Possessive Fake Husband

by B. B. Hamel

  “I sure am,” I say.

  He laughs. “I got your email and thought you’d gone insane.”

  “Nope, not insane. Well, maybe a little.”

  “Listen, you want to meet today, right?”

  “If you have time. You don’t have to go out of your way. We can kill a few days if you need us to.”

  “No, absolutely not. I’ll text you my address, swing by in a couple hours, okay? We’ll sit down and talk.”

  “Just so you know, I don’t expect anything,” I say. “Even if you can point us somewhere else, or even if you just tell us it’s impossible, whatever.”

  He’s quiet for a second. “When I saw your email, I thought you were crazy,” he says. “But then I did some research. You know how the production company here really took off, right? Well, I took a chunk of those funds and opened an investment firm out here. We mostly do local stuff, but what you sent looks interesting. No promises, but come in, and we’ll talk.”

  I feel a spark of hope light up my body. “Okay,” I say. “Yeah, okay, sure. I’ll see you in two hours.”

  “See ya.” He hangs up and I head into the diner. The floor is Formica and the counters look like they’ve seen years of hard use and cigarette smoke, but the waitress gives me a smile and Josh waves at me from a booth in the corner. The table’s clean and the seats are nice and bouncy, covered in a red fake leather. I sit down and lean my elbows on the table as I look at him.

  “What?” he asks, tilting his head.

  “That was Shaun. We have a meeting at his place in two hours.” My phone buzzes, and it’s the address. I hold it up for Josh. “See?”

  He nods and grins. “I knew you’d pull it off.”

  “So let’s eat then get a cab out there. It might take an hour with the traffic around here.”

  “Got it.” He grins and leans toward me. “You’re magic, you know that, right?”

  “I know,” I say.

  He laughs and I lean back in the booth, basking in the glow of his smile.

  One good breakfast and one long taxi ride across town and we end up outside of a modern house right on the beach. I double-check to make sure we’re in the right spot then head up the front walk. The house is beautiful, all modern lines and right angles. The door is large and black, the wood almost polished smooth. I knock twice and step back before it opens.

  Klara smiles at me and tilts her head. She’s a beautiful woman with dark hair and light blue eyes. “Hey, Mags,” she says.

  “Hi, Klara!” I give her a big hug and laugh. “It’s so good to see you.”

  “I’m Josh,” he says once we break apart. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “You too.” She shakes his hand. “Nice to meet you, too. Come on in, you two. Shaun’s with Kyle. He’ll be out in a second.”

  We follow her into a kitchen and she gets us both a cup of coffee. Josh looks around and grins at me. The place is immaculate and looks like it was lifted right out of a modern design book. The couches are all geometric and sparse, but made from quality materials. The rugs are simple tonal dark grays, and the walls are either glass or off-white. Colorful paintings hang in several places, adding a little splash of color. There’s no TV, but the view of the ocean is incredible, and the balcony looks like it sits right over the beach.

  “Glad you two made it.” I turn and Shaun walks over, wearing gray slacks and a polo shirt. He smiles at us and I give him a hug before he shakes Josh’s hand.

  “How’s Kyle?” I ask.

  “Oh, you know babies,” he says. “Pooping, peeing, and spitting up. It’s his naptime, so no yelling.”

  “Or I will literally murder you,” Klara adds. She picks up a white baby monitor and turns it on. The sound of white noise comes through and she smiles a little. “Down already.”

  “Perfect. So uh, you two want to come out onto the deck and we can talk?”

  “Sounds good,” Josh says.

  We follow Shaun outside. He sits at the table, the dark red wood of the deck solid beneath our feet. A beige cloth overhang provides a comfortable amount of shade as Josh opens up his laptop.

  “I prepared a little presentation,” Josh says. “I want to talk you through our financials and what I think our market position can be if we manage to go through with this merger.”

  “Hold on, let me stop you there.” Shaun says. “Just so I can get this straight. You two want to merge two mid-sized telecoms to be able to compete with the big guys, right? But Josh, your company’s board is against it?”

  “Right,” Josh says. “If you decide to invest, or if you find us other investors, we want to purchase a controlling stake in the company. That way, we’ll get Maggie on the board, and we’ll have the votes to see the merger through.”

  He nods slowly. “Okay. I see what you’re saying. Then that stake will mean what once the companies merge?”

  “Good question. We don’t have that level of granular detail yet. But I can promise you it’ll be worth a lot more.”

  He laughs. “I like the sound of that.” He gestures at the computer. “All right, hit me with it.”

  Josh goes through the presentation. I sit back and let him do the talking, impressed that he managed to put all this together on a plane ride, and even more impressed that he’s hiding how little sleep he got the night before so well.

  “And as you can see, these projections are only estimates, but we believe the merger will give us long-term competitive standing. It’s a small gamble, I won’t pretend otherwise. But the payoff could be enormous.” Josh lets out a breath and nods. “That’s it, everything I’ve got.”

  “That’s impressive,” Shaun admits. “I can’t say I know much about the telecom industry, but I did do a little research, like I told Maggie over the phone.” He crosses his arms. “What kind of investment are you looking for?”

  “Right now, we’ll need about… $2 million and some change.”

  Shaun whistles. “Not a small amount.”

  “No, it’s not. But that’s more than enough to guarantee a seat on the board. From there, I plan on making that $2 million worth a lot more.”

  Shaun nods slowly. “Hold on a second, okay?”

  “Sure.”

  Shaun gets up and heads inside. Josh looks at me and lets out a breath. “You okay?” he asks.

  “I’m fine. You okay?”

  “Good. I’m good. Fuck, I hope I didn’t ruin it. I can’t read him.”

  I smile and put my hand on his. “You’re doing fine. Just trust me, okay?”

  “I trust you.”

  Shaun comes back a minute later, trailed by Klara. She slides into the seat next to Shaun and the two of them look at us.

  “So,” Shaun says. “I talked with my boss here.”

  Klara rolls her eyes. “Good one.”

  “And she says she’s willing to take the risk.”

  “Wait—are you serious?” I blurt out.

  Shaun laughs and glances at Klara. She grins back at him and leans toward me. “Sweetie, you’re family,” she says. “And I won’t pretend like the Divas franchise hasn’t been very, very good to us. Truth is, we have the capital lying around, and I believe in you two.”

  I shake my head in disbelief and Josh lets out a laugh. “I can’t say how happy I am to hear that,” he says. “I just want you both to know how seriously I’m taking all this. We’re going to make this merger happen, and we’re going to make this company a huge success.”

  “I believe in you two,” Shaun says. “And I know Klara does too.”

  “I really do,” she agrees. “Now I want to go inside and sit on the couch and close my eyes for like a half hour while I have the chance.” She scoots back out from the seat and stretches. “Naptime is sacred time.”

  “Thank you.” I jump to my feet and hug Klara. “Thank you so much.”

  “Don’t thank me,” she says and laughs. “It’s just business. If we thought this wasn’t a good investment, we wouldn’t do it.”

>   “Even still, thank you.”

  She smiles and heads back inside. “You guys hammer it out. Don’t talk to me until the baby is awake.”

  Shaun grins and leans back in his seat. “So,” he says. “Who should I make the check out to?”

  Josh just laughs and puts an arm around me. I lean my head on his shoulder and finally feel like things are coming together, like we have a chance at making any of this right.

  24

  Josh

  I stand in front of the board of Cork Electric and I stare at the exact same faces as the last time.

  It’s like Groundhog Day, like I’m reliving the same moment. It’s déjà vu, but even worse.

  Seb stands as I bring the board to order.

  “What’s the meaning of this?” he asks. “We voted on the merger once already. You can’t just bring us back to vote on the same thing again. Nothing will change.”

  “Something already did change, Seb,” Elizabeth says, then looks at me. “Do you want to tell him?”

  I laugh and shrug. “Go ahead.”

  “There was a major financial shift in the company yesterday,” she says. “I’m sure you got the email?”

  Seb opens his mouth then shuts it again. Everyone knows Seb plays golf all day on Tuesdays, and so there’s no way he saw that email.

  Which was why we planned for it to go out then.

  “I didn’t,” he says, face turning red. “What happened?”

  “We got a new investor,” Elizabeth says. “And that investor changes the makeup of the board.”

  “Excuse me?” Seb sinks back down into his seat.

  “I don’t see how that works,” Alfie Khan says. “I thought new members had to be voted on.”

  “Yes, they definitely do,” Larry says. “You all voted on me.”

  “Well, not always,” I say. “When a new member is brought on, yes, the board has to vote. But when an investor buys a large stake in the company, at a certain percentage they’re automatically added to the board, regardless of a vote. And our investor met that criteria.”

  “How in the hell?” Seb growls. “How is that possible?”

  “I sold most of my shares,” Elizabeth says.

  “Then you should be off the board!” Seb gesticulates wildly.

  “Except she was voted on,” I correct. “And she didn’t sell all of her shares. Just most of them.”

  Seb glares at us then shakes his head. “This is wild. This… this is illegal.”

  “It’s all in the charter,” I say.

  Seb looks around the table, searching for help. Nobody speaks up at first. Janet Tierce is on her phone, frowning at her screen, eyes squinting. She looks up and laughs. “He’s right,” she says. “Look at this.”

  She slides her phone over to Seb. He frowns, puts on his glasses, and looks at it. “You have the charter on your phone?”

  “In my email,” she says and shrugs. “Read it.”

  He grumbles but he reads. As he does so, he gets more and more agitated, until he slides the phone back and looks at me. “Fine,” he says. “Elizabeth stays. And this new investor is now a member. Who is this mystery man?”

  “My wife,” I say.

  Maggie stands from her seat and smiles at everyone. She gives them a little wave. “Hello. It’ll be nice to join you all.”

  Rupert Guava laughs, his head thrown back in glee.

  Seb nearly falls out of his chair as Maggie pulls her seat up to the table. Elizabeth makes room, a smile on her face.

  “Now,” I say. “This is the full board. And because the board’s makeup has changed, any business that was voted on in the last six months can be brought up again. I move we vote on the matter of the merger with Bushings Telecom.”

  “No,” Seb says, slamming his hands on the table. “No, damn you. This is outrageous. This is… this is illegal.”

  “It’s not,” Janet says and shrugs. “I don’t agree with the method, but it’s legal, all right.”

  “All those in favor?” I ask.

  This time, Elizabeth raises her hand with a wink. She abstained last time, but her vote wouldn’t have mattered either way. This time, we need her, and she’s coming through. Maggie, Rupert, Duncan, Janet, and Ed all raise their hands as well.

  “That makes six for,” I say. “Against?”

  Six hands go up. Paula, Jeff, Seb, Larry, Gail, and Alfie. They all look miserable, especially Seb.

  “Six again.” I beam at the group. “That means it’s a tie. And the CEO gets to break the tie.”

  “Bullshit.” Seb stands up, knocking his chair back. “This is bullshit. This is outrageous.”

  “I vote for,” I say. “And so the motion passes. We’ll reconvene in a month after going through the details of the merger, and once the terms are settled, we’ll vote again. Any other business?”

  “Fuck your business,” Seb screams. He slams his folder on the floor and storms out of the room.

  Rupert laughs again, clearly delighted. “Well done, young man,” he says. “Well done.”

  I grin at him and shrug. “Just doing my job.”

  The meeting ends and everyone slowly moves out. The losing side keeps their heads down, but I won’t forget what they chose today. Elizabeth lingers, and once everyone’s gone except Maggie, she stands.

  “Well,” she says. “That was fun. Not exactly ethical, but very, very fun.”

  “Seb did that to himself,” I say. “He could’ve put the needs of the company ahead of his own needs, but he chose not to.” I shrug a little. “I don’t feel bad.”

  “And you shouldn’t.” She smiles at me. “You’re going to make a good CEO, Josh. I think this merger is going to be very, very good for you and your investors.” She winks at Maggie and waves as she leaves the room.

  I turn to my wife and she stands. She comes to me, wraps her arms around my neck, and kisses me.

  I kiss her back, lifting her up off the floor.

  I hold her like that, lips against hers, tasting her, feeling her body against mine, before putting her back down. She grins at me and I laugh, unable to help it. We laugh together, the pure joy and excitement of winning over that bastard Seb getting the better of both of us.

  “I can’t believe that happened,” she whispers.

  “I know. We couldn’t have done it without your cousin.”

  “That’s what family’s for.”

  I kiss her again, holding her tight. “I need you to know something,” I say. “I’m in love with you, Maggie. I want to be your family for a long, long time. I want to make this marriage real.”

  She bites her lip. “I love you too.”

  I kiss her, let it linger, and let the moment stretch on.

  Without her, we would’ve lost. We both know it. I can’t deny that she’s making me a better man, a stronger man. And in return, I’ll take care of her. I’ll bring these companies together and make them stronger.

  Just like we came together and made each other stronger.

  My wife, my girl. I’ll take her, keep her, never let her go.

  I kiss her again and hold her hand as we leave the room together.

  25

  Maggie

  Two Years Later

  I watch as Josh walks to the front of the room and holds his hands up. The crowd calms and watches him with eager expectation. I can feel the buzz in the room, the jolt of electrified excitement.

  There are about fifty people, though that’s not the entire office, just the upper and middle managers. The carpeting is thick and plush with simple and inoffensively bland geometric patterns. The group stands near the front desk, just off the waiting room in the very modern open kitchen that serves as the break room for the whole office. The tables were pushed aside so Josh could address the group as a whole.

  “Ladies and gentleman,” he says. “Welcome to BC Telecom.”

  Applause rips through the space. He grins and glances at me. I stand off to the side, ten feet away, behind most of the cro
wd.

  “I want to start by thanking everyone here,” he says. “You all made this possible through your hard work and sacrifice. Merging our two great companies hasn’t been easy, but we’re moving forward, building bridges, and getting market share. Together, we’re strong, and we’ll succeed where others have failed.”

  More applause. He beams at the group.

  “In particular,” he says, his voice quieting them. “I want to thank my wife, Maggie. Come over her, Mags.”

  I walk over and he hugs me, kisses my cheek. More applause, even louder this time. I blush a little bit and hope my pregnant belly isn’t showing too much. I’m wearing a simple navy dress, a little more business casual than I’d like, but the best I could find in my new pregnant size.

  “Without Maggie, none of this would have happened. Maggie and her father were instrumental in making sure this merger went smoothly and fairly, and I can’t thank them enough. Now, we’ll break out into groups, get to know each other a little bit, and get prepped for the real opening tomorrow. Thanks again, guys.”

  The group breaks down into chattering as people find their smaller groups. Josh pulls me off to one side, narrowly avoiding managers that want to talk his ear off. We walk down a side hallway and stop outside of his office, right in the corner of the open main floor, a large and spacious thing, all glass and modern lines.

  “What do you think?” he asks me.

  “You know I love it,” I say.

  “I have a surprise for you.” He takes me by the hand and leads me down to the next office. It’s a little smaller, but the desk is still large, and the view is amazing. I can see all of downtown Philly. “This is all yours.”

  “Wait, what?”

  He laughs. “It’s all yours. You’re an investor and a board member, so I thought you should have an office. Plus, you own seven percent now.”

  “Josh. I don’t know anything about running a company.”

  “Who cares? Don’t worry about it. You’ll learn faster than you think. I’m sure in a month or two, you’ll be giving me orders.”