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This is a fictional story involving the sexual situations,
between consenting adult. If this subject offends you, close this
page NOW! If you choose to read on you must be 18 years or older.
If you are not LEAVE!!!

Any similarities to any person living or dead are purely
coincidental.
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Root Cause Analysis

By Romany	

(M/F, ir, cheating husband)


Dan looked carefully around the table as Erich Stoller went over
the objectives for the next five days. There were four of them
brought in to look at the problems surrounding the new product.
The issue considered serious enough to fly him from the US, Santi
Kaluskar from India, and Herr Grunewald from Germany. Lisal Kropp
was local from Lucerne. Ms. Kaluskar was a looker; slim and
petite, probably about twenty-seven or so, with short raven hair.
Frau Kropp was mid-forties and Rubenesque figure and very much a
MILF, with large breasts and shoulder length straw-colored teased
hair with highlights. Herr Grunewald was a senior manager and was
bald and bespectacled with rimless glasses. He looked like what
Dan thought a Gestapo officer might have looked like in the
Second World War. At face value, they were a motley crew yet each
considered an expert in their own field of the company�s
products. Dan knowing the machinations of the US FDA; and his
presence was important given the importance of the US market.

Stoller went over the agenda with them and they saw the project
was targeted to finish that Friday before they would be allowed
to disperse. The secondment to this team was both a nuisance and
welcome diversion from Dan�s business-as-usual activities. He�d
never been to Switzerland before but it took him away from Jen
and Mopsy for an extended period. He�d never been apart for more
than a night since Mopsy, now twenty-two months, had been born.
The flight from Seattle all the way to Lucerne via Geneva was
arduous and Dan still felt the effect of the time difference
between the Seattle and Switzerland. The hotel was comfortable
and he�d crashed shortly after his arrival at his hotel. Now they
were assembled, the team was expected to get into the gap
analysis between the product�s gaining universal approval by the
drug agencies and where it currently was. Hopefully identifying
the root cause as to why the product and process of release had
misfired. Despite their being no tangible evidence of problems,
they somehow had missed key metrics to ensure the product got
primary approval to begin the tortuous road to acceptance and
widespread sale.

As the team got down to business, Dan was buoyed by the knowledge
and experience of his colleagues. But it became apparent early on
that he and Ms. Kaluskar did not exactly agree on methodology.
And what made it worse was that Kaluskar had a rather pompous,
almost arrogant attitude to her colleagues and Dan unwittingly
took it upon himself to gently try to push her to being my
conciliatory in her manner. She took him on and he soon learnt
she could be quite scathing and destructive in her comments when
points of difference did arise. By morning break he had decided
she was a bitch and as he stood apart drinking his coffee, Lisal
Kropp casually sidled up to him and made polite conversation
about where he lived and his family. It was genuine interest on
her part and she volunteered she was a divorced solo mother with
two children at high school. But after the brief exchange of
personal detail she glanced around and then leaned close to Dan
so he caught the full magnificence of her cleavage and smelled
her perfume.

�I�m afraid Fraulein Kaluskar is not a people person,� she said
quietly in perfect English.

�Somewhat of an understatement,� Dan said with a wry smile.

�A word of advice,� Lisal said. �She is quite well connected in
our company. Be careful you don�t irritate her unnecessarily.�

He glanced at her in surprise.

�You know her�before this?� he said looking at Lisal�s attractive
face and green eyes.

�A number of times. She is very much a woman who believes we
westerners owe her something�an Indian thing I�ve seen once or
twice before,� she said and sipped at her coffee. �She thinks she
is better than us�Oxford educated I believe, and therefore more
than our equal.�

Dan nodded his understanding and thanked Lisal quietly for the
heads-up she was giving him. The team absorbed themselves in
deconstructing the company processes of development and testing
and worked on through that first day. Given Lisal Kropp�s
warning, Dan did pull back from antagonizing Kaluskar
deliberately and their relationship remained cordial, if a little
frosty. Dan was only too happy not to upset the team dynamics
even if Kaluskar felt it necessary to continue with a degree of
patronizing arrogance from time to time. Erich called an end to
the first day near four thirty and they bid each other good day
and each drifted off. Santi Kaluskar preferred to stay in the
conference room and work on the issues at hand. Dan went back to
his hotel which was in walking distance of the office and called
Jen and chatted briefly about his flight and the first day in
session. After a brief �chat� to Mopsy, who had yet to understand
the telephone, he wished Jen his love and hung up. He had a quick
shower and dressed casually to go out and find a restaurant. On
his way out the revolving door of the hotel he came across
Kaluskar clearly arriving from the office.

�You are going to eat?� she said rather formally.

He nodded.

�Would you mind if I joined you?� she asked in a way that it was
a foregone conclusion he couldn�t refuse.

He wanted to say �no� but couldn�t think of a reason why he
should refuse.

�I�ll wait here,� he said indicating he wasn�t going to hang
around and she needed to hurry up.

She nodded curtly and vanished inside the hotel. He mooched
around the sidewalk and she surprised him by returning quite
quickly, still dressed in her work clothes. She wore a stark
white blouse and obviously some sort of teddy underneath as it
was not as white as the blouse and it was easily recognizable
under the top. She had good sized breasts and clearly the teddy
was all she wore as an undergarment as he could faintly see the
impression of her nipples. Her black slacks were cut discretely
in the front so as not to show any shape or form of her upper
thighs, crotch or lower abdomen; being belted at a high waist
around her middle. Very conservative and demure, yet she looked
very attractive. She had numerous rings on all of her fingers and
thumbs and a stud in the side of her nose. She came just past his
shoulder and as they walked along the street, he felt peculiarly
warmed by her walking beside him as heads often turned to regard
her. She was really very attractive and he felt surprisingly good
seeing people saw them as a couple. It was a strange feeling
given the subtle hostility that had punctuated their day. They
ate at a restaurant which shocked Dan when he saw the prices. He
was quite frugal ordering his meal and avoided anything
expensive; avoiding starters, and soup, and dessert. Kaluskar had
a veggie meal and they sat and talked idly as they ate their
meal. She asked about his family and he paused to show her a
photo of Mopsy he carried in his wallet. She volunteered she had
been sent to England to attend Oxford and had remained there
after she graduated, before going back to Mumbai where her family
lived. She spoke in a confident superior way; pausing it seemed
so he could be impressed with her academic achievement. Her
parents were clearly wealthy and she made no secret of the fact.
All designed to show him she was a woman of means, education and
importance. He wondered about her being unmarried as it seemed
that Indian women were betrothed in their early twenties though
he didn�t venture to inquire that point in case he made himself
look ignorant. She insisted on putting their meal on her credit
card, and he let her; not wanting to argue as he knew she was
asserting her equality as a female colleague. It made no odds who
paid; the company would reimburse them accordingly. As they moved
away from the restaurant back towards their hotel, he was
thinking he would ditch her and maybe find a bar. As she talked
she became aware he wasn�t really listening and she stopped,

�Am I boring you?� she said quite curtly. �You don�t seem
engaged,� she continued, staring pointedly at him.

�No�no�its fine�sorry,� he said quickly, annoyed he was
apologizing but not wanting to piss her off any more. �I was
looking for a bar�I feel like a drink,� he added, looking at her
apologetically.

�Why didn�t you say so then,� she said bluntly and looked around.
�There�over there�that looks quite presentable,� she said
pointing to a bar across the street.

To his surprise she took his arm and directed him off the
sidewalk and steered him across the street. He had hoped to ditch
her but her strident approach to getting him to the bar intrigued
him. He went along with her guiding him by the arm as if he were
a blind man. They went inside and settled into a booth. He
ordered a beer and she gazed at the waitress, pondering what to
order.

�Try a margarita,� Dan suggested, and she looked at him
questioningly and then took his suggestion.

They looked at each other and both forced a smile; each knowing
the other probably didn�t like them that much. But circumstances
had thrown them together so they best make the most of it.

�I wasn�t sure if you drank alcohol,� he said lightly, trying to
be chatty.

�Of course�why not?� she said rather defensively.

�Oh�it�s just that I have met a few Indian�s who don�t� he said
truthfully.

�Because I eat veggie you think I don�t drink alcohol?� she said
challenging him.

�Well�actually�yes�yes that is what I thought,� he said, deciding
not to bullshit or pander to her.

�I understand,� she said after a pause. �Some Indian�s are very
strict about eating meat or drinking alcohol,� she said in a more
conciliatory tone. �I expect it seems universal to you Americans
that way,� she added.

He nodded; relieved she didn�t make a big deal about an obvious
presumption on his part.

�I am not strictly religious and I eat veggie by choice not
because of religious direction. I have enjoyed alcohol ever since
I was allowed wine with a meal,� she added.

�Your parents introduced you to alcohol them?� he asked
carefully.

�Of course,� she said quickly. �My father had a very western
approach to alcohol with food,� she explained. �Of course when I
was at university in England, I indulged myself just as any other
English student would do,� she said and she actually smiled as if
remembering something.

�You partied?� he said with a grin sensing she was opening up a
little.

�Of course,� she said, her eyes holding his gaze.

He was taken how dark the pupils looked and it accentuated the
whites of her eyes. He couldn�t help but let his eyes flick down
to her chest and he reddened realizing he had just inadvertently
checked her out. She held his gaze and there seemed to be a faint
smile on her lips. The waitress came with the drinks and
interrupted the slightly awkward moment. He took the stein of
local beer and held it and they toasted the success of their Root
Cause Analysis project. She sipped the margarita and blinked
quickly and put a hand to her chest.

�My goodness�that has a kick,� she said with a chuckle and looked
at the departing waitress if somehow the drink had been badly
mixed.

�Maybe they serve double shots,� he said grinning at the
expression on her face.

He wondered if she had ever drunk hard liquor. Perhaps she was a
wine-only drinker. She sipped the margarita again and then looked
at him as she deliberately tasted the drink and then nodded.

�It will do,� she said and sipped it again.

She got drunk. Not obviously drunk but quite tipsy and Dan soon
detected she had no stomach for hard liquor. When she was nearly
finished her third margarita, she was sitting staring at him in a
sort of daze. Her voice was even and precise in speech yet
clearly she was affected by the drink. He decided he�d best get
her out of here while she was still relatively with it. He paid
the tab and helped her stand. She let him take her arm and he
steered her quickly back to their hotel, Dan concerned about
getting her to her room and not having to be responsible for her.
He steered her into the elevator and turned to ask her what floor
she was on. She grinned goofily at him and gave him her room
number. She was on a floor above him. He took her to her floor
and guided her to her door. The corridor was deserted and she
leaned against the wall as he stared at the door and then asked
her where her key was. She looked at him a little befuddled and
shook her head blankly. He gently took her pocket book from her
and asking her permission he opened it although she did not
answer. He found the card key and removed it and inserted it in
the door lock, snapping her pocket book closed and holding it for
her. He opened the door and steered her into the room which was
almost identical to his. She stood near the end of the bed and
turned and regarded him with a dazed goofy expression. He held
out her pocket book and she looked at it and then back at his
face.

�I wondered about you,� she said with a goofy smile and she
stepped towards him, ignoring the pocketbook he held out to her.

Dan screwed his face up wondering what she meant.

�Do American men all have big ones?� she said with a drunken
grin, her eyes blinking as she spoke. �All have big cocks?� she
said and she stepped in close and rubbed her hands deliberately
up and down his crotch; watching her hands and then looking up at
his face.

�Do you have a big cock Dan?� she said and she started to fumble
at his belt as her fingers found the lay of his cock in his
pants.

One hand releasing the belt deftly and gripping his zipper as the
other worked his cock. He was stunned by her pass at him and his
first instinct was to push her away. She was clearly the worse
for wear from the three margaritas she had drunk in quick
succession. But he had the hint of her perfume and she was so
delicious standing close to him with her hand roughly working his
hardening cock over, that the mental reminder he was married with
a young daughter did not come to alert him to the fact he should
repel her crude advances. He let her go on with it, tossing the
pocket book onto the other bed in the room. By the time he had
really taken in the situation she had his cock out and dropped to
her knees holding it in two hands in front of herself.

�You do have a big one,� she said with a grin and put her nose to
it. �M-m-m-m�smells wonderful,� she said and took it in her
mouth.

Santi Kaluskar was expert at sucking cock. She went at him like
she was starving; sucking it in deep and swirling her tongue over
it. All the while humming and purring as she sucked him. Dan took
her head and caressed her neck and ears and she looked up at him
and grinned impishly as she wiped his cock over her cheek and
then she licked the underside. It was almost an act of
subjugation which was at odds to her superior dominant attitude
of the day now ending. She sucked and fondled his cock and then
pushed his jeans down so she could get at his balls.

�O-h-h-h-h big balls,� she gushed and squeezed them so he
stiffened in fear she would hurt him. �Big hairy balls�I like
balls,� she groaned and engulfed his cock once more; clearly
relishing the cock and balls.

Dan was now highly aroused by the action and he held her head and
jerked his hips occasionally so he pushed deeper into her mouth
causing her to gag. She pulled off him and chuckled as she stared
up at him; a long string of saliva from her lips to the head of
his cock.

�Naughty, naughty,� she said staring at him; her eyes shining
dark at him. �You want to choke me�force it down my throat,� she
said with the goofy grin on her face, and then went down on him
again.

It was too much for Dan to bear and he roughly pulled her to her
feet and impatiently undid the buttons of the blouse. She stood
on wobbly legs and helped him release the buttons at the sleeves
of the blouse. She tried to undress for him but he was way ahead
of her clumsy attempts to help and he had the blouse off her
shoulders hanging from the waist of her slacks as he pulled the
teddy over her shoulders. He pushed her back on the bed and went
down on her breasts which were gorgeous with hard dark nipples in
the middle of the dark aureole. He slobbered crudely over her
breasts and she pushed a hand down between them and found his
cock as the other hand went around his neck and pulled his mouth
into her breasts.

�You want to fuck me,� she said.

He ignored her and nipped the nipple in his lips with this teeth.

�You want to fuck me,� she repeated and tapped his head. �You
wanted to fuck me today�they all want to fuck me,� she said with
a drunken giggle.

�I want to fuck you,� he said breathlessly and he pulled back and
unbuckled the belt on her slacks.

�Oh good�good�please fuck me,� she gasped and pulled his head
against her breasts.

He pulled the zipper down and yanked the pants from her; Santi
kicking each foot up in turn to help him get the garment clear of
her legs. She wore a stark white pair of panties cut high at the
leg and he saw the swell of her pubis and the lump of her vulva
at the crotch. He pulled the waist of the panties and the flimsy
garment slid down her legs; Santi once again lifting her feet to
assist getting the panties off her legs. Anticipating what was
about to happen, she tried to urge her butt back up from the
corner of the bed but she was sufficiently drunk that she had
little coordination. He pushed her back and when she felt more of
her was on the bed than off it, she lifted her legs high and her
palms came under her thighs as she held her legs up and open.

�You want to fuck me,� she said again and she stared at him with
a crazed look in her eyes.

Dan saw her sex, noting the pink almost purple inner of her labia
in contrast to the dark skin of her body. She was shaved;
completely denude of pubic hair.

�I want to fuck you,� he said crudely and pushed his jeans and
shorts off his feet; kicking his shoes with them so he stood
naked at the waist.

She grinned drunkenly at him and he pushed his cock in hand
towards her crotch. Her butt was at the corner of the bed and he
set a foot either side of the corner as he went into her;
standing hunched over her as she held her legs up. She was wet
and he was surprised at how juicy she was. Yet she was tight. She
was a petite stature and despite her arousal, he went into her
with some difficulty and had to push back and forth a number of
times so he slowly penetrated deeper. She went ape. He was
totally blown away by her as her legs dropped over his back as
she clamped him to her with her legs and her arms went around his
shoulders and she clung to him. As he finally penetrated her
balls deep, he began to fuck her hard.

�Oh God,� she cried out in delight. �Fuck me�fuck me�fuck me�you
big cock American,� she cried loudly.

Dan wished she would shut up as he was sure they would be heard
in the next rooms. But this was so fucking great he overlooked
her yapping and went at her hard. She humped back at him and
urged him on. Telling him to �fuck me�fuck me big cock�big balls�
over and over again. Dan had lost all sense of decency towards
her drunken state. He should not be doing this, not the least
because he was married and had never cheated on Jen before. And
she was drunk and clearly out of control. He fucked Santi
Kaluskar; spurred on by her urgings to him to fuck her and then
Dan becoming more urgent as her talking gave way to a series of
guttural grunts and gasps as he recognized she was getting close
to cumming. It spurred him on. His cock felt enormous gripped in
her tight canal and his ego soured as she was clearly getting off
on his cock. She wailed as she came and clung to him. He caught
up with her and rutted her roughly as he started cumming;
groaning and crying out in joy as he filled her and he came with
her as they clung together. Their timing was immaculate as if
they were sexually active together for years.

She passed out. Dan disengaged himself from her and stood back;
his chest heaving and gasping from the exertions of the fuck. He
looked down at her bare crotch and watched his semen oozing back
from her cunt as her legs hung either side of the corner of the
bed. He run his hand through his hair and looked at her; stunned
by what had happened. He looked around the room and stood
somewhat foolishly as he took in the situation. He�d just
committed adultery. That was clear. But this vicious little bitch
of earlier in the day had turned into a raging sexpot after three
margaritas and she had made the first move. He found his shorts
and jeans and dressed. Putting his shoes on as he perched beside
her as she slept. He eased her to one side on the bed and pulled
the cover back. She was light and he had no trouble putting her
naked body into bed. Pulling the covers over her, he picked up
her clothes and arranged them in a tidy pile on the other bed by
her pocket book. He slipped from her room about ten thirty.
Feeling a mixture of false male pride at having nailed the
beautiful, amoral, mouthy bitch; and pangs of regret at having
committed adultery on Jen. He climbed into bed feeling
surprisingly fatigued. Jet lag and the energy of the fuck with
Santi had taken its toll. Dan quickly fell asleep, his conscience
about infidelity blotted out by sleep.

***

Dan awoke about seven-thirty the next morning and lay with a
feeling of anxiety he did not at first understand. As he lay in
bed pondering this emotional state the events of the previous
night slowly filtered back. He�d cheated on Jen with a colleague
he�d known for less than twenty-four hours. Dan lay there feeling
like shit. The memory of the sex with Santi Kaluskar was of a
highly erotic carnal encounter. But he�d never cheated on his
wife before, and it was one thing he thought he could never ever
do. He�d done it and enjoyed it immensely. He got up and showered
and shaved and then dressed. By the time he went down for
breakfast he felt a little better although his guilt was still
nagging at him as he ate breakfast. He glanced around at
intervals in case Santi came in for breakfast but she did not
appear by the time he�d left to go back to his room. When he
reached the office just before nine, she was already working on
the task. He was the last to arrive for the day, although he was
not late. He greeted Lisal, Erich and Herr Grunewald who
responded cordially. He looked across at Santi Kaluskar who had
her head down and he thought she was avoiding him so he ignored
her; believing she was probably embarrassed about the previous
night. He glanced back at his other colleagues and he caught
Lisal staring at him with a faint smile on her lips. Erich called
the team to order and they began work for the day.

Throughout the day, Santi behaved much as she had the first day.
Directorial in attitude and showing occasional impatience towards
her colleagues when she felt she was not getting her point
across. Dan watched her fascinated. She seemed to behave as if
nothing had happened between them. Challenging him where she felt
he was wrong, and sometimes being a little caustic when he pulled
her on track at times when he thought she�d got off topic. It
began to occur to him she might genuinely have no recollection of
what they had got up to the night before. Perhaps the margaritas
had blotted out her recall. Either that or she had an ability to
behave as nothing had happened. Either way, she was just as
irascible towards her colleagues as the first day. During morning
break, she left the room and he did not see her until they
reconvened. At lunch time she ignored the sandwiches and salads
brought in, and left the room once more. Lisal sat beside Dan as
he ate lunch.

�Frau Kaluskar seems just as abrasive as yesterday,� she ventured
after there was a lull in their small talk.

Dan glanced at her and grimaced.

�She certainly is a piece of work,� he muttered with a wry smile.

�Strange�I thought she may have mellowed now she knows us,� Lisal
said looking at him. �Towards you at least,� she added and she
held his stare.

He caught a faint hint of a smile at her lips and felt himself
redden around his collar. Did Lisal know something about last
night with Santi Kaluskar?

�You�d think so,� he agreed. �I thought maybe yesterday�s display
was a way of asserting herself,� he added munching into his
sandwich.

Lunch finished, Dan excused himself from Lisal and left the
building to take a stroll around the grounds. He pondered the
events of the previous night and felt troubled by his cheating on
his wife Jen. He and Jen had been high school sweethearts and
he�d taken her virginity when they were both sixteen. Dan had
already lost his virginity when he was fourteen but between that
time and Jen, he had had no further intercourse, although had
fooled around often with a string of short-term teen girlfriends.
Then he and Jen had to part when they went off to college.
Initially their long-distance relationship was strong, but
eventually it began to wane as they started dating others and
they agreed it was foolish to continue so broke up. He fell into
a routine of one-night stands and twice went on road trips around
spring break time. He and his buddies indulged in group scenes
with promiscuous coeds, and Dan added some bizarre and erotic
encounters to his sexual resume. He met up with Jen after
graduating from college one Thanksgiving when they had both
returned home to their families for the holiday. There was a
spark still between them and they began dating again with Jen
relocating to Seattle with him. She was a physiotherapist by
training and both had good jobs when they married. He quickly
noted her confidence and expertise at sex and he often wondered
what her sexual odyssey had been in the years they were apart.
There was a definite sense of sexual emancipation about her. He
didn�t ask and she never volunteered anything, despite making it
clear he was not her only lover despite his taking her cherry.
She never deliberately brought it up and made the statement; it
was just an understanding he arrived at after a few months of
their renewed romance. For his part, when he obliquely referred
to the casual nature of his sexual history she screwed her face
up and shook her head when he hinted at the m�nages he�d been
part of; muttering �how adolescent� as she clearly disapproved of
his past behavior. He was disappointed as he had mentioned his
past in the hope she might enlighten him about hers. She had come
to accept he had had no serious relationship during their years
apart and she was relieved there were no past lovers lurking in
his background.


As Dan stood the far side of the building car park and looked
back at the facility, he pondered the crude display Santi
Kaluskar had put on the night before. Despite it being quite
erotic her vulgar language and carnal efforts during the sex
seemed totally at odds with who he believed she was. Was she
simply a frustrated young woman who coveted casual sex? Did she
live out repressed fantasies once behind closed doors? He could
not have guessed she was capable of what had happened just by
observing her in the project room. What was her story; what drove
her? Outwardly she seemed so uptight and almost aggressive. He�d
decided she was not a nice person up until the carnal escapade in
her room. And yet that morning she had not offered one hint of
recognition to him that it had taken place. Baffled by her
contradictory behavior, Dan wandered back to the building and
rode the elevator back to the office. He settled in to work on
their project and the afternoon seemed to go quickly as they
began to make some progress deconstructing the lifecycle to
launch of the troublesome product. At the end of the day a few
key issues had materialized which appeared to contribute to the
root cause of the products failure to launch. Erich called the
day ended at five thirty and as he packed up his laptop, Dan
noted Santi Kaluskar left before everyone else. He had half
expected her to stay and work on alone as she had done yesterday.
Lisal came up to him and warmly wished him a good evening and
left. He watched her leave the room, noting her tight skirt over
a rather nice butt as she left. Herr Grunewald came up and stood
beside him admiring Lisal as she left.

�Frau Kropp is very attractive, no?� Herr Grunewald said with a
twinkle in his eye.

Dan glanced at him and blushed and nodded his agreement.

�A beer I think,� Herr Grunewald said suddenly, and clapped his
hands.

He and Dan went to a small bar near the street where their hotels
were. Herr Grunewald was staying in a different hotel about two
blocks from Dan�s hotel. They sat and had a couple of beers and
talked about the task before them. As they talked, Dan noted the
rather leery attitude the older bespectacled man had towards
young women who came and left the bar. Frequently interrupting
the conversation to make rather crude whispered comments about
the women; what they might be like in bed and such. At some point
Herr Grunewald wrapped up the conversation and quickly stood and
rapidly excused himself; saying how he needed to get back to his
hotel in time to make his routine call to his wife. He left
abruptly and Dan smirked thinking Herr Grunewald was off
somewhere were women could be had. He did not know that for
certain but he had some idea the man had an itch he needed
scratched. Perhaps he was a secret hotel room porn purveyor;
scuttling back to his hotel to indulge in porn via the internet,
or on his laptop. Dan finished his beer and wandered along the
street to his hotel. He changed and went out and back to the
restaurant he had eaten with Santi Kaluskar the night before;
checking the patrons on entering in case she was there. She was
not there and he had his dinner quickly and went back to the
hotel. He called Jen and chatted for about twenty minutes;
catching up on what she and Mopsy had done since they talked the
day before. He felt he needed to keep her talking even when they
had exhausted the small amount of trivial news gained over the
last twenty hours or so. The need to hear her voice was driven by
the knowledge and guilt of his infidelity. He knew Jen trusted
him implicitly, as he trusted her. Both believing the other had
got their sexual exploration with other partners out of their
systems before reuniting and marrying. He went to bed quite early
and found he slept better than he had the night before. Talking
with Jen had purged his conscience somewhat despite it not being
confession. He had no intention of ever confessing to her.

The Wednesday went much as the previous two days. They made some
strides on their project and Dan also noted that Santi Kaluskar
was more relaxed. He wasn�t sure if it was because of the
progress they had made or the fact she maybe realized she had
been somewhat rude with her colleagues. At break and lunch time
she stayed in the room with the rest of them; leaving only to go
to the bathroom. In fact she seemed quite cordial with everybody.
Dan studied her to see if there was anything in her face that
might confirm she remembered what had gone on between them; but
there was nothing. She treated him as she treated the others,
albeit much better than she had started out. As the last part of
the afternoon wore on he decided her more friendly attitude was
due in part to the fact they had made a real breakthrough in
examining company process for release of the product. After a
conference call hastily arranged by Erich, she almost purred
hearing one of the voices on the phone admit to corner-cutting in
one particular part of the process. Santi had posed the theory
and the voice on the phone was now admitting it and she was
proven to be right. As they completed the conference call, she
sat beaming looking like the cat that got the cream.

�I thought as much,� she said grinning broadly.

What she really meant was �I told you all so�. She sat waiting
for the recognition which came somewhat begrudgingly as the
others were all in two minds about the successful breakthrough.
Pleased that progress was made but not pleased she was right.
After they had all offered mute endorsement of her hunch being
vindicated, Eric suggested they end for the day. Herr Grunewald
and Lisal both left promptly, bidding the rest good night. Dan
left next leaving Erich and Santi engaged in discussion. Back at
his hotel he had a quick shower and rang Jen and they chatted for
about half an hour. Hearing her voice was definite therapy for
his guilty conscience. He was about to say his good night when
there was a knock at his door. Using the interruption as a
natural point to end the call, he told Jen he loved her and Mopsy
and rung off and went to the door with the phone still in hand.
When he opened it he saw Santi Kaluskar standing there.

�Am I interrupting,� she asked almost apologetically as she saw
the phone in his hand.

�No�no I�ve just finished talking to my wife,� he said. �Hung up
just as your knock came.�

�Oh�right�great. How is she?� she said.

He blinked at her question wondering why she was at all
interested.

�Fine�she�s fine, our daughters fine,� he said standing looking
at her.

�Um�I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner again,� she said
staring up at him.

�Ah�well�yes�I think so,� he said a little unconvincingly.

�Excellent,� she said with a smile. �I feel buoyed by today�s
progress and felt like a small celebration�and not eat on my
own,� she added.

�Oh�in that case, if we are having a small celebration, should I
call Herr Grunewald?� he said holding up his phone.

�Ugh�no,� she said with a shudder. �I don�t feel like being with
Herr Grunewald,� she said.

He stared at her, surprised by her comment and body language when
he�d mentioned Herr Grunewald.

�Herr Grunewald has a way about him,� she began diplomatically.
�I feel he is undressing me with his eyes,� she added, her eyes
seeking his understanding.

�Ah�I get it. Yes I did observe a rather lewd attitude to women
last night when we had a drink together,� he said now getting her
objection to the older German colleague.

�Exactly,� she agreed. �I�ll drop my things off and meet you in
the lobby�fifteen minutes?� she said.

�Fifteen minutes in the lobby,� he replied, and she smiled warmly
and turned to go back to the elevator.

Dan was ready to go out now, but she obviously wanted to freshen
up. He thought about her comment about Herr Grunewald and
grinned. There was a rather seedy look about him. He pondered the
change in Santi�s attitude and put it down to the progress they
were making. He had thought she was a workaholic and driven by
success so it figured she�d felt good when they had made strides
towards discovering the root cause of the product launch failure.
And she had been instrumental in them getting there. He met her
in the lobby as arranged and as he approached her sitting on an
armchair with her back to him he had a brief pang of guilt
because he was about to dine with the woman he had cheated on Jen
with. He and Jen seldom went out to dine together as they had yet
to find a reliable babysitter for baby Mopsy. He came up to her
and she smiled and stood up when she saw him. His jaw dropped
slightly when he saw she was wearing a short black skirt and an
off-white silk blouse. Not business attire yet somehow smarter
than his being dressed in jeans and polo shirt. She looked
stunning and his admiration of her appearance was obvious. She
smiled knowingly at him appreciating the effect she was having on
him.

�Where would you like to go?� he said now feeling much better
about the dinner date.

�I went to a rather nice place last night,� she said. �Quite
reasonable prices to.�

�Lead the way,� he said sweeping an arm around to usher her
forward.

The restaurant was a little father than the one they had eaten at
that first night and she led him quickly to their destination.
The pair being shown to a table near the front of the
establishment. She ordered a glass of Chablis and he a stein of
local beer and they sat back to review the menu. The waitress
came with their drinks and they placed their food order and then
Santi sat back and took her wine glass and offered a toast.

�To success,� she said with a smile that showed her perfect
teeth.

�Success,� Dan replied and they touched glasses and tasted their
drinks.

After they had sipped their drinks she held her glass in both
hands and toyed with the stem. He could tell she was thinking
before she was about to speak and he sat patiently waiting for
her to speak.

�Do you travel away often?� she asked.

�Not often�hardly ever in fact,� he added.

�How is your wife coping this time�you are away, what, five�six
nights,� she said holding his gaze.

�She seems fine,� he said sipping his beer. �She has our daughter
to occupy her,� he added.

�Of course�children are always a happy distraction for the wife,�
she said sounding a little patronizing about Jen.

He was uncomfortable she had brought Jen into the conversation
and couldn�t help think it was deliberate to test him. Perhaps
she hadn�t forgotten their sex as he had thought she had because
she was drunk. Perhaps she thought he seemed too comfortable with
her given what he had done.

�What about you?� he asked quickly, turning the topic around. �Is
there someone who is waiting for you in Mumbai?�

She laughed out loud and then put a hand over her mouth and
stifled the laughter.

�I�m sorry,� she said realizing she must have seemed rude.
�No�there is no one. I am not married,� she added.

�I knew you weren�t married,� he said a little defensively. �I
meant is there a special someone you have.�

�I understand,� she said apologetically. �No�I am not currently
seeing anyone,� she said rather formally, understanding what his
question meant. �Well not romantically at least,� she added.

He frowned at her last remark and she smiled enigmatically
realizing she had sparked his interest.

�I am betrothed,� she said simply and sipped her wine.

He screwed his face in puzzlement and stared questioningly at
her.

�An arranged marriage�I am betrothed and will marry next April,�
she said with a smile.

�Oh�I see,� he said still looking a little puzzled.

He thought for a moment and she studied his face and grinned at
the sight of him trying to assimilate her reply. She reached a
hand across and gently touched his wrist.

�I am betrothed to a man�an Indian man in Canada. A successful
businessman and one whom our families are very happy to see marry
me,� she said.

�Oh�I see,� he said glancing at her slender fingers on his wrist.
�But you live in Mumbai at the moment,� he said.

�Yes�that�s right. So you see there is no romantic attachment for
me�well not as yet,� she said.

�And you�re happy with that?� he asked sounding skeptical.

�Of course,� she said. �Until then, I can live my life until the
point where we commit to each other,� she explained and she
squeezed his wrist gently and held his gaze.

He caught the inference and the pressure on his arm.

�So until then, you can do whatever you want,� he said guardedly.

�Exactly. My life to live until I pledge myself to him and our
future children,� she said.

They stared at each other for a few moments.

�Within reason and with some discretion of course,� she said
holding his gaze; her eyes seeming to twinkle.

He stared at her and got the meaning. She probably had total
recall of Monday night and here she was basically saying it was
part of her freedom. Still her life to live until she married the
man in Canada.

�And you can enter into marriage knowing you have lived�and
perhaps loved�before settling down?� he asked.

�Not much different to western couples,� she said with a grin.
�Accept in your culture marriages are rarely arranged or involve
parents in the matchmaking,� she said with a smile.

�The couples are usually in love before they decide to marry,� he
said wryly, not totally understanding how she could have her
parents find her a husband.

�What is love really,� she said. �People can fall in and out of
love any time,� she added.

�So you do whatever you like to ensure you have had a full taste
of life�s experiences before hand,� he said smiling at her.

�As I said, with some discretion,� she reminded him.

�Sounds very civilized,� he said smiling at her.

The waitress arrived with the starter course and she drew her
hand back and they began their meal. As they ate quietly he
pondered what she had told him. He realized the sex on the Monday
night was probably not planned by her but the freedom she was
articulating to him had allowed her to let herself go after a few
drinks. He wondered how often she did that. Had she been down
that road often when she travelled away from her family in
Mumbai? He suspected being discrete probably meant behaving
around her parents in India.

�You went to Oxford,� he said as the waitress removed their empty
starter plates and put the main course down in front of them.

�Yes that�s right,� she answered as she regarded her veggie meal.
�This looks delicious,� she said turning to the waitress.

�That must have been a bit of a culture shock,� he ventured
setting his plate ready to eat.

�Why so?� she asked in surprise. �I was actually born in
England�when my parents lived there.�

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. She told him about her family
business being established in the UK and she and her two older
brothers were all born there and schooled there until she was
eleven when her father relocated the business to India. Partly as
a result of his increasing dissatisfaction at the latent racism
in the UK and partly because India�s economy was starting to boom
as the UK was mired in economic stagnation.

�And your family sent you back to the UK for university,� he
said.

�Correct,� she said taking a forkful of food.

�How did that feel�having lived there, left as a girl and then
come back as an adult?� he asked.

She laughed and covered her mouth.

�Oh it was terrific,� she said with a sly grin. �It was so
exciting being away from my parents.�

�Uh huh�I�m sensing a party hound,� he said grinning at her.

�Very much so,� she said with a girlish giggle. �I didn�t know
where to start�� and she blushed and tapered off.

�How old were you?� he asked.

�Eighteen,� she relied.

�Much the same as a senior going off to a college in a different
state in the US,� he said seeing some parallel. �So you enjoyed
yourself�had a good time.�

�Oh yes,� she said grinning at him. �Perhaps maybe a little too
much sometimes,� she said with a chuckle.

�But not anything to regret?� he said smiling at her.

�Hmmm�not really. No real regrets. Perhaps one or two things done
differently if I had the chance to repeat,� she said.

�Care to elaborate?� he said teasing her.

�No�I think for me to know and no one else,� she chuckled.

�Understood�I know what you mean,� he said.

�So tell me about your college days. Did you leave home to go to
college?� she asked looking interested.

�Not too far,� he said with a smile. �Far enough to be away from
my folks but close enough to go home for a weekend if I wanted,�
he said.

�And what did you get up to?� she asked propping her chin on her
hands as she rested her elbows on the table.

He gave her a sanitized account of his party ways at college.
Leaving out any lurid details but she caught the inference there
were moments of indulgence and her eyes widened when it became
clear he had been in group situations.

�Intriguing,� she said, her voice lowered as if the other patrons
could hear.

He nodded smiling at her and recalled the glint in her eyes when
he had briefly explained spring break. She thought for a moment
then looked directly at him.

�You had sex with other people present?� she asked.

�Ah�well�yeah I guess that�s it�not to put to fine a point on
it,� he said sheepishly. �But you must understand it was kind of
natural. Like nobody went, �oh let�s have an orgy�. It was just a
natural progression once the party began,� he explained.

�Like Ibiza,� she said.

He narrowed his eyes in puzzlement.

�Ibiza�the Spanish island where young Euros go to party and have
casual sex,� she said candidly.

�I�ve heard of that�vaguely,� he said. �But I guess spring break
could be along those lines. Perhaps not so formal. Most get
togethers�parties�were privately arranged. I think this Ibiza
actually has nightclubs where anything goes,� he said recalling
some party scene porn he�d once seen that was supposedly from
Ibiza.

They finished their meal and ordered tea and coffee. Dan was
struck at how different she seemed when clearly talking about
stuff that she was interested in. He glanced at her occasionally
wondering just what experiences she had had at Oxford; and now as
she travelled away from home. Fortunately there had been no more
mention of Jen; and her hinting at her wilder life was exciting
to him. He noted she was keenly interested in his tales. They
finished dinner about eight fifty and this time Dan paid and they
set off back towards their hotel.

�Are you wanting a nightcap?� he asked as they neared a bar.

She turned and smiled knowingly at him.

�No I think I�d like to have some recall tomorrow,� she said
knowingly.

He stared at her and looked puzzled.

�I�m afraid hard liquor has the effect of blurring recall,� she
said still grinning at him.

�How much blurring?� he asked guardedly.

�Enough to know when I have enjoyed myself; but I actually lose
the pleasure of the recall,� she said with a grin.

�You recall the substance not the content?� he ventured, but felt
a little sheepish he�d suggested drinks.

�Exactly she replied. �If I�m going to enjoy myself, I want to be
able to relive it later,� she said.

They walked on past the bar.

�You must been thinking I was hoping to get you drunk,� he said
nervously; sensing they were on the verge of openly acknowledging
their sexual encounter of Monday night.

�You don�t have to get me drunk,� she said looking up intently at
him as they walked side-by-side.

Her reply shocked him and he paused half a step. She smiled
knowingly at him and made a movement of her head as if to say
�hurry up�.

They walked back to the hotel and called the elevator.

�Your floor?� he asked looking at the buttons.

�You�ve forgotten already,� she said with a smirk but punched the
button to his floor. �Perhaps we can have that nightcap from your
mini bar,� she added with an impish grin.

They had the drink. It was kind of perfunctory as both realized
what the real outcome was to be. She sat on his bed and sipped a
glass of white wine from a half bottle in his mini bar, and they
regarded each other without speaking. It seemed phony to Dan to
continue the pretense. She had dressed to kill and had been
pleased to see his reaction to her clothes. They had strayed onto
their past sexual histories over dinner, coming close to speaking
about the night�s sex they had already had since meeting. He
sensed they were going through the motions of being polite when
they had other thoughts on their mind. He placed his drink on the
side board and then took hers from her and beckoned her to stand.
He embraced her and she did not resist and they kissed
passionately at the end of the bed. When he broke the kiss and
unbuttoned her blouse she stood passively; studying his
expression of delight as he opened the top and felt her beasts
through her teddy. They kissed and gradually undressed each other
until she stood in her matching teddy and silk knickers and he in
his boxer shorts. She took his cock through the flies and stroked
him as they kissed.

�M-m-m-m,� she murmured into his mouth as they continued to kiss
while she held his hard cock in both hands.

He moved her along the side of the bed and pulled the covers back
and she eased back up onto the bed and pulled the teddy up and
removed it. He pulled his shorts off and his cock sprung free and
hard and she eyed it hungrily as she lay back on the bed. He slid
up beside her and they kissed as he pushed his hand in the baggy
leg of her knickers and felt the smoothness of her shaved pubis
and below as he slid his fingers down her slit. Santi moaned
appreciatively and lifted her hips to his touch. They engaged in
mutual foreplay for some time. Dan suckled at her breasts and
nipped lightly at her taut nipples with his teeth causing her to
moan appreciatively. His fingers stroking her inner labia and he
felt her increasing wetness. She jerked and groaned loudly each
time his fingers stroked her clitoris and eventually after a few
minutes of continual moaning, she gasped �pleasure me with your
mouth�please�use your mouth.�

He pulled the knickers down as she lifted her hips and once they
were discarded, she opened her legs wide and groaned �oh God yes�
as he crouched and slid his tongue along her plump sex and he
ravaged her. She grabbed his head urgently and pulled him in
against her and started to hump at his face. Santi was now
moaning and gibbering under her breath in her language. He had no
idea what she was saying but she was clearly highly aroused. He
moved a hand under her thigh and pushed his fingers into her wet
vaginal opening. Her moaning increase to acknowledge the
penetration and she began to move her hips rhythmically on his
fingers, trapping his head against her crotch with her hands. She
came hard after about three or four minutes of mouth and fingers.
Dan had reached his other hand up to a breast and was twisting a
nipple hard and she went rigid and began to sputter and tremble
as the orgasm ripped through her. She humped at his face and
crushed him into her crotch as she gasped and then wailed in joy
as she took her pleasure. In the midst of her jerking and
cumming, Dan let his pinky shove roughly into her anus lightly
slicked by his saliva and her juices running from her vagina over
her perineum. With his fingers jammed in both holes, Santi lifted
her hips with one final cry of joy and then collapsed heavily
back on the bed, gasping and moaning in the ebb of her orgasm.
She stroked his hair lovingly after about a minute or so after
the peak of her pleasure. He continued to suckle hard and she
gasped and pushed at his head.

�No�no�no more,� she said with a half chuckle in her voice. �It�s
so beautiful�sensitive�please�oh God,� she gasped as his tongue
stabbed her clitoris.

He smelled the sweetness of her sex and he luxuriated in the feel
of her vagina and rectum on his fingers; shoved in to the second
knuckle. His other hand still teasing the nipple of her breast.
She became quieter and slowly he eased back and gently pulled his
fingers from her two holes. She winced as the pinking pulled
clear of her tight pucker. Dan maneuvered across her leg and
suspended his body over her on his hands by her shoulders. She
watched him with heavy eyes as he balanced on one hand and
reached down for his cock which was hard but not rock hard as he
wanted. He jacked himself a few times and realizing his need, her
hand brushed his away and she took his cock and stroked him;
feeling his cock get harder. She spread her knees and pulled at
his cock.

�Come into me,� she whispered. �Fuck me hard.�

He punched into her and she gasped and pushed her hands up around
his back and opened her legs as he began to fuck her.

�Oh God yes,� she gasped as he went balls deep and despite her
recent orgasm, she bucked back against him as he crouched over
her and fucked for all he was worth.

He was incredibly aroused by her and despite her wetness, she
felt tight like a velvet hand around his cock. He pushed hard
into her and after he got close to coming, he eased back and drew
himself up on his knees. He took her ankles and lifted her feet
and held them up straight so the backs of her knees were against
his chest. He fucked her slowly, luxuriating in her tightness as
he staved off the urge to cum hard. She lay with her eyes half
closed and a smile on her lips as she watched him indulge himself
with her. After he was sure he could resume hard fucking, he bent
her legs back beside her body and fucked for all he was worth.
Quickly going beyond the point were he could pull back. He had
her bent so she was totally at his mercy and he fucked her and
came hard, Gasping and grappling with her body as he tried to
weld their crotches together. She was wailing and moaning and he
realized he had been so absorbed in his own pleasure that he�d
missed her rising vocalizing as she was brought back to the point
of orgasm by the carnal force of their coupling. Her nipples
seemed granite hard pointing up as her bent back legs framed her
breasts as he fucked himself inside her. Santi�s head tossed back
as she wailed and her body trembled in joy at the vigor and
roughness of the fuck. He turned her on with his dominance of
her.

They rested after he let her legs down and eased out of her. She
lay spent, literally fucked. They dozed for an hour or so and she
quietly got off the bed and went to the bathroom. He roused
himself as he heard the toilet flushing and saw her shadow move
around the end of the bed and she climbed in. It was near eleven
o�clock. They said nothing as he reached for her and began
languid foreplay. He aroused her quickly with his fingers and she
clung to his cock as he became hard under her touch and from the
eroticism of the moment. He took the lead once more and when he
felt she was wet and ready, he made her kneel and leaned her head
into the stack of pillows at the head of the bed.

�Oh God yes,� she groaned once more as he entered her balls deep
in one sharp shove; kneeling behind her.

He fucked her with the same roughness and vigor of earlier and
her fingers curled tightly into the pillows. She began wailing
into the pillows and he paused as she started to tremble and
shudder and she came hard a third time since the sexual encounter
had started. Her slim petite body quivering as the pleasure
jolted her. She slid a hand back and he felt her fingers graze
the cock sheathed in her. She was writhing like a cat in play and
he lifted her under the waist for fear she was going to flatten
down onto the bed. Holding her hips up he slammed hard into her
and lost it quickly. Overcome by the sheer sense of domination
and carnal lust as he drained his balls a second time into her
tightness. He collapsed over her and almost crushed her with his
large frame on her petite body. She was able to struggle out from
under him and she coaxed him to roll on his back and she cuddled
into the crook of his arm. They slept until she woke him at about
three o�clock in the morning.

�I need to go,� she whispered as he lifted his sleepy head to
look at her in the gloom of the room.

�Stay,� he said and pushed a hip suggestively against hers.

�No I must get back to my own room and have a couple of hours
sleep,� she answered.

He could not see why she didn�t just stay here and go back to her
room after daybreak. She ignored his plea to stay and slipped
from the bed. He turned a bedside light on and they both blinked
rapidly at the sudden brightness in the room. She dressed quickly
and then came up beside him.

�I�ll see you at the office,� she said and bent and kissed him
lightly on his forehead.

�What about breakfast?� he asked sleepily.

�I don�t eat breakfast,� she replied and backing away, she blew
him a kiss and left the room.

Dan rose and went and had a pee. Looking down at his cock as he
pissed and thinking about the great fuck that Santi had turned
out to be. No hard liquor required tonight. He checked the door
security was engaged and went back to bed and passed out. He
thought briefly of Jen and Mopsy and shuddered as a pang of guilt
hit him. He rolled back into bed and lay thinking of his wife and
daughter briefly before shrugging his shoulders and closing his
eyes. He went out like a light.

***

Dan went through Thursday in a state of smug anticipation. Given
the two nights of fantastic sex with Santi, he was anticipating a
third encounter after the days work ended. They made good
progress with compiling their conclusions, with Friday left to
review and then present it to their sponsors via Halo video
conference before winding up the group. To Dan�s dismay, Santi
behaved diffidently towards him just as she had done on Tuesday.
That evening, the entire team went out for a celebratory meal
hosted by one of the senior managers. To Dan�s chagrin, Santi
excused herself quite early, and without looking at him to offer
some anticipated signal that she was expecting him later, she
left. He felt deflated and her leaving ruined the general sense
of celebration for him. After the meal had finished and the team
had bid each other good night, he went back to his hotel about
eleven and pondered going to her door. But he resisted the urge
and instead, lay hoping she would come to his door. He woke some
time near dawn. Dressed in his boxer shorts and lying on the
bedcovers. Clearly his relationship with Santi Kaluskar was over.
He crawled back under the covers and slept fitfully for the
remaining two hours before getting up and showering. At the
office the team set about industriously working on the final
presentation of their findings and recommendations. At morning
break Santi left the room quickly, returning promptly when break
was over. And like the rest of the team, she worked through lunch
break to make sure they were completed for the Halo presentation
involving senior managers on three continents. The presentation
being hosted by Erich with the team providing explanations and
clarifications where required. All day Santi had acted as if he
wasn�t there. Not rude, just aloof and she avoided eye contact
with him.

The Halo presentation concluded and the senior manager for
Switzerland remained on-line and enthusiastically thanked the
team. Towards the end of his spiel, he and Erich became involved
in a sidebar conversation so the team tuned out and went about
tidying up their papers and such. Dan missed Santi leaving. She
slipped out while Erich and his boss were still talking and it
was only after Herr Grunewald came up to bid him goodbye that he
suddenly realized their job was finished. He looked around for
Santi and noted she had gone. He felt deflated and a little
annoyed she hadn�t bothered to say goodbye at least. After Herr
Grunewald had left, Lisal came to him and asked when he was
leaving.

�Not until tomorrow morning,� he said.

�Oh she said in surprise. �I thought you were also leaving
tonight like everyone else.�

�No�tomorrow,� he said. �Santi Kaluskar is also leaving tonight?�
he added; surprised as he believed she was leaving Saturday like
he was.

�As far as I know�she said she was,� Lisal said.

He nodded feeling somewhat lost as he�d anticipated another night
with Santi; although her ignoring him Thursday and today made it
seem unlikely even if she were staying tonight.

�Ah well then,� she replied. �We have time for a drink perhaps,�
and she turned to Erich who had shut down Halo. �Drink Erich?�
she asked optimistically.

Erich cried off citing a family commitment and she nodded
disappointedly and then turned to Dan. �Well perhaps we two can
have a small celebration,� she said with a warm smile and she
gently touched his arm

He glanced at her hand on his arm and then at Lisal and he saw
the slight rise of her eyebrows.

�Yes�yes of course�that would be great,� he said reminding
himself she was actually very attractive despite her middle age
and Rubenesque figure.

Dan bid Erich goodbye, thanking him for his guidance, and he and
Lisal went to a bar that was near the office and sat and chatted
as they had a drink together. She told him about her life and
spoke of her divorce and touched a nerve with him when she
confessed to being the guilty party.

 �Do you regret it?� Dan asked studying her face; realizing they
were two of a kind.

Lisal looked at him for a moment and smiled.

�Yes and no,� she said. �I can�t say ours was a loveless
marriage. I know Hermann loved me and the children. But he was
not IN love with me,� she said with a sad smile. �He was in love
with his work. Perhaps it was the best thing for us but it
happened for the wrong reason.�

�And the other guy?� Dan ventured carefully.

�Ah�bad choice on my part,� she said with an ironic chuckle. �He
was also married�but for him�it was much worse as his marriage
also failed because of it and he had much more to lose I think,�
she said staring at him.

�Ouch,� Dan said with a feigned wince.

�Exactly. Two marriages destroyed�mine not so serious as his,�
she said.

They stared at each other for a moment and Dan felt somehow sorry
for Lisal.

�I have nights free when my children visit with their father,�
she said candidly.

�How old are your children?� he asked.

�Rolf is seventeen and Anna fifteen,� she answered. �They have
dinner with their father Tuesdays and then again Fridays when
they stay over until Sunday. I get Tuesday, Friday and Saturday
nights free,� she said smiling warmly at him.

�Sounds very democratic,� he said with a chuckle as he packed up
his laptop.

�It is. Despite how our divorce came about, we get on well with
each other,� she said. �We make it work, and truly I think we are
better for it.�

He smiled and there was another pause in conversation.

�So�you Dan�you are married of course,� she said glancing at his
wedding band.

�Yes,� he said simply.

�Any children?� she asked.

�Yes�a daughter�nearly two,� he answered.

�Ah�so young�a wonderful age,� she said seeming genuinely
interested.

�Well as it�s our first, we�re learning as we go,� he said with a
chuckle.

�Treasure her�treasure your wife,� Lisal said sounding wise.

He looked at her and smiled.

�Life can change in an instant,� she continued. �One small
mistake, one thoughtless move and they could be lost forever,�
she added and stared at him.

He held her gaze, puzzled by her need to offer this advice.

�Listen to me,� she said with a chuckle. �I made a mess of my
marriage and here I am trying to dispense wisdom,� she added.
�Anyway�I must go. It has been wonderful working with you Dan.
Maybe we will work together again,� she concluded as she stood
and gathered up her handbag and jacket.

Dan stood and he went to shake her hand but she leaned and kissed
him on both cheeks which he had noticed was a common European
custom of greeting and farewell. He watched her leave and he sat
down and looked at his nearly empty glass. Why had she giving him
the cryptic warning about marriage. He thought about Lisal and
the times he had caught her looking at him through the course of
the week. Was it possible she knew of him and Santi Kaluskar? She
said she knew of Santi from past times the young Indian woman had
worked with her. Had Santi had relationships with other
colleagues, just like she had with Dan? Lisal must know about
Santi�s situation. It was clear to Dan that Santi was promiscuous
and determined to experience a sexual freedom she would lose soon
enough. Perhaps he was just one in a long line of casual
liaisons. He felt deflated. The recent discussion with Lisal
about her divorce and her reference to Jen and Mopsy had
reignited his guilt about his infidelity. Was that Lisal�s
intent; a friendly warning borne of experience? He walked wearily
back to his hotel. Tomorrow he would start the long journey home.
He had plenty of time to ponder his cheating and try and put it
into perspective. How would he react when he saw Jen and Mopsy at
the airport waiting for him? He had never had a big secret like
this before and he wondered how he would appear to them. How
could he mask it? Would his guilt show? As he sat on his bed at
the hotel he looked at his phone. He dialed Jen and as soon as
she answered, he felt the tears well up in his eyes.

�I love you,� he said struggling to keep control.

***

Lisal walked into the small wine bar and saw Santi standing alone
at one end of the curved bar. The young Indian woman smiled
warmly as the older Swiss woman approached.

�Where have you been?� Santi asked, leaning up to kiss the taller
woman on the cheek.

�I had a quick drink with Dan,� she said, and noted Santi�s
surprised reaction to her words.

Santi�s eyes darted as she studied Lisal�s face.

�Just a quick drink to say goodbye,� Lisal said placing her
handbag and jacket on the free high barstool beside her; and
drawing her hands through her hair so it sat on her shoulders.

Santi stood staring at Lisal; expecting a fuller answer as to why
she had met with Dan.

�And to give him some friendly advice,� Lisal added. �I think I
left him with something to think about.�

�You�re angry with me,� Santi said pouting, and touching Lisa�s
arms.

�Not angry,� Lisal said and rubbed Santi�s arm reassuringly. �I
just wish you would avoid married men,� she added and frowned as
a small way of reproach. �And stay away from colleagues,� she
added.

�You�re a colleague,� Santi said squeezing Lisal�s arm.

�Well�that�s different,� Lisal said holding Santi�s gaze. �I know
what makes you tick.�

Santi glanced around the bar to see if anyone was watching them.
Satisfied nobody was taking any notice, she gently brushed her
hand down one of Lisal�s ample breasts.

�You understand the root cause of my actions,� she said sweetly,
smiling at Lisal.

�Root cause analysis,� Lisal said with a smile and she felt a
surge of hunger for the petite young Indian woman before her.

�Tuesdays and Fridays,� Santi said. �You have Tuesday�s and
Fridays free�let�s go to my hotel now�I have to leave tomorrow,�
she said holding Lisal�s gaze with a knowing stare.

�Aren�t you hungry,� Lisal asked knowing neither had eaten
dinner.

�Oh yes�I�m hungry,� Santi said running her tongue over her
bottom lip. �And I haven�t eaten since Tuesday,� she added.



The End


� Romany 2010. Protected by copyright law.

Do not copy, edit, or post this on any website without the
author�s permission.


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Root Cause Analysis