Problems and Opportunities

CHAPTER 1

As the world financial crisis bit deep at local level, clients were cutting back and new business had slumped, hitting the business of accountancy partnership Brown and Dempsey. Smiles and some cheer persisted as did the worry lines on faces each time someone in the offices cleared his or her desk.

Thompson Harris felt the threat personally when called into the managing partner's office for coffee. He left the meeting, face ashen. As last senior accountant to be hired, he'd been told he would be losing his senior PA and was asked to hand over his company-lease car at the end of the day.

"Am I fired David? Give it to me straight."

"Let's say you remain hanging on Thompson. Times are grim and the cutbacks because of recession will be extending well past you. I'm sorry buddy but you know I have to do what I'm doing."

Thompson decided it was useless fighting. He'd have to adapt to the times. What the partners were doing was picking off the weakest links. Being last on he'd been given core business but he'd failed to add cream... the new clients he had been expected to generate personally. In the three months he'd been on board he'd not added one major client to his personal list and only two minnows.

Thompson's mouth tightened when he arrived back at his office to find his PA Kelly Copeland clearing her desk. God David and his razor gang were efficient.

"Kelly I'm..."

"Don't. It's okay Tommy. It's not your fault."

He waited helplessly, watching her finish.

"Well it was a real pleasure working with you Tommy and I really mean that. I like you more than you realize. I've been told a junior clerk will be drafted to replace me here."

"Her stay will be temporary. I'll be pushed out soon."

Kelly bit her lip and gave Thompson and look he'd not seen on her face before. Sympathy? Perhaps but he'd guess it reflected genuine concern. She was finished packing and held out her hand and he moved in rather like clockwork, his mind slowed right down and emotions static, to shake her hand. Then Kelly gave a little cry and raised her lips and Thompson worked in a kiss to her cheek. That was proper but his also pulled her a little tighter against him, thinking she'd appreciate that. Other than that he didn't know what to think.

"Goodbye," Kelly said thickly, and left with her cardboard box topped by her handbag, not looking back. Thompson heard her sniffing.

He left the office early at 4:30 in contrast to his usual departure time of 6:00. He thought of leaving his car keys on his desk but decided that was the action of a loser and so handed them smiling to Dave Dempsey's PA who said grimly, "Thank you Tommy."

Eye contact between them was very short.

Thompson knew he was simply one of a long line of victims of the economic squeeze but that didn't make him feel any better. He paid off the cabbie and entered the house. The house would have to go because they'd be unable to keep up with the mortgage repayments.

Melanie a schoolteacher was already home. She smiled at his early arrival time but her greeting died on her lips when she caught the look on his face.

Thank god there were no kids yet, thought Thomson as he told Melanie he was being eased out of his job and what had happened that afternoon.

She burst into tears and ran from him.

Well that figured.

Two months later the jobless Thompson left that house, now empty, for the final time and took the keys in to his attorney. The property had sold, for a much better price than expected. He was still one of the victims of economic depression though, having lost his home, his wife and twelve days earlier his job. Melanie was living back home with her parents and had filed for divorce. The only surprise about that was she'd filed without giving him a chance but then the heartless bitch would believe she saw the writing on the wall. He'd never thought they were suited but she'd probably thought she'd attached to the only guy of substance she'd managed to find and had pushed successfully for marriage. Well after the split of assets she'd find as a divorcee she was much better off financially than when she'd proposed marriage, very much better off.

* * *

An only child, with his mom deceased and his father remarried and living in France, Thompson had struggled with loneliness at first. He purchased a reasonably cheap studio apartment, figuring he could be out of work for perhaps two years so had budgeted accordingly and had taken over his medical insurance plan from the company.

It was a ground floor studio apartment of approximately 600 sq ft comprising the main room, a granite finished bathroom and a tiny separate kitchen. The small dining alcove in the main room was now an office. He was attempting to write a handbook, 'Finance for New-Start Business Operators'. A publisher had expressed 'possible interest'. Thompson was even smiling again and knew his emotional crisis was passing and he was healing.

The block had twenty-eight units and already Thompson knew most occupants at least vaguely and was reasonably friendly with more than a dozen of them. For the first time in his life he was developing relationships with people as if his life depended on it. As a result he was earning petty cash from some of the occupants helping them with their tax including two couples operating 'cash and carry' businesses. One of his older female associates had offered sex but he'd taken a rain check on that. With his confidence returned Thompson knew he only had to wait and keep active and something would turn up.

It did.

"Hi Tommy," said a sweet-sounding voice.

Thompson was out in the tiny garden in front of his apartment that gave direct access to the street. He was dressed just in shorts, weeding around cabbages and wondering when the first one would be ready to harvest. He knew the voice.

"Hi Kelly," he grinned, straightening up.

She smiled. "You never returned my calls so I asked David's PA for your address."

"Thank you for those calls. I listened to each one of them several times. But it didn't seem right to respond."

"I then stopped calling."

"Yes, as other callers did, not that there were many. Unless the message had the suggestion of a job offer, and none ever did, I just shrugged and turned away."

"Being jobless is not a criminal offense Tommy."

"I have accepted that now and actually have become cheerful again. We humans are capable of being very adaptive if we try. Are you here for sex?"

"Tommy please."

Kelly had lost her smile but she stood firm. Thompson felt ashamed.

"I apologize. If you can believe it I didn't mean that. I... Oh dammit. Please come through for coffee."

"I think I understand Tommy," Kelly said, coming through the gate and offering her cheek.

It was kissed lightly and old Mr Bentley went by with his dog Ruff-Ruff and called, "Good morning Tommy. Good morning miss. You are bound to brighten young Tommy's day."

"Mr Bentley this is Miss Copeland, a former work associate of mine."

"Hi Miss Copeland. We asked Tommy to be chairman of our Residents' Committee but he turned us down. I'm telling you that to indicate just how popular he is around here although he's only been with us three months."

"That's interesting to know. I love the look of your Wheaten Terrier Mr Bentley."

"Thank you Miss. I'll tell Ruff-Ruff he's admired when we get to the park seat."

Kelly took Thompson's arm as they walked up the path and inside. "So you are Mr Popular around here?"

"They are good people. I turned down the deputation explaining that the principal role of the chairman was to deal with complaints and that I desired to escape negativism for the moment. They understood and were very good about it, so good in fact that I felt I was gaining a de facto family."

"Oh that's lovely for you Tommy. David's PA indicated your wife is divorcing you."

"Well who could really blame her except me? But enough of that, coffee? Don't walk through the far wall; the apartment is rather small."

"Why it's lovely Tommy. This hardwood floor is pristine."

"It was a mess when I arrived. Teddy our maintenance guy told me how to bring it back into shape. I was very interested and tried my hand at it and continued on to paint the kitchen and then modernized the bathroom. I had not worked like that before and that made it hard going and I made mistakes. Teddy showed me how to undo what he called my fuck-ups."

Kelly laughed and said Teddy sounded quite a character.

"True, he spent most of his life at sea and came ashore broke and with an artificial leg, having lost it in an accident when drunk at a port in China. He's only just turned sixty but looks fifteen to twenty years older."

"The contrast to you. You look younger and healthier than when I was working with you. Do you think about me Tommy, I mean since your wife began divorce proceedings?"

Thompson looked away and Kelly breathed, "I thought you would."

He mumbled, "Look around. I'll get coffee."

There wasn't much to see. Kelly said the bathroom looked fabulous and he obviously was a natural-born craftsman. She they came across a print out of the draft of his first eight chapters of his textbook.

"Ohmigod, may I read?"

"Yes but it's a dry old textbook. Accounting for dummies."

Thompson leaned against the kitchen door jam looking at Kelly. He knew she would turn twenty-six soon and was one of five children raised on a cropping farm three hundred miles northeast of where they were. Kelly's long wavy brown hair framed her face as she bent over the text. Her hazel eyes would be fixed on what she was reading. Thompson could see her lips moving. She had the wide and open face of a rural-bred woman and he knew from the way she lifted things and the set of her shoulders that she had great upper body strength from working those early years on the farm and from horse riding and she still rode most weekends.

Although Thompson had always maintained a professional relationship with Kelly, never touching her, they'd flirted a little and he was a great admirer of her body, especially her breasts. Er an admirer from the distance. Whenever Melanie had rejected his sexual advances he'd often thought about burrowing between Kelly's boobs, knowing she'd pull his head in harder and would greet the advance warmly.

Oh yeah? Dream on Tommo. Your callous remark about her visiting for sex had been beautifully handled but she'd been appalled and had stayed on politely but this would be the first and only time she'd visit. He'd never see her again.

Thompson carried over her coffee.

Kelly looked up smiling and her lips parted slightly. Thompson couldn't help himself. He kissed those lips.

"Hmmmm" Kelly murmured and made no effort to pull away.

Christ what was this? He pulled away and sat with his coffee.

"I've waited a long, long time for that," she said, placing the printout on the table.

Thompson said inanely, "You have?"

Obviously that didn't require a reply and he didn't get one. Instead Kelly said she'd read sufficient to be able to say it was well written and ought to appeal to the right people seeking understanding and requiring working solutions.

"You sound like a professional book reviewer."

The smile he received warmed him and that intimacy was broken by a door knock.

"Hi Tommo. Our sink drain is blocked," said the woman, using another variation of his name that people tended to do. Well Thompson for a first name seemed to throw some people. "We've tried to get Teddy but he'd not answering his phone. You know my Kurt is useless at doing handyman things."

"Fine, I'll be up in a few minutes Kathleen. I need to grab my tools."

He returned to find Kelly standing. "I'll go now. I only called in to say hi."

"That's fine. I really appreciated you calling and I apologize again for my appalling comment."

"I suppose if you thought it you had a right to say it to avoid being dishonest."

Thompson shuffled and allowed Kelly to walk to the door leading to the garden he'd left opened.

"Oh, the other reason why I came visiting. We are working a four-day week at present and my work-free day this week is Friday. I'm going home for the long weekend as I also have Monday off. Pack a bag and I'll call around 5:30 Thursday afternoon to take you on a visit to show you my childhood."

"Y-you wish to fraternize with me?"

"Good heavens Tommy. You're not really a monster. Bye."

He stood at the door watching Kelly move through the gate. She turned and blew him a kiss and received a feeble wave in return.

She shouted, "Oh, finish that textbook and then start a novel. You're had the experience and pain to motivate you into writing a ripper."

He called, "Good suggestion" and waved more enthusiastically.

* * *

Kelly called her mom Della.

"Hi lovely lady. I've decided to come home this weekend."

"Oh that's lovely dear. Have you wangled a day off?"

"Friday and Monday and I'm bringing a guy. May we have the guestroom?"

"Yes of course but there's been no mention of a guy in your Sunday emails. You keep saying they guys you go out with only do that for one purpose."

"Guess what mom?"

"Oh I'm so pleased for you. I do want my baby married."

"Mom just go easy with him and tell that to daddy huh? I know him well but this will be the first time I've been to bed with him."

"And he knows about this?"

"No mom. It's a surprise for him."

Della laughed and said her baby had always done things a little differently.

"Will any of the other be home this weekend?"

"Only Maggie. She and Cliff have had a spat and his mother is caring for the children because Maggie has some deep thinking to do."

"Christ is it that bad?"

"Darling that word..."

"Sorry mom."

Kelly finished the call, feeling very sorry for Maggie, and Cliff too. He was a really nice guy while Maggie, her oldest sibling, could be such a bitch at times, always wanting everything her way.

Sipping wine, Kelly wriggled her toes thinking about Tommy or Tommo, as some fellow residents appeared to call him. Although he'd toppled from his position and lost his beautiful wife he'd arrested his free-fall and appeared to be doing very well, all things being considered. Living in a poorer part of the city must have knocked him badly but he appeared to have wisely bunkered down for the duration.

God his comment was she visiting for sex had sent her hormones flying but if she'd screamed yes he would have banged her once, or hopefully multiple times that day, and then he'd told her to leave and never to return.

But then again she knew he'd always had a certain look in his eye for her. She'd seen him looking at her chest and legs and all but licking his lips. And she'd behaved dreadfully when hearing he was being divorced... she'd felt like running through the streets of the city yelling the bitch was divorcing him and now he was all hers. Except that wasn't how it worked, was it? He'd be resentful at being divorced and might never trust a woman again, er at least not for a while.

Kelly then worried about asking her mom for the guestroom. God how presumptuous could a gal get? She shouldn't have done that but now if she called her mom with a change of plan her mom would lose confidence in this guy who was coming to stay.

"Oh crap!" Kelly yelled. She was being too over-eager. She'd always acted professionally with him and he with her. Now that was the way to go, not like some crazy heifer with her hormones feeling ready to explode.

She waited all through the week to receive his call canceling. Thursday was the worst day because she knew he'd be really thinking about leaving the comfortable little hole he'd dug for himself. Probably it would be the first time he'd been faced with leaving home since he'd moved into the apartment.

Turning into Tommo's street Kelly thought it was unbelievable he hadn't called to say he was too busy to accompany her. She nosed the Honda in against the sidewalk and breathed a little easier. She could see the backdoor was open and a wheeled travel bag was down below the steps. She tooted and a few seconds later she saw his smiling face and her heart rate bounced.

"Steady you randy babe," she cautioned, steadying on the pavement and faking an ass-scratch so he'd see she was relaxed. Actually he looked really surprised. God he's thinking she had herpes, Kelly wailed silently, really having little idea about what she was alleging. God if he thought he had problems what about her?

CHAPTER 2

"Hi," said Thompson, looking very relaxed and pleasant. "So my therapy is about to commence?"

"Actually I'm looking to start an affair."

Kelly couldn't believe she's just said that. What the hell was wrong with her mouth shooting off like that?

Thompson, face impassive, asked gently, "Have you any idea of what you're saying?"

"No I mean yes. Put your bag in the trunk and please drive."

He climbed in and adjusted the seat back as far as it would go.

"Lovely coupe."

"Yes, mom and dad bought it for me."

"It must have been new."

"It was."

"And you're very nervous so please kiss me."

"Oh," she moaned, flinging herself at him until stopped by her seatbelt. He wasn't yet buckled up so moved over and kissed her sweetly.

"Still a little nervous?"

She nodded dumbly.

"Then allow me to fondle your tits."

Her mouth opened and she nodded dumbly and he reached across for her left hand breast, shook it a little and squeezed.

"Oh god, that's it. I feel better. I'd become almost terrified."

"Great, then feel my dick and we then began acting like equals."

Thompson had to place her hand there but there was no resistance. Her fingers explored and she whispered, "You pack plenty Tommy."

He grinned, started the vehicle and waited for directions.

"Belt up first."

"Oh that explains the warning light. I'm still a little dazed."

"Me too," Kelly said telling him which highway to head for.

After an hour on the road and agreeing to take a break for burgers and coffee after three hours, Kelly said with a slight tremor to her voice, "I hope you don't mind but I asked mom if we can have the guest room and she said yes."

"Will your dad mind?"

"No."

"Then I think that's a great idea. You sound if you wish to be fucked."

"Tommy please."

"Say it baby. I don't think it's a good idea you swinging emotionally between pillar and post like this."

"Yes I wish to be fucked."

"Louder."

"I wish to be fucked!"

"Me too," Thomas yelled and they both laughed loudly, expelling nervous energy.

"You're a gutsy young woman Kelly."

She turned and gave him the look.

"Be certain that I'm worth it Kelly."

She didn't reply and he didn't glance at her to attempt to read the answer.

They sat at a booth, hip, thigh and knee pressing against each other. Both had decided on a steak sandwich.

She gurgled, "I feel I'm on an incredible journey."

"That's fine but don't lose too much time eating. I don't want to arrive after midnight and be in your mom's bad books."

"I called when in the restroom and told her at out rate of progress we could arrive round 11:30. She sounded very excited and told me to drive safely. I said you drive faster and more competently than I do."

"What did she say to that?"

"She went oooh."

They laughed.

On the final leg and during another a quick stop for coffee Kelly told Thompson about Maggie. "I'll talk to her but perhaps you could have a little chat as well. She may offer to show you our horses. Maggie is the real rider of our family."

"Horses plural? I thought it was a cropping farm?"

"It is. Dad has 2700 acres and it is cropped on rotation so we always have some areas in resting in pasture so he breeds horses."

"Why should I talk to Maggie?"

"You have a wonderful way with people. I've seen it at work and I saw glimpse of it when visiting your apartment. You of course think people only relate well to you because you're there. So how does that explain your popularity in the office and why I was so proud to be working with you?"