The Jocasta Complex Pt. 04

"And you're still going to leave him in charge?" asked Josh, sounding a little confused.

"Oh hell yeah, he runs a good operation. Why wouldn't I want to keep him," replied Ally. "His only problem is that he created too much value that wasn't reflected in his stock price and was undercapitalized to boot. Besides―I kind of like the idea of having him by the balls, just so I can squeeze them every once in a while. Especially since I won't have to physically be there to do it!"

Josh laughed as he watched Ally type a text message into her laptop letting her assistant know she would be a few minutes late in connecting to the Zoom meeting. She let her know that it would be all hands on deck after the call.

"OK, I need to call Daniel now to lock him in" said Ally turning to Josh as she pulled up his number on her cell phone and dialed.

"Do you still need him, now that all the drama is over and it's a done deal?" asked Josh.

"Oh hell, yeah!" replied Ally. "I want to take him off the board. I don't want to run the risk of them changing their minds and trying to retain him themselves. There's no one better at this stuff than him.

"What if he says no," asked Josh.

"Even if he does, after I talk to him, he would probably have to recuse himself," replied Ally. "We win either way."

"You certainly seem to have all the angles covered―"Josh started to compliment Ally as she lifted her hand to cut him off when Daniel answered the phone.

"Yes, and nice to talk to you again so soon too, Daniel," replied Ally. "But this is a business rather than social call, if you don't mind."

From the way Ally was listening, Josh could tell that her conversation with Daniel had quickly transitioning to a business call. It sounded as though he was going through his boilerplate legal spiel to a new client.

"Well, here is the long and short of it," said Ally into the phone. "I just got a call from Bree. It seems that Andrew got hit with a similar play to the one you were telling me about with Michael's company."

Ally paused and listened.

"Apparently they are undercapitalized and Michael and Bree have asked me, my company, to be their white knight, so to speak, and I agreed," continued Ally. "I'd like you to handle the transaction and make sure both parties are equitably treated. There is no one more qualified than you to handle the deal and because of all of our personal relationships you are uniquely suited for the task. There would be a level of trust. Would you have time?"

Again, Ally paused.

"Oh, yes! I'm glad you reminded me," replied Ally. "Yes I told my staff that we should retain Andrew to run the company and provide him with a generous compensation package―with your approval, of course."

Another pause.

"Oh, wonderful!" replied Ally. "I'll have my people make the initial contact with you and I'll leave it up to you how to proceed. Thank you so much, Daniel. Again, please let me know if there is anything I can do for you. Love you too! Bye!"

"So that's it? asked Josh. "It's a done deal?"

"No, not quit," replied Ally. "This could still go south if we can't agree on a price. And there are other things that could go wrong too. But we're in a better position now than we were a couple of hours ago."

"Are we going to need to cut the trip short?" asked Josh.

"No, I don't think so," said Ally. "For the next couple of weeks most of the action will be at staff level, and with Daniel, of course. I think we are OK for now. Besides, I want to avoid any direct involvement. I want this to be purely a business transaction and keep emotions out of it."

"Other than you fucking Andrew," replied Josh pointedly.

"Yes, other than me fucking Andrew," answered Ally with a sly smile.

~~~~~

Friday Evening / Day 8

Lois, Dan and Nick busied themselves preparing dinner as the sun began to set. Everyone except Ally and Josh had spent a long afternoon at the pond. While Lois and her two sous chefs prepared dinner, Sandy and the other boys set the table, opened the wine and then lounged around the great room watching the Giants play the Dodgers on TV. Ally and Josh remained in the master bedroom, apparently still busy with Zoom calls back and forth with their office.

Ally had texted Lois at the pool earlier to let her know about her call with Bree and the impending purchase of Andrew's company, and that Daniel would be handling the transaction to make sure everyone was treated fairly. Ally asked Lois to inform the others and told her that she and Josh would probably be tied up at least until dinner time.

Ally and Josh never rejoined the others at the pool. Once they were into the Zoom call with the team at the office, the new acquisition took on a life of its own. There were multiple calls back and forth between Ally, Josh and their team at the office and a couple of calls with other attorneys at Daniel's firm.

Josh had been surprised at how quickly things were moving, and even more surprised at how adept Ally was at fielding each of the questions that came up. He was amazed at how she seemed to take it all in stride.

After the first hour or so of frantic activity, both Ally and Josh realized that they would have to sequester themselves frequently for the duration of their stay at the ranch.

Ally had Josh bring in one of the folding tables from the garage and a couple of the folding chairs to place in a corner of the master bedroom as a work area. That would provide them with some privacy when they were communicating with their office without disturbing the others. Ally anticipated that the communications would continue all weekend, and certainly during the following week until they left for home.

When Dan knocked on the bedroom door to let them know dinner was ready, Ally was just finishing up her final call with her assistant, giving her marching orders since the staff would be working through the weekend.

~~~~~

Lois outdid herself yet again at dinner, preparing her own recipe for lasagna, substituting pancetta for Italian sausage in the sauce. Everyone had second helpings along with more of the Greek salad that Lois had the boys prepare.

Dinner turned into a three hour affair as the group constantly ate and talked, with most of the conversation, and questions, centering around Ally and Josh's acquisition of Andrew's company. They went through six bottles of the Tuscan Meritage that Lois had brought along. It was a blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Sangiovese that matched the lasagna perfectly.

The conversation continued through dessert and coffee. Dessert was warm, freshly baked double-dark chocolate brownies served with a drizzle of raspberry coulis on the plate, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream with fresh raspberries and sliced strawberries on top.

Nick turned out to be handy in the kitchen too, especially since he was very adept at operating the professional grade espresso maker on the corner of the kitchen counter that had gone unused up to that point. Espressos, Lattes, Mochas and Cappuccinos continued to flow as the evening wore on, as did the Sambuca.

Everyone pitched in cleaning up after dinner and everyone retired to their respective bedrooms, since the dance cards for the evening had already been filled. Eventually, each of the women and their partners drifted off to sleep after a night of intense lovemaking, with their partners arms and legs draped over them from either side.

~~~~~

Saturday Morning / Day 9

Ally could hear her phone vibrating on the nightstand next to her as she awoke bleary eyed. The first thing she noticed was that the sun was beaming directly through the windows. As she reached over Mike's body to retrieve her phone, she verified that it was, indeed, already a little after 9 a.m. The third thing she noticed, and much to her displeasure, was the colossal headache that throbbed between her temples.

"Just a sec," whispered Ally huskily as she answered the phone, seeing that it was Bree. "I don't want to wake either of the boys up."

"Either?" asked Bree chuckling. "Who are the 'eithers' you slut?"

"Just a minute," replied Ally, still talking in a whisper as she scooted to the end of the bed and headed toward the bathroom. With each step, her head pulsed with more and more pain.

"Mike and Josh, if you have to know," replied Ally indignantly, not in any mood to be teased at the moment, her head feeling as though it was about to explode.

"Sorry, I don't mean to snap," apologized Ally as she closed the bathroom door behind her and immediately filled the glass on the counter next to the sink with cold tap water and sucked it down.

"Are you OK?" asked Bree, laughing quietly. "You sound a little out of sorts. Is everything OK?"

As Bree talked, Ally tried to focus on what she was saying. However another thought was competing for her attention at the moment. She was remembering a line she once read in a Somerset Maugham novel about a guy who woke up hungover. Maugham described him as feeling as though something had crawled in his mouth and died. That's how she felt at the moment as she poured and gargled a second glass of water.

Ally could hear Bree giggling on the other end of the line.

"Too much wine and sambuca last night," lamented Ally as she sat down on the toilet to expel said wine and sambuca, as well as the prodigious amount of cum that still filled both of her cavities after allowing Josh and Mike to ravish her body late into the night.

"It sounds like I woke you up," said Bree apologetically. "I'm sorry. I thought you would be up by now. I just wanted to call and thank you for yesterday―for everything!"

"That's OK. I think everyone will benefit," replied Ally, rubbing her temples with both hands as she balanced her phone on her thigh.

"Andrew sends his thanks too," said Bree. "He says he will be working with your team and Daniel throughout the weekend."

"I'm glad they all seem to be working well together," replied Ally.

"That's just the thing," said Bree, her tone almost apologetic. "He's so busy that he says Andy and I are getting under foot and―"

"And you and Andy would like to join us here at the ranch," replied Ally, finishing Bree's sentence for her.

"W-E-L-L ― yeah!" responded Bree sheepishly. "If it's not too much trouble."

Ally's brain was rushing a mile a minute trying to figure out how to respond to Bree, not to mention what she wanted to do. Ally's hangover addled head wasn't helping matters as she tried to think through her options and the potential ramifications of her final decision.

"Oh, baby! We'd love to have both of you come back," replied Ally finally. "We were so disappointed when you left. Do you want to drive up this morning?"

"Could we?" answered Bree excitedly. "We're just getting in the way down here."

"Sure! We'll have the bedroom next to Lois ready for you when you get here," said Ally.

"What about the bunkhouse?" asked Bree, sounding confused.

"Oh, we kind of changed things up after you left," said Ally. "The boys are pairing up and joining Lois, Sandy and I in our bedrooms. It's more intimate. That's why Mike and Josh were both in bed with me this morning."

"Actually, that sounds kinda fun," said Bree enthusiastically.

"You don't mind sharing a bathroom with Lois and Dan, do you?" asked Ally.

"The more the merrier―right?" answered Bree, laughing.

"What time do you think you'll get here?" asked Ally.

"Noon, maybe 1ish," said Bree.

"Great! We'll have lunch ready," responded Ally enthusiastically. "After lunch we can make that shopping trip into town we talked about. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me," said Bree, equally enthused. "Can't wait!"

"Give me a call when you're close," said Ally. "In the meantime I need to get in the shower. My skin's beginning to crawl."

"Well, baby," laughed Bree, "that's what happens when you got two big hunks sandwiching you all night. Bye!"

Typical Bree, laughed Ally, as she put her phone on the counter next to her. Bree always liked to get in the last word.

~~~~~

"Look at you―all hot and sexy!" said Sandy as she and Lois looked up from their coffee at Ally, who was wearing the raspberry colored version of the new dresses she bought in town.

"In that case, I wish I felt like I look," replied Ally as she slowly ambled toward the bar and sat at the kitchen counter. As she sat down, Lois was already fetching her a cup of coffee.

"Are you an Advil or a Bufferin girl?" asked Lois. "Want a side of Alka-Seltzer?"

"Advil," replied Ally. "Two please. How are the two of you feeling?"

"Oh, we've both taken our medicine," replied Lois as she put Ally's coffee in front of her, smiling.

"I tried to talk Chef Boyardee here into Bloody Marys," said Sandy sarcastically. "But she nixed the idea."

"I don't think we have any tomato juice or mix anyway," said Ally. "But we can pick some up when we go shopping after lunch."

"Shopping?" exclaimed Sandy in her typical exuberant fashion.

"Yeah, I thought we could finally make that shopping trip after Bree and Andy get here―you know, after lunch."

"Bree and Andy!" exclaimed Lois. It was obvious from her tone of voice that it was actually a question.

"Yeah. If Bree hadn't called, I'd probably still be asleep," said Ally. "Andrew says he is busy and they're getting under foot, so Bree asked if they could come back. I said yes. Is that OK with the both of you?"

"Sure, darlin'," said Sandy enthusiastically. "I could use some more of Andy's man meat. That boy can rock a girl's world."

"That's fine," said Lois softly, sounding less enthusiastic.

"I promise, he'll be on his best behavior," said Ally softly as she looked at Lois. "Under the current circumstances, I think I have both he and his father by the short hairs. And I'll make sure Bree understands that Andy has to behave."

"I'm a big girl, you don't―" Lois started to say, before Sandy interrupted.

"Darlin', Andy just needs to be house broke a little," said Sandy. "That's all. If he wants to act out and behave all macho and aggressive, I'll give him the ride of his fucking life. He'll be the one rode hard and put away wet!"

"Oh yeah, the other thing," interjected Ally. "I told Bree about our new sleeping arrangements and I suggested she use the bedroom adjoining yours. I figured Dan would be sleeping with you anyway. She was OK with it. Is that OK with you?"

"Well, yeah. Sure I guess," replied Lois halfheartedly.

"Why don't Lois and I switch bedrooms," suggested Sandy, sensing Lois' discomfort. "Bree and I can tag team them boys all night, back and forth, and really tucker them out."

"That's OK with me," said Ally, thankful for Sandy's offer.

"Yeah, sure. Fine. Thank you," replied Lois, before changing the subject by adding, "How about I fix us all some breakfast."

"Sounds good to me!" came a loud voice from the doorway.

Ally, Sandy and Lois looked up to see Mike's hairy body as he stretched his arms over his head as he walked and his long, thick appendage swinging back and forth between his legs like a pendulum.

"C-L-O-T-H-E-S!" shouted all three women simultaneously.

"Oops! Sorry!" yelled Mike meekly as he turned on a dime and headed back down the hallway.

"Wake the others up!" yelled Lois. "I'll have breakfast ready for everyone after you all shower and get dressed."

"Yes ma'am!" replied Mike with uncharacteristic politeness as he disappeared down the hallway.

"Maybe I should leave him with you for a while darlin'," laughed Sandy as she turned to look at Lois, who was already starting breakfast. "Maybe you can finally get him house broke too."

~~~~~

Saturday Afternoon / Day 9

The four women were in their element as Bree sped toward town in her BMW en route to their shopping spree in Sonora. The quartet were feeling energized. This was the first time they had all gone shopping together in over two years.

They were going to hit the dress store first and then the jewelry store. After that, they were headed to the salon to get pampered and prettified. Sandy and Lois would get pierced for their new jewelry. Bree was already pierced in all the right place, plus the inside her nose, as it turned out.

Sandy and Ally had already talked before they left and agreed that Ally would buy each of the women a complete set of the dresses they all liked and Sandy would splurge for a set of nipple rings and the matching G-Strings for herself, as well as Bree and Lois.

"That will be our 'harem attire' for the rest of the week," Sandy and Ally joked.

Each of the other women were on their own for their sets of body jewelry, picking gemstones that matched their eye colors. As it turned out, Lois' cost more than all the others combined. Her body jewelry featured rare brown zircon gemstones that were flecked with gold, uncannily mirroring her hazel eyes.

When the four women exited the salon a few hours later, freshly attired in their matching dresses and jewelry there were a lot of dropped jaws and two near traffic collisions as they walked the two blocks back to where Bree's BMW was parked.

"Well, that was fun!" drawled Sandy as they got to the car. "Maybe we should take a walk around the block again―

just for shit and giggled―what do you think?"

"I think we would be pressing our luck," replied Lois, always the adult of the group. "We just might get arrested."

"You're always such a party pooper," sighed Sandy, feigning exasperation. "Just like with the Bloody Marys this morning."

"Speaking of which," interrupted Ally, "if you want any tomorrow, we'll have to stop and get tomato juice or mixer."

"Well, if you're going to make them, make them right," interjected Lois, "we need to use tomato juice and make our own."

"OK then," asked Ally, "what else do we need?"

"Do you have Worchester sauce? Tabasco?" asked Lois. "How about celery salt? We'll probably need more fresh lemons and celery too."

Bree could see the Super Walmart a couple of blocks ahead and an impish smile crossed her face as she slowed at the entrance.

"OK, but the question is who's going into Walmart dressed like this?" asked Bree turning into the nearly full parking lot.

"Oh Jesus! Have you seen those videos they have online!" laughed Ally as she started to giggle uncontrollably.

"What a bunch of wusses!" chided Sandy. "I'll go! But one of you bitches has to come with me."

Sandy looked around, but there were no takers as they all had a giggling fit. Finally, Sandy's eyes fixed on Lois.

"No! No, NOOO!" protested Lois adamantly. "NOT ME!"

"What do you other ladies think?" drawled Sandy with a devilish grin. "After all, it's Giada De 'Fuckin' Laurentis here's recipe, ain't it?"

"Yep! Lois! ― Food and drink are you remit, after all!" agreed Ally, laughing and giggling. "Looks like you're Sandy's bitch for this little adventure, mon amour. Try not to get famous in the process."

"Merde!" exclaimed an exasperated Lois as she sullenly got out of the car and joined Sandy, who was waiting for her with a broad grin on her face. 'You bitch!' thought Lois as she gave the snickering Ally a dirty look.

Sandy and Lois started walking through the parking lot toward the front of the Walmart Super Center. Bree and Ally continued to follow their progress from the car, continuing to giggle like schoolgirls.

Several of the shoppers coming out of the store with their shopping carts stopped to gawk. One man accidently bumped the cart he was pushing into the lady in front of him and he caught hell from both his wife and the woman he ran into. All that served to do was make Bree and Ally giggle more.

After Sandy and Lois were gone for half an hour Ally was starting to get worried. A police car had pulled up in front of the store and the officers had gone inside about ten minutes ago, which worried Ally. When she was about to dial Lois' phone, she saw Lois and Sandy coming out the store exit, both wearing rather gaudily colored and patterned hooded Mexican ponchos.