Hampton Manor (2 page)

Thoughts flowed in again
Well, It’s just not going to happen. She isn’t qualified. I’ll just deny any memory of such a promise. I’ll find some other way to placate her.

Marcia’s expectations would be taken care of when the opportunity presented itself. Right now he needed to dress for a very important meeting.

Adam began his morning grooming. Unlike his father, he did not avail himself of the personal services of the butler, preferring to choose his own clothing and do his own grooming. A firm believer in the importance of his appearance, he devoted close forty-five minutes to grooming every day. He used a number of products that promised to keep him looking young and virile, including moisturizers, toners, wrinkle removers and a new product that was supposed to give his skin a youthful glow even at age thirty-three. He applied a deodorant and a new French cologne produced by one of his companies, finishing off with a quick scan of his naked body in the mirrored shower doors. He was impressed with what he saw. His brown hair was free of gray hairs. He kept it short most of the time except when he went on vacation. His had an angular face with a roman nose, his eyes were a dull blue. He was the tallest of the Hampton men, at six-two. His weight ten pounds over the range for thirty-plus males. That never bothered Him. He had a comprehensive physical exam once a year and usually got a clean bill of health from the doctor. Adam never read the list of recommended diets and exercise regimens he was given. He gave the former to his cook and tossed away the latter.

Satisfied that he looked his best, he left the bathroom and moved to the walk-in closet to select his suit, shirt, belt, tie, shoes and socks. The color coordinated combinations were previously set up . He simply chose groupings based on his mood that day and sometimes because of the season of the year.

One hour after waking, Adam emerged from his bedroom. He used the time between juice and eggs prepared, to discuss household matters with his butler, Milton.

Today, his father’s health dominated the conversation. Adam Hampton II was confined in the West Wing of Hampton Manor. The news was encouraging and Adam decided that he would come home early later in the week to spend some time with him.

After he finished eating and was satisfied that there were no pressing matters requiring his attention, he went to the garage, looked over the collection of cars, the Lexus, Lucerne, Mustang, Audi and the Infiniti, eventually settling on the latter.

As he drove to his office the only thing he had on his mind was an important meeting he needed to schedule for later that morning. As he pulled out of the driveway he glanced at the picture of the Manor perfectly centered in the rear view mirror.

Hampton Manor was home to three generations of Hamptons since 1935. Built on acres of prime Old Brooking, Connecticut real estate, the Manor which sits on a knoll, is surrounded by manicured gardens, pathed woodlands, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and two tennis courts. County assessors listed the Manor at five and a half million dollars for property tax purposes; real estate agents upwards to eight million. Its high elevation makes the Manor visible from virtually any area of town, something Adam was proud of.

Built by the first Adam Hampton to mirror a fourteenth century English Manor House, it has a main center residence and two wings. It is currently the home of Adam Hampton III, Adam Hampton II, a butler, three maid-servants, two cooks, nine male nurse-guards and two female beagles. Bedrooms in the main residence have king-sized beds, large bureaus and dressers and multiple lounging chairs. The attached bathrooms have marbled sinks, vanities and shower walls. Four of the eight bedrooms have a private terraces with bubbly hot tubs. Opulence is everywhere to be seen.

The West Wing had been walled off since Adam Hampton II returned home from two weeks of mental evaluation. On the main floor, entry from the center house is restricted to a series of locked doors. Windows are barred and alarmed. Electrical power for the Manor is backed up by two emergency generators. Fifteen years have passed since a rogue hurricane knocked out power in Old Brooking. The Manor is only one of four residences in town that glowed brightly each evening during the two week outage. No expense had been spared to convert the area into a mini-spa/clinic. Upstairs, two bedrooms are set aside as sleeping quarters for the nurses who doubled as guards.

No visitors were permitted. Access is limited to Adam III, Milton, the nursing staff and his doctors. A closed circuit system with video tape monitored and records his activities around the clock. Constraints had been necessary on rare occasions when he tried to beat up on himself or when he attacked a staff member. Sedatives are mostly administered late at night when he is observed pacing back and forth in his quarters shouting and frantically waving his arms about. in the air.

Chapter 2

Adam Hampton II took control of Hampton Industries in 1969 at the age of twenty-nine, when his father committed suicide. He operated the business for the next thirty-five years. Adam earned a reputation for being ruthless, cunning and dishonest in his business negotiations. His hard-heartedness spilled over to his personal life. His wife of thirty years divorced him for extreme mental cruelty. In 2004 he attempted a hostile takeover of Preston Industries, a major competitor, but was defeated by a last minute influx of proxies from private investors. For several months, he brooded over the loss until he had the opportunity to purchase several global businesses. Within a year he acquired, through hostile takeovers, a British couturier, Italian shoe designer and a French perfumery. Sales reached the two billion dollar mark as Adam Hampton II became the darling of the fashion world, appearing on the cover of numerous fashion magazines and on radio and TV talk shows. His life took on a whole new meaning, but it was the media frenzy that would eventually lead to his ruin, as Adam became so caught up in the glamour that he spent most of his time traveling and entertaining on his new toy, a one hundred and five foot Mangusta motor yacht. He had not been to his office for over nine months, preferring to operate from home or some exotic resort using the phone and fax.

The high life took its toll on Adam. Almost overnight he lost his zest and began to have periods of anxiety bordering on hysteria. Doctors were completely baffled by his rapid mental deterioration, but, after three months of this behavior they unanimously declared him incompetent to conduct his business affairs. His son, Adam Hampton III immediately petitioned the courts and after the hearing, control of his father’s estate and Hampton Industries was turned over to him. His father’s attorney had no choice but to agree with the court and signed off on the decision.
 

When Adam III took over the estate, he immediately sectioned off the West Wing of Hampton Manor to be his father’s residence and hired round-the-clock medical care for his father, who often didn’t even recognize him. His visits to his father decreased to once a week and even then, it took a significant emotional toll on him.

Chapter 3

How it started:

Adam Hampton attended Brown University on a one year scholarship awarded by the Old Brooking Rotary Club to the student that demonstrated the most promising entrepreneurial potential in his academic work. His father, a postal worker supporting a family of five, could not contribute any financial assistance, so Adam bussed tables in the university cafeteria to cover travel and living expenses. He was popular with his fellow students and was invited to join Alpha Phi Alpha, but while he enjoyed the camaraderie of fraternity life, he nonetheless listened to a different drummer than his brothers. While they spent their time in the endless pursuit of social activities and innumerable touch football games against rival frats, he spent most of his spare time in the library doing research on textile manufacturing and sweater designs. On weekends Adam visited small textile manufacturers in the towns surrounding Providence, looking for excess production time that might be available on their looms. He approached them with his designs and before his first six months at Brown elapsed, Adam had over five hundred cotton and cashmere sweaters being produced according to his design specifications. Initially, Adam mostly sold to fellow students for their own use or for gifts. His business and popularity soared and he soon became the “go-to” man for students needing to earn extra money. Sales were brisk since his prices were half those of the shops in town. He paid a local seamstress to embroider personal names, figures or school letters. After a time, Adam placed ads in local newspapers and hired sales reps at colleges around the country. Sales expanded to several thousand garments a semester. Business couldn’t have been better.

True to the faith that the Rotarians had shown in him, Adam Hampton became an entrepreneur. As the profits from the sweater sales grew, Adam quit his cafeteria job and easily met the tuition bills for his remaining three years. By the time he graduated, Adam had saved over one hundred thousand dollars, quite a nest egg in those days. In his senior year, an owner of a local textile plant, who wanted to retire, offered to sell him the business. Adam purchased the company for a deposit of fifty thousand dollars and signed a bank note for nine hundred thirty thousand to be paid over ten years. Business was prospering and Adam felt comfortable that he would be able to meet this obligation.

Hampton Industries was incorporated in March, 1928. Adam’s mettle would soon be tested. By January of the next year sales began to slip. He tackled the problem head-on by installing faster looms in an effort to reduce his operating expenses. He took loans against his house and personal property to finance the machinery upgrades, reasoning that lower expenses, coupled with price reductions would translate into increased revenue and profit, but his sales and profits continued to plummet.

In December, 1929 Hampton Industries missed a payment on the notes and the bank, which was in receivership, refused to extend the grace period. Adam was granted one week to come up with the money or face foreclosure. Adam was suddenly in jeopardy of losing everything. Panic set in as he frantically searched for fresh money sources, without success. He shut himself off from his family and friends, locking himself in his office. He contemplated declaring bankruptcy, even entertained thoughts of suicide, but couldn’t bear the disgrace that either course would bring to his family. In a moment of sheer desperation, Adam knelt down, raised his eyes to the heavens and screamed out to the Universe, “If there is a power out there, please help me. I beg of you.”

Miraculously, at the last minute his business was saved when the bank decided to extend his loan. Hampton Industries slowly recovered, profiting during WW2 by supplying uniforms and medical supplies. It became a manufacturing powerhouse.

In 1969, at the age of sixty two, Adam Hampton was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and made the final decision of his life.

Ten hours later a cleaning lady found his body slumped over his desk, shot dead by his own hand.
 

Hampton Manor and Hampton Industries were left to his son Adam Hampton II. His will also provided lifetime care for his wife Adelle who was confined to a nursing home. She died in her sleep three months later.

Chapter 4

At 7 a.m. each morning she slaps the snooze button on the alarm and rolls over for another five minutes. Most days she does this several times before finally getting up. This morning, however, was different. The day she had waited for most of her adult life, had finally arrived. She was going to be appointed as the CEO of her company. Marcia Bloom had no regrets about how this transpired. During her twenty-nine years, she often used her body to get what she wanted, but this was the biggest prize she has ever won. Playing Adam Hampton III turned out to be easier than she thought it would be. The first time he propositioned her she could see the hunger in his eyes. Not just lust, she was used to seeing that in men’s eyes; men who would simply move on to their next prey if they were turned down. No, Adam was different and he wanted her so badly that he’d agreed to give her a promotion to get her into bed. She didn’t consider the CEO job was to big a stretch. She’s been a VP of the company for three years and there were no other in-house candidates. Why shouldn’t she be the one to fill the position? She’d paid her dues.

She and Adam had sex three times in four hours the previous night and it was only his overindulgence of his scotch/drambuie drink that kept him from coming back for more. He was by no means the best lover she had ever had, but he seemed to appreciate her body more than the others. He wasn’t big on foreplay but he screwed her like a pneumatic drill, his thrusts powerful and rhythmic. Usually Marcia didn’t like rough sex, but for some reason it was different with Adam. It was the first time in her life that she had multiple orgasms. She hoped that it would not be just a one-niter. Either way, at least she would have the job she so highly coveted.

Marcia brewed a two-cupper while she showered and dressed. She chose a conservative navy blue suit, ivory white blouse and navy shoes with two inch heels. She spent an extra twenty minutes applying makeup and selecting just the right necklace and earrings. Everything needed to be perfect for her big day. When she was finished she stepped in front of the full length mirror tacked up on the bathroom door. As she moved from side to side she thought,
Not bad for twenty-nine
. Marcia was five-four and kept her weight around one-ten. She was blessed with an ultra-small wasp-like waist that gave her an hour-glass figure that women envied and men ogled. She gleaned the most benefit from it by wearing tailored suits to work. When a pretty face and great pair of legs were added to the mix, Marcia morphed into an A1 head turner.