by Mia Mills
“I’m so tired…I don’t think I can take anymore.” I whisper to them.
Even if I want more, my body just can’t take anymore.
Leo nods and settles me down. He and Thomas join me in bed and pulls up the covers to keep us warm.
I nestle between their bodies, completely surrounded by their warmth.
“I love you…” I tell them as I start to drift to a deep and steady sleep.
Leo kisses my hand and rubs it gently. “I love you too, Addie…”
Thomas pecks my temple and nuzzles his nose on my cheek. “I love you more, my wife…”
I take one last look at them before I drift to a deep slumber, dreaming of my two lovers.
I’m the luckiest woman alive.
Bossy x4
An MFM Billionaire Romance
By Mia Mills
Copyright 2018 by Orion Press Group
All rights reserved
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons is entirely coincidental. This work intended for adults only.
Zoey
The function hall’s walls are lit up with an almost neon blue glow. Once you enter the hall, you can immediately access the buffet, two sets of the same course can be found on both sides of the room. But people don’t really make too much of a fuss over what they’re serving, not that there’s much to complain about. The focus for tonight’s event is the award’s ceremony, the food is just a bonus.
People inside sit amongst company that they’re familiar with and catching up on whatever business ventures they think are worthy of their money. There are more than two dozen tables, each with six seats, the centerpieces vary for every table, some have the usual floral ensemble and others have the numbers twenty and seventeen stacked on top of each other in either gold or silver.
In social events like these, where you sit can determine how strong your game was for the year and in other cases it might even tell if the next year will be better. But if you’re someone like me, then you know exactly which seats are the ones to go for.
Table four, let’s take for example, is near the stage. You’d think it’s a good place to sit if you want to catch the attention of the bigger fishes. But in truth, when you’re up on stage, your eyes mainly focus on the tables near the center. Right below the main chandelier.
So the best table to be seated in is actually tables ten to fifteen. But that doesn’t mean all of the powerful businessmen will be seated there, most of them will be in the party just until they get their awards, or just until they are able to scout their competition thoroughly. Some of the more competitive businessmen have bribed waiters and caterers to listen in on other tables. And when everything’s all accounted for, they quietly leave. Those are the ones seated in the back.
Although there are some exceptions to the rules, they’re hardly the ones you have to watch out for. Those are the ones who easily feel satisfied no matter how small of a win they get. I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing, most of the ones who live like this are the ones who get to play the longest. They get all they can and avoid something if they feel too many risks are involved, it’s a fairly smart way to go about your business.
But they’re not always the ones who rise to the top. And the ones who are at the top aren’t always the happiest.
If there’s one thing I have to say though, it’s that I’m never playing that game.
The reason I’m here is because I play a whole other game. The one I play is one where I sit on the side-lines and strategize. I’m a market analyst. What I do might seem boring to others but if you know what you’re doing and what’s at stake, then you’ll feel the rush soon enough.
My goal isn’t to be a billionaire, in fact, more often than not, the ones I advise are the ones who end up getting millions. All I want is to make sure the inheritance I got isn’t going to waste. If there’s one thing I can’t take, it’s wasting opportunities.
The room is filling up with conversation and laughter, and if they’re right on schedule then the main event will begin in less than an hour. My teal eyes scour through the crowd, noting that some of the amateurs have taken their seats a table away from the middle while some have grouped up and are sat in the front. I wish I could tell them where to sit, but if they’re not equipped enough to talk to the more powerful businessmen then they might just be crushed if they sit there.
This year is unlike any other year I’ve spent as a market analyst, because for once, my potential is actually recognized.
I received the call about the award when I was at home, typing away letters to my clients and informing them of updates on the stock market. When they told me I had been chosen as the Top Analyst of the Year, I was at a loss for words. Things are moving faster than I predicted. I never doubted that my record recently was second to none, but to actually be acknowledged as the best of the whole year was something that I’m sure will change the course of the years to come.
For the event, I decided to wear my white Gucci pumps and a newly bought silver Chanel dress. The dress hugs my body and cascades down from my waist to just above my ankles. My hand reaches up to touch the necklace my mother passed down to me. It has a silver chain and holds together three rubies at the center.
She told me that her great grandfather gave it to her great grandmother because the rubies reminded him of her strength. My mom told me her great grandmother had men following her around even during a time when women weren’t given much support. So they’ve passed it down to every woman in our family in their prime to remind them of that strength.
I’ve lived my life believing in it and trying to show that strength by making the best out of every opportunity I’ve managed to get.
I’ve come this far because of that mindset. And I know that by helping other people try to find their own strength and courage, I can still get further. This award won’t be the last, it’s only the first of many.
Finally, I notice that the host is coming back up to the stage. I make my way back to one of the tables in the center and place my red Hermes clutch bag on my lap while I take my seat. Sitting down, I take note of how the hall looks even grander.
If you look around you, everyone looks like they’re all here to have fun. But knowing these people, I doubt they don’t have any other motives for attending. Social gatherings are always an excuse to expand businesses. It’s an opportunity no one is willing to let pass, including me.
And it’s not like people won’t be trying to get my attention. A woman rising in the ranks of the best market analysts even though she’s only been in the business for less than five years. I’m sure that several people will be wanting to take a seat in the tables near me. Some for business and others, I assume from the way their eyes are glued onto my back, for pleasure.
When the host, a well-known actress, finally asks everyone to settle back down in their seats. The murmurs quickly fade to a hush. The awards ceremony has begun.
I distract myself by making idle chitchat with the people seated next to me, one of which is the CEO of Walden Corporation, a company primarily involved with high class furniture. Recently, they’ve started to expand to textiles and there’s been talk that they’ve started investing in hospitals as well. Her name is Margaret Simmons. She’s been in the business much longer than I have and has been known to be manipulative.
Although she hasn’t been rumored to be involved with scandals, I doubt that her slate is as clean as she wants people to think. If I don’t play my cards right, she has the resources and the connections to blacklist me from Wall Street. Margaret is as cunning as she is old. Truthfully, I admire that she’s managed to stay in power for so long.
“I’ve always been interested in your progress. Not very often that men let women tell them what to do, most especially in this line of business.” She holds a glass of champagne to her lips, but she’s not dr
inking it yet.
I give her a faint smile, “I find that if you show them enough proof, they stop trying to find evidence against you.”
Her lips curl into a smile as she takes a sip of her drink, “Interesting.”
“Not really. I assume that your work is far more interesting than mine.” I lean in closer, “Hospitals are good business. They tell people that you care, but they don’t tell them what you gain from it. I assume that you’re investing in hospitals to be able to conduct experimental treatments for drugs unable for market?”
To this, she lets out a laugh, “Perhaps.”
I return her laughter with my own, “It’s a smart move. I’m still trying to get one of my clients to invest in it too. But he thinks that hospitals are a difficult field to play in. If you ask me, he’s too morally conflicted.”
“I would say so.”
She’s a woman of a few words, and while I appreciate that, it makes it harder for me to get information out of her. If I knew what her future endeavors included, I would be able to know what investments to steer clear of.
The latest moves of Walden Corporation have been proven to be inconsistent, most of the time their investments backfire. Their most recent failure cost them almost twenty million after the stocks of one of their investments plunged. I can’t fathom how she’s conversing so calmly with me right now.
If I could, I’d tell her to retire while she isn’t bankrupt yet.
Turning my attention back to the host, I realize that it’s almost my turn to receive my award and give a speech. I brace myself, internally rehearsing.
The host looks up from the script she’s reading and announces, “And now, I’d like to request the presence of Ms. Zoey Foster, Wall Street Journal’s Top Analyst of the Year awardee for 2017.”
There is a decent amount of applause from the crowd, I stand up and make my way to the stage with a smile plastered on my face.
When I get there, the host hands me a glass plaque with the award and my name on it. After I receive it, she shakes my hand and congratulates me. I thank her and take my place on the podium. Looking around, the seats at the back are still fairly full, I assume that many of them still have business to attend to after the awards are over and done with.
Smiling, I look at the plaque in my hands and start my speech.
“First of all, this is heavier than I thought it’d be.” The crowd laughs, good, every response is important, “Second of all, I’d like to thank my clients for always trusting my judgment and expertise. Without you, I obviously wouldn’t have gotten the award. Or maybe I still would, just with different clients.” They laugh again, this might be easier than I thought it’d be.
I continue, “But on a more serious note...I’d really like to thank my family and my friends. None of whom are here. So what’s the point of this speech, you might wonder?” People laugh again.
I shift to a more firm tone, “I’m here to promote myself. Getting to this spot wasn’t easy. The things that the job requires of me is to have just the right amount of luck and hopefully have my tastes in line with that of the rest of the world. In other words, no one could have gotten the award but the person whose own being is connected to the market. The person who knows what the market was, is, and will be. The person who defies whatever odds there may be, puts money down for a small company and finds things in order to set its path and gets you to the top of the market. The person who never settles for just trying, but actually gets you somewhere. This year, and mark my words, for several more years, that person is me. It won’t be the last time I’ll stand here to make a speech. So the only thing I’ll do now is give everyone here a little tip.”
If they could lean in closer without looking too desperate, I feel like they would. Everyone’s eyes are on me, but it’s not anger I sense. It’s respect.
I raise the plaque just a little above my head, “I am the best investment there is. So make your move...” shrugging, I add, “...or regret not doing so. Your choice. One again, thank you for this award, see you next year.”
When my speech ends, the crowd starts murmuring to each other and some clap their hands. I know that I took a risk, but I’m sure that it was a calculated one. At most, they’ll think I’m rude and prideful, but I’m willing to bet that they’re more impressed by how gutsy I was. And most of all, I’m sure that some of them are checking up on my accomplishments for the year, which is really all I need. Once they see my success rate, they’ll be all over me like moths to candlelight.
Some of the people in the tables next to me still have their eyes on me even when other awards are being mentioned. And when the event is over, a lot of them wait on the side, as if they’re biding for the right time. I already know they’re not my type of clients, they worry too much. I mean, if they can’t even take the risk of talking to me, then I don’t see how they’ll be able to advance much in Wall Street.
Then, while some people in the room go back to their groups and start chatting again, I am approached by several people. All of whom are congratulating me and shaking my hand. I exchange a few words with as many of them as I can.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a girl take the stage by storm like that since that time a drunk intern raged at the party.” I look towards the source of the voice, I recognize him.
I’ve seen him in different finance magazines and a few gossip magazines. Standing at over six feet three, this man is used to winning women over with his aqua blue eyes, sandy blond hair and deep dimples, Wyatt Stephens. In the business world, he’s the type to get reckless, yet somehow luck is almost always on his side and he rarely loses money. If he does, he recovers quickly. He owns and manages one of the biggest, if not the biggest, hedge funds in Wall Street.
I open my mouth to reply, but before I can, someone speaks cuts in, “If I can recall, the only reason that intern went crazed was because you got involved with his girlfriend.” He offers me his hand, “My name’s Jonah Goldberg of Goldberg Ltd., it’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Foster.”
I take his hand and reply, “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.”
“Wipe the smirk off your face, Jonah. She’s obviously more professional than you.” I freeze when I hear the voice. I know that voice. Always on television, being interviewed by different journals and even finance books. He’s at the very top of the food chain, so to speak. He’s not new when it comes to breaking down barriers, Gavin Hughes.
As the situation presents itself clear as day to me and my mind struggles to process how three of the four key players of Wall Street surround me, my eyes spot the missing piece. My eyes make contact with the grey eyes of Ryder Henderson as he makes his way to where we are. I’m almost dumbfounded by the situation, but I manage to maintain my composure in time for their questions.
This night is turning out to be much more interesting than I had planned.
Jonah
From where I’m standing, I can tell that Wyatt’s had one or two drinks too many. The stench of alcohol is so strong that I doubt Zoey doesn’t notice. The other two, Ryder and Gavin, have been sizing each other up as if they’re rivals in the making. Whatever the deal is with these three, I can make use of.
Zoey doesn’t seem like the type of person to entertain weird people, and judging by her response to their approach, she’s definitely not in her comfort zone.
Not just because the four of us are considered a huge part of the big leagues, no, I feel like there’s more to it than that. Her eyes keep glancing around us, which means that she can’t wait to get away and will take any opportunity to do just that. But I can’t have her walking away that easily.
Her speech got to me. I’m new to the business compared to these three, but definitely not new to this playing field. My parents had been grooming me ever since I can remember. All people see in me is a gullible kid who suddenly has a lot on his hands. I know they’re wrong, but I haven’t had the chance to make my own big break to actually show people what I’m capable of.
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I figure that if I can convince Zoey to side with me then I can surpass whatever legacy my parents have made. People will start seeing me as someone who didn’t just get lucky in life and they will take me seriously. And I know that the whole thing will make Zoey want to take on my case.
I mean, what’s she going to do for these three already accomplished guys? They don’t need her. And if I’m right about her, she wants to take on people who need her.
When she takes a step back from Wyatt, that’s my cue. I squeeze in between them and gently push off Wyatt with my hand, “Calm down. Are you drunk? You’re making her uncomfortable.”
I can see in their eyes that they know what I’m up to. And I don’t mind playing the nice guy card.
I turn to face Zoey, she is visibly relieved, “Hey, you alright? Why don’t we take a seat?”
She smiles and gives me a nod, “Yeah. Thanks. I was starting to get a bit woozy.”
“Sure, it’s no problem. I knew I had to step in. Those three can get pretty competitive sometimes.” I give her a warm smile as I guide her to a nearby table and pull a chair for her to sit in.
She sits and crosses her legs, “I didn’t want to push them away because it might look rude, but I felt out of place there.”
“That’s understandable, of course. If I were to be completely truthful, when I first started out and I met Gavin, I felt intimidated. I can’t imagine what it’d be like to be surrounded by four big players.” I wave a hand off, “Pfft. Wow. That was awkward. I didn’t mean to brag. I just wanted to make you feel less uncomfortable.”
Zoey has her back turned to where they are, and looking over her shoulder I catch a glimpse of their expressions, they’re clearly not happy that I’ve stolen her from them. But it’s their own fault for being so aggressive towards each other.
