Date: Mon, 2 Mar 2009 14:41:52 +0000 From: Jacob Latson Subject: Agony & Ecstasy Chapter 13 Disclaimer: This story will describe the life of John Miller from his time as a man who has been devastated by divorce and turning it into a new life of wealth. This story will include descriptions of male sex, including M/M, M/T, M/b, T/b and b/b. If stories involving sex between consenting males of all ages, including mainly gay sex, offends you, go back to the Archives and pick a different story for your reading pleasure. Don't expect constant descriptions of erotic sex in this story. I always want to develop a plot and characters before the hot action starts. There has been minimal research for this story therefore, names, places, and events are mostly fictitious and similarities to real life are coincidental. Some companies and organizations mentioned actually exist, but references to the activities, policies, programs and procedures are fictitious. This story will include references to the United States government, the FBI, CIA and other agencies. Any references are purely fictional, and only used to develop the plot and characters. I hope that you are enjoying my story and will take the time to email me with criticism and/or constructive comments. Thanks again to Bill for being my editor. Agony & Ecstasy Chapter 13 Return to Business It was three weeks later when John was ready to return to Michigan. Tony Leopold had been a real shithead to entertain, and John hated the man. Tony had bragged about his shooting skills, but had missed several shots at the target turkeys, mule deer and pronghorn sheep. With the help of the outfitter, John had gone out hunting without Tony and had shot a Rio Grande tom turkey (adult male) on the second day of his hunt in Texas. He had the outfitter hide the turkey from Tony and had to listen to Tony bitch about the quality of the outfitter and the guides. Tony finally shot a jake turkey (young male) on his fifth day of hunting and shot a decent mule deer before they headed to Guatemala. John had shot a trophy mule deer and a pronghorn sheep when he was hunting with one of the guides in Texas, and both animals would score high enough to be registered in the Boone & Crockett record book. John knew that James Stanton had promised Tony Leopold that he would take the fat slob on hunting trips until Tony had shot the four different species of turkeys needed to claim the Grand Slam of turkeys. With two of the turkeys killed, John dreaded having to take the obese man on two more trips. What should have taken less than two weeks of hunting took a couple days longer; Tony missed the chances to take the Ocellated turkey in Guatemala until the last day of the hunt. John had shot a beautiful Ocellated turkey and had marveled at the beautiful plumage of the unusual bird. John was thrilled when Tony left for San Francisco. John's trophies would be mounted and shipped to the Detroit Headquarters of his company, and he couldn't wait to see the mounts. Timothy Cater was completely different from Tony Leopold. Tim was in fantastic condition and knew a great deal about fishing for trophies. John and Tim became close friends during their fishing excursions in Guatemala, and both men caught some trophy fish. "We have a few extra days to fish or we can take a side trip to the Bahamas," John said to Tim. "We can relax in my home there and catch some nice groupers and red snappers." "I wouldn't mind catching a pink snapper!" Tim said. John thought about Tim's comment and quickly realized that the handsome real estate agent was ready for some intimate companionship with a young girl. He quickly made contact with Philippe and was pleased that the private jet could take them to his island retreat for a brief visit before he would return to Detroit. When they arrived in Nassau, a stretch limo was waiting for the two men at the airport. Philippe greeted John warmly and was very polite when he met Tim Cater for the first time. "Your home's ready for your visit," Philippe said to John. "Mr. Cater can stay with you at your home or with me at my home. We'll let you clean up after your wild fishing trip and then we'll have cocktails and a special meal tonight. My security officers will protect you and your guests, and maybe your bodyguards need a night off to sample the physical attributes of our island." John was exhausted from the three weeks of hunting and fishing, and looked forward to relaxing in the beautiful mansion in the Bahamas. His four bodyguards were thrilled that they would be relieved of duty until John was ready to leave the island, and they headed for their rooms to shower and get ready for the cocktail party. After Tim was safely inside John's mansion, John wanted to talk to Philippe in private. "Your friend, Taylor Coleman has been talking to me," Philippe said. "I'm pleased that you trust me enough to let Taylor tell me what he's uncovered." "I've found out that some men in our company have their own agendas," John began. "I need you to trust me to sort out the bad apples so we can take our company forward." "I'll do whatever you ask of me," Philippe promised. "James Stanton was a strange man. There were times that I thought that he trusted me, but other times when I felt that he didn't like me because I'm black." "A man's color doesn't change who he is deep inside," John said. "S&JIWW makes all the money for our company, and I'm giving you full rein to find the people who need to be removed." "I never trusted Ryan Carter," Philippe admitted. "Can I fire him?" "I have special plans for Ryan Carter," John said. "I'd like you to check out the Vice Presidents that control our world wide operations to see if they're the right people for the jobs." "I've had contact with the Vice Presidents for Western Europe, South America, Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and the only one that I don't like is Manuel Artega who lives in Spain." Philippe said. "He's an arrogant asshole, and we might need to replace him." "I'm going back to Michigan to make some important organizational changes in the NAO Headquarters," John said. "I think we need a Vice President for the North American Operations, instead of me being in charge. Do you have any ideas?" "I've been waiting for you to ask me that," Philippe admitted. "Helen Baxter has been running NAO for a long time, but James Stanton never wanted to have a female in a position of authority." "Helen's a natural, but she might not take the job," John said. "I want to clean house before I change our organizational chart. All we have is white males in positions of authority at NAO and I think our company's ready to have a female Vice President." "You'll have to make that decision for yourself," Philippe replied. "I haven't spent much time at the NAO Headquarters or in the North American stores, but in our World Wide Operations, a female Vice President would fit in beautifully everywhere except in the Middle East. Our Arab customers treat women like dirt and won't even talk to any female executive from any company." The two men returned to the party and were excited when a steel band began playing and a group of dark skinned girls and boys began dancing to the music. The girls were all bare breasted, and the boys wore skimpy shorts that left nothing to the imagination. "It looks like my new friend Tim's enjoying the company of Leoni," John said. He and Philippe looked at Tim Cater who had Leoni on his lap. The beautiful girl was bare breasted as usual, and the effects of the alcoholic drinks were dissolving Tim's inhibitions. Tim was fondling the girl's breasts and his hand was wandering up and down her thighs and under her wraparound skirt. "Tiki's very interested in spending some quality time with you," Philippe said. "He's serving drinks to everyone, but he keeps staring at you." "My bodyguards are enjoying themselves too," John said. "Look at Derek with little Maki." Philippe just laughed and admitted that all of the beautiful children were very comfortable in exploring their sexuality with the adult men. Maki was sitting on Derek's lap and was squirming around to rub his small butt cheeks against the bulge in the front of Derek's shorts. Lindsey was entertaining a boy and a girl at the same time, and both of the children were competing for his attention. The girl was rubbing her naked breasts against Lindsey's face while Toni was holding Lindsey's hand inside his bulging shorts. The booze flowed freely, and any inhibitions of the men were quickly dissolved. The entertainment entered a new realm when a dark skinned boy of about 15 years started dancing with a beautiful girl with rock hard breasts. The teen's shorts were tented out with what looked to be a huge slab of meat, and the gyrations of the girl against the groin of the teen left a large wet spot. The teen grabbed the girl, whipped off her skirt and picked her up. He turned the girl around so her pussy was in his face and he immediately began eating the girl's cunt. The girl pulled down the wet shorts of the teen and swallowed his immense erection. The attention of everyone was riveted on the action on the stage. No one had seen two teenagers doing a "69" while standing up, and everyone clapped in unison to encourage the couple to continue. The boy finally turned the girl upright and exposed his huge cock that looked to be over 12 inches long. He lifted the girl and she spread her legs and took the massive cock deep inside her hungry vagina. Lindsey Smith had seen enough! He stood up and carried the beautiful girl who had been sitting on his lap to his room, with the horny boy following closely behind. It was obvious to everyone that Lindsey was going to have "surf and turf" in his private room. Tim Cater was mesmerized by the hot teen action on the stage and wanted to see the black teen blast a load of cum inside the horny girl. His wish was granted when the girl's cunt overflowed with rivers of cum that ran down her legs and onto the stage. Tim immediately left with Leoni. Derek hadn't waited to get to his room to share sex with Maki. The handsome boy was bouncing up and down on Derek's lap, and it was obvious that Derek was drilling the young boy's dark ass with his impressive shaft. Derek didn't care who saw him impale the cute boy on his cock and he kissed Maki passionately while he gave fleeting glances towards the action on the stage. Lou Williams and Ross Johnson, the last two of John's bodyguards had cute black boys on their laps and it was obvious that both men were enjoying the special attention. They had their hands inside the shorts of the boys and were kissing their necks while stroking the hard black meat inside the tight shorts. Tiki came over to John and asked if he could sit on John's lap. John quickly agreed and kissed Tiki on the lips. Tiki had been jealous of the other boys and girls when they were allowed to share intimacy with the guests, and had begged Philippe to have someone else deliver the drinks during the special entertainment on the stage. He returned the kiss from John Miller and shoved his tongue inside John's mouth. The white man was the most handsome man that he had ever met, and he had dreamed about going to bed with John and having sex. "Would you like to be my bed guest tonight?" John asked the handsome black boy. "I'd love it!" Tiki exclaimed. "I'll make you very happy all night!" John laughed and hugged the cute boy. He didn't want to leave the entertainment until it was finished, mainly because Philippe had told him that the children had been practicing for weeks in the hope that John would return and watch their performances. Philippe came over and sat next to John. Two cute black boys who demanded attention from the distinguished black man quickly joined him. Philippe wasted no time in pulling down the shorts of the two boys to reveal two hairless groins and two uncut boy tools. Both boys were erect and Philippe kissed both cocks and retracted the foreskins to reveal the purple knobs. He kissed the knobs and promised both boys that he would suck them and fuck them before the night was over. John wanted to carry Tiki to his mansion bedroom, but his attention was diverted to the stage where two black teens began dancing in the nude. Both of the teens were erect, and their huge cocks dipped and bobbed to the music and gyrations. Two other nude boys brought out a padded table, and John wondered what was going to happen. He didn't have to wait long before a very young boy danced out on the stage. He was fully clothed when the two teens lifted him up on top of the table. The small boy had the skin color of hot chocolate, and it was obvious that he was of a mixed race. He gyrated on the table and stripped off all of his clothes to reveal the most beautiful body that John had ever seen! "That's Ramone," Philippe said. "He's half Hispanic and half black." "He's beautiful!" John replied. "How old is he?" "He's 11, but he wasn't fed properly before I adopted him," Philippe said. "Watch what he can do!" John watched the action on the stage and marveled at the beauty of the two teens and the young boy. He saw the immense erections of the two teens and wondered if the boy would be able to satisfy either of the teens. Very soon his wondering was answered by the teens putting the boy on his back on the padded table to begin kissing all over the boy's body. One teen lifted the boy's legs and began licking the boy's anus, while the other teen was kissing the boy on the mouth at the same time as he was pinching the boy's nipples. "Do you want Ramone instead of me?" Tiki asked John. "NO WAY!" John exclaimed. "Ever since I met you, I wanted to drill your mouth and ass, and tonight I'm going to make my dream come true!" Tiki was relieved, and could hardly wait to taste John's cum and feel the handsome man's cock deep inside his body. He was in heaven! John couldn't believe what he was seeing when the teens stroked their huge erections before mounting the small boy. One teen shoved at least 10 inches of cock inside the willing boy's ass while the other teen shoved at least 9 inches of meat down the boy's throat. The boy's head was hanging off the table to align his throat with the invading shaft, and it was evident to everyone by the bulge in the boy's throat that the cock was buried to the hilt! It didn't take long before both teens pulled their cocks out of the willing boy and fired huge volleys of cum across the boy's chest and face. The other two boys ran out on the stage and slurped up every drop of nectar. The party was over, but the intense sex wasn't. John lifted Tiki off from his lap and carried the squealing boy to his bedroom. "I'll see you tomorrow morning!" Philippe said while grabbing the cocks of his two boys to lead them to his own room. John wasted no time when he got to his bedroom and dumped Tiki on the bed. He immediately swallowed the five inches of Tiki's throbbing cock and took the boy to a crashing orgasm. He gulped down the watery offering from Tiki's little spike, and savored the unique flavor. He had researched the flavor of semen and knew that the food that had been consumed caused the male elixir to have unique flavors. Tiki's cum tasted fantastic and John wanted to drink gallons of it! Tiki screamed with pleasure when his cock erupted inside John's mouth! He was in heaven, and he wanted to suck John's cock and eat the tangy fluid from the handsome man, but he wasn't in control. He felt his body empty his special fluid and collapsed on the bed to wait for the orgasm to finish wracking his body. John lifted Tiki's legs to expose the puckered ring of the boy's anus. He licked at the tender skin around the hidden treasure hole and loved seeing the lighter colored flesh that had been hidden from the sun's rays. He spread the boy's firm ass cheeks apart and saw the puckered hole open up. He drove his tongue around and inside the small hole and deposited his saliva for the impending invasion. He pulled down his shorts and underwear and aimed his throbbing cock at the inviting hole of pleasure. Tiki screamed in a mixture of lust and pain when the huge cock of the white man stretched his anus and didn't stop until it was buried to the hilt inside his body. He wrapped his legs around John's waist and pulled John forward until he felt the man's pubic hairs mashed against his ass cheeks. He pulled John's face down so they could share a passionate kiss and urged the man to fuck him! John had lost all of his inhibitions, and fucked the boy with more intensity than he had ever used before. He slammed his cock in and out of the boy's hole and knew that he wouldn't last long before he would blast his load deep inside the boy. He felt Tiki's ass muscles gripping his cock and emptied his load of cum deep inside the beautiful boy's rectum. He continued pumping in and out of the boy until his body was exhausted. Only then did he pull his throbbing cock out of the tight hole, but he wasn't done in his efforts to pleasure the boy. He turned on the bed to point his cock at Tiki's mouth while he lifted the boy's legs so he could suck his own cum out of the freshly fucked hole. He licked and slurped on the hole until he was sure that he had eaten all of his own cum, and shook with satisfaction while Tiki sucked his cock clean of all fluids. Instead of collapsing on the bed, John licked Tiki's fuck hole and then sucked the boy's scrotum inside his mouth. The two small testicles were easy to pull into his mouth and he ran his tongue around the bag of jewels and then licked up to the small shaft of pleasure on the young boy. He pushed back the foreskin and sucked another orgasm out of the boy's tool and kept the three pulses of boy juice in his mouth to savor the flavor. He held the nectar in his mouth until he was sure that Tiki's orgasm was finished before turning on the bed to kiss the boy on the mouth. He used his tongue to push the few drops of boy pudding into Tiki's mouth and traded the juice back and forth before swallowing it. John's cock was still hard, and he flipped Tiki over on his stomach and drilled the boy from behind. He slammed his cock in and out of the boy and marveled at the firm globes of the black ass cheeks when he drove his cock to the hilt! He fucked Tiki for over 20 minutes before he dumped another load of man cream inside the boy's gripping ass. Before the night was over, John had drilled Tiki's tight ass four times! They finally fell asleep with Tiki's mouth licking John's cock clean of all special fluids. John woke up the next morning with Tiki's mouth sucking another wad of cum out of his tender cock. He emptied his fluids inside Tiki's mouth and returned the morning favor with an expert blowjob that included three fingers inside the boy's ass. During their morning shower, John fucked the boy standing up in the huge shower room. In all of his life, John had never experienced such erotic sex! He humped the boy, standing up, and marveled that the boy wasn't complaining about having his hole stretched all night. He filled Tiki's ass again and didn't want to leave the Bahamas to return to Michigan and the constant business pressures. He dreamed of living in the Bahamas and drilling Tiki's ass and wondered if there was any place in the world where he would find such wonderful male sex. During the flight back to Michigan, John and his bodyguards didn't talk about their wild sex in the Bahamas, but all of them wanted to return for a repeat engagement. Tim Cater seemed quiet, but he admitted that Leoni and a boy named Thomas had fulfilled his every dream of intimacy. John returned to his home and found several phone messages from his son and Bobby Goldman. He had told his friends and family that he would be gone for a few weeks, but had avoided telling them where he was going. Now he wondered if the time was right to tell them about his new job. Johnny wanted John to go house hunting with him, Kirsty and Little John, and Bobby wanted to have lunch with him. Another call was from Tom Jeffries, and it sounded to John like his friend, Tom was very upset. Instead of calling his son and friends, John decided to shower and go to bed in his home. He was exhausted from his trip and needed to rest and decide what changes he should make in his personal life. John woke up early, showered and headed for the office. He arrived at 7:00 a.m. and was surprised to see Helen in her office. He walked in and said, "You're spending too much time away from home." "I have important things to take care of," Helen replied. "How was your trip?" John gave Helen a condensed review of the hunting and fishing trips, but left out any mention of the wild sex in the Bahamas. He looked at the schedule of his meetings for the day and groaned when he saw that the entire day was booked solid with only 30 minutes for lunch. "Jacob Coleman, our Financial Manager, is demanding some time to talk to you this morning," Helen said. "I think that he wants to pressure you to announce the move of our headquarters to Chicago and the construction of the five new stores." "What do you think about his proposals?" John asked. He wanted Helen to give him an honest opinion, and waited for her answer. "Are you sure you really want my opinion?" Helen asked. "You know a lot more about this company than I do," John began, "So, yes, give it to me straight!" "The market research for the five new stores is flawed," Helen began softly. She was still unsure of her position with John Miller and didn't want to do or say anything that would jeopardize her employment. "Our customers don't have a problem traveling up to 100 miles to visit one of our stores, and the five new stores are planned for areas that might not result in new customers, only taking customers from the existing stores." "Interesting!" John replied. "What about the headquarters move to Chicago?" "The move will cost over a billion dollars and we'll lose some key people," Helen said. "We have over 250 associates here in Detroit, and many of them will look for new jobs instead of relocating their families to Chicago." "You still haven't given me your personal opinion," John said. "I wouldn't move to Chicago or build the five new stores," Helen admitted reluctantly. "Good," John replied. "Let's keep that information to ourselves until the time's right. I have some things in the works that make it necessary to keep the options open." Helen nodded and hoped that she hadn't crossed the line with her new boss by being so honest. She knew that many of the managers wanted to make the important moves and would put a lot of pressure on John Miller. She had noticed that John's eyes were very expressive and clearly showed his emotions. She knew that he was being honest with her and she was excited about working for him. "I see that you have an interview scheduled for me to talk to someone for our Public Relations position," John said while looking at his schedule for the day. "Here's her resume," Helen said. "Holy crap!" John exclaimed when he saw the name on the resume and read about the applicant. "Is this `The Christina'?" "It sure is!" Helen said, smiling. "Not only is she beautiful, but she's extremely intelligent with a college degree in Public Relations and speaks English, Russian, Polish and Spanish!" "I lusted over her pictures in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit editions!" John admitted. Christina was one of the most beautiful women in the world and had a very successful modeling career that took her around the world. He was surprised to learn that she had a college degree and had the unusual language skills. "What's this entry for Sea & Jungle VI?" John asked. "The schedule has me out of the office after 3 p.m. and says, "Boat launch". "James Stanton sold the Sea & Jungle V last year in anticipation of launching the new boat at the Hidden Harbor Yacht Club," Helen said. "I've never seen any of the boats that the company owns, but I heard that the VI is a 60 foot Fountain that would make a Saudi prince jealous." "When I was in the Bahamas, Philippe told me about the Sea & Jungle IV," John said. "The IV was getting some exercise in the Gulf of Mexico so I didn't see it, but Philippe said it was 240 feet long and built for a king!" "You'll have a tough time finding a harbor for the VI," Helen said. "The only harbor deep enough for the VI is Hidden Harbor, but that club has a ten year waiting list for membership. James was a member there, and spent a lot of time at the club with his friends. It's the most exclusive yacht club in Michigan and maybe in the entire country." "I have a favor to ask of you," John said. "I mentioned a while back that my son and daughter-in-law want me to buy a house and they want me to go with them to look at houses on Saturday. I know that they don't have much money for a down payment, so I'd like to buy them a nice home in a safe neighborhood, but I don't know a good real estate person to talk to. Did you talk to your friend about finding a home?" "Joyce Adams is a personal friend of mine and she's a real estate broker," Helen said. "I had mentioned the Bloomfield Hills house that is a new purchase. James used Joyce to find the second home that he bought in Bloomfield Hills. I know that you haven't been inside James' current home or the new one, but I can assure you that he had fantastic taste in the homes that he bought. World Wide Investments owns both homes in Bloomfield Hills, but you can move into either one or sell them. You should see both homes before making any decisions. I believe I told you before that James always had a huge Christmas party at his home and invited his staff members, their families, and important customers to celebrate the holidays." "I know I'm repeating myself, but as a reminder, Johnny and Kirsty have been looking in the Novi Area, and I know they're shopping for a low cost home in areas where the homes are in the $100,000 range," John began. "I'd like them to have a nice home where the school system is highly rated. Can Joyce help me?" "I'll call her right away!" Helen replied. "Shall we use the price range we discussed earlier to give her?" "Yes, I'm still thinking in the $500,000 range," John said. "It wasn't long ago that I couldn't imagine spending that much money on anything, but I want something nice for them and my grandson." "I can't wait to meet them!" Helen admitted. "Joyce will be excited to help you." John went to his office and looked at the stack of papers that Helen had left for him. He was pleased to see that a fresh pot of coffee had been started and dove into the documents. Most of them were memos from various department managers that didn't require any action on his part, but one caught his attention. Walter Kramer, Building Maintenance Manager had sent John an email message asking for permission to hire a painting contractor to paint portions of the building. Walter recommended one coat of flat latex paint on the top four floors of the building and mentioned that extensive painting could be avoided with the proposed move of the company to Chicago. Walter recommended Wilson Painting for the job and wanted John's approval. Another email that was labeled "Urgent" was from Jacob Coleman. He wanted to discuss the proposed move to Chicago and the addition of the five new stores. John replied to Jacob's email and told him that he would be available at 9:00 a.m. He correctly suspected that Jacob would follow his normal work schedule and wouldn't arrive until around 10 a.m. and would leave before 3 p.m. It would be interesting to see what excuses Jacob had when he finally arrived at work. Another email was from Marcel, who had visited John's home and had some proposals for painting and furnishing his home on Long Lake. John replied to Marcel's email and told him to go ahead with his ideas. John saw several emails that Helen had forwarded to him using the bcc (blind carbon copy) command. John knew that the normal recipients of the emails and responses wouldn't know that he had been sent a copy of their communications. He read emails from Jacob Coleman to Latisha Woods, Financial Department auditor that indicated that the two didn't agree on issues of proposed budget changes. Another series of emails between Glen Young, Personnel Director, and Karla Edwards, Benefits Administrator, showed conflict about headcount goals for all of the NAO stores. Most of the emails were meaningless, so John deleted them, but he was getting an understanding of the politics at the NAO Headquarters. At 9 a.m., Helen knocked on his door and announced that Christina had arrived for her interview. John was excited to actually meet the super model and invited Christina into his office. "Welcome to the Sea & Jungle Imports North American Operations Headquarters!" John said to Christina. He looked at the tall blonde dressed in an elegant business suit and was pleased when she offered her hand for him to shake. "Mr. Miller, it's a pleasure to meet you." Christina said. "May I offer you a cup of coffee or tea?" John said politely. "Herbal tea if you have it would be wonderful," Christina said with a warm smile. "I have to admit that I'm one of your biggest fans," John said. "Let's sit in the lounge area of my office so we can get acquainted." Christina Karpov didn't know what to expect of the new President and Chief Executive Officer of S&JI, Ltd., but she had interviewed with Helen Baxter and had been impressed with the company. "Thank you for granting me this interview," Christina said. She looked at the handsome man in the Armani suit and was pleased with his physical condition and his manners. He had the most unusual eyes of any man that she had ever met, and the bright blue eyes sparkled with excitement when he talked. During her modeling career, many men in important positions made suggestive comments and some bluntly insisted on sex as part of her modeling contracts. She hoped that this interview would be completely different. "I've read your resume, and I'm impressed," John began. "I'm sure that you know there are many questions that are not allowed under the Equal Employment Opportunity guidelines here in the United States, so I'm limited on what I can ask." "What do you mean?" Christina asked. "The Federal Government doesn't want anyone to discriminate during employment interviews," John began. "For example, I can't ask you if you are female or male, where you were born, what ethnic group that you belong to, your age, sexual orientation, home address, marital status or religion." "How can we have an interview if you can't ask me those questions?" Christina asked. "The easiest way is for you to tell me about yourself," John replied. "I know that you speak Polish and that there are similarities between Polish and Czech. "Jaký ar tv?j b?hat branka?" Christina was shocked! John Miller had just asked her what her career goals were in Czech, and she quickly replied, "Potrzebuj? (chcie?) ?eby u?ywa? moj? edukacj? w Publicznych (pa?stwowy) Stosunkach (w stosunku do) wyrabia? ten (to) lepszy ?wiat." John smiled and Christina relaxed. She had just replied that she wanted to use her education in Public Relations to make the world better in Polish. "I'm sure that your Polish is much better than my Czech!" John laughed. "I too, want to make this a better world." "I never expected a man with the last name of Miller would speak Czech," Christina admitted. "Where did you learn to speak Czech, if I'm not being too forward." My family name was originally Mlynár, but my grandfather felt that it was necessary to change the name to assimilate into the American culture," John replied. "When my grandparents emigrated to this country they were forced to learn English, but at home they only spoke Czech. I spent many summers with my grandparents on their farm here in Michigan, and I learned a limited amount of Czech from them." "It's wonderful that you remember your roots," Christina said. "Polish and Czech are very similar languages, and I've been able to communicate effectively when I was on assignment in Prague. It's a beautiful city, full of wonderful culture." "I have some property in the Czech Republic that I hope to visit soon," John admitted. "Let's get back to why we're talking today. What would you like to tell me about yourself and your career goals?" Christina was completely at ease with the handsome executive. This was the most unusual interview she'd ever had, and she decided to be completely honest with John Miller. "I knew that modeling wouldn't last forever, so I worked hard to get my degree in Public Relations from the University of Warsaw in Poland," Christina said. "I love to travel and see the world, but many countries ignore the poor and focus on industry and making money. I want to make a difference by convincing the wealthy companies and politicians to invest in the future by helping the poor people get educated and have meaningful jobs instead of living on welfare." It was John's turn to be shocked! This beautiful woman was much more than a super model with a fantastic body; she had exceptional intellect and impressive goals. "I think you and I have a lot of things in common," John said. "I went through a painful divorce and was struggling to pay my monthly bills less than three months ago. I thought that my situation was terrible until I started volunteering at a soup kitchen and helped paint buildings that are used for shelters for the homeless. Wealthy people and successful businesses have ignored the poor, and every major city in the U.S. has welfare programs that do nothing to train the unfortunate to get out of poverty." "But now you're one of the wealthiest men in the world, and you control a huge company that makes billions of dollars," Christina said. She immediately regretted her honesty and wished that she hadn't said that. She was sure that the interview would end immediately, and she would be sent out of John Miller's office. "That's why I'm looking for a person to give me guidance," John said honestly. "Throwing money at a problem doesn't solve anything. I read a story about a company from the United States that sent corn and wheat seeds to Somalia with the intent that the people would plant crops. Instead, the people ate the seeds because they were starving!" Christina choked back her tears. This man was completely different from what she had expected, and she knew that he was being honest with her. "Immediate needs have to be addressed before change can happen," Christina said. "It's wonderful that you volunteered to help the poor of Detroit, and I'm sure that you will do more for them now that you're in charge of an important company." "I'm very critical of some of the organizations that are supposed to be helping minorities in this country," John said. "The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People only focuses on non-white people. The United Negro College Fund only supports black colleges and offers scholarships to minority applicants. Jet Magazine excludes any advertisements that show white people, and the Miss Black USA Pageant is a farce! Those organizations don't have a single white person in a position of authority! My company has supported all of those organizations, and I plan to end it immediately. If there was a National Association for the Advancement of WHITE People, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would go ballistic!" "What do you propose?" Christina asked. She was surprised at her own boldness in asking questions when she was the one who was supposed to be interviewed. "I have people in positions of authority in this building that need a swift kick in the ass!" John said emphatically. "Years of focusing on profits have turned them into monsters with no social conscience. We make over a billion dollars in profit each year here in the U.S., and we give nothing back to the communities that make us successful. Every manager in the NAO Headquarters is a white male, and that has to change. I'm going to clean house, and I need new ideas and people who will support the changes that need to be made." Every time that John Miller spoke, Christina found more areas that she agreed with. She saw how his sparkling blue eyes changed when he was angry and then quickly changed back when he was calm. She had never seen eyes like his! She was excited about this interview and prayed that she would be hired. "Tell me more about yourself if you want to share more with me," John said. He knew that open-ended questions always challenged an interviewee, and he wanted to learn more about this beautiful blonde woman. "I'll share something that I hope you won't repeat," Christina began. "I'm bi-sexual and just ended a relationship with a beautiful young girl who's a tennis star. I met her in Moscow when she was 14, and we've been lovers for several years. We're still close friends, but with her travels around the world to compete and my modeling career, we couldn't make our relationship last." "Society's changing, and same sex relationships aren't a problem to me," John said. "Let's cut to the chase. What are your financial requirements if I was offering you a position in Public Relations for this company?" "I'm willing to accept a starting salary of $100,000 a year," Christina said. She hoped that her salary request wouldn't end the interview immediately! "I'm very impressed with you and I have a counter offer," John began. "I'd like you to be my Public Relations advisor until I make some organizational changes, and I'm offering you $200,000 a year with a full expense account and signing bonus of $100,000." Christina was elated! This was a dream come true for her, and she tried to compose herself to put the right words together to accept the wonderful employment offer. "I'm shocked at your offer, but I accept!" Christina said. She tried to hold back her tears of joy at hearing the job offer and wondered if John Miller was teasing her or if the offer was real. "Excellent!" John said while offering his hand to Christina. "Welcome to the Sea & Jungle Imports Company! Let's get Helen in here so she can take you to our Personnel Department for the necessary paperwork. Your signing bonus will be issued today, but we'll keep your salary compensation a closely guarded secret. Your first assignment is to learn our current system of public relations and then develop some fresh ideas." Helen Baxter was in her office when the call came from John Miller, and she was excited that he wanted her to come to his office. She had interviewed several people for jobs at the headquarters, and she hoped that her recommendations would be well received. "Helen, you did a fantastic job in finding Christina for our company!" John said when Helen came into his office. "I just offered her a job, and she accepted." Helen was thrilled and listened to John's offer and welcomed Christina to her new job. She knew that Glen Young, Personnel Director, would be furious that he wasn't involved in the interview process, and wondered what impact the hiring would create. "If you get any flak from Glen or anyone else about Christina's new position, please let me know," John said. "Please create an organizational memo to everyone that announces Christina Karpov as my Public Relations Advisor, and find someone to show her around and get her settled. I want her to have a full expense account, American Express Card and cell phone. I won't tolerate any criticism or hostility towards her!" Helen was excited about the new addition to the Headquarters Staff, and couldn't wait to see the faces of Glen Young and Ben Shaw, the Public Relations Administrator! It was 10:15 a.m. when Jacob Coleman, Financial Manager came to John's office. He had missed his 9 a.m. appointment and tried to convince John Miller that he had been in the building but was very busy with important matters that kept him from making the original meeting. John knew that Jacob had followed his normal schedule and had just arrived in the building. He listened to Jacob's appeal for immediate approval for the move to Chicago and the five new stores, and acted interested. "I think that we're headed for some excellent moves for our company," John lied to Jacob. "I've reviewed the original plans and wonder if you have any updates for me on the new office building in Chicago and the proposed locations for our new stores. S&JIWW is ready to push into the future, and WWI has plenty of money to make it happen. Can you have some revised plans ready for my review in a month?" Jacob Coleman was excited and couldn't wait to tell his friends about the positive feedback from John Miller. He was determined to provide the updates and ran back to his office to get things rolling. "He's going for it!" Jacob exclaimed when he talked to Glen Young on the phone. "Now we have to make sure that we get the required collateral for the loans. We're going to make millions of dollars on these moves and then we can all retire!" John was in his office after a quick lunch in the cafeteria, and handled several issues before Helen called him on the phone. "John, we have a very upset customer right now," Helen said. "Samuel Reichert has spent over 5 million dollars with us, and he's begging us to take care of a special situation. Would it be possible for you to talk to him?" John listened to what Helen said about the important customer, and asked several questions for clarification. "So his wife fell asleep on a leather couch and damaged it with a burning cigarette?" John asked. "Why is he calling us? Can't his insurance company handle the replacement of the couch?" John listened to Helen's description of how upset Carol Reichert was over the damaged furniture and the way the insurance company had handled their claim. The wealthy woman was furious that any replacement couch wouldn't be an exact match for her living room furniture, and she had an important social event scheduled in two weeks. John agreed to talk to Samuel Reichert, knowing that important customers deserved special attention. He told Helen to transfer the phone call from Samuel Reichert to his office. "Good afternoon, Mr. Reichert," John began. "I'm John Miller, and I understand that you have a problem that you want to talk to me about." "Mr. Miller, I'm begging you to help me!" Samuel Reichert began. "My wife damaged a leather couch that's part of a complete living room set that your Bloomfield Hills store sold to us. We bought a matching set of furniture that included the couch, love seat, two chairs and an ottoman, but our insurance company will only replace the damaged couch. All of the furniture is Corinthian leather from Italy, and you and I both know that replacing one piece will result in a couch that will have a slightly different shade of leather that won't be an exact match to the rest of the furniture. Carol has an important social event scheduled in two weeks, and she's very upset that her friends will notice the difference in the color of the leather." "I understand your concern," John said professionally. "What I'm hearing is that your insurance company won't authorize the replacement of the entire set of furniture. We both know that our artisans in Italy hand select the hides before and after tanning and dyeing, and replacements are difficult if not impossible to match. I've pulled your initial order up on my computer, and I see what you ordered from us. Can you please give me some time to see what I can do for you?" "Money is no object!" Samuel said. "My wife's making my life a living hell, and I'll pay anything to get her off my back! Please help me!" "I'll call you back as soon as I can," John promised. "I understand your predicament, and I'll do whatever I can to calm your wife down." "Thank you for talking to me!" Samuel said. "Here's my cell phone number, and I'm begging you to help me!" John ended the call and wondered how he could handle this strange request. He knew that important customers needed special consideration and thought about what he could do. He'd met George Wallace, Purchasing Manager, in the Staff Meetings, and didn't like the man. He suspected that George was a close friend of Glen and Jacob, and decided to call Monique Jefferson, a black female in purchasing who seemed to be an excellent person. "Monique, this is John Miller calling," John began. "Can you go to your computer and pull up the recent order for Samuel and Carol Reichert?" Monique was excited that the President and CEO was calling her directly and she was determined to do whatever she could to handle his request. She was surprised that John Miller had called her instead of her boss, and felt honored. "They ordered Mediterranean Solstice in Antigua Beige," Monique said. "It's a very popular style and color." "Can you search our systems and see if we have a full set of what they ordered anywhere in the world?" John asked. Monique used her computer systems to search and was excited when she found that a more extensive set of the furniture had just been delivered to the Chicago store. "We have another set that includes everything they ordered with two additional pieces that was just delivered to the Chicago store," Monique said. "They bought the two side chairs, but we have Mr. and a Mrs. Recliner chairs that weren't available when they made their purchases from the Bloomfield Hills store. Everything is in the same Antigua beige color." "I want you to do something special for me," John said. "I want you to work with Dontell Brown in our Traffic Department to get the entire set of furniture brought into Detroit and delivered to the Reichert home in Bloomfield Hills. How quickly can we make this happen? I want the furniture delivered to the Reichert home in one of our special trucks with the S&JI logo, and we'll take their old furniture out of the home and bring it here to the Headquarters for use in one of our lounges." "Let me call Dontell and I'll call you right back," Monique said. "Do you want me to involve Mr. Wallace or Mr. Phelps?" "Leave them out of this for now," John said. "I want this to happen without a hitch, and I'm trusting you and Dontell to make it happen!" In less than 30 minutes, John was involved in a conference call with both Monique and Dontell. He was excited when he heard that the entire set of furniture could be available for delivery the following day around noon. He thanked Dontell and Monique and explained how important it was to take care of important customers. He wanted to be at the Reichert home when the furniture was delivered, and called Helen to change his schedule for the next day. "Mr. Reichert, I think I have your problem solved," John said when he called the important customer. "Would it be convenient for us to make a delivery tomorrow around noon?" "What do you mean?" Samuel asked. "I'm surprised that you're calling me back so soon, but my wife won't be happy with a new couch that doesn't match perfectly." "Do you have room for the addition of Mr. and Mrs. Recliner chairs along with the other furniture?" John asked. "Our living room's huge, but I didn't know that recliner chairs were available," Samuel said. "We'd love to have them, but I'm still concerned that everything won't match!" "Here's what I propose," John began. "You're a very valuable customer to us, and I'll have professional movers take out your existing couch, love seat, side chairs, and ottoman and replace them with a complete new set of perfectly matching furniture of Mediterranean Solstice in Antigua Beige along with the two new recliners." "OH MY GOD!" Samuel exclaimed. "I"LL PAY ANYTHING IF YOU CAN MAKE THAT HAPPEN!" "I understand the pressure that you're under right now, and the exchange of furniture will be at no cost to you!" John said. "We value important customers like you, and we'll do whatever we can to convince you to continue to be our customers." "I don't believe this!" Samuel said. "My wife will be in heaven! How can I ever repay you for doing this for us?" "Just remember us when you decide to shop for furniture in the future," John replied. "I'll be there to personally see that your wife's satisfied with our service." John was excited about the plans for the Reichert family, and told Helen about his conversations with Monique and Dontell. "I don't know how you did it, but you picked out the best people in Purchasing and Traffic to make this happen," Helen said to John. "You're going to piss off some managers, but I really love what you just did!" "I'm leaving for the boat launch now," John said. "Call me on my cell phone if you need me, and thanks for the vote of confidence!" John left the Ferrari at the parking lot and selected a Cadillac Escalade for the trip to the marina where the Sea & Jungle VI had been launched. Derek Kaufman and Lindsey Smith, Blackhawk Security bodyguards rode with him to the marina, and all three men walked up to the slip where the VI was moored. "Holy Shit!" Derek exclaimed when he saw the 60-foot Fountain boat. "I've never seen anything like this!" "A boat's a hole in the water that you pour money into!" John teased when he saw the magnificent yacht. He walked up to the gangplank and wasn't surprised to see two security guards on the pier. "John, meet Andy Chambers and Enrique Lopez," Derek said. "They both work for Blackhawk Security. "We've kept everyone away from your boat," Andy said. "I've never seen anything like this boat in my entire life!" John went aboard, and couldn't believe the elegance of the powerful yacht. He'd researched the Fountain brand of yachts, and knew that they were the fastest of the personal boats available, but the VI was custom built into a cabin cruiser. This was the only cabin cruiser that Fountain had ever built, and executives from Fountain wanted to be included in the maiden voyage. The furnishings were as beautiful as his office, and he realized that James Stanton had ordered the yacht to impress the entire world. The main cabin was beyond description, with thick carpet and a bedroom with the largest bed that John had ever seen. Leather furniture was everywhere, and exotic wood and expensive furs had been used to cover the pillows and bedspreads. "This is ermine!" Derek said when he felt the bedspread. "Mink covered pillows!" Lindsey exclaimed. "Look at the walls! Original oil paintings and exotic oriental rugs! This must have cost a fortune!" John toured the entire yacht and met the captain and crew that would run the boat when he decided to take it out of the harbor. He couldn't believe what he saw when he went into the other staterooms where guests could travel in style. "Would you like to hear the engines?" Mike Carter asked. "I'm excited about taking her out for her first trip!" John laughed and admitted to his boat captain that he wanted to hear the engines when they were running. He was surprised when Mike fired up the engines and he only heard a soft noise and almost no vibration. "Mr. Stanton had this boat built special, and the engines are larger than the standard engines," Mike Carter said. "We don't know what she will do when we turn her loose, but a standard Fountain cruiser can do 60 knots. When can we take her out?" "Give me a few days before I'm ready for her maiden voyage," John said. "Right now, I'm just enjoying the chance to look at the staterooms!" "Are you Mr. Miller?" a voice asked. John looked down at the pier and saw a very handsome teenager trying to get past the two security guards. "I'm John Miller, and who are you?" John asked. "I'm Carson Adams, and I need to talk to you," the boy replied. "Can I please have permission to come aboard?" "Permission granted, sailor!" John teased. He looked at the handsome teen and guessed that the boy was about 14 years old. Carson was wearing very tight shorts that left no doubt that he was a male, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a killer smile. "I have a special request for you, Mr. Miller," Carson said politely. "Mr. Mario Genovesi would like you to join him for a drink at the Hidden Harbor Yacht Club, and I'm begging you to go with me to meet him." John didn't recognize the name, and wondered what this request was all about. He remembered the two men who had taken away the mysterious shipping crate, and wondered if the Italian name was just a coincidence. The cute boy gave John a big smile that made John's dick twitch in his expensive suit, and he decided to go with the boy to meet Mario Genovesi. A new chapter in John's life was opening... Stay tuned!!! Feedback is appreciated to Jacob_latson@hotmail.com