Let Myself Believe

"Piercings?" Andrew asked. "No. But, yes, I do have one tattoo."

"Oh, Andrew! Really! Do you have any idea how hard it's going to be to get that thing removed?" Minnie fussed.

"Well, I have no plans to ever have mine removed," Andrew shrugged, feeling his left hand's ring finger. "Wow! Look, Ria, she reached the fountains."

Natalie was unmarried. When Andrew asked her who the father of her baby was, Natalie blushed hotly and refused to answer.

"Okay, Andrew, Joseph has your old room ready," Minnie announced as Natalie was attempting to change the subject from her pregnancy to Andrew's bull riding days. "And I have Victoria and Rianna in..."

"Mother, we are married," Andrew said firmly. "So, Ria and I will share the same room."

"Oh. Well I uh, I just thought that maybe Victoria would be more comfortable..."Minnie said.

"No, you just thought that you would be more comfortable with Ria being in a different room than me," Andrew said. "But, don't worry about it, Mother. We'll be at the DeGarde Inn, okay?"

"They got a swimming pool?" Rianna asked.

"No, Andrew, please don't leave," Minnie begged.

Minnie was outraged when Andrew informed her that the reason he'd not made it for Big Bill's final days, or the funeral was because of William giving Reynold Reynolds false information. Reluctantly, Natalie confirmed what Andrew was saying. Again, Minnie scowled, then shook her head in resignation.

Upstairs, Andrew raided two of the guest rooms for their pillows. He then arranged them on the floor and created a comfortable bed for Rianna. The child was sound asleep after her bath and Victoria placed the child on her makeshift bed.

"Want to fuck real loud?" Victoria offered to Andrew as she stripped out of her tee shirt and shorts.

"Hell yeah!" Andrew agreed, laughing.

Rianna slept right through Victoria's Oscar-worthy performance. Andrew had difficulty not bursting out laughing as his wife bounced happily and noisily on his cock. The string of vulgarities would have made him blush if he wasn't trying so hard not to laugh at her satisfied little smile.

"You really are the best," Victoria whispered into his ear as they cuddled in the afterglow of their loving.

"No, Sweetheart, you're the best," Andrew smiled.

After the death of their father, William had appointed himself as the Chief Operations Officer; he could not usurp Minnie from her position of Chief Executive Officer of Tri-Carter, Incorporated. Natalie was taking accounting classes at the University of Louisiana at DeGarde; Big Bill had appointed her as Chief Financial Officer, although he had installed Rick Blanchard to head the accounting department two years earlier.

As the CEO of Tri-Carter, Incorporated, Minnie called an emergency board meeting for the Monday after Andrew's arrival in DeGarde. William was outraged, but had no choice but attend the meeting. His face was swollen and he had difficulty walking as he barged into the board room.

William was livid when Minnie calmly asked him for a report on the daily operations of Tri-Carter, Incorporated. Natalie, as Chief Financial Officer had no difficulty in producing their current status and their projected losses should they continue on their current trajectory. Rick Blanchard did his job, and did his job very well.

"William?" Minnie asked.

"What?" William snarled, glaring with white hot hatred at Andrew's smirk.

"Eighteen minutes ago, I asked you for your operations report. You've had eighteen minutes to produce those reports. Where are the daily operations reports, William?" Minnie tersely inquired.

"What? Think I'm going pull them out my ass? I'll get them for the next board meeting," William growled.

"Oh. Okay, well then, I move we adjourn this meeting. All in favor?" Minnie said.

"Aye," William and Natalie said.

"Opposed?" Minnie asked.

"Nay. He's the chief operations officer; he should know the day to day business," Andrew stated.

"The 'ayes' have it; this meeting is adjourned," Minnie said. "I call the next business meeting to order."

"What?" William shrilled, plopping back down into his chair.

"So, William, where are the reports?" Minnie again asked her son.

"I said, I'd get them for the next business meeting," William snarled.

"And it's the next business meeting," Minnie said. "William. It's not that hard. Call your assistant, have her print up the reports and bring them in here."

"I'll be back," William said, and hefted himself to his feet.

Shortly after limping from the plush boardroom, William returned, angry scowl on his handsome face. A moment after William's ungainly entrance into the board room, Candy Durmonte entered, carrying some papers. The beautiful blonde staggered in her step when she saw Andrew Michael Carter seated at the table. For a moment, her mouth opened and closed.

"Here's the reports you asked for, Mr. Carter," Candy whispered, eyes filling with tears as she turned away from Andrew.

"Thank you, Candy," William said, smirking triumphantly at Andrew.

Glancing through the papers Candy had provided, Andrew could not make heads or tails out of what he was reading. When he admitted as much, William gloated, stating that Andrew was obviously too stupid to understand the complexities of running a multi-million dollar industry.

"Then explain it to me, Einstein," Andrew challenged. "Explain how this multi-million dollar industry is bleeding money out its ass while providing the same services it always has provided its clients."

With much hemming and hawing, William convoluted an already quite murky premise.

"Ms. Durmonte, would you come in here, please?" Andrew said into the intercom.

"Why? What you need her for?" William demanded.

"Ms. Durmonte has a bachelor's in business administration," Andrew informed him and Natalie and their mother. "It is quite obvious, at least to me, that you have no idea what any of this means. Perhaps your assistant can shed some light on the matter."

Candy was unable to clarify any of the gibberish. When Andrew asked whom had implemented some certain procedures, Candy silently pointed at William.

"And you didn't point out that this was needless repetition?" Andrew sighed. "Candy, Ms. Durmonte, I know you're smarter than that."

"I did try, Andrew," Candy sniffled.

"The name, Ms. Durmonte, is Mr. Carter," Andrew said coldly.

"I uh, yes sir, Mr. Carter," Candy gasped, eyes again filling with tears. "I uh, I did try to tell William, but he..."

"You may go, Ms. Durmonte," Andrew snapped.

"Am I, I'm not being fired, am I?" Candy asked, tears trickling down her cheeks.

"If I was sure we wouldn't be hit with a million dollar sexual harassment lawsuit, I would fire you for gross incompetence," Andrew stated. "But, no, Ms. Durmonte, you are not being fired. That will be all."

"See Mother, half the problem is, your people have no idea what they're supposed to be doing. This blathering boob has the corporate and management structure so screwed up, no one knows who does what anymore," Andrew said, pointing at William. "There is no clear chain of command."

"Like you could do any better," William snapped at Andrew.

"Rianna could do better than you," Andrew smirked.

"I move that William step down from his position of Chief Operations Officer," Minnie said. "All in favor?"

"Aye," Andrew and Natalie immediately said.

"All opposed?" Minnie asked, then immediately declared. "The ayes have it. All those in favor of Andrew becoming the new Chief Operations Officer?"

Andrew was installed in William's office. He had to sift through months of nonsensical policies and decrees that doubled back on one another. After just an hour of trying to make sense of the chaos, Andrew was grateful for the fifth of St. Elizabeth Superior Whiskey that William had secreted in his bottom desk drawer.

William was relegated to heading their sales department. The move was sold to the Tri-Carter, Incorporated employees as a lateral promotion for the former Chief Operations Officer. Three of the five salesmen quit, effective immediately.

Having his old girlfriend, Candy Durmonte working with him was uncomfortable for Andrew. Victoria certainly did not like the idea of her man having his former girlfriend in the same office. So, Natalie and Andrew swapped assistants.

For Minnie, having a grandchild in the house slowly became a wonderful blessing. The foul-mouthed tattooed and pierced Victoria, however, was still a challenge for Minnie to adjust to. Joseph, her quite proper English servant, however, enjoyed both child and daughter in law; Victoria usually paraded from Andrew's old bedroom in bikini bottoms and flip flops. Rianna insisted on reciting nursery rhymes to Joseph.

"Oh, I'm quite sure the spider was aggravated when the rain washed him out, wasn't he?" Joseph asked.

"Uh huh, he said, 'why you do that?'" Rianna said. "But then the sun dried up all the rain so it's okay."

Victoria and Rianna became brown as berries, constantly outside in the swimming pool, or lounging next to the pool. Rianna could put her head underwater and swim for a few strokes; her goal was to swim underwater the whole way.

After a full day's work of shoveling through William's mountain of mistakes, Andrew hated coming home to his mother's complaints about Victoria and Victoria's complaints about his mother. Home, which should be a refuge, was just another job for him.

"Mother, how much am I owed in dividends?" Andrew finally asked.

"Hmm, I don't know. Natalie would be the one to ask. Why?" Minnie mused.

"Because I am losing what's left of my mind," Andrew admitted. "Between you and Ria and Tri-Carter? I am about to lose what little sanity I still have."

Computing from the day Andrew left Candy and returned to Kansas, factoring in what William had paid himself while claiming the cash to be business expenditures, Natalie calculated that Andrew could claim one point nine million. Andrew called Gold Standard Realtors and made an appointment with Deidre Doucet to sell them a house.

"Requirements? A privacy fence around the back yard and an in-ground swimming pool," Andrew said.

"You know, you can have those things put in after you buy the house," Whitney, his assistant opined.

"Not when you have a four year old girl that wants to go swimming right now," Andrew smiled.

"And a wife that's allergic to wearing clothes," he muttered, smiling wider.

Deidre Doucet was a beach ball with arms. Her oversized glasses made her eyes look huge; Andrew couldn't help but think of the character Marcie from the Peanuts comic strip as he and Victoria and Rianna got into Deidre's minivan.

They found the perfect home on Walpen Street, three blocks away from Minnie's home. There were five bedrooms and four bathrooms, a large kitchen and large family room. Most importantly, though, there was a large swimming pool that had a water slide attached and an eight foot wooden fence around the periphery of the rear yard.

Andrew did admit, it might be a mistake, handing an American Express card to Victoria and telling her she could decorate their home any way she saw fit. After all, the girl did have numerous metal pieces stuck through various body parts and tattoos adorning her flesh.

"Daddy I got a pinches bed," Rianna excitedly squealed when Whitney passed her call through.

"A pinches bed? What is a pinches bed?" Andrew asked, but Rianna had already ended the call.

"A princess bed," Victoria said when Andrew came home to his mother's house. "O'Neil's said they'll have it all delivered and set up on the twentieth."

"But don't worry Grandma, you can come see my new house," Rianna assured Minnie.

"I can?" Minnie smiled at the girl.

"Uh huh, and you can even sleep there; I got a pinches bed," Rianna enthused.

"Princess Bed," Andrew corrected, smiling. "Because you're my little princess."

The morning of the twentieth, Andrew kissed his mother and thanked her for allowing them to stay in her home. He also thanked Joseph for his service. Then he left for another day of work.

"Five thirty," Andrew muttered to Whitney as he left the office that afternoon. "Let's see what my Ria has in store for us."

Andrew imagined bulky oversized micro-suede pieces in garish, loud colors. He imagined chrome plated accessories that would be better suited for a single-wide trailer, like the one Victoria and Rianna had lived in when he first met them.

He was not expecting the muted leathers, the heavy wooden pieces, the polished brass that greeted him. Victoria searched his eyes, trying to assess his reaction.

"I tried to go for that comfortable, inviting look," Victoria finally spoke, unable to tolerate the silence any further.

"Ria, it's, I love it," Andrew stammered, seeing the formal dining suite Victoria had put into their dining room. "You even got a china cabinet?"

"Yeah, and look," Victoria enthused, pulling out a drawer. "For when, if we ever get you know, silverware? I mean, that real silverware, like what your mom's got, but not that pattern; I hate that pattern."

The princess bed and matching low dresser and toy chest and small desk was perfect for a four year old girl. Andrew's eyes got a little wet as he thought of the day that Rianna would decide she was too big for a pinches bed.

Their own bedroom was another surprise. Victoria's bedroom in her trailer had been a full sized mattress and box spring on a simple frame. There had been no headboard. Her clothing went into a chipped up press board dresser. The mirror that hung on the back of her door had flopped around whenever the door was opened or closed; one hook was severely warped.

The new queen sized bed was a cast iron bed, with matching candle stick lamps on black lacquered wood nightstands. TheThere was a black lacquered armoire for him and a black lacquered vanity for her, with a cast iron padded stool. Victoria's clothing went into a black lacquered low dresser.

"The mattress is a pillow top," Victoria enthused. "I tell you; laying on it at O'Neil's? I was almost like, you guys wake me up in a couple hours< OKAY?"

"Please tell me you had on clothes when the delivery guys got here," Andrew asked; Victoria was dressed in her usual pair of bikini bottoms and battered flip flops.

"I put a top on; what you think I am?" Victoria grumbled. "Now, come on; I got a roast in the slow cooker."

"Who is that?" Andrew asked when the doorbell chimed.

"Daddy, you seen my pinches bed?" Rianna squealed, proceeding her grandmother into their new home.

"I sure did; it's perfect for you, isn't it? Hi Mom," Andrew agreed.

"Come on, Grandma, you got see it," Rianna screamed, running for the stairs.

"Hello Victoria," Minnie called out as she walked to the stairs.

"Hey Minnie," Victoria called back. "You staying for dinner?"

"No. Joseph has a standing rib roast just about ready," Minnie said. "But thank you for inviting me."

"Only because I knew you'd say 'no,'" Victoria admitted to Andrew.

Brianna fussed that she would have to wait until thirty minutes after they'd eaten dinner before she could swim in her brand new pool. Andrew threatened to put her into a corner where she would have to sit quietly until the thirty minutes were up. Victoria threatened a warmed butt if Rianna didn't quit with the fussing.

The outdoor furniture was another surprise. Victoria had gone for teaks and cast iron pieces. There were two chaise lounges, one was shaded by a large umbrella.

"Figured, last thing you'd need is a bunch of sun," Victoria said as Brianna showed her daddy she could climb the tall ladder and slide all the way down into the pool.

"Whee!" Andrew applauded Rianna's bravery.

Laying back on his shaded chaise lounge, his nude wife on her own chaise lounge next to him, Andrew watched the four year old girl bravely climbing the tall ladder and sliding down into the pool. He watched her swim all the way across the pool to ask him if he'd seen her.

"I don't think, no, I know I was nowhere near that brave when I was four years old," Andrew said to Victoria.

"Yeah, well, she doesn't have William constantly telling her she can't do it. She doesn't have William constantly fucking everything up, making sure she doesn't ever succeed," Andrew thought as Rianna wanted to try the diving board.

"So, you just about got the day to day stuff taken care of?" Victoria asked, breaking into Andrew's reverie.

"Mm hmm; know you don't like to hear about her, but thank God Candy saved every last one of William's emails," Andrew said.

"Don't. Ever. Say. That bitch's name ever again," Victoria snapped, clapping for Rianna when the girl braved jumping into the pool from the diving board. "Just say 'that bitch' from now on."

"Uh huh, and if that bitch hadn't got a bad case of the dumb ass and gone after William? We'd never met," Andrew reminded Victoria.

"Daddy! You seen me?" Rianna screamed from the ladder.

"I sure did. We ever going be able get you out of that pool?" Andrew called back.

Rianna fussed when she had to get a bath. After all, she'd been out in the pool; surely that counted as a bath.

"Sweetheart, it's because you were in that pool that we got to take a bath," Andrew smiled.

Then he and Victoria and Rianna all knelt next to the princess bed and said their prayers. Andrew pointed out the nightlight, pointed out that the bathroom light was on and she should be safe and sound.

"Come on, Daddy," Victoria smiled as she dropped her bikini bottom to the floor. "I made them guys tighten the bolts extra tight on our bed. Let's see if we can shake it loose."

The men from O'Neil's did their job; the bed barely squeaked as Andrew and Victoria made love. Victoria and Andrew made lots of noise, but the bed did not.

"God damn, Ria, Jesus," Andrew complained about the bite mark on his shoulder.

"Oops, sorry, Daddy. Got kind of carried away there," Victoria giggled, dabbing the wound with hydrogen peroxide. "You going spank me? I been bad?"

Victoria yelped when Andrew did deliver a very stinging slap to her buttock. She turned and kissed him, thrusting her tongue into his mouth.

"Do it again," she husked.

"Oh, God damn, you better fuck me," Victoria screamed out after Andrew delivered several stinging slaps to her compact backside.

"How's your shoulder?" Victoria asked as they cuddled in the afterglow of their second coupling that night.

"Hurts. How's your butt?" Andrew asked, kissing the top of her head.

"Oh, I bet it is red, red, red," Victoria laughed.

She grabbed his right hand and brought the hand to her lips. She kissed his palm several times. Then she put her head on his chest again.

"Maybe next time use a belt?" she suggested.

"Maybe. If you're good," Andrew chuckled, turning off the light.

"Or if I'm bad," Victoria suggested, drawing a 'heart' onto his chest with her polished fingernail.

"Hey, wait a minute," Andrew said, turning the light on again. "Let me see..."

He looked at Victoria's hands. There was a light pink polish on the short fingernails. But none of the fingernails had been chewed to the quick.

"You quit biting your nails?" Andrew asked.

"Day we had to take you to the hospital," Victoria admitted. "I told God, He don't take you, I'll quit biting my nails and I won't cut myself and I won't get no more piercings and..."

"Thank you, Ria," Andrew said and kissed the top of her head again.

"When you getting that stupid cast off?" Victoria asked, nudging it with her foot.

"Next week. Unless, of course, my wife keeps kicking it," Andrew said, turning off the light again.

It was a few days after they'd moved into the new house; Victoria and Rianna were swimming in the pool. Victoria looked up as William strolled, swaggered into the back yard. He managed to swagger despite his obvious limp. Victoria looked at the rear atrium doors of the home; they were still shut. So obviously, William had climbed over the gate; she'd padlocked the gate after the O'Neil's delivery crew had set up the outdoor furniture.