Queen's Bishop Gambit

“Retirement, huh?” Robert queried with a raised eyebrow, amused more than insulted. “Your solution is to ship your old man to a nursing home then?”

“Yes, well, only semi-retirement,” Heather brightly clarified. “The idea is to change the conversation while removing you from the public eye. Actually, we’ll still be running things, but it will look like someone else is in charge,”

“Pity,” Robert joked wistfully. “I liked the idea of a sponge bath.”

“Maybe I’ll give you one myself when this is all over,” Heather purred, licking her lips as she stared down her father.

“Uh, so, it’s a puppet state in essence,” Robert hastily brought them back on topic, fearing they were veering into dangerous territory. “But obviously it can’t be you. You’ll be under scrutiny as much as I will be if that video gets out, though as your father, naturally I’ll be the one accountable.”

“Right. That video, if it comes out, hopefully not, will damage the Ravers name. So it can’t be a Ravers and it needs to be someone we can trust, who won’t try to usurp the company out from under us, who’ll act with integrity and keep their word.”

“Well, not a Ravers rules out Daniel. And someone we can trust rules out your mother, at least for you,” Robert pondered aloud, before looking back to his daughter. “This was your plan. I assume you some one in mind?”

“Yes,” she admitted, smiling. “Zack Bishop.”

Robert chuckled, understanding. “My son.”

“Exactly. Who better? Someone with the Ravers acumen but without your direct influence, Zack is everything we need if the Ravers name is burnt. And if the video drops, it only strengthens his claim to the company, but he won’t be under fire for what we do. He can even plead plausible deniability,” Heather replied quickly, excited and eager to convince her father. “Though it may require lying to the board a little.”

“Honey, half of this job is lying to the board,” Robert noted cheerily. “Though it won’t be an easy sell. It’s not like I can just name my successor and leave. The board is only accepting of you because you’ve grown up around it. You’ve been groomed for it. Zack is an unknown commodity to Ravers Enterprises.”

“True, but that’s also his best asset. Well, that and his connection to Carlos Rivera,” Heather insisted, bouncing. “The board want to continue with the Silver Lakes Project? Great. This is how they do it. Zack dated Lisa. He’s on good terms with Carlos. We’re going to tell them that if anyone can convince Carlos to sell, it’s going to be Zack Bishop. And if everything goes to plan, and the video doesn’t come out and Lisa is freed, Zack is going to look like he’s blessed by God.”

“I see. That would go a long way to persuading the board to bring him on as the face of the company. And if it’s known to them that we’re still doing work in the background, I think I can swing it,” Robert rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “But, I thought you didn’t want the Silver Lakes Project to proceed?”

“Well, that’s the lie,” Heather admitted, stepping next to the bed and swivelling her laptop around to face her father. “That’s what we’ll tell the board, but we’ll use this. Have Zack tell them it was his idea and once he starts making them money, they’re not going to care what he does with the Silver Lakes Project.”

Robert’s eyes quickly scanned the document on the screen, reaching over and skimming through the pages, reading the detail that his daughter had put into the proposal, appreciating the research and thought, surprised and impressed that she’d thought of this and compiled it all in the short time since their last meeting yesterday. Feeling that he understood what was being suggested he looked up to his daughter and asked, “A Theme Park?”

“Yes. I got the idea from, ironically, of all people, Hannah Woodsen. Hannah took Chloe on a date there, and she and Ashley both went there as kids but now it’s quite run down and struggling. In an area like this, with the park and the cabins nearby, that place should be booming with tourism,” Heather briefly explained what had already been outlined in the proposal. “A little bit of investment and shrewd management, that place could easily be making money hand over fist and all in the name of Zack Bishop.”

“Honey, I’m really proud of the work you put in here,” Robert said, standing, and without even thinking about it, putting an arm around his daughter. “The board can be stubborn bastards, but with this I think you can distract them long enough that the Silver Lakes Project won’t be an issue. You really thought of all this yourself?”

“Yes, daddy,” she confessed, blushing, a rarity for the dark-haired cheer captain. “I was up all night getting it ready for this morning.”

“Honestly, Heather, I don’t think I could be more in awe right now,” Robert continued to lavish praise on his daughter, holding her shoulders in his hands as he looked down into her face. “I always knew you were smart and capable, but I’ve never been more sure that no matter what happens in life, you’ll come out on top. I bet you even thought about when you want to make the announcement?”

“Of course,” Heather beamed. “Tonight, at the charity gala you’re scheduled to speak at would be the best time, but failing that, tomorrow. Unfortunately, that, I have less control over. That depends very much on Ashley and her plan, since we can’t make this announcement until her plan is already in motion, lest we risk Hannah getting suspicious and releasing the video. Right now, Zack is telling his parents, about the affair, you maybe being his father, everything. So, when the time comes, when Ashley is moving on Hannah, we’ll be ready.”

“You…” Robert said softly, raising his hands to cup his daughter face. “You are amazing.”

Instantly he leaned down and pressed his lips to his daughters in an unfatherly kiss. He knew it was wrong, that he was her father, her protector, guardian, instructor, teacher, everything under the sun except lover, and yet, in the moment, nothing felt more right and just than to kiss his daughter. Seeing her so passionate, so in control, determined, focused, empowered, it felt completely natural to give her all that she wanted, to reward her for her diligence, and as their lips parted and their tongues met and his cock grew in his pants, it was obvious that despite his protests this was something he wanted just as much himself.

They kissed, ravenous, devouring each other’s mouths, gasping and slurping as they supped on the taste of each other. Neither had ever felt such need, like wanderers in from the desert, drowning on their cups of water, they licked and lapped and sucked on each other with such ferocity, their bodies revving hot, ready to burst, to engulf and incinerate each other in their passions, ready to fuck. So it was quite a shock when Heather put her hand to her father’s chest. He pulled away, searching her face, scared that he’d hurt her but only saw in her eyes the immense will power it took to separate from him.

“No,” she whispered breathily, panting heavily. “Not yet. After. When we have something real to celebrate.”

“Right. After,” Robert reluctantly agreed, his own breathing ragged and uneven. “I need to get going and talk to the board anyway.”

“And I need to fill Zack in on the plan,” Heather said, as she slipped her hand out of his trouser pocket, twirling the master keycard for Ravers’ Palace Hotel between her fingers. “And this, for later.”