by Ellie Rowe
Thirty-Two
Peter
“I have a surprise for you.” I waltz into Becky’s office, grinning like an idiot, and Darian follows right after me. “You’re not gonna believe what just happened.”
She leans back on her chair, blows away a stray lock of her hair, and then raises her gaze from her laptop.
“What surprise?” She asks, her face lighting up with curiosity and excitement. I can tell she wasn’t expecting us to come bursting into her office this early in the morning. “Is it about the Whitmore deal? Has the old man finally decided to sign the deal? Please, tell me that’s it.”
I flash her a grin.
Becky’s role in the company has grown so much that she’s now handling our most important clients. And just like she has predicted, Mr. Whitmore, a sports billionaire, has signed on the dotted line. As it is, we’re now set to build a major sports arena in New York City, a deal that’s going to pad our bank accounts with a few hundred million.
Of course, that’s all small potatoes when compared to everything Becky has done for the company..
Three years have passed since the three of us became an item, and Becky has proved herself to be absolutely ruthless as a businesswoman. I can’t believe I’m gonna say this shit, but she’s better in this industry than she was in the FBI...and she was one of the best agents these guys had, you can trust me on that.
Not only that, but Becky has achieved all that while being a mom. Sure, Darian and I help out as much as we can, but you can’t really compare that to being a mother. Shit, I get goosebumps just thinking of what she went through during labour. It’s a beautiful moment, don’t get me wrong, but the pain she had to endure, I wouldn’t wish that shit on anyone. I always thought nothing could scare me, but that...well, that’s a moment I’m never going to forget.
“I knew it,” Becky says, slamming her fist down on the table. Her tone is a victorious one, like that of a battlefield commander who has slain all of his enemies. “The old man was gonna fold sooner or later. We made the right choice when we decided to put some pressure on the bidders.”
“We?” Darian laughs. “I don’t recall being involved in that conversation. Unless I’m mistaken, Becky, you handled that shit all on your own. You closed the deal, not us. The merit is all yours...as always.”
“You’re gonna ruin me with all that praise.” She springs up to her feet, and then crosses the length of her office, her heels clicking against the polished marble floor. Once she’s within reach, she grabs us by our shirts and reels us in. “Gimme a kiss. I’ve missed you guys.”
We do as we’re told, and we don’t even bother with closing the door. Why would we? Everyone knows that we’re a family and that we have a kid together. Besides, this is our fucking company. We can do whatever the hell we want.
“Let’s call it a day.” I whisper against her lips, my cock twitching as I feel the warmth of her mouth. Even after all this time, I still want her as much as the first time I laid eyes on her. “You’ve already closed a major deal before lunch, so I think we’ve earned the afternoon off. We can grab an early lunch, and I’ll tell the babysitter she won’t be needed for the afternoon. Let’s enjoy the day as a family.”
“That sounds about right,” Becky says, but there’s something in her eyes that tells me she’s holding something back. Before she can turn away from us, I grab her by the arm and pull her back in.
“Hang on a moment,” I say, laughing. “There’s something you’re not telling us.”
“Is there?” She arches her eyebrows with feigned surprise, but there’s no mistaking the devilish smile on her face. She’s teasing us with something. “Do you think I’m keeping secrets from you guys?”
“I sure hope not,” Darian says, leaning in to pepper her neck with kisses. “I hate secrets.”
“I don’t mind them, actually.” I shrug. “Just as long as they’re the good kind of secrets.”
“If that’s the case, then okay.” Her grin widens, and now I’m the one arching my eyebrows. “I do have a secret. But don’t worry, it’s a good secret.”
“Well, shit,” Darian laughs. “Now I’m curious. We own the most successful businesses this side of the hemisphere, we have a perfect little kid, and we love each other. What else do you have in store for us, Becky? Have you bought us a yacht or something? ‘Cause I always wanted one.”
“Now, it’s not a yacht,” she says in that teasing tone of hers. “It’s something much better than that.” It’s a discrete gesture, but I still notice it—slowly, she drapes one arm over her belly, her fingers gently tugging at the folds of her dress. I narrow my eyes, wondering why she’s doing that, and then my breath catches in my throat.
“Holy fuck,” I breathe out. “Are you saying that…?”
“Yeah,” she replies, “that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“What are you guys talking about?” Darian crosses his arms, looking from me to Becky. “Care to clue me in? Because I still have no idea what the fuck is going on.”
“That’s because you’re a dumbass.” I poke him in the ribs with my elbow, and then point at Becky’s belly. “Our family is growing, Darian.”
For a moment, he doesn’t say anything. He just opens his mouth and closes it again, struggling to find the right words. Not that I can blame him for it. I’m pretty fucking speechless right now. Another kid? I can’t say that I was expecting that...but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for it.
“I didn’t think it was possible to be any happier than I was,” I whisper, “but I guess I was mistaken.”
“Ditto,” Darian mutters. “Jesus, we’re having another kid.”
“That we are.” Becky goes on tiptoes, and then kisses the tip of Darian’s nose. When she does the same with me, she brushes her fingers against the front of my pants. My cock hardens on command. “And I think that deserves a special celebration, don’t you?”
“Damn right it does,” I say. “Darian, get the door.”
He does, and then…
Three become one.
* * *
The End. To get a sneak peek about Peter, Darian and Becky’s kids and their life in the future join my newsletter here: https://www.subscribepage.com/ellierowe
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Thirty-Three
Monica
I run my fingers through my hair and slick it back behind my head, twisting it into a neat bun. This is maybe my fifth attempt this morning. Everything has to be perfect today.
I have no clue what this meeting will hold but I know it’s big. And I’m ready.
I check my phone again to scan the email; I don’t want to miss a single detail. The boss called in his top brokers and I’m finally one of them.
Fucking finally.
After kissing ass for the last six years of my life and eating ramen noodles on the floor of my apartment with my roommates, I have beyond earned this. Nothing against ramen noodles, but I’m ready to level up.
I slip on my blouse and eye myself in the mirror. I’ve worked hard on a lot of things, figure included.
I nod appreciatively.
You look good. I start at the buttons, smirking to myself. Even if you’re the only one that sees it.
My smirk deflates. Some pep talk.
I remind myself, you have to give up some things to get ahead.
I finish the buttons and take another look. I don’t normally worry much about my appearance, but I’m not sure who’ll be there today and you only get one first impression. It’s a little thrilling and a little terrifying.
Katie bursts into the bathroom with a primal scream and spanks my ass.
“Damn, girl!” She grins. “Looking good! What’s the occasion?”
“Work,” I say, giving her an eyebrow in the mirror.
“Never heard of it. So what’s the big meeting about? Did Zaddy call it?” Katie, after seeing his LinkedI
n of all things, believes my boss is a Zaddy, and if I didn’t have any shame I’d be inclined to agree. I nod and resume my nitpicking, tucking in my shirt.
“Yes Katie, my boss called a meeting. All his top people. Me and…I don’t know, I think his sons might be there or whatever…”
Katie’s eyes get big.
“Don’t start.” I warn and try to shove her out of the bathroom.
“Wait, wait, wait, he has sons? Are they single? Are they on LinkedIn? What do they look like?”
“I don’t know!” I wail, trying to shove her out of the way.
I’ve heard about them, of course, and if they’re related to Mr. Breckenridge, I can only imagine they’re not too terrible to look at.
But what do I care? I didn’t slave away the past six years for some guys. Especially not some guys who’ve had their jobs handed to him on a silver platter. I worked for what I have, and I know this city inside and out. I can sell any house, apartment, condo or cardboard fucking box to anyone.
As far as I know, his sons, especially the eldest, just sort of walked into the job. It’s sort of assumed he’ll assume the throne whenever dear old dad decides to retire. Some people have all the luck.
I lose my battle to Katie and let her into the bathroom. She sits on the edge of the bathtub with her head in her hands and looks expectantly. I click my tongue.
“I told you I’ve got nothing. I don’t even know if they’ll be there!”
“Boring! Want me to look them up—”
I fling open the door, shutting it behind me as she tries to ask more questions about the guys. I rush to my room to grab my jacket, I’m ahead of schedule but to be on time is to be late and to be late is to be dead, so better safe than sorry.
By the time I’m back, Katie is sitting next to Nadia in our little living room, looking extremely conspiratorial. Katie flicks my laptop shut, and I know damn well she was trying to hack into my LinkedIn.
“Give me that,” I groan and she hands it to me apologetically.
“Very sharp.” Nadia grins from the couch.
“It’s for her big meeting with Zaddy and the boys,” Katie says, wiggling her eyebrows at me.
“No way—that’s today?” Nadia asks, her eyes lighting up. “Monica, that’s amazing! I’m so fucking proud of you!”
I smile warmly. These two have been my rocks. We’ve all struggled to make it, done things we regret and pushed too hard sometimes. But I don’t know what I’d do without them.
Even Katie.
“I just think it can’t hurt to utilize all of your ass-ets, if you know what I mean. Sure, you got this job because you’re brilliant or whatever but it’s not the end of the world that you’re foxy.”
Yup. Even Katie.
“As much as I hate to agree with Katie…I sort of agree with Katie.” Nadia shrugs.
“You’re both incorrigible,” I grumble, searching for my briefcase.
“What are you looking for?” Nadia asks.
“Briefcase.” I sigh, frustrated. Nadia and Katie leap off the couch to help me look. It’s a real trip that a person could lose anything in this teeny apartment, but that’s just my luck.
Today, of all days…
“Found it!” Katie sings from the kitchen. She trots in and proffers it with a bow. “I think you left it there when you stayed up late last night.”
“How’d you know I stayed up late last night?” I ask, taking it from her.
“Because you always stay up late to work,” she says and I narrow my eyes at her. “Okay. And I also came in late last night.”
She winks.
This girl has figured out the online dating formula. If we could just get her focused, I’ll bet she could make some serious money coaching other searching singles.
“Hey,” Nadia says and places her hands on my shoulders. “You’re going to be wonderful today. I just know it. But if it all goes to shit, you know you have ice cream and ramen waiting for you here.”
“Excellent combo.” I laugh and squeeze her hands. “Thank you.”
“Kick some ass!” Nadia cheers and flops back into the couch. I head for the door, but just as I’m closing it, I hear Katie shriek.
“Unbutton a couple of those, you nun, just in case the boys are hot!” I slam the door shut and begrudgingly unbutton one button. I’m not exactly planning to use my feminine wiles, but a little hint of cleavage never hurt anyone.
“Just in case.” I smile to myself.
Thirty-Four
Kent
“Little bit of rain, and those prices skyrocket!” Kevin talks too loudly at his cellphone, trying to order a car service. This always happens and I always ignore him.
We have the damn money, why bother whining?
My tie is being a jackass today. The length isn’t right, the knot is all lopsided. But it’s a big day so I broke out the good one. Not the best one—that would be jinxing things. This one is in the top five.
“Why the tie, douche-nozzle?” Kevin asks. He’s leaning in my bedroom doorway, opting for an open collar and sweater.
He is always so quick with a fucking compliment, that one.
“Oh, I dunno, bro. Maybe because there is this big meeting today, remember? Dad might be handing over the reins today and I want to look like I’m ready to take it on.” I say this over my shoulder, still messing with my tie. I don’t want to look at his smirk right now.
“You really think there’s any doubt how this is going to go? It’s ours, bro. We earned it. And even if we hadn’t, we were born into it. That’s the rule, man. Goes back to ancient medieval kings and shit.”
I sigh. I wish I could see the world as simply as Kevin does, but that’s one of the many differences between us. Even though we’re close in age and height (although my extra two inches bug the shit out of Kevin and he knows that I know that), he thinks the world owes him all the time.
And, while I think I deserve to run this company, I’m not going to assume. Dad is too fucking wily for that. He didn’t get where he is now by being Mr. Nice Guy.
“No way you have royal blood. They’re not going to put you on a postage stamp anytime soon. And, to answer your question, yes, I do doubt it. Dad can be ruthless. It’s why he’s a success. And why he trusted me to run things while he recovered from his heart attack. The tie is just one more way I show him I’m the right guy to take over.”
My tie is finally in place. I step back to see the full effect in the mirror. All 6’2” of me is looking sharp. I’m wearing my dark gray suit, lilac shirt, deep purple tie. My fresh haircut is short, but still has a slight wave in my brown hair. My blue eyes look fierce. Like they’re ready for one of those corporate portraits you see in fancy boardrooms.
Yeah, I’d be ok with that.
“What? You worried he’s gonna skip right over you and give it to sonny boy number 2? You’re not the only one who’s been working his ass off, you know.” Kevin’s trying to sound casual, but I can hear the hint of resentment in his voice. Like it was my fault for being born first and taller.
The thing is, he is right. I do have that fear. Kevin might throw a lot of hot air around, but he works damn hard. Especially after Dad’s heart attack (while playing golf of all things, how fucking stereotypical), Kevin dove right in and worked side by side with me to keep things flowing.
“All I’m saying is that I’m taking this meeting seriously. If it was just us being called in, I might not. But it’s not a family dinner. I saw another name on the meeting invite. New name. An M. Vale. Probably some hotshot economics major from Dad’s alma mater.”
Kevin groans. He hates it when Dad takes some young protégé under his wing. It was like he didn’t have two smart, handsome sons that could benefit from some of that attention.
“Fuck that. They’re probably some snot-nosed punk. Gets a boner over spreadsheets or something. I’m not dressing up for that. Dad knows what I’m capable of.” Kevin’s bluster is appealing, but I’m not convinced.
“Well, I’m not taking chances. And maybe this M. Vale is just there to observe. Who knows? If they’re cool, I have no problem. Maybe they can do some of the shitty busy-work around here, and leave me to think about bigger projects.”
I squeeze past Kevin and head into the living room. The morning light is competing with the dreary drizzle falling outside. My briefcase is packed and ready, my cell phone charged. All I need now is the car service.
“Well, takes all kinds to make a world. You have your ways and I have mine. Wanna make a friendly bet out of it?” Kevin sidles into the room, shrugging on an overcoat.
“What? That Dad is going to get all weepy, give me a long, manly hug, and hand you the fucking keys today?”
Guy’s got balls, I’ll give him that.
“Yeah. That. Well, not the weepy man-hug or anything, but the part about me getting the joint.” Kevin knows it’s a long shot, but he can’t help himself.
“You’re on. I get the business, you give me $10,000. You get it, I’ll give you $14,000. You know, because I’m four years older. Seems only fair.”
Kevin can’t hide his flinch. He hates spending money like that, but he’s painted himself into a corner.
“Deal,” he says, begrudgingly.
We shake on it. I grab my phone and check the time.
“Where’s that car service?” I ask. I’m starting to feel anxious about this meeting.
“Just arrived.” Kevin looks into his phone. “Let’s go.”
We step out into the hallway and take the elevator down. We share a nice condo in the center of things. Usually, I like to walk to work, but the rain is messing with that today.
“Gonna make friends with this M. Vale, then?” Kevin asks, breaking into my thoughts.
“Dude, I really don’t care. The only Vale I care about is where I can find good skiing and hot girls wearing fur. Let’s just get this over with.”