“I wish you would get over your pride, and ask people for help occasionally,” Bronx argued.
“I ask for help when I need it. Just the other day when my car broke down, I called you to pick me up.”
“How long were you stranded on the side of the highway before you called me?”
“Four hours,” Jordan mumbled.
Bronx sat up and placed his empty plate down on the couch. “Exactly! That’s my point. Jordy, you need to stop doing that. You’re so damn stubborn.” He shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Doing what?” he snapped. He was starting to get annoyed with the topic. “Why the hell are we even talking about this? We’re supposed to be celebrating me finally getting a job.”
“Promise me something,” Bronx said to him.
“What now?” Jordan whined.
“Promise me if you ever need anything that you’ll call me, no matter what. You mean a lot to me.” Jordan didn’t like the emotion coming from Bronx. He knew that even though they agreed to end their relationship, Bronx still cared about him and wished they could have continued their relationship. But Jordan only felt a brotherly love towards his friend. He worried about him just as much as Bronx did for him. It was selfish on Jordan’s part that he could not return his friend’s feelings, but couldn’t live without Bronx in his life. He knew he was a fool for not wanting Bronx, the man was sexy as hell.
“Promise me, Jordan,” Bronx demanded.
“Fine,” Jordan said grudgingly. “Now that I’ve eaten my dinner, like a good little boy, can we go out and have some fun or would you rather stay here and lecture me some more?” He gave Bronx his best puppy dog eyes, and leaned closer to his friend. “Please, Bronx, it’s been so long since we had some fun. How about we go to your club instead, will that make you feel better?”
An expression crossed over Bronx’s face, but he masked it quickly before Jordan could read what it was. Bronx sighed, and Jordan knew he had his friend where he wanted him. “I hate you, you know that, right?”
“Lies, you love me.”
“Unfortunately,” Bronx mumbled, getting up and started cleaning up the empty cartons. “Are you planning on getting dressed, you won’t get laid looking like a bum.”
“Who said I want to get laid, can’t a guy just want to go out with his friend and not worry about…” he tried to explain, but even to his ear, it sounded like a big fat lie. And from the look on his best friend’s face he knew it was a lie as well. “Fine, give me twenty, no, make that thirty minutes.”
Jordan reached out from under his covers and smashed the alarm clock, shutting it off. He rolled over onto his back and smiled, it was the day he’d start working, and he was so excited it was a wonder he had a good night's sleep. He hopped out of bed and walked over to his closet and stood in front of it nude, trying to decide what to wear. He did not have a lot of suits, something he hoped to change now that he had a job. Deciding on something that was office appropriate,Jordan pulled out his dark gray slacks pairing it with a pink shirt and a blue striped tie.
He walked into his bathroom that connected to his bedroom and turned on the shower, letting it warm up while he took care of his morning ritual, before stepping under the hot water and letting the warmth relax his muscles. He and Bronx had fun the other night at Crimson’s Midnight. Jordan asked Bronx why he’d named his club that, but his friend only smiled and said it reminded him of how Jordan’s eyes always sparkled at midnight. He’d let loose and forgot about his troubles.
He and Bronx had spent the rest of the weekend just hanging out. Jordan knew that his friend had things to do owning a club and other business adventures. But to put those things aside for a few hours and just be kids again helped Jordan get rid of any nervousness he had starting a new job. Having a job wouldn’t solve all his financial issues right away, he still needed to get caught up on the mounds of bills that accumulated over the past couple of months. Maybe after things started to feel settled, he would think about the prospect of dating. So far, he’d kept his interludes to his hand or one-night stands.
Jordan rushed through his shower and the rest of his morning. He did not want to show up late for work on his first day. All weekend Jordan wondered why he was meeting with his new boss at his home again and not at the office, where he figured they would be working from. Jordan pushed the question to the side as he grabbed his case. Things were looking good when his sweet baby started without any problems. On his way to work, he had just enough time to stop by his favorite coffee shop, grabbing a cup to go. He arrived five minutes early and wasn't sure if he should knock on the door or open it. It was the first time he would be working for the CEO of a major corporation, and he wasn’t sure of the proper protocol.
Maybe I should have asked Bronx. Thinking better of it, Jordan knocked on the door, instead.
Instantly, he heard a tiny little voice yell, “I'll get it,” just as another argued back that it was their turn to answer the door. Jordan chuckled as he listened to the twins bicker back and forth before their uncle decided to step in.
“By the time either one of you answers the door the person on the other side will be gone,” he said as he opened the door. Jordan noticed the surprised look on Duncan Pryde’s face the minute he saw Jordan standing there.
“Good morning, Mr. Pryde, I hope I’m—”
“What are you doing here?” Duncan Pryde demanded before Jordan could continue his sentence.
Jordan was very confused as to why the other man would ask him that question. “I was told to meet you here.”
“There has to be some sort of mistake. I specifically instructed human resources to have you meet me at my office,” Mr. Pryde said. “Come on inside, I need to find out what the heck is going on.”
“I don’t understand,” Jordan said, confused as he stepped inside.
“Mr. Sutton, I was expecting the new nanny,” Mr. Pryde told him. “You are supposed to meet me at my office.”
They walked into Duncan Pryde’s office with the twins happily following behind them. Mr. Pryde got on his phone immediately and started yelling at the other person on the line. Jordan turned and quickly glanced down at the twins who were staring at him as if he was a new toy. He flinched when Mr. Pryde yelled the words“fucking idiot,”seeing that words were being said that the twins shouldn’t hear, Jordan turned fully around and looked at two matching sets of eyes staring at him.
“Um...hi,” he greeted.
