Dear readers, this is another long segment in the Barry and Carol story. If you are looking for a quick "kiss and fuck" story, this is not it. As this is Part III of a continuing story, it would be advantageous for the reader to have read "A Conspiracy to Commit..." and "A Conspiracy to Deceive..." before tackling this section.
Also, there will be a Part IV segment where I hope to be able to conclude the Barry and Carol story. I don't want to "milk this story" any longer than it already is. Although Barry and Carol keep after me to tell more about their most interesting lifestyle.
Happy reading, and I would appreciate any and all comments that you might have about my writing and character development.
Chapter 1
Life is Good.
Steven Chase had gone on his extended European vacation two weeks ago.
Barry had slipped into his role as acting CEO as if it were a tailor made suit. The fit was perfect.
Initially, there had been some negative reaction within the executive staff to Barry's appointment and his hands-on management style as opposed to Steven Chase's delegation style of management.
Barry started one-on-one meetings with each of the staff members. He told them that it was not going to be a 'love-in' arrangement. In those meetings he told each of them, both the male and females members of the staff, what he expected of them. He wasn't one to select favorites or build an inner circle of confidants. It was to be a full team organization, or else. The grumbling ceased soon afterwards. Everyone was too busy making sure their areas of responsibility were being properly taken care of.
One of the many duties of the CEO position was presenting a human face of GeoTex to the outside world. There was also the public relations exposure that was required. Meetings with civic and political groups. Charity events and corporate sponsorships were now placed on Barry's shoulders. At first he was hesitant to move into those events with his usual vigor. Most of those events required that his spouse accompany him. Having Carol by his side gave him greater confidence as they both gained acceptance from the other high profile attendees.
Carol was thrilled with this new social status. Barry encouraged her to enhance her wardrobe and accessories. Carol needed very little encouragement to do that. Her female shopping gene got a full work out for the next several weeks as she performed the shopping chore for the both of them.
For the gown and black tie events, Carol would be one of the most stunning dressed females at the event. Although, never pushing past the sex-dress boundaries, she did dress in a manner that accentuated all of her feminine features. Barry was a proud escort for her.
Even though he had a demanding work schedule, Barry would not let an evening or a weekend go by where he and Carol did not sit down and talk about their feelings and desires. Life was good and seemed in all respects to be getting better for both of them. The Les / Carol affair was still tucked away in the back of their minds. But, it was no longer a damaging factor in rebuilding their 'new' marriage.
Another one of Barry's management traits, was conducting on-site visits at the various GeoTex operations. In his previous role as the chief troubleshooter for the company, his visit to a GeoTex operation was not always received with 'open arms'. Still, he wanted to visit most of the GeoTex operations in his new role as acting CEO. He wondered if his visits would be better received this time? Somehow, there was no doubt in his mind that they would be. So it is, when you have the 'power'.
"Rita, what time does the plane leave for my trip to Houston?" Barry asked as Rita brought in a stack of papers he requested to take on his trip to the Houston facility.
Rita had a surprised look on her face as his question seemed to be out of place.
"The plane will leave whenever you get there, Mr. Knoll." She replied.
Barry looked back up at her with a smile on his face. "I guess I'll just have to get used to traveling on the corporate jet, won't I?"
After years of worrying about airline schedules and planning his day around their departure times, the idea that he would leave 'whenever he got there' was a new and exciting concept for him.
The company car moved through the airport security gate after just a brief stop. It drove over to the private aircraft section of the airport and came to a stop next to a gleaming white, red and gold Hawker aircraft with the GeoTex logo painted on the tail.
"Hello Mr. Knoll. I'm Gerald Finch, the pilot. This is Bob Lewis, the co-pilot and this young lady is Ms. Cassandra Gallo, she's the cabin assistant." The pilot extended his hand and the two men exchanged greetings. "We'll be ready to take off any time you want."
"That's great Captain Finch. Now is as good a time as any to get this bird in the air." Barry felt a surge of ego status build up inside himself as he walked up the stairs into the plane. The interior furnishings and decor were tastefully done. Something, he was sure, that Steven Chase had personally specified. Barry took a seat mid-cabin and placed his briefcase in the compartment next to the seat.
"I can stow that briefcase if you would like, Mr. Knoll." The voice was sweet and charming. The smile was gracious and inviting.
"No thanks, Ms. Gallo. I have some reading I want to do during the flight."
"Oh please, Mr. Knoll. You don't have to be that formal with me. I really do prefer if you would call me Cassie. It makes me feel more comfortable." She smiled at him.
"Fine Cassie. I have no problem with that." Barry smiled back as the cabin notification light went on indicating that the plane was about to taxi for take-off. Cassie went to the rear of the cabin and buckled herself in for take off.
The plane was much quieter than the commercial airliners that Barry was used to flying. It moved smoothly and quickly down the runway and was airborne in a matter of a few seconds. Smooth and quiet...words that popped into Barry's mind as the plane left the runway and angled upwards toward its cruising altitude. Chicago Midway airport quickly faded away as the plane banked southward and pointed its nose toward Texas.
Barry's mind was focused on the folder in his hands. It was an executive summary of the Houston operation. Names and numbers that he wanted to commit to memory before the plane touched down at William P. Hobby airport.
"Is there anything I can get you, Mr. Knoll?" The sweet voice asked. "Anything you want?" He thought that she had stressed the word 'anything'.
"Not at this moment, Cassie. Maybe in a few minutes." Barry responded as he smiled back at her.
"Fine. Just remember that I'm here to be of service during the flight. To make the flight as enjoyable as possible for you." Now he was sure of it! Her voice definitely had a heavy sexy tone to it. It couldn't be what he thought she was hinting at.....could it?
This would only be a one day, over night visit to Houston.
Yet, it would be the first time that Barry was not going to be home in the evening since the infamous Boise trip. Carol would be home alone tonight. She would go to sleep in their large bed all alone. He would spend the night in a hotel room wondering how she was coping without him there beside her. Their first 'trust separation' since they began rebuilding their marriage.
Barry had thought about bringing Carol along on this trip. He knew that she would enjoy shopping the upscale stores in Houston while he was busy at the GeoTex operation. But, he decided that it was time to add some stress into the mix. He would leave her at home, placing time and distance between them. How would Carol react to the separation, even though it was just for one night? Good question.
As he was being driven to the GeoTex offices, he called Carol. The phone rang twice before she answered it.
"Hello, Barry. I know this is you calling." She said immediately even though Barry didn't say a word to her. "I love you and miss you already."
"Wow. My wife is now a psychic." Barry said laughing into the phone. "Great trip down here. I'm on my way to the offices. I just wanted to call and tell you that I love you too."
"Promise me that you won't make a week long trip out of this, lover. I know how you can get involved in things. Promise me." There was a pleading in her voice as she envisioned those long lonely weeks when he was away on past business trips.
"That's an easy promise for me to make, my dear." Barry replied. "I'm not down here on a troubleshooting mission. Just a friendly face-to-face meeting with the people in charge of the operation. Nothing more."
"Just one night away, darling?" She asked as to reinforce his promise.
"Yes. We are having a dinner and reception tonight at the hotel. I suspect that it will be late night before it ends. I'll crash down here for the night and then after a quick morning meeting at the offices, I'll fly back to Chicago. I should be home before eight o'clock."
"Why is it that I feel so lonely already, lover? I never felt this way before when you left for a trip." Carol was trying to keep him on the phone a little while longer.
A nasty thought jumped into Barry's brain. "You weren't lonely before, because after I left on my trip, Les came over and took my place!" The thought exploded inside his brain like a land mine. He had to shake his head to get rid of that ugly thought.
"I have to hang up now, my dear. We're at the office building. If I can, I'll call you tonight. No promise there. I don't know how busy it will get for me." Barry's voice had a different ring to it.
"Please, Barry. Call me before you go to bed. I don't care what time it is. I don't care if you wake me up. Just please call me." He could hear the tightness in her throat.
"Ok, I'll call you when I slip into bed. I gotta go. Bye, love."
The remainder of the day was filled with meetings and facility tours. Lunch was brought into the large conference room as the top executives were trying to score points with the new man at the top. It was another ego boost for Barry, but he kept it well hidden and under control.
It was after six o'clock that the last meeting ended. Barry was driven over to the Westin hotel where he was booked for the night, and where the dinner meeting was going to be held later. He wanted to take a shower and change into a fresh shirt before going down for the dinner.
