Broken: A Mountain Man's Romance

by Mia Ford, Bella Winters

  This was a boys club until a few like me dared to breach the inner sanctum. It was a never-ending nightmare of always trying to prove myself. I had sacrificed time with my boyfriend to live at the office at all hours of the day and night.

  “I see the bigger picture. This company runs on new clients coming through those doors. We can’t be content on living on the scraps of those clients who have been with us forever. The lifeblood of any company comes from word of mouth and a great reputation. We have both of those things in spades.” I couldn’t believe how articulate I was being about my role in the company.

  I was wearing a dark pantsuit with purple stripes to flatter my figure. I had on suspenders and a white blouse with the first couple of buttons undone. My hair was pulled back tightly with my sleeves rolled up. I wasn’t intimidating at 5’5 and 125 pounds soaking wet.

  It was in my eyes. They conveyed my tenacity to get ahead. I was never going to be one of those bimbos with their blond hair and flotation devices to sleep my way to the top.

  “You have gone above the call of duty and it has been appreciated. Barring any further complications, the announcement will be made by the end of the week. I would get used the view at the top of the mountain.” I had this existential angst and this feeling like the rug was going to get pulled out from underneath me.

  The money was nothing compared to the respect I was going to earn. I was looking forward to branching out to uncharted territories. I had some ideas that were radical in thinking.

  His salt and pepper hair and wrinkles underneath his eyes confirmed my suspicion stress was the main reason for his absence from the company. He had gone through a health crisis demanding him to slow down. In the interim, I had taken over and had run the ship in the very same image. It wasn’t the time to break ground on innovative ideas.

  “I put myself in your shoes. I think about what you would do in any crisis. I do put my own spin on things, but that’s only to make me feel like I’m contributing in my own way. I want success and I demand nothing but perfection from myself and those working underneath me.” I felt alive watching the money pool in.

  New clients were depending on us to give them the retirement they deserved.

  “I’m expecting big things from you. I’m not stepping down. I will be around from time to time to check in. I know my decision won’t be met favorably by the rest of the Board of Directors. They are under the impression I’m going to give this position to my son. As much as I would love to keep it in the family, he has shown to be unreliable and I can’t depend on him to make the tough decisions.” I felt elated and I wanted to shout it from the rooftops.

  “I won’t let you down. Failure has never been an option. There is no quit in my vocabulary. You’ve been the guiding light for this company. Let me pick up the torch where you left off and run with it.” He was one of the few who weren’t swayed by my flirtatious comments and brief peeks at my unmentionables.

  “I want you to crush the competition with the heel of your shoe. I still have a few days to make my decision. I have a list of candidates on my desk and none of them hold a candle to you. I would like you to keep this to yourself until the ink is on the contract. Discretion is the better part of valor.” His leather-backed chair swung from side to side.

  Behind him was the landscape of the city that never slept. New York had the capacity to eat you alive. I was not immune to how the city awakened with a different rhythm at night. It could be beautiful, but it could also be deadly with the dregs of society coming out to find their pound of flesh.

  Actors were a dime a dozen. I saw them out of the corner of my eye mumbling their lines underneath their breath in the street or some coffee shop. Making it big wasn’t easy in any environment. The investment game was a doggy dog world and I was wearing milk bone underwear.

  “Nobody will hear it from me until you make it official.” I was still worried and it was a well-known fact he had others to influence his decisions.

  “I look at you and I see the daughter I never had. This company is built on trust. We don’t take shortcuts around here. This place has been my second home for 40 years. I really don’t know what I’m going to do with myself. Traveling does sound nice. My dearly departed wife is probably looking down from above chastising me with her finger.” He was in his sixties, but he was consciously aware of his health issues and was doing everything he could to mitigate the damage.

  “You had three heart attacks in the span of five years. In the past year, you have transformed yourself and taken 20 years off of your life. Eating healthy and going to the gym downstairs has awakened a new spirit in you. I’m impressed and a little envious.” My exercise consisted of running up the stairs and avoiding the elevator every morning.

  “I should’ve done this a long time ago. Giving up smoking cold Turkey was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I drink less and my personal trainer has given me a new lease on life. I don’t plan to squander it by sitting here in an office. It’s counterproductive. I will be the architect of my own destiny and I want you to follow my lead.” His respect was something I craved with my blood and tears to prove my loyalty.

  “A great man was known to say there are leaders and followers. I’ve learned to step outside of my comfort zone to become a leader. The five people working for me know that I am tough but fair. It’s something of a trait we have in common.” I was buttering him up like a Sunday biscuit.

  “Life is full of opportunities. None of us know when our time is up. We have to grab life by the fist. I do something different every day. I want to meet death head-on with no regrets. I will swim with the sharks in Australia and surf along the Great Barrier Reef. I have made a bucket list and I’m going to follow through on each one.” His aspirations were something to admire and emulate.

  I had one older brother living in Hong Kong teaching English to the impoverished and underprivileged. He was making a true difference in the world with something he could tangibly hold onto. I was always good with numbers and made a career out of giving the little guy a leg up. It wasn’t about the rich getting richer. That was for other investment firms.

  “Mr. Jacobs, I came to work for you because you are a visionary. It’s not all about the almighty dollar. A man works tirelessly day and night trying to keep ahead of the bills. They want to know there’s some kind of reward at the finish line.” I felt empowered to be at the forefront and in the trenches with the other Investment Bankers.

  “We make smart decisions and we have to continue to follow the trend. People don’t want to worry out about their money. They want us to do that for them. We give them a no obligation 30-day trial to prove to them we are the ones to work with. Don’t lose sight of what we do this for. I know you see things my way.” The security of the people in their twilight years was paramount.

  I sent a text message to Bryce. I told him there was a reason to celebrate and we should meet up at our favorite restaurant at the end of the day. I couldn’t say much, but my smile would speak louder than words.

  Chapter two

  Bryce

  The paperwork was piled high on my desk. I looked up to see Mr. Thompson glad-handing with his two sons. My rise to the top of the food chain was stunted. Nepotism was a crime against those working their fingers to the bone. I couldn’t blame Mr. Thompson for wanting to give his sons a fighting chance.

  “I see the way that you are staring daggers at them. I hope you know you’re going to be missed. You are destined for bigger things. It’s about time you dangled your experience into the pool of available positions in the city. I will do my best to trudge on without you.” Samantha was a redheaded vixen always trying to get into my pants.

  She wore provocative clothing to keep me squirming in my seat. Today was no different. The black skirt moved with her body language. The slight hint of impropriety was revealed in the blood red lace of her panties. I did my best to curb her sexual appetite, but she didn’t care that I was involved with my college sweetheart. />
  “The only thing you’re going to miss about me is undressing me with your eyes every morning. I feel that we have gotten extremely intimate without getting physical over the last couple of years.” There were days when I felt dirty enough to go home to have a cold shower to scrub myself raw.

  “It hasn’t been from a lack of trying. I’m not going to make the mistake of handing you my heart. No man is worth the possibility of heartbreak. I jump from flower to flower pollinating and then moving on. This job affords me the opportunity to dip my ink in the company well.” I was committed to Charlotte and the life we were going to build together from the ground up.

  “Trust me; I know the mark you have left on unsuspecting victims. Guys come in looking like they have been run over on the side of the road. I don’t even want to think about what you did to them. I admit my curiosity has been piqued.” Charlotte was the love of my life, but our time together was scarce.

  “When are you going to make an honest woman out of Charlotte? You can’t keep stringing her along waiting for something better. Every man is the same. They take for granted what they have for something unattainable. There’s no such thing as the perfect woman. We all have flaws, but some of us hide it better than others.” Her white argyle sweater had most guys using whatever they could find to make their interest less noticeable.

  “They say what happens behind closed doors is nobody’s business, but you take it to a whole different level. My relationship with Charlotte is off limits. We have a good thing and I’m not going to let you do anything to ruin it.” She raised her hands and made her chest push out against the bra cutting off her circulation.

  “I hate to see you go down this road of resistance. The world has a vast supply of available pieces. The line starts behind me to be with you. Bryce, you can’t say that you haven’t noticed the lingering glances of the female populace. There have been many giving you the once over and for a good reason.” I didn’t consider myself anything special, but I did make the conscious effort to make myself appealing in the mirror.

  I was over 6 feet tall, 200 pounds with a buzz cut of blond hair. My piercing blue eyes could bring any woman to their knees. Charlotte didn’t put up with my shenanigans. She called me on the carpet and made me realize how I had objectified women over the years. Samantha could be accused of doing the same thing to men.

  “I knew I was going to marry Charlotte the minute I met her. Other women are mere window dressing and something to tease me until I find my way back into her arms.” We had been dating for years with the promise of a future together.

  Our passion was in investments and it made for some lively conversations over dinner. She was opinionated and never agreed with me when it was the easiest thing to do. There was nowhere to hide from her scrutinizing eyes.

  “You come to work every day wearing that monkey suit trying to impress. Where has it gotten you? You’re not going to get a medal for doing your job. Mr. Thompson and his sons take the credit for all of our work. I’m looking to jump ship, but I’m not going to do it until I find the kind of money to rival this company’s salary.” I had heard rumors she was the highest paid investment broker in the firm.

  Her experience was minimal and she depended on the kindness of men to bend over backward to please her. I wasn’t of the same sentiment. I didn’t mind giving her advice, but I wasn’t going to do her any sexual favors. She didn’t know how to take no for an answer.

  “I’m going to get this one last chance to change your mind about me. Check your phone. I sent you something to whet your appetite. I really can pick up a roll of quarters without touching them. That kind of training has to be taught.” It was evil of her to entice me with promises of reclaiming my youth.

  Her perfume was a halo around my head leaving me breathless with anticipation. The scandalous way that she bent over made me swallow nervously. It was an underhanded tactic.

  Samantha was a sexual deviant. She considered men her prey to be used and abused until she was done with them. It wasn’t like many were giving her the cold shoulder. Married or not, men had a tendency to go after something strange.

  Being two ships in the night didn’t equate to having relations with Charlotte. I had mentioned in passing about moving in together, but she was stuck to her independence. We hadn’t been together in the Biblical sense in almost six months. Holding hands and kissing was the only kind of intimacy we were committed to these days.

  “I’m afraid to look. I have to prove to myself that I’m strong enough to resist you.” I found the attachment on my phone and breezed through each one with my pulse quickening.

  It started with innocent posing for the camera, but escalated quickly to blue photos and then the x-rated kind leaving little to the imagination. I was sweating with the vivid images playing havoc in my fantasies. I tried to pretend it didn’t bother me, but I was about to explode.

  “I can see from the look in your eyes I have gotten the necessary reaction. I will cover for you during your interview, but you are going to have to do something for me. I won’t insult your intelligence by putting you on the spot. I want you to look at each photo and commit them to memory.” They were already imprinted and I could see her naked every time I closed my eyes.

  “I look around here and everybody seems trapped. Nobody has an office other than the three in the Thompson family. I can’t take it anymore. Charlotte has gotten two promotions in the last three years. I’m a little jealous. I was too complacent thinking that things were going to change. I’m not going any further unless one of his sons has an unexplained accident.” I couldn’t bring myself to harm anyone, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t prone to thinking about it.

  “Have you told her of your plans? I know how I would feel. Believe me, women can be vindictive and use sex as a weapon to get what they want. The cold shoulder you have felt recently is nothing compared to the icy reception you are going to receive after the dust settles.” I had the credentials and I knew how to play the game better than most.

  “I don’t want to say anything unless I know something for certain.” Employment was like dating. There were always other fish in the sea some bigger than others.

  “You’re only denying the inevitable. Tell her before she finds out some other way. There’s still an easy solution. Don’t go to the interview and join me in the bathroom. I can make those photographs become reality.” The cubicles made it possible for her to expose herself briefly for my amusement.

  “A part of me is screaming at me to take you up on your offer. This is too important to let slip through my fingers. Don’t tell anybody, but you have been the only bright spot in my time here. I might protest, but I do like the attention.” I was betting on a sure thing, but it was going to come down to the impression I made at the interview.

  The job was mine to lose. This was my chance to rise to the cream of the crop. Sometimes omelets were made by breaking some eggs. It was too bad it was going to come at the expense of Charlotte. I could only hope that she could forgive me for trespassing on her home field advantage.

  “I appreciate the kind remarks, but it does nothing to satisfy my hunger for you. Some young man is going to feel the byproduct of my wrath. They’re going to be left a shell of what they once were because of you. Can you live with that?” I nodded my head and stuck my neck out to see Mr. Thompson with his door closed.

  It was my time to make a break for it.

  Samantha had the keys to my freedom and I was depending on her to keep quiet. The one thing I could count on was Samantha’s discretion. As much as she wanted to get me into bed, she also wanted to see me happy and this was the only way I was going to make that happen.

  “I will be your buffer. Go while you still have the chance. Use the stairs and avoid the elevators. Go down to the basement and leave the building through maintenance. They won’t know you’re missing. They hardly know we exist in their tiny bubble.” I had my portfolio tucked underneath my arm done professionally.

&n
bsp; “It’s bad enough I’m doing this under her nose, but she was the one that helped me to polish my resume. I doubt she would have done it had she known what was going to transpire.” I made a mad dash to the stairs without looking back.

  I could feel her watching me and licking her lips like a female lion getting ready to mate. I would have gladly let her devour me whole. It would’ve been a pleasure to be introduced to the pleasures of the flesh. In another life, things might have been different.

  The metal door opened and I bounded down the stairs looking toward the horizon for a new future. I deserved better. There was a message from Charlotte claiming we might have something to celebrate. She didn’t know the half of it.

  Chapter three

  Charlotte

  I’d jumped the gun and ordered a bottle of celebratory champagne on ice. Mr. Jacob’s decision was going to send shock waves of dissension amongst the ranks. They would think sex played a role. There was nothing I could do about that.

  “I’m sorry I’m late. I hope you haven’t been waiting long. It was luck and good management I was able to get a reservation on such short notice.” He looked frazzled as if he had been underneath the hot lights of an interrogation room all afternoon.

  “I would say from the look of it you have been ridden hard by Mr. Thompson. You have to learn to stand up for yourself. They’re never going to respect you unless you do something to demand it.” I had heard the stories and I wanted to shake him out of his fog.