Dark as Daylight Ch. 11

"It was difficult at the beginning; but now it's fun. We know each other a lot better, and there is no animosity left between us. We have an arrangement, which benefits both of us, and may last us a lifetime."

"Patrick would you care to tell me about this arrangement?"

"Not particularly dad; but in the intermediate term, there will be another pair of feet under the table for meals at our house. Then, other living arrangements will be determined.

"William, when we get home make sure your mother does not know where our guns, knives, or silverware, with pointed ends are."

"Dad, leave mom to me. I will take care of her. When I'm finished, everything will be fine."

"Holy cow dad; a boy went to have sex for the first time in his young life, and came back a man."

"It would certainly seem that way William. Why don't you two order breakfast, or lunch, as it were, and join us. I will update you on what happened yesterday. There was some startling news, while you were experiencing carnal knowledge of one another."

"You found out who the tip of the spear was, dad?"

"Yes, son, we believe we did, but not in the way you think. The world received a message yesterday from the Good Luck 1. It has reached Gliese 561G and landed on it. It has renamed the planet Atwater Luck.

Sometime prior to landing, it launched its last remaining rocket. The rocket had many messages for us. The most startling one was there was a traitor on board. Doctor Lincoln Aubrey tried to destroy the ship three times, using three different methods. He tampered with computer chips, which could have caused fires to break out on board. He tampered with the manuals for the nuclear engine. If that was not found in time, they would have had to eject that engine, and been lost in space for all time. Lastly, he set up an explosive device in the elevator of the landing gear. When they went to extend it, an explosion would have occurred. It would have damaged spaceship so severely, eventually it would have killed all persons on board.

All these attempts were foiled, because of the stellar work of the crew, and passengers of the Good Luck 1."

"Who's gonna write the book dad? It's a best seller."

"I'm afraid we're going to be busy for a little while Patrick. You have your confirmation hearings coming up next Tuesday."

"What confirmation hearings dad? NASA just went out of business. Rockets are no longer needed. We have a proven system now. Hydrogen and oxygen are no longer needed to put satellites into orbit. The days of expendable rockets are gone. You build a median size bubble, like the Good Luck 1, and you can launch 30 satellites into orbit at one time. The bubble comes back, lands, and takes off a week later to do it again. The cost saving is phenomenal, and the government is out of the space business permanently, except for pure science. I'm out of a job, before I got one."

"I don't believe you should put it that way, before the Senate confirms your appointment. Let's get through today and tomorrow, and talk about it over the weekend. We will define our strategy by Monday, and fly to Washington Tuesday morning. You may be absolutely right Patrick, but I want to speak to the President first."

"As always dad, whatever you say."

"Thank you Patrick; eat your breakfast, you are three minutes into overtime."

"I think we can spare five more minutes; do you mind Audra?"

"We can jump into the pool half way down; that will save us time."

"Thank you. William can we borrow or rent one of your townhomes in New York, when they are finished being renovated? We are going to be running around naked most of the time, and I don't want mom screaming at us to put clothes on."

"Do you have references?"

"I believe I can scratch up a few."

"What are you going to do if you have to move to Washington, or Houston?"

"I guess I'll have to break my lease, and sleep in my airplane."

"I'm a very tough landlord. If there's a mark on the place, my wife will hit you."

"You are going to be in South Carolina in four months. Your wife will never know what's going on in those houses. Parties, parties, parties."

"Patrick, you never learned how to party. You don't have three friends to invite to a party. I know that sounds unkind, but our lives have been, are, and always will be different than any other people on this planet. Our father is not only the richest man in the world, but the most influential man alive. I have just taken over 80% of his businesses, but in name only. I have to learn about each one he has. It could take me a decade to do that.

When you come of age, dad wants you to take over 30% of them. We both know you are smart, so much smarter than I am, it scares me. I want you to decide which companies you want.

We will always be a family business. I don't care which businesses you take. They will always be under one name: Zabo International. We will always be richer, and have more money, then we will ever spend in 100 lifetimes. That is not our goal in life. Our goal in life is to continue dads' dream. It's not only what mom and dad are doing, but with our sister Patty, and her daughter Anna. We are going to attempt to end hunger and disease in the United States, and Africa.

All Western society has given lip service to that goal. We have started doing something about it. Our work must continue, until everyone is hunger, and disease free.

Our baby sisters will join us in that fight, when they inherit their 10% shares of the company. Even though they will be minority owners, they will be our equals, because they are family. Their husbands will have no say in what happens inside our businesses. They will be given allowances to live on, and they will be very small. They will have to work, like everyone else works, to maintain their standing in our family.

As I see it, you will wind up as Chairman of the Board before you are 30 years old. I will be the President of our company. Our holdings will be so vast; we will need offices all over the world. The only way to do it is by operating as a corporation, but maintaining it as a wholly owned family enterprise. Only you have the brains in our family to run it properly, Pat, so be prepared."

"Can I go back to China, dad."

"Son, did you just steal your brothers' line?"

"I knew I heard it somewhere, but I wasn't sure."

"I'm almost sure I heard it from William, before he met Gwen."

"You are right dad. It had something to do with him never getting married. Now, not only is he married, but he knocked her up. No wonder he wants me to be the chairman of the board. Maybe China is not remote enough anymore. Are they booking passage to Atwater Luck yet?"

William laughed. "Little brother, if I have to stay here and suffer, I'm going to make sure you do too. You broke my nose with a sneaky left hand. I will return the favor, but you will see the punch coming."

"I don't know why you are angry about that little thing. You had an ugly nose to start with."

"Dad please, just one leg. It will only hurt him for six weeks, and I will get such pleasure out of it."

"I explained to you yesterday that now is not the proper time."

"Wait a minute, dad. Do you mean to tell me there is going to be a proper time for Will to break my leg?"

"When a child taunts his elder, as you have been taunting your brother, since you returned with him, from China, as often as you have been taunting him, I have to give him a little leeway.

He has been exceedingly kind to you, and has restrained himself admirably. There have been times that I have had to restrain him, for your benefit. There will come a time, that I will remove these restraints, from him. You will have reached the end of the rope. I will not tell you when that time comes, and neither will your brother. Good luck my son, and when the time comes, defend yourself to the best of your ability."

"Oh shit!"

"William please."

"With pleasure dad."

Smack

"What the fuck was that for?"

Smack

"Stop it William that hurts."

"Why is your brother hitting you, Patrick?"

"How the fuck should I know?"

Smack

"This could go on for days, Patrick. Why is your brother hitting you?"

Audra had her hand over her mouth trying to control her giggling.

"Wait until I get you downstairs Missy, you won't be giggling; I can assure you of that."

"Audra knows why you're getting hit. Maybe you should take lessons from her, instead of sending her to college."

"Dammit, it's mom. She's laid down the law, hasn't she?"

"For the first time, since I've known your mother, I used inappropriate language in our house. She scolded me, and it was appropriate for her to do so. I said it was the Patrick effect, and it would not happen to me or any other member of the household, again. The treatment you are receiving now, will happen to you anytime, by any member of our household, who hears you use profane language. You could be downstairs training with Alfonse, when it happens to you. If you use profane language, you will be hit; and the more you use that type language, the harder you will be hit. You will get your mouth under control, my son, and you will do it quickly."

"Yes dad, I apologize for being rude in front of you, and everyone else in our household. When you speak to my mother, would you apologize to her for my behavior."

"I will do it for you this one time. Remember, your actions will speak louder than your words."

"I know. I have a message for the young lady who laughed at me. We have passed the one-hour time limit. We are by-passing the pool, and going straight to bed. Goodbye everyone."

"Goodbye Mister Zabo, William, we will see you tomorrow."

"You're not stopping by for dinner tonight?"

"No, we couldn't fit it in to our schedule."

"Did you bring enough clothing with you?"

"Well, since I'm not wearing any most of the time, I brought plenty."

"Audra your wasting time."

"My master calls; I must respond, or I will get a spanking."

"I hope you enjoy it."

"I do, especially after I have a vaginal orgasm. I get another orgasm that's bigger, longer lasting, and most often; mind blowing."

"I shouldn't have asked. Now, I miss my wife desperately."

******************

"Let's start out with that one."

"Why, not only does it look weird, but we can't use our hands to pleasure each other."

"I know what it is, and I'm not talking."

"We are in this together, Pat, talk to me."

"It's the toes. Not only do you get to make love in a totally different position, but you get to suck on and play with your partner's toes and feet. Your feet are supposed to be especially sensitive when you are making love. We are about to find out if it's true."

"Connecting should be interesting."

"We are not going to start out in that position, we are just going to wind up in it. Why don't we start in the reverse integer position? I love how you taste."

"Why can't you just call it 69, like everyone else does?"

"I'm not everyone else Audra. You heard what William said about my future. I'm not going to make the mistake of upsetting my father by becoming any less than what my father wants me to be. He is old, and no one can predict how many years he has left. Before he leaves this world, I want him to know that I am his son, and I have lived the life he wants me to live. I want him to know I have upheld our family name. It was never important to me, because William was always ahead of me.

As in England, if the king and queen have two sons, they used the phrase, 'The Heir and the Spare.' I was always the 'spare.' I thought I was going to live a life of leisure, while William controlled my father's businesses and his money. He would generously dole out money to me, my sisters, and to charities. He would be in the position my father is today, 'THE Man.' He would hold influence over Presidents and Premieres, while I played chess, and enjoyed my life of leisure."

"He change that today, in a very big way. Now my father is going to cast his eye on me to see if I measure up to his standards. I will not fail him Audra. It's much too important to him, and now it has become important to me. I will not allow him to go to his final resting place, knowing I failed him, and everything he built during his lifetime. I could not have that weighing on my soul for the rest of my life. I will work 24 hours a day, every day of the week, month, and year, to make sure that never happens to him."

She kissed him, sweetly, when she didn't have to.

"You just did Patrick. The way you said you would not let him down, strengthened your resolve in a way no one else could. You will be able to look into your dad's eyes, and they will tell him you have succeeded beyond his expectations, by a full measure. He will close his eyes, for the final time, smiling at what his children accomplished, during his time on earth. Most especially, he will be smiling because of you Patrick. At the beginning, he was unsure of your commitment to him. As he passes from this life to the next, he will have the knowledge you exceeded each of his standards, while helping your brother, William, keep Zabo International; the premier Corporation in the known universe."

"Thank you Audra, I never expected you to give me a pep-talk like that. I feel much more secure in my own skin at this moment. Let's fuck."

Smack

"Okay, I remember, I didn't think it applied, while we were in bed."

"When we were in China, were you ever allowed to use bad language to a Chinese elder?"

"No, and if anyone did, you either had your tongue slit, or cut out. The Chinese do not fool around, when it comes to etiquette."

"You must remember to do it here. If you speak properly every day, it will become a habit. Once it becomes habitual, you will speak properly for the rest of your life. Your mother won't hit you. Your father won't berate you, and he won't give your brother permission to break your leg."

"What is your IQ Audra?"

"161."

"They tested me when I was 12 years old. They told me my IQ was 213. How is it you are so much smarter than I am?"

"You were the smartest boy in all of China, but you were kept under tight wraps, by William. You couldn't play with anyone. You couldn't interact with anyone. You could not invite anyone into your home, or go to their home to see how they acted around their siblings, and their parent, because you had guards watching your every move.

I'm not looking to get you angry with me, Pat, but it gave me such pleasure calling you that name, watching you cry, and running to them for comfort. I felt like a queen every time it happened.

You were born with a magnificent brain that absorbed everything in sight. I used your brain against you, as I developed street smarts. I used those smarts, and became the biggest bitch around. The best part was you kept coming back for more, and more. Every time I saw you, I dug at you deeper and deeper. You still came back, and I was amazed to see you each time."

"I told you, I had a crush on you back then. I couldn't find a way to stay away from you."

"That's the difference between us Patrick. You were the dreamer, the intellectual with high ideals.

I was down in the gutter, and I used the garbage to blind you. You kept me on a pedestal, and I tore your heart out. I was rich once, and you are still rich. I was angry, no, I was really fucking pissed off at you, and your family, for having what I lost. You were an easy target, and I tormented you every chance I got."

"Before I answer you, I have to do this."

Smack

"Ouch, what was that for?"

"Did you hit me for inappropriate language?"

"Yes, but that's your family's rule, it has no effect on me, does it?"

"Are you going to be living with me, while you go to college?"

"I get it. I will watch my mouth. By the way, if you hadn't noticed, you hit harder than I do."

"You orgasm, I don't. Fair is fair."

"Let's dirty these sheets. I'm tired of being in this room; there is too much talk, and too little action."

"As you wish Madame."

"I am a Mademoiselle, not a Madame."

"Now who's talking too much?"

***********************

"Mom, what are you and Dina wearing to the wedding Saturday?"

"We are wearing very fancy dresses, thank you very much."

"What are Jeffrey and I wearing?"

"Jeffrey is wearing a very expensive suit."

"And what am I wearing?"

"I'm not sure? Why don't you take some rag out of your closet, and a pair of jeans, with holes in them, and wear those?"

"Mom is something wrong?"

"Do you mean besides the phone call I received from the school?"

"I have not skipped one class, since you had your date; I swear it."

"I didn't say you did. Your calculus teacher called. She told me you cheated on an exam, and she gave you a zero on it."

"Bullshit, I never took my eyes off my exam paper. I believe I aced that test."

"So did the person to your right. He runs a B in the class. Since you have been running a straight D, she believes you are the one that cheated."

"Call the bitch, and ask her to give me and him the same class level exam. Have her sit us far apart, and let's see which one of us cheated."

"If I make that call Michael, and you fail the exam, when you are 18, I don't want to know you anymore."

"I agree."

"You didn't cheat on that exam, did you?"

"I didn't mom. I promised you I would change, and I have. I am studying like I said I would. You can ask all my other teachers, because my grades have improved in every class. Even the girls, I used to take out, are wondering what happened to me."

"I'm going to school with you tomorrow morning. You and the other young man are going to take the test with someone the principal appoints. I will sit there and wait, until it's graded. When you are finished, and get an 'A'; I going to speak with that teacher of yours. When I through with her, she's going to wonder if she has a job next week."

"I won't let you down mom."

Nancy opened her cell phone, and hit speed dial.

"If you called to tell me you lost your ring, after I kill you, the insurance company is going to kill me."

"No James, it's nothing that drastic."

"Good, you had me worried. Three days until our wedding, and I would not have had time to buy you another one."

"You are out of your mind. Don't you have anything better to do with your money than to spend it on me?"

"No, not that I can think of offhand."

"Remind me to hit you, when I see you tomorrow night."

"We are seeing each other tomorrow night? What are we doing?"

"You're taking me to dinner, remember?"

"Actually, that's only a half truth. I'm subjecting you to my sister's cooking. I'm not sure if you consider that dinner. Maybe we should have a sandwich before we go to her apartment, and take food poisoning pills with us."

"I'm going to tell Bethany you said that."

"It's okay, I've been telling her that since she was 14, and started to learn how to burn everything, including water."

"You are incorrigible. We need a suit for Michael. He just told me what happened in school, and I believe him."

"Tell me."

"He said he didn't cheat, and believes he aced the exam. He wants his teacher to give him and the student next to him another exam. He sounds innocent James."

"As the head of the foremost investigative agency in the free world, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, I agree. What are you going to do about it?"

"I'm going to school with him in the morning, and demand the principal order his teacher to give him, and the other student an exam, and wait until she grades it. If Michael does as well as he said, I'm going make her give him the 'A' he earned Monday, and another 'A', because she accused him of cheating, without proof, and he didn't cheat."