2015 - Kiss Me, You Fool

They sat on the side of the pool to watch the other families enjoy themselves as they had done. That's when an anomaly occurred to Lee Ann. "Where are Carole and Anne-Marie?"

"Jean said Carole painted all night and Anne-Marie stayed with her." Kitty told her.

"It's getting to five to hungry." Barbie said. "Why don't go inside and start working on the salads?"

They towelled themselves dry and walked in the house where they divided the tasks like a well-oiled cooking machine.

Chapter 6

The next morning, Carole and Anne-Marie were still absent from the breakfast table.

"Carole crashed around 11:00pm last night and they slept on the daybed." Kayla told them. "Early this morning, Anne-Marie took her downstairs for a quick shower and picked-up some fruit before taking her back upstairs."

"We saw them." Julia said. "Carole was still in her trance."

"I guess this means we take it easy today." Jean said. "I could use a break. Last week was murder."

"Do you want to go back to bed, dear?" Kayla asked her.

"Later, love. For now, I'd like to work on the drawing I started yesterday. Somehow, I feel like it's calling to me to finish it."

"Funny you should say that." Ann said. "I have the same feeling."

Maybe not so strangely considering the company, all the others expressed the same sentiment to various degrees.

Not long after the women had fixed a quick lunch for themselves to eat as they kept drawing, Anne-Marie came downstairs.

"She's done." She told them all before turning to Jean and Kayla. "You should join her. I'm not sure why, but this painting took a lot out of her." She watched them rush to their bedroom then opened her arms to her wives. "And I need you take a quick dip with me then take me in your arms for a much needed nap." As they walked out, she looked at the other four women. "If you want to join us, it would make me very happy."

She tried her best so nobody saw her cry herself to sleep, but her wives knew they were tears of happiness.

Some hours later, they smiled fondly as they watched Carole stuff herself with leftovers from the day before as Jean supported her with an arm around her shoulders.

Kayla quietly gave them an idea of the amount of energy she expended when she worked for so long, not to mention that which she expended in the use of her unique Talent.

"If you want to know just how much that is, I can show you the math." Ann told them seriously.

"It's not so bad this time." Carole said weakly. "I don't know how, but I got a couple of boosts of energy, yesterday and again today, as far as I can tell." She stopped talking to take in some more food. "It's another one of those painting that comes out of the left field. The last thing I remember is watching Abigail, Kayla and Jean make love together, then we were all kneeling by them to share in that love. And I woke up in our bed." A few minutes later, she went on. "I've never done this kind of painting. It's a technique I not familiar with at all. I'm not sure how you'll all like it."

"How can you say that, Baby Girl?" Jean kissed her temple as she continued eating. "I know we'll all love it." She wondered what she had just said when she saw Anne-Marie from the corner of her eye, grinning like the proverbial Cheshire Cat at her words.

As expected, when Carole stopped eating, she almost fell face first in her plate, fast asleep. Jean carried her back to bed, Kayla at her side.

The sun had gone down a while back and everyone was talking quietly in the living room or at the kitchen table when they heard a toilet flush followed by shouts of horror and much laughter. Then the water started running and soon the laughter was replaced by giggles, soft words and moans. The women shared smiles of relief that Carole was fully back among them.

A light snack was already on the table when the three women arrived.

"Hi, all!" Carole said gaily. "I'm sorry I missed the party yesterday."

"That was quite a party, all right." Danielle laughed. "Who'd 'a thought Lee Ann and her wives loved to work in the kitchen. You should have seen them. They are really a great team."

"I know." Carole grinned. "Did Cam tell you the story of the Asian Thanksgiving dinner? They've all been learning to cook together for years."

"That Kitty is quite a character, too." Abigail laughed. "I don't think I've ever seen anyone with so much energy. She spent the afternoon in the pool and she was still rearing to go when we were all stuffed and drowsy after an excellent supper."

"I'll bet she was." Carole told her. "With four new gorgeous naked women to play with. I'm sure you've all been groped and fondled numerous times."

"Yes, but how can you say no to that face." Danielle grinned. "I wanted to take her on my lap and cuddle all afternoon."

"She'll be glad to know she's made another conquest." Carole said. "Under her playful and carefree manner, she's a very caring woman. She'll move the world for her friends and from what I hear, she adopted you all. You should be happy."

"Oh, we are." Stéphanie hastened to say. "It's clear that they are a very happy and loving family. Even Lee Ann..."

Carole put a hand on her arm. "Don't judge her too harshly. She means well. She's so used to being responsible for other people's welfare that she just has trouble looking past her vision of what's best for them. I'd bet anything that she was very proud of whatever she offered you and that, in her mind, it was something great for you."

The four women looked at each other and back at Carole with a slightly sheepish look. "We may have overreacted a bit." Abigail admitted. "It's just that..."

"Was there anything at all that looked good to you?" Carole asked softly.

"Well, there was an offer for a short term consultant job that sounded interesting." Steph said. "It would have given us the opportunity to learn a whole other aspect of the transportation business, but the rest..."

She stopped when Ann came back and dropped a file in front of her.

"I swiped it from Barbie's briefcase." She said. "It did sound like a good opportunity even if I agree that the other part of her offer was poorly thought out."

"But we already turned her down and quite harshly, I'm afraid." Steph admitted.

"You turned down a business proposition, but you had fun with the woman." Jean told her. "As Carole said, she may come out strong, but her heart is in the right place."

"Look it over and think about it." Ann said. "It's a fair and generous offer, I think. I'd only add the proviso that your plane tickets to and from the West Coast every week-end be included. She really needs help with this and she trusts you two to analyse the situation and give her the real facts so she can make an informed decision for the next step."

"That's right." Jean went on. "The situation in Vancouver is a mess and you'll have your work cut out to redress it. Or at least come up with a practical solution so all she has to do is find the right people to apply it."

"What do you say, love?" Abigail took Stéphanie's hand in hers. "We've come a long way from simple long haul truckers. Why not take another step?"

Danielle and Leila came over to take their wives in their arms. Not a word was spoken out loud, but a faint luminosity surrounded them all.

"We'll call her tomorrow." Stéphanie said at length. "The worst that can happen is that she'll say it's too late."

"I'm sure it's not." Carole told her. "So, who wants to see my latest painting?"

She was literally carried up to her studio where everyone stopped and gaped at the wonderful, vibrant painting on the easel.

Misunderstanding their hesitation, Carole apologized. "I understand if you don't like it. The main house is almost a technical drawing and I've never done that. I'm afraid the proportions are all wrong. And..."

Her next words were smothered under an avalanche of hugs and kisses, then, to her surprise, everyone ran out of the room. She was still stunned by the turn of events when they rushed back, proudly showing her the drawings they had been working on. To all intents and purposes, they were identical to her own painting.

A large and majestic house, an elegant mix of Dutch and French colonial architecture topped by a hip roof on a varied plan with overhanging eaves covering the wraparound porch rose two stories high with a glassed monitor topping it. It was finished with fieldstones and what looked like cedar greyed with age. The roof was covered with dark green shingles matching the trimmings and shutters.

What struck everyone the most was the sense of proportions given by the mature trees surrounding it. This was definitely not a single family dwelling.

At the end of a walkway made of artistically set paving stones hung a sign that was swaying in the wind. The words 'Casa de Amor' were beautifully calligraphied on its face.

Carole was right, the amount of details was incredible, but the house radiated warmth and hospitality nonetheless. The rest of the painting was in a different style, but it seemed to flow from the central house, a projection almost. One could see the shapes and some parts of a few houses but no more, they were so well integrated in the nature surrounding them.

A sense of reverence permeated the studio as they all took in the meaning of the painting and that of the drawings they were holding in their hands. With tears flowing freely, they all went to Carole to hug and kiss her lovingly. "You are right. Thank you." Was the general consensus.

The three families filed out, bringing the hushed atmosphere with them. When Stéphanie and her wives turned toward the sofa-bed, they were gently brought back into the fold as they all repaired to the oversized bed in the master bedroom.

Ann and Jean had been right. When Stéphanie called Barbara to enquire if the consultant contract was still available, she was immediately put in a conference call with Lee Ann who assured her that it was indeed. She invited Stéphanie and Abigail to come over so they could get the complete file on the work to be done. Before either woman could ask, she told them that she had noticed something missing in the original contract: business class tickets each Friday afternoon and Monday morning so they could spend the full week-end with their wives.

When they arrived at the office, they were ushered in Lee Ann's office where fresh cups of their favorite blend of coffee were waiting for them. Barbara joined them and they all sat in comfortable chairs around a low table on which were a thick file, two portable computers and two leather portfolios.

Barbara asked them to open the portfolios and sign the non-disclosure agreement before they began to discuss the project.

"It's standard procedure. We require it of everyone who works at your level. This file and much of the information you will be made privy to is extremely sensitive. If any of it was leaked before we finalize the deal currently in the works, it could mean millions of dollars lost for us. You can't even tell Danielle and Leila."

"Then we have a problem again." Stéphanie told her, crestfallen. "We literally can't keep it from them."

Barbara and Lee Ann looked at each other. "Oh! You too." Lee Ann said. "It's not a problem. We'll only ask that they sign a similar agreement. I must warn you that it is binding and that the penalties for breaking it are severe because of the consequences."

"We understand." Abigail assured her. "You can trust them as you trust us."

"Don't feel put upon." Barbara told them. "Carole and Kayla had to sign one for exactly the same reasons. As for Ann, let's just say she's something else entirely and leave it at that."

"We really do understand. So, what do you need us to do exactly?" Steph asked.

"In one word, everything." Lee Ann grinned. "As Jean's team found out, the whole transportation side of that business is bent coming and going. We need you to start from scratch, really. This file contains the details of their whole operation and all the scams they run. Once you've read it, burn it. There's a copy on your secure computers. We need you to research the transportation conduits from Asia to America and back though the export side is minor. We also need you to estimate the costs for transportation all over this continent. That's the first step. Be discreet in your inquiries. You can't let it be known why you are doing this research, which is why you're ideal for the job. You will look like you're doing it for your own company. We will need a progress report every week. You can use the flight time back to work on it. These computers are encrypted and protected in every way imaginable. As far as we know, Ann is the only one who ever broke through."

"You're right, doing research for ourselves is a good cover. We'll do our best, but you must realize we don't know the first thing about maritime transport though with containers being so prevalent, it shouldn't be too hard to grasp."

"We trust you to do what's needed. If you need contacts, let Jean know. She still has a skeleton team over there keeping an eye on our target."

"That's it then. We'll study the material and get back to you before we leave."

"Barbara will take you to the IT department. They will give you instructions on the security protocols. I'm glad to have you aboard, ladies."

When Barbara returned, she went to Lee Ann's wet bar camouflaged as a cabinet and poured two small glasses of Irish whiskey.

"That's another one we owe Ann, I'd bet. The file for the consultant project was missing from my briefcase."

"I expected it, really. It was the only part of our presentation that interested them, after all. Thanks for the plane tickets idea. I should have thought of it myself."

"If you could think of everything, I'd be out of a job."

"That'll never happen, honey. Speaking of which, down that drink and get back to work, you sack of lazy bones."

Barbara walked around Lee Ann's desk, hips swaying seductively and kissed her deeply. "That's not what you were saying last night." She said, licking her ear.

Stéphanie and Abigail went to the Lachine warehouse and used the small office at the far end. When they were ready for a break if only to rest their eyes, Danielle and Leila brought them fresh mugs of coffee.

"What a way to do business." Danielle exclaimed. "Did they really expect to get away with it?"

"They have and nobody can do anything about it in fact." Stéphanie sighed. "They didn't put a gun to their client's heads to force them to sign those contracts. All they did was take advantage of people's laziness and trust when faced with something they don't know anything about. They made millions with it. All the sellers did was raise their prices to compensate for the high cost."

"That's where Lee Ann expects to make her money." Abigail explained. "By lowering the shipping cost significantly, she'll assure herself of the shipper's loyalty and the buyers' too plus she'll open the market with the lower costs of the products. And, unless I'm mistaken, she already has her eye on a shipping company out there. What she needs from us are facts and figures to be in the best position to negotiate."

"In a way, it's too bad we won't be getting some of that action." Leila sighed. "But our roots are here and we're barely getting started."

"Don't fret about it, honey." Abi told her. "One step at the time. We need to get this operation going and be ready when Joce and Addy need us. They're working on the Ville St-Laurent building as they research the market. Joce told me that things are coming along fine. Addy splits her time between here and Nashville until Tom is ready to be on his own for longer periods of time."

Steph laughed. "She envies our HR team, by the way. We may be able to generate some extra revenue by outsourcing their services to them."

"We should have our basic staff filled by Wednesday. If Joce wants to meet with them Thursday and Friday to work out what they need, we could hire them out for a week to ten days." Leila told her.

Steph nodded. "Good. Why don't you call her and set it up while we get back to this jumble of legal cons?"

Thanks to the company's travel agent, they got seats on the first flight of the day out of Pierre-Elliot-Trudeau airport. They all had heavy hearts when the time came to separate, but Carole and Kayla had shown them all their tricks to stay in touch with Jean when she was away, so they still managed to smile through their goodbyes.

When they arrived at their temporary office hours early, Danielle and Leila expected to be out of sorts, but when the team arrived, they found that they had gone through a surprizing amount of work on their training and procedures manuals.

They grinned at each other when they realized that their link was still there, regardless of the distance. As an experiment, they held hands and projected all their love through it. Seconds later, they laughed with happiness as it was returned.

When Jocelyne arrived Thursday morning and Danielle gave her the service contract, she signed it readily. She had done her due diligence and knew the rates were more than competitive. After lunch, she took the team with her to work out of their building since she needed to be there while Addison was away.

As was their custom, one of the two women spent most of her time in the warehouse, supervising the half-team preparing the basic divisions between client sections while the other manned the phones and worked on the documentation they would need the next week.

Since both liked to get their hands dirty and wore the appropriate clothes, they quickly became part of the team. They worked hard and weren't put off by off-color jokes. Danielle even managed to make the tough butch blush with a particularly scabrous story she once heard her Mama tell her partner when they thought she couldn't hear them. It seemed that cop stories could top construction workers'.

All in all, it was a very productive week crowned by meeting Stéphanie and Abigail at the airport before driving home together.

The following Monday, Éric brought machinery to replace the flimsy fences around the property to make it C-TPAT Approved.

The electricians got to work to set up the new lighting and heating installations. They also prepared the high voltage outlets at the lifts recharge stations and the wiring for the loading dock plates. Finally, they brought in the wiring for the offices though they would be the last to be worked on after the employees' changing rooms complete with showers and a spacious lunch room.

When the warehouse area was done, they completed the work prepared the week before, closing in the sections and doing the final assembly of the high storage racks.

Éric even managed to detail a team to help out with the dock plates. Since they had to jack-hammer part of the dock to install the machinery, redo the cement and wait for it to cure, it accelerated the process significantly.

Thursday, Leila met with suppliers to finalize service contracts.

One of those was the vending machines distributor who had been recommended by Ann. He was a member of her boss' family and gave impeccable service, guaranteeing the freshness of his food.

Another was the owner of a security company who had been recommended by Lee Ann. His company was bonded and serviced many trucking yards, so he had a staff familiar with the procedures for managing truck traffic in and out of a yard. When Leila asked him about his turnover, he laughed. "I have to force them into retirement at 70." He told her. "If you're worried about occasional security agents trying to screw you over, don't be. You may have a small rotation in the first few weeks or months, but they'll settle in and nobody will be able to dislodge them from your yard." When she showed him the procedures book she had prepared, he was impressed. "Can I keep this copy? I already have a management staff in mind for you and I can give it to them right away. Do you know that you already have a decent reputation even though you're not in operation yet? A couple of the people you hired are friends or family with some of my people and word is that you're good people. If you're looking for shift foremen, I know of at least two with lots of experience who are currently out of work because of downsizing at their company."