Paul and Linda left Alice's sometime before noon. As achy and tired as he felt, he was definitely in better shape than Linda. She had never drank alcohol before, but once she had her first wine cooler, she found that she couldn't stop. As a result, the train running through the middle of her skull wasn't stopping, and wasn't going away, and Linda’s memories of the events leading up to and after midnight were spotty. Paul wished that he would have encouraged her to stop after three coolers had been consumed, but George had brought up an extremely sensitive subject, and she just needed to unwind.
As they drove back to Linda's, Paul spotted a diner. He thought that food and a cup of strong coffee would help her. Once inside, the hostess looked at the couple, and with a warm smile, asked Alpha or Beta? Paul said Alpha as Linda said Beta. He looked up at her and told her that she should choose the table size that would be most comfortable for her. She repeated Beta, so that was where they sat. Paul felt a little guilty due to the fact that Linda had to hunch over to eat. He knew that would make it extremely uncomfortable for her. But she was adamant that they sit in the Beta section.
Both ordered coffee, and before Paul could even start on his Linda had finished hers, and had ordered a second cup. He asked her if she was doing alright, and she wearily answered yes. They didn’t need the menu to know what they wanted. Paul told her that money was no object, because she was treating.
Linda didn’t get the joke at first, then realized what Paul had said, and let out a weak laugh. The server came back and took their order, and Linda continued to work on her coffee. As she was nearing the bottom of the cup, she had hazy visions running through her mind of the previous night’s events. She was going to dismiss them as just her mind still in dream mode, but the images felt awfully real. She had thoughts of confronting Alice, and about forcing Paul to have sex with her. She shuddered at the thought of her behaving that way, yet they wouldn’t leave her head.
She asked him if she had said anything to Alice, and he told her that they both disappeared into the kitchen for a good twenty minutes, and that neither looked terribly happy afterwards. Linda’s heart sank at the confirmation of that event, because it forced her to come to the realization that maybe she forced herself on Paul without his permission. She tentatively asked him what happened later on. He played dumb, and said that he didn’t understand her question. She asked him what happened after they went into the bedroom. Paul hesitated before answering, which told Linda that her worst fears were real. She started crying, apologizing to him for her behavior, saying that she didn’t know what she was doing, and she asked him for forgiveness.
Paul could tell that she was really upset, and reached out and took her large hand, caressing it as he told her that she had no reason to apologize. They were going to be husband and wife, and sooner than they thought, and that they could never do anything to one another that would be considered inappropriate. She was still crying, so he leaned closer to her and told her a secret. He was turned on by her behavior. He couldn’t explain it, but he just found it sexy that she took the lead in them having sex, because he had never seen that side of her. He kind of enjoyed it. She looked at him and he gave her a wink and kissed her hand, flashing a million dollar smile.
She stopped crying just as the food arrived. Paul was always amazed by Linda’s appetite. He could eat more than his fair share, but she could double that amount without breaking a sweat, and was still able to maintain her awesome figure. It had to be the increased metabolism due to her version of the formula. And as he thought, once she ate and had coffee, she perked up, and the train running through her head had finally left for good.
They paid their bill, and as he was about to help her into the vehicle, she bent down and kissed him, apologizing for her behavior. He looked at her, and told her again that she had nothing to apologize for. He loved her. And that he would have to get used to her getting her kink on! She looked shocked, as he gave her another wink, putting her mind at ease. She smiled, feeling much better than when the day started.
After Paul dropped Linda off, he made his way home. He was tired, but knew that sleep was out of the question, so he picked up the phone and dialed the Robbins house. Mrs Robbins answered. He apologized for calling on New Year's day, but he asked if he could come over and visit Jill. She didn't have a problem, but let him know that Pete was there, and so she would have to ask her daughter if she wanted him to visit. Paul told her no problem. A couple of minutes later, she came back on and let him know that Jill said it was ok, so Paul said thank you and drove over to the house.
He arrived at his destination. Paul thought back to his entire situation with Jill, and was fairly amazed that she had come really far in her treatments. He found that he thoroughly enjoyed his visits with her. He realized that they did him as much good as they did for her. He had started his regular visits because when he had found out that she had been bullied in first grade, and worse, physically assaulted and humiliated by her classmates, he just developed an enormous amount of sympathy for her. And once he was healed of the injuries he suffered at her hands, he just felt the insane need to talk with her.
Knocking on the door, he was surprised when he saw it was Jill that was greeting him. They said their hellos, and he noticed that she was proudly wearing the sweater that he had gotten her for Christmas. And more to the point, she looked like she was at total peace with her life. He thought that Pete was probably a good influence on her. She escorted him into the living room, and lifted him onto a chair, and he wished the both of them a very Happy New Year. She sat next to Pete on the sofa.
Paul told her that he thought it was really cool that she was wearing the shirt he got her for Christmas.
She beamed a warm smile. He asked them how their holiday was, and Pete beat her to be the first to respond. He said that it was wonderful, as he held her hand, and described the events of Christmas dinner and New Year's Eve. Paul kept thinking about how far Jill had come from the first day he met her. Back then, there was a sadistic undercurrent running through her. Now, it seemed to be completely replaced by genuine caring about not only Pete, but other people. He was truly happy for her.
And when he was done visiting Jill, he went home and found himself struggling to stay awake. The long night had finally caught up with him. He made it to his bed, and closed his eyes. Next thing he knew, it was midnight, and he was hungry. He went out into the kitchen and found a note from his mom. They ordered out, and his meal was in the fridge. He was grateful for his parents.
But once the break was over, Paul and Linda drove back to college. They both thought that being home for a month was nice, and spending time with family and friends enjoyable, but they kind of missed the campus life. And it would be good to see their roommates again. After being dropped off at her dorm, Linda made her way into her room, only to find it was being occupied by Missy and another freshman, who were “relaxing” while in bed.
Linda apologized for disturbing them, while the couple scrambled to get dressed quickly. Missy introduced her friend as Josh, and an embarrassed look came over his face. Missy told him to relax, that Linda was cool. But it didn't make a difference, his face was still red. He told Missy that he would call her later, and quickly departed the room, leaving the two girls alone.
Paul made it into his room. Brian wasn't back on campus yet, so he just made himself comfortable on the floor and watched TV. He really didn't find anything that he was interested in watching, and thought about calling Linda, but he realized that she was probably still getting situated. He would call her later.
The rest of the school year went off without a hitch. Both Paul and Linda made the Dean's list, and a week before finals, Paul was called into the office of the department head. He had no idea why, as his grades were tops in the class, and was a little apprehensive as a result. The middle aged professor who was the chair, had told Paul that Mr Tony Robbins had been calling him regularly to check in how he was progressing in school. He was excited by what he heard, and was offering him a chance to intern for the summer at his company.
Paul was stunned by the offer. He was grateful that Mr Robbins had paid for both him and Linda to go to college. But this was something totally different. He knew Jill's father owned a communications company, but even then, he didn't think his time in school was all that special. The department head told him that Tony Robbins was coming in next week to formally offer him the internship. It was up to Paul, but it would look awfully great on a resume if he did intern. Companies were always looking for the best and brightest, especially those that always accepted challenges. But he stressed that it was totally up to him, and he had a week to either accept or turn down the offer. Paul thanked his professor, and left to go back to his dorm, stunned by the offer.
Mr Robbins did arrive on campus, and Paul accepted. He remembered telling Linda, and her reaction was priceless. She told him that he better accept, or else her body would be off limits to him until their wedding night. And she looked serious. So to him, it was a no brainer. He thanked Mr Robbins for the offer. Mr Robbins told him that he would be working with his top manager, Desmond Jones. He gave Paul the man’s number, and told him to call and work out the details. Paul thanked the Alpha again for his generosity.
As Tony Robbins was driving home, he recalled his conversation with Desmond Jones, the best manager he ever hired. He told his manager what he was going to offer Paul, explained that the boy was a Beta, and told him to expect the boy to surprise him with a fearlessness that he wouldn't find in an Alpha. He told him that Paul had balls of steel, and would quickly pick up any and all knowledge like he knew it from birth. He was that good. And Robbins was planning on opening a second office, and needed his top manager to oversee the operation. So that meant that he needed to find his replacement, and the more he heard from Paul's professor, the more he was convinced that the Beta was the right person for the job.
The day after Paul and Linda returned home for the summer, Paul made the call to Mr Jones, and made the arrangements. Paul would start a week later. There would be an orientation session, followed by a tour, and then he would officially begin the following day. Paul had money saved from his tutoring job, so he bought new suits from the only place in town that still catered to Betas. He wanted to look sharp for his first day.
Finally, the day arrived. Paul was there 20 minutes before his appointment with Desmond Jones. He was extremely nervous, as he had no idea what to expect. He went into the lobby and stepped up on the four foot step stool, and introduced himself to the receptionist and said that he had a 9:00 appointment with Mr Jones. The young Alpha lady behind the desk smiled at him and dialed an extension on her phone.
Paul kept going over things in his mind. It was when he heard the receptionist say the words ‘Dad, a Mr Paul Barton is here to see you’ did it dawn on him who her father was. She introduced herself as Molly Jones, and extended her first two fingers for him to shake. It took Paul a minute to grasp the situation. Here was an extremely attractive Alpha girl that looked like she should have been in 8th grade, and it was her father that he had to see. So, he did the only thing he could, and shook her fingers.
He saw a middle aged Alpha man walking towards the desk. He said hello to his daughter, and introduced himself as Desmond Jones, manager of Robbins Communication. Paul introduced himself as well, and held out his hand. Mr Jones gently engulfed his much smaller one and shook. Paul never broke eye contact, which Desmond Jones thought was impressive, as nearly all Betas that he had ever met had always looked away. As they walked towards the room where orientation would be taking place, Paul never noticed the pair of eyes that were intently watching him. And once the two men were in the room and out of sight, Molly Jones sighed. She thought Paul was very cute and adorable. But she had work to do, and the phones kept ringing and visitors kept coming.
They had a few minutes before the presentation. There were several other people in the room. Three Alphas, two males and one female, and Paul. He didn't know them, but he introduced himself to them. The girl gave a courtesy hello, then ignored him. The two men said hello and introduced themselves, Chris Lee and Pete Cushing. Paul asked the girl if everything was alright, and he got no response. He got up and walked over to her. Even sitting, she was more than two feet taller than he was. He just stood there, until she turned her head and looked down at him, and told him to go away. He didn't move. She started to get up, and yet, Paul didn't flinch. She then demanded to know what he wanted. He told her that he wanted her to smile. She told him to piss off. He just stayed there and asked her for one little smile. She told him no, and that he better move it.
Paul sighed. He told her that she was smart not to smile, because a wise man once said that nobody ever lends money to a person with a sense of humor. She looked at him strangely, and asked him what was he talking about? He told her again that nobody ever lends money to a person with a sense of humor. She just looked at him, and asked if it was true. He said that he had absolutely no idea, but he just wanted her to smile, because she looked miserable. She smiled and introduced herself as Pam.
Just then Desmond Jones came into the room and asked Paul to come with him. He said goodbye to the others, and followed the giant man out of the room. They went into another office, but this one was Mr Jones’. He had a step stool next to a chair, and asked Paul to take a seat, which the young man did. Sitting behind his desk, he looked at the Beta in front of him, and told him congratulations, he passed the test. Paul was confused, and looked like he was having trouble following a maze which wound around itself. Mr Jones said that he needed to see how he would react to a potentially hostile situation involving someone much bigger and stronger than he was, and he handled it like a pro. He was very impressed. He told him that Robbins Communication had only Alphas working there, and they needed to make sure that Paul would remain calm and in control at all times, and he did.
Mr Jones asked Paul if he had someone in his life, and he said yes, and described Linda, and everything he felt about her. The Alpha nodded. He said that was excellent, telling the Beta that the greatest thing that ever happened to him was finding his wife. If one could find their soulmate, it made everything else easier, and more enjoyable. Just having someone to come home to, to raise a family with, was the most indescribable feeling in the world.
Paul said he agreed. He knew almost instantly that he and Linda would be together forever. Desmond Jones asked Paul if he could inquire about how he knew Tony Robbins, as he appeared to be someone that wouldn't normally have any contact with the owner of the company. Paul told him everything about what happened sophomore year in highschool, leaving nothing out. He described the encounters with Jill Robbins, and the subsequent injuries. He also told the man about his visits with Jill, which took him by surprise. Paul could see the look of confusion on Mr Jones’ face, and explained that he had always hated bullies. But when he heard about Jill’s story, he just wanted to let her know that he would be there for her if she ever needed a friend.
This impressed Desmond Jones the most, and now he understood what Tony Robbins had seen in the boy. Unwavering character traits of loyalty and honor. They were very hard to come by. But this Beta had them in spades, plus his lack of intimidation when Pam “threatened” him. He would indeed make a great manager.