Chapter 82: Immunity Agreements?

June 8, 1997, Chicago, Illinois

“You’re having second thoughts?” I asked.

“Not so much second thoughts so much as not wanting to mess up our relationship.”

“Are you worried about what was said in Atlanta?” I asked.

“It’s the first time in the fifteen years we’ve known each other that we’ve said something we’ve both known is true since the beginning.”

“I’m not ‘in love’ with you, Cindi,” I said. “And you aren’t ‘in love’ with me. But we do love each other. And we both know the difference.”

“And you know, as you’ve said many times, that sex changes people in ways they don’t expect.”

“And you think that would happen with us?”

Cindi smiled, “If the change is something you don’t expect, then you can’t predict what will happen.”

I nodded, “That’s true, but we’re also two adults with a long-standing friendship, and a long-standing tease about who is better in bed!”

“Kind of hard to prove if you won’t do it with a guy and I won’t do it with a girl!”

“True,” I grinned. “It was actually about whose abilities would surprise the other and make it the most intense, pleasurable sexual experience in the history of the world. And at this stage, we both know that we would have both come away disappointed.”

“Speak for yourself!” Cindi replied with a silly grin.

“You know what I mean by that - it could never have lived up to the hype.”

“So you say,” she replied with a twinkle in her eye.

“Be serious for a moment, please.”

“Sorry. I think you’re right. There’s no doubt in my mind it would have been wild, but we had hyped it to epic levels. But that’s not what we’re talking about now, is it?”

“No,” I said. “It’s not. And that’s why you’re a bit concerned. Because to put it in a simple way, we’ll make love, not fuck. No matter what it is we do. Or don’t do, for that matter. The one thing I do care about is you being and staying sober. I need you, Cindi. Both at NIKA and in my life.”

“We don’t talk the way we used to,” she sighed. “And that sucks.”

“We’re working on it,” I replied. “We had that talk in Atlanta, and we’re having one now.”

“Chris fucked up my life in more ways than I can count, and I retreated into a bottle instead of dealing with it.”

“He changed when you got pregnant,” I replied. “I don’t see how you can blame yourself for that. It’s not like there was a way to know in advance that he was going to see you only as a ‘mom’, which was the ultimate problem.”

“You’ve always liked pregnant girls,” Cindi smirked.

“Blame my friend Donna from when I lived in Milford,” I replied with a smile. “The circumstances made it exactly the right thing to do, and it gave me just a tiny insight into what life was like for a pregnant teenage girl in the early 80s.”

“Lousy,” Cindi agreed. “But even after William was born, Chris didn’t change back. In some ways, that made things worse. Your comments about nursing earlier really hit home. He was grossed out by the whole thing.”

“Because he thought they were a playground! When they moved from the entertainment industry to the food service industry, he couldn’t deal with it!”

Cindi laughed and shook her head, “Only you could get away with that comment! But you’re right.”

“Will you tell me what happened with Stuart?” I asked.

“It was going no place, and I really do want someone in my life who has a similar vision of the future. With Stuart, it was all about sex. He’s never had a real long-term relationship, and doesn’t appear to want one. He’s allergic to commitment. You, despite your exploits, were never commitment-averse.”

“What about Bill Sullivan?”

“We’re keeping it casual. He’s been traveling a lot. One of his major clients has some regulatory issues in Europe that he’s helping with. That should be over by the end of the Summer and we’ll see where we are.”

“That might be serious?”

“No red flags, and William likes him. But until he stops having to be in Europe for two or three weeks at a time and only a few days at home, it’s hard to work on a relationship. As I said, they should be done in August.”

“And you’re free to do what we’re discussing?”

“I know you well enough not to try to play games in that regard.”

“OK.”

“You know, I’m sure,” Cindi said thoughtfully, “that I am the only woman in the executive suite or on the Board you haven’t been with.”

“So? Has that impacted our relationship in any way?”

“No, of course not. It was just an observation! But I do want to say I want to be closer to you again. And I don’t want to have to quit for that to happen like Dave did!”

“Sex isn’t intimacy.”

“I know,” Cindi replied. “I learned that lesson from you years ago, and the situation with Stuart simply drove it home. Can I ask you about the meetings you’re having with Charlie, Kimmy, Elyse, Eve, and Deborah?”

“Sure.”

“Why those girls? And how does someone get an invitation?”

“It started because of Dave,” I said. “And those were the right people to advise me.”

“He was completely burned out, and he’s not the one to do anything to break the pattern of his life. He has his head way too far into dusty books and the ideas of celibate old men to change anything or do anything radical.”

“Which leads to stability,” I replied. “And that’s not a bad thing. I always relied on Julia and Dave for stability in the office, and it has paid off in spades. But there were also other issues, such as a debate about corporate culture.”

“Because you basically didn’t punish anyone from the ‘Gang of Four’ or the others who participated.”

“Yes. And your drinking was part of it, too.”

“Which explains why I wasn’t invited,” Cindi said. “And I’m not complaining, by the way. I was drinking way too much and I understand how you couldn’t trust me.”

“I never lost trust, Cindi. Never. But I needed advice from them about how to deal with your drinking and the situation with Dave. He thought I was putting the company at risk by keeping you in your position. I felt you had the inner strength to overcome the challenge. I was right, too.”

“Smug as always!”

I shrugged, “Just the truth. I’ve had supreme confidence in you since day one, and you have made us all very wealthy. I knew you had it within you to overcome this challenge, and you did.”

“Your faith in me was important. I’m not sure I could have done it without you.”

“Which is what I say about NIKA and you. You did all the hard work to get us our initial business and we’ve never looked back.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Steve.”

“I’m not,” I said with a grin, “but this is about YOU, not about me.”

“Which is your approach to almost everything, including sex. Making other people happy makes you happy. Helping others be successful makes you feel successful.”

“It seems to me to be the best approach to life.”

“Along with your understanding that the only competition which matters is with yourself. And that’s reflected in how you run NIKA. It’s not competitive internally, and you make it clear that you aren’t interested in hiring prima donnas.”

“Penny excluded,” I grinned.

“Penny, at least now, is exactly who you made her,” Cindi said. “And you should be pleased. She just took a few detours along the way because she didn’t understand the lessons you were trying to teach her. The most important of those lessons is to keep your word, which means never to cheat.”

“You don’t think I dragged her into the adult world for which she wasn’t prepared?”

“I was there during that whole thing. If anything, SHE dragged you into bed. She absolutely wanted to fuck, and she did. She was old enough to make that decision in both my view and your view. If you want to place blame, put it squarely on that prig Alice. And yes, I know we’re all responsible for our own actions, but Penny, you, and I all did things the way we did because of our upbringing. I simply don’t see your kids, or the cousins being as clueless as any of us were. Or as maladjusted.”

“You never said much about your teenage years,” I said.

“My parents gave me freedom without responsibility, and I used it. I got in trouble for underage drinking as a Freshman, hung out with the stoners as a Sophomore, dated the starting rotation of the baseball team as a Junior, and wrecked two cars as a Senior.”

“Wow. And you seemed to have it so together when I first met you.”

“Because I met Dave,” she said. “Those personality traits we both find so annoying at this point were exactly what I needed. And we met you around that time.”

I nodded, “Because I decided to ask Dave to be my partner in our digital electronics class. That same day, Stephie asked me if I loved her and asked if we could live together. She was pretty emotional and there are times I kick myself for how I treated her.”

“In the end, she made her decision.”

“Yes, but I pushed her away because of Kara.”

“Look at me!” Cindi said sternly.

I did and waited.

“You and Kara were always going to be together. Her meltdown because of the insane church she went to is the only reason she wasn’t in Chicago with you.”

“That’s not really accurate. I’m not sure you know the whole story, but she broke up with me because she thought Jennifer and I were going to live together here in Chicago. By the time Jennifer dropped the bomb about Stanford, Kara and I had already agreed we’d date but not be steady. Kara and Bethany both suggested Kathy as the right person to take care of me, not realizing just how good of a job Elyse was going to do.

“But then Kathy met Kurt and we broke it off, and Stephie and I began seeing each other during Freshman year. She knew about Kara, but then when Kara’s dad died and she decided to take a year off between High School and college, we kept things the way they were. Stephie and I broke up because I was planning to ask Kara to marry me at Christmas during our Sophomore year. That was when Kara had her meltdown, if you recall.”

Cindi nodded, “I should have remembered that. Jackie and I came to do an intervention on Christmas day because you wouldn’t answer your phone and your family and Elyse were panicked.”

“I wasn’t exactly thinking straight then. I do appreciate the fact that you guys literally walked away from your families on Christmas day for me.”

“As if you haven’t done things for us of equal importance. Heck, getting Jackie away from Anala’s sister was probably the most important thing you’ve done for her! Well, besides putting up capital for her and Jeremiah to start their own architectural firm.”

“She and I are both so damned busy I hardly see her except for a few minutes when she arrives for Girls’ Night Out. I have to remedy that. But first, I have to remedy our relationship. Would you like to join the ‘Kitchen Cabinet’?”

“That’s what you’re calling it?”

“Yes.”

“So, a woman’s place is in the kitchen or the bedroom?” Cindi asked with an arched eyebrow.

“I have been to bed with all of them!” I chuckled. “Something you need to know if you’re going to join.”

“No way! Deborah? She’s a lesbian!”

I chuckled, “So is Katy. And so is Jennifer.”

“Elyse and Charlie were clearly before they came to work for NIKA, though things with Elyse continued after that, obviously, because of the kids. I suspected you had been with Kimmy at some point. And I would have been surprised if you hadn’t been with Eve after she started carrying her gun and acting as your bodyguard.”

“Kimmy helped me get through the nightmare of that Thanksgiving when Jessica told me she was going to have an abortion. I went to the office to get away from everyone and everything, she saw the light on, and came in. It was over before she met Gary.”

“So, do I get to join The Club?” Cindi asked.

“Do you want to? And if you do, do you think it’s the right thing to do?”

“We both love and trust each other, right?”

I nodded, “Yes.”

“And it would be a one-time, twenty-four-hour thing?”

“Yes.”

“And I can have a full ‘Steve Adams Experience’?” Cindi asked with a silly grin.

“If you want.”

“A suite at the InterContinental on Michigan Avenue?”

“I think that would be awesome. I’m sure my boys won’t mind William spending the night if that’s what you want.”

“I think I’ll send him to his grandparents for a few days. They’re always itching for visits.”

“OK. Pick a day that works for you.”

“How about July 5th? The 4th is on a Friday this year, and we usually don’t do any of the group stuff on Saturday if you have the Fourth of July party on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.”

“True. That works for me.”

“Then it’s a date. Fifteen years later, but it’s a date.”

We hugged and I walked her to the door. She winked, turned, and left, and I went to find Kara.

“And?” she asked,

“Yes. July 5th. We’re going to get a suite at the InterContinental.”

“I think that has to be a world record for a lengthy seduction!” Kara teased. “Fifteen years?”

“About that, yes. But it won’t be anything like what she originally wanted.”

“This is better, I think.”

“I’m sure it is,” I replied. “And you’re a troublemaker!”

“Who? Me?” Kara asked impishly.

“Just take it slowly, please. These kids are NOT the same as the college kids we were with five years ago. And remember, the new kids are all seventeen.”

“Which means they are legal.”

“Yes, of course, but it does NOT mean they are ready. You’ve seen their reactions to even the mild things we talked about. I was a bit surprised Holly came back. I’d say her curiosity overwhelmed her prudishness.”

“Been there, done that!” Kara smirked.

“Bull! You were NEVER prudish! A bit naïve and innocent, but you wanted to have sex and liked having sex! And you just had to overcome what had been drilled into your head for years.”

“By having you drill me!”

“That first time was very slow and gentle,” I said. “But you tasted yourself for the first time that night. That’s hardly prudish.”

“You had me so hot and bothered I’d have done anything! I was just nervous that I’d do something wrong and you wouldn’t like doing it with me.”

“I think there was zero risk of that!”

“You’re pretty confident.”

“I know you’ve only been with me, but guys can orgasm pretty easily. In fact, the major complaint is that it happens TOO fast!”

“You’ve never had that problem!”

“Ask Jennie Sanders,” I grinned. “I was a bit over-excited. It’s not every day a sexy twenty-three-year-old asks a clueless fourteen-year-old to fool around!”

“OK. Once! But I think you had a reasonable excuse because you were only fourteen!”

“Perhaps,” I replied with a grin. “Shall we work on the meal for our family dinner?”

“Yes!”

June 10, 1997, Chicago, Illinois

“Your speculation was right,” Deborah said, coming into my office on Tuesday afternoon.

“Which?” I asked.

“Nathan Edwards is buying Lone Star from DCP. And both the CFO and VP of Sales took plea deals with probation and fines, with an agreement to cooperate with the government. I think that’s bad news for Nuñez and Giesma.”

“I’d say you’re right. Do you know who’s backing Edwards?”

“No. There’s no reason for him to disclose his funding. The only reason I know it’s him is he filed a brief in support of the motion to dismiss the bankruptcy filing, stating that all creditors would be paid according to their original terms. That pretty much guarantees the dismissal. I suspect we’ll see it by the end of the week.”

“Let’s go see Cindi. She needs to know.”

Deborah and I left my office and went to Cindi’s. She was on the phone, but finished the call when she saw us at the door.

“Edwards bought Lone Star,” I said.

“I know. I just got a call from one of the sales reps we hired away from them. Edwards is trying to put the band back together, as it were.”

“Which means he’ll talk to the software engineers at Athena and possibly create havoc with Tasha.”

“I was just going to let her know. She’s in Atlanta today.”

The phone buzzed and Cindi picked it up and started laughing. She put the phone on speaker.

“She knows,” Cindi said, laughing softly.

“Hey, Tasha,” I said. “What happened?”

“A resignation. I tried to call your desk and Kimmy put me through to Cindi’s office. It’s the lead engineer for the ‘small office’ version.”

“Wonderful,” I said. “Go talk to the others, please. I know they aren’t technically on your team, but you’re the senior person on site. And make sure you call Mario.”

“I will. Will you tell Julia and Terry?”

“Yes. Let me know if you think the other two are at risk.”

“Will do.”

Cindi disconnected the call.

“Want to bet you get a call about licensing the software?” Cindi asked.

“The purpose for doing that no longer exists,” I said. “And we exercised our escape clause before the bankruptcy, so there is nothing he can do. Right, Deborah?”

“Well, there is the interesting question of all their licensees. If you think about it, all of those licenses were sold by Lone Star, not NIKA.”

“That’s meaningless,” Cindi said. “Lone Star got the fees for the sales. Upgrades are chargeable, as is support. Deborah, what about support contracts that Lone Star sold?”

“That could be tricky, but I think we’re OK because they didn’t have a source code license. We probably will have to provide updates, but we planned to do that anyway, as I understand it.”

“Let’s get Julia, Elyse, Kimmy, Tasha, Terry, Charlie, and Eve together,” I said. “That way we don’t end up repeating anything.”

“What about Mario?”

“Yes, of course,” I replied.

I left Cindi’s office and asked Kimmy to set up a meeting as soon as everyone was available, which turned out to be about an hour later.

“I took some time to do a bit of research and make a few calls,” Deborah said. “I think we’re OK on the licensing issue. We deactivated their ability to generate license codes when we canceled the contract, so the only risk we would run is a sale that was completed but for which a license code wasn’t generated. Have we heard anything like that, Cindi?”

“No. No support calls to that effect. The only complaints I’ve had are from two firms who were upset our price for support calls is higher than what Lone Star had promised. I told the support team to offer the lower price until the end of the year to anyone who was a Lone Star customer, if they complain. It’ll go against my ‘good will’ budget, but it can handle it. I suspect we’ll hear some complaints about the upgrade costs next year, but I’ll worry about that when it happens.”