Southbound Ch. 07-08

Original editing by ErikThread and DaveT with my thanks. Any monkeying with it by me is my responsibility.

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Chapter 7 Getting Involved

We were lying together after our second encounter. If I ever even knew what great sex was, I found out with a certainty that night. Fiona was dynamic in bed and made me realize what I had been missing. Our first time was rather short and unsatisfactory, but it didn't appear to bother her. The second time seemed to go on forever. I didn't really understand what a responsive woman was like. I had been with only one sexual partner in the last twenty-three years and had nothing to compare her to.

And I got my first ever oral sex. Carla absolutely refused to give me what I so willingly gave her. I simply accepted her decision and left the matter alone. Fiona had no such inhibitions. I had no idea what I was missing. Oh sure, I'd heard from guys how great a good blow job was, but this new lady in my life was making sure I now knew what I had only heard about from other guys. It seemed so much better when I reciprocated and she let me know in more than one way that I was pleasing her.

"Uhhhmmm Fiona ... I wonder ... uhhm ... can I get a second date?"

I was kidding, of course and she got that right away. She burst out laughing.

"Only if you tell me your real name," she said, rolling toward me.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw your briefcase and the initials were G.B.A. What's your real name?"

"Gordon Bruce Andrews," I said in as thick a Scottish brogue as I could imitate.

"I wonder if we're related?" she asked.

"How so?"

"Fiona Aileen Alexander, great granddaughter of Robert Allen McGregor of Kilmarnock, Scotland."

"Not too likely," I said, idly stroking a breast. "Gordon Hamish Andrews, my grandfather, was from Aberdeen. That's some distance away."

"Well, we've both got oatmeal in our blood, so maybe that's why we're so compatible."

"I was always told it was scotch whiskey," I murmured, "but I was young and believed everything my parents told me."

"Do you have brothers or sisters?" she asked.

"One brother, Jamie, in Ontario. He's been there since he finished high school. Married a woman who runs a stable for rich people who own horses. It suits him just fine. He's become a country boy, despite the fact that he was brought up in the big city."

"Older or younger?"

"Older by three years. We fought like most brothers do I suppose, but in the last fifteen years we've become close. We're good friends now."

"I'm glad. That's good," she said with a nice comforting smile. "I am an only child, so I never had a brother or sister to be around. Unfortunately, Tina is in the same situation. I hope when she gets married that she has at least two or three children."

"So, what about that second date?" I persisted.

"Oh, I don't know. I mean, I hardly know you, sir," she teased.

"Oh sure. I finally find a great looking woman who cooks like a chef and likes sports ... and she blows me off."

"I certainly did, didn't I," she laughed until I realized just what I had said.

"That was a first for me," I admitted.

"What! You'd never had a woman go down on you?"

"Nope. Carla absolutely refused and I didn't exactly come into the marriage with a lot of experience."

"Well then, sir, I am going to show you just what you've been missing. I could do with an encore performance from you too," she said, sliding down until her face was in my groin.

There was nothing to say and I lay back to enjoy a skill being practiced on me that was a completely new experience. I had no idea if Fiona was a superior practitioner of the art, but it felt like it to me. I was up and ready to go again much more quickly than I expected. Fiona examined her efforts, threw a leg over me and impaled herself on my erection in one smooth, constant motion. There was a sigh of pleasure from both of us.

She was amazing to watch. So much bigger than Carla and so much more voluptuous as a result. Her breasts swayed in rhythm tantalizingly just out of reach of my mouth, but well within reach of my hands. She rode me for several minutes before stopping.

"Take me from behind," she said as she dismounted and assumed a position on all fours. This was another first for me. Carla would have no part of "doggie sex" either.

Moving behind her, she helped me enter her once more. Immediately I noticed the difference in feeling as I began to slowly stroke into her.

"Harder, Andy. Give it to me harder," she ordered.

Within a few seconds the sound of my hips smacking into her beautifully sculpted ass was resounding through the bedroom. I knew I wasn't going to last a long time in this position. The sensation was too much to sustain this continuous aggressive driving motion. My God though, was it good while it lasted.

"I'm just about there, Fiona," I admitted a short time later.

"Just do it," she gasped back at me, so I did.

This time we were panting as we lay on the now sticky and damp sheet. Carla hated that while Fiona didn't seem to care.

"So, have you decided about the second date yet?" I tried, making light of what we had just experienced.

"Oh, I suppose I can see my way clear to maybe being with you again. Of course, there is one condition."

"What's that?"

"That you fuck me silly like you did tonight," she giggled, pulling me to her and holding me in her embrace.

"Okay, I can do that," I chuckled, pretty sure I could, too.

She dragged me out of bed when we had caught our breath and led me to the shower. She had a nice big tiled enclosure in her attached bathroom and we enjoyed soaping and rinsing each other until the hot water ran out. Then we towelled each other dry. Neither of us bothered to put any clothes on. She was perfectly happy to walk around the house naked and I followed her lead.

We pulled the sheets off the bed and she stuck them in the washer and turned it on while I made the bed. That seemed to surprise her.

"Huh! You really are domesticated aren't you?"

"I like to think so," I admitted.

"That settles it, you definitely get that second date."

"Thank you ma'am, I'm most appreciative."

"What do you like for breakfast?"

"You want me to stay?" I asked in surprise. "Won't Tina notice?"

"Hah! You're way too late for that. Whose idea do you think it was for her to stay with her friend tonight?"

"So, you're telling me you conspired with your teenage daughter to seduce me and keep me overnight?"

"It wasn't so much conspire as it was my daughter clearing the path for me to do what I wanted to do."

"Ah hah! I was a victim of your wanton plot all along," I said, trying to give her a disgusted look. It didn't work.

"You fought like a tiger to resist me, didn't you?" she smirked. "It took me all of thirty seconds to bring you to heel."

"True. You can chalk another one up to a weak man being led by a powerful woman."

She flopped on the bed and held her arms in open invitation to me. I complied with her wishes. Who wouldn't?

We'd turned off the bedroom overhead light and were basking in the low light of a small table lamp with her pale yellow t-shirt draped over it. I was borderline emotional at that point. This was such an amazing night, an amazing turn of events, that it was almost overload.

"You aren't weak, Andy. You've gone through a rough time and made it out the other side very nicely. I've never been there so I can't imagine what a loveless marriage is like. It's hard to believe that a guy as nice as you could have that happen to him. If you're half the man I think you are, that woman is crazy."

"How about we agree not to talk about it? I don't want to dwell on the past. What's done is done. The future looks a lot brighter to me right now," I said, holding her closely.

"Hmmmm," was the only response I got and within a few minutes, she had fallen asleep. I reached over and turned off the light. It was just a shame that I couldn't turn off my brain at the same time.

I didn't know what kind of reaction to expect the next morning. I awoke an hour later than my usual time of six o'clock. It was still dark with only a hint of dawn and I was in need of the bathroom facilities. Carefully untangling myself from Fiona, I padded quietly to the bathroom in the hallway. I was going to have to return to the hotel for a shave and a change of clothes. I decided on a shower to at least be clean when I dressed.

I discovered some mouthwash and used it gratefully in lieu of brushing my teeth. I also found a package of women's disposable razors and decided to borrow one in the hope that I could get a decent enough shave and wouldn't look too rough when Fiona awoke. The razors were pretty much the same as the men's variety except the plastic was pink instead of blue. Using the bath gel as a substitute for shaving gel, I managed a reasonable appearance when I was done.

It was twenty after seven when I returned to the bedroom to find the bed empty and light coming from under the door in the ensuite. Gathering my clothes and dressing, I waited for Fiona to appear. A few minutes later the sliding door opened and she walked out with a big smile and nothing else. This woman had no hesitation on being naked around me.

She strode over to me, wrapped her arms around my neck and proceeded to give me one of her deep, soul-enriching kisses.

"Good morning, Andy," she smiled.

"Good morning to you too," I replied, happy that she apparently had no second thoughts about yesterday. Then again, she wasn't the kind of woman to have second thoughts. She pulled a robe out of her closet and put it on.

"What would you like for breakfast?"

"Well, I usually just have fruit juice, cold cereal and coffee. Would that be okay?"

She was shaking her head, but still smiling. "It's just another thing that makes me think we were destined for each other. That's exactly what I have each morning."

We took our time with breakfast, engaged in small talk, but with undercurrents of what had happened the night before.

"You think our being together was preordained, huh?" I suggested.

"After last night, you betcha." I got another deep kiss and as fate would have it, that exact moment was when the back door to the kitchen opened and Tina made her appearance.

"Ooops," she said in surprise. "Sorry."

By the look on her face, she was far from sorry.

I was all set to disengage, but Fiona held on, trapping me in her embrace.

"Nice going, Mom," Tina grinned. "Way to go, Andy."

"It's Mr. Andrews, young lady," her mother admonished.

"No problem," I said. "I don't stand on ceremony. I'm okay with Andy."

"See, Mom, I told you he was cool." With that she headed for her room.

"I'll lose this battle, won't I," Fiona said with a slight frown.

"It's not a big deal, Fiona. I'm not her dad and I'm not some authority figure she has to be polite to. I'm just her mother's boyfriend."

"What do you mean, 'just'?" she snapped. "I don't take on boyfriends regularly I'll have you know. You've got special status. Don't screw it up."

She sounded pretty indignant, but I caught the undertone of humour that gave her away.

"So, adjusting for a poor choice of words, can I assume I still rate as your boyfriend?"

"For now," she said, still trying to suppress the humour.

I didn't let the moment pass and pulled her in for another kiss and she responded immediately. We were good.

"What's our plan for today?" she asked when we broke.

"Uhhm ... well, to tell the truth, I didn't have one. Last night was a big surprise. What would you like to do today?"

"I thought we'd spend it together. I can show you around Livermore and Pleasanton. Tomorrow is a work day, not today."

"Starting tomorrow," I said, "I'm going to begin introducing you to your new accounts. As of January first, they became yours. I sent you the background and volume sheets as well as samples. I hope they arrived."

"Just a minute," she said, walking to a closed door at the end of the hall. She was back in less than a minute, carrying the computer printouts and the samples.

"There's about one point three million in sales in those five accounts," I explained. "Two of them are full ten percent commission accounts and three are five percent. We had to meet some competitive pricing last year and that cut our margins."

"Even if they were all at five percent, I would still see sixty-five thousand in commissions. That's a huge boost in my earnings. It's going to make choosing a college for Tina a lot easier."

"There's growth potential at three of them as well," I mentioned. "I don't see why you wouldn't earn over a hundred thousand from them. However, I would like to go over your existing accounts from Statewide and make sure they fit our strategy."

"Sure," she agreed. "I'm positive there's a couple that won't, but they aren't very big, so that won't hurt too much."

"Okay, then I'll want to go over some key accounts that we haven't been able to approach for one reason or another. They will make up your future business opportunities."

Fiona was shaking her head. "Boy, did I pick a winner when I hooked up with you."

"I'm feeling the same way ... and I'm not just talking about last night," I said just as Tina reappeared. She had the good grace to look slightly embarrassed.

"I'm off to Janey's. We're having breakfast at IHOP. See you later," she said, kissing her mother on the cheek, then coming over to me and doing the same. I saw the look she gave her mother, almost daring her to say something. Fiona held back, but the look she gave her daughter would probably result in some sharp comments later that day.

"What am I going to do about her?" Fiona groaned as the back door shut.

"Watch her grow into a beautiful and smart young woman right before your eyes. She's having a bit of fun with you right now. Don't be too harsh with her.

"She's been trying to play little miss matchmaker for a couple of years now. She even had the nerve to sit me down a few months ago and give me a lecture. She warned me what would happen when she went off to college and I was all alone in this big empty house with no one to care for."

"She sure as hell cares about you, that's obvious," I said. "Be grateful, Fiona. She loves you and she wants you to be happy. She seems to have decided that I'm harmless, so she's okay with us."

"Are you harmless?" she asked, coming into my arms once more.

"That remains to be seen," I said, twilling my imaginary handlebar moustache.

"Here's a newsflash, Buster. I ain't no Little Nell."

"No, you sure as hell aren't," I chuckled.

That led to another long kiss before we put the dishes in the dishwasher and headed out for the day.

We spent the day touring around the area, stopping to sit in the park and share a lunch we had bought at the supermarket deli counter. It made for a very pleasant day.

When we parted that afternoon, we made our plan for Monday.

"I'll meet you at the plant. I've got a couple of quick things to do before we leave. While you're waiting, write down a route that will be the most efficient for you on these new accounts. I'll make a couple of phone calls before we leave the office. I've already contacted the customers to let them know we would be coming. I plan to give them the full treatment of what the Tracy plant is going to be, so we'll be lucky to get three done in a day."

"Okay, I'll see you then," she smiled, climbing into her older model Taurus station wagon. It probably had a lot of miles on it and was ready for replacement. I felt confident it was something she could afford to replace fairly soon.

Chapter 8 Making It Work

I spent much of the next three days introducing Fiona to the five accounts I expected her to manage. Explaining the changes to the Tracy plant to these customers, I told them what it would mean in terms of product opportunities for them. They knew of Statewide, of course, but none had done business with the firm and luckily, they didn't have a strong negative opinion of it. My job was to let them know that it would be a Flex Tek company and would be producing the quality and service they had come to expect. I made sure they had the brochures on the new equipment to understand this was going to be a ground-up renovation.

I can get a little carried away when I talk about Flex-Tek and our philosophy with customers. Those who have been with us for a while know me and understand where I'm coming from. Where I have to be more careful is with people I don't know well ... or not at all in some cases. Coming on too strong, I might be putting them off. I would have to be particularly careful with Fiona's customer base. The last thing I wanted to do was to alienate them.

"You're really something, Andy," Fiona said at the end of our first day. "You are a true believer in your company and what it can do. The people we saw today don't need much convincing. You've already proven yourself. It'll be a different story with my accounts. They've heard we have new owners, but they don't know anything about you. On top of that, you're not American. You're going to have to let me lead when we talk to them."

"Sure. I know I tend to oversell at times. You're right, I am a true believer and when we get Tracy up and running, you'll be one too. It's fun to have that much confidence in the people you work with. That confidence is passed along to the customers and when you come through for them, it just reinforces their belief in us."

"The world according to G. B. Andrews," she laughed. "The Elmer Gantry of the packaging business."

"Go ahead and laugh. You'll see for yourself."

"If these first two clients we called on are any indication, you don't have to convince me. I'm waiting to see how my customers react when you pass out some of those samples. That's going to be a real revelation to them."

"Our customers seemed to accept you," I said. "I didn't see any problem with your handling their accounts."

"No ... I didn't detect any concern about that either. So that took care of one of the coffee roasters and the chocolate company. What's next?"

"We'll see East Bay tomorrow. They have a large variety of product they pack for private label. Some of it is straight commodity film with an over-label, and some, for the bigger companies, is printed. East Bay will do trial packages, small test market runs, airline food service packaging and that sort of thing. Not huge volume, but if we can service them and make a dollar, we'll take the business. They know that and we've bailed them out a couple of times when other suppliers have let them down."

"So this should be a fairly easy call then?"

"Yes, more so because the buying department is run by a woman. I know she'll be really pleased that you'll represent us. She's always on my case about hiring women. I told her I have two women in sales in Canada and I'm always on the lookout for talent. I half expected her to recommend someone, but when I challenged her, she couldn't come up with a name. So tomorrow should be an interesting morning. I'm sure Maureen will give you the full tour and you'll see just how diverse they are."

"You have two women in sales in Canada?" she asked, sounding surprised.

"Yup. They are two of the best three sales people I have ... or had, I should say."

"Huh! Is that why you wanted me to work for you?"

"Your results said you were the best and your boss said you were the best, so it didn't seem like much of a risk."

"Lorne said that?"

"He did and he wasn't kidding. Now that I've received a bunch of positive feedback from your customers as well, it's a no-brainer."

The smile on her face said she was pleased with the praise from her customers. That means a lot to any salesperson. You can never hear you were doing a good job for them too many times.