I shuddered visibly which seemed to amuse them.The nearest was probably in his early twenties, long blonde haired, slim, almost anorexic in appearance...with a feminine looking face. The other was older, late thirties to early forties with a paunch, dark haired with a goatee beard and spectacles.They turned to Sarah who nodded assent.They turned back toward me ogling my almost bare defenceless body with leering looks before the younger stepped forward.He stepped on the spreader bar, rooting me. When I went inside, my parents and Lara were sitting at the table. Lara looked a mix of misery and happiness, sipping a hot tea while wrapped in a blanket.“Matt, come and sit,” Sarah said, smiling warmly.She’s smiling? What?I approached warily. Maybe we’d won the lottery. That was about the only thing that could trump the repercussions of an outburst like the one I’d had.“They’re coming!” Lara announced with as much glee as she could muster given her sore throat.“Huh?”“Muireann and Tommy,. .. it seemed so easy. These kind of thoughts had never entered Michael's mind before... but he was in a particular state right now. Maybe a little shit-faced as well."Man..." he said slightly aloud under his breath, "it would be nice to be a woman just for a day." Maybe I can help?"Michael jumped a bit... and turned to a beautiful woman sitting next to him. He hadn't seen her there before... it was as if she came out of nowhere."Excuse me?"Michael turned and saw an attractive female looking. Stan had earned their loyalty through hard work and dedication, and for the fact that he’d brought a significant amount of new business to the company. They’d leave his father-in-law high and dry, with a shop and equipment and no one to run it. It had been a huge gamble on his part. Had his father-in-law called his bluff, Stan would have been forced to go deeply in debt to finance his new company, and he would have had to painstakingly build a new clientele. The threat had worked, however, and.