by EgmontOriginals (c)
A late arrival at the gala opening of MagWorld on that Friday evening in October 1979 was Bob Monk who came straight from the airport after attending an advertising conference in New Zealand as a primary speaker.
Later in the evening Lucille hosted the celebratory restaurant dinner that followed the cocktail party at MagWorld.
Bob a standout in a white tuxedo sat beside Lucille at a place reserved for him. Opposite them sat Chrissie McKeon and her stepmother who Bob didn't know and media baron Angus McKeon; the two men were 'old mates' as local vernacular termed it, having had a business relationship for fifteen years and a social relationship through the Media Club and in Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron racing.
"Lucille has a man – Bob Song! Ohmigod pass it on" was more or less that whisper that women spread through the now rather boisterous gathering.
Bob's appearance put an end to any private speculation that Lucille's sexual preference was females although a few and perhaps tighter mouth females had knowledge of a short fling with Digger Morrissey soon after her arrival in Australia.
As Lucille had suspected, Bob was the real McCoy in bed. They spent that night at a hotel and stayed together for five more nights with Lucille only making occasional appearances at MagWorld to escort VIPs through the premises.
She looked exhausted from lack of sleep and accepting Chrissie's advice, Lucille set up a temporary office at the hotel to attend to her work under reduced external pressures.
* * *
A former American now an Australian citizen, Lance Edison, who'd arrived a year earlier in Lucille's expanding team to fill the newly created position of manager of pre-press production had his title changed to general manager of design and pre-print production services. Chrissie who worked on page design without a title was named chief designer and deputy manager of design and pre-print production services.
The other change was the company's senior accountant becoming director of administration.
When announcing those changes, Lucille said the restructuring was necessary because expansion was on the way with several new magazines in the early stages of development.
As
FashionUP
soared in popularity, Lucille she set about to add to her stable of magazines. Launched progressively were
IndoorStyle
,
OutdoorStyle
and
HolidayStyle
magazines.
In addition, Lucille co-launched as quarterly publications
BeachWear
,
MountainWear
and OutbackFashion in partnership with designer/fashion manufacturer Ashleigh Avon and under the banner of that separate company all the design and pre-print production work was carried out on contract at Lucille's growing empire at MagWorld.
* * *
Already astonished at her elevation and more than aware of her failure to entice the creative concepts from Lucille's head, Chrissie had assumed her future with the company would soon be terminated. Instead Lucille's words at a staff meeting when announcing Christie's lift in status to chief designer and assistant general manager of design and pre-print production services delighted the young woman:
"Lance everyone is aware Chrissie is my protégé; please treat her accordingly and prepare her to become your successor for when you choose to retire."
Lance smiled and said of course. Chrissie just sat, mouth open, in a daze.
Later she called her parents with the news and they reacted with astonishment.
"Lucille must be on too many pep pills," said Geneva her stepmother and her father Angus McKeon said, "Either the woman is deranged or she has incredible insight that allows her to visualize the distant outcome of such a decision."
"Dad," bleated his daughter, "I do possess talents and have received bonuses for my performances."
From her hotel hole-up, with Bob feeding her ideas as well as over-subscribing to her sexual capacity, Lucille continued to work on development of her businesses, usually while resting in the bath.
Fit and approaching her thirty-second birthday, Lucille took this high-peak change in her business and domestic life without too much difficulty and her mental exhaustion gradually dissipated.
When Bob went to Melbourne for two days to adjudicate on behalf of the Advertising Association to settle a major dispute between two prominent advertising agencies, Lucille invited Ashleigh Avon to a business lunch. Over splendid tuna salads and sparkling wine, they continued to plan the progressive development of the three magazines they'd produce using the pre-print services of Lucille's MagWorld Design and Pre-print Services Ltd.
That evening Sue, Lance and Chrissie had dinner with Lucille at her hotel where the master plan, still all in Lucille's head, was unveiled.
The three visitors accepted an invitation to join Lucille together with three outsiders Ashleigh Avon and Lucille's lawyer as directors on the board of Graham Inspired s Limited.
Four weeks after the opening of the MagWorld publishing center, Lucille and Bob parted, amicably.
Lucille had become aware she was pregnant and she was unsure whether Bob or the interior building design and fit-out contractor Tony Modotti was the father. She decided not to seek parental paternity testing to eliminate that uncertainty and would raise the yet unborn child as a solo mother.
With that in mind she calmly told Bob at dinner one evening that there was more to life that sex and she found it extraordinary he could simply roll off her and reach for the phone to continue the advertising business of RYJ Worldwide immediately after sending her over the top as if she was a colleague slotted into his business schedule.
She was scarcely surprised when he declared, "Baby that's the way it has to be."
Lucille responded next morning.
"This is the way is has to be, baby. It's time for us to say goodbye sexually but let's remain friends."
"God Lucille," Bob whined. "Let's stay together – you have the fitness and drain me almost to a standstill. I've never had such an accomplished bedfellow. Let's keep this going um please."
Bob then received a gentle chiding about there being more to a relationship than sex.
