by Abby Angel
"Excuse me," I say into the microphone. "Special Investigator Lee?" I ask with as much fake solicitousness as I can muster.
He looks at me and nods.
"I'm a bit unclear about which part of the alleged sexual activity you think was deviant?" I ask.
So, there was sex between a man and a woman. And another man and that woman. And then between two men.
I'm interested in this answer.
"The deviancy surrounds the entire spectacle," Seymour says, a bit flustered. "There's no one situation or scenario that dictates something as deviant where if you take it away it becomes less so," he finished.
I shake my head and I'm about to reply when I hear him start to speak again.
"At the heart of the matter are two questions, Mr. Blake," Seymour asks.
"Firstly, was Daphne Kane in the right frame of mind when she began to entertain serious bids for Union Airlines?" Seymour asks and then without waiting for a response, he continues, "and then secondly did the fact that she was so open to a deviant and unconventional sexual relationship contribute to the reason why she pressured both Carter Jeffries and Strong Capital to commit ungodly sums of money toward purchasing Union Airlines, a company that is truly fairly valued at one billion dollars."
"Union Airlines is valued at a lot more than one billion dollars!" Daphne exclaims into the microphone. She's heated. "You yourself were willing to pay over a trillion dollars."
"The Chair wonders if Ms. Kane is in a rational and fit state of mind right now with an outburst like that?" Seymour asks with a deadly smile. He's got us right where he wants us. "Did you intend to defraud the investors and the greater public by seducing two men who would then pay a large amount of money for your corporation, Ms. Kane? Was that your goal? To then walk away with a gigantic payday."
"I tried for a year to save the company from its PR nightmare!" she cries out. She's getting frustrated. I can tell.
"If you can't control your emotions, I suggest you take a moment to compose yourself outside, Ms. Kane," Seymour says arching his eyebrows.
That's all he needs. For Daphne to act as if she's unhinged. Then he goes after her, destroys her, makes it look like she seduced us, and that nullifies the entire sale for Union Airlines. He gets her fired and then one of those Board Members proposes that they sell themselves to the government and boom, you've got a nationalized airline. And the start of the greatest democracy on Earth sliding into a cesspool of socialism.
I need to figure out something to say.
Because Daphne isn't going to go ask for a recess. But she can't go on like this. Not with Seymour riling her up with every question.
"Seymour Lee, if you're gonna fuck with someone, I suggest you pick someone other than my girl," a voice calls out from the cavernous hall.
Did I mention that the hearing room is filled with people and press watching?
Because they all freeze upon hearing that voice.
I turn around.
Because I know that voice as well.
"You want to pick on someone, why don't you fucking start with me?" the voice continues.
I couldn't forget it if I tried.
And then I see him. Standing at the doorway of the room.
Ares Strong.
Making an entrance ... as usual. Only this time, I'm willing to forgive the theatrics.
31
Ares
"You want to pick on someone, why don't you fucking start with me?" I ask and the entire room turns to look at me.
I know what you're thinking.
This is it, another one of those scenes where the ending results in an investigation, or a press conference, or something like that.
Well, no.
You've never seen anything like this before. I guarantee it, because this is gonna be fucking hilarious and you're never ever gonna forget it.
"Seymour Lee, I think you better get the fuck off that bench and out of that dais," I say walking up to where Daphne and Lucas are sitting.
Lucas stands up and looks at me. He whispers urgently.
"I appreciate you coming here and trying to stand up for her--" he starts to say but I cut him off.
"And you," I interject.
"And me," he says after a pause and our eyes meet. We nod at each other. What? Just because I love the fucker doesn't mean I'm going to turn into some woman over him. I'm still the big bad alpha male, and I guess so is Lucas, but I'm the fucking bad boy. Nothing fucking changes. I'm not gay. I just love a man. Big fucking difference.
"Anyways, I appreciate this, but you need to make sure you don't inadvertently step over the line and get thrown out," Lucas says to me.
And almost as if on cue, Seymour says from the raised dais, "Mr. Strong, you're scheduled to testify before this committee tomorrow. Should you wish to be present at the proceedings today, you may do so—from the visitor's section."
Oh hell fucking no.
No one tells me where to go or what to do. Not after that motherfucker nearly got me to destroy the people I love.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you, you lousy piece of fucking trash?" I say out loud and there are now loud murmurs and whispering.
You don't go into a venerable institution like the Federal Reserve and call out a government employee in such language.
It's not civilized.
Well, fuck that, then. I'm not a civilized person.
If our institutions have failed us, it's time for us to smash them.
"How many people complain that the government has stopped working for them?" I say out loud, and turn to the audience and the press. "How many people describe a situation where the government no longer cares about the people that it's supposed to be representing?"
A lot of people are nodding at my words, but I'm pretty sure they don't know the connection that I'm about to make.
"That man," I say, pointing my finger toward Seymour Lee, "That man was supposed to be representing the government. He claimed that he was from the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA. And that he represented the government wanting to buy an airline."
People are following what I say at this point.
"Mr. Strong, do you have a point to make here?" Seymour says, banging his gavel. "Or are you simply here to distract us long enough for us to forget that your friends are in trouble?"
Bingo.
I can tell that dude is starting to get fucking worried.
"May I remind you that you are operating under a condition of immunity," Seymour says. "That immunity could be revoked at any time."
"By the time I'm fucking done with you, it's you who's going to be needing the fucking immunity, bub," I shoot back and I see Seymour go white and the room starts erupting in muted whispers.
What could I have up my sleeve? What could I possibly know?
"So now we have a situation where two respectable people—one from the aviation industry and one from Wall Street, are having their reputations publicly tarnished, and it could very well lead to the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs. I gotta ask you, what kind of government takes that kind of an approach to its citizens?" I ask the crowd and people start to voice their agreement.
I can feel the newspaper photographers taking their pictures and I see the television cameras train their lenses on me. I'm live to half the world now, baby.
Prime time.
Good.
It's time to drop my bombs.
"It's not the government at all that wants to do this," I say out loud. "At least, not ours."
Boom.
This time people don't try to hide their whispering. What could I mean? Not our government? Then who?
"Mr. Lee," I ask, turning to face the dais and a very quiet Seymour Lee. "Who do you represent?"
Silence. The whispering has stopped coming from the audience. The photographers have stopped speaking.
"It's not just the FAA, is it?" I ask.
This time I can see Seymour Lee look around and begin to fidget nervously.
"In fact, does the name Elliot Wright ring a bell to you, Mr. Lee?" I ask again. This time Daphne looks to me. She's giving me a sharp look and I can sense the question in them. What's going on?
You're probably sitting at home, scratching your pretty little head too, aren't ya?
Well, listen, I hope you took my advice and took off those panties at the very beginning like I told you to. Because I really think that they're probably a bit soaked by now, don't you?
I mean, I know you're turned on, babe. I would be too, if I made it this far and was still reading.
You're either rolling your eyes or you're smiling. You either hate it or love it that I'm talking to you.
Kinda like you're either gonna hate it or love it that I'm not telling you what's going on with Elliot Wright and Seymour Lee.
"I believe Elliot Wright is a member of the Board of Directors for Union Airlines," Seymour Lee says and that's when I know I've gotten him.
See, the proper response from him should've been, fuck off. Because since when was he being investigated.
But that response didn't come. Because he knows he's in the wrong here.
"So Mr. Wright had a piece of information that I don't think Daphne Kane was aware of," I say to the room. "You see, in addition to the purchase bids placed by Carter Jeffries and by Strong Capital, there was one other bid that she didn't know about."
I turn to Seymour Lee. "The government of the People's Republic of China."
This is where people start to murmur all over again. What is it that I'm accusing Seymour of?
He bangs his gavel.
"That's enough out of you, Mr. Strong!" he exclaims, banging his gavel. "You have violated the conditions of your immunity."
"No, you've violated the conditions of being a public servant!" I shoot back. "Haven't you?"
Seymour Lee goes white as a sheet all over again.
"The Chinese approached Mr. Wright to buy Union Airlines. They couldn't make a bid for it directly because of the federal laws preventing that. But they could buy assets from the government itself, couldn't they? So they went to Mr. Wright. And he came to you," I lay it all out.
Daphne looks shocked. To be fair, so do nearly 90% of the people in the room.
"They promised a substantial payday to Mr. Wright to malign the reputation of Daphne Kane and get the government as the sole bidder for Union Airlines. The government would pay any price because it could, and at the end of the day it would end up with the assets of Union Airlines, only to turn around and dispose of them to the Chinese. And the Chinese would get a globe spanning airline, without actually having bought it and causing the public relations catastrophe. But rather as a purchase from one government to another. Quietly and under the table. Did I get that all right, Seymour?" I ask.
Seymour Lee snarls at me and I swear to God it sounds like a wild beast.
"You have no proof of this, Mr. Strong!" he shrieks! "I could sue you for libel!"
I shrug.
I knew he was going to say that.
I hope you remember Elliot Wright. The fucker who was trying to convince Daphne to sell the company to the government when this all started blowing up.
"You can try," I say and then I smile to the audience that's watching me. "But you'd have to sue both of us. Want to stand up, Elliot?" I ask into the row of faces in the audience.
And sure enough, up stands the old Board Member.
"All it took was some convincing that his fortune is better off with me as a friend instead of an enemy, you see?" I turn and ask Seymour who looks like he's going to faint. "After all, everyone knows the fucking Shark of Wall Street. I think they fear me more than the Chinese, or the U.S. Government. Go figure."
I swear to God Seymour starts sputtering. But I stop paying attention because the room literally explodes in a sea of sound. People are up. The photographers are snapping pictures of anything they can—Seymour, me, Daphne, Lucas—you name it.
But only one couple is in my head now.
I turn to Lucas and Daphne.
"Guys," I say, but Daphne takes a step over toward me and places her finger on my lips.
"Shh, don't say anything," she says softly. "You saved us."
Lucas looks at me. I look at him.
"I love you both," I say softly, oblivious to the chaos around me. "So fucking much."
The three of us embrace together.
"Nothing will ever part us again," Daphne says to us. "I know."
Lucas nods. I nod back.
We have unfinished business, and Daphne sees that. She steps back. He steps close to me. He sizes me up.
Finally, he says, "Come here, you," and takes step close to me and before I realize what's happening, he's kissing me.
It's a deep, probing kiss and we obviously could give a fuck about the people around us because as soon as Lucas kisses me and steps back, Daphne comes forward and I wrap my arms around her and kiss her. I wonder if she can taste Lucas on my tongue and the thought starts getting my cock hard.
I can feel it press against the soft flesh of her crotch.
She can feel it too, because she pulls back and looks at us both.
"Lets get out of here," she commands.
We both nod and turn and walk toward the door.
The chamber is still going crazy. Guards may have come and escorted Seymour out; I can't tell because I don't care.
I'm leaving this place with the people I love.
And I'm starting the first fucking day of the rest of my life with them.
32
Daphne
Love. It’s such a simple but elusive thing. You hear about it every day—in movies, books, music—and yet, even though it’s seemingly all around us, it remains one of the hardest things in the world to find.
I thought I knew what love was. In my arrogance, I thought I not only knew what it was, but I also thought I didn’t need it. But, oh, I was so wrong.
“You sure look thoughtful,” Lucas says. “Everything alright?”
I turn to him, a gentle smile brightening my face. He looks so perfect in his suit, the tailored fabric hugging his bulging muscles in a way that makes his frame look even stronger.
“Yeah, you okay?” Ares asks, appearing behind Lucas and placing one arm around his waist.
I smile at them, one of the most genuine smiles of my whole life dancing on my lips. When I first assumed my position as CEO, I thought that my life would never be the same. But I never thought that I’d end up with two guys like them by my side.
Who knew that, right now, I’d be heading toward my apartment with Lucas Blake and Ares Strong? The two most eligible bachelors in the United States, and now they’re mine. Who knew that they would be the ones to show me the true meaning behind the word love?
“Yes. Everything’s perfect,” I finally tell them as the elevator doors open and I step into the hallway. I stroll toward the door and, with trembling fingers I open it and almost stumble inside the apartment, eager to get out of my dress. They follow after me quickly, and I close the door the moment they’re inside. Turning on my heels, I walk toward them and run my fingers across Lucas’s jawline and, as my eyelids start to droop, he leans in and kisses me. A shiver goes up my spine as I feel Ares’s hands on my lower back, pulling me closer into them.
Lucas pulls back from our kiss and, an easy smile on his lips, turns to Ares. My heart beats warmly inside my chest as they lean into each other, their lips brushing eagerly.
Placing my hands on Lucas’s chest, I press myself against his body and look up as the two men kiss in abandonment. This, ladies, is perfection. If you’re jealous, I get it. I really do.
"Come here," Ares says, pulling back from Lucas. Quickly, he grabs my hand and pulls me into him. He pulls at my hair and starts kissing my neck, laying soft kisses on it and climbing up. Chin, cheeks, forehead, and then down: nose, cheeks, and lips.
For a second, I almost believe all this is just a dream: it’s simply too perfect
to be real. But Ares's touch anchors me down to reality; he places one arm around Lucas and the other around me, and we lock lips.
Ares's hands go for my ass and, cupping it, he pulls me hard into him. Looking eagerly at his once upon a time rival and, unable to restrain himself, Lucas leans into him and starts kissing his neck.
Ares is kissing me, and Lucas is kissing Ares’s neck. To think this is actually happening—and to see it happen—is enough to make my heart speed up, a wild drumming growing inside of my chest, a furious song that screams of desire, lust and, most importantly, raging happiness.
God, I’m wet as hell. I already feel my thong becoming drenched, my wet pussy aching for their touch.
I join Lucas and start kissing Ares’s neck, tracing the contour of it with my mouth. My face is so close to Lucas now that I do the logical thing and start kissing him. I run my tongue over his lips and then slip it inside Lucas's mouth. I surrender to the moment, Ares’s hands on my body, his long fingers going up and down my side.
We don't need to say a word. The three of us, we are one. Forget all the bullshit media has printed. Forget all prejudice. Perhaps you don’t believe it to be possible, but it is. Love has no boundaries or limits; love is eternal and boundless.
As my kiss with Lucas grows fierce, Ares's hand slides down my stomach to between my legs, bunching up the front of my dress and pressing there in a kind and gentle rhythm. Lucas's hands go to my breasts and I stop kissing him; I just throw my head back, delighting at the way their touch makes me delirious with excitement. They touch my body as if I were something more, something divine and worthy of worship. Take note, men: this is how you make a girl feel special between the sheets. You look at her as if she is beauty incarnate.
Lucas’s hands dart to my shoulders and, grabbing the shoulder straps of my tight black dress, he tugs on them and makes them fall down my arms. The front of my dress droops loosely, revealing the black lace bra that covers my breasts. I’m not one to brag, but I’m really proud of the dress I picked for tonight: it accentuates my curves perfectly, fitting me as if it were a second layer of skin. Of course, both men seem to appreciate me more when I’m naked. I can’t say I blame them; the feeling is mutual.
