Christian
Even after living in Atlanta for all of these years I will never get used to the atrocious humidity. Even in the late spring, it is awful. It makes your suit stick to you like a second skin.
A few years ago, I spoke with my brothers about starting up a second headquarters in New York City. Jordan humored my idea, and Logan, well he shot it down completely. Telling me that we needed to stay home, in Atlanta, that we’re prominent members of the community and all that hog wash. Fuck Atlanta and being part of the community, I’m a selfish bastard who wants another location in New York, just for the mere purpose that we’re not walking on the streets of Hell, being burned alive, sweating through our suits.
I walk up the vast staircase that leads into Steele Enterprises, comforted by the immediate drop in temperature. Some of the girls here joke that it’s so cold in our building because of our lethality in the business world. I always joke that we may be cold hearted, but we certainly know how to keep it heated below the belt. In most cases, I end up getting laid after that joke.
“Chrissy!” I turn back to the sound of Lacey’s voice. I haven’t seen her in ages; she’s the sister that we never had. Lacey is Esme’s granddaughter and has been through a hell of a lot, but it’s not my place to tell her story.
“You sly devil, I haven’t seen you in ages!” I wrap my arm around her as we walk towards the elevator.
“You’re going to start rumors touching me like that, you know.” She wags her eyebrows at me, and I can’t help but chuckle. Everyone in this building knows that the closest Lace will ever get to me is as close as she is right now, like a sister. The elevator door opens and the two of us walk inside, everyone shuffle spaces, allowing us to enter. For some reason, no one ever wants to be in an elevator with me. To this day, I will never understand.
“I’m not the one you need to worry about rumors with, Lace.” I smile at her, thinking of how this would never go anywhere. Lacey is a beautiful woman. I’ve seen models that can’t compare to her authentic beauty. I am just not interested; there is another woman who has peaked my interest, a woman who I let slip away and I plan on seeing her again. I just have to figure out how that’s going to happen.
“Oh, so who am I in the rumor mill with? Oh, tell me, is it Logan?” Lacey feigns shock, “the engaged man with the baby on the way, oh, what a little slut I am, screwing him of all people!”
I glance over at her as I pull my cell phone out of my pocket and take a quick glance at my emails. It seems that I will never have a day where I’m not CC’d on at least a hundred emails about stupid shit that I could care less about. I suppose it’s all about keeping appearances up, though. “Do you really want to know?” I ask her as I look at an email regarding surprising her grandmother with a work birthday party.
“You’ve known me long enough, Christian Steele, to know that if I didn’t want you to tell me, I wouldn’t have damn well asked you. Culo.” I chuckle at her calling me an ass.
“Puta, shush for a moment, and I’ll tell you.” Lacey and I have always bickered back and forth. Even as kids, we could never stop. I suppose to many it looked like we had a crush on one another, but that was never the case. “Jordan.”
“Jordan, what?” She furrows her brows in confusion.
“You wanted to know who you’re in the rumor mill with? It’s Jordan.” I smirk at her. She does a shit job at hiding her interest in him, and I won’t deny that she actually isn’t in the rumor mill with Jordan, but I’ll have my bit of fun with this. “I heard a rumor that you gave him a blowjob in his office one night, and one of the cleaning ladies saw you.” I keep my face straight, my voice unwavering as to not give me away.
“I did not!” Lacey argues, her face flushing red.
“It’s okay, Lace, really. I don’t judge either of you. Just next time, make sure that there aren’t any witnesses around. We don’t want to stir that office gossip, okay?” I tell her sternly before the elevator doors open, and I walk out, a huge grin on my face, wondering exactly how this will play out.
I make my way to the corner of the floor where I’d chosen to have my office. It’s quiet, in the back, and tucked away. I don’t like interruptions, period. I like to be able to focus on my work, in a quiet, completely silent setting. You know those people who have the music blasting while they try to become mathematicians? Yeah, I’m not like that.
There are people who compare me to my brothers, and I hate those people. Logan, Jordan, and I are so completely different. Logan is the leader; the man’s word is law, and it always has been since the day he was born. Jordan is the delegator, the man who gets shit done. And me, well. I am the…I don’t know what I am, besides the muscle. I’m the man that is sent when shit goes down when it all goes to Hell. I am the man that will fuck you up. In other words, I’m your worst fucking nightmare.
Now I know you’ve probably heard about my party boy reputation, and it’s true, I love to fucking party. Every aspect of my life is raw; there are moments of pure evil, of chaos beyond anyone’s belief, so I tend to be a fan of letting loose at every opportunity that I can. Does that make me a bad person? No. It makes me human. People seem to forget, there is give and take in everything within life.
I think of the headlines that I see about me, plastered all over every gossip magazine in Atlanta. It’s no secret that we own half the city, probably more, if you ask my brothers. For this reason, exactly, we’re the target of a lot of gossips, specifically me. Logan was the target until he met Brooklyn, the secret daughter of Alfred Hamilton, and oh, how the tabloids loved that. Although, they seem to love that she’ll be birthing the first Steele heir within the next few days even more. I swear, it’s like she’s Princess Kate, or whatever her name is.
As if her ears are burning, “Princess Kate” struts through my door, holding a brown paper baggie and a drink holder. The glorious smell hits my nostrils, they flare in excitement, and I can’t help but smile at the woman I proudly call my soon-to-be-sister. “Tell me that isn’t what I think it is.”
Brook shuts the door behind her and walks over to my desk, sitting in one of the luxurious chairs that I have in front of me. “This isn’t what you think it is.” I can tell she’s lying. My nose has never failed me, whether its smelling a piece of scum, or smelling my favorite dish on planet Earth.
“Have I told you how much I love your pregnancy cravings?” I joke, going for the bag.
“Only every day, and I think Lo’ is getting a little disappointed. He thought that he’d be gaining all this pregnancy weight too, and instead, I’m sharing it with you.” Brooklyn grabs her drink, sticks the straw in the top, and moans at the deliciousness that is hitting her taste buds.
“He’s just jealous. I can’t say I blame him, though.” I wink at her, tearing open the Styrofoam container, my eyes landing on my fried chicken taco from Taqueria del Sol. If you’ve been in Atlanta and haven’t tried this, you have to. I devour it within a matter of seconds, sad that she didn’t get any more.
“Did you even chew that?” Brooklyn chastises me. I laugh and shake my head.
I take a long look at Brooklyn, and she looks exhausted like the life is being sucked out from her. “Are you doing okay?” I ask, clearly concerned.
“Yep! I’m A-OK, I’ll just be feeling a lot better when this little man decides to come on out and grace us with his presence...I can’t wait to meet him.” She smiles dotingly at her stomach as she rubs in small circles.
“I’m not giving you more than two days. Emmett is gonna be meeting us all really soon, Brook.”
“I sure as heck hope so, I’m exhausted, and don’t get me wrong – I love being pregnant, but I am tired. I just want him here.” I nod, trying to understand what she’s been going through these past few months. There’s a light rap at the door, I don’t even get to say anything before I see Logan and Jordan walking through.
“Shit, did someone just have Taqueria del Sol?” Logan growls, glancing at Brook and then me. I chuckle, nodding. The bastard is just jealous I’ve been reaping the pregnancy cravings.
“Are there any leftovers?” Jordan asks, peeking over into the bag. Brooklyn grabs it and pulls out another Styrofoam container, handing it to Jordan.
“Got you some hot ones.” Brooklyn smiles, and damn, I can see how Logan was so caught up with her from the very beginning. When Brooklyn smiles, she lights up the entire room. It’s like looking at a real-life angel. I’m not in love with my brother’s girl, or any of that shit, but I get it. I see why he was so in awe of her since day one.
“Where’s mine?” Logan grumbles at Brook, I watch as she glares at him with all her might.
“I dunno. I’d assume that if I’d want to get you anything for dinner that I would have to be happy with you, wouldn’t I? And I’m not very happy with you right now.”
I take the second drink from the carrier and take a sip as I watch the show unfold in front of me. Jordan is watching too. Brooklyn is an angel, but she…damn, she can be the devil if she really tries too.
“Sweetheart, let’s go talk in private.”
“You just don’t want your brothers to see me chewing your ass out,” Brooklyn grumbles, getting up slowly from the chair. She walks out of the door, and Logan follows her, shutting the door behind him.
“Now that Brook is gone, let’s get down to a little business, then a bit of pleasure.” Jordan winks, “What’s the status on our latest issues?”
Issues as Jordan calls them is code for flakey motherfuckers who don’t pay, and me? I deal with those issues. “Diaz hasn’t paid up. I’ll be making a visit to him in a few days. Jasper’s payment was late, but it was made. You know I don’t tolerate that shit, he’s still getting his ass whooped. We run a business, not a charity. No one gets away with missing their deadline. If they want our product, they pay up. It’s as simple as that,” I grumble.
“Good. I expect that you’ll let me know about what transpires during your visits.”
“When have I not told you what goes down?” I hiss, annoyed that Jordan is treating me like I’m a child.
“You always have.”
“Exactly. Don’t treat me like some thug for hire,” I snap, and Jordan raises his eyebrows in shock. I am not someone who will be walked over, even by my own family.
“Take some of that hostility and direct it towards the people who don’t understand respect.” I nod, biting my tongue and silently agreeing to do what he asks. “As for the pleasure part… There’s a party going on later tonight, and I want you to attend with me.” I wasn’t normally one to decline a party invite, but today, I wanted nothing else to do except take it easy, maybe even relax a little.
“I’m not in the mood to party tonight,” I tell my brother, firmly.
“Christian, you will be in the mood to party tonight. I got you a present, and one you’ve been looking for.” His statement peaks my interest, but before I can even respond, Jordan rises. “Great. I’ll see you at the penthouse. 8 p.m. sharp.”