The Perfect Holiday

“Do you think that she’d try to fuck with us?” I leaned forward as he gave me a worried look. “What do you know about her?”

“She caused some trouble in college. Nothing criminal, but she liked drama. I think that she still might, and Veronica is just twenty-three. We need to be smart about this, especially since she is sleeping around the office.” Dad would have never tolerated that and I was reminded of that by the way that my brother looked at me. He looked so much like Dad, which meant that I did as well. Brent just had his look down so well that it freaked me out sometimes.

I laughed when I came back from lunch and heard noises from the bathroom. Brent had been seduced, and I smiled at the sounds of Veronica’s contained moans as I took a seat at the desk. I met up with a friend at her apartment, getting mine there today after the serious talk this morning.

There was laughter and Veronica slipped out of the door first, fixing her dress. “Did you two kiss and make up?” I asked as she stared at me.

“He needs to stop being so serious,” she replied as my brother came out, buttoning his slacks.

“Don’t say a word,” he warned me as I held up a bag from a local deli. “You didn’t go to lunch?”

“I had an errand to run. I got this on the way back for all of us.”

“Thanks,” Brent said as he stepped forward to search the bag. He pulled out a sandwich for himself and a salad, offering it to Veronica. “Want it?”

“Absolutely. You sucked the life out of me.” Her delivery was clean as I laughed and he cocked an eyebrow at her.

“I think it was you that was doing the sucking.”

She took her salad to her desk after some joking back and forth, and he and I ate our sandwiches. “Who did you see?” Brent asked me as I grinned.

“Car,” I replied as he nodded. "I didn’t plan on it, but we ran into each other and took advantage of it. Kind of like you did.”

“She came in after you left when I was getting ready to. Before I knew it, we were naked in the bathroom, and she had me. Veronica knows what she’s doing.” He shook his head and sipped the water on the desk.

“She just wanted you to relax.” I shrugged and took another bite of the turkey sandwich. “This is fun, Brent. Nothing more.”

“I think Mom inadvertently made me feel guilty at lunch the other day. You know that she’s never approved of our lifestyle. At work, she’d do that even more.” I looked at him, taking a bite of his sandwich. “This is important to the family, our running this place.”

“I get that.” I stared at him. I always had, but this was a good balance for us, and we were successful at it. We were doing great.

“No more shit like Friday night. I told Veronica the same thing. Just us.” His eyes were firm as he looked at me, so much like Dad that sadness washed over me for a little while. “We can’t risk it.”

“Agreed. I have shit on the side, so I’m fine. You did too, last I checked,” I reminded Brent as he nodded. “Now were successful business owner man whores instead of some spoiled rich ones.”

That made my brother laugh, relaxing him as I joined in. We finished our lunch and looked at some new clients, getting input from some of the managers over the course of the afternoon. I liked this work, this power that we held. I sensed a different vibe out in public, respect. People talked to us like they used to speak with Dad, sharing advice or talking stocks. That shit used to bore me to death, but now, it was interesting. I knew what I was saying in a conversation.

There were invitations to business dinners within the first year. We’d go, meeting up with Veronica at the hotel for some sexual relief afterward if we didn’t have plans with some other women. Now that we were doing well in the business world, we were even more attractive to the female population. I couldn’t keep up with the number of times that we were hit on, even though our reputation was still out there in the papers and gossip magazines. I guess working a real job just made them seem less important.

It seemed like paradise. We had Veronica at work and even at the hotel and some social events if the opportunity presented itself. I saw Carlie and a few other girls on a regular basis, keeping away from the party scene far more than I did before. I missed the traveling and all the fun without responsibility, but I missed Dad as well. I had to do all of this for him. We planned to take some time off to go to the Belize house with Mom and Ash come Summer, but it was still the beginning of Fall for us. Summer seemed like a lifetime away.

I wanted to schedule a Winter getaway to Aspen, just Brent, me, and some friends. I hadn’t been skiing in a while, and it sounded great just to let loose for a few days. Now that everything was going smoothly at the office, I hoped that we could get away.

The chance to go to a conference for work came up. It was all about the new standards to shipping and a lot of business talk, but I knew that it would be a good idea to go. I suggested bringing Veronica with us since it was in Los Angeles and we could have a little fun while we were there. Brent gave me a look, but I explained that she was our assistant. We’d book her a separate room even though we knew that she wouldn’t be sleeping alone. There were a couple of dinners and gatherings that we could all attend, and it would be perfect.

Brent agreed and called her in to ask if she was interested in attending with us. We could send some of the managers, but as owners, we got the first shot. Veronica agreed, mentioning friends in the city that she could meet up with on her down time and I went online to book a hotel.

I went with the Hilton in Beverly Hills. It was close to the venue, and I always liked that place, choosing three rooms, and finalizing the reservation. Dad always went to this and sometimes brought Mom, depending on where it was. The conference was at the end of the month, but the weather in Southern California was generally good, so it shouldn’t present an issue.

We had a meeting with the managers, telling them about our plans. Ted glanced at us, verifying that we were bringing Veronica along. “Yes, she’s learning a lot about the business, and it would make sense for her to be up with the changes. She’s our go-to in the case of an emergency, though she would work with all of you in the process. I just don’t want to bother you unnecessarily.” Most of the managers were married with families and leaving for a long weekend wasn’t always possible.

We had nobody apart from the casual sex partners we saw. We hoped that nobody knew about what was going on with Veronica, but she was a free woman and was passing through the office from person to person. She was perfect for a casual affair, but we had to always remind her that what happened with us was to be kept private.

“I’d just make sure that she goes to the meetings. That’s a wild one,” Mark joked as he reached for his coffee. “She’s going to cause some issues if she keeps up the way that she is.”

I glanced at Brent, and he sipped his water. “She’s a great help to us. That hasn’t seemed to get in the way of anything.” He spoke easily, and Mark chuckled.

“I’m surprised that she hasn’t tried with you boys. All of the women are frothing over you around here,” he said as Ted laughed. “I think you’re going to be the newest bachelors in the magazines next year.”