Them and Odette

The only thing life throws me is more balls than I could handle, at least until I met her. Something unexpected is always supposed to happen to you at least once. I would have never expected that my unexpected partner would be a woman. This comes from a man in a committed relationship with two other men for the past fifteen years. Who would have guessed it: a long week at the office, a final long night, calling it quits. Knowing damn well that another night on the shitty five-hundred-dollar futon that was only there for decorations would murder your back if you slept another night on it. Pile on top of that s**t cake with a last-minute thunderstorm mixed in with some ice, a late-night drive, a gorgeous but moronic woman standing at the bus terminal in nothing but a strapless black leather mini dress and heels way too high for her. It would lead to a very unexpected adventure for the four of us. Rain pelted the floor-to-ceiling window in my office, and the click of the keyboard and mouse drowned on as the time ticked by slowly, but way too fast at the same time, and time had crept by slowly for my partners and me. The end of the month could not get here soon enough, but it went by too fast when there was so much paperwork to be caught up on and deadlines coming up more quickly than one would have expected. In other words, this week has been one of the longest weeks; Liam had to go to the Italy office because some f**k up one of our partnering firm’s sons did. I didn’t understand why the old fucker decided to pick his nitwit of a son to take over after his retirement. The man-child was a walking Neanderthal; quite honestly, that may be an insult to them; they could probably do simple paperwork. My head throbbed even more than an hour ago as I stared at the screen of my computer, and my mind turned to thoughts of our current situation. Liam was supposed to be there only two weeks tops, but soon, two weeks turned into a month and another. Even then, he still wasn’t sure when he would be back—these past three months had seemed to put our relationship to its ultimate test. Of course, we loved one another and would never do anything to hurt each other, but it was hard being away this long. We had been away from one another for at least two weeks. Liam’s sudden departure had interrupted the flow of his department in accounting and mine in tech, so now I was over both departments and felt as if I was drowning. Ian wasn’t good with either of the two departments, so I never asked for his help. I love that man more than anything, but the only thing he was ever good at was coming up with idiotic ideas and good looks. I gave a small chuckle as he came to my mind. That was why he was the head of publicity, and he loved the attention. Sighing, I rubbed my hand down my face, trying to wipe away the irritation and frustration that were beginning to bubble over. Sitting back against the cushioned office chair, I let my hands fall to my desk and stared blankly at the unanswered emails, glancing at the time in the lower corner of the screen, my eyes narrowed. “Half hour past two… f*****g great,” I muttered to myself, looking over to the overpriced futon and debating on if I should risk the chance of my back protesting another night on it or the bed I shared with my partners. I needed at least one night of somewhat decent sleep. At that moment, my back felt the need to give me a twinge, letting me know that if I slept another night on that damn thing, I’d never have a peaceful night of sleep, and I would truly regret it. Just as I was about to shut down the computer in front of me, an email popped up from Rachel, our human resources lead. She must also be having a late night; I had been asking her about getting me an assistant. I needed one like yesterday, but it had been so hard to find someone who was qualified enough. Not wanting to wait, I opened the email. From: Rachel Hilton To: Flynn Jameson Subject: Assistant Resume; Odette Sutton Mr. McCain I have scheduled an interview with Ms. Sutton for tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. You asked me to inform you when I had found someone qualified for the position you were looking for. I am doing so; please let me know if you wish to be present during the interview. Please view the attachment below. Rachel Hilton I quickly clicked on the resume and read it over. She’d only ever worked in a small-town auto shop as their office assistant, but the letter of recommendation she had linked with her resume told me that if I didn’t give her a chance, I might be f****d until Liam came back. Shooting Rachel a quick message back, letting her know that I would be present at the interview as I would like to ask my questions and for her to get home and get some rest as six in the morning came early; with that, I went through the proper channels of saving the day’s work and shutting the computer down properly. Grabbing my suit jacket and briefcase, I hurried toward the door, only stopping to turn the office light off and lock the door. As I turned to make my way towards the elevator door, I looked over at the empty desk that sat about five yards from my office door, a nice little nook to the side of the previous assistant I had. She’d kept the area neat and organized, and it always smelled like coffee and sunshine when I got to my office each morning. She had been my best assistant until she went all psychotic when Ian rejected her after he f****d her in his office. My eyes narrowed as I looked over to the dimly lit office, my brow raised as I heard soft muffles coming from behind the closed door. As I walked over to the closed office door, I pressed my ear against it. Still, the sounds on the other side were muffled. Slowly and carefully, I turned the handle of the door. I opened it up just enough to peek through a small crack as my eyes took in the surroundings of the office, the light casting shadows off of two figures in the corner where Ian’s desk sat, adjusting myself to get a better look. I could see Ian leaning against his desk, his head tilted back as his hands gripped the edges of his desk, his knuckles almost white from how firm his grip was. A slight smirk tugged at the corner of my lips as I saw the small female figure kneel before him. Her black pencil skirt raised over her hips, her ass in full view; her once neatly tied back brown hair was now falling about her shoulders and wild from what I can only assume was a nice f*****g. Ian groans and brings my attention back to him; his dark brown hair has escaped his slicked-back style, some hanging over his forehead and the rest sticking out wildly over his head. A chuckle left my mouth; at least, I thought it was silent, but not as Ian’s eyes quickly opened, and his head jerked up, looking at his once-closed office door opening. His eyes caught mine, he gave me one of his eat s**t grins, and I gave him one of my I’ll be waiting for my turn smirks; he rolled his eyes and made a shooing motion with his now free hand. I gave him one last look before quietly closing the door and heading towards the elevator. As I waited for the elevator, I quickly texted my driver, letting him know I was on my way down, and it was more than likely that Ian was staying another night at the office. As the door dinged, I entered the elevator and turned around to face the closing doors; Ian’s new assistant was walking out of his office, adjusting her skirt. I caught her eyes and watched as the red blossomed across her cheeks. I gave her a slight head nod and chuckled to myself. It wasn’t a secret that Ian, Liam, and I were partners in our business. So, I could only imagine what was going on in her head. Unlike most committed relationships, I don’t mind Ian and Liam stepping out on the side… if it is with a woman. That was one of our first serious conversations when we finally admitted our feelings for one another. Of course, they were happy with me and vice versa but they missed women’s feelings. Unlike me, they were both attracted to women and men; we were attracted to one another. I don’t think the two of them would have or have ever been with another man besides the obvious. When the elevator doors opened, our black town car was parked outside them. My driver, William, stood by the back passenger door, waiting as usual. One thing I could honestly say about William was that he was always on time, very reliable, and had made his job one of the top priorities in his life; sometimes, it almost made me worry about his forty-year marriage, but knowing Diana, she probably enjoyed the quiet she got when he was gone. I admired William beyond that of a driver; he felt like a close uncle who had never stopped talking. Unlike most of the men I have encountered in our line of business, their wives hated their long hours at work but never seemed to complain about the money constantly flowing into their joint bank accounts. I remember Allen once saying he and his wife had been arguing for almost a month because he was never around to spend time with his wife or their children, and when he got home, dinner was already cold, and everyone was in bed. On the other hand, I was a different story. I never had to worry about that. My partners and I work together and understand that work must come first sometimes, in our case, most of the time. When the weekends came, most of them were spent together; that was our time to unwind and indulge in one another. “Late night, sir?” William asked as he opened the back passenger door. I gave him a quick nod, and with an exhausted sigh, I slummed down into the plush leather seats. “There has been a flood of new invoices from Liam’s department that I’ve had to take over while he’s out of town. I didn’t realize how much he had done until now.” “I’m sure it will get better soon.” He gave me a quick pat on the shoulder before closing the door and hurrying to the driver’s side. As soon as he was buckled in, he reached over to the radio, turning the volume up just enough to hear but also be able to talk without almost yelling over the other voices. “As you all know.” The voice on the radio buzzed. “We have been put under a severe weather advisory, with the current situation of the approaching thunderstorm, which will soon turn into a winter snowstorm. Be sure to keep bundled up in Dayton County and be careful on the roads.” I hadn’t realized William had already pulled out of the parking garage. As I returned from the radio, I glanced in the rearview mirror to catch William’s face. I’m not sure what he saw, but his brows narrowed, and his dark brown eyes were full of sadness. Just as I was about to lean forward and ask him how he was, he spoke first. “Tell me, Mr. McCain, how are you holding up? I don’t mean to pry, but I know these past few months have not been the kindest for you. I’ve known your uncle long, even before you could walk. I’ve known you before you were out of diapers, and I know the two of you were close." I stared at him for a long moment. If I was being honest with myself, the work overload had been a great escape from the sharp pain and heaviness my heart had felt for the past six months. My uncle’s face appeared almost instantly, fierce snow-shocked blue eyes permeating the scowl on his lips, deep wrinkles at home between his brows. Once, jet black hair soon turned salt and pepper, then snow-white. The man looked as if someone had just pissed at his cheerios, but those who knew him knew that his heart was nothing short of gold—soft gold, maybe too soft. I let out a long breath, which I didn’t think I was holding. My uncle had been much more than an uncle… he was my father. Taking me in after my current father, his brother, threw me out of the house when he found me sleeping with Liam. He had accepted me the way I was, even when the rest of the family had turned their backs on me. My father couldn’t bear the fact he had a gay son, and my mother, well, she just went along with him because she was afraid he would do the same thing to her. In more ways than one, my uncle and I were a lot alike. He found he enjoyed his late husband’s company more than his ex-wife’s. Uncle Ben and his husband, Howard, took me in and showed me the love I needed and deserved; they accepted me more than I had accepted myself. They are the reasons I stand still to this day. I couldn’t count the nights they would stay up with me for hours, making sure I was okay and just listening as I let my heart speak. Sometimes, for hours, I would vent and curse myself as to why I was the way I was and why I couldn’t be normal. It took years for them to finally drill into my head that I was normal and that there was nothing wrong with me. When you love someone, it doesn’t matter what gender they are or their looks; it has to do with how your soul rejoiced, yearned, and screamed for theirs. They were the only family I had besides Ian and Liam. They were my parents, and my love for them would never wane. My life was great. Uncle Ben showed me the ropes of McCain Technologies and helped Ian, Liam, and me get into the best college possible. They were there; they were the reasons for almost everything good in my life. My life was terrific up until last year. Howard had been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, and by the time they had found it, there was nothing they could do. It had spread like wildfire, on a rampage to destroy everything in its path. After two months, the hospice was called in, and Howard lost his battle, and my uncle Ben lost his heart. It wasn’t long after that, maybe three weeks after Howard passed, when Ben collapsed in a merger meeting in Washington. The doctor said he died from a heart attack. I said it was because of a broken heart. Ben and Howard were buried beside one another, two pieces of one soul that had been constantly on the hunt to find one another for forty years, only to be reconnected for less than half of that. I didn’t realize until a few months later that my heart had broken too; Liam and Ian tried their best to get me to talk about it and say something, but I ignored them and buried myself in more work. Even then, sometimes, that work didn’t always bury the pain. “Would you look at that?” Williams’s voice broke through the onslaught of painful memories. I must have been quiet too long and assumed he figured I didn’t want to answer his questions. Refocusing on him, I turned my head in the direction he had gestured to. While in my head I hadn’t noticed that the rain had started, it wasn’t too heavy but enough that you would need an umbrella to keep from getting soaked. As my eyes adjusted through the rain and dark of the night, sitting under the dimly lit bus station just a few feet from the red light was what I would assume was a woman. Her head was in her hands, and a curtain of black curls covered her face. Readjusting myself in my seat, I leaned closer to the window, hoping to get a better look. Her bare legs caught my attention quickly, and my brow furrowed. Did the i***t not realize it was below freezing out, and the f*****g buses stopped running after midnight? Being the nosey bastard I was, I sat in the warmth of the car for a few moments longer before letting out a long sigh and letting myself out of the vehicle. William had turned as if he was going to protest, but I had closed the door before he could speak. The woman stiffened and slowly lifted her head in my direction. As I got closer, I could see the smear of her mascara down her face and what looked like red lipstick smudged at the corner of her lips. Her eyes stayed trained on me as I walked under the bus stop; momentarily, I was almost speechless; when was the last time I ever looked at a female and thought she was attractive? Never, but this woman, despite looking like a hot mess, made the air in my lungs rush out harshly. Her midnight curls framed almost a perfect oval face; her pale skin stood out against the darkness of her hair; her almond-shaped eyes were a deep brown that sat just right on her face, her nose only upturned just a little at the tip but otherwise was wide enough for her face. Her once red-stained lips were full and pouty, her bottom lip slightly more prominent than her top. As my eyes roamed her face, they slowly slid down to her neck, then her shoulders and eyebrows scrunched together as I took in what she was wearing: a black leather sleeveless mini dress and thigh-high boots. She must be slow or a hooker; those were the two thoughts my mind went too quickly. “Are you just going to stand there and stare at me like you’re some f*****g Jeffery Dohmer of females?” Her raspy, accented voice sliced through my assessment, and my lips tugged at the corners. It has a sexy voice and even better sarcasm. Clearing my throat, “Well, I’m sure it would be Ted Bunddy in this case; Dohmer liked the men.” She’d been crying for sure; the whites in her eyes were red, and the mascara that covered her lashes was now staining her cheeks. She looked at me up and down for a moment and scoffed. “Ted Bundy wasn’t gay, though.” She was sitting up straighter now; her arms now crossed her chest as her hands rested on the upper part of her arms. I couldn’t help the smile that sprung to my lips; this woman either had a damn good gaydar, or, from the sound of her accent, she was an uneducated southern that just liked using gay as an insult. “I never said I was gay.” I retorted back, shoving my hands in my pockets. I leaned up against one of the railings on the bus station. She turned towards me, a glint of humor in her eyes. “You didn’t have to say; even if you are in a business field, most men don’t accent their blazers.” She pointed to the chest pocket of my suit jacket, a blazer. It just seemed better calling it what every other man called it. She then pointed to my shoes. “You’re already pretty tall, but you have a four-inch heel on your loafers, which is weird unless you like wearing heels.” She paused momentarily, a smile tugging at the corner of those delicious lips. “And the way you sauntered over here, most men do not have that kind of sway in their walk.” She leaned in as if she was trying to whisper it to me. “The dead ringer is, even though you’ve been ogling at me this whole time, your eyes have only been on my face besides the time you checked out what I was wearing, and you made a disgusted sound in the back of your throat that I don’t think you realized you did and your whole ora gives off the whole vibe sweetheart.” I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped. This woman was dead on, and how she sweethearted me made me feel like I had just met my match. Taking a step towards her, I slid my hand from my pocket and reached out to her. “Flynn McCain.” I don’t know why I was telling her my name. It’s not like I was ever going to see her again. Just as she was about to reach for my hand, she stopped, her body going rigid. “Did you say, McCain? As in McCain Technologies?” Her voice trembled for the first time. Aw s**t, I knew this was too good to be true. Even though Liam and Ian weren’t McCain by blood, they had changed their last names when they’d moved in with my uncles and me. The two of them had a reputation for being the bad-boy millionaires of the Corporation. Sighing, I gave her a firm nod and let my hand drop to my side, just when I thought, what exactly? She stared up at me as I looked down at her. I could see the water rim at the edge of her eyes. What the hell? Before I could even get the words out of my mouth, she was sobbing, no full-out crying. Her shoulders slumped, and her face buried in her hands; her body shook as the cries came out louder and louder each time. It took me a moment to realize she was talking between the cries. “f*****g…Bret and that f*****g w***e, My interview, Ruined, Homeless, and Too Drunk What the f**k did I get my nosy ass into next time I see someone sitting at a bus stop after midnight? I’m going straight the f**k home.