by Sara Allen
“I don’t wanna dirty your hands, Boss,” I told him, holding up my grubby mitts for him to see.
He nodded, lips pursed. “Greg, take him with you and get him cleaned up. When that’s done, take him to see my dad.” He turned and walked away. “I need to go get my lunch that… what’s your name?” he asked, stopping and glancing back at me.
“Asher,” I said quietly. “But my dad called me Ash ‘cause he said I burnt everything I touched.”
“Well, Asher,” Andrew replied. “We are going to make that fire work for us, not against us, aren’t we?”
“Yes, Boss.”
The smile he threw me lit up his handsome face and I knew that even if we were never friends, we’d never be enemies. They took me to see Andrew’s father, a gray, enigmatic man who told me in no uncertain terms that I belonged to his son who’d seen fit to take me in off the streets. Therefore, I listened to the son and made sure that the father never heard a bad word said about me or I’d be holding up building foundations the next day.
The way his dark eyes and thin mouth regarded me had me shaking for days afterwards. If he was from the criminal underworld, I knew he was not a person to fuck with, and if he asked me to jump, I would ask how high and make sure that I reached it or died trying.
I didn’t know what I’d gotten myself into in those early days, and in some ways, I didn’t really care. Being off the streets with a roof over my head, and by what Andrew’s father said, I was a companion to a spoilt, rich brat whose father intended on keeping out of the same line of work he was in. I couldn’t blame him. Crims didn’t have a long life expectancy, and last I’d heard, no one wanted that for their only son. Well, sensible fathers didn’t anyway.
In every sense of the word, I belonged to the Sherwin’s in those early years, not just my brawn, but my brain as well. Whatever Andrew learned, I was forced to study along with him. If he wanted to practice a sport, I had to follow along like a lost baby duck and practice the same thing, even if I hated it. Skiing in the Alps every winter was one pastime I enjoyed until I became better than the son and had to rein in my enthusiasm. Whereas I loved to snowboard, Andrew hated it. And if he disliked a thing, I had to ask his father for permission to continue doing it.
But one thing about Jim Sherwin, Andrew’s father, was that if I was upright and honest with him, he treated me fairly regardless of whether Andrew threw a hissy-fit or not. We built up a rapport and I came to confide in the man, because he was worthy of my trust and my secrets. That was almost twenty years ago, and in those years I’d gone from being the lackey to being a trusted and valued employee. Now, I was in charge of Andrew’s security detail, but more than that, I was able to do my own thing within reason.
I rapped on the door with my knuckles, not waiting to be invited in. Anything that Andrew discussed would go through me sooner or later, so there was never a reason for either of us to play coy.
My enthusiasm was pulled up abruptly as I scanned the occupants of the room and wished whole-heartedly I’d waited on that invitation.
“Mr. Sherwin, sir,” I greeted my pseudo boss and glanced to the left. One of his closest allies sat in the easy chair, swigging whiskey in the early afternoon as only he could. “Mr. Greenway, how are you, sir?” I wasn’t asking about his health, and we both knew it.
“Ash,” replied Jim Sherwin, his tone was cautionary, and I took the hint.
“Just reporting in, sir,” I told him. “But it can wait until you’re finished with your business.”
“Still kissing ass, huh, Ash?” Greenway laughed.
I ignored him and kept my eyes on my boss. Only if he told me to, would I give the same reply that they'd taught me to give, but Jim flicked his eyes, a small movement of his head telling me everything I needed to know.
“Take a seat, Ash,” said Jim. “We have a few things I’d like you to look into for me. Greenway was just telling us about it, weren’t you?”
With the focus shifted off of me, I took a seat behind my boss and tried and failed to pay attention. If I was being absent-minded, no one mentioned it, and I was glad and worried at the same time.
Before I could heave my mind onto solid ground, a brown-eyed beauty slipped in and out of my thoughts, her painted smile caused a twist of desire deep in my gut. Of this I was certain, I’d been captivated by a brown-skinned she-devil, and she was gonna fuck up my whole life. I could feel it. Tearing my mind’s eye away from a pair of caramel orbs that rode high in my imagination, I tried to pay attention to what was unfolding in the room around me. No one asked for my opinion on anything that was discussed. And I was glad, because I didn’t have one to give that didn’t include a certain architect.
6
Him
“Is something bothering you, Ash?” Jim Sherwin asked quietly. The door closed, cutting off Greenway’s manic cackle.
The moment I’d walked into that room, he’d pick up on my misery. Sherwin Senior had always been able to read me like a fucking open book and made no bones about pulling me into line when he thought I needed the reminder like right now. What the fuck was I supposed to tell him? That my mind was full of a pair of chocolate brown eyes and pouty lips that made me hot just thinking about them? Hell naw!
“No, boss, I’m just a little tired. That’s all.”
He threw a no-shit glance, which told me he didn’t buy my shitty excuse, and I thought fast.
“I had to take Drew’s architect up to the plot.” I held Jim’s eyes and didn’t dare look away. “It’s a three-hour round trip, not including waiting time.”
Without shifting his gaze from me, Jim asked, “You’re building on that land?”
“Of course, Dad,” Drew said.
I could have beaten my head on the wall at Drew’s answer, knowing he didn’t get it. Jim wasn’t asking him that. He was asking why he’d found a stranger to build it for him. My heart beat a slow rhythm in my chest as I waited, hoping I wouldn’t get pulled into a father-son disagreement. If I hadn’t had to stand my ground, I’d have shifted back to the corner out of sight of the both of them. But if it was one thing that Jim Sherwin disliked more than a snitch, it was a coward.
Jim nodded like he understood. “Walk me out, Ash.”
“Yes, sir.”
Moving fast, I opened the door and slipped through behind him. There wasn’t even time for me to signal Andrew to wait until I got back. It would be a miracle if he used his brain for a change. We waited for the elevator in silence, in the equally silent corridor, the ping as it arrived so loud it made me swallow and bite the inside of my cheek.
I’d done nothing wrong, but the ride down had me making up excuses like I was still fifteen and caught with my trousers down when I should have been studying. It was anyone’s guess how he’d found me in that hallway closet fucking the maid, but my bets had always been on one of the guys who never saw as much action as Drew and I. Jim had given me the very same look. It was a mix of You-should-know-better and ‘You’re in trouble boy!’
The double glass doors slid aside to deposit us on the pavement and I struggled not to spill my guts before the questions were asked. Jim stood with a contemplative expression on his face as he waited for his car. The late November wind played with his graying hair, moving it lazily like a lover who had nothing better to do but remind their loved one they’re still around. Even though I towered over him, he still scared me shitless.
“Can she be trusted?”
His question intrigued me, giving me pause to think. Could the woman with alluring eyes and a cheeky laugh be trusted if she realized who and what Andrew and I were?
“From what I’ve seen, I don’t believe she has it in her to go looking for trouble where she doesn’t want it,” I told him. “She’s a professional in her field and nothing more.”
He looked at me a little too closely for my liking.
“Don’t get involved with her, Ash.” He held my gaze.
I couldn’t look him in the eye, but nodded anywa
y.
“I’m serious, Asher,” he pressed home the warning. “She’s not one of us.”
“That’s exactly what draws me to her even more,” I mumbled.
“Even so,” Jim replied. “Don’t go down that road or you’ll both get hurt. You know that or you wouldn’t be hesitating.”
He had a point there. I heaved a sigh, nodding and holding his gaze.
“Why do I get the feeling that you’re gonna go out and fuck with this woman anyway?”
I shrugged my shoulders and looked away.
“She must be one special lady.”
He saw it all, every little lie I was telling myself, every excuse not to get involved, and every promise I made to myself not to capture her attention. I wanted to pull my phone out and show him the pictures of her I’d snapped just to get her reaction. But she’d played me and shrugged it off, telling me not to sell them as if I could stand another man looking at her the way I looked at her. And Jim saw everything and shook his head.
He moved to the car parked at the curb waiting for him and held on to the handle. “Don’t let Drew know about it. He has a tendency to fuck everything up for you.”
My gratitude shone in my face, and nothing else needed to be said. I’d gotten what I’d been seeking; the boss’s approval. That was all the permission I required. God only knew how far I was willing to take this. However, little Miss Architect wasn’t palming me off on her colleagues ever again, at least not one that could chatter away in my ear for over an hour.
I waited until Sherwin’s car had turned the corner and disappeared before I turned back to the office building that housed Andrew Sherwin’s consulting agency. My reflection stared back at me from the smoked glass window, and I considered what Jim had warned me of.
A few years ago, I’d been hooked on a woman I thought was worth my time and effort. I hadn’t thought anything of it when Andrew jokingly passed a comment about her, how he wouldn’t say no to an evening of her time. Laughing it off as ridiculous, I’d ignored him. After all, that was a dirty fucking move that no one should play on a friend, let alone his paid companion. Weeks had gone by with no more mention of his boast, until I’d arrived home late one night, when I wasn’t supposed to be home at all. The dirty smirk on his face as he buttoned his shirt told me everything I never wanted to know about the two of them.
The thing was I didn’t blame him for what had happened, because it took two to tango. What he’d done had proved to me that she wasn’t who I thought she was. I refused to get serious about a woman since, and remained as I’d always been, single and fucking as often as needed to scratch the urges when they arose.
My one regret was tampering with that red-haired vixen, Kelley. That bitch had seen more traffic than Eurotunnel, and I didn’t trust her as far as I could throw the vicious cow. Drew’s fiancée, Sam, was nothing like her and I couldn’t understand how they got along. But I’d heard it said that opposites attract, so perhaps, there was some truth in the statement after all.
I cursed my long legs as I arrived at Drew’s office before I was completely ready and calmed myself before tapping on the door and entering.
“Has he gone?” Drew asked, looking behind me.
I took a seat and ignored him.
“What did she say?” he asked, leaning over the desk. “Did she tell you when I could see this wonderful plan of hers?”
“I didn’t really talk to her much on the ride back,” I told him. “Call her and find out for yourself.”
I might be the errand boy, but I had my limits. Drew threw me a strange look and leaned back in his chair.
“What did the old bastard say?”
“Your father didn’t say anything,” I replied, settling into the soft leather chair and closing my eyes.
He released a sigh. “I thought he’d insist I use his mates, but I want this done properly, not have some dead fucker turn up in twenty years, chained to the foundations.”
“Bit dramatic, Drew, but okay.”
“You know what I mean.” He shuffled papers on his desk with a nervous sigh. “I’ve been doing everything on my own for this long, so why not my own house?”
“Because your dad thinks family first and always,” I reminded him.
“I bought that land on my own,” he snapped, pulling at his hair, his face reddening around the edges. “I can build whatever I want and choose who’s gonna do it, too.”
“You don’t have to convince me, Drew,” I told him, my eyes shut and sentences as short as I could manage without flipping my lid. I wanted to get out of there and breathe free air for five minutes.
Drew was quiet, and I could imagine him thinking up ways to avoid his father, no doubt. I didn’t give two fucks what he wanted to do with the land. He could dig a hole and lay in it for all I cared.
“She’s hot, though,” Drew commented, “I wouldn’t mind knocking on that kitty’s door.”
My heart stilled, and an eye popped open without me wanting it to. My wish not to show concern for his words hung in the balance. If he even sniffed my interest, he’d try a little harder than he usually did just to prove he could tap that before me. He’d fuck it up like he usually did. That was Drew’s secret weapon. If my eyes drifted to him with disdain, it was because I couldn’t help myself, as much as I tried to keep my face blank, emotionless and disinterested.
“Don’t you think you should stop fucking around now?” I let my disgust show. “You’re getting married in the summer.”
He laughed. It was a cough of sound that failed to hide how serious he’d been. “I’m kidding.” He made a stupid face and took a sip of water, a sure tell of his when caught out. “Remember, Ash, bro’s before hoes.”
“Thing is, Andrew, she ain’t a hoe.” I rose from the chair and gave him a steady stare. “Try to act like a gentleman who needs the lady architect’s assistance,” I reminded him.
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“You’re the one with the business degree.” I walked to the door, “you figure it out.”
I closed the door slowly and quietly behind me. The need to do violence was strong, and I headed to my car intent on putting some time in at the gym. Enough time to calm my nerves and return to my station as Andrew’s personal bodyguard and assistant. Being head of security wasn’t a job that I took lightly even if Drew pissed me off more often than not. Regardless, I should have been making sure everything was set for later instead of acting like a lovesick teenager with a hard on and no money for condoms. Fuck my life!
7
Her
I’d laid out enough pictures to have my own exhibition with more in small piles to either side of my legs. The land Andrew Sherwin planned to build his house on amazed me with its potential possibilities and location. With the sweep of land falling away to give a panoramic view of the valley beyond, the potential for massive, open windows that could span a space from one wall to the other gave me goose bumps. Basically, it was a dream come true for me. With every home I planned, it was the same as if I were designing a home for myself. This allowed my creativity to run free beyond the limitations of what a client could imagine for themselves.
My draughtsman’s table and the wall behind held photographs from every possible angle as well as concept sketches that I’d put together in the days since visiting the land with the burly, tattooed assistant. That very same person I hadn’t been able to get out of my mind even though I’d deleted the pictures I’d snapped of his inked hands and neck. Granted, I’d studied them until I no longer needed a picture to remember the lines of intricate ink that splashed its way across the surface of his skin. The ink that cradled his right eye seemed to have a story to tell, but I wouldn’t be the one asking for that report.
I gazed at the drawn mock up I’d created for his boss, and my mind swam away on a river of contemplation. The technical drawings would be created once Andrew picked a design he liked because the interior space would be dictated by the overall final plan. Three
concepts sat on my desk, but I knew that if he went with any of them, it would be the design I’d choose for myself. If he had a sense of vision, he’d go with my choice. Although there was always that one client I hadn’t read correctly, despite talking to them for hours and asking all the relevant questions.
Rolling the large sheets of paper together, I slipped them into a tube to be taken to Andrew at the earliest opportunity. His design had taken longer than normal, and I couldn’t help but think that the reason was the assistant and his influences on the space when we’d visited. Sometimes, that happened and instead of creating a design for a client, a secondary, more influential player took precedence. I just hoped that it wouldn’t impact Andrew’s final decision.
I’d tried really hard to wipe those dark eyes from my mind while I’d been working, but they kept creeping back in and giving me that look. A thorough inspection of part desire mixed with disgust.
Scooting my chair backwards away from the table I’d been chained to for the last five days, I stretched to release the tension from my shoulders. In all honesty, I should be showing the designs to my boss before the client, but these drawings wouldn’t let me do that. I wondered if it was the chance to see that stiff face again that drew me, or the butterflies that bubbled up in my stomach at the thought of him, which told me everything I needed to know.
There was a crisp knock on my office door and I shouted over my shoulder without looking back. “Come in!”
It felt like all the air had been sucked out the door, and I became breathless, my senses heightened in a way that had never happened before. I knew it was him without even turning around, and I held myself still, hoping the flush had slipped from my skin and my breathing would calm the fuck down. What was it about feeling out of one’s depth when the object of your desire walked into a room? It was like being thrown back in time to feel that awkward embarrassment of your twelve-year-old self, who turns the corner and her crush is standing with his friends, throwing you that sexy, I-know-you-like-me grin. This was nuts! I couldn’t function like this, not if I was openly sensitive to the man and his persona.