28. Paul

What the hell is happening? Have I lost it? That's got to be it. I splashed more water on my face and stared at my image in the mirror. This isn't exactly where I saw my life going when I started my affair. I didn't expect my ex-wife to become so entrenched in my professional life, and what the fuck did he mean his wife? The ink wasn't even dry on our divorce.

That bitch must've been cheating on me behind my back. No, wait, everyone knows Marcus the IV hadn't been back in the country until roughly the week of that ill-fated party. So how did the two of them meet and become so close in that amount of time?

Where did they meet? There've been whispers that he'd been spotted at the party for a short time and those who thought they'd seen him weren't too sure that it was him because the person had left not long after being seen and they didn't really get a good look at him.

If he was at the party, then he'd have to know that I was seeing his sister. So why did he go after my ex? I kicked the trash can and punched the wall, which only hurt my hand but did nothing for the growing pain in my gut.

No wonder she has such expensive shysters representing her. How had she done it? How had she made her way into his bed? That slut! Bitch! She's been playing me all along. How dare she? I can't let this stay like this. No one is going to make a fool of me and get away with it.

I'll make her pay, one way or another. The only thing is that I'd already given her what she wanted because I thought as long as she was saddled with my kids, she wouldn't have time to run around finding another man. I figured once things had calmed down and she was no longer mad about the divorce, she and I could work out some kind of friends-with-benefits situation.

I know plenty of married men who have a sweet setup like that. They trade the old frumpy wife in for a newer model, and every once in a while, just to show who's in control, they either bribe or scare the ex into going to bed with them. Justine has always been a good lay. In fact, she's way better than Melanie, but she doesn't have Melanie's money and connections.

There's another way, though. She'd kinda screwed me with the custody thing, but Mom still has rights to those kids. This state has grandparents' rights. Yeah, that's what I'll do. I left the bathroom with a smile and feeling much better.

* * *

MELANIE

* * *

He's married?Marcus is married? And to her? He's never even given me the time of day. I've been his little sister for fifteen years, and he never once acknowledged me; how could he marry her?

Not only that but he gave her my job, my title. I was going to be the COO once Grandpa retired, which he should've done long ago since he's already eighty years old. Dad was going to be the CEO, and I was going to be his right-hand man.

But now I know why Grandpa didn't retire when he was supposed to. He's been waiting for Marcus to return and take over. But even so, shouldn't I, as his sister, get that position? How could he give it to her, a stranger?

She knows nothing about the business. She's a fucking housewife who couldn't even keep her husband. How is she supposed to run a Fortune five-hundred company? She didn't even go to school for business; I did.

No, I can't let this happen. I've got to find Mom. If she were here, none of this would be happening. Dad wouldn't have lost his job because she never would've let it stand, and I wouldn't be here bawling my eyes out. She'd promised me that this would be mine after Dad died.

It"s the reason she'd set her sights on Dad in the first place. She knew that I would either grow up to marry his son or become his daughter; either way, I would have a foothold in the company. Her first plan never worked out because Marcus had disappeared right after the wedding. That was the night his Mom died.

No one had seen or heard from him since, and everyone was under the impression that his grandparents had cut him off and disowned him, even though it was never official. So it had all been a lie. All these years, while they pretended indifference, they were still in contact with him.

No wonder they took so many trips to out-of-the-way places. We never paid close attention because we didn't care. With them out of the way, we were free to do as we pleased. But while we were happy living with scraps, they had already planned to give the whole company to Marcus.

I tried calling Mom again, and for the hundredth time, it went to voicemail. Where the hell is she? Why did she have to choose now to go away to that stupid place that didn't allow phone calls?

* * *

MARCUS

* * *

"I hate havingto wait to fuck you."

"Who asked you to?"

"What? I see the way you walk after."

"But I like it; it's a sweet kind of pain."

"Tell me more."

I listened to her explain how turned on she gets from the pain of taking my cock. And how every time I make her wait days in between lovemaking, she aches.

"I didn't know that. I thought I was looking out for you. I'll tell you what; why don't you tell me when it"s too much."

"That'll work." She got this smug look on her face, which pretty much said it would never happen, and I could live with that.

"I know I sprung this on you, the COO thing, but I know you can do it, and there's no one else I'd rather run this company with.

"I like it; it's growing on me. But there's one thing."

"What's that?"

"I don't need to wait a whole week to tell them about the new policies; I have them all worked out already."

"Then call a meeting and tell them that."

"Really? I don't have to run it by you first?"

"No, I trust you. I think you'll know when you need me and when you don't."

We were sitting on the couch in her office halfway decent, with her on my lap. It has been an eventful morning, to say the least. After dropping that bomb in the conference room earlier, we've been hiding out in here all day, having our own little celebration. I'd taken one call from Gramps because it was half-expected.

My sperm donor was complaining because, apparently, he was under the impression that he was getting his job back, but instead, I'd given it to my wife. Now, he wants to meet and talk, but it's not time. As I'd told Gramps, I'll decide when and if I want to talk to him.

Right now, I'm waiting to see what moves her ex and Melanie are gonna make, if any. I wonder if they realize I'm playing a game of cat and mouse with them while giving her back the power they so selfishly tried to take from her.

I would've left Melanie alone since I had no beef with her. She was a child when our parents did what they did to my mother, and even though we would've never been close or had any kind of relationship, sibling or otherwise, she wasn't in the line of fire.

But knowing that she's no better than her mother, just another homewrecker, I lost any sympathy I would've had for her. The fact that my wife is the woman she did that shit to makes it even worse for her.

I can bury both of them right now with what I know, but it's not time for that yet either because I don't want to be the one to do it; I want Justine to. She can have those two while I deal with the sperm donor and his side piece.

* * *

JUSTINE

* * *

‘Bitch,you might as well take your ass home because you ain't getting no work done no way. Look at you laid out like a tarantula.'

Not now, Justice, I'm thinking.

‘What you thinking bout?'

How to word this new ethics policy. I don't want Paul and Melanie to think I'm coming at them.

‘Girl, please, you got time to worry about them two? Fuck their shit up. You better than me because I'd a made flyers and posted them all over the building. I'd a tell everybody she got rot crotch syndrome and see how she could prance around like she's hot shit. You know she was gunning for your man, don't you?'

Who?

‘Girl, didn't you see the way she was eating him with her eyes? That bitch is cock hungry. Or she got some weird fascination with the dicks you ride. All I know is she better not try it with her grasshopper-looking ass.'

How does a person look like a grasshopper?

‘Them long skinny arms and legs and that big ass head with her hair looking like fresh matted hell.'

Sorry, I asked.

Since Marcus had given me the go ahead, I sent out an email to all the department heads to meet me in the conference room after lunch. I felt sick to my stomach after and was almost in a panic. What if no one showed?

I got through lunch, which we had in my office with the girls, which was nice, and I was tempted to keep them with me, but that wouldn't do because, unlike when I was his assistant, I actually had work to do.

This was working out splendidly though, because Monique was not at my old desk doing nothing, so she was free to run down and see them whenever she liked. I think those poor people must be tired of her already.

She'd browbeat Marcus into giving her my old job since, as she put it, she no longer had to follow his pale ass through the desert on a horse with no name, and the least he could do was let her put her feet up and relax after the last five years in hell.

He"d planned on letting her remain as his personal assistant for personal things, but she said she'd rather watch paint dry. Now she's doing both and making poor Carl's life hell because his hidey hole is right next to Marcus' office, and she swears he"s spying on her. He is the new head of security and has access to all areas of the building, so who knows?

When it was time for the meeting, my palms were sweaty as hell. I tried to bribe Marcus to come with me, but he took the pussy and flaked the bastard. He laughed his ass off when I cussed him out. "I don't know why you're so worried. Did you forget who you are?"

"I don't think any of those people are stupid enough not to run when you call. Not only are you my wife, but you're the COO of this company, second only to me. If anyone even thinks about disrespecting you, then we'll just have to show them who runs this shit."

‘Look, daddy, you already bred a bitch, cut that shit out. The big dick energy is fierce with this one.'

Cut it out, Justice, and no smart remarks while I'm in there.

‘Girl, please. You know the only people you going to put the smackdown on are your idiot ex and that electrocuted hyena he fucking. Quiet as it's kept, where the hell did he find her? It's gotta be the money. But does she have money? Or did he play the long game and lose?'

You know, Justice, I didn't think of that. What the hell? You think?

‘I'm just saying, what other reason could he have for doing this mess?'

That was food for thought, but I didn't have long to dwell because I had to get to my meeting.

I was pleased to see that everyone was already there but held my breath, waiting for the bullshit to start once they realized that Marcus wasn't attending the meeting. Nothing happened to me. I relaxed even though I felt very anxious with those two in the room staring daggers at me. They probably thought I was coming after their jobs.

"Right, so, the first order of business. We will be starting a new initiative in the coming months where the work week will no longer be Monday to Friday but Monday to Thursday. Your pay will not change, and neither will your hours. We will try this for a period of three months, and if it works, we will continue."

There were a lot of surprised looks, and I saw more people start to relax; some of them even smiled. "We're also looking at implementing a hybrid system where some of you may work from home part of the time and come into the office at least once a week."

"Department heads, you will give me a list of where this is applicable. I know everyone can't work from home, but we'll do our best to give those who can the option. Now, the daycare, I know some of you are on the waiting list. Mr. Devereaux and I are considering expanding the daycare and hiring more staff."

That also got more smiles, and now, instead of tension, there was an air of excitement in the room. "We're also going to open a website where you can make complaints anonymously and make suggestions for a better working environment. Does anyone have any questions?"

They shook their heads no. "One more thing: there will be a new revision to the ethics policy. This policy is non-retroactive, but going forward, anyone who had any run-ins with the law, anyone caught having an affair, will be terminated immediately."

Melanie jumped up before I could finish speaking. "I knew it; I knew this is why you came here."

"I guess you don't know what non-retroactive means. It means that this rule will go into effect in the future and does not have any bearing on anything that happened in the past. Now sit…down"

"You can't order me around. I'm a Devereaux."

"No, you are not. My husband is the only Devereaux grandchild. You were not born a Devereaux, and you will never be a Devereaux, while I, on the other hand, am married to a Devereaux. So you can sit down and be quiet, or you can go clear out your desk and get off the property immediately."

‘That's my bitch right there.'

I waited for her to sit down again before carrying on. "As I was saying, any immoral acts that come to the company's attention, anything that will reflect poorly on the company, will be cause for immediate termination."

"There will also be mandatory drug testing every three months. Does anyone have any questions?" They shook their heads and looked a little more impressed. "Now, you're dismissed." I looked at Melanie, but she couldn't hold eye contact for long. Bitch you scared? I just got started.