Satisfied With Love Ch. 12

"Thanks Brad."

"Jeni will join us after a break and you can ask her any questions you wish. All staff members have right of refusal for any question you ask of them. Any questions before we break?" Kristi asks.

They shook their heads no.

"Okay. Let's take a 20 minute break. There are refreshments out by the pool if you would like some. They are kind of refreshing. Check 'em out."

As the class stands up to disperse to the areas of greatest curiosity, the PR team assembles together as they leave the conference room with Brad and Kristi, commenting to them about the training they have received so far. All good comments.

********

Kristi got on her phone and informed Jeni to join them after the break. Not yet letting Brad go, she gets him away from the group and pins him against a nearby wall.

She said, "I never, ever want you to feel scared and alone again, not on my watch."

Her eyes begin to water so he knows she is serious and concerned about him.

"You are never alone as long as I and/or your team is with you. Are we clear?"

Brad grabs her, spins her around, pinning her to the wall and gave her a passionate and intense kiss that answers her question. She pushes him away from the wall and mounts him as she continues kissing him. Shockingly, Brad's hands went to their usual places.

She gets wet quickly and breaks the kiss shortly after. She lays her head on his shoulder and holds him as tight as she possibly can. She even cries a little bit. Kristi is so proud of him, but she was not aware of what he experienced and the struggles he overcame to reach his goal, until now.

"We are very clear Angel. I love you so much and I never want to separate from you. Are we clear?" Brad asks.

Kristi smiles, raising her head to look at him and said, "We are very clear. I love you Baby. I never want to separate from you either, ever. I want you to include me in your future struggles, whatever they may be. I also want so bad to take advantage of your body right now, however, I will settle with hugging, kissing and loving you for now. But I will need to do it as often as possible until the training is over for the day, then I'm going to fuck your brains out."

"You will be involved. That is a given now. As far as fucking my brains out - later, and I will hold you to it," he says smiling. "You may hug me as often as you like. I just might have to hug you as well... But, what got into you anyway?" Brad asks.

"I think it was the combination of the struggle you went through for us, the engagement story you told us, and nearly loosing you earlier this week that overwhelmed me. I was so emotionally affected that something inside drove me to do what I did. It has never happened to me before either. I'm blaming it on you because you have changed me so much," she said.

As she smiles at him, she drops her legs down but Brad holds on to her ass cheeks very tight while kneading them. Then he lets her drop to the floor. She retrieves a tissue and dries her eyes as she smiles at him.

"You have a great ass Kristi Miner. I love it, and I love you."

Her smile grows as they continue on their journey to rejoin the group.

Jeni is already there, munching with the guests as she talks to Helen. When they arrive, Jeni momentarily breaks from Helen and gives Brad and Kristi a hug as the guests watch with skepticism. The wait staff treats the guests like family, then they return to the business suite. Larry asks Jeni the first question.

"Jeni, does it bother you to have your leaders in the room while you answer questions about them and your job?"

"No, Mr Strait, not at all. Matter of fact, they may learn something I haven't told them, or even better, I might learn something they haven't told me. I have their undivided attention now, which is rare because Kristi spends so much time on the phone," Jeni replies, smiling and perky.

"That's an unexpected response... Okay, then. Last we met, you said you would not consider changing jobs. Do you still feel the same way?"

"Absolutely, Mr Strait, but things are a little different now. I'm no longer working the best job I ever had. I'm working my dream job. This is my home and it's exciting to be here. Everyday I wake up, I look forward to the challenges the day will bring. It's fun for me. It doesn't feel like a job anymore. I'm completely relaxed and do my work efficiently and quickly."

"I never know what will happen during the day because of Brad and Kristi's antics. Sometimes even my own antics or that of the staff. If I finish my work, I go in search of more starting with Team Brad. The other assistants do the same. Conversely, if I need help, they are right there to lend a hand. That goes for any member of the team, including the owners."

"Brad and Kristi always let me know where I stand, so I'm good. I'm very happy and lucky to be here, and I know it. Best of all, I get paid to be here and I give the owners a great product in return."

"That is a very unusual response, Jeni. It is a first for me," Larry said.

"If I were you, Mr Strait, I would get use to that kind of answer. There are a few other people here that will give you the same or similar answer," Jeni said.

"Jeni, we are all on a first name basis during the training, okay?" Kristi said.

"Okay Kristi, thanks" Jeni replies, smiling. "But is it okay if I call them professionally, like Helen?"

Brad responds, "I will respect that Jeni, but this time around, Helen is using our first names."

Helen adds, "I feel relaxed Jeni. This doesn't feel like a training class, but a social interaction so I decided to go with first names as Brad has requested, for now."

"Okay Helen. Then I will do the same."

Sandi asks, "Jeni, were you told how to respond to our questions in any way?"

Jeni replies, "Yes."

"What were you told?"

"We were told to answer your questions to the best of our abilities from our perspective. Also, we have been given right of refusal so if there is a question we do not want to answer, we are to tell you so and the reason why," Jeni replies.

"Okay Jeni," Sandi said, not really believing her.

"Jeni, you and Kristi both have said Brad is a great leader. Would you tell me what makes him a great leader?" Larry asks. "Helen, take notes please."

"I can, Larry, but they will not be in any specific order. I will say them as they come to my mind. Above all, Brad wants me to be happy working here, and I am. No other employer ever asked, required or expected that of me. He has respect for me as a person and as an employee. He allows me to think and do things my way, as opposed to micro-managing me. He gives me a task, I do it and give him the results. He is courteous. He is abnormally correct. He is proud of me and tells me so. He has a sense of humor that can't be beat, and uses it often, sometimes when you least expect it. We have a family here and, because of him, my work does not feel like a job. He is full of self confidence. He is a thinker and has good foresight. He tells me the truth as he knows it and does not lie to me, because he is honest. I have a great relationship, both personal and professional, with him. He is affectionate. He compliments me on work well done. He appreciates what I do for the Packard Empire. I treat him like a friend instead of a leader, but I still know my place. He is a professional and demands the same from the people that work with him. He runs a tight ship. He has empathy and compassion. He is performance and results oriented. He has a sense of urgency. He has a great attitude. He is fair. He is apologetic, if he needs to be. He listens to the thoughts and ideas of others. He is a good communicator. He constantly thinks about making things better. He is success oriented. He looks into the future ahead of everybody. He created a great team and supports his team and the individuals that make up the team. He helps us if we need it. He provides the equipment we need to make our job faster and easier. We have fun as a team. I have a low stress level. He strives for excellence. Did I mention he makes me happy to work here?"

"I believe you did Jeni. Thank you. Kristi, have you anything to add?"

"Jeni covered the bulk of the them, but I will add that he is trustworthy. He is an outstanding teacher and he cares about people, especially his staff. He also protects us as best he can. That was very evident when he fired the last island manager. I don't seem to recall any others at the moment," Kristi said, "however, as soon as the subject is changed, we may remember more. My only other comment is - he's just a 23 year old kid," she said and laughs.

"Good one Kristi..." Larry said as they all laugh.

He gives her a hi-five. So did Brad and Jeni.

Looking at Helen, Larry asks, "Did you get 'em all?"

Helen nods and Larry smiles.

Looking back to Brad, he said, "Brad, would you agree with that?"

"Up to the 23 year old kid part," he said smiling. "Thank you Jeni and Kristi, I appreciate you saying those kind words about me. I hope to live up to them one day. Also, I won't give out brownie points either."

They giggle and Jeni said, "Why not?"

"If I start giving you and Kristi brownie points for everything you do in your job, I won't have any brownie points left to for anybody else," Brad replies, smiling.

"Funny Brad... You have already lived up to all the things we mentioned. That is why we mentioned them," Jeni said. "I mean it too and I wasn't expecting brownie points, but I'll settle for a hug. But, if I can exchange brownie points for hugs, I'll take the brownie points please."

"Okay Jeni, I owe you a hug. I'll accept that as a fair trade, but still no brownie points. Sorry. I would spend the rest of my life giving you and Kristi hugs."

He thought for a second.

"Hmmm. Wait just one second! That is a very interesting thought. Maybe I need to re-evaluate that," he says with a smile.

They laugh, then smile as Brad gives Jeni a hi-five. In doing so, Brad stretches in front of Kristi as he slaps Jeni's hand and gives her a peck on her cheek at the same time. Then retracts himself to his seat.

"What was that for?" Kristi asks.

"I needed some exercise," Brad replies, then continues as they giggle. "Hopefully, down the road, I will agree with you about the words you two said, but right now, it is still too early for me to make that call."

"Based on what I want to be as an owner of this corporation, a great leader means you treat others the way you want them to treat you. There is no place for a 'better or smarter than you' attitude. I am no different than anybody else. I get up and get dressed the same way every other man does and I have feelings too. I'm also an affectionate person. Always been that way and that is the way I treat people. That is one thing that makes my staff happy and happy people go out of their way to help out. They give their all to the job not just because they are paid, but also because they have the desire to do so."

"Face it. Without employees, this company would not exist. The three of you would not even be here. Because you must employ people, you may as well enjoy the time you spend with them. It definitely beats being pissed off at them all the time," Brad says. "That can make you a miserable person. Case and point, your ex-VP."

"Thank you for your answers. They are indeed profound," Larry said.

Sandi asks, "Jeni, how does your boss let you know how you stand?"

"First of all Sandi, I respectfully submit to you that Brad is not my boss, he is my leader, both of them are, and so is Stacy and Peggy. I learned that in your office, Larry. I thought Brad didn't like being called boss because he wants to use it as joke material, but now I understand differently." Looking at him, "Brad, I will never call you boss again, okay boss?" Jeni said smiling at him.

Brad said, "Fine by me Jeni, as long as you don't mind getting thrown in the pool."

They all broke into laughter.

After they get their control back, Helen asks, "What's the difference?"

Jeni replies, "Brad said a boss orders or dictates, and I agree. A leader listens, leads, guides and directs and that is what he has done with me and the rest of the team. My personal thought is, a boss demands respect, but a leader earns it. I base this on my past experience with other bosses as I compare them to what Brad has accomplished. He is the only one that has earned my respect and because of that, I want to respect him in return."

"That is a different and an objective evaluation Jeni. Thank you for that," Helen said.

Jeni smiles and continues, "You're welcome Helen... To answer your other question Sandi, they let me know my standing in several ways. They tell me I'm doing a great job, often. They thank me when I finish a task. They give me hi-fives, sometimes for no reason. When in a Team Brad meeting, they give me compliments and tell me they are proud of me. I also give them compliments. They go out of their way to help me if I need it, especially if I have to carry a lot of stuff around. They give me hugs anytime they feel like it and that makes me feel the best. I work for hugs, but that's just me. It's great."

"I'm hoping they don't use that against me either, but they probably will," she said, smiling and they nod. "I know Brad and Kristi pretty well now and I know they are already scheming about how to do that..."

Brad and Kristi are chuckling with an evil smile on their faces.

To be continued... Stay tuned to 'Satisfied With Love Ch. 13'.