A Couple - Part 5 - The Merger Conspiracy Fails
Suzanne and Madelyn arrived within minutes of each other on Monday morning after New Year's. Lisa did the airport pickup and by the time they arrived at the house, all three were smiling. I helped with luggage and inquired about the smiles, given the tension of the last ten days over the acquisition rumors in London,
"Oscar, you are not to worry. Your women have the situation under control, but we have more intelligence gathering to do. Here is one tidbit to share with Natalie. The source of our problem is right here in the Valley."
They were looking doubly secretive and dashed off to see Oliver. I went in with the bags, thinking that the male animal, in the presence of new baby and several females, was relegated to servant duties. A little voice said not to knock the privileges of a male in a female household. For the first time in days, a tremor of old fashioned lust ran through me. Privileges indeed.
Mild weather continued, allowing Natalie and Oliver to spend hours on the deck, absorbing winter sunlight. He had gained half a pound in his first week, which Natalie was told was an excellent sign. The foot was also improving daily, and he was allowed to have the boot off while his mother took a dip with him. The recently acquired waterproof pants had a colorful pattern on them and safeguarded the pool from accidents.
The West End women sat briefly with the new mother, cooing over Oliver, before disappearing to the studio, saying they had much work to do.
I sat next to Natalie, absorbing sun, and inquired why we were being kept in the dark.
"Oscar, they want to do this on their own. Don't you see the instinct to prove they can be successful and fend off unwanted attention? Actually, I think they are plotting a counter-attack we will only hear about after it is launched."
She continued, "Suzanne told me the swim club is starting again tomorrow morning and it would be nice if Oliver was introduced."
"At five in the morning? He will object."
"Don't be foolish. He is awake at all hours, and his eyes are roaming constantly. When they aren't fixated on a nipple, of course." She giggled like a schoolgirl. "You have no idea what a funny business this is, nursing him. Most mothers are used to their husbands chasing their boobs. But nothing prepares you for that tiny mouth draining milk out of your breast. You suddenly realize not only did you grow him inside, but now you are helping him to grow outside!"
She reached for my hand, squeezing tight. I squeezed back, not knowing exactly what husband behavior was needed. She smiled, "I know what you are thinking. Don't worry, just sit there and think good thoughts for your new son and his mom."
That definitely required a kiss and a hug, on my knees. "Oh Oscar, I feel so lucky to have you and your baby too!"
Oliver picked that moment to wake up and gurgle, waving little arms. I lifted him to Natalie's bosom. "He worries me. Aren't all babies supposed to cry?"
"Don't you dare talk like that. He doesn't need any encouragement to cry. Just wait until he is a few weeks older and realizes the world doesn't revolve around his wants!"
Later, the West Enders arrived for a late lunch, still smiling. I looked up at them from working on my email. "I may have to have you over my knee if you are not forthcoming."
They laughed and high fived one another. "Oscar, relax and enjoy your freedom. We will have a job for you shortly. Tell us what your WHO responsibilities are these days?"
"I am on maternity leave, although they don't dare to call it that. But I told my boss I am available if he needs help. I keep up with the important emails from the field."
"Excellent. Now that there are others to care for Natalie and Oliver, you are to be ready for travel at a moment's notice. Keep your passport handy. We will explain more soon."
They looked at me with totally impish faces. Faces that could be part of a high school Halloween prank, except that this gambit involved several hundred million dollars.
I growled, "Don't push too far..."
They stood and smothered me with kisses. "We aren't. By tomorrow night, you will know everything!"
Oliver had finished his lunch, so I took him to my shoulder and walked around the pool, steaming inside about smart women who played for high stakes and almost always won.
"Oliver, you must hurry and grow up so there are two of us to deal with these uppity women."
His response was to make the suspicious noise that signaled an immediate diaper change.
When I returned him to his crib, Natalie's arm was waving in the air, summoning me to her side.
"Oscar, they are allowing me to tell you their plan. At least the current outlines of their plan."
"That's certainly good of you," I replied, stiffly.
"Don't be a pill. This is brilliant. You will like it."
"Wait," I said, "refreshment is needed."
"Yes, I suppose it is. Please bring me a mild one."
I returned to poolside, bringing drinks and my own floppy hat. The sunshade was up on the crib and Oliver looked peaceful and happy. He seemed bigger and longer by the day.
"Why am I an actor in this drama?"
"Hush, I said you will like it."
Over the next ten minutes, Natalie described the results of two weeks of sleuthing in London and Silicon Valley. "You remember, when Lisa's friend Middleton first called, the story seemed so strange? Well, it got stranger. All of the usual suspects in London denied knowledge of any takeover or merger. It took Madelyn two days to discover a link from a disreputable outfit in the City to a not-well-thought-of hedge fund in New York.
"They were at a dead end until Suzanne got back and heard one of the swimmer executives talking about a bizarre rumor that her former boss Geoff was involved with some hedge fund people in New York on a lucrative takeover in London."
"Oh no," I said, "a revenge motive!"
"Yes! The four of them are madder than hell after all the trouble they went to when Suzanne left his company."
"You know the saying, 'Don't get mad, get even.' "
"Those were my exact words. They are down in their office developing a scheme to embarrass the hell out of Geoff and make money for West End at the same time. They may need a big smart male like you to fly to New York and maybe London to make proposals and so on."
"Big, smart male. That's a new one."
"Oscar, don't give me any false humility. You have a reputation all over the world as the guy to call when there is epidemic trouble."
I took her hand to my mouth, kissing the knuckles. "I suppose I could threaten them with a fatal neurodegenerative virus that kills slowly."
The knuckles grazed my cheek. "You can be very scary when you talk like that. Especially when your reputation precedes you."
"I'm in the saving lives business. Shouldn't have said that."
"Thank you. Do you feel better? Back in the loop?"
"Yes. If they are serious, I will need coaching on the lingo. An important title? Engraved business cards? A fancy new suit or two?"
"I should have known. I suppose you will even want to get paid?"
"Of course. A substantial deposit on Oliver's college fund."
That required a hug and hot kiss, which was interrupted by a voice behind us. "Not in public, please. You two are like teenagers."
All four of them were tossing tees and shorts for a swim. Four amazing bodies from workouts and the pool. "Look who is talking. What an embarrassment you are."
I was dragged to the water and forced to do laps with them for twenty minutes. Leaning me against the edge of the pool, they applied kisses and asked, "You are going to help?"
"I'm holding out for stock and a signing bonus!"
I was forced to lie face down on warm concrete and have many hands caressing my back and other, more sensitive parts of my anatomy. "You are trying to buy me off with sex," I mumbled.
Voices brought me up to date with latest developments.
"Suzanne called her friend Sarah Williams, who was at Kleiner, but now is on her own. A champion swimmer at Stanford, and summa cum laude. We invited her for lunch, but she countered with bringing dinner. Wants to meet Oliver."
"Doesn't seem fair. There are six of us, seven if you count Oliver."
"She is the original in-your-face woman, Oscar. I said we would provide refreshments."
I glanced at Natalie, who was dozing, even though Oliver was waving his arms. This was a good sign. She needed alarms not to go off every time he made a move. I scrambled to my feet, grabbed shorts, and walked over to pick him up. Amazingly, he wasn't making sucking sounds, but just looking around. I strolled back to the women and carefully sat down. Eight delicious boobs were taking the sun and he seemed to be gazing at them.
"Sorry Oliver, those are really beautiful, but don't have any milk in them." The women stuck tongues at me, but got a folded up blanket and propped him up against their legs facing out of the sun. This produced gurgles and a facsimile of a smile.
Natalie seated herself next to me with a hug. "Imagine, a boy child with four fabulous nannies, all naked!"
