The Accidental Honeymoon (14 page)

Rick has been up for two straight days. His wife wonders what is wrong with him. He doesn’t answer her. She knows it is something work related. Sometimes she thinks about leaving him. She would have if it weren’t for the child. Rick’s wife has seen her man change. The confident young go-getter has become haggard, irritable and defeated at far too young of an age.

The editor looks at the clock. It’s four in the morning. He doesn’t have to be in the office until 8 a.m. But he leaves for the office anyway. He doesn’t want to be home right now. He doesn’t like it that his wife wakes up every two hours to check on him.

Rick gets into the office at a little after 4:30 with gas station coffee in his hands. He walks into his office and turns on his laptop. Onscreen is a message from Bad Boris.

“Have acquired the info you have requested. Contact me to retrieve the information.”

Rick is wide-awake now. He quickly drops the coffee and pulls the laptop up close to him.

“You got it?!” Rick types manically.

“Hello Rick. Yes, it was not that hard to acquire. All I had to do was go through the company’s cybersecurity service provider.”

For a moment, Rick is aggravated that he paid Bad Boris $100,000 for what is essentially two day’s work. However, now he just wants the hacked information. “You can send it at anytime,” Rick types.

“There is over a terabyte of video and financial information coming your way.”

Rick looks around his office for a portable storage drive. He runs out of his office and grabs one from a nearby desk. Then the editor runs back to his office and hooks the storage disk to his laptop. “Alright, let ‘er rip!” Rick types.

“Here you go,” Bad Boris responds.

A link appears. Rick clicks on it. Over one terabyte of 30 days worth of surveillance footage and over 10,000 store transactions begin to download onto the laptop and the storage disk.

“Thanks, Bad Boris. You have saved my ass.”

“I always deliver.”

****

“I’m back,” Ryan types on an instant message to his second-in-command. Michelle Ackman looks at her tablet computer and types back.

“I know you’ve had an eventful honeymoon so I don’t need to ask.”

“Of course. I can’t do anything without making news.”

“That’s what you get for being Ryan Wilde.”

“I’ll be coming into the office this afternoon.”

Ryan and Karin are driven from the airport back to the billionaire’s Palo Alto estate. For the first time, Karin gets a sense of this place as home. Though there is a voice in the back of her head that constantly reminds her that this is only temporary. “Remember, the marriage contract stipulates that this will only last for a year.”

Karin doesn’t think about the vast sum of money that is coming to her at the end of that year. She wonders if she will be able to go on without Ryan. She has fallen in love with him. And while Ryan has been nothing but affectionate and passionate, she doesn’t know if his love will end with the contract. He is known as a playboy.
Will he seek someone else when the year ends?
Karin wonders to herself.
Don’t worry about it. Enjoy what you have right now
, the young woman rationalizes as the car pulls onto the estate.

****

After seven hours of downloading 30 days worth of video from three cameras, Rick has everything he needs. Now he needs to find something on that video. The editor takes a couple of minutes to grab a sandwich and a drink, then he goes right back to his desk and turns on the flat screen TV on his office wall. He begins to play the security camera video on the screen. “How am I going to get through all of this?!” Rick thinks to himself. He splits the screen into three so he can view all three camera angles at the same time.

While Rick watches three screens with one eye, he checks the financial transactions with his other eye. He looks for any familiar names from Emperor. Having not slept in over two days, Rick’s eyes are heavy, salty and tired. The fear of Tor Janz wrath is the only thing keeping him awake.

“Rick, we have stories that need to be approved before they can be posted,” the editor’s assistant tells him.

That’s right,
Rick remembers. In addition to looking through all this hacked information, he still must attend to his day job of reading, editing and approving all the postings for the Barbarian Blog website. Rick takes one eye off of the flat screen TV and begins to quickly read the stories submitted to him. For a moment, Rick feels a pain in his chest. The pain subsides. And for a fleeting moment, he curses the fact that he wasn’t having a heart attack.

****

Ryan and Karin arrive back at the Emperor offices. Each one of the employees offer a smile as they see their boss, fresh and tan from his honeymoon. The employees even appear to be warming up to Karin. The couple makes their way up to the fourth floor where Ryan is inundated with department heads looking to meet with him.

“Looks like my vacation is officially over,” Ryan remarks as he looks at the small crowd gathered in front of his office. Karin tries her best not to “be in the way” as the senior managers of Emperor jostle for the opportunity to meet with their boss.

“Alright everyone. I’m going to meet with Michelle first and then I will come down to your offices. I can’t have a madhouse up here,” Ryan tells his managers. The department heads appear somewhat flustered but they don’t second guess their boss. In fact, many of them are happy to see him back.

Ryan’s second-in-command escorts him into his office. Karin takes a seat at one of the sofas as the President of the company talks to her CEO.

“The FTC has set up a regulatory meeting for June 6,” Michelle tells Ryan.

“Alright. What about the IBS shareholders? Does it look like we have majority support?”

“According to Goldman, it looks like you have 75% of the votes.”

“Wow. I wish we could vote on it right now. By the way, how much is Goldman Sachs making from handling this merger?”

“I would have to check with our CFO but I think they are making about two billion in fees.”

“Damn, I got into the wrong business!” Ryan jokes.

Michelle laughs as she grabs a drink from Ryan’s mini-fridge. “Everything is going great. We are going to meet with the regulators in D.C. next month. After that, we have about three months before the shareholder meeting and the final vote.”

“All I think about is what could possibly stand in our way.”

“The only thing that could hurt us is something unexpected. Something out of left field.”

Rick wants to blow his brains out. He has already sat through eight straight hours of watching security video from three different angles. His eyes are bloodshot. His body is tired. He has started watching the film at triple speed in order to speed up the process to catch footage of Karin during her shift at The North Face. So far, he has found nothing that would constitute a scandal. He looks at his watch. It is 10 p.m. He knows his wife has called five times. He hasn’t answered. Just as Rick is about to get up and leave for the evening, Tor comes storming into his office. “So, whattaya got?” Tor demands to know.

“I don’t have anything yet.”

“What are you doing, it looks like you are about to get up to leave.”

Rick hesitates. He doesn’t know what to say or do. Finally, he just comes out and tells his boss, “I have been up for two days. My wife is worried.”

Tor walks right up to Rick, invading his personal space. The six foot, five inch behemoth brings his nose within an inch of Rick’s nose. “You don’t go home. You don’t see your wife. You don’t see your kid until you find me something on that footage. Is that understood?”

Rick doesn’t answer. He sits back down at his desk. Like a zombie, he continues to stare at the screen in front of him. Tor leaves the office and takes off for the night. Rick looks down at his phone. It is ringing again. He knows it’s his wife. He doesn’t answer. Rick looks back up at the screen. He will spend this evening with Karin’s security footage.

****

“We should take off for the night,” Ryan suggests to his new wife as well as his second-in-command. Since the CEO came into work at 4 p.m., he decided to work late into the evening and meet with each and every one of his department heads. Much to his surprise, he saw that his President Michelle decided to stay late as well. Knowing that Michelle has most likely been working late in his absence, Ryan encourages his company President to get out of the office.

“You look like you could use some time off,” Ryan tells Michelle.

“Oh, I don’t want to take any time off while the merger is happening.”

“Well, at least allow yourself to sleep in. I’ll feel bad if you don’t get a little time out of the office.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that.”

Ryan turns his attention to Karin. “Let’s go have some fun.”

The young wife is intrigued by this suggestion. She would have assumed that her husband would want to go home and get some sleep. However, the tireless energy within the Emperor CEO will not allow him to retire for the day this quickly. The couple makes their way down to the first level. They get into Ryan’s Audi R8 and speed out of the Emperor campus.

“Where are we going?” Karin asks.

“San Fran.”

“Really? You aren’t tired.”

“I don’t allow myself to get tired.”

“I need to know where you get your energy.”

“I tell you where I get it. I get my energy from being enthusiastic about my dreams and ideas. When you have big dream and ideas, they keep you awake until you fulfill them.”

“What’s your big idea now?”

“To make you blush.”

Now Karin is really intrigued.

The Audi makes its way to San Francisco. The young woman looks out of the car as they see the various nightlife of the city navigate the dark sidewalks. She sees the junkies, runaways, street-walkers, trouble-makers and lost souls go about their nocturnal business. She has no idea what is in store for her.

The Audi pulls up to a dark warehouse. For a moment, Karin gets a little nervous.

“Why are you stopping?” she asks.

“We’re here.”

“Where is this?”

“This is the place.”

“The warehouse?”

“It’s what’s inside that counts,” Ryan remarks slyly. The couple gets out of the vehicle. Karin turns around and sees her husband leaving the six figure exotic vehicle unattended. “Is the car okay here?”

“Oh yeah. No one is going to touch it.”

The couple walks up to a pair of non-descript double steel doors. Ryan presses the button on the door. “We’re closed,” a deep threatening voice answers through the speaker.

“The dragon sent me,” Ryan answers.

There are a few seconds of silence. Then the door opens. A sharply dressed man with a shaved head and a mustache opens the door.

“Oh, good evening, Mr. Wilde,” the man answers. The couple walks inside. Karin is shocked to find the interior decorated with fine wood and leather furnishings. Above her is a chandelier that would be at home at the finest estates in Europe. The couple is escorted to an old style elevator. The lift operator helps them onto the elevator car. The gate is closed. The couple is lifted up several levels to the top floor of the warehouse. Karin is shocked to find the area buzzing with activities.

“Welcome to ‘The Top Floor,’” the elevator operator tells the couple. As soon as the gate is opened, the young woman realizes that she is not in an ordinary club. She sees a young blonde on her knees, restrained by a chain. Karin turns her head and finds two men slowly caressing a topless woman on a red velvet couch. Karin blushes. Everywhere she looks, Karin finds herself around people in various states of undress, pleasuring and being pleasured by finely sculpted men and women.

Karin and Ryan are escorted to a VIP section that rises slightly above the rest of the club. From this vantage-point, the couple is able to see every carnal activity taking place. Karin can’t believe her eyes. Like a curious house cat, she turns her head at every moan, slap and orgasmic curse erupting from each corner of the club. The young woman looks to her side and sees a tall dominatrix with short blonde hair slowly whipping a naked man. She locks eyes on the dominatrix. Her body begins to tingle. Ryan slowly kisses Karin’s turned neck. He runs his hands around the young woman’s body and slowly feels her up. As Ryan begins to rub Karin’s breasts, he slowly nibbles on her ear.

Karin has never felt this level of sexual energy in her body. Ryan begins to slowly undress his young wife. Karin quickly finishes the job. She pulls her blouse off as Ryan unhooks her bra. Karin closes her eyes as she feels her husband fondle her body. She is enjoying this, yet she is still somewhat self-conscious. She knows people can see her. The young woman is afraid of being judged.

Ryan runs his tongue across Karin’s chest. He slowly licks her nipples and begins to pull down her skirt. Karin opens her eyes and notices several men and women looking at her. She stares into their eyes. They are all ogling her. She smiles. Any apprehension begins to slowly disappear. Ryan pulls down her skirt and runs his fingers into her underwear. The young billionaire slowly rubs Karin as she gyrates her hips and goes for Ryan’s shirt. She tears at her husband’s clothing. The couple quickly moves from the booth to the table.

Without any second guessing, the couple begin to orally pleasure each other in full view of the club. Karin feels her body tingle with excitement. Ryan gets on top of his young wife and slowly enters her body. The table rocks back and forth as the newlyweds ravage each other in the VIP section of the club.

The couple work themselves to such an extreme they nearly fall off of the table twice. Ryan grabs his young wife and pins her down and continues to work every ounce of sexual energy into her body. Karin sweats and moans. Her catcalls begin to slowly overwhelm every other sexual outburst in the club.

Karin catches a reflection of herself on one of the many mirrors in the VIP section. Her face is as red as the velvet on the VIP booth. Her breathing is heavy. Her chest heaves with every thrust of her man. Ryan takes his young wife off of the table and pushes her up against a nearby wall. He continues to have his way with her. Karin claws at the wall screaming curses of approval at her man’s carnal handiwork.

Ryan places his forearm around his young wife’s neck and begins to slowly choke her as he accelerates his thrusting attack. Karin’s never felt anything like this before. She roars and whips her head from side to side. The veins on the side of her neck begin to pop. For a moment, she thinks that she could be dying. Karin screams. She cums. Her body spasms. Drool falls from her lips. Karin’s body slumps over as Ryan grips the young woman’s thighs.

The couple slowly falls to the floor of the club. One of the waitresses brings them towels and a glass of ice water as though this were routine. Karin looks around in a daze. She grabs the water and takes a drink while Ryan slowly strokes the hair away from her face.

“Wow,” Karin remarks softly.

“I thought you would like this.”

“I feel so free.”

“That’s what I like about this place. No one judges. No one cares who we are. Anyone can do anything around here.”

“Thanks for showing me this place,” Karin tells her husband. The young woman tries to move her legs. She is still feeling the aftershocks from the spontaneous sex session. “I don’t think I’ll be able to walk for a while.”

“Don’t you want to join me in the shower,” Ryan teases.

“Alright. I’m getting up,” Karin responds, suddenly finding the ability to use her legs. The couple is escorted through a set of black curtains. They are led to a white door. The door is opened for them. Inside is a dimly lit French style bathroom with a large shower and tiny LED lights simulating the night sky.

“This is all so surreal. I never knew a place like this would exist,” Karin remarks as they get into the shower. Ryan turns on the water. They are met with a nice warm rain of water all over their bodies. The heavy drops soothe Karin’s body. Ryan takes a bottle of soap and begins to slowly rub the suds against Karin’s body. The young woman closes her eyes and feels her husband’s hands slowly massage her flesh. After a few minutes, Karin returns the favor.

The couple quickly clean themselves off. Though they opt to spend a few more minutes in the shower to enjoy some more time together. The couple gently kisses each other’s flesh. Then they hold each other silently, interrupted only by the sounds of the water drops splashing against the walls and floors of the shower. Steam rises enveloping the couple in the cloaked mist of warmth.

“A nice way to end the day,” Ryan muses softly in Karin’s ear.

“The best way to end the day.”

The couple emerge from the shower, get dressed and head back to Palo Alto. Karin is still in a daze of post-orgasmic joy. She stares at the fat, full moon hung over the Northern California sky. She hopes this night could never end.