Date: Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:09:37 +0000
From: Jacob Latson <jacob_latson@hotmail.com>
Subject: Agony & Ecstasy Chapter 23

Disclaimer:

This story will describe the life of John Miller from his time as
a divorced man who has been devastated by the divorce and 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 wouldn't be posting this story without the expertise of Bill in editing
my work.

Thanks, Bill!!!


Agony & Ecstasy Chapter 23 Time to Drop the Hammer!!!

A knock on the door woke both John and Nicklas, and they both knew that the
fateful day had arrived when the Americans would have to leave.  Mike
dreaded waking his friend and the small boy, but he knew that they would
sleep in late if he didn't wake them up.

"Give us time to shower and we'll meet you in the dining room," John said.
He looked at Nicky and wiped away the tears that streamed down the small
face and across the freckles.  He gazed into the vivid green eyes and
dreaded leaving his little lover and the beautiful Czech countryside.
Nicklas was the most beautiful boy in the world to John, and he loved the
boy with every fiber in his body!

Nicky wanted to ride with John to Prague, but was disappointed when John
told him that he would have to stay at the home.  "It's better if we say
goodbye here where Kvetka and Yuri can comfort you," John said.  "I'm
leaving my heart right here with you, and promise to come back as soon as I
can.  I want you to be brave and learn how to use a computer to send email
to me.  Dr. Kovar will help you read what I write, because I can only speak
Czech but can't write it.  Just know that I love you and can't wait until
we're together again.  Remember that you're my little Czech Mate!"

When the van left the orphanage, everyone from the orphanage was on the
front porch and there wasn't a dry eye anywhere.  Mike held John and
listened to his friend's sobs at leaving Nicky and the other children.  All
that he could do was hold John and remind him that they would return soon.

Kvetka held Nicky and felt the boy's body shaking with the emotions of
losing his lover.  She shed her own tears at seeing the wonderful men and
Christina leaving the orphanage and was determined to comfort everyone.
She said a prayer for John Miller and knew that he had saved her family
from the wrath of the greedy Polanko family.

When they arrived in Prague, the 737 was waiting at the airport.  John was
still upset about leaving Nicky and the other children at the orphanage,
and was determined to return before Nicky's surgery in September.

When they touched down at the airport in Madrid, Spain, a limo was waiting
to take them to a villa on the outskirts of the beautiful city.  John was
obviously upset about leaving Nicky and the other children at the
orphanage, and Mike, Philippe and Christina comforted him.  After the
evening meal at a beautiful restaurant, John was finally settling down.  He
went to bed early and tried to focus on his important job and the plans for
changing the company.

John and Christina dressed in casual clothes before leaving for the visit
to the Sea & Jungle Imports store in Madrid.  John knew that Christina was
fluent in Spanish, and he needed her language skills for the important
visit.  When they walked into the store, they saw two men having an
animated discussion that deteriorated to an argument with a peasant who had
brought in a wooden box containing some wooden figures.

John tried to be discrete in looking at the beautiful carved figures that
were obviously a very detailed Nativity Set.  The figures were unbelievably
beautiful, with each main figure of the Nativity Set being over 12 inches
tall.  He had never seen a more beautiful wooden creation in his life, and
he knew that the entire set must have taken months to create.  He wanted to
buy the entire set, but listened to the two representatives of his company
argue about the purchase price from the obviously poor peasant.

"They're arguing about the price," Christina whispered to John.  "He says
that his family has worked for over a year to make 100 sets of the figures,
and that he was promised 50 Euros for each set.  Now those two men are only
offering 20 Euros for each set, and the poor man is devastated."

John couldn't believe that the men from his company would renege on a
previous agreement, and he wanted to step in.  He listened to Christina
when she told him to walk around the store to see how the negotiations
progressed.  He was furious with the two executives of his company at how
they were treating a supplier who obviously needed the money from his
expert work.  He saw the peasant pack up the wooden figures and leave the
store in an obvious state of despair.  He listened to Christina and decided
to pretend that he was a tourist who wanted to shop in the store.

"We'd like to look at some furniture for our apartment here in Madrid,"
John said to the first man.  He recognized the man from his picture and
knew that it was Hector Gomez, the store manager and correctly guessed that
the other man was Manuel Artega, the Vice President of the company.

"We don't have time for your kind in my store!" Hector blurted out.  "We
only take care of Spanish customers, so leave!"

"Fucking Americanos!" Manuel Artega blurted out.  Another string of words
caused Christina to bristle with anger, and John could only guess that the
men were lusting after her beautiful body.  John didn't understand Spanish,
but he could tell by the tension in Christina's body that the Vice
President had said something very offensive.  He gripped Christina's arm
and felt her muscles tighten up.

"Get out of my store!" Hector ordered in English.

John had heard and seen enough!  He was ready to leave the store when a
dignified lady approached.

"My name is Rosa Hernandez, and I'd be honored to show you around the
store," the woman said in perfect English.  "Please excuse their comments."

John was impressed with the lady and followed her into the store while the
two men continued to make what John could only guess were more vulgar
comments.  He followed Rosa around the store and wondered why everything
looked dusty.  He asked Rosa to use the men's room, and saw that she seemed
embarrassed.  When he walked into the restroom, he saw why the woman was
uncomfortable.  The room was filthy and looked like it hadn't been cleaned
in weeks!  He was repulsed by the stench of the room and decided not to use
any of the facilities.

When Rosa saw the man leave the restroom, she apologized for the unsanitary
conditions.  She knew that she couldn't tell the visitors that the store
manager had fired the janitor to save money.

John and Christina toured the store and saw that the standard furniture and
furnishings were on display, but they were disappointed in the general
housekeeping of the store.  John had seen enough!

"Thank you for showing us around," John said to Rosa.  "I'd like to talk to
Hector Gomez and Manuel Artega now."

"How do you know their names?" Rosa asked.

"My name is John Miller, and I have something very important to say to both
of them," John said.  "Christina, would you please go ask our friend to
come inside?"

Christina was excited to see what the men would say when they realized who
John Miller really was.  She excused herself and went outside where
Philippe Ducharme was waiting.

John walked up to the two men and said, "I want both of you out of this
store immediately!  You're both fired!"

"Who the fuck do you think that you're talking to?" Hector yelled.  "Get
out of my store!"

"We don't listen to fucking Americans!" Manuel blurted out.  "Get out
before I call the police!  I'm in charge of this store and all operations
in this entire country!"

"You used to be in charge, but you're fired!" Philippe yelled at the men.

"Mr. Ducharme!  I didn't know that you were here!" Hector said excitedly.
"We were just having an argument with this rude American, and he refuses to
leave our store!"

"This man isn't a rude American, he's the President and Chief Executive
Officer of the Sea & Jungle Imports Limited!" Philippe yelled.  "If my
friend says that you're fired, you're fired!  The police are waiting
outside right now to take you out of this store and you'll never return!"

The two men were livid, and argued with Philippe and cussed at the police
officers who led them to their offices and made sure that they only took
their personal possessions.  The altercation caused a crowd to gather
outside the store, and everyone wanted to watch the two men being dragged
out of the famous store.

"Rosa, it's wonderful to see you again!" Philippe said.  He greeted the
woman warmly, and John could tell that Philippe had spent time in the store
before.

"This store is a disgrace!" John said to Philippe.  "I've never seen a
store that needs cleaning more than this one!"

"I'd like you to consider Rosa for the store manager position," Philippe
said to John.  "She's a wonderful lady and I'm sure that she knows how to
get things cleaned up and treat our customers with respect!"

"I trust your judgment, and agree with your suggestion," John said.  "Rosa,
my friend Philippe has never given me bad advice!  If you accept his offer,
you're the new store manager!  Can you give us the name of the man who
brought those beautiful wooden figurines into this store?  I want to buy
everything that he has made!"

Rosa was thrilled with her new position, and promised to clean up the store
and treat customers with dignity and respect.  When she heard about her new
compensation, she thanked John and Philippe profusely.  She saw a young boy
standing outside the store and asked the boy to go after Jose Garcia and
bring him back to the store.

"Philippe, who do you want as the new Vice President of Western Europe?"
John asked.

Philippe choked back his emotions at hearing John give him the ultimate
respect by asking his opinion for replacing Manuel Artega.  John had talked
to him about a major change in his responsibilities, and he was now
witnessing that John had been serious in making a fantastic offer.  When he
worked for James Stanton, he had never felt respected, but things had
changed drastically.  "Julia Gonzalez is my choice with your approval,"
Philippe said to John.

"You don't need my approval for anything!" John said to Philippe.  "When we
get to the Bahamas, we'll formalize the changes when the Board of Directors
meet.  You should be the one to contact Julia and offer her the new job."

Rosa was shocked!  She was in the middle of a very important discussion,
and wondered if she was dreaming!  She thanked John Miller and Philippe
Ducharme for promoting her and couldn't wait to tell her family about the
wonderful news!  She couldn't believe that she was the new store manager
and that another woman was going to be her boss!  No females had ever been
store managers under James Stanton, and her dream had come true!

Jose Garcia came back into the store, and was warmly greeted by the strange
men and the beautiful woman.  He only spoke Spanish, and listened to John
Miller introduce himself and praise his work.  The beautiful lady was
translating the English into Spanish, and he was confused.

"I love what you showed to those two nasty men," John said to Jose.  "Can I
see your pieces again?"

Jose unwrapped each figurine and carefully placed each piece until the set
was complete.  His family had worked for over a year to create the special
sets, and his family was depending on the sale to survive.

"How many sets do you have made?" John asked.  He was excited to find out
that the man had 20 sets complete and another 80 sets would be finished in
six months.

"How much do you want for each set?" John asked.  When he learned that the
man wanted 50 Euros for each set, he was shocked.  "This is the most
beautiful Nativity Set that I've ever seen, and I have a proposition for
you."

Jose listened to Christina and thought she was joking when she said that
John Miller was offering 200 Euros for each set.  He had dreamed of selling
each set for 50 Euros and thought that he misunderstood what Christina was
telling him.  He was shaking with excitement when he realized that the man
had really offered him 4 times what he originally asked for.

"I want each set numbered from one to 100 with the number on the bottom of
each piece," John said.  "I know people in the United States will pay a
huge amount if they know that only 100 sets are available!"

Jose had tears of joy running down his face when he accepted 4,000 Euros
from the strange American as a down payment for all 100 sets.  He shook
John's hand and then kissed it in a display of his gratitude for the praise
of his work.  He couldn't wait to get back to his home in the hills to get
his family members working on completing all of the remaining sets.  His
family would be rescued from poverty and would be wealthy for the first
time ever!

Christina was proud of John and how he had recognized the value of the hand
carved figurines and how he had negotiated a price that thrilled the
elderly man.  She was also thrilled that John and Philippe had chosen women
for the new vacancies in the company.  When they went back to the villa,
she asked to talk to John in private.

Mike Mahon knew that John needed to pretend that he was married to
Christina to visit the store in Madrid, but he was feeling left out when
John asked him to leave so he could talk to Christina alone.  He was in
love with John, and felt threatened by Nicklas and Christina.  He choked
back his emotions and wondered if he would ever have an intimate encounter
with his favorite man again.

"You told me that you were going to make major changes in your company, and
now I see that you were being honest with me," Christina said.  "When you
held my arm when we were in the store, I loved it!  For a few minutes, I
actually daydreamed about being more than just an employee of yours.  I'm
bi-sexual, and if you're ever interested in some intimacy, I'm very
available!"

John was shocked!  The most beautiful woman in the world was hitting on
him, and he was awed!

"Sometimes I look at you and can't believe how beautiful you are!" John
admitted.  "When we talk, I get distracted by your beauty, and can't
believe that you'd be interested in me physically."

"You're a very handsome man!" Christina said.  "When you interviewed me for
the job, I had trouble concentrating on your questions because you're so
handsome!  I've never seen anyone with eyes like yours!"

"Things might get complicated if we do anything physical," John said.  He
was saying what he knew was the correct thing to say, but his mind was
reeling with the possibility of having sex with Christina.  "You have no
idea how many times I looked at your swimsuit photos and daydreamed about
having sex with you!  Now I understand why you asked Mike to leave us alone
to talk."

"He's a real hunk, and I can see why you hired him," Christina said.  "He's
intelligent and a lot of fun to be around, and Lodak confirmed my
suspicions that he's packing a whopper in his pants!"

John laughed and admitted that he had been intimate with Mike when Mike was
young and recently when they were back in Michigan.  He always knew that
the boy would develop into a handsome man, and loved having Mike traveling
with him.

"When the time's right, I'd love to take you up on your offer," John said.
"We'll both know when that time arrives."

After a brief visit in Amsterdam, the jet started the long flight to the
Bahamas.  John slept during the flight and was excited about the meeting
with the Board of Directors.  He had called Aunt Betty and Aunt Martha, and
couldn't wait to see his two aunts again.  John had delivered a bag of
flawless diamonds to the jeweler in Amsterdam, and couldn't wait to see the
jewelry that was being created for some special people in his life.  He
smiled when he remembered how the jewelry designer had been shocked with
the size and quality of the diamonds from the safety deposit box in Zurich.

When the plane hit the runway in Nassau, a limo was waiting.  John exited
the plane and went through the customs inspection and was thrilled when he
saw his two aunts waiting outside the airport.  He greeted them with hugs
and kisses and thanked them for leaving their home in Michigan.

"We're both thrilled with the changes you're making with the store," Aunt
Betty said.

"We're so proud of you!" Aunt Martha said while hugging John.  "There's one
problem though.  Helen can't be here because her son, Wesley had an
appendicitis attack.  We talked to Helen but didn't tell her why we wanted
her to be here today.  Wesley's going to be fine, but Helen's been out of
the office for three days to be with her son at the hospital."

"I'll fly back to Michigan and go right to the hospital," John said.  "Are
you both sure that you approve of my changes?"

"We love the changes you're making!" Aunt Betty said.  "We can't wait to
congratulate Philippe after the board meeting makes everything official!"

John was thrilled that his two aunts supported his important decisions that
would drastically change the Sea & Jungle Imports operations.  He promised
his two aunts that he would visit their home for drinks and supper when
everything was settled.

The board meeting was a formality.  With John Miller, Betty Anderson and
Martha Jenkins holding all 100 shares of the company, the board members
enthusiastically approved the changes to the organization.  They were sworn
to secrecy until the formal announcement on board the Sea & Jungle IV, and
were excited that they would be part of the celebration cruise.

Philippe had tears of joy flowing down his face when the meeting ended.  He
couldn't wait to talk to his family and tell them about his new position
and the announcement cruise.  He wished that John could stay for a few
days, but knew that important events were going to take place in Michigan.

When John arrived at the Detroit Metro Airport, he was cleared through
customs and jumped in the limo for the trip to Henry Ford Hospital.  He was
experiencing jet lag, but didn't want to wait to visit the Baxter family at
the hospital.

"JOHN!" Helen exclaimed when she saw her boss walk into the hallway outside
Wesley's room.  "When did you get back?"

"I just arrived at the airport here in Detroit and heard that Wesley's had
some problems.  I wanted to see him and you before I went to my home," John
replied while hugging Helen.  "How's he doing?"

"He's doing great!" Helen replied.  She was thrilled that her boss was back
in Michigan and was honored that he had come to the hospital to check on
Wesley's condition.  "He'll be released tomorrow morning."

"I want you to take whatever time you need to take care of him at home,"
John said.

"We've had some big changes since you left," Helen said.  "Wesley's
appendix burst, but the infection was contained and he won't have any
lingering problems after he recovers.  General Motors is in trouble, and
Tom had to make a decision about his job.  He had the choice of
transferring to another plant or taking a buyout.  He took the buyout, but
he's having some problems accepting that he won't be able to find another
job, especially when he sees what I'm making working for you."

"Actually, that's good news," John began.  "I know that Tom loves to hunt
and fish, and I'm ready to offer him a job if you don't object."

"What do you mean?" Helen asked.  "We don't have any car assembly plants!"

"I know that you're aware of what happened in the Czech Republic, and I'm
making some major changes in our company so I can spend more time there,"
John said.  "We have a ton of customers who expect to be taken around the
world on hunting and fishing trips, and I don't want to be the one to spend
my time with them.  I have a good friend, Brad Martin, who's an avid
fisherman and hunter, and Brad runs a taxidermy business.  I'm going to
offer Brad a job to host the hunting and fishing trips, and Tom would be an
excellent partner for him."

"Tom will go insane if you offer him a job like that!" Helen said
excitedly.

"Can I see Wesley now?" John asked.

Helen led John into the semi-private hospital room where her son was
driving everyone crazy.  Wes wanted to get out of the bed and go home, but
the doctors wanted him to rest and recuperate after the surgery to remove
his appendix.  He was excited to see John Miller coming into his room, and
bubbled over with enthusiasm at having a new visitor.  John visited with
the handsome boy and let Wesley tell him about his illness and the surgery.
When Wesley's exciting story was finished, John asked, "Tom, can I talk to
you in private?"

Tom Baxter wondered why John wanted to talk to him alone, but needed a
break from listening to his son complain about the hospital food and
demanding to go home.  He followed John into the hallway so they could talk
in private.

"Helen told me that you took a buyout from GM," John began.  "Now that
you're unemployed, I have a job opening that you might be interested in."

"I don't have any job skills that would qualify me to work for you," Tom
admitted.

"Some men might feel insecure by having a wife that makes more money than
they do, but you don't," John said.  "The job that I'm offering you is one
that I'm sure you'd be completely qualified for."

"I can't imagine what you're talking about," Tom said.  "I sure don't want
to be sitting around the house with nothing to do, and will find a job to
occupy my time and keep my brain working."

"Our company has a practice of entertaining important customers on hunting
and fishing trips all around the world, and most of the time I'm expected
to be their host," John explained.  "I've found my true purpose in life
when I went to the Czech Republic and saw the horrible conditions at the
orphanage.  I love the Czech Republic and want to spend more time there, so
I need some help in entertaining the customers.  Brad Martin's a close
friend and he and I go deer hunting together every year.  I'm going to
offer him the same job that I'm offering you right now.  I'll pay you
$200,000 a year to be the co- host with Brad to take most of the trips so I
can have more free time.  How does that sound to you?"

"Are you serious?" Tom asked.  "I'd get $200,000 a year to go hunting and
fishing?"

"I know that it's important for you and Helen to spend time together and
with Wesley, so you can work with Brad to decide when you can take care of
the customers," John said.  "Your family's much more important than any
job, and you can take Wesley along with family and friends on the trips.
I'll be honest in telling you that not all of the customers are easy to
take on trips.  They can be very demanding and hard to deal with at times,
but I think that your personality will be a perfect fit for this job."

Tom Baxter quickly accepted the job and couldn't wait to tell his wife and
son.  His mind was filled with excitement when he thought about having a
fantastic new job that any man would love to have.

John left the hospital and went with his bodyguards to travel to his home
on Long Lake.  He couldn't wait to see his home after all of the repairs
had been completed.  He knew that Marcel had directed all of the
remodeling, and John was excited to see the changes.

When the suburban arrived at John's home, he was pleasantly surprised to
see the van owned by his son in the driveway.  He jumped out of the van and
scooped up Little John to hug his grandson.  Tears of joy flowed down
John's face when he held the squirming little boy.

"What a wonderful surprise!" John said to his son, Johnny and his
daughter-in-law, Kirsty.  He hugged both of them, but didn't want to put
his grandson down for any reason.

"We wanted to be here to welcome you home and see the inside of your home,"
Johnny said.  "Mike called us and told us when you'd get here!"

When the family walked into the home, they were all filled with awe at the
beauty!  Marcel was waiting for them in the living room, along with his
life partner, William Fillmore.

John couldn't believe the beauty of his remodeled living room!  Everything
was color coordinated in shades of tan with accents of green and mauve.
When John looked at the walls, he was shocked to see the portraits of his
parents and a collection of family photographs!  Margaret had chopped the
pictures with an axe, but they looked like they were all new!

"I have a friend who restores expensive paintings," Marcel said.  "Julius
owes me some favors, and Johnny found your damaged pictures and helped us
organize everything."

"They're beautiful!" John exclaimed with tears of joy flowing down his
face.  He looked at the images of his parents and couldn't believe that
every picture was perfectly restored.  He handed his grandson to Johnny and
shook Marcel's hand and then gave him a warm hug.  "I love what you've done
to my home!"

Marcel and William were thrilled that John liked their choices of
furniture, furnishings and paint.  They flitted around the room to point
out all of the features of the room and explained each piece of furniture
and why it had been selected.  John's attention was distracted when he saw
his grandson taking a few steps on the carpeted floor before grabbing the
leather couch.  It was a beautiful sight to see his grandson walking and
listening to the babble of an infant child.

"We expanded the scope of the project to include your family room, bedrooms
and bathrooms," William said.  "We hope that you approve of the changes."

Everyone toured the home and couldn't believe how many improvements had
been made in such a short period of time.  Each room was unique, but done
in a way that the entire house had been transformed into a work of art.  A
new patio had been constructed that even included a huge hot tub!

"We heard that you found a special boy in the Czech Republic," Marcel
whispered to John.  "Mike sent us email with some digital pictures that
show that some of the boys are built like real men in one special area of
their bodies!"

John laughed and realized that Marcel and William must have seen the photos
of the Sladek brothers in their ragged clothing with their huge genitals
hanging out.  He looked at Mike and asked, "Did you edit the photos before
you sent them to Helen?"

"Of course I did!" Mike replied.  "I thought that Marcel and William would
be interested in the unedited versions, and I guess that I was right!"

"What are you talking about?" Kirsty asked.

"Mike took some pictures of the children at the orphanage when we first
arrived," John explained.  "Their clothing was filthy and full of holes,
and nothing was left to your imagination.  When we have time, we'll show
you all of the pictures.  Philippe made a video too, and when he's finished
editing, he'll send me a copy so I can share it with everyone."

"Tell us about Nicklas," Johnny asked.

When John started talking about his little friend, his eyes filled with
tears.  He choked back his emotions and gave an abbreviated version of how
Nicklas had been beaten and disfigured when he was trading his body for
food and shelter.

Everyone saw John's emotions when he told about the life of the helpless
boy, and looked at the photo that John took out of his wallet.  They were
appalled that anyone would beat and disfigure a helpless boy, and they were
very emotional when John described the surgery planned for September.

"I call him Nicky, but he refuses to let anyone else call him anything but
Nicklas," John said.  "I promised him that I'll be in Prague for his
surgery on September 4th, and I won't break my promise for any reason!"

Johnny saw something that he hadn't seen in his father's eyes in a long
time!  It was pure love, and he suddenly realized that his father had found
someone special.  He hugged his father and whispered, "I can tell that
you're in love with him."

John just hugged his son and realized that his love for Nicky was no longer
a secret from his family.  "I want everyone here to consider spending the
Christmas holidays at Proud Les Domo in the Czech Republic," John said.
"The children have never had Christmas gifts or seen any real holiday
decorations, but I'm going to change that this year.  The main building has
20 bedrooms and the villas and apartment buildings have room for over a
hundred visitors.  I've already asked Kvetka to have some major electrical
work done in the main building and along the driveway so we can decorate
for the holidays."

"I have my laptop and can show you some pictures of the orphanage," Mike
said.

Everyone huddled around the portable computer and loved seeing the interior
and exterior of the beautiful orphanage.  Mike's pictures clearly showed
the conditions when they had first arrived at Proud Les Domo and how filthy
the children were.

Kirsty broke down crying when she saw the sad faces of the boys and girls
at the orphanage.  The children were filthy and wearing rags that she
wouldn't use to clean the floor with.  She was relieved when she saw the
happy faces of the children after they had cleaned up and had put on new
clothes.

Everyone cheered when they saw the transformation of the girls after
Christina had worked her magic.  "MY GOD!  THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL!" Johnny
exclaimed.

"Christina thinks that some of the girls could make beautiful models, and
she's contacted some of her friends in the modeling business," John said.
He explained that all of the children would be tested to see if they were
qualified for a college education, and the other children would be taught a
trade to prepare them for adult life.

The discussion was interrupted when the doorbell rang.  John was pleased
with the beautiful sound of the chimes and realized that Marcel and William
hadn't missed a single thing in transforming his home into a beautiful
showplace.

Everyone sat down to enjoy the pizza, breadsticks and salad, and continued
looking at Mike's pictures of the orphanage.

"Look at their faces!" Kirsty exclaimed when she saw the photos of the
children riding their new mountain bikes.  "It looks like their faces are
going to split open from smiling so big!"

"They've had nothing but despair in their lives on the streets, and they
appreciate little things that we take for granted," John said.  "They were
eating bland oatmeal for three meals a day and I tasted that crap!  It was
horrible!  Now they have four wonderful meals a day!"

"Four?" Marcel asked.

"In Europe, most people have an early breakfast and what they call `second
breakfast' about two hours later," John explained.  "The meat and
vegetables from the farm were being sold instead of being used for the
children, but that all changed before we left."

Mike explained how Josef Polanko had stolen money from the adult workers at
the orphanage, sold equipment and furnishings, and how he had attacked the
small girl.  Everyone was shocked and then relieved when they listened to
how John had tore into Josef before turning him over to the police.

"I wish that I'd been there to see you kick his ass!" Johnny said to his
father.  "I would have cut off his balls and fed them to him!"

"I'm lucky that I wasn't arrested," John admitted.  "I lost control when I
realized that he had stolen from everyone and was treating the children
inhumanely, but attacking that girl was too much for me to accept.  Things
were drastically improved before we left, but I can't wait to get back and
spend time there.  It may sound strange to all of you, but it was like a
homecoming for me to see the Czech Republic and speak their language again.
It brought back memories of my grandparents and my childhood days on their
farm.  Prague is the most beautiful city in the world to me, and I'm
looking forward to seeing more of the city when I go there for Nicky's
surgery."

"You found your roots!" Marcel exclaimed.  "I felt the same way the first
time I went to Paris!  I'm French and I love hearing people speak my native
language!"

The friendly discussion was interrupted when the phone rang.  John answered
the phone and was excited when he recognized Butch's voice.  He left the
room to take the call in private, but asked Mike to join him in the
kitchen.  He put the call on the speakerphone, and let Mike hear what Butch
was saying.

"We have everything ready for tomorrow at any time that you pick," Butch
said.  "The FBI will be there to arrest the shitheads!"

"What about the Houston store?" John asked.

"I can tell that you have me on a speaker phone," Butch said.  "Maybe you
and I should talk in private about the Houston store."

"Mike's the only one with me right now, and I want him involved," John
replied.

"Okay," Butch said.  "The FBI and DEA are involved and they're ready to
make some arrests in a few days.  Your friend, Mario Genovesi is a CI
(Confidential Informer) for both the FBI and DEA!  You should have told me
about that crate that you let Mario take from your farm, but I guess that
you didn't trust me with the truth."

"I apologize for that," John said.  "I suspected that the crate contained
something illegal and I wanted to get rid of it without knowing the
contents.  I should have told you about the crate, but I wasn't sure who I
could trust.  Mike didn't know about it either."

"Well, the DEA put a bug in the crate and traced it to a distribution
center in Miami," Butch said.  "The DEA is waiting for the right time to
sweep in and take down the Columbians who control the cocaine distribution
along the east coast, and Merle Gardner, your former store manager in
Houston will be arrested along with James McArthur, District Manager of the
Southwest Division.  Some very important people are involved in the profits
from the drug trafficking."

"What about our company?" John asked.  "Will our company get burned too?
What about me?  Will I be arrested?"

"Because we cooperated with the FBI and DEA, you and our company will be
safe," Butch promised.  "The U.S. Customs Authority will be embarrassed
when the public realizes that some of their agents are involved in drug
trafficking, but the biggest shock will be when two U.S. senators and three
U.S. Congressmen are arrested."

"HOLY SHIT!" John exclaimed.  "I'm dizzy right now!  This is too much for
me to comprehend!"

Mike was shocked, and couldn't believe that John had included him in this
important phone conversation.  He realized that John trusted him, and he
loved John even more!

"What about the shitheads at the NAO Headquarters?" John asked.

"INTERPOL found one of the native trackers who survived the attack in
Zimbabwe," Butch said.  "He identified the killers who wiped out the
outfitter, Julius Rosenthal, after James Stanton was murdered.  INTERPOL
arrested the murderers and two of them are cooperating by identifying who
paid for the hits.  Your organization is filled with co- conspirators and
the FBI is ready to arrest all of them whenever you're ready."

"I'm not going to wait any longer!" John exclaimed.  "Helen's been out of
the office because of Wesley's health concerns, and I want her involved.
Can you make the arrangements for tomorrow around 9:00 a.m.?"

"I'll make it happen and make sure that I have plenty of security officers
at the building," Butch promised.  "This is gonna shock the entire
country!"

When the call ended, Mike hugged John and thanked him for being included.
He was shocked, but realized that John Miller had a ton of important issues
along with the huge supply of money for taking the important job with the
import company.  He wondered how John was keeping his sanity with all of
the problems and responsibilities of his new job.

John returned the hug and reminded Mike to keep everything confidential.
He trusted his handsome friend and didn't want to put Mike in danger when
the events unfolded.  "I want you to wear the body armor and have a
bodyguard with you at all times," he said to Mike.  "Some very dangerous
people are going down, and they'll try to punish everyone who had a part in
their demise."

"I never expected to carry a weapon before, but now I know why you insisted
that I take the handgun safety classes," Mike said.  "Butch said my
application was approved, and I have a Glock in my room.  I don't know how
to thank you for trusting me with all of this information, but I promise
not to tell anyone what I just heard."

"Let's get back to our guests and our beautiful new living room," John
said.

John picked up his grandson and realized that the infant was very tired and
getting cranky.  "You should take this little guy home so he can sleep,"
John said to his son.  "It sure was a wonderful surprise to have my family
here when I got home."

"We love your new furnishings and can't wait for the announcement cruise!"
Kirsty said.  "My parents are thrilled that you invited them too!  I did a
Google search on the Internet, and I was only able to get a few pictures of
the outside of the Sea & Jungle IV.  It looks beautiful and I can't wait to
tour the ship!"

"We need to go too," Marcel said.  "We have a commitment in San Francisco
to design the interior of a night club, and we're both excited about
leaving tomorrow or the next day."

"You might want to wait for a couple of days," John said.  "There will be
some major changes at the NAO Headquarters tomorrow, and I think that
you'll want to be here in Michigan."

Only John and Mike knew what was going to happen the next day, but they
didn't want to divulge their secrets.  They thanked everyone for the
surprise visit and then cleaned up the mess from the impromptu party.

"John, I don't know how to say how much I respect you for how you're
handling the pressures of your new job," Mike said.  "I really don't want
to know how much money you have, but I can tell that it's a huge sum and
people will want to kidnap you for ransom.  When I listened to that phone
call from Butch, I realized that you have a huge responsibility with your
job.  What can I do to help you?"

"You're already helping me," John replied.  "Sometimes I feel like I'm all
alone, and that really bothers me.  Remember when I felt overwhelmed when
we were at Proud Les Domo?  You told me to ask the other adults for help,
and they pitched in and were actually happy that I asked for help.  I've
always tried to do everything by myself, but this job has taught me that
I'm not a miracle worker and that I need to ask for help."

"What are you gonna do about the shitheads at the NAO Headquarters?" Mike
asked.  "Who are they?"

"Just think back to the people who treated you like shit, and you'll know
who's gonna get their nuts ripped off and handed to them," John said.
"James Stanton, his father and grandfather, built a great company, but
members of the NAO staff have destroyed the morale of our company.  If you
want names, I'll tell you who paid for the murder of James Stanton and who
has been trying to use the company to scam a huge fortune for themselves
and their families and friends."

Mike listened to John list the names of the men and what they had done.  He
was appalled and couldn't believe that the men were so greedy.

"I need a drink!" John said.

"I know your recipe for Manhattans, so let me make you a big drink while
you hit the shower," Mike said.

When John went to his bedroom, he undressed and got in the new shower.  He
was thrilled when water jets from all sides of the glass enclosure
surrounded him.  Marcel and William had worked miracles in his home, and he
promised himself that he would never sell his home on Long Lake.  He looked
out the window of his bedroom and saw the cross that marked the grave of
his beloved dog, Barney.  He loved his home, and now that it had been
remodeled, it was a showplace instead of being a plain home.  He put on the
terry cloth bathrobe and walked into the family room and saw the glass
pitcher of Manhattans waiting for him.  He tasted his father's recipe, and
was pleased that Mike had done an excellent job.

When Mike finished his own shower in the guest bathroom, he dried off and
put on a bathrobe.  He hoped that John would be interested in some male
bonding, but wondered if his intimate times with John had come to an end.
The little red haired boy in the Czech Republic had stolen John's heart,
and Christina was obviously interested in straight sex with John.  Mike
wished that he was 13 again and learning about gay sex from the handsome
man, but life goes on, and now he was a fully-grown man.  He used a hair
dryer to dry his blonde hair and put on a pair of boxer briefs and walked
into the family room where he found John sipping a Manhattan.

"How did I do?" Mike asked John.

"Not too bad, but I think this drink needs a little more flavor and some
special stirring," John said when he saw his handsome young friend come
into the room.  He looked at the large bulge in the white underwear and
thought back to the time long ago when Mike had been a precocious teen and
always horny.

"I'm sorry if I messed up your drink," Mike said.  "What did I do wrong?"

"Come over here and I'll show you what this drink needs," John teased.
When Mike got close, John grabbed the waistband of Mike's boxer briefs and
pulled them down.  Mike had a huge cock, even when it was soft, and John
wasted no time in grabbing Mike's soft six inches of meat and dunked it
into the icy drink.

Mike shivered when his cock hit the icy cold drink, but this was more than
he ever dreamed would happen.  He moaned when he felt John grab his cock to
swirl it around in the Manhattan and was even more shocked when each of his
nuts were dunked in the alcohol.

John was horny and wanted to suck Mike's cock and fuck his handsome
companion.  He licked Mike's cock to slurp off the alcohol and then licked
every inch of Mike's scrotum.  He grabbed Mike's cock and bent the
hardening member down to stir his drink again, and set his glass aside to
concentrate on almost ten inches of manhood.

"God that feels great!" Mike exclaimed.  "I'm horny and won't last long if
you don't stop!"

John had no intentions of stopping and used his mouth and tongue to
stimulate Mike's beautiful cock.  He squeezed Mike's ass cheeks and ran his
fingers up and down the crack of Mike's ass, while his mouth worked up and
down the hard shaft.  He found the puckered ring of Mike's hole and drilled
his index finger inside until he located the bulge of Mike's prostate
gland.  The reactions were immediate!

Mike's cock throbbed and erupted with no less than eight blasts of man
cream directly into John's mouth.

John gulped down the nectar and stroked his finger over the hot button of
his handsome friend to stimulate Mike's orgasm.  He had learned how to
examine the prostate gland of other males in a very unusual way, and his
mouth and belly were being filled with the results.

Mike was living his dream when John sucked his cock and ate his cum.  He
grabbed John's head and fucked his cock in and out of the warm mouth to
empty his bodily fluids.  When his cock became hypersensitive, he pulled it
out of John's mouth and slapped his cock against the sides of John's
cheeks.  He wasted no time in pushing John down on the leather couch and
ripped open the terry cloth bathrobe.  He dove down and swallowed all 8 ½
inches of John's meat into his mouth and throat.

John leaned back on the couch and marveled at the way that Mike was sucking
his cock.  He lifted his legs to expose his ass, and felt Mike's fingers
probing at his pink ring.  He willed his body to relax and felt Mike's
finger slip inside and begin stroking his prostate gland.  He moaned his
approval of Mike's probing and felt another finger drill into his ass.  His
emotions reached the explosion point, and his cock throbbed and unloaded
what seemed like gallons of cum directly into Mike's hungry mouth.  He
screamed and grabbed the blonde head of his lover and jammed Mike's head
down on his throbbing cock.  He fought to stay conscious, and it felt like
Mike was sucking his entire body into his hungry mouth.

Mike knew when to stop sucking and pull his fingers out of John's ass.  For
many years, he had sucked and fucked with his friends, and he believed that
he was the best cocksucker in Michigan!  He finished off his older friend,
and was ready for more male bonding.

John was limp after his intense orgasm, and collapsed back on the leather
couch.  He moaned when he felt Mike turn him over, and knew what was
coming.  It was no surprise when he felt Mike's tongue circling his
stretched hole, and he moaned when the tongue went inside his private
sanctum.  He leaned down and grabbed the armrest of the expensive couch and
focused on the intense feeling of being rimmed by his handsome friend.

"Are you ready for this", Mike asked.  "I'm gonna fuck your brains out!"

John just moaned and felt the cold lubricant that Mike was smearing around
his tender hole.  He felt two fingers probe inside and knew that Mike was
going to jam a huge cock in his ass.  When he felt a third finger stretch
his hole, he knew what was coming next.  He moaned when he felt the head of
Mike's cock pop inside his anal ring, and closed his eyes and focused on
relaxing.  He felt the huge cock slide inside his body and wondered if he
would be split wide open, but his relaxation efforts were rewarded when he
felt Mike's blonde pubes crush against his body.

Mike was in heaven!  All ten inches of his throbbing cock were now inside
John Miller, and he paused to let John's body adjust to his anal probing.
When he felt the grip on his throbbing cock subside, he started with slow
thrusts and withdrawals until he sensed that John was ready for a real
fuck.  His strokes lengthened and his speed increased until he was
hammering John's body with all of his strength.

For John, this was the most intense fuck of his entire life!  It felt like
a telephone pole was being jammed up his ass, and when Mike pulled back,
the vacuum made it feel like John's guts would be sucked out of his body!
Each time the massive cock went deep into his body, he felt the knob of
Mike's cock pound his prostate gland.

"Turn over on your back!" Mike ordered.  "I want to kiss you while I fuck
your hot ass!"

John felt like he was putty in the hands of his handsome lover.  He felt
Mike's huge cock slide out of his ass, and he rolled over on the couch to
get ready for more fucking.  He moaned when Mike jammed all ten inches of
manhood deep into his body, and wrapped his legs around Mike's waist to
pull him deeper inside his body.  He shared the passionate kisses and knew
that Mike had total control of his body and emotions.

The fucking lasted over 20 minutes before Mike bellowed in ecstasy when his
cock flooded John's rectum with what seemed like gallons of hot cum.  The
room was filled with the sounds and aromas of semen and ass fluids from two
males who were rutting like rabbits.

John passed out when Mike's cock flooded his body with male elixir.  It was
the best fuck of his entire life, and he shed tears of joy when he regained
consciousness.  His own cock had erupted on his belly and chest from the
intense fucking, and he was totally wasted.

Mike waited for John to regain consciousness, and hoped that his friend
wasn't seriously hurt from the intense fucking.  He saw John's eyes flicker
open, and he leaned down to kiss his lover.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked.

"That was the best fuck of my life!" John admitted.  "Your cock should be
registered as a lethal weapon!"

Mike laughed and then leaned over and lapped up all of the cum that John
had deposited on his belly and chest.  He loved eating fresh cum and was
thrilled that he had fucked his male lover.

John and Mike went into John's bedroom and kissed and talked about their
intimate relationship.  They reminisced about their years of intimate
bonding and then talked about the challenges that would face them tomorrow.
They cuddled together and fell asleep.

When John woke up the next morning, he savored the aromas floating out of
the kitchen.  It was obvious that Mike had woken up earlier, and was
cooking breakfast.  John got out of bed and felt the effects of the anal
probing the previous night, but he loved the sensations.  There was nothing
like having an ass full of cum to prove that he had been fucked by a real
stud!  He showered and walked into the kitchen where Mike was serving
breakfast to Derek Kaufman and Lindsey Smith.

"I'm surprised that you can walk!" Derek joked.

"Someone has a big mouth!" John said.

Mike just laughed and offered John a cup of steaming coffee.  He was
relieved that John wasn't in pain from the intense fucking, and handed John
a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon.

"This is a day that I've dreamed about and also dreaded," John said.  "The
shit's gonna hit the fan today at the NAO Headquarters, and I'm afraid of
the adverse publicity when the media learns about our shithead employees."

When John and Mike were ready to leave for the NAO Headquarters, they were
surprised to see a Hummer waiting for them in the driveway.

"Butch wants you guys to ride in this for the next few days," Derek said.
"This crate is armor plated, and is more like a tank than a truck!"

John knew that Butch was doing everything that he could to protect him and
Mike, and he didn't argue when he saw the vehicle.  He had wanted to drive
one of his vintage cars to work, but he knew that Butch was in charge of
his safety.

When John walked into the lobby of the headquarters, he could immediately
sense that things were wrong.  The first indication was when he saw Regina
Henderson at the receptionist desk.  He wondered why she wasn't in the
training office that she shared with Howard Cole and saw the tears in her
eyes.

"Regina, why are you back to your old job?" John asked.

"Things changed a few days ago," Regina said.  "I really don't want to talk
about it!"

John and Mike headed for the elevator, and wondered what had happened to
make Regina go back to her old job.  When they arrived at the 12th floor,
the elevator opened and they saw Howard Cole mopping the floor.

"Howard, why are you mopping instead of working on your training programs?"
John asked.

"I'll be okay," Howard said with tears flowing down his face.  "I have a
new job at night cleaning the WalMart store, so don't be concerned about
me."

Before John got to his office, he was surprised to see Helen Baxter in the
hallway.  She was carrying a stack of documents, and looked very upset.

"Helen, why are you here today?" John asked.  "I thought you'd be at home
with Wesley!"

"I was gone only three days, but some terrible things have happened here,"
Helen said.  "Read this and you'll understand why I'm so upset!"

John read the corporate memo from Glen Young, Personnel Director, and Jacob
Coleman, Financial Manager, announcing a new policy.  All S&J employees
were having their work hours reduced to 39 hours each week!  He read the
memo and was furious!  "In accordance with the reduction in scheduled
hours, all health care benefits will cease for all employees effective
immediately."

"GODDAMMIT!" John screamed.  "Helen, get those two assholes in my office,
IMMEDIATELY!"

Mike had never seen John so angry!  For the first time in his life, he was
afraid of his boss and sex partner.  "You have to get control of your
emotions!" he said to John.  "You're in charge of this company, not those
two assholes!  Remember what you always told me.  Get all the facts and use
your mind before your fists!"

John was furious that the two staff members had sent out the memo without
his approval, and he was ready to kill both of them!  He read the memo
again and saw that it had been sent to the entire NAO organization.
Housekeeping budgets had been slashed by 20% and all paid vacations had
been cancelled.  All training programs had been cancelled and all wages had
been reduced by 20%.

"I have resignation letters from many people," Helen said while handing
John a stack of letters.  He looked at the letters and saw that the people
that he trusted the most had given their two weeks notice that they were
quitting his company.  The letters that shocked him the most were from
Latisha Woods, Financial Department auditor, Dontell Brown, Transportation
specialist, Monique Jefferson, a black female in Purchasing, Karla Edwards,
Benefits Administrator, and Regina Henderson.  These were the people that
he trusted the most, and he was sick that they were leaving his company.

"LISTEN TO ME!" Mike demanded.  "I know that you're pissed, but remember
that YOU are in charge of this company!  You came here today to kick ass,
but don't let your emotions turn you into a total asshole!  Take a deep
breath and sit down and make a plan to fix this mess!  Do it like a true
executive, not a vigilante!"

John knew that Mike was right.  He had to get control of his emotions and
develop a plan to repair the damages and rescue his company!  He thought
back to what his father had taught him about nasty situations in life.
"Get all of the facts, make a plan, and make it happen!"

"Thanks, Dad," John said when he regained his composure.  His mind raced
with ideas before he decided what to do.  He smiled and nodded to Mike that
he was ready to take care of business.

"You wanted to see us?" Jacob Coleman asked when he and Glen Young walked
into John's office.

"Hang on for a minute," John said calmly.  "I want Helen to join us for a
brief discussion.  Mike, can you get us some coffee?"

Mike was shocked at the change in John's demeanor!  He looked at his friend
and saw something in John's eyes that he hoped that he would never see
again!  Two eyes of steel were looking directly at him, and he felt sick!
His friend looked like a lion that was focused on a helpless animal that
was about to die!  The man that he loved was gone!

John went into the conference room and saw that Butch had joined him along
with four security officers.  He waited for Helen to arrive and made small
talk with the two staff members.

Mike looked at John and couldn't believe that his friend was talking calmly
to Jacob and Glen like nothing had happened.  He felt sick and wanted to
run out of the building and live on the streets of Detroit.  He would score
some cocaine and be able to blot out all of what he was seeing today!

When Helen arrived, John said, "I see that you two have made some
management decisions while I was gone."

"We developed a plan to increase profits!" Jacob Coleman said with glee.

"Who authorized the changes in company compensation and benefits?" John
asked calmly.

"Glen and I didn't need anyone else to approve the changes," Jacob said.
"We're responsible for wages and benefits, and these moves will add
millions of dollars to the profits of this company."

"Very interesting!" John said calmly.  "Your announcements have causes
quite a stir here in this building and I can only imagine how the
associates are reacting in all of our stores here in the United States."

"I told you that he'd like our plans!" Glen Young said to his friend.

"I have some announcements of my own," John said.  He motioned for Butch
and the security officers to come into the conference room and said, "Today
I'm going to announce that there will be NO move of the NAO Headquarters to
Chicago, and we won't be building the five new stores that you two are so
interested in."

"WHAT?" Glen screamed.  "WE HAVE TO MOVE TO CHICAGO!"

"WE HAVE TO BUILD THOSE FIVE NEW STORES!" Jacob screamed.

"Today is the day that we clean house here at the NAO Headquarters," John
said.  "I know all about your underhanded plans to bilk this company out of
millions of dollars, and the properties that you and your friends have
purchased will NEVER be sold to our company!  Now, you, your families and
friends can pay the loan payments for the six properties or lose your own
homes, cottages and investment portfolios!  Even if you sold the properties
at market values, you'll lose everything when World Wide Investments
forecloses on your loans!  Just so you know, your co-conspirator, Ryan
Carter has been arrested in Nassau for fraud and embezzlement!  Butch, take
these pieces of shit to their offices and make sure that they take nothing
that can remotely be considered company property.  YOU TWO ASSHOLES ARE
FIRED!"

"YOU CAN'T FIRE ME!" Glen Young screamed.

"WE'LL HAVE YOU KILLED, JUST LIKE WE DID THAT FUCKHEAD, JAMES STANTON!"
Jacob Coleman screamed.

"I think that I just heard a confession!" John said to Butch.  "Here's a
list of the other people that I want rounded up and brought to this
conference room.  They're all fired along with these two murderers, but I
want to deliver the news to them personally!"

Helen had to sit down!  She had hoped that John would do something to alter
the policy changes, but she never expected her boss to clean out the
shitheads so quickly.  When she looked at the list of names of the other
people who were being fired, she felt dizzy.  John had singled out everyone
that she wanted out of the company, and she wondered what else her boss was
going to do.

There was a long procession of people who were brought into the conference
room.  Each one was shocked and then outraged when they learned that they
were being fired.  Many of the people threatened to kill John Miller, and
the security cameras captured all of the threats.

Regina Henderson was at the desk in the lobby when several men dressed in
dark blue suits walked up to the security checkpoint.  She saw the men show
identification, and wondered who they were.  She looked around the lobby
and saw for the first time that over 20 Blackhawk Security Officers were
milling around.  Something big was happening!  When she saw Jacob Coleman
and Glen Young being dragged out of the elevator, she was shocked.  When
she heard what was being said, she couldn't believe her ears!

"Jacob Coleman and Glen Young, you're under arrest for Conspiracy to Commit
Murder in the deaths of James Stanton and Thomas Mason," the FBI agent
said.

Regina heard the agent reading the Miranda Rights to the two men and
couldn't believe what she was hearing!  She watched Jacob Coleman and Glen
Young being handcuffed and dragged out of the lobby, and she listened to
both men screaming obscenities.  She didn't waste a second and called Helen
Baxter's cell phone to spread the news!

Helen sat at the conference table and watched the procession of men coming
into the room to be fired.  She checked off each name on the list that she
was holding, and realized that the NAO Headquarters was being purged of all
of the men who had caused her trouble in the past.  When the last man was
forcefully taken out of the conference room, she thought she would faint
from the emotional drain.

"I never dreamed that you would fire all of those men today," Helen said.
"Is there anyone else that you're going to get rid of?"

"What would you do if someone who worked for you didn't do what you asked
of them?"  John asked.

"If they had understood the requirements, I'd have to fire them," Helen
replied.  "Who are you talking about?"

"Do you remember when I told you that I wanted you to cut back your hours
to less than 40 a week?" John asked.

Suddenly, Helen realized that John Miller was talking about her!  She felt
sick when she remembered how John had told her to cut back to 40 hours with
the goal of working 32 hours a week so she could spend more time with her
family.  "Are you going to fire me too?" she asked with tears flowing down
her face.  Her life was crashing down, and she was ready to vomit.

Mike was listening, and he couldn't believe that John was going to fire
Helen!  He was ready to quit his job when he saw Helen's reaction.

"Relax, Helen," John began.  "I could never fire the person who's kept the
North American Operations together while I learned my new job.  Because you
didn't do what I asked, I have no choice but to promote you!"

"WHAT?" Helen asked excitedly.

"Because you were at the hospital with your son, you missed an important
meeting in Nassau," John said.  "I told you that I was going to make some
important changes in our organization, and yesterday the Board of Directors
blessed the decision that I made with the approval of Aunt Betty and Aunt
Martha.  Your duties won't really change, but I'm offering you the job of
Vice President of S&JI World Wide, with total authority over all of the
North American Operations!"

"Are you serious?" Helen blurted out.

"Say yes, and your salary will be 20 million dollars a year, along with the
home and furnishings on Carriage Hill Boulevard," John said with a huge
smile.

"YES!" Helen screamed.  She jumped up and hugged John, and then apologized
for her unprofessional outburst.

John returned Helen's hug and motioned for Mike to join in the festivities.
He watched Helen hug and kiss Mike and knew that he was doing the right
thing.

"Now that you're in charge around here, you have some important decisions
to make," John said.  "First, I think you should announce that the memo
from Jacob Coleman and Glen Young is null and void!  Second, you'll have to
choose people to replace the shitheads that we just fired, and third, I'd
suggest that you select some key people to create a compensation and
benefit package that's the best in the world for all of our associates."

"When this shit started today, I thought you would kill Coleman and Young,
and then after you got control of your emotions, you had the eyes of a
predator!" Mike said while hugging John.  "I really thought that I had lost
my best friend, but now I understand what you were doing!  I'm so happy
that I'm ready to cry or scream with joy!"

"Philippe Ducharme's your new boss," John said to Helen.  "I'll remain as
the Chief Executive Officer, but Philippe's the President of our company,
and he can't wait to congratulate you on your new title.  Maybe now you'll
hire some people so you can go around the world on hunting and fishing
trips!"

Philippe came into the conference room and was met with hugs from everyone
who was celebrating the changes in the Sea & Jungle Imports Company.

Mike broke down crying.  He was a part of the most intense events in his
entire life, and his favorite man in the world had proven just how
intelligent he could be.  He celebrated with everyone, and listened to the
plans for the rest of the day.

Stay tuned!!!


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