The Go Getter Part 1

by Leslie Schmidt

There was a new face at the Tuesday morning staff meeting.

"Everyone," Max started as he walked into the room, "this is Emanuel Cook. He'll be taking over Carl's domestic accounts when he (Max nodded toward Carl) heads to the Far East."

There was a murmur of greetings from the staff and the newcomer smiled with some embarrassment.

"He comes to us from B of A-decided to take a walk on the wild side. So, welcome to where we live dangerously," Max laughed and there were a few chuckles around the room.

For much of the rest of the day, Emanuel and Carl worked together, going over Carl's accounts and development projects. They had developed a comfortable rapport.

"So, tell me about Max. Seems he keeps pretty up on everything."

Carl smiled. "Well, first, he has access to everything. If it's on the server, even if it's on your hard drive, he can read it and probably has. He doesn't micro-manage but expects to know exactly what you're doing and don't even think of keeping secrets."

"OK," Manny looked a little worried.

"If something goes sour, he'll know and he'll expect to hear about it from you. But, don't worry, he understands that, occasionally, shit happens. But, he does keep score. He's really very fair and risk tolerant."

"Got to be in this field."

Carl smiled. "Yeah, be willing to take risks and fess up if things go wrong...then you'll be OK with Max."

"Cool."

"Also," a note of caution came into Carl's voice, "everything is quid-pro-quo. There's no free ride. And, ya know, he may be down here on the fifth floor but, for all intents and purposes, his office should be on the eighth."

They worked on until 5:00.

"I've got to go," Carl said looking at his watch. "Have to pick my daughter up from latch-key by six."

"I noticed the pictures. She looks like a cutie," Emanuel said.

Carl picked up the electronic picture frame. "She's the center of my life," he said quietly.

Manny had noticed that Carl wasn't wearing a ring. "You're taking her to Singapore?"

"Yeah, she's real excited about it. You have any kids?" (Manny was wearing a ring.)

"One, my little girl's eight. Hey, maybe we can get them together before you leave. I'll talk to the wife about having you over."

"That'd be great," Carl said, putting the picture down and signing out of his computer.

They took the elevator down to the parking garage and the shop talk continued until they got to Carl's car.

"Oh, I probably shouldn't say anything but, this company is big into family parties, wives and kids are expected. Just, watch your daughter at them. There's, well, one of the more influential people around here has been known to...umm...be a little free spirited with the youngsters."

"Really?" Manny said, raising an eyebrow.

"I've said too much," Carl responded.

Over the next couple of weeks, Emanuel began to stand out as a "go-getter" (some would say "brown-noser) but he fit in well.

The day that Carl packed out of his office, fliers for a "Bon Voyage" party went up. Carl was taking the week to get his house emptied out before leaving with Katie-the party was planned for Saturday, two days before their flight.

Emanuel and Ksveta where used to people pausing when they walked into a room-there weren't many Afro-American-Russian couples around. Emanuel's dark skin, black eyes and kinky hair contrasted sharply with Ksveta's platinum blonde, blue eyes and cream colored complexion. Then the initial surprise would morph into a warm greeting as soon as strangers would meet their daughter, Marina.

At eight, Marina got second looks. As so often happens with mixed-race children, she had inherited the best of both her parents. Her broad olive-skinned face was accentuated by her strikingly dark blue eyes. Her nose was small but she had thick, voluptuous lips. Her hair formed a riot of tight black curls that fell down to her mid-back, a dark haze that could be mistaken for a short cape from a distance. Added to this was a quick smile and a mischievous twinkle in her large eyes. There was even a small spray of darker freckles across her high cheeks and the bridge of her cherub nose.

The party was at Max Branch's house, a 5000 square foot Mc Mansion in the Kingwood area north of Houston. The gated community featured a private lake and a golf course, but Max's house was near the back where a 30 foot high wall separated the closely space English Manor style houses from Interstate 69. This provided Max with a private patio and pool that could accommodate 25 guests in shaded comfort in the cool evenings of spring and fall but also allow swimming during the day in all but the three "winter" months of December, January, and February. The wall had been specially engineered to absorb the freeway noise so well that, only on still nights, could the sound of semis and Harley's be heard as if in the distance.

Emanuel, Ksveta, and Marina were among the last to arrive, at 3:30 PM on a sunny April Saturday. The pool was already rolling with almost a dozen kids, from three to 14. Two young mothers sat with their babies on the steps and tied to protect them from splashes and the occasional wild beach ball. Ribs, chicken and sausage were in the smoker, next to a table with potato salad, cole slaw, charo beans and a cake shaped like a cruise ship.

Carl's daughter, Katie, was in the pool. A natural swimmer and athlete, she had had to beg her father to be allowed to wear a swimsuit under her sun dress-and even then it was a frumpy lime green thing her grandmother had given her. Barbra's little girl, Tamera, was sitting in an inflatable kiddy pool with two other toddlers. Barbra wouldn't let her out of arms length the entire evening.

As soon as Marina saw the pool, she slipped out of her top and shorts, leaving her in a very slight purple bikini, almost a thong. Most everyone thought the newcomer was cute, Max had to think to close his mouth. Carl and Barbra both saw the child, then looked at Max, then looked at Manny. Carl decided that he had already done due diligence. Barbra decided that, when she got the chance, she should say something to Emanuel.

Most of the kids were in bathing suits designed to current fashion, not functionality. The "family" party was notable for the absence of teens; the oldest youngster was a disgruntled looking fourteen year old boy. The next youngest was a fat twelve year old girl who was having a great time taking charge of an eight month old baby-giving his mother a well received break from her son and, hopefully, endearing herself into a babysitting job.

The boys were all in swim trunks that almost reached their knees in various patterned fabrics. These suits more impeded than encouraged swimming, guaranteed to insure a loss in a race and probably a drowning in a rip current.

Most of the girls were in one piece suits-again not made for swimming. Many had fake skirt fronts; others were more shorts suits than swim suits. Only a couple of bikinis were present-again very conservative affairs that wouldn't have been out of place in the 1950s.

The exception was the last girl to arrive- eight year old Marina. Her electric purple bikini was as brief as possible and not be called a thong. In the back the stings were hidden below her mane of black curls and the triangle of the bottoms cut across her cheeks, leaving the round curves of her ass half uncovered. There were bow knots on her hips and the front was another tiny triangle, maybe five inches across at the top. The fabric stretched down between her thighs to show a hint of preteen cameltoe.

A little while later Barbra got next to Emanuel at the drink table. Manny was filling a plastic cup from the half-keg of Shiner Bock while she filled her cup from a wine box.

"Well, your first company party," she said.

"Pretty typical," he said, turning around and surveying the crowd. Smaller than most but a really nice place."

"Yeah, Max bought this place to entertain. Carla puts on quite a spread. But just wait 'till one of the corporate parties-they are really something."

"I've heard," Manny said.

He was about to leave and go back to the group of guy's he'd been talking basketball with when Barbra touched his elbow.

"Just a word of caution," she said quietly.

Manny leaned closer, interested.

"Watch your daughter around Max...I won't let Tamera be alone with him, and neither will a few others,...let their kids..."

She turned and walked away before he could respond.

A while later, after most of the food had been consumed (and a fair amount of the booze too), Max had the kids going in a competition diving for pennies in the pool. The contest turned into a one-on-one between Carl Atwood's daughter, Katie, and Marina. Both were excellent swimmers but, even though Katie was on a swim team, Marina was almost able to beat her swimming from the steps to dive to the bottom of the deep end, then back to the steps.

"I could have done a lot better with my racing suit," Katie complained to her father after the girls had climbed out and the competition was taken up by two fifth grade boys.

"You know why I wanted you in that suit," Carl responded.

"Oh daddy, why are you so upset about that still. I liked it and, anyway, you got the promotion!"

"Still," he leaned down to his fourth grader, "I want you to stay away from him."

"OK daddy," she responded as she rolled her eyes.

Manny had been standing with his back to Carl, watching Marina in the pool and wishing she didn't have that bikini on. He realized that the conversation opened all sorts of possibilities and an idea began to form. Five minutes later he overheard Carla Branch making apologies to a couple of the wives because she had to leave for a meeting with the Daughters of the Texas Revolution.

When he caught his daughter's eye, he waved her over, than walked to a corner while she climbed out of the pool.

"Are you having a good time?" he asked as the eight year old shivered in front of him-it was cool against the wall in the shadows.

"Yeah," she said.

"I'm glad honey." Then he squatted down so his eyes were at her level.

"Honey, would you be willing to get to know Max-he's my boss you know."

She looked across the yard at the man, he was standing with his wife and they were talking to someone else. For some reason, at that moment he looked over and they made eye contact. He smiled with an appreciative expression.

"If you want me too..." she said to her dad.

Her mommy or daddy sometimes asked her to "get to know" someone. That meant she was supposed to be extra friendly. Most of the time it meant she'd just sit on someone's lap and occasionally a man would put his hand in her crotch and even in her panties. Last year they were in the Bahamas where her dad was having some meetings. He had asked her to "get to know" a man (her father said he was "someone he worked with") and she even had gone to the man's hotel room after...

"That'd be great honey," Manny said, getting her attention back.

"How are you getting along with the other kids?"

"Fine. Gary's really nice."

"Who's that?"

She turned and looked over the crowd, then pointed at one of the boys in the pool.

"Him." She pointed.

As Emanuel looked, Max broke away from the conversation and headed for the door to the house.

"Oh," Manny said, "he's going inside. Why don't you run after him?"

"What do I say?"

Manny stood back up. "I don't know. Maybe, just flash him," he responded.

Marina's face broke into a sly smile, then she ran after him leaving wet footprints.

While the beer, wine, soft drinks and bottled water were self-serve on the patio, there were still mixed drinks available for the asking. Max prided himself at being a good bartender and he kept a very well stocked bar in the kitchen. One wall's cabinets were full of some uncommonly expensive liquor and a separate fridge held the mixers. Right now he was just on an errand to get Chelsea Manson (an account manager) a whisky sour. As he turned around, holding a bottle in each hand, he almost walked into Marina.

"Oh, hi honey," he said as he fought to regain his balance.

The dripping wet little girl looked up at him.

"Mister Max," she said as she held the strings that connected to the top of the small triangles of purple fabric that covered her nipples, "do you have any more towels?" She held the bikini top and inch away from her chest and shook it, knowing she was giving Max a view of her flat nipples.

Max's mouth went dry. "Well, er,...yeah, follow me," he said, putting the bottles on the counter.

She followed him down the short hallway that led to the foyer-one of the two doors in the hall was a closet where they kept extra towels for the pool. He opened the door and took out one of the older beach towels (the nice ones had been stacked on a retaining wall for a planter off the patio). When he turned around, again he was close to the little girl. This time she was holding the waist line of her bottoms out and shaking them, like she had with her top. Max could see down to the top of her slit-he felt dizzy.

Then Marina looked up at him, still holding her bikini out for him, and a quick smile passed over her face-a smile and twinkle in her eye that told him this was no innocent action. Just as fast as it was there, it was gone.

She let go of her suit and it snapped back in place. "Thank you," she said, then started wrapping the towel around herself and walked back to the kitchen.

Max had trouble getting back on track and, as he stumbled back outside with the drinks he was just beginning to feel his heart returning to normal when he saw Marina again. Now she was sitting on the patio, playing with two younger children (the four and five year old sons of Mark Solomon), and she was sitting cross- legged.

Max handed out the drinks and then made a vague apology, saying he'd be right back. He walked over to the edge of the patio, pretending to be looking at the leaves of a shrub, in order to stand behind the two boys. Sure enough, Marina's very brief bikini bottoms weren't quite wide enough between her legs to cover her. No slit was showing but Max could certainly see where the creases between her pussy lips and her thighs would be if she didn't have her legs spread wide. The elastic had made light red lines that ran along the edge of the slightly darker skin of her thighs and the lighter skin of her pussy lips.

Again Max's blood pressure skyrocketed and he felt light headed. When he looked at Marina's face she was smiling at him-a mischievous smile. Still looking at him, she reached down and adjusted her suit bottoms-pulling them to the side just long enough to show Max what was under them. Max caught his breath at the site of her opened slit with the thin folds of her inner lips and the ridge of her clit above. Then she lifted up and shifted her knees to one side, sitting back down on her feet. Again she smiled-teasing him. Max went back and rejoined the group of adults but he couldn't quite follow the conversation and he was surprised to find his glass empty so soon. Ten minutes later he saw Manny walk over and talk to his daughter. She stood up and took his hand and he led her into the house.

Once they were alone in the kitchen, Manny turned to his daughter.

"So," he said, grasping the strings of her top between his knuckles and thumbs, then gently pulling on them, "are you willing to do me a favor with Max?" He moved his hands down so his fingers went under her top and his knuckles caressed her nipples.

"You want me to have sex with him," she said.

"I know he's kind of old but, well, ya know, he is my boss."

Marina was a bit nervous but she smiled up at her daddy. "Sure, if you want me too..."

Manny felt his little girl's be-be size nipples press out against his fingers-there was a corresponding tightness in his loins. "Come on then, let's find his room."