This is a series of stories that are a sort of sequel to two text-adventure games. Each installment is a complete story on its own, but for a full understanding, the reader may want to start with Chapter 1.
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What had started as a mental exercise, little more than a daydream really, was starting to look almost plausible. Learning to play golf had me hung up on the idea of developing a country club in the western suburbs near where I lived, an affluent area without a decent golf course, much less a nice private club. The concept had all been nothing but a pleasant diversion until I stumbled across a piece of land that was actually perfect for such a development. Literally all I had to was find a way to acquire that parcel and I could actually make this happen.
Meantime, I had a job. A good one. One at which I was quite successful. One I was heading into late after my morning golf lesson. I had spent a lot more time than usual drawing out information on my teaching pro, Charlie.
As I had expected, she was beginning to chafe in her current position. As the assistant head pro at a club with a popular, middle-aged head pro, Charlie literally had no chance for advancement where she was, absent a lightning strike. She was an excellent instructor, a better player, and it didn't hurt that she was a slender blonde fox. She should be a rising star, not professionally stalled so young.
If I could get my hands on that land, Charlie would be a day one hire attempt.
I walked into the office, still in my golf attire. It was Casual Friday, but I had a suit slung over my shoulder for a sales call scheduled at the end of the day. I delayed at the front desk, gossiping with our receptionist Sally. I had seen the owner's BMW entering the parking lot after mine, and I was killing time until Cathy came in after me.
Face time with the boss was always a good thing at any job, but beyond that, Cathy was charming, funny, and had a surprisingly bawdy streak in her. And she was one of the most smoking hot women I knew. So I waited.
She was through the door in short order. I (and my pants) stirred slightly as I saw a shopping bag from a lingerie store I had never heard of in her hand. Phil, the only sales person with better numbers than me chose that moment to enter the lobby on his way out. We both called out a greeting to Cathy simultaneously, and the three of us gathered in front of the receptionist desk automatically to include Sally in the conversation. Upon seeing my golf clothes, Cathy remembered it was my Cathy-mandated lesson day, and decided it was time to taunt me about my rookie-level golf skills.
I haughtily boasted that I had played nine holes with the pro the week before and had actually birdied a hole. "Number 4?" asked Cathy, whose membership I was riding on to learn golf. I nodded. "Noob. My mother can birdie number 4!" she scoffed. "How many bogies?"
"Got any plans this weekend?" I replied archly, since it was time change the subject.
"I've certainly got plans for tonight," she replied. "We shall see about the weekend. It's our first date in a while, but I think he may deserve some new packaging. Want to see?" She asked, reaching into the lingerie bag without waiting for the inevitable affirmative answer. The teddy she drew out was expensive, frilly, purple, and cupless. As I'd seen her do several times before, she held her latest purchase up against her splendid form. When she did that it was very easy to, and nearly impossible not to, imagine her wearing the lingerie and nothing else.
I would have the real and the imagined images in my brain all weekend.
Phil had been married for 13 years. He probably lived for moments like this....
The Rules in our office were simultaneously relaxed and strict. No relationships between employees, and no sexual comments to or about other employees. Beyond that, conversation could and did descend to some pretty bawdy levels. But I thought I was safe asking a fairly utilitarian question. "Why do you bring that to the office to change into? Why not just wear it in. You will wear that suit tonight on your date, right?"
Cathy just shared a look with the receptionist. "I'll let you in in a secret, Mr. Man. Women don't WEAR things like this," she said, doing Phil and me the favor of holding it up against herself once more. "This little teddy fits perfectly, but it is still itchy, and lumpy under my clothes, and... well... you can see it doesn't offer any support." She slid the teddy back into her shopping bag. "We put stuff like this on right before we are going to meet whomever we are wearing it for, and not a minute sooner! You guys are just supposed to believe that we dress like that all the time. Apparently, YOU did until just now. Sorry to shatter your illusions about women," she called over her shoulder in parting as she headed off for her office.
Phil and I shared a haunted gaze as Sally laughed at us both.
Cathy stuck her head back into the lobby and called out to me, "The golf outing is next month, remember. I think I've decided you will ride with me, so I can see how well you actually play. Do not suck! I don't want to be that foursome holding up play."
Great, more of that no pressure pressure that Cathy liked to apply.
The next morning, I omitted my usual Saturday routine of lounging by my pool and catching up on things. I had a scouting mission.
I dressed in good jeans, a work shirt, and some old hiking boots--the closest approximation I had of what I believed real farmers wore, and headed for the land I wanted to try to acquire for my imagined golf club development. I parked to the side of the dirt road before the closed gate to the farm, and pulled in a deep breath as I got out and approached the gate with its "Posted" sign.
Visions of shotguns dancing in the periphery of my brain, I pushed the gate open and strode in like it was nothing. I took maybe two strides before a voice called out from a little ways off to my left, "You gonna close that gate behind you?"
Startled, I jumped a little and turned toward the voice. It belonged to a woman on horseback who had been riding along the edge of the field toward the gate when I entered. She urged her horse to a faster walk, closed the last few yards between us and pulled up, looking down at me with a dubious expression.
"I... uh, I... sorry!" I replied. Looking around quickly, I added, "I don't see any livestock though." I was thrown off guard and practically stuttering because I was kicking myself for not closing the gate behind me and now I had gotten off on the wrong foot with the first resident I encountered... and because holy shit, she was as hot as any farmer's daughter in any dirty joke you've ever heard.
My reply did not impress her. "You see a closed gate, it's closed for a reason. Sometimes it's to keep critters in," she replied. She leaned forward, reins held in one hand on her thigh, her other hand balled in a fist and set on the other lovely hip, "And sometimes it's to keep critters OUT," she added significantly.