Take It Farther (2 page)

I looked over the balance sheet of a local one hundred and
five year old bank. The properties on the books were worth over three hundred
million even considering the crash in real estate. The loans to property values
had sunk the bank. Doors were closing next week. I estimated we could bail out
the bank and keep the doors open for just twenty-seven million dollars.

A drop in the bucket. The bad loans could be bundled and
sold off for the three hundred million they were worth.

I added a few notes to the sheet and slid it into my
briefcase.

The phone chimed. "Mister Franklin?"

It was Carla.

"Yes, Carla?"

"Mrs. Preston would like you to take lunch with
her."

I checked my watch. "What time?"

"Forty minutes. Is that enough time?"

"Of course. Where at?"

"Parking garage. Her limo."

"I'll be there." I clicked off the com-button and
settled back. Was this about business? Did she normally take lunch with
executives? I wouldn't know if she did.

~ ~ ~

I followed Jacqueline into the swanky café. It had a less
than pretentious name: Talbot's. But I knew that a lot of these twenty dollar
cup of coffee places thought names like this justified outrageous prices.

However, outrageous prices kept out the common man.

We sat and accepted the one page menu.

She said, "The crab here is fantastic."

"Oh, I won't touch seafood."

She furrowed her brow. "Why not?"

"Fukushima. The radiation is over ten million times
worse than is being reported."

She gave me a searching look. "I'll have to look into
that."

I ordered chicken salad when the time came. She followed
suit.

I said, "So is this business…?"

She toyed with her glass of water, watching the lemon slice
swirl. "Actually, I was wondering if you talked to your wife about the
party last week?"

"I did. I don't keep things from her."

"Good, you shouldn't. How did she react?"

"She didn't seem to think he was flirting."

"Walter always behaves until he knows what the husband
thinks. He doesn't want to make trouble."

"I think maybe he should look somewhere else."
There.

She sipped her water. "How did you like Morgan and
Sons?"

I sat back. She was talking about the bank I had been
reviewing. "You…?"

She nodded.

I said, "I wondered how I got so lucky."

She shrugged. "More of those can come your way. Or not.
Your salary won't change but it could mean bigger bonuses."

"Why do I feel I'm being maneuvered into—"

Her gaze sharpened. "You have a choice in the matter,
Richard Franklin. I'm not holding anything over you. Your job isn't on the
line. I would not be so crass." She accepted her plate from the waiter.

I didn't even glance at him.

She said, "Someone will get better accounts. It may be
you. It might be Roger Zellman. Or Mariah Katz. Or any of the others. Someone
is going to get those better accounts and often in a random fashion. Even if
you don't agree to Walter's flirtation, you might see some of these accounts
when I hand them out as they come in. Then again, I could show appreciation by
directing them to someone personally."

I forked a mouth of chicken salad and chewed. It really was
very good, even at fifty dollars per plate. Finally, I said, "How far does
this flirtation go?"

She watched me carefully. "He's been known to hug and
kiss…"

"And you're okay with this?"

"He's devoted to me." She put down her fork and
leaned a bit closer – her eyes on me the whole time.  "I will admit that
his behavior is something of a turn-on for me. For us."

My eyes widened a little. "Ah, I see."

"Do you?"

Nodding, I said, "I think I do."

A trace of a smile flashed across her face, then it was
gone.

~ ~ ~

I was in bed first, waiting. She was still in the bathroom.
What would she think?

Jolene climbed into bed and settled in.

I turned to her, running my hand down her side.

She gave me an eyebrow and a small smile. "More
unscheduled fun?"

I touched her panties and ran my fingers over her mound and
down. "I hope it doesn't seem to require a schedule."

"No. So what's into you tonight?"

"Jacqueline took me to lunch today at Talbot's."

She raised her eyebrows. "Pricey. Was this business or
pleasure?" Her tone was carefully neutral.

I shook my head. "You needn't worry. The talk was about
you."

"Me?"

"And Walter."

Her mouth quirked to the side. "Again?"

"She was wondering what you thought of him. Wanted to
know how we reacted."

"Really?"

I nodded.

She settled her head back, thinking.

I toyed with her folds through her panties and said,
"She said that her husband has been known to hug and kiss and that it's
exciting for both of them."

"Both of them?"

"That's what she said."

Jolene parted her legs a little and opened her mouth.
"Mmm, that feels nice."

"Hugging him wouldn't be bad, would it?"

Her breath caught a little. "I don't know. I wasn't
looking at him like that at the party."

"He was handsome?"

"Yeah." Her hips moved a little against my
fingers.

I moved my hand into her panties. She was warm and slightly
wet. "Would it have been fun if he had flirted with you at the
party?"

Her mouth was still open, breathing. She licked her lips.
"I don't know. Like what?"

I dipped a finger inside her. "Maybe looking at you.
Your body. How beautiful you are."

She let out an audible breath. "That would have been
okay."

I moved my finger in and out. "So he could have looked
at you?"

"Mmm. If it didn't make you mad." She reached over
and groped for me. Her fingers found me half-hard.

"I wouldn't have been mad. He'd have to be braindead or
gay not to appreciate you."

"I guess it would've been nice, then. Flattering, I
suppose." She moved her hips more. Her hand stroked me.

"He could have hugged you?"

She stopped for a second, but resumed. "Hugs are always
nice from the right people. Now that fat lush at the bar—"

"Gabriel?"

She shuddered. "I'd slit my own wrists before touching
that disgusting blob."

"He's VP of Corporate Finance."

She shook her head. "His title doesn't impress
me."

I chuckled. "No, I didn't mean it to. Was just
commenting. So a hug from someone like Walter would've been fun?"

She smiled. "Sure, I suppose. Hugs aren't much; they're
always over so fast."

"What if it was a long hug?" I felt myself
hardening fully.

"Oh… someone likes the idea of me in a long hug."

"If he had hugged you?"

"Walter? Okay. Gabriel? No."

I laughed.

"I'm serious. No way am I going to hug someone so
disgusting."

"I'll make sure to run some interference if he ever
tries to jiggle his way over to you for a hug."

"Ugh."

I laughed harder. "I bet Walter wanted to hug
you."

"You think so?" She moved her hand faster.

I knew this was getting serious, fast. I could feel
vibrations up and down the soles of my feet that told me she would make me have
another accident if I didn't stop her. So I scooted down and slid back the
covers.

Her smile brightened.

I licked at her clit and toyed with her folds using my
fingers.

She arched her back slightly and then laid back. Her fingers
ran through my hair. "Would you have been okay if he had hugged me?"

I wasn't thinking too much about it; I was a little busy.
"Sure. Seeing you pressed up against him would've been nice."

She gasped and her body shook. "Oh, you naughty
man." Her body continued quivering, shaking harder.

I jabbed two fingers in and she exploded in orgasm.

I flipped the stapled page back and considered the next
loan. Some could be kept. Most needed to be sold. The Morgan family would take
what we offered gratefully and slink away into obscurity – their name
forgotten.

I used to be bothered by it. Now? It's just business.

My door opened.

I frowned at the interruption; my secretary had not phoned
me a message of anyone coming.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you." Jacqueline.

"Mrs. Preston." I stood quickly.

She waved at me. "Please, sit back down." She took
a chair in front of my desk.

"Is anything the matter?" I said.

"Heavens no. Your work is exemplary. I came down for a
more personal reason."

"Oh?"

"Walter and I would like to invite you and Jolene to
our cabin next weekend."

"For Valentines?"

She nodded. "Say you'll come. We have six bedrooms and
four baths. There's an indoor Jacuzzi and skiing close by if you're into
that."

"I… I'll have to ask my wife."

"Please do. We'd love to have you as our guests."
She rose and left as quickly as she'd come.

I pulled my cell and hit Jolene's number.

She answered, surprised. "Richard?"

"Yeah, I know. We usually text. Jacqueline just came in
and said she and Walter wanted us to be their guests at their cabin. Next
weekend."

"Valentines?"

"Mm hmm."

"I don't know…"

"You busy?"

"Me? No. Just going over enrollment figures
district-wide."

"They have a half dozen bedrooms and four baths. Indoor
Jacuzzi."

"Sounds like a vacation spot."

"I think it would be nice."

She hesitated. "I…" She trailed off.

"She came down to my office to ask. I get the
impression they would really enjoy having us there."

"You want to go?"

"I think it would be fun. Relaxing. A bit of snow, some
Jacuzzi. Yeah."

"Alright then. Yes, it does sound fun."

"I'll tell her we'll go then?"

"Sure. We'll need to get some clothes for the cold,
though."

I could tell she was compiling a mental list. "Alright,
see you later tonight."

"Love you."

I smiled into the phone. "I love you, too." I
pocketed the cell and hit the com-button and punched two-two-zero.

Carla's voice sounded. "Mrs. Preston's office?"

"Carla, Richard Franklin. Please tell Mrs. Preston that
my wife and I accept."

"I'll let her know."

"Thank you." I clicked off.

~ ~ ~

Their cabin was an odd one. Converted from a lodge, the
structure had been reworked and refurbished into a home in the snow. It was
almost as big as our own McMansion.

It was snowing very lightly, big flakes coming down with a
grace reminiscent of my wife's sexiness.

She shook her head. "Has it really been two
months?"

"Since my promotion? Yes. Time flies by so fast now.
Blink twice and the year's gone."

She was looking out the window. "How much do we miss
when we blink?"

I pulled to a stop behind their Mercedes SUV. They had the
G-Class.

Walter was out while Jacqueline remained in the vehicle. He
gave me a grin when I joined him. "Nice, isn't it?" He motioned to
the former lodge.

"Spectacular, really. I love that deep roof."

He nodded vigorously. "That's what caught my eye, too.
Let's get the ladies in before the snow gets thick."

The interior looked modern. In fact, it looked like our
offices. Wood paneling and recessed lighting. There were even live plants with
automated drip systems. The place looked and smelled fresh.

I said to Jacqueline, "You have people come out here
and keep the place?"

"Once a month. Walter handles it. This place was his
idea and money. But it's sort of grown on me."

It was late enough on a Friday that dinner came next. I
chopped up a salad while Walter grilled steaks. He seemed to know his way
around the kitchen.

I said, "You do the cooking in your house?"

"Mm, hmm." It was hummed with finality. "She
likes my cooking better than she likes her own. She doesn't like to bother with
it now."

"Jolene loves to cook – she's a wiz with spices."

He shot me a wondering glance, then tensed perhaps the very
slightest. "Yes…" His tone seemed exploratory. "An intriguing
woman. Quite talented?"

Feeling awkward, knowing he was meaning additional things
about my wife, I faced the quandary of not knowing what was appropriate. How
does one talk about his wife in ways suggestively intimate? Was it proper? Crude?
Done with a secret handshake? "She's everything to me."

He bounced the spatula on the steaks. "I imagine it
would be hard not to appreciate her."

I grunted. I just wasn't sure what should be said.

He said, "I hope you don't mind if I pay her some
compliments?"

"Not at all. She deserves them."

He half turned to me, still keeping an eye on the steaks. He
flipped one. "Some women can't be appreciated enough."

I was silent. Was it so bad if someone else also appreciated
my wife? Considered her worthy of admiration? Compliments? Didn't Jolene
deserve that? Didn't she deserve to be treated with respect for who she was? I
said, "And respected."

He was nodding. "Always respected."

I breathed easier. I was comfortable with that. Very
comfortable.

Dinner was eaten at a small burnt-wood table highly glossed
with varnish. The swirls of wood grain were highlighted with a beauty made more
for looking at rather than eating on. I even gave the wood a few rubs to feel
the smoothness of the finish.

Jacqueline was next to me. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

"It is."

"It was my parent's. I had it refinished by a
woodworker."

Jolene was sitting on the other side with Walter. They were
talking themselves about a variety of small topics. The furniture, the weather
up here, the beauty of snow, the lodge – they skipped from topic to topic as if
wanting to hit on everything.

It was nice seeing my wife smile.

I had the impression they touched sometimes when they
talked.

~ ~ ~

In a guest bedroom almost the size of our own McMansion
master bedroom, I waited for Jolene to come out of the bathroom.

She climbed into the small bed. "Uh oh."

"What?"

"You have that look on your face."

I was anxious to talk to her. "Well, don't worry. I
don't think it would be polite to hump like teenagers when we're guests."

She nodded. "Doesn't feel right."

I laid on my side and placed my hand on her hip. "How
did it go, anyway?"

"You were there." She seemed defensive.

"But what did you think?"

"He was very nice."

"You were touching during dinner?"

"Yes, but it was harmless. We were just talking."

I ran my hand down her panties. She was warm.

She frowned. "I thought you said we weren't going to do
anything?"

"We aren't. I just can't help touching you."

"Oh, alright then." She relaxed her legs.

"He was nice to you?"

"Perfectly. It was nice not having someone act like a
dick because I have a pair of tits."

I laughed. "Is it that bad at the school
district?"

"Sometimes."

"He touched you?"

She gave me an eye. "Yes, but we were just
talking." She reached over and groped for me. She found me mostly hard.
"You like hearing that?"

I chuckled sheepishly. "I suppose."

She handled my length and began stroking. "He put his
hand on my thigh several times. Left it there for a while near the end of
dinner."

I hardened fully. "Did it feel nice?"

She smiled. "Yes. Does it bother you to hear me say
that?"

I was half panting by now. "Uh, no." I reached my
hand down her panties. She was wet.

"I thought you said—"

I breathed into her ear. "I want to feel you."

"You are such a naughty man."

"Did he rub at all?" A worm of confliction ate its
way through me.

She was thinking. "No. No, just laid his hand on my
thigh."

That made me feel better. At the same time, disappointed.
"I guess that's okay."

"Are you sure you don't mind him touching me?"

"As long as he's a gentleman, I think it's fine."
Yes, that felt better. He could flirt with her all he wanted that way. If it
excited him and his wife, then great. I was happy with it like it was.

"What should I do if he touches me and rubs?" she
was smiling.

"I'm not sure about that."

She gave me a squeeze. "I'm thinking this is telling me
otherwise."

We had to part before the teasing drove us mad. I kissed her
goodnight.