Chapter 43: A Complicated Situation, Again

When I woke up, I felt that Eileen was already awake, and it seemed that she knew that I had woken up. She whispered, “Did you sleep well?” I grumbled something and she assumed that this was a yes. “Are you still tired?” I grumbled yes. “May I re-acquaint myself with an old friend?” I nodded.

She slowly was sliding down until she reached my penis. “Oh, George, you’re still asleep. Let me tell you that if you are interested, we might have some fun. Are you?” She took him in her hands and kissed the tip. He decided that this was better than sleeping and showed his appreciation.

“Let’s see how serious you are, my friend.”

She swallowed him deep into her mouth and her tongue started to tease him. Then she let him come out and started to lick him from bottom to the tip, with some occasional twists and slight sucks. Now he was awake and tried to get even deeper in her mouth, but she did not want this.

“Darling, I’m interested at this moment in another possibility, so wait just a moment.”

She came back up and saw that Maureen was awake, looking at her.

“Hi, darling. Did you sleep well?” and without waiting for an answer, pushed herself away from me and quickly knelt so she could straddle me. With all her weight, she sank down on me with a vengeance. All I could do was fall back on the bed and watch as she descended, her face showing my progress in filling her up. Her hands on my stomach supported her, and her breasts bouncing slightly as she started her movements. It was such a thrilling picture that I did not want to finish it but waited for her to climb higher and higher in her arousal.

Her smile of sexual pleasure was slowly changing into a face of stress, trying to come to a finish. There was a surprised grunt when my hips came up to crash into hers. Nodding, she increased the force she was driving down with. My hands were cupping her breasts and each time our bodies met, a deep husky grunt escaped her. I felt that the end was close; the rolling pressure steadily got more intense until it finally erupted in a shuddering flash of total release. The last thing I saw before my eyes slammed shut, was Eileen’s mouth wide open in a large smile. My hands found her hips and stopped her as I pumped my fluids as deep as I could into her. Jet after jet filled her and when I was finished, I pulled her down by her hair to wrap her in a bear hug and kissed her sweaty cheek. Her eyes were slowly focusing, and she looked at me.

“That is the way to wake up, my love. This was very nice, but could we try tonight to improve on it, please?” She let herself sink down on me and I kept her on me, enjoying the weight of her body and her breasts pushing into me.

She looked over to Maureen. “Darling, please forgive me waking you up, but I needed this very much. The only thing missing now is a little cuddle, so could you please make breakfast and call us?”

She put her head on my shoulders and shut her eyes. Maureen looked surprised, making love with me in front of her and then asking for breakfast?

I shrugged, as I could not move with Eileen lying on top of me. She sighed and got up, but I had to remind her about local rules. After a while she came back (and her face showed that she was not very happy), reminding us that she was almost ready and that they had to leave in an hour. Eileen went to one bathroom and I to the other. Maureen had done her usual outstanding job and everything we could want was available - except time to enjoy it.

They took their time to dress and were the perfect power businesswomen - white blouses, one skirt dark blue, the other dark green, high heels, discreet but elegant jewelry, and a face that would convince anybody that it was his duty to sign a contract with them. I walked them to the car she had hired, and they drove off. Then it was my time to change and go to my meeting.

I had prepared a presentation that showed their current organization, the main problems I had seen, the ones they had told me about, and a plan for the future. It included buying out one son, signing contracts with the daughters, and preparing the younger son for his position as the future CEO. This way the succession would have far fewer problems. The Aberdeen brothers heard me out, complimented me on the thoroughness of the presentation and asked for some time to think about it. It was strange that they had asked me to bring my service bill and after we finished, Thomas took out his wallet and signed a cheque for the whole amount. They invited me for lunch in their club (fish and chips again), shook my hand, said that it was a pleasure working with me and that they had learned a lot. Then they were gone.

I called Allan and asked him whether I could see him, then drove over to his house. Ellen was sitting in the main room and lifted her face to be kissed.

“How are my girls? And how is the delectable Mrs. Monahan?”

Her words were friendly, but her eyes were serious.

“James, sit here with me, please. And Allan, please get a glass of port, but take your time.”

Allan shrugged his shoulders, left and I sat beside her.

“James, let me ask you something which is quite serious for me. Your mother-in-law is quite a woman; intelligent, aggressive, beautiful, charming. I remember what she did to Frank, and I saw Allan almost falling into the same trap. I don’t think that she does it intentionally, but the result is the same - men fall for her. I don’t have much time to live, and I don’t want my life upset because of her. Tell me, what can you do to avoid this?”

I was surprised, but not very much so. I had seen the same scene. What could I say?

“Ellen, first, she’s not out to steal your husband. Full stop! She is everything you said, but she’s not evil. What happened with Frank was that he thought there was something, but which she never offered. Ellen, it was his imagination! She is this way with everyone and part of the reason that she has survived in a man’s world is that she uses her charm. I’ve seen her in action, and it is marvelous to observe, but she never follows on and whenever a man tries, she finds a way to let him cool down.”

Ellen looked at me with doubt in her eyes.

“Don’t misunderstand me and she can be quite ruthless, but she is not evil. I saw Allan looking at her, but Ellen, there is not a man in this world who would not look at her. Allan, however, is different; he enjoys beauty and intellect, but he is yours, Ellen - hook, line, and sinker! Let him have some fun, please. I promise you that if I ever saw anything different happening, I reign in whoever stepped out of place. I’m safe since I have Maureen and Jenny, and with all the respect I have for Eileen, both have my heart and soul, and if I were to step out of line, I am certain that both would pull me in quite fast! And you would not be far behind!”

She nodded, satisfied with my answer.

Allan looked in, curious whether he could come back, and Ellen waved him in.

“We’re finished and everything is resolved, dear. Now have some port and go and discuss boring business.”

Allan looked at me, but I did not respond. He led me to his office and asked me what the problem was. I told him about my meeting with the Aberdeen brothers and the suspicions I had about any progress.

“James, this was to be expected. They have reached a stage where a radical decision is very difficult, almost impossible. They will not accept a professional manager and they don’t have the courage to talk to their children. I believe that they expected you to come up with a miracle - nobody’s pride would be hurt, all problems would be resolved, the company would grow, and the family would be happy. You showed them the real world and they will decide not to decide, but just wait and hope for the problem to go away. I give them another three to five years and they’ll be bought off. A sad ending, but they’ll not do anything to change it. I suspected this would happen, but I wanted for you to do your part, give them a solution and then? This is what will happen to you too often, James, and you’ll be disappointed every time. Perhaps if you had Accenture or KMPG behind you, it might be different, but I doubt it.”

He looked into his port, took a deep breath, and looked at me.

“So, your question will be - do I want to do this kind of work, get a lot of money, and be bored to death after a while, or do I decide that I want to run my own life, make my own decisions and be responsible just to myself? You needed this experience, but I know what you will decide, and you will be very successful, James - trust me.”

It took me some time to digest his words, but slowly it sank in. There was only one real alternative.

“Allan, say hello to the new CEO of NT! I, however, will need you all the way to survive the company, the industry and principally, Eileen. She will hand me the company gladly, but almost immediately she’ll question my decisions and that can only bring a bad ending. I’ve discussed with her the need to implement a Board and I want you on it. I will be her Executive Assistant for a period and then she retires to the Board; there I’ll need you to balance her attempts to take over again and principally, to give me part of the business acumen you have accumulated during these years. Will you accept this, please?”

He smiled. “James, you know that you can always count on me. You would be successful without me, but I know this country better than you, and this will help. Yes, I accept. And on top of it, I’ll be the target of the beautiful Mrs. Monahan - this will be fun!”

“Just be careful how far you go with Eileen, as she occasionally doesn’t know her limits!”

“James, my son, I do know mine and I have Ellen to remind me of them!”

We raised our glasses and toasted to my future. When we told Ellen, she was not surprised; she had seen this coming for a long time. When she kissed me goodbye, she whispered, “Just remember what I asked you!” and I nodded.

At home I prepared dinner; Maureen had assured that there was always enough food to feed multitudes. I set the table, took out a bottle of champagne, lit some candles, placed a Mozart piano concerto on the CD player, called Jenny, and waited for the ladies to appear. It was strange how well I could feel that Maureen was close even before I saw her, and with a fainter shadow, the same happened with Eileen. This time I even heard them before the opened the door.

“James, we did well. Mom really rolled them over and we have promises of a few new contracts in the near future. This branch is doing well!”

She kissed me, all excited and Eileen did the same, but with more emphasis. Maureen saw this.

“Hey, Mom, he is my husband. Control yourself!”

All Eileen did was ask “Why?” and stayed glued to me. When Maureen saw the dinner already set, she thanked me, and Eileen was forced to step back.

I opened and poured the champagne, and we sat at the table. They continued to give me details of how well the visits had gone, and only when I opened the second bottle, Maureen finally asked me how my day had gone, and whether the AT proposal had been accepted.

“It was disappointing. They accepted the proposal, praised it, paid me, and probably will not do anything. I went over to Allan, and he commented that he had foreseen it; they were not ready for the drastic change that was necessary to save their company. They would discuss my proposal, love it, and do nothing. So, this ends my career as a business consultant.”

Maureen came over to kiss me. “This is just the first try; remember that there will be others and you will be very successful, my love.”

Eileen stared at me and finally asked, “What do you mean ‘ended my consultant career’?”

“It means that I don’t believe that consulting is something that will satisfy me for a long or even a short time, and Allan agrees. I must make my own decisions, build up my company, and guide it through good and bad times. This is what I want to do.”

Eileen got up and stood in front of me. “There is one company that needs a young and aggressive CEO. May I offer this company to you?”

I got up, too, and led her back to her seat. “Eileen, darling, I will accept your offer, but only under certain conditions.”

I went through all the terms I had discussed with Allan and added that this would mean that we would have to move to Brisbane. We would train Jenny to take over from Maureen, Allan would come onto the Board and the relationship between her and me would be detailed - and in writing.

“Eileen, you know that I respect and love you, but this is a move that changes our lives completely. There cannot be any doubts who’ll do what, and who will have the final decision. If you agree to this, I’ll come.”

She only asked when I would start.

We decided that it would not be tonight, for tonight there were other priorities. We finished our dinner and went to the sitting room - i.e. I went to the sitting room, and they changed. There were cookies on the table, a good muscat liqueur, and a Sibelius violin concerto on the stereo.

First Eileen arrived, dressed (or undressed) in one of her long grey slinky gowns that hid everything and showed everything. Then Maureen came through the door, and she had chosen my favorite that followed her curves but let her breasts bare.

They turned around. “Satisfied, Oh Lord and Master?” I nodded and padded the couch, offering a seat on each side. This was the night I wanted before everything went back to stress and overtime - having two beautiful women at my side, a good dinner, good wines, and a weekend of fun to expect. They lay down and put their heads on my lap; grinning, Eileen wriggled around until her hand could slowly extract my penis (still asleep, but willing to reconsider). Maureen placed my hand on her breast and Eileen followed suit.

“James, why did you decide this today?”

I explained what had happened, my thought processes and Allan comments and recommendations. Eileen was surprised.

“James, why did Allan guide you this way? I thought that he would have preferred for you to get more experience in other companies, but I’m quite pleased that he helped you make up your mind. But why so fast?”

This showed that Eileen did not really understand me; what Allan had seen in few weeks she had not perceived in as many months.

“Eileen, I cannot run from job to job, from proposal to proposal, from disappointment to the occasional success. I want to run my own business and be judged by what I had decided, what I had done, and not what others would do with my ideas and hard work.”

She nodded, but I knew that there was a long and bumpy road ahead. We discussed what should happen next, how Jenny would fit in, how to fight for market share without losing profit, how to handle personnel in NT. Some would stay, others would prefer to leave. She suddenly leaped up.

“James, now I can transfer my gift to you!”

I stared at her - what gift? She whispered to Maureen, “Don’t tell him, but occasionally he’s rather slow” and said “Hello, darling. Do you remember Christmas? Sixteen percent of the shares of NT? You don’t seem to care for money!”

Now I did remember, but it had completely slipped my mind.

“Eileen, thank you, but how will I get the shares without paying a bucket of income tax?”

She was proud of her work.

“I investigated this with our lawyers and there’s a way to reduce taxes, but, unfortunately, not to eliminate them. You will need a private investment company - Winter Investments Ltd - and I invest in that company with the shares. You will contribute with your labor and business acumen. As the CEO, you’ll receive a decent salary, but the main part of your income will come from dividends, which that company will receive. On this income you will pay capital gains tax, which is much lower. It is complex - you will probably need preferred shares, not voting ones, to start the procedures, but that we´ll clear up later. Trust me - we’ve done the research, and you’ll have the documents to sign as soon as you come to Brisbane.”

I still did not understand how this would work, but she had excellent lawyers, and I was certain that she had done the best deal for me. Suddenly, I was rich!

“James, we make about fifteen percent after tax; a wonderful result, but which is based on the procedures you had sold us. That means that with current results, and I hope that you will improve them dramatically and taking the last three months’ annualized results, we’ll make over a hundred million dollars for the year and you over fifteen million. How do you feel, darling?”

I looked at her for a long time.

“Eileen, my love, I don’t feel much different. I’ve enough money that Maureen and I can live comfortably; I’m very grateful for your gift, but nothing changes between us. I love you now as much as I loved you before; I’ll care for you as I did before; and I hope that you will not change, either. Maureen and I can use the money to do more or something different; invest it in NT and make it grow, and one day I might buy another Porsche. I shall purchase a house close to yours so that we can have all the contact we want, and soon Jenny will be in Brisbane also and will need a flat. But between us, darling, nothing will change.”

She smiled and nodded, but then she hesitated.

“James, Maureen, I’ve done something on my own that you might not want. I knew that you’d come one day to run NT and that you needed a house. The house next to mine has been abandoned for more than a year; there is a complicated inheritance case, and nobody wants to touch it. I looked at it and as far as I could see, it would be perfect for you; almost the same size as mine but with a slightly different layout and with a much bigger garden. You could build a smaller house at the edge without any problem; perhaps Jenny would be interested?”

I knew that Jenny would not be interested as she would live with us in the same house. This point we would raise later, though.

“I did not purchase it but put down a deposit. If you liked it, we could close the deal on the weekend; if you aren’t interested in that house, we’ll find another one. Don’t decide now; wait until you see it.”

Maureen looked at me. “James, what a wonderful idea! We could take the wall down and have just one big lot.” Then she smiled “My love, just imagine our children running around in this big garden!”

Eileen was still standing before us, so I got up and embraced her. “I cannot say much, but this suggestion and your care counts for me more than the shares. Thank you, my love. We’ll look at it on the weekend, but on principle, I am in favor.”

She was satisfied, hugged me back and then she lay down again. “James, I had all kinds of plans for tonight, but could we just huddle and care for each other? Your decision decided my life and all I want tonight is to be held in your arms; that is, if my daughter allows it?”

Maureen laughed. “Mom, when did you ever do what I wanted?” She hesitated. “I must admit that things have changed during the last months, but still ... well, I allow you to be held in his arms for this night, but the morning is mine!”

Both got up and dragged me to the bedroom. Their gowns disappeared and my Bermudas ended up on the chair. I lay down between them and immediately had both heads on my chest. They smiled at each other “Mom, is this not wonderful?” Then she moved up, let me follow local rules and Eileen also offered her puppies for my goodnight kisses. It was late, both were tired and closed their eyes. They fell asleep and I followed them, happy to have them in my arms.

In the morning, Eileen seemed to have woken up first because when I moved, I received a light kiss. “Come on, sleepy head - we have things to do today. Wake up!”

I groaned; I was never the early morning person who jumps out of bed and welcomed the day with a big smile. She knew, however, how I could get interested; suddenly there was a stiff nipple touching my lips and when I opened them, it slipped in. I tasted it and wanted more, but it was withdrawn. “No fooling around, darling. Get up!”

I tried to hide behind my pillow, but she took it away; I reminded myself that I always had known that she was a cruel person. Why did she do this to me after all the promises of unsending love? Women! I turned to my wife, but she just turned to her other side and left me alone. Whatever happened to the Lord and Master thing?

“If you get up, you could help me in the kitchen. Who knows what might happen?”

This caused Maureen to turn back and protest. “Mom, the morning is mine. Cool down.”

She closed her eyes again and I decided to get up, Eileen leaving for the kitchen and I for the bathroom. Maureen mumbled something, but didn’t open her eyes, so I went to the kitchen to see what might happen. She was already busy, setting the table. It was a pleasure watching her move around in my preferred dress - nude. She pointed to the wine storage and dutifully I got a bottle of the Great Western. It does not have the complexity and body of good French champagne, but it is easy to drink. I offered Eileen a glass and she asked me to get the tableware while she was getting the rest.

After doing my duty, I sat and admired her lovely body moving around. She stopped suddenly. “James, you kissed only one and the other puppy is sad! Local rules!” and sat on my lap offering her other breast for my kiss. It was wonderful as always to have her so close and when I finished my endeavor, she smiled satisfied. “There’s more if you want, James, but Maureen might be upset.”

I agreed and went to get her. She was just getting up and watched me closely. “What did Mom do?”

I told her that Mom had set the table with my help and that we were waiting for her.

“Nothing else? No fooling around? The morning was supposed to be mine and you ran away already.”

“Well, darling, it’s your fault. You decided to sleep, and I helped Eileen, but there’s a glass of sparkling wine waiting for you! And as you so delicately asked - there was no fooling around; I just kissed one nipple that somehow had been left alone in the morning.”

“Well, there are two for you to kiss here...” and she leaned forward. I had the pleasure of tasting them and then we decided it was time to get busy, since there was the dressmaker to visit, food to buy for tonight, and tea with the Moises.

Breakfast was lively with the usual teasing and as always, I lost at the end.

We had a driver since it would be hilarious to us (and scandalous for Eileen) to fit into the Porsche. The visit to the dressmaker went well; the fabrics that Eileen had received through her friend from Thailand were wonderful and the designer had not tried to overdo it. Maureen would have silk damask in dark blue, showing a shimmering pattern as he moved the fabric around. There had been some minor changes again and the dress would be full length, with the basic cheongsam design, with a bodice and some petticoats, and long sleeves. He would have slippers made covered with the same fabric. The golden threads woven into the silk made the classic design shine and at every movement the colors changed slightly, shimmering brilliantly. He said that it would be quite beautiful, but that he aimed to let the woman shine, just offering a luscious frame.

They were satisfied, and therefore, so was I. I could already see the uproar the two would cause entering the ballroom. There were some final adjustments to make, but the dresses would be ready early next week. He gave us some drawings for Jenny’s dress, and I promised myself that her dress would be as lovely as these two. I would show them to her when we met the next weekend in Brisbane on Maureen’s birthday. Eileen had also brought her own fabrics to Sydney and when he saw them, his eyes opened wide. “Mrs. Monahan, I can imagine just the right gown for you. May I try?” She nodded and left the fabric with him.

The next stop was the hairdresser to freshen up and I waited for them in the huge bookshop in the mall. Everyone looked up when they entered, and they looked like two beautiful sisters enjoying the day. Maureen had a ponytail, Eileen had curls coming down over her shoulder. I was proud to be seen with them!

The restaurant we wanted was crowded and the maître d’ mentioned over an hour waiting time. That was too much for me and I turned away, but Maureen stopped me, watching her mother. She smiled at the maître d’, “What is the earliest time you could give us? The reservation is for the Count de Winter and his wife, the Countess de Winter.” He swallowed, looked at us and made up his mind.

“If you could perhaps wait at the bar and have a drink? There are two tables that will finish soon.”

She smiled at him “Thank you, sir. We’ll do this.”

He led us to the long bar and said in a rather loud voice. “Jimmy, drinks for the Count and Countess. Please look after them.”

People turned around as he had achieved what he wanted; social prestige had been increased. I grinned, “Maureen, do you remember what I told you at our wedding? The title will get you a table reservation much faster.”

Eileen was satisfied - she had shown us how it was done. We had drinks and less than ten minutes later he led us to our table, asking the ‘Count’ with that stage whisper that you can hear miles away whether this was acceptable, the ‘Countess’ whether she wanted another drink, and Eileen was ignored, and she did not like at all. I murmured that she had started it and now she had to pay for it. The food was excellent, the wine the two selected matched it perfectly, and the chocolate mousse at the end, made me promise myself another two laps on Monday night. The bill was as high as I had feared, but wasn’t I rich suddenly? This was a special weekend; my two loves were happy, and this extravagance was cheap for the joy I saw in their eyes.

While we were on the way to the Moises, I recommended that Eileen would focus her attention on Ellen. She was ill and weak and if Eileen started to flirt with Allan (who would no doubt enter the game) she might be hurt. She nodded and said that I could trust her.

Allan opened the door, and his eyes showed his pleasure looking at these two beautiful women. Eileen let him touch her cheek but stepped away. “Where is Ellen? I want to say hello.”

She was sitting in the living room, waiting for us, and dressed in a more austere costume, with a white embroidered blouse and a long dark grey skirt.

Eileen went immediately to her and knelt. “Ellen - may I call you Ellen? Thank you and Allan so much for what you have done for my daughter and her friend. She has told me so much how you taught her social graces and I was very upset. She would not learn from me, but whatever you said was the bible for her. I am not exaggerating, and I have to say that I am a bit envious and jealous. How did you do this? And how are you?”

Ellen was overwhelmed and visibly surprised and during the afternoon it was fun to see how Eileen had the same success with her that she had, when she focused on men. Allan was disappointed, but he recovered fast. We had tea, toast, and finger foods and at the end, the conversation turned to the business events that had them involved - Eileen in Queensland and Allan in NSW. Ellen was proud to see her husband elected, and we added our praises. There were two events - one in the State for the local champion and a national one in Sydney.

She also asked immediately about Jenny; we told her the latest news about her work in Canberra and that she had said repeatedly that she was missing Ellen very much. Ellen nodded, satisfied by the love and respect that Jenny showed to her.

Eileen used the moment to get back into the conversation. “Ellen, we went today to the boutique where they are making our dresses for James’ ball in München.” She told her in great detail everything about the fabric, the design, the length.

After a while I looked at Allan. “Let’s have a glass of port and discuss something more serious.”

This caused loud protests from the three ladies; how could a discussion about dresses and fashion not be as important as boring business? Eileen had achieved what she wanted - Ellen was involved and content.

I told Allan about my conversation with Eileen and that I had committed him to accept a Board position. He shrugged - what else could he do? He started to grin, however, when he reminded me that I was supposed to be on Tuesday at the SCG to watch the Test Match, and no excuses accepted! He would pick me up.

We stayed late until I saw that Ellen was getting tired and started to say goodnight. I was satisfied when I saw Ellen give Eileen a kiss on the cheek; not as warm as the one for Maureen, but certainly friendly. Allan received her kiss, too, and Ellen did not blink, as peace seemed to be restored. When she kissed me, she whispered, “Perhaps I was wrong, and you were right - she can be nice. Just watch him and yourself!”

We arrived home when the phone rang, and it was Jenny. She told me all about the course, how difficult it was with lots of reading material, but no time to read it. It was exciting and she learned a lot. She also missed me, and I had to tell her what we did today. When I started to describe the dressmaker’s efforts, she stopped me politely. “James, my love, I adore you, but you don’t have the competency to discuss fashion. Remember that I love you beyond all limits but let me talk to Maureen now. I love you!”