Chapter 20: Press Release

Monday, 8:29 am

I felt small, gentle hands run up and down my bare chest as consciousness started to seep into my mind. Eyes still closed, I simply stretched and enjoyed the soft caresses, wanting to prolong this lovely moment between the waking world and dreams where every touch felt magnified ten-fold. The fingers making small circles on my chest were accompanied by the feeling of soft lips enveloping mine in a sweet kiss. The tip of a tongue flicked at my top lip, and I tasted a faint hint of mint.

I sighed as I kissed back, careful to keep my mouth closed so I didn’t assault the angel waking me up so lovingly with notorious morning breath. I felt the lips kissing me curl into a smile and returned it with one of my own as I tried my hardest to open my eyes for the first time. They met Erin’s, her dark pools staring back at me with a gratified twinkle in them. Her smug self-assuredness would have started rubbing me the wrong way by now if it weren’t for the fact that she was one of the best things that ever happened to me.

After a pregnant moment, Erin broke the kiss and followed it up with a peck on the nose. “Wake up, sleepyhead.”

“What time is it?” I asked. My throat sounded coarse from lack of use.

“Eight-thirty,” she said, running her fingernails through my hair. Then she sat up straight and slid her hand to my chest.

I tried to sit up, but the pressure from her hand on my chest kept me on my back. “Eight-thirty?” I asked, “I thought you were going to wake me up at six-thirty!”

Friday afternoon, Erin received a call from Channel Seven requesting an interview with me on Monday morning at ten. She convinced me to go through with it, that it would be better for me to engage with the public to control the narrative as much as possible. She was right. I know I’d only been a billionaire for a little over a week, but it was time I started getting used to it and stopped being so reactionary. I needed to make things happen, not wait for things to happen to me. I agreed, but only if Karl was on stage with me. He was the only one I knew would be up there.

Karl had called me on Sunday to go over a strategy for the meeting and review talking points. According to him, the primary concern was reassuring the world, especially shareholders, that the company was in good hands and would remain stable. The plan was to inform the public that for the foreseeable future, I would let my representatives continue to take the lead and run the company according to Colin’s vision. In other words, business would go on as normal. That was fine by me. VistaVision had run smoothly for a long time without my input. Why should I risk fucking things up now?

As I threw back the bedsheets and sprung to my feet, Erin stood up and walked to a panel near the long stretch of black glass that comprised two of my bedroom walls. She placed her fingers on the panel’s surface and slowly slid them up. The black glass faded into translucence and gave us a view of the early morning New York City skyline. The corner where the two windows met pointed to the Southeast and allowed me a full view of the sunrise, however, it had some kind of special tinting that prevented the full force of morning light. As a result, I received a pleasant sunrise view without feeling the need to murder someone as I grappled with consciousness.

“Ashlee called late last night to let me know that the press conference was pushed back to two o’clock,” Erin said, looking over her shoulder and giving me a sweet smile. “You looked so peaceful that I couldn’t bear the thought of waking you up. Especially after all the work you put in this weekend.”

I swallowed hard as my gaze traveled up and down the young woman standing in front of the window, morning light shining through the translucent film of what was a pointless robe, highlighting her petite but unmistakably feminine assets. Underneath, she wore a matching lingerie set that accentuated her curves.

Natalie had left town for the weekend to attend a wedding, once again leaving the state of our relationship in limbo. I was afraid of spending the weekend with nothing but my imagination running wild, conjuring scenarios of the sort of things a beautiful, single young woman like Natalie could get up to during a weekend at a destination wedding.

As if that wasn’t enough, Helen confessed that she hadn’t been as trustworthy as she originally led me to believe. While not completely surprised, my world was rocked by the revelation. Since coming into my money, she had been my rock, and losing my trust in her had left me flat-footed.

Erin and Danielle rescued me from my dark fate by taking me to a high-class strip club for the wealthy and famous. It cost me three thousand dollars to get the three of us in the door. In my limited experience with strip clubs, I thought they were sad places for lonely, middle-aged divorced chads, but I’d been proven wrong about this one. It was classy, colorful, and packed with some of the most gorgeous women I had ever seen. We ended up in a VIP suite engaged in a six-person orgy, then continued the party back at my new apartment.

It worked. Instead of spending my weekend brooding about Natalie and Helen, I had my every need satisfied by five gorgeous women, the last two days had been a blur of alcohol, lust, and laughter. No one had a right to have so much fun in one weekend. Considering the abuse my cock had taken over the last two days, I wondered if I would ever get an erection again. However, as I watched Erin standing in front of that window, silhouetted by the sun’s morning rays, I felt my dick stir. It looked like my libido survived after all.

“Thank you, Erin,” I said a little breathlessly. “I needed that.”

She spun to face me, clasping her hands behind her back as she did a hint of a curtsey.

“Of course, Mr. Upton. I’m at your complete disposal,” she said, grinning ear-to-ear. As the next few moments passed in complete silence, I felt an understanding pass between us - a quiet echo of her words before we made love for the first time. I only hoped she could read the tremendous gratitude I felt toward her.

I almost called her over to do something about my growing erection, but she changed tact and pointed to my closet as she made her way toward the door. “Now, if you would like to get dressed and come downstairs, I’ve got Joel here to make us some breakfast while I brief you.”

“Marry me,” I called out as she disappeared around the corner. Her amused laugh trailed behind her, fading as she moved away from me.

I quickly walked into the closet and selected a pair of pants and a dress shirt, leaving my bedroom as I was still buttoning the pants and sincing the belt. I slipped my shirt over my shoulders as I made my way down the stairs in the direction of feminine voices drifting from the direction of the kitchen. Two of the ladies had left by the end of the day yesterday, but Danni and Natasha stayed one more night. Were they both still here?

“Oh,” I said, coming to a dead stop as I saw Chloe Tanner sitting at the kitchen island sipping from a mug and looking down at a newspaper. Erin stood near the coffee pot and was pouring a fresh cup of Joel’s finest. She looked up at me with a big smile. Danni was sitting at a table to the side and was currently peeling off part of an orange before popping it in her mouth. Like Erin, she was dressed in a robe, but hers was silk and more opaque than my assistant’s. One side of it had slipped off and down her arm, exposing her bare shoulder. She caught sight of me and gave me a full, radiant smile.

“Morning, Marcus!”

Chloe glanced up from her paper as she was taking a sip and then set down her mug as she said, “Good morning Mr. Upton.” Her dark brown eyes traveled up and down my bare chest, but her expression gave nothing away. “How was your weekend?”

I closed my shirt and started fastening the buttons. “It was good,” I said.

She grunted and took another sip from her mug, which had ‘Don’t talk to me till this is empty or I’ll shoot you’ printed in a bold, black font across the white ceramic. I approached the bar realizing that my bodyguard and I had only shared one conversation. This was supposed to be the woman who was with me at all times, and I barely knew her name.

“Do I need to wait till you’re done with that before I talk to you?”

“What?” she asked. “Oh. The mug. No. This is my second cup, so you’re good.”

“Glad I’m safe,” I replied as I sat at the island bar.

Joel turned and placed a plate of sausages wrapped in fresh pancakes like pigs in a blanket with a drizzle of syrup across them in an artisanal fashion. The amazing smells wafting from my plate coaxed a growl from my stomach and made me realize how hungry I was. Erin set a fresh cup of coffee next to the plate.

“You’re going to love that,” she said, pointing at the sausages. “Joel makes the sausage himself.”

I picked up a fork and took a bite, and my eyes immediately rolled into the back of my head.

“You sure I can’t steal you away?” I asked Joel.

He shook his head and chuckled as he poured out more pancake batter. “Wish you could,” Joel said, “but I’m pretty happy where I am. I’ve made some recommendations though.”

I set to eating the meal Joel had prepared for me as Erin sat at the counter opposite me.

“We’ll need to move on that soon,” Erin said, “Joel’s daughter has a recital on Wednesday, so if you want to be able to eat well, you’ll need to hire someone soon. I’m bad at cooking, and it’s not really in my job description. I’ll deal with assholes who want your time, and I’ll suck your dick all day long, but I can barely boil an egg.”

I heard Danni titter, but it was Chloe I cut my eyes toward. She gave me nothing, still absorbed in her newspaper.

Erin followed my gaze. “Oh Chloe? You don’t have to worry about her. She heard us going at it all weekend when she was moving her stuff in and caught us fucking by the pool yesterday.”

“Oh.” I paused with a forkful of food halfway to my mouth. I glanced at Joel, but he seemed as oblivious as Chloe. “Sorry about that. I forgot you were moving in.”

“No worries,” Chloe said without looking up from her paper. “If I had half the weekend you had, I’d have forgotten all about me moving in too.”

I could feel my face warming. If it had been Helen instead of Chloe, I probably wouldn’t have given a second thought to walking around naked or being caught fucking the women in various locations, but Chloe was practically a stranger. My first impression of her was cold, aloof, and possibly judgmental with little interest in intimacy. Her little jab at humor was the first I’d seen from her. Granted ... this was only the second time I’d met the woman. Still ... she was an improvement over the Johns, if for any reason because she was pleasant to look at.

“I filled Chloe in on some of your personal life,” Erin said with a shit-eating grin. “She’s going to be around a lot. I thought it best to just fill her in on all the details.”

“All the details?” I asked.

“All of ‘em,” Chloe confirmed behind another sip of coffee.

Danni giggled again at my face.

“I apologize if you’re uncomfortable, Mr. Upton. If I’m going to protect you, I have to be kept in the loop. I need to know who you surround yourself with. Who your friends are. Who your family is. I need to know your schedule, your favorite places ... I spent the weekend familiarizing myself with your family, friends, and employees. Erin’s also filled me in on your relationships with her, Helen, Danielle, Natalie, and ... Bobbi.” The last name was accompanied by a look I couldn’t quite read. I thought it might be disapproving, but I couldn’t be sure.

“Anyway,” Erin said after a beat or two of silence, “We need to discuss your staff. I’m guessing you don’t want to do any household chores.”

“Oh. Yeah. I’ve had my fill of doing laundry.”

Erin nodded, “I have possible candidates for a few positions so far. If you want, we can go over them on the way to Channel Seven.”

We finished breakfast, each of us recounting our favorite parts of the weekend. Honey had been the first to leave, heading out on Saturday to start her shift, but the other two had canceled their plans to spend the remainder of the weekend with the three of us. Danni was more straight than bisexual, but she’d been somewhat taken with Rose and it looked like they were going to end up becoming fast friends. Natasha and I ended up having the most in common and spent the next two days enjoying each other’s company just as much as fucking.

Once we finished breakfast, Danielle left to get to work. Before leaving, she gave me a fierce kiss and made me promise to call her soon for some more fun. As I stared down into her emerald eyes, I felt a pang of regret at the thought of not being sure when I would see her again. She’d become a staple in my life since she sold me the house. Maybe I could talk to Erin about offering her some kind of job among the list of staff so I could keep her around.

After Danni left, Chloe brought the car around while Erin and I waited outside, flanked by two guards. When she pulled up, there was another member of my security detail who got out and opened the door for us. The SUV we were in was a little different, with a full partition that gave us complete privacy from anyone sitting in the front seats.

“Did we buy this?” I asked Erin.

“No,” Erin replied as she settled next to me and started rummaging through her bag, “this is some of the security firm’s equipment. They’re loaning it to us until you purchase some of your own vehicles.”

“Wow,” I said, popping open a small fridge and seeing it was fully stocked with alcohol, “This is nice.”

“Feel free to pop one open,” Erin said as she dropped a small pile of folders in my lap. I cracked open a beer and looked at the first one marked ‘Elodie Martineau’. Inside was an 8x10 photo of a woman who appeared to be in her mid to late twenties with light brown hair, an elegant nose, full lips, and lovely grey eyes. She had broad shoulders and a large bust that fit her frame. The photo looked more like a glamor shot for a modeling gig than - I skimmed her resume - a chef.

I arched an eyebrow at Erin and said, “Really?”

“Joel recommended her. Did you see the resume?”

“Not yet, but she looks like a model.”

“A lot of model,” Erin said with a conspiratorial smile. “Hot people can be chefs. If you’re going to have a staff, you might as well have someone nice to look at.”

“Is this the only candidate for chef?” I asked, opening the next one. This person was male.

“Yeah,” Erin said as she started to pull her hair into a ponytail. “I assumed you would want to have a final approval on each position. I promise you, everyone I’m picking is more than qualified for the position I’m choosing them for.”

I looked back at Elodie’s file and started reading through her qualifications - School in Paris, studied under some great chef I’d never heard of...

I felt my pants starting to be undone and glanced down to see my assistant’s delicate fingers working the belt loose. She looked up at me, grinned, and said in a husky tone, “No reason you can’t enjoy yourself while you’re doing it. It’s a long car ride.”

Unable to argue with her, I settled back in the seat and started reading through the resumes I’d been handed while Erin took my dick in her mouth. Feeling her soft tongue gently caressing the underside of my cock as her lips kept light, teasing suction on my member, I only made it about halfway through the list before setting it aside to concentrate on what my assistant was doing as she fellated me. Finally, with my hand on the back of her head and the head of my cock buried down her throat, I unloaded within her, giving me a rush of dopamine and clearing my head.

Once completely drained, Erin sat back up, dabbed at the corners of her mouth with a finger, and sucked any residual fluids off while giving me a Cheshire cat grin. We spent the remainder of the ride going through her notes on candidates for a chef, gardener, and domestic manager. The gardener’s job was simple enough - he would maintain the grounds on top of my apartment, including keeping the pool in pristine condition.

Erin managed most of my life; similarly, a domestic manager was meant to manage my home and staff. She would make arrangements to keep food stocked, schedule upkeep and maintenance, oversee maid services, and anything else that would fall into the realm of living spaces. The woman Erin had picked was a Japanese national, with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and striking Asian features, appearing to be in her late thirties.

Erin seemed pleased when I signed off on all three of them, and we spent the remainder of the trip talking about the Channel Seven event I was walking into, going over the PR director’s talking points Karl sent over, and schooling me on my grandfather’s company, VistaVision. It was one of the largest corporations dealing in media and entertainment, competing with some of the biggest companies out there for consumer dollars. It now owned one of the most successful streaming platforms, a popular hosting site, financed movies, ran cruises, established theme parks, and participated in many other ambitious endeavors that made VistaVision a household name. According to everyone, it also meant that I had many eyes focused on me.

Finally arriving at the Channel Seven building, the door opened and we climbed out. Erin and I made our way through the lobby of the building with Chloe and one other security guard on our heels while the third drove off to park the car. The men were attired the same in dress shirts, pants, and a matching coat, while Chloe wore navy pants, a white blouse, and a semi-casual jacket. She looked like she could have been a middle-aged mom who had just dropped her kids off at school before heading to her desk job.

We were greeted by a woman in the lobby who handed us badges and led us through security and into a large auditorium. What I saw caused me to stop in my tracks; there had to be over a thousand people in this room. Important-looking people milled about, shaking hands with each other and probably making deals that would change the fates of entire cities. The far end had a lit stage with multiple chairs laid out in a row. Was this where I was supposed to give my talk? Was I supposed to say important things in front of all these people?

Karl Yunger and William Price were both there to greet me, and I saw Ashlee standing just behind William. She caught me looking at her and broke out in a dazzling smile that would have captivated me a few days ago, but between the baggage of being a VanCamp and spending a weekend with a bevy of hot women, I was inoculated to her charms. She was still a knockout, and I would have fallen in bed with her in an instant if she hadn’t if the circumstances had been different, but I was starting to learn that I didn’t have to listen to my penis every time it wanted to lead me into temptation.

“Good to see you, Mr. Upton!” Karl said as I shook his hand. “Did you get a chance to look at the notes we sent you?”

“I did,” I glanced around. “Mr. Younger, I didn’t expect this many people. I thought this was going to be a small gathering of just a few reporters.”

“Unfortunately,” William interjected, “some of the members of the board at VistaVision got wind that this would be happening and insisted on being here. Then word got out to some of the other shareholders, and before we knew it, it evolved into this. There’ll be a Q and A period, but don’t you worry about any of that. Chandler is going to handle that,” he said. “We just need you to read off the statement we gave you and let us handle the rest.”

“Who’s Chandler?” I asked.

“He’s the Director of Operations for VistaVision and the interim CEO until a new one is appointed,” Karl said, directing me to follow him through the crowd toward the stage. “In fact, he’s waiting for you in the green room, if you’ll come with me.”

“I’ve managed to do a pretty good job of avoiding the news crews and paparazzi so far,” I said as I followed him. “Some of my family haven’t been as lucky. Will doing this calm everyone down?”

As we weaved through the crowd, Karl gave me a smile that conveyed pity. “Perhaps, but Mr. Upton, you need to keep in mind that you’re one of the ‘elites’ now. You’ll likely experience a fluctuating degree of media attention, but it’ll never fully go away. It’s an unstoppable force. The best you can do is try to steer it in the direction you want it to go. That’s one of the purposes of this meeting.”

Erin, Chloe, and security guard extra number one accompanied us through the crowd and a door to the right of the main stage. Karl and William led me down a much quieter hall to a door.

“We’ll send someone for you when they’re ready,” William said.

“Don’t worry,” Karl said, “I’ll be up there with you to keep you from making any blunders.”

With that, the pair left me and my small entourage on our own. I entered the room and found two people already present. A man who appeared to be in his late fifties to early sixties ... and Helen. My lawyer’s blue eyes immediately tracked me and flashed a tight-lipped smile. Helen’s poker face was usually killer, but today, uncertainty was etched in every line of her features. She was uncomfortable with our new situation, and I couldn’t blame her.

The man turned from the window he’d been gazing out of and gave me a toothy smile as he approached me, offering his hand. “Ah! Hello! You must be the man of the hour himself, Marcus Upton!”

He spoke with a proper British accent that you might hear from a butler in a movie, and smiled with his eyes and mouth. It was infectious, and I couldn’t help but return it despite my feeling of trepidation at being here. I gave him my hand and we shook.

“Hi. You’re Chandler?” I asked.

“Yes! Chandler Grayson. Director of Operations for VistaVision, but I’m sure Yunger has filled you in on myself, so I won’t bore you. Just to let you know, the companies have been in good hands during this dreadful time. Despite the tumultuous news and the fraught waves it’s stirred within the markets, we’ve weathered them quite nicely, if I do say so myself.”

“That’s ... good?”

“I should think so, Mr. Upton! I’d even go so far as to say our team has done some of their finest work during this dark hour.”

“Are you going up on the stage?” I asked, unsure of whether or not having this cartoon character of a man on stage was a good thing. Was this really the man who was in charge of my grandfather’s company?

“Of course! Myself and the PR manager, that is. I dare say she’ll do most of the talking. I’m afraid I have a bit of stage fright, you see. Rather useless in front of a crowd, but I’m there for the both of you in a pinch, should you need anything from me.”

Helen approached Chandler and put a hand on his arm, “Chandler, I need a minute alone with Marcus before he goes up. Would you mind?”

“Oh, but of course. I suspect they’ll be needing me soon anyway.” He said. “I simply wanted to introduce myself and assure you that your grandfather’s legacy is quite safe until a proper CEO has been located. Anyway, a pleasure, young man. We shall speak again soon.”

With that, he clicked his heels together, bent slightly at his hips in a semblance of a bow, and left the room.

“Could the rest of you give us a minute?”

Erin glanced at me, waiting for me to give her the go-ahead. I shared a look with her and nodded, communicating that it was alright. She headed for the door. Chloe gave a nod to Extra Number One, who followed Erin. Chloe stayed where she was.

Helen sighed and muttered, “I suppose she wouldn’t be good at her job otherwise.”

It was quiet in the room for several seconds before Helen finally spoke up, “What are you going to say to everyone?”

“I was just going to tell them that while I own a majority of Vista Vision, I had no plans to change anything in the day-to-day activities or influence the current operational structure of the company. I don’t want to disrupt the good people who maintain my grandfather’s legacy.” I had memorized the suggested line.

“And you’re okay with that?” she pressed, “waving your rights to any say in the operation of the company?”