Contractual Obligation

Chapter Twenty-Three

Over the next month, Harper fully healed from her surgery. The three of them settled into a dynamic at home and at work that made her realize just how empty her life had been before the men took over her heart and her bed. Her father and Gorden, as well as Tate and Doug’s parents, all accepted their dynamic with a minimum of grumbling or disapproval.

Not that it mattered to the three of them, because they all agreed they would never give up the others ever again.

One Monday morning, Harper had just put down her stuff in the office after getting in her morning workout when Doug and Tate walked in, both looking grim. Tate carried a copy of the Tampa Tribune.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Without a word, he handed her the paper, the Metro section. On the front page above the fold, a headline read, “Local Aeronautics Company Under Investigation.”

She sat and read the story, written by Jared Stockholm. “Son of a bitch,” she whispered. “That bastard. ‘Anonymous source’ my ass. He talked to Bill James.”

“The problem,” Doug said, “is proving it.”

“This is written to sound like it’s some sort of fraud investigation. The GAO is just going through their normal auditing process. We haven’t done anything wrong! We’ve been through GAO audits before, it’s standard procedure. They do it on almost all of the big contracts, unless it’s black ops money.”

Tate nodded. “Unfortunately, this got picked up by the AP wire. I’ve already got a call in to John Eddings in public relations to do damage control.”

Harper stared at the story. “What the hell does James think he’s going to prove by doing this? We’ll clear our name in no time.”

“I think,” Doug said, “he’s hoping to stir up enough doubt and dust to scuttle the three contracts we’re bidding on now for the Navy. He’s partnered with a pissant start-up out of Washington state. Northwestern Pacific Navigational. Who, surprise, makes directional and navigational systems. One of the congressmen on the committee reviewing the contracts is from Washington state.”

“Assholes. Conflict of interest much?” She threw the paper onto her desk. “I sooo don’t need this bullshit right now.” She looked at the men. “I’d expect this kind of pettiness in high school, not from someone who claims to be a businessman.”

“You told him no,” Doug said. “It’s as simple as that. Someone like him, he’s used to getting his way. He’s been a big fish in a relatively small pond. Problem is, until recently he didn’t know just how small his pond was. He thought he was a big fish in a big pond. Now he’s starting to see the light, and he doesn’t like it much.”

“This still doesn’t make any sense. There’s got to be more to it.” She looked at the men. “Call Gorden in. He’s got a lot of contacts he can pump for information.”

Three hours later, after Gorden arrived and started making calls, they had what they believed to be their answer. They might have been a little too fast to lay the blame directly on James, but he most likely had a hand in it. More likely, the answer lay in the junior congressman from Washington state who received a lot of contributions to his fledgling reelection campaign coffers from people somehow tied to Northwestern Pacific Navigational.

Harper sat back in her chair and nodded. “That does make sense. This douche on the committee wants to make sure he can sway the other committee members to vote for his little hometown company so people keep pouring money into his campaign account. We just happened to get caught in the crossfire this time. Suggestions?”

Gorden glanced at Doug and Tate before returning his attention to her. “I say we bury the fucker. I can call in a few favors to bend some ears. Remind our own representatives in D.C. that our company employs far more of their constituents than some little pipsqueak company out west. One of the committee members is from Miami.”

Harper grinned. “God, I missed you.” She remembered her men standing there. “Sorry. No offense, guys.”

Tate smiled. “None taken. Believe me, I missed him, too.”

“Ditto,” Doug said. “I’m glad you’ve got our backs on this.”

“Hey, someone’s got to help you boys out,” he teased. “I imagine you’ve got your hands full just keeping her in line.”

She didn’t miss the look of love on both Doug and Tate’s faces. “You’ve got that right,” Tate said.

They were still talking when Eddings arrived.

“Cut to the chase,” she told him.

“Well, it’s like this. I think the fastest way to get in front of this is to talk to Jared Stockholm in person.”

“Fine, set it up.”

He cleared his throat. “It’s…ah…not that simple.”

“Why not?”

She didn’t miss it when he glanced at Doug and Tate. “When I talked to Stockholm a little bit ago, he said he’d be glad to interview you, would welcome the chance to do a follow-up piece.”

“Okay, so what’s the problem?”

“He asked me about Doug and Tate. Specifically, about rumors he’d picked up locally about you living with both of them.”

“Rumors?”

He nodded. “He said ‘a reliable source.’”

“Meaning Julia.”

“Probably.”

She felt her face redden. “That fucking son of a bitch! Get him on the phone right—”

“Harper!” Gorden snapped, silencing her. He turned to Eddings. “Set up the interview for late this afternoon. Four thirty. Doug, Tate, clear her calendar for the entire day.” He turned back to Harper. “You’re going to do exactly what I say and how, do you understand me?”

She wasn’t used to Gorden taking this kind of tone with her, but she nodded.

He looked satisfied. “They put the metro section to bed by seven at the latest, usually. We’ll keep him here and talking until at least six thirty. I doubt he’ll be able to put together a story in time.” He looked at Eddings again. “Who do you know over at the St. Pete Times?”

Eddings shrugged. “I know a couple of people. Why?”

“Get someone over here you trust, anyone who you think will be sympathetic, preferably a woman.”

Harper couldn’t help it. “What?”

Gorden wheeled on her, glaring. She fell silent. He nodded and continued with Eddings. “See if you can get them over here before lunch.”

Eddings grinned. “You are a sneaky bastard. You want their story to run tomorrow.”

Gorden grabbed a legal pad off Harper’s desk and started making notes. “Of course I do. I want the Trib reporter to look like an idiot. Their story probably won’t come out tomorrow. And when the Times story does, they’ll have to revamp theirs to not look like idiots.”

Tate gave Gorden a mock bow. “You are the master, sir. I’d tip my hat if I was wearing one.”

Gorden didn’t look up from the notepad. “Is her calendar clear yet?”

Doug and Tate exchanged looks. “Um, no, we aren’t done here—”

“Do it.”

Doug and Tate glanced at Harper, who nodded. The two men left without further word.

Eddings also stood. “I’m thinking Ceelie Reynolds, on their business desk, will be perfect. She loves doing stories on local businesswomen.”

“Great. Get her here ASAP.”

Eddings left.

Gorden finally took his attention from the notepad and focused it on Harper. “Have I ever steered you wrong?”

She shook her head.

“You’re going to do and say exactly what I tell you to. No temper tantrums, no slamming the Trib story or Stockholm when he gets here. Understood?”

She nodded.

He smiled. “Good girl.”

Harper really hoped Gorden didn’t notice how she blushed when he said that. It was too close to how Doug and Tate both took control at home.

Ceelie Reynolds didn’t appear to be too much older than Harper, but she had a well-worn and comfortable air about her that made Harper think of a mom-type figure.

That, and her atrocious choice of clothes. The pantsuit she wore looked like it came from a thrift shop sale two decades earlier.

Gorden took point. “We’re not going to try to pull one over on you, Ms. Reynolds,” he said. “We’re here to get ahead of a pretty unfair and totally biased story that appeared in today’s Tribune.”

She nodded. “That’s what I surmised when John called me.” She smiled. “So what’s the payout?”

Gorden laid their cards out on the table. Harper had to do very little talking. Doug and Tate didn’t open their mouths either. Once Gorden finished the business portion of the discussion, he nodded toward Harper, who sat flanked by Doug and Tate, on the sofa in her office. “And it also looks like someone wants to get into the mud and turn this into a statement on lifestyle, as well. Harper, Doug, and Tate are involved with each other. Unfortunately, her father’s ex-girlfriend, who didn’t want to be his ex, has decided to bend a few ears as well.”

Ceelie had been taking notes the whole time. She nodded again. She did that a lot, Harper noticed. “Julia Carson, right?”

Gorden looked impressed. “Yes. How did you know?”

She smiled. “I wondered why she called me a couple of days ago wanting to know if I was interested in a juicy story. As soon as I told her where to go with her gossip, she hung up on me.” She looked up from her notes. “I scratch your back, you scratch mine, right? What’s in it for me?”

Gorden smiled. “In addition to putting the correct version of the facts regarding the GAO audit on the record, as a footnote you get to add that Wells Technology is making a holiday donation of twenty-five thousand dollars to the Shriners Hospital for Children here in Tampa. And you will get to break the story that we are currently in the process of starting an annual 5k fundraiser, in partnership with the local SPCA, to raise money for their outreach program to help low-income families be able to keep their pets.”

Jesus, he’s brilliant. Kids and animals. If he could shit rainbows, we’d have an unbeatable hat trick.

Ceelie looked suitably impressed. “Successful local businesswoman who employs thousands throughout our state, as well as elsewhere, and a philanthropist.” She grinned. “I’m surprised you didn’t tie a bow on it for me.”

Gorden laughed. “Well, we didn’t want to make it too easy.”

Ceelie stood and shook hands all around. “Thank you for the scoop,” she said. “I love being able to rub the competition’s face in it. I’ll e-mail a finished version of the story before I submit it to my editors.” She shook her finger at Gorden. “But remember, I won’t hesitate to come down on you guys if I find out anything contradictory.”

“I would expect nothing less than integrity from the Fourth Estate,” Gorden said.

She snorted. “Yeah, right. Puh-leeze. Have you seen Fox News lately? That’s a hoot. Thanks again.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when she left. “Well?” Harper asked Gorden.

He smiled. “I think it went well.”

“Hell,” John Eddings said, “I think you nearly gave her an orgasm, Gorden.”

“That was the easy part.” He glared at Harper. “You and I still have some prepping to do before this afternoon.”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” she said glumly. “I’m surprised Daddy hasn’t weighed in on this yet.”

“Who says he hasn’t?” Gorden said.

“Crap. Is he upset?”

Gorden rolled his eyes. “I wish. If he was only upset, that would be a vast improvement. I spent a good amount of time this morning convincing him that burning reporters at the stake is usually not only frowned upon, but that I was fairly certain it was illegal in at least twenty states, including this one.”

Harper finally laughed at Gorden’s smirk. He always had a way of cutting through the tension.

“Should I call him?” she asked.

Gorden, Doug, and Tate all answered in unison. “No!” Gorden continued after shooting a silencing glare at the two younger men. “I got him calmed down. You know how protective he is of you. If he thought the big, bad reporter was showing up here later, so would he. I don’t think even my considerable contacts and skills could help whitewash that shit storm.”

Later that evening, the four of them, Gorden, Tate, Doug, and Harper, quietly looked at menus. They’d left the office shortly after the interview and convened at an Italian restaurant not too far from Harper’s house. She surreptitiously glanced at the three men, who had spoken very little since the interview.

She finally put down her menu. “Oh come on, it wasn’t that bad!”

All three men eyed her. Gorden finally spoke. “It wasn’t that bad? I told you to do what I said. I told you to keep your cool. Calling Stockholm a ‘fucking, dickless douche’ is not my idea of keeping your cool!”

“I didn’t call him a douche,” she grumbled. “I called him an asshat. Besides, it doesn’t matter. Ceelie’s story will more than make up for any bullshit he tries to print.”

Gorden looked like he was trying to hold on to his cool. She didn’t care what Stockholm printed at this point. He’d taken the path they’d expected. After talking for all of ten minutes about business matters, he’d tried to get personal, asking her about her relationship with Doug and Tate.

“Anyway,” Gorden said, “let’s just hope the information Doug and Tate uncovered about Julia helps divert Stockholm’s attention her way. She’s a juicier story than you are at this point. No one locally knew about her business dealings.” He nodded at Doug and Tate. “My hat is off to you both. Good work.”

Doug smiled. “We grasshoppers tend to learn pretty well.”

“Yeah,” Tate echoed. “But I suspect someone’s earned themselves a spanking.” He looked pointedly at Harper, who blushed and suddenly found her menu totally fascinating, even though she’d eaten there more times than she could count and practically knew it by heart.

Gorden laughed. “I’m glad to see you two men keeping her in line. She needs it.”

Harper had forgotten about Tate’s threat by the time they got home. Apparently, her men had not. She came out of the bathroom, naked and ready for bed, surprised to find Tate and Doug still fully dressed and sitting next to each other on the side of the bed and wearing identical stern expressions.

Oh, crap. What the hell?

Doug patted his lap. “Come here, little girl.”

She fought not to blush, losing horribly. Her pussy was already starting to throb and grow wet. “What?” She didn’t move from the bathroom doorway.

Tate crooked a finger at her. “Don’t make us come get you. I told you, you earned a spanking today. You totally ignored what Gorden said to do during your interview with Stockholm.”

“I didn’t ignore him! I just… Hey, I was defending you two!”

Doug shook his head. “No, you lost your temper. And the two of us, if you haven’t noticed, don’t need defending. Our job is to take care of you.” He patted his lap again. “Now.”

Slowly, drawn more by their gazes than by willing desire, she slowly walked across the bedroom to stand before them. “What are you going to do?” She knew damn well what they were going to do. As badly as she didn’t want it, and knew if she flat-out refused, they wouldn’t do it, still she came to a stop in front of them.

But somewhere deep inside her, a dark, long-locked part of her soul creaked open. Yesss…

She didn’t want it, but she did.

Badly.

Doug gently grabbed her arm and pulled her face down onto their laps. He stroked her hair with one hand, then grabbed a firm fistful of it, the other resting in the middle of her back. Tate kept her legs pinned with one arm, his other stroking her ass.

“Time for naughty little girls to pay the price,” Tate said. Smack!

That wasn’t a playful, sexy swat. It was a full-on, stinging blow on her left ass cheek.

She squealed in protest when she felt Doug lift the hand on her lower back. “Yes, time for our bad little girl to learn her lesson.” Smack! Her right ass cheek was now stinging.

She squealed and squirmed and cried and tried to get away, and despite all the noise she made, she was embarrassed to admit her pussy was now so wet that if she didn’t leave a damp spot on their slacks, it would be a miracle. A few minutes later, they stopped, gently rubbing her stinging ass as she went limp and cried.

They helped her out of their laps and onto the bed, where Tate held her in his arms and stroked her hair. “Now that’s our good girl. Doesn’t that feel better?”

Doug gently pried her legs apart and used two fingers to part her labia. He slid them all the way in, slowly fucking her pussy with his hand. “Look how wet you are. Admit it, little girl. You want your men to keep you in line, don’t you?”

Her brain wanted to scream NO! and call them fucking assholes.

Her heart made her whisper, “Yes.”

“Good girl,” they softly said in unison.

She broke down sobbing. “Please don’t leave me!” Now where the hell did that come from? She felt like she was losing her mind. She should be pissed as hell, but all she wanted was for them to fuck her brains out.

Doug stopped what he was doing and moved up the bed to her other side. “We’re never leaving you,” he hoarsely said. When she looked, she saw his face was full of emotion. “Baby, we promise, we’ll take good care of you. You take care of the business, and we’ll take care of you.” He caressed her cheek. “All of you. The strong woman who needs us for backup, and the scared little girl who never wanted to let anyone close to her for fear of them seeing how scared she could be.”

Tate kissed her forehead. “If your dad fired all three of us tomorrow and we had to go work at a fast food restaurant, I’d still want to be with you, to love you, to protect you. Let us take care of you. Don’t fight us.”

Doug smiled at her. “Besides, it was only thirty swats. We would have stopped at twenty, but Gorden asked for an additional ten for his aggravation.”

She laughed. It’d felt like a lot more, but then again, she’d been too busy howling like a scalded cat and trying to get away to keep count.

“There’s our girl,” Tate said. “Now lay back. Good girls get rewarded.”

She relaxed as Tate kissed her and Doug resumed his plundering of her exposed southern region. He slipped two then three fingers into her pussy, finding and rubbing her G-spot and bringing her close to coming. When he leaned in and licked her clit, she exploded, her muscles contracting around his fingers.

“That’s our good girl,” Tate said. “Let him make you feel good.”

Good? That was the understatement of the year. Doug didn’t bother removing his clothes. He sat up, unfastened his slacks, and pushed them and his briefs down past his hips. He was almost inside her when he stopped. “Fuck. Condom.” He started to withdraw to get one, but Harper hooked her legs around his and shook her head at him.

They’d discussed this, but she’d never been sure of a timeline.

Now, she was.

The men froze. “Are you sure, sweetie?” Tate softly asked.

She looked at him and nodded again.

Doug leaned in and kissed her as he slowly sank his cock home. She wrapped her legs around his hips, thrusting to meet him, wanting to feel him come inside her. She stroked his back, her fingers slipping on the fabric of his shirt as she met each stroke.

It didn’t take him long. She didn’t care that she couldn’t come with him, either. As he lowered his head and kissed her, she pulled Tate close, kissed him, then nudged the two of them together to kiss.

She loved to watch them kiss.

“You next,” she whispered to Tate.

Doug rolled out of the way, and at least Tate managed to get his pants all the way off before he plunged his stiff cock into her. He didn’t last long either, but cradled in Doug’s arms, she didn’t care. She suspected this time wouldn’t lead to her getting pregnant, because it was too close to the end of her month.

But it never hurt to practice.