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Kate’s Point Of View.
I helped Alicia unpack and parade her new wardrobe, which was great fun for both of us. She glanced constantly at me, flicking tiny expressions of admiration, affection, and friendship. Her mood lifted mine because she was cheerful, vibrant, and ever-forward-looking despite all that happened in her life.
“I’ll pay you back one day, Kate.”
“That’s not what this is, honey. You’re my daughter.”
“I don’t mean in money. I’ll make you proud of me, of us, and what you did for me.”
“Oh god, Alicia, please don’t say that. I’m already proud of you. I can’t cry right now.”
“Are you meeting about business?”
“Yes.”
My heart melted anytime she was near, especially when she and Jacob were together. Seeing him as a father made me realize how lucky I was. Most people wouldn’t associate our relationship with female leadership, although I knew from nuances that it was.
Jacob deferred to me on significant decisions, sought my counsel frequently, and made me the center of his world. I did the same, and although our sex life had certain, very enjoyable kinks, he was my equal in every way, balancing our strengths and weaknesses as though we were two engines driving one ship.
I didn’t care much about how messy the living room looked because my apartment was our family home.
“Jesus Christ, what are you doing here?”
“Are you glad to see me?”
“Well, of course. I’m surprised, though.”
When Jacob and another man shouted from the elevator lobby, I had my back to them. Something shocking had happened, but I didn’t want Alicia to be upset. I smiled calmly, nodded to the bags, and we continued unpacking.
When I turned around and saw two men walk into our living room with Jacob, I was shocked and knew why my fiancee was upset.
“Simon? Umm… this is unexpected.”
“Hi, Kate. Sorry to barge in.”
“Family is always welcome.”
“Can we talk, please?”
“Yes, but the gentleman beside you is Gunther, and he’s here for a business meeting. Do you mind if Jacob and I take that before catching up?”
“Of course. I’ll wait downstairs.”
“Let me introduce you to our daughter, Alicia. She’ll babysit.”
Alicia giggled, thinking her sitting for an adult was hilarious. Introductions were simple and by first name only because Jacob and I hadn’t discussed a parenting style for our daughter, never mind including grandparents. My mother had adapted well to befriending our daughter. I hoped Simon would as well, at least for now.
I left Jacob’s father with a girl who might become his granddaughter if he was lucky and went to join Gunther. My ears pricked up, listening to the start of Alicia’s conversation.
“Are you Jacob’s Dad?”
“I am.”
“That’s nice. Your son is my Dad.”
“I know. It seems he’s been very fortunate recently.”
“I’m lucky, too.”
When I took his hand, Jacob was emotional, and his fingers trembled. Gunther wouldn’t detect what I could, so the problem was under wraps for now. Simon’s arrival was completely unexpected and could only mean an unpleasant situation had hatched. My mind ran into overdrive while steering my fiancee back onto the task and meeting at hand.
“Hello, Gunther, sorry… we have an unexpected guest.”
“No problem. We can reschedule if you’d prefer.”
“I’m afraid we can’t. Today is our last in the city. Our home beckons.”
I invited Gunther to sit around our kitchen island. He opened a small tablet and double-tapped the screen, backlighting his briefing notes. I helped Jacob prepare coffee and squeeze fresh orange juice for Alicia while keeping an eye on our new guest.
“Jacob is my business partner and fiancee, Gunther.”
“I know. Forgive me, but I had a public domain search done on all family members involved with GD. I wanted to understand the dynamic surrounding ownership.”
“You’ve prepared well.”
I needed more, especially about Jacob. If Gunther failed that test, perhaps thinking the love of my life was an accessory, he’d be out on his ass. My raised eyebrows prompted the prospective CEO.
“I assume Jacob is a maverick.”
“What does that mean in Germany because Jacob doesn’t fly fighter jets?”
“A maverick is someone who pursues disruptive policies. I hear Jacob found some problems in the research process at GD and solved big problems there. I am an admirer, more so because he is also a war hero.”
Thank fuck you passed that test.
“How did you hear about what my fiancee did at GD?”
“Industry chatter, Kate. The big defense and security exhibitions are like soap operas full of gossip mongers and trade whores who will sell anything for a dime or return of the favor. Your fiancee has an impressive reputation.”
“Is that a problem for you?”
“None at all. I prefer Jacob let me know of any problems at the same time as he’s telling you. I want to work in tandem.”
“There will be no gap between us, Gunther.”
He seemed convinced and nodded repeatedly, processing our discussion, examining Jacob, then me for any body language ticks suggesting deceit. It was early days; he would take on huge responsibilities, and an impressive career was on the line if Gunther failed.
“I haven’t visited the GD offices yet, but I’d prefer doing that without either of you there.”
“Would you mind explaining why?”
“I want to enter the company with the same panache as you did rather than appear to be your lap dog. As long as you empower me, I’ll locate offices close to yours and bring my staff.”
“You are empowered. Hannah will meet you at 9 a.m. tomorrow at the GD security front desk, issue credentials, and you’ll have full executive responsibility as CEO.”
“Perfect and effective as I expected. Thank you.”
He was calm as Lake Placid, revealing nothing by his expression. There was no tension in Gunther’s voice, nor did it feel like he had an agenda. He spun his tablet and slid the briefing notes across to me. I scanned questions and conclusions, seeing pretty much what I’d expected.
Something bothered him, but I would let it play out until he sent it my way.
“Sign-off powers are with Hannah. Sign the original and send it by courier to my lawyer. He will confirm back to you once I countersign.”
“Excellent.”
“The management team is briefed on your appointment.”
“Thank you.”
“Is there anything else, Gunther?”
“Kate, the biggest issue will be executing my role around your presence. I hear you are building an office complex near Granger Hall. It’s on my list, but you ignored it.”
“I’m focusing on Government-level relationships, meeting senior politicians in all markets, and developing strategic relationships at home and abroad.”
“Will the new office become a headquarters that usurps GD main campus?”
“Running GD, winning new business, delivering on contracts, that’s all you and will happen at GD campus.”
“Okay. I’ll need a strategic plan signed off.”
“That plan, plus your budget, should be on my desk in sixty days. I’ll sign off within another twenty-five, and you can implement when your one-hundred-day in-office term is reached.”
“Okay, Kate. My only other question is, who does Hannah work for?”
“You for now. She will have a direct line to me. I won’t get involved in managing Hannah, but our friendship and my recruitment of her mean I can’t entirely walk away. She’s professional and the best person to disrupt the sector in GD’s favor.”
“Is there a chance she might leave the company either completely or to report directly to you?”
“I’ll make investments in other markets using private means. GD won’t be involved in any of those. That’s another reason why I’m building new offices. If there is a role for Hannah, she’ll be offered it and may choose to leave.”
“Can you give me six months’ notice of that happening?”
“Of course.”
“And your Mother?”
“Catherine won’t get involved at GD, but when you visit one of our properties for a meeting or social event, expect a grilling. It was her husband’s empire, after all.”
He nodded, shook his head a few times, pursed his lips, and contemplated our meeting, glancing at the tablet notes to ensure all points were covered. In the end, Gunther stood up and offered me his hand, wearing a generous smile.
“Okay… I’m done, Kate, and very happy. Can we wrap things up, please? I’ll be in the office tomorrow and will report to you daily by video call.”
“Thank you, Gunther.”
I glanced at my watch as the new CEO of GD strode to the elevator, shaking our hands and waving to Alicia and Simon.
“That meeting lasted fifteen minutes, Jacob.”
“He’s effective, that’s for sure.”
“Exactly what we need.”
“Yeah, but Kate. You are the company President and always will be. He works for you.”
We both glanced at Simon and Alicia, then eyeballed each other. I wouldn’t interfere in Jacob’s family business, but there was a big problem brewing, and I felt the anticipation of that anxiety building in my fiancee’s demeanor.
“This is about Carrie and my Mother.”
“Definitely. Are you ready to deal with it?”
“Fuck no.”
“What will you do, Jacob?”
“Let’s hear what my Dad has to say.”
“Should Alicia listen in?”
“If we ask her to leave the room while we talk to family, she’ll never feel part of it, Kate.”
“I agree.”
I prepared refreshments while Jacob hugged his Dad. I knew they got on well, but Simon’s sudden arrival so soon on the back of severe family acrimony must have knocked my fiancee sideways.
Alicia seemed fine, immediately showing Jacob her hiking boots, fully laced and a perfect fit. She was cute, reeling him in, but her heart was pure, and I felt a spark of lifelong friendship between them was more advanced than it was for her and me.
I hoped Alicia would love both of us and knew the challenge was mine to meet. When I joined the family group, Simon seemed distressed.
“After the argument, I left Helen in the U.K. and jumped on the first flight I could.”
“You’re talking about Carrie’s sexuality, Dad?”
“Yes.”
“And what’s your take on that?”
“I’ve left your mother.”
“Ahh, okay. Left, as in gone forever and dumped her?”
“Maybe. I’m not losing another child to Helen’s bigotry, Jacob.”
“I understand, but it seems sad that my parents are splitting up.”
“I think we are, son.”
Jacob was upset but hid it well. Dealing with a quarrel between a mother and daughter was one thing; his parents splitting up because of that was quite another.
“Dad, it’s probably best if I speak to Carrie first and let her know you’ve arrived and want to talk.”
“I don’t mind, son. Like I say, I want your sister to know I’m here for her, and don’t share your mother’s opinion on this matter.”
“Carrie is sleeping with a much older woman.”
“In the simplest terms possible, I want my daughter to know I fully support her. I want to know that she is well.”
“She is very well, Dad, and happy, too.”
“Okay. I’ll arrange a hotel room and wait until she agrees to see me. How about that?”
Over time, I learned more about Jacob’s family. We’d had a few video calls with the U.K., which all seemed cordial. I’d never guess divorce might be on the cards.
Jacob had revealed Simon was much the better and more loving parent than Helen, so far as he was concerned. I was being selfish by thinking about our wedding day, wanting to avoid family hysterics. While I would never suggest my fiancee’s mother didn’t come, I prayed she wouldn’t.
“Your mother plans to turn up at the wedding.”
“Oh.”
Oh fuck!
“You don’t have to invite her, Son.”
“I can’t turn my mother away, Dad. I’ll have to talk with her.”
“She’s a bitch.”
“She’s still my mum.”
“What about Sarah?”
“Mum has to live with my sister’s death, and she won’t get a second chance at messing with Carrie’s head, but I’ll not walk away.”
“She’s counting on you being soft about the wedding.”
“Dad, let’s focus on you and Carrie. If you are leaving Mum, she’s not your concern. I’ll think it through, talk to Kate, and figure this out.”
I felt proud of Jacob and how he’d dealt with his Dad, although my fears about our wedding day sparked anxiety. I glanced at Alicia, who seemed absorbed by her new phone but knew she’d heard and processed every word.
“Simon, why don’t you stay in our apartment until this situation is resolved? Our wedding day is a few weeks away.”
“Are you sure?”
“We’re family. In a few weeks, you’ll be my father-in-law. I’d rather you didn’t live in a hotel while we have a nice apartment right here.”
“I left my luggage at your concierge.”
“We’ll have it delivered before leaving.”
While Jacob spoke privately with his father, Alicia and I packed all her new things. I collected a few items from our bedroom, packing them in a suitcase. I checked the dungeon door was secure, paranoia creeping in because what had been my single-girl apartment for years now had strangers living there for the first time.
I felt shaken and happy to get in Jacob’s car, quickly putting the city in our rearview mirror. It was late and dark when we arrived home at A Walk In The Clouds, but my spirits lifted, eventually ascending to my usual happy disposition.
Alicia slept most of the way home and continued on our bed when I lay her there while Jacob brought the final few pieces of luggage. I’d bumped into Hannah’s friend Izzy on the way through our front door. She’d been lingering outside, wondering whether to come inside.
“She made me laugh, Jacob.”
“Izzy is delightful. I like her straightforward and polite manner. She fell on her ass and laughed about it.”
“According to Hannah, she takes no prisoners if someone pushes her buttons.”
“She’ll be a great addition to our extended family, Kate.”
“I like her too.”
I sat on, then rolled gently on our bed, cuddling close to Alicia. Jacob slid beside her on the other side, entwining his fingers with mine, wrapping around her. We smiled at each other, and I guessed he felt the same way I did, that our daughter was a treasured gift.
“I enjoyed shopping today more than usual, Jacob.”
“I wished Dad called first.”
“He’s upset.”
“I think this whole divorce thing makes matters worse for Carrie.”
“Maybe Simon is escaping your Mom.”
“I have no doubt. She’s a difficult woman and wasn’t nice to my Dad.”
“What will you do?”
“It’s up to Carrie. I don’t want to influence, but I promise whatever happens, there will be no unpleasantness at our wedding.”
“On that subject, how are we organizing everything? You’ve said little and had lots of clandestine phone conversations. Is it fair to keep so many secrets from me?”
“Leave the location details to me, please, Kate. You deal with everything else and pray for the sun to look kindly upon us.”
Alicia stirred in our arms, stared at me, smiled, and then looked behind for Jacob. She found both of our hands and squeezed tightly.
“I’m going to bed now.”
“You can stay here, honey.”
“I can’t stay here, Kate.”
“Why not?”
“Just in case you scream and wake me up like yesterday.”
She kissed us both on the cheek and crawled out of bed, yawning and stretching, before walking from our bedroom and closing the door behind her. I stared at Jacob, utterly horrified, while he laughed.
“Do you think she knows what we did, Jacob?”
“Of course she knows, sweetheart. Alicia is just breaking the ice to avoid embarrassment.”
After unpacking and laboriously storing everything, we showered together, kissing and caressing without making love. I was aroused but saw Jacob had retreated into a dark place. I soaped his gorgeous body, massaging tension and muscle knots from his shoulders, back, and chest.
We snuggled close in bed, enjoying a moment to relax and drift into sleep. When I heard Jacob choking and crying in the early morning, it wasn’t unexpected, and I pulled him close, bearhugging, activating a spike of oxytocin to help calm his PTSD.
I cradled Jacob as he screamed fitfully until he rose to full consciousness. When he saw me through squinting, sleep-filled eyes, the panic he’d dragged as baggage from his nightmare dissolved, and he glanced around the room with a furrowed brow and questioning expression until he recognized our bedroom.
“It’s a bad dream, darling. Nothing more than that.”
“It’s fucking terrible, Kate.”
“Was it Natalia?”
“No. It was Sarah, and she was lying in the morgue.”
I couldn’t imagine the awful reality of an unexpected, tragic death under avoidable circumstances. I had no words of wisdom to rid Jacob of a heart-throbbing, soul-destroying pain other than to comfort his symptoms.
“How do you feel?”
“I felt you hugging me while humming a tune last night and whispering something comforting. I settled because you were close by. Your heartbeat echoed in my head, and I felt warm. That calmed me down, but it was vague and scary as fuck.”
“You were upset by Dad’s arrival.”
“He knocked me off balance, especially about the divorce ordeal. I can manage most things, Kate, but not family trauma. This situation with my Mom escalates weekly, and I have bad feelings.”
“You’ve dealt with Carrie’s situation with your parents extremely well so far.”
“Will you help me get through this?”
“You never need to ask. Tell me how to help, and I’ll do anything you want, Jacob.”
“Thank you.”
There was little else I could do except hold Jacob tightly until he relaxed and slept again. I spooned him into me, which was no mean feat, given his considerable height and muscle mass.
He whimpered again, shaking like a leaf in a whirlwind, and I cried quietly, feeling such immense love for a man who was a reliable lighthouse for everyone whose lives he touched.
In the morning, Jacob woke after me, and it was as though nothing had happened through the night. I kissed him gently by way of a good morning greeting, but passion took hold quickly, and love’s fire burned in his eyes.
Jacob kissed around my neck, licking across my increasingly larger and firmer breasts, suckling, almost chewing on each solid nipple. He slid lower, planting soft kisses down my stomach until he pressed both palms inside my thighs, prising my legs wide, slipping aside the thong I wore with a thumb.
Before his tongue splashed down on my increasingly swollen pussy, I leaped out of bed and ran to the shower, stripping off, giggling wildly. Jacob knew my insistence on good hygiene, so he chased me, waited until I soaped myself, and descended to his knees.
I placed a leg lazily over his shoulder and helped the cause, using my forefinger and thumb to splay my pussy lips wide apart.
“Why are you so desperate to lick my pussy, darling?”
“Making you happy makes me feel better about myself, Kate.”
“You always make me happy.”
“What about right now?”
“I’ll admit that you going down on me is a favorite pastime.”
I shuddered and arched backward, slamming both palms against a glass partition wall as Jacob clenched my clitoris between his lips, squeezing my nerve cluster until I screamed ecstatically.
Jacob sucked hard, almost like he needed something from me while clawing my ass cheeks wide. I wouldn’t last long because my fiancee’s emotional availability was the most incredible arousal.
He spread my swollen labia wide using both hands while I thrust my pussy forward for his excellent tongue. He flicked my clitoris with a flattened tongue, dragging the solid, creamy pearl in a circle before making me explode when he changed, pressing from side to side.
I gripped his head, leaning in to get more tongue and lips. When my orgasm hit warp factor ten, I was lost in a pleasure and love bubble created by my fiancee.
He increased and decreased pressure on my clitoris, extending an intense, fiery orgasm until I could take no more and begged for his mercy.
When I sunk to my knees, I saw relief in his eyes and the expression of love always painted there.
“I needed to do that, Kate.”
“I know, honey.”
“It feels spiritual.”
“For me as well, Jacob.”
Next Chapter:
Just in case you scream and wake me up like you did yesterday. 🤣 That little shit! lol Love her!!!!
What a gem Alicia is. Your stories are filled with colourful characters Kate. I like the aspect of family conflict, having experienced something similar most of my life. It has had a lasting effect on me and my relationships to this day. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to resolve them the way your characters have and I guess some people will only speak to each other at my funeral. At least I hope they do.