Note: This is a work of FICTION. The persons mentioned in this story are fictitious. The locations are for general reference. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter. The author retains all rights to this story. When you finish reading this story, please "Vote and Comment." It is great to hear from 99.99% of you.
61. New beginnings
Celeste and Philip returned from their honeymoon, one month later, with all over tans that rivaled the Greek gods. Celeste was golden from head to toe; Philip was black as night.
Antonia started in, immediately, as they stepped foot into the terminal. She embraced Celeste and told her how gorgeous he looked. She turned to Philip and said, "Porter, you can pick up the bags and bring them to the curb. We will wait for her husband, here."
Celeste laughed. "15 seconds. That is a record Philip."
"You told me I could not kill her, otherwise she would be dead."
Philip felt a tap on his shoulder, turned, and saw Frank standing behind him. "Isn't Antonia gorgeous, Philip? Having a baby certainly did agree with her."
Phillips throat constricted, as he agreed with Frank, wholeheartedly. Why did Frank have to resemble a granite block? He might be able to get around Celeste's admonition not to kill Antonia; but the thought of what Frank might do to him afterwards, put fear into every molecule in his body.
"How are you doing Frank? Did anything interesting happen, while we were away?"
"Yes, a lot of things happened, but the stories will have to wait, until you get home. They would take too much time to tell them here. Tell us about your honeymoon, and how you turned from Caucasian to Negroid in one month?"
"Are you trying to take over for Antonia, Frank?"
"No one can take over for my wife, Philip. She has received a special dispensation from Bishop Delphini. She is even allowed to beat people up again, if they piss her off."
Philip blanched and said, "Oh God, no. Mankind is in trouble again."
Celeste laughed at her new husband. "Not all of mankind Philip; just you."
Philip looked at Antonia and reminded her that Celeste was supposed to have five children.
Antonia reminded him that he could always be a sperm donor.
Frank separated the two antagonists and asked Celeste if she was hungry?
"Always," she replied.
"The usual," he said.
"I love you with all my heart Frank."
Frank said, "Okay, people, we are on the move. One corned beef and pastrami sandwich, on rye bread, with Russian dressing on the side. Who is coming with us?"
Antonia raised her hand, and Philip said, "I guess I am coming along also."
Celeste pecked him on his cheek and said, "You could always go to the winery, if you would like."
"You would not mind?"
"Philip, you had been in withdrawal for two weeks. Every time you picked up a glass of wine, your eyes glazed over. Go play in your vineyard, and in your winery; tomorrow morning, your flying lessons begin in earnest. I expect you home by midnight."
Philip kissed her, said goodbye to everyone, and ran like hell to the limousine.
Antonia laughed and said, "Boys and their toys; wait until you throw a baby girl into the mix. He is going to be so confused, he is not going to know which way is up."
Celeste replied, "He better, when he is flying."
When they were relaxing at Philip and Celeste's home, Frank told her about Marco Mancuso's murder. He did not tell her about the retribution that followed, just that they had gone to New York for the funeral. They stayed a little longer, so his father could see his old union buddies. His dad and he were taking the head of the union to lunch, when two men drove up behind them, and shot the Union Chief in the back. Neither his father, nor he was injured.
Celeste was horrified by the story, and was angry that they did not tell her about it, when it had happened. She said she might have been able to help in the investigation.
"Celeste, you are our dearest and best friend. You were just married, and on your honeymoon. There was nothing that could be done by anyone. Marco was dead, his murderers were dead. The police are looking for the men that killed pops union leader. Every plumber, in the city, will be looking for them. There is nothing that you could do, that they are not doing already. Why would we bother you, while you were getting such an allover, gorgeous tan? Are there any tan lines?"
"If there are, they are between the cheeks of my ass. I could not lay flat on my belly, because it is getting too big."
On August 3, Sarah Appleby was sitting at her desk, going through the tons of paperwork that her team had compiled, over the years of surveillance of Marco Mancuso. Other members of the team were assigned to Tony Caruso and Albert Di Angiola. A messenger approached her desk and had her sign for a delivery, from the Winners Group.
On the finest paper she had ever held in her hand it read:
From the desk of: Thomas Shackleford
To: Special Agent FBI Sarah Appleby
Re: Criminal Action: Anthony Caruso, Marco Mancuso, And Albert Di Angiola
Agent Appleby, as per your conversation with Mrs. Angelina Mancuso and Mrs. Rose Caruso on May 16 of this year, please appear at our offices at 9A.M., Thursday, to clarify statements that were made in reference to the FBI's investigation into my clients.
Respectfully, Thomas Shackleford, Attorney-at-Law
Sarah said under her breath, "Fuck. No good deed goes unpunished, and this one was mine."
She took the letter into her boss, and he grunted. "Do you want to take a lawyer with you, Sarah?"
"No Ed, I do not think so. Let me see what he wants. I can walk out any time I want, if I feel uncomfortable. I will report back to you when it is over."
Sarah walked into the plush offices, and announced her presence. She was offered a variety of drinks and pastries and asked to sit down, while she was announced to Mister Shackleford, and Mister Hearst.
She thought, "Wonderful, I am going to be double teamed, by two of the best in the business. I think I will leave now, I am getting a headache."
Unfortunately, Tom Shackleford walked into the outer office, and greeted her personally, which shocked her panties off. She never expected this. It had never happened to her in any other attorney's office.
"Sarah, it is a pleasure to meet you. Would you join us in the conference room, Jim and I have a group of items we would like to go over with you. We think you will enjoy them all."
Sarah thought, "What the hell is going on? They are going to grill me about their clients. What could possibly be enjoyable about that?"
If the waiting area was plush, the conference room was opulent. She had never sat in chairs like these. They conformed to your body, and it felt cherished. If it vibrated, she would cum in a second.
James Hearst walked in a moment later, and apologized for keeping her waiting. Things were getting curiouser, and curiouser. Were they softening her up for the kill? She had to get herself prepared for whatever was coming her way.
Tom Shackleford began by apologizing. "Sarah, I am sorry we got you down here on false pretenses. We could not think of another way to do it, without you saying 'No,' before you gave us a chance to lay our clients plans, for you, on the table. Please look at this and make sure our figures are correct, before I continue."
Sarah opened the folder and saw her financial life in front of her. She looked at the attorneys, and then back at the paperwork. She went over it line by line. It was correct to the penny, and she was furious. "How did you get this information, without my approval?"
"Sarah, this is the information age. Most of what you see there can be easily retrieved by going online. As far as your salary, and benefits package at the FBI is concerned, we asked."
"You asked, and they told you what I made per year?"
"Yes, we called your office and asked one of your coworkers what is Appleby's step in grade. He never asked us who we were or why we wanted to know, he just told us your grade and the step. After that it was easy."
"Idiots, I work with idiots."
"You will not be working there much longer, if you listen to us, Sarah."
"I will not leave the Bureau; I will not lose my retirement."
"You said the same thing to Rose Caruso, and Angelina Mancuso. They have taken a very deep interest in you, because of the way you have treated them, when they needed you. Listen to what we have to say and then make your decision."
"Go ahead, but this better be good, otherwise, I am out the door."
"Six women are forming a corporation called, "Growing Up." They want you to be the Ombudsman for their Corporation. You already have two of the requirements: you are female, and you are firearms expert. The third is a little more problematic. You must speak, read, and write four languages: English, Spanish, Italian, and French. They will pay for your training in these areas. You will learn each language in the country of origin. You will be provided an apartment, a food and clothing allowance; as well as your yearly salary, during this time. You have four years to complete this task. When you are finished one language skill, you will be stringently tested. A minimum score of 90% will be required to pass. If you fail, you will be required to retake that course for another year. During this period, you will have no vacation time. When you finish your nine months of training in a language, you will be required to intern for one or more of the executives of the Corporation, for training purposes. Their offices will be in major cities all around the world. You will be afforded an apartment in that city or a suite of rooms in a hotel.
Upon acceptance of the contract, your pay and benefits start immediately. Life and health insurance packages are paid in full, by the corporation. You may select the package that suits your purposes the best. Your basic salary is $280,000 per year, plus incentives. Those will be explained to you, in detail, after you successfully complete your training. You will receive 30 paid vacation days; 30 paid sick days; 10 personal days; and 120 days paid maternity leave.
As to your primary concern, your retirement funds; they will be rolled into a 401(k), and will be funded by the Corporation at twice the amount, currently being funded by the government. You may also add whatever you wish from your own income. The firm's actuaries will guarantee that you receive your retirement pay, at no less than the amount you would have received as full benefits from the Federal Government retirement program as a 20-year retiree, at maximum grade.
There is one clause that you should think about, before signing this contract. There are only two ways for you to dissolve this contract: "Sexual or mental abuse, which must be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, in a court of law; or, by approval by all six members of the board of directors."
I know I have thrown a lot of information your way, and you may need some time to digest it. Take a minute or two and let me know what you think, and any questions you may have at this time."
Sara sat silent, stunned at what she had just heard. There had to be a catch. Something was wrong, and she had to find out what it was before she made a decision.
"Are any of these women criminals?"
"No. They are wealthy women, of high moral character."
