"Welcome to your life
There's no turning back
Even while we sleep
We will find you acting on your best behavior
Turn your back on mother nature
Everybody wants to rule the world
It's my own design
It's my own remorse
Help me to decide
Help me make the most of freedom and of pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world"
Tears For Fears – "Everybody Wants to Rule The World"
Erik watched Maria down a shot of tequila and squeeze a sliced lime into her mouth. He sipped on a glass of ginger beer and watched the festivities aboard Le Sirene, Stark's 456-foot-long custom-built yacht. Scalloped sides, silver and turquoise accents and large glass facades gave panoramic views inside the interior. Sailing off the coast of Malibu, the balmy air and fresh smell of seawater relaxed Erik.
Stark spared no expense to wine and dine the interns. Everyone around Erik were in various states of good humor, ecstatic thoughts of the future, and varying degrees of sobriety.
Athena accepted a job with a completely different company in Paris.
Giselle would start a mid-level position in Stark's New York offices.
Valentina accepted a generous package with Stark in Los Angeles under the thumb of Janine.
And Maria…she had two top Stark Industries choices. Stay in Los Angeles with Valentina, or take an opportunity to work for Stark in D.C.
Only fifteen percent of the interns were offered jobs with Stark. The fact that all off his female friends received the careers they worked so hard for pleased Erik to no end. He was also looking forward to being right next to Tony. As soon as Happy from security gave him his new clearance, Erik had access to offices and buildings within the Stark sphere of influence.
Once he was removed from the interns, Erik spent two weeks shadowing Pepper Potts. She informed him that she would guide his transition into more of a junior assistant role. Erik liked Pepper's directness. She wasn't a fun person to hang around. Her tight lips and tight ass personality hid a core rooted in needing to keep the world around her extremely organized. Erik recognized the signs of obsessive behavior. He had it too.
Pepper was easy to read and she seemed to be irritated with Erik's relaxed stance around Stark. She dug into him during a lunch meeting the two of them shared.
"You need to be the one to keep Tony grounded. He's really just a big kid in a candy store and even though he is brilliant, he is also very brash. Impulsive. The key to doing the job right is to keep the riff-raff away from him and make sure he stays focused on the task at hand. He doesn't need another sycophant. Everyone wants a piece of him, so don't be afraid to be rude or abrupt. You and I will be in direct contact and I will be in charge of your itinerary with Stark daily. Any changes that need to be made go through me first."
Pepper always regarded him with a bit of detachment and triple-checked his work often. After two weeks of realizing that Erik was more than capable of handling Tony as her junior, she let up a bit. Just a tiny bit. Erik had to adjust to how he would stomach those other looks she gave him. Looks that always made it seem like she pondered how he was in Tony's orbit. This Black kid with the genius I.Q. and Oakland attitude. So many overly pedigreed interns and Stark chose Erik above all of them. A guy not even out of his teens yet.
Erik also learned another little tidbit about Pepper.
She was annoyed with Devika.
Maybe not annoyed…more like jealous.
The two women maneuvered around each other professionally. But more than once, Erik caught Pepper giving Devika catty looks when she was in Stark's inner office. This piqued Erik's curiosity even more, making him want to know what type of relationship Devika really had with Tony. It made Erik's stomach hurt sometimes to think that his boss had been with his girl in that way.
His girl.
Erik's eyes swept over to the open bar on the yacht's third deck as Devika picked up a champagne flute and tipped the glass against one of the female interns next to her. Prior to coming on board the luxury boat, Erik spent the afternoon with Devika at a café looking for an apartment for him. A basic one-bedroom in a decent neighborhood close to work was averaging three thousand a month.
Money wasn't a problem. Stark made good and gifted Erik with a hefty players fee from the poker game. Erik sent portions of his winnings to his relatives and banked the rest. He could afford a fancy apartment or even a condo himself if he wanted. But spending the night with Devika made him want one thing: to be with her.
He whined to her about having to spend a grip of money in a hotel and hinted that he would look for a roommate situation to ease him into a new living situation. He already had his belongings in her apartment and they were now sharing a bed. He wanted to stay with her during his fellowship. But she was concerned about Tony finding out about them. He was too chickenshit to ask outright if he could live with her hoping she would suggest the idea herself. She didn't.
Erik watched Pepper approach Devika and as the two women spoke to one another, he moved to the other side searching for the man himself. Jazzy tunes were piped in throughout the yacht and Erik tried to go where he last saw Tony.
A wet kiss on his cheek caught him off guard and Giselle's face came into view as she slid around him.
"You're real quiet tonight. Everything okay?" she asked.
"I'm good. Just looking for Boss Man."
"I never got a chance to properly congratulate you on your fellowship. Stark was right about you. From Day One. You were the man to beat."
"You haven't done so bad yourself."
"New York, baby!" Giselle squealed. She closed her eyes and did a little happy dance, "They loved my work with the Expo and I was a good fit for his team out there. I am over the fucking moon. I am going to kill out there."
Her eyes glinted with endless possibilities and Erik caught a glimpse of Tony walking toward him.
"Stevens."
Giselle slipped away from him to join a raucous group dancing in an open space. Tony handed Erik a glass of champagne.
"You missed my grand going away speech," Tony said.
"No, I heard it. I was just up here. Taking it all in."
"This is just one of the many perks of doing what I do. Showing appreciation for everyone giving their best."
"Do you ever get bored with it? I mean, all this," Erik said glancing around at the grandeur and all the decadence.
"Not really. When I was younger, I used to get bored…not with the money, but with the same packs of roving cliques. Money is never boring. Rich people? Yes. Money? Never. I just learned how to spend my money well and surround myself with interesting characters."
Erik drank from his glass and Tony moved closer to him.
"Pepper says you are ready for the big leagues. It's going to be quite a shift from being an intern."
"I can handle it."
Erik followed Tony around the ship, and as the night progressed, he longed to be alone with Devika and just watch a corny movie. She flitted around, and the yearning grew in his heart. It was a new feeling for him. Wanting a one on one. Athena and Giselle were open to him having a goodbye tryst with them, but he wasn't interested, and that shocked him. Turning down exceptional pussy? An abomination in his previous life, but now…
The black sheath dress Devika wore shimmered with tiny crystals at the hem. And she wore the heels that he loved fucking her in. Her hair was tucked into a loose bun on her head and she decorated her forehead with three dark green bindis. He followed her to the starboard side of the yacht and her eyes looked startled to see him come upon her as she stared at the dark water below them.
"Hey," he said, allowing his shoulder to bump into hers.
"Hi."
"You look nice."
"Thanks," she said. Her eyes darted behind him to make sure they weren't being watched.
"I'm on my best behavior, don't trip," he said giving up a bit of space between them.
"I needed a little break from the action," she whispered, folding her hands on the railing she leaned on.
"Pepper and you have been chatty Cathy's."
Devika's eyes narrowed at the sound of Pepper's name.
"Devika, be honest with me. Did you and Tony-?"
"No."
Her tone was curt. But her eyes were soft.
"I didn't cross the line with him. Not all the way. I was…I was really young when I took this job. I was also really good at it. Tony took a shine to me, but it was just an excellent working relationship in the beginning. But shit happens. Late hours. Last-minute trips to exotic places. Billionaire crowd. Working for him is both surreal and astounding at times. The people that he has on speed dial? You would be shocked at who I have called up out of the blue for him."
She took a deep breath and exhaled.
"I had a huge crush on him and he has always been attracted to me. We've had dinners together that had nothing to do with work. There have been times when I could've allowed us to cross the line, and I didn't. Then I met my fiancé and my life changed. Pepper is in love with Tony, and she hates that he still feels something for me even though there is nothing between us."
She turned and looked at Erik.
"I had an emotional connection to Tony and I ended it for the sake of my career. My dignity too, I guess. I look at Tony as a boss and a friend. Pepper hasn't found a balance for her feelings, and we sometimes butt heads."
"Does he still want something with you?"
"I don't think so. He was happy when I first got engaged. Maybe it was a relief for him."
"Does he feel anything for Pepper?"
"I don't think so. She treats him like a child. It annoys him a lot. I think it's why he blows her off a lot. But she is good at what she does so he puts up with her scolding. What's it like for you working with her?"
Erik looked out at the water and gripped the railing with his hands.
"Annoying as fuck. But I'm used to people like her. She doesn't like that I'm not invested in the gig as much as she thinks I should be."
"If you're not invested, why do it? You should go to M.I.T."
Her words made his chest hurt.
"You don't want me around?"
"This has nothing to do with me. God, I hope you didn't take the job just to be around me."
She laughed but then stopped when his face stayed neutral.
"Erik, seriously, you took the job for your future career, right?"
"I have a lot of reasons to take it. You were part of it too."
"Oh…Erik…"
Her eyes dropped away from his.
"Devika…"
"You have to make life choices that benefit you and your dreams."
"I'm still figuring that out, but you're a big perk."
She reached out and rubbed his arm.
"You are so sweet."
"I'm not trying to be sweet, Devika. I'm tryna be your man."
The words not only shocked her, but they made him tumble back from the railing. The champagne had him loose-lipped. Too loose.
Her eyes regarded him with quiet understanding.
"So sweet," she said.
He watched her lean away from him as if she were leaving him. He grabbed for her hand and pulled her toward him.
"You heard what I said, right?" he asked.
"I did."
"You like me, right?"
"I do."
"I wanna be with you. Not just friends."
"We should slow down."
"What?"
His neck tilted to the side.
Hours earlier they had been in her bed and she had whispered crazy things in his ear that made him feel invincible and so grown up. Was she playing him for good dick?
Two weeks of sharing her home together, making him feel like they were a legit couple, and she was standing there telling him they should slow down. He tasted sour spit in his mouth and the muscles in his stomach felt tight.
"You need to focus all your energy on being the best you in your new position. Don't get caught up with me and lose track of your future."
"Caught up?"
He could barely get the words out of his throat. Her words sounded like she was patting him on his head like he was a cute puppy that she no longer wanted to play with. He felt his lower lip tremble and he stepped further away from her.
"Erik…"
"I gotta get back to Stark. I'll see you later."
He felt a little wobbly as he searched for Tony. Once he found him, he stayed by the man's side and finished the evening on his motorcycle by the pier the yacht was docked at. Instead of returning to Devika's condo, he took a room at a Hilton hotel and drank up the liquor inside the minibar.
His cell phone rang and when he checked it, Devika left several messages for him. He called her back at three in the morning after a good hour of sleep.
"Where are you?"
"A hotel. West Hollywood."
"Why?"
"Why? You told me not to get caught up—"
"Erik, you know what I meant."
"I heard what you said."
"Come back here."
"Why should I?"
"Let's talk—"
"We're talking now—"
"Get over here."
"Why?"
"I want you here. Your stuff is here."
"I'll get my stuff later."
"What I said to you earlier…I wasn't trying to be mean. I was being honest with you."
"I don't want to slow down."
He could hear an exasperated sigh in her voice.
"Erik, I'm trying to make you see what I wish someone had told me when I was younger. I'm not trying to hurt you."
"I want to be with you. We get along. You know that. Tony won't find out about us—"
"We need to talk in person—"
"It's late. I'll come over when I check out."
He hung up.
Lying on the hotel bed nude, he stared at the walls.
An hour ticked by.
"Fuck."
He jumped up and put back on his silk shirt and slacks. Throwing on his dark biker's jacket and helmet, he hopped on his motorcycle and roared out of the hotel parking lot.
The highway was quiet as the sky lightened. When he reached Devika's condo, the pink and orange morning glow made him feel easier in the chest.
She answered the door after his third knock dressed in one of his sweatshirts and nothing else.
"Let's talk," he said.
She nodded and he leaned forward to kiss her lips. Her mouth was eager to have his and they took their time with slow drawn out smooching in the doorway. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist.
Suckling his tongue, Devika made him feel that what he needed most was for her to be in his corner. He held onto her ass cheeks to keep her pressed against him, and when she finally released his lips, he had her panting. He slipped a finger down her ass and let it rest against the cotton of her underwear. He could feel how damp she was, her slick saturating the panties. He rested his forehead on hers.
"Tell me your mine," he whispered.
She traced the fingers of her right hand across the back of his scalp sending tingles up his back. His lips touched her lips again and he looked into her eyes.
"Tell me," he demanded.
He walked into her condo with her still wrapped around him and kicked the door closed.
"I'm your man. Say it."
The bass in his voice made her eyes widen. He sent his fingers down into her panties and stroked her swollen vulva.
"Devika, say it…."
He unfastened his pants and pulled them down with his underwear.
"Devika."
Sliding her sticky panties to the side, Erik lifted her up and guided his dick inside of her. She whimpered as he fucked her standing up, her face pressed against his face, her arms laced around his neck.
The squelching sounds coming from her pussy made Erik give her hard strokes as he lifted her up and down his stiffness. She still wouldn't answer him and just gave his ears thrilling moans and yelps from the pleasure he gave her.
His calves began to strain from standing in one place and holding her weight so he spun around and jammed her up against the door. Pressing her into the solid wood, he drilled into her hard and fast, his aggression needing release. She refused to give him what he wanted and it aggravated him.
"Devika…"
"Erik!" she screamed.
Her eyes rolled back in her head and he felt her pussy contract up and down his dick. He reached up and grabbed her throat, his fingers squeezing and pushing her head back. The throbbing in his dick made his back hunch up.
"I want you!" he shouted releasing into her, his head dropping onto her chest as his legs trembled.
He groaned when he felt another sudden wave of semen spurt into her and it made him drop her down to her feet. He faced her with wrinkled clothes and semen still dripping from his tip. He kicked his feet out of his pants and Devika took his right hand and led him to her bedroom.
They made love until Erik was too exhausted to do anything more than stroke her hair as he held her in his arms.
The unspoken was made manifest.
He was going to live with her and she let be known by her loving that she belonged to him.
The world at that moment was his.