Elizabeth's Vacation
(All rights reserved. All characters and events are fictional, the participants were all consenting adults, staunch churchgoers and members of the Rotaries. All safety precautions were observed at all times, social distancing was applied etc.)
This is a continuation on the previous series, Elizabeth Defrosted. It traces the vacation period between the end of Elizabeth's first year at College, when she became a disciple or chela to Sunitra, a tantra adept, and learnt about her own body and various sexual techniques.
Elizabeth spends the vacations as caretaker yoga teacher while Sunitra is away in the mountains, but is instructed to keep in touch with her two male instructors, Dr Bill Ogden, and John Willis, a retired engineer, both of them also tantra adepts, to learn more about male sexuality.
02 Business Communications
The plush boardroom intimidated, enfolding them in a rigid framework within which Elizabeth felt powerless. The main actors seemed to have all the control, all the means of imposing their will.
She had dressed in a serious, severe business outfit, a slim grey skirt, a white blouse with just a touch if ruffle down the front, topped by a green jacket. On her feet were sensible shoes, and she carried an attache case, borrowed from John, with notebooks, writing equipment, and a small but sensitive recorder.
On the drive over to the Sharpe, Brown and partners corporation's headquarters John had explained that he was acting as engineering consultant to this corporation in a multi-million dollar contract. The prospective partners were a rather unknown entity with glowing references but little in the way of a track record. The chairman, Dan Brown, was inclined to take the risk of engaging with Smythe and Hammer, but had to convince his board.
Elizabeth, ostensibly secretary to John, pretended to take notes although she understood very little of the technical terms. From time to time she glanced down to make sure the recorder was catching every word, something probably not necessary, but nevertheless a good practise, according to John. Tom Smythe was in the middle of an explanation why their technology should be used, when Elizabeth caught a small tic on his face whenever he referred to the proprietary quality control system they would use. She pushed a note to John, with the name of the system and a question mark. He glanced at her and scribbled: "Supposed to be magic, but top secret. Will check."
Later in the presentation she caught the facial tic again as the accountant referred to Smythe and Hammer's financial reserves and ability to back their guarantees.
During a break for tea and refreshments she kept to the background, not wanting her lack of experience with engineering matters to be exposed. For a moment she chatted to the Chairman's secretary, then with one of the other secretaries. The girl looked up and blanched, then tried to hide behind Elizabeth. Mr Smythe appeared, smiling suavely, a cup of tea in his left hand. He made complimentary remarks on Elizabeth's dress, appearance and work, which he would have had no knowledge about. She glanced over to where John was talking to Mr Brown, then asked Smythe about his company. He was quick to outline their meteoric rise, and she managed to get a word in: "Mr Willis seemed impressed with your quality control system."
He grinned widely, half-turned to her side to look over to John. "He should be, it is central to our whole system." Again the facial tic. The next moment he pinched her bottom hard, looking directly in her eyes. "It can be worth your while to talk to us. Here's my card."
He slid the card into her cleavage, gave his wide smile again, and walked off to talk to Sharpe, Brown's accountant.
As they left the building John turned to Elizabeth and asked: "Interesting? Or dreadfully boring?"
She shook her head. "Interesting, watching people. Mr Brown's secretary, Pamela, came to check me out, dropped a hint that any attempt to get friendly with her bosses would be severely dealt with."
John opened the door for her. "And would you be tempted? There's some serious money on the hoof there."
She laughed and shook her head. "They all look boring. The accountant, now, maybe, I did not even get his name. He had a glint in his eye."
John laughed as they drove out of the parking area. "You might be wasting your time there. He is a nice guy and he certainly has something extra in his life. I helped him and his wife through a difficult patch a year or so ago. But I can give you his name and number if you are interested, who knows."
She shook her head again. "Thanks, but rather not. And I got the card and private number of that dreadful Smythe. He stuck it into my blouse, imagine."
