Date: Fri, 7 Feb 2020 22:00:42 +0000 (UTC) From: Mike Simmons Subject: It was always about the bets 89 I woke Monday to a very nice day so I ran the usual route and when I got to the house there was a TV van there and a reported came up to me and very pleasantly I said, good morning, I guess I'll be seeing you guys at noon, have a great morning and went inside. I put on some coffee glanced at the paper showered and went to school. The morning flew by and at 11:00 I was called to the office, Carrie was already there and we drove to the Administration building. I talked with dad, was introduced to the NASA people and the astronauts, checked with coach and at exactly noon, went into the board Room and sat down between dad and Tim. Coach welcomed everyone introduced the celebrities and said, ladies and gentlemen it is my pleasure to introduce one of the most outstanding student athletes this district has ever had. No only is he an all state football player he in either first or second in his class depending on the day. I am sure you will enjoy meeting and hearing from Michael James Simmons, Junior. He is accompanied by his dad, founder of MJS Technologies and his personal attorney. I said, good afternoon and thanked coach, you never say those nice thing about me during the football season and everyone laughed. I then thanked the school district, the Principal and Superintendent and welcomed the Mayor. Then I said a special thanks the the true American heroes, our Astronauts for being here today, guys I would love a flight in one of the Jets you flew here today. Ladies and gentlemen, I have a brief statement then we will answer all your questions. A lot of people would describe me a young, intelligent, hard working, driven and a pretty good football player. Add to that a very generous parent, who for whatever reason established a substantial Trust for me. Combine all those things and here we sit today. I had a number of choices; I could simply enjoy life and do nothing, I could invest in a number of companies and build the Trust or I could look at it as the means to do something different, take chances and see what happens. I chose the later. I was never that interested in dad's company but the Trust changed all that and on my first visit I saw a company that grew too fast and out grew it's current location. There was a lot of drama at the time and changes at the highest level of the company and I just watched and slowly got involved. There was a new attorney and he noticed the same things and without talking about it things fell together. My Trust needed an attorney and a tie breaking vote. Tim was brought on board and I don't even remember how, but Tim and I became aware of a plot of land on Second Avenue and Tim and I negotiated, what the Mayor describes as, a great price. Then there was an architect, and a Board meeting, a lease, building plans and a construction manager and bid documents to be released this week and I hope construction starting and it all be fast tracked. Then the NASA deal and the need to hire about 500 people and finally another company, MJS Enterprises. Dad and I will answer questions, please refer to me as Mike and Dad as Mr. Simmons to eliminate confusion over our shared name. Mr.Simmons; congratulations on the NASA deal Mike just laid out quite a lot could you please explain his involvement in all this for us? Dad replied with the exception of the NASA project Mike was responsible for of all of it and for the most part I was asked my opinion and then kept informed. Mr. Simmons as a follow up can you please go into detail about Mike's Trust? Dad replied, sure Mike is 17 and he along with his attorney and I control the Trust until he is 18, we each have one vote. That will be the last answer any of you will get concerning the trust. Mike, how much land do you own? I replied, My Trust has ownership of the plot of land Technologies will rent and my Trust and Technologies has ownership of an adjacent lot. Mike, how much did those properties cost and is there a mortgage? Well that's all public record. One was 1.1 million and one was three quarters of a million and were paid for with cash on hand. Mike, what assets are in your Trust? As Mr. Simmons mentioned we are not taking further questions on the Trust, next question please. Mike, what's is your position with MJS Technologies? I own stock and am Chairman of the Board. Can either of you talk about the building? Brian tapped me on the shoulder and whispered go slow. I too a deep breath and replied stop me when I bore you. The building designs have been finished for a while now and I just received the bid documents and will be releasing them late this week. The construction loan has been approved and the building is completely leased by Technologies and Enterprises. I am expecting to hold my high school graduation party in the building. Mike, are there rendering available of the proposed building. I looked at Tim and he shook his head and I said they will be run off and distributed shortly. Mike, what went into the design? Again Brian with a tap reminded me to go slow. I said it will be a very modern structure and in a very understated way reflect our region's past and potential future. The drawings should help answer that further. Mr. Simmons, where will the NASA project be housed? Dad replied in temporary space in the strip district and eventually in the new building. Mr. Simmons where in the strip? Dad said please ask the CEO of Enterprises, I understand that company exists to take that stuff off my desk. Everyone laughed. I said well thanks dad, there are two spaces under consideration and as Mr. Simmons said Enterprises is negotiating a lease and a decision by the end of next week. Mike, why there and I replied cost and parking and transportation. Mike, what are the plans for the second lot on Second Avenue? As of now and until the building is finished simply to keep the weeds under control. Well Mike after that? I said that will be what it becomes and there are a lot of ideas running thru my head. Mike, what's you background for all this? I said I am a spoiled rich kid. They laughed and said seriously. I said, I study, I read, I have a tremendous work ethic, weather it be business, school or sports. Then there is this strong sense of who we were and what we might become. We are no longer the smokey Steel capital of the country, have not been that for a while and I feel the next influence should be the technology revolution. Mike as a junior you must be thinking a lot about college, can you elaborate? Well, you are correct and football is an issue as well. I will not be attending a local university but it will be within driving distance. Mike, why not CMU? Well I am taking classes there, well just one, but I don't want to be local because of football and the drama that goes with all that. I am also looking at D1 programs. Stay tuned and expect that to be resolved in say two weeks. Mr. Simmons, have you and Mike had many business disagreements over business decisions? Dad laughed and said thanks for limiting it to business. Seriously no we have not. Understand Mike and Tim run the trust, I was consulted about the first land purchase and simply informed about the outcome. I was told about the second purchase. As for the lease on the building our attorneys worked it out Mike and I, mostly Mike, reviewed the lease and it was approved by our board. I did NASA and deal with the day to day things at Technologies and Mike deals with Enterprises and does everything else. He has a very young team in place and they keep me and the more established team at Technologies on our toes. It went on like this for another hour and got intense when the building drawings were distributed. Lots of questions about the design and materials and the two corner spaces. My answers were lots of words and descriptions and no details and both Brian and Tim were smiling. Finally at 2:00 I thanked everyone for attending and stood up. Dad and I were mobbed with more questions and finally the Superintendent said ok people that's enough we have a school to run. I went up to the three astronauts and thanked them for making the trip. They all laughed and said we spend more time on PR events than in mission Prep. Then I was asked if I was serious about a flight and I said damn, absolutely. Then I was told, dude we took separate jets here it was not the company's flying hotel room, we need to keep up our time in the air. I said fuck that's even better and they all laughed and Major Messer said finally a small glimpse of the real Mike. I said would you guys like to grab a bite to eat they said sure, I grabbed dad and said, dude us and the spacemen are going to the Tavern and you need to drive. I got Carrie and ask if she wanted to join us and she said absolutely and I said well babe you are in the back seat and she said that figures. I grabbed one of the guys a Major Messer and said how about you ride with Carrie and I and dad will bring everyone else and I'm guessing the Mayor will follow. In the parking lot Carrie got in the back and the Major said damn Mike this is a hot car, how many tickets? I said none and he laughed and said, I'm taking a leave and spending a month figuring you out. Carrie burst out laughing and said you will need at least a year. Then he said Mike I will be back in a few weeks and I was serious about the flight, you will need medical clearance and permission from your dad and a barf bag. I said, I'll get all that but I'm betting I won't need the bag. He laughed and said everyone does first time and I replied, I'm not everyone or have't you noticed. At the Tavern the owner almost shit when I walked in with Dad and the Mayor and then he saw Carrie and three other in officer uniforms and he was beside himself when I introduced the Astronauts. We ordered drinks and when my iced tea was beer and Carrie's Sprite was white wine, Major Messer looked at Carrie and said I'm not thinking a year is enough. The food and the conversation was great and the space stories were funny and interesting. Naturally there was no bill and I drove the Major and Carrie back to school. Mike, I don't need a year, you are the ring master of this entire city, how the fuck do you do it? I smiled and said how about we talk your next visit. He said dude that's a deal. Some how and some way my radar went off. On the way home Carrie said Mike, great job today, I had never seen you in action. Were you nervous? I just said yes, a lot. Then she said Mike, Major Messer wants something, I was laughing so hard she asked me to pull over. I said babe, I'm amazed you realized that and thanks for the heads up but I realized that when he agreed to ride with us. Shit, but I want that jet ride. She laughed and said, Mike I'm betting you puke. I looked at her and said so you want to start with the bets and she smiled and said with rules? We arrived at her place and I grabbed her and gave her a giant kiss and we were making out when I noticed Sam at the door. We got out of the car and I said dude, get the fuck in my car and I'll be out in a few. Carrie laughed and I went in with her and chatted with Alice and finally went to deal with Sam. I got in the car and said so dude, did you learn anything by watching us? He said Mike, I'm sorry but I needed to talk. Ok, dude that was a shitty way to let me know. What is it now? Mike, I have a new girlfriend. Well you are working out and it is starting to show. Girlfriends follow. So what's the question and it better not be about sex. He said, shit Mike it is always about sex. I screamed SAM IT ISN'T and until you realize that you are just a young punk. Let her determine how much and how fast. Now good night and he got out shaking his head. I was rough on him and I'll call him later and be more reasonable. Back at home it was Brian, Tim and dad and they were in the game room talking and drinking. I grabbed an iced tea and sat down. They kept talking and I sat back and just listened. Dad, got up to refill their drinks and Brian said Mike that was a typically great performance and Tim smiled and shook my hand. Dad came back with 4 double Scotch and ice and took my tea away. I laughed and said, ok what's up? Brian said Mike, for two hours today you said a lot and yet nothing, however, those of us who know you are aware that you are already into phase two, so what's up? I laughed and said, Brian that background check you can run please conduct that on Major Messer, I want to know how many times a day he pisses. The rest is very much a work in progress. Right now I'm concerned about football. However, I would like to see the bid documents and meet with the construction manager, say Wednesday night. Tim got up produce the documents and and a roll of blueprints. I said shit and took a sip of my scotch. Dinner was ordered and it was ribs and fries and I asked for a chicken salad and switched to iced tea. We chatted about football and Tech. I said we have at least a year so let's make the most of it before I need to be away and dad said Mike, that's 18 months and I mean it. I smiled and said dad that's a deal. You getting an apartment in Blacksburg? I grabbed the bid documents and went upstairs. I called Carrie and said so babe what are the bet rules and she laughed and said anything goes just so it is you and me. I said deal and you should think about the anything. She said Mike, I was stopped outside the press conference and told we would be talking with the freshman on Wednesday. One morning and one afternoon session. They were impressed enough with you today so they set it up. The freshman don't get a heads up. I asked about Sam and she said, Mike he is in his room pouting. I'm guessing he did not like what you had to say. I said babe, I'm sure that correct and I was not very pleasant with him as him watching us making out pissed me off. I'll call him later. We hung up and I started with the drawings. I called down and asked if Tim was still there and with a positive response I went downstairs and said Tim a word please in dad's office. We went in and I closed the door. Tim said that didn't take long. I was furious, would you please explain to me how the fuck the building is being built out? Oh, and who did that? Mike, calm down. I decided after talking with the construction manager and it saves about a million dollars to do it now. The costs have been approved by Technologies. I said Tim get out. I called for dad and he came in and closed the door. He said, Michael the three of us Brian, Tim and I made the decision and moved forward. Collectively we felt you needed a break. Your approval is required on the bid documents and we all understand that. How about we all go into the game room and discuss this? I said fine, where are the fucking cigarettes. In the game room I listened drinking iced tea and not smoking. Once it was all explained, I said ok, I get it and Tim if anything like this ever happens again you are fired and I am looking for a new general council for Enterprises, your role is now limited to the Trust. I got up went to my room and continued looking at the blue prints. A few minutes later dad opened the door and sat on the bed. Mike, what you don't know is that Tim tried to keep you in the loop and both Brian and I overruled him. Dad so why? Mike, you had me worried and there was the added thing with Sally. Dad that's a shit answer. He looked at me and Michael, understand that is the unvarnished truth, get the fuck over it. I asked, is Tim still here? Mike he is in the game room. Dad, please ask him to come up. There was a knock on the door and Tim stood there. I said Tim, I'm sorry, dad explained things. He said Mike, that's fine but where are we? Take a seat and let's find out. Tim, I have always trusted you completely and this really hurt me. We are a damn good team together and I don't want to lose that. Please tell me whose idea this was? He said Mike, you know. I said Tim, yes I do but I need to hear it. Mike, then what? Well if it is who I think it was at some point in time he will be gone. Mike, the construction manager suggested it a few weeks ago and Brian told him not to say anything and he talked you dad into it and I was told to keep out of it. Tim, I need your word that nothing like this will ever happen again. He said, Mike I promise and you scared the shit out of me earlier. I like working with you. Tim, thanks call me tomorrow night, I have school and a workout tomorrow. No more games please. Mike, I got it, good night. I went down stairs and found dad in the office and I sat down and did not say a word. Dad lit a cigarette and looked at me and we just stared at each other. I got up went to the door, turned around and said strike two, closed the door and went to my room. A few minutes later dad stuck his head in the room and said, Michael thanks. I said dad, understand I mean it. Make sure he knows that I mean it. Dad, I am very disappointed and it ruined a great day. Please don't do it again. He sat down on the bed and I shook my head and said dad, I have work to do, I'll see you tomorrow. He got up closed the door quietly and I want back to the drawings and the documents. It was well after midnight when I went to bed, and it was a restless night. Comments are encouraged as this is my first story. PLEASE!! contribute to the continuing operations of the Nifty Erotic Stories Archive website using a credit card or other methods of donation, we encourage our supporters to make a donation to the Nifty Archive Alliance. Please consider doing this, it is important