Read Story: SEASON 2 EPISODE 7

As a result, she was a little melancholic about leaving us, made even more by the fact that I was keeping Bobbi with me. I suspect she’d been under the assumption that she would be taking our little pet back with her, which I would have usually been okay with, but I wanted some time with her sans Helen. Lately, it felt like Bobbi belonged to the woman more than me, and I wanted to correct that. Helen presided over her because I gave her the power—it all flowed from me, and I felt like Bobbi didn’t fully appreciate that.

“Why are you nervous about the partnership?” I asked. “You’ve been kicking ass there for years. They’d be a lot less effective without you.”

Helen shook her head. “I haven’t been in a place of leadership like this. I’m used to carrying out Karl, William, and Roger’s vision, but I haven’t been a visionary. I’ve always done well when given direction or if I have to do something out of need. I’m not necessarily the best when it comes to taking initiative. Roger was the trailblazer. Even among the three partners.”

“I think Bobbi would beg to differ,” I said.

Helen cut her eyes over at me. “You planted the seeds for that.”

“And you just watered, weeded, and tended it,” I retorted. “It might have been my idea, but you’re responsible for how far she’s come in the last month.”

Helen picked up her coffee mug, looked at its contents, and hummed non-committally.

“Just do the same thing here. Trust your gut, and don’t back down when Karl gets all blustery. He’ll listen to you… especially since they know I’m backing you.”

“Implying that they wouldn’t listen to me if I didn’t have Marcus Upton in my pocket.”

“That might be the case at first,” I said. “But I’ll stop being necessary once they realize how invaluable you are.”

Helen stared at me for a long moment and then simply said, “Thank you, Marcus.” It was the equivalent of anyone else kissing my feet in gratitude.

“Do me a favor,” I said. “Could you make sure Jessica knows what she needs to do and is doing it?”

There was a twinkle in her eye. Helen knew the kind of relationship that was developing between me and Jess, and it was something she’d shown a keen amount of interest in. “Of course. Just out of curiosity… how far have you gone with her?”

“We fucked in the hot tub after you guys left at my house party,” I said. “I ended up sharing her with almost everyone there, including Dillon and Jonah.”

“Sharing your ladies with other men?” Helen asked.

“She’s not one of ‘my ladies,’ I said. “I’m not interested in her like that.” I hesitated. “I mean… sure. She’s pretty and is good in bed, but I’ve moved onto bigger and better things.”

“So, you’re merely fucking her until… what? You get tired of her?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I kind of see her as similar to Bobbi. Just not… fully mine. Does that make sense?”

Hm,” Helen mused. “Perhaps. How would she feel if I were to… show interest?”

“Let me know how that works out,” I said. “She’s not quite on Bobbi’s level, though. If she’s not interested, leave it alone.”

“I’ll keep you apprised,” Helen said, taking another sip of her coffee.

“Good,” I said as my food arrived. I started digging in. “While you’re home, could you check in on Charity and Julia and see how they’re coming along?”

“Sure. I should sit with them anyway and review whatever PR strategy they’re putting together from a legal perspective.” Helen said, checking her watch. “I need to start packing. A helicopter is coming to get me in two hours. Quinn should be arriving about the time I get there.”

“One more thing,” I said as Helen rose and took a final sip of coffee. “I need you to keep an eye on Carla.”

A perfectly manicured eyebrow arched as Helen said, “I beg your pardon?”

“Carla Tanaka,” I said, taking her hand. I brought it to my lips and kissed her skin. It was cool to the touch. “I just want you to get a feel for her… how she’s doing.”

“Afraid she’ll run?”

I shook my head. “Carla’s pretty clever, and she knows the minute she leaves my protection, she could be snatched up by Hiro. On the off chance that she did run, Chloe’s guys would tie her up and throw her in a closet. I just… I don’t know what to do with her long-term, and I’d love to get some insight into what she wants.”

“That should be pretty obvious,” Helen said dryly. “She wants you to put a ring on it.”

“Yeah. That’s not happening,” I said.

“Damn right it isn’t,” Erin said.

Helen and I both looked at her. I was a little surprised by her strong reaction.

“What?” Erin said. “You know how many crazies I field for you? I protect you just as much as Chloe, in my own way, and I would’ve kept that gold-digging hose-beast at bay if I’d had a choice, but it isn’t like I could’ve just told her you weren’t available right in the middle of the meeting. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do anything to keep her from marrying you.”

“Just how many crazies?” I asked.

“Too many to fit into a large AMC cinema, but not enough to fill Carnegie,” Erin said.

I whistled. “What are they?”

“Housewives, teachers, athletes, e-girls… you name it. I’ve gotten emails, phone calls, DMs, letters. Most of them send pics. A couple of them have even tried to visit you in person. That’s when Chloe or one of the guys steps in.”

“They send pics?” I asked, more out of curiosity than actual interest. If Erin said they were crazy, I believed her and wasn’t interested in crazy.

“Yep. A lot of them are insanely hot, too. I’ve even subscribed to some of them for my own… research.”

I filed that away for later. Reviewing some of the stuff stalkers sent me with my assistant might be a fun way to pass an uneventful evening. “Well, thanks for protecting me from something I didn’t even know existed.”

“Point is, Carla’s one of the ones I wouldn’t have let through. Maybe this is a good lesson about not sticking your dick in crazy.”

“Noted,” I said. Carla was insanely hot, but it wasn’t like I was hurting for beautiful women. She’d been pivotal in getting me in trouble with Tanaka and was already causing waves at VistaVision by creating a new position just to keep her happy. No matter how good she was at giving head, I had enough problems in my life without Carla complicating things even more.

“I’ll see about scheduling a lunch with her,” Helen said. “I’m going to finish packing.”

“Alright,” I said. “I’ll finish eating and catch up.”

Helen placed a hand on my shoulder and ran her fingers across it, then around the back of my neck, then my other shoulder as she sauntered away from the table. “Alright. Don’t keep me waiting too long, though.”

I watched her leave, noticing that her hips swayed with exaggerated movements. I was pretty sure she was doing it on purpose.

“It’s sad she’s leaving,” Erin said.

“It’ll probably just be for a couple of weeks, depending on Astrid’s discussion with Hiro,” I said, digging back into my food. “Hopefully, she can give us an update this evening.

“Sure,” she said, “but she’s been a staple in our little crew this whole time. She’s a little older than the rest of us, but I think she feels like she’s getting something she missed out on in her earlier years. I don’t think she had a lot of friends before all of this.”

Perhaps Erin had a point—her husband hadn’t exactly nurtured a relationship based on companionship with his wife. She’d been a trophy and a tool to be used more than anything else. It was also very possible that Roger had kept a tight leash on Helen, limiting who she could hang out with. Was it possible that this time away from Roger and YPV… surrounding herself with fun, young women who were easy to laugh with—had resulted in filling a certain kind of void left in her life? Not to mention all the sex.