The Secret of Anthony Albrecht

This is one of those stories contains elements that could fit into any number of categories, but it is first and foremost a romance story. The first part is told in the third person followed by first person accounts. As in many of my stories, the ending is hinted on fairly early on, but as usual, there is a twist. CM.

Anthony Albrecht had it all. He had power, he had wealth and he had connections, powerful connections. But there was one thing that Anthony Albrecht didn't have, and that had haunted him for much of his life, he didn't have family, his family tree started with him. Anthony Albrecht was the adopted son of William Albrecht, a wealthy and influential industrialist, and owner of Albrecht Mentone Pty Ltd, one of the country's largest and most successful Engineering companies, whose fortunes were made by the mining boom. Albrecht Mentone made infrastructure equipment for the mining industry. If it was dug from the ground, Albrecht Mentone provided the shovels and dump trucks, if it was transported to the port by train, Albrecht Mentone laid the tracks and provided the rolling stock, if it was loaded on to ships by conveyors, Albrecht Mentone supplied and installed the conveyors.

The one thing that William Albrecht was unable to produce was a son and heir, so he and his wife Mary, adopted an infant son and named him Anthony.

The circumstances of Anthony's birth were kept from him throughout his childhood and youth. He was enrolled in the best private school on the day that the negotiations for his adoption were finalised, and through his school years he made many friends. His parents made sure of that, by inviting only the children from the best families to his birthday parties and encouraging return invitations from their parents.

He graduated high school with distinction and went to University from where he graduated with a B Eng, (Hons) and entered the family business. It was then that his parents told him that he was adopted. They broke the news in such a way that he was not devastated by it, in fact he was made to feel special, as a chosen son. The three of them agreed that this news would be kept between them and only ever divulged on a 'need to know' basis. Because he was unaware of his circumstances to that point, it could not be called a secret, therefore it was at that point in his life that the secret of Anthony Albrecht was born.

His progress to his current position as CEO of Albrecht Mentone was a long and involved one, it wasn't handed to him on a platter, he had to work for it. He started on the workshop floor, loading the raw steel bars and sheets into the various machines. From there he learned to set them up and then to programme them. Once he had proven his efficiency on the floor he was moved into the production office where he was involved in production scheduling and raw material acquisition. It was his job to ensure that there was always the right amount of material necessary for the next phase of production, and that each of these phases was carried out as required to fill orders on time.

From the Production office he had moved, at 34 years of age, to the board room where he took over his father's former role as CEO and his father moved to his present role as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

His home life was similarly organised, his laundry was done for him only if he had placed it in the hamper. His meals were prepared for him and served hot at the same time each day. If he was late and hadn't warned the cook that he would be, it sat on the table until his parents had finished their meal and the untouched plate removed. His next meal was served at the next scheduled time and the practice of intra-meal snacking was forbidden. Business discussions were forbidden at the dinner table, they were confined to the period after dinner and were conducted in the living room in the comfort of lounge chairs and soft music. While differences were expressed openly at these times, all decisions were made by William and were final.

His social life revolved around the Country Club where he was a member of the golf team and played off a scratch handicap. The social aspects of the club were not forgotten and Anthony had a close-knit circle of friends, both male and female. He had one friend in particular, Brianna Forbes-Carlton, a very attractive and very desirable young lady with appropriately impeccable breeding. She was his age and also had an Engineering degree, much to her bank manager father's displeasure. She had started at Albrecht Mentone at the same time as Anthony and was now the manager of the Design department, responsible for product design, costing and production scheduling. She and Anthony had worked closely together while he was in the Production Office, and this close relationship still remained between them. As these things inevitably do, Anthony and Brianna's relationship progressed to include a personal one that existed at the Country Club and beyond, to the point where they were in discussions with their parents about the possibilities of jointly purchasing a house where they would live after they had married.

This was where his perfect life began to unravel. We pick up Anthony's life at this point:

-*-

"Anthony," Brianna asked me as we drove towards a dinner engagement at her parents' house.

"Yes my dear?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but Mummy and Daddy have asked me to broach the subject of you having a medical. It's a formality really, just to be sure that we are totally compatible, and to be sure that we are able to have perfectly normal children when the time comes."

"I understand, and I agree, I wouldn't want us to have a child that has any genetic defects."

"They will probably mention it over dinner and I thought that I should warn you."

"Thank you for that." we drove on in silence, my mind digesting the implications of this news, what if they wanted my parents' medical history as well, how could I explain the blood group anomaly?

"Anthony, you've been going with Brianna for some time now, what are your plans?" Roderick Forbes-Carlton asked as he poured pre-dinner drinks.

"We have discussed our relationship, and have decided that I should ask you for permission to marry her. Now I understand that you have also discussed this with Brianna, and have suggested that any future plans are contingent on my submitting to a full medical examination. I have no problem with that, we both would like, when the time is right, to have children and a full genetic and health screen by both of us would seem to me to be advisable, just to be sure that there will be no hereditary defects. I think that this should happen before we officially announce our engagement, don't you?" My jumping right in and putting this forward was calculated to encourage him to think that I have nothing to hide, and maybe, just maybe, relax his insistence on it. No such luck.

"Good, I'll make an appointment for the both of you with my Doctor, I'm sure that he can fit you in on Monday. If that's okay for you."

"Not a problem, I'll ring my PA tomorrow and she can find space for me whenever you can arrange it. I'll get her to clear it with Brianna's PA as well."

I drove Brianna home, and as usual, I stayed with her. I never felt closer to her than when we were in bed together making love, and tonight was no different from any other night since our first time, literally for both of us. It had happened five months ago that we had realised that the closeness that we felt in each other's company was more than that we were just good friends and work colleagues. Both of us were too engrossed in advancing our careers to realise what our friends told us later had been blindingly obvious to them for simply ages.

Once begun, our love making had become a time where everything else was no longer of importance to us. There was nothing mechanical about it, and coming from two people who were experts at designing and implementing mechanical machinery, it came as a surprise to us that we could allow our feelings to dictate the whole experience. "I love you so much." Brianna whispered as we came down from the high of our simultaneous orgasms. "I can't believe that we've known each other for years and not realised that we were meant to be together."

"We're going to have to make up for lost time." I kissed her lips, her breasts. She pulled my head from a breast and kissed me. I kissed her. "For two people who had never experienced this, we've become something of experts, and it's because we are so in tune with each other that we just know what to do next."

"And what is that?" She asked, reaching for my cock that was regaining its strength.

"This." I rolled on top of her and pushed him into her waiting pussy.

"Oh god that feels so good." Her hips moved with mine, our movements working to increase the pleasure we got from this. Oh god . . . I can't help it, I'm coming!" She arched her back, forcing him deep inside her. I tried to hold back for a little longer but the urgency of her movements made that impossible, and with a grunt I lunged forward and emptied myself inside her for the third time. Life was as near to perfect for us at moments like these.

My parents said nothing on those weekends that I didn't come home, just as they said nothing when Brianna stayed with us for the weekend. They knew that we were lovers and were openly pleased at this situation, actively encouraging our relationship. Brianna didn't live with her parents. "I don't feel comfortable there any more, it's almost as if I'm a stranger to them, well to my mother, Daddy is fine, he and I have a great relationship. And I think Mother is jealous of that. Daddy helped me find an apartment and set me up with everything I needed. Mother has never seen the need to even visit, she probably doesn't even know where it is. I get the impression that theirs is a marriage in name only, and it is only appearances that keep them together. It's been that way for as long as I can remember. Your parents are lovely and I can see how much they love each other."

"Dad, Mum, I need to ask you a question." I sat down at the breakfast table and took a sip of my freshly poured coffee.

"What is it son?" William asked.

"You know that I've been going with Brianna for some time now, and we have given a great deal of thought to our future together?"

"Yes, don't tell me that you're having second thoughts?"

"No, nothing like that. Mr Forbes-Carlton is insisting on me, us, having a medical to ensure that we have genetically compatible blood groups. What am I going to do if he wants me to have a DNA test as well? If that happens he will realise that I am not your genetic son, and knowing him he might not allow us to marry given the uncertainty involved. What I would like to do is to find my birth mother to get some idea of my background and hope that it will stand scrutiny."

"I hope that it won't come to that." William said. "I'll have a chat to Roderick and see if he's prepared to relax his conditions, after all it's his daughter's happiness we're talking about here, and I assume that she is as much in love with you as you are with her."

"Thanks Dad, in the meantime my curiosity has been aroused, I think that I would like to know for myself. You wouldn't happen to know who my birth mother is by any chance, would you."

"Sorry Son, we can't help you there. All of the formalities went through an adoption agency, we were never privy to that information."

"Then can you give me the name of the agency, I'd like to explore what avenues I can take to find her."

-*-

It took some time to convince the agency that I was genuinely wanting to meet her, and a little more time to find her current address. I knocked on the door of a tidy cottage in a leafy suburb.

The door was opened by a still attractive woman in her late forties, early fifties. She was well but cheaply dressed and, while she wore no makeup, her flawless complexion showed that she had no need to tamper with the complexion that nature had provided her with. "Madeline Fessiere?"

"That was my name, yes. How can I help you?"

I could see from her gaze that she already who I was. "My name is Anthony Albrecht, I am your son."

"Come in won't you, I have been waiting for this day for many years, waiting and hoping that you would find me. Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"No, I'm fine thank you."

"I suppose you want to know how it was that I had to give you up for adoption."

"Yes, but only if you want to tell me. I'm quite happy just having found you."

"I will tell you. . . . . "She sat next to me, her hands tightly clasped while she composed herself. "Many years ago I was a maid in the home of a very wealthy family. I won't mention the name of the family. One of the family was a handsome young man and I was in love with him. He, I thought, didn't even know that I existed. He was pleasant enough when we spoke, but I knew that my love for him could never be returned."

-*-

Madeline's story:

One Saturday night there was a party at which his engagement was announced to Phoebe Oliphant, the daughter of a friend of the family. I personally didn't like the girl, but then I looked on her as a rival, so my judgement was biased. The party went on until 1:30 in the morning, and after the last guest had left I was cleaning up."

"I had just cleared the table and was emptying the ash trays in the study when I heard someone moaning in the corner. It was him. "Madeline, come sit by me."

"I haven't finished my work Sir." I went to leave the room.

"Stop. Please don't leave me, come sit by me."

My heart was beating so fast that I thought that I might faint, so I sat on the floor next to him.

"What am I going to do?"

"About what?" I asked him.

"I don't want to marry Phoebe, I don't love her, in fact I can't stand to be alone with her. But our families have decided that we should get married, and you know my family, I have to do what they tell me. I'm certain that she doesn't want to marry me but she is in the same situation as I am."

"What can your family do to you if you tell them that you don't want to marry her?"

"What can't they do? I don't even want to think about it." He lowered his head and began to cry and my heart went out to him.

"Please Sir, don't cry. Come, I'll help you to your room, I'm sure that you will feel better in the morning." I reached for him to help him stand, but he was not even trying to stand and I was not strong enough to lift him. He pulled me to him and kissed me. "Sir, please, stop that."

"Madeline, you are a very pretty young girl, how old are you by the way?"

"I'm nineteen Sir."

"How long have you worked here?"

"I have been in service here for four years."

"Do you like it here?"

"Very much Sir. I like your parents, they are kind and considerate employers and treat me well. I have no complaints."

"Do you like me?"

"Yes Sir, I do." He smiled at me and I melted in his arms. "Yes Sir, I do."

"I like you, do you know that? I like you very much." He kissed me and one part of me wanted to protest in the strongest terms, but I wasn't strong enough for that, so I kissed him.

"Help me to my room would you?" He stood and I put my arm around him to steady him as I helped him up the stairs to his room. I took his clothes off him, leaving him in his underwear, and pulled the bed covers back and helped him into his bed. I don't know what possessed me, but I kissed him again. "Good night Sir, now go to sleep. You'll think more clearly in the morning."

I went to my room, undressed, and climbed into bed. I found myself dreaming about my forlorn life with him when I heard my bedroom door open and felt someone getting into my bed. I was just about to scream when he kissed me. "Don't worry dear Madeline, it is me. Can I sleep with you tonight? I just don't want to be alone."

"I don't think that this is a good idea."

"If you want me to leave just say so, and I'll leave." He knew that I couldn't do that. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No. No, I don't want you to leave." He kissed me again, and pulled me to him. I could feel the heat of his body pressed against mine. Then his hand found a breast and began to caress it. Any resistance I had disappeared under his gentle touch.

"Do you love me Madeline?"

Before I knew what I was saying it came out. "Yes Sir, I love you." His exploration of my now trembling body continued until what seemed like hours later I felt his fingers slip under the elastic of my panties and push into my vagina. "Oh, oh." I lay there as his finger slid into me. I could feel his penis, hard in anticipation, pressed against my belly so I held it and began to stroke it.

I allowed him into my body. I bore the pain of my deflowering without a sound. I moved with him as he made love to me. But I couldn't help myself, and cried out as I felt his sperm flood inside me. I held him to me as we both drifted off to sleep. I was in a dream and the reality of it didn't come to me until six in the morning when my alarm went off. He was still there, in my bed, asleep. I slid as quietly as I could out of the bed and put my robe on to go to the bathroom. "Where are you going?" A sleepy voice asked.

"I have to help Cook with breakfast Sir. You had better go back to your room and get dressed, breakfast will be ready at seven."

"Don't go, I want you to stay here with me, I want to make love to you again."

"That is not possible Sir, I'll get the sack if I don't go to work."

"Can't you tell Cook that you're sick? Please."

"No I cannot. I love this job and don't want to lose it. It's easy for you, you have enough money to live on for the rest of your life, but I don't. I have to work." I had a quick shower and emerged to find him still in my bed. "I have to dress, would you please leave."

"I want to watch you. You are very beautiful."

"Please Sir, I beg you, go before I get into trouble."

"Oh all right, I'll go, but don't expect me to ignore you." He was as good as his word, he did not ignore me. As I stopped beside him to place his bacon and eggs in front of him, I felt his hand slide up the inside of my leg under my skirt. It was all I could do to hold onto the plate and not drop it. I stepped back quickly and moved away from him and his hand.

"What's going on between you and the young Master?" Cook asked me as we washed the dishes. In deference to her position she never referred to the family by name and encouraged me to do likewise.

"Nothing." I hoped that I hadn't blushed.

"You tell me that there's nothing, but my eyes tell me otherwise. No listen to me Madeline, You had better not get any ideas above your station, because only pain will come of it, your pain. He will not give a fig about you and when he marries his fiancé that will be the end of it, you mark my words, because no good can come of it."

My next job was to gather the bed linen and take it to the laundry and put it in the washing machine. I was able to remove the stains from my sheets before anyone could notice them, and hang them on the clothes line. He was just coming up from the tennis courts with a friend of his, and walked past me as I pegged the sheets on the line. "How do you get those sheets so white Madeline?"

"A generous dose of bleach works wonders Sir." I couldn't look him in the eye for fear of revealing my feelings for him in front of his friend.

"I was just saying to Bryan here, that you are the best maid that we have ever had."

"Thank you Sir."

I took another sheet from the basket and threw it over the line, as I began to straighten it out he took one end of the sheet. "Here, let me help you."

"No, I can do this on my own, I have to do this on my own, just leave me be."

They left me trembling to complete my task. What was I to do, I loved him, but realised that my love had no future. He was the only son of a very wealthy and influential family, his father was first name friends with civil and community leaders, and used to being obeyed. As Cook said, it had no future, he was to marry and would soon forget me, but a girl can dream, even impossible dreams.