Ch 02 His Loss Is My Gain

Thursday, September 5th, 8:07 am

The buzz of my phone rattling across the bedside table woke me up, and it took me a moment to remember where I was.

*Bzzzzzzzt*

I clenched my eyes shut and pressed my fingers to my forehead as I tried to remember what happened last night. I'd had drinks again... with...

*Bzzzzzzzt*

There was a warm body lying partially on top of me. A single pillowy breast was pressed into my chest, and a few hairs tickled my face. Lillian. She'd had the day off yesterday and didn't have to return to work until this evening, so Erin and I had invited her to stay the day.

One of the reasons to keep the hotel in the castle is that it came with many built-in amenities--a full-service spa, indoor and outdoor infinity pools, saunas, a fully furnished gym, a restaurant, and two different bars. It was a little too chilly for outdoor swimming, but the pool indoors was heated, and the three of us went for a swim in it. We ended the day in a sauna together, where we ended up fooling around again.

After a nice swim, steam, and a little carnal relief, I had Shea set up her station so Lillian could experience a luxurious full-body massage.

Eventually, she met everyone else at an early dinner and came to the realization that Erin wasn't the only woman I was sleeping with on this trip. Everyone was enchanted by the young beauty, and when Helen caught wind that she'd shared mine and Erin's bed last night, she expressed interest in joining. Unfortunately, it was all just a little too much for Lillian, who politely declined the older woman's advances. So I'd ended up with a repeat performance with Erin and Lillian.

The red-haired Scot showed much more initiative and even started off the evening going down on my assistant while she sucked on my cock. Despite her sweet innocence, Lillian was a quick learner and improved rapidly at anything new we taught her. We'd ended up fucking until well past midnight and had fallen asleep in a sweaty tangle of arms and legs.

*Bzzzzzzzt*

I slipped out from under Lillian, causing her to stir and roll onto her side with her back to me as I stretched out to retrieve my phone. It was Erin.

Hey, boss. Helen and I are downstairs having breakfast. Wanna join?

I texted back,

Sure. I'll be down in ten minutes.

Rolling over to press my chest into Lillian's back, I kissed her shoulder. "I'm going downstairs," I whispered."

She muttered something sleepily back at me that I couldn't quite catch, and I said, "Go back to sleep." I kissed the nape of her neck, slid out of bed, and took a quick shower as I thought about the wonderful, relaxing day I'd had last night. Once dressed, I headed for the restaurant.

The restaurant barely had anyone in it. Apparently, it was the tail-end of the summer vacation season, and on a Thursday morning, the hotel had very few guests. People enjoying breakfast consisted of Erin, Helen, one of the Johns, and an elderly couple sitting on the other side of the establishment.

"Ladies," I said as I sat next to Helen while Erin was on the other side of the table.

"Boss," Erin said before taking a bite of her yogurt. She sounded awfully chipper, considering she went to bed as late as I did.

"How the fuck are you in this good of a mood?" I asked.

"Only need about five hours of sleep, and I keep a balanced diet."

"She has the metabolism of a rabbit on methamphetamine," Helen pointed out.

That made sense. I rarely saw Erin eat poorly, but occasionally, she joined the rest of us mortals in eating trans fats and sugars. Combined with a high metabolism, it made sense why she had a body fat percentage somewhere in the mid-teens.

"Behold the power of superior genetics," Erin said, holding a spoonful of yogurt and nuts up as if giving a toast before slipping the spoonful into her mouth.

"It'd be a crime to not pass those genes along," Helen said, propping her chin on her elbow and looking at Erin thoughtfully.

Erin's eyes narrowed as she pressed her lips together over the spoon and slowly pulled it out of her mouth. "And ruin this figure?"

Helen shrugged and said, "There's always surrogacy. If anyone can afford an ideal environment for IVF, it'd be Marcus."

My assistant studied Helen for a moment and then said, "I'd be a terrible mom."

"Oh, I don't know about that. You do a phenomenal job of taking care of Marcus."

"Yeah, but my relationship with him isn't exactly maternal, now is it?" Erin pointed out.

"Anyway," Helen said, waving off Erin's protest. "It's not like you'd have to be a full-time mother. Marcus could hire a full-time nanny to help raise the child."

Erin's nose crinkled up as she made a face. "This conversation took a weird turn."

"How about it, Marcus?" Helen asked, rolling her head to the side to look at me. She hadn't cracked a smile since I sat down, but there was a twinkle in her blue eyes. "You two would make a beautiful baby."

I wasn't sure what Helen was getting at, but even though she'd been talking about IVF, the mere thought of busting my nut deep into Erin's unprotected pussy and impregnating her made some deep, primitive part of my brain sit up and roar.

"I..." I held my hands up in surrender. "I haven't even had anything to eat yet."

That got a smile from Helen as she waved over a waiter. "Fine... we'll save this discussion for another time."

"Where's your new friend?" Helen asked after I'd ordered my breakfast.

"Lillian?" I asked.

"Mm."

"She's still asleep. Erin broke out the strapon last night, and we took both ends." I said. The waiter brought me some coffee.

"I think she liked it more when she got to use it on me," Erin said thoughtfully as she took another bite of yogurt. "She seems innocent now, but that's just because she's been sheltered. Underneath that sweet exterior beats the heart of a true freak."

"I suppose you would know," Helen said and sighed. "A shame I couldn't join last night."

"Maybe once she warms up to the idea a little more," I said after sipping my coffee. Whatever they'd done to it, it was damn good.

"Oh?" Helen asked. "You're picking up another stray?"

"No," I said. "I have my hands full already, and I don't think she'd enjoy the life."

"Well, unless we come back to visit her, this is it for me."

I gestured around the room. "Helen... I bought a fucking castle. We're coming back to visit."

"Fair enough," Helen said. Her smile was a little sheepish as if I'd caught her flat-footed. She didn't usually trip up like that.

"You okay?"

"Yes," she said a little too quickly.

"Hey," I said, touching her chin and directing it toward me. "It's me and Erin here."

Helen sighed, and her shoulders dropped half an inch as the tension left them. "I might be a little nervous," she admitted.

"What about?" Erin said as she put her yogurt down and reached out to cover one of Helen's hands.

"The partnership."

Helen was returning to New York today because she no longer had the duty of being my lawyer. She was now one of three partners for Yunger, Price, and VanCamp--one of the largest and most prestigious law firms in the Northeast. She'd taken over her husband's share of the company after I demanded he be removed, all thanks to the fact that I was by far their biggest and most important client. That was also the only reason I'd been allowed to whisk their newest partner off for a two-week European excursion. They had managed without her, but at the end of the day, Helen was a partner and needed to return to New York to at least set up her affairs.

As a result, she was a little melancholic about leaving us, made even more by the fact that I was keeping Bobbi with me. I suspect she'd been under the assumption that she would be taking our little pet back with her, which I would have usually been okay with, but I wanted some time with her sans Helen. Lately, it felt like Bobbi belonged to the woman more than me, and I wanted to correct that. Helen presided over her because I gave her the power--it all flowed from me, and I felt like Bobbi didn't fully appreciate that.

"Why are you nervous about the partnership?" I asked. "You've been kicking ass there for years. They'd be a lot less effective without you."

Helen shook her head. "I haven't been in a place of leadership like this. I'm used to carrying out Karl, William, and Roger's vision, but I haven't been a visionary. I've always done well when given direction or if I have to do something out of need. I'm not necessarily the best when it comes to taking initiative. Roger was the trailblazer. Even among the three partners."

"I think Bobbi would beg to differ," I said.

Helen cut her eyes over at me. "You planted the seeds for that."

"And you just watered, weeded, and tended it," I retorted. "It might have been my idea, but you're responsible for how far she's come in the last month."

Helen picked up her coffee mug, looked at its contents, and hummed non-committally.

"Just do the same thing here. Trust your gut, and don't back down when Karl gets all blustery. He'll listen to you... especially since they know I'm backing you."

"Implying that they wouldn't listen to me if I didn't have Marcus Upton in my pocket."

"That might be the case at first," I said. "But I'll stop being necessary once they realize how invaluable you are."

Helen stared at me for a long moment and then simply said, "Thank you, Marcus." It was the equivalent of anyone else kissing my feet in gratitude.

"Do me a favor," I said. "Could you make sure Jessica knows what she needs to do and is doing it?"

There was a twinkle in her eye. Helen knew the kind of relationship that was developing between me and Jess, and it was something she'd shown a keen amount of interest in. "Of course. Just out of curiosity... how far have you gone with her?"

"We fucked in the hot tub after you guys left at my house party," I said. "I ended up sharing her with almost everyone there, including Dillon and Jonah."

"Sharing your ladies with other men?" Helen asked.

"She's not one of 'my ladies,' I said. "I'm not interested in her like that." I hesitated. "I mean... sure. She's pretty and is good in bed, but I've moved onto bigger and better things."

"So, you're merely fucking her until... what? You get tired of her?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I kind of see her as similar to Bobbi. Just not... fully mine. Does that make sense?"

Hm," Helen mused. "Perhaps. How would she feel if I were to... show interest?"

"Let me know how that works out," I said. "She's not quite on Bobbi's level, though. If she's not interested, leave it alone."

"I'll keep you apprised," Helen said, taking another sip of her coffee.

"Good," I said as my food arrived. I started digging in. "While you're home, could you check in on Charity and Julia and see how they're coming along?"

"Sure. I should sit with them anyway and review whatever PR strategy they're putting together from a legal perspective." Helen said, checking her watch. "I need to start packing. A helicopter is coming to get me in two hours. Quinn should be arriving about the time I get there."

"One more thing," I said as Helen rose and took a final sip of coffee. "I need you to keep an eye on Carla."

A perfectly manicured eyebrow arched as Helen said, "I beg your pardon?"

"Carla Tanaka," I said, taking her hand. I brought it to my lips and kissed her skin. It was cool to the touch. "I just want you to get a feel for her... how she's doing."

"Afraid she'll run?"

I shook my head. "Carla's pretty clever, and she knows the minute she leaves my protection, she could be snatched up by Hiro. On the off chance that she did run, Chloe's guys would tie her up and throw her in a closet. I just... I don't know what to do with her long-term, and I'd love to get some insight into what she wants."

"That should be pretty obvious," Helen said dryly. "She wants you to put a ring on it."

"Yeah. That's not happening," I said.

"Damn right it isn't," Erin said.

Helen and I both looked at her. I was a little surprised by her strong reaction.

"What?" Erin said. "You know how many crazies I field for you? I protect you just as much as Chloe, in my own way, and I would've kept that gold-digging hose-beast at bay if I'd had a choice, but it isn't like I could've just told her you weren't available right in the middle of the meeting. That doesn't mean I wouldn't do anything to keep her from marrying you."

"Just how many crazies?" I asked.

"Too many to fit into a large AMC cinema, but not enough to fill Carnegie," Erin said.

I whistled. "What are they?"

"Housewives, teachers, athletes, e-girls... you name it. I've gotten emails, phone calls, DMs, letters. Most of them send pics. A couple of them have even tried to visit you in person. That's when Chloe or one of the guys steps in."

"They send pics?" I asked, more out of curiosity than actual interest. If Erin said they were crazy, I believed her and wasn't interested in crazy.

"Yep. A lot of them are insanely hot, too. I've even subscribed to some of them for my own... research."

I filed that away for later. Reviewing some of the stuff stalkers sent me with my assistant might be a fun way to pass an uneventful evening. "Well, thanks for protecting me from something I didn't even know existed."

"Point is, Carla's one of the ones I wouldn't have let through. Maybe this is a good lesson about not sticking your dick in crazy."

"Noted," I said. Carla was insanely hot, but it wasn't like I was hurting for beautiful women. She'd been pivotal in getting me in trouble with Tanaka and was already causing waves at VistaVision by creating a new position just to keep her happy. No matter how good she was at giving head, I had enough problems in my life without Carla complicating things even more.

"I'll see about scheduling a lunch with her," Helen said. "I'm going to finish packing."

"Alright," I said. "I'll finish eating and catch up."

Helen placed a hand on my shoulder and ran her fingers across it, then around the back of my neck, then my other shoulder as she sauntered away from the table. "Alright. Don't keep me waiting too long, though."

I watched her leave, noticing that her hips swayed with exaggerated movements. I was pretty sure she was doing it on purpose.

"It's sad she's leaving," Erin said.

"It'll probably just be for a couple of weeks, depending on Astrid's discussion with Hiro," I said, digging back into my food. "Hopefully, she can give us an update this evening.

"Sure," she said, "but she's been a staple in our little crew this whole time. She's a little older than the rest of us, but I think she feels like she's getting something she missed out on in her earlier years. I don't think she had a lot of friends before all of this."

Perhaps Erin had a point--her husband hadn't exactly nurtured a relationship based on companionship with his wife. She'd been a trophy and a tool to be used more than anything else. It was also very possible that Roger had kept a tight leash on Helen, limiting who she could hang out with. Was it possible that this time away from Roger and YPV... surrounding herself with fun, young women who were easy to laugh with--had resulted in filling a certain kind of void left in her life? Not to mention all the sex.

It was true. The sex that Helen and I often shared was hot, heavy, and often rough or domineering--especially with Bobbi. However, we'd also taken time to make love at a slower, sweeter pace. I was pretty sure Helen and I would never be soul mates, but over the past month, she'd become very important and dear to me. And remembering some of the ways I'd caught her looking at me--and sometimes even Erin--maybe she felt the same way.

"I got something for you guys," Erin said. "I had it special-ordered a while ago, but when I found Helen was going back early, I expedited it and shipped it here after I found the castle."

She pulled out a small box and slid it across the table to me. It was long and delicate-looking, like something found at a jewelry store. A ribbon was wrapped around it and tied into a simple bow.

"What is it?" I asked.

"A collar," Erin said. "Kind of like Bobbi's."

"What?" I asked, my gaze snapping from the box to Erin.

"Not just like hers. It's more delicate and decorative but has some of the same tech. Comes with encrypted location, vitals monitoring, and fancy magnets. It doesn't have the display like Bobbi's and comes with a few accessories to make it look pretty. It looks a little more like a choker than a collar, but it's definitely a collar."

"You had this commissioned?" I said. "When?"

"A couple weeks ago. Before we left," Erin said.

"You knew Helen would want this a couple of weeks ago?"

Erin hesitated briefly, her eyes searching around the restaurant before settling back on me. "Yeah. I mean, after you took her back from Roger, there was a little shift in your relationship. Everyone could feel it."

My fingers ran over the box as I considered the implications.

"It's up to you whether you want to give it to her or not," Erin said. "If you do, though, she'd accept it."

I looked back up at her. "You think so?"

Erin nodded. "In a heartbeat, and I think you should. She's about to head back into an environment that's probably full of bad memories. She's a boss bitch now, but that doesn't mean Roger didn't do a number on her. I think this," she pointed at the box, "would be a nice reminder that even if the building and the people are the same, the situation isn't. She isn't under Roger's thumb anymore. She belongs to you."

I stared at Erin for a long moment, amazed at how insightful the young woman was. "I can't believe you've been sitting on this for so long."

"What can I say?" she said with a shrug and a wan smile. "I'm expensive for a reason."

I looked back down at the box containing the collar.

"Are you going to give it to her?" Erin asked.

"Yeah," I said, not needing to think about it. I was sold on the idea the moment I learned what it was.

"Cool. Give me about twenty minutes. I'm gonna get Bobbi and meet up with Emily and Natashya. The four of us are gonna find something to do with our morning." Then she held out her hand. "If you let me see your phone, I'll go ahead and sync the collar to it."

Roughly thirty minutes later, I stood in front of Helen's bedroom door, looking down at the box, wondering if this was a good idea. If I showed her this and she rejected it, it would make things weird between us, and I really liked our dynamic.

That was the thing, though. Our dynamic since the day I'd stormed into YPV and had Roger fired was one of dominant and submissive. To someone like Bobbi, perhaps we seemed like equals, but it was very clear to us who held the proverbial reins when we were alone together. Where before, she'd felt more like a guide or mentor when I'd first come across my fortune; now, she felt more like an adviser to royalty. She offered me wisdom, but at the end of the day, the decisions were mine.

In that light, if I walked in there and told her to take it, I had a feeling she would. Erin was certainly confident enough to give it to me in the first place.

That's not what I wanted, though. Helen and I had been through quite the journey. She'd seduced me in my own apartment and had taken me under her wing. Just as I was starting to get comfortable with her, I'd learned that she was manipulating me, trying to use me to get out of the marriage she was stuck in. I banished her, and she returned to me on her knees. Then Roger took her away just as we got to a good place, bonding over Bobbi's training.

That day in YPV, I'd laid claim to Helen and had taken her on a table. She'd declared that she was mine. Going into her room and demanding that she put on the collar would have been redundant, and it wasn't what I wanted out of this situation. I wanted her to willingly--enthusiastically even--accept it.