Secret Affairs

THREE

It had been a few weeks, and we had finally moved in to the new office building. I had for the most part avoided Nathaniel, everything went through our assistants, and our meetings involved other people. Eventually we would have to speak to one another, but I could do without the boasting.

“I love it Sammy! You did so good,” I told my best friend over the phone. Sam had designed the top floor office space for us, and it looked phenomenal. The colors were muted, the furniture was modern, yet somehow classic, and the large windows allowed light to enter the space. Sam’s taste was exquisite.

“I’m so happy you liked it! I hope your Co-CEO also thinks so,” she responded over speaker phone. I could hear the grin on her face. This was the equivalent of telling a chef their food was delicious. This was Sam’s art.

If Nathaniel had anything bad to say about the office he could keep it to himself. There was nothing wrong with the design or decor, but he may be nit-picky and say something mean just to piss me off. “He can shove it if he has a problem. You did amazing!” I loved Sam and hearing her this happy was a gift on its own. I wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt her feelings, especially not Nathaniel Peters asshole extraordinaire.

Daniel knocked on the door forcing me to look up from my screen. He was standing in a well-tailored maroon suit. I had forgotten I was on the phone with Sam as I gawked at him shamelessly. Daniel leaned against the door frame with a slight smile tugging at his lips. “Hey let me call you back, Daniel is here,” I told Sam while I looked for my phone to turn it off. She screamed a few profane comments about f*****g before I managed to end the call.

He had obviously heard if the huge smirk on his face was any indication, but he refrained from say anything. “You want to get lunch with me?” Daniel asked.

“You know I don’t do lunch.” I hated taking breaks during office hours for something as menial as food. He knew that, and yet he insisted on watching me eat. Daniel had every reason to think I wasn’t eating. I had dealt with disordered eating for years, but I’d been staying healthy since. There was no cause for concern.

Daniel walked closer to my desk and stood there unyielding. I hated when he got like this, he was more boyfriend than f**k buddy and I refused to allow that to happen. “We can talk about the company if you want,” he compromised.

I thought it over for a minute, and finally agreed. As long as we weren’t wasting time, and he wanted to discuss the company, I could make an exception. After all, there was only one-time wasting activity I preferred during office hours. But since he wanted to eat, I guess I could be accommodating. I grabbed my coat and phone and followed Daniel towards the elevator.

“Where are you two off to?” Nathaniel asked from his office door stopping us in our tracks.

I wanted to ignore him; I really did. But if we would be working together, one of us had to be the bigger person, and I didn’t see him doing that anytime soon. “Lunch,” I answered flatly.

“You should join us,” Daniel suggested. I about gouged my eyes out. I was willing to be polite to the man, but I wasn’t ready to go on a friendly outing with him.

“I’m sure Mr. Peters has better things to do.”

Nathaniel smiled at me, his eyes darkening with amusement. “Actually, I think I will join you.” He started talking to Daniel about who knows what, and walked ahead of me, as I trudged behind. I was already dreading going to lunch, but now I had to deal with Nathaniel as well.

We soon arrived at the restaurant, after a short drive in Peters’ car. He insisted on driving, so I sat in the backseat silently looking over my calendar, not paying much attention to either of the men in the front seat. They seemed to be getting along well. Perhaps I was overreacting, and Nathaniel Peters wasn’t that bad.

The waiter showed us our table, but before I could choose a seat, both Daniel and Nathaniel pulled one out for me next to them. I didn’t know whose seat to take. No, I did know, but the scowl Nathaniel was giving me was a direct order if I’d ever seen one.

Their auras were so imposing. I had never felt small in a room full of business men, but in front of these two, I felt like prey. Nathaniel naturally commanded attention, but Daniel was sweet and understanding, unless you tested him.

I chose to sit next to Daniel, not bothering to look up at either one of them. They could have their c**k fight when I wasn’t around. I didn’t care for it.

“What can I get you?” The server interrupted the deafening silence. I was grateful for this kid. He seemed nervous, his hands were twitching as he held his little notepad and he couldn’t make eye contact with me. I wasn’t sure if he was just new here, or if I wasn’t the only one feeling the tension.

“I’ll just have a water,” I answered him as I handed over my menu.

Daniel turned to glare at me. “You’re not eating anything?”

“I’m not hungry.” I said I would come, not that I would eat. He had told me we could talk about the business and that was exactly what I would do. Apparently, this wasn’t the correct response because he gave me that stern ‘you need to eat’ look.

“She’ll have the steak,” Peters told the kid. He quickly nodded, jotting down the order as Daniel and Nathaniel relayed their orders and sent him off.

I wanted to throttle Peters, who did he think he was ordering for me. Not even Daniel had the gall to do that, but I was at least f*****g him. “I said I’m not hungry,” I seethed through clenched teeth.

Nathaniel didn’t even bother looking up from his phone before answering. “I didn’t ask.” I wanted to scream and pull my hair out at his short answers. As if we must not question what his highness decrees. But if he thought I was going to do as he said, he would see that I’m not so easy to order around. I’d become the biggest annoyance he’d have to deal with.

While we waited for their food to be served, they somehow ended up discussing what universities they attended. Peters made a smug comment about an Ivy League education assuming that Daniel also attended one. “I didn’t go to an Ivy if that’s what you’re asking.”

Nathaniel seemed surprised, there weren’t many men in Daniel James’ position that didn’t have connections or an Ivy education. “So, where did you go?” He leaned forward on his forearms and asked.

“I went to Berkeley on an athletic scholarship,” Daniel replied. He was incredibly proud of that fact. Unlike Nathaniel and I, Daniel didn’t come from a wealthy family that could have paid for any university. He was able to attend Berkeley on a swimming scholarship. He interned throughout college, and then after he graduated, gave up swimming and got a job at one of the former company branches.

That’s what drew me to him. Daniel wasn’t entitled and felt like the world owed him everything. The men I have had to deal with have all been entitled and self-righteous, I mean look at Nathaniel Peters, king of his own world.

A little while later, the waiter returned with three plates of food. I sat there staring at it. It smelled delicious, but I had to show restraint and self-control. If I didn’t get a handle on myself, I would binge eat, then hate myself and go vomit.

“Eat,” Nathaniel ordered as he began cutting into his steak. The steak’s aroma hugged my nose tempting me so much. “We won’t be leaving until you finish that meal.”

I blinked back the desire I had to eat and composed myself. “Then you can both stay here,” I said getting up from my seat.

“Sit down Rowan,” Daniel growled lowly surprising me. I had never submitted to anyone, yet here I was taking my seat once again. I felt like a scolded child. I was confused. Why had I actually listened? My thought process was getting me nowhere besides the corner of flustered and upset.

Nathaniel simply smirked and pointed at the plate of food in front of me with his knife signaling for me to eat. “I didn’t think my two daddies cared so much for my health,” I scowled. My own father didn’t even care, I had to work myself out on my own. I didn’t even realize it was an issue until Sam pointed it out. By then it was too late, habits had formed that were almost impossible to break. But I did. And now they were forcing me to eat. Daniel knew, but I had a feeling Nathaniel was just being an asshole per usual.

Daniel didn’t respond to my quip, just handed me cutlery. “Eat. your. food.” Nathaniel commanded looking straight at me. His honey eyes burning bright as if asking me to challenge him. And I didn’t, for the first time I was mildly afraid of what would happen if I outright challenged him in public.

“I’m not a petulant child,” I complained, but did as they said anyways. I didn’t have a car, and I didn’t need to start an argument in front of all these people. I could already feel their eyes boring down on me.

“Then stop acting like one and eat.”

So, I did.

Somewhere buried deep down inside me told me to follow orders. I had no idea what came over me. I wanted their approval. I wanted Nathaniel Peters’ approval, and I hated myself a little more. With every bite I took his smug smile grew a little bigger.

Daniel may have done it because he genuinely cared, but Peters was trying to prove something. Prove that he was above me and that I was submitting. I gave in too easily. That would no doubt have to change.

The entire ride back to the office I sat there silently, obediently. I didn’t have time to think about all the food I had just eaten. I was already planning how to avoid following Peters’ orders, or Daniel’s for that matter.

Apparently having daddy issues didn’t only affect my self-esteem and self-perception. I knew my father screwed me up more than I cared to admit.

As soon as we made it to the top floor Daniel stopped me. “Rowan I need to speak to you,” he told me without room for questioning. What had gotten into him lately? He rarely called me Rowan, it was always Ro. I nodded my head towards my office in silent affirmation. Nathaniel stopped to speak to his assistant giving us a chance to slip away without question.

Once my door closed, I turned to face Daniel clearly upset. My arms instinctively crossed themselves, protecting myself, creating a barrier between him and I. “If you think you’re getting s*x after forcing me to eat than you have another thing coming,” I angrily spat.

“This isn’t about s*x Ro. I don’t have a one-track mind,” he corrected. Perhaps I was the one with a one-track mind.

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“Rowan,” the deep timbre of his voice vibrated.

“Fine, what’s this about?” I conceded. I had been doing that a lot today. Maybe I was fundamentally broken? That would explain everything.

He urged me to sit down, as if what he was preparing me for was bad news. “A few months ago, when I was reviewing my annual report, I found a discrepancy.”

“Okay?” Errors happened all the time, and if he found it, then it could easily be rectified. He didn’t have to sit me down to tell me. If anything, he should have refrained from telling me, now he sounds incompetent. But Daniel didn’t make errors.

He brushed his fingers through his sandy blonde hair and blew out a breath. I hadn’t noticed until now, but he seemed more stressed than usual. I was a terrible friend and so self-absorbed. Peters and I weren’t so different after all. “I went back and found my original copy, they’re different. So, I went to your father and asked him for the report he had on file for last year. He didn’t think anything of it. I checked his copy with mine and it was different as well. Ro, someone’s been altering the final reports once they get past me.”

“What does that mean, maybe it’s just a mistake,” I tried justifying. There was no way someone was doing this on purpose.

“I don’t make mistakes. You know that,” he said in a huff as if I had offended him. “It means someone has been forging the reports to account for missing money.” Someone had been stealing money from the company? Is that why my father agreed to merge with Peters? But wouldn’t that put their assets at risk as well. Unless Nathaniel already knew.

“Who would do that?” I asked running through every name I could think of. The person would need high level clearance in order to get access to Daniel’s reports and access to my father to give him the falsified one. I looked towards the wall, on the other side sat Janet. She had been my father’s loyal assistant for years and was now working for me. There was no way she would do this, but she would have the access to everything.

“I’m not sure. I informed your father of what I found and he said he’d look into it. Then the merger happened and he didn’t update me before you and Nathaniel took over,” he explained. I wouldn’t put it past my father to leave me out of the loop once again. Apparently he’d been doing that pretty often. But there was no reason he shouldn’t have informed me about this, I could’ve helped.

“Is that why Nathaniel wanted to talk to you the other day?” Of course, Nathaniel knew, and of course he wouldn’t tell me. Now he was having secret meetings with Daniel, and now Daniel was keeping secrets. Could I trust no man in my life? No, of course not. I couldn’t trust any of them as far as I could throw them.

“Among other things,” Daniel answered.

Other things? He was still not being one hundred percent honest with me and he was just pissing me off. “What other things?”

“It’s nothing to concern yourself with.”

He was shutting me out and I hated it. Everyone was keeping their little secrets, but I needed to know if I was going to help run this company effectively. “It is my concern if it has to do with the company,” I argued back.

“It doesn’t, not really,” he said brushing me off. “When I asked your father if this would impact the merger, he said it wouldn’t be a problem.” So, he must have taken care of it before he stepped down. That was why he didn’t say anything. The issue had been dealt with. I knew I was only hoping for the best, but I also knew that whatever this was wasn’t over.

“Fuck.” I mumbled under my breath. Daniel was right to ask me to sit down, I would be on the floor hugging my knees rocking back and forth.

“Which means he hasn’t found anything, or—”

“He knows who it is.”