14. Michael
The four Littles were all fast asleep under a heap of cushions and blankets in the playroom, and for the Daddies this was a moment where things could get serious…
‘So, this piece of crap Phillip Neal…’ Max said, sipping on his bottle of beer. ‘What are you thinking, Michael?’
Michael furrowed his brow.
After all the time spent considering exactly how he would handle Phillip Neal, Michael was still far from knowing what to do. On the one hand, Michael didn’t fear Phillip at all. Michael knew he was smarter, stronger, and had already had the upper hand on Phillip once before.
But there was a difference this time – and that ‘difference’ was asleep in the playroom.
‘I can’t go all guns blazing,’ Michael said. ‘After Phillip sent that email threatening Korben’s Kandies, I know that I need to tread carefully. Phillip is still going down, but it has to be in a way that doesn’t place Korben’s business under threat.’
Max and Harrison nodded their heads in agreement.
‘I hear that,’ Harrison said, cracking open a fresh bottle of beer and handing it to Michael. ‘How we handled things in the past is different to how we handle them once we have a baby boy in our lives too. The stakes are different. It’s one thing taking risks when it’s just you, but it’s a whole other ball game when you factor in a special boy.’
‘This Phillip sonofabitch sounds pretty cocky,’ Max said, arching an eyebrow. ‘There might be weakness in his overconfidence.’
‘True,’ Michael said, his mind flashing back to the contents of Phillip’s email. ‘But I don’t think he would have come on so strong unless he had some serious money behind him. Phillip is an asshole, but he’s not stupid. He nearly pulled the wool over my eyes once, after all.’
The three Daddies took a moment to contemplate the situation.
Michael felt so fortunate to have friends like Max and Harrison. The three of them were always there to back one another up in tough times. And the longer the situation with Phillip went on, the more it felt like it could be a major roadblock in Michael and Korben’s lives.
‘I think I need to message him and set up a meeting,’ Michael said, gritting his teeth. ‘Phillip Neal is the last person I want to sit down with, but it might be the case that I can kill this drama quickly. I need to do whatever it takes to protect Korben. And if that means meeting with Phillip, then that’s what I’ll do.’
Michael looked at Max and Harrison to gauge their response.
And Michael didn’t have to wait long to find out exactly what his Daddy friends thought…
‘Do it,’ Max replied.
‘And do it right now,’ Harrison said. ‘Arrange to meet him tonight. Take back control of the situation.’
Michael nodded. This sounded like a good idea. Up to this point, it felt like it was Phillip calling the shots. But if Michael demanded to see Phillip, then that would swing the psychological advantage back into his hands.
‘Okay, let’s fucking do this,’ Michael said, taking his phone out of his pocket and tapping out a message to Phillip…
It’s time we met up. And that’s not a request. I want to see you, and I want to see you tonight. You name the place, I’ll be there. This has to end and end it will. Michael Dornan.
Michael exhaled and almost immediately saw that Phillip had responded and agreed to meet up with him that evening.
‘Slice Bar,’ Michael said, rolling his eyes.
‘The snooty members club in the Finance District?’ Harrison said, a knowing look on his face.
‘Fuck it, let’s go,’ Max laughed. ‘I wouldn’t mind sinking some vintage whisky and kicking back amongst the stuck-up assholes there.’
‘I thought we were going to play it cool?’ Harrison said, arching his eyebrow.
‘I’m kidding,’ Max said, a knowing smile on his face. ‘Well, kind of…’
‘But there’s one issue,’ Michael said, the excitement of the moment seemingly getting both of his friends pumped up. ‘What about the boys?’
‘What about us?’ Benji said, his sleepy face poking out from the playroom door. ‘What’s going on Daddy?’
Michael looked over toward Harrison. Suddenly, the situation regarding leaving the sleeping Littles didn’t seem such an issue.
‘Go back to sleep, Benji,’ Harrison said. ‘The Daddies are going out for an hour. I’ll come and give you a big kiss when I’m home. Okay?’
‘Okay, night-night Daddy,’ Benji said, rubbing his eyes and retreating back into the snug safety of the playroom.
‘Problem solved,’ Harrison said. ‘Slice Bar is only a few blocks away. A brisk walk will clear our heads and we’ll be ready to face Phillip.’
‘Sounds like a winning plan,’ Max said, looking over to Michael for confirmation.
‘Let’s do this,’ Michael said, an expression of sheer determination and focus on his face. ‘If Phillip Neal thinks he can fuck around and cause trouble for me and my boy, he’s got another thing coming. And he might be about to find that out the hard way…’
With that, the three Daddies left the sleeping Littles and exited Harrison’s penthouse.
It was time to head to Slice Bar and put the conniving Phillip Neal well and truly back in his place…
The Daddies had walked the blocks toward Slice Bar in a quiet, but intense manner. Michael could feel an anger toward Phillip Neal building up inside him the closer they got, but he knew that he had to keep that anger under control. It wouldn’t be easy, but Michael owed it to Korben to make sure that this matter was resolved.
‘Are we ready?’ Michael said, looking up at the tall, gothic-style building that housed the exclusive members only bar.
‘What about that asshole on the door?’ Max said, looking up toward the top of the entrance steps and seeing a huge, angry-looking man in a suit standing guard.
‘Trust me, I’ve got this,’ Harrison said, smiling as the three Daddies walked up toward the doorman. ‘Harrison Hawk. As in the Harrison Hawk. My friends and I would love a drink tonight.’
With that, Harrison slipped the doorman a hundred dollar bill and the three Daddies walked past the doorman and into Slice Bar’s grand lobby.
‘Damn, this place really is fancy,’ Max chuckled, his charming smile and laidback confidence seemingly not impressing a pair of stuffy old men as they walked past. ‘Pffft. They could do with some cooler clientele, though.’
Michael smiled.
Max could always be relied upon to lighten the mood. But with the three of them now inside the bar, it was time to put their game heads on and focus on what might just be an intense encounter.
‘Guys, the lounge bar is over there,’ Michael said, steeling himself. ‘You two go in ahead of me and find a seat near Phillip Neal so you can observe and get involved if needed. You remember what he looks like from my phone, right?’
‘Let’s go,’ Harrison said, nodding and walking with Max into the lounge bar at the end of the long corridor.
Michael took one final moment to gather his thoughts and focus on the target.
Using all of his business skills and the psychological markers that he had developed over the years working on huge deals with high stakes, Max calmed himself until he felt ready to go.
I’m doing this for me, and for Korben most of all.
Stay calm. Stay controlled.
Don’t give Phillip a single glimmer of opportunity…
Michael followed the same path as Max and Harrison before him and before he knew it, he was turning into the lounge bar. Immediately, Michael’s eyes fell upon Phillip…
‘Well, well, well,’ Phillip said, his slicked back blonde hair and thin lips adding to his smug disposition. ‘I wasn’t sure if you were going to show. Drink?’
Michael stood before Phillip and watched as a single flick of Phillip’s wrist saw a server scurry over with two glasses of champagne.
‘Thank you,’ Michael said, his show of politeness designed to not give away the strength of his disgust in even having to take this meeting. ‘Let’s talk.’
‘Indeed,’ Phillip replied, sipping on the champagne, and taking great pleasure in its taste. ‘This is a thousand dollar bottle, by the way.’
‘Good for you,’ Michael replied, unimpressed. ‘I’ll lay it out for you, Phillip. You need to back off my investments, and you need to stay away from Korben’s Kandies. I’m not here to negotiate, I’m here to tell you how it is. There doesn’t have to be a fallout between us. I don’t want any drama. I’m simply setting the expectations that I expect you to meet.’
With that, Michael toasted his champagne glass and waited for Phillip to counter.
Michael didn’t anticipate that Phillip would cave in and agree to his demands, but Michael was interested in seeing precisely what Phillip would fire back with. Michael knew from years of experience how to get a rival to show their hand, and he was more than confident that Phillip would fall into this trap.
Show me what you’re thinking, Phillip.
Lose your cool, act out…
Show me your weakness.
But it soon became apparent that Phillip had improved his self-control and composure since the last time the two men had met. Not only did Phillip not fall for Michael’s trap, but it became apparent that Phillip was more than capable of setting his own traps too…
‘I’m thinking that I’ll complete a takeover of each and every one of Korben’s Kandies main rivals,’ Michael said. ‘Using that as leverage, I’ll ensure that the department stores and boutique venues will only come to me. Then, of course, there’s the Japanese market too. I’ve already got that one squared off, so I’ll be more than ready to put a stop to Korben’s Kandies succeeding there too. So not only will I come after your other businesses, but I’ll make sure that Korben’s Kandies is blown out of the water at each and every turn.’
‘You’re bluffing,’ Michael said, feeling a wave of anger coming over him. ‘You’re still the devious snake you were back when I let you into my circle before booting you out as soon as I figured out who you truly were.’
‘Am I bluffing, Michael?’ Phillip enquired, sneering as he turned his phone to show an image of Korben walking out his workshop. ‘You’ll be glad to know that my men waited for Korben to leave before accessing his computer and drawing down all the company data.’
This revelation was enough to send Michael into a rage.
Michael stood up and promptly flipped the glass table that separated him and Michael.
‘You stay the fuck away from Korben!’ Michael roared, suddenly finding himself being restrained by two burly security guards, with Harrison and Max joining the melee to free him. ‘This isn’t over, Phillip. Not by a long shot.’
‘We’ll see,’ Phillip laughed, a look of fear on his face giving way to his all too familiar smugness. ‘Say hi to Korben for me!’
And with that, Michael, Max, and Harrison were bustled out of Slice Bar by a quintet of doormen.
‘Fuck! I totally blew it!’ Michael raged, the night sky above him.
Michael could tell from the looks on Max and Harrison’s faces that the situation had gone every bit as bad as it felt like. Suddenly, Michael knew that he was going to have to dig deeper than he imagined.
‘Come on, let’s bounce,’ Max said. ‘I suggest a whisky at the closest dive bar we can find. It’s time to stick together and work this shit out, just like we used to back at Princeford when shit went down.’
‘I agree,’ Harrison said, a look of concern on his face. ‘Phillip clearly had all that planned in advance, including the intervention of the doormen. We need to fight fire with fire.’
Michael nodded, but his head was still spinning, and his body was full of adrenalin.
Protecting Korben and Korben’s Kandies meant the world to Michael.
But with Phillip now in pole position, Michael knew that he was going to have to use every inch of his business acumen to save the day – and even then, there were no guarantees that it would be enough…