Detached

DETACHED: Disconnected, disinterested, non-dependent, showing lack of emotional involvement, isolated, etc. etc.

_ _ _ _ _

Willis Chambers usually felt relieved when he left employment in one city and moved on to another to begin the next stage of his life in total anonymity unless someone from his past came across him but that was rare because people tended not to remember him.

The well-built Willis, aged twenty-nine with long wavy chestnut hair drew attention to himself because of those features but the aura of neutrality that went with physical appearance would mean the guy who had been orphaned at the age of six and the string of foster homes now well behind him, would not leave a footprint in the minds of people who saw him or who became casually involved with him. Even in past businesses where he'd worked as an efficient administrator former colleagues tended to soon forget his passing.

One of the four sisters who ran the family law firm as attorneys said, looking at the print out of his CV, "The problem I have here Willis is we did not advertise for a female business manager because we wished to avoid being accused of sex discrimination."

He smiled and said well that admission rather opened them to the risk of a disgruntled unsuccessful job applicant proceeding with a lawsuit accusing the firm of practicing sex discrimination.

"Well yes," Josephine said coldly. "I really find your attitude is unfriendly."

"But I smiled when I said that Miss Rankin."

"You must call me Josephine to avoid confusion about which sister you refer to."

"Yes of course. It makes for a friendlier work environment as well."

Josephine eyed him. "My intention was to mention we had primarily been looking for a female replacement to prepare you before meeting my three sisters. As it happens you are the only credible applicant of the ten I have interviewed."

"Including females?"

"Six happen to be females."

Willis smiled and said the chance of them 'happening' to be female was very unlikely because they would have been born that way.

"Very droll or is it pedantic Mr Chambers? Whatever it is it's far removed for your reason for being here. Please excuse me while I go and consult my sisters about a suitable meeting time."

"Certainly. This meeting room is very drab to be left in alone. There's not even a picture on the wall, preferably one that stimulates contemplation."

"As you say Mr Chambers."

Cold bitch. Little wonder she's unmarried, Willis thought. Still it was only by chance he was here and he believed in responding positively to chances. Just by chance he'd read the advertisement for the position in a week old newspaper yesterday morning in a diner, his first morning in the city.

The severely dressed Josephine returned and smiled, actually rather a pleasant smile. She had great teeth and a well proportional face with high cheekbones. Where were her tits?

"Please return at 1:00. We invite you to join us for lunch in the boardroom that does have pictures on the wall."

"Including of your father and grandfather?"

"Yes and how did you know that?"

"Elementary dear Miss Rankin. The engraved tablet set in the stone frontage of these chambers says 'Rankin Law, established 1933."

She smiled approvingly but merely said, "We'll meet again at 1:00 Mr Chambers."

"You may call me Willis or if your prefer Miss Chambers to pretend I'm female."

"Flippancy is frowned upon in this establishment Willis."

"By you or by all sisters."

"I have on sister who is as irreverent as you. She may welcome a soul mate if we hire you."

Wandering off Willis decided times were tough in the job market. Perhaps he should make a real effort to win this position. If one sister was deemed to be his soul mate that meant one down, three to go to get onside with. Hmmm. He rather liked challenges.

In the nearby coffee shop the owner or manager or managing owner came over and said welcome, that she hadn't noticed him in her premises before.

"No Josie, I only arrived two nights ago and intend staying. You might find me a frequent customer because the premises and clean and customer-friendly."

"Thank you," she said suspiciously. "How did you know I was Josie?"

Willis gave her his name and said the street sign identified the business as Josie's Coffee Shop and she'd just told him she couldn't recall seeing him in HER premises before.

"Well I never. That was so clever of you."

"You are in the lull before the lunch rush starts Josie and that's why you have time to talk to me. Please sit."

"Here's Karen with your coffee. A glass of water for me Karen. This is Mr Chambers."

"Coming right up Mrs Thompson. Hi Mr Chambers."

Willis said hi Karen and said to Josie, "So your name is Josie Thompson and Karen is properly trained. May I says it is perfectly acceptable for you being in business and being such a friendly person to call me Willis first up."

"Oh my you have things figured out don't you? Either you are some sort of genius or else you are unmarried with time on your hands."

"You have me figured out Josie. Now I'd like you to use your discretion but to be forthcoming. What can you tell me about the reputation in this city of Rankin Law?"

"Well I'm probably biased because Thelma Rankin acts as my attorney. I believe that firm is second to none in this city and believes in integrity and service before self, if you know what I mean. If you need an attorney I recommend you try there."

"Who are the partners?"

The partners are the four daughters of the Nathaniel and Roberta Rankin who now live in a retirement village about 50 miles from here. There is Josephine who runs the show and had top legal qualifications as well as an MBA. She is managing partner and specializes in corporate law. Next comes Thelma who specializes in felonies and misdemeanors, litigation, appeals and oh I know, personal and professional liability. Then Judith covers business law, employment, estate planning and probate and young Claudette will look at championing any civic cause and has responsibility for family law, real estate and immigration. They have four if not five other attorneys who chase ambulances and help out with court work and all the other bits and pieces law firms do but I don't think they cover aviation and personal accident and injury and land development or take lawsuits against the council, property developments and hospitals."

"Gee thanks. What a tremendous briefing. You know a great deal about them."

"Well yes, I'm their first cousin and Josephine and I went through grade school and high school together and remain best of friends."

"Are any of the girl's married?"

"What an odd question but I suppose you are looking for a married attorney thinking she would be more settled. Josephine was married for eight years and then her husband divorced her to marry his PA. She reverted to her maiden name. Thelma has lived with a guy for years but shows no interest in marrying and Judith has broken off two engagements and is now looking for a new guy to screw."

"What about Claudette?"

"She will date almost anyone who asks her but she soon drops them. There's a lot of her late maternal grandmother's maverick in Claudette. She's only twenty-eight and still finding her feet after all those years of study. But if you ask me the real bright spark and brains in that family is Claudette."

"Well I won't ask you that and they you can't be accused of gossiping."

"What? Oh I see. You have a clever mind young man. Now what do you intend doing in this city?"

"I'll withhold my reply for the moment because something is underway. Perhaps I will have something to tell in within a day or two."

"Well I do hope you call in again Willis. You rather appeal to me, as an interesting customer I mean."

"Thank you Josie. You've made me feel very welcome."

God he'd have to watch what he said to Josie, Willis thought as she moved off. Unless of course it was something he wished everyone who came near Josie to know. However she'd given him more information than what was on the law firm's sparse one-page website. Actually when he was hired that would be one of his first tasks, to develop their website into client-friendly pages because what they had was real crap. So he would be hired?

"For better or for worse, yes," he muttered, grinning.

Willis returned to his hotel, showered and shaved and put on his Italian cut shiny light blue suit than made him, or so he fancied, look like a million bucks. He'd slay those babes and end up dating Claudette and would probably fuck her tonight, she appealing to him to go down on her while attempting to yank out his hair.

"Yeah!"

* * *

Indulging in a spot of day dreaming, Willis imagined receiving a formal invitation: 'Would Mr Willis Chambers kindly present himself at the boardroom of Rankin Law on Thursday on the strike of 1 o'clock to assess the suitability of the Rankin sisters to be his work colleagues', stated the white card printed in gold and delivered to him by Josephine's excessively polite PA.

"Ha,' Willis snorted. "Jo wouldn't have the class to do something like that and her PA was probably a browbeaten elderly bow-legged spinster with a moustache. He sighed and said to get seriously. It was no time to act frivolously and appearing demented. He had to march into that room and seize the chance that awaited him. God he hoped they didn't menstruate at the same time making his life hell one week a month. Perhaps he should look for work elsewhere. He's seen a street cleaner's job advertised.

The pretty and efficient young woman in reception said as he opened his mouth to speak, "Good afternoon sir. Are you Mr Chambers?"

"Yeah I mean yes."

"Please wait. Josephine's assistant will be here within sixty-seconds."

A really classy babe in a tailored suit and, yuck, having the wedded look, arrived when he'd only counted to forty seconds and said, "Hi Mr Chambers. What a really beautifully suit. Other men tend to dress so sloppy these days. Please follow me. I'm Irene. I'll take you to the Gang of Four."

Such informality and almost irreverence surprised Willis. He'd expected the office under Commandant Very Stern Josephine to be run like a bank with smiles and initiative and free thinking banned.

Without knocking, Irene opened the door of the boardroom that Willis thought looked more like a library and research center, It was a mess. Three of the women were rolling in their chairs laughing while the fourth, smirking, was reading from a document: 'Your Honor all the defendant did was to place the bulbous end of his very aroused penis into the leg of the pantyhose of the plaintiff and squeeze it'."

She looked over the top of her glasses and said, "Hi, you must be Mr Chambers. I'm Thelma. Thank you Irene. Please hang the Do Not Disturb notice on the outside door handle as you leave."

"Well Mr Chambers. I hope that you were not embarrassed by that extract that has my sisters dissolving in helpless laughter?"

"No it's fine."

"What did you think of it?"

"Rather sloppy in compilation. Did your defense attorney offer better representation?"

"Yes as a matter of fact I did. Please explain why it should be called sloppy?"

"Well there was no need to use the term bulbous because it is taken for granted it would be bulbous if aroused and anyway that's the only end of a penis available to be pushed into the filled leg of pantyhose and pedantically it could only be the defendant who was arouse not his pumped up penis."

The four women eyed Willis speculatively and Thelma sniffed and said technically what he'd said was correct and smiling said she'd preferred to let the matter drop right there."

"To deflate," said Willis. "Yes I agree."

The sisters smiled at him. Josephine invited him to sit at the head of the table.

She said, Willis you and Thelma have already acknowledged one another. You must excuse us for our merriment at that extract from the summary of proceedings but we were aware it was a minor case involving alleged indecent exposure and not a more serious charge. Thelma had already informed us the case was dismissed because the woman admitted she'd sniffed dope before the incident and had been rather hazy about what had happened. She also testified it had been her boyfriend who'd pushed her to make the complaint because he disliked the defendant because of an earlier run-in with him."

"Sitting beside me is my third sister Judith and opposite her is Claudette."

"Hi Thelma, Judith and Claudette. You are very beautiful Claudette."

"That comment is ingratiating and sexist and totally unnecessary."

Willis smiled: "Love truth, and pardon error."

"Omigod," Claudette cried. "You can quote Voltaire."

"Ah yes, but my cupboard is rather empty of quotations."

There was a knock and Thelma called enter and left the table to fetch coffee. The young woman from Josie's café came in with a basket of green salads and chicken on five plates each sealed with plastic wrap plus a thick steak sandwich plus containers of tomatoes, gherkins, cheese and cold peas.

"Hi Karen."

"Oh hi Mr Chambers."

"You two have met?" Claudette said suspiciously.

"Mr Chambers called in for coffee some two hours ago. He was rather pleasant and a declared stranger in town and so we made a little fuss of him."

"Just you."

"No Claudette. Josie said with him for almost half an hour. She learned he was seeking a job but he didn't say where. He seems too nice to be an attorney."

"That will be all Karen," Josephine smiled. "This looks lovely. Irene will be over later to return the plates and basket and will be the check. Hand her the docket on your way out."

When Karen had left Josephine said, "Did Josie tell you she is a client of mine."

"Yes Josephine."

"I would expect her to tell you a rather lot about us. It was very astute of you going there."

Willis took the steak sandwich from Claudette and placed it beside him to wait until the others were ready to eat. He received his salad. "Oh she just mentioned a bit of this and a bit of that like any friendly businesswoman would when learning her customer had only just arrived in the city. I gather she had the impression I was looking to hire an attorney although I didn't say that."

"She's our cousin," Josephine said.

Willis looked at the sisters and rather thought they appeared almost to have each been the product of different parents. "Ah yes, I see the family similarity."

The sisters looked rather startled.

"Shoot now if you wish guys, I have no problem being interviewed while we eat. This food looks wholesome. Little wonder you ladies look so healthy with such trim figures."

The sisters stared at him and then Josephine led the questioning.

Willis had expected after he was given time to say his piece he'd be asked to leave the room while a vote was taken. But when he finished Josephine said she required a three out of four decision in hiring him. He had the credentials for the position and had interviewed very well and possessed a surprisingly good knowledge of how a law office worked.

"In favor," Judith said without being asked. "Willis had had wide experience in partnerships and refers point to strength in taxation. That alone can save us huge bucks with our tax consultants Mitchell and Barns charging like wounded bulls."

Thelma said she was in favor. "Willis appears eminently suited for this office."

Josephine looked at Claudette. "What's it to be honey?"

"I'm not altogether convinced."

"Oh really. Say the right words and she'll topple your way Willis."

"Well I've already said she was beautiful and almost had my face clawed."

He then recalled something Josie had said, that Claudette who worked in family law and was a bit of a rebel and championed civic causes. She also appeared to be the neatest dressed and best made-up of the sisters. Yes have a go dude.

"Well there are some things around here I'd like to change. This room in a real mess and I looked you guys up on your website this morning and what I found was pathetic. Are you guys big into families, um like through sponsoring family concerts or something like that? Indeed how do you rate in this community for community sponsorships and leadership awards at schools and that sort of thing?"

The shuffles of feel and body language told him something and he was almost to the point of gloating when bang, Claudette whacked him verbally.

"We had no website until I arrived from law school. What you saw this morning was my best effort and a hell of a lot better than having nothing online."

"Whoa there Claudette. I mean no personal criticism. You did what you did and good on you. I suggest you and I get together and draw up pages we'd like to see online, get our concepts approved and amended at a partners' meeting and then I take those proposed pages to a professional web designer. Once it's designed I can maintained and even expand the site because in my MBA I included computer science studies. And with you coming through law school and business studies later than your sisters will be aware of new trends in public relations and interaction through community sponsorships and so on. I'll assist because I've had hands-on involvement in that and..."

"I'm very happy to have Willis on board providing you can settle on an acceptable salary package with him Josephine."

"Well I'm delighted and thank you ladies. My vote was already framed in favor of hiring Willis. Let's go through and haggle young man."

"Thanks guys for your vote of confidence. My feeling you will be a great crew to work with. Um Claudette, are you right for a movie and dinner on Saturday night?"

"Jesus Willis, I sincerely hope you don't adopt this high risk factor with our money."

"Cut the unnecessary lecturer Claudette, we are keeping Josephine waiting. Is it yes or no?"

"I guess I can drop my Saturday night date."

"Call him or her and suggest Saturday lunch."

"Saturday evening for an early evening will be fine Willis. Please allow me to arrange my own private life."

"That appears sound advice Claudette. I'll heed it."

"God." Claudette snorted and stood and began loading plates into the basket.

* * *

As arranged Willis met Claudette in a bar at 6:00 on Saturday in time to have a couple of drinks before they left for the movie house. He scarcely recognized her. She was in a tight top that made her tits prominent and in jeans so tight guys coming behind her almost had their tongues hanging out.

She settled with her martini and had sipped white wine.

"I suppose you'll be expecting sex after dinner?"

Willis thought he'd have to rate that as the best conversation opener he'd ever received. Usually he'd reply he could take it or leave it and hope not to offend and be accused of being romantic. But why fawn over a woman just to get a fuck? But he was attempting to make a good impression on people in this city, to try to earn the feeling of actually belonging to somewhere, to a community.

"Yes Claudette. That sounds a great way to top off an evening."

She asked frowning, "Do you go in for weird practices?"

He thought of saying well they could try butt- fucking with her bent over the balcony twenty-levels up above a glass-roofed mezzanine floor. But perhaps that might be too radical.

"I suppose I can fist you if that's what you want."

"You disgusting swine," she blurted and presumably unintentionally sprayed some of her drink over him.

She was wide-eyed and appeared ready to hammer him but at the last instant said, "I take it that was a joke?"

He grinned and said yeah, figuring that was the answer she wanted to hear.

"Christ you had me going there for a minute," she said, wiping her chin but doing nothing about the sprayed martini over his floral shirt.