Daddy Issues
1681 Words
His father.
He was also in the meeting. They hadn't seen each other in quite a long time and that was because Alan was good in dodging the old man.
Just his luck.
He walked into the room and sat on the seat which had been reserved for him. It was his special spot. The seat reserved for the President, just beside his father. Just three years ago and his elder brother would have been sitting there, discussing the profits with his father over frothing mugs of coffee
His mother, Sheila, her golden brown hair done into a neat bun, was overly excited to see him and he could see through her smile that she missed him. His old man, Franklin merely sat with a straight face.
"Welcome, everyone," he greeted, adjusting his steel rimmed spectacles on his nose. His voice was deep and without much effort, it scared the wits out of people. Everyone who was close to him except Alan.
"There has been a recent rumour about our newly launched product," the wry man said and his eyes settled on Alan. "Is there a reason it has not been taking care of?"
Alan groaned. He knew where the conversation was going. The old man was about to paint him the black sheep again.
"If your brother were here, this would never have happened," the man said.
Alan groaned inwardly.
There were three sons. He had lived in the shadows of his elder brother all his life. Walter was always the better son. Right from their elementary school, he was always at the top of the class while Alan only managed to get in at average with the skin of his teeth. He went to business school and also got a Science degree in Computer and Robotics from Harvard.
All Alan brought was trouble. He was good in tech also but he used it for the wrong things. Like hacking into his elementary school website. When he was just seventeen, he was able to hack into one of the
But four years ago, his brother had to deal with a painful divorce. He stayed over most of the times in Alan's condominium across town. Barely two months since he moved in with Alan, he died. And Franklin blamed Alan.
It fell on Alan to take over. He went to business school and got a degree. He was already a tech guru so he didn't need to get a degree in computer science.
"When we pitched this idea and introduced the product, I made it clear that it was a risk we were taking..." Alan said.
"And I don't remember giving the permission to launch," Franklin interrupted.
"If we don't take risks, we won't grow," Alan said.
"And if we take dumbass risks, we'll go under!" Franklin yelled.
Alan sighed and groaned. "I've seen the reviews. It seemed like something our competitors would pay people to publish. And this is something we can turn in our favour."
"How?" Franklin asked dryly.
"Since one of our rivals most likely did this, I suggest we collaborate with a very reputable media house or something to help us. That way, we can clear the rumours."
Franklin reclined in his chair,
"I find no fault with this arrangement," he said at last.
Alan heaved a heavy sigh.
"I think the Media House is competent enough to redeem this situation," Christine chipped in.
Franklin's eyes moved slowly and fell on her.
"Who the hell is this?" he demanded, motioning in her direction.
"My personal assistant," Alan said.
"A personal assistant or just someone you can screw with a title?" Franklin sneered. "You know in the six years your brother was president of the company, he never took a personal assistant. And yet, you've only been here for three years and you've had two."
Christine remained focused on the notes she was taking, pretending not to hear the words they spoke.
"Frank, stop!" Sheila yelled, if her tiny voice could be called a yell. "Don't yell at him. He's our son."
"Well, I'm not yelling at our son, I'm yelling at the goddamn president of this company!" Franklin yelled again.
"Just leave him alone," she said.
"You've always been the one spoiling his ass," he said. "You know, sometimes I wonder how I married you. I wonder if Alan here is really my son."
Alan groaned in frustration and anger.
For a moment Sheila and Franklin glared at each other with hidden hate and anger.
"That's the end of that," Franklin said and flipped the pages of his journal. "Let's talk about other pressing matters."
...........
The meeting was over and they left the conference room one after the other, no one saying a word.
It was only when they were out that Sheila tried her luck persuading Alan to wait behind for dinner.
"I made Mexicali chicken, your favorite," she told him.
"Aw, thanks, mom. You shouldn't have," he said.
"I should," the woman said. "We're proud of you, son. I know we don't say it often, but trust me, we're really proud of you.
"What about dad?" he asked.
"He's proud of you too. It's just that when Scott passed..." she choked on the rest of her words and trailed off.
He sighed and gathered the woman in his arms and engulfed her in a comforting embrace. Franklin returned after going on for some time and discovering that his wife was not following after him. His face spoke volumes.
"What are you still doing? I thought the meeting was over."
They turned and faced Franklin.
Alan cursed and started towards the door.
"I thought you're waiting," Sheila said.
"I am, mom," he replied. "Just want to get something in the car."
"Follow me," he told Christine in a low whisper as he passed her and she had to speed walk after him.
They were the only ones in the elevator and suddenly, without warning, Alan pushed her to the elevator wall and kissed her deeply.
She wriggled and tried to free herself but he held her tightly. She didn't want to be in his arms. Not when she had seen him in his office with another woman.
"You're my addiction," he breathed against her ear.
She pushed him. This time with extra force. She fought hard to convince herself that she didn't like him – at least not that way. She didn't want to be his s*x doll but seeing him with that other lady sucking his d**k raised her hackles up. And now, it seemed that he had messed with another woman who was once his
He stared at her and freed her. She was a tough one. And he loved them tough.
..............
When Alan returned with Christine to the dinner, Franklin and Sheila were in a serious conversation. Sheila was visibly angry and Franklin just sat there with a nonchalant smirk.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Sheila was screaming.
"He got his promiscuity from you," Franklin said.
"It was just one date with your friend," Sheila said.
"What about Atlanta?" Franklin asked with a knowing smile.
Sheilas face dropped and she scratched the back of her neck shamefully. "Alright. Two dates."
"You see," Franklin laughed and stood up. "And those are just the ones I was luck to find out. I wonder how many boyfriends you have had..."
Sheila was getting furious. Boyfriends. Slut. The words echoed in her head. In blinding fury, she grabbed a goblet from the table and hurled it at Franklin. He dodged it and it went right for Alan.
Alan ducked right on time or the glass would have crashed squarely on his face. It smashed into the wall and shattered into pieces.
He groaned and turned round and stormed out of the room, away from his father's bad energy. Christine followed after him and got in the car with him.
After a few minutes on the road, she discovered he wasn't driving in the direction of the office.
"Where are we going, sir?" she asked as she turned to look at him.
"To my place," he replied. "I need to clear my head."
"Oh, okay. You can maybe drop me off somewhere so I can find my way back home," she said.
"You're coming with me," he said and it sounded like an order.
She didn't want to. She knew wherever they were alone, something unprofessional always happened. And the kiss in the car was enough proof of that. But he was her boss and she was obliged to follow what he said. So, she mumbled a simple "Okay."
As the other of his houses where they had had s*x, there was no staff in this one where he took her. No gatekeeper, no guards and not even a single maid.
He went up to his office as soon as he got in while Christine collapsed tiredly into the closest armchair.
Her iPad dinged and she checked it. There was a mail requesting an appointment with Alan. She forwarded the mail to him for him to decide if he wanted to see the sender or not.
Her stomach growled and she began to crave a carton of pasta. She found her way to his kitchen and searched through the fridge for ingredients.
As she stirred the chilli into the curry sauce, the words of Franklin echoed in her head and replayed in her thoughts. Alan had had a former personal assistant. She had never bothered herself with what he was doing in the club and thought he was just there for the fun of it and to just have a drink or two.
And what had happened to the other personal assistant? she wondered.
She was still lost in her thoughts when she felt a pair of arms go around her. A shiver ran down her spine as Alan pulled her closer to himself and whispered into her ear.
"Wouldn't it be beautiful if you were here without panties, looking for something to eat after I must have f****d you all night?"
She gaped.
- Writer
