 
Sizzling Romance New York Style

by Robert C. Waggoner

Copyright 2014 Robert C. Waggoner

Smashwords Edition
Sizzling Romance New York Style

Chapter 1

It was a blistering hot August afternoon in New York City. Some said it was the hottest on record; others said it was normal for this time of year. All agreed it was just plain hot. I was in my office waiting for my nurse to come in and tell me about the next patient. I was thinking to myself about the evening coming and what I might do on a Friday night. My practice was brand new; I just started my career as a doctor. For the last two months my life was empty and I was beginning to feel that I would never meet a nice girl. After too many years of college and two years of residency, I never had time to date. Man was I lonely. The next thing I knew was a pounding on my office door and someone yelling "Doctor, doctor, come quick!"

I jumped up and ran out the door. My nurse was at the outside door pointing at the street.

"What's wrong?' I said.

"Doctor a young lady is lying on the sidewalk.'' I rushed down the stairs and over to the prostrate lady. I saw she was dressed very nicely and it looked like she had on too many clothes for such a hot day. We had drawn a crowd of on lookers, and I said to one of them, "Please lend me your umbrella."

An old lady said, "Take mine."

The first thing I did was loosen her collar. She had on a long sleeve blouse with a collar that went up to her chin. Also, she wore long pants and a vest. She was dressed with too many clothes on for such a hot day. It was an outfit an executive might wear. I could tell by her appearance that she was having a heat stroke. My nurse was there and I said to her, "Prepare the examination room."

A big strong looking guy was looking on and I asked him to help me bring her into the office.

He said, "Yes, glad to help."

Once inside, I had my first look at my new patient. She was startlingly beautiful. With her long blonde hair and delicate long fingers and long slim legs, I was impressed.

I told the nurse to tell the other waiting patients I had an emergency and would they please reschedule their appointments. I turned back to the table and began to unbutton her blouse and it was then I had a close look at her beautiful face: Her eyes were closed while I saw the pure white and creamy look of her skin. Not a blemish on it anywhere. A nose that was dainty. It was perfect: not too big and not too small. Her lips were perfect with the color of red wine; and as he thought about her, his heart begin to pound thinking what a lovely woman he was looking at.

He passed under her nose some smelling salts to wake her up from her fainting spell. She made some moaning sounds and moved her head from side to side. He couldn't move, staring at her lovely face. Suddenly her eyes opened. Never in his life had he seen such dark blue eyes the color of a deep ocean. She stared at him and said, "Where am I?"

He said to her, "Don't worry you're in my office, I'm a doctor and you apparently fainted from the heat. Has this happened often?"

"No, I just came out of the department store which was very cool and when the heat hit me, I felt dizzy. The sales lady said they had a problem with the air conditioning and she even had a on a sweater it was so cold in there. The next thing I knew, I was looking up at you."

She thought to herself, looking up at the man who was staring into her eyes, what a nice looking man. His grey eyes are so warm and friendly. She looked at his hair, which was curly black and his skin was like color of virgin olive juice: light brown. They both looked at each other and no words were spoken for more than a few seconds. Then she tried to sit up and he said, "Please don't move for a little while. Let me get you some water to drink and some salt pills for the hot weather."

"Thank you," she said with a smile.

He turned and walked to the door and she noticed that he was not tall and not short with a nice strong looking body. He must work out she thought. She felt a little dizzy and she knew it was not from the heat. She had never met someone for the first time that made her heart race and pound like a drum.

He went to the door, thinking, to himself, my god, what a gorgeous girl, I must find out her name. He asked the nurse to bring some water and salt pills and turned around to find her sitting up buttoning her blouse. He said, "I would leave a few unbuttoned if I were you. Its way too hot out and you need some air moving across your skin to keep it cool." She looked up at him and her hands stopped moving and he stared again into those flashing blue eyes then they both knew at that moment: feelings of love was passing between them.

He couldn't keep his eyes off her lovely face. He was staring at her and he could tell she was getting a little shy from his looking at her. He said, "Please miss.......ah... Miss......."

"Oh, my name is Jennifer Curtis, but my friends call me Jen"

"My name is Todd. Todd Lincoln. Please call me Todd and not Doctor Lincoln." He knew his face was turning red and he could tell she was pleased to know him as her eyes looked down and a small smile was on her face.

He quickly said to her, "Please come into my office where it's more comfortable." Just then the nurse came in with the salt pills and a glass of water.

Jen took the glass, said, "Thank you." After taking the pills and drinking the water said, "The water tasted very good."

He told her that in a few minutes she would feel much better. He held on to her small delicate arm as he led her to his office. She felt so tiny and fragile. He wanted to hold her and take care of her. He could not remember ever feeling this way. Something very strange was coming over him. He wondered to if this was a feeling of love. He wasn't sure if he liked this feeling or not. It left him open and venerable. He had always felt in control of his emotions, but now he was weak and his legs didn't feel like they were a part of his body.

He said to her as they entered his office, "Please sit here and rest while I make some notes." She sat down and he could tell she was still a little dizzy from the heat stroke, but knew in a little while she would feel much better. He gave her another glass of water from the cooler and she smiled up at him and he smiled back into her clear blue eyes. He turned around and walked back to his desk and he hit the corner of his desk with his leg. "Ouch," he said.

She laughed and asked him, "Are you okay?"

He rubbed his leg and said, "Yes, I'm fine." Man was he embarrassed. He called on the phone to his nurse and asked her to come in and get the personal information about his new patient. He felt a little warm and he stood up and took off his white doctor's coat. He hung it up on the coat tree and it was then she had her first real look at him. He had on a dark brown pair of expensive pants with a matching brown and white stripped dress shirt. His tie was a blend of brown and orange with a diamond tie tack. His shoes were a pair of slip on Gucci from Italy. She wondered how long he had been a doctor and from the looks of his dress and the nice office, he must be a very successful doctor.

He sat down and she finished up with her personal information as he made some notes and then closed his writing book and looked up at her. The same helpless feeling ran down his neck into his stomach. She was looking at him and he felt her eyes were looking deep into his soul.

He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He noticed she saw his mouth open and a small smile crept across her face. He finally said to her, "How are you feeling now?"

"Much better now, thanks." She looked at her watch and said, "My, it's so late and I'm so sorry to have upset your afternoon schedule."

"No problem" he lied. 'I only had one patient left and she is an old lady who comes in every Friday afternoon because she is just lonely for some company. I'm finished for the day and now that you're feeling better, would you like to go next door to a little sidewalk café and have an ice tea? The tables outside are in the shade of the trees and not so hot."

"I'd love to, but can I make a phone call and tell my mother I will be a little late coming home?"

"Of course, sit here and use my phone while I go to the bathroom." He walked to the bathroom thinking, I wonder if she likes me. Just a little while ago I was wondering what I might do on a Friday evening and now I'm going to a café and having something to drink with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He hadn't felt this way before and he was starting to like this thing called love.

After he went to the bathroom and then she asked to use the bathroom, they made their way to the outdoor café around the corner. Walking he held onto her as she was still a little unsteady on her feet. He held her by the elbow and being so close to her he could detect a faint smell of her perfume. The smell reminded him of his mother's flower garden on a spring afternoon: a mixture of sweet smells that he always associated with the smell of his mother.

They sat down under a large elm tree in the shade and ordered ice tea. It was late afternoon and not so much traffic as many people left work early on a Friday night. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds and then he said to her, "How are you feeling now?" He inwardly chided himself for always asking her how she was feeling. Is this the only conversation you can think of? At least maybe talk about the weather or something interesting.

"Much better now", she said. They continued to look at each other and both of them thinking to themselves, this could be my lucky day. Both were hoping this was true love and not false because they both wanted desperately to find someone to share their lives with.

For too many years she had been looking for a nice guy to settle down and get married with. Having a relationship that meant something to both of them was first and foremost on her mind. Money was nice, but not that important. She had a good job and could increase her hours to make more to help support the family. But, the problem was finding a good guy without the ego of most men she met. Every relationship she had been in turned out after only a few dates to end up back at home watching TV with her parents. Suddenly here she sat across from, what she wished, was an unmarried guy looking for the same thing she was looking for: a mate.

The drinks came and they spent a few moments tasting the cool ice tea. He looked up and said, "Have you always lived in New York?"

"Yes, and how about you, have you always lived here?"

"No, I used to live in San Francisco, but I moved here after I became a doctor."

"Oh, you're such a long ways from your home."

"Yes, I know, but circumstances led me here after my parents died."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"Thank you," I'm learning to live with it." He didn't mean to tell her that his parents had died, because now she would take pity on him and he didn't want her to feel sorry for him. You and your big mouth he said to himself. He smiled at her and said, "Do you like living in New York?"

"Not so well, I have my friends and my parents, but my life doesn't seem to be going anywhere. The most exciting thing in my life lately was fainting in front of your office." He laughed and she saw his pure white teeth. Perfect in all respects, she thought to herself.

She guessed his age around thirty and noticed there was no ring on his finger. I wonder if he is married, she thought to herself. At the same time he was thinking the same thing: I see no ring on her finger, can I be so lucky as to have found a girl that might be interested in me?

Jen turned quiet thinking about her failed relationships in the past. There was one guy in college that she fell in love with but after he took her virginity he dropped her and moved on to some other unlucky girl. That affair devastated her and for the next few years only went out a few times. Recently she had been seeing a guy from another ad agency and even though they both liked one another and the sex wasn't bad, neither wanted to get married. Now she was ready to find her man and sitting across the table from her was that man.

Todd just sat there looking at her watching her play with the ice tea. He knew she was deep in thought and he was going to sit there for as long as it took before she broke her reverence. Suddenly she raised her eyes up and locked onto his and smiled. She knew it was getting late and she needed to go home as her mother was worried about her. She said to him, "I must go now, or my mother will worry about me."

"Okay, but would you like to come to my office tomorrow and let me give you a check up?"

Her heart skipped a beat and said, "Sure if you think it is necessary."

"I think so," he lied. She knew too that it was a small white lie, but she longed to see him again. They made a date for eleven am. They shook hands formally and said good-bye to each other; he watched as she drove away in a taxi. He turned and walked back to his office and he didn't think his feet ever touched the ground!

After a sleepless night, he looked at his watch and it was only six am. He remembered last night coming home and turning the television on and going into the kitchen to look for something to eat. He wasn't really hungry, but he looked in the refer for something to munch on. Finding nothing that looked good, he made a cup of tea. He had visited China some years ago and fell in love with their green tea. He couldn't get the lovely blond haired girl out of his mind. Her hair was the color of honey, very fine and thick. "Stop this foolishness," he said out loud. He wondered what she was doing right now; probably telling her mother about her passing out and a handsome doctor taking care of her.

Across town, Jen was doing exactly that: telling her mother all about the incident and then going and having ice tea at a little romantic café. She told her that she had an appointment tomorrow morning for a follow up check on her health.

"But you seem fine now"

"Yes, but I want to see him again mom."

"Jen, I've never seen you this way before."

"Mom, I know it sounds silly, but I think I've fallen in love after twenty eight years."

Her mother laughed and said, "Go wash up and let's have some dinner, dad will be home shortly and knowing him he will be hungry."

Sitting down at dinner, dad said, "What's this nonsense I hear about you falling down and meeting a handsome young doctor? Your mother said you passed out from heatstroke and this shinning white knight of a doctor just happens to have his office right where you fell down?"

"Yes, dad, that's what, happened."

"Are you feeling alright now? 'Do you want me to give you a check up?"

"No thanks dad, I'm fine." I must not tell Todd that my dad is a doctor, she said to herself.

After dinner she ran up the stairs to her room to call her best friend. Her heart was still beating so fast thinking about Todd, that when her friend answered the phone, her friend said to her, "What is wrong with you, have you been running?"

"No, Beth, I met the most charming and handsome guy this afternoon and I had to call and tell you about him. Beth, I know I'm in love for the first time in my life!"

"You're crazy Jen!"

Jen went on to tell her about all that had happened that afternoon and her meeting the next day with Todd. Beth told her to be careful and take it easy tomorrow. "Don't do anything crazy and try to play a little hard to get."

Jen told her she would and that she had to go now and take a bath and get on the computer and e mail some other friends about her day.

Chapter 2

The next morning at ten thirty Jen arrived at the doctor's office by taxi. She got out and looked at the door to his clinic. She thought back to the morning getting ready for her appointment. She was struggling to find something to wear. She finally decided on a short brown skirt, white sleeveless blouse and white sandals with her hair in a pony tail. She also brought an umbrella for sun protection. She went up to the door and walked in and saw that no one was there but the nurse sitting at the reception window. She looked at her watch and knew she was early, but walked up to the window and told the nurse her name. The nurse said smiling, "Take a seat and the doctor will be with you in a minute."

The nurse phoned the doctor and told him his eleven o'clock patient was here. He thanked her and said, '"Just a moment and I will call you to bring her into my office and not into an examination room." He went to the bathroom and checked himself in the mirror. He had dressed very causal for the day: fawn colored slacks, a pale red colored short sleeve dress shirt, with feint white stripes. He was looking forward to taking her to the ocean side for lunch. A restaurant he had already phoned and made a reservation for one o'clock. The restaurant over looked the beach and harbor with its many yachts tied up at the marina. He wanted to show her his sail boat, but not until they had lunch.

He returned to his desk and buzzed his nurse to bring Jen in to his office. He stood up to greet her and she came in looking very chic. His first thought that this lady is way too good for him. Even though he was raised in a wealthy family of his own, he felt insecure around her. He didn't want to tell her he was an heir to a vast fortune and destined to run the giant international Lincoln Corporation.

He put a big smile on his face and said, "Good morning."

She repeated the greeting with a nice smile of her own. She sat down in a chair that had a coffee table in front of it and he sat down across from her. He asked her if she wanted some coffee and she told him she would be happy to have a cup of coffee. He went to a side table and poured two cups. He asked her, "Do you take anything in it?"

"No thanks, just black."

She looked around his office. Yesterday was kind of a blur and now she saw his domain: rich brown carpet against light brown real wood panel on three walls. The other wall was floor to almost the ceiling with books on dark walnut looking bookshelves. His desk was average size and looked like oak. A very nice coffee table of teak with a glass top sat in front of a large leather sofa. Next to the sofa was a leather chair which was for him. A side table next to the chair had medical journals piled high and on the walls hung pictures of boating scenes. Later she would remember why he had boating prints on the walls.

He brought the two mugs of coffee and sat down looking into her eyes and again she was a little intimidated from his intense eyes looking at her. She felt very exposed, but she really didn't mind as she was secure enough to feel good about his looking at her. She said to him, "Do you always give this kind of service to your patients?"

He laughed and smiled and said to her, "Of course, as you know doctors are supposed to have a good bed-side-manner."

She smiled back at him, "If that is the case, how come there are no other patients waiting to see you?"

"You got me there. Now I have some egg on my face."

She smiled and took a sip of her coffee and said, "This is very good coffee."

"I made it especially for you. Fresh ground French Roasted," he replied. "By the way, how are you feeling today Jen," he asked.

"Very well, I took more of those salt pills and had a light dinner; made a few phone calls; e-mailed my friends; and went to bed early."

He drank some of his coffee and then he felt that now was the time to ask her to lunch. If she refused, well, at least he tried. He knew it was short notice and maybe when she made her phone calls and e-mailed her friends, she probably made an appointment for this Saturday afternoon. He knew Saturdays were days that girls went shopping and had lunch so they could gossip about things that girls talked about.

At the same time he was thinking about her, she was thinking about what the next topic would be: would he ask her to lunch? God, she hoped so, she was falling head over heels for this good looking Italian doctor. Be cool, she told herself. Take it easy and always look into his eyes.

"Jen, I know it is short notice, but would you like to have lunch with me today?" His heart was in his throat and his voice sounded like some far away sound totally alien to him.

She took a deep breath and replied, "I'd love to. I was hoping you would ask."

He breathed a sigh of relief and she knew how hard it had been for him to ask. He said, "Soon as we finish our coffee, we will leave as it is about an hour's drive from here to the club."

She took another drink of her coffee and wondered where they were going. She didn't care as long as she was with him. She had smelled his perfume and it was a dreamy smell that she would always remember. She needed to ask him what it was so she could buy some for him as a present someday.

They finished their coffee and he said, "Let's go, if you are ready."

She sat her cup down on the table and rose up out of the chair and walked to the door. He went to the side bar and shut off the coffee maker and turned the lights off and they walked out the office door. He said to his nurse, "Barb, lock up when you are finished and I will see you on Monday."

The nurse smiled at both of them and there was no doubt she knew what was going on between them. "Have a nice week-end you two."

They went out the door and walked to the underground parking lot next door and got into his car. The car was a new Porsche and it had the smell of leather and the look of luxury. He put on his wraparound sun glasses as they pulled out of the parking garage. She did the same and he put on the air conditioning. "I would put the top down, but you are sensitive to the sun."

She just smiled and felt good that he was taking care of her. She felt warm and comfortable being around him. She prayed that this feeling would never end. She was in heaven and at a time in her life she would never forget. He slipped a disk into the player and soft classical music filled the car. Not so loud they couldn't talk, but more of a background sound.

Now for the first time he felt his life was going somewhere. For far too long he had been driving around in his car with an empty seat next to him. Now his seat was filled with a lovely lady who trusted him enough to go with him somewhere without asking where they were going.

Her cell phone rang and she said, "Excuse me, probably my mother. Hello, mmm oh, hi mom. Yes, everything is fine. We're going to have lunch by the beach and I will call you later and tell you what time I will be home." She put away her phone and said, "Sorry, I should have called my mother and told her where I would be and what I was doing. She worries like most mothers do."

He laughed and told her his mother was the same as all mothers are. His smile went away and she knew he was thinking about his mother who was gone and would never call him again or would he never be able to call her and tell her not to worry he was fine.

She quickly said to him, "Hey Todd, this is a nice car."

"Yes, I gave myself a graduation present and I'm still wondering why I needed this fast car. I'm thinking of selling it and getting a SUV so I can go to upstate and go skiing. Do you ski?"

"Yes, I'm not so good, but I love the mountain air, so clean and fresh."

He thought to himself, yes, just like you: clean and fresh and smell so good

"Well winter is just around the corner and we will have to check the slopes out."

Now they were on the freeway headed east to the ocean and the day couldn't have been better. The sun was shining, and she was with the man who was beginning to take up a large part of her life. She closed her eyes and listened to the music and drank in the mixed smell of leather and his perfume. He, on the other hand, concentrated on his driving and felt contentment. He said to himself, "Mom, if you're listening, send some help if I call on you."

Todd pulled up to the parking valet in front of the restaurant. The attendant said, "Good afternoon Mr. Lincoln."

Todd said, "Hello," back to him and they walked into the foyer, he, holding onto his lady's arm. The owner himself greeted them. "We are always happy to see you Doctor Lincoln."

Todd replied, "It's always a pleasure and a special treat to eat here in the Yacht Club restaurant."

"Will you be going out the afternoon? The wind is a little breezy, but no problem for your sloop."

Ever since they pulled into the parking lot, Jen was very impressed. Having to show a parking pass to the guard, pulling up to valet parking, she felt excitement like no other time in her life. Now, as they made the way to a table overlooking the bay, a tingling feeling ran through her body. Sitting down she took a deep breath and sighed. She took a look around and noticed windows faced three directions at an oblique angle so all had a view overlooking the harbor and boats of all shapes and sizes gleaming in the afternoon sun. Inside was all open including the bar where mostly middle aged men sat drinking what looked like martinis. The floor was covered in a sky blue carpet and the tables were all made from teak along with the chairs.

The table clothes were red, white and blue ever since nine eleven denoting the unity of the city of New York.

A waiter stood at the side of the table and asked, "Your usual glass of wine Mr. Lincoln?"

"That would be fine Brad."

"Jen what would you like to drink, maybe a glass of white wine?"

"Yes, I would like that. A glass of Chardonnay please."

Jen looked at Todd and said, "This place is very nice. Obviously you come here often."

Todd laughed and said "Yes, I guess you can say I'm a regular.' What he didn't say was that he came here often, but always alone. This was the first time he had brought a date. Jen excused herself to go to the ladies room and he stood up like a gentleman should. The wine came while she was gone and he sipped his wine waiting for her to come back.

Meanwhile, Jen was in the ladies room looking into the mirror. She liked what she saw and thought, what a lucky girl you are Jen. Try to relax she said to herself. She put on some fresh lipstick. The color was a shade of violet. She thought the color accented her fair skin. She washed her hands and went back to the table to find him standing up to greet her. She said, "I know a sloop is a boat, but what is it exactly?"

He chuckled and said, "A sloop is a sail boat. I thought if you had the time we might take her out for a little sailing exercise.

"Oh, I'm not dressed for a boat ride."

"Don't worry; I have some things that will fit you onboard. You can go barefoot, but I have to wear boating shoes as I'm kind of busy sailing the boat."

She relaxed a little and wondered if the clothes she was going to wear were from another one of his dates? It doesn't matter, as long as I'm with him. What is in the past is past and now it's the future I'm concerned about, she said firmly to herself.

"Would you like to order now?"

"Yes, that would be fine, what do you suggest, is there something special you might recommend?"

"Well, I really like the shrimp salad or I might suggest the Maine lobster, although the lobster is rather heavy in your stomach."

"What are you having?"

"I think I will have the shrimp salad and after we are finished sailing, we could have a bigger dinner."

"Sounds good to me Captain."

He signaled for the waiter and Brad came running over. Todd said, "We will both have the shrimp salad and some cheese bread."

"Coming right up Mr. Lincoln." "How about some more wine?'

"Jen, would you like some more wine?"

'No thanks, I want to have a clear head as I'm not used to sailing on a boat."

He laughed and she smiled at him as both of them looked at each other and felt the same thing: the beginning of a wonderful relationship. They both were very relaxed now and were looking forward to spending time together alone. The sail boat was a perfect place to be alone with someone, not in a crowded place like a restaurant or in a park with lots of people around. Lunch came and they both hurried through it to get to the boat and be alone. He signed the bill and they both went to the restroom to freshen up and then they met back at the door.

He led the way down the ramp to the boat dock to his boat slip. She was amazed at how many boats there were here. Even though there were many empty slips, still many boats were docked with people cleaning and getting ready to go out or boats coming in. A lot of Saturday activity and the people were very friendly as they called out his name and he returned the greetings. The men were staring at his date and he smiled to himself knowing he had the most beautiful girl in the world with him. He felt very lucky and hoped his mother was watching from above. "Well, here we are Jen, this is the Penny. Later I will tell you how she was named."

"Just a minute," as he slipped his shoes off and climbed aboard.

She took off her sandals and he helped her aboard. She stumbled a little and he caught her in his arms. He could smell the soap from her hair, drank it in and it made his head a little dizzy. Also her perfume mixed with the shampoo from her hair was intoxicating. They stood there for a moment, holding on to each other. Awkwardly they parted, but both knowing how good it felt to hold each other. He said, "Down below you will find a closet with some clothes to wear. I think you only need some shorts, they're a few things to choose from. They were my mothers' clothes as this was my parents' boat. You and my mother are about the same size and I hope it's acceptable to wear her clothes."

"I don't mind' as she followed him down to the cabin. He grabbed his shorts from a drawer and went to the bathroom to change. Meanwhile she stood there and looked around at the small space they were in. He came back out and put his tennis shoes on and said to her, "Take your time; I have a few things I need to do to get ready to sail."

She smiled at him as he turned to go up on deck. Now she was alone and had time to see what 'him' was down below; she put her bag on the small table and looked at the pictures on the walls. The pictures appeared from when he was young to present day. She could hear him on the deck above, moving about getting ready to set sail. Jen thought she better hurry and change into the shorts she had chosen from the closet. She chose a blue color that looked like they would fit her. She was shy of her pale white skin compared to his dark Italian skin. She found some sun block and applied to her face, legs and arms. She opened the door and he was standing at the bottom of the steps looking at her. "Very nice, I hope they fit ok." She had on blue shorts and a white T-shirt that said, "The City". A picture of the Golden Gate Bridge crossed the front of her shirt. Where her breast stuck out was at each end of the bridge. He stood looking at her fine figure and a stirring began just below his belly button.

"Yes, you were right and they are very comfortable thank you." She glanced at the pictures again and he noticed she was looking at them.

He said pointing, "This is our first boat when I was very young. I was about eight years old then. This is in the Bay Area, near San Francisco in a small town called Sausalito. It was a small town mostly on the waterfront. Lots of boats and houses were along the water. We had a house right on the water and a dock where we tied up our small sailboat. We had that little sail boat for a few years and when my dad saw how much I loved sailing, he bought this bigger sailboat that we're on now. Mother too, she loved the boat and when we weren't out sailing she would clean the boat and make lunch for us. Well, let's get underway, shall we?"

Chapter 3

They went up on deck where he cast off the last line. After that he moved to the back of the boat and started up the little motor to navigate out of the dock area into the bay. He looked at her and noticed she had found a big straw hat of his mothers and she looked gorgeous standing there holding on to the mast. He navigated his thirty-four foot sailboat out into the harbor and when all was safe from other boats, he shut off the motor and began to set the sails for the open water. He showed her a place to sit and said, "Make yourself comfortable while I prepare the boat for sailing."

He was very busy pulling on ropes and cranking on handles making the sails go up and soon they were moving through the water very quickly. He ran to the back and grabbed the tiller and set a course for open water. She couldn't keep her eyes off him. So intense, so positive in what he was doing. She could also tell he loved this sport. He motioned to her to come back towards him. He said, "Sit down here and hold onto this tiller and keep the boat headed towards that point of land way up ahead. I have to run down into the cabin and get something."

He came back carrying an ice chest and he had on a Navy hat and a baseball hat in his other hand. He handed her the hat and she took off the straw hat because it would not stay on in the wind. He asked her 'What would you like to drink. There is an assortment of drinks to choose from." She picked up a can of coke and he opened a can of fruit juice. He was constantly looking at the sails and around the bay. He said, "You're doing a good job of navigating. Want me to take over for you?"

"No, I'm enjoying this right now, but in a few minutes I have to go to the bathroom."

"On the water a toilet is called a head."

"Forgive me captain," and she laughed and he laughed too.

They traded places and he took over the helm. She went down below and he tied his rope to the tiller and went to adjust the jib. Meanwhile, she found the tiny toilet and looked around the little room. A shower so small she wondered how you took a bath, but she would soon find out as she smiled to herself. She finished up and went into the main cabin. She saw a refrigerator under the counter next to a small sink. She opened it and saw the makings of a dinner menu: two small steaks, veggies, and things to make a green salad. Well, no doubt we are having dinner aboard tonight she thought to herself. She felt warm all over and it wasn't from the heat outside. I know there must a bed here somewhere, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out where. She went back top side and found him at the helm and noticed he had changed course and it appeared they were headed towards land.

She picked up her coke and asked him, "Are we headed to land?"

"Yes, there is a little cove I like to anchor in and relax for a little while. It's very private and I usually read and drink a little wine. The water is a little cold, but a short swim is very healthy."

She thought maybe I'm the first or only one to sail with him. He had said he likes the cove to read and relax. He must come here alone with nobody to keep him company in his private cove. 'Wow, girl, can you be so lucky,' she almost said aloud.

"You look happy, are you having a good time?"

"Very much so, but it's a little hard to walk because we are tilted over so much."

He laughed and she loved the sound of his laugh. "The wind pushes the boat over a little, but don't worry the keel is about eight feet long to keep us from falling over. "Now, Jen, I will be busy for a little while, so sit down and hold the tiller for me while I lower the sails."

As they approached the entrance to the cove she concentrated on the job at hand while he lowered the sails and tied them off. Soon they were almost stopped and he started up the little motor and they slowly entered the cove.

She looked around and saw no houses or other boats. Tall cliffs and pine trees surrounded the cove. A rocky shoreline formed the 'C' of the cove. He stopped the motor and they drifted for a few minutes. He ran up to the bow and made the anchor ready to drop into the water. That job complete, he walked back to her and asked, "Jen would you like to go for a swim? You will find a bathing suit in one of the drawers in the cabin."

She jumped up and smiled at him and went below without answering him. Meanwhile, he went to his storage locker and pulled out a crab pot. Went below to the freezer and took out a frozen chicken. Ran back up and tied the chicken inside the pot. Tossed it overboard and tied it off at the stern. He would surprise her later and have crab cocktails and wine before dinner. She bounced out of the door and stood there smiling at him. She had on a two piece bathing suit the color of her eyes. He sucked in his breath looking at her beautiful perfect hour glass figure.

She said playfully, "Your mouth is open Doctor Todd."

He shut his mouth and she said, "Are you ready?"

Totally embarrassed, he said, "Just a minute," and went below to change his clothes. Setting a record for changing clothes, he went back up and then she had her first look at him with only bathing trunks on.

It was her turn to stare with an open mouth and he laughed and said, 'Jen, your mouth is open' and they both cracked up laughing.

He went back to the storage cupboard and took out two life belts and two pair of goggles. Handed one to her, "It helps to have the belt for floating around looking through the goggles. He also took out a ladder and moved to the back of the boat and placed it over the side and fastened it to the top of the rail. "Follow me,"

He put on his goggles and belt and sitting backwards on the side of the boat, fell backwards into the water. He popped up and rinsed his mask off and put it back on. She followed his example and soon both were swimming around getting used to the water. She stopped and said, "Man, this very cold."

He smiled, "As long as your swimming, it is not so bad' He took off swimming towards shore and she followed. It was only maybe thirty meters from the boat to shore. In no time they were standing up on the rocky shore line.

She took off her mask and looked at his body. He had dark brown skin, a hairy chest, strong muscled legs and arms. She shivered, not from the cold, but the thought of him holding her in his powerful arms and making love to her.

He said, "Are you cold? Let's get back in and swim to the boat and will see how you're holding up in this cold Atlantic Ocean."

He swam for the boat as fast as he could. He needed to expend some energy. Just the thought of her and her supple body nearly drove him crazy with desire. He noticed she was right beside him. She must be a very good swimmer he thought. Both grabbed the ladder at the same time. Took off their masks and looked at each other only inches apart. Breathing hard from the long swim, he wiped his face and said, "You first."

He followed her up and told her there were towels in the bathroom. "Jump in the shower first and I will follow you. There isn't much fresh water so get wet, shut the water off, soap up first, and then rinse"

She looked him in the eyes and said coyly, "Aye, aye Captain."

Jen could not keep from grinning all through her shower. She did as he suggested and from now on she would refer to it as her 'sail boat' shower.' Very nice shampoo and soap and after they showered, they would both would smell the same. A feeling of togetherness; one body with two minds: soul mates for life. She prayed that nothing would ever stop this moment in her life. She told herself to hurry up and give him his turn to wash the salt off. She forgot to bring into the bathroom something to wear. She wrapped the towel around her and stepped out the door. He was standing there holding some clothes for her smiling. 'Try these' he said.

She went back in and put the new clothes on he gave her. Sweat pants and a sweat shirt? She couldn't believe it. So warm out and he gives me these hot clothes to wear she said to herself. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now.

She came out combing her hair. "Sorry about the clothes, but it looks like a storm is coming and it will probably get a little chilly."

He went into the shower and ten minutes later came out with the same type of clothes on. Meanwhile she went up on deck to look at the weather. He found her walking around on deck. "Don't worry Jen, we're safe here and it will not last through the night."

He went on to tell her he had listened to the radio and a thunder storm was coming. High winds and rain were expected.

"We have the protection of the cove. Some rain and a little wind, but we are perfectly safe here." It was growing dark quickly and she seemed a little nervous.

He broke the silence by saying to her, "Come here I want to see what we have in the crab pot."

She followed him to the back of the boat and he started to pull up the pot. The crab pot came up and he pulled it onto the deck. Inside there were many crabs moving about. Some still eating on the chicken he had placed in the pot. She exclaimed, "Oh my, I've never seen this before in my life. How do you get them out? Will they bite you?"

He laughed, and said, "Not if you handle them properly. I've done this many times and if you would help me by going to the storage cupboard and bring me the big steel pot please."

She hurried over and found the pot and brought it back to him. He opened the screen door and reached in and picked the biggest one up by the back so the pinchers wouldn't pinch him.

"These are rock crabs Jen. I only take what I can eat and return the rest back to the sea. I thought a nice crab cocktail would be nice before dinner. I put a bottle of white wine on ice to chill and by the time I clean and cook the crab, it should be ready to drink."

He took only two crabs and dumped the rest back into the sea. "Let's go cook these and while they're cooking, I will make a salad."

She followed him down into the cabin and saw he used sea water to boil the crabs. She frowned as the crabs were running around the sink trying to get out while he was waiting for the pot to boil.

She asked him, "Isn't that kind of cruel to boil them alive?"

"Not so, because with the water is so hot, they live for only a few seconds. Some crab fishermen throw them in a box and let them slowly die while they continue to fish and eventually return to the dock. By then most of them are almost dead. Treat Nature as a gift, not as a thing to be abused. As a doctor I try to be as healthy as Nature intended: no chemicals and all things natural as can be. I'm lucky enough to have the money to buy organic in the market place."

She agreed with him and told him her mother always shops at places that sell all natural and organic products.

He had finished with the salad and the water was ready and he put the crabs in to cook. He put the bowl of salad in the refer and sat down next to her at the table.

"Maybe you should call your mother and tell her you are stuck on a boat with the doctor."

She smiled at him and his eyes made her melt into the cushions. What should I tell my mother, she thought. Come on Jen, your old enough to not have to worry about that. This is the twenty first century. She picked up her cell phone and called home.

The signal was not good as the storm was effecting the connection. Mom answered the phone and Jen told her mother the situation and said she would call her in the morning to tell her she was fine. Mom understood the situation perfectly. Even though her mother was a little old fashioned, she accepted the new generation and trusted her daughter to do what was right. She closed her phone and looked at him.

"Well, I guess we are spending the night. My first time sleeping on a sail boat but, I was wondering where the bed is?"

Again he laughed, and said "This table we are sitting at folds down and makes into a double bed."

It was clear as she figured it out and said, "Our first date and we are sleeping together. I'm really not that kind of girl to sleep with someone on the first date."

She was smiling at him and he was sure she was making it clear to him that it was fine with her the sleeping arrangements.

The crab was cooked and he got up to take care of them. He took pot and all up the stairs to the deck and she followed, curious how this was done. He dropped a bucket over the side and brought up cold sea water and poured it into the pot to cool the crabs off. He did this a couple times until only cold water was left in the pot. He left the pot there a few minutes for the crabs to cool off so he could clean them.

Meanwhile the sky was very dark now and it was only early evening. Far off they could see lightning and then the distant sound of thunder. Only a sprinkle of rain was falling, but soon the storm would move inland and the full force of the storm would hit the mainland. She shivered and crossed her arms across her chest

"Are you cold?' he asked.

"A little bit,' she replied. "

"Just a minute and we can go in,"

He cleaned the crab by pulling the backs off and using the sea water to clean out the inside of the crabs. This took only a few minutes and after a quick cleaning he said, "Let's go in now, I'm finished."

She followed him into the cabin and set the crabs in the sink and took out his pliers to crack the crab and take out the meat. She was impressed how efficient he was and organized. But then she realized he had been the owner of this boat for many years. He put two cocktail glasses of crab on the table, a jar of sauce and opened the wine and poured two glasses full. It was warm and comfortable and it was then she realized she had almost died and gone to heaven she felt so good. "I never want this to end," she said to herself.

Jen could not remember when she had more enjoyable dinner. He was a great cook. She wasn't such a good cook and she wished now she had learned more from her mother and grandmother. She promised herself that she would make an effort to learn how to cook. She wanted to please him and to make herself important in his life. Todd on the other hand, was so happy doing things for her and hoped she liked the dinner. She fell all over herself telling him how delicious the food was. He told her it was because of the swim and being outside that the food tasted so good.

They had the cabin lights on and he asked her if it was ok if he turned them off and use candles because the lights were battery operated and it would cause the batteries to lose their charge. She thought that would be fine and he went to the cupboard and brought out a big candle ready to light. He lit the candle and turned off the cabin lights. He sat down and they toasted each other with their wine glasses and she said to him, "Please tell me about your life. I would love to hear your story. Forgive me for prying into your life, but I really want to know you better."

"Sure, do you want the Readers Digest condensed version, or the long story?"

"You decide, I'm all ears and you have a captive audience," she said with a smile.

"Well, we certainly have a lot of time and well, here goes.

My great-grandfather emigrated from Sicily and landed in San Francisco. He heard about the rich soil in the Napa Valley from his brother who came before him. He brought with him grape plants native to his land. Great-grandfather and his brother purchased some land and started a vineyard. It's still in the family today. The only ones left are me and my grandmother who lives north of the city. We've live in caretakers who have been there for many years now. Their parents before were workers who were born on the property. I haven't been there for a couple years now. We've a lawyer who was a school mate of mine at Stanford who does the paper work and oversees the operation. We also have an onsite person who sees to the health and well being of the grapes. Now days you must have an expert botanist to fight the constant threat of disease. Anyway, the wine we're drinking right now comes from our vineyard."

She picked up the bottle and looked at the label. Like most labels she looked at didn't tell her much except where it was from. This one was no different as it said made in California. She knew about the Napa Valley. It is California's most famous place for making wine. Now, she realized where some of his wealth came from. She asked him about his grandmother who lived in New York.

He smiled and said "She is quite a character. Plays golf everyday at the age of sixty nine. She lives in Westchester on the golf course. She swears like a seaman and loves company. Well educated and is a retired college librarian like my mother used to be. She was the head librarian at John Hopkins University where I went to medical school. I lived with her while going to school. I usually visit her on Sundays. If I don't make it on a Sunday, she pouts and tells me what a bad boy I am and that I don't love her anymore."

Jen laughed at the story of his grandmother. "I would love to meet her."

"If you want to make a full week end, we could drive up tomorrow and have lunch with her. I can call her in the morning and tell her our plans. She will be excited to see a girl with me. She's always after me to find a nice girl and settle down and get married and have kids."

His face turned red with the last comment.

Jen secretly thought she was going to be that girl his grandmother was talking about. Unknown to her, he was thinking the same thing. Todd was having trouble not taking her into his arms and kissing her and holding her. His whole body ached for her and his heart sounded like a drum in a band. He wondered if she noticed how much he wanted her. She on the other hand, was hoping he would move closer so their legs would touch.

He said, "Just a minute, I have some pictures to show you if you want."

He got up and pulled a drawer open and brought out an album. He sat it down in front of her and moved close to her so they could both view the pictures together. Now his leg was against hers and she could feel the warmth of his body, making her feel like no other time in her life. His breath had the flavor of wine and sweetness. She longed for his lips, but tried to concentrate on what he was saying about the pictures. Just then the rain pounded on the roof and it was so loud you couldn't talk. Lightning lit up the sky and thunder boomed nearby. The storm was upon them and she moved closer to him. He put his arm around her and she snuggled into his body. She felt safe in his arms and hoped the storm would never end.

He loved the way she felt in his arms. She melted against him and he savored the moment. Life now was complete. He knew how she felt about him and she could tell how he felt about her. Just yesterday she was lying on the sidewalk in front of his office. Later drinking ice tea under the elm tree and now holding the girl who he knew would be the mother of his children. Strange how life is sometimes: one minute you're lonely and the next minute you are so happy you want to tell the world about how happy you are. His mother always told him what a lucky boy he was. He always asked how he was lucky and his mother would only say, "Wait and you'll see what happens. Trust in God, be gentle and kind and He will see to it that good things will happen in your life."

She turned her head up to him and looked down into her eyes and drank in the sweet smell of shampoo and her sweet breath. He lowered his lips to hers and lightly kissed her. Hardly touching her lips; only just testing her response. She raised her arm up and put it around his neck and drew him closer; the kiss went deeper than he could have ever dreamed.

The storm raged on. Rained pounded the roof and thunder and lightning was neither seen nor heard from the occupants inside the sail boat. Small waves lapped against the rocking boat. The rocking should have put the couple inside to sleep, but that was not the case with the two lovers inside the 'Penny'

Chapter 4

The next morning dawned bright and clear. Not a trace left of the storm. He woke up first and watched her sleep. Her blond hair spread over her face and pillow.

Todd felt so guilty. I wonder what she thinks of me now. Just yesterday she was in my office suffering from the heat and now the next day I have her in my boat and we spent the night making love? He thought back on his younger years. All during high school he was pretty much a loner except for Dennis his only friend. His mother sheltered him because he was an only child. His father was gone most of the time flying around the world for a major airline. When he was home, they spent most of their time on the water. He studied hard and when he graduated from high school at sixteen and entered Stanford at barely seventeen he had never so much had a date.

At Stanford he was too young to go out with the girls. Even though he was considered handsome, but he was also too young to be attractive to the older girls on campus. It wasn't until he went to Harvard that he lost his virginity. After discovering that girls thought he was rich and handsome, he had his pick of the litter. Two years later he was tired of the scene and returned to his introverted ways.

At medical school he was too busy for relationships and there were many opportunities but he longed for a one woman relationship to fill his life with.

She sighed a little and he could see she was waking up. He slipped out of bed to take a shower. After his shower, he saw she was still sleeping. He went up on deck to check out for any damage left by the storm. All was well and he returned to the cabin to find her stretching her arms and blinking the sleep out of her eyes. "Good morning," he said.

She smiled at him and returned the greeting. She pulled the sheet up over her breasts because she was still a little shy. Jen was blushing and thought to herself, what must he think of me this morning? Our first date and I go to bed with him like a tramp! My god, what have I done? Can he still respect me? Last night was wonderful and I thought we bonded well. I will put on my best smile and tell him what a nice time I'm having.

"Todd,' she said quietly and with a nice smile and eyes shining, 'I'm having a wonderful time and I want it to continue for the rest of my life. For me, this was not a one night stand."

He looked at her and down deep he knew she meant it. Now I must show her my true feelings as he said, "I never for a moment thought we were having a one night affair. I think we both are old enough to be frank with one another and last night for me was the most romantic time of my life. I too want our relationship to continue."

Jen jumped out of bed and ran to him with tears in her eyes. He held her and buried his head into her sweet smelling hair and kissed her neck.

"I've already taken a shower and I have a few things to do on the boat before we set sail. There's a nice little restaurant along the way that serves a really good omelet."

He turned and went up the stairs to the deck. She went to the bathroom and looked into the mirror. "Mirror, what can I say, words are not enough to explain how I feel." She brushed her teeth and jumped in the shower remembering how to take a boat shower.

She was just coming out of the shower when he came down the stairs. She moved to him and he took her in his arms and gave her a light kiss on the lips, telling her how good she tasted.

"Love the taste of toothpaste?' she asked.

"If it is your mouth, I love the taste of it," he said back to her.

He gave her a hug and no words were needed to express how both of them felt about each other.

He said, "Time to weigh anchor and set sail my love." She was beaming with happiness and pride and followed him to the deck.

"Wow! What a beautiful day". No trace of the storm was evident. "What can I do to help," she asked.

"You can untie the mainsail and man the tiller while I pull up the anchor."

"Aye, aye Capin."

Soon they were under way headed for a restaurant across the bay not far from the yacht club. She told him she was going down to the cabin for a little while and would be back up soon. She went down and washed the dishes from the night before and made up the bed back into a table and bench. Went into the bathroom and cleaned the shower and sink. Changed back into the clothes she wore the day before, put on some lipstick, necklace and earrings. She didn't comb her hair as the wind would only mess it up again. Put on her baseball hat and went up on the deck barefoot. The air was still cool, but the promise of a hot day was coming.

He said, "We have to be careful as we are crossing the lanes of traffic. Boats, especially sail boats don't have very good brakes."

It was still early Sunday morning, but there were lots of boats on the water. Finally they crossed without a mishap and pulled into the dock area of the restaurant. She jumped off with a tie line and he laughed at her trying to tie the boat up.

"Let me show you how to do this job," as he jumped off the boat and ran up to her.

"It's very simple, but if you didn't know before, most people just tie a knot."

He showed her the correct way to tie the boat up and then he placed the fenders over the side and tied up the back of the boat.

"Let me go change and I'll be right with you."

She waved at him and looked around at all the other boats tied up at the dock. Lots of money, she said to herself.

He came out of the cabin and jumped over the side, took her by the arm, gave her a quick kiss and a hug and said,

"Man am I hungry, this night boating makes a guy very hungry."

She poked him in the ribs with her elbow and smiled up at him. They were greeted by the owner of the restaurant. Todd introduced Jen to Millie and they were led to a table for two by the window. The place was mostly full of early morning boaters and some locals. Millie came over with a pot of coffee and poured them both a cup of French Roast.

"Your special coffee Doctor," she said with a big smile on her face. "Now, young lady, how did you meet up with our special regular patron? It's about time he brought a nice girl here. We are tired of seeing him eating and sailing alone."

Todd was embarrassed, but put a smile on his face and said to Millie, "I want one of your special crab omelets and how about you Jen?"

"I'll have a cheese and mushroom omelet please with sour dough toast and strawberry jam."

"Ok, it might take a few minutes as there are many customers today."

"Take your time." Todd said.

They were holding hands across the table as Millie walked away with a big smile on her face. Won't be long till there's wedding bells, she said to herself. It was obvious to many looking at the young beautiful couple holding hands next to the window that they were in love. Some of the customers had envy on their faces, thinking back to when they were first in love with their wives.

Todd and Jen were not aware of people looking at them. They didn't care who was watching them. They were in a world of their own. Millie walked by with the coffee pot and noticed neither of them had drunk any of the coffee she poured them.

Todd said to her, "I told you something of my family, now tell me some things about yours."

She wanted to be open and frank with him. Not afraid to bare her soul. Nothing will be held back. She wanted to tell him everything: wants and desires of the future. A life that you only read about in fairy tale books, but she also knew that it wasn't realistic. Jen knew life and she would work hard to be a good wife and mother. Her mother had raised the two of them to respect and appreciate what was given them. Her father was the greatest dad a daughter could have. She knew he wanted a son to throw the football around with, but he would be completely satisfied with a daughter. Today no son, but he had two daughters with whom he showered them with his love and affection.

Todd could tell she was thinking about what and how she was going to tell him about her family. He reached for his coffee and noticed it was cold. Where did the time go? he said to himself. He waved to Millie and she came over smiling.

"Need a fresh cup of coffee Doctor," smiling down at him with a twinkle in her eye.

"Yes, please, and I promise to drink the next one. You're very kind Millie. You also have the best breakfast on the bay."

"Thank you, you flatter me to no end."

She took the two cups and went off to get new ones and pour them fresh coffee. Meanwhile, Jen was back from thinking and looked into his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Well, my father is forty-eight and is a doctor. Mother is two years younger and a homemaker. My twin sister is a model and living in France. We are identical twins. Her name is Jan. We are very close, as you can imagine. We both are graduates from Wesley University. I went on to advertising and she went to modeling school. We thought it too confusing if both of us were models. Besides I love my parents and wanted to stay home with them. Jan, on the other hand, had an itch to travel and live in France. She had met a guy from France and after modeling school, they moved into together. That relationship didn't last long and now she lives with another model and she seems very happy. She will be home for Christmas. You can meet her then."

"I work for an ad agency in upper Manhattan. Same company since I graduated. I usually work only about four hours a day. I have certain clients and take on no new ones. My father's stockbroker invests my money. I have no idea what's going on with the stocks, but father says I'm doing well in real-estate and high tech stocks."

"We live in a brown-stone house in the same area as I work. Not far to work, so don't have a long commute. There's a nice park nearby where I run every morning before work. It's very safe as there are lots of people out that time of morning. My father used to run with me, but lately he has gotten a little lazy. You didn't ask me what is my dream. Well, I'll tell you Mr. Todd, I want a husband and children. I want a husband who is kind, has patience and respects his wife's wishes, and of course, loves kids. I don't think that is a lot to ask for, do you?"

"Not in the least Jen,' reaching for her hand. I have the same wants and desire as you and the sooner the better. I think we both agree we are made for each other."

She nodded her head yes.

The omelets came and they began to eat with a hunger that was very pleasing to Millie. Not a word was spoken during the entire meal. Todd leaned back and put his napkin on the table and picked up his coffee and rubbed his stomach. They he sighed and said to Jen, "Man, was that good, I needed that. I feel like I could take on the world."

Jen nodded her head, while finishing off a piece of toast with strawberry jam. She wiped her mouth and she too leaned back and took a drink of coffee. "Very nice, wonderful food and please excuse me, I must go to the ladies room."

"Me too and I'll meet you at the front door."

After saying good bye to Millie, they returned to the Penny and cast off and set sail for the rest of the morning hugging the coast line looking at the beautiful homes. People were working in their yards and working on their boats. Many waved and Jen waved back with a smile that would melt an iceberg. Todd relaxed and enjoyed the scenery: his future wife! She had changed back into the blue shorts and a light blue halter top. He put sun-block on her back to protect her fair skin. He noticed on her top left shoulder a small mole. He leaned down and kissed it. She moaned a little and he continued to kiss her neck. "

"Want to go below?" he whispered in her ear.

"Who's going to steer the boat?" she asked, laughing.

"You got a point there."

He moved back to the till and she returned her sightseeing to the shoreline.

About noon, they returned to the dock and changed clothes. Todd talked to his guy and said to her, "My guy would secure the boat for him. He was very dependable and when he wanted to go sailing, he would call him and it would be ready to sail when he arrived."

They talked to the valet and he radioed the parking lot and his car was brought up. He tipped them both generously and they got in and started to drive away. He pulled over and said, "I must call grandmother and tell her I'm, we, are coming for lunch."

Jen was a little nervous about meeting his grandmother, but he assured her grandmother would love her to death. He talked to grandmother and said he would be there in about an hour or so. He didn't tell her he was bringing a girlfriend. Thought it would be a nice surprise.

Chapter 5

They pulled up into grandmother's driveway and Jen said, "Such a big house. Does she live here all alone?"

"No, she has a housekeeper, cook and a man around to do the heavy work. All of them are old, but healthy and you will notice, hard working. They have been with her for years. They're really not employees, more like family. They eat together and share stories."

They walked up to the door and rang the bell. The housekeeper opened the door and a big smile was on her face the minute she saw Jen. "Come in, come in, grandmother is out back on the deck waiting for your arrival."

They walked through the house and Jen noticed what a warm feeling the house gave off. Pictures adorned the wall. They looked expensive, but she really didn't know much about art. The house smelled like fresh flowers and was cool on such a warm day in August. Grandmother was sitting at a table with a giant umbrella sticking out of the middle of it. She had glass in her hand and Jen wonder what was in it.

Grandmother heard footsteps and turned around and saw her grandson and stood up and said, "Todd, what a nice surprise, what do we have here. I see a girl in front of me. Where on earth did you find such a beautiful creature?"

She stuck out her hand and said, "Hello, my name is Lucky."

Jen took her hand it felt nice and warm and was firm to the touch. Jen said, "Nice to meet you my name is Jen."

Todd was a little taken aback as the introduction took place before he could introduce Jen. Lucky said, "Please have a seat and let's have something cold to drink."

As if by magic, two more glasses appeared, brought by the housekeeper and she set them down in front of Grandmother. Lucky poured some ice cold lemonade. Jen took a sip and remarked, "This tastes wonderful on such a warm day."

A silence descended for a few moments as Jen and Lucky took stock of each other. As women do, they have a way of communicating without words between each other. Todd was always amazed at this attribute that only women seem to possess. Then Lucky smiled and looked at her grandson and said, "Todd, you did well. I've waited a long time to meet such a nice girl. Where did you ever find such a lovely girl?"

"Grandmother, you wouldn't believe it if I told you. She appeared by magic in front of my office door."

Then he went on to tell her the story and grandmother was full of interest. Todd went on to tell her about going sailing and then coming up here to visit and having lunch with her. He never said anything about being caught in the thunderstorm and spending the night in a cove. Some things are better left unsaid.

Lucky turned to Jen and asked, "My dear girl, I'm not sure it was fate or just good luck that the two of you came together is such a way. Now I'll tell you how I got my nick name, Lucky. When I was a little girl at the vineyard, all the kids seem to get hurt or get into trouble. I never got hurt and seldom got into trouble. By the time I was in high school, I had the best looking and smartest boy in school. Everybody said how lucky I was. Hence, the name Lucky soon became my name. Lucky Lincoln or L.L. is what some of my close friends call me. You can call me Lucky if you want. Now, Todd and Jen, are you ready for lunch?"

Having eaten such a big breakfast, neither of them was very hungry. "Not so hungry grandmother, but a light lunch would be fine."

Todd went on to say they were happy to be here. "A salad would be fine with me, how about you Jen?"

Jen said, "Anything would be fine with me."

Grandmother could tell there was some serious love between these two young people. She smiled to herself and thought that a wedding was in the near future and soon a great grandchild would be running around the house. Now her life was complete. She was sure a boy would be born to carry on the Lincoln legacy. They had named her right: Lucky.

After having lunch and a long visit with grandmother, they said their good byes and left for the city. Driving along Jen told him what a nice time she had and he was the one who was lucky to have such a nice grandmother. Todd appeared sad to her as she thought maybe he was thinking of his parents. Someday she knew he would tell her about the accident that claimed their lives. She broke into the silence by saying, "Doctor Todd, where are we going now?"

"My place or would you rather I took you home?"

"No, I want to go to your place. I want to see your home and how you live. I have a picture in my mind, but I'm very curious to see if the picture I have is true or not."

He laughed and said, "Well, soon you will see, but don't expect too much. I live a fairly simple life."

An hour later they pulled into his parking garage under the building where he lived, walked to the underground elevator, put his security code into the steel door and soon the elevator opened up and they stepped in. He punched the button for the forty fifth level and up they went. She noticed that it was the top floor of the building. A few moments later the elevator stopped and they stepped out into the hall way. Walking to a set of double entry doors she noticed that looking both ways, no other doors were in sight. He scanned his card and the door clicked open. A man was inside walking up to them and Todd said, "Luke, I want you to meet a friend of mine. Her name is Jen. We will be in the library and would you please bring us some red wine?"

Todd took Jen by the hand and walked to another set of doors. They went in and Jen thought to herself, this is exactly what I expected. It is so 'him'. I knew then the relationship was solid and nothing would stop them from becoming a permanent couple. She sat down and he said, "Excuse me for a minute while I check my mail."

She was glad for the pause to look around and see what made up this Todd Lincoln. Big heavy chairs sat in a semi circle around a large wooden coffee table where neatly stacked magazines lay. His desk was a heavy wooden item and it looked like it was well used. Looking at the walls where floor to ceiling bookshelves were full of hardbound books. What few wall places not with bookshelves hung prints of boats and ocean scenes? When she walked she noticed her bare feet sunk into the thick carpet. Behind his desk a large window looked out onto the city. Walking around the giant globe of the earth, she stared out onto the city with its large skyscrapers and she could see the bridges crossing the Hudson River. What a view, she thought. Her thoughts were broken when the door opened. She moved back to the sofa and sat down. Todd put the mail down as Luke came in with the wine and Todd came over and sat by her putting his arm around her while she nestled against him. "Sleepy," he asked her while kissing the top of her head. '

"A little," she replied.

He suggested they retire to his bedroom and take a nap. She stood up and he led her to his bedroom which was next to the library. "I want to take a long shower. The boat shower was nice, but having water run all over your body is much nicer."

"You'll find everything you need through that door. Make yourself at home. I need to talk to Luke for a little while."

He left and she went into the bathroom. The color blue was everywhere: walls, floor and the towels. All items were different shades of blue, including the bath tub, which was separate from the shower. 'Typical man,' she said to nobody.

She stripped down and got into the shower. Turned the water on full and let the hard spray torture her body and it felt so good. She shampooed her hair and after, she put a heavy rinse on it. Next she soaped up and stood under the shower and let the hot water run across her body.

A few minutes later the shower door opened and he stepped in. A big smile was on his face. "A friend of mine said that to save water, shower with a friend. I'm all for conservation, how about you?"

She laughed and this was first time she had seen him naked. She never gave a thought to her nakedness. It felt natural and she handed him the shampoo. "Let me wash your back," she said.

He rinsed his hair and turned around to let her wash his back. She took a wash cloth and soaped him up and scrubbed his back. It felt so good and he remarked, "Please don't stop."

She moved down and washed the rest of his lower back and legs. "Turn around," She said softly.

She soaped up his chest and arms one by one. Then she moved lower and washed the parts so important to both of them for the future; not to mention the present. He rinsed off and they both stepped out and toweled off. She combed her hair and he did the same. He went out to the bedroom and put on a shorts and T-shirt. She asked him walking out of the bathroom and looking at him, "Do you have something I can put on?"

He smiled and went to the closet and picked out of the drawer a pair of his pajamas. "Here, try these on. Maybe a little big, but you will not have to wear them long," he said with a big smile.

He pulled back the covers and took off his shirt and crawled in. She did the same and he put his arm around her and pulled her close. She put a leg on his and snuggled up and purred like a kitten. Soon she was asleep and he laid there staring at the ceiling for what seemed a long time, but in reality, it was only a few minutes and he was asleep too.

He was dreaming about her running through the park and he was on a bicycle for two, with their little girl riding on the back. Her pony tail was swinging back and forth and he noticed what a fine figure she had even after having a child. "Gods been good to us," he said to himself. "Please God, don't let this end."

He woke up quickly. She stirred and opened her eyes and said, "Anything wrong?"

"No, just a dream."

She got up and went to the bathroom and came back, slipped off the pajamas and got into bed. She climbed on top of him. "Well, doctor, I'm not feeling so well, what do you prescribe for a cure?"

"I have a temporary cure for you."

He put his arms around her and she moved down to his open lips. A few minutes later, she came up for air and said, "What about Luke? Will he hear us?"

"No, I sent him home for the night. He will be back in the morning, but you won't hear him. He's the soul of discretion. He came from California and has been with our family for as long as I can remember."

Drawing her back down to his waiting lips this was much different than the first time on the boat making love as it was kind of awkward. This time they took their time, slow, but intense and it was a long while later when they both woke up for the second time. "Hungry," he asked.

"Yes, famished. Making love makes me very hungry. If I start gaining weight, what will I say to my mother?"

"How about I call a restaurant I know and we will have dinner here."

"Great idea, I want to call my mother and check in with her."

He crawled out of bed, slipped his shorts on and went into the library to call for dinner. Meanwhile, she took her phone out of the bag and called her mother. Mother was a little anxious on the phone, but once Jen assured her that all was well and that she would tell her everything in the morning, her mother relaxed and said to have a good time. Todd came back in reporting that dinner would be here in about thirty minutes. Jen went to the bathroom and took a quick shower and put on his pajamas. She rolled up the sleeves and pants legs and went out to find him. She found him in the kitchen making coffee.

The kitchen was huge. Almost twice as big as any kitchen she had ever seen. Stainless steel appliances and counter tops of marble. An island in the middle with a stove and grill; copper pots and pans hanging from above; and a knife block full of knives. He was busy grinding coffee and water was boiling on the stove. He finished grinding and prepared the pot for dripping through the filter. "It will be ready in a minute honey."

She nodded and continued to look at her man. She said, "It is obvious you like to cook, or do you have someone to cook for you?"

He laughed and said, "No, I do the cooking for myself. I love to cook. I make a list for Luke and while I'm gone for the day, he goes out shopping for me. I also cook for him and his wife. They live down on the next floor and he takes dinner down to his wife and they eat there. I usually take my dinner in and watch the news on the television."

"Isn't that kind of expensive for them to live here?"

"No, I own the building."

He brought two hot mugs of coffee flavored with Hazelnut. They sat down at the breakfast nook next to a window that overlooked the city. The lights of the city twinkled at them and she could see cars in the distance cars crossing a bridge. She asked him if he could have seen the Twin Towers before the destruction by the terrorists.

"I wasn't here then, but yes you could see the Trade Center from here. This building was in its final stage of construction. Actually, my grandmother and I jointly own this building. All of the properties and business are in the Lincoln Corporation. Grandmother takes care of most of the business. Everything she touches turns to gold. That is another reason to call her Lucky."

Just then the door bell rang. "Ah, dinner is here," he said.

Dinner was stuffed trout and baby peas: salad with olive oil for dressing; and garlic bread. Garlic was alright now that they both knew they would sleep the night through and their breath would not be noticed. They had a glass of wine with dinner and he said, "The wine would make them sleep well." They had just finished dinner when the phone rang. He picked up the portable and listened to the one-sided conversation and then said, "Ok, let me call you back," and hung up. He was very quiet and she could tell he was thinking deeply. She wanted badly to ask him what the problem was, but remained quiet knowing he would tell her when he was ready.

He looked at her and said, "Jen do you have any vacation time coming, I have to fly to California to our vineyard. It appears there's a problem out there and I need to spend a few days taking care of it."

"No problem, I haven't taken any time off since my last trip to France to visit my sister and that was more than a year ago. I would need an hour or two to call some clients and make some arrangements for them to contact me in case of some problem they had."

"That is good, but I didn't even ask you if you wanted to go with me."

"Todd, you know I want to go with you. You're my life now. If you want me and need me, I'm there for you always."

He picked up the phone and made a call and told his grandmother he would leave the next morning. Next, he made another call and told that person he would be at the airport at noon and that they would be flying to Napa. He told Jen, "Our caretaker is very ill and the wife called grandmother and asked me to please come and confirm what was ailing the husband."

He went on to say that they were just like family and he must go out and see what he could do for him. "Anyway, grandmother is getting older and it would seem that I should be taking a larger part in running our business."

She cleaned up the dinner dishes while he sat there thinking to himself. After she finished with the dishes, He said, "How about a movie in the TV room and we can relax awhile before a busy day tomorrow?"

"I would like that."

They went to the TV room and while he put in a movie, she sat down on a large sofa with many pillows. He brought the remote and sat down next to her. Pushed play and the movie came on. The movie was 'Titanic' one of her favorites. She curled up on the sofa and put her head in his lap. He put his arm on her hip and reached under the pajama top and rubbed her back, lightly running his finger tips up and down her back. "Keep that up mister and we will not watch much of this move."

He laughed and stopped his hand moving, but kept his hand on her hip. She seemed to totally relax and about half way through the movie, she said to him, "Todd let's go to bed, I'm really sleepy."

He turned the movie off and they made their way to the bedroom and as soon as they hit the sheets, both were sound asleep.

Todd had the same dream as before. She was running and the little girl with him on the bike. This time it went on a little longer. They were talking and laughing and then the scene switched to a hospital room. Someone was very sick and through his eyes, standing next to the bed, he couldn't quite make out who that person was. Tears were streaming down his face and a little girl was tugging at his coat. He sat up in bed. Sweat was running down his face. He looked over at Jen and noticed she was sound asleep. He looked at the clock and saw it was five thirty am. He slipped out of bed quietly, slipped his shorts on and went to the exercise room.

Jen woke up an hour later and reached out to him, but her hand only hit empty sheets. She got out of bed and went into the bathroom. Brushed her teeth and washed her face, then went looking for him. She found him in the exercise room, sweating from working out. He smiled at her and said, "Good morning."

She ran up to him and gave him a bug hug. "Jen, I'm all sweaty."

"I love it," she said.

"I'm about finished."

They both headed for the bathroom and took another shower together. It was a repeat of the last one, only this time she finished the job: bringing him to the top and over into that mystical momentary place of no time or space.

They had a quick breakfast. Luke was there and had most of the breakfast prepared when they both went to the kitchen. Todd told him his plan and Luke nodded and said, "See you when you get back."

In the elevator on the way down he said to her, "I'll drive you home and then go to my office to make the arrangements for taking the week off."

"No", she replied, "I'll take a taxi and you can pick me up when you're ready."

She gave him her address and he said he knew about where she lived. They parted with a kiss at the door and he walked to his car and she to a waiting taxi.

Chapter 6

After making the appropriate arrangements with his nurse and another doctor to take his patients, Todd drove to Jen's house. He arrived about eleven am. Parked and walked up to the door. The door opened just as he was about to ring the bell. Jen was standing there dressed in a skirt of pale yellow and white blouse. She looked beautiful. "Come in and meet my mother," she said.

He followed her in and he remarked to himself what a lovely home. It was full of stuff that only mothers acquire and decorate their homes with. It looked a lot like his house when his parents were alive. Put a smile on your face, he said to himself. Stop thinking about them and focus on the present; he chided himself. Mother came in and Jen introduced her to him. June was the very likeness of her daughter. Same blond hair, but now tinged with gray around the temples. A fine figure of a woman who obviously took care of herself, Todd thought. They moved into the living room and sat down. Todd felt he should explain to her what they were doing. Jen sensed he was about to speak when she said, "Todd, I told mom about everything and she understands what we're doing."

Mom said, "Todd, I can see by your face and my daughter's that the two of you are very much in love. I only ask that Jen calls me once in awhile so I don't worry."

Todd assured June he would make sure Jen called and checked in with her on a regular basis. They then stood up and Jen kissed her mother on the cheek and they moved towards the front door. Jen picked up her bag and Todd took it from her and once more said, "Good bye."

Todd placed her bag behind the seat, got in and drove off. On the way he said, "Your mother is very pretty. I see where your good looks come from. I'm anxious to meet your father too."

She just smiled and sat there enjoying his company.

After awhile they pulled into the airport. Todd looked serious as they drove up to a large hanger some distance from the busy airport. A business jet sat out front with Lincoln Corp. on the side and a picture of a penny coin on the tail. She remembered that Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States was on the penny coin. Todd parked in front of an office and they got out and went in. A tall man was standing at the counter with a pilot's hat on and a uniform that was spotless. Next to him was another man dressed the same. They were talking about the weather and when Todd said, "Good morning."

They turned around and greeted him with a smile and then they took in the lovely girl standing next to him. "Are we ready to go?" Todd asked. '

"Yes, just about ready sir. There is some weather over the Rockies, but nothing to worry about. We will drop down over Arizona into California and up from the LA area to Napa. It will make a smoother flight."

Todd nodded and took Jen by the arm and led her into an office in the back where a woman was working at a desk. Todd said, "Good morning", and introduced Jen to Pam. He said, "Pam takes care of this part of the business. A lot of paper work is necessary to own a corporate airplane. However, it's necessary for our people to have access to quick transportation when needed."

Jen wondered to herself, what makes up the Lincoln Corporation? At first she thought it was only a vineyard. Now it would appear that is was quite large. Just then the pilot said, "The plane is ready to go Mr. Lincoln. Please board when you're ready."

He said good bye to Pam and they went out and boarded the airplane. Once inside he said "Take a seat and buckle up."

The bags had been stored by the co-pilot and all Todd had was his brief case. He stored the brief case and came back and sat down next to Jen and buckled up.

Once up in the air and the buckle up sign went off, he took his off and said to her, "Want something to drink? It's kind of a long flight and it will take about four or more hours."

"Yes, thanks you."

Meanwhile she looked around his airplane and saw that it was quite plush. Not overly so, but from some pictures she had seen from her advertising days, nice but not extravagant. He asked her to move to the sofa where they would be more comfortable. Soft drinks in hand and his other hand on the back of the sofa, he softly rubbed her neck. She fell into him and his arm went around her and hugged her close. Kissing her head and drinking in her scent. A very faint trace of perfume drifted up to him. "Jen, I love you. I know it's only been a few days, but as God is my witness, I do love you so much."

Her arm went around his middle and she turned her lips up to his. He kissed her deeply and she made moaning sounds from her throat. She made soft, sweet sounds that drove him a little crazy with desire. Finally, the kiss ended and he said to her, "Now I'll finish the story I began on the boat the night of the storm."

She pouted a little wanting the joining to continue.

"Let's see, where was I when we left with the story of my life? Yes, I remember, I was talking about my grandmother and her living in New York and about my great grandfather and grandfather. Well, after my grandfather's death, grandmother moved to New York where she had some relatives living there from the Old Country. The caretakers ran the vineyard. It was very successful. She invested the money wisely. By the time I was a young adult, the Lincoln family was very wealthy. My father loved flying. He wanted nothing to do with the vineyard. Both my mother and grandmother ran the business. Of course they had help with a selected group of directors. Mostly they were from New York and distant relatives and their associates. By then the vineyard had expanded to more than a thousand acres. The New York real-estate holdings were enormous. Now to tell you the truth, I really don't know how much I'm worth. We have a foundation that channels money to various needy groups and I have a special love for the conservation portion of the foundation."

"I told you my parents are dead. They died in a plane accident. My father had a twin engine Cessna. He and my mother would fly around on the weekends and take trips down to Mexico. They both loved shopping around the street markets in Mexico. You will see the results of their shopping at the vineyard. The caretakers took care of our house after they died. Removed the things they thought were necessary and sold off the rest. Anyway, it was on one those Mexican trips that their plane went down in the mountains. I personally took charge of the investigation and we found out that a plugged fuel line was the cause. My father was a stickler for maintenance, but sometimes fate plays a part of life which we don't fully understand."

"Well, there you have most of it. Now all that's left of the Lincoln family is grandmother and I. Now, Jen, I would like to change that situation."

She knew what was coming and her breath came quickly and her heart did something to her to make her shudder. He looked deep into her blue eyes and asked: Jennifer, "Would you marry me?"

"Of course my darling, I would happy to be your wife."

She jumped up and then jumped back into his lap. Looking into his eyes and said, "I'm the luckiest girl in the world, except maybe your grandmother. Give me a kiss Mr. Lincoln."

He kissed her quickly and held her so tight she gave a groan and it was not from love, but from pain. "Not so hard, honey, you don't know your own strength."

He loosened his hug and raised his hand to the sides of her head and held her inches from his face. Then he slowly touched her lips with his mouth and nibbled on them softly with his teeth. He sucked gently on her lips and she started to breathe harder. He squirmed a little underneath her and she felt his hardness growing. By then they were deep into a heavy embrace. Two tongues playing together each having their own form of love making. His hand started unbuttoning her blouse. She broke the kiss and turned to lay her head in his lap so he could finish unbuttoning her blouse. Her bra was one that connected in front and she helped him with that problem he was having.

About then, the pilot door opened the door and he quickly turned around and went back in. Todd laughed and she moved to button up her blouse. Then she ran to the restroom. Todd picked up the phone on the table next to the sofa and told the pilot to come on back, the coast is clear. The pilot told him they were about a half-hour from Napa. The pilot showed no emotion and was very professional. He made no apology. Todd was waiting for Jen to come back and he moved back towards the restroom. She peeked out the door and asked him, "Is he gone?"

Todd laughed and said, "Come out and take your seat and buckle up we are coming into Napa airport."

He went in to the restroom and soon came back out and sat next to her buckling up and taking her hand in his. He kissed it gently and she leaned against his shoulder and both waited for the wheels to touch down.

After landing and walking to the small terminal, a SUV pulled up with the Lincoln logo on its side. A young Mexican stepped out and ran to help Todd with the bags. A light rain was falling and the weather was a little cool for this time of year in Napa Valley. "Not so good for the grapes," Todd said to no one in particular. Todd and Jen climbed in the back seat and they drove off. "It's about a forty-five minute drive to the vineyard."

She took her pony tail down and brushed her hair. She replaced the band on her pony tail and snuggled up to her man. They held hands all the way to the winery. It was a little dark out from the weather, but still a few hours till dark. She stared out the window wondering what the next few days would bring to her. So many things running through her head: A wedding to plan; her job; and she knew she was missing many things that would have to happen in the next few months. "Jen, just live for the moment and not worry about next week." she said to herself.

Soon they were driving up a long narrow road that ended at the vineyard. She looked out and all she saw was row after row of grapes. She couldn't imagine a thousand acres of grapes. They pulled up to the house and it was small compared to the many building surrounding it. Building after building and people coming and going for as far as she could see was very impressive. All the buildings were lined with giant oak trees. A vegetable garden was at one side of the low house. She saw two Mexicans weeding the garden. They waved and Todd waved back.

He said, "Most of the workers here have been with us for a long time. They live here on the property. We have a bus that takes the kids to the main road for the school bus to pick them up. I feel an educated person is much better than an uneducated one. The special ones we send to college. We loan the money to them for school and when they get a job or come back and work for us, we deduct some of their wages and we have a one hundred percent pay back. When they're married, we give them seed money to start a family."

A group of people were waiting for Todd to arrive. All had somber looks on their faces. They parked and got out. One very old looking woman came running up to Todd and threw her arms around him and she was crying. "It's ok Alice, I'm here now."

He stood there and let here cry. He rocked her back and forth while the staff looked on with sad faces. Jen waited and felt very sad for the nice looking lady in Todd's arms. Finally she broke away and looked towards Jen. She wiped her eyes with a soggy handkerchief and said to Todd, "What do we have here Todd? Nobody said anything about a pretty girl coming with you." She had a big smile on her face and said to Jen, "Welcome to our home. Sorry it had to be at such a bad time. My name is Alice. Please come in the both of you. John will be happy to see you. He's been trying to stay awake for your arrival, but nods off now and then."

They walked into the house and Jen saw right away what Todd had told her about the Mexican things brought back by his parents. The whole house was a Mexican motif; quite lovely, she thought.

Todd turned to Jen and said, "Honey, one of the staff will show you to the guest house. Please make yourself at home. I will go in and see John alone. Forgive me honey I will see you soon in the guest house. Don't forget to call your mother," he said with a little smile.

A pretty little girl took her by the hand and led her through a back door and down a cement path to the guest house. The house was small, but very cozy. Their bags were already in the house. She wandered from room to room and the girl said to her, "If there is anything you need, just pick up the phone and press 111 and ask for Maria. Dinner tonight will be around seven. I'll come and get you when it is time to eat."

Jen looked at her watch and saw that is was about five o'clock. Maria let herself out the door quietly and Jen looked for a phone. On a desk there was a computer and phone. She just had to call her mother and tell her the news. First she had to use the bathroom to wash her face and hands. Coming back to the phone, she noticed the bed was king size. "Looks like lots of room to play around," she mused out loud.

Mother answered on the first ring. "Mom, are you sitting down? I have something to tell you." The excitement in her voice and her mother telling her to slow down brought Jen back to normal. "Todd asked me to marry him and I said yes."

Mother started crying in the phone. "Forgive me Jen," Mother said. Then both of them were crying and after a few minutes, mother said, "What is the date?"

Jen told her she didn't know. "We will talk about it later and I will call you when we set the date." She wasn't crying anymore and she went on to say, "Mom, make a list of guests. Of course Beth will be my maid of honor. Father Paul should be made aware of the upcoming wedding. Oh, mom, I'm so happy. I wish you were here. No, I wish I were there with you and dad."

"Dad is standing right here trying to listen as we talk. Tears are running down his face. We love you very much and dad so wants to meet your man."

She hung up and went back and washed the dried tears off her face. Jen was busy putting unpacking their clothes. Hanging up her sun dresses and the other things she put in a drawer. The chest of drawers was very old. Beautiful wood and the drawers were deep and spacious. She put her things on the left and his things on the right side. Both had packed light. She was hoping she could do some boutique shopping while they were here. She packed up a negligee from Fredrick of Hollywood. Beth had given it to her for a Christmas present last year. She put it in the drawer for later. She had just finished with putting their things away when she heard the door open and she knew it was Todd coming in.

Chapter 7

Todd called out her name. She came in from the bedroom. He had on a very sad face. She gave him a big hug. "Come sit down and tell me about your friend." He sat in an old rocker that might have been his grandfathers. She sat on the floor on a Mexican rug in front of him. Took his shoes off and massaged his feet. He leaned back and closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her fingers on his feet. After a few moments, he raised his head up and looked at her. She was looking at him with a worried look on her face. He knew she was feeling his pain too. "What a woman," he thought.

"Honey, John is dying. A few days at most and he will be gone. Lung cancer and he was never a smoker. He was and is a great guy. Like a second father to me. I spent many summers here with them playing with the other kids. He'll be buried in the family plot on the hill behind the house. He's in no pain. Our nurse is with him and gives him regular pain medication. We had a good talk and even though his voice was weak, he words were clear to me. I promised to take care of Alice and he smiled and then he went to sleep. Now, I must call grandmother and fill her in."

Jen got up and brought him a portable phone. He pulled his tie off and unbuttoned his shirt. She finished the job for him and ran her fingers through his hairy chest.

"Hello grandmother, I know it's late back there but I wanted to fill you in on John's condition. He has only a few more days and then he will be gone. He's comfortable and will pass on with no pain. I'll call you again in the morning." He listened for a few minutes and then he said "Good bye" and put down the phone.

"Let's take a shower before dinner," She said with a smile trying to take his mind off the trouble with John.

"Good idea, but the shower is small and it will be kind of tight in there."

She pulled him to his feet and into the bathroom they went hand in hand. After a pleasant shower, they laid on the bed talking about their future.

Todd and Jen discussed when they would get married and they decided a spring wedding would be nice. He said, "A small wedding would be best, but I understand the need for a larger one. The society pages will sit up and take notice as soon as it's advertised we're to be married. The Lincoln name is big in some circles and I'm one of those 'Most eligible bachelors' you read about in the society pages. Grandmother has so many friends and business associates that'll have to be invited. You'll need a big truck to carry off the presents."

She laughed and said, "My dad will be so emotional. He'll not be worth much, but mother will handle all the preparation work. If your grandmother will give my mother a list of guests, that will help her make a plan. I think we should hire a professional person to make the wedding arrangements."

He agreed with her. "Now it's almost time for dinner and I'll get dressed." They both got up and put on some casual clothes for dinner. Maria knocked on the door and Todd said through the door they were on the way.

The food was good. Mostly Mexican food with some American dishes for the guests, such as, fried chicken and a beef barely soup. A large dining room held about twenty people and tonight it was full. A large chair sat at the head and it was waiting for Todd to sit in it. An empty chair stood next to his right and that was for Jen. Sadly it was a somber affair. Alice sat to Todd's left and they whispered to each other throughout the dinner. Jen was so hungry she shocked herself by eating so much. She ate mostly Mexican food and marveled at the fine taste of it. She noticed standing back by the kitchen door a large Mexican woman was watching her eat. She was obviously watching to see if the special lady of Todd's was enjoying the dinner.

After dinner they went for a walk around the compound. He told her about the vineyard and its parts that made up the place. First he told her about how many people worked and lived here. He said, "We have more than one hundred workers and their families. Most live to the north of here around the other side of the hill. We built small but nice houses for them. Water, power and septic system is in place. We even have a little market for them to shop at. Fresh food is brought in everyday. Like a company store in the old days. However, we only charge them cost plus what it takes to operate the store."

They passed a building with the lights on and workers looked like they were busy with a whole bunch of golf carts. She asked him, "Why so many golf carts? Is there a golf course nearby?"

He laughed, No. no golf course. Workers use them instead of gasoline powered vehicles. Electric carts work well for us and the grapes don't have to breathe the fumes of gasoline cars. There is enough pollution in the air as it is, why make more pollution."

They walked on and she noticed a sign that said clinic on it. "What is that?" she said.

He told her they had a small clinic for the workers and their families. "A RN is on staff everyday and twice a week a doctor friend of mine comes up for some of the more serious cases. We find it is cheaper than providing medical insurance to the people."

He had his arm around her and said, "Let's go back to our house and make love." She leaned her head on his shoulder and turned him around and they headed back for a night of love making and quiet talk under the sheets.

On the way back he told her that tomorrow he would show her a surprise. He would say no more and a feeling of well being flowed through her body. "Tomorrow will be an exciting day." She said to herself.

Chapter 8

The next day dawned bright and clear. Hardly any trace of rain was left. No wind was blowing and Jen heard the birds singing in the big oak trees. Sounds of workers taking in Spanish could be heard. She heard someone say loudly, "Speak English. You're not in Mexico anymore." Jen lay there smiling and Todd was still asleep. She watched him sleep and noticed what a strong nose he had. Powerful eyebrows that was dark and full. They were connected to make one dark line of eyebrow. "Very sexy," she thought. She traced his cheek down to his chin with her fingers. He made a small sound in his throat and opened one eye. She ran her fingers over his lips and he opened his mouth and took a finger in and sucked on it. He reached out for her and they made soft and tender love reaching a place where now, they both understood.

After a shower they went to the big house and they had breakfast alone. Todd first went to check on John and then he returned to say no change in his condition. He was sleeping and he sat down and they had oatmeal and homemade bread for toast. A big jar of homemade black berry jam sat on the table. Coffee mugs full of his special coffee were already poured for them.

Someone must have seen them walking down to the big house. She thought to herself. They made small talk and she reminded him of the 'special' place he was going to take her this morning. He said to her, "I have a meeting after breakfast with some managers and that should take about an hour. Meet me here and we will go for a little ride."

She said, "I have to make some phone calls and then I will be ready for you in an hour." They finished their coffee and she thanked the kitchen for a lovely breakfast. He went out the front door and she returned to the little house.

She took her lap top and checked for messages that might concern her clients. All was well. No messages. She then checked her personal e-mail and found a ton of messages from her friends. They knew she had a new lover because they hadn't heard from her all weekend. She clicked reply to all of them and sent one message: "Hello friends, I'm getting married. Talk to you later. Love, Jen." That should make for some good gossip, she thought to herself.

She called her mother and told her that Todd's grandmother would send a list of guests to her. She also told her that they would hire someone to make all the arrangements for the wedding. Her mother said, "That should make it a lot easier. Now we must pick out your wedding dress and the bride's maid dresses." She went on to tell her, "Father talked to your sister last night and your sister will be here for the wedding. I suggest you call her. Father said she is waiting for your call."

"Oh, mom, I can't wait until spring." And then she hung up the phone. She had no idea what time it was in France. She dug through her bag and found her sister's phone number and placed the call. Surprisingly, a few moments later her sister answered the phone. "Jan, its Jen," she said to her sister. Jen went on to explain to her sister all about her future husband and how they met. They both laughed and Jan told her she would be there for the wedding. Jen thought to herself, Maybe I made a mistake making Beth my maid of honor. I hope Jan doesn't feel left out. Then she thought about jet lag and all the rehearsals and she realized Jan would be happy to just sit with her mother and father.

She looked at her watch and it was time to meet Todd. She was wearing shorts and a pull over top. Both were yellow with the top a lighter shade. She changed into her running shoes thinking there might be some walking involved. Brushed her hair and left it down and not in a pony tail. She wanted to look a little more sophisticated and older without the pony tail. She put on a touch of lipstick and went out the door.

Todd was waiting for her at the front of the big house. He was talking to a tall good looking guy. They looked serious. Todd saw her coming and it looked like he was finished talking with him. He smiled at her and held out his hand walking towards her. "Let's go if you're ready,"

"I'm with you, lead on and did you bring a blindfold?"

He laughed. "No, this is not that big of a surprise. But, I think you will find it very interesting. First I must show you what is behind the buildings." He led her around and to the back of the newer buildings. Sitting under some massive Mush Oak trees was an old set of buildings made of wood. Remarkable, they looked in good shape for their age, she thought. He held her by the hand and stopped and said to her, "This is the original office and winery. It dates back to the early 1900's. Come let me show you the inside of the office." They walked up to the place where an ancient sign said: "Office"

The door opened easily. Not a squeak or creak of sound came from the door opening. She took a step inside and there in front of her sat an enormous desk. It was made of the same wood the dresser was made of. There sat a beautifully polished desk with a single bookkeeper's lamp in the middle back. A swivel chair, the kind you only saw in old pictures, was placed up next to the desk. "This was my grandmother's desk," He said to her. "For many years she sat here and ran the business. Grandfather's office is just through that door."

Jen was speechless. Not a speck of dust was evident. Floors gleamed. Walls still had old pictures on them and a calendar dated, 1955 was still on the wall. It was a calendar advertising the local John Deere place in Napa.

He took her by the arm and led her into another office. "This is where the serious business took place. Grandfather entertained his guests here. They played cards and drank wine. Grandmother finally put in an outside door to cut down on the foot traffic through her office." Todd laughed. "Can't you just see them now? My grandfather with a big cigar in his mouth, playing cards, and drinking wine with some of the biggest land owners in the valley!"

He took her by the arm and went out the side door. They went in to the next building and it was restored the same as the office. All of the original wooden storage barrels and vats stood about in neat order. Presses looked like they were just used yesterday, gave off an unmistakable grape odor. Jen walked around staring and unbelieving what her eyes were showing her. Todd stood there and watched her look around. He knew she appreciated the significance of the winery and its history of the Lincoln family. "We spend a lot of money keeping this old place restored, but grandmother will not have it any other way. When she's gone, as long as I live I will abide by her wishes."

They returned to the front of the newer building and went into where the golf carts were parked. Most were gone now. Todd walked up to one that was of a different color than the rest of them. He told her, "Get in and let's go."

He back out and they headed towards the hill in the distance. A blacktop road down through the grapes gave them a smooth ride. The smell of ripe grapes was almost overwhelming. The wind blew through her hair. She quickly tied it up in a pony tail. Workers were everywhere. People in white coats dotted the fields.

"The white coat people are our expert scientists checking on the grapes to see if any damage was done by the rain last night. We are close to harvesting and then it gets very busy around here. I hope to be out of here when that happens. My only concern now is John. Without him, I'm not sure how successful harvest will be. This morning we placed the Operations Manager in the General Managers position at our meeting. He's a fine man and been with us and John for many years. I'm confident harvesting will go smoothly."

They rounded the hill and on the north side was a large gate in front of what looked like a cave. He pulled up in front and a security man came out to meet them. He noticed the color of the golf cart and he said, 'Hello Mr. Lincoln. Just a minute and I'll open the gate.' He went back inside his little guard house and soon the gate was opening up. Todd drove through and into the cave. Lights were on and they drove to the back of the cave past thousands of bottles of wine. Jen could not believe her eyes. Wooden casks of wine lined the walls on both sides. After a few minutes of driving, he arrived at a place far in the back with a locked gate and a warning sign saying, 'High Voltage.'

Todd went to a box on the wall. Opened the small door and out of his wallet, swiped a card down through a magnetized slot. The lights came on and a clicking sound came from the front of the gate. He said, "Follow me honey, not many people have seen what you're about to see. Most of the one's who have seen these cave secrets are dead and gone. Grandmother and I are the only ones allowed in here."

Within a short distance was a steel door, with solid rock surrounding it; he punched in a series of numbers and the door opened and lights came on inside. Starting in the front and going to the back, which perhaps was about one hundred feet long, were racks of wine bottles on both sides. Room only to walk and the air was cool and she could hear a fan blowing. "I'm a little cold Todd," she said.

"Oh, sorry, here is a coat. We have lots of coats to wear. Inside is a constant fifty-five degrees. The oldest bottles are in the very back and the newest in the front. The oldest ones we have are from the original stock before the turn of the 20th century. There're two bottles dated, 1888. Here let me show you them."

They walked to the back and he stopped in the middle and said, "Look at this one" and he took it off the rack. He read the date and reported, "A 1933, a Merlot." He smiled and told her, "This date was during the depression. It was hard times for everyone, including my family."

Reaching the end of the wine racks, against the wall, there was a safe buried in the rock. He punched in a set of numbers and the door opened with a light in the inside. Inside were two bottles of wine and a whole bunch of papers. He took one bottle out and showed it to her. The label was almost unreadable. She could make out 'Lincoln Vineyards' and the year 1888. "My god," she said, "What is this bottle worth?"

Todd grinned at her and said "It's priceless" He went on to tell her a story about his grandfather's brother and his son. "The son wanted a bottle to celebrate his parents' wedding anniversary in nineteen thirty eight. Not to drink, mind you, but to have as a reminder of his wedding to his wife. He had the bottle in his wine rack for years and years. About six years ago, his son, my cousin, took the bottle and auctioned it off. Of course it brought a high price as never before has a Lincoln Vineyard bottle of wine been auctioned off. It fetched fifty thousand dollars. Of course it was in the news. We investigated and bought it back for one-hundred thousand. Instead of punishing the young man, we sent him to a clinic for drug abuse and now he is in San Rafael selling wine for us. We financed him and now six years later, he is clean and sober. The wine shop makes money and he is married and has two kids. A success story with a happy ending and I think that is part of grandmother's luck."

Jen asked, "What are all those papers?"

"These are the original ledgers written in Sicilian. I can read some of it, but some I can't read. I spent two summers in Sicily and had a tutor. I can speak the language well, read it too, but have a little trouble writing. I was a young boy about thirteen then. I fell in love with a cousin and didn't want to leave when it was time for me to come home and go to school. I still think about her." He laughed and said, "You know she was nineteen and teased me to no end."

They closed up the safe and went back to the door. He hung up her coat and closed the door. Jen said, "Todd, this is almost overwhelming and I'm very proud of you and your family's history. I'm almost in dream land. Nothing seems real but I know holding on to you and making love is very real."

She was holding onto him tight as it was still a little cold. They returned to the cart and drove back out into the sunlight. Warm air hit her arms and she felt much better. The sky was a deep blue after the rain. A slight breeze was blowing and he turned down another road to show her the worker's community. The houses were set slightly up on the hill as the bottom land was planted entirely in grapes. They drove around and women and kids were outside doing things in the mornings before it got too hot. He showed her the market, post office and even a small bank. He said, "Well, it's time we got back and have lunch with Alice and check on John." She squeezed his arm and drove back through the grape fields to the compound. They parked the cart and walked to the big house.

The nurse met him just inside the door. They walked off to the side a little ways for privacy. She talked into his ear and he nodded his head once or twice. Both of them walked into John's bedroom and closed the door. Jen walked to the kitchen and sat down at a small table by a window. Maria asked her if she would like a cool drink of fresh fruit juice. Jen said, "Thank you, yes I would."

A few minutes later, Todd came in and said to Jen, "Let's have lunch and then we will go for a drive to Sausalito." They walked to the dining room and sat down. Todd had a very serious look on his face. He said to her in a low voice, "John is not doing well. He probably will not last the day. I've set in motion the burial plan and tomorrow we will place him in the family plot. It will be a quiet ceremony with only those workers who want to pay their respects will come."

After lunch, they drove down to Sausalito to meet his old friend Dennis at Todd's old house. "Dennis has been after me for years to buy my sail boat. He says it belongs in the Bay Area. Maybe he is right. It is time to shed a few memories and begin some new ones."

He gave her a big smile and she squeezed his leg. "Honey, you know best what you want. I'll follow you, but I do like the water and boating."

"I know," he said. "No doubt we will be having breakfast with Millie again soon." The rest of the drive was quiet as she let him think about his second father, John. She sat back and enjoyed the scenery.

"California is certainly lovely. "Soon it will be winter in New York and out will come the winter clothes and put away the sun dresses," she said to Todd.

Later, pulling off the freeway and down into Sausalito, she saw nothing but beautiful homes and at the waterfront, boutiques were everywhere. Todd drove along the waterfront and pulled over and parked in front of an old restored home. His old house, she said to herself.

"Honey, here we are," as Dennis came bounding down the stairs and he and Todd gave each other a big hug. They pounded each other on the back and stared into each other's eyes.

"Come in", and then he took notice of Jen. "Todd, you done hit the jackpot!" he exclaimed.

Todd introduced her to him and they shook hands. Dennis led her up the steps and into the house. It had been completely restored since Todd lived there and he was pleased with the results with the restoration. "Beautiful," Todd said.

"Thanks Todd", Dennis replied. "We are in the process of rebuilding the dock out front in anticipation of a new sailboat," He said tongue in cheek.

Todd laughed, "We have a few things to talk about." They went into the kitchen/dining room and sat at a table in front of a big bay window overlooking the water and town.

"Beautiful", was all Jen could say. "Todd, how could you ever leave such a beautiful place?"

He smiled and said, "If I was still here, I'd have never met you."

She flashed a big smile at him and they locked eyes for a moment or two until Dennis cleared his throat. "Sorry Dennis, but I can't keep my eyes off my future wife."

"Congratulations my friend," Dennis said. 'Would you like a glass of wine? Needless to say, it's from a winery I know up in Napa Valley."

Without an answer he went to the refer and got out a bottle of wine and took three glasses out of the cupboard. Poured them half full and sat back down. Todd said, "Dennis, I've decided to take you up on your offer of the Penny. I'll have my guy clean it out and I'll call you when it's ready."

Dennis raised his glass and said, "Here's to you two and you're upcoming marriage. May the future hold good fortune for you both?" They drank their wine and then went for a walk along the waterfront.

Jen went shopping to let them talk and she bought some summer clothes and she found some presents to take back to her mother and Beth. She found a special present for her sister: a lovely pair of pants with a matching top. 'Very chic,' even by French standards she thought. She also found a sun hat to go with her light blue pants and blouse. By now she had an arm load. Lucky for her, Todd and Dennis were walking close by. Todd saw her and they came across the street. Todd said, "Need some help there lady?"

"Thank you both. I sort of went crazy buying things in this lovely town." Todd and Dennis relieved her of her packages and they walked back to the car.

"Well, Dennis, see you in the spring time. You'll get an invitation in the mail. I'll call you when the boat is ready for transportation." They shook hands and Dennis gave Jen a peck on the cheek. They said more good-byes and they drove off.

His cell phone rang. He said 'Hello.' Listened for awhile and then closed his phone. He said to Jen, "John passed away a few minutes ago. I feel so bad for Alice."

Jen told him how much sorrow she felt for both him and Alice. "Honey, lean on me if need be."

"Thanks. I'm glad you're with me. Gives me someone to talk to and I do love you so much."

The next day was full of sorrow and grief. To Jen it was a kind of a blur. John was laid to rest and Todd spent most the day talking to Alice. As usual, a light rain fell most of the day.

Why did it always rain when there is a funeral, she wondered. She remembered they moved out all the carts from the building and set up tables for food. Over one hundred field workers and staff had their fill of Mexican food. The kitchen staff took the day off too. Todd had the food catered. It all went smoothly and they went to bed early that night and slept soundly.

The next day they had an early breakfast. Jen could hear lots of chatter in the kitchen and Maria had a smile on her face. Alice joined them and even though you could still see the grief in her face, had on a smile and she and Todd chatted for a little while. They talked about things Jen didn't fully understand, but knew he would tell her later. Todd had told her the night before they would be leaving in the morning. She had packed up their things and was ready to leave when he said so. Todd said good bye to Alice and Alice gave a big hug to Jen and said she would see her in the spring at the wedding. Jen hugged her back and kissed her on the cheek. She liked this woman and hoped she would be alright in the future. Jen gave Maria a hug and said good bye to the cook and staff that had been so friendly to her.

The young guy who had driven them from the airport was waiting to take his precious cargo to the airport. All the workers and staff were standing around watching. Jen saw and waved with a sincere smile. They waved back and she got into the SUV. Todd was kind of quiet most of the way to the airport. He said, when they drove in to the airport, "I have another surprise for you, my dear."

She wondered, 'What now?' He squeezed her hand and she squeezed his leg very near his crotch. He smiled, and moved closer hopping she would continue the nice feeling. They pulled up to the hanger and sitting outside the hanger was a helicopter with the Lincoln logo on it. She stayed with the car while he went into the office. Soon he came back out and said they were ready to go. Go where, she thought. They got in and the pilot started the engine and they took off. It was loud and Todd handed her a head set. He put one on too and she could hear his voice through the head set. "We are going to the City,' he said.

She sat back and enjoyed the trip. Looking out the window, he pointed to the west and said, "That little place below the freeway is Sausalito."

She saw the Golden Gate Bridge connecting the two land masses so important to the area's economy. Off to the left she saw Oakland coming up and the Bay Bridge connecting Oakland and the City. They were rapidly approaching San Francisco. Getting closer she saw the pyramid looking building and next to the water she knew that was Fisherman's Warf. She also saw some tiny cable cars so famous for the City. The pilot slowed down as they entered the city. She felt, rather than saw, the helicopter coming to a very slow speed. Then she saw a large building underneath them and glimpsed a big X on the top of the building. Todd said to her, "That's the helipad of the Top of the Mark."

Landing softly, the pilot shut down to an idle and a man ran up and opened the door for them. They got off and quickly Todd put his sport coat around her because the air was much cooler than up in Napa Valley. A man stood by the door of the building and as they approached, opened the door and they went in. He said, "Welcome back, Mr. Lincoln."

"Sam this is my fiancé, Jen."

"My pleasure," he said while pushing the elevator button. The door opened and they stepped in and down to the next floor where the elevator opened up to a large hallway. "Your suite is ready for you as usual, Mr. Lincoln."

An attendant opened the door and they stepped inside. Jen took her coat off and the attendant took it from her and went to a bed room and hung it up. Meanwhile she dropped her bag into a chair and walked to the window. "What a magnificent view," she said to nobody. Todd walked up to her, put his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. She laid her head back and closed her eyes. Todd released her and watched as the porter carried their bags to the bedroom.

Sam said, "If you need anything, just give the desk a call."

"Thanks Sam."

"By the way, Mr. Lincoln, your favorite coffee is in the refrigerator. The grinder is next to the coffee pot."

Jen walked up to Todd as he was saying thanks and goodbye to Sam. The manager and the porters left and Jen noticed fresh fruit on a table. Todd looked at his watch and commented, "Well, it's only eleven o'clock. Less than two hours from the vineyard to here. What say you and I go to the basement pool and fitness center for a work out before lunch?"

"That would be nice," she said. "Let me change into some shorts and T-shirt and put my running shoes on."

While she was changing, Todd made a phone call and then came into the bedroom. His shorts and a T-shirt were lying on the bed. Shoes and socks on the floor next to the bed. He quickly changed and she playfully, grabbed at him while putting on his shorts. He fell onto the bed and she jumped on top of him. Smothered him with kisses and rolled off him laughing. He rolled onto his side and put his hands on her breasts. She moaned and he kissed her deeply. She pushed him away and said to him, "Come on, we can do this later."

They got up and he was pouting while putting on his shoes. She punched him in the arm and said, "Don't pout, big boy, I'll make up for it later."

They went out the door and up to the elevator, A few moments later the door opened and they got in. Down they went and when they stopped and the door opened, they stepped out into a beautiful area completely carpeted. Next to the far wall was a giant pool. Left was the dressing rooms and she guessed that through the double doors the training room. Not a sole was around. They were alone. "Todd, where are all the people?"

"I asked for an hour of privacy."

"How can you do that?" she asked.

"Well, we own a large part of this hotel. My grandfather loved to stay here so he bought into it. We've had a suite here for the Lincoln family for years. There're other rooms for our employees, but on another floor." They walked to the pool and he took off his shoes, shorts and T-shirt. She stared at him.

He said, "Don't worry; no one dare sneak a peek. Trust me." He dove into the water and came up and looked at her standing next to the pool fully dressed. She looked around and slowly took off her shoes and socks. Looked around again and took off her T-shirt, slipped her shorts off and was standing there with bra and panties on. '

"If you hurry and get into the water, no one will be the wiser."

She quickly slipped off her panties and bra and dove in coming up to him next to his side. "Doesn't this feel good?" he asked her. She smiled and dove under and came up a long ways away and swam with long strokes down the side of the pool. He took off after her and they made a couple of laps and pulled up to the side of the pool breathing hard.

"This is my first time skinny dipping," she said.

"Me too," he lied. They swam back and forth across the pool and she followed him up the ladder staring at his cute butt. She was comfortable now and they picked up their clothes and went into a dressing room. Towels were laid out for them and they dried off and got back into their work-out clothes.

They made their way to the exercise room where they worked out individually. They were used to doing their own regime and after an hour or so they went to the shower together. White marble floors and walls made up the shower area. He asked her if she would like a rub down and she declined. Saying, "I would rather go up to our room and take a break. Maybe order lunch in and watch a movie. My head is spinning from so many things going on, I need to slow down and relax."

He agreed with her and they made their way back to their room. Walking up to the door of the suite, she noticed in gold letters: The Lincoln Suite. Very impressive, she thought. Once inside, he asked her, "What would you like to eat?"

"Honey, you order for me, I'm too tired to think about it."

He picked up the phone and ordered lunch. She plopped down on the sofa and laid her head back and closed her eyes. Todd went to the kitchen and brought back some fruit juice and cold bottled water. "Drink the water first, then the juice," he said.

"Yes, doctor, I will," she said coyly and a little submissively. After drinking the water and juice, they waited for lunch to arrive.

Lunch arrived and they moved to the table. It was simple lunch of cold meat, cheese and a salad. The famous San Francisco sour dough bread sliced on a plate. She tasted the dressing and remarked, "This is very good. I normally don't like a French dressing, but this taste delicious."

He made no comment as he was stuffing his mouth with meat and cheese. He just nodded his head. She, meanwhile, followed suit. Soon they slowed down and he made up his salad. Again she followed him and soon they were satisfied.

They sat on the sofa and listened to music. He said, "I must make a few phone calls" and she mumbled something and as he got up, she fell down and immediately went to sleep. He put a blanket over her and went to the desk and made some phone calls. An hour later, he woke her up and said to her, "Let's go in the bedroom and take a long nap."

She staggered after him and they both took off their clothes and got into bed.

She put her arm over him and he found her lips warm and inviting. He worked his way down from her lips to her neck. She was lying on her back with one arm playing in his hair. He kissed her neck and moved down to her breasts. Gently, ever so gently he nibbled on her hard nipples. From one to the other he moved back and forth. Then down to her smooth flat belly where he played with her belly button with his tongue. By now she was making small sounds of pleasure. He moved down to the blonde triangle all the while playing with her nipples with his hands. He found what he was looking for and she gave off sounds of pure ecstasy. Finally she arched her back and she saw nothing but stars in a place called by some, heaven.

He moved back up to her side and held her closely. She reached down and found his manhood. "I told you it would be worth it to wait until we got back to the room."

She started with his nipples and worked down to his member. He thought of nothing else until the lights went out of his head and if he didn't know better, he would have thought he had a heart attack. Never in his life did he feel such pleasure. Sure he had this happen before, but never with someone he loved. A very different feeling swept over him. His heart was still racing and she continued to hold on to him. She got up and went to the bathroom and he followed her in. They took a long hot shower and crawled back into bed. They slept for hours.

The same dream came back to haunt him. Each time a little clearer. This time after the running and bike riding in the park, he was back in a hospital looking down at a woman. Before the face was unclear, now it began to take shape before his eyes. The face staring back of him was Jen's mother! In the dream he jumped back and then he woke up sweating. Jen was sound asleep and he quietly got out of bed and went to the bathroom. Looked in the mirror and washed his face and toweled off his body. My god, do I tell Jen about my dream, he thought to himself. Maybe something terrible is going to happen to her mother. He shook his head and said to himself, "Get real, Todd, you know dreams are not reality."

He went back to the bed and crawled in beside Jen. He looked at his watch and it was six pm. He kissed her nose and she woke up. "What time is it," she asked.

"Time to wake up and have a cup of coffee, I think."

"Give me a minute, please."

He went to the closet to find some slacks and shirt to put on. He was expecting company at seven pm. She looked fresh from a shower. She looked at him making coffee and sat down at the counter and watched him move. Smooth in his movements and never wasted a motion, she thought to herself.

"Feel better," he asked.

"I'm fresh and ready to go another round Doctor Feel Good." He smiled at her and sat the coffee down. She took a sip and commented on how good it tasted. Just then the door bell rang. Todd walked to the coffee table and clicked on the TV. Another click and a closed circuit camera came on showing the outside of the door with audio and sound. A man with a suit on and a briefcase with two companions stood outside the door. The suit said, "I hope the son of a bitch buys a big diamond so I can take a trip to Vegas."

Todd clicked off the TV/security camera and went to the door. A big smile was on the man's face when Todd opened the door. "Come in," Todd said.

The man came in and sat his brief case down on the coffee table. He unlocked the hand cuffs and then unlocked the brief case. He opened it up and the sparkle of diamonds reflected up from the case. There were three levels of diamonds. He placed each of them on the table and said, "Take your time and choose what you like. I've taken the precaution of placing two men outside the door and there are a few more in the hotel looking for suspicious characters."

Jen sat down and looked with awe on her face. She touched some of them and picked a ring up and placed it on her finger. She took that one off and placed another on her finger. They all seem to fit her finger perfectly. She thought, Todd must have called and given him an idea of her finger size.

Actually, unknown to her, Todd has called his San Francisco office and talked to a lady there and gave her the finger size. The lady at the office made all the arrangements for the showing of the engagement rings. She looked at Todd and said, "I will have a hard time picking out what I like."

"No problem, the rings will be here all night."

The man gasped and said, "That is taking quite a risk, Mr. Lincoln."

"Well, this son of a bitch is going to take his time spending his money." Todd said.

The man's face turned red and said backing out to the door, "I'll just leave the men outside and tell them when you're ready for me to come back."

"That would be fine, but you need not worry about it anymore because you are fired! And you can find a new job in Vegas." Todd went on to say, "You best check with your manager and you will find that the Lincoln Corporation owns your store." The man turned on his heels and left in a hurry.

For the better part of two hours, Jen sorted through the rings. Finally she had it down to three. She said, "I'll choose in the morning if that is ok with you."

He told her that would be fine and went to the door and had the two guys waiting there to come in and take the rest of them back to the jewelry store. They packed them up and left without a word.

Jen said she was a little tired, but wanted to watch a movie. He agreed and he called the desk and told them he wanted to watch a movie. He told the desk he wanted 'Pretty Woman' and the desk told him someone would bring it up shortly. A few minutes went by and a knock on the door brought the movie. The boy put the movie in the machine and showed Todd how to turn it on and turn it off. The boy left as quickly as he arrived.

Todd and Jen sat on the sofa, turned the lights down low and turned the movie on. Both had seen the movie before, but she told him how much she loved Julie Roberts in this movie. They snuggled up and the movie came on. Similar to the movie they watched before, they only made it half way and went to bed. They curled up together and both fell asleep quickly.

No dreams came to him that night and in the morning he woke fresh and rested. Jen was already in the bathroom and he went in and found her in the giant tub with soap suds slopping over the edge. He jumped in and the water spilled over the sides. "Lucky there is a drain in the floor," he said.

They frolicked around and splashed water on each other. She turned the jets on and an hour later they were satisfied with what happened in the tub. They took a shower and made ready to leave. He'd told her they were leaving this morning and she went in and packed their clothes.

Everything ready, they went down to the lobby and restaurant for breakfast. This was the first time she had seen the lobby and the inside of this beautiful old hotel. Cathedral ceiling, tapestry adorned the walls and high chandeliers shone brightly. The floor was marble and the furniture was 19th century. People were busy coming and going. She thought to herself, presidents and royalty stay here. Movie stars and anyone that is anybody has stayed at the Mark. They made their way to the restaurant and they were seated discreetly by themselves. Todd looked at his watch and said, "The helicopter will be here in an hour to take us to the airport where we will fly back to New York."

Their breakfast of eggs Benedict came with fresh fruit, fresh OJ and Todd's French Roast coffee was served in addition to a Wall Street Journal. He never looked at the paper. His eyes were for her only. A pink tinge to her cheeks was evident. Her blouse, bought in Sausalito added to her complexion. The skirt was olive brown in color, contrasting her skin, but she had on panty hose which toned down the white of her legs. Her new ring was on her finger. She chose a smaller diamond because she didn't want her friends to thing she was showing off. It was beautiful and he liked it too.

They sat there for a little while chatting and then his cell phone rang. He said, "We will be right there. Time to go," he said.

Once on board they headed for San Jose airport. Upon arrival, they transferred to the same jet that had brought them to Napa.

Chapter 9

After takeoff, he told her about his grandmother wanting him to take a larger role in running the company.

Once the seat belt sign came off, he went to the back of the plane and opened the safe. Inside were some papers his grandmother had sent to him while they were in Napa. He came back to the seat and told her if she didn't mind, he wanted to spend a little time reading these reports.

She said to him, "Yes, go ahead, I will check my lap top and check in with my office."

He smiled at her and went to the table and laid out the files in order. Opened up the first one and started to read. She hooked up her computer and checked her business e-mail first. There were a few messages to her, but nothing that couldn't wait until she got back. She then looked through her personal e-mail and after two hours of e-mailing, finally closed the lap top and turned to look at her future husband.

He was deep into reading, but she noticed the pile was smaller. She went to the restroom and washed up and brought him a soft drink. She went back to her seat and called her mother. She went on to tell her mother all that they had been doing and her new engagement ring. Tears of happiness were flowing down her cheeks and her mother was crying too. She closed up her phone and Todd was standing next to the seat. Jen asked him, "Did you finish honey?"

"Yes, for now. I need to see grandmother when we return. Come over here to the table and we will talk awhile."

After sitting down, he said to her, "Honey, it looks like I will have to give up my practice. Grandmother is not all that well and there is no one but me to take over the corporation. It's is my responsibility as a Lincoln to carry on the name. I'll be very busy for a little while, but I promise the weekends are ours."

In the years to come, he never broke his promise to her. A better husband and father were yet to be found. He was totally committed to his family.

However, before she realized how committed to her she was, Jen felt jealous of his total commitment to his job and grandmother. I knew it was too good to be true, she angrily thought. I won't see him all week long and sure he says he will give her the weekends. But I know how that goes. Once a man sinks his teeth into a project, he never looks up until it is over. And over is not what I see from the powerful Lincoln man. I need to talk to mother about this, she worriedly thought.

Landing in New York it was still early evening. About six o'clock. Hot steamy weather greeted them as they walked off the plane. His car was parked in the hanger to keep it cool. A young man welcomeed them and said he would put the bags behind the seat. He ran to the plane and he and the co-pilot loaded the bags into the car.

"Jen", he said to her, "Would it be all right if I had one of my people drive you home. I need to drive up and see grandmother."

"That would be fine," she said. Well here it starts as he wants someone to drive me home. I had best think about marrying him as I have no intention of marrying a work alcoholic, she thought more than a little upset.

He gave her a peck on the cheek and a hug and told her he would call her in the morning or she could call him tonight if she wanted. She knew and felt he needed to see his grandmother or he would have driven her home, or they would have gone to his place. She felt a little jealous. Well Jen, you can't have him twenty four hours a day, she said to herself.

The co-pilot drove her home and she thanked him and went into the house. Mom was in the kitchen. Jen kind of surprised her a little and then they gave each other a big hug and kiss. "Dad will be home soon," mom said. "Put your things in your room and come back down for dinner. You look a little tired my dear."

Jen went to her room and unpacked her bag. Changed clothes and washed her face and came back down to find her father sitting at the dinner table. "Hello precious little girl. I missed you and come here and give your old dad a hug and kiss."

Jen did better than that, she sat in his lap and gave him a big sloppy kiss on the cheek. He wiped it off and said, "You haven't done that since you were in high school" He gave her a hug and said, "Tell me all about your trip and Todd."

Meanwhile, Todd was on his way to grandmothers. Mixed thoughts of Lincoln business and Jen occupied his mind. He pulled off the highway and put the top down. Put on some Jazz and continued on his way. The music helped and the wind blowing through his hair shed a different light on his thoughts. His mind went to sailing. The only thing he loved more than Jen was being on the water in a boat. He flashed back on the night in the cove. A smile crept across his face. Now he felt better and picked up the phone and called his future wife. She answered on the second ring. "What are you doing," he said.

"Eating dinner with mom and dad. Where are you?"

"I'm on the freeway headed for grandmothers. I'm doing one hundred fifty miles an hour with the top down."

"Slow down you want to kill yourself," she yelled at him

"I'm kidding. I'm at the speed limit and was thinking of you looking at my empty seat next to me."

"Call me later," she said.

"I love and adore you,"

"I too, got to go now, call soon and drive safe."

He closed his phone. He was now in a good mood and ready to see grandmother.

Todd pulled into grandmother's drive way and put the top up and carried his brief case and bag to the door. He rang the bell and it was answered by the housekeeper. She greeted him and told him grandmother was in the library at her desk waiting for him. He dropped his bag and walked to the library just off the long hallway. He knocked on the door and when he heard her say, "Come in, is that you Todd?"

He walked in and gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek. He sat down on a large old fashion chair that swallows you up. She moved from behind her desk and sat across from him in a much smaller chair with a straight back.

She wanted to know everything about the vineyard and did he have time to read the reports she sent? He filled her in on the winery and gave her a summary of what he had read. She nodded her head from time to time. Then she said to him, "Todd my health is fading and I'm no longer able to run this corporation alone. It's time to turn it over to you. I have a few years left and will help you every step of the way. Sorry to have this happen at a time in your life when you're about to be married, but as someone said, "Time waits for no man."

He told her he was ready to step in and learn the business from her. "I will spend every possible day with you. I will close up my practice and move up here with you. I promised Jen I would spend the weekends with her. I will keep my promise. I hope you understand my position grandmother."

She nodded her head and gave him her approval of his plan. He told her tomorrow he would go to his office and make plans to close up shop. Then he would spend the weekend with Jen and be up on Monday morning. She again nodded her head and then said, "Well, even though it is a little late, I'll give you some background on things you need to know about. In particular, I want to tell you about the power players in and out of our company who will either support you or be your worst enemy."

"I'll go back to about the early nineteen hundreds. Your grandfather and I bought out your grandfather's brother. The brother had other ideas and that plays no part in this story. Your grandfather did the selling and the production end of the business. I kept the books and had control of the money. Some up and downs ensued, but overall, we were quite successful. The winery you know about. The people here in New York, you don't know about. We have many distant relatives and friends here in New York. All are either from Sicily or Italy. I channeled money to them and they invested in real estate and other profitable companies. Some of them had 'family' connections, as you can well imagine. I never compromised us. I tried to stay clear of any 'family' dealings that were against the law."

"Anyway, we managed to stay clear of shady dealings and that is why I moved here in nineteen fifty five. By then we had extensive holdings and we borrowed against them and continued our rapid growth through the fifties until today." Grandmother went on to tell Todd about the relatives and friends in New York. 'Starting next week, they will come here one by one to meet the new Chairman of the Board. I've a complete dossier on each of them and we will, together, go over their positions in our company. I'll save the opposition until last. Best to know your supporters first and then you can best judge your enemies. Know your enemies better than your friends."

"

"Now, Todd, I'm a little tired and I will go to bed. Please call the housekeeper and tell her I'm ready for bed."

Todd went to the desk and pushed a button underneath and very quickly in came the housekeeper. Grandmother left and he sat down at her desk and looked at the top of it. "It's so grandmother," he said out loud to the room. One file folder was sitting on the desk in front of him. No other files were evident. He saw the name on it and immediately recognized it from the past. It was a distant cousin of his grandmothers and he wondered why this particular folder was left out. Then he realized it was intended for him to read. He opened it up and there was a picture of an old man smiling sitting at the head of a dining table with a glass of wine in his hand. He scanned the document picking out the important facts. He closed the file and sat back and thought about it. He quickly realized that this man was one of grandmother's staunch allies and on the top of the list. He made a mental note of that fact and closed the file. Turned out the light and went to his room. His clothes and toilet articles were unpacked and in their usual places when he stayed here. It got undressed and laid in bed with a stack of files from his brief case. He read late into the night and then fell asleep. A dreamless night and awoke fresh in the morning.

Todd put down the top while he drove to the free way. He called his bride to be. The day was already warm and it was going to be hot and muggy. No matter, I'm going to be with the girl I love and we will spend a glorious week end together. Should we go out on the sailboat, he wondered to himself. Jen answered the phone and knew it was him from her caller ID. "Good morning", they said to each other at the same time.

They laughed and started over again. He told her his plan and said that she would meet him at his office after he called her to come there. Meanwhile, she told him that her and mother had so much to do that she would be busy until he called. They whispered sweet loving things to each other and put away their phones.

He turned the music up and sat back and enjoyed the ride. The Porsche felt powerful under his hands and feet. He made a point of making sure on their honeymoon they would go to Germany and drive a new Porsche on the Bohn. Let it all hang out and feel the raw power of the engine flowing through his body. Much like when Jen brought him over the top when making love to him: a feeling like no other feeling in the world, except maybe a fast ride in a Porsche.

Todd spent the morning talking to the doctor that had replaced him and asked him to continue the day out. The doctor told him he would and he would use the reception area to do his paper work. Todd could use his desk to make phone calls and make preparations for moving his belonging to his grandmother's house. His plan after they were married was to live at grandmothers so he could be near her and take care of her if needed. He thought Jen would approve and agree to his idea of staying there sometimes if necessary.

He spent all morning on the phone making various calls all over the States talking to key people in and out of the business informing them of his position in Lincoln. He had called his old school and made an appointment for two o'clock with the head of the hospital.

Then he called Jen to have her meet him at his office and they would have lunch somewhere up in Boston. He loved Boston and its rich atmosphere. His years there were very nice, but a little lonely. That loneliness was gone now. He had Jen and a future that would be filled with joy. He pictured his kids running around grandmother's house and playing in the back yard with them. He realized that he had been daydreaming when there was a knock on the door. He looked at the door and Jen walked in looking radiant and beautiful. She had on a long pair of dark red pants and a flowery blouse that matched. The blouse she bought in California. Her hair was up in her usual pony tail. She had on a trace of light red lipstick and diamond stud earrings. He noticed her ring matched her earrings and her usual gold crucifix was silver today.

He stood up and smiled at her and she came around the desk and gave him a sweet kiss and hug. He returned the hug and said, "You look beautiful."

She said, "You look very manly and I'm very hungry, not for lunch, but for you." They smiled at each other and he put on his coat and picked up his briefcase and they went out the door. He left instructions to his nurse and a number to give out to anyone that called. They said good bye and left for Boston with the top still down.

On the way they didn't talk too much because the noise and the wind of the freeway were too much to carry on much of a conversation. Later when they entered Boston and drove down to Boston harbor did he tell her about some of the conversation with grandmother. Telling her his plan to live there with her during the week and being with her on the weekends. She had a long look on her face, but then a smile broke out and said she understood the situation.

She said, "Mother and I are very busy with planning the wedding and meeting the people who are setting up all the arrangements." She went on to tell him about the dresses for the brides maid and maid of honor and so many things that he got lost in the story she was telling him. They pulled into a parking lot at the harbor and went into a restaurant that was famous for fish.

They ordered fillet of cod and a salad with a glass of Chardonnay wine. She continued to fill him in on the wedding plans and invited him to breakfast on Saturday morning. With a mouth full of fish, he nodded his approval. He finished his lunch and watched her eat.

He asked her if she wanted to go sailing this weekend. She smiled with a seductive look on her face and said, "Is that doctor's order for medicinal purposes?"

He laughed and told her they would go sailing after breakfast with her family. He went on to say he was looking forward and anxious to meet her father. She told him her father was very excited to see the man who was stealing his daughter from him. He again smiled at her and took her hand and looked at the beautiful ring on her finger. He had noticed the waitress looking at her ring when they ordered lunch. No doubt envious of her prize.

They finished up and went to the car. He put the top up and turned on the air conditioning. She took her pony tail down and combed her hair. She left it down for the meeting with the head of the hospital. She wanted to look her best for Todd in front of his old teacher and boss.

They drove to the university and parked in the visitors place in front of a new hospital building. They walked in and over to the information desk, told her his name and who he wanted to see. She picked up the phone and in a moment or two, told them to take the spiral staircase up to the top floor and see the receptionist at the window. They walked up the curved stairs and large portraits of past administrators adorned the wall. Stoic old men stared back at them. Jen didn't much like the pictures and dropped her eyes. They came to the top and went up to the reception area. A waiting area to the left had a few chairs and a TV was on, but muted. A talk host was mouthing unheard words; much to Jen's liking. Todd gave her his name and she said Doctor Irwin was waiting for him and to go down the hall on your right to the end and see his secretary. They walked down the hall and entered an office where a middle aged lady rose up and stuck her hand out to greet him. She was dressed to the nines and her face looked like she had more than one face lift over the years. White capped teeth stared at them and her eyes were dark green. Obviously colored contact lens made her eyes green. She led them down another hall way past doors with other doctor's names until she came to the end of the hall. She knocked softly and entered.

Behind the desk sat a thin, gray haired distinguish looking man. His coat hung from the back of his chair and his sleeves were rolled up. Half glasses hung from the tip of his long nose and he looked like a happy anteater. His face showed a small tight smile and Todd reached out and took the doctor's hand.

They moved to a low table and sat down. He looked at Todd and said, "Well, the world looks like it is treating you right," turning his head and looking at Jen.

"Yes, this is my fiancé Jen. We will be married in the spring,"

"Congratulations," he said to them both. "Now, what can I do for you Todd?"

Todd told him what he had on his mind and wanted his help to find a doctor to take over his practice. He said that he would finance the new doctor and would prefer a young resident just leaving the hospital to find a job or a private practice. Doctor Irwin said he thought, "I've just the man for you."

Todd said, "If you would please have him call this number and someone will make all the arrangements if you think he is qualified."

"I'll do that. Is there anything else?"

"Yes, one more thing." Todd went on to tell him that his grandmother wanted to donate a large sum of money to his hospital. "When they expand in the future, she wants a wing named for her. She wants the wing to be named: "The L.L." wing. Our foundation will be in touch with your people and they will make all the arrangements."

The doctor didn't know what to say. Todd got up and they told him good bye. He thanked his old mentor and they left the building.

They headed back to New York. The car was kind of quiet and Todd asked her where she would like to go on their honey moon. She told him that she didn't care where they went as long as they were together. He said, "How about we take your sister back to France and spend some time in the country side of Europe?"

"How long is this honey moon going to last?' she asked him.

He chuckled and replied, "It would probably last at least two or three months."

She laughed and said he was a crazy guy. He agreed with her and said. "What is money for, if not to spend?"

She told him she would talk to Jan and she was sure that Jan would agree to his proposal.

Later as they drove into the city, big rain clouds loomed overhead. He suggested they go to his place and she agreed. She said, "But I don't have any other clothes!

"I know a place or two to pick up some nice things,"

Later they pulled into a parking lot and went into a fashion store. She was surprised at the nice clothes they had. They were a long ways from the luxury stores of Manhattan. Todd told her this was a gentrification area and in a few years it would be an upscale neighborhood. Todd sat on a stool as Jen moved around the store with a lady salesperson in tow. Forty five minutes later they walked out with boxes of a new wardrobe for her. "I don't think this will all fit in your car,"

"We will make it fit," he said.

On the way to his place, Jen said that she didn't see him pay at the counter. He smiled at her and said "The Lincoln Corporation owned the store and the entire area of land around it for many blocks."

Going up the elevator with all of the boxes he told her that he had called Luke and gave him a grocery list for the night. "I thought a chicken salad would be a nice touch."

She told him that would be lovely and would he have an iron? She wanted to press some of her new clothes and wear them over the week end.

"Yes, I have an iron. It's in Luke's house. His wife will take care of that for you."

She shut her mouth. She didn't like other people handling her clothes. But tonight was a different story. She wanted to be alone with him so she agreed to let him take care of it. The elevator came to a stop and as they walked to the door of his apartment, she told him, "I want to jump your bones right now."

He almost fell over laughing and dropped a couple of her boxes of clothes. Luke must have heard them as he opened the door and helped Todd pick up the boxes. Todd was still laughing and Luke wondered what was so funny about spilled boxes?

Jen unpacked her clothes and Luke took them to his wife. Meanwhile Todd was in the kitchen making dinner. Jen went to the bathroom and unloaded her bag full of her toilet items on the counter. Not a lot of things because she didn't wear much make up and her skin lotion, the only thing special for her sensitive skin that she didn't find in his bathroom. She washed her face and hands and went to find him.

He was in the kitchen cutting up a chicken breast for the salad. He rubbed it in olive oil and cumin. Put the cut up chicken in a fry pan with olive oil and cooked it for about ten minutes. Meanwhile, he took out of the refer the veggies he had ordered. Washed them in the sink and proceeded to cut them up. Romaine lettuce washed and dried, he made up the salad. "Dinner in about ten minutes," he said to her.

She had never said a word to him since she came into the kitchen. She watched him with fascination. He asked to her to put some plates on the table and silver ware. He showed her where they were and she was busy putting them on the table and taking out the wine glasses. He prepared some garlic bread and took out of the refer a quart jar of dressing. He said to her, "This is from my grandmother. She makes a great dressing."

The smell of garlic bread with melted cheese on it was evident. He brought a bottle of red wine and pulled the cork. He went back to the refer and took out the now cold chicken. They sat down and toasted themselves and enjoyed the salad and garlic bread.

After dinner she said, "Let's finish the movie 'Titanic' that we were watching the other night." A twinkle in her eye and a grin on her face made Todd's heart skip a beat. They moved to the TV room and the movie was still in the DV player. He remotely turned down the lights and pushed play on the remote. He immediately stopped it and said, "Let's change into something a little more comfortable."

They went to his bedroom and she put on his pajamas and he put on some other pajamas too, but not a shirt. He was hot and would put a shirt on later. Back to the movie they went and plopped down on the sofa. She curled up next to him and he started the movie. He put his arm around her and let out a big breath of air. He was relaxed and wanted to savor this moment in time forever. His hands moved over her side and hips.

They continued to fondle each other throughout the movie. The movie over, both of them were more than ready for each other. They took off their clothes and made love on the sofa. Both of them were so happy and in love. Every time they made love it was like the first time: intense with desire and passion.

After making love they took their usual shower together and like two people totally in love, went to sleep wrapped up in each others arms.

He spent a dreamless night and woke up fresh and ready to take a little exercise. He went to the exercise room ad worked out for a half hour. Jen was in the shower when he came back to the bedroom. He took off his sweaty clothes and dumped them down the laundry chute. Sometimes he wondered how fast the clothes were going when they hit the basement. He hurried to the shower for his usual 'back wash'. He found her already out of the shower standing there without her usual towel on combing her hair. She smiled at him and said, "Your turn my love. I want to save you up for our special place in the cove."

He gave her a kiss on the neck and wordless, he stepped into the shower. She knew he was pouting a little, but she had something special in mind for the cove.

To his surprise, she was in the kitchen making breakfast. She called her mother and postponed the breakfast. He sat down and she poured him a cup of coffee. She didn't say a word to him. Just smiled and turn around and went back to cooking. He took a sip and thought that the coffee tasted just great. A big smile crossed his face and she, looking out of the corner of her eye, saw his approval of her coffee.

They had poached eggs on an English muffin, fresh fruit and tomato juice. After gobbling down the breakfast, he said, "Is this all? I'm still hungry."

"You can have me for desert."

He looked her in the eyes and his eyes sent a powerful message to her heart. "I'll wait for desert later," he said.

Chapter 10

They dressed for the days boating. Somehow, Luke had slipped in while they were having breakfast and all her clothes she bought were lying on the bed or hanging up in the closet. She bought some boating clothes at the boutique and today she was dressed in a pale yellow top and dark yellow shorts. White boating shoes that he had bought for her and a new hat: a baseball hat that said 'Penny' on it and a wind-breaker coat. She looked striking: her model body and long perfect legs and beautiful golden hair. His entire body and soul belonged to his future wife.

After breakfast, Todd made a phone call to the marina telling his guy to make the boat ready. He took his brief case and put the camera in it. He turned his back and from his pocket he put something else in it. She wondered what that was, but quickly turned her mind to the day's events. He took her by the hand and out the door to his car.

On the way to the marina, she called her mother to tell her their plans for the week end and that she would be home on Monday morning. They stopped at a deli and picked up some meats and cheese and other things to munch on. He bought a chicken for the crabs. At the marina, he went to the bait shop and picked up some bait for fishing. Fishing poles and such things were already on the boat in storage.

Casting off and motoring through the harbor to the open bay, Jen stood next to the mast, looking very much like a model on her way to work. He noticed her breasts were a little big for a model, but he said to himself, who am I to complain, she is all mine. He took his camera that was around his neck and snapped a picture or two. Then as they reached open water, he handed her the camera and set sail for a morning of sailing. While she was tending the tiller, she took some pictures of him setting sail and pulling rope. His muscles bulging and his powerful legs pumping up and down; and the exertion produced a sweat on his forehead. She loved looking at his body. He was all business when setting sail. He glanced at the direction the Penny was going and satisfied, he finished up and went back to her position.

The wind was blowing steady from the east and he told her to get a comfortable chair and sit by him. No changes in course were needed and they could relax and enjoy the ride. He was cruising up the southern coast opposite the north coast where Millie's restaurant was located. Like the opposite coast, beautiful houses were scattered along the shoreline. Many had docks with boats tied up and some even with a boat garage, she noticed. They sailed past the cove and headed out to the open sea. Jen was a little nervous and she went down to the cabin and got her windbreaker. She knew Todd was an expert sailor, she relaxed and held onto the mast. Big waves made the sail boat raise up and down. Her stomach felt a little woozy. Todd noticed and told her to go down to the head and take a little Dramamine pill. "It'll help, but make you a little sleepy."

She did as he suggested and came back up to even bigger waves as they crossed the harbor opening and he turned a little to the north.

He thought the water a little too rough for her so he turned and headed back down the north coast line. Calmer water right next to the water's edge was more to her liking. Soon the pill relaxed her and she moved back to her chair and sat next to her man. She played with the hair on his leg while he piloted the boat. Being down wind, he cut the sails somewhat and slowed the boat down. He asked her to man the tiller while he went to the head and then he brought up some drinks in the cooler. They drank some fruit juice and talked about different things in their lives.

He told her about his meeting on Monday with a powerful relative of his grandmother's. He told her the Lincoln Corporation was much larger than he imagined. "For the life of me, I can't believe my grandmother ran the entire company by herself. She has a fantastic memory for details. I asked her a couple questions from the files I had been reading and she gave me quick answers to all of my questions."

He went on to tell her that he would have a big job ahead of him. "I'm already formulating a plan for some changes in the structure and operation of the Lincoln Corporation. I will have a lot of opposition, but I will be firm in my position. My plan is to make our holdings and especially the manufacturing end of things environment friendly. The Lincoln name will be aligned with the leaders of conservation groups and in particular, with a strong focus on the global warming problem."

She never said a word. Just listened to him talk because her father had taught her listen and not talk when someone is telling her something she doesn't know about. When he was finished, she said to him, "Honey do you have the knowledge to head up such an empire that you have told me the Lincoln Corporation is all about?"

"Yes, honey, I have the education and with grandmother's guidance, I should do fine. After graduating Stanford, I went to Harvard business school for two years and I have a MBA; after that I went to medical school. I entered Stanford when I was seventeen. I left Stanford at twenty one; then Harvard for two years and off to medical school. The rest you know about."

He went on to tell her that he felt comfortable and it felt natural for him to lead the Lincoln Corporation into the future.

"Before we get married, I will formulate and complete a future long range plan for it to follow. I will put in place people I can trust and will delegate like no other leader of a company has in the past. I will concentrate on the areas I think need the most attention and leave the rest to management already in place or replaced as the case may be."

"Honey, what say you to docking at a little restaurant for lunch?"

"Yes, I would like that. Need to put my feet on the ground for a little while."

He knew a little place not far down the coast and when he neared the restaurant, he slowly docked and he made fast the boat to the dock. She was still a little unsteady on her feet. A climb up the hill to the restaurant, which was located on the narrow coast road, did her good and by the time she sat down to lunch, she felt much better. Smiling at him and she took his hand in hers and stroked it with her soft fingers. A nice feeling of love passed between them as the waiter brought them menus.

The day was so hot and humid next to the water, they decided on a salad for both of them. Tonight their plan was cheese and deli meats with the crab or fish they caught, or maybe both.

After lunch he said, "Let's sail across to our cove and go for a swim and see if we can catch a fish or two."

"Come on big boy, I know how to catch a big fish; I caught you didn't I?"

He laughed and down to the boat they went. They climbed aboard and after casting off, they sailed directly across to their cove.

Approaching the cove, he lowered the sails and they coasted into the cove so as not to disturb the fish. He lowered the anchor and they went to the cabin for a drink of something refreshing. Not to mention a little body fondling. She put on a sun halter and her big straw hat to protect herself from the sun. He put sun block on her back and front. "Do you think that I have enough sun block on?" She said, after a minute or two of rubbing her front with the lotion.

He smiled into her eyes and told her that a doctor knew how much lotion to put on and to keep her comments to herself. She hugged him and grabbed his behind and squeezed hard. "Wow, I didn't know you were so strong," he said.

She ran up on the deck and took out the crab pot and while he brought up the chicken from the deli, she made the pot ready. Carefully making sure the rope was not tangled up. Trying to be a good sailor and to please him was foremost on her mind. She said, "All is ready mine captain."

He smiled and put the chicken into the pot. She watched as he tied the chicken securely to the pot. "Ok, throw it overboard, sailor,"

He baited the fishing poles and showed her how to work the reels. She was a quick learner and he set the bait just off the bottom. Hoping to catch a bottom fish or two; they had lots of bones, but had good flavor in a lemon garlic combination and fried in olive oil. A little fresh lemon on the side is needed he thought to himself.

The crab pot over the side and the poles baited and set to rest, Jen and Todd sat back in two deck chairs and enjoyed the rest. He said, "It's too hot" and went to the storage area and brought back a big umbrella. Placed it in a holder on the side of the engine cover and sat back down. "Much better," She took her hat off and closed her eyes. She had wraparound sun glasses on so he couldn't see her eyes. He watched the poles for any bites. Soon he saw the pole wiggle a little bit. He nudged Jen and she looked at the pole. He told her a fish was playing with the bait.

Todd said, "Wait a minute until the pole really dips down and then set the hook by jerking the pole up." The pole took a big dip and he told her, "Now, give the pole a jerk up."

She did as he said and jerked the pole up and she jerked so hard she fell backwards into her chair and fell on her backside. The pole fell on the deck and Todd was laughing so hard he didn't help her up. She had a red face and said with a smile, "Where is the fish?"

"Maybe it's still on the hook," he was still laughing.

Recovering from her fall, Jen got up and picked up the pole. A fish was still on the line. He told her to keep the pole at a forty five degree angle and reel it in. He helped her and up came a little fish about eight inches long. She got so excited when she saw the fish. She exclaimed, "This is my first fish I've ever caught!"

Todd had an empty bucket next to the rail and he took the pole from her and dropped the fish into the bucket. She watched it flop around while he took a pair of pliers and unhooked the fish. He reached over the side with the bucket and scooped some water into it. The little fish swam around and around the bucket. Jen was amazed. Just then the other pole took a dip. Todd nudged her and she looked at the pole and moved over to it, watching it all the time until it took a big dip and she jerked up gentler this time, and the fish put up a big fight. She called for him to help her.

"No way," he said. "It's all yours to bring in." She remembered to keep the pole at the proper angle and fought the fish. Soon the fish tired and she reeled it in. Todd saw it was a much bigger fish and took the net and scooped it up onto the boat. The fish flopped around and he took a small fish club and whacked the fish over the head.

"That's kind of cruel, isn't it?"

"Not really, the fish never knew what hit him. Instant death as Nature intended. We humans, at the top of the food chain, need to remember to be merciful and quick when it comes to death of a lesser specie."

He put the fish in the bucket and said that is enough fishing for one day. This is all we can eat at one time. He told her that now was time to clean the fish and she told him she had no idea how to clean a fish. "I'll show you," he said.

He brought out a cutting board from the kitchen and proceeded to show her how to clean a fish. He left the heads on both fish and washed the board and threw the insides of the fish overboard. "That will bring more crabs to the pot," He washed the deck while she took the fish to the refrigerator.

"Now, let's go for a swim. Time to wash some sweat off," he said. She changed into a two piece suit and he pulled off his T-shirt. They put on the goggles and went for a swim. They circled the boat a couple times and pulled up at the back by the ladder. He said, "If you can hold your breath and dive about fifteen feet down, you will see the crab pot."

"I'll follow you," she said. Down they went. She was a natural in the water. They both were in good shape because of their exercise routine every day. She saw many crabs in the pot eating the chicken. She was happy to be in their environment. She had learned a lot from him about Nature's creatures and the need for ecology. She hoped she could play a role in his conservation program. But, she would not say anything to him until much later.

They broke the surface and she told him what a sight that was seeing the crabs in their home water with the fish and other sea creatures. She said that she would like to do more of this kind of boating and diving. He only smiled to himself. He knew she liked it and he had a plan to do a lot of boating and diving. First they would go to France with Jan and tour Europe and then they would go to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

They swam to the beach and back as fast as they could swim. Again, as before, they reached the boat at the same time. Breathless, they climbed up the ladder and dried off with towels she had brought up before their swim. He told her she was first for the shower and he would follow. He told her some snacks might be a good idea and she said she would work on that while he was taking a shower. No longer did she have to undress and dress in the head. Even though he was up on the deck putting the fishing poles and other things away in the storage locker, she felt very comfortable being naked around him. He too, showed no embarrassment being around her without any clothes on.

Hard to imagine it was just over a week since they met. She thought that it took much longer in relationships before one felt this free and easy with each other. God is good to us, she thought to herself.

After her 'boat shower', which is faster than a regular shower, she came out with a towel wrapped around her head and nothing else on. He was fussing with something on the counter and turned to look at his future wife. He felt weak at the knees and slowly moved to the floor on his knees. He held out his arms and she came to him. He buried his face in her stomach and put his arms around her. She held his head in her hands. She smelled fresh and clean. He drank in her loveliness and kissed her flat stomach. "Don't stop honey," she said.

He looked up at her and said that he hadn't taken a shower yet. She dropped to her knees and lay down on her back. He took advantage and proceeded to devour her. Animal sounds escaped from her throat. He took his time and brought her to the peak and over the top. He raised his head up and put it on her stomach. He was breathing hard. Sometime later he got up and helped her to the sofa. He kissed her and softy told her he would take a shower and be back in a minute. She didn't want him to leave. She wanted to make him feel good too, but later would be a special time for that method of lovemaking.

She had on a T-shirt that said, 'I love sailing.' No bra and a pair of white shorts and no shoes. He came out of the shower and as she was at the sink cutting some tomatoes up, he reached around her and cupped her breasts. Kissed her neck and told her how much he loved and adored her and she smelled so good. "You hungry," she asked him.

"No," he lied. "I just had lunch thank you."

She leaned back into him and felt her knees so weak that she was having trouble standing at the sink. His hands went up under her shirt to her stomach and played with her belly button and moved up to find her nipples hard to the touch. She felt his hardness and moved her hips against him. He had no shorts on as he just came out of the shower. He lowered her to the floor and made love to her next to the sink. Jen thought that words could not explain how she felt at that very moment. The physical part was wonderful, but the mental part of love between two people could be explained: after they both reached a place only intended for people truly in love.

They laid in each other's arms till their breathing and heart rate returned to normal. They were both hot and sweaty. He told her they should go skinny dipping to cool off. She agreed and she grabbed a towel for each of them and followed him to the back of the boat. She looked around and saw nobody and dropped the towel and followed him into the cold water. They played around for awhile and got out.

He told her they had lots of water so another shower was ok. After their shower she made up the plate with the deli food and crackers. He poured the wine and they ate the plate clean. It was late afternoon and he said they should make up the bed and take a nap. She agreed and while she cleaned the dishes and glasses, he made up the bed. Because it was so hot out, one sheet was all that covered them. He had two fans blowing from the battery, but later he would start the motor and charge the batteries for lights tonight.

They fell immediately to sleep and he woke an hour later thankful that his dream did not return. She still slept soundly. He got up and put his shorts on and went up on deck to look around checking the boat. The sun was going down sooner in the west as August was just about over. He looked to the east to check the weather, but nothing but clear skies was evident. Satisfied with everything, he returned to find her stirring and stretching her arms in the air. Her blond hair was splayed over the pillow and she looked lovely. She sat up, no sheet covering her this time, and asked, "What time is it honey,"

"Time to go on deck and have some wine," he said. She put on a pair of shorts and her T-shirt and they went on deck. They sat so the setting sun was not blinding their eyes and sipped some chilled wine. She was beginning to like wine. Maybe she was a little influenced by his winery. She put her head back and closed her eyes. She listened to him talk about his grandmother and the idea she might be ill. He told her he would have her checked out and that he would call her doctor on Monday. She was his last living close relative. Yes, some distance cousins and so forth, but no one close to him. While he was telling her about his grandmother, his cell phone rang in the cabin and he rushed down to answer it. He came back up talking to someone. They talked for awhile and then he closed up the phone. "That was grandmother's doctor," he said.

The doctor told him his grandmother was very sick and in bed. There was nothing he could do as she was sleeping and resting comfortably. She had heard Todd say he would be up in the morning if he was sure there was nothing anyone could do for her.

"We will leave in the morning honey." I knew something was wrong when I looked at grandmother at breakfast the other day." He had a concerned look on his face and she reached out to hold his hand. He squeezed her hand and smiled at her. "We can't live forever and that includes my grandmother."

However, unknown to them at the time, grandmother was destined to live a few more years and see her first great grandchild.
Chapter 11

Dinner was great and he cooked the fish exactly like he said he would. They probably drank too much wine, because they went to bed and slept the night away.

The next morning they weighed anchor and set sail for Millie's place. Todd was a little quiet. She knew he was thinking of his grandmother. He was standing at the tiller; and she was holding him around the waist. His free arm was around her holding on tight. She knew he needed her right now and she was determined to be there for him no matter what. His eyes remained on the water. He was in command of the sea. She thought he could be a captain of any boat on the sea. She was proud of her man and she wanted to shout to the world that Todd Lincoln was the greatest guy on earth. Nothing she wouldn't do for him. She was his totally. She would let nothing stand in their way having a life of happiness and full of children.

They docked and went up the trail to Millie's place. They still had on their boating clothes: shorts and T-shirts. Millie greeted them with a large smile on her face. She said, "I knew you two would be here today. I saw your boat coming and made up your coffee. I even took the liberty of starting your breakfast of omelets; I hope you don't think I was a little presumptuous."

"Not at all", Todd said to her.

Millie looked down at Jen's ring and made the usual congratulatory comments. Asked when the wedding was scheduled and Jen told her in the spring and that she was invited. An invitation would be coming after the first of the year. Millie had some small tears in her eyes. Todd stood up and gave her a hug and so did Jen. Millie walked away with her apron in her hand wiping her eyes. After the hearty breakfast, Todd said to Jen, "Honey I have something for you."

He reached into his pocket and pulled a small jewelry box. He handed it to her and she sucked in her breathe. The bow on the box was kind of beat up from being in his pocket, but she didn't care. She tore of the gift wrap and opened it up. A new diamond Rolex stared back at her. Her eyes started to water up and people were staring at them, but Todd didn't care and neither did Jen. He said, "That should go nicely with your ring and other jewelry."

Jen wanted to jump up and give him a big kiss and a hug. "Hell with it", she said out loud. Stood up and went around the table and gave him a big kiss on the lips and the whole restaurant clapped and said, "Bravo."

They hurried out the door waving and saying, '"Thank you, thank you." They ran to the boat and quickly cast off the lines and made sail for the marina. Jen went to the cabin and changed into some nice clothes. She looked at her hand and wrist and marveled at the beauty of the jewelry. She knew Beth would have envy dripping off her face when she saw her new watch. The other night when Beth came over after coming back from her trip to California they talked late into the night. Beth was speechless most of the time as Jen told her every detail of their trip. From the time at the airport in New York until the flight back landing at home. She only left out the intimate details but gave Beth enough hints to suggest the relationship was sealed with a kiss.

Jen with her hair up in a ponytail came up on deck. She held on to the mast looking at the marina. Todd was busy coming in to the dock. The guy who tended the boat was waiting for him. Jen moved to grab a line and prepared to toss the line to him. Todd shut off the motor and drifted into the dock. The boat secure and after Todd talked to the guy for awhile, they made their way to his car for the trip to grandmother's house.

Jen called her mother to fill her in on their plans and closed her phone up. The drive up was nice as the top was down and a hot wind blowing through her now down hair, felt good. She lowered herself in the seat and moved to his side of the car and put her hand on his leg. She smiled up at him and he squeezed her hand in return. He was deep in thought as they drove the rest of the way to grandmother's house. They parked on the street as the driveway was blocked with other cars. Todd was sure grandmother's doctor was there and probably a nurse.

They entered the house without knocking and announced their arrival. The housekeeper met them in the foyer and said grandmother was up in her bedroom with the doctor. Jen looked at her new watch and saw it was eleven thirty. They climbed the stairs and entered grandmother's room quietly. The doctor was standing at her side and talking to her softly. Grandmother turned to see Todd and Jen come into the room. "Todd, my boy, glad you could come and see a tired old woman. Jen, you are welcome too. You both look lovely and the windblown look on your skin is becoming. Or, maybe that is love showing itself on your faces?"

She laughed and told them to come next to her and sit down and they would talk.

Jen moved a chair up next to the bed and took grandmother's bony hand in hers. Todd motioned the doctor to the door and they went out into the hall way. Grandmother was aware of what they were doing. She had not told Todd about her disease. In due course they both came back into the bedroom. Todd had found out from the doctor that his mother had a rare blood disease, but not fatal and maybe treatable. She would have periods of being bedridden, but there would be times she would be up and around. No more golf and grandmother was sad about that, but understood her need to save her strength to guide her grandson in the future.

Todd and Jen talked to grandmother for a few minutes and the doctor left. The nurse remained and from now on a nurse would be on duty twenty-four hours a day. Todd asked the nurse to leave for a few minutes and he pulled up a chair and they talked to grandmother about business. Grandmother said that her cousin Mario would be here for lunch tomorrow and the house would be empty of people except her and Todd. Grandmother saw the worried look on Todd's face and said to him, "I'm fine, a little tired, but I plan on being around for many years to come."

Satisfied with her condition, they said good bye and left for the city. The drive back was uneventful. Todd was deep in thought and she listened to the radio and thought about the coming week. She would be busy with her mother and the hired people making plans for the wedding. She realized she would need to give him his space. From what he told her, he would be very busy for the foreseeable future. "I'll just have to make do with nights and weekends," she said to herself. "I can live with that," she said aloud.

Todd turned his head towards her and said, "Who are you talking to?" She laughed and told him she was just thinking out loud.

Lucky they put the top up at grandmother's house, because it started to rain. She moved closer to him and put his hand on her leg to reassure her that all was well. By the time they pulled into the underground parking garage, a deluge of rain was falling. Up they went to his apartment and she headed directly to the shower. Luke was in the kitchen and he and Todd talked for awhile and then he came into the shower with her. It had been a long weekend and the shower felt good. She gave him his usual back wash and he had the pleasure of soaping her up too.

The next day, no rain was visible and the weather looked cloudy and glum. After breakfast they went their separate ways. She to home and he went to his grandmother's house. A lot of work was needed before Mario arrived. He also needed to make some phone calls. An architect was needed and he wanted that office project on the front burner. Also he needed to start looking for a second in line to him in power. He wanted the best finance officer he could find. Thinking of that he called his New York office and talked to his new, but old secretary Ann. She had been with the firm for years and had worked closely with his grandmother. He told her what he wanted and she said she would contact the employment agencies that specialized in very high management positions.

He said, "I want a short list by the end of the week."

"It will be ready Mr. Lincoln," she replied like the professional she was. He put his phone away as it started to rain.

A nasty day and the traffic not as bad as he was moving against the flow headed north. The rain was still falling when he pulled into grandmother's drive way. One car sat at the curb and he figured that was the nurse's car. He picked up his brief case and went into the house. Surprisingly, grandmother was sitting at her desk in the library. He knocked on the door and she looked up from a file she was reading and smiled at him. "How are you today," he asked. She told him she was feeling better and much stronger. But at ten she would go upstairs and take a nap before Mario came. Meanwhile they would discuss the upcoming meeting. She called for tea and soon the house keeper arrived with tea and cookies. She had moved to a chair and he sat across from her with a small table between them.

He poured the tea and they took a quiet moment to sip the tea and have a cookie. He waited for her to speak. Todd had patience. His mother and grandmother had instilled patience in him since he was a little boy. That virtue would be his saving grace as the years unfolded.

Grandmother sat her cup down and began a long story about Mario and the family. Some of the story he had heard before from her, but parts of it were new and it filled in the gaps. She told him Mario was coming to listen to him and him alone. "This is your time Todd to show him what a Lincoln is made of: strong, shrewd and most of all an insight to the future of the world economy. He will want to know what direction you plan on taking the Lincoln Corporation; and what are the ups and downs you see for us."

Todd told her he had a plan and he outlined it briefly to his grandmother. She nodded her head and said she would support him and then she excused herself to take a nap.

Sitting in his office at exactly twelve o'clock, Todd heard the front door chime. Grandma had come down just a few minutes ago and was sitting in a chair relaxing waiting for Mario to arrive. He hung up the phone and walked around the desk to help his grandmother up. They walked to the foyer and in the door way stood a flower man in coveralls. He was talking to the housekeeper and had a big bouquet of flowers in his hand. He took his hat off and grandmother recognized him immediately. She laughed and he gave the flowers to her and bowed.

"Top of the morning to you LL," he said. She took the flowers and introduced her grandson. Todd shook his hand warmly. The old man with gray hair had a smile that would warm an Eskimo. A real charmer he thought. He was shorter than Todd had imagined. A full head of silver gray hair, deep brown warm eyes looked through glasses and had a quiet way of talking. But, left no doubt there was power in the air.

He took his coveralls off and in the back door came a team of guys with tool bags and other assorted instruments. Mario said, "Please forgive my guys. They are going to sweep the house for listening devices. Just a precaution and they will be finished in a few minutes." Another guy walked in and looked the twin of Mario. He put on the coveralls and hat and waited for the other guys to finish before leaving. The other guys dressed the same had went around back with pots of new flowers. Todd was impressed and stuck the security team in the back of his mind. Mario asked that grandmother to clear the house of help as they walked into the library.

Grandmother complied and soon the house was empty except the three of them. The housekeeper, cook and helper, along with the nurse left the house grumbling to no one in particular. Meanwhile, back in the library, Mario made some small talk and asked about her health. He had heard about her illness and was very concerned. They had done business with each other for over forty years. They were close and the way grandmother looked at him, wondered why they had never gotten married. He had been a widower for many years and never remarried. Todd remained quiet and watchful. Mario noticed his eyes and saw the concentration that would be a hallmark of Todd's in the following years. Mario turned his attention to Todd and said to him, "Todd your grandmother and I have been meeting and talking about you and the present and future of you taking over the Lincoln Corporation. I'm here to listen to your ideas and plans for the company."

An hour later after Todd had outlined his plan and where he wanted to take the company, the projections of a two year loss, then a slow recovery and finally a major profit after five years. He continued saying, "The stock of Lincoln would take a major hit. He and grandmother would buy as much stock as possible expecting a steep rise in the stock in a few years," Todd fell silent.

Mario listened and said nothing for what seemed a long time. He looked at grandmother and smiled and then he turned to Todd and stood up. He said, "You're a spitting image of your grandmother. She had the same look in her eyes many years ago. She never made a bad investment. We and I mean we will support and give you the four years to show your stuff. I will meet with the boys and tell them the plan. I think your conservation ideas and the relocation of some manufacturing plants, scares me a little. However, all indications of the seas rising from global warming are emanate."

He shook hands with Todd and a warm and friendly look was evident and it would appear that they would be friends. He hoped that he had proved his case. Mario said his good bye to grandmother and left out the back. Todd looked out the front window and no sign of Mario. He just disappeared.

Grandmother said, "Well the die is cast. No turning back now." She smiled at him and he gave her a hug and said "I'm going to take a nap."

Todd returned to the desk and loosened his tie and gave a sigh of relief. He went back over his plan from start to finish. Looking for mistakes or miscalculations and felt he made a strong case for Lincoln's future. Now all he had to do was to implement the plan. No easy task as some heads of companies would put up a fight. His enemies would call him ruthless and his friends would be few. It would be lonely, but for Jen. She would be by his side and his staunch ally. His plan for her running her own advertising company with only Lincoln Corporation as the sole client would strengthen his public image. His upcoming marriage would soon hit the society pages. The public would be impressed with his marriage to such a lovely respectable lady. She was the daughter of a well know doctor from an upper middle class family. They were everybody's dream of an all American family. A twin sister who was a fashion model of some notoriety was living in France. Pictures of the two of them would soon grace the tabloids, further increasing his public image. All would be to his advantage as he moved Lincoln into the next few years. Image was second only to performance. Just like a Porsche: beautiful and its performance was second to all but a few more exotic machines.

Todd was ready for lunch. He wondered what Jen was doing. He picked up the phone and rang her cell. She answered on the first ring. "I knew it was you," she said.

"I'm hungry, have you had lunch yet?"

"No, mom, Beth and I are starving. We were thinking we would go out and have lunch."

"How about I take your girls to lunch?"

"I thought you were busy with your meeting?"

"It's over and grandmother is sleeping. I called the nurse and she should be back in a few minutes and then I can leave. It will take me an hour to get there. How about I meet you at Luigi's Italian restaurant in an hour? Take a taxi. He will know where it is."

He hung up and put his coat on and left the library. The nurse and staff were just walking through the door as he was starting to leave. He told them to tell grandmother he would call her later in the afternoon and that he would be in the downtown office after three.

He met the girls at the restaurant. He was ahead of them as Todd gave the Porsche its head, like a race horse running to the finish line in the Kentucky Darby. He took the liberty of ordering for them while he waited. He had a glass of red wine. The bottle had Lincoln Winery on the label. Luigi's restaurant had been one of his favorite places for a long time. Small, but the atmosphere was second to none. Checker table cloth gave the impression of a real Italian restaurant. The smell of homemade spaghetti and garlic was wonderful. He munched on a breadstick while waiting, listening to vociferous snatches of Italian or Sicilian and loud laughter.

Jen, her mother and Beth walked in. Jen looked ravishing. He stood up and greeted them. Beth looked embarrassed and he eyes were down cast. He asked them to sit down and filled their glasses with wine. Jen's mother had a nice smile, much like her daughters. Bowls of minestrone soup arrived. Jen said she was starving and dug in with relish. Mother was more timid and Beth just played with her spoon in the soup. Todd asked Beth, "Are you always so shy?"

Her face turned red, but she looked up and he smiled into her eyes and she felt more at ease. Beth thought he was strikingly handsome. More handsome than Jen said he was. They finished up the soup and the spaghetti arrived. Jen dug in again and used the garlic bread as a pusher. Mother and Beth did the same. Todd took his time enjoying their company.

Jen asked him what his plan for the afternoon was. He told her he had to go to the corporate office at three and would meet her at his apartment at six or so. He planned to stay the night in the city and tomorrow morning would return to grandmother' house.

Just then Luigi came up to the table and Todd introduced him to the girls. He told Jen she was a lucky girl to land the big fish Sicilian. She laughed and said, "He was the lucky one to catch her!"

After lunch, they went their separate ways. Todd drove to the corporate office and parked in the garage. He noticed the place had good security. He parked in grandmother's place and took the elevator to the top floor. It had been a long time since he was in the building. He knew when he walked through the door people would be staring at him. What better time than now to begin the long sojourn he planned for the corporation.

The receptionist rose up out of her chair when he arrived. She smiled at him and said, "Your secretary is waiting for you. She has the information you requested."

He thanked her and made a mental note to replace her. She was not what he wanted to greet business associates from around the world. Too young and overdressed and she looked like she was constipated.

He walked back to grandmother's office, but now his office. The secretary was waiting for him and she was all business. He asked her to follow him in and they both went through the office door and he took his seat behind the desk. One thing he had asked for was all of grandmother's paper work sent up to her house. Her desk removed and a new Nara wood desk from the Philippines was in place.

The secretary set a file in front of him and he said, "Thank you, that will be all for now."

She left quietly and opened the file up and looked at three names followed by their vita. He made a phone call to Mario and gave him the names and asked him to check them out. Mario told him would be pleased to help and to call him anytime he needed his help. He went on to tell Todd that all he did was sitting in his office and watch TV. "This gives me something to do," he said to Todd.

Todd thanked him and hung up the phone. He returned to the file and read with interest the three names of his potential Chief Financial Officer.

One thing that will never happen to his corporation was an Enron disaster. Or, for that matter the French company that went broke a few years ago because of bad financial management.

His phone buzzed him and it broke the reflection he was having. His secretary told him that an architect was here and that you had requested some preliminary drawing. "Show him in please"

The secretary showed the architect in and closed the door. He was clean cut and dressed well. Young and he looked fresh out of school. Todd had requested a young and progressive architect. He had some ideas what he wanted for his new office in the neighborhood that Jen had bought her new clothes in a few days ago. He introduced himself and gave Todd a business card. They moved to a rectangle wooden table Todd had requested and the architect laid out some drawings for him to look at. The office complex would be a square with a park in the middle. The latest in solar heating and cooling; materials that were earth friendly; and no parking lot for the employees. The plan there was to have park and rides scattered about the area and have Lincoln and city buses bring the staff to work. Only a select few would be able to park at the complex and that would be hidden underground.

He went on to tell the architect that he wanted the latest in security. No expense spared. Todd told him that he wanted this done immediately. Finished before Christmas and ended the conversation by telling the architect to go back to his office and think about it. Call him at this number on his cell phone whether he could do it or not.

"Mr. Lincoln, I don't need to think about it. We can do it. I anticipated your needs and if we work twenty-four seven, we can have it ready to occupy by the twenty fourth of December."

"Good," said Todd. He gave a map of the area to him and it was out-lined in red where the office would be built. Todd told him to not worry about permits and such things as he would take care of that part of the project. Actually, he wouldn't, but grandmother would make a phone call.

That taken care of, he returned to thinking about his search for a second in command. The phone buzzed him and his secretary told him a Mario was on the line. Todd punched him up and said "Hello."

Mario told him he had some news about the three guys. "It comes down to two: a middle age guy in Chicago and a young up start from the Pacific Northwest. The forty-six year old guy in Chicago was straight as an arrow. Clean background and has worked for a major corporation for ten years. A family man with three kids and no history of the kids in trouble or drugs; two kids in college and one in middle school; and a wife that is a homemaker."

"The guy from Seattle is a different story, a young free spirit who has made a name for himself in the food industry from California to Washington. Some say he is too smart for his own good, but is respected and well liked. Others say he will crash and burn any day now. My money is on him. I'll send over the reports on these two guys tomorrow morning; anything else my young friend?"

Todd said, "Yes, one more thing. I watched with keen interest this morning with your security team. I want a security company built from the ground up for Lincoln."

Mario said, "Give me until tomorrow and I will have someone who can do that project for you."

Todd gave him his office private number and his cell phone number. Only Jen, grandmother, Luke and Alice had his new cell phone number. He only today had made an addition in cell phones and had the secretary contact each one with the new number. That cell he kept in his brief case. Hi tech provided him with a vibrator on his watch to alert him to a call coming in.

The time was about six o'clock. He closed the file and put it in his briefcase. Turned out the light and left the office. He told his secretary he was going home and asked her to turn out the lights on her way out.

At home now, waiting for Jen to arrive, he poured a glass of wine and sat down in front of the TV. A local station had some news on and after a few minutes a piece on him surfaced. The announcer said, "One of our investigative reporters has found out that New York's most eligible bachelor, Todd Lincoln, heir to the Lincoln Corporation's vast empire, is getting married to a local girl. The details are a bit sketchy, but watch our eleven o'clock news for more details. In other news........"

Todd told himself, well it's started. The flood of his upcoming marriage would hit all the news media and he must be ready for it. He would discuss it with Jen when she arrived. He shut off the TV and went into the kitchen where Luke was fussing about. He told Luke that the story had broken of his and Jen's upcoming wedding in the spring and that the phone, even though it was unlisted, would be ringing off the hook. Reporters would be hounding the building. Luke told him, "Well we can handle that, no problem."

Todd was sure Luke could and would keep the reporters and phone calls at bay. Todd picked up the phone and called his grandmother. He told her the results of the day and the subsequent news report. She should expect some reporters at her door and annoying phone calls. He told her she will see him in the morning and also told her to follow the doctor's orders. He went on to tell her to have the cook answer the door with a knife in her hands. The cook had a colorful history of saying what was on her mind. He laughed, and said good bye.

Jen walked in about that time. She looked tired, but beautiful. She told him she would take a long hot bath. He said he would make dinner and Luke disappeared out the door. Half an hour later, dinner prepared, he went to the bathroom to find his bride soaking in a bubble bath. He brought her a glass of wine and sat on the edge of the tub. He told her some of the day's events and she murmured some words of encouragement. She sipped her wine and then took a shower. He returned to the kitchen and finished cooking. She came in wearing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt that said, 'I love NY.'

Todd made chicken burritos with all the ingredients to put on it: cheese, onions and a hot sauce brought back from California. A special sauce the cook had put in his bag with a note on it: Beware. They had cokes with the burritos and she told him about her day. He listened attentively and made comments where necessary for a good conversation. He was a good listener and she loved him for that trait. He told her all about the newscast. She appeared a little out of her realm and nervous. He went on to tell her that he would hire a publicity agent and all information would go through her. He made a mental note to call his secretary the next morning and have her take care of the situation.

They finished up dinner and went to the library instead of the TV room. Jen plopped down in a comfortable chair and he sat across from her. "I'm beat," she said.

"Honey I have just the thing for your tired body."

She opened her eyes and he had a grin on his face and the devil in his eye. "I'm game," she said.

He went to his desk and picked up the phone and called his secretary. He thought, "Why wait until morning to call her?" She answered on the first ring. She was all business and listened to his request. She told him someone would be ready in the morning to take the position. He hung up and thought that maybe he had found a diamond in the rough. "Let's see how she performs in the next few days," he said to himself.

"Jen follow me please." He led her to the exercise room and told her to take off her clothes and lay down on her stomach. She quickly obeyed because she knew what was coming. He took the massage oil out of the cupboard and proceeded to give her a rub down. She moaned and groaned and whispered endearing things to him. He teased her in the sensitive areas and had her turn over. She had a small towel over her eyes to protect from the light. He started at her feet and worked slowly up, paying particular attention to her toes and the bottoms of her feet. Jen felt she was in heaven. He moved up her legs and rubbed her calves again. Higher and higher he went until he came to the sweet spot. He teased her a little and then moved up to her stomach. Lightly rubbing the oil in and telling her sweet things about his need to love her.

She was making sounds of pleasure and he softly massaged her breasts and her nipples stood up with the delicate massage of his fingers. "Doctors know best," he said close to her ear.

She tried to grab him, but he moved away. He massaged his way down again to her stomach and finally to the inside of her thighs. She opened her legs a little and pleaded for him not to stop. He was ready too. He dropped his shorts and climbed onto the table.

They both headed for the shower. She was so tired and satisfied he had to help into the shower. He soaped her all over her body and she stepped out and he took a quick shower. She was combing her hair when he stepped out and said, "Doctor Todd, any more of this type of therapy and I will have to take a few days off for bed rest."

He smiled at her while toweling off and then they went to bed. Snatches of the nightmare haunted him early in the morning as he eased himself out of bed and headed for the exercise room.

A half hour later Jen came in and went to the treadmill. She angled it high and began to walk slowly and then she began to jog. For the next thirty minutes they both worked out and then headed for the shower. Both of them were in a hurry. Now it was seven am and they ate a quick bowl of oatmeal and toast. She took a taxi and he began his drive to grandmothers.

Chapter 12

Traffic again was light. The day was cloudless, but warm. The wind had changed and now was coming off the ocean bringing cooler air. September was near and the weather would change to fall shortly. His thoughts were on the day's activity. He would start preparation for the meeting on a week from Thursday.

He hoped grandmother was feeling good today. Many questions needed answers. His cell rang in his briefcase. He quickly fed the combination in and answered it. Mario was on the line. "Good morning Todd,"

Todd returned the greeting and Mario informed him he had a guy for the security job and he would fax up the vita on him to his grandmother's house.

"Quick work Mario. Let me check it out and I'll get back to you. How soon could we get this guy on board?"

"Immediately," he replied. They chatted a few more minutes and hung up.

Todd cruised into the drive way and went in the house. Now it was just after eight. Grandmother was drinking tea in the kitchen with the cook. He gave grandmother a kiss and asked her how she was feeling. Todd told her he had some blood specialists flying into town from Europe and would run some tests on her. She said, "Why all the fuss? I'm just getting old, that is all." She had a twinkle in her eye and Todd new she liked him to take care of her.

"Any calls from the press?" he asked.

"No, we set the phones to mute and to record any calls that come in."

He had a cup of coffee with her and then they went to the library. She sat in a chair and he sat at the desk. He was all business now and she waited for his questions. He told her about the security he was planning and the meeting on Thursday next with the heads of their companies. "Grandmother, how much should I tell them?"

She was ready for his questions. She answered all of his questions and he took a few notes while she talked. Two hours later, she finished and with a yawn told him she was a little tired and would take a nap. He rang for the nurse and she helped grandmother up and took her to the bedroom.

He phoned his secretary and she told him she had a press spokes person waiting for his approval. He asked her to tell the new press officer to drive up and see him at grandmother's house. He suggested she drive a company car and have her fill out the application forms. His secretary told him that was already completed and that she would be on the way shortly. He thanked her and hung up. Next he called his sweetheart. Jen answered and he asked her what the press situation was. She told him the coast was clear, but a few phone calls came in and mother told them they had the wrong number. She laughed and said, "Mom told them she and her husband were eighty plus and their kids were all away from home years ago."

He told her about the new press agent he was going to hire and the security system he was going to put in place. He went on to tell her that at first it would be a nightmare, but after a little while it would die down. He whispered some secret love things and felt a stirring and a need to have her. She softly said some secret things back and said, "She wanted him right now!"

They hung up and he took out the file on the two guys he wanted for a Chief Financial Officer.

He called Mario and told him he wanted to meet both Pete and Damion on Monday afternoon at his office in New York. Mario said, "They would both be there one at a time. I'll put them up in your suites at the Hilton."

Todd thanked him and put away the files.

He memorized their history. He liked them both and decided if their personalities fit him, he would hire them both. Put Chicago under Seattle. He liked what he read about Damion Butan from Seattle. Family man just married with two young kids: one a small boy and the other a girl. Included in the file were some pictures of the family. He liked what he saw. His financial records were in order and Damion wasn't carrying much debt, mostly just the house and SUV. His daily schedule was not challenging enough. He could tell by his comings and goings. The record showed he was performing brilliantly on a short schedule. His health was good, but his drinking was moderately high. Nothing out of line and he felt good about what he read. The Chicago man's name was Peter Good. A religious man and he and his family were strong church goers. Solid in the community and lived a quiet life. They were overall, a good pair of men to help him run the company. Some very delicate and extensive financing was called for under his plan and he hoped they were both up to the high standards he required of his people.

A knock at the library door broke the thought process he was having. "Come," he said.

In walked a very tall woman. She was dressed in a tan suit. Long hair in a bun and she looked older than her years. She had piercing eyes that were both friendly and intelligent. At first she had a stern look on her face and then she looked directly in his eyes and a little smile crept across her face. He introduced himself and she said, "My name is Glenda Wills."

"Please have a seat Glenda,"

They both sat in chairs in front of the fireplace. He rang for some tea. The housekeeper came in and poured the tea.

During the silence, she had a chance to look at this powerful man who headed the Lincoln Group. He was impeccably dressed. She noticed him looking at her and she looked him back, holding his look, she watched the housekeeper pour the tea. She picked up the cup with a steady hand, he noticed. Looked at his watch and saw it was only ten am.

The housekeeper left and he said to her, "Tell me about you the person."

She told him about her career and where she wanted to go in the future. She was not married and had no relationship to speak of. She lived in a quiet apartment with a girlfriend. Her job was everything to her. Then when her friend, his secretary, called her last night, she jumped at the chance to represent one of the most powerful corporations in America.

"We are very much an international group. Have you ever traveled out of country and do you speak any foreign language?"

She replied that she hadn't traveled much, but she spoke French fluently and passable Spanish. He told her about the current situation with him, his new position and his future marriage. The upcoming problem was with the news media from last night's news. He asked her how she would handle it. She told him what she had on her mind and the way she would attack and not retreat from the media. He liked what he heard and said she should call a press conference when she was prepared. She nodded and he stood up and said, "Welcome aboard, make sure your passport is up to date. I'm afraid there will be extensive traveling for the next year. He offered a dollar figure and asked if that was acceptable. Her eyes opened wide and said, "That would be fine."

She left and he looked at his watch and it was near eleven and he was starting to get hungry. It was Tuesday and it appeared he was making good progress. He would spend the afternoon studying his notes of the early morning meeting with grandmother. He would wait for her to wake up and have lunch with her in the back yard. He went to the window and looked out. The sky had big cumulus clouds drifting to the west.

A nice day he thought to be on the water with Jen. He was deep in thought when a soft tap on the door brought him back. The housekeep said to him that, "Grandmother was awake and sitting in the back yard. She requests your company if not busy."

He went out the back relaxing his tie as he went. He enjoyed their back- yard talks. Before on Sundays, she would tell him stories of the old days. She always found him very attentive and interested in the old stories. Now, the stories would have to be about today's business; the people who would support the new plan; and serious talk about those who would fight tooth and nail for the old ways.

There was some merit to the old ways. The Lincoln Group, as Todd now referred to it, made lots of money for lots of people in the past and present. However, they were short sighted and naive. Big changes were coming both in the international arena and Nature would rear its head and show the people her furry.

Todd and grandmother had a nice lunch. Corned beef on rye with German mustard with homemade dill pickles. A side dish of German potato salad and for desert, a bowl of fresh peaches.

They talked for an hour. Todd told her about the two guys he planned to interview on Monday. She indicated to him that he was on the right path. She begged his forgiveness as she was a little tired. She went to take a rest and he returned to the library.

In an earlier phone call to a security safe company, a representative was due any minute. He took the time to read the fax from Mario about the man who he had recommended for the job of head of security. He read it quickly noting the high points and made a call to Mario. Mario answered the phone himself. He said to Todd, "Damn secretary is out for a long lunch. She knows how busy I am." He laughed and asked what he could for him.

Todd told him he wanted to meet the guy this afternoon late, if possible.' Mario said, "I'll me make a call and be right back to you."

He had just hung up when a knock on the door brought forth the safe man. Todd told him what he wanted and where to put it. The safe man said he would deliver it late this afternoon. The instructions were straight forward and were left with the housekeeper.

The phone rang and it was Mario. He told Todd that the guy would be in his office at four o'clock. He thanked Mario and hung up; told the housekeeper where he was going and made a mental note to find a personal secretary.

He called his beloved from his car. He informed her about the plan for the afternoon that he would come by her house and pick her up when he finished. After that, they would go out for dinner somewhere unique. She agreed and told him to drive careful. He smiled and assured her that he always drove safe. "I have too much to lose now if I've an accident."

She sent her love and he drove to the city and his office. He made another call to his secretary informing her of his arrival and appointment for the afternoon. Thanked her for sending the prize of a girl for the head of Public Relations. She hung up with a smile and thought that working for him might be all right after all.

Todd made a stop before the office and had flowers sent to Jen and her mother. Called Luke and asked how was the press situation was. Luke told him it was no problem and Todd told him they would be eating out tonight and take the rest of the day off if he wanted to. Luke was like an uncle to him. Many people thought he was cold and unfriendly, but truly he had a big heart.

He arrived at the office about three o'clock. He told his secretary to find someone who could work at his grandmother's house as his secretary. She must be very trustworthy and experienced. He suggested she steal a good one from another company. Furthermore he went on to say, "She must pass a security background check. Any impropriety will not be acceptable. Age doesn't matter, but she he must be a young enough to travel and be away from home for long periods of time."

He went on to tell her some other factors and told her when his appointment arrived to come in take a chair and make notes.

He went into his office and sat at his new Nara desk. Marveled at the beautiful wood and felt a little guilty because he knew that Nara trees were protected from harvesting due to conservation efforts to protect the dwindling specie.

A file on the security applicant was on his desk marked for his eyes only. A yellow file folder that he requested for personal only and a list of other file colors for specific purposes outlined in a memo he had circulated. He read with interest and memorized the important details and looked at the pictures of his only applicant.

Precisely at four, a knock at the door and his secretary preceded a tall powerfully built man into the office. Todd stood up and greeted him and asked him to sit down in front of his desk. Todd wanted to make sure this tough guy understood who the boss was right from the beginning: Todd Lincoln.

The room was silent for a few minutes as both of them took stock of each other. Todd checked him out: short brown hair in a crew cut, steel gray eyes, chisel chin, and a wind whipped looking face. There was no mistaking he was a powerful built man and looked light and easy on his feet. After both had stared at each other, the man broke into a smile and so did Todd. Todd said to him, "I've read your file. Tell me what the file doesn't say about Alex West."

Alex took a deep breath and began. "I left the military because I was disillusioned by the direction it was going. Sure we had high tech stuff, lots of it. Good personal and the chain of command were in place. I was in the van guard of the Iraq war. After the initial invasion, I spent a year and half over there. Our boys were fighting a war without a visible enemy. When we located a target, it took too long to get permission for a strike. We had to be careful of collateral damage. All of that is good, except we were losing the battles to the insurgents. Rumsfeld was a politician, not a leader of men; and the commander and chief relied on bad intelligence. Now we have a quagmire of discontent with the Iraq people. Our men are dying for lack of the proper equipment. You read the stories I'm sure. Anyway, I left the Marines in July. I have been sitting in my back yard watching the grass grow. I sent my resume to a headhunter, but all that came back was companies who wanted me to wear a tie and watch the people work. I'm a hands on guy."

Todd said to him, "You possess a double PhD with one doctorate in electrical engineering and the other in mechanical engineering. Tell me why if you please."

Alex said that, "The first one told him the electrical side, but not how to implement it in real life situations. So, the military sent me back to MIT to work on the mechanical application. They said if I stayed for eight years they would pay the freight on the second one. I held up my side, but the military let me down. Too long a story, but suffice to say, I'm looking for a challenge."

"You had a promising career colonel. It says here you were the youngest full colonel in the Marines."

"Yes, I'm proud of the Marines and proud to be American. But now I need to move on. I was just about to take my boat to the Caribbean when my father called and said you wanted to see me. My father is good friends with Mario. Mario's word is gold in my father's circle of old friends."

Todd nodded his head and said, "I have a job I need done. It is a hands on job, but some paper work is necessary. Salary is generous and so are the benefits. I haven't told you the whole story, but you would be responsible for the security of the entire Lincoln Group. Both here and overseas and down into Mexico and South America. I would guess you would need over a thousand employees. You design your chain of command. You have a free hand. I expect nothing but the best. Money for manpower and equipment is not a question I want to hear about. Submit a budget and I will approve it. Go over it and I will take it out of your thick hide," he said with a grin.

"Well, Alex, are you in for a dollar?"

'It's music to my ears Mr. Lincoln. When do you want me to begin?'

Todd said, "Tomorrow too soon?''

"Not at all."

"Well then, my secretary will show you a desk and a phone in a minute. A company car is waiting for you. Credit cards my secretary will give you and please fill out the paper work. I'll see you tomorrow and tell you a few things that need our immediate attention."

They shook hands and like the first shake of the hands, Todd gave it all the power he had, but it wasn't enough shaking hands with the colonel. I have to pump some more weights he said to himself. Then he thought of last night in the weight room and began to miss his girl. He picked up the phone and called her. He told her he was on his way and would see her in about a half an hour of so depending on traffic. It was now a little after five and rush hour was upon the city.

He made a quick call to his grandmother to see how she was and to see if the safe had arrived. Grandmother answered the phone, because his number was programmed to let him through and all others were blocked. She told him she was fine and that a big safe was in her library. She chuckled at him and said she would see him tomorrow.

Todd picked up Jen and they went to a Thai restaurant. He loved their spice noodles. Jen ordered what he was having and they sipped tea while waiting, He told her about the afternoon and that he hired both a public relations person and the head of security for the Lincoln Group. In addition, he was going to hire a secretary for grandmother's office in her house. He also said to her, "Some security people will be stationed around your house. They will, most likely be unseen to you and your family. The press would soon be nosing around and as you know, can be very aggressive. The security is there for your protection. Please tell your mother tomorrow."

She thanked him for his concern for her and the family. "Somehow I knew you would take care of any problems that might come up." She told him about her day and that they were getting very close to having all the arrangements made for the wedding.

The noodles arrived and they picked up the chop sticks and sucked down the noodles. He told her the more noise you made eating, the better the compliment to the cook. "It's an Asian thing."

After dinner they went to an organic market for food shopping. Luke always did a good job, but tonight he wanted to pick out something special for the weekend. "I don't have any special plan for the weekend." He asked her if she wanted to do something for Saturday or Sunday.

They pushed the cart around the market and she said to him, "How about we stay home this weekend and take it easy."

He thought that was a good idea and they picked out some veggies to go with a baked turkey breast for Saturday night. They also picked up some lunch material and eggs for a homemade omelet. A loaf of Wisconsin cheese and some sour dough bread from San Francisco.

The food for the weekend taken care of; she told him Sunday they would go out for brunch at her parent's house, they drove to his apartment. They joked with each other on the way home and she teased him about hiring secretary for grandmother's house. He took the jab good naturedly and told her if she wasn't quiet, he would not make love to her tonight. She shut up immediately and pretended to pout the rest of the way home. They played and grabbed each other in the elevator. Into the apartment they put the groceries away then they headed to the TV room and plopped down on the couch. Todd took his tie off and unbuttoned his shirt. She leaned into him and played with the hair on his chest. She pulled his hair hard and he pretended to be angry and pinned her to the sofa, holding her hands, but not too tightly. She looked into his eyes and she saw the love for her pouring forth from his eyes. He kissed her and she kissed him back. They moved to the floor and he unbuttoned her blouse. Slowly, one at a time letting his fingers just touch her soft white skin, teasing her and sending shivers up and down her body. The buttons undone, she unhooked her bra and he lowered his lips and he made love to his fiancé.

They took a long hot shower and went to bed. He had some reading to do, so he read awhile and she went fast asleep. Around midnight he turned the light off and moved next to her. She made some small throaty love sounds and snuggled next to him. They were becoming quite comfortable sleeping together.

He spent a dreamless night and awoke rather fresh at six. He slipped out of bed and went to the exercise room. She followed him a few minutes later and they spent the next half hour working out. They hit the shower and were very hungry for breakfast after only a bowl noodles the night before. He fixed scrambled eggs and toast. Fresh fruit and fresh squeezed orange juice, thanks to Luke.

They got dressed and took the elevator down and she caught a taxi and he took off for grandmothers. He called grandmother and asked her how she was this morning. She told him she never felt better and she had a surprise for him later in the morning.

He smiled to himself and then he called Jen. He asked her plans for the day and because it was Friday, and they're both Catholic, clam chowder might be good for a late lunch. She told him that mother and her, with Beth, had some shopping in the morning, but would be back around noon. He said he would call her later and tell her his schedule. They both made sounds of love with words that were special only between the two of them.

Chapter 13

The day was beautiful and clear. September the first. He wondered what Christmas would bring this year. He already had his present and he made a plan in his mind to go skiing over the holidays. He made a note to ask her what her usual Christmas was like. Grandmother would love to have them for brunch Christmas day. He would talk to her tonight about that. He planned on having a long holiday this year. He wanted something special just between the two of them and something to remember their first Christmas together for the years to come.

He found his grandmother in the library. She had rearranged the furniture and added two desks: one small one and another secretarial type desk. New chairs were added, old ones removed and the new safe was put in a proper place. She was sitting at the small desk reading a report on the Lincoln Group. He kissed her cheek and asked how she was feeling. "Quit asking me silly questions," she said with a smile on her face. "How is your bride to be coming along with the arrangements for the wedding?"

Todd gave her a brief rundown on what Jen and company were doing. Then he filled her in on the past day and his plan for the new day. The new secretary should be here at ten and I'll spend until noon briefing her on what I want her to do first.

"Grandmother, use her as you like, she is here to do anything you ask of her. She will be my personal secretary, if she is acceptable to me, and I think she will be because my office secretary has been proven competent in that area so far finding people who will be an asset to our Group.

"Have a seat Todd. I told you I had something special for you this morning."

He sat down in one of the new chairs and she began a story. "I'll make this short. Many years ago, after your grandfather died, I met a man who, for all the right reasons, was good to me. We fell in love of sorts and we kept it a secret until now. He passed away a few years ago. Now, he was the secret largest stock holder of a large newspaper chain. He willed me his stock. I'm going to turn it over to you. I think you need some media support in your efforts to move Lincoln ahead in the next few years. My lawyers will have the papers for you on Monday."

Todd was taken aback. Recovered quickly and plans were flying through his head faster than a computer. "Grandmother, you never cease to amaze me. I can't believe you had a man friend and I never knew about it."

She looked at him with a smile and said to him, "Todd, I love you to death, but some things are better kept a secret, don't you think?"

Todd remarked that he was ready for some coffee and they both went to the kitchen. He'd looked at the safe from a distance and would look at it later after coffee. They talked while drinking coffee for him and tea for her. He ate some fresh cookies the old cook had just taken out of the oven. Grandmother left to take a rest and he went to his office in the library. He looked the safe over and found the instructions on his desk. He sat down and read how to use the safe. He programmed a secret code into the fireproof safe and called his New York office.

His secretary answered and told him the new applicant should be there any time now. He thanked her and asked her about Alex. She told him everything was in place and he was in his new office right now. He's been here since four am. His light on his phone is always on. He scared the guard downstairs showing up with his new ID and yelled at him for some reason. The guard was so scared he couldn't tell me the story. Todd laughed and said he would be in the office about three or four and would see Alex then. He hung up and a knock on the door sounded.

He said, "Come in."

Nancy walked in with her head held high. A plain but attractive woman in what looked like early or mid thirties, she was impressive to look at. She was dressed nicely, but conservative: strawberry colored hair and a very intelligent look about her. He asked to sit down and he introduced himself, she returned the greeting saying, 'My name is Nancy Renbow.

She sat down and looked at him. She appraised him with her piercing blue eyes and freckles were evident through light make up. A nice shade of lipstick set her face off. She liked what she saw, she thought to herself; and he liked what he saw too. He said to her, "I haven't any file on you. All I received was your name from my secretary. Start at the beginning please and there is no hurry as we have all morning."

He made her feel at ease and she visibly relaxed. "Would you care for a cup of tea or coffee?" he asked.

She declined but he said he would like a cup of tea. "I'll be right back,"

That would give her time to totally relax and look the office over, he thought. He went to the kitchen and made two cups of green tea in mugs and brought them back to the library.

By then she had put her bag on the floor and had crossed her legs in a relaxed manner. He said, "Let's move to these other chairs so we can talk."

He put down the mug in front of her on a coffee table and he told her to begin when ready. She took a sip of tea and remarked what good tea it was and he told his story of China. That put her in a talkative mood and she began her story.

She started her story about how she graduated from a fine university with a business degree. She had a hard time finding a middle management job and was offered a personal secretaries job with a stockbroker firm. That was in the 1990's. The firm went defunct and she moved on to another firm. She was another personal secretary at a bank for ten years until the boss made unwarranted advances. She threatened to sue and was given a large settlement in return for her resigning. She took two years off and traveled around the world. She spoke German, Italian and French. Languages she said were easy for her. She went on to tell him now she needed to get back into the real world. His secretary knew someone who knew someone and she called his office. "Now, here I am, Mr. Lincoln. What do you think?"

He sipped his tea and was quiet for a few minutes. She drank some of her luke warm tea. He sat his cup down and stood up and moved to the cold fireplace. He stood with his back to it as if he was warming himself, and said to her, "Nancy, may I call you Nancy?' She nodded and he continued, "Fine then, Nancy the job is yours, but first let me tell you what your duties for this position are."

He went on to tell her about his grandmother who was resting at the time; the travel involved; and the dedication needed to fulfill his needs. He told her about his engagement to Jen and the plans for the wedding. He also told her that they would be on a honeymoon for two or three months mostly in Europe and Australia. "At a moment's notice I may need you and you would have to catch a plane and fly to me wherever I may be. Is that acceptable to you?"

She stood up and walked up to him with her hand out. "You just hired yourself a secretary, Mr. Lincoln.

"Nancy, I didn't ask you about your personal life, but would the schedule we talked about interfere with your life?"

"Not at all. I'm not married because I'm gay."

He never blinked and said, "Then it's settled. See my secretary and she will provide you with a car and a credit card for expenses. The salary is one hundred thousand a year, plus stock options and retirement."

She smiled at him and turned to leave. He walked her to the door and told her good bye and he would see her here on Monday morning. "Please get what you need to set up the office."

She said she would and waved bye walking to her car.

Todd returned to the library satisfied that things were looking well for the first week. Now I must call my lovely girl friend and see what's up for lunch on a Friday.

He left a note for his grandmother about Nancy coming on Monday. Said he would see her early Monday morning. Put on his Armani sport coat and headed out the door to see his Jennifer for lunch.

On the way down to pick her up, he thought about the newspaper business. He needed to talk to Glenda, his new Public Relations person. That meeting could wait until Monday. He picked up his phone and called his office. He told his secretary about Nancy and to call Glenda and have her come to grandmother's on Monday about ten. He told her he would be in the office after lunch.

It was a fine sunny day and warm enough to put the top down. His hair was a mess when he pulled up in the driveway of Jen's house. He combed his hair and jumped out feeling on top of the world. She met him at the door as she could tell by the sound of his Porsche anywhere.

He visited with mom and Beth for a few minutes and he and Jen headed out the door. Mom said to Beth, "My god it must feel good to be in such love as those two are." Beth nodded her head and tears rolled down her cheeks.

Todd and Jen made their way to the harbor. Near the waterfront, a very good chowder house sat by itself. A large parking lot was filled with cars and pickup trucks. He told her it was kind of a funky place, but the food was excellent.

Later after eating fish and chips with a bowl of chowder, they went for a little drive around the waterfront. "We have an office somewhere around here." He told her it didn't matter and he drove her home and left her with a kiss and hug.

He drove to the office and picked up a message that Dennis had called and to call him back if it wasn't too late on the west coast.

He rang Dennis and Dennis told him he was coming to New York next weekend. Todd told him that he would stay at his apartment, but take a taxi to his building.

Next he called Alex to see if he had time to talk for awhile. Alex said he would be right there in a few minutes. Alex knocked, came in and sat down across from Todd. He had a file folder in his hands while putting on a pair of reading glasses that were so out of character-- Todd smiled to himself.

Alex gave a brief rundown on his progress to date. Todd listened carefully. Interjected a question or two and when he was finished, told him his fears for Jen's house and of course grandmother's place. Todd said he already had some things in motion and by tomorrow morning or sooner, a team would be on location at both places for twenty-four seven surveillance. Todd liked what he heard and then his phone buzzed. He picked up the phone and his secretary said, "Glenda is here."

"Ask her to come in." Alex, I want you to meet someone and to work closely with her. She is our new Public Relations person."

Glenda came in and Todd introduced them and they all moved to the conference table and took a seat. It was not an overly large table, but big enough for eight people. Todd sat at the head of the table and Alex and Glenda found their own places to sit.

Todd briefed them about their respective positions. He made a note to tell them that this was a start-up operation and to work closely together especially in the light of his upcoming wedding. "Nothing is more important than the protection of both Jen's family and my grandmother's house. Private conversations must not be overheard. Alex, please install some hi- tech equipment and sweep both places everyday for listening devices not only in the houses, but the surrounding area for long distance listening instruments."

Alex said, "I have a list made now and as we speak my second is out making the purchases. First thing in the morning we will sweep both neighborhoods and houses."

Glenda broke in and said, "I've called a press conference for Monday and sir, if you have time, I would like to ask you some questions."

"Yes, right now I have time."

"Alex, keep at it and keep me updated on your progress and how things are going in general. I would expect you will need to make a world wind tour of the Lincoln Group soon?"

"Yes, soon, but I need couple weeks to put my plan in place and leave the formation and interviewing to my new second"

"Fine, very good, now Alex, if you will excuse us, Glenda and I have some details to work out."

Alex took his leave and Todd thought he liked this old Marine. Old, he is only forty one, he mused. I must remember to talk to him about boating he thought to himself.

He and Glenda spent the next hour talking about what to release to the press and what not to say. She got up and went to her office. She had a company cell and he decided to give her his private cell number. He cautioned her on its use and she hugged her file next to her chest. She would protect his image and privacy to the end. She was already a member of his team. She thought this man was powerful, but tolerate to the needs of others. Jen is a lucky woman she thought. However, my life is quite good enough for me.

Todd wrapped up his files and stuck them in his brief case. Said good night to the secretary and left the building in search of his precious lady. He had called and told her he would pick her up and she said that if it was okay with him, they would eat dinner at her house with mom and dad. He said that was good for him and would be there in a little while.

He called Mario from his car and caught him in his office. "What are you doing in the office so late,' Todd asked.

"Well I'm practicing my putting. Hot golf date tomorrow. What can I do for you?"

He gave him the names of his new secretary and Public Relations officer and said to run a check. Private lives mainly. Mario said he would have something by Monday and they said good bye. Todd added that he would have a good golf game tomorrow?

Mario told him he would lose on purpose as it was to his advantage to lose to some bankers. Todd chuckled and closed his phone.

He was really starting to like Mario. Mario had an infectious air about him. He wanted to introduce Jen to him, but first he must check with grandmother about that meeting. Caution; and it is best to error on the side of caution rather than blunder into a place of no return, he thought to himself. Mario might have a down side to his character. He reminded himself to check with Alex and see if he had some covert contacts at his disposal.

He pulled into the driveway of Jen's house. Walked to the door as it opened and Jen gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. She smelled delicious. Her hair was down and smelled like fresh flowers.

Doctor Curtis was sitting in the family room reading a medical journal. He greeted Todd warmly and offered him a drink. Todd asked for a glass of wine and Jen left to get it for him. They both sat down and Doctor Curtis told him that Jen had discussed with him about his grandmother's illness. Todd gave him a rundown and said the doctors from Switzerland would be arriving this coming week to run some tests on her. Todd noticed that Doctor Curtis had a serious look on his face and that told him here was a man who really cared about his patients.

Jen brought him a glass of red wine. "Sorry, it's not a Lincoln Vineyard."

He smiled and took the glass and asked her about her day. Even though he was having a serious conversation with another doctor, Todd took the time to make sure she was important in his life. That trait set him a cut above other men. She beamed at her man and told him briefly what the day was like. She made an excuse to go to the kitchen and help her mother. That left the two of them to get better acquainted.

Doctor Curtis asked about his former practice and Todd told him about a young doctor from his former school that assumed his practice. "He'll do fine. He comes from a nice family from Boston and appears to have what's needed to be successful."

Jen came in and said dinner was ready. Dinner was good and Todd gave his compliments to the cook. They stayed for coffee and cake. Todd felt comfortable with Jen's family and he wondered about Jen's sister Jan. Was she an outcast?

He returned to the conversation to hear Jen saying they must go now. They said their good byes and left. Todd said, "I like your parents."

She grabbed his arm and gave it a squeeze to her body. He felt the heat of her body and a longing to hold and kiss her.

"Where would you like to go,' he asked.

"Well, believe it or not, I'm sick of shopping and would like to take a hot bath and snuggle up to you on the sofa."

"Sounds good to me, let me make a stop at the store for some munchies. I'm up for a game of Backgammon if you are?"

"Prepare to lose, sucker, I'm the Backgammon queen of my sorority. How much a point? Do you have legal or crooked dice," she laughed and poked him in the ribs.

He flinched and pinched her leg just above the knee inside the thigh. She took his hand and moved it higher. The heat was radiating to his hand. He brought it back to the steering wheel. "You will get us into trouble doing that," he said with a smile on his face looking at her with pure love.

Chapter 14

Jen was relaxing in a soapy hot tub of water drinking a glass of wine. Todd was sitting on the commode talking about his day. He gave her a general summation and left out many details so she would not be too curious. He told her about his new secretary being gay and that he suspected that his new Public Relations person was gay too. Jen asked him if that bothered him. He said, "No, this is the twenty first century. I could care less about their sexual persuasion. Just doing the job is what's important to me. I feel both of them are experienced enough to handle the position."

"Do you want some company?"

"Of course, big boy, take off your clothes and climb in."

He went in the bedroom and stripped. Hung up his coat and tie and threw the rest down the laundry chute. He walked back in and slide down the side of the tub opposite her. He laid his head back and closed his eyes and enjoyed the hot water on his tired body.

He thought back to the days of lonely Friday nights; wondering if he would ever meet a nice girl that his mother always said would enter his life. He thanked the 'Higher Spirit' for providing him with this wonderful girl.

He felt some toes moving up his legs. Soon she was teasing him and he responded to her probing. She climbed on his lap and after a while of intense love making, she with her arms around his neck and back, he with his arms around her middle, they slide down into the water. They came up laughing and she told him to stand up please. She washed him from the waist down and told him to go rinse off in the shower. He did as he was told and she followed him into the shower.

Later they dressed in their usual pajamas and curled up on the sofa. They watched some mind-less programs half asleep when the ten o'clock news came on. The announcer said they had some pictures and some details about the Todd Lincoln and Jennifer Curtis engagement. There was some footage of her house and Jen and her mother going out in a car. Another shot of them in a bridal store shopping. Then, there was some footage of him getting into his car with the top down and driving off. The details were sketchy at best. A close up shot of her hand revealed a ring. The announcer said that the wedding was obviously scheduled but further details were not available. He promised some exclusive pictures and details on Monday night's program.

Todd said out loud, "Good luck buddy, I doubt your viewers are going to hold their breath. Wait until you meet Alex."

Jen looked at him funny and turned back to the TV. He turned it off and said, "Let's hit the sack honey."

She murmured her agreement and they went to bed.

Todd spent a restless night. The dream came back again and again. He got up twice and finally took a sleeping pill. Pills were something he never took without a good reason.

He woke up and it was nine am. Jen was out of bed and he heard her in the kitchen banging pots and pans around. He was groggy from the sleeping pill. He took a quick shower, put on his shorts and running shoes and went to the exercise room. An hour later, sweat running off him, he felt much better. He took another long shower and she was sitting in the kitchen talking on the phone to her mother.

Fresh coffee was in the pot. He poured a cup and looked around for something to eat. He was hungry. Jen waved her hand to the oven. He opened the oven up and in there were two mushroom omelets, fried potatoes and a stack of toast warming and waiting for him. The table was set and she put down the phone and asked him if he was ready to eat.

"Starving," he said. Tomato juice in a glass and chilled water in a pitcher waited for him. He downed a glass of water and drank the juice in one gulp. He ate with relish and only looked up at her once or twice, but he smiled each time. She knew he liked her cooking. She so liked to please him. She was glad her mother made her learn to cook. After breakfast, he walked to the window to check out the weather. He saw it was a nice day. He wondered how tired from the week she was. She was in the bathroom and that is where he found her combing her hair and smiling in the mirror at him.

"What say you and I meet the new head of security I hired today for lunch?"

"If you want to honey," she answered, thinking that he something on his mind and needed to talk to this guy today and not on Monday. Something must be kind of urgent, she thought to herself. He went to the library/study and made a phone call.

Alex answered on the first ring. He had programmed his phone to make a special sound for his boss. Alex told him good morning and waited for Todd to talk to him.

Todd told him if he had time, would he like to have lunch with him and to meet Jen, his future wife.

Alex said, "Name the time and place and I will be there."

Todd mentioned a restaurant, Luigi, and named one o'clock would be the time. They hung up and Todd returned to thinking about Jen and felt a little bad he was mixing business with pleasure.

Jen asked what time they would be leaving and he said, "Just after noon."

She nodded her head. She came around the desk and sat in his lap and gave him a nice kiss and told him she loved him so much. He told her how much she meant to him. He nuzzled her neck and she felt a stirring under her. She smiled at him and asked him if he wanted to take a nap before lunch. He smiled and said he would save it for later. She kissed his cheek and said she was going to call Beth and e-mail some friends while he was sitting here thinking about something. He hugged her and said, "I am a little worried about the press bothering your family."

She went to the bedroom and called Beth. They talked for forty-minutes. Jen on the bed didn't talk about much except her upcoming wedding and her love for her man. She said, "Sorry Beth that all I talk about is me."

Beth told her she understood and was there for her always.

The weather was clear and warm for early September. Getting ready for lunch at Luigi, Jen was dressed in a summer outfit. She wore a pale green summer dress with straps that showed off her white skin. A silver necklace, dangling ear rings, her new watch and ring blended nicely with her beautiful skin. Her hair was down and Todd left the top up so it wouldn't blow her shinny blond hair.

He was dressed causal, but looked every part the young executive. A silk shirt open at the collar showing his chest hair and a new Armani sport coat that arrived Friday. He had on tan slacks with a crease that could cut a loaf of homemade bread. Deep blood red loafers finished off his dress. He had put on a dash of after shave and smelled so good she could devour him.

Todd was thinking about Alex and was anxious to hear what he had to say about what he had been doing and Todd needed specifics, not general news. They pulled in to the curb next to Luigi's. Jen looked at her watch and it was about a quarter to the hour. They were early. He opened the door for her and they went in. He had called the restaurant earlier and made a reservation. Luigi told Todd that he didn't need to call him in the future; there was a table for four always waiting for him. Todd thought he heard the sounds of Mario at work from Luigi.

Luigi led them to a secluded table and Alex was standing there waiting. Todd made the introduction and they sat down. Alex thought to himself, man if she was mine, I would be doing the same thing: a twenty hour guard seven days a week! She was gorgeous. He kept staring at her and Todd had a smile on his face watching him look at her. Todd poured a glass of wine for him and Jen. Alex had a file folder on the table. His wine glass was full. He either had just arrived or he didn't drink much, Todd thought.

Todd jumped in with a little cough and Alex turned to him with the hint of red cheeks. Todd said, "Tell me some things you have been doing. I saw a news clip last night on TV that I didn't much appreciate."

Alex pushed his glass aside and opened up the file, but never looked at it. He began his story with specifics. "I rented a warehouse down on the docks. Equipped it with an alarm system and it is staffed with about ten guys who are monitoring all the local and national television stations. We have a copy of the tape and as we speak; it's at a lab going through extensive scrutiny using GPS and math to determine the exact location of the camera man. We know who the camera man is and right now one of my men is drinking in a bar making friends with him. My man is wired and we're recording their conversation."

Todd listened with complete attention. Jen was in a daze listening to the report. Alex told him that he had men at both houses. "Both teams are wired to our warehouse. They report in every ten minutes and it's recorded. We notified the local police so they are aware of our activity at both locations. We have another team at the TV station monitoring their hand radios to the drivers and camera men for dispatch. He closed the file and looked at Todd and Jen."

Todd said two words: "Good job."

They ordered lunch and they talked about boats. Alex told him he had been a sailor with his father like Todd was with his father. Todd thought they had a lot in common and he told Alex about his sailboat and his love, and now Jens too, for boating. He was looking for a new boat and he and Jen on their honey moon would look at new boats to buy. An hour later, having eaten lunch, talking about security and his past life, Todd and Jen went away feeling good about their meeting with a nice guy.

Todd asked Jen what she wanted to do this afternoon. Jen thought about it for awhile and told him she wanted to ride a roller coaster. Todd said, it sounds like fun." And they headed for Coney Island. Todd said, with a smile on his face, "I hope you don't lose your lunch."

"There is no danger I will lose my lunch," she replied with a big smile on her face. They arrived at the park. Found a parking space and took a shuttle tram to the entrance.

Jen was very excited as they went through the gate into the park. They warmed up on some kiddy's rides. First the merry go round, the Ferris wheel and the bumper cars. She was a crazy driver and Todd had to work hard not to be bumped by her. He laughed and she hit him again. Finally they left and walked to the roller-coaster holding hands and having fun like little kids.

The roller-coaster was huge and the cars were going so fast, they stopped and stared at it. People were screaming and arms were flying above their heads. She pulled on him and said, "Let's go big boy."

He bought the tickets and they waited in line. Close to the front of the line, he nodded to the attendant who had looked at them because she was a knock out and he carried himself with the look of power. When the cars stopped, he and Jen were placed in the front. Todd slipped the guy a fiver and they buckled up.

The cars moved slowly up a giant hill. Cresting the top and when most of the cars were over the downhill side, the cars took off like a shot. People were screaming and Jen had smile on her face holding tight to the bar. Todd had his arm around her and quickly as they reached the bottom put both hands on the bar as his stomach went to his seat when they started up the other side, again up a short hill and over the top. This time his stomach went to his throat and he felt his body lift off the seat. Jen was screaming and he was laughing with feelings of excitement. Around and down they went, faster and faster and when they came to the three sixty, up and around upside down they went. People were going crazy and Todd felt like an astronaut. A few more minutes and they pulled into the start/finish line. Got out and staggered down the ramp holding on to each other and laughing like teenagers. They stopped at the bottom and she turned and looked at him and gave him a hug and kiss. "That was fun," she said, "Let's do it again."

He agreed and back to the ticket booth and away they went. This time from the back car they had the same great feeling of excitement and when they were finished, made a promise to come back soon and do it all over again.

They left the park and drove home. Took a shower and they did their usual playing around talking about what fun they had today. After the shower he went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. He marinated the turkey breast in a special sherry wine and put it in the oven for an hour. She told him she was going to make some phone calls and check her e-mail.

He went to the library to make some phone calls. He checked his briefcase and his cell for any calls. Nothing there, so he picked up the phone and called his grandmother first. He told her about the Coney Island roller coaster ride and she said, "Todd, your still a kid at heart."

He laughed and told him she was feeling fine and would see him on Monday.

Next he called Glenda to see if she was in contact with Alex. She answered on the first ring. Told him in a brief few seconds that she was at the warehouse and she and Alex were in close contact with each other. He thanked her and hung up. After that he called his secretary and found her in the backyard in the flower bed weeding. He apologized for calling on a Saturday and she said it was fine that he called and what could she do for him. He asked her if the memo that he sent out requesting the meeting for Thursday had been RSVP. She said, "All have responded and will be here Wednesday night."

He thanked her and hung up.

Back in the kitchen, he found Jen sitting at the counter on a stool talking on the portable. He kissed her cheek and she grabbed his backside. He smiled and went to the refer to make a salad and a veggie tray. Both the salad and veggies completed, he put them in the refer. He found her in the study on the computer pounding out e-mails to friends.

He told her with a whisper in her ear that dinner would be ready in a half hour. Nibbled on her ear and she made soft sounds. He went back into the kitchen to check on his turkey breast. He stuck a meat thermometer in the turkey and found it was cooked. Left it on the stove and set the table for two. Found a couple candles and lit them. He took two crystal cut wine glasses out of the antique China cabinet and went to get the chilled wine. He then placed all the rest of the dinner on the table and sliced the turkey. When all was ready, he went to find Jen just finishing up on the computer. He told her dinner was ready and they both went into the dining room.

She said, "Wow, this looks lovely. I'll bet it taste good too."

They were both hungry from the time spent at the park and ate with a good appetite. Comfortably full, they cleaned up the table and went to the TV room. Snuggled up and watched TV. He asked her if she wanted to watch a movie and she said that was fine by her. He looked though his collection of DVD's and decided on a rip roaring adventure movie: "Indiana Jones". They both thought Harrison Ford was a great Jones man.

After the movie they slipped quietly to bed and made soft and passionate love. They fell asleep in each other's arms and Todd spent a dreamless night.

Chapter 15

It was Sunday. Todd woke up at his usual six am. Got quietly out of bed and checked the weather. It was raining lightly. A gray and ugly day, he thought to himself. He didn't feel like exercising, so he went to the library and dug out a file on the Seattle and Chicago guys he would interview tomorrow. He took the file back to bed and read it while Jen was still sleeping. Turned the bedside lamp on and Jen turned away from the light.

A half hour later, she stirred and woke up stretching. She kicked the covers off and said she was hot. He threw the file on the floor and rested his head on his hand with the elbow on the bed. He stared at her lovely body from her toes to her head. "What's the matter doctor, haven't you ever seen a naked body before?"

He smiled at her and said that while in medical school and afterwards, never had he seen such a beautiful body. She drew him down and hugged him and then she got up and went to the bathroom. He picked the file up and continued reading until he heard the shower running. He jumped up and ran to the shower to join her.

His body was very clean; she had used her special washing technique; they dried off, slipped into some sweats and went to have some breakfast. The kitchen was all cleaned up. She marveled at Luke; his efficiency was impressive. This apartment looked like a show house for realty people on a Sunday. He must come in very early, she thought to herself.

She told him to sit down and she would fix something for them. She made scrambled eggs with mushrooms, tomatoes and onions. They were past the stage where garlic and onions would be a problem for them.

While she made breakfast he told her it was raining outside. He suggested they lie around the house and then go out for a late lunch somewhere. She suggested they invite her parents and he agreed with her. "I will call them late," and she went back to making breakfast.

After breakfast he told her about grandmother and the newspaper story about the transfer of stock. He said he had a busy day tomorrow with first he new secretary starting tomorrow at grandmothers; the lawyers for the stock transfer; and in the afternoon the two guys from Seattle and Chicago.

He complimented her on the tasty breakfast. They both cleaned up and left a clean kitchen behind them. She strolled around the bookshelves in the library looking for something to read. He meanwhile, went to the computer and did some surfing about boats on or about the Mediterranean Sea.

She found a book on wine making and went to a chair and started to read it. Two hours later, he noticed the rain had stopped and the sun was shining through broken clouds. He could see way down on the streets steam rising from the late summer heat on wet pavement. He knew the humidity was still a little high.

Soon they left to meet her parents and have a late Sunday lunch. A good time and good food and they went their separate ways. They drove home and spent a quiet Sunday night watching TV and playing around on the sofa.

Monday morning they were in the lobby of his apartment walking out the door when a man, nicely dressed waited for them. He introduced himself as a member of Alex's security team. They would follow Jen to her house. Todd was pleased and gave her a hug and said he would call her later.

He drove off to grandmother's house. The day was clear and a little warm. Not warm enough for him to put down the top, but a nice day anyway.

He recognized a Lincoln company car on the street next to the house. He parked and went in and found his new secretary and grandmother having tea in the newly redecorated office. They're having a raucous conversation. They stopped talking when he walked in. Grandmother turned her cheek for him to kiss and said, "Good morning."

Nancy stood up and greeted him formally. He told her to relax and call him Todd. Only his head office secretary and now Nancy was allowed to call him by his first name. However, when with business associates or in a meeting, they both use his formal name Mr. Lincoln.

Grandmother told him the lawyers would be here at nine. He nodded his head and sat as his desk and looked around to see what Nancy had accomplished for setting up an office. It looked like she knew what she was doing and felt good about her coming on board. Nancy with sharp eyes noticed him looking at her handy work.

He drank a cup of coffee with them and made small talk telling them about their trip to Coney Island. They both told him they envied them and grandmother said, "I have a few things to do before the lawyers arrive." She moved to her little desk and looked at some files.

Todd meanwhile talked to Nancy. He told he wanted her to take notes of the meeting. Not so much the content, but her evaluation of each lawyer personally. She had a quizzical look on her face so he explained what he wanted. "I want to know how they are dressed, looks, manners, and your personal opinion of each one of them. I trust women when they are judging another person."

She told him she understood and would do her best.

Meanwhile grandmother and he talked about the stock and it would appear a straight forward transfer of stock. Todd thought to himself that he needed a firm of lawyers probably much different than what they had now as Lincoln Corporation lawyers. He excused himself from grandmother and called Mario. He told Mario what he was looking for in a lead attorney: a clean background, around fifty, solid in the community, knowledgeable about the EPA; an international background in law: fluent in French and German and at least a working knowledge of Italian.

Mario said, "You don't want much do you?"

Todd laughed, "Is it doable?"

"Of course, my young friend, you're talking to Mario. By the end of the day I will have some names for you to look at and a file on each one."

"What would I do without you Mario? You never cease to amaze me."

"It will cost you some day," he said with a good natured reply.

About the time he was hanging up the phone, he looked at his secretary and she pointed at her watch and motioned to the closed door. He took the hint and knew the lawyers were here. A knock on the door produced a bank of lawyers from a firm located in the heart of New York's financial district: Wall Street.

He suggested to them after the introductions were made, they move to the dining room where all could be seated. Grandmother sat at the head of the table and Todd at the other end. The dining table was Old World mahogany and seated about twenty. Nancy sat off to the side of Todd and against the wall with her notebook. Her position was perfect Todd thought. Eye contact with him was easily made. He made a note to himself to call a break about half way through the meeting for coffee and bathroom needs. That way, Nancy could move to the other side to view the attorneys that had previously shown only their backs to her.

Todd looked the attorneys over. There were five men and one woman. The men looked typical Wall Street, but the woman appeared slightly different. Dressed very nice, middle age, short hair, and tasteful jewelry and most impressive was her demeanor. The meeting was uneventful and two hours later, documents signed and handshakes around, including the woman, with whom Todd took a moment to look in the eye, said their good byes and left.

The three of them sat at the dining table talking and grandmother told them she was a little tired and would take a rest. The nurse came and helped her up the stairs to her room. Todd and Nancy went back to the library and he asked her to one by one to describe her impressions of the attorneys to him.

She gave him what she had written down and he listened carefully. He was impressed with her observation techniques and thanked her for the good work. Nancy had overheard his conversation with Mario and fully knew what was on his mind. She said, "Excuse me Mr. Lincoln, but if it is not privileged, would you tell me who Mario is?"

He told her briefly about Mario and told her again to call him Todd. She told him she would work on that but she was not accustomed to call her boss by his first name. He laughed and said to relax. He asked her to type up her notes and then meet him in the downtown office and prepare for the meeting he had with his two guys from Seattle and Chicago.

Todd looked at his watch and it was just before noon. Just then the phone rang and Nancy said it was Mario. Mario said, "Who was that sexy voiced person who answered the phone?"

Todd laughed told him it was his new secretary. Todd said, "If you have time, let's have lunch at Luigi."

Mario told him had lots of time and that he would bring some files on the guys he was looking for. He told his secretary he would see her at the office and left for downtown to meet Mario at one o'clock.

On his way he called his Jen to see what she was doing. She was having lunch with her mother when he called. She told him that for the most part, they were about finished with the wedding plans. He asked her if she could meet him at his office at three o'clock. She didn't ask why, but said she would be there. What Todd had in mind was, to see how much of a distraction she would be in front of each guy at four o'clock. How good was their concentration upon a subject? He knew they would wonder who the other guy was while they waited to see him. Put the pressure on and let's see how they handle it, he said to himself with a smile on his face.

At one o'clock he pulled into the parking lot of Luigi's place. Mario was already there talking to some guys and they were laughing and toasting their wine glasses. The Sicilians and Italians were a noisy lot. He knew of no other people who enjoyed life more than his own countrymen.

Mario introduced him to a friend of his. "Todd, meet a friend of mine, Guido Samilie. They shook hands and Mario asked Todd if it was okay with him that Guido joins them for lunch.

Todd said, "It would his pleasure to have lunch with a friend of Mario's." They sat down at their usual discreet table and wine was poured for Todd. Just then a well dressed young Italian walked up with some files in his hand and gave them to Mario. Mario handed them to Todd and told him to look at them later and continued talking about who Guido was. It would seem that Guido was a newspaper, media guy who knew the ins and outs of the newspaper business.

Mario knew about the stock trade between him and grandmother. Mario, with his clever mind, anticipated Todd's need of a guy with no axe to grind to brief him on the newspaper business. He suggested that he might want to share with Guido his thoughts on the new renamed Lincoln Group. Todd was delighted with Mario and his foresight. Todd then gave them both an overview of his plan with the newspaper business. "I want to control a few major newspapers and change the slight into one of liberal views. I know it will shock some people, but I have my reasons. I want news about the Lincoln Groups new image of conservation and the use of new earth friendly manufacturing materials and compliance with the latest EPA standards. I want it known we will work closely with the EPA about our toxic waste sites owned or leased by our manufacturing sites."

Mario and Guido listened with interest. A silence occurred for a few minutes and Todd took a drink of his untouched wine. Guido said to Todd, "I see what you want. I don't know the reasons for what you are doing or where it is going, but I know how to do what you desire. If you want, I'll work as a consultant."

Todd told him about his Public Relations person. That she was a girl and would that be a problem with Guido? "

"Heck no, I love girls and if she works for you, I know she is not stupid."

Todd said to himself with a small smile on his face, wait until he finds out she is gay, he thought.

Their lunch finished and after small talk about the economy and the Iraq war, they left and went their separate ways. Todd drove to his office and punched the top floor button in the elevator.

Todd walked in his reception area and found Jen chatting away with his secretary. Both were caught up in her talking about their wedding in the spring. Todd asked Jen to come into his office. This was her first time in the New York office. She looked around and commented on his magnificent desk. He told her the story about his Nara wood desk. He asked her to have a seat at the coffee table and told her why he wanted her to sit in on the meeting. Also, his personal secretary Nancy would be there. They would all sit around his conference table.

It was about three forty five when his secretary told him that one of his guys, Pete, is here waiting. He said, "Wait until the other guy comes and buzz me." Let them cool their heels a little he thought to himself. He had talked earlier with Alex and he reported that neither guy did anything special last night. Both had dinner in the hotel restaurant and spent the rest of the time in their rooms. Both had called home and talked awhile to their wives and kids. Todd wondered if they had noticed one another last night in the restaurant. Probably not he thought. Nancy came in and Todd introduced Jen to her. Then the phone buzzed and his other secretary told him the other guy had shown up. Both guys were waiting for him. Todd said, "Wait two minutes and show them both in."

A knock on the door produced his two guys, one from Seattle and the other from Chicago. Todd introduced himself and then introduced Jen as Vice president in charge of advertising and Nancy his personal secretary. Greetings around and both guys sat down wondering why he had them both in there at the same time for a job interview.

Todd gave them a brief outline of the job description and said he wanted to ask a few questions of each of them. He started first with Pete from Chicago Todd asked him about his flight, accommodations and life in general in Chicago. Todd, Jen and Nancy listened carefully to his answers. Final question to Pete was why he wanted the job as CFO? Pete told him he was stuck in his present position and it ceased to be a challenge to him. He felt that his family needed a major change and wanted to live in New York City.

Next Todd turned his attention to Damien. He had been, out of the corner of his eye, watching him with interest. Clearly he was focused. Eyes moving from one girl to the other and never did it appear that he was distracted by Jen's beauty. Jen was stoic and had a note book writing something down every once in awhile. She was probably making a grocery list for the upcoming week.

"Before we start, Damien, do you have any questions?"

Damion said, "Yes he had one or two questions if it was all right with him."

Todd said, "Fine go ahead ask what you want to."

For the next twenty minutes, Damion asked pointed and intelligent questions about the position and its responsibilities. How much responsibility the position would require; and how much travel would the job necessitate. When he was through with his questions, Todd knew he had his man. Pete also knew he was dead in the water. But what Pete didn't know was that Todd wanted both of them.

Todd asked Damion to step out for a few minutes because he wanted to talk to Pete alone. Everyone left and Pete looked dejected. Todd smiled and said, Pete, "I want to hire you."

Pete had a shocked look on his face and Todd told him what he had on his mind. Pete told him he would be happy to be the man backing up Damion and he knew very well who the best man for the job was. Todd shook his hand and they talked salary and benefits. Starting time was important. Todd wanted him on board in two weeks. Lincoln would put him up at a hotel and his wife could begin the search for a house. All expenses would be paid by the Lincoln Group. Pete left happy and Todd asked him to see his secretary out front for details that needed to be taken care of.

He told his secretary to send Damion in. Damion came in with a dejected look on his face. Todd asked him to sit down and told him his plan in detail. Damion never said a word. For an hour Todd outlined his vast plan of restructuring the Lincoln Group. Todd said to him, "Damion, we have been looking at you for some time. I feel you're the man for us. I need a young aggressive, intelligent guy to be my second in command. Feathers are going to be ruffled, but after a year and when it all shakes out; the Lincoln Group will be stronger and more profitable than ever. How about it, you want the job?"

Damion sat there for just a second and smiled, stood up and said he was happy to accept the responsibility. They shook hands and standing there, Todd said, "We haven't talked money or stock options and so on"

Damion took out of his suit coat a letter outlining his proposal for monetary compensation and other things: stock options, bonus, retirement, housing and so on. Todd looked at the document and said he would give it to his secretary as is. He asked Damion if he could be here in two weeks. "Yes, I can,' he said.

"I will inform my boss and fly out here as soon as possible"

Todd told him it might be difficult for him to find a house, so if he didn't mind, he would have someone find a suitable house on a golf course with good schools and shopping nearby. Damion thought that would be fine with him and his wife.

They shook hands again and went out to the reception area where Jen, Nancy, and Pete were waiting. Todd said that they should all go out to dinner together and get to know each other. All agreed, including both his secretaries.

Later after everyone went to their respective places of dwelling to freshen up they all met at Luigi for dinner. Both Pete and Damion were a little surprised to find out Jen was his fiancé. Damion told them he saw both on the news a few days ago. He thought he recognized her. Sitting in the restaurant, Jen had a better chance to look these two guys over. Chicago was tall and thin. A nice looking man average in all respects; on the other hand Damion was a handsome blond with curly hair; an infectious smile and sparkling blue eyes behind an intelligent powerful demeanor.

The night went smoothly. By the time they left, everyone knew the rest of them very well. They said goodbye around midnight and went home or to the hotel. Todd and Jen talked on the way home and she asked him what he was doing saying she was a vice president of advertising. "You are," he said with a smile and a pat on her leg.

"When do I start this job?"

"You're already on the payroll," he replied, now feeling up her dress above the knee.

She moved his hand higher and said to him, "We will talk about this later," she said. "Right now I'm tired and want to go to bed with you and make love until the sun comes up!"

They arrived home and went straight to bed. Neither one of them saw the sun come up. However, judging from the smiles on their faces, a night of pleasure was felt by both upon waking the next morning.

Chapter 16

Both headed for the exercise room and went through a rigorous routine to face another day. They had their usual shower and she made breakfast again for him. A light breakfast of toast and fruit for both was enough. They would have a nice dinner tonight.

The security guy was waiting for them when they arrived at the door. She took a taxi and he drove off to grandmothers. He had a full agenda and he was prepared for a full day's work.

Jen meanwhile, arrived at her parent's house. Mom was in the kitchen and dad was reading the paper drinking a cup of coffee. She kissed her dad and went in the kitchen to see her mother. Mother was washing the breakfast dishes and Jen sat down at the breakfast nook and her mother poured a cup of tea for her. Mom said, "Jen you look a little tired.'

"Yes mom a little tired. We were out late last night with some new guys Todd hired. Mom, I know we have been busy lately, but could we take this nice late summer day and have some fun poking around some street markets?"

Mom laughed and said that sounded like fun to her. "Do you want to call Beth and ask her to come along?"

"No, I think just the two of us and we will have lunch somewhere nice,"

Todd's plan this morning was to go over his speech and have Nancy proof read it. The reason for an afternoon meeting was to make sure all the heads were sober. A lot of grumbling was anticipated and the vocal complaints didn't need the fuel of alcohol.

He picked up his phone and called Mario. Mario answered with, "Good morning young Todd, what can I do for you so early in the morning?"

Todd told him about the two new guys he hired and said in a couple weeks, he wanted to introduce Damion to him. Mario asked him if he had a chance yet to scan the files on the lawyers he gave him.

"No I haven't yet, but will later this morning I will take a look at them."

"Ok, my friend, talk to you later."

Todd drove into the driveway shortly after eight. Nancy was there as usual. He walked through the door and grandmother was just coming out of the kitchen. Before he could say anything, grandmother said, "I'm fine my boy, never felt better."

He grinned at her and gave her a big hug and kiss. Grandmother followed him into the library and he said hello to Nancy and sat down at his desk. Grandmother sat next to his desk in a chair reserved for only her. He told her the doctors from Europe would be here this weekend and run some tests on her. She said, "I know what is wrong with me, my doctor is good enough. Why do I need some guys who can't speak good English probing me and mumbling to the other doctor? You know what my disease is; can't you take care of me?"

Todd laughed and said to her, "Grandmother you are getting a little crotchety in your old age."

They both laughed and got down to business. She read his speech and said it was a good one. "There will be a lot of opposition to your ideas. Are you prepared for rebuttal?"

"I'm ready," and gave the speech to Nancy for proof reading. He and grandmother went to the kitchen for tea. They sat down and he told her all about yesterday and his hiring the two guys from Seattle and Chicago. He told her about Damion and felt he would be a great asset to Lincoln. Pete on the other hand, would be a strong back up and make sure nobody got out of line. A desk man who will demand we play by the rules: "My kind of guy."

Grandmother told him she would take a rest and excused herself. Todd returned to the library.

He was deep in thought when the phone rang. Alex was on the line. Actually, Todd had not thought much about the press since Glenda's press conference. He hadn't noticed any unusual activity outside the house. Alex said good morning and gave him a report on the week's activities. He told him he would have a budget on his desk on Monday. "That is good work Alex. I have a special job for you." Todd gave him the three lawyer's names and asked Alex to check them out. He would give him the files this afternoon when he came to the downtown office.

He opened up the files and looked at the lawyer's vita. All appeared qualified. They all met his criteria. He studied the pictures carefully. Then he reread Nancy observations of the meeting with the stock transfer and thought he should give these files to Nancy and have her opinion. She finished the speech and gave it to him and he gave her the lawyer files and told her to study them and write a short note to him about her observations of each one.

He said to her, "Nancy, meet me at the downtown office after lunch. Bring those files with you and a copy of the speech. Put the file of the lawyers on Alex's desk please." He put his copy of the speech in his briefcase and left the house. As usual he called his lovely Jen.

He found her shopping with her mother at a street market in China Town. They were having fun and spending the day together. She wished him well at the big meeting and said she would wait for him at her house to pick her up. They signed off and he motored to an Italian deli for lunch. It was just before noon and after a lunch of salami, cheese on rye, he went to Central Park and walked around with his hands in his pockets thinking about the upcoming meeting. It was still hot and a little muggy. He had no coat on and loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt at the top.

Ambling along he kicked a rock and said out loud, "Someone should kick my butt for doing what I'm planning." An old man on a bike rode up along side of him and said, "Hey fella, you always talk to yourself about kicking your butt?"

Todd smiled at him and said, "I'm in a tough situation and I'm out here to get some confidence back." Todd continued walking slow with the old man struggling to keep his bike from falling over due to the slow pace.

"I think you are strong enough to kick anybody's ass," he said with a twinkle in his brown eyes.

"Well old timer, you remind me of my grandmother and if the two of you got together, I would be running around like a chicken with its head cut off."

The old man, now off his bike and walking along side him said, "I remember those days and now I don't have to worry about them anymore. I can give you a small piece of advice if you want to hear it?"

"Sure do. I need all the help I can get," he answered.

"First let me ask a question. Have you ever failed at something you set your heart into?"

Todd thought a minute as they rounded a corner and some skateboarders almost crashed into them, "No can't say as if I have," he said with a confident voice.

"Well then my new park friend, you have my piece of advice and now if you will excuse me, I have to get my ten miles in today." At that he rode off into the trees looking very fit.

Todd picked up the pace and stood a little straighter. Head held high he made for his car and ready to take on the fight coming up. No doubt he would be persuasive and in the end, have his way with the Lincoln Group.

An hour later, having run through his mind top to bottom his plan; he strolled back to his car. He made a few mental changes, but nothing drastic. He felt good about his plan. His thoughts drifted to Jen. In his mind he could see her big smile and golden hair flowing down to her shoulders. He felt her strength within his mind. She was his pillar of strength to make this plan work for the Lincoln Group. There was no doubt in his mind he could pull this off. He was building group of people who would see to it the plan worked.

Arriving at his office he found Nancy in his office working on some papers. Alex was in and Todd talked to him on the phone, asked him to come to his office. Glenda was in her office and he wanted her to come too. They would have a meeting in his office.

Alex spoke first and said he had looked at the lawyer files and would put the necessary inquiry out on them; very discreetly of course. Glenda told them she would video the meeting at the hotel's convention center. No one would know it was being videoed. Todd wanted a record of the meeting. If one the Head's got out of line, he wanted clips to show them in the future.

Alex told him he had security taken care of. Fifty men were in and around the hotel. The media had been notified and they had promised to behave. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, I think we are ready. Nancy I want you in the front somewhere close. Glenda, you go where you think best and Alex too. I'll meet you all there later at four."

They left and he took a shower in his private bathroom and put on a new suit he had ordered. He looked at his watch and it was almost time to leave. His secretary wished good luck to him and he smiled back at her. He took a taxi to the hotel and at precisely four he walked in to the convention hall. Strolled down the middle with all the Heads standing and looking at him. They were all here to the person; not one had failed to show up for this monumental meeting of the Lincoln Group. Silence went with him to the front where a two step up to the podium awaited him.

Todd asked them to please sit down and welcomed them to New York. Thanked them for dedication to the Lincoln Group and pulled out his speech and began to talk. For the next hour he laid out his plan to them. Not a sound was heard save his voice. At the end of his speech, he said that he knew there were many questions they had for him and he said to them, "I'm sure there is not enough time today to answer all of your questions but he would for the next hour field some questions one at a time. "One at a time please and say your name and where you are from and what division."

A loud buzzing sound of voices could be heard. He let it go on for a few minutes observing the more vocal ones, and then asked for quiet please. The hall turned quiet and the first of many stood up and asked a question.

For the next hour he fielded questions and gave his answers. At precisely the end of an hour, he said that would be the end of the session and said good bye and thanked them for coming. If they would all retire to the special room set up for them, a dinner would be served and the bar was open. Taxis would be ready for taking them back to their respective hotels after dinner at eight o'clock. He walked out the door to a smattering of applause. He had expected no expressed gratitude, but smiled when he left nonetheless.

He called his future wife from the taxi and said he would see her in a little while. He had to pick his car up and then he would drive over and pick her up. She asked him how it went and he said he would tell her all about it later in the car.

In the car on their way home, he told her how it went, "Well the speech sounded good to him, but it was received with mixed emotions. Most were concerned about their jobs. Scared would be a good answer. I opened the floor up to questions and most of the questions were specific about their own divisions. A few excellent questions and I were happy about those. A few clapped at the end when I walked out."

Chapter 17

Monday morning the same ritual: exercise and a hot shower followed by a light breakfast. They left, she to her mother's and he to his grandmother's. Two things occupied his mind on the drive up to his office in Westchester. One was to meet Damion later on after his flight from Seattle; and the other, to look at Alex's budget. An afterthought was to check with Pete Good in Chicago to see how things were coming along. He hoped he could get on board soon. Todd was getting a little impatient, for no good reason he could think of, but he felt like moving in the fast lane. Also, he needed to check on that non-golfing Lawyer and interview him.

The next thing he knew, he was pulling into the driveway at grandmother's house. He walked quickly through the door into the kitchen. He needed a cup of his favorite French Roast coffee. Grandmother was sitting there with a cup of tea and eating an English muffin. He pecked her on the cheek and he asked her how her Sunday was? She said, "Lovely and I never felt so good. I might go back and play some golf later in the week. A few holes to start with and then we will see what happens,"

They chatted for a few minutes and then he went to the office. Grandmother stayed n the kitchen visiting with the cook and housekeeper. Nancy looked nice and had a smile for him. "Anything happening this morning Nancy," he asked.

"No Mr. Lincoln, although I talked to the head office and your secretary, Ann, said Alex's budget is on your desk."

"Fine, but I thought you were going to call me Todd?"

"I'm sorry. I just can't call you by your first name right now, maybe later after some time passes."

He said that was ok and went over to his desk and used the phone. He asked Nancy to call Pete Good in Chicago for him. Next he called Alex to see what his schedule for the day. Alex came on line and they chatted for awhile then Todd suggested two o'clock in his office. He hung up just when his secretary told him Pete was on the line. Todd asked him how it was going and about his family.

Pete said, "Everything is just great and all of the family are looking forward to the change." Pete went on to tell him that he should be in New York at the end of the week. Todd said that would be fine and he would be staying in his apartment building until they found a home. Todd left him by saying to let Nancy or Ann know his travel schedule.

Nancy said to him, "Lawyer number two is expecting your call. Want me to call him and set up an appointment?"

"Yes, see if he can meet me at the city office at three o'clock. Maybe I can get all that is on my plate today cleaned off completely. Oh, by the way, Nancy, I'm having a new car delivered to my apartment today and would you call and make sure it will be there late this afternoon?"

He gave her the car firm's telephone number and left the office for the city. He asked Nancy to meet him at the other office at two o'clock. It was close to eleven am. He had lots of time before his first meeting at two with Alex. He took a chance that Mario might be free for lunch. He made the call and they were set up at Luigi's at twelve thirty.

Driving down to the city, the day was beautiful. A little warm still, but not a cloud in the sky. He called Jen to see what was going on with her today. She related to him that not much was happening. Most everything about the wedding was taken care of. Todd said to her, "Honey why don't you make a plan to take over or start an ad campaign for The Lincoln Group?"

He knew he caught her by surprise, but she recovered quickly and said she would think about it and they would talk about it tonight. He smiled to himself and called Glenda to meet them at his home tonight at about eight o'clock. She told him she would be there with bells on. He liked her more and more each time he talked to her. It appeared she had the press under her thumb. All was quiet at both homes and Todd was very happy about that end of things.

As usual, Mario was waiting for him when he arrived. Again, a loud sound of laughter and swear words boomed from the same group of guys Todd had seen before. Mario was in the middle of the group telling some story or another; and Guido right in the thick of things too. It turned a little quiet when they saw Todd walking in. However, they all greeted him like a regular and congratulated him on his brave speech the other day. Word gets around, Todd thought.

Mario and Guido sat down at their usual table. Todd wanted to talk about the newspaper business. Just then, the same clean cut guy walked up with a thick file in his hand and gave it to Todd. Guido said, 'Here is some late night reading for you. Make a note of any questions and call me if you need me. All of it is pretty cut and dry and I think you can anticipate some major changes in the way your news papers report the news when you implement your take over plans."

They had a nice lunch and talked about Mario's golf game. Todd said he would love to stay and chat longer, but had meeting with a non-golfing lawyer he wanted to hire. They all laughed and he said, "Good bye and thanks for lunch."

Todd arrived at the office at one thirty. Nancy and Glenda were both there. Glenda asked him for a few minutes and they went into the office. The three of them sat at the conference table. Glenda started by telling him that an edited version of the meeting the other day was ready for his viewing. "That's good news and let's look at it in the morning first thing; let's bring Alex in on this and Damion too. Nancy, do you have his arrival time?"

"Yes, he comes in at JFK at eleven pm our time."

"Remind me to have one of Alex's men pick him up please. Anything else Glenda," he asked.

"Not really, I will leave you two and Mr. Lincoln I will see you later at eight pm."

Todd picked up the budget Alex had left him and spent the next twenty minutes looking through it. Nancy meanwhile left and brought them both a cup of green tea. Todd was just finishing the report when a knock on the door produced the colonel. Todd stood up and greeted him with a smile and asked him about having something to drink. Alex declined and they all moved to the conference table. Alex had another file under his arm and set it down along with his copy of the Security budget. He put his reading glasses on and looked over the top of them at Todd. Todd was still smiling and drinking his tea while looking at, the out of character colonel, with his half glasses on. Alex felt a bit sensitive so he took them off and laid them on the table. Nancy meanwhile, turned her head so he couldn't see the smile on her face.

Todd broke the spell and asked him a few questions about the budget. Todd said, "Alex this looks fine to me. I will have Damion and Pete take a closer look, but let's move forward. What is your attack plan for Group security around the globe?"

Alex, totally prepared like a good soldier, opened up his other file and for the next hour laid out in detail his security plan for the Lincoln Group.

Alex began, "First we will send an advance team to each location. Arial photos will be taken by helicopter of the immediate area and the surrounding areas. We will analyze those photos and determine, location at elevation relative to the ocean or body of water adjacent to a port for example; transportation systems, such as buses, trains, subway and percentage of workers commuting by car. Particular attention to the surrounding area for terrorists attacks. In addition, we will take a video of proposed new sites of future construction; and have a team of men on site working with the construction head and architect."

Todd sat very still and was greatly impressed with Alex and his security plan. It was expensive, but necessary for the security of the Group. When Alex had finished, he sat back and a small smile crept across his face and a twinkle in his eye caught Nancy's attention.

Todd asked Nancy to find some glasses and a bottle of wine. He thought a glass of wine was in order. He wanted to hear more of Alex's plan. While Nancy was in a small room out of sight of the conference table, Todd asked Alex how he would handle the logistics of his plan. Alex told him that he would send his number two, three and fourth man into the field first. A camera crew would follow and a video truck crew would be on each location to process the film and edit it for file. He went on to say, "Once the photos and videos were edited, they'd be flown back here and when all is said and done, we will view, design, and implement our security plan for each location."

Todd asked him what his location in this world wind tour would be and Alex told him he would be at the warehouse analyzing data as it came in. Todd was very pleased with the report and told Alex so. They drank the wine and Todd told Alex that Nancy and he must be excused because the Lawyer was due any minute. Alex took his leave and Nancy picked up the glasses and Todd returned to his desk.

Soon his secretary buzzed him to tell him the non-golfer was here. "Send him in please."

In walked a very tall and distinguished looking man. He was a stereotypical looking attorney with a nice smile on his face. He walked confidently up to Todd's desk and took the offered hand with a firm handshake. Nodded to Nancy and Todd told him to please sit down. At first Todd was not so happy with his looks, but a half hour later, changed his mind. Alan Shultz was quite the contrary to his first impression and he turned out to be a down to earth kind of guy and strictly a family man. His only hobby was basketball. He had been a college star in his university days. He still played, mostly on the cement courts around his neighborhood to stay in shape.

Todd told him about his plan and an hour later, after fielding questions from Alan, he asked him if he wanted the job. Alan happily accepted the position. They made the usual salary and benefit arrangements. Todd asked when he could start and Alan told him he was sure he could wrap up his current business and be here in a week or so.

"Great," said Todd. "Please give Nancy a brief outline of your department structure and budget after you begin work at the Lincoln Group. I will send a memo around to the appropriate departments that you're taking over as the head of that department. Nancy, please give Alan the files on our current people in that department for evaluation."

Nancy gave him the files and they said good bye to him and he left a happy man thinking to himself what a powerful, but what a nice guy Todd Lincoln is. He hoped he could measure up to the task, but then remembered he scored fifty points in a State Championship back in high school. He had the confidence in himself. His faith and family backed up that strength.

Nancy meanwhile was on the phone. Todd sat at his desk in thought. Ann his secretary out front came in with a message. She told Todd that Alex wanted to talk to him if and when he was free for a few minutes. Todd told her he would go down to his office in a minute. Nancy hung up the phone and said to him, "You new car is in your parking garage and Damion is on his way now. Jen called and said she is waiting for you whenever you get there."

He thanked her and said he would see her tomorrow. He went down to see Alex. He found Alex on the phone with a head set on. He motioned Todd to a chair and told whomever he was talking to he should call him later. Hung up the phone and took his headset off. Todd said, "What's up colonel?' Alex smiled and said, "Our plane is ready for a test flight. Do you want to go with the flight crew?"

"When," Todd asked.

"Well, it's ready for tomorrow if you can make it."

Todd told him he would go and what time was take off scheduled.

"It's scheduled for eleven am for a one hour flight."

'I'll be there with Jen,' he said to Alex. Todd left the building for his parking garage and to pickup his new car. He called a car detail place and had them meet him at his garage to take Damien's new Porsche for detailing.

On the road in his new car he drove to Jen's house. He went inside to be sociable to his future mother in law. As usual he found her in the kitchen preparing dinner. Todd had a sack in his hand. Jen asked him if he would like to stay for dinner. He said, "Sure and here is a bottle of wine for you."

Jen gave him a hug and kiss and said to him, "Because you knew all along, didn't you, that we might stay for dinner." She poked him in the stomach and his eyes poured forth rays of love that just melted her.

After dinner they headed home in the new car. He told her Glenda would be there at eight for a meeting about the plan for an advertising agency in the Group. She told him she would love to do something as her life was at ebb right now. "I need something to take my mind of the wedding. But, let me warn you buster, when the first kid comes, I'm quitting no matter what!" She laughed and he squeezed her leg. Even though it was a stretch limo and had a driver's bucket seat, she had a bench seat that came close to his seat. That way she could sit close to him and play with his leg and a very sensitive part of his body. The played around with each other joking about kids and in the future playing with them.

Dreams are for reality. Never doubt that a dream can't come true; you must make it come true, not wait for it. For Todd, his dreams were coming true and he hoped that the one bad dream was just that: a bad dream.

They parked next to the Porsche and once in the apartment, settled on the sofa with a glass of wine. Glenda showed up right at eight. Todd asked her in and she sat down with a tired look on her face. Todd asked her if she had eaten dinner and she told him she had a snack about six, but wasn't very hungry. He poured her a glass of wine and thanked him profusely. She needed something to relax her from a very busy day.

Two glasses of wine later, after Todd had explained what he had in mind, Glenda raised her glass in a toast. She said, "The beginning of a project that is and will be, unequaled in big business. We will flood the media market from the internet to our own publication of a magazine."

Todd liked what he heard and Jen echoed what Glenda had in mind. They made a plan for the rest of the week and she left a little tipsy, but happy to go to her own home and lover.

Todd told Jen about the test flight tomorrow and she was excited to see the new plane. He told her a little secret. "The plane is owned by grandmother and I, we leased it to the Lincoln Group."

Jen didn't understand all there was to know about that end of a business, but guessed it was for tax purposes. They were a little high on wine and she suggested a hot bath would be the ticket for an end to an evening of food and wine. While she filled the tub up, he called Luke to ask him if Damion's apartment was ready. Luke assured him it was and Damion would ring his apartment when he arrived. Luke went on to say he had left word with the security guard downstairs when he arrived. The guard will ring me when he comes.

That taken care of, he went to the bedroom and undressed for his anticipated bath with his lover. Later after frolicking in the tub, they took a shower to rinse off the soap. Went to bed and he slept like a log. He didn't dream that night. Woke up and he slipped out quietly for some exercise. Before he had finished, Jen showed up with a sleepy look. However, it didn't take long before she was into her routine with a vengeance.

Showered and ready for breakfast, they went to the kitchen. Todd fixed them some oatmeal and fresh fruit. Toast with yogurt went well with breakfast. Both drank some fresh mango juice shipped direct from the Philippines. Todd loved the mango from Mindanao.

It was close to seven thirty when he called Damion. He found Damion wide awake and ready to go. He asked to come up to his apartment for coffee. Five minutes later, dressed very nice, a smiling Damion with his blond curly hair stood at his door. He came and sat down next to Jen as Todd poured him a cup of his special coffee. They talked the usual stuff, flight, apartment comfort and so forth. Damion said he found the apartment quite to his satisfaction and thanked Todd and Luke and wife for their fine hospitality.

Todd told Damion they would go to the downtown office where he could sequester himself and read a ton of files about Lincoln. He had already called his grandmother and told her his plan for the day. She was happy to take the day off and said she would go to the driving range and hit some balls. He laughed and told her he loved her. The three of them went to the basement parking lot. Sitting next to Todd's car was the Porsche. On the license plate it said: "DB ONE". Damien's mouth was open and he was speechless. Todd smiled and said, "It's yours. "Call it a sign up bonus." Todd gave him the keys and said to follow him.

In the office, Todd showed Damion his new office and said he should hire a secretary. "I've had good luck with Ann finding me good help." He suggested to Damion. Damion nodded his head and stared at the two foot pile of files sitting in the middle of his desk. Todd laughed and told him, "Well, you asked for it and now you got it."

Damion said, 'I've seen worse, if your around later today, I will probably have some questions to ask you."

Todd didn't know that Damion had a photographic mind and could speed read with the best of them.

Todd left Damion to own devices and went to his office. A message from Pete saying he would be in New York by the end of the week. Next he talked to his grandmother. She told him she had decided to spend the winter in Florida with a cousin. "I'll not spend another cold snowy winter around here ever again," she said with a laugh.

Todd told her that he thought that was a good idea and that move would let him do some remodeling of her house. She told him to fly right at it and do what he wanted for his family. He knew enough about her to not mess with her bedroom and bathroom. Nor would he change the cooks and housekeeper rooms either. He called the architect and said he wanted to see him about some extensive work on his grandmother's house. He said he could be there after lunch and Todd said that would be fine.

Ann had shown Alan the attorney, the floor and where his new office was. She told him that he could hire himself anyone of his liking and if he needed some help, she would be glad to find him a secretary. He told her thanks, but he could take care of that himself.

The attorney staff had been notified he was coming and the first thing he did was call a meeting for the next day at seven am. "That should make them sit up and take notice," he said to no one in particular. Alan felt good already and he walked with authority to his new office and shut the door.

Todd meanwhile made a rough drawing of grandmother's house and his intended changes for Ben when he came. Next he called Guido and they talked about the takeover of some newspapers in progress and the upcoming future of others in his plan. He told Guido of the new advertising department and said that he would like it if he had time to see Jen and her staff. Guido told him he would be happy to come over and would he tell Jen that he would be there after lunch.

Alex gave him a call and asked him if he had some free time so he could lay out his plan for security across the USA. Todd told him anytime would be fine and right now he was doodling a plan for grandmothers house and would like to kick around some security ideas with him.

Todd put away his house plans as Alex came in. Alex laid out his plan for logistics and a time frame for Todd to know about which plants were first through the end for security, construction and manpower. A full year was the plan to complete the project in the USA and then for the international structures it would take another year to complete.

"Fine, Alex that would have been my guess for the project. You have my backing and a free hand. Make sure Damion knows what you're doing and when Pete gets here at the end of the week, sit down with him and fill him in on what you're doing. You're the man in charge; just keep me informed about what you're doing."

On Damion's front he attacked the job with a vengeance. In the next few weeks, after sitting down and spending countless hours with Pete, he placed a working pyramid that would prove successful over the next months for the staff.

Glenda, meanwhile, called Todd and told him the video was ready at his convenience. Todd told her to set it up for lunch time and they would eat lunch while viewing the meeting of last Thursday. Todd with a grin called his future wife on a floor below him and asked her what she was doing for lunch. She said, "I always keep lunch free in case my smooth talking lover calls."

He laughed and she said, "What do you have in mind?"

He related the story of the video and they were showing it at lunch time. Ann would order some lunch in and they would eat while watching the video. Jen told him she would be up to his office at noon and that they were very busy setting up a plan for advertising. Todd told her he hoped she was happy and signed off.

Todd sat back and running through his mind was that he should call a meeting of Damion, Pete, Alex, Nancy, Ann, Glenda, Alan and Jen. He would set in place a reminder to share information and responsibility.

Precisely what the US government didn't do following nine eleven and the subsequent fiasco in Iraq. Quite frankly, too many players at the higher levels were jealous and protective of their respective positions to be effective for the people of the United States. Sadly, as a result, a lot of people in power had a lot of explaining to do before the people. Instead of casting aside their personal pride they should have shared information from the beginning. Todd knew what the problems he faced for the Lincoln Group were and he intended that his people share information, not hoard it for their own rewards. Rewards came for groups, not individuals. Like Damion, he mused with satisfaction, he has the independence of a leader, but knows it's the people below him that makes the operation perform like a Swiss watch.

The core heads ate lunch and watched the video. Todd made notes and Glenda knew what people do identify for the boss man. Jen remarked, "I didn't think there would be so many of them dissatisfied with the plan you laid out for them."

Todd nodded and didn't respond, only concentrating on the obvious. Later he went over his notes with Glenda with Damion present; then excused Glenda and Damion and Todd had a conference. He asked Nancy to take the list of names he gave her and bring the personal files on each one listed. Todd and Damion set forth a plan to rid the Group of dissenters over the next few months. Nothing better than both fresh ideas and new people to implement his new plan; Mario would be instrumental in finding new people as he proved previous to Todd.

Over the next few months, it didn't go unnoticed the changes throughout the Group. One by one each dissenter was replaced. The talk was positive not negative and the results proved the case clearly for all to see. Todd was seen by most as tough but fair. Damion was the one some felt afraid of. He wielded great power and they knew he was backed up by the big boss.

Nancy was known to have Todd's ear. Some of the more nervous Heads tried to confide in her and to whisper favors they wanted heard at the top. Six months later, not one of those Heads were around to hear the results of his or her whisper to Nancy.

Todd thought it was totally Charles Darwin's theory that "Only the strong survive," and it applied directly to the Lincoln Group. His strong environmental and conservation beliefs along with his own theory, work with nature, not against it would be Lincoln's underlying position in the industry throughout the world. Lincoln would be in the vanguard; the rest to follow suit as followers not leaders like Lincoln would demonstrate by action not talk. The legacy his grandparents left him would continue and he, a Lincoln, would lead the tough road ahead. After he passed on, his son would take the helm and move the Lincoln Group into the twenty second century. He would educate his children to prepare for life outside this world out into the beyond. Space and the oceans were yet to be explored and he wanted Lincoln out in front with both space and the oceans treated with respect and above all with conservation in mind at all times.

Chapter18

Ben the architect came in at two o'clock. He and Todd spent the next hour going over Todd's rough plan. Ben made a comment or two and when it was all said and done, Ben told Todd he could move in when he returned from his honeymoon or sooner as the case may be.

Todd's plan for the house he explained to Jen later that night, in essence, grandmothers and the cook along with the housekeeper, their rooms would not be remodeled except for new carpet and paint. An electric hoist chair for the stairs would be installed for grandmother when she was unable to climb the stairs. A basement would be dug out and an exercise room complete with hot tub and showers added as part of the basement. The library/study would be combined into an office for himself and Nancy. A separate office for Jen would be next to his. A giant new kitchen with the latest in culinary devices would make any chef smile was part of the plan. The upstairs master bedroom and the kid's rooms would complete the plan for sleeping. A new enlarged dining room would double for a conference room when needed.

Outside in the back would be a California Redwood deck and wading pool, along with a large hot tub for the kids for him and Jen to play around in. Naturally, a state of the art BBQ would give the master chef Todd a place to show off his stuff.

Todd thought to himself, a nicer place you could not find with a family whose love for each other would be unequalled. I couldn't be happier he thought. Lovely bright future with a grandmother who loved him very much; and a challenge ahead of him to make the Lincoln Group one of the finest companies to lead the way to the future with fairness for the environment and show a profit for its shareholders.

With Pete coming soon and Damion outlying Todd's restructuring plan; Alex showing his prowess in the job assigned; Jen and Glenda working on an advertising plan for public support and identity for the Lincoln Group along with Guido on the newspaper side, Todd felt comfortable with his life. He knew the price of stock would tumble. He was counting on that. He and the other principals would reap a harvest when the time came that the stock reached bottom and started back up again. Then they would by all the stock they could afford.

Grandmother left for Florida in early November. Todd moved her two house companions to an apartment. They grumbled a little, but knew it was temporary.

Thanksgiving arrived and Todd spent an enjoyable time with her parents. The house was filled with good smells of turkey cooking and pies cooling. The house smelled terrific and happy voices could be heard. Todd and Doctor Curtis spent some time in the family room talking about his grandmother's case and other doctor related conversation. After a fine dinner Todd and Jen took their leave and went home to lie around on the sofa.

Taking a rest on the sofa, they talked about Christmas coming and her sister arriving. A sad look on her face as she was thinking about how long it had been since her sister was home. Then she smiled at him and said, "Hey golden boy, how about a romp in the bathtub and a cold shower following."

He jumped up and headed for the bathroom. Two hours later, waterlogged and satiated from love making, they went to the kitchen for ice cream. They devoured the ice cream and decided to make an early night to bed.

Todd couldn't sleep as his mind was flooded with memories of the past Thanksgiving Days with his parents and the many sailing trips with his father at the helm. He remembered his father as a simple family man who was a provider and he had strong feelings for conservation that bridged the gap to his son. His mother, a quiet woman, who deeply cared for her family and her grandmother long past was an example to follow. Then there were the days she spent at the winery helping her mother. Other time s she could be found on the boat acting like a mother to both Todd and Penny. In a short time Penny would be returned to its natural dock where it was originally intended to reside.

He was very thankful to his future wife for being there when the boat left for California. As a matter of fact, he was grateful to God and to her parents for raising a wonder girl like his Jen.

Christmas soon arrived amid a snowstorm the likes not seen for a few years. Jen was worried about Jan coming in such bad weather. Todd had giver her a SUV for an early present. He told her they would make it to the airport and pick her up with no problems. She trusted her man and said, "I will relax and let you take care of it."

Picking up Jan was no problem and a tearful reunion resulted when all met in the baggage area. Jan's eyes were on Todd and his eyes met hers. Then she turned back to her sister and tears flowed like buckets down their faces.

Christmas was wonderful as the family reunion with the whole family back together again and with the addition of a future son-in-law. Todd was amazed at the two identical twin sisters. Both had the same length hair and no one could possible tell them apart, including him! They told stories about how they would fool their boyfriends and take each other's place once in a while. He was lucky tonight as they were dressed different from each other. He listened carefully to Jan's stories and life in France. She was so much like his Jen, he thought. I wonder why she isn't married or maybe she doesn't have a boyfriend, he again thought to himself.

He enjoyed talking to her as if he was talking to his future wife. I wonder what if I was Mormon, he joked to himself. Sure would be lots of blond haired kids running around and he laughed out loud. Jen asked him why he was laughing and he told her he was thinking about when she was fishing and fell down. Jen laughed and told the family the fishing story and going crabbing.

They left late that night and Jen was so happy she started crying in the car. Todd asked her what was wrong and she told him through tears and sobs that she was so happy she had to cry. He took her home and made gentle soft love to her and they fell asleep cuddled to each other.

Beginning the next week, following a nice holiday with her family, Todd sat at his desk and waited for the stock market to open. From all reports he read, the Lincoln Group would take a big hit today. Throughout the day, the phones were lit up like a Christmas tree. By the end of the day Lincoln stock was down five percent. Todd thought it would go down another two to five percent in the following months and then move back where it was the past August.

The first of the year came and when February arrived, arrived the stock had risen back to where it was in late summer. A nice profit was had by all who bought at the lower price. Todd decided to sell some stock and put it in their foundation to support lobby groups for conservation and especially for cleaner air.

By now the Lincoln Group owned a chain of newspapers; and with Jen and Glenda flooding the market with advertising, it began to pay off with public support. Other companies stood up and took notice of the Lincoln Group. The stock continued to inch upwards.

Todd decided to take on the international side of the Lincoln Group. Their European president was expecting a shakeup of things. He had been working hard to make a strong impression when Todd's team arrived. Damion had been in contact with him before and subsequently made two trips abroad to meet with him. Damion reported he was a good leader, but lacked the delegation needed to implement policy

On the international front, Todd suggested he take Pete with him and a team of accountants to Europe and check it out from top to bottom. "Take Alex with you too. Leave Pete in Western Europe and I might suggest Damion you see the president of Russia. See if they're interested in a joint venture particularly in the field of manufacturing and oil and gas exploration. Get a feel for the country and drop down to China and see what our office is doing. Car manufacturing is going to get bigger and we want part of the action. Depending on your time, you might go to South Korea and see Daewoo and their ship building facilities on Koje Island. The South Koreans are a major player in building desaltasation plants in the Middle East. Fresh water is a precious resource and it will become scarcer as time moves on. South Korea has some tough foreign investment laws so maybe you should get Alan and his team to check it out. One only has to look at the Colorado River and you can plainly see the problem with our water supply. Anyway, use your own judgment and go on a fact finding trip. By the way have you given some thought to a number two man under you? It seems you are stretched pretty thin and I'd like to hear your thoughts on this idea."

"Yes, I should probably do that,' Damion said. "There is a guy in Europe that has impressed me when I met him a few months ago. He's kept in touch on occasion by e-mail. I will have Alex run a check on him. We could use a guy in Europe. If there is nothing else, I have to see Pete and tell him about going abroad for awhile. Anything else Todd?"

"No, nothing else at this time Damion, thanks for taking so much off my plate these days."

Todd reflected on the past month. The first of the year was uneventful. Jan decided to stay until the wedding. Mother and dad were happy as was Jen. The twins spent a lot of time together and Jan spent most of her time with her sister and Glenda at the office. Many nights Jan stayed over at the apartment. Maria, now with Jen and living with them, started going to the office too on a regular basis. She was smart and had a degree in marketing.

When just a few months ago the apartment was empty of people except me, he thought to himself, now my future wife lives with me along with her friend and her sister stays with us a few nights a week too. He felt totally satisfied. Grandmother was doing well; business was good; and his life was full of beautiful ladies at home. He truly enjoyed going home and cooking for all of them. Maria was a big help to Luke. She gradually took on the marketing and Luke expressed his thanks. Luke and his wife were not getting any younger and they were giving thoughts of retirement. Todd as a show of his gratitude for their long and faithful service bought them a home on the water in Florida. He set up a trust account with a yearly salary for life. Luke had expressed his love of fishing and he bought them a fishing boat that was big enough to take out to open sea. After the wedding they moved to Florida.

Todd offered Luke's apartment to Maria and she gratefully accepted. She started night school to get her MBA. Her friends and family were so proud of her back at the winery.

Spring arrived with beautiful weather. The wedding day was not far off. A flurry of activity took place. Todd spent most of his time at the new office. Grandmother's house was almost finished and it was completed enough for grandmother to move back into with her housekeeper and cook. Todd was happy she returned home. They spent many hours talking. The noise and dust were a problem and the housekeeper made lots of noise much to everyone's delight. All things considered, they all were happy to be home together again.

Todd chose Alex as his best man. The colonel could not keeps from smiling. He was so proud to have been chosen for the role of best man. On the wedding day he looked terrific in his tux. Unknown to most, but not Jen, was the relationship that was blooming between the colonel and Maria. It would not be long before another wedding was planned.

Pete and Damion cleaned up the problems in Europe. Damion completed his fact finding tour and a meeting of the executive staff produced a plan to make substantial investments in Eastern Europe and Asia.

Any naysayer was not heard from again. The Lincoln Group headed the Fortune 500 Club. Todd and his grandmother were listed in the top five richest people in the world. When grandmother passed on, Todd would replace Bill Gates as the richest man in the world.

Chapter 19

On the wedding day, so many things were happening around the Curtis house it was like a three ring circus. The list of people included: Beth, Jan, Jen's friends who were maids of honor and mother. Mother kept fussing with her daughter. Jen tolerated her knowing how important this was to her mother. One hour before it was time to go to the church and all was ready. It was a gala event second only to Princess Diana's wedding. The press was in force with Glenda in the lead position managing the media. Doctor Curtis was at the church with Todd, grandmother, Alex and Damion.

Todd was very nervous; grandmother was talking a mile a minute about her wedding, too many years ago for anyone to listen to. She was talking to herself and having a good time. He kept asking Alex if he had the ring and if the plane was ready to go. Alex with his smile through his weather beaten face assured him that all was ready and he had the ring in his pocket. Half a dozen times he showed the ring to Todd. Limousine buses were parked outside to ferry the guests to the Westchester Country Club for the reception to follow. Alex had it all arranged. Nothing left to chance. Guests would be drinking and Todd didn't want anyone drinking and driving home.

Inside and out, security was tight. Not so tight it upset the guests, but most New Yorkers were used to it after nine eleven. All went smoothly. Alex's people handled the crowd with firm but kid gloves. Inside and out, flowers were ubiquitous. No expense was spared. Decorations hung everywhere. Light yellow was Jen's theme color. Yellow being a warm color both dark and light was evident in the streamers flowing from one end of the giant church to the other; swaying back and forth from a slight breeze flowing through the open doors; yellow roses ringed the area around the pulpit.

Glenda had video cameras set up in strategic places and a ten piece band was warming up. As the time for the ceremony drew near, a quiet hush from the guests indicated something was about to happen. A limo pulled up in front and out stepped the bride. She was gorgeous in her bridal gown. Cameras were going off everywhere and the media had trucks with man baskets up in the air with cameras rolling. At the top of the stairs, Jen's father was waiting for her. Inside, Todd and Alex stepped out and waited for the bride to come down the aisle. The wedding march started and everyone stood up and looked to the back of the church. The bride started walking down the aisle with her father; her not overly pretentious train followed with the two flower girls having the time of their lives trying to do their job. The priest came out and stood at the pulpit in honor of the occasion. Jen's father handed his daughter to Todd and the wedding vows started.

A long time later, at the reception Todd and Jen were standing in line shaking hands with the guests. Both were beaming and greeted all the guests with equality. After the reception line ended Todd and Jen moved to take some pictures and video in front of an enormous wedding cake. It was decorated with the Lincoln logo and a replica of their company 747 was carved in ice. Too many different kinds of food to mention adorned the tables set up around the large banquet hall. At midnight, Todd gave Jen the sign to leave. Jen kissed her crying mother and father. Kissed Maria and Alice too and they left for grandmothers house to change clothes for the flight to France.

Comfortable seated in the plane for takeoff, Jen and Jan was talking together about something Todd couldn't hear. Once airborne, seat belt sign turned off, the girls excused themselves and left for the master bedroom. Todd was talking to Alex when the girls returned both dressed exactly alike. Both Todd and Alex stared at them. The girls turned to each other and said, "I'm Jen."

"No, Jan I'm Jen."

Back and forth the conversation went until they turned back to the guys and looked at them. One said, "Honey, please get me a glass of wine."

Todd his mouth open turned and pressed the light for a waiter to bring them some drinks. The other sister said, "I want a coke please, honey."

Alex said, "This is too much for me, I have to talk to the warehouse, please excuse me."

The waiter came and in a friendly, but a little stoic voice, Todd requested two glasses of wine and a coke. The sisters sat down on the sofa and crossed their legs and talked about the reception and wedding. Leaving Todd standing there all alone to work out which one was his new wife!

The waiter came with the drinks and set them on the table in front of the sofa. Todd not going to be intimidated, picked up a glass of wine and handed to the sister he thought was his wife. She laughed and handed it to her sister and picked up the coke and started to drink it. Both sisters were dressed in yellow. A short skirt to show off their long lovely legs and a light yellow low swooped in front and back Cardigan sweater. Now, I will show them that I can tell which one is his wife, Todd thought to himself. He asked them to stand up and come to the middle of the cabin, turn around and close their eyes and he would come and kiss the one that was his wife on the back of the neck. The sisters laughed and said they would play his game. He first went to the sister on his left. With his hand he pulled back the sweater a little and looked for the small mole on his wife's shoulder that he saw when he examined her the first time. Of course he had seen her stark naked many times and knew the mole well. No mole was on her shoulder so he moved to the other sister and put his arms around her middle and kissed her neck.

Jen jumped away and said, "How did you know?"

"It is my secret," he told the sisters with a smug grin on his face. He never did tell them how he knew which was which. It remained a secret for a long time.

The sisters were talking a mile a minute about how he knew which sister was his wife. They finished off their drinks and as they were all tired from a busy day, went to bed to wake up somewhere close to France.

They landed at Charles DeGalle International. Todd, Jen and Jan went to Jan's place. From there, they went to a nice French restaurant where they sat by a warm fire. It was a cold spring night. After dinner Todd and Jen went to their hotel and Jan went to her small flat.

Jet lag kind of hit them hard and Todd and Jen sleep the night away and early the next morning, they felt much better. They put on their running gear and went for a jog around some streets. Paris was just wakening up and people were still bundled up from a chilly night. The sky was clear and the day held a promise of being nice and warm.

They were going to tour Europe from the back roads and trains. Their itinerary was for both convenience and security; a van was following them from place to place. Alex headed the security team and Nancy traveled with him. The van was equipped with a top of the line communication system. Lead teams checked out where the boss and his wife would stay each night. Only Todd really knew the full extent of the security. Occasionally he would see one of Alex's men.

Attached to the van were two mountain bikes for them to ride for when they wanted to see the country. At other times, they hiked into the mountains and camped out in places that were pure wilderness. Todd loved nature and both of them felt really relaxed with each experience.

For two months they bounced around Europe riding bikes and hiking. Taking trains to out of the way places, eating local foods and laughing at the fun they were having. They made love in a different bed each night. Jen had thrown her birth control pills away a month before she was married. She hoped she got pregnant on their honey moon

They headed down to the Med. Todd wanted to look at some boats. He had a line on two of them. Both were in Nice. They stayed at a luxury hotel on the beach and the next day, went to look at them. The first one was everything the advertisement purported it to be: pure luxury, but not so big you needed a captain. They looked it over top to bottom. Talked about this and that and I liked this and I don't like that. Too many dislikes and they moved on to the second boat.

A sixty five foot beautiful craft. Even from the outside, before climbing on board, they both liked the feeling the craft exuded. Once on board, they loved all of it. "Perfect," they both said at the same time and laughed together. The gentleman who was showing them the pleasure cruiser smiled and he heard the cash register ring. Nancy and Alex were both with them and he nodded to Nancy and she took care of the paper work.

They stayed on board for awhile and Alex checked it out from top to bottom. Pronounced it fit for sailing. Todd asked Alex to fuel it up and they would all take her out this afternoon for a shakedown run.

She handled like a dream. They ate dinner on board and returned to dock kind of late. Todd told Alex to please make the arrangements for someone to dry dock it, paint it Lincoln colors and to name it: Penny Too. He would have it flown by cargo plane to New York and transported to a marina on Long Island Sound.

The next day they flew home. On the way home, Jen announced that she had missed two periods and Todd about had a heart attack right there. Lucky they were in their bedroom and it was time for bed when she told him the secret that she was sure she was pregnant. He pulled her pajama tops up and felt her tummy with his doctor fingers and laughing said, "Honey I don't feel nothing yet."

She pounced on him and said with a smirk on her face, "Mister I'm going to find a doctor who knows when a girl is pregnant or not!" They fell asleep not long after a tender love making period.

They landed at JFK International Airport. It was dark, but clear and warm, but not as hot and muggy as was usual for a July day. Their limo drove up after the plane had taxied to their hanger. Todd was on pins and needles with excitement to tell his grandmother the news. From now on they would have a regular driver that Alex had trained to drive them wherever they went. Another driver was assigned to Jen's SUV. On the way to their newly remolded home, Todd was beside himself with tenderness and attention for Jen. He blabbered on and on about this baby doctor and that baby doctor; and was about to drive Jen crazy when they pulled into the drive way. It was ten pm and he knew grandmother would be awake to meet them back home safe and sound.

Grandmother was in the kitchen drinking a cup of tea with the housekeeper. Todd gave her a big hug and kiss and grandmother complained, but not so much, that he hugged her too tightly. He blurted it out to her and her face relaxed into a peaceful and satisfied look. She sat down and said to Jen, "Jen you sure?"

Jen told her she was not positive, but she felt that she was sure feeling funny. Grandmother motioned to the housekeeper and the housekeeper left the kitchen. They sat down and talked about the nice honeymoon they had and about the boat that was on the way here now.

The housekeeper returned with a box in her hand. Gave it grandmother and she handed it to Jen. "Here, go check it out and come back and tell us whether it is positive or negative," she said with a satisfied look on her face.

Todd looked at his grandmother and said to her, "Well you were way ahead of us that is for sure."

A few minutes later, Jen returned with the test results in her hand. 'What does this color mean,' she asked her husband with a smile. He hugged her and said he was the happiest man on earth. To have both the women he loved in the same room with him, a baby on the way was almost too much for him to endure. He sat back down and rested his head on his hand. Jen comforted him and told him that it was she that was having the baby, not him!

By ten o'clock the next morning, the entire Lincoln Group had heard the news. Most cheered for them, but some shook their heads and said that here comes another dictator. Like most companies, rumors about the dissenters spread to the upper offices. Over the next few months, they gradually disappeared from their jobs.

Chapter 20

Todd picked up the phone and said, "Yes, Nancy, what is it?"

"Alex is on the line and asked if you had time he wanted to talk to you."

"Put him through and thanks."

"Alex, what can I do for you?"

"Your yacht arrived and they are at this moment unloading it and it will be transferred to the water tomorrow morning."

"Great, and thanks for the news. Let's go down there and watch it launched. I want Jen to christen the Penny Too.," he said with a pleasant tone of voice.

"I'll call you in the morning and let you know what time it will be ready to launch."

"Fine, and by the way, let's plan on a shakedown cruise to Jamaica in a week or so after we make ready the craft for sailing," Todd told him and hung up the phone.

I should call Jen and tell her the news, he thought. I'll tell her to make a list of passengers for a cruise to the Caribbean. A month should be enough time to cruise down to Jamaica.

He picked up the phone and called her office. Jen came on the line saying, "What's up my handsome doctor?"

He laughed and told her about the boat coming in and that they should plan on going to the dock tomorrow for the inaugural launching of the Penny Too. "Why don't we take the Penny and go down to Jamaica for a shakedown cruise? Make up a list of passengers you would like to go with us."

"Wow, I love the spur of the moment things and let's talk about it tonight when you come home," she said.

"Fine, see you later. Love you wife and how is the baby doing today?"

She told him the baby was fine and to stop bothering her while she was working. He laughed at her and hung up thinking about hiring a captain and crew.

The first person that came to mind was Mario. He picked up the phone and called finding him in his office once again practicing his putting. Todd said, "Mario my boat came in and now I need a captain and a crew for a shakedown cruise for about a month's voyage. Would you and your new wife like to come with us?"

"Todd my young friend, we would love to go with you. I presume you will bring LL with you?"

"Of course, but not sure she will want to go," he said with a little sadness in his voice. Can you help me out finding a good captain and a crew of four?"

"Have I ever let you down," he said with a chuckle. "I will get back to you tomorrow and have some folks for you to check out."

"Thanks again and don't forget to bring some sun block." He said joking.

"I'll bring some, but not for my brown Sicilian skin, but for my wife's white skin," he said.

Todd hung up and thought what a great friend he had in Mario. Not once did he let him down. So far he had backed Todd on every step of the way with his plan. Todd also had another reason for asking him to come on this trip. He wanted total privacy for this risky idea he had to present to him. This one, without doubt would test their friendship to the limit.

Todd decided to see Hugh about some law matters and called him on the phone to see if he had some time for a short meeting.

Hugh said, "Want me to come over or do you want to come here and stretch your legs?"

Todd laughed and said, "I'll come to you. See you in a few minutes."

Todd strolled out of his office and stopped at Ann's desk and said to her, "Send a case of sun block to Mario's office please."

Ann looked at him strangely and saw a twinkle in her boss's eye. She thought, must be something going on but who am I to question him?

"I'll call right now and have it there by later today."

"Thanks and I'm going over to see Hugh for awhile." And he walked out the door whistling off key. Ann shook her head and wondered what was up.

Sitting in Hugh's office Todd relaxed with a cup of green tea. Hugh had caught on to China's green tea and fell in love with it.

"Hugh, what is the latest on the wrongful dismissal suits pending?"

"We are in for a fight. Some of those guys had nice golden umbrellas and are looking for more. Our legal fees will go through the roof, but we will win in the end. We knock down the first two and the rest will dismiss their suits, I believe."

"Sounds good Hugh, I know you are on top of it. Now I have a cruise planned for my new yacht and make sure I'm covered with liability and anything else you can think of."

Hugh made some notes and told him he would take care of it. He went on to say, "We have most everything under control, but in Asia we are having trouble communicating with the Chinese."

Todd said, "Hire an English speaking Chinese language teacher from a university and double his or her salary."

Hugh's eyebrows rose up and made a note to that effect. Todd stood up and said he would talk to him later and be sure to keep Damion informed of the law suits. Hugh assured him he would and thanked Todd for turning him on to the green tea.

Todd decided to take a walk through the new office. He'd made the tour before, but never really looked at it from a critical side of things. He would stroll over to Jen's office and see what was happening.

His feelings were overwhelming and probably were too much for her to handle these days. He thought he must back off and let it develop. Tension was mounting between the two of them and if he didn't give her some space, he felt his was in trouble with his relationship. The plan he had for Mario would take him out of the country for a month or more and that is what Jen needed for some time alone.

He turned the corner and walked by many offices poking his nose in the doors and looking around. He was not looking for people who were dead beats and slackers, but at the effectiveness of the building. So far so good he thought to himself. I must call a meeting and see what or where we can improve our productivity by suggestions from the department heads; he made a note to him to tell Ann about his meeting.

Coming up to Jen's office he went in and found everyone busy doing something. Jen was on the phone and waved to him and he waited for her to finish her phone call. Her office was three walls of glass so she could see all of her staff at anytime she wanted to. Also they could see her and if they needed something, could choose the time to ask her a question.

Jen finished her call and said, "Come in and sit down. I have," looking at her watch, "about ten minutes before a staff meeting."

He sat down and said, "Jen you are so beautiful attired in your soon to be mothers clothes."

She smiled at him with her baby blue eyes and replied, "I have you to thank for the condition I'm in and now if you are finished Mr. Lincoln; I have work to do."

He took the hint and walked around her desk and planted a kiss on her sweet smelling head. While he did that she grabbed him in the crotch and sent him squealing out the door.

God I love that man, she thought. He's everything a man should be, but sometimes he smothers me to no end. I must be patient and enjoy the attention.

Todd back in his office sat looking at a map of the Caribbean. It was a nautical map showing depths and currents. An hour later he had a plan and route he wanted to take. He would spend some time with the new captain. He sat back and dreamed of the upcoming cruise.

Later that night he sat around the new library talking to Jen and his grandmother about the launching tomorrow and his plan to sail to Jamaica and other islands in the Caribbean.

"Grandmother would you like to go with us. Mario and his wife are coming and it might be a nice time for all of us to get together to show our appreciation to him."

"Todd let me think about it and I will let you know in a few days."

Jen said, "Lucky we would love to have you come and I think my parents are coming too. My mother can't swim, but our new boat is so big she is not worried. My father is excited about going and has been practicing his golf game in anticipation of playing some Jamaican golf courses."

That perked grandmother's interest and both Todd and Jen could see that might have changed her mind about going. Todd went on to say they would dock in Montego Bay for a few days to check out the markets for native made items.

"Ok," she said, "you have piqued my interest and let me know when you plan to leave. My house keeper will go with me of course. She won't like it but she will get used to the idea after awhile."

Todd was beside himself that she was going. He thought this might be her last trip away from the house. She was getting a little frail and some tropical atmosphere might do her good.

She left them in the library and went to bed. Jen and Todd sat there talking about the list of people going. Jen asked him, "How many people can we take or have room for?"

"Well, we can accommodate more than we will ask to go. So far we have your parents; grandmother and the housekeeper; Alex and I suppose we must take Maria; Mario and his wife; and you and me. Do you want to ask Beth if she wants to go and how about your sister?"

Jen thought a minute and said, "I'm not sure. I will think about it and sleep on it tonight. Speaking of sleeping on it, how about a bout in the hot tub?"

It was a warm summer's night and they both stripped down and entered the hot warm swirling water. They relaxed together and talked about the baby coming. The tub was a stress reliever and soon they were grabbing each other and making lots of noise.

Soon she was sitting on his lap and moving around teasing him. He stared into her lovely eyes and soon her eye lids were half down in the first signs of passion. Todd closed his eyes as he entered her. Jen leaned forward and held his head against her chest and as their passion mounted, both reached the top at about the same time.

Todd had poured him a glass of wine and they both relaxed for a little longer before getting out. It was then he told her of his secret plan to put forth to grandmother and Mario.

"Jen, I know this will sound crazy, but give it some time and think about what it might mean twenty years from now. I really think this is for the future of the Lincoln Group."

Jen was all ears; she had learned that when he had an idea she should pay attention and not say a word until finished. From her father she learned to be conservative, but after Todd's past plan for the Lincoln Group, she had learned to trust his farsightedness.

Todd began his story, "Jen I want to build company towns like in the past when people lived where they work. Like at our vineyard, we have proven the system works. We've never had labor unrest and over the years we have shown a profit most every year at the vineyard. On occasion we have not met expenses, but that was due to weather conditions, not people problems; such as market demand or employee complaints. Education is the key and on-sight schools in our company towns will insure a steady flow of labor. And more importantly, labor cost that we can afford. I want to start a pilot program in Argentina raising organic beef and another pilot program in the Philippines rebuilding their rice production and building manufacturing plants."

Jen sat there with her mouth open and finally said, "Honey if you think it will work, then of course I'm behind you one hundred percent. I think I see now why you wanted grandmother and Mario to go on this cruise.'

"You got that right my dear wife," he said with a grin. "The cost will be high and it will take five to eight years for a profit, but after that, the returns will far outweigh the initial cost. Also, think about what it would do for the people and the countries we set up in."

"I know you have the people in mind. That is what sets you apart from the others. We have our whole lives ahead of us and if you can get Mario's' and your grandmothers' support, go for it."

Todd and Jen went to bed and both slept the night away in each other's arms. The next morning both worked out and rode together to the office; she could tell he was excited about the ship launching today and she had dressed for the occasion: A formal light weight pale yellow pant suit complete with a wide brim white hat rimed with a dark yellow ribbon. She was not showing much yet and Todd thought she looked like a million dollars.

He was dressed in his usual custom tailored clothes. An off white suit with a blue dress shirt with white stripes along with a dark blue silk tie, made him look like a business man from the tropics.

Alex was waiting in Ann's office for him to arrive. He gave off a whistle at the looks of Jen and his boss. He said, "This is not the Queen Mary we are launching today, but I guess it is just as important as its launching and christening by the Queen of England."

Todd and Jen both laughed and Todd said to Alex, "When do we leave for this happy event?"

"About nine we should leave for the dock."

Jen said, "I must go to my office and get Glenda prepared for the advertising department to be there with cameras and so forth."

Todd went to his office and asked Ann to come with him. Todd asked her to sit down and told her about hiring a ship's crew and the bare bones of his intended trip to South America after returning from their ocean cruise.

Ann made some notes and then asked him, "Do you want me to make travel arrangements and if so, do you have a date in mind?"

"Yes, make the travel date for the end of August and I will take the Gulf Stream down to Argentina. I will take Alan and Pete with me. They have not been informed of this plan yet, so keep it close to your chest until you hear from me aboard ship on our return journey."

The phone rang and Ann picked it up and told him Mario was on the line.

Todd took the phone and said, "Good morning Mario."

"Same to you. I have some names for a prospective captain for you and I will send the files over for your approval."

"As usual you work fast. Say, we are launching my new yacht in an hour or two. Would you like to be there and afterwards we could have some lunch?"

"Now that sounds like a good idea to me. I was wondering what I would do this morning. Where is this event taking place?"

"If you are willing we can stop by and pick you up."

"Can't beat that service with a stick; give me a ring when you are near my office and I will meet you out front."

"Keep the files until then and see you in about an hour or so."

Todd hung up and asked Alex to come in as he was waiting outside in Ann's office for Todd to finish his phone call.

Alex sat down and Todd outlined his plan to hire a captain and three crew members to pilot the boat. He went on to tell him his plan for a shakedown cruise and wanted Alex on board to help him run the boat. Alex had a big grin on his face and Todd noticed how excited he was about a cruise to the Caribbean.

"Let's make a date from two weeks from now to outfit the boat and make it ready for sailing. I will interview this week for a captain and the two of you can make the necessary arrangement for provisions and other things like safety. Make sure the life boats are in good working order and familiarize you with the boat from top to bottom. My grandmother is going as well as Mario and his wife. Along with Jen's parents and of course for your pleasure, Maria will go too," he said with a smile to Alex.

They picked up Mario and headed to the dock area. It was a long drive down to Mario's office but Todd wanted to discuss the applicants with him after the launching over lunch.

Pulling into the dock area about eleven Todd saw their boat ready to slide down the slip into the water. She glistened with new paint and on the bow he could see Penny Too in bright black letters. He felt so proud and gave Jen's hand a squeeze.

Todd's first interview for a captain resulted in a no go. The second ended the same, but the third one piqued his interest as she walked into his office short, but standing military straight. He told her to sit down and refreshed his memory from her file. He'd saved her for last as his hope was she would fit the bill. She sat rigid and at attention. Todd smiled at her saying, "Andrea. May I call you by your first name or would you rather I addressed you as Captain Andrea?"

She smiled through perfect white teeth and replied, "You may call me Andrea, but when I'm aboard ship I prefer to be called Captain."

Very good as he took stock of this lovely woman sitting in front of him; she had short coal black hair, tan skin, a little weathered from being on the seas; and a little stocky looking like she could take care of herself in a scrape.

"Please tell me about your qualifications and why you would like to captain my ship," he said with a soft voice so as not to intimidate her.

"Since I mustered out of the military for the last ten years I've captained two vessels. Both were about the size of your vessel. I quit both jobs due to sexual harassment and to be frank with you Mr. Lincoln, I'm a little nervous of taking on a third vessel. I've heard you were recently married and have a baby soon to be born. From that knowledge, I decided to have this interview and see for myself what you were like and of course, what my duties are or will be."

Todd with a concerned look on his face said, "I can't guarantee nobody will make advances on you, but I can assure you if someone does, they will be dismissed without an explanation. You only have to mention it to me or my secretary Nancy or Ann and I will deal with it promptly."

Andrea smiled at him and replied, "Thank you and would you explain what you expect of a captain and how many crew members will staff the vessel?"

"Andrea, I was thinking four or five crewmembers but that is totally up to you. The galley staff and stewards will be under my Security Chief as well as the people on his staff. You will have total command over the ship and your crewmembers. I really don't think you will have any problems, but one never knows. This shakedown cruise to Jamaica and other places will take us a month or more. I would like to depart in a week, so not much time to prepare I'm afraid."

"How often would you guess we would sail in a year's time," she asked through full eye contact.

"I have no idea, but prepare for short notice. I will always try to give advance warning."

"Would you expect me to live on board?"

"Your choice Andrea, I can provide you an apartment or house. It is your choice. One thing I can tell you is I expect loyalty and discretion on what you hear with my family and guests."

"That goes without saying," she replied with firmness in her voice. "When I was in the service I held a very high security ranking."

"Yes, it is here in my file, and I have no doubts about your ability. Now, if there aren't any more questions, what do you think?"

She said there for a long moment and looking him in the eye, said, "I'm not married as you know. No, I'm not gay, but if the right man walked into my life I would jump at the chance for family life."

"Happy to hear that you are a family person, but do you want the job?"

"Yes, I do. What kind of salary are you offering?"

"I'm offering you two hundred K a year plus housing of your choosing in my housing development near this office. In addition a company car and all expenses and of course the usual stock options and retirement benefits I give to all my executives."

Andrea's mouth dropped open and she sat back for the first time totally shocked at his generous offer.

Todd stood up smiling and she struggled to her feet and shook his hand. He led her to the door and turned her over to Ann for the paper work. He thought to let her adjust for a day and then bring her back in and get the crew and staff hired with Alex helping.

Alex and Andrea spent the next week with their heads together hiring a crew and support staff. Todd and guests were notified of departure day and when the casting off took place, Jen and Todd stood at the back of the boat arm in arm.

Sailing past the cove they both grinned to each other knowing their special place would always be remembered.

The weather was perfect and Todd dressed in blue shorts and white polo shirt looked every bit like an executive that he was. Jen had on a long summer dress in an off white smelling like protective sun screen lotion.

It was close to lunch time and Alex was nervous as hell. They had a lot of important guests and wanted it to come off without a hitch. He knew, however, this was the first time the staff had worked together. He'd hired the best he could find and told them all in a meeting to not let their egos get in the way or he would throw them overboard. No doubt he put the fear of god in them. His five security guards stood behind him smiling at the poor crew.

Both lunch and dinner went off fairly smoothly. When nine pm chimed in the dining room all went to bed a little tired from the excitement and good food.

Andrea hugged the coast down to Florida and then made a direct route to Jamaica.

The next afternoon Todd, grandmother, Nancy and Mario sat in the dining room sequestered by security guards. Just to be on the safe side Alex had his men sweep the room for listening devices.

Todd began his story or plan for the Lincoln Group to establish a company town in Argentina to grow organic beef for worldwide distribution. He used the winery in Napa for an example of success. They would buy ten thousand acres to start with and take out options for more. A factory, school, hospital and the infrastructure would be state of the art. At first they would use the existing power and with the Argentine government construct nuclear power plants to deliver power at cost to the population and their town.

Nancy handed him a file and Todd said, "My best estimate for cost is around one billion."

Mario about fell out of his chair, but grandmother just smiled and said, "That's my boy!"

Mario had faked it a little bit and then said, "Todd my boy, I thought you were on your honeymoon and now I find out you were making a plan that will shock the business world."

Todd just smiled and said, "I don't like to think small when bigger is better for the people of the world; and I might add, the animals too."

"Give me a little time to digest this idea and are there any more surprises today," he says to the table of friends.

"Matter of fact there is Mario. I want to do a similar thing with rice in the Philippines."

Mario let out a long sigh and asked for a glass of wine. "I need a bracer to wash the taste of money flowing out of Lincoln's coffers."

A few days later they docked in Montego Bay. The trip down was enjoyed by all. Jen's parents felt like they were on a second honeymoon. Doctor Curtis had been practicing off the back of the boat. Todd had ordered a thousand range balls and a driving range place set up on the aft deck.

Jen was a little sea sick on top of morning sickness, but she always had a smile on her face. Maria helped her never leaving her side.

After docking Todd had a surprise for them. A Bob Marley concert was playing that night. A few weeks ago he had Nancy check around for a night out in Jamaica and got lucky by finding the famous Bob Marley.

Everyone needed to get their land legs back and in the afternoon went street shopping. Jen was a little tired so she stayed behind with Todd. Maria went shopping with Alex.

Security was tight around the yacht. Todd was a famous man and Alex was in no mood to have someone kidnap or worse, terrorize the yacht. Listening devices underwater detected any sound of scuba divers and on deck an electronic swing gangway prevented anyone storming onto the vessel.

Next to the engine room, a sound proof room housed the high tech listening equipment and computers. It was manned twenty-four seven. Nothing was left to chance or any communication from the head office would be transferred in a matter of seconds.

Todd and Jen sat on the aft deck drinking a sweet run drink famous in Jamaica. Todd said, "Honey do you know if you will miss me for a month?"

"I'm way too busy with work and the baby coming to even think about missing you," she said with a wicked grin.

"Now I will go and pout and get drunk on this Jamaican rum."

"Sounds good to me, but tonight if you can't rise to the occasion, I might have to go to the engine room and check the oil."

He broke up laughing and they gazed into each other's eyes with both knowing how much they meant to each other.

"Jen, did you know our captain has a thing on for Alex?"

"Yes. And so does Maria. She is not happy and I think the sooner they get married the better."

"Alex doesn't have a clue about our captain having a crush on him," Alex said with a smirk on his face taking a long pull on his drink.

"What say you and I go for a swim in this nice tropical water about dark," she said with a seductive look.

"Don't say another word. It is as good as done." He picked up his phone and called Nancy who was in the market shopping for some things to take home.

"I'll have a boat at the dock when you want to leave."

"Thanks Nancy, you are way over due for a bonus so hit the American Express for all it's worth," he said to her with gratitude.

At six it was getting dark out and a boat waited for them to board for a swimming excursion. The driver took them to a secluded beach and told them he would be back in an hour to pick them up.

Both stripped down to their birthday suits and hit the water. They spent the next hour frolicking around until both were ready for a shower and something to eat. The boat picked them up and delivered them to the Penny Too.

For the rest of the cruise the passengers and crew enjoyed themselves to no end. Todd felt sad it was coming to an end, but he was anxious to put his plan into action. In Belize they decided to fly home and their Gulf Stream came down and picked up Jen and Todd, Mario and Maria. Jen's parents decided to take advantage of the experience along with grandmother and Mario's wife. Alex stayed with the vessel must to Maria's chagrin.

Chapter 21

The end of summer came quick. Todd's trip to Argentina went off without a hitch. They returned after a month and Todd found the pregnancy was normal in all respects. She did not consent to an ultra sound test to determine sex. She thought and Todd too, that the test was totally unnecessary and would only disturb the baby. Time would tell what the little baby would be.

Jen continued her job with Glenda, but gradually, her hours and days were cut back. She felt fine, but spent a lot of time at home and with her mother. Todd continued to work hard. He spent long hours at the new office complex. He had a helipad installed. The new office was outstanding and efficient. Even a day care center was staffed by licensed teachers.

In September, Todd made Damion president of the Lincoln Group. Damion had shown him that he had what it took to run the company. At thirty four he was the youngest or one of the youngest presidents on record. His power was second only to Todd. Todd and Damion restructured the top of the pyramid. They made four new first vice-presidents: one for Western Europe, another in Eastern Europe, South America had one; and in North America the final one. Todd, Damion, Alex and Mario did the background checks and interviews.

When it was over, Damion said to Todd one day, "That should take some pressure off me for awhile. Maybe now I will have time to drive my new Porsche."

Todd said to him, "Why don't you take a trip to Germany and hit the Auto Bahn with a test drive at about one hundred eighty miles an hour?" They both laughed and went back to work.

At home and in bed, Jen and Todd had a long talk and with the baby coming, made plans like every other expectant parent. Todd put his ear to her stomach and said, "I hear weird things going on in there."

She told him, "Never mind, her doctor said all was well and I'm almost to term."

He held her close and they fell asleep without a dream occurring. Todd felt lucky, because he didn't have a reoccurrence of that horrible dream in months.

The happy day arrived. Todd paced the floor in the waiting room while grandmother sat there reading a magazine. Maria was with Jen and taking Todd's place for awhile. She was going to have it natural no matter what. After many Lamaze classes, she was not about to waste them on drugs.

Ten hours later, Todd at her side, grandmother in the viewing room above the delivery room, a boy was born. Todd was ecstatic and grandmother smiled and thought to herself, the Lincoln line will continue. Then a big shock to everyone when Jen screamed again and out came come a second baby. It was a girl! Twins! Todd had to find some place to sit down. He was almost in shock! Someone gave him a glass of water. He drank it down and said, "Where is the brandy?" That brought the silent room to a roar of laughter.

Jen smiled up at Todd and said, "Did I surprise you honey?"

Todd kissed her wet face and cried with her. The staff looked on in envy. So proud they were to be part of such a happy occasion.

Grandmother's house would never be the same. A nanny was hired to help out while Jen recovered. Her mother was there and stayed with her for a few weeks. Doctor Curtis was one proud grandfather. A smile never left his face. He was a very dedicated doctor, but he took a few days off and stayed with his daughter and son-in-law for two days and then returned to work. Todd took some time off and hung around the house until finally, Jen told him to go to work. He was making a pest of himself. All was said in a firm, but nice way. Todd returned to work only to call home every half hour and check on her and the kids. Finally he gave up when no one would answer his calls.

Winter came and went. Spring brought forth the little guys out in the back yard catching a few sun rays. Never was there such happiness in a house. Jen stayed home all the time now. Todd returned to normal and took on his work with a passion. He got more involved in his foundation and the drive for conservation and the fight about global warming against the government.

Chapter 22

A year later, the kids walking and being just normal kids, Jen thought about returning to work. Maybe in six months or so she thought. The thought of leaving her kids saddened her a little. Jan had called a few days ago and they talked for hours on the phone. Jan was tired of modeling and was going to come home and take a rest for awhile. Jen was very happy her sister would come home and see the kids for the first time. She told Todd that night and he was happy for her. The two of them were so close.

Just after the news of Jan coming, a pregnant Jen had a miscarriage. The doctors said nothing to worry about, it happens. A few months later Jen returned to work three days a week. Jan started coming to work with Jen and the both of them worked hard on the advertising end of the business. Glenda had been up to the house and spent many hours with a camera crew taking pictures of the twins and the home life of the Lincolns. Jen and Jan put out a special addition of the Lincoln magazine. Jan did most of the layout, from her experience in modeling and Jen did the writing. The magazine sold out so fast that they went back and printed another run of it. Lines were formed at stores selling the magazine.

Jen was pregnant again so Todd suggested she back off work and takes it easy this time around. She consented. The twins were two years old now and starting to look like their parents. Both were blond, but of dark skin. Blue eyes stared back at you with intelligence. They were very close to each other. Played together like Jen and Jan when they were growing up.

Two weeks later, Jen was in the hospital with the second miscarriage. Doctors had a concerned look on their faces. They consulted with Todd and wanted to run some tests on Jen. Todd was beside himself. "God, please, please don't take my Jen away from me," he said through tears.

A week later, Jen was home and Todd walked through the door with a downcast look on his face. Grandmother looked at him and the housekeeper too. The kids ran up to him and he picked them both up and held them tight. Kissed their cheeks and slowly climbed the stairs to their bedroom. Jen was resting and had just woken up when he came in holding the two kids in his arms. She looked at him and he began to cry.

A few days later Jen was operated on. Todd was beside himself with grief. Both her parents were in the waiting room. Finally the head surgeon walked into the room and asked Todd to follow him to his office. Todd meekly obeyed and in his office sat there numb with the worst thoughts running through his head. The doctor said, "Todd we removed all we could of the cancer, but we didn't get it all. As a doctor yourself, you know we have to recommend our normal procedure with cancer patients: chemotherapy and some new drugs that show promise. She will, as you know, feel great for awhile and then get slowly worse. My best estimate is one year at the outside. Would you like me to tell her or would you like to be the one to tell your wife?"

Todd said, "Thank you doctor and I will be the one to tell her parents and sister. When I think it's the best time I will tell my wife." Todd was having a hard time keeping his emotions in check as he slowly walked out of the doctor's office.

Inside the waiting room he broke the news to her parents who immediately broke down and Dr. Curtis quickly recovered and hugged his son in law. Jan walked in and guessed the situation and ran into her mother's arms sobbing. She looked at Todd and said, "I knew, I felt it all day long. She is going to die, isn't she?"

Todd nodded his head and she released her mother and fell into his arms. Todd put his arms around her and she quit crying holding on tight. They all went to the cafeteria and had some coffee waiting for Jen to wake up. Todd vowed to use all of his resources to prolong the life of his wife. However, he knew that it was all in vain, but still held out hope. He would, he promised, spend the remaining time with his wife and kids.

For the next year he stayed with his sick wife. Damion took care of the business. Mario helped out and was a great supporter of Damion. They worked well together. The Lincoln Group was doing better than anyone had dreamed. Todd's original plan was perfect. Every step of the way he had predicted and was touted in the industry as a genius.

At grandmother's house, Todd and Jen talked for hours when she wasn't sleeping from the drugs. She never felt any pain. She was strong and proud to the end. She spent her waking hours with the kids and her husband sitting on the bed and at her side.

Todd then remembered the bad dream he always had and now it raised its ugly head in the realization of truth. In the dream he had remembered looking down at Jen's mother in the hospital. But in fact is not her mother but his Jen. The bike with the two seats was in reality three seats as he rode the bike with the two kids behind and his wife jogging beside them with her pony tail swinging back and forth going around the park.

Almost a year to the day told him by the doctor, Jen went to sleep for the last time.

Chapter 23

God's tears were falling on top of the canopy showing His grief for the family. Thunder and lightning could be heard and seen in the distance. Under the canopy only the immediate family and friends sat listening to the priest mumble in Latin. Todd thought and said under his breath, "A perfect day for a funeral. Jen would love it. She is probably watching right now at all of us mourning for her."

He saw her lovely smile and remembered the night on the sailboat the first time they made love listening to the rain pounding on the little sail boat. A small smile could not be seen by others.

Sitting next to him on either side were little Todd Jr. and Penny. They were leaning on him and he had his arms around them. Grandmother sat next to Penny and Jan was on Todd Jr. other side. Jen's mother and father could be heard sniffling and an occasional sob came from June.

In the Lincoln Group, Damion and his lovely wife Violet; Alex and Maria who were now married and she was due with their first baby soon; Pete and his family; and Nancy, Glenda, Ann and Jens other friends, like Beth and could be heard expressing their grief.

The priest finished and nodded to Todd and he went to stand under his little canopy. Friends and family started to move to their respective cars to have a chance to say their final goodbyes and to share their grief together at Jen's parent's house.

Doctor Curtis led his wife to the car and the only ones left standing were Todd, the twins and Jan. Penny looked up at her father and said to him, "Daddy is mommy in heaven now?"

Todd dropped to his knees and told them both with his arms around them and said, "Yes, mommy is in heaven with God and she is looking down right now at us.

"How come we can't see or hear her," Todd Jr. asked.

"Well son, only mommy's body died and her spirit is up in heaven with Jesus and his Father: God.

The twins didn't understand but trusted their father. Todd stood up and they slowly walked to the limo that was waiting for them.

Todd stopped and looked back. Jan was standing there looking at him and the kids. His eyes sent a message and she walked up and took his arm. She held Penny's hand and Todd Jr. held his dad's hand; they slowly walked to the car.

The rain stopped and Todd thought, as the rays of sunlight broke through the huge black thunder clouds, "Well, Jen, we will survive, but miss you something terrible for the rest of our lives. I have our kids and it would appear you left your legacy with me in your sister. I can't have all of you, but I can have half of you." His next thoughts were about the Lincoln family. He had Todd Jr. to carry on the Lincoln line and it looked like there would be more little Lincolns in the future. End.

