Steamboat Willy

We walked aboard the yacht about ten that morning, Jennette had met us early and Sally had tried on several outfits and liked them all. There were casual, sports, business, and eveningwear to try on. Sally was stunning in every one of them. Both Sally and Jennette were grinning after the fifth outfit. Jennette said, "Sally you are perfect. You are a perfect size seven. Every thing I brought this morning was in size seven and every thing fits perfectly."

When we were board the Captain showed us around the ship. Everything was spotless and in perfect operating condition.

Sally and Jennette were happy with the master stateroom. There was plenty of closet space for her things, lots of drawer space and a spacious dressing table.

Sally wanted to know how close he could get to Orange Springs. He said he knew he could get to Palatka and down the St. Johns River but he would have to check on how far. I told him I thought the controlling depth to the south entry of Lake George was eight feet.

"Well with the Hamilton Jet Drives we are equipped with that is about what we draw."

"Well skipper, check it out, we may want you in the St. Johns for a while."

"Yes Sir I will have that information in less than ten minutes."

"Fine. Tell me what you find out before we leave. See about birthing arrangements too." I found Sally and Jennette in the salon partaking of a nice buffet brunch set up there. I find it is seldom too early for me to enjoy a good Shrimp Cocktail. I do not care for a fancy sauce; I prefer just Catsup and Horseradish. The girls loved the vessel and were ready to cast off and go on a cruise. There was a retractable Heliport over the stern and a Chopper was due to pick us up at 11:30. We heard the deafening noise of him landing and walked toward the stern. The captain met us to escort us to the Helicopter. He told me I was right about the river but that he hadn't found any place that could dock a vessel our size.

The whirlybird had us back at the Murphy Building well before noon. I sent Sally off to meet with the promotions experts and we said so long to Jennette. She was to go head with the plan and stock the two places with clothes for Sally. Later Sally sat beside me in a meeting with our plans department. They tried to chart a course for the company through what they thought would take place in the next five, ten, fifteen and twenty years.

Sally asked some questions that showed she completely understood the presentation and thought it's predictions were a little too rosy. I mentioned that she thought that a worse case scenario might also be enlightening. The head of the department reached into his brief case and withdrew a few papers He grinned at Sally. "Ma'am I have one here if you would like to hear it."

Sally looked at me and I nodded slightly. She said, "Certainly, Sir, please continue." He gave a five-minute presentation. I thought it was rather well done. Sally gazed at him and said, "That was excellent but as far as I am concerned it asks more questions than it answers. I believe I would like to hear and see a comparison of the two extremes and a median estimate."

The plans people put their heads together; them one of them scurried about in several stacks of material and found three slides he had projected on the huge TV monitor on one side of the room. One slide portrayed the best case, another, the worst case was projected over it. The middle ground case was shown beside the others.

Sally said, "Very good Gentlemen. Might I summarize all this by saying that in the foreseeable future the net profits of this company will be some where between very good and stupendous."

"Yes Ma'am, You are exactly correct in your analysis."

Sally leaned over and kissed my cheek, "I love you," she whispered. The plans team thanked us and left. Sally and I decided to go into the apartment, only a few steps away and have lunch before the next meeting. Marge walked in after a few minutes and held out her hands toward Sally. Marge pulled my wife to her and kissed and hugged her. She grinned, "Sally I hear everything that goes on in this company, I have my spies everywhere. The word is out, "If you have a meeting with the gorgeous new Mrs. Murphy you better have all your ducks in a row or she will call you on it." That is the best compliment I have ever heard a female receive in twenty years. You have them eating out of your hands and knocking themselves out to please you." Marge looked at me, "Boss you were right about this girl. She surprised me. She is definitely not just a pretty face, she is damned smart and people savvy too."

Sally beamed, "Thank you Marge, I hope I can count on you to help me though. I need you to brief me on what to look for and to expect at these meetings. It is difficult going in there cold. I feel a lot of skepticism from the people giving the presentation. I felt it even more so today. I think I need to change into a business suit again to have a quicker rapport with them. If I dress like this in a dress they think I am just fluff and try and gloss everything over."

Marge said, "I picked up on that too. The comments on your appearance yesterday were very positive in that everyone who commented on your looks said you looked 'smart' and 'sharp'. Today I just heard 'lovely' and 'pretty' and 'cute'. Another thing, you don't have to check with Rich before you do anything, just let it fly, he isn't going to say no to you anyway."

Sally jumped up, "I'll go change. I'll be right back." She was back in ten minutes just as our lunch was served. She was a vision of business beauty in an all gray outfit; a gray fitted suit, knee length skirt, with a gray blouse. She had on gray shoes and stockings. I looked at Marge, "I'll bet her lingerie is gray too."

"I won't take that bet. Sally you look just great. I love that suit." Marge remarked.

"Me too!" Was all I could think of to say?

Sally grinned and lifted her skirt to show a gray garter belt and panties.

We went back in the conference room. There was a group from the advertising and promotions division waiting for us. John Norton who I had already spoken with about the boat project was leading the group.

I introduced Sally and myself and afterward I said, "Please direct your ideas, questions and what ever else may be pertinent, to Mrs. Murphy. This is her pet project. However, I do have one thing I would like to say then I will let you guys have the floor. I think this is super chance to have the Company sponsor a historical project. I understand there is a movie that is planned that has a large part to be played by both types of boats. It is called 'The Cry of the Red Hawk' and is about the 2nd Seminole Indian War taking place in North Central Florida in the 1830's. We should have the second boat completed before shooting starts. If that doesn't give anyone some ideas I need to fire all of you. OK folks this is my beautiful wife Sally. She is the boss on this project."

Sally stood and glanced around. "First let me say I am glad to meet all of you. First I must say that my husband and I are newly weds. It is my sworn duty to keep a smile on his face. Everything else comes second. Because of that duty I am going to trust you guys to do all the work. I feel it is my job at this point in the project to listen to your ideas and try and select the best path to take. We may pursue more than one idea. Now I want to hear your ideas." I listened for a while, and then I stood and kissed her on the cheek. I went into my office and pressed a button so I could hear what went on in the meeting and started to read a letter when I heard Sally say, "There went my biggest handicap to getting anything done. I just tend to think about him all the time. If I look a little dreamy eyed sometimes that is my problem. I miss him already. Now, where were we?"

I listened to the rest of the meeting, I was proud of my little wife. She made the staff work toward her goals. She was fair and listened to all the different ideas. Finally I heard her say, "Yesterday on our way here my husband mentioned an idea he had for a promotion, he suggested that the large boat be set up to do a cruise around Florida. Many short legs each featuring a visit to a historical site along the route. This was just off the top of his head with no research or feasibility check. I would appreciate it if you could pursue that as one possibility. Thank you everyone, I am available by cell phone during working hours. If I answer and I am breathing heavily and moaning a lot, please call back in an hour. Have a nice evening."

She walked into the office I met her half way to my desk. I picked her up and carried her to my desk a set her on top of it. I pressed a button locking all the doors. I buzzed Marge and asked her to hold all my calls for an hour. I pulled my chair in front of Sally. I kissed her passionately then I lay her on her back. I lifted her legs straight in the air. I pulled her panties up her legs. I left one leg pointing straight up and pulled her hips toward me as I sat in my chair. I spread her labia with my hands and buried my face in her sweet pussy. She was damp and warm. I licked her into a fast orgasm. She was eager to help me all the way. I lapped and sucked every bit of her I could find. It was very erotic with my beautiful wife fully clothed except for her pussy. I knew I was dribbling inside my trousers. Sally was trembling and moaning. I slipped two fingers in her vagina and pumped them in and out of her. Her hips began humping up against my plunging fingers. I felt her reach another climax and pulled my fingers out and substituted my tongue. I slurped up her juices as fast as they seeped out my face was completely wet. My mouth, eyes and nose were full of her sweet moisture. I loved it.

She pushed my face away and stood and said, "In the bed, right now!" She ran for the bedroom dropping clothes as she ran. I was close behind her. I was also leaving a trail of clothes. She jumped on the bed still wearing her garter belt, stockings and shoes.

I managed to get my shoes off but still had on my socks as I jumped between her legs and plunged my cock into her hot slippery wet pussy. "YES!" She screamed as she felt my shaft slide in her pussy and go right to the hilt. She was pulling hard on my hips on the in stroke and whimpering and softly mewing. I tried to slow down because I knew I was going to cum very soon but she was having none of that. Her hands and her heels pressed me forward at the speed she needed. She shook violently and screamed with joy and ecstasy. I ejaculated at nearly the same time and collapsed on her body, I tried to move off her but she wanted me where I was. She was crying softly. "Sally, what's wrong girl, did I hurt you?"

"Oh no, it was heavenly. You didn't hurt me at all, you never have."

"Why are you crying, girl?"

"I want to go home, I want to be in our little double- wide mobile home with just the two of us. I want to care for you, do your laundry, cook for you and be a real wife to you and not be on a schedule. I'm homesick I guess."

"Me too."

"Now I know why you live out in the country way away from all this. This just seems to close in around you like a jail doesn't it?"

"Sweetheart that is exactly how I feel. We'll go home in the morning. They can bring the important stuff to us, or We can come down one or two days a month. OK?"

"Yes, that sounds wonderful."

" I'll have them move the yacht to Lake George and the helicopter and zip us there and back. With all the communications gear aboard her we can meet with them just like we were there in Miami."

"Let's do it."

"You know, we can bring a chopper up to your place and land it in your front yard. Then it would only be fifteen minutes to Ocala, forty-five to Miami and another fifteen to the office, say an hour and a half door to door. We could be home by four or five. I like it. And another thing girl, we haven't had a proper honeymoon yet. Right?"

"You are right dear. Jennette can have all my stuff aboard before the yacht leaves to come up here."

"Yeah, that boat really moves, it will cruise at near forty miles an hour if the weather is nice and the seas are smooth. Or they can run at twenty miles an hour and leave in the afternoon and be here the next morning before noon. They won't want to run the St. Johns at night."

Then I looked at Sally, "This is all bullshit, and we are just bringing the jail up here. I see no reason for us to be this involved with the business. If the CEO we have now can't handle it we will get one who can. We can fly down for a day or two on a quarterly basis. We could even sell the damned business. We have plenty of money, what we need is time to be ourselves together."

"Oh! Honey, I love it, that is perfect. We are both happier here or over in the yard swinging a broad ax or an adze. I enjoyed playing at being a businesswoman and I could possibly pull it off, but why? Other than finishing the boats and then putting them to work what real goals do I have? Just one, and I really believe I can do that better from here. That goal is to keep my darling husband happy and content."

We got settled in and drove over to Sally's place. My father and his brother were there with Don Mitchell. I introduced my wife to my father, Mike Murphy and to my uncle, Ike Murphy. Dad held Sally at arms length then looked at me, "She looks like a real keeper Rich. Miss Sally welcome to our family. I hear you can use an axe and an adze, I find that hard to believe, but my boy don't ever lie. So it must be true."

Sally smiled at him, "I can use those tools but I am not in the same class as Rich, he is awesome and I have to admit I love him with all my heart."

I took my dad and uncle and showed them some of Sally's father's work. They were impressed and remarked that the work on the curves and the notching and beveling were excellent. Then I showed them a frame that was half completed and asked if the person who had done that was any good with axes. Uncle Ike said, "Damn boy, you know this work is fine craftsmanship, did you do this?"

"No Uncle Ike, Sally did that one. This one over here is one of mine. They walked over and looked at one of mine. They looked at me. My Dad said, "Sally, when I looked at yours I thought it was some of the best fancy cutting I have ever seen. You can work with me any time. Then I saw what my boy did. It is the best I have ever seen. I have seen work done on a band saw that is not near as smooth as what you and this little gal of yours do. I'm damned proud of both of you."

Sally didn't resist being pulled into my arms and gently kissed. "I'm proud of my wife too."

Dad looked at me, "Son, I think we can handle most of what you do here except one thing, how in the hell do you cut those inside curves with a broad ax?"

"We really don't; we use several special curved carving axes that are made like an adze with the blade at ninety degrees to the handle. The handle is short and each one has a different curve. They are often used like a chisel with a maul. They have to be really sharp."

Don Mitchell asked, "How do you take a bent log like one in this pile and cut the faces on both sides?" Sally said she would answer that, "We have the things over here that look like big sand boxes. The log is placed on the sand and leveled with more sand. Planks are placed around it from side to side These blocks hold up the central planks. Now we have something to stand on. We level to the walls of the sand box. Watch Rich rough this one out."

I climbed on the planks and let the adze do the work. In about four minutes one side was flat. Sally brought a plywood layout pattern and traced around it with a yellow crayon. I took my ax and let the axe do all the work on the outside. Then I cut out the inside using a gouge like adze. You had to smooth the cut with diagonal cuts. Then several of us flipped the rib over and we leveled it with the sand so that where we wanted the finished thickness was even with the top of the sand box. There was only a quarter of the wood to remove as there was with the first side. I finished it in not much time.

I wiped my brow and jumped down and looked for Sally. I didn't see her and left every one looking at my work. I walked around the corner of the shed and saw Sally riding off in my old Jeep with Jeb. What the hell was going on? Dad yelled for me and I went to him and explained how we selected which log we would use for the next frame. I told everyone I would see them later and walked out to our Jeep Liberty.

I saw a note on the steering wheel. It was from Sally. She said she had an emergency call from one of her old clients and would call me at home later. She said Jeb was taking her to the doublewide. I hurried home. There was no one there.

I fixed myself a Rum and water and sat down to think things over. This was weird. Here I sat alone while my wife ran off to see an old client/lover." I just had to trust her. She had never given me any reason to doubt anything she ever said. If she were up to something she wouldn't tell me where she was going. But then she really didn't tell me anything. No name, no place, no nothing. I had no choice I had to keep my mind open and blank until she got home. I fixed another drink and thought about what I could make for dinner to surprise her.

I looked in the freezer and found a package of two Rock Cornish Game Hens. I unwrapped them and dropped them in a bowl of warm water. I put a couple of baking potatoes in the oven. I found a package of frozen broccoli flowerets and decided to make a mock Hollandaise sauce to go with them. I got out a class bowl and put an inch and a half thick slice of Velveeta in the bowl. Next I put a heaping tablespoon of mayo in accompanied by a tablespoon of sour cream. A teaspoon of regular mustard and a squeeze of lemon finished it off. I zapped it in the microwave for a minute then whipped it together, it would be heated again prior to serving. I would wait until Sally got home. Where was she?

Finding a plastic container for the broccoli I set it aside to be cooked later. I took the hens from the water and split them through the backbone and flattened them out. Rubbing butter and lemon and fresh ground pepper with a sprinkle of kosher salt had them ready for the broiler. I sat and watched the evening news until the timer on the oven dinged. I took the potatoes out and slipped them in the freezer to cool down a bit. I had expected Sally by now, where was she?

I fixed another drink and waited a while for the potatoes. When they were cool enough to handle I cut them in half lengthwise. I scooped out the skins and put the insides in a bowl and mashed them with a fork. Sour cream and chopped chives were added and mixed in. I took a plastic baggie and cut one bottom corner off and slipped a piping tip out through the hole and piped the filling into the skins finishing with some nice swirls on top and garnished with more chopped chives.

I watched some more news and fixed another drink, I put a nice lace tablecloth on the table and set two places with good silver. I found some candles and put them on the table in silver holders. Where was Sally?

I had another drink and put the birds in under the broiler. I put the broccoli in the microwave. When it was done it went in a nice serving bowl and went on the table. The hens checked out ok, they weren't ready yet. I finished my drink and checked the hens again; they were looking good, browning up nicely. I took them out and put the potatoes in. They browned on top and heated though. I put one on each plate with a hen. The sauce was reheated and put in a nice small server. I sat down and waited. I wasn't worried about the dinner getting cold it could be reheated. Another drink seemed appropriate. Where the hell was Sally?