Chapter 11: Daddy’s Dirty Little Secret: Chapter 11

The head of the table was the perfect vantage point to observe every member of the marketing team. Amelia and Godwin were sitting side by side, their chairs practically touching. Their quiet chatter during our meeting was like a persistent buzz in my ear, pulling my focus away from the task at hand. I had noticed them buddying up before, exchanging whispers and leaning in closer than professional decorum would typically allow. It reminded me of high school days when passing notes and stifling giggles was a daily routine. I wanted to dismiss it, to brush off the nagging feeling, but something inside me stirred, uneasy at how Amelia leaned in, her shoulder almost overlapping his.

“And the new app for Touchstone?” I asked Meredith, the head of our sales department. She stood by the whiteboard, ready to present this month’s numbers. Her fingers deftly handled the laser pointer as she directed our attention to the screen.

“Excellent, sir,” Meredith replied with a nod. The pointer’s red dot circled a series of charts. “You’ll see the team has done a fantastic job with the build. Donahue is pleased with the work.” Her voice was steady, a rhythmic background to the visuals, but a flicker of movement to my right stole my attention. I found myself glancing at Amelia again. She was smiling at Godwin, her eyes sparkling with a warmth that seemed more personal than professional.

I had known from the start when I arranged our no-strings-attached relationship that Amelia and Godwin shared a close bond. They seemed inseparable, often seen whispering and laughing together in the office corridors or sharing lunch at the tiny café across the street. When I first joined Laurence’s company years ago, Amelia was the sole powerhouse of the marketing department, tirelessly crafting campaigns and juggling multiple projects.

During the final stretch of her degree, she convinced her father to hire Godwin, passionately arguing that he was “magic with marketing.” True to her word, Godwin had consistently delivered impressive results, boosting our client numbers and enhancing our brand’s image.

Yet, despite understanding all this, a knot of jealousy twisted in my stomach, a feeling I couldn’t easily dismiss. Amelia was undeniably single and stunning, with her dark curls and confident stride turning heads wherever she went. I had no legitimate claim over her personal life—or her body, for that matter. As long as she maintained her professionalism at work and satisfied my desires when I felt the need for connection, I had no grounds to complain. Despite their shared moments and the whispers that sometimes reached my ears, I had no reason to be jealous or act possessive, regardless of the dynamic between them.

“After the Valentine’s Day launch, they went full scale,” Meredith explains, snapping my wandering focus back to her presentation. She stands confidently in front of the conference room, her slides glowing on the screen behind her. It was the last presentation for this meeting, and I was eager to return to my desk and dive back into my tasks. “Touchstone has grown by 30 percent, with their user numbers steadily climbing. If this momentum continues, they’ll see their revenue double by April.”

The room erupted into applause at the announcement. Our team knew that one of our biggest clients’ apps had become a massive success, translating into a significant boost in revenue for us. These were the high-stakes projects we aimed to secure and absolutely excel at. Except, I continued to fall short in discovery meetings, and clients didn’t seem to want to feast on what I presented to them.

“Excellent work today, team.” I stood, splaying one hand across my chest as I slid the other into my pocket. “Thank you for having your presentations finished on time.” I focused my eyes on Amelia and remembered that shade of lipstick well, the same shade that stained my dick three days ago when she was on her knees in my office—not in the mood for the full thing, but willing to take care of me in my time of need.

“I’ll see you all next month for our team meeting unless I see you sooner.”

One by one, they stood to leave, Godwin trailing behind Amelia, who was one of the first to pop out of her seat. I wasn’t sure why I expected things to change. It’d been three and a half weeks since I presented that offer to her—sex whenever either of us wanted it without any change in our professional interactions. We’d gone at it like horny teens at least four times a week now, and to her credit, she really hadn’t missed a beat.

Amelia arrived on time for work, never clocked out late. She carried herself in every professional way she had previous to that first time in my car, especially when we were alone, which amazed me. It was everything I was looking for, so why was I upset that she was doing it so well?

“Okay, sir?” Meredith hovered by the doorway of the conference room with her portfolio clutched in her hand, and I nodded once at her. So lost in thought that other employees could see the distraction was what I expected out of Amelia, not something I thought I’d be doing.

“I’m good, thank you.” After dismissing Meredith, I cracked my neck and loosened my tie, then headed down the hall toward my office.

The way she smiled at him still nagged at me though. It was intimate, the way you see happily married couples. She and Godwin had a bond so close they could do that, something so open between them they could offer a simple expression without words and know what the other was thinking. I’d never had that with anyone, never felt the need. But for some reason it really bothered me that she had it—and with someone other than me.

My office door pushed open easily, not latched the way I remembered leaving it. When I strolled in, I saw Laurence standing by the windows, staring out over San Jose’s city skyline with his hands tucked in his slacks pockets. He turned to smile at me as I stalked toward my desk. I wanted time to think, and I’d gotten thrust into another meeting, except I didn’t know this one was on the books.

“Larry, what brings you in?” I strutted to my chair, tightening my tie back up, and sat down, gesturing to the leather-and-wood chairs parked opposite the overly large desk. He turned and seemingly glided across the faded blue Berber to one of the chairs to sit down, unbuttoning his suit jacket as he sat. It was a hideous tan number, but the man didn’t need to dress well when he knew how to finesse a client like a race car driver on the back roads.

“Just checking in. I’ve got lunch with Amelia planned, thought I’d pop in.” He relaxed in the seat, stretched one leg over the other. “How are things going around here?”

He acted casual and nonchalant, but Laurence never came around asking how things were going. I’d owned the company for two years, hadn’t had him on payroll for over a year now. He got his profit share every year in the fourth quarter and knew that things were on track. His visit seemed suspect, but after Amelia’s venting session about how his home had been broken into a few weeks ago, how repairs were taking longer than planned, I felt bad for him. He was hiding things from me as a friend, but it was due to his own pride. He could’ve asked me and I’d have paid the insurance claim myself—gotten his house fixed up already.

“Things are good,” I told him while pulling out my phone. I shot a text to Amelia quickly, rather than calling to have her paged down here. I didn’t want Laurence to think I wanted him gone, but I did. It annoyed me more than I expected to see Amelia next to Godwin like that.

“Good, good …” He nodded his head absently, scanned the room over once. “Sales are good? Marketing is going well?”

When he mentioned Amelia’s department, I came to the natural conclusion that he was here on her behalf, with or without her knowing it. I understood it. He was a doting father, worried about his daughter after selling off his company where she was employed. I relaxed back into my chair as I decided he was probably checking to make sure she was being taken care of and paid well. I didn’t blame him.

“I think you might have more problems than me right now. Amelia told me you’re staying with her? Your house was broken into?” The springs on my chair bounced as I rocked in it, waiting for Amelia to show up and drag her father out of my office so I could stew and obsess in peace.

“Well, I wish she wouldn’t have said anything. No need to worry you.” As an old friend, I did worry about him at times. After he sold off the company, he got quiet, went to some dark places sometimes. But he always rebounded, so I never said much. “Just a random break-in, but boy did I get a knock to the head.” He rubbed the back of his as he chuckled.

“She didn’t mention that, but you were right for defending your home.” I leaned forward as I heard the rhythmic click of high heels on the hallway floor. “You know, if you need anything you can call me. I might be able to help.”

“Actually, maybe you can⁠—”

“I’m so glad you texted,” I heard, cutting Laurence off, and my eyes popped up to see Amelia looking down at her blouse, fingers on the third button from the top. She stopped three strides into my office and looked up at me as Laurence slowly turned over his shoulder.

Amelia’s jaw dropped, and her face went white as a sheet. “Oh God,” she mumbled before turning on her heel and walking back out the door. I laughed it off, but Laurence narrowed his eyes in confusion.

“Wrong office maybe?” I chuckled, but I knew I was the one to ask her to come down. I should have assumed she would take that text as a sign I wanted her, though we’d gotten used to using the term M4S lately. It was her way of talking, and though I was much older than her, I tried to talk her language.

“Now, what’s gotten into her?” He stood, staring at the door.

“Don’t let me keep you. Go on and have your lunch. I’ll be around if you want to chat when you’re done.” I wasn’t trying to rush him out, but I was glad to see him go. If Amelia came running the instant I texted her, then the Godwin issue must not have been a problem.

“Sure, I’ll catch you later,” he said, seeming frustrated or worried.

Laurence let himself out, but instead of stewing and obsessing, I found fresh energy. Call it an ego boost, but her rushing to my beck and call was kind of hot. I liked that a lot, and I planned to tap into that more. Maybe she’d forget Godwin Tharmor existed, and I wouldn’t have to sit through any more meetings like that ever again.