Jackie's normally nice smile turns shark like, predatory, as she removes her emotional mask and gives me a nod of respect. “For a financial genius, you certainly let yourself get played with the way Dylan got under your skin.”
“Why, Jackie? I mean, seriously.”
She shrugs and folds her fingers underneath her chin. “Because it'll help me. I bring Dylan up, Xander owes me. Of course, Dylan won't say anything since he thinks that he's getting a smooth ride on two fronts, since I've been fucking him for two months now. He's a good fuck, I'll give him that. What that idiot doesn't know is that I'm keeping him right where his Daddy and I want him.”
I blanch, realizing what she's saying. “You're fucking Xander too?”
“Oh, not so crude as all that. He can barely get it up any more after his bypass surgery. But he has other things he enjoys. So I do as he wants, we keep Dylan right where we want him, and Xander and I both have a shield and dirt on the other. He can ruin me. I can ruin him. We just needed to get rid of the people who actually have some morals and are smart enough to get in our way. Lin was easy. She's ambitious and she's totally single. She's going to do well in the London office and can be out of my hair there, and I don't have any ill will toward her. That just left one person. You.”
I nod, understanding it all, even if I don't like it. I shake my head, sighing. “You know, everything you just said about you and those two, I should be disgusted . . .”
“Hmm, turned on, huh? I never pegged you for that.” Jackie laughs. She stops when she sees that instead of being upset, I'm looking at her with pity. “What?”
“I said I should be disgusted. I feel sorry for you, Jackie. Can I ask—you don't have to answer, obviously—what led you to be this way? Or have you always been a two-faced bitch?”
Jackie laughs harshly, shaking her head. “You say that like it's a bad thing. Don't you know? Life's a bitch sometimes, but that means I’m going to win in the end, because I'm the baddest bitch in the building. You've got until Wednesday afternoon here to get your shit ready to transfer to Bangkok. You fly on Friday. Take the rest of the day off. I'm sure you need to pack.”
Chapter 20
Patricia
“Trisha?”
I look up and see Trevor standing at my desk, and he's got his holier than thou expression on his face. I've seen it before, usually when he's at New Harvest, pretending to be a deacon and a devout believer. It's near the end of the work day. I wonder what's on his mind. “What's up, Trevor?”
“I'm sorry, but I've been thinking for a while, and I've decided that Bana Construction needs to move in a new direction,” Trevor says, handing me an envelope. “I'm going to diversify, split off the renovation and property management arms from the new construction arm. So I’m shopping out the office management to an outside company. Unfortunately, that means that you're being let go.”
I take the envelope with numb fingers and tear open the top. Inside is a check for two months’ pay and a form I can turn in to the unemployment office stating that my firing was not due to my performance but a decision by Trevor Bana. I fold it up and put it back in.
“Is this really about the division, Trevor?” I ask softly, not as angry as I thought I'd be. Instead, I'm slightly relieved. I've been tired of his crap for too long. “I've given you what, fifteen years now? I've kept your books and juggled all the balls for the past ten without dropping a single one. I even got you through that IRS audit three years ago. Do you really think I couldn't handle a reorganization?”
Trevor's mouth pinches, and he looks like he's trying to hold in a fart. It's so ridiculous that I try not to laugh, although a little smirk must come to my face from the way his expression darkens. “It's my final decision. It's best for everyone, anyway, right?”
“Best for you, and I guess best for Bill Moss,” I add, getting up and getting my bag. “I'm guessing he had something to do with this. You know, Trevor, just because he refused to let you give the church a discount on the construction fees for the new sanctuary doesn't mean you owe the man. It was a fair price.”
“Bill has nothing to do with this,” Trevor says tersely, and I see the truth in his eyes. He's hurt that I turned him down so many times, but I fell in love with Cory instead. As long as I wasn't seeing anyone, as long as I was celibate, he thought he had a chance to bed me. His fantasy's gone, and his fun is ruined. I feel bad for Kerri, but I'm sure she knows. I don't know if she approves, but she knows. “You should leave.”
I nod, leaving my computer where it is. “Give me ten minutes to delete my email from the server and copy everything over to a new management account. You want to watch?”
Trevor says nothing as I go through and rename my email, deleting my personal access and turning everything over to a new account. “Right now, the password is Bana1, but you can change it whenever you want.”
Trevor escorts me to my car, where he takes my keys and little stick that we use for the security system. “Take care, Patricia.”
“Don't worry,” I say, still not upset. “I will.”
I drive home, and for some reason, I feel at peace, not upset at all. My phone buzzes, and I see that it's from Cory. Something happened at work. Can you give me a call?
“Guess it's the day for change,” I say, still not upset, setting my phone aside until I get home. “We'll find out what's up with Cory in a few minutes.”
I get home and pull in, leaving the envelope with the check and form on my passenger seat. Honestly, I don't even want the money. It's nothing but a conscience payoff anyway. Instead, I go inside and into my kitchen, where I start a kettle for tea. Once the water's going, I call Cory.
“Hey, love. I was in the car. What's up? What happened at work?”
Cory sounds strange, or maybe I'm just not hearing properly because instead of being at peace about losing my job, I'm just faking it pretty well. “It's been . . . Patricia, today's been surreal. I mean, after our workout.”
“Hmm, that was pretty awesome, wasn't it?” I say, thinking back. I was so tempted to do that final set of squats in just my panties, but I'll save that for next time. I think I might even wear my thong. He'd love that. “You going to be able to do it again Thursday?”
“Actually, no,” Cory says, “but let me explain. I went into the office, and after a quick trade on the market, I got called up to Xander Roberts's office.”
“Who?” I ask. “I only met Jackie and the other people on your team.”
“Team?” Cory says, then laughs a bit harshly. “Yeah, quite a team. Anyway, I get up to Xander's office, where he tells me I'm being transferred to Bangkok.”
“Bangkok?” I ask, a spike of terror going through me. “But Cory, Bangkok's so far away. And I can't have our baby in Bangkok.”
“I know,” Cory says, then laughs. “But it doesn't matter. Our baby's going to be born right in Silver Lake Falls.”
“Wh . . . how?” I ask, still confused. My teakettle starts to whistle, and I flip the dial, cutting the flame and sitting back. “What are you saying, Cory? I just got fired from my job, so I kinda need some plain talk.”
“You got fired?” Cory asks, suddenly concerned. “What happened?”
“Trevor Bana can't let his feelings go enough do what's best for his business,” I answer. “But Cory, what about you and Bangkok?”
“It doesn't matter,” Cory repeats, laughing. “Oh, it's perfect. This is seriously just perfect!”
There's a hint of mania in his voice, and I'm getting more worried. “Cory?”
“After I got the notice from my boss, Jackie revealed she'd set me up for a fall too. They gave me twenty-four hours to decide, but I didn't even need twenty-four minutes. I marched right up to Xander Roberts's office and told them to take their VP slot and shove it right up their ass!”
“So you . . .” I ask, then start laughing too. “You quit?”
“I did!” Cory laughs, and suddenly, we're both laughing at the timing of it all. “I already
talked to Whitney just before this, and I got a hold of Tyler Paulson's girlfriend, April.”
“But why?” I ask, perplexed.
“Because I'm coming home,” Cory says, growing serious. “I'm coming home to Silver Lake Falls.”
“So what are you planning on doing, son?” Earl asks as we all sit around the kitchen table. “I mean, you've got a baby on the way. Patricia, you're out of a job as well, and now you've quit your job at PacFran?”
Cory smiles for me reassuringly and takes my hand. We talked about this before coming over, our conversation with his parents taking on a lot more depth than we'd originally planned. I mean, I haven't even had a chance to make my first prenatal exam with Doc Baker yet.
“It's going to work out. By quitting, my non-compete clauses kick in for six months, but I still have my licenses. I can continue to trade. I can continue to get new clients. I just can't take my existing clients with me.”
“But doesn't that put you at square one again, honey?” Brandi asks, her eyes flickering from her son to me. “And Patricia, what about you? I mean, two months’ paycheck isn't a lot, I assume. Is Troy going to help you out?”
“He doesn't need to, Mom,” Cory says, smiling. “I promised Patricia that I'd take care of our baby, and I'm going to. You guys are looking at the staff of the newest company in town, Dunham Investments.”
“What?” Brandi asks, obviously still reeling. I can sympathize. Her entire life, she's been either a housewife or in the safe, secure path. She's a smart woman, but she's never had to live on the edge like I have, to get comfortable with the idea of going without a safety net. I've been thinking about it for the past four days since that Tuesday night conversation, and I've found out something. I like it out here again, living by my wits and my guts. It was terrifying last time with just Whitney, but thrilling too. And this time, I'm not alone. I've got Cory with me.
“Cory has his brains,” I explain, patting my love's hand. “They can never take that away from him, and that's all he needs. But we've got so much more. Cory asked me to work with him, which I agreed to. He's going to open his own office here in Silver Lake Falls. I'll get my insurance license so that I can cover that side of things, but that'll be small potatoes. Cory's going to rebuild his portfolio, and we already know how to get a big chunk of it going quickly.”
“How’s that?” Earl asks, catching on. “If Cory signed a non-compete, he can't go to Troy or Duncan or any of those other big money clients he's got. And while I'm sure Dani and Pete and maybe some of the referrals that he was angling on might come to him, you lost your core base.”
“Not all of it,” Cory says, grinning. “You forget, I've got two big, friendly clients who are married. And in Florida.”
“What the hell does that have to do with it?” Earl asks, getting frustrated. “I'm just a dumb Marine, son.”
“Sorry, Dad. I'm not trying to screw with your head,” Cory says, still smiling. “There’s a loophole, basically. Duncan and Troy have already contacted PacFran. It'll take them two weeks, but all of their stock investments have been liquidated and deposited in a plain savings account in a credit union in Florida. Then, when I get my company license, Carrie and Whitney contact me, and they start their own investment accounts. I take their money and they lose, at most, a month's worth of interest, a big chunk of my core is back, and there's not a thing PacFran can do about it. Now, the players on some of the other teams, and the single guys, I'm going to lose, but I figured that no matter what, it doesn't matter. I can rebuild my client portfolio, and we can get by on my personal investments for the next year if we have to.”
“Just how much is that, Cory?” Brandi asks. “You've never said, but I thought that you have what, thirty or forty thousand in your investments? I don't know how you can afford all that you're talking about doing. A baby, a new business, supporting Patricia—no offense Patricia . . .”
“None taken,” I say with a little nod. I had the same concerns until Cory told me his number. It's part of the reason I can sit here with an amused smile on my face as she slightly freaks out.
“But it's still a lot of money, Cory!” Brandi says, worried. I give Cory a glance and a tap on his arm. He needs to cut to the chase to save his mother from any more worry.
“Mom, it's not fifty thousand. I have two hundred,” Cory says simply, leaning back.
“Two hundred dollars? How in the hell are you going to do all this on two hundred dollars?”
Cory laughs and shakes his head. “Not two hundred dollars, Mom. Two hundred thousand. I've been living just as cheaply as I told Troy and Duncan to live. I didn't live a big lifestyle past the trappings of my suits for work, my briefcase, some outer stuff like that just to fit in, and I have a decent bike for exercise. My apartment wasn't extravagant, and I paid for my entire lifestyle with just my base pay. So every point I got paid for roughly the past two years and the money I've built since college . . . I invested in myself. It's all in accounts that aren't connected to PacFran. I can draw from them any time I want. It's in stocks mostly, but I've got a diverse basket that I can draw from. I practice what I preach, and that means we're going to be fine.”
“You're sure about this?” I ask, looking around Troy's Silver Lake Falls house. It's been ten days since I lost my job, and it's taken Cory this long to finish out his paperwork with PacFran and move out of his apartment. After talking with his parents, we went to San Francisco together to finish packing up his stuff and drive it up here. Outside, the U-Haul truck sits, just one of the smaller ones, since he sold off most of his stuff. “You could live with me.”
Cory shakes his head and takes my hand. “Patricia, I've loved every minute that I've spent in your home. And while I want to live with you, my parents are still so freaked out about everything that this is better for a little while. Just a little while though. Let them see that I'm going to make this work, that you and I are going to be fine, and then we can look at that again. Troy made the offer, and it's a good one.”
“Okay. Let's get your stuff unloaded then. After that . . . well, we’ll have to decide which room,” I say, giving him my naughtiest smirk.
Cory stops and looks at me, smiling. “Let’s do that first. We can unpack later.”
He picks me up in his arms and carries me to the sofa, setting me on the edge. His lips find the magic zones on my neck, and I'm liquid fire in his hands, gasping as my breasts mash against his chest. I get to have this for the rest of my life, and I can't believe it.
“Cory . . .” I moan in his ear. “I want to explore.”
Cory hums hungrily. We don't explore every time. Most of the time, we still have what Dani calls 'French vanilla sex' when we've talked about her books, but when the mood takes me, Cory's always willing. “What were you thinking?”
“From behind,” I whisper, looking into his blue eyes. “Can you take care of me?”
He nods, smiling. “Let's see what we can do. One rule though . . . it's sensitive. If you have any pain, anything that feels wrong, you tell me and we stop.”
I grin, kissing his lips quickly before turning over.
I'm still nervous as I show Cory my butt, but the nerves disappear as he puts his hands on each side, humming in appreciation before his thumbs start working in deep, kneading circles. Oh, that feels good.
I help him take my shorts and panties off, unsnapping the button on the front of my shorts and helping him, the warm, still air of the house still causing my ass to break out in goosebumps. Cory notices, but he doesn't move, admiring what he sees. “Pure perfection.”
He touches me again, sparks jumping from his fingertips to my skin as he rubs again, working in gently widening circles that open my most taboo of places to his view. I'm nearly dripping wet, and I look back, shocked at the expression on his face. “What?”
“You have . . . this is going to sound strange, but you have the most amazing ass,” he says, hunger and shyness fighting on his face.
Cory puckers his lips
and kisses my left butt cheek, and it feels good, my eyes fluttering shut as he reaches between my legs and cups me. Rubbing softly, slowly, his lips and his fingers send waves of pleasure up and down my spine, and I moan softly, pushing back. “Cory, I want it.”
“You sure?”
I nod and open my ass, and he pauses, his grin spreading. “Let me go get my backpack.”
“Why?” I ask, looking back. “Gonna take a picture or something?”
Cory laughs and shakes his head. “No . . . but for your first time, I want to make sure we have lots of lube. It makes it easier and better for us both. No pain, just pleasure.”
“Sounds like what the rest of our lives are going to be,” I hum, smiling. “Okay. But hurry, my butt's getting cold.”
Cory rushes to the front hallway, pausing before he leaves me. He turns back and gives me a hungry look that sends a fresh spark of desire through me. “Don't worry, I'll warm it up very soon.”
He leaves, and I grin. I can hardly wait.
Chapter 21
Cory
“So Pete, you really are looking at investing?”
Pete is sitting across from me, and to be honest, I feel a fun thrill that I never got working for PacFran. Dunham Investments has only been up and running for two weeks, and I've looked forward to work each and every day.
“Yeah,” Pete says, rubbing his chin. He's sporting a bruise, and I wonder if his BJJ classes are going as smoothly as he'd hoped when he signed up. Still, he hasn't quit, and he looks like he's in better shape, so Dani's gotta be happy. “I mean, the city's got a good retirement fund, but I'll be honest, Cory, I'd like to do a bit better than thirty-eight thousand a year. Dani's going to be getting her PhD soon, and then I'm going back to school, but even if I turn my associate's into a bachelor's, I only get a three thousand a year pay bump.”
Fourth Down Baby: A May-December Romance Page 17
