Managing the Manager_(1)

The leader of the audit team preferred to see himself as in-charge. In his well-cut suit, he reviewed the findings of his field audit of a client in St. Louis. Likely, he would never build a career here. Too weak. Poor leadership skills. He had little to report that was extraordinary though it did point to a huge turnaround from the client’s prior year’s audit. Back then, things had been a real mess. My firm had even recommended a change in accounting management, and the suggestion had been followed promptly. The reports after had shown promise. The team’s report pointed to someone making decisions who was not afraid to trim the dead wood.

As the senior partner of the firm, I had also heard some stories coming back from St. Louis about her. Word was she took no prisoners; her way or the highway. One afternoon, I overheard the two women from the field team gabbing about her. They agreed she was “hot,” had great tits. One envied her long black hair for its shine. It was also hinted that she was of medium height and had a lower body men would always notice. One was so bold to say, “If she wasn’t the boss, all the men would want to fuck her.” As a lover of such women, I had my secretary put a call into her.

“This is Miabelis,” came the strong voice, feminine to be sure, but confident.

I identified myself. “Miabelis, I wanted to congratulate you on the flawless audit results my team reported to me this morning. You must do a good job,” I praised her.

“Thank you,” she returned simply. “I do things how they should be done.”

The comments I had overheard and some quality in her voice encouraged me to push her.

“Miabelis, I have business in St. Louis tomorrow? I’ve got a light morning, but my week is fairly open. That would have me in your office by three in the afternoon. Does that work for you?”

“I’ll make it work. I look forward to you. About three?” she confirmed.

“Looking forward to it. About three then.”

Disconnected but still hearing the strength of her voice, I began building my own picture of her. It was a pretty one with wanton thoughts sprinkled into it.

By the time I boarded my flight, that picture was fairly detailed…if not a bit twisted. A departure delay made me late into St. Louis, arriving at the scheduled client’s office well after three. By the time I paid my respects to the firm’s owner, it was four o’clock. After hearing my praise of Miabelis, he was kind enough to walk me toward her area and provide directions to her office before being on his way.

She was seated at her desk when I first saw her, so occupied with her work that she wasn’t aware of me. I ogled her. Her hair was dark and it did shine, but I was taken by how long, wavy and thick it was. The dark green of her fashionable dress contrasted nicely with the caramel color of her skin. A thin gold necklace led my eyes to her bust. The smart, conservative cut of the dress could not hide those beauties. They were out, up, and around her enough to create a marvelous silhouette. At the end of a day, I’m sure her bra had had a good workout trying to contain them. She looked up, dark eyes leading the way with full lips only lightly colored by a soft shade of lipstick. Her wide mouth parted in a warm smile to reveal perfect teeth that gleamed their greeting to me as she stood to welcome me.

When she rose, my vision went into slow-motion. First, her waist. It was tiny—a wasp’s waist held by the taper of the dress down from her shoulders. Then the width of her hips came into view as she reached full height. Wide, wide hips across a flat belly. Then she turned to come around her desk. That’s when her ass was available to my view. The cut of her dress rode the line from the small of her back for a wonderfully long distance before dropping to its modest hemline. It could not have been eight seconds since Miabelis looked up, but the number of perverted thoughts that had entered my mind since then clicked up to at least double-figures. Snapping back to reality, she was four feet away, hand extended in greeting, and flashing that smile from that mouth.

“I spoke to your secretary this morning. She told me of your delay. I’ve taken the liberty to book you into the hotel directly across the plaza,” she offered as we broke our handshake. With your delay in arriving, I hoped you might stay the night so we can have more time tomorrow to work together. Your staff seemed to think that would be something your schedule permits. I didn’t want to be presumptuous, but I’d like to have time to pick your brain and run some thoughts by you. Did you happen to pack an overnight bag for yourself?”

I explained that I had. “I always bring one in the event I have reason to extend my trips,” I supplied.

“Wonderful!” she blurted as she turned back to her desk and pulled open a drawer. From it, she pulled a hotel passkey. Before she shut the drawer, I noticed the identical key still in it. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some things to do to prepare for you tomorrow. I’ll walk you out and point the way to your hotel. Shall we?”

I admired her take-charge attitude, her ability to lead. Through the door, we walked into the square. Miabelis nodded to the hotel across the way. “Tomorrow,” was all she said and went her own way. I watched her magnificent ass, careful not to be so obvious in the event others from her company might notice.

“Tomorrow?” Why not tonight, I wondered as I dropped my bag in a very well-appointed room on the concierge floor with an over-sized desk and comfortable looking upholstered couch and matching chair. She went to some trouble, I thought, and headed back out in search of the hotel lounge. I took a seat at the bar which provided me a view of the lobby—just in case. Sipping my drink, I thought about that possibly. No, I thought. She won’t come tonight, even though she had a key if she had liked what she had seen of me. I remembered how composed she had been during our brief time together. It had been her turf, and she had defended it. She had contacted my office and made my itinerary changes. She knew my firm had a power over hers. One negative comment in our notes to the shareholders and all they had achieved in the past year—thanks to Miabelis—would be gone. And she was smart enough to know that being on my good side could benefit her. I was sure that she had her career sights set higher. She knew I could help her there, but she would never ask. And I was damned sure that any relationship between us would be secret. Her career would be tainted if anyone even thought she had whored her way up the ladder. I ordered another and let my mind review the thoughts and images of Miabelis. She understood power—how to get it and how to use it to her benefit. My drink and my thoughts would have to be enough to satisfy my thirst for Miabelis this night. But I ordered a third one anyway, put aside the images and the thoughts temporarily, and began to wonder.

Sometimes, people with influence, authority and power over others need to let-go of that somehow—a relief valve. Some people in my circle of friends involved themselves in dangerous pastimes like hang gliding or white-water rafting. One friend was fond of camping alone in remote places to fly-fish trout streams. Some didn’t unwind at all; others had their dark, dirty, secret lives.

Half-way down my glass, I began speculating about how Miabelis let-go. Gliding, rafting, and fly-fishing went off the list immediately. As she had no seeing-eye guide dog, she had to know how good she looked. Pretty. Poised. Sexy…able to draw men closer. But only if she chose to allow them to approach. Timid, flirty, slow men would probably not fit her type. In fact, they would likely be pushed farther back for their unworthiness. Power attracts power. Confident women are attracted to confident men. I knew that exerting my strength into hers would bring-out her inner-self—provide her relief valve and let her be what she really wanted to be in her escape. If I wanted her, I had to take her.

While finishing my drink and settling my tab, I watched the end-game of another guy at the bar between himself a hooker. I had been half-aware of them as they bantered. Him in his business attire; her in tight, leather pants, spikes, and a measly top. As they left, I knew he wasn’t taking. The whore was giving it to him for her price. With Miabelis, I would be the taker…but I wondered—a whore in there wanting to be freed?

The next morning, I woke about 8:30. I hadn’t set an alarm as I knew Miabelis would need time to be sure her staff was moving through their tasks quickly enough to make the deadlines she had assigned them. I dressed for a business day and went downstairs for breakfast. Enjoying the first sips of the first cup of the day, I heard a strange voice very close to me.

“Morning to you,” said the fellow who had paid-his-way as I was leaving the bar last night. “I don’t know if you had dinner last night, but I guess you noticed what I was going to eat?”

His smile seemed pathetic to me. He had gone from negotiating the night-before to being childish the night-after. Though I was sure my meal had cost me less than his had cost him, I smiled back and nodded. His ego satisfied, he moved along.

By ten o’clock I had returned to my room to make a few calls of my own. I settled onto the comfortable couch, as I had no need for the big desk, and checked-in with my key people back at my firm. Not surprised that all was running like clockwork, I dialed the last call. When I was connected to her line, she picked-up on the first ring.

“Morning, Miabelis. Have you gotten through your morning routine with your people? What time is best for me to come by?”

Her business voice responded. “My people are all at their work. I’ve got a working lunch at 11:30 that should wrap by 1:00. Is 1:30 okay for you?”

“Works for me. I’ve already had a late breakfast. See you at 1:30 then,” I confirmed and then clicked-off. Moving to the desk, I pulled reports I had brought along that needed my attention. I busied myself with them, finished them all, and checked the time. Delightfully, she and I were fifteen minutes away from our agreed time. While I was anxious to see her, I was also eager to test my strategy.

A few steps across the plaza and after some lingering once I arrived in the offices, I wandered through her office doorway about twenty minutes later than we had agreed.