A Fantasy about Love Pt. 05

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 had 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!"

My stomach reminded me that hunger was one of the prime movers of mankind, and I sat down at the table. She had prepared a salad and a veal cutlet with a crusty sauce, and had opened a bottle of Pinot Noir. I tried to talk to her, but whenever she moved, her breasts moved, too, and they were winking at me, diverting my attention. Finally, I pulled myself together, finished the excellent meal, helped her clean up and led her to the sitting room.

"Let me know first what happened with your mother, and then I'll tell you what occurred in the office."

"My love, I arranged Mother's stay at the spa -- there was no problem at all. We had a long conversation last night; there was a lot of crying and embracing, but at the end, we were almost happy again. She cancelled all her appointments for this week and when I left her at the spa, she seemed determined to make it work. I also checked with her doctor; you know that she had taken medicine for her depression all these years? James, she had mixed up her medication, and the doctor said that it could have become very serious if she would not stop this immediately. Thank God that he told me this -- I'll observe her from now on! ¨

Her serious face became lighter and she started to grin.

"We also decided that we would marry in ten weeks' time, and that she would organize the event in Brisbane. This will give her something different to do, and she'll do it willingly and perfectly. Do you agree?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"No!"

That being resolved (and what happened to the idea that I was their lord and master?), I told her about the day in the office. I did not expect chaos or panic up to and during the visit from HQ, but the situation would not be very far away from it. Unfortunately, it would also mean that I was covered again in work way over my head and could not pay much attention to her. In fact, I had brought work home and would have to stay at least another two hours going through my files. And tomorrow I had an important meeting at 8:00, so she had two choices, stay with me in the sitting room and sleep here on the couch (but please away from me so that I could actually accomplish something), or go to bed and sleep there.

She chose to stay with me, got a blanket, gave me a gentle kiss and arranged herself on the coach. She blew me another kiss and closed her eyes. It was touching to see the total trust she had in me, but that did not resolve my problem.

I dove into my files and tried to develop the logic of an important presentation as I was certain that I would be tested in front of my superiors, and to prepare the backup answers to all the pertinent or stupid questions I would be asked. On top of this I had to think about the meeting with our customer: the information I had received was very superficial. I closed my files at midnight, woke up Maureen who had not moved and occasionally smiled even asleep, and we went to bed. I did not forget my goodnight kisses and she continued to sleep with a smile on her face.

The next morning, I woke up still tired; Maureen had already gone to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. I showered, put on my executive suit with the Hermès tie, polished my shoes, and entered the kitchen. Maureen was waiting for me, dressed in just a little apron and the table was already set with fruits, yoghurts, bread and jam, and strong coffee. She smiled at me.

"Sleepyhead, wake up. Here is coffee, and you've to eat something to last until lunch. You have 15 minutes, so sit down., but first do your duties and say good morning!" and she bent and presented her breasts for my kisses. It was a habit that sounded ridiculous, but it gave us enormous pleasure. The 15 minutes passed rapidly, and I had a car waiting to take me to the customer.

The meeting was far less urgent that was said to me; they had a software problem that I had encountered already in the States with another customer, and we resolved it rapidly.

At the office I tried to pull all my data together into a logical and convincing presentation. Something told me that this was another test for me, and I better was prepared for it. It took me the whole day, and frequently I called one of my people for more information or clarifications. At the end, I was quite satisfied with myself.

Coming home late Maureen was waiting for me at the door; she also felt the presence of my soul as I felt hers. She was dressed again in her slinky grey gown that left nothing to the imagination and her kiss was reviving my spirits. She had prepared drinks and a light supper, and afterwards I had the pleasure of holding her in my arms whilst I was telling her about the day. After making wonderful and deeply satisfying love, we fell asleep in each other's arms.

The week passed rapidly, and, on the weekend, we rented a sailboat and Maureen showed me how to run sails up and down. When we arrived at the quay, she offered me the chance to tie it up and I jumped on it; unfortunately, my effort was quite disastrous, but the boat was only slightly damaged. Maureen forgave me, but the owner wanted payment. I tried to forget business and it was wonderful as I could concentrate on pleasing my love and she responded with enthusiasm.

On Monday my staff gave me their input; it was a job well done and helped me to focus on my presentation. Wednesday the fun started. A bit before noon my presentation was finished and fine-tuned, and I walked over to Peter to see how he was going. He was ripping his hair off and almost yelled at me to help him. His presentation certainly needed help and I asked Mary Ann to get sandwiches for us and we started to revise the document. I told her that I would go first, and Peter would finish.

Frank and Sir Allan were waiting for me and Frank asked where Peter was. I said that he was finishing his presentation and that I preferred to start.

It was a good presentation: A short overview of Australia and its industry, a breakdown of prospects by industry, a more detailed breakdown of our customers by industry, and finally, a definition of the area I was responsible for: Large Customers and big computers. Then I went into details and showed the overall progress (or lack thereof) during the last two years, the current situation and our forecast for the next two years, including goals set and resources requested. At the end, I went into NT, the biggest sale that my company had made in its history and showed the timeline from the first contact to the final sale. I finished with what I expected to happen with this company, its potential growth (with more sales for us) and what we could use from our knowledge of the data and processes of this specific company for other prospects.