After we finished, Robyn told Sandra and I to go ahead and leave the table – she'd be the one to clear it, and wash the dishes (well, load them into the dishwasher). Sandra offered to help, as did I, but Robyn just told us that it was still Sandra's special time, and to do what she said. Sandra and I looked at each other, shrugged, and did as we were told – me laying back on the couch with Sandra on my lap and leaning against me, the two of us snuggling. A short time later, Robyn came in to take a similar position on Sandra. The three of us sat there for a while, simply content to be in physical contact with each other.
Finally, though, time – and the drinks we'd had – conspired to get us moving. We got up and headed into the bedroom; Robyn and I waited for Sandra to finish her ablutions in the bathroom, then as Sandra changed into her suit, I waited for Robyn. When she reappeared, I waited for her to change, then kissed both of them before they headed for the pool. I took the opportunity to grab a quick wakeup shower, before heading into the living room to get started on what was left of my workday.
For the rest of the day, one or the other of the girls would come in every so often; sometimes for something to drink, sometimes to see if I needed anything, sometimes to use the bathroom. Whatever the reason, they were always discrete about it, careful not to disturb me. Other than sex, one of the previous evening's topics of discussion was what I did, and how I did it; I'd managed to get them to understand that even though I had a certain amount of liberty in my schedule, I was still obliged to meet certain deadlines. They also came to realize that what I did required a certain amount of concentration, as well.
With our late breakfast, none of us felt any need to do anything about lunch, so it was late afternoon before the two of them made it back to the apartment together. Again, they were careful not to bother me as they headed into the bedroom to change out of their damp suits. A few minutes later, they reappeared in shorts and halters to watch a little TV from the couch, with the volume kept low.
Perhaps a half hour later, I finished what I was doing, and carefully saved my work before going over to take a seat on 'my' chair. After a nudge from Robyn, Sandra got up and came over to park herself in my lap. I put my arms around her, and hugged her, saying 'Thanks for being so considerate today. It's usually kind of hard for me to get things organized when I start working, and you – both of you', this directed to Robyn, 'helped a lot by not disturbing me. As a reward for your thoughtfulness, I'll take us all out for supper, if you're hungry.'
Sandra hugged me before snuggling into me again before saying 'I'm kinda hungry, but I'm not in any hurry. This feels nice', with Robyn adding 'Me either. Let's just wait a bit, and then decide, okay?'
'That's fine with me', I answered, content with the idea of having Sandra in my arms for a little longer.
After a while, though, the idea of supper started sounding better and better; I finally broke the silence by asking 'Is anyone besides me ready to eat?'
The girls looked at each other, and laughed; then I realized the other 'interpretation' of what I'd just asked. As their laughter died, I said 'Let me rephrase that: Is anyone besides me ready for SUPPER?'
Both admitted that they were, so we talked over the options, finally settling on going out to a nearby branch of a national restaurant chain. They didn't particularly want to have to 'dress up', and I wanted to go someplace where the food didn't come in a bag.
As they both stood up, I noticed that neither had a bra on; when Robyn bent over to pick something off the floor, I could tell that she didn't have any panties on, either. I gently, but firmly, informed them that we weren't going out with them dressed like that – at least, not to someplace where we'd be getting out of the car.
After some good-natured grumbling, they went in the change, coming out later with blouses on – and with wicked grins on their faces, Robyn, then Sandra, showed me that they'd put panties on, as well.
When we got back, I saw the light on my answering machine blinking, and discovered that Lucy had called just a few minutes earlier. I quickly called her back at the number she'd left, and was lucky enough to catch her still in her hotel room – she'd been about to go out for her own meal.
We chatted a few seconds before she said that she needed to talk to me about something. I asked her what it was, and she said that it would take a little bit to explain, so she wanted to talk to the girls first, so that our conversation wouldn't be interrupted. I agreed, and handed the phone to Robyn before heading off to recycle some fluids – and passing Sandra as she returned from the same mission. I told her that I'd called Lucy, and she quickly headed for the phone.
After I'd returned to the living room, I was careful to stay away from the phone, so they could all have their time together. Finally, Robyn gestured to me that it was my turn. When I went over, she said, 'Mom told me that she has to talk to you, and we should leave you alone while you're on the phone.'
That said, Sandra handed me the phone, and the two of the headed into the bedroom, clearly upset at Lucy's instructions.
When I spoke, Lucy asked 'Are you alone?'
'Yes', I answered, slightly mystified.
'I think there's something going on here, and I need some advice. I know what the people back at the office would tell me, but I don't thing it would be enough. I need someone with a little more imagination than that.'
'Okay, go ahead.'
'We've been here all day, me and the accountants. They do their thing, and at the end of the day, they tell me what's going on, along with a written report. Before we started, I told them that their written reports would be fine, but that in their verbal reports, I wanted to hear the stuff that they weren't comfortable putting on paper – that I*had* to know what was going on, and that nothing they told me would come back to bite them.'
'Sounds like a good idea, so far. So what happened?'
'Their written reports are all by the numbers. But what they told me, in person, was that they were running into a lot of little problems.'
'Such as?'
'Such as references to documents and files that they couldn't find.
Such as a lot of expenses – things that were just a*little* too high, and happened just a*little* too often – not enough to raise red flags, normally, but enough to raise a yellow flag, in these circumstances. Such as people hanging over them, and just generally getting in the way.'
'And you need my help how?'
'I'm not quite sure what to make of all of it. Individually, these things are minor – they happen all the time. It's the number of them, and how often they're happening that's got me concerned. What I need is for someone else to think it through, so I know if I'm being paranoid or not.'
'Okay. Let me think about it for a bit, and call you back. Go out and get something to eat, and I'll call you in, say, an hour?'
'You got it. Uh, were the girls upset that I chased them off?'
'A bit. They're in the bedroom, being outraged at the moment.'
She sighed, and said, 'Okay. Let me talk to them again before I hang up. If I don't, they won't have anyone to take it out on but you – and I love you too much to let*that* happen!'
I laughed, and put the phone on hold while I went in to tell the girls that Lucy wanted to talk to them again. While they marched out to see what other indignity they were going to have to endure, I lay down on the bed.
A few minutes later, they eased their way back in to lay next to me, but didn't disturb me as I thought through what Lucy had told me. I ran through a number of possibilities, trying to figure out how the things she'd told me fit together – and what each of the situations I came up might mean to Lucy, and her company. After a while, Robyn started nudging me, and when I looked at her, she told me 'You're supposed to call Mom in ten minutes. She told me to make sure I reminded you, if you were busy.'
I thanked her, and she added, 'Mom told us something was going on where she was, and that she needed you to help her think about what it was. That was why she didn't want us bothering you – so you could help her. I'm sorry if I was being a turd.'
'Me, too', Sandra added.
I thanked them for their apology, and they got up to head into the living room. I collected and organized my thoughts, and met Sandra as she was heading into the bedroom to give me another reminder. I asked her to bring me a beer, and told her that she and Robyn could share one, too, as long as they were quiet while I was on the phone. She responded 'Of course!', and headed for the kitchen. She left the beer on the desk as Lucy answered the phone, and when she heard me say Lucy's name, made a hasty retreat to the couch.
I told Lucy 'Okay, from what you've told me, I can only come up with three possibilities. I don't have enough
