Chapter 5

By the time I got downstairs Lou had breakfast on the table. Cody and Jess are already at the table. Jess is wearing one of her normal outfits this morning. I cocked an eye at her but she just smiled and said, “You said to alternate, get people used to my slut clothes gradually.”

“Yeah, but I sure do like those slut clothes.”

She grinned and said, “You have a pretty hot bod. I wonder if they make slut clothes for guys.”

I chuckled and offered, “Maybe I could try on some of yours.”

We finished eating and were all sitting around sipping our last cup of coffee when Jess said, “Craig, are you sure about this? The things Cody said last night make a lot of sense. You’ve worked very hard to build a very successful business. Your people respect you and they like you. They like working for you. I don’t want to be responsible for screwing that up.”

I ignored her question and instead I asked, “Did you two try it in the shower last night?”

Judging by the color of their cheeks I think it’s safe to assume they did.

“We did, too. I was really surprised. I didn’t think I’d like it, or at least I didn’t think I’d like being on the receiving end. But it was a surprisingly erotic experience. Lou enjoyed it, too. Quite a bit actually. But when it was her turn to water the flowers ... that kind of bothered her. Did you have a similar experience?”

There was silence for a minute before Jess grinned and said, “I can’t believe we’re talking about this! And yes, we tried it. I suspect our experience was very similar to yours. We both got very turned on when Cody pissed on me. But I expected to. I already knew how much the idea of being embarrassed, being humiliated used and abused, all those things turn me on. And I haven’t talked about it with Lou yet, but I think we probably had a very similar reaction to returning the favor. It just didn’t feel right. It made me very uncomfortable. Cody and I talked it over and agreed that we want to do it again but only the first half. Doing it to him just felt wrong.”

I looked at Lou and then Jess and shrugged. I sighed and said, “I guess I understand the concept. But it would make more sense to me if we were in a different kind of relationship. I’m enjoying being in a dominant/submissive relationship with you, though we haven’t really done very much. But I’m not in that kind of relationship with Lou. She’s my equal and always has been since she came to live with me. Anyone who knows us well probably thinks I’m a little less equal than her and they’re probably right.”

After Lou slapped the back of my head I continued, “But I’m not going to belabor the point. If it makes you uncomfortable, Lou, when we do it again I’ll be the dom and you be the sub. And that other thing we mentioned, I still want to try that, too. Maybe we’ll do that the next time we’re feeling a little kinky.”

“Silly man! Every damn time I look at you I feel like doing something kinky!”

“This not a good conversation to have at the breakfast table in front of the kids. I feel like taking the day off and taking you back to bed.”

“Your wish is my command.”

“That doesn’t help.”

I swallowed the last of my coffee and stood up. I turned to Jess and said, “I suppose it would be better for your reputation if you rode in with Cody. You don’t want to look too much like you’re sucking up. When you get to the office, stop by and see Jerry and let him know the plan. Then come up to my office and I’ll take you back down to personnel and get you changed over. Oh, and ask Jerry if he has any preferences when it comes to an assistant for his secretary. I expect we’ll have to hire someone but I sometimes think he knows everybody in town. He may have a preference for someone he knows.”

She nodded and I continued, “I’m going to stop in Plant Management and have a talk with Brenda. I’ll make sure she wants the job and while we’re in personnel I can take care of that, too.”

I gave Lou a long hug and a passionate kiss. We told each other how much we love us and I reluctantly let her go. It wasn’t until I was on the way into the office that I turned my thoughts to the changes in our operation which are inevitable after the events of yesterday evening. I doubt if it’s possible for Trumpidiots to survive even if McMasters doesn’t end up in prison. No one is going to want to do business with that company when word of what they did gets out. That could mean a lot of new business for us, business we aren’t equipped or staffed to handle. We’re operating at near capacity now and I’m not certain how I feel about the prospect of expanding. I suppose I could afford it but I kinda like the way things are now, especially since we got rid of the traitors.

As soon as I entered the building I got the feeling something weird was happening. I nodded at the girls at the reception desk but before I could go down to Plant Management one of them stopped me and said, “Mr. Kent, Mrs. McMasters came in almost twenty minutes ago. She’s waiting in your office.”

That came as a shock. I thought about it for moment and asked, “Is she pissed?”

“No, sir. She seemed quite meek.”

I said, “Okay, please do me a favor. Call Sara. Tell her I’m in the building and I’ll be right up. I need to make a brief stop in Plant Management first.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And one other thing, Pam. What did I tell you about calling me Mr. Kent and sir?”

She rolled her eyes and said, “I’m sorry, Craig. That’s just what a receptionist does when she’s addressing the owner of the damn building.”

I chuckled and said, “I understand. Work on it.”

“Yes, Craig.”

“That’s better.”

I went down the hall to Plant Management. Brenda stood up when I walked in. She looks like she expects to be fired. I walked over to her desk and asked her, “What’s wrong? You look terrified.”

She almost whispered, “I only just found out what Marty did. Sir, I didn’t know, I swear it. None of us did. I’m so embarrassed.”

“Brenda, I know you didn’t know. Relax. I need to talk to you for a minute. Let’s go into the office.”

She followed me into what had been Marty’s office until last night. I closed the door and turned to face her. She still looks very nervous. I smiled and said, “Please, Brenda. You aren’t in any trouble. In fact, I’ve been watching your work and have been very impressed. I know you don’t have much management experience other than covering for Marty when he was out of the office. But I have the impression you handled the job very well. You apparently know by now Marty is out. I need to replace him. I much prefer to promote from within than to hire someone from outside and I’d like to offer you the job permanently. You’ll receive the same compensation he’s been receiving. If you want the job I’ll take you to personnel and you can get all the particulars from them. What do you say?”

She stared at me in shock for a long moment before she quietly replied, “I’d love the job, Mr. Kent. And you’re right, I don’t have a lot of management experience but I’m just about positive I can do a better job than Marty did.”

I chuckled and said, “I love your attitude. I won’t just throw you off the pier and tell you to swim. If you have a problem you aren’t sure how to handle you can call me or if there’s another department head you trust and work well with you can feel free to talk to any one of them. Let’s go to personnel and you can handle the paperwork. Is there someone you can put in charge while you’re out of the office?”

“Yes, sir. I’ve left Brian in charge when I’ve had to step out of the office in the past. He does a good job and I trust him.”

“Great. Let’s go. Oh, and Brenda, please call me Craig. I like to keep things informal around here. It just seems to make it a friendlier place to work.”

“Yes, sir ... I mean yes Craig. Sorry, that’s going to take some getting used to.”

“I understand. Some people never really get used to it. It isn’t an order. If you can’t handle it don’t worry about it.”

She put Brian in charge, grabbed her purse and told her staff she’s going to personnel and will be back as soon as she can. I took her down there, told the young woman at the desk I just promoted her to fill Marty’s position. She needs to fill out the necessary paperwork and informed them she’ll be receiving the same compensation Marty did.

I left her there to go to my office and find out why Mrs. McMasters is here to see me. I’m not looking forward to that meeting. I hope she isn’t armed. I’m not responsible for what happened to her husband but I suspect she may blame me for ruining her life. I don’t know what her husband’s current status is but I’m sure it’s tenuous at best. He has a pot full of government agencies after his head for very good reasons.

When I entered my outer office Sara stood up and said, “Craig, this is weird. I put Mrs. McMasters and her son in your office. She’s very distraught. Jesse is in there with her.”

“Did she tell you why she wants to see me? Is she pissed?”

“No, she just said she needs to talk to you. But she doesn’t seem mad, just upset. She looks like she’s been crying.”

I sighed and said, “I think I’d prefer it if she were pissed.”

She grinned and exclaimed, “Men!” But then she informed me, “Jerry called while you were downstairs. He said to tell you McMasters has been arrested and is supposed to be appearing in court for his initial appearance sometime this morning but his longtime attorney doesn’t want anything more to do with him and he’s having trouble getting anyone but a court appointed attorney. Apparently the long list of government agencies involved is intimidating them.”

I started toward my office door but paused and asked, “I don’t suppose you searched her for a weapon.”

She smiled and said, “I don’t think that’s what she came to see you for. My impression is that if she wanted to shoot someone it would be her husband.”

I opened my office door and the first thing I saw was Jess and Mrs. McMasters sitting together in the corner of my office. Jess is holding her hand and they’re talking quietly. They stood up when I entered. I crossed the room and said, “Please, sit down. Mrs. McMasters, is there anything I can get you, water, coffee?”

She shook her head, introduced me to her son, Bradley, and apologized for not making an appointment. I nodded in Bradley’s direction. He looks a lot like his father, or at least a younger version of him. I’d guess he’s in his early thirties. He looks soft and he’s obviously very uncomfortable.

They returned to their seats and I sat in a chair facing Mrs. McMasters in the small, corner conversation pit I use for informal meetings and the like. There followed a rather long, uncomfortable silence before Mrs. McMasters said, “First of all, I want to apologize. I knew the son of a bitch was an unprincipled scum bag, a thief, a cheat and a liar. I didn’t think he’d stoop so low as to endanger people’s lives.

“They arrested him this morning. He’s locked up and it won’t break my heart if he dies in prison.”

We both glanced at her son but he seems to be just sitting there trying to pretend he’s somewhere else. I don’t know what she wants from me but it doesn’t appear her son is going to be of much assistance.

“Yes, I just heard from my secretary on the way in a minute ago. What is it I can do for you?”

After a long pause she said, “I’ve rehearsed this in my head for hours but suddenly my mind has gone blank.” She sighed loudly, sat back in her overstuffed leather chair and finally said, “Mr. Kent, after the debacle my ... my husband put us through recently with his scheme to make a lot of money selling substandard products we have been living on the edge of bankruptcy. We’re about to lose everything now thanks to that moron. Mr. Kent,...”

“Please, call me Craig.”

She attempted a smile, not very successfully, and said, “Craig, I’m too old to start over. I’m almost sixty. I married that son of a bitch when I was fresh out of college almost forty years ago and I’ve never been anything but a housewife and mother since then. I’m desperate. I discussed my situation with Bradley after they took my husband away in handcuffs this morning. Together we came up with a possible solution that will provide for my welfare and hopefully make up to you for the terrible thing my husband did to you and your people.

“My husband’s arrest and the closing of his plant has provided an opportunity for you to expand your business substantially. In order to do that, however, you would need to substantially increase your workforce, train them, and nearly double the size of your facilities and the equipment needed to put that workforce to work. Bradley and I have come up with a possible opportunity we’d like to offer you.

“As luck would have it, in order to shield his assets from creditors and from anyone else who can afford to hire a lawyer, my husband put all of his assets in my name after that fiasco which nearly bankrupted him the last time he attempted one of his shady schemes to take a shortcut to greater riches. I’m offering to sell everything but my home and my car to you for one million dollars. I’m confident that sum is sufficient to provide for me for however many years I have left. I have no idea what the actual value of the plant and all the equipment is. But I’m quite certain it’s far in excess of what I’m asking.”

I certainly wasn’t expecting that!! I’ve never seen the inside of Trumpidiots. I’ve driven by it. It’s roughly the same size as my place. Depending on the equipment he’s using the plant is probably worth a lot closer to a billion than a million.

It took me a moment to form a response I said, “That’s totally unexpected. Of course, I can’t give you a yes or no answer out of the blue. I’d have to have my people look over your husband’s facilities and audit the books. We’re currently monitoring the health of those of my employees who came into contact with the hazardous materials he snuck in here disguised as raw materials. If any of them become ill that will incur additional liabilities.

“However, assuming the company’s liabilities are manageable, the plant facilities are in reasonably good condition and the machinery is serviceable that sounds like a far too generous offer. If you’ll permit me to have some of my people look into it and crunch the numbers I must admit I’m interested. Without having seen the inside of the place or examined the books I must say I can’t see why we can’t come up with a much more generous offer than a million dollars.”

She smiled and said, “I heard you were a good man, Craig, that you wouldn’t take advantage of me. You have a very good reputation. It’s too bad my husband wasn’t more like you.”

Before I could think of a response she said, “I don’t want more than a million. My house is paid for and I have no personal debts. My attorney assured me I have no personal liability for any of my husband’s crimes. After taxes, I expect I’d end up with half a million. I should be able to live the remainder of my life quite comfortably with that and the small amount I’ve managed to invest in my personal portfolio I managed to hide from my husband.

“I’ll stop at the plant on the way home and inform them that your people are to have full access to every square inch of the plant and every piece of paper and computer record in existence. If your people run into any problems, I’ll give you my number. Call me and I’ll make sure it’s taken care of.

“There is one request I’d like to make. I never had any involvement with the plant or anything that happened there. I don’t know the people who work there. I suppose that doesn’t speak well of me. On my rare visits I found it to be a very loud and unpleasant place and I avoided it. But when all this mess was dropped in my lap this morning I can’t help feeling very bad for all the poor souls who have been working for my husband, many of them for decades. Those people are about to lose their jobs, their retirements ... everything. All because my husband has apparently lost his fucking mind. There may be a few of those people at the very top of the food chain who were involved in or had knowledge of what my husband had planned for you. But most of those people are just hard-working people trying to provide for their families. I would appreciate it if you...”

“Mrs. McMasters, if you’d like, I can have my assistant take you around my plant and you can talk to my people. If you do that you’ll find that the welfare of my people is a primary concern to me. If we should be able to complete this transaction I promise you the people who work at Trumpidiots will be treated in exactly the same manner. I can also promise you the first thing I’ll do is have that stupid name wiped from existence.”

We stood up. She gave me a card with her phone number on it. I asked who I should call at the plant if I have any questions. She gave me the name of her husband’s second in command, John Couchman, and I escorted her down to the front door of the building. She offered me her hand and we shook hands. I nodded to her son and went back up to my office. All the way up in the elevator I wondered about Bradley. I just met with his mother for nearly an hour and in all that time he never said a single word.

When I got back to my office I asked Sara and Jess to work together to come up with a list of people I’m going to have to get involved in this. I thought this would be a good way for Jess to learn more about the people working here and the various offices in which they work. Once they have a list they’re to schedule a meeting with everyone and to make certain Porter is in attendance. I’m going to want his approval before I even get started looking into Mrs. McMasters’ proposal. I guess I should call Porter and give him a little warning.

They were just leaving my office when I thought that since today is probably going to be a hectic day it might be a good time to relieve some of the stress by giving Jess some on the job training in the part of her job that isn’t in her official job description. I asked her to step back in for a moment. Sara is only halfway out the door. She turned back and I can tell from the sudden change in her expression she has a sneaking suspicion why I called Jess back. Maybe something in my voice gave me away. She watched Jess cross back over to where I’m casually leaning back against the front of my desk.

I don’t know where she got the nerve, but after a quick look around the outer office, Sara came back in and closed the door behind her. I looked at her, waiting for her to tell me what she wants. I was just about to tell her I just want to discuss Jess’ new job with her when she asked, “Is this about that part of her job nobody talks about?”

I cocked and eyebrow, looked at Jess’ suddenly dark red face and asked, “Have you discussed this with Sara?”

Sara answered for her. “No, Craig. She hasn’t said a word about it. But your office isn’t quite as soundproof as you seem to think. I don’t hear everything, of course. But even though I haven’t been getting lucky myself much lately I still recognize the sounds of sex when I hear them. There have been other clues, too.”

“I’m sorry if I’ve offended you, Sara. I wasn’t aware we were being less than discreet. I won’t let it happen again. Jess, it seems you no longer have as many duties as we thought you did. Go on out and get to work on that list.”

Sara protested, “No! Craig, I’m not offended! I’m intrigued! I don’t know the specifics, but from some of the remarks I’ve overheard between you and Jess, you and Jerry, and you and Lou, I suspect beautiful young Jess is your sex slave. My panties have been wet for days imagining ... well, you probably have some idea of the thoughts running through my mind. I know I’m out of line. And I certainly don’t want to put a damper on the fun and games, if there really are games being played. I know this is weird, but ... would you be upset if I asked if I can stay ... if I can watch?”