Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Briggs
“Te prometo que Barrett te tratará con justicia. Tratar con él es como tratar conmigo.” I promise Barrett will treat you fairly. Dealing with him is like dealing with me.
Antonio Torres, my office manager in Madrid, wasn’t easy or fun.
Antonio was one of my first hires when I purchased two office buildings in the city and opened the second real estate management office in Europe.
I liked Antonio, but Antonio didn’t like me because I didn’t make him a partner in York Properties, as he’d let me know in a scathing email I’d received the day after the holiday parties.
Back when Antonio came on board, I had a very small operation, and the idea of taking on partners never entered my mind.
As a matter of fact, I hadn’t taken on any partners until Barrett came back on the scene.
He was someone I could trust and someone who would run the business the way I did. It was a match made in heaven.
“I speak English, Briggs. I have for years. What do I know about Barrett Tarry? Nothing. You never mentioned you were taking on partners. I’d have been happy to buy in.”
Yeah, he wasn’t thrilled at all, but if he knew the truth—that I wasn’t going to have a very active part in the business much longer—he’d probably quit. Barrett needed him, so I couldn’t let that happen.
“Antonio, I’m pulling back from being the lead on our holdings.
Barrett worked for the company before he became a prosecutor, and when I was able to entice him back, I did it immediately.
Barrett will be picking up the slack while I back away for a while, and he’ll do a fantastic job.
Now, if you want to buy up my holdings in Madrid, make me an offer. I’m in the mood to deal.”
A two-beat knock echoed in my office as I glanced up to see Barrett at the door. I motioned him inside and held my finger to my lips. Thankfully, I was on a phone call, not a video call.
“You know I don’t have that kind of cash, Briggs. Don’t cut me out yet, okay? Let me see what I can do,” Antonio said.
“You’ve got until the first of the year, Antonio. Then, I put the properties on the block. Do your best.” I ended the call.
“Who was that?” Barrett asked.
“Antonio Torres in Madrid. He’s pissed because I didn’t make him a partner. He’s an asshole, but he’s well-connected. I’d say reach out to him after the first of the year. You ready to go?” I asked. We were going to Leather & Lollipops for the littles’ party that night.
“I am. Do we need to worry about Antonio Torres?” Barrett asked.
“We don’t need to worry about anything until January second. Let me drop this off.” I motioned toward the stack on my desk.
“Yep. Maizie said Teller is picking her up and they’ll meet us at the club.”
I packed up my shit and turned off the lights in my office, following Barrett out to Madeline’s desk. Madeline came into the office on Tuesdays and Fridays during the break to ensure the continuity of the business, so I left the files from my outbox on her desk since I wouldn’t be in the next day.
“You got the ring?” I asked my friend as we walked to the elevator.
Barrett flashed me the box from the pocket of his topcoat, and we were off, hoping that at the end of the night, our Christmas wishes would come true.
The men’s room was empty as I changed from my work suit to another.
It fit me like a glove, and I loved it. I pulled on the red velvet hat that wasn’t the one Mistress Geraldine had shown me, and I looked into the mirror.
It was easy to see my true identity, but that was fine.
I’d kept the secret for a few weeks more than I’d wanted, and I was anxious to see Teller’s response to seeing me in the suit he created.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
I unlocked the bathroom door to see Barrett with a big grin. He handed me the box, which I put into my other pocket, and he adjusted my hat. “Thank you for doing this, Briggs. I appreciate it.”
“You’re more than welcome. We’re a great team, Barrett. I can’t wait until we reorganize York Properties. We’ve both got a bright future. I’m glad we’ll be spending it with the people we love.”
I stepped out of the men’s room and walked down the hall to where Mistress Geraldine was standing in all her leather catsuit glory. She had a large brass bell and a black satin bag with toys. “Here you go, Santa. Thank you for dropping by. We appreciate it.”
I nodded and tossed the bag over my shoulder before I began ringing the bell as I called out on my way through the club to the littles’ room. “Ho! Ho! Ho! Are there any good boys and girls here?”
When I approached the littles’ corner of the club, I was met with the most adorable sight.
Seven littles dressed in pajamas, a few of which I’d seen in Teller’s design room.
They were adorable, and as I walked into the room and took my seat on a big red throne, I glanced around until I saw my baby boy in his polar bear onesie.
His mouth was open as he recognized me in the suit he’d made. His glowing smile filled my soul.
“I have toys for special good girls and boys. Who wants to sit on Santa’s lap?”
They quickly lined up, and I opened the sack to see lots of stuffed animals. After I listened to their Christmas wishes, I let them pick a toy before I sent them on their way. The last two in line were Maizie and my Teller.
“Hello, Maizie. What can Santa bring you?” I asked, throwing my voice a bit more dramatically than usual. I saw Barrett in the back of the room with his phone, so I was hamming it up a bit, but I was excited about what was about to happen.
“Hi, Santa. I’d like a pair of princess shoes, a pink umbrella, and a good year for my Daddy at the office.” She kissed my cheek, and I wanted to hug her tightly, but I waited, pulling the box out of the pocket of my red velvet coat.
“I have this for you, Maizie. I think my helper wants to take over,” I said as I stood from the chair and motioned Barrett over.
Removing my hat, I plopped it on Barrett’s head when he took my place, and I stepped off the riser to stand beside my Teller. He wrapped his arm around my waist. “I had a feeling it was you. Those measurements perfectly matched yours, Daddy.”
I kissed the top of his head. “I can’t get anything by you, sweet boy.”
We both laughed as we watched Barrett propose to Maizie with a beautiful engagement ring. She said yes, and they both cried. It was absolutely beautiful to see them so happy, and when they posed for pictures, I was sure their joy would be clearly evident.
I glanced at Teller in his cute polar bear pajamas. “Do you want to go play with Santa?”
He smirked. “Not how you think I want to play. I can play with toys anytime, but right now, I want to have my own personal Santa all to myself. You wanna leave?”
My sweet baby boy could read minds as well. What a lucky Daddy was I?
We hurried out of the club and to the Bronco in the parking lot, and in fifteen minutes, Teller pulled into the garage. We ran inside, and I had the pleasure of Teller giving Santa a blowjob in the kitchen before we went up to bed and I got an early Christmas gift.
The real Santa couldn’t have been happier than me at that moment.