Chapter 11
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm not Australian, but several characters in this story are. I researched what I could for some Aussie slang. If I used them incorrectly, let me know.
The weather had returned to its normal chilly self by Saturday for the garden party at Pharma. There was a chance of rain in the forecast, but that was just normal Harbor City weather in late March. But if it did rain, they had a tent set up where the food and drinks were served, and it was large enough for a couple hundred people to squeeze in to. Large industrial heaters were used to keep everyone warm, curtesy of Harbor City Contracting.
This party was a chance for all of the movers and shakers in Pharma to see and be seen. Many of the higher ups were here with their spouses, partners, significant others, or even a friend or two. Many of the principles for the construction project were here as well, mingling with the management and patting themselves on the back for a job well done. All of the men were dressed in suits and all of the women were in dresses, most of them appropriate for a cocktail party like this. This was the kind of party where ice sculptures and fancy flower decorations weren’t just common, they were expected.
Tommy arrived at 7PM on the dot, just as the invite said. From what he could see, some people had shown up a little early, but most would shuffle in throughout the next hour or two. Tommy decided to bring his personal car instead of his work truck. He had two reasons. First, his truck was still dirty from work this past week, and he didn’t want to get his suit messy. Second, in case he did try to drive home after a couple too many, he knew this car much better than that truck. This wouldn’t be the first time he drove a Civic home a little tipsy.
He checked how he looked before he entered by using his selfie camera. Hair was combed just right, face clean shaven. His suit, a mini-check charcoal gray custom suit from Indochino, fit him like a glove. He wore a light pink shirt along with a purple paisley/floral tie. His pocket square matched his tie. His black oxford shoes and matching belt made him look sharp. To top it off, he decided to wear his ‘fake glasses’ today over his contacts. For all intents and purposes, he looked like Clark Kent got a pay raise. When he would tire of the glasses, he’d take them off to become the Man of Steal Your Girlfriend and Wife.
After making sure that he looked good, he approached the entry point by the courtyard. This is where Tommy and his friends would gawk every day during lunch. A quick flash of his invite from his phone and he was in. He was nervous that something would go wrong, but Morgana assured him that everything would work. It turns out that he was already on the invite list following the last Quarterly meeting. Management was impressed with how he handled himself with Bob the Butcher breathing down his neck, but they figured if he can handle James right next to him, he can handle Bob from across the world.
Tommy entered the courtyard through a makeshift security checkpoint surrounded by hedges outlining the walkway. After a short distance, it opened up into an impressive sight. The floor, normally a concrete tennis court, was covered with a makeshift dance floor. Several bar-height tables were scattered throughout the area and covered with tablecloths, each with an elaborate centerpiece on them. A small stage was set up where a string quartet played. Serving staff dressed to impressed wandered through the still-gathering crowd with hor d’oevres and drinks. Heaters were strategically placed throughout the courtyard. A small bar at one end of the dance floor served a few drinks. A couple ice sculptures and small trees filled the area to give ambience.
At the end of the courtyard next to the office building a large white tent was set up. Tommy made his way into the tent. This is where almost everyone was until they warmed themselves up with some liquid courage. Tommy thought he was overdressed for a moment, until he saw that every other man was wearing at least a suit. Some of the older men wore black suits and ties, tuxedos. All of the women were dressed to the nines. He felt both overwhelmed and welcomed at once. This was his element.
Tommy made his way to the bar and got himself a drink, a scotch on the rocks. As he was ordering, he felt a large, painful slap on his shoulder. Tommy turned. It was James. He wore a dark grey suit, blue tie, and white shirt. He had let his hair grow a bit over the last couple months, getting a little wild, almost looking like he was some crazy type of Scottish doctor from TV. Tommy was about to say something when James plopped a $50 on the bar as the bartender was getting Tommy’s drink.
“That’s for me and the boy ‘ere. Two each of what he was havin’, keep the rest and remember us.” The bartender poured 4 glasses, and gave two each to Tommy and James. The men grabbed their drinks. Tommy thanked James for the drinks.
“Thanks.”
“You’ll get a round later tonoight. Always tip heavy on the first drink. That way the bartender gives you preference over everyone else. To gettin’ my arse here tonoight.” The two men tipped glasses and drank. James finished half of his first drink in a couple gulps, paused, then finished it. Tommy tried to keep up, but James stopped him right then and there.
“Don’t try to outdrink an Aussie. We’ll be fishin’ your arse outta the river in the mornin’. Go fast on the first drink to break the ice, then enjoy them the rest of the night. The difference between drinkin’ with your friends at the bar and at a party like this. Got that?”
Tommy nodded, then drank the rest of his first drink.
“Finish that up, you look like a drunk holding two scotch’s.” Tommy tried to hurry up seeing that James was less than patient, but eventually he finished. As soon as he put the first empty glass, James pulled him from the bar by his arm.
“Good, let’s go do that networkin’ bullshit.”
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They spent the next hour and a half walking through the party mingling, talking, and drinking. Tommy could tell that this wasn’t James’s element, but made sure that the older man didn’t run off or make an ass of them. Tommy met several members of the management team that said they were impressed with his work so far, a couple vendors that used this party to pitch new products to him, and met some old and new friends. They ran into Chuck Hartman and his wife Angie. Chuck cleaned up nice in a suit but Tommy could easily tell that he’d rather wear anything else. They talked about suits for a couple minutes and Tommy gave him a link to the Indochino store. Angie, on the other hand, loved coming to these parties as she could still turn heads in her early 40’s. She wore a little black dress that was just long enough to not be out of place but short enough to make a couple older men check to see if they took their heart medication for the night.
James and Tommy ran into Steve, whose plus one was his 14-year-old daughter. She had long black hair and dark eyes like Steve. She was about 5 and a half feet tall and wore dark two-inch heels that matched her dress. Tommy thought she was cute and would probably grow up to be a real head-turner. As they were talking, Steve kept an eye on her like a hawk, intercepting at least two attempts at sneaking some booze. Steve made some jokes about how if they kept these parties going for a couple years, she could be his DD.
The pair also ran into a few other people that James knew, but for the most part is was just one face after another for Tommy. That was until they saw the Williams newlyweds, Andrew and Morgana.
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When Tommy saw Morgana arrive, it was like time stood still for a brief moment. The music slowed, the bubbles from the bubble machine crawled to a halt, and everyone seemed to just freeze. He was enamored.
Morgana wore a periwinkle cocktail dress that exposed her arms and shoulders and looked like the front of her dress hung off of a strap from the back. It extended down past her knees by a couple inches. She wore a pair of pink closed-toe heels to finish it off. She didn’t wear a coat or shawl. If she got too cold, she’d take her husband’s coat. Her hair was neat, yet messy, like it was designed to have that ‘just-got-out-of-bed-and-look-amazing’ style to it. She didn’t overdue the jewelry, either, opting only for a pair of diamond studded earrings and her wedding jewelry. Tommy could tell from this distance that Morgana decided on a very natural shade of pantyhose.
The man on her arm was her husband Andrew Williams. He was no slouch in the looks department, either. Drew stood a few inches taller than Morgana, close to Tommy’s height at 6’3”. He wore a Calvary Blue suit with brown oxfords and a brown belt. His pink tie matched Morgana’s shoes and his periwinkle shirt matched her dress. His face was clean shaven, and his brown hair was a medium long length. Though, the widow’s peak was starting to form. His brown eyes matched his hair, and his face and body were both thin. He looked like he was in his late 20’s to possibly early 30’s. Tommy bumped his estimate up when he saw Drew turn and noticed that his hair was starting to thin on top. Tommy then subconsciously ran his hand through his own hair, enjoying how lush it was.
The young couple were chatting with another young couple walking past when Morgana saw Tommy.
“Oi!” Morgana waved at Tommy, then motioned for him to come over. Tommy walked over, moving his drink from his right hand to his left. As he got in close for a handshake, she instead gave him a quick hug. Tommy almost fainted on the inside. “Glad to see ya. I’m happy you made it.”
“Thanks for telling me about this. This is a great party, I wouldn’t have known about it if not for you. Thanks.” Tommy turned to face Andrew. “Hi, I’m Tommy. Tommy Gearheardt.” Tommy extended his hand to Andrew, who took it and shook it.
“Andrew Williams, but most people call me Drew.” Drew smiled back at Tommy, keeping the grip firm just long enough to try to assert dominance. “Morgana tells me you work with James on the new HQ right? Didn’t you present at the last meeting”
“Yeah, you asked about the increased liabilities of the helipad, right?” Tommy said, still shaking Drew’s hand, waiting to see who would break it first.
“Yes, I did. It’s good to get to know ya, mate.” Still, they hadn’t broken their shake, and both men were getting the feeling that this was getting awkward.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, if you’re gonna hold hands, at least let the lady go get a drink, will ya.” Tommy just shook his head as James strolled over, carrying a few flutes of champagne. Drew and Tommy let go of each other’s hands.
“James St. Croix, this is Drew and Morgana Williams.” Tommy introduced the two men. James handed the drinks he held to Tommy so that the older man could shake Drew’s hand. Their handshake was much quicker than Tommy’s. “Mrs. Williams, it’s great to meet ya. Your husband talks about how amazing you are all the time.”
“Thank you, Mr. Croix.” Morgana shook James’s hand, then let go. Tommy, looking awkward holding four champagne flutes, offered one to Morgana. She accepted. Then Drew took one, and James took one.
“Please, call me James.”
“So Tommy, you’ve worked with James for a couple months. What’s his nickname for ya?” Drew asked. Tommy swallowed a sip of champagne before answering.
“Twinkletoes. You?”
“Twatface.” Morgana nearly spit out her drink.
“To be fair, I would never call you that in front of your wife.” James said. Drew responded, his brow furrowing just a bit more.
“No, you called me that in front of the Senior Management.” Tommy’s eyes went wide with disbelief. James stood and nodded.
“That I did, but in my defense, you had it comin’ that day. Lemme make it up to ya.” James walked around Drew and wrapped his arm around the lawyer’s shoulder. “This first round’s on me. Next one probably, too.” With that, James led Drew to the bar. Tommy and Morgana followed.
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Forty-five minutes and a few drinks later, the four party goers sat around a round table outside. Morgana had switched to a red wine after the champagne while the men each worked on their second Port City Pilsners. A waiter came by with a new round of drinks, giving each of them another beer. Morgana finished her wine and switched over to the beer with the blokes. They chatted for a while, getting to know each other.
The young couple had been married about 10 months but were together for a couple years. They met in college at ANU, Australian National University. They met while Drew was a senior and Morgana, at least that’s how Tommy understood it. He couldn’t make sense of Aussie university. Tommy was starting to like the taste of this new beer. A lot. Back to the couple. The two met in University when they shared a class together. She has her Bachelor’s in International Business and the equivalent of an MBA while he is a licensed Attorney at Law. They both moved to Melbourne and worked at Pharma there until they were able to get their work visas and travel to the U.S. They’ve only been in the states about 6 months at this point, and have tried to go on a couple mini-vacations to see the country. So far, they’ve seen a few of the common tourist places. New York, L.A., Vegas, Miami, etc. They’re looking forward to the summer when they go on more hikes and trips.
Since they moved to Harbor City, they’ve been living in Hilltop Acres, a nearby plan of fancy condos that is owned by Pharma’s real estate division. It’s the default for executives and management moving to the country, but it’s available for anyone in the company to rent. If no one from the company is interested, they’ll go on the open market. Pharma pays their employees a stipend for rent each month, and the two lovebirds put their stipends together to get a free condo out of the deal. Close to free, anyway. They still have to pay for utilities and such, but rent is covered. They’re saving their money to buy a house later in the year. In the meantime, as they told James there were a few things they wanted to do with the condo but Drew is “not mechanically inclined.”
James took a sip of his beer and rolled this around in his mind for a moment. Even after a few drinks, he was able to formulate a pretty decent plan.
“What kinda work were ya thinkin’?” James asked Drew and Morgana.
“Nothing that’s too complicated. Maybe replace a couple light fixtures, maybe the backsplash in the kitchen. Current ones just…” Drew trailed off as Morgana picked up.
“They look like they were picked by a gray haired Shelia who collected little heads. It’s kinda scary. I could try some of this, but some bloke from management said that all changes to the condos have to go through building management. Fookin’ wankers.” Morgana finished off her wine and grabbed her beer.
“So building management over at Hilltop has to approve any changes?” James asked. The two nodded. “Lucky for you, I know the bogan that runs it.”
“Really, who?” Drew’s eyes went wide with surprise.
James threw his hands back in a flourish. “Ta fookin’ da. You’re lookin’ at him.”
“You?” Morgana was shocked. James nodded then continued.
“H2C does the maintenance for Pharma’s real estate. Different divisions, but their managers report to me. Send me whatever you need and I’ll send someone over.”
“Strewth?” Drew asked the older man. James took a sip of his beer.
“Strewth. Now, you’ll need the fixtures if you want your own stuff, and pick out the tile, too. You have that ready or need to get it?”
“We need to pick things out, first. Pick out some stuff we like.” Morgana added, before taking a drink.
“How about Saturday Arvo? I can send that fuckwit over there.” James pointed to Tommy. The young American was having a hard time following what was going on, but he’s been called fuckwit enough times to know that James was talking to him.
“Me?” Tommy asked, not sure what’s going on.
“Yes you. How many you had tonight?” James asked as Tommy started counting and easily filled up a hand. “Stick to beer for the rest of the night, you’re gettin’ pissed.”
“I’m not pissed. I’m calm, man.” Tommy said, trying to stay calm. The Aussies laughed.
“No, you’re pissed. Getting drunk.” Morgana replied, putting her hand on Tommy’s arm.
“Oh. Okay.” Tommy nodded.
“Yeah, just don’t get parro.” Drew said. Tommy looked at him quizzically. “Shitfaced.” Tommy nodded in understanding.
“Ok, so what am I doing? What’s an arvo, and why is it Saturday?” Tommy asked, trying to get the conversation back on track. James took another drink.
“Next Saturday arvo, afternoon, you’re headed to their place to install some light fixtures because the last tenant was a crazy cat lady who collected tiny heads and decorated her house to match her tiny head collection. You’ll also start on helping them install a backsplash in the kitchen. Again, crazy cat lady.”
“Ohh.” Tommy couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The perfect opportunity to get even closer to Morgana, and he was being invited right into their home.
“Now, Tommy’s not my best, but he’s my cheapest and he’s bright. He’ll figure it out.”
“This cost anything?” Drew asked.
“Dinner and drinks, I guess. He loikes, well, anything alcoholic but he’s taken a shine to that Port City Pilsner.”
“We’ll get something good. Do some work, have dinner and drinks. Speaking of drinks…” Drew flagged down the waiter and ordered another round for the table.
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It was getting late by the time the four split up and went their separate ways. None of them were in any shape to drive.
Morgana and Drew caught an Uber back to their condo. They couldn’t keep their hands off of each other once in the car and barely contained themselves until they got home. A quick strip and the two newlyweds made love on their couch before going for round two in the bedroom.
Tommy was getting ready to take a nap in his car when he ran into the red head from the yoga class. Her name was Tammy. She wasn’t bad looking up close, but he wasn’t sure if that was the beer thinking for him or not. They got to talking and hitting it off, and when he told her about working at the construction site, she said she’d love to see it sometime. “Why not make now sometime?” He was flirting, but didn’t think it would work. To his surprise, it did. Tommy and Tammy went for a walk, ending in the tower after climbing a couple flights of stairs. They could see the party from their spot, but no one could see them. Tammy made the first move, but Tommy was more than receptive. They hooked up in one of the conference rooms that Tommy watched her stretching sessions. Boy, those stretching sessions paid off. But even while being balls deep in Tammy, he couldn’t help but think of Morgana.
James walked around to clear his head. He made small talk with most of the management and some of the staff. They were amazed that he showed up, and even more amazed at how pleasant he could be while drinking. One of the managers made a joke about requiring him to drink on the job. James laughed at that stupid joke. He sobered up enough to not draw any attention from the police. He lived maybe 5 kilometers from the office, and it was all backroads. As he was about to grab his keys, he struck up a conversation with a slightly older brunette. He wasn’t sure what her name was, it started with a B. Billie, Bailey, Bianca, something like that. When they started talking about who lived closer, they both agreed that it was James but his place wasn’t nearly as close as the hotel down the hill. She grabbed one more drink for the road and led him to his truck. But there was something he needed to do before they left.
He activated his phone’s VPN and set out searching for some small, concealable cameras. He had a plan. He ordered the 5 of the first cameras that looked like they would do the job from Amazon. If he wasn’t thinking of this brunette in her 40’s with the great tits, amazing legs, and nice ass, he might spend more time on it. For now, he had a mission, and that mission involved B-whatever-her-name-is and Little Jimmy getting wet.
