I quickly finished the presentation for Peter and emailed it to him, and I slid past Lynn as she exited the bathroom while I was just going in. She kissed me, her nose shining from the shower.

"Do you need this towel?" she asked.

"I have servants, my dear. Do you see that pair of doors in the wall over there beside the bedroom door?" I said, pointing at the airing cupboard in the hall. "That's full of clean and aired towels."

"Should we use more of them?" she grinned.

"It depends on how dirty you plan on getting," I said and pulled her to me in the doorway, dragging her back into the bathroom with me and throwing the damp towel away as I pulled the shower door open.

She stepped into the shower with me and washed me down quickly, noticing the beginnings of an erection as she did so. She then pulled me out and wrapped me in a warm fresh towel.

"I want to try something, again, that we did earlier," she said, "if you're up to it, that is."

"Ok, I'll try anything twice, Lynn," I said, "as long as it doesn't involve a man."

"It'll be just you and me," she said, snuggling into me softly, as we reached the bedroom door.

I kissed her and she touched my face.

"You have a lovely place here," she said, looking into my eyes.

"It's lovelier when you're here," I said as she led me to the bed and waited for me to lie down.

She reached for my penis and slowly lowered her lips to the very tip. I groaned in anticipation of her touch. She slowly took me in further, causing a tingling sensation to rip through me as she did so. She moved slowly then, carefully lifting her leg over my body, and offering herself to my lips. I was in heaven. In the soft yellow overspill of light from the road outside, I could see how her vagina opened up to me like a flower. I touched her labia with my fingers, opening her up further and stroking inside her vulva simultaneously.

The vibrations from the purring of her moans as she held me in her mouth caused my penis to flex violently as I allowed my fingers to roam along the cleft of her backside, and down over her anus, over her perineum, where I paused to stroke her gently, and then onward to her vaginal opening, through the short length of her vulva to her clitoris, where I paused again and massaged her lightly. Her breathing became erratic, and she had difficulty maintaining a steady rhythm on my penis with her lips and tongue.

She adjusted her position slightly, and I gently encouraged her to move slightly in my direction, taking her hips in my hands and holding her. I increased the pace and pressure of my tongue on her vulva as I stroked it incessantly with the tip, feeling every little soft bump and hollow as she began to moan. Her clitoris became impossibly aroused, and I could almost wrap my tongue around it, causing her hips to become more animated and her deep breaths to become sighs and soft whimpers. A thin dribble of salty fluid oozed from inside her and landed on my tongue, lips, and chin. It tasted of heaven and had a rich, musky fragrance.

She shook her hips in an effort to escape the rising sensations, but I held her tightly as she continued to focus on the presence of my penis between her lips. Her groans became muted cries as she took me deep into her mouth, occasionally slipping my member into her throat before lifting off and diving back down again. At the same time, she caressed my scrotum, gently squeezing it as she sought comfort through her touch.

She suddenly cried out and began to quiver as my attention to her clitoris became all encompassing, leaving her no choice but to lift her mouth off my penis and cry out breathlessly as her orgasm took her away. Her lips buried themselves in the joining of my scrotum and my groin as she once again sucked me into her mouth, a further series of muted cries coming from her as her climax carried her higher.

"Oh my God," she shouted as it finally hit, and she surrendered in the moment.

She held my shaft tightly and began to move her mouth quickly over my penis, her motions those of someone who was still in the ecstatic throes of her own orgasm. I slipped my tongue inside her vagina, and she moaned louder again, eventually forced to concentrate on her own emotions and just holding on to my penis for support. The sensation ripped through her, leaving her without the capacity of movement as she lay shivering on top of me, trying to gain control of her body and limbs.

Using my tongue as a salve, I gently eased the tingling sensation of her clitoris, vulva, labia, and vagina until she was becalmed and lay still on top of me. I reached for her in the dimness and brought her to me, kissing her repeatedly as she turned and allowed me to take her in my arms. She held me close as her lips sought mine aggressively, an aggression bound to her arousal.

"Tony," she whispered.

"I know, love," I said, "I know. Enjoy the moment. You're perfect."

"You didn't come," she said, "I wanted you to come in my mouth."

"I'm not dead," I said and laughed.

"Yet," she said. "Give me a few minutes."

"I'm going nowhere, Lynn," I said and watched her eyes close as she drifted off to sleep.

I fell into a deep sleep, waking with a groan at 6:30 the next morning. Lynn wasn’t with me, so I lit a smoke and rested my head on the pillow as thoughts of the previous few days drifted through the prism of my mind. I picked up my phone when I heard a text coming in. It was from my Mam.

"Nothing wrong, just making sure you're ok, let me know please."

"Fuck!" I said, slapping my forehead with my hand.

Lynn came back to the room at that moment carrying a tray with coffee, toast, and boiled eggs. I looked at her curiously.

"What's wrong, Tony?" she said, "I heard you swearing."

"Oh, nothing, Lynn," I said. "I forgot to call home, that's all. I'll do it later. What's all this?"

"I made us some breakfast," she said, smiling proudly as she placed the tray on a bedside table.

I touched her naked backside as she bent her knees.

"Stop it, Tony," she said, as I grabbed her and pulled her back into bed.

"How do you like your eggs in the morning, love?" I asked.

"Not cold," she said.

"No, you're supposed to say, unfertilized," I said.

I kissed her breast, taking a nipple between my lips. She wriggled and sat up with a struggle.

"Stop it," she said. "Let's have breakfast first, then I'll look after you. Jesus!"

She sat on my lap as we ate our breakfast quietly. She broke the eggs open and hers was the softer of the two. Some of the yolk spilled out onto the side of her finger and I sucked it off for her. She looked at me and smiled.

"Was that ok?" I asked.

"Oh yes," she said, "it made me tingle."

"Well, let's see what this does," I said, laying her down on the bed and drizzling a little more of the runny yolk over and around her nipple.

She was wide eyed as she watched my hand moving in slow circles as I measured out the soft yellow mass as evenly as I could. I watched it as it appeared to move in slow motion, extricating itself from the fully cooked albumen as it began its deliberate descent, slowly and agonisingly, seemingly suspended in time as its viscosity permeated our thoughts and minds. Lynn watched with bated breath, her arousal obvious in her distended nipples, her breath held within, her hand holding fast to mine, expectantly awaiting the first drop on her skin, anxious as to where it would reach first.

A short string of warm yellow yolk alighted on her breast to a sigh and a release of breath. It pooled slightly about an inch below her nipple. I moved my hand slightly to the left and the next string oozed on to the very tip of her extended nipple, slowly disseminating down from the tip to cover her bright pink areola with unctuous ooze as it coated her completely. I then placed what was left of the egg back on the tray and my lips followed her breast as she slowly reclined on the bed. I took her nipple in my mouth, sucking the recalcitrant yolk from her body, the delicious sensations of my tongue and her nipple enhanced by the yolk as it slowly disappeared. I sensed a release of fluid from her and, as my tongue licked the initial drop from her lower beast, I allowed my fingers to touch her, just above her vagina to assess her state of arousal.

She pulled me away with a cry and kissed me, rolling on top of me as she moved, straddling my erection as she sought connection. She led me to her entrance and immediately took me completely inside, where she stayed still for a short time, her eyes closed and her lips whispering inaudible sounds in my ear.

We made soft, beautiful love as we both surrendered to a shared desire. She was incredibly aroused as she began to make deeper movements, taking me further inside, her voice catching at each heavenly thrust. Her need fully apparent, she increased the pace of her movements. I matched mine to hers, and we were perfectly aligned as she suddenly screamed and ground herself against me, taking me completely inside her as we shared an incredibly intoxicating orgasm.

We lay still for over twenty minutes, our shared fluids bonding us together, our breathing patterns returning to a normal state. Words were irrelevant as I held her to me, her soft skin smooth to my touch. She lifted her head and kissed me, smiling as she pulled back to look in my eyes.

“You look beautiful, Lynn,” I whispered and stroked her face.

“I look a mess, Tony,” she said, but she smiled as she spoke.

“I suppose we can safely say that you’re finally coming out of your shell, Lynn,” I said and held her tight as she tried to maim me with a flailing arm.

She rested her head on my chest as we snuggled together happily before the ringing of her phone from the living room stirred her into action. She looked quickly at the clock by the bed. It was 8:10.

“Shit!” she said and jumped out of bed to run and get it.

She returned shortly after a brief and mumbled conversation.

“It’s work,” she said. “I’ve a meeting at 10:00 in town. Are you in college today?”

“I’m just going to sign in and leave,” I said.

“Why?” she asked.

“I’m starting a new module on Monday,” I said, “so I need to get your surveys going. Can you spare me an hour at some stage this morning?”

“You don’t need to ask, Tony,” she said.

“What time is convenient for you?” I asked.

“How does 11:30 sound?” she replied.

“That works, love, thanks,” I said.

She showered and dressed and left to join the morning traffic. I lingered in bed a while before doing the same thing, and I arrived at the faculty at 9:30 to hateful looks from Conor Devoy, at whom I just waved as I took my seat beside Deco at the back of the room.

“Another late one?” he asked.

“You could say that,” I smiled.

“The little blonde?”

“Ah, Deco,” I said, “you know better than to ask that.”

“You’re a weird one, Harris,” he said.

“That’s what she said this morning,” I said, as inscrutably as I could.

“You have to give me a little,” he prodded.

“Ok, have you ever licked a warm runny yolk off a girl’s nipple?” I asked.

“Fuck off! Where did you get an egg?” he almost shouted.

“Tesco, I’d imagine,” I replied. “You’d have to ask my housekeeper.”

“You’re a prick,” he shot back.

“While we’re talking,” I said, “would you be interested in a little bit of work on the side for these last few weeks in Galway?”

“Yes,” he said, “I’m bored silly and flat broke at the moment. What is it?”

“Geo Surveys.”

“How many?” he asked.

“Quite a few,” I said.

“How much?”

“What would you be thinking?” I asked.

“I’ve no equipment with me “ he said.

“I’ll sort that out for you,” I said.

“How does €100 sound?”

“I think you’d need more,” I said, “I’ve a meeting about it later on, I’ll know more then.”

I took out my phone and texted home.

“I’m thinking of heading your way this afternoon.”

“Train or car?”

“I’ll drive, it’ll be quicker.”

“Lovely but drive safe.”

“I’ll be leaving here shortly before lunch, ETA about 3:00.”

“Will I make you a coddle?”

“No, I’ll take you and Sinéad out somewhere nice.”

“You can have it tomorrow then, it’s better the day after.”

I left the facility at 10:30 after a cup of tea and a few biscuits in the company of Jenna and her mate who, all of a sudden, seemed to be all over me. Jenna wanted to come over for the weekend, but I had to beg off, citing my imminent travel plans.

At 11:00 I drove to Lynn’s office for our 11:30 meeting. She met me in the reception area accompanied by Serena, a foxy little redhead with a pixie cut hairstyle, lovely little breasts and a fabulous little bum that called to me as she walked up the stairs ahead of us. She led us into a meeting room, and we sat down quickly. Lynn smiled at me as Serena laid out the files. She looked at us both and was about to speak when I stopped her.

“Can I ask who’s leading this project, please?” I asked.

“I’ll be your coordinator, Mr. Harris,” Serena said, “Lynn is my immediate superior and I’ll report directly to her.”

“Does that not add a layer of unnecessary bureaucracy into the process, Serena?” I asked, and her eyes flared.

God, she was a stereotypical redhead. I felt that she’d be a handful in the sack.

“I see it more as a liaison, Mr. Harris,” she said as she touched her throat.

“And I’d be liaising with you?” I asked.

“Yes,”

“To what end?” I asked.

“What?”

“I’d like to get these done in a smoothly transitioned manner, Serena,” I said, “If I have a question, I’d need it answered immediately.”

“I’m sure we could accommodate that,” she replied tartly.

“Could?” I asked.

“Would,” she said.

“Would or will?” I asked.

“Will,” she said.

“In what timeframe?”

“Less than an hour,” she said.

“I don’t believe you,” I said, “Can you put that in the minutes please, Lynn?”

Lynn picked up a pen and wrote it down as Serena looked a bit flustered.

“Great,” I said, “So the contract is for 200 surveys?”

“Yes, but we need another 140 to be added in,” she said with a smile.

“Does the contract allow for an off the cuff expansion?” I asked.

“I’m sure it does,” she said as a subdued Lynn quietly picked through the files on the table.

“I know that it doesn’t, Serena,” I said, a little distractedly, “How much are we charging per survey?”

“€1,100 plus tax,” she replied.

I tried not to look surprised; Cadden was ripping them off.

“That price would be based on everything involved in the initial contract only,” I said, “I’d suggest we negotiate a new contract in favour of expanding the initial agreement.”

“That would take too much time,” she noted.

“Can you get me the original documentation so I can see it please?” I asked.

“It’s all here in the files “ she said, pointing at the table.

“Yes, but these are all just copies of the original,” I said, “I need to see the originals.”

She looked at Lynn and Lynn nodded her head. Annoyed, Serena stomped out of the room. When she was gone I turned to Lynn.

“Are you ok, Lynn,” I asked, “you seem to be a little distracted.”

“I keep thinking about the yolk of an egg being licked off my breast, Tony,” she said almost dreamily.

“You need to get your head in the game here,” I said.

"What?" she asked, surprised.

"I got rid of her for a few minutes Lynn," I said, "she's looking at you as though you're going soft in the head or something."

"No, she isn't, Tony," she said, "Serena wouldn't do that."

"Serena said that you were her 'immediate superior'," I said, "all that was missing from that was, 'for now'."

"That's just semantics," she said, shaking her head.

"Usually, Lynn," I said, "someone would've said 'Lynn is my boss', not 'my immediate superior'."

"Do you really think so, Tony?" she replied.

"Yes, I fucking do, Lynn," I said, "so you'd better get your wits about you here and take charge."

"What do I do?" she asked.

"The first thing is to calm down and affect an air of superiority," I said, "The very second she opens the door, as she steps into the room, you raise your voice at me and tell me that there's no way in hell that you're paying €1,500 for a survey and that the best you'll do is pay €1,200. I'll counter at €1,400 and we'll agree somewhere in the middle at €1,300. That way, she'll see you acting in a business-like manner with no nonsense being accepted."

"Are you sure, Tony?" she asked.

"Fuck, Lynn," I said, "yes, I'm positive, you can even call me a prick if you want, I won't mind."

"Ok, I'll do it," she said.

"By the way," I asked, "whose idea was it to wait until this morning to introduce these extra sites?"

"Oh that was Serena's supervisor," she said, "Serena said she might just drop them into the conversation while you were here."

"Did she now," I said, "the little bitch."

Ten minutes later, Lynn had hardened herself outwardly as we chatted amiably and waited for Serena to return. I heard the door handle being pulled down and kicked Lynn under the table.

"Take no notice of anything I say here, Lynn," I said.

She nodded her head.

"Jesus Christ, Tony," she said, "you lot over in Dublin must think we came up in the last fucking boatload. €1,500 indeed! There's no fucking way I'm even going to consider suggesting that to my bosses."

"Ok, Lynn," I said, "I'm just saying what my boss is going to say, they can't be done for the same price."

"And why ever not?" she said imperiously.

I was seriously impressed and felt the immediate beginnings of a semi as I gazed into her eyes.

"Because we don't know anything about them," I said," we don't know what they are, where they are, or how much travelling is involved to each one. We know nothing about them whatsoever. In fact I'm most disappointed in you for just dropping this on me so suddenly this morning, I thought you had more class than that."

"Whatever, Tony," she said, "you can take it or leave it."

"I can't leave it, Lynn," I said, "we're holding a contract here, so we'll just do the contracted amount, and you can get someone else to do the others."

"But we'd have to open a new tender, Tony,” she said, "That's a public process and will make us look like idiots."

"Ok, I understand, Lynn," I said. "In fairness, you've been a pretty straight shooter up to this, so how about we make it €1,450?"

"I'll give you €1,200," she said, tapping her fingernail on the table.

"€1,300 and you have a deal," I said.

"€1,250."

"No, it can’t be that," I said, "€1,350 is the best I can do."

"But you said €1,300 a second ago," she complained.

"I did, didn't I?" I said. "Ok, €1,300 it is. You win.”

"Do you have to clear it first?" she asked.

"Yes, but it should be fine," I said.

We shook hands and Serena left us to get our stuff together. Lynn began to laugh quietly.

"You should go straight down to her supervisor and rip a strip off her for making you and Serena look like a knob," I said, “and do it in front of Serena. Frighten the shit out of her.”

"I think I might just do that," she replied, "can I see you tonight?"

"I'm heading to Dublin after we're finished here," I responded, "my mother wants to see me."

"Nothing wrong I hope," she said.

"Ah no, nothing at all. I should've gone up before now," I observed, "I haven't been home for about five months."

"Well tell her I was asking for her," she said and kissed me on the cheek on the way out.

"I might have a guy contact you later about these surveys, Lynn," I said, "his name is Deco Carroll."

"Sounds good," she said, "we need to get cracking on these."

"Still with the eggs, eh, Lynn?" I quipped, and she nearly choked with laughter.

I got on the Dublin Road quite quickly and put the boot down. After all the hoopla, I was happy to be heading home, even if it was only for a couple of nights. I called Cadden.

“Hi sir,” I said, “I’m on the road to Dublin.”

“Ah, Tony,” he replied, “there’s no need to check in with me.”

“I know,” I said, “I got in contact with Lynn Joyce, I just left her a few minutes ago.”

“That’s fantastic, Tony,” he responded. “How did it go?”

“It went well until they asked for another 140 surveys,” I told him.

“Tell her to ring me and I’ll discuss it with her,” he said.

“I didn’t want to disturb you,” I said, “so I negotiated an extra €200 for each survey as they weren’t part of the contract.”

“You what?”

“They would have had to put out another tender otherwise, Mr. Cadden,” I informed him, “which would have cost them a fortune. Did I do wrong?”

“No, no,” he laughed, “you did nothing wrong at all, Tony. I’ve always been impressed by your abilities to recognise a potential issue and quickly analyse and deal with it.”

“Ok,” I said.

“So, what are the next steps?” he asekd, “Do you have a plan in mind?”

“Yes,” I said, “I have a chap called, Declan Carroll, who will take on the work itself.”

“Is he capable?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said, “but I’ll just give him ten, or so, as a test to make sure. I won’t commit us to anything more.”

“Good idea, Tony,” he asked, “What will he need to do them?”

“€200 for each survey,” I replied.

“Oh no, that’s way too much,” he said.

“Ok, I’ll tell him to forget about it and see if I can get someone else,” I said, “I’ll let you know if I find someone, Mr. Cadden, have a nice weekend.”

I hung up and counted to ten. The phone rang when I reached six.

“Tony Harris,” I said.

“Tony, James again,” he said, “I forgot about your penchant for directness. Do you think he’d accept €100 each?”

“I already tried that, Mr. Cadden,” I said, “He charges €1,100 for them in Dublin so it was a bit of a struggle to get him down to €200 as it was.”

“He mustn’t get a lot of work at those rates,” he posited.

“I suppose he wouldn’t need a lot,” I replied.

“What about €150? Do you think he’d go for that?” he asked.

“I wouldn’t waste my time pursuing it,” I said, “if you want to faff around the edges and irritate the shit out of everyone you can try €180. He might go for that once I throw the extra surveys into the pot.”

“If you can get him to €180, Tony,” he said, “there’s a €25 finder’s fee in it for you.”

“Thanks,” I said, “but that’s not necessary, sir.”

“It very much is, Tony,” he responded, “You’re saving me a lot of admin costs here.”

“Well if you insist, sir,” I said, “but €50 would make it worth my while.”

“If I said €40 cash in hand,” he questioned, “would that work?”

“Payment by Revolut?” I asked.

“Yes. It’s all Revolut with you youngsters, isn’t it?” he laughed.

“Ok,” I said, “let me run it by him first. I’ll need the address of where to collect the equipment if he agrees.”

“I’ll text it to you when it’s confirmed,” he said.

“Great,” I said, and we disconnected.

I called Deco.

“Galway institute for the mentally deranged, how may I direct your call?”

“Yeah, should an unsupervised, and obviously dangerous, patient be in the office answering the phone, Deco?” I laughed.

“You think that’s a negative, Tony?” he said, laughing.

“Probably not,” I said, “I have everything sorted out on those sites, Deco.”

“Excellent!” he enthused, “What’s the craic?”

“€100 is too low,” I said, “what works for you?”

“Fuck! I don’t know, Tony,” he said, “how many are there, 200?”

“It’s actually 340 now,” I said.

“Fuck! What do you think it’d stand?” he asked.

“I can get you €180 each,” I said. “Cash in hand.”

“It’s more than I’d need,” he said, “I’ll tell you what, take it and I’ll give you €50 out of each one.”

“No, just give me €30,” I said.

“Are you sure?” he asked, “I’m really grateful for the work. I can use the money, to be honest."

“Yes, and I’m grateful to you for your support when I was in the hospital, Deco,” I replied, “I won’t forget that.”

“Yeah, well thanks, but it’s not necessary,” he said.

“Ok,” I noted, “I’m on the road home. I’ll stop at a Supermacs in about ten minutes and send you the details. You’re on your own from there.”

“Cool,” he said, “how do I get paid?”

“Revolut.”

“That works,” he replied, “thanks again, Tony.”

“No sweat,” I said, “do you need a float?”

“Why would I?” he asked.

“You’ll incur expenses, man” I said, “petrol, condoms, stuff like that. I’ll Revolut you a grand to get you going, how’s that?

“That’s great, Tony “ he said.

“By the way,” I said, “you’ll be dealing with a girl called, Serena, in the Council. I think she’s in dire need of a fuck. You might want to sort that out as quick as you can.”

“I’ll do that tonight, Tony,” he said, “any tips?”

“I wouldn’t mind a little video of her screaming in orgasm,” I said, laughing.

“We’re not all like you, you prick,” he shote back.

“Don’t let me down,” I said, knowing he wouldn’t, and hung up.

I texted Cadden and he replied with the address almost immediately. Fifteen minutes later I was parking the car outside Supermacs at the Galway Plaza rest stop at Junction 16. I heard an alert on my phone. Camden had sent me €13,600, my entire finder’s fee. A text from him quickly followed.

“Finder’s fee sent to Revolut, let me know when it hits please.”

“It just came in there, thanks.”

“Thanks to you, Tony. How long are you in town for?”

“I’ve to be back down here on Sunday evening. I’m just coming up to see my Mam, she’s fretting a bit.”

“Good boy. Tell her I send my regards.”

“Will do thanks.”

I walked in to the Supermacs facility, and it was a bit like Christmas week on a turkey farm. Manic. I had only ever been in their outlet on O’Connell Street one Saturday night and got some chicken that tasted like it had been cooked in the renderings of a car tyre, so I wasn’t expecting much.

Perusing the menu, I avoided the chicken and ordered a 5 oz. burger, chips, and tea. I took it over to a table near a window and relaxed as I sent out all of the information that everyone needed to start work on Lynn’s surveys. I also sent Deco his float.

I didn’t realise how hungry I was, and I demolished the ‘meal’ in rapid fashion, thankful that I wasn’t puking at the end of it. I sipped my tea and waited for the barrage of texts to end. Happy that everyone seemed to be liaising with everyone else, I looked around in search of a rubbish bin for the detritus on the horrible tray in front of me. I saw one near the exit and headed towards it, bumping into someone in my haste to get on the road again.

“I’m so sorry,” I said as I spun around to see who I’d almost killed.

A young lady was sprawled across a nearby table, so I dropped the tray and helped her to stand up. I held her hand and supported her back as she regained her composure.

“I’m terribly sorry,” I said, mortified. “I didn’t see you in my wing mirror.”

She straightened up and fixed her straight blonde hair, her face pink with embarrassment, as she readjusted her clothing. I picked her tray up, collected my mess, and dropped it in the receptacle.

“My fault entirely,” she said, “I thought I saw someone I knew out in the car park that would give me a lift home.”

“Oh shit,” I said, “so you’re stuck here in the place where food comes to die for a while then?”

“I’ll get a lift at some stage,” she said.

“Where are you going to?” I asked.

“Ballinasloe,” she replied.

“I can drop you off if you like,” I offered, “it’s on my way.”

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“Dublin,” I said.

She thought for a beat and smiled.

“Ok,” she said, “thank you, I’m Ariel.”

“You are not,” I said, laughing. “If that’s the case, I’m the Beast.”

“The Beast would never meet Ariel,” she said.

“No, but he did meet a beauty,” I said, and she smiled and blushed.

“Vivian Cullen,” she said, holding out her hand.

“Beast Harris,” I said with a smile, “my friends call me, Tony.”

“Very nice to meet you, Tony “ she responded as I almost drowned in her bright blue eyes.

I followed along behind her as she walked out through the front doors. She wore a black skirt that stopped slightly above her knee and a short pink bomber jacket. She had a melodic sway to her body that was very alluring, and she was very fanciable. I processed everything in my mind and concluded that, with the journey to Ballinasloe only taking about twenty minutes or so, I wouldn't have much time to make an impression. I still had to get home and couldn't allow myself to become distracted from that. She sat into the car as I held the door for her.

"Nice car, Beast," she said with a laugh.

"It's just a rental, Vivian," I replied, "I usually drive a chariot pulled by three Suileach."

"Someone knows their Irish mythology," she said, "You do realise, though, that the Suileach were mostly associated with Donegal?"

"Who said I don't have a connection with Donegal, Vivian?" I said, affecting a tone of shock. "I mean, coming from someone who doesn't know her mermaids from her murúch, I find that a bit much."

"What's a murúch ?" she asked as I started the car.

"A murúch, is a mermaid or merman in Irish folklore," I said.

"That's a merrow," she said.

"Where did you get that from?" I asked.

"School," she said.

"Murúch is Irish, merrow is anglicised," I said, "It's Irish mythology after all, Vivian, not English."

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"Simple," I said, "the letter 'W' is not used in the Irish alphabet."

"What?" she asked, and I saw her thinking it through in her head. "Fuck, you're right. Those lazy bastard teachers in our school."

"So, tell me," I said, "do you often hang around the Galway Plaza looking for lifts in cars from strange men?"

"No," she said, laughing, "I do not! I work there and my car is in dock today."

"You work there?" I asked, "are you a burger flipper?"

"No, I'm the purchasing manager for the Plaza," she answered.

"I see," I said, "what do you purchase?"

"Anything that's needed," she replied.

"I'm sorry I knocked you over back there," I said.

"Not to worry," she said, "thank God I fell gracefully."

"I wouldn't exactly say that now," I joked.

"Would you not?" she said and gave me a playful punch on the arm.

"I'd call it more of a dive than a fall," I said.

"Well, I think my modesty was preserved at least."

I smiled and pursed up my lips.

"Hey Beast," she continued, "My modesty was preserved wasn't it?"

"All I will say is that I averted my eyes as quickly as possible, Ariel," I said.

"You fucker," she said, "what did you see?"

"I saw everything, and I saw nothing," I said, "I told you, I averted my eyes."

She laughed and was blushing as she playfully lashed out at me with an open hand. I caught her hand and held on to it.

"You have beautiful hands for a fish," I said as I brought it to my lips and kissed it gently.

She squirmed in her seat but didn't take her hand away.

"I will offer some advice though," I went on, "and I want to put it on record as a recovering invalid that I bruise very easily."

"Oh no, poor baby," she said, "I suppose this means you're going to walk along the line of acceptability again."

"It's more of a tightrope, Vivian," I said.

"There's no safety net, Tony," she said, watching my eyes for an inkling of what was coming, "so be careful."

"Ok, fortune favours the brave," I said, "Grey underwear is not attractive on a lady, Vivian."

She broke down laughing, holding on to my hand as she nearly choked.

"How very dare you?" she said through a fit of coughing, "I'm dying to know what is acceptable?"

"Basically, any colour besides grey," I said, "you might consider pink or white lace and, maybe, black for a formal occasion."

"Oh, I see," she said, amused now, "and who made you the oracle of women's underwear?"

"I'm self-appointed," I went on, "I know what I like, and I know that my opinion is shared widely."

"Pull over," she said.

"Ah no," I said, "don't take it that way, Vivian. It's a topic of discussion, that's all."

"I said, pull over!" she said with finality.

I slowed the car down as she disentangled her hand from mine. I stopped along the road margin, my lights flashing. She unclipped her seat belt and looked at me with fire in her eyes before throwing herself at me, her lips flailing against mine as she clung to me and pulled me to her. I responded and calmed her somewhat, slowly taking charge of the kiss and living in her breath as she settled down and relaxed into my lips, our tongues just washing over each other. The kiss ended and we sat back in our separate seats, our hands together as we caught our breath.

"Fuck you, Tony," she said, "don't go home yet."

"I have to, Vivian," I said, "but I'm coming back this way on Sunday afternoon."

"Would you be interested in bringing me to a birthday party in town on Sunday night?" she asked.

"No, but I'd do it for you," I said.

She pulled me to her again and kissed me deeply.

"You're such a good kisser," she said as I touched her knee and she jumped a little in her seat, moving her knees apart in the process.

I kissed her again and slid my hand along her inner thigh, kneading it slightly and basking in her softness and smoothness. I reached the top of her thigh, a brief inch from touching her vagina, and felt how damp her skin was before easing it away as she moaned in protest and her hips rose in desire. I broke the kiss and sat back in my seat.

"Jesus! Don't just stop there, Tony," she almost hissed.

"I couldn't bring myself to touch grey underwear," I whispered with a slight grin. "We can continue this on Sunday, I'll aim to be back this way by mid-afternoon."

“Please, Tony, Sunday is forever away. I can take these off,” she pleaded, “Don’t leave me hanging.”

“Ok,” I conceded, pulling her lips to mine as she moved herself around and slipped her grey panties off.

I slid my hand along her inner thigh again, her expectant moaning increasing in volume the closer I came to her swollen vulva. My fingers explored the soft tissue just shy of her heat.

“Please, touch me,” she breathed into my mouth as her legs parted wider, and she gripped my hair with her hand behind my neck.

I slipped my finger inside the her labia as they were almost pulsing in desire, stroking the soft tuft of hair present on her mound with my thumb. She was highly aroused and incredibly wet as I touched her clitoris, pausing for a moment to stroke it gently before moving along inside her vulva to her vaginal entrance. Her tongue slipped fully into my mouth as my finger penetrated her vagina and slowly sought her G spot. Her gasping breath told me when I had found it. She ground herself against my hand, taking herself to a quick and powerful climax as the strength of her movements caused the car to rock gently on its suspension.

She cried out as she climaxed, a continuous stream of fluid covering my hand and fingers as she fought for completion before flopping backwards in her seat. I gently massaged her vulva while she calmed the fire inside. She opened her eyes and smiled at me.

“Thank you,” she whispered and kissed me deeply. “That was fucking amazing.”

“I’ll drop you home,” I whispered and kissed her again.

As I drove she fixed herself and gave directions to where she lived. When I stopped outside she took my hand and forced her panties between my fingers. They felt quite soft and damp. I opened them out to have a look as she watched me a curious little smile on her lips.

“Ah,” I said, “a Vicky S thong. I can allow that. You should have said, Ariel.”

“You fucker,” she grinned, pulling me to her, “you can replace that when you’re up in Dublin. Size small.”

“I’ll ask my mother to get it for me,” I said. “Is it the Grey Heather thong?”

“Fuck off,” she said, laughing as she opened the car door, “Sunday mid-afternoon?”

“I can’t wait,” I said.

“You don’t have to,” she said.

“I know, but I must,” I said, squeezing her hand with huge regret.

"Pink or white?" she said, smiling.

“What?”

“On Sunday, pink or white underwear?”

"Surprise me," I said as I started the engine.

"I'll do some shopping tomorrow," she replied.

I marked my location on the Satnav as she watched and smiled. She handed me her business card as she left me, and I hit the road to Dublin. There was a short snarl up of traffic in the town centre of Ballinasloe, so I took out my phone and sent half of the money I got from Cadden to Peter by Revolut. Expecting a swift and immediate response, I was a bit irked when nothing happened.

“You prick,” I said to nobody in particular just before the phone rang as I cleared the traffic and got onto the motorway.

“Peter,” I said quickly.

“You sent me €68,” he said.

“I didn’t, was it not €6,800?” I asked anxiously.

“Yes, it was,” he said, “but what’s it for?”

“It’s half of the finder’s fee I got from Cadden for that survey work,” I said.

“Why do I have to be included in your grubby little enterprise?” he said.

“I would’ve been blindsided by him only for you,” I said.

“He gave you over thirteen grand?” he asked.

“Yep.”

“He offered you thirteen grand without an issue or discussion?” he asked.

“I wouldn’t exactly say that, Peter,” I said, “there was some haggling involved.”

“Nice one, grasshopper,” he replied, “but I can’t accept it?”

“Why not?”

“Because I didn’t earn it,” he stated, “I only made a call.”

“No you didn’t,” I said, “you more than earned it, all I did was walk the path you laid.”

“Did you lay anything into miss Lynn?”

“Several times.”

“Ooh, I’m interested now,” he said, "do tell. Wait, are you driving somewhere?”

“Yes, I’m heading to the big smoke,” I replied.

“Are we planning an evening of cocktails and debauchery?”

“I want to take my Mam out somewhere nice for dinner,” I said, “any suggestions?”

“Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud,” he said.

“Fuck off,” I shot back, “you need to be the Taoiseach to get a table in there at short notice.”

“Or you need to be the son of the woman who taught the French burger flipper how to fucking cook,” he said.

“Fancy it tonight?" I asked, “just the five of us?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Tony,” he said, “I’ve just had a lovely slice of dry toast.”

“You prick,” I said, “get us a table for tonight, it’s on me.”

“I’ll get Ellen on it now,” he said, “I’ll text you.”

“Great,” I replied.

“Tony?” he asked.

“Yes?”

“Thanks for this,” he said, “I appreciate it.”

“I owe you a hell of a lot more, Peter,” I said.

“Yes, that’s true enough,” he said and hung up.

He texted me ten minutes later.

“Table for five, 7:30 confirmed. Don’t be late. We're not eating off the menu designed for the plebs.”

"Great, thanks."

"Dress appropriately."

"Fuck off."

"And less of the north side language too."

"Prick."

"I'll be wearing a platinum evening gown, so don't dress in those Adidas things that are so popular on your side of the city."

"I've a pair of Nikes that I've only worn a few times, I'll throw them in the machine."

"Yes, and then throw them out."

"You're such a prick sometimes."

"Only sometimes? I'll have to sharpen myself up a bit."

"I'll see you outside the Merrion Hotel."

"Great, 7:02. Don't be late."

I called home.

"Anthony, are you still coming up for the weekend?" Mam asked.

"Yes, I'm about an hour out," I replied, "we're dining at a fancy two-star Michelin restaurant tonight."

"Where? How?" she questioned.

"Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, Ellen organised it," I said, "she, and Peter, are joining us."

"That'll be a nice evening," she responded, "Do we have to dress up?"

"Just wear a cleaner apron and you'll be fine," I said.

"I'll wear my good dress again," she said, sounding happy.

"Perfect," I said, "I'll see you shortly."

I was happily driving along the motorway as the traffic thickened the nearer to Dublin I got. The Mazda was a great little motor, and it just cruised along sedately. I reduced my speed to 120KM and lowered the volume of the radio, smiling as the memory of my brief interlude with Ariel / Vivian warmed me. A sign on the side of the road told me that Kildare Village Outlet Mall was upcoming, and I decided to make a pit stop at the Penhaligon's Outlet to replenish my stock of cologne. There was an absolute fox working the floor and I allowed her to stand beside me as I listened to her waxing lyrical about the new fragrance for women that they were hyping.

She had really dark, long wavy hair that almost cascaded in a cute waterfall from a pink ribbon at the back of her head and hung seductively in a ringlet across her eyes then curved deliciously behind her ears and down to her shoulders, stopping about six inches below her collarbone. She was a couple of inches shorter than me with a slim build clad in a figure hugging, but not too tight, black blouse and knee length skirt which slightly emphasised her perfect little bum.

I moved away from the circular table inside the doors and strolled over to take two bottles of Endymion from the shelf as the lady that she was serving asked about The Favourite, temporarily foxing the fox, Nicole. As the lady continued to prattle on about the presentation, which was quite impressive in its originality despite the retrospective look to it, I moved nearer with a mind to assist if I could. Nicole watched as I strolled to the side of the customer.

"I'm not sure," she was saying, "it feels a little too sweet for me."

"Sorry,” I said, "I couldn't help but overhear. The description says Iris, but that’s not what my nose tells me. It’s like a dewy rose garden at midnight, where Star Jasmine lines the borders, perfuming the thick night air. A gentleman strolls by and your nose is full of the scent of his sandalwood cologne on top of the garden fragrances. Everything feels thick, heady, languorous, a bit naughty even. You are in love with love."

"Oh, we have a poet," she laughed as Nicole brightened up.

"Hardly a poet, ma'am. Here, walk though this," I said, as I sprayed a light cloud of the fragrance into the air in front of her. "You should sense quite a feminine fragrance, it's much less heavy than, for example, Halfeti. As it is with many other Penhaligon's fragrances, it has more longevity on your clothes than your skin. It has a flowery musky scent with a powdery dry down and I absolutely love it."

She stepped into the cloud and turned around, thrilled with the experience.

"My God, I see what you mean," she said, "it’s delicious, isn't it?"

"That's the heart note of Mimosa with a slight hint of the Violet leaf. It captures the whimsical sophistication of a Duchess. It's a fragrance of great delicacy with an underlying strength and longevity that only the more sophisticated lady will appreciate."

They looked at me with naked awe. I smiled, handed her the bottle, and walked over to the counter to pay for my stuff. Nicole followed me holding a bottle of The Favourite.

"Did she buy it?" I whispered to her.

"How could she not?" Nicole said, "I'm going to buy one for myself too. You're a fantastic salesman, thank you for stepping in."

"It was completely my pleasure," I said.

"Are you looking to buy these?" she said, indicating the Endymion in my hands.

"Yes, please," I replied, "can I get a 30mm of The Favourite for my mother, sister and a friend too please?"

"She must be a very special friend," she responded with a cute smile.

"She's a colleague's mother and I love her dearly,” I said, "we're seeing her for dinner this evening and I thought it'd be a nice moment to hand them each one of these."

"Isn't there one for your wife, girlfriend or significant other?" she asked.

"I'm afraid I'm flying solo at present," I replied, "so the position is very much open."

"Oh that's a shame," she said averting her eyes and blushing a very light pink.

"Do you live down here, Nicole?" I asked.

"No, I have a place in the Citywest complex," she said, "I couldn't live down here."

"Do you live with your husband, boyfriend or significant other?" I asked with a grin.

"Touche," she said, "but I, too, am flying solo at the moment and the position is also very much open."

"That's one of my favourite positions too," I said, and her eyes sparkled with recognition.

"Do you have other favourites?" she asked, a coquettishness beginning to grow in her.

"Don't we all?" I said.

"Yes, I suppose we do," she said.

"The trouble is that we never get enough time to explore them all properly," I observed.

She crossed her legs as she stood before me, her eyes darting to see the customer walking her way. I stepped aside to allow her to complete the sale, receiving a slight bow from the customer as she left the premises having spent a couple of hundred Euros.

Nicole began to pack my order, wrapping the three gifts beautifully in a linen paper sprayed with the perfume before placing them delicately in impressive looking bags and then adding a further spray before tying them off with a pink ribbon. She did a similar thing with mine and then gave me her staff discount on the purchase.

"There's no need to do that, Nicole," I said, "I was happy to buy them."

"I know," she said, "just be quiet and let a girl do what she wants to do."

"Can I take you out tomorrow night to show my appreciation?" I asked.

"I was hoping you would," she replied "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking about positions," I said taking her hand as she returned my debit card.

"My card is in with your Endymion," she said, "maybe we can talk about it later. I get off at 9:30."

"Do you indeed?" I asked with a smile.

"Work!” she said, “I meant I get off work.”

"I'll give you a call at 9:31," I said, "does that work?"

"Yes," she smiled, "it does."

I left the mall, placed my purchases in the foot well of the back seat, and got back on the motorway, hitting the turn off for the M50 twenty minutes later. Fifteen minutes after that, at 3:05, I was parking the car outside the house. I retrieved my overnight bag and laptop case and let myself in through the front door.

“I’m home!” I shouted when I stepped inside and heard my voice echo through the empty house.

I felt an ironic smile appear on my face as I walked into the kitchen, placed my bags on the table and switched the kettle on. I sat in an armchair and sipped on a cup of tea as I readjusted to normality. Sinéad was at school still and, obviously, my mother was off out carousing with her latest boy toy. I laughed to myself at the thought. My phone rang, it was Deco.

“Morning,” I said.

“What’s the story?” he said.

“You tell me, I just landed here. Did you get in touch with Serena or Lynn?” I asked.

“Yeah, it’s all good. I met Serena and I’m just leaving the second of five sites under pressure for now,” he said.

“She has you working already?” I said.

“Yes, she wants the data before the end of the weekend,” he said. “She gave me her email; will I send it direct to her?”

“Who’s paying you?” I asked, as I heard the door opening.

“What?” he asked.

“Who’s fucking paying you, Deco?” I asked again. “Is Serena paying you?”

“No,” he said, “you are.”

“Does that answer your question?” I asked.

“Yes, sorry,” he said. “I’ll send them on to you.”

“See that you do,” I said. “You can’t let your cock rule your head here, Deco.”

“I’ll sort that out with her tonight,” he said.

“Oh, are you planning an assault?” I asked, smiling.

“Just a few pints to get her warmed up,” he said, “we’ll see how the night goes from there.”

“Just watch what you say to her,” I said, “she’s an ambitious little cunt.”

“Will do,” he said, and we hung up.

My mother was behind me as I hung up the phone.

“Anthony?” she said. “That’s a terrible way to talk about someone on the phone.”

I jumped up and hugged her.

“I know, but sometimes you just have to dress it up a bit,” I replied, “come inside, the kettle’s just boiled.”

"There was nothing nice about what you said, Anthony," she said, a look of annoyance on her face.

"I think I was actually quite complimentary, Mam," I responded, "if you knew this one, you'd understand. By the way, I got you something."

I ran out to the car, as she began to voice some ineffective complaints, and retrieved the perfume bags. I handed one to her and left the other two on the table. She tried not to smile as she picked it up and sniffed the air above it.

"Ooh, this is quite nice," she purred.

"Quite nice?" I said. "It's only a small bottle but it’s quite powerful, a little dab is all you need. If you like it I can get a larger one."

"I love the wrapping," she said, "this is how you know it's quality. They only employ the best staff too."

"That's true," I said, "Nicole, the girl who wrapped it, was telling me that she was working in Burger King this time last week."

She looked at me to see if I was joking, decided I was and then asked, "who are the other two bags for?"

"I was thinking I might drop one into Tara’s house," I said, "just to brighten her day a little."

"Now I know you're joking, Anthony," she said, "alright then, don't tell me. I don't care."

"One is for Sinéad, and the other is for Ellen," I said, "I got a couple of gas masks for Peter and I."

"Well thank you, son," she said, "it's a lovely gift to get."

I was heading out to freshen up when she called me back. She held a business card in her hand.

"I think this is meant for you," she said, "it’s a card from some girl called Nicole and her number is written on the back and circled on the front."

"Oh, yes," I said, taking the card from her, "I promised I'd let her know if you enjoyed the perfume. It's a thing they do for new customers at Penhaligon's."

I ran out the door and up the stairs to avoid the look of disappointment that I knew was heading my way.

We met Ellen and Peter outside the Merrion Hotel, where we were met inside the restaurant by the maître d' himself, although he was only interested in making Ellen happy. We were brought into the magnificent dining room and seated by a window overlooking an enclosed summer garden. Sinéad held my hand, squeezing it occasionally with nerves of excitement, as my mother watched us with a peaceful smile and happy eyes.

“Anthony, give Ellen her gift,” she said under her breath.

“Oh my word, Tony,” Ellen squealed delightedly as she took the bag from me, “you shouldn’t have done that. It’s beautiful, thank you.”

“Did everyone, except me, get a little something from Penhaligon’s?” Peter asked.

“No,” I replied, extricating a bottle of Endymion from my pocket and handing it to him.

“No fancy bag. Just a little blue bottle?” he joked as everyone laughed. “I feel like the little boy that Santa Claus forgot.”

“Oh just say thanks and shut the fuck up,“ I shot back to further laughter.

We were then descended on by a flurry of wait staff who occupied the ladies as Peter touched my arm.

“Can we talk work for a bit?” he asked in a low voice.

“Yes,” I said, “what’s up?”

"You know this Council thing out in Cabra?" he said.

"Yes," I replied, "I vaguely remember it."

"Well, if you're going to take the piss," he said, "I'll leave it alone."

"A bit touchy tonight are we, Peter?" I asked.

"I was fine until something that we've been working on suddenly hit me as I was driving over here tonight," he said.

"I was wondering what was off about you," I responded, "what's the matter?"

"I won't bore you with too many details tonight," he said, "but our contract kicks in next Friday."

"Ok," I said, "I wasn't aware of it."

"Well it doesn't have a pair of tits," he said, "so why would you be aware of it?"

"Ok," I said, "that’s a bit unfair but I get it."

"I've been doing a bit of reading through it," he noted, "We're walking into a mess with our eyes closed."

"How so?"

"Oh, it's too far reaching," he said, "until it hit me tonight."

"Ok, care to elaborate?"

"I've sent you a few, well a lot, of files to your email," he said, "take a quick read through the Housing Department Invoice Payments file, read the requirements for qualification of payments and then check the submitted documents file. Then get back to me with your findings."

"Would you not just tell me, Peter?” I replied, "for fuck's sake."

"I need to see if you find the same things that I found," he said.

"I'll get on it on Monday night when I get back to Galway," I said.

"Ok," he said, "that'll have to do I suppose. The small matter of my inability to sleep is of far lesser importance than whatever corporeal inducements lay before you. The fact that I'll suffer extreme fatigue in the early mid-morning due to a severe case of insomnia ..."

"Oh for fuck's sake," I said, "I'll read the stuff tonight. Does that work for you?"

"Yes, it does," now where's that Francophile servant with our dinner?" he asked, picking up his napkin and opening it out over his lap like the stuck-up little fucker that he was.

My phone buzzed as a text came in. It was from Nicole.

"I got off early."

"Lucky you."

"Are you coming down to me?"

"I just got hit with a ton of work, but I'll do my best."

"Ok :( please try."

I put the phone away as Peter watched me closely.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Ah, nothing," I said. "I had an arrangement to call a girl at 9:30. I'm going to cry off to look at this work stuff."

"Ok, sorry about that," he said, buttering a warm French roll.

Five minutes later the phone buzzed again. Nicole. I opened it to find a picture of her in front of a mirror as she took a selfie of herself facing away from it. The picture showed her naked except for a short white woollen jumper of some kind and the briefest of brief white thongs framing her exquisite behind as it called to me and sent a high voltage of electricity straight to my penis.

"Fuck," I whispered to myself as Peter reached for my phone.

He took a quick look at it.

"Fuck the paperwork, Tony," he said, "I need that in my collection."

"The picture?" I asked.

"No, for fuck's sake," he spat, "the thong."

"But what about your 'inability to sleep'," I asked.

"I know," he said, thinking, "alright, send me the picture too."

I flicked it on to him and replied to Nicole.

"I'll be with you between 9:30 and 10:00."

"Will I get a call at 9:31 as promised?"

"If I regain my ability to speak you will."

":) XOXO."

TBC