by Nikki Chase
“Oh, don’t worry about it. It was so long ago,” I say, laughing nervously .
I hear little taps on the hardwood floor, and Rocky shows up, running down the hallway with his claws hitting the wood planks with every step he takes. He gives us a sad look, as if asking, “Why did you guys leave me all alone ?”
“Aww . . . He got lonely, waiting there in the living room on his own,” I say, crouching down to rub the silky fur on his back as he happily wags his tail. I look up at Sandy. “I hope it’s okay that I’m touching him and stuff. I just remembered that I never asked for your permission .”
“Oh, that’s okay.” Sandy stares at me like I’m a mathematical problem to solve. “I’m surprised he’s taken to you so quickly, though. He doesn’t usually like strangers .”
“Really?” I ask, my lips widening into a smile .
It sounds pathetic, but even if Rocky’s just a dog, it makes me happy to know he likes me. It feels like a good sign for this new job .
Not to mention, it’s looking more and more like I’ll meet all five Archer brothers. Both Ian and Sandy look great, and I can’t wait to see Austin, Fraser, and Hudson, too .
“Yes,” Sandy says. “Come on in, Rocky. I need to close the door .”
At Sandy’s words, Rocky reluctantly walks into the home office, his round eyes staring longingly at my hand .
I laugh. “He’s adorable,” I say .
“Yeah, he knows exactly how to play on your emotions. Cheeky little guy,” Sandy says .
As he pushes the door shut, I take a closer look at the home office. Obviously, a lot of things happen in here .
It’s easy to tell from the stacks of paper on the long desks lined along two of the walls, the crowded cork boards on the walls, and the tall, floor-to-ceiling shelves stuffed full of colourful boxes .
“Wow. This place is . . . something,” I say .
Sandy chuckles. “Yeah, we’re buried with work this time of the year so there’s barely enough time to get everything done, much less do any organizing around here .”
“That sounds like a good problem to have,” I say, nodding. “Better a busy, messy office than an organized one where nothing ever happens, right ?”
I give Sandy a smile. There’s really no need for him to feel bad about the state of this office. I’m not here to pass judgments on how they run their business; I’m just here to help .
“Yeah.” Again, Sandy stares at me with that strange look in his eyes. “You’re a glass-half-full kind of girl, aren’t you ?”
“I guess,” I say as heat spreads across my cheeks. The way my life has been the past two years, I wouldn’t have made it this far without some optimism .
“That’s great. As a start-up, we need all the positivity we can get .”
“So, uh, Fraser hasn’t actually told me what kind of business you guys run,” I say .
“Of course, he hasn’t,” Sandy says with a sigh that tells me this isn’t the first time Fraser’s done something like this. He looks around the room. “You can take that chair over there. I’ll show you everything .”
My dirty mind immediately wonders about the body underneath that white shirt. But as Sandy fires up the computer on the desk in front of me, it becomes apparent he’s talking about work. Of course .
Over the next few hours, Sandy tells me about the Archer brothers’ online toy business. He also teaches me what to do with the data and the spreadsheets .
Luckily, I used to work with the same software at Ted’s, so I know exactly how to manipulate the figures on the screen, which seems to impress Sandy .
He leaves me to go through a few files as he moves to his own work station on a different desk .
I must admit, a part of me wishes I didn’t know as much about this stuff, just so he’d spend more time sitting beside me, so close I could feel the heat emanating from his body sometimes .
I try to remind myself I’m here to work, but it’s difficult when I’m alone in a private room with a gorgeous man like Sandy .
The lines and numbers on the screen start to blur together when Sandy says, “Oh, it’s late afternoon already .”
As I check the time on the corner of the computer screen, I ask, “Do you have regular work hours ?”
“Not really. I try to limit the amount of work I do in a day, though. I try to keep it to eight hours a day, although I often have to go over that. This is a start-up, after all,” Sandy says, getting up from his swivel chair .
He raises his hands up in the air to stretch. As he yawns, he closes his eyes, giving me the opportunity to let my gaze roam over his body, focusing on that little strip of skin that shows between the waist of his jeans and the lifted hem of his shirt .
I bite my bottom lip as I spot the trail of fuzz leading down from his belly button and disappearing into his jeans. It’s as dark as the hair on his head. I can’t help but wonder what it looks like at the end of that trail . . .
“Shall we?” Sandy asks, startling me for the second time today. His eyes gleam with amusement as he fixes his gaze on me .
Did he notice me staring at his . . .?
It’s probably best to pretend nothing’s happened .
“What are we doing next?” I ask as casually as I can. I don’t know if I’m pulling it off, though, because I’ve forgotten how I normally speak .
“I usually just go into the kitchen and have some tea. You’re welcome to join me. Or, you can keep working if you want. Give us our money’s worth,” he says, chuckling .
I laugh, hoping to mask my nerves. “Tea sounds good .”
As we head out into the hall, Rocky trailing behind us, the front door opens .
“That’s probably Hudson,” Sandy says .
Hudson
“I ’ll see you girls on the weekend, okay?” I say to the pouty girls, putting the door between them and me. “You’re coming to the gig, right ?”
“Of course we are,” the twins say, almost in unison .
“But, we want some private time with you, too, Hudson,” Nina says. At least, I think that’s Nina. I sometimes mix them up, and I’ve learned to never call them by name .
When their dad is helping me get a studio deal, the last thing I want to do is piss them off .
It makes me feel dirty to have to entertain these two sometimes, but as it turns out, the road to a musician’s success is often riddled with dirty deals similar to this one .
“Yeah, don’t you want it to be just the three of us?” Lina asks, giving me a flirty smile .
I’ve already made it clear to the twins’ dad that my signature on the contract doesn’t mean I become his daughters’ toy boy. But, as is so often the case, there are things left unsaid on the contract that must be fulfilled regardless .
“Of course, I do,” I say, trying to placate the girls before they throw another tantrum and threaten to call their dad. “I just . . . It’s the house rules, you see. No girls in the house .”
“What is this, elementary school?” Nina asks .
I force the corners of my lips up into what I hope is a charming smile. “Sorry. I don’t make the rules. I’ll see you at the gig, okay ?”
“Fine,” the twins say, almost at the same time .
I breathe a sigh of relief as they walk back out to the little Mini Cooper that their dad bought them for their birthday .
As I wave at them, Sandy’s voice makes me jump. “I feel sorry for you sometimes,” he says .
I turn around to find him standing in the hallway, shaking his head while holding a teacup in his hand .
“You scared me,” I say .
“Yeah, I seem to be doing that a lot today for some reason,” he says .
I frown. Sandy often says things I don’t understand, but I don’t think he was trying to be cryptic just now .
As a girl joins us in the hallway, I jump to the window to check on the twins. Luckily, they’re gone. Seeing this girl in the house would kill my no-girls-in-the-house excuse .<
br />
“I told you this would be fun to watch,” Sandy says to the girl .
“What’s going on?” she asks. She has lips so beautiful I swear I feel a pang of jealousy as she presses them against her teacup to take a sip .
“Hudson has sponsors to keep happy. He’s been jumping through hoops for them,” Sandy explains. “Have you slept with them yet, Hudson ?”
“Not yet,” I answer, distracted by the girl. “I mean, I’m not going to .”
“Freudian slip,” Sandy comments flatly .
“Hey,” I protest. Turning to the girl, I say, “I really am not going to .”
The girl smiles. Why do I care what she thinks about me ?
“So, you’re the exception to our no-girls rule, huh?” I ask. I can see why. I wouldn’t be able to say no to those big, round eyes .
“I guess,” she says tentatively. “There’s a no-girls rule in this house ?”
“Not really,” Sandy says. “Some people had girls staying over in the house, and it used to mess up our work schedule when those girls would stay and cook breakfast the next morning. Some of them also used to wander into the office and try to clean it up, which, of course, only made it impossible for us to find anything .”
“There’s a system to the madness,” I add, nodding. “And, by the way, Sandy’s talking about Ian; not me .”
“Hudson, this is Emma, the new hire. Emma, this is Hudson,” Sandy says, finally introducing us .
“I know who he is,” Emma says .
“You do?” I ask. “I’m sure I would’ve remembered meeting someone as beautiful as you .”
I can almost hear Sandy roll his eyes, but I don’t care .
“Yeah. We went to the same high school.” Emma adds, “Well, Sandy, Ian, Fraser, and I did. But, I remember you. You used to visit Rockvale on the weekends .”
“Oh. Rockvale. Right. That must’ve been my first year at college,” I say. “I didn’t know the high school kids knew me at the time .”
“Well, all five of you were pretty popular with the girls.” Emma’s cheeks fill with color, making her appear even more adorable. She’d be so fun to tease and flirt with .
Did Sandy say she’s going to be working with us from now on? This is going to be interesting . . .
Austin
“Y ou wouldn’t believe what happened today,” I shut the door and march straight into the living room. It’s late in the afternoon, and I know I’ll see at least one of my brothers there .
“Hey, Austin.” Hudson raises the teacup in his hand. “Tea? Coffee ?”
“No.” The sight in the living room stops me from ranting about the investor who wasted my time and pulled out of the deal we’d discussed for months at the last minute .
I stare at Hudson, then at Sandy, then at the girl sitting at the table with them. She’s hot, but I thought I told Ian to stop bringing his hook-ups home .
One. Two. Three. Four. Five . I continue counting to ten as I draw deep breaths into my lungs. I’ve been driven to my fucking limit today, but I don’t have to blow up over it .
We have a problem to solve, and anger won’t help me find the solution .
“Oh, this is Emma, the new hire,” Sandy says, watching me with his hawk eyes. He’s probably guessed that I was about to blow my gasket .
“Oh,” I say. The heat that was starting to gather in my chest dissipates. I approach the dining table and hold out my hand. “Hi. I’m Austin .”
“She knows who you are,” says Sandy and Hudson, almost at the same time .
“Hi, Austin. I’m Emma,” she says shyly, looking at me from underneath her thick, dark lashes .
“What, am I famous now?” I ask, pulling out a chair. I shoot Hudson a grin. “And I didn’t even have to spend my weekends playing at obscure gigs .”
Suddenly, those dipshit investors don’t seem as important as they did a minute ago. I’m more interested in our new assistant .
Of course, it’s because I want to make sure she understands her responsibilities, although I’ll admit there’s something about those blue eyes that intrigues me, as well .
Emma laughs, a melodic sound tinged with nervousness. “I . . . Uh, I went to Rockvale High with Sandy, Ian, and Fraser. I know you’re their brother .”
“Oh, Rockvale High, huh? Wow, that was a long time ago,” I say, trying to remember the brief stops I made at the school when I picked up my brothers in my old, beat-up first car, a Hyundai that broke down every hundred miles or so .
“Yeah,” Emma says. As her lips part momentarily, I imagine running my thumb over the pink flesh, feeling her hot breath on my skin .
Strange. It’s been a long fucking while since a girl’s managed to distract me from the shit that goes on with our business. But she’s done it, and she hasn’t even had to get up from her seat .
“It’s great that you still remember us, though. That means you have a good memory, which is always a good thing,” I hear myself say .
Oh, Jesus. Am I already trying to sweet-talk her ?
“Thank you,” she says with a sweet smile .
This girl’s going to be a fucking distraction. She’s going to be trouble for us and for the business , I think to myself .
Maybe we should hire a guy instead. Or, at least, a girl who’s more . . . shall we say . . . homely .
But, who’s to say business and pleasure can’t mix ?
Okay, I’ve alluded to it in the past, but it’s not a hard-and-fast rule .
Besides, I’m the one who makes the rules around here .
Also, that hair . . . It looks soft and silky, and I’ll bet it’ll look great wrapped around my fist as I fuck her from behind .
My cock twitches at the filthy, inappropriate thought .
I should tell her to go home. I should tell Fraser to find someone else. Better yet, I should find a new assistant myself .
But instead, I ask, “Has Fraser talked to you about salary and the other stuff yet ?”
“No.” Emma shakes her head, making her long, blonde tresses shift on her dainty shoulders, brushing over her delicate collarbones. “I haven’t actually met Fraser .”
“You haven’t—” I stop myself from cursing him out and take another deep breath instead. “You haven’t met Fraser? Wasn’t he the one who hired you ?”
“Yes. He did it by email,” she says .
That fucking lazy piece of . . .
“Emma helped me with some data entering and general spreadsheet wrangling earlier. She did really well,” Sandy says, pre-emptively dousing water on the flame that was starting to kindle in my chest, like he so often does .
“Thank you,” Emma says graciously .
“That’s great. Really good to hear,” I say, getting down to business. “So, Emma, this will be a temporary position that will last the entire holiday season. If things go well, if we’re a good fit and we still need your help next year, we’ll just continue working together .”
She nods. “I understand .”
“Also, since we’re a start-up, we can’t afford to pay you a huge salary. It’s going to be minimum wage, unfortunately.” I pause .
“That’s okay,” Emma says. “I’m new in the city, and I’m willing to take on any job I can get my hands on. Besides, I’ve always wanted to be there to help a new business get off the ground. I’m sure there’s a lot I can learn from you guys .”
I fucking love her attitude. So far, it looks like Fraser’s actually done a good job finding her .
“We’ll do what we can to help make your life easier, though,” I say. “For example, maybe Ian can pick you up when he does his morning deliveries and bring you here. That should eliminate your transport costs Where do you live ?”
“Uh . . .” Emma hesitates. “Actually, I’m staying with a friend downtown, and I’m looking for a new place to stay. So, if you know a good, cheap place around here, please let me know .”
“Why don’t you just stay here?” I blurt out .
> Emma
“W hy don’t you just stay here?” Austin asks, his sharp, icy-blue eyes boring into me .
“Uh, you mean . . . tonight? I kind of have made plans with my friend, but if there’s work to do . . .” I let my voice trail off as I wonder if there’s enough time to text Piper and cancel our dinner plans .
But more importantly, does Austin expect me to be available to work 24/7? I need this job badly enough to accept that for now, but I don’t know if that’s something I can deal with in the long term .
“No, no. Not tonight,” Austin says quickly, to my relief. “On Monday. Actually, starting Monday. Do you want to live here, starting Monday ?”
“Live here . . . in this house . . . with you?” I ask, my gaze flicking from Austin, to Hudson, to Sandy .
“Yeah,” Austin says confidently .
“That’s a great idea.” Hudson grins .
“I think that’s a good solution,” Sandy says as he slicks his dark hair back. Looking at me with his intelligent eyes, he says, “You won’t have to pay rent. And, you won’t have to worry about the commute either. We’re also happy to have you at the dinner table. So, that’s three of your biggest expense groups eliminated .”
“Exactly,” Austin says. “So, what do you say ?”
“Um . . .” I wrap my hands around the warm teacup and rotate it on the saucer nervously. “That’s a very generous offer . . .”
“Believe me . . . it’s not, considering what we can offer to pay you,” Austin says. “To be honest, we’re understaffed, and there’s going to be a lot of work for you, Emma. If we can lighten your burden in some way, that would make us all feel better about hiring you. At least, we won’t feel like you’re being underpaid or shafted in this deal .”
“We’re great roommates,” Hudson adds cheekily. “We clean up after ourselves and everything .”
“That’s actually true,” Sandy says, grinning. “This house belongs to our parents. Before they left on their cross-country trip, they made us promise to send them pictures every week of us keeping the house clean, or they were going to kick us out .”
