"Tom? We really should get back to the office." Emily is concerned about appearances with their taking an extended lunch break at the company's VIP apartment. He may well be the CEO, but, still, people tend to notice comings and goings that are out of the ordinary.
"She's right," as DeeDee steps out of the bathroom having cleaned up from their
menage
. "We really have to be more careful with this. Tom? I know Alice has her suspicions about you and me, but Michelle has been giving us the evil eye lately whenever we go off-campus 'for lunch'.
Alice is Tom's executive assistant; Michelle is the company receptionist, stationed in the corporate managers' building. Michelle sees everybody passing through the front door, especially the top executives like Tom and DeeDee.
"I'm not too concerned, ladies. Rank has its privileges."
Emily is a little more blunt, "What's going to happen when one or the other, or someone we haven't thought of yet goes to one of the VPs with concerns that you are fucking employees, and worse, doing it on company property and company time?"
"Still not concerned. dePolitte knows, and is running cover for me."
Werner dePolitte is Executive VP and COO.
"What's he getting out of it? Or do you have something on
him?
"
"Yes and no. Werner and I came up through the ranks together. When we were young bucks on the assembly line, we had our fun times together. Em? We've never talked about this so you don't know, but I met Claire
here
. She was in QA. We'd meet for drinks after work, and Werner would join us. Sometimes he'd bring a date, sometimes he'd... well..."
"Go to your place, and you and he would double-team her."
"Uh huh."
"So that explains how you and Claire got interested in the lifestyle. Why not him?"
"When he started dating Ramona, he lost interest in our playing with Claire. Ramona was a conventional serial monogamist. Venturing out to her was 'cheating', and convinced Werner that they were going to have a 'normal' relationship. They're still together."
"And you and Claire started looking for a swinger group."
"Not really. Your Steven and Cyan had just moved into town. He had a contract doing network consulting in the early days for Amalgamated. I had been pulled off the line to help with his project, and we had occasion to go to lunch a few times, which then turned into dinners with the wives. Discussion eventually turned to their interesting take on sex and intimacy. Claire was
all
over that."
"So that dinner turned into a foursome."
"Yep. At our place."
"That's cool, Tom.
Really
cool. And the group grew from those roots."
"Yes. You and I need to get dressed and out of here. Dee? You go on ahead. We don't want the three of us showing up together. Good thing we took separate cars this time."
DeeDee responds, "Thanks. Three o'clock meeting still on?"
"Yes."
Emily notes, "I'll be quick in the shower. Why don't you go as soon as you're ready, Tom? Don't wait for me."
"Sounds like a plan."
=====
Danny is leaning on the top of Emily's cubicle partition, grinning in anticipation of giving her knowing grief about her too-long lunch.
"Doin' the big boss on company time, are we?"
"SHHH!" she quietly scolds. "(Yes. Me and Dee.)"
"(Thought so. You guys are going to get in trouble with that.)"
"(With whom? Report it to HR?)"
"(Good point.)"
DeeDee is the HR administrator.
"(Crowd at the house tomorrow night is light. You wanna join us?)"
"(Can't. Janet's having her bulls over. They're going to do their thing, but this time she's actually going to let me reclaim. But I have to wear a condom.)"
"(You know I think that's brutal.)"
"(It's our life. I thought you didn't judge.")
"(You're right. I shouldn't.) Anything going on?"
"E-mail just circulated you'll want to read. We're being asked to add several fields in three of the big databases. Talk to me before you do anything. Melissa may have to arbitrate and get back to Production about the request."
"You anticipate conflicts?"
"Yeah. At least from the way the request was written."
"Okay. Let me get to it."
"(Oh. You interested in doing anything for lunch on Monday?)"
"(Sure. I'll ask Dee if the apartment is clear.)"
"(Good deal.)"
=====
"In the car," Emily texts to Jackson. Her workday is over.
"In 5," he texts back.
Em fiddles with the radio and tires of the "blah blah blah" news in seconds, turns it off, and reclines her seat for a catnap.
Driver door opens and Jax takes his seat. "Sorry. Henderson had a couple of things to go over. And Steve just texted me. Take off your clothes. 'Everything!' he said."
Jax turns on the car and backs out of the space, and points them home.
Emily laughs and starts to strip. "What's the occasion?"
"Penance. He talked to Tom this afternoon. He also said, 'Nostalgia.' What's that about?"
"Oh, I get it. After we fucked for lunch, Tom was getting all wistful talking about how he and Claire and Steve and Cyan started their little lovers' group. Did you know that dePolitte was part of it?"
"
No!
Really?"
"Not in the group, but he and Werner would double-team Claire when he couldn't find a date for their nights out. When Werner hooked-up with his wife, he went monogamous. Steve and Cyan moved into town shortly after. Steve was consulting here, Tom and Claire became friends, and there you have it."
Em tosses her clothes onto the back seat.
"Good thing we have tinted glass," she muses.
"He said he'll have further instructions as we get close to home."
"Is he tracking us?"
"No. He just knows how long the drive takes."
About twenty minutes out, Jackson's phone alerts with a text. He hands it to Emily.
"It's Steve. 'Continue down Springfield. Turn right into the tire shop across from the coffee place. Park in the back. Text when you're there.'"
"He's up to something, no doubt."
About ten minutes later they pull into the business, which is now closed for the day. Jax finds a spot between two semi-trailers, and confirms their arrival to Steve.
"Okay, here's his latest. 'Let her out. She can wear shoes. You drive home. Clothes stay in the car. SHE MUST REMAIN NUDE!!!'"
"
Ohgawd! It's still light out!
"
Jackson relates the complaint.
Steve's reply, which Jax shows to Em, "Read it and weep, sweetie. 'TOUGH! She is to walk from Bando Junction to the back of the house. Gate will be unlocked. NOW!!!'"
"
That's a quarter mile!
" Emily protests.
"I know. I suggest you get going. He doesn't sound like he's going to back off on this."
"
Shit!
Okay. Here we go. I presume he has bail money."
"Don't worry too much. If you walk fast, it'll be about five minutes."
Em jumps out of the car and slams the door shut. Jackson quickly backs out and is out of sight in seconds. A naked Em runs through the open field to hide behind a privacy fence in back of one of the cul-de-sac houses. She catches her breath, thinking it through. Plenty of brush along the path of the former rail line, but she knows when she gets close to the house the houses on the other side do not have fences, with open sight lines to her path.
She briskly trots to the brushy area and relaxes into a slower walk as she takes advantage of the concealment. Stopping for a second, she feels a familiar sensation and reaches down to her valley in the sudden realization that she is really, really wet. With the touch she's surprised by the rush of a "big O", taking a really deep breath. A few tentative steps, and it happens again.
Emily is absolutely, totally and completely turned on by her nakedness where she absolutely, totally and completely should
not
be naked!
"Gawd fucking damn you, Stevie!" she mumbles to herself, now understanding her special lover knows her
