Chapter 5 Sheldon
SHELDON
The whole I’m not chasing him anymore thing lasted really long. My eyes rolled. Who was I kidding? I couldn’t stay away from him. Although, if I hadn’t been sent to Hartley’s studio, it would have been a bit longer.
Three agonizing days had passed since I’d spoken to Forest. Did I really think he was going to show up that night and we’d talk for hours?
I groaned. No one could hear me. It was two in the morning, and I was walking down the fifth-floor hallway.
There wasn’t anyone awake near me. My groan did nothing. It didn’t even make me feel better.
What was wrong with me? I was glad there wasn’t anyone to answer because the list would be long.
I was desperate.
Lonely.
Emotionally wrung out.
And a tad bored.
I could drift upstairs to see if someone was awake who I had half an interest in talking to. Or downstairs to see what the guards who were still proving their worth were doing. They were usually dull. Too rigid for something fun. They didn’t want to risk their jobs. Whatever.
A noise caught my attention, my feet halting. It was a little hiss. The air in the vent? It was the middle of July. The heat and humidity had been brutal, so the air-conditioning worked overtime.
Crouching, I leaned closer to the vent. Nothing sounded out of the ordinary, so I stood and took a step, shrugging it off.
There were all kinds of sounds in this building.
It wasn’t new, even though it had been updated periodically.
Jordan didn’t like anything to reach the point of failure and needing repair.
Then there were the other noises—sex noises.
Some of the guards got off with each other.
I’d heard more sex than I cared to, given I wasn’t currently having any myself.
Something touched my foot. “What the fuck?” I yelped and jumped, accidentally throwing myself into the wall. The jolt was unexpected and startling. I ended up on my ass, trying to catch my bearings. Not one of my finer moments, given that I was a bodyguard to a mafia boss.
I heard it again… a hiss. That wasn’t the air-conditioning.
Slowly, my head turned to the right, and there was a snake staring at me.
A. Fucking. Snake.
In the goddamn building.
“Absolutely not,” I squeaked and stood, bolting down the hallway.
Too bad I didn’t get very far because I hit a wall. Only it wasn’t a wall. Hands gripped my biceps, holding me in place. I thrashed at first. Who the fuck was even here, and why wouldn’t they let me go? Didn’t they know of the danger that lurked in the hallway?
“Sheldon, hey, it’s me.”
Everything in my body stilled. Gorgeous brown eyes watched me with concern. “Forest?”
“What happened?”
I steeled my face. “Nothing.” I wouldn’t win an award for this performance. This was obviously the way to win Forest over. Running scared from a snake was how to get any love interest. If I’d had a gun on me, he would have witnessed me shooting the slippery fucker.
“Really? You can’t even tell me what freaked you out?”
“Who said I was freaked out? I’m perfectly fine. Didn’t you know I sometimes jog in the hallways at night? It keeps the heart rate up. Good cardio.” I started jogging in place, breaking Forest’s hold on me. What the fuck was I doing, other than looking like I’d lost my mind?
Forest peered around, something catching his attention. Of course I knew what it was, even as I stopped jogging like the sight of a snake didn’t scare the shit out of me.
“Who are you?” he asked softly and stepped closer to it. That was enough of that.
I lunged as if to dive in front of him so a bullet wouldn’t hit him. Except he jumped back, and I landed hard on my side on the floor. The snake stared at me, its tongue poking out. I screamed and crawled backward until I bumped into Forest’s legs. Another not-so-proud moment of mine.
Then I heard the laughter. It wasn’t only Forest’s.
Oh no, god forbid. I didn’t need an audience for this.
There were multiple people fucking cackling at me crawling away.
Instead of trying to dig myself a lovely hole in the floor, I stood, smoothed down my sweatpants and T-shirt like it was an expensive suit, and walked past them with my head held high.
This wasn’t embarrassing. Not in the least.
They had the courtesy to wait until I was around the corner and out of sight to laugh again.
“Hey!” I heard Forest bark. “That was funny, I’ll give you that, but none of this leaves here. Got it?”
His question was met with silence, followed by Barry saying, “Rory, get a bucket so we can trap the snake. Nice to see you again, Forest.”
Forest mumbled a few words I couldn’t make out, which was my cue to get my ass moving before he found me lingering, listening to him reprimand Jordan’s guards. It would have been amusing if it hadn’t been so hot.
Thanks to my perfection of lurking in dark corners, I was able to tuck myself against the wall and watch as he walked past me. I could have let him go, but I was a glutton for punishment, and my cock perked up when he got stern with the others.
Stepping alongside him, he didn’t expect me. It was his turn to jump.
“Jesus!” he gasped and put his hand to his chest.
“At least you didn’t try to attack me. That’s happened before. I snuck up on Raiden once and he pinned me to the wall. It wasn’t in the way I enjoy.” I winked. Why the fuck did I wink?
The light in the hallway was just bright enough I could witness a blush creep into Forest’s cheeks.
God, he got sexier the longer I spent with him.
I shouldn’t think this way. He didn’t want me.
At least, not that he’d said. The blush was so endearing.
I loved affecting him like that, especially after my glorious display of courage and capability back there with the snake.
“You really do prowl the hallways in the middle of the night.”
“I wouldn’t use the word prowl, but yes.
I wasn’t lying. I’m sure your brother told you too.
This is my domain after midnight.” I spread my arms wide.
There were times when I wished I could shut my mouth, especially in front of Forest. My domain?
Seriously? Trying to get the attention off me, I asked, “Couldn’t sleep? ”
“No. I…” He started walking again. I easily fell in step beside him. “I quit my job.”
And there I was, stopping, frozen again.
It took Forest a few steps to realize I wasn’t next to him any longer. He paused and turned before walking back to me. “What’s wrong? Did you see something else? While I didn’t mind the snake, if there’s a fucking millipede, I’m out of here.”
“Why a millipede?” I should have asked about his job, but I was too thrown by the bug comment.
“All the legs and the way the body looks.” He shivered. “Fuck no.”
“Noted. No millipedes. Why did you quit your job?”
“Oh.” He ducked his head and pivoted on his heel.
Back up the hall he went, with me trailing after him.
“Hart said I should. The job was draining. I shouldn’t have taken the promotion in the first place.
My boss tried to get me to stay, but my brother’s words stuck in my head.
He told me to live my life. I wasn’t. I was living to work.
Anyway, I quit. Now I waffle between regretting my decision and being glad I did it.
I have a draft email already typed up where I beg for my job back.
” He shrugged, eyes on the ground as his feet kept moving.
“Work shouldn’t take over your life, but I understand how it can happen. I see it every day with Jordan. Well, I used to. Since getting with Hartley and Vail, not so much. What will you do now?”
“Pace the halls with you at night?” He lifted his head and gave me a shy smile.
“Okay.”
He stumbled, but only slightly. “You’re serious?”
“What? I own the halls with my midnight prowling?” I smacked my lips. “I still don’t like it. Makes me sound like a mountain lion.”
“I need to find another job, one that’s not so intense.”
“Work here.”
“As appealing as that sounds, hard pass. I’ll find something. Hart said he’ll stop charging me rent, so I won’t have to worry about that. I have savings. I haven’t been spending much money since I moved here. There has to be something out there for me.”
“You’ll figure it out.”
I still wished he’d work here. Jordan would find a job for him.
There were all kinds of things to be done in this building that had nothing to do with his illegal business.
Hell, he could find him a position in one of his legitimate companies, where he could get a paycheck and not have to worry about the cops coming to arrest him.
I was certain Hartley had already spoken to Jordan about it.
If not him, Vail did. They both loved Forest and would do anything for him.
The sound of people walking caught my attention. I slowed, Forest too, and we moved to the side.
Rory slowly strode toward us with a bucket in his hand. “I’ve named her Betty.” He grinned.
“I know ways to kill you that no one will ever detect.”
“Empty threat,” Rory sang as he passed us.
I was about to joke with Forest about Rory’s comment when I caught the look of fear on his face. “What happened?” I asked and glanced around.
“Would you really do that?”
“Kill Rory? Not unless he tried coming for me first, then all bets are off. I’ll be the victor there.”
“You talk about it so casually, like it’s no big deal.”
Leaning against the wall, I stuffed my hands into my pockets to resist the urge to reach for him, to brush my fingers over his.
“Look where you are, Forest. You can’t tell me you haven’t heard the others talk about death, joke about hurting each other, or seen the scars the job has left behind. It’s part of life here.”
“Hearing it in passing, seeing the wounds, they didn’t bother me before, but when you said it, I feared for you, not Rory.”
That got my attention. “Why me?”
He shook his head and continued walking. “Never mind.”
“No, you don’t.” I rushed after him. “You don’t get to say things like that and not give me a reason why.”
Forest stopped in front of the elevator and pressed the down button. “It’s late. I should go home to try to sleep.” The doors opened before I could say anything, and he stepped in, hitting a button as he did so.
I wasn’t letting him off the hook so easily and slid into the elevator too. “Why does it matter what I say?”
“You’re not the same as them.”
“I beg to differ. We all have the same job: to guard and do what Jordan asks.”
“I’m not talking about your job. It’s you, Sheldon. You’re different. At least to me.”
The doors opened, and Forest stepped out while I was struck by his words. I should have gone after him. When the doors closed again, I found I couldn’t move.
I was different to him. Was that a good thing? Obviously, he meant it because his whole demeanor changed. I just wished he had stayed and elaborated.