The Boss

The basic plot idea for this little tale comes from an author who called himself “Phil Phantom” on another story site many years ago. That tale has always stuck in my mind even though he took it to an extreme, like most of his stories. Mine will be a little milder.

I am kind of sorry it got so long. Like many of my stories, at least, it started out with a simple premise and grew legs as it went on. There is some description of lesbian sex but it is short each time.

Let’s get some of the background stuff out of the way quickly. My name is Calvin, “Cal”, Sanders. I am thirty-three years old and work for one of my best friends in the world. Her name is Toni Lapiro and is the same age as I am. We attended college together, her as a business major with a minor in design and me with a major in design and a minor in accounting.

You see we always had a dream. We would graduate together and then work to start our own boutique business that would specialize in graphic design for small businesses. It took a couple of years of hard work for other companies to establish our credentials but five years ago we did it. While I am not an owner I am emotionally heavily invested in making the company, Zapiro, (it sounded better than Lapiro) work.

Toni is the owner and lead salesperson. She makes the contacts and gets the introductions and I provide the lead design work. It might just be signage for a business or it might be part of an advertising campaign. We make it work. The small business community is vast and very needy of our kind of help.

While I was working for a larger concern as just one of the drones doing crap work I started to date Constance, “Connie”, Reynolds. She was and still is a very good looking woman about three years younger than me and Toni. Connie was a model for the agency I worked for and we threw ideas at each other during photo shoots before finally starting to date and then marry.

I consider myself to be extremely lucky to have snared Connie and she says the same thing about me, especially whenever we are at a party. I believe she is way out of my class but, what the hell, I just grin and roll with it.

Of course, both of us were experienced in sexual matters before ever meeting. Connie had modeled during college. Surprisingly her major was graphic design also. Since she was a couple of years behind me and went to a different school we didn’t meet until after college. Duh, huh?

She had also been very active in a sorority and admitted, while we were dating, that she had participated in multiple “party” activities with their affiliated fraternity over the years. “But, I am past that and will knock your head off if you even think of suggesting that I do some of those things again.”

That was her first and last word about that subject. I didn’t mind. Connie was uninhibited, to say the least. She attributed part of that to being active in sports in high school and having to dress out, then undress and shower in front of a group of girls. Then, in college, her modeling on the side forced her to change clothes in front of other male and female models, especially during runway events. There is no time for embarrassment or modesty during those times.

I got to benefit from her previous sexual experiments. Oral, anal, multiple positions and in strange places were part of our repertoire. My own experiences had always been of the one-on-one kind but a neighbor lady of great experience had taken me under her wing that summer between high school and college and taught me how to please a woman. So oral was fine with me, also rimming was definitely on the menu. She even taught me shrimping but not that many girls are into that. I guess they are too ticklish to get a sexual thrill from that.

Needless to say Connie agreed to become my wife about a year before Toni and I broke free. Connie supported us the whole way.

Now, Toni is another issue. She stands approximately five foot eight inches tall and is a little buxom. She works out constantly to maintain herself and looks like a million dollars every day. Her smile is brilliant with her tan and blue eyes. Her dark hair is cut in a sophisticated stylish short but sexy way. She can dip her head and let a bit of her hair fall over her brow and then bring those blue eyes up and just plain pierce your soul. I know a lot of contracts were secured but just that look when it appeared we were equal to another bid in every other way. Male or female didn’t matter. She could mesmerize with that look.

Her private life wasn’t so hot. During the day she was the consummate professional. Decisive and direct but tactful when needed, she ruled our little kingdom. Since we had known each other for years we shared a camaraderie that the eight others in our small business didn’t quite get to participate in. Now, I am not saying that she wasn’t friendly with the rest of the staff. We just had those shared experiences from school and then starting the business that set us apart.

Did I ever hit that? Well, honestly, back in school I tried. That was how we met. We were both stag at a big party with plenty of booze and music and I asked her to dance. We gyrated around the room and then introduced ourselves. We went out for coffee that night to get away from the din and soon were conversing like old friends but that was as far as it got. There just wasn’t the spark to take it further.

Toni dated a lot. There were many movers and shakers who she wanted to get to know and they wanted to get into her tiny little panties. I have no idea how often she got laid but I believe it was quite often. She would date a man for months, sometimes even a year, but then each relationship fizzled out for some reason or another.

Since we were such a small operation Connie and Toni knew each other and would occasionally have a girls’ night out together. I am sure that Connie told Toni things she would like to see me change in myself and Toni probably would discuss her men in detail. After all, don’t all women do that?

Connie was now thirty years old and the calls for her as a model were not as plentiful as when she was eighteen or even twenty. Connie stands five foot ten and is willowy. That is the body type for young models but not so much for the mature shoots. They were looking for the more “mom” types in our neck of the woods.

We were starting to discuss progeny since Zapiro was doing well. As a matter of fact, Toni didn’t have to do many cold calls anymore. Our success was starting to get new customers calling us.

Okay, we have the background out of the way, now on to the meat of my tale.

It all started out when Toni would occasionally send me out to meet with customers without her. Most of the time it would be a local business that we already had a working relationship with. I would sit with the owner and discuss what he or she was looking to accomplish. I would then use my sketch pad to take notes and doodle a little as ideas came up. If we were in sync then the ideas gelled quickly and off we would go with a definite goal in mind. Sometimes the customer was so vague trying to share goals that it would become a frustrating meeting trying to sort out and coalesce something concrete. Then usually we had to schedule more meetings so we could work and find a solution or solutions that would work.

Toni made that first change from us going out as a team by saying, “Look, we already have this customer bagged. I don’t need to sell anything, you are the design guru and that is what they need right now. You can handle this.” I was a little reluctant at first as I was not a salesperson. I get a little tongue tied when I try to sell. Please give me a sketch pad and ideas will flow.

Those local meetings then morphed into some out of town meetings. Our little town wasn’t a hub of air travel so we, I guess me, would have to drive sometimes up to a hundred and fifty miles or so to meet with a customer. That isn’t too bad a distance to commute back if the get-together was productive but I would have to stay over a lot of the times when it became a long drawn out attempt to find something that fit the customer’s needs.

When I was in the office Toni always had the habit of dropping in to chat or she would call me to her office. She liked to regale me with her tales of dating, all of the trials and tribulations. This new love interest was no different. The first time I heard about her new person started with, “I have a date tonight. I have to leave early to get ready.”

“Well, that is new. You never leave the office early. Who is this guy and what has he done with my boss?”

Her smile was radiant. “Well, first off, it isn’t a guy. I have never been attracted to women but this one has grown on me and I need to see if there is any fire there.”

That bit of information grabbed my attention. Toni had never professed any proclivities toward her own gender. “Who is this person? When can I meet her?” I didn’t ask about how they made love. We weren’t that close of friends. Maybe she would tell Connie at our next get-together.

Toni shook her head. “Not yet. I can’t let anyone know who she is specifically as she is married. Like me she had not had any real experience with a woman but she is looking forward to developing our relationship. This is just a night out on the town for us.”

She grabbed her purse and briefcase. “You are in charge while I go get pretty.” I just nodded and went back to my desk.

I was planning on working a little later that night as Connie had told me a few days before that some of her model friends were wanting to get-together and moan about how fickle the industry was. I had just chuckled and asked her to make sure to get a cab or call me for a ride if they got too maudlin and started to get shit-faced.

I became engrossed in the campaign we were designing and the ideas just started to fly from my fingers to the pad. I was working in pencil to shade and highlight my story board. Time just flew by at the same rate as my fingers were frantically trying to keep up with my brain. Sometimes ideas have to be forced out and sometimes, like that night, everything clicks and you are off to the races.

That was also why I keep a small pad next to the bed. I sometimes have a dream that answers all my questions and I have to write it down or sketch it out before I can rest. Connie was also used to me getting up at O-dark thirty to go into my small home office and really start to draw. Thankfully a great idea had never popped into my head while we were making love. I don’t care how much your spouse loves you. If you pop off her lovely warm body to start to write stuff down or draw there might not be any more loving in your future.

I do want to say here that I love drawing Connie. There are multiple renditions of her face at home and in my office. Some are oils, some are in charcoal but all try to capture the love I have for her. I have a large canvas of her in a sensual pose with just a bare minimum of cover that no one ever gets to see. It is private, just for her and me.

Anyhow it was very late when I was finished with the raw product. I felt I would be able to recapture the essence of what was needed for this customer in the morning. I looked up and it was two o’clock in the morning. Crap. I checked my phone. There was a missed text that came in about one a.m. from Connie asking where I was. I didn’t respond, just shut everything down and made the twenty minute drive to our condo.

At home I undressed, slipped into bed and kissed the back of her head and softly caressed her back for a moment to let her know I was home and then I was dead to the world until the alarm clock made me realize it was time to get up and get to work.

I dragged my ass into work. Today it actually was work today, not the fun it usually was since I was so tired. I tried to concentrate on my night’s work but it wasn’t coming. And, to add to the frustration, Toni wanted to tell me about her date.

“Cal, it was great. We connect on so many levels. I feel that I have known her forever. There wasn’t a topic we couldn’t talk about even if we disagreed. And she is so beautiful. We met at that local bar, you know the one, that usually only has women as patrons. I guess you could call it a lesbian bar but so many of the girls and women there have wedding or engagement rings on. It was my first time there so I was surprised.”

I couldn’t resist. My tiredness was interfering with my normal filter and let my male hormones come out. “So, was there public sex there? Were some of the women topless? Or bottomless? How about your date? Was she uncomfortable there?”

She lightly slapped my arm. “No, Silly, there was no public sex. As a matter of fact, the whole place is quite subdued. There is a small dance floor but the music isn’t too intrusive. Hell, we could speak more freely and without interference better there than any other bar or night club I can name.”

She paused and smiled. “I will admit that I wondered if there wouldn’t be some public sex there. After all, this was a meat house. There was a lot of cruising by some of the more obvious dykes. My date got asked to dance a lot but she only danced with me.”

She paused as she pondered my questions. “I don’t think she was uncomfortable. The atmosphere is not threatening and we had a good conversation getting to know each other. I hope we progress to the next level.” She stopped in thought. “She was wearing a nice dress, not too slinky or slutty but it didn’t hide her lovely body. I was almost overcome with the want to strip her naked and have my way with her. Her hair was down and I just wanted to run my fingers through it as I pulled her in tight for a kiss. Her lips, damn her lips, were ripe and ready.” She looked at me. “You know, the way a girl keeps them moist for that first kiss.”

I nodded and she continued. “Her throat was bare, no necklace at all. I just wanted to chew my way down from her ear to her shoulder. I wanted to feel her shiver from the sensations that I could engender in her. I wanted her pussy to become moist and ready for my fingers and tongue. I fully intend to make love to her for hours on end when we finally get to that point. The thrill of the seduction is so exciting.” She stopped and looked at me. “Crap I am turning myself on. I need to go.”

Lord, I have never seen Toni like this. Even when discussing any of her previous male friends she never acted like this. She blushed as she hurried out of my office. I suppose she needed to go and Jill off.

There was no more conversation about her new lover for a couple days. Toni and I were scheduled to go see a dairy operator approximately four hours away by ground. This was a new customer. The wife wanted us to come and design a logo for their small corporate farm but her husband was reluctant to spend the money. We knew it would be a hard sell and wouldn’t ever be a large contract but it was a possible customer so we made plans to go. On these little jaunts Toni would usually also try to hit a few other potential clients so that we could maximize our profits from those kind of trips.

This one was supposed to be no different. We would leave on Wednesday early in the morning and drive to Reynaldville and then stay at a local motel overnight and then meet the client on Thursday morning. If all went well we would then head on back that afternoon and get home pretty late but then take Friday off. If it didn’t go well and we needed to stay then we would come back on Friday. At least that was the itinerary that we had agreed on.

Tuesday afternoon Toni came to my office with a disappointed look on her face. “Cal, something has come up. Can you handle this new client on your own?”

This was odd. “What gives? This will be a long way to drive by myself. It is almost three hundred miles of nothing.”

“I know but my new girlfriend. God, she needs a name. Since she is married I won’t use her real name. Let’s call her Madame X. Anyhow, Madame X called and her husband will be out of town at some kind of conference and she wants to know if I can come over and keep her company. I said yes but I hate to dump on you like this so, instead of driving the whole way, the company will spring for a commuter plane ticket that will get you within fifty miles of the town and I will even rent a car for you to use. You won’t have to leave until Thursday morning and will be there by noon and can meet the client. If all goes well you can fly back Thursday night and not be gone overnight. If it doesn’t then you can fly back on Friday and only be gone one night instead of a potential two nights.”

“I guess that could work. But don’t make a habit of this. You know I don’t sell anything. I just try to give the client what you promise.”

She laughed at that and I got to go home and make love to my wife. Connie was happy I was only going to be gone Thursday night. “If you get lucky and sell this farmer on your designs and come home Thursday night you might get lucky then, too.” That was her comment after our long and sweaty session. I went to sleep with a smile on my face.

Wednesday was a good day of work. When I got home Connie was cooking with just a full apron on. I chased her around the kitchen trying to cop feels of her breast, butt, and pussy. Thankfully her supper was not ruined as we had a nice session on the table before finally eating.

Thursday was a disappointment. The commuter plane hit every air pocket between the two cities. My stomach was aching from the work of trying to not spew all over the cabin. I then developed something I rarely suffered from, a headache. It wasn’t quite a migraine but it sure messed with my ability to create. The drive to the dairy wasn’t bad but it didn’t make up for the plane ride.

At the dairy it took an even nastier turn. The farmer, Jim Bell, wanted nothing to do with me. He called me a “city slicker” who knew nothing about the dairy industry. I think I mollified him a little when I agreed but he still didn’t want to talk with me. His wife, Nancy, apologized and we sat down, just the two of us, and tried to come up with some ideas. She envisioned all of their employees wearing tee shirts with a unifying logo that would also go well on their trucks, tractors, payloaders and even the feed trucks and the self propelled manure spreader.

My headache finally abated enough so that I could doodle a little as we talked. No, I wasn’t attracted to the farmer’s wife. What do you think this is, erotica?

Anyhow she fixed us a nice meal and I left the pad on the table as we all sat to eat. Jim was still a little upset about my presence but he was a good host and refused to argue while eating.

Then something happened. He glanced over at my pad and then did a double take. He looked harder and then started to smile. I really didn’t know what was tickling him but I sure wasn’t wanting to break the spell by asking. Finally he reached over and picked up my pad. “Where did you come up with this sketch?”

He pointed at the head of a cow I had drawn. It was slightly a caricature but still very recognizable as a milk cow. I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. Nancy and I were discussing ideas and I just started to draw her. Why do you ask?”

“She looks a lot like the cow I had as a youngster. That old cow was the impetus for us to start the dairy. She has been gone for years but I still miss her. She was almost a pet and gave the sweetest milk and had the best calves.”

Nancy nodded. “Flossie was a great old cow. And she really was the start of our herd. Some of her progeny still give us milk just like hers.”

This started us on a real discussion. I proposed that any logo have Flossie as the focal point. We kicked around ideas of having her chewing a cud, or maybe just a stalk of wheat. We were getting close to a deal when we noticed the sun was starting to drop in the west. Jim suggested I head to my motel room and come back in the morning to finalize the concept.

I was pumped and ideas were flowing but understood that we needed a break. He also stated he needed to get out to the milking parlor and check on how the evening milking was going. With that I headed into town and checked into the motel.

After eating dinner I called Connie and told her I was staying over. She sounded sad. I asked her if she was going out with some friends since I wasn’t coming home. “No, Cal, I was preparing for you to come home. It’s been awhile so I thought you might like a little special entry point. I took a long bubble bath after cleaning myself out.” She paused and then whispered. “I have a small plug in to keep myself a little dilated. I guess I will just have to use my battery operated husband tonight.”

Damn, we hadn’t done anal for a long while and here she was prepared for me tonight. By tomorrow she might be out of the mood for a backdoor adventure. I tried to hide most of my disappointment after assuring her that I would much rather be at home snuggling with her than in this lonely motel room.

We indulged in a little session of phone sex. After she had her orgasm I told her that we would have to start using the video feature of our phones if we were going to get in the habit of remote sex.

She giggled and agreed and soon rang off as she was wiped from the session and needed to sleep. I had not quite hit my peak but it only took a little mental picture of my wife needing to have her tight little rectum plumbed to get me over the hump. I cleaned up the spew with a handful of facial tissues before dropping off into La-La land myself.

I think the phone session and the good night’s sleep helped as I woke with multiple ideas on how to incorporate Flossie into the dairy designs. After a good breakfast I headed back to the dairy with my ideas.

There, Jim and Nancy were very receptive of some of my ideas. We would start small by getting tee shirts with the final design on them. Vinyl shields would then follow for the company vehicles. Jim also had the thought that the logo would help thwart auto thieves. The keys were always kept in the vehicles so anyone could drive them as needed. The concern was always that a thief would have no trouble boosting a vehicle. Having the logo on the piece of equipment might help deter would be thieves.

We were finished by noon and I made a reservation on the afternoon commuter plane while on my way back to the airport. I turned in my rental and was soon at the terminal (it was only a matter of a few feet of walking in that small airport). The TSA search was soon done and I was winging my way home. This time the air was clean and there was little turbulence. Thankfully my stomach was not hurting by the time I got home.

Friday night’s loving wasn’t as adventurous as Thursday’s might have been but it was good. Connie followed up with a great session Saturday night and we did the yardwork, mostly pulling weeds in the small flower areas, on Sunday and just snuggled Sunday night as we had to work the next day.

Monday I went into Toni’s office, once she got in, and told her how the trip had gone. She was happy that we hadn’t wasted money on the trip but it would be a long while before there was a positive return and I agreed. We might have a happy client but, depending on how far they went with the idea, there was little gain in having clients that far away from our home base. Some of that can’t be helped, though.

After we hashed that out and the plan for the coming week, I asked Toni how her date had gone with Madame X. She almost gushed, “It was better than I thought it would be. We sent out for a catered meal as she had no idea when her husband might call in the evening. Seems he sometimes does and doesn’t on these trips. One might wonder if he is picking up some slag somewhere for a quick roll in the hay, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, that might be true. I know I always call Connie when I am gone and we have a nice conversation before I can get to sleep.”

“That is so good, I am glad to hear it. Anyhow, he didn’t call and we wound up sitting on the couch listening to some light music. We then stood and danced for a while. Man, I love how her breasts felt against mine. The slight rubbing as we moved made my nipples hard and I think did the same to her.”

I was enthralled. She had never, in all the years we had known each other, divulged any of the particulars of her relationships and here she was telling me about her first female encounter.

She continued. “After a bit Madame X said she had to go to the bathroom and I said I would take the opportunity to do the same. She went into the master and I went to the guest and I took off my bra while I was there. She must have done the same as her breasts felt different when we started to dance again.” She stopped and had a wistful look on her face. “My nipples immediately became so aroused it almost hurt. I can’t remember the last time that occurred. They don’t get that worked up with most of the guys I date, anyhow.”

I just nodded. There was nothing I could add to her soliloquy. “I have to admit my little culo was almost dripping.” She blushed as she admitted that little fact. As she squirmed a little I imagined that she was turning herself on again. She couldn’t stop now, though. “We danced some more and then kissed. I told her that I had never been attracted to a woman before but, over the years of knowing her, had found myself fantasizing more and more about her, her loving attitude, her demeanor, her class and her killer body. She admitted that she had experimented a little with a roommate her senior year in college but that she had also become more and more attracted to me over the years. Our kisses became panting, almost licking each other. That was when we started to fondle each other. I have to tell you that it led to the most intense sex I had ever experienced. We wore each other out and I slept over and we continued on Friday morning. I left mid-afternoon. I wanted to stay the entire weekend but her husband was due home on Saturday morning so we couldn’t have another night together. I hope to repeat the night again soon.”

She looked very flustered so I made my way out of her office to give her some time to either work off her horniness or get control.

I was happy for her but kind of sad for the hapless husband. His wife was carrying on a lesbian affair behind his back. I could see nothing good coming from the whole thing.

Well, anyhow, back to work. There were designs to be dreamed up. I sent off the ideas for the dairy to the rest of the team and we soon had logos ready for editing. Thanks to the internet I could email the mockups and the Bells could choose the one they wanted. Jim was so impressed he wanted me to get a plaid cotton snap shirt embroidered with the design on the right chest above the pocket and send to him.

We had a young intern and so I sent her out with the specifications for the shirt. I gave her a hint of looking at the nearest farm supply store that also sold clothing. Of course, being born and raised in a city, she had no idea that cotton plaid snap shirts even existed except in old Western movies.

Toni and I had a visit with a couple of potential clients locally that week and they went well. I had some sketches to show them before we even got done speaking so we were given the go ahead to mock up the designs.

For Friday night Toni and Connie got together and planned a double date. Toni, instead of asking Madame X to join us, accepted a date with a guy named Ted. We went out to dine and then to dancing. It was a fun night. I had to bite my tongue many times to keep from asking Toni, in front of Ted and Connie, about Madame X. A couple of times Ted and I sat out a dance and Toni dragged Connie onto the floor. It isn’t that unusual to see women dancing together even in our small town so it didn’t raise any eyebrows.

The girls seemed to be having a good conversation while on the floor and then they headed off to the bathroom after the set. Since women always seem to need company in the restroom, I just hoped that Toni would dish on Madame X and then Connie could pass the gossip on to me. I still wondered about the husband in this whole relationship. Was he on board? Was he planning on watching and maybe even participating? Even with my limited experience I could see how a FMF session could be very stimulating, as long as everybody was in agreement. If this Madame X woman was stepping out on her husband I could not see a positive outcome when it all hit the fan.

When they women rejoined us lonely men at the table I noticed that Connie looked a little flushed. By the same token so did Toni. I gave my wife a quizzical look and she just mouthed, “Later.” I held my comments. Ted and I then took the ladies back out to the dance floor for another set. I am sure the women didn’t want to hear us talk about the latest sports hero.

After we said our good nights and headed to our respective homes I had to ask, “Did she talk about her new love, Madame X?”

Connie nodded. “I think she had just enough liquid lubrication to loosen her tongue a little. She really wanted to spend the evening with Madame X but I guess Madame X couldn’t find a way to ditch her husband. Ted has no clue and thinks he is going to bed Toni tonight but he was just a cover.”

I picked up on the ‘ditch the husband’ comment. “So, I guess, that Madame X’s husband is clueless as to what is going on? Is he the type to let this pass when he finds out or is he going to go postal on them?”

“I don’t know for sure. He seems to be a mild individual, at least according to Toni, so I wouldn’t think he would do something physical to either of them.”

“So Toni knows the husband? Why is she playing with fire this way?”

“Oh, Baby, she thinks she is in love. She went on and on about how she loves to kiss Madame X and how she gets excited just nibbling on her long neck. She even convinced her to never wear necklaces with her so that nothing could get in the way. You know I don’t do women but when she talked about going down on Madame X’s nipples and then her sweet tasting pussy, I started to moisten up. Her description of their lovemaking while we were in the bathroom almost made me jump your bones when we got back to the table. I do believe that Toni was just as turned on.”

“So maybe Ted might get lucky, kind of a booty call type of thing?”

I thought Connie was going to become apoplectic. We were riding in a dark car so I couldn’t see her complexion but her lips became a grim line and she shook her head negatively. She finally responded, “No, I don’t think so. She doesn’t want a cock and hairy legs, she wants soft skin and firm breasts and a warm and wet you-know-what. She isn’t into cock anymore.” Connie hesitated and glanced at my profile. I could see it out of my peripheral vision. “At least that’s what she told me. She is in love with this Madame X and doesn’t want to cheat on her, whatever the provocation.”

The rest of the journey to the condo was mostly comments of how Connie wanted to use the good vibes from this evening to satisfy her carnal needs and how much she needed my cock and my full attention to get those needs met.

We had a great session. Yes, even her back door was fully penetrated and she had multiple small and large orgasms before we were fully sated and fell asleep.

On Saturday Connie had to do the weekly shopping so she was gone a few hours. It might have been a little longer than normal but I didn’t notice as the ideas started to jell for a client. I was fully involved with the storyboard as it was an advertising campaign this time and we needed it to be perfect as we didn’t do many of those.

Suddenly it hit me. Connie had said that Toni knew the husband. I remember Toni also hinting that she had known Madame X for a long time and that her feelings had gotten stronger over that time. Of course she probably knew the husband also. So who was he?

I know that Toni and I don’t know everyone that the other knew but we had a lot of shared acquaintances. First I needed to find the true identity of Madame X. That was the starting point. My pencil started to doodle.

What did I actually know about Madame X? I had no idea about height or weight but did know that Toni had gone to great lengths to describe her bare neck. Had Toni said something about her long neck or was that Connie? I would then assume that Madame X was in good shape and possibly taller than Toni. Not always true but it fit the mental image. Had Toni said anything about hair color? I couldn’t recall.

Since I was sketching as I went along I made an oval face without details. Toni had said something about Madame X having her hair down on their first date so I drew in long hair. The neck was bare as Toni had described. And the neck was long since Connie had added that part of the description.

I left that for the moment and started to go through the list of women that fit the overall description. Mostly I was going to weed out the women who didn’t fit the body type. I mentally went through our list of married female employees. One came to mind. That was Jenifer White. She was above average in height but she was carrying a few extra pounds from her pregnancy last year. Her neck wasn’t the type I envisioned but it might be what Toni would call enticing. Jenifer was top of the list of suspects. Had I ever seen any type of displays of affection between the two? I thought not but this relationship had blossomed in the past few weeks from a friendship to a love affair. I just felt sorry for Jenifer’s husband and child if she was Madame X.

A few other names joined the list but it was a very short list. I needed more information.

When Connie arrived from her shopping trip I helped put away the groceries and we talked as we worked. “Baby, did Toni describe Madame X’s husband? Are they still having sex or would sex with her husband now feel like cheating on Toni?”

Connie stopped and thought for a moment. “No, she didn’t give me his name or any description. As far as marital sex goes I believe she said that Madame X was no longer allowing any liberties from her husband. I guess she doesn’t want a hairy hard body anymore, just soft and cuddly.”

She glanced over at me. “Why the questions? Are you investigating Toni? Are you jealous of her new lover?”

“No, I am not jealous. I am concerned that Toni is messing with a married person, no matter what the gender. I cannot foresee anything but bad coming from this whole affair. I wish that Madame X would be honest with her husband if she no longer loves him. Get a divorce before it gets too messy.”

Connie looked like she wanted to defend Toni but held her tongue. “You know this is not worth us arguing about. It is Toni’s life and she gets to make mistakes if she feels like it. Why don’t you come over here and make me proud that I am your wife?”

I did and we did and we had a very late lunch, almost supper after slaking our carnal desires for each other.

On Monday Toni was in my office again discussing some of the current client needs and some of the possible needs of some of the people that had contacted us. We agreed on the timeline for getting to know these new clients and their needs. It was starting out to be a busy week. After we got that all hashed out Toni proceeded to tell me that she had taken a luncheon date with Madame X on Saturday.

“Didn’t you take Ted home Friday night and have your way with him? You guys seemed to be having a good time together.”

“No, I wouldn’t cheat on Madame X. That just wouldn’t be right. I will just have to suffer until I can be with her again. Hopefully it will be soon.”

I couldn’t resist. “What about her husband?”

She had a quizzical look on her face. “What about her husband?”

“I mean, is she still having sex with him? Are you the only one suffering from a lack of a love life?”

“No, she says she has cut him off and is saving herself for me.”

“Why doesn’t she separate from him and then get a divorce? Isn’t this going to end badly if she doesn’t break it off with him?”

Toni got a forlorn look on her face. “I asked that same question. She isn’t quite ready to leave him. They have been together for many years and she still feels something for him. Hopefully what she is starting to feel for me will be more than what she feels with him.”

“That’s a pretty callous statement there, old friend. What if she does the same thing to you some day?”

“I guess that bridge will have to be crossed when I get to it. Right now I will only have the odd moment with her. Maybe someday we will have more time together.”

“So, Saturday, did you do anything except have lunch together?”

She gave me that little smile she used on potential clients. You know, the one I described earlier. As she lifted her head she almost mesmerized me with her intense look. “Did you know that women can have fully satisfying sex together without taking off all their clothes? Well, she and I were in a secluded booth and both of us had good orgasms before we tore apart from each other.”

She snickered a little. “We didn’t even exchange a kiss. If a man made love to me like that and didn’t even give me a little kiss I would be pissed as hell. But, Madame X and I had such satisfying orgasms that a kiss wasn’t necessary. She called me later that night and told me that her knees were so weak she almost couldn’t walk back to her car so she could go home. I had to admit that I had felt the same way.”

I tried to bring the husband into the conversation. “Toni, you have said before that you have known Madame X and her husband for a long time. Are you friends with him?”

She came out of her reverie with a little start. “What?”

“I asked if you are friends with her husband?”

“Of course, I have known him forever. He is a good and kind man.”

“Then how can you do this to him? Won’t he be devastated when he finds out? Do you really think you can keep this affair secret forever?”

She dropped her head and stared at the desk top. I pressed her a little more. “Do you really think you can remain friends once he finds out? Won’t he hate you for what the two of you are doing to their marriage? Please convince her to end either your affair or her marriage while you have some respect for one another. If she chooses you then she can tell him that the marriage is dead and you two can restart your relationship without hurting him as much. He might actually believe that you two got together after the breakup, not having been the reason for it.”

She replied so softly that I had to lean in to hear her correctly. “I don’t know if I am strong enough to leave her alone for even a short time. I want her. I ache for her. I need her, Cal. Can’t you understand that?”

I nodded but pressed her some more. “Yeah, I understand. If I was in an adulterous relationship with Connie it would be hard to walk away. But think about what you are doing to her husband. What kind of friend does this to him? Do you think he will just shrug his shoulders and tell you the best person won?”

“He is a good and kind man. He is so forgiving. I know that he will still be my, actually our, friend if she chooses me.”

I couldn’t believe she was so deluded that she was even saying this. This man, this anonymous poor man, was going to be hurt. He was going to lose his wife, the love of his life, and a friend in one fell swoop. Who also, amongst all of their friends, would also be forced to pick sides. How many other relationships, both casual and intense, were going to be fractured by this?

I had to end this conversation before I said something to alienate my friend who is also my boss. “Look, Toni, I am sorry but I need to get back on these projects or our clients will be upset.” I pointedly looked at my watch to emphasize my point. Toni looked a little upset at how quickly I had stopped our conversation but nodded and made her way back to her office.

Now I was stumped. I looked at our to-do list and no spark of inspiration struck. It was just a list of names and notes and nothing jumped out at me. I listlessly doodled on my pad for some time before getting up and leaving for an early lunch. Why was I so worried about Toni’s new love life? I had never been that involved or concerned with any of her previous lovers. I know she had dabbled in a few extramarital affairs but they had all ended before disaster struck. The old, don’t ask, don’t tell seemed to work for her. This one seemed to be more intense for her and somehow I just knew the husband was going to find out and there would be hell to pay when he did.

I walked around a local park for better than an hour trying to get my head on the job and not on Toni’s affair. I grabbed a hot dog from a street vendor and then sat on a bench until I felt calm again. My doodle pad came in handy as the ideas started to flow. Suddenly the spark for one company became the additional spark for another client and before I knew it, I had multiple storyboards fleshed out and I could go back into the office to start to work up everything on the computer. I was relieved that my funk was over.

Connie called me late in the afternoon and we discussed her getting together with her model friends again. She informed me that they were banding together to approach their agent about getting better assignments and needed to brainstorm how they would present their wants and wishes list so all were playing off the same page. I doubted it would help much but she needed to work through this and, with some others in the same boat, might come up with a plan that could work. It is so sad that the fashion industry just tosses people aside when they no longer have “the look.”

Since she was going to be out late again this evening I ordered in a quick meal and got back to my storyboards while the inspiration was still strong. I didn’t even notice when everyone else left. Toni didn’t even interrupt me when she took off.

About ten I knocked off and made my way to the condo. I made it there before Connie this time. I took my normal shower to get rid of the grime of trying to be innovative and was lounging on the bed in my short pajama bottoms reading a novel when she came in about eleven-thirty.

Connie was dressed nicely, something I would expect as she was dining with other models. They hate to be seen as everyday people. Her hair was done up in a nice do leaving her neck bare and without any adornment. That was odd since normally she wore some kind of necklace. She bent and gave me a kiss as she let her hair down. “Have you been home alone long, Dear? I am sorry it took much longer than I expected. The girls kept going off subject and had to be dragged back to the conversation but I do believe we hammered out something to take to the agent.”

As I replied about when I had returned home I noticed a scent that was mixed with her perfume. I couldn’t quite place it but assumed one of the other women had bathed in her scent and it had transferred to Connie. It had happened before, after all.

She undressed and then showered quickly before donning her nightgown and snuggling in with me. We weren’t amorous but cuddled for a while talking about our day. I felt sorry for Madame X’s husband as she was probably not cuddling with him anymore.

The next day I focused on the various clients’ needs and got more work done. Toni and I had a meeting with the staff and we all compared notes. Soon we had an action plan for most of the clients and the individuals started to make the calls to set up appointments.

Toni didn’t regale me with any new stories and I didn’t press her but just got ready to get back to work when she hit me with something out of left field. “Cal, we have been friends forever it seems. Also we have a great working relationship. You go above and beyond the call to make sure Zapiro is a success. I want to reward you for that commitment. How would you like a bonus this year of ten percent of the business? Instead of just getting a paycheck you would be getting a bit of the profit and have more say in what we do.” I was flabbergasted. Toni had never entertained having a partner even during the lean and dark days when we started out and she was worried about how to make payroll.

“I guess I am very pleased. First I have to get over my surprise at the offer. I know you never wanted anyone to tell you yes or no and a partner might disagree with you at times. What brought this on?”

“I think of you and, of course, Connie as family. Since I am swinging to the lesbian side of the spectrum I might not have any progeny to leave the company to so having a partner, one who believes in this company as much as I do, seems to be the best thing to do.”

I nodded and told her I would have to think about it and discuss with Connie. We would have to negotiate a contract. I headed back to my desk.

Later Toni came to my desk. “Cal, do you have any plans with Connie for Saturday?”

I thought for a few moments and checked the calendar on my phone. “No, nothing too pressing, why?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I am feeling very tense and thought maybe Connie might like to be treated to a spa day. You know, mud baths, defoliating, full mani/pedi’s, the whole shebang.”

“I don’t know why not. She would probably like that. She has been a little tense concerning the few bookings recently and probably needs some pampering. What about Madame X?”

“Oh, I will try to include her but I don’t know if her husband is home this weekend. Bye, I have to set up my date with your wife.” She waved as she left my office. I got back to work.

That night I talked with Connie about the partnership deal. She was enthusiastic. “Something like this will help cement our future. We will be inextricably tied together from now on.” I shared her enthusiasm so I called Toni and told her to get the lawyer started.

Connie and I connected a couple of times that week. Just our usual lovemaking. I try to shave before any anticipated love session as she doesn’t like whisker burns on her face or on the inside of her thighs. I don’t mind shaving as pain doesn’t enhance our lovemaking in any way. Never want to have a frustrated partner because she became sore from my ministrations. Gets her out of the mood for days when that happens.

Saturday should be a day of yardwork but the condo association does all that so I went and hit a couple of buckets of balls after a good run. I was home quite a while before Connie returned with Toni so I was engrossed in a novel I had been putting off. Connie came directly in, pulled down my book and pirouetted in front of me. Her face was glowing and she looked refreshed. “What do you think, Dear? Am I fabulous?”

Toni joined in as I replied in the affirmative. “You always look fabulous to me, Babe, but you positively glow today. Was it the special emollients or the cucumber rinse or the mud packs that made the extra difference?”

Damned if she didn’t look over at Toni as she replied, “I think it was everything. The whole experience was invigorating as well as relaxing at the same time.”

Toni stayed and helped prepare a light supper before heading for her place. When we got ready for bed Connie came to me. She was chewing her lip. “I didn’t want to show you this in front of Toni but I got something extra special done today. I hope you like it.”

My mind immediately went to tattoos but that would be a negative impact on her modeling prospects. She dropped her towel and showed her denuded sex. Just above her cleft was a little heart shaped patch of pubic hair. There was no other hair left. Normally she would only shave if the modeling job called for it. You know, if she was modeling underwear for a catalog or swimsuits, something that would be ruined if any pubic hair was seen. She always hated shaving as there was stubble in a couple of days and itching until the pubic hair grew to a length where it didn’t catch on her panties. She hadn’t had to shave for quite a while.

I gave her a quizzical look. I actually didn’t mind searching through the forest with my tongue in quest of her clit nor did I mind when she was baby bottom smooth. Stubble turned me off, though. “You got a wax job?” was my weak response.

“No, Baby, I got a laser treatment. It will never grow back again. It will always be smooth for you from now on. No more hair in your teeth or rough stubble at times when you lick me. Toni said you will really like it.”

“Toni knows?”

“Of course, Baby, she paid for it. She had to convince me to do it. Isn’t it wild?” She leaned in and whispered, “You want to know something else?” I was a little dumfounded but nodded. “The girl doing the treatment must have been a lesbian as she offered to use her tongue to check for any missed tiny hairs.” She leaned back and laughed at the expression on my face.

“So, did you take her up on her offer?” I was catching up quickly. She slapped me lightly on the arm.

“No, Silly, but I sure wanted to race home and jump your bones. I couldn’t just tell Toni to drop me off since she paid for the whole experience today but I was and am still horny. Get your clothes off and fuck me.”

Well, I checked for stray hairs with my tongue and couldn’t find any, not even a small one around her little tight anus. I sure did try though and I think she appreciated the effort before we were both left exhausted and sweaty.

Sunday we slept in and then repeated our exhaustive look for stray pubic hair. Still couldn’t find any. Connie told me that I would have to repeat my efforts on a routine basis so she could have maintenance as needed. I promised to do my due diligence.

Monday Toni was in my office again. She regaled me with her version of the spa visit. According to her she had also paid for Madame X to visit the spa. When I wondered why Connie had not spoken about the mystery woman Toni informed me that she had kept Madame X away from Connie. Anyhow she talked about how this spa was very open to women who liked women and looked the other way when two or more might get a little amorous during treatments. “It was very messy but making love in the mud bath was different and exciting. Then I got the laser treatment like Connie did and I let the girl use her tongue. So did Madame X when it was her turn. It was a fun day.”

“How did you get her out of the house?”

She waved her hand as though it was nothing. “Cal, I did the same thing I did to get Connie to go. I called her husband and asked if he minded if she had a spa day at my expense. He couldn’t agree to it faster if I told him I was going to pay his way to Agusta to play golf. I suppose he went golfing, fishing or played tennis to pass the time. Maybe he visited a girlfriend for all I know. It was expensive but so, so worth it.”

Just like Connie she leaned in and whispered, “You know what? I paid for her laser treatment, too. She and I have just a little tuft of hair left to point the way to the treasure trove.” She winked at me and left me hanging. Damn I didn’t find out anything more about who Madame X is and Connie apparently didn’t see her.

During that week Toni presented me with the partnership papers. She was anxious to get me to sign them but I told her I wanted to look them over. She finally relented and we got back to work.

Later that day I perused the paperwork but I was confused about some of the provisions. It appeared that while I might have ten percent of the total value of the business my share of the profits were significantly less than ten percent. It also appeared that I would not have any say in how the business was run and I certainly wouldn’t be changing my title. I decided to take it to my attorney for advice.

On another day and in another meeting, well after the group meeting in Toni’s office, she enticed me again. “You know, now that Madame X and I are both bare down there maybe we can get matching tattoos. I am thinking about her initials buried in a rose. That way she will know my commitment but also that I am willing to keep our secret for as long as needed. If she does the same thing then she can tell her husband that it is for her lover to kiss and lick and he will think it is for him, not for me.”

She ended our session by asking if I had signed the partnership agreement yet. For some odd reason I didn’t tell her my attorney was looking at the papers. I just told her that Connie and I were discussing the offer.

As a matter of fact, Connie brought up the agreement every evening by asking if I had signed it yet. I told her I was studying all of the ramifications but expected to sign soon.

The first of the next week my attorney, Jerry Caldwell, gave me a call and wanted me to come to his office as soon as I could. That didn’t sound very good. I got one of the others to cover any client meetings as I hustled over to his digs.

After settling down in a chair and sipping a cup of coffee he got down to why he needed to see me. “Cal, I am sorry I didn’t get right back to you about this agreement but I couldn’t believe the provisions that Ms. Lapiro put in this. I took the liberty to contact her attorney to try and negotiate a better deal but he was adamant that this is what she wants and there is no negotiation.”

He took a bit breath. “I recommend that you either get her to change this and change it drastically or walk away from this whole idea.” I had felt that there was something wrong with the agreement but there was so much legalese in it that it confused me.

“Please go through it with me so I can understand. What is she trying to do?”

“I could start with number one and list them but I might run out of fingers and toes. So let’s just go through it. Now, you get an hourly wage don’t you? You get overtime when you work late and on weekends, right?” I nodded.

“Well, from this point on, if you sign this you will receive a monthly salary that I believe is lower than what you currently receive in gross earnings. I took the liberty of contacting your accountant and checking on your average yearly income. As a partner, Ms. Lapiro could force you to work overtime each and every day and you would not get anything extra for the work.”

“But I would get a percentage of the profits, right? That could work out better in the long run.”

He shook his head. “As a partner you would only receive ten percent of one percent of any declared profits for a year. You also would not be able to look at the books at any time. So, if she declared a profit of $100,000 next year your profit share would only be $100. What was your bonus last year?”

“I had a couple of bonus checks after we signed some large clients. One check was for $5,000 and the other was for $8,300.”

He shook his head. “That was what I thought. And you would not be in line for any other bonuses since you would now be an owner. The potential is for your underlings to take home more pay than you.”

“There has to be some kind of compensation. Toni and I go back many years and have worked together to make the company a success. I can’t believe she would be serious about this.” I shook my head in denial.

“Oh, that’s just the start. There is a provision that states you cannot sell your share to anyone except her. That concept isn’t unusual in a partnership agreement but usually it just states that the other partner or partners have first option to purchase at a negotiated price. This agreement sets the price and it will never change no matter how the company increases in value. In other words, if the company continues to grow each year, as it has since the beginning, your share will become less and less and you cannot sell to anyone other than Toni. Ten years from now you will still be making the same salary as it is frozen in the contract and your share of the business could be about one percent instead of ten percent.”

I didn’t even get a chance to call bull when he hit me with the next one. “You also cannot quit or walk away from the business. You must maintain your level of output or she can sue you for failure to abide by the contract. It alludes that the settlement amount would be equal to all of your holdings. In other words, if you decide that you cannot stay working for her then she will be able to sue and get everything you have, both in cash and real property. You would be dead broke.”

This was beyond belief. I couldn’t get my head around what Toni was trying to do. The business was doing well. I had no desire to leave or go into competition with her. I was fully involved in making the business and, of course, her successful. As long as Zapiro was successful then it also enhanced my reputation as a designer. What would possess her to try and break me while forcing me to stay with the business? It made no sense.

Jerry continued. “On top of all that, buried in the back of the contract is a statement that you would not be changing your job title. If anyone, and I mean anyone, found out you are an owner then Ms. Lapiro could invoke the penalty clause and again take all you have in court. And to top it all off there is a non-compete clause that is indefinite and has no geographical limit.”

“So, to summarize, you are saying I would be working harder to make less with no real prospect of any profit share and, if I leave, complain or even say that I am an owner I would be left with nothing and probably not even be able to get a job elsewhere.”

He nodded. “I believe you understand why I do not recommend you go forward with this partnership.”

I had to get my brain around this. My knee jerk reaction was to quit immediately and get away. My tiny little logical brain told me to find out why she was doing this. I can’t imagine she was begrudging me my wages and my bonuses because we all shared the bonuses, my share was usually just a little higher than any of my co-workers.

Jerry brought me a new coffee and we sat and threw ideas at each other as to why she was doing this. He was of the opinion that it was just a bargaining tool and that Toni wanted me to negotiate a better deal, not the attorneys. I wasn’t so sure but had no idea what else it could be.

Finally we came up with a plan. Jerry would create a new agreement, one that was more a standard partnership contract. I would sign it and Jerry would then send it by snail mail to Toni’s attorney. If we planned it right it would be two or three days before Toni would know I had not signed the original proposal and maybe, just maybe, we would find out what the deal was.

He would have the new agreement ready in a couple of days for me to sign. It was hard to go back to work so I called in and took the rest of the day off. I went to a park and walked and walked. After a while I found myself on the hike/bike trail that ran about nine miles throughout the city. I didn’t walk the whole thing but did go quite far before walking on regular sidewalks beck to where the trail looped back.

At first I was anxious to contact Connie but she was out of town for the day on a shoot. She was having a hard enough time getting a gig so I would have to wait until she got home before discussing the contract. As I walked I started to wonder why Connie had been so pushy in whether I had signed the agreement yet. Yes, I know she was happy that I had been offered a partnership but the last few days she seemed a little upset that I had not signed yet. I decided to not tell her my concerns. I just would have to say that I was going to sign this week.

I don’t know if I was actor enough for this but I decided to try and keep Toni and Connie in the dark until something gave.

Connie got home extremely late and was dead to the world in just a few minutes after kissing me good night. For once I was glad about how hard photo shoots were on the models.

The next day I was out of the office seeing clients, even ones that I had not scheduled appointments so I didn’t even see Toni all day.