Mike and Maggie get caught; Mike meets his naked mother-in-law and learns Evie is willing to share. Mother's secretary comes to house for a visit. Hope you enjoy. Jb7
Chapter 4
Part XLIII
Mike woke in the morning to the sound of the shower. As he sleepily staggered toward the bathroom, the sound stopped. Maggie was just stepping out of the shower when he opened the door and stepped in. "Morning, love," she greeted him.
"Mmrng," he grunted as he plopped down on the toilet and released his bladder.
"My, aren't we chipper this morning," she laughed. "I'll go down and start breakfast as soon as I put some panties on."
"Panties? I thought..."
"Biology, sweetheart. I'm sorry, but my damaged uterus decided to be nasty this week. I'm afraid it's off limits for a few days."
"Grumble, grumble," muttered Mike, and laughed. "Somehow, that figures. Almost enough to make you wonder if God isn't trying to tell us something. I'll be right down. Let me catch a shower first."
After some cereal, toast and coffee, Mike went into his father's office to work on the proposal he would present to him. Before they had started for the cabin, he had called his parents' attorneys and asked them to provide appraisals for both the house and the apartment where his father was staying. Looking at them, he had to laugh. The appraisal for the house, provided by his father's attorney, and the one for the apartment, provided by his mother's, were only about two percent apart, with the apartment being worth more.
He looked at the family's stocks and bonds. Over the years, his father had invested wisely, purchasing a mix of mutual funds and individual companies. When he had invested in a particular company, he had bought in partial blocks, usually ten shares at a time, making division of them easy.
In the few instances where there were an odd number of stocks or mutual fund shares, he proposed disposing of the odd shares and the money added to the cash accounts the family held.
Satisfied, he booted up the computer, called up the spread sheet program and began typing. He was done about ten-thirty, and printed up the draft to show his mother. On his way to get dressed for his meeting with Evie, he left the document on the kitchen table.
In his bedroom he found that Maggie had been busy ironing his slacks and a shirt for his appointment. He was just buttoning his shirt when she came in with the draft, wearing a pair of dark blue boy shorts.
"This is a great idea, Mike; do you think he'll go for it?"
"I think so; hope so. It keeps everything in the family except for a few stocks and mutual fund shares no body really cares about. It pretty much divides everything else equally, giving him a little edge in property value. He gives up some stock in the company, but you give up more."
"And you kids get the cabin and a bigger share of the company, and he keeps his job as CEO."
"Unless the three of us go together and vote him out," Mike grinned.
"Mmm," Maggie said, with a devilish smile in her eyes. "Nah, I'll keep mine as vice president," she said with a laugh. "I don't have to travel, and I can leave the office when I want." She glanced at the sheet. "Good. I see you included support for Ellie while she's in school. When are you going to show it to him?"
"Not until after the fourth. I want him to think I had to work hard to earn his money. I'm not going to tell him you approved it, either, but present it as a possible settlement."
"What if he doesn't accept it? What if he wants all the company stock?"
"Then he'll have to give up the community property or its cash equivalent. That's all he has to bargain with. Based on current prices, he doesn't have enough to buy it all back. He might want you out, though, if he sees you as a negative influence in the company."
"I could do that, but my shares would go to you kids, not him, with the stipulation that you keep them for at least a year, and they must be purchased at their representative value, based on the total value of the physical company at the time of sale."
"I'll keep that back as a bargaining chip, but I was thinking of your job as VP. He might not want you around the office, even if you keep the stock."
"Then he'll have to pay me alimony, since I wouldn't have a job. His choice."
Mike nodded. "Okay, well I gotta run. Can't keep my new boss waiting."
Maggie smiled. "Tell her I'm looking forward to tonight, even with the rain."
Nodding, he replied, "I should be back around two. I have to stop and get some groceries."
"Okay. Since I'm supposed to become more socially active, I think I'll drop in at the Club and see who's there. Evelyn should be here about six-thirty?" Mike nodded. "Dinner at seven, seven-thirty?" He nodded again. "I should be home by five, then. I'll keep my eye open for suitable replacements," she finished, with a teasing smile.
"Love you, too, Meg," he answered. "Later," he said, waving, and was out the door.
Part XLIV
Evie sat at her desk in the office at Waverly's, thinking about the man who was coming in later that morning. When she had told him she knew it would only be a fling, and that she wasn't upset by their breakup, she had lied to him. Mike was one of only three men she had ever slept with, and by far, the one with whom she had developed the strongest emotional attachment.
When he and Ellie had come in that day, a month ago, she had been curious about why the young woman was so disturbed and had taken advantage of a feature the original owner had built into the dining room.
Like the Capitol Dome in Washington, the ceiling of the restaurant had some acoustical focal points. The bartender's station was one; the others were over certain booths, booths which had been reserved for select patrons–the Mayor, the local Godfather, and some couples who were shocked to learn their clandestine trysts weren't all that private, but had agreed to pay to keep them so.
Evie had discovered the acoustic anomalies when the interior was being redecorated and one of the workers had an accident. She had been stacking glasses behind the bar and heard the painter swear when he spilled some paint over the booth he was prepping.
The booth she had directed the siblings to was known, appropriately, as the lovers booth. To say she had been shocked by what she heard is probably true; she was not, however, outraged or sickened by the revelation that Mike had been his sister's first lover, or that he was in the process of seducing his mother. She was shocked, yes, but also intrigued.
On the next occasion, she had placed them in the Mayor's booth. Their conversation hadn't been incriminating, but it was certainly suggestive. And then last night, and the invitation to dinner, nude. What was behind that? If Mike was sleeping with his mother, would he approach her? If he did, should she ask Maggie to join them?
If he wasn't and approached her, what should she do, since Maggie would be right there in the house? Since she had kicked Marco out, there hadn't been anyone, partly because she was living with her mother and was inhibited by that. Was it different for guys?
She hoped so, and she hoped he did make a move on her. She knew she'd say yes, even if it meant that Maggie would be watching. Of the three men she had slept with, Mike had been the best, and she wanted him again. Enough to blackmail him, she asked herself. And knew, before she finished the thought, the answer was no, realizing that was a no-win situation. But persistently and continually? Yes, definitely yes.
Unconsciously, her hand drifted down to her crotch and began a light scratching, just hard enough to stimulate her clit. When she realized what she was doing, she sat up and placed her arms on her desk, scolding herself, then laughed. She made a decision and reached for the phone to see if she could get an appointment at her favorite spa that afternoon.
She was waiting behind the bar when Mike walked in shortly after eleven. After greeting him with an 'old friends' hug, she led him back to her office where she had the necessary forms waiting on her desk. While he filled out the application, she made copies of his drivers license and social security card. "Would you like to see the kitchen?" she asked when he handed her the completed application and payroll forms.
"Sure. Get some idea of what I'll be facing." She ushered him out of the office and led him to the kitchen. As they made their way there, he said, "Evie, about dinner tonight. If being nude is a problem..."
She looked back over her shoulder at him. "You getting bashful in your old age, Mike. Remember, I've already seen you naked, and I don't have anything to hide, either. You've already seen it all, up close and personal, as they say."
Mike laughed. "And, as I recall, it was damn pretty. I just thought you might be a little uneasy, given our history."
They were inside the empty kitchen. Evie turned to look at her new cook. "Uneasy, no, not really. A little anxious, anticipating tonight." She spun around, waving at the kitchen. "This is it. Any questions? About the kitchen, that is," she laughed.
Mike walked around, lighting the grill and peering into drawers, pantries, and refrigerators. "Nice layout. Somebody knew what they were doing. Some of the kitchens we were taken to see had the store room door off in the corner, away from the prep area. This should be an easy kitchen to work in. So, Friday night? Or is there something else you need from me?"
"Uh, no...well, yes, sort of..." She took a deep breath. "After that weekend, when I came up to your school for the Fall Festival, how come you didn't call or write? I thought we'd had a great time and was looking forward to seeing you again, but..."
