The CEO’s Bad Boy

Chapter 2

Ash got home almost an hour after meeting the boss, and the entire time the man spoke, he couldn’t shake the feeling of having seen his face somewhere. The man’s blonde hair, pale skin and brown eyes, which he swore held golden flecks, all screamed familiarity, but he couldn’t find where he had seen the man.

“Where were you?” Lucky asked as he set the plate in front of him, a slight frown on his face.

“I had a few errands to run. Also, your program,” he said, trying to change the topic. “I’m going to need more questions to code in. Get me another list. And before you ask, Liv. I’ve started working on yours and Dai, no. I haven’t even touched the notebook you gave me because how the f**k am I meant to write law questions? Oh, whose fault is it that party B was r***d? f*****g Party A and anyone else who says otherwise can kiss my ass.”

Lucky turned to glare at Dai, which was pretty funny, considering Dai’s thigh was the size of Lucky’s neck, and the oversized sweater and baby cheeks made him seem cute rather than intimidating. Dai snorted, ruffling Lucky’s blonde hair as he finished plating the food and putting it on the coffee table in the shabby-looking living room.

Their house was a massive work in progress; they had spent most of their money buying and building the land from the ground up. So, furniture was sparse and the walls and floors bare, but he knew they all did. Once the house was furnished, it would look beautiful.

The door opened, and a few seconds later, in came their mother. Her brown hair was tied up in a bun, with a few pieces framing her pale face. She was holding her heels in her hands and her blazer and groaned when she smelt the air. “Who made food?”

“Dai made lasagna.”

She groaned as she slumped onto the couch, kicking her feet up. “Oh, I’m so glad we got this sofa, and Dai, put me some in. I’m starving and put the kettle on. Would you love? I need coffee.”

“Hey, mama,” Liv said, smiling as she sat beside her. “You look like shit.”

Cecilia snorted as she whacked her daughter. “Thanks.”

“How was work?” Lucky asked as he sat on the floor, crossing his legs. Dai walked over, his plate in his hand, as he sat on the ground beside Lucky.

“f*****g stressful. That’s how it went. I need a f*****g raise.”

“Ask for one,” Ash deadpanned.

“Pass. As much as I respect my boss, the big man terrifies me. I’d rather not piss him off. You know he fired someone for asking for a raise. I’m not f*****g with that. I’d rather be on a low rise and have money than be fired and sat on my ass at home with no money.”

“Aren’t you exaggerating?”

She shook her head as she swallowed a bite. “I am not. Poor Mark, he came back with tears in his eyes. A few minutes later, security was escorting him out of the building, and his belongings would be mailed to him.”

The room laced into silence, and Dai sighed as he looked around. “We doing movie night?”

“It’s Friday, so yes, we are; give me an hour,” she said. “I want to shower, have my coffee and get into my pyjamas; we also need to get new f*****g modules for the couch; I'm sick of having some of you on the floor.”

“We’ll get there,” Lucky said, smiling softly. “We’re all working. And we are getting paid soon. And you will be, too. With that, we should be able to buy a few more things. We can create a list of the things we want to buy next. I’m pretty sure we all have the day off tomorrow, so we’ll pick up the paint, and we can paint the hallways and the spare bedroom. We’re keeping them white, right? And then we can work on the bedrooms.”

Their mother nodded as she swallowed a bite of her food.

“Yeah, like a bed for me. I’m sick of having to share with Lucky; he kicks,” Dai grumbled, rubbing his stomach and wincing slightly.

Lucky’s face reddened as he looked down at his food, and the rest around him laughed. “I apologised,” he whined.

After finishing their dinner, their mother left the living space, and Lucky disappeared into his bedroom, coming down a few minutes later with the printout and notebook. He placed the printout on the table, and the rest huddled around it, taking their seats on the ground.

They all stared at what their house would soon look like with all the furniture. Olivia grinned as she stared at it. “I’m so glad we planned this on The Sims; that s**t is life-saving.”

“Yes,” Lucky said, smiling softly. “So, this is both of the floors. We have most of the kitchen complete; the tiles are in, and so is the flooring. We need the dining table decorations, and the living room is slowly coming together. The bathrooms are also complete. So, we should paint the hallways and get the wallpapers up, and then, we can save for all the floorings; the house is significant so it will cost a lot.”

“I can put in a couple more hours,” Ash said, rubbing the back of his neck. He ignored the glares he got from Olivia and Dai as he stared at the pictures. “If we pick up and paint tomorrow, we should have the hallways done in a few days. We should focus on buying all the larger furniture pieces first, and we can clutter it up with the plants and stuff later.”

Ash scowled as his phone buzzed; he pretended not to hear it. And when the constant buzzing continued, he frowned as he stood up, snatching his phone off the ground and walking into what would be their mother's home office through the archway and down the corridor.

“What?” he snapped, closing the door behind him.

“I know you did not just take that tone with me,” Katrina said, her voice soft and low.

“I’m at home. What do you want?”

Ash could hear the smile in her voice. “I don’t know what you said to the boss, but he’s liking you. He wants you to do more runs.”

“No, I-”

“Don’t you need the money,” she interrupted.

Ash bit his lip, picking up the skin as he recalled the conversation in the living room. Their house was nowhere near being done, and they still needed so much furniture. And he would not hold back because of how expensive something would be, but he would need the money. And as much as he disliked running the drugs, it paid.

“When and where?”

She gave the address, and he spat when she said five a.m. Who the f**k would be awake at five am? He held back his thoughts but said he would meet her at the warehouse to pick up the drugs and sell them.

He hung up, and when he returned to the living room, his mother was sitting on the couch, lost in thought. He frowned a little as he locked eyes with Dai, who shrugged.

Olivia turned on the TV, and the loud volume startled her out of her thoughts.

“And with what is believed to be the latest victim to the killer ‘Jeff the Reaper’, authorities are quickly trying to locate twenty-six-year-old Lillian Slouth, alive and well.”

“Change that,” Lucky said, frowning, as he waved his hand.

Olivia shrugged as she switched the channel. “Drug-related crimes have increased, more specifically, the dealings-”

“Change that,” Ash deadpanned.

Ash nudged his mother as he sat beside her on the couch. “Are you okay?” he asked.

She forced a smile as she held the hot mug of coffee in her hand. “I’m okay, love. Just work has been very stressful; don’t worry about it too much.”

Ash nodded as his sister put on a movie, and they all settled in to watch. If he woke up early, he could run the drugs for a few hours and be home before anyone noticed he had disappeared.

~*~