Started a new story, and it ended up being a bit of a continuation from my last published work. It takes a bit of an interesting twist, not sure how far it gets carried from here. Hopefully some of you enjoy it.
It had been a couple of months since Aaron's trip to Asia and he had been working diligently with his partners there to further their business opportunities. Things were looking up and he was looking at scheduling another trip to solidify a couple of new relationships.
At the end of the week, he received a call from corporate asking him to be at headquarters first thing Monday morning, so he quickly scheduled a flight and car to get him there on Sunday night. Upon checking in, he had a message to meet the company president for breakfast at 6:30, a meeting that he was now rolling over in his head.
Aaron had worked with the company president in the past, so this was not necessarily a strange request, but the results of the meeting had him thinking about his future.
The meeting started well, they exchanged pleasantries and ordered their breakfasts. As they sat and ate, the discussions took a quite different turn.
"Aaron, you might have heard rumors of something happening with the company," the president interjected into their conversation.
"I had but have really been focusing on our business and moving our deal in SE Asia forward," he said, "so I am really not sure of any details."
"We are entering into a merger/buyout with two other firms," the president noted. "This will bring about some major changes and some of them directly affect you."
The president went on "your position in SE Asia has been eliminated, as there is an identical position in the other company, as a result the new organization is moving forward with him in the role. I would like to offer you one of two options."
"The first is a buyout of your employment contract. Six months based on your income last year with an agreement that you do not move into employment with a competitor for two years, or you can stay on with the company in a different role. You do not have to decide while we are sitting here, please take the day and gather whatever thoughts you may have and let me know tomorrow what you would like to do."
Aaron sat quietly for a moment, then responded, "Thank you for the information and outline of my opportunity. I will take you up on the day to evaluate what I would like to do and let you know in the morning."
They finished their breakfast pretty much in silence as Aaron was trying to take in everything that had been discussed, and the president left soon after the conversation ended.
Aaron went back to the hotel and up to his room, changed into some shorts and a sport shirt, grabbed his laptop and headed down to the lobby to take some time and think about what had just transpired.
Aaron poured a cup of coffee from the large pot in the hotel lobby, then went outside to sit on the patio that overlooked the slow-moving river beside the hotel. The day was getting warm quickly, so he went to the corner of the patio to sit in the shade and contemplate his future.
Pulling out his laptop, he sent a quick note to his associates in SE Asia to let them know of the conversations and see what their thoughts might be, then closed it knowing it would be that night before he heard anything back.
Turning his attention back to the river, he noticed an apartment complex next to the hotel and the swimming pool that was just across the parking lot on that side of the building. As he watched, there was a young lady pulling herself out of the water and grabbing a towel to dry off. She was wearing a bikini that seemed to leave little to the imagination, although he was a bit far to really tell. Aaron noticed that the pool was in an area of the complex where there were no apartments overlooking and that similarly there were no hotel rooms that overlooked the pool, although he was quick to admit to himself that he is not sure why that thought had popped into his head.
After seeing her, he really couldn't stop looking, so trying not to be too obvious, he sat quietly sipping his coffee, looking at her over the top of his cup as she toweled herself off. She turned a chaise lounge in the direction he was sitting and as he watched, laid out her towel and sat down. It seemed as if she was looking directly at him as she sat, rather than just moving the chaise in the direction of the sun, seemingly inviting him to come over.
Shaking his head, Aaron wondered "did I just get a subtle invitation?"
He finished his coffee, then decided that he would take a walk past the complex pool just to see if he really did get that invitation or if it was imagined. He stood up and after dropping his empty cup in the trash, went into the hotel to drop off his laptop in his room. Shortly after, he returned to the lobby and went outside to take his walk. Not wanting to be too obvious, he walked down to the path along the riverbank, then towards the apartment complex and pool he had been watching before, hoping she was still there. Rounding the corner of the pool area, he saw that she was sitting in the chair where he had seen her before going back upstairs.
"Wondered if you would ever get over here" Aaron heard, realizing she was talking to him. "Thought you might come directly over from the hotel rather than that roundabout way you took to get here."
"Well," Aaron stammered, "I didn't realize I was that obvious sitting there."
"Yes, you were," she replied, laughing. "You should come join me for a while. By the way, I am Joyce."
"I am Aaron, and I guess, sure," Aaron replied, a bit surprised and for some reason shaken by her invitation.
He walked around to the gate on the other side of the pool. Joyce had gotten up and walked over to unlock the gate for him, and held it open for him to enter. Trying hard not to stare, Aaron found himself staring at her body while realizing that the bikini she had on seemed to be semi-transparent. Wondering if she realized this, he got a poke from her.
"Stop staring Aaron," she laughed. "Come over and sit down. I have some drinks if you would like one."
After his shock at being poked, Aaron laughed. "Ok, I will and yes I will have a drink."
Joyce reached into a small cooler and pulled out a mixed drink can for Aaron, and he pulled up a chair next to her chaise. Aaron continued to admire her body, trying not to be too obvious. He found his thoughts wandering towards tan lines, or more specifically, the lack of them on her body, guessing the bikini must not be worn much or she spent a lot of time in tanning salons.
Opening his drink, they sat quietly taking in the sun and warmth as Aaron sipped.
"So, Aaron, what brings you to this little corner of paradise?"
"Business, and unfortunately not such great news for me, but I would rather not spend too much time thinking about that right now."
"Fair enough, we will skip any talk of business and just relax," she said.
