That shakes me to the core, jolting my big form. Because shit. I’ve been sloppy with Carrie. I’ve come in that sweet pussy dozens if not hundreds of time now, and she’s a fertile teen. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. She’s probably pregnant.
And suddenly realization jolts my frame.
“If she’s pregnant, then I’ve got to make it right.”
Brian raises an eyebrow.
“Of course. And if she’s not?”
I seethe in my seat. But there’s no solution.
“Then I’m fucked,” are my dead words. “Totally fucked.”
Brian rolls his eyes again. I swear, no one but my best buddy would get away with that move.
“You’re not fucked,” he says drily. “Far from it. You just need to make things right, whatever that is. Marry her. Date her. Pay her more money, I don’t know.”
And I’m fucking confused now. More money? How would that work? Wouldn’t that make things worse?
But Brian shakes his head once more.
“My man, you’re talking like this is a game of all or nothing. You win, or you lose. You win, or she loses. There’s always someone losing. Get what I mean? It’s not like that.”
What the hell is he talking about? If anything, I see it completely different. I’m losing all around, that’s what has me so pissed.
And like he can read my mind, Brian shakes his head again.
“No Mase,” he says slowly. “You’ve been agitated the last two weeks, acting like a snarling beast on steroids. Everyone’s been circling you carefully, afraid to poke the bear. But for what? Seriously for what?”
“To keep this company on its feet!” I practically scream in the cabin. “What else?”
Brian looks at me wryly, not even stirring from his seat.
“If you haven’t noticed, Channing Corp. is fine without you. We’ll be fine.”
I’m stunned.
“Are you shitting me?”
He shakes his head.
“My friend, I don’t know if you want to hear the truth, but here goes. You barely do any work anymore. You’re there, but not there. You’re leading meetings, but letting other people execute. And I’m not saying that’s bad. That’s good, that’s what CEOs do.”
“But at the same time, take it easy man. You’re acting like it’s either Channing Corp. or Carrie. One or the other, take your pick, zero sum, no holds barred. And that’s just not true. Lots of people have both. Look at me, I’ve been married for twenty years now, and it’s worked out.”
I snort. Brian just doesn’t get it.
“Naw, it’s different for me. I’m the face of this outfit. People expect me to represent the values of this place. Hell, my name is on the door. I can’t be fucking some teen for money. That’s never gonna fly.”
But Brian shrugs again.
“It’s already flown, my friend. It’s already flown, bye-bye birdie. All that shit was two weeks ago, and the PR department did a pretty good job containing the damage, if you ask me.”
I snarl.
“Yeah, but they’re not exactly gonna be happy if I start up again. Damage control starts with the source, that’s what I’ve always preached. And if I start fucking that girl again, then what the fuck? PR will have my head.”
Brian taps his fingers against the chair seat thoughtfully before answering slowly.
“First, who cares what PR thinks? They’re a bunch of idiots. Second, how can it be worse than it already is? Which wasn’t so bad, by the way. And third, why don’t you make it legit then? Make her your girlfriend for real. Didn’t you already, kind of?” he asks, squinting his eyes. “I thought you introduced her at a couple industry events.”
That’s true, but under totally different circumstances.
“Yeah, before. Before people figured out that we met on Sugar Babiez. And before they knew I was paying her.”
Brian shrugs again.
“So what? Make it legit now. It’s fine. You can have both, Mason. You don’t have to pick and choose, acting like there’s a hornet up your ass. Seriously my man. We’ve weathered worse than this. Remember the Great Recession? Remember when the Governor went to jail and we thought we were gonna be indicted as well? It’s gonna be fine, brother, just roll with it.”
I sit back in my seat, still fuming.
But Brian has a point.
Channing Corp. is a monster on its own now. There are countless functions that ran without my input. Like legal. Like sales. Like development. They don’t need me for a lot of stuff.
And then there was the idea of making Carrie legit. Was it that easy? Could I put a stop to all this gossip, force those fuckers to eat their words?
Because that was an option for sure.
Imagine it.
Carrie, living in my apartment every day.
There when I got home nights.
There when I woke up in the morning.
Moaning. Swallowing. Crying out my name.
But it was more than that.
Carrie, that sweet smile making my heart pound.
Her caring nature, the way she brought out the best in people.