Aversion

* * *
Ashley practiced at the piano again, but stopped as soon as she heard her mother’s footsteps from the stairs. She closed the drawer to cover the keys, and she jumped to the floor, opened her notebook and kept taking notes, remembering the hand positions for her etudes and studying her notes from before. She remembered Mary’s analogy of minor keys in relevance to the conflicting sections of stories, and she smiled as she placed a story with the etude. She imagined that association of events with music makes it easier to memorize the material, and she was rather comfortable with the piece of music that she learned. Ashley decided that she was going to teach herself the more complicated pieces of music in her lesson book, and eventually she would scramble through the various compilation books under the seat cushion of the piano stool and venture onto a difficult symphonic piece of music. Mary led her to believe that she would be able to handle the music very soon, and Ashley figured that even if she could not reach her legs to the pedals, at least she would have the motions and notes memorized, that way all she would have to do was incorporate the pedal movements with the notes. It made learning the piece infinitely easier, and that made her very happy.

Bridgett stepped into the kitchen, and poured herself another glass of wine. She stepped inside of the living room where her daughter was silently reading, and sat on the couch facing Ashley. “What are you doing honey?”

Ashley raised her eyes from the notebook and answered her mother. “Yesterday when Miss Franklin came over, we discussed the importance of conflict in music, and she taught me some minor keys and stuff. It was really cool.”

Bridgett sipped her wine. She walked to the kitchen counter and removed a pack of cigarettes, opening the plastic wrapping and foil. She removed a cigarette from the pack and lit it. She walked back to the living room with an ashtray and continued to talk to her daughter. “Sounds wonderful. Do you like working with Miss Franklin?”

Ashley beamed as she answered, “I absolutely love working with her! She told me that I am learning very fast, and as soon as I can reach the foot pedals, she will teach me how to combine the pedals with my fingers on the keys. When we worked on our first etude, she played the pedals and I did the keys. She said that since I already learned the bass-cleft notes, she did not have to play them for me, so she did the pedals instead. Can I keep taking lessons with her, mother?”

Bridgett responded, “Absolutely. She is never tardy, and you are progressing well with your music lessons. Mary has proven to be an excellent teacher and since you like her, that is an added bonus.”

Ashley smiled and asked, “I like Wade, too. Can we keep him as well?”

Bridgett finished her wine and extinguished her cigarette, “I like him also. I have every intention to keep him on our staff, honey.”

* * *
“Heidi. Heidi, wake up.” He gently nudged her again, trying to grab her attention, rustling her from the dream world to the real world.

“Greg?” She slowly opened her eyes, trying to adjust from the harsh sunlight and focus on her surgeon.

“Right here, dear.” He took her hand in his own and gently kissed it.

Heidi sat up in her bed and scratched her head. She held her hand in front of her when the realization hit her – she had mobility of her arms, chest and shoulders. She could now move and stretch. She still felt a slight hint of pain in the areas where the surgery and implants were, but it was bearable and more of an annoyance than the pain factor. “Oh Greg, I feel so much better.”

He smiled as he answered, “I did not want to say anything before, but since you are off the anesthesia, I can tell you. Heidi, it is amazing. We are incorporating a new procedure at the hospital and you as well as another patient were the first to experience it.”

She looked upon Doctor Fox with a bit of doubt. “Greg, you… I… a guinea pig? How could you?”

He stepped back as he answered, “Now Heidi, relax. Calm down, think about it. You are in significantly less pain than before, right? And believe me, you look amazing.” He scanned his eyes over her body, and when he approached her, he removed the sheets as the covered her. “My goodness, look at you.”

Heidi slowly sat up and reached for the strings that tied the back of her hospital gown.

Greg’s eyes filled with a light, an eager, confident light. He closed and locked her door, and when he came back to her bed, he closed the curtains around her, giving them complete privacy.

Heidi removed her gown, still sitting straight up in her bed. She let the cloth out of her hands after she pulled it over her head. Greg sat on the edge of the bed, facing her and staring directly at her chest. He ran his hands over her new curves, taking in the additional size and looking intently on the areas in which he placed his incisions. “Look at this.”

Heidi dropped her eyes to where his hands were caressing. There were two very tiny incision marks, fairly invisible to the naked eye, and he lightly ped oed on her nipples, which would, under standard conditions for a breast augmentation patient, be excruciating. Instead, her nipples were sensitive; stimulated but not painful. She smiled as he lightly nibbled on her, his other hand lightly caressing the flesh of her exposed breast.

Greg increased the pressure of his hand on her breast, causing Heidi to moan loudly as she wrapped her arms around his head. He sucked on her, harder and harder until the threshold of pleasure and pain was breached. When he sensed no indication that he was being too rough with her, he bit on her, harder as she moaned and wrapped her legs around his waist as he faced her, leaned against her and pushed her back on the bed. He smiled with great satisfaction as he moved his mouth to her other breast and with a free hand, he dipped his hand low inside of her, feeling as her body shook against him.

She hesitated for a moment and asked, “Greg, do you have time?”

He stopped for a moment, and checked the time on his pager. “A little time, why?”

Heidi closed her eyes as he reached his hand deeper inside of her, letting his fingers curl and stimulate her in the most sensitive areas. She raised her hips against him as he twirled his hand inside of her, and she sat up and grabbed his back, and then pulled him on top of her.

Greg loosed his scrubs-style pants at the waist and reached in to take hold of himself.

Again, Heidi hesitated. “Greg, how did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“The procedure. It is amazing that I am in relatively no pain. And the nipples, Greg I think they are more sensitive. I really, really like it.”

He pulled his pants down and steadied himself into her entrance. “The procedure is something we have been developing over several months with this hardware firm in the valley. Get this – not only have they developed new scalpels and needles, but they are developing hardware for surgeons to exponentially decrease the amount of time spent on a given procedure. That is how I was done with you faster, and the pain is a result from less time under the knife. Heidi, because of this technology, we can do things faster and at a lower cost because it decreases how much anesthesia is needed. Of course, for you and my other patient, I used the standard level of anesthesia, just in case things did not turn out well.” He licked aggressively on her stiffened nipple before covering it with his mouth, sucking on it and pulling it between his teeth, nibbling and biting on her as he sucked her, calling the blood to the surface of her stiffened peak. He brought his hand to his stiffened member and thrust himself inside of her, moving with the rhythm of her hips as he eased himself, slow at first, then gathering a steady pace that was good for both of them. He rubbed his hands hard against her chest and watched with excitement as the harder he would grab and massage her, the shorter her breaths became. He put his arms on her side and thrust himself deeper inside of her, smiling as she would close her eyes and lick her lips, rocking her hips and meeting his. He pinched her nipples, massaging her breasts as he thrust himself inside of her, each of his strokes bringing her closer to her release. He quickened his pace and when he felt her constrict around him, he grabbed her breasts again, squeezing each of her nipples as he watched her body shake under him, her moans and screams combining with his as they mutually spent themselves.

Greg pulled himself out of her. He pulled his pants back up and handed her dressing gown back to her, tying it in the back once she covered herself with the soft hospital linen. “So. That was interesting.”

Heidi ran her hands across her face, and removed the sweat from her brow. “God Greg, the harder you bit me, the more I felt like I was about to explode. It was so hot. We have got to do that again.”

“Here?” He stood up straight, a look of shock covering his face.

lau laughed, “No, no of course not here. However, if you give the okay for me to fly so I can get home soon, then when you get days off you’re free to come over my place and we can have another go.”

He sighed. “I do not know when that will be. This is a really big thing we’ve got going with this company, and this week the head surgeon will be meeting with the Chief Executive Officer of Macroware and he asked me to fill in for him this week. However,” he ran his hands along her chest again, twirling his fingers around her still stiffened peaks. “When we do see each other again, I promise I’ll spend more time,” he tucked his head under her hospital gown, “mmmm, spend more time on the specifics.” He reached his hand down again, inserting several fingers and feeling her stiffen again, and as he continued to suck on her nipples, he drilled his fingers inside of her again, and as she came, this time she bit on his ear and moaned, his name escaping her lips.

Before he left, Heidi asked, “Greg?”

“Yes, darling?”

“Who was the other patient?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Well, if you’re doing to the other person what you just did to me, I might get a bit jealous.”

He laughed. “His name is William Bradley, and if I did to him what I did to you, he would probably kill me. And forget those contracts; we would have to revert to old surgical procedures.”

She sat up. “Greg, I have heard that name before – William Bradley.”

Greg opened the curtains around Heidi’s bed and answered, “Conveniently enough, he is the Chief Executive Officer of Macroware. He was the other patient for the procedure, except he asked for it. I just figured you would appreciate it later.” He approached her and placed a soft kiss on her moist lips.

“I do, thank you dear.” She kissed him back, letting her wet lips slide against his, and opening her mouth as he slid his tongue inside of her mouth, letting his tongue slide against hers. Once again, he reached for her nipples and squeezed one last time before his pager went off and he excused himself.

Greg walked out of Heidi’s room and walked to William Bradley’s room, just several doors away.


* * *
Ashley ran upstairs and grabbed her backpack. She wanted to be ready for school once Wade showed up, and even though he was always early, she made it a point to be ready as soon as he arrived.

She trotted down the stairs and sat at the kitchen table, smiling at Carla as the maid walked by with a bowl of food for the dog. Luke lay asleep in the family office, and he immediately responded when Ashley called for him from the kitchen. He nestled his head against Ashley’s hand as reacreached to pet him and then he obediently walked to his bowl when Ashley told him to eat. Ashley looked to Carla and said, “He is such a goog, og, Carla.”

Carla replied, “He sure is Ashley. He truly loves you, young lady.”

Ashley poured milk into her bowl of cereal and ate her breakfast, alternating her spoon full of corn flakes with bananas and sipping from her glass of chocolate milk. She smiled at Carla and thanked her for the chocolate milk – an indulgence that Bridgett did not allow on usual circumstances.

Carla figured Ashley deserved it, after what Elena had told her earlier that morning as Elena left the mansion to go back home. Elena told Carla that Ashley had learned her etude and practiced her letters, and she was not the least bit hesitant with describing the grotesque details of Bridgett desecrating Ashley’s hard work on her penmanship work.

Carla answered the door when the bell rang, and Ashley smiled at the prospect of Wade taking her to school again. She really liked spending time with Wade, and she could tell that Wade enjoyed her company as well. However, when Carla opened the door, Elena stood before her and walked in.

Elena said to Carla, “Goodness, I am sorry to bother you, but I left some laundry in the dryer and the mistress of the manor would be most displeased if she found out.”

Carla followed after Elena as she headed for the laundry room. “I would have gotten it Elena, there was no need for you to come back.”

Elena removed the linens from the dryer and answered Carla, “She would have known, somehow I know she would have.”

Carla nodded, acknowledging that Elena was probably right.

Elena carried the laundry basket to the hanging area (where there were several lines strung with clothespins for the clothes that Bridgett asked not to be put into the dryer), and she asked Carla, “Has the driver shown up yet?”

Carla answered, “No, not yet. He will be here soon, he is always early.”

Elena asked as she folded the bed sheets and various other now clean fabrics, “Does that bother you?”

Carla shook her head, “Oh not in the least. He is such a pleasant man. I truly hope Bridgett keeps him around. I think Ashley has taken quite a liking to him.”

Elena added under her breath, “So has Bridgett.”

The doorbell rang again, and Carla walked to the door as Elena finished folding the contents of the dryer. This time, Wade was there, standing in his driver’s cap and black suit and tie. He smiled at Carla and when she extended her hand for his hat, he removed it and handed it to her.

Wade walked to the kitchen table and said good morning to Ashley, and Carla returned to pull out a chair for him to sit in. He willingly obliged and pet Luke as the dog approached him. He said to Ashley, “I love Labradors. My mother has Cocker Spaniels and they are good dogs, too.”

Ashley asked, “Your mom has dogs?”

Wade nodded.

“Does she take care of them?”

Wade answered, “She does feed them and pet them. She really likes her dogs. I go over her house and brush them, and then I clip their nails.”

Ashley smiled at the driver, adding, “I like that you help her, Wade. You are a very nice man.”

He smiled and when Carla asked if he wanted anything, he replied, “Do you have tea already made?”

Carla answered, “I believe Elena left some before she left.”

Wade asked, “Oh, she is gone already?”

“Well, she did leave, but she came back to finish up some things.”

Wade nodded. “If it is available, tea would be great.”

She nodded and returned with a cup and saucer, pouring the hot tea into his cup. Wade thanked her and when Elena walked into the kitchen, he smiled at Elena.

Elena took a quicknce nce around the mansion for any signs of Bridgett and when she was sure the coast was clear, she took a seat next to Wade. “You are early.”

He nodded and added, “I try to be early every day. I do not want to go upsetting the boss so soon in my career.”

“I understand completely.”

Wade reached into his pocket and asked Elena, “Say, you work weekends, right?”

She nodded.

“Well, I was wondering…”

Bridgett walked down the stairs in her fancy silk robe, and Elena immediately shot up from her seat and darted for the laundry room and closed the door.

Wade drank from his teacup and bid his boss a good morning.

Bridgett lit a cigarette and sat in the chair next to Wade, right in the spot where Elena had just left. She did not seem as if she knew Elena was there, and Carla sighed in relief. “Hello Wade, early again I see.”

“Yes ma’am, sure am. I want to make sure that miss Ashley gets to school on time as always.”

Bridgett asked Carla for some coffee and smoked her cigarette. “Ashley dear, did you inform Wade that you have tennis practice after school today?”

Ashley dropped her spoon in her cereal and said, “Oh no! I forgot!”

Bridgett took another drag of her cigarette and said to Wade, “Ashley has tennis practice this afternoon until four. When you drop her off at school, please come back here. I shall be ready after you drive the round trip from her school back to the mansion. I would like you to take me to this quaint antique shop on the edge of the ‘Hills.”

Wade finished his tea and said, “Of course. After I drop miss Ashley off, I should be back by, oh let’s say ten?”

“Very good.” Bridgett took her coffee and smoke back to the office, where she sat at the desk and found Ashley’s penmanship work. She ignorantly pushed it aside and removed several documents from the drawers of the desk and wrote on several of them.

Elena came back with the basket of clothes and walked up the stairs to distribute them to their proper locations. When she was finished, Ashley and Wade finished with their breakfast and walked out of the mansion with Elena. Wade purposely walked as close to her as possible, and dropped a card into the pocket of her maid uniform before they said goodbye to each other.

After Wade dropped Ashley off for school and said goodbye, she ran back to tell him that she had tennis prac, ju, just in case he forgot. He laughed as he told her he would be back at four, and drove back in the direction of his employer’s mansion.

Carla answered the door when he rang the bell, and Wade took a seat in the large purple chair in the waiting area. He heard Bridgett thank Carla as she approached the room, and called Wade over to her as she stood in the foyer.

Bridgett grinned as she asked Wade, “All set?”

“Yes ma’am, I sure am.”

Bridgett nodded, gave several instructions to Carla and exited the mansion, Wade following after her. He already had the car idling by the front door. He opened the passenger’s side for Bridgett and entered the vehicle to the driver’s side. She instructed him to drive to a local bistro, and he took the scenic route once again.

She left the partition open and said, “Bill called. He is going to be late again. I’m sure that will piss Ashley off to no end. I even had Carla get his favorite dinner ready for him. Oh well, no matter. It is not like it is a big surprise; he is always late.”

Wade focused on the road.

“Anyway, I want to have lunch at the bistro, so feel free to drive around. We still have an hour before they start serving lunch.”

Wade asked, “Do you want the partition open?”

Bridgett loosed several buttons on her blouse and while watching his eyes from the reflection in the back mirror she asked, “If you want a free show, keep it open.” She unbuttoned the blouse, opening it to expose her red bra covering her breasts. She played with herself, all the while watching Wade’s response as he watched the road and caught and occasional glimpse of her in the rear view mirror. He smiled as she leaned back, removed her bra and massaged herself in her hands, every now and then moaning and saying his name.

Wade focused as hard as he could on the road, trying not to focus on the erection building in his pants, pressing hard against his zipper and climbing up near the steering wheel. “Goddammit woman, you gonna make me crash here.”

She laughed as she hiked her leg up on the partition, showing him that she was not wearing underwear underneath her short shirt.

The car swerved as Wade coughed loudly and then caught his bearing once again. He could not ignore Bridgett’s free show in the back seat. It was even more difficult to remain focused as she brought one of her hands between her thighs. He had to close his eyes momentarily as she let her fingers slide in and out of her entrance.

The moment Bridgett started to moan and sweetly call his name, Wade slowed the car to a walking pace. He hit the brakes hard when she brought one of her fingers to her lips and licked, whispering how wet she was and how bad she wanted him to taste her.

He had to close the partition. He drove as fast as he could to the bistro and when they got there, Bridgett was fully dressed again. Wade held the door for her as she exited the car and lit a cigarette.

When they walked up to the entrance of the Bistro, Bridgett informed the waitress that she wanted to sit outside to soak in the day’s generous sunlight. The waitress nodded and took their drink orders when they sat down.

The waitress returned with their drinks, and Wade and Bridgett placed their orders. When the waitress left, Wade tucked his hand under the table and reached between Bridgett’s thighs.

She leaned back in her chair as he inserted a finger and withdrew it. He rubbed his fingers together, commenting, “When we get back to the car, I’m gonna make you so hot you gonna catch on fire,” he leaned in, licked his finger and added, “bitch.”

Bridgett smiled as she took another drag of her cigarette, sipping her drink and sighing heavily. “If you would like a bit of a raise, you better make me ‘hot’, you fool.”

“Hey, I’m not the one paying for sex, bitch.”

She leaned in, watching for any bystanders. “So, what do you plan on doing to me when we get back to the car, big man?”

He took a gulp of his drink before answering, “I’m gonna fuck you so hard, you gonna be callin’ me yo’ daddy, bitch.”

“Mmm that sounds delicious.”

When their lunch arrived, they ate in silence, both of them instinctively shoveling food into their mouths, hurrying through so they could get back into the car. Once the waiter arrived with the check, Bridgett stuffed several cash bills into the billfold and with a fire in her step, she walked back to the car, Wade quickly following after her when they reached thr. r. He lowered the partition as she gave him directions to a secluded area, and when he got there, he watched in awe as trees and beautiful landscape surrounded him. He would not mind spending the entire day in this spot, observing the beauty of the environment and the habitat surrounding them. Tall dark trees, adorned with large, green foliage covered the landscape as he drove the car through the scenery. Once he found a good place to park the car, he turned the engine off and watched Bridgett in the rear view mirror as she began to unbutton her blouse again.

He climbed into the backseat and asked, “So, what’s the special occasion?”

She put her hands in his crotch and answered, “Fucking. Like we need a special occasion.”

He reached for her bra and snapped it, watching her face change from surprised to amused. He licked his lips as he approached her, asking, “Really, what is it?”

“God, like I want to talk about it. Wade, just give me your prick and leave me in peace, for Christ’s sake already.”

Wade pinched her nipples as they hardened under her bra, and said, “I will once you tell me what is going on.”

She pushed him away and said, “Fine, fine. Bill is signing all these goddamn contracts and needs me to settle some matters before he comes home.”

“Why you?”

She sighed, “Because he is an asshole, that’s why. The company is mostly mine, did you know that?”

Wade shook his head.

“You stupid nigger, I didn’t think you’d know.”

“Fuck you, bitch, like I had any fuckin’ clue. I don’t give a flying fuck over what you and your husband do, as long as you keep paying me.”

“And I don’t need to tell you any more of it as long as you keep fucking me.”

“Well, how about this. Why don’t I push your skinny little rich white ass out of this car and drive off. That way, you can fuck yourself.”

“It would be better than letting you do all the dirty work, wouldn’t it?”

“That’s it.” He ripped her shirt off and removed her bra with his teeth, pushing her body down against the seat as he climbed on top of her.

She writhed under him as she reached for his pants, loosing him from his boxer shorts. Bridgett opened her legs for him and squealed in delight as he ravaged her breasts with his mouth, biting and sucking at her tender flesh. He held her hands above her head as he licked his way down her body, resting his mouth at her moist entrance.

He licked once, and then brought his head back up. She stared at him in confusion. Wade bent in and licked again, this time grabbing her ass as he raised her body up. He ducked in again, twirling his tongue for a bit before withdrawing again.

“What are you doing?” She asked between contracting breaths.

Wade licked at her again, this time rubbing a finger along her moisture and stopping on the wettest, most sensitive areas. She bucked herself against his face as he went in again, more intense, and slapped him hard when he pulled back again.

“Knock that off, you idiot.”

He rubbed his nose along her moisture again and wiped his face with his hand, licking her scent from himself. He went in again, this time his tongue was stiff and licked at her skin, rapidly and intensely as she moaned again, once more disappointed as he pu bac back.

She sighed in desperation and pleaded, “Wade, please stop that, you are driving me crazy.”

“Shut your fuckin’ mouth, bitch.” He rubbed his erection against her entrance, watching her in agony as she reached for him, bringing her hips high and begging, with her body, for him to please her.

He kept teasing her in this manner, licking and pulling back, rubbing and withdrawing. He eased himself into her, and slowly pulled himself out, laughing as she tried to grind her body on his, attempting to complete the sensation that was building up inside of her as he messed with her.

Bridgett nearly cried when he inserted himself into her, bringing his hands atop her shaven area and curling his fingers against the flesh. He pulled out again, and tucked his head down again, licking and slowly, gently biting on the folds of her skin. She beggnd pnd pleaded for him to do something, anything aside from this cruel punishment.

He kissed her body as he raised his head, stopping at her breasts. He sucked her nipples gently, nibbling between strokes of his eager tongue. She raised her hips again, and ran her hands below to touch herself. He again grabbed her hands and held them above her head as he tortured her with pre-orgasmic delight, swirling and twisting his tongue against her taut flesh. He nudged his hips against hers, causing her to shudder in ecstasy, but frustrating her further by not letting her climax. Wade grinned in triumph as she banged her head against the soft leather on the seats in the car, ignoring her begging and incessant moans. She writhed under him as he sucked on her neck, then licked her chin and sucked on her earlobes.

He reached his hands deep inside of her, taunting her and making her ask for more and more and more until she was almost hoarse from the agony. He would dip his hand in, pull out again and rub against her, driving her to the brink of insanity.

She called to him again, “Wade… I… oh God… oh God harder, harder, no, no, keep… no, Wade…. Oh God, I need you Wade… please… give it to me, please…”

He flipped her over onto her stomach and smacked her ass hard with one hand. “Call me. Come on, you know my name.”

She kneeled, her face watching his in the slight reflection of the tinted windows. “Call you? Call you what?”

He smacked her again and smiled as her skin was smarting, the slight red outline of his hand present on her smooth skin. “You are such a bad girl, little Bitch Bridgett.” He inserted a finger into her again as she braced the door, rubbing herself against his body and writhing as he licked her when he ducked down again. Wade lay facing her as she had her body mounted over his, she was still kneeling on the seat. He pushed her ass down, so now she was sitting on his face. She rubbed herself against him, trying as hard as she could to get off while she could. He pulled her off and sat up, putting her on her knees again, her rear end facing him. He put his hands on her hips and said, “Say my name.” He inserted himself inside of her ag wai waiting for her to finally understand.

“Oh Wade, oh God, come, come… let me…”

He pulled himself out of her again and brought his face to her moisture again, licking and asking, “Who am I?”

“Oh God oh God, just Wade, oh just… please…”

He sucked on her tender folds, causing her to shudder and just before she was about to let go, he pulled back again. He rubbed his hands on her ass, smacking her once again, hard enough to make her moan loudly.

“Oh Daddy, daddy daddy, you fucking king, come on Daddy and fuck me like the bad little bitch I am.”

He lay again, underneath her and pushing her up high enough for her to not touch his face, but low enough for him to lick her. This time, he did not stop as his tongue gyrated inside of her, his fingers teasing the soft skin and folds until she came so hard and fast, his tongue slid out of her as she shook, her body convulsing over and over as every sensation built and the ecstasy took over her and she finally collapsed on his face. He rubbed his nose against her, watching as she came again, ever touch of her skin causing another wave of orgasm. He immediately sat up and easily slid into her, his fingers pleasing her in front as erraerratically moved against him, hitting every possible nerve of pleasure until her moans were muffled by his hand. She bit on his fingers, sucking hard at the skin. She bit as he rammed into her harder than ever, smacking her as he thrust fast, furious, and harder and harder. She bit him until she drew blood, and he moaned loudly as he spent himself deep inside of her. When he pulled out, he turned her around again and lapped at her moisture, drinking in her scent and sending her to oblivion.

Bridgett sucked his fingers, drawing the blood to the surface as he rubbed his hands over her lips, and letting his mouth suck on her until she passed out from the final orgasm, the last one taking her over the edge of consciousness.



While Bridgett lay asleep in the back of the car, Wade opened all the windows and closed the partition, and then he turned on the radio as he headed back to Ashley’s school and awaited her arrival. When she came skipping to the car, waiving goodbye to her friends, Wade opened the back door and found Bridgett awake, puffing furiously on a cigarette.

“Hi mommy!”

Bridgett, her voice full of exhaustion, answered, “Hello darling, how was school?”

“The same as always, but tennis was fun.”

“Splendid.”

Wade drove back to the mansion, all the while his face covered in a smile of satisfaction.

After Wade dropped the women off, he said goodbye to them and drove back to the garage. Once he dropped the car off, he walked back to the mansion and waited for Bridgett’s husband to call with the request to pick him up. After nine o’clock at night, Bridgett informed Wade that her husband was going to be late and ordered Ashley to bed; her daughter crying silently as she trudged up the stairs. Bridgett walked Wade to the front door and said goodnight, closing the door before he answered. He imagined that Bridgett was headed straight for bed, seeing how she was entirely too exhausted to even watch the driver exit the mansion.


* * *
Early Monday morning, Doctor Fox made a last-minute round to check on his big client – the illustrious William Bradley. As he slowly opened the door, he was caught, a bit of a surprise, yet not all too unexpected. Mister Bradley was tying his necktie, patting out any creases in his crisp, silk suit.

Greg approached William and extended his hand. “Good morning sir! I trust you slept well?”

Mister Bradley answered, shaking the man’s hand firmly, “Yes doctor, I certainly did.” William eyed the man curiously, intent on gathering information from him. “Say doctor Fox, were you not relieved at five this morning? I inquired with the nurse, forgive my curiosity.”

Greg Fox smiled as he answered, “Yes indeed, I sure was. However, I wanted to make sure our most important patient was awake and ready to face his new world. Stronger, faster and better today. Tell me, how do you feel?”

William Bradley reached his hand to the back of his head, feeling the now closed wound between the base of his neck and the outline of his medulla. “Come to think of it, I am feeling rather well. Thank you again.” He shook Greg’s hand one last time before leaving the room.

Greg followed, his step quick and light as he added, “The chief surgeon received your memos, he thanks you-“

“ yes yes I am aware, thank you doctor Fox. I spoke with him earlier today.”

“Excellent.”

William turned and faced Greg. “Say, how were the new scalpels and monitors working?”

Greg smiled broadly as he answered, “I felt as if I had a second set of hands, sir.”

William added, “Sounds fantastic. I look forward to working with this facility in the future.”

The surgeon nodded his head. “If it were up to me, every hospital in America would do what we are embarking upon.”

Mister Bradley reached into his pocket and removed the thick gold wedding band. He placed it upon his left hand, on his large ring finger. He balled his hand into a fist and added, “Yes doctor, I foresee that will be the case. In due time, doctor. It is only a matter of time.”

William exited the hall, took the elevator downstairs and entered the private car as it stood, eager for his entry.

“Good morning sir, I trust all is well?”

“Yes, thank you. Please take me back to work, I am already behind schedule.”

The driver pulled away from the curb and answered, “Yes sir, we will be at headquarters in approximately fifteen minutes.”

William leaned back in his seat, feeling the leather with his hands and eyeing the interior curiously. “Fifteen minutes, that sounds faster than usual.”

The driver answered, “With the enhanced map features and engine enhancements, we are not only getting more fuel efficiency, but the car has increased in maximum miles per hour.”

Mister Bradley affixed his cufflinks to his French dress shirt, his face expressing satisfaction. “Yes, I shall think it is only a matter of time before we can produce the enhancements at a cost-effective rate and eventually make them available on the open market. Only a fool would decide to miss out on the purchasing availability.”

The driver headed off, the car moving faster than the last time Mister Bradley was inside. The driver answered, “Yes sir, I cannot wait to own one mysel
*
* * *


Heidi packed her belongings into her suitcase and turned off the television once she was ready to leave the hospital. She unplugged her cell phone charger and reminded herself to turn the cell phone on as soon as she walked out of the hospital. She took a quick shower, cleansing the evening’s sleep from her as she reached consciousness more and more as the hot stream of water beat on her, and as she stepped into the shower, she felt a bit different as the water hit her. She cusped her newly enhanced breasts in her hands and gently massaged them, feeling the extra weight in her hands and smiling he ghe grazed over her nipple. Heidi silently thanked William Bradley, a complete stranger, yet one of her new heroes as she reflected on her experience with Greg several hours earlier. She anticipated Greg’s visit, whether it be in a few days or weeks, but imagined that she would go home and things would be the same, up until he showed up again.

Once she was finished with her shower, Heidi dressed and put her shoes on. She packed away the surgical bras that the nurses had given her a few days before – Greg instructed to give Heidi the bras just in case the surgery would need older procedures to be called upon. Luckily with the new technologies from Macroware, the surgery went without a hitch, and Heidi wondered how long it would be until the hardware provided my Macroware would become the new standard in surgical care and hospital procedures around the world. She smiled as she grabbed her bag and closed the door to her hospital room.

The nurses station was busy as usual, each of the nurses busy with their respective tasks. Reba joined Heidi as Heidi approached the elevator. “Good morning, Heidi. How are you feeling?”

Heidi answered, “Surprisingly well, thank you. I am quite impressed with the procedure, Reba. I am in no pain, actually, very little discomfort at all to tell you the truth.”

Reba hit the button for the lobby as they entered the elevator, both entering and watching as the doors closed before them. “Sounds great, truly. I look forward to working with the new equipment and teaching it to the staff. I really think this will be an amazing asset to the field of medicine – all across the board.”

Heidi nodded as the ding of the elevator indicated that they were now on the lobby level. Heidi waived at Reba as she walked out of the hospital and reached into her purse and removed her cell phone. Heidi hit the power button and once the cell phone received a signal, the icon appeared, indicating that she had a new voice mail. She dialed the voicemail and was unsurprised to hear Mac’s deep voice on the other end. “Hey gorgeous, Mac here. Just calling to see how you are after the slight trip. Give me a call as soon as you can. And doll, Rickey told me you went to L.A. to get a lift. I want to see them babies as soon as you land on the strip. I am thinking of you, as always. Bye.” Click. Heidi pressed the delete button and retrieved her second message. It was Rickey. “Aye sugar, Fraco told me to come get you at the special hospital down there. You know my number, give me a call as soon as you get out, I’ll be glad to pick ya up and drop ya wherever ya need to go.” Click. She deleted the message and immediately called Rickey.

His voice was a bit scratchy as he answered the phone with a reluctant, “Hello?”

She smiled as she said, “Hey Rickey, it’s Heidi!”

“God damn baby, what time is it?”

She looked at her watch, “It is quarter past six, Rickey. Hey, can you come get me? Franco was kind enough to hold the car for me until I got back. I told him I’d fly, seeing how I didn’t think I’d be able to drive after the surgery and all.”

key key coughed and returned to the phone, “Yea, yea sure thing darlin’. You at the hospital?”

“Yep.”

“Well hey, check it out. Take a cab to my place and I’ll pay the driver when you get here. As soon as ya show up, I’ll take ya wherever you wanna go, how’s that?”

“Okay Rickey. I should herehere in about thirty minutes, okay?”

“Aye all-fucking-right, then. Can’t wait to see ya, darlin’. How long has it been?”

She laughed, “Only a few weeks, Rick! It’s nothing.”

“Yea, yea, but I missed ya, kiddo.”

“I’m sure you have.”

Rickey yawned loudly and added, “Aye so has the fuckin’ boss man. He was worried about ya, Heidi, that’s for goddamn sure.”

“A bit displeased with the lower earnings this weekend, I’m certain it has nothing to do with me.”

“Nah, nah sugar, the guy loves ya. So do the high rol.”
.”

Heidi replied, “They’re going to love me even more once they see me, Rickey. Watch, your eyes are going to pop out of their sockets as soon as I show up on your front door, just you wait.”

“Get here already, girl. I’m gonna fuckin’ make some coffee, we’ll chat up a storm.”

Heidi laughed again before saying goodbye. She caught a taxicab over to Rickey’s apartment, and as promised, he paid the cabbie when she got there.

He stretched his arms out to hug her, but hesitated before he held her. “You allowed to hug? I don’t want you to bust up and leak on me.”

Heidi lightly punched his arm before she took him in a deep embrace. “Of course I can. Come on, you know I’m not some wussy, cranky bitch.”

“Ain’t that the truth. Come on in, I got some coffee waitin’ on ya.”

The entered his house and Rickey poured a cup of coffee for Bridgett after taking her suitcase and placing it aside. He brought some cream to her and she lightly poured it into her coffee. She sipped, thanking him as he grabbed the coffee pot and added some coffee to his own cup. Rickey drank his coffee black.

“So hey, let me see.” He curiously eyed her chest.

Heidi stood and unbuttoned her blouse, and then unhooked her bra to show Rickey her new set of DD’s. Rickey whistled loudly as he stood, walking around her to get different angle shots.

“Woooooowwwww, woman. You are going to knock those hustlers right out of business on the ‘s, be, believe that shit. God himself could not have designed a better set of tits, that’s for damn sure.”

Heidi put her bra back on and buttoned her shirt back up. “I was doing just fine without them, now it will seem as if we’ve struck gold.”

Rickey added, “I am sure Mac won’t mind.”

Heidi sipped her coffee, “I might… never mind.”

Rickey leaned in. “Might what?”

“Oh, you’re harmless. Anyway, I might ask him for a higher cut of my profits.”

key key sighed deeply and added, “I don’t know sugar, he might not go for that.”

“It’s worth asking, right? I mean, profits will be up after this ordeal and I did spend my own money on this. I even got Amber to cover for me this weekend so he would still rake in my share. Amber is doing just as well as I am, so he didn’t lose shit this weekend. And I even got out of the hospital faster than any of the other patients. He might cut me some slack.”

Rickey scratched his head. “I don’t know sugar, but it is worth a shot. He’s a good guy, he just might go for it.” Rickey asked Heidi where she wanted to go, and when she answered that she needed a ride to the airport, he smiled and added, “I figured you did. I gotta get back, too so we can take the same flight.” He walked into his room and came back with two airline tickets. “Franco already took care of it for us – we have three hours to kill before we even need to check in.”

“Excellent. Breakfast?”

Rickey nodded.

Bridgett poured them both bowls of cereal, and they watched the news and caught up with each other as they enjoyed their breakfasts of cereal and coffee together. Rickey was a good guy, deserving of the same title the rest of the good guys gave him. After all, mobsters had to at least line one another in order to trust them.

* * *


William Bradley exited the car and quickly closed his door before the driver had a chance to let him out. William was the type of man who liked to do things on his own – he would ask for help when needed, but these luxuries for life were unnecessary. He only partook in them to appease his annoying wife.

When he approached the front doors of the expansive building that was the company headquarters of Macroware, he reached for the keys inside of his briefcase and slowly walked in the door. He stood in the grand entrance, admiring the beautiful fountain in the center and smiling as the sun still hid its face under the gloomy clouds of gray and white during the hours of pre-dawn.

William liked this time of day – it was his alone time. No secretaries calling him for meeting times. No cleaners vacuuming the building when every else had gone home. No phones ringing, for they were automatically forwarded to the automated lines, or routed to the emergency locations which were staffed twenty-four hours a day all around the nation.

No one showed up to work earlier than William Bradley, and it was a rare occasion when an employee would stay later than him. Several of his employees joked that William basically lived at headquarters, and he never did anything to quaff the rumors. It was nearly true – the only times he did spend at home was when he was asleep. He would drive, but his secretary and the Board insisted that the company give Mister Bradley a company vehicle. He figured it was a good idea, for when he did finally leave the office, he would only go home for several hours and get necessary sleep.

Sleep. It was a process inherent to humanity, and a process he abhorred. He figured that with the new technology he and his company were developing, it would be a process he would not need to partake in for much longer. Or, once he did perfect his hardware, he would be able to spend more time in dormancy, finally able to get more done in less time. He and his company were on the verge of something; something huge. Something that could very well change the lives of people forever. He imagined he would go down in history as a hero; a victor over the constraints of technology and evolution itself.

When he approached his desk, William sat in his comfortable, very fashionable leather chair. He unbuttoned his Italian silk suit jacket and reclined, letting the events of the weekend wash over his clear mind. His facial expression was unusual – he was smiling. His smile was barely noticeable, but the thoughts in his mind pleased him to no end. He was thinking about the future, and how his experience at the hospital had facilitated things to come; his grand vision was mere dollars and hours away. He just needed to get those contracts sighed and work out all the formalities. As far as he was concerned, it was a done deal. Macroware was on the verge of turning into a multi-trillion dollar a year company. He could only image the impact that would hav the the stockholders, the impact that would have on the public in general, and the impact it would have on his role as a businessman.

William Bradley was preparing to change lives. He was preparing to change the way people live. He was going to set the pace for society, the new economy, and the face of politics. He wondered if the world was ready for what he was about to show them.

Not that there was any doubt they would be, for they were the primary benefactors. The world had no idea what people were capable of, and that capability was about to be exponentially improved due to the very thing William Bradley and his team have been working on since the origination of the company Macroware.

When he arrived in his office, William pressed the button on his phone, indicating that he had several voicemail messages. He was pleased to hear that the hospital had called, ready to set up a meeting. Things were falling into place, and in due time, William Bradley and Macroware Technologies would introduce a new product on the open market that would change the face of business forever.

He checked his various other voicemails – wife, insurance, the usual – deleted the unnecessary messages and took note of the important ones. He set up a personal schedule for the day, and he imagined that his secretary had already planned his agenda for the actual business day.

William booted his computer, and when the prompt for his e-mail appeared, he scoffed. Soon enough, this archaic system would be replaced with something better, something smarter, something faster, and something more.

The time was fast approaching, and William believed he could feel it. Not that he believed in any forms of extra sensory perception, but this was not a feeling of clairvoyance or some ridiculous notion of fortune telling.

It was the feeling of inevitability.


The office was buzzing with employees at eight o’clock AM sharp. People were at their desks, answering phones and performing their job duties and tasks for the day. Unfortunately for them all, it was a Monday, and no one – not even William Bradley – likes Mondays.

However, today was different. Today was the day that everything was about to change for Macroware Technologies – and it was a huge change.

William’s secretary buzzed on his intercom, informing him that she had his schedule prepare and was awaiting his reply. “Come on in, Susan.”

The secretary, wearing a business suit as usual, came gliding into Mister Bradley’s simple, yet beautiful office. His view was of downtown, and what a view to behold. She imagined that he respected the fact that he had such a gorgeous office with a magnificent view. However, knowing him as well as she did (which was much better than everyone else, and that does not say very much), she imagined that he did not appreciate the rising of the sun, or the sunset in the evenings. He was a man who respected the science in it, and neglected the spiritual side of it. Not like that was a bad thing, but for someone with enough money to burn, it was a depressing thought how much William Bradley took for granted. At least he paid her well and never asked anything out of the ordinary from her. Not yet, anyway.

She approached him and said. “Good morning sir, I hope everything went well in Los Angeles this weekend?”

He looked up at her from a thick folder with several documents pinned to both front and back cover. He answered, “Indeed, things went very well.”

She smiled as she took the seat in front of his desk and opened up a portfolio filled with papers, memos and notes. “I am very glad to hear that, sir.” She removed several documents and added, “It was a busy weekend, would you like the details, or would you prefer I compile everything and give you the abridged version?”

William sat up in his chair, focusing his every bit of unconditional attention to Susan. He shook his head for a moment and answered, “My goodness, I have missed so much.” He sighed and lifted his head up again, “I have not missed a day since… honestly, I cannot even remember when.”

She smiled again at him; a warm, genuine smile. She obviously respected the man and she truly admired him. “I am sure you deserve a break, sir. You are still human after all.”

“Yes, a malady that is always with me.”

She laughed. He did not intend for the remark to be funny, but she did see the humor in it. “That is not a bad thing, sir.”

He replied, “The day you start running a multinational corporation, let me know how it goes if you take time off.”

She nodded. “Yes sir.” She staked several papers on his desk and stood. “Okay Mister Bradley, here it is. We have the logistics all planned out with the Chicago manufacturer, and once they agree to the secondary modular concept designs, we can improve the line efficiency by fifteen percent. Initially, there were some labor union issues, but our team in Kansas City came in and settled the grievance on Saturday afternoon.”

“That was fast.”

“Yes sir, as soon as they knew there was an issue, the team swept in and handled it. The initial problem was that the employees of the manufacturing plant were not getting compensated for their overtime shifts, and it was of no fault of the company – it was the line managers. It appeared that the cost-cutting rewards were getting a bit out of hand with the middle management team, and once the line supervisors had discovered what happened, the membership filed a grievance. Nonetheless, the team swept in and immediately restructured the management team and promoted some of the production team leaders to supervisors, and the line supervisors have been put into managerial positions. In the end, this issue saved the company thirty-five thousand dollars in salaries for the month, and an agreement was made under the table to have the linpervpervisors rotate on a twelve-hour schedule as opposed to a sixteen-hour schedule.”

William sighed. “Honestly, if only there were more hours in a day, I would have settled this months ago. Dennis told me there were some discrepancies in the numbers for the third quarter in that division, and I knew it was due to those managers and their distribution.” He shook his head. “It is sad that the union had to take action on this. I would have liked the company to be more proactive in this manner.”

Susan sat down and crossed her hands. “Not to sound cliché sir, but these things do happen.”

“I know, I know. I would just like one thing, and I know this is a stretch. But I would love one day to see employees of a company be protected by their managers instead of getting taken advantage of them. See, if there was a purely symbiotic relationship between managers and their subordinates, there would be no need for this staggered, and honestly, archaic reward system. Everyone would work for the same goal.”

Susan focused, her eyes never leaving Mister Bradley’s as he spoke.

“I apologize, Susan. I digress. Alright, the Chicago deal is underway. What next?”

She opened another folder and presented a pile of unsigned contracts to Mister Bradley, each contract containing five layers of thin paper, each color-coded depending on the recipient of each.

He took the contracts and glanced over them. “I will read these through this afternoon, and talk with the lawyers and get their input. If you will please call Bob and the consulting team for a meeting today… oh, let’s say around two PM, that would be best. Additionally, I would like a phone conference between our new management team in Chicago and the group in Kansas City to discuss the slight conflict this weekend. I understand that it is settled, however I want to make sure that this will not be an ongoing issue.”

Susan answered, “Yes sir, of course.”

“Alright, so that settles the Chicago issue and the las. s. In addition to the information you have in my agenda,” he glanced at the neatly prepared portfolio on his desk, “there is one more thing that needs to be tended to today. Susan, this is of extreme importance and I need to make sure that we are total clear on this.”

Her eyes glittered with determination, “yes sir, what is it?”

“I need to make sure that when Doctor Barnes comes in today, everything looks exactly as it needs to. I’m serious – down to the last fresh flower in each vase. This contract is going to be the most important agreement for the company ever, and it has to be perfect. Everything – the staff, the doors, the pictures in their respective frames – everything has to be perfect. I mean down to the last detail – the doorman’s breath has to smell mint-fresh, understand?”

“Yes sir, I understand. We have an interior design team coming through for a last-minute detail inspection.”

“Whose idea was that?”

Susan expressed a bit of nervousness before dropping her eyes and answering, “It was my idea, sir.”

“Way to think ahead, Susan. Brilliant plan, thank you for being proactive.”

Susan blushed before returning William’s gaze. “Thank you for that compliment, sir.”

William stood and looked out of his window, facing the world as it heartily stared back at him. “Today is going to be a special day, Susan. Prepare the media kits to be ready by Thursday afternoon. I believe the contracts will be set by then and we can plan for a conference on Friday. That gives us the week to complete everything.” Once again, he scanned his desk. He blinked several times as the pile of papers, contracts and other necessary documents stared right back at him. The workload was intimidating, and as he imagined, it was going to be a long night. William sat back in his chair and scanned the desk again. “I believe that will be all, I plan on staying here until the meeting with the lawyers this afternoon. Feel free to reach me here if anything requires my immediate attention. Thank you, Susan.”

She stood from her seat and walked to the door. Before she left, she faced him again and said, “You haven’t missed a beat sir.”

“It is my business to stay on top of things.”

“Yes sir, but… well, it is impressive every minute of ever day. Welcome back, Mister Bradley.” She smiled at him before exiting his office, and as soon as the door shut, he scanned his desk again.

“Dammit all to hell, I hate Mondays.”

* * *