A Wicked Stepfather Pt. 02

Eliot kissed Eva on the forehead and people applauded.

* * *

After settling his bill Eliot picked up his two bags from the hotel baggage room and left by cab for Twin Towers.

At reception a guy with a lapel nametag identifying him as Leon asked Eliot for ID. After Eliot had signed the tenancy lease document he was handed a keycard. He looked around the apartment and in the dressing room checked out Jenna's cache of underwear and whistled in admiration, Eliot called Jenna and told her briefly about his day and asked what time would she arrive. She said no later than 6:30 and laughed delightedly, thanking him when he said he'd have a bath ready for her. He then spent an hour in the basement fitness center and back in the apartment showered and turned on Jenna's bath. He then waited anxiously wondering if she'd be embarrassed having him there and thinking it was all happening too quickly. He blamed himself for acting over emotionally in the rush to get to her pussy.

"You've spoilt it, denying her the courtship that women prattle on about," he groaned aloud and snarled, "Jughead!"

The door opened and Jenna stood transfixed, staring at him.

"Oh I worried needlessly," she beamed. "Despite your call I carried home this crazy thought you had developed cold feet and had departed."

"No, I had no such thought. How could I after the glory of last night?"

"Oh darling," she cried and leaped at him to hug and kiss him, the slamming of the door still ringing in his ears.

"Oooh, I've been thinking all day of doing this," Jenna said huskily, unzipping him and dropping to her knees.

Perhaps it was because he'd been a little uptight but when Eliot looked down and had the security of seeing Jenna's tongue flick out and wet the side of his cock that was scrambling into full erection he gasped, realizing he'd come within an ace of ejaculating. He'd scarcely touched her! However his mind was filled with erotic images.

Jenna didn't finish him off. As she felt him tense she slowed and cupping his butt through his trousers said she would prefer him to shoot it over her legs after they returned from dinner. The erotic images of doing that flooded Eliot's mind aggressively but he remained in charge and the latent flash point passed without mishap.

Eliot found a bottle of sparkling wine in the fridge along with a bottle of peach schnapps, added crushed ice to the glass and took into the bathroom what appeared to be Jenna's favorite drink, a Bellini. He carried a bottle of beer for himself and sat and listened to her say at length what a wonderful man he was and sensibly ended that when she saw him yawn. She smiled sweetly and asked him to describe in detail about his day and laughed when he repeated his answer to Brigit's question what did he think about the newspaper and splashed around helpless in laughter when he related the their encounter with crusty Jed Mason and Jed telling his editor to buzz off.

"Oh God, people will talk about that for years," she said, wiping away tears. "Those two hate each other's guts."

"It's just a matter of demarcation and perceptions and I'll talk to Brigit about it," he said. "Jed is very much old school, with a master's degree in English from Oxford in England and came to the newspaper as deputy chief sub-editor after being fired as headmaster of an elite boy's school somewhere in New England when falling off the stage drunk on Parent's Day, according to what his old mate at my last newspaper told me."

Eliot then spoke about the joy of unexpectedly being reunited with Eva Mitchell again and recited what he's told the newsroom about Eva saving the life of the helicopter pilot and getting him clear of the wreck.

"God, that's so amazing. She is heroic as well as being sweet."

Jenna related another story about Eva. The news editor of that time and Eva were having a dispute with the editor saying Eva was dreaming if she thought she had a chance of becoming executive editor."

The testy Scot immigrant challenged that the only chance Eva had of going anywhere was on to the subbing table or into the women's department where perhaps in twenty years she might make women's editor and Eva spat she demanded her right...

Jenna said just at that moment her father walked into the newsroom, coughed to gain attention, and asked and what right was that young lady?

Jenna, in her final year at university, was spending a few days of the Christmas break learning the ropes on the sub's table.

She recalled, "I was petrified and really liked Eva as I had been out on reporting assignments with her and building up my confidence she constantly gave me the impression I was God's gift to journalism. I rose to go to her side but Jed told me to sit down. By then the entire newsroom had come to a stop."

"She said to dad, 'Oh, Mr Wynn, how nice to see someone with a highly refined mind who has an appreciation of equality for women, at least for those who deserve it'."

"Dad said, 'You have become too big for your boots Mrs Mitchell. Report to the women's department on Monday'."

"I should have known when dad used her name he must possess some regard for her. He tended to remember only names of people who mattered. He turned to walk about of the newsroom and Eva shouted, 'Mr Wynn, I shall report to the women's department on Monday as instructed but only if you assure me I have equal opportunity within this company to eventually advance to executive editor if fairly judged to have the required skills, knowledge and whatever else is required'."

"A few gasps could be heard but nothing like those expressed after my father said tersely he'd do no such thing. Eva then called clearly and confidently that he should be prepared for a legal fight even if that meant her action risked bringing down the newspaper by destroying its reputation for fair play.

Eyes flashing, Jenna said, "Dad strode to her, towering over her, and very calmly said, 'Follow me Miss Wynn' and they walked into the executive editor's office. We all looked at her emerge fifteen minutes later, expecting to see her begin to pack her possessions from her desk. She began working and looking up, snapped why was everyone staring at her."

Jenna said ten minutes later the chief receptionist Mrs Owens entered the newsroom and posted a notice on the board. The nearest sub-editor jumped up and read what it said: 'The vacant position of deputy-chief reporter will be filled by Mrs Eva Mitchell as from Monday'.

"People rushed to congratulate her. I suppose you can guess she was in line to become news editor until it was suddenly announced a fortnight ago by my mother the position had been awarded to you."

"Oh."

"Yes oh. She didn't complain."

"Who acts as deputy when I'm away?"

"The deputy chief-sub."

"I'll have a word with Brigit to appoint Eva as my deputy. Under the reorganization I have in mind she will win higher promotion than that but it all depends if we nail your cheating stepfather beyond reasonable doubt."

"I'd like to see you reward Eva. Will you have a place for me?"

"Sure, if your father is arrested I'll push your mom to declare you as the new managing director. Although this company will be restructured, if we do it right we had the opportunity of turning it into a money-making machine."

"God, you are confident. You are thinking community-based newspapers, aren't you?"

Eliot said yes but he'd prefer her to think no more about it in the meantime. "If you think about it you may inadvertently talk about it. I want your stepfather out of here if he's a crook before I put the restructuring concept to your mother. We don't want any defense law team alleging we trumped up instances of fraud against you stepfather to get him out of the way after he opposed restructuring."

"I see, good thinking. Off you go. I'll wander in around forty-five minutes from now. Too soon and it might appear a planned tactic."

"Yeah. You have boobies and legs to die for sweetie but what I most like about you is your brain."

"Liar. Other men would lynch you if they heard you saying that," Jenna laughed. And the way she looked at him left Eliot in no doubt that she also believed she'd scored top shelf. Was she the one? He knew he was likely to keep asking that question.

CHAPTER 4

Leonardo patted Eliot on the shoulder and said, "Ah, so tonight you meet the boss. Please follow me." Eloise was already seated beside her husband so Eliot was guided to sit beside Brigit who held out a cheek and he kissed it.

Looking lovely in lavender with her hair piled high she said, "You know Mrs Cruickshank as she sat in at your final interview?"

"Yes of course. Hi," Eliot smiled and Eloise said hi and invited him to call her Eloise.

"And this is Peter, head of the family," Leonardo said helpfully. "Peter meet you new employee Eliot Nephew. Eliot dined here two evenings ago on his arrival and proved to be knowledgeable about Italian food and Italian wine."

"Ah, that explains why you greeted him with affection," Peter said, as if to impress on Eliot he was no fool.

Peter hesitated and offered his hand. Eliot shook it firmly and smiled. He said he'd not expected to meet the managing director and chairman socially on his first day on the job but accepted it was a family company and appeared to demand performance from its personnel.

"Yes and obviously you have been well briefed," Peter said. "Normally Eloise and I don't dine with staff but Eloise has convinced me Brigit has good reason for requesting this gathering to launch discussion on a comprehensive business review."

Eliot looked surprised and lied he knew nothing about an agenda and Peter in turn looked surprised.

Eloise said lightly, "Eliot is here to be briefed if you see merit in Brigit's proposal."

Leonardo cut in smoothly and asked, "A beer Eliot?"

Eliot looked at what Peter was drinking and said he'd have a Martini, vodka based with no olive.

"Ah, same as Peter but he has an olive. Another glass Peter?"

"Yes Leonardo."

The two women had barely touched their drinks and Peter finished his. "You have done well to befriend Leonardo so early. That guy can read people like a book so it was more than your knowledge of Italian cuisine that impressed him. You look good and show style by the way you are dressed. Leonardo looks for things that tell him about character. I must read you CV."

"It's already up on the computer darling," Eloise said. "I'm sure you'll be impressed."

That was the opportunity Brigit needed. "Peter, for almost four years we have talked about conducting a thorough review of our company's activities. On Eliot's last newspaper that is three times the size of ours but with a much smaller commercial printing operation, he chaired a specialist team of five to review the current management plan against current activities and after that study the committee produced a draft strategic plan, totally ignoring the current one and completing that they wrote a new draft business plan. At that stage corporate heads and department managers commenced a thorough review of the drafts, the original committee staying on in an advisory role. The comprehensive review took fifteen months from the time it commenced until the decisions of the board to adopt both plans and order implementation."

Peter clicked his tongue and watched his fresh drink arrive. "It seems we are lucky to have secured your expertise Eliot. Of course if those blueprints for future action were adopted only a few months ago it's far to early to assess results."

"Correct."

"What do you think we should do?"

"Ignore the fact that a comprehensive study and review is overdue and commission it simply because it's the right thing to do."

Peter sucked his olive and looked out the window. "Oh Jenna is crossing the road and heading here. No she isn't, she's going next-door. No, here she comes. She must join us. Eliot, I would be under criticism if I appointed you chairman when the other five participants have longer service with the company and all would be far more familiar with our activities than you would be."

"That is the benefit of starting with a new brush," Eloise said.

Peter sipped his Martini as Eliot spoke. "It's a middle management task force. Appoint me as chairman, selling that decision on the fact I recent chaired a similar task force and make it clear you are part of the committee ex-officio. You would then be free to chart progress and the direction of the study. That way you keep your finger on the pulse without spending four hours every weekday afternoon engrossed in tedious appraisals."

Eloise seized the opening. "I don't think you should become involved in boiler room work Peter."

Brigit said she agreed with Eloise and both women turned on Eliot when he took the contrary view.

Eliot said looking thoughtful, "No, I think it's proper for Peter to have hands-on involvement if that's what he wants. We'll need to engage outside experts to conduct three associated independent research programs and perhaps Peter can supervise the pre-commissioning work on those?"

"Research, that sound's expensive." Eloise said nervously. "And three surveys; why can't they be combined into one?"

Peter smiled and said he not give combining surveys a chance of being approved because he had a good idea what Eliot was on about.

Peter continued, "One, we need an advertiser's level of satisfaction survey to identify the strengths and weaknesses, as they see it, in advertising in the Clarion and among other things to ask how our services to them could be improved."

"Two, we conduct a readership survey of the Clarion to identify the needs and perceptions of different age groups and establish the precise reading interests of people in different age groups and to what extent do those preferences change according to the residential location of the various respondents."

"Three, we conduct a survey of our commercial printing operation to identify the level of customer satisfaction, what we are doing right, where we could be doing better and question why people chose Clarion Print or why they don't use Clarion for their commercial print needs. How is that for an assessment Eliot?"

"Spot on. Have you conducted such surveys in the past?"

"Yeah, the last one was commissioned way back in the 1980s. Market research has been talked about but we've chickened out because of costs, at least that's my read of it. In my time we talked about it three years ago but everyone seemed to think they knew the reasons for the continuing decline in readership stats of the Clarion and we knew Clarion Print was a gold mine because we had the best print personal and machinery in the city and our service was unmatched. Look, there's Jenna talking to Leonardo. I go over and invite her to join us."

As Peter left the table Eloise hissed, "Have you lost you sanity Eliot? We had Peter against the ropes about his wish to have hands on involvement in preparation of the draft plans and what do you do? You smiled at him and invited him to the table to be as manipulative and interfering as he wishes. I'm terribly disappointed that you did that."

Eliot smiled at her soothingly and said. "Peter was determined to be involved. If he had been excluded under pressure what would he have been left thinking?"

"How the hell do I know? I'm only his wife and business superior."

Brigit said Eloise should cool down for a moment and listen.

Eliot said Peter would have been aware of the pressure to excluded him and would have asked himself, 'Why am I being excluded?' What a wonderful way to arouse suspicion in a man, particularly if he is ripping off his wife and the company."

"Y-e-s!" Brigit breathed and after a brief delay Eloise sighed and said Eliot was quite right.

"I will learn what areas Peter wishes us to exclude and that will then make me very suspicious. Whenever he's out of the office for a day or longer I will then poke around in those areas. Having him associated with us initially will make department heads less suspicious when the committee begins digging. We must remember he could be using various key persons to enrich himself if that's what he's doing. In respect of fraud I think the most likely places to look would be big-ticket items. With editorial it would be computers and travel, with Peter perhaps receiving secret payments for insisting all company business travel goes through one firm. Then there's the purchase and sale of vehicles, machinery, servicing contracts, newsprint, office supplies, commercial printing supplies... well, that's enough."

"Well that is enough for now," Brigit said. "Here they come."

Eliot stood and Peter smiled and said, "Eliot may I introduce Jenna, who is Eloise's daughter."

"Hi Jenna," Eliot said. "Oh my, you are most attractive."

"Why thank you Eliot," she said, smiling and dipping her head and shoulders slightly.

"Look, please take my place next to Brigit. I'll take the end of the table. Here comes Leonardo with an extra chair followed by a waitress with an extra place serving. What role do you have within the company Jenna?"

She replied she'd left the company sometime ago and now operated a business at Clouston Mall.

"What kind of store, restoration hardware?"

"No," she giggled, playing along with him. Have another try."

"Nails?"

"No."

"Er, lingerie?"

"Yes, how clever of you."

"Am I in line to see samples?"

Jenna laughed loudly, making Peter twitch. The other two women were amused by the frivolity and well-tuned deception of their younger dining companions. Jenna asked what sample would he like to view?

"A bustier, I'm really big into bustiers." Eliot said throatily.

"Oooh, I'm wearing one. Would you like a peek?"

"Um, we have people here who could be embarrassed. Perhaps we could stay behind for a few drinks."

"Thank God this inane conversation has ended." Peter fumed. He glared at Jenna who was shaking in suppressed giggling.

Eloise broke the awkward silence by asking, "Eliot, do you have a clear understanding of the business sense of the word 'rationalization?"

"Yes ma'am, he replied. "It means the organization according to sound business management principles to increase efficiency. I accept the view that it is a process to be used progressively rather than regressively and particularly in respect of your company, going on what you have outlined to me and what I have deduced from reading company annual reports for the past five years. The impression and I emphasize impression I get from such background reading is that overall the company is in something of a back slide. That makes it timely to begin a full review of operations. When the investigation begins we will find many things that are right on track and difficult to improve but we'll also be pinpointing areas of concern where there is evidence of bloat and and/or lack of direction. This of course is supposition from a person who has just completed his first day on the payroll but I am left in no doubt my suppositions will be underpinned by a well-directed task force."

"In that case Eliot," Peter said angrily. "From tomorrow after lunch and each afternoon thereafter I want you working on this review, beginning by hand-picking your four co-investigators and you will be appointed chairman. Once I have approved of your selection I want your task force meeting each afternoon and to push their review along."

"Thank you Peter."

Peter glared, "I take it implicit in your comments is I am responsible for some of the ills of the company?"

"Yes, without doubt Peter because you role is that of principal driver. But others are involved including the chairman, the board of directors, department heads, company planners and outside consultants. Presumably that same team is capable of assisting to sweep the company forward when the new plans to generate more specific momentum are adopted by the board. I guess if I fail to lead the task force to produce a whole range of acceptable and effective initiatives my head will roll."