Destiny's Child
Chapter 8
The whole family was delighted with the living arrangements for the Heineken regatta. Martin, Yoshi and Jack all volunteered to crew on Ian and Richard's yacht. An event that was welcomed with the strong winds that persisted throughout the regatta. Loads of crew ballast helped the yacht achieve a better than expected position.
There were so many parties ashore that virtually no meals were taken on Thermopylae. Jack couldn't believe how he was accepted on equal terms with all these wealthy people, but the yachting community embraced him as a member of a competing boat, not worrying about his social status. The three boys had a marvellous time, Richard and Ian looked with pride on all three of these young men for the way they behaved, and the pleasure they showed in strange company.
Regatta ended, parties over and most competitors departed for their home islands.
"You control everything Martin, what do you want to do now?"
"Thank you Richard, I assume you would like to take the yacht back to Antigua. Can I suggest that we return there as well and pick up the crew before we return to St. Barts for more fun. Thermopylae is free until Yoshi and I return to Malvern."
Martin hoped his suggestion would receive enthusiastic support, which it did.
By the end of the holiday, Jack was reeling from the luxury in which he had lived. He had done virtually no work on the yacht, spending all his time with Yoshi and Martin. Richard and Suki went back to New York direct from St. Barts while everyone else returned to Antigua in Thermopylae with the four young people returning to England for school and college.
"I so enjoyed that holiday Yoshi, now we both need to work very hard swotting for our exams when we get back to school. What about you Annabel, and you Jack?"
Both had exams and then Jack would go back to the yacht for the summer as a Cadet Officer and Annabel would join her parents in New York. Richard had agreed to Yoshi being with Martin as long as he knew where they were and that they had adult supervision.
Martin asked James to accompany them so that they could travel a great deal and not just be tied to the yacht.
The summer turned out as planned with Martin and Yoshi's relationship becoming more and more solid. By the time they started their A Levels, Richard and Suki were no longer worrying about the boys.
Jump two years to the summer after the boys had completed their A Levels and were just waiting results. Thermopylae was in Monaco with the boys about to join it and wait for Richard, Suki and Annabel to join them for two weeks. First Officer Justin Bates had met the boys as they came aboard, accompanied by Second Officer Jack Steele, a very happy young man, pleased to see his mentor again.
"Justin congratulations on your promotion, and you Jack, you look amazing in your officer's uniform," then with a giggle Martin continued, "You'll have every gay male in Monaco chasing you now."
Jack blushed before replying, "It won't do them any good Martin, I'm only going to accept the advances of our first officer."
Justin's turn to blush. "I took your advice of two years ago Martin, I found a mate among the crew."
Martin reverted to little boy and danced round these two friends that he liked so much.
"You mean Yoshi and I won't be having any foursomes with you both?"
Yoshi's turn to blush. "Martin, how could you suggest such a thing?"
"Well, they are both very sexy men, Yoshi, don't you think?"
When the other three realised that Martin was just being wicked they all joined in the laughter. Martin was sure life was never going to be better than this, with his lover and friends who would permanently surround him, even if some of them were employees.
If results were as expected, both boys intended to go to Cambridge, their first choice university. They had decided that for holidays they would remain in England if Richard and Suki were there, but travel the world if they were in New York or Antigua.
"I have worn David down Yoshi, so he has increased my allowance to the point where we can go anywhere anytime, and we'll either fly first class or use the company jet. Thermopylae is off charter permanently so we can place her anywhere in the world we like."
Yoshi knew that Martin was very wealthy, but when he realised the potential for their travels he started wondering just how wealthy. It worried him a little and he confessed those worries to his father.
"It shouldn't be too difficult to find out Son, we know the name of Martin's corporation, it should be easy to find out his holdings in that and the other companies in the group, and someone as wealthy as Martin will have his personal assets fairly closely listed. His trust fund and all holdings by his guardian and Trustees will be easy to check, I'll have a check when I'm next in my offices in New York."
That was Richard's conversation with Yoshi before they went back to start their first year at university. True to his word, as soon as he was back in New York he gave a young assistant the details he knew and asked him to do some digging. The assistant was fast, by close of business on that first day he presented Richard with a detailed list of Martin's assets that he would control when he was 21. The bottom line was more than 4 Billion pounds. He would control a major corporation at 21, with more than 70% of the shares, he would also command a place on the board of 19 other companies in which he was a major shareholder. His personal fortune in cash and property, including Thermopylae totalled a little under 500 million. The figures were almost stupefying. Richard knew that Martin intended using a considerable part of his fortune to help underprivileged children around the world. Now he realised that this would be a major undertaking and he understood Martin's desire for Yoshi to work with him when they graduated. Both boys were studying computing and business management, and Martin was doing a grounding course in corporation law as well. He thought both of these young men would cut a swath through the charity world once they started
In his next conversation with Yoshi, he told him what he had learned. Yoshi found it hard to take in, that was an enormous amount of money by any standards and he felt he needed to broach the subject with Martin, if, as planned he was going to work with his lover on graduation.
Sat in their dorm room one evening, Yoshi brought up the subject.
"Martin, in principal you know I want to work with you when we graduate, but will there really be room for two business graduates to administer your charitable trusts?"
Martin beamed at his lover.
"Oh yes Yoshi. When we are 21 we will have more than 4 billion pounds to control. I would think we'll need the service of every business graduate in our year."
Martin was laughing happily as he said it and Yoshi had to join in. He should have been shocked but he already knew so he wasn't.
"David nearly had a seizure when I told him my plans in depth when I was at the last Board of Trustees meeting. The thought of me giving away huge amounts of my money filled him with something approaching grief it was so funny." ******************************************************************************* Sorry this is a short one but I am still struggling with this story. I have the idea that I might leave Martin and Yoshi to go through their degree course at Cambridge and concentrate on other characters like Jack and Justin. Some sexy interaction on board maybe, and then we can rejoin Martin and Yoshi as they take the reins of Martin's corporation to start working for disadvantaged children.