The Brass Statuettes

By: Autumn Writer

Chapter 8—Seeking the Eye of the Hurricane

Frank sat back in his office chair. He was waiting for a call from Jim Sweeney and he deserved a few moments’ relaxation. The financing package for the R&D program was nearly put together; the forecast was done, and held together well. Soon, he would be able to call Jason Lowell into his office and let him in on it. Until it was done, he had to keep things strictly confidential.

“Maybe, when I tell him about the funding we can kiss and make up,” he thought to himself.

He knew that Alvin had issued Jason a pretty harsh verbal flogging, based largely on what Frank had told him. According to Frank’s point of view Jason richly deserved it.

“At this level, the boss shouldn’t have to scold Vice-Presidents like schoolboys.” Maybe Jason would be different after this—the kind of executive everyone expected him to be.

The intercom buzzed. “Mr. Sweeney is on the line,” Jeannette’s soft voice told him.

Frank picked up the phone.

Frank: “Hello Jim, Frank here.”

Sweeney: “Hey, Frank! How’s that sexy secretary of yours?”

Frank: “Just as sexy as ever. I’d like to fill you in on the financing arrangements for the R&D program.”

Sweeney: “Just what I was hoping to hear. I’m all ears.

Frank: “I think it’s a good package. It’ll be prime-minus-one; laddered debentures with principal payments starting in three years with maturities in stages over the next seven years after that.”

Sweeney: “How much is the package worth?”

Frank: “Four hundred million. We draw on it as we need it. They’ll hold the commitment open for three years.”

Sweeney: “Who’re we doin’ business with on this, Frank?”

Frank: “Chase-Morgan is the lead. We deal with them. I think they’re planning to lay off part of it—maybe to insurance companies.”

Sweeney: “Sounds too good to be true. What am I missing here?”

Frank: “They want a mortgage on the new R&D facility and security interests on any patents. They also want some offsetting deposits. That will tie us up somewhat, in case we want to do a sale and lease-back of the property, or license the patents.”

Sweeney: “I see your point.”

Frank: “I’m working on these details now. We might have to start that way and renegotiate something later. All-in-all, I think it’s the best deal available to us.”

Sweeney: “And it cuts out the Wertheim deal!”

Frank: “Not necessarily, but it does de-link the R&D program from Wertheim. They should never have been jammed together in the first place.”

Sweeney: “That was Mueller’s and Lambert’s doing.”

Frank: “Alvin asked me to tell you that he’s on board with this.”

Sweeney: “I couldn’t be happier, Frank. When’s the closing date?

Frank: “We’re just waiting for the SEC to pass on the 10-Q and for our forecast, which looks good. It shouldn’t be long.”

Sweeney: “Keep me posted. Now I’ve got to run—plane to catch.”

Frank: “Have a good flight.”

Frank hung up the phone and left his office to refill his coffee cup. Jeannette saw him and reached out to take his cup from him.

“That’s okay, Jeannette; I’ve got it.” He went to the coffee pot hidden in the corner and poured some into his cup. “Jim Sweeney says ‘hello’.”

“Mr. Sweeney is very charming,” Jeannette replied. “I think he enjoys flirting with the secretaries.”

“Maybe not all the secretaries, but you’re definitely on his A-list.”

“Me—how did I get there? I definitely didn’t ask to be put on it.”

“I think Jim is a guy who appreciates the finer things,” Frank said.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“I would,” Frank answered. “Not to change the subject, but…”

“Go right ahead and change the subject, Frank.”

“I was wondering if you’re planning to go to that pool party Gloria Warner is putting on.”

“I was assuming that there would be too much work to do,” Jeannette replied. “Most of the girls are all excited over it.”

“But, you’re not?”

“I’ve heard the Warners have a pretty nice place. I’m not sure what else is in store.”

“Confidentially, they’re going to twist your arm to volunteer to give them some free help on the charity foundation.”

“I suspected something like that. Is Trudy in on this?”

“In a way,” Frank said. “They tried to dump all the clerical work on her and she said that she wouldn’t do it alone. She thought that Gloria and the other wives would pitch in, but Gloria came up with this idea, instead. Whether you decide to help them is strictly up to you. For that matter, you can attend or not as you please.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Why don’t you go? Gloria’s bound to put out a first-class spread, and you’ve sure earned an extra day off. Just be sure not to get roped into something that you don’t want to do.”

“I’ll remember that,” Jeannette promised.

“Or, I could find a project for you so you would have an excuse,” Frank offered.

“Hey Frank, wait up—I need to speak with you.” Frank recognized Tyler Smith’s voice. He turned and saw Tyler marching toward him wearing a stern expression.

“C’mon in; get yourself a coffee,” Frank said.

Tyler was right on Frank’s heels, ignoring the offer of coffee, as they disappeared behind the office door.

“I take it you haven’t heard,” Tyler said as they made their way to Frank’s desk.

“Heard what?”

“Get on the internet. Take a look at our stock price,” Tyler replied.

Frank turned to his computer and logged in. As soon as he was on the stock quotations page he typed in WC, the ticker symbol for Western Chemical.

“Geez, what do you make of it, Tyler?”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Tyler warned.

Frank wasn’t sure he wanted to know more. Western Chemical stock, which closed at forty-eight dollars the day before, had fallen to thirty-three. Trading in Western stock had been halted by the exchange.

“What’s the other half?” Frank asked.

“Short interest tripled at the opening bell. There’s been very large trading in out-of-the- money put options. At least they were out-of–the-money at the opening bell. It’s triggered a tremendous sell-off.”

“I didn’t think we had a lot of short interest,” Frank pointed out.

“We don’t—that’s why it tripled so easily.”

“This is crazy,” Frank protested. “There’s no reason for this—unless…”

“Mr. Anthony Graziano is on the line, Frank,” Jeannette interrupted through the intercom. Graziano was the Chairman of the Stock Exchange. Frank had met him briefly on two social occasions during his Controller days.

“Stay right here, Tyler. I might need you,” Frank said. “I’m going to put him on the speaker phone after I let him know.”

Frank picked up the phone and spoke to his caller for a few seconds. He pressed the speaker button and hung up the phone.

Frank: Hello Tony; can you hear me? I have Tyler Smith here with me. He is our General Counsel and Corporate Secretary.

Graziano: How do you do, Tyler. Listen, Frank! We’ve had to suspend trading in Western to allow a cool-off. You were down over thirty percent during the first hour of trading.

Frank: We’re just finding out now. We have no idea…

Graziano: There are rumors all around that you’re pulling back your stock offering. Some think your 10-Q went south. Others say that you’re pulling the plug on your R&D. In this market all you have to do is light a fire cracker and people think it’s a cannon.

Frank: Neither of those are true, Tony. We put the registration on the shelf because the market’s so low. We’ve got alternate financing for our R&D nearly in place—we just need the 10-Q. After that gets out on the street, everyone will see that we’re in good shape.

Graziano: I’m probably talking out of school, Frank. The SEC told us that they’re suspending acceptance of the 10-Q.

Frank: That’s crazy! They have no reason. Then, we will have to put the brakes on our R&D because the financing will be held up.

Graziano: I’m just the messenger. They think that there’s insider trading going on. That’s why they haven’t called you yet. They’re talking about an investigation.

Frank: Oh, for crissake…

Graziano: You can’t blame them. First they get the shelf registration and the 10-Q and on the same day the rumors start flying, and all this short trading. You can’t blame them for being suspicious.

Frank: It’s obvious there’s some manipulation going on, but we have no idea…

Graziano: Bottom line is that we can only keep your stock on hold for a limited time. If we free it now, it could go into the twenties.

Frank: How long have we got?

Graziano: I can give you until three, Eastern Time. I know that’s only two o’clock your time. It’s the best I can do. Sellers have to be able to put their trades through before the Market closes today, if that’s what they want to do. I need a statement from Western for publication. Give us something that will calm the market down.

Frank: We’ll put something together ASAP and get it on the wire to you.

Graziano: Good luck on this Frank. Let me know what I do to help. Good-bye.

Frank turned to Tyler. “We’ve got to move fast, Tyler. Can you clear your desk and help me on this?”

“What do you think happened, Frank? Who would let this get out?”

“We’ll figure that out later,” Frank answered. “Right now we have no time for that.”

“What do want me to do?”

“First get on the horn with Al Crossman at Briggs and Day. Tell them what’s going on. We’ve got to get that 10-Q released. That’s priority number one! It might take legal maneuvering to force the SEC to shake it loose. After that, can you draft a statement that we can release to the public—something that says that we’re in good shape and no one should worry. It should have Alvin’s and my name on it.”

“Should I say anything about the shelf registration?”

“Cover that with Crossman. In the meantime, “I’m going to fill Alvin in before he starts getting calls. After that, I’ll call the outside auditors. Their name’s on that 10-Q, too.”

Frank flipped the switch on the intercom. “Jeannette, would you call Alvin’s secretary and ask if I can see him right away? Then call Larry Bates and tell him to stand by. I want to see him right after I meet with Alvin.”

***********

Frank was in Alvin’s office, sitting in front of his desk.

“I don’t believe this,” Alvin mumbled, his face in his hands. “Who would do something like this?”

“I don’t know,” Frank answered. “That can’t be our priority right now.

“What should we be doing?” Alvin asked as he looked up at Frank.

“We’ve got to calm our big investors before the stock opens up for trading again,” Frank said. “That would be US Equity Mutual and CGEPT.” The former was a mutual fund company; the later a state government employees’ pension trust. “They’ve probably got trading programs that are set to dump as many of our shares as they can the moment trading opens back up. We’ve got to convince them to hold off. That will help stabilize things.”

But this so unfair,” Alvin protested. “There’s no reason for this…”

“You’re correct, Alvin, but it’s happening.”

“Well, what if they do sell? Sooner or later they’d be sorry. We can’t help it if they can’t…”

“Our stock will tank—even more than it already has—and the loose shares will get picked up for a song by LBO takeover artists. How would you like KKR acquiring five percent of the company overnight? I don’t think we can let that happen.”

“I see now,” Alvin sighed. “You’d better stay here with me while I make the calls.”

“I suggest putting them on the speaker-phone,” Frank said. Alvin pressed the intercom switch and asked his secretary to place the first call.

***********

The conversation with US Equity Mutual went well. They had been waiting for a call and accepted Frank’s explanation. They agreed to disengage their sell program and hold fast. Alvin’s confidence improved after they hung up. He and Frank sipped on their coffees while Alvin’s secretary put through the call to CGEPT.

“A lot of times those California guys can be aggravating with their laid-back attitudes,” Frank said with a chuckle. “This time, it’s working out for us.”

Alvin laughed with him. “It’s funny,” he said, “they seemed to be very accommodating. Just between us, when the Board was deciding whether to appoint you as CFO, they lobbied to select someone else.”

“Ancient history now. They’re stuck with me.”

“For what it’s worth,” Alvin continued, “the CGEPT people were one of those backing you.”

Soon they were on the speaker phone with Murray Shoreham. He was Chief Investment Officer of CGEPT.

“So, what’s gong on here?” Shoreham demanded.

Frank explained about the shelf registration and the financing of the R&D.

“That doesn’t explain all this short interest,” Shoreham insisted.

“It looks like security was broken and someone is taking advantage,” Alvin said.

“Well, why isn’t the 10-Q out?” Shoreham asked. “It should have been out today.”

“The SEC is holding it up. They haven’t said why, but we think they’re preparing an investigation of potential insider trading.”

“So, they leave you dangling in the wind. The price of your shares tanks and they launch an investigation and then say ‘see what a good job we’re doing’.

“Sounds pretty accurate,” Frank replied.

“Look, guys,” Shoreham said, “I’d like to help you out, but I’ve got to dump your shares. We’ve got our criteria…”

“The 10-Q will bear us out,” Frank argued. “We have our lawyers working on getting it freed up now.”

“Let me see the 10-Q, then,” Shoreham insisted. “Wire me a copy.”

“You know we can’t do that,” Frank answered.

“I know—I know…”

“US Equity has already agreed to hold off,” Frank blurted out.

“You’re not supposed to tell me that, either,” Shoreham pointed out.

“It slipped out,” Frank replied. “You didn’t hear me say it.”

The line went silent for a quarter of a minute.

“I’ll hold off overnight,” Shoreham conceded. “I’ll be in Houston in the morning. Have someone pick me up at the airport and bring me to your place.”

“No problem,” Frank said. “Have your secretary call mine with the flight number.”

“See you tomorrow,” Shoreham said, and then hung up the phone.

“It looks like things are falling into place,” Alvin said as he sat back in his chair.

“So far, so good,” Frank answered. “Can you call Jim Sweeney and fill him in? I’ve still got some things to do.”

************

“Larry Bates says that he’s ready any time you are,” Jeannette said as Frank appeared from around the corner.

“Ask him to come in right away.”

Larry Bates was a tall, gaunt man of about sixty. He had white hair and black-rimmed glasses. He had been Corporate Treasurer for a decade and was happy when Frank acceded to the top financial slot. He appeared in Frank’s office and took a chair at the work table.

“Larry, we need to do some contingency planning and we have to do it fast,” Frank told him after explaining the crisis. “On one hand, we need to know how much cash we can raise right away if we call in everything and delay whatever outlays we can, plus whatever’s on hand.”

“Sure, that’s not a problem,” Larry said.

“Next, we have to know how many of our shares we can legitimately buy in the open market for bona fide needs. You know—stock options, 401k, those types of things. Then we have to match the cost of that with our available cash.”

“You’re thinking of a buy-back to support the stock price? You’re in some dicey legal territory there. Normally, we’d just issue new shares. They’re already authorized.”

“That’s right, but this is a special need and it’s only a contingency. It’s for the shares we would normally require in due course, anyway.”

“For god’s sake, be careful, Frank,” Bates pleaded. “You’re walking on a minefield in your bare feet.”

“Larry, I haven’t decided on anything. I can’t decide one way or the other if I don’t have the numbers. Be sure all our ready cash is ready to get consolidated in our Central Account so we can cut a check at a moment’snotice, if we have to.”

The older man heaved a sigh. “You’ll have the numbers in a few hours. We already have the ability to consolidate with a ninety-minute notice.”

Frank headed out of the office with Larry and he made his way to Tyler Smith’s office while Larry returned to his own.

“He’s expecting you,” Smith’s secretary said. “Go right in.”

“Here’s a draft of the press release,” Tyler said as Frank took a chair.

“What did Al Crossman have to say?” Frank asked as he skimmed the draft and paced in front of Tyler’s desk.

“He agreed with you that we need to get the 10-Q out on the street. That will make most of our problems go away. He’s going to make some calls to the SEC in New York, and work his way up from there.”

“I’ve got a few more questions for him,” Frank said. “I’m thinking of some Treasury Operations to support the shares.”

“Geez, be careful on that. My advice is to forget it. It would be a temporary fix, anyway.”

“I’m keeping it on the menu,” Frank insisted, “in case we have to take drastic measures. I’m not gonna let the ship sink just because I want to be Mr. Clean.”

“Promise me you’ll keep it on the back burner for now,” Tyler replied. “It might have a reverse-effect, anyway. When the Market figures it out, they’ll believe we hit the Panic Button.”

“Alright, Tyler,” Frank said and slapped Tyler on the back. “You can be my guardian angel.”

Tyler’s intercom buzzed and his secretary told him that Jeannette was trying to find him.

“She wouldn’t chase me down if it wasn’t important,” Frank said. He picked up Tyler’s phone and called her. He scribbled some notes as he spoke and then hung up the phone.

“Jeannette said that an SEC lawyer tried to reach me,” Frank said. “Beyond that, she didn’t leave a message.”

“Get a name?” Tyler asked.

“Yeah, Nadine Persky. Never heard of her.”

“Let me see what I can find,” Tyler said. “The Attorneys’ Directory is on-line.” He turned to his computer and typed for a minute. “Here she is; you’re not going to like it.”

“Give it to me straight,” Frank said. “How bad can it be?”

“She’s been out of law school for four years,” Tyler began. “Vassar undergrad—Phi Beta Kappa. Columbia Law School—Law Review. She went with the SEC right out of Law School.”

“Why should that worry me?” Frank asked.

“With those credentials she could have her choice of many positions at any Wall Street firm at a big salary and partnership not too far down the road. You have to ask why she chose to work as a government regulator.”

“I’m starting to see your point,” Frank said.

“I’m sure she has a picture of Senator Sarbanes somewhere in her office with a vase of flowers under it.”

“We’ve got to deal with it,” Frank said. “I better go call her.”

“Let me know what she says. I’ll call Al Crossman while you’re doing that. I’ve got an idea and I want to run it by him.”

*******************

Frank hung up the phone after speaking to Nadine Persky. The result of the conversation was unsatisfactory and Frank paused for a moment to ponder all it meant.

“But, by holding up the 10-Q you’re adding to the problem,” Frank had tried to point out to her. “The Market thinks there’s something to hide in it, when the opposite is true.”

“That’s one opinion—your opinion,” she retorted. She went on to say that she was proposing an insider trading investigation and waiting for approval from her supervisor.

“Investigate all you want,” Frank replied. “That has nothing to do with the 10-Q. They’re two separate issues. Have you even read our 10-Q?”

“What’s in the report makes no difference. We’re resolving the investigation issue now. Until that happens, you’ll just have to wait,” she declared.

End of phone call.

Frank remembered that Tyler was waiting for him. He got up and made his way to his office.

“It’s not surprising,” Tyler said.

“She sounded loaded for bear,” Frank warned.

“No doubt, she is,” Tyler replied,” but she tipped her hand. Now we know who to put the pressure on to get the 10-Q out on the Street. I was wondering if she’s leading the charge or taking orders from upstairs. My bet is that it’s her idea and she’s waiting for her supervisor’s approval. We’ll find out who her boss is.”

“I’m in your hands, Tyler.”

“I spoke to Al Crossman while you were gone,” Tyler went on. “I kind of expected what you just told me. I’ll call him back and we can discuss an idea we have.”

“Let’s get the press release done before we do. We’re playing ‘beat the clock’.” Frank countered. “With that out of the way, we can concentrate on this other thing.”

Tyler had the draft in a folder on his desk and he took it out. “How does it read to you?”

“Fine; I’d just like to bolster it a little where it says that we stand by our 10-Q and urge the SEC to release it.”

“Good idea,” Tyler said, “especially considering what you just went through with Ms. Persky.”

Tyler edited the text on the document in front of him and then handed the page to Frank. “How’s that?”

“Perfect!” Frank answered. “After it’s typed we’ll take it down to Alvin. I’m sure he’ll sign it and we’ll have it on Graziano’s desk in plenty of time.”

***********

The press release was sent by wire to Graziano’s office. Frank and Tyler walked together back to Tyler’s office. Soon they had Al Crossman on the phone.

Al was a seasoned veteran of the legal wars. His firm represented Western whenever the need arose. Frank told him about his conversation with Nadine Persky.

“You don’t want that,” was Crossman’s blunt reply.

“I agree with you, but I don’t know what to do to avoid it,” Frank admitted.

“You say that they haven’t officially launched an investigation?” Al confirmed.

“Yes, I’m sure of it,” Frank said.

“Tyler and I discussed something a while ago and I think it’s the right way to go,” Al said. “Why don’t you lay it out for him, Tyler?”

“It’s as simple as this,” Tyler began. “Before they get started out of New York, we’ll call the FBI here in Houston and report that we have suspected insider trading and request they investigate.”

“I have contacts in the local office,” Al volunteered. “I’m sure we could make it happen, if we act fast. If we wait very long, it will be too late.”

“An end run around the SEC,” Frank surmised. “I always preferred to run up the middle.”

“Normally, I would too,” Crossman added, “but these are different times.”

“What does that get us?” Frank asked.

“We want the FBI working with us. We’ll assign our Security and Internal Audit Staffs to cooperate. If the SEC comes in, it will be like the Inquisition,” Tyler explained.

“The FBI won’t cover up anything,” Al warned. “They’ll pursue whatever they find. It’ll be less adversarial.”

“Of course, if the SEC wrestles jurisdiction back from them, they’ll be out for blood. At worst, it’ll buy us some time while they wrestle with it,” Tyler added.

“I’m convinced,” Frank said. “Who’s going to make the call?”

“That would be me,” Al said. “I’m your outside counsel and I know the agent in charge. By the way, I already made some calls to get your 10-Q freed up. No action, yet. It might take something a little stronger.”

“Whatever it takes,” Frank said. “They have no right to link the 10-Q with this other thing. We’ve got to get that made public. It’s holding up a lot of things.”

“We’ll get it done, but you’ll have to be patient; we’re doing everything we can,” Al assured them.

*******************

Frank’s day wasn’t done after the conversation with Al Crossman. There were meetings with Internal Audit and Security personnel and a short conversation with Jim Sweeney, not to mention a phone call with the Public Accountants. Larry Bates’ numbers were on his desk waiting for him. It would have been easier if he had a Corporate Controller to back him up, but the post remained vacant with no good candidates on the horizon. At seven o’clock he told Jeannette to go home. The office was all but empty when he stopped in Alvin’s office at eight-thirty to fill him in.

Alvin poured Frank a scotch and himself a bourbon. “We were so close,” Alvin lamented. “Just so you know, I don’t blame you.”

Alvin’s consolation made Frank want to cringe, but he didn’t let it show. “We’re still almost there,” Frank insisted. “We’ve got to hang tough. We are going to lose some time, though. The biggest risk, as I see it, is that the bank will back out of the R&D loan.”

“That’s what I mean,” Alvin said. “This won’t stay under wraps past tomorrow morning. Jason has a point. The headhunters will be making calls to our R&D people to lure them away.”

“I’m sure that they understand…”

“You don’t understand them,” Alvin insisted. ”They have no loyalties to any company—only to their work and themselves. They’ll draw their own conclusions and join with whatever outfit they think will give them the most. They don’t understand business and they don’t trust management—and that goes twice for finance guys.”

“I see,” Frank replied.

“And once those guys start filterin’ off to the competitors…you might as well photocopy our whole strategic plan and mail it out.”

“We’ve got to look to Jason to keep the lid on.”

“Bah!” Alvin retorted with a wave of his hand. “That little twerp couldn’t keep a lid on a teapot, but he’s all we got.”

“Maybe we can shore him up,” Frank suggested. “The trouble is, I just don’t have time right now to…”

“You’ve got enough on your plate,” Alvin agreed. “Besides, like I said, those guys don’t trust you. I’ll see if Blake Hart can step in. Maybe it’s time to move Blake up the ladder a notch. I can have Jason report to him.”

“I believe that Blake is the right guy, if the timing is right.”

“I’ll think on it.”

“Good scotch, Alvin.”

“Want another?”

“Gimme a raincheck. It’s been a long day. I’m goin’ home.”

************

It was almost ten when Frank finally pulled into his driveway. He knew Trudy would be waiting for him—she’d probably try to get him to eat some warmed-over dinner that he didn’t want. As he walked into the house Trudy was coming down the stairs.

“Rough day?” Trudy asked.

“Could have been better,” Frank replied. “How about yours?”

“Not too bad,” Trudy replied. “I spent most of the day getting Patricia ready to go to Austin for her college orientation.”

“It’s only a four-day trip,” Frank protested.

“I think she has some butterflies in her stomach about it, so it was slow going. The reality of it is finally dawning on her.”

“Is reality spelled D-E-V-O-N?” Frank asked, referring to the latest boyfriend.

“That may be part of it. Anyway, she’s ready now. How ‘bout some dinner?”

“I think I’ll pass Trudy. I just want to get out of these clothes and have a beer out on the balcony.”

“I figured as much,” Trudy said, “but I had to ask. Go ahead upstairs and change; I’ll bring you a beer after I finish putting the food away.”

Frank shuffled out of the kitchen and up the stairs. As he passed Patricia’s room he knocked on the door. “Patricia, can I come in?”

Hearing nothing he pushed the door open and stepped in. He found her sitting on her bed, arms folded with a sour look on her face. “Ready for your trip to Austin tomorrow?”

“I guess so,” the teenager mumbled, not looking up.

“I don’t blame you for being nervous,” Frank said. “I would be, too. Just give it a chance and it’ll all work out.”

“I’m not nervous!” the girl whined.

“Sorry,” Frank replied. “I should have said that if you were nervous, I wouldn’t blame you. I was sure nervous. In the end, I found out I shouldn’t have been. Of course everyone’s different in one way or another, but almost everyone was nervous.”

“Maybe,” his daughter conceded.

“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine. When you get back you can fill us all in.” He closed the door and continued down the hallway to his and Trudy’s room.

He had just changed from his business suit to shorts and tee shirt when Trudy walked in carrying an ice bucket with three bottles of beer. “I though I’d have one with you.”

“Perfect! What’s the third one for?”

“I figured you’d have two,” Trudy replied. “Or maybe I’ll split it with you.” She was on her way through the sliding glass door to their balcony. Frank was right behind her.

“So, I heard Patricia tell you she’s not nervous,” Trudy told him. “They might have heard her in Dallas. You didn’t give her a hard time about Devon, did you?”

“No,” Frank answered. “I figured that would take care of itself soon enough.” He twisted the top off a bottle and handed it to her. “The Winters’ are taking her and you’re picking them up on Friday?” Trudy nodded. He opened a second bottle of beer and took a long swallow.

“How bad is it at work?” Trudy asked.

“It’s going to be rough for a while,” Frank admitted. “The worst part is that everyone knows that someone sabotaged us, but no one knows who. Soon the rumors will start. That’s worse than the actual fact.”

“Who do you think did it?

“I wish I knew. There are so many people who could have. Alvin, all the VP’s, their secretaries, the Directors on the Finance Committee, employees at the Underwriter and the Auditors’ office; the lawyers. There’s Aaron Fishman. Who knows?”

“Maybe it leaked out by accident.”

“I don’t think so, Trudy. There were some nasty rumors that went along with the facts and there were some who made a lot of money when the stock plunged.” Frank took another swallow.

“Do you think they’ll ever find out?” Trudy asked.

“Sure,” Frank replied. “The government will trace the transactions back to the brokers and subpoena their records and start sorting out names. It will take some time, though. First, the SEC and the FBI will have to sort out ‘who’s on first’. Then, they’ll filter through the names. By the time they’re done I intend to have the Company’s finances straightened out long beforehand.”

“You will,” Trudy said. “You always do when things get tough.”

“Maybe,” Frank said. He finished his beer and opened the third bottle. “I used to, anyway. Maybe that’s in the past; maybe I’m getting old and soft.” He took a swallow from the new bottle.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” Trudy replied. She took the fresh bottle from his hand and took a swallow of her own. She reached out her hand and squeezed his bare bicep. “Still feels pretty firm to me.”

“You’re only saying that because you’ve got nothing else to compare to.”

I disagree,” she said, playing along. She lifted the long-necked bottle to her mouth again and enclosed her lips around the opening, looking him in the eye. She paused a second and then slowly caressed the neck of the bottle with them, and let the condensed moisture from the long shaft of the neck remoisten her mouth. Her tongue came out—slippery and wet—and she let it play around the end of the bottle and she stuck it a little ways inside and swirled it around the opening. “I think I’m the best judge of the parts of my man—especially the firm parts.”

Frank reached out for the bottle. A slight smile escaped before she could hold it back. She pulled the bottle away as he reached and raised it to her mouth again and took another long, hard swallow.

“What d’you say about that, Frank?” she asked in a soft voice, almost a whisper.

“I’d have to say I don’t deserve you, Trudy.”

She handed the bottle back to him. About half of the beer remained. “You finish this while I get ready.” She rose and disappeared behind the sliding glass door and the drapes.

*********

Frank nursed the rest of the beer so that Trudy would have a few minutes to prepare. It was always worth the wait when Trudy said she was going to get ready. He didn’t know what to expect, but it was sure to be good.

“I wonder if she’ll wear the pink baby-doll nightie I bought for her in New Orleans.” It was one of the choices, but not the only one. “What does it matter? Whatever it is, she won’t be wearing it for long.”

As Frank swallowed the last of the beer he saw the lights in the bedroom go out. “I think that’s my cue.” He got up from his chair and slid the glass door enough to let him pass through. With the drapes closed, the room was pitch black. He heard Trudy’s voice.

“Leave the door open, Frank. There’s a breeze out tonight and it feels so good.”

Frank fumbled his way to a chair next to his dresser and quickly shed all the clothes he had on, leaving them on the chair. He eased himself down on the bed and reached his arms out searching her out. He wanted to embrace her and kiss her tenderly.

He was met by her arms in the darkness. Sometimes he forgot how long and strong she was. He felt her hand at his shoulder pushing him onto his back. A long leg flew through the air and in an in an instant she was straddled atop him. He reached out and threw his arms around her shoulders and pulled her face down to his and kissed her. She might have been tall and strong, but her skin was warm and soft.

“Trudy, if you were going to be nude, why did you need time to get ready?” he asked when the kiss was finished.

She rubbed her body on him as she returned the kiss. He felt her long legs overlap his own. “Frank, I’ve got two favors to ask you,” she told him as she slid further down his body. He felt her breasts with the hardened nipples moving all the way down his torso and past his groin.

“Ask ‘em fast, Trudy.”

“First, stop asking questions. I don’t feel like answering any.”

“What’s the second?”

“Try not to be too loud when you come. The girls might still be awake.” Frank gasped as he felt her mouth engulf him. He was all the way in her. It was what she wanted to do for him—he knew it. He let her take over.

He was immersed in the routine of pleasure when he suddenly felt her head bob up and he slipped out of her mouth. “Because,” she explained in a whisper, “by the time I get through with you, I think you’ll want to be very loud.”

“Should I get a bullet or something to bite on?” he asked.

“I told you—no questions.”

She plunged down on him again. He gave himself over to the sensations. At first it was warm, with a soft pleasure as she filled herself with him. Then he felt the slippery tongue dance over him. It was a different delight. She managed to work her hand beneath him and tender fingers caressed the soft skin of his sac.

She wouldn’t let him get used to what she did to him. She could tell when he began to mark and measure the surges of pleasure, timing his approach to climax. She’d break the routine, switching techniques. Once she hovered an inch over him, holding his organ upright. He waited for her descent onto him—he could feel it just by anticipation. She made him wait until he thought she might never do it and then dove with abandon. She had a way of humming when she had him deep inside her. The vibrations from her throat drove him wild.

It was far from their first such experience. He always marveled how she made it feel like something new on each occasion. “It shouldn’t be a surprise. She never holds anything back from me.” She had been working on him for a long while and he felt himself rising.

He reached down and put his hands on either side of her face. He tugged gently, lifting her chin up so that he dropped out of her mouth and they were face-to-face in the dark.

“Huh?” she murmured in bewilderment.

Frank grasped her around the ribs with his two strong hands and pulled her to him so that he could kiss her. “I wanted to…” she began to say as the kiss ended.

“I know,” Frank answered. “It’s just that I’m feeling something right now.” His hands dug into her flanks; he maneuvered her pelvis on his own until he felt himself at her opening. It was as warm and slick as her mouth had been. She sank down and they pressed together. He felt her capture him with her muscles within. He was in as far as he could go.

“Ohhh!” he heard her cry. She placed her palms on his shoulders to brace herself. He thrust up; it felt so good, and she pressed back. They did it over again—and again. They came almost together. First, it was Frank; Trudy followed a few seconds later. At the end Trudy buried her face in the pillow alongside Frank’s head and cried out her ecstasy into it into it. For Frank it was the best part.

She stayed on top of him after it was over; he was still inside her.

“I hope the girls didn’t hear us,” Frank quipped.

“It was a good thing that pillow was there,” she answered with a little laugh. “I didn’t plan on needing it.” Frank stroked her back and her flanks. For a little while she had the power to banish the troubles of the day just gone by and she employed that power to the fullest.

“You were wrong, you know,” she said. Her face rested on his chest.

“Wrong about what, Trudy?”

“What you said on the balcony about not deserving me. I know it was a figure of speech, but it’s not true, just the same.”

“Okay. I guess that I’m lucky that I do deserve you.”

“Don’t be a smartass,” she warned, but not in an angry way. “You don’t even know why I said that.”

“Are you going to tell me?”

“Well,” she said, “I thought it took a pretty nice man to stop in Patricia’s room to lift her spirits after everything you went through today.”

“Oh, I didn’t think of it that way,” he replied. “She just needed…”

“That’s exactly why you deserve it,” she explained, “and I knew you would do it before you even started up the stairs.”

They lay quietly for awhile, just enjoying the feeling of each other. He started getting hard again. Soon they would enjoy one another again before falling to sleep.

The tender breeze stole in through the open door and caressed them through the night.

*********

Author’s note: the preceding chapter is entirely fictional, as are all the persons, financial institutions and the ticker symbol mentioned. Even the name of the bank mentioned might appear familiar, but the name has been intentionally altered for this story. If any of the names used have escaped my scrutiny and match any existing person or entity, it is an unintended oversight and no inference should be drawn from the mistake.