by Opal Cole
She agreed to this and it seemed rather reluctantly, and I was able to finish my job. My people looked at me and even the NT staff seemed to be surprised about the treatment I had received. One whispered to me, asking what had happened, because in previous meeting Ms. Monahan had been very friendly to everyone. I just told him to shut up and to be prepared for whatever else might happen. Eileen talked to her people during coffee break and it seemed that even they were surprised about the heavy mood of the meeting.
She called us back and I went into details of the more important issues. If Eileen was difficult before, now it became obvious that she wanted to create a situation where I would either explode or walk away. I had my almost 50 PowerPoint charts with the main points, but I also had more than 100 charts for backup explanations. I could answer almost all the questions, and what I did not have ready was answered by my people or even her own staff. After more than an hour being grilled on issues that had been discussed and resolved before, and nitpicked for every little detail, I asked for a break and went to talk to Sir Allan.
"Sir Allan, I don't know what's happening here. During the last months all these questions have been discussed and resolved, and today was supposed to be a wrap-up show. It seems that Mrs. Monahan is not satisfied anymore with our work, but is unwilling to say it. May I suggest that you take her aside and offer her that we either cancel the meeting and walk away from NT (you might let her know that we had already inquiries from other big logistics companies and it would be easy for us to change direction and go for one of them -- and they would just eat her up), or that she decides that she wants a productive meeting and shuts up. With all due respect, obviously."
He gazed at me and I saw the options being analyzed and decided on in his head.
"You're right, James. Make some movements as if you were going to pick up your charts and start to put them into your case. Perhaps that'll wake her up. I'll talk to her."
He got up and asked Eileen whether he could talk to her for a moment alone. She looked at me, but I shook my head and started to assemble my charts in a nice little heap and opened my case to start to close up. Everyone looked at me, but I shrugged my shoulders and continued to get my stuff together. My people got the idea and went along so when the two came back, we were ready to leave. She looked at the empty table in front of us and was surprised and even more so when I took my computer and closed it in front of her.
She swallowed drily and looked around -- everyone was staring at her.
"Gentlemen, I apologize, but I had a terrible headache all night and it is getting worse. I don't believe that I can contribute much to the discussion in this state and have asked Mr. Gage, my financial director, to step in for me. Please continue -- as far as I am concerned the project is approved."
She swallowed once more and thanked us for our work: it was outstanding, and NT would be very happy to continue to work with us. If her staff had no serious objections, NT would start to initiate work within two weeks.
"Please excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, but I need to rest. Please go on and inform me about the final result. Sir Allan, it was a pleasure to meet you. I hope to feel better at night and NT invites all of you for dinner. I understand that you probably want to go back to Sydney -- I have been told how many long hours you worked, but whoever has the time to stay here, he or she is cordially invited for dinner. Once more, please excuse me, and a good meeting."
There was silence in the room as she slowly left, and then, as managed by a string, everyone looked first at Sir Allan, and then at me.
"Could we go on with the meeting, please? It has been some time since I could stretch my legs."
Sir Allan smiled politely and as by a miracle, the meeting was finished within half an hour. Everyone was happy, no more questions were asked, and the project was approved ready to go in two weeks' time. Some said goodbye, others promised to be at the dinner, and off we went back to the hotel. Sir Allan took me aside when we arrived and said that even it was just afternoon, he needed a whisky and whether I could join him. Being a good German, I obeyed, and we had our drinks in the bar.
"Now, James, tell me what happened. This was rather unexpected, and I must say, your suggestion to tell her to shut up or we would walk, worked just fine, but tell me why all this. Is she not your future mother-in-law? Was this a family fight?"
"Sir Allan, some weeks ago I had a short but rather explosive discussion with her about the way she behaved at the last meeting and how she treated Frank. That was unasked for and not something I would have expected from her. She made life very difficult for Frank and when I tried to explain this to her, all she could say was that he had offered it and that it was her right to accept what was offered. I exploded and gave her a lesson on ethics, told her that our company fulfills its commitments whatever it costs, and hung up on her. That was the last time I spoke to her and the tone of this meeting was as much a surprise to me as it was for you, but you saved it and we have the job. Let's forget what happened."
He looked at me for a long time, considered everything and finally nodded.
"You'll do well here, in Australia and in our company. I just hope that your private affairs are not impacted, but that is your problem, not mine, Good luck!"
He drowned his whisky and got up to relax in his room.
When I came close to my room, I could feel the presence of Maureen. At least that had not changed! As I opened the door she flew into my arms.
"Poor baby! I told Mom already that I'll move to Sydney to stay with you. I've friends in the company and they told me how Mom treated you. This is unacceptable and I told her that! You don't deserve this at all! I don't want to stay with somebody like her, who is able to do this to someone she told us whom she loved so much! That was all a lie! I believed her when she said that she had changed! I don't want to see her again! I brought some of my dresses and we can go back to Sydney together. My tests are finished and what I have to do to terminate my studies, I can do from Sydney or with a return trip from there. I still have money from a fund my father set up for me, so you'll have no extra expenses from me. And I will not invite her to our wedding!"
I almost had fallen down on her assault but managed to hold her -- and me -- upright while I led her to a chair.
"Tell me what happened, my love."
"My friends in the company called me and told me what Mother said to you and how she interrupted you all the time. They said she was mad at you for a reason and used her position to attack you personally. Everyone was stunned because up to that moment, the meeting was supposed to be only a wash-up and general congratulations. And suddenly it grew into a fight between Mother and you! What happened? And when she came home, she cried and did not want to talk to me, but I insisted and went into her room without knocking! And then she said that you had abandoned her and walked away from her! And that you deserved what you got!"
Maureen was irate.
"When I asked for an explanation, she yelled at me and told me to go away -- if I was so much in love with you, it might be better if I stayed with you instead of her. I asked her whether she really meant this and if she knew what she was saying, and she said that I better left before things got worse. So I packed whatever I'll need in Sydney and here I am. Did I do anything wrong? Can I please come with you?"
She started to cry, and I tried to calm her down.
"Of course you can come with me; actually I prefer that you stay with me and not get into deeper trouble with your mother. I don't know what happened to her, but we should find out before I go back to Sydney. We had such a wonderful relationship and I'll not throw it away until I have tried at least to find out the reason for this change of behavior. I know that I seemed to get her upset the last time we talked on the phone, but in my opinion, she acted wrong and I told her that. If she takes this as abandoning her, I'll speak to her and then we'll go back to Sydney together and we'll resolve our life there."
She nodded. "But I will not invite her for our w
edding!"
I tried to calm her. "Remember one thing, though: she's your mother and the grandmother of our future children, who will have nothing to do with this. We'll try to keep at least a social life together so that she's not completely alone, and that she knows that we're there if ever she needs it."
"James, you are much more generous than I! How can you do this? She went after you in front of other people and you're still willing to help her if in need?"
"Maureen, my love, she's your mother and I did love her. I'll find out what happened, and we'll decide what we'll do afterwards, but please calm down now. We need to eat something, and I have that dinner at night with Sir Allan and your mother, and I don't want to look tired or upset. My only weapon was to stay as I always was, calm and objective. The only person who can take me out of that mood is you!"
She started to smile a bit under her tears and hugged me again.
"As long as we stay together, the rest of the world can handle itself on its own!"
We lay down a bit and I started to relax. The presentation had gone well, the job would start next week, and Maureen would be with me in Sydney.
At night I dressed up and a car was waiting to take Sir Allan and me to the restaurant. All he asked was whether things were OK for me and whether I foresaw any new tempests for tonight. I said that as far I knew, we would have an agreeable dinner, that Mrs. Monahan knew her wines and that we should expect a pleasant match of good food and excellent wines, and I was certain that I would survive the evening -- and if not, I always had him as my savior. He laughed and said that I didn't need a savior, all that I needed was occasionally someone who brought me back to reality because when I was reaching for objectives and goals, I set them very high.
"And you know that your people have started to stretch themselves also farther than I've seen them before. They were good before and they're excellent now. Once more thanks for your good work. We appreciate it, James."
We arrived at the restaurant and everyone else was already waiting. Eileen was again dressed impeccably: a long black dress with a wonderful pearl choker, and it hurt me to look at her knowing that she had decided to walk away. She greeted Sir Allan with a little kiss on his cheek and turned to me. "James, I hope that you enjoy the dinner. Your presentation was excellent -- please forgive me my bad mood, but I had a terrible headache and only now it is improving."
"There's no problem, Eileen. Our goal was to present the project, its timetable and commitments and I understand that this was achieved. Your people were very helpful, and I hope you let them know what we think about their support. I hope that you feel better and I am certain that Sir Allan and I will enjoy the food and especially the wines -- I've told him already how knowledgeable you are about the Australian wines. We expect to be pleasantly surprised, and hope that soon we can try our best in Sydney; perhaps when the first milestone has been passed and the first results are visible?"
She looked at me and almost smiled -- I saw also Sir Allan nodding and glancing at me in a very satisfied manner.
The dinner was excellent, and the wines were even better. I believe that after my little speech Eileen changed some wines, because glasses were changed and the sommelier was discussing wines for almost two minutes with her, but the change, if there was one, was certainly for the better.
Eileen was sitting at the top of the table, with Sir Allan on her right and I on her left. We discussed God and the world, and it got very heated when I said that American football was certainly more interesting than Australian Rules. It had the planned effect as everyone ganged up on me and I had fun showing that I knew enough about Australian Rules to justify my opinion. There are fanatic followers of almost every sport all over the world, but in Australia they live and die for their game. When I brought up cricket, they said that that was a game for sissies. On TV I had seen a cricket game where the bowler hit the other player on the shoulder, and he was carried out unconscious on a stretcher: no game for sissies for me!
At the end, Eileen suddenly got up, asked for a moment of silence and said that she wanted to make an announcement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you've done an outstanding job, bringing in an excellent project on time and within budget. NT did not really expect this because of the complexity of the questions involved and the interaction needed between our two companies, but you did it, and we compliment you. We also believe that due to the delivery on time -- and on budget! -- and the new ideas you researched and offered to us, NT saved a significant amount of money. As a reward NT would like to offer you a success bonus of A$ 250,000, to be distributed among you as you see fit. I suggest that Sir Allan and Mr. Gage, my financial director, help you, but the final decision is yours and I'm certain that, as you showed on the project, you will have a perfect solution for yourselves."
There was a stunned silence, and then everyone started to applaud. She smiled and sat down, with a relieved face that things had gone well. She glanced at me and I smiled back; well done, I thought and tried to transfer my thoughts to her. She seemed to relax and turned to Sir Allan.
"Your people and mine have done an outstanding job. It's only fair that they earn the reward for their work."
She turned back to us and said that it was late, and she needed to rest and prepare for the implementation of our project. This broke up the party, but before she left, I asked her if I could see her the next morning.
"Come at eleven, James. Perhaps we can resolve our problem."
The car was waiting again, and we went back to the hotel. Sir Allan was visibly satisfied with the events of the day and it was funny that he returned to the question of what I wanted to do in the future.
"Sir Allan, I came to Australia expecting an extended stay to help my career and to see what would happen to me and the company. I believe that I did an acceptable job and I started to like the country and the company. The people here are different from what I had expected, more spontaneous and direct, but also friendlier. My job has brought me challenges and successes, and a few problems I could have resolved better. I found my future wife, and this implies a heavy influence on my decision on what to do when my time here ends. I would probably prefer to stay depending on what the company offers, but that is a problem I'll have to resolve in the future. Today, I'm happy what I'm doing, and am gratified that other people see this, too."
"James, I cannot tell you what will happen in the future, but I had some talks with New York on what to do with Frank, but unfortunately, he has a big problem. He is competent and gets things done, but this incident with Mrs. Monahan questions his judgment. So I cannot promise anything, but be assured that we appreciate your work, and that you do have a future with this company. Just promise me one thing: if ever you want to do anything else, come to me first and we will discuss it."
We arrived at the hotel, both quiet and thinking about our respective problems. He was a good man and I was certain that I could learn a lot from him: his business experience, his leadership, his decisiveness when necessary, and his silence when appropriate.
Maureen was waiting for me; she had ordered room service and was eager to know what had happened. I told her all the details including the generous offer of the bonus, the date we had with her the next morning, and she started to smile.
"James, she knows what she did wrong, and she is trying to buy you back. Be careful, she's wily and very smart."
I had my shower and we went to bed. I was terribly tired and took Maureen in my arms and fell asleep. That must have been a great disappointment for her, but I'm certain she took it with a smile. During the night I felt her head on my shoulder, her hair tickling my nose and the faint smell of her preferred perfume Celui, and to have her close and feel her presence was wonderful.
When I woke up, she was looking at me with a big smile. She kissed me and asked whether I felt better now. I nodded, and she asked whether I was still tired and when I said that it seemed that I had recovered from the tension of the previous day, she smiled
(actually she grinned) and said that there were no more excuses for me.
"Do you know that you did not kiss 'your' breasts last night? You simply vanished and they were very sad the whole night! Don't you think they now deserve special attention? Here they are!" and she offered them to me, bending down to give me better access.
I agreed with her and gave them very special attention: kissing the nipples, sucking them in and tonguing them, biting them slightly, in fact, feasting on them. Maureen was getting excited and when I touched her clitoris, she came loudly and eagerly. Then she pushed me down and said that I should relax; it was her wifely duty now to satisfy her husband. She kissed me and slowly was gliding down my body; she stopped at my nipples, kissing and licking them, then arriving at my penis, she held it up and admired it. "What a wonderful sight: a manly shaft ready to penetrate my poor pussy! Will it enter easily? Will it hurt me? Let me lubricate it first!"
She kissed it tenderly and took it deep into her mouth. She had acquired a wonderful technique to tease and excite, bringing me almost to my release and backing down again. It was thoroughly frustrating and incredibly stimulating. I almost begged her to finish, but the feeling was so thrilling that I wanted more and more. Then she moved her body up and above mine and guided my shaft to her tempting hole. She looked at me hungrily, her eyes shining with anticipation, a grin on her face. My rigid penis bounced in front of her. She reached down and ran a finger along the shaft and head, causing me to twitch. She giggled.
"Hello George, you are quite hot and hard. And soft, too. Please come and visit me. I need you."
