Moral Degeneration

“Delivery for a…Ms. Beatrice Childs?” I asked the receptionists. I was wearing a hat and wig but could pass for a very masculine girl. 

“Uh you can leave it here,” she said. I was holding a pizza in hand pretending to be a delivery driver in normal street clothes. But these women weren’t looking for anyone strange.

“Says here I need to call up?” I asked. I showed her the receipt. She confirmed it then called up. A few minutes later Beatrice was walking into the lobby. Wearing her skirted business suit she looked much happier and lively than yesterday. 

“Thank you. Would you mind bringing it up?” She asked. 

“Of course,” I said and followed her to the executive elevator. Since the executives of the building made a few thousand dollars an hour it wasn’t surprising their commute couldn’t be paused to let the normal workers on and off the elevator. We stepped in, she scanned a new badge near the numbers then punched in the 65th floor. 

 

We went up in silence. A small camera mounted in the corner I wasn’t shy about looking her up and down. “Can’t say I’ve ever delivered to someone as beautiful as you.”

“Do tell,” she whispered, eyeing me. 

 

“Something about your curves. It makes me want to tear off your clothes,” I said.

She shivered a little. “Don’t think you’ll get a bigger tip with words like that.”

“Oh I’m pretty sure my tip is big enough,” I said. She giggled and turned to me. Her eyes sparkling as her full face grinned from ear to ear. 

“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” she said.

“I’m a man of my word.”

“I believe it,” she said. “Can’t believe I’m doing this.” The bell dinged and the elevator doors opened. I half expected to see the team that kidnapped me on the other side of the doors, but no one was there. I still hadn’t been caught. 

Beatrice took my hands and pulled me inside. Not the regular cubicle ridden floor, this one was wide open spaces. Where international executives flew in to see the opulence that was the Hodgins Group. Or more commonly known as HGI, Hodgins Group Incorporated. Hands in anything from movies to real estate to toothpaste. They manufactured, distributed, and vendored most everything they could get their hands on. 

 

The most recent acquisition in the news was a firm heavily tied to China. From what I had heard at the bar my first night checking things out, my father was still over there, finalizing the deal. I thought it only appropriate that I go through his house while he’s away. 

 

“Do I get a tour?” I asked. 

“If you want,” she laughed giddily. “Uh there’s the Chief Operating Officer’s office. Marketing. VP 1, 2, 3.” 

“Jeez. Shouldn’t they have offices near the people they manage?” I asked. 

“They do,” she said. “We all do. This is the top of the top though.”

“Oooo I feel honored,” I said.

“You should,” she said with a wink as she continued to walk me around. “Information Officer, Compliance. This is my office, the great and magnificent Chief Financial Officer.”

“Emphasis on great and magnificent, I’m sure,” I said. “Why isn’t that written above your name?” Her door and the entire wall was clouded glass. But names and titles were painted on. 

 

“It’s in the mail,” she said, opening the door. 

“Wait, whose office is that? In the corner?” I asked. 

“Ah, the man of the building. Jacob Hodgins himself,” she said. “Ever heard about him?” 

“A little,” I said, playing it off. “I assume we don’t have to worry about the boss coming in.” 

“Ha, no. He’s still overseas. Why? Looking for a job?” She asked.

 
“No thank you,” I said truthfully. Pushing her into the office I still carried the pizza. Looking around I set the pizza on her desk. The office felt more like a home. Some faux-bamboo plank flooring, light gray couch and chairs, thick carpet, her desk was a glass top, not much good for fun. The back wall was all windows. Looking out onto the city she had another great view. A skyscraper taking up some of the skyline, a lot was still left for us to see. 

“Crazy,” I said. “How long did it take you to get this job?” 

 

“Now you’re interested in my age?” She asked, walking over to me by the windows. 

“Don’t care about your age. Curious about you,” I said. My hand around her lower back she smiled at me, resting her head on my shoulder. 

“A long time. Lot’s of backstabbing and sleepless nights,” she mumbled. 

“I bet. Ever regret it?” I asked. She looked up at me with big doe eyes. “What? You literally had me cum in you. I doubt moms have the time for a position like this.” 

She blushed. “I can’t believe I said all that,” she mumbled with a blush. “I was caught up in the moment.”

“So you didn’t mean it?” 

“I didn’t say that,” she said. She got quiet, her head still on my shoulder. “What do you think about a kid?” 

“I like them,” I said. “I have a few on the way already.” 

“Thought so,” she said. “And what would it take for you to want to raise one of them?”

“Just one?” I asked, eyeing her, slowly understanding what she was saying. 

“I have money,” she said with a shrug. “You could stop doing whatever it is you do. I could quit, become an age-old housewife. Move down with my mom and aunts. They’ve been begging for a grandkid for a decade.” She sighed. “I know it’s crazy.” She sniffed. 

“It’s not crazy,” I said. She slowly looked up at me. “Wanting to raise kids isn’t crazy. That’s why I’m in touch with every girl I’ve gotten pregnant.”

“You are?” She asked. 

“Yeah. 7 of them at this point,” I said. “I was at the ultrasound the other day for 2 of them.”

“You were?” She asked. “What? Why?” 

“Because a kid should know his dad,” I said. “But that’s not what you were talking about before, Bea. You were implying I go with you, and help raise 1 kid.” 

She looked away. “Maybe. Would it be so bad?” 

“Again, no it wouldn’t,” I said. She looked back. “But I couldn’t raise 1. I’d want to help raise them all.”

“How the hell would you manage that?” She asked, almost laughing. 

“No idea,” I said. “But it’s a damn sight better than what the world has now for most dads. All those guys at the Menagerie. They spend their weeknights hitting on women, forcing you to spend your hard earned money for a little of their time. For what? So they can blow it on their dream vacations and little toys? Out of those 20 guys. 1 was worth something. He knew some of his kids. Helped to raise them with his girlfriends, but what was the point? He still donated weekly to some random woman for a few grand more a month. Choosing only a few of his kids to raise while the others are left in the lurch.”

“Fuck that, Bea,” I said. “I plan to raise them all.”

“But how?” She asked.

“By making my own fortune,” I said. “How much would it take to do all of it? 10 million, 100 million? I don’t plan to stop there. Hell, I've been making money for about 3 months and I already have half a million. That amount will continue to grow and grow. My family will continue to grow. The only question is, if you want to be a part of it.”

“What do you mean?” She asked, pulling away a little. 

“Do you really want that life? Away from this city? Away from the excitement and turmoil? Because that’s what I want to build. My own little haven with those I trust. Our kids to grow up together. Not some retirement community in Florida. Some massive acreage where we can build and be together.” 

“This is crazy,” she said.

“It’s a damn sight better than whatever the hell my father’s doing,” I said without care. 

“Father?” She asked. 

“Don’t play dumb,” I said. “Everytime you look at me, you see him.” She turned to face where my father’s office was. 

“You-you’re-” 

“Yep,” I said. Stepping around her I walked out of her office and down to the corner office. It wasn’t long until she was chasing after me.

“What are you doing?” She asked in a panic. 

“Finding out what I want to know,” I said. I came to his secretaries desk. The drawers were locked but I was on such an adrenaline high I pulled them out hard, one by one. The first draw had a keycard just like the one Beatrice used to get into her condo. I snagged it then found more keys. Picking them up I tried them on the office door. 

“I’ll call security!” Beatrice yelled at me.

“Go ahead,” I said, trying key after key until it opened. Inside my father’s office was far more grander than her office. Tiled floor, there was an actual fountain in one corner of the room. Thick books lining one wall, a huge desk, there was an actual Murphy Bed that was down. It could be lifted up to go into the wall. I guessed he had sex with a lot of women in the room. 

“Fucking jackass,” I said walking in. “What a pompous piece of work.” On the wall around where the bed went up were pictures of my dad with past presidents and other world leaders. He didn’t smile overly much, but he seemed to have a lot of contacts.

“You shouldn’t be in here,” Beatrice said.

“He’s my dad. He already tried to kidnap me twice. He’s lucky I’m not burning this place to the ground,” I said.

“Kidnap you?” Bea asked, but I ignored her. 

 

I moved to his desk and began opening drawers. I found another keycard that I hoped was to the same condo. Pocketing it I found a nice stack of cash and took that as well. I guessed it was about $20,000 but chump change to someone like him. Continuing my investigation I found another key under a drawer. It was small and hopefully led me to a safe. 

 

Standing up I lightly pushed Bea out of the way and began my search. “Rory!” She yelled. 

I turned to her. “Sorry, that’s a fake name. I’m Russell. Russell Willard.” 

“Wh-fine whatever. Is Jacob really your dad?” She asked. I nodded. “How do you know?”

“Have you seen the guy’s face?” I asked. She hesitated, looking to a picture on the wall with him and some celebrity guy. “That’s what I thought. You saw it the first time you met me. So have others.”

“I still can’t believe it. Why wouldn’t he…claim you or whatever? I mean, you’re a boy.”

“No idea,” I said. I didn’t find anything on one wall so I moved to the other. “Sorry to use you like this, by the way. The bastard of a dad had me kidnapped twice. Kind of did what I felt I needed to do to figure out what to do about him.” 

“Figure what out?” 

 

“If I should kill him,” I said in all truth. “No one fucks with me and mine, Beatrice. This fucker in his ivory tower. Sending people to do his dirty work. Pisses me off more than anyone else.”

“S-so what? You targeted me?” She asked, slowly putting things together. 

“Ha! You targeted me,” I said. “It was so easy to get you to turn from that Titus guy. What? Always have a thing for my dad?” The way she looked away said it all. I wasn’t surprised. “Sorry.” I gave up my search of a safe in the room, it might have been in his own condo. “I targeted you to use you to get here. But I’ve meant everything I said.” 

“Like what?” She asked, chasing after me as I walked out. 

“I like you,” I said. “We might have a kid together. We don’t know. I’d like to keep seeing you.”

“Keep seeing me?! Are you crazy?! You-you just broke into the most powerful man in the city’s office,” she said, her heels clacking on the floor behind me. 

 

“I’m about to break into his home too,” I said.

“His home?!” She yelled. “What-How?” 

“Doesn’t matter,” I said, pushing the button for the elevator. “Question is, are you coming?”

“Why would I-” 

“Because it’s just you and I up here. Just you and I were seen last on the camera for this elevator. When the cleaning lady comes up here and sees my dad’s secretaries desk drawers thrown about, what will they check? They’ll see you and I together, and they know you. The ever loyal CFO letting a spy in.” 

“You fucker-” 

 

“You just admitted to backstabbing your way to this spot,” I countered. “So…up for backstabbing a little more?” 

“Who?” She asked. 

“My dad,” I said, lifting the safe key. “Let’s see what dirty little secrets he has locked away.” Her eyes widened as she stared at it. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. I stepped in. Eyeing her. I pushed the lobby button, no badge was required to go back down just in case of a fire. The doors began to close but before they did Beatrice slid in. Standing next to me I cracked a grin. Apparently she’d made her decision.