Chapter 19: A Step Up

The next morning, I arrived at the office early and Mary Ann brought me coffee to wake me up, hot, strong, and sweet, just as I liked it; she had learned how I preferred my mornings to start. For a moment I thought about how she had changed over the last few months, becoming a fully competent member of my staff. If only she would think about her own appearance (somebody should really tell her how to dress!). But I had other priorities at this moment. I looked through my presentation once more and then worried about our customers. I made some calls, talked to some of my staff (they were all a bit uptight knowing who was visiting us) and waited for the afternoon to arrive. Then Peter and I were called to meet our visitor.

Sir Allen introduced the guest. “This is Bill Cunningham; he is the General Manager of the Asian/Australian Region...” - as if we did not know this already - “ ... and we’ll have two hours for the marketing presentation.”

I welcomed the exalted visitor. “Pleased to meet you again, Mr. Cunningham.” He nodded to us. He was a very senior executive, well dressed and did not show any effect of jet lag. I was lucky - I almost had selected the same tie he was wearing and I did not know how this would have been taken. He had the professional smile that these people seemed to practice every morning in front of the mirror, but his eyes were cold. I had met him once in NY and knew about his reputation as a tough, but usually fair, manager, so I was prepared for anything. Our Director of Finance was also present. He was not a friend, but did not seem to be antagonistic to my plans.

Frank had some talking points prepared (most of them copied from my presentation) and went through them at a fast pace. He finished by saying that Peter would now present the small customer base and that I would do the large customer part. Peter was nervous but handled it well and his presentation was competent. Then it was my turn.

I went through the initial part a bit slower than Frank had done; after all, these facts defined my work. Then I got to the juicy part - large customers and prospects. I had gone through this so often I could have done it in my sleep, but, considering the audience in front of me, I put extra emphasis on the key points. Answering a lot of questions - and I was grateful that I had prepared all my backup charts - it took me close to ninety minutes to finish. I wanted their support for the additional resources I had requested; without them my ideas would have to be curtailed drastically.

Sir Allan thanked me, and Mr. Cunningham complimented me on the thoroughness of the data and the conclusions. Then we were politely dismissed, but at the last moment Sir Allan said that the financial presentation would be the next morning at nine o’clock and that I should participate. After all, I had asked for a significant increase in marketing expenses, and it might be a good idea to be present in order to defend my ideas. Obviously, I agreed, and we left.

Peter looked at me and asked what I thought about the meeting. I told him that it went well and to calm down, anddown and added that his presentation seemed to be well-received. He smiled and said that he could not have done it without me, and I could collect my bottle of Grange on Sunday.

My people were waiting for me with anxiety in their eyes and voices. It had not been only my work, but a joint effort from all of us. More importantly, if our plans were accepted there would be promotions for some and a very positive evaluation for most of them. And there was still that other question - the distribution of the NT money. I told them that I had made a proposal to Frank, and he had been in touch with the Financial Director of NT. I said that we should have an answer by tomorrow afternoon - just in time to spend some of it at the pubs!

I went home and wondered what could be asked of me in the financial meeting. Maureen was very understanding, and after a few kisses and caresses, she lay down on the couch and watched me manhandling spreadsheets. What if I got the resources I requested? What was the probable return? What if I got half? What if I got none? I fine-tuned my numbers and determined that, considering possible, but not overly optimistic, assumptions, I would bring in a lot more profit than merely continuing our normal business. It looked good to me, and I wondered what they would think of it. At least I was prepared.

The next morning, I was in the office early and called Peter. “Look, you know that I was invited to sit in on this morning’s financial meeting. I did not plan for this, and I want you to know that I have no plans to do anything drastic or go around you or over your head.”

Peter looked at me and smiled. “Don’t worry about me - I know my situation here and I’m happy, I still have a private life and anything farther up the management ladder would take the fun away. You, however, my friend, are different. You are ambitious, driven, and super-competent. There are rumours floating around that might surprise you to hear. I won’t say anything since this is still only gossip, but I believe that something major is about to happen. Good luck, my friend. You deserve it!”

With this remark he left, and I stared after him. What did he want to say? I knew I was not into the rumourthe rumour mill, but I should have heard something at least! Finally, I received the call from Sir Allan and I packed my laptop and a few supporting documents I had copied. Mary Ann looked at me and smiled, “Mr. Winter, the best of luck!”

What did she know? Even Sir Allan’s secretary, Irene, looked at me differently. What was going to happen?

Sir Allan, Frank and Mr. Cunningham were already waiting, but I was not the last to arrive. Just after I greeted them and sat down, our financial staff entered. The meeting went well until the question of resources came up. Mr. Cunningham mentioned that they were worried in HQ about a general overrun of expenses and that new money would be extremely rare. It would need a detailed justification to even start to think about it.

“This means, Mr. Winter, that I liked your presentation and am certain that your execution of it would give us growth in sales and profits, but I can’t see at this moment how we can afford it. Sorry. Perhaps you have some final thoughts?”

“Mr. Cunningham, I know that this is not the moment to throw money around. Let me show you some numbers I prepared last night. They are not as exact as I would like them to be. I did not sleep a lot during the night, but they’ll give you an idea about the options I see for our company in Australia.”

Thank God I had prepared myself. When I finished my twenty minutes of financial and marketing analysis, I looked at them and waited for a response.

Sir Allan and Frank nodded and smiled, satisfied, and Mr. Cunningham looked at our financial people, “Do you see anything wrong with these numbers?” Our financial director shook his head and said that the logic was impeccable and the assumptions a bit aggressive, but yes, it could work, provided that new money was available. Long term it would be a significant increase in revenue and profit - if I managed to make it happen.

“Mr. Winter, you have thrown more ideas into this scenario than I can process without some input from NY. I’ll send a summary of your ideas to HQ, and as soon as I have an answer, I’ll come back to you.”

Before I left the room, I looked at Frank, “I have to talk to you for a moment, and it has to be now. Could you give me five minutes?” Sir Allan decided on a coffee break and Frank took me into his office.

“James, I didn’t think that you could surprise me anymore, but you did it again this morning. When did you do this financial analysis?”

I replied that it had cost me a major part of the night, but I knew that there would be restrictions on new money, so I was prepared for Mr. Cunningham’s response. But that was not the reason I wanted to see him. I needed to know how we would distribute the money from NT. I had checked with our legal staff, and as long as everyone declared their bonus to the ATO it was okay. Perhaps not one hundred percent, but they were certain that if it were challenged, we would win whatever action might be brought against them. And it would give a huge boost to the morale of our people.

I said, “I sent you a note on how I thought it should be distributed. Didn’t you read it?”

“Yes,” he replied. “I did and I agree with your numbers, up to a point. I spoke with NT about their people who were attached to your team, and they’re happy about that too. The only thing I don’t understand was why did you not include yourself in this list?”

“Frank, I’m the bloody manager, that’s my job. I’m not a staff person who sweated day and night with no days off. Let them have the money!”

“James, both NT and I don’t agree. Without you, there wouldn’t have been a project and there wouldn’t have been a bonus. We decided that you’ll get the same relative amount as everybody else; at least this will pay for all the lunches and dinners you paid out of your own pocket for your people, and I was told the final dinner was excellent and probably very expensive. Take the money and accept it with our thanks. Here’s your list and you can tell everyone. The numbers changed a bit since we included you, but basically, your proposal is approved. Now I have to go back to the meeting - wish me luck.”

I went back and Mary Ann looked at me expectantly. “Did anything happen, Mr. Winter?”

I was probably the only manager in the company who after more than seven months in the office, was still called Mr. Winter, as it was difficult for me to leave my German habits.

“No. Why? What did you expect?”

“Nothing specific - there were just some rumours floating around that there would be changes.”

“Could anybody please explain to me what rumours are floating around? Peter mentioned something similar, but he did not tell me.”

“Well, Mr. Winter. They are just rumours and probably not very substantial, but good luck in any case.”

This was getting crazier every moment, but I did not want to be disturbed by it.

“Mary Ann, please call everyone into the meeting room in ten minutes and I would like you to be present too.”

When everyone was assembled the tension was palpable. I wondered whether I should draw it out but decided against it.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I had submitted a proposal on the distribution of the bonus, and it has been accepted. Let me explain briefly what I proposed. Basically, the amount is shared equitably by all people involved in the final proposal. Management decided to give the team leaders a twenty percent extra share, and I insisted that our administrative staff get a share also. NT’s staff have been excluded from the money available to you and you don’t have to worry about them, they are being covered separately. I do not have the information how to distribute the administrative pool. I expect you to come to an agreement that’s fair to everyone. If I hear any complaints, I’ll be seriously upset! One last note - you will have to determine how you go about declaring this to the ATO. For this specific payment, I have asked our tax department to help you if necessary, and they agreed. Have fun tonight!”

They suddenly exploded in applause and shook my hand - the ladies even tried a little kiss on my cheek, and Mary Ann hugged me for a moment and her kiss was not so little. Well, everyone was happy, and I had resolved another problem to my satisfaction.

Lunch was a sandwich and tea (I seemed to have become accustomed to the drink), and I had time to go through my emails. Mary Ann was very competent as always and I wondered what would happen if she changed her clothes and spent some time on herself. Somebody had told me that she was engaged, but she did not seem to be very happy. I returned to my own problems and saw that, as always, she had sorted all the documents to my priorities. I knew again how lucky I was with the people I had found in Australia! There were a few that had to be brought into line, but generally, the level of competence was very high. Some emails I could answer immediately, others needed some thought.

When I was ready to go home to dress for the dinner, Mary Ann called me and said that Sir Allen and Mr. Cunningham wanted to see me. She smiled from one side of her face to the other, and I asked her whether she was happy with the money.

“That too, but the best of luck to you now. You deserve it.”

I sat down and told her to come into my office. “What is happening? I know that I am not an ingrained member of the gossip mill, but would you please tell me what is going on? I don’t want to be caught by surprise. Am I going to be fired?”

She stared at me and shook her head. “You really don’t know what’s happening? Are you deaf? Blind? Don’t you talk to anybody in this company?”

I admitted that I was not into gossiping at the coffee machine; actually, I preferred tea, as she knew. She shook her head again and muttered that she had to teach me office politics - after getting permission from my fiancée, obviously. This time it was my move to shake my head and I asked her if there were any secrets in this company? Not many, she replied, and reminded me that the secretaries talked all the time and to please remember that in future! And then she pushed me off to my meeting.

Sir Allan’s secretary had the same funny expression on her face as Mary Ann, a combination of a smile, support, and happiness. For me?

Sir Allan, Mr. Cunningham and Frank were waiting for me.

“Please sit down,” Sir Allan said. “We would like to thank you first for the excellent job you did on NT, the leadership you showed in guiding and developing your staff, the decisions you made under pressure, and the relationship you have nurtured with your customers and prospects. All in all, a job well done. We decided, however, that you’re in the wrong position and we’re changing your responsibilities.”

I was utterly confused now - I was applauded for my work and then I had to leave? My confusion must have shown on my face as Sir Allan smiled and continued, “Frank has accepted a marketing position in NY HQ and will leave in four weeks’ time. We need a replacement and are offering you the position of Director of Marketing. Will you accept the role?”

I looked from one to the other.

“Have you thought this through? I have been here for less than a year and there are people who have much more seniority than I. How can I be sure that they’ll support me? Yes, I have had experience in other countries and even in HQ, but this is a position with far more responsibility than I had before. I know that I can handle it, but are you certain? I am an expat - what will you do with me when my time ends?”

Sir Allan stepped in. “James, we thought it through and we’re certain that you can handle it. You’ve been here for less than a year as you said, but our contacts inside and outside the company are very happy with you and everyone will be happy to see you getting this promotion. You’re engaged to a beautiful young Australian lady and that will give you enough incentive to stay here for a long time. I saw you handling a very delicate situation extremely well when we had our little difficulties with NT. We’re certain that any difficulties you might have inside and outside the company - and there will be many, especially outside - you’ll resolve as quietly and firmly as you did in Brisbane.”

Mr. Cunningham added that he had already talked to his counterparts in HQ and in the countries I had worked in, and they all supported the promotion. It might even be difficult for Sir Allan to keep me here if I was going to be as successful as they thought - HQ always needed good people. He told me that I should prepare to go to HQ soon and visit the right people; then he looked at Sir Allan and told him to take good care of me.

I asked Frank whether he was satisfied to go to HQ. He looked at me and said that he needed HQ experience since, up to now, he had only worked in Australia and perhaps that had clouded his vision at times. It was a good position, and he would learn a lot. I did not really know what to say, but I remembered one phrase I had heard a long time ago - ‘Never miss a good chance to shut upp’ ‘- and wished him the best of luck. I would need the same in Australia to follow up the good work he had done here. Then they told me to go home and they would meet me for dinner at the Quay restaurant. I hoped that Sir Allan had the budget to pay for it, because I would certainly not!

[What happened to Mr. Cunningham’s promise to get back to James after lunch with an answer to his budget request? Should we change the response?]

I floated out of the office and Sir Allan’s secretary took one look at me and came over to give me a kiss.

“Congratulations, Mr. Winter. You deserve it. May I just give you a hint for your survival in Australia? You are very formal and reserved - this is quaint and shows your German upbringing - but in Australia we call each other by his or her first name - certain people excluded, obviously, but they are few. Think about it and change your attitude a bit – that is, if you want to stay in Australia.”

“Does everybody in this company except me know about this move?”

“Yes. It seems that you live in another world - please come down to earth and get involved. Your job now is much more about people management than seducing customers. It was a good move to seduce the daughter of a prospect...” and she grinned maliciously, “ ... but stop there. There would be problems, my friend!”

I knew that she did not have the faintest ideas about the problems I had with that prospect, but I kept my mouth shut. She was highly intelligent, pretty, in a more mature way, and she had access to Sir Allan. That, I knew by now, was important. Staying on her good side would be valuable in future.

“Thank you for your advice; it is useful, and I had not really considered this important before. So, may I call you Irene?”

“It’s a pleasure, James. Keep it up. Who knows where you’ll end up in this company or in some other?”

I looked at her and then smiled. “Are you part of the gossip mill that Mary Ann told me about today?”

“James, I’m the general manager of the mill, so be careful!”

When I entered my office Peter, two members of my group [Peter is not and has not been part of James’s group, except for the NT project. He is James’s counterpart in Marketing.] and Mary Ann were waiting for me. One look at me, and Mary Ann jumped forward, embraced me, and gave me a nice kiss.

“Congratulations, boss. You deserve it and we’re all very happy for you!” Then she whispered, “A pity that you’re already engaged...”

I stared at her; I remembered that she was rumoured to also be engaged, but somehow, I gathered that that would not have been a great obstruction. And then Peter and the others stepped forward and congratulated me for my promotion. I looked at Peter and he shook his head.

“I was never in the running and I’m happy that my friend got the job. Imagine, I’d have to train another bloody foreigner! But go home now and relax. We still have to survive the dinner tonight, and I’m certain that Maureen will be interested in the news!”

When I got home, I did not feel Maureen in the flat, and when I opened the door there was only a note that she had gone to the hairdresser. I was disappointed because I wanted to tell her the good news immediately, but I understand hairdressers and similar have a much higher priority for wives than for husbands. I was also home much earlier than I had told her in the morning, so she must have thought that she had much more time available. I also heard a message on the answering machine to include Maureen at the dinner tonight - now I understood the hairdresser! This was the first time she would formally appear as my better half!

I lay down for a moment but woke up when she came home. Her hair was wrapped in a scarf, and she just blew a kiss at me. “Don’t touch me, James. I love you but stay away!” and she vanished into the guest room. I heard noises ranging from mumbling to outright yelling and when I opened the door slightly a cushion came flying. “I told you to stay away! I mean it!”

Well, I know when caution is better than courage and went back to dress - the dark blue suit, a tie, opal cufflinks, and all the dressings. After all, I was now an important person!

And then the door opened, and she appeared. I just stared and stared. She was a miracle of beauty. Her luscious red hair was beautifully made up in little waves and curls, her makeup almost not appearing, but emphasizing her gorgeous face and her sparkling eyes. She wore a light green blouse, which complemented her eyes and had an almost decent décolleté, with my opal pendant hanging between her firm breasts, a small belt, showing off her narrow waist, and the long silk skirt with the slit to almost her hips, showing her long and slender legs. She also wore the signet ring my father had given her. She stepped forward and turned around.

“You like it?”

I shook myself and asked, “Who are you? Are there angels back on earth?”

She smiled and the radiance that suddenly appeared on her face hit me once more. What had I done to deserve this woman? What would I have to do to keep her and be worthy of her?

Then she said, “Remember what I said when I gave myself to you? I’m yours, and you’re mine. We’ll never be apart again! And now get going and don’t you dare to come close or try to give me a kiss. It took me hours to get everything right. I expect you to take all this off when we get back, but now respect a woman’s right to be pretty!”

“Pretty is one thing, but you are someone quite different. Maureen, you’re wonderful and the most beautiful woman in the world!”

“I don’t believe it, but please continue saying it. It’ll give you enough brownie points so that you’ll be quite exhausted at the end of the night!”

She slowly stroked her breasts, and her hands were gliding downwards to cup her pussy. “This is all yours, my love, and I expect you to take it tonight!”

In the car I told her about the promotion, but she was not surprised. She smiled and said that she had already set up a female network to keep her informed on what was happening in the company - partly to stay updated on the news, partly to be able to warn me if anything bad might happen. She said that I was a wonderful person, but she had rarely met someone who was so disconnected from internal gossiping.

“James, you made it because you’re super competent, respectful to all, protecting and promoting the people who report to you, and even others when they’re in trouble, and always driving forward, never content with what you have. This is good, but be careful - pushing too much can give you the opposite result! What I’ve heard is that they respect and admire you, but they are a bit afraid that the standards you set for them are as high as you set for yourself and they’re afraid that they won’t get there. Take them with you on your path, don’t push them!”

I knew why I loved that woman - she was not only beautiful, but scarily intelligent. I would have to run just to keep abreast of her, and that was a challenge I looked forward to!

When we entered the restaurant, everyone was already there, and the room went silent when she stepped forward at my side to greet Sir Allan and his guests. He kissed her hand and Mr. Cunningham said that he understood now why I was in Australia. Frank was silent, as she must have reminded him of Eileen, but he smiled bravely. When Peter stepped forward, I heard Maureen whisper, “Squeak! Squeak!” and he blushed furiously.

Maureen was introduced to the other ladies, especially Lady Moise; Sir Allan’s wife was very impressive. She must have been a great beauty in her youth and was still a wonderful woman in her own right. She embraced Maureen, but it was funny to see that she did not touch any exposed skin. As she turned to me, she whispered, “That’s the way to compliment a woman who’s all prettied up. Don’t touch anything that can be removed by even the lightest contact!”

I nodded, but said quietly that I adored Maureen this way, but I when I saw her without any makeup and no pretty dress, just herself looking at me with love, I realised what a treasure I had in my arms, and that was the moment I loved her most.

“But please don’t tell anybody I just said that; we cannot have people believe that Germans can get mushy and sentimental!” She smiled and sat down for dinner.

Frank had brought his wife, a small, mousy little thing; probably a very nice person. She appeared very upset at me at this moment, as if she blamed me that she had to move to another country. They did not have children, so it should not be too difficult; but observing her, I started to understand Frank’s reaction to Eileen.

My financial colleague had a very athletic wife - tall, slender, and well-muscled. Within fifteen minutes I had heard at least twice that she had been the runner up for the New South Wales Ladies Tennis Amateur Championship in Sydney and she was practicing every day to be better this year. Good for her, but it seemed there was no other subject that mattered to her.

The food was excellent, the selection of wines was very simplified; neither the maître d’nor my personal consultants had the courage to spend much time debating the nuances of this wine against another one.

At the end, Mr. Cunningham got up and made a little speech formally announcing the personnel changes. He complimented Frank for the wonderful work he had done and said that he was certain he would be a great success in HQ too. Then he confirmed my promotion and made the same kind of noises about my work and what was expected of me.

We were all tired and Mr. Cunningham seemed to realise this; he thanked us for our presence, said goodbye to everyone and paid the bill. He called me back when we were leaving and told Maureen, “You have a good man here, Miss Monahan. Keep him. And James, don’t be a fool and let her get away. The two of you are made for each other.”

Maureen smiled prettily, saying that she had everything under control, and that we would be married in six weeks’ time.

Lady Moise called Maureen aside and said that she should call her when she had some free time; she knew the company better than most and a good wife could ease friction for her husband before he even realized it existed.

“I think of Allan and me when I observe the two of you. We were so much in love - as we are still today - and it warms my heart when I see the love in your eyes when you look at each other. Maureen, call me and we’ll chat. You’re still young and there are certain things that a young bride should know. James is a good man, but even good men need occasional guidance and orientation from their better halves, and who is more motivated to watch out for the man we love than you and I? Call me.”

With that she gave her a hug and a kiss, this time touching skin and said goodbye to us. Sir Allan had heard the last words and whispered, “Listen to her. I - and we - are here because we became a very effective team that never forget that intelligence, drive, and love have to go together.”

Lady Moise added that she had heard about me before but had had a completely different impression of the hyper-effective businessman she had been told about. I seemed to have added other dimensions to this. What had happened? I pointed to Maureen and said that there stood the person responsible - she had shown me what life is really about.

“And Lady Ellen, there’s another person to whom I owe a lot - your husband. I’m good, but I know that he’s better! I’ve learned a lot and will continue to do so.”

She nodded, satisfied that I acknowledged my debts.

Sir Allan kissed Maureen’s hand again and stopped. “This ring is interesting. A family coat of arms? I’m a student of heraldry and I seem to remember having seen a similar ring some time ago.”

Maureen said that it was my family’s coat of arms and he seemed to go through all the memories he had stored in his mind. Suddenly he looked up and said, “Winter? de Winter? East Germany?”

I nodded, hoping that he would not go on. “Whenever you have some time, call me and I’d like to discuss this a bit more.”

Finally, we could leave. As we arrived at home, Maureen turned to me and said that now I would get another reward. She told me to wait a moment and get comfortable. I had a shower, put a bottle of bubbly in a wine cooler (Peter had suggested to buy one that could bring quickly any bottle to the required temperature), picked up two glasses and waited in our bedroom for her to appear.

And then she was there and if she was stunning before, she was out of this world for me now.

She knew that I loved to see and feel her breasts, so her long, wispy gown exposed them fully. Her puffy areolae with her nipples standing straight up invited me to kiss and suckle them. She had actually rouged the areolae with a light red colour, the points with a dark colour and had put a dark shadow between her breasts that highlighted the firmness of her mounds. She had also retouched her makeup and her huge eyes were smiling at me. Her hair was still made up, but she had loosened some curls so that they came down to her breasts, playing hide and seek with her nipples. She was slowly gliding forward, and at every step the slit in the front opened, showing her pussy. It was wet already - I saw some drops glittering between her thighs. The dress was so transparent she might not have bothered at all with it, but I always thought that a little mystery was much nicer than crude reality. Her runner’s legs were long and straight, and I already imagined feeling them around my hips and pulling me into her.