by Marina Blue
I looked away.
But he grabbed my chin, and pulled my face up to his. Then he brushed a hair from my face. “Don’t worry about a thing, Talia. I won’t let anything bad happen to you. I promise.”
For a moment, I believed him. But I had to know, “How?”
“I work for the guy. I have total access to his computer system. I can sneak in, and erase whatever I want.”
“But what if you get caught?” I said. “I can’t-”
“I already told you, I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you. Ever. I promise. Besides, I can take care of myself. I’m a big boy.”
I cupped Mark’s cock through his jeans. “You are.”
He smiled. “Now, I do have to get going. I’m going to call Jamie when I get home, and have him find the video files I need first thing tomorrow.”
“Why not just have him erase them?”
“The new software allows Jamie to read files, but he can’t do more than that. I’ll have to do it myself.”
“Wait.” I had an idea. “How about instead of charging in, we do this smart? I’ll set up a lunch with Randy, and then you can erase the files when he’s out of the office?”
“That’s probably a better plan,” Mark said.
“Yeah, but let’s be even smarter. All three of us should meet in Jamie’s office before we do anything, to coordinate. Tell him nine AM sharp, got it?”
“Got it. I was just going to kick in his door and throw his computer out the window.”
I shook my head. “You guys really are a bunch of warriors.”
Mark let out a big sigh. “You know, he mentioned you two fooled around.”
“I’m not surprised. You guys share everything.”
“Funny you should say that. We actually don’t. Each of us is crazy possessive. But for you, we’d make an exception. We’re that gooey for you.”
“Three at once?” I said, and thought about what was now my new fantasy. “I didn’t know Spartans did that.”
Mark’s eyebrow jumped up. “I know Conquistadors do.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah, but the other guys feel the same way. We’d do anything for you.”
“Even Liam?” I said.
“Especially Liam.”
“Why’s that?”
“Ask him the next time you see him. In the meantime, this Conquistador is off. I’ll see you tomorrow, and we’ll fix everything.”
Then he kissed me. And left.
I should’ve been in a great mood. I’d just been laid properly by an expert. But the idea that Randy had a copy of the tape soured everything. I’d put up a brave face for Mark, but I was shaken to the core. At least now I knew what he had on me.
But how did he get it?
Jamie was certain it wasn’t copied, so what happened? How could he be so wrong?
I shook the bad thought away. Despite Jamie’s mistake, I still had some faith left in him. If he could find where that video was located, Mark would be able to scrub it from the hard drive while I kept Randy busy. I’d touch base with both men in the morning.
So I was slightly relieved when I went to bed.
And while I should’ve been more worried, all I could think about was three at once.
The idea had merit…
Chapter 9
Thursday morning was absolutely wonderful. The sky was blue, the clouds were fluffier than a baked Pavlova, and the air was even sweet. But with the grim specter of what Mark had told me the prior night hanging over me, I didn’t feel so hot. I needed a pick-me-up. So I parked in the lot below the building, and walked towards the small coffee shop around the corner I liked, to buy a scone and a latte. I took them both back to work. I was eager to get there, and meet up with Jamie and Mark to finalize our strategy.
I got the front door, and walked in. But I didn’t make it two steps across the lobby before I froze.
Mark was coming towards me. With two security guards on his flanks. They had both of his arms pulled behind his back.
“Excuse us, Ms. Breitling,” one of the guards said. “We’re escorting this scumbag out.”
I moved aside.
Usually Mark’s eyes were filled with a cocky, cocksure swagger, but all I could see was anger. And when he looked at me, there was some shame, too. He didn’t say a word as the two men marched him past me, and shoved him out the front door.
From behind me, a woman said, “Corporate espionage.”
I spun around. “Hiromi!”
“Yeah. Good morning, by the way. Though I don’t know how good you’re going to find this news. Your man there was caught, red-handed, inside Randy’s office, trying to hack his computer.”
My stomach dropped. “He was?”
“Yeah. I can’t believe it.”
“I know,” I said. “He was supposed to wait.”
“Yeah. Wait, what?”
I grabbed Hiromi’s arm, and dragged her to the elevators. I whispered, “He was doing it for me.”
Hiromi hissed, “He was doing what for you?”
“Quiet,” I said. “I’ll tell you everything on the way up.
I filled in Hiromi on the elevator, and when we arrived at my floor, we walked past Rose without a word. I closed the office door, then took a seat at my desk.
Hiromi was pacing back and forth. “You’ve got to be kidding me! Randy’s got a copy of your threesome, and tall, dark, and stormy there jumped the gun, trying to get it back for you?”
“Apparently. I have to call Jamie.” I grabbed my phone.
And Hiromi continued to ramble. “Damn, this is terrible. You realize that Mark’s never going to get a job in this industry again. Do you know how bad that looks on a resume? He’s going to be flipping burgers or delivering pizzas or something. I mean corporate espionage? Jesus. He could go to jail, and you can bet that Randy’s going to-”
Just then the door opened, and Randy, current CEO of my family’s company, was standing there with a huge grin on his face. “Good morning, Talia. Hiromi. What’s the glad news?”
I hung up the phone.
And Hiromi stopped pacing. She took a huge breath. I’d seen her do this exact thing before. She was about to start barking and growling so loud that they’d hear her three stories up.
So I jumped to my feet and said, “Thanks, Hiromi! That’s enough for today!”
My friend paused, and looked at me. Then she exhaled slowly, and nodded. “I’ll be outside. Waiting.” She walked past Randy and added, “Within earshot.” Then she stepped through the door, and closed it behind her.
Randy laughed. “That one’s feisty. I may have to make her a part of our deal.”
“What deal’s that?” I said.
“You know what deal. The one we discussed at lunch yesterday. The one about your future with the company.”
“Be more specific.”
Randy sauntered over to my desk. There was a very expensive pen set on it. He pulled out one of the writing implements from its sheath, and pointed it at me. “Ok. Let’s get down to brass tacks, Talia. I stole some money from the company. Your pop found out, and was going to remove me. You were going to be my replacement. Only now, I have proof that you fucked not one, but two, unknown men on the floor of his office. Now that’s a scandal. That’s a nightmare. And that’s what’s going to keep me in this job.”
“So you’re going to blackmail him? You’ll release that video, unless you stay in your current position?”
“No. Because while my current position is fine, I want a better one.” Randy slipped the pen he held back into its sheath. Then he pulled it out an inch, and shoved it back in. Then he did it one more time. “I want the whole kingdom. Or in this case, the princess. I want you. To service me, whenever I feel like it.”
The thought of servicing Randy in any way made me shudder. “Fuck no. My dad would never agree to that.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “I’m not blackmailing him, genius. I’m blackmailing you. Yo
u’re going to go to bat for me. Convince your dad that I should stay, and get another chance.”
“And how can I do that?”
“I don’t care. Tell him you’re not ready for the big chair. Tell him you like me. Respect me. Consider me your mentor. I think he’ll listen to you. Then, once that’s settled, come by my office and suck my cock.”
“Fuck you, pig,” I said.
“Oh, you will fuck me. And save my job. Because if you don’t, then at the board meeting tomorrow, I’ll show Derrick your video. Then he’ll acquiesce to my first demand. I won’t get you, but I’ll remain CEO, and getting half my demands are better than nothing.” Randy grinned again. Like a thug. “But then I’ll force him to resign.”
It was like he slapped me. I stammered, “He would never…”
Randy kept grinning. “He would. And he will.”
And I knew he was right. My father would do anything to avoid a scandal that involved his little girl, his father’s legacy, and the company he built. And even though he would do it, and save me the humiliation, I knew he wouldn’t look at me the same. I knew I shouldn’t care. It was my body, I could do what I wanted with it.
Still. He was my father. And I didn’t want to cause him pain if I could avoid it. And leaving this company to someone other than a Breitling, because of his daughter’s indiscretion, would cause him a tremendous amount of pain.
“I can see you’ve got a lot to think about. Let me know when you’ve come to a conclusion. But don’t wait too long. You have about twenty-four hours, by my watch.” He walked to the door. But stopped. And turned around. “You know, I told you I wouldn’t go down without a fight.” And then he left.
A few seconds passed before Hiromi was back inside. “What happened?”
I filled her in.
“That pig! Ugh, what a disgusting piece of shit!”
“Enough with the rage. Let’s get proactive, huh?” I grabbed my phone and dialed.
“Who are you calling?” Hiromi asked.
From the intercom came a, “Jamie Johnson here.”
“Hi Jamie, it’s Talia. I need to-”
“Mark told me what happened.” There was serious urgency in Jamie’s voice. “Let’s not speak again. We’ll meet at your house tonight. I’ll get the boys together. We’ll think of something.” Then he hung up.
“The boys,” Hiromi said. “All three in your house. At least if this all goes to hell, it sounds like your final and nastiest fantasy is about to come true.”
“Baby, I appreciate your attempt to lighten the atmosphere, but right now I’m not in the mood for jokes.”
Hiromi’s smile faded. “I understand. Listen, I’m sure this is going to work out. A trio of educated, badass, bad boys are taking care of you. And you have me. I promise, we’re going to handle this, without you having to fuck Randy. Or blow him. Asshole. Anyway, I’ll see you tonight.” Then she got up and left.
I stood up and walked to my window. From so high up, the city looked peaceful. Orderly. It was easy to remember that when you got too close it all went to hell. I hit the glass, and cursed my own stupidity. Everything I ever wanted was so close. How did I lose control of the situation? What would I have to do to get it back? How far would I have to go? I knew that no matter how this worked out, in order to save my name, my place in the company, and everything I held dear, I may have to do some truly horrible things.
Only one question ran through my mind.
How willing was I really?
Chapter 10
It was Thursday night. T-minus twelve hours before work started. T-minus twelve hours before I’d get my promotion, or Randy would be victorious. Which one, was up to me.
I had everyone gathered in my house. Hiromi was there, in her business attire. Mark was in his jeans and a white T-shirt that accentuated his thick, dark, tattooed arms. Jaime had on a blue suit, and no tie. And Liam was in a sweater and slacks.
“Ok, so we all know why we’re here. Randy’s got me bent over a barrel.”
Mark said, “Lucky guy.”
I stared daggers at him.
“Right. Sorry,” he said.
“It’s fine,” I said. “But if we could all holster our libidos, we need a plan.”
“Agreed,” Jamie said. “Especially now that Mark got himself fired.”
“Fuck you,” Mark said.
“No, fuck you,” Jamie said. “You should’ve waited for me to check his computer. Then I could’ve told you that there were no videos on it. You got canned for no reason.”
“He was supposed to be gone for an hour, you dick,” Mark said. “I was trying to be proactive.”
“No you weren’t. You were trying to be the hero, and win the game single handedly. You were always like this, even on the field,” Jamie said. “Honestly, how’d you ever get into MENSA?”
“Shut up, both of you,” I said. “This won’t help. We need ideas, not mindless aggression.”
Both men turned to me. There was anger in their eyes. But they calmed down.
“Ok, good,” I said. “Now, let’s go over what we know. Jamie?”
“Alright, Randy has a copy of the video that Sue took. I searched everywhere today, and I do mean everywhere. I hacked into every account he had, and followed every email he sent. As of now, there’s no sign of it anywhere. Which means, in my opinion, that-”
“It’s on his phone,” Liam said.
Jamie nodded. “Yeah. That’s where it is, if he’s being honest, and he has it.”
“He does,” Hiromi said. “He wouldn’t lie about this kid of leverage.”
“That’s right.” I nodded. “And I think I know how he got a copy. Remember Monday during our meeting? Well, after Sue had her whole phone wiped clean by that black cabinet of death, she mentioned she’d left her personal cell with Randy.”
“Ok then,” Hiromi said. “So then let’s just steal his phone.”
“It’s not that easy,” Mark said. “I wasn’t with him long, but… I mean, it’s a phone. He takes it everywhere with him.”
“He has to put it down sometime,” Hiromi said.
Mark looked down in the mouth. “No. He’s the CEO of a major real estate holdings company. He lives on that thing. If he could surgically graft it to himself, he would.”
“What if we mug him, like Jamie did to Sue?” Liam said.
“No good,” Jamie said. “He made a special request to security yesterday. So long as he’s on premises, he’s protected by two guards at all times.”
“Then we need to divert their attention in order to get to him?” Hiromi said.
“Again, that won’t work,” Jamie said. There are cameras all around the building so they’d find you immediately. And even if you did manage to trick his security, and steal his phone, you’d need to know the pass code to get in. It’s sort of hopeless. The only way we could stop him is if we have something equally damaging on him.”
I thought about what Jamie said. And realized, “That’s a good point. Maybe we don’t need to steal his phone.”
“What do you mean?” Liam said.
“What I mean is, he’s being fired for fraud,” I said, “and he basically admitted that he still has a ton of the outstanding funds my father was unable to find. If I can find where he hid them, I can threaten to send the proof to the Feds unless he gives me the video.”
“Yeah,” Hiromi said. “Your father’s averse to scandal, but you’re not. You can threaten him with exposure. Let the authorities see what he did.”
“Mutually assured destruction,” I said. “He shows what he has, and I show what I have. Will I be embarrassed? Sure. Fired? Maybe. But he’d go to jail.”
“It’s worth a shot,” Jamie said. “When I was digging in his computer I came across a file that was nearly impossible to open.”
“So?” Liam said. “That doesn’t mean it’s evidence of a crime.”
Jamie said, “I think it is. The security encryption was insane. Too powerful to be an ordi
nary document.”
“So maybe the video’s in there?” Mark said.
“No,” Jamie said. “The amount of memory the file takes up is too small. It’s a spreadsheet. I guarantee it.”
“But that could be any type of spreadsheet,” Hiromi said.
“I don’t think so. It was buried deep on his desktop. Plus, the file name was pretty suspect. He had it called ‘Detour.’ As in the rerouting of funds, I bet. Add all that to the CIA level security, and I think it’s a pretty safe bet the information you want is in there.”
I nodded. “Ok, but you said it was impossible to open.”
“I said nearly impossible,” Jamie said. “But as you know, I don’t take no for an answer, so yesterday I ordered a master key program for my system. It should do the trick, and it should be arriving early tomorrow morning on a thumb drive, which will give me plenty of time to crack it for you. But I’ll need a diversion. If Randy’s on his system while I’m in there, he’ll know what we’re up to.”
“Ok, so tomorrow morning, I call Randy down to my office, and discuss terms of surrender. Liam, you’ll stay in my waiting room, and let Jamie know when he arrives and when he leaves.”
“What should I do?” Hiromi said.
I thought about it. “Back up. Once Randy’s at my office, go upstairs and wait by his door. If he comes back before Jamie gives us the all clear then do something to stop him from getting back to his desk.”
“Like what?” Hiromi said.
I said, “Yell. Scream. Knee him in the balls.”
Hiromi smiled. “Got it.”
“But wait,” Mark said. “How will you lure Randy to your office? He’s a busy guy.”
I looked at Hiromi. “I’m sure I can make him an offer he won’t pass up.”
“Ok then,” Jamie said. “It’s a plan. We’ll all arrive at eight, and put it into motion. Hopefully, by nine, this should all be done, giving us an hour before Mr. Breitling arrives.”
“Good,” I said. “Otherwise, I’m toast.”
And with that, everyone got up.
But I stopped them. “And one more thing. Thanks to how Sue shot the video, Randy doesn’t know who’s in it with me. My guess is, if he finds out, he’ll have you all fired before we can do anything. So be fast tomorrow morning, and be stealthy. Don’t attract any attention.”