Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2021 22:02:31 -0400 From: Just Forfun Subject: New Reality 4 This is my first story, so your input is extremely welcome. Email me at jst4fun2nyt@gmail.com and tell me what you like, what you don't like, and even where I mess up continuity or details. There will be sex, but it will be tame compared to some stories. The story is fiction, and any similarities to people, living or dead, is purely coincidence. STDs and Corona don't exist in my fantasy world, so they don't use protection. You should use protection, always!!! Many of my characters are underage, and they will be having sex. If that offends you, find another story. If reading this is illegal where you live, don't break the law! DONATE to NIFTY so you can continue to hate me for any cliffhangers. https://donate.nifty.org/ ****************************************************************************** Our group hug was disturbed by Charlie crying. As everyone backed away to give me space to deal with my brother, er son, Billy ran back to his room and returned with a bag. It seems that the moment I had said I wanted to raise the baby, Billy had done another of his miracles and called the concierge. He had bottles, formula, diapers, wipes, and a pile of clothing. Everything we needed to get started, and behind him came Tommy carrying a car seat. I was looking at Charlie and trying to talk to him to soothe him and having no luck. Donna came up behind me and asked "Want some help honey?" "Yes please? I don't know what he wants." "You'll never know what he wants Greg, get used to that" she laughed "Liz, would you make up some cereal for us? I have to take my sons and teach them babies 101." Donna took Charlie from me and led Scott and me to our room. She laid him on the bed, took wipes and a diaper from the bag, and gave us our first lesson on babies. "At this age, when they cry, it's either a wet/dirty diaper, or hunger. Usually both, so we start at this end" as she pointed to the diaper "and we'll finish at the other." She opened the onesie, gently removed the soggy diaper, used a wipe to clean him up making sure to retract his foreskin and wipe there too. After sprinkling some powder, she quickly wrapped a dry diaper around him and, after checking that his clothes weren't wet, snapped it shut. Liz came in with a bottle, and Donna had me pick him up and sit in the chair. She then handed me the bottle and for the first time, I fed my son. Scott knelt and watched with a look of awe on his face. Donna had me take his bottle away after only a few minutes, raise him to my shoulder and rub his back. I'd seen this done but never knew why until I felt a little burp. "Ok, now feed him some more." "No, Scott, you feed him." "I don't know how to do that." "I didn't until just now, but we both need to know how to take care of our son, now sit." His face lit up when I said 'our son' so he sat and I handed the baby over. His eyes never left Charlie's face as he fed him. He didn't have to be told to burp him and after a few cycles of this we had a sleeping baby. Donna gently lifted him from Scott's arms and laid him on our bed. She told us he could probably roll over, so always play safe with children so she tucked pillows under the blanket on either side of him, making a little valley he couldn't roll out of. We quietly made our way back to the living room to find Jack and Matthew facing off over a chess board. Billy was texting and Tommy was in his room, on the phone to Leonard. "Well, what's the plan Greg?" James asked, looking up from his phone. "Plan for?" There were so many things going on he could mean anything. "Dinner, for a start. After that, how long are you staying in LA? After that, I'll leave that open." "I need to do something to thank George for his help. Any ideas hon?" "I have no clue, what would he like Dad?" "I think he'll like anything you do Greg. I've never seen him take to someone so fast. The first 100 years I knew him, I feared for my life when I faced him." I thought for a few minutes then said "Billy, call down and ask if they have a small dining room available. Seating for all of us plus two. Then call Frederick and ask him what George likes to eat, plan the meal around that. Or maybe James knows?" I looked to see him shaking his head. I pulled out my phone and called "George? This is Greg Fowler. We'd like to invite you to have dinner with us so you can meet my son and hear everything in person..." Billy gave me a thumbs up "This evening if you don't have plans?... Great, yes we'll make that work, I'll see you then." "That's settled, he'll be here at 7:30." "I didn't know a time so I told them to reserve the whole evening starting now. I'll call back and tell them dinner for eight at 7:30." "Eight? Someone leaving that I didn't know about?" "I figured Tommy and I would eat up here. We're just..." "You're just my right hand, not to mention you're like my brother, so you two will be there. I've told you already, you're family." "OK, dinner for ten." "Make it eleven, invite Frederick." Billy made his calls as I turned to Jack "Did I understand you earlier that you came here on your own jet?" "Just a rental, mine won't make the trip from London to the US in one hop. I have a Phenom 300 and it would need a few hops along the way, why?" "I was thinking of catching a ride home with you tomorrow evening." "Sorry but I ended the rental when we landed. I didn't know how long we'd be here and figured I can get another, or fly commercial if I have to." "I don't know what I still need to do." "The funeral home will be delivering your father's ashes tomorrow afternoon. I have to call Ms. Daniels and change our appointment. You have nothing else scheduled." "See? I can't live without you Billy!" I smiled at him "Does anyone have anything pressing this week?" "We need to be back in New Haven Wednesday morning, but we'd love to come spend a week with you guys after we're settled in, if that's OK?" "You're always welcome Matt. You too Jack, I'd love to get to know all of you." "I'd love to stick around. I'll email and see if my schedule can be moved around a bit. Before I do, Greg, can we talk business?" "Sure, do we need to go somewhere private?" "Oh, no. We're all family, and I've already talked to Granddad about this, sorry, I wanted his opinion." "OK, shoot." "I have an opening on three of my boards, and I'd like you to fill them." "What, ME? You just met me and I'm 17, why me?" "You're 18 Greg, get that 17 out of your head before you slip up at the wrong time." James said. "Granddad's told me how you've handled your things so quickly, and, well, to be honest, the openings are ones he's stepping down from." I looked to James "Stepping down?" "Yes stepping down. Donna and I don't plan on any more children in this life and we've decided we want to retire and enjoy a few decades. You have things under control, Matt and Liz are planning on 8 to 10 years at Yale, and we just want to enjoy life for a while." "Actually Greg, not to pile on but Liz and I were going to have Dad manage our affairs so we could focus on school. When he told us he wanted to retire, he suggested we talk to you." I looked to Scott and he was as shocked as I was. I looked to James and he nodded "You can handle it Greg, if I didn't think so we wouldn't be talking about this." Thankfully Billy had his tablet out so I knew details would be noted. "Jack, just three boards right? No hands on management?" "I'll put you on all 10 Granddad serves on if you'll take it, but I didn't want to scare you." "You're 300, don't you have any children?" "My wife died with Mum and Da in the war. We had just married so, no children. I'm not looking for another mate yet, if ever, I still love Susan." "I'm sorry Jack, I didn't mean to be insensitive." "You didn't know. It was a fair question, and you're my uncle, you have a right to know. "What about Scott? Wouldn't he be able to help you?" "Scott's mind is more market oriented. Granddad says your mind is perfect for business, and just from the things you're asking, I agree with him." "OK, put me on whatever boards you want, but if the meeting times conflict, my businesses are my priority." "Agreed, I'll have Albert send the paperwork to Billy with schedules." "Matt, what is it you're asking me to do?" "I want to name you CEO of our umbrella company so you can run our companies while we're in school. Basically, just babysit them for us, you don't have to push for growth or anything. We'll pay you..." "I can't do that Matt, I'm sorry." "Oh, well I guess we can find someone..." "I'm sorry Matt, you misunderstand me. I'm not saying I won't do it, I'm saying I won't take any pay, and I refuse to run them without making them grow. If you want a babysitter, find one. If you want a CEO, I'll do it my way." "I'm with Jack, you're the right one for the job. I'll have Don get the paperwork started and we can sit and go over details later. I'd like to date things July 1 so we'll have to get together before then." "Sounds good, Billy, you have all of this?" "Yup, and a suggestion." "Well?" "First, Matt, where are your companies based?" "Mostly in New York City, up throughout New England, along with Chicago and Seattle, why?" "Jack, same question first please?" "Primarily London and Paris with some in Amsterdam, Rome and Frankfurt." "You need a plane." "I can't afford a plane Billy, I can rent or fly commercial." "You alone can't, but if you buy one, and charge Matt and Jack for the time you're using it for them, then you can. And flying commercial you can't get to smaller towns so you need a car, and you have to schedule around them rather than yourself, and a dozen other reasons. You need a plane." "He's right. I can jump from Gatwick to Paris to Frankfurt and back home in one day of meetings. If I flew commercial the same trip would take two days. I'm happy to pay the costs when you come over. I'll even offer to rent it when I need to come to the states, I do that all the time, why not rent from my uncle?" "But one thing Greg, use my company to pay half the annual airport fees. And get one you like, I think you're gonna spend a lot of time on it." I looked at Scott and he was on his phone looking at costs and annual expenses and doing calculations. He looked up and nodded "They're right, the more you use it the cheaper it is overall, and if you have to go to Europe 8 or 10 times a year you'll rip some TSA agent's throat out before Christmas." "OK, we'll look into it." Billy started to speak up but I cut him off "We'll look into it later, right now we need to get ready for dinner. I don't want to offend George." Scott and I went to check on Charlie who was still sleeping then grabbed a quick shower. As we were drying off I realized we didn't have anything but jeans. I hope George won't be offended, I'm assuming with his age a dinner invite implies formal dress. I was dressed before Scott so I changed Charlie and put him in a new outfit, wrapped him in a blanket, and went out to find everyone. Liz had packed the bag for him so we had bottles, diapers, and spare clothes. I was going to have to get used to this, there's a lot to think about when you're carrying around a little human. We were all ready and headed down to the dining room at 7:15. Dad always told me if you're not ten minutes early, you're late so I was happy. As it turns out, George felt the same way because we met Frederick and him in the lobby. The host led us to a dining room that overlooked the beach then turned to the young man behind him and whispered something. He held out chairs for Donna and Liz. James pointed me to the head of the table so I sat there. The young man returned with a high chair wrapped in plastic and unwrapped it for Charlie. "We sanitize these between use Sir." "Could we use this the rest of our stay?" "I'll have it brought up after you've finished your meal Sir." After our drink orders were taken, I said "George, I'd like to introduce you to my nephew Jack, my brother Matthew, and this young lady is Matt's wife Liz. I believe you know James and Donna and you met my husband Scott last night. And there you have Thomas and William, they work for us but are more like family." "Matthew and I met in Cuba in the 1950's, I'm happy to see you got out of Havana. I heard you were there when Batista fell?" "Yes Sir, it was quite the adventure. I'd be happy to tell you about it sometime." "Liz, such a lovely young lady. So nice to meet you." "Thank you Sir." "And Jack. We've never met but I knew your parents, I'm sorry for your loss. I hope you are well?" "Yes Sir, I appreciate it. They say you never get over losing your parents, I'm finding that to be true." "I wish I could say it wasn't, but I have yet to prove it wrong." then he turned to Billy and Tommy "William, Thomas, it's so nice to be included as family by choice. The two of you must be exceptional to have that honor, I'm honored to meet you." They both nodded and said their thanks. George turned to me "Gregory, please get these people to relax, I'm starting to feel like I'm at Victoria's table again." Tommy's eyes popped wide. "You knew the Queen?" "Oh young man, I've met every monarch in Europe. It was so sad when Louis lost his head, but he was a jerk and deserved it." James laughed "Yes he was." "Now Greg, if you'll forgive me for interfering with your affairs, you owe no one an explanation of who your associates are. You told me who was family, and that's OK, but Thomas and William's relationship to you is not my business. I'm not upset, I'm just saying when you have a business meeting, who your people are doesn't matter to others. Or, I should say, isn't their business, let them wonder and worry." "OK, I guess I was just trying to be polite and let you know they're family." "I appreciate it, and depending on the setting, using 'friends' or 'associates' lets others know they belong without giving too much away. Never give anything away, make people work for it." "Thanks George, I see what you're saying. If I say 'they work for us' it makes people look down on them." "Exactly, now, let's enjoy our meal. Afterwards, I'd like to talk some business with you, if that's alright?" "Funny you should say that, I wanted to ask your advice on some things. Would you mind if James, Scott, and William sit in?" "I would never exclude your mate, maker, and confidant. Now, enough talk, let's eat." We enjoyed a nice meal and George asked about Batista. Matt told how he had to sneak out of the party the night of the overthrow, run to the airport, and hide on a cargo plane to Miami. George shared tales of dinners with King George VI and listening to him stammer over his toasts. Scott asked if Elizabeth I was as mean as people said and we found that in private she was shy and insecure, the rest was an act. James shocked me with a story about Queen Victoria and Prince Albert getting lost in Scotland and spending the whole night with the Royal guard searching for them, only to find them the next morning in a farmer's house. After dessert Donna asked if we wanted her to take Charlie for us, so everyone headed upstairs, leaving the six of us at the table. Frederick and Billy seemed to be racing each other to pull out their tablets, I almost laughed. "You mentioned wanting to ask my advice Greg, what can I help you with?" "I'd like to expand our business and I'd like to know where you think we should look first." "Do you believe in fate? I actually wanted to talk to you about some opportunities here in Southern California." "Not to be rude, but if you're not interested in them, why should I be?" "Straight to the point, I like it. The truth is, they're already mine and I like you. I'd like you to have 51% and let you run things." "I prefer to leave the daily running of things to those that know how. What types of businesses?" "Something you are already involved in. I have controlling interest in roughly half the auto dealerships from Bakersfield to Mexico. Several of the junior investors would like to use their money elsewhere, so we would arrange for you to buy those, then you can get enough from me so you have control. For now, they're held by various levels of management companies but we could consolidate a bit I think." "I'd be interested. I hope you don't think I'm greedy but do you have any real estate you'd like to unload?" "I'll have Alex get a list to you. Greg, I'm going to be honest with you, more honest than I've been in a century or more. I ask that you all keep this strictly confidential? Few know how truly old I am and I won't reveal the actual age to even you, I'll just say that I walked the shores of Galilee with the one some of you call Messiah and I had several lives before that. I've never had the fortune of finding my true mate. I've had women in my life, and men, but I never got the mating bond. I'm tired Greg, tired of living. This will be my last life and when it ends, I would like to know those who depend on me are properly cared for. If you're willing, I'd like to slowly transfer my businesses to you and teach you how to do what I've done." "Do you need an answer tonight?" "I don't need an answer from you ever. As we progress our relationship, we'll discuss things and I will either eventually transfer everything, or we will part as friends and I will decide what to do with what I still have. We both reserve the right to part ways at any point, as friends I hope." "Then I think we agree." "I have one last thing, and this is personal. I am taking delivery of a new toy tomorrow and with your upcoming wedding, and new child, along with your business commitments, I'd like to gift it to you. Do you have plans tomorrow morning?" and he looked to Billy. I loved that he knew our roles. "Nothing yet Sir." "Thank you William, Frederick will pick you up at 7:30, if that's not too early?" "No, it's fine, we're still on east coast time." "Unless you have anything, I think we're done, and you have a son waiting for his dads." "Thanks George, I'll see you in the morning then." We shook hands and he pulled me in to a 'man hug' "You'll do great Greg, I can feel it." Riding up in the elevator Billy was showing us planes he thought we should look at. I was thinking something small like Jack had in Europe but Scott kept pointing out I'd need to cross the Atlantic a dozen times a year. Billy was leaning towards an Embraer Lineage 1000 like we rented to come to LA. A new one cost way more than I wanted to spend, but he said used wasn't a bad move, and we could get one for around $20m. Scott pointed out that for the same money the Gulfstream had more range. I just listened and let them debate details. I wanted to talk to George before I decided because everything they were saying was right, depending on what we needed it for. Donna told us she had just given Charlie a bath and he was sleeping in his crib in our room. Billy wanted to get to sleep so he could be up to call Tyler and Freddy when they opened. Scott and I both tiptoed in to look at Charlie sleeping, then came back out to sit with Matt and Liz. Matt went over his businesses with us and gave Scott a list of his investments. He was heavy in real estate in New York City, Boston, and throughout New England, with manufacturing in Seattle and auto dealerships in Chicago. We talked about where he might expand and I suggested the idea of partnerships between he and I in future businesses. He liked the idea and wanted to hear my ideas. I spelled out what I had in mind and he was all for it. Jack had been sitting with us and he said he'd be interested if we'd let him join, so we all agreed. Donna then shocked me by asking "Will you change Charlie?" "What? I can't." "You'd have to request approval from the Council but it's been done. Vampires adopting orphans and changing them isn't common, but when I was young, it happened sometimes." "As an infant? Or child? Or what?" "That's for you to consider. You don't have to do it, and there's no rush, I just wanted you to know it's an option. Two advantages to changing him are that he'd be immune to childhood diseases, and you wouldn't have to watch your son die of old age while you're starting your next life." "We'll have to talk a lot about that one Mom, that's a lot to put on Greg today." "It's fine, but yeah, let's talk this one over several times because it can't be undone. For now, I think we should get some rest. Where's everyone going to sleep?" "I got the suite across the hall for Donna and I, as well as Matt and Liz. Jack's down the hall. You boys have an early appointment so we should go." "What are you all going to do in the morning?" "Liz and I are taking Jack to Six Flags." "James and I are going to spend the day looking at real estate. We've talked about getting a beach house and George has a few we might consider." "Then we'll see all of you tomorrow evening? We're off to bed." We all hugged goodnight and Scott and I went to our room, undressed, and cuddled in to bed. It took me a few minutes to realize what the sound was that had woke me when I heard Scott softly singing to Charlie as he was changing him. I got up and warmed a bottle, came back and fed him and we ended up with him between us in bed until morning. Somehow, Charlie was asleep when my phone alarm woke us at 6. Scott showered while I packed a bag with diapers, bottles and such. Then Scott woke Charlie and fed him while I showered. While I was dressing, I mentioned that I'd like to spend today and tomorrow going over things with George and fly home Wednesday morning. He agreed and suggested we have Tommy pick up some nicer clothes in case we met with anyone. I said that while we're with George, our emergency trip here would explain our casual dress. We walked out to find Billy on the phone with Tyler. She sent her sympathies and said she was available whenever we got home. Tommy came out and asked if we minded him going with Matt. I said he should go have fun. I asked Billy if he wanted to go and he thought he should come with us if we ended up talking business. We told Billy of our travel plans and he suggested we wait until this evening, to check with everyone else in case they had plans. He had a good point so at 7:10 we started for the door when someone knocked. I opened it to find Frederick saying he wanted to get the car seat properly mounted and asked us to give him 10 minutes. I liked his thinking, but we followed him down to just enjoy the Southern California morning sunshine. I asked him how long he'd known George and he said they had known each other centuries. He told us a story about tduring the War of 1812 when they were burning the White House, George and some of the British soldiers were actually helping Molly Adams carry paintings and such from the burning building out of respect for history. We loaded into the Escalade and he drove off. "Where are we going?" "You'll see." he said with a grin. "So that's how it is?" "Yes, that's how it is, sorry." My phone rang, it was Mike. "Yeah, long story, can it all wait until I'm home?... Probably Wednesday evening...Is there any rush on this?...No, I don't care about money, can I give it all to Charlie?...If that's the best option, then yeah, let's plan on doing that...Thanks, send the details and I'll look over them with Scott...Yes, whatever Jack sent, I'm in...Thanks Mike, talk to you later." "Estate details?" "Yeah hon, I'm going to sell everything and give all of dad's estate to Charlie as cash in a trust." "Will you go through the house or just have it cleaned out and sold?" "I need to go through it. I'll get Mom's ashes and some personal things of Dad's to give to Charlie when he's older. Dad had his father's pocket watch, I'd like to have that." Scott held my hand "I'll be there if you want, or if you want to be alone I'll understand." "Little bit of both, so go with me, please?" "You don't have to ask." I looked up to see we were pulling in to the private hanger area of Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) "We're flying somewhere?" "You'll see." Frederick said again. "You're enjoying this too much." "Yes Sir, I am." We pulled up to the entrance of a hanger and George was dressed just like we were, in jeans and a polo shirt. After greeting us and making the required baby talk with Charlie, he led us inside to meet what looked like a flight crew. I guess we are flying somewhere. "These gentlemen have just finished their employment interviews. Mickey and Ted are pilots and Clint is a steward. Gentleman, meet Gregory and Scott Warnick." All three greeted us with handshakes and individual "Nice to meet you Sir" or some form of that, Then we were led through the office and into the hanger bay where there was a large blue and white jet with gold stripes. "Gulfstream just finished their delivery inspection, and if you'll come with me, I'll give you a tour of your new plane and you can sign the paperwork." Thankfully Scott was holding Charlie because I would've dropped him. I couldn't move "George, we can't accept this, it's too much." "It's an investment in the future of our business relationship Greg, and believe me, I can easily afford it. Come, let me show you around." and he led us to the steps. We followed and spent the next hour looking around the Gulfstream G700. When it came to the paperwork I hesitated. "I need to make a couple calls first, give me a minute?" "Of course." I called Matt and Jack, got their permission to discuss our business plans with George. I then called Mike and asked him to stand by "George I'd like to put our attorney on speaker and have a talk, is that OK?" "Sure, it's wise." "OK Mike, we're here with George. Scott and Billy are here as well. What I'd like to do it jointly title this in the names of our business, as well as Matt's and Jack's, then we can share the use, thoughts?" {"With several owners things could get complicated Greg, it's better if there is one owner, and the various businesses pay rental as they use it."} George said "I agree with Mike on it being complicated, in fact I suggest that you and Scott own it personally and bill any charges to your various businesses based on use. That's good for your taxes too." "I like that babe, with us being family it's too easy to get upset if someone's using the shared asset. If it's ours, no one can argue if we use it. I'm just wondering how expensive it is to fly. It's so big it'll be almost empty on most flights." Billy spoke up with "I have an idea for that, but I want to look into it more first." "OK Billy, thanks. Mike, I agree with what George said about personal ownership, what do you think?" {"I like it Greg, and I want to see it when you get home!"} "Deal, thanks Mike, Billy will send you the papers." I then turned to George, "I suppose we're the ones hiring Mickey, Ted and Clint?" "Let them fly you home, if you like them, keep them. If not, I'll start their salaries today and pay for their return flight." "OK, well, where do we sign?" We signed a stack of papers and we exchanged numbers with Mickey. We told him we would probably be flying out Wednesday, but wouldn't know for sure until this evening. He said he only needed 2 hours notice so it wasn't a problem. Clint asked about our meal preferences and told us he'd like to spend a lot of the first flight getting to know how we liked things done. It was noon when we loaded into the Escalade with George in the front seat. He told Frederick where to go first, and we were off. "OK Billy, what's your thoughts?" "You were planning on buying a plane anyway, right? So buy one." "We have one, or were you asleep?" "No, I mean buy one. Get a Phenom 300, like Jack has in London." We just looked at him like he was nuts so he pressed on "Look, this thing is nice, and has the range for nonstop from Pittsburgh to almost anywhere in the world, but it costs $5000 per hour to fly and needs a longer runway so it's limited to larger airports. The Phenom costs $1400 an hour, and can land on a much smaller runway. On the downside, it will barely make LA or Seattle without a fuel stop, and is much smaller inside. You're going to be doing a lot of travel between Pittsburgh, New York, New England, and Chicago and the Phenom is perfect for short flights like that. It holds 8, so that's you, Scott, me, Tommy, Charlie for most flights. The G700 has the room so you're not cramped in for 6 hours to LA, and with the speed it flies, LA is now only 4 hours away." George had been silent, letting Billy make his case, then he looked at me "Well Greg, what do you think?" "What's a Phenom gonna cost me?" "Just under $9m if you want a new one." "Are there used ones out there?" "Buying one 4 or 5 years old will save you about $3m." "And I'll ask again Greg, what do you think? Not a final answer, just let me hear your thinking." "I agree it would save money for the short flights and those are likely to be the majority of our flights. With our finances, and life span, I don't see the point in ever buying used. We can order one how we want it and use the G700 in the meantime. If we find we're not using them often enough we can always hire them out to pay for themselves." "Exactly what I would recommend. I think you'll end up using them enough though, and the first time you need one and it's not available to you because it's out on rental, you'll stop doing that. Another thing to consider, is there an airport closer to your home that can handle the Gulfstream?" "I don't know the area that well, look into all of that for us please Billy?" "OK Greg, do you want to meet with Embraer here or at home?" "George? Do you have time if we do it here?" "I'll make time tomorrow, if you can set it up Billy." "Yes Sir." Billy said as he dialed his phone. Scott asked "Would it make sense to go a little bigger and be able to get to the west coast?" "If you go bigger the price almost doubles and this one will sit a lot more, what Billy has in mind is a nice balanced combination for you. You take care of that boy, he's going to be a great asset in your future." "He's already a great asset George, but thanks." I said. Billy ended his call and told us "Brandon Smyth will meet us back at that same hanger at 9:00 tomorrow morning. He's got a Phenom 300 demo you can look at." We spent the rest of the day driving around the Los Angeles area looking at strip malls, auto dealerships, and office buildings. George treated us to lunch at a place that had authentic Philly cheese steaks and somehow we came away without being covered in grease. In the afternoon he showed us the television production company he owned and we briefly met a few people we'd seen in various shows. We got back to the hotel in time to have dinner in the restaurant. We parted ways after agreeing to purchase three strip malls, a group of 4 hotels, and an office building. The funeral home had delivered Dad's ashes and I sat a while wondering what he'd think about everything that had happened in my life lately. Finally, I decided he'd be happy that I was happy, and pulled out my phone. Scott fed Charlie, I started an email to David about getting money for the real estate and plane. Scott asked what I was doing, and when I told him he said "We won't use our money. Use a loan, the stocks are paying 4% and growing in value, a loan will cost us 1%, so we'll still make money." "And that's why we're a good team." as I changed the email to what Scott told me. "Well, this team member is tired, and wants some private time with his mate." "That's my cue to go to bed." Billy said and headed to his room. Charlie was asleep so we put him in his crib, then undressed and cuddled a while, our hands were exploring and caressing and I was about to wrap my fingers around Scott when we heard someone getting fussy. Oh the joys of parenthood. By the time we got him back to sleep, the mood was lost, so we cuddled up and fell asleep. Charlie woke us at 6:30, so we got up and took care of him then got ready. We were having breakfast when Jack, Matt and Liz came in. Jack asked if we had booked a plane and we said it was covered. Then we asked Matt his plans and he said they would book something commercial later this afternoon. James and Donna joined us and talked about a house they really liked in Malibu but they wanted to look around in Florida because it was a lot closer to us. Everyone wanted to know what George's gift was but we wouldn't tell, saying they'd find out when they needed to know. They turned up the pressure but we wouldn't budge. Billy said we should be going and I asked Donna if she'd watch Charlie for a few hours. What grandmother is going to refuse time with their grandson, so that left us with an easier morning. Frederick took us to SBA again, and we pulled up as a sleek jet was shutting down in front of the hanger. The colors perfectly matched the Gulfstream and we all looked at each other, fate? My phone rang, it was George saying he had an emergency and would be a bit late. I told him we were fine and would see him here, or call him if we left. We walked into the hanger and found Billy had texted Mickey. He and Ted were there in jeans and when the engines were done spinning and the stairs down, we walked around the jet. Mickey was saying it was certified for single pilot use, but since they were both on salary, they would both be in the seats, if we bought one that is. He told us what he knew about the plane and flight times from Pittsburgh to Boston or Chicago. A man in an Embraer shirt came down the steps and walked to join us as Mickey was talking "Seems you know your stuff. I'm Brandon Smyth, would you be Mr. Warnick?" he said, shaking Mickey's hand. "I'm Greg Warnick, this is my husband, Scott. Nice to meet you Mr. Smyth." I could see he was surprised by my age, but to his credit, he didn't miss a beat "I heard you talking about Pittsburgh? You're not from Southern California?" "No, we were in town and the discussion came around to purchasing a plane, so here we are. May we see inside?" "Certainly, climb aboard. And I'm guessing you'd like to look at the flight deck?" he said looking to Mickey. "Yes, please. I'm Mickey, that goofy looking one is Ted, we're their pilots." "If you have any technical questions, please speak up. I'm going to show these gentlemen the cabin." and he led us up the stairs and inside "As you can see, we have this one set up for eight passengers. You can order it with a single seat in place of the sofa, for seven, or have a larger galley and have six seats. Most customers want these for short hops and get the seven or eight seat options. There is a seatbelt in the lavatory, so in a pinch you have a spare seat. It's also certified for single pilot flight, so you could put someone there." he was showing us the page in his book with the seating options. "As for other options, we have several standard paint combinations but you can let your imagination run wild." "Hey Mickey, how many hours on this one?" I asked "I'd have to turn it on to check, do you mind?" "Feel free, but I can tell you it just clicked over 50, with 27 cycles." "Cycles?" Scott asked "Flights, including aborted take-offs. It's a way to judge the stress on the frame." "Thanks Ted, you guys like it?" "They say they're a dream to fly." "How much?" I asked. "Depending on what options you order, between $8.75 and $9.5m." "This one." "Oh, one like this you'd pay..." "No, this one, I want it this afternoon, for the right price." "Oh, give me a minute, I need to make a call." He stepped outside and we explored the galley and rest room. Compared to the Gulfstream this was a Volkswagen but for what we wanted to use it for, it was perfect. I called David to sort out the funds and used the highest number he had given us. Everything was lined up as Brandon came back in. "With it being a demo, I can give you a good price, but not great. We usually hold onto them until they hit 100 hours or 50 cycles. Will you be financing through us or do you have your own?" "Depends on your interest rate." "That depends on your credit, Scott. With excellent credit, we're at 0.9%." "And the price?" "$8.25, sitting here as it is. Of course, you get all warranties starting from today." "$8.25 at .75% and you've sold a plane." Scott said "We'll finance $7m of that with you, and wire the rest within the hour." "I'll have to check with my boss but I think I can make that work." "Billy, give him all our information, as well as David and Mike's numbers so he can run the credit and get his money." He looked surprised as Billy stepped forward with his tablet and said they should head to the hanger office. "Mickey, can you take my brother and his wife to New Haven, CT this afternoon, drop this in Pittsburgh, and be back to take us home in the Gulfstream by tomorrow?" "No Sir. It's unsafe. We'll have to stop for fuel, I'd recommend Davenport, Iowa. Then we might need to sleep in New Haven, then take this to Pittsburgh. Depending on our flights back, we could leave here... Ted?" "I'm thinking if everything went smooth, we could be taking off from here again at 2pm tomorrow." "Sounds like you're being optimistic. Let's plan on Thursday morning, we'll set a time once you're back. And thank you, the safety of my family is the priority, never cut corners. Anything we're doing will wait in the interest of safety." "You could hire a crew, there are always pilots around looking to hop somewhere, or deadhead planes." "Thank you no, we have two new planes, and I'd like them to be flown by pilots we know. What time do they need to be here and when will they get to New Haven?" "If we can be in the air by noon, they'll be home by 9pm eastern." I called Matt and asked if they'd booked their flight yet. They hadn't so I asked if they could be here by noon, ready to go. There was some conversation and they agreed and wanted to know what was up. "You'll see." is all they got. I let Mickey know the plan, Ted had called Clint and he was packing their things and would be here in an hour. Scott and I left the guys to it and went in the office where we found George talking to Brandon. "I ran your information, and I've been told to give you $8m at .65%. David has wired the funds so all I need are about three dozen signatures." he laughed. "You didn't mention you knew George." "George is a good friend." "Yes, well thanks to you, I get to build him a Global 8000, so I'd like to take you to dinner next time you're in town." "That would be nice. Our pilots are prepping the plane, they'll be headed for Connecticut at noon. George, we're here until Thursday since they can't get back and safely fly us out sooner. Mr. Smyth, it seems we've stranded you?" "Not at all, if you can spare a few hours? I can have our 8000 here by one for George to look at and I'll buy you all lunch while we wait." "That's kind Brandon, but I don't need to see one. I'll email you with configurations and choices. If Greg will let you look at his G700, you'll have a head start on what I prefer. Fly back commercial, I'll cover it." "No need, it's a business expense. Gentlemen, thank you for your business, I hope to see you again." We had been signing during all this conversation and George had his driver take Brandon to the commercial terminal while he came to see the small plane. After touring our plane George said "Well since you have an extra day, can I take the rest of today with you? Take you to San Diego?" I called Donna and she said Charlie was fine. She and James had him by the pool enjoying the weather and Jack was at the beach, so I told her we might not be back before dark and we'd stop by their suite to pick up the baby when we got back. She suggested we could use a night and said we'd see the three of them at breakfast. "Mom's keeping our son hostage overnight, it seems we're on our own until morning." George laughed "A young couple needs a night on their own from time to time." We got in the car and were surprised when Frederick only drove us to another hanger. George got out and led us to a waiting helicopter. "Driving to San Diego will take us 5 hours, this will get us there in less than 2 and we can look at things from the air before we land." We climbed aboard and the flight chief got us strapped in, pointed to the exits, the life jackets, and explained what to do if something happened, and we were off. I'd never been in a helicopter but the take off was like being in a roller coaster hitting a sudden dip and before I knew it, we were over the Pacific Ocean and speeding southeast. I could see some islands and then Santa Monica peer and before I knew it, we were passing Camp Pendleton. We flew around San Diego with George pointing out properties he owned and some he thought we might be interested in. We talked about California taxes and how people were leaving the state but he was sure the economy was strong and would continue to be a good place to invest, carefully. When he pointed out a casino I asked about getting into that field. He explained that in California they were all on Native lands, but we could talk about Vegas or Reno on another trip. We landed on the roof of an office building south of downtown and he led us down to an office and introduced us to his friend John as potential investors. I was happy to see this man was in his office dressed as we were. We had a late lunch with John and George and they talked about details of various businesses and how the previous quarter had gone. John was interested in our background and, using what George had told me about not giving away too much, I simply said we were involved in real estate and auto dealerships back east. I saw George give a slight nod as I said this, then I focused the attention back onto John by asking what brands he had. He listed several, and we talked about cars for the rest of the meal. We headed back to the roof and were airborne in seconds. George was sitting across from me and asked me what I was thinking. "My mind is split between business and personal issues right now, which do you want first?" "Business before pleasure." "I'm looking at this helicopter and wondering if it would be a benefit for us at home." "I'd say one might be, but it's a tough call. Here, as you saw, I can land on many roofs and save myself lots of time avoiding traffic. You have to consider cost versus savings. A new one like this will cost you about $15m but you can get smaller ones for as little as $2m. Now, the personal issue?" "Donna asked me last night if we are going to change Charlie." "I'm guessing she didn't mean his diaper. It's a tough call Greg, and I do think the Council would approve. You do know you'd have to request it." I nodded "We didn't used to care, but the way things are these days, we have to be extra careful. If you like I can quietly see how the others feel, if that would help in your decision." "If we request and they deny it, do we lose face?" "Not at all, are you in a hurry to do it?" "We don't even know if we want to it." "Think hard about it, pray, if you believe that sort of thing. Discuss it with James. Kevin is another good man to ask for guidance." "You can't say if I should or shouldn't?" "I'm on the Council of the Nine. I can't advise you on something I might end up judging. Kevin is one of the 27. He's free to offer advice. I'm sorry Greg, I wish I could give you more." "No, I understand. I'm sorry if we've put you in a bad spot." "You haven't, but we'll drop it. We're about to land. There's one other thing I want to show you once we're down." We landed and after we got out, George led us to the hanger "Your Gulfstream is only in that Atlantic hanger because my old plane hasn't sold yet. You now have 2, and the rental on space will cost you an entire hanger. See if you can buy or lease land at Pittsburgh, or somewhere closer, and build a hanger of your own. Hanger owners get free parking and discounted services through the FBO, along with direct access to their plane rather than going through the FBO terminal. I think Atlantic runs the FBO there, they're good to work with." "Thank you, George, for everything. If you don't object, I think we'll take advantage of our extra day and take my husband to Six Flags tomorrow. You're welcome to join us if you like?" "Thanks Greg, but I have a meeting I can't move. Enjoy yourself, we'll be talking, often. And make sure I get an invite when you boys set a date." We left and Frederick suggested a restaurant so the four of us had some authentic Italian for dinner, then headed back to the hotel. As soon as we were in the suite, Billy said he was tired and would see us in the morning, smart little goof that he is. Scott led me to our room and pushed me onto the bed, falling on top of me and quickly covering my face with kisses. Both of us were rushing and quickly had the other undressed. When Scott started licking down my chest I lay there and watched as his tongue circled one nipple, then the other. He slowly made his way down my belly and inhaled when he got to my pubic hair. He looked up and I saw a new hunger in his eyes, and when his face turned back down, he took me in his mouth. I gasped and jumped, the feelings were so intense. "Scott wait, stop..." He looked at me confused. "You didn't like?" "That's not it, I almost..." "That's what I want you to do..." and he put his mouth back on me. I didn't last ten seconds. When I was done, he slowly made his way back up my body and kissed me. I could taste myself on his tongue as he ground his body against mine and I knew he was about to finish as well. When he did, he got up and got a wet cloth and cleaned me off, then snuggled in next to me and we fell asleep with me nuzzling his neck.