Filed to story: Crushing on My Enemy Stepbrother
Letting out a breath, I shake my head, laughing hoarsely, man, I’m jumpy today! Turning back onto my original route, I carry on heading home, thinking that I really need a hot shower and a decent night’s sleep.
Caleb’s POV
After I picked up my car and belongings from the gym and was informed that my membership has now been cancelled, I walked around like a bear with a sore head. I liked that damn gym, it was close to work, open early and had brand new equipment and now I have to find a new one.
‘What you up to Rocky?’ Callan calls from the doorframe where he’s casually leaning.
‘Looking for a new damn gym that opens at five am’ I reply brusquely.
Callan sniggers and I regret for the two hundredth time in the last few days about telling him and my brother about my short stint in a cell. The two of them wouldn’t shut up about me missing work until I explained where I was and now, they both keep making sly comments about felons and fighters whenever they see me.
‘Surely you don’t need one’ he muses, ‘just find a dark alley somewhere in a bad part of town and you’ll get a thorough workout.’
‘I swear we pay you to work around here’ I grumble, not looking up, ‘yet you seem to just hang around and do f*ck all every day.’
Ignoring me, Callan saunters into my office and takes a seat, ‘did you find anything on the cctv to show who slashed your tyre?’ he asks, his voice loweing as all traces of the usual fun loving friend disappears.
I shake my head, ‘building owner admitted that his cameras don’t work’ I growl in annoyance, ‘haven’t worked for months and he didn’t bother to fix them.’
My best friend swears under his breath, ‘f*cking cheapskate, I hate that we lease from that asshole, he cuts so many corners I’m surprised this building isn’t round.’
I nod, agreeing with him, ‘I did ask when he thought he might be getting them fixed but it seems that is not a priority right now and just having the cameras on the wall will deter most wannabe thieves’ I grit out.
‘Yeah, except for a dick who slashes your tyres’ Callan retorts.
I sigh, leaning back in my chair, rubbing my face with my hand, ‘Gage thinks it was probably kids.’
Callan nods slowly, ‘you agree with him?’ he asks.
I shrug, ‘out of the four cars, it’s only really yours and mine that are expensive. Who would go near that piece of shit that Gage drives, and Iris’ car doesn’t scream money. Yours is so damn expensive even I’m worried to get to near it as that thing will go off like a siren if anyone so much as breathes on it so if a few kids wanted to be dicks, my SUV is the one that they would most likely hit.’
‘I suppose’ my best friend sighs, ‘maybe we need to put our own cameras up though.’
I snort derisively, ‘already asked, landlord told me no’ I mutter bitterly.
‘Why?’ Callan growls in exasperation, ‘we’d be doing him a favour and he wouldn’t have to pay for it!’
I nod, ‘I know, told him that, but he kept whining about damage to his building from drilling and running cables, I gave up in the end, the guy was intent on being a tool.’
The man across from me huffs, ‘it’s about time we hauled ass out of this place and got our own building’ he mutters, ‘no more landlords or asking permission, we could make our security office actually secure.’
Pushing out of the chair, he gives me a friendly middle finger, making me chuckle before walking out leaving me to my own thoughts.
Turning back to my computer, I hesitate before minimising the work I’m doing and pulling up a search engine, typing in commercial buildings for sale, maybe it is time that the company had its own building to operate from.
The afternoon passes in a steady stream of phone calls, cups of coffee and planning the next job that’s coming up. At five o’clock, Iris peeks in my office, smiling warmly.
‘Anything else you need Caleb, before I leave?’
I shake my head, returning her smile forcefully, ‘no, thanks Iris, you can head out, but just ask Callan to walk with you to your car please.’
Iris’s eyes widen as she bites down on her lower lip, ‘is something going on?’ she asks.
I sigh, dropping my pen to focus on the woman in my doorway, ‘probably not’ I admit, ‘but it’s getting dark earlier and now I know that the damn cameras outside don’t work, I’m not comfortable with you walking out to you car on your own. Call me a misogynist and tell me you are perfectly capable of looking after yourself, I’ll take it but for my own peace of mind, please let me do this.’
Iris hesitates before nodding, smiling shyly, ‘of course Caleb, and just so you know, even though I’m a feminist and believe women can do what men can and vice versa, I appreciate that you worry about my safety.’
I release a huff of air, my shoulders relaxing, ‘thank you’ I grumble, standing up and walking out with her to head to Callan’s office to ask him to escort our receptionist out.
Reaching his office, I find the door shut and from the murmur of voices, it seems that my best friend is not alone in his office. Glancing into my brother’s office I find it dark and empty, looks like Gage headed out early.
‘Mr Hawthorne had an appointment and left about four o’clock’ Iris informs me softly.
Nodding I wave a hand toward the door, ‘well it looks like you are going to have to put up with my company for a little longer’ I say, smiling awkwardly.