Chapter 04: Claire
Ben couldn't wait to be done with his most recent project. His architecture firm had designed the latest skyscraper for Toronto, the brainchild of his firm's namesake Brisco Hughes. It was quite possibly the most ugly, least-inspired monstrosity Ben had ever seen, which is why it pained him to have to "represent" the architecture team during this trip to Toronto.
In truth, the architecture team really didn't need to be represented. The majority of the trip would be a discussion with the public works department concerning water, sewer, electricity and networking. Claire Laurent, a senior member of the build team, could easily handle that part. She had twenty-five years of experience dealing with the logistics of integrating skyscrapers with pre-existing utilities lines.
As suspected, after Ben finished a five-minute presentation, Claire took care of all of the real business. As usual, she attacked her work with a vigor Ben didn't expect from a woman he suspected was in her early fifties. Aside of the understandable crows feet, her face held up well for a woman of her age. She sported a professionally styled short haircut, blonde with some white mixed in. She conveyed confidence, a practiced art that resulted from so many years of negotiation and planning. It would be the last of these meetings. Claire was going to finish the project and then move to the Denver office to be near her daughters.
"That went well," Ben commented as they got into their cab to head to the hotel.
"I'm just glad that part's over," she replied. "Tomorrow should be a whole lot easier."
Ben had worked with Claire for three years and got to know her socially. Like so many professional women, her husband had left her years before and she was focused on getting her children through college. She was a very pleasant woman who, privately, had a self-deprecating sense of humor, mostly concerning her weight. She wasn't grossly overweight, but he had to admit that it was perhaps time for her to buy a bigger suit. As she sat, she tested the seams of her jacket.
"Do you think I even need to be there tomorrow?" Ben asked.
"It's up to you," Claire said, "but I'd appreciate it if you were there. I hate having these meetings without someone else there from the firm."
Ben relented. "Sure, I'll be there." He had an ulterior motive for the question in the first place. His girlfriend Jenna's decision to have a lesbian lover on the side afforded Ben a free pass to mess around. He was hoping to see what Toronto had to offer. Ditching the next meeting would mean he could sleep in after whatever conquest he managed. Finding someone wouldn't be difficult. His looks hadn't let him down in the past.
They arrived at the hotel and checked in. He offered to help Claire with her bags and got her settled into her hotel room. All he needed to do now was to drop off his bags, freshen up and head out for an evening at a nearby bar.
"Thanks for your help, Ben," Claire said. "Want to grab some dinner? I need some help reviewing my notes before tomorrow."
It didn't seem like a good time at all, but Ben didn't want to be rude. He liked Claire. He wanted to help if he could. He just hoped he would still have time to go out afterward. "Okay," he said. "Let me drop off my stuff first."
"Sounds good," said Claire. "There's a bar downstairs. I'll meet you there in a half hour."
Ben had forgotten about the hotel bar. Lonely business women away from home. That could work out nicely. He dropped his bags off at his room, hung up his suit jacket and tie and spent a few minutes in front of the mirror.
When he got to the bar, Claire had already arrived and was reviewing a few documents. He sat, ordered a gin and tonic from the waitress, and scoped the room. A table of three women caught his eye right off the bat, but Claire launched right into business and demanded Ben's full attention.
They ordered their meals and got to work. It was obvious that Claire had already done her homework. Ben's input was merely to make her feel more comfortable about the next day's meeting. Thankfully, there wasn't much to do.
By the time their meals arrived they were chatting about office politics. Ben looked again at the table of women. A brunette smiled back at him and even gave him a little wave with her hand. Target acquired.
"How are things going with Jenna these days?" Claire asked, out of the blue.
"Um, well," he began. "It's complicated. How are things going with you?"
"Sadly uncomplicated," she said. "Enjoy it now, Ben."
"Trust me. I am," he let slip as he looked again at the smiley brunette across the room.
"I see," said Claire. "Off to greener pastures, Ben?"
"No, not exactly. Jenna and I are still together, but, like I said, it's complicated." Ben looked back to Claire, who now leaned forward, keenly interested, a glint in her eye.
"Now you have to spill it," she said. "My sex life is so dull these days. I have to live vicariously."
Ben didn't quite know what to say. He wasn't in the habit of letting coworkers in on the details of his personal life. "Well, the short version is that Jenna and I have kind of an arrangement."
"Ooh," said Claire as she pressed her large breasts against her folded arms. "Now tell me the long version."
Ben laughed and then slammed the rest of his drink. He ordered another and, seeing that Claire was still waiting for him to talk, threw caution aside and began to tell her the whole story, about how he had cheated while in Cleveland and how, after he got back, Jenna told him she had begun a lesbian relationship with a woman named Heidi. He told her about his first threesome with his girlfriend and Heidi, but purposefully neglected to tell Claire about how he had slept with the boss' daughter, Denisha.
His omission didn't seem to matter. Claire's face was flush and intense as she hung on every word. "And so she lets you mess around with other women now?"
"Pretty much."
