Father & Son: Book two of the Jensen Family Series (22 page)

Thankful for the dry if chilly day, Paul
hauled on his work boots and a padded shirt, dragged out several wheelbarrows
and a shovel and attacked the pile of dirt with vigour; he soon discarded his
padded shirt and was sweating in the chill of the day as he moved the earth.

“Quite the Chameleon aren’t you? Business
suit one day, jeans and shit covered boots the next.”

The voice brought him to a standstill.
Resting his hands on the handle of the shovel, Paul smiled at the man who had
joined him, “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” He asked.

Norman waved a manila envelope at him, “We
have business to discuss that isn’t for the ears of the spies at the office.”

“Come over to the mess room.” Paul wiped
his hands on his jeans, cleaning a little of the dirt from them before grabbing
his shirt and shrugging it on. Entering the cabin first, he told the women
there that they might as well take the rest of the day off and once they were
gone, he switched the kettle on to boil and left Norman to make the tea while
he washed his hands.

“I thought you had loads of people to
shovel shit for you.” Norman called from the kitchen area.

“I do.” Paul replied, he came back into
the room and sank into the closest chair. “They are all out on jobs and it’s
not shit, its topsoil. It usually gets delivered to site but I couldn’t pass up
the bargainous price of a bulk load so once I have moved it away from the
office and we have a quiet day, it’ll be bagged up ready for use in the
spring.” He took a sip of his tea. “And by the time I’ve moved it all, the
driver who delivered it will no longer have a job.”

Norman looked at the young man over his
steaming mug, “I did think it was an odd place to have it dropped but your
scowl was akin to a thunder cloud so I thought it was probably a good idea not
to mention it.”

“I wasn’t here when it arrived and
according to the ladies, the driver didn’t want to wait the whole five minutes
it would’ve taken me to get here, copped a strop and just dumped it.” He
shrugged, “he’s going to be regretting his decision very soon.”

“Remind me never to fuck with you.”

Paul laughed, nearly spilling his tea, “I
will, trust me I need all the allies I can get. Now, down to business, time is
money and all that.”

Three fairly quiet weeks passed. Paul
continued to keep his head down when in the office although Michael had taken
to dropping by and checking on his work which he was certain was supposed to
irk him,
mission achieved Dad, consider me irked.
He would vent to
Norman during their clandestine meetings, his mood not helped by his silent
chuckles as they worked.

The confirmation that he was one of the
top three people selected for young business man of the year arrived in the
post along with his invitation to attend. Flattered as he was, he was uncertain
whether he would attend. True, the publicity would be fantastic either way but
did he really want to risk exposing himself to failure?

Noticing his young boss was not his usual
rambunctious self as he looked across his desk and office at him, Phil cleared
his throat, aware that the second he spoke, the ladies in the room would also
prick up their ears, “What’s up Paul?”

Dragging his fingers through his hair and
over his face, Paul gave the other man a hard stare. “Some stupid bastard
nominated me for an award and now I’m in the running for the big prize, believe
it or not, it’s a lot of added fucking pressure I really didn’t need.” He
turned towards the three women, “Sorry ladies, didn’t mean to swear.”

Bristling slightly but knowing the words
held no venom; Phil leant forward in his chair and placed his arms on his desk.
“Well excuse us for wanting you to have the recognition you deserve.”

“I appreciate the sentiment behind it, I
really do but I have a lot of metaphorical balls in the air at the moment and
it couldn’t have come at a worse time.” Paul answered.

“You always have a lot of stuff going on
though, it wouldn’t have mattered when the nomination came, it still would have
gotten in the way of your latest scheme.”

Nodding, Paul leaned back in his chair as
he regarded the other man. “True, a point well made. Alright look, I am totally
flattered that you thought me worthy of the nomination and it’s going to be
good for the business but if I am going to this ceremony, I’m not doing it
alone. All of you will need to be there and you of all people know I couldn’t
have achieved what I have here without any of you. You guys gave me a chance
when I bought the company, guided me, listened to me, I will never forget that
so I will do this for you. And just so you know, I don’t scheme; I plot and
plan everything with the greatest of care. ”

Smiling and returning to his paperwork
Phil answered, “And that attitude right there, is the reason we think you are
worthy of this.”

Entering the venue where the awards were
to be presented, Monica on his arm and his siblings following, Paul stopped,
his mouth dropping open in surprise as he saw not only the London work crew but
also the one from Gloucester and Norman as well as his three office ladies
waiting for him.

“Darling, stop staring and go and mingle,
think of the opportunities.” Monica encouraged.

Dropping her hand from his arm, he moved
forward and greeted his staff, thanking each and every one of them for making
the effort to be there before being whisked away by the event organisers to
meet the other nominees. By the time he returned to the main body of the venue
and found his seat amongst his family and employees he was completely certain
that humiliation was just a heartbeat away as having met the other nominees, he
was sure what he did for a living and the way he treated his staff didn’t hold
muster to any of them.

With the evening well and truly underway,
Paul’s tiny spark of hope gradually dwindled as an employee from each company
involved took their place on the raised dais and extolled the virtues of their
outstanding employer. Looking at those gathered around him, he began to wonder
just who would stand up for him amongst the motley crew. His ponderings were
short lived when Phil suddenly left the table, took the stage and waited
patiently for everyone to be quiet.

“What can I tell you about Paul Jensen
that you don’t already know? He’s everything that you read about in the papers
but that man is not the one I know. Yes he’s a player but he is so much more
than anyone can comprehend and I only hope I can do him justice with my words.

“Paul is probably the most determined,
hard working, charismatic person you could ever meet. He’s hard headed, has a
quick mind and a large and generous heart. He treats us all as equals and
refuses to let us do anything he wouldn’t do himself and if that means getting
into a ditch up to your armpits in dirt, I guarantee you, he’s the first one in
and the last one out.

“He doesn’t know what giving up is and
he’s turned up on site with broken bones and still grabbed a shovel and started
to dig. What he has achieved with the gardening business in itself is a major
achievement for someone who is still so young but he’s raised the company from
its knees and made it into the successful, well run company it is today and he
does it all while working two other jobs, juggling his time and keeping us all
fully employed and enjoying what we do.

“He has shown each and every one of us who
have the honour of working for him that he’s a good listener and he’s not
afraid to own up to not understanding something, his sense of fair play along
with his sense of humour is outstanding and I consider myself and my work mates
extremely lucky to call him boss and friend.” Phil left the stage to rapturous
applause for although his words had been simple, it was clear to all that they
were heartfelt.

Coming to his feet as the man he now
called his business partner approached, Paul reached for his hand, looking him
in the eye and drew a breath to speak but found he had no words to express his
current feelings. Instead, he reached for Phil and pulled him into a hug in a
rare display of emotion.

Accustomed as he was to this young man
either being loud and brash or completely silent, it took a few moments for
Phil to wrap his free arm around Paul and hold him tight, whispering “You
deserve this.” Before releasing his grip and returning to his seat.

During the half hour wait while the judges
made their final decision, Paul slipped out of the venue giving himself a break
from the noise inside and had just lit and pulled on a cigarette when the door
next to him opened and Matt stepped out.

“Everyone is wondering where you are.” He
said as he took the cigarette from his brothers’ hand and took a deep pull.

“I just need five minutes.” Paul answered
bowing his head and lighting another tobacco filled stick.

Matt shuffled his feet and took a few more
puffs before looking up at his brother, “In case I forget to say this later.
I’m proud of you bro, really proud. I don’t know how you manage to juggle
everything the way you do, I certainly couldn’t manage it, it doesn’t matter if
you win or lose tonight,  you’re a winner in the eyes of those who work for you
and your name is on the lips of everyone inside. You deserve this more than any
of the other guys in there.”

Dropping his cigarette onto the ground and
stamping it out, Paul leant back against the wall and pressed his fingers to
the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes, “This is all a little too much for me
to take in.” He spoke quietly, “I don’t do it for the recognition, I just want
to give my son a good life, he’s my main focus in all of this, the reason I
keep pushing for success.”

“Yeah, I figured as much but the evidence
of how hard you work is everywhere Paul, the parks, people’s houses and
gardens, you don’t even advertise dude and look at the clientele you have just
from word of mouth, do you know how much that means? Can you even comprehend
what a huge compliment that is? Couple that with the fact that the people who
work for you quite clearly would have your back anytime, anyplace speaks
volumes as to the kind of person you are. I wish I could be more like you.”
Matt reached out and squeezed his brothers’ shoulder. “You’ve got this in the
bag bro, trust me and you have nothing, not a damn thing to be ashamed of, even
if you did cause a nationwide scandal by banging your teacher.”

Paul coughed out a laugh at Matt’s last
comment, “Asshole.” He grinned. “I’ll be in, in a minute ok?”

Re-joining the throng, Paul sat quietly at
the table surrounded by those he knew and admired as he waited for the results,
nervously tapping his fingers on the table until Monica laid her hands over his
to still them, offering him a reassuring smile when he looked at her.

As the host for the evening took the
stage, Paul stopped breathing, his eyes not once leaving the face of the man in
the spotlight. When his name was called, he was sure he’d misheard; the roaring
in his head didn’t allow him time to think as many hands slapped his back and
pushed him from his chair and towards the stage.

Shaking the hand of the man there and
accepting the engraved glass trophy as well as the sizable cheque and listening
to the few whispered words of encouragement he was given, he stepped up to the
dais, his finger tracing the lettering on his trophy as he looked out over the
audience.

Drawing a breath, he allowed his eyes to
stray to that of his workers and family all looking at him expectantly.
Dropping his gaze to the trophy he drew another breath and looked up again,
“Wow.” Was all he managed before the enormity of what he had just achieved hit
him.

“Bloody hell, Paul Jensen at a loss for
words, never thought I’d see that happen.” came a voice from the crowd making
the audience laugh and Paul grin as he recognised his brother’s voice. It broke
the expectant hush enough for him to gather his thoughts and deliver his
amusing and eloquent thank you speech.

Since winning the Young Businessman of the
Year award, the already busy gardening company became over run with enquiries
and new customers forcing Paul to put into place a first come first served
basis on new orders while remaining available to his existing clientele. Even
with his new system in place and working well, orders were still falling by the
wayside and after one particularly fraught phone call; Paul called a staff
meeting to discuss the issue.

Deciding after much discussion with his
current staff that more skilled tradesmen were required along with further
porta cabins, Paul tasked Phil with advertising and interviewing more staff
while he tackled the council for permission to site more cabins in his yard,
thankful now more than ever that he had bought the place outright.

With his birthday fast approaching, Paul,
Matt and Jez made final arrangements for a party at Jokers. It was going to be
huge. They had invited all of their friends and at Jez’s insistence, the club
would remain open for the night meaning that the potential for an absolutely
epic night was afoot. Matt agreed to cover the door fee for their friends and
Paul bravely stepped up to cover the bar tab, it was going to be an expensive
night.

Arriving late, having taken an age to
decide what to wear and waiting for the cab, Suzanne and Tessa waited patiently
as Serge placed the coloured bands around their wrists denoting them as guests
of Matt and Paul and allowing them free entrance and unlimited free drinks
before allowing them to step inside.

The club was packed to capacity, music
thumping, bodies gyrating and the heat from the accumulated sweating bodies
hitting them as they stood just inside the door and surveyed the scene before
them.

“Bloody hell,” Tessa leaned into Suzanne,
“I’ve never seen this place so packed.”

Suzanne nodded. She’d been surprised to
receive the invite given the fact that she’d basically told Paul goodbye but
she was happy to be here and she couldn’t take her eyes off him where he held
court in the centre of the dance floor. He had that shirt on again, the deep
burgundy one that clung to his body and complimented his dark good looks. He
was smiling as he danced and taking sips from the bottle of beer in his hand.

Nudging her friend, Tessa made the
universal sign for wanting a drink and headed to towards the bar when Suzanne
nodded. She hoped her friend would get to partying instead of waiting for her,
the crowd at the bar was six deep and this was going to take a while.

Smoothing her red dress down over her
curves and pulling a few tendrils of hair down from where it was piled in loose
curls on top of her head to frame her face, Suzanne stepped towards the dance
floor and let the rhythm and dancing bodies jostle her towards the centre.

Paul paused and downed the remaining beer
in his bottle. His height allowed him to peer over the heads of the people
surrounding him and wave the empty bottle at one of the club’s floor staff who
immediately ducked away to get him another and replace his empty bottle. With
his drink taken care of, he turned his attention back to the woman in front of
him, yet another of his sisters’ friends, Faye who was flirting outrageously with
him, her hands on his hips as they danced. Sliding his free hand around her
waist, he pulled her closer, his knee slipping easily between her legs while
her hands glided up his stomach to rest on his chest.

He gripped Faye closer, enjoying the feel
of her body against his, knowing that at any second, Tessa could easily, with
just a look, stop her friend from grinding on her brother but not caring at
this particular moment in time. Faye moved easily with him and fit him
perfectly and he took a moment to ponder what it would be like to get naked and
slide into that hot little body.

Hands on his back pushed him closer to
Faye and he held her tighter, almost positive he heard her moan at the contact
but he couldn’t be certain, the music was far too loud to allow for
conversation, the only communication being gestures and body language. The
hands traversed his back to caress his neck before pushing into his damp hair.

Accustomed as he was to being groped while
at the club, he took little notice and just enjoyed the feel of a hot body
pressed to his front while another caressed his back. Faye’s hand slipped into
his shirt and pressed against his heated skin and from the look on her face, he
was now absolutely certain that she had moaned moments before. As he lowered
his head to take a taste of her skin, he felt her stiffen in his grip and
thought for a split second that he’d read the signs wrong, pulling back to look
at her, her saw the reason for her discomfort standing beside her, smiling at
him, radiant in her red dress and fuck me heels.

Unaware of the girl code that had passed
between his sisters friends when news of his hook up with Suzanne had
circulated, he didn’t realise that he was generally considered off limits to
anyone but her. He was puzzled by Faye’s reaction to Suzanne’s presence but
relaxed as Faye stepped back from him and hugged Suzanne before blowing him a
kiss and dancing away.

Taking a leisurely look at her from head
to toe, he offered her a sip of his now replenished drink and watched hungrily
as her lips wrapped around the bottle and her throat moved upon swallowing. He
took the bottle when she handed it back then wrapped one arm around her,
smiling as her hands wound around his neck and they began to move, oblivious to
everything but each other.

A heavy beat sounded throughout the club
as they pulled each other closer. Paul’s head bowed, his lips mere millimetres
from her neck as he watched her pulse beat, smelled her unique scent and ground
his hips into hers. He’d never wanted her more than he did right at this moment
and knowing he couldn’t have her only served to make him want her even more. He
danced her backwards towards the edge of the dance floor to give them both a
little space from the bodies pressing into them and drew back to look into her
eyes, seeing his own desire reflected there, bowing his head to kiss her parted
lips, he suddenly stopped, he had no idea where this sudden bout of will power
came from but he managed to avoid her lips and press his own to her cheek
instead as her hands clasped his neck tighter.

Dancing with him felt so right, they way
they moved and fit together, his scent mingling with hers, so familiar and
erotic at the same time. His muscled thigh between her legs, his hand spanning
the small of her back, the feel of him beneath her fingers, his breath on her
neck as she tilted her head, unconsciously inviting the pressure of his lips.
She moved with him as he danced them backwards towards the edge of the dance
floor, the air here was marginally cooler allowing her to breathe and realise
she really shouldn’t be dancing with him like this. She made the mistake of
looking into his deep brown eyes as he pulled back and knew she was lost, the
look on his face told her just how much he wanted her and the realisation made
her gasp as he lowered his head. When he paused, she thought he was just
teasing but when his lips touched her cheek, she knew he’d somehow managed to
rein himself in and was keeping this marginally within the friend zone.

Paul relinquished his hold on Suzanne when
Matt danced over and spirited her away. Paul laughed, Matt was very drunk, his
cheeks bright red and he was sporting a daft grin a mile wide as he danced with
the petite blond. Tugging on his shirtsleeve made him turn and, grinning, he wrapped
his sister in a bear hug until she beat him away after wishing him happy
birthday.

Towards the end of the night, Jez called a
temporary halt to the proceedings after grabbing a microphone and calling for
silence and began giving out details of upcoming theme nights before calling
attention to the birthday boys. Returning from yet another trip to the bar,
Tessa came to a quick halt before stepping up beside her friend.

Standing a few steps behind, Suzanne
wrapping her arm around Paul’s waist and sliding her fingers under his belt had
caused her to pause. Tessa watched as Paul’s hand, casually resting on her
friends shoulder, began a slow glide down her back, pausing at her waist to
pull her closer into his side before continuing its journey, coming to rest on
her bottom, his fingers flexing as he squeezed. Reaching forward, she lightly
slapped his back and looked pointedly down at his hand before glaring at him
and stepping between them, handing Suzanne a fresh drink. She didn’t miss the
smirk Paul shot Suzanne over her head.

As the entire club launched into a drunken
rendition of Happy Birthday, Paul left his sisters’ side to wrap his arms
around his brother and wish him happy birthday while reminding him that he was
still the youngest by all of twenty minutes and earning a swift slap around the
head. Laughing as he pulled away, he had one last dance with Suzanne before the
music stopped for the night and the club began to empty.

Sitting on a bar stool, barely propped up
on his elbows, Matt watched the club empty and the staff, including Paul begin
the clean up, as Serge rounded up the stragglers. Gathering glasses and bottles
and ferrying them to the bar, Paul sniped at Matt that he could get off his
backside and help but Matt just raised his glass and grinned stupidly at him,
making him shake his head and head back out across the dance floor.

Heading back to the bar with his hands
full of glasses, Paul was stopped by Jez,

“What are you doing?” Jez asked as he took
the glasses from Paul.

“Cleaning up.” Paul answered, “Isn’t that
what we usually do when the club closes?”

“Not today, go and sit down.” Jez gestured
to the nearest booth, “And take your brother.”

Shrugging but grabbing Matt by the shirt
and hauling him off the bar stool; they edged their way into the booth and sat,
waiting for who knew what. Suzanne and Faye appeared, each carrying a tray of
shots which were placed in front of them.

“Happy birthday boys.” Jez grinned. “Drink
up.” He raised an eyebrow when Paul began to protest. “I insist.” He laughed
before returning to the clean up.

Leaning forward, Suzanne slid an embossed
card across the table towards them “An invite to my twenty first.” She told
them before scrambling on to the seat and hugging a very happy and completely
inebriated Matt. “Happy Birthday Matty.” She kissed his cheek and ruffled his
hair before turning to Paul. Grasping his hands, she pressed her lips to each
of his cheeks in turn. “Happy Birthday Paul.”

“Thank you Suzie.” He murmured, his thumbs
stroking the backs of her hands, he desperately wanted to cup her face in his
hands and plant his mouth firmly over hers.

“I’m glad we can be friends.” She spoke,
turning his blood to ice. Pulling his hands from hers, he reached for a glass
and downed a shot, never taking his eyes from her.

“Yeah, right.”

Knowing she’d upset him but also knowing
that the words had needed to be spoken, she backed away and went to join Tessa
as she waited in the lobby. Faye grasped her chance now with both hands, having
wished Matt a happy birthday and receiving a sleepy smile and a rather
unexpected grope of her backside, she moved to Paul.

Sitting boldly on his lap, she grabbed a
shot glass and emptied the liquid into her mouth before grasping his face and
planting her mouth over his. His lips parted willingly under hers, their
tongues dancing as they shared the shot and it was his turn to groan as he
traced his hands up her sides.

The clearing of a throat brought them back
to reality and as they parted Paul mused, not for the first time, that he could
have an awful lot of fun with Faye. “Your taxi is here.” Jez told her and Paul
saw that he had used his body to shield that little charade from his sister and
former lover. Shooting a grateful glance at the bar manager, he moved to get up
as Faye vacated her seat on his lap but soon sat back down when Jez shook his
head and escorted the flushed girl to the door.

Returning to the table and now joined by
the rest of the staff, the Jensen boys were again wished a very Happy Birthday
as the staff helped to deplete the shots in front of them before heading to
their homes.

“Come on boys, time you got some sleep.”
Jez beckoned for them to follow him.

“You’re letting us stay here?” Paul
questioned as he helped Matt cannon ball off the walls on the way up the
stairs.

“Yep, I figured he’s far too far gone to
go home.” He gestured to Matt.

Paul nodded in agreement, then stopped
moving altogether, “Wait a sec, if I stay here it means I’m not even going to
get laid on my birthday and I had serious fuck me vibes coming from Faye.”

“You had serious fuck me vibes coming from
just about every girl in the club dude but you are working tomorrow in case
you’ve forgotten so I’m protecting my investment.” Jez told him.

“In case I forget to tell you later,
you’re an asshole.” Paul griped.

“Yeah, I know, I get that a lot but right
now, I’m not just an asshole, I’m your boss and you will do as you’re told just
this once.” Opening the door to his apartment, he gestured to the stairs. “I
take it as you shared a womb, you’ll be ok sharing a bed.” He smiled at Paul’s
mildly disgusted look before heading to his own bed.