Conferences were boring, Lilly decided. After all the hype she had heard about this conference, she thought she was coming to learn stuff, to be better at her job. She was being disappointed. The plenary session this morning was pretty ordinary, the topics she was nominated to go to, were crap, stuff she either knew already or was just not in her job description. Why her boss nominated her for those sessions was beyond her. Not only that, the speakers were ranging from almost okay to really lousy.
Fucking boring, she thought. Oh well, dinner then maybe some sleep.
Lilly's employer had sent five people to this conference, another woman and three men, one being her boss, one being married to other other woman, and the other guy, Larry, was someone she is going to be working with over the next year or so on a new project in New Jersey. She saw Larry waving among the several hundred people in the giant atrium of the conference center, and she made her way to him.
"Going back to the hotel, then dinner?" Larry asked.
"Sure," Lilly said, but didn't add she had had enough for one day and just wanted some peace and quiet.
"Jill and Steve are heading out to dinner, and Jim is meeting his ex-wife and son so we'll be alone for dinner. You okay with that?"
"Yes, a bit of quiet will be good right now."
The noise in the atrium seemed to swell at that point and Larry's reply was lost to Lilly. She thought he may have said something like 'let's go then', so she just replied, "Lead on, McDuff, get me out of here!"
Larry smiled at the Shakespeare reference and turned, making a path for her to follow, leading out of the building. It seemed to take ages to get to the outside, but the Nevada heat was welcomed, even if oppressive. Larry led them to a cab and told the driver where they were staying. Not a lot cooler in the cab, but better. Larry was quiet on the drive, paid the driver, getting a receipt, upon arrival. They went to their own rooms and at the agreed time met in the dining room.
One look around the room and Lilly shook her head, "No, too noisy, need some quiet."
"We can go up to my room, call room service." Lilly thought for a moment, not wanting to be alone but out of the noise, she nodded.
Getting to Larry's room, calling room service, waiting for their meals, they started taking about the day's sessions. They rapidly agreed that day one was a waste of time, but day two promised more. "USGS and NOAA are always good value," Larry started, "They tell us stuff we don't know much about and with the New Jersey project, we need to be a lot more aware of the potentials for disaster along the Hudson and Passaic."
The food was great, the conversation good, although pretty much work and conference oriented. Lilly knew he was going to hit on her though. As the wine bottle emptied and the meal slowed, Larry, predictably for Lilly, started a slow seduction routine.
Larry is in his early thirties, was married, now divorced, no kids, she took off with another man a couple of years ago, so Lilly found out when she learned she was going to be working with him. Larry is quite handsome, a really nice guy, polite always and not a lot seems to faze him, she heard.
Larry reached out and took her hand, made a soft comment about how lovely she was just to talk to. "Larry, please, before you go any further, I'm gay."
There was a look of surprise on Larry's face, then a calm came over him, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know." He released her hand, "But that doesn't mean you are not a really nice person to talk to."
Lilly smiled, "Thank you, but I think it is time to go."
"Oh no," Larry pleaded, "Please, stay, we still have lots to talk about."
Lilly nearly stood, but the tone of Larry's voice, the gentle pleading, made her keep her seat. "Okay." Larry is intelligent, knowledgeable, and she really needs to keep on his good side, just as he needs to keep on hers, both their careers demanded it.
Larry turned to other topics then out of the blue he said, "Oh, look, I'm sorry to bring this up but there is something you may be able to help me with."
"Oh?"
"It's personal, but I think you may be in a better position to advise me than anyone else I can talk about this with."
"Oh?" Lilly was mystified at this. They barely knew each other, apart from the little she had seen of him in the office, heard from others who had worked with Larry. Nice guy, nothing fazes him, competent, always good to talk to, private, trustworthy was the verdict given by female co-workers.
"I was married," Larry started, "And it got really nasty at the end." Lilly had heard about the break up, but didn't hear it had gotten nasty. "She took off with a man she knew before she met me."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Lilly was, she and her partner had broken up a few months ago and she was still dealing with the crap it created.
"Yeah, well, thank you, but it's not sympathy I am looking for here," Larry said in a gentle manner. "I really want an assessment."
"Erm, sorry, an assessment? What of?"
"Yes, an assessment," Larry went quiet, then took a deep breath, let it out slowly and said, "I have always thought my cunnilingual skills are excellent. I've never had any complaint but the last thing she said before walking out was 'You can't lick clit worth shit.'"
Lilly had to shake her head, make sure she had heard him correctly, "Say what?"
"My ex- she told me I was fucking awful at oral."
Lilly blinked, "Yeah, that's what I thought you said." She thought for a moment, her voice hardening, "Well, I'm not the one to ask that of, believe me."