Gest8 Part 1

Inspired by Shark by KomperaKlause, but with a lot of new twists. Fingers crossed, there will be some images to go along with this story. Stay tuned!

Gest8

By

Brimmingbelly04

Inspired by Shark

By

Komperaklause

Part One

“Thoughts..?” Theo asked a few moments after concluding.

For a few more moments, his CFO, Martin just sat there silently. He blinked a few times before finally speaking.

“You know me, I'm all for making money, but I dunno, Theo?” He shook his head. “Are the… concessions we'd have to make worth it?”

“If we land the account, yes!”

“And if we don't?” Martin raised his brows.

“Do you have a better idea?”

“No, but I don't think we need one,” he shook his head. “We're putting our two best guys on it. Let their work do the talking!” He switched to nodding.

“Laird and Colton are great,” Theo nodded back. “Not necessarily together!” He sighed and rolled his eyes. “But if we do this, there's a good chance we could save the Boddims' account too. Kill two birds with one stone.”

“You make it sound so simple.”

“Isn't it though?”

Martin huffed. “Not really! You're already banking on everything going according to your crazy plan!”

“Do you have a better idea?” The CEO repeated.

“No,” the CFO repeated with a sigh. “Yours is a long shot, but it's also the best. That said, even presenting it to Colton and Laird could push one or both of them away!” He pointed out.

He had to. If he didn't, he wouldn't have been doing his job.

“I don't think we'll have to worry about losing either of them when I tell them about the bonuses we're willing to pay,” Theo said.

Martin grunted. “You're probably right. They're two of the greediest guys I've ever met. They're sharks! But you do realize that legally, we can't ask anyone to…”

“Obviously, I know that Martin!” Theo suddenly snapped. He quickly closed his eyes, drew air in through his nose and exhaled it through his mouth before continuing more calmly. “That's why when it comes to that, I'm only going to strongly suggest it!” He emphasized. “Sharks that they are, one of them will agree.”

“Let's put some money on who!” The CFO grinned. “A thousand bucks, whaddaya say?” He wagged his brows.

“How ‘bout we don't, and instead, never say you mentioned that?” Theo suggested with a chuckle.

“Boo! You're not fun!”

“This is business, Martin…”

“Oh, whatever!” The CFO scoffed. “You just don't wanna bet ‘cause I was gonna choose Colton, leaving you with Laird, and we both know I'm right!”

“No comment.”

“None needed!” Martin laughed as he pushed up on the arms of his chair and stood. “Now I know I'm right!”

“I didn't say anything,” Theo chuckled as he gave a dismissive wave. “Have them come see me, OK?”

“Yes, sir,” Martin confirmed with a wave over his shoulder as he exited the office. Before he did, he added, “I hope this is the right idea…”

“Me too,” Theo sighed as he pushed back from his desk, stood, walked over to his dry bar and poured himself a double shot of whiskey.

The best he had.

There was a lot riding on his idea. Scheme, really. Not only the company's continued success, but its potential growth. As much faith as he had in Laird and Colton, his two star marketing executives, this was going to be a big ask. Ask and suggestion, that is…

All the CEO could do as he took a big gulp was hope it wasn't too big or weird. The last thing he wanted or needed was to scare off Laird, Colton, or the both of them. Now more than ever, he needed them to step up. One of them, anyway.

And one of them would, he just knew it. They were both greedy sharks, after all. He didn't know them to be outdone by anyone, let alone each other.

One of them would bite.

***

Laird groaned as he went over the latest Boddims sales figures again. They weren't bad, but they weren't good either, which meant he was probably going to have some explaining to do.

Him and Colton. Just the thought of the other man made him groan a second time.

Evidently, his groans were louder than he thought because a moment after his last, Kelsi, his newest personal assistant, was standing just inside his door, looking at him.

“Everything OK, L?” She asked in her saccharin sweet tone, with a smile that matched it perfectly.

Kelsi almost always called him L when it was just the two of them. Laird hated it when she did so, which he'd told her several times, but the twenty-three year old continued to use her pet name for him with annoying frequency.

Either she didn't care or was too dumb to know he was being serious. Most likely, it was a combination of the two, but anyway…

Laird had bigger fish to fry at the moment. In another moment, he'd find out they were even bigger than expected, but for now, speaking of big…

Big and beautiful as Kelsi's smile was, Laird didn't notice it when he looked at her. To be fair, he only ever paid much attention to her mouth when it was pressed against his or wrapped around his dick. The forty year old was a big fan of making out, but most definitely preferred the latter.

Straight, gay or bi, what guy didn't? A blowjob was one of the best things in the world!

Per usual, what immediately got Laird’s attention was his young assistant's big perky tits, and how they were making the buttons of her cream colored blouse heavily strain to contain them. While he had no plans of better enforcing the company dress code, Kelsi did honestly need to go up a size or two in tops, because he could clearly see the bra she had on under her current.

The buxom twenty-three year old also needed to invest in some higher quality bras, because Laird (and everyone else she came in contact with) could almost always see her nipples through the ones she owned. For now, Kelsi's tits were so youthful and perky, she honestly didn't even need to bother wearing a bra, but her boss was glad she did for a couple reasons…

First and foremost was because if she did actually go braless, then Laird would really be expected to bring up the dress code. Awkward and annoying as that would be, the forty year old actually cared about the second reason more.

Cheap as they were, he was very glad Kelsi wore bras because of how much he enjoyed taking them off her. Fully revealing her tits turned him on even more, but of course.

The forty year old, senior marketing exec, could've perfectly described the size, shape and heft of Kelsi's breasts, along with the exact shade of pretty pink her nipples were, to a blind person. He could've done so so vividly, they wouldn't have doubted they'd “seen” them themself.

Laird had seen, touched and tasted them many times, and planned on doing so many, many more, but unfortunately, not now. Now, he needed to focus.

“No, Kels, everything isn't OK,” he replied, forcing himself to look her in the eyes, rather than the chest.

Doing so wasn't too difficult or not rewarding. The twenty-three year old was almost obnoxiously gorgeous. She was also young enough to be his daughter without it being too much of a stretch, but that had yet to stop either of them from having fun. Lots of it…

“Tell me what I can do to help…” Kelsi said as she crossed her arms under her large breasts, pushing them even higher while deepening her already ample cleavage.

Laird grunted. She was trying him again. Thought she could… Thought that she was the one who had the power, but no. He was in charge. He was the boss, in bed and out. On his desk or standing next to it.

When he didn’t immediately respond, Kelsi continued after stepping further in and closing the door behind her. “Want a massage? A blowjob? A quicky?” She listed off with a wag of her perfectly sculpted brows and a pucker of her pouty lips.

Laird would’ve appreciated any of the above. Any of the “treatments” his sexy assistant had mentioned would’ve done wonders to improve his mood, but again, now, unfortunately wasn’t the time.

“Not now,” he declined.

Kelsi pouted some more. “But…”

“Why are you here? Was I being too loud?”

“Too loud?” She repeated.

Evidently, his grunts weren't why she was there. Now, to find out why…

“Why are you here?” He repeated, this time more slowly so hopefully, it might trigger something. Anything, really.

“Oh, right!” Kelsi suddenly remembered.

“So..?” He coached.

“Right,” she said again. “Martin called and said Theo needs to see you.”

“Did he say why?” Laird asked, raising his brows as he discreetly (as he could) let his eyes briefly drop down to his sexy assistant’s breasts.

“Did he?” She asked herself, obviously genuinely trying to remember.

“Kelsi…” he groaned.

The twenty-three year old was really terrible at her job. Her actual one.

“I don't think he did,” she shrugged, purposely making her tits bounce.

“Well, I guess I'll go and find out,” Laird sighed as he stood.

“Do you have to go now?” Kelsi tried again.

She was lucky she was so damn sexy and such a fiend for his cock, otherwise she would've found herself out of a job days after starting this one. This one which held zero chance of advancement.

“At least try to look busy while I'm gone, please?” Laird requested as he squeezed past her at the door. “Think you can do that?”

“Do I get a prize if I do?”

Laird didn't respond. He also didn't let his gaze land on her chest again, as much as he wanted it to, in hopes his lack of engagement would make her all the more horny for him when he returned to his office.

Hopefully? Who was he kidding? He knew it would.

***

Even though Laird considered Kelsi to be the definition of bimbo, he knew she had some sense. She knew that he was a catch.

A big one.

Too bad that tempty and tasty as she was, she'd never get this shark to bite. Countless others had tried, but all had failed. Even though he was forty, Laird had zero intentions of settling down anytime soon. Kelsi, and people like her, weren't risks, they were just fun.

What many would consider a risk was being randomly summoned to their CEO's office, but not Laird. While the Boddims numbers weren't great, they weren't bad enough to cause any real trouble.

What little success he (and Colton) had had with that particular account aside, he was damn good at his job, and well worth each of the many, many dollars he made, as he earned infinitely more for the company. All that said, Laird would've preferred to know the reason he was making his way three floors up, yet not enough to think about getting rid of Kelsi and replacing her with someone more capable of their actual duties.

Rather than the elevator, Laird opted for the stairs, which he took two at a time all the way up to help accelerate the break in process of his newest pair of expensive Italian loafers. Considering how much he'd paid for them, they should've made it feel like he was walking on clouds, but like many others, Laird knew that with beauty came pain.

Making himself look the role he played came at a price. Literally and physically.

While he had a tie on, properly tied, he didn’t worry about ending up breathless or sweaty when he reached Theo's floor. Regardless of his footwear or its current level of comfort, the forty year old was better trained than that, mentally and physically.

As he approached the CEO's corner suite, Samantha, Theo's assistant, smiled up at him from around her monitor, and not just with her mouth. Her pretty, sky blue eyes also smiled at Laird as they looked all 6’3” of him up and down.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Graham.”

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Jones,” Laird smiled back (all cylinders activated) as he winked.

He couldn't have helped it if he wanted to, which he didn’t. Laird Graham was a flirt, through and through. Even if he wasn't interested in someone, he had to charm. Most of the time, anyway…

“Theo's expecting you.”

“Do you know why?” Laird asked casually, hoping Theo's assistant might be better informed than his own.

His hopes were high because Samantha was actually good at her job. Usually, shebknew exactly what was going on but unfortunately for him, not this time.

“I'm sorry,” she shook her head, making her wavy, dirty blonde hair tousle. “Martin didn't say when he told me to call Kelsi.”

Laird put on his A-game. He raised his brows.

“Think I’m in trouble?”

Immediately, Samantha grinned and giggled, just as he knew she would.

“You?! Never!” She shook her head. “Colton either!” She giggled some more.

Even though he didn’t want to hear about the other man, let alone be mentioned in the same stream of consciousness, (very) handsome Laird, still smirked down at the assistant.

“I didn’t think so!” He winked before moving forward to knock on Theo’s door before letting himself in without waiting for a response.

The moment he laid eyes on Theo, Laird noticed how tired the older man looked. Physically? No. Mentally? Yes, like he had a lot on his mind.

“First to arrive as always, Laird,” the CEO said as he stood from behind his massive desk.

“But of course.”

“Drink?” He asked as he headed back to the dry bar.

“I'll join you,” Laird said, noting the glass already in Theo's hand. “Everything alright?” He asked cautiously as he stopped next to the seat he would take but remained standing for the time being.

Theo sighed as he added ice to two new glasses. Evidently, someone else would be joining them, but they weren't there yet. Probably Martin.

Martin was Theo's right hand man. Martin was who Laird wanted to be.

“That's to be determined,” the CEO replied.

“Anything I can do to help?”

“We'll get into it when Colton arrives,” he said as he poured a double for Laird and another for himself.

This was about Boddims. Laird and Colton’s project. The one they'd both begged and pleaded with Martin and Theo to not be assigned to work on with each other, but to no avail.

Laird could honestly say they'd done their best. They hadn't done bad, just not good enough, probably because they both did everything they could to actually avoid working on the account together.

Boddims… Greedy assholes. They were already the number one snack cake company in the country, and yet they wanted more. Good as Laird and, admittedly, Colton, were at their jobs, taking someone from number one to higher was difficult regardless of the circumstances.

Had they actually worked together rather than working through their people, they probably would've succeeded, but it wasn't like Boddims sales were down, they just weren't up enough. Again, greedy assholes…

And for Laird to call someone a greedy asshole was saying something! But anyway… Now, he had to sit and be talked down to by Theo in front of Colton of all people. Yes, Colton would be getting talked to as well, but still. Fuck.

“Thanks,” Laird said as he was handed his drink. He paused to take a sip, but only after the CEO had already done so. “You know me, Theo…” he said as he placed his glass down on the desk. “I'm one of your best guys, and I'm not ashamed to say it.”

“You are,” Theo nodded as he walked back to his chair and sat back down, looking a bit weary. Worried, maybe? That wasn't like him.

“That's why you assigned Boddims to me.”

“And Colton…”

“And Colton,” Laird rather openly, begrudgingly acknowledged with a nod. “Two of your best,” he nodded some more. “I'm speaking for myself right now… I don't know whether or not Colton would agree, but I think that…”

“You don't know if I'd agree with what?” Colton asked as he stepped into Theo's office without bothering to knock.

Only he would have the balls to do something like that. Rightfully so, because only he would get away with it. Much to Laird’s chagrin, Theo seemed to have a fondness for Colton he'd yet to be able to achieve.

“Sorry I'm late,” Colton said as he closed the door behind him. “I was putting something together,” he continued as he quickly pushed his glasses up while hurrying over.

“Oh?” Theo said as he accepted the file folder he was handed.

“This is about Boddims, I assume?” Colton asked as he handed Laird an identical folder.

“Partially,” the CEO said as he glanced at Laird, who fought not to visibly wince. “Have a seat and let me pour you a drink,” he said as he readied to stand.

“I'm good,” Colton replied as he sat down in the chair Laird was standing behind, forcing him to move over to the other.

This cocky little asshole, the forty year old said to himself as he moved to the other chair and sat. Honestly, Colton was hardly little, but anyway… Who the hell does he think he is? He thinks he's me, that's who!

“Well guys…” Theo sighed after taking another sip and then leaning back in his chair. “Might as well start with the negative.”

Laird opened his mouth to speak, but Colton beat him to it. “Boddims wants more.”

“Yes.”

“Oh, I'm sorry,” he “suddenly realized” as he turned to Laird and offered him a “genuine” smile. “Did you have anything you needed to give to me?”

Laird’s brows briefly shot all the way up. This fucker…

“No,” he shook his head. “Just my…”

“Thoughts, that's right!” Colton cut him off with a snap of his fingers. “You didn't get a chance to say what you're not sure I'd agree with?” He smiled and nodded. “Go head!”

“Thanks, Colt, but let's just…”

“Are you sure? You have me really curious to hear now?” The thirty-seven year old eagerly nodded. “Aren't you curious, Theo?” He asked, turning to the CEO.

“Now, I am…” Theo admitted with a chuckle as he reached for his glass again.

Laird sighed. “We're all in agreement that Boddims wants more. Where our opinions may differ, is I think that they're asking for too much… I think that…”

“I'm sorry,” Colton apologized again. “But I have to disagree. I think they're well within their rights…”

“And contract,” Theo cut in.

“Took the words right out of my mouth!” The thirty-seven year old reverently nodded. “They're well within it all to expect more from us, and I have an idea as to how to achieve that.”

“Before you get too excited, so do I,” Theo said.

“Excellent! But do you mind if I make my pitch first?” Colton asked with a smile.

The smile he offered Theo couldn't have been mistaken for anything but genuine. Laird hated him even more.

“Go right ahead,” the CEO nodded as he leaned back and opened his file. “Goop'ms…” he read aloud.

“They don't make those anymore!” Laird pointed out more eagerly than he intended.

“No, they don't, but they should.”

“Why?” He scoffed. “Those things were garbage!”

“But everyone loved them!”

“Kids loved them, but their parents wouldn't buy them because they were packed with sugar and calories.”

“So we don't market them to kids anymore,” Colton shook his head. “We market them to parents. Some parents, I should say…”

“Parents who want their kids to be overly sugared blobs?” Laird huffed again.

“I dunno, Colton…” Theo sighed. “America is fatter than ever and always looking for the quickest and easiest, but even with all these new weight-loss drugs, people are…”

“We market them to pregnant people,” Colton cut in. “A treat to satisfy your sweetest cravings!” He grinned.

Laird’s brows went up again. “You're talking about the Goop'ms as before?”

“The very same.”

“The very same sickeningly sweet, soft, artificially buttery pastries, covered in cheap white icing and filled with a…”

“Delicious pudding-like custard!” Colton nodded some more. “Yes!”

“To pregnant people,” Laird reiterated. “Are you trying to give them gestational diabetes?!” He rolled his eyes.

“I'm trying to make Boddims some easy sales. Maybe we change the name, but I think we should stick to it. Just relaunch it under a…”

“Very different guise,” Theo cut in.

“It's too limited!” Laird said. “Just to pregnant people? That's too…”

“I think you're onto something, Colton,” the CEO said.

Laird was aghast. Theo couldn't be serious?! This was a terrible…

“It's quite similar to my idea, but a bit more specific. Put them together, and I think we can make it work. Now have either of you heard of Gest8?”

“Gestate?” Laird repeated.

“But spelled G-E-S-T-8.”

“I read something about it on a blog,” Colton said. “Some startup lifestyle brand from California.”

“That's correct,” Theo nodded. “Their demographic is a bit…” he paused. “Unusual, but word has it, they'll soon be looking to expand east.”

“And you want to get Boddims in on the expansion.”

“I want us to get in on the expansion and bring Boddims along.”

“Lemme guess, Gest8's demographic is pregnant people,” Laird said, finally figuring out the brand name.

“And their partners and admirers,” Theo nodded.

“Partners I get, but admirers?” The forty year old questioned.

The CEO shrugged. “As I said, it's a rather unusual concept, but it's worked for them so far. In less than five years, they've managed to amass a huge following. Now, word on the street is they're ready to go bicoastal and I want us to be ready to represent them when they are.”

“And work Boddims into the mix,” Colton nodded. “I think it's a great idea!”

“It's a great idea if we can snag the contract when it comes up,” Theo said. “I think there's gonna be some stiff competition.”

Laird wished he knew more about Gest8. Anything, really. He'd never heard of it till now and hated that Colton had, but of course. God, he was so annoying!

“I'm sure Colton and I will do you proud,” he said, forcing himself to smile as genuinely as he could.

“I have faith in the two of you,” Theo nodded. “But I think we're gonna need more than that. I want us to have an edge…”

“What're you thinking?” Colton asked, leaning forward in his chair.

Laird did the same a moment later.

Theo hesitated. He opened his mouth and then closed it, obviously unsure of exactly what he wanted to say or how to say it. That wasn't like him.

“I think it would be really beneficial…” he eventually continued. “If when we pitched them, they could see how interested we are in doing business with them. Make it undeniable.”

“Any thoughts on how?” Laird asked.

“Something did come to mind,” the CEO nodded. “Something very unorthodox, to the point I need to make it explicitly clear that it is not a request, just an idea…”

“OK…” Laird nodded back.

“One of us should be pregnant!” Colton suddenly blurted out.

Laird laughed. He couldn't help it. Theo let out a long sigh of obvious relief as he looked at him.

“You said it,” he said, turning to Colton. “Not me!” He stressed before just as emphatically adding, “And it's not a requirement, just a…”

“I think it would definitely seal the deal!” Colton nodded enthusiastically.

“Speaking of the deal, if we secure it, there are bonuses for both of you. Big ones.”

Laird laughed again as he looked between Theo and Colton. Were they serious?! One of them getting pregnant to land a new client?! He was all for creating business, but life in the process?! That would be insane!

“And the baby…” Theo went on. “Arrangements could be made. You wouldn't be left holding the bag if you didn't want to,” he said as he looked between the two of them. “Just putting that out there,” he nodded as he sat back.

By then, Laird had already done the same. Colton was the only one still leaning in, still eager, seemingly not weirded out or worried by what Theo had suggested.

“When do we expect them to start their search?” He asked.

“In the next two to three months.”

“Great,” he nodded. “That gives us plenty of time to do our research and fine tune our strategy, right Laird?”

“Right,” the forty year old replied.

‘Fine tune our strategy?’ Do you mean come up with one of our own that doesn't involve one of us getting pregnant?! He asked himself.

And with that, the meeting was over. Everyone stood and shook hands, Colton patting Laird on the back as they headed for the door side by side.

“Got any initial thoughts?” He asked.

Laird waited till they were out in the hall and past Samantha’s desk before he came to a stop and stared down at the slightly shorter and younger man.

“Any initial thoughts?” He repeated. “Um, yeah, a few!” He huffed. “What Theo suggested is crazy! Insane!”

“I think it's pretty brilliant,” Colton countered.

“Of course you do!” Laird rolled his eyes. “If you wanna get knocked up, go right ahead!”

“You'd love that, wouldn't you?” Colton smirked up at him, eyes narrowing.

“What, you getting pregnant?”

“No, you getting off easy!”

“I'm stuck working with you again! That's not easy!”

“Ditto.”

“Oh, whatever man!” Laird rolled his eyes again.

“Cool your jets, stud…” Colton chuckled. “We've got time to figure this all out. Not much if we want our pitch to be impactful, but a little. Take a few days to try and come up with something you think might do the trick and we'll talk.”

Laird didn't wait to take a few days let alone a few minutes to try and come up with anything. He also didn't want to talk to Colton anymore, so he concluded the conversation with a curt nod and walked off.

***

Laird did a lot in those next few days. He did some research on Gest8, or tried to anyway. There wasn't much info on the brand readily available, other than rave reviews of the few locations they had in LA. That was odd and more than a bit worrying, but Theo must've known something he wasn't ready to share yet because a day after their meeting, he sent Laird and Colton an email outlining the bonuses they could receive if all went well.

The initial bonus alone was almost half of the forty year old marketing exec's very generous base salary. Theo paid well, but Laird had never been offered bonuses like these. If Colton hadn't already seemed so willing to get knocked up to sweeten their pitch, now, Laird might've started considering it himself. But no.

Yeah, fucking right!

This was all so weird and crazy, that he had to talk about it with someone, but who? Laird knew he had to be careful at work, and didn't want to talk about it with the only people he knew were in the know… Maybe Martin?

No. Even though there was a good chance the CFO knew what had been thrown out there, Laird didn't want it to look like he was running to daddy. He was trying to be daddy, and knew that anything he said to Martin, aka any concerns he shared, would make their way to Theo almost as soon as he shared them.

That made Martin a no go. For now, anyway… Later, when shit probably hit the fan, then Laird could go to him and share the misgivings he'd had from the get go, but not yet, and maybe not ever if everything ended up going well.

If it did, Laird would happily ride that train for all it was worth. But still, he needed to ride this by someone to help him figure out if he was even on the right track?

His confidant came in the form of his cousin, Marc, who Kelsi let in unannounced when he showed up to collect the watch he'd borrowed from him again, which he was supposed to have returned over a week ago. Marc walked across the office, still in his hospital scrubs and stuck out his left hand.

“Gimme…”

“You could at least say, please…” Laird sighed as he undid the ludicrously expensive Rolex adorning his left wrist.

“And you could at least say thank you, again, for letting you borrow my baby, again!” Marc countered.

“How ‘bout I do you one better and buy you a drink?”

“Just one, considering I didn't charge you a late fee?” He asked as he snatched his “baby” back.

“Two, then we're even.”

“Deal.”

***

Half an hour later, Dr. Marcus Wright and his cousin, Laird Graham, were seated in a corner booth at a swanky bar, located around the corner from the latter's office. Laird was slightly deeper into his drink than his cousin, needing to wet his whistle more due to all the talking he was doing.

Marc had taken a couple big gulps of his own drink as he sat there otherwise silently listening, wide-eyed. Already, Laird felt much better knowing his cousin thought his situation was as crazy as he did.

That's the impression he got from Marc remaining silent, but as it turned out, it was wrong.

“You think he's gonna do it? Get pregnant?” Marc asked.

“Colton?”

He nodded.

“I wouldn't put it past him,” Laird shook his head.

“Wow…” his cousin shook his too. “That's gutsy! Literally!”

“It's crazy…”

“It's dedicated. You can't let him do it! If he does…”

“It could totally backfire on him,” Laird cut back in.

“Or, it could send him soaring up into the stratosphere!” Marc countered before quickly downing the rest of his drink and then beckoning the waitress over to order them another round, as well as a flatbread to share.

“Well I'm sure as shit not getting knocked up!” Laird scoffed once they had the both to themselves again.

“Imagine that!” Marc laughed.

“I'd rather not!” His cousin grunted as he spun what ice remained in his otherwise emptied glass around. “But I might actually have to, ‘cause…”

He groaned loudly. “OK… I know I always tease you about me being smarter, but you just proved it!”

“How?”

“How?!” Marc laughed again. “The answer's stuffed in your damn pants!”

Laird rolled his eyes. No one was close enough to hear what his cousin had just said, but still. He didn't want to talk about that, not here, not now… He said as much.

“Why not? If you go with Theo's suggestion, you need a stake in it too, otherwise Colton ends up the golden… with child!”

“I don't even know where to begin?!” The forty year old scoffed. “Might as well start with the easiest… I don't wanna have a kid with him!”

“You wouldn't! You'd have several!”

“That's reason number two! Maybe it should be the first, but…”

“Fuck him, Laird! Literally!”

“Eww!”

“Don't tell me you wouldn't get a kick out of it!” Marc rolled his eyes. “You bat for both teams!”

“So..?”

“Colton’s hot!”

“He's alright,” Laird replied.

Colton was better than alright. He was hot, just like Marc said.

“But I couldn't do that to him,” he shook his head as the waitress returned with their next round.

Once she was gone, Marc continued. “Why not?”

“Because I've been down that road before, and I'm still paying the toll! That's why I have to keep borrowing your baby, rather than buying one of my own!”

“But you have an out this time! The babies will be taken care of!”

“Yes, but…”

“If you knock him up, Colton will end up sidelined, regardless of what he chooses to do with the babies!” Marc nodded enthusiastically. “At least for a while, anyway.”

“Even if it happens again, this time is different,” Laird disagreed. “The whole point of him getting pregnant is…”

“To get the gig, I get it,” his cousin cut back in. “But his point of getting pregnant is for him to take the wheel. Don't let him.”

“I dunno…” Laird shook his head. “It would be pretty fucked up to literally do it with him, knowing what I can do.”

“Thanks to me!” Marc chuckled. “I'm the one who figured out how freakishly fertile you are!”

“Well it's thanks to me you made that discovery and got all the recognition, so you're welcome!”

“So..? Are you gonna use your weird talent to your advantage?”

“I am a shark,” Laird admitted aloud. “But it would be pretty fucking twisted, even for me.”

“Twist it in your favor.”

“It's not like I can control it…”

“Well you wouldn't have any control if you're not involved in the process, so to speak,” Marc pointed out. “You're not exactly a spring chicken anymore and Colton's obviously gunning for you. He's been gunning for you from what you've told me. I think you should do it.”

“So fuck him, but don't tell him about, you know…”

“No, don't tell him!”

“But what if he finds out I knew what I was capable of?”

“How? In everything I published, you were anonymous,” Marc shrugged.

“I still dunno?” Laird sighed.

“You said you guys are meeting again tomorrow, right?”

He nodded.

“Well then you have till then to decide. Don't worry about him, worry about yourself!” Marc nodded back.

“Yeah, I guess you're right,” Laird sighed.

“I know I am, and at least this time, you won't have to worry about the consequences of your freakish fertility!” His cousin smirked and winked. “This time, and probably this time only, it could be a good thing!”

***

Later that night as he lay in bed, Laird thought more about all Marc had said. While his cousin had made some valid points, he still wasn't convinced.

The forty year old also thought more about how outrageously fertile he was. An ex-girlfriend was the one who found out the hard way when the condom Laird had been using broke.

She ended up pregnant with sextuplets, and insisted on keeping them. All of them. This led to a lot of things, including a ridiculously sized belly, full of very large babies, their eventual break-up, and the both of them getting tested to find out how such a pregnancy had happened in the first place.

Almost naturally Laird assumed it was her, but as it turned out, he was the “problem.” Simply put, the potency of his sperm was off the charts. Marc had never seen anything like it before.

He used samples Laird provided and artificially inseminated some donor eggs. Each time, regardless of their viability: pregnancy. Multiples’ pregnancies, each and every one of them. Laird's spunk even succeeded in fertilizing an egg Marc had deemed totally not viable. Even that egg split (multiples times,) resulting in his cousin's smallest “pregnancy:” quadruplets.

Marc didn't tell him how many his biggest test pregnancy had resulted in. He only said he figured he'd scared Laird enough, and his cousin agreed.

For whatever reason, he was hyper fertile. Astoundingly and problematically so.

Laird had nothing to do with his ex or their six children, other than supporting them financially. It was a good thing he made a lot of money because it cost a lot to be financially responsible for that many.

Because he was so fertile, the forty year old knew that even if and when he met the right person, he couldn't have kids with them. No one in their right mind wanted to have that many kids, all at once, most definitely not Laird.

So yeah, if he offered and if Colton agreed to let him get him pregnant, he would be signing up for a lot more than he realized. Maybe if the younger man wasn't such a constant thorn in his side, Laird wouldn't still be considering it, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized he really could use his potency to his advantage.

If he got Colton pregnant, it was bound to get him out of the way. Even if he didn't keep the babies (however many there ended up being) after a pregnancy like the one he could (unfortunately, unknowingly) expect, there was no way he'd come back to work after. He'd be too embarrassed!

Realizing that sealed the deal for Laird. Now, he just had to figure out how to get Colton to agree, which he already knew wasn't going to be easy.

Ugh…

All of a sudden it hit him, and Laird sat up straight in bed. It was so simple, he was surprised he hadn't thought of it sooner. To be fair, he'd been thinking about so much else.

He still wasn't looking forward to his meeting with Colton in the morning, but the forty year old now felt a lot better about it. Laird let out a contented sigh as he lay back down and turned onto his side.

Assuming he hadn't gone and gotten himself knocked up already, tomorrow morning, the thirty-seven year old would find out Laird would be the one to do the deed.

Laird couldn't wait.