Trading in Strange Places Pt. 10

I was putting dishes in the cupboard when Josh asked from behind me, "They want a Thanksgiving morning session. Is that ok?"

"We have one day to wear them down?"

"Looks like the best we will get. They are never far from their jobs. Ross wants a video session at six our time tomorrow."

"Josh, your days as the attentive stud are numbered."

"Don't I know it. I am on the hook for entertaining the girlfriends while you barter my future."

"Life can be brutal, partner. You better get a good report card from the women."

As everyone scattered for their rooms, Kathleen's arm was tight around Ellen. "He invited me to your bed."

"It's about time. I've missed you. Maybe we should just exile him for the night."

"That won't work, he has something I need!"

They pounded on me as I tried to drive. "Yes, something we need!"

Wednesday was cloudless and warming up. We would be lucky if the snow lasted one more day. Memories of a very lovey night followed me to the B&B to help with breakfast. The Varsity girls were there already, pouring coffee for guests and getting everyone matched up. Kathleen pinched my butt and went looking for Louise.

Cheri was in a svelte ski outfit and chatting up Ellen as if they were long lost friends. "I am so glad to find you here. I knew you had left Ross, but had no idea it was to connect with Lucas."

I couldn't hear Ellen's whispered response, but Cheri burst out laughing. They turned and both pointed fingers in my direction. I closed in. "I was warned about excess female testosterone in this vicinity."

Cheri gave me a hug and a swift kiss on the lips. "Be warned, Lucas, any deal you cook up with Ross and Steve is subject to three other approvals!"

She was almost as tall as I was, and the dark eyes bore into me, suggesting the tease was not really a tease. Damn.

"Josh and I are skiing with Ellen today, to make sure she cleans your clock in another week or two of practice. I've already warned Ross and my dad that I may need some extra days at your fine B&B."

Since the snow was no longer much to crow about, I decided I would be the day's joker. This was amplified when I was successful in attracting Richard on his telemarks. The two of us did our best to disrupt every run by Le Bontemps people and staff. I did gigantic sitzmarks in front of speeding skiers, while Richard careened down the hill making incredible high speed telemark turns in all the wrong places.

At lunch, Ellen and Cheri marched firmly in my direction. "Nothing for you, joker! Your gourmet lunch is kaput! We fed it to the St. Bernard."

Richard and I answered with one voice, "Marines are used to forced marches and light rations. A dark brew or two will hold us until dinner. Did you have anything else on your mind?"

Their mistake was looking at each other while we collected them in a sandwich and smashed the impressive chests together.

"The snow is crummy. Why not join us for more guest entertainment?" We squeezed harder.

Cheri gave in first. "Ok, beasts, but I don't know why..."

By three-thirty, the November shadows were long and everyone was laughed out. Ross and Steve were nowhere to be found, so Louise and Cheri followed Ellen and me to our place for a hot shower and a hot drink.

Down to their underwear, the skiing women eyed me as I handed over mugs. "You are invited to shower with us, Lucas." Ellen's sparkling eyes had a nasty glint to them.

"This is a plot to get me in trouble with husbands."

"Why do you think we aren't married to them?" "Marriage is overrated."

All too soon, four naked bodies were milling in the small bathroom and smaller shower. Louise had me against the wall, whispering, "No sex, just some messing around. We are jealous of Ellen and what she has going here." I turned her around, bit down on her neck muscle and pinched two stiff nipples. "Teasing can get you in a lot of trouble..."

Now she had my hard shaft in her hand, squeezing and stroking. "Yes it can. Steve and I are paired up real well, but I used to be an expert in checking these out." The squeeze got worse, until Ellen slapped her behind and said, "Leave my man alone and get in here."

I escaped to the bedroom, the risk-taking part of my brain wishing circumstances were different.

I got my shower after theirs and when I came back with a towel draped decently, they were under a sheet, sipping their toddies and chattering away.

"Stay where you are. Dinner isn't for another hour. I will go find Steve and Ross and tell them you are having a dangerous conference in my bed."

Later, they showed up looking lovely and awarding kisses to partners. In fact, the entire parlor was mellow. The Varsity girls passed hors d'oeuvres and wanted to know why I was still avoiding them on the hill.

Robert came out to announce dinner and said that the evening meal would be simple because of the holiday feast tomorrow. There was, he said, a potage, an assortment of meats and breads, and a Caesar salad. Everyone was invited to sit where they pleased.

Ellen and I set an example by finding the floor in a corner. "You are pretty cosy with those two." She gave me an eye, since her hands were full. "Dangerous, Lucas, very dangerous."

I sat silently, thinking of the meeting in the morning with Steve and Ross. "Do you suppose they are involved with whatever their men friends have in mind?"

"More than suppose. I got a preview. Believe it or not, my opinion matters to them."

I looked at her bland expression. "I don't get to know?"

"Certainly not. It would spoil the surprise. And if you threaten to beat it out of me, I will sleep somewhere else." She wasn't smiling. She wasn't fooling around.

I was grumped and made myself scarce, deciding to walk back to the rented house. More grumps to myself about women too smart for their own good. Brushing my teeth, I looked in the mirror and asked, "What did I do to deserve this?"

I was mostly out of it when her naked self wrapped around me. "Don't be like that, you will be pleased with what they have in mind."

She smelled nice, she felt wonderful, and I smiled myself to sleep, hoping for the best.

Josh and C-M had arranged for a Continental breakfast in the upstairs of Mely's house, which was almost finished with its remodel, and offered a private place to talk.

There were the usual preliminaries. Small talk about the skiing, which had gone from excellent to marginal as a typical Colorado thaw arrived. They complimented the hospitality. "Lucas, you and these women have done a fine job. That French chef is something else. How the devil did you convince him to come all the way out here?"

I didn't reveal my secret weapon in Catherine-Marie, especially since it wasn't really my idea.

"Ellen has worked a miracle with her helpers. The ideas just keep coming. You must get Lyn to show you the design for the new executive center we are building next summer adjacent to the hill. Ski in, ski out and all that."

Steve started the serious conversation. "Lucas, you probably don't know that Ross and I suffered together in boarding school a while back. We've kept up with each other. After you left with Ellen, we shared a beer at a conference and he complained to me about losing talent. I told him you had done well with some of my money and he complained more.

"Now, don't get a swelled head, but we keep circling back to you and your operation when we see each other. You seem to do better investment management with this shoestring operation than a lot of other guys who handle money."

Ross picked up the conversation. "Lucas, I don't have to tell you that computers and the Internet are changing the investment business. Little guys like you suddenly have most of the tools that only the firms on Wall Street used to have.

"But there are limits to your ability to find and explore niches of new business. I can still outgun you, maybe even squash you, if I put my mind to it. I'm not that vindictive, but there are lots of others who are."

I was pinned down in the conversation. Their dual machine guns had me bracketed. Steve opened up this time.

"Lucas, even if you hadn't developed this great skiing spot, I would want you to succeed. Fortunately, Ross feels the same way and we have an idea for you to consider."

"Do I get a coffee break before the ax falls?" A little voice said to knock off the gallows humor.

"Help yourself. We are going to keep talking."

Ross's voice was hypnotic. Soft but sharp. Thoughts that came out in whole phrases, the verbal magic that had sealed billions of dollars in deals.

"Lucas, I'll lay it out in big brush strokes. We can fill in the details as we go. What you need, in our opinion, is the kind of backing that allows you to continue to do outrageous deals, but doesn't risk the whole company with every venture. You are not the solo trader anymore. These women deserve a better future than Lucas the rogue trader can offer."

I forced myself to sit back in the chair and slowly sip coffee. These guys were threatening my whole existence! The little voice said keep listening, they are right about the women.

Finally, I said, "You have in mind some kind of corporate lashup?"

Steve answered. "Yes, but it needs to be something new. Something built on your technology foundation with assured financial backing."

Ross piled on, "We are looking for an arrangement that preserves the spirit you have established here. The willingness to turn over rocks that others have ignored. The smarts to mine data for opportunities others aren't seeing."

"You are going to turn my head talking like that."

They had careful smiles on their faces. I continued, "You know, Ellen has arranged things so that each of the women chases a set of challenges and sets her own boundaries. We don't do anything without a group consensus. How do I explain to them this isn't some sort of takeover? How do I explain to myself that it isn't?"

They looked at each other. "Just what we figured."

After a long silence, Ross said, "We know that from the outside, this looks like two guys with a lot of money and corporate influence squeezing you. But that is not what is intended. Remember, we are the ones threatened down the road by guys like you. It may not show today, but it is the future. If you are willing to work with us, let's find an arrangement that preserves your independence, and the strengths you have today, while building momentum and putting the strengths we bring to the table behind your work."

I stood, "You two are sure giving me a lot of important homework for a holiday morning. I'll take the ball in my court and chew on it. We can talk again tomorrow? You are not scheduled to fly away until Saturday."

As we walked out, I asked, "Did you put your women into talking to Ellen yesterday? Or did they cook that up on their own?"

Steve laughed. "Some of both. A little pillow talk that Louise took and ran with."

"No wonder she travels with you. Two scotches and some of that Louisiana drawl and the target is done for."

I found Ellen making a lunch sandwich at Le Bontemps and gave her my most sour frown. "Some friend you are, selling us out to Wall Street."

She looked really stricken, so I pulled her tight and whispered, "Teasing."

The elbow was sharp. "Damn! You shouldn't do that to me."

"We need to talk."

"Only if you are going to be civil." Her look was not happy.

Chapter 35 - Is There a Deal or Not?

We were in our hiking boots, trudging through several inches of slush toward the edge of town. The sun was behind gathering clouds. New snow would be welcome.

"My take is that they think we are too small to survive."

She answered slowly and quietly. "Maybe. But they are right about the technology angle. They didn't just toss that in for the hell of it."

I was still feeling cross. "So we exchange the devil we know for dealing with eight hundred pound gorillas and a heap of technology that changes every day?"

"I wish Kathleen was with us. She knows how to handle you when you are in a funk."

"Yes. Let's go back and have all of you beat me to a pulp."

"Lucas! Stop that! You sound like a little boy whose bike has been stolen." Her voice wasn't soft.

I stopped. She looked back and stopped herself. I crooked a finger and she approached warily.

"Slap my face and kiss me."

She didn't hold back. The slap was hard and so was the kiss. So were my arms around her.

She held my hand going back. "This isn't the end of your work, even if it looks that way at the moment."

I loved her for trying to make me feel better and wondered if it was true. There were plenty of stories about sad ends to successful entrepreneurs.

"We need to be organized about this, Lucas. Tell them we will hold a big staff meeting next Tuesday after the B&B closes until Christmas and send them a term sheet after that. No promises until something very specific and detailed is on paper with lawyers from both sides agreeing."

Damn. She had a mind like a steel trap. Give her a challenge and the decision tree just popped right out.

"What do we do between now and Tuesday?"

She turned to me. "Fuck!"

I shook as her tongue traced my lips. "All this talk about deals makes me horny."

For a moment, I wished it was still summer and I was chasing the curvy behind up the trail to our meadow, where she could make good on the promise.

"I guess we're not getting naked right here in the snow?"

"That's better. You are coming back from the abyss. All I had to do was promise sex?"

I picked her up and twirled us. The sun came out. Everything was suddenly brighter. Maybe this wasn't THE deal, but we had to move forward. I owed it to the women who had joined up with me. The women who had thrown their futures in with mine, not looking back.

As we approached the B&B, she said, "We need to get everyone together for a short meeting to tell them what is going on. No details. Just you, Lucas, telling them we have been offered an exciting opportunity and are going to look at it carefully, and may or may not take it. Nothing will be decided until everyone has a chance to talk it over."

"Everyone."

"Yes, everyone."

My mind was whirling, but in the meantime, we had a holiday dinner to carry off. Robert had reconciled himself to what he called the barbaric American practice of cooking giant stuffed birds for holidays. The turkey at Le Bontemps was magnificent, carved to order by the smiling chef. All the trimmings were arrayed on the sideboard as plates sank under their weight.

I hummed at Ellen as I poured an excellent California Pinot Noir. "Family hold back?"

"Non!"

At nine pm, there was a large pile of tired bodies on Ellen's and my bed. Claire had gone with Richard to his house for a well deserved rest, and possibly other activities. I would catch up with them tomorrow. I poked a body and it groaned, "Why are we here?"

Ellen teased, "He says he hasn't been getting enough sex. He wants all of us."

"What?!" Everyone was sitting up, staring daggers.

We had made a deal to split the conversation. She lead off. "Ross Cahill and Steve Waldron are big time investment guys and asked Lucas this morning if we were interested in an arrangement where WIL would become linked to a larger financial enterprise."

Six pairs of eyes were looking at us intently. I continued, "It seems our success is attracting attention. You probably know that successful small companies get offered buyout deals all the time. Ellen and I are not interested in a buyout."

That helped. Expressions softened. Bodies relaxed. Ellen went on, "But there are good arguments that an arrangement like the one that Ross and Steve are proposing could preserve our freedom and flexibility and offer interesting new growth opportunities."

C-M asked, "When do we get to the juicy details?"

I pulled her close, "Honey, I love your juicy details just the way they are!"

Timeout to beat on Lucas. Tension oozed out of tense bodies. Ellen explained that I was having another meeting with Ross and Steve the next day, and the step after that was to get important points down on a piece of paper called a term sheet. The WIL staff would work on that next week, and then lawyers would be involved.

The Finnish accent asked, "Do we have to leave? This is warm and comfy and not like snow camping!"

Ellen said eight in the bed was impossible and sent three to keep Josh company next door. There were giggles. "Does he know about this?"

I answered. "A little. We are going to talk tomorrow. I promised he would be part of any deal. Is that ok?"

More giggles. "Very ok."

The senior girls, as I called them, insisted on more talk. C-M said, "Lucas, this is exactly what you deserve. You've been building this cozy business with us here in God's country, and success has roosted right in your new B&B!"

Mely and Kathleen muscled themselves close and tortured, "Is success going to keep you permanently limp?"

My fingers went to work, making them twist and turn. "No demonstrations tonight, ladies. If you like, I'll find my toys in the morning..."

"Oof, you are bad!"

Sleep came quickly and life didn't seem so threatening with the Lucas women by my side.

In the morning, before we had to run off to deal with breakfast for the guests, I was exceedingly hard and Ellen was insisting on payoff for the promise of yesterday afternoon. We were trying to be quiet, but three heads lifted to peer sleepily at us.

"I asked her yesterday what we were going to do until Tuesday and she said, "Fuck!"

They wandered to the bathroom, leaving me to energetic thrusting into a very receptive cunt. Ellen kept her voice down. "Harder. You are such a good for nothing. Except I come every time on that big thing."

The other three stood in the doorway, fingers between their legs. "Save some for us, lover."

Ellen climaxed but hollered, "Don't you dare come. They need you!"

Catherine had me next, sinking down with a French oath. "He is selling us out? Not while I am around!" I kissed and pinched her glorious tits and drove straight up as she froze and had her own orgasm. Amelia grabbed my slimy cock and said, "You are getting Kathleen last, but if I don't come, there will be big trouble!"

She did, of course. Her climax was as reliable as an alarm clock. We wrestled together, dirty words flying, my Italian lover and I. Kathleen nudged her away and slipped me inside. "They are so violent this morning! Perhaps, Lucas, just perhaps, you need to find your way to us more often." Turning over, she got my special thrust reserved for Irish girls. "Aaah, you do make a girl come!"

When I looked up from splashing into Kathleen, there was an audience in the open hallway door. "Yes, Lucas, more often!"

But, quickly, there were slapping noises. "Naughty girls, back in your room!" Then a laughing voice, "Lucas, sorry for the interruption, I will deal with these disgraceful females!"

Ellen poked me, "Lucas, while your new recruit is entertaining his guests, we can get a quick shower before the hot is gone."

There was a surprise at Le Bontemps. Louise, Cheri and Ellen had a corner of the parlor cordoned off, and served Spanish scrambled eggs with chiles, fresh croissant, and local homemade berry preserves. Then sat down next to us and began discussing investment strategy. My eyes widened and I looked at the men. Rolled eyes and smiles. Damned if three smart women didn't have us under control.

I said quietly, "Let me see if I've got this straight. There is going to be a new joint venture. Located here and built on the next generation of the technology WIL already has. The Board of Directors will have equal numbers of men and women..."

Female heads nodded fiercely. Men's faces smiled. Steve said, "You have only yourself to blame, Lucas. When these two found out what was going on in Steamboat, Ross and I were road kill."