A Well-Lived Life 2 - Book 8 - NIKAChapter 56: Lone Star Systems free porn video

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May 11, 1995, Chicago, Illinois

I was in the office early on Thursday morning. I’d driven in alone, as I would leave my car at Meigs and wouldn’t be back in time to get Jessica at Cook County. Elyse and Michelle had arrived about fifteen minutes earlier than usual, and just past 8:00am, our meeting and conference call started. There were three people on vacation, which couldn’t be helped. They’d find out at some future point.

“I’m sorry to get you Western Region folks out of bed early,” I said. “But this really couldn’t wait. Yesterday afternoon, at 3:00pm Central Time, NIKA agreed to acquire Lone Star Systems, our largest competitor.”

There were gasps, stunned looks, and lots of ‘Wows!’ and ‘Holy shits!’ just as I’d expected. I paused for a few seconds, then continued.

“Cindi will be sending out a press release at 8:30am, as will Lone Star. The press releases will call it a merger, but rest assured NIKA is buying Lone Star. The NIKA Board of Directors will continue exactly as it is, as will our management. Those of you who own shares, either directly or via our ESOP, will not see your shares diluted or reduced in value in any way. In a few minutes, Elyse will explain how we’re paying for this and what that means for our financials.

“We have a LOT of work to do in the next thirty days. In that time, we need to complete what’s called ‘due diligence’ which involves a top-to-bottom review of Lone Star to ensure we’re getting what we agreed to pay for. Many of you are going to be involved, and you may find yourself in Dallas, Reno, or the Raleigh-Durham area. That means we’ll all have to pick up the workload to ensure we don’t damage our customers during this time.

“I also want to state unequivocally that nobody who works for NIKA will see their position eliminated or their role reduced. There may well be redundancies between NIKA and Lone Star, but you have my word that you, as NIKA employees, will NOT be made redundant. Period. In fact, there will be a number of opportunities for promotions or expanded responsibilities, if you so desire. I can’t tell you exactly what those will be just yet, but I will let you know.

“Now a word of caution. Please do NOT engage in spreading rumors. I am sure you’ll hear all kinds of wild rumors and stories, from a multitude of sources. Let me be blunt - if you do not hear it from me or the senior management team, do NOT believe it. And by that I mean me, Elyse, Cindi, Julia, Dave, Michelle, and Kimmy. Those are your only sources for official information at this time. If you are contacted by the Press, please refer them to Cindi. Nobody, other than Cindi, is authorized to speak to them.

“I’m going to turn this over to Elyse to give you a brief explanation of how the deal is being financed. I believe in complete transparency, and a good number of you are shareholders, and deserve to hear this. You will, if you are vested in your shares, have the opportunity to vote at a shareholders’ meeting in about four weeks, where the deal will be formally approved. And the last thing I’m going to say is that Cindi, Julia, Kimmy, and I are heading to Dallas later this morning to talk to the Lone Star staff.

“I am sorry, but I won’t be able to take questions now. I’ll do my best to keep you all informed of the progress and any important details. Elyse?”

I stepped aside and Elyse took the spot where I’d been standing and explained the financing we were receiving, though she didn’t specifically name Spurgeon Capital, and explained how preferred stock worked, how it related to common stock, and how it would affect our profitability. She took questions, but limited them to explaining financial terms and concepts, and when she finished, I ended the meeting and headed upstairs with Penny hot on my heels.

“How can you do stuff like that without telling the shareholders?” Penny demanded.

“Because the Board is elected by the shareholders to act in their interest,” I replied firmly. “That’s how corporations work. You will, as you heard me say, get to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on the deal once we complete the due diligence and the Board makes a recommendation.”

“But you have more than 50% of the shares so your vote is the only one that counts!”

I nodded, “That’s true. In the end, though, I can only do what the Board approves. I’d have to replace them if I didn’t agree with them, and I have only thought about that on one single occasion in nearly ten years.”

“Over that silly non-compete?”

“Yes. But the principle was that they wanted me to force everyone to sign under threat of being terminated. I refused. They knew I would replace them. Technically, they could fire me, but then I’d just call an emergency shareholder meeting and remove the entire board. Joyce and my dad would have to be put back on, but I would just have added seven board members I trusted to do what I wanted and they couldn’t have stopped me. You would have been one of them!”

“So why not just do what you want?”

I chuckled, “That’s the same debate I’ve had with Samantha many times. Heck, you should understand why. You and I have a serious propensity to get into trouble when we don’t listen to good advice. I have the Board for a reason. And usually I listen to them. But could you see me threatening someone’s job in that way?”

“Not a chance!”

“Which was my point. In the end, everyone signed simply because I asked them to.”

“Of course! You take great care of all of us. But what about the Lone Star team?”

“That’s what we have to figure out, starting today.”

May 11, 1995, Aboard the Gulfstream en route to Dallas, Texas

Three hours later, Cindi, Julia, Kimmy, and I were on the Gulfstream somewhere over southern Illinois.

“The Lone Star sales team is going to be useless for thirty days,” Cindi said. “And then some.”

“I know, but I don’t think we can accelerate the due diligence. Did you have an idea of what you want to do with your sales team?”

“I think a lot depends on what we’re doing with regard to expanding our consulting business.”

“Dallas and the Raleigh-Durham area are obvious targets,” Julia said. “I’m not so sure about Reno.”

“If we do that,” Cindi said thoughtfully, “I could see hiring three salespeople. More than that and we’d be oversaturated. We’re developing new business at a good rate now, and we don’t want to see commissions reduced for any existing team members.”

“I’ll want you to go to Raleigh-Durham and Reno, Cindi,” I said. “There are sales staff and support staff in both of those offices.”

“I think we’ll need to keep their support infrastructure exactly the same for at least a year,” Cindi said. “A lot depends on how we decide to integrate the Lone Star customers.”

“We’ll know more when we see the code,” Julia said. “I talked to Dave about getting some senior people down to Dallas next week. Whatever we decide, it’s going to play havoc with delivery schedules, but I don’t see any option.”

“How bad?” I asked.

“We’ll need to make up two weeks in the schedule somewhere along the way. Well, three, probably, because you’re basically out of action for the duration.”

“I wish that wasn’t the case. You do have Claire coming on board in two weeks, and Dave is in the final stages of hiring a programmer. We can slip the medical software if we need to. They actually complain more about new releases than they do about lack of new features.”

“Someday we’ll go to that well once too often,” Cindi said. “But right now, I have to agree. The major law firms are champing at the bit for the multi-office system.”

“How are Brenda and Sam doing on the database merge utility?” I asked.

“Don’t ask,” Julia said, shaking her head. “We have sample data from three firms and in all three databases we’ve found differences in how they entered client names between their offices. Matching them, and ensuring we have the correct records tied together is nightmarish. They’re making improvements, but I suspect there will still be quite a bit of manual work which will need to be done.”

“I saw Kajri’s design for the manual merge screens,” I said. “We’ll at least be able to have the customer do some of that matching.”

“I think we need to call out a line item in our conversion proposals for ‘custom manual database merges’,” Julia said.

“You and Cindi work it out. But let’s make sure we get the automated merging as close to complete as possible.”

“Steve, what’s the straight scoop on the staff? Not what you’re going to say to them.”

“It’s what I said this morning - we have to identify redundancies. If we double the customer base, we have to add to our existing staff. The two areas where there are huge questions are sales, as we discussed, and development. I’ve made no decisions in either case, though I’ll admit we won’t need their entire development team. But until we talk to everyone and decide what to do with the Lone Star software, nothing changes.”

“Some people are going to leave, for sure,” Julia said.

“Yes, and our goal is to quickly identify the good people who have the right attitude. I do have one thing I need you to give serious thought to. The VP of Software Development will leave on June 9th, along with the VP of Sales and the President; that’s part of the deal. We’ll need someone to run the Lone Star Development team.”

“This is off the cuff, but thinking about our succession plans, I’d say Terry, but I can’t afford to have him leave Zo’s team right now, and can’t afford to introduce ANY stress with Penny, given she’s on the same team. The next person I’d suggest would be Debbie Jones. She’s been with us nearly from the beginning, doesn’t have kids, and is used to traveling.”

“I’d be OK with that choice,” I replied. “She did a great job at Waukesha all those years ago. The only fly in the ointment is that if we significantly expand the consulting teams, we’re going to need regional managers, and she’d be an obvious choice.”

“That will take time,” Cindi said. “How long do you think we’ll need someone to manage the Lone Star team?”

I couldn’t tell her the first answer that came to mind - about two weeks. I had to, at least publicly, act as if Dante didn’t exist. Until he pulled the trigger, it had to be ‘business as usual’.

“That depends on how we decide to proceed,” I said. “And using someone from the consulting team makes sense because she’s used to assignments with somewhat unpredictable end dates. Don’t say anything, yet. But those are the kinds of things we’ll need to think of.”

“If you keep Dallas and Raleigh, will they be managed by Zeke and Mario, respectively?”

“For now, I’d say yes. I don’t think it makes sense to break up the regions. In the short term, Lone Star will be managed as a division of NIKA, and I’ll have to act as divisional manager with help from Kimmy and Michelle.”

“Anything you need!” Kimmy said, looking up from her pad where she’d been taking notes.

May 11, 1995, Dallas, Texas

“Team,” Manny Nuñez said, “I’d like to introduce Steve Adams, Cindi Spanos, Julia Kallas, and Kimmy Bradford from NIKA. Steve?”

“Thanks, Manny,” I replied. “Good afternoon everyone! I’m sure all of you were surprised by the merger announcement this morning. We came down to meet all of you and spend some time talking to you before the due diligence process begins on Monday. I want to reassure you that what will become the Lone Star Division of NIKA is an important part of the company. Our two firms are similar in size, and Cindi, who is our Senior Vice President of Sales and Support, reports that Lone Star and NIKA split competitive deals almost equally. That tells us you have something valuable to offer potential customers, and which those customers will expect us to continue to provide.

“And that means we are not going to make any radical changes in the short term. Will things change? Obviously, because we’ll need to integrate so we are able to work closely together. And equally obviously, in any current competitive deals, we’ll need to figure out which system best serves the customer’s need and provide that system. Our joint press releases this morning reiterated both firms’ focus on providing excellent customer support and that must be our continued focus.

“Now, I’m sure some, if not most, of you are aware of NIKA’s purchase of Boston Legal Systems several years ago. The circumstances of that deal were very different. BLS was failing and unprofitable; Lone Star is successful and profitable. That was an asset purchase; this is a merger. Granted, the NIKA Board and senior management will remain in charge because your Board and senior management were brought in by the Dallas Capital Partners.

“Everyone else will have the same job on June 12th as they have today. We want all of you to stay. We want you to be part of the team. Your service here will count day for day as service at NIKA, entitling you to the same benefits as any current NIKA employee with the same length of service. Your vacation, sick time, and other leave will carry over, and be adjusted, going back to January 1st, to match NIKA’s, but won’t be reduced if they happen to exceed what we offer. All of you will be eligible for a full bonus share, paid in June of 1996.

“It’s very important that all of you, and all of us, keep our focus on the customers we work for. And yes, you heard that right. All of us, including me, work for the customers. I may be the CEO, but in the end, the final say on everything we do comes from our customers. They don’t have to stay with us if we aren’t meeting their needs, and if they don’t stay, we don’t have a business. If we can keep our eyes on the customers, we’ll all be successful.

“Finally, I want to discourage you from listening to rumors, no matter where you hear them or from whom you hear them. If you don’t hear it from Manny, or one of us, or Elyse Clarke, our CFO, or Michelle York, our office manager, don’t believe it. And please, please do not answer inquiries from the Press. Direct all of those to Cindi or Manny. We need a unified message and we need our customers to hear a unified message.

“In conclusion, I’m excited for our future, and look forward to great success by the largest, by far, legal software firm in North America. I will take questions, though I hope you’ll understand if I need to defer answering some of them.”

“Mr. Adams,” a young woman with short-cropped hair, who had been frowning during my speech, called out. “Are you saying all of us have guaranteed jobs?”

I smiled, “Your name and role are... ?”

“Vickie. I do accounts receivable.”

“Hi, Vickie. First of all, please, everyone, call me Steve. We are very informal and it helps communicate that we’re all on one team. Second, while I can’t make any guarantees, it is our intention to find a role in the merged firms for everyone. In the short term, and by that I mean three to six months, I can’t imagine making any changes because of how badly it would disrupt operations at Lone Star, which is not something that would help us be successful.

“That said, in your specific case, I think it’s obvious that at some point, we’ll want to integrate our accounting systems. Elyse will determine how that’s done. But if you think about it, we’ve merged two equally-sized firms. And that has doubled the workload. Any drastic reductions would hurt our customers. We won’t do that. So, while I can’t make any specific guarantees for the long term, please don’t think there is any intention or plans for layoffs. NIKA has never done that and I have no intention of doing that. OK?”

“Thanks,” she said, her frown having changed to a smile.

“Wally Schmidt. I’m a developer. Are you saying you intend to continue to offer both systems for the long term?”

“Hi, Wally. First, I should have mentioned earlier that I’m a developer myself, and if I could, I’d spend all my time coding. Unfortunately, things haven’t worked that way for me. With regard to your question, I’m saying our customers, and by that I mean Lone Star’s and NIKA’s, will dictate what we do. Your customers are expecting bug fixes, and you have a new release due to be delivered August 1st. I am NOT changing that. It would be a complete disservice to all of Lone Star’s customers. As for the long-term, Julia, who’s our CTO, and Dave, our Vice President of Development, will work with both sales and support teams and determine the best way forward.”

“Thanks,” he said, nodding.

“This is Max Barker,” a deep, booming voice said over the speakerphone. “I do telephone support and installations and I’m in Reno. Are you planning to keep all the offices open long-term?”

“Hi Max. I don’t have an answer to that question at the moment. We need to complete our due diligence before I can speak intelligently about that topic. What I will say, though, is I will not do anything to harm the customers. I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but if you think about what that means, it means we don’t do anything without considering how it impacts those customers.

“NIKA has offices in Pittsburgh and Colorado Springs, as well as a small satellite office in Los Angeles. We also have staff in San Francisco and New York City, though they are consultants or on-site support staff who work from home. Lone Star has offices in Raleigh and Reno, as well as Dallas. I do not see any possibility of making any changes before the end of the year, and changes wouldn’t be made without advance discussion, in which all of you would be involved. NIKA is very open and transparent, and except in situations such as negotiating this merger, our staff is fully informed and fully involved in decisions before they are made.”

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May 14, 1997, Chicago, Illinois “Start talking!” Melanie demanded when I sat down in her office about an hour later. “There isn’t much to say. Katya found the information for me when I asked her to look into several things about Brandon Littleton, Kevin Lomax, and John Milton.” “Do you know more about him?” “A LOT more. I don’t think you want to know.” “Probably not, but I’m your criminal defense attorney, and even though San Antonio doesn’t have you involved in this, you know the CPD...

2 years ago
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The Three Signs Book 2 LoriChapter 28 Live at the Lifesaver

“So, how should we do these Stone’s songs?” Phil asked at our rehearsal session. “I think we all know the music, we just need to come up with a pretty awesome arrangement; we don’t want to sound like yet another cheap cover band.” “I had some ideas, if it’s okay for me to make some suggestions,” Allison said. “Of course it is,” Phil said. “Everyone can have a say, there’s no rule that says you can’t participate in the discussion.” “Thanks, Phil, I guess being the newest here, I’m a bit...

4 years ago
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A WellLived Life 2 Book 5 MichelleChapter 77 Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Part I

May 11, 1992, Chicago, Illinois Monday was turning out to be a LONG day. After my run and talk with Gina, and my talk with Elyse, I had a full day at the office scheduled. First was our leadership meeting in the morning, and then I had status meetings with each team. At lunch I’d gone to see Siobhán and explained that I was going to break off the sexual relationship, but that I wanted to remain friends. She was disappointed, but admitted that Thursday would have been the last time, since she...

2 years ago
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A WellLived Life 2 Book 3 JessicaChapter 23 So Now You Turn Back Into Diana Prince

January 19, 1989, En-Route from LAX to ORD When the engines of the plane started, Jeri reached over and took my hand. She held it while we pushed away from the gate, and taxied for takeoff. Her grip tightened a bit as we hurtled down the runway, but nothing like the death grip she’d had on my arm for the flight out. The plane roared its way into the air and once we leveled out, Jeri’s grip loosened but she didn’t let go of my hand. “How are you doing?” I asked with a touch of...

2 years ago
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A WellLived Life Book 7 Kara IIChapter 34 Old Routines and New Ideas

September 1982, Chicago, Illinois The weekend was quiet and besides homework, I worked on the program changes for Frank, called Karin, Tatyana, and Kara, and hung out with my usual study group. Monday was refreshingly normal. On Tuesday morning, I handed Katy my completed intake form. She put it in an envelope and stuck it in her bag. She said she’d let me know soon about the interview. On Tuesday afternoon, after having lunch with Stephie, I made my rounds and then I headed over to Sigma...

2 years ago
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A WellLived Life Book 7 Kara IIChapter 35 An Interview and Some New Friends

October 1982, Chicago, Illinois The drive back to Chicago was as uneventful as usual, and I arrived at the apartment just before 6:00pm. When I arrived, Elyse and Stephie were sitting on the couch and Jackie was sitting on the loveseat. Stephie hopped up as I opened the door and greeted me with a hug and a kiss. “Hi, Peaches!” I said. “Glad you’re home, Yankee!” “Hi, Steve,” Elyse and Jackie both said. “Hey,” I replied. “How was the weekend?” “Well, it was just Kurt with me, Stephie,...

2 years ago
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A WellLived Life 2 Book 3 JessicaChapter 52 Lifestyle Choices

June 11, 1989, Chicago, Illinois It was just after 3:00am when I kissed Trish goodbye. She’d been an enthusiastic, energetic, and adventurous lover. We’d done just about anything either of us could think of, though her breasts weren’t large enough for a tit-fuck. The last time had been in the shower where we’d ostensibly gone to clean up afterwards, but instead I ended up taking her from behind as she leaned against the wall of the shower. “I think I’ll have you again, Steve Adams,” she...

2 years ago
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A WellLived Life Book 1 BirgitChapter 38 Freshman Year Ends

May 1978 The first couple of weeks in May were busy with school, work, and friends. Except for Becky, I didn’t even have any dates. But I was OK with that. Well, almost OK. I wanted to see Anna, but it likely wasn’t going to happen until school was out. I had tutoring sessions with Melanie, but she still wouldn’t talk to me about anything other than Spanish. Barely a hello. I was grateful for the tutoring, but it was maddening seeing my friend this way. I hoped someday she could understand...

4 years ago
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A WellLived Life Book 6 Kara IChapter 44 Spring Break 1982 Part I

March, 1982, Milford, Ohio As I drove along I-65, I thought about what Stephanie had asked for and what Bethany had said without even knowing about the request. Of course, because Bethany and I were so in tune, she might have actually had an idea that I was struggling with getting involved with my sister again. I kept turning it over and over in my mind and I kept coming to the same conclusion — that I shouldn’t do it. I was torn between doing what Stephanie wanted and doing what Kara and...

4 years ago
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A WellLived Life 2 Book 6 SamanthaChapter 21 Georg and Maria

September 7, 1992, Chicago, Illinois “That went reasonably well,” Michelle said when her parents drove off. “There were a few times I thought my expression would give away something I shouldn’t. You were messing with me, weren’t you?” She grabbed both my hands and smiled, “I was telling the truth, in my own way. Thank you!” She leaned forward and kissed my cheek. “So, what’s left?” I asked. “To visit UofC tomorrow and formally withdraw from classes. To spend some time with you and your...

3 years ago
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A WellLived Life Book 6 Kara IChapter 14 A Southern Belle a Surprise Proposal two Cheerleaders an Old Flame and a Girl Back Home Part I

October 1981, Chicago, Illinois I arrived back at the apartment just before 10:00pm and saw the address for the party. I decided I wasn’t particularly interested in going so I put on some music, poured myself a glass of wine, and started reading more about Russia. I was alternating between the history and culture book and the Communist Party book, decided on the history and culture book for this time. I didn’t get much reading done because I was thinking about Tatyana, which led me to...

3 years ago
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A WellLived Life 2 Book 9 KamiChapter 38 And Sometimes It Stinks To Be Big

January 23, 1996, Chicago, Illinois “Father, bless!” I said, greeting Father Basil with upturned palms. “Bless you, Stephen,” he said as I kissed his hand. The waiter showed us to a quiet table along the wall of Roditys in Greektown. He took our drink orders and was back quickly. We placed our food orders right away and he left to put them in with the kitchen. “I’m not quite sure how to address this, so I’m just going to ask you bluntly. Are you the father of Michelle’s baby?” I shook my...

3 years ago
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A WellLived Life 2 Book 8 NIKAChapter 68 The Rules

June 29, 1995, Chicago, Illinois On Thursday, I finally had lunch with Melissa again, something I hadn’t been looking forward to. Much like with Cèlia, Melissa and I had passed an inflection point and I was left with sub-optimal paths forward. I’d been struggling with the possible solutions, and all of them had pitfalls. When I walked into Takumi, I had something of a plan. Whether it was good or not would only be known once everything played out. “I spoke to my wives,” I said after we’d...

4 years ago
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Starship Starbride Chapter Three

The Captain slowly regained consciousness and realized she couldn’t breathe. Her body was pinned beneath something which was covering her face, suffocating her. She shifted position to free her arms, and instinctively struggled to get out from under whatever was crushing down on her. With a desperate shove, she extricated herself from beneath something warm, and gasped for a deep breath, feeling aches and pains all over her body as her lungs filled with air again. Shaking her head to clear her...

Fantasy & Sci-Fi
3 years ago
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A WellLived Life 3 Book 1 SuzanneChapter 73 Hypothetical Questions

December 5, 2000, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota “I had a good time last night,” I said. “I was surprised you invited a friend!” Mary laughed as we walked into the exam room, “Naomi had a good time as well. You know what a Resident’s life is like.” I nodded, “No social life.” “Exactly. You guys seemed to hit it off pretty well.” “Yes, but I’m not here for that!” “You’re everywhere for that, and you know it!” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Let’s just say that you hit the sweet spot -...

4 years ago
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A WellLived Life Book 3 PiaChapter 25 The Puzzle and the Cat Part II

March 1980, Hovås/Göteborg, Sweden I woke early as usual, but just enjoyed being in bed with Katt. When she woke, she hopped out of bed and pulled a robe out of her closet and handed it to me. “There’s a spare toothbrush in the bathroom. Go have your shower, then we’ll have breakfast after I have my shower.” I quickly showered and brushed my teeth, and went back to Katt’s room. She went to shower and came back a few minutes later. She dressed, and I got a very good look at her sexy body...

2 years ago
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A WellLived Life 2 Book 10 BridgetChapter 74 A Whimper Not A Bang

April 5, 1997, Chicago, Illinois “You missed cuddles this morning!” Birgit said accusingly when I walked into the house about 9:30am. “I know, Pumpkin, but I had a work emergency and had to go see Aunt Joyce and Grandpa A.” “And now we have to get ready for karate!” “I know. We’ll have some family time this afternoon. I don’t have any plans.” “Good!” I hugged her and the rest of the kids, then went to find Kara. We hugged and kissed, and went straight upstairs to get ready for...

2 years ago
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A WellLived Life 2 Book 3 JessicaChapter 64 Fantasy Fulfilled

September 3, 1989, Chicago, Illinois “Good morning, Sensei,” I said, bowing to Sensei Jim. “Good morning!” he said waving me to a chair in his office. “How was your trip?” I asked. “Enlightening. I spent most of my time acting as a manservant to Sensei Robert and Sensei Hiro.” “He who will lead, must first serve,” I said. “Someday, I’m going to send you to Sensei Hiro, should he live long enough. You understand.” “Does that mean you are now 6th Dan?” I...

2 years ago
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A WellLived Life 3 Book 1 SuzanneChapter 63 Not so Momentous After All

October 29, 2000, Chicago, Illinois Birgit followed me as far as the stairs, then scooted upstairs when I went to the front door and opened it. “Hi!” Sophie said. “Hi!” I replied and held the door open so she could come into the house. I closed the door behind her then led her to my study where I waited until she went in, and then walked in, closing the door behind me. I nodded to one of the wingback chairs, she sat down in one, and I sat down in the other. “Is something wrong?” she...

2 years ago
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Texas The Lone Star state

I need to say a thank you to Smiler77 for introducing me to this, and the encouragement to write my first piece.   Any constructive comments and feedback are welcome. I can remember exactly where it was that we first met.   I was trying very hard to quietly knock back a few manhattans in the bar before catching the long flight back to London .   Despite the business that had taken me there, I’d had quite some week already in Houston and had partied hard most nights in my free time, always one...

1 year ago
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Texas The Lone Star state

I need to say a thank you to Smiler77 for introducing me to this, and the encouragement to write my first piece.   Any constructive comments and feedback are welcome.I can remember exactly where it was that we first met.   I was trying very hard to quietly knock back a few manhattans in the bar before catching the long flight back to London .   Despite the business that had taken me there, I’d had quite some week already in Houston and had partied hard most nights in my free time; always...

Straight Sex
1 year ago
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A WellLived Life Book 8 StephieChapter 61 Anala Part II

August, 1983, Chicago, Illinois I walked in the near 90°F heat to Carla’s place. I was grateful that the humidity of the morning had dropped significantly; otherwise the heat would have been unbearable. By the time I walked up the steps to the apartment over the photography studio and knocked on her door, I had broken into a light sweat. Carla answered almost immediately and invited me inside her studio apartment. The air was moderately cool, and the window air conditioner was running full...

3 years ago
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Starship Starbride Chapter Two

Captain Kirtomy felt the warm, heaving breath of her ship’s counselor on her sweat-drenched neck as they drew closer in bed together. Her breast was enfolded beneath Pen’s copious bosom, and the soft pressure felt comfortingly intimate. The life support system on the officers’ deck had not been turned on long enough for her quarters to have reached normal ambient temperatures, and the cool, oxygen-rich air being pumped into her cabin felt refreshing now after hours of torrid love-making....

2 years ago
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Starship Starbride Chapter Two

Captain Kirtomy felt the warm, heaving breath of her ship’s counselor on her sweat-drenched neck as they drew closer in bed together. Her breast was enfolded beneath Pen’s copious bosom, and the soft pressure felt comfortingly intimate. The life support system on the officers’ deck had not been turned on long enough for her quarters to have reached normal ambient temperatures, and the cool, oxygen-rich air being pumped into her cabin felt refreshing now after hours of torrid love-making....

Fantasy & Sci-Fi
2 years ago
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A WellLived Life Book 7 Kara IIChapter 21 He Will Tell Thee What Thou Shalt Do

July 1982, Milford, Ohio On Tuesday morning, I kissed Kara goodbye and headed to my parents’ house for my usual morning routine with my little sister. She was happy that I could spend the morning with her and asked to take a walk, so we weren’t in the house with my mom. “Let me guess — this walk will end in the clearing,” I said with a smile. “Yes,” she said, taking my hand as we walked down Overlook towards Klondyke. As usual, we turned around and walked back, taking the path to the...

2 years ago
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A WellLived Life 2 Book 7 SakurakoChapter 37 Geisha

March 13, 1994, Chicago, Illinois “Hi, Steve!” Ailea said when she opened the door. “Hi,” I replied, accepting the offered hug. There was no touching of lips, just of cheeks, and I wondered if I’d misread her intentions at her birthday lunch, or if, perhaps, she detected my reluctance to return the offered affection. “Lunch is ready, so go ahead and sit. I’ll bring it in from the kitchen.” I went to the low table, sat down, and a minute later, Ailea brought miso soup and sushi, our usual...

2 years ago
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A WellLived Life 2 Book 10 BridgetChapter 72 An Explosive Discovery

April 3, 1997, Dallas, Texas “Remember what I said about drinking too much,” I said, as I poured bourbon into three cups. We’d stopped at a liquor store, bought a bottle of Blanton’s, and then returned to the small suite I’d reserved at the Westin. Deborah’s room was down the hall, and Krissy’s was two floors below. Krissy’s comment had caught me a bit off guard, but I hadn’t reacted visibly. I didn’t know her quite well enough to know if she’d been teasing with Deborah, so I was being...

3 years ago
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A WellLived Life 2 Book 4 ElyseChapter 59 Karas Birthday

March 28, 1991, Chicago, Illinois “This day belongs to you, Kara!” I said when the three of us woke on Thursday morning. “Happy birthday!” Jessica said. “Thanks,” Kara replied happily. “I think I’d like an amazing birthday fuck from our husband, and then a nice loving shower with my wife!” Kara said. “Do we have enough time?” I asked. Jessica giggled, “I set the alarm for thirty minutes earlier!” “Then let’s not waste any of it!” I said pulling Kara to me. Kara’s squeals as I plunged...

1 year ago
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A WellLived Life 3 Book 1 SuzanneChapter 46 Rite of Passage

September 4, 2000, Chicago, Illinois On Monday morning I went to my study to make a surreptitious call to ensure that the surprise I’d planned for Kara was still going to happen, and after confirming that it was, Jesse, Matthew, Michael, and I began preparing for the Labor Day party by getting beer and soda into coolers, getting the grill ready, setting up tables and chairs in the backyard, and ensuring the liquor cabinets were stocked while my wives and daughters worked on food prep in the...

4 years ago
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A WellLived Life 2 Book 2 StephieChapter 14 Space Considerations

September 1, 1987, Chicago, Illinois “I heard that you have some kind of plan to help Ed,” I said to Connie. “There’s no plan,” she replied. “A witness who saw the shopkeeper alive after Ed left came forward.” That sounded convenient, and I wondered if the witness was real or someone that Anthony had put forward to solve the problem. Certainly, the videotape was real, because I couldn’t imagine how Anthony could have faked that, but the witness? Who knew? “So is he being released? Or is...

3 years ago
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A WellLived Life 2 Book 10 BridgetChapter 100 A Full Circle

August 17, 1997, Chicago, Illinois We finished lunch and Marissa and the younger kids went to play, but Natalie sat with the adults to talk, with coffee, tea, or soft drinks. The Sarcus were very comfortable, but the Heaths were still struggling. But, vitally, they hadn’t left and hadn’t insisted Natalie leave the group. “Can you explain how you developed this attitude and approach?” Chris asked. I nodded, “It started when I was just a bit younger than Natalie. My mom was a total control...

2 years ago
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A WellLived Life Book 3 PiaChapter 6 A Tale of Three Cities Part III

July 1979 — Falkenberg, Sweden On Friday, when I got back from my run, Pam was in her bra and panties again. I whistled at her, she giggled, then finished dressing. I showered, and we went to breakfast and finished up our last day. Once class was done, we were pretty much free. On Saturday, we’d have several optional activities and then on Sunday we’d head back to our host families. After dinner on Friday, I took Pam’s hand and we walked towards the river. It was quiet and peaceful, and...

2 years ago
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A WellLived Life Book 3 PiaChapter 38 Homeward Bound

July 1980, Over the North Atlantic We reached cruising altitude, and I settled back to read my book. Pam raised the armrest between us, snuggled close to me and read as well. The cabin crew offered drinks, and I had my first Coke in a year! Meal service began about an hour and a half into the flight. After the cabin crew picked up the trays and offered drinks again, they passed once more, offering headsets for the movie. Trevor and Maria took them, but Pam and I didn’t, instead we turned on...

1 year ago
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A WellLived Life 2 Book 10 BridgetChapter 88 Hard or Soft

July 8, 1997, Chicago, Illinois “Is it really that surprising?” Leah asked. “I suppose not,” I replied. “I just didn’t read too much into the kiss on the cheek.” “I didn’t think it was a good idea to kiss you on the lips with all those people around, because I had no idea who they were or what they would think. You were VERY careful with our dance, so I kind of followed your lead.” Which showed very mature thinking on her part. Both of these girls were exactly the kind of students I...

3 years ago
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A WellLived Life 2 Book 7 SakurakoChapter 12 House Calls

November 8, 1993, Chicago, Illinois A dark fog swirled before my eyes as I tried to take stock. My head hurt, badly. I felt something on my face and realized, dimly, it was an oxygen mask. My right hand was uncomfortable and I recognized the feeling of an IV and pulse-oximeter. My left arm ached fiercely. On my chest I felt the pads and wires of an EKG. I didn’t feel anything else wrong as I continued taking inventory. I tried to open my eyes, but the fog didn’t clear. I tried to speak, but...

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