Two Bad Bosses_An MFM Menage Romance

by Sierra Sparks

  “Eh, he’s a millionaire. No millionaire is exactly innocent. Having that much money to yourself is pretty selfish and unethical when you can use it to improve the situation of the world around you… And uh… Not the point. Sorry, good luck. Go get that boy some justice.”

  Seila opens my purse and slides the pepper spray in the outermost pocket.

  “And I mean it, empty the whole can on Jake’s eyes if you want”, she jokes.

  With Sheila’s blessing I call an Uber to pick me up and take me to one last destination before heading to Jacob’s mansion. I’m either really brave or really stupid to try something like this.

  The mansion looks more foreboding now than it had when there limousines lined up its sides. There is determination driving me here but there’s a feeling in the pit of my stomach I imagine was felt by pirates walking the steps to the gallows. I’m prepared for something horrible and embarrassing to happen but I still want to walk out of here with most of my dignity unscathed. It’s not a terribly high bar to clear.

  Nobody answers the door when I ring the exorbitantly long doorbell. I give it a minute before using the key my mother had given me in case of emergencies. Upon entering the mansion, it seems completely abandoned.

  “Hello? Jake? Anybody!? Anybody home?”

  No response.

  My adrenaline kicks in and sends me running to Jake’s room. If he’s not home, this is the perfect time to snag that flash drive without having to say a word to him. I fall to my knees as soon as I push the door to his bedroom open and look underneath his bed. I fondle the sides of the bed frame, but no luck. He must have left the flashdrive in his pants. Those pants must be around here somewhere. Finding that flashdrive is going to be a task considering his room is a mess. It doesn’t seem like he’s cleaned up once. There are at least five two-foot tall piles of clothes here and no way to differentiate one from another. There’s no organization to this mess.

  “Can I help you?”

  Behind me stands a shirtless Jake, looking red and sweaty.

  “What are you doing, Callie?”

  “I, uh, just seeing if you had any interesting shirts. Anything I might want or.. Anyway, you ready to go?”

  “Go where, what are you doing here?”

  “Our date. I’m here for our date.”

  Jake cocks his head to the side and cracks a smile. “Our date… I’m sorry, but refresh my memory.”

  “At the charity event… you said if we went on a date, you’d let me see what’s in the flashdrive.”

  “Did I? Hm. Well, I’ll be honest, I don’t remember a single thing from that night. Well, maybe I remember a few things here and there. I recall you wearing a green dress that hugged your ass real tight. And I also recall holding your ass myself. But uh, nothing about a flashdrive. I don’t even know what I was talking about. Sorry. You can’t really trust the word of a drunk man.”

  “You held it out in front of me. The red flashdrive”, I say forcefully.

  His smile fades away and he sneers at himself. He swallows the spit gathered in his mouth and gets a worried look in his face.

  “Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Get out of here, will you?”

  “The flashdrive with Declan’s designs. You said I could see them if we went on a date. I’m here for our date, so come on. Don’t go back on your word, Jake.”

  “My word? Please, Callie, I was drunk. You’re talking nonsense. Now unless you’re going to join me in the shower, please leave.”

  I am not going to be kicked out of someone’s house for the second time this week. I came here for that flashdrive and I’m not leaving without it.

  “Fine. I’ll join you”, I tell him. “But you can’t touch me. You just look.”

  He laughs surprised by my tenacity. “REALLY? Well, shit, you must really want this thing. In that case, I should raise the stakes.”

  “Jake, stop being an ass, I just agreed to getting naked in front of you, isn’t that what you’ve always wanted?”

  “Pfft. Callie, I don’t know if you recall, but I’ve seen you naked before. In fact, I get to see you naked every single day thanks to that little video I took. But there is one thing I haven’t done and that’s… find out what you feel like.”

  I scoff at his gross stupidity. “I beg to differ. You even admitted to feeling me up at the charity event.”

  “Come on, don’t be silly. I mean what you feel like inside.”

  I’m left speechless. Jake is a man with zero morals and no empathy. Heck, it’s a reach to even refer to him as a man, I’m starting to think he might be an actual demon.

  “Alright. Here’s the deal, I’ll give you the flashdrive under three conditions”, he says pointing up three of his fingers. “No backsies, I’ll stay true to my word. Scout’s honor.”

  “Three? Three conditions?”

  “Take it or leave it, sis.”

  “What are they?”

  Jake licks his lips before cracking another devilish smile. “Number one, Miranda can’t find out you got it from me. Miranda can’t find out at all. That’s the most important thing, hence it being number one. Now, number two, I get to see you naked. Simple. And number three, you tell me exactly why you want the flashdrive in the first place.”

  The Miranda thing goes without saying. She won’t know until she’s got handcuffs around her wrists, being escorted inside a police car. Getting naked is… I’m not going to like it but it’s better than letting him fuck me. Now, the third condition is going to be difficult. I can’t tell him the truth but I have to tell him something.

  “Before Declan and I broke up, he told me about what two had done to him. How you stole his money and designs, and I… I need his designs so I can sell them myself. The bakery hasn’t been doing well and I’m hemorrhaging money. I figure if I can just sell off one of his blueprints, I can save my bakery.”

  “Wow”, Jake exclaims, unimpressed. “Sis, if that’s the truth then… You are really dumb. You’re a Dennings. Sort of. You’re rich. Just ask Amelia or Dad for money and they’ll give you as much as you need.”

  “I want to save my bakery by myself”, I explain.

  “Very noble of you. Stupid but noble. I don’t even know why you care about that little shop so much. You could be doing something more useful. Be a doctor or a… personal assistant to a very rich, very powerful, and very horny businessman. As a matter of fact, I could--”

  I look at him sternly. “Baking is my calling, Jake. Just like being an insufferable douche is yours.”

  He shrugs off the insult and then looks me up and down. “Look, I’ll help you out but--”

  “NO”, I shout, “You said you’d stay true to your word. No more changes.”

  “Relax, will you? I’m gonna help you out. I’ll even find someone for you to sell the designs to. Let’s face it, even with the designs you probably won’t be able to do anything with them. You need to have connections. And I do.”

  “So…. no changes in the conditions”, I ask.

  “Nope, I still want to see you naked”, he says happily.

  Frustrated with this game he’s been playing, I remove my hoodie and slide my fingers into the waistband of my pants to push them down.

  “WHOA, hold your horses, Callie. Not that I don’t want to see what you’ve got going on, but save it.”

  “Save it? Save it for what?”

  “Tonight. I’ve got somewhere to be in a bit.”

  “You can’t cancel or postpone those plans. I’m sure this is more important than whatever you have planned.”

  “We’re gonna have to do something about that attitude. Look, Callie, first of all, don’t presume to know anything about my life. I’m a very important person. Secondly, I’m helping you out so watch that pretty empty mouth of yours. Here’s the deal, I’ll text you when I’m free and the address to my place. We’ll meet there and I’ll help you find someone to sell Declan’s designs to.”

  “Your place? Isn’t this y
our place?”

  “No. This is my room in my dad’s place. I have my own house, by the beach.”

  The rich brat is making my blood boil more and more by the second. I should pepper spray him now and force him to hand over the flashdrive.

  “What do you say, we have a deal?”

  He extends his hand out to finalize our verbal agreement. I think carefully about my next move as I put my hoodie back on.

  “Fine.”

  We shake hands and part ways, but not before having to be victim to more unwanted touching. He pulls me in and holds my ass before giving me a kiss on the forehead. I try to keep my cool so as to not ruin the deal we just made and bid him farewell.

  We have truly failed as a society by allowing men to think they’re entitled to women’s time and bodies. The fact that Jake thinks he can manhandle me all he wants without consequence is bullshit. As I walk away from Jake’s bedroom, I look down and see that I had reached for the pepper spray in my purse without even thinking. It would have been the perfect chance to make him my bitch. It’ll have to wait for later tonight.

  The plan hasn’t changed much, but I am finding that I have a few more obstacles to face. I have to find a way to incapacitate him while he looks for a buyer. I’m going to have to go back to Sheila’s for advice on that. Once I have him down, not only will I not have to get naked in front of him, but I’ll be out of his grasp before he can even realize it. When he wakes up, he’ll just have his regret to keep him company. That and maybe a cell mate.

  I try Declan’s phone on more time in hopes that I can tell him about my plans for the night but no luck. He still has me blocked.

  At least, I know there’s one person who’ll answer my calls.

  “Sheila, is there any way you could head down to the bakery? I’m going to need your help with something.”

  Chapter 13 - Declan

  By pure miracle, I was able to get a meeting with my previous contractors. The miracle was an intern’s cluelessness as to who I was. He was able to transfer me to the CEO of the company I used to work for, Mr. Miyamoto. Though he seemed dismissive at first, I was able to tell him about some new designs I had spent all of the day working on.

  “Mr. Grew, I think you’ll understand why I’m unable to accept any work that came from your hands.”

  Hearing those words almost had me spiraling towards a depression, but I asked the CEO to at least look at the designs. It took some persuasion but I was able to convince him to give me his email address. Once he saw what I had been working on, he put me on hold for half an hour. At that point I felt as though I was just being hung out to dry, but just as I was going to hang up and call again, the CEO chimes back in asking me if I was available to Skype chat with my lawyer present sometime this week.

  “My lawyer”, I asked.

  “The nature of your expulsion from our company calls for changes to the terms of your employment, should we choose to bring you back on board. We believe you should have a lawyer present to help negotiate reasonable conditions for your return. Forgive my brashness, but to put it frankly, we don’t want to get screwed again just as much as you don’t want to get screwed.”

  “Sounds fair to me. How’s Sunday sound?”

  “You’ll be notified by email on when our schedule is open. Thank you for contacting us again, Mr. Grew, we look forward to seeing you once more.”

  With that, I’m back in. I can say goodbye to sleeping in and going days without seeing the sun. All it took was one phone call and some rushed blueprints. I should call--

  I don’t have anybody to call. My list of friends was depleted to zero after I decided to shut myself out from the world, and Callie chose to betray me just like her stepsister. I don’t have anybody to celebrate with. One warning my father gave me before passing away was about the dangers of being rich and alone. Limitless funds can drive someone off the deep end if they don’t have someone to tell them when they’re being too irrational and irresponsible with their money. I need someone like that in my life. Maybe not even a significant other, just a friend.

  A friend who won’t screw me over or abandon me once I’ve lost my money or status, should that happen again.

  Beating myself up isn’t going to help. I should be celebrating. I’ll go down to a nearby bar and find a stranger to drink with me to commemorate my return to the limelight. It may not be the best way to make friends, but people don’t usually say no to free drinks.

  I take a quick shower to rinse off the horrible stench I’ve been sitting in for the past few days, locked inside my room only leaving to get a quick bite of something or to use the restroom.

  As the hot water rained down on me, I found myself unable to smile. I have what I wanted and I still can’t even bring myself to enjoy the good news. I don’t want to believe it, but it’s… Callie. The pain is too recent for me to just to forget about her, no matter how many hours I spend away from the world. Away from her. She’s been on my mind since we met.

  Thinking back to the last time she was here, I’m starting to regret kicking her out. Maybe she was telling the truth. Of course, Callie was hiding the truth from me about something very important but maybe she did come back to set things straight. The fact that I forcibly pushed her out of my apartment certainly isn’t going to help me if I decide to call her up and apologize.

  No, no, no. What am I thinking? I’m done with her. Her number is blocked and I promised that I wouldn’t let her or anyone in her family back into my life. That is the only way I will be able to move forward.

  But I do feel a longing to talk to her. Maybe just for closure.

  Perhaps if I hear her out, I’ll be able to decide whether or not there’s any relationship to salvage. If there isn’t, I’ll get on with my life and I won’t have to worry about her any longer. She might even confess to being after my money like her sister and make it all the easier to rid her from my life.

  I’ll head down to the bar and get some surely sage advice from whatever drunk ends up sitting next to me.

  I get dressed, looking like an extra in a Western, sporting a red flannel, a brown sherpa jacket, and some brown pants. I figure I shouldn’t get all dressed up to drink with drunks. On the way out of my apartment building, I see a woman looking as though she’s lost her keys. A bit too old for me to invite her to join me. When she sees me, she waves me over to help her get in.

  I agree and let her in.

  “Thank you so much, I’ve been out here for almost an hour waiting for someone to walk in or out. I don’t know if you’re too familiar with your neighbors but do you know a Declan Grew, by any chance? Could you direct me his way?”

  She holds her hands together as if she was physically begging me to give her the information but I’m a bit cautious to letting female strangers into my business as of late.

  “May I ask what your business is with him?”

  “I just need to talk some sense into him. He’s been ignoring my daughter, thinking she’s some sort of evil mastermind after his money when--”

  “You’re Callie’s mother?!”

  “So you’re Declan, huh?”

  Damn it. She’s good.

  “Look, ma’am, I appreciate your concern but it really isn’t any of your business.”

  “Listen to me, Declan. You seem like a nice guy, you’ve been hurt before, I totally get it but if you won’t listen to my daughter, at least listen to me. Callie is not trying to hurt you. She’s a good girl. Now, I don’t know the details of what went on between you two but I know you think she’s working my bitch of a stepdaughter to rob you but that’s not the case. Callie hates Miranda. Hell, I hate Miranda. She’s the worst. But please, give Callie a chance to explain herself.”

  I run my fingers down my face, unsure of how disrespectful I should be to Callie’s mom.

  “Callie had weeks to explain herself, Mrs. Dennings, and she didn’t. If what you say is true and she isn’t working with Miranda to screw me over, great. But the fact of the m
atter is that she kept her relation to Miranda a secret from me. That’s a huge deal breaker”, I put it bluntly.

  Starting off with a groan, Mrs. Dennings steps in front of me. “Well, could you really blame her for lying? If Miranda was my sister, I definitely wouldn’t want anyone to think I’m related to her. She may be hot but that’s all she’s got going for her.”

  “I understand what you’re saying, but I’ve made my choice. If Callie wants to talk about it, she can come see me.”

  “Last time she tried that, you kicked her out. She’s been trying to get a hold of you”, Mrs. Dennings explains.

  I finally snap. “Well, forgive me for trying to protect myself, ma’am! I thought I could get over her by blocking her and trying to focus on other things, but it’s really hard! I liked her. I liked her so much that I pictured having a life with her, but she… She’s a liar. She’s a liar with a demon for a sister. I’ll admit, I shouldn’t have pushed her out of my apartment, but I had to find out from a goddamn news site that she was related to Miranda. Where was I supposed to draw the line?”