I’m on a phone call, yelling at some intern about some fuck up that was completely avoidable if they only had listened to me and just… Fuck! I don’t like getting all worked up, but when people don’t listen – especially when I take the time to explain shit to them – I get frustrated because it requires I repeat myself. I don’t want to repeat myself unless it’s absolutely necessary and this is not absolutely necessary. As I’m stewing while this young intern explains why he’s an idiot – his words not mine – Whit walks in. I’m basically done with the call, so I motion for him to wait a second.

“Look, I just need the numbers from the last quarter,” I say into the phone. “Get them to me by the end of the day and we won’t have a problem. Okay? We’re on the same page? Thanks.”

I hang up not feeling the need to – and honestly not wanting to – say goodbye. I take a deep breath and calm down. I wash out my annoyance, putting it to the side for later. My mini- relaxation exercise helps to lessen my irritation and I’m ready to move on with my day.

“Everything good?” Whit smirks at me, aware of my frustration.

I know he knows I wasn’t happy. We’re both really amazing at reading one another’s moods. To answer his question, I nod because, all things considered, it was a mild annoyance. If I don’t get last quarter’s numbers, it won’t be the end of the firm. It probably won’t even be the worst thing to happen today.

“Well, I just came in here to remind you that Jack wants to see us today. You know, the mystery meeting he’s called,” Whit continues.

“I didn’t forget.”

I definitely didn’t forget. Whenever Jack calls a meeting, Whit and I are always on top of it. Whenever Jack asks us to do anything, the two of us make sure we get it done with the utmost attention to detail. He was always there for us growing up and we’ll always be there for him now. Without him, I’m not sure if Whit or I would have had much of a purpose. He gave us direction and a place to grow professionally and emotionally.

Jack didn’t tell us what he wanted to talk to us about. I’ve been thinking all week what he could possibly want to say that required a scheduled time and place. He kept everything vague and we weren’t going to push him to reveal what he wanted to keep a surprise. Hence, Whit still calling it a ‘mystery meeting.’

“I was pretty sure you didn’t forget, but you know how I like to be sure about stuff. I’m always double-checking the details,” Whit explains.

I don’t blame him because I am the exact same way. If things aren’t running smoothly then I’m worried I messed up along the way, so we just… don’t mess up. An oversimplification, maybe, but pretty close to the truth.

“Anyway, we’ve got some time before the meeting. Tell me about your weekend?” Whit takes a seat on the edge of my desk, crossing his arms over his chest.

“It was pretty good, pretty good,” My weekend? My weekend was a wild ride. I had to make sure to get rid of whatever stress I amassed over the week and, per usual, I was very successful. I’m trying to downplay it a little for that added suspense. It’s dumb because Whit never falls for stuff like that. He’s too patient. “I didn’t get to have the threesome that I planned, but I did get two girls in one night, so in the end, maybe I did?” I shrug because I’m pretty sure it doesn’t count. “It was fun, though.”

I sound quite bored with my night. It’s not because I didn’t have fun – because I did. I had an enormous amount of fun in the moment. It’s just that this doesn’t feel like a remarkable occurrence. My weekends are all pretty much the same. I like to shake it up a bit – hence the attempt at a threesome – but a lot of sex is just the way my life goes. That doesn’t mean I have any intention of ending my ways. I don’t plan on stopping any time soon. But I’m not going to sit here and pretend it doesn’t get redundant every so often.

“Fuck yeah, Zane!” Whit high fives me, satisfied with my results.

“What about you?” I ask cautiously. Whit and I tend to get a little competitive.

“Nothing spectacular – unlike you. I just did my usual thing. Different girl each night. They all kind of just blended into one, but I will say – they all very much enjoyed my new piercing. I really think you should get one.”

I roll my eyes and sigh. Whit got his dick pierced a couple weeks ago and he’s only recently been able to put his new… accessory to use. Ever since he fucked his first girl with it, he’s been raving about how I should get one, but… I just don’t see a reason to.

“I’ll leave the piercings to you. I’m good for now.”

I still can’t believe he got it done. We had talked about it in passing – like it was a joke – but then one day, he called me up and said he was going to do it. I have no idea what got him to seriously consider letting someone pierce his dick. I’ve asked him about it, but he always shrugs. I don’t think he even knows why. He wasn’t drunk and nothing significant had happened in his life to push him towards extreme decisions. I have a feeling we’ll just never know, but I knew I just had to be there to see it. I drove over to his place and we want to the parlor together. While it didn’t seem like an overly painful procedure, I don’t think I’m quite at the point where I want a needle by the head of my penis. I keep thinking about all the things that could go wrong. And the ladies always seem satisfied afterwards. My system isn’t broke, so why am I going to fix it?

“Whatever, Zane. But you’re missing out. You really are,” Whit lets out a small sigh through his nose. He’s convinced a piercing will turn my sex life upside down and shake it sideways. I find his insistence charming, but there are only so many ways a guy can say no. Maybe he’ll finally drop this whole thing. I care about my friend, but I don’t need to hear the benefits of his pierced cock every couple of days. I get that he likes what he has going, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessary for me to hear a saga about it. I don’t need Whit Delacroix’s Dick: An Odyssey.

He picks up his wrist to check his watch and then stands up. “It’s time to get to that meeting. Don’t want to be late.”

Whit and I leave my office and I make sure to lock the door behind us. I don’t think Jack’s in his office yet, but someone else is. The door is slightly open. I see a woman’s foot, bouncing up and down. Whit and I go inside and there’s a young woman sitting in one of the chairs. She has her hands in her lap, legs crossed. When the two of us walk in, she looks up, her eyes immediately go wide – like a deer in headlights wide – and she stops moving. I don’t think I’m a particularly intimidating looking man, but she seems to be a little freaked out by our appearance. Maybe she knows we’re the CEOs and that can a bit anxiety inducing – especially if she’s applying to work here. Whit and I look at her for a few seconds, her eyes darting between the two of us before she looks down into her lap, her brow furrowing. I don’t know what’s gotten her frazzled, but I will admit I like the look on her.

Whit and I move to sit down on the other end of the room. My steps are a little unsure because my dick is hard at the sight of her perfect figure and I don’t want that fact to become apparent. Whit seems just as antsy as me. If he’s seeing what I’m seeing – a luscious and curvy woman who, even in a button-down and modest skirt, looks as fuckable as ever – than I completely understand his current state. I want to make her look at me as I swirl my fingers in her pussy, giving her the best damn orgasm in her life – only surpassed by what my tongue and dick could do to her.

Jack walks in and I have to calm my thoughts down before I blow up in my pants. I’ve never been this out of control in my life and she hasn’t even said anything. Whit clears his throat and does some nervous shifting. I have no idea what Jack is thinking, but he must be a little suspicious – given how we all probably look nervous as hell. And what’s even funnier is none of us has done anything worth being suspicious over. The three of us look at him, actively ignoring any tension in the room.

“Hey, guys. Thanks for all being here this morning,” he says. “I know it was a little last-minute, but Chloe’s only recently come back to town and we just got her plans squared away.”

Chloe, Chloe…? Jack walks over to his desk as I’m thinking about where I’ve heard that name paired with that face before. It sounds so familiar, but I can’t quite place her. I thought she may have been someone I already knew, but my dick was doing most of the thinking, so I didn’t really explore that train of thought. I may still be doing my thinking with it because I’m currently having trouble with my recall.

“You two remember my daughter, right?” He motions towards her and it suddenly hits me.

Fuck, she looks different! I mean, she looks the same – now that I know it’s her, it seems obvious that the woman sitting across from us is Chloe Bingham – but she has definitely changed. She’s lost some weight and her hair is longer. I’m suddenly turned on by her and my penis is very, very erect in her presence. You know… different. Quite a few things have changed it would seem.

“Yeah, we remember Chloe.” Whit answers for the both of us, probably trying to let Jack know we’re okay. Or make him think we’re okay because we are not okay. We’re freaking out over Jack’s daughter… Jack’s daughter, for fuck’s sake. I can’t even remember the last time we saw her. It must have been three years ago? Three years sound right. But where was it we last saw here…? Maybe a party at Jack’s house? That sounds somewhat right, but not quite it… Or was it… I think it was Rita’s funeral. Her mother’s funeral. Remembering Rita’s funeral cools me down a little. Jack and Chloe loved Rita dearly and, after her death, they were both deeply affected. While Whit and I didn’t get to see much of Chloe afterwards, I assume she went through something similar to what Jack did. It took him a while to get back into his daily routine, but he did it. He still seems a little different, though. There’s a soft sadness that overtakes him sometimes and he needs space to readjust.

“Great. Well, I called this meeting because I wanted to tell you guys something. You know I’m getting up there in years – an old codger and all that – and I can smell retirement on the horizon. It’s so close, I could just grab it.” Jack reaches out with his hand, miming quickly snagging something from the air. He laughs at his own joke and continues, “The thing is, I’m not completely sure if I want to fully slide into being a retired old man. That cliched senior citizen who sits in his house and yells at teenagers on his lawn. So, I was thinking of just trying it out – this ‘retirement thing’ – by taking a three-month cruise on my yacht. I haven’t been out on it in a long time and it would be the perfect opportunity to give the new lifestyle a spin. Seeing if whether or not retirement pairs well with me and all.” Jack stops talking and looks between Whit and me. He’s fishing for our reactions, wanting to see if we like what he’s described.

“That sounds great, Jack. You’ve been talking about wanting to have more time to yourself,” I reassure him. If it’s something that’ll make him happy, then I’m down for whatever it is. Whit nods and agrees with me.

We’ve both noticed that Jack isn’t as engaged with the firm anymore. He still cares about what we do and wants everything to run without a hitch, but he’s been giving Whit and me a lot more responsibility lately. Not that I’m complaining. I’ve loved the extra responsibility. It lets us know that Jack really trusts us, but it’s also telling me he may be ready to move on. Plus, he’s been here for so long and I fully believe he’s earned his retirement.

“And you deserve it. You’ve dedicated your life to working here. Take some time for yourself. Enjoy the life you’ve built.” Whit chimes in smiling.

I look over at Chloe. She hasn’t said much. She keeps all of her attention on her father, not turning towards me when I look her body over. She has killer curves that I’d love to run my tongue over. I want to feel her flesh shiver under my touch, her legs around my waist… I shake myself out of my head, feeling a little guilty that I’m fantasizing about my boss and mentor’s daughter with him in the room. I need to control my thoughts before I stray too far and start trying to make them realities.

“I agree, Dad. You’re going to have so much fun spending three months at sea.” Whit and I both turn her faces towards Chloe’s voice. It’s light and airy, floating itself over to us. There’s something sexy about it, even though she hasn’t said anything sexual. I squirm in my seat thinking about hearing her moan, my hands wrapped around her waist… and there I go again, letting my thoughts wander. What has happened to my self-control? I know I can do better, god dammit! I’ve structured my life around the self-control I’ve cultivated and, right now, in this very moment, it’s all slipping away so quickly.

“Thanks, guys,” Jack says, “I really appreciate the support. Not going to lie, I was a little frightened to tell you about my loose retirement plans. I don’t know why, but I was nervous. What I’m not nervous about is leaving you two in charge.” Jack enthusiastically points to Whit and me. “It’ll be like a trial run for all of us – me with retirement and you two with running Bingham Law Offices. I have faith in all of us.”

I’m already excited by what Jack taking this chance means. I do a mental fist pump because this is what Whit and I have been hoping for ever since we got started with Jack. No hostile takeovers or aggressive changes of powers – that’s not the type of relationship we all have – just one day Jack handing over the reins to the two of us. We just look up to him so much. Our families never paid much attention to either one of us. I wouldn’t say our parents were mean, just inattentive. Jack was always there for us and when we joined him at Bingham Law Offices, it felt like he was preparing us for this very moment. The moment where the two of us get to take the reins from him and show just how well he’s trained us. I have faith in us, too.

Whit claps his hands with excitement and sits forward in his seat. “Aw, Jack! That’s what I love to hear. I promise we won’t let you down.”

I echo the sentiment, thanking Jack for always believing in the two of us, “That goes for me, too. And thanks for trusting us with the firm. We’ll do good by it and by you.”

Jack looks happy with our words, but he has more to tell us. It’s not hard to tell, he’s kind of an open book, and whatever news he’s dying to tell us, it’s got him excited.

“There is something else I want to entrust you two with. She’s pretty important to me and I trust that you will treat her well.”

His wording confuses me, and I look to Whit who just shrugs. I feel a nervous energy coming from Chloe – different from what was going on earlier. Her mouth is scrunched up like she doesn’t want to hear what Jack is about to say next. Or maybe like she doesn’t want to be here.

“Okay, I’ll just end the suspense. Chloe, here, is going to be spending the summer in the offices as an intern. And since I’ll be on my yacht, I was hoping the two of you could show her around, teach her everything you know, and pass down the knowledge I have already passed on to you.”

My mind immediately goes dirty and then right after I mentally chastise myself. Jack is entrusting us with not only the firm, but also his daughter. His child. I can’t do anything to disappoint my boss and mentor. The man who literally gave me purpose in life. I would never be able to forgive myself if I did… But on the other end, If I don’t get myself together, I might do something I’ll end up regretting.

I look to Whit to see how he’s holding up and he doesn’t look any better. He swallows loud enough for me to hear and I would bet all my shares in the firm that he’s thinking about how we’ll be spending the next three months with Chloe without Jack here to reign us in. I feel like I need to say something, but I’m not sure what. Before I can put my foot in my mouth, Chloe pipes up.

“I need to go to the bathroom! I’ll talk to you guys later.” She pops up from her seat and flies out of the room.

“Is she okay?” I ask Jack. He looks a little concerned, but nothing I find alarming.

“Yeah. We were talking last night, and I feel like she might be a little lost, not sure what to do with her life. That’s why I thought interning at the firm would be a good idea. She seemed excited about the idea last night. Maybe she’s just nervous about her first day. But, personally, I think this will be a good way for her to channel her energy. She’s a firecracker and needs somewhere to focus herself. I just want her to happy, is all.”

I nod. I hope I wasn’t making Chloe nervous. I was being kind of intense. Mental note – don’t stare at her too much. I don’t want her feeling uncomfortable in the workplace, especially if it’s her own father’s firm. If she brings it up, I’ll apologize. I don’t want her to be turned off working here. Jack asked us to treat her well and that’s exactly what we’ll do.

“We’ll take care of her, we promise,” I tell him.

Whit gets up and I follow. Jack stands up to hug us both goodbye.

“Have a good time on his cruise!” Whit says smiling enthusiastically.  

We head to Whit’s office to talk about everything that has just happened. It’s going to be a doozy of a conversation. Mainly because we’re both trying to cover up our impromptu erections.