The Chadron Widget Company

I'll succinctly provide the background facts necessary to understand my story:

I was an Academic All American defensive end at a college football powerhouse that also had good academics. I graduated in three and a half years with a degree in business administration, salutatorian of my business school class.

I am too influenced by a female's looks – something that I've unsuccessfully tried to correct but can't – and not enough by character and personality. That caused me to marry Melissa, every man's idea of a perfect 10 in the looks department but more like a 2 or a 3 in the character department.

I was highly successful in my first job out of business school, and got an MBA in summers and at night, and in my second job was even more successful. I became a specialist in turning around small failing companies. My second job required me to travel often, which at first Melissa bitched about but then suddenly became happy with. Of course the reason that she became happy with it was because she started fucking two other guys, a young one for fun, and an old one with the idea of replacing me because even though with my business acumen at some time I was likely to become rich, he already was.

I believe in self-help. You don't start as a defensive end for a top ten Division I football program unless you're big and tough – with a mean streak. I beat the shit out of the young guy that Melissa was fucking for fun, and – not the most mature thing ever – destroyed the Silver Cloud of the rich guy she was seeking to replace me with since he was frail enough that if I hit him with one punch it would have killed him.

It turns out that I was wise to be living in the state where I had played for the football-crazed flagship university. The judge for my assault and vandalism charges was the mother of one of my teammates during college, and the assistant D. A. handling the case was a friend of mine from college who Melissa had never met. Fortunately neither recused themselves so I got a three year suspended sentence and was ordered to pay restitution for the destroyed Silver Cloud and the asshole's medical bills.

My situation wasn't entirely bad, however. In order to try and pressure me into a quick divorce and unfavorable settlement Melissa and her new beau publically defamed me in a manner that my shark attorney could prove.

By the time that I was twenty nine I had a divorce, no alimony, still two and a half years on my suspended sentence, $850,000 in the bank from my share of the divorce assets and the defamation suit (my attorneys took the rest), and an employer who was skittish about my future employment.

It was only because I had been so successful in the past that I wasn't fired; however, I was demoted to handling only stinkers and my reputation in the company was stained. I was thinking about quitting even though trying to find a job with another employer would be problematic in view of my felony conviction, when the V. P. of MegaBucks, Inc. that I worked for, John Braxton, came to me with a proposal.

"Rob – I know that you don't like the work you're doing now and probably would have said sayōnara several months ago if you thought that you could get another decent job. However, something has come up that is your potential ticket out of corporate purgatory," Braxton said with his feet up on his desk in his ostentatious corner office.

"I'm all ears, John," I chuckled.

"We just bought a failing business in Chadron, Nebraska. If you can turn it around you'll be back on track to become a V P. Before your problems I had you in my sights as my successor as soon as I become president – in about three years," the last phrase said with a chuckle.

"Where the hell is Chadron, Nebraska?" I inquired, never having been in the state in my life, and never having heard the word "Chadron" before.

"It's in the Great Plains region of Nebraska. It's the county seat of Dawes County, and the location of Chadron State College and next to the Nebraska National Forest. It's actually a very picturesque town of about 5,500 people – but it's economy is not great since Chadron Widget Company is the biggest employer and is going under," he spouted, sounding like a travel log and business man at the same time. "You'll have to move there – within a month if not sooner."

I was quiet and pensive for quite a while – staring out the window of the 33rd floor of the high rise building in the large city that I now worked in. I had never lived in a small town, never even thought about going to Nebraska, and didn't know what products Chadron Widget Company made. I also was looking for a new start having dumped – or been dumped by – that cheating slut Melissa, so I thought "Why the fuck not?"

"You can have a week to think it over, but no more," Braxton announced, breaking the silence.

"I don't need a week. My apartment rental is month-to-month and I want to get as far away from that cheating slut and her asshole old fart fiancé as soon as possible. Where can I find all of the financials about Chadron Widget?" I replied.

Braxton smiled, lifted a memory stick off of his desk, handed it to me, and said "Let me know when you're ready to move – we'll arrange temporary housing for you."

**************

In actuality, Braxton was doing me no favors. Chardon Widget – based upon the financials – had a 90% chance of failing within the next year. Losing 409 full time and 12 part time jobs in a town of 5,500 was going to be a big blow to the its economy. MegaBucks, Inc. had probably bought it because it had some intellectual property that it might be able to use elsewhere, and if cannibalized would allow it to make a small profit. I'm not sure that MegaBucks really wanted Chadron Widget to succeed, but I extracted from Braxton – in writing – a promise that Chadron Widget would not be cannibalized for at least fourteen months, and that if it met certain projections within eighteen months, then twenty eight months, that it would remain viable. Also, I extracted the potential for large bonus payments for myself if I met my optimistic projections.

I had a little culture shock when I got to Chadron. While it actually was a beautiful little town, it was just that – a little town not a bustling metropolitan area like I had lived in my entire life. The people were friendly if unsophisticated. I seemed to be immediately accepted probably not because I was a businessman but because I was a marginally famous large ex-football player in a football crazy state.

The plant was just outside of town. It was a little run down, but nothing that couldn't be easily remedied if some money was put into it. Unfortunately the last three managers had been either stupid, crooked, or both, and the morale was low. Also there seemed to be a hierarchy that wasn't based upon seniority or job worth or performance that was hard to figure out.

My personality is straight forward. I've always been a what-you-see is what-you-get guy. I don't lie, sugar coat things, or beat around the bush. At a Saturday morning meeting the second week that I was manager of 420 employees (only one was excused, and the rest were told show up or don't come back) at the College's auditorium (available only because it was summer and there were few summer school students), the only place in town big enough to accommodate that number of people for a power point presentation, I was brutally honest, yet optimistic.

After introducing myself, including giving my background (and not omitting my assault conviction "Which is why I got sent here,") I got right to the point. "The last three managers were morons. I'm not. The last three managers had no imagination. I do. The statistics say that there's a 90% chance of going under in the next year, although I've been given a guarantee of fourteen months no matter what before the company will be closed. Here's how we're not only going to make it, but succeed."

Every eye in the place was wide – they got even wider when I started my power point presentation.

The most significant point in the presentation was key – it would make or break the presentation, and maybe even the company.

"Every employee is going to take a 7% pay cut. In exchange for that pay cut you'll get a profit sharing certificate. If the company is profitable after eighteen months you'll get either a partial or the full value of your pay cut back in cash. If the company continues to be profitable after twenty eight months you'll get a profit-participation bonus commensurate with the percentage that your salary is of total payroll, excluding my salary."

I then went through my plans to turn the company around, some broad strokes, some details; this included a complete re-arrangement of the job titles and "chain of command," and incentives for advancement.

Near the end of the presentation I called the two graduate engineers who worked for the company up to the stage; their names are Bertil (my age) and Mitch (45 years old). "Bertil and Mitch are going to be important in turning this company around. They are the only two who won't have their salary cut yet they'll still get profit participation – in fact at twice the level of anyone else. They're going to have to earn it by implementing some of my new ideas and working their assess off. I announce this here and now because I don't want any gossip or jealousy relating to it."

I concluded the presentation with "Any questions?"

I calmly answered questions, some softball, some nasty, for an hour. Once everyone had their curiosity satisfied I said "OK – you have one week to either sign a contract for a 7% pay cut and profit participation certificate, or quit. If you quit you'll get two weeks' severance, and a good recommendation, nothing more. A luncheon buffet is in the cafeteria."

The luncheon was interesting. I made a point of going up to everyone there – only about ten people had left after the presentation – and getting their name and previous job title. I had already memorized all the names and titles, but putting a face to each was important to me. I admit to "crushing" the male employee's hands, although not enough for any real hurt, and gently and for a long period of time shaking the hands of the females. People respect you if they like or fear you – I wanted both, but if I could have only one, fear was better.

Only two people quit rather than sign contracts. I had already identified one of them as someone who I would likely fire in the next couple of months anyway so he was no loss. The other guy was competent, but I had a younger guy that could take his place who was smarter, so that wouldn't hurt either. I didn't hire replacements but rather their workload was absorbed by others after my reorganization.

*************

There were lots of bumps and problems as we chugged along for the first six months after I took over. I made a point of having an open door policy, and if someone had a legitimate gripe I'd help them out. If they didn't, I'd tell them so and why. Bertil and Mitch – in addition to their in-plant duties – refined an idea I had for a new product, and we added it to the product line and it immediately became profitable, although not company-saving.

When I ironed out the practical kinks after the first six months I went to the next phase of my plan to turn things around. I was certain that a company from China was infringing on one of the three patents Chadron Widget held. I got MegaBucks involved, met with a private litigator, and after working out an arrangement where MegaBucks would get 60% of any recovery and Chadron Widget 40%, talked MegaBucks into financing a suit against the Chinese company in an International Trade Commission proceeding.

The ITC proceeding turned out to be very successful – the Chinese settled at an early stage – and with everything running more smoothly than it ever had by fourteen months the company was no longer losing money, and by eighteen months had made enough money to pay all of the employees about ¾ of what their pay cut had been. That – combined with sales projections for the future – resulted in lots of smiles and excellent morale around Chadron Widget.

That gets to the reason that this story is on literotica in the Loving Wives section.

***************

Despite the business success I was having at Chadron, and how that was improving my position at corporate, there was a major personal problem. No acceptable pussy.

The women in Chadron apparently married early – at least the good looking ones did. I swear that there wasn't one unmarried female – except perhaps some college students, who were far too young for me – that met my criteria for female companionship. I had not purged myself of looks being my preeminent criteria, and had resigned myself to the fact that I never would. There was one married employee, and four wives of male employees, who were hot; almost as hot as Melissa, some with body attributes even more desirable than Melissa's, but that's it.

The hot employee (Jen) looked for all practical purposes just like Ashley Graham – perhaps the most famous plus size model on the planet.

One of the hot wives (Beth who everyone called "Pixie") was about the cutest pixie blond you could possibly imagine. She is two years younger than I am.

Another of the hot wives (Sue) could be Meghan Markle's (Prince Harry's girlfriend and a star on the TV show Suits) sister, but with a chest that men would write poetry about. She is two years older than I am.

The other two hot wives were identical twin sisters (Jill and Gail) who didn't look like anyone famous, but had long lean bodies with perky medium sized tits and round asses that would put almost any Las Vegas show girl to shame. They are a year younger than I am.

In view of my experience with Melissa's cheating there was no way that I was going after any married pussy. Even if my character didn't prevent me from seeking married pussy, my brain did. Chadron is a small town where most people knew everyone's business; the morale of the plant could have been devastated and all of my hard work for naught if I went after an employee's wife, and of course a relationship with a married employee was an invitation for a sexual harassment suit.

My love life was so sad that the only (and rare) pussy that I got was from pickups and call girls when I travelled to Denver (300 miles southwest) or Minneapolis (630 miles northeast), which was practical only because I got a pilot's license on my lonely weekends and talked MegaBucks into buying me a small plane for both personal and business use. I had a few pickups during Caribbean vacations, but there clearly was insufficient pussy and I had a high libido so I was really suffering.

I did have many get-togethers with employees and their families – without minimizing the respect factor – especially the "fear" one – and did really enjoy flirting with Jen, Pixie, Sue, Gail and Jill. They all also seemed to have a cautious attraction to me. However, to make sure that no one was uncomfortable about it I actually met with all of their husbands to make it clear that I was not after their wives. Typical was my meeting with Gail's husband, Bill, who was the daytime production manager at the plant, after one weekend where I danced with Gail at least a dozen times at a County Fair-type event.

After discussing some production issues, and complimenting him on the good job that he was doing, I got to the point. "Bill, there's one personal matter I want to discuss with you. As you know I love interacting with your beautiful and charming wife, like I did this weekend. However, I want to assure you – with every fiber of my being – that I will never cross the line with her, or any other married woman in town. My memories from my wife cheating on me, and from putting her paramour in the hospital for three days, are too painful for me ever to do anything to affect anyone else's marriage. I want to be as clear to you about that as possible. I hope that you understand."

The Brits have a word for his reaction; "gobsmacked."

After a pregnant pause Bill, who is six years older than Gail, smiled, shook my hand, and said "I really appreciate you telling me that, Rob. I can't say that I was upset or had any worries, but I can't say that I didn't notice it either. You're the man I thought you were. Do you mind if I tell Gail?"

"Please do – I wish that you would – now start making some money for her," I replied, the last phrase with a chuckle as I squeezed and released his hand.

There was one further problem – even though I had the same talk with Jen's husband – obviously not at the plant – Jen started smiling at me even more than before the talk, and went out of her way to be "nice" to me. Since I was very sexually attracted to her – even when she was in her work clothes, let alone after she "cleaned up" – I started avoiding her at work without being obvious about it.

The four other women whose husbands I had talked to were also even more smiley and nice around me than before my talks with their husbands, although not to the same extent as Jen.

*************

Just after the twenty eighth month of my tenure at Chadron Widget, when my business success was at a high and my sex life at a low, several major things happened.

- Chadron Widget had not only met, but exceeded, the goals that I had set with John Braxton of MegaBucks. I got a large – actually very large – bonus, and since my expenses in Chadron were low I was well on my way to being financially comfortable for life if not rich. When at a party I hosted in the plant all of the employees got their profit sharing checks – which were 2 ½ times as large as they expected – the plant was almost saturated with tears of joy. Plus, using my own money, I bought Amazon Echo Dot's – which were new on the market at that time – for all employees.

- With a little ingenuity from me, and hard work by Mitch and Bertil, we got two more patents, and had two pending applications, on inventions/products that had the potential to be game-changers in the future.

- MegaBucks had received an offer to buy Chadron Widget from a French company. In view of the turnaround of Chadron Widget's fortunes the offer was one where MegaBucks could make a profit of 125% in just the two plus years they had owned Chadron Widget.

-When the potential French purchasers made a three day visit to the plant two months after the employees received their profit sharing checks, the entire town of Chadron panicked.

Bill, Gail's husband and the plant manager, and Jack, Jill's husband and the night supervisor since we now had two lines running, and 451 full time employees and 36 part time ones, came to visit me in my apartment in "downtown Chadron" [as I humorously called it; I had never purchased a house since I didn't know how long I'd be staying] one Thursday night about three weeks after the visit by the Frenchmen.

"Rob – we're representatives of the employees who want to talk with you about we employees collectively buying Chadron Widget instead of the French. We want to see if it is possible – but of course unless you agree to stay on as the manager and president we have no hope of doing it or making it work even if we can buy it," Bill said while wringing his hands as Jack sat there sweating.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because we know from other experiences around the state that once a big foreign company buys a plant things go downhill for the employees. From what we found out about this French company we see losing most of the jobs within two or three years, which would be a disaster for Chadron," Jack answered.

I could not dispute what they were saying. We talked about it for a half hour or so but then I hit them with the fly in the ointment.

"Look, even if I could talk MegaBucks into selling to us, I have a real problem. I'm not willing to stay here long term," I gently said.