Chapter 50: A New Confidante

April 29, 1996, Cincinnati, Ohio

“Well shit,” I sighed on Tuesday morning.

“What?” Eve asked.

“The newspaper says Bill Elliott suffered a broken femur from a serious accident in the race at Talladega on Sunday. It seems his car went airborne and landed on the driver’s side. And from what I can tell, it was a single car crash. Something HAD to have broken in the car. He’s not one to just lose control. And then, about 50 laps later, there was a major crash with fourteen cars that caused a red flag because Ricky Craven’s car almost jumped the catch fence.”

“Damn! How long will Elliott miss?”

“I’d have to guess a couple of months. I’ll ask Jess when I get home.” I chuckled as I continued to read, “And ESPN apparently issued an apology for ‘an epithet’ uttered by Bob Jenkins, one of the commentators.”

Eve laughed, “Something like ‘Holy shit!’?”

“If the ‘Big One’ was as bad as this article makes out, then yes. Anyway. What are we doing once we finish breakfast?”

“You’re kidding, right?” Eve laughed. “I know you’re having lunch with Joyce, so I’ll go a bit easy on you!”

I shook my head, signed for breakfast, and we headed back upstairs.

Four hours later, I was sitting with Joyce at a diner near her office.

“You could have stayed at the house and still had your ‘me’ time.”

“I know, but I just wanted to decouple. I saw my dad last night, and I’m seeing Ben van Hoek on Wednesday before I head back.”

“Just come to the house and save yourself the money.”

“Barney got me a great rate; I have room service, Cable TV, and escape from the world. Nothing against Joseph and Amelia, or your grandmother, but I’m happy at the Netherland Hilton.”

“You said you had something you wanted to talk about.”

I nodded, “I’m worried about social culture creep and I’m not going to accept the imposition of social norms on NIKA that will turn it into just another technology company.”

“Oh shit,” Joyce sighed. “Now what?”

“You remember the reaming I got from Karl and Jamie? I mean, even though Karl denied it was a reaming?”

“Yes. Over Michelle, and then the problems with Terry.”

“It takes two to tango, Joyce! If not, then I’ll disclaim any responsibility for sleeping with your sister and you can take back all the nasty things you said and the nastier things you thought!”

“Don’t be a jerk, please.”

“I’m making an important point. The issues that occurred around Terry and Penny are WAY more complicated than any of you know, INCLUDING Jamie, and he knows more than you do. And Penny was the original instigator. Well, sort of, but I can’t reveal more. That entire incident hamstrung me for a host of reasons which I’m sure you can guess.”

“Well, you telling Jamie we slept together, and that you and Beth were lovers in High School, probably kept him up nights.”

“Among other things I had to tell him. But my point is, his reaction, and Karl’s, and Dave’s implied threat to quit, went too far and I yielded too much.”

“What set this off?”

“Charlie telling the girls they couldn’t hug me on my birthday because it would give those three complete fits. Look, I KNOW the environment we’re in, and the Navy has its ‘Tailhook’ issues. But that doesn’t mean I should be just as stupid as the rest of the world in handling this. You know where this ends, right?”

“In your case, or in general?”

“They’ll be the same if I don’t reset the line closer to my ideals than theirs.”

“Where do you think it leads?”

“A battle of the sexes where no man can ever have a one-on-one meeting with a colleague, supplier, customer, or whatever if she’s female. The risk of phony claims will be too high because someone will decide to try to gain power by making false claims which will stick. We’ve seen that in politics. It’ll spread. And the kinds of rules those guys want to put in place just make everyone upset and causes them to worry.

“Look, I’m not asking you for permission to have company orgies, or permission to use my couch for interviews. I’m saying that I’m going back to where people can hug, and have lunch, and do normal things without some lawyer scrutinizing it. That means relaxing the policies a bit. No, I’m not removing the policy against dating, but I am putting back my ability to override it.”

“Jamie explained how dangerous that was.”

“He did. My mistake was asking for everyone’s opinions. I should have gone with my gut instinct and made the decision on my own. And retained my ability to authorize those kinds of things IF they are in the best interest of the company. It’ll probably never happen, but that’s not the point.”

“Are you going to let Terry and Skye date?”

“No. I’m not changing my decision. They received an answer. Changing it now would cause bigger problems. And I won’t write the exception into that particular policy, either. I’ll write a general exception that says I can waive ANY policy, save in cases which apply to me personally. And I don’t need Board approval to waive them.”

“What about the executives?”

“What are the chances we’ll ever run into something like that again? Zero. If it DOES come up, we’ll bring it to the Board. The bylaws already say the Board can modify any policy as they see fit in the interest of the company, subject to being overruled by the shareholders. And I can do THAT because we aren’t publicly traded.”

Joyce laughed, “Nice. That gives you final say.”

“Sure. As it fucking should! The other thing I’m doing is saying my veto is permanent and final. If Dave doesn’t like that, he’ll just have to put on his big boy pants and deal with it. Or quit. But I won’t be held hostage to him any more than I’ll be held hostage to my daughter!”

“Stockholm Syndrome!” Joyce smirked.

“That’s what Dave said about Birgit, too! But my point is, either I am NIKA, or I’m not. I decided to be. Yes, Stephanie is going to come in and run the day-to-day operations and do much of what I do now. But I’m going to retain control of strategic vision and corporate culture. Everything that we do has to pass the ‘how does this affect the culture?’ test. That said, my dad made a good point about not simply slapping a coat of shellac on the culture and refusing to allow it to change. That would stifle creativity and growth. BUT, I’m not going to let NIKA look like the world any more than I’ve let the benefits program look like ones used by other companies. NIKA is unique and it has to stay that way.”

“What happened?”

“Kimmy asked me for a hug, and I turned her down. I felt like total shit. I talked with Elyse, and then Kimmy got her hug. Then I had a serious talk with Eve who basically told me to quit being a pussy and to quit letting Jamie, Karl, and Dave push me around. On the plus side, I have my new in-house counsel, who I told you about, and I’m going to make sure she understands what her role is. It’s not to handcuff us; it’s to make sure we don’t cross the big bright lines.”

“What happened to the Navy guy?”

“He’s accepted his orders to Japan. It was that, or a court martial.”

“Ouch. Jake predicted that, by the way. The only reason Jake got out a bit early was because his next assignment was for two years and it would have taken him way past his commitment and the cost and logistics of sending him out for six months and then replacing him didn’t make sense. They negotiated over that last short stint at King’s Bay and it all worked out. Anyway, you’re going to get serious pushback.”

“I can take it. Cindi, Elyse, Eve, Kimmy, you, Al, and Beth will back me. Heck, Julia doesn’t always agree with Dave. And here’s a secret. If everyone who has ever slept with me had to quit, she’d be gone, too.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously. It was while we were in college and before she and Dave started dating. And what you probably don’t know is that Dave and Cindi were dating seriously at that point. We met Jamie later, through Jackie.”

“Why pick a fight with them?”

“I’m not picking a fight, they are,” I replied firmly. “I’m simply asserting my control and making it stick on matters I consider important to culture.”

“It is your company, but just be sure you know what you’re doing.”

“I believe I do. I’m not making radical changes, but I am going to make sure NIKA is my company and remains my company.”

“Grandfather trusted you and I trust you. But you need to make sure you listen to advice.”

“I will. But in the end, where I get the advice is up to me and the decisions are mine. I won’t be bullied again.”

“How are things going otherwise?”

“Good, actually. Kara will be hooded in about a month, Jess is switching to a much better shift which means we can sleep at the same time, and the kids are doing great. You?”

“Jake is busy and the kids are good.”

“And your business?”

“Competition is really tough. Subway is hurting us, as are national bread brands. Also, some grocery stores are baking wider ranges of breads. Our restaurant bread business is still very good. Fast food restaurants getting into breakfast has cut into our morning coffee and bagel business. And independent convenience stores are hurting everywhere. The restaurants we own are doing well.”

“So what’s your plan?”

“I spent some time with your dad looking for ways to streamline, as well as looking at some diversification options. We have some ideas that we’re evaluating. We’re still profitable in each sector, but it won’t stay that way. Your dad has some good insights, which will help while we figure out the future.”

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. Do you guys plan to come to Chicago?”

“I was hoping to come to Kara’s hooding, but she told me the tickets are limited. We’ll probably visit sometime after you guys get back from Disney.”

“Any time. Just let us know.”

We finished our lunch and Joyce headed back to her office while I headed to the hotel.

Eve was waiting for me, once again wearing only sheer panties, though these were black as opposed to the white ones from the previous night.

“You have from now until 11:30am tomorrow,” I said. “What’s your pleasure?”

“Tie me so tight I can’t move, then fuck me senseless until dinner!”

I chuckled, “I’m good, but not THAT good!”

“You have your tongue, your fingers, and toys for while you recover!”

I went to the closet and got my bag, then went over to the bed. I removed Eve’s panties, then tied her tightly, spread-eagled, to the bed. She watched as I carefully removed my clothes, taking time to hang up my shirt and pants, and fold my underwear. I knew what she wanted, but I had my OWN ideas.

When I was naked, I knelt between Eve’s legs and began gently and softly licking, careful to avoid her clit. It wasn’t about pleasure for her, not yet at least, but about me getting hard, which nearly always happened when I tasted a girl’s juices. This time was no exception, and when I was ready, I placed my glans against Eve’s labia and ever so slowly entered her. Eve strained against the ropes, trying to raise her hips, but she could only move a few inches, and I moved with her to prevent myself from going deeper sooner than I wanted to.

“Bastard!” she hissed.

When I was fully embedded in her silky warm confines, I stopped and waited. Eve did her best to roll her hips, but her movements were extremely restricted by the soft ropes I’d used to tie her to the bed. After a couple of minutes, I began slow, gentle thrusts, knowing it would frustrate her. I was rewarded with a growl.

“Just fuck me, God damn it!” she spat.

“I am,” I replied casually, not varying my slow, deliberate thrusts.

For the next ten minutes, I continued at the same pace, with Eve alternating between demanding I fuck her harder and calling me every name she could think of, all the while straining against the ropes.

I was enjoying the situation, and rather than do what she was demanding, I slowly pulled out, then walked over to the desk to get a drink.

“You fucking asshole!” Eve spat.

“So THAT’S where you want it?” I smirked. “We can get to that later!”

“Damn you, Steve! I wanted to be fucked senseless!”

“I’d say you are being fucked senseless! You’re about to lose your mind right now!”

I finished my drink and got back on the bed and once again slowly slid into Eve’s sopping wet tunnel. I stayed still for a minute, then began with the same slow, gentle thrusts as I had before, though this time, I gradually increased the tempo of my thrusts. Once again, after about ten minutes, I withdrew, got up, and got another drink, which caused Eve to unleash another vituperative torrent.

I ignored her, finished my drink, then positioned myself against her. I slammed hard into her and began pounding her as if trying not only to drive her through the bed, but the concrete floor of the room. It didn’t take long before Eve groaned loudly and started squirming, trying to increase her pleasure. I continued pounding away, driving her from orgasm to orgasm, until I was very close.

Eve shrieked when I pulled out in the middle of one of her orgasms, only to groan as I pressed a vibrator into her still-spasming pussy. I moved up the bed, positioned myself with my face over her pubic hair, and pressed my erect shaft into her mouth. She sucked greedily, and I lowered my lips to her clit. I began sucking and licking, while moving the vibrator in and out of her.

I moved my hips a bit, and Eve moved her tongue, while she sucked hard on me. I brought her to another orgasm and as she groaned around my shaft, I exploded into her mouth. She swallowed every drop, and when my orgasm had passed, I got up, leaving the vibrator buzzing away in her sopping-wet pussy.

If I smoked, this would have been a perfect time to light a cigarette and sit in a chair watching her. Instead, I poured myself a splash of Maker’s Mark, and sat on the small couch. Eve was squirming on the bed, but there wasn’t any way for her to get pressure on her own clit, and I knew, from experience, that the vibrator would keep her on the edge, but not push her over.

I repeated what had happened twice more, though the third time I simply buried myself deeply and filled her with cum. Since we’d been at it for a couple of hours, I untied Eve so she could use the bathroom. When she came back, she collapsed onto the bed. I climbed in next to her, and pulled her to me.

“Not exactly what I had in mind, but damn!” she sighed.

“But you agree I nearly made you lose your mind, right?”

Eve laughed softly, “Yes. You going slow was like torture! But when I finally came, the orgasms were crazy powerful!”

“You really do have this thing for being dominated.”

“It’s all about powerful men. But it’s only in the bedroom.”

“I noticed,” I chuckled. “You were pretty hard core in the car on the way down.”

“Did you expect me to be a shrinking violet?”

“No, of course not. If you were, I’d never have put you in the position you’re in.”

“Tied up?” she smirked. “With you deep inside me?”

“Office manager!”

“Oh, THAT position! So, what else do you have in your bag of tricks?”

“Ever been triple-penetrated?”

“No.”

I disengaged from her and got out of bed. I took out the small dildo, plus a new one that was larger and would accept the vibrator, as well as the tube of K-Y and climbed back into bed next to her.

“Sixty-nine position,” I said firmly.

Eve laughed and knelt over me, her face over my crotch and her labia just a few inches from my face. I felt her take me into her mouth, and as she did, I slowly and carefully pressed the small dildo into her rear entrance. Eve moaned softly as I worked it in, and once it was deep inside, I then picked up the larger dildo and worked it into her tunnel. I flipped on the vibrator and lifted my head a bit so I could suck on her clit.

The combination of dildos, vibrator, my dick, and my lips caused her to have a continuous string of small orgasms, and when she brought me off, a much larger one which caused her entire body to shudder. When both our orgasms had passed, I gently removed the dildos, and she moved from her position kneeling over me. I got up, went to the bathroom and thoroughly washed everything, then came back to bed.

“What’s this?” she smirked, holding up the harness for the strap-on.

“What does it look like,” I grinned.

“Your wives use this on each other?”

“It has happened, yes.”

“Wait! You let them use it on YOU?” she gasped.

“It’s been known to happen on occasion. Someone else introduced me to that particular activity. It’s not my thing, but if it gets the girl off, I’m game.”

Eve shook her head, “I’d pay to SEE it, but I just can’t see myself doing that. It’s kind of like the idea of tying you up. It’s a cool image, but totally not me. I like being fucked by the boss, not fucking the boss!”

“You seem to do OK being on top,” I said.

“Sure. I mean, trust me, I can get off that way and it feels good, but it’s just not the same as having a strong, toned, muscular man’s body on me, pushing me down into the mattress. To be totally honest, the reason I came so hard from what we just did was because I had your dick deep in my mouth, and if you noticed, right at the last second, I had just the head so I could taste you. That pushed me over the edge. Kind of like you getting hard from eating me.”

“Interesting,” I said. “The one girl I was with who was totally submissive got off if I told her what to do, in addition to having me dominate her.”