Walkabout

Now it was Clark's turn to sit forward, "Gail, ahem Mrs. Baker, these circumstances bring to light a breach of trust and fidelity. Two executives of our firm have colluded to cheat on their spouses, seemingly for years. This brings into question the honesty and integrity of both of you. Accordingly we have begun an investigation to determine if any confidentiality or financial improprieties have also been part of this affair."

"No, no, no! William and I would never do anything like that." Gail was clearly in anguish as she wrung her hands together.

"Mrs. Baker, our legal and contractual obligations require to take this matter with the utmost seriousness. We appreciate your comments but as we investigate we may be required to explain ourselves to regulators or other outside examiners, we must conduct the investigation to understand for ourselves the extent of your duplicity. I too sincerely hope Tom is the only one who got cheated on."

Gail didn't know Gerald Teller very well, but he'd been at the company forever. He spoke next. "Mrs. Baker it was already mentioned that Adelicus has been served with a lawsuit. It's my understanding that you will be served shortly with your own. Mrs. Parsons' personal attorneys are being quite aggressive. I won't add much to what has already been said other than to advise you to seek your own representation. As Mr. Curtis' investigation concludes it may be necessary for the firm to also take action against you. Our Directors and Officers policy may not cover the fallout." He too sat back.

Nancy leaned forward again, "Mrs. Baker as you have heard today there are far reaching implications to your actions. We won't know for some time how exactly this will unfold. As this is new territory for us all, and this situation is quite unique you'll understand that we have determined that your status regarding your retirement is on hold. You will remain on administrative leave until both Mr. Curtis and Mr. Teller have determined what next steps might be." And she nodded to Stella and the call ended as the screen went dark.

Gail was quietly sobbing into her hands at this, it was all too much. Her emotions had gotten the better of her despite her promising herself to be strong. Stella motioned to the others to wait outside and she brought over a box of Kleenex and grasping Gail's' shoulders gave her a sisterly hug. They stayed that way for several minutes, the pile of used Kleenex growing in front of the crying woman.

"Oh Stella, I swear William and I never did anything to steal from the firm." More crying after that, but if Gail had been able to notice she would have seen no sympathy in Stella's face. She was divorced from her cheating ex who had left her for his younger secretary. Stella had always admired Gail for all her accomplishments and leadership. But now, she was just another home wrecker in her eyes.

"Come on Gail, pull yourself together. Steven has gotten you some boxes so we can pack up your office. Let's get this last task accomplished so you can get back home." And so they did, all her personal stuff fit in just three boxes - pictures of Tommy and Andrew, awards and plaques, and other mementos. She smiled at the spare tennis shoes she kept in her bottom drawer. All of that going into those sad boxes, instead of a victory lap she was leaving under a cloud of suspicion.

Steven had waited patiently just outside her office, hand truck ready to cart however many boxes it took. He was also not of a mind to show Gail any sympathy; his brother had gone through a messy divorce from a woman who 'wanted to find herself'. His brother had gone into a prolonged depression that robbed him of several years of his life. Thankfully, he had come out of it and was in a relationship with a fine woman who was treating him well.

The packing had distracted Gail enough that she had stopped crying and only occasionally sighing and sniffling. In no time at all they were at her car, Steven helping load the boxes into the trunk.

"Goodbye Gail, I'm sorry all this had to happen. Be careful driving." And he was off to hopefully put this sordid event in the rear view mirror; let the execs deal with the fallout.

On the drive home Gail thought back on her times with William, reflecting that things had not at all gone the way they planned it. They had been so careful, never planning ahead, never using anything that could be traced or leave any clues. They had only gotten together while she was in Chicago, and even then, didn't plan or discuss anything in the office. It was only after hours that they came together at the Sheraton; their special place.

Despite all the fallout, Gail thought fondly of their affair. It had started out with that magical afternoon all those years ago. Six years! She thought their affair would run its course in only a couple. But William was such a gentle and considerate lover; he made her feel like a queen. He wined and dined her, and every time they had sex he made sure she came in the most wonderful way.

William was not much better than her Tommy; it was just that he put so much more effort in making her feel special. Tommy tried to do that too, but after so many years together having a rich successful, and yes handsome younger man pursue her had been a thrill she couldn't resist.

They had agreed after that first time that they would only see each other on her trips. She insisted that she was never going to short change Tommy in any way. She had to be in Chicago anyway, so he'd be without her regardless. And they were going to be so careful, no one would ever find out.

She had hardly ever given much thought to William's wife; it was as if she didn't exist. Those magical evenings and nights at their hotel, in their special suite, had blinded her to anything else. And it had been worth it, William had been worth it. She always went home to Tommy with a renewed vigor. He thought she was extra affectionate on her returns because she missed him.

If Gail paused to give her situation any thought it was to decide how lucky she was. She had her Tommy, and she had William for two weeks out of the year. Nobody got hurt, everybody won.

Except now Marsha Parsons had brought the hammer down. And her Tommy had gone missing; he wasn't there so Gail could explain. If she couldn't talk to her husband how could she convince him that he had suffered no harm from her affair? She was only gone twice a year, and always came home to him. And when she was home she was totally devoted to him. He had to see that William never took anything from her husband. Tommy had to see that, he just had to.

It was with these thoughts that Gail arrived home. After pulling into the garage she went about bringing the boxes inside and changing out of her work clothes. Just as she was coming back downstairs the doorbell rang. There stood a bored looking young man who after asking for Gail's ID, handed her the dreaded manila envelope. "Gail Baker, you have been served." Gail stood frozen and the young man took her picture holding the envelope.

Closing the front door she took the envelope into the kitchen and sat down at the table. The same table where she and Tommy had talked about important stuff, from the personal to their work challenges. They'd sat at that table and worked out their problems together, they were a team.

Sighing Gail opened the clasp and took out the docs and began reading the cover page. Holy Cow, Mrs. Parsons was suing her for Adultery. Gail had assumed that Illinois was a no fault state like her native California. Crap, she really was going to have to get a lawyer, and one who had an office in Chicago too. She wondered just how expensive this was going to get.

Monday - Andrew: September 14

Andrew walked into his dad's, now his, office at 9am to find Janet tidying up.

"Good morning Janet. I guess this is it, I'm pretty sure I'm ready for this, but I thought we had another month more.

"Andrew you'll be fine. I'm sure Tommy is fine wherever he is. I'm worried about your mom, how is she holding up?"

"Shirl and I spent the weekend with her, she's a mess. I don't think she's come to terms that Papa is gone. She spent the whole time crying and calling his name, and in general feeling sorry for herself. I don't think she has internalized that he might not be coming back or that this is all her fault."

"Do you think she'd mind if I stopped by to, I don't know, just pay her a visit and sit with her?"

"I think that would be great; however I think you should wait a few days. Maybe even next week. She's at her office this morning. They called her in for a big meeting. I'm going to take off at lunch time and go back over to their house. She seemed fine this morning but I'm sure the meeting is going to put her in more hurt. And Shirl is coming over there after she gets home from work. We're prolly going to spend the week with her. I worry about her too.

Just then Julian wandered in, "Hey Andy, I thought I'd stop by for a visit."

"Thanks, have a seat. Janet and I were just looking over the office and getting me comfortable in here."

"You two boys have a chat, I'm going back to my desk to do whatever it is I do on a Monday morning."

"Ok one final thing Andrew, do you want to keep your dad's chair or do you want to swap it out for one from the conference room. They're exactly the same model, but maybe you want one that's not, you know."

"No, this one will be fine. I'll adjust it to fit my butt and it'll be OK."

"Andy, I'm sorry to hear about your troubles, I mean your parents problems. I promised Pops that I'd help out any way I can, you just let me know what you need."

"Thanks, Papa told me you helped him with his walkabout. Did he say anything to you about what was going on? Any clues as to what he was planning?"

Julian related the interactions about the credentials last week over two days. "So I actually only spoke to him three times. Once at the pub when he told me what he wanted, then the next day when I told him about the cash, and then when I delivered the docs. That's it. He didn't tell me what he was doing or where he was going. Just that there was trouble coming and that I should stay close - to you that is."

"Yeah he didn't tell me his plans either. He came over on Tuesday nite and told us about what Mrs. Parsons and he had been working on. The fallout from the affair between mom and her husband. Man, it feels weird saying it out loud."

"Oh man, he didn't tell me that your mom had been stepping out on him. That's messed up."

"Tell me about it. You could have knocked me over with a feather when Papa told me about it. I didn't believe him at first. But then he shared some of the details and I was floored. What a mess. And now we gotta carry on running the business; and helping mom cope. Janet and I had lunch with him on Thursday just before he left. All he told us what that he was going 'walkabout'. He said he needed some time to clear his head and try to make some sense of everything."

Janet came back in and with a smile, "Ok you guys, back to work. Andrew I've got your Aunt Irene on line 3. You should ask her to come out and stay with your mom for a few days or whatever she can manage. Maybe Herbie can come with her and they can keep your mom occupied during the day. You know, give you and Shirley a break."

"Oh crap. I had totally forgotten about Auntie Irene with all the emotion of this weekend. That's a great idea. Maybe you could check out flight reservations and such in case she says yes."

"Harrumph, as if I need you to tell me what to do. They arrive at SFO at 8pm from Wichita this evening. You should clean up the guest room at your parent's place when you're there this afternoon." With that Janet sauntered back to her desk.

"Andy, sometimes she scares me. I'll get going. I know that when I tell Shirley tonight about all this, she'll want to pay your mom a visit. You know show support. I mean your mom is the nicest person I know, this is so unlike the Gail I know."

"Let me get back to you on that." And picking up the phone, "Hi Auntie Irene, let me fill you in..."

Monday - Tom: September 14

The Purser was droning on about the US Passenger Vessel Service Act and how it basically prohibited a US citizen from boarding a cruise and getting off anyplace other than where they got on. Tom was ready for that as he'd done a bit of research that morning. Really just read the first three Google hits.

"But isn't it true Mrs. Jackson, that your next port of call after Maui is Cabo? And after that back to San Francisco?"

"Well, yes. That's true but..."

"Oh come now Mrs. Jackson, we all know that's exactly why your cruise line does it. To get around the PVSA - the stop in Mexico gives you an out... You're in the clear, take my money. We both know you have several empty Premium Balcony cabins. " I gave her my most winning smile.

Anna chimed in, "Come on honey, we need more available single men on this boat. And besides I can tell you Tom sings like an angel. He'll be a great addition to the rest of the cruise."

Mrs. Jackson's expression soften ever so slightly, "This is highly unusual, but I think that with Mrs. Stanton's endorsement, since she's an Elite member... Very well, let me scan your credit card and we'll see which of the open Balcony cabins we can put you in."

---

Tom had decided that Sunday night he'd see if they were still biting at the piano bar. As he crossed the lobby he noticed the poster for Chad - good, his buddy would surely welcome another crisp hundred to let Tom croon.

Tom walked in just as Chad was making his introductions and grabbed the same high-top as Saturday. However, his butt had hardly settled into his seat when a very, very expensive looking woman sat down across from him.

"My name is Anna."

"Well hello Anna, my name is Tom."

Just then the waitress came by, Theresa had said she was off tonight, and, "What can I get you two?"

Tom gestured for Anna to go ahead and she ordered a Grey Goose martini. "I'll have a pomegranate Cosmo."

"I was here last night and heard you sing. You've got a great voice."

"Why thank you Anna. I appreciate the compliment." Tom thought again how this kind of thing was exactly the tonic he needed.

The waitress was back in record time with their drinks, Tom raised his glass and, "To new beginnings."

"Oooh, I like that. To new beginnings" said Anna as she clinked Tom's glass.

"So what is a gorgeous hunk of manhood like you doing on Maui unescorted?"

"I'm on walkabout. I needed to get away from the daily grind for a while and I couldn't think of a better place."

"What luck, I mean my luck. I'm here with my two friends on a cruise. They're the two over by the piano looking jealously in this direction. I'll introduce them to you later. We boarded in San Francisco for a sixteen day cruise. Friday night at dinner one of the waiters mentioned this piano bar and so we were here last night. And as luck would have it you decided to sit in on Chad's set. You made quite an impression."

"Again, thank you for the compliment. I've always loved singing, although my song book is a bit limited to some popular stuff as you heard."

"Honey, don't sell yourself short. I bet every woman in here last night was feeling all tingly thinking you were singing just for them. I know I was, and so were my friends."

"You really know how to make a guy feel ten feet tall", Tom raised his glass towards Anna in a salute and he took another sip.

"I'm hoping you'll be doing it again tonight. I would really like to hear you again, and this time I'm hoping you will really be singing to me."

"Anna I have the feeling you're the kind of woman who is used to getting what she wants. Who am I to deny the lady?"

"Oh good, I do like a man who is understanding."

"Is there anything special you'd like to hear? Chad and I did a bunch of my favorites yesterday. Although I may not know exactly what you're looking for."

"With that voice of yours I think you could sing the phone book and I'd be happy. Just make sure that when your set is over, you come straight back to this table with me."

"Your wish is my command. How about an appetizer? I hear the calamari is excellent here."

The rest of the evening went like a repeat of Saturday. Chad was very happy to see another hundred go into his tip jar. They went through the same set as last night, adding All My Loving at the end.

When Tom got back to their table Anna was fanning herself with a cocktail napkin. He couldn't tell if she was kidding or not.

"You sir, have just earned yourself a night of my undivided attention as soon as we can get back to my cabin."

They abandoned their half-eaten appetizers and grabbed a cab back to the ship. Anna's 'cabin' turned out to be a suite on the upper decks. Very expensive indeed.

Tom had never, ever experienced a more exhausting love making. Anna was extremely talented. Her muscle control was incredible, warm and soft on the downstroke and gripping tightly until only the tip of his cock was still in her.

What was even more amazing was that should could do the same thing with anal. All the anal sex Tom had experienced before had him doing all the work. But Anna was an inspiration. Snug on the way in, tight as he pulled back. Almost biting his shaft with her sphincter.

And her oral skills were completely out of this world, she started out by working on him for about 45 minutes. Finally taking him in her throat as he came and somehow making her throat pulsate on his shaft. He had never come that hard in his whole life. He just wished he could remember more of the details. She was so good he was lost in a fog; she had played him like a violin.

Tom guessed Anna was in her mid to late forties. She had clearly spent a lot of time in the gym and on outdoor sports. She had an even all-over tan, which didn't look like it came from a booth. Generous breasts and hips, but no loose fat. Her golden skin was firm and supple.

He was smiling like he'd won the Lotto as he rode the cab back to his hotel to collect his belongings. He'd promised to meet Anna and her two friends for dinner on the ship. He wondered if he was going to live to make it to Cabo. Anna was one hell of a woman.

One Month Later: October 27

Gail was in a hell of her own making. She was on her way to the Sofitel in San Mateo for dinner with Tommy, with Andrew and Shirley. Tommy had said he wanted to meet on neutral ground. Gail had dressed as nicely as she could, the hotel had a great restaurant and she wanted to impress her Tommy.

All her plans to remain poised and see how the evening developed were out the window the minute she saw Tommy. Abandoning all decorum she flew into his arms and would have melted into him if that had been physically possible. She couldn't control her sobbing and it seemed like hours that she held on to him, thoroughly soaking his suit jacket with tears. All Andrew and Shirley could do is stand uncomfortably by and watch her make a spectacle of herself.

For his part, Tommy held on to Gail and let her cry herself out. He stoked her hair and cooed at her that everything was going to be alright. Gail finally came up for air and, "Tommy, I'm so very sorry for all that I've put you through. If you'll just give me a chance I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you."

At that Tommy smiled, "Now, now. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's all sit down have some wine and catch up a little bit." He moved to their table and held her chair for her. Then he moved to the adjacent chair and held it for Shirley. That put him across the table from Gail, and Andrew across from Shirley. Tommy motioned to the waiter and he came and filled all four glasses with a generous pour.