by Opal Cole
She relaxed visibly and snuggled a little to find the best position. "Thank you both. I do love you, whatever I've said or done. Don't forget this!"
Within a minute she was asleep, and I whispered to Maureen: "What are we going to do now? I told her in no few words that we were off to Sydney and now she is in our bed, asleep. Is everything forgotten?"
I did not know what else to say or do, so I shrugged and closed my eyes. Despite all the confusion, I was fast asleep within a few moments, too. During the night I woke up once and discovered that Eileen had taken my hand and placed it on her breast -- somehow her robe had opened enough that I held her firm breast and when I tried to take it away, she murmured something and did not let me move away. Well, a firm breast of a beautiful woman is something to cherish, and who was I to throw this moment away?
I woke up when Eileen started to move around. Suddenly she seemed to realize where she was and tried to slip out quietly. I whispered to her to stay until Maureen woke up and she snuggled back against me, and looking at me, took my hand and placed it back on her breast.
"Please leave it there, James. I missed it so much that you touched me. You don't have to do anything -- just hold me safe."
I always thought that I had strong principles and my character was firm, but at this moment all pretenses vanished; I held her closely in my arms, with her pushing her breast into my hand, and when she closed her eyes contently, I bent forward and gave her a light kiss. I saw Maureen looking at me, probably analyzing the situation as she had this ingrained decision process: get information, analyze information, consider options and make a decision. I had seen this from the first time I met her and while it could be serious and slow, but most of the times it was fast and straightforward. She looked up again and nodded.
"You did right, my love. We are family, and families have problems once in a while. As long as we talk to each other and resolve the problems, we'll always stay together and be united."
Eileen opened her eyes and looked first at me, then at Maureen.
"Am I welcome again? Am I forgiven for the stupid things I thought and did? Am I still yours, James, and am I still your Mom?"
There was that moment when two people who love each other very much seem to know what the other one thinks, and words are not necessary. We both nodded and Eileen threw herself at us, crying and smiling at the same time. Somehow her robe opened completely and fell off the bed, and there was that beautiful woman completely nude in our arms. There may be better ways to wake up, but I cannot imagine any! It was fun for a while and then Eileen offered to do breakfast.
"Am I family again? Really, James? Prove it!" and she presented her breasts to me for a kiss, which I accepted with great pleasure and she was not disappointed by the enthusiasm I showed, making certain that I had not forgotten how they felt in my mouth.
Then she kissed me and said "Thanks, James. Thank you very much." and turning to Maureen she repeated it. Then she got up and said that she would make breakfast; if we wanted to go to Sydney after lunch, we needed a solid base. And did we want French Champagne or Australian bubbly?
Maureen and I looked at each other, confused, but relieved. The situation could have gone easily out of control and the memories would have been bitter and sad. Now, whilst not completely healed, we had a chance to come back to the unity we had before.
"I believe that you better stay another day in Brisbane. I am worried about her mood swings, but let me think what we can do."
She agreed and after doing our morning getting up ceremony (and how pleasant it was), we had a shower, dressed and went to the breakfast area. Eileen had already prepared everything and was waiting for us. She looked beautiful again, wearing a long, semi-transparent slinky gown and visibly no underwear. She smiled temptingly: "I did remember your order, my master. No underwear when we're at home. Do you like it?"
I had to admit that the picture was stunning: the tall redhead, a little bit of makeup, a timid smile, and an absolutely beautiful body, full but firm, sensual, and plainly visible. On top of it, I knew that it was mine, whenever and however I wanted it, as she had said so often. But that was an issue to be resolved later as at this moment, I had another problem.
"Eileen, you look beautiful, and I like it very much. Unfortunately, I cannot explore the opportunity as I want; we have to leave soon to catch a plane."
Her face fell and her smile vanished. I walked over to her and said that 'soon' meant two hours, and that we should enjoy her breakfast first. I gave her a kiss, and she pressed herself against me.
"Could you not take a plane tomorrow morning?"
I reminded her that I had a job that that job started at 8:30 on Monday morning, and I did not have defined hours at night, but that I had to work to solve my problems and orient my people as necessary. I asked her if she always went home on time and she agreed that this happened rarely.
"Let's have breakfast and we can talk a little bit more afterwards."
Maureen was an excellent cook, but her mother was as good. The food was wonderful, assisted by a bottle of champagne she had dragged out of her well-stocked cellar. The conversation was light, and nobody touched on the issue of Maureen going with me to Sydney. Then the two ladies cleaned up and we went to the sitting room.
I had come to a conclusion, but had had no time to discuss it with Maureen; she had to trust me on this.
"Eileen, I have been watching you the last three days and you are tired -- deadly tired. You need time to relax and start again. I would like to suggest the following, and I have not discussed this with Maureen, that you should cancel all your commitments for the next week and go to a spa to recover and to relax."
Both looked at me -- Maureen with confidence that I would find a solution, Eileen with hope that I could find one.
"You're tired, Eileen, and your face and body show this. You have an important new project to guide during the next months, you'll make important decisions and spend a lot of money, and we'll have to find a way to become a family again. All this will take an enormous amount of energy, and I observe that you don't have that energy to spend. My best advice is for you to take time out, get a massage, eat green leaves, walk around, meditate, and do whatever it takes to get you back on your feet. We'll be with you, even staying in Sydney. Actually, what I also suggest is that Maureen stays here until tomorrow, helps you setting everything up, and comes to Sydney tomorrow night. I need her, too!"
Maureen looked at me, closed her eyes for a moment and then nodded.
"If you want this, Mother, I'll do it. I agree with James: you need rest. I'll get you to your spa tomorrow afternoon and we'll talk during the week. Depending on the commitments James has for the next days and weeks, we might come up to Brisbane the next weekend; if not, I'll come and stay with you for a few days."
Eileen considered our suggestions -- it was not what she wanted right now, but she realized that it was the best she could get. I hoped that she would also realize that she really needed the rest since her company depended on her and in her present state of mind, she would make mistakes and they could be costly.
She nodded and said that if this was what I thought best for her, she would do it, and looking at Maureen, she said: "Mother? Not Mom anymore?"
"I believe we need a long talk tonight to sort out our problems, and you getting some rest today will probably start to help. Do we all agree on this?"
Eileen and I nodded and then I asked whether there was still some champagne left as the mood had become too somber. We finished the bottle, Maureen called the airport to change our tickets once more, and I said goodbye to Eileen. She started to cry again and did not want to let me go. At the end, she relaxed somewhat and told me she would go to the spa; she knew that she needed rest. A final kiss and Maureen took me to the airport.
During the drive we discussed what could be done for Eileen, and Maureen agreed that the spa was the best solution at this moment. I did not like the way Eileen had agreed to everything I h
ad suggested and if she were to keep control of her company, she had to get her energy back. At the Gate we kissed goodbye and when she was going to cry, I reminded her that tomorrow night she would be in my bed, and I expected to hold her in my arms and kiss her all over. She nodded, smiled and I said goodbye once more, that I loved her, and left.
When I entered my flat there was a message from Sir Allan to see him on Monday morning at 10:00. I acknowledged the message and went to bed: it had been an exhausting weekend. I called Maureen and even Eileen came to the phone for a moment and her voice seemed to be a bit firmer.
When I arrived at the company, Mary Ann was already waiting for me confirming that Sir Allan wanted to see me at 10:00. Since it was still early, I went to see Peter and was received by a big hug; I was so surprised that I could not move. When he let me go, I asked what had happened.
"Don't you know that you are the big hero now? That you tamed the Wicket Witch from the East? That our project was confirmed because you put her in her place? The news went through the company like wildfire and you can imagine how the conversations in the pubs were lively. You made our results for the year and everyone will get a bonus!"
"Peter, slow down. First, Eileen is not the Wicked Witch of the West; I agree that she is a witch and has shown some very witchy attributes that I would like to forget rapidly. I did not understand in the beginning what was going on, but then I used Sir Allan to force her to make a decision whether she wanted to cancel everything or go along with us, and being the business woman she is, she took the right decision. She was overstressed and tired, and that reflected on her decisions and words. And secondly: it was the team that made the proposal. I only presented it and I shall say to everyone who wants to hear it that you were an important part of the team. But at the end, it went well, and now I'll have to look at other projects and see what more we can do."
"You are too modest, James, and I and all of us know this. You probably know it, too, but don't want to admit it openly, but you are James Winter, and we are proud of you."
I shook my head and asked him to change the subject. Any potential contacts he was aware of? Any rumors about other logistics companies? I had heard that there was a low-level contact between the second biggest transport company in Australia and one of our guys (and I did not know with whom), and I wanted to make certain that we did not promise what we could not provide. We had signed confidentially agreements, after all, and it would be interesting to see what we could do to get more business and where we had to stop. Then my secretary called and reminded me of my appointment, and I told Peter that we should have lunch together. He agreed and off I went.
Sir Allan was waiting and asked me to close the door. This told me that he wanted to talk about confidential matters.
"James, first of all I want to tell you once more that we and I personally appreciate the work you have done on NT, but this was not the only success story. We have turned other prospects into customers, and few have turned away from us. It's not only your area that has done well, but all have contributed to it. We have passed already all goals that were set for us for this year. It may be a coincidence, but since you started here, our work has been outstanding. You've set high standards for yourself and for your people that were difficult to obtain, but you did it and your example had motivated other people to do the same. Thank you, James."
I knew that there is no limit to the capacity of human beings to accept flattery and I hoped that I had enough common sense to avoid this, but ... I was no exception. To hear this from a man I respected was more than flattery, however, it was an honest evaluation and judgment. I did not know what to say and just looked at him, but his glance indicated that he waited for an answer.
"Sir Allan, leadership offers limitless opportunities for mistakes, but the education I received from my father, an officer in the German Army, taught me to accept responsibility and to use that responsibility to lead others, and my years in the company have taught me the limits of my capacity. I know that teamwork is almost always more effective than a man alone staring at his computer, and I've tried to put this into my daily life. I know that I'm good, but I also know that I could be much better, and I hope that the guidance I'll receive from you will help me. This is not flattery, but my earnest request to let me go, observe me and reign me in when, in your opinion, I try too hard. But looking at this specific case, it is not only me, but everyone in this company who worked hard. Perhaps I was lucky to inherit the best salesmen and engineers, but the team effort was fabulous."
He nodded, satisfied with my response.
"James, it is good to hear that you praise others, but may I give you some advice? Even the best team needs a leader and that leader cannot always hide behind others. In your case, you've worked exceptionally well, and I'd suggest that you accept the praise with good grace. That is one point. Tell me, how did you work out with Mrs. Monahan? If this is a personal point, I withdraw the question, but I would like to know whether there will be other problems in the future with NT."
"There will be no problems, Sir Allan. There was a misunderstanding and Mrs. Monahan had decided to go away for a week, to relax and rest. She was overstressed and reacted in a way that was not normal for her. She understands this now and I expect that when she comes back next week from the spa, she will be the executive we know and feared: tough, decisive, and demanding, but I expect her to be fair. If there were a problem, I'll resolve it."
He looked at me and nodded.
"OK, that resolves that. James, I spoke with NY on Friday night and was told that my boss, the Asian Region General Manager, will be in Sydney next week from Wednesday night to Sunday afternoon. He wants to get presentations on our sales, systems, and financial areas. Frank will handle the introductory overall marketing data, and Peter and you the sales and systems part. The major part will fall on you, because Peter's area is not so difficult. Please concentrate on this the following days and prepare a draft presentation for Frank and me on Tuesday afternoon next week. Your presentation will be on Thursday afternoon, Finance probably on Friday morning, and there will be dinner on Friday night. Please stay around on Saturday -- one never knows what can happen with visitors from HQ! You know this well, I assume!"
I left his office and went directly to Peter. This was new to him and he was immediately worried. He had just passed his goals, but any cancellation would throw him into negative points again. I told him to get his presentation ready and be realistic with his preview for the current year, but he did not have to be too pessimistic.
Then I went to my office and thought about my presentation. This visit was a surprise and there would be changes to be made during and after the visit. Better be prepared for anything! Later I called my people and when I entered the meeting room I was surprised by the thunderous welcome -- at first I did not understand the reason, but suddenly it dawned on me: 250,000 reasons! They wanted to know how much and when, and I had to admit that there had not been enough time to analyze and decide on details. I promised, however, that by the end of the week they would know enough to start spending.
Then I informed them about the oncoming visit and my presentation. I asked them to go back to their data and give me their thoughts on NT, present and future, and whatever other prospects they knew about. When I said that I wanted this next Monday, the general happy mood turned into groans.
"You do it to us again, James! We worked our ass off and here we have to go again! German! Hitler! Heil James!"
They groaned and laughed at the same time. Peter laughed also, reminding them who I was.
"We should know this slave driver by now, gents. Better get out and start working before he has more of these ideas!"
I knew that the groans were realistic, but I also knew that they would not let me down and that the reports would be on my desk by Monday night. They were good people!
The mood within the company had changed by noon. Everyone knew that a performance review was coming up and we wanted to
show that we were the best. Unfortunately, planning was one matter, reality was something else. A major customer selected this moment to ask for an emergency meeting; something bad had happened and they wanted a solution now. Fortunately, he was located in Sydney, so I did not have to travel. I promised to be there at 8:00 the next morning, and went back to my other problem. At night I was exhausted and packed up all the reports that had accumulated on my desk and went home.
Entering the elevator, I felt suddenly a familiar essence -- Maureen was home! When I opened the door, she flew into my arms and all my documents were airborne.
"James, where were you? I have been waiting such a long time!"
It was wonderful to be embraced by a beautiful woman and feeling her body against mine. She kissed me deeply and inclined her head on my shoulder, snuggling close in a most exciting way.
"My love, my job called and is still calling. Let me have a short shower and we'll talk. But how is your mother?"
She shook her head. "Not now, James, I'll tell you over dinner, but everything seems to be OK. But more important: Do you need assistance? Perhaps a back rub under hot water?"
She gave me the back rub and we almost did not make it out of the shower, but duty called, and I pushed her out.
"Get dressed, gentle lady, and we will talk over dinner."
I stopped.
"I don't know whether there is dinner. I did not go shopping and the fridge must be empty. Do you accept a glass of wine and bread with butter?"
"James, I know you and went shopping after I arrived. By the way, the Porsche runs very well -- if there were a call from the police, I might have accelerated a bit too much on a straight. He did not stop me, but I saw him reaching for his tablet. I smiled my happiest smile at him, but I do not know whether it worked. Forgive me -- I hope that you accept the dinner as my payment!"
I put on a pair of slacks and a t-shirt and went to the kitchen. There she was: as always, a stunning picture of a beautiful woman, and better still, my woman. She was dressed (or undressed) in a smoky grey long gown showing off her figure with all details: her pointy breasts with stand-up nipples, her narrow waist, her pussy with the exclamation mark of red hair, and her long and firm legs. I walked up to her, bent and gave her a deep kiss; I did not miss the opportunity to touch gently her firm breasts and twirl her nipples. She leaned into me and said: "If you want dinner, stop this now. If you've other ideas, please remove me to the bedroom. Make up your mind, my love!"