Chapter 42: Consultancy Stinks, Presents Are Better

We woke up late the following morning, so there was no fooling around; I had to whistle to Maureen, however. Jenny left to her flat to change and Maureen soon drove away to labor another day. I stayed in the flat thinking about my future and what I could offer to NT when the phone rang. It was Allan.

“James, if you are free, we could have lunch with the two owners of the company that I was talking about with you, the one that want a re-organization, but don’t know how to do it. Too many family struggles! Try to get some information on ‘Australian Textiles’.”

I agreed, went to the internet to get data (not much, I was afraid), and we met in his club. Allan introduced me to two rather old gentlemen sitting in a comfortable chair.

“Thomas, this is James de Winter, the guy I told you about. James, this is Thomas Aberdeen, the CEO of Australian Textiles, and this is his brother Dean, the CFO. Please follow me.”

He led us to a table at the back and we ordered drinks; they a malt whiskey, Allan a gin tonic, and I mineral water, as you never knew what might be coming up. They looked surprised but kept still.

“Mr. de Winter, let me give you some background information. Our company has been going well for over forty years since our father founded it, and we’ve succeeded in growing it. It is not huge, but in our market niche, we’re one of the leaders in this country. Our problem is that we are getting old and there’s nobody in the family who has any interest in the company - only in the money they can get out of it. We’ve spent too much of our time in it, made sacrifices to keep it out of troubles, and we know that our family wants us to step down so that they can sell it immediately. They’ll have a glorious life for a few years, and then it’ll be gone - the money and the company. We want a future for AT, to be proud seeing it growing still, but with the vultures gliding above us that will not happen. Allan told us about you and how you got his company out of a rut. We wonder whether you could do something similar for us.”

The drinks arrived, which gave me a moment to think.

“Gentlemen, I cannot respond without knowing more about you and your company. Why don´t you go back a few years and lead me through your progress until today.”

They were proud of what they had done, and it showed in the way they gave me the information I needed. The problem was not the economy or their industry, it was their family. There were five children, three sons and two daughters. Thomas had two sons, Dean the other one, and both had a daughter each. The daughters were not interested in the company - one was an artist living in Perth, the other was married in London.

The sons were another story - the eldest and the youngest were Thomas´ children, and the middle one was Dean´s. The eldest, Jack, was convinced that he was God’s present to Australia and that it was much more efficient to sell at a good price and invest in hedge funds. The middle one was a Formula One driver and needed more and more money to pay his way into a racing team. The youngest one was their favorite - intelligent, a good worker, knew his way around the company and the industry, and was half a year away from graduating with an engineering degree from the University of NSW. His brothers looked down on him - he was much younger, and they dominated him. He could be trained to become he CEO one day, but what to do now?

We talked about possible options and at the end of the lunch I promised I would think about their problem and come back to them if I accepted the job. I signed a Consultancy Agreement (consultants never do anything without a signed contract), and they left.

I stayed a moment with Allan.

“What do you think, James? They have a problem and whatever they will decide, will cause family problems. They know this and, in my opinion, they seek a third party to blame for the decisions they don’t want to take. It is an interesting situation, however, and I suggest that you think about it.”

I also asked him whether we could come and visit Ellen tonight. Jenny would be travelling to see Eileen over the weekend and then would go on a training course in Canberra for two weeks. She was anxious to see her since she would be away for such a long time. He was visibly satisfied and agreed. We could also watch Eileen on TV!

At home, I went for the nth time over my arguments for and against NT and now I had to add an analysis of AT. Time flew and when Maureen appeared, I was sitting staring at the wall. After a warm and caring kiss, she asked what had happened. I told her about the meeting with the two brothers and that we would go and see Ellen tonight. At this moment Jenny walked in; she had changed already in her flat and wore a pretty yellow summer dress; Maureen saw this and went to change also. When she was ready, she drove us to Ellen´s house; she offered to sacrifice herself to drive through the lousy rush hour traffic, but really, she wanted to show off in the Porsche! I thought it was a bit overdone - a red-haired girl in a dark blue sports car dressed in a red blouse and white frock, but it did look pretty, and she preened herself whenever she saw the admiring glances.

Ellen was happy to see us; everyone got a kiss and to my surprise mine was on my mouth. She just smiled when she saw my reaction, but after a moment´s hesitation I bent and kissed her back on the mouth, and now she was surprised. Everyone laughed when we saw her reaction and at the end, she looked at Allan. ¨You, my dear, should be grateful that I love you. If not ... this rascal here could be a temptation...”

She had prepared tea and some finger foods and when we had finished with the first layer, I dropped the bomb.

¨Allan, you know that The Australian will have a big reception for the best businessmen and women in this country, one for each state.” He nodded. “You, my friend, have been selected for NSW! Congratulations for a reward well earned!”

He was quiet for a moment, but then he shook his head. “Why me? There are bigger and more powerful men in this state.”

Ellen stepped forward. “Perhaps bigger and more powerful, Allan, but nobody has shown so much business acumen than you over all these years. You deserve it!” We added our congratulations and slowly he changed from proud humility to proud acceptance. “And one more thing, Allan, this will show these fools in HQ and this idiot who has taken over from you, what they’ll miss in the future!”

He nodded. “My dear, your words might be a bit strong, but they follow my own thinking.”

He took out a bottle of champagne and we toasted the best businessman in NSW. The conversation turned soon to other subjects like politics and art, and then Allan grinned.

“James, remember my friends from the golf club? They have been asking me when you will appear and Johnny ... remember the big guy with the low handicap who was upset about your comments on cricket? ... has confirmed his invitation for us to the next one-day test match at the SCG, where he has a box. I do recommend that you accept it.”

I groaned - a full day wasted watching men in white pullovers and slacks throwing a ball at three little wooden stakes trying to knock down a piece of wood on top of the stakes. Normally they would bat at it without much success and only occasionally would they succeed and hit the ball away. Then they would walk away and take tea!

Golf seemed to be more interesting; it might be better, however, to try and get some lessons; otherwise, I would be murdered. Allan was right, however, in my life connections were everything.

I reminded everyone to turn on the TV. It was just at the right time, as Eileen was introduced by the host of the nation-wide business talk show.

He was a well-known TV personality, suave and handsome. She was ready to impress the world - beautiful, well-dressed, smiling and showing off the successful businesswoman she was. There were the usual questions about background, why she had taken over the company after her husband’s death (she wanted to honor his efforts and keep growing NT), what her plans were (expand and better serve her customers), and where she wanted to be in five and in ten years’ time (managing the best-run company in Australia). She started to wrap the guy around her little finger, but we were still waiting for the juicy bit. And then it came.

“Mrs. Monahan, you have worked extensively with IBM, and it seems that all went well until the last few weeks. We heard that you suspended your project. Is this true? Did your cooperation with IBM turned sour? Did the American giant tried to squash the little Australian?”

Would she go nuclear?

“John, I heard that there were unsupported rumors, but I can assure you that we have worked well together and intend to do so for the foreseeable future. There was an unfortunate incident, but not here in Australia, and IBM immediately corrected everything. And let me add, John, my deal with IBM is not with some remote Americans, but with our local people. And one thing more - in all my time of managing NT, I never met a more respected, competent and integer executive than Sir Allan Moise, the CEO of IBM Australia. We developed our expansion project based on trust, and he never disappointed me. And John, do you really believe that I’m a little Australian?”

She got up and slowly turned 360 degrees, showing off to the audience. There was laughter, wild applause, some calls to turn around once more, and the usual Australian exuberance came out loud and clear. She sat down, but the host followed the audiences’ calls. “Eileen, please get up once more.” She did, turned around, and curtsied - which caused more applause.

The show ended with more pleasantries, and we all took a deep breath. She had handled it beautifully! I was very satisfied, because she had done what she had promised; now it was IBM’s turn!

Allan was proud and Ellen was more than happy - her husband’s competence and integrity had been publicly applauded! She might even forgive Eileen some incidents in the past!

Jenny was a bit upset that she hadn’t mentioned my part in the project, but she realized rapidly that this was the best way out. If the son-in-law had been included in the praise, it might ... no, it would have diminished the impact of Eileen’s words.

I saw that Ellen was getting tired and looked at Maureen; she understood, got up and cleaned the table. Ellen was satisfied, seeing that her new daughter was accepting not only her rights, but also her obligations.

The next morning it was my turn. The meeting with Ian Taylor was set for eleven thirty, and when I walked into the Burroughs Building, a pretty receptionist was already waiting for me and led me to their meeting room. A dignified elderly gentleman was standing beside Ian Taylor, and introductions were made.

“Count de Winter, this is John Jones, the Executive VP for Asia and Australia. He’s here to investigate business potential in this region and when we heard that you had left IBM, we thought that you might be able now to give us you’re thinking what will happen in this country. Is this alright with you?”

I knew where they were heading, but I wanted my ego stroked a bit.

“Mr. Jones, I’ve been here only for over a year and probably cannot tell you more than your own people have told you already, but I’m pleased to converse about whatever subject you’re interested in.”

The ball was back in their court, and it was Mr. Jones’ turn.

“Count de Winter, Burroughs is...”

I interrupted him. “Mr. Jones, I’ve learned that here in Australia, conversations come easier if we reduce formalities. Please call me James!”

He smiled, accepting my offer.

“Well, I’m John. As I started to say, we’re looking into new areas to expand. As you know, we are heavily concentrated on the financial sector, and we need to change this. So, what do you think will happen here over the next years?”

It was an interesting conversation between two very experienced businessmen and myself, and I do believe that I held my own and they respected my opinions. At the end, we went upstairs for lunch in their executive dining room, and now the real conversation started.

“James, we all know that you left IBM, and we know also under what circumstances. They are idiots! You worked miracles and they should have given you that CEO position! Fortunately, for us, they didn’t. So - can we interest you to work for us? We offer the CEO position looking after Australia and New Zealand, reporting directly to me. If you don’t want this, we offer a Consultant’s Contract on very favorable terms, hoping and assuming that you’ll turn this soon into a permanent position. You don’t have to answer now, but we would appreciate an answer still this week. I’ll have to go back to the States on Friday!”

This was not unexpected, and my answer was ready.

“John, I’m honored by the offer, but I cannot accept it. I’ve worked with my colleagues for a year now, and they trust me completely. I cannot turn around and start to compete with them! Additionally, I know all their agreements and confidential clauses, and would consider it completely unethical to use that knowledge against them. So, unfortunately, I must thank you once more, but at this moment, I cannot accept it.”

They looked at each other, and Ian nodded.

“John, I told you that he would not accept it. We’ve looked at this guy for a year now, and unfortunately too often from a losing position. He never once did something that was unethical or used inappropriate methods. James, the only thing I can add is that we wish you the best of luck - ours might change now since you’re not competing with us anymore!”

We had another glass of port and when I was ready to leave, Ian stopped me.

“James, I know that you will not work for Burroughs, but if you are interested in changing industries completely, we have a position at one of our major subsidiaries that might interest you. Call me!”

I wanted to have my ego stroked, and they did it! Wonderful!

I called Maureen and then Allan, telling them about the offer. Maureen was satisfied because my competence was acknowledged, and Allan because I didn’t disappoint his trust.

The next two days passed and on Friday afternoon, I took Jenny to the airport to visit Eileen. She was nervous and I tried to calm her down.

¨Just be yourself, Jenny. Eileen is no monster; yes, she can be disagreeable, but at the end, she’ll love you. Don´t let her step on you; you’re as important to me; no, more than she is. If it’s too much, just come back and we’ll resolve the problem together, but I’m certain that you can do this on your own. Remember that success means that one day we will work together again!”

She snuffed. “If Eileen will be mad at me, will you still love me?”

“My darling, I’ll love you to the end of our days whatever happens! Now take a deep breath and go.”

One last kiss and off she went.

At home it was empty without her and only when Maureen came home, it was better. She changed and came back in one of my large t-shirts She told me about her day (another contract signed), and I discussed with her my latest thoughts on NT and the AT project. I had decided to accept it and would call them on Monday. We prepared our dinner and with a bottle of red wine conversed about Jenny, how she would handle Eileen, my birthday coming up, our trip to Germany and other subjects, waiting for the phone to ring? Finally, it did, and Eileen told us that Jenny had arrived, that they were having dinner and that everything was fine. She gave the receiver to Jenny and her voice was firm; she was looking forward to the weekend with Eileen, and for us not to do anything that she would not do. After hanging up, we looked at each other - So far, so good!

We went to bed and made love as only Maureen could do with me - gentle, caring, loving, but with a wonderful finish.

During the night I missed Jenny’s warm body. I was accustomed now to have her every night with us and to feel her warmth and caring; Maureen also complained that she was missing her. Saturday, we went for a drive in the Porsche and had lunch outside of the city; later we had tea with Ellen (her husband was still on the golf course) and then we were waiting again for Jenny to call. First Eileen spoke and her voice was a bit subdued; Jenny was happy, laughing and telling us about her morning at the pool. It seemed that bikinis had been optional, and they had enjoyed each other. Maureen looked at me - ‘enjoyed each other’? What did this mean? Jenny laughed again and said that she would tell us later.

We had dinner at Luigi’s with the nonnegotiable long discussion on wines; the food was excellent, however. At night we fooled around a bit and slept well. The next afternoon we were at the airport to pick up our Jenny.

When she came out one look told us all - she was smiling, satisfied and happy. She kissed Maureen and leaned into me for a long, affectionate embrace. “You were right, my love. I could handle it, and everything is fine between Eileen and me. She´ll call later.”

At home she went first to her flat to change and get her things ready for the trip to Canberra, and then she came up dressed in her big t-shirt. When I appeared disappointed, she grinned.

“Wait a moment...” She vanished into our bedroom and came back completely different. She must have appropriated one of Eileen´s nightgowns, because the color was Eileen´s favorite light grey. It did not hide anything, and it was obvious that she was ready for whatever action might happen; her nipples were stiff, her eyes shining, and when she walked in to kiss me, the gown opened in front and showed a glistening pussy. This time the kiss was not only affectionate, but it was full of sensual need, and when she embraced me, the world disappeared and only she was there for me. After a while I had to breathe and saw Maureen coming out of the bedroom. She had changed, too, and it was my favorite outfit - long, slinky, transparent, with long slits at the side, and her beautiful breasts fully exposed. She embraced us both.

“Let´s go to the sitting room and you can tell us about your stay with Mom.”

We sat on the couch, with both laying their head on my lap and wriggling around until they found their favorite position; then, as if thinking alike, they took one of my hands and placed it on their breast. This was easier on Maureen´s side, but Jenny moved a bit, and one shoulder was suddenly bare, and a breast appeared, looking for caresses.

“Let your fingers do the walking, dear...” and both laughed. It was a phrase that had been used often in this position.

“Now tell us all the sordid details, Jenny.” Maureen asked.

“There’s not much to tell; we had a long conversation, had a little hot discussion flaming up, I stood up to her and she conceded, we drank a lot of wine, and ended up in her bed, making our peace. Perhaps I shall tell you more one day or she will, but this is all I want to talk about at this moment. We had fun at the pool, but not as much as with you, my love, and then she took me to a fabulous restaurant. Later she showed me all about NT and at night, we had more wine and ended up in her bed again. It was fun, James, but I never let her make love to me. You are the only person I will let do this...” Maureen coughed “ ... you and Maureen whenever you want it, but with her it’ll never be comparable with what I feel for you, my love, and not for what I feel when we’re together, Maureen. We stayed at the pool the next morning, she prepared lunch and drove me to the airport. And here I am, and where I belong - in your arms. And by the way, Maureen must have exhausted you; even your fingers are quiet. What happened?”

I had been listening to her story and really had abandoned my hand on her breast, but following her reminder, started to stroke it gently. She purred and placed her hand on mine.

“This, my love, is what I need - tender loving care.”

Maureen coughed, “Me too, James. Me too.”

The phone rang and I hesitated, but Maureen got up - it was Eileen. After a few words with her mother, she handed me the receiver.

“James, you can offer Jenny any position in my company. She’ll do fine. Love you.” and she hung up. I did not understand anything and looked at Jenny.

No further explanation, but just a short comment, “I told you everything is fine, and can you please concentrate a bit more on me, please?”

I shook my head and followed her suggestion. It was fun twirling her areola and twisting her nipple, and she visibly enjoyed it and wanted more. Maureen was not far behind, demanding the same caress as Jenny received. EOA! was the order. She moved and somehow her gown slipped down farther, and both her breasts were exposed now. I may have said earlier that I was fascinated by the female breast, and here I had two of the finest examples I had ever seen at my disposal. What is it about the curve of a woman’s breast that is so mesmerizing? Why do guys, who’ve already seen a hundred of them, still want to see more? I’m sure it’s related to some sort of evolutionary procreation selection process that promotes the species or something. Whatever it is, I’m glad we have it.

My fingers became more active, and both smiled. “Yes, James, go on. This is wonderful!” After a while they wanted more, but in this position it was difficult. Maureen made an executive decision, “Let´s go to bed and have fun.”

We got up and I followed two beautiful bodies undulating to our bedroom, with their hips swaying sensually, and promising a lot of fun. As soon as we passed the door, the gowns slipped down, and they turned to me.

“Now it’s your turn, darling. What do you want to do with us?”

“First I want to kiss you all over and then I´ll let you decide what you want.”

They did not like that idea. “We agree that you can kiss us all over, but then we want that you decide what to do with us. Let’s have a night where we are at your disposal - all three openings! So, let’s start and see where it takes us.”

I decided that this was a good idea and followed them to our bed. They lay down, with an expectant smile and looking at each other, slowly opened her legs to show me their inviting labia. A hand went under one breast to present it to me and the other pointed to me. “Come here, Count de Winter. Who do you want to do first?”

What a difficult decision! One red-haired beauty, with shining eyes and a hip slowly lifting to present a bare glistening pussy, and a black-haired woman as beautiful, with her lips smiling and looking at Maureen, also lifting her hip to present the alternative - a wet pussy, with a touch of a heart shaped little strip of black hair. Maureen had decided to keep her labia shaven because she thought that feeling my mouth on her labia was more exciting this way. I kneeled in front of their open hips and considered my options - one closed, smooth half-shell or an open, crinkly butterfly? Checking first one, then the other, I decided on both.

It was fun to see their reactions as I first kissed Maureen to see whether I could get her clitoris to come out of hiding (it did), and then munching on the open lips with the clit already pointing outwards, then I switched to Jenny. They became restless and Jenny was the first to push my head into her labia. “Don’t tease, my love. Make me come!” and as I forced my tongue into her, it did not take long for her to have her first orgasm. She smiled satisfied and pushed me over to Maureen. “Her too, my love.”

I dug into her outer lips and twirled my tongue around her clit; when I sucked on it, she needed only a few moments and she could not hold it anymore, coming happily into my mouth and spurting her fluids on my face.

She relaxed and looked at Jenny. “Hors d´oeuvres were served, dear! Let’s do the second course.”

They pulled me up between them and looked down on me.

“Jenny, do you want the upper part while I take care of the lower one? And then we change?”

What happened to the idea that I was going to decide what we would do? Jenny, however, nodded enthusiastically and bent to kiss me, while Maureen was sliding down to concentrate on my penis. It was thrilling to have a firm breast in my face with a stiff nipple to be caressed, and a warm tongue licking my shaft tenderly and nipping at the tip. Jenny moaned as I assaulted her breast, fondling it and tweaking her nipple, while Maureen took my penis full into her mouth and increased the speed of her strokes. Then I was moaning as the excitement took hold of me; I started to push my shaft into her mouth and suck Jenny´s nipple deep into my mouth.

We were losing control when Maureen suddenly stopped. “Time to change, Jenny” and let my penis slip out of her mouth. I protested, but the situation was rapidly resolved with Maureen’s breast in my mouth and Jenny swallowing my shaft. It was getting hot again and I felt my climax coming up. I grabbed Maureen´s shoulders and pulled her breast deep into my mouth, biting her nipple while I pushed my penis into Jenny. When I could not get any deeper, I exploded, jamming it into her mouth as I came, with my seeds shooting down her throat. She swallowed me, knowing exactly how to squeeze every last drop out of me. As I touched her clit, Maureen was also coming hard and cried out my name. This time it took longer to relax, and Maureen said once more, “Time to change, Jenny.”

She pushed Jenny away from me and slid down, taking my exhausted shaft in her mouth, and tenderly cleaned me up with her tongue, kissing and licking with complete abandon. Jenny had meanwhile crawled up and offered her mouth to me. I accepted the invitation tasting myself but looking at her satisfied smile I knew I could not have done anything else. They looked at each other and Maureen leaned forward, kissing Jenny hard, wanting to taste my seed in her mouth and confirming that we were one, all three of us.

They fell back on the bed and held out their arms; I did not hesitate and moved into their embrace. I kissed one breast, turned to the other and at the end, it was Maureen who decided she wanted more.

She lifted herself and moved on top of me, sitting on my lap. She looked at Jenny.

“Don’t you want to help, dear? It’ll be your turn later!” Jenny sat beside me and took my shaft in her hand, caressing it until it was firm again. “George, do your best, but don’t give your all; I want you, too.”

She pointed him in the right direction and Maureen slowly sank onto my penis. It was extremely sensual, as she looked at me smilingly and at the same time, let herself be penetrated. It was fun, it was sexual, and it was love - principally love, giving herself to me. Every time she moved, I moved with her, and her face slowly flushed. She took my hands and placed them on her breasts, asking me without words to caress them, to fondle them, to stroke her rock-hard nipples with my fingers. I looked up into her face, framed by her long red hair, and her expressive green eyes told me everything about how this display of affection was turning her on. Those eyes caught mine and held them, also communicating her deep love for me.

“I love you, Maureen...” I said simply.

“I know...” she replied, her eyes twinkling in amusement.

I settled back and let her ride me. Her pussy caressed my shaft each stroke a little different, making the nerve endings tingle. We worked together, each feeling the other’s journey to orgasm. Remembering that I didn’t have to be quiet (in fact Maureen always said that I was too quiet when making love), I let myself respond to her with my own groans and gasps as she worked me over. Maureen immediately reciprocated, and I felt her pussy tighten as she communicated her approval. We both knew that our lovemaking was clearly audible; suddenly, she let go of any restraint, and the room reverberated with her sounds of delight. Her hips changed from making love to passionate sex, with an intense orgasm her goal. I clamped down on her nipples, knowing she wanted it hard.

“I’m gonna cum!” she gasped. I could feel droplets of moisture spraying over my hips. My orgasm rushed up to consume me, fueled by Maureen’s raw arousal. I saw her throw her head back and cry out just before I went rigid. She was clearly in her own world for a moment, but she came too soon for me, and I was still excited.

Maureen collapsed on top of me, crushing her chest to mine, but keeping my penis secure inside her as we twitched through her aftershocks. Her ragged breaths caressed my cheek as she buried her head in the pocket above my shoulder.

“Oh, my, God, James, that was awesome!”

After a while she relaxed, and I slowly slipped out of her. “James, I love you so much I cannot tell you in words, but I will always be there for you...” and she smiled “ ... anywhere and anyhow.”

There was nothing I could add to this, and I just hugged her, whispering, “Maureen, my love, I know this, and I will always be at your side...” and this time I smiled “ ... or in you.”

She grinned. ¨You’re the luckiest guy in this world! You have not only me observing you how I can serve you, but Jenny here, in our bed, feels the same love for you, and you for her. And if we’re not enough for you, there is Mom, just waiting for your call to fall into your arms and seduce you with all her sensuality that only she has. James, we love you and never let us go!”