Sugar Daddies (51 page)

I nodded, gestured to our meeting room. “Of course. Be my guest.”

I flashed Katie a smile as I went, mouthed
it’s ok
in response to her horror.

But the clock was ticking.

It seemed my brutal honesty would likely get another outing after all.

It came even sooner than I expected. The buffet was in full swing when David’s hand slapped on my shoulder, and his expression was friendly but serious.

“We need to talk.”

I nodded. “Yes. We do.”

Katie’s eyes followed us as we left the training suite, and this time it was for another meeting area, far away from inquisitive ears. I closed the door behind us, and David remained standing. I did, too.

“I know I don’t need to ask you for honesty, Carl.”

“No,” I said. “You don’t.”

“I’ve heard a rumour…”

“Yes,” I said. “Katie and I are in a relationship.” I met his eyes, held firm. “I wanted to tell you. I’m sure you understand why I didn’t. The secrecy didn’t rest easy with me, I can assure you.”

He paced. Nodded his head. “How long?”

The admission was the only thing that made me uncomfortable. “Before she joined the programme. Before I knew she was your daughter.”

I could see the shock in his face. “That’s quite some time, Carl.”

“I know,” I said. “I’m sorry this is the first you’re hearing about it. Genuinely, David. But with Katie being your daughter, with your relationship being as it was, and her participation in the internship programme complicating matters, I felt it best to let time… take its course.” I sighed. “I wasn’t hiding things with any subversive intent, David. I’m not ashamed.”

“I had my suspicions,” he said, and his eyes pierced me. “Is it serious?”

“Very.”

He nodded again. “You’re a good man, Carl. I have nothing but respect for you, and under the majority of circumstances I would wholly support your relationship with my daughter.”

Such a mix of emotions churned in my stomach, but his praise hit hardest of all. “Thank you,” I said. “That means a lot.” I paused. “What do you mean by the majority of circumstances?”

He didn’t sugarcoat the issue. “Rick,” he said. “Where is Rick in all of this?”

I didn’t sugarcoat the issue, either. “Exactly where you’d expect,” I said. “Rick is very much in all of this.”

He raised his eyebrows. “What is this? Some kind of…
orgy
?”

I shook my head, unable to resist a smirk. “It’s no
orgy
, David. We’re a polyamorous couple, Rick and I, have been for years.” I stared at him. “You know that.”

“Yes, I know that.” He sighed. “But I didn’t… she’s my daughter, Carl.”

“I’m aware of that.” I didn’t break eye contact. “I always felt you supported mine and Rick’s relationship, David. We both count you as a friend.”

“And I
am
a friend, of both of you.” He took a seat, and I followed his lead and took one, too. “You know I like Rick, Carl. I’ve always liked Rick. I like both of you.”

“But?”

“But I’m not sure…” he sighed again. “This isn’t what I imagined for my daughter. It makes it…”

“Different?” I raised an eyebrow. “So, you support our relationship just so long as it doesn’t involve a member of your close circle, is that what you’re saying? That it’s conditional, David?
Do what you want, just so long as it’s not in my backyard
?”

“No,” he held up his hands. “That’s not what I’m saying.”

But he was saying it, that’s exactly what he was saying.

“We love Katie very much,” I said. “Both of us.”

“And she feels the same?”

I smiled. “I would hope so. I certainly believe so. Feel free to ask her for yourself.”

He fixed me in a stare. “Would you not consider making a choice, Carl? If you chose to be with Katie, I’d be very happy about the situation.”

I stared right back. “I’m not even going to grace that question with an answer, David.”

“You must understand,” he said. “She’s my daughter, Carl, she’s my little girl.”

“And she’s very happy. We’re all very happy.”

He sighed. “You’d understand,” he said. “If you had a daughter.”

“With all due respect, I wouldn’t,” I said. “Love is love, David. Commitment is commitment. Integrity and consideration and communication, honesty and genuine care, compassion, support… those are the things that make a worthwhile relationship, whether that’s two people, or three people, or ten people.” I willed him to listen. To understand. “We have all of those things, so no, David, I wouldn’t understand the preference of the status quo over a situation where three people have found genuine happiness. I’m sorry if our relationship disappoints you, honestly I am, your opinion matters to me very much, but I am not ashamed of loving your daughter, and I’m not ashamed of loving Rick. I’m not ashamed, David, and I have no intention of leaving either one of them.”

He pointed a finger in my direction, smiled. “This is why you’d make such an excellent partner for my daughter, Carl. You have such integrity, such honour. I’ve always respected that in you.”

“I hope I
do
make an excellent partner for your daughter. Maybe you should ask her before you come to any conclusions about our situation.”

“Maybe I will,” he said.

“Please do.” I got to my feet. “We have a celebration to attend, if we’re done?”

He waited, staring up at me. “I can’t say I’m alright with this, Carl.”

“So don’t. Don’t say anything until you know what you
can
say.”

He rose from the table, and I looked at the man I’d come to respect to highly. He was still a strong man, still proud. His grey hair was thinner than it once was, but he was still an attractive man, still a charismatic, dynamic, driven leader. He held out a hand and I took it.

“Please don’t feel this is a reflection on my feelings towards you, Carl. I respect everything you’ve done for me, not least for building bridges between Katie and I. I know that was you, I know what you did for me.”

“I did that for both of you,” I said. “And maybe that’s where you should be putting your attention. We’re really no threat to Katie’s happiness, Rick and I. We’ll do the right thing by her, always.”

“I know,” he said. “I just need some time, to make sense of my outlook.”

“Take all the time you need, David. We’ll all be right here when you want to talk.”

He nodded, and I opened the door.

“Psst,” Katie said. She had a party hat on her head, a golden crown with garish glitter stars. I raised an eyebrow and she smiled. “Ryan brought them in. Mine’s the queen one, isn’t it cool?”

“Very.”

She took a breath. “What did he say? My dad, I mean. What was all that about?”

“He knows,” I said, and her eyes widened.

“And…?”

“And it’s a lot to take in. I was honest, he knows the situation.”

“Shit,” she said.

“No,” I argued. “It’s not shit. It’s a relief.”

She shrugged. “Honesty’s the best policy, right?”

“Always, Katie.” I smiled. “Always.”

“He’s still here.” She looked over at him. “That’s got to be a good sign.”

“He is indeed, and I hope so.” I pulled her close, took her hand in mine. “And a little birdie told me you may well have an envelope to match your crown. Maybe you’ll even appreciate it this time.”

“Maybe I will,” she said.

I handed her a champagne and we raised our glasses to David across the room.

He only hesitated a second before he raised his in return.

We stayed on late to clear up, the least I could do for the cleaners. We’d made quite a mess of the buffet, and someone had been thoughtful enough to bring party poppers, the whole room was covered in coloured strings.

Katie mucked in, and she was giggling, happy on champagne.

“When am I going to spend my vouchers?” she said, casting paper plates into the recycling bin. “I’ll be able to buy a whole winter wardrobe at this rate.”

I gave her a smile. “Whenever you want. Rick will love that.”

“And you,” she said. “Mr Suave.”

I gathered up the last of the streamers, dumped them in the bin. Finally the place looked respectable, respectable enough for a regular clean at the weekend.

“Weekend calling,” I said, and Katie downed the rest of her drink, tossed the plastic flute in the recycling.

She moved back to her old desk, dropped into her seat, and spun around and around as she laughed.

“That’s probably not the wisest move,” I said, and stopped her.

She stared up at me with a grin. “Spoil sport. I’m just saying goodbye.”

“I don’t want a sick-splattered car, thank you very much.” She poked out her tongue and I pinched it. “This isn’t the end,” I said. “You’ll be back on Monday, the marketing suite is only downstairs.”

“But it’s the end of all this.” She gestured to the room. “Of us working together.”

I shook my head. “I’ll still be involved, Katie, this is still my programme.”

“Yeah, but still,” she said. “You know what I mean.”

I did know what she meant, but I didn’t say so.

She reached up for my tie, smoothed it down. “I won’t be able to perv over you anymore.”

“You’ll have to get your fix in the mornings.”

Her eyes twinkled. “Do they have any hot studs in marketing?”

I pretended to think about it. “Maybe one or two. If you like redheads in heels.”

Her fingers wrapped around my tie, pulled me down as she smiled.

“What?” I said.

“We were interrupted. I didn’t get the rest of my kiss.”

“You can get it at home.”

But she shook her head. “It’s a celebration, I want it here, where we’re celebrating.”

I kissed her quickly, but her fingers tangled in my hair, and her breath was warm. She held me to her, and her lips opened against mine, her tongue needy and demanding.

My resolve crumbled, and I kissed her back. Between us the chair was pushed away, and she was in my arms, hitched onto the desk, her ankles hooking my legs, her fingers on my belt.

“Wait,” I said. “Rick.”

“I want you in the office,” she said. “I’ve wanted this since day one. I’ve wanted this every day from day one.”

And so had I. Fuck how I’d wanted to take her at her desk since day one.

“We shouldn’t,” I said, but her lips were still hungry for mine, her fingers already inside my boxers to wrap around my cock,

“We’ll make it up to Rick when we get home,” she said. “We can suck him off together, you and me. He’d like that.”

So would I. My dick twitched.

“It’s not right… behind his back.”

She took her hands from my cock and I groaned, but she was only reaching for my phone. She took it from my pocket, worked my cock in one hand as she scrolled through my recently dialled list.

“Call him,” she said. “Ask him if he minds.”

My breath hitched. “This is a line we haven’t crossed, Katie.”

She shrugged, worked my dick a little bit harder and it felt too fucking good. “Call him, Carl. If he minds, we’ll stop.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

She smirked. “If he doesn’t, I want you to fuck me, right here, right now. Over my desk with my knickers around my knees and my skirt hitched around my waist. Just like an office fuck should be, Carl. Just like I dreamed of.”

“Shit,” I groaned, but I was dialling. The tone was ringing.

Katie dropped to her knees as Rick answered, sucked my cock into her mouth as he said hello.

“Rick,” I said, and my voice was ragged. “I’ve got to ask you…”

“Fuck,” he said. “Fuck, Carl, are you fucking her?”

I closed my eyes, tried to still my thrusting hips. “No… yes… we can stop…”

He was quiet for a second.

“We can stop, Rick. Just say the word.”

But he didn’t.

“Don’t fucking stop!” he said. “I was just getting my fucking cock out.”

I smiled, took a fistful of Katie’s hair.

“Loudspeaker,” he said. “I want to hear everything.”

I put him on speaker and dropped it in the IN tray, and Katie let out a little squeal as I pulled her from my cock and onto her feet.

I hitched up her skirt, and pushed her back against her workstation, toppling her onto the desk as I dropped to my knees.

I pressed my mouth to her sweet cunt and she was wet. Her knickers were soaked through. I
pulled them down slowly and she moaned for me, moaned for Rick.

And then I licked her, long strokes of my tongue until she was bucking. Until her clit was a hard little bullet, and she was spread wide open. I sucked her between my lips and grunted my approval, and her pussy ate up my fingers as I pushed them inside. Three, straight to the knuckle, and she squirmed and begged for more.