THE FIRST SEMINAR DATE was only days away, and Jeannie and Monty were scheduled to provide their presentations to corporate staff in their large meeting room as a dress rehearsal. Tami had prepared the handouts and readied the audiovisual equipment for the seminar. They had already presented once for Charlton and the board at their request. After that and the several practice sessions just among themselves, they felt ready.
Monty was glad that she was not the main speaker. Jeannie, adept at speaking in courtrooms, held the group’s attention handily. Monty introduced a scenario to the breakout groups. When the groups came back together to present their findings and suggestions, Monty helped point out strategies from the perspective of the worker committing the fraud. With each scenario, if the group had not thought of a particular angle, Monty pointed out how a team member might spot the fraud.
At one of the breaks, Jeannie commented to Monty that she was a natural, and complimented her on how professionally she handled herself. Monty said she wished she’d the opportunity to drink a whiskey first, yet she felt pretty confident. She was, however, relieved that Jeannie seemed pleased at every juncture.
Jeannie and Monty received a huge round of applause at the end of the seminar. They were both looking forward to any suggestions on improving the presentation that they received from the evaluation forms. Jeannie smiled and nodded a goodbye as a few participants were waiting to speak with Monty. The first three simply thanked Monty for the information, saying that they felt they had gained a new perspective from her suggestions.
“Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the seminar,” said the fourth, waving goodbye to the other three. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” she added as they left. She returned her gaze to Monty. “I was hoping we could chat. Do you have time for a drink or dinner right now?” Monty looked at her watch and shrugged.
“Sure. Why not. I can catch up on this later. What’s up?”
“Let’s go down the street. Have a drink and chat. Do you know Hi-Top?”
“Yeah. I’ve been there once, with Tami. You know Tami, in the CFO’s office?”
“Sure do. Very well, actually. Do you need to go put things in your office?” she asked as Monty stuffed papers into her briefcase.
“No. I’m good. Let me just shoot Jeannie a text.” Monty quickly texted to say she’d see her later. Jeannie shot back a quick K.
As they walked, the woman introduced herself as Gena Worth. At the bar, Monty asked Gena to grab a table and she ordered their drinks.
“What’s this all about, Gena Worth?” Monty asked as she removed her jacket and hung it on the back of the chair. She rolled her sleeves and clasped her hands in front of her on the table.
“Your perspective was interesting, clever. Insightful.” Gena looked at Monty’s forearms and pointed. “Your tats look a lot like some I saw when I was a social worker at one of the prisons. I’m not prying—”
“Oh! Yeah. I guess I never indicated I had actually been in prison, did I?”
“And it isn’t any of my business, Monty, but I think it would give you an actual advantage in gaining cred in the seminars. I don’t know how much you’d want to go into it.”
Monty looked to the upper wall, as if thinking about Gena’s suggestion. “It’s not that I hadn’t already thought about that. Heck, Jeannie and I talked a lot about it. She seemed satisfied with my saying I’d had a few run-ins with the law when I was younger, but…yeah…maybe that would be a good idea.”
“Do you mind telling me about it?” Gena smiled. “I’m okay if you don’t want to.”
“I don’t mind. I had dropped out of high school. A little bit of a hellion. I’d already left my stepdad…after my mom died. He was…let’s just say he was an asshole and leave it at that.”
“Sure.”
“I was homeless a while. Slept in shelters some. Slept in some abandoned places, but I just had to find a way to make money. I began writing bad checks and asking stores to cash checks for me. Stuff like that. Anyway, after about the fourth time, I wrote a check for clothing, shoes, and some food. Some was for me, and some was for a buddy I had been hanging out with for a while. It was over five hundred bucks. The store came after me. I wasn’t hard to find, that’s for sure. Got a one-year sentence at a women’s prison. The judge thought that would do the trick. Scare me into getting myself straight. It worked.”
“Damn, Monty.” Gena ran her fingers over Monty’s tattoos. “Tami told me you had a lady friend.”
“Yeah. I met her shortly after I was released. I was hiking and sort of camping…along the Appalachian Trail…trying to figure out what I was going to do. It was pouring down rain, and I made my way off the trail and under her porch, where I accidentally slammed my head and made a big racket. I guess the rest is history, as they say.” Monty held her arms out, palms facing the ceiling.
“Wow. Quite a story. She’s up here with you then?”
“Nah. She’s back home. This is a pretty intense assignment. Not much time for relating.”
“I guess not.” Gena looked down, and then back at Monty. “Hey, this rounds on me,” she said as she stood. She returned with two drinks.
“Thanks. Look, if I don’t get solid food, I’m gonna be shitfaced.”
“God, you’re hot,” Gena said. “Sorry. You’re so real. So…you. So…damn.”
“And you’re funny. You’re making me blush.” Monty squirmed a bit in her seat. “I’m serious about food though.”
“I live only a couple of blocks away. My roomies are on overnight flights tonight—they’re both flight attendants. Come on over. I have a damn good pizza in the fridge. Only ate one slice last night. We’ll only need to warm it. I have red wine, too. A nice bottle. How’s that sound?”
“Let’s go. Sounds great. You need to know that I can get hangry.” Monty smiled.
They chatted about office politics and gossip as they walked. It wasn’t until Gena walked the few steps up the front of her building that Monty noticed how her skirt hugged her ass. Gena’s legs were long but muscular.
“Do you work out or something?”
Gena turned her head and stopped walking. “Yes, I do. Spin classes, planks, free weights. You know. Nothing fancy.” She winked. “Thanks for noticing.”
In the elevator, Gena leaned forward and raised her arm, resting her hand above Monty’s head. “Anything else you notice?” She glanced down toward the front of her shirt.
Monty gulped, now feeling the full power of her buzz. The slight, sweet scent of fresh perspiration mixed with a very mild patchouli shot a jolt straight to her center. The elevator door opened, and Monty followed Gena as she pushed open her apartment door and waved Monty in. Gena remained in the doorway so that Monty had to brush against her as she entered.
“Let me warm that pizza. I don’t want to see you hangry…or do I?” Gena smiled, and Monty chuckled nervously. “The wine is over there.” Gena pointed to a rack in the dining area. “It’s the top bottle there. The cork puller is in that box on the counter next to the rack. Go ahead and open it.”
“Sure. Glasses?” Monty had the bottle and opener in her hand.
“Cabinet above that counter.” Gena nodded toward the cabinet.
Gena took a filled glass from Monty and raised it. “To new paths.”
“Cheers,” Monty said as they toasted.
Gena sat, and Monty saw the lace on Gena’s bra peeking from inside her blouse. Gena smiled. “How is it?”
“It’s nice…the wine is very nice, I mean.” Monty blushed.
“God, you’re hot. Have I said that already?”
“Maybe. Pizza? Can I have some of that pizza?”
“Ooh. Demanding. I like demanding.” When Gena stood, she purposefully brushed against Monty again. “I like it a lot.”
Monty took a full swig of wine, partially to hide the gulp that had formed in her throat. With eyes on Monty, Gena carefully removed the pizza from the oven. She looked away only to re-slice the pieces and plate one for Monty.
Monty took another full swig of wine. “Look—”
“Oh, I’m looking.” Gena sat in her chair and moved it closer to Monty.
Monty cleared her throat and took a bite of her pizza. She followed it with another gulp of wine.
“I can tell how hungry you are. You seem very hungry.” Gena’s voice was low and sultry. “I’m saving room for dessert, I hope.” She leaned to Monty’s ear and whispered, “And I think I’m going to enjoy my dessert.” Monty shuddered, and Gena softly chuckled in Monty’s ear. “I definitely want a taste of you.” Monty melted into the chair. She was wet, hot, and horny.
“God help me,” Monty sighed.
Gena pulled Monty’s head toward her, and Monty took her mouth hard into her own, immediately finding Gena’s tongue. Gena moaned.
“Slow down, tiger,” she said softly, again at Monty’s ear. “What’s the rush?” She leaned in to kiss Monty again. The kiss was full, intense, bordering on brutal.
“Oh God,” Monty sighed.
Gena pulled Monty’s hand and led her to the sofa. She leaned over Monty and unbuttoned her shirt to allow Monty access to the lace of her bra. Monty gently slid her tongue into the bra to the skin underneath. Gena moaned, as Monty sucked and teased a firm nipple.
“Kiss me again…please,” Gena whispered into Monty’s ear. Monty shuddered. When she found Gena’s mouth, Gena pulled her closer. “I want to feel you on me…your weight,” Gena whispered into Monty’s mouth. Monty backed off slightly, lips to lips, breasts to breasts, groin to groin, fully clothed, but touching.
“Don’t tease me this way,” Gena begged, breathing ragged. “Please kiss me.” Monty lightly outlined Gena’s lips with her tongue. “Please.” Monty raised Gena’s skirt and spread her legs enough to slide between them. She pressed her groin hard against Gena’s. Monty looked at Gena’s closed eyes, full lips, gently parted, her tongue slightly visible behind her teeth. She took Gena’s lips in her mouth, and their kiss was even deeper than before. Gena rocked to meet Monty’s body. Monty slid one hand behind Gena, unfastened the bra, and pulled it out of the way with her teeth. She again took Gena’s full breast into her mouth and her tongue made gentle love to the nipple.
Gena’s breath became more ragged as Monty sucked. Monty felt delightfully crazed as Gena responded. “Don’t stop…kiss me.”
Monty obeyed. The kiss was as glorious as all the others had been. Gena’s rocking seemed almost frantic, and she began to thrust herself against Monty, pulling Monty down hard against her. Monty could feel the tension building in Gena’s body. She dropped her head down to Gena’s breast and took a nipple into her mouth, alternating gentle sucks with light nibbles and firm tongue outlines.
“Hold me…tight…oh…yes.” Gena moaned the words as she came, bucking as Monty held her. Monty continued to hold her until she felt Gena relax. She began to extract herself from their positions. “That was nice, Monty. Very nice.”
“I think I should be going.” The realization of what had happened was beginning to sink in. Monty had allowed herself to be sucked into a situation that she’d vowed she wouldn’t allow. She needed to think this out. Figure out what she thought about it. Something didn’t feel right. She enjoyed the sex. The rawness. The heat. The sounds and smells. All of it. Why wasn’t it right? There was no way she could pretend nothing had happened.
“You don’t have to leave,” Gena said, straightening her clothes. “I’d like you to stay.”
“Yeah. No. I need to go. I’m sorry.”
“I, for one, am not sorry one bit. That was amazing.” She reached her hand out to Monty.
“Look. I don’t want there to be any bad feelings, but I don’t want to stay knowing my mind is swirling with all that just happened here. It isn’t fair to you.”
“Okay. I hear what you’re saying. I’ll be honest, Monty. I like sex. It doesn’t have to mean anything to me. It’s nice when it does, but it doesn’t have to.”
“That’s probably part of the problem for me. I’ve had too much sex that meant nothing but survival. I felt nothing or felt sick if I had sex. For the first time in my life, I have been able to enjoy sex…to feel sex was a wonderful thing. And I owe it to the woman I love to not take that for granted. I’m sorry. I am sorry.”
“Monty, let me tell you something. I understand what you’re saying. I’ve heard others say similar things about their sexual experiences. You aren’t the same person you were before prison. You may be a lot of things, but one thing you are not is sorry. You are not sorry.”
Monty smiled, took Gena’s hand, and squeezed it gently. “That’s funny. That’s what Liz said to me.” As Monty walked to the apartment, she felt a heavy weight on her shoulders. What have I just done? Will I be able to tell Liz about it? What have I done?