Chapter 325

With an occasional nap for some (Jeff and his team worked straight through), the group worked the night away. In the wee hours, the women set up a table with sandwich fixings and finger food – a lot of it. They drank a few gallons of coffee and lost count of how many soft drinks.

Shortly after daylight, Diana insisted that everyone stop to have breakfast. When Lieutenant Richardson mentioned that he and the team would eat at Security Headquarters, Diana met him literally head on. With hands on hips, she informed him that he and the others would not leave without a proper breakfast to show in a small way just how much the Matthews appreciated the team's efforts.

After the Clan Queen moved out of earshot, Jeff told them to not be embarrassed to eat a complete meal – anything less would make her think they felt uncomfortable at her table. "She's worried that you guys didn't eat properly last night. Please go away with full bellies."

Before they left, the team made Diana – as well as the other women involved in preparing breakfast – proud of their efforts.

With a fresh crew from Security, and the somewhat groggy residents of the Retreat as well as the other Alphas and their women, the last of the sorting, assembling and wrapping finally came to an end. Jeff, on his knees, finished his last project, something called a Battle Space Rover that the child could ride in. As he pushed it aside and turned to start his next project, someone grabbed the Rover, put a name on it and hurried to put it in the correct location. And ... there wasn't anything else to assemble. Jeff had been in the groove, his world focused on what he was assembling, then the next item and the next. Now, he stood and glanced around when laughter broke out as everyone seemed to be high fiving with someone else.

A smile bloomed across the Prime's face as he realized that they were, indeed, through. Standing, he looked around at stack after stack of wrapped presents, the stacks stretching out across the floor of the giant basement. The presents that could not be wrapped, bicycles, riding toys and the like, stood beside the stacks and had the name of the location and the child's name attached, plus several multicolored streamers.

Diana grabbed her husband in a hug, her eyes misty. "We did it, Baby. We did it. There are going to be a lot of happy kids come tomorrow morning."

As he hugged her back, a frown touched his countenance. "We still have to get everything loaded..."

"Security told me that the trucks left Denver headed this way twenty minutes ago. We'll have them all loaded and ready to go by the time it's dark. The little kids will be in bed before the trucks arrive back in Denver. The bigger kids will be in their rooms and won't see what's going on." There was a pause as she looked around. "Oh, Jeff, we did it. Just look at your three wives," she said the last at a much lower volume as she nodded to Nat, Nicki and Whitney farther down the basement, holding hands and dancing around in a circle like the kids they never got to be. "This is their dream come true. They were in an orphanage all their lives – well until that bastard got hold of them. They so wanted this to happen, and their husband made it happen."

"Bullshit, Woman," Jeff denied. "Look around you. We all made it happen, and high on that list are those three. Remember, like you said, it was their idea."

"Yeah, well, maybe so, but I can tell you that they're planning to make your Christmas Eve the absolute best tonight, if loving you to death counts."

"We're all too tired to do much tonight..." he began.

"To use your expression, bullshit. Better take a nap before bedtime. They aren't planning to sleep much tonight; they're saving that for Christmas afternoon."

By dark, the trucks were all loaded, their loads checked and rechecked, and the GPS's programmed with their routes and delivery locations. Many of Security's officers and Jeff's team were escorts to protect the trucks and their drivers, and also to assist in the unloading.

When the trucks rolled, loaded with Christmas presents, their drivers and Security officers loaded down with food to eat on the way, and hot chocolate or coffee to drink, Diana insisted that Carla and Fred's group, Van and Adriana's group and the Sheriff's group eat before they left for home. Addressing the farmers/ranchers, "I know you'll have work to do before you can go to bed. This way you won't have to take time out to prepare a meal." They left with full bellies and enough food for another full meal, and then some.

As the Sheriff's group left, she made sure that Quinton and his women were also loaded down with food. "I know you want to have your Christmas at home, but come be with us as early as you can, okay?"

"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Virginia assured her.

After the hectic time with the children's Christmas preparations, the Retreat seemed very quiet without the visitors, Jeff's team and Security. Everyone had migrated to the giant living room, most with a cup of apple cider or hot chocolate. They moved the furniture back, scattered pillows around, and the entire group sat on the floor near the fireplace, the thermostat and lights turned down and the fire roaring. Each woman was snuggled to either her husband or sister-wives with the only lighting the hundreds of twinkling lights on the big Christmas tree that were illuminating the surrounding piles of presents.

Eileen wasn't a wife, but she certainly didn't feel left out because Kathy and Jill made sure she had the place of honor – sitting snuggled in Bill's arms, her head on his shoulder.

Dave, with his twelve-string guitar, and Evie and Linda with their six-strings, played as the group sang Christmas carols. The feeling that went with knowing that a number of children with nothing would have a Christmas none of them would ever forget, brought a joy greater than any of the group expected.

Embarrassing the three prior orphans, but making them feel wonderful, anyway, Jeff stood to remind the group that this would not have happened without Nat, Nicki and Whitney's idea. "Oh, I would have given money to the orphanages, girls' and boys' ranches, foster homes, and so forth as Joyce, Caitlin and Helen do by donating their salaries, but it never crossed my mind to order, assemble and wrap presents ourselves – and certainly not anything of the magnitude we just completed. From all of us, thank you, Ladies," he finished formally, and very sincerely.

The girls were embarrassed at the praise, but it tended to further cement their relationship with everyone, not just Jeff's other wives. Before becoming Jeff's wives, they had nothing to give, and now that they did, they had thought first of those who had nothing.

It was late before the last truck reported in. All the presents had been delivered. The kids would wake up to the best Christmas the Matthews and the others involved could make for them.

The turkeys, hams and other food had also been delivered. Chefs, provided by Wainwright, would be giving up their Christmas Eve to cook all night to feed the hungry in soup kitchens, senior citizen centers, and similar places throughout the area. Those chefs, all volunteers, would, nevertheless, find out later that their bank accounts had suddenly received an anonymous and very healthy deposit for which Wainwright would vehemently deny knowledge.

As Jeff's women sat snuggled in a group around him, he nodded to where Jesse and Alesha sat with her nestled in his arms. Whispering into Diana's ear, the Prime said, "Do you suppose she is ever going to get over having lived with those guys so she would have something to eat?"

Diana smiled at her husband and briefly touched her lips to his. "You just read my mind. Every time I try to talk to her, she alludes to what she had to do and makes some remark about having acted like a slut. She's still hung up in proving she can love Jesse without their having sex. They sleep in the same bed, but she says she feels like 'trash' and has asked him to not push her into going further. Darnit, Jeff, she's quality. She did what she had to do to survive, but this has gone on long enough. Poor Jesse loves her so much, he just puts up with it. He's got to have what you guys call blue balls by this time. Darnit, she's proven her point. Why can't she see that she needs to make love with her man? I can't imagine why Jesse hasn't just thrown her down and screwed her unconscious. It's obvious she loves him, and a blind man can see he worships the ground she walks on. She needs a push to get her pretty ass off dead center, or she's going to lose him. No man is going to put up with that forever."

Jeff stared at the two as they cuddled and whispered to each other. "Why couldn't I see that he's an Alpha long before I finally did? He just doesn't project like all the others do. Shit, I think some of this is my fault. Maybe if I had recognized things sooner..."

"Talk to him, and I'll have a chat with her – a get-up-off-your-ass-and-take-your-man-before-someone-else-takes-him kind of chat. She's proven her point. She isn't easy, and it's Christmas Eve. What better time to consummate their relationship? They can get married after Christmas, but tonight is the perfect night for them to finally make love, but I'll bet she's rationalized herself into thinking she should continue to wait."

A little later as the group was breaking up, Jeff got Jesse aside in a quiet corner. As the two men stood facing each other, "All right. I've heard all the excuses and so-called reasons, but when are you going to make love to your mate? She obviously loves you, and it's blatantly obvious that you love her. If it's marriage that's holding the two of you back, we've already discussed that Di and I will be glad to marry you, or get you a preacher of your choice. Dammit, the two of you need to be together tonight. Not just sleeping in the same bed, but together. Oh, I know that she's had a rough life, but it's time the two of you became man and wife. At least we finally got the two of you to move in here. And again, I apologize for being slow to realize that you are an Alpha."

"I don't think I'm an Alpha," Jesse denied for the umpteenth time, "and..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. The two of you want to start your life together on your own, and you will. With some modifications, we've approved the architect's ideas for the resort, and you and Alesha have okayed everything for your new home..."

" ... But, dammit, Jeff, you expanded everything about our apartment, not only in the size of the rooms, but you insisted that the architect add two more bedrooms with en suite baths just like the master suite. We thought we would be living in an apartment attached to the lodge, but the architect said that you told her to design a separate building and make it a beautiful home that would reflect the lines of the resort. Shit, Jeff, it's basically a fucking mansion, especially compared to that small apartment of mine we have been living in. We don't need all that space, let alone the luxury..."

But Jeff was motioning for Jesse to wait. "It was Frank's idea to build the luxury resort, or enhance the almost-finished nice resort into one. Since it's to be geared to the ultra-rich, we can't have a dinky little apartment attached to the back where the manager lives. Now what would that project to your clientele?

"The resort is Alesha's to operate. She'll have full authority to hire and fire personnel to operate the resort – make all the decisions. We expect her to hire quality and establish appropriate salaries to attract experienced people, and the auditor's team will assist her, of course.

"You will have sole authority for hiring and firing quality security personnel. Remember, your patrons will be the ultra-wealthy. They will expect to be protected, and protected by quality personnel who are far beyond the 'rent-a-cop' type. We can't have them hassled by people intent on making a fast buck from the wealthy, nor do we want them to have to worry about criminals trying to kidnap or otherwise take advantage of them. We want them to tell their friends that this is the place to be, not only to ski, but a place to relax and enjoy themselves the year round, and ... to be able to do it in a safe as well as luxurious environment.

"It will have the latest in technical innovations, and that goes from before their vehicle even turns into the lodge's driveway or their helicopter touches the landing pad, to everything they do or will be involved in during their stay, and the security will be subtle, of course.

"Everything during their stay – everything – will be part of the package deal. There will be no charges other than the package they will choose. And the packages, according to Frank, will start at extravagant and go up. He says that the ultra-wealthy frequently equate quality with how expensive things are. I can't conceive of anybody paying the prices he is talking about, but he says that he has mentioned it to his friends and associates and almost every one of them has insisted that he or she be allowed to be among the first to spend time at the resort. So, bottom line, your residence must reflect the quality and wealth shown throughout the lodge.

"To these people, you two will be the owners, and remember, you are, indeed, part owners, just as I am a part owner. And that means that in addition to your salaries, you will be earning a percentage of the profits – a considerable percentage. You two will supervise, not take over the jobs, so make sure you hire the best, and the best are going to cost you. Again, check with Frank to guide you in advertising so you will have quality applicants who are accustomed to working with the ultra-rich. I know we've discussed all this about the resort before, but it's time the two of you realized that you are part of the Matthews clan, and that means that you are an Alpha and to say that Alesha is special to us, is a gross understatement. Joyce would not be here if it were not for you two, and if you think I'm ever going to forget that, then you're sadly mistaken.