Part 3—my life changes dramatically. Wow, does it ever!

CHAPTER 7

Jennie and I had been together for five months. It was now May, one of the most beautiful months in the Carolinas with the temperature in the mid-eighties and none of the stifling humidity I knew would appear once summer had arrived.

Jennie and I felt like a married couple, but in all this time I had never once told her that I loved her—that I was in madly love with her. Why? I was afraid—terrified actually–that she would reject me, afraid that she would laugh, and afraid that, as a result of my stupidity, she would leave me.
Things came to a head a week before Memorial Day. Jennie walked into my office where I was “working.” “Doug, I need to talk to you. I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but I think I’m taking too much from you. Perhaps I should leave.”

My heart was in my throat. This was the moment I had dreaded for months. I had to convince her to stay. I just had to. I was sure that my face had turned ghostly white when I turned in my chair to face her. “Oh God…now you’re going to see what a pathetic loser I can be.” I hung my head and spoke just above a whisper, “I don’t want you to go, Jennie—not now, not ever. I want you. I love you. I’m in love with you. I want to marr….” I never finished that sentence. Jennie was all over me, hugging and kissing me—pushing her tongue into my throat as her glorious breasts pressed into my chest.

Her fingers caressed my face as she whispered, “I’m so sorry I had to do that to you, Doug. I was afraid you’d never get around to telling me. I’ve known that you loved me for months and—for the record—I’ve been in love with you since our first week together. I’ve never met a kinder, more considerate, and—yes—a more loving man than you. Since you can be a little dense sometimes I’ll spell it out for you—YES! OUI! JA! SI! Y…E…S. Now I’m going to shut up so I can kiss you then I’m taking you to bed where we’ll start our celebration because I have something else to show and tell you.” She extended her hand and I followed her, still in a daze, to the bedroom.

She dropped her clothes into a pile on the floor then began on mine. Holding my head between her hands she whispered, “Have you noticed that I’ve put on a few extra pounds lately?” She took my hand and placed it on her tummy. “Please don’t be angry with me, but I never started those birth control pills. I was afraid you might send me away and I couldn’t go without…. I know it sounds stupid, but you never told me that you loved me. If I had to leave I was going to take some small part of you with me.”

I was confused. What was she talking about? “I don’t understand, Jennie. What are you telling me?”

“For a genius you can be so oblivious. I’m pregnant. I’m going to have your baby. You’re going to be a father.” I was dumbstruck. I stood there in total shock until she gripped my head with one hand and my cock with the other then gave me the best kiss I’d ever experienced. She pulled me to the bed and we celebrated all afternoon. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for my love and—yes—I did tell her over and over how much I loved her.

Only when we were both too exhausted to even move did Jennie speak again. “Doug, didn’t you listen to me when I told you about making love to you? Do you remember what I said to you?”

“Something about only lying still when other men fucked you.”

“Yes, and do you know why I was such an active participant with you and only with you, darling?”

“I think I do now. You did it because you were in love with me?”

“Of course, and I’m going to do it with just as much energy and just as much love for the rest of our lives.”

“I can’t believe it. I’ve been so afraid of telling you how much I love you. I was afraid you’d think I was crazy and you’d run away. I was terrified when you asked if I thought you should leave.” Then my face brightened and I smiled. “This is the best day of my life.”

Jennie moved up to kiss me. Then she whispered, “Mine, too!” Then she kissed me again. We pulled ourselves into the shower and rejuvenated under the hot spray. We dressed hurriedly and Jennie drove me all the way down to Myrtle Beach where we turned onto 28th Avenue North, stopping at New York Prime, certainly one of the best restaurants in the area and definitely the most expensive. Dinner for two—shrimp cocktail for me and shellfish bisque for Jennie, a split house salad, and porterhouse for two came to just under $300 with drinks and tip. It was worth every penny. It wasn’t every day that I became engaged.

We were back in the car and on the way home when it hit me. “Did you say you were…?”

“Boy, you sure are out of it today. Is this what you’re going to be like when we’re actually married?”

“I hope so. I’ve never been so happy.”

“I’m glad, Dad. It’s been a perfect day for me, too.” She held her hand out to me and I took it gladly, holding it to my lips as she drove away.

Once we were home I put Lady out and prepared her dinner. After filling her bowl with Dog Chow I covered the pile of kibble with diced scraps of steak fat from our dinner. After kissing Jennie I walked to my office before pulling up several airline sites for reservations for three to LaGuardia in New York City. Unfortunately, there were no direct flights and I sure as hell didn’t want to sit in either Charlotte or Atlanta for two hours to make a flight that was less than two hours long. Instead, I joined Jennie in bed.

“I’ve been thinking. When do you want to get married and what kind of wedding would you like?”

“I’m sure you know that I have no close friends other than Amber, the one I phone back home now and then, but if I invited her my step-father would be one step behind her.”

“You are an adult now. What could he do?”

“You don’t know him. He’d make up some phony charges just to get me back to Iowa. Then he’d chain me to a post and either beat me or fuck me every day. It’s better for me if Amber stays where she is. As for when: as soon as humanly possible. That okay with you?” I didn’t answer. I didn’t have to. My kiss spoke volumes. We were in bed, naked as always, and fell sound asleep seconds later. I had a lot to do tomorrow morning.

I was online first thing the following morning checking the state’s requirements for a marriage license when Jennie staggered into the office. “Morning, sweetheart; what are you doing?”

“Just checking on what’s required to get a license and if there’s a waiting period.”

“And?”

“We can do both today, but not until I make a few calls.” I rose and pulled my still naked wife-to-be into my arms. We moved together, full of love for each other. Jennie melted in my arms as we kissed. My hands roamed her body—her skin as soft and smooth as silk—until she broke it.
“You’d better make your calls if we’re going to get married today. I’ll get breakfast started.” One more quick kiss and she went on her way.

I phoned Executive Jet and chartered a round trip for three. Yes, I was taking Lady with us.
Next I was on the phone to the Plaza—reservations for two plus my service dog. Trainer John had given me a dog vest that said, “Service Dog” with a small oxygen tank and breathing mask. It was aluminum, an exact replica of the real thing except smaller and lighter so it wouldn’t interfere with Lady’s real function. “These will enable you to take her everywhere you go. Tell people you’re susceptible to seizures or something. Nowadays service dogs are as common as fleas.”

Jennie poked her head in to ask what I was doing. “I think we need to go to New York to do some shopping. You need an engagement ring and we should get some wedding rings, maybe a diamond bracelet or two, a necklace, some earrings…whatever we want. I also have a business meeting I have to attend.”

“What are we going to do with Lady?”

“She’ll be coming with us, probably in the seat next to you. I’ll arrange a line of credit with one of my brokers right after we eat.” That’s exactly what I did, calling my personal representative at Vanguard where I had more than two hundred million invested. We worked out the particulars of the transfer to Harry Winston’s account, including several code words for identification purposes. Jennie and I left for the County Courthouse about forty minutes north on the County Administrative Campus in Bolivia. I wore a grey silk suit; Jennie wore a pearl-colored top with sleeves to her elbows and a pair of black Capri’s along with black two-inch heels. She wore no jewelry other than the ratty studs she’d had when we met. I was sure she’d replace them tomorrow when we set the record for money spent at Harry Winston’s Fifth Avenue shop just down the block from the Plaza Hotel.

We walked hand-in-hand into the courthouse lobby, stopping at the information desk for directions. Up to the second floor in the elevator we almost ran down the wide hallway. There was a short line, but we spent the time completing the form. When one of the couples ahead of us was ten dollars short I gladly paid the difference.

We showed our ID and I laid three twenties on the counter. Then I asked the clerk where we could go to get married. “Right down the hall in 214. There’s a justice of the peace there all the time. You might have to wait a bit. Good luck.”

We rushed down the hallway, almost passing right by the room. Luckily, a bridal party walked out just as we approached. We walked in and took a number, handing our license to another clerk. “It should be about twenty minutes. Do you have any witnesses or other people in your party?” He told us to have a seat when we indicated we were alone. Another couple slid down the bench with a slight smile as they made room for us to sit. It was actually thirty minutes later when we were called into the other room. I handed the justice a hundred dollar bill and provided a twenty to each of the witnesses.

Even the lack of rings didn’t hold us back. We held hands throughout the ceremony, pledging ourselves to each other before sharing our first kiss as husband and wife. We shook hands and left floating on air. I couldn’t believe I was actually married to Jennie. We drove home, stopping halfway for a light lunch before going home to celebrate again.

We were in bed early and had fallen asleep almost immediately so we were almost awake when the alarm went off at six. “Tell me, husband, why we’re getting up so early.”

“We have a ten o’clock appointment at the Wilmington airport.”

“They’re going to let Lady on the plane with us?”

“Sure, dogs fly all the time, even flying commercial. But, as you know, I’ve arranged for a charter.”

“A charter?”

“Yeah…you, me, and Lady with the flight crew and a steward. I have to find that vest that John gave us.”

“Look in the hall closet. Should I get a suitcase? How many nights should I pack for? What kind of clothes will I need? Oh—I’m so excited!”

“There are two 24-inch cases in the closet in the blue room—one for each of us. I think we should take a carry-on for toiletries, shaving—you know…whatever. I’ll put Lady out and come right back to help you.” I kissed her quickly and led Lady down the hall.

Jennie had the bed made and the open suitcases on it when we returned. “We have reservations for five nights so I’m taking two suits and maybe four shirts. I’d take that coral dress you look so good in and some good casual clothes. Leave room in your suitcase so we can do some serious shopping for you. If necessary we can always get another bag or two. Would you like to meet my mother?”

“Of course; you’ve never mentioned your parents or anything about growing up other than studying at MIT.”

“We can talk at length on the plane. We’ll fly into LaGuardia and take a limo into Manhattan. It’s not that far, but we could spend close to an hour because of the traffic. Well, you’ll see for yourself once we get there.” We spent almost a half hour packing before taking a quick shower. Jennie was right. The vest was in the hall closet. Lady stood perfectly still while I fitted it around her shoulders. It looked to be comfortable and didn’t restrict her movements at all.

I locked up and we were on the road heading north by eight. Wilmington was almost an hour away and we needed breakfast before boarding the plane. We could eat on board, but I hated eating in the air. Truth be told, I occasionally suffered from motion sickness. I’d been sick several times on ocean cruises, but never on either of my small boats. I found that difficult to explain and even harder to understand.

We stopped at Golden Corral in Shallotte for their weekend buffet and ate heartily. I had no trouble bringing Lady into the restaurant. She stayed at heel whenever Jennie or I went to the buffet, but sat quietly at our feet, even when I slipped her a piece of bacon. We left at nine sharp and I pulled into the general aviation lot at the airport at 9:40. I removed the cases from the trunk while Jennie held Lady on her leash. We met the pilot inside the building and he helped with our bags. They even had a special harness to secure Lady in the seat. They’d covered the seat with a soft terry-cloth slip cover, both for Lady’s comfort and to protect the leather seat from Lady’s claws.

Jennie had Lady lie across the seat with her head across Jennie’s thigh. I clipped the short harness into the seat belt buckle. The steward explained that this was just for takeoff and landing when the inertial stresses were greatest. There I go again with nerd speak. It’s inertia that seems to push you back into the seat when the pilot rams the throttle forward. It’s kind of complicated physics so –please-just take my word for it.

We had just taken off when Jennie released Lady. She curled up at Jennie’s feet. Jennie looked across the aisle with a smile and asked me about my parents. “I grew up in East Setauket. That’s a community on the north shore of Suffolk County in Long Island. My father is a professor of chemistry at Stony Brook State University about two miles from our home. He must have done pretty well because Mom was the only stay-at-home mother in our neighborhood.

“I attended the public schools there in what’s known as the Three Village School District. The schools there have an excellent reputation. I’d guess that more than ninety percent of the graduates go on to some form of higher education. Anyway, like most kids I couldn’t wait to get my driver’s license. I was so proud the day I did I drove Mom’s car to the university to show it to him. Instead, I opened the door to his laboratory to find some fat bitch lying across the lab table with my dear old dad behind her, his pants pooled up around his ankles.”

“Oh no, Doug; how terrible for you!”

“He was so occupied that he never even noticed I was there. I walked up almost within arm’s length before speaking. “I thought it was dangerous to sit or lie on a lab table, Dad—something about acid on the surface. Good to see you’re following good safe lab procedure. Don’t ever speak to me again. You’re dead as far as I’m concerned.” I turned on my heels and left, but not before seeing that he never missed a beat.

“I drove home in a fog and it’s a miracle that I didn’t kill someone on the way. Mom knew the instant I walked into the house from the expression on my face exactly what had happened. ‘Dear God,’ she told me. ‘You caught him, didn’t you?’ It turned out that she had caught him on three separate occasions. I thought that I loved my dad before that day. After, I couldn’t have hated him more. I’ve never spoken to him since…not even a single word. There wasn’t much he could have done about it. I was much bigger and stronger than he was. I was about a month from graduation so I left home in September and I’ve never gone back while he was there. I’ve seen my mother quite a few times, but never him.”

“I feel so badly for you, Doug. That’s as bad as my story.”

“No…not even close; I never had to suffer physically the way you did and when I left home I went to college for six years. You had to worry about your very survival every single day, but no more…never again.” I rose from my seat and walked to Jennie. Our kiss would have lasted longer were it not for the steward who asked us if we wanted a drink. We declined. It was too early for alcohol and the flight was only two hours long. I kissed Jennie quickly and returned to my seat.

Using the in-plane phone I placed an important call. I had just ended it when we were told to prepare for landing. Jennie called Lady up to her position on the seat and fifteen minutes later we were on the approach path, flying low over Flushing Bay to the runway that extended almost all the way to Riker’s Island. Ten minutes after touchdown we pulled into the General Aviation area and stopped. The door was opened and I walked out, turning to help Jennie and Lady down the steep steps. Our stretch limo awaited us just outside the fence.

We left the airport at 12:43 and pulled up in front of the Plaza fifty-one minutes later. The bell staff couldn’t get to our bags fast enough. Ten minutes later we had registered and were shown into our suite. It was exactly as requested—more than nine floors above the street with views of Central Park just across the street. I locked our few valuables in the safe and we removed our clothes to the dresser and closet.

Once that was done we went down in the elevator so we could get Lady into the park. I had brought a garden trowel and a supply of plastic bags to dispose of her wastes. Her bowls and a ten pound bag of Dog Chow would do for the next five days. We crossed at the light and stepped into the park.

“So this is Central Park. It’s beautiful and so big.”

“It really is great, Jennie, but it’s a good place to stay away from after dark. It can be dangerous, with groups of street punks looking for an easy mark.”

“Is that why we brought Lady?”

“It’s part of the reason. I’ll buy you more than a hundred thousand dollars in jewelry. That alone is reason to be careful. Of course, if we get robbed, just hand over the cash and the jewels. They can be replaced; you can’t.” Lady had sniffed around a few trees before squatting to do her business. I was right behind her to clean up her mess which was fortunate because a city cop was only twenty feet away on the footpath. I knew the law in New York City was often ignored, but not by me. I dropped the bag in a trash receptacle and we crossed the street to the Plaza then turned left, walking about a block and a half to Luke’s Lobster for their lobster roll and Cokes.

After lunch we went back toward Fifth Avenue and turned south. A block later we entered Harry Winston’s. The service here has always been, well, let’s just call it “attentive.” A fortyish woman greeted us. “I was told to ask for Martin,” I said as I handed her one of my business cards from when I was CEO of Software for Idiots, Inc. She retreated to the rear of the store, returning less than two minutes later with the manager. My contact at Vanguard had phoned him to discuss the transfer of funds. He was told it had been done probably dozens of times and was one of their preferred means of payment. There were no credit card charges and payment was immediate. I asked to see an assortment of engagement rings.

Jennie was offered a seat at a low glass counter as Martin first measured her finger while an assistant brought out four trays, each of which had at least twenty rings of various sizes and designs. She looked at me then told me, “I don’t want to spend too much.”

I grinned as I replied, “For you there’s no such thing as too much. Find the one you love and ignore the price. We’re here to spend money and I have more than enough to buy out the entire store.” I leaned down to kiss her. I could see her shock in her eyes. She knew I was rich, but I was much richer than she thought. I’d explain everything to her tonight.

Martin showed her maybe twenty different designs to see what type of ring she wanted. Once that was decided there was the question of size. Jennie was a tall woman, but slender even after gaining weight over the past few months. Her fingers matched her body—long and slender. Even though I could afford the biggest ring in the store, a really big ring looked ridiculous on her finger. She finally decided on a blue-white stone of two carats in a yellow gold setting. I thought it was perfect.

“Okay, wedding rings next. We were married yesterday.” This was easier; Jennie loved the first one she was shown—a band that surrounded her solitaire on all sides with a circular ring of smaller diamonds totaling three carats. My matching ring was a simple band of gold with three small matching diamonds. We put them on immediately. I could see the love in Jennie’s eyes when she looked up at me, but I wasn’t done yet.

“Earrings next; let’s see what you have. I want to see some posts and some bangles; some gold and some with gemstones.” Jennie bought ten sets of earrings, some with diamonds and other gemstones and others in fourteen karat gold. I loved the one-karat diamond studs. She wore them when we left the store, but kept the ratty posts she had worn since the day we met. “They were a gift from my father…my real father before he died.” Martin had them cleaned and placed them in a Harry Winston box along with our purchases.

I also bought her three necklaces and three diamond and gold bracelets. They all looked wonderful on Jennie. The final tally was more than $300,000. Martin phoned Vanguard and gave them the agreed on code that I provided—sixteen alphanumeric characters. The funds were transferred from my account in a second and confirmed by their bank in less than a minute. Martin offered a guard to accompany us to our room and we gratefully accepted even though we had our own guard in Lady.

Jennie took me to bed when we returned to the room, claiming that we needed a “nap.” Some nap—I thought a nap meant sleep! Trust me; we didn’t sleep, not even a little, but I never complained…not even once. She rubbed that delectable body over mine, pushing her nipples into my mouth as her hands sought my cock and ball sac. Moving down, she kissed my head, ears, face, and finally—my mouth. Her tongue teased me, darting in and out of my mouth as it wrestled with mine.

She pulled back, but just long enough to tell me, ”I love you, Doug and I always will. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I can’t imagine a better man or a better husband.” Then, as if to prove her point, she wrapped her hot tight canal around me and slowly eased herself down my pole.

Making love with Jennie was never dull or boring. She rode me today with an even stronger sense of determination than ever. I looked down to see her clit grinding into me. Her legs, stretched at 180 degrees, forced her nubbin from its hood. It was engorged—red and swollen—in her ardor. Jennie’s actions showed how much she wanted to cum and, of course, she was having an incredible effect on me, too.

My hands on her hips could feel the tiny tremors coursing through her body, growing in intensity with every mutual thrust. After almost fifteen minutes her motions became irregular, frenetic, and uncontrolled. She was thrashing wildly when it finally hit. I was sure she was going to scream as she often did when we were in our bed at home, but she moved down to clamp her lips into mine at the last second. My mouth swallowed her unfettered roar as well as her unfettered passion. Her actions triggered my reaction. I came as hard as she did, lifting her bodily with my thrusts five times until I collapsed onto the sheets, Jennie’s body compressed onto mine.

We lay there for several minutes recovering from the stresses we had put our bodies through. I lightly ran my hands over her silken skin, absolutely amazed that this wonderful creature actually loved me—that she had so willingly agreed to be my bride and share my life.

Jennie slowly raised her head and spoke, “Doug, do you remember when you gave me that two million dollars?”

“Of course, you needed that credit to help establish your identity and, if you hadn’t married me you would have had to pay taxes on it. See how lucky you are.” I couldn’t resist a brief chuckle.

“Well, I’ve been thinking. I need to give that back to you. Also, I think I should sign some kind of agreement that I wouldn’t get any of your money if we ever divorced.”

I looked up, an expression of shock on my face. “You’re thinking of divorcing me?”

“Oh no, I’m so sorry. I’m never going to do anything like that. I love you more than I love my own life. I just don’t want you to think I married you for your money. I survived when I was broke before and I could do it again if I had to.”

“Thank you for both offers, but my answers are ‘NO’ and ‘NO.’ I told you that I had more than a hundred million, but that was a white lie. Well, maybe not a lie, but not the whole truth either. When representatives of the brokerage firm approached me they first offered me five hundred million. I learned a long time ago to never accept a first offer. I told them I’d probably make that much in my first two years if I sold the program for five hundred dollars a pop. Overall, I planned on ten million sales internationally over a five year span. After that they’d peter out to maybe 100,000 a year.

Using those figures and what I knew about their projected commissions I managed to bump them up to one point five billion. That’s what I sold the company for. After taxes I still had roughly 800 million. I’ll go over my investments with you when we get home again. Keep the two million for pocket money.”

“Two million? Pocket money? Damn Doug, you’re incredible; no wonder I love you so much.” She didn’t kiss me then, but she did snuggle up really closely to my body then she laid her head on my chest and fell asleep. I remained awake, but just barely, until it was time to shower and dress for dinner.

“What should I wear?” I could tell that Jennie was nervous so I kissed her before replying.

“I’m wearing my navy blue golf shirt—the one with the thin white horizontal stripes and my tan microfiber slacks with my cordovan loafers—what they call smart casual dress. Of course, nobody will even notice me, not with you there.” She decided on a teal silk top that buttoned all the way to her neck, but was sleeveless, with tan linen slacks and matching flats. She added her diamond pendant. It was simple, but elegant. We took Lady down with us in the elevator and across to the park where she urinated onto the lawn. Then we crossed Central Park South and strolled down Fifth Avenue before turning right onto 58th Street West. From there it was a short walk down the block to Quality Meats.

I’d eaten there before and the food was great although expensive, but we were in Manhattan where everything was expensive. A simple room at the Plaza would set you back more than $500 a night. We walked in just in time for the reservation the concierge had made for us. Not a single comment was made about my service dog. After ordering drinks we agreed on the shrimp cocktail and tomato salads before ordering the porterhouse for two, medium rare. For sides we had the roasted crispy potatoes and grilled mushrooms. I was stuffed by the time we finished, but Jennie wanted to try the warm apple tart. Where did this woman put all this food?

We walked back to the Plaza, Jennie taking my arm. We were approached by a panhandler about halfway back. Lady was automatically on alert, but he passed us by with a “thanks” when I slipped him a twenty. He’d probably drink himself into a stupor, but I’d demonstrated my kindness. Maybe it would even help…maybe.

Jennie and I flopped into the big bed, naked as always. “We need to go to sleep, my darling. You have another big day ahead of you.”

“Me? What about you, Doug?”

“I have an important meeting to attend. Remember the phone call I made on the plane? I’ll be tied up for a few hours, but I’m sending you shopping—clothes this time.”

“But…I have no idea where to go.”

“I know so I’ve arranged a little surprise for you. You can take Lady with you. Just trust me. You’re going to have a wonderful time.” I kissed her again as we pulled the blanket over us. She made herself comfortable, her head on my chest and her leg over my thigh. I whispered, “Good night, my love,” but Jennie was already asleep.

CHAPTER 8

We were up early, as usual, and dressed—me in a suit and tie, Jennie in casual clothes. We walked Lady over to the park and returned to the Plaza for breakfast. It was 9:45 when we left the restaurant and walked to the concierge. There was a woman waiting there for us. “Margo,” I asked.

“Yes, you must be Doug and this is obviously Jennie. I’m pleased to meet you.”

“Jennie, Margo is a professional shopper. She will accompany you and help you select appropriate clothes. Just remember, Margo, that we live in North Carolina where their idea of formal is wearing socks with your sneakers.”

“What’s my limit?”

“Please don’t go over fifty thousand without letting me know. That’s the limit on Jennie’s card.” I reached into my pocket, retrieving a platinum Master Card with Jennie’s name on it and an envelope for Margo’s services. Jennie signed the card then turned to kiss me. “You’ll have a limo for the day. Have fun. Think of me often.” I kissed Jennie again, petted Lady and watched as they strode to the door. I could just hear Margo telling Jennie that she had a perfect body for clothes. “I’ll bet you’re a perfect size six,” was the last thing I heard. I watched them enter the limo as the doorman summoned a cab. I was on my way to Wall Street.

I was offered coffee in the executive conference room, but I declined. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust these crooks, but I had no reason to either. They wanted something that only I could provide and for that they’d pay. Everyone rose when the CEO strode confidently into the room—everyone except me. I actually reclined in my chair until I was almost horizontal. “Dr. Preston…I’m William Chambers, the CEO, how are you this morning?”

A tall reedy man with hollow cheeks followed and spoke before I had the chance to reply. “Morning, I’m Erik Stoehl, Executive Vice President for Technology.”

“I’m okay, but truthfully I’d rather be with my wife. What’s on your mind?”

“We have your program on our network. What is the maximum number of users the program can possibly handle at the same time? Do you know?”

“When I designed the program I envisioned it for a single user—one program, one user. I can understand why you’d want it on your network where you’d have complete control over it—where it could never be stolen or misused. How many users will depend on your servers plus what I program it to accept. How many users do you want?”

“Can it handle 20,000?”

“It can, but it would be slow as shit flowing uphill. You’d be better off with ten or twenty programs running simultaneously. I could rig them to work together…to ‘cooperate’ for lack of a better term.”

“Couldn’t we do that? We have programmers on staff, you know.”

“Knock yourselves out,” I said, getting to my feet. “Give me a call when they’ve completely fucked it up then I’ll be able to charge you ten times as much.”

“What will you charge us for this?”

“Not much…only fifty million.”

“That’s absurd…ridiculous.”

“Fine, but you need to check our contract before anyone touches it.”

“Why?”

“You have a license to use, not permission to make any changes. I still own the copyright. The program will log any attempts to change it and forward them to my email. They’ll make great evidence for the lawsuit which will cost you billions. Worse, it will let the cat out of the bag. Everyone will know how you managed to average returns of three percent over the past year when everyone else was lucky to break even. Then you’ll have other programmers working their asses off for your competitors and every night before they go to bed they’ll be on their knees praying to God to thank me for the millions they’ll be making. Meanwhile, you’ll be stuck in litigation and—the worst possible scenario—the program will shut itself off and your programmers will only make things worse because it will, about two weeks later, erase itself from your servers.

“You paid me 1.5 billion for this program. How much have you made over the past year using it? How many clients have you…um…acquired… from your competitors because you’ve been able to put together the best results in the industry? You didn’t pay me all that money because I’m an idiot. I’ll gladly do the work for you once I’m back in North Carolina.”

“Don’t you have to be here to do it? Our servers are here in this building.”

I couldn’t resist smirking as I pulled my laptop from my case. My fingers moved at the speed of light as I successfully hacked into their system. The CEO blanched when I turned the screen to him. “Your security is fairly typical. Luckily, my program has three multi-level firewalls that will keep even the most talented hackers out. But, since I wrote them, I can get in whenever I want. I’m here with my new bride and I’d like some quality time with her. I’ll start on it Tuesday afternoon. It will take you longer than that to get the contract together and for my attorney to review it. I anticipate a month or less. Any questions?”

“How the hell did we wind up doing business with someone like you?”

“You came to my house…remember? You bought my business. I didn’t ask you to; you practically insisted, but I’m not angry. If not for you I would never have met my wife. Incidentally, you made more than fifteen billion using the program last year and you’ll make so much next year you’ll think the fifty million you’re going to pay me is chicken feed.”

“I’m Fred Hutchinson, the chief programmer here. May I ask how you plan to accomplish this?” In contrast to his boss Fred was short and squat, a bad combination at best, made all the worse by his almost totally bald head.

“Yes you may.”

“But? How are you going to do it?”

“Oh, I thought you were asking if you could ask how I was going to do it. You certainly can ask, but I’m not going to answer. Even if you knew how you still couldn’t because of the safeguards I’ve build into the program. You’d have to enter the security code the first time and the chances of doing that correctly are roughly one in ten to the eighteenth power. That’s one in a billion billion and since there’s no identifiable place to enter it you’d have to guess. It’s an impossible task. I did this to protect both of us—to protect my proprietary rights and to protect you from unauthorized entry to the code. Even I can’t remember the password so I have it programmed into my server at home where it’s interwoven into thousands of lines of code in dozens of programs. I’ll write the patch at home, enter the program, upload all of the other programs as well as the coordinating software and then watch as you test it. I don’t foresee any problems, but one never knows.” They didn’t like the scenario, but what could they do? I’d much prefer to spend all my time with Jennie and they would have to pay for my inconvenience.

Their attorney met with me for another three hours to hammer out the details. By working through lunch we were finished by 2:30 and I caught a cab back to the Plaza. I changed my clothes and went down to the lobby to wait for my bride.

She made an entrance that would have made a Hollywood star jealous. In she walked with her service dog and three bellmen, each of which was carrying about a dozen large shopping bags. I rose as Jennie ran into my arms. “I take it you had a good time.”

“Good? Oh Doug, it was marvelous. We began at Macy’s. That store is so big! Then we went to Bergdorf-Goodman. What clothes they had! We stopped for lunch and then we went to some fancy boutiques. That’s where I got this purse. Like it?” I did; it was very stylish and looked great on Jennie’s shoulder.

“Did you hear Margo tell me she thought I was a perfect size six? She was right. Everything I tried on fit me perfectly. I had a hard time choosing.” I stopped her for a moment and turned to the bellmen. Handing each a ten-spot I asked them to take the bags up to 1027. “Isn’t the suite locked, Doug?”

“Of course, but they have master keys. Let’s go in for a snack then we can go up and dress. We
have tickets for the theater tonight. We’re going to see “Hamilton.”

“Oh Doug, Margo told me all about it. I can’t wait. I have the perfect outfit. I think you’ll love it.”

“Let’s get up to our room; we have early dinner reservations at Davio’s. I think you’ll like it. The menu is extensive and the food is great.” I took Jennie’s hand as we walked to the elevator.

“How was your meeting?”

“Good; we’re going to get fifty million from it. They want my program to be available to handle 20,000 brokers at a time.”

“Can you actually do that?”

“Sure…I didn’t tell them, but I kind of assumed it was something they’d want eventually. I’ve been working on it for months. I’d have completed it weeks ago, but I had this little distraction.”

“I’m glad.” She had a look of total love in her eyes as she said it.

I thought she would have kissed me, but we were sharing the elevator with an elderly woman. “Oh, go ahead and kiss her. You obviously want to.” I did, but I was uncomfortable until we exited on the tenth floor.

The floor of our sitting room was covered with the more than thirty bags filled with Jennie’s new clothes. She rifled through them quickly until she found one from some boutique Margo had found for her. The dress she pulled out was gorgeous. I could see it was made of raw silk dyed to a dark navy blue. It was a simple sleeveless sheath with a long slit almost reaching her hip on the left side. Next was a short jacket, what I later learned was called a “bolero.” From another bag she pulled a blue bra and high cut bikini panties. My contribution was the scissors to cut the tags.

We showered quickly—no fooling around—and dressed in our bedroom. I wore my grey suit with a white button-down shirt and a cranberry paisley tie. Once I was dressed I opened the safe and removed much of Jennie’s jewelry. She selected a pair of diamond and sapphire bangle earrings and a bracelet with two rows of diamonds around a single row of sapphires. Around her neck she wore a matching necklace. She was absolutely stunning.

Jennie remained in the lobby while I took Lady across the street to the park. Ten minutes later we were back and two minutes after that the three of us climbed into the limo, Lady on the floor between us. “Davio’s,” I told the driver. He commented that it was a good choice. I agreed, having eaten there several times when I worked out on Long Island and had business here in the city.

I told the driver to have dinner on us while he waited. I knew he could be served quickly in the bar. Jennie and I were shown to a table in the dining room. We began by splitting an appetizer of American Kobe beef meatballs followed by a salad with baby iceberg lettuce, bacon, and tomatoes in an herb buttermilk dressing. We skipped the pasta course, but did opt for the lobster bisque before our entrée of pan seared scallops, creamy corn, and potatoes. We had dined extremely well and, once again, not a word was said about Lady.

Our driver David was waiting when we walked out onto the sidewalk. “Thanks for the dinner, Dr. Preston. I really appreciate it.” He held the door and closed it behind me. A minute later we were on our way south toward the theater.

CHAPTER 9

I had purchased three tickets because it wasn’t fair to the other patrons to be squeezed because of Lady’s presence. Normally, I consider myself to be polite, well-mannered and respectful, however a woman in our row howled about having to sit next to our dog. “Surely,” she said almost at the top of her voice, “you don’t expect me to sit next to that…beast!”

“Don’t worry, ma’am. I’m sure she’ll be much better behaved than you’ve been. If you find it so objectionable why don’t you take the middle seats? Then I can put her in the aisle next to me and there will be an open seat between you and my wife.” I thought I was being perfectly reasonable, but….

“Absolutely not! I paid for seats on the aisle and that’s where I’m going to sit!”

“Okay with me; go ahead, dear.” Jennie stepped into the row followed by me and Lady last. We were in our seats when a gentleman next to Jennie commented, “I’ll be happy to sit next to your dog.”

“Thank you, sir, but after this woman’s rude behavior….” I let it drop, but I did spread a towel from the hotel on the floor before telling Lady to sit. The bitch continued her tirade even as the overture began. I knew how to shut her up. I gave Lady a command; she turned toward the woman, emitting a low growl and exposing her fangs. She never moved. She didn’t have to. The woman shrank back in fear. I whispered just loud enough for her and our other neighbors to hear. “I suggest you shut up. In addition to being a service dog Lady is also a guard dog that will react to any perceived aggressive behavior toward either me or my wife.” I backed Lady off and sat back to watch the show. Jennie took my arm and held my hand while I petted Lady with the other.

The woman and her friend got up at the intermission and a man behind us stood. “She’s not really a guard dog, is she?”

“Yeah, she is. I have a lot of money so either I hire bodyguards or have a dog. Having the dog is more fun, but not much cheaper. She cost me a fortune.” I turned back to Jennie and asked if she wanted a snack or a drink. She looked at me as though I was crazy. After the meal we’d had I must have been.

I had a pleasant conversation with the people sitting behind us. They were appalled by the woman’s conduct. One man said, “Your dog has better manners than she does. She’s been quiet and still through the entire show.”

“Thank you. She’s extremely well trained. We had to spend three days with her and the trainer to learn all of her commands. If I told her to she could and would take a mugger’s arm off at the elbow, but with us she’s as gentle and loving as can be.”

“Are you local or just visiting?”

“I used to work out on the Island.” I pulled a business card from my wallet. “I sold the company last year and retired to North Carolina. It was a great move; that’s where I met my wife. We’ve been married all of three days. I had business here so I brought her for a shopping spree.”

“Well, I love her dress and jacket. I hate to ask what it cost. Is that silk? It’s beautiful,” his wife added.

“I’m not concerned about the cost. Nothing’s too good for her. How about joining us for a drink after the show?” They agreed and we had a date. They were a very pleasant couple in their forties who had taken the train in from Jersey. I returned to my seat after introducing Jennie and myself to Charlie and Toni Blasi from Hoboken. Looking down the row I noticed that the rude big-mouthed bitch had not returned for the remainder of the show—no great loss as far as I was concerned.

CHAPTER 10

An hour later, after an extended standing ovation, we had exited the theater and I was on my cell to David. He picked us up a few minutes later and I asked about a nearby club. “I know just the place, Dr. Preston.”

“You’re a doctor,” Charlie asked.

“No…just a PhD. Essentially, I’m a software engineer. I write software, most of which is quite involved. Ever hear of Software for Idiots?”

“Sure, our daughter used that to study for the SAT last year.”

“I wrote that program. In fact, I wrote all of them. There were only three people in the entire company—me, a secretary, and an accounts clerk. We worked out of my house, but I sold out to a major corporation last year. Mostly, they wanted an as yet unpublished program I wrote and was using. I can’t give you any more information because the conditions of our contract are secret. All I can tell you is that they paid me more than enough to enable me to retire. What do you do, Charlie?”

“I’m a union plumber—nothing compared to what you do.”

“No, I don’t agree. I actually know quite a bit about plumbing. I also know that society as we know it wouldn’t exist without plumbing. Ever stop to think where we’d be without the simple trap? Living in caves or huts with a life expectancy of forty would be my guess. My uncle owned a plumbing business out in Suffolk County for years until he passed away four years ago. I worked for him during my breaks all through high school and even freshman year in college then I was able to get work writing code for a software firm up in Massachusetts where I went to school.”

“Here we are, sir.” David pulled the limo over to the curb in front of a club that had a trio playing dance tunes. I thought it was perfect.

We had just ordered drinks and I made sure that our guests realized that they were our GUESTS. The rest of the evening was on Jennie and me. Our waitress had just left when Toni asked, “How long have you been married?”

“Three days,” Jennie replied. “Three wonderful days, but we’ve lived together since the first day we met.” Charlie and Toni looked shocked so Jennie continued. “It all had to do with how we met. I ran away from home when I was seventeen. My step-father was raping me three or four times a week and my mother was no help at all. She actually accused me of trying to steal her man—like I’d have any interest in a fifty year-old fat slob.”

“You couldn’t contact the police?”

“Unfortunately, no—he was the county sheriff. I knew when I left that I’d have to have sex with truck drivers and other men who picked me up. Over the five years I was on the road I probably screwed two hundred men. I did it to survive and that’s all I did–survive. Then, back in January I got a ride cross-country to Lumberton, North Carolina and the next day a Canadian couple gave me a ride to North Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. I slept in a shelter that night and went out to a shopping center the next day to beg money for my next meal.

“I was cold and tired so I sat against a stop sign post with my homemade sign leaning against my leg. That’s when Doug approached me. He was the kindest man I’d ever met. He took me to Walmart for some clothes and to his home to clean up. I knew what kind of man he was when he noticed that I had lice. He bought some shampoo and after I had taken a shower he carefully and patiently combed the nits out of my hair. I couldn’t believe that I could be so lucky. He threw out my old clothes and took me to a restaurant for dinner—the best meal I’d had in years. I stayed overnight in his guest room.

“It was horribly cold that night. Doug told me he’d feel terrible if he read that I’d frozen to death. The next day he took me to buy a warm jacket and I convinced him that his real motivation was that he wanted to fuck me. He insisted on using a condom which was good because we went to his doctor and learned I had Chlamydia which was cleaned up in less than two weeks. I know Chlamydia can cause sterility, but my gynecologist said you have to have it for several months before that happens. We obviously got it in time because I’m pregnant.”

“Is that why you got married?”

“No; Doug is a genius, but he’s a nerd and sometimes he can be so obtuse it’s ridiculous. I told him that he was the first and only man I had ever made love to. The others were just sex where I only lied motionless while they did their thing. Despite that he never realized that I was terribly in love with him. I had to threaten to leave before he admitted that he was in love with me, too. He told me he wanted me to stay with him forever and marry him. Although I don’t think he actually got it all out. He had just said ‘marr…’ when I was all over him—hugging and kissing him like there was no tomorrow. That was four days ago. We were married the next day and the following day we flew here to New York.”

“That’s some story, Jennie. You are so lucky. I don’t mean you were lucky to have to go through all that—lucky you found Doug.”

“Yes, I agree completely. Doug is rich, but that means nothing to me. I offered to sign a pre-nup, but he refused.”

“Sounds like your parents did a wonderful job with you, Doug.”

“Thanks, but it was all on my mom. I haven’t spoken to my father since I was sixteen. I had just gotten my driver’s license and I drove to Stony Brook University where he’s a chemistry professor. I walked into his lab to find him banging some coed. My mother knew what I’d seen as soon as I walked into the house. She’d known about his cheating for years. I never spoke to him again, nor have I had anything to do with him. I’ve offered to support my mom if she decided to leave him, but she won’t. Enough about us, tell us about you. How did you meet?”

“Ha! Not much to tell; we lived right next to each other in Brooklyn. We were best friends growing up. I was kind of a tomboy. Everyone knew we would be together.”

“That doesn’t always work, does it?”

“No, I’m sure it doesn’t, but our friendship grew into love while we were in high school. I’ve never dated anyone but Charlie and I never wanted to. We were married the day after we graduated from high school. I had a job as a secretary and Charlie had one as a plumber’s apprentice. We stayed in Brooklyn until I became pregnant then we moved to Hoboken. The city has gone through extensive urban renewal and gentrification—is that the right word?”

“Yes, it is,” I replied. “I know of several high powered executives who live there. It’s just a short train ride to Penn Station.”

“Yes, we know. That’s how we came in tonight. I wonder how long it will take us to walk there tonight.”

“Nonsense…we’ll give you a ride. This time of night it can’t be more than ten minutes out of our way.”

“Anyway, we have two girls. They tolerate me, but they love their father terribly. Where are you staying while you’re here?”

“We’re staying at the Plaza, Toni. Oh, it’s so beautiful there. We have a suite that overlooks the park. Doug had a meeting today so he sent me out with a professional shopper. That’s how I got this dress and about a hundred other things.”

Toni and Charlie looked at us in awe. “Don’t forget that Jennie had absolutely nothing when she came to live with me. I can and do take her shopping, but I’m a guy. I have no idea what’s stylish. I’m good with golf clothes, but that’s about it. Jennie…how about a dance?”

Jennie was in my arms a minute later as we shuffled between the bodies of the other dancers. I could see Lady keeping a close eye on us—making sure we were safe. I was sure she could cross the twenty feet separating us in about a second. We were shuffling along for a few minutes when I felt a tap on my shoulder. “Mind if I cut in?”

Jennie was shaking her head, indicating “no.”

“Sorry, but I do. I don’t mean to be rude, but we’re honeymooners. We want to be together. I’m sure you understand.” I turned my back and we continued our dance until he pulled my shoulder away from Jennie. This guy was younger and bigger than me and I was sure he could beat me in a fight. No problem—I pulled a silver whistle from my suit pocket and brought it to my lips. Lady was with us in a flash. Meanwhile, the other dancers had pulled back, leaving us in an empty circle about ten feet wide.

“Listen, pal—we’re not looking for any trouble, but if you want some my dog here will be happy to oblige. She’s a trained guard dog and she won’t hesitate if you threaten us in any way. There are plenty of women here who would be happy to dance with you, but my wife isn’t one of them. So, tell me—want to spend the night in a hospital with your arm hanging by a thread?”

“You can’t fool me. That’s a service dog.” I gave Lady the preliminary command—the same one I had used in the theater. Her growl was menacing and bared her fangs. He stepped back then turned and melted into the crowd. I led Jennie and Lady back to our table.

“What on earth was that all about, Doug?

“Well, Charlie—it seems some people don’t like to be told, ‘no.’ He wanted to cut in, but I wouldn’t allow it. If I had to guess, he probably thought I’d be intimidated by his size, but I wasn’t about to allow Jennie to be pawed by some stranger.”

Jennie leaned over to kiss me. “Thank you, Doug. I went for five years with men putting their hands all over me and I never want that again.” Then she petted Lady, thanking her, too.

We had a wonderful time, but around midnight I found I was terribly hungry. Turning to Charlie I asked, “What time did you guys eat?”

“I’m not sure, but it was early—like 4:30 or so.”

“Let’s grab a bite.” I asked our waitress for some menus and fifteen minutes later we had platters of hot food in front of us. Charlie and Toni had cheeseburgers and fries. Jennie had an open prime rib sandwich, also with fries. I had a corned beef sandwich with potato chips. Finally, around one Charlie said they had to go. I settled the bill and was listening to Toni thank us as we walked out the door.

All of a sudden I saw quick motion from the shadows off to my right. I couldn’t believe the asshole who tried to cut in would hang around this long. He raised his arm and that’s when I saw the knife. I managed to block him with my arm, but the blade sliced through the sleeve into my arm. Less than a second later I heard a scream. It was him reacting to Lady’s teeth clamped into his forearm just above the hand that held the knife.

When dogs capture prey they grab it by the neck and swing it back and forth to break its neck. Lady’s thrashing broke his arm so badly that I could actually hear it snap. Lady’s next move would have been to his throat, but I called her back. She’d hold him in place on his back until I released her once the police were on site. Luckily we had left at the same time as some other patrons. They had run back into the club to tell the staff to call the police and an ambulance.

New York City has a highly efficient police force. The first patrol car was on the scene in less than five minutes. My assailant, one Matthew Bradshaw, claimed he was just leaving the club when I sicced Lady on him. Fortunately, there were plenty of witnesses who testified that he had attacked me. I also had a bloody arm that required twenty-six stitches and there was the knife with my blood and his fingerprints on the sidewalk.

NEXT: the rest of our NYC trip; two great new friends

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