Chapter 62: A Negotiation Comes to an End

The flight to Berlin was short, and we stayed two days in the Adlon Kempinski Hotel, the old luxury hotel close to the prominent landmarks of that city. The rooms were imposing - antique furnishing mixed with leading technology, and as a bonus, it had a two-star restaurant. I was surprised when the manager appeared when we checked in.

“Count de Winter, it’s an honor to receive you. Your family always used our hotel, and we’re pleased that we can continue this tradition. Count, we have reserved a two-bedroom suite for you with a view to the Brandenburger Tor - the best we have to offer.”

Actually, they had better rooms, but the price we paid was not in that range. When she stepped into the big bathroom, Jenny was impressed - pink and black marble! I made some phone calls, and we had dinner at the Lorenz Adlon; after eating the substantial Polish food, it was refreshing to see the sophisticated dishes the Lorenz offered and drink a decent wine again.

Jenny called Maureen and gave her a brief summary of what had happened. She was satisfied, but her complaining about being alone and abandoned did not stop. We promised her that she would have the next trip, and she calmed down.

Jenny enjoyed the huge bathroom, and it took us a long time and lots of hot water to check that each of us was clean. She had two bedrooms to choose from and selected the one with the four-poster bed, tastefully decorated in variations of beige and brown, but with a colorful damask spread. A bottle of champagne was beside the bed, and when Jenny appeared, the waiting was well worth for.

She must have borrowed one of Maureen´s transparent nightgowns, which had long slits at the side and in the front, and exposed her lovely breasts. When she came closer, she grinned.

“Mr. Consultant, consult with me. What is the best method to bring a hot wife to orgasm?”

I was surprised; Jenny usually did not use this kind of language, but I would participate gladly if she wanted to play this game.

“A consultant does not start to work before he receives an initial payment, Mrs. CEO.”

She stepped forward and offered her breasts for my caresses. I enjoyed them and the whiff of her Balenciaga perfume, but slowly she lost her grin; her eyes started to show other emotions.

“A consultant also needs to have the objectives of his work clearly defined and time schedules set. It is also common that he receives a bonus if he succeeds beyond the goals set.”

She nodded. “Objectives - I want to be loved, emotionally and physically, until my heart is happy and my body exhausted. Time frame - the whole night or until we fall asleep, whatever comes first. We can talk about the bonus later after you have done your work!”

Well, these were clear objectives, and I started to execute them. I embraced her and started to kiss her softly, looking into her eyes. She responded, leaning into me. Her hands wrapped around my neck, and her pointy breasts pushed into my chest. I let my hands glide along her back, and when she pushed her hips into me, she sighed happily.

“James, I know that you love me, but I doubt that you know how much I love you. This is heaven for me, being in your arms, being kissed and cared for, and knowing that I’ll give myself to you and that you’ll take me.” She closed her eyes. “My love, let me love you.”

She stepped back, took off her gown, and pulling me along with her, lay on the bed. She continued to smile. “My love, I’m all yours; do whatever you want” ... and a little grin appeared “ ... anyhow and anywhere.”

I wanted everything - her heart, soul, and body. Slowly, I kissed my way down with a short stop at her lips, a longer delay at her breasts, and ended up at her labia, wet and waiting for me. She opened her legs wide to let me come closer, and when my tongue touched her protruding clit, she groaned. Spreading the lips with two fingers, my tongue dove in, and her groaning increased. A long lick up and down and a little nip at her now stiff clitoris, and she came. It was not soul-crushing, but to judge from her satisfied smile, it made her happy. She tried to pull me up, but I continued my efforts, and it did not take long, and she came again, but this time more intense, more from her inner body. I let her relax, but my hands moved upwards when she breathed evenly again. My fingers traced all the contours of her breast, coming close and circling around the sharp nub, but never staying long. She moaned loudly, and I teased her.

“Mm, something you needed, Mrs. CEO?”

“Yes, stop playing with me!” she managed to instruct me firmly.

Listening to the order in her voice and remembering the ‘Lord and Master’ promise, I decided that she had to pay for it. It would be a sweet price, though, and I wanted to satisfy her fully. I moved up to lie beside her. She pushed her breasts up as I bent to kiss her stiff tips. She dropped her head back, allowing me complete control of her body.

She cried out when I gingerly bit her nipple, and when I engulfed her areola and sucked as much of her breast into my mouth, she groaned.

“James, don´t tease me! Please!” I let go, and she pulled me close, kissing me deeply. “My love, I want you now! Please!”

Since she had said ´Please` I decided to give her what she wanted. She sighed as I began playing with her breast again, demanding and stimulating; it was enough to reignite the fire that was threatening to consume us. Finally and very impatient, she pushed me on my back and sat on my hips. She was gloriously beautiful, a vision of a loving woman, my loving woman, ready to please herself and her man. She looked down and smiled.

“There’s someone quite willing to stop this teasing. George, may I invite you to come into your very own special place?”

George immediately agreed to accept her invitation. She smiled when she slowly dropped down, guiding me into her hot wall. Her face was flushing a vibrant pink, and she closed her eyes when I started to slide in and out. Judging from her strained face and pursed lips, she seemed to enjoy this, and suddenly, she called my name. “James, I love you!” and convulsed around me. I raced to my own finish, and when she felt my shaft trembling and shooting into her, she pushed down with all force. She fell forward on my chest, shivering with aftershocks running through her body. We were breathing heavily, but we were happy.

I looked at her. “And how are you now, my love?”

She was silent for a second, then she whispered, “I’m good. No, I’m great.”

“Not satisfied?” I chuckled.

“I’m many things right now. Satisfied is certainly one of them.”

She snuggled into my arms.

“My love, every time we make love, it’s different, but it’s always wonderful. You make me feel emotions that I never believed existed - I know that I’m safe and loved and that I can love you without any restrictions, giving you everything you and I want. I might tease you occasionally...” I harrumphed, and she grinned “ ... but I’m yours, totally and forever.”

She stretched her body, and I wondered whether there was still enough energy in us to try for one more time, but it was enough, and we were happy.

She curled into my body and, when she had found the right place, offered her lips and her breasts to my lips. “Local rules wherever we are, darling.” Her eyes closed, but before falling asleep, she whispered, “You owe me an anyhow and anywhere, darling. Remember this!” And out of the blue, she continued, “I miss Maureen, my love! Don’t ever forget her!”

The following morning, we got up early; Prince Fugger had set up a meeting for us at the German State Department. We were introduced to the Deputy Minister for Economic Development, and after some reminiscences about our mutual families, he asked how he could help us.

I had prepared a brief summary of our project and told him that we had the full support of the local administration - and apparently remote support from Warsaw. I hoped that this project would eventually help diminish the tension between the two countries, today always looking at the past, but tomorrow perhaps to the future. I could not finance everything, and I asked for support - we needed financial and human resources. We were not asking much, at least considering the German government’s resources. Still, this support would help us immensely when talking to Brussels.

He liked the idea, and since he also had long roots in the old Prussian tradition, he promised to help us; he needed, however, a detailed project with all the bells and whistles. He called a colleague in the EU administration and arranged for us to meet the man responsible for economic assistance for the Eastern European countries. We thanked him, happy that the first obstacle had been resolved.

We stayed another day in Berlin; I hired a car with a driver, did the city tour, then took Jenny to the famous DKW shopping mall, founded when Berlin was still divided and intended to show the bleak Eastern Germans what they were missing. These days it was huge, and every brand was represented. I managed to find a Gucci handbag that Jenny liked, and we both searched for a present for Maureen. It was not easy, but we found a beautiful facsimile book showing the history of Prussian families, with a detailed and illustrated part dedicated to the de Winters. She would like this. We also managed to see the Neues Museum with the famous Nefertiti bust, more than 3,000 years old.

At night, we went to the Berliner Philharmonic Orchestra, which Karajan had lifted to world standards. The main event was the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto Number Two, one of my favorite musical pieces. There was also a Tchaikovsky except from the Yevgeny Onegin ballet music and a lesser-known romantic piece by Mendelssohn Bartholdi. Jenny enjoyed it very much, and as always, I was close to tears when I heard the piano concert.

I received my bonus at night, a very special surrender from my beloved wife. Anyhow and anywhere - and it was a wonderful treat to receive that present.

The side trip to Brussels was successful, and we stayed a day in München to thank Prince Fugger for his introductions. They were surprised to see Jenny, but I told them that Maureen was pregnant, that Jenny was the CEO of the Schloss de Winter company, and that she would handle the project. I believe that we dealt well with the situation, but I saw a question in the eyes of the Princess when we said goodbye. Well, the next time, Maureen would be beside me, and she would decide what she would say.

The flight to Sydney was comfortable and when we arrived, Maureen was waiting for us. Her face lit up when she saw us, and she embraced Jenny.

“I missed you, Jenny. Don´t go away again for such a long time! I was lonely!”

Then she turned to me. “My love, I welcomed Jenny first because once I’m in your arms, nobody else exists.” She came into my arms, and even with her now visible pregnancy, she leaned into me, melting in my embrace. “My love, I missed you so much, you cannot imagine. You’re not allowed to travel without me for a long, long time! Just wait until we are home!”

When we arrived in our flat, she ordered Jenny to care for the luggage; she should also provide dinner since she had done all the work already. She was quite clear that she would be with me, wherever I would be. And she did the whole afternoon, and at night Jenny´s prediction that pregnant women enjoy making love came true. I was home again.

She looked at the oversized parcel that Mr. Bronislaw had given us. It was full of baby clothes, all embroidered with the de Winter initials and colors. She was touched and called him to thank him and the city for the presents. We had a day just for ourselves to compensate for the almost two weeks she was on her own, and she inquired how Jenny had ended up at CEO. She laughed when she heard the story, but then she looked at me.

“James, I cannot believe that you could be bribed that way. You knew that you could have Jenny whenever you wanted - why this way?”

I looked at Jenny, who was still smiling, remembering the moment. “My love, it was fun for her to exert her determination to have her own company, and she showed a lot of enthusiasm, but that was not the point. Jenny needs something of her own, something that she’ll handle and be responsible for. In NT, she’s doing an outstanding job, but she has to follow our directions - in the Schloss de Winter project, she’ll set the objectives. We’ll be on the Board, but she will decide. That is the reason why I agreed.”

Maureen glanced at me and then at Jenny. “I believe we made the right decision to keep this guy.” Jenny nodded enthusiastically, came over to kiss me, and then hugged Maureen.

“Darling, we’ll make certain that he never lacks anything; that way, he can care for us all the time, OK?”

We laughed, and I added, “Maureen, she will not only be the CEO but also has to contribute with thirty four percent of all costs. Did she tell you this?”

Maureen shook her head. “She might have forgotten this, but we will not, won’t we?”

Jenny shrugged. “It’ll stay within the family, so it doesn’t matter, but did he tell you that I can fire him if he misbehaves?” Now we all laughed.

We went to see Allan and Eileen and told them about our project. Allan was intrigued about how we were trying to get everyone together.

He regarded me for a long time. “James, where will you stop one day?”

I shrugged. “Allan, I take it as it comes. Remember that success often needs luck, and luck happens when perseverance meets opportunities!”

He nodded and said that Mr. Cunningham had inquired about me. He wanted to retire and offered me his position; it seemed that the Chairman had retired, and my star was still shining brilliantly. However, one of the conditions was that we would have to move to New York and stay there practically forever. He had responded already - my place was in our company. However, we were invited to his retirement party, with a special invitation for the lovely Miss Parker.

We dove back into business life. There was a problem in New Zealand, but the guy we had hired was competent and was on his way to resolving it.

Jenny set up the video conference with Elk, and we discussed the results of our meetings in Berlin and Brussels. Warsaw had apparently changed their minds and agreed to support the project openly. The city government had contacted McKinsey to propose a study on the reorganization of the city of Elk. We decided to get together in a week and returned to our real life.

A month passed, and there was good news on our project - Brussels had agreed to fund a review of Elk’s health and safety situation; Berlin decided to fund part of the castle’s restoration and to build a small museum, showing the history of Germany in Prussia. It was not always pleasant as the Teutonic Knights were not known for their subtlety. Still, Berlin would show both sides of the story - we would certainly have problems with both the Germans and the Polish authorities!

The size of the land we were going to purchase had been agreed on; lines were drawn and redrawn to include a big part of the lake, enough grazing area for horses and cattle, and even a technical school for agricultural research - the total was now over seventy four square kilometers, and it was a surprise to me that the government had accepted it. The final price was set after Jenny haggled with them for three weeks - it was reasonable and within the budget we had set for ourselves. There was also an understanding that later, we would discuss the long-term lease of another area of forest and meadows for all kinds of sustainable tourist projects.

We almost bought another trucking company in Western Australia, but I remembered the Minister´s warning; Jenny came up with the idea to search for expansion in Poland. We were going to invest oodles of money - why not try to get some back? We would have to go back in three weeks to sign documents, so I hired a consultant from the German Logistic Association to prepare a briefing on Poland and business opportunities in that country.

I set the meeting to be back in time with Maureen when she gave birth. Jenny was already pregnant, too, but it did not show yet. It was a long flight, and when we arrived in Elk, the city had changed. There was life, and there was hope.

We had our meetings, signed documents, and cheques (lots of cheques, and I ensured that Jenny signed them all; it was amusing to see her reaction when she realized how much money was flowing out of her accounts). We talked to the consultants, looked at the first drafts of designs and budgets (and as always, the numbers grew every time we met), and met many old and new people. The overall support was excellent, and when I suggested that I would try to set up a logistics hub in Elk, even Mr. Bronislaw was smiling.

One day we drove to the castle and even in ruins, it was imposing. The thick outer walls (one had to remember that it was not a summer chateau but a military center to defend and start an attack), the inner patio, the twenty-one rooms, and the ballroom would be grand. The German logistics consultant brought good news - many companies were interested. We went home, being the proud owner of a castle and over seventy square kilometers of undeveloped country.

The project grew fast - we agreed on the repairs to the castle, contracted a Brazilian government soil and plant research agency, famous worldwide for their competence, to help set up the model farm. They would focus on organic products, in demand in Europe and with premium prices! The milk farm was easy - all we needed was the right place and breeding stock. We decided to leave the horses to the end.

I founded a language school specializing in German and English, and the city decided to include obligatory language lessons in its syllabus. Specialists in many areas had been to the city - Brussels was funding a serious hospital upgrade, Warsaw was sending a training group to improve security, and Germany sent me their proposal for the museum. At home, we had started Polish language lessons - since we asked them to speak German, it would only be fair that we learned Polish, but it was a complex language to learn and even more challenging to pronounce! It was all coming together, however!

At home, Maureen had our son Horst, named after my father, and we had to stop Eileen from overdoing the Grandma role. The year passed and when Maureen visited Elk with me (now Jenny was visibly pregnant), she could not believe what she saw. The city was a big construction site, and you could hardly see the castle hiding behind the scaffolds. The mayor welcomed us and was very proud of himself; to be correct, he gave Jenny more credit than himself.

“Countess, your friend is amazing. She finds a solution to every problem, and her organizational skills are daunting. After the first few meetings, everyone knew that he or she - and we now have women involved - had to run to keep up with her. Without her, we probably would have floundered.”

Maureen smiled. “Mr. Smirsky, in our company, it’s the same. The only one who’s capable of keeping up with her is my husband, and even he has to stay on his toes!”

Jenny had bought a medium-sized house on the outskirts of the Elk and had it decorated to our taste. When I questioned her about this, she grinned.

“James, when we make love, we are not always very controlled and quiet. I thought it better to be polite to our neighbors!” Well, it had a big bed and a large shower.

And so we went through the year; later in the year, Jenny gave birth to a girl, and we named her Ellen, and Allan was the proud father of a boy, Brad. Maureen claimed that the time was right for her again, and two weeks later, she confirmed that she was pregnant again. The house was receiving the life we wanted to enjoy. I bought an armored Audi 6 for Jenny and Maureen, as they were becoming more and more restricted in their movements. Maureen finally gave in and hired a driver for the two - a driver plus bodyguard, I made sure. Eileen’s Mercedes had a new proud owner - Peter!

In Elk, we bought a middle-sized trucking company that was not very successful but had lots of potential; there was no commitment, however, to efficiency and competence in the staff. I called a meeting of all employees to clear this up. My Polish language lessons made me understand most of what people wanted to discuss with me. When I had to speak with them, I also did make myself understood most of the time - I knew this gesture would always help. It was a tough meeting, as I explained our employment code - drug testing, no alcohol during working hours, sober when starting to work, and a big bonus scheme. The union was immediately against it, and almost half of the drivers did not want any of this. The mayor had called for help, and two officials from the Labor Ministry were present, not trusting me very much but willing to listen.

I made my final comments simple - these are the conditions staff will have to work under. If someone disagreed, we would pay him off, but the others who wanted to stay had to understand that this was not a joke but a long-term commitment. Breaking it would have consequences. The officials nodded and told them that it was a fair offer.

Then Maureen stepped in. “Ladies and gentlemen...” she looked around “ ... Gentlemen - and I’m disappointed that we don´t have any women drivers present - let me tell you how we work on the other side of the world.” Her polish was better than mine and she did this brilliantly, and slowly people started to soften to her. There was still a sizeable minority who did not want to work this way, but the majority promised to try it.

There were lots of questions, but suddenly she stopped. “Gentlemen, you’re important people, but there’s one who’s more important - my son and he needs his mother now. So please forgive me if I leave...” and she did so to an extended hand of applause.

The following day, she called the HR manager of the company and set up a hiring and training program for women drivers. The house was thoroughly tested for its silence, and our daughter was conceived that night.

The following year things were getting closer to the finish - the model farm was inaugurated, the milk farm was producing good quality milk (and with surprising productivity, thanks to a breeding program a Polish Agricultural University had suggested). Planning for the castle’s interior decoration was on time and as I had feared, indicated that we would spend much more than we had thought. The hospital was getting better with extensive training and new equipment; receiving financial and human resources support from the government and Brussels made our schools improve rapidly, and they were not empty anymore. Our Sydney program had been implemented; it seemed that in the last countrywide tests, they had done very well, much better than in the past.

When back in Sydney (I had come home after a trip to Melbourne), Maureen was surprised by my early arrival. I liked how she was dressed - a short, nearly transparent, white baby-doll top, high-heel slippers that stretched and shaped her tanned legs, and nothing else, so when she moved, a flash of her butt or pussy could be seen. When I walked into the living room, I saw Jenny, similarly dressed but in pink, kneeling on the floor. “Welcome, Lord and Master,” she said, smiling at me, her blue eyes bright and happy.

Maureen came in after me. “Darling, we were both supposed to be kneeling here and looking beautiful and sexy for you and say ‘Welcome Lord and Master’ together. You came early...”

There was something afoot, and racing through the last days, I tried to remember whether I had done anything wrong. Or did they?

I laughed, entering their game. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s try it again.”

I waited in the entryway a few moments, then walked back into the living room.

“Welcome, our Lord and Master” both women said in unison, arching their backs, smiling at him.

“What a wonderful surprise, my Ladies. You look lovely and so tempting!” I pulled them up and into my arms. I kissed Jenny first, her body tight to me, her tongue caressing me. Then Maureen was pressing her lush body into me, her firm breasts against my chest, purring soft, inarticulate sounds and teasing my mouth with her soft lips.

That was a welcome I never would get used to! Jenny slipped from my arm to go into the kitchen, returning with a tray holding a bottle with an old man smoking a cigar on its label and three tumblers.

Maureen and I were sitting on the couch now, her full breasts against my arm, kissing me and invading my mouth. Jenny coughed. “Maureen darling, please reserve these activities for later!” She poured the bourbon and, lifting her tumbler, toasted “To our love...”. It was soft and exquisite.

Something was going to happen, and I was waiting for an explosion to occur. I was told to have a shower and change, and when I came back, the wonderful smell of the dinner they had prepared was wafting into the sitting room. The two pulled me up and led me to the dining room. Candles were lit, a bottle of Great Western in a cooler, and oysters in front of me on my plate.

The suspense deepened - the reception would have been quite different if I had done something wrong. So it was them.

The oysters were piquant, and the bubble softened their hot impact in my mouth. The veal was accompanied by a wonderful Bindi Original Pinot Noir, which Maureen told me was produced from thirty-year-old vines. It was undoubtedly fresh and complex, and accompanied the veal perfectly. There was a mixture of ice-creams to finish, and instead of cleaning up, they led me back to the sitting room.

The suspense was crushing.

They sat beside me and offered me another sip of the bourbon. I looked at the bottle - ´Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23 Year Old’. I had never heard of it since I was more into wines, but I tried it again; to my surprise, it was completely different from whisky and was oaky, smooth and elegant, with buttery flavors of honey and toffee. I wondered whether I might become accustomed to this.

“Maureen, it’s nice, but why this suspense?”

Maureen looked at Jenny. “Nice? He still has to learn a lot. James, this bourbon costs US$ 3,000 a bottle!”

I sipped a bit more and asked again, “Well, I like the bourbon, but that does not explain the suspense. Why are you sitting here as if something serious had happened? And why this bourbon? Thank you for introducing me to Mr. Van Winkle, but again, why now? To anesthetize the pain?”

Considering the intensity in their eyes faces, something had happened, and it was something serious.

“Did you crash my Porsche? Are you injured?”

Maureen turned to Jenny. “Do you see? His first thought is his car, and only then do we come up in his thoughts. Hah! The loving husband! Hah!”

I was waiting for them to calm down and tell me what had happened.

“James, Jenny and I had decided earlier on an action but did not want to say anything before we were certain; now we are and want to tell you.”

Not the Porsche or the BMW ... I waited.

“James, remember what we had agreed on about having children? First me, then Jenny? Well, before we went to Elk for the inauguration, we decided that our children should be conceived there, so we both became pregnant. Remember that we said you’ll never sleep alone? What now? We’ll have the babies at the same time, and you cannot travel on your own? Will you forgive us?” Well, that was a different type of accident than I had feared. I went over to them, knelt, and embraced them.

“First, I’m thrilled to become a father again. Very, very happy. Extremely happy! Second, we’ll find a solution to this little administrative problem when the time comes up. Perhaps I’ll hire a pretty assistant?”

This time it hurt when they hit me, but when the fun was over, I told them how happy I was; I also remembered the smile and the wink when we were at the castle that night - they had planned everything! They were laughing at each other and with me.

Maureen asked coyly, “Do you remember that pregnant wives need special care?” They looked at each other. “Pregnant wives, plural?”

I remembered and led them to our bedroom; the gowns disappeared, and they looked expectantly at me. Maureen grinned.

“Oh Lord and Master, what do you want to do now? Do me first? Do Jenny? Do both? Anywhere and anyhow?”

Jenny added “There are so many options, my love - what do you want? We want to be taken, first with force and then with love.” She thought for a moment. “That was wrong, darling. We want to be taken with force and love, as only you can do it, and we want to give ourselves to you, the man we love.”

She started to smile. “Maureen. I concede first turn to you, Wife Number One!”

They exchanged a soft kiss, and Maureen turned to me.

“Husband, you have two wives before you, eager to please and be pleased. We are all yours, anywhere and anyhow...”

Somehow my t-shirt and Bermudas vanished, and two faces looked at me expectantly.

Maureen moved forward and held my head in her hands. “My love, you know that I love my children and will love them always, but you also know that there is only one center of my life ... Please accept my love, my heart, my soul, and my body.” I nodded - there was never any doubt in my heart about my and her priorities.