Chapter 07: Big Ben
It had been an interesting year for Ben. It was December now. A year had passed since his business trip to Cleveland, a trip that kicked off a truly crazy year.
In a matter of a couple of days, he had slept with a stranger named Rachel in Cleveland, returned to discover his girlfriend Jenna had taken on a lesbian lover named Heidi, had participated in a three way with the two and was given license to sleep around. A month later, he made use of the arrangement to have sex with his boss' daughter, Denisha, a sexy black woman. A month after that, he had a sexual encounter with Claire, a much older coworker, while in Toronto.
By the beginning of June, Jenna decided to leave for a job in Boston, leading to revenge sex with her lover, Heidi. Then, in July, he met up with Claire again in her new home in Denver and secretly slept with her daughter, Viv.
Perhaps "crazy year" was an understatement.
The following months were much tamer. He saw Denisha again, and they even dated for a short time, but that fizzled out, and Ben suspected that his boss had been made aware of what was going on with Denisha. By September, Ben had been laid off, and he was contracting for several Architecture firms in the Baltimore area.
In late November he had begun to entertain a move. Two firms caught his eye, one in San Diego, and one in London, England. He was in daily contact with the hiring managers for both companies, usually via email or instant message.
The hiring manager for Meridian Architecture, London, was Kate Alden. She was very helpful in giving him tips on what the partners wanted to see, and in connecting him with the right people so he could make an impression. Still, the majority of their chats were just chats. "How is your day? What's the weather like there? We have rain again. Silly English weather."
"So far so good. It's snowing here. How's your day treating you?" he would reply.
As the days passed, less of the chats had to do with the job opening and more of them were just saying 'hi' or telling each other funny things that happened throughout the day. This went on for over two weeks.
Kate: "You wouldn't believe what happened to me today."
Ben: "Do tell."
Kate: "I left my lunch on my desk and headed to the loo. When I got back, someone had taken it."
Ben: "Buuut I believe that. You said I wouldn't believe that."
Kate: "You know what I mean, silly. Anyway, who steals someone's lunch?"
Ben: "I had that happen at a restaurant once. No lie, I came back to my table and someone was sitting in my spot eating my dinner."
Kate: "OMG! What did you say to him?"
Ben: "Nothing. I'm not messing with someone who's willing to do that."
Kate: "Don't blame you... By the way, I need a headshot for our records. Can you send one along?"
Ben: "NP. Just sent one."
Kate: "Cutie."
Ben: "LOL. Thanks."
Kate: "So, How do you think I should sleuth out who stole my noodles?"
Ben: "Hang on a sec. Where's YOUR pic?"
Kate: "Why do you need MY picture?"
Ben: "The Meridian big shots don't need to know what I look like. Why did you need MINE?"
Kate: "*blushing*"
Ben: "That's what I thought."
Kate: "K. Sending you one now. Don't judge."
The image arrived in an email, a selfie. Kate had green eyes, had red wavy hair pulled up, and sported thick-framed trendy glasses. She looked to be in her late twenties and had a slightly chubby, but pretty face.
Ben: "You're cute."
Kate: "Cute? So I'm like a kitten?"
Ben: "How about attractive?"
Kate: "Getting warmer."
Ben: "...Sexy."
Kate: "LOL. I'm dubious, but I'll take it.
Ben: "Where are the messed up teeth? Aren't English people known for messed up teeth?"
Kate: "Shame on you. I'm tossing your resume."
Ben: "But you're keeping the picture?"
Kate: "Yeah. That's mine."
Ben: "It's a deal, as long as you send me another one of you."
Kate: "You're so demanding... Sent."
Another email arrived. She sent three new pictures. One was a shot of her from the side as she looked over the edge of a cliff at the ocean. Another was a group shot of her and a couple of her friends. The third was a great candid shot where she sat in a chair with her elbow resting on the chair arm and her face was cradled in her hand. She wore a blue sweater that, when leaning to the side, accentuated her breasts.
Ben: "I like these. I especially like the third one. You're photogenic."
Kate: "*smiling*"
A few moments later, another picture arrived in Ben's inbox. Kate was smiling at the camera, her head turned. She appeared to be shirtless down to where the picture cut off just below her armpit.
Ben: "Damn. Are you naked in this one?"
Kate: "I'll never tell."
Ben: "Only the top part of the picture arrived. Where's the rest of it."
Kate: "LOL. The rest is in London. *wink*"
Ben: "If the lower part makes me as hard as the upper part does, I can't wait to go to London."
Kate: "Whoa. Easy, sailor."
Ben: "Too far?"
Kate: "...I haven't decided yet."
Ben: "Looks like you're well represented up top."
Kate: "Double-D. *blush*"
Ben: "I hope your boss doesn't look over your shoulder at this chat."
Kate: "Don't worry, I'm working from home today. So feel free to flatter me about my lady parts. I don't mind."
Ben: "LOL. If the partners need a photo of my cock, I'm sure I can send one your way."
Kate: "BEN! OMG! Tee-hee... Well, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to send it my way."
Ben: "Are you serious? Do you want me to?"
Kate: "*smile*"
Ben: "I want to be sure you're serious, cause I'll do it, unless you tell me not to."
Kate: "*smile*"
Ben: "I'll take that as a yes."
He pulled his semi-hard cock from his pants and stroked it. It didn't need much convincing to become fully erect. He took a snapshot with his phone and sent the picture.
Kate: "Fuck. You're big."
Ben: "You like it?"
Kate: "I really like it. Do you blokes do anything small in the States?"
