Gloria's Second Wedding

Voting figures for the four council seats were posted first.

Two sitting councilors held their seats easily and the other two sitting councilors were edged out in closely fought contests.

The provisional results for the mayoral election were then posted.

BLACK, Sloan Alvin 724 votes.

BUXTON, Charles 3337 votes.

The people around Buck went wild and Buck accepted kisses, handshakes and backslaps as he watched the figure for the number of registered voters who'd voted: 23.92%.

He grinned broadly.

"Right Thelma," he said kissing her. "Where have you got everyone assembled?"

"We took over the whole of the Mayfair Restaurant from 8:00 in your name and as you suggested, everyone pays for their drinks and you pay for all the food. We promise you a great night and there will be dancing."

"I need to go home and change," Gloria wailed.

"Me too," Jessie said. "Gloria and I have been in these clothes all day."

"Right this is the compromise," Buck said. "You guys leave the restaurant after fifteen minutes. Gloria you drop Jessie off and she'll return to the restaurant in one of their cars. Be as quick as you reasonably can and we'll wait dinner until you guys arrive back."

Thelma took a call and called Omigod, "Mayor Black is calling me."

"Yes Mr Mayor. He's right here. Just a moment."

Buck flicked on the speakerphone and signaled for quiet.

"Hi, Buck Buxton speaking."

"It's Sloan Black speaking Buck. You ran an awesome campaign and appealed to the electors who bothered to vote. Well done. I concede and promise a smooth changeover. Good night."

"Thank you and good night."

Buck's audience watched him breathlessly.

He handed the phone back to Thelma and shrugged.

"I guess one of us had to lose. That guy must have put quite a bit into his role of mayor but just didn't have the horsepower to accomplish much. I promise you guys I'll do much, much better. Off we go to the Mayfair."

In the car as promised Buck called the Guardian.

"Hi Rosemary."

"Oh hi Mr Mayor. Congratulations."

"Thanks Rosemary. I'm off now with my team to the Mayfair Restaurant. Make it short and snappy please when you arrive but you guys join us for a drink before you leave."

* * *

City manager Tony Lombardi called Buck next morning to congratulate him.

"Mayor Black is moving out Thursday afternoon and we are having a cocktail party for him with some city dignitaries and senior staff. Um it's not usual..."

"Fine I won't gatecrash."

"Thanks. Judge Manners is available to swear you in at the Courthouse at noon Friday along with the newly elected councilors providing there is no application for a recount lodged by 5:00 tomorrow. It was such a clean sweep that no recount call is likely."

"Noon Friday will suit me fine."

"Great and you are entitled to invite up to five people to accompany you."

"Five will be fine."

"Buck would you like to come in at 9:00 Friday and tour our building with me? We have some outlying depots and workshops and a couple of big yards and then there's the police and fire departments etcetera but we can do those next week."

"Yes fine. How many council officials will be at the swearing in?"

"Just me, the city attorney, the city clerk and the Chief of Police."

Buck said that was fine, he'd call in at 9:00 on Friday.

"Tony could you put a memo out to everyone that they call me Mr Mayor or Mayor Buxton on council property and at all formal occasions but some I will invite to call me Buck whenever they are with me informally."

"Yes will do."

"And just a quirky thing with no explanation. You'll get used to me doing this. I'd like David Dell and a cop Sally Monk to be included in the city's squad at the ceremony."

"Sally is the wife of the city attorney Kevin Monk so will be there but David Dell is one of our department directors?"

"Yes I know. Thanks Tony. Bye."

Buck called Gloria, Jessie, Brett and Thelma to advise they were invited to be at the Courthouse on Friday to attend his swearing-in ceremony at noon and he'd arrive straight from the council offices.

* * *

Buck, wearing a snappy light blue Italian-cut suit, was shown into Tony's office by the very excited senior receptionist from the main foyer, Mrs Thompson.

Tony was a little over-weight, balding guy in his late forties with a relaxed manner, a great smile and appeared to permanently wear glasses. Buck was impressed with the guy and his firm handshake and his quip, "Coffee My Lord?"

Buck guessed Tony was adjusting to his new sense of freedom and probably had his humor back.

They sat for coffee brought in by his PA, who looked thin enough to be a scarecrow.

"One of the things we need to talk about..."

"Tony I have been busting for months to talk to you about this. Could I be impolite and go first?"

"Sure, shoot."

"I've looked at most council websites within a radius of perhaps 500 miles of here of communities in a range of 25,000 to 40,000 and looking at their City Halls I have to say ours looks the crappiest."

"Jesus."

"Sorry I had no wish to offend you."

"Offend me? I share that view as probably do all people in executive positions throughout our domain."

"Good. But you also agree a new building is out of the question."

"Y-e-s," Tony said with the deliberate tone of a guy not wishing to let the fish get away.

"But you have plans gathering cobwebs incorporation some redevelopment of space, perhaps some new space added and total recladding with new windows and a more imposing entrance and roof line."

"Y-e-s," Tony said, almost holding his breath."

"Oh you must prepare a presentation for me soon."

Tony sucked in new breath and grinned, "Oh I certainly can arrange that. What I was to open with was the thought you'll need a new PA. Mayor Black's senior clerk as she called herself resigned as soon as she heard he'd lost the election. She is sixty-seven."

"Um sometimes resignation can be timely, yes?"

"Yes," Tony grinned.

He pushed a button and drapes pulled across the half wall of windows. He ran a prepared presentation loaded on to his computer.

"These are five very competent females on our payroll who applied to my general email that the new mayor would require a PA. Eighteen applied and our director of staffing and her recruitment manager assure more that all five of these women are eminently suitable for the role and all would work well in your frequent absences."

"Yes I've decided to work as mayor from as early as required, but say not before 5:50 and I'd leave each day by 12:30."

"Um but many of our meetings that you will chair are afternoon meetings and the council meets at night of course."

"Well Tony as you'll understand changes will be necessary because that's how I propose running my day. I would of course be fully accessible to you and my PA by phone."

"Can I work in that timeframe and still be effective as a weak mayor?"

Tony smiled and said he would think so. "But this impost will be very disruptive to the administrative, in fact requiring a big shakeup...ah I now appearing to be reading something into this. Do you have your dealership ticking over well when you are not there?"

"Indeed."

"And is your thinking that if you plant a bit of a bomb in our midst we start finding new ways of doing things and the entire outfit is shaken out of lethargy that has developed during the last eight-year terms of administration?"

"Tony you are good... something had told me you would be. Well done. So what do you think?"

"It should work. I'll make sure it damn well works."

"Great Tony. I like your go-forward attitude. I tend to be an ideas person and a troubleshooter to have a nose for weeding out chaff. I delegate most of my other work. I might need a couple of aides."

"You have five including the limo driver. Before you jump to cut out that driver I do point out the rear of the limo is set up as a fully functional office in lieu of extra seating and a bar and fridge."

"Well that's progressive. One of your introductions Tony?"

"Yes but as you might guess it was rather under-utilized by your predecessor. Here come the photographs for you to try to imagine compatibility. You will have access to interview all five of course. The first three are married and the 5th has recently become engaged in case marital status is of interest to you, such as being a requirement.

The images were screened on the wall for thirty seconds.

"Again."

"No I've made my choice. Uh let me see. Are all the competent females we employ um fairly big up top?"

"No I don't think so. When going through the applications we looked at um fitness as a desirable requirement."

Buck eyed Tony, "Fitness?"

Tony replied vaguely, "I seem to recall that was the term used. So which of the five do you wish to interview or do you wish to interview more than one?"

"No please tell Scarlett, number three, that she is my choice."

"But Scarlett is not...." Tony stopped and swallowed.

"The fittest?"

"Damn it, she not even in the top three in breast size. We were attempting to please you."

"And I thank you for that. But your attended the assessments. So how about this for my assessment? Scarlett has the overall edge in my opinion just be looking at her. She was the only one not delivering a cheesy smile to the camera and that suggests to me she is confident in herself and is not the sort of person to be pushed around. I'll need that in my PA when she's dealing with pushy people when I'm not around. I noticed her green eyes and her jaw line that tells me if she says to my aides to just do it they will do it or else enter a fight they'll know they'll not win. She appears to be the oldest of all five and being one of the married ones that suggests her kids will no longer be the clingy types but, well hell I could be totally wrong about that."

"Well I have to tell you she is the oldest of the five applicants, and she probably is the toughest and she does have a boy aged seven and a girl aged six and he widowed mother lives with the family. Her absenteeism record is the second lowest in that group. The manager who tested them for PA competency made several comments about each of the other four and for Scarlett just one word, 'Classy.'

"Does she drive well?"

"I have no idea."

"Would her husband be jealous is she worked for me?"

"Probably insanely jealous."

"What do you think her comments would be when told she's been selected without my interviewing."

"Why me and I haven't got the biggest tits?"

"Oh brilliant Tony and I like that final phrase. You have humor and appear to be a flexible thinker. Even so perhaps I should point out I don't believe you employ any woman on the basis of one thing and my mother would tell me that breasts are irrelevant in the workplace."

They laughed. At that moment Tony's PA entered and looked pointedly at her watch. "Excuse me Mr Mayor but Tony you should be well into your tour by now."

"Yes you're so right Louise. Thanks."

"Call me Buck in future Louise. Come on Tony. You talk too much."

Tony laughed.

"Oh we appear to have a mayor with humor," Louise said deadpanned.

They hurried through the tour, time running out on them but no-one appeared offended because Buck smiled and said, "I'll catch you later."

In treasury they called into a side off and Tony said, "Mr Mayor I'd like to introduce the training officer of our junior staff, Mrs Scarlett Murdock."

The curly brunette stood and was almost as tall as Buck. She looked very athletic and had beautiful boobs.

"Mr Buxton has chosen you as the mayor's PA."

"But why me? I'm the oldest of the five finalist and the only one with children and I'm not currently working as a PA."

"But you have done so."

"Well yes but why haven't I been interviewed before selection?"

"You had the best boobs," Buck smiled. "Any more questions."

She flushed and looked at him steely-eyed. "I can't believe you'd be that stupid."

"Cool it Scarlett. Assessments can be done without interviews. Mayor Buxton had access to all files and assessments and your photographs of course. His requirements were for a tough PA to act effectively for him when he was away and that will be frequently, someone that could work his aides when he is not on hand and someone who looks good but who is married with children so when his finance sees his rather stunning appearance, and these are his words, she will not be insanely jealous."

"Oh Mr Mayor I apologize for being so righteous. You are employing your PA, not me. I would have done it quite differently but then you would not have become a hot-shot corporate executive by falling out of a tree. Tony's explanation makes your approach in selecting me perfectly clear and I'll do nothing to antagonize your fiancée... the wedding is tomorrow week I believe?"

"Yes."

"I do hope you have a marvelous day. When working for you I shall not wear make-up or pretty dresses and I wear one of those bras that flattens one chest and..."

"No Scarlett. The job requires you to look glamorous and show great tits. Those requirements are universal, not set by me."

"Tony?" Scarlett said sounding a little suspicious.

"Yes that's quite right Scarlett. Universal."

"And Scarlett I want my wife getting use to seeing me surrounded by glamour and competent people that will help make me a successful mayor in my first term."

"Oh Mayor Buxton, those are ideals I can totally identify with. It will be such an honor working with you."

"Oh great Scarlett. Call me Buck in informal situations and that will be practically all the time. Tony I want Scarlett to come with us to my swearing in and then to move into her new office so she is ready to start work with me on Monday. Fix it please."

"Sure Buck," Tony said, pulling out his phone and glancing at his watch.

"Oh god I'm so excited."

"It will pass Scarlett," Tony assured her. "Does your husband know you applied for this position."

"Yes."

"So the suggestion was okay with him?"

"Yes and he thought I'd have a great chance of winning selection if I had time to show you my charms."

"Show your charms?" Buck faltered.

"Yes Frank loves the way I smile and thinks my personality is open and appealing. He also knows I am acknowledged as having high professional competency."

"You thought I meant show you're my breasts, didn't you?" she laughed.

Buck grinned and looking at Tony who was rolling his eyes upwards said, "I really think you and I will really enjoy developing a great working relationship Scarlett."

"So do I. God I hope your fiancée doesn't hate me."

"Too bad if she does. My objective was to land a good PA, not to buy a fight."

The three of them walked across the road to the Courthouse.

The timing of that was good. The group of people standing outside the Courthouse had their backs to them but turned when one of them said, "Here comes the mayor-elect."

Gloria and Jessie were in that group of people and their expressions appeared to freeze when they saw Scarlett.

* * *

Actually it wasn't too bad, Buck soon decided. Once Jessie and Gloria had checked out Scarlett's hair and lipstick, cleavage and waited to see her turn to check out the butt and legs and once Scarlett carried out the same appraisal of Buck's two attractive women the smiles between them appeared warmer and the three women moved in closer together.

With introductions complete the filed into the Courthouse Gloria hissed to Buck, "Scarlett."

"I can't be responsible for her name," he whispered defensively.

"You chose her because of her breasts."

"Nah I let the four with bigger tits go, thinking that would please you. But I was wrong."

"Oh darling, thank you for being so sensitive and thinking about any impact on me. I think she's lovely."

Buck thought it was ironic just how quickly women allowed their thinking to change.

Inside the Courthouse Tony introduced Buck to the police and the fire chiefs and Tony looked rather thoughtful as he watched Buck hug and kiss Policewoman Officer Sally Monk and yet Buck appeared not to know her husband because Sally introduced Buck to Kevin. And then when Buck reached David Dell the two guys hugged as if they were great friends and yet Tony couldn't think what they'd have in common.

Tony waited for the TV crew to finish setting up and then went through and returned with Judge Eric Manners and Tony was surprised again when the two slapped each other on the back.

"Buck's dad and I went through school together," said the judge and that satisfied Tony's curiosity.

"So bad legal drafting permitted you to sneak in to qualify for election," Judge Manners whispered to the mayor-elect.'

"Yeah, I guess these things are sometimes meant to happen."

The judge laughed and said that deficiency would have to be remedied in a revision of the City Charter."

"Perhaps not in my time," Buck grinned and the Judge roared with laughter, resulting in everyone else wondering had Buck told the judge a really filthy joke.

Buck was sworn in first and the reporters and camera crew had left before the Judge completed the swearing in of the two re-elected councilors and the two new councilors-elect.

Everyone else then trooped over to the council chambers for lunch with other councilors.

After meeting all the councilors and wives and then wives of council executives Sally Monk button-holed Buck and said quietly, "Why was I chosen to be a guest at the swearing in ceremony. Was it because I have big breasts?"

Buck looked down at her chest and said honestly, "I wasn't aware at all of that part of your anatomy."

"Well if I unbutton my tunic and you see them tumble out..."

"Sally I'm all for women cops, that's all. Oh and you were so courteous to me when you breath-tested me and found the reading was marginal, at least you said it was marginal."

"God you remembered that. Oh you lovely man. I'm sure the city's going to be a much better place now we have you at the helm."

"Thank you Sally. Always feel free to say hi when you see me. I see you as a great image of a modern police officer Sally. Go safely."

"Thank you sir."

Buck frowned."

"Thank you Buck.

Buck grinned and Sally smiled.

Buck was talking to two of the other wives when he heard Kevin Monk say to his wife, "Jesus Sally did I just hear you call Mayor Buxton Buck?"

"I have no idea what you can or cannot hear Kevin. Why don't you go and talk to my new friend Buck."

Buck smiled and the woman who was talking said she didn't think it was funny that some people were living in substandard houses."

"Oh I apologize ma'am. Exactly what are you doing about the plight of some people living in substandard houses."

"Pardon me?"

"We all have a responsibility toward the welfare of our neighbours ma'am."

"Is that so. Well I don't happen to know any near-destitute people."

"Well ladies I must continue to circulate," Buck smiled and noticed the moaning woman appeared to have rather flat chest. That figures he thought; happiest women had expanded bosoms.

* * *

Later when Buck and Gloria were driving out to the dealership, Gloria said she was meeting Scarlett for lunch on Friday.

Buck frowned, "But you didn't appear to like her?"

"Oh that? It was just the territorial female version of the thing males have. We actually got along very well. Buck just because you are addicted toward big-breasted women I don't believe you'll seduce all of them... there are just too many. Anyway Scarlett told me she has two children."

Huh?

Buck scratched his nuts and wondered if that final comment was some sort of code.

He thought about Gloria's completely unfair allegation that he was addicted toward big-breasted woman. What the fuck was that supposed to mean? What was wrong with small tits or no tits? He had no idea and decided if people forgot about over-focusing on tits there would be no discontent and all the other rubbish discussed about them and about men who had a thing about them. Tits simply caught his attention because they were the most attractive feature of an adult female. Many women were ugly but still had great breasts. On analysis it appeared to him that women totally under-estimated their prime assets. God he'd heard woman greatly prize brainpower as the greatest female asset. That was a total load of crap.