Chapter 21: Fallout from the Battle

As we arrived in Sydney, there was a call from Allan advising me to expect reporters at the exit. He had arranged that one of our people gathered the luggage tickets and we were free to go. There was a minor tumult at the exit doors: reporters yelling at us and two TV cameras recording everything.

One reporter was faster than the others and stepped forward.

“Count, what happened in Poland? Did you really accuse the Prime Minister of extortion and blackmail?”

He stuck his microphone in my face and was unhappy when I waved him away. The yelling and pushing continued but slowed down when I did not answer. Finally, they realized that I would not respond to this situation, and there was a moment of silence. Now I could speak.

“Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, let me make a short statement. During the last five years, we made a big investment in Poland; it was going well until we were ordered by the Prime Minister to come to Warsaw. He told us that he would take over our company, run it with his people, and we would not ever see any payment for the money and the time we had invested. When he left, his Chief of Staff called us into his office and told us that with a one-time payment of 25 million dollars, a certain percentage of our profits (and he would determine the percentage) paid to a company run by the Prime Minister’s family, and a Polish person to be appointed by the LaJ party, we could remain as nominal owners of the company. He gave us a slip of paper with the account number of a bank abroad. When we questioned whether this had the agreement of the Prime Minister, he led us back to the PM’s office, and there he confirmed the threat and the instructions.”

I stopped for a moment and questions were thrown at me; I waited for a moment and continued.

“We had been warned about this possibility and were prepared. We had recorded the image and sound, and had the paper with the account number analyzed. It gave us the details of the money deposited and withdrawn, and with this, we had proof of where it was spent. Clearly, politicians in the government and his coalition partner had used the money for personal gain. He got outraged when we returned to the Prime Minister’s office to tell him that we would not agree to his demands. He threatened us with jail, that we would not survive the time in the jail and that Ms. Parker would enjoy the attention of some very violent prisoners. We also have video and sound records of this moment. We left, and he tried to arrest us, but our Head of Security managed to get us to the airport, and we escaped.”

Now the media went insane, yelling questions, sticking microphones into our faces, and generally creating a noisy tumult. I waited again until they had calmed down, realizing that I would not respond to their behavior, and finished.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we had all these records audited, and a well-known Investigative Laboratory in London confirmed the veracity and integrity of these records. We knew that a lot of these records were obtained in a way that made them unacceptable in a criminal process, so we went the only way we saw to obtain justice; we went to the Polish people. They have a choice now: believe facts and change the government, or believe the politicians and see their country dive into an inferno. It’s their choice, and we wish them luck!”

There was a moment of silence, and I used it to add some words.

“We had some very tiring weeks and a long flight. There is nothing I can or do want to add – so, wait for whatever will happen, and have fun!”

We turned around under loud cries of “We want information, Count!”, “Count, what will happen now?”, and even “Miss Parker, tell us something, anything...”

Allan had arranged some people from the company, and they helped our getaway. When we were in the car, he embraced the two ladies and then turned to me.

“James, do you realize what you’ve done? Our Ambassador in Warsaw has been declared ‘Persona non Grata’ and has 48 hours to leave the country. We’ve asked for an extension and are certain to get one. Their Ambassador has been called back ‘For Consultations’, and as far as we can see, there is no government in Poland at this moment. At the end of the week, there will be a vote of confidence in the government, and it seems at this moment that they’ll lose it. You were right: there are no legal arguments for a criminal process, but the people have taken the street to demand the resignation of the two coalition parties. James, you have changed the political situation in Poland! You don’t do things lightly, do you?”

He hugged me. “James, we are very proud of you and Jenny!”

I asked him about the reaction from Germany, and they seemed to have decided to stay out of trouble: they ignored requests from the government to deliver me to Polish Courts and repeated all the time that it was an Australian investment and that I was just a minor employee in the Castle company. Jenny laughed. “Hey, minor employee. I hope that you have learned your position and will bow to your betters!”

Allan asked about Eileen and smiled when we told him she wanted to stay a few days to see the political explosion develop and detonate. “That’s Eileen, and I bet that she’ll have fun.”

We went home, and it was wonderful to see our children running up and hugging us. They missed us, and we had missed them. They told us about their school, and Horst admitted that he had met a nice girl in his class. Jenny was upset. “When did this happen?” He told us that they exchanged desserts in the lunchroom and that she was of Chinese background, and that he really liked her. We looked at each other – exchanging dessert pies in their age was proof of love! Finally, they could escape, and somehow, we knew that this was family.

Lunch was light and pleasant, and there was an update from Pavel. There was absolute political chaos – the Prime Minister was in hiding, his party demanding his resignation; the President of his coalition partner was yelling about fraud and fake news, but when photographs appeared in the media of his wife showing off in a Hermès handbag and Channel pumps, his party had an emergency session, and he lost his job. Pavel said that it was not clear what would happen: the majority of the LaJ members favored a change. Still, they were afraid that their lucrative sinecures would disappear in a new general election that they would probably lose. The same applied to the other party, but he said that the no-confidence vote would be rather interesting after three days. He also mentioned that all attempts to take over our company had stopped, waiting for a resolution to this embarrassing situation. A surprise was that Mr. Smirsky, the governor for our region, was suddenly in the news as a probable candidate as the opposition leader.

Jenny looked at Maureen. “Darling, you must be exhausted, so why don’t you and James take a nap, and I’ve been told by Dad that he’ll come for dinner. I’ll handle the children.”

Maureen hugged her and promised that she would soon return that favor, and then she grasped my hand and pulled me to our bedroom. It was funny to hear the giggles from Jenny and surprisingly, also from the children. They were growing up fast!

Maureen closed the door and turned to me. “My love, I missed you so much, and I was praying for your safety every morning and night. Thank God you’re back.”

She sniffled. “James, don’t do this again, and if you ever dare to repeat this, I’ll kill you. And the next time Jenny has to stay at home – let’s see whether she’ll enjoy it!”

I was not entirely certain what she wanted to say – would she kill me before anything like this mess occurred again, or would she be at my side? Probably both.

She looked at me.

“James, my love, now I want just to stay in your arms to know that you’re back and I can relax. I promise that tonight you’ll get me – anywhere and anyhow. Please?”

I nodded and embraced her, feeling her love. Then I slowly undressed her, she repeated this gesture, and when I picked her up and carried her to our bed, she pulled me down and kissed me tenderly. She lay down, and when I slipped under our covers, she took a deep breath, dried her eyes, and pulled me close. One more kiss, and she snuggled into my arms.

“Darling, now I’m all right. Just hold me tight!” An easy command to follow!

One more deep breath, a tightening of her arms, and she fell asleep. I couldn’t sleep so easily but was happy that we were together again. When I finally fell asleep, I felt Jenny creeping into our room, undressing and holding me fast from the other side. “I love you...” and we three were in Morpheus’s arms.

Unfortunately, an alarm sounded at six o’clock and we had to get up. I wanted to see our children, see what had happened to them and whether they were still interested in their old father. I was fortunate – they still remembered me. There were obvious questions about what presents I had bought for them. They were satisfied with the dolls the women of Elk had given me, and some electronics were also appreciated. Then it was dinner and with Allan present, business discussions were always forbidden during meals. Mabel, our cook, had prepared a delicious John Dory in a red wine sauce, with morels accompanying the dish. Maureen looked through our wine cellar and came up with a 2005 Nuits-St-Georges – an interesting choice, I must say! In the end, we agreed that the combination was possible but that we would not repeat it.

We finished our meal, the children said goodnight, and we went back to discuss Castle de Winter and its future. Allan was hesitantly optimistic about the forthcoming no-confidence vote, but as nothing definitive was available and the discussion turned in circles, we decided to call it a night. Maureen took my hand and led me to our bedroom. She had lit candles, and their dim light and soft lavender incense made me take her in my arms and hug her tightly. She looked up - her eyes showed her love for me.

“James, I want to be loved slowly, deliciously, tenderly, caringly, but I want to be loved tonight.” She turned to Jenny. “Please stay with us – I want to hold your hand when James loves me.”

I was surprised. “Darling, Jenny always stays with us – why this confirmation now?”

She smiled and whispered “She wanted to let us be alone; this night just to be on our own, but I believe that you and I prefer to have her beside us than her sleeping alone in another room. Remember a long time ago when we agreed they nobody would sleep in the guest room? Those promises are still valid!”

I nodded, and Maureen looked at me.

“James, my love, please undress me – I don’t want to work tonight.”

What a pleasant command and I followed her request dutifully, slowly and caringly. When finally she stood before me in her glorious nudity, I had to swallow. After all these years, she was as beautiful as when I had seen her the first time. Deep red luscious hair, kissable lips, proud firm upstanding breasts with my beloved puffy tips, a slender waist, long, long legs, and her pussy shining with desire – all I could say was, “I love you...”

She smiled and nodded.

“I too, my love, and from the bottom of my heart. Remember when we first made love? When you first kissed me, and I gave you my breasts to please you? When we made love, and we received our blessing? All this, James, has never diminished but grown all the time, every moment of our lives together. And when Jenny came to us, it multiplied again. Darling, all I ever wanted was you, and to the end of our life, this will get deeper and deeper. I’m yours, and you are mine forever...”

I could only repeat “I love you...” and, taking her in my arms, embraced her with all my emotions. She put her arms around my neck and whispered “Now it’s Jenny’s turn, my love.”

She lifted her arms and lay on our bed, dressed only in her loving smile. I looked at Jenny, standing there with a tear slowly rolling down her cheek. Slowly, she came closer and touched Maureen’s cheek.

“You two are so wonderful to watch – the love between you is so visible that my heart cries. It’s almost as beautiful to see you making love as it’s to be loved myself.”

She hesitated.

“No, this is not quite right. It’s beautiful to watch you, but when James takes me, it’s more intense, much more intimate ... but thank God I can have both!”

She pushed me forward, and I lay beside Maureen without hesitating for a moment. There was movement beside us, and Jenny had joined us. She embraced us but then pushed us together.

“Maureen, it’s your night. Enjoy it with my love!”

I trailed kisses down from her neck to her breasts, sucking, licking and pulling lightly on her nipples with my lips. I alternated between them, thoroughly nursing from each, and Maureen cradled my head with her hands, murmuring encouragement and endearments. I slowly turned my attention lower and lower, kissing and licking her navel as I ran a hand south, seeking her very wet opening. I bent my head to her labia, gently licking up and down on either side, teasing close to her clit as I went from side to side, but never actually touching it.

Running her hands through my hair, Maureen sighed. “James, that’s so nice, please continue...”

Pulling her close, I pushed my tongue into her tempting, sweet lips, my nose rubbing her clit and my hand going farther, tickling her little bud as I concentrated on her front.

We continued for some time, literally savoring our time together, neither of us in any hurry to consummate our lovemaking. Something about this particular moment made us both want to prolong our giving pleasure to each other for as long as possible. It was sweet, slow, and exquisitely intimate. Yet again, I was amazed at how we instinctively seemed to know exactly what the other needed and wanted at any particular moment.

Slowly, I started to increase our pace, Maureen’s hand pushing on my face to thrust me deep and deeper into her. I began long, languorous licks from her ass to her clit, delving into her with each passage. I could barely breathe, but I was in heaven as she suddenly clamped her thighs around my ears in a stiff, frozen vise, releasing her juices all over my nose and lips. I could sense her swallowing rapidly as her trembling thighs slowly relaxed their grip on my head.

Finally, I had to catch my breath, and pulling my face away from her, I moved up, kissing her lovingly.

“James, my love, now I feel better, but I’m not finished yet. Not at all!”

She turned to Jenny, who had watched us with love – and lust – in her eyes.

“Darling, you had him for weeks...” actually, there were 10 days, but who would quarrel with her at this moment? “ ... and you said that it’s my turn now. So, James, Count de Winter, take me and make me yours.”

And the age-long sequence started again, taking us to ever higher moments, and suddenly we jumped over the cliff, hand in hand, with both of us panting from our exertions and sweet release. She relaxed, and I kissed her tenderly.

“Maureen, my love, you are mine – and I’m yours, as always and forever. When I was traveling, I missed you, but now we are one again!” I kissed her again and gently touched her puffy nipples.