“I think I’m too tired to sleep like a normal person and I also gave everyone tomorrow off. We all need some rest,” he replied as he tore his gaze away from the screen to look at me. “Have fun?”
“Shit, Brent. I went home with a girl and her roommate works for us.” I dropped onto the couch, knowing that nobody else was up right now. It was too late.
“Bran, did you do her as well?” He asked, irritation in his voice.
“Fuck, no. I came out to leave and she was sitting in the living room. She didn’t say that she lived there but I gathered as much. There was a group of them on the couch and I expect some gossip.”
“It would be worse if you slept with her too, so don’t worry about it. It’ll die down if it starts at all. Did they hear you guys or something?” He asked as I smirked. “That bad?”
“She was vocal. I was vocal. End of story.” I stretched and looked at him. “Get some rest, buddy.”
“Brunch at noon tomorrow with Mom and Ash,” Brent told me as I almost groaned. “Christmas is next Friday so the rush is almost over.”
“Yeah, I hope so,” I told him as I headed upstairs for some sleep. I woke up in time to shower and head downstairs to take them to eat, catching up with Mom since it felt like I never saw her. Ashley spoke about school and new boyfriend as I gave Brent a dark look. She was too young for that shit and I was going to meet this guy as soon as I could.
We took them home after a couple of hours and I took a nap, since I had the day off and all. I didn’t want to go out again tonight so sleep sounded like a great plan, and Mom told me to come down for some soup later if I got hungry. She’d thanked us for working so hard at the end of brunch, hugging us both tightly before Brent drove us all back to the house.
I woke up in my dark room, seeing my phone lit up on the table beside it. I blinked and yawned before reaching for it, seeing a text from one of the regulars. I knew that I wasn’t going anywhere tonight and sent a text back responding to that.
I decided that I felt like forty-two more than I did twenty-two right now as I rolled back over and sighed. I hoped that things would slow down after the holidays and I could find some of my old life again.
Brent
I was up early the following day and ready to go to the office. The house was decorated for Christmas and I looked around, realizing that it was Friday. It would be the first Christmas without Dad and pain filled my chest for a moment as I heard footsteps on the stairs. I didn’t know how it was going to be, but we had a lot of family coming over to spend it with us. The office was closed for the weekend and I was going to use it catching up on rest and seeing the people that I missed right now.
I’d been asked over to dinner by a girl that I used to see frequently, Dahlia. She was a socialite in Manhattan with dark hair and a yoga body and very tempting, if I could get away. I had to get through this week first and then deal with it. “Morning.” Brandon greeted me as he walked to get some coffee. “Back to it, I suppose?”
“Yep,” I replied as Mom walked in. “Hi, Mom.”
“Morning, boys. You look nice.” We dressed in slacks and button ups every day, even ties sometimes. Dad always told us growing up to look professional at the job if we were going to be working with employees. In his mind, that was the first step to professionalism. Too bad we already messed that up by getting involved with two assistants, causing a little bit of chatter in the building. Now Bran might have caused more but he didn’t know who she lived with. Bar girls weren’t the ones that we got to know before sleeping with them, and that was just bad timing.
“Thanks, Mom. It makes them fear us,” Brandon teased as she laughed. We headed out, driving together quietly as we watched New York wake up. “Friday, man. I can’t believe that he won’t be there.”
“I know. Mom seems to be handling it pretty well so far,” I observed from the passenger seat as he shrugged. “I am glad that everyone is coming to our house this year. I don’t feel like driving to Boston in holiday traffic, though it might be better for Mom to do that.”
“That’s what she wanted. We all checked with her, so she deserves this. If she falls apart, she’ll be with people who love her. Ash invited the new boyfriend so she’ll be supported but he is in for a surprise.” I chuckled at Brandon as he looked at me. “She’s only sixteen, Brent.”
“Do you remember our view on girls in high school?” I asked him as he snorted. “Even Ash is aware of our reputation, Bran. She isn’t proud of it so I think she’d choose someone quite different than we were.”
“Figures. It wasn’t that long ago,” he muttered as he turned into the parking garage. “There is so much work waiting up in that office for us.”
“I lined up a masseuse to pop in this week. She’s reasonable and hot enough that the guys will like it while being sweet enough that the women won’t hate her. That along with the holiday bonus should keep everyone in good moods.” I assured him as he nodded. We got out of the car and headed up to our floor, just a bit earlier tha
n the rest of the office. I liked the quiet and when it was not slammed, it allowed us to be home a little sooner. Right now, we were generally here later than anyone else. I reminded myself that we made a lot of money doing this and kept Mom and Ashley in the life they were used to as I walked to our office to warm up the computer. I made coffee while that happened and took a deep breath as it brewed, filling the room with the scent of the dark roast. I got my brother a cup as well and brought it to him as we got set up at our desks for the day.
The office filled with voices as the next hour passed and I knew that we were at full capacity. The number of orders we all had to process was absurd, and I longed for personal help again. I took a break and looked at Brandon for a moment as he sipped his coffee. “What if we place an ad?” I asked as he glanced at me.
“For help?”
“Yeah, but let’s keep it at that for this week at least,” I joked as he grinned. “We have orders to catch up on and there’s a good chance that we won’t have someone right away anyway.” I shrugged. “I’d rather get caught up sooner rather than later and try to focus on other aspects of the company.”
“Let’s do it,” he agreed as I nodded and pulled up the former ad. It said everything that we needed and I posted it in one of the job sites before getting back to work. I laughed at the emails coming in about a beautiful girl giving shoulder massages and assured the managers that it was legit and to enjoy.
One of them mentioned that his personal assistant had a friend that was looking for a job, since her company of seven years closed due to bankruptcy. He said that Breanna assured him that she was smart and a hard worker that just had a bit of rough luck and she’d mentioned how busy she was at work. He knew how hard Dad worked and wanted to help and I told Brandon about it. “We can talk to her, right?” He asked as I nodded and told the guy to have her call us. If she was a good worker, she could pick up quickly and get this mess caught up.
We worked through the day until lunch and grabbed some sandwiches at a nearby deli. My phone rang while we were walking and I answered in business mode as a woman asked if this was Brent Moyen. “Yes, it is. Who am I speaking to?” I asked as Brandon looked at me.
“My name is Jane Drury and I believe that one of your managers spoke to you. I am Breanne’s friend,” she offered as I noted a drawl in her voice. She must not be from New York. “I was interested in a job there since I just got laid off. I have an apartment that I don’t want to lose and Bre says that you’re busy this time of year…well, every time of year.” She laughed and I smiled.