Chapter 61

The more I thought about my business plan the more that I wanted to speed up the implementation and avoid the years of investing that it would take to save enough to do everything by myself. To make this happen, I knew that it was important for me to improve my organizational skills, gather all the data and finish the business plan.

I had a professor for my finance class that was the head of the business department at the school. I stopped by during office hours to speak with Dr. Stahl. I told him that I was putting together a business plan and was hoping to find someone who has the knowledge to review it for me.

He said, "Britt, I'm too busy to help you out but I have some top of the class MBA students that I could ask to give you the guidance and assistance you're seeking. Are you looking for some free advice or do you have a couple of dollars or a case of beer to pay for their work?"

"Dr. Stahl, I want the best. I was hoping to pay you but if you can recommend your top one or two students to look it over, then I would at least feel more comfortable knowing that I didn't forget something major. The more I have to defend my deductions, the more comfortable I'll feel with my conclusions."

"I have two students that I'll meet with and see if they have any interest in looking over the business plan. If they are, then I'll give them your number to follow-up with you and make the appropriate arrangements."

I thanked him and left him my name and number. Two days later, I received calls from Christie Sox and Lucas Haun offering to review my business plan. I asked them to both stop by on Friday afternoon for a meeting. In the meantime, I made copies of everything in the business plan and collateral materials that they would need to use for reference purposes. We met at my apartment. They knew each other from school and we all sat down around my dining room table.

I got them each a drink and thanked them for coming by. Lucas asked, "Dr. Stahl said that you were willing to pay us for our review. Is that right?"

"I said I would. How much do you charge?"

"How about twenty dollars?"

"Lucas, I was hoping that you would do a good job for me. I'm looking for an in-depth analysis. That means taking the time to understand the project, do the research and then define where things are lacking and make recommendations s on how to improve them. You have thrown out a price and you haven't even asked about the size or scope of the project. If you're just looking for twenty bucks then I'll give you twenty bucks. But if we agree on a price and you don't deliver on your side that won't make me very happy."

"Maybe we should talk about the project first."

I handed out and reviewed the NDA with them. I explained that they would be responsible for not only themselves but also anyone else that they shared information with to complete their project. I also gave them each a couple of blank copies just in case they needed them.

After they each read and signed the NDA, I went into the Den and came back with four binders full of information. I set them down in front of Lucas, then went back, and got four more for Christie. I spent the next hour lying out the plan in general and then in more specific detail for each area of operation. I took them into the huge map in the Den and explained the grid across the United States for the truck stops and shipment transfer stations. We went back out, Christie grabbed a pad of paper, and I got one of mine for Lucas. We sat in the family room and started a question and answer session for the next hour and a half.

I think that they both wanted to ask more questions but didn't know what else to ask. I said, "This is an open book test. I'm here if you think of anything or have further questions. I want to get this right. I don't want you to think that you have to do this all on your own."

"Christie said, "I was thinking that because of the size of this project that I may put together a team to do the work. I'll work on a good portion of it but will use others on specialized parts of the project and I'll review with them all their findings and then build the final report. Would you be alright with that approach?"

"Christie, I want to get the best results that I can. This is real for me and I have done all that I can in putting that business plan together. If you need a team to do that then I'm fine with it. If word gets out then it could hurt me financially so you need to make sure that you make it clear that anyone that lets this out would be subject to a lawsuit if it was their fault."

She said, "I'm fascinated by the overview and I would like to use this as a project for one of my classes. If I can get the teacher to agree to allow us to work under an NDA and can get my study group to do the same, then I think I can make time to do this for you. I think that if I chose five other students at twenty hours each and then another fifty for me that we could cover all the bases with a hundred and fifty man-hours. Is five dollars an hour too much for me? I can get the others to work for free?"

Lucas said, "Would you want me to work with Christie or do this on my own or do you just want to hire one of us?"

"Lucas don't you remember that you're working for twenty bucks?"

"I, um, Britt, I can't do this project for twenty bucks."

"I know you can't. I'll give you each a two hundred and fifty dollar budget. Based on your results, I'll also offer a bonus."

"How much is the bonus?" Lucas asked immediately.

"The bonus is what your work is worth to me. If you come back and say, I can't find anything wrong with it then I did all the work and the bonus will be smaller. If you came back and said, that I forgot about xyz and my projections were off by thirty percent then I would pay a larger bonus. Don't make stuff up. I want the truth and if it is right I would like your opinion why you think that way."

Christie spoke up again and said, "Can I have a month? Preferably just before or more preferably just after the Christmas break just in case I need the vacation to finish up my analysis."

"I think that after Christmas break will be a good target. Is that enough time for you Lucas?"

He said, "That should be good."

"Alright, keep receipts for your expenses and if they're reasonable I will cover them. If you order in lobster for your work sessions then that's money out of your pockets. Are there any other questions?"

They both said no and gathered their information before heading out. I sat down and was happy to have some other input into my work but also scared about what they might find. I felt tired, I opened a bottle of merlot, and put on some classical music. I sat in my Eames chair in the den and looked up at the map on the wall. I could picture little dots moving along the interstate system carrying freight and making money. I walked through the plan in my head. Just as the album ended, I was going to refill my wine glass when Darcy came in. I met her in the entry and pulled her in for a kiss.

She held me and rubbed my back. She said, "You're in one of your moods aren't you?"

I just nodded. She asked, "Are you sad or afraid? You seem to go into a funk and I worry about you?"

"I'm just a kid that has never done anything like what I want to do. Nobody has ever done what I want to do. I'm afraid not for me, but for all the people who are reaching out to help me, that I'll let them down. I'm afraid that in ten years, that the interstates will have four hundred mini ghost towns that were once my truck stops. All of the employees will be gone, the businesses will be bankrupt and I'll end up as a failure. This is like when they pushed a huge aircraft carrier into the water for the first time. There's always a chance that all the planning comes up short and the thing just sinks to the bottom."

"I have never heard of that happening baby. You're doing the planning and it will work. Did you meet with the MBA students to review your plan? Did they see any huge flaws?"

"They left a while ago and didn't say that they saw any flaws. I'm just anxious to see the thing float. After that we can figure out how fast we can make her go."

"It will float. It will. Let's go to the bedroom and see if I can relieve some of your stress."

I was still emotional and when she lie down beside me and put her head on my chest, I felt a tear form in the corner of my eye. I felt her love and confidence pour into me. I was still a teenager and had hormones and fears that took over. Darcy went up on her elbow, gave me a kiss, and then kissed away the tear. She then went down, spent the next twenty minutes making love to my cock and giving me a sensual blowjob. She would bring me to the edge with those talented lips and tongue of hers. She would then back off for a while and then bring me back. After the fourth or fifth time she took me over the edge and I could feel the pent-up stress release from my body and fill her mouth. I went to thank her and return the favor but she pushed me away and said that she was fine.

After holding each other for a while, she asked if I was hungry and we walked down the strip to Snuffy's and had a couple of drinks and a nice dinner. We talked about what our plans were and how the meeting went. I told her about some of the questions and concerns they had. She listened and as she did, more of my stress left me. I felt like she was taking some of my worries and fears and she was at least sharing them with me. They weren't going away but I didn't feel so alone.

I heard from both Christie and Lucas a week later. Lucas was wondering if I could give him an advance on some of the money for the project. I gave him a hundred bucks and sent him on his way. Christie wanted to talk about the project and let me know what they had done so far. She came over around four and we went over the people who she'd brought on and the areas of specialty that she'd covered. She had spoken with Dr. Stahl and she said he was a little unsettled when she pulled out the NDA for him to sign.

The project fascinated him and he was a little upset with himself for dismissing me without looking it over first. She said, "He said, Britt was always a great student but I had no idea that he had this in his brain. I told him that I wanted to review it with my team and use it as a case study for class but had to keep it classified and not share it. He said that he would be interested to see what, if anything, we found wrong with the plan. He said that you were pretty thorough so I may want to look for things to add in to the plan along with the work that you assigned."

"That sounds like a good idea. I have added in things as I have solved problems but I have not specifically gone looking for things. I'm trying to stay focused on the main part of the business but the thing keeps growing."

She went in and looked at my map and I walked in with her. She said, "This map and the one you sent with us isn't a topographical map. I was wondering if you have mapped out the elevation changes for each route."

"That's a good question. I haven't done it but the engineering firm that I'm working with has the proposed locations for every one of the truck stops and has gotten the pertinent information from the Department of Transportation with the exact specifications and elevation changes, grades, surface materials, banking for the roads and exit ramps. The last time I spoke with them, they were talking about rubber composites for the tires. I guess there will be a difference for concrete and asphalt."

"They sound like they're pretty detailed in what they're doing. I was going to have an engineering student check all the routes but it sounds like it would be a waste of time. I'll leave it up to you."

I said, "I'm glad you asked but I'm comfortable with the engineering. The guy is a perfectionist. Is there anything else that you needed?"

"No, I have found a few things but let me hold on to them until the final report. I still have some detail work on that section that I still need to do."

"I don't know if I should feel happy or sad about you finding something. I guess I'm human after all. Can I take you to dinner to thank you for the work so far?"

"I'm a college student; I never pass up a free meal. That Ramen Noodle will just have to wait until tomorrow."

I got her a beer and told her that Darcy would be coming with us and that I expected her to come by in a while. She wandered around looking at the photos on the wall as she waited for Darcy. She was looking at a picture of Darcy when she came in. Christie did a double take and then said, "You look hot in this picture."

Darcy said, "Thanks, you should see the ones in his bedroom."

Christie blushed and said, "Right now, this is about all I can take."

We were walking out and April was just walking up into the parking lot. I asked if I could buy her dinner and she said to give her a minute to drop off her books. Darcy and Christie were talking but I couldn't hear what they were saying. I was at the bottom of the stairs and April took a leap off the third step and landed in my arms. She kissed my cheek as I let her down to the ground and she said, "I got an A on my mechanical engineering exam."

I told her that I was happy for her and introduced her to Christie. Christie had almost the same build as April but had brown hair and wore glasses. They made her look studious like a hot teacher or librarian. We walked down to the Porpoise to get some food and some beers. Christie picked up the menu and we just ordered oysters, burgers and a pitcher of beer. Christie said, "I'll have the same as them."

As always, I turned into the focal point of all of their jokes and it became a story time for Christie. I went to the men's room and came back to three whispering girls. That's never a good sign. I ordered another pitcher and watched the basketball game on the TV. After we finished, we walked back to the apartment. They all came back to my place. It was a Friday night so we didn't have school in the morning. April asked if anyone wanted to get stoned. Both Darcy and Christie said they did. I said, "Christie, before we go too far, I want to let you know that if you get too drunk or stoned, I won't let you drive home. You can stay in the guest room or I'll call you a cab but we had a friend that had a bad accident and I like you too much to let you get hurt."

"When it is time to go we can see how I'm feeling and then make the call. If you can afford the cab or the spare room then I think I'll stay. I haven't taken time to blow off steam lately."

April got out the bong and the girls all got high. I was not in the mood but watched them play. Darcy got out the bottle of Absolut from the freezer and some shot glasses. They played quarters at the coffee table and I just watched. I did fix myself a Jack and Coke and had a hit on the bong while they did a second round but I was feeling very relaxed while they continued to hammer themselves. After four or five shots each, I put a stop to the shots and returned the bottle to the freezer. I got out some beers and said, "I don't care if you get drunk but I don't want to take anyone to get their stomachs pumped tonight." I put on the album, London Calling by the Clash and sat back to watch them play their games.

They played some more drinking games and then wanted to play truth or dare. April picked Darcy first and Darcy was soon topless. I knew this was going downhill fast. It turned into a dirtier version of tell stories about Britt than the one at the restaurant. I saw Christie look over and lick her lips with that predatory look in her eyes. When all the girls did a third round of bong hits and some dancing in just their panties, they were still in a good mood and I could see that Christie had some nice titties. They each did a couple of shots of beer after the dance party and then Darcy passed out on the couch. April was not far behind and Christie was in no shape to drive. I went to the hall closet and got out the mop so I could get to the bucket in the closet. I returned the mop and went to get three race shirts from my drawer. I went back to the living room and they were so cute. Stoned and drunk out of their skulls, passed out on the couch. I snapped a few pictures. I think Angus would like one for when theirs kids get out of hand. He could blame it on their mother's genes.

I did get a shirt on all three girls and as I leaned Darcy back toward the couch, she woke up and was ready to hurl. I handed her the bucket and walked her to the bathroom so she could use the bathroom in the hall. She did make it to the bathroom and puked her guts. After she finished, she just wanted to lie on the cool tile for a while. I left her and went back to check on the others. Christie was the next one. She never quite passed out but she did doze off. She woke up and the room was spinning. I got her up with the bucket and had her step over Darcy to evacuate some of the alcohol from her system.

I didn't want April to feel left out so I got her up and had her try to get sick in my bathroom. It didn't take much. After thirty minutes of puking off and on, all of them collapsed, so I cleaned them up with a washcloth and got them each to bed after four aspirin and a glass of water.

April and Darcy stayed in my room and Christie went to the guest room. I hid her car keys just in case she woke up and I put away all the party evidence and cleaned up a bit before going to sleeping on the couch. I made sure to close all the blinds and drapes before letting them sleep. I was up early and they were all sleeping hard. I closed the doors to the rooms and did my morning workout. I even went and swam. I came back and they were all still asleep.

I fixed some coffee and heated up a kettle of water just in case someone wanted some tea. It was almost noon when I heard the toilet flush in my room and April came down the hall. She looked like shit. I didn't say anything. She climbed in my lap and put her head on my chest. I just held her and rubbed her back. She was quiet for about ten minutes before she asked if I would get her a cup of tea.

I fixed her a cup and put some honey in it. I also gave her a couple of aspirin to go with it. I had stopped at the bakery after my swim and picked up a coffee cake kind of thing. I knew that she wouldn't want to eat but it would be good to nibble on something. I put a small amount on her saucer and set them all on the coffee table. She whispered thanks, took the aspirin, and sipped her tea.

Christie was next. All of her clothes except her panties and my t-shirt were in the living room so she came out and ducked into the bathroom. I heard the toilet flush and then I heard the water run while she washed her face. I had left a new toothbrush and some toothpaste on the counter.

She came out and sat on the couch next to April. I asked if she wanted coffee or tea and she said that tea would be nice. I gave her the same thing that I did April. They didn't say very much as they slowly ate and drank the little bit of cake and tea that they had. I had on the TV but I had it turned down very low and I had the paper on the coffee table where I had left it when I finished. It was almost one o'clock before I heard Darcy getting up. I went to meet her and when she finished with her morning needs, I gave her a hug and started the shower.

We didn't speak as I washed her. I felt like I was holding her up half of the time. I finished rinsing her and then dried her off and got her some clean underwear and a clean t-shirt. I also carried clean underwear and t-shirts out and set them on the table in case April or Christie wanted to take a shower. I let Darcy take my chair and I went to fix her some tea and cake along with her aspirin. She got up and took the pills. She put her cup on the coffee table and climbed up in my lap. She wanted me to hold her. April took a shower and then Christie did as well. I was quiet and kept trying to give them what fluids and food they could handle, for the next couple of hours.

They did talk and came out of their funk after a bit. Christie wanted to drive home and take a nap. I gave her keys back to her and she put on her clothes and said that she would call me in a couple of days. April took a nap on the couch and I took Darcy back to bed. Around five, they were both awake and I fixed them each an omelet with some salsa on the side. The eggs break down the toxins and the spice helps to open the pores. They both ate slowly and thanked me for taking care of them.

April was feeling good enough to climb the stairs and she made her way home after dinner. Darcy was going to stay another night but apologized for ruining my day. I said, "You did what you wanted to do and were having a lot of fun right up until you passed out. I'm glad that you got sick and got some of the alcohol out of your system before you went to bed. Your drinking caused your body to work over time, to recover from your indulgence. I'm glad that I could help you. I had fun watching you three dancing around in your underwear."

"Christie wanted to have fun after she saw the pictures on the wall and was using the liquid courage to see if we could have a fun time together. I guess we went too far."

"Darcy you know that I would never take advantage of a girl who was way out of her brain. If she wanted to party in our bed, all she had to do was ask. I bet if April and I would have made a Darcy sandwich that Christie would have been ready to join us without the vodka. I love to make Darcy sandwiches."

"I love being in your sandwiches. We just went too far but we were having fun. Thanks again for looking after us."

I held her on the couch for a while but she felt tired early so I tucked her in around nine. I got out the Lysol, wiped down the bathrooms, and tried to get rid of any lingering smell. I watched a basketball game on TV and drank a Coke. I slipped in with Darcy around eleven.

She woke up and she was feeling better. She had breakfast with me but then had to go do some homework. It was cool but not cold. I went up to check on April to see if she was up for golf and she was. We rode over to the course and she was thankful like Darcy for the effort I did to look after her. We made sure that the bets were low since April was still recovering. We lost two on the front and two on the back for $23. She said that she would cover me and paid both Chris and Mandy. I had told Chris about the party and he must have told Mandy because they were both nice to her as she struggled through the round. On the way back to the apartment she said, "Don't let me do that ever again."

"I'm not your keeper. If you tell me before a party or before you come over then I'll do it as a short-term request but I can't take your instructions today and apply them to the orgy we will have after your wedding."

"We're not having an orgy after my wedding."

"Don't you want to show everyone that you're a woman and know how to please your man."

"I think it would be better if I just showed my man that I could please him."

"That's an interesting approach. I think that will be the first wedding where I didn't fuck the bride after the reception. Not including my mother's wedding."

"How many other weddings have you been to?"

"None."

"You're such a pervert. Maybe we can get together before the wedding but then I would have to get one of my bridesmaids to take care of Angus."

"And then we could swap after the wedding and we would all be happy."

"What if my bridesmaid doesn't want to swap?"

"Well then you can take care of both Angus and me."

"I think we're back to the part that I said, I didn't think it would be a good idea to let you fuck me after the wedding."

"Oh I forgot. I must have selective memory. Make sure you write that down on the wedding invitation so I don't forget again."

"I won't. I thought you needed permission for married women."

"You're exceptional so I'll make a special exception."

"Britt lets go have sex so you can get me off of your brain. You don't have permission after Angus and I marry unless Angus gives it to you."

"OK, how pretty will your bridesmaids be because I know that I'll be missing your fine body when you run off with that other guy?"

"They will be pretty. Maybe you should bring a date."

We went back and had sex. We talked and kidded each other all the way through the act. I was asking her who of her friends had the biggest nipples or the tightest pussies. She mentioned one girl who was not included in the bridal party as a bridesmaid, but I was lobbying hard for her to add her.

She went up to her place and I walked down to Burrito Brothers and brought back some dinner.

Everything was back to normal by Monday morning and I did get a call on Thursday from Christie. She thought that her group would finish by the break and wanted to meet to review her findings, before I went home. I asked if she wanted to meet at my place or somewhere that Dr. Stahl felt comfortable. She said that she would check with him and get back to me the following week.

I heard back from her and she said that Dr. Stahl said that he would come to my place so we would have the same privacy as we had when we worked on my project. We planned to meet the following Thursday the day before school finished. I called Lucas, told him that we were meeting the following Thursday with Dr. Stahl, and asked if he was almost ready or if he needed the break to finish up.

He said, "Britt, we are still finishing up. Is there any way to get a little more of the payment before Christmas so I can get some presents for my family?"

"Lucas, you can stop by for another hundred but that will only leave fifty for when you finish. Can we set up a date to go over the project for the week we get back and I'll check the day and time with Dr. Stahl? He wants to sit in on the presentations."

"Sure, I'll be over in a bit to get the payment and we can look at the calendar." He did come by for his money and picked the Thursday after New Years to present his findings.

When the presentation came around Dr. Stahl came over and we sat in the living room while Christie reviewed the findings from my business plan and made suggestions. She reviewed each business unit and listed strengths and weaknesses for each as well as small suggestions or clarifications that I needed to better define in the plan. Overall, she agreed with almost everything. When she finished reviewing the plan, she had some other things to add.

Christie said, "Other areas that weren't clearly defined in the plan that I think could add value to the project are what I'll cover next. The first area is the trailers. I don't see anywhere where you clearly define if you plan to buy, build, own or rent the trailers that you will use to haul the freight. It mighty be easier to rent or use existing trailers as you begin operations. As your cash flow increases, we would recommend that you buy or build your own trailers to give you the rights to decorate them. When I say decorate I mean sell advertising space on the trailers. You can either include this as part of your contracts with the people you haul for or for others that would typically buy billboard space.

"The second area is around where you fill up the trucks. Your typical route goes out four hours and back four hours. Since you're supplying the fuel, the cost won't vary significantly from stop to stop. Most, but not all of your routes, will cross over a state line. Most of your truck stops also will have multiple directions that the routes can go. As an example, you have a truck stop in the middle of Missouri that has routes that go into Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and Arkansas. That means that the trucks that use that truck stop as their main hub have five locations where they can obtain fuel. It would make sense to understand the fuel tax for each state, county or city that you have truck stops to lessen your tax burden. If Illinois is forty-eight cents a gallon and Missouri is thirty-one cents a gallon then you would be better to fill up in Missouri. On the other hand, it may make sense to fill up the next time they went into Arkansas where it is only twenty-six cents a gallon. The difference between Illinois and Arkansas is twenty-two cents a gallon or two cents a mile with your increased fuel mileage projections. Two cents times a million miles a minute equals twenty thousand dollars a minute in savings."

She finished up and thanked me for letting her work on the project. I sat their stunned. I thanked her and Dr. Stahl for recommending her. I asked if he had any thoughts on her presentation.

Dr. Stahl said, "After I heard about what Britt was doing from Christie I became interested in understanding the project better. I spent three days reviewing the business plan when I had some free time and I didn't see any flaws in the plan as a whole but also agree that you could have designed some of the areas better. Overall, I thought and think it is a brilliant idea. I think that the two additional items that you came up with Christie showed that you really took time to understand the project and added benefits to areas that Britt did not consider during the original planning. Both of you have impressed me. I see that you have included the names of your team on the cover page. For the purpose of a grade I would like to sit down with you after the holidays to discuss the role each of them played so they can get credit or extra credit in line with their work."