Choices

by Mia Malone

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. She’s been talking vaguely about her new man and hinted a few months ago that she was about to get promoted. There have been a few other things too.”

  Crap. I had hoped that I would be wrong.

  “Thirty-six?”

  “Yes,” she said and looked as if she smelled something foul. “George is sixty-two.”

  “Pretty gross if you ask me.”

  “Pretty gross if you ask anyone,” she retorted.

  We looked at each other in silence, and then I turned to look at Matthias, who was laughing at something with his father.

  “Matty is going to blow a gasket,” I said.

  Matthias turned as if he’d heard me, our eyes met, and ten seconds later, he was on the deck, listening to our suspicions.

  And yes, indeed.

  He blew a gasket.

  Chapter Fifteen

  MC Hammer

  Nina

  I’d seen Matthias annoyed.

  Upset.

  Pissed off.

  Tired, frustrated, and grumpy.

  I thought I had him figured out, but whoo-boy was I wrong.

  When Matthias was angry for real, the air around him seemed to vibrate with fury. His voice was emotionless, and he was eerily quiet as he listened to what we had to share, but his whole body was tense. When he stopped firing questions at us and pointed silently at the patio-door, both Peggy and I interpreted this as a request for us to move inside.

  “Matty,” I murmured. “The amounts aren’t huge. We can keep this under the radar, so it doesn’t have to become common knowledge. The situation is fixable, so –”

  “Fixable?” he asked silkily, and I closed my mouth.

  “Matthias,” Jacob said warningly. “Calm down.”

  “Fixable?” Matthias roared, ignoring his father as he threw his arms out impatiently and growled, “Nina, for fuck’s sake.”

  “It is,” I said in what I hoped was a placating voice.

  “I do not give a shit about the amounts,” he barked and put an annoying finger in my face. “I do not care about anything else that happened, and also do not care in the least if every man and his dog know about a horny old fool,” he cut himself off and glanced at Mom, “Sorry, Josie.” Before she could share that this likely wasn’t the worst crudeness she’d heard in her life, he turned back to me. “But you could have died, and that is something I do care about.”

  Oh.

  That was cute but a little over the top.

  “I suspect very few actually die from slipping on stairs,” I mumbled, and heard Luke snort out a short chuckle.

  “This is not a goddamned joke,” Matthias growled. “Your head is admittedly hard, but those stairs are made of concrete, so you were incredibly lucky, and you could have died.”

  “But I didn’t,” I whispered. “Please calm down, Matty.”

  He made a visible effort to do just that and put a hand on my cheek. I leaned into it as he caressed me with his thumb.

  “I’m okay,” I murmured.

  “Yeah.”

  “Some bruises and my wrist hurts,” I added.

  “I know.”

  “It’ll pass.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I didn’t puke on anyone.”

  “Ok –” he cut himself off and scowled, but I saw the flash of humor in his eyes before he pushed it back. “Nina,” he said sternly.

  “Matthias,” I retorted, and raised a brow.

  After a few tense seconds, he sighed and pulled a hand through his hair.

  “What am I going to do with you?” he asked.

  “You could make me a latte, and then we should perhaps sit down and decide what the next steps are?”

  “Rhetorical fucking question,” he muttered but moved toward the kitchen with a quick glance at Len, who followed him immediately.

  They were talking quietly while Matthias foamed soymilk and made a double espresso, and I sat down next to Peggy.

  “Yikes,” I whispered and grinned at her.

  “Yeah,” she replied with a smile. “I don't think I'll point out that I found it slightly offensive that my CEO doesn't care about the five stitches I have in my arm.”

  I tried to stop laughter from bubbling up my throat because Matthias had indeed said that, and it had been in the heat of the moment, but it was still kind of funny.

  “I like him,” Dad declared. “Thought he was a bit of a wuss. Mediocre painter. But this Matthias who is angry on your behalf?” he asked, and answered his own question, “Him I like a lot.”

  He thought Matthias was a bit of a what? I wondered, not for the first time, what universe my father actually lived in.

  “Thanks,” Matthias said calmly and handed me my coffee.

  Then he informed us that he and Jacob would have a meeting with George immediately the next morning, to hear what he had to say. This was the right way forward, so I nodded slowly.

  “I can summarize it all in an email,” Peggy said. “It’ll be one section with what we know, and another with unconfirmed suspicions.” She made a face, and added, “Some of it is gossip and hunches, and George should have a chance to comment on them.”

  “Of course,” Jacob said. “We will just have an informal meeting to discuss some irregularities and process non-compliance.”

  He sounded businesslike suddenly, and it hit me that I knew the retired version of Jacob. Still, he’d been the CEO of a huge company which he’d built up from nothing, so he would know how to handle the situation just as well as Matthias did.

  “Thanks, Peggy,” I said. “If you need something from me, then send me a text, okay?”

  “You should take your Montana-sized bruise and go to bed,” she said calmly. “I have what I need.”

  “Thanks,” I repeated, feeling mostly relieved that there wasn’t anything for me to do right then. “I think I will do just that.”

  When I was in bed on my good side and curled up against Matthias, I finally relaxed and slid my hand over his chest.

  “How do you feel?” he murmured.

  “Okay,” I said. “Hurts a little, but not too bad.” I moved my hand over his chest and liked how the hair tickled my palm, so I continued down his stomach to place it over his crotch. “Sadly enough, it hurts too much to...”

  “Nina,” he said calmly. “There are parents everywhere, so we wouldn’t anyway.”

  This was true.

  When I bought the house, it had seemed perfect for the girls and me. Now Matthias and Pippin were living with me, and our respective parents were likely to visit more often than not, so I wondered if it might be possible to convert the attic into living space like some of the neighbors had done. Then I could use Meghan’s room to increase the bathroom size because we really needed more space there, and the décor was more than a little outdated. While I tried to figure out where to put stairs to get up to the attic, I drifted off to sleep.

  The next morning, Matthias and I had an argument about his view, which was that I should stay in bed to recuperate, and my view which was that I would go to the office. It was loud and somewhat heated, but also short, and when we walked thought the reception together, I glanced at the door to the stairs.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Matthias rumbled. “You’re here, be satisfied with that.”

  The doors to the elevator closed, and since we were the only ones in it, I got up on my toes and put my mouth by his ear.

  “Our parents are leaving today, so I think you should make sure I’m even more satisfied tonight.”

  Right on cue, the doors opened on my floor, and I walked out.

  Or yeah.

  I sashayed, which felt incredibly good, and I had a small but possibly quite smirky smile on my face when I walked into the finance department.

  The day passed slowly while we waited for news about their conversation with George, but then Matthias called and asked Peg and me to come to his office. Len was already there, and it turned out
that our suspicions had been right.

  George had admitted to stealing money from the company but had apparently claimed he hadn't been involved in the accidents, and Matthias shared with a look of disgust on his face that the man had cried. Jacob sighed and said that he couldn’t picture George on a ladder, unscrewing screws, or skulking around on the stairs, pouring oil there in the far-fetched hope that I’d slip on it.

  “We said that we’d found some purchases that we had questions about, and he started talking immediately,” Jacob said with another sigh. “Blamed it all on the woman, said she’d come up with the idea, done all the transactions, and he’d just signed some papers.”

  “What a wuss,” Peggy snarled.

  “Yeah,” Len said with emphasis.

  “Have you talked to Sharon?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Matthias said. “She said she didn't know what we were talking about. Claimed that there must be some misunderstanding and that she followed the process we had in place.” He scowled and added, “She said that surely there couldn't be anything wrong since I had signed several of the purchases myself.”

  He looked like a thundercloud, and he should because Sharon had a very uncomfortable point.

  “So, here's the thing,” I said slowly. “We might be able to prove that they pilfered, but she's right, unfortunately. Most of the paperwork was signed by one of the VP's together with George. And the incidents...” I winced when Matthias looked like he was ready to belt out something which likely would be unpleasant. “I talked to Luke, and he says it'll be incredibly hard to pin it on them. You could try, but it'll take a lot of time and would involve the whole finance department.”

  “Shit,” Peggy muttered, and I glanced at her.

  “Exactly,” I said. “My view?” I didn’t wait for them to confirm that they wanted my view, and went on, “I think you should handle this the usual way. No police involvement and their immediate dismissal.”

  “The fuck we –”

  “Matthias,” I said sharply. “I get that you're angry. I'm not exactly happy either, but you have to calm down and think about the consequences. If you decide to push for answers, it'll upset your whole central finance department. The news will spread into other departments, and even into your companies in the world. There will be negative press, and your customers will wonder what internal control you have.”

  “Fuck,” he grunted sourly.

  “It sucks,” Len cut in. “But I agree with Nina. We should let them go and focus on sorting out our shit, so this doesn't happen again.”

  When Jacob also agreed, Matthias got up and stared out the windows for a long time, but when he turned, our eyes met, and I knew that he'd agree too.

  “Hate it, but yeah. I will be the one dismissing them, though,” he said, and his voice had hardened in a way that made me quite happy I wasn't on the receiving end of what he would dish out to the two fools.

  “What the hell were they trying to achieve with the accidents?” I asked, hoping that I wouldn’t set Matthias off on another angry rant.

  “I think I know,” Peggy said. “I checked this morning and the files on the suppliers has been updated. They look more legitimate now, so I think they were trying to buy time.”

  “Risky,” I murmured.

  “Not really,” Matthias said sourly. “Loosening a few screws, pouring some oil. They got lucky to get the outcome they wanted.”

  “Or unlucky,” I said. “If they hadn’t caused the accidents, we might have had that meeting and concluded that it was nothing.”

  “Yeah,” Matthias said. “Stupid, either way.”

  “Let it go,” Jacob rumbled. “We trusted George, and we shouldn’t have. Now we know, and we’ll put additional checks in place. Learned our lesson.”

  “Fuck, yes,” Matthias muttered. “I look forward to dismissing them.”

  “I’ll be there too,” Len said.

  “Yeah,” Matthias said. “We’ll take turns yelling at them.”

  If they yelled, I didn’t hear about it. In the following days, people were gossiping, but it died down quickly when a statement was sent out about George opting for early retirement with a curt thanks for his long service in the company. Someone shared that Sharon had moved back to Minnesota, where her elderly parents lived, and everyone seemed to think this was what she’d wanted to do for quite some time.

  Matthias and Jacob asked me to take George’s position, and I said no. I actually said no several times because, between the two of them, they were pushing quite hard. Finally, I told them to get a grip, promote Peggy, and I would stay another month in an advisory capacity while she settled in.

  ***

  I had a new and fabulous dress and pretty damned fantastic underwear, which performed the miracle of making my boobs perky again. They were mostly made of lace, had an awesome shade of blueish gray, and cost an absolute whack. I hadn’t spent that kind of amount on underwear since... well never, but I liked how they made me feel sexy, so I figured it was worth it.

  We were going to a party with Layla and Teddy, and I was looking forward to spending time with them. Layla had been busier than usual, and we hadn’t found time to hang out in the past couple of weeks, so it would be fun even though the anniversary dinner seemed like a rather formal affair.

  “When are we leaving?” Matthias asked from the door to the bathroom, and I turned slowly because I recognized that voice. He was in his dress pants and nothing else, and I felt my breath hitch slightly at the sight of him.

  “Lay and Teddy will be here in half an hour,” I said. “I’m ready, I just need to put the dress on.”

  “Then we have time,” he said and moved toward me.

  “Time for what?” I asked.

  “You know what,” he said, moved in behind me, and pushed me forward gently until I leaned over the sink.

  Yeah. I did know what, and a rush of heat went straight to my pussy.

  “Matty,” I murmured.

  “How are the ribs?” he asked.

  “Good.”

  “Let me do the work anyway.”

  He didn’t phrase that as a question, so I didn’t answer. His hands moved slowly over my hips and down my thighs, taking my panties with them. Then he moved one hand over my butt and in between my legs. A long finger slowly pushed inside, and our eyes met in the mirror. The look in his eyes cut through me like it always did, and I loved the way his gaze sharpened when he focused on making me feel good.

  “You’re gorgeous, Nina,” he murmured. He pulled out and added one more finger, and then his thumb was on my clit. “Let me make you come.”

  I was already wet and widened my legs to give him better access.

  “I want you inside,” I breathed out.

  “Not yet.”

  He moved his hand over me and inside me, slowly pushing in and out, hitting the right spots over and over until I started to rock my hips slightly. Then he unzipped his pants and pushed them down. When his hard cock thrust inside, I exhaled, and then he started moving, slowly bucking his hips.

  “Good?” he asked.

  “Harder,” I said. “Matty, please.”

  He put both his hands on my hips and held me as he increased the pace until we both were breathing heavily.

  “Use your hand, baby,” he grunted. “Want to watch you come when I do.”

  It took a few flicks with my fingers, and then I arched my back.

  “Matthias,” I moaned and felt an orgasm rush through me.

  “Eyes on me.”

  The lines on his face had deepened, and when I cried out, he groaned loudly but kept his eyes on mine as he pushed deep and let himself come too.

  We stayed there, leaning over the bathroom sink for a little while.

  Then I giggled.

  “What?” he murmured.

  “I was just wondering how I could feel so good when I’m staring at a tube of toothpaste.”

  He laughed and pulled out slowly.

  “Stay,” he said.
“I’ll clean you up.”

  No one had ever done that before, and it felt intimate, but also oddly natural like it was something we’d done a thousand times before.

  “Ten minutes,” he murmured when he was done. “I’ll stall them if you need more time.”

  I was done in fifteen, and since I usually wasn’t late, Layla gave me a smile, which shared that she knew precisely why I was late.

  “Sorry,” I said breezily and narrowed my eyes. “Do you have a new suit, Matty?”

  “Yeah,” he said and shrugged into the jacket. “You like?”

  I did. It was a black suit which he owned a gazillion of already, but it was slightly different from his usual office ones and showed off his lean body. The silver-gray shirt was new too, and it wasn’t tight, exactly, but it fit his slim torso perfectly.

  “You look good,” I said and adjusted his dark gray tie slightly.

  “You look better,” he said and leaned down to give me a quick kiss.

  “Now that we’ve established that you are both gorgeous,” Layla drawled, “perhaps we can leave? I am hungry.”

  I started laughing, and it felt as if I kept laughing through a dinner that was a lot less formal than I’d expected.

  That laughter stuck in my throat when we got up from the table, though. As I turned, I found Matthias’ ex-wife standing there, looking as if she’d only been given a slice of lemon to suck on for dinner. I turned to see if I could find Matthias, but he seemed to have disappeared, so I tried to smile in a way that was casual and not tense at all, even though the situation was intensely weird.

  “Layla White,” Jackie drawled. “You look fabulous, darling. Not at all like you did back in college.”

  “Thank you,” Layla said with a polite smile, but I saw the flash of hurt in her eyes.

  Jackie wasn’t done, unfortunately.

  “She’s Mrs. Theodore Winthorpe now, but you know what?” she asked the woman standing next to her with a look on her face which clearly shared that she did not want to know what. “We used to laugh at the secondhand clothes she wore. Our Layla has made quite a transformation.”