by Jaime Reese
“They have another offer. They want a decision before the end of the month.”
He blew out a deep breath. That gave him two weeks. Rachel wanted to launch a new vintage brand for the hotel chain. On the outside, everything with this building seemed to fit the bill for the perfect place to launch the debut collection, but the blueprints had gone through enough revisions over the years to force him to pause. It might be structurally sound, but a big neon security sign kept flickering in his mind. It was likely a simple detail he was overlooking, but he couldn’t take the risk. “I’m hoping to have an answer for you before then.”
“I can arrange to have you fly out and inspect the building if you prefer.”
He shook his head. The last thing he wanted to do was travel out of the country for a site visit. “Anthony already scouted the building and took plenty of pictures I can review. I think it’s fine.”
“Bull…”
He glanced up at his laptop’s screen.
“Are you okay?”
“Sure.” He frowned at Rachel’s chuckle.
“Typical.”
“What?”
“Bull dumping a load of bullshit.”
“You know…that gets old.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
He scowled at the screen as Rachel crossed her arms and leaned closer to the camera.
“Things good with you and Ben?”
He couldn’t hold back the smile that surfaced.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Did you get everything squared away with his friend’s approval?”
“Still working on it. Thanks for the letter.”
“I hope it helps. If you need me to speak to someone about it, just let me know.” She looked over her shoulder to address someone who had entered her office. “Duty calls. I’ll check in with you over the weekend. If you need a site visit, tell me. If it doesn’t feel right, I’ll kill the deal.”
Her faith and trust in him never ceased to amaze him. He was an idiot for letting his father’s words cloud his thinking.
They disconnected the call just as his cell phone rang. He quickly answered when he read Halfway House on the caller ID.
“Hey, Bull, it’s Matt. Are you available for an inspection today?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“The letter your employer provided seemed to be exactly what Sam needed to push Calvin’s furlough request along. It was especially helpful since your employer is the hotel owner and confirmed it was also your place of residence.”
“Great to hear. I was concerned the request would be denied since we’re not family.”
“It was. But Sam loves a challenge and will always push to do what he thinks is best. I don’t know how he made it happen, but he did. It’s contingent on a site inspection of your place and a few staff interviews at the hotel.”
Sam was born to be a reintegration officer and took on a paternal role when it came to ensuring his charges had what they needed to make it in everyday life. Especially if he suspected they were struggling.
“I’m here all day. And I’m sure the staff won’t mind. Anytime is fine.”
“Great. I’ll let him know.” Matt quieted for a moment. “Thanks for doing this. I know it means a lot to Cal, especially after his dad’s visit.”
“Happy to help.” Bull could sympathize. He was still feeling the sting of the Father’s Day dinner from hell.
They disconnected the call and Bull instantly placed a call to housekeeping. Definitely a perk of living in a hotel. If Sam was bringing someone over for an inspection, he had to make sure everything was perfect. Dealing with family drama was painful, but with Ben at his side, Bull had found a way to cope and push through the day. The least he could do was pay it forward.
They stepped onto the back porch of Halfway House and knocked. Bull placed his hand at the small of Ben’s back to settle him. He had been buzzing with excitement since Matt’s mid-week call, informing him of Cal’s furlough approval. Ben had worked extra hours the rest of the week to complete pending orders and had begged Nat to switch their weekends. It hadn’t taken much. Still in apology mode herself, she had quickly agreed and demanded he have fun and stay away until Monday morning.
The door swung open and there stood a scowling Julian. “Finally.”
“What’s going on?”
“Cal’s been pacing for the last thirty minutes. He’s going to wear out my damn floor.”
Ben patted Julian’s shoulder, possibly to soothe his frustration but more likely to get him the hell out of the doorway so he could get to his friend. As soon as Julian stepped aside, Ben darted inside, zeroed in on Cal, and threw his arms around his shoulders in a hug.
Bull watched the two friends, absently smiling at how they passed Ben’s phone back and forth between them in silent conversation.
“He hasn’t smiled like that in weeks. Thanks again for doing this,” Matt said, leaning into Julian’s side, sighing when Julian’s hand landed on his hip and pulled him closer.
Guess Cal’s not the only one getting a break or having fun this weekend.
“You should thank Sam. He made it happen.” Bull chuckled as he watched the guys, still huddled together over Ben’s phone, laughing and smiling like two old conspiring friends. “Anything I need to know for the weekend? Any rules?”
“Two,” Julian said. “Have him back by eight Sunday night and make sure he doesn’t get into trouble.”
“Copy that.” Bull held back a grin at Julian’s bluntness.
“Cal, ready to go?” Matt asked.
Calvin looked up, the smile on his face softening until it faded. “No.” He walked over to Bull and stood in front of him, a few guarded inches away. There was something odd in his expression Bull couldn’t peg. A second later, Cal extended his hand which Bull immediately shook.
“Thanks,” Cal solemnly whispered. After a nod and single pump of their hands, he released Bull and glanced over at Julian and Matt. “Now I’m ready to go. See you Monday.”
“Sunday!” Matt instinctively yelled out.
Cal chuckled. “Just making sure you were paying attention.”
With a playful shove, they were all headed out the door.
The moment they set foot inside their home, Calvin visually swept the entire space, so much so that Bull was certain Cal could write a detailed inventory of everything in each room. After about an hour of more awkwardness and guarded words, Calvin had settled into the guest room, finally admitting he hadn’t ever slept in a place so nice and clean, swearing he would punch them both out if they ever shared that bit of information with Matt or Julian.
It wasn’t lost on Bull that Cal had stressed slept when he spoke, nor had he missed the glint of mischief in his eyes.
Calvin strolled over to Bull’s worktable while Ben picked out a movie to watch, eating another spoonful of the cake-slash-ice-cream dessert Ben had made for each of them. He absently ate as he curiously stared at the plans laid out on the table. “What’s that?”
“Work.”
“You do…like…” He waved his hand in the air. “Security checks. Right?”
“I work with clients to evaluate security vulnerabilities. I also help some of them establish security protocols to stay safe.”
Cal absently nodded. “So you’re paid to keep people like me out of their business?”
Bull chuckled.
“Is that what you’re doing here?”
“Sort of. For most clients, yeah, I do a basic security assessment to find weaknesses in their buildings. But this is different.”
“Why?”
“My client is trying to determine if this building is worth converting into a hotel for a new vintage brand she wants to establish. So I’m doing more than just looking at it, as-is. I’m trying to guess the what-ifs with possible changes when she converts the structure. That gets trickier. The outside looks great and fits with what she wants. The inside seems stable enough after years of renovations and she had an archi
tect confirm that. But I can’t help thinking there’s a security issue I’m missing that might be a problem down the line. And if I don’t find it now, I’m worried it’s going to be overlooked later when she starts remodeling it for her hotel line.”
Cal pursed his lips, likely surprised Bull wasn’t dismissing his curiosity. He ate another spoonful of dessert as he stared at the plans. “How old is the building?” he casually asked, edging closer to Bull’s spot behind the table.
“Pretty old. It’s gone through several renovations and restorations in the last eighty years.” Bull grabbed the stack of photographs Anthony had taken and spread them out along the table’s edge. “These are pictures of how the building looks now.”
“Plans are better. The pictures just show the facelift.”
A smile pulled at the corner of Bull’s mouth. “True. But I can tell if the contractors actually made the changes or just covered them up with a wall or two. Any deviation in one place tells me they likely cut corners elsewhere.”
Cal stared at the plans once more, almost as if in a trance before shaking it off and glancing over to Ben in the living room. With the movie cued up and ready to go, Cal excused himself and joined Ben on the couch while Bull settled in for a few more hours of work.
Bull rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. With a looming deadline, he had to finish his assessment and give Rachel an answer. He glanced over at Ben sleeping at his side. Bull sighed on an exhale, visually tracing Ben’s features. He didn’t have the heart to wake Ben on his day off.
He carefully slid out from under Ben’s arm and slid a pillow in his place. Unable to resist, he ghosted a kiss to Ben’s forehead before stepping out of the bedroom.
With a yawn, he walked out of the hallway and through the living room. He stopped mid-step at the sight of Calvin leaning over his worktable.
“Sleep well?”
Cal glanced up. “Dumbwaiter.”
“Uh…good morning to you too,” Bull said with a chuckle. He stepped into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee, then strolled over to the table and stood shoulder to shoulder with Calvin.
“Something like a dumbwaiter.” Calvin pointed to the plans, his fingertip on the column Bull had circled the night before. “It would provide easy access to each floor if you’re small enough to fit in it.”
Bull stared at the plans. To the naked eye, it appeared as if it were another decorative column, just slightly wider than the others. But there had been something off about the difference that hadn’t sat well with him.
“You knew something wasn’t right.” Calvin looked up at him as he pointed to the wider column etched on the plan. “That’s why you marked it off?”
He nodded. Plans hinted at areas that required further investigation, spaces he would usually check with greater detail during a site visit. “There are enough beams already in place for structural support, so the columns are just aesthetics. This particular column is wider and was there before the others were added with the renovation.”
A half smile spread across Calvin’s face. “If you hadn’t marked it, I probably wouldn’t have thought of it. I remember once seeing the plans for a bank that had been renovated. They had stripped out the tanks and compressors of the pneumatic systems but keep the tunnels in place. They hadn’t realized it, but those tunnels provided an easy way to travel beneath the bank. If this column is part of something old, you need to look inside to be sure.”
Bull absently nodded. “This is the only column wide enough for someone to shimmy through. Even if there’s no entry point from the roof, it would be easy to blow out the barrier between the roof and the wide beam opening to gain access if it were needed.”
“And once you’re in, you know what that means?”
They looked at each other. “It’s Christmas,” they said in unison.
“Now you’re thinking like a thief,” Cal said with a grin.
They laughed and bumped each other’s shoulders, smiling when Ben walked into the living room. Unmoving, Ben looked at them, his bedhead sticking up in all directions as his gaze switched between them. Bull sobered and cocked his head, something seemed off in Ben’s eyes, far more than just a need for caffeine.
He straightened as Ben approached, his pulse kicking up a notch at the spark of possessiveness in that steady green gaze aimed at him. Ben stood at his side and grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. Bull surrendered with a groan, not caring about Cal standing next to him or the way he kept clearing his throat as if he were about to cough up a lung.
Ben pulled away, his pupils dilated as he licked his lips. A moan nearly slipped through Bull’s lips, loving the way Ben always savored the kisses between them. With one last glance over at Cal, Ben turned away and headed into the kitchen toward the coffee pot. Later, when the caffeine hit, Ben would likely apologize. But right now, Bull reveled in the satisfaction of being wanted that much.
“I think he just peed on you.”
“Not sure what you mean.”
“You’re lovin’ that shit.”
Bull held back a grin, watching Ben pull three mugs from the cabinet.
“Bull?”
After a few beats of silence, he tore his gaze away from Ben to look at Cal. “One of his biggest fears is losing you.”
Bull turned his body toward Cal. “Is that a guess?”
Cal shook his head. “He didn’t go into details, but I know something happened this past week that shook him. He’s been avoiding whatever is bothering him by spending more time at the bakery.”
“He was catching up on things, getting ahead on his orders, hoping for your furlough approval.”
“And here I thought you were the bullshitter, not him.”
Bull glanced between Cal and Ben.
“He was giving you space. But that little caveman display of his…” Calvin shook his head. “That’s not him.”
Bull sharply inhaled. Cal was right. Straightening, Bull glanced over at Ben. His head was ducked as he mixed in the sugar, then stirred the coffee in the mug. How had he missed the cues? Bull had been so caught up in his own headspace after the dinner fiasco he hadn’t stopped for a moment to pick up on the change in Ben’s demeanor or the possibility that his father’s words may have lingered in Ben’s mind as well.
Or how Bull’s distance while he dealt with all the post-dinner crap in his head could have been misunderstood as pushing Ben away. Shit.
“Excuse me.” Bull walked around the table and headed toward the kitchen.
The stirring stilled as he neared, almost as if Ben could sense his presence. Bull snaked his arms around Ben’s waist from behind and pulled him close. He slid his hand under the hem of Ben’s shirt and splayed his hand across Ben’s abs, possessively. He ducked his head and pressed kisses along Ben’s neck, nuzzling him.
Ben quickly turned and buried his face at the side of Bull’s neck. With a deep breath, Bull wrapped his arms around the man he loved and cursed himself for being so damn oblivious. Ben inched back, adding space between them.
“I’m sorry,” Ben signed. “I got scared.”
He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on Ben’s lips. “I’m sorry,” he signed.
Ben shook his head. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I kept my distance this week, burying my nose in work. And that wasn’t fair to you. Seeing my father always messes with my head. But this time was different…you were there for me.” He finished signing, took Ben’s hand, and then pressed it to his pounding heart. Ben’s breath hitched as he stared at his hand on Bull’s chest. He glanced up, the hope screaming from his green eyes.
“That’s what you do to me,” Bull signed. “Only you. Always.”
He ran the back of his fingers along Ben’s jaw and down his neck, telling him he loved him in their private way. Ben threw his arms around Bull’s shoulders and exhaled a shaky breath.
Bull glanced over to his worktable when his laptop chirped with a call. He pulled out of
the embrace and grabbed his coffee mug in one hand and held Ben’s hand in the other, gesturing toward the table with a tilt of his head. Ben grabbed the two mugs in his other hand and let Bull lead him over to the worktable.
Calvin tapped the keyboard to answer the call. “Bull’s laptop.”
Bull frowned. Presumptuous little fucker.
“Oh…you’re not Bull. Hi.”
“Hi.”
“Hi,” Rachel repeated.
Bull shook his head. He walked around the table and didn’t know what was more surprising, the thunderstruck look on Calvin’s face or the way Rachel stared at their houseguest. Bull absently shook his head at the both of them as Ben and Rachel waved at each other.
“Morning, Rach.”
That seemed to shake Calvin out of his daze. “Rachel Davenport?”
She nodded.
Calvin cleared his throat. “Thanks for writing that letter. It became my reintegration officer’s secret weapon to let me escape for the weekend.”
She smiled, her eyes bright and playful. Bull arched an eyebrow when her cheeks reddened. “I’m glad it helped. So…you’re Calvin?”
The poor guy was fumbling, opening and shutting his mouth again as if searching for the right words. He settled on a nod as he stared at the screen. “Yup.”
Bull was used to seeing Rachel rattle people with her presence, but only when she turned on her boardroom persona and exposed her claws. But…flirting? This was different. Bull raised an eyebrow when Rachel twirled a few strands of hair with her finger.
“That was…um…rude of me.” Cal casually rubbed the back of his neck.
Did he just flex?
Did she just giggle at him?
If he didn’t cut this short, he was going to have to bleach his brain.
“Don’t give him shit,” Bull said, giving her a pointed glare. “The double hi was a dead giveaway he caught your attention and now you’re practically giggling.”
She sobered and Calvin smiled.
“And you…” Bull pointed at Calvin. “Really? Flexing? As if the fish-out-of-water look wasn’t obvious enough.”