A Rose Called Miracle: Book 3, Pt 4

Author's Note: This continues the third book of 'A Rose Called Miracle'. This is fiction. All characters in intimate situations are over 18. Any resemblance to real people, organizations, or businesses is purely coincidence.

If you are uncomfortable with the subjects of control, restraint, discipline, and mild corporal punishment, please go no further. Likewise, this story is peopled with hetero, interracial, and LGBTQ+ characters and couples, and indirectly--incest; if that's not your cup of tea please, leave now--you'll only be offended. Also, I apologize to BDSM aficionados--in this story I pretty much ignore proper BDSM safety measures as the characters develop their relationship. Please do not use these writings as a 'how to' guide. Lastly, if anyone reading 'A Rose Called Miracle' has enjoyed my characters, feel free to take them on new adventures--but please don't mess too much with the canon.

Brett And Kari--A Master/slave story of Love and Loss

*****

"There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle." Albert Einstein

"For those who are willing to make an effort, great miracles and wonderful treasures are in store." Isaac Bashevis Singer

*****

I glanced around the rest of the Chief Officer wing but still didn't see any signs of life so I returned to my office.

I found Kari sitting at her desk, guarding my door, looking fierce and radiant. "Good afternoon, Mr. Noonan. I have completed my training with Ms. Peralta. She said for me to tell you, and I quote, 'Ms. Jensen is very professional and hard working. She has learned her job well.' Ms. Peralta even presented me with my own name plate for my desk." Kari displayed the small, wooden plaque reading 'Kari M. Jensen' and below that 'Executive Assistant'.

"Well done, Ms. Jensen. I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you, Sir." She chewed on her bottom lip, "Before I met you I never imagined that I might accomplish anything with my life. When we met I was just..." She stopped, "I was existing... nothing more." She paused and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry." She picked up a notebook and glanced at it, "Sir, All of the Chief Officers have acknowledged the meeting for tomorrow afternoon. The first open conference room wasn't until 2:00."

"Excellent. We can have a nice lunch and then go shake things up. That reminds me, I want to have a chat with Shanique and the Special Project Group about an idea I have." I walked into my office and sat at my desk.

Within seconds my phone buzzed. It was Kari, "Excuse me, Mr. Noonan. You said you wanted to speak with Ms. Kalvin? I have her on the phone for you."

"Thank you, Ms. Jensen. I've got it. Hey Shanique! How'd the preliminary hearings go?"

"Excellent. McKay is scared shi... rtless; she knows she's going to jail. The judge declared her a flight risk and denied bail. The stupid bitch thought she'd hidden her faked passports. Her attorneys already are trying to talk plea deals."

"Good. Very nice. The reason I wanted to talk to you... wait. If you're in your office, can I just come down there? I'd like to discuss something."

"Absolutely. Come on down. Sorry, didn't mean to sound like a game show announcer."

"See you in a minute." We hung up.

I stepped out, "Grab your notebook Ms. Jensen, we're going visiting." Kari hustled to keep up.

We got to my old office, Janice greeted me, "Afternoon Mr. Noonan. Ms. Kalvin is waiting." Janice eyed Kari, did I note a little jealousy?

"Hey Janice, this is Kari Jensen, my new admin. She just finished her training with Ms. Peralta."

"Nice to meet you." They each said in turn.

I headed into Shanique's office, "Come on," I said to Janice and Kari, "The more opinions the better."

"Afternoon," I greeted her, "I simply had an idea I wanted to mention; maybe your group would like to look into it."

"Okay. What have you got?" Shanique relaxed back into her chair.

"This morning Ms. Jensen and I both overslept and we forgot to bring our lunches. So, we went down to the cafeteria and got our food from the vending machines..."

"Oh yuck!" Janice commented. Kari grinned and stuck out her tongue.

"Anyway," I continued, "I began thinking about the feasibility of starting our own food service operation... caterers... contractors. Something like that right there in the cafeteria."

"Like a chow hall line?" Shanique nodded.

"Yeah. Something like that. A couple food options... reasonably priced."

"I'll mention it to the group the next time we meet. I can see a lot of what ifs. It isn't a bad idea... not sure if we have enough people around here to make it worthwhile financially--it would have to pay for itself."

I nodded, "Okay. Well, it's something to think about. We'll leave you to it. Thanks for listening." Kari and I went back to our office.

Back inside my office, I sat in my chair. I opened up my company laptop and checked for e-mails. I grinned when I found that Kari had included me as a recipient for the next day's meeting. I also had invitations to the staff meetings for a couple different divisions. "Ms. Jensen, come in here for a second." I called out.

She entered, with a scowl, "Mr. Noonan! There's no need to shout. You should use your intercom." God, I was proud of her for giving me hell.

"Thank you, Ms. Jensen. I apologize. I hate to admit it; but I don't know how to use the intercom; I'm just used to yelling."

"Yelling only hurts your throat sir. Here, slide over and I'll show you how to do it." She popped open the hidden panel containing my office's comm gear. She demonstrated how to call out and answer. Then returned to her desk. As soon as she sat down, I buzzed her. "Yes, Mr. Noonan?"

"Did you forget that I need to talk to you? Please come in here."

Kari hustled in. "I didn't forget sir. I wanted to insure you worked the intercom properly... sir."

"You win. Now, the reason I yelled and buzzed is, I want you to go down to HR and get me the files on all the Chief Officers. I want to know a little bit about the people I'll be dealing with tomorrow."

"Yes sir." She went out and I went back to my computer.

Thirty minutes later I was standing in front of my desk rubbing my eyes and stretching my sore neck. I heard faint knocking and saw a young man enter Kari's space, carrying a large bundle. He dropped it on her desk and hurried out.

Kari grabbed the bundle and brought it to me. "Mr. Noonan, here are the personnel files you requested."

"They brought them to you?"

Kari smiled, "Yes sir. During my training one of the major points Ms. Peralta emphasized is that my place is by your side at all times. If we need something, the words, 'Mr. Noonan needs...' will get things done. But Ms. Peralta also insisted I should try to avoid leaving your door uncovered. She does the same thing for Ms. Haugen."

"Okay. Let me read them. Don't let anyone interrupt me--except Ms. Haugen--unless it's an emergency. I want to concentrate."

I found that among the Chief Officers, MBAs were a dime a dozen. I was impressed to see that Dave Dillon actually had a PhD in information technology. I was even more impressed that while he had it listed in his education section, he didn't use the title Dr. anywhere.

All the others had, like I mentioned, MBAs appropriate to their positions; the CFO, Jessica Dunn, was also a CPA. We had a couple Ivy Leaguers--the COO had about 30 mentions of his time at Harvard in his resumé. I'd find out more when I met with them the next day.

At 4:45 I heard Kari's phone ring; a few second later my intercom buzzed. "Yes, Ms. Jensen?"

"Sir, Ms. Peralta just called. Ms. Haugen asked that we come to her office at 5:00."

"Okay. Did she say why?"

"No sir."

"Okay, let Francesca know that we'll be there."

Just before five, Kari knocked on my doorframe and asked if she could use my bathroom to freshen up. When she finished we went down the hall together.

"Good Afternoon Mr. Noonan, this way please." Francesca escorted Kari and me into Freda's office. "Grab a chair Brett." She greeted me. I heard the lock on the inner door click into place. Kari immediately snapped to attention, and when I picked a chair and sat down she dropped into 'present' close to my side.

"Francesca tells me that your Kari trained up brilliantly."

I looked down at Kari, "Well done Slave Kari. You may speak."

Kari raised her eyes, "Thank you for your kindness Mistress. This slave is very proud to assist its Master in every way possible."

"Care for a drink Brett?"

"I still have to... wait. Slave, you have a driver's license, correct?."

"Yes Master, this slave is quite a good driver."

"Excellent! You drive home. Freda, I'd love a small bourbon." I looked at Kari, "Relax slave, I'll only have one. I promise I won't get drunk. I still remember that hangover after The Gathering."

Kari gave me a small, sly smile, "Yes Master, this slave is sure you remember. Let this slave get your drink."

I caught Freda's laughing smile as Kari rose from her knees and glided over to the credenza which hid the bar. Francesca got out glasses, ice, and the bottle of bourbon. Francesca showed the bottle to Freda--who nodded approval--before she made the drinks and put both glasses on a silver serving tray. Kari took the tray and immediately kneeled beside Freda, "Your drink, Mistress." Kari then rose and came to me, kneeled, "Your drink, Master."

"Thank you, Sweetheart." Kari's eyes went wide in surprise. As she kneeled at my side, I rested my free hand on her shoulder and sipped from my glass. "Ah!" I sighed, "This is wonderful. Sweet and rich. What is it? More importantly... Where can I get some?"

"It's called 'Pappy Van Winkle's 15-Year Family Reserve' and as far as getting it, it is ridiculously hard to find and very expensive. This bottle was a gift from the Board of Directors for my birthday. I did a little research at home; the cheapest bottle of this stuff I found was $1650."

"Seriously? Dang... guess I'll stick with my Knob Creek; and I thought that was pricey."

Freda grinned and turned to Francesca, "Hide that bottle again, Dearest. And if you find Mr. Noonan alone in here drinking it without my permission... shoot him." She slapped her desk and started laughing, "To wound if possible," She finally added.

I started laughing. I felt Kari shaking; I looked and she was biting her lip, fighting desperately to hold back laughter. Freda, at last, finished laughing when Francesca locked the away the liquor. "So, Brett." Freda started giggling again. Kari gave up; snorted; and promptly choked on her laugh and ended up coughing.

"So, Brett!" Freda started again with a straight face. "Are the rumors true? You and Ms. Jensen are going to tie the knot?"

"True. I asked Kari to marry me. She said yes."

"And Ms. Jensen, did he give you the ring?"

Kari twitched, I don't think she expected to be included in the conversation, "Yes Mistress. A beautiful diamond."

"May I see it?" Kari rose and walked over to Freda's desk. Freda stopped her from kneeling and simply took her hand. "Very nice. A Very thoughtful selection." Freda nodded. "But not ostentatious. An excellent choice, Brett."

"Thanks." I savored the final sip of bourbon as Kari returned to my side. She stooped and picked up the serving tray. I placed my empty glass on it and Kari took it back to Francesca.

"I'm curious Brett," Freda spoke again as Kari returned to my side, "I see that you've called a meeting tomorrow for the Chief Officers. What do you have planned?"

"Introductions. I've read all their files and CVs; I want to put faces with names. Next, I want to see if there are any issues I need to address immediately. Also, I want to make it clear I expect them each to run their departments."

"May I make a suggestion?" Freda asked.

"Please!" I answered. "I'm anxious for any advice I can get."

"Decide on your priorities. Announce them; but, never, ever, forget about the budget and bottom line. Because you can bet your butt that I, the Board of Directors, and our stockholders won't."

I nodded. Then sighed. A lot of my ideas, so far, were about spending money not making money. I'd have to temper my enthusiasm.

"Do you have anything else?" Freda asked me when I was silent for a few seconds.

"Nope. You've given me some good points to consider. Thanks."

"Great. I'll see you sometime tomorrow. Now, I have a social gathering I have to attend on behalf of the company. Maybe in the future I'll let you and Kari take a few of these events in my stead."

"Gee Thanks."

"You and Kari have a good evening." Freda called out as Francesca showed us to the door. Francesca checked the hallway before she pulled Kari into a hug, "Good night Sister." I heard them whisper.

True to my word, I had Kari drive us home. She struggled a bit at the beginning; my truck is large and has sightlines that take some getting used to, but she adapted quickly. We'd been driving for a while, I decided to call the house and let Jane know we were on the way--see how she reacted. But she didn't answer the phone. "She's probably either busy cooking or in the bathroom preparing herself for your arrival and inspection." Kari suggested when I told her.

"Yeah probably... Watch out for that kid on the bike over there." I pointed.

"Got him." She edged the truck a little to the left. Suddenly the guy on the bike swerved left cutting across the street. Kari slammed on the brakes and the truck screeched to a stop, barely missing the bicyclist. Kari blasted the horn; the rider responded with a glance and a casual middle finger.

"Stupid, son-of-a...!" Kari screamed at the windshield, as she slammed her hand on the steering wheel. She got the window down, "You Idiot! Watch where you're going!" She shouted. She rolled the window back up, blew out a breath, "Jeez! What a moron." She griped as she slowly accelerated away.

I bit my lip. Trying not to laugh at her outrage; at the same time grateful we hadn't hit the fucking idiot. About another mile down the road, we saw another bicyclist. The rider signaled and moved left into our lane for a little way, then moved back to the right--like they were avoiding something--and then kept going. Kari approached it slowly; It looked like a cardboard box. "Pull over." I ordered. "Let me get that thing off the road."

Kari stopped about 10 feet short of it. I hopped out. It was a box; I nudged it with my foot. The box didn't move--but it did whimper. "Huh?" I bent over and flipped open the box's flaps; four big eyes stared out at me. "Cats? Somebody dumped kittens? Assholes!" I muttered. Another vehicle flew by us. I checked; Kari had the emergency flashers going.

I stared at the two scrawny-looking felines. They stared back. I heard Kari's door slam. I had pretty much convinced myself to leave them there when I felt Kari at my side. Then, the cat on the right--the calico--meowed pitifully. The other one, black and white, licked the calico's face. "Oooh! Kittens!" Kari squealed and dropped to her knees and began petting them. "They're so cute, Brett, can we keep them? Please, Please, Please?"

"Ah no, Kari. They look sick; they probably have fleas..."

"We'll take them to a vet. I'll pay. I promise. Please, Master, let me take care of them."

"How can I refuse such a plea. Okay. You drive. I'll use your phone and find us a vet service that's open at this hour. I can't believe I'm letting you talk me into this. It must be the bourbon."

"Thank you, Master. I appreciate this. I promise you won't be sorry."

Inwardly, I thought, 'I already am.' "Anything for you, Sweetheart." I said. It took us a little under 20 minutes to find a nearby vet clinic. The vet's assistant led us into an exam room; the vet wasn't far behind.

"Good evening. I'm Dr. Anderson. What do we have here?"

"A box of kittens we found abandoned on the side of the road. I couldn't bear to leave them there." I answered. Kari harumphed.

"I'm sure you couldn't." The vet laughed. "Let's take a look." She flopped open the box and lifted out the black and white cat by the scruff of its neck. It hissed weakly. "Aw, you poor thing." She cooed. "Let me look at you. Poor baby."

In twenty-five minutes, she announced that the kittens, while malnourished, were basically healthy; but they did have fleas and ear mites that needed treatment. The calico rolled on its back and I rubbed its belly; I reached for the black and white--it hissed and took a weak swipe at me. Kari reached over and scratched between the black and white's ears--the ungrateful little shit purred.

"Nick and Nora," Kari said.

"Huh?" I grunted as I tried my luck by rubbing the black and white's head.

"Their names. The boy is Nick; the girl is Nora. The doctor asked me if they had names."

"Oh. Um? Okay, but which is which?"

"The black and white is the boy; the calico's the girl." Kari answered. The vet handed Kari a couple tubes of medicine and showed her how to apply the stuff. Kari also picked up a pamphlet outlining kitten care basics. "Okay, you two time to go." Kari grabbed the two kittens and popped them back into the box with an absorbent pad the vet gave us.

Out front, despite Kari's protestations, I handed the vet tech my credit card to cover the charges. Dr. Anderson came out and reminded Kari that the cats, now nearly three months old, would need to be spayed/neutered between five- and six-months old. We went back to the truck. I suggested putting the cats in the back but Kari insisted we keep the box with us because she didn't want the kittens to feel abandoned.

We decided to stop at a big-box pet store for basic supplies. On the way, I called home again, Jane still didn't answer. I decided to pause the pet shopping to get home and check on Jane. We approached and found the house completely dark.

"Oh no. I hope Jane is alright." Kari said as she stopped the truck. We hopped out and ran to the door. The door was locked. I unlocked it and stepped inside, "Jane! Come here!" I shouted. The house was silent. I checked my phone quickly; I'd not received any messages. Kari ran past me toward the back of the house. She was back quickly, "Not here. Downstairs, do you think?"

"Let's check." The downstairs was dark also, and there was no sign of Jane.

"Shit! What's going on?" I asked out loud. We hustled upstairs. I finally remembered to turn on some lights. "Kari, Honey, why don't you go get the cats and bring them in. I'm going to call... the cops I guess. Report Jane missing."

While Kari went outside, I sat at the kitchen table. That was where I found the letter.

Dear Master Brett,

Freedom isn't Free. I realize that now.

I want to thank you and Sister Kari for allowing me to safely experience what I thought I wanted and understand its reality. You helped me see that this was a lifestyle I could not permanently embrace. When you told me that as part of my slavery, I was to be pierced and tattooed I was skeptical. The more I thought about this, the more horrified I became and, at last, I decided to leave. I have called a ride share and it will be here shortly. I am sorry that I'm not brave enough to do this in person; however, I promise you I will never reveal even an inkling of your special relationship with Kari. Again, thank you, Master, for showing me the truth and reality behind my fantasy. I'm going to try and get my job back. I hope I will see you and Kari again.

Love, Celeste

"I'll be damned." I muttered as Kari entered the house with the cats.

"What's wrong?" She set the box of cats down and walked over to me.

I handed her Jane's note, "Read this."

"Huh." Kari muttered, "I thought she was stronger than this." She looked at me and smiled, "Problem solved?"

"Looks like it. But there's no food ready. Tell you what, why don't you order some pizza or chinese while I go to the store and get the basics for our new guests?" Kari nodded and reached for her phone and punched in an order to Gianinni's computer. They promised delivery in an hour; it was a busy night.

I hurried to the pet superstore. I grabbed a sales associate; told him I'd just adopted two three-month-old kittens--one male, one female--and needed the basics to keep them alive and happy for a couple days. Okay, so maybe he loaded me with a bit more than the basics: two litter boxes, a jumbo bag of litter, two food dishes, two water dishes, big bag of high-end kitten food, a couple beds, collars and engraved name tags, brushes and combs, and a couple toys--oh, and a couple scratching posts. The associate was happy to help me carry everything to the truck.

I raced home with the cat goodies. The pizzas got there before I did; Kari waited for me before starting to eat. While I'd been gone, she'd fashioned a toy out of a piece of string and had the cats jumping and tussling to get at it. I immediately wondered about the wisdom of spending my money on cat toys.

I hurriedly set up one litter box with a plastic liner and litter and placed it in the mudroom leading out to the back yard. I had Kari nab Nora while I snagged Nick. We carried them out to the mud room and set them in the box. "Here's your box kids, remember it." I warned them. Kari and I returned to the kitchen, washed our hands and faces, set out bowls of kitten food and water, and at last sat down to eat. Kari was so hungry she wasted no time on a knife and fork.

As I ate my third piece of pepperoni pie (I promised myself an extra mile on the treadmill in the morning), the cats found their way to the kitchen, their noses twitching. Nick tried to climb my leg, but I pushed him away with my foot before he could deploy his claws. I put down my water glass and moved both cats over to their food and water bowls. They ate and drank greedily; emptied their bowls; and came back to us looking for more.

Kari and I finished eating; gave the cats a bit more food, cleaned up the table, and put away the leftovers. There wasn't much to wash so we finished quickly and adjourned to the living room and turned on the TV. The baseball game was in the 4th inning; didn't care who was playing just wanted some noise in the background.

I sat in my normal spot on the sofa; Kari snuggled up to me with her head on my shoulder and her legs tucked up under her. We sat quietly for several minutes; except when we laughed at the cats racing around chasing each other. "Brett?" Kari said quietly. "Thank you. Having a real job is just so... I don't know... but I can't tell you how happy I am." She paused, "And thank you for letting me keep Nick and Nora. I promise I'll take good care of them."

"I know. We'll both take good care of them. But we need to be careful that they don't sneak out. I don't know if you've noticed the pack of coyotes that sometimes hang around our backyard. They'd love to have a nice kitten appetizer." I felt Kari shiver. The cats came over, sat at our feet, and began cleaning themselves.

Kari untangled herself from me, bent down, and picked up both cats. She handed Nick to me along with a small comb. "We need to comb them and get rid of any pests they're carrying." Kari said as she began running her comb through Nora's fur. I followed Kari's lead. Nick didn't seem to appreciate the grooming as much as Nora did; but he eventually settled down. Kari got up and got some paper towels from the kitchen; a good thing too, you wouldn't believe how much crud and vermin we combed off of those two kittens.

By 11:00 Kari and I were tired and ready to sleep. We lifted the sleeping kittens off our laps and set them in their beds right next to the sofa. We made sure they had access to their cat box and had a tiny bit of food in their bowls. Then we retired to our bedroom.

We showered together. I lathered up a face cloth with Kari's preferred moisturizing soap and carefully scrubbed every inch of her body. I finished washing her and then began shampooing her magnificent mane of curly, auburn hair. Whatever had caused her rapid hair growth hadn't neglected the platinum money piece; it still ran all the way from root to tip and framed her beautiful face.

We stepped out of the shower enclosure and dried off. Kari gathered and wrapped her dripping hair into a microfiber hair wrap and donned a warm cotton robe. She sat down at the makeup table and lighted mirror I'd installed for her at the far wall and unwrapped her hair. "Let me comb it for you." I stepped behind her and reached for the wide-toothed comb she now used for all the curls.

"Not yet. I need to put on the leave-in conditioner first. I'll call you when it's your turn."

By the time she called me I was almost asleep. But I put on a pair of pajama bottoms and slippers and went into the bathroom. Kari handed me the comb, "Remember, start at the tips and work your way up," She reminded me. I complied.

When I finished, Kari stood up and bumped against me. "Whoa!" She exclaimed looking down at the bulge in my pajamas, "Did just combing my hair do that?"

"I've always had a thing for beautiful hair that's well styled." I ran my fingers through her curls.

"Brett, baby, don't get too excited, my period is starting."

I sighed sadly, "I understand. Come on, let's go to bed." I took Kari's hand and led her back to the bedroom. We crawled into bed; Kari still insisted on the security of being cuffed to the bed. I got back into bed and laid back on my pillow, trying to calm down. I wasn't having much luck.

Kari rolled over, kissed my cheek, and lightly touched me. "Brett, even though I'm on my period, there are other things we can do. What would you like?"

"Um..."

"Come on Master. It's just like that fast food place... I couldn't decide so you didn't feed me." She stroked my bulge again. "What do you want Master?" She grinned wickedly, "Decide or this slave won't feed you. The menu is pretty simple really: hand, mouth, butt. What would you like? Better be quick."

"Mouth!" I croaked.

She slithered down the bed and carefully released my erection from my pajamas. She caressed the tip of my cock with her butterfly-soft lips, then lifted up long enough to whisper, "Master, get ready. This slave is going to rock your world."

A half-hour later, while Kari slept, I laid there staring at the ceiling; my body still tingled. She'd kept her promise.

I woke up to a buzzing noise. I listened for a few seconds but couldn't figure out what it was. I opened my eyes and found myself staring into two green eyes surrounded by black and white fur; and it was purring. "Nick, what are you doing in here?" He stood up, stretched, jumped off the bed, and left the bedroom. I felt something else moving; turning my head, I watched Nora thump across our legs and then jump down to follow Nick.

"The cats are awake." Kari yawned; as if I needed it explained. Just then the alarm clock went off and startled the hell out of me. I turned to Kari and we shared a brief hug and kiss.

"If you want to shower first, go ahead. I'll go feed and water the cats," I said as I slid out of bed. I put on a robe and walked out to the kitchen area where I found Nick and Nora sitting by their bowls waiting. They both meowed, I think they were telling me to hurry it up. Feeling ornery, I started coffee first.

I washed and dried their bowls and gave them each food and water to get through the day. I stepped out of the kitchen but heard the shower still running. So, I went to the mudroom and checked the litter box. I was pleased to see that it had been used. I cleaned out the clumps and went back to the kitchen. The cats were sitting and cleaning themselves; they'd eaten about half their food.

I heard the shower stop, so I went that way to start getting ready for work. As I entered the bedroom I encountered Kari leaving the bathroom. She was wrapped in a towel and her hair was still covered by a plastic shower cap. "Your turn." She yawned again as she walked to her dresser to choose underwear.

I finished showering quickly; the smoothness of my chest, abdomen, and armpits still felt very strange. I dressed in a navy-blue suit, white shirt (I know... boring!), and striped tie.

From her closet, Kari asked if we'd have time to come home and change before going to Annabeth's house. I told her probably not; especially since Annabeth's place was in the opposite direction from work as our house.

She came back to the bedroom wearing a navy-blue, knee-length, long-sleeved, knit dress. "This should do, I think, for work and Annabeth's."

I know its sexist, but that dress did a spectacular job of showing off Kari's figure. Anyway, Kari went over and checked herself in the mirror. "Whoops! Forgot this." She whipped off the shower cap and let the mass of auburn curls cascade down her back. She returned to the closet and came out tying her hair into a high ponytail with a long, blue scarf. "There. This should keep my hair out of the way while we're at work." She sniffed the air; "I smell coffee. Yummy!"

I watched Kari from behind as she paraded toward the kitchen. "Yes, Yummy!" I wasn't talking about the damn coffee.

When we arrived in the kitchen; the cats were nowhere to be seen, which concerned me. What were the little darlings up to now? Kari poured coffee while I sliced a couple bagels and dropped them into the toaster. I needn't have worried about the cats; the aroma of the toasting bagels had them wandering into the kitchen trying to find the source of the delicious smells. "Forget it. Your food is over there." I pointed to their bowls. They ignored me and just sat at our feet looking up expectantly.

I drove the truck to work that morning. About two minutes after leaving the house, Kari spoke up. "Brett? I've been thinking about my rose tattoo; I think I know what I want."

"Okay. And?"

"I want a large pink rose on the top of my left shoulder. I want it to look like my butterfly is smelling the rose."

"That sounds nice."

"But that's not all. I want that to be the centerpiece of a large bouquet of roses trails down the front of my left breast--ending just above my left nipple."

"Wow! That's... extravagant. In that area isn't it going to hurt--a lot?"

"You don't like my idea?" She sounded disappointed.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. But go ahead and talk with Wanda about a design. Perhaps you could photoshop it onto your picture so you can see what it will look like? Remember, if you do this, we'll be looking at it every day for the rest of your life. You need to be absolutely certain this is what you want."

"Okay. I'll call her during lunch. Thanks for listening."

When we arrived at work I sat down at my desk and opened my company e-mail. I had one from Dave Dillon in coordination with CFO Jessica Dunne, that outlined their proposed budget for replacement of the computer servers and a work flow chart showing how it could be done with minimal disruption of WAMA operations.

I forwarded the message to Ms. Haugen with a simple message, "Do I have authority to approve this or does a project of this magnitude require CEO/Board of Directors approval?"

Kari buzzed me on the intercom, "Mr. Noonan, Mr. Okwendu would like to see you if you have a moment."

I strolled over to my door, glad for the opportunity to stretch, "Come on in Jaxson. What have you got? Ms. Jensen, stick around; take notes if there are things I need to remember."

Jaxson took the next half-hour showing me what he had in mind for the Miracle and Hellsen presentations and inspections. I couldn't find any fault with it. "It looks good to me. Ms. Jensen, go with Mr. Okwendu. Call Miracle and Hellsen, introduce Mr. Okwendu to Katherine and Vera so that he can make the arrangements for our visits. "Relax Jaxson. Ms. Jensen has met, and is friendly with, both Katherine Hellsen and Vera Hollenstein. She'll introduce you and then you'll conduct your business."

They left my office. I checked my messages again--had one waiting from Freda. Re: computers. Very ambitious; Very expensive; Very necessary. You, Mr. Dillon, and I will present it to the Board of Directors for approval at the next meeting in three weeks--be ready. F. H.'

I forwarded the message to Dave Dillon. He messaged back that we should include the CFO Jess Dunne in the meeting as well. Dave could present the technology--only Jess understood the financing. Dave went on to slyly hint that it was my job to show this was necessary if WAMA wanted to grow into a major power in the business. 'Yeah, I can do that.' Plus, I really wanted all of that promised bonus.

It's funny how coincidences sometime happen. At exactly the same time I was thinking about how much I wanted the bonus my phone rang. It was Mr. Bralow, President of the bank where I keep my accounts. He called to ask if I was aware that $1,025,000 had just been deposited to my account; or had there been a mistake. A million bucks? Must be the first installment of my bonus. Mr. Bralow said both payments came from WAMA. For a moment, I couldn't explain the 25K. Then I realized... promotion equals pay raise!

I told Mr. Bralow that I was pretty certain the deposits were valid. I added that I would call back within the hour if there was a problem. If I didn't call, he should process the deposits as normal.

As soon as we hung up, I e-mailed HR. 'Good Morning Loni. Can you tell me, because of my promotion to President, did I get a pay raise that no one told me about? Thanks. Brett Noonan.'

I had my answer 15 minutes later. 'Mr. Noonan, Congratulations on your promotion. Yes to the pay raise: annual salary now $300,000. Also, because in your previous benefits package you had declined company car, club memberships, etc., the board, instead awarded you significant stock options--I don't have those details. You should be receiving the paperwork soon. Good Luck. Loni. P. S. (and not for public release) Shanique was an inspired choice to lead the group!'

"Cripes! I'm rich."

I must have said it out loud, because Kari poked her head in the door, "Did you say something, Mr. Noonan? Is something wrong?"

"No. Nothing. I just received some surprising news... good news. We'll talk about it when we get home tonight. Thanks for checking on me."

"You're welcome, Sir. Mr. Okwendu and I spoke to Mrs. Hellsen and Ms. Hollenstein. He seemed to get on well with each of them. He is preparing the visit schedule now and will get it to you as soon as he can. He said, and I quote, '24 hours... tops.'"

"Excellent. Would you care to join me for lunch? I was thinking of walking over to the deli--where we met."

"That sounds lovely. Do you think they'll remember me?"

"I'm sure they remember you as you were. I'm not sure, though, that they'll recognize you as you are now. Let's go see, shall we?"

I lifted my suit jacket off the back of my chair and walked with Kari out to her desk. She gathered her purse and turned to me. "You know Mr. Noonan; you really should be more careful with your suit. Hanging it on the chair back like that isn't good for it."

"There's no place else..." I began.

"Really? Huh. Give me just a second." She sat behind her desk and grabbed her phone and dialed. "Hello... building services? This is Ms. Jensen from Mr. Noonan's office. That's right, Mr. Noonan." She tapped a fingernail on her desk, "He needs you to come to his office and install a means for him to properly hang his clothes. Using the back of his chair just won't do. A small wardrobe would be best." She paused and listened briefly, "Of course immediately!" She gave the impression that it was a ridiculous question. "There is a nice spot off to the right of the door in the inner office that would be perfect. Thank you." She hung up. She looked at me and grinned, "That was fun. Lunch?"

I stared at her in wonder; where had this girl... this woman come from? Eight months ago, she couldn't speak up or look me in the eye; now, she was issuing orders with a self-assurance that would make any military commander proud.

"What?" She asked. "Why are you staring at me?"

"Just realizing how much you've grown as a person in the last eight months. It is an amazing and wonderful thing to see."

She turned shy, "Thank you, sir. Your love and discipline give me the confidence to do it. I never thought I could." We left the office and moved down the stairs to go outside. It was a nice, sunny, somewhat cool day. We walked hand-in-hand down the sidewalk for the short distance to the deli. It wasn't too busy inside; most customers were eating outside.

We waited a couple minutes to reach the counter. I let Kari go first, she smiled at the counter guy, "Hi Billy, I'd like a turkey and Swiss cheese on wheat with lettuce, tomato, and mayo; a bag of chips; and a bottle of water."

He repeated the order, "Yes ma'am." He looked at Kari; I could tell he was trying to place her. "I'm sorry ma'am, have we met before? You do look familiar." He asked at last.

"It's Kari. I haven't been in for a while."

"Kari? No way! Really?" Kari nodded delightedly. "Hey guys, it's Kari! Damn, girl, we all thought you was dead or something."

"Oh, heck no! I have a good job now; and I got engaged! Look." She proudly displayed her ring. "You remember Brett?" The counter guy and I nodded to each other. I ordered a tuna salad on wheat. We slid down the line to the prep station.

"Lettuce and tomato on the tuna?" The sandwich maker asked. I nodded. "Hey Kari, did I hear you tell Billy you're getting married." He kept on slapping tomatoes and lettuce on our sandwiches.

"Sure did!" She showed off her ring again.

"Wow! That's some rock. Okay. Here's the tuna on wheat; and here's the turkey and Swiss on wheat. Welcome back Kari, you look fantastic."

"Thanks Marcos." Kari said as I gathered up the bag with the sandwiches. Kari picked out two bags of chips and a couple bottles of water and we move along the line to the cashier. While I paid for lunch, Kari went to find a table. I dropped the change and a couple bucks into the tip jar and returned to the dining area.

"Here you go Honey," I said as I handed Kari the bag with her sandwich. I set my bag on the table directly across from her. "I'll be right back; too much coffee this morning." I leaned over and kissed her cheek, "Love ya." I laughed as I walked towards the men's room in the back. I finished my business in the men's room and then washed my hands. As I pushed open the bathroom door I heard shouting and a woman screaming. I ran out... a large women was holding Kari by the hair and hitting and kicking her. I started to shout for her to stop... I saw a flash.

End of Part 4