The flight up had been uneventful, but they were not used to the opulence that the inside of the aircraft exhibited. Kathy, the attendant, did not have much to do and seemed very concerned that they did not want anything. Other than bringing Jeff the phone when Wainwright called, and getting each of them a diet coke, they did not require anything from her, but only wanted a little sleep. Reclining in the plush seats, they did just that.
The pretty attendant woke them about fifteen minutes out of the airport so they would have time to freshen up. The pilot obviously knew what he was doing. The landing was accompanied by a faint bark of the tires as they spun up on the asphalt; there was not even a slight bump as the plane put down.
As they prepared to leave the craft, Captain Madison informed them that Mr. Wainwright had told him to keep their luggage on board and refuel the plane, as they would have further use of it later in the day. Jeff raised an eyebrow, but did not comment.
A limo was waiting, and the opulence continued, but the traffic didn’t. They sat on the freeway for forty-five minutes while a crane righted an overturned eighteen-wheeler. The chauffeur told them that he had contacted Mr. Wainwright and there would be no problem.
The sprawling complex was fenced. They rolled up to a security gate and a smartly dressed guard checked the chauffeur’s ID, then told him that the office had already cleared his passengers. Stepping back, he waved them through.
Jeff pointed to a large, multistory building in the distance. “That’s where we’re heading,” he told his wife and daughter. But the driver did not go to the front of the building as expected, but instead went around to the side where a large door opened for them as they approached. Inside, he stopped near an elevator and hurried to open their door for them.
As they exited the vehicle, the elevator opened and a well-dressed man of about forty-five nodded to Jeff, then introduced himself to Diana and Arlene. “Hi. I’m Ray Tingle, one of the vice presidents here.” Jeff introduced the women, and he and Tingle shook hands.
“How was the flight, Jeff?” Tingle asked.
“It must have been fine,” Jeff laughed, “we slept most of the way. But the traffic was a little different.”
“Yes, we heard about that,” Tingle replied, ushering them into the elevator.
As the elevator ascended, Jeff said, “I hired another lawyer a couple of days ago. His name is Wadsworth. I spoke to Mr. Wainwright about him when I was here day before yesterday. I’ll need to see Wadsworth before we enter the meeting.”
“Oh, he’s here,” Tingle said. “We have provided him full access to the documents, as you requested. He has made a couple of changes that we have already approved.” With a grin, he added, “I think your patent attorneys are a bit insulted that you brought someone else in, though.”
“Tough,” Jeff replied, without a grin, “They will be paid enough to get over it.”
As the elevator opened into the waiting area, a short, thin man immediately stood and walked toward Jeff. Without preamble, he said, “I need to see you for a few minutes, in private.”
Jeff looked at Tingle. If there was an objection to the delay, Tingle did not show it. “This way,” he said, leading them down a hall to a small conference room.
When Diana and Arlene started to lag back, Jeff ushered them into the room in front of him. Tingle left, closing the door behind him.
Jeff started to say something, but Wadsworth interrupted. Jeff frowned as Wadsworth introduced himself to the women, then shoved a paper in front of Jeff. The women leaned over to read it as well. In bold caps they read:
ASSUME BUGGED. CONTRACT GOOD. YOUR PATENT ATTORNEYS HAD ONE LOOPHOLE THAT I CORRECTED. WE NEED TO MAKE COMPANY PEOPLE WAIT. I WILL DISCUSS PRICE AND STALL FOR AWHILE. WILL DO THEM GOOD.
For the first time since Jeff got home, Diana saw him smile. They spent thirty-five minutes hearing lawyerese and going over points on a contract that Wadsworth had already said was good. But Diana noted that Jeff seemed to be enjoying himself – immensely. Finally, Wadsworth deemed the time long enough and suggested they go on to the meeting.
Tingle met them in the hallway and tactfully suggested that Arlene would perhaps be more comfortable in a private guest waiting room, where there were video games and a TV.
Jeff cut him off with, “My wife and daughter will accompany me.”
“Certainly, Sir. As you wish.”
Tingle opened the door of a conference room several times larger than the one they had just left. On the far end of the mirror-bright table sat the president of the company, flanked by three males and one female. All were in their forties or fifties, Diana thought. Down the left side sat three other people, two males and one female. Across from them were three other men. She assumed that the last three were attorneys. Everyone stood as Jeff and his family entered.
Tingle introduced everyone without missing a name, concluding with, “And of course you all know Mr. Matthews.”
No one sat until Diana and Arlene were seated. No one questioned the presence of a fifteen-year-old in the meeting.
Jeff has the attention of this group, Diana thought.
After a few minutes of pleasantries, they got down to business.
The president, Mr. Wainwright, stood. “Obviously,” he started out, “we all know why we are here today. It has been a day that our company has been looking forward to, but indeed, to be a little candid for a moment, Mr. Matthews, we did a very thorough background check on you. We are a contractor for the federal government and can not afford to be too cautious. However,” he cleared his throat and glanced at the small group of top executives of the company for a moment, “I fear that somehow, we have projected some wrong impressions. We, ah ... have noted that you have become hesitant, and frankly, we think you may have been considering selling your patents to another firm.”
Jeff just looked at him and shrugged slightly.
Wainwright continued, “When we started investigating your military history, we had a visit from two men who gave their ranks as captain and major, but little else about themselves. They were legitimate enough, they even let us copy their ID’s, but we were told that our investigation into your military history was at an end. That it was classified, but they would vouch for you, in writing, if need be. We got it in writing.
“And, since we are on that subject, I would like to remind you that there is a near one hundred percent chance that this product, shall we call it, will be sold to the federal government, i.e., the U.S. military, and at some point everything relating will come under the National Security Act, so I caution all of you present, that you may well be scrutinized by the government at some future point. So, I strongly suggest that the proceedings of this meeting be kept strictly confidential, lest at some future date you have to explain why you did not think that it was pertinent to do so.”
One of the male company attorneys, Diana could not remember what his name was, spoke up. “Mr. Wainwright, in line with what you have just said, I would like to point out that we have an adolescent in the room for which there could be no binding contract, and I suggest that she be allowed to wait in our guest room until...”
Jeff stood, leaning slightly forward to place his hands on the table, staring toward the attorney. “Jenkins is your name. Is that right?”
Diana noted that her husband had his “mission” face back on.
At a nod from the man, “Well, Jenkins, I guess I need to explain something to you...”
Mr. Wainwright tried to interrupt with, “Jeff, you don’t have to explain anything. Bert is out of line, and will apologize. Won’t you, Mr. Jenkins!” It wasn’t a question.
Jenkins’ face set, but if he was going to say anything, he did not get a chance, for Jeff continued. “Everyone present needs to understand that I would not be here today, and we would not be discussing this contract had it not been for my wife, for there would be nothing to sell. Without her working two jobs, I would never have been able to go to college. Oh, I got a scholarship, but it didn’t pay for half what we had to spend. She never once complained. You try working two full-time jobs,” he told Jenkins, glaring at him, “then you might have something to say that I would bother to listen to.
“My daughter didn’t have things that a lot of other kids had, but I never had any problems with her that other parents seemed to have with their kids. Hell, she has spent half her life either at her grandmother’s, or in daycare, or with a sitter. But she has never made a grade less than an A. Not once.”
Sweeping his gaze across the lawyers, he returned it to Jenkins. “You want my daughter to leave, Jenkins. If she goes, my wife and I go too, and so helpme, I will still sell my patents before the day is out, but it won’t be to this outfit.”
It went downhill from there. Jeff was mad. Mr. Wainwright called for a break and got Jeff alone to calm him down. When everyone was called back to the conference room again, there was a female in Jenkins’ seat.
While Jeff was haranguing Jenkins, Diana’s mind had kept replaying Jeff’s remark about never having problems with Arlene. Diana fought the tears back, remembering what Jeff had seen Arlene and her do last night.
The meeting restarted. Mr. Wainwright stood and cleared his throat. “Getting back to where I was earlier,” he grinned, and there was a snicker from several of the lawyers. “I hope that the investigation has not made you rethink our efforts to bring your knowledge to fruition. And we apologize for any inconvenience that our investigation may have caused you, and of course, for the unfortunate incident of a few minutes ago. On the second point, we,” he said, nodding to the group near him, “have reconsidered our obligations to you and have increased our proposal, somewhat.
“If you will turn to the back page, there is an addendum that we have added in the time you spent with your attorney when you first entered the building. Two parts of the addendum were added then, that is. The first two parts were added this morning before you arrived. The parts that we added while you were in conference with your attorney were the Retreat and use of the company jet. Instead of a one-year lease on the mountain retreat/conference center, we have added it to the deal, in total, and the center comes with a new four-wheel drive vehicle, as well as several ATVs, snowmobiles and other accompaniments that you will need in the winter, or from time to time. The other part about the jet was Margaret’s idea.”
Margaret spoke up. “The thing sits at the airport a lot of the time, anyway. Although at certain times, it can be very busy. But let me tell you how this is supposed to work. Forget about using it around holidays, the five people you see at this end of the table have preference. In other words, you are number six on the totem pole. That doesn’t mean that you won’t get to use the jet, though; far from it. Other than a vacation or two for each of us throughout the year, and a number of business trips, the rest of the year is open. We mean for you to use it. Don’t hesitate. You can bet we have, and do, spend a lot of money on the thing. So use it.
“Don’t worry about the crew; we pay them well. Also, we make sure that they are home for Christmas, at least. Most of the other holidays, they spend flying or wherever we happen to go. If they don’t have to go back to pick up someone else, we put them in a nice hotel, and they get a vacation, too.
“Also, you will be here from time to time as a consultant – a well-paid consultant. No use your sitting on a commercial flight when the jet can pick you up and save a lot of hassle. Enjoy.”
Jeff glanced at his family and nodded, a slight smile on his face, still noncommittal, though.
Wainwright picked up with, “The first two parts, we think you will find just as agreeable. We have increased our up-front money by over ten percent, raising the total to one hundred fifty-five million, five hundred thousand dollars. We did not make any adjustments to your royalties. We have also added in an expense card for any expenses while traveling away from your home in relation to our ongoing program.”
Diana had to force herself to breathe. One hundred and fifty-five million dollars. Shit, she thought. She fervently hoped that she hadn’t said it aloud.
Arlene looked like someone had stepped on her foot.
Jeff again nodded slightly when Mr. Wainwright looked at him and paused.
“Our session is being recorded as I mentioned during the introductions, and we will now go over each part of the contract, so that there can be no misunderstandings later. Everyone here will, of course, be given a copy of the recording. Now, let us start with page one...”
Other than an occasional bathroom break, and thirty minutes for lunch that was served in the conference room itself, they kept at it until things wound down in late afternoon. Jeff had remained so deadpan all day, that Diana thought he was not going to sign the contract. Mr. Wainwright seemed almost stunned, having convinced himself that Jeff was going to sell to someone else, when Jeff picked up a pen and signed his copy. In short order, Mr. Wainwright and Jeff signed all copies.
The conference room was soon abuzz with several conversations going at once.
Jeff declined a small party scheduled at one of the hotels at eight. “My family and I are tired, and we would like to get started toward our new home. Although, I have seen it at our conference there, my family has not.”
Mr. Wainwright said to Jeff, “By the time you get to Boulder, it will be getting late. We can have a helicopter take you to the retreat and I can arrange for your vehicle to be brought up tomorrow, if you like.”
Jeff looked at Diana. “I think we’ll just stay in Boulder for the night, and drive up in the morning. It is a beautiful trip, and that way we’ll be rested up.”
Mr. Wainwright hurried them on out, “Go ahead and get started, maybe you can miss some of the traffic on the way to the airport. My staff will get you accommodations at the hotel we use there, and notify your pilot.”
As they left the conference room, Diana whispered in Jeff’s ear, “Hang on a minute; I have to use the bathroom.” She grabbed Arlene and took her with her.
A few minutes later, mother and daughter returned. When they were getting in the limo, Diana whispered in Jeff’s ear a second time, simply saying, “I started.”
She could see a load lift off Jeff’s shoulders. But then he glanced at Arlene and did his eyebrow lifting routine. Diana responded with a faint headshake.
They ate on the plane, thus giving the flight attendant something to do – it certainly wasn’t airline food.
When they got to Boulder, a new Cadillac Escalade all-wheel drive, was waiting for them. Jeff grinned as he looked at the gleaming, black vehicle, “Well, at least now with the sale of my invention, we don’t have to worry about gas mileage, and the SUV is surely big enough to put everything in.”
Jeff was not allowed to touch a thing. The pilot joked that Mr. Wainwright would have his ass if Jeff had to load his own luggage. As the crew was finishing with the loading, Captain Madison gave Jeff a card. “Here are numbers that you can reach us at any time, Sir. We will be waiting for your call.”
A little later, they each grabbed a bag out of the SUV and left the attendant to park the vehicle.
Diana said, worriedly, “We surely have a lot of stuff in there to leave in a hotel parking deck. I hope everything will be all right.”
Jeff winked at her. “If tips will do it, everything will be fine. I’ll guarantee you that was the biggest tip he’s gotten all day.” Then to Diana, he quietly asked, “Did you get Arlene’s pill? It looks like she is going to have to take the second one.”
Diana nodded, “Yes, I made sure she has it with her.”
Their room was not a room, but a suite, and a very nice one at that. Jeff tipped the bellhop, picked up his and Diana’s cases, staggered to one of the bedrooms, and collapsed across the bed, physically and mentally exhausted. Arlene picked up her case and went to explore the other bedroom.
Diana pulled off Jeff’s shoes, then encouraged him to get up and take a shower. “Come on, Baby, I’ll scrub your back. That always makes you feel good, then we can order something in to eat. You’ll rest better after that.”
Jeff grumpily complied, wanting nothing more than just to be left alone. As Diana undressed and started to get in the shower with him, he said, “Look, Hon, I’m bushed. I’ll just take a quick shower, then you can have it to yourself.”
Diana’s face fell. He is really beginning to scare me. He’s never turned down a back rub in the shower, because it generally leads to a blowjob. I whispered to him how sorry I am about Jack and Arnie, but he obviously hasn’t forgiven me. Aloud, she said, “Jeff, please forgive me. I know I was stupid. But, I swear that I never stopped loving you. I know I dishonored you, and shamed you, not to say anything about the mess I left for you to clean up. But I love you with all my heart, and I always will. Please don’t shut me out. Please find in your heart a way to forgive me.”
Jeff didn’t respond, but a little later, he turned the shower off. As he stepped out, Diana handed him a towel. “Baby, I’m too tired to think straight right now. Let’s put this conversation off until we have all had some rest.” With that, he walked around her, put on a pair of shorts and tee shirt and relaxed on the bed. A couple of minutes later, he pulled the sheet over himself.
Diana sat on the bed and stroked his hair, kissing his cheek. She eased her hand down and gently took his cock, but he pushed her hand away. “Baby, I’m not ready for that just yet.” A few minutes later, he was deeply asleep.
Diana fought back tears and went looking for Arlene, who had already found the menu.
Trying to put on a cheerful front, Diana asked, “Well, now that we’re rich, shall we order something extravagant?”
Arlene laughed, “If a hamburger, French fries and a coke about this high are extravagant, then yeah.”
Diana smiled at her daughter, “Just ditto that order and call me when it gets here. I’m going to take a shower.”
“Hey, Mom,” Arlene called, as Diana was leaving the room.
“Yeah, girl.”
“I started.”
Diana just waved and turned away before Arlene could see the tears. She would tell Jeff as soon as he awakened.
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