Or she would rub my cock and ask if I thought if Stephanie's thighs were stronger than most women because she rode horses so much. Or if Janice shaved her pussy? Or if Mark's second wife Theresa gave better head than Mark's first wife Kara.
Brent and his groomsmen were equally dashing, and Brent surprised me by being affectionate and affable throughout the day. As an artist, Brent had always struck me as a little removed from it all. He didn't care at all about Melissa's money and less about the Corporation and its inner workings. He had always been friendly, if somewhat reserved, but I had always liked him, even though I didn't feel we were close by any means.
Melissa, as you might expect with her interests and abilities, was the consummate bride. She had planned the wedding with precision and style, adding little touches and amusements for everyone without anything seeming to be overly contrived or fake. Her eye as a designer and production expert really showed through, in regards to how aesthetically pleasing everything was. I realized she had approached the wedding as it was her own short movie with all of us as castmates and actors and her the star. On a lot of people this might have looked conceited and over wrought, but she pulled it off to the delight of everyone. I found myself being touched by it all, the planning and execution as it seemed like more than a wedding, it seemed like a celebration of family and togetherness.
I will say this, this family knew how to throw a wedding and it really knew how to party afterwards. The reception was in the largest hotel ballroom in the city. There were at least 500 guests and maybe more, but the meal was excellent, the drinks flowed freely. The dancing was fun and went late into the evening. Susan was often on the stage with the bridal party and I sat with the rest of the family, right next to Zack and Janice on one side and Karen on the other. John and Stephanie were at the table as well as Mark and Theresa. I didn't expect it but Kara and her daughters, Britney and Chanel, also sat with us. There had been some bad blood between Theresa and Kara, but they were apparently putting all of that aside for the day. It was truly a delightful time and we all laughed and celebrated in a way that made us all feel closer. Lastly, Cindy and Joan also sat at our table, and it felt right they were being treated as de facto family members for this day as they had helped Melissa tremendously with arrangements and Melissa graciously credited them in her bridal speech.
There was another notable aspect of the day I observed and filed away for future reference. I kept my drinking to a minimum and was more keenly observant of this event than I had been for other previous ones, due to the changes that were coming. John showed me how brilliant he was as leader of the Corporation and the family with a practiced ease and grace. The family was well known to combine family events with announcements and celebrations with friends and important business associates. Before today I always felt this tradition was this normally humble and secretive family's indulgence. I certainly remembered thinking it was all way too much for our wedding. These family events were a way to show off in ways they normally didn't in public. It was fair to say this wedding was at least the most important event in the city and being invited meant a great deal to many. I observed our table, and more importantly, John and Stephanie were positioned in a way to be able to receive and greet many who wished to extend their congratulations and get a moment with them. John and Stephanie handled it with real aplomb and never seemed to be put out for any of the interruptions the well-intentioned greeters may have imposed. It reminded me a great deal of the wedding scene from the Godfather. All of us were there to celebrate a wedding but there were a lot of agendas being executed. Those agendas were acknowledged with a great deal of forethought and John dished out introductions and promises to connect with certain visitors or sneak a whisper in to show intimacy when he was easily the second most important person in the room next to the bride. I realized Joan was stationed close to him to record, ever so subtly on her phone, those conversations and make sure there would be a follow up. Anyone looking on may have just thought Joan was texting. On an occasion or two, he would indicate I should come to their side of the table to quickly speak to those I recognized as the most important of our business associates. I noticed in those cases it was Cindy who was recording the conversations and messages of what I said. I also realized all of this was done with great precision and planning. I could see delighted recognition from these greeters as John would say something like, "Of course you know my son in law Blake, you must get in contact with him next week on the Parsons Merger. Blake, you know the Hoopers, Lyle and Mary, they run the Boseman Corporation and have come all the way from Seattle to be here. Lyle, I sure hope Joan sent the right bottle of whiskey to your room and Mary, daisies are your favorite right?"
The Hoopers would gush over John's memory and the tiny gesture of gifts and the introduction to me as a way of making the Hoopers feel special. These greeters would shake my hand as if we were newly introduced although I had probably interacted with Lyle Hooper on business more than John had in the last couple of years. I would follow my cue and say, "Yes, Lyle beat me on both sides of the Sand Point Course when I met with him and his staff last June. I am coming back with a new putter next time Lyle, I want a chance to get my money back."
Once again, John was giving me a masters class in how to do things right. He was accomplishing so much more than throwing a big wedding with the goal of getting his daughter married. First of all, he had obviously used many of the wedding invitations as a clear indication of who was most valued to the family, and by extension, to him, and by another extension to the corporation. Those invited were bestowed a certain important status and to those who he introduced to me, he was giving them the highest status of all by subtly giving them the information everyone was waiting for, that I was to be CEO. It wasn't Zack he was introducing them to, it was me. They had been preselected by John and Joan and I was now convinced Joan was hand signaling him the status of those who were approaching the table, though I couldn't pick up on it on my own. It would not have surprised me to know John and Joan had ESP with each other. It was only later that I realized it was all planned out. I made a mental note to ask Cindy because clearly, she was looped in. Those who got the gift of this information John gave them could use it in whatever way they liked to show they were on the inside by truthfully saying they were privy to the information before the announcement was made, further cementing their status. It may seem like such a small thing, but in building relationships it was huge gift that could swing big business deals in the future.
"Of course, I knew Blake was going to be the successor, it was obvious from the wedding!" they would be able to say afterwards. In social capital, John was dispensing gold to those he wanted to make feel special. He would show me how to use this tiny advantage in future business dealings.
Second of all, he used the natural goodwill of being at a celebration like a wedding as a tool to further good relations with people who had a considerable status on their own. Tomorrow we may be in contentious negotiations with the Hoopers on any number of issues but there was an underlining feeling of goodwill from celebrating a wedding in which they were treated as important members of the extended Corporate Family. That was to say nothing of connections they made with other wedding guests who they could approach about how wonderful the music was or how beautiful the bride's dress as a conversation starter. Like I said a lot of agendas were being executed, all good for business. It was brilliant.
Conversely, to a few who were hoping to be, but were not invited, there would likely be a strategy session on how to improve relations with us for future invites. That is how important these invitations were. They knew there were important business connections to be made and being left out of the wedding may mean being left out of future business. It would be tacky to complain in public about not getting an invitation to a wedding where they didn't know the bride and groom, but the signal would have been sent all the same.
Because of all of John's planning, the press conference almost seemed anti-climactic. The press had been taken care of with the same food the wedding guests had been served, further gaining good will at what for the Corporation was chump change. John made his statement, turned it over to me, I read my statement, we retreated back to the reception. It could not have taken more than 20 minutes. Joan and Cindy handed out copies of both statements and information on where to be for the presser Tuesday. They returned to the table about 15 minutes after we did, Joan showing the emotion of a pro, Cindy thrilled with the whole thing and she and Susan were huddled together in a fit of giggles and triumph.
