A Topsy-Turvy World Ch. 04

Over the next three months, Malcolm and Tanya went out together almost every night. Some nights they stayed at his place, other nights he'd spend the night at her apartment. By the beginning of the fourth month of their relationship, Tanya moved in with him and he left the elevator up to his floor run all the time. Work was a little awkward for the both of them, but they managed; at least for a while.

"Mac, you got the visuals for the presentation ready?" Tim, a fellow project team member and a good friend, asked him, looking a little wiped out.

"Yeah," Malcolm replied as he signed a form and put it in his out box. "I finished them a couple days ago. I'm more than ready for this presentation. Finally, I've got a good shot at a promotion."

"And you deserve it, buddy," Tim added. "There's no one in this entire building that works half as hard as you do. And I know you'll definitely make a better boss than that douchebag Jeffrey."

"Thanks. I'll see you at lunch."

"Knock them dead in there," Tim said as he headed for his desk.

After double-checking everything for his presentation, Malcolm made sure he looked presentable, then headed for the conference room to set up. About five minutes after he'd finished setup, the owners of the company filed in and had a seat at the table, his boss along with another good friend and coworker, Angela. After introductions were made, Malcolm began his presentation for a new advertising campaign for the magazine that featured new layouts among other things. When he was finished, he got substantial applause, everyone very impressed, except for Jeffrey. The guy was practically fuming in his seat. He'd been set against hiring Malcolm in the first place, but the C.E.O. of the firm, Max Joneson, had liked Malcolm's attitude and felt he had a lot of talent to lend to the magazine. Ever since, Jeff has been doing everything in his power to keep Malcolm down and hope he gave up.

"Malcolm," Max said, the room going quiet. "Your design is brilliant. The layout is well organized and very easy to follow, some of the new interest pieces will add to our customer base and morphs will be represented in a positive light. You've come a long way since you first came here and even then you were good. Perhaps it's time to put your skills to more use. I'd say that you would do well as a project supervisor, maybe even an editor."

Malcolm was about to give his thanks when Jeff stood up, smirking at him before turning to Max.

"Sir, while Malcolm has some talent and has worked diligently for this firm, I believe that Karen Rothchild would be better suited to be a supervisor or editor. She's been with the firm for a longer period of time and is familiar with the duties of most positions here."

"Forgive me for being forward," Malcolm said, remaining calm, "but Ms. Rothchild is an incompetent whiner. She's constantly late, abusing company privileges, and has on many occasions, stolen work from others."

"She isn't currently dating someone in the office," he countered. "I believe I heard from one of your team members that you're currently dating Tanya Summers."

"That's true, but she works as a file clerk in the archives," Malcolm replied. "And it's not against the firm's policy for coworkers in different departments to date."

Jeff gave him a sharp glare, but smirked again as he handed a file to Max. He looked in the file, a frown on his face as he shut the file.

"Care to explain this, Malcolm?" he asked, tossing the file down the table. Malcolm opened the file to find several charges to the firm's account for a reservation at a hotel in Mexico, restaurant bills, receipts for jewelry and clothing; every one of them with his name on them. The last being the form he'd just signed twenty minutes ago. It was supposed to a request for a week's vacation. Instead it was a form transferring over a hundred thousand dollars from the firm's accounts to a bank account in Mexico, with his name on it.

"I did charge the jewelry and one of the restaurant bills," he explained, sliding those back down the table. "I've paid back in everything but the ring I purchased. This..." He held up the transferal form and reservation up. "I didn't do this. This was supposed to be a request for a week's vacation. I would never take money from you, sir. You've got to believe me, I would never lie to you."

"Oh please," Jeff snorted, "You've been caught in quite a few lies around here. And how do you explain all that money going missing? People like you aren't exactly trustworthy these days. It wouldn't surprise me if you were the one stealing other people's work and using it to get ahead in this firm."

"I bet you're the one that took that money, you two-timing son of a bitch," Malcolm growled menacingly. "You've always been out to get me ever since I showed up for an interview."

"My, my, what a temper," Jeff gasped, appearing shocked. "It's amazing he hasn't gone off on anybody in the office. He could really hurt someone."

"I'll show you hurt," Malcolm snarled, lunging after him. Angela got in front of him and made him step back.

"Malcolm, I'm afraid that we're going to have to let you go," Max said after several moment's pause, his expression solemn.

"But I've done nothing wrong!" Malcolm exclaimed.

"If that is the case, then file a lawsuit against Jeffrey since he's the one making the allegations. But in order to keep our stock up and shareholders happy, we can't afford the liability if you were to remain here. I truly regret this, but with the evidence currently in front of me, I have no other choice in the matter. I'll call payroll and they'll have your final paycheck ready before you leave. You may go and clear out your desk. Meeting adjourned."

Malcolm stormed out of the conference room ahead of everyone else, fists clenched tightly at his sides. Passing by the store room, he grabbed a couple of empty boxes. When he reached his desk, he put one of them on his chair and tossed his things in. After he'd packed his stuff up, he stacked the boxes on top of one another and picked them up. As he was about to go, Jeffrey came up to him, a smug smile on his face.

"That's what you get for fucking with me, freak," Jeff said simply. "I'd rather die than let you become my boss. Your kind need to be locked up in a zoo."

"Back the hell off," Malcolm growled. "Since you're not my boss anymore, I'd be more than happy to kick your ass."

Jeff turned and left, looking pleased with himself. While waiting on the elevator, someone from payroll handed him his check.

"Attention everyone!" Malcolm shouted. "Jeffrey Combs is the biggest slut in the office. He loves the cock! Just ask Samuel from Editing!"

He stepped on the elevator, turning to see Jeff staring at him, his face beet red with embarrassment and shock. Malcolm gave him the finger as the doors shut. After leaving the building, he went to the bank, deposited his check, and went home. Once he put his things away, Malcolm looked over his books, to see what his financial standings were. He was on good terms, but he needed to find a job. Putting his books away, he went over to the fireplace. He took a figurine off the mantle and opened the false bottom, a small black box falling out into his palm. Opening the box, he looked at the engagement ring he'd bought just two weeks ago. It wasn't much, but it was all he could afford. But it would have to wait. He loved her and wanted to give her everything she could ever want, but he wouldn't be able to without a steady job.

Putting the ring back into the hollow figurine, he heard the elevator come to a stop, the door opening to reveal Tanya.

"Are you ok, Malcolm?" she asked, rushing over to him and into his arms. "Angela told me what happened. She also said that Max believes you but until valid evidence is presented, he had no choice but to fire you. However, he'll give a good reference for you, if you need it. And was what you said about Jeff true?"

Malcolm grinned slyly. "Oh yeah, it's true. Last year, I heard something in one of the supply rooms. The door was slightly ajar so I took a peek and saw Jeff bent over some file boxes with Samuel screwing him so hard Jeff was cross eyed. I got pictures and a little video of the ass-kissing bastard. And by god, I'm going to use it."

"Jeff deserves it. He's always been a total asshole and needs to be taken down a peg."

"I love you, you know that?" Malcolm asked, running a hand through her hair.

"Yeah, but I never get tired of hearing it."

He growled softly when Tanya pulled his head down and kissed him hard. Malcolm pulled her against him, moving his hips in a tempting rhythm, making Tanya shudder and sag, her knees buckling. Laughing softly, he pulled her up into his arms, heading straight for the bedroom. The phone ringing made him hesitate, debating on whether to answer it or let the machine get it. Tanya made that decision for him when she ripped his kilt off and squeezed his pulsing rod. He tore at her clothes, desperate to get them off when he heard the answering machine picking up.

"Malcolm, honey, it's your mother," he heard his mother say on the machine.

He tore himself from Tanya and ran out to the kitchen to pick up. "I'm calling..."

"Hi mom," he gasped slightly, "Sorry, I was in the shower. How are you and dad doing?"

"We're doing great, sweetheart," she replied. "I'm calling to see if you're coming to the reunion. We miss you."

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll come. I can't wait to see you. Bye."

"Bye. Love you, sweetheart."

"Love you too."

"What was that about?" Tanya asked from the door to their bedroom.

"My mom called to ask if I'm coming to the reunion. But I don't think I should go," he answered, heading back into the room.

"Why not?"

"I don't want to have to tell them I lost my job because of what I am," he said. "My brothers and sisters will never let me hear the end of it. They weren't exactly supportive of me. I'm the screw up of the family and I always end up being miserable when I go to these functions."

"Then I'll come with you," Tanya said simply.

"You'd really want to go?" he asked.

"Sure. I'd love to meet your family."

"Ok. But we need to start packing. My mom will be expecting us to be there for dinner tonight and it's at least a four hour drive, if we don't get caught in traffic."

"Alright," she pouted, giving him a playful slap on the ass as she got into the closet for the luggage.

After thirty minutes of packing and getting the luggage into Tanya's car, they got into the car and headed out. Luckily, they didn't run into traffic and the interstate was clear so they got there in half the time.

"This place is beautiful," Tanya gasped as they pulled up to the two story farmhouse, behind four other cars. It was a freshly painted white with forest green shutters and roof. A porch ran around the entire house. The barn in the back was a fire engine red with white trim, the doors wide open. The lawn sloped down gently to a gently bubbling stream.

"Yeah, it was a nice place to live. If only everyone in town had been nicer, it would've been perfect. Looks like my brothers and sisters are here already. We won't see the rest of the family until tomorrow. This is going to be a long weekend."

"We might as well get inside," Tanya said, getting out and popping the trunk open.

"Oh, and as a heads up, my brother, Nathan, and my sister, Trisha, have kids and they can be real hyper. And hide your jewelry."

"Thanks for the warning," she said, grabbing the two lightest bags, Malcolm taking the heaviest.

He held the door open and let Tanya in first.

"Mom? You here?" Malcolm called out, setting the bag down at the foot of the stairs directly in front of them. Hearing the floorboards upstairs creak, his mother came down. When she had a couple of steps left to go, she jumped into his arms. Malcolm caught her, laughing a little as they hugged.

"Look at you!" she said, excitedly. "You've gotten taller. Have you been working out? You look great."

"Thanks," he told her. Before he could say anything else, his mother noticed Tanya.

"Who's this?" she asked.

"This is Tanya, my girlfriend," he answered, pulling her to him. "She wanted to come and meet the family."

"It's wonderful to meet you, Tanya," his mother said happily, giving her a hug as well. "You're the first girl Mac's brought over."

"I'm happy to be here," Tanya replied, "Your son is sweet and a complete gentleman. I love him very much."

His mom smiled, heading back upstairs. "Come on, I'll show you two to your room. You'll be staying in your old room, Mac. That ok?"

"Just fine, mom," he said, picking up the suitcase and heading up, Tanya right behind him.

Once they got upstairs, they were led to the end of the hall, where his mom opened the last door on the left and went up another set of stairs and into the attic. It was just the way he remembered it. A large hammock hung just under the skylight, several pillows sitting in it. Several movie and rock star posters hung on the walls, the top of the dresser still covered with family photos and trophies from his childhood. There wasn't much in the room, but it still held a lot of memories, both good and bad.

"I thought you would've took all this down and stored all the junk in the basement up here," he said, going over to the dresser and picking up a photo of the whole family.

"Your father had wanted to, but I just couldn't let him do it. You're still my baby boy and by leaving this room the way it is, it's like you've been here all this time. Well, I'll you two to unpack, when you're done, come down and say hi to everybody. Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes."

"Thanks. We'll be down soon," Malcolm said as she went back downstairs. They unpacked in silence. When they were done, they went down and into the living room. Everyone stopped talking when they walked into the room. His dad was in the same broken down, dirty green recliner he'd had forever. His older twin brothers were sitting with their wives on the loveseats; Richard and Samantha on their immediate left, Nathan and Zoe beside their father. His sisters and their husbands crammed together on the couch; Trisha and her husband Carl on the other side of their dad and Melanie sitting on her spouse, Tristan's lap.

"It's good to see you, Malcolm," Richard said, "Who's your friend?"

"This is Tanya, my girlfriend," he replied.

Everyone looked at him in surprise.

"How did you meet?" Nathan asked.

"We worked in the same office. I was a little intimidated at first, but then I talked with him at a bar after work and we hit it off," Tanya answered.

"Worked?" Richard asked.

"Yeah...I got fired earlier this morning," Malcolm said, running a hand through his hair. "My dick of a boss accused me of stealing money from the firm and forged my signature on some bogus forms. But it's ok. I've got an idea of what I'll do next."

Richard shrugged. "Shit happens. You just got to roll with it."

When his mom called them to the dinner table, Malcolm held her back.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "I don't get it; my brothers and sisters hate my guts. Yet, they're being nice to me."

"Maybe they've realized they were wrong."

"It's possible, but they're all stubborn as mules," he sighed. "Come on, let's get in there."

Going into the dining room, they sat next to his mother. After his dad said a brief grace, they passed around the food until everyone had what they wanted. Everyone was silent through dinner. Once the dishes were cleared, dessert and coffee was brought out.

"So Malcolm," his dad said, cutting into his piece of cake, "what's this idea of yours for work?"

"I...um, I'm thinking about becoming a carpenter," he answered simply.

"To be honest, I'm surprised you didn't do that in the first place," his dad remarked. "You always loved working with your hands and you made some great stuff. I still have the workbench and tool racks you made in your first shop class. Why didn't you?"

"Because I wanted to become successful to make you and mom proud of me," he admitted.

"Malcolm, we've always been proud of you," his mother said. "What matters is that you do what you love and that you're happy. True, things haven't been easy since you changed, but we've always loved you. Nothing will ever change that."

"Thank you for that," Malcolm replied. "Apparently, I've needed to hear that. I was miserable in that damn office job." He turned to Tanya and kissed her on the cheek. "But at least one good thing came of it." Then he turned to his siblings. "And I hate to bring this up, but...why are you nice to me now? You guys never wanted to talk to me after I changed, much less admit we're related."

All four of his siblings gave him apologetic looks.

"It's simple," Nathan said, "we grew up. And we're sorry. All of us work with morphs to some degree and they're no different than us. We were total assholes to you as kids and we hope you can forgive us."

"Plus," Zoe interjected, "our girls are changing. That's why they aren't at the table. They're nearly done with the change and are in quite a bit of pain. They're both leopard morphs. Alison has the typical coloring, Sheri's coloring is inverted; black with gold and red markings."

"Wow," Malcolm said. "If they need someone else to talk to, call me, alright? I know it helped me to talk with an adult morph. The change can be disorienting and scary, especially for small children."

"This has been fun," Tanya yawned, "but it's been a long day and we need a little shut-eye."

"Alright," his mother said, winking at them. "Good night, you two."

Malcolm blushed as they left the room and went upstairs, everyone chuckling. Once they were in their room, Tanya locked the door and jumped into his arms, kissing him hard. He growled as he stumbled over to their bed and flopped down into it. She stopped kissing him long enough to pull her shirt off, followed by her bra.

"Oh, Malcolm, I've been wet for you all day," she whispered in his ear, grinding into his crotch. He moaned low in his throat when he felt her juice soaked crotch rub against his rapidly rising arousal. "I love you so much."

Tanya hopped off him in order to take her pants and panties off. He tore his kilt off and started stroking his rock hard cock while she was busy undressing. When she was finally naked, she stood there and watched him for a few minutes.

"Come here and help me with this, baby," Malcolm purred, thrusting into his hand. "It's got your name all over it."

Tanya smiled, getting back in the hammock and on top of him. Leaning up, Malcolm started kissing her throat. She shuddered and moaned as she slowly impaled herself on his arousal, making him shudder. She rode him nice and slow, touching him everywhere she could reach. The sun was nearly finished setting, bathing the room in a golden light. It gave Tanya's skin a soft glow, making her look like an angel. After the talk with his family and now, with the slow, passionate lovemaking, it was too much for him. Sitting up and holding her in his arms, he helped her ride him harder, faster. Tanya cried out every time she took him all the way, her breasts bouncing with every movement.

"I love you, Tanya," he gasped, trying to hold off his orgasm for just a few moments. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

She stopped moving and looked him in the eyes.

"What are you saying?" she asked, her voice a harsh whisper.

He kissed her briefly, then leaned forward, his mouth beside her ear.

"Will you marry me?" he whispered in her ear.

Tanya hugged her to him tightly, her sex clamping down on him hard.

"Yes!" she cried out, tears in her eyes as her whole body trembled. "God, yes I'll marry you."