Page 4 of Emeric

“I have him on video completing a deal.”

“Of course you do.” Whether he did or not wasn’t my concern. If there were any evidence Jordan or his men had committed a crime, I’d be floored. They didn’t take chances. “Give me two days. I’m in the middle of a major plumbing issue with the hotel.”

“I’ll send someone over to get it handled.”

“I already have people there. It’s a matter of closing rooms off, repairing the damage, and moving reservations.” I was usually much nicer to Jordan. Hell, I really liked him, but the day had worn me out. I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and wake up to find the hotel fixed and Jordan’s problem solved.

Life didn’t work that way though. Problems didn’t magically disappear. Well, unless you were Jordan, who had all the money in the world and people to handle any situation. I had money too, just not at Jordan's level.

“Em…” I heard Sheldon say softly.

I lifted my eyes to meet his.

“Fix this for Jordan, and we’ll handle the hotel. Our issue is more complex than yours. We know people who can get the plumbing fixed faster than yours can. Yes, you have the money, but we already have people in place who know how to get shit done quickly and to a high standard. Plumbing and administrative details will be handled for you. Take the offer and focus on Jordan’s problem. You can’t do both. We need this taken care of legally so the widow can’t come back and pull anything, okay?” Sheldon was the calm voice of reason in the Altair organization. Whenever Sheldon followed Jordan into a room, there was usually a reason. I wasn’t one to argue with Jordan, so they were prepared for me to shelve the issue or not jump into it immediately.

“Did you think I was going to lose my temper?” I asked Jordan, not Sheldon.

“No, Sheldon came because his husband is busy in school, and he wants to stay occupied, so he doesn’t imagine a thousand different ways Forest can die by using a wrench.” The last part was said in a growl.

“It’s possible,” Sheldon stated. “What about those impact wrenches? They can hurt someone.”

“The fact that you know what it is surprises me.”

“It’s not that I’m clueless about vehicle maintenance. Why do I need to know when I can pay someone to fix it? But now I’m learning too, if only to help keep my husband safe.”

I shook my head. Any other day, I’d be entertained by this. “I’ll get the house taken care of. The widow and money. You’re on your own with the impact wrench.”

“I appreciate it,” Jordan said and offered his hand. I still remembered when I said I’d never want anything to do with him, and here I was years later. It started with Lana having a complicated case for Jordan and needing my help. I eventually folded, and the rest was history. I was in deep with the man who ran East Dremest.

After accepting his hand, I stood and took my exit. I had a hotel to get back to. One I saved up for a long time to purchase. But first, I needed to stop by Lana’s office and have one of her people do a bit of digging about the property Jordan spoke of. Was it paid off? If not, how much was still owed on it? What about a will? There was a lot to figure out. In the end, depending on what it was worth, I might just give Jordan the money out of my own pocket to be done with it. By the way the widow sounded over the phone, this wasn’t a mansion they lived in.

One of Jordan’s guards waited by the elevator as I walked toward it. I’d come to the Altair building today since I was on my way to run an errand when the call came through. There was no job at my hotel I considered too small to handle myself. No position in my business was less impactful than any other. I made sure everyone who worked for me knew their value.

“I’m not going to hurt him,” I told Oleander, who casually leaned against the wall.

The man was a couple of inches taller than me, probably around six foot four or five. I didn’t know which side I’d get when I encountered him. For the most part, he was very friendly, but I’d seen the deadly side of him as well. I’d also seen the one who was concerned for his friends. Oleander didn’t hide his emotions well, or maybe he didn’t try to. Either way, I was glad I could read him.

Oleander grinned. It softened his face. His dark, nearly black hair was pulled back into a bun today. When it was down… I had to fight a shiver that begged to run through me. Oleander had never given any inclination that he was into me, or men, for that matter. I didn’t hide that I was gay.

Brown eyes crinkled in the corners. “I didn’t think you would. I just left Vail in his kitchen and figured I’d come down here to keep Sheldon from trying to run once the meeting was over. He’s not handling Forest working under cars well.”

“I heard about his fear of impact wrenches.”

Letting out a chuckle, Oleander said, “You should have heard him last week when this started. I was surprised Forest got out of the building without body armor on.”

“I can’t relate to that kind of relationship. I haven’t had much luck there.”

“You’re not the only one enjoying the single life.”

It was my turn to smile, but only because I wanted Oleander to keep doing it. The way his lips curved lit up his face. God, he was beautiful. I’d always thought so, but never breathed a word of it. I didn’t usually mix work with pleasure, although from what I understood, Jordan had no problem with those in his organization doing so. Not that there was anything between Oleander and me.

“I wouldn’t use the word enjoy to describe it,” I told him. “More like the people who want to date me are women, who I have no interest in, or men, who want to be with me for the wrong reasons.”

“Even though they know you work for Jordan?” It was no secret I was one of the attorneys who represented them.

“Oh, there have been a few who, once they found out, ran. It’s not easy out there.”

“I don’t even look.”