Andy walked into the main office of Loop-a-Doo Public Relations Consultants Ltd at 5:30 for the meeting where everyone employed there would hear the dreaded news. He fancied he could smell fear in the air.
The CEO Toby Collins announced, "Attention everyone, this is Mr Andy Ash, who is to deliver the bad news as part of JCA's need to restructure in order to survive in this dog-eats-dog world of advertising and the growing disloyalty of clients."
There was silence as Andy walked to the rostrum. "Hi everyone, my job had been to get JCA up and going again. This subsidiary has been particularly had hit because in a severe economic downtown clients tend to quickly put their wallets away when it comes to spending on public relations, promotion and events organizing. In plain words, for some months this section of the business has been eating its head off. My job is to retrench, reorganize and send the business of JCA back on to the road to profitability. The board has given me powers to achieve this and I am forced to be ruthless and let some of you go. Those people who are going earlier today received their letters of a suggested exit plan. I suggest your people leave this meeting now to avoid additional stress. The company regrets the fact that it has come to this and you who have received that bad news have been asked in that letter to carry on to finish work in hand and to immediately make an appointment with my department to discuss your exit."
The grim-faced Toby Collins led out thirteen other people. Some of them were weeping and two shouted, expressing their hurt, but were ignored. For once Andy didn't have a ready smile.
Andy addressed the eighteen remaining people.
"What you have just witness is the dirty end of business but at times it happens. Some of you may decide to leave us but of course that's your choice. I need to tell you that in my analysis JCA needs its public relations and special projects crew more than ever. In better economic times the income stream this subsidiary has been generating was significant and with costs trimmed and downsizing of human resources in the face of current reduce demand for services, PR will remain vital to JCA's client appeal. The partners of JCA are now very much aware of these adjustments and the flow-on effects now they have viewed our new business plan."
"Your operation in this building ceases from this Friday and on Monday you guys will have your own floor in the building JCA occupies, the floor immediately below the first floor of advertising business. Those premises are being renovated as we speak to my specifications because I know how a tightly-knit PR operation works. I approached Kate Gates late yesterday and I'm delighted to announce Mrs Gates has accepted the title and responsibility of director of JCA PR division. Regrettably your section's distinctive name of Loop-A-Doodle Do is buried in this reform. In my view this gives your department wider appeal that stretches far beyond the Loop."
"Salaries and conditions remain the same but each of you will be paid a $300 relocation payment as an apology from JCA in recognition of the upset this reform might have caused; it may have been an anxious time for some of you. I now believe we have one of the best PR teams in all of Illinois and it's up to Kate to massage the talent out of you guys. That's all from me. I now invite questions or comments and expect you to be frank."
"I'm Mary, began one of the newer recruits...."
After almost an hour of questions and comments, Andy was sure the concerns about their ongoing employment had reduced, and in some instances would have evaporated for some of the remaining crew.
With some of the pressure lifting off him, Andy was back on track with his studies, helped by visiting Alicia only twice a week. On Saturday mornings he continued to meet with a peer study group in the city. The seven online students were all studying for the qualification of Doctor of Management Organizational Leadership and periodically an associate professor from the university traveled to Chicago for one or two-day intense lectures and discussion at the university's study center in the Loop.
* * *
Andy loved Karen although not showing the intensity of bonding that Addison did and he couldn't believe how the doting grandmother, Emily, had become so kind to him, no doubt keen not to upset him in any way to risk having Karen removed from her life. Karen was the only one of the three grandchildren that Emily had attended the birth and Addison said that counted a lot but the father said defensively that his daughter was the best looking and cuties of the three babies.
"But you haven't seen my two nieces, only photos."
"That doesn't matter Addison, he replied illogically. "I just know."
At last Addison and Karen arrived at the apartment to live and when the date for that had been arranged, Andy had severed his relationship amicably with Alicia.
Karen didn't appear to mind she was placed in her own bedroom for the first time. The problem was Addison fretting Karen wasn't in the same room with her and she wept and finally Andy growled to shut up and go to sleep.
That little hiccup cured itself within two nights and Addison celebrated by jerking Andy over her tits, unaware that had made Andy bond to her gain. They had light penetration two nights later and within a week were banging away as well as they had in the past.
"God you haven't lost your technique. I guess you found someone to hump while I was out of action?"
Of course he lied and she had the nous to take it no further.
In the following three months, Andy and the three partners met each day at 4:00 in the boardroom and worked for at least two hours examining every aspect of the business. They had a timetable and before they began to review the activity of a particular department of the business, Andy and his assistant Felicity would have spent at least four hours discussing the team and performance with the head of that section.
The partners and Andy would then look closely at the director or manager's summarized views of how his/her section was operating, review the stated strengths and weaknesses and discuss the possible improvements within that department.
Before long it became accepted that the company had hired trained people and then had done little beyond tokenism in on-going education to advance the knowledge and lift the skills of its workforce.
Andy didn't have to say to the partners they hadn't been doing their job because they acknowledged that in their admissions. They agreed that when this comprehensive review was completed, Andy and Felicity must work with each section head to devise a formal training regime.
It also became apparent the partners spend a great deal of time with principal clients and that posed a problem for Andy: if that wasn't done or that time spent with clients was reduced significantly, what effect would that have on the company? How does one place a value on goodwill? He thought that could be part of his research for his degree course dissertation. He intended beginning his dissertation fulltime when his contract with JCA ended.
This increased contract with the partners also increased Andy's contact with Jan the managing partner because there were always follow-ups from their daily joint meeting to pursue. Jan and Andy began having lunch at a nearby café as often as three times a week and although her hard-eyed look didn't soften, it became obvious to them they'd become friends.
Jan invited Andy and Addison to her place for lunch one Saturday and Emily jumped at the chance to come into the city and mind Karen and she did that again when Andy and Addison left the city with Jan and her husband David to spend the weekend at the Thomas's cabin in the country. David was a university associate professor in psychology and he and Andy got along okay although Andy regarded him as a cold fish.
He and Jan misbehaved when David and Addison went to the nearby town to buy provisions that Jan needed. Jan was still in bed and Andy worked away reading material as part of his academic studies. Eventually he went for a pee. Similar assuming Jan was still in bed he pushed opened the door and walked into the only bathroom and found fully nude Jan facing him.
She eyed him and jiggled her breasts and said, "Oh good morning, what do you think of these for an old girl?"
Probably it was to cover his embarrassment but Andy couldn't remember afterwards if he'd answered that question. He could recall he moved in and said, "May I touch?"
Jan simply looked at him and so Andy took that as a yes and jiggled them. She lifted up her face to be kissed and it was all on. She dropped to her knees and, unzipping him, pulled his flaccid dick into her mouth and Marco rose to the occasion.
