Dalton, Tymber - Contractual Obligation (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (31 page)

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!