CHAPTER 1
The clerk read out Item 17 on the City Council's agenda. A Miss Augustine Love and three others were petitioning the council to have the city's airport closed between 8:00 pm and 6:00 am 24/7 so their sleep was not disturbed.
Heavy jowl Mayor Rogers with narrow eyes sniggered. "Call the chief petitioner."
"Miss Love, this approach is wasting out time and if granted would threatened the city's economy. Please withdraw it."
"No."
"Then in the powers vested in me I dismiss the petition. Please return to your seat."
"Very well Mayor Rogers but I shall go to the Governor on this matter."
"You'll be wasting your time. I have legislative authority to dismiss any petition that threatens significantly the economic well-being of this city and have so ruled. You may not be aware that Flight 109 each evening at 11:11 flies out the produce from my farms to various destinations for canning. Off you go. Next petition please."
In the lobby of City Hall blonde Augustine's three friends, Angie Anderson, Winnie Harris and Isobel Robinson expressed their disappointment and thanked Augustine for leading the charge.
"It's failed so we all now return to our homes and sulk."
"It isn't over. Just watch this space," said the 30-year old attorney.
Her three business clients looked started. "What do you propose doing?" Angie asked their pretty, somewhat stocky leader.
"Look for another way. It's that 11:11 flight that is our problem."
"Agreed," Winnie said and Isobel echoed that.
Back in her office Augustine found Sky Haul Airlines ran the 11:11 flight. The airline was based in New York. Well, that was food for thought.
Mid-afternoon a handsome guy in his early thirties called on Augustine and informed the receptionist he was from The Echo. The receptionist slipped him in as a client was leaving Augustine's office. "Hi Miss Love, I'm Dick Talbot from The Echo and would like some quotes from you on the council's handling of your petition."
Augustine looked at her diary and saw no Dick Talbot had an appointment with her. She wondered if newspaper reporters were slipped in between patients of surgeons in operating theaters and were unfortunate to have a testicle removed. Still, this interloper could be useful to her cause.
"I and my fellow petitioners were unfairly treated by a dictatorial mayor whose heart is made out of his shallots and beetroot. According to my research he is the only user of that night freight flight. Only a weak-ass mayor would hide behind self-interest and a conveniently framed law so after today's ruling by the mayor what does that make him?"
Dick said, "Miss Love, you of all people being an attorney know you can't publicly claim our mayor is weak-assed?"
"Oh but I haven't. Please read back to me what you have just noted as me saying."
Dick read out the sentence and looked up admiringly. "Beautifully and cleverly expressed Miss Love. I shall attempt to convince our editor we should run it. The slur is implied but not stated insomuch."
"Thank you. And I wind up by saying we are so disappointed our intransigent mayor did not get off his backside and attempt to find a solution to the problem raised by the right-thinking petitioners. He should have personally attempted to find a solution because it is his farm produce that the aircraft flies in to collect very late at night."
"Dick, please call me Augustine. Could we meet later for a drink? I finish here at 6:00."
"Yes certainly, is this a date of do you wish to consult me?"
"It possibly could interest you more if I did not answer that question Dick."
They arranged to meet and the Regal Bar of the Hotel Fairfax.
Dick left the room scratching his head.
Dick rushed into the bar late. "Sorry. The editor Stan Morris asked me to get the mayor's comment to your comment and the mayor refused to give it over the phone. I had to wait outside his office until he felt ready to talk. His comment was. "I'll sue the bitch and you can print that, so we are."
"What old Stan is taking a risk?"
"The one thing that gets up Stan's ass is anyone who facetiously threatens to sue anyone, knowing they haven't a leg to stand on and use the opportunity to punch below the belt, especially if the opponent is female."
"Yes, Stan is a gentleman."
"He told me – and now this is off the record – that for all he knows you are not a slut and definitely never have quite acted like a bitch."
"Oh charming. Isn't old Stan a sweetheart?"
"I'm staying neutral on this one Augustine."
"Would you like to find out if I am a slut Dick?"
Augustine had spoken quite loudly and conversations in the bar fell away.
Blushing, Dick said loudly, "He had no right to use that word about you Miss Love."
Other conversations resumed.
"Oh Dick darling," Augustine whispered. "Thank you. My honor remains intact."
"Why am I here?"
"Almost two years ago when you arrived to work on The Echo I recall you saying you had a sister who worked with one of the TV networks in New York as an assistant producer. Is she still in that position?"
"Actually she's Elizabeth Hart, who has become a top behind-the-news program maker."
"Dick darling. Would you contact her and invite her to do a program about me, the working title being, Miss Love Goes to New York to Get Her Sleep Back."
"I think I can see where this is heading... you intend taking on the airline?"
"Oh how clever Dick. Yes. I purchased one hundred shares in the airline today; stockholders are entitled to speak at next month's AGM. Please finish your drink. I'm taking you home to prove, just to you, that the bitch really is a slut when she chooses to be."
"Er..."
"Dick, please don't lie. I called the chief reporter's executive assistant and she confirmed you were due to finish work at 6:00 today; Come along Dick."
* * *
Dick had seen Augustine many times but never had they spoken. She had the powerful curvy figure that screamed to a guy to take to bed but her mind were off-putting... very awesome. He'd been in court when she'd cut assistant district attorneys to pieces and on one celebrated occasion she'd cut loose on a judge who when summing up had misquoted a particular point of law that could have had serious consequences for her client, raising in the judge's mind the severity of the assault charge. The judge turned purple and called counsel up to the bench and only when the assistant to the assistant district attorney hurried up with the cited reference open did the judge after reading it ask counsel to return to their seats and he congratulated Miss Love for assistance in defining with greater clarity a fine point of law.
When he'd returned to the office Dick reported the incident to the editor and Stan had laughed and said Miss Love was not a person to be fiddled with. He then laughed and said he could talk; years ago he'd fiddled with her mother. That raised a question over Augustine's comment about Stan always being a gentleman: would a gentleman fiddle with one's mother or even talk about it, even years later?
Augustine lived in a charming and beautifully restored 1940s cottage surrounded by an old fashion garden. It was one of the notable homes of the city and she loved it and tourists often stopped to take photos of her working in her garden in 1940s-style gardening clothes including having her sunhat with a flimsy white scarf over it tied under her chin. Dick's friend Alice Beach had won a national newspaper photography award for it, entering it in the nostalgia section that rarely received entries.
Just as Dick was wondering what Alice would think of him, being alone with Augustine in her home, he heard Augustine say, "Since you have come home with me Dick I assume it is to fuck me?" Heavens, why hadn't the woman used a softer work like seduce?
"Er, I guess so."
"Oh my Dick, you only guess so. Let me find out by unzipping and freeing Dick's dick. It's temperature and state of arousal will tell me exactly what Dick's answer really is."
The dick behaved treacherously. Its temperature soared and it grew in Augustine's hand.
"Oooh Dick. You are such a big boy."
At that Dick almost shot his wad.
Dick rose from the bed, looking down at the memorable body of Augustine.
"I'm dressing and then going. Do you want me to... er... fetch a towel for you to clean up?"
"No thank you darling. I rarely have men shoot cum all over my body, including my face and hair. I just wish to remain in this position to enjoy being almost in a cum bath. You are certainly a big shot Dick."
"Well the excess sometimes draws complaints," Dick said coloring. "But tonight I was aroused to unprecedented heights. You are exceedingly good with your tongue, hands, feet and in your lurid mutterings Augustine. And you squeeze your cunt like no other woman I've met."
"Pussy sounds nicer darling. Perhaps we could do this again?"
"I'll need a month to recover, Dick joked and she looked ever so pleased.
Dick jerked his zip over his buddy at rest. "Good night Augustine. Don't let my cum set like concrete on you. I'll call my sister as soon as I have my phone. It's in my car."
"Thank you. What we did here tonight wasn't intended to make you more cooperative because I already knew you recognized a potentially great story. I just felt like a fuck and you were the guy in my sights. Don't mention me to Alice."
"You know about me and Alice?"
"She's a friend of a friend who talks a lot and I have seen you two walking into the movies and restaurants."
"She'd half kill me if I told her."
"Goodnight Dick. Just remember this: Never tell a lover you have fucked another woman. They can't bear the thought of being told that. In that instance, women invariably prefer the man to lie to them."
"Good night and thanks for that amazing sisterhood tip. I can't wait to get my hands on you again Augustine. Please think about that."
"Oooh."
* * *
Augustine in the bath next morning picked up her phone and smiled.
