27. Darby
Darby
Another morning to wake up with the love of my life in my arms. I’m the luckiest man in the world.
I’m already smiling from my sleep, and I turn to look at her. Selene lies next to me, her red hair spilling over the pillow, one arm tucked under her cheek. Her lips are slightly parted, her chest rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm.
I watch her for a moment, letting it sink in. She’s here. She’s really here, and she’s not going anywhere. I won’t let her. I lean in, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. She stirs slightly, mumbling something incoherent. I smile against her skin and kiss her again.
And again.
And again.
She groans, her hand coming up to swat at me. “Darby…”
I chuckle, moving to her jaw, then her nose, then the corner of her mouth. She giggles, finally opening her eyes. “Okay, okay! I’m up.” I pull back slightly, taking in her sleepy expression.
She stretches, her body arching slightly beneath the sheets. “Why are you…oh. You’re going to work, aren’t you?” She asks, then scoots closer to me. “Why don’t you stay for breakfast?”
I groan as my cock stirs at the proximity. I’m under her spell, and I love it. “Don’t tempt me, Selene.”
She pouts. “Come on. Leo would love it.”
That’s exactly why I can’t stay. “If I see him, I won’t be able to leave,” I admit.
“Like yesterday, one thing would lead to the next, and I’ll get consumed with spending every second of every day with him.
With both of you. By the end of the week, I’ll be removed from my position as the president. ”
She smiles, and her expression softens. I know she understands. I reach for her, brushing a thumb over her lower lip. “I have to go. But I’ll be back later.”
“You’re lucky I like you.”
I grin. “I am, aren’t I?”
She rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling wider now I kiss her one last time before getting out of bed. I take a quick shower and head to my walk-in closet.
In the closet, I stare at the rows of suits hanging neatly in place. Then I hear the sound of Selene’s footsteps as she walks to stand beside me with her arms crossed. She looks around the closet. “You own a lot of navy.”
I smirk. “It’s a power color.”
She shakes her head. “You sound like an old businessman.”
I turn to face her, grabbing her waist and pulling her close. “I am an old businessman.”
She laughs, pushing me away. “Let me pick your outfit today.”
“Are you saying I have bad taste in fashion?” I ask, and she rolls her eyes.
“I’m saying I want to pick your outfit. It’s a cute thing to do as your woman. Now, shoo.” She pushes me aside, and I watch as she moves through the closet, fingers grazing over fabrics. She stops, pulling out a charcoal gray suit. “This one,” she says.
I raise an eyebrow. “You sure?”
She nods. “It’ll make your eyes look even greener.”
“I already look good, Selene. What will you do if all the women in the office start drooling over me and become more obsessed than they already are?”
“Obviously.” She hands me a crisp white shirt. “You’ll tell them you’re taken, and your woman bites.”
I take it and smile. Then I pull her into my arms again and kiss her till we’re both breathless. I find the strength to pull away. “Can I come to your house after work? I want to know more about this biting thing you speak of.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah. I don’t mind a little pain with my pleasure,” I murmur and kiss her again. When she feels my cock press against her abdomen, she laughs and pulls back.
“Please go to work and make sure you keep your job as the president.”
She leaves the room giving me a few minutes to get my raging cock under control.
On the drive to work, I hum to myself and drum against the steering wheel. I’m already fantasizing about making love to Selene and sleeping in her arms again.
Fine, the making love part might be out of it since she shares a room with Leo, but I would not mind sharing a bed with both of them. Waking up to my son and my woman in my arms sounds like heaven.
When I get to a red light, I pull my phone from the passenger seat and dial a number. The line rings once. Twice. Then, a familiar voice answers.
“Darby Stone. Now there’s a name I didn’t expect to see on my screen.”
“Clint. It’s been a while.”
“No kidding.” There’s a pause. “So, what’s with the call? Didn’t think you had any use for me these days.”
I glance out the window, the morning sun bouncing off the glass of the skyscrapers. “I…need a favor.”
Silence. Then I hear a chuckle. “Darby Stone is asking for a favor. This should be interesting.”
I shift gears, merging onto the highway as I start discussing with Clint the favor I have in mind. By the time the call ends, pulling into my parking space. He promises to get back to me.
My mood remains high as I walk into the building. I even greet a few of my employees and smile at a stranger in the elevator. Nothing can ruin my day or soil my newfound happiness.
I am beyond happy, until…
Aden is sitting in front of my desk.
Waiting.
The sight of him takes my mood from a solid hundred to a minus twenty. That’s because of the expression on his face. I know it all too well, and I’ve seen a lot of it recently. His arms rest on the chair’s armrests, his fingers tapping lightly against the leather.
With a deep, calming breath, I close the door behind me and straighten my cuffs. “You’re here early,” I say in the plainest voice I can muster.
Aden doesn’t respond right away. He just watches me. Then, slowly, he leans forward. “We need to fire Selene.”
I freeze.
It’s a split second. A moment so brief most people wouldn’t notice it. But Aden does.
I recover quickly, walking over to my chair and sinking into it with practiced ease. I clasp my hands together on the desk, tilting my head slightly.
“Why?”
Aden exhales sharply. “A source reached out to me this morning. There are pictures.”
“Pictures of what?”
“Of you. Of Selene. And a little boy, who, by the way, he said looked a lot like you.” I don’t blink. Aden leans back, watching my reaction. “Tell me it’s not what I think it is.”
I remain silent.
He curses under his breath. “Jesus, Darby.”
The door opens before I can respond. Garrett steps in, glancing between the two of us. He takes in my calm facade and Aden’s gritted teeth, and then he sighs. “I guess you’ve already heard,” he says.
Aden nods. Garrett sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. Then, his sharp gaze lands on me. “What’s going on with you, Darby? Have you forgotten why we made you the president of this company? How hard we’ve all had to work to get to where we are?”
I arch an eyebrow.
“You used to be careful,” he continues, stepping closer. “You used to think things through.” He crosses his arms. “Now? You’re out in public, playing house with a woman and a child that could ruin everything.”
Something hot and defensive rises in my chest. But I keep my expression neutral.
I could tell them that I’m in love and I’m not just playing house.
I know that they would understand that more than anyone, seeing as they are both madly in love.
But I’m angry now. At the fact that they just assumed I fell back into my reckless lifestyle and the fact that they didn’t come here to ask me, they came here to accuse me.
I don’t feel the need to explain myself to either of them.
My anger has always been my greatest flaw. It’s a habit I know I need to fix.
For now, I just let them continue.
Aden sighs. “This isn’t just about you, Darby.
If rumors spread that you have an illegitimate son with the woman who we just recently hired, it’s going to be crazy.
There would be a lot of speculations. Have you been in a relationship with this woman before?
Does this mean you’ve been sleeping around even though you had a child?
Do you even love this woman? It’s going to be a disaster. ”
Garrett nods. “And no amount of charity events or positive PR will fix that.”
Silence stretches between us. Aden glances at Garrett, then looks back at me. “The best thing we can do is cut ties before this gets out of hand.”
I stay still. Aden continues, his voice level. “We’ll pay Selene extra for the article. Then bring in another journalist to publish it under their name.”
Garrett crosses his arms. “She gets a paycheck. You get your reputation intact. Everyone wins.”
I don’t move. I just let their words hang in the air. They’re still not asking me the right questions. They think this is just another problem to fix. Another scandal to bury before it reaches the surface.
They don’t know.
They don’t understand what this means to me. They don’t understand that, for the first time in my life, I have something real. Something more important than power or reputation and even this company. I could tell them now, but I don’t.
“I want to organize a full company meeting.”
Aden frowns. “What?”
“I want it covered by the media.” I glance between them. “Before we make any further moves. Call all our reporters and journalists, and have them attend this meeting. I need to address them properly.”
Garrett shifts. “Darby—”
I raise a hand. “This is still my doing and in my court. We do this my way. No firing. No paying anyone off. Not yet. You still have faith in me, don’t you?”
Aden stares at me, his expression unreadable. Garrett studies me for a second. Then he nods slowly. “Fine.”
Aden exhales sharply, rubbing his temples. “We need to be careful with this.”
I nod. “We will be. Let’s set it up for the day after tomorrow. We can get right ahead of things.”
Aden doesn’t look convinced. But he doesn’t argue. When the numbers don’t add up, he can’t be convinced. Garrett clasps a hand on my shoulder before turning toward the door. Aden stands, watching me for a moment longer before following Garrett out.
The door shuts behind them, and I release a breath.
I can pull this off, but I don’t know who it’s going to benefit or who it’s going to hurt. I’m just going to do what I’ve always done. Trust my instincts and go for it.