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Rich Man, Poor Man

By: woodmanone



If you have read any of my work you know that they don't contain graphic sex scenes. This story is no exception. 

This story is also longer than my normal postings and I thought about breaking it into chapters. I decided not to because I believe the flow would have been interrupted. So here it is in one large bite.

Constructive comments are welcome and appreciated. If you like or even dislike the story take a moment to comment or send me an email. Your ratings, votes and comments help me to grow and improve as a writer.

Thanks for taking the time to read my work and please enjoy.

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

Rebecca Colman was the bright and shining star of our college class; forever out of reach of mere mortals. She was the "impossible dream" written about in the song. She was a person that you looked at and just knew that cruel fate was telling you "eat your heart out, boy", because you can't have her. At least that's the way it looked and felt to a "working class" guy like me.

She had the classic good looks of the stereotypical California hard body beach bunny; except we were in the Midwest. Tall for a woman at 5 feet 9 with blond hair, big brown eyes, and a body that you could bounce quarters off of. Rebecca's clothes, makeup and hair style were typical of the idle rich who had nothing better to do than groom themselves and party. 

I'm James Riley O'Connor, usually called Jamie and met Rebecca in college; in unusual circumstances. She was 21, the queen of the elite social click, master of her domain, a bit of a wild child, and excessively rich. I don't mean like very well to do; I mean like her dad buying the school and firing everyone if things didn't go well for his little girl. That's an exaggeration but not by much; Rebecca, or I should say her father, had a lot of money.

Mr. Colman had gotten into a few "dot. Com" companies at the beginning of the upward surge. He was smart enough or lucky enough to get out just as they started their decent back down to reality; sometimes just hours before the company began its downward slide. His net worth was somewhere around 30 million dollars. That's a lot of money by anyone's standards. I should explain Mr. Colman's and therefore Rebecca's monetary status to show how bizarre it was that Rebecca and I even met. 

I was 25, a little older than most college seniors because I had worked for almost three years as an auto mechanic in my father's garage before I enrolled in school. It was at my dad's urging that I went to school; he wanted more for me than just being a grease monkey. I agreed with him; I was a good mechanic but it wasn't something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. 

I wanted to pay my own way in college, that's why the three year stint working with my dad. The only thing I accepted from my parents was free room and board for the three years before leaving for college; that's a lot when you're trying to save money. In addition, when I started classes I worked three nights a week and two weekends a month at the UPS loading dock so I could continue my education. I didn't take a summer vacations but took a reduce class load and worked full time through the break. 

It was around midnight and I was on my way back to my room after work. I was taking a short cut through the common area between the dorms and heard noises coming from the BBQ Ramada between two of the buildings. I'm no hero but I didn't like the sounds coming from the ramada. Of course I had to see what was going on and walked over to investigate. 

A college campus is one of the most dangerous places in the country for young women. The instances of rape and/or sexual assault are very high per capita. I guess the three "men", and I use that term very loosely, decided that our school had to uphold that ranking. They had a young lady on her back spread eagle on a picnic table in the ramada.

One of the guys was standing between the girl's legs, spreading them apart and the other two each held an arm. They were trying to keep the girl's mouth covered to keep her quiet but one or two screams escaped. Actually she wasn't screaming so much as she was calling them names and cussing at them. 

The two holding her arms were squeezing her breasts and the one between her legs was dodging her kicks and trying to get her panties off. The young lady was very limber and every time he let go of a leg to reach under her dress she would pull her leg up to her chest and then kick at him. From the looks of his face, she had already connected a couple of times. Apparently he decided enough was enough and drew back his fist to beat her into submission.

"I don't think the lady wants to play anymore, guys." My statement and my appearance startled them and they stopped to stare at me. "Why don't you let her go and hit the bricks before this gets nasty?"

"You can't stop us so stay out of this and you can have a turn when we're done pal," the one between her legs said. 

He just had to call me pal; I hate that. "Do you really thing I'm going to just walk off and let you guys rape her? I'm telling you guys to let her go and get out of here. If you don't I'll have to show you that three doesn't go into one, the hard way. Believe me you won't enjoy the lesson."

I was running a colossal bluff trying to con them into leaving. I'm no martial arts guru or bad ass street fighter but I couldn't let these sexual deviants molest the girl. The guy was right, I probably couldn't stop them but I had to try. The smart thing would have been to call the cops on my cell phone except that by the time they got there the girl would have been raped; I wasn't going to stand around waiting for the police. Sometimes you have to step up even if it means getting your ass handed to you on a platter.

I told them to let her go again; the two holding the girl's arms let go and started toward me. When they freed her arms, the girl didn't just lay there. She grabbed a double handful of hair of the guy between her legs and was trying her best to give him a Yul Brenner haircut. He was yelling, trying to get her hands out of his hair, and calling her a bitch among other choice names.

The two advancing on me turned to see what the yelling was about and gave me the opening I needed. I kicked one in the groin and hit the other one with a short right to the side of his face. He went down like he had been hit with a baseball bat; I must have caught him just right. I turned back to the first one but my kick had put him out of commission.

I'm not a small guy at 6 feet 1 and about 195 pounds but the guy holding the girl was huge. He must have been about 6 feet 4 and better than 225 pounds. I needed an equalizer to handle him so I grabbed the heavy metal cooking grate from one of the BBQ grills in the ramada and advanced toward him.

The big one had finally pulled the girl off him, losing a lot of hair in doing so. He had the girl by the throat and was getting ready to punch her lights out. I hit him in the back with the heavy grate and as he turned toward me I used the grate to hit him in the throat; his jaw was my target but whatever works. The behemoth went down in a heap and just to make a point I kicked him in the family jewels.

The "poor victim" jumped off the table, stepped over to the giant on the ground and started kicking him in the face and head. I felt that she deserved a little pay back and let her get in a few shots before I pulled her away. I released the girl and started to call the police.

"Please don't call the cops. I don't want the publicity," she said.

"But these assholes tried to rape you. Don't you want them to be punished?"

"Looks to me like they have been punished pretty good." She pointed to the three guys lying on the ground. Two were unconscious and the one I had kicked in the crotch was moaning, curled up into a fetal position. I could see her point and shrugged my shoulders. As I did she walked over to the one that was moaning, kicked him in the head, and then did the same to the other one.

"Thank you, I don't think I was going to convince them to stop. I'm Rebecca Colman," she introduced herself. Other than a torn blouse and breathing a little hard she seemed unfazed by what had almost happened to her.

"Yeah, I know who you are. I'm Jamie O'Connor," I answered.

"I know it's a lot to ask after what you just did, but could you help me get home? I'm a little shaky right now."

My truck was on the other side of the campus so we walked to the main street and caught a cab to her apartment. Rebecca Colman wouldn't be caught dead living in a common dorm; she had an apartment in a very exclusive and expensive building. I told the driver to wait and walked her through front door as the security guard opened the entry way for us. 

"Thanks again Jamie. Things could have really gone bad if you hadn't ridden in on your white horse to save me." Rebecca leaned over, kissed me on the cheek, smiled, and got on the elevator.

I nodded at the guard and got back into the cab for the return trip to my dorm. Damn, I hoped I had money to pay the cab fare. When we got to my dorm, I asked the driver how much I owed him. He told me that the security guard had paid the fare including a large tip. I guess he was used to paying for cabs for Miss Rebecca Colman.

The next morning on the way to class I heard on the radio that three men had been found unconscious in a ramada on campus. They claimed that they had been jumped by a gang of men and were victims of a random act of violence. I laughed out loud after hearing the news broadcast; they were victims of a non random act of payback.

When I got back to my dorm that night after work there was a package on my desk. George Taylor my roommate said that it had been delivered around two. I opened the package and found a bottle of very good bourbon inside; Gentleman Jack to be exact. The note read:

"I thought about sending flowers but thought you could put this to better use. 

Thanks again,

Rebecca."

I fixed myself a drink and toasted Rebecca. It was a nice gesture I thought, especially from her majesty Miss Colman. Two weeks went past and one evening before I left for work George asked me what I had gotten involved in.

"What are you talking about George?" I asked puzzled by his question.

"There is a guy going around campus asking questions about you, checking you out. He caught me between classes and asked about your background, work habits and a bunch of other personal stuff. I clammed up and said that I didn't know much about you. What's going on Jamie?"

"I got no idea why anyone would be checking up on me. Haven't done anything wrong that I know of." Now I was puzzled and concerned.

Two days later, I saw Rebecca as I came out of my last class. That's strange; I had never seen her there before. Apparently she was waiting for me because she left the group she had been standing with and came over to meet me.

"Hello my White Knight. How are you doing?" She said with a smile.

"Hi Becky, I'm fine. What brings you here?"

"My name is Rebecca, if you don't mind," her smile faded a little.

"If I'm a white knight and a hero, then I can call you whatever I want," I kidded her.

She laughed and said, "Okay, you can call me Becky. My daddy sent this to me and asked me to deliver it to you." She handed me a business size envelope.

"What is it? 

Becky just shook her head, smiled and said, "No idea. See you around Sir Galahad." She rejoined her group and left.

I was running late for work and stuck the envelope into one of my books and hurried to my job. When I got to work my boss told me that some guy had been there checking up on me. It sounded like the same thing that George had told me about. I had no idea who this guy was or what he was after.

That evening as I tossed my books onto my desk, I saw the envelope; I opened it and pulled out a sheet of stationary. As I unfolded the letter a smaller piece of paper fell to the floor. I picked it up and saw a check for five thousand dollars made out to me. The check was signed by Rebecca's father, Jason Colman. The letter read:

Dear Mr. O'Connor,

I wanted to thank you for helping Rebecca. Not many men would get involved, especially with three assailants.

I know you didn't do it for any reason other than that it was the right thing to do but perhaps this check will show my gratitude in a more substantial way than words.

Thank you sir for saving Rebecca from what could have been a very serious situation. If I can be of any assistance please don't hesitate to call me. I have included my private number.

Thanks again.

With gratitude and admiration,

Jason Colman.

Wow, talk about conflicting emotions. I could really use the money but I wouldn't feel right about keeping it for doing what was right. I poured a drink of the very good bourbon and thought for a few minutes. It didn't take very long and I had reached a decision. A bottle of bourbon as a thank you was one thing, money was something else entirely.

The next day was a day off for me from my night job and after class I drove to Rebecca's apartment. It was a different security guard and he called her apartment before he would let me up. Rebecca was waiting in her doorway when I got off the elevator.

"Hello White Knight. Are you on another quest?" She teased me. "Come on in."

"No thanks I have to get back to the books. But I am on a quest to return something. Here," I said as I handed her the check. "Tell you father thanks but I can't take money for what I did."

Rebecca looked at me with a question so I told her about the letter and pointed at the check from her father. I smiled, waved at her and turned to leave.

"Jamie I didn't know Daddy was going to do that. If you won't take a thank you from him, take one from me. Let me take you to dinner night."

"The bottle of Gentleman Jack was enough and thanks by the way. You don't have to spend any time with me."

"It's not a matter of have to, it's because I want to spend some time with you. Think you can put up with me for an evening?"

I hesitated for a few seconds and then nodded at her. If one of the prettiest girls at school wanted to spend an evening with me, who was I argue with her? Becky made a very quick phone call, took my arm, and we rode the elevator down. When we got to the entrance, the guard had a cab waiting for us.

"Let's take a cab and leave your truck. We can concentrate on each other more that way, don't you think?" Becky suggested.

Becky gave the cabbie the name of the restaurant and off we went. The place was called the Breakers; why I have no idea. The nearest ocean was over eight hundred miles away. It was a high class, read that as expensive, seafood restaurant. Not really my kind of place for two reasons: One because I'm not big on sea food but the main reason was that I couldn't afford to eat at the Breakers.

"Err Becky, maybe we should go somewhere else. I'm not really dressed for a nice place like this," I told her. I was trying to avoid embarrassment of not being able to pay for our meal.

"Don't be silly. I know the owner and we'll eat at the chef's table in the back. And don't worry about money, I asked you out, remember?" Becky looked at me with a devilish grin. She sensed my discomfort about the cost of dinner.

Maybe some guys could have resisted her smile and those big brown eyes, but I wasn't one of them. I nodded and we went around the building to the service entrance. When we walked in the head chef smiled at Becky gave her a hug and led us to a table in a small room just off the kitchen; the chef's table, reserved for special customers and friends.

After dinner we took another cab back to her place. At the door to her apartment, she took my hand and led me inside. "I want to thank you properly Jamie," Becky said. She kissed me, did a quick sexy strip tease, and was soon down to just her bra and lace trimmed boy shorts. Becky crooked her finger and motioned me over to her.

I wasn't a virgin by any means; I had been something of a player during the three years I worked before starting college. My sex education had been more of practical hands on type rather that from some dull books or lectures and I knew what went where, why, and how to get it there. But I had never had a beauty like Becky come on to me so openly.

"Becky, this isn't necessary. You don't have to do this to thank me," I said. She didn't pay any attention to my protest. My first intention was to leave but I hesitated; I didn't want a romantic evening with Becky to be payment for doing the right thing. 

I felt like I had a little angel on one shoulder and a little devil on the other; like you see in the cartoons. The angel was telling me to be honorable and leave; the devil was saying how beautiful and sexy she was and to jump her bones. Finally it seemed like the little devil walked across my shoulders and kicked the angel in the butt and pushed it off my shoulder.

I let myself be led to the sofa and she began a lap dance that grabbed my full attention. Becky rubbed up and down my body with hers and soon got rid of the bra, leaving her in just the boy shorts. My body had responded the moment she kissed me and went into hyper drive with the strip tease and lap dance. 

She felt my excitement as she rubbed against me during the dance and smiled like the cat that ate the canary. Becky took my hand, pulled me off the sofa and down the hallway to her bedroom. We entered her bedroom and the cute lace boy shorts were tossed aside as she climbed onto her bed.

Once again Becky crooked her finger and motioned me over to her. She smiled at the look on my face and said, "Close your mouth Jamie unless you intend to put it to good use."

She pulled my head down to her breasts and I did close my mouth; I closed it around one perfect breast and nipple. Becky moaned, I moaned and began to explore the rest of her body with my lips and hands. In return Becky showed me that she too knew how to use her lips and hands too. The rest of the evening intensified from there. 

I think I held my own pretty well but was sort of glad to see the sunrise through her bedroom window. I was totally worn out. After that marathon session I can understand why people lose weight when they have a lot of sex. There may be no better cardiovascular workout in the world.

As I was dressing Becky said, "You can show yourself out Jamie, I'm too tired to get up." She rolled over and was asleep before I got dressed. Apparently Becky didn't need the after sex cuddling or talking that most women like and want a man to get involved in. 

Thank God it was the one of the weekends off from my job at UPS. I was able to go home, clean up, and get some rest. About noon, I called Becky and invited her to get a pizza that evening.

"You took care of dinner your way last night, now I would like to show you how the other half lives," I teased her as I laughed.

"I've got a thing this afternoon, but you can pick me up at 7:00 sharp. Don't be late. See you then." Becky hung up before I could agree or verify the time.

That evening I was at her building at 6:45; I wasn't anxious but would rather wait there instead of at my place. I was waiting for 7 to go into the building and get her when I saw a red Mustang convertible stop in front of the entrance. Becky got out of the car straightening her skirt and buttoning her blouse. She waved at the driver and bounced into the building.

It appeared to me that Becky's "thing" that afternoon was another guy. I know I didn't have any claim on Becky but it didn't set right with me that she would jump some guy's bones and then go out with me a few minutes later. Her appearance suggested a very hot make out session at best and banging like bunnies at the worst. 

I know I sound like a hypocrite because I was a real pussy hound earlier in my life, but I never finished with one girl and immediately the same day went out with another. In addition I had matured a little since that time and I guess I was looking for more than a chance for a quick bed bouncing with just any woman.


Rich Man, Poor Man



The guard recognized me and let me into the building and onto the elevator. He must have called and let Becky know I was on my way up because her door was standing open. I entered the apartment and called out for Becky. She answered and told me to have a beer and grab a seat that she was going to take a shower and would be right out.

"Don't bother cleaning up. I can't take you out tonight after all," I said. I hadn't made that decision until I walked into her apartment.

"We're not going out?" Becky asked as she walked out of the hallway leading to her bedroom wearing only a large towel wrapped around her.

"Becky, I'm just fooling myself here. You're different that I am and I don't see us headed in the same direction. I'm sorry, I did call earlier to cancel, but you didn't answer." I hadn't really called but she didn't have to know that; I was trying to make a point here.

She smiled at me and asked, "Is this the money thing again? I'm not better than you because my family's rich."

"No, this isn't about money and I didn't say better, I said different." I answered with a little force. 

Becky wasn't smiling any more. "I don't understand," she said with a puzzled look.

"Becky I saw you get out of the Mustang just now. It was apparent that you and the guy had been making out; I don't know maybe it was more. I would never rush from one date to another with just minutes to spare."

"Oh that was Roger, he's just a friend from home and dropped by to say hello. He doesn't mean anything to me Jamie." She was smiling again; sure that she had solved my problem.

"I'm not judging you Becky but that's what I meant about us being different. You don't see a problem with going at it hot and heavy with someone even if he doesn't mean anything to you and then going on a date with another guy a few minutes later. Look Becky, I don't have the right to tell you who to see or be with or what to do, but I do have the right to decide if I want to be a part of that lifestyle and I don't." I watched Becky and I don't think she really understood why I was upset.

"You said you wanted to thank me for my help. Well, you've done that better than anything I could have imagined. The bourbon, the great dinner, and then the evening with you were all wonderful. So your debt is paid, and thanks for a great evening. I hope to see you around sometime." 

I left her apartment and rode the elevator down. The security guard was there and told me that Miss Colman would like for me to wait for her. I smiled, shook my head and kept walking toward the front door. "I'm sorry sir but I've been instructed to detain you until Miss Colman can get here," the guard said as he walked to intercept me.

"You will really be sorry if you try to stop me, buddy. Believe me they don't pay you enough for that." I must have made my point because he stepped aside.

The pizza joint was packed and I joined some friends for the evening. The next day I did routine things like laundry, apartment cleaning, and getting a head start on some of my classes for next week. I didn't think about Becky more than once or twice an hour. Finally, I laughed at myself and put her out of my mind. It was an amazing interlude in my life but it was just one night.

Three days later, Becky was waiting for me as I came out of my last class of the day. She was sitting on a bench outside the lecture hall and stood up when she saw me. I was surprised to see her but never once thought she was waiting for me. Becky intercepted me as I was walking away. I don't think Becky was use to people, especially men, not doing what she wanted. She had to reach out and take my arm to get me to stop.

"Hey, wait up," she said. "Did I piss you off so much that you won't even talk to me? Can I talk to you about Saturday?"

I laughed a little and responded, "I'm not mad at you; I just don't see the point in talking. Your life style isn't something I want to be involved in, so why waste time talking about it."

"That's sort of a provincial way of looking at things, don't you think?"

"Don't know about that, but it's the way I feel," I answered with feeling. "You apparently think of sex as a recreational sport and I don't. Maybe it's because I'm a little older and I've gone through that phase in my life but I want making love to mean more than just horizontal exercise." I sure sound like some bible thumping preacher, I thought.

"My, aren't you the prude all of a sudden?" Becky was insulted; I could hear it in her voice. "You didn't seem to mind my life style Friday night, now did you?"

"I'm sorry; I know I sound like a sanctimonious jerk. I don't mean to criticize you; it's your choice on how you live your life. There is nothing wrong with you or your life style; it's just wrong for me." I gave her a little hug and started to walk away; I had to get to work.

"Maybe we could have a little fun?" Becky had stepped in front of me.

"Why this sudden interest in me? I know we had a good time Friday but according to what you said, it was not that big of a deal to you. So why this full court press?"

"I enjoyed our night together but more than that you're a good person. I haven't been involved with too many good people lately and thought you and I could spend some time together. You were more concerned with my pleasure than yours; that was something new, believe me."

I thought for a few seconds and answered, "Thanks for the compliment but I think I'll pass. See ya around Becky."

For the rest of my senior year Becky would smile and wave at me when I saw her around the campus. She called a few times, not begging but just wanting to know if I had changed my mind; I hadn't. I heard through the college grapevine that she was still living the free life style and was dating several different men. 

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

I graduated in the top 5 per cent of my class with a double major in Computer Science and System Analysis. A medium size manufacturing firm offered me a position and I jumped at it. It was strange not to have to run to a night job like I had done all through college.

Two years later a head hunter contacted me with a job offer with JCOL Enterprises, another big manufacturing company. The salary was almost twice what I was making and included some very nice perks. A company car, country club membership, and stock options were just a few of the extras. I owed it to myself to take the interview with the company just to check it out.

I had an interview with the HR manager, a Vice President of sales, and the IT department head. We discussed the building and revamping of a web site, internet marketing, and other general IT aspects to the business. It was a strange interview and the questions were general and not very probing. I felt that the three men were stalling and waiting for something. Oh the job offer was real and we did discuss the duties and area of responsibility for the position, but something wasn't quite right.

The door to the office opened behind me and the three men stood up to greet whoever came in. I also stood, turned, and got a surprise. The man joining us was Jason Colman, Rebecca's father. I recognized him from the pictures in her apartment and the stories in the financial section of the paper. The stalling tactics were explained, the three had been waiting on Mr. Colman.

"Hello Jamie, I understand you prefer that to James. It's nice to finally meet you," Mr. Colman shook my hand and motioned for me to sit back down.

Turning to the three men he asked, "Well, how does he stack up? Can we put him to use and will he be an asset for us?" All three nodded their heads or verbally indicated that I was the real deal.

"What do you say Jamie? Would you like to join us and bring our IT department into the 21st century?"

Until Mr. Colman walked in I had decided to take the job. His presence put that decision on hold for the moment. "I'm not sure Mr. Colman."

He seemed surprised and asked, "The starting salary and perks are quite generous but I guess we could negotiate on those."

"It's not that Mr. Colman. I wonder if this offer isn't because of what I did for Rebecca."

"Jamie I won't lie to you. Even though that incident was three years ago, that's part of my interest in you but only because it showed that you are a young man with character and good morals. I admired your actions in saving her from those men and the fact that you stood by your convictions concerning her wild life. Yeah, I know all about you breaking up with Rebecca because of her life style." He smiled at me, offered me a cup of coffee, and continued.

"Let me assure you that even though I am grateful and admire you, gratitude only goes so far. I'm always on the lookout for good people that can be an asset to my company; that's why I have scouts always looking for additions to my business. When my people came up with your name and explained the great job you had been doing, I already knew about your character so I had them offer you this position. This is strictly a business proposition, nothing else is involved. So do you want the job?"

I looked at Mr. Colman trying to gage his sincerity. "It's a great offer Mr. Colman, but I would like to think about it for a day or two, if that's alright," I told him. 

"Jamie, you can have until tomorrow noon. The assistant director of our IT department is going to England in three months to manage the IT department in that branch and we have to get on the stick to get someone in here to replace him. You're my first choice but there are other candidates also and we can't afford to wait too long. Okay?" 

I nodded, shook hands all around, and left the office. When I left my current office for the interview I had made arrangements to take off the rest of the day. I grabbed some lunch and went to my condo to think about the job offer. As I had told Mr. Colman the offer was a great opportunity for anyone but especially someone my age.

Sitting on the balcony with my first and last Gentleman Jack of the day, I thought about the offer. The only drawback that I could see was that the position may have been offered to me because of Mr. Colman's gratitude over the incident in college. But Mr. Colman denied that was the reason. 

After about 20 minutes I realized that no matter why I got the job, I would do well and be an asset to the company. I may get the job because of Mr. Colman's regard for me but I would keep it because I could do the work. Take the job dummy, I told myself.

I called the HR manager the first thing the next morning and accepted the position but told him I would have to give a month's notice to my current employer. There was a project winding down and I didn't want to leave them in a bind. He understood and told me to report to him in 30 days. In the mean time he said he would send over some documentation on their systems so I could hit the ground running when I reported in.

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

For eighteen months I did exactly what Mr. Colman had asked in my interview, I brought the company's IT department into the 21st century. The head of the IT department, Bill Myers, was more a sales orientated type and running the department was pretty much left up to me. I was the fair haired boy and had received a couple of large bonuses, and received another perk for my work.

The company provided me with a large suite in a concierge type hotel. The apartment had two master bedrooms separated by a large area that consisted of a living room, dining room, and a galley type kitchen. It came with all the amenities; all I had to do was sleep, eat, and leave for work. 

The hotel provided maid service, laundry service and just about any other service I could think of as part of the package. I could even leave a menu with the main desk and dinner would be ready at whatever time I told them. It was a great way to live.

I wasn't dating very much, maybe going out for pizza and beer once in awhile; I used my spare time to develop a program for purchasing and inventory control. It was designed for a small business and my company had no interest in the soft ware. 

One small addition to my contract that I had asked for stated that any programs I designed that weren't wanted by my employer were mine to sell. I got the okay and clearance from Bill Myers and licensed the program out; receiving a large initial dollar contract plus royalties from future sales. 

I had missed my first company Christmas party because I was working after hours on my program. This year it was suggested by higher ups that I make it a point to attend; actually it was more of an order than a suggestion. 

The company's Christmas party by invitation only was held at one of the finest hotels in the city with no expense spared. My invitation read: Mr. James O'Connor and guest. I wasn't dating anyone; I had been concentrating on my job and on my inventory program, so I went alone. My plan was to put in an appearance, stay long enough to satisfy the powers to be, and then join a couple of friends at a neighborhood tavern. 

There was a buffet that would have done justice to any five star restaurant and at least five free bars scattered around the ball room. The seating arrangements were a little unusual; each table had assigned seating with representatives from each of the major departments of the company required to sit together. 

Randy Smyth-Jones, the head of HR, explained to me that this arrangement was conducive to a better understanding between departments of their needs and requirements. It was a good idea because a person was a little more receptive to other's problems if they had partied together. You have to hand it to Mr. Colman; even at a party he was trying to improve his company. 

The executive table was no exception; Mr. Colman and the head of the departments were seated together. For some reason my presence was requested at that table; actually it wasn't a request, again it was an order. I wasn't a department head but I was told "you will sit here, Mr. O'Connor".

My fellow table mates were Randy the head of the HR department, Gillian Grisham head of Sales and Marketing, Rob Johnson head of Production and Mr. Colman himself. The two men department heads were accompanied by their spouses; Gillian's guest was Mel, her current live in boyfriend. 

Mr. Colman, Jason at least for the party, had a young lady that had to be about half his age as his guest. Her name was Cindy and after ten minutes you understood that she was a trophy and nothing more. I never learned what had happened to Rebecca's mother. There was a rumor about her and a personal trainer but I didn't have the nerve or the interest to ask for more information.

There were nine people at our table and one empty chair. I felt of out of place because I didn't have the plus one that the invitation allowed; but it didn't really matter because I planned on ducking out ASAP. About thirty minutes after every one sat down, the empty chair was filled. Rebecca swept in and sat down next to me, smiling at the surprised look on my face.

"Hi Jamie, it's good to see you. How have you been?" She talked as if we had parted as the best of friends.

I nodded, said hello, and looked at Mr. Colman as if to say what the hell? Rebecca has crossed my mind once in a while in the three years plus since college. Every time I saw Mr. Colman I had to think of Rebecca and our short time together. I wasn't carrying a torch for her but considering my lack of female companionship recently I did think about the one fantastic evening we shared and had played a little "what if?" in my head. 

Now here she was, sitting next to me. Rebecca hadn't changed very much, if anything she was even more beautiful than before. Her blond hair was now in a pixie cut rather than worn down her back. From what I could see, and the dress she was wearing let me see a lot, her body was even firmer and more toned than it had been in college. The dress was maroon, mid thigh, low cut in the front and back; not slutty but a blind man would have watched her walk across the room.

"I didn't know you came to these company things Rebecca." 

"Normally I don't." I must have looked puzzled so she continued," I was another party at the hotel across the street, that's why I'm dressed up, and Daddy called and asked me to come over. I wasn't going to until he told me why he wanted me here."

"And why did he want you here?" I was puzzled. 

"He said that one of his rising stars came to the party alone and need a companion for the evening," Rebecca answered with a small smile. 

"Is that something you do a lot, be a stand in date I mean?"

"I've never done it before and wasn't going to this time until he told me who my "date" would be." Again she was smiling, but bigger this time.

"Okay, I'll bite. Who is this guy that gets the pleasure of your company?" I felt sorry for the poor guy, because Rebecca looked amazing. He was going to look at, dance with, and spend the evening with someone he would never have a chance of being anything more than a onetime date; and only as a favor to her father. It would be torture by temptation.

"For a rising star in the company, you can be pretty dense sometimes," Rebecca replied, again with that smile.

"Huh?" That was my brilliant response.

"You're the rising star Jamie. Daddy said he wanted you to have a fun evening. If you sat at the table all evening watching and listening to the other couples you wouldn't have any fun; ergo Rebecca to the rescue. "Enough talk, let's dance," Rebecca said.

Gobsmacked is what our English friends call it. It means you're so amazed or surprised at something that your mouth opens and closes involuntarily. That was me, gobsmacked. Why would Mr. Colman care if I didn't have a date and why would he draft his daughter to remedy the situation?

The band was playing a set of only slow songs which allowed Rebecca and me to talk and get caught up to date on our lives since college. I found out that she had went to Europe for two years after graduation and then came back and was now working at a subsidiary of father's company. She had just moved back to the main office here in town a couple of months ago. Rebecca told me that she didn't even know I was working for her father until he called and asked for her help that evening.

Buried in the IT department like I was and she being with an autonomous branch of the company, our paths hadn't crossed. I told my tale of working at another company for two years and how the head hunter found and recruited me. She smiled when I told her I almost didn't take the job because of my concerns as to her father's motives for hiring me.

"Only my White Knight would worry about why instead of how much. You're still Sir Galahad aren't you?"

"I don't know about that but I still have the same convictions as I did in college. Some things you never outgrow I guess," I answered.

"Maybe but there are some things you do outgrow or think about differently," Rebecca replied.

For some reason I thought about her life style in college; who am I kidding, the reason I thought about her attitude toward sex was her body plastered against me as we danced. It seems the little head was willing to forgive and forget anything to get its way; it showed its willingness by getting hard as Rebecca rubbed against me. My only defense is that because of my work load I had been celibate for over four months.

"I see that there are some things that don't change," Rebecca said with a smile when she felt my arousal.

"Sorry," I said as I pulled back from her a little. "It's been a long time since I danced with a beautiful woman and my body forgot its manners."

Rebecca pulled me back tight against her and said, "I like you manners just fine. Quit thinking and dance with me."

The rest of the evening was sort of a blur to me. I remember sitting at the table socializing with the other people, although I don't remember what we talked about, the company and business I guess. But what I remember best was the dances with Rebecca and her laughing at the effect she had on me. She wasn't being cruel or sadistic; she said she was flattered and was laughing with me. Funny I didn't find the humor in the whole thing.




Rich Man, Poor Man



My plan to leave early went down the drain; I stayed until the last dance with Rebecca was over. Going back to our table I saw that over half of the guests had already left. I offered Rebecca a ride home but she said her car was in the garage across the street. She pulled a card out of her clutch, wrote something on the back, and handed it to me.

"The front has my office number and I wrote my cell number on the back. Give me a call Jamie, I would like to continue the discussion we had tonight," she said. She gave me a full body hug, kissed my cheek, and waved good bye with an evil little grin. I wasn't sure if she was referring to our business discussion or about what happened on the dance floor.

The next day was Saturday and for the first time in a while I wasn't working on anything that weekend. I decided to go shoot some hoops in the park across from my apartment; I needed to work out the alcohol from the previous night. I had the court to myself so as I shot jumpers I had a chance to think about the dance and Rebecca. I wondered if I should call her or just let it go.

Rebecca was a beautiful, sexy, delightful companion and I thought of how she looked and acted on our one night together back in college. A repeat of that night in her apartment wouldn't be such a bad thing, I thought. Just as long as I understood that's all it would be; a carefree sexual romp with a beautiful woman, I warned myself.

Problem was that I really liked Rebecca and had since I helped her that night at college; her courage in fighting the three men had impressed me. She was intelligent, witty, and fun to be with and I'm afraid I would want more than just a romp with her. My thoughts hadn't changed concerning relationships; sex had to be more than an energetic way of shaking hands. I know, not normal thinking for most men but it was the way I felt. 

Finally as I sank a long three pointer I decided to let things slide. I had been ok without Rebecca in my life for more than three years and there was no need to change that now, I thought to myself. However I hadn't counted on Rebecca. Two weeks after New Year's, Rebecca called me at my office on a Monday; she needed an escort to her company's dinner/award dinner that weekend.

I hesitated and she said, "No big deal Jamie, but I could use your help here. I have to go to this damn thing and if I go alone I'll be the target for every single guy there; some of the married ones too. It'll be like waving a red flag in front of a bunch of bulls. It's bad enough that I have to go to this stuffy doings but I can do without being red meat for the wolves."

"Well, I don't ......" I began before she cut me off.

"C'mon Jamie, be a buddy. Do one more good deed, Sir White Knight. Please," Rebecca took her last shot and scored.

"Okay, but just to help you out here," I answered.

She suggested that she pick me up saying that she lived on one side of the city and the dance was on the other side with me in the middle. I agreed and started to give her my address; she informed me that she knew where I lived and would be there at 7 PM on Saturday.

That Saturday evening at 6:45 the front desk called to let me know that I had a guest on the way up. For some reason I was running a little behind so I opened the door to my suite and went to my bedroom to finish dressing. I was putting the final touches on my tie when I heard Rebecca call my name.

I told her to come in and as I walked out of my bedroom slipping on my tuxedo jacket got my first look at her. If she had been beautiful and sexy at the Christmas party she was stunning and sultry now. Rebecca had on a mid thigh, red sequined, dress that shimmered and sparkled every time she moved. It was cut in a deep V in front which left no doubt that she was the female of the species.

"Damn Becky, no wonder you need a knight protector; that dress would make a dead man sit up," I said by way of greeting.

"Becky huh, I haven't been called that in a long time," Rebecca answered. "It's nice to hear it again. Thanks for the compliment."

She said that we should go and as we stepped out of the elevator she handed me her car keys; suggesting that I drive. The valet had left her car parked in front of the hotel; I almost stumbled when I saw it. Sitting at the curb was a Maserati Granturismo; the car cost as much as my yearly salary with bonuses. 

"Like it? Daddy gave it to me at Christmas. I think it was a bribe to stay away from his house during the holidays so he and that Cindy could jump each other's bones uninterrupted," she said with a big smile.

I could only nod and lead her to the car; they valet had the passenger door open and got a good look at her legs as she got in. Jumping in the driver's side I took off, peeling rubber because of the car's tremendous power. I could learn to like this I thought; maybe I'll get one next year.

The dinner dance was about what you would expect. Boring speeches when the awards were handed out, an okay buffet, but it did have a good choice of alcohol and plenty of it. The band was actually pretty good and played a nice mix of music. 

Watching the men watch Rebecca in that dress was entertaining, to say the least. They would sneak looks at her as she sat, as she walked from table to table greeting co-workers, and when she danced; especially when she danced. Rebecca still moved with a sensual grace that attracted attention and lots of it. More than one man got an elbow in the ribs from their wives, girlfriends, or dates. It was more interesting than reality TV.

Rebecca apparently wanted to make sure the bartenders at each of the three bars in the ball room were doing a good job. She taste tested vodka martinis from each one and then retested each one several times. I guess they were doing a good job because I never heard her complain.

We sat through dinner, the awards, and about an hour of dancing. Our last dance was more of me holding her up than moving to the music. It was time for Cinderella to leave the ball, I decided. With an assist from the valet I got Rebecca into the car and began the trip home. 

Now what, I thought? Should I take her home and get a cab back to my place? She was still alert enough to tell me to take her to my apartment, feed her some coffee and then she could get home. I didn't think there was enough coffee in the city to sober her up but I followed her directions.

I had the valet park her car and took her up to my apartment. Once inside, she made a beeline for the bathroom ten minutes later that's where I found her. Apparently she had started to splash water on her face, sat down on the toilet and passed out; the water was still running into the sink. I gathered her up into my arms and took her into the guest bedroom and laid her on the bed.

Now the question was should I undress her or just throw a blanket over her. Because of the way her dress was cut in the front there was no doubt that she was braless; because of the way she got into the car and the way she sat a few times at the dance I knew she had on little red lace panties and thigh high stockings and nothing else. 

If I undressed her she would be all but nude and with all the rubbing together as we danced that night and the alcohol I had consumed I wasn't sure that I could or would do the right thing. I covered her with a light blanket and went to my bedroom; avoiding the temptation.

I woke up as someone sat on the side of my bed, glancing at the clock it read 9:30 AM. Rebecca was sitting beside me, smiled when I opened my eyes, and leaned over to give me a kiss.

"I'll have your clothes cleaned and returned to you," she said. "Thanks for going with me last night Jamie and thanks for taking care of me afterward."

She left my bedroom carrying her dress and thigh highs and she was wearing one of my T-shirts, a pair of my sweats cinched around her waist, and her high heels. Not the most fashionable look, but sexy anyway. By the time I was out of bed she had already gone but there was fresh coffee, that life saving liquid, in the kitchen. 

On Tuesday I received a package at my office containing my T-shirt and sweats, cleaned and pressed. The package was addressed to Sir White Knight with a note simply reading "Thanks again". White Knight my ass, I thought; one more drink that night and Rebecca wouldn't have slept alone. Some knight in shining armor.

I didn't talk to or see Rebecca for three weeks. She called and again asked for my company at a charity auction. Rebecca used the same reasoning as before; she didn't want to be food for the predators at the shindig. It didn't take much convincing to get me to go. Let's face it, spending the evening talking to, dancing with, and entertaining a beautiful woman beat the hell of whatever was in second place.

The evening was almost a repeat of the dinner dance. Rebecca again was stunning, men again watched her and got punched by their partners for doing so, and she again tempted me like hell when we danced. The major difference was she drank mineral water all night after one glass of wine. I watched my intake of alcohol too; after the last time I wanted my wits about me.

As we pulled up the driveway to the front door of my hotel, Rebecca said, "Thanks Jamie, you were a life saver. Good night." She got behind the wheel of the Maserati and drove off. No kiss, no hug, no nothing; I must be losing my touch I thought.

This time it was only two weeks before Rebecca called with another invitation. This time it was an art exhibit that she had been instrumental in obtaining for some gallery. Same excuse, too many wolves for her to go alone. Hell, I'm easy I thought and agreed to go.

Rebecca was more than beautiful again, in another fantastic dress. She had a little more to drink this time but was careful to limit her alcohol intake; I did too. There was no dancing this time but we spent most of the evening holding hands or with Rebecca holding onto my arm. After the exhibit when we got back to my place she said she would really like that cup of coffee she didn't get the first time.

In the elevator I picked up the phone, called room service, and ordered coffee. I could have made it but the coffee from the hotel was much better and would be delivered almost before mine would be done; that's one of the nice things about a concierge hotel.

I invited Rebecca to have a seat and excused myself to hang up my suit coat and get rid of my tie. Rebecca then went to "freshen up" and by the time she got back the coffee had been delivered. She came back into the living room wearing the same T-shirt and sweats that she had borrowed before.

"Hope you don't mind; I'll have them cleaned and sent back to you again," she said.

After pouring coffee for both of us I sat down across from her and asked, "Okay Becky, what's going on?"

She smiled at me calling her Becky but just shook her head and looked puzzled at the question.

"You've made a point of using me to squire you around on these special evenings and I want to know why," I explained. She started to respond and I said, "The truth please Becky."

Rebecca took a few seconds as if to gather herself and asked, "Remember at the Christmas party I said that there were some things that you grew out of or felt differently about? I was talking about my life style back in college and for a time after graduation; I don't live like that anymore."

"That still doesn't explain these evenings together," I reminded her.

"I didn't know how much I missed you until Daddy called and asked me to be your date for the evening. When I saw you it brought back all the old feelings I had for you." She giggled and continued, "Do you know that I followed you around campus for over six months? I thought that if you kept seeing me you would change your mind about me, about us."

"What feelings? We had one night together, a great night, but just one night. And with your cavalier attitude about sex, even that couldn't have been all that special."

"You don't give yourself enough credit Jamie. You made quite an impression on me and it isn't easy to impress "The Princess Colman". Do you know why?" I shook my head no and she continued.

"When you attacked those three guys that night, you didn't do it because I had money; you did it to help a young woman in trouble."

"I didn't know it was you until it was over," I explained.

"Yeah, but you knew afterwards. You knew when you turned down that check Daddy sent you. You could have parlayed my rescue into a very nice life but you didn't. All you saw was a girl that you liked, you didn't see dollar signs. That's why I quickly developed, if not a love, at least an intense like for you. And then my life style screwed it up."

"So what do you want Becky? What do you see happening here?" I asked.

"I want us to spend time together or see each other or date; whatever you want to call it. We could start as friends hanging out and see if anything more develops; if it doesn't then we've had some fun together as friends. But if something grows from our time together just think how great that could be." Rebecca stopped as if to catch her breath; I think she was trying to see how I was taking the things.

"So what do you say, Sir Knight? Feel like saving the damsel again?" She waited expectantly for my answer.

I looked at Rebecca for a few seconds and said, "Let's see if I've got this right. My duties would include hanging out with a beautiful woman?"

Rebecca smiled and nodded yes.

"I would probably have to drive her Maserati once in a while wouldn't I?"

Another nod.

I would have to take the chance that we might become more than friends, wouldn't I?"

She nodded again, this time with a big smile.

"I just have one more question Lady Becky." I paused for a couple of seconds and asked with a big grin, "When do I start?"

Rebecca got up, come over to my chair, climbed onto my lap and said, "How about tonight, Sir Knight?"

I held her or rather we held each other for several minutes, occasionally talking but mostly just holding each other. Becky got up pulled me over to the couch so we could sit together and poured fresh coffee. She never did leave that evening and no, we didn't jump into bed together; she slept in my guest room

The next day I drove her home in that great car of hers where she changed into jeans and sneakers but continued to wear my T-shirt and we went on a picnic. I had my hotel put together a picnic basket with goodies and we drove out to a nearby lake. It was still too early in the year to swim but we enjoyed being beside the sparkling water.

For the next month we would go out during the week a couple of times; no big shindigs or party's; just two close friends enjoying some of the small restaurants in the city. We would find a little mom and pop pizza place or a neighborhood eatery and give them a try. On the weekends the "dates" would be more upscale; including art exhibits, charity affairs, and even the opera. I didn't care for opera but Becky loved it so I went along; like a good friend should. There were a couple of times that one of us would sleep over but that's all it was; there was no sex involved.

I realized that my feelings for Becky were more than just remembering that one fabulous night we had in college. She was fun to be around, we could talk about almost anything, and she was maybe the most beautiful woman I had ever seen much less spent time with. I was falling in love but still had some reservations about her previous life style.

There had to be a reason that Rebecca changed her life style; I didn't think she woke up one morning and said to herself, "I think I'm going to change the way I live". So I decided that a little a quiet recon mission was called for. I contacted a friend, George Taylor, in the IT department of JRC, the division of JCOL that Rebecca worked for. George was a friend from my college days and owed me a favor or two.

George and I had worked on two or three projects together during school and he was my roommate. We had gone our separate ways after graduation. George and I ran into each other at Angelo's, my favorite pizza joint, one evening and reconnected. We would get together for a beer once a month or so and talk shop. I learned that he was working for a competitor and that he wasn't happy there. He said that the IT director was the owner's nephew and other than playing video games didn't know anything about computers or networks.

I told Randy Smyth-Jones, the head of HR and Bill Myers, my boss, about George and his dissatisfaction with his job. Explaining who he was and how I knew him, I suggested that he would be just the guy for the open IT position at JRC. This was before Rebecca came to work for JRC. They asked him to come in for an interview and offered him a job that same day.

George didn't get the job because of me, he got it on his own merits; I simply gave my guys a heads up on him. He didn't see it that way; George was grateful and thought I could walk on water. I had always believed that you should use all your resources to solve a problem; I had a problem and George was a resource that I could use. 

After the usual how are you and what's been going on, I asked George for a favor. He said anything I needed and I explained what I wanted him to do. I told him to find out any gossip or talk about Rebecca that was running around JRC.

"You sly old dog. Trying to get next to the bosses daughter again, huh?" George said.

"Already got next to her," I said and explained that Rebecca and I had dated some. "Before I get too invested in her I want to know if what I see is what I get or is there something more to the girl that I should know about. I don't want to get burned again, if you know what I mean."

George knew about my little fling with Rebecca in college and why it ended so abruptly. "I got your back Jamie. I'll get back to you in a few days."

"Do on the QT, George. I don't want Rebecca to know about this," I requested.

It was ten days later that George called and suggested we meet for beer and pizza. I joined him at Angelo's and after getting a pitcher of beer he gave me his report.

"JRC is like a little Peyton Place and if the people there worked as much as they gossip, the company would be a lot better off. I found out that Rebecca is very standoffish with all the men in the company. She refuses to go out with any of them. In fact there was one guy that wouldn't take no for an answer and kept bugging her to go out with him and paid for it with his job." George stopped to chuckle for a few seconds.

"The story goes that the next time this asshole started pressuring her to go out with him, she told him she would be right back. When she returned she had another woman with her; it was her supervisor but the guy didn't know it. Rebecca asked the guy why he kept bothering her and he smiled and said he was trying to wear her down." George stopped to see if he had my complete attention.

"So what happened? What did she do?" This was getting good, I thought.

"Rebecca lit into the guy. From what I heard I don't think the guy could sit down because of the ass chewing she gave him. After a couple of minutes she told him that if he bothered her again she would file a sexual harassment suit against him. The guy crawled away not realizing that he had just lost his job."

"Lost his job? Did she file the suit?"

"No, even better. Rebecca's supervisor reported it to the department head who reported it to his boss who reported it up the ladder. No one but upper management knows that Rebecca is old man Colman's daughter. When the big boys heard about it, they took action. The guy was called into the office and it was suggested that he might be happier working somewhere else. He was gone that afternoon." George sat back and poured us some more beer.




Rich Man, Poor Man



"Now all of the other men in the department are afraid to ask her out because they want to keep their jobs. The call her "The Ice Princess" and stay away from her."

"Thanks George, you done good buddy," I told him.

On the way home, I felt really good. Apparently Rebecca was telling the truth about changing her life style. Maybe it was time to take this relationship past the friends hanging out stage; I was sure Rebecca felt the same way. Before I did, I wanted to know the real reason why Rebecca changed her ways.

The next Saturday Rebecca and I went to a fund raiser given by a charity that she was involved in. It was a relatively early night and we were back at my place by 11 PM. We had coffee delivered and were sitting on the couch when I began my quest for information.

"Becky, these last few weeks have been great." She agreed and I waited a little trying to decide how to say what I wanted to. Finally I said, "We've been good friends and I would like to see if we can be more than that. What I'm trying to say is I think I'm falling in love with you."

"I'm so glad Jamie because I feel the same way," she responded. "I want to....."

I interrupted her by saying, "There is something I would like to know, if you'll tell me. I mean, before we get any closer." She nodded for me to continue.

"You said you had grown out of the "wild child" life style, but was there some reason that you changed your mind?"

Rebecca's smile left her face and she tensed up and sighed. "Yes there was a reason, something happened while I was in Europe. Are you sure you want to hear this? You may not like me anymore when you do."

"If you don't want to tell me it's okay. Maybe it's really none of my business but I remember what happened in college and it worries me. I want to love you Becky, but the way you used to be scares me."

She looked into my eyes and apparently saw what she wanted and said, "I was raped, well maybe sexually assaulted is the term, I don't know. It was in Italy and I was with a man in his apartment. We had just finished making love when his two roommates came into the bedroom and jumped on me too. I didn't mind the first man but the other two basically raped me." Rebecca stopped and got a shot of whiskey to put into her coffee.

"I fought and struggled but I couldn't get away and the gangbang was on. After the two roommates got finished, my "date" used me again and then the other two came back for more. I was always smart enough to make my sexual partners use condoms, but these two didn't and neither did the other guy after the first time. I must have passed out because I woke up on a park bench."

She was crying so I pulled her into my arms and held her. After a minute or two Rebecca sat back up and continued her story. "Thank God I was on the pill but I took a morning after pill anyway. Between the two of them they prevented a pregnancy. But they couldn't prevent an STD, three different ones in fact. God I hope their dicks fell off, those bastards."

Rebecca shook her head and almost chuckled. "So here was Princess Colman in a bad situation. Daddy had always turned his head at my wildness, as long as I didn't embarrass him he paid the bills and stayed out of my life. My mother had an affair with her personal trainer and Daddy kicked her to the curb, I guess by letting me run wild he was trying to make up for throwing her out. But if my medical problems and the reason for them became public knowledge I could lose my free ride."

"What did you do? How did you keep it quiet?"

"Having money is a good thing in this situation because my girlfriend helped me find a doctor that would treat me and then "misplace" his records. His services were quite costly comparatively speaking but well worth it. I came back home and continued treatment with my own doctor. He rationalized that since my sexual partners were in a different country there was no need to report my STDs to the local authorities."

I refilled our coffee cups and again added a shot of whiskey. "I'm sorry you had to go through that and I'm sorry I asked you about it. I didn't mean to hurt you Becky."

She nodded, hugged me, and said, "Well that's the reason my life changed. Hell, if those other two had been more romantic and asked me I might have agreed to do them too. Hopefully I wouldn't have but I was really nuts back then. At first I blamed them for what happened but came to realize that if I hadn't have put myself in that position it couldn't have happened; it was my fault for being so nutty."

Rebecca stopped talking and hung her head; her shoulders were shaking as she cried again. Pulling her back into my arms seemed to help and she got control again. Her story had taken the better part of an hour to tell; an hour full of sadness, crying, remorse, and anger. She pulled herself together and went to the bathroom; when she returned she looked me in the eye.

"Now you know my sad little tale. So where do we go from here, Jamie?"

I looked at her beautiful face, tear streaked and without makeup. She wasn't guilty of anything but bad judgment; those three assholes were responsible for their actions not her. I knew that it really didn't matter to me, other than being pissed off at the assault. The important thing was how she lived now.

"I don't plan on going anywhere, at least not tonight," I said with a smile. "Why don't you take a shower and join me in my bedroom. I don't mean for sex, you need to be held so let's just snuggle all night. Your White Knight will make it all better Becky, I promise." 

She gave a little laugh, kissed me and ran to the bathroom. I heard the shower start, went to get a T-shirt and that same pair of sweats she had used before and put them in the bathroom for her. As I opened the door far enough to lay the cloths on the counter, I saw her silhouette through the frosted shower door. I hope I can keep my word and only snuggle tonight, I thought.

Rebecca came back to the living room, dressed in my cloths and drying her short hair. She had no makeup on and her hair was all tousled; she looked like a fresh faced young girl of 16 instead of a sophisticated young woman of 25. She had never looked more appealing.

We went to my bedroom and got into bed and fell asleep spooning. I normally sleep nude but I put on a T-shirt and sleeper bottoms; there was no need to tempt fate. This was a night for therapy and comfort for Rebecca, not a sexual romp for me.

Early the next morning, I woke up with Rebecca kissing my neck, nibbling on my ear lobe and with her hand down my sleeper bottoms. So much for therapy and comfort I thought as I came fully awake. The rest of the day was pretty much an instant replay of that night in college years ago. We didn't leave the bed except to shower and get something to eat. I think we answered the question that Rebecca had asked last night about where we were going from here.

I had told Rebecca that I was falling in love with her but that wasn't the truth; the truth was that I was already in love with her. After her story the previous night I felt there was no reason to be on my guard anymore. 

Sunday evening after an early dinner, Rebecca went back to her apartment. We made plans for dinner on Tuesday evening and kissed good bye. All day Monday I wasn't worth much, I kept thinking about Rebecca, our evening and the next day together. I must have been smiling a lot because a couple of people asked me what was so funny.

Monday evening as I walked through the lobby I nodded and waved at Jacob, the concierge; it was a prearranged signal. He would pick up the phone and order coffee and a few snacks for me. The serving tray would have a menu of what room service had readily available for dinner although I could order almost anything I wanted. Jacob smiled and nodded back but didn't pick up the phone.

I found out why when I got to my suite; Rebecca was there and had already ordered dinner for us. When I walked in my door, she greeted me with a smile, a kiss, and two fingers of Gentleman Jack over ice. It sure beat the hell out of walking into an empty apartment.

"I hope I'm not being too pushy Jamie, but I didn't want to wait until tomorrow to see you. Do you mind?" She asked with the evil little grin of hers. "I've already ordered dinner; it should be here in 20 minutes. Why don't you jump in the shower and relax for a little?"

Smiling, I went into my bedroom thinking, you know I could get use to this. When I came of the bathroom drying myself, Rebecca was lying across my bed wearing a smile, a ribbon around her neck, and not much more. 

"Foods here, do you want to eat right away or can I persuade you to wait until later?" 

You couldn't have pulled me out of that bedroom with a John Deere tractor. The salad was wilted, the steaks was cold as were the baked potatoes by the time we got to them but that's what microwaves are for. We ate dinner with Rebecca sitting on my lap wearing nothing but a T-shirt. I don't remember if the food was any good or not.

We made a quantum leap from being friends to being lovers and in love. For the next month and a half we were together almost all the time. Rebecca and I learned more about each other; our likes and dislikes, what things we liked to do, and our philosophy on life. I know its heavy stuff but important if a relationship is going to succeed. 

Rebecca surprisingly liked the outdoors; camping and hiking were a good time to her. She liked sports but loved football, she would rather get a root canal than watch the political bullshit called the Olympics, and thought crushing a golf shot was the ultimate joy. Who knew, the Princess Colman was really just a down home country girl; well almost anyway. Other than her previous "wild child" philosophy we fit pretty well on many other things too. 

On our trips to hike or camp we discussed everything from politics, we're both moderate conservatives, to our favorite authors and movies. One of the most important things we agreed on was that we both wanted to have children someday. 

I surprised her early one Saturday morning waking her up by knocking on her door. Rebecca answered the door and saw two rather large men and me.

"Jamie, what are you doing here and who are these gentlemen?" 

"This is Ron and Jerry, they work on the loading dock at JCOL and have generously offered to help," I answered.

"Help with what?" Now I really had her puzzled.

"We been together almost constantly for the last six weeks or so and I'm getting tired of running back and forth between our apartments." I told her with a grin. "I thought between the four of us we could get you moved into my apartment today. What'd you say Becky, care to move in with your White Knight?" 

All at once I had an arm full of woman, Rebecca jumped on me putting her arms around my neck and wrapping her legs around my waist. 

"Yes, yes, yes," she yelled as she kissed me several times.

Ron and Jerry were smiling and I finally got Rebecca back on her feet. It took all day, but we got her packed and moved into my place. I thanked the guys for helping; I would thank them later financially. On Sunday we finished organizing her clothes and things. 

Rebecca sublet her apartment leaving her furniture except for her chair and a few paintings and a sculpture she had bought in England. No matter how much time we had spent together, long weekends, sleepovers, and nights out; it is different when you actually live together. Maybe it's the fact that there's no haven to run to once you give up own place and live 24/7 in the same home. The process of settling in together began and finished that weekend; it was all good.

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

About six months later I received a very interesting call from APEX SOFTWARE, the company that had bought my inventory control program. They wanted to make some modifications and expand it and felt than I was the best qualified to make the changes. I was offered a job as a consultant and a percentage of any future sales; this percentage was worth much more than the royalty I had gotten on the original program. Best of all, I could work on it in my spare time and from home.

I told APEX that I needed to check with my employer to make sure we didn't have a conflict of interest and that I would get back to them in a few days. They encouraged me to hurry as they wanted to get the new version up and running and available for sales very soon.

No time like the present, I thought and went to Bill Myers' office. I practically ran the department but he was the head of it and technically my boss. I sat down, told him what was going on with APEX, and asked his opinion. Bill said he thought I could go ahead but let's find out and picked up his phone.

"Hello Sylvia, its Bill Myers in IT. Is he in and can I get a few minutes with him?" He waited for about ten seconds and said, "We'll be right up."

Bill motioned to me to follow him and we went to the elevator. Noticing the puzzled look on my face, he explained, "We'll check with the boss and see what he wants to do. If he gives his okay then go for it."

"The boss, who ......?" I started to ask and then realized he was talking about Mr. Colman himself. I hadn't seen Mr. Colman since the Christmas party and I wasn't looking forward to the meeting. Rebecca hadn't said and I hadn't asked about how her Daddy felt about us living together. He knew about her wild life during and just after college but that wasn't up close and personal. Rebecca and I being together was the talk of the company and right in his face.

Bill and I walked into the big man's office and was greeted by a receptionist; a very pretty young woman. She told us we could go right into the inner office. The inner office was commanded by Mr. Colman's personal assistant, Sylvia Jackson. If Cindy, the girl at the Christmas party was a trophy date, then Sylvia was the 1st place trophy of personal assistants.

She was about 40, a dark haired beauty with big green eyes and a body just this side of a young Marilyn Monroe. Sylvia stood to greet Bill and he introduced me to her. One look into her eyes and you knew that as attractive as she was, that wasn't the reason Mr. Colman hired her. Her eyes showed intelligence and a self confidence that would make her an asset to any corporate executive. 

When Bill told her who I was she smiled and said, "So this is Sir White Knight. We've heard all about you Jamie."

I didn't know if I should be complimented or scared. "What...I mean who...How...?" I stuttered.

She laughed interrupting me and told us, "You can go right in, Mr. Colman is expecting you."

Into the lion's den I thought as we entered the office; I wasn't looking forward to this. If the consultant fee and percentage of sales potential hadn't been so large I would have forgotten the whole thing.

"Bill, Jamie, good morning. What can I do for my I T team?" 

We both greeted him and Bill explained the offer I had received. "We gave Jamie the okay to sell the original program and I don't believe that we can use the software or its modifications. I think we should give him the okay to do the job on his own."

Mr. Colman asked both Bill and I a few probing questions and stopped to think for a couple of minutes. He may appear to some to be just another playboy industrialist but he was a very astute business man who never passed up a chance to improve his company or make money.

The two or three minutes while he was quietly thinking seemed like forever, at least to me. The consultant's job would mean an extra income, but I already made a very good salary and could live very well without it. Although Mr. Colman hadn't said anything about it, his reaction to Rebecca and me was what I was worrying about.

Finally he said, "I agree with you Bill, I don't see where this software could help JCOL. Go for it Jamie and congratulations; just make sure you work on it on your own time. Don't short change us, Okay?"

I nodded, thanked him, and Bill and I started to leave his office. "Stay back will you Jamie? I'd like to talk to you for a few minutes," Mr. Colman requested. It wasn't actually a request, more like a command.

After Bill left Mr. Colman led me to a seating area that was less formal and motioned for me to sit. He looked at me for another damned two minutes, chuckled at my discomfort, and patted me on the shoulder.

"Don't look so glum Jamie. You're not facing a firing squad here. I wanted to talk about Rebecca and you," he explained.

Oh boy, I thought, here it comes. Keep away from my daughter if you like your job and other ultimatums ran through my mind. Continuing my thoughts I realized that it was going to be a bummer to quit my job, but I wasn't going to cut things off with Rebecca; I cared more about her than about Colman's job or company. I braced myself to tell him to take his job and shove it.

"I've heard the gossip and rumors concerning you and Rebecca," he said. He waited a few seconds to judge my reaction and when I didn't give one he continued. "I know that you two are living together," another pause and then, "I'm very glad that Rebecca has someone that cares about her. From what I understand her wild ways are behind her; thank you for that."

Rebecca's change in life style really didn't have much to do with me but I couldn't tell Mr. Colman that without betraying a confidence so I kept my mouth shut. I nodded as he talked, too surprised to do much more.

"I'm not trying to pressure you or push you but there's something you need to know if you two decide to get married. My lawyers will demand that you sign a prenuptial agreement to protect the company."

He held up his hand to stop my reaction to his statement. "I don't want you to think I don't trust you or your motives; it's just a business decision. If I had my way I wouldn't worry about it but the board of directors will insist on it. I just wanted you to understand."

Bullshit I thought, you run the board and this company they don't run you. But then again, he didn't have to try and make me feel better; that's assuming Rebecca and I decide to get married. I told him I understood and went back to my office.

Rebecca and I took a weekend off from all the awards dinners, charity function, and art show openings; instead we went on a camping trip. She had been bugging me to take her; she said she gone camping as a little girl and wanted to sleep under the stars with me. We didn't sleep outside because it started to rain but we did have a tent and cuddled all night. 

The next afternoon we were in a boat on the lake fishing; this was something else she had done as a little girl.

I cast my line out and waited about 30 seconds and then yelled, "I got a big one here."

Rebecca was excited, clapping her hands, and bouncing up and down in her seat. Just as I got my "catch" close to the boat, I pretended to lose the fish. Rebecca slumped and said something like, oh no.

"I guess it got away and I'm left with nothing," I said frowning and pretending to be upset. "No wait, there still something on the line." I pulled the last of the line in and asked, "What's this?"

Tied on the end of the line was the engagement ring I had put there earlier. I untied it and turned to Rebecca holding it out. If you looked up surprised in the dictionary there would have been a picture of Rebecca there. Her eyes got big, her mouth opened, and her hands went to her face.

"Becky, I love you. I want us to be more than roommates. Will you marry me?"

I don't advise surprising someone when you're in a canoe in the middle of a lake. Rebecca let me put the ring on her finger, looked at it lovingly, and jumped into my lap. We ended up swimming in the cold water because the canoe capsized. It didn't matter, we held on to each other kissing with Rebecca saying yes several times and treading water but it was good that we both had life vests on. 




Rich Man, Poor Man



One month before the wedding, I was asked to come to Mr. Colman's office; I knew the reason was the prenup. I didn't have a problem signing it; I had never thought of Rebecca in terms of her money or her dad's. She was all I wanted. I understood the precaution that Mr. Colman was taking but it still pissed me off a little; I felt that I had shown time and again that I wasn't a fortune hunter.

The lovely Sylvia told me to go right in and Mr. Colman stood and came to greet me when I entered his office. He wasn't alone; there was another man with him. It was his attorney, I thought. Mr. Colman introduced us and I was right; it was Carl Sanders the attorney for JCOL.

"Jamie, it's good to see you. Wedding plans coming along okay?" He was trying to put me at ease before getting down to business.

"Hello Mr. Colman. Yeah, the plans are all set; I looking forward to getting on with our lives after all this hoopla," I answered.

"Don't you think you could call me Jason?" He said with a smile. 

"Okay, Jason then. Can we get on with this; I'm in the middle of installing a new program." I was going to sign the prenup but I'll be damned if I would jump through any hoops for him. Maybe I was playing with fire here, but all the phony friendliness was getting on my nerves.

Sanders laid out the agreement and began to explain all the clauses and stipulations. Basically if Rebecca and I got divorced for any reason, I would get whatever I came into the marriage with. Anything obtained or owned by Rebecca and I jointly would be split 50/50. I would receive $150,000 dollars for each year or partial year that we were married and if I was unfaithful during the marriage and it led to divorce I would get nothing. 

I read the agreement and looked at Sanders. He asked if I understood and if I wanted my own attorney to look it over before I signed. I picked up a pen from the set on Mr. Colman's desk and made a few notations and changes to the agreement.

Sanders read over my shoulder as I was writing and I could see his eyes open wide with surprise. I finished my changes, handed the papers to Mr. Colman and said, "Make these changes, type it up and send it down to the dungeon with a notary and I'll sign it."

I turned and left the office before Mr. Colman or Sanders could stop me. A brave or maybe fool hardy action on my part some people would say but I wasn't the same young man trying to build a career that I had been when I started at JCOL. I liked the job and wanted to continue doing it but I could make it on my own. The royalties from my first program and the percentage of sales from the modified program and my consultant fees gave me enough money to live well if I was frugal. 

Rebecca could tell something had upset me when I came home. I told her a project wasn't going well and apologized for my mood. She decided what I needed was a big dose of Becky affection; dinner was cold again before we got to it.

The next afternoon Sanders and Sylvia of all people came into my office with the amended agreement. I had deleted the clause concerning the money I would receive for each year of the marriage. Other changes stated that if we divorced both of us would leave with what we had brought into the marriage. Any assets gained during the marriage would be split 50/50 unless adultery was the reason for divorce; in that case the guilty party would get nothing. And I added that if infidelity by either of us was the reason for divorce then that would be listed as the grounds for divorce; not some generic irreconcilable differences. 

After reading it, I signed and handed it back to Sanders and told him, "Now have Rebecca sign it, give me a copy and it's all legal. Now please leave, I have work to do." 

Sanders handed the document to Sylvia who notarized my signature and he took the document and left. Sylvia was grinning and finally started to chuckle.

I looked at her, not understanding what was so funny.

"I just had to see Sanders' face when he handed you the amended agreement. It was priceless; I don't think anyone has ever dictated changes to anything he has ever written. That was almost as funny as what happened this morning," she told me and waited for my question.

"Okay, I'll play straight man. What happened this morning?"

"I don't know how but Rebecca heard about Jason ambushing you with the prenup and she came into his office this morning breathing fire. She swept right past my desk and cornered Jason behind his desk. My brother is a drill sergeant and I don't think he could have chewed ass any better. I mean she was ferocious. I thought I was going to pee my pants I was laughing so hard."

"Well I'm glad we could amuse you Sylvia," I said a little annoyed.

"Pull in your horns sonny boy; I'm on your side. I heard that bullshit about the board of directors that Jason fed you. I think he should have been straight with you from the start. Okay?"

I nodded, calmed down and thanked her for her thoughts. Sylvia patted me on the shoulder and went back to her throne.

That evening when I got home Rebecca was still fired up and started the minute I walked in the door. Why didn't you tell me and how could you stand to do that and I know you're not after my money and so on. Then she said that Daddy wouldn't be invited to the wedding and it would be a cold day in hell before she forgave him for insulting me.

I listened to her for a couple of minutes and walked over, put my arms around her, and kissed her. I sat down and pulled her onto my lap and held her. She tried to get up and then started giggling and finally relaxed. 

"You have to invite your father, it would hurt him badly if you excluded him and you would regret it later. Just sign the damn prenup and let's get on with our lives," I told her. We spent most of the evening releasing the stress in a very romantic and physical way.

We had planned a small wedding, having to stand up to her dad to keep it from getting out of control. I did finally convince her to forgive her father. The ceremony was at my hotel in the small ball room with about 50 people in attendance, with a reception immediately following. Around 1 AM, Rebecca and I snuck away and went to my, I mean, our apartment upstairs. We would plan and take a honeymoon in a couple of months.

Rebecca had forgiven her dad and he showed up at the wedding by himself. He left Cindy or whoever the flavor of the month was at home. I guess Jason didn't want to cause any hoopla by bring a date that was as young as his daughter. For a wedding present he gave us a large block of stock in JCOL Enterprises; a gift whose monetary value was about two years combined salary.

Months later our honeymoon consisted of two weeks doing the things we both enjoyed. We stayed in Monterrey for a week playing golf at some of the most scenic courses in the U.S.; Pebble Beach, Spyglass, and Pacific Grove. The second week we roughed it; we camped at the Grand Canyon.

We hiked down the Bright Angel Trail to Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Canyon. The hike down was through a rocky, dry, and desert like land but when we got to the ranch it was like an oasis. We crossed two or three streams getting to the ranch and there were trees, plants, and wild flowers everywhere.

The accommodations for overnight visitors at Phantom Ranch are like a big bunk house. You share a large sleeping room and a bathroom with any other guests. It wasn't very romantic for two newlyweds on their honeymoon but we enjoyed the experience. The next morning we hiked back out and spent the night in Flagstaff before returning home.

When I started at JCOL I had sold my old truck because they furnished me with a company car. One month after our honeymoon I bought my own vehicle; it was the first I had owned for several years. Rebecca fell in love with the Harley CVO Softtail Convertible I chose. Since we couldn't get away for more than a three day weekend most of the time we rode the Harley for our adventures. 

On our rides I would sometimes let Rebecca drive the Harley; I would sit behind her and help her with the gears and clutch until she was comfortable and then sit back and let her have it. We did that mostly on back roads with no traffic while she was learning and because she wasn't motorcycle qualified. For some reason the police took a dim view of untrained people driving motorcycles.

One Thursday evening Rebecca told me that she had a function to attend on Saturday and would be gone all day. I offered to go with her but she said it would be too boring for me and suggested that I play golf that day. She left at 7AM and when she wasn't home by four I began to worry but just as I started pacing she came dancing in the door. 

Her hair was mussed, she looked flush, and had a twinkle in her eyes. I hate to admit it, but I thought about how she looked after our night in college. Rebecca bounced over to me threw her arms around me and beamed at me.

"Would you like to kiss you newly motorcycle qualified wife?"

"Huh?" A brilliant response if I do say so myself.

She waved her license at me and then pointed to the designation to show that she was a qualified rider. That's where she had been all day, taking a riding class which gave her the qualification. Rebecca was dancing around like a kid that brought home a report card with all A's. I was happy for her and ashamed of myself for what I had been thinking.

Two weeks later on a Friday evening I called her from in front of our hotel and asked her to come down and help me with something. She said she would be right down; I guess she never thought why I wouldn't have asked Jacob or the doorman to help me.

Rebecca came out the front door and stopped in her tracks. I was sitting on a new Harley Sportster 1200 smiling at her. 

"You know we were on our honeymoon at the bottom of the Grand Canyon on your birthday and I forgot a present for you. I hope this bike will make up for my being late."

She bounced up and down for a few seconds and then ran over and jumped on me almost knocking me off the bike. That's one of the things I love about her, if she gets excited about something she reacts like a 16 year old. After we recovered from the near fall off the bike she jumped up behind me and told me to take her for a ride.

"Not me Becky. It's your bike, you drive it," I said and switched places with her.

Room service had to send another dinner up to our apartment that evening; we didn't get back from her little ride until almost 11 PM. I think she liked her present, in fact she showed me how much that night after dinner. Rebecca was bright eyed and full of energy the next morning; me I was dragging a little. Never mind I thought, it was all worth it. I had to talk her out of riding her birthday gift to work; it's hard to ride in a skirt and high heels without causing a scene.

Six months after the wedding I came home and Rebecca wearing my favorite outfit; a ribbon around her neck and a smile. An hour later, after a proper response to the way she was dressed, she asked me when I thought we should start a family. We had talked about children before and after our wedding; we both agreed that a family would be great. I told her anytime was good for me and she responded that she would stop her birth control pills at the end of the month.

"In the mean time I think we should practice making a baby, don't you?" She asked as she pulled me on top of her again. Who was I to argue with my wife?

And practice we did, for six months we practiced. We didn't expect anything to happen that first month; her body had to readjust itself after she went off the pill. But for the next five months we went at each other like teenagers. About the third month we started doing research on the internet about conceiving a baby. Rebecca made a chart and watched her temperature and all the others things women do when they want to get pregnant. 

We never hit the home run we were looking for. Rebecca got more impatient with every passing month. Finally I suggested that we both see our doctors and have ourselves checked out. Who knows, maybe it's a vitamin deficiency I told her. We both went to our respective doctors the same day and waited for the results of our tests.

A few days later my doctor called me and told me that I was fine. My little swimmers were strong and plentiful and could have done an Ironman competition. I didn't call Rebecca; I would tell her the results that evening at home.

Rebecca wasn't home when I got there; it was a little unusual but not unheard of. When she wasn't home by 7 PM I started pacing and by 8 I started making phone calls trying to locate her. After the third call the phone rang before I could dial the next number on my list. 

It was Hope General Hospital telling me that Rebecca had been in an accident. I don't believe there is a speed law that I didn't break on the way to the hospital.

Rushing into the ER, I found that Rebecca had already been admitted and was in a private room on the third floor. I checked with the nurse's station and was led to her room. I turned to the nurse in alarm but she said that Rebecca was sleeping not unconscious. I saw the scraps and abrasions on her face and on her arm and hand that wasn't covered by the cast she was wearing. My god, what could have caused all this, I asked myself.

Shortly the nurse came back and told me the doctor was at the nurse's station if I wanted to talk to him. I introduced myself and asked him about Rebecca's injuries and her prognosis. 

"We've set her broken arm and it will heal fine, she has a badly bruised hip and it'll be sore for a couple of weeks but otherwise she's in pretty good shape." He looked at her chart and gave the nurse some instructions. "If it wasn't for the mild concussion she could go home, but we want to keep her for observation over night. That's our major concern, the rest of her injuries are really superficial although the road rash is hard to look at," Dr. Robins explained. 

He patted me on the shoulder and continued, "The abrasions on the side of her face and on her back look worse than they are. I don't believe they will leave a scar. In a few weeks you'll have your wife back in all her glory." 

"How did her face and back get so scraped up? I would think her seat belt and air bags would have protected her better. Did she get thrown out of the car?

"Mr. O'Connor your wife was riding a motorcycle when she had the accident. It's a good thing she was wearing a helmet and leathers or the outcome would have been far more serious."

I thanked the doctor and went back to Rebecca's room and sat next to her bed. Why the hell was she riding her motorcycle at night and from what I'd been told she was doing almost eighty when she wrecked. I was still a little stunned that Rebecca had been on her bike. Then I wondered what could have caused her to go nuts like this; it didn't make any sense to me.

Between the worry this evening about where she was, the speed run to the hospital, and the relief that she was okay I guess the stress got to me. I fell asleep sitting next to the bed holding her hand. It must have been about an hour later that the nurse came in and gently woke me up. 

She said, "You have a call from a Mr. Colman; he said he was Mrs. O'Connor's father."

I went to the nurse's station and told Jason that Rebecca was going to be fine and explained her injuries. After promising that I would have her call him the next day, I hung up.

I went back to Rebecca's room; as I sat down she woke up. She looked around, confused and trying to decide where she was; then saw me. I've never seen such a look of abject sorrow as I saw on her face and then she started crying. I sat on the bed and put my arms around her; it was several minutes before I could get her calmed down.

"Care to tell me what made you do an Evel Knievel?" I asked. Now that I knew she was alright, I was really upset with her. I didn't expect the response I got.

"Jamie, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. Please forgive me." All of this while she was sobbing; I had a difficult time understanding what she was saying.

"Take it easy, Becky. It's not a big deal; we'll get you a new bike. Of course you won't be riding for a while, or driving either from what the doctor said. Hell, we're usually together anyway so transportation shouldn't be a problem," I said trying to calm her down. She didn't answer and went back to sleep as I held her.

I was able to take Rebecca home the next day and spent the rest of the weekend pampering her. She was uncomfortable and seemed very sad. I couldn't coax a smile out of her no matter what I did. I went back to work on Monday, but asked Jacob to have someone check in on Rebecca several times during the day.

Slowly Rebecca became more like her old self; but there was something lurking just under the surface. We would be talking in a group or watching TV and Rebecca would unexplainably submerge into herself. Sometimes she would come back but sometimes she was gone somewhere in her mind for several minutes. I was really beginning to worry about her; she was depressed and I couldn't find out why.

Three months after her accident she became more alive and seemed to be okay. We stared to make love again, but talking about a family seemed to upset her so I didn't mention it again. She was almost frantic when we made love and she tried too hard to have a good time we went to some function or just out by ourselves. She laughed too quickly, too loudly and she began to drink more; a lot more. Several times I almost had to carry her from the car to the elevator. By the second month I'd had enough; I was losing sleep worrying about Rebecca's actions. 

One evening when we at a dance club with some friends, Rebecca really let loose. She was knocking back bourbon shots like they were lemonade. When she danced she started to get really wild; I normally didn't mind if she danced with some of our friends but this was too much. The final straw was when some guy from across the club asked her to dance. 

I wasn't the jealous type, but this guy was a few years younger than our group and a stranger. I didn't like the looks of him. His hair was too perfect, his shirt was open almost to his waist showing off his chest, and he had several gold chains around his neck. I thought the "Disco Dan" look was long dead.

I came back from getting another round of drinks for our friends at the table and saw Rebecca dry humping this guy on the dance floor. It took me almost five seconds to get to where they were dancing; actually it was more like screwing with their clothes on. I stepped in between them and turned to the guy.

"Mind if I dance with my wife? C'mon honey let's get it on." I took Rebecca by her arm and tried to lead her away from this jerk. I hoped he would understand the word "wife", see that I was upset, and not get involved. It was getting a little late in life to start a fight in a bar.

"Well I think the lady wants to dance with me. I mean she can be with you anytime; let her have a little fun pal," he replied with a smirk.

He just had to call me pal didn't he; I didn't like it anymore now than I did back in college. "Hey buddy, she's had a hard time lately and she had a little too much to drink tonight. So please just walk away so I can take her home."

"I'll bring her home when we're done partying pal. You just run along if you have to go home," he told me, again with that smirk.

"You guys decide who gets me for the night and do it in a hurry, we're wasting party time," Rebecca said in a drunken slur.

That was when the guy made a very bad decision; he tried to pull Rebecca away from me. I didn't realize that I had hit him until I saw him on the floor. He started to get up and I went crazy for a little while; I guess I was releasing all the stress of the last four months.