The Affair, Part 4

    This story contains adult language and themes. If such language and themes
offend you, please do not read further. Copyright 1997 by SSTORYMAN. All
rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce this story in any form and
for any purpose as long as this notice is reproduced and no financial
remuneration is received by the person reproducing it.

    THE AFFAIR


    4. The Trap Holds Tight.

    Anne sat at a table at Robinson's Bistro. In the smoking section. She was
smoking. She hoped a good day was about to get even better.

    She and Robin bought cigarettes on the return to work. Robin asked if she
could smoke in Anne's car. Anne had never thought about it, but decided to let
her. And to join her. By the time they returned to the office Robin smoked two
more cigarettes. As with Gretchen Saturday evening, Anne kept pace with
Robin's consumption.

    Later that afternoon Anne was delighted when Robin reported the discovery
that Julie Russell, the company's controller, smoked. Anne went to Julie's
office to talk. Julie was pleased that Anne was a smoker, and promised to take
Anne on an afternoon smoke break. At 3:30 Anne and Robin went with Julie to
the basement. They were introduced to an old storage room in which smokers
were permitted to gather. All of them, including Anne and Robin, smoked two
cigarettes apiece. Anne enjoyed the cigarettes. Despite what she'd told Hope,
more and more she was looking forward to these opportunities. Anne knew that
meant she was becoming addicted. But she didn't care.

    Now she was waiting for John. Smoking again. And still enjoying it. He
said he'd come before 6:30 for at least a short meeting. Anne hoped it would
lead to a longer get-together of intimate proportions.

    A voice called out across the room. "Anne, what are you doing?"

    She looked up. It was John. A strange grin was pasted across his face.

    "I'm waiting for you, John," she replied sweetly. She paused to take a
drag on her cigarette. She made it a long one, with a deliberate inhale for
emphasis.

    "I know that. But I didn't know you smoked!" He sat down at the table,
surprised but obviously delighted.

    "Oh, this?" Anne said innocently, glancing at the cigarette between her
fingers. "Yeah, I recently started smoking again. It's a big help dealing with
stress, isn't it?" She smiled. "Do you think it suits me?"

    "Sure. Only ...."

    "Only what, John?" Anne replied with a smile, taking another drag,
inhaling, and blowing smoke in his direction.

    John leaned forward a little, as if magnetically drawn to her smoke. "If I
didn't know better, I'd think you started smoking again because of what I said
last Friday. About my feelings for blond women who smoke?"

    "John Crawford!" Anne exclaimed in mock horror. But her smile betrayed her
true feelings. "You egotistical son of a bitch! Do you also think the sun
rises and sets because of you?"

    Without a word John picked up Anne's pack and shook out a cigarette for
himself. He used Anne's lighter to light up. "Let's cut the bullshit, Anne.
Last Friday we weren't talking about your secretary, Robin, were we? We were
talking about some other blond I know who was propositioning me. We were
talking about you. Weren't we?"

    Anne coyly de-ashed her cigarette. "What if we were?"

    "Anne, think about it. We have a professional relationship. You're a good
friend. We get along. There is no denying that you're a very attractive
woman." He smiled. "You also meet my most important requirement. You look
awfully good smoking!"

    Anne blushed. She took a final drag from her cigarette and crushed it out
in the ashtray while she inhaled. "Thanks, John. I was hoping you'd notice,"
she added facetiously. She exhaled toward him.

    "But if you and I get involved, what will Carl Anderson say? That you're
sending legal business to your new boyfriend? I don't think either you or I
want that, Anne."

    Anne pouted. "John, how can you think about such things right now?" She
picked up her lighter and began to play with it. "Don't you want me, too?"

    John shook his head. "What I want is irrelevant, Anne. I want what's best
for you, what's best for both of us."

    Anne smiled as she picked up her pack of Marlboro Light 100's and slowly
extracted another cigarette. Placing it in her mouth, she clicked the lighter.
"I know you want what's best for us, John," she began, touching the lighter to
the tip of the cigarette hanging from her mouth. "If you want what's best,
then come back to my apartment and let's fuck!" Despite her bravado, she was
nervous. She appreciated the feeling of relaxation which accompanied the smoke
filling her lungs.

    John looked surprised. "God, you don't beat around the bush, do you,
Anne?"

    She smiled. Smoke drifted from her mouth as she spoke. "John, I never beat
around the bush. When I want something, I go out and get it. I've always done
that and always will. I lied to you. I've never smoked in my life. I learned
how because I took you at your word that you were willing to have an affair
with the right woman. And the right woman had to be a smoker. Well, John
Crawford, I'm a smoker. And I think I'm the right woman." She took another
drag and exhaled coyly at him. "Agree or disagree?"

    "Anne, I'll admit. I'd love to get involved with you. You're everything I
want in a woman. You're good looking, bright, funny, independent .... And now
you smoke, too." He paused. "But I don't want to screw everything by getting
involved in a sexual relationship which might destroy our professional
relationship and our friendship. I value you as a friend, Anne, first and
foremost."

    She frowned. "John, I respect that. I respect you, too. As a colleague and
a friend. But I've thought about this, and what I'm looking for in a
relationship. I'm not suggesting this lightly. I want a man who is an equal.
Not just someone for sex. God, I can get sex. I'm good looking. I could get
any man to jump in bed with me if that's all I wanted. But I want more. I want
someone I respect who respects me, too. As an equal. John, we could have that
kind of relationship. As for the rest of it, screw the consequences! If it
develops into more than a simple affair, we'll deal with the consequences. I
think it could develop into more. But whether it does or doesn't, whatever
happens between us personally won't affect your professional relationship with
me or GTS. This is not Fatal Attraction, for God's sake! Either one of us can
walk away any time, no questions asked, no hard feelings. We're both adults.
Fair enough?"

    John drew on his cigarette. His crotch was getting hard. His loins were
answering before his voice could speak. He smiled again. "Anne, you're more
than fair. And more than honorable. As always, I'll take you at your word."

    He smiled as he exhaled smoke into her face. "And you are a very
attractive lady. So. Did you want to go to your place to finish this little
conversation?"

   
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    Robin finished setting up the files for the new Gilden case at about 6:45.
She never liked working late. But she especially hated it tonight. She wanted
a cigarette.

    Of course, that was not unusual for Robin. She always wanted a cigarette.
But tonight her longing would be satisfied as soon as she left the office. She
couldn't wait.

    She saw the light on in Julie Russell's office as she left. She paused and
decided to stick her head in the door.

    Julie looked up from her computer and smiled as soon as she saw her
standing in her doorway. "Yes, Robin?"

    "I wanted to thank you for letting us join you this afternoon. I had quit
smoking a few weeks ago and just started again. I needed a smoke today." She
decided not to try explaining the other details. She'd let Anne tell her own
story if she hadn't already. For now that would suffice. "Anyway, both Anne
and I appreciated it. I promise we'll join you again tomorrow. I mean, if
that's all right."

    Julie smiled. She was in her mid-30's, brunette and very slender. She had
a pleasant face, an engaging smile and a friendly manner. "God, yes it's all
right! Robin, we smokers have to stick together! There aren't many of us
left." She paused. "Come in and sit down if you have a minute."

    Robin hesitated. She'd been anticipating a cigarette for the last hour.
She didn't want to wait. But Julie was management. And she appreciated Julie's
kindness. She decided she could wait for another few minutes. She entered
Julie's office.

    "Shut the door on your way in," Julie asked, and Robin did.

    From her desk drawer Julie retrieved an oval ashtray. It was full of
cigarette butts. Julie grinned as she pulled a pack of Merit 100's from the
same drawer. "You see, Robin, after everyone else has gone home, I smoke in my
office while I'm working. I have this little understanding with Carl Anderson
and with our HR department. No one says anything as long as I'm discrete." She
gave Robin an evil look. "Want a cigarette?"

    She needn't have asked. Robin got her own pack from her purse. It was too
good to be true! Julie was already lighting up. Robin did, too, and allowed a
long, first drag to fill her lungs with smoke, carrying the heavenly dose of
tar and nicotine she so craved.

    "God, Julie, do you think Anne and I could smoke in her office after
hours, too?" The thought seemed as heavenly. She welcomed the relaxation which
accompanied the smoke in her lungs. Robin had already spent several evenings
here with Anne. Being able to smoke in the office would make that part of the
job much easier to take!

    "I don't know why not," Julie smiled, exhaling smoke from her nostrils.
"Tell me, Robin, what's going on with Anne? Why did she start smoking? I don't
believe her bullshit story about quitting five years ago and then deciding to
start up again. What's going on? You can tell me."

    Robin took another drag. She didn't know whether to trust Julie. On the
other hand, Julie told her about smoking in her office after hours. Maybe it
was okay. "I don't know, Julie," she replied cautiously. "That's the same
story she told me."

    Julie raised her eyebrows. "Oh, really? About quitting for five years?"

    "Yep. Same story."

    Julie took a drag. She gave Robin an icy stare through the smoke. "Robin,
Anne never said anything to me about five years. I made that up. So did you.
What gives?"

    Robin almost choked on her exhale. "Why don't you ask Anne?"

    "I did," Julie replied though the final wisps of her exhale. "She said
she'd tell me later. There's a guy involved, isn't there?"

    Robin sighed. "Yes, there is," she began. "I'll tell you all about it."

   
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    Anne lay in bed, exhausted but satisfied. She looked at the limp figure in
the bed beside her. John had dozed off into the spent sleep of the satiated.

    She was certain that John's interest in her smoking was more significant
than an interest in self-preservation. She'd watched his cock harden in his
pants when she innocently lit a cigarette while undressing. She remembered how
he puffed on his cigarette whenever she did on hers, matching her drag for
drag. She'd tried a little experiment. She did a seductive little dance with a
cigarette in her mouth after disrobing down to her bra and panties. He played
with himself while she moved with the cigarette in her mouth. That was when
she knew. He had a smoking fetish! No wonder he wanted a girlfriend who
smoked!

    For Anne Sturges, knowledge was power. Always. Power to be used to her
advantage, and she intended to use it. After frantic and passionate
love-making in her bed, in which she mounted him and whispered obscenities
into his ear, she and John climaxed simultaneously. Rolling over, John had
declared himself finished. He lay motionless in the bed for several minutes.
Undaunted, Anne had rolled over and lit a cigarette. She'd had no particular
desire for a cigarette. But she wanted to see whether she could work magic
knowing of his fetish. She smoked as seductively as she knew how for several
moments. Despite groans of protest from her victim, Anne had watched John's
manhood magically return while she smoked. She'd hoped he'd be able to perform
after receiving smoky kisses exhaled into his mouth. Sure enough, his manhood
sprang to life a second time and he serviced her nicely with a second
consecutive fuck.

    Now Anne felt great. John was immobile in the bed, apparently asleep. She
got up and walked naked into the living room. She never liked sleeping after
sex. She was too jazzed. Stopping to admire her glistening body in the mirror,
she complemented the figure before her. "Tits still lookin' good, ass still
very firm," she said with an amused whisper. She pulled the couch afghan over
her shoulders and sat down in front of the coffee table. For a moment she
wondered whether something might leak from inside her onto the upholstery. But
she decided not to worry about it. She lit another cigarette. This time, she
wanted one.

    She contemplated the magic of the innocent looking, white cylinders full
of tobacco, one of which now burned in her hand. Yes, there was no doubt. She
was beginning to understand the strange, growing need to light them up more
and more frequently. She liked the magical feeling of that first, big inhale
from a fresh cigarette, the satisfied fullness in her chest as she allowed the
inhaled smoke to load into her bloodstream. She enjoyed dragging hard on a
freshly lit cigarette, two or even three times, and feel the smoke fill her
mouth and her lungs over and over.

    Anne's musings were interrupted by a sound from the bedroom. Out stumbled
John, dressed in boxer shorts and tee-shirt. A shit-eating grin on his face.
Anne took another drag on her cigarette, motivated by a combination of desire
for nicotine and to see how much more magic the cigarette could conjure from
his cock.

    "Hi, Anne," he said cautiously. "Whatcha doin'?"

    "Smoking," she replied simply. "Just felt like it."

    "Me, too," John answered. He took the pack from Anne's hand and put one in
his mouth. Then he removed the lit cigarette from her fingers and lit his own
from the burning end of hers. "God, that tastes good," he sighed.

    Anne nodded and smiled. "Yes, it does!"

    "You know," he went on. "You almost killed me in there."

    "Oh? I didn't notice you fighting, John."

    "No, I didn't fight," he admitted. "But that was some fuck! I haven't done
it twice in a row for years!"

    "Maybe I'm irresistible, big boy," Anne teased. "I told you this
relationship would be for our mutual benefit. I enjoyed it tonight. Thank
you!"

    Anne's left hand held the cigarette. Her right one slowly began rubbing
her tits through the afghan. A naughty smile appeared as she stroked them.
John noticed her play with them. He shook his head. "Oh, no! Don't get
yourself started again, Anne. If you do, you'll have to go solo this time," he
grinned. "I've had it!"

    "Okay," she pouted. But she put her cigarette in her mouth and continued
to massage both nipples. "I assume it was good for you, too?"

    "Oh, God, yeah," John replied, taking a drag on his cigarette. She looked
down at his pants. Still limp.

    Anne inhaled another drag from the cigarette now hanging from her lips.
She didn't remove it. Her hands played harder with her breasts. Smoke
ascending from the burning cigarette, together with mouth and nose exhales,
shrouded her head in a hazy cloud. "How long can you stay?" she purred.

    "Not much longer. I am still married, you know. I've got to get home
before too long." It was his turn to smile. "But I'm going to visit my divorce
lawyer tomorrow morning. I think it's time to get the hell out of Dodge!"

    "Don't do anything rash, John," teased Anne. The cigarette jiggled in her
mouth as she talked. "Maybe you should wait and see whether you feel the same
way after a steady diet of this."

    "I'd like to see you again. Soon. When can we do this again?"

    Anne pulled again on the cigarette in her mouth. Ashes fell onto the sofa.
But she didn't care. She watched John's crotch. It was beginning to show signs
of life! Oh my God, she thought. This is so great! I can satisfy my need for
nicotine at the same time I prepare lover-boy here for another roll between
the sheets!

    "How about Thursday?" she asked. "I have a committee meeting at work on
Wednesday night. And tomorrow's no good. I promised a girl friend she could
come over." More ashes fell onto the couch as Anne spoke. She kept playing
with her tits.

    John frowned. "Can't you cancel your damn girl friend?" he complained.
"Because I could come tomorrow night." He looked at the delicious figure
sitting next to him. She began pinching her nipples while he watched.

    "Let's not rush it, John." His cock was not yet standing, but it was
getting there. "Didn't you say there was something else you wanted to tell
me?"

    John looked up. "Oh, yeah. I hope this isn't a problem. But I did talk
with Randy Myers this weekend."

    "Who's he?" asked Anne. If he was going to change the subject, she was
going to remove the cigarette from her mouth.

    "You remember. The guy from Johnson & Myers? My friend at that other firm?
It looks like I'm going to do it, Anne. I'm going to join Johnson & Myers to
head their corporate department. They're going to pay me twenty percent more
than I'm making at Williams & Connors. I scheduled a meeting with my managing
partner at Williams & Connors on Thursday to tell them I'm leaving." He paused
when he noticed concern on Anne's face. "I hope this won't affect my
relationship with GTS."

    Anne stopped rubbing her breasts. She was upset. "Well, it won't help! How
will you do our work at Johnson & Myers? Without your support people?"

    "Relax. Kevin Johnson and Jodi Barrett, my corporate associates, are
coming with me. So's Bonnie Martin, my paralegal. Bonnie's excited because she
smokes. Kevin and Jodi don't, so they're not as excited. But they'll make more
money, so they're willing to come, too. They don't really have a choice.
They're as professionally tied to me as I am dependent on them at this young
point in their careers. Finally, Rodney Black, one of my tax partners, is also
coming. You remember Rodney? He worked with me on the Aggre-Tech deal. He
doesn't smoke so he's not interested in the move because of the smoking angle.
But he'll have the opportunity to head their tax practice, and he's a
libertarian who believes government regulation is bad. Funny position for a
tax lawyer. Anyway, he sympathizes with Johnson & Myers' anti-regulation
statement by permitting smoking in the office. He's excited about the move."

    "I thought that firm only hired lawyers who smoked?" she asked.

    "That's how the firm started," John replied. "Lawyers who wanted to be
able to smoke at work. But that's changing. They've already got several
employees who don't, including one lawyer." He smiled. "She started out as a
token non-smoker, I guess. Kevin, Jodi and Rodney will add three more. As long
as they'll sign statements consenting to work in an office where smoking is
permitted, Johnson & Myers wants to increase its number of non-smokers. It
helps avoid discrimination liability. And I'm delighted to bring along the
help. The only person on my team who isn't coming is Brenda, my secretary. She
works for Bob Walker and me, and Bob's on our firm's management committee. I
didn't tell Brenda about this because I couldn't afford a leak within the firm
until the deal was done. She's worked for Bob for five years. I couldn't count
on her to keep quiet. So she won't be included."

    Anne continued to frown. "I don't know, John," she admitted. "The good
thing about Williams & Connors has been your depth of support. Lots of
corporate and tax people when we had a problem. You'll be limited at Johnson &
Myers. It could be a problem. I mean, sending business in the future. I'm not
worried about litigation and discrimination cases. I know the Johnson firm's
reputation as a litigation boutique. It's the corporate and tax work I'm
worried about."

    "Well, I'm going, with or without GTS," John proclaimed. "It's just too
important, Anne. I can build something at Johnson & Myers. Be head of their
new corporate group and work in an environment where I don't have to worry
about going outside when I want a cigarette!"

    Anne shrugged her shoulders. "Then I'm glad for you, John," she lied. "I
hope it works. After you make the announcement, I'll do everything I can to
keep our work with you. I'm sure Johnson & Myers is interested in that as
well. But would it affect your compensation if you lost GTS as a client?"

    "It might in the future. But there are no guarantees about how much
existing work will follow me to Johnson & Myers. Ethically I can't even talk
to my clients now, until the departure is announced." He smiled. "Of course,
you're in a slightly different category than my other clients, Anne."

    "Because it's okay, ethically speaking, that is, to talk to your
mistress?" she teased.

    "Exactly," John nodded.

    "Well, then," Anne smiled as she stubbed out her cigarette. "I think there
may be life left in the old cock after all." She grabbed for his boxer shorts
and caressed his manhood once again. "What do you say we have one more for the
road?"

    "Ouch," John winced. "God, Anne, you're going to wear me out fucking me so
hard!"

    "That's the idea," Anne purred. "That's the idea. I'll light up another
cigarette and lead you back to the bedroom. Or we can do it here on the couch
this time if you prefer?"

   
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    Anne was still furious. It was Tuesday evening. She sat in her living room
waiting for Hope. She and Beth were supposed to come over after dinner. Beth
was eating at Beth's house, and the two of them would return to Hope's to
spend the night together. Anne lit her third consecutive cigarette after
wolfing down a frozen dinner. She was still steaming. She wished she could
have canceled. She had no interest in meeting Hope's smoking buddy under the
present circumstances.

    By late morning the rumors of her affair with John Crawford were rampant
at GTS. Damn that Robin! How could she be so stupid? Telling Julie Russell
something juicy was as bad as sending an email directly to all employees. Like
most offices, GTS had a great appetite for gossip. Anne had been the topic of
hot gossip before. Like the night she screwed the guy from the mail room.
People didn't like her aggressive attitude, and she bore the brunt of rumors
from time to time. Today whispers circulated all morning. "The Legal Bitch is
on the move again!" had been the cry.

    Robin protested it wasn't her fault. Julie set her up. Damn! Julie was
shrewd, all right. But Robin should've known better. She'd told Robin when she
first started working as her assistant that confidentiality was paramount.
Ordinarily that applied to legal matters. But personal matters were no
different. Damn!

    Anne grimaced as she took another long drag on her cigarette. She'd been
hard on Robin. Raised her voice; no, actually, she'd screamed at her. It
wasn't the rumors about her affair that bothered Anne. She was used to rumors.
She actually enjoyed her reputation as a sexually aggressive woman. No, that
wasn't it.

    After lunch Carl had called her into his office to ask about the rumors.
She hadn't denied them when he asked. It wasn't her style. She provided "no
comment" to everyone else. But Carl was different. She couldn't lie to him.
She'd admitted that she and John were having an affair. Carl gave the usual
speech about relationships which could compromise her impartiality. Yeah,
yeah, yeah. She could deal with that. But it bothered her that she couldn't
admit to him the real reason she was upset. She couldn't talk about John's
impending departure from Williams & Connors. At least not yet.

    The problem was simple. This was going to make it difficult .... No, it
was going to make it impossible to immediately transfer all the existing cases
being handled by Williams & Connors to John's new firm. And that was going to
hurt John. She knew his new firm was assuming most of the work he supervised
at Williams & Connors would follow him. And she knew Carl wouldn't let her
transfer the cases just to save John's skin. Because it was a much smaller,
leaner firm. Damn, damn, damn!

    Julie sheepishly came in after her meeting with Carl to half-heartedly
apologize. She'd only told her own assistant. And her assistant had only told
her best friend. But that's how gossip always starts. With a few confidences.
Then, bang! Suddenly everyone in the office knows. Julie tried to be
philosophical. She said she knew Anne enjoyed her reputation as vixen. She
teased that she'd actually done her a favor. If the circumstances were
different, Julie would've been right. Anne didn't care about the opinions of
people in her office. But she didn't want to hurt John. Of course, there was
another angle. Once rumors circulated at GTS, there existed the possibility
that John's wife might hear them. That would be bad. Anne wanted John to be
able to pick his own timing with his wife. Or even to decide he wasn't going
to tell her at all. All these things were in jeopardy because of Robin's big
mouth.

    Anne lit another cigarette. She looked at the clock on the wall. Where was
Hope?

   
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    Robin pulled her car into its parking space in front of her apartment
building. A half-smoked cigarette burned between her fingers as she turned off
the engine. The car's ashtray was full of butts, evidence that Robin was
smoking constantly once again. An empty, crumpled pack of Marlboro Light 100's
rested on the passenger seat beside her. Ashes were strewn all over the floor
beneath her. A fresh pack of Marlboro Light 100's sat on the dashboard. Robin
put the cigarette in her mouth and opened the door. She smiled as she glanced
back in the car. She loved the smell of stale tobacco smoke. Her car once
again looked and smelled like it belonged to a smoker.

    Apart from that, Robin wasn't happy. In fact, she was very upset. She'd
been crying. She knew she'd screwed up. Anne yelled at her. It was justified,
too. God, she should have known better than to admit anything to Julie
Russell. Friend or no friend, trick question or no trick question, it was none
of Julie's damn business. Why hadn't she refused to answer? She'd never say
anything about either Anne's business or personal life to anyone, ever again.

    Robin took a final drag and threw her cigarette butt on the ground as she
walked into the building. She exhaled smoke from her last drag as she opened
the door of her apartment. Her hand shook as she closed it.

    Robin turned on the TV and picked at leftovers she'd rummaged out of her
refrigerator. She really wasn't hungry. She went back to the refrigerator for
a beer. She rarely drank beer alone, but tonight was an exception. She sat
back down, popped open the can, and lit a cigarette. At least once again she
could smoke to her heart's content. And this evening she'd probably kill an
entire pack.

    Suddenly a thought crossed Robin's mind. She'd promised to call Lisa
Robinson next weekend. Maybe I'll call her tonight, Robin decided.

    "Hello?" a voice answered.

    "Hi, Lisa, this is Robin."

    "Hey, Robin, I've been thinking about you this week. How's it going?"

    Robin paused. Where to begin? she wondered.

    "Oh, I'm doing okay, I guess." Robin's tone brightened. "You'll be
interested to know I finally started smoking again. It happened yesterday."

    A giggle erupted on the other end of the phone. "Congratulations! God, I
knew you'd be back. From the way you talked the other day, I was sure you
weren't going to make it." Lisa paused. "How do you feel about it? Are you
upset?"

    Before Robin answered, Lisa heard a "click." A brief pause followed and
Lisa heard the sound of blowing into the phone. All right! Lisa chuckled to
herself. Robin's smoking. She's smoking right now!

    Her cigarette tasted good, and Robin finally answered. "Actually, I feel
really good about it. I came to terms with myself, Lisa. I realized I'm a
smoker. I'll always be a smoker. And I want to be a smoker. I like it. God, I
missed it so much. I missed everything about it." There was a brief pause
while Robin took another hit. "And I missed smoking with my friends. Like you
guys."

    "We've missed getting together with you, too, Robin. There's nothing quite
like talking and smoking together, is there?"

    "Anyway, Lisa, that's not why I called. I mean, it's not the main reason."

    "Oh?" Lisa asked. "What's up?"

    "I don't know how to say this. I'll just say it. Is that position still
open at your firm? For a legal secretary?"

    "Yeah. Why? Are you interested?" Lisa giggled. "You can smoke all day at
your desk at our office."

    "That's not why I'm interested, but that would be nice." Robin stopped
long enough to take another drag. Especially nice since I've been smoking like
a maniac since starting again, she thought.

    "No, I got my new boss mad at me today," Robin continued. "Really mad. It
wasn't my fault, but I'm not sure she'll get over it. I can explain later. But
I decided I should look for another position. I thought about your offer to
get me an interview at Johnson & Myers."

    Lisa responded enthusiastically. "God, Robin, that'd be great! Yeah, our
personnel director is still interviewing. I told her about you. She'd love to
interview you if you're interested. You've got what - over four years of
experience as a legal secretary?"

    "That's right," Robin confirmed. "

    "Okay. Let me talk to her tomorrow. Get your resume updated. I'll call you
tomorrow at work and let you know when you can come in for an interview and
testing."

    Robin sighed. "That'd be wonderful. Thank you, Lisa."

    "No problem. And by the way, welcome back! I'm glad you're through with
that non-smoking shit!"

    Robin sighed again. "Me, too, Lisa. Me too!"

   
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    Anne heard a knock on the door. She looked at the clock. It was 6:45. That
would be Hope.

    Upon opening the door, Anne saw two cheerful teenagers bounce into the
room. "Hi, Anne," Hope bubbled. "I'd like you to meet Beth. I've told her all
about you, Anne."

    "Hi, Beth," said Anne as she offered her hand. "Pleased to meet you."

    "Ditto," replied Beth.

    Anne looked her over. Beth was five foot five, but skinny. Not an ounce
over 100 pounds. She was as thin as a fashion model and almost as attractive.
Her long brown hair hung halfway down her back. Her eyes were bright and her
smile genuine.

    Beth spoke. "Anne, I think it so cool the way you're letting Hope smoke in
your condo. When Hope told me I could come over, too, I couldn't believe it.
Wow! You are like a teenage girl's idea of a perfect friend." She paused. Her
eyes danced. "Can we smoke now?"

    "Sure," Anne answered. "Let's light up."

    All three of them lit up simultaneously. Anne noticed that Beth, too,
smoked Marlboro Light 100's. Obviously the preferred brand for teenage
smokers, Anne decided. Anne watched as Beth took her first several drags. Beth
looked accomplished as a smoker. She inhaled deeply and often. Other than when
she paused to inhale, Beth talked constantly with enthusiasm. Her speech was
punctuated with bursts of exhaled smoke. This kid is no novice, Anne decided.

    "Wow," Beth sighed. "That's better. I haven't had a cigarette since after
school." Her words mixed with the smoke escaping from her most recent inhale.
"I can't wait until I'm 18 and I can smoke whenever I want. God, that'll be so
great! I love to smoke, Anne. I guess you can tell, can't you?"

    "Yes, I can," Anne smiled. Ah, the enthusiasm of youth!

    "Anyway, Hope probably told you I can't smoke at my house. My dad smokes
but he's only allowed to smoke downstairs. He's never home anyway." She
stopped talking long enough for another deep drag. "Even though my mom works
all day I can't smoke anywhere around the house. She hates smoking. Always
talking about how bad it is for you. Bad for my dad. Bad for everyone. God,
she'd shit if she knew how much I smoke. So far, though, I haven't gotten
caught." Beth looked around and tapped her knuckles on the coffee table.
"Knock on wood!"

    Anne watched the lovely young girl talk and exhale at the same time. She
smoked like a long time smoker. And she was a talker! Hope was overshadowed by
Beth's effervescent personality. Hope sat with a smile on her face and smoked
in silence. She was obviously used to Beth's manic approach to life.

    While Beth talked, Anne realized she looked strangely familiar. Her hair;
those features. The story about her parents, a father who smoked and a mother
who hated it. Panic pierced Anne's heart. "Excuse me, Beth. What did you say
your last name was?"

    "Crawford," came the reply "Beth Crawford."

    Reflexively, Anne took a big drag of her own. "Oh my God," she muttered.

    "What's wrong, Anne?" Hope asked.

    Anne exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Nothing. Nothing at all." She turned
towards Beth and smiled. But it was a weak smile. "It's just that I know your
father, Beth. From work. I'm an attorney. I work with your father quite a bit.
He does work for my company. He's an excellent lawyer, you know." Anne tried
to sound conversational instead of panic-stricken. Her heart was racing. God,
this is John Crawford's daughter. The man I fucked in here just last night!

    "You know him? No kidding?" Smoke was still escaping from Beth's mouth.
"God, you won't say anything to him about this, will you? He doesn't know."

    Anne shook her head. "No, I won't. I promise. It's just that .... I'm just
surprised, that's all. Small world, isn't it?"

    "Sure is," Beth answered. "No, my dad is cool. He loves to smoke. But my
mom freaks about it. Like, constantly. I get along okay with her, but I wish
she'd get off the anti-smoking kick. Sometimes I think she's going to run him
out of the house with all her nagging and complaining about it."

    "Really?" Anne replied.

    "For sure," Beth went on. "I mean, I'm not going to stick around when I
turn 18. I'm not going to take her shit all the time." She laughed as she took
another drag and finished her first cigarette. Smoke continued to spit from
her mouth while she talked. "See, my dad smoked for years. But no one knew.
None of us. Not even Mom. Then he came out of the closet - that's what he
called it - a couple years ago. I felt sorry for him because of the way my mom
treated him. It's probably why I decided to try smoking myself. I figured it
had to great. Otherwise, why would he put up with her attitude?" Beth giggled
as the last wisps of smoke escaped from her final inhale. "I got that right.
Smoking is so great! Hey, can I have another one? Right away? Do you mind?"

    "No," Anne answered. "Go right ahead."

    "Cool," Beth beamed. "This is so cool!" She paused to light up again.

    Despite her constant chatter, Anne noticed that Hope and Beth finished
their cigarettes at the same time. All Beth's drags were long and hard, which
was why she finished so quickly, despite her constant chatter. And with all
three of them smoking, the air in the room was quickly filling with ambient
smoke. But Anne realized she didn't mind. In fact, she rather liked it.

    "Anyway," Beth went on. "When I'm older, I'm going to be like you, Anne.
I'm going to let anyone who wants to smoke come to my place. I mean, teenagers
like us are going to smoke anyway, you know. So why not make their lives
easier? Right?"

    "Right," Anne sighed.

    Before Beth could start talking again, Anne decided to gather information.
She was contributing to Beth's delinquency by letting her smoke. She had mixed
feelings about that. Beth was right. She'd smoke anyway. But Anne knew that
the more Beth and Hope had opportunity to smoke, the more the habit would
increase. She was responsibile for encouraging them. Nothing she could do
about it. But it made her uncomfortable. Because she was John's daughter. And
because he didn't know.

    Anne smiled. "Tell me. How much do you smoke, Beth?"

    "Now? Oh, about ten cigarettes a day. On a really good day I'll smoke a
whole pack. It used to be I smoked only four or five a day. But since Hope and
I started smoking together, it's a lot more. Because it's more fun." She took
another drag. "I know I'm getting hooked and everything. But I don't care. If
I could, I'd smoke a pack a day every day. Right now I smoke - I mean, Hope
and I smoke - a couple cigarettes walking to school in the morning. I try to
have four over lunch hour. To make it through the afternoon. Then a couple
more after school. I sneak out and smoke some in the evening, too. God, I'd
love to smoke more. If only I could."

    "Someday that'll happen, Beth," Anne smiled sweetly. "You'll be able to
smoke to your little heart's content.

    "I know," Beth grinned. "I can't wait!"

    The conversation turned to other things. Eventually the two teenagers
turned on the TV and watched HBO while they chatted and smoked together. Hope
kept up with Beth's rapid-fire pace. By nine o'clock Anne counted the butts in
the ashtray. The two of them had smoked twenty cigarettes between them. Anne
wondered how they could see the TV through the smoky haze.

    But Anne knew what this meant. Beth's capacity for cigarette consumption
was prodigious. She would undoubtedly continue to increase her consumption,
too. Pretty soon she'd slip up and her mother would discover she was smoking.
Then the shit would hit the fan at the Crawford household. John would be right
in the middle of it. Damn!

    Hope and Beth excused themselves shortly after nine. "My mom will be home
around ten," Hope explained. "We're going to go back to my place and shower.
You know. To help get rid of the smell."

    "Thanks again, Anne," Beth grinned. "Thanks for being so cool! And for not
saying anything to my dad!"

    Anne nodded. The living room reeked of smoke. These girls were smart. They
knew how to cover their tracks. But Anne suspected that sooner or later all of
their guile wouldn't be sufficient. Sooner or later their parents would figure
it out. Anne shuddered to think of the consequences for poor John. It would be
his fault his daughter was smoking. Anne smiled. Maybe he was right. Maybe it
was time to get out of Dodge!

    She looked at her pack. By her count she'd already smoked ten cigarettes
since arriving home from work. But she wanted another one. She sighed as she
lit up again. Yeah, it still tasted good. She smiled. Just like it did for
little Beth!

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