At the country restaurant, Kim got the best table in the house and a very attentive waiter. She eyed Theo, "Wine?"
"Yes, especially since it's bad form to drink at lunch. We have important things to discuss and some stress relief is necessary."
They ordered and she looked at him with lowered lids, "You seem to be making a major business out of stress relief these days."
"Be careful. The back seat of the car has room for me to behave like a bad boy."
"Like you did with the twins?"
He grinned, "Did that end ok, or am I still in trouble?"
"I had coffee with them, and they said they were mad about being such stereotypes for BDSM in novels, where the woman always responds sexually to the man abusing her."
They held hands and gazed at each other. "I guess you know you've got the rest of us wondering what the sting of the flogger would do for our sex life."
"Bad me. It turned out rougher than I ever imagined."
"Don't put yourself down. Sometimes there is truth in stereotypes." She smiled at him.
The food arrived and she asked, "Tell me why we are here."
He put his fork down and ticked off his fingers. "First, because it is a pleasure to take a beautiful woman to lunch. Second, we need to talk about next steps on gold. Third, our finance staff needs beefing up. Fourth, I want permission to make a deal with Susan. Fifth, we have to find a happy place for Marty. Sixth, we have a diamond in the rough in Clemmie and we need to give her room to grow."
He added, "There's more, but we can 't even get to all of the short list over this lunch."
"Tell me about gold."
"Susan is trying to make contact with her brother and arrange for the two of us to meet at his place tomorrow. If you don't mind, I'd like you to stay home just this once. My idea is that an eccentric hermit is more likely to think about a deal with another man than with a woman, even you."
Her eyes danced with mock outrage. "Theo! How could you put your Chairwoman down like that? I'm filled with anger."
Her eyes told him it was fine. She said, "Making deals with smelly desert rats is not high on my list."
"I've been thinking ahead about contract provisions. He is used to his own pace, so we should construct some incentive provisions that motivate over and above performance."
"Theo, I hate to say this but when you talk like that, all I can think of is how your great cock motivates me every time we are together!"
They burst out laughing and others noticed. She lowered her voice. "Yes, that is the right way to go. I'll help where I can."
He smiled at her, "I saw Clara this morning and tried to jolly her along about the dimensions of the gallery's gold program. Without using my you know what for motivation."
He frowned and said, "Moving along, our ambitions for the gallery are going to need a lot more sophisticated financial management than we have ever had before. Good MBA's with a finance background don't come cheap, especially since we want someone who shares our culture."
"And our beds?"
He gave her his best stare. "You know darn well that the next requirement after a good recruiting program is a good match-making program. Aside from the overuse damage to my male equipment, these women need a male companion who gives them his full attention."
"Full attention," she repeated, giving him a thin smile. "We need to have some pillow talk about that, but basically you are right. Am I supposed take up the recruiting gauntlet for a suitable VP Finance?"
"It could be fun. What if you, Erica, Marty, and Karen formed a search committee? You could arrange interviews at one of these desert inn places with the right atmosphere."
She lowered her voice again, "There's only one cock needed for your mature lovers, and you damn well better take good care of it!"
"But," she added, "that is a good idea about recruiting. I will follow up. If you get waylaid and beat upon, don't blame me."
They were finished. He paid and they walked out, arm in arm. Kim said, "When you take me out like this, I feel different. You have developed this aura of male authority that overwhelms your women. We feel like putty."
He joked, "Those wrestling lessons I've been getting don't feel like a putty exercise!"
"We still have to talk about Susan, Marty and Clemmie. What order do you want?"
"Did you actually fuck Clemmie in your office?"
"It was a mistake. Laura and Clemmie and I were fooling around and it got out of control. She didn't even get to come, and says I owe her."
"A vengeful female can cause a lot of trouble, you know."
"She and I have an understanding. But what is more important, she is terrifically smart. Has all my mail under control. I hardly have to look at it. Can't we find a promotion of some kind for her? Something to get her excited about work other than my cock?"
She leaned over and punched his arm. "Don't be arrogant."
"But you are right, we can't leave her as just your secretary. While I think about it, why don't you make her your PA. It sounds more important than it is, but she will take anything you give her and run with it."
"Good idea. She hangs out with the twins. Can I invite the three of them to Keeler dinner and announce it?"
She raised her eyebrows, "And get laid?"
"Don't sound like my mother in law. You have me in your bed most nights. What if five of us sleep in that big bed?"
"You are an evil roue, Theo. That is a fine idea. The twins can help me sample her charms."
"What about Marty? You got her up here. She fits in marvelously. She fucks like crazy. She goes for girls as well as me. What's not to like?"
Another punch in the arm. "She is already a Museum Director in Mexico. If she stays, it has to be in some important capacity."
After a silence, I said, "I think she would like some of both locations. What if we give her the title, "Visiting Director of Acquisitions and Collections." That should let her maintain relations with her Board in Mexico City, and it will impress people around here that you pulled off a coup with this smart, personable Mexican woman with the impeccable Castillian accent who will wow the pants off the Hispanic community."
Kim said, "And she warms my bed and yours when she wants?"
"You need to ask?" I laughed and Kim did too. I said, "I think she needs some gentle loving and some talk about her future. Give her orgasms and tell her she doesn't have to burn any bridges in either country."
We were nearing the office and I said, "Susan. You agree she has to be on our team."
"Yes. What exciting challenge do you have in mind?"
"She and Karen like each other and get along well. What if we expanded the new arts program to include music as well, and find some foundation money to help us build bridges to the schools, especially the ones that have been forced to drop all arts and music programs."
