by M T Stone
I heard Jack’s voice coming from the hallway, so I went out to meet him. He had his back to me and by the tone in his voice, it sounded like he was having a very intense discussion.
“I trust you, Anthony. You know exactly how to deal with them, so just work your magic, buddy. I want them out of my hair now. I’m tired of this bullshit.”
I immediately knew that it was a conversation that I should not have overheard. I ducked into the ladies’ room and spent the next few minutes stalling. I can’t believe Jack is talking about something like this in the hallway. What is he thinking? After everything fell silent for a minute or two, I walked out pretending that nothing had happened. Now the only commotion was coming from the conference room.
“Check out what Dad’s drinking.” Brandon laughed as we met each other in the doorway.
“Is that green juice?” I asked, not really believing what I was seeing.
“Yeah, it’s not bad,” he replied while taking a swig.
“You are just full of surprises today,” I added, feeling bewildered by all the strange events taking place.
First, he has an egg white and spinach omelet for breakfast. Then, he goes to get a green juice for lunch while having a conversation with some kind of hit-man in a public hallway. Next, he’ll actually want to go to Maoz for dinner, and we’ll be meeting a guy who resembles Tony Soprano.
If I thought that I had been distracted in our morning session, it was nothing compared to the afternoon. I could just as well have been somewhere else because my brain kept processing what he had been talking about in the hallway. Am I about to discover another layer of Jack Ryker?
Jack’s phone buzzed several times during the next hour and a half. Each time he would excuse himself from the room to take the call. He wasn’t talking loudly enough for any of us to hear his conversations, so we all sat there a little confused. It wasn’t like Jack to take phone calls during a business meeting. He had always made it clear that it was one of his major pet peeves. The strangeness of this day continues to build.
“Alright, I’m tired of this conference room and it’s snowing again,” Jack announced upon returning from his last phone call. “Our plane leaves for Puerto Rico at 8pm. Does anyone have an objection to finishing up these meetings on the yacht?”
“Not at all,” Brandon answered immediately rising out of his chair.
“I don’t have clothes for that,” Brenda replied, looking a tad shocked.
“You have several hours to kill. I’ll ask Tim to take you to Saks. Just ask for Sheri and she’ll help you find whatever you need. I’ll let her know to put it on my account,” Jack replied with a wave of his hand.
“Wow, thanks, Jack,” she said still looking a little surprised by the sudden turn of events. Brenda was a single mother of two grown children, so she simply sent them a text to let them know that her trip had been extended through the weekend. She bristled with excitement as she sent a series of messages to her family and friends.
“Jayne and Brandon, you go get packed. We’ll swing by to pick you up between 6 and 6:30. We’re taking off from the heliport on West 30th because traffic will be a nightmare about that time,” he instructed.
He must have been reading my mind. There is nothing I want more than to get out of the city. My phone had buzzed twice while we were in our afternoon meeting. It was during Mom’s normal break time, so I knew without even looking that it was her. I better call her before we leave or she’s only going to get more pissed off.
“What’s wrong Kate?” Jack asked as we began to walk toward the St. Regis.
“I just have a lot on my mind I guess.”
“Anything I can help you with?”
“Sure. Do you want to talk to my mother?”
“I do. Give me your phone.”
Really? This should be interesting.
“Hi, Cynthia. It’s Jack, actually,” he said giving me a wink. I could hear my mother’s voice on the other end despite the fact that I was on the other side of Jack.
“Yes, I understand your embarrassment, Cynthia. But it’s not just a fling. I have honestly fallen in love with your daughter over the past month.”
Once again, I clearly heard her voice as Jack had to pull the phone away from his ear.
“She never dated Brandon, Cynthia. She just made that up to cover for the fact that she was dating me. I’m sorry… I can see how disturbing that would be for you.”
Ah shit… I never should’ve lied.
Jack kept his calm as he continued to be verbally assaulted by my mother. She was definitely giving him an earful of something. All he said for the next minute or two was “aha” and “yes, I understand.”
When she had finally exhausted herself, Jack replied, “That was a long time ago Cynthia. You know how much I’ve changed since then. I was married for almost 30 years and I was completely faithful. You have my word, Cynthia; my feelings are 100% genuine.”
A tingle went down my spine as I heard the words come out of his mouth. If only dad would find out about us, that would completely make my day. He would be so pissed, especially since he’s never liked Jack. If that son of a bitch ever tries to contact me, I’ll totally ignore his ass. Karma’s a bitch, Dad.
“Okay, she’s definitely not onboard yet.” He sighed as he handed me back my phone.
My phone immediately buzzed once again as she had sent me a text message:
Mom: We still need to talk, Kate.
Me: K. I’ll call you later.
I was glad that Jack had borne the brunt of the first conversation with her. She’ll mellow out a bit now and then I’ll be able to have a civil discussion with her. I’m still curious about whether or not they have more history than they have admitted to me. Honestly though, I probably don’t want to know.
~~~
Jack
Everyone was all smiles as we boarded the new plane at LaGuardia. My smile broadened as I caught a glimpse of them loading the boxes of Waygu beef from DeBragga into the cargo hold. If I have to limit my intake of rich foods, I’m going to make the most of it. My stomach rumbled at the thought of one of those juicy steaks. I’m sure Chef Jameson will appreciate them as much as I do.
“Nice plane,” Jayne said as she looked around. “It smells new.”
“Yes,” I replied, “It’s the new G650. They wanted me to take it for a test flight.”
“I’ve read that it’s the best private jet that $65 million can buy,” Brandon added with a laugh.
“I haven’t bought it, but from what Captain Chuck and the rep tell me, it’s an incredible plane. It has a top speed of 610 mph and can fly all the way to Beijing without stopping for fuel.”
“Amazing,” Brenda said as she looked around the cabin for a good seat.
The only one who didn’t have much to say about the new plane was Kate. It seemed as if the phone call from her mother was still bothering her.
“Why don’t you go in back and give Cynthia a call. It will make you feel better.”
“That’s not what’s bothering me Jack,” she replied with a spark in her eyes.
“Did you want to stay in the city?”
“No.”
“Then what’s the issue?” I asked beginning to lose my patience.
She simply stared at me for a moment before saying, “Where do I begin? You’ve been acting weird all day. You’re suddenly vegetarian, you took several phone calls during our afternoon meeting, Tim showed up in a new limo, took us to a heliport on the west end instead of downtown, and now you suddenly have a new plane. What the hell is going on, Jack?”
“I just sold my company for a couple hundred million more than I expected and I like new things.”
“Bullshit, Jack. There’s more to it than that. I overheard the conversation you were having in the hallway at noon.”
“At noon…” I had to think for a moment, as there had been several conversations.
“Yeah, the one where you put out a hit on someone,” she said a l
ittle too loudly.
“A hit? What the hell are you talking about?”
“I heard you loud and clear telling someone to use their skills to get rid of some people,” she whispered as her hands began to shake.
“That was Anthony. Settle down hun. He’s not going to kill anyone. He was special ops reconnaissance in the Marines. He’s going to use his skills to get some dirt on the Ricci brothers.”
“Who?”
“The Ricci brothers have been harassing me for months, ever since we announced the merger. That stunt with the paparazzi was the last straw. You actually think that I would have someone killed?”
“Well, no, but that’s sure what it sounded like.”
“That’s hilarious, Kate. God no. The brothers have gone chin deep into money laundering and other white-collar crimes. I hired Anthony to investigate them until he can get enough dirt on them to shut them down.”
“Oh, so it’s blackmail instead of murder.”
“Call it what you want. When Anthony is done, we will simply send them a copy of all the evidence against them and tell them to leave me alone. If they don’t, it will all wind up on the DA’s desk. I win either way.”
For the next 45 minutes, I explained the situation that had occurred between the Ricci brother’s father and me. How they had blamed me for the failure of their father’s business and had increasingly become involved in organized crime throughout New York City, as well as Jersey. They weren’t some innocent choir boys.
“Thank you for the explanation, Jack,” Kate said in the end. “I was really hoping there was a good explanation for everything. You still haven’t told me why we took a different car, used a different helipad, and are flying in a different plane, though.”
“Okay, Nancy Drew…”
“I loved that movie. Emma Roberts was awesome,” she said as her eyes lit up.
“It was a book series when I was young… but anyway. Anthony thought we should leave the city abruptly, take an alternate route, and use different vehicles. This new plane really is a test flight. I’m also changing the call sign on the yacht and upgrading the communication and GPS system. Once it’s all complete, we will have a fresh identity.”
“So that’s why you kept leaving our meeting,” she replied as everything suddenly made sense.
“Yes. I didn’t want to alarm any of you,” I told her, pausing for a moment. “Jayne and Brandon are used to me mixing things up. You were the only one who jumped to the conclusion I was a murderer.”
“Hey, I’m the only one who heard that conversation in the hallway…”
“Alright. I’ll let it slide this time.”
As we reached our cruising altitude, I couldn’t help laughing to myself about Kate’s overreaction. Putting a hit on the Ricci brother…. that’s hilarious. Although… if those boys continue to cause problems, Anthony could easily take them out for good. They would be anchored to the bottom of the East river before anyone even missed them. After that pleasant thought floated through my mind, I reclined my chair and closed my eyes. It had been another long-ass day.
~~~
Chapter 9 – The Open Sea
Friday Feb 3rd, 2012 – 7:58am
Kate
This bed is amazing, was my first thought of the day. Where’s Jack, was my second thought. After lounging for a few more minutes, my curiosity got the best of me. I slipped on my robe and made my way to the door of his study. I could hear a woman’s voice, so I stopped at the doorway and peeked inside. Oh, my god… he’s doing yoga… There he was in the downward dog position, following a workout video that he had found on YouTube.
“Are you getting a good stretch?” I asked, as I reached out and ran my fingers along the back of his leg.
“God! You scared the shit out of me,” he said jumping out of the position. “You aren’t supposed to do that to people with heart conditions.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I can’t believe you’re doing yoga. Have you tried it before?”
“No, but I’ve watched you enough to get the hang of it. I kind of like it.”
“Good. It would be fun to do together.” I ran my hand along the back of his leg again.
“Keep that up and we’ll be skipping yoga for something more physical,” he replied with a sly smile.
I knew he was only bluffing. With Jayne next door and Brandon across the hall, there was little chance that Jack would risk anyone hearing any fooling around. It’s probably best after the scare we had the other night. It’s good to see him changing some habits, though. Hopefully, some healthy changes- combined with stem cell therapy - will strengthen his heart. There’s nothing I want more than to have him healthy again. I love the way he makes love to me. Life wouldn’t be the same without it.
“What are you thinking about?” Jack asked as he got up off the floor.
“I was just thinking about the changes you’re making. I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks. There are bigger changes to come.”
“Really? What next?”
“When I start stem cell therapy, I’m going to add high intensity interval training to the mix. I’ve been planning on starting all of this once I got the business sold.”
“I thought maybe you were doing it for me.”
“Actually, I give you full credit. I hadn’t even considered intense cardio until that day you almost killed me in the shower,” he said with laugh. “If you and I are going to be together, I have to get in better shape.”
I slipped my arms around him and pulled him close. “I love you. I’m glad you want to take better care of your body. I would like to see the world with you.”
Instead of replying, Jack just squeezed me tight. If it hadn’t been for our nine o’clock business meeting, it would’ve been nice to go back to bed and play around for a while. Instead, we had to get ready for the day, and went to meet the others on the Promenade deck for a breakfast meeting. Everyone was gathered at the forward-most table in order to take advantage of the beautiful views. The entire front of the room was glass from floor to ceiling, so it provided plenty of light, in addition to the panoramic view of the ocean.
“This is amazing Jack,” Brenda said as she sat down to join us. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Jayne and Brandon’s first impression was similar to mine. “This thing puts most 5 star hotels to shame,” Brandon said while looking around the formal dining area.
“It’s definitely more comfortable than the conference room,” Jack said as he asked everyone to help themselves to breakfast and take a seat.
Chef Jameson had laid out a nice breakfast buffet for us. It would be interesting to see how long Jack could stick to his new diet with all of this good food constantly tempting him.
“We will go through the majority of the marketing details today, and by the time we are done, we should be approaching Turks and Caicos,” he added.
“Oh, that will be beautiful,” Brenda chimed in.
“Tonight we will be dining at Anacaona, which is outdoors, has gourmet cuisine, as well as the best lobster menu I’ve ever seen. Make sure you’re hungry for it,” he added before sitting down to another specially made egg white omelet and black coffee.
It didn’t seem to bother him a bit that he was eating healthy while the rest of us enjoyed French toast, waffles, crepes, and the most delicious glazed bacon ever. I’m impressed, Jack. I remembered that he had always eaten very little during the day, but more than made up for it at dinnertime. I know how much he loves steak and lobster, so maybe he’s just saving himself for later.
The morning flew by and after our noon break, we moved our meeting to the Lido deck. This is the only way to work. The blue and turquoise waters in the background were in sharp contrast to the grimy winter streets of New York City. Just when I thought the view couldn’t get any more picturesque, a pod of bottlenose dolphins joined us. It was amazing to watch them swim along with us - jumping and having fun. They look so happy and free. I see why Jack
wants to spend some time out here.
Jack
By mid-afternoon, we had covered most of my agenda and it was obvious that everyone was becoming distracted by the beautiful day. We all agreed that it would be better to finish our business the following morning, even though it was a Saturday. I was in the mood to take out the mini-sub, but we had to keep moving at full speed in order to make our dinner reservations.
The kids and Brenda went down to the bar to introduce themselves to Lewis. It was a great day for cocktails next to the pool.
“Lewis will make you anything you like. He’s amazing,” Kate told them.
Kate and I slipped into our swimsuits and headed back up to the Lido deck to hit the hot tub. Even though it was almost 80 degrees out, the breeze was cool, so the hot tub felt great. Seeing Kate in her little bikini again heated things up as well.
“You’re going to have to get a less skimpy swimsuit,” I suggested. “You give me a hard-on every time you wear that thing.”
“Oh yeah, maybe you should back off on the T-juice a little if you can’t handle it,” she fired back.
“I love your spunk. It turns me on when you let me have it right back.”
“You definitely need to dial back on the testosterone if that turns you on, too.”
Maybe she’s right…. I really want to have sex with her right here. It’s not right for someone my age to have raging hormones like this. I should maybe cut back now that I’m going to start having stem cell treatments... I love the feeling of her warm, wet skin. The smell of her hair is sexy as hell, too.
I raised her onto the bench where I was sitting. She straddled my legs facing me and gave me that naughty look of hers. I know she’s thinking the same thing as me. She just doesn’t like to admit it for some reason. I gave her a subtle kiss and squirmed just a bit to reposition myself. Instantly knowing the reason for my discomfort, Kate kissed me hard and ran her hand down my abdomen. Reaching inside my trunks, she pulled the drawstring and grabbed a hold of my rock hard cock.
