If he hadn't panicked in the dining-room, he did now.

He literally ran to his bedroom on the first floor and grabbed his mobile phone, dialling all of Lucinda's numbers in quick succession. On each he left the same message, detailing Russ' plans for Zyzzx and the row in the dining-room. He also sent her an e-mail from his laptop computer to make sure. Why he raged to himself, are the people you need, never there when your need is greatest?

He grabbed a Coke and drank it slowly to calm all of his anger, whilst searching his mind for a solution, that would be acceptable to everybody. Well, at least everybody except Russ Gilbert! It just appeared that he held too many shares for anybody to put in a strong challenge. Luckily, he didn't have many friends.

He was about to return without any solution at all, when he had an intelligent thought, that might just work. It certainly was worth an examination. He called Adams and after giving the financier full and uncensored details of Russ' anger, mood and unworkable plans, he asked a very simple and extremely direct question. 'Could you and any friends in the City, who are trustworthy and won't throw us in another fire, raise a billion pounds or so?'

'To buy out Russ and then float the company?' Adams had grasped the idea. 'I like that! Properly put together and floated, Zyzzx would be worth a lot more without Russ!'

'You mean you'll try?'

'Yes!' Adams paused. 'When I first met you, I thought you were an idiot. Too arrogant, as well! But having seen the way that you've pulled all the technology together for the deal, I'd trust you with any money, I put into the new company. But, you'd need a very good CEO! And a very proper and well-respected board.'

'Thank you! Compliments are rare at the moment, but extremely welcome!' He clenched his fist and smiled, as the very welcome lifeline was offered. 'You find the directors. I think we've got the CEO. Have you met Greg?'

'The Californian? Yes, I like him! Is he on our side?'

'I think so!' He would brief Greg tomorrow to find out, whether he would jump. 'He was in on the arguments and he's a shareholder. So I suspect he sympathises!'

'Perhaps, you are going to get that daughter you never had! Do you mind that the father happens to be Zyzzx? I'll keep in touch!'

***

He returned to a morgue-like atmosphere, with an extremely tense and gloomy silence pervading everywhere.

He started cheerily. 'Have you agreed my plan then? Do we get the software right first in a good atmosphere?' He got a begrudging nod from Russ. 'We'll all be sweetness and light until everything has been tested, the deals have been done and the cheques have been cashed. And then ...' He stopped deliberately.

'OK! You have made some points.' Russ seemed to be accepting a certain amount of defeat. 'But you step out of line once and I'll throw everything I can find at you. You'll regret the threats you've made!'

'I've not made any threats!' He looked Russ firmly in the eye. 'I've just pointed out the legal position of Medusa and myself. We can and we will walk away! You have to remember too, Russ, that all of those you will annoy with your plans, are those that understand most of the technology and nearly all of the methods!'

It was now Pat's turn to calm everything. 'I don't know about everybody else, but I've eaten nothing since his dreadful toast this morning. He burnt it as usual! Do we get to eat anything around here?'

***

An hour later and they had finished a sumptuous meal, virtually in silence.

Truth be told, Russ, Pat and Greg had, whilst the programmer had picked at his food, bitten his nails and drunk a good deal of exceptional wine. He was very worried that this whole deal was about to become unstuck, nowithstanding his talk with Adams. How could the man raise a billion pounds? And if he could, what would be the catches? Oh! How he wished that he had someone he could trust to help him. He did have Pat and he was going to be visited by Suzanne tonight, but he really needed a vicious yard-dog of a lawyer. He didn't even have one, who would pass for a poodle! Having heard no news from Lucinda for the past couple of weeks, didn't help either. The list of problems just got longer and longer!

Russ rang the bell again. 'I suppose everybody wants coffee! And brandies? We've got every possible nightcap anybody might want!' He glared across the table. 'Yes! And I do know that the difficult one of you wants tea!'

***

This time the school-girls entered in their usual line, carrying the coffee and tea pots, sugar, milk and cream, on large silver trays, but with one major difference. They had removed their slips and were showing a row of immaculate and extremely beautiful bodies dressed in identical stockings and suspenders, skimpy briefs and bras that just supported and displayed everything. All were in the regulation school-girl black. Pat made a comment about not being impressed, but the three others thought it was a certain amount of light relief after the arguments earlier. Greg and Russ started to clap their hands and the two Englishmen, reluctantly joined in.

In turn the girls placed the trays on the table, bowed to the applause and retreated into a line behind Russ. As she did so, Melanie came forward and whispered something to Russ, which caused him to clear his throat and stand-up. 'Melanie here, has asked me to introduce their leader behind the scenes, our very able housekeeper for the negotiations, who is just a little bit shy.' Russ seemed a little bit taken aback, as this certainly wasn't in any of his plans. 'Come on in, madam! We're all ready for you, now!'

The lady who entered carrying the tray of sweets and petit-fours may well have been older than the girls, but you could not tell, as her head was covered in a tight leather hood. Her beautifully made-up eyes were the only visible features, that showed through sculpted slots in the hood, which clung to every feature of her face and hid every lock of her hair. Her body like her head, was encased in leather. A corset of such strength and severity had reduced her waist to probably less than twenty inches, whilst it raised and supported her breasts without covering any of her pierced nipples. To complete the ensemble, she wore stockings, black high heels and a tiny leather thong padlocked over her sex.

Whilst Russ and Greg looked at her body, Pat ignored her entirely, the fourth man at the table only had eyes for the familiar ring on the fourth finger of the lady's right hand.

Copyright 1999 by Ewart Higgins