Page 21 of 3 Daddies to Go

I’m starving, so I grab an apple turnover and dig in. The flaky crust dissolves in my mouth, making way for the tart apple filling. I almost let out a groan, but I catch myself. Monica would think it was for her, when really this pastry is just that good.

Her comment about working sits in the back of my mind. I should just let it go. The moment has passed, and everyone else has moved on. I can’t, though. I didn’t pull myself up by the bootstraps to get to where I am for some prissy bridesmaid to act like it’s nothing.

“I didn’t get to bed until three this morning,” I say after I’ve swallowed down my turnover. “I had to fix an order that one of my employees screwed up and put out a million other fires. You don’t get to be CEO without putting in long hours. So yes, it’s entirely possible that I had to work last night. These guys, too.”

Monica simpers, leaning forward to show off her cleavage. The dress she’s wearing is barely there. The bright pink, shiny fabric looks awful, and to top it off, there’s also an awful flower thing on her hip. Last night, she had an excuse for looking ugly, since Trudy obviously picked out the dresses. Today, this is all on Monica. Why do these girls think awful dresses like this look good?

“You’re a CEO? What do you do?” she asks, her eyes bright with barely-disguised greed.

I struggle not to roll my eyes.

“I work in banking. I handle big accounts for companies. We also buy up companies sometimes.”

“Wow,” Monica says, breathless. “That’s amazing!”

I shrug.

“Things are busy right now. We’re in the process of acquiring a new business, actually.”

Leonore butts in.

“Really? What business?”

I share a knowing look with my buddies. I’m all for talking about my work, but these women don’t want to know about my acquisitions. They want to know how much money the new business is worth, and how much I’m worth as a person.

The answer is that the company’s worth a lot, and I’m worth a lot too. This is going to be my biggest buyout since I started with the company ten years ago. That’s part of why I have so many emails to answer. It’s not as simple as clicking a button and entering your credit card info. There’s a lot of paperwork and questions and a bunch of other shit involved in buying a company.

Tag and Trace merely shrug and don’t say anything. They don’t want to talk to these skanky bridesmaids either.

I turn my attention back to Monica and Leonore, who are hanging onto my every word like panting dogs. Somewhere behind them, Trudy is complaining that the chocolate croissants haven’t been brought out yet. I bet there are restaurants in this town with Trudy’s picture in the back under a “do not serve these people” sign.

“So what company are you buying?” squeals Leonore, her cheeks pink with excitement. “How much are you going to pay for it? Does some of that money come from your own pocket?”

I sigh.

“My company is acquiring Sugar Sunshine Cupcakes.”

Monica squeals.

“Sugar Sunshine Cupcakes?” Her hand squeezes Leonore’s arm. “I love them!”

This time I do roll my eyes, unable to help myself.

“Really? What’s your favorite flavor?”

Monica is taken aback by my question.

“Um,” she stumbles. “Chocolate. Obviously.”

“Yeah, obviously,” Leonore adds unhelpfully.

I know the truth: These girls have never eaten a Sugar Sunshine cupcake, I guarantee it. They haven’t touched any of the food on the table. Both girls looked at the pastries with such disdain that I thought they might catch fire. If they can’t even enjoy a muffin at breakfast, there’s no way they would splurge on a high-calorie cupcake.

It’s their loss, though. I know from experience that it’s impossible to eat just one Sugar Sunshine cupcake. Last time their rep came up to my office, she brought a dozen, and I ate more than half of them in one go. One of the perks of buying the company is full access to their cupcakes whenever I want. I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t part of why I went forward with the acquisition.

“The vanilla is good, too,” Monica says with a disingenuous smile. “All their flavors are good. I can’t believe you’re going to be the manager of the place!”

Tag laughs beside me. I elbow him in the side, which only makes him laugh harder.