One Year Later

I signal to the company attorney to sit in one of the white leather chairs in front of my desk.

Because he’s more than that, and he’s my brother, I still come forward and insist on hugging him before he sits.

The look in Jared’s eyes tells me that he didn’t leave the meeting prep work to last minute on this, and he knows what I’m planning. He knows, and he’s got opinions.

Jared laughs and shakes his head. “That’s going to piss off our stepfather.” He puts his hand on my shoulder. “I think your number one hobby is pissing off Eli, come to think of it.” He raises his eyebrows at me his voice is questioning me.

We both know that’s the truth. Still, Jared’s got my best interests at heart when he says it. He mentions it because he wants it to be anything other than true…I cast aside the concern because I know that the tensions with my stepfather, Eli Clemson, are anything but malleable. If the entire world were ripped into a vortex and the opposite of everything was true, the universe would sooner break than grant us any reprieve in our relationship.

“Well, that’s not why I’m buying Clex Energy, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.” I give Jared a weak smile.

“Yes, clean energy is the future.” Jared waves his hands up, palms open. “Clex is a sound investment.”

“But Eli is going to lose his mind, yeah, yeah.” I run my fingers over my temples.

“It just isn’t healthy. I care about you, you know?” Jared gives me a half smile. He thinks he’s not getting through…well, he’s not going to change my mind about a sound business move. He’s certainly not changing my mind about a move that will antagonize our stepfather. I live for that prick to fucking suffer. He says my natural talent for business and thought he would groom me into his legacy plan, which isn’t terrible on the surface. But he intended the succession to be more like him living on in my body than ever being myself. Fuck if I am going to let someone control me.

“You’re doing it again!” Jared is laughing, but I hear the concern in his voice.

“Shit. I am.” I unclench my fists and take several deep breaths.

“This is what I mean by unhealthy.” Jared’s eyes are caring, and he’s not trying to sound like a dick. His voice gets quieter even though no one is around to interrupt us or overhear his admission. “I’m just lucky that I didn’t grow up with our stepfather as my father figure. That he only came around later.”

“Yeah, he really fucked me up. I mean, I thought daddy issues were for horny young girls that need sugar daddies and spankings.” I can’t help but laugh, and Jared is laughing too.

“With Eli Clemson for a stepfather, we all have some degree of stepfather issues.” Jared’s got a far-off look in his eyes like he’s trying to avoid something. “The only thing he fails at more than being a husband is being a decent father.”

I look over the signature lines and bring my 24K gold signing pen from its stance on my desk. There are some things my stepfather is right about.

“Decisions should be worth their weight in gold, son,” I repeat our stepfather’s words aloud and hand the papers over.

“He’s not wrong…but there’s an obvious future for this decision.” Jared stands and takes a deep breath. “How do you think Eli is really going to react to the merger?”

I walk over the iced carafe of filtered water my assistant changes out every three hours. Pouring us both a glass, I watched the water and thought about how Eli Clemson will react to his chosen successor deciding to move forward in a direction with the company that is damn near defiance in his eyes. Handing the glass over, I think I’ve landed on exactly zero conceptualization of what scheme it will bring apart.

I try to stay three steps ahead. But I took a new tack. I decided instead that my strategy was to do what I wanted to be done and deal with the consequences. I’m sick of living in my stepfather’s shadow.

Jared nods, sipping tentatively from the glass. I’ve grown up with Jared as one of my dearest friends. He’s a brother to me, even if not by blood. “You have decided on open ‘betrayal’ as Eli will see it, and you want to say consequences be damned. Even if you’re right…” Jared shakes his head and swallows his words. Something flashes over his face that I don’t quite understand. His hand is on my shoulder, his other hand putting back the glass. Then that hand closes over mine with a slight squeeze. “Even if you’re under hellfire, I’ve got your back. Eli Clemson isn’t stronger than two of his stepsons combined. We’re wiser, craftier, and more in the right than we’ve ever been.”

Jared’s got this whole white knight syndrome where he wants to be the good guy. I accepted a long time ago that, not unlike my father, I wanted to be a man of power. If being powerful excluded being good or right, I was willing to accept that. It makes Jared practically my extended conscience because I do rely on him for counsel and that sense of justice that landed him not just the job as my company attorney but plenty of past positions where he served as the hand of integrity. “Your support means a lot to me.” I put my glass down and bring him into a hug.

“Of course, Derek.” Jared releases me and smiles, a sadness creeping into his usually happy eyes. “I have to go pick up Kristin from the airport.”

“Heading out? I’m glad you could fit me into your busy schedule.” I say this, and we both know damn well I’m saying it to avoid talking about Kristin instead. I don’t want to talk about how I’ve always wanted her, or how she’s always belonged to Jared. Or how they broke up, and then Jared and I both fucked her before she went to Paris…yeah, best to make small talk. But then the next words just roll right out of my mouth. “I think you’re a better ex-boyfriend to her than you were a boyfriend.” Shit. I hope I don’t sound bitter. Because though I don’t quite understand why not, I’m really not bitter. If anything, I’m sad for him, too. I know how hard it is loving Kristin and not having her.

“Yeah.” Jared bites his lips and then widens his eyes, shaking his head. “She’s a hard woman to get over, but she’s out of my system, and I’ve moved on.”

Yeah fucking right. “Sure you have, Jared.”

Jared heads for the door, looking out before he closes it behind him. “I’m not the only one that still thinks about Kristin.”