A silence, warm and relaxed, followed. Then Scott spoke softly.
"Sandra?"
The way he said it let her know that he was about to ask her something important, and Sandra intuitively knew what it was.
"Yes?"
Her heart pounded in her ears while she waited for him to speak. Out of the corner of her eye she saw his lips move, but before he could speak he changed his mind. In that instant, Sandra knew her fourteen-year-old daughter had come between them.
Maybe this is the time to bring it out in the open and get it over with, Sandra thought. But before she could frame her words in her mind, Scott swung his legs over the bed and started putting on his clothes.
He remarked that it was late and that he had to work the next morning. Sandra was about to force the issue, but then lost her nerve. She smiled and told him what a wonderful time she had had with him.
When he was dressed, Scott made a date to meet Sandra for lunch the following day. He told her that he would call Mister Stachdt in the morning and see if he could arrange an appointment for the afternoon.
"Why so quick?" Sandra asked.
"If you want the contract," Scott laughed, "get it before he sees some other girl he wants to make the Hurricane girl."
Sandra agreed to ask for the afternoon off and told him that she would wait for his call in the morning. They kissed good night, a long, warm kiss, and Scott left.
As she turned over to go to sleep, Sandra promised herself she would have the Kathy matter out with Scott at lunch the next day.
CHAPTER TWELVE
"What?" Scott gasped, his just-finished lunch turning over in his stomach.
"I said, Scott," Sandra repeated patiently, "that I know about you and Kathy."
"She told you?" Scott asked, his heart pounding in his throat.
"Kathy?" Sandra laughed. "No, she didn't tell me. Kathy would never tell me something like that."
"Then how…"
"Oh, Scott, did you really think you could keep something like that a secret?" Sandra scolded softly. "I suspected it the first day I met you. The way you two looked at each other. Remember, I'm Kathy's mother. Then I happened to overhear the two of you in your apartment one afternoon…"
"Then it was you who dropped the handkerchief and matches," Scott remarked.
"Oh, is that where I lost it?" Sandra exclaimed with a smile. "I've looked everywhere. The point is, Scott, that I don't care. In fact, I think that it's probably the best thing for Kathy. Now she won't fall in love with the first man who gets her hot. So, in case you're worried, I'm not going to do a thing about it."
"Well," Scott sighed, "I can't deny that that's a relief!"
"I feel we had to get it out in the open, especially when we may be working closely together for the next year."
"But…" Scott began.
"No, let me get if off my mind, Scott," Sandra persisted. "Now, if I accept this offer from Hurricane this afternoon, it's true that we'll be working close for some time, isn't it?"
"Well, yes, but…"
"And that's going to keep you and I and Kathy fairly close," Sandra continued. "What we can't have is all three of us sneaking around behind each other's back. Last night meant quite a bit to me, Scott."
"And to me."
"And I'm not sure, Scott, where we go from here. We need some ground rules."
"Sandra," Scott began, reaching across the table to take her hand in his, "I have no idea what you think of me at this point, but I like you very much. My proposal would be that we limit it to you and me."
"That's not fair to Kathy, Scott," Sandra said, squeezing his hand and smiling, "but I'm just woman enough to accept it. Isn't it awful to be in competition with your own daughter?"
"Sandra, last night I…"
"Not now, Scott," she interrupted quickly. "I wouldn't want that now. Let's just leave it where it is and see what develops, okay?"
"Okay," Scott replied slowly. "But I want you to know…"
"Not now, remember?" Sandra interrupted. "Now tell me all about Mister Stachdt and how I should behave."
Scott smiled and slowly began giving her his impression of the dignified industrialist. He told her everything he could remember about his one encounter with the wealthy man and related the terms Stachdt mentioned for Sandra.
"It all sounds like a dream," Sandra laughed. "I hope I can pull it off!"
"You will," Scott assured her. "Hey, we've only fifteen minutes to get to our appointment with him!"
Scott paid the lunch bill and they drove down to the Hurricane Towers. At one-thirty promptly, they were ushered into Mister Martin Stachdt's private office on top of the Hurricane Towers. Three sides of the office were solid glass and the view of Dallas was breathtaking.
Very much the gentleman, Martin Stachdt walked them around his office explaining the various sights in his panoramic view. Then the three of them sat on a designer sofa and chatted. Stachdt asked Sandra a number of questions about her life and seemed pleased with her straightforward replies.
"I'm glad you're single, Sandra," the industrialist remarked. "Oh, don't misunderstand. It has nothing to do with any personal liaison between us. I'm afraid I'm beyond that point in life. If I were twenty years younger, though, you'd be in real danger. My remark was directed at the fact that you'll be able to travel freely to complete the project I have in mind."
They chatted awhile longer and Stachdt offered Sandra a salary of one hundred thousand for the year, plus all of her wardrobe. Sandra accepted and the industrialist called his secretary in to type up an agreement. When the secretary returned with the typed agreement, Sandra and Stachdt signed it. He then gave her an advance check for six thousand dollars and apologized that they couldn't talk longer, but that he had another appointment.
"I can't believe it!" Sandra exclaimed when they were once again in Scott's car. "I simply can't believe it!"
"I think we should celebrate," Scott laughed.
"Oh, yes! How?" Sandra laughed.
"Well, how about some iced champagne?"
"That sounds delicious!" Sandra agreed.
"And we can drink it in your bed," Scott suggested with a broad smile.
"You lecher!" Sandra laughed. "Why not? I'm not even sure we need the champagne."
"It will relax us," Scott said. "I'll stop and buy some that's already iced."
"Okay," Sandra said, boldly reaching over and placing her hand on his leg, "but don't be long!"
"There's a liquor store…"
"Hey, what about my car?" Sandra exclaimed.
"We left it at the Chateau."
"Okay," Scott laughed. "I'll take you there, then pick up the champagne and meet you at your apartment."
"In bed," Sandra laughed.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"What took you so long?"
The sight that greeted Scott's eyes made his pulse quicken. When he arrived at the apartment, he opened the door and walked in. Sandra's voice from the bedroom told him that she had beaten him back. He walked in to find her stark naked and stretched out on the bed with her legs spread wide apart. She had both hands on her pussy and her fingers were holding the lips of her cunt wide open.
"Jesus!"
"Would I make a good whore?" Sandra giggled. "I've always wondered what it would be like to be a whore. Would I make a good whore?"
"You'd make a lousy whore," Scott laughed, "but you're one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen."
"I don't know whether to be angry or feel complimented," Sandra said.
"Why not a little of both?" Scott chuckled. "You're even more beautiful and sexy when you're angry. How about some champagne?"
"Okay, if I don't have to get up and get the glasses."
"Why don't we drink out of the bottle?" Scott suggested.
"Okay!"
Scott popped the cork and handed the ice cold bottle of champagne to Sandra. She brought it to her lips and took a long, deep swallow.