Ross and Victor went back to the conference room.
Everyone was still sitting there , silent.
The bottom line was.. the two letters which Ross found on the door when he had entered the office that morning, were lawsuits, by clients, for mismanagement, and incompetence of their accounts.
Since Ross did not work on accounts hardly at all, except for talking to the account managers, and Ross dealing with the crisis of Charles Harton and Timothy, Ross had come home from OKC, and had no idea of the details of the situations of why the lawsuits occurred. Ross would have to read the lawsuits carefully, get the details, and figure out how to respond, whether that be to call the clients and try to fix the problems himself , or, if such was merited, fire the account managers if they were responsible.
The bottom line, something that had happened at RossShell, many, many times before, including when Ross himself had screwed up accounts, had infuriated Ross, and pushed him over the edge.
Ross figured that he could not logically just keep everyone sitting in the conference room waiting for Ross to speak. At that point, Ross did not have anything of significance to say.
Thus, all Ross said was. "Meeting adjourned. Everyone please just get back to whatever they usually do. I have some serious thinking to do. I'm fairly certain that there will be a meeting of significance not long off, but I have to collect my thoughts and investigate some things before figuring out when and if a meeting takes place, and what to say" Ross said.
The people who Ross had called for the meeting disbursed, leaving Ross and Vic alone in the conference room.
Then Ross said. "Vic, please come back into my office. Let's study these papers carefully, and have a rational conversation, before I do something that I might really regret" Ross said.
"Of course, Ross" Vic said.
Ross and Vic went into Ross's office. "Ashley, please hold all calls. Vic and I need to have a very important discussion. I dont know how long it will take" Ross said.
"Of course, Ross" Ashley said, as Ross closed the door.
Ross went to his usual chair, and Vic went to his usual chair.
Ross studied the paper work, tried to do so calmly and rationally, and not get emotional or explode, and then passed the papers to Vic.
"Vic, please read these thoroughly, and then just say whatever is on your mind, and please dont hold back or omit anything. I need your honest opinion, no matter how blunt: " Ross said.,
Vic studied the papers silently, and then said.
"Ross, according to these papers, these two cilents are claiming mismanagement of their accounts, and filed suit and claims against RossShell for said claims. You are CEO of RossShell, and thus such were directed to you" Vic said.
"Vic, please do me a favor. I want to approach this very carefully. Plus, I am very tired and not thinking clearly after the OKC trip and the Alaskan bonanza. Please call these people, and tell them that you are representing the company. Please tell them that you want all their information about why they filed said claims and said lawsuits against RossShell. Ask them or their representatives or attorneys to direct all correspondences to you. Give them your company e-mail address, read it, and then forward it to me. If I dont play the usual Ross. "Let's pull the gun and shoot" , maybe we can resolve this without any confrontation or lawsuit. Also, in the meantime, just so you know. I was most serious about you taking over as the day to day operator around here. As you can imagine, that would take a lot of planning, and time. While I would still be CEO, and still have an office, a door, and my name on the company, you would be , I suppose, in essence, Chief Operating Officer. This does not mean that I would suddenly desert the company, or you, not show up in the office, and be in OKC, Toronto, or whereever else anytime. I still have my marriage to Kayley and my health to consider. Maybe, just maybe, if said were formalized,. it would make things easier for both of us, if I was away. You would have power in writing, I would have piece of mind because I trust you. You also would get a major salary increase, and a piece of the profits of the company. You would essentially become my partner, even if a "junior partner" Any investment would have to be figured out, as if you dont have the money, or dont want to officially invest, I could take your investment out of your profit sharing every year. It would be very involved. I have to think about it. As to what people would think, no one really has to know. Timothy is being taken care of anyway, and if he has a problem, I know how to deal with him myself. I think we both know that as for Charles Harton, things seem calmer. If he gripes too much, I will tell him that I have health issues that are private, and that as long as his work gets done by RossShell , he has a responsibility to pay the company for work done by anyone in the company . If he does not care for that arrangement, let him fire us, or I will resign. We have not gotten to that point yet, so let's just see. Why dont you get some work done, I will take you to lunch at Shun Lee to celebrate, turn down anyone else who wants to see me, I will go home early, and you can just punch out at five. I really dont want to deal with anyone. "inflammatory" so to speak. I can tell Tim and or Charles Harton that I came home from a complex trip in OKC, and I 'm sick. I will probably be in tomorrow usual time, and things will just continue as usual, for now. EXcept, that I will reveal what I told you to Alan Hell, and ask him to recommend the best attorney he knows, to draft up a contract, for both of our protection" Ross said.
Vic smiled. "Okay, Ross. I completely understand, and I Thank You again for the trust you have in me" Vic said.
"You have more than earned it, Vic. You are probably the most important person working in this company. If not for you, especially since I started RFS with Fritz and Steve, and have become more deeply involved with that, RossShell might and likely would have collapsed long ago. Also, if we cant stop the lawsuits, just tell me, and I will ask Mister Hell to recommend a good attorney to respond" Ross said.
Vic left Ross's office. Ross just had to wait until Vic told Ross how the suits would be approached.
Ross felt a quiet stillness about himself regarding the conversation Ross had with Vic that morning. For.. seemingly, decades, Ross had been an emotional. "Shoot from the hip" businessman and person. Ross being pushed over the edge by lawsuits that may or may not be serious, may or may not be able to be settled, and such, caused Ross to, in the blink of an eye, evaluate how RossShell was run, and decide to change things that would hopefully work out for the better, for Ross, for Vic, hopefully for RossShell the company, and maybe the cilents themselves.
A bit later, Vic came back. "Ross, I talked to the people who filed those suits, and proposed discussion and settlement. They said that they would have to contact their attorneys for advice. It seems to me that it is just a wait and see situation" Vic said.
Ross sighed. "Okay, then it is wait and see. How about we do our work, and then go to lunch at about 1230. When we are finished, I will go home, and you can either go home, or come back here. Even leave early, Let me think about it. This is a dramatic development, and almost feels like a day for both of us to celebrate. The only person I plan to tell about this is Kayley. " Ross said.
"Knowing Kayley as I do, Ross, and knowing how she is always so concerned about your work habits, and your health, I would think she would think what you propose to do is a positive move. " Vic said.
"I would think so" Ross said,
Ross and Vic worked through the morning. They went to Shun Lee, and had a large celebration lunch. When the food and their non alcoholic drinks came, Ross toasted. "Here is to the new Operating Officer of RossShell, Victor Barger. The man who has truly run this company, now will have the official title and power to match. I am very happy for you, me, us, and RossShell I wish you a wonderful life, wonderful success with your new position and new title, and only good things" Ross said.
"Thank You, Ross" Vic said, with a warm smile.
Ross and Vic finished lunch. "Vic, I'm going home. Please just go back and do what you do, and then at 5pm, you can just go. I will be in tomorrow, and we will talk more, as this process plays out. Dont worry about Timothy or Charles Harton. If Harton calls, just tell him that I am unavailable. If Tim calls, text me, and I will deal with him myself. You will see me tomorrow. Take care,. and Good Luck to you with everything" Ross said.
"Thank you so much, Ross: " Vic said, as the men bumped fists goodbye.
Ross called an Uber at Shun Lee, and went home to Queens.
Ross undressed, and lied on the couch.
At 330, Kayley arrived home. "A bit surprised to see you here. What happened today?" Kayley said, kissing Ross.
"I do still live here, until and unless you tell me to leave. Nothing happened. I will explain. Why dont you get more comfortable. We will drink iced teas, I will tell you what happened, and then we will figure out what to do next" Ross said.
Kayley nodded, a bit puzzled.
When Kayley came back in sweatpants, a t shirt, and bare feet. Kayley knew it was something significant.
"Okay, please talk to your partner. Is it very good, very bad, in between, and how can I help if at all? " Kayley said.
Ross kissed Kayley. "Thank You. That is just the reaction I needed to hear from you, Kale. Now I'm going to tell you exactly what happened. Please let me finish before you respond" Ross appealed, as Kayley nodded.
Ross sighed. "When I got to the office today, there were two lawsuits hanging on the office door from clients which I had no idea about. It has to be investigated, but more than likely, one or two account managers screwed up on clients accounts, and said clients filed suits. I am in the process of investigating it." Ross said,.
Kayley nodded and Ross continued.
"I got so fed up,, that I called a staff meeting, and when everyone came into the room, I was so upset and angry, that I had nothing to say. Literally no words came out of my mouth. I know that as irritated as I was, I could not logically fire the whole staff, or threaten that I was going to reorganize the company and get all new people, or threaten that I was going to sell the company, and everyone would be fired. Thus, I took the advice that Kayley Ann C has always tried to give me for twenty six years , but I have been too pigheaded to follow. I reacted, rationally. I proposed to Victor that besides being office manager, I show him the nuts and bolts of the company, and how to oversee RossShell. I told Victor that he would essentially transition to Chief Operating Officer, while I remain CEO. I also told Vic that he would officially oversee everything in the office day to day, with a major salary increase, a minority partnership, and most of the day to day obligations. I will and would remain CEO. Nothing much would really change as I would and will go into the office on a regular basis. This is not "Semi retirement" It is not. "Ross will run away on more trips, and risk Ross's health, Ross's marriage with Kayley, and try Kayley's patience where Ross and Kayley will or would battle as adversaries. This is not to try to coerce and or pressure you to retire any sooner. This is for.. practicality reasons. For the good of Ross's health, the good of Ross and Kayley's marriage and our relationship, the good of the smooth running of RossShell , and how Ross wants to lead his life, to be free as a bird to, as long as Kayley and Ross and Ross's Doctors agree, and Ross is healthy to do so, for Ross to be in OKC, buying and selling energy companies, etc. Do you understand? I had to do this, Kayley. This is a mature decision. I do not want to be a clown anymore, and run a three ring circus. I want RossShell to run and flow smoothly, when I am in the office, and when I am not. It is something I know that I should have done a long, long time ago, unwisely did not, but know that I need to do now, for every reason" Ross said.
Kayley was silent. Then she smiled, and kissed Ross passionately.
"Ross C, you have matured. I can no longer call you "Market Boy" anymore. You have finally clearly assessed your business life, and what is best for your health, and our relationship. You have officially come of age. This is one of the happiest days of my life for both of us. I wish you nothing but wonderful success with this decision:" Kayley said.
"Thank You, my life's partner" Ross said.
"Now, how about the teacher takes the CEO to dinner at a nice Italian place. When we come home, you get a huge inhale of my bare feet, a tickle for as long as I can stand it, a ladder show, and then we both get a huge fuck. I think we both need all of that" Kayley said.
Ross smiled. "That sounds perfect"
Kayley and Ross went into the shower.
After that, they went to the Italian place across from their apartment. They shared a large chicken parm, pasta, and large salad.
When they got home, Kayley said. "We need to digest, but here, sniff them tickle them, ladder show, and when our stomachs allow, I fuck your brains out to celebrate what is probably the best decision of your life besides marrying me" Kayley said.
Ross took off Kayley's shoes. He inhaled her musky feet, and then wildly ran his fingers over Kayley's bare soles, as she exploded in giggles. HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! TEACHER NOW AS TO SAY THAT YOU ARE THE BOSS MAYBE I HAVE TO START SUBMITTING TO YOU! I DONT KNOOWWWW! HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!
Kayley got the ladder, stripped to her panties, and after setting it up, stood on the second to last step, on her toes.
Once the couple had digested, they went into the bedroom, and undressed.
"After this landmark decision, Ross has to be on top. " Kayley said, lying on the bed, as Ross eased on top of her, kissed her from head to toes, as she got wet, her nipples were erect, and Ross entered her, and the two of them exploded in ecstasy.
Ross and Kayley did not fall asleep that quickly.
It was Thursday night, and both planned to just go to work as usual.
Around 2 am, Ross awakened, and Kayley heard him. "Babe, please dont go into the den or look at your phone in detail, every time you do, there is trouble" Kayley said.
Ross nodded, but knew he would anyway.
When Ross looked at his phone, he was stunned to see even more good news. This time not involving RossShell.
What was the "more good news?"
That would be seen.
Everyone was still sitting there , silent.
The bottom line was.. the two letters which Ross found on the door when he had entered the office that morning, were lawsuits, by clients, for mismanagement, and incompetence of their accounts.
Since Ross did not work on accounts hardly at all, except for talking to the account managers, and Ross dealing with the crisis of Charles Harton and Timothy, Ross had come home from OKC, and had no idea of the details of the situations of why the lawsuits occurred. Ross would have to read the lawsuits carefully, get the details, and figure out how to respond, whether that be to call the clients and try to fix the problems himself , or, if such was merited, fire the account managers if they were responsible.
The bottom line, something that had happened at RossShell, many, many times before, including when Ross himself had screwed up accounts, had infuriated Ross, and pushed him over the edge.
Ross figured that he could not logically just keep everyone sitting in the conference room waiting for Ross to speak. At that point, Ross did not have anything of significance to say.
Thus, all Ross said was. "Meeting adjourned. Everyone please just get back to whatever they usually do. I have some serious thinking to do. I'm fairly certain that there will be a meeting of significance not long off, but I have to collect my thoughts and investigate some things before figuring out when and if a meeting takes place, and what to say" Ross said.
The people who Ross had called for the meeting disbursed, leaving Ross and Vic alone in the conference room.
Then Ross said. "Vic, please come back into my office. Let's study these papers carefully, and have a rational conversation, before I do something that I might really regret" Ross said.
"Of course, Ross" Vic said.
Ross and Vic went into Ross's office. "Ashley, please hold all calls. Vic and I need to have a very important discussion. I dont know how long it will take" Ross said.
"Of course, Ross" Ashley said, as Ross closed the door.
Ross went to his usual chair, and Vic went to his usual chair.
Ross studied the paper work, tried to do so calmly and rationally, and not get emotional or explode, and then passed the papers to Vic.
"Vic, please read these thoroughly, and then just say whatever is on your mind, and please dont hold back or omit anything. I need your honest opinion, no matter how blunt: " Ross said.,
Vic studied the papers silently, and then said.
"Ross, according to these papers, these two cilents are claiming mismanagement of their accounts, and filed suit and claims against RossShell for said claims. You are CEO of RossShell, and thus such were directed to you" Vic said.
"Vic, please do me a favor. I want to approach this very carefully. Plus, I am very tired and not thinking clearly after the OKC trip and the Alaskan bonanza. Please call these people, and tell them that you are representing the company. Please tell them that you want all their information about why they filed said claims and said lawsuits against RossShell. Ask them or their representatives or attorneys to direct all correspondences to you. Give them your company e-mail address, read it, and then forward it to me. If I dont play the usual Ross. "Let's pull the gun and shoot" , maybe we can resolve this without any confrontation or lawsuit. Also, in the meantime, just so you know. I was most serious about you taking over as the day to day operator around here. As you can imagine, that would take a lot of planning, and time. While I would still be CEO, and still have an office, a door, and my name on the company, you would be , I suppose, in essence, Chief Operating Officer. This does not mean that I would suddenly desert the company, or you, not show up in the office, and be in OKC, Toronto, or whereever else anytime. I still have my marriage to Kayley and my health to consider. Maybe, just maybe, if said were formalized,. it would make things easier for both of us, if I was away. You would have power in writing, I would have piece of mind because I trust you. You also would get a major salary increase, and a piece of the profits of the company. You would essentially become my partner, even if a "junior partner" Any investment would have to be figured out, as if you dont have the money, or dont want to officially invest, I could take your investment out of your profit sharing every year. It would be very involved. I have to think about it. As to what people would think, no one really has to know. Timothy is being taken care of anyway, and if he has a problem, I know how to deal with him myself. I think we both know that as for Charles Harton, things seem calmer. If he gripes too much, I will tell him that I have health issues that are private, and that as long as his work gets done by RossShell , he has a responsibility to pay the company for work done by anyone in the company . If he does not care for that arrangement, let him fire us, or I will resign. We have not gotten to that point yet, so let's just see. Why dont you get some work done, I will take you to lunch at Shun Lee to celebrate, turn down anyone else who wants to see me, I will go home early, and you can just punch out at five. I really dont want to deal with anyone. "inflammatory" so to speak. I can tell Tim and or Charles Harton that I came home from a complex trip in OKC, and I 'm sick. I will probably be in tomorrow usual time, and things will just continue as usual, for now. EXcept, that I will reveal what I told you to Alan Hell, and ask him to recommend the best attorney he knows, to draft up a contract, for both of our protection" Ross said.
Vic smiled. "Okay, Ross. I completely understand, and I Thank You again for the trust you have in me" Vic said.
"You have more than earned it, Vic. You are probably the most important person working in this company. If not for you, especially since I started RFS with Fritz and Steve, and have become more deeply involved with that, RossShell might and likely would have collapsed long ago. Also, if we cant stop the lawsuits, just tell me, and I will ask Mister Hell to recommend a good attorney to respond" Ross said.
Vic left Ross's office. Ross just had to wait until Vic told Ross how the suits would be approached.
Ross felt a quiet stillness about himself regarding the conversation Ross had with Vic that morning. For.. seemingly, decades, Ross had been an emotional. "Shoot from the hip" businessman and person. Ross being pushed over the edge by lawsuits that may or may not be serious, may or may not be able to be settled, and such, caused Ross to, in the blink of an eye, evaluate how RossShell was run, and decide to change things that would hopefully work out for the better, for Ross, for Vic, hopefully for RossShell the company, and maybe the cilents themselves.
A bit later, Vic came back. "Ross, I talked to the people who filed those suits, and proposed discussion and settlement. They said that they would have to contact their attorneys for advice. It seems to me that it is just a wait and see situation" Vic said.
Ross sighed. "Okay, then it is wait and see. How about we do our work, and then go to lunch at about 1230. When we are finished, I will go home, and you can either go home, or come back here. Even leave early, Let me think about it. This is a dramatic development, and almost feels like a day for both of us to celebrate. The only person I plan to tell about this is Kayley. " Ross said.
"Knowing Kayley as I do, Ross, and knowing how she is always so concerned about your work habits, and your health, I would think she would think what you propose to do is a positive move. " Vic said.
"I would think so" Ross said,
Ross and Vic worked through the morning. They went to Shun Lee, and had a large celebration lunch. When the food and their non alcoholic drinks came, Ross toasted. "Here is to the new Operating Officer of RossShell, Victor Barger. The man who has truly run this company, now will have the official title and power to match. I am very happy for you, me, us, and RossShell I wish you a wonderful life, wonderful success with your new position and new title, and only good things" Ross said.
"Thank You, Ross" Vic said, with a warm smile.
Ross and Vic finished lunch. "Vic, I'm going home. Please just go back and do what you do, and then at 5pm, you can just go. I will be in tomorrow, and we will talk more, as this process plays out. Dont worry about Timothy or Charles Harton. If Harton calls, just tell him that I am unavailable. If Tim calls, text me, and I will deal with him myself. You will see me tomorrow. Take care,. and Good Luck to you with everything" Ross said.
"Thank you so much, Ross: " Vic said, as the men bumped fists goodbye.
Ross called an Uber at Shun Lee, and went home to Queens.
Ross undressed, and lied on the couch.
At 330, Kayley arrived home. "A bit surprised to see you here. What happened today?" Kayley said, kissing Ross.
"I do still live here, until and unless you tell me to leave. Nothing happened. I will explain. Why dont you get more comfortable. We will drink iced teas, I will tell you what happened, and then we will figure out what to do next" Ross said.
Kayley nodded, a bit puzzled.
When Kayley came back in sweatpants, a t shirt, and bare feet. Kayley knew it was something significant.
"Okay, please talk to your partner. Is it very good, very bad, in between, and how can I help if at all? " Kayley said.
Ross kissed Kayley. "Thank You. That is just the reaction I needed to hear from you, Kale. Now I'm going to tell you exactly what happened. Please let me finish before you respond" Ross appealed, as Kayley nodded.
Ross sighed. "When I got to the office today, there were two lawsuits hanging on the office door from clients which I had no idea about. It has to be investigated, but more than likely, one or two account managers screwed up on clients accounts, and said clients filed suits. I am in the process of investigating it." Ross said,.
Kayley nodded and Ross continued.
"I got so fed up,, that I called a staff meeting, and when everyone came into the room, I was so upset and angry, that I had nothing to say. Literally no words came out of my mouth. I know that as irritated as I was, I could not logically fire the whole staff, or threaten that I was going to reorganize the company and get all new people, or threaten that I was going to sell the company, and everyone would be fired. Thus, I took the advice that Kayley Ann C has always tried to give me for twenty six years , but I have been too pigheaded to follow. I reacted, rationally. I proposed to Victor that besides being office manager, I show him the nuts and bolts of the company, and how to oversee RossShell. I told Victor that he would essentially transition to Chief Operating Officer, while I remain CEO. I also told Vic that he would officially oversee everything in the office day to day, with a major salary increase, a minority partnership, and most of the day to day obligations. I will and would remain CEO. Nothing much would really change as I would and will go into the office on a regular basis. This is not "Semi retirement" It is not. "Ross will run away on more trips, and risk Ross's health, Ross's marriage with Kayley, and try Kayley's patience where Ross and Kayley will or would battle as adversaries. This is not to try to coerce and or pressure you to retire any sooner. This is for.. practicality reasons. For the good of Ross's health, the good of Ross and Kayley's marriage and our relationship, the good of the smooth running of RossShell , and how Ross wants to lead his life, to be free as a bird to, as long as Kayley and Ross and Ross's Doctors agree, and Ross is healthy to do so, for Ross to be in OKC, buying and selling energy companies, etc. Do you understand? I had to do this, Kayley. This is a mature decision. I do not want to be a clown anymore, and run a three ring circus. I want RossShell to run and flow smoothly, when I am in the office, and when I am not. It is something I know that I should have done a long, long time ago, unwisely did not, but know that I need to do now, for every reason" Ross said.
Kayley was silent. Then she smiled, and kissed Ross passionately.
"Ross C, you have matured. I can no longer call you "Market Boy" anymore. You have finally clearly assessed your business life, and what is best for your health, and our relationship. You have officially come of age. This is one of the happiest days of my life for both of us. I wish you nothing but wonderful success with this decision:" Kayley said.
"Thank You, my life's partner" Ross said.
"Now, how about the teacher takes the CEO to dinner at a nice Italian place. When we come home, you get a huge inhale of my bare feet, a tickle for as long as I can stand it, a ladder show, and then we both get a huge fuck. I think we both need all of that" Kayley said.
Ross smiled. "That sounds perfect"
Kayley and Ross went into the shower.
After that, they went to the Italian place across from their apartment. They shared a large chicken parm, pasta, and large salad.
When they got home, Kayley said. "We need to digest, but here, sniff them tickle them, ladder show, and when our stomachs allow, I fuck your brains out to celebrate what is probably the best decision of your life besides marrying me" Kayley said.
Ross took off Kayley's shoes. He inhaled her musky feet, and then wildly ran his fingers over Kayley's bare soles, as she exploded in giggles. HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! TEACHER NOW AS TO SAY THAT YOU ARE THE BOSS MAYBE I HAVE TO START SUBMITTING TO YOU! I DONT KNOOWWWW! HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!
Kayley got the ladder, stripped to her panties, and after setting it up, stood on the second to last step, on her toes.
Once the couple had digested, they went into the bedroom, and undressed.
"After this landmark decision, Ross has to be on top. " Kayley said, lying on the bed, as Ross eased on top of her, kissed her from head to toes, as she got wet, her nipples were erect, and Ross entered her, and the two of them exploded in ecstasy.
Ross and Kayley did not fall asleep that quickly.
It was Thursday night, and both planned to just go to work as usual.
Around 2 am, Ross awakened, and Kayley heard him. "Babe, please dont go into the den or look at your phone in detail, every time you do, there is trouble" Kayley said.
Ross nodded, but knew he would anyway.
When Ross looked at his phone, he was stunned to see even more good news. This time not involving RossShell.
What was the "more good news?"
That would be seen.
