Chapter 67

I was being given a lot more attention than what I was used to early Friday morning. My bed partner who had gone to bed with a short silky gown and panties was nude and astride my middle with a very interested part of me deep inside her. Sumi was kissing me and telling me something in Japanese that I didn’t recognize. The little woman was nearly frenzied as she thrust herself down on me.

Hey, it felt great and it was too late for me to run for the hills, so I lay there and let my body release a half billion or so little wigglies. Something in the back of my mind kept reminding me about how this was so similar to Jules’ breeding. Katie had been on her hands and knees, but Jules had ridden me to our mutual release while telling me how I was giving her a baby.

Sumi rolled us over and cradled me in her thighs while we were still connected. There was something about our actions that kept me firm and wanting to continue. Our connection was now almost sloshing as Sumi is a very liquid lover and I had just given her a lot of stored juices. Her fierce kisses stimulated me into continuing to thrust while the small woman pushed back equally as firmly. My body was telling me another load was on its way in very little time. I could feel Sumi’s insides nearly vibrating as she let out some loud moans telling me that she was enjoying this. That’s all it took, as Sumi tightened her hold on my hips and her insides squeezed the juice out of me.

Our connection was slipping apart when Sumi rolled us back over with her on top. She leaned down to kiss my lips, eyes, and whole face. She looked at me so seriously that it worried me, and in her perfect English said, “Please don’t think less of me or laugh when I tell you how much I love you. I wanted this since the day I met you. Your Jules, and maybe now ‘our’ Jules, approves of me and what I want. Katie and Willy also love me and tease me to many pleasures. I love you, Brad. I love you the way Jules, Katie, and Willy love you, and I want to stand side by side with them. I will earn your love while giving you all the love I know how to give. Although I didn’t come to you untouched, it was still as if I did because you were the one who finally made love to me. You wouldn’t play with me until you knew your women approved of me and it was you making love to me when we did get together.

Sumi gave me a soft kiss before laying her head on my chest as our connection leaked onto the bed. Almost in a whisper, she then said, “Dai has offered before, and Jules has now accepted his gift of me to you and the girls. I am yours.”

I lay there with the small woman holding me with her head on my chest. My mind was racing while trying to figure out what this meant. This must be the gift Jules was talking about. That woman must be some form of sorcerer by the way she makes things happen. She knew that this is something I didn’t need or had ever considered. Sure I thought of Sumi as a gift companion who is also my bodyguard, but not as family. Does that mean Mitsi and June are part of the package deal if Dai had given Sumi to me? This was something too personal to have others crowd me. This was going to require a long talk with Jules and Katie.

Sumi said, “I need to use the bathroom and it’s time for us to get up. You have made me very happy, Brad. What we did was an answer to many of my dreams. I wish Jules, Katie, and Willy were here to share this with me. Thank you for accepting me, Brad; I do love you.” Sumi kissed me again and left to go to her room in the staff area.

I used the bathroom and put workout clothes on. I was running on the treadmill a few minutes later, thinking about what had just happened. I knew that our lovemaking was more than some excitable loving but more like a mating just from Sumi’s intensity. That almost had me stumbling on the treadmill as I remembered again that what Sumi and I had just shared was very much like when Jules and I created her baby bump. Well, I suppose I would find out within a very short period of time. It’s too late to worry about it now, but I should talk to Sumi and Jules about it.

I finished with my lifting and cleaned up for the day. It felt like a casual Friday to me, so I wore jeans, a knit shirt, and a sport coat. The shoulder rig didn’t feel out of place this morning because I was comfortable. I was ready to go to work after a decent breakfast of a couple pieces of bacon, a couple of scrambled eggs, and a piece of toast.

Both Debbie and Georgia had beaten me to work this morning. I was reviewing e-mails and a couple of voicemail messages left overnight when Alec and Ken came in. The two of them wanted to work at the conference table, so that Ken could use his elevating pad to feel like a regular part of the conversation.

They briefly told me about what they had done for Mika, and thanked me for letting them fly non-commercial. Ken opened up his large drawing briefcase to show me some drawings. Alec began explaining how she had gone to three of the area’s most prestigious country clubs to see what they had. She said she used the Kamatsu name as a means of access. She was surprised by how so many people within the upper echelons of business knew my name. They had viewed all the specialties the clubs offered both men and women, and asked the same question of each. ‘What would it be if you could have another amenity for your members?’ They had a list since some had special services that others didn’t.

Alec took me through what she considered would be the ultimate with drawings of each of the areas. Her idea for the women was a complete spa so that the women could have a massage, special facials, baths, manicures, pedicures, hair care and styling, and even a selection of golf and limited evening attire. The space this would require would be enormous, but Alec assured me that these amenities wouldn’t be free. Members and guests would pay for these special services at the usual and customary rates for those types of treatments, with the exception that members would receive a discount and would have their usage added to their monthly invoice. The men’s area was just as elaborate, but only had massage, barber, clothes care, and shoe shine available, but offer other amenities by appointment. Some men like manicures, and even pedicures, so they would be taken to the nail area that doesn’t have visual access to the other spa areas. The men would have a private sauna and steam room, as well as a Jacuzzi.

Alec said, “I know it’s going to cost a fortune to have all this, but if you’re going to create something special, it’ll cost a lot upfront and the cost of the personnel will be horrific until the facility begins to pay for itself, even though most of the professional personnel work as independent contractors and some bring their own tools. Memberships will not be cheap. I’ll give you some ideas we came up with another time, but we wanted you to see the beginnings. The expansion of the lower level locker room areas will give us the room overhead we need for the expanded kitchen area, the lounge area we want, and the second dining room. Here are some rough drafts of the building layout along with some cost estimates.”

Ken said, “I have a golf course designer who is just back from Hawaii and has a reputation that is almost feared by the pro circuit. Don says that we’ll have a winner if we can get him to do our design and redesign.”

Ken showed me more drawings, and said, “Note these solar panels on the clubhouse roof. Most of the panels will be to generate power to operate the club. Some of the solar area will be for warming the pool water and the club hot water. I’ve included three very large cisterns that will collect filtered water runoff that may be sufficient for the three golf courses, and your golf course designer indicated he will include some water features with storage capability. Essentially all the paved areas and new buildings will be built over cisterns, which will have liners to maintain water tight integrity in the event of earthquakes. We will have to use city or county water for the clubhouse, but the savings of electricity and the solar hot water should keep our utility costs to a minimum. I’m not a geologist, but you need to have someone survey the property for oil and natural gas. There is a large natural gas well just outside the easy golf course at the edge of the property. Just think if you could have natural gas for the clubhouse and condos.”

I nodded, thinking that it would be reasonable. I’ll have the legal counsel look into the ownership of the mineral rights. They could be owned by someone else. I didn’t remember any specific clauses about mineral rights in our negotiations.

“Alec, Ken, this is more, faster than I expected. Have you shown Don all this yet?”

Ken said, “We’re supposed to meet him at Johnny’s for lunch. Don’t come with us so that Don will be open to discussing the other areas in detail.”

As the two put their materials away, Alec said, “Thank you for doubling my salary to become your Regional Decorator. I’ll try to earn that extra. I know that we do a lot of things other offices don’t primarily because they don’t know to do them. Ken and I will be able to put our ideas to use. We’re going to have to have a lot of help if you’re planning on us doing the entire company. I do think it’s a good idea to have people responsible for each of the areas that we make money from.”

Ken was acting bashful, “I didn’t expect to receive that kind of increase in salary. The office bonuses have been amazing, giving Alec and me a hell of a lot of disposable income. My architects upstairs are doing a great job and are all learning how to make a condominium home more compact. They are all learning from RV and boat builders how to more economically use space. They are building drawers in closets and using pocket doors as examples. Done right, we can make these condos into very efficient housing. The good news is that Julio’s men are building some of the best quality in the county. Our homes are second to none.”

I would have to investigate how we’re keeping the main office, our regular developments, and the condo developments separate. Commissions and bonuses could really get screwed up.

That meeting had taken long enough that I had e-mails and messages to return. I went for coffee and brought some tea back for Sumi. She was reading from her IPad and had a pad of paper that she was taking notes on.

None of the e-mails were earth shattering, and were easily answered. The telephone messages were mostly from the western Midwest offices. I asked Debbie “Is there a problem with the western Midwest Regional Manager?”

Debbie said, “Yes Sir, he unexpectedly retired. He isn’t that old, but he decided to retire. His two offices in Kansas City have been exceeding sales targets for the last five years, so the Manager has been making some very good money. The man didn’t like to work according to Dot, so he’s been dumping everything on his Assistants for a couple of years. He’s had a very high Assistant turnover.”

Well shoot, I didn’t even know what offices that Region covered. It would be like those home office characters to dump a region on me without even telling me. Well, I was confident I could get it sorted out. I asked Debbie, “Get me a list of the offices that the Region consists of, and then I want the information on the Managers and Assistants at all of them. Begin making a map of the U.S. when you get that info, then add in where in each Region the Regional Manager is located. You don’t need to put anything with the others, but I need to look at how the offices are busted up and positioned.”

I looked back up at her, and said, “Get some help or have the Foxworth twins help you, and bring in the part time receptionist if you need her. This has the potential of becoming a huge task. You’re going to need to have a conversation with all the secretaries in the offices in the western Midwest Region. Have our receptionist make contact with those other receptionists to get the gossip, and start to gather information for each office’s folder.”

This required a call to ‘Information Central’. “Hey, Dot, what’s shakin’ besides your boobies.”

The laughter at the other end of the line made me smile. “You’re always someone who can get me smiling and to pull my head out of my ass. What can I do you for, Lover?”

“I began receiving calls from Office Managers from the western Midwest region all of a sudden. I was told that the Regional Manager retired early and is gone when I inquired as to why they were calling me. Did he give you any notice?”

You could almost see Dot frown and grit her teeth. “I don’t know who would have told them to do that, but we were just starting to go over who might be the man for the job. That’s a pretty big region with seven offices, you know.”

“I just found that out. We’re doing some research on the management within the offices out there right now. You know that I have all those records here and send the updates to you for your records.”

“You probably should talk to Mika about that situation, Brad, as there’s a reason for the abrupt departure. Let me send you to her. She’s a little different as she doesn’t want to be warned or have the calls announced; she just wants a straight transfer. Here you go.”

“Mika Anderson.”

“Hey, Mika, this is Brad from out west, and I want to ask you about the western Midwest region. Office Managers from that area have been calling me with some questions. I was curious as to why, and found out that the Regional unexpectedly retired. Dot said that you might have an answer.”

Mika said, “This is something right up your alley to resolve. The man was escorted from our offices by yours truly. An Assistant from the Overland Park office called me to complain that his Regional Manager was constantly pressuring him and other men and women in the office for sex. He said that he wasn’t interested in any kind of homosexual relationship and would I transfer him to where he wouldn’t be subjected to that kind of pressure.”

Mika took a second to gather herself, “I immediately went to Kansas City and walked into the Overland Park office. The Manager’s secretary was sitting with the receptionist so I went to the Manager’s office where the doors were closed. I walked in without knocking and what was going on could be sold in porno shops. The Manager was bent over sucking the dick of some person in a nice dress, while another guy was fucking him in the ass. I’m being honest, Brad. They were doing that right there in the office. It was happening right before my eyes, Brad. I was totally dumbfounded.”

“I fired the other two on the spot, and later found out that the person in the dress was a guy who had been hired as a decorator and the other guy was a salesman. The one in the dress had not advised us that he was transgender, and he may just have been cross-dressing. It turned out that both of them were being coerced by the Manager, even though it appears they swung that way anyway, but didn’t like involuntary relationships. I gave the Manager the option of being fired or retiring. He chose retirement, so I had him gather any personal items and get out of there. I had the cell number for the Assistant who had called me, so I called him to come in and do what he could until we found a new Manager.”

“That was yesterday, and I guess it’s my fault because he asked if there were any reference materials for him to study. I told him to look through all the past newsletters and follow all your directions. I guess he took that as you would help, and he passed that on to the other Office Managers in the area.”

“Any help you can give me on this would be appreciated, Brad. What should I do?”

“I’m working on it right now, Mika. I have all the Regional Manager, Office Manager, and Assistant Office Manager information. We maintain a constant record. I’ve noticed that the two Kansas City offices have a high Assistant turnover. That could be the result of the Regional’s actions. I’ll call the Assistant and make sure that he’s okay for the rest of the day. I’ll have my folks do some research and I’ll come up with a candidate to move up to Kansas City and the Regional position. Remember that we’ll be in San Antonio Monday morning, so I’ll go up to Overland Park and maybe over to Independence later Monday to see if everyone is settled down. I’ll travel to the other offices in the Region to meet the Managers and Assistants if necessary. I should be able to check everything out in the Region and let you know who should go there. I have the ability to do this, so I’ll take care of it. I want this to be resolved, or at least have a finger in the dike so that we can have the partner meeting in Hawaii. Now you know how I feel when shit hits the fan.”

“Oh, God, Brad. You’re saving my ass before I’ve lost it. The guys know that something is happening there, and I’m going to tell them at our Friday cleanup meeting this afternoon. We can get you on the video messaging link if you want to be a part of it. Do you want to do that?”

“Not today. I need to focus on gathering information so that I’m ready for Monday. My people don’t work after five or on weekends. This could present a reason to, but we should have everything by five and they can e-mail me if there’s more and I’ll print it out either in San Antonio or on the plane.”

Mika said, “I’ll talk to the other partners and be ready to enjoy the opening on Monday. We’re supposed to look at some property in Fort Worth for the next Texas office. You’re giving up some heavy commissions from that Region.”

“I’m going to create more right here in LA. My biggest need is more construction management as good as Julio. I have too many projects going.”

Mika hung up and I called the Overland Park office to speak to Harold Kaminsky, the Assistant for all of two months. I was transferred to his secretary first since Harold was talking to Accounting. I found out that the secretary had been there for over five years, and had avoided the former Regional Manager’s advances by telling him that her husband would dismember him if he so much as touched her. She said that her husband was a monster man who had been a professional football offensive lineman. I told her, “Well, I have a loving wife, so we shouldn’t have any problems.”

The woman said, “We won’t have any problems because rumor has it you have more than one wife and a ton of women trying to take a number.” She laughed and said, “I try to do the same for my bigun’. He’s so loving that he needs a few women to love him up.”

“Um, I’m sorry I don’t know your name.”

“It’s Janice Durling, but it used to be Foxworth. Does that help?”

“Oh, Jesus, will that family ever run out of women. You’re probably a fox to go with the name.”

“What do you think of Danny? She’s my little sister, and I’m better looking than she is.”

“How many kids are in your family?”

Janice said, “Mom had to quit having kids after the twins who were the fifteenth and sixteenth. Aunt Julie has eighteen girls who are all gorgeous. She is one up on Aunt Joan who had seventeen, with two boys. Are you getting the idea why Andy is nuts? His wife comes from an equally prolific family, so he married a lady with fifteen sisters and a brother when he married Joan. Just so you know, I only have five daughters, but I’m also five months pregnant. We Foxworth babes like making babies.”

“Okay, Janice, your family is running out of ‘J’ names, so is that why you have a Serena and a Danny?”

“No, the odd name just tells the rest of the family that it was an outsider who contributed the life giving nectar to make the baby. I’m sure the girls have already told you how the family sort of mixes it up together.”

I was blushing just from what she was telling me, so I said, “Back to business. Do you think Harold can hold the place together until Monday or Tuesday?”

“No sweat, Brad. I’ve been pointing him in the different directions he needed to go in and found out how to do his job. He’ll make it with my help. This office will be following your rule by leaving at five. Harold will learn the right way. He’s a long way from being Manager material, but he’ll get there.”

I had a thought, “How would you feel about being the Office Manager where you are now, Janet? You know that I’m not adverse to female Office Managers.”

“I’ve thought about that, Brad, but I’m pregnant and will have this one and probably get pregnant again about as fast. I love babies and making babies. I’ve often been able to do the job from home before, and have had to direct Assistants who pass through, but I might have to have another Foxworth come to help as a nanny. I have a sister here now who can’t keep her hands off my husband, so it would mean I don’t get as much as often if I were to import another. That’s stingy of me, isn’t it? Come talk to me about the job on Monday, and I’ll let my sister make us some great supper.

“You Foxworth babes are too much. The bodyguard won’t be a problem since she’s a female right now. Who knows, she might be just as interesting.”

Janice whispered, “Oh my God, another carpet muncher will be one too many for my house and husband. He complains that my sister and I do too much of that as it is. Come see me, Brad. I’ve wanted to meet you ever since Danny and Chica started drooling over you when you first showed up out there.”

“I’ll see you on Monday, Janice.”

I hung up before the woman made any more revolutionary family disclosures. I had to call Andy. The first thing he said was, “No returns, no refunds. You broke it, you bought it. You saw it even if you haven’t touched it, so you keep it.”

“You are so crude and cruel to your family, Andy.”

“You’d know why I’m this way if you knew what it was like to grow up with all my sisters and only one brother, Brad. I’m having enough trouble getting rid of my own girls. The older ones are doing something like Danny, but Chica is a cousin and not a daughter. I have a daughter in Overland Park who is one of the craziest. She has one of her sisters with her, and is talking about another going there. I told her husband the same thing; I have a no return policy.”

I told Andy, “I just got off the phone with Janice. She’s far too open telling all the family secrets even if she knows who I am through you, and the bunch who are in the condo group, in this case.”

Andy sighed, “They are not bashful, and Janice is one of the least. So what did you call about?”

“What do you think about maybe making Janice an Office Manager? I wouldn’t make her a Regional considering that she’s pregnant and planning on another as soon as this one is on the ground. But what are your thoughts and opinion?”

Andy said, “Janice met and married a Goliath of a man who was playing football. He was at the end of his playing career and ended up playing for Kansas City. Janice went to work for the former Office and Regional Manager out there, and became his secretary because she is sharp and really works at becoming knowledgeable. She probably knows more about how to run a Mooney office than I do, but she has been content at being a secretary and having babies. Her husband owns half of a luxury car dealership that sells Jaguars, Rovers, Bentleys, and Rolls Royces. All that, and Janice insists on driving a Ford Expedition. He doesn’t want her to work, but she insists that she needs it to keep herself sane. That’s why the sister who is a nanny, but I think there is an ulterior motive to use her husband to start her sister’s baby making engine. I’ve told you how this family is a little strange. Janice can be one of the strangest. I’ve told the monster to go with the flow, and Janice will give him a great life. I think that he’s believing it by now.”