 
                       --===The New Partner===--
 
The New Partner
 
 
 
    "So, unless you have further questions concerning the
contractual obligations of working for this firm...?"
 
    "No, sir.  I understand all of this perfectly.  I'm very
excited to be working for Harrison & Hamill."
 
    "You don't just *work* here, young lady," Mr. Harrison said
with a smile.  "You're a partner!"
 
    Bianca signed the contract, and passed it over to Mr.
Hamill, who affixed his signature, and then gave it to Mr. Tippling,
who filed it away into its proper folder.
 
    "Now then.  It was good of you to come in on Christmas Eve
to sign the paperwork and to get up to speed."
 
    "I don't want to slow anything down, sir.  I know this firm
is responsible for several major pending cases, and I want to be useful
as quickly as possible."
 
    "Very good.  We have to go to a charity banquet, and the
office is closed.  Mr. Tippling will remain, to fill you in on
everything you need to know."  The two senior partners rose, and hands
were shaken all around.  "We'll leave you two to your work.  Merry
Christmas."
 
    "Merry Christmas," the junior partners said in unison.
 
    "I'm sorry to make you work on Christmas Eve, Mr.
Tippling," Bianca said.
 
    "Look, the only reason I'm not the most junior partner in
the firm is because *you* are now the most junior partner in the firm. 
Call me Gary, Mrs. Ross."
 
    "Bianca."  The two smiled, and then Gary turned to a new
stack of paperwork.
 
    "First thing's first.  We have to fill out all of your
paperwork for insurance and benefits and... well, you get the idea. 
This should take us until... oh, I'd say spring..."
 
    Bianca laughed at his joke, and smiled.  "It's okay.  I'm
used to doing lots of paperwork.  I worked as a paralegal before I got
my degree.  Let's just get started, shall we?"
 
    The two sat down and began to sort through all of it, one
horrid document at a time.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    The pair had been working for four straight hours before
they decided to take a break.  They had filled out all the necessary
paperwork, and had begun to review the important cases the firm was
currently involved with.  Bianca straightened up, and put her hand to
her lower back, trying to ease the pain from sitting so long.
 
    "You'd think they could buy more comfortable chairs," she
said ruefully.
 
    "Oh, they have them," he said.  "The senior partners have
chairs that cost two grand a piece.  Us peons get the cheapies."
 
    "I'm going to get a soda.  You want anything?"
 
    "No, thanks."
 
    Bianca walked down to the soda machine, which sat in a
niche.  As she turned away from the soda machine, her eyes glanced out
the nearby window.  What she saw made her freeze in place.  She walked
stiffly over to the window, unbelieving of what she saw.
 
    "Gary?" she called out, loudly enough for him to hear her
down the hallway.
 
    Gary walked casually down the hall, figuring she was having
some kind of problem with the machine.  He found her staring out the
window.
 
    "Look," she said, her voice hushed in awe.  Gary looked out
the window, and his jaw dropped.
 
    The pair had been working in a room with no windows, in the
interior of the building.  They had not heard the howling winds raging
outside.  When they looked out, what they saw was a world of white. 
They could not see the ground from where they were standing on the
twelfth floor; the snow was blowing that heavily.  Pressing his hand
against the glass, Gary could feel it shake; the winds had to be above
gale force strength.
 
    "I wonder how bad it really is," he said, his voice as
subdued as hers had been.  "Let's go downstairs and see."
 
    Bianca nodded, but didn't speak.  She stayed right behind
Gary as he led her to the elevator, and she stood close to him on the
trip down.  She didn't like storms, and had moved from Florida to get
away from the threat of hurricanes.  She'd forgotten that northern
blizzards were almost worse.
 
    There was no need to do something as foolish as step
outside to find out how bad the storm was.  In truth, they could not
step outside: a drift of snow had piled up against the front entrance,
completely blocking access.  They walked around the ground floor until
they found a door that wasn't blocked, only to find snow two feet deep
greeting them.
 
    "Two feet... in four hours.  My god, what a storm."  Gary
said this after he'd managed to lever the door shut against the blowing
winds.
 
    "What are we going to do?  How do we get home?" Bianca
asked, her voice under tight control.
 
    Gary let out a short bark of a laugh.  "In this shit, you
don't.  You stay put, unless you like winding up a popsicle.  C'mon,
let's head back upstairs."
 
    In the elevator, Gary wondered at Bianca's seeming
inability to cope with a simple snowstorm.  He didn't yet know enough
of her history to realize it was her first.  He walked down to one of
the offices, which was unlocked, of course, and then picked up a
phone.  Luckily, it still worked.
 
    "Who are you calling?" Bianca asked.  He hadn't realized
that she'd followed him.
 
    "My wife.  You should probably call home, too, so they
won't worry.  We're not getting out of here today... or maybe even
tomorrow.  This could take a while to clear out."
 
    Bianca hadn't considered that, and walked away, twisting
the ring on her finger in worry.  She didn't like being stuck in a
building, no matter its size.  The word *trapped* kept echoing in her
mind.
 
    Back in the office, Gary had reached his house.  "Hey,
Darla. It's me.  I'm still at work.  What's the weather look like at
home?"
 
    "A little bit of snow.  No big deal, really.  Why?"  Gary
Tippling lived well outside of the city; he wasn't surprised the storm
had missed his home.
 
    "It's a complete white-out here, Honey.  We've got like two
feet of snow on the ground already."
 
    "Well, you'd better get moving, before all the roads are
closed!"
 
    "Darla, I don't think you understand.  There *aren't* any
roads here.  Everything's covered in two solid feet of snow.  I
couldn't even tell which car was mine in the parking lot.  I'd need a
snow plow just to get onto a street."
 
    "Gary, tomorrow is *Christmas*!  You've got to be home!"
 
    "Honey, I want to be home as much as you do, but I'm not
superman.  I can't magically clear a path through the blizzard."
 
    "But we have *commitments!*  The Adlers are expecting us! 
And we were going to the Hoffman party, too!  Do you realize how bad
it's going to look if we don't show?"
 
    Gary took a deep breath, trying to control his temper. 
Here he was, stuck in the middle of a snowstorm, and all his wife was
worried about were their social engagements.  "Darla, I'm aware of all
that.  Somehow, I think they'll understand that I wasn't able to make
it."
 
    "You're not even willing to *try*, are you?" Darla accused
him.  "I bet it's not even as bad as all that.  You just don't care. 
I've spent two years building up our social status, and you're willing
to throw it all away for-"
 
    "Darla," Gary said, interrupting her angrily, "I don't feel
like listening to you rant about how this will affect our 'social
status.'  Maybe you don't get it, but this is a serious storm!  If I
was going to go out in it, I would certainly get stuck, and probably
freeze to death!"
 
    "Oh, let's not be melodramatic, Gary.  It can't possibly be
that bad, or the phone lines would be down."
 
    "The phones," Gary tried not to snarl, "are underground. 
Now, I'm going to hang up, before one or the other of us says something
he will regret later.  I'll call you later.  Good-bye."
 
    Gary hung up the phone before his wife could respond.  He
marched out of the office, ignoring Bianca, who was sitting in a chair
across the way, and walked down the hall, muttering to himself angrily
about the stupidity and sheer arrogance of his wife.  Bianca sat with
her arms wrapped around herself, waiting for him to come back.  She
didn't like being alone in this place with a storm outside.
 
    After about ten minutes, Gary did come back, with Bianca's
soda, which she had left on the window sill.  He had one of his own now.
 
    "Sorry about that," he said calmly.  "Darla really knows
how to press all the right buttons to piss me off."
 
    "Sounds like it.  What's her deal?"
 
    "Darla married me for status.  I thought she loved me at
the time, and I know I was in love... well, I was in love with what I
thought she was.  Anyway, we go to a lot of gatherings of young
couples... you know, the kind who don't have kids yet.  We stand around
and talk shop and brag to each other about how we're going to take over
the company one day.  It's all bullshit, really, but Darla believes in
it.  We were invited to three separate Christmas parties for tomorrow. 
Of course, she's mortified that I can't take her now."
 
    "Christmas parties, on Christmas Day?"
 
    "Like I said, these couples don't have kids, and they're
old enough not to want to do the whole mom and dad thing.  So, why not?"
 
    "I suppose.  So, she's really upset?"
 
    "Yeah.  She thinks I'm concocting the whole snowstorm just
to cheat her out of her parties.  Shit, I don't know what she was going
to accuse me of... maybe she thinks I'm having an affair."
 
    They both laughed a little nervously at that thought.
 
    "How did your husband take it?" Gary asked.  He had seen
the ring on her hand; it was obvious she was married.
 
    "I didn't call him."
 
    "Don't you think you should?"
 
    "Why bother?  He hardly notices when I'm at home, anyway. 
So long as the food doesn't run out, he'll be fine.  Hell, why
interrupt him?  He's probably busy screwing the maid, anyway.  It's our
third maid.  He's felt compelled to fire each one when I've caught them
together.  I think he thinks I won't know he's just going to fuck the
next one, as well."
 
    "Sorry."
 
    She waved her hand.  "Ross married me for money.  I wish
I'd realized that at the time, but, like you, I was in love with an
image that didn't last."
 
    "You refer to your husband by his last name?" Gary asked
incredulously.
 
    Bianca arched an eyebrow at him.  "His family calls him
Ross the Third.  They call him that not because there are two others
before him, but because they named him Ross... Ross... Ross.  I don't
know who was drunk when they were naming the child, but..."
 
    Gary couldn't strangle the laugh that he was holding in,
and finally he had to let it out before he hurt himself.  He tried to
apologize to Bianca when he settled down, but she wouldn't let him.
 
    "I suppose it is funny to others.  To me it's just
pathetic... but then, I've had to put up with his family."
 
    "I'm sorry, really.  But... naming your kid Ross Ross
Ross... is..." Gary broke off in a fit of giggles again.  Bianca smiled
wanly at him; his laugh was somewhat infectious.  After a little bit,
she was chuckling, too.
 
    When they had both finally settled down, Bianca grinned at
him.  "Thanks.  I needed that."
 
    "No problem."  Gary took a deep breath, and let it out. 
"Well, we're stuck here.  You want to try to get some more work done?"
 
    "Might as well.  Not much else to do.  Which case were we
working on?"
 
    "Simpson v. Skinner.  Now, this is interesting..."
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    Over the course of the next several hours, the two kept
working.  Bianca tried to focus her mind solely on their task, to try
to push the thoughts of the storm outside out of her head.  For the
most part, it worked, until they would pause to stretch, or get a soda,
and then the thought of it would come crashing back in on her, and she
would have to hug herself to keep from shivering.
 
    Gary had noticed this behavior, but had been afraid to
mention it.  He didn't want to pry into her private life, and a
person's fears are the most private thing about them.  When it started
to grow dark outside, though, he figured they'd worked enough.
 
    "What say we raid the snack machine?  I'm hungry."
 
    "Oh, there's nutrition for you!" Bianca said with a laugh.
 
    Gary laughed with her.  "It's either that, or we go down to
the cafeteria, and you can make me dinner, since I can barely cook
things that come out of a box with directions on it!"
 
    Bianca laughed lightly. Normally, such a comment would have
set off her 'sexism' alert, but coming from Gary, it came out as the
self-deprecating joke he had meant it as.  "No, I don't think that will
work, either.  I'm not much of a chef myself.  Okay, Cheetos it is!"
 
    The two gathered a fair collection of junk food on a table,
and began munching.  Once they started, they both realized that they
were fairly hungry, even for this completely worthless collection of
foodstuffs.
 
    "Bianca," Gary said, trying to approach the subject
obliquely, without prying.  "Why does this storm bother you so bad?  I
mean, it's nasty, but it's just a winter storm..."
 
    "It's my first," she said simply.  Seeing the shock on his
face, she explained.  "I was born in Kissimmee, Florida.  When I was
eight, we moved to Ft. Myers.  I did college at the University of
Miami, and law school in Florida, as well.  I've spent my whole life in
a place where it never snows.  I came up here to get away from
hurricanes, and look what I get myself into!"  She shuddered as the
building creaked ever so slightly in the winds.
 
    Gary unconsciously reached out and put his hand on her
arm.  "It's okay.  This'll pass.  So, you grew up in Florida, huh? 
I've been there on vacation a couple times... did the Spring Break
thing once in Ft. Lauderdale, but... seemed nice enough.  I suppose the
hurricanes would be a problem."
 
    "I was nearly caught in Andrew.  I got out of the area only
six hours before it hit.  That was it for me.  I knew I wanted to live
somewhere that didn't get leveled every few years.  Now look where I
am."
 
    "Well, it could be worse.  We have light, heat, shelter,
food - such as it is - and good company... well, at least I have good
company," he said with a smile.
 
    Bianca giggled at him.  "What about you?  How did you end
up here?"
 
    "My parents always wanted their son to grow up to be
President.  Well, of course, the best career for a lying politician is
a lying attorney, so...  I didn't get a whole lot of say in the matter;
I was raised with a goal in mind.  I don't much mind, though... I like
being an attorney.  Didn't expect to marry a bitch... oops, sorry,
didn't mean to..."
 
    Bianca waved it off.  "Can't be any worse than the bastard
I'm stuck with.  How did you meet her?"
 
    "We met in college.  She came up to me during a dance one
night and, well, things progressed from there.  I think back on it and
realize that she must have scouted me or something, like I was some
kind of football player.  She had planned out every phase of our
relationship, and I, being the self-conscious type that didn't know any
better, just went along with what she wanted.  I was popping the
question before I ever really knew what had happened, and she's just
sort of always held the reins in our relationship."
 
    "That's got to get old."
 
    "Tell me about it.  I hate to admit that her accusation is
somewhat true; I do try to spend as much time working as I can, just to
get away from her.  And I'm not all that sorry that I'll be missing
tomorrow's little get-togethers.  Most of those people are arrogant
assholes."
 
    "Why do you put up with it?"
 
    Gary shrugged.  "Mainly, because of the pre-nup.  She would
get half of everything, and probably manage to get the *better* half,
if you know what I mean."
 
    "Any good lawyer should be able to bust that pre-nup apart,
if it's that unfair... hell, you're a good lawyer, or you wouldn't be
here..."
 
    Gary shrugged again.  "I know... I think I just don't want
the stress in my life...  I dunno, divorce always seems like such a
lonely thing to do."
 
    "I suppose."
 
    "How did you meet Mr. Ross?" Gary asked, chuckling again. 
Bianca smiled; he had a way of making the annoying funny.
 
    "Bar scene.  I was lonely, he was there... call it a
one-night stand that turned into a standing nightmare."
 
    "Is he abusive?"
 
    "No.  He knows better.  I'm not one of those women who'd
put up with that kind of shit.  I'd have him drawn and quartered, and
*then* sentenced to two years in county lockup.  But he plays around
constantly.  He doesn't even try to hide it very well.  I wasn't
kidding when I said he was probably screwing the maid.  One time I
caught him doing it with her in *our bed*.  I really let loose on him
that night.  Hell, I can't remember the last time he and I had sex."
 
    "Do you ever...?"
 
    Bianca shook her head.  "And don't ask me why I don't,
because I don't know.  He sure as hell wouldn't care, assuming he ever
found out, and he wouldn't try.  All he cares about is the money.  The
cars, the clothes, the house: so long as all that stuff is there, he
couldn't give a rat's ass about me."
 
    "So, why don't you kick him to the curb?"
 
    "Pretty much the same reason you don't.  He told me one
time that he was boffing this lawyer, said she told him how much
alimony he'd get from me if we divorced...  It was a not-so-veiled
threat; he knows he's got me over a barrel."
 
    "Sounds like a prize dirt-bag."
 
    "He is that."
 
    Gary picked up his soda, and gestured to make a toast. 
"Here's to spouses.  God's punishment for having fun in our youth!"
 
    "Amen!" Bianca said with a smile, clinking her can against
his.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    The pair talked for a while after their "meal", and then
they each logged on to the Internet, to see if they could get weather
reports concerning the storm.  It soon became obvious that they would
be trapped for at least the next day or so; the storm wasn't easing
off.  For a while, they involved themselves in purely personal web
surfing, just to kill time, but soon enough they realized how futile it
was, and decided simply to go to bed.
 
    "Maybe we'll get lucky, and the storm will quit early."
 
    "Don't hold your breath," Bianca said glumly.  "Storms
generally don't cooperate very well."
 
    Gary smiled.  "Well, whatever.  I'm taking the couch in Mr.
Martin's office.  You might want to use the one in Ms. Lewis' office...
it looks pretty comfortable."
 
    "Okay.  See you in the morning?"
 
    "If the building doesn't fall down," he said with a smile.
 
    "Thanks a lot!" she said, but smiled at him anyway.
 
    Gary took off his shoes, and settled down onto the couch. 
Even as early as it was, it was easy for him to become sleepy; the wind
outside was a noise he'd grown up with, and it was lulling him quickly
into a stupor.
 
    He didn't know how long it was before he felt a soft hand
on his shoulder.  He blinked a few times, and then rolled to look up at
Bianca.
 
    "Whatsa matter?" he said drowsily.
 
    "I'm sorry.  There's no way I can sleep alone in this
wind.  You mind if I take a piece of the floor?"
 
    Now, Gary was a little too much of a gentleman.  He rolled
to a sitting position.  "No, you take the couch.  I'll take the floor."
 
    "That's hardly fair," she said.  "After all, I'm the one
who's changing things around."
 
    "There's no way I can let a lady sleep on the floor when I
have the couch, okay?  Call me a chauvinist pig, but that's the way my
mom raised me."
 
    "Well, I'm not going to take the couch, either!" she said
firmly.  Both of them looked at each other in exasperation, and then
laughed.
 
    "You want that part of the floor, or this part?" Gary said
with a smile.
 
    "I'll take this part here."
 
    "Okay."  Gary lay down on the floor right next to the
couch.  It was ridiculous that neither of them would now be
comfortable, but he accepted that as a matter of course.  He would not
be seen to be rude.
 
    In only a few minutes, they both realized that sleeping on
the floor wasn't all that uncomfortable, since the rugs were thick, but
it was *cold*.  The heat didn't seem to make it all the way to the
floor.  Gary got up after only a couple minutes.
 
    "I'll be right back.  There are some emergency supplies in
the hall closet.  Maybe there are some blankets."
 
    "Okay," Bianca said, shivering to herself.  She looked over
at the couch, but she'd be damned if she would take the only
comfortable 'bed' after she'd forced him out of it.
 
    Gary was back in a few minutes.  "Good news and bad news. 
Which would you like first?"
 
    "The bad news."
 
    "There's only one blanket."
 
    "Hmm.  Well, what was the *good* news?"
 
    "There was a blanket.  You were supposed to ask for that
first," he said with a grin.  She giggled.  "It's a good-size blanket. 
I think we're adult enough to sleep side-by-side in order to share it,
don't you?"
 
    "Yes, I think so."
 
    Gary unfolded the blanket, and then dropped down to the
floor.  He flicked the blanket to spread it over both of them, and then
lay down.  He turned his back to her, and he could feel her bottom
pushing against his; they huddled close together to keep warm.  He
would have laughed, but he didn't want to offend her.  After only a few
more minutes, he was sound asleep.
 
    Bianca knew that this would be humorous to anyone who saw
it; she was sure she was the only person in the state who was terrified
just then.  She pushed herself back until she was fully pressed up
against Gary.  His warmth and bulk - what there was of it - were
reassuring to her.  She closed her eyes, and after a long period of
restlessness, was able to go to sleep.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
    When Gary began to wake up, he did so in his usual way,
slowly and somewhat groggily.  He felt a warm body pressed against him,
and in his sleepy state, he just assumed it was his wife.  Unusual as
it was for her to be frisky, he knew he should take advantage of it
while he could.  He rubbed his hands up and down her back and pulled
her close to him.
 
    In only another moment, he realized his bed wasn't this
hard or furry, and that he wasn't sleeping with his wife.  His eyes
shot open, to be confronted by a just-awakening Bianca, who could feel
his hands, which had nearly reached her ass.  He blushed crimson, and
tried to move away from her, only to find that, during the night, they
had tangled themselves in the blanket.
 
    By the time Gary managed to get himself free of the
blanket, he was totally flustered.  He made a few unintelligible
noises, and departed from the room, to take care of his morning needs,
and to hopefully let some of the blood retreat from his face into the
rest of his body.
 
    When he returned, he found Bianca sitting on the floor,
stretching a little to loosen up.  He couldn't really look her in the
eyes, but he felt he should say something.
 
    "Uh, I'm sorry about that... when we woke up, I mean.  I
tend to be a little out of it in the morning, and... I guess I didn't
really remember who you were...  I... aw, shit," he said, finally,
turning away because he was blushing again.  He didn't see Bianca
trying to hold in her giggles.
 
    As Gary turned back, Bianca held out her hand.  He took it
and helped her to her feet.  She continued to hold on to his hand, and
then she very, very lightly smacked it with her other one.
 
    "Bad hands," she said, scolding them seriously.  Gary
smiled.  His smiled was erased by confusion when Bianca embraced him
and kissed him on the cheek.
 
    "Good boy," she said with a grin.  "Thank you for putting
up with me last night.  I guess I'm just not a bad-weather person."
 
    Gary tried to regain his composure as she let him go. 
"It's okay.  Everyone has their little pet peeves."
 
    "It's still coming down like crazy out there," Bianca said,
staring out the window.  "I wonder how many feet of snow are out there
now."
 
    "You'd probably rather not know."
 
    "We're going to be stuck here until June!" she said glumly.
 
    "I could think of worse people to be stuck with," Gary
muttered to himself.
 
    "What?" Bianca asked, not having heard him.
 
    "Nothing.  I'm going to go start the coffee machine. 
Then... hell, I don't know.  Might as well do some more work."
 
    As he was about to leave the room, Bianca's voice stopped
him.  "Gary?"
 
    He turned back.  "Yeah?"
 
    She smiled sweetly at him.  "Merry Christmas."
 
    Gary blushed, then he said, "Merry Christmas to you, too." 
He retreated from the room before she could make him blush for yet
another time this morning.  *What is it with me and women?  I can't
keep control of myself around them no matter what!  That was pretty
much how Darla roped me in the first place.*
 
    That line of thought led Gary to things he didn't want to
think about, so he focused on making the coffee.
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    The two coworkers returned to their study of cases for
about half of the morning, but after that, they had run out of material
to go over.  They each took a little personal time, just to be alone,
review email, and see what was going on outside their whited-out
ping-pong ball of a world.  The snow kept coming down, and even Gary
couldn't believe it.  He estimated, after walking down to the second
floor, that there was at least four feet of snow on the ground.  This
was ridiculous; he'd never heard of such a storm.  It had to be the
worst in over a hundred years.
 
    They broke for lunch, which consisted of another batch of
junk food.  Gary had made a raid on the cafeteria, and had at least
managed to get them something decent to drink.  They sat together,
munching away, lost in thought.
 
    "I'd never have thought, six months ago," Bianca finally
said, "that I'd be stuck in my office quite this literally."
 
    Gary chuckled.  "Yeah.  This wasn't really how I planned my
life to turn out, either."
 
    "What *did* you expect?" she asked, apparently interested.
 
    Gary set down his chips.  "Well, the whole lawyer thing, as
I said, was a given.  But I think I more expected to be a trial
attorney, maybe a prosecutor."
 
    "Criminal law?"
 
    "Yeah.  Protecting the public, that whole thing.  But...
well, Darla talked me out of that.  She didn't see any social future in
being a DA."
 
    "Geez, what's she been smokin'?"
 
    Gary shrugged.  "Anyway, she managed to talk me out of it,
and so here I am, shuffling corporate paperwork back and forth, doing
the occasional contractual dispute and a lot of work with corporations
negotiating this or that.  It's dull, most of the time."
 
    "Why don't you change?"
 
    He shrugged again.  "Just caught in the rut, I guess.  Plus
it would mean a nice long battle with Darla, and I don't know as I feel
I'm up to that."
 
    "You can't let her run your *whole* life," Bianca said,
before she could stop herself.
 
    Gary just nodded.  "I know.  I guess I'm just a little too
easygoing... it's too easy for her to push me in the direction she
wants to go."
 
    Bianca nodded.  "At least she seems to be gentle about her
manipulation.  Ross does his through thinly veiled threats about my
career and my future."
 
    "He's not what you wanted in a husband, is he?"
 
    "Not hardly.  When I was in my teens... you know, those
'formative years', I always dreamed that my husband and I would do
things together, that we'd sit on the couch and talk about things.  I
thought we'd spend time at the park, or at the zoo..."
 
    "Definitely not at socialite parties?" he asked with a grin.
 
    "No, none of those!" she laughed.  "Darla's not what you
wished for, either, is she?"
 
    "No.  Darla has no ambitions other than her own
self-importance.  She wants to look big in other people's eyes without
actually doing anything.  I had hoped that my wife would be my equal. 
Darla isn't, really... she just expects me to treat her like she is. 
She's shallow, vain, and not terribly bright, when I'm honest about
it.  Trying to explain one of our cases to *her* would take all day."
 
    Bianca nodded.  "I know the feeling.  Ross is smart enough,
but he doesn't give enough of a shit about me to *want* to discuss a
case."  They each looked down, and then they looked at each other.  It
was a moment of mutual blushing.
 
    "Listen to us," Gary said.  "We sound like two old-timers,
bitching about what could have been."
 
    Bianca laughed.  "Too true.  We do have something in common
with those old-timers, though."
 
    "What's that?"
 
    "Neither of us seems to be able to do anything about it."
 
    "Going it alone's kind of a scary proposition."
 
    "Yeah."
 
    The two lapsed into silence for a long moment.  After an
uncomfortably long pause, Gary said, "Look, we can't just *sit* here. 
I know we worked our asses off never to have to do paralegal work
again, but..."
 
    "But it will keep us from going completely nuts.  You're
right.  Let's do it."
 
 
 
-----
 
 
 
    Gary was in the middle of a lengthy email to his brother,
who lived in Hawaii - the bastard - when the computer turned itself
off.  Gary cursed at length until he realized that the computer wasn't
the only thing that was off.  He hadn't bothered turning on the room
light, but he now realized that the lights in the hall were also out. 
He stepped out into the hallway, and muttered under his breath.  It was
apparent that main power had gone out in the building, and the only
illumination came from the emergency floods at each end of the hallway.
 
    With a sigh and another muttered curse, he decided he
should find Bianca, to make sure she wasn't stuck somewhere without
power.  After banging his shins on two trash cans and a desk, he
finally made his way over to the maintenance closet, where he grabbed
the flashlight kept there.  He wandered down the hallway, looking for
her in each office.  They'd separated for some more 'alone time' about
a half hour before.  When he got to the conference room, he stepped
in.  He didn't see her, but the sight out the window caught his
attention.
 
    Walking to the window, he set the flashlight down and
stared out.  The snow had turned to sleet.  It was an ice storm; worse
by far than a snowstorm.  The snow was something they could deal with,
but it was obvious that the ice had taken down the transmission lines
outside of town.  There was no electric light to be seen within his
view, which covered a dozen city blocks.
 
    "Aw, hell," he sighed.  Just then, he heard a whimper
coming from behind him.  He turned quickly, and with his eyes now
adjusted to the darkness, he saw her sitting on the edge of the
conference table, holding herself and shivering uncontrollably.  He
knew she didn't like storms, but this was far worse than she'd been.
 
    Gary moved to her side, and put his arm on her shoulder. 
"It's okay, Bianca."
 
    "What happened to the lights?"
 
    "The storm must have knocked out power.  We'll be okay. 
The heat here runs on a separate emergency system."
 
    "Turn the lights back on," she said.  It was as if she
hadn't even heard him.
 
    "I can't, Bianca," he said calmly, quietly.  "The power
went off."
 
    Bianca's shivers turned into shudders, and Gary felt
compelled to wrap his arms around her.  He sat next to her on the
table, holding her against himself.
 
    "God I hate the dark," she whispered, over and over again. 
Gary pulled her more tightly to himself, and began to stroke her hair. 
He couldn't really think of anything to say at this point, so he just
kept holding her.  His hand strayed from her hair down onto her back,
and she seemed to ease a little at that.  He didn't really know what he
was doing now; he only knew that he had to keep her calm, so she
wouldn't panic on him.
 
    As Gary continued to rub her back, Bianca slid against him,
pushing herself more firmly into his grasp.  He didn't really mind
that, though his mind was a little confused about what he should do at
this point.  Part of him told him just to go with it, and another part
told him that she wasn't thinking straight.
 
    His hand, however, was now caressing her lower back, very
close to the spot it had reached that morning.  At that point, Bianca
turned her face up to look at him.  It was too dark for him to read her
expression, but he didn't think she was angry.  Her one hand came up to
caress his cheek, and she craned her neck upward.  He automatically
tilted his head down, and their lips touched.  The kiss began soft, but
it soon deepened into a passionate exchange.  When Gary let his tongue
slip out to brush against her lips, she opened her mouth immediately to
welcome it.  Their tongues were soon dancing wetly, first in her mouth,
then in his, then back in hers.
 
    Gary resolved himself not to make the first move, but he
didn't have to.  Bianca shifted herself, raising her body up to be more
in line with his, and pressed herself tightly against him.  She
embraced him, and began to caress his back.  He kept his hands moving
across her back, as well, though he made sure not to go too far down.
 
    Bianca was having none of that.  She kept her arms around
him as she leaned backward, pulling him down on top of her.  He moved
his arms out from under her to support his weight, and continued to
kiss her.
 
    By this point, it was obvious to Gary that she was going to
let him... or more accurately, probably going to *encourage* him... to
take liberties with her.  He had never cheated on his wife, but this
wasn't due so much to any sense of honor or loyalty to her, as much as
it was that he simply didn't go looking for trouble.  Now, with this
attractive, vulnerable, and friendly woman urging him on, he simply
couldn't resist.
 
    Gary moved his hand softly upward, until it was cupping
Bianca's breast through her clothes.  She moaned into his mouth,
enticing him to move more vigorously.  His hand kneaded the flesh
beneath it, and she groaned, arching her back to push her tit into his
hand.
 
    Emboldened, Gary let his hand move from her breast to the
buttons on her blouse.  She almost objected at first, until she
realized where his hand had gone.  At that, she allowed her own hands
to begin pulling on his shirt, trying to free it from his slacks.  By
the time he had all of her buttons undone, she had managed to get his
shirt loose, and had already undone both of the cuffs.
 
    The pair broke their kiss for a brief moment, so they could
both remove their shirts.  Nothing was said, and it was too dark to
exchange glances, though Gary could see the outline of her body,
waiting for him.  He reached out and pulled her up to him, embracing
her and returning his lips to hers.  As their tongues reacquainted
themselves, he found the clasp for her bra and unhooked it.  She
squirmed against him, helping him to slip the garment off her body
without breaking their embrace.  He suddenly felt the hot points of her
nipples pressing deliciously into his bare chest, and that aroused him
in a way that he had not felt in quite some time.
 
    Eager now, Gary's hands reached down and found the clasp on
her skirt, which was undone in under a second, and was soon followed by
the zipper.  Bianca wrapped her arms around Gary and physically lifted
herself off the table, allowing her skirt to be yanked clear of her
body.  She wasn't able to settle before Gary had also grabbed the
waistband of her panties and dragged them clear.  As she settled onto
the cold mahogany of the table, she shivered slightly.
 
    Gary broke their kiss, and stepped back just a bit.  He
kept in contact with Bianca, so she wouldn't think he was leaving, but
there was something he wanted to do.  His wife didn't much care for
anything more than just missionary-position sex, and she would never
have done anything so decadent as to screw on the dining room table,
let alone a conference table.
 
    Gary let his hands trail across her body as he knelt.  He
carefully pulled her forward, until her pussy was just at the edge of
the table.  Bianca wasn't quite sure what he had in mind, but when his
fingers started dancing across her breasts, she didn't much care what
else he was doing.
 
    That is, until Gary leaned forward, and his tongue swiped
gently across her swollen pussy lips.  Bianca squealed in surprise and
pleasure, and her hands flew to the back of Gary's head, pushing him
firmly against her crotch.
 
    Gary smiled to himself, and continued to move his tongue
back and forth.  He didn't need to see what he was doing for this; he'd
known several girls in college who had loved his tongue.  He stiffened
it, and thrust his tongue into Bianca's dripping cunt like a small
cock.  She groaned out loudly in joy as he began to move his head back
and forth, fucking her with his tongue.  Bianca was rolling her hips,
trying to push him more deeply into her.
 
    After a little while, Gary sensed she was almost there, and
so he pulled his tongue out - a difficult task, with her hands mashing
him against her pussy - and moved upward.  His tongue quickly found her
clit, and began to wiggle against the very tip of it.  Bianca's head
rolled backward, and she had to let go of his head so she could use her
arms to support herself, as her back arched and she nearly fell flat
onto the table.  Gary kept up his ministrations, and Bianca screamed in
bliss, awash in the wonderful sensations he was causing between her
legs.
 
    In only a few more seconds, Bianca gave a loud shriek of
ecstasy, and her body twisted and bucked, lost in the throes of
orgasm.  Gary continued to flick her clit with his tongue throughout
her climax, only letting her go when she started to come down.  He
could hear her breathing heavily as he rose from his position on the
floor.  Silently, he unfastened and removed his slacks.  His cock was
as hard as he could ever remember it being, and he hoped she wasn't
done for the night.
 
    He needn't have worried; Bianca was far from through. 
After a few moments to catch her breath, which Gary filled by toying
with her nipples and rubbing little circles in her thighs with his
fingertips, she was more than ready for more.  His patience and
caresses were rewarded.  She wrapped her hands around his neck and
pulled herself up to him, embracing him and giving him a deep,
soul-burning kiss.  It was then that she felt his stiff rod trapped
between them.
 
    Breaking their kiss, she asked coyly, "Is that for me?"
 
    "Only if you want it," he said with an unseen grin.
 
    Bianca rocked her hips, rubbing his hard cock through her
pussy hair.  "I want it," she said with a low growl, "*inside me*."
 
    Gary didn't need to be told twice.  He leaned back
slightly, and Bianca reached down to grab his rock-hard prick.  She
slipped it into position, aimed right at her waiting hole.  As Gary
moved forward, she let her hand slide along his length as he slid into
her, slowly and gently.  Bianca was tight, but she was also wet and
very aroused.  Gary's slow movements were not enough for her.
 
    Rocking her hips, she moved her hand back up to his neck. 
She then leaned back until she was lying on the table, with him bent
over her.  She wrapped her legs around his waist, and purred deep in
her throat.
 
    "I think this kitten needs to be fucked," she said huskily.
 
    Gary got the message, and he began to pound into her
furiously.  Bianca was immediately panting and groaning, her head
twisting side to side as Gary thrust into her as hard as he could.  He
straightened up slightly, to give him a better angle, and he thrust
even harder.  Bianca's legs came unwrapped from his waist as she was
lost in the passion.  He grabbed them, and pulled them up until her
ankles were on his shoulders.  This tightened her pussy around him even
more - as if that was necessary - and increased the feeling for both of
them.
 
    Bianca was screaming almost constantly now, lost in the
waves of ecstasy rolling over her.  When Gary reached out and tweaked
both her nipples at the same time, she lost it.  Her body quivered and
shook as a massive orgasm tore through her.  Gary kept pounding into
her as she climaxed, sending her higher and higher.
 
    Even as Bianca finally started to come down from her high,
Gary didn't stop; he was getting close to his own climax, and he didn't
want to slow down now.  Bianca didn't have the strength - nor the
desire - to stop him, and she simply rode the wave as he pushed her
over the brink one more time.  Her body was wracked with spasms, and
her cunt rippled along his shaft.  Gary finally reached the edge, and
plunged off into his own world of white-hot pleasure.  His cum spewed
deep into Bianca's pussy, and her body shuddered at the feel of it
splashing within her depths.
 
    The couple writhed together for long moments before they
were able to come down from their climaxes.  Gary gently moved Bianca's
legs to the side, and she wrapped them around his waist again, trapping
him inside her.  He leaned down, and took her into his arms, kissing
her passionately.  Their kiss didn't lead to anything more only because
both of them were thoroughly out of breath.
 
    When Gary finally released her lips, she lay back on the
table, and looked up at his shadow.  Her eyes misted slightly, as she
realized how comfortable she felt being with this man.  *I've known him
for less than two days, and he already treats me better than Ross ever
has.  I could see us together in a way that I never really did with
Ross.*  Bianca lifted her hands to run them gently over Gary's chest. 
*I only wish he felt the same way.*
 
    Gary looked down at the lovely woman beneath him.  He
couldn't see her expression, but he could feel the way her body reacted
to him.  *She's so incredible.  She's the perfect woman.*  Gary studied
her body with the tips of his fingers, noting the slight shivers this
caused in her.  For a fleeting moment, he thought about his wife, but
he held her up against the woman beneath him, and her image faded
instantly into the mists of unimportance.
 
    Gary sighed contentedly, and said, "This is going to be..."
he faltered for a word.
 
    "Interesting?  Exciting?  Fun?" Bianca offered.
 
    "Complicated," he said.  He gave another unseen grin, and
then leaned down and kissed her again.  When he released her this time,
he stayed closer to her.  He said, "But at least I won't feel so alone
anymore."
 
    "No.  Neither will I.  Merry Christmas, Gary," she said,
repeating her earlier comment.
 
    "Merry Christmas.  And welcome to the firm," he said with
another kiss.
 
 
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---...
 
 
 
    

