Storiesonline.net ------- Stone Inc by Cold Creek Copyright© 2012 by Cold Creek ------- Description: Ben Stone has just turned sixteen, the age when Stone males are considered men. He is the ninth generation of the Stone family to join the family company and starts to learn the secrets and benefits of being a Stone. Codes: MF mf mF cons 1st oral work sch ------- ------- Chapter 1 "So what do you have planned for this weekend?" Ben's father asked out of the blue on the Wednesday before the Labour Day weekend. Ben was so shocked on several fronts that he didn't know how to answer the simple question. First of all, his dad rarely spoke to him at the breakfast table, and if he did, it usually was to inform him he would be either home late or out of town. Usually, his head was buried in the business section of the morning newspaper while sipping on his coffee as Ben ate a bowl of cereal. Secondly, for his dad to actually express any interest in his life, other than to make sure Ben's grades were meeting his high expectations, was rare to say the least. The last time he did was a couple of weeks ago to inquire if Ben needed anything for school before he started grade eleven in high school. Ben had long gotten used to being alone in the house after school and on weekends. He had never known his mother; his dad only saying that she had died in a car accident soon after Ben was born. When he started high school, Ben's father had decreed that Ben no longer needed a caretaker and could fend for himself after school. So Ben wasn't quick on his response to the question as he looked at the back of the paper his dad's head was still behind. The expected frown on his dad's face when he bent the paper down to look at him was missing and replaced with a mild inquisitive look which puzzled Ben even more. "I didn't have much planned, maybe go to the mall for some last minute school shopping," Ben told him. "Well, tomorrow is your birthday, we'll go down to the license office and you can write your driver's test," his dad said. "I've signed you up for driving lessons as well. Tomorrow night we'll go out to dinner to celebrate. Sound good?" "Fine with me," Ben replied. "Friday I'll take you into work since you haven't been down there in a while," his dad continued. "Holly wants to see you and introduce you to Veronica, the woman handling your trust fund from your grandparents." "Sounds good, I haven't been down there in months," Ben agreed. "Make sure your good suit still fits for Thursday night and you have another one for Friday," the elder Stone instructed. "If not, go to the mall and get a couple and put them on this." His dad slid over a MasterCard with his name on it. "It has a five thousand dollar limit for emergencies but don't go on a spending spree as Veronica and Holly will let me know if you buy anything unnecessary," cautioned his dad. "Ok, I'll be home late tonight so grab a pizza or something." Ben nodded as his dad got up and went off to work. As his day progressed, he wondered about his dad's behavior at breakfast. He had never expressed an interest in the personal side of Ben's life before. Even the licence stuff was handled with the handbook appearing on the table two weeks ago with a note for him to study it for the upcoming test. For his dad want to spend a lot of time with him was so out of character it had him puzzling over why the sudden concern. After working out and showering, Ben tried out his suit and found it tight and the pants too short as he had a growth spurt over the summer. He was now over six feet and a hundred and eighty-five pounds, his summer weight lifting regiment helping to bulk him up significantly. He took after his dad, the same dark hair and wide shoulders along with the height, as his dad was six foot three. He walked to a nearby mall and, with the help of a sales associate, picked out a decent black suit as well as a grey one for the office trip. A couple shirts, ties, black socks and a new pair of dress shoes brought the total to close to eight hundred dollars with taxes. He handed over the credit card and signed the slip. After thanking the man for his help, he left the men's store and walked around the mall. Ben picked up some paper, binders and some pens from the office supply before grabbing a burger from the A&W booth at the mall's food court. As per usual, he scoped out the girls as they wandered by or sat down to eat lunch. Some went to the same high school as he did; in fact he saw a few of the popular crowd from his grade, all of them starting grade eleven next Tuesday after the holiday on Monday. He saw Laura Vanderbeek and Peggy Watson hanging out with a pair of jocks Brad Thistle and Lance Atwood but didn't see the girl he most wanted to look at, Madison Isler. Ben particularly enjoyed watching Madison, as she was a very pretty girl that was very tall and slim, at least five nine or five ten, with long black hair and a beautiful smile. Unlike some of the other girls, she wasn't a stuck-up bitch, but the group made sure she only associated with them. He looked around the different food booths but didn't see her in any of the lines which was a disappointment as he had a crush on her from the first day of grade nine. Of course he had done nothing about it as he was quiet and shy as well as being friends with some of the geeks and nerds. While Ben didn't classify himself as one, he was smart and sometimes got branded as one, even though he dressed in the latest fashions and lived in a very well off neighbourhood. After he finished his lunch, he wandered around for another hour, picking up a couple tee shirts and jeans while continuing to gaze at the multitude of girls, either in packs or with their mothers and other siblings. Brad and Lance gave him scowls the one time he passed the group, but Ben was happy to note that he was the same height or maybe even a bit taller than both of them. He looked them in the eye without feeling the least bit intimidated. "Was that Ben Stone?" he heard Peggy ask the group. "When did he get to be so big?" "He must be using roids," Lance said dismissively. "No one puts on that much weight in a couple months." Ben ignored the comments as he knew he had put in the effort every morning in their weight room and every night on the stationary bike. He was in the best shape of his life; too bad he didn't have much inclination to go out for sports if he had to deal with the likes of those two morons. He walked home and hung up his new suits, including the new shirts to air them out and get rid of the wrinkles. The rest of the new clothes went into the washer. While waiting for it to finish, he worked on organizing his binders for school. He had math and English in the morning and then history and biology in the afternoon, five days a week. It didn't take him long to have everything ready to go so he played some games on his computer until it was time to order a pizza. Ben watched a movie while eating and then reread the driver's handbook before heading to bed, his dad still not home. ------- Chapter 2 Ben and his father had breakfast together at the same time every day of the week, including weekends and holidays. They were both at the table at seven on Thursday morning, his dad reading the paper while Ben had the usual bowl of cereal. "Ready for your test?" his dad asked when Ben got up to do the dishes. "Yes," Ben replied. "Ok, we'll leave in twenty minutes, I want to be there for eight," his dad said before going back to his paper. "Alright, I'll be ready," he responded and left the kitchen to wash up and get into his clothes. Ben got dressed in some casual clothes and reviewed the handbook until his dad was ready to go. The drive to the testing office was short and luckily the wait to have a vision test was relatively short. After he passed that, he was given the written multiple choice test and quickly had it done. It was marked just as fast and he had easily passed. He left with a G1 licence and could now drive during the day as long as a driver with a full G licence with four years of driving experience was in the front passenger seat. His dad just nodded when Ben showed him his licence and led the way out of the office. Instead of driving right home, he turned into a GM car dealership and parked the car. "Come on," his dad said as he got out. Ben followed as they went inside and walked up to the manager's office. "Morning Sam," the manager said. "Morning Charley," Ben's dad replied. "This is my son Ben." "Morning Ben," the manager said. "Morning, Mr. Tate," Ben responded, reading the nameplate on the desk. "Is it all set?" Ben's dad asked. "Yep, the paperwork is all done and it's been detailed," the manager answered. "It's waiting in the bay for you. Come on, I'll show you." "Great, thanks Charley," Ben's dad said. The manager led them through the dealership to the bay where a new 2012 deep red Camaro ZL1 sat. "Now that is a beautiful piece of machinery," his dad said, walking around the car. "What do you think, Ben?" Ben just nodded as he looked inside at the black leather seats and manual transmission. "Well?" his dad asked, looking through the driver's window at him. "It's sweet, you getting a new car?" Ben asked. "No, it's for you, for your birthday," his dad said with a grin. "I hope you like the colour." "I like the colour," Ben replied. "Is this a joke, like in the Transformers movie where the dad drives into a Porsche dealership and then drives to a used car dealership? "As much as that would be funny to pull on you, no this is not a joke," his dad answered. "You're a good kid and I've haven't been a great dad so far. This is one of the ways I'm going to make it up to you. But, if I find out you're racing it or driving it like a maniac, I'll take it away and trade it in for a pink VW bug. So, while you have all the bells and whistles, you don't get to find out it does zero to sixty in four seconds. Understand me Ben?" "Yes Sir," Ben replied, looking back at his dad with a matching serious expression. "You know you didn't have to do this. I can't drive alone for a year so it's just going to sit in the garage. A used car would have been more than enough." "You can drive alone in eight months if you take the driver's ed class and pass the G1 driver's test," his father corrected him. "In the meantime, we'll use it to get you some practice on the weekends. I'm sure you won't mind being seen with your old man if you're driving this around." "No, I don't have a problem with that," Ben told him. "Thanks dad." "You're welcome Ben, let's take it out for a spin," his dad suggested with a grin. "Charley, can you have someone drive my car to the house and leave the keys under the seat?" His dad tossed his keys over to Charley when he agreed and got into the driver's seat. "I'll drive it to the school parking lot and you can practice a bit before you get out on the road," he explained before turning the car on. For the next three hours, his dad taught him the basics of driving, everything from how to shift gears to parking, both normal and parallel. The last hour they drove around the city, mostly on the quiet side streets so he could get the hang of it. "Time for lunch, anyplace you want to show the car of at?" his dad asked. "No, where ever you want to go is fine with me," Ben replied. "Really, no teen hangout you want to impress the girls at?" his dad persisted. "No, I don't bother with that stuff," Ben told him. "Besides, you're already taking me out tonight." "You're way too mature for your age," his dad said. "I guess that's why I felt ok with buying you a car this powerful. Let's go over to Fallon's then – it's over on Yonge Street. Take a right at the next light." They had a nice lunch at the upscale restaurant where they both watched the wait staff walk around in short skirts and tight blouses. After the meal was done they drove home and Ben worked out for an hour and then read a book. At four, he had a shower, shaved and then got into his new suit, his dad helping with the tie. They took his car, with Ben allowed to drive to the restaurant which was located on the main floor of a downtown Toronto luxury hotel. "Ok, before we go in, I have surprise number two for you," his dad said after they had the valet park the car. "Oh?" Ben asked. "I invited a couple of ladies out to dinner with us," his dad informed him. "Anyone I know?" Ben asked. "No, you've never met them," his dad replied. "I want you to enjoy yourself and not be quiet and shy. They will be friendly and I want you to find some confidence talking to women. They are here to spend time with us and for all of us to have a good time. So step out of your shell and enjoy their company. Understand?" "Ok, I'll try my best," Ben assured him. "Good, Amanda is my date and Lily will be yours," his dad informed him as they entered the lobby. Two beautiful women got up from a bench when his dad guided them towards them. The slightly older one was a tall blonde in a silver dress while the other was shorter brunette in a little black dress. "It's good to see you two, you look beautiful," his father said with a smile. "Thank you Sam," the slightly older blonde woman replied with a smile. "This is Lily, a friend of mine." "Lily, it's my pleasure to meet you," his dad said as he shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you Sam, Amanda has told me good things about you," Lily responded. "Lily and Amanda, this is my son Ben," Sam made the introductions. "Hello Ben, you look like Sam's brother rather than his son," Amanda said with a smile. "Hi Amanda, it's a pleasure to meet you," Ben replied before turning to Lily. "Lily, I'm very happy to meet you as well. Both of you are absolutely gorgeous." "My, handsome, polite and charming, I like that in a man," Lily said with a grin. "Shall we?" his dad asked and put his arm around Amanda's waist before guiding her to the hostess waiting for them outside the nearby restaurant. Ben was surprised when Lily wrapped her arm around his as they followed. She smiled at him when he looked over at her and patted his hand to reassure him. They were led to a secluded table and just Sam and Amanda had drinks while Lily followed Ben's lead with a sparkling water. "Was that a new Camaro I saw you pulling up in?" Lily asked Ben. "Yes, we just got it today," Ben replied. "I love the colour," she said. "It's probably my favorite type of car right now." "It's a fun car to drive, that's for sure," Ben told her. The conversation flowed easily between all four of them as the appetizers and salads were served. Not once was his age or grade in school discussed but rather Lily guided the conversation to music that they liked, movies they had seen and places they had visited as the four of them had appetizers. The conversation flowed easily while they ate their entrees and then declined dessert. His dad paid the bill and then led them to the elevators and punched the top floor button when they got in. Ben had no idea what was going on but since Amanda and Lily didn't seem to be asking questions, he kept his to himself for now. Amanda and his dad led the way to a room on the south side of the building and his dad used a keycard to open it. Once inside, Ben discovered they were in a large suite, with two bedrooms and a bathroom off the main sitting and dining room. The elder Stone pulled a bottle of champagne from the fridge while Amanda and Lily grabbed four glasses and followed him out to the balcony. The hotel overlooked the Toronto Inner Harbour and they had an excellent view from the top floor. "So, we're here tonight to celebrate Ben's sixteenth birthday, the day when Stone males become men," his dad said as he popped the cork out of the champagne bottle. He poured four glasses and raised his to Ben and said, "Happy Birthday Ben, you've turned into a fine man. Welcome into the fraternity of Stone men and all that comes with it. To Ben!" "Happy Birthday Ben!" Lily and Amanda said before they all had a sip, including Ben. "Thank you all," Ben replied. "I'm having a very good day so far." "Good, Lily and I need to freshen up," Amanda announced. "Give us a few minutes before you come in." "Sure, we have a couple things to talk about and we'll be in a few," his dad told them. Amanda kissed his dad and surprisingly, Lily gave him a kiss on the lips before they both smiled and went back inside. "Beautiful women, don't you think?" his dad asked. "Very much so," Ben agreed. "Amanda and I get together from time to time when I need some company and I asked her to bring along a friend for you," the elder Stone explained. "I want you to try and turn on the Stone charm with Lily and see what happens. You're good looking, polite and charming so use that to get some experience. I'm sure you'll both enjoy each other's company without getting too attached." "Okay, but I'm sure she's just being nice, I'm probably three to five years younger than her," Ben responded. "She's not pretending," his father said. "Put these in your wallet just in case." "Dad, I highly doubt things will go that far," Ben said, but took the condoms and slipped them into his wallet. "You might be surprised," his dad told him with a grin. Ben just shook his head while thinking about what his dad had said and left unsaid. He had his suspicions but kept them to himself. Lily was a beautiful woman and he would be a fool to turn down the chance to spend time with her. "Tomorrow, I'll explain a bit more about what it means to be a Stone man," his dad said as he finished his glass of champagne. "Tonight, enjoy yourself and let Lily teach you a few things about women. Let's go in and see where they are." The women were just exiting the bathroom and moved to stand beside the men. His dad poured the glasses full while everyone held them up for him. "Alright, Amanda and I would like to spend some time alone if you two don't mind," he stated. "We're going to take the bedroom on the right so we'll see you in the morning. I'll have breakfast brought up for seven. You two enjoy the rest of your evening and Happy Birthday again Ben." "Yes, Happy Birthday Ben," Amanda said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Good night you two." "Good night," Lily replied with a smile as the older couple went to the bedroom and shut the door. ------- Chapter 3 Lily took a drink of her champagne while watching Ben. She reached for his hand and pulled him back out onto the balcony, letting his hand go before turning around to lean on the balcony railing to face Ben. He admired her slim figure in her clingy, short black dress as she sipped from her glass again. "Like what you see?" she asked with a tiny smile. "You're beautiful," Ben replied. "A girl never gets tired of hearing compliments," Lily told him. "We love admiring looks from men as long as they don't turn into leers." "So what is a gorgeous lady like you doing with a teenager on a Thursday night?" Ben asked. She looked at him for a few seconds before replying, "I'm here to have a bit of fun with a handsome man without the two of us getting emotionally attached." "I see," Ben said, thinking that over. Lily was watching his face closely as he processed that statement so Ben tried to keep his expression neutral. He figured his dad had arranged with Amanda to either bring a friend for him to get more comfortable dealing with girls, or an escort for Ben to experience having sex for the first time. There was a big range between the two ideas but with his dad bringing condoms into the mix, Ben figured he might get lucky tonight. He decided to assume the first and hope for the second. She turned around and looked out at the darkening harbour. "It's a wonderful view," she said, looking over her shoulder. "Come and enjoy it with me, Ben." He stepped up beside her and she pulled him tighter to her using an arm around his waist. "That's better, it's getting a bit chilly out here but I don't want to go in just yet," she told him. Ever the gentleman, he took off his suit jacket and put it around her shoulders. "Thank you kind Sir," she responded with a smile. "It's a shame to cover up such a beautiful lady but I can't have you shivering either," Ben explained with a grin. "So why is a good looking guy like you so inexperienced with girls?" she asked. "I was just average height and pretty skinny until this summer," he told her. "Between that and being shy didn't impress the girls much. It's just easier being quiet rather than making a fool of yourself. I'm definitely not good looking." "As an unbiased woman, let me tell you that you're very handsome," she assured him. "If I didn't know better, I would say you were at least eighteen or nineteen. You're in great shape and every woman that sees you will like your wide shoulders and slim waist. So, don't worry about your looks." "Even if that was true, I'd probably botch it when I try to talk to them," Ben told her. "You just need some confidence in yourself and the women will be flocking to you," she said with a smile. "Add confidence without arrogance to your new look and you will have those girls clawing each other to get to the head of the line." "Confidence doesn't come in a bottle you can buy at a store," Ben responded. "No it doesn't," she agreed. "It comes from experience and knowing that you can make her happy and satisfied. So I'm going to tell you some secrets that all boys should be taught when they reach puberty but rarely learn even as men." "I'd be very happy to listen to anything that you are willing to tell me," Ben said. "First of all, everything you do should be focused on pleasing her; if your partner is satisfied, then unless she's a selfish bitch, she'll be very motivated to take care of you so you'll want to do it all over again," Lily explained. "We'll get into the many ways of doing that, but if you learn nothing else, remember to concentrate on her first, no matter what she's doing to you." "That sounds easy enough," Ben noted. "It's an easy concept but not one that many men figure out, let alone hormonal boys," she told him. "Now, in order to get to the stage that you can actually satisfy her, you first have to go out with her and impress her enough that she wants to get physical. Being shy is cute and some girls like that because they think they have the upper hand in the relationship. Most girls won't give you the time of day if you can't get up the nerve to talk to them without sweating and stammering. You shouldn't have that problem; we've been talking all evening and have been very pleasant and articulate." "It wasn't easy," Ben admitted. "My dad told me to try out the Stone charm but I don't really know what that is yet." "Just be yourself and know that if the girl is interested, she'll most likely make it easy to talk to her," Lily said. "If she's undecided, it will be harder to get a conversation going and if she shuts you down, it's going to be very difficult to get her to change her mind." "You did make it very easy to talk to you," Ben told her. "And so will others," she said. "Trust me when I say you can be confident that girls will like how you look. You will just have to be polite, charming and above all, a good listener. You can't go wrong with letting the girl talk and you just paying attention. Add in a bit of humour and you're on the way." "You make it sound so simple," he noted. "Oh, it's not," she replied with a laugh. "Women are complicated but usually know what they want in a man. Girls have the media, peer pressure, their parents and their bodies all bombarding them with different messages. All you can hope is that she's interested enough in you so she wants to get to know you better. If she is, then things go along in the usual way. If she's already experienced, then she'll probably know when each stage will occur. If not, you'll have to move things along slowly until she's comfortable with each stage. At sixteen, a lot of the girls are experienced in dating and know how far they are willing to go and at what point in the relationship. Remember one thing though; most of them will be just as nervous as you are, especially if they like you. You'll be a nice catch for any high school girl, especially if they know your dad owns Stone Incorporated and know what kind of house you live in." Ben stayed quiet as he thought about what she had said. He didn't think her statement that he was good looking was accurate but he guessed he would find out next week. Hopefully if he got some feedback from some of the girls at school, his confidence would grow enough to talk to some of the girls he liked. "Ok, let's work on the physical side of things so you'll know what to do when a girl is ready for the next step," she said when he finally turned to look at her. She reached up and pulled his head down to her level and gave him a kiss. "I'm going to condense all the different steps in a physical relationship into one night so you have some idea on how to treat a woman," she said as she looked into his eyes. "Don't expect a girl or even a woman to jump into bed with you right after you meet them. Some might if they're just looking for a quick roll in the sack, but that will usually happen at a bar or once you're in University. Understand?" "Yes, but you don't have to do anything you don't feel comfortable with," Ben replied. "I won't," she agreed. "You're a handsome guy and I think we can have a pleasant evening together if you're willing to take some guidance from me." "I would love for you to help me make this an enjoyable night for you as I know it will be for me," Ben responded. "Let's go inside then," she said with a smile, taking his hand and pulling him back into the suite. Lily bypassed the sitting area and pulled him into the bedroom. She hung up his suit jacket in the closet before sitting down at the end of the bed and patting the space beside her. Ben sat down and she took his hand again. "Let's just start with kissing and then we'll see how things progress," she suggested and immediately pulled his head down for another kiss. Over the next quarter hour or so, their kisses progressed from simple, chaste ones to passionate French kissing as they lay back onto the bed. Both sets of hands started exploring torsos as their ardour for each other rose. "I think you've mastered first base," Lily said while panting when they broke apart for a second. "Let's move on to second base." Without further discussion, she grabbed his hand and placed it on her breast. "Caress and squeeze gently while kissing me and then we'll see how turned on you can get me," she instructed before kissing him again. Ben loved the feel of her firm breast, the size of a big orange. He explored both of them and made sure to pay particular attention to her stiffening nipples through the thin material. He was happy to see that she seemed to be enjoying it as her kisses became more frantic. He took a chance after noting her hips were pushing up against him and slipped a hand inside her dress and bra to cup her bare breast. "Yes!" she said into his mouth as her hands started exploring his chest. Ben repeated everything he did on the outside of the dress and was amazed that she got even more excited. "You're doing a great job turning me on," she said. "Let's move on to the next level." She pushed his head down to one of her breasts and moaned as his mouth found her nipple. He sucked and nibbled on it and then moved over to the other breast and made sure it had enough attention as well. Without telling him, she grabbed his hand and moved it down her body, holding it flat to show him how to caress her abdomen and her hips. He legs spread and he was surprised when she moved his hand to cup her pussy through the dress. Lily's hips pushed up as she curled his fingers to slide along her hot slit. "Gentle to start," she whispered as she moved his hand and guided his fingers exactly where they needed to go. "Let her get excited and when she pushes up against you, you know she's ready for more." Soon she let go of his hand and lifted her hips to pull up her dress up past her hips. Ben looked down to see a tiny pair of panties protecting her pussy as he put his hand back down to continue his caressing. Soon he felt moisture coming through the material as she spread her legs wide and started moaning as he rubbed her. Reaching down to pull the material aside, she guided his fingers as she explained where it would feel the best. A moistened finger on her clit seemed to drive her crazy which lead to her guiding one of his fingers inside her while showing him how to keep rubbing her clit with his thumb. "That's it, you've got me all worked up now," she said while moaning. "Suck on my nipples and you'll make me cum in no time." Ben went back to sucking on her breasts while speeding up his hand. She groaned and held his head to her breast as her hips took off like she was running a sprint. He nearly dislocated his hand while trying to keep up with her until she screamed and bucked hard against him, her back in a bow as she held his hand inside her. "Wow, that was very good," she said with a sigh as she finally collapsed back down on the bed. Ben leaned over and gave her a soft kiss before replying, "I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did." She gave him a hug and a smile as she caught her breath. "Ok, let's get out of these clothes before we ruin them," she suggested. They rolled out of bed and Ben helped her with her dress and then knelt to pull her soaked panties down her legs. He loved the way she raised her legs to let him take off her heels and then slide her panties off her feet one at a time. Ben took the initiative and ran his hands up her legs, caressing her calves and then her thighs. She rested her hands on his shoulders as he leaned in to kiss her stomach and her hips. As he got closer to her pussy, he looked up to see her biting her lip. She nodded and used her hands on the back of his head to pull him to the right place. After a couple of minutes of his fumbling about, she whispered what to do as her hands moved in between them to show him where he should concentrate on. "Ok, that's it, that's the spot," she said when his tongue hit her clit. "Now, put your finger inside me again, gently to start." Her hips started move in time to his finger and she started moaning as well. "Ok, now switch your tongue and finger; I want to feel your tongue deep inside me while you rub my clit with the tip of your finger," she instructed him. Ben did what he was told and she was soon reacting strongly. Lily eventually had to lie back onto the bed and she draped her legs overtop of his shoulders as she bucked her hips up to get his tongue in deeper. He sped up his finger on her clit and his tongue thrusts into her pussy and was rewarded a few minutes later when she screamed loudly again. Her thighs clamped shut around his head and she jammed her pussy hard into his mouth as she arched her back. It took her a minute to relax enough to let her legs unclasp his head. He switched his tongue back to her clit and kept sucking on it while she kept her hips moving slowly. She rose up on her elbows so she could look at him and he saw a mixture of lust, surprise and appreciation. After watching him as he continued to keep her excited, she sat up fully and pulled him up by his hair so she could kiss him on the mouth. She licked him clean while her hands pulled his hips close. "That was great once we got you on the right path," she said, still gasping for air. "How did you like doing that?" "I loved it," Ben admitted. "It felt so great making you go wild. You taste terrific, by the way." "You do that to any woman and she'll be begging you to fuck her afterwards," she told him. "Now, it's time for you to get undressed. Stand up." He got off the bed and stood between her legs as she sat at the end of the bed. She unbuttoned his shirt and then his pants so she could pull the shirt out. Once the shirt was off, she caressed his chest and abdomen slowly. "Very nice," she said with a smile. "You're in very good shape. Let the girls see you without a shirt and they'll all want you." Next, she slipped off the bed and took off his shoes and socks before pulling off his pants. Her hands caressed his legs on the way back up while she planted a kiss on the tip of his erection through his underwear. "Some girls don't like to give oral sex, just like some guys don't, but it's a good way to handle their lover's needs if intercourse isn't an option yet," Lily said. "It's also a good way to take the edge off a guy so that he can last longer when they are making love." She slipped his underwear down and grasped his very hard erection with one hand while caressing his balls with the other. "Very nice, a bit bigger than most but not too huge to be uncomfortable," she told him as she looked up at him. "I know you're not going to last long but just warn me before you let go, ok?" Ben nodded as she leaned in and took the head into her mouth. Now it was his turn to moan as her tongue rolled around the sensitive head while her hand held the rest of his erection tight. She winked at him as she looked up and then bobbed her head a few times take a bit more of him inside. She was driving him wild already and he reached down to hold her head as he pushed forward. Lily quickly backed off and gave him a frown. "Ben, most girls, including me, don't like their heads to be held or for you to push more of you into their mouths," she chastised him. "Please let me control it and you'll still enjoy it, ok?" "Ok, sorry I got carried away," Ben apologized. "It's ok, I should have held onto you so I could protect myself, especially with it being your first time," she relented as she grasped him again. "See, now you can't push in too deep." She kept her hand on him as she leaned back in. Instead of bringing him in deeper, she used some suction to get him worked up. It took only a few minutes to get him to the point of release. "Lily, I'm going to cum soon," Ben warned. Lily nodded and pulled her mouth back until just the tip was still inside her. Her hand jacked him off while her tongue circled the head until he let go with a shout. She had to swallow a few times and used her tongue to clean him until he had to sit down before he fell down. "I gather you liked?" she asked with a grin. "Very much so," he replied, nodding quickly. "I thought you might," she said. "I'm glad you like giving and receiving oral sex. It's a good way to keep away pregnancy risks and to relieve stress if you or the girl doesn't want to go all the way." They both finished off their champagne and then rested on the bed. With Ben on his back, Lily moved onto her side and lightly caressed his chest and abdomen while they talked about living in Toronto. It took Lily a half an hour to get Ben hard again, using her leg to caress his and her hands to tease him. She eventually grasped his erection and stroked it slowly while Ben's hand worked his way back down to her wet pussy. A couple minutes of rubbing had her moaning into his ear while her tongue drove him crazy. "Do you have any condoms?" she asked. Ben jumped off the bed to find his pants and practically ripped the pocket getting the wallet out. He pulled the two condoms out of the wallet and found Lily sitting at the end of the bed. She took one from him and had it on his cock quicker than he thought possible. She pulled him close by his erection and lined it up to her very ready pussy as she lay back down. "Nice and slow, remember it's all about her pleasure first and then she'll make sure you're taken care of," she advised him as she controlled how far he went in. "That's it; just put in the head and then make sure she's ok. If she wants more, she'll tell you or pull you in herself." Ben nodded and waited for her to get comfortable. "You're big," she said as she moved her hips about to get him inside. "Remember that when you're with a less experienced girl. Give her time to adjust." Ben had to fight the urge to thrust deep inside her but he did as she watched him. "Good, good," she praised him. "I know it's not easy but they will appreciate your restraint and reward you later. Now push in slowly and watch my face to see if I wince or if I'm ready." Ben did as he was told, thankful for the condom's desensitizing effect as he slid inside her very tight pussy at an agonizingly slow pace. She winced once and he immediately stopped until she smiled and nodded for him to continue. Eventually he was all the way in and he sighed in contentment. She giggled and pulled him down for a kiss. "You're doing great," she said, looking into his eyes. "This position is about intimacy so look into her eyes a lot, caress her face and breasts and make her happy. As you get going faster, make sure to use your pelvis to get some contact with her clit. You'll know when you hit it because it will drive her wild and she'll grind herself onto you. Just control yourself and try to make her cum first. Do whatever you have to do to hold off, even stopping if you have to. It's paramount that she enjoys the first time and experiences an orgasm. A woman changes when she has one and becomes very appreciative afterwards." He nodded again and pulled out and eased back in slowly. She smiled and spread her legs wide to give him room. He watched her face until she looked comfortable and then sped up a bit, leaning in to kiss her. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and raised her hips to start meeting his thrusts as her tongue thrust inside his mouth in time with his efforts. "Faster now, I'm close," she whispered ten minutes later. Ben had been doing math problems in his head for the past few minutes so he wouldn't cum too quickly as she did interesting things with her internal muscles to squeeze him. He took off his internal restraints and sped up while also putting a bit more force behind his thrusts. She moaned in appreciation and her hips met him with added intensity. He moved the angle of his thrusts until he rubbed her clit with every thrust and was rewarded with a gasp. "That's it, fuck me hard now, I'm going to cum!" she shouted. He held on for another minute until she screamed loudly as her hips went wild. Her pussy spasmed around his cock and he finally released into the condom with a shout. He thrust into her a few more times before collapsing on top of her, barely there enough to hold his weight off of her with his elbows. Lily's arms and legs held him tight for another couple of minutes until their breathing slowed. Her fingers ran through his hair while she held his head to her chest. "Benjamin Stone, did you just pull a fast one on me?" she asked. "You've done this before, haven't you?" He rose up from her chest and looked her in the eye. "No, this was my first time," he told her. "I guess you're a really good teacher. That was by far the best time of my life. Thank you for sharing that with me, Lily." "I guess you are a chip off of the old block," Lily said with a smile. "Amanda told me that your dad is an excellent lover so I guess good genes shine through. That was terrific for me as well, Ben." "I'm glad to hear that," he replied and slowly pulled out of her. She showed him how to make sure the condom came out with him and then helped him tie it up before disposing it in the trash. She pulled him into the shower for a quick rinse off and then they settled down to sleep. Ben woke up in the middle of the night and it took a few seconds to remember where he was and who he was with. The clock said it was after two and there was enough light to see that Lily was asleep on her stomach, the covers kicked to the end of the bed. He took the opportunity to caress her back and legs and ended up kneading her very scrumptious ass. Once her legs spread on their own, even while she was still sleeping, he reached between her firm cheeks and started rubbing her pussy. It didn't take long before it opened up and became wet. She moaned softly and her butt rose up as he slid a finger slowly into her tight tunnel. Once she was loosened up and pushing back at him, he awkwardly used his other hand to retrieve the other condom. After finally getting it on, he moved between her legs and lined himself up, pulling his hand away. She protested the removal of the finger until she felt him slide his cock in from behind. "Ben Stone, what do you think you're doing?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at him. "Just making sure you go home totally satisfied," he replied with a grin. Lily was about to retort when he pushed all the way into her until his groin met up with her ass. She gasped instead and arched her back. After that, he didn't give her a chance to protest. Ben grabbed her by her hips and started taking her steadily and firmly. A couple minutes into it, he felt her reach underneath of her and start rubbing her clit and caressing his balls when they slapped her hand. Soon she was pushing back at him and urged him to speed up. "That's it, fuck me harder Ben," she directed. "The first time was gentle, now I want you to fuck me hard and fast. I need to feel you deep inside me." Of course that drove Ben on to new heights, or more correctly, to new depths. He let himself go and pushed harder into her, pulling her back by her hips as he thrust in. "Oh God, Yes! Take me Ben!" she shouted as her legs thrust her ass back hard. Neither lasted long with that kind of lust, but Ben tried his best to wait her out and barely held on until she screamed loud enough to wake the dead. He roared out load as he blasted into the condom while thrusting hard a few more times. She moaned loudly each time he pushed deep into her and then they both collapsed when they were done. They scrambled for the covers when they heard clapping from the doorway. "Bravo Ben," Amanda said. "I haven't heard her scream like that ever." "What the hell are you doing in here?" Lily asked as she covered up. "I just wanted to make sure you weren't being tortured over here," Amanda answered with a giggle. "You were very loud but I soon realized what was happening. I'll leave you alone now as I think you've given me some inspiration for a late night rendezvous with Sam." "I'm so embarrassed," Lily said to Ben once the door shut behind the other woman. "You did get carried away, but I enjoyed making you let go," Ben said. "I'm happy you enjoyed it so much." "You're going to make someone very happy," she responded as she hugged him tight. "Make sure she's able to handle something like that before you try that out on a girl." "I will," he promised. They went to the washroom and got cleaned up again before falling asleep for the rest of the night. ------- Chapter 4 Ben woke up at his usual time of six am and slipped out of the bed, leaving Lily to sleep in. After a quick shower, he slipped on his clothes from last night and carried his shoes, tie and suit jacket out to the main sitting room. His dad was also up and dressed in his clothes minus his jacket. He was reading the paper and looked up when Ben walked into the room. "So, good night?" his dad asked. "Very," Ben grinned. "Amanda woke me up during the night feeling amorous after investigating some uninhibited sounds from your room," his dad continued. "She said that Lily seemed to be enjoying herself immensely." "Unless she's a great actress, she did seem to enjoy herself," Ben stated. "Good, it's important that you make sure your partner is well taken care of," the elder Stone told him. "Now comes the hard part, letting her leave." "I assume I won't be able to see her again if I read you right," Ben responded. "Most likely not," his dad answered. "I admit to being disappointed, but you both warned me before we started," Ben said after thinking about it. "I had a great time with her and I think we could connect but I know she's older than me. I don't know by how much but I'm sure she doesn't need a teenager hanging around her. I'll remember this night for a long time but I won't make a scene." "Then mission accomplished," his dad said. "Use what you've learned from Lily to build up your confidence with the girls at school and know you have what it takes to make them happy when they're ready. Trust me, they'll see a change in you and be interested in what's changed with you. Just play it like the man you are and you'll do fine." "I'll do my best," Ben replied. "Ok, breakfast will be here soon and then we'll go home for a quick change of clothes and then head into the office," his dad informed him after looking at his watch." "Shall I wake up Lily?" he asked. "You can try, but if she wants to sleep in that's fine as well," his father replied. "Amanda likes to sleep in so she'll explain to Lily why we left." As his dad suspected, Lily barely stirred when Ben tried to wake her and just rolled over and went back to sleep. Ben just shook his head when his dad shot up an eyebrow. There was a soft knock on the door and Ben let in the waiter, holding the door to let him wheel in the cart. His dad signed the bill to the room and slipped the man a twenty. The two Stone men quickly ate two of the meals and left the other two to be heated up when the ladies got up. Both Ben and his dad wrote short notes to their respective partners before leaving the room. "Now it's time for you to get a girl on your own," his dad said as they rode down to the main floor in the elevator. "It's going to be much harder to read a teenage girl with all the peer pressure and insecurities they have. Just trust that you will know what to do if/when the girl consents to be more than friends." "I won't get lucky again for a couple of years then," Ben said dryly. His dad laughed as the doors opened. He handed the valet his ticket when they left by the lobby doors. "Grab a ten from your wallet to give to the valet when he gets out," his father advised. "Always tip well, they will remember and give you good service from now on." Ben handed the ten to the driver before getting into the driver's seat. The drive home was uneventful but he did have to concentrate as traffic got busy. "Ok, I signed you up for driving lessons starting Tuesday after school," his dad informed him on the way home. "It's through CAA so you just have to walk to the office on West Lawrence. It's an hour each weekday from three to four plus a couple hours each Saturday for a month. If you pass that, you only have to wait eight months to take the G1 driving test and then you can drive by yourself. Sound good?" "Yeah, thanks dad, I appreciate all you've done for me this week, the car, dinner, the lessons and the night with Lily," Ben replied. "You're welcome Ben," he said as they pulled up to their house. "We'll talk more on the way into the office and while we're there." "Ok," Ben agreed as they walked to the front door. They split up, with his dad going to his bedroom on the main floor while Ben took the stairs up to his. After a quick shave and brushing of the fangs, he got into new underwear and then the second suit he bought on Wednesday. He attempted to tie his tie and did a decent job of it. He grabbed his wallet, keys and phone and went back down to meet his dad. "Nice suit," his father commented. "We're going to have to get you a few more along with some dress pants and shirts." "I need more than two suits?" Ben asked as they left by the front door. "We'll discuss it on the way," his dad replied, getting into driver's side. Once they were back on Yonge Street heading downtown, his dad continued his explanation. "I'm sure you're wondering why I'm taking more of an interest in you now," Ben's dad said. "I was surprised by your extra attention this week," Ben admitted. "First of all, you just turned sixteen and that makes you a man in the Stone family eyes," his dad said. "It's a big deal and I wanted you to enjoy it." "I appreciate that," Ben responded. "Secondly, part of your inheritance from your grandparents came due yesterday," his dad informed him. "You get a hundred thousand a year for the next five years, paid in monthly installments. You also are allowed access to their condo in Miami for the Christmas and March break holidays. It will be turned over to you when you're twenty-one as well." "Wow, I never knew anything like that was set up," Ben said. "It was set up to be kept a secret so you could live a normal life," his dad told him. "Now, just because you have money, doesn't mean you get to turn into an ass at school or around town. I'll take the car away and ground your butt if I hear even one word that you're changed, do you understand?" "Of course, I don't really need the money anyway, so I'll probably just bank it," Ben assured his dad. "You don't need to save it up, you'll get the rest of your inheritance when you're twenty-one," his dad said. "Besides it's deposited into your bank every first of the month. Just don't tell anyone you got money or you'll see gold diggers come out of the woodwork. If I were you, I'd find a girl before word gets out you have a Camaro." "I'll see what I can do," Ben responded. His dad was quiet for a couple minutes as traffic got congested on the busy street. "I know we haven't talked much about Stone Incorporated, but since your Grandfather died, I've been swamped taking care of various aspects of the business that only the Stone men handle," his father continued. "Now that you're sixteen and considered a man, you get to join me at our company. There will be lots to learn about what we do. Most of it is handled by the various divisions and the upper management of the corporation and Veronica will be in charge of helping you learn what they do. The other portion that is of a more secret nature, I'll have to teach you. So, you'll be interning at the company on Wednesday afternoons after your driving lessons and all day Saturday." "Alright, I should still be able to handle homework without any issues," Ben agreed. "If you're not in town, I'm going to have to take the bus or a cab." "Use a cab, and keep track of your expenses," his dad instructed. "Ok," Ben responded. "I'll explain more once we're there," his father told him. "Ok, next on the agenda is the fact that I'm going to be away starting on Monday as I have to fly to Europe for a couple of weeks. Holly and Veronica will be your contacts at the office and Holly can get a hold of me if needed. Do you have any issues with that?" "No, I should be fine," Ben replied before he grinned and said, "Any chance of getting Lily's number if I get lonely?" His dad laughed and shook his head before replying, "Find a girlfriend if you get lonely enough." "Darn," Ben said. "Anything else I need to know about?" "Veronica will have a couple Company credit cards for you to use when you're out and about," his dad answered. "The rest we'll talk about later." "Ok, thanks," Ben said. His dad turned on Wellington and pulled into a parking garage underneath a high rise building. He used a keycard to get past the gate and then used it again to enter a small, cordoned off area. They parked in one of four spots that said Stone Inc. "You and I have reserved stops here as do Holly and Veronica," his dad told him as they got out. "Veronica will have your keycard." "This must cost a fortune to reserve parking under a bank's headquarters," Ben said. "I'll explain later," his dad responded. "We keep our business to ourselves as much as possible and we don't talk about it in public." "Oh, sorry," Ben apologized. "No problem, you'll be enlightened soon," he dad told him with a smile. "Now, take a note of that door in the corner without making it obvious." Ben glanced over to the dark corner and barely made out that there was a door. It was painted in the same colour as the cement wall and had no handles or hinges or any other way to open it. "Got it," Ben said quietly. "Good, now let's head over to our office," his father replied and led the way up to street level. They turned left on Wellington Street and walked to the intersection at Yonge. Stone Inc. headquarters was on the north east corner in a four storey old stone building, built in the eighteen seventies. It had been the headquarters for nine generations of Stone men, now including Ben. After crossing Yonge, they passed the entrance to the Irish Pub on the main floor and entered the discreet Stone Inc. entrance further along Wellington. A stunning young woman sat behind a large desk with a phone and computer. There was a waiting area nearby with elegant chairs and tables. Farther along the wall, a large man in a tailored suit stood beside an elevator. At the far end, a set of doors led to the stairs. "Good morning Mr. Stone," the woman greeted the elder Stone as she stood before turning to Ben, "and a good morning to you, Mr. Stone. I hear that you will be joining us on an occasional basis. We've been looking forward to you arrival." "Good morning Miss Jones," Sam Stone replied. "Good morning Miss Jones, thank you for the welcome," Ben added. "Please don't hesitate to ask if you need any assistance at all," Miss Jones told him with a big smile. "I'm at extension 100 and please call me Vicky." "It's nice to meet you Vicky and I'll be sure to call if I need anything," Ben replied with a smile before following his dad to the elevators. "Good morning, Mr. Stones," the man said in a deep voice. "Good morning Felix, how are Carol and little Amy?" Ben's dad asked as Felix hit the up button for the elevators. "Very well, thank you," Felix replied. "They both send their thanks for the birthday gifts." "It was my pleasure, Felix, you have a wonderful family there," Sam told him. "Felix, Ben will be joining Stone Inc. as an intern, probably Wednesday afternoons and Saturdays to start. Keep an eye out while he's here if you don't mind." "That goes without saying, Mr. Stone," Felix responded before looking at Ben. "Anyone bothers you, let me know and I'll take care of it at once, Mr. Stone." "Thank you Felix, I can see you look very capable of handling just about anything," Ben replied. "I'm hoping your services in that regard won't be needed." "A boring day is a very good day for me, Mr. Stone," Felix replied with a slight grin. The elder Stone gave Felix a grin as the Stone men entered the elevator and hit the button for the fourth floor. Once the door closed, Ben's dad spoke up, "Felix is part of our security team, our first line of defence. Sometimes he serves as my driver and bodyguard if I'm meeting clients of a more risky nature. If anything happens, get to Felix or whoever is working. I'll let you know more about that later." "Alright," Ben said, wondering what might happen. "Keep your distance from Miss Jones," his dad warned. "She's very capable and perfect as a receptionist for our phones and lobby greeting, but she's also looking for a rich husband that either works or owns the company. She's strictly hands off as are the other women who work for us. Got it?" "Loud and clear," Ben agreed quickly. The doors opened onto the fourth floor and Ben followed his father down the main hall. Offices lined each side and several men and women greeted them both as they passed. In the middle of the hallway there was an open area where several desks housed the secretarial staff. Again they were greeted with smiles by the women working industriously on their computers. At the junction of the two hallways, they turned towards the left, coming to a glass door. His father swiped his card through the card reader and then typed in a code into the keypad. A green diode lit up and his dad pulled the door open and led him into the restricted area. His grandfather's old office plus his dad's were along the Yonge Street outer wall, with Holly's and he guessed Veronica's both in between. The other side of the hallway had a conference room, a couple of bathrooms as well as a private storage room for their use. His dad's office was first on the right but he led them onto the next office where Holly was waiting with another very beautiful blonde, though much younger. "Ladies, good morning," he dad said. "As promised, I've brought in the birthday boy." "Ben Stone, look at you, a man now," Holly said as she got up and gave him a hug. "You look just like your dad now. I can't believe how much you've grown. Happy Birthday Ben!" "Hi Holly, it's been too long," Ben replied. "You haven't changed a bit, still beautiful as ever." "I see you inherited the Stone men's charm," Holly responded with a grin. "I want you to meet Veronica Terrence; she's going to be your personal assistant, just like I'm your father's." "Hello Veronica, it's a pleasure to meet you," Ben said, shaking her hand. "I'm looking forward to working with you." "Good morning Mr. Stone, both of you," Veronica responded, with a smile. "I'm sure that's going to awkward for a while. It's nice to finally meet you after handling some of your affairs for the last couple of months." "How about you just call me Ben and leave Mr. Stone for my dad," Ben suggested. "Maybe here in our offices, but you'll be Mr. Stone when we're outside the glass door," Veronica stated firmly. "That will go for me as well," Holly added. "After all, you're part owner of the corporation." "Um, no I'm not," Ben replied. "Holly, I haven't had the talk with him yet," his dad informed her. "Well, you better get on it then," she said in a no nonsense voice. "You have half an hour before Bob comes in with the Valencia folks." "Now you see who's really in charge around here," his dad said to Ben. "Alright, let's go to my office first and then Veronica can start the process of getting you set up." Ben smiled at the two blondes before following his dad back to his office. His dad made sure the door was shut before they sat down. "So, like the personal assistant Holly and I picked out for you?" his dad asked with a grin. "She's gorgeous," Ben replied. "I'm not sure how much work I'll get done when she's around though." His dad laughed and said, "That's her problem, not mine. She's not just beautiful; she's very smart and a hard worker. She'll keep you on your toes for sure." "I'm sure she will if she's anything like Holly," Ben agreed. "Alright, let's get down to business," his father said, getting serious. "First and foremost, we don't talk Stone family business unless we're in this office or yours - never outside the glass door or out in public and rarely at home. These offices get swept once a week for electronic bugs and there are the most sophisticated anti-listening devices on the market in place so that no one can listen in. At home, my office has the same equipment but it isn't updated or scanned as frequently. So if in doubt, don't speak of anything private unless I bring it up, understand." "Yes Sir," Ben replied. "Good; now when your grandparents died, they owned fifty percent of Stone Inc. and I owned the other fifty percent from my grandparents," his dad explained. "That's how we pass on the company and the personal money we each have. So, their money and their fifty percent of the company went into a trust fund for you. Now that you're sixteen, you get some of the money as all Stone males are deemed a man at that age. At eighteen, more things will be handed over and all of it will be yours to control when you're twenty-one. So while you can't access much yet, you're technically half owner of Stone Incorporated. I control your share of the corporation and any earnings go into your trust fund. We don't take too much out of the company for our own use as we're taxed more personally than corporately." "I thought you inherited the whole thing when they passed away," Ben responded. "It's been set up this way for nine generations," his dad informed him. "Usually the grandson is tutored by the grandfather and eased into the role but your grandparents died in the car accident before you were old enough. We'll just have to muddle through on our own." Ben just nodded. "Alright, if something happens to me, open the safe behind the picture in my home office. The combination is triple eight, triple four, triple one. There will be some cash money in there, some instructions as well as a copy of my will. Simon Betts is our personal lawyer and has another copy of the same will. He will be the executor and will help you as will Holly and I'm sure Veronica should I die before you're twenty-one. Bob Simmonds would continue to run the public portion of Stone Inc. until you do turn twenty one and can take over the company. Simon and Holly will be your guardians and will let you stay at home." His dad stopped and was obviously waiting for some sort of comment. Ben thought about what he had said for a moment. "A couple things come to mind," Ben said, still marshalling his thoughts. "Bob Simmonds will run the company but who will be in control of the company if something happens to you? My fifty percent would revert back to the trust fund and I assume so would yours, but who controls it until I'm twenty-one?" "A good question," his dad replied. "Simon and Holly would be the trustees and would make the decisions after they consulted with you. When you're eighteen and if I'm gone, then the three of you have equal say. At twenty-one you have total say and you'll have to set something up in case you die." "Fair enough," Ben stated. "My second question would be what else is there beside the public portion of Stone Inc.?" "Very good, you were listening closely," the elder Stone replied. "Stone Inc. has several divisions; Investment, Acquisitions, Management, both for our companies and for others, Property Management, Legal and Accounting to name a few. We provide services to corporations and wealthy clients to handle their money and their companies in some instances. We also buy property or other companies and either run them or find someone who will run them better. Veronica and Holly will go through everything with you while I'm gone. All of that is the public portion of what Stone Inc. does though we're a privately held corporation as we're the only two shareholders." He continued after a few seconds, "In addition to all that, the men of our family have also provided behind the scenes negotiating to various governments or corporations of the world. For almost a hundred and fifty years, a Stone has helped negotiate peace treaties, border or other territorial disputes, country to country disputes and corporate mergers or acquisitions on a grand scale. We are never seen by the public but if the two sides of an international dispute can't agree on a mediator than we are more than likely to be called." "Really, you must have fantastic security because I've never heard a thing about this," Ben said. "It is part of our standard terms that we're never photographed or referred in any meeting minutes by name," his dad told him. "We deal with only the very highest level on either side and, since we're only called in on the most important and critical issues, secrecy is everyone's desire." "Why do you do it?" Ben asked. "As your great-grandfather told me when I asked that question, we don't need the money, though they pay us very well, all tax-free in a numbered Swiss bank account," his dad answered. "We do this because the Stone name is synonymous with honesty, integrity and trustworthiness and it is our duty to continue the tradition. We have helped stop wars, helped create new countries and corporations and hopefully been a benefit to the world in general. It is our honour, our duty to be able to help bring people together rather than stand on the sidelines and see them fall apart." "Then why the rest of Stone Inc.?" Ben asked. "Stone Inc. was already established when our first ancestor was approached to help with negotiations between the new Canada and the United States," his dad explained. "It was called Stone Bank back then. It still provides us the money to be able to live the way we want to and accept only the assignments that I feel are appropriate. It also gives me a good reason to jet off to other countries while providing a stable base to work out of." "So how did you learn to negotiate at such a high level?" Ben inquired. "I started when I was sixteen, tagging along with my grandfather or my father," the elder Stone replied. "If you're interested, you can start coming with me on holidays and school breaks." "I'd like that," Ben agreed. "Good, I was hoping you would want to continue the tradition," his father replied with a smile of relief. "I won't take you on this trip because school is just starting but maybe the next one during Thanksgiving weekend." "Sounds good to me," Ben responded. "As you get older, I'll fill you in on a more things but that should do it for now," his dad said. "Just remember that the negotiating thing is just our secret. Holly knows I do other things and Simon knows as well, but they don't know exactly what those things entail. Veronica knows nothing and neither does Bob or anyone else. If anyone asks you, play dumb and let me know who is asking questions." Ben nodded. "Finally, you know that Holly and I are a team," his father said. "I want you and Veronica to also be a team. Each Stone man who works for the corporation has had a personal assistant who takes care of all the details for us. She holds down the fort while we're away and takes care of us when we're in the office. In return we take very good care of them, as good or better than we take care of the top executives. They are always loyal to the Stone men but we keep them separate from our families for obvious reasons. Holly and Veronica will explain more while I'm in the meeting. They will show you your office and some interesting areas only the four of us know about. We'll continue our talk at lunch or if I'm still with them, then afterwards." "Alright, good luck with you meeting," Ben said as they both got up. Ben was dropped off into the care of the women while his dad accepted a folder from Holly before leaving the Stone hallway. ------- Chapter 5 "So, a lot to process in a short time, eh Ben?" Holly asked with a smile. "Definitely," Ben agreed. "Well, we'll answer any questions you have and walk you through things one stage at a time," the older blonde assured him. "Veronica has some papers for you to sign and then she'll get you set up with a keycard and passcode that will work in the parking garage as well as any of the doors around here. After you're set up, the three of us will tackle your office redecorating." "Which office am I getting?" Ben asked. "You're taking over your grandfather's old office in the corner," Holly replied. "Your dad doesn't want to move so he said you could have that one." "That's the best office in the building, I shouldn't get that one," Ben protested. "Besides, it was grandfathers." "Your dad said it's time to get some use out of it but since only you or he can use the offices in this hallway, it's now yours," she replied. "Alright, why don't the two of you go handle the easy stuff and then come get me when you're ready to tackle the office." Veronica led him to her office. She was dressed in a form fitting white blouse and tight black skirt that ended a few inches above her knees and both showed off her incredible body. The young blonde was about five foot ten in her high heels which did amazing things for her legs and derriere. All in all Ben was quite pleased with their choice for his personal assistant. "Have a seat Ben," Veronica said before grabbing a file from the table behind her desk. She sat down and opened it up. "Ok, these allow us to set up the monthly payments into your existing account from the trust fund," she explained. "You need to sign them where I put the sticky notes." Ben quickly read the document after she handed it over to him and then signed all three copies. Veronica also signed and put a copy into three separate folders before putting them back on the table behind her. Next, she pulled out a keycard and a small business card. "This is your keycard and passcode," she told him as she handed them over. "Some doors just need the keycard swiped and others, like our glass door, need the passcode inputted in as well. They both shouldn't be stored in the same place in case you lose your wallet but for now I'm sure you'll need to carry the card with you until you memorize the code." Ben took a look at the code of random numbers and both lower and upper case letters and then handed it back to her. "I'm good," he said. "Really?" she asked. He regurgitated the passcode back to her. "Impressive," she said. "Can you do that for more than small passcodes?" "Let's just say I have a good memory," Ben replied, wary of revealing just how good his memory actually was. "That is a very useful thing to have," was all she said in response. "Let's go make sure they work and then we'll get started on your office." She had him try both the card and the passcode for the main glass door and found they worked fine before they rejoined Holly in her office. "All set?" Holly asked. "Papers signed and card and code worked fine," Veronica reported. "Good, now let's head to your new office Ben," Holly said and got up. They had him open it up with his keycard and they stepped inside. The smell and dated furniture and decor brought back memories when he used to visit his grandfather when he was a kid. "Alright, we can't replace the paneling but just about everything else is ok to change," Holly told them. "The building has been designated as a Heritage building so certain physical things can't be changed. If nothing else, the old furniture, the carpeting, the window and lighting fixtures have to be updated. It's up to you on the artwork, desk and the conference table." Both the desk and the table were massive wood monstrosities that didn't fit with what he wanted in an office. The artwork was mostly paintings of land and sea battles that also didn't go with the modern scheme he was thinking of. "I'd like to go with a more modern and elegant theme," Ben admitted. "Can we store all of it somewhere rather than just throwing it away?" "Sure, we have rooms in the basement where some of the older furniture is stored," Holly answered. "We can have the furniture moved out right away and then have the carpet and window treatments removed. The new carpet and window furnishing can be installed on Tuesday morning after the holiday weekend if we put our order in this morning and the new furniture can be delivered in the afternoon. Your office should be ready for your Wednesday afternoon start. Sound good?" "Sure," Ben agreed. "Ok, I'll get that part organized while you and Veronica pick out the new decor in the conference room," Holly told him. Veronica led him to the room across the hall and he groaned when he saw the piles of catalogues. "It won't be that bad," she said with a grin. "Ok, let's get started," Ben replied with a sigh as he sat in one of the chairs. They picked out the carpeting and window treatments first to establish a colour base and then went through a dozen catalogues to decide on the modern desk, chair and credenza. Ben let Veronica pick out a new sofa, matching chairs and the tables for a sitting area and then they agreed on a new conference table and chairs. Ben left the artwork and lighting to the women but being pretty much a tech geek, he decided on the computers and monitors he wanted. "Alright, that should do for now," Veronica said, finishing up her notes. "It's just about lunch time; let's see if your dad is out of his meeting." "Your dad went out to lunch with Bob and the group," Holly informed them when they entered her office. "Why don't you hand over what you've decided on so far and I'll get that ordered. I have to stick around while the guys are removing the furniture and the carpet anyway. Why don't you two head down to the pub for lunch?" "Shall we bring you something back?" Ben asked. "That is so sweet of you to ask," Holly replied. "Maybe a chicken Caesar salad would be nice." "Ok, see you soon," Ben replied and followed Veronica back to her office to get her purse and a small jacket. Five minutes later they were waiting in line to get a table in the crowded pub. It took another five just to get to talk to the hostess. "I'm sorry it's going to be at least twenty minutes," the hostess informed them before they could utter a word. "We'll take the reserved Stone table please," Veronica told her. "That's for Mr. Stone only and while he's cute, he's not Mr. Stone," the hostess replied, looking at Ben. "This is Mr. Ben Stone, his son," Veronica informed her, "there are now two Mr. Stones." The hostess looked at Ben and then back at Veronica and replied, "Give me a minute; I'll let the manager make the decision." She came back with a red haired gentleman a minute later. "You've certainly grown since your grandfather brought you in here last, Mr. Stone, but you definitely look like your father," the man said. "I'm Percy O'Rourke the manager. Please follow me." They followed the man to a table in a relatively quiet part of the otherwise full back room. Percy took the reserved sign off the table and waved them into the seats. "Thank you Mr. O'Rourke, this is Miss Veronica Terrence and please call me Ben," Ben said as they sat down. "It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Terrence," Percy said with a smile. "I gather you will be handling the younger Mr. Stone just as Miss Robson does for the senior Mr. Stone?" "That is correct, I'm this Mr. Stone's personal assistant," Veronica replied. "Does this mean that you'll be coming downtown to the office more often?" Percy asked Ben. "I'm going to come for one afternoon during the week and on Saturdays to start," Ben told him. "That is very good news," Percy responded. "I'll make sure my staff knows that you both are to be seated at this table whenever you grace us with your presence. Your waitress will be over shortly to take your order. Please don't hesitate to ask for me if you require anything." "Thank you Mr. O'Rourke," Ben said before the older man left. "I didn't know they kept a table reserved for our company," Ben remarked after he was gone. "Ben, you and your dad own the building, this table is permanently reserved for your family," Veronica told him. "Holly made sure I knew about it. You could order alcoholic drinks and Percy would serve you without blinking an eye, as long as you weren't going to be driving." "Do we give him a discount on his lease for this privilege?" Ben asked. "I don't know much of the story behind it, but it started with Percy's dad and your grandfather many years ago," Veronica answered. "Just accept it as a fact and use the table whenever you come here to eat. So, what are you in the mood for?" "I remember liking the burgers here when I was a kid," Ben replied as he looked through the menu. "I'll probably have one of them with some fries." "You should have a salad to get some vegetables in you," she remarked. "Yes Mom," Ben reacted. "I did come off a tad parental, didn't I?" she asked with a grin. "I'll have to make sure I don't make a habit of it since I'm only a few years older than you. That's definitely not the relationship we're going to have." "I'm glad to hear it," Ben told her. "So tell me a bit about yourself, Veronica." "I just graduated with a degree in accounting from the University of Toronto in April and I'm continuing to study to become a certified accountant," she began. "I was hired at Stone Inc. in May and then was moved into my new position at the beginning of July. I spent the last couple of months learning from Holly what my responsibilities will be as well as what Stone Inc. does. I officially took over your trust fund management at the beginning of this month under Holly's supervision." "Any other work experience before this?" Ben asked. "I interned at two different accounting firms in the city for the last two summer breaks," Veronica answered. A cute redhead came over to the table. "Hello, I'm Amy and I'll be taking care of you today," she said with a smile. Can I get you something to drink and maybe an appetizer to start off?" "Hi Amy, I'll have a sparkling water," Veronica replied after Ben made her go first. "I'll have one as well," Ben added. "It looks busy so maybe we should get an appetizer tray to start." "Probably a good idea," Amy agreed. "I'll put that order in and then bring you your waters." She walked away and Ben enjoyed looking at her in her cute outfit. "She is a cutie," Veronica remarked with a grin. "Sorry, that was rude of me," Ben said as he blushed. "Besides, while she's cute, you're beautiful." "Why thank you Ben, a lady always likes to hear that she's appreciated," she told him, "and just so you know, I don't have a problem with you looking as long as it's discreet. I'm sure you would be embarrassed if I stared at a man blatantly while we're together or if your girlfriend did the same thing. Do you have a girlfriend?" "No, I haven't had much success talking to girls let alone ask one to go out with me," Ben replied. "How about you? I don't see a ring so no husband or fiancé yet. Do you have a boyfriend?" "Nope, I'm definitely single and will probably stay that way for a while," Veronica replied. "Really, a beautiful lady like you doesn't have men falling all over their feet trying to get you to go out with them?" Ben asked with a grin. "I get more than my share of bothersome proposals from men but I have been concentrating on school and will continue to concentrate on my career rather than my love life," she answered. "We're going to busy getting you up to speed on Stone Inc. so I'm afraid you're going to be the only man in my life for the foreseeable future." "Well, I don't know if being my personal assistant is going to really take up so much of your time at work let alone your free time," Ben remarked. "Please don't sacrifice your personal life for me, Veronica. Now is the best time for you for that while I'm just a part time intern." "How about you let me worry about my personal life and just pick out what you want to eat?" the beautiful blonde asked with a grin to soften the rebuttal. "Certainly, it's definitely none of my business," Ben agreed quickly and looked at his menu. He ordered the bacon cheeseburger and fries and a side salad while she chose a Chicken wrap and salad when Amy came back a couple minutes later. They placed Holly's order at the same time and, after the waitress left, Veronica started up the conversation. "So, tell me about Ben Stone," she ordered. "Not much to tell really, I'm sure Holly has told you about the family history," Ben said. "I'm going to start grade eleven on Tuesday. I like computers, math and science in school and I work out, read and play video games on my computer at home. I have a couple of friends at school that get good grades like me but we're definitely not in any of the popular groups. They belong to a couple of the clubs like the Chess club but I stay away from those things so I'm not labelled a nerd or tech geek, though I get good grades. Enough about me, tell me a bit about your life. Where did you grow up? Do you have a big family?" "I grew up in Ajax, just outside the city," she replied. "Besides my parents, I have an older brother who's in construction and a younger sister just starting her first year at U of T in nursing. I have a small apartment on Queen Street past Woodbine Park above a convenience store." "I know it's not polite to ask a woman her age but you're still young enough that it shouldn't matter," Ben said with a grin. "I figure you should be about twenty-two if you just finished a four year degree." "You would think so, but I graduated high school a year earlier than most and then finished my degree in three years by taking summer and night classes," Veronica replied. "So you're twenty?" he asked. "Not until next month," she answered with a big grin. "So not even four years older than me," he said with an answering grin. "I like that, though I'm a bit intimidated about the fact you've done so much more with your life already. Maybe I should put a better effort into finishing high school early." "You're probably too late, I skipped a year in public school," she told him. "Besides, you're going to be getting invaluable experience working here which will beat anything you'll gain by rushing through high school. Maybe we can get you through University quicker if we plan it correctly. We know what you'll need to study to excel at Stone Inc. we can tailor your courses accordingly and let you take the non-essential courses in the evenings or later." Amy dropped off the appetizer tray off and they dug in. The redhead waitress came back with another sparkling water for both of them but only gave him a flirty smile before she left. Veronica spoke up when she moved away. "There's your first lesson you'll have to master quickly," she said. "Amy was probably told to take very good care of you and that you're a VIP. So she's being very attentive and flirty to try and get your interest. You'll start seeing that more and more as the girls and women start seeing you as one of the prime catches in the city. You need to be very careful how you react to them. At all times you'll need to act in an appropriate manner in the public and company eye. Even harmless flirting can have its consequences. Don't lead her or any other girl on if you're not going to pursue her. Understand my point?" "Yes," Ben said simply. "You don't have to worry about me leading anyone on or flirting with girls or women. I'm amazed I can even talk to you without stammering." "Good, the same goes with the ladies in the secretarial pool," she added. "They'd all like to be the next Mrs. Stone or the next ex-Mrs. Stone. You know the old saying, don't piss where you drink or crap where you eat." "I understand," Ben told her. "Good," she said and ate another cheese stick. Their entrees took a while to come out which gave them ample time to polish off the appetizers. "Sorry about the wait, we're really backed up," Amy apologized when she finally placed their plates in front of them. "No problem, we knew it was going to be a while," Ben replied. Ben tried to get Veronica to take a bite of his cheeseburger but she refused, citing her figure. It didn't take them long to eat their lunch with a minimum of chitchat. Veronica had Ben sign the bill and putting on a twenty percent tip. They had an account with the restaurant and she wanted to make sure they knew he was authorized to sign on the account. After one last smile from Amy, they waved goodbye to Percy at the bar as they left. They took the elevator to the top floor and walked back to their offices. She led the way into the Stone hallway and delivered the salad to Holly. "Thanks," Holly said with a smile. "Your dad had to go back into the meeting so Veronica will set you up in the conference room with some information about Stone Inc. for you to read while they work on your office." "Alright," Ben agreed. He scooted into the conference room just as a couple of men carried a sofa down the hallway. They both ogled Veronica as they passed but she ignored them and walked to her office, returning with several binders. "Here is the new employee handbook, a company profile we use for our clients and a more extensive review of each division that was provided to the division managers at the last quarterly meeting," she informed him as he took them from her. "It should take a couple of hours to go through them all and then we'll go over what you've read and see what you've retained." "Alright, I'll make myself comfortable in here and see you in a while," Ben responded and sat down in the big chair at the end of the table. She left him to it and Ben began to read about the company his family built. He flipped through the handbook which outlined office and public conduct, computer and information security, holidays and vacations, health and retirement benefits and the non-disclosure and non-compete policy. The generic profile outlined the departments and general goals for each. There was Acquisitions for both businesses and real estate, Accounting for both Stone Inc. and external companies, Legal for both Stone Inc. and external companies, Management services for external companies, Management for Stone Inc. held assets, Office Management for Stone Inc. and of course the Management hierarchy for Stone Inc. itself. Under each heading was the client list and Ben was surprised to see a who's who of Canadian and international companies under each department, some of which were clients of several departments. The list of assets were broken down into headings for office buildings, condominiums, malls, vacant land, apartment buildings and other companies, without listing any individual items or values. After reading through the rest of the generic profile, Ben started reading through the upper management's detailed version. He was still reading it when Veronica startled him from the door of his office. "Interesting reading isn't it?" she asked with a smile. "That's like saying the Great Wall of China goes on for a bit," Ben replied. "Any questions so far?" she asked. "I just got started on the detail report so nothing yet," Ben responded. "Just make sure that you don't leave them unattended if you have to go to the bathroom or need to stretch your legs," Veronica warned him, "especially with people wandering around here today." "I'll bring them back to you or Holly if I need to leave the room," Ben told her. "I'll leave you to it then," she said with a smile. It took Ben another hour to read through the detailed report. He was amazed to find out what buildings they owned in the city, including the one that they parked their cars in. Other buildings leased the land from them at extraordinary rates for relatively small parcels of land. Farther away from the city centre, Stone Inc. owned the land under several large shopping malls, owned condominiums along the lakefront or in other exclusive residential areas and owned and operated apartment buildings around the University and colleges. Large undeveloped tracks of land all around the greater Toronto area (GTA) were theirs and just waiting for the further expansion of the cities surrounding Toronto. The list of companies they owned was impressive, and they added to that by up to four each quarter so their profits weren't taxed so heavily. Some they ran themselves but others they left the current management in place if they were doing a good job. The report did not spell out any financial numbers for anything, just the facts of ownership percentage and date of purchase or involvement. A reasonably intelligent person could quickly calculate that their assets must be worth in the hundreds of millions of dollars and Ben was more than reasonably intelligent. Ben was quiet when he brought back the binders to Veronica. She looked at him, clearly assessing his mood. "A bit much to take in?" she asked quietly. "I never thought too much about the company, my dad kept it away from me, probably on purpose," Ben stated. "It's a shock to see just how vast it really is. I'm surprised that we can run everything from just this building." "Your family invests in things that need minimal supervision in most cases," Veronica explained. "Land, sitting empty or leased out, is easily handled by a few people as most of it is just collecting money or paying taxes. Buildings, condo and apartments require on site management so only the management team has to be located here. Most of what we do here is manage the companies, and provide our services to others. The other staff manages our people, office and investments. Keeping everything here at the Stone building keeps outsiders knowing too much about your family's company." "Until now, even I didn't know about it, so I guess it's working," Ben said wryly. "My ancestors have been very busy." "It is a brilliant example of what a long term plan can accomplish if the principals all are on the same page," she said. "In school we studied several businesses that had been in the same family and most only lasted four or five generations before it collapsed or was sold off because the next generation either wasn't interested or up to the task of taking over." "And now I have to see if I have what it takes to eventually take over," he responded. "You'll have it harder than most as the usual way of training young Stone men was bypassed due to your mother dying early and then your grandparents," she sympathized. "Holly and I are here to help get you up to speed and I'm sure your dad will be taking you under his wing." "I'll have to start bringing things home to study as well," Ben stated. "One afternoon and Saturdays won't be enough to get caught up." "We can let you have copies of all the weekly meetings as well as any reports you want to read," Veronica told him. "A lot of them are online so you can remotely access them with your passcode through the secure server." "Good, that's probably the best for me rather than killing a few more trees," he said. She hunted in a drawer for a few seconds and came up with a card and handed it over and said, "That URL should get you into our system and it has your username and another passcode on it. It will allow you to read just about any file but not to change them. You have your own area where you can put your files in where no one will be able to access them." "Thanks, I'll get started on that tonight," Ben replied. She quizzed him for a couple minutes on the manager's report and he answered her questions correctly. "An excellent memory," she noted. "Alright, shut and lock the door, the next thing is a secret only the four of us will know." She waited until he had done what she asked before leading him into the small filing room in behind her desk. After she had shut the door and locked that as well, she moved to the back wall and pushed a filing cabinet to the side. It moved silently on wheels for about two feet without much effort from Veronica. She turned to the wall and placed her hand on an area of panelling and pushed. A click sounded and she then pushed a section in and then to the side. There were three handles showing in the opening. "Push the middle one halfway in and then pull the left one to you," she said. "Anything else does nothing but trigger an alarm in each of the offices in the family area. If you're being forced to do something by someone else, pull the right lever to you and a knockout gas fills the room in seconds." "And what happens if you do it right?" Ben asked. "Watch," she replied and pushed and pulled the correct levers. They heard a louder click and a section of the wall swung out on hidden hinges. She slipped through the door and he followed. She waited until he was all the way in and then shut the door behind them. "We never leave a door open when we visit the secret rooms," she told him. "It just gives us another layer of security." They were in a small hallway with three other doors plus a railing around three sides of a rectangle area in the floor. Ben could see a hatchway cut out from the floor with heavy duty mechanical locking mechanisms securing it from being opened from below. "Ok, that door is to Holly's room and that one leads to a room between here and your dad's office," she continued, pointing to two doors to the right. "The hatch in the floor leads to a staircase down to the basement. It comes out in a secret room and the only way out of that is a tunnel underneath Yonge Street over to the basement of the building where the cars are parked. Stone Inc. owns that building so there are stairs up to the garage level and lead to the door your dad was supposed to point out by the corner near where the parking spots are for the cars." "He did point it out, but I didn't see any handles or way to get into that door," Ben responded. "This is a one way escape route, from your offices to that building, hence the lack of handles on the other side of that door and the lock on this side of the trap door," she explained. "The tunnel goes very deep underground, below the subway and all of the sewer and other utility lines. Your family has always had a way to escape in case of attack at the offices. Once a year one of you inspects it by going through to the other side. There are also alarms tied to the four offices if any of the doors are tampered with." "I wonder why they needed an escape route." Ben mused. "Has Holly or my dad ever had to use it?" "Not that I know of," Veronica answered. "Now before we go into the room between here and your office I want to warn you. Since there are men working in your office today, you have to keep your voice down. Usually, your office would be empty and locked if you entered from there but today it's not. It's pretty soundproof, but let's just be cautious." "Ok," Ben agreed and followed her over to the door. She slid a panel to the side and again pushed the middle latch forward and pulled the left one back. A click was heard and she pushed the door open. They walked into what turned out to be a bedroom with a queen sized four post bed along one wall, with matching night stands on either side. An armoire was in the corner with a tall dresser nearby. A vanity with a small chair was along another wall and a low dresser held a flat screen TV across from the end of the bed. There were two other doors; one obviously led to his new office and the other was open leading to a bathroom. "Wow, this is some setup," he noted as he glanced around. She opened up the armoire. "This will be to hang up some spare suits and the tall dresser will be for you as well," she told him. "And the other one?" he asked, indicating the low one. "That one will be for me," she replied. "I'll hang some spare outfits in the armoire as well. We'll share the bathroom shelves once I learn what items you like. We'll go shopping tomorrow to fill everything up." "We'll both be using this room and the bathroom?" he asked. "Of course, why else would I know about it?" she replied in an exasperated voice. She grabbed the remote from the top of the low dresser and turned on the TV. "Ok, this lets you monitor all the security camera feeds," she continued. "We have cameras in the lobby, the elevators and stairwells as well as the main lobbies of all three upper floors. There is one in each intersection of the hallways that look down the length of each. The secretarial open areas of each floor have one camera overlooking them all as well. Each office has one as well but the occupants don't know about them." Veronica cycled through all of the cameras as she described where they were at. "Besides that, the TV has all the channels from the main satellite and cable companies," she told him. "You can watch movies as well as getting the pay-per-view events." "This is slick," he said. "My dad have something like this as well?" "Yes, almost identical," she replied as she shut off the TV. "We don't have much time left so I hope you don't mind if we don't get into anything today," she said. "We'll have time tomorrow after we shop. Ok with you?" "Um sure," Ben replied, not knowing what she was referring to. She led the way out the door and back into her office, shutting and locking each door before opening the next. "Let's see if your dad is done with his meetings," she suggested and led the way to Holly's office. It turned out he was done and waiting for them to finish. "All done for the day?" he asked as he looked up from a report they were looking at. "I haven't started the owner's report yet but I've finished the manager's report and just had a quick tour," Ben replied. "I can stay longer if you need to or if you're done we can go if you like. I can take the report home or read it online." "I think we can head home," his dad told him before turning back to Holly. "I'm off to Europe on Monday so I'll send this to you tomorrow." "Alright Mr. Stone, have a good weekend and a safe trip," Holly replied. "Ben, your office is cleared out and Veronica and I have the install scheduled for Tuesday morning." "Thanks Holly, I'm looking forward to see it Wednesday afternoon," Ben replied. "You're still coming in tomorrow right?" Veronica asked. "We have some shopping to do and we can continue your tutoring on the business." "I don't mind coming in but wouldn't you rather spend the holiday weekend with your family?" Ben asked. "I'll see them on Sunday," she responded. "We don't have the luxury of missing a whole day if we want to get you up to speed. Besides, part of it will be fun when we go shopping." "Alright, if you're game, so am I," Ben told her. "Are you coming down to office dad or should I take a taxi?" "Holly and I are taking it off so you'll be travelling by taxi, son," his dad answered with a grin. "Why don't you agree to be here by eight?" Ben looked at Veronica who nodded so he said, "Eight it is then. Holly, have a good weekend and I'll see you Wednesday at about five thirty if you're still here." "I wouldn't miss the grand unveiling," she replied. "You two have a good day tomorrow and a good weekend." The Stone men grabbed their stuff and walked out with Holly and Veronica. They exchanged good nights and good long weekend sentiments with several people on the way to the elevators. Once inside, Ben's dad whispered, "Make sure to scan all rooms after everything is delivered. Until then, be careful what you say and do, understand?" Everyone nodded but didn't bother to speak. After a good night to Felix, still standing watch in the lobby, they all crossed Yonge Street and entered the parking lot. Holly and Veronica walked to a nice Cadillac parked in one of their four reserved spots. "Good night you two and I'll be in touch on Tuesday," Ben's dad told them. "Good night and have a safe trip," Holly replied as she got into the driver's side. "Good night Mr. Stone; have a safe trip," Veronica added before looking at Ben. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, Mr. Stone." Ben nodded with a roll of his eyes before everyone else got in their respective seats. The men let Holly leave first and then followed them out of the parking garage. The women went straight on Wellington while Ben's dad turned the Camaro left on Yonge and headed north towards their house. "So what do you think?" his dad asked. "I was surprised at a few things but I think I'll enjoy learning about our company and eventually working there," Ben told him. "What was so surprising?" was the next question. "Just how big Stone Inc. really is, the fact that you gave me Grandfather's old office, the new stuff on the quick tour, how gorgeous and smart Veronica is and even the reserved table in the pub," Ben replied. "That is a lot of surprises for one day," his dad agreed. "Let's take them one at a time. Stone Inc. benefits from our long term stability and the fact that we never have to borrow money to buy something. Our land assets and purchases are chosen not for what can turn us a quick but relatively modest profit but instead a longer investment that will yield a much more significant return in the future. Our ancestors bought up large tracks of farmland all around the GTA before there was even the concept of a greater Toronto area. It has served us well in that last twenty years. Now we can make fantastic sums of money by letting other people build on our land and pay us for the privilege while keeping the ownership of the land. That money we invest in new land or companies or build high rises, condos or apartment buildings with." "Veronica said it was the greatest example of long term planning she had ever heard of in a private company," Ben said. "It's by no means the greatest or the longest, but it certainly a very good example of what a dedicated family can do for its descendents," his dad explained. "Eight generations have put aside their personal aspirations of wealth and power for the betterment of the future generations. That's not to say that they weren't very well off; it just means that they didn't sell off everything and go buy an island in the Caribbean and live the good life." "I'll do my best to continue the tradition then," Ben said. "A condo in Miami is all we need anyway." "Oh, we've done better than that," his dad replied with a grin. "I'll tell you about that later but for now, onto the next item, your grandfather's office. If your grandfather was still alive, you would have been given one of the storage rooms as an office in the hallway. Since his office is available, there is no need to move out all the items in the storage room when a perfectly good office is available. Do you deserve the best office in the building? Obviously not, but like you that office means too much to me to move into it. I took over my grandfather's office and you're doing the same. Once the redecorating is finished, it will be easier for both of us to be in there without being sad that he's no longer with us." "I understand," Ben said quietly, thinking about his grandfather. "Good," his dad responded. "Moving on, we won't talk about the tour in the car. Miss Terrence was handpicked by Holly and then I approved the selection. She was picked first for her brilliance and then for her looks. We lucked out that she's only four years older than you so that the age gap shouldn't be a problem after you get a few years older. I hope the two of you will become close like Holly and I are; we're more a team than a boss and employee." "I hope so too," Ben agreed. "She seems to be motivated to help me get up to speed quickly." "She's ambitious and wants to be involved in the decision making process for the company," his dad explained. "The only way that will happen if you are highly involved in the company, so she's doing whatever it takes to get you on board. I want the same thing so she's perfect for the role of your mentor." "I'll do my best to get up to speed as soon as possible," Ben told him. "I know you will," his dad said. "Ok, the table in the pub is just something we've had since before I was born. It's in the lease agreement and stays part of it every time we renew it with the O'Rourkes. It's a small part of the agreement for both sides but it can be convenient when it gets busy at lunchtime." Ben just nodded, the table being not much of a concern to him either. "Shall we get something on the way home for dinner?" his dad asked. "Sure, we don't have much in the house right now," Ben agreed. "I'll do some shopping tomorrow while you're at the office," his father told him. "Let's get some chicken for dinner." "Sounds good to me," Ben replied. They picked up the food at a popular chicken chain's drive-thru and continued on to their home. Once inside, Ben set things out in the dining room while his dad checked out the security system for a couple of minutes. They both got changed into comfortable clothes before sitting down to eat. Once they had filled their plates and eaten for a few minutes, his dad spoke up. "Once we're done here, we'll have a quick talk in my office about a couple of things before you get busy on reading that last report," his father told him. "Sure," Ben agreed. They talked about the upkeep on the house while his dad would be gone and Ben assured him he would keep the house clean and cut the lawn this weekend and the next if it grew enough. After they both helped clean up after the meal, they went into his father's office. His dad took out a handheld device and did a quick scan of the room and of both Ben and himself. He then checked that the anti-listening devices were on and functioning before sitting back own behind his desk. "Alright, the rooms and the staircase to the tunnel are never to be talked about unless the two of us are alone in this office or the two down at headquarters," his father said. "Since it was a quick tour, I gather you and Veronica didn't do much other than see the room, correct?" "She showed me the TV with all the camera feeds, and then said we had to shop to fill up the dressers and the armoire," Ben answered. "Holly and I keep a few changes of clothes in ours in case we need them," his dad explained. "Enough said on that subject until tomorrow night. We'll have another talk then." Ben just nodded and waited for his dad to continue. "After you've read the owner's report the same thing applies," his father said. "No talk to anyone about actual numbers or what we own." "Of course," Ben agreed. "Alright, I just wanted to stress the need for secrecy on things," his dad stated. "We'll have another talk tomorrow night and then we won't have to meet in secret. Have a good night and I'll see you in the morning. I'm going to finish my report for Holly in here." "Alright dad, good night," Ben replied and left the office. Once upstairs, Ben booted up his laptop and then logged into the company site. He meandered around looking at what they had on it before entering the more secure area. He brought up the owner's report and took an hour to read it slowly. There were numbers attached to asset lists, company profits for each division and company underneath Stone Inc. and an overall earnings list for the last quarter. The last page listed current value of Stone Incorporated. The numbers were higher than he expected, even though he had expected some very good numbers. He closed the file and logged out of the system and just sat in front of the laptop while thinking about what he had learned. In discovering that he was considered well beyond being well off, he realized that it didn't seem to affect him as much as it should have. He really didn't need anything that the money could buy him. He had a car he couldn't use, a top of the line laptop and a nice house to live in. The money his grandparents left him would be more than sufficient for anything he needed in the next few years and he had the use of the Miami condo for vacations. Since most of the money Stone Inc. was worth was tied up in companies, land and buildings, he couldn't get access to it even if he wanted to. In the end, he shrugged his shoulders and clicked on a war game and played for an hour to relieve some of this stress. He went to bed fairly early knowing he had to get up early to get to the office. ------- Chapter 6 Ben's dad joined him at the kitchen table before seven on Saturday morning. "Any questions on the report you read last night?" he asked. "No, surprising numbers, good numbers, but no questions," Ben replied. "I figure the amount really doesn't matter, it mostly stays in the company and we seem to be doing quite well with what we have and what my grandparents left me. I'm sure that not every quarter will generate good results but like grandfather always said, 'Make hay while the sun shines'. As long as we scale back when times are tight there doesn't seem much to worry about at this point, but I could be simplifying things." "Actually, since we're very stable, a recession is a good time to buy," his dad corrected him. "Prices are lower and negotiating is easier as everyone else needs money. My negotiation with Valencia went poorly because they think they're in a position of strength based on their last couple of quarters. That would be true if they used their earnings to solidify their base and pay off their debt, but instead they're trying to expand while giving their upper management bonuses. In the end we couldn't come to an agreement because they were only thinking short term. When the next recession occurs, we'll probably end up buying them rather than partnering with them on the deal now." "Do we partner often?" Ben asked. "No, but sometimes the companies we do service work for, accounting, legal and management for example, ask us to go in with them on an acquisition," his dad explained. "Other times we invest in other companies as a percentage less than a controlling interest if we're happy with who will be running the company. Most of the time, we're either full owners or have the controlling interest, so there isn't any conflict. While we can't be a target of a hostile takeover as we're a private company, some of the companies we invest in can be a target if someone else attempts to buy the controlling interest. Most don't bother playing that game if they know we're involved." "Why is that?" Ben asked. "The last time it happened, we bought enough shares of that company to take it over and let go the men responsible," his dad told him. "Your grandfather didn't suffer fools lightly. Between that and the fact that the bigger companies use our other services from time to time, means that most leave us alone." "Good to know," Ben said before continuing to eat his cereal. "Alright, I'm going to get dressed and call a taxi," Ben said as few minutes later, getting up to wash his dishes. "Good casual will be fine for today at the office," his dad informed him. "You'll need decent shoes on so you can try on suits though." "Great, shopping," Ben replied with a grimace. "Oh, I think you'll enjoy it when you get to help pick Veronica's outfits," his dad reminded him. "Hmmm, you're right, that might be interesting," Ben agreed with a grin. "Enjoy your day and we'll have a talk when you get home," his dad said. After a quick shower, Ben got dressed and called a taxi. Ten minutes later he was heading downtown in light weekend traffic and twenty minutes after that he was using his keycard to get into the Stone hallway. "Good morning Ben," a smiling Veronica said as he entered her office. She was in a nice blouse and dress pants and looked in a good mood. "And a good morning to you, Veronica," Ben replied, returning her smile. "How was your evening?" "Ok, nothing exciting, just dinner and curled up with a book before heading to bed," she replied. "And you?" "Dinner and then I read the owner's report before shooting some bad guys," he replied. "Any questions about the report?" she asked. "No, my dad and I had a brief discussion about it this morning so I think I'm ok with it," Ben answered. "Good, now you get to start on individual department reports for the last quarter," she told him. "The stores don't open until nine thirty so you have an hour and a half to read a couple of them before we leave." "Wonderful," Ben replied, taking the reports from her hand. "I'll be in the conference room if you need me." "Enjoy," she said with a grin. Ben spent the time going over the Acquisitions report and then started on the legal department next. While he didn't mind the first, the second was very dry and boring. "Had enough for the morning?" Veronica asked when she finally appeared. "Save me from one more sentence from the legal department, please!" Ben replied. She laughed and said, "Come on, let's get out of here." Ben gathered up the two reports and handed them over. Once she had locked them up in her office, they left the building and walked up Yonge Street to the Eaton Centre. There she led him to the Harry Rosen Store on one of the upper floors. "Hello, may I help you?" an older man with an Italian accent asked when they entered the store. "Yes, Mr. Stone will need two tailored suits, plus another two sports jacket and pants combinations along with shirts, ties, socks and shoes," Veronica informed him. "Certainly Miss, do you have any brand preferences?" the man asked as he walked them to where the suits were hanging. "Armani for one and we can discuss the second one," she replied. "Very good, I'll bring out the tailor to measure Mr. Stone while we discuss colour and style," the man said and left them for a second. "Isn't Armani real expensive?" Ben asked her. "You can afford it, besides, it's going on the company account," she replied. "You need to look the part. Your name and that suit will get you respect in any boardroom in the city." "Alright, don't get me fired from my own company before my first week is out," Ben told her. "Don't worry, I'd be the one out the door, not you," she responded. "Holly told me where to go and what to get you, so relax." Ben was measured for the next fifteen minutes while the other two discussed colours, fit and brand names. Two hours later, he had two suits, two sports jackets and several shirts and pants being tailor made or altered. They would be delivered to the office on Wednesday, including the shoes and socks they had picked out. Veronica had Ben sign the order which didn't have a total yet. "Thank you for all of your help," she told the salesperson, slipping him several bills when she shook his hand. "Thank you Miss, it was my pleasure," he said with a smile. "Ok, let's hit a restaurant before we start shopping for you," Ben said, stopping to look at a store directory. "Restaurants, here we are; how about Baton Rouge, that looks good, it's just down a level?" "That's fine with me," she said with a smile. "You were very patient in there so I suppose you deserve a good meal." Alright, let's go," he said, leading the way. They took the escalator down a level and were quickly ensconced in a booth. Veronica had a white wine while Ben had a sparkling water. After perusing the menu, Ben ordered the ribs while Veronica had a club sandwich and soup. "So how do you know so much about suits and men's clothing?" Ben asked. "I did have a couple boyfriends in university and one of them was into high end clothing," Veronica responded. "I also talked it over with Holly who has been helping your father for years. And last but not least, I'm a woman and we know what looks good on a man, even if they don't." "I don't know much about suits or brand names of high end clothing," Ben admitted easily. "Dad usually picked them out the few times I needed one. I bought the last two a couple days ago off the rack and I thought they looked and fit ok." "These will fit and look great," she told him. "Don't worry about it; now you know what the process is and if you're getting a tailored suit again, the store and tailor will help you with the fabric and colour. The way you've been growing you'll probably need one every six months." "Enough about me, after lunch we get to shop for you," Ben said with a grin. "You're the first guy I know who seems to look forward to shopping with me," Veronica noted. "Despite my incredible savoir-faire, I am only sixteen," he admitted. "The chance to see a beautiful woman modeling clothes is just too good to pass up." "You're not going to be in the dressing room so you're not going to see much," she told him in exasperation. "You can come out and show me the outfit," he rebutted. "After all, I need to make sure my personal assistant is dressed to my specifications." "Oh really?" she responded, her eyes narrowing. "We don't want you to clash with my new clothes and create a discordant working atmosphere," Ben stated, reaching deep to find the best BS he could use. "We need to start this relationship off correctly and work in harmony." "I think you're shovelling it pretty deep but I don't mind you tagging along and helping me chose some outfits," she gave in. "You're going to see me in them eventually and you were surprisingly malleable this morning." Great, so what are you getting, some dresses, skirts and blouses, shoes and underclothes?" he asked. "Yes, I'll need several outfits there, in case I need to change," she agreed. "A couple need to be almost formal, a couple for good office wear and one or two more casual outfits. I might get a pair of jeans and a tee shirt to do filing or other physical work in when no one is around." "We'll be busy then," Ben remarked. "You could say that," she agreed. They ate their meal fairly quickly when it arrived and, after paying the bill with his credit card, Ben was led to the first high end fashion boutique. Veronica moved to the dress section where they immediately set upon by a sales associate. "Good afternoon, I'm Heather, can I help you with anything today?" asked the haughty woman. "Just looking for some business outfits," Veronica replied, as she pulled a dress off the rack to look at it closer. "We have all the top brands if you're looking for anything in particular," Heather told her. "That's a Dior dress. Do you have a budget in mind?" "Well, Mr. Stone?" Veronica asked. "Just get the ones that look best on you, Miss Terrence," Ben replied. "We have the image of the company at stake." "You heard the boss," Veronica said. "I'll try this one and a couple more before we look at more traditional office wear." "Certainly, Miss Terrence," Heather replied and they looked through a few of the dresses along the wall. Ben sat down in a chair situated near the change rooms and watched as the two discussed each dress. Veronica was gorgeous, even in the simple blouses and pants she was wearing. The combination of her long blonde hair, fine facial features and exquisite body just made him want to offer her the moon to be with her. Who knew what his dad would say when he saw the bill for his clothes, let alone hers. He decided he didn't care and would pay for them out of his own money if there was a problem. The two women eventually came over to the change room with four dresses. "Can I get you tea or coffee or water while you wait?" Heather asked Ben after Veronica disappeared inside. "Water would be nice, thank you," Ben replied. "I'll be right back," the woman said with a smile. She set a tray with a cold bottle of sparkling water and a glass with ice on the table beside Ben a minute later and, after being thanked, went into the dressing room. For the next hour, Veronica came to the door and showed Ben the dresses and then the skirts and blouses they picked out. After the first time, when Ben had to rotate his finger to get her to turn around, she did a slow twirl each time she came out. In the end, they decided on a slim, silver Gucci dress, a grey Dior dress as well as several skirts ranging from mid-thigh in length to a couple inches above the knee in black, grey, silver and blue. She also added the same amount of blouses, mostly white but a couple in bright colours. After paying the four figure bill with his credit card, Ben had to carry the three full bags while Veronica moved on to shoe shopping at another boutique. Ben didn't have a clue or an opinion so he sat in a chair and let another woman help her. That took another hour of their time to get her five pairs of shoes. After adding two more bags to his burden, she moved on to a more casual store and allowed him to help pick out a pair of jeans and a couple tee shirts. Finally, it was time for what he anticipating the most, underwear shopping. They entered a Victoria's Secret store and he felt like he was a kid in a candy store. "Don't think I'm going to model these for you in here," she told him with an exasperated look all females perfect when they reach their early teens. Ben gave her a quick pout and then grinned before replying, "Ah shucks. I'll have to just have to stay out here and leer at all the girls and women then." "You can help me pick out colours and I'll pick out styles," she said primly and led him to the bra and panty section. She would pick out a set in a style and put it up to her chest to let him see it. Then if he liked it, they would choose a couple of different colours. Some were thongs, some were high cut bikinis and others boy shorts. After she had several sets, she went to try them on while Ben wandered over to the lingerie area and picked out a short gown, a baby doll outfit and a teddy in different colours. A sales lady helped him with the size and he had her ring them up while Veronica was still in the change room. He slid the bag to the bottom of one of the other ones and was just getting back to the change room when she came out. "So, they all fit?" he asked. "Yes, but I probably don't need all of them," she replied. "Nonsense, you can't have too many sets of underwear," Ben said and walked her over to the counter. He paid the bill and put the bag inside a bigger one from the dress shop. "Ok, all set?" he asked. "Yes, unless you want to help me buy panty hose?" she asked with a grin. "No, I think you can manage that some other time," he said. "Let's get these back to the office and hang them up before we call it a day." "Good plan," she replied and led the way back to the Yonge Street exit. Fifteen minutes later they were in his empty office and she showed him where the hidden panel was behind some reference books. She had him push and pull the same levers and the next set of book shelves swung in on silent hinges. They carried the bags in and swung the hidden door shut behind them. Once inside, Ben helped her hang up her dresses, skirts and blouses in the armoire and then she put her new underwear in the low dresser. "And what are these?" she asked, holding out the extra bag. "I bought you some things to wear to bed if you ever had to stay over," he said. "I hope they fit you; I had a sales lady help with the sizes." She pulled out the three outfits one at a time and held each of them up to look at them. "They're very pretty," she said. "Which one do you like the best?" "Oh, I'm sure you'll look spectacular in all of them," Ben responded. "Do you like one more than the others?" "They're all nice but they won't keep me very warm in here," she responded. "I should have gotten you a couple of robes, one nice lace one and a big fluffy one," Ben said with a frown. "I'll see if I can bring them next week, though I'm sure you won't need to stay here until the winter." "You never know, if it's real late, it might not pay to go home," she said. "I brought in some towels, washcloths, soap and shampoo as well as some make-up this morning." "I'll have to do the same," Ben responded. "Silly, I brought enough for both of us," she told him. "I'm your personal assistant remember?" "Oh, thanks," he replied. She looked at clock on the night stand which made him follow suit. It was just after four thirty. "It's getting late, you probably want to be getting home soon," Ben said. She shrugged and moved to the dresser and put away the sleepwear, or so he thought. "Let me use the washroom for a minute and we'll have a talk before we go," she said as she moved toward the washroom. Ben sat on the bed and gathered up the receipts into one bundle and put them on the nightstand. He was folding up the bags and putting them by the door when he heard the washroom open. "Oh Ben," she said. He turned around to find her leaning on the doorframe, dressed in the pale lavender baby doll outfit he had bought. It was very sheer so he could see her wonderful breasts and the tiny matching thong through the top. "I think you made a very wise choice," she said when he stood there speechless. "You look absolutely gorgeous," he finally stammered out. She moved in a slow walk towards him, only stopping once she was right up close to him. "I'm glad you think so," she responded with a smile. "One of us seems to be overdressed." She started undoing the buttons on his shirt and he could only stare at her in return until she pulled it out of his pants. "Um, Veronica, I thought I wasn't supposed to get involved with the women at work?" he said. "I'm the exception to that rule as Holly is for your dad," she told him. "And you're ok with this?" he asked, still shocked at what she was wearing. "What did you think the bed was for?" she asked as her hands started undoing his belt. "Like I said, a place to stay if someone stayed late or couldn't get home in a storm," Ben replied. "The Stone men have always had dedicated women to take care of all of their needs, recruited and guided by the previous generation's personal assistant," she informed him. "Holly interviewed me along with a few others after I was here about a month. It took me a couple weeks to decide if I wanted to do this but in the end, the opportunity to be involved at the highest levels of decision making once you're in the loop was the deciding factor. The salary and other perks are very good and Holly assured me that you were a good guy. Now is the time to see if we're compatible and we can seal the deal, so to speak." Veronica pulled down his pants when she finished speaking and then knelt to undo his shoes and socks before helping him step out of his pants. She put his wallet and phone on the nightstand before looking up at him with a pleased expression. She stayed on her knees as her hands caressed his legs up to his underwear, stretched out due to his erection. Finally, she slowly stood up and bypassed his underwear to caress his stomach and chest. "You have a very nice body," she said as she stepped close and reached up to pull his head down. She started a kiss and, when he started getting into it, lightly pushed her tongue between his lips. They explored each other's mouths while their hands continued to wander. Ben pulled her to his body and loved the feel of her breasts on his chest through the silky material. He moaned when she rubbed herself on his erection so he grabbed her firm ass and ground himself into her. "Let's get under the covers, its cold in here," she said when she broke away from the kiss. They pulled the covers back and Ben watched as she climbed onto the bed. He admired her sexy legs and ass as she kneeled to get up onto the high mattress before turning over to lie on her back. He climbed in beside her and pulled the covers over both of them. "You should probably call your dad and tell him you're going to be home late," Veronica suggested before he could reach for her. "What should I tell him is the reason?" Ben asked. "Tell him that we just got back from our shopping excursion and we're putting away our purchases," she said. He reached for his phone as her hand reached for his erection. "I'm supposed to talk to my dad while you explore?" he asked as he found his dad's number and hit the call button. "I wanted to see what you're packing under there before I talk to your dad," she said as she caressed him. "Hey dad, it's Ben," he said, stifling a moan. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be late. We just got back from shopping and we still have to put away our purchases." "Oh, how did it go?" his dad asked. "It went well," Ben answered. "I got measured for a couple of suits and sports jackets as well as pants and shirts. They're going to deliver them on Wednesday." "And for Veronica?" his father inquired. "She got a couple of dresses, several skirts and blouses as well as shoes and underwear," Ben replied, fighting hard not to moan as she sat up and straddled his lap, still holding his erection. "Did you help pick out everything?" his dad asked, clearly amused. "Yes I did, though she wouldn't model the underwear for me in the store," Ben told him. His dad chuckled and then said, "Well, I hope you two had fun and enjoy the day together. Why don't you take her to dinner when you're done there? Just call me if you're making other arrangements to stay over." Ben groaned as the minx in front of him reached down and moved her panties to the side and lined him up with her very wet pussy. She slid down onto his shaft slowly as she smiled at him. "You ok there, son?" his dad asked after a pause. "Yeah, dad, doing just fine," Ben responded as Veronica asked for the phone. "Veronica wants to talk to you." "Good afternoon, Mr. Stone," Veronica said into the phone. "Ben was more than patient throughout the measuring process and very generous and attentive while we shopped for my outfits," she replied to a question Ben didn't hear as she moved her hips to grind her clit on his groin. "Actually I do have an answer for you and Holly; I fully accept the position you've offered me; I'm very satisfied with all of the terms and benefits. We've just overcome the final stumbling block and I'm very content with everything I see and feel. While we haven't come to a conclusion yet, I'm sure that we both will be pleased with the results. If Ben concurs with my assessment, then we have a deal." "Thank you Mr. Stone, I'll take very good care of him," Veronica replied. "Here's Ben." Ben took the phone in one hand while he thrust up into her while caressing her breast through the thin material. Veronica moaned, louder than Ben expected. "Hey Dad," he said. "So, Veronica has agreed to be your P.A. in all aspects," his dad said, sounding amused. "If you agree then we'll make it a five year deal with her. It sounds like she's enjoying herself. What do you think? Will she make a good assistant in all aspects of the position?" "I think she's in a great position to convince me to agree," Ben said, trying hard not to moan or laugh at all the double entendres. "I have a few things to verify with her this afternoon and but I think that I will be in a very receptive mood to approve of her selection." "Alright, let me know if anything precludes her confirmation tomorrow," his dad told him with a chuckle. "Enjoy your evening and don't worry about staying out late. Remember to make sure she enjoys it as much or more than you do. Call me if you're going to stay the night." "Thanks dad, talk to you later," Ben replied and hit the end button before putting the phone back on the nightstand. "So you're not convinced yet?" she asked as she ground herself hard onto his erection. "I need to do a thorough examination of our compatibility before I commit to a five year deal with you," he said before he kissed her. "Besides, you're wearing too many clothes to make a fair assessment of the physical evidence." She rolled her eyes at his antics as she pulled off the baby doll top, leaving them both in their underwear. He reached up and caressed her breasts before pulling her down so he could suck on her nipple with his mouth. Her hips started churning as she moaned into his ear. "That's nice Ben, you're making me so hot," she said before tonguing his ear. "Veronica, I'm not wearing a condom," he warned her. "It's ok, I'm on the pill and I had to have a full medical before they let me near you," she whispered. "Don't worry about not lasting long; I know you'll take care of me in a little while. I didn't expect you to be an expert on our first time. I'm enjoying this already." "You feel and look fantastic," he complimented her. "I can't believe a woman like you would want to be with me." "Besides being handsome, kind and a gentleman, I was happy to see you're blessed just like Holly said your dad was," she responded. "If I'm going to be with only you for the next five years, I needed to make sure you would be able to take care of me and wanted me as much as I wanted you." "Of course I want you but I don't want to tie each other up for five years," Ben said, slowing down. "Ben, I agreed not to be with other men for the next five years," she explained. "That's as far as the agreement goes. You are not bound by that and in fact your dad, Holly and I all encourage you to find a girlfriend away from Stone Inc. You and I will only get together here at work. Let's not talk right now. I'll explain everything later, I promise." "Alright," he agreed as he had cooled down enough to be in control again. That served him well as she started riding him. He watched her as she let herself go and just enjoyed making love to him. Ben continued to caress and pinch her nipples, causing her to quickly speed up as she moaned loudly while holding his hands to her breasts. "That's it, play with my nipples, they're so sensitive," she directed. Eventually she let go of his hands and placed hers on his chest, getting better leverage to let her really drive herself onto his hard cock. "So good, oh so good," she moaned. "You're going so deep and stretching me out. I can't believe how good you feel, Ben." "You are so tight around me, Veronica," Ben replied. "You feel fantastic and I love how you're riding me. I can't wait to feel you squeeze me even tighter when you cum for me." "I want you to shoot up deep inside me and make me scream," she said before leaning down to kiss him passionately. Ben grabbed her hips and started thrusting hard up into her while their tongues wrestled. She pushed down every time he thrust up into her so that her clit rubbed hard on his pelvis. It took only a couple frantic minutes of that to drive her over the top and scream into his mouth as her orgasm hit her hard. He found that she squeezed him so tight that he lost his control right after that and came hard with a few more thrusts deep inside her as he groaned loudly. "Oh God, oh God, that was so good," she repeated as her hips kept thrusting up and down. "I felt you cum deep inside me; it was so hot." "You squeezed me so tight I couldn't hold back anymore," he admitted as he hugged her tight. "That was amazing." They kissed for a bit and his hands gently explored her body. "Like what you feel?" she asked as she propped her head up with an elbow on his chest. "Very much so, you're in great shape as well as being beautiful," he replied. "Please tell me that this isn't a onetime happening." "Don't worry, I enjoy touching and looking at you just as much," she told him with a smile. "We're going to be enjoying this bed as often as we can. Remember you're my only source for this for a few years. I'm not that experienced but I'm not a prude. I think we will be very good for each other. I won't have to put up with jerks lying to me to get me to bed and you don't have to be frustrated with long intervals of going without while you date a teenage girlfriend." "And you're really good with sleeping with me as part of your job?" he asked. "I wasn't at first but Holly and I talked and explained all the benefits, over and above the excellent compensation and benefit package," Veronica said. "Now, if you had turned out to be a jerk and less than adequate in terms of some of your physical attributes, then I might have said no. How about you? Are you ok with me being your long term lover without getting too emotionally attached?" "I'm more than fine with us being lovers but I can't guarantee I won't get emotionally attached," he replied. "How could I not develop feelings for you over time? Already I care for you and your wellbeing." She caressed his face and gave him a sweet kiss before replying, "You're sweet and I care for you too, but it's imperative that you keep this in perspective. We want you to find a girlfriend and develop a relationship with her. We can never be a public couple. Holly and your father care deeply for each other but your dad married your mother and had a baby with her. The Stone men have always kept this separate from family and I'm ok with that. In five years when this contract runs out, we'll sit down and see if we both want it to continue. Your dad and Holly will stress this with you as they both have with me. I couldn't be with you if we both didn't care for each other but let's make sure that we keep it secret and relatively platonic." "I'll try my best but I won't just use you," he told her. "Is it ok if I use you when I feel the urge?" she asked with a grin. "That's very ok," he replied with a laugh. "Now, I'm under instructions to take you out for dinner, so let's get cleaned up and we'll go eat somewhere." "Just this once, since you're under command," she agreed. "After that, it won't look good to be seen out together at night." They decided to have a shower together and Ben enjoyed helping her get squeaky clean. "I don't think I've ever been cleaner," she said as he helped dry her off. "I'm nothing if not thorough," he told her. Ben went so far as to help her get dressed, taking his time with her undergarments. "You looked like you really enjoyed that," she observed. "You're a beautiful woman, I'll never get tired of doing that," he admitted. "I'd rather be taking them off but I'm happy just spending time exploring your body. Let me know when you get tired of my attention." "I'll let you in on a secret, women love it when their man pays attention to them," she confided. "You keep that up as long as you want, unless I'm in a hurry. Luckily I'm not that hungry or it would be a different story." He chuckled and quickly pulled on some clothes. They finished tidying up the bathroom and the bedroom before locking it and his office up for the night. They shut down the rest of the lights in the owner's hallway and used the stairs to get to the main floor. "Where would you like to eat?" he asked. "How about some Italian?" she suggested. "There is a small restaurant about five minutes from here by cab that is excellent." "Sounds good," Ben agreed. Veronica hailed a cab and they drove for a few minutes. They were let out right outside the La Bella restaurant and she led the way inside. "Veronica!" the hostess said with a smile. "It's good to see you, girlfriend!" "It's only been a couple weeks Donna, you don't have to act like I've left the country," Veronica responded with a roll of her eyes. The two friends hugged before Veronica turned to Ben. "Ben, this is Donna Mastronardi, I went to school with her at the U of T; her family owns this restaurant and three more around the GTA," she informed him. "It's very nice to meet you Donna, this looks like a wonderful restaurant," Ben said, shaking her hand. "It's nice to meet you Ben, are you the reason that Veronica hasn't called me in a couple of weeks, let alone come see me?" Donna asked with a grin. "I'm probably partially to blame, though not in the way you're thinking," Ben admitted. "Ben is my new boss at work, I'm his personal assistant and we've been very busy getting him up to speed," Veronica explained. "Still, a Saturday evening dinner date?" Donna asked with a raised eyebrow. "Oh stop it, we had a late day at the office and Ben insisted on feeding me for making me stay late," Veronica clued her in. "I thought it would be nice to see you and show Ben how good the food was here." "Well, you're right on both accounts," Donna replied. "It's good to see you and we do have excellent food and a very nice atmosphere. Let's get you two a quiet table and start fattening you up." They both laughed as she led the way to a secluded table before sending a waitress over to take their drink order. Veronica had a glass of red wine while Ben stuck with water. A pretty girl brought some bread and butter over and they munched on cut slices while they discussed the menu. Ben eventually decided on veal parmesan while Veronica went with chicken fettuccine Alfredo. Once the waitress left, Veronica turned the conversation to him. "So, now that you're this tall, handsome man, who do you have in mind to become your girlfriend?" she asked. "So asks the woman who I just had a shower with," Ben noted. "And it was a very nice shower but not the point," she retorted. "You need to put some thought into this so that you can get the jump on the other guys at the start of the year. There are probably a few girls you've had a crush on or at least fantasized about in the last couple of years, right?" "Of course," Ben agreed. "So now that you've grown up, wide and out, and you know how to treat a woman properly, you should have enough confidence in yourself to approach just about any high school girl," she explained. "If you can talk to me as an equal, surprise me with sexy lingerie and take me to heights not achieved by anyone other man, then it should be relatively easy to approach the girl of your dreams in a confident but easygoing manner. You know you can treat her right while not having to pressure her for more until she's ready." "Most of them can't hold a candle next to you," Ben responded. "Ben, I know I'm pretty and you could get infatuated with me but it's not in the cards," she told him. "Don't compare sixteen year old teenagers with a twenty year old woman. I'm sure there are some girls that are just as beautiful or will grow into their beauty in the next couple of years. Use the confidence I see in you now to take the first step to talk to someone who you've admired from a distance up to now." "There is this one girl who I've had a crush on since the first day of high school," Ben admitted. "Unfortunately, she's very pretty and the popular clique claimed her early. She's not a snob but they keep the riff raff and the nerds away from her." "You're neither so you'll have to find a way to approach her, preferably when she's alone but at least when only a couple of girls are with her," she instructed. "Even if she turns you down at first, still say hi to her every time you pass her in the hall or enter a class. I wouldn't ask her out the first time you approach her, just ask her how her summer went and what she's taking this semester. It's important to listen to what she says so she knows you're interested in her mind, not just her body." "I understand," Ben replied. "I'm not sure why this is so important to you." "I'm here to help you in all aspects of your life Ben, not just get you coffee in the morning and type your letters or get your dry cleaning," she explained. "To succeed in business, you have to be well rounded and confident in all of your abilities and not distracted by petty tiffs or arguments from girls, women or rivals for their affection. Now is the time to make mistakes and learn from them, not when you're making the decisions that affect hundreds of people." "I see your point," Ben responded. "I'll talk to her on Tuesday." "Excellent," she said. Their salads came out as the restaurant started to fill up. "Busy place," Ben noted. "All four of their restaurants do very well," Veronica told him. "Donna has been trying to convince her parents to grow but they're cautious about borrowing the money they'll need to finance the expansion." "Would it be something we would be interested in?" Ben asked. "Is that why we're dining here this evening?" She smiled and replied, "While I would never try to use my influence with you to garner help for my friends, it does bring up a good point. I want you to work up a pro versus con list on investing in a friend's, or friends of friends, potential projects. Have it ready for Wednesday afternoon along with as much information about the La Bella restaurant and your opinion on whether it would be a good investment for Stone Inc." Great, homework before I even start school," Ben replied with a pout. "Get used to it, there are never enough hours in the day at work to get everything done," she told him with a chuckle. Donna visited with them a couple times during their meal and even brought her father over to meet them after they finished their meal. After paying for the meal and Veronica promising to call Donna next week, they left the restaurant. "What time did you dad say you had to get home?" Veronica asked. "He said he didn't mind if I was out late and only to call him if I was staying overnight," Ben replied. "Really?" she asked with a wicked smile. "Yes really," he replied. "What do you have in mind?" "Care to see my apartment?" she asked. "Sure," he answered. "It's just down a few blocks," she told him and grabbed his hand before heading down the street. It took them ten minutes to get there. She lived above a variety store on the corner of a two storey older building with multiple stores at street level and apartments on the second. She unlocked the door leading to the stairway up to the second floor and led the way up the stairs before turning to the left. As she was unlocking her apartment door, Veronica said, "I apologize for the mess, I never imagined that I would be having my boss over." "No problem," Ben responded with a shrug. The apartment was nothing to write home about, but was much cleaner than she had led him to believe. She had him sit on a couch that had seen better days while she got him a bottle of water. "Give me a few minutes to straighten up the other rooms before I give you the tour, ok?" she requested. "Sure but don't worry about it so much, I'm sure it's fine," he told her. "I know it's not much but at least I usually keep it neat and tidy," she said before walking to the bathroom. He looked at the pictures on the table and then at a magazine as she finished in the bathroom and moved to the bedroom. Finally, he heard dishes being stacked and cupboards opening and closing in the kitchen. She had a slightly disheveled look to her when she finally plopped down beside him. "There, all ready for inspection," she announced. "And you look half worn out, silly woman," he responded. "At least you will see it as it usually is," she said. "Care to look around?" "Sure," he said and pulled her up after getting up first. "This is the kitchen," she said once inside the door. The appliances were old as was the table, but it was neat and tidy. "Very neat and clean," he said. "Shall I look for the dirty dishes in the oven?" "Never you mind," she replied before leading the way out. "This is the bathroom." "A very adequate bathroom it is," Ben remarked. "Enough said," she agreed and moved on to the last room in the small apartment. "Here is the nerve centre of the place, the bedroom, never before seen by male eyes except relatives while I've lived here." "I'm flattered," he said as he looked around. "It's very cute and feminine." "I'm glad you like it," she said, pulling him inside. "This time I want you to undress me." "It would be my pleasure," Ben replied. He took his time unbuttoning her blouse and taking it and her bra off. She bit her lip when he bent down to nibble on her nipples before kissing his way down her stomach. Once he got her pants undone, he pulled them down while kissing his way down to the top of her very skimpy panties. He looked up into her lust-filled eyes as he slowly dragged them off her lips and down her scrumptious legs. After she stepped out her pants and underwear, she spread her legs just enough for him to have enough room to lean in and lick her already open lips. He used one hand to open her up while the other held her steady by her hip. Ben heard her moan as her hands entwined in his hair and directed his head to get his mouth to where she wanted it to be. It only took her a couple minutes to get worked up. "I have to sit down before I fall down, sweetie," she told him as she gently pushed his head back. She sat onto the bed and took a quick minute to help him undress. She swung her legs up onto the bed and beckoned him with a finger. Ben grinned and was quickly back into place between her legs. She pulled him up for an open mouth kiss first and then pushed him down with a grin. "You're doing a very good job so let's continue," she said. She again directed his efforts until he knew what she liked. Once they were on the same page, he used a finger and tongue to drive her to not one but two orgasms. Her heels drummed on his back as her thighs tried to crush his head when she finally came the second time. When she finally released him, she pulled him up and planted kisses on his lips while licking his face off. "Hmm, I do taste good," she remarked with a pleased smile. "And you were very good at that." "You taste fantastic and I love the way you're so responsive," Ben told her. "Thank you for letting me do that for you." "I'm supposed to thank you, not the other way around," she protested. "Now should I return the favour?" "I'd rather just go right to the source," Ben replied, as he made sure his very stiff erection rubbed though her juices. "Oh, someone feels very ready," she said as she reached between them to grasp him. She rubbed her clit with the head until she was panting and then placed it at her opening. "Ok, slowly," she commanded as she let go and reached around to grab his bum. He pushed in slowly as she directed and sighed as she enveloped him into her tight passage. Once he was all the way in, she wrapped her arms and legs around him. "You feel so good inside me and on top of me," she whispered before nibbling on his ear. "It just doesn't get better than this," he said, looking down at her. "Oh, it gets better," she assured him as she moved her hips a bit. "My mistake, that feels even better," he agreed. They both were content to go slow for a while but the normal urges eventually required that they move at a faster pace. "That's it, honey, faster now," she urged him. "You feel so good inside me." She didn't have to tell him twice as he took off the restraints and thrust both faster and harder into her. "Oh yeah, that's the ticket," she said as her hips went into overdrive as well, thrusting back at him. "Fuck me Ben, I'm getting close." Ben watched her face as she got lost in the sensations of her body. Her eyes started to flutter as her mouth opened wide in a silent 'O'. Surprisingly, while he was enjoying their lovemaking, he wasn't close to going over the top. As per the advice from others, he was determined to make sure that she got off before he did. He changed the angle of his penetration so that his cock grazed her clit on the way in and that immediately made her buck harder on every thrust and soon her hips went wild. She screamed and thrust hard up at him a few times as she moaned at each thrust until her back finally gave out and she collapsed onto the bed. "Oh my God!" she said when she opened her eyes. "I've created a monster." "You looked like you really enjoyed that," Ben remarked as he smiled down at her. "I did, very much so," Veronica agreed. "Good, so did I," he told her. "Oh, you're still hard," she observed as she squeezed him with her internal muscles and moved her hips. "You didn't cum yet?" "I wanted to make sure you did first," he answered. "It wasn't easy but I'm glad I could watch you when you did rather than lose all control." "Shall we continue then?" she asked with a grin. "Would you like to try a new position or have me take care of you another way?" "Only if you're up to it, you look a bit wiped out," he answered. "Just like you making sure I was well taken care of, a well satisfied woman likes to make sure her man is equally happy so he's willing to do it again," she educated him. "Let's try a new position I know you'll like as much as I do." She urged him to get off of her and then rolled onto her stomach. Once she rose up onto her knees, he knew exactly where he had to be. Her exquisite ass beckoned him close as he first caressed her cheeks before slipping a hand between them to find her wet slit. Her back arched, forcing her pussy into his hand. "That's the place," she said with a moan as she turned her head to look at him with a lustful look on her face. "Come on, I'm still horny for you." He quickly got into position and guided his erection right into her very wet and inviting pussy. "Damn, you're coming out my mouth," she said when he finally slide home. "Wow, that feels fantastic," he said, still buried inside her. She wiggled her ass around for a few seconds and then pulled forward before thrusting backwards to impale herself on his shaft. Ben got in the act and started thrusting back and forth while holding her hips lightly. This time Ben didn't hold anything back and quickly got up to speed. Luckily, she as just as hot and didn't mind his urgency. "I'm close Veronica," he said after a few minutes. "Hold off just a bit, I'm getting there to," she begged. "Make me cum one more time Ben." "I don't know if I can," he said, though he started imaging pictures of zombies in his head to slow his eventual climax. "Just a little longer, sweetie," she urged as she started thrusting hard back at him. "I'll owe you big time if you make me cum again." Ben reached underneath her and found her very firm breast and started pinching her nipples. "Oh God, that's it," she shouted as her hips went into overdrive. Ben just held on for the ride and was successful in waiting her out. When she screamed and clamped down on him, that was it for him. He pushed through her tight internal muscles and let loose when he was as far inside her as possible. "Oh, I feel it!" she shrieked and her hips moved to help her pussy milk him dry. She collapsed onto her stomach and he pulled out and lay beside her. "Damn woman, you're a wild woman," he said, reaching over to caress her back. She turned her head and gave him a tired smile. "I can't move a muscle," she said. "Call your dad and tell him you're staying over before I fall asleep." "Alright," Ben agreed and got up to look for his phone. After picking up their clothes and putting them on a nearby chair, he placed the call, noting it was almost ten. "Hey Ben, decided to stay the night?" his dad asked. "Yeah dad, we went to dinner at a nice Italian restaurant and then walked to her apartment," Ben told him. "I'm going to stay the night and grab a taxi home in the morning if that's ok?" "Sure, no problem," his dad agreed. "Have a good night and I'll see you in the morning." "Good night," Ben replied and hung up. "All set?" she mumbled. "Yep," Ben answered. "Want something to drink?" "Water would be good," she replied. Ben brought back a couple bottles and joined her in the bed. She briefly took a couple of sips before handing hers back to him. "Thanks," she said. "Wake me before nine and don't leave before then." Ben nodded and she smiled before saying good night as she moved close to his side. Veronica was breathing deeply a minute later, fast asleep. It took Ben only a few minutes more to join her. ------- Chapter 7 Ben was sitting on Veronica's couch watching TSN when she finally came out of the bedroom around eight thirty on Sunday morning. She was wearing a fluffy robe and her hair was all in disarray but she still looked like the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. "Good morning beautiful," he said with a smile. "Good morning, Ben," Veronica replied with a bigger smile. She came over and leaned down to give him a kiss, one he happily returned. "Do I smell coffee?" she asked. "I tried to figure out your coffee maker but I'm not sure if I did it correctly," he admitted. "Hopefully it's drinkable." "Let me go check," she said and walked to the kitchen. "Not bad at all," she told him when she came back. "Did you want a cup?" "No thanks, I don't drink coffee," he answered. "I don't like the taste." "So how long have you been up?" the beautiful blonde asked after sitting down beside him. "Since about six," he told her. "I always get up at six, even on the weekends." "It sucks to be you," she said, shaking her head. "Thanks for letting me sleep in. I usually catch up on my sleep on the weekends." "I hope you don't mind that I took a shower, but I didn't want to head home dirty," he told her. "No problem, I'm glad you did or you dad would have thought less of me," she replied. "So what is on your agenda for the day?" he asked. "After I drink this, I'm going to have a shower and then head to my parent's house in Ajax," she informed him. "I'll stay there until Tuesday morning and head right into the office from there. What about you?" "I'll head home and see what my dad has planned for us today," Ben replied. "On Monday, I'll work on finishing the legal report online and then start on your assignment. Do you have any information about Donna's company or do I just try to find out what I can online?" "Do what you can to find out the information but if you don't have any luck, let me know on Tuesday and I'll send you what I have," she answered. "Ok, thanks," he said. "I should call a taxi so you can get cleaned up and on your way. How are you getting to Ajax anyway?" "I'll grab a bus up to the go train and take it to Scarborough and then grab a taxi to my parent's place," she said. "That's going to take a while," Ben remarked. "Want to share my taxi and I'll pay for the rest of the trip?" "That's sweet but I'm used to it," she replied. "I won't be ready for another hour so you go ahead." He frowned but went ahead and called the cab company who said it would be about ten minutes. "Ten minutes," he told her. "Good, come here a minute," she said, putting her coffee down. She pulled him close and gave him a much more passionate kiss. "I had a wonderful day with you yesterday, Ben Stone," she told him. "I think I hit the jackpot when I agreed to this deal. I can't wait until Wednesday afternoon to continue getting to know you better. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did." "I had an equally great time with you, Veronica Terrence," Ben assured her. "They couldn't have picked a better person to match up with me. I'm afraid I'm going to be thinking about you all weekend until I see you on Wednesday." "A little daydreaming is ok, but focus on your assignments, especially the one to talk to that girl," she said. "Yes Ma'am," he replied and ducked away from her punch. "Ok, you better get your shoes on, they'll wake the whole building honking their horn for you," she instructed. She followed him to the door and kissed him again. He slipped his hands under the robe and pulled her tight by her ass. "Enjoy your weekend Veronica and I'll see you Wednesday," he said after a final kiss. She wiggled against him before letting him go, saying, "You too Ben. Good luck on Tuesday." He nodded and slipped out the door. He walked down the steps and only had a five minute wait for the cab. On the trip home up Yonge Street, he played back his day with her and was pretty darn pleased with himself when he got out of the car. He paid the fare and used his key to get inside the house. "Hey dad," Ben said when he found him in his office. "Hi Ben, enjoy your night with Veronica?" his dad asked. "Very much, she's a wonderful woman," Ben replied. "And before you caution me on getting too attached, I'll try my best but I can't keep from caring about her. She's already making sure I talk to the girls at school to try to get one as my girlfriend." "Good for her," his father said. "I won't bother trying to tell you not to care for her, just don't spend all of your time thinking about her or in the bedroom when you're at the office." "Don't worry, she'll keep me in line," Ben replied. "I already have assignments from her that are due Wednesday." His dad chuckled as Ben decided how to say what he wanted without seeming infatuated with the beautiful woman. "I know this will sound like I'm fallen head over heels about her but I'm not saying this just because we spent a night together," Ben started. "Ok, I'll assume you're thinking with your big head and not your little one," his dad replied with a grin. "Veronica lives in a small one bedroom apartment on Queens over a variety store," he said. "She also uses the bus to get back and forth to work and this morning she's going to take the GO train all the way to her parent's house in Ajax. I was thinking that I could either use some of my grandfather's money to buy her a used car or let her use mine if it's just going to sit for eight months. I'm not knocking the car, it's an incredible gift. I just think that if we're going to work together for five years I'd like her to be safe to and from work. A better apartment or condo would be something I would like to help with as well but I don't know how you feel about either issue." "I'm proud of you son, you're thinking of her wellbeing already and are willing to use your own money to help," his dad said. "Just so you know, I lease Holly a new car every two years and she lives in one of our condominium buildings near the office. Holly has been itching to get Veronica out of her apartment since we moved her into her new position so she'll be happy to hear how quickly you brought it up." "I'm glad to hear that we'll all on the same page on this," Ben said with relief. "Ben, even if I disagreed with you, your money from your grandparents is yours to do with as you will," his dad told him, "unless, you start being an idiot with it of course. Holly will finalize the arrangements for the condo starting Tuesday; she already has a furnished one set aside for her. As for the car, I'll instruct Holly to have a similar car like she has, though in Veronica's favorite colour, parked in her spot on Wednesday afternoon. Holly and you can surprise her with it and then she can follow Holly to the new building and the three of you can see the new condo. Sound good?" "Sounds great dad," Ben agreed. "Thanks for doing that for her." "No problem, it's sort of tradition that Stone fathers do this for their sons," his dad said. "Anything else we need to talk about?" "I don't think so," Ben answered. "You're off tomorrow for Europe, right?" "Yes, I'll be gone for up to two weeks," his dad replied. "You have school, homework, driving lessons and time at Stone Inc. to keep you busy and hopefully out of trouble. I'll be in Greece most of the time and Holly can get a hold of me if you need me." "Alright, good luck with the negotiations," Ben said. "I'm going to do some reading in my room. I'll see you for lunch." "Alright, before you go up, can you take out something from the freezer so we can barbeque one last time," his dad suggested. Ben nodded and pulled out a couple steaks from the freezer and put them on a cookie sheet to thaw before heading upstairs. The rest of the Sunday was a pretty typical day with both Stone men busy with their own affairs. They had some toasted tomato sandwiches for lunch and discussed his assignment for a few minutes but then his dad had to continue his research for his upcoming negotiations. Ben finished reading the legal department's quarterly report and then took a break to go online and see what there was to do on a date besides the normal dinner and a movie. He looked up the various shows and musicals in case Madison showed an interest; that is if she even talked to him. After playing on his computer for an hour or two, Ben went downstairs and rinsed off the steaks before spicing and marinating them in some red wine. He covered them up and went downstairs to work out for an hour and found his dad starting the barbeque when he came back up around five. "Thanks for marinating the steaks Ben," his dad said. "They should taste great." "No problem," Ben replied. "I'm just going to take a quick shower and then I'll come down and help." "Ok, maybe you can make a salad," his dad suggested. Ben had a very quick shower and quickly made a Caesar salad in the kitchen while his dad handled the steaks and potato patties out on the patio. Since it was a nice day, Ben brought the dishes and silverware out to the patio table and then brought the drinks and salad out. "Just in time," his dad said. "I think we're just about done here." Ben brought over a tray and held it while his dad loaded it up. After shutting off the barbeque, his dad joined him at the table. "Good idea to eat out here, we don't use it nearly enough," his dad said as they divvied up the food. "Between the heat and the bugs, it's only a couple months we can sit out here and not get fried or eaten alive," Ben responded. "True," his dad agreed. Their back yard had a high fence around it as well as a few mature trees to hide the view from the neighbours. It took only a half hour to cut both the front and back with a push mower, usually once a week. The cement patio had a couple loungers and some planters and that was about it. They were quiet while they ate but stayed out on the patio when they finished. "Anything we need to talk about before I leave?" his dad asked. "I don't think so, we'll both be pretty busy for the next couple of weeks and I'm sure Veronica and Holly will help if I need anything," Ben replied. They talked a bit about what he was going to take in school this semester, math, English, history and biology and then discussed the driving lessons. "Ok, let's go inside before we get eaten alive," his dad said when the mosquitoes descended upon them. After doing the dishes, Ben watched a movie before heading to bed. The Stone men got up at their usual time on Monday morning, Labour day in Canada and the States. His father's flight left at nine so his dad was packed and dressed already, just sipping on his coffee while reading the paper at the table. Ben had his usual cereal and looked at the sections that his dad had finished. "Alright, time for me to go, my ride should be here in a few minutes," his dad announced, folding the paper. They got up and headed to the front door. "Alright, have a good first day of school tomorrow," his dad said, giving him a quick hug. "Have a safe flight and good luck with your negotiations," Ben replied. His dad nodded and opened the door. The small limo was already in the driveway so Ben helped with carrying his dad's luggage to the trunk. After a handshake with his dad, Ben watched him drive off before heading back inside. Ben spent a good portion of the day researching the La Bella restaurants but not finding much to use to base a decision on. He also did some research on investing, especially in companies where you knew the participants. With that information, plus some of the points his dad made, Ben wrote up a pro/con list for his assignment. Later in the afternoon he worked out and played on his computer until it was time for super. After heating up some leftovers, he packed his backpack for school tomorrow and then picked out his clothes. He watched a movie on TV before heading to bed, looking forward to a new year of school. ------- Chapter 8 Ben got to school early on Tuesday morning and claimed a locker close to his first period math class. Once he put away his bag and jacket, he grabbed a notepad and a pen as well an article on investing in mom and pop expansions before putting his combination lock on the locker. Moving down the hall to the math room, he leaned on the wall just outside the door and started to read the article he had printed out yesterday. It was several pages long and filled with technical terms he had to look up on the internet via his phone. The halls started filling with students from all grades but he was engrossed in the reading until Jim Thomas and Tom Witt, good friends of his, came up to him. "Got a Penthouse hiding under there Ben?" Jim asked. "You're missing all the cute new girls, man." "Hey guys," Ben said, looking up with a grin. "Just reading an article for an assignment I have." "You have homework already?" Tom asked, obviously puzzled. "Not for school, I started interning at the company headquarters a couple days a week," Ben explained as he put the article back into the notepad. "So, how were your holidays?" The friends discussed each other's time away from school for a bit before Tom asked about Ben's physical changes. Ben noted that a group of girls from their class were standing close enough to hear what they were saying so he made light of it. "Spinach," Ben stated, looking serious. "What about spinach?" Jim asked. "I ate lots of spinach and voila, instant height and weight gain," Ben told him. "You should try it." "Yeah right," Tom responded. "More like steroids." "Nope, all natural," Ben insisted. "You two look taller as well." "Maybe a bit, not inches like you," Jim stated. "Shit, you could probably be a jock now." "I've got no time for that; what with homework, interning, driving lessons and taking care of the house, there's not much time left in the day," Ben explained. He spotted Madison as she came walking up to the classroom. She joined Laura and Peggy on the other side of the hallway and he admired her slim figure in simple skinny jeans and a tee shirt. He looked over at her from time to time and liked that she kept herself somewhat apart when the jocks joined their group. Mr. James, their teacher, came soon after to open the door to the classroom. The students followed him in and Ben and his friends grabbed seats over by the window in a group. After the usual signing in on a seating chart, getting a course outline and a textbook, the teacher went through the first chapter, basically a review of the minimum knowledge required to continue on with the course. "Ok, time for a quiz to see where everyone is at," Mr. James announced with twenty minutes to go. "If you don't do well, you'll have to put in a lot of extra effort to catch up or decide to move to the lower math class. You have fifteen minutes, starting as soon as everyone has a copy." He handed out a bundle to the head of each row and waited until everyone in the back received one before saying, "Begin." Ben and his friends had no trouble with the quiz, finishing it in less than ten minutes. Ben looked it over and waited quietly until the teacher called time and passed it forward. "Ok, I'll mark them tonight and tomorrow I'll discuss options with those who didn't do well," he said just before the buzzer rang. "Do questions one through seven at the end of the first chapter for tomorrow." Most of the class moved on as a group to English, as it was a required class with only a couple of the jocks going to a different class. As poetry and Shakespeare weren't his cup of tea, English was the yearly bane of his high school career. Public speaking wasn't high of his list of happy things to do either but he hoped his new found confidence would help in that regard. The teacher handed out copies of the class outline and a copy of Romeo and Juliet. He was thinking about his assignment for work when Mrs. Hungler called upon him to answer a question about Romeo and Juliet. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Hungler, can you repeat the question?" Ben asked politely. "Perhaps you should pay better attention, rather than daydreaming about the girls in the class?" she asked. "While the girls in the class are certainly deserving of my daydreams, I was unfortunately thinking about an assignment for work," Ben said. "Again I apologize and it won't happen again. Could you repeat your question please?" "You have an assignment on how to better flip burgers perhaps?" she snidely asked, garnering much laughter from the class. Ben stayed outwardly calm while steaming inside. He kept quiet rather than telling her where he worked, though he wanted to rub it in so bad. "No witty comment or comeback?" she asked when he stayed quiet. "No Mrs. Hungler," he replied. "Pay attention in my class, boys and girls," she said before moving on. After class let out, Jim and Tom caught up with him in the hallway. "What a bitch," Tom said angrily. "I'm surprised you didn't tell her off," Jim added. "It's a battle I'd never win," Ben told them. "Unfortunately I need the class to graduate so I have to let it slide. It's not worth the effort to get her back as much as I'd like to." "We'll have to come up with a way, but for now we have to head to chess club so we'll see you in biology," Tom told him. "See ya later," Ben replied and they split up. Ben joined the line in the cafeteria and eventually came out with a burger and fries with gravy. Most of the tables were taken but he found a seat in the back and quickly downed the meal while doing his math homework. He got most of it finished before heading to history class. The door was locked so he leaned on the wall and pulled out the article to continue reading it. From time to time he looked up and discretely admired some of the girls as they walked past. On one of his quick looks he noticed Madison coming down the hall, surprisingly free from the rest of the popular pack. "Hi Madison," Ben said when she stopped close enough to be greeted. "Hi," she replied, obviously surprised he greeted her. "Did you have a good summer?" he asked, determined to take advantage of the absence of her friends. "I had to take care of my little sisters so not really," she admitted. "You?" "It was ok, nothing exciting either," Ben replied. "You seem to have lost your groupies." "Laura and Penny have French this period," she told him. "Your posse is missing as well." "I don't have a posse, but Jim and Tom have Chemistry this period," he informed her. "I don't have that until next semester." The traffic in the hall got too much to talk to each other across the hall but the teacher, Miss Murray, came along about then to open the classroom and let them in. Ben sat in the desk beside Madison and while she didn't make a big deal about it, she didn't seem perturbed either. He caught her looking at the article that he had been reading as he had left it on top of his notepad until class began. Miss Murray was in her mid-twenties and still not jaded which showed in her enthusiasm for her subject and how she presented history to them. After handing out the outline and the textbook, she used lots of visual slides from a laptop attached to a projector to begin the lesson on the War of 1812 as it was the two hundredth anniversary of the war. The combination of her cheerful and witty lecturing with the slides illustrating her point made the dry material come to life and kept the students' interest. They hardly groaned when she gave out the homework. Without making a big deal about it, Ben walked beside Madison to their biology class. "She's a good teacher, she makes it interesting," Ben remarked. "For sure, I usually fall asleep in classes where it's all about memorizing and regurgitating dates and names," she agreed. "I don't need a repeat of what Mrs. Hungler did to you in English class." She grinned at him while he rolled his eyes and replied, "Yeah, she made me look like a fool. Shakespeare and poetry make my eyes glaze over especially as she's no Miss Murray in her teaching style." "I thought you were going to get angry but you were very polite," she noted. "I would have been mad at what she said and at the class for laughing but you looked very calm." "Oh, I wanted to say something but the class is required so I controlled myself, barely," Ben told her. "I hired a hit squad at lunch so I'm expecting we'll have a substitute starting tomorrow." "I wish," was all she said in reply. They turned the corner and he heard her mutter 'damn' when she saw Brad, Lance and Peter Vasily standing with Laura and Penny outside the biology class. "Oh look, someone has plans to be your lab partner," Ben said quietly, taking a chance that she wasn't enthralled with the jocks. She stopped out of listening range and turned to look at him. "Just because they hang out with Laura and Penny doesn't mean I enjoy their company," Madison insisted. "I'm glad to hear it, because I'd like to enjoy your company," Ben said. She looked at him, clearly shocked. "Ok, who are you and what have you done with the shy Ben Stone who's been staring at me for the past two years?" she asked. "I just matured a bit over the summer," Ben answered with a shrug. "Maybe you can be my lab partner rather than one of them," she offered. "Deal," he agreed quickly. "That was quick," she noted. "It's all part of my plan," he said with a grin. "First lab partners, next its help with Romeo and Juliet." "Ah, now I know how devious you are," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not sure if I'm getting an even return in this deal." "Remember that while one of them drools on you while you're dissecting a frog," Ben told her. "Fine, we have a deal," she said with a frown. "This should get interesting." Without waiting for a response, she started walking again as everyone started filing into the classroom. Ben followed her into the classroom and found a desk next to her away from her group. Jim and Tom were giving him impressed looks from nearby but Ben just ignored them and put his books underneath his chair. "What was that you were reading anyway?" she asked, seeing him slip the article to the back of a textbook. "Just an article on investing," he replied quietly. She just arched an eyebrow at him rather than ask the obvious question. "I'm interning at a company and have an assignment," he explained. The teacher, Mr. Purcell, handed out the textbook and the obligatory course outline. After explaining some of the things they would be doing as hands-on work, he bade the class to choose partners, showing them the sign-up sheet on the side wall. He let them know it had better be done for next class or he would assign partners to those without. The rest of the class was a lecture on single cell organisms with accompanying slides on the projector. He promised they would all get a look at them under a microscope in tomorrow's class. After assigning reading in the textbook and answering questions in the back of the first chapter, they were dismissed. Madison walked over to the signup sheet and wrote down their names before leaving the room. Ben didn't have a chance to talk to her as she had disappeared from view when he finally made it out of the room. "Dude, what's up with you and the goddess?" Jim asked. "I agreed to be her lab partner to keep the Cro-Magnon boys away from her and she helps me with English," Ben told them. "Right on!" Tom enthused. "She is by far the best looking girl in school." "She certainly is," Ben agreed. "Listen, I have to head out for driving lessons so I'll talk to you two tomorrow, ok?" "Sure, see you in math," Jim replied. Ben grabbed the rest of his books and left the school, heading towards the CAA office on Lawrence Avenue west on the other side of Yonge Street. It took him fifteen minutes to get there but his lesson didn't start until three so he was still early. Once inside, the secretary had him fill out some paperwork and then sent him down the hall. The first day was a review of the safety rules of the road in a classroom and only a short lesson sitting in the car to learn all the operating instructions and how to adjust the seats, mirrors, wipers and even the climate and radio controls. The instructor, a middle aged man named Hank, let him drive around the small course set up in the parking lot and also showed him how to park the car a couple of times before the time was up. Ben tackled his homework when he got home, quickly finishing math before moving on to history and then biology. He then made a couple toasted egg sandwiches before continuing with Veronica's assignment. It took him another hour to draft something up that had looked presentable and had enough substance not to embarrass him. He sent both the pro/con list and his presentation to her company email to review in the morning. After a workout, he took a shower and got through the first Act of Romeo and Juliet while in bed until he fell asleep. Wednesday morning he was reading the next chapter in the math textbook while leaning on the wall next to the classroom when Jim and Tom joined him. "So, how did you start talking to the goddess in the first place?" Jim asked. "I just said hi and then asked her how her summer was," Ben told them. "Nothing special but then we started talking and I sat beside her in history and biology." "You are the man!" Tom said. "No, I just talked to her like she's a normal person," Ben corrected him. "She took off right after class without saying goodbye so don't read anything into it." The popular clique, minus Madison arrived and the looks they threw at Ben weren't friendly to say the least. The teacher arrived before Madison did so neither the group or Ben could talk to her when she slipped into class just before the buzzer. "Ok, I marked the quizzes and anyone who didn't get over seventy come see me while everyone is working on some questions later in class," Mr. James told them. "And while I'm handing these out, you can give me your homework." Ben pulled out his completed homework and passed it over when the teacher handed him his quiz. "Very good, Mr. Stone," Mr. James said quietly as he handed over the test and moved on. Ben had a quick look at the mark and say he earned a ninety-eight percent on the quiz. He slipped it into his notebook and looked around to see that his friends had done just as well while the jocks weren't very pleased with their results. When everyone had their test, Mr. James continued on with the next chapter and with twenty minutes to go, let the class start their homework while he met with the students who didn't do well. Ben was happy to see that Madison wasn't one of them and then concentrated on completing the questions so he didn't have to do math homework after getting home late from the office. Laura and Peggy bracketed Madison on the way to English so there was no chance to speak to her in between classes. In English, Mrs. Hungler tried to catch him napping by asking him several questions but he made sure that he was paying attention. He was glad he had read ahead last night but he was going to have to do some research so he would understand what Shakespeare was actually trying to say. Mrs. Hungler assigned the rest of the first act to be read plus a one page essay on it due tomorrow. Jim and Tom sat with him at lunch and went on about the bitchiness of Mrs. Hungler before pestering Ben about Madison. "Guys, all I did was talk to her, it's not as if I'm going out with her," Ben protested. "She didn't even say goodbye and hasn't looked at me let alone talk to me today. Would I like to go out with her? Of course, but don't hold your breath waiting for it to happen." "If anyone can do it, it has to be you," Tom stated. "You're tall enough and much better off than anyone else." "If she wants to go out with me because I live in a decent house in Lawrence Park, then I don't want to go out with her," Ben said. "If any of the girls knew your dad was the owner of Stone Inc., you would have a dozen of them vying for your attention." Jim said. "All the more reason to keep that quiet," Ben said with a scowl. "Relax, no one can hear us," Jim told him. "No need to bring it up either," Ben persisted. "Fine, mums the word," Jim agreed. They talked about other things before the two left for chemistry while he headed to history. Madison had beaten him to the classroom and was leaning on the wall beside the door, reading a textbook. "Hi Madison," Ben said. "Hey Ben," she replied, looking up from her book for a second and then returning to her reading. Ben was puzzled about her behaviour, to say the least. Her quick departure after school and now basically ignoring him made him wonder about her. He pulled out the history textbook and started reading the next chapter until Miss Murray came to let the class in. Ben sat beside Madison but she acted as if he didn't exist, just like the last two years. He shrugged internally and paid attention to the teacher. At the end of class, he took longer to pack up and she headed out of the room without waiting for him. He enjoyed watching her lovely derriere in her tight jeans as he trailed her to the biology class. She joined her friends and went inside, the guys following the three girls. Ben just shrugged at Jim and Tom as they entered soon after. After collecting the homework, Mr. Purcell had them find their partners and pick a workstation which would become their station for the duration of the semester. Ben was surprised when Madison said to him, "Let's pick one over there." She pointed to one closest to the front of the room, consequently farthest away from her friends. Ben shrugged and followed her over to the workstation. "So we're still going to be partners?" he asked. "Sure, didn't we agree yesterday?" Madison asked, obviously puzzled. "Other than saying hi after lunch, you haven't acknowledged my existence all day," Ben pointed out. "Are you sure you don't want to work with one of your friends instead?" "I need to get a good grade in this class so I'd rather work with you," Madison replied in a whisper. "I told them that was why I picked you so they would stop bugging me and not harass you. We just have to be seen not talking outside of this class for a bit and they'll leave us alone." "Jesus, some friends you have there," Ben told her, shaking his head. "There are pros and cons to everything," she said before the teacher had everyone quiet down. They worked on the assignment, cataloguing the various organisms on slides under the microscope, comparing them to pictures in their textbook. They finished fairly quickly and handed in their paper with their results. As it was the last class of the day, the teacher let them out of the class when they were done. "I have five minutes to talk before I have to go pick up my sisters," Madison said when they were down the hall enough not to be heard. "Walk with me to my locker and I'll explain." Ben just continued to walk beside her. "Look, I don't have the luxury of just breezing through school and just squeaking into university," she began. "My mom barely makes enough to keep the debt collectors from coming to the door every month. So I need to earn a scholarship or I go to college at night while working for minimum wage. I'm doing well in most subjects but math and science aren't my strong points. So, you help me with science and I'll help you with English. Do we have a deal?" "How about I include some help with math and you talk to me like a friend during school," Ben proposed. "Look Ben, I've got nothing against you but the rest of my friends don't want me hanging out with you," Madison explained. "So are we going to meet like spies after school to do our homework?" Ben asked sarcastically. "I leave school right after the bell rings so I can walk to my sisters' school and bring them home," she informed him. "My mom works late five nights a week and on Saturdays so I handle feeding them, help them do their homework, make sure they take a bath and go to bed on time. Then I get to do my homework." "So we can't meet after school, are you proposing doing it at lunch?" Ben asked. "That doesn't leave much time to work on three subjects." "I thought we could do it over the phone at night," she replied as she opened her locker and started packing her bag with her books. "It would work for some things but it certainly won't be as good as being right beside each other so I can show you how to do some of the math," he responded. "I guess we can give it a shot but I think you'll find we'll need to actually meet once in a while." They exchanged contact information and spent a minute adding each other as a contact in their phones. "Ok, I'll call you when I'm available," she said. "Is there any time your parents won't want me to call?" "No, there's only my dad and he's in Europe for a couple of weeks," Ben said. "Call me anytime, even if you get a few minutes during the evening to work on something." "I might do that," Madison told him. "Thanks for this Ben; I know it's not the best but I swear I'm not trying to take advantage of you. I'm not like the others, really." "We'll see," Ben replied. "I'm not going to pretend not to know you while we're all in four classes together this semester. If you're going to ignore me then don't bother calling; I can muddle through English by myself." She sighed as she put on her jacket and then shut the door. "Fine, we can talk to each other but you know how they are, I'm sure the guys will be warning you to keep your distance if they see us getting friendly," she told him. "I'll deal with that when it happens," Ben said. "I'm no longer the short, skinny nerd they love to target. I don't know why you think they are so special anyway. If they don't make it playing hockey, they'll be hard pressed to get into university." She looked around before whispering, "Don't you think I know that? Why do you think I've stayed away from them as much as I could? There are pros and cons with everything. I have to go; I'll call you tonight." "I won't be home until later on Wednesdays as I go downtown for my internship," he told her. "I can still help you over the phone but not as much." "Fine, call me when you're home then," she said before turning away. She walked away and Ben stood there for a minute watching her until she turned exited out the doors at the end of the hall. "There is more there than just a pretty face," he mused as walked to his locker room. He left the high school and walked to the CAA office. This time they spent most of the time in the back parking lot, showing Ben how to hold the steering wheel correctly, look over his shoulder, how to use the turn signal before changing lanes and more parking. After the lesson was done, he caught a cab downtown to the office. "Good afternoon, Miss Jones," Ben said to the receptionist. "Good afternoon, Mr. Stone," Vicky replied with a big smile. "It's nice to see you again. Remember to call me if you need anything." Ben nodded and continued on towards the elevator. "Good afternoon Felix," Ben greeted the big man. "Good afternoon, Mr. Stone," Felix replied. "It's Ben, Felix, my dad isn't here today," Ben said. "Sure, Mr. Stone," Felix answered with a grin. Ben shook his head as he got into the elevator as a cute woman left. Both Felix and Ben watched her walk out of the lobby before Ben pushed the button for the fourth floor. Once up on the floor, he walked down the main hallway, smiling at the women and nodding to the men he met on the way. After using the keycard and passcode on the glass door to the Stone hallway, he entered and stopped at Holly's office. "Hi Holly," Ben greeted the woman. "Hello Ben, I'm glad you're here, we have a busy afternoon ahead of us," she greeted him. "Let's get Veronica and get started." She led the way to Veronica's office and said, "He's finally here." "Hey Ben, we've been dying to show you your finished office," the beautiful blonde told him as she got up. She was in a short skirt and snug blouse, both of which he had helped pick out on Saturday. "Good afternoon Veronica, you're both looking radiant this afternoon," Ben responded. "I like the outfit." "Yes, yes, she's gorgeous, now on to more important things," Holly said. "Onto your office and then you two have to help me with something at my condo." "Alright, keep your knickers on," Ben said and led the way next door. He used his card to unlock the door and walked into a totally new room. "Wow," was all he could say as he looked around. "She did an excellent job, don't you think?" Holly asked. "Yes, it's perfect," Ben said, looking at the two of them. "You both did. Thanks so much for doing this." The two women beamed in satisfaction and then showed him around for the next ten minutes. New blinds and carpeting brightened up the rooms, modern paintings on the walls were illuminated by new track lighting in the ceiling and the new sitting area looked very fashionable with the leather couch and chairs but also comfortable. The conference table and chairs were what every Bay Street executive wished he could have and the electronic systems: conference phone, projector, electrical outlets and network connections for laptops, were state of the art and hidden from view. Ben moved to his desk and sat in the high backed leather chair as he continued to look around. The modern desk was simplistic in its design but complimented the conference table as there were no electronic connections visible. The matching hutch behind his chair had drawers for filing, a printer and shelves above filled with office supplies. On top of the desk were a leather blotter, a laptop as well as a large monitor, and a sleek phone system. A pullout shelf underneath the desk held a wireless keyboard and mouse. "Everything is wireless and the best that the IT department had," Veronica stated. "The laptop is connected to the server and has all the software installed. You can switch from the laptop screen to the monitor and keyboard with the function keys." "Excellent, this all fantastic and much more than I'll need for a while," he told them. "It will be a pleasure to come into work, that's for sure." "Then the effort was all worth it," Holly stated. "I'm glad you like it," Veronica added. "I love it," Ben told them. "It's going to take a while to check everything out." "No time for that, we need to get going soon," Holly stated. "Lots to do yet this afternoon and I'm sure Ben has homework to work on when he gets home." "Yes I do, and a young lady to call to help and get help from," Ben added. "Oh really?" Veronica asked with a big grin. "Is this young lady pretty?" "She's beautiful, up to both of your impossible high standard in fact," Ben replied. "She's smart in most subjects but needs help in math and science while I need help with English – Romeo and Juliet in fact." "I hated Shakespeare," Veronica said with a shudder. "I see you'll be no help then," Ben noted. "So this girl is a friend already?" Holly asked, motioning Veronica to sit in one of the two chairs in front of his desk. "Not really, she's been in most of my classes from grade nine but unfortunately she's been in the popular group while I've been more of a geek or nerd," Ben replied. "Still, we talked a bit yesterday and she asked me to be her lab partner though she ignored me most the day today until science class. Apparently she had to tell her friends she was just talking to me to get me to be her lab partner as she needs to get a scholarship to go to school. I talked to her briefly after class and worked out a couple things before agreeing to help her in the evenings." He went on to explain Madison's situation at home and with her friends and the jocks. "What's her name, we'll check out the mother's situation," Holly demanded, pulling out a notepad from her skirt pocket. "Madison Isler, she must live in the Lawrence Park area to go to Reiner High School, but I'm sure it's not in any of the better subdivisions," Ben told them. "Ok, give us ten minutes to do some checking while you play around with your laptop and then we have to go," Holly told him as they got up and left the room. He wondered why they were so curious about Madison but that train of thought stopped when he turned on the laptop. It was an I7 with the latest graphics card and tons of RAM and a huge terabyte and a half hard drive. He checked out the system for a bit and then explored the company server, marvelling at the speed of the connection. "Ok, time to go, Ben," Veronica stated from the doorway. "You better come quickly because she's in a hurry." "Alright, just have to shut down the laptop," he said, already leaving the browser. A minute later, he had his backpack on his shoulder in case they didn't come back and followed Veronica down the hall where Holly waited impatiently. "Let's go then," she said and led the way out. She was polite to everyone they met but didn't want stop to chat, but had to when they met Bob Simmonds, the president. "Is this Ben?" Bob asked. "You've certainly grown up since the last time I saw you." "Hello Mr. Simmonds, it's been a while," Ben said, shaking his hand. "So you're starting to come in a couple times a week, that's good, never too early to start learning the family business" Bob noted. "It will take a while, from what I've seen so far, it's a lot bigger than I ever suspected," Ben told him. "I'm glad there are a lot of people taking care of business so I can take my time getting up to speed." "If you have any questions or concerns, my door is always open," the man said. "Now I better let you go before Holly takes me to task for holding up production." "Thank you Bob, we do have some important business to attend to," Holly told him. "I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight." "Goodnight, all of you," Bob replied, giving them all a smile. "Good night, Mr. Simmonds," Veronica and Ben said before following Holly down the hallway to the elevator. A couple of men in suits got in on the third floor and smiled at the two women. "Hello ladies, you're looking beautiful this afternoon," the taller one with perfect hair said. "Care to join us for a drink downstairs?" Ben was going to say something but Holly spoke up first, saying, "No thank you, we're busy with Ben this evening." "Him?" the other one exclaimed. "No offence, but he's just a kid! Wouldn't you spend some time with men instead of a boy?" The elevator doors opened on the main floor with the two men still trying to convince Holly and Veronica to join them at the bar. "Felix?" Ben asked. "Yes Mr. Stone?" the big man answered in his deep voice. "Please ask these gentlemen to stop bothering the ladies before they find themselves in the unemployment line," Ben said, giving them a glare. "Certainly, Mr. Stone," Felix answered. "Gentlemen, you've disturbed Mr. Stone, his personal assistant and on top of that, Mr. Stone Senior's personal assistant, so you're on very thin ice. I suggest you leave now before a sexual harassment charge appears as the reason for you dismissal on your termination report." "Oh shit," the shorter one said. "Our apologies ladies, and to you, Mr. Stone," the taller one quickly added. "We certainly meant no harm. Have a good afternoon." The two quickly left the lobby and walked away, turning in the opposite direction of the pub entrance. "Thank you Felix," Ben said as they watched the men until they were out of sight. "Anytime Mr. Stone," Felix replied. "Ladies, do you wish to file a report on the incident?" "Not at this time Felix, you two handled it just fine," Holly replied. "Keep an eye on those two and if they bother any other women, we'll start a file on them." "Certainly, Miss Robson," Felix told him. "Shall I accompany you to your destination?" "We're just walking to the parking garage, Ben should be adequate protection this afternoon," Holly replied. "Have a good night Felix and thanks again." "Good night," Felix replied. They walked towards the exit, passing by Miss Jones at the receptionist's desk. "Good evening, Mr. Stone, Miss Robson and Miss Terrence," Vicky said with a smile. "Have a good night." "Good night Miss Jones," Holly said for the three of them. Once outside, Ben looked down the street where the two men had gone but they weren't in sight. As soon as the light changed, they crossed Yonge Street and walked down Wellington to the parking garage. Holly handed him a set of car keys when Veronica wasn't looking and then caught up with the younger woman near their section. "Did you drive here somehow Ben?" Veronica asked, looking at the silver Cadillac parked beside Holly's white one. "No, my spot is on the other side of Holly's," Ben said. "Who else has access to this area?" she asked Holly. "No one," Holly answered. "Then how did a car get here?" Veronica mused. "Why don't you see if you can move it with these?" Ben suggested, handing her the set of keys. "Ok, what's going on?" she asked. "I hope you like silver, cause that's you're your car to drive for the next two years," Holly said with a big grin. "What? Really?" she asked, clearly in shock. "Really," Ben replied. "The lease and insurance is all paid for," Holly informed her. "The documents are in the glove compartment." "I don't believe it," Veronica stated as she unlocked the doors with the remote. She got in and sat down in the driver's seat and explored the cubby holes and played with the buttons. Holly gave her a couple minutes before speaking up. "Ok, follow me to my condo at Queens Quay west and Spadina," Holly said. "Ben, help her find the place and use this card to follow me into the underground parking garage." Ben took the card and got into the passenger seat. It took only a few minutes to get to the condo, a nice newer building looking over a marina and Music garden. They followed Holly into the garage and Holly had Veronica park beside her. They walked to the elevator and took it to the tenth floor. Holly led the way to the south corridor and opened the door to a condo. "Wow, this is very nice Holly," Veronica said as they walked around. "It's got two bedrooms, both with doors to the bathroom, its own laundry room and lots of windows," Holly told them. "Wait to you see the view from the balcony." She led the way out and both Ben Veronica were amazed what they could see. They looked down on the marina, could see the harbour airport and beyond. They were within walking distance to the Skydome and CN tower just behind the condo across Lakeshore Blvd. and the Gardiner expressway. "This is fantastic, Holly," Veronica said. "You've got a fantastic view and you're so close to everything." "I'm glad you like it, it's yours for the next five years," Holly said, handing her the keys and the card to get into the parking garage. "No, you can't be serious, this place must cost a fortune!" Veronica protested. "Not if you own the whole building," Holly said. "Mine is right next door, basically the same layout. Ben wasn't happy with you taking the bus or living over a convenience store so that was all that was required to get you set up here." Veronica looked at Holly and then Ben who were both grinning at her. "Oh my God, I can't believe this!" she said before moving to hug Holly and then hug and kiss Ben. "Thank you so much; I promise I'll be the best personal assistant in the world for this." "And I'll hold you to that," Ben replied as he held her close. "I'm glad you like it. I want you in here as soon as possible. It's already furnished so you just have to bring your clothes and knickknacks." "That is our task for this evening, I have a small moving van arriving outside your apartment in half an hour so let's go and get your stuff," Holly announced. "We both want you in here tonight." "What about my apartment lease?" Veronica asked. "It's for a year." "I'm sure you will lose your security deposit, but since this is free, you don't have to worry about a couple months' rent," Holly said. "Now let's go, we don't want to be at this all night." They trooped back down and took both cars in case there were fragile or private things they wanted to bring back. It took them a couple hours, once they got there, to pack up her dishes, clothes and decorations. The two men helped with the packing of the kitchen and living room while Holly and Ben helped Veronica in the bedroom. Once Veronica did a final pass through the apartment, she quickly wrote a letter to the manager and dropped it and the key off to him, telling him he could sell the furniture or have it donated if he didn't want to leave it for the next person. As they suspected, he wouldn't let her have the security deposit back. The van followed them back to her new condo and the men helped carry up the boxes using the freight elevator. That took another hour, with the women putting away Veronica's clothes while Ben unpacked the stuff for the kitchen and laundry room. Holly had a couple pizzas delivered for them and the men and then gave them a good tip when everything was done. "Ok, I'm bushed," Holly said when they left. "How about you drive Ben home and we'll finish unpacking the rest of this tomorrow after work?" "Sounds good to me," Veronica said. "Thank you so much for helping, both of you." "You're very welcome," Holly said. "If you want, we can drive in together on the days that Ben doesn't come in. You can drive us tomorrow morning if you like." "Ok, I'll see you at quarter to eight," Veronica agreed. "Good night Ben, don't forget you have to call your girl so don't stay too late tonight," Holly said as she gave him a hug. "Thanks Holly for arranging all of this," Ben said. "My pleasure, just remember you'll have to do this for your son in twenty years or so," Holly replied. She left the condo and Veronica shut the door behind her. "Come with me," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him to the bedroom. She pushed him onto the bed and knelt between his legs. "I can't believe you did all this for me after less than a week of knowing me," she said, looking into his eyes as her hands undid his jeans. "I want you to be safe and happy," Ben told her. "You take care of me and I want to take care of you." "You're going to love how well I take care of you," she said with a grin. He moaned as she lowered her mouth onto his erection while looking up at him. "Oh God, that is so good," he told her as he gripped the bedspread. She was relentless in getting him to cum. It took her less than five minutes to have him shouting out loud as he blasted into her mouth. "Damn woman, that was fantastic," Ben told her when he finally caught his breath. She had undressed while he was out of it and climbed onto the bed. "I wanted to taste you so bad," she said. "I hope you'll be ready for more soon. I'm dripping for you." "We can't have you messing up the bed, come up here and I'll see what I can do about your leak," Ben said, helping her straddle his chest. He pulled her closer to his mouth and started licking her pussy. She was soaking wet with her juices so he spent the next ten minutes eating her to two orgasms before she collapsed to the side. Ben, now hard again, moved behind her as she lay on her side. He lifted her leg and swiped his erection through her pussy, causing her to moan again. It didn't take much to ease into her. "Oh, that's nice," she said as he slid in. They made love for what seemed like an hour, neither in a rush to finish up. Ben enjoyed caressing her breasts and nipples while kissing her neck and ears. Finally she whispered, "I'm going to cum soon, sweetie. You're making me feel so good. Speed up now and cum with me." Ben didn't need any more than that to get moving quicker. Holding her hip with one hand, he started thrusting harder and faster, making her gasp. "That's it, stud, fuck me now, take your woman," she demanded, her arm reaching back to urge him on. He growled and look off the restraints and drove into her. "Yes!" she screamed as her hips took off. Of course neither could stand that pace for long and Ben let go as soon as he heard and felt her cum. "Damn woman, you're a tiger," he said when he caught his breath. "And you're my studly hunk of a man," she replied, leaning back to kiss him. "I had my doubts about a sixteen year old boy but you are all man. I am so happily satisfied right now I could scream." "Ditto babe," he told her, hugging her tight. They cuddled for a few minutes until she sighed. "I wish we could just stay here all night, but you need to do your homework," she said, pulling slowly away from him. "We better get dressed and get you home." Ben groaned but got up and followed her into the bathroom. They had a quick shower before getting dressed and heading out. "This is such a sweet car," she said. "I still can't believe I get to drive it." "I'd worry every day if you had to take the bus or the Go train to your parents place," he said. "I love it that you care for me Ben, but I don't want you to get to attached to me that you don't bother with a girl closer to your age," she said. "I can't believe you won't be jealous if I'm with another girl," Ben responded. "Of course I'll be a bit jealous, but unless you decide to be with her exclusively, I'll still have time with you," she told him. "If we continue to enjoy each other like with just did, I'll be fine. I think you'll be able to care for more than one woman at a time." "I don't think I'll have a problem with that," he agreed. "Please let me know if anything bothers you or if I'm ever not paying enough attention to you." "Don't worry about that, I'm going to make certain you take care of me as well as I will of you," Veronica stated. It was after nine when she dropped him off. He quickly got out his homework and called Madison. "Hello?" she said when she answered. "Hi Madison, I'm sorry it's so late," Ben apologized. "It's not that late," she said. "I just have a couple questions in math that I could use some help on." "Sure, let's do that first," he suggested. It took him about fifteen minutes to help her with the math. "Ok, that's done," she said. "Have you read the first Act yet?" "I did but I haven't started the paper," he admitted. "Let me email you my essay so you get an idea on what it's about," she said. "You can read it and you should have no problem with getting a page done tonight. If you want, send me yours and if I'm up, I'll read it and send back any corrections so you can do them in the morning before you leave for school." "Alright, thanks Madison, I appreciate your help," Ben told her. "No problem, I help you, you help me, we're even," she replied. "So how was your evening with your sisters?" he asked. "Exhausting," she answered. "They're evil little monsters sometimes." "I'm sorry to hear that," Ben said. "Can't just lock them up in the dungeon for a few hours?" "I wish," she replied with a chuckle. "How was work? What do you do there anyway?" "Work was long and just as exhausting," Ben lied. "I had to go through a bunch of information about some companies and make up reports on each of them." "That sounds like important work though, especially for a sixteen year old," she said, sounding impressed. "It is, but it's the only way to learn," he responded. "I'm sure my work is checked until they get confident in my abilities. It's pretty interesting reading about different companies and what they do." "I'm impressed, you're already working in a field you enjoy," she said. "I want to be a lawyer but it won't be easy to get an internship at a law firm. My mom works as a paralegal at one but she doesn't think they would ever hire a high school student." "I'll ask around the office and see if they know of anything," he offered. "Thanks Ben, but I won't hold my breath," she said. "Ok, I've sent my essay to you. 'I'll be up for another hour and a half, so send me yours if you get it done by then." "Alright, thanks Madison, I'll see you tomorrow," Ben replied. "Ok, goodnight," she said and hung up. Ben spent the next couple of hours writing his essay on the first Act of Romeo and Juliet. He used hers as a guideline and also went online to read what others had to say was the plot of the story. When he was finally satisfied, he emailed it to Madison before getting ready for bed. She hadn't sent it back by the time he was done, so he set his alarm a bit early to make any corrections before printing it out in the morning. Ben fell asleep thinking of both his blonde goddess and his raven haired beauty. ------- Chapter 9 The rest of the week went by quickly with little incident. The Saturday spent at Stone Inc. had Ben working with Veronica to prepare a formal report on the La Bella Restaurant expansion proposal to present at the end of the quarter meeting. He had examples of other proposals to work with and they both researched all the necessary data to make the case. Of course it wasn't all work as Veronica was still in a very thankful mood, taking him to their secret bedroom three times during the day. On Sunday Ben spent his time doing his homework in all four subjects. English consisted of finishing up the third Act and writing another paper while the rest of the subjects all had questions to answer at the back of a chapter. He sent his completed Shakespeare essay to Madison and asked her to review it and then call if she needed any help with their other subjects' homework. She called back around four in the afternoon. "Hello Madison, how is your weekend so far?" Ben asked when he saw it was her. "Not so hot but that's none of your concern," she said. "I looked over your paper and it's actually pretty good so don't bother changing anything." "Ok, thanks," Ben replied. "Do you need any help with math or biology?" "Yeah, I'm stuck on the third math problem and it's frustrating the crap out of me," she answered. "God I hope not, that would be messy," Ben said. "Let me open up my books and I'll walk you through it." He spent the next half hour talking her through each question, not simply giving her the answer but explaining how to arrive at the correct solution. "Whew, I'm glad that's over," she said, the sound of her slamming the textbook shut coming through the phone. "How about biology?" Ben asked. "I have a couple questions but they shouldn't take long if you have a few more minutes," she replied. "Sure, let me get my book open," he said. They worked through the questions, with Ben showing where she should look for the answers in the book and filling out the answers with his extra knowledge. "It's so much easier to figure this stuff out when you explain it," she said when they were done. "Why can't the teachers explain it like that in class?" "I'm sure time plays a factor in that as well as they want us to learn how to do it by ourselves," Ben reasoned. "Did you do the history homework already?" "Yeah, I did that and English first to get it out of the way," she told him. "Good, then we're all caught up for Monday," he said. "I'm going to read the rest of Romeo and Juliet to get ahead so she doesn't surprise me with her questions again." "Good idea, she's not going to let up on you," Madison responded. "So, care to tell me why your weekend isn't going well?" he asked. "Maybe talking about it to a sympathetic ear might help." Madison was quiet for such a long time that Ben spoke up, "Or maybe you don't want to talk about it and that's fine as well." "I spent Saturday looking after my sisters as usual," she started talking. "I even made supper and helped with the dishes and baths. Laura called and invited me over to her house at around seven thirty to hang out with her and Penny. I went over and was surprised to see Lance, Brad and Peter there and Laura's parents nowhere to be found. They were all drinking and tried to get me to have some but I knew where that would lead. I should have left right then but I didn't want to go back to my boring home so I stayed." Ben didn't like the sound of her story already. Madison continued after a short pause. "It got awkward when Brad and Laura started making out and then Penny and Lance started up soon afterwards," she said. "Peter tried to get me to join him on the loveseat but I wasn't having any of that. I went to use the washroom to get away from him but he was waiting outside the door when I came out. He tried to kiss me while pulling me against him but got away and went back to the room the others were at. The others were still making out but had their shirts off so I just grabbed my purse and tried to leave. Peter stood in the door and wouldn't let me pass, even after I asked him too. That got the others' attention and they all tried to convince me to spend some time with him but I really don't like him at all. Laura made some threats about not being in the group if I didn't join in but I just pushed him out of the way and left." "Good for you, I'm proud of you," Ben said. "What's so good about it, now I have no friends and I'll be ostracized at school," she rebutted bitterly. "Laura called me this morning and said that they had to take care of Peter for me and I would have to take over if I wanted to still hang out with them." "Now you can make real friends that like you for you, not just because you're beautiful," Ben explained. "You can hang out with me until you find other girl friends. I think you'll find that others will like you much better now that you're away from those bitches. Besides, I'm much better for your future than they could ever be." "Oh, pray tell," she said, with a lighter voice. "I'll do everything I can to get you into university while not pressuring you into doing something you're not ready for," Ben told her. "I'll also make sure that they don't bother you at school." "What's in it for you?" she asked. "I get to hang out with you and maybe I'll grow on you over time," he said. "Don't hold your breath waiting for me to get cozy with you," she stated. "I'm in this for the long haul, so I'm prepared to wait," Ben said with a chuckle. "I'm hoping your resistance to me will wear down eventually." "I've seen what happens when a girl lets her guard down," she responded, again bitter. "It's not going to happen." "That's fine, disappointing but fine," Ben said. "I still want to be your friend so feel free to hang around if you want. I'll induct you into my posse and you won't even have to wear the secret decoder ring if you don't want do." "You're a nut," she said. "True," Ben agreed. "I should go, dinner will be ready soon," she said. "Ok, thanks for reading my essay and I'll see you in the morning," Ben responded. "You're welcome and thanks for the help with math and biology," she replied, "and thanks for listening and offering to be my friend. I appreciate it more than you know." "You're quite welcome," Ben replied. "Cheer up; things will get better for you now. Ben Stone is on the job." "You're a kook," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow." "Have a good night Madison," he told her before they hung up. All and all, Ben was pleased with the situation, though he was angry about what they tried to pull with her. In the long run, he hoped they both would benefit from what happened, especially since she didn't get hurt last night. He knew it would take a while until she was comfortable with him and even longer, if ever, that she would think of him as a boyfriend, but he was willing to wait as long as it took. Having Veronica in the picture certainly made it easier being patient with her. Monday morning of the second week of school found Ben waiting by the math room in anticipation. He was hoping that she would at least talk to him if not stand close as well. While he was waiting, he continued to read ahead the next Act in the play for English. It was still hard to understand the old English but at least he knew the overall story, having looked it up online. The rest of the class started gathering in the hallway, including the popular group. Ben ignored them by simply just continuing to read. He did say hi to Jim and Tom when they showed up but waited in the hallway for Madison when the teacher showed up. When there was only a couple minutes left before the buzzer she showed up. "My sisters made me late," Madison explained as she walked up. "Good morning, Madison," Ben told her. "You still have a minute or two before the buzzer." "It's definitely not been a good morning," she replied, "and probably won't get any better." Ben shrugged and followed her into the classroom, not close enough to be considered a couple but still entering together. He ignored the group at the back and sat down in his usual spot, as did Madison. Ben did see Laura ask her a quiet question and Madison reply with a shake of her head before ignoring her for the rest of the class. Ben made sure he walked beside her to English, shielding her from the group. She was quiet but didn't seem upset so he figured there wasn't any opportunity to get into it with them during class. English was no different as eagle eye Mrs. Hungler made sure there was no talking in her class. Madison stayed beside him as they got into the hallway when the class was over. "I have to get my lunch from my locker," she said. "I'll go with you," Ben said and kept walking. She sighed and said, "Ben, you don't have to be with me every second of the day. I'll be fine by myself. Just go get your food and I'll wait for you outside the cafeteria." "Ok, but I'm coming to find you if you're not there when I get out," he promised. She just shook her head and went down another hallway while Ben continued onto the cafeteria and joined the hot food line. When he came out to the seating area, she was waiting for him near the door. "Jim and Tom are at the chess club meeting so it will be just the two of us," Ben explained as he led her to an empty table. "That's ok, I don't really want to go from the popular table to the nerd group in one day," she admitted. "You put too much importance on things like that," Ben observed. "You know that you'll probably never see most of your high school friends once you leave here, right?" "It's not after high school that I'm worried about," she retorted. "We still have two years left here and I know what they can be like." "They're not your friends and probably never have been," Ben told her as they sat down. "Maybe now you'll be able to make real friends that actually might care about your feelings." "I'm sure my feelings are at the top of the list of what you care about," she responded. "I know you're upset about what they tried to pull on the weekend, but don't lump me in with them," Ben told her. "I'm lumping you in with all guys," she said, before opening up her bag. "I freely admit that I'm attracted to you but I also want to get to know everything about you," Ben admitted. "How about this; I promise I'll never try to initiate anything physical with you until you ask me too." "You're going to be waiting a long time then," she stated. "That's fine, whatever it takes to make you trust me," he said. "Now we can have a pleasant lunch together without you worrying what my motives are." It took a while but she did lighten up. She told him about her family, her mother Irene and her sisters Sierra and Molly, aged ten and eight. They lived in a small house on Ronan road off of Lawrence Ave east, which was about a ten minute walk from his house. Her mom worked at the Tredmire Law firm downtown as a paralegal which meant long hours for relatively low pay. They spent the last half hour of lunch going over their math homework, with Madison moving to sit beside him. It was hard for him to concentrate with her so close and smelling great but he managed not to stutter or act like an idiot. The rest of the day passed quickly and they split up after school to go their separate ways, with Madison promising to call when she got a chance to do her homework. Ben's driving lessons had progressed to driving around the quiet streets around the office to gain some experience without having to go on many of the busier main streets. When he got home, he got on his homework while his supper was cooking in the oven. Madison didn't call until after eight, which meant he was done all of his homework, including English. He helped her finish up math and then with science before she had to go help her mom with laundry. Ben sighed and knew he was in for a long frustrating time waiting for her to get over her distrust of the male species. The rest of the week was uneventful, more homework, driving lessons and two visits to downtown to spend time with Veronica. He told Veronica about what had happened with Madison when she asked and also filled her in on where her mother worked and where they lived. Both sessions were busy finishing their proposal while also reviewing all of the other twenty that were going to be presented at the end of quarter meeting for approval to proceed with in the fourth quarter. Veronica did relieve his physical frustrations with Madison by taking him into the secret bedroom both days. His dad came home on Sunday afternoon from Europe, looking decidedly worse for wear but in a decent mood. "Hey dad, how did it go?" Ben asked as he helped with the suitcases. "Hi Ben, it went well at the end but it took a while," his dad replied. "Holly tells me that you and Veronica are progressing well as a team and you've found a beautiful girl to hang out with at school. I was very happy to hear about that and I'm looking forward to reading your proposal." They went inside and Ben filled him on his two weeks in greater detail while his dad unpacked and got the washing machine going. "Dad, you don't look so well, you might want to go see the doctor tomorrow," Ben suggested when his dad came back to the kitchen after changing into a tee shirt and sweats. "You've lost weight and look pale as a ghost." "I've got an appointment in the morning," his dad told him while leaning on the counter. "Good," Ben responded and continued putting together a meatloaf. "Everything looks clean and tidy around here," his dad noted. "Good job taking care of the place while I was gone." "If you don't mess it up in the first place, then there's not much to clean up later," Ben said with a shrug. "Cutting the lawn is all I had to do besides laundry and dishes." "Well, I appreciate it anyway," his dad said. "No problem," he replied. "While we're talking, I might as well tell you some of my plans," his father added. "I'm going to have Felix come pick you up Monday and Thursday evenings and take you to get some additional self defence training, both hand to hand and with weapons. You need to be able to take care of yourself better as you get more involved in Stone Inc. business." "That sounds good to me," Ben agreed, "how long, a couple hours each night?" "Plus travel time to and from the facility, which is about half hour away," was the reply. "You're going to have to do your homework before or on the way there. You can call Madison on the way back if you have to. Felix will pick you up at six and bring you back by nine." "Alright, I'll let her know tomorrow at school what my new schedule is," Ben responded as he slid the meatloaf into the oven with some potatoes on the side to bake. "We have an hour before this is ready." "I'm going to catch up on some correspondence in my office so just come get me when it's ready," his dad said before leaving the kitchen. When it was time, Ben set the table and had his dad come to the dining room to eat. They talked about all sorts of topics from school to women to working out. "That was an excellent meal, Ben," his dad complimented him. "I'm glad you're so independent and don't need someone to watch over you." "I like it that way, I don't need a babysitter here," Ben agreed. "Alright, it's September sixteenth, three weeks from the thanksgiving holiday," his dad said. "I promised you that you would come with me on my next trip so make sure you're all caught up with your homework because we leave for Russia that Thursday night and you won't be back until Monday night." "I'll need a note to miss school on the Friday," Ben told him. "I'll be ready to leave here by four thirty after my driving lesson." "I'll pick you up there at four, so pack your suitcase the night before," his dad informed him. "Our flight is at six so we won't have much time." Ben nodded and continued eating. "I'll give you some information to look over before we go so you're as up to date as I am on the issues of both sides," his dad continued. "We'll talk more in my office after dinner." Ben nodded again. After they finished up, including doing the dishes, they moved to the office. The elder Stone did an electronic sweep and turned on the anti-listening device before pulling a file out of the safe behind a painting. "We'll be mediating the creation of a new company set up between a Canadian company and a Russian one in the automotive sector," his dad started. "Each side is bringing a different skill set to the new company so it's a bit tricky to determine the exact level of investment to be able to split the profits down the middle. They've asked for our help to get past some touchy areas of contention." "Let me guess, the Canadians are providing the knowhow and the Russians are providing the land and the buildings," Ben reasoned. "The Russians are providing extra start-up capital along with the transportation infrastructure, while the Canadians are also providing the customers," his dad informed him. "It won't be easy to place a value on the Canadian's side of the equation," Ben said, thinking out loud. "Without it, the Russians have nothing, but they don't want to put up all the money either." "Now you see the difficulty," his dad replied with a smile. "Setting up a factory will require highly skilled and knowledgeable people installing the latest robotics, assembly line equipment and computer controls following a sophisticated plan. You can add up estimated hours as well as put a price on all of the equipment needed but it's an estimate. There are many other factors at play, including distances involved, language barriers and dealing with the Russian bureaucracy. All of this is in the file. This file cannot be left out you'll have to ask me for it and return it when you're done with it." "Alright, I'm all caught up with my homework so I can read it for a couple of hours now if you're not using it," Ben said. "Go ahead but remember, tell no one about any of this," his dad cautioned him. "If you have to tell anyone we're going away, just tell them we're going away for Thanksgiving." "Ok, where do I tell them we're going if they ask?" Ben inquired. "Just say up north," was the answer. Ben nodded and got up. "I'll read it upstairs," Ben said. "If you have questions, write them down but get rid of the paper afterwards," his dad said before Ben opened the door. "Ok," Ben agreed and left the room. It was a difficult read for Ben over the next couple of hours. There were a lot of technical terms and breakdowns to go over from both sides. Before he knew it, it was nine-thirty and his list of questions was three pages long. He found his dad still in his office and shut the door behind him as he entered. "Had enough?" Ben's father asked. "I have a bunch of questions to get answers to before I can proceed any farther," Ben informed him. "Maybe we can go over it on Tuesday evening?" "Sure, leave me the questions and I'll see what I can answer in the meantime," his dad answered. Ben handed them over and watched as his dad quickly scanned them. "Good questions," his dad said. "I'll provide you most of them or point out where the answers are in the information provided Tuesday after dinner. I'm bushed so I'm going to call it a night. Don't forget about Felix picking you up here at six. I might not be back from the office by then so just wear jeans and a tee shirt and bring some sweats to change into and a change of clothes to put on afterwards." "Alright, have a good night and I'll see you in the morning," Ben replied before leaving. He played on his computer for a bit and then fell asleep, knowing his life just got busier. ------- To Be Continued... ------- Posted: 2012-10-02 Last Modified: 2012-10-14 / 07:34:44 pm ------- http://storiesonline.net/ -------