9. Jordan
9
JORDAN
Arden’s first day had finally arrived. He was the new therapist for my guards. Not for me because, like I’d said in the past, if I needed someone to talk to, it would be the men who shared my bed with me every night.
“Arden’s here, sir,” Reghan said from his usual spot.
I nodded and started walking toward the elevator. Reghan pressed the button. As soon as it arrived, we both got in. With Hartley and Ava at his studio and Vail working at Untouchable for the lunch and dinner crowd, I had the home to myself. Normally, I would have work lined up. There was always something that needed to be done. But with Arden starting today, I wanted to keep my day clear, just in case.
Stepping into the lobby, I found Arden standing in a sea of my men. He was the only one in a suit besides me.
Arden’s light blond hair was trimmed neatly and combed away from his face. He wore light-framed glasses that drew the gaze to his blue eyes. While he tried not to fidget standing in the room among men who could easily kill him, I didn’t miss the way his fingers twitched by his side .
“Arden,” I greeted and offered my hand, which he shook. “Thank you for coming.”
“Of course. We have an agreement.” He leaned in close. “Will I have to do this every week?” His eyes darted around. None of my men were looking at him, but that didn’t stop the feeling that they were. The guards were intimidating, just how I liked them.
“No. We’ll get you set up so you can enter through the garage and avoid this.”
The reason I had him come in this way was to see how he would do. Would he buckle under the pressure of being surrounded by them, or would he simply be nervous at their presence? If he buckled, this was no place for him. The shit the guards would tell could be downright traumatizing. I didn’t need them to be comfortable talking to someone, only for him to bolt when it got too difficult.
They wouldn’t dive in with the hard stuff right away. Those scheduled to see him were ones who didn’t mind talking to him about their personal lives. I didn’t want them pouring out everything about the business side of shit from the get-go. I had to make sure he was to be trusted. He already was, to an extent. Having the guards spill business secrets was another level of that trust.
We took the elevator to the third floor, where I had an ample space set up for him. He said he didn’t require much, but the need to make the people who worked for me comfortable was strong. Arden had given me a list of what would make his job easier. I may have gone overboard.
Softening. Even more. Fuck’s sake.
Reghan opened the door for us. Arden walked in first, with me behind him. The room was an open concept with an attached bathroom and a small kitchenette area with drinks and coffee.
Arden stopped once we were in the room, his feet halting on the dark brown tile I had installed that looked like wood. It was easier to clean. Straight ahead were floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of the street and the buildings across from us. The room was painted a soft almond, and the furniture leaned more beige than brown. A large couch sat along the wall to the left with a serene landscape painting of a rolling countryside mounted behind it. On the right were two chairs for Arden to choose from with a round side table in between. One chair was bigger than the other. He told me all he needed were two chairs, a small table, and a room with a door. Well, he got way more than that.
He turned slowly until his eyes met mine. “This is all for me?”
“To use, yes.” It was still mine. He owned nothing here except what he brought with him.
“That’s what I meant. I wasn’t trying to lay claim to your belongings.” Before I could tell him I didn’t care what he meant, he kept speaking, “This is too much. You didn’t need to do this. It’s very nice though. Thank you.”
“The people who work for me are important. I want them to feel comfortable in here. That means where they park their ass when speaking with you.”
He nodded. “I understand. Thank you for sending over a schedule of who I’ll be meeting with today.” Barry did that. Not me. I really needed to give him another raise. He did far more than he should.
“I didn’t want to throw you into the deep end, though that’s debatable given your first client.” Was that the right word? Patient seemed too clinical .
“Sheldon Copeland, correct?”
“Yes, he’s one of the guards who protects me and my loved ones. He’s also very trusted within my organization. I won’t go into his past or anything he might not want. It’s up to him what he tells you.”
“I wouldn’t want you to break their trust. It’s important they feel they can talk to me. You don’t know me well, but I hope you learn I’m here to help. I don’t want to do any harm. I take my job seriously. It’s been a passion of mine to help others.” I hadn’t spoken to him about his past, but a thorough background check revealed a lot.
“You don’t need to sell me on yourself. I’ve already hired you.”
“My past made me who I am though. It drove me to this profession. I spent years in therapy to deal with what I went through. My dad… I was only five when I found him. A child of that age shouldn’t see what I did. And so you don’t think I’m afraid of the guns your men have, it’s more that I don’t like them. I won’t berate you for feeling like you have to protect yourself and those in your building, but I don’t like guns.”
Arden found his father dead, gun in hand. He ended his life in the bathroom of their home. I didn’t know the more intimate details of what happened. I’d read enough and closed the file. What he’d witnessed would change anyone.
Then again, I killed my wife in front of my son when he was only three. Yet I was in a life of crime, not helping people.
“Is this where I’m going to be told I should be heavily medicated?” Sheldon asked from behind me.
“You can’t do your job if you’re so drugged up you don’t know where to aim,” I told him.
“Actually,” Arden cut in. “There are plenty of medications that don’t make you feel that way. It’s a matter of finding the right one for you and the correct dosage. But I don’t write prescriptions, just so we’re clear. I’m here for you to talk to. A safe space where I’ll listen and help where I can.”
“If you say so.” Sheldon walked around me and did a slow lap until he stood by the window and peered down at the street. He spun and walked briskly our way. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be right back.” He didn’t say it in anger, but his usual tone had the tiniest bit of bite to it.
“Where are you going?”
“Forest is outside, and he looks like shit.”
I was about to follow him, but one look from Sheldon and I stopped. Which… What the fuck was happening? When did I default to Sheldon when it came to Hartley’s brother?
Turning on my heel, I followed Sheldon out the door and into the elevator, using my foot to block the doors from closing so I could slip inside. “Reghan, stay with Arden.”
“Yes, sir.”
When the doors closed, I faced forward. “Did you just try to get me to stay in place while you confronted Hartley’s brother?”
“No.”
“Don’t fucking lie to me, Sheldon,” I growled. “I saw it in your eyes. You want to handle this yourself for whatever reason, but in my building, I will take care of anything and everything if I want to. Understood?” My tone brokered no argument.
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Now tell me why Forest looking like shit affected you.” The elevator reached the lobby, but as soon as the doors opened, I pulled Sheldon out and off to the side. “Speak.”
He sighed and leaned heavily against the wall. With his voice kept low so the others didn’t hear him, he said, “I can’t explain it. When I see him and he’s not his usual self, it works me up. What’s he doing outside dressed in sweats with his hair a mess?”
“Maybe he just woke up and wanted to talk to someone here.”
“Seriously? When was the last time he came here when it wasn’t to see Hartley or Vail?”
“Fair point. But that doesn’t explain why you care.” I had a feeling why but wanted him to say it.
“He’s straight.”
“I’ve heard.” I’d also heard Vail and Hartley speculating about whether Forest had an interest in Sheldon. That was all it was though. Speculation.
“What do you want from me? I like him, okay?”
I smirked. “Of course you do.”
“God, you’re fucking insufferable sometimes.” I cocked an eyebrow at him, causing him to roll his eyes. “I think we’re far enough into our relationship where you don’t need to chastise me for speaking about you that way. If not, then maybe you should join me when I sit down with the doctor.”
“It’s funny if you think that will happen.”
“Right. Anyway, can I talk to Forest now? You can ask me questions later. Or not, because I really don’t know what the hell to say.”
“You can, but I’m coming with you.”
“Of course you are,” he muttered.
If this was anyone but Sheldon, I’d be angry at the way he was talking to me, but it was Sheldon. He had a lot of respect for me, and I did for him. He was one of a select handful I trusted above the other guards. Plus, he was going through some shit. I would give him grace for that .
Forest stepped past us, not noticing us in the little area beside the elevator.
“Hey, are you okay?” Sheldon asked.
Forest jumped. “Fuck’s sake. I didn’t know you were there. I was okay, but now my heart feels like it’s going to pound out of my chest. Why are you two lurking?”
A growl worked its way up my throat. “Remember where you are.”
“I got like an hour of sleep. Surely that counts for some leniency.”
“You’d be surprised.”
“Forest,” Sheldon reminded him.
“Right. So, I was looking for a piece of paper and can’t find it. I tore through my apartment. I thought maybe I left it here from when I stayed before.”
“Why did you only remember it now?”
The elevator had come and gone at this point. He wasn’t getting into it without explaining what he was doing.
“You’re going to think it’s stupid,” Forest said and dropped his gaze to the floor.
“Doubtful,” Sheldon replied.
Without looking up, he said, “When I was little, my mom used to sing a lullaby to Hart and me. Well, when she was sober, she did, before everything went to hell. One day I asked her to write it down so I could learn it. On the nights when she was absent, when we stayed with Pop, Hart asked me to sing it to him. I woke up last night after a nightmare and thought if I could read the paper, maybe it would help calm me down. I memorized the words, but there’s something about seeing her handwriting again.”
“That’s not stupid. Come on, I’ll help you look.”
Forest’s head lifted. “You will? ”
“Do you think I’m heartless? Moms are special. Of course I’ll help you.” Sheldon leaned forward to press the button for the elevator, then focused on me. “I’ll meet with Arden when I’m done, if that’s okay.”
I nodded. “Take your time.” If Sheldon wouldn’t have been here, I would have helped Forest look.
Pretty soon, I was going to need a rocking chair and a warm blanket so I could invite my guards to my home for chats and snacks. Maybe I’d even have a dish of hard candies.
Just the thought of that happening made me want to throw the nonexistent candy dish against the fucking wall, hoping it would shatter, and then I’d burn the damn blanket with the kindling I’d make out of the chair.