Dick

Just before lunchtime Dick entered a farm machinery and supplies depot and the crusty guy in charge, not spotting Dick's Mercedes, looked at the guy in a suit with almost contempt.

"What do you want?"

"A second-hand ATV."

"Dottie."

A woman in her late thirties appeared, dressed in a man's shirt and heavy trousers.

"Yes dad?"

"Fix this guy -- wants a second-hand ATV."

"Hi, I'm Dorothy Wiseman. Sorry about my father -- dressed like that you're a city slicker to him. To me, you look like a guy wanting to spend money."

Dick grinned, pleased to be talking to his kind of woman. He told her what he wanted and she said to follow her. He had no idea of her size or whether her ass looked good, not in those bulky clothes.

The walked down a line of ATV's and she stopped in front of a Bush Hog Trail Hand 4WD model. "From what you stated were your requirements, I recommend this vehicle. You can see it has some extras including a windscreen and rooftop over the safety frame. The cargo bed has been extended a bit -- good for carrying posts and the subframe has been strengthened. I sold this little buddy two years ago as new and purchased it back and serviced it. How much do you wish to pay for it?"

Dick suggested a price and she grinned, calling him a hard case. "That's too light, how about..."

"Could you hold that price until you list what I want by way of a motorized hand posthole auger and a full range of fencing gear?"

"Augers are designed for two operators."

"Feel?"

Dorothy felt his arm muscle and said, "You will be okay using it by yourself."

"Ah Miss, may I call you Dottie?"

"It's ma'am but Dottie is fine."

She took him to the office and totted up the fencing equipment and said because of his additional purchased she'd knock off three hundred off her lowest price for the Hog. "What about posts and wire?"

"I'll buy in later." He tossed down his platinum card and asked to open a farm account.

Dottie raised her eyebrows and said he'd need a couple of referees before she could do that.

"Kevin Copeland and Iain McKenzie."

"Oh, high flying are we?"

Dick just smiled and she peered at him. "Ohmigod, you're our new millionaire in town who's bringing back the Cattleman's?"

"Yes."

"And you and your wife have purchased the Mick Owens's ranch?"

"Yes but she's not yet my wife."

"I fill out your account application now and as soon as you sign it will be effective."

When that was done Dick asked about delivery.

"Tomorrow perhaps, definitely by the day after. Oh, don't look disappointed. Give me an hour and I'll cart it there myself. Will you be there to lock it away?"

"Yes."

"Look, I'll be doing this in my lunch break. Could you pick up a couple of sandwiches for me?"

"Yes."

"And eat with me."

"Yes."

"I'll be there by 1:30 at the latest Mr Savage."

"It's Dick."

She said, "I bet" and turned away, face scarlet.

He left the office whistling. He went home and changed into shorts, polo shirt and his new farm boots and at a deli purchased a selection of salads, salmon and bottle of white win and two plastic cups. He drove off whistling. At the ranch he went into the barn after unlocking it and emerged with an old horse cover that he spread on the ground and laid out lunch.

Dottie arrived in the pickup at 1:10 and after they unloaded the Hog, designed to be carried by pickup at the unloading ramp Dottie looked at lunch, almost licking her lips.

"It will be too hot for me sitting outside in this gear."

"Strip to your panties and bra. I've seen plenty of women so there's no need to feel embarrassed."

Dottie scarcely blinked when he said that, pulling off her shirt and after taking off her boots, slipped out of her trousers, steadying herself with a hand on Dick's shoulders as she did so. "Am I to be seduced?"

"Before or after lunch?"

"Both," she purred, holding up her head to be kissed. Dick kissed her thoroughly and then spun her around, slapping her on a good-looking butt and then Dottie pulled up her bra and warm and lively flesh overflowed into Dick's appreciative hands. They stripped and lay on the old rug straight into a sixty-nine and when that was finished they stood and Dick lifted her around his hips and she guided herself in and they were soon slapped away. Dick blew first, hugely and his vision turned black and was momentarily colored with red and yellow dots.

"Ohmigod, that was a biggie," puffed Dottie as her faced turned very pink and her brow furrowed.

"Yeah, I've had one of those sexually challenging days that has brought the cream to the top," he sighed, causing Dottie to burst into laughter and that swept her into release.

"Ohmigod, that was a biggie," she groaned, panting.

They feasted, Dottie completely nude and Dick almost but with his shorts and underpants down at his ankles.

"This is one of the best picnic ever," Dottie said. "I don't think I can cope with another bang."

"That's fine," Dick said. "I would prefer not to be found depleted tonight."

They grinned. He removed his shorts and gave Dottie his underpants to clean up. When finished she threw them away over her head and they grinned. She then instructed Dick on the operation of the Hog, paying special attention to lecturing how to use it safely. They then went off on a test drive, clothed again. Before she left they talked about vehicle servicing and Dottie when through the owner/operating checks and routine servicing and requested Dick to call for on-site service after every 25 hours of running.

That evening in bed Kade put her hand over his hip, the signal they both knew what that meant. Dick was relieved Dottie hadn't forced him into round two and decided to prove to Kade that he wasn't the bloke putting it about as she probably suspected. He went at her, full-powered.

Later, bathed in sweat and gasping for breath Kade said when she'd recovered a little. "Darling I would appreciate it if you could keep a woman on tap as a safety valve. Tonight you almost drove me through the headboard and I'm going to be waddling like a duck tomorrow. Friday and Saturday nights, not a problem but mid-week like this and especially when I intend wearing my pinstripe business suit to the board meeting tomorrow I really would like to be walking upright and feeling I look sexy. Just don't tell me who she is and how often she gets lucky. Oh, be discreet and keep safe."

The board meeting was held in the boardroom of McKenzie Law Partners with India directly typing up the Minutes on her laptop. Dick had suggested India do that for enhanced security and Iain agreed and later called Dick and said India had decided there would be no billing for her time at board meetings.

The outside directors arrived for the 11:00 start with the meeting due to finish at noon with lunched being served during 'an hour of conviviality'. The directors were Dick, Kade, Iain McKenzie, Kevin Copeland, Mayor Shapskinsky, Chad Miller who'd flown in for the day and architect Rosalie Valdina. Dick welcomed everyone and then asked Kade to present brief bios of everyone including herself and then she distributed a folder covering company philosophy and a summary of two projects already underway -- the redevelopment of the Blue Horizon Hotel now owned by the company and the conversion of the movie theatre into a four-theatre multiplex.

During discussion on the hotel conversion it became obviously that not everyone was in favor. In summing up Dick said cheerfully it was that kind of project -- high risk and difficult to perceive future results. "In my view its future is secure if we tie in Blue Horizon Group to manage the hotel with their proven management expertise and we retain the present general manager and Kade and I are working on that. Why I picked that project because being a new guy in town I needed to grab public attention and try to quickly gain public favor for giving back something that older people in this town feel they had lost. The New Cattleman's Hotel connects this town with its past."

Dick then invited Rosalie and Kade to present their slide show of design concepts.

The first slide showed a 5-level parking building on the site of the furniture factory behind the movie theatre. Kade said the intention had been to clear the factory and have parking on that cleared level, restricting parking to users who also purchased theatre tickets but Rosalie had pointed out the movie theatres planned to run from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm and with some of the theatre times not particularly popular it would be an uneconomic use of expansive space, so she had their engineering division design a five-level parking building to be owned by Dick and her company and had taken the plan to the Council's town planning department. Because parking was at a premium in the town the Council had a tax-free holiday for five years on approved new parking buildings of 150-plus vehicles. "This design easily complies and had been approved and that new facility has also earned a concession allowing us to add one more floor to the cinema multiplex as cinemas and restaurants are normally restricted to two floors."

Kade said, "A full office floor will be added and a contract has been signed with McKenzie Law Partners as its new location. Our company has purchased this building where we are now from McKenzie Law Partners. That partnership has also signed to lease sixty spaces in the new parking building and I can confirm that all these transactions have occurred at full market rates. We will hold eighty parking spaces in reserve, anticipating the hotel operator will be keen to lease that entire floor."

Rosalie then flicked through the slides showing interior designs, which impressed everyone and said the exterior design would be revealed later -- "Due to a conflict in opinion between our chairman Dick and our CEO Kade and her design team. Resolution is expected shortly. The issues concern hotel naming and a façade of adobe or one of curtain glass."

"We are not commenting further at this stage," Dick said. "We expect to present the two concepts to you all by CD within a week or two and ask for feedback. The last item is for me to answer a possible question you may have. Why is a guy from Pryde City a fellow director? The answer is Chad and I have bonded as successful business partners in Pryde and he has nine months to go in his contract to remain employed by the purchasers. They are not doing too well so Chad could be released earlier with a big payout. He is one of the few guys around who's not a yes man to me so will be joining the company as co-managing director, subject to board approval. At that stage we may turn this company into a public company or take in a cash and resource rich partner, subject to board approval of course. Peter, you and your company being run by your sons will be our target partner. Feel free to chat about this over drinks and lunch guys. Any questions or queries? No? Then meeting closed."

Peter rushed up to Dick who said, "Let's get our drinks first Peter."

When everyone had their drink Dick began talking to Peter about the need for the town to have a multi-purpose events center to replace the 'collection of crappy halls we have at present.'

"Does that mean we have the site?" asked Kade tersely.

"Yes," Kevin answered. "I concluded the deal less than an hour before arriving here."

"But Dick couldn't have been there," Kade said in surprise. "He was having coffee with me."

Kevin explained. "The board of the Catholic Seminary is under notice to close the facility as quietly as possible and for it to merge its operation with a similar facility elsewhere. Although not Catholic I was appointed by the board to find a buyer in utmost secrecy and, of course, I knew where to find Dick. The asking price was assessed value plus 30% and because the eighteen acres that also contains an old Catholic School closed last year when it shifted to a new location. These days all that land lies within the town's commercial zone and is flat, Dick decided it was a great place for an events center, offering heaps of parking. He set me the target of assessed value plus 10% but then changed his mind and said assessed value plus meeting the board's full current indebtedness as documented. I negotiated the sale at assessed value that you must understand is valued way down as educational usage and money to pay off debts pushed the purchase price to plus 8.37%."

Stopping to acknowledge a comment from deputy chairman Iain, Kevin continued. "Understanding that the proposed usage would be for a community asset, the board said it was happy with that outcome and the chairman called someone high up the chain of command and the deal with approved. I called in my lawyer and the agreement was signed. Fellow directors, we have a site for under a tenth of what it would cost to buy as subdivided commercial land. There is a clause in the deal restricting the total site to be used only for community purposes. I called Dick and he approved of that clause."

Just before 1:00 the directors began leaving, most not having contributed much but all probably leaving with a sense of mission and possessing a better idea why they were on the board. An exception was Kade, feeling she was little more than an office girl, until in the drive home after taking Chad to the airport Dick reminded her that she was leading the design teams and hadn't she displayed the result of her efforts to the board.

Chapter 23

Kade was in a mood next day and neither had appointments so Dick decided it was no used being cooped up all day with Kade like that. He said he was going fencing.

"Where?"

"At the ranch."

"What with?"

He sighed and said he'd purchased a 4WD utility farm vehicle the other day and fencing equipment.

"You beast, you didn't tell me," she snarled and went to the bedroom slamming the door.

Dick wondered if he'd still be alive had he said sorry and told her all about Dottie.

He made a flask of coffee and went to the bedroom to say goodbye but she heard him approaching and was told to f-off except she didn't abbreviate the F-word. He wondered if she were pregnant, either that or things had not gone well between her and the Testosterone Kid.

He was walking to the Mercedes when Kade yelled from the deck, "Mom and dad are away at a truck operator's all-day meeting. Carolyn is bored. Can she go fencing with you?"

Carolyn bored. Oh no!

"No way!" he called.

"Fucking take her and keep zipped up," she screamed.

Just as Dick was about to give her the fingers four painters and decorators working on the fifth floor appeared on the deck to see was the ruckus was about. He stuck his hand in his pocket and yelled, "Okay."

"Have a nice day you taciturn ape."

The guys above her cheered and Kade yelled. "Thanks guys."

Dick slunk to his vehicle thinking would any of those supportive guys know what taciturn meant?

Carolyn emerged wearing an immodest pair of shorts and a loose top. Dick imagined he could see the short hairs, if she had them.

"You'll need to cover up on the plateau. It's sunny enough to burn."

She scampered back and re-emerged ten minutes later dressed in jeans, working boots and the same floppy top and a sunhat and now carrying a picnic basket.

"You sounded grumpy so I decided to make up a hamper."

"Excellent, thanks."

She made no attempt to kiss him. Well, why should she kiss a grumpy asshole?

"What have you done to my sister? She sounded grumpy too. Haven't you been fucking her?"

"Carolyn, for God's sake."

"Well?"

"She'd practically legless."

Carolyn grinned and said, "Liar. I bet she heard things from you at the board meeting you hadn't told her about."

"Like what?"

"I wasn't at the board meeting dumbo."

"Watch you mouth."

"Yeah, what are you going to do? Whack me as well?"

"Carolyn, for God's sake back off. We are now out of town. Look at those cattle and the water fowl on that pond. Oh the countryside, the glorious countryside."

"Christ, you're on pills."

Dick grinned and told her to speak like a lady when she was in his company. She snarled oh crap, she should have stayed home looking at wallpaper.

They drove the rest of the way in silence, she stroking her thighs, which he found irritating. Why was she doing that? Did she have a STD?

He drove up to the barn and veered sharply at the last moment to hide a pair of underpants under the car.

"That's bad driving."

Dick didn't answer his accuser.

She lit up when he unlocked the door and as he rolled it back she saw the Hog. "Oh, what a cute vehicle. Can I drive it?"

"Yeah."

He waited to finish rolling the door back before telling her where to find the key and how to start the vehicle. But she had the motor going before he opened his mouth. Some stupid place to 'hide' the key and obvious she wasn't altogether dumb. He gave her instruction about not turning the steering wheel sharply and not to try going across slopes at a crazy angle, to watch for depressions and to go straight up and down steep slopes and using engine breaking rather than tough the vehicle's brakes especially if the ground was damp.

"Are you finished?"

He said yes and she said she had her proficiency certificate in motor-cross bike riding. "Why don't you teach me something useful like sex?"

Dick went through the motions he was cleaning wax from his ears. He heard the young bitch giggle and he was unable to stop his laugh.

"You bitch."

"Takes on to recognize one," she said in a sing-song voice.

Before going down the fence line he warned her that barbwire being re-tensioned sometimes broke and could whip and cut the person restraining the wire and bystanders.

"I understand. I'll try to protect my face." She pulled out a pair of Rex's old fencing gloves from the hamper and said, "Before I put these on do you want a cool drink?"

"Yeah."

"It will cost you a kiss and I don't mean a peck."

"Okay."

She fetched the drink. She held it away and he had to kiss her.

He concluded, nice lovely, juicy lips. No tongue, no body press. He found that okay.

"I'll want a lot more before I feed you food."

"Don't fool with me Carolyn, you'll come off second best."

She was a good looker, he observed, watching color rise in her cheeks. She had piercing blue eyes and they now pierced his. She looked anything but afraid.

They worked for a couple of hours, and both were sweating.

"Lunch?"

He nodded and she drove to the upper dam and in amongst the small grove of cottonwoods.

"If it safe to wade in the lake"

He was taking off his thick shirt that was meant to save him from wire attack. He heard her suck in her breath. "I wouldn't, cattle wade in and crap and pee."

"Oh yuck."

He went off for a pee and when he returned and sat down against a tree trunk she tossed him a cold beer and he smiled appreciatively and said thanks.

"I really don't know what Kade's on about. You are very communicative. Want to watch me strip."

He nodded and swigged.

She removed her bush-shirt, swaying and humming, and then her trousers, revealing her very long legs.

"Are you going hard?"

He pretended to remove wax and she eyed him, letting him know she considered he was pathetic. She removed her top and he said nothing but stopped looking at her.

"Look at me!"

He ignored the command until she said, "Well, off come my bottoms."

"No," he shouted, climbing to his feet and rushing her. Too late, they dropped to the ground as she pulled the side ties simultaneously. He saw immediately she had no short hairs.

"I said no," he shouted.

"I say fuck off," she said and whacked him across the mouth.

They wrestled and he tried not to hurt her.

"Get away you bully who won't fuck me," she goaded, almost succeeding kneeing him in the balls.