Billionaire's Pleasure-Chapter 58: Intitled
Bruce’s POV
8:00 a.m. Monday morning
I took note of the time because Larry was meant to pick me up at 8:00 a.m. for our trip with the Omnilert team. Over the weekend, I had my assistant pack a bag, and it was waiting for me outside the front door.
Always be prepared, was my credo. Alternatively, have someone else prepare it for me. I had some free time, so I made a cup of coffee using the $20,000 brewing equipment Larry had persuaded me to purchase during a business trip to Belgium a few years ago.
It was said to be the world’s best coffee-making system. The system’s coffee beans were also said to make the best cup of coffee on the planet. I believe the beans were brought from Columbia’s darkest jungles and had been spit through a tiger’s ass or something similar. The big deal was lost on me. The coffee it made was only passable. It had the texture and smell of burned ink. It wasn’t a twenty-thousand-dollar cup of coffee, for sure.
Larry claimed I had a caveman’s palate.
Dude, whatever you want to call it.
When I tasted a bad cup of coffee, I knew it.
I kept meaning to acquire a cafe franchise and put it in the lobby (I own the building and live in the penthouse), but I kept forgetting to call the CEO of the café to finalize the deal. I took out my phone and began speaking into it.
"Siri, please remind me to add a coffee downstairs in the lobby."
I put the phone down after Siri validated my genius. I sat my laptop on the kitchen table with a steaming mug of coffee. I tapped my fingers on the keyboard as I logged onto social media. The 1,835 notifications and 2,018 messages flashed at the top of the screen were ignored.
To be honest, I despise my social media and only use it to gather information on potential business partners.
Or folks that merely piqued my interest.
Apple is one of them.
Some of the things individuals wrote on social media astounded me every time. They simply throw it out there for all to see, with no regard for the consequences.
Look at this picture of you getting shitfaced drunk during a bachelor celebration.
Look, here’s a photo of you in the restroom with a partygoer.
Look at you; you’re receiving a lap dance from that hooker.
Oh, wow! Here’s a picture of you doing a line of white powder off the hooker’s tit that looks suspiciously like coke!
Finally, the grand finale... Here’s a picture of you naked and covered in magic marker, passed out in a hotel room. Someone drew a smiling face on your head, oh look. When I was looking into the background of a man who wanted to be my Chief Financial Officer. I came across all those amazing photographs.
I simply went to his social media page, clicked on Photos, and voila! "So, you want me to let you manage my company’s finances?" I asked after showing him what I had discovered. "Seriously? No, I don’t believe so. Thank you for passing through."
Granted, I put the poor guy through a series of torturous interviews before slamming the social media photos and telling him to fuck off. But, well, a man has to have some fun. Right?
As I waited for Apple’s profile to appear, I typed her name into the search field and sipped the stale coffee. I was curious as to what embarrassing events or intriguing details I would find on her profile. And then, as if by magic, Apple’s life appeared in full color for all to witness.
"All right, Apple," I answered, grinning. "Let’s see what dark secrets I can deduce from your beautiful face."
When I clicked to enlarge her profile image, I was saddened to discover that it was a generic business portrait, most likely taken from her Omnilert bio.
As I clicked to close the larger image, I said, ’Shit. Apple, come on. Please don’t fail me.’
I returned to her profile page and selected the about Apple option, but nothing was written there.
I went to her photos, hoping to discover a couple of inebriated party photos. Apple on the beach with a string bikini, her tits protruding. Woo-hoo! Wouldn’t that be a fantastic way to begin the day? Apple in a sexy bikini, which I could rub out to before leaving the penthouse.
As her photographs loaded on the screen, I exclaimed again, ’Shit. Whacking off to Apple’s tits was a waste of time.’
Apple is in a business meeting.
Apple is at the University.
Apple is at a formal dinner.
Apple is accompanied by a model agency.
Apple is dressed in her cap and gown.
With a sigh, I murmured, ’Son of a bitch. Disgusted, I moved the computer away and picked up the coffee cup. Are you seriously that dull, Apple Clark? You couldn’t even give me one great tit pick to get my day started?’
Larry sent me a text message on my phone. With the car, he was downstairs. Crap. My investigation into Apple Clark would have to wait.
For a little moment, I glanced at her drab profile image. I shook my head and shut the laptop. Apple Clark was in desperate need of some excitement in her life. And, luckily for her, I was the one who could offer it to her.
I handed the driver my suitcase and stepped into the rear of the limo to sit next to Larry, who muttered and fiddled with his phone.
"Using your phone at the table is bad etiquette, " I said, shaking my head.
"Sorry, just sending an email to be confirming our flight time for today." He placed his phone into the pocket of his jacket and focused entirely on me.
He inquired, "So, how was your weekend?"
I shrugged and answered, "Fine. I didn’t accomplish much. I just flew to Vegas to inspect the Ferrari I purchased and my casinos."
"Did you return with it?"
He got a snort from me. "Larry, you don’t drive a car like that. For transfer back to Chicago, I had them load it onto a climate-controlled auto trailer. It’ll be here in a day or two."
His face was filled with disapproval. "How much did you spend in the end? On the road?"
I waved my hand at him, as though the inquiry was unpleasant, but not as unpleasant as my response. "I spent more than I should have, but not nearly enough."
"How much, Bruce?"
A deep moan escaped my lips. "$28,000 for the automobile and another ten percent in auction costs," I said, shrugging off the figure as if it were pennies on the dollar. He gave me a scowl.
"All right, so it went a touch over budget. It’s not a major issue. It will double in value in five years."
He shook his head and added, "I hope you’re right."
"I am always correct."
"Are you here?"
He was scowling at me as I looked over. "What’s up to your ass this morning?" I inquired, holding out my hands.
"What’s up my ass is your little show with the Omnilert people on Friday," Larry explained. He gave me the same look my father used to give me whenever I disappointed him, which was usually. He clicked his tongue and shook his head slowly. "Bruce, I’m not going to let you blow this deal. It’s really too crucial." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
I gave him a dismissive wave and replied, "I’m not going to wreck the deal. I’m not sure what’s bothering you so much. In that meeting, I believed I was quite the gentleman."
"You were, of course."
He exhaled deeply and shook his head once again. I thought Larry’s head was going to fall loose from his neck on some days. "Do you realize the position you’ve put me in with the Omnilert people?" he asked. "And Jones is demanding that they radically revamp their executive team’s weekly schedule?"
I grumbled. "I couldn’t care less about Omnilert. Remember that they work for us? If the Jones executive team isn’t careful, they’ll be in over their heads the instant the final agreements are signed."
"Well, I do care about them," Larry stated solemnly. "Unlike you, I don’t have billions of cash to make me believe I can be a complete jerk in public. Bruce, you sometimes act more like a spoiled adolescent than a successful businessman. What’s the deal?"
I sighed and said, "I don’t have a deal. I get bored easily and enjoy fucking with people. I keep telling you to quit forcing me to go to meetings, but you continue on taking me."
"Because you are the face of Onez Enterprises, whether you like it or not. You’re the headline-grabbing bad boy. You’re the man who gives Ed Talks to get millennials to hang on every word and spend millions of dollars on your products."
