A Conspiracy To Defraud

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.

As he walked into the hotel lobby, he saw the three crew members of the GeoTex jet sitting in the open lounge area with drinks in their hands. He waved and nodded toward them as he moved toward the check-in desk. The desk clerk had everything already entered into the computer.

Signing the register, he took the key and then turned around quickly. He almost bumped into Cassie standing behind him. She smiled at him.

"How did the day go for you, Mr. Knoll?" She asked with a most friendly tone to her voice.

"Just fine, Cassie. Nothing more than a lot of sit down meetings." He replied with a smile on his face.

"Is there anything I can do for you this evening? There's not much to keep me busy. Although I did bring along a mystery novel to read." No doubt about, he thought to himself, this young lady is coming on to me!

Barry was speechless for a couple of long seconds. Their eyes locked and a shiver raced up his back. "Nothing required tonight, Cassie. I have a dinner engagement that I have to attend in less than an hour."

She made a small pouting face which then changed into a hopeful smile. "Call me later if you need anything, Mr. Knoll." She turned and walked back to where the pilot and co-pilot were sitting.

The elevator was empty as it ascended to the tenth floor. All Barry could think of were the sexual innuendoes that Cassie was spilling out all over him. Were her actions and words just an fluke? Or was this some sort of initiation into the corporate jet-set flying club?

All of these thoughts banged around inside his head. Some of the thoughts even excited him. They aroused him and he could feel a response in the crotch of his pants. Other thoughts were not so pleasant. Was this some sort of set-up? Was someone trying to get him into a compromising position and then black-mail him. He had read about situations like that.

Pushing all those thought our of his mind, he quickly showered, shaved and got dressed for the evening. He was the top dog in the company now, and he needed to keep that in prospective. Steven would not approve of any sexual misconduct by his senior executives. And no lovely young pussy or a one night stand was worth jeopardizing his career at GeoTex.

The dinner was top notch and all the table talk was upbeat. No paranoid frightened executives in this crowd. He was pleased with the team spirit and the take-charge attitude of the General Manager and his staff. Just what Barry had hoped to find down here. The dinner and after-dinner speeches lasted till almost midnight.

As Barry entered his room, visions of sweet Cassie flashed in his mind. Smiling to himself, he placed the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the outside door handle. It took only a few minutes for him to get ready for bed. He picked up the telephone and called his home. The phone rang about six times before he heard his wife's sleepy voice.

"Sorry, darling. I didn't want to wake you, but you made me promise to call when I was going to bed." Barry sounded apologetic.

"You're phone call interrupted a most pleasant dream I had of you and I making passionate love." Her voice was slow and sounded very sleepy. "But, hearing your voice is much more thrilling than any old dream, my love."

"I will let you get back to your wonderful dream, darling. Everything is fine down here. Great dinner and a great bunch of people running this operation. I still plan to fly out of here in the afternoon and be home around eight o'clock." He paused for a moment. "You can decide if you want to go out for a late supper or if we just stay at home."

"Once you get home, lover, we're not going any place but this bedroom." Carol's voice was dripping with sex.

"I look forward to that, darling. Now I'm going to hang up. You can get back to your wonderful dream."

"Do you want me waiting with my leather straps and standing in The Position when you come home, master?" Barry's cock went rigid instantly. Carol's naked form flashed in his mind.

"Surprise me, fuck-slut!" He responded.

"Yes, master."

"Bye now......." Was all Barry could say as he hung up.

He called down to the front desk. Placed a wake up call for seven thirty. Then an order for room service breakfast to be delivered at seven forty-five in the morning. He also told the clerk not to pass any phone calls through to his room for the rest of the night.

Sleep came quickly as he started dreaming about his lovely wife and the fabulous sex session they would have when he arrived home tomorrow night. Sometime in the middle of his sleep session, Cassie walked into his dream.

The telephone rang at seven thirty. It was his wake up call. As he got out of bed, he noticed a big wet spot where he was sleeping. "A wet dream?" He thought to himself as he stepped into the shower.

As the warm water began to revive him, his mind flipped back to his dream. It was then that he realized that it was Cassie in his dream who was responsible for the wet spot in bed. He turned the water on cold, just to reduce the swelling in his groin area.

Fully dressed, breakfast completed, Barry left his hotel room and rode the elevator to the lobby. The company car and driver were waiting for him as he walked out of the hotel. As the driver maneuvered into the rush hour traffic, Barry took out his cell phone and dialed his home.

Carol answered on the second ring.

"Hello, lover. I knew that you would call. I was standing here anticipating the sound of your wonderful voice."

"Sorry madam." Barry said trying to disguise his voice. "This is your cable company calling to ask about your cable TV service."

"Like hell it is, Barry! And if this is the cable company....go to hell!" Carol said laughing at Barry's poorly conceived prank.

"Morning, darling. Did you get back to sleep after I called?" He asked.

"Not right away. I must confess that it took a little bit of finger persuasion and a small orgasm to finally let me get back to sleep." She paused, sucked in a deep breath and then said. "You're not mad at me for being a naughty girl are you, master?"

"Yes, I am. You didn't ask my permission to for that orgasm. You know I will have to punish you when I get home." Barry's voice was now stern and had a hard bite to it.

"Oh yes, master. I have been naughty and I disobeyed you by not asking if I could masturbate myself. I do need to be punished in order to mend my disrespectful ways." Carol's voice had a distinct submissive tone to it. Was it just role playing?

"I will be thinking of an appropriate punishment for you, fuck-slut. Now hang up." Barry said to her as he pressed the 'end call' button on his cell phone.

There was a definite straining in the crotch of his pants as he exited the car and walked into the office building. He went straight to the men's room before he went to meet with the general manager.

The morning meetings went by quickly. Barry complimented each of the six senior executives for their performance over the past year. As the meeting was nearing an end, Barry opened his briefcase and took out six boxes. He handed each of the executives a Mont Blanc pen and pencil set. A small token gift for their excellent performance.

During a break in the meeting, the administrative assistant called Gerald Finch to tell him that Mr. Knoll would be leaving earlier than originally planned.

It was just after one o'clock that the company car pulled up to the waiting Hawker jet. The pilot was already in the cockpit, Bob Lewis was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Cassie Gallo was nowhere to be seen.

Barry boarded the plane and as he entered the cabin, he noticed Cassie already seated with her seat belt buckled. He nodded toward her as he took his seat and buckled up for the take off.

The click-clack sounds of typing on a lap top computer were the only sounds that filled the cabin as the plane reached cruising altitude. Then in a very solemn and serious voice, Cassie asked. "Is there anything that I can get for you, Mr. Knoll." Gone from her voice were the sexy subtle tones and the warm inviting smile.

"Nothing now, Cassie. Thank you." He said never looking up from his computer screen. The young woman returned to her seat, there was a very disappointed look on her face.

Barry made a mental note to do a personnel check on each member of the flight crew. He also would check with a few of the other senior VP's to see if there was any special 'protocol' that went along with flying on the corporate jet.

It was five fifteen when the Hawker pulled up to the hanger. Cassie had not come around to see if Barry needed anything for the remainder of the trip. She stayed in the rear of the cabin reading her novel.

As the plane came to a halt, Barry was quickly out of his seat. An old habit he had gotten into when flying commercial airlines. First up and first out, was his motto.

The co-pilot came out of the cockpit and released the door and the steps.

"Thank you. It was a great flight." He said to the pilot and co-pilot as he walked down the steps and into the waiting car. He didn't see Cassie as the car drove away.

The trip had been very successful for him. He had imprinted his management style and set the goals for the Houston team. They would be pumped up and anxious to continue performing at a very high standard. Buoyed by the success of this first trip, Barry would now set up similar meetings with the rest of the operations. Even though his was just the acting CEO, eventually he hoped the 'acting' title would be removed. When that happened, he wanted a well motivated staff running each of the GeoTex operations for him.