Adele de Clune

* * *

Arriving home Adele found she was home alone with Yvonne for dinner. She had a bath and dressed in just a top and sandals went down and Yvonne, preparing the dinner, asked her to take a bottle of wine and two glasses into the TV room. They sat on the sofa and after switching to several channels Yvonne said, "TV is crap at this time of day."

She topped up her glass and placed a foot on the glass-top of the coffee table and her dress fell away.

"Damn."

She leaned forward to pull her hem back over he knees by Adele said, "No, please. I want to see what you're wearing."

She sat back and Adele butt-shuffled closer and pulled the hem back over Yvonne's hips.

"Adele, really."

"It's just that I've never seen anyone in a bustier -- at least that's what you're wearing with those fancy garter straps isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Take your dress off and give me a good look."

"Adele, are you coming on to me?"

"Just a little bit. You have sexy legs."

"For an older woman," Yvonne snorted. "I'm almost fifty-three."

"Yes but so what? My comment still stands."

Yvonne gulped her wine and standing up, hands on hips, glared at Adele and said, "Do you really want to look at my aged flesh?"

"Yes."

Yvonne unzipped her dress and dropped it.

"That garment is gorgeous and you look really great in it."

Snorting, Yvonne said, "If only Ralph would share this intensity of interest in me that you are doing."

"When were you last fucked?"

Yvonne went to chide Adele for talking to her like that but then flopped down beside her and said, "About three weeks. That's serious neglect you know."

"I know. Here, let me lick your pussy."

"Adele, for goodness sake. We can't. Someone might see us."

"Who?"

"I don't know. Ralph might come home early from his Rotary Club meeting."

"Has he done that before?"

"No but there's always a first time."

"We would hear the garage door."

Looking relieved Yvonne said, "Do you really want to attend to me?"

"Yes. You deserve a treat. You have been very good to me."

Flustered, Yvonne excused herself and ran upstairs, leaving Adele wondering what was up, but Yvonne was back, carrying Adele's hairbrush. "I may as well keep myself usefully engaged while you are working on me."

Adele laughed and pushed Yvonne against the back of the sofa and moved in. As she pulled Yvonne's underpants (not panties aside) Yvonne moaned, "Oh god, I haven't had a female do this to me in decades."

Before too long Yvonne found herself motivated enough to throw away the brush and to strip off and she then removed Adele's shirt and bra and Adele worked off her skirt and panties. That left her nude. Yvonne wore only her bustier and stockings and she pulled down the top of the bustier and began heavily massaging her breasts until she exploded into Adele's mouth.

Adele then lay Yvonne on the sofa and snuggled in beside her. They then launched into a bout of licking, kissing, sucking and finger fucking and were still at it when Ralph came home from his meeting.

"Oh god," Yvonne shrieked. "That's the garage door opening."

"Go off and shower!" Adele said. "By the time he gets here he'll find me watching TV. Remember if he wants a fuck, fuck him to avoid him becoming suspicious."

Yvonne ran off laughing and called, "You are so exciting."

Next morning Adele was uneasy as she went to breakfast expecting Yvonne, racked by guilt, to close down on her. Instead she found Ralph bending over the ham, cheese and tomato on sliced bread under the grill and Yvonne advancing to her, arms out-stretched and looking radiant.

"Good morning darling," she cooed, hairbrush in one hand, and hugged her niece. She whispered, "What we did last night was so amazing, so uplifting. But I must not do it again. I'd lose Ralph over it; he'd find such behavior unaccepted,"

That elated Adele. There were no incriminations and her aunt looked a little more lively than usual. Hello the world?

"Sure, I understand completely."

Ralph, scooping the hot 'toasties' as they were called in this household compared with the more colorful English term 'mousetraps' on to three plates. "What do you understand completely?"

Guild flooded Yvonne's face by Adele had been trained to combat interrogation and said with ease, "I was asked to call if not coming home to dinner because Yvonne goes to extra effort for me."

"Oh yep. Come and get it girls and no combing hair at the fucking table."

"Ralph please, that uncouth language, we have a guest."

"Guest? Adele's family."

As Ralph turned to put the oven tray on the bench Yvonne whispered, "Christ, in that case I've fucked my daughter."

They convulsed.

Ralph sat and said could he share the joke and Adele said glibly, "Of course. I was telling Yvonne something I once saw scrawled on the women's restroom wall: 'From what I can see all men have small dicks -- when they're in'."

"God it doesn't take make to amuse women. You should be back working with me darling to keep that mind better active. You did say you'd return when our kids left home."

"Yes I always did say that."

"You have nest fear," Adele said. "Not empty next syndrome but rather the fear of leaving the nest."

"Oh god, do I?"

Ralph pushed. "I can give you a senior position in accounts now and you can take over from Herbert a year out from now when I'll offer him retirement and a seat on the board."

"So then I would have my old roles back?"

"Yes and you belong there."

"Say yes Yvonne. You'll be out in the real world again."

"I'll think about it. Why don't you offer Adele a job? I'm worried about her going to work in security. I want her becoming feminine and to rejoin women's world."

"Well, I could place her in security I believe."

"I mean in the office Ralph."

"You mean sorting invoices."

"Ralph please. It's our job to help make Adele fly -- we owe it to her parents to do that. I want her in design."

"Design!" croaked Ralph and Adele's gurgle "Design" almost sounded like a croak. They looked at Yvonne in disbelief.

Defiantly, Yvonne said, "Yes -- she's an outdoors person and her engineering studies must have been substantially about design and she has an imagination that soars."

"I studied how to design bridges and other structures... and then how to blow them up to effect maximum disruption and chaos," Adele said weakly. "Exactly what do your factories produce Ralph."

"Industrial and outdoors clothing with emphasis on hunting attire."

Ralph and Yvonne broke up when Adele murmured, "Well at least that's better than churning out wedding dresses."

"Did skinflint Noel Hill pay you for yesterday?"

"No Ralph, I was signed on and start this morning. This is my first pay day."

"Well call him and tell him you quit, that you're coming to work for me. You can fax your decision with signature to him from my office."

As soon as she finished breakfast Adele made the call. It wasn't the job offer by what Yvonne has said about rejoining the women's world that had moved her profoundly. At present she felt she was in limbo between the world of the male and the world of the female. Anyone who believed they were the same world was wrong, very wrong, at least technically and emotionally. It took exceptional talent for a woman to manage to think like a man. She's acquired that ability through training.

Noel Hill was coldly polite and then disclosed why. "So Ralph has won this round despite all the effort we put in with you yesterday."

"I'm sorry."

"Being sorry is not good enough. What about Kerry?"

"What about Kerry?"

"Don't bother sending written notice. Your application to be hire won't have been completed yet. I'll have it pulled."

Noel cut the call abruptly.

"I bet Noel was sore," Ralph chuckled as they drove off to his offices. "He's such a competitive cuss and will see this as me poaching you."

"Have you?"

"Nah, it was Yvonne's idea. You heard her. We'd never spoken about it. By the way, don't call our plants factories. My people won't know what you're talking about. If you don't mind I want you inducted as anyone who comes here applying for a job. You will be employed whatever the outcome."

"I wouldn't want it any other way Ralph."

Carla Cross head of HR entered Ralph's office and said yes she'd have coffee. Ralph called his PR to fetch it.

"Where is she?"

"Thelma has take her to coffee. It's mid morning."

"You took a long time."

"Well I wasn't dealing with the normal recruit, was I?"

"What?"

"Ralph you did warm me your niece was an unusual young woman."

"Yes, yes. Get on with it."

"Well she is unusual."

Ralph frowned and took his coffee from his PA with a polite thank you.

"I took so long because I put her through every test I have relevant to this company's operation. Ralph, your niece is a near genius. The findings were so staggering I called the military academy where she graduated with her master's degree. Ralph, they were forced to 'downscale' her marks, something they rarely do. In her practical work she was high average and in academic work her marks went through the roof. Before long she was refusing to answer oral questions in class because of the rough time she was receiving from fellow students. I was told she was one of a handful of top students to have graduated in engineering in the long history of the institution. The woman manager in their equivalent of HR looked up Adele's record in other areas of training and the dominating comment was 'outstanding'. She was officer material but her medical report blocked that avenue."

"But why?"

"There had been some trauma in his life before she signed up for army training. In layman's terms the condition was cited as being psychologically vulnerable' with a rider that she could be expected to fully emerge from that in time."

"I see," Ralph said. He then told Carla about how Adele when eighteen was thrown from a crashing helicopter seconds before it exploded before killing the rest of her family.

"Ohmigod, how dreadful. Should we get her medically examined?"

"No, she's fine. She may already be out of it. We need to normalize her life."

"Well here, according to the tests, she can do anything, even take over from you and possible do an even better job, but she lacks experience of course. Her only experience relates to warfare but she may come in useful to blow up a competitor's plant."

"That's probably truer than you think Carla."

Carla looked appalled. Ralph laughed and said not to worry, that comment of hers would not be repeated.

"So where do we put her?"

"Yvonne actually made a hugely intelligent suggestion: design."

"Okay let's consider that. First and hugely foremost is that jealous and bullying bitch Fran you call your head designer. She'd make Adele's life a misery especially once she finds out Adelle is your niece."

"Well I won't worry about that. Next?"

"But..."

"Don't worry Carla. Adele will knock out Fran's teeth if warranted to find peace but think of Fran finding for the first time being faced with someone who'll stand up to her."

"Oh god, blood on the design floor."

"Perhaps, or we can picture Fran coming under intense pressure from someone trained in psychological warfare. You have read Adele's CV I would think?"

"Yes. Ah, well next we have her lack of design experience in clothing."

Ralph laughed and said they could be talking about it all day. "She's hired Carla and the only vacancy is assistant chief designer. Please tell Fran it is my expectation that my niece will be more than adequately trained."

"Niece? Couldn't we just say Adele is a friend of a friend's daughter?"

"Who has the same unusual name that Adele and I do? Please personally take Adele to her new job and introduce her to Fran as my niece and that Adele as assistant chief designer has no experience in clothing apart from wearing it."

"Ralph please!"

"Then stay and watch. You are unlikely to be disappointed."

"Andy is Fran's boss. May I brief him and take him with me?"

"Bad tactic Carla. Leave Andy in reserve as a big gun."

"Jesus, this is becoming worse than a bad hair day."

CHAPTER 3

Adele looked at Carla in disbelief. "Hired as assistant chief designer? You have to be joking."

"I've discussed my appraisal with your uncle and he says he wants you in this position."

"But what will fellow workers feel about this?"

"Oh don't worry about them Adele. The chief designer chews people like them and spits them out. She is one of three employees in this outfit I can't handle. One is a belligerent truck driver who was hired by Ralph's father as the then sole truck driver almost forty years ago and the other person is our director of finance Silas Plummer."

"We can forget about a truck driver but what is Silas's problem, too much testosterone?"

Carla nodded and then gaped when the new recruit said, "Well a well directed kick wearing an army boot would fix that aggressive trait and the fear of the next one coming means problem solved."

At that, fighting back laughter, Carla decided to take the risk. "Adele, this is confidential."

"Okay."

"The chief designer Fran Steele is a bully, a proper bitch. She'll find it unbelievable you don't have design experience in clothing and could become incensed with jealously when she finds you are Mr de Clune's niece."

"Thanks for the warning. So you think I'll be resigning by or before the end of the day?"

"I sincerely hope not. If you do I could be accused of not doing my job."

"Oh Mrs Cross, you have been so good with me. I knew from the testing you were attempting to get me into a well-paid position... but assistant chief designer? Well, so be it."

"That's the spirit Adele. By the way, you are part of the management team. You may call me Carla."

After being told Fran was a bully Adele expected her to be big. She was, in fact she looked almost masculine but with a huge bosom.

"Hi Fran," Carla said. "This is your new assistant chief designer Adele de Clune. The boss is her uncle and he shares my belief this appointed will be a good fit after you have trained Adele."

"What, she's straight off the floor of a clothing workroom."

"Er no. Adele is new to clothing."

Fran's face turned dark.

Carla stepped back and Adele stepped forward, as if the joint maneuver had been rehearsed.

"Want to try tossing me from your office Fran?"

"You have balls."

"Ah, been in the military as well. What kind of unit?"

"Light armor specializing in quick strikes."

"Oooh, nice. What got your into clothing?"

"It's what I did before I signed up. And you?"

"I signed when I was eighteen. My folk died and I'm not with my uncle and he's into clothing."

Fran said, "Just as well we don't make lingerie -- it would be either khaki or white for waving in surrender, wouldn't it?"

Carla left the office unnoticed and back in her computer pulled up Fran's scanned-in records; her predecessor had hired Fran. And there it was -- five years in the army. How the hell had Adele known that? Then she twigged... it was the manly comment of one woman saying to another women she had balls. It must be transatlantic army vernacular.

"What can you tell me about this drawing honey? After our big talk you told me technical drawing was part of your degree course. I've folded the text under and would prefer you didn't peep at it."

"Well it's a shirt sized for a large woman... no it isn't, it's a loose fitting shirt, possibly a hunting shirt. It's for a woman because the length from under the armpits to the bottom is shorter than for a male and there are darts about the bust area. Or do we call them tits?"

Fran grinned and said, "Go on."

"The double-stitching told me it was a work shirt but then I noticed the big double chest pockets for stuff hunters carry including their license and the wristbands are adjustable with is something woman with very delicate wrists would want. I imagine the fabric, not indicated, would be some type of camouflaging. It would appear the bulkiness is designed to accommodate some sort of lining, probably thermal."

"And you know nothing about clothing design?"

"Correct but that doesn't mean I don't have a brain. You have to design the trousers narrower at the waist than for men and wider at the hips and women would be fussy about how they pull down for toilet purposes out in the wilds and they might like more pockets than men and an inner pocket for a mirror and perhaps a compartment for insect repellant and a tube of weather protection bloc."

"You are amazing. Now on to the drawing board sketch me what you've just seen."

"May I use the drawing program on your computer? And then I could render a color pattern from your stock of options based on materials you have on hand or have ordered."

"Oh please, help yourself."

Fifteen minutes later Fran looked at the result. "This simply will not do. It looks too amateurish to be published."

"But I am an amateur of the lowest form until you up-skill me."

"Ah, it's good that you know your place in this department Adele," Fran launched and slapped her raw recruit on the back. "God, you are in great shape. There is a gym across the street. You must got there during your lunch break and keep your fitness up -- once you lose it you good as lose it."

"Thank you mother."

"Cheeky bitch. Now let's get to real work."

* * *

At the lunch break Adele went diagonally across the street and signed up. The receptionist asked Adele to nominate a day and time for her assessment."

"I don't require one thank you," she said to the 20-year-old. The youngster called, "Bert!"

A fifty-something came out and enquired how could he assist.

"Miss de Clune has signed on but refuses to undergo assessment."

Bert said, "Hi, welcome to the gym Miss de Clune. I play squash with Ralph on Wednesday evenings. Is he your well whatever, you have the same name."

"Uncle."

"Oh right. Give me a power handshake."

Bert winced. "Tick Miss de Clune as having passed the assessment with an 'A'.

"But..."

"Just do it Rona. Thanks for choosing my gym Miss de Clune."

"Bert, please call me Adele."

"Right Adele, I'll show you around."

"No, get back to watching adult on the internet. I'll be fine."

"You're quite a trick Adele. We'll catch up soon."

"The state-of-the-art equipment made Adele boggle although she knew just a skipping rope, some resistance springs and a car axel with a couple of wheel rims could do wonders.

She heard a guy exclaim, "Oh shit" and spun around and went to his aid as he struggled to hold the bar off his throat as he lay on the bench press.

"Here sir, allow me to assist."

"Get a trainer," he wheezed.

Ignoring that Adele stood behind him and assisted him to lift the bar back on to the stand. She smiled but said with concern, "There are easier way of killing yourself."

He smiled, toweling off sweat. "Thanks. You are very strong for a woman."

"Bozo, couldn't you just say I'm very strong without the tag?"

He remained silent so Adele scowled and began walking away.

"Wait!"

"What for?"

"To receive an apology and for me to buy you a protein drink."

Adele walked back to him and said okay.

"I was out-of-line."

She smiled sweetly and said men often were. "I'm Adele and have just joined. I was looking around the place."

"It's a good gym and the pool is one of the best around in a gym. Oh, I'm Andrew Baker. Do you work around here?"

"Yes, across the street at de Clune Industrial & Outdoor clothing."

Andrew looked at her sharply. "Oh yes, and in what department?"

"Design."

"That's bullshit."

"And that's no way to talk to me. Take it back or I'll swat you."

"Oh yeah," said Andrew pointing to his chin and grinning.

In a blur Adele moved in, took the pointing hand by the wrist and threw Andrew over her hip but broke his fall.