A Dish Best Served Cold

This chapter is light on erotica. It became necessary to set up the denouement, which involved some character building, some history, and some planning, but little in the way of sex. If you have been following the story, I hope you will still appreciate this and come back for the climax and planned surprises. Jb7

*

Pete Adams and Rosa Montero were just about to turn into the parking lot at Carruthers Machine Tool when a cherry red Cadillac came tearing out of the drive, nearly sideswiping them. Pete caught the angry visage of Don Pieters glaring at him as the Caddy sped by.

"Holy shit!" he cried. "I wonder what bug chewed its way up his ass. Lee said they were going to increase the pressure on him. Looks like they were successful. I can't wait to hear what they did." He glanced across the seat to his fiancé, to get her reaction.

Rosa was looking out the back window, after the Caddy, shaking her head. "When I talked to Max yesterday, she said it was just going to be a nudge."

"Lee told me a bit ago he planned to screw Max in front of Don. If some guy had the balls to try to do that to you now, I don't think I'd react in any sane manner. There would definitely be the need for an ambulance."

"Just as long as it was for him; there's nothing they can do to me worth you getting injured or worse. Understand?" she asked, taking hold of his arm and reaching up to kiss the side of his neck. He looked at her, with a smile that didn't rise above his lips and nodded.

After parking in the visitor lot, they hurried through the blustery late October winds off Lake Erie into the plant and made their way to the executive suite. Ashley was just coming out of Lee's office and saw them coming in. She turned around to give him a heads up. When Pete and Rosa approached her desk, she smiled and told them, "Max and Lee are waiting for you in Lee's office. Go on in."

"Hey, partner; morning, Max. What's been going on? Don nearly side swiped us on the way in, he was in such a hurry."

"Morning, guys. Would either of you like some coffee?" Rosa raised her hand and nodded. "Max? Pete?" He got nods from both. He hit the on switch on the inter com. "Ash, would you grab a pot of coffee and bring in cups and fixin's for five."

"Five?"

"Yeah, I'd like you to sit in while we talk about this morning with Pete and Rosa."

"Do you really need me, Lee? I was going to go over and work with Virginia, to take advantage of Don's absence. She said he told her he was on his way to Northport, to straighten out some accounts and might be gone the rest of the day."

"That's probably better than you being in here. Go ahead. We'll handle the coffee." Max was already on her feet, headed for the door. Rosa quickly joined her.

Pete waited until they were gone to ask, "Did you really poke her in front of Don?" Lee nodded. "But, she's your sister..."

"Can't help it. I've been in love with her since we were fifteen. Every woman I've been with, in one way or another, has been her, or like her. What can I tell you?"

"Not a fucking thing. Can't blame you; I think if she were my sister, I'd do the same thing. No offense, but I know I would, given the opportunity. All I'd have to do is find some way to placate Rosa."

"You two okay, now?"

"Yeah, damnedest thing. Monday, when we were making up, I told her I couldn't conceive of wanting someone else, 'n' she ran off a list of situations where she could accept it if I had another woman, one of which was swinging. Trading partners with another couple. Like we did Monday morning."

"She did! And did she suggest anyone for you?"

"No, but she wouldn't stop tickling me until I came up with my short list."

Lee saw the door begin to open. "I'd like to hear that, too." He picked up the envelope with the annuity information and tossed it to Pete. "Here's the annuity I told you about."

"Do you know if you guys have a copy of the contract issued to the individual annuitants?"

Max replied as she put down the tray with the coffee, "I'm sure we have one in personnel. I think the law requires it in case any employee wants to examine it."

"Could I get a copy?"

"Sure; I'll call Margo." She picked up the phone, punched in some numbers and spoke briefly to the person who answered. "She said she'd have a copy for you here in a few minutes."

"Lee, now, what the hell happened here this morning to make Doofus go tearing out of here like the Old Nick was biting his ass?" Pete demanded.

"Okay. First, Rosa, what do you know about the situation?" Lee responded.

"Me?" Rosa looked at him over her cup. "I know Don somehow forced Max into a marriage she didn't want; that he was attempting to take over the company; and using it, apparently, to launder money for some mobsters. Is there something else I should know?"

"Are you aware of my relationship to Max?"

"You mean besides being lovers? I gather you're some degree of cousin from what I've heard."

Max spoke up, softly. "I'm carrying his baby..." she paused, "my brother's baby."

Rosa's eyes opened wide in wonder. "Wow. That's ...none of my business."

She turned back to Lee. "Is there a reason you thought I needed to know that?"

"Full disclosure, I guess; to give you the chance to withdraw now, if it bothers you. When this is done, we'll probably be moving back to Cedar, where we would be interacting socially as well as professionally. If that seems like it might bother you, it would be best to know now."

"Like I said, it isn't any of my business. You have a weird sense of humor sometimes, but otherwise," she smiled, "you're okay. And Max, you're the kind of person I always wanted for a big sister. You just have strange taste in men," she added, with a big grin.

Max returned the grin with a hug. "Thank you. As for my taste in men, I can't help it. Would it help to know we're twins?"

"Ohmigod," exclaimed Rosa, rolling her eyes and clutching her breast, obviously over emoting. "You poor child!"

"Okay, Sarah Bernhardt," interrupted Lee. "That's enough." he said sternly, but smiling. "But, thank you, Rosa. Your acceptance of the relationship means a lot, to both of us.

"This morning. I called Don in to inform him that he could no longer share Max's bed, even if she was going to continue, for a bit, to live in his house. He was also told he was losing the secretary he'd had for five years. She was being promoted and transferred. In her place, he was being given Ashley for two days a week.

"I had already cleared it with Ash, that she would agree to have sex with him once a month. There were some constraints put on that relationship which were spelled out to him.

"Just as all that was finished, he got a call from the Northport Trust Bank. When he slammed down the phone, he screamed at Max and stormed out of this office, and the plant."

"You left out the most interesting bits, Lee. If you're going to tell a story, tell the whole story," admonished Max.

He raised his eyebrows, questioning her. "You sure?"

"Wasn't that part of the reason behind your question to Rosa?"

"Ennnnh, yeah, I guess. While I was giving this news to Don," he hesitated.

"He was fucking both Ashley and me, in front of Don." interjected Max. "It was one of the best orgasms I've had in a while."

"He didn't!" gulped Rosa

"You didn't!" laughed Pet e.

"Both of you?" continued Rosa. "Well, that I believe, but in front of...Wow! But why did he take off so fast?"

"Yesterday, while Lee was messing around with my secretary and her daughter, I sort of hacked into Don's home computer, and found his slush fund, the one Ashley suggested he and the bank must have to cover losses when they play the market. It was over $250K.

"I, uh, returned the money he said he stole; it's sitting in a blind account I set up in the Caymans a few months ago, before I went out to talk to Lee. I also used part of it in a donation to the local Community Fund, in his name.

"I all but emptied his personal checking account and added enough from the slush fund to make up a $250K donation. I think that left him about ten thousand." Max spoke in a low soft voice, as if confessing to her parents she had done something shameful.

Lee, Rosa and Pete sat looking at her, dumbfounded. "Holy shit," came from Lee, in a voice no louder than Max's.

The sentiment was quickly echoed by Pete and Rosa, who added, "Way to go, girl!" eliciting a smile from Max, who continued.

"The call from the bank was probably to inform him that someone had raided his accounts. I'm kind of surprised they found it so soon. There hadn't been any traffic in or out of the account in over a month."

"Depending on what investments they've been playing with, the market has been fairly soft, at best, lately," Pete pointed out. "The Dow was down over 500 points yesterday."

Lee broke in, "Max, call Mr. Murphey. Have him file the divorce papers, this afternoon if possible. Then go home and get your stuff together and either come to me or go to Dad's. I don't want you to have anymore to do with Don, not unless there's someone around to help keep him in check."

She nodded. "Want some help?" asked Rosa. Max smiled and nodded again.

In Northport, at the Northport Trust, Pasquale "Patsy" Caruso, manager of Special Customer Accounts (individual accounts in excess of 200K) was trying to figure out what had happened to his good friend's personal bank account.

Someone had hacked into his password protected account and transferred $250,000 directly to the Riverview Community Fund. Ordinarily, such a transfer had to be manually handled, giving him the opportunity to check with the account holder to be sure it was a legitimate transfer, and not being done under duress. Somehow, whoever had done it, had bypassed all their safety protocols. When he had called Pieters at work, his reaction told Patsy it was a surprise to him to find someone had cleared out his account.

He clicked on the account to investigate the recent usage. He saw the transfer of nearly a hundred and fifty thousand dollars into the account immediately before the transfer to the Riverview Community Fund. When he saw the source of the deposit, his face went pale and he felt the acid pour into his stomach. He hit the printer icon and hoped his life insurance was up to date.

Pete was sitting at Max's desk, using her computer to access some employee records regarding their annuity donations. He looked at the data on the screen showing Mrs Bridges' record. He re-read the contract, then clicked on various icons on the screen, to get their definition. Scratching his head, he stood up and went to the connecting door to call Lee.

With Lee looking over his shoulder, he pointed out the anomalies, explaining how Don had been able, more or less legally, to take over a hundred thousand dollars from the 350 employees, two and half dollars a month at a time.

"What he has done, it appears, is created some kind of amalgamation of a deferred immediate annuity. Instead of the employees paying into a single annuity contract which accumulates value over the years, each month, out of their fifty dollar premium, the company, and more about that later, takes five percent in establishment costs, and sets up a whole new paid up annuity.

"The contract specifies that the annuities do not begin to earn interest for a year, until the accumulated value reaches $600, which only can happen if that is the premium amount, the way this is set up. All they'll be getting back is their aggregated premiums, less the set up charges."

"What did you mean 'more about the company'?"

"This contract, these annuities are managed by the Northport Trust Bank, the same..."

"That son of a bitch!" Lee turned away from the computer and began to pace around the office, swearing to himself.

"Do you know any honest insurance reps?" he asked Pete, finally. "Someone we can turn this mess over to, and get a decent product for the employees? You said what they did was basically legal. Is there anything in what he's done that's actionable?"

"Not being a lawyer, I can't say for sure, but I don't think so; in fact, in managing the company to drive down the price of the stock, we're probably more at risk for censure than he is."

"Bullshit! How about the letters to stock holders, with the blatant lie about problems with SEC?"

"Certainly unethical; I don't know about illegal. You could always file a complaint with the SEC or even with the local DA. If there's a crime, they'd schuss it out. Or you could bounce it to your company attorney. That's one of the things you're paying them for."

The inter com on Patsy Caruso's desk buzzed. His secretary was calling to warn him that Don Pieters had just come in, looking like a storm cloud. A minute later, said storm cloud was barreling past the secretary into Patsy's office. Before saying anything, the banker got up and walked to a cabinet across the room. He opened the doors, revealing a wet bar.

"Scotch? Bourbon? Canadien?"

"Jack, if you got it; JB, if you don't. On ice."

The banker poured two drinks and carried one to his distraught visitor. "Any idea who raided your account?"

"That fuckin' cunt I'm married to." He drained his glass and handed it back to the banker, who waved him to the bar, where he poured himself another.

"What are you going to do? You do know she gave a quarter mil to the Community Fund in your name?"

"Wha...how in hell did she...Oh Fuck! No! She couldn't! The slush fu..." The banker was nodding his head. "Oh shit! I'm fucked! Marco will..." he looked at the banker, imploring him with his eyes.

"I haven't notified him yet. If the market recovers this week, even just a little, we may not need to tap it very much. There's about ten grand left. This morning we were down fifty. Do you have any equity in your house?"

"Yeah, what ever you have after three months; what's that, three-eighths of a percent of the mortgage." He tossed off his second shot.

The banker winced. "Ouch. I was thinking the bank might give you a loan, but with no equity... I'd be fired for making an unsecured loan that big."

"Thanks for the thought. Anyway to recover the money?"

"Afraid not. The money was accepted as soon as the circuit was completed."

"Huh?" Don asked, "Oh, the computer hookup. Yeah, I understand." He set his glass down on Patsy's desk. "Well, I gotta go find a bridge to jump off, or something."

"Under the circumstances, I hate to add to your worries, but I have to let you know, there has been a computer at Carruthers accessing the records of the annuity holders we service at your company."

As the banker watched, he could see the blood drain from Don's face. For a few seconds, he thought the troubled man was about to pass out. He watched him stagger to the door, lean on the jamb for several seconds and walk on through it to the bank's lobby.

It was four-thirty when Don staggered back into the Carruthers office suite. From their position nearly directly across from the door, Mrs Bridges and Ashley saw him lurch toward Lee's office and buzzed his intercom to alert him to his impending visitor. Lee stuck his head into Max's office and gave Pete a heads up.

"Where is my cunt of a wife?" Don drunkenly demanded, careening into the office.

"I have no idea," answered Lee, making eye contact with his intruder.

"She's fuckin' ruined me." He lunged toward the chair where he had sat that morning, watching his wife being fucked by the man standing before him. "Ya wanna know what that bitch did? She robbed me; took ev'ry friggin' dollar I had, 'n' even some that didn' b'long t' me.

"This mornin' you (burp) said you wanted her. Fine, you c'n have the fuckin' bitch. I wash my friggin' hands of her.

"Ya oughta know, tho', there are others she's tangled with, stealing my money. They're gonna want theirs back, or they'll wanna take it out in trade, 'n' they don't trade fair."

"What do you mean, Don? Who?"

"Marco, that son of a bitch they call the Angel. Angel, my ass. If he's got a halo, it's cinched tight around his asshole. I (burp) don' like touchin' other men, or bein' touched by 'em, but ya don' see me wipin' my hands affer I shake hands wi' s'm'on'.

"Him'n his two goons; they'll come fer her. I seen 'em in action. I was there when a guy come in, tryin' to welch on a bet. They brought in his wife and tol' him to sit down.

"They handcuffed the poor son of a bitch to the chair. Then Marco walks up to the wife -- nice lookin' black girl, young, about twenty, slim, like Maxie, not as tall. He tells her the guy owes him some money, and he's behind on his payments...

Marci looked at her husband, questioning him with her eyes. Rog looked at the floor, unable to face her. "That's not the problem," Marco went on, "I don't care if he ever pays it, but I do need the interest paid, one way or another. That's where you come in. If he can't pay the interest, then it's up to you."

"Me? I don't have any money to..."

"Then you can work it off. You could come in a couple of times a week..."

"No!" shouted Rog. "Leave her out of it!"

Ignoring the outburst, Marco kept on talking to the girl, his voice soft, non-threatening. "If the interest isn't paid, your man might have an accident, maybe fall, hit his face, and get a black eye." Marci heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh and turned to see Rog slumped in his chair. When he straightened up, the bruise on his face was already starting to form. "Or break a rib..."

"No!" she screamed. "Wha...what would I have to do?" She turned back to face Marco.

He reached up and, with the back of his fingers, lightly caressed her breast, stroking it where he suspected the nipple was located. "Probably nothing you haven't already done. It would depend who was here when you came in. Sometimes the boys need some extra incentive, sometimes they just need someone to play with. Occasionally, I have a guest who needs someone to share his bed..."

She shook her head. "I couldn't do that, not overnight; please..."

Marco reached up and began to unbutton her blouse, looking into her eyes. "No other limits, then," he said. She hesitated, then, sobbing, nodded.

He tugged her blouse out of her waistband and slipped it off her shoulders. Reaching behind her, he pulled her to him and unfastened her bra, then dropped his hands to her ass and explored it over her skirt. In the background, Rog could be heard sobbing and shouting curses at Marco.

Marco found the zipper to her skirt and pulled the tab down to the bottom, then pushed the skirt off her slender hips. Marci stood there in her loose bra and lilac colored bikini panties, the shade a pleasing contrast with her café-au-lait skin. Marco pushed her back, pulling the bra away from her chest.

He stood there a moment, admiring her conical breasts, capped with chocolate kiss colored puffy nipples. He reached out and rubbed his thumb over her left nipple, disappointed when it didn't react. "Take off your panties, girl, and get down on your knees," he ordered, his voice hard, cold.

From where he was standing, young Donnie Pieters saw a look of resolve and resignation settle on the face of the young black woman as she pushed her panties down her thighs. With a pitying look over her shoulder to her man, she knelt before the fat man and reached for his belt.

"...while the rest of us watched, Marco and his two collectors fucked every hole that poor bitch had for nearly three hours without a break; once, all three of them at the same time. My job was to make sure her husband watched it happen.

"I know my cock isn't huge, but compared to Marco, I'm a fuckin' horse. I don't think she knew he was even in her, not even when he fucked her ass. You ever see a hamster fuck? That was Marco. In and out about a dozen times in three or four seconds.