by Lila Moore
I wanted to run away, but that wasn’t an option. The paparazzi would only follow me. I had no choice but to jump into my father’s waiting limo. I slid into the back. My father jumped in behind me quickly and ordered the driver to go. Instead of heading back to my place, we drove around the city aimlessly.
“I’m not mad, son,” he said.
“What makes you think I care?”
He looked mad now. “Look, you don’t have to act like a dick. I’m the one who bailed you out, you know.”
“Are you the one who called the paparazzi?”
His jaw worked as he chewed on the inside of his mouth. It was an obvious tell. He did it every time he was about to lie.
“No,” he said.
My father loved the gossip columns. No news is bad news, he always said. He felt like promoting our families bad boy image made us American royalty. He actually wanted us to be famous for being trouble making bachelors. His ego was unbelievable.
“Just take me home,” I said.
“I want you to listen first. That move you pulled in the boardroom was ballsy as hell.” He sounded impressed. “Don’t get me wrong, I was mad as hell. The more I thought about it though, the prouder I became. You’re your father’s son. I would have done the same thing at your age.”
I seriously doubted that. The thought of my dad getting warm and fuzzy over a father-son heart-to-heart made me want to vomit. I felt like I could taste bile in the back of my throat.
“I’ve decided you were right about the merger. The truth is that I’m not getting any younger. I wanted to sell off the company and retire.”
“You’re only fifty.”
“I want to enjoy the fruits of my labor while I’m still young enough to enjoy them. Or at least that was the plan before that stunt you pulled in the boardroom. I’ve done some serious soul searching.”
Soul searching? What soul? My father lived for money and pussy. He didn’t care about anything else. If he was praising my decision to kill the merger, then something must have changed. He had to have found a new angle, one that was more valuable than the previous deal.
“What are you up to?” I asked.
“What?”
“Cut the shit. I know you too well to buy any of this ‘soul searching,’ crap. So, why are you suddenly so thrilled about my decision to kill the merger?”
“You’ve really become cynical, son. As I said, I wanted to retire, and to be honest, I didn’t think you were up for the job of running the company. I mean, I get it. You’re a young man; the world is your oyster. If I was you, I’d do the same. You showed real leadership in the boardroom though. You stood up for what you believed to be right. I see a bright future for you at the company, if you’re willing to let me guide you.”
Since meeting Sage, nothing felt certain. Yesterday morning, taking on a leadership position in the company felt like a good idea. I thought Sage and I would get serious. Hell, I’d even briefly entertained the fantasy we’d marry someday. Then it all exploded. All my hopes and dreams for a better life felt like a fool’s errand. Maybe I was incapable of having a better life because I was a bad person. Going back to my old life of girls and drinking left me feeling deeply depressed. But maybe I deserved to feel like shit? Maybe this was my punishment.
I was never good enough for Sage. I understood that as my father babbled on about the great things we would accomplish together. The company would be great again. Profits would soar. We’d start every day with a blowjob, then go to bed a billion dollars richer. I didn’t believe a word of it. I also understood the only way I could shut my father up was to agree.
“I’ll think about it,” I said noncommittally.
“That’s great, son. We can get started right away.”
“Sure. I need to go home first, take a shower and collect myself.”
“Right, right. Of course. We’ll get started first thing tomorrow.”
He instructed the driver to take me home. I was grateful to get out of the limo. It felt like a worse prison than the jail. Paparazzi waited outside my building. There was no fighting them. I let them take their photos as I walked into my condo.
I hadn’t slept all night; my clothes were dirty; my eyes puffy and I had a sore lip. I had no doubt that I looked terrible, and that my ugly mug would greet the readers of the local paper tomorrow morning. More troubling, it would also be all over the internet.
I didn’t care. It felt trivial. Let them talk. For once in my life I’d found something valuable and I’d lost it due to my own arrogance. I could blame Ansel, but ultimately it wasn’t his fault that I was in this position. I never should have agreed to the bet. This was my own mess and only I could clean it up.
I needed to think about how to approach Sage. She would have to wait until I could figure out how to talk to her. There was one thing I could do now, though: get in touch Desmond Harrington. Once again, I remembered I’d thrown my phone into the streets in a fit of drunken rage. I cursed myself as I walked into my home office. I picked up the phone and called my assistant. Immediately, she started talking.
“Oh my God! Where have you been? Why did you get arrested? Why didn’t you call me to bail you out? Your father found out and insisted on doing it himself. I know how you feel about him, but-”
“Look, I don’t have time to discuss it right now. I need Desmond Harrington’s number. He works at my father’s company. I need the number right away. I lost my cell phone, so I need you to connect me with his office and put the call through to this phone.”
“Okay.”
I hung up before she could ask me anymore questions. I was in no mood.
The phone rang almost immediately. I had to hand it to her when she was given a task she completed it quickly. Her talents were wasted working for me. I picked up the phone.
“Hello?”
“I have Mr. Harrington on the line for you,” a woman said.
“Great. Put him through.”
I recognized his voice immediately. “Hello?”
“Mr. Harrington, we need to talk. First, I want to apologize for last night. I had a few drinks and-”
“No, problem. I was young once too. I shouldn’t have called you when you were out with your friends.”
It did me no credit to point out that I was out alone, drowning my sorrows, so I changed the subject. “I was wondering if you could tell me of any new developments at the company?”
“Didn’t you get my messages?”
“No, I, uh, lost my phone.”
“Well, things have become quite interesting. The board was more receptive to your desire for change than I gave them credit for. In fact, they want top to bottom change.”
His words sounded ominous, but I wasn’t quite sure why. “That’s a good thing, right?”
“They want your father to resign. Right now the vote is split down the middle. Once again the fate of the company rests in your hands.”
That explained why my father was so eager to work with me. He was trying to protect his job. Typical. I knew something was up. He’s only nice to me when he wants something.
“Now, I can’t advice you on how to deal with your father. I can tell you that as our chief executive officer your father has led us into some disastrous deals in the last three years. The company barely survived. Many people want change, but to be honest, you’re an unknown quantity to them. They don’t know if you’re capable of handling the job, or if you even want it.”
“The board wants to appoint me CEO?” I asked.
“You’re next in line for the job, but you’d have to vote to fire your father.”
“Done. Call a meeting as soon as possible. Let’s get this over with.”
“Um, are you sure you don’t want to sleep on it? This is your father. Maybe you should-”
“I’ve made my decision. Let’s have the vote today.”
I wanted to get it done before my father could try and talk me out of it. I would oust him as leader-not because I was dyin
g to take over the company, but for my mother. She deserved a little revenge and so did I. He was a terrible father and now it was coming back to bite him in the ass.
“I’ll let the board know.”
“Great.”
We ended the call. I looked out over the cityscape and tried to come up with a plan. I was sure Sage wouldn’t take my calls. If I showed up at her apartment, she wouldn’t let me in. If not for Ansel, I would give Sage her space for a few days before contacting her, but I was afraid of what he might do. If he took advantage of her while she was vulnerable, I would kill him.
I may have been too late. I turned back to my desk and reached for the phone. Just as I grabbed it, it rang.
“Hello?”
It was my assistant. “I have a call from a man claiming to be your friend. He says his name is Ansel. Should I put him through, or end the call?”
Why the hell was Ansel calling me? I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. “Put him through,” I said.
“Knox!” he said breathlessly. “You’re a hard man to track down, bro.”
“I’m not your bro. What do you want?”
He laughed awkwardly. “Don’t be like that. Bros before hoes, right?”
I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at in disbelief. What the hell was he playing at? Bros before hoes… Christ, what a prick. I started to hang up, but I was too curious as to why he’d call me out of the blue.
“I was thinking we could hang out at your place tonight?” he said.
“No.”
“Oh, are you busy?”
“No. I just don’t want you in my home. I have no desire to ever see your rat-fucking face ever again. I’m hanging up now.”
“Don’t hang up. I need to talk to you about Sage.”
“What about her?”
“Well, I know you want her back. You’re head over heels for her,” he said with a snide little laugh. “Never thought you were the type to become pussy-whipped…”
“I’m hanging up.”
“No! Wait! I can help you get her back. I just need to meet you.”
“What could you possibly do to make things better?”
“If you pay me two hundred thousand dollars, I’ll tell her I made it all up, that I was jealous and trying to sabotage your chances with her.”
“You can’t honestly think I’m going to pay you?”
I’m not going to lie; a part of me considered it. Two hundred thousand dollars was a small price to pay to get Sage back.
“Don’t act like you can’t afford it. Two hundred grand is nothing to a guy like you. You probably drop that much when you go on vacation.”
More, actually. Not that this was the time or place to brag about it. The money wasn’t the issue. It was the idea of this asshole profiting off of Sage that made me hesitate. Maybe it was best I swallow my pride and go along with it though. I could keep my pride and be alone, or pay Ansel off and have Sage. I’d rather swallow my pride and keep Sage.
“Why would she believe you?” I asked.
“Chicks will believe whatever you tell them.”
I rolled my eyes. Ansel didn’t know the first thing about women. The only pleasure I took in his words was knowing he was probably going to die alone and miserable. If he spent the rest of his life alone, it would be one hundred percent his own fault.
“Besides, I’m her boss. She wants to keep me happy,” he continued. There was an edge to his voice. I didn’t like it. This felt more like a threat. Sage wasn’t a bargaining chip; she was his hostage. Regardless if I was in her life again, Ansel would still play a part. She may never forgive me, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t protect her. A plan quickly took shape.
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s meet. I’ll bring you the money.”
“Good. I know the perfect place. It’s got really hot chicks. We’ll have no trouble scoring, and we can talk about Sage too.”
It took every fiber of my being not to call him out for the sleazy sack of shit that he is. He gave me the name of the bar.
“Okay,” I said quickly and hung up the phone before I lost my temper.
8
I walked into the office with a renewed sense of purpose. The job of CEO was mine if I wanted it. I just had to take it. I looked around for my father; I saw no trace of him. Curious. Surely, he’d been alerted to the emergency meeting? I met Mr. Harrington and shook hands.
“Where’s my father?” I asked.
“I thought it was best not to alert him.”
I was disappointed my father wasn’t there. I wanted to look him in the eye while I voted to fire him.
“Let’s get this over with.”
An almost identical group of men wearing matching expensive black suits had gathered in the room. The vote was quick. Half the room was in favor of keep my father on; the other half wanted change. I voted for change.
There was discussion of who would tell my father he’d been fired. I insisted that I be the one. I wanted to see the look on his face when he got the news. Turns out I didn’t have to wait long. My father threw the door open and ran into the room. He was wearing slacks and a blazer. It was his standard outfit when he wasn’t working. His face was red and he was bleary eyes. He looked more than a little drunk.
“Wait,” he said. “Before you decide anything, son, you need to know that I’m integral to this company’s future. I built this business from the ground up. You need me to see it into the future. And it would break your mother’s heart if she knew that I lost this company. Her dying wish was that I not give up on this. She knew it was my passion.”
If any shred of doubt existed about my decision to fire my father, they evaporated in that instance. My mother despised the corporate world. She thought it was nothing more than a breeding ground for greed. My father was a living testimony to it. The fact that he thought he could invoke my dead mother to manipulate me into saving his job filled me with unspeakable rage.
I knocked him out with one punch.
Several of the men in the room were on their feet. I don’t know what they planned to do. I think they reacted more from shock than anything. This probably wasn’t the first time violence had broken out in the boardroom. I doubted it would be the last. I knelt down before my father.
“By the way, dad, you’re fired.”
He groaned while holding his jaw. I stepped over him and headed to my meeting with Ansel.
The bar was a hipster nightmare. It was full of kitschy signs all over the walls. The bar was made with tiki. It was hideous and intentionally so. The owners were trying to be ironic. It just made them look like they were trying way too hard to be clever.
The sight of the bar just pissed me off even more than I was already. Punching my father felt good though. I’d like to hit Ansel, but I couldn’t. Not yet, anyway. I needed to keep my temper in check for Sage. If I pissed Ansel off, he’d take it out on her.
I found Ansel sitting at the bar next to a curvy blonde. He leaned and whispered something to her. Her face twisted with disgust. She turned her back on him and rolled her eyes at her friend. After exchanging a word, they got up and left.
Ansel looked pissed as he watched them leave. I took the blonde’s seat. Ansel shook his head and watched the girls walk away.
“What did you say to that girl?” I asked.
“I told her she could stand to lose a few pounds, but that the extra weight gave her a nice ass.”
“What? Why the fuck would you tell her that? There was nothing wrong with that girl’s body and even if she was overweight you had no right to tell her to lose a few pounds.”
“It’s called negging.”
“Is that something you saw on Star Trek or whatever nerdy shit you’re into?”
“No, you idiot. Negging. It’s a pickup artist trick. You criticize a girl, so that she wants to win your approval.”
I scoffed. “So, let me get this straight. You prey on girls with low self-esteem, hoping that they’ll be desperat
e enough to win your approval that they’ll sleep with you? Do I have this straight?”
“It’s pretty smart, isn’t it?”
“It’s the dumbest fucking thing I’ve ever heard.” I was doing a bad job of keeping my temper in check tonight. “Did it ever occur to you to just talk to women like they’re human beings?”
Ansel glared at me. I didn’t want to get into an argument with him about this. Sage was what was important. I turned to the bartender and ordered a beer. Ansel took a sip from a giant neon blue drink that had several large plastic umbrellas sticking out of it. He slurped down the liquid like it was soup. The neon color made me hope that it was antifreeze and he’d choke on it.
“Did you bring the money?” he asked.
“Do you really think I walk around carrying two hundred grand in cash on me?”
“Well, no, I just thought-”
“Maybe you should stop thinking so much. Let’s go over this again. But first, I want to know what happened after I got arrested.”
Ansel twirled one of the plastic umbrellas between his fingers and shrugged. “Not much. She went into her office and cried. I knocked on the door. She wouldn’t answer. I tried to open it but it was locked. I told her that I was her boss now and she couldn’t lock me out.”
The bartender set my beer down in front of me. I gulped the whole thing down as I listened to Ansel talk. I quickly ordered a second.
“She was upset. Chicks always get so emotional after they get a little dick, right?”
I didn’t answer him. I doubted Ansel had enough experience with women to know the first thing about them.
“Anyway,” he continued, “I told her to get back to work, but she ended up leaving early for the day. If she keeps that up she won’t last long at the company. When she walked into work that morning, I knew you’d fucked her. She had a spring in her step and she couldn’t stop giggling.”
He sounded disgusted by Sage’s happiness. He was probably just jealous that he couldn’t make her happy.
“I was headed to my office when I saw you walk in,” he continued. “Sage followed me, and well, I won’t lie. I saw an opportunity to destroy you. I figured you’d won the battle but that didn’t mean you had won the war.”
