The Elusive California Dream, Part 3

   The following story is fictional and is provided solely for the enjoyment
of its readers. While there are references to actual establishments such as
several major corporations, other smaller companies, restaurants and
locations, the characters within the story are entirely fictional. Any
resemblance to a real person either living or dead is completely coincidental.
This fictional account does contain adult language and themes. If such
language and themes offend you, please read no further. This story is
copyrighted by AZ-MAN, all rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce
it in any form and for any purpose as long as this notice is reproduced and no
financial remuneration is received, directly or indirectly, by the person
reproducing it.
   
   Also, the author would like to thank SSTORYMAN for all his help and words
of encouragement along the way. You're great, man.
   
   THE ELUSIVE CALIFORNIA DREAM - Part 3 of 9
   
   5. John and Jill
   
   John was heading south on the Bayshore Freeway (US 101) from the San
Francisco International Airport in his late model black Lexus LS 400. He
started to fantasize about getting a new bright red Porsche Carrera for his
next car as he wove between the slower moving vehicles. He picked up his cell
phone and began to dial Conrad's home number. He knew Conrad would be eager to
hear from him and happy that he would meet Al's deadline for closing this deal
before March 1. All part of the plan to go public, he reminded himself. John
was ready to exchange some of the meaningless paper stock he'd been collecting
since the company was formed seven years ago. Now, in less than three months,
this paper would be worth millions. Millions! He turned the car's CD player
louder as REM blasted out its "Shiny Happy People". John was starting to
listen to more rock music lately. He had been listening to a mellow jazz
station in his car for years and actually had been collecting some of the more
popular stuff along with Jill. Lately though, with the coming of his mid-life
crisis (he grinned at the thought), he'd been getting back into rock music
from his college years. Even the stuff that came later like REM, 10,000
Maniacs and Def Lepperd populated his car's collection. And he liked it loud.
He was acting like John the 22-year-old again. He thought about Jenni as he
heard Conrad's number ringing in his ear. He quickly turned the music down as
Conrad's answering machine kicked in.
   "Hey Con, John here. Just thought I'd let you know that we're through
fact-finding on the Sikorsky deal. We should have this thing negotiated by
next week with the signed contact before the first. I'm headed home from the
airport right now. Talk to you Monday unless you want to catch me at home over
the weekend. Bye." He hung up.
   John made everything sound light and on the up and up. What Conrad would
not know was that John was in a quite a predicament with Collins and Collins
didn't know it either...yet. He decided to check his own voice mail next. The
one he'd been hoping for from Peter Gaylor was there. Peter confirmed that the
Navy accepted the Collins / Ilex technical proposal (based on the concession
by John this morning) and would be ready to review the draft contract next
week in West Palm Beach. Great news. At least Step One was complete. Step Two
would be to convince Jack Borgman on Monday morning via telecon that this was
the right way to go. A knot briefly twisted in John's stomach.
   Finally, he dialed his home number. Their older daughter Brittany answered.
"Hey Brit, it's dad."
   Brittany was 16 going on 25. She had been going non-stop since last fall
with her high school activities. She was doing cheerleading, girl's basketball
and drama while managing a myriad of friends from the most popular clique in
the school. But she always talked like she was bored - especially when talking
to adults. "Oh, hi dad. Where are you?"
   "In the car, coming home from the airport."
   "Were you like, out of town or something?"
   What a question. He had been gone all week to the other side of the United
States. And she doesn't even know it, or miss me for that matter. He was once
again reminded of the long hours he put in on behalf of the company. Even when
he was in town, he rarely ate dinner at home with the family. It wasn't
unusual for him to come home after 8 PM. "Yes, honey. I've been in Florida all
week. Is mom there?"
   "No, I think she's out riding with Kyle." Kyle was their younger daughter
who was 13. John and Jill owned two beautiful Arabian horses that they kept at
a stable in Woodside. One horse was Jill's while Brittany and Kyle shared the
other. Brittany had pretty much surrendered her share of the girls' horse to
Kyle. She was either too busy or too bored to be seen riding with her mother
at this stage of her life.
   John was getting a bit irritated. He was hoping for a nice dinner with his
three girls present when he pulled in. "Did she say when she'd be back?"
   "I don't know."
   It was about 6:30 PM and dusk was coming. "Well, I'll be home in about half
an hour. See you then." He was about ready to hang up.
   "No dad. I'm going out with Allyson and Crystal tonight. They'll be here in
just a minute to pick me up."
   John sighed. "Okay. If you see mom, tell her I'm on my way."
   "Gotta run," Brittany announced.
   "Okay, see you later. I love you." John heard the phone click off at the
other end before all his words got out.
   He cranked his car stereo up again to listen to the last few beats of REM's
"Fall On Me" but his heart was no longer in it. His thoughts drifted off to
Jenni and that wonderful kiss they shared last night in Fort Lauderdale.
   
   The house was dark when John pulled up to the driveway and punched his
garage door opener. Just as he suspected, Jill's GMC Suburban was absent. It
was just after 7 PM and he was hungry. Great. The master of the castle returns
from slaying dragons all week and the damsels are out partying on their own.
He walked upstairs to his den, plugged in his laptop computer to the docking
station and logged onto his company's network. He also called for a pizza. As
he got into his email, he hoped he'd see one from Jenni. No such luck. Well
it's early. She probably hasn't even gotten in from flying today, he
suspected. Suddenly he was hit by a desperate thought. What if she doesn't
write? He realized that he really wanted to hear from her. He needed to. Shit,
what's her last name? He was wishing she'd given HIM some more information.
Well, at least she has my business card. She'll write, he rationalized. She'll
write.
   From his den, John could hear the door from the garage open and Jill and
Kyle laughing as they entered the kitchen. He figured this was a good sign
although the two of them had always gotten along well. It was Brittany that
had the knack for pushing all of Jill's buttons lately. It seemed the two of
them were always locked in mortal combat over something. He heard Jill call
out his name.
   "I'm up here," he yelled back.
   Jill stuck her head in John's den. She was still wearing her English riding
habit and knee-high black boots. "Hey," she said followed by a brief pause.
"When did you get home?"
   "Oh, about ten minutes ago. Pizza's on the way," he interjected.
   "Shit, really?"
   "Yeah, what's wrong with that?
   "Well, I ordered one too on the way home in the Suburban." Jill sounded
really bothered by such a minor screw-up.
   "So what? One'll keep in the fridge. That's why they invented microwaves."
He thought she always has to be so damn ordered and perfect.
   Jill just shook her head, closed the door behind her then headed
downstairs.
   What the hell's her problem? He switched off the light and prepared to head
downstairs himself. Guess I'll find out soon enough...
   Dinner was fairly uneventful. Jill told him about her week. Riding on
Monday, United Way meeting on Tuesday (she was the local chapter's volunteer
treasurer), running Kyle to soccer and orthodontist appointments on Wednesday,
United Methodist Women's meeting on Thursday (she was the president). Soccer
and riding again today, chores, shopping, on and on and on... She offered bits
of gossip about people John barely knew. She sipped her white wine and then
got silent when she saw John was getting bored. "So, how'd your week go?" she
finally asked in a tone suggesting that she also was not going to be too keen
on listening to his monologue.
   John just said, "Same as usual, I guess."
   
   "I want a new house, John. I want to move." They were now in bed together.
John had just switched off the light. He had wanted to get intimate with her
but the conversation from dinner earlier, and now this remark, probably had
lessened his chances to about nil.
   Here we go again. "What's wrong with this house?"
   They lived in a beautiful but older home in Atherton, just northwest of
Stanford University. The house had appreciated considerably in value over the
last ten years they'd owned it but so had all the real estate around them.
   "It's getting old. It's falling apart," Jill declared.
   "Christ Jill, it's only 30 years old. It needs a little maintenance every
now and then."
   "Yeah, like last Tuesday, when the water heater blew up."
   "It blew up?" John sounded surprised.
   "Well, not exactly but I had to call the plumber. There was water all over
the garage. You know, it's stuff like that. And I'm the one that always has to
deal with it. You're always gone."
   "So, where do you want to move?" John figured she hadn't thought this far
ahead and hoped to end the conversation. He was wrong.
   "I want to get up into the foothills away from this congestion. I saw a
sign just today on the way back from the stables. They are subdividing this
gorgeous parcel up in Woodside into five two-acre plots. It's just off Sand
Hill Road west of 280 but it's very secluded. I imagine they'll sell fairly
quickly. The sign said they had to have some sort of rezoning hearing first."
   "Uh huh. And the land alone will probably cost about half to three-quarters
of a million dollars."
   Jill was quite for a time. Then she said, "So, how many millions did you
say we'd have in stock by this time next year? John, we've talked about moving
before. I thought you'd be interested in upgrading too once your company took
off. I want to live in a new house. One I can decorate inside and out...one
that doesn't need a new this or that every other day just to keep it
running."
   Why this presumptuous bitch, John was thinking. She's practically got my
entire stock in Ilex spent before it's even real. Of course Jill never had
problems spending money whether it was for horses, clothes, furniture, a new
$40,000 sport utility vehicle or whatever. But he'd never complained so there
were never any spoken limits. Now he felt compelled to put his foot down. "I
can't just sell several million dollars in stock even after we go public,
Jill. There are certain limits of waiting and so on. I don't even understand
all my options at this point."
   Jill shot back, "Yeah, but can't you at least pledge the 'paper profit' as
collateral for a new loan?"
   Where'd she get so smart on this stuff? "I suppose. Look, if it means so
much to you, why don't you call a realtor and get them to look at this house.
See what it's worth, what the market's like and so forth. That should be a
prerequisite before we go looking at million dollar lots."
   Jill brightened. "Really? We can list this house? Sally, in my UMW group
knows this agent for Coldwell Banker that...."
   John cut her off. "Whoa, I didn't say we could list the house. Not yet
anyway. Just get some ideas on what we can get for it. How long it'd take to
sell, you know. Jill, if we list this house and someone buys it, then what?"
   "We rent for a while. John, I'm not stupid. We can make this thing work. I
can make it work. You know me...I can organize anything." She smiled at him to
show some easing up on her part.
   He picked up on it. Suddenly he was getting very aroused again. He was
hoping for some sex tonight. He also felt like he wanted a cigarette. He
reached over and kissed Jill briefly but tenderly. "Yes, I know you," he spoke
in almost a whisper. Then, something prompted him to ask Jill a question.
Maybe it was his recent smoking experience with (and subsequent fantasizing
about) Jenni. "Say Jill, I need to ask you something." He hesitated for
several seconds as she turned her eyes on him. "Have you ever thought about
starting smoking again?"
   She blinked then squinted at him. "Huh? What do you mean, again? I never
really smoked in the first place...well, maybe a little but that was a long
time ago." Then she thought she sensed his game. "Are you smoking now or
something...is that it?"
   "No, no, no," he lied. "You know, at parties and stuff...that's all. It's
no real secret. No, what I really want to know...was curious about...was,
well, do you ever think about smoking? You know...about trying it again?" He
realized how awkward he was probably sounding.
   Jill spoke, "No, I don't think about it." She paused, "Besides, John, no
one smokes anymore. None of our friends smoke. Well, at least none of our
close friends. Get real. This is not only the '90's, it's California." 
   Don't remind me, John sighed to himself. "When was the last time you
smoked?" He decided to be more direct.
   "What? What do you mean?" Jill was having trouble with the point of the
conversation. "Probably in college...years ago, I don't know. You think I'm
smoking behind your back or something?"
   Don't I wish? "No, nothing like that." He was sounding resigned, hopeless.
"Let's just drop it." God, she just doesn't get it.
   "Fine...goodnight," she said, somewhat perplexed but glad to be done with
what seemed like a pointless little inquisition.
   "Goodnight," said John as he rolled over to his side of the bed.
   
   The silence in the room down the hall was broken by a dial tone sound
coming from the modem. A familiar seven digit dialing sequence and ring
followed. The modems at each end negotiated a computer handshake with some
gibberish that only computers understand, then, presto, John's docked laptop
linked with the Ilex server. Soon, a stream of email envelopes were
automatically filling his screen and writing on the hard drive. John was not
even in the room. He had left his computer on and given it instructions to
automatically dial the server every morning at 2 AM. This way, he'd have all
his emails before he left the house and could review them on the way to work,
in a meeting or on a plane. After downloading seven new messages, the modem
clicked off and the computer began its other nocturnal auto-task of scanning
and defragging the hard drive.
   When John woke up at 5:47 AM according to the bedside alarm, he soon
realized he was not going to be able to get back to sleep. He was still on
Florida time and it was almost nine in the morning in Ft. Lauderdale. He
stumbled out of bed to get a drink and afterwards he quickly found himself
standing in his den. Christ, I can't sleep anyway. He sat down, glanced at the
computer screen and saw it displaying the usual 'flying windows'. He jiggled
the mouse a couple of times and casually looked at the addresses of his new
emails that he knew awaited him. All of the addresses looked familiar except
one from the Internet from a 'jetoliver@mindspring.com'. Who the hell do I
know that uses Mindspring other than Jill's sister? Probably just spam... He
double-clicked on it anyway.
   
   John, it's 11 and i just got in the door from my flight i didn't think id
be writing so soon tina even told me i shouldn't but I really wanted to. i
enjoyed last night with you i enjoyed meeting you. your really neat i think so
when are you going to FL again? my schedule is to be there in 10 days for
another ro1n. i'd like to see you sometime soon maybe we could go dancing
again. well as you can see im not the best typist in the world so sorry if
this sounds jumbled but im tired its been a loooong day. See ya, jenni ps -
oh...i finished the pack of cigarettes you gave me...i think im hooked ha ha.
   
   John read the email over ten times before he started to construct his
reply. Her crude syntax disquieted him but he was overjoyed nonetheless. He
especially couldn't believe that last part. Finished the pack! There were more
than 10 cigarettes in there when he gave them to her! Hooked? He didn't think
so but thought that she's well on her way. He was thrilled that she even
mentioned it. He couldn't wait to see her again. John hit the reply button:
   
   Jenni:
   Thanks so much for your message. I enjoyed Thursday night too. I will
probably be in Ft. Lauderdale again on Tuesday. The business may be wrapping
up soon so I'm not sure what my plans will be after that. I'd love to see you
though. Is there any chance you'll be down there sooner than 10 days? I'll
pass on my reservations as soon as I make them. Glad you liked the
cigarettes....it's the menthol isn't it?
   John
   
   He toyed with how best to close the message and couldn't come up with
anything better than his original sentence so he left it alone. Just having
some reference to smoking at the end satisfied him. Plus, it was a question
that she could answer back so to keep the dialog alive. John finally pressed
'Send'.
   
   
   6. No Turning Back
   
   "I can't believe you're actually going down there," said Tina to her
coworker and friend.
   "Why not? We're just going to go out on a date...sort of," spoke Jenni
while packing her overnight bag in her bedroom.
   "Where are you staying? In his room?" Tina said disapprovingly as she
exhaled a long stream of cigarette smoke away from the bed.
   "I doubt it." Jenni grinned with embarrassment. "I think I'll try to grab
the 11:30 flight out tomorrow night." Jenni was flying company standby based
on her status with Delta. She knew that if she left early enough tomorrow from
Atlanta and also late enough from Ft. Lauderdale that she'd have a good chance
of having a seat. Otherwise, forget it, Delta's banker hours flights were
always sold out on these legs weeks in advance.
   "Oh come on, you're not going to be able to say goodbye to him only five
hours after he gets there. Does he know you plan to leave so soon?"
   Tina's smoke finally made Jenni decide she wanted one too. She reached into
her dresser and produced a new pack (the first she'd bought on her own) of
Benson and Hedges Menthol Lights. She almost made a mistake and bought the
full flavor version but a helpful convenience store clerk allowed her to
exchange the pack once she was in her car and realized the error. There were
two cigarettes already gone - consumed at home after lunch. Smoking alone at
home had been a big step for her. But Jenni had practiced with these in front
of her bathroom mirror. At first, she was very startled to see herself with a
cigarette. Then, when she took a puff and watched her reflection, she couldn't
believe how surreal it all looked. It was fun; almost like a game. She watched
the smoke swirl around in her mouth before inhaling it. She blew smoke back at
herself and watched as it flattened in all directions after striking the
mirror. She tipped her head on some exhales, she even tried to blow smoke
rings but failed and started laughing at herself. Now she was smoking with
Tina again and feeling much more confident. "John's not even sure I'll be
there. I told him I may not be able to get a flight down. I said, 'If I'm at
the gate when you land, you'll know I've made it. If not, then go on without
me'."
   "Jenni, what do you think this guy is after? You know he's married, right?"
Tina continued to issue challenges but at the same time helped Jenni arrange
the dress she was packing.
   "There, all done." Jenni ignored the question and zipped up her bag. Then,
the two women went into the living room to finish their cigarettes.
   Jenni dropped onto the sofa then started a long puff. Tina remained
standing and walked toward the front door of the small apartment. "Good night,
Jen. I've got to get back. I told Charlie I'd try to help him with his
homework tonight." Tina was a single mom to her 12-year-old son.
   Jenni exhaled most of her smoke then said, "Oh, come on Tina. Stay. I still
need some more discouragement on what I'm about to do." She grinned indicating
she was teasing.
   Tina came over towards the couch and hugged Jenni. She smelled like fresh
smoke, which reminded Jenni of John and their kiss. "I just don't want you to
come out second best in this thing. You'll remember what I told you, right?"
   Jenni nodded. Tina had given her very explicit instructions earlier. That's
why she came over in the first place, Jenni now understood.
   
   *****************************************
   
   John was having a very serious case of the doubts as he felt the airplane
taxi up to the gate and stop. He was feeling the pressure and urgency of
trying to pull off the biggest business deal in his career with one hand tied
behind his back. The Collins men were not coming back to Florida with him this
time. Jack Borgman had left explicit instructions with John that (1) Collins
was not going to concede $200,000 in non-recurring engineering and (2) that
he, John, had better go down there and make sure Peter Gaylor understood that.
Jack was not just upset, as John had predicted, he was absolutely livid -- so
much so that he was ordering John around over the phone like his lackey.
Imagine! Telling me to go down there and do this and do that. The ego on this
guy. And to think _I_ was the one that got them involved in this program in
the first place! Ingrate. His greediness was going to cost them all, John was
sure of it.
   John had come up with a plan of his own. He was going to force Borgman into
submission but first he'd need help from Peter Gaylor. This was John's true
mission in Fort Lauderdale. God, as if this isn't enough pressure to deal
with. And now I'm about to start down the road of an adulterous affair with a
woman I barely know. He found himself hoping that she wouldn't be at the gate
waiting for him when he stepped off the plane. Yeah, maybe she couldn't get on
standby with her airline. This is just too much of a distraction right now.
   John was the second passenger up the jetway thanks to his first class seat,
when the big door swung open. Now, as he moved through the crowd, he was
scanning. His eyes moved from right to left -- no sign of her so far. He was
starting to feel let down but relieved at the same time. Christ, I'm a mess. I
don't know what the hell I want. As he shifted his carry-on luggage from one
shoulder to the other, he noticed his hand was shaking. Man, I need a drink.
Then he felt a tug on his elbow. He turned. His eyes opened wide. "Jenni!" was
about all he could muster.
   She was smiling mischievously yet radiating warmth and excitement. She was
truly glad to see him. "Hello John," she spoke slyly while maintaining her
smile.
   "You made it," he said trying to sound pleased. Shocked was more like it.
   "I sure did. Are you glad to see me?" (Ah you gla-hd to see me?). Her
eyelids dropped to half-mast. She was really leading him on.
   "Of course. You look wonderful." John was telling the truth, Jenni did look
wonderful. She was wearing a dark-purple blouse along with some tight fitting
faded denim jeans. She had a soft cream-colored sweater draped over her right
shoulder and was pulling a small roll-along bag. She also had a pair of
wrap-around sunglasses lifted up over her forehead resting on her beautiful
honey-blond hair. The whole picture seemed to suggest confidence -- something
John had very little of right now.
   He could see Jenni was sensing his reticence. "Jenni, I've got to confess,
I'm just a little nervous," he offered with an anxious smile. Her looks and
attitude were psyching him out. He couldn't believe how he was behaving.
   She thought she was starting to see his motive and was willing to let him
off the hook. Maybe I've made a mistake, she pondered. "John, we don't have to
go through with this. I mean, if you want to just forget it then..."
   "No, no, no, that's not it. I think I...I think I, uh, just need a drink.
Where can you get a drink around here?"
   Jenni knew the airport quite well. She'd been here almost a hundred times.
In fact, she'd spent the last seven hours here smoking and drinking coffee
waiting for John. Without saying any more, she steered them both into the bar
near the security checkpoint. They could both get a drink and decide just how
far HE wanted to go.
   As they both pulled side by side seats up to the bar, the waiter asked for
their orders. Jenni asked for a glass of Merlot and John said, "Scotch on the
rocks, double...please."
   They sat in silence until the drinks came. When the barkeep set John's
scotch in front of him he wasted no time grabbing it and taking a long sip. It
gave him a familiar burn but it was a very welcome sensation. Warmth pervaded
his entire body. He was already starting to feel better. As he turned to Jenni
to speak, he noticed she was digging in her small purse. "I'm sorry," he said.
"I'm behaving like a jerk. I really am glad to see you and...."
   At this point, Jenni had just placed one of her long, white cigarettes
between her full lips. She flicked her lighter, took an extended drag then
removed it and inhaled deeply. "And, what?" she said with smoke way down in
her chest. She tried to remain serious but couldn't. The look on John's face
was almost comical. She gave out gentle bursts of laughter through her exhale.
"You should see yourself. (You shu-ad see yoah-self.) You look like a deer
caught in the headlights." Her laughing stopped as she started a second puff
for him.
   John was coming around now. This scene was what he needed to remind him of
why he'd come back here. All of a sudden he desired this goddess before him --
he needed her. Now he remembered. Now he was thinking clearly. He decided to
exploit her teasing him and play the victim. "I'm just stunned by your
beauty," he said smiling innocently.
   She leaned closer, narrowed her eyes and said, "Is that so?" in a husky
voice. "Are you going smoke with me now?" He could feel her hand on his
thigh.
   John took the cue, reached out to her hand and removed the cigarette from
between her fingers. He took a very long puff, inhaled, and then handed it
back. He exhaled away from her but only inches from her mouth. Then he moved
closer and brushed her lips with his. She responded by reaching back to him
and initiating a very tender kiss that seemed to say, this is only the
prelude. When he tasted her sweet, smoky breath, he just about went wild. Now
it was obvious why he was here. There would be no turning back now.
   They continued their flirtatious game while John lit his own cigarette and
drained his scotch. They each decided to order another drink before leaving
the airport for dinner. John couldn't believe what a seasoned smoker Jenni had
become since he'd last seen her. She followed right up with a second B&H after
her first and was outpacing him. At this rate, he'd need to buy his own pack
before the night was over.
   "So, where are you taking me to eat?" she asked while playing footsie with
him on the barstool.
   
   They were having dinner at this yuppie seafood place by the water. John
knew when he and Jenni sat down that the entire meal was going to be pricey.
But he'd thought, fuck it, I'm on expenses. Besides, what he had in front of
him, he would have gladly paid double the price of this incidental meal
for....even out of his own pocket! Jenni looked ravishing. She still seemed to
radiate this confidence that only made her sexier to him. Earlier, in the
airport, it had intimidated him. As he walked beside her from the gate, he
felt he had been transported to another life. This beautiful woman from a
younger generation carried herself with such assurance that he was still
finding it hard to believe that he was actually 'with her' at this moment.
   Now, after several scotches and a half bottle of wine, John knew he was
'with her'. She was going nowhere else tonight. All this sly talk of her
taking the last flight out of Lauderdale tonight had been a test. They were
both here and they knew what was going to happen next. She was going back to
his hotel room to do some serious cuddling and smoking and whatever else came
up.
   
   He wanted to tell her to slow down but he couldn't. Things were progressing
rapidly. Jenni was leaning up against him pressing her firm, slender body
against his. She was kissing him aggressively and pushing her lips deep into
his by rocking her head from side to side. 
   Jenni had just lit one of her Benson & Hedges Menthol Lights and was
holding it by her side as she kissed him. John could taste her smoke as some
residual exited her nose. He felt she was smoking not for herself but for him
now...like this was all being orchestrated on his behalf. Again, he didn't
care. He was caught in a deep lust for her and all he wanted to do for the
moment was heighten this wonderful sexual contact.
   As she pushed back from the embrace, Jenni did decide to slow the pace. She
backed up into the hotel room's plush sofa, kicked off her shoes and began a
lengthy puff.
   "Umm, this tastes sooo good." Smoke mixed with her words before she pursed
her lips to finish the exhale. "Come on over and sit down, John."
   John obliged and maneuvered between Jenni and the end-cushions. She moved
to accommodate him then leaned up against him and rested her head on his chest
just below his chin. She continued to smoke and provide John with an excellent
'from behind' view. He could feel her entire body expand as her ribs pushed up
against him on her inhales. Sometimes she'd sigh before exhaling. John began
to massage her breasts by reaching around from the side. He then unhooked her
bra and started to unbutton her blouse. Jenni allowed him to proceed as she
continued to sit and smoke. John was so hard in his crotch that he had to
shift his position. When he did, Jenni reached behind and undid his pants. He
raised his torso and slid them off then pulled his own shirt off.
   They were sitting on the soft sofa almost naked when Jenni finished her
cigarette. As she ground out the remains in the ashtray she reached for
another from her pack on the coffee table. Before lighting it, she took off
her remaining clothes, then settled back against John's body and lit her
cigarette. John couldn't believe how easily she was smoking. He reached around
and took her cigarette and took a puff of his own. Jenni took this opportunity
to move out from against him and spin around to face him in an almost prone
position. John came back down on top of her and fed her his exhale. She
eagerly sucked it in as she took her cigarette back from him.
   At this point, John couldn't resist her any longer. He had to be inside
her. He began to fumble with the condom he'd purchased in the San Francisco
airport only hours earlier and cursed to himself. He hadn't worn one since his
college days. Jenni watched curiously and chuckled as she continued to smoke
with her head resting on the cushions. Finally, as she raised her cigarette to
her lips, John's erect member penetrated her in mid-puff. He slid in
effortlessly. Jenni was already lubricated and acknowledged acceptance of him
by squeezing before exhaling her smoke directly in his face.
   The two proceeded purely on instinct. John was slapping her pelvis with his
quick thrusts as her head rocked up and down on a sofa cushion. She urged him
to slow down and to just rest inside her. Finally he complied and she started
to giggle. "Come on, silly. How am I supposed to smoke if you continue to fuck
me so hard?" She giggled again, then began a long puff. 
   John was still deep inside her as he watched the creamy white smoke swirl
in her mouth then disappear deep into her lungs. He was glad they slowed down.
He felt he was about to come and he wanted to make this wonderful session of
smoky lovemaking last as long as possible. He felt he could spend an eternity
in this position as he watched Jenni take another puff. He felt her vaginal
muscles contract around his member. "It's okay if you want to come inside me,"
she whispered in her lovely southern accent. "It's okay..." 
   John couldn't hold out any longer. He started moving in and out increasing
the tempo. He could actually hear the soft squishing sound of their friction.
Jenni was holding her cigarette at her side as she felt her orgasm
approaching. Together they rocked rhythmically on the sofa until they
climaxed, first John, then Jenni. The room felt like it was undulating, as if
they were on a boat. John continued to rock in and out of Jenni as she shook
below him. He could smell the smoky atmosphere that now permeated the room as
well as their own fresh sweat. It was a delicious combination.
   They finally moved to the king-size bed and rested as they fondled each
other under the covers. Jenni was laughing gently and speaking in her soft,
low voice. "That was fun. I've never done it that way before," she said
pushing wisps of hair back that had entered her mouth. 
   John decided to be coy this time. "What way?" he said, also in a low
voice.
   "You know, smoke while we 'did it'."
   "You've never done that before?" John asked feigning disbelief.
   "Of course not silly. It never occurred to me before."
   John was puzzled. She had smoked while they made love just now almost like
she did it all the time. "What made it occur to you?" He was smiling so it
wouldn't look too much like an interrogation.
   Jenni's smile faded. She wanted to say that she knew about John -- that she
knew about his fetish. Tina had explained it all and it now seemed to make
perfect sense. The more Jenni smoked for him, the more his behavior reinforced
Tina's explanation. She could tell her smoking absolutely drove him nuts. At
first, she thought she'd smoke for him because she was attracted to him and,
if it made him feel attracted to her, then all the better. But now Jenni felt
that there was more to gain by smoking for John. She could actually maintain a
power over him that she had never dreamed possible. She knew she could exploit
this knowledge if she wanted to but felt content with the way things were
going right now. "Oh, I don't know....I was just sitting there on the sofa
enjoying my cigarette when you decided to enter me. It was fun to do
both....you know, make love and smoke." An awkward pause followed so Jenni
decided to interject, "You liked it too, didn't you?" Her voice switched to an
innocent sounding tone.
   "Of course I liked it." John didn't have a problem admitting this but felt
like he was passing information rather than making conversation and she was
collecting it and filing it away. His thoughts blurred on the topic as Jenni
lit another cigarette and cuddled up next to him under the covers. He could
feel himself getting hard again.
   
   What an asshole, John thought as he closed his eyes and tried to sleep. He
was on the Fort Lauderdale / Atlanta leg of his trip back to San Francisco. He
knew he wasn't going to be sleeping - he was too keyed up. John's meeting at
Sikorsky with Peter Gaylor lasted only 30 minutes. Thirty minutes! All this
way for 30 minutes! John had tried to gently sway Peter into seeing things his
way. He was a master salesman and he had talked persuasively and passionately
to Peter while maintaining a business-like and detached exterior, as if things
didn't matter at all - that he was just the messenger. However, at the end of
the 30 minutes, John's plea was all for naught. Peter had raised his hand,
indicating for John to hold the rest of his monologue, and simply said, "It's
out of my hands."
   "But Peter, we can do this deal. We're willing to cave on the $200,000."
   "We're?" Peter said, raising his eyebrows. "Since when did you start to
work for Collins?" It was a very icy rhetorical question.
   John knew at that moment that Peter and that bald-headed old fart, Jack
Borgman had already talked. Peter had made up his mind. So he took another
tack that he knew he'd probably regret. "Look Peter, I'm sorry I seem so
presumptuous, but let me tell you something you may not know...something that
Collins certainly won't tell you. We, Ilex, originally laid out our circuit
card design to make the whole system play without requiring that damn C-5
card. Jack, err, Collins just sees it as an opportunity to throw more
engineering at the project."
   Peter appeared to be softening as John maintained eye contact. Then he
spoke in a very lecturing tone, "John, you come from a small
commercially-oriented business that has it's roots in the PC market. Let me
teach you something about government contracts and doing business with the
Navy. First, you don't load up a proposal with a lot of fat in the beginning
then expect to negotiate it away in the 11th hour when things look bad." 
   John opened his mouth as if to protest. 
   "Let me finish," Peter said. "Second, you should never expect to close on a
negotiation in a little one-on-one meeting like we're doing here today and
third, and this is a biggie, we observe a strict chain of command on these
programs, just like the Navy. Never does a subcontractor such as Ilex go
around their prime in an attempt to subvert their quotation. Now, let me tell
YOU something YOU may not know." Peter lowered his voice. "Your little attempt
to settle this thing so quickly has backfired. The Navy's so confused right
now that they've put a stop to the whole program while they investigate it.
Yes, investigate it for Christ's sake! We're officially on hold thanks to
Collins blowing the whistle to the Navy when they got word of your little
scheme. Nobody trusts anybody now...all because you couldn't wait a few extra
days. Frankly John, you're going to cost this program a lot more than $200,000
by the time it's all over. Now I guess all we can do is wait...and let the 50
engineers we hired sit idle and burn up our money rather than the Navy's."
   John was practically numb as he sat and listened. He knew it was wrong but
there was nothing he could do. Much bigger forces were in play now...bigger
than his tiny little company back in Silicon Valley. "Peter, it seems to me
you should be blaming Collins for this mess. I was just trying to help save
the program some money. Don't shoot me for just trying to be ethical."
   Peter spoke as if he had anticipated John's last statement. "Ethical? Why
that's a very interesting word, John. You're correct on that one. This does
have everything to do with ethics, doesn't it? Was it ethical for you to tell
me that Collins had overloaded their quote to us? Was it ethical for you to
lie to me and say that they had agreed to the de-scope?" Before John could
answer, Peter finished by saying, "This meeting's over. You had better get
back to San Jose and wait this thing out." Peter turned his back. "And John,
don't call me again...I'll call you."
   
   John had played this scene over and over in his mind since his plane had
pushed back from the gate in Fort Lauderdale. No matter how many times he
re-wrote the ending to make himself the hero, he still had to face up to the
fact that he had lied to Peter, and Peter knew it. God, everyone on the team
knew it by now. He even figured Al, Conrad and Mike, his partners back home,
knew it. This whole trip was wrong. John was coming to the realization that
Jenni was behind it. Being able to see her again on such short notice had been
the real catalyst in coming back to Florida. Closing with Sikorsky would've
been the icing on the cake. And now the whole program, Christ, his whole
career, was in jeopardy. All for what? All for a brief fling to satisfy his
recently rekindled fetish. No, no, no. My fetish did not cause this. He could
not, would not admit this even to himself. Then he closed his eyes and saw the
thick creamy smoke in Jenni's mouth just before she snap-inhaled it laying
beneath him cradling his rock-hard penis deep inside her hot vagina. He was
getting hard again on the airplane just thinking about it. No, I can't
continue to see her, no matter how good it was. I've got to make my
professional life right again. He was thinking clearly now. At least he
thought he was....

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