Chapter 1
The battered white and dirty Mercedes coupe that would have prompted cardiac arrests if parked in the foyer of the car's-maker's Stuttgart HQ, entered the palm-lined entrance and through exotic gardens surrounding three sides of the international factory and administrative center of Chic Swimwear Inc. of California.
Chic Madison grinned, thinking of the back street sweat-house factory he'd played in as a boy where his dad had tutored the machinists, supervised their work, repaired their machines and helped sort of their domestic disputes with husbands and children and, as well, printed out addresses on a new-fangled computer and later a laser printer and ran administration comprising two semi-retired clerks.
And now this palatial house of business; it was the first time he'd seen it other than on film or in marketing brochures.
Oh, those machinists shared duties, three of them also filling in as his surrogate mom and he often slept over with their kids, giving him the gift of being able to speak flawless Spanish and understand Mexican culture almost as well as general European/American culture.
Initially, his had mom spent much of her life on the road, displaying garments to wholesalers and even modeling them when requested and, probably as Chic surmised later in life, offering her body to secure really large orders.
To his knowledge, she still used that embracing marketing technique as corporation president to win favors for the organization.
Ah, mom. He was looking forward to meeting that stranger.
It wasn't her fault that she had to work so hard and he always saw her Sundays when she was awake or not in the bedroom with his dad with the door locked.
Her half-sister, Aunt Mae from Manhattan, arrived when Chic was sixteen and was amazed to find him consorting with girls from twelve to twenty with such familiarity that she flushed in embarrassment and had to go and lie down with a wet towel over her forehead.
She ignored the fact that he was just as familiar with males of similar ages and the kids' parents, and failed to acknowledge that he was just a super-friendly kid.
When at last she managed to pin down Chic, and he spoke to her in accented English, she seized him by the ear and had said, 'You're coming back home with me to learn how to be an American'.
Smiling at those memories, Chic parked in the grand entrance and the doorman came rushing out pugnaciously and ordered, "Move that dirty wreck buster even if it's a Mercedes."
"Drive it carefully when you park it; I'm Chic Madison."
"Oh God," squawked the doorman dying a thousand deaths. "I'm sorry Mr Madison."
"You'll now always remember who I am, won't you?"
"Yes Sir, Mr Madison."
The doorman rushed up the steps, held the door open and pulled a finger across his throat to the two receptionists who were doing their fingernails. One cleared away and the other sounded a quick blast on the fire alarm system that alerted the entire workforce.
Danny Madison, in his deputy- executive chairman's office, finished the last hand of poker with two executives and then waved them back to their posts. He needed to prepare to meet his long estranged son.
In the executive chairman's office, Elle Madison pushed her blonde PA away, pulled up her panties and did up the side buttons of her wrap-round skirt while Maggie, her PA and consenting adult, sprayed air-freshener and unlocked the doors before disappearing into her office.
Chic had married Aunt Mae and Uncle Silas' adopted daughter Francine when he returned to New York from London with his MBA. He was made president of their chain of jewelry stores where he languished, working hard but bored to his teeth because despite what women might think, dealing in the diamond business is a huge yawn and Francine had such fantastic antennae that he rarely strayed.
However, Francine found someone else early last year. When their divorce came through two weeks ago, Chic was fired from the jewelry company.
He'd called his mom, she invited him home as she was interested to see what he looked like and she changed his mind after he'd said no. She'd added allurement by inviting Chic to become CEO of the company, a position that she and her husband had shared as part of their chairman and deputy-chairman duties. And here he was.
The two young receptionists gaped.
The new boss was not only a rave as a looker but he had a mane of blond hair and although twenty-nine, showed no sign of baldness. But not only that: he was about six-three with a wide chest and was dressed immaculately in a white polo, white suit and white casual shoes.
"Hello girls." he smiled, showing great enamel.
"One of you please take me to my mom."
The youngest was out of the blocks first.
"Hi Mr Madison, I'm Nancy."
In the elevator to the upper floor of the sprawling two-level building, Chic pointed to Nancy's breasts. "Is all that you?"
"Yes Mr Madison," she said, fluttering her extended eyelashes. "Remember, you are in California now."
As soon as Chic saw his mother. he saw why guys would still want to rumble with her. At just forty-seven (married and pregnant at 18), she was gorgeous and obviously had not suffered from some of the surgical mess-ups that leave many rich women victims of abortive or perhaps just inadequate scalpel-cutting.
"This is your mom," said Nancy, aware of the estrangement story, flashing teeth.
The executive-chairman gaped until she recovered and said, "Well, well, the younger women of California are going to love you but don't discount my friends including those older than me, says your flabbergasted mommy."
"I'm here to help drive our swimsuits to even greater heights, there is no time for frivolity," Chic grinned.
"Oh darling," Elle said offering her cheek to be kissed. "Don't call sex a frivolity, it's a cornerstone of life out here; even the devoutly religious are addicted. Is this your sleeping companion?"
"No, it's one of our receptionists, Nancy."
"Oh, hi Nancy. You may go now."
The young receptionist walked off swinging her ass and preparing to launch that cameo she'd just witnessed into the rumor mill that would lay the foundation of Chic's march toward becoming a legend within the company.
"Come Chic and meet your father; he's been worried that he might not remember you. By the way, if you see anyone you'd like to sleep with let me know, and I'll arrange it. But within your first few days they all will be lining up for you. I have had the final say in recruitment and only approve male and females whom I'd be prepared to sleep with. You'll have no idea how accurate that method is in the selection of employees with excellent all-round talent."
"Is this our son?" Danny asked.
"Hell yes, can't you see me all over him; he probably has your feet," his wife simpered.
Chic's dad held out his hand and said, "Call me Danny, son. Rule 1: if you ever want to talk to me confidentially in front of your mom, switch to Spanish. Rule 2: never go into your mom's bedroom without first knocking and then pausing. Rule 3: never go into your mom's office without first knocking and then pausing."
"Mom, are you likely to give me away to any woman who's bent on lowering my focus on life to sex?"
Elle glared at her homecoming son.
"Remember Chic, I allowed you to be taken to New York for a cultured upbringing. So please, none of that snide talk to me, do you understand."
"Yes mother, but in my upbringing post-you, I had to bust my nuts not to allow myself to be converted into a toffee-nosed goon. Don't get your nose out of joint just because I stayed out of sight all those years to allow you to enjoy erotic dates. I thought you would have appreciated me being well out of the way to avoid the disruptive embarrassment of having your son walking in on you."
Elle smiled beautifully.
"Tell me son," said Danny. "Do you know anything about swimwear?"
"Not much, but I've seen a few and taken off a few."
"That doesn't make you an expert," his dad scoffed.
"I know but experts are hired to carry out expert tasks dad. My role is to tighten the running of the corporation, keep it operating effectively, encourage people within it to work as close-knit team players and to push the selected few to really soar."
