to talk to her.
“Is this the famous new boyfriend, Gems?”
“This is Tony. Tony this is Ciara, Janey and Ailish, we work together.”
I stood and shook hands with them. Ciara was a fox. I bade them sit down. Ciara sat beside me. They chattered away for a few minutes and I just listened and sipped my pint.
“What do you do for a living Tony?” Ciara asked.
“I work in an architectural practice, Ciara.”
“An architect? Fancy.”
“I’m a technician. I do all the work, it’s nothing fancy.”
“It sounds interesting, I’ve never met one of those before.”
“I like it, Ciara, what do you do?”
“I do client portfolio management.”
“What’s that?”
“We manage investment funds for clients.”
“In what way, do they make money?”
“It really depends on what you put into it.”
“What’s the best thing to put into it?”
“Well, money I suppose?”
“You’d probably have to roll it up tightly to get it in.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“I’m just having a little windup, I won’t pretend to understand what you do.”
“Oh it’s really simple. Say if you gave me, eh, €5,000, for example, we invest that in our basket of blue chip stocks. There’s a guaranteed return of 11% PA at the moment so after one year you’d have accrued a nett €550 profit before tax.”
“It sounds good. What happens if the stocks fail?”
“They’re bonded at the inception rate.”
“Interesting. I don’t really have a head for that, Ciara.”
“I’ll send you some information, if you have any questions feel free to call me. Here’s my card. Call me.”
“I might just do that. Thanks, Ciara.”
“If you give me your card I’ll email you the information, no strings attached.”
“It can’t hurt I suppose,” I said, and fished a card out of my pocket.
“Call anytime, I’ll be happy to look after you.”
“Same here. Thanks for that.”
Our food arrived and the three girls left us.
“They seem nice,” I said.
“Yes, they’re all married. They’d sicken you.”
I laughed hard and took her hand.
“Can I stay over tonight, Gemma?”
“I got extra eggs in for breakfast, Tony, so you’d better.”
Over dinner, we chatted about our week and she was bubbly and fun.
“So what, exactly, did you tell your sister, Gemma?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Tony. Pretty much everything. I told her you were the best lover anyone could ever imagine.”
As she spoke, she placed her lips to mine, but not quite touching.
“Did you?”
“Yes, I did, and I wasn’t telling lies either.”
“Thank you.”
“I told her you gave me so many orgasms that I lost count.”
“There were quite a few, in fairness.”
“I told her that I swallowed your come twice.”
“You did.”
“That we smoked naked on the balcony when we took breaks.”
“I enjoyed that.”
“I told her that we couldn’t keep our hands off each other the entire weekend.”
“We didn’t.”
“I told her about having to change the sheets halfway through.”
“We’re very clean, in truth.”
“I told her about how you showed me how to give oral to a man instead of a banana.”
“Always good information to have.”
“I told her how I had to change my panties four times in work on Monday.”
“I’ve always said you were very careful with your appearance.”
“And I told her about my gold thong, which I’m having framed.”
“So you didn’t tell her much then?”
Our lips closed the last few millimetres. They yearned to be together. Hers were soft and warm and they held mine in thrall. Our tongues met softly and gently as our lips moved slowly together. I touched her face, she sighed and took my hand.
“Let’s get out of here, please, Gemma.”
“You read my mind.”
As we left I could see Ciara as we passed her table and I saw what Peter was talking about. I smiled at her and she attempted to smile back.
In the lift on the way to her apartment, we were joined by an older couple on their way home from an evening stroll or something. I played with Gemma’s bum surreptitiously as she squirmed as unnoticeably as possible. When we got inside the door we were so aroused that we just tore each other's clothes off until I was naked except for a sock and she except for a shoe and a black micro thong.
“Jesus, Gemma. I’m sorry but I have to have you now.”
“Tony, I came in the restaurant, my thong is wringing wet.”
“That thong should have a health warning, let me touch you please.”
“Ok, but I will explode if you’re not inside me quickly.”
I pushed her onto the bed and took it off her with my teeth and fingers. She was so wet. Her labia was pulsing in need. I couldn’t refuse her as she took my penis and led me inside her warm, wet vagina. As soon as it touched her inner lips she exploded with a scream and quivering thighs. She orgasmed several more times before I reached my zenith and together we rode through it before collapsing side by side on the counterpane. We slept through the night, waking side by side, my arm across her breasts, her hand touching mine. Her eyes fluttered open,
“Morning,” she whispered.
I touched her face and kissed her. She smiled and stroked my hand.
“I missed you, Tony.”
“I’m here now, love,”
I kissed her breast. Touched a nipple with my tongue. She pulled my head into her, sighing softly. My hand reached down to touch her vagina. She breathed deeply. My fingers felt her wetness and I lowered my head to taste her. She tried to stop me but I needed this. I needed her scent, her taste.
“Let me shower first. Please, Tony,” she pleaded with me.
“I need to be inside you, Gemma.”
“Come then,” she said, and guided me inside her.
We didn’t rush, we lingered. Slowly moving together, letting it build, stroke by magical stroke. Kiss by wonderful kiss. Touch by sensuous touch. Until her breath became ragged and her hips sought the release she needed, she brought me with her as her vagina engulfed my penis, demanded release, until we plateaued simultaneously our bodies and hearts completely in sync as we slowly descended, sated and intoxicated, together in her bed.
“Good morning,” I said softly as I stroked her face and her matted hair. “You look beautiful.”
After a shower, breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast and a life-affirming cup of tea, I kissed her and left for work. Peter met me at the door as we arrived at the same time.
“Well, well, well. What have we got here?” he said with a grin.
“Morning, Peter. Big day today, are you excited?”
“It’s just another day, Tony. I am excited, but not because of the same thing as you.”
“Ooh, do tell.”
“I will. But first, this is for you,” he said, and held out his closed hand.
“Is this what I think it is?”
“It depends on what you think it is.”
“I’m afraid to look.”
“Don’t be, it can’t bite. Unlike its ex-owner.”
I opened my hand and he dropped a tiny black silk thong into it.
“Nice.”
“Take a sniff.”
“No, I haven’t eaten yet.”
“I have, but I need to eat food now.”
“A little morning glory, young Smithser?”
“That woman did things to me, Tony.”
“Like what?”
“Terrible things. Things I wasn’t expecting. Things I’ve only read about.”
“What?”
“She sucked me dry, so she did. She wore me down, ground me to dust. She was insatiable. But I held my own.”
The kettle started to boil.
“You don’t look half bad on it,” I laughed.
“A man has to make a stand. Has to take charge and impose himself on the situation at some point.”
“Anything specific coming my way at all?”
“I took a leaf out of your book and made her beg for it. Fuck me, did she beg.”
I laughed at the serious look on his face.
“I think you’re in love.”
“I think I am too. We should have a double wedding. You and Jill, me and what’s her name.”
“Dido.”
“Yes.”
“Seriously, how did it go? Did you even get a kiss?”
“I got way more than a kiss, my young protagonist. I got the scoop. That Cadden fella is a spymaster.”
“Here’s your tea. Now let’s have it.”
“Well, my young wild stallion, it appears that young Jill has the serious hots for you. The ‘can’t function without him’ hots. Dido, as she will forever be known, was interrogating me as to your modus operandi and she thinks you’re a genius. No need to thank me.”
“What did you tell her?”
“I just told her that you were an innocent teenager. You are still a teenager, aren’t you? Doing his best to come to terms with the chaos of life, the loss of a parent, career pressures and the constant barrage of attention from the fairer sex.”
“Sounds like bollox to me.”
“It’s all bollox, but she’s got an understanding of it.”
“In what way.”
“I think it turned her on, because afterwards we fucked like rabbits. She’s got some stamina, Tony, but, cometh the hour, cometh the man and we both cometh quite a lot.”
“What about the Adams office politics, did you get an opening to bring that up?”
“I did. Let’s just say that we’ll have a Toal free existence henceforth. But enough about me, how was the fragrant, Gemma, when you deserted her this morning?”
“She was good.”
“Prick! Is that it?”
“No, there might be something interesting. I’m expecting a call but nothing guaranteed.”
“From who?”
“I’ll tell you if it happens, it might just be in my head. I can feel it in my waters.”
“What are we going to do with this Jill situation?”
“I think a lunchtime in her bed today is not out of bounds.”
“Fill her up with the good stuff before she goes romancing with her fiancé tonight?”
“Keep her off balance for a few more days.”
“Coddle her eggs.”
“Let’s get moving, we’ve to meet her at 9:30. I’ve got a new set of locks for the site so nobody but us can get in.”
“You’re on the ball. Let’s go.”
Jill looked unsure as she walked towards me at the site.
“Jill,” I said, as I walked to her and took her in my arms.
I kissed her and made it linger. She fell more than pulled away, breathless.
“I can’t believe how much I missed you since yesterday,” I said.
She pulled me in for a kiss.
“I missed you. I wanted to call you but I didn’t think you’d answer.”
“Why not?”
“I thought you were done with me, Tony.”
“I’m so sorry about yesterday, love. If you give me the chance, I’ll make it up to you today.”
“I can’t, today. What about tomorrow?”
“I’m booked solid tomorrow.”
“Say if you came over at lunch time? We could spend a couple of hours together and I could show you some samples.”
“Want me to bring some food?”
“You’re busy here, I’ll get something nice to eat.”
“You are something nice to eat.”
She smiled happily, handed me the keys and skipped away.
“Pretty tense there for a minute, old boy,” Peter said.
“I’ve got a couple of hours with her at lunch. I’m sure I can calm her down.”
We spent three hours surveying both sites, staking the boundaries and checking for any trip wires. Our electrical contractor arrived and installed temporary power and security lighting, our plumbing contractor installed services for running water and waste and our fence contractor began installation of a full timber hoarding around the entire site.
I oversaw much of it while Peter did a thorough investigation of the existing structure including a sonar and ultrasound check. We installed new locks to everything and, having taken copious amounts of photographs, we locked the gates and headed off. I dropped Peter to the office so he could itemise and record everything while I drove back to see Jill for lunch. I was halfway there when the phone rang in the van. I didn’t recognise the number.
“You’ve reached the mobile phone of Tony Harris. How may I direct your call,” I said.
“Tony, is that you?”
“Yes, who is this please?”
“Ciara, from last night.”
A semi began to form.
“Oh, Ciara. How the hell are you?”
“I’m very well, thanks. How are you?”
“Same shit, different day, Ciara. What can I do you for?”
“I was just, sorry? What?”
I started laughing,
“Sorry, Ciara, just a bad joke. How can I help you?”
“Sorry. That was funny. I’m going to open our investment suite this evening if you’d like to drop by. I can show you a few things.”
“Sounds interesting. What kind of things do you mean?”
“Various tools that are of use to keep investment funds performing optimally. An overview of the best methods for tracking your own stocks and shares with a view to be able to spot trends, dips and highs. Various little bits of inside knowledge on where you can insert extra capital along with a few other areas that might be of interest.”
“It sounds great, Ciara. Do you think it’d be worthwhile for someone like me to attend?”
“It can’t do any harm, Tony. Knowledge is power after all.”
“So they say, Ciara.”
“It’ll be interesting. I’d love you to come.”
“I’d love to come, Ciara.”
She cleared her throat.
“You know what I mean, Tony.”
“Yes, I do, Ciara. Where would you like me to come?”
“We’re hosting it in a suite at The Spencer Hotel. We start at 3:00 until the last person leaves.”
“Ok, I’ll aim to be there by 5:00 if that works for you.”
“Super. I’ll see you then, there’ll be a sign in the lobby.”
I hung up just as Jill came running down the steps.
“I thought you might have to leave again in a hurry, Tony.”
I took her hand.
“I’m all yours, Jill. I’m famished, what’s nice to eat? Also, do you have any food?”
She squeezed my hand and we went inside. We spent a nice hour talking about everything as we nibbled on small plates of food, bread and olives, and drank espressos. She didn’t mention the fundraiser or anything personal and I didn’t bring it up either.
“What are your plans for the weekend, Tony? There’s this lovely little Tapas restaurant in Wicklow that I’d love to show you.”
“I have a thing tomorrow night, Jill. Saturday is a few beers with the lads and I’ve something on Sunday but I’m fucked if I can remember what. Oh and I’ve to go to a thing in the IFSC tonight, some financial presentation that I committed to the other day.”
“So we just have a couple of hours today?”
“Looks that way.”
She came and climbed up on my knee.
“We’d better make the most of it, then.”
“What are you thinking?” I said.
She took a piece of chocolate and gripped it between her teeth and moved her mouth in front of mine. I took a sliver of a bite from it and held it between my fingers as we watched it melt from my body heat. I then took the remaining end of the chocolate and held it in my teeth, allowing my lips to meet hers as the chocolate became our bond. She sighed.
I licked the melted chocolate from her lips. She licked mine clean. Her tongue tasted of chocolate so I sucked it into my mouth and her hands found the sides of my head.
I took the chocolate on my fingers and smeared a light smear along her top lip and slowly licked it off. She captured my tongue in her mouth and sucked the remnants from it.
I lifted her tee shirt over her head and released her breasts from her bra. I smeared a slight smear of chocolate on each nipple to a sharp intake of breath.
We moved to an antique leather chaise by the wall of the dining room. She slid her skirt and panties off and laid back along the buttoned, dark brown, leather surface.
I sucked the chocolate residue slowly from each nipple, then licked them dry. She leaned forward and I could see her wet imprint on the smooth leather of the cushion.
I laid her back in the chaise and butterfly kissed her lightly from head to toe. She was in constant motion as her arousal grew and burst through her pleasure threshold.
She lifted her feet onto the cushion and spread her knees apart. My lips found her inner thigh and my wet tongue slid from inside her knee, along her inner thigh and stopped short of her vagina. Her hips rose in anticipation. I replenished the wetness of my tongue and started the same action a few inches above her knee, sliding agonisingly slowly towards her vagina and stopping short again.
“No, Tony. Please,” she begged me.
I repeated the same action a further six times before moving to her other leg and repeating the same process. She had long since exhausted her tolerance and her begging became pitiful as I pushed her legs as far apart as they could go and lightly feathered her vulva with the tip of my tongue. The next soft touch was to her clitoris, after which she literally took off, lifting completely off the seat as a huge orgasm coursed through her and a clear fluid flowed slowly from her vagina.
She hooked herself around me as her bodily movement bordered on those of a seizure, I held her close to offer my support until she regained an element of composure. I released my penis from inside my shorts and slid it slowly inside her as she moaned in ecstatic frenzy.
I moved slowly and effortlessly, thrusting easily inside her impossibly wet vagina. Her internal muscles contracted and gripped me forcefully as another wave flowed through her. Her muscles relaxed and I continued until I released a voluminous amount of semen inside her. We kissed as we held each other and she slipped into a deep sleep. I carried her, naked, to her bedroom and covered her as she lay under the counterpane. She looked beautifully at peace. I quickly washed, dressed and left her house. Two hours later I was looking at some charts in The Spencer Hotel and trying to decide whether Ciara or Tiff, a tall, beautiful American hedge fund executive would be better in bed, when my phone rang. Jill,
“Tony?”
“Hey babe. How are you doing?”
“I just woke and you weren’t here. What happened?”
“You were fast asleep so I put you in bed. You were fantastic, by the way.”
“I don’t remember much after you were inside me.”
“You had a couple of big orgasms, love, and zonked out. Sensory overload I think. Keeps the blood flowing.”
“Can you come back? I don’t want to be with anyone else just now.”
“I’m at this thing in the IFSC, I told you about it. You have a thing in the Four Seasons, you’re gonna be late if you don’t get yourself in gear.”
“Shit! I forgot about that. You’re right, I’d better get moving, if I can ever move again,” she started laughing.
“You’ll be fine. Have a great time.”
I put my phone back in my pocket as I watched Ciara head in my direction. She smiled as she walked, looking anywhere except at me. She wore a bank uniform but it hung beautifully on her slim figure, a short black jacket, a matching knee-length skirt and a white blouse with the bank brand on the collar. Her dark hair hung to her shoulder and it bounced as she walked.
“Well that’s it for today, Tony. We had a decent turnout, thanks a million for coming, I really appreciated it.”
“Happy to be of help, Ciara.”
“What are your plans for the rest of the evening?”
She sat in a chair beside a window, I sat beside her, a small round table between us.
“I don’t know, to be honest. I’m kind of a wandering spirit by times.”
She touched my hand.
“How so?” she asked.
“Oh, I don’t know. Mostly I just take things on the fly and go with the flow.”
I took her hand. She held mine.
“It’s almost as though fate decrees our actions, Ciara, do you know what I mean?”
“Kind of. In what way, though?”
“We’ll take today, for example.”
“Today?”
“Yes, I met you through a totally fluke circumstance last night and here we are together, alone, in this hotel suite.”
“Yes, it could be viewed in that way, but it’s not that random in the grand scheme of things.”
“True. My problem is that situations develop into uncharted waters quite quickly, I don’t consider the consequences, so I just accept what I consider to be the signs and take things on the fly from there.”
“In what way?” she asked, almost in a whisper.
“Well, in a situation like this, I’d usually just lean a little closer and try to assess the girl's desire or needs.”
“Are you doing that now?”
“I suppose I probably am.”
“And what are your conclusions?”
“I haven’t reached one yet, it’s not a science. I suppose I come to a place where the feeling would be outswayed by my desire, or a mutual attraction.”
“How can you tell?”
“As I said, it’s not a science. It can be in her eyes or the tilt of her head. Her smile or the expression of her lips. The way her hair sways or invites. A thousand tiny things, Ciara.”
“Does that usually work out?”
“Pretty much every time.”
“In what way?”
“Well we’d sit together and just talk, over time some kinds of hints appear and I take them and lay myself bare without thought to consequence or pain. A touch to her face, a light kiss, a smile. Sometimes that generates the spark to light the flame. I’d take her hand, much like I’m doing now, and lightly stroke her skin, your hands are so soft, Ciara, maybe bring it to my lips. Like this.”
I kissed the palm of her hand.
“Envelop it in mine. Lean in towards her and see if she does too. Then I’ll kiss her softly, like this.”
My lips met hers.
“A soft kiss. Brief. Just a taste. Hoping for a response from her. Desiring her touch, her intimacy, her softness.”
She kissed me then. Deliciously. Her lips were soft and full, it was a kiss of experience and need. Our lips moved together as they waltzed to a silent rhythm, our tongues briefly meeting, exploring, tasting. Her throat constructing a high-pitched moan as my finger touched her breast in passing, as I reached to touch her face.
“Jesus, Tony, that’s intense,” she whispered quickly.
“It becomes more so, Ciara.”
She stood and led me to another room in the suite by the hand, a well-appointed bedroom with some bank paraphernalia stored on the bed. She kissed me with wild abandon, her passion clearly on display.
“Ciara, what about your husband?”
“He doesn’t need to know. I need this, Tony. What about Gemma?”
“Gemma’s not my wife.”
“Nobody needs to know except us.”
TBC
