Chapter 12

I woke up at six thirty realizing that my phone was off. I had to hustle as I needed to be at the office by seven-thirty. That was probably earlier than any branch manager in the country, but I enjoyed being there early and being able to greet my fellow employees.

I rushed through getting ready and getting out of there, and reached the office just at seven-thirty, only to discover that Kelly's Corvette was already there. I just had to bite the bullet and confront the situation. She would have to go, if necessary. She was really good at what she does, but I have to live with myself first, and then with those around me.

A surprise was that Yori was already sitting at the conference table, while Kelly was at her desk. I said "Good morning" and Kelly looked up with bloodshot eyes. I asked, "Can I get either of you coffee or tea?"

Kelly said coffee, and Yori said he was going to walk down to the deli and get some bagels.

Someone, probably Kelly, had made coffee so I poured two mugs and brought them to the office. Kelly got up and went to the conference table, so I took the hint and sat with her. She opened the conversation by saying, "I sort of knew Katie and Jules when they were with Cindy. I was a model at the same time, and enjoyed it when we four got together. They had always kidded me about being with a guy I might like because Katie said she loved to play with a guy. I left that life when Cindy was killed, as did Willy in real estate. I love what you have me doing and enjoy being here with you every day. I wanted it more than anything when the girls offered me more of you, but I didn't mean to make you mad and leave. Jules couldn't understand why you left and became very angry. I think Katie understood and tried to console Jules. They didn't let me leave as it was late. I slept with your two women and then came in this morning bringing Yori to be with you."

"Jules is still angry as she doesn't understand how you feel. I wish we could have enjoyed each other last night, but I understand. You've stated your position on office romances, so I already knew what it was. Jules just doesn't understand how you could turn me away. I tried to tell her, but she said that you had an instant reaction to the two of us in the closet, but left. I tried to tell her, but she didn't understand. I hope I didn't ruin your relationship with Jules and Katie."

Kelly answered her phone, and then told me, "Turn your phone on."

I really didn't want to have to deal with this right then, but I suppose I had to. I turned my phone on.

I didn't even look at the screen when it rang, and said, "Johnson."

Katie said, "I think I understand the way you feel, but Jules is having a difficult time trying to figure out why you would turn Kelly away."

I told her, "Kelly is my employee. Sure, I think she's beautiful, but she is not my toy. She couldn't be objective in her job as my assistant if we were to get together. I need her independence and objective opinion. I depend on that to make decisions and to help me. I'll be by this evening to get the few things I have there."

Katie said, "No, you won't. I will not let you leave. Jules has to learn that you have principles and won't compromise them. I respect that, and I'm sure she does too, but she's being belligerent. You should go home and spank her good, then fuck her and tell her how much you love her. She is going to sulk until you do that."

"I can't be taking off work to fool around with a potential partner who can't accept the way I feel, Katie."

"Yes you can, Brad. This is a woman who wants to bear you a child and live the rest of her life with you. Go teach her to accept what you believe to be right if you really love her."

"Okay, Katie. I'll go see if I can resolve this issue."

Fuck! Shit! I don't need this. I turned to Kelly and told her, "I'll be back soon, I hope. I need to take care of some personal business."

Kelly nodded, still red around the eyes. I hated that I made it tough on her too. Yori got up and came with me.

I parked in the front of the house instead of in the garage. Charles opened the door for me, and softly said, "Jules is in the suite upstairs," as I walked in.

The double doors to the suite were open, so I walked in and found Jules curled up on the couch. She looked at me with red eyes and a tear streaked face. Her expressions went through anger, regret, fear, love, and pleading. I went to her and hugged her. She wrapped her arms around me and buried her head on my chest, ruining a perfectly good shirt. "Why would you leave me like that? I was giving you an experience most men would die for. I asked you and you rejected Kelly and me. I even begged you, but you just got up and left. Why?"

"You know that I love you very much, and that I'm as kinky as Katie and you, but there are some things that are out of bounds, Jules. I believe it's wrong to have any kind of sexual relationship with an employee. So much so, that I almost let Kelly go this morning, but it wasn't her fault. I depend on Kelly to help me with her opinion and to give me good advice. She has to be objective and not influenced by a relationship. It's just like Connie. I told you I wouldn't do that. I think I've made it clear to her that we wouldn't do that. We don't work closely together like Kelly and I do, but my ban of sex with employees has to be universal. Sure, I have feelings for her, but they have to be like a sister. I admire her body and enjoyed seeing her yesterday, of course, but that's still where the line has to be drawn. I need her as my assistant and secretary."

Jules had quit sniveling, and sat up. She said, "But why would you leave? You could have gone to your room."

"You were already angry and demanding that I do what you want. You have to learn that I mean no, when I say no. I tried to tell you why last night, but you and Katie were all wound up to do more."

Jules was getting angry, and said, "You could have just fucked her and we would have been fine with that. Why couldn't you do that for me?"

"Well, Lover, if explaining my principles to you in plain words doesn't make you understand, then I guess I have to show you that when I say no, I mean no, whether you understand my reasons or not." I pulled her ample form over my knees as she was waving her arms and kicking. I held her down with one arm and pulled up her soft shift with the other. I bared her delicious bottom, and didn't caress it the way I wanted to, but I began bringing my open hand down on her beautiful cheeks, making them turn pink. She was screaming at me to stop, and then alternately crying and screaming. I was spanking her hard. This was the first time I had ever spanked a woman, but it was something satisfying.

I couldn't continue to hurt Jules, so I pulled her around to lay on the couch, pushing her shift over her bulbous breasts and kissed her while pulling my pants down. I latched onto a nipple, sucking and biting each of them while fitting myself into her. I kissed Jules as I sank into her depths, telling her that I loved her over and over again. She was screaming again in an instant, but it was in orgasm this time. She was hollering that she loved me too and to forgive her for trying to force me to do what I didn't want to do. She even said the same words that she shouldn't try to force me to do what I shouldn't do. We continued until I couldn't hold it any longer and planted all my stored up baby makers deep inside her. Jules was whimpering beneath me, whispering to me that she loved me.

We were laying there panting when I began going limp. Jules said she should get up or she was going to stain the couch. I slid down to her center and did a good job of cleaning up the mess I had planted there. I kept the couch from being stained, but it caused Jules' pussy fountain to begin working and she was spraying me with her gushers. She pushed me away and stood, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the bedroom and bathroom.

That's when I saw both upstairs maids, Steven, Charles, Yori, and Michi standing in the doorway watching us. They all wore smiles. I wondered how long they had been there.

I was able to strip on the way to the shower, and stepped in to hug Jules. We hugged and I began massaging her scalp before applying shampoo. I turned her to the wall and really fucked her hard after thoroughly washing her hair and the rest of luscious body. She came in gushers, but I held back as I was going to enjoy both Katie and her this evening.

I told her that I was taking her to work for the rest of the day when we were dried. She was going with me and sit at the conference table with Yori, and not speak unless asked a question. She would be there to observe and to understand how I interact with the people in my office. She blushed a little, and understood she needed to obey me this time. I asked her to dress in business attire and then I put a different suit, shirt, and tie on that had been grouped at my end of the closet.

I took Jules and Yori in my Escape instead of the BMW, to prove that it was a good vehicle and was nice to drive and ride in. Rebecca said hi to Jules at the office, and Jules looked at me to see if she could speak. I nodded and she returned the greeting. Jules and Yori followed me to my office and both sat at the conference table. Yori immediately brought out the stack of papers he had been working on and went back to work.

Kelly looked at Jules funny, but didn't say anything. She said she had some messages for me and advised me she thought I might have some voicemail messages. She brought the pink message sheets to me and I quickly looked through the five of them. I didn't know any of the people or the companies they represented, so I checked the voicemail messages. Tas from Reno told me he had found a young realtor who wanted to be his sales manager. The man was married with a couple of kids, and he thought he would work out. He also said that he had enjoyed his night with Rose. He had emphasized 'night', so it may have been all night.

The other voice-mail was San Francisco. They had a minor problem with a construction worker faking an injury. They had video proof that he had inflicted his wound to himself, and then reported it to the job foreman. I called the manager and told him to immediately call the Legal Counsel so that they could charge the man with fraud.

I checked e-mail and there was a repeat request from San Francisco, and two requests for information that I forwarded to Kelly. I looked up and told Kelly, "I forwarded two requests for information that you can get and respond with. I'm going to need the Oakland file to look at their activity."

I then began calling the message slips. The first was from an employment agency for the office to use them for temps. The next two were insurance salesmen looking to insure us when our current policy dates expired. The next was interesting, as it was a guy who had an idea as to how to better advertise our homes. I made an appointment with him, and then sent Matt an e-mail with the man's name, his company, and the time of the appointment. I copied Ginger and Willy. The last message was from a car dealer asking to be considered to supply us trucks for construction and cars for our staff. I advised the man that our trucks weren't in need of replacement at this time, and we didn't supply vehicles. I would contact him if we did in the future.

Yori got up and handed me the employee breakdown for Oakland with the sales department, as well as appraisals, filled with people with the last name of Foxworth. There it was in black and white. Nepotism isn't bad, but it becomes wrong if it's taking advantage of the system and not giving back. Kelly had the file for Oakland, but it didn't include the most recent quarter's P&L. I was going to call the manager and noticed that a new manager had been put in place about four months ago, and what do you know, his name also was Foxworth.

I called him and we chatted a few minutes. I told him my office needed last quarter's P&L along with a payroll ledger for the home office and me to evaluate for raises. I told him that he should make notations for each person on the sheet as to whether or not they should receive a raise, and what he thought the size of the raise should be. I then asked, "Please give me at least two examples of why those you recommend for raises should receive one."

The man didn't see through my ploy and I reminded him that I would have to have a current P&L before raises could be considered. I sat back when I hung up, and thanked Yori for pulling that information together. I thanked Kelly for notating the recent manager change. I said, "With your help, I'm going to find out everything I need before I take the first scalp." The both chuckled, and Jules smiled.

I saw that it was getting close to noon, so I asked Kelly if she could make reservations for four at Johnny's. I made a quick trip upstairs to check on everyone before we left. Loans and insurance were busy; Connie wasn't that busy, but she was still gathering the information I had requested. Ken was at his low desk, and said, "I have some ideas for remodeling this building that are interesting. I'll want your opinion. I'll try to get things ready to discuss by tomorrow. Oh, I turned the permit application in this morning and sort of dropped a hint that you were Hideki Kamatsu's son-in-law. The man's ears twitched and he smiled. You're not married yet, but it looks good, doesn't it?"

"You're too much, Ken. I can't use Hideki's name like that."

"You have to use all the influence you can sometimes. Hideki owns a ton of property and many, many buildings in this area. He also owns many, many politicians to make what he does work. They owe him big time, and grovel to do things for him. A little juice never hurts."

I went downstairs and saw that the title people were busy as always. The salespeople were busy with their sales board showing '18 Yesterday' at the top, and then six sales listed so far today. This place is going nuts with enthusiasm and results.

It was eleven forty five, so I told Jules, Yori, and Kelly to come with me so I can feed them a good lunch. Yori and Kelly both had a surprised look on their faces.

We drove the Escape to Johnny's and were greeted by name. I think Yori and Kelly were the most impressed. After we were seated in my usual booth, and had ordered our drinks while we looked at our menus, I began, "I have you two women with me so that I can talk to both of you. Yori is here to be the referee if necessary, but he's been watching me go to lunch every day, and he now gets to see where I go."

My menu choice was easy, as I always selected the next one down from the last item I had ordered. I was determined to try every item on the menu. When our orders had been taken, I said to Kelly, "I didn't reject you yesterday because I don't find you attractive or sexy. I said no because I value you as my secretary. Just think about why I had the doors to the office removed. You're an employee, and there can't be anything other than business between us. You can enjoy Katie and Jules all you want, but I can't be a part of that. I shouldn't even be a spectator."

"I think most of the household observed Jules and me when we had our conversation this morning. They may have come to make sure I wasn't beating her, but they saw I was expressing how much I care for her and that I want us to be compatible. She needed to understand that I have rules to live by."

Jules said, "It's still very difficult to sit on what you were tending to this morning."

Kelly didn't get it, but Yori softly laughed. She then said, "I understand and respect the way you feel. I'm sorry I caused you to leave, but I understand why both Katie and Jules were pushing pretty hard. They love you and want to give you pleasure in ways that no other man could have, Brad. You just won't take that pleasure from your employees. I was the one who was apprehensive about working for you for the same reasons Willy and Alec were, but both of them are now your devoted employees, and both would feel the same as me. Be careful about being too nice to people; some will want even more."

We enjoyed the usual great meal from Johnny's without being overstuffed. Jules asked, "Is there something I can do other than just sit, watch, and listen?" when we went back to the office.

Yori told her, "You should have brought an iPad with some books on it like I do. I had something to do yesterday that I finished this morning. Maybe Brad has something else for us."

I told the two, "Get the files for the other offices in the region and list the payroll amount for each individual next to the employee list. Then compare the totals with what's on the P&L for that branch. I need to get the feel for the wages in each area since some will be higher than others. San Francisco will probably be higher than Oakland. LA will probably be the highest now, and we won't have an accurate evaluation until the next quarter. I'm going to be visiting these offices soon, and I need all the information and statistics I can get."

"Another good item to compare would be advertising dollars spent in each market. It would be good if you can divide it by media too."

Jules said, "That's more than a day's work right there."

"Not really; you should finish by three-thirty or four with both of you working on it. I can begin planning my travel schedule and figure the fastest way to commute to each office once I have that data."

Kelly grinned as she had become used to my constantly asking for information. Dorothy had sent additional employee information for each office, with side notes of any good gossip she had heard, along with her feelings about various people. The woman had her hand on the pulse of the company and was invaluable to all the management. Kelly had also begun chatting with the receptionist and personal secretaries at each of the other offices in order to get their confidence and to garner inside information about what was happening. Her notes on each office were going to be important when I made my initial visits.

I walked up front to go to the construction office, and noticed men were outside setting forms for a foundation and slab. I wasn't sure we should be doing this without permits. Julio was standing there watching, and when I came out, said; "I think I can get away with doing the concrete work, but I can't begin building yet. We can rework the air conditioning system to handle the additional upstairs and downstairs areas. I'll have them put separate zones in so that it will be easier over the long run. I want to have the parking area paved the way it was supposed to have been done a couple of years ago as soon as we get these forms poured. We'll look a heck of lot more professional then. I'm surprised the city hasn't gigged you on that."

"Don't pave too far toward your yard, Julio. We will place a new building where the yard is now, and move the yard if we decide to build."

"Okay, that's reasonable. We have the permit for the paving, and I've already scheduled the blacktop company to do us Friday night and Saturday. That will give the blacktop a day to cure. I'll spray it with water a couple of times Sunday, and that will set it up better so people won't be tracking tar into the building. I'll check it Monday morning, and everyone can park in the construction lot and walk around to the side door if isn't cured yet. Your wheelchair guy may have a problem, but we can carry him if it's too hard for him to roll over there. There are always at least two laborers here to load and unload trucks."

It's amazing; all you have to do is to think about something, and people start working toward it. Everyone was taking pride in the company.

I had forgotten what I wanted from Nita, and was going to go back inside, when I remembered. I went to the construction trailer and asked her, "You keep all the time cards for the construction people so that you know who is doing a good job and who isn't. Am I correct in thinking that?"

"Pretty much, but only because I hear what Julio and some of the more experienced men say when they stop in. The job foremen talk about the different men and their value as they know more about the quality of their craftsmanship."

"Are you going to be able to handle at least twice the quantity of men and materials coming through here?"

"Maybe, but I'm already barely getting done with everything every day. I'll soon need some help if you expand that much."

"I'll get you some help, Nita. Have anyone you know who can do what you do come in and apply. I want to be ready when we begin this next development and to get the custom homes that are ordered built."

Rebecca said that she had just transferred a call for me to my office when I went back into the building.

I walked into my office and Kelly was listening to whoever was on the line. She advised the caller she would have me call as soon as I returned. She looked at me when she hung up, and said, "The manager in Las Vegas was just killed in an automobile accident. That was his secretary asking what to do."

"Call Dorothy and advise her to have HR or the partners pick the next manager candidate for Las Vegas. I'll call to make sure that the office can continue until a new person can get there. This is why I need an assistant. I need to be prepping a person to take over an office when it opens."

I called the Las Vegas manager's personal secretary, and consoled her while she wept telling me how hard the man worked. She said the assistant hadn't been at the position very long and really wasn't ready. She did say they had a man in sales, who although a good salesman, had the personality to be an assistant and eventually an office manager. I asked her to send that man's bio to me since I was looking for an assistant to train. That gave her something to do rather than mourn. She told me the manager had gone to a business luncheon for local men and was on the way back. She said that he was probably rushing because he didn't like to be out of the office more than a regular lunch hour. I knew that feeling, but I also know that you can't rush in heavy traffic. You have to flow with it and you'll eventually get there. The woman promised me that she would have the information I asked for to me in an hour. She assured me that the office was running smoothly and would call me if there was a snag.

Kelly said Dorothy was waiting for me to finish that call when I hung up.

I waved Kelly over to my desk and asked her to take notes.

I did the trick of conferencing the voicemail before I pushed the right line button, and asked, "Is this the all-knowing and all-wise, Dorothy?"

She laughed, and said, "In this case, yes. I do have a man in the Kansas City, Missouri, office ready to move up. We need to move that manager to a busier office, and his assistant is ready to take over there, with another assistant in the works. I can have him out there fast, because he is more like you were with no strings attached. I don't even think he's bought a condo or anything yet. Do you know what the cost of living in Vegas is?"

"Nope, but a good gauge is to get the average price of a home and apartment rents, and compare them to where he's coming from. The percentage difference usually represents the difference in the cost of living. The median home price here in LA is about a million seven, whereas that same place in Tampa area would be about two-fifty to three hundred thousand. The company has given me increases to just about compensate for that cost of living increase."

Dorothy asked, "How much rent are you paying Jules Kamatsu? You're living a bachelor's dream with two good looking women in a mansion with servants according to Dan."

I exclaimed, "Jesus; is everyone in this company a gossip?"

Dorothy then said, "Well, you did invite the partners to your home for a dinner complete with butlers, cooks, and maids. They and their wives were impressed, and you know that your potential future father-in-law is a very influential man. You've stepped up to the big time, Brad, so everyone wants to get the scoop on you."

"You should print one of those celebrity mags for the company so that the whole country could know what everyone else is doing. You could probably sell it to the individual offices and personnel. See, another profit center is born."

"Ha, ha, ha, you kill me with all your profit centers. How's your insurance area doing? Do you think it will work?"

"They're actually very busy, and are out soliciting other types of business. They seem to think that they will do well by being brokers for some majors. They like having a good base salary plus commission. We'll see when the numbers shake out."

Dorothy said, "I'll send you Don Mensal's bio and get him moving. You might want to note his cell phone number and give him a call so you can help get him settled in Vegas." Dorothy then added the kicker, "You won't have to worry about him chasing the secretary around her desk. He is openly gay, but doesn't look or act that way. He'll tell anyone if they ask. He won't approach any of the men, either. That's how he became an office manager. Can you handle a gay manager?"

"It shouldn't be a problem if he brings the numbers in. I'll call him later to get an ETA so that I can go meet him. He could be there tomorrow if he's coming from KC. I hope not; I have work to do tomorrow."

Dorothy said, "It'll be like you did, sink or swim. He's sharp enough to walk in and take gentle control."

"Okay, thanks for the quick response, I'll advise the former office manager's secretary."

Kelly handed me a sheet that was a brief biography of the man in Vegas who the secretary thought would be a good assistant. The man, Rey Ferryman, had a business management degree from Brigham Young, so that let me know that he could be Mormon, and that was a good thing if he was a gentle person with good ethics. He had worked for a marketing company before he began selling real estate. He had good sales and was thinking of trying to get into management somewhere, and had voiced his desire to grow in the business world.

I called the secretary in Las Vegas to advise her that a man named Don Mensal would be calling and would try to be there in the next couple of days. He would need to find an apartment and any help they could give him in that direction would be appreciated. I told her that I would send Don's bio to her so she would have an idea about the man she would be working for. She was happy that he was experienced, although it had been in a lower producing office. I told her we would talk some more soon. I then asked if she could transfer me to the man she recommended for an assistant's position. She put me on hold, and then came back to say that he was out of the office and she would have him call me ASAP.

I asked Kelly, "See what commuter airlines go to Las Vegas early in the morning. I want to be at the office by seven thirty. I'll have to leave here no later than three thirty if I drive. I can leave here by five thirty and be there in time if I fly. Let me know if you find a commuter leaving at five or five thirty from an airport I can easily get to. I'll rent a car with a GPS and get to the office early enough to observe the activity."

Jules asked, "Why not just go tonight and be there ready to go tomorrow morning?"

I smiled at her, told her to go to the bathroom, look in the mirror, and then come back and ask that question again. She was about to do that, then realized what I had said. She grinned and said, "I understand."

Yori was next so I asked him, "Do you need to go to somewhere like Las Vegas with me? Can you call Dai to see if I need you to accompany me?"

Yori pulled his cell phone out and immediately began calling. He spoke a few Japanese words into the phone and grunted in response and said 'Hi', whatever that means. He said Dai would call him back.

My phone rang and I answered "Johnson", as usual. A voice on the other end said, "Don Mensal here. Thank you for moving me to a more lucrative office. The property values in the KC, MO, area aren't that good right now because a couple of large employers have pulled up stakes and moved. This is a good opportunity for me and I'm eager to get started. I've already vacated my apartment and have a storage container with my furniture and household goods being packed to leave shortly. I can be in Vegas tomorrow without stretching it too much."

I told the man, "Do me a favor, Don, it is almost fourteen hundred miles for you to drive there. That's a long two days. Let's plan on you being at the office Monday morning unless you want to ship your car and fly to Vegas this evening. That means you can check out the area where the office is and find an apartment to rent in the surrounding area over the weekend. The one thing I've learned about out here is that they do dicker, Don. So if you know how to negotiate, do it and get a place within your budget. You will receive a raise that will compensate you for the higher cost of living, as well as an increase in income having to do with your new position. Don't put yourself in a box by trying to do something you don't want to do. So the deal is, you either fly here tonight or in the morning, or you take two or three days to drive here and I'll see you Monday morning."