Page 2 of Bleed for You
Once completed, he tidied the equipment and put it away, then locked up everywhere. As he walked to his van, he caught sight of one of the mourners from the last funeral that day, a young man in a dark suit, smoking a cigarette, his hands trembling. When the man noticed Jinx, he straightened, threw his cigarette to the ground and stepped on it, putting it out.
“Sorry. I didn’t feel ready to drive.”
Jinx nodded. “I’ll sit in my van until you leave. Don’t rush. This is a difficult time, so please feel free to wait a few more minutes if you need them.” The man nodded, wiped his eyes, and sniffed. Jinx left him and got into his van, sitting in the driver’s seat and waiting. He had to show understanding and empathy on the outside, but on the inside, he was bored of waiting. Now if it was Craig, he’d do everything he could to be there for him.
Some mourners screamed and shouted, others sobbed quietly, and yet some remained unmoved. Jinx had seen it all, but he could still be surprised on occasion. A handful of times, he’d been approached by those who were members of the family of the person who had passed and been given numbers or asked to meet later. Again, he understood the need for something other than death, a way to still feel alive, but was at a funeral really the right time?
When the man nodded at him and got into his car, Jinx followed him out and locked the gates, checking that the alarms were operational. They’d had a spat of attempted grave robberies, so extra security had been put in place. Jinx agreedwith it. No one should have their place of rest defiled, but some people didn’t think like that. Anyone, dead or alive, was game if these kinds of people needed money.
Once Jinx arrived home, he stripped off in his utility room and shoved his dirty clothes in the washing machine. Walking naked through his house, he jogged upstairs and hopped into the shower. The cold water hit his warm skin and Jinx shivered, then lifted his head as the water warmed. Eyes closed, he let the water rain over him and sighed. It wouldn’t be long before his boy arrived.
He knew how the evening would progress. He hadn’t seen Craig in days and planned to fuck him as soon as he walked inside. Then they would shift into their roles. It calmed him deep inside when he was in his Daddy role, seeing to his boy’s needs and making sure he gave Craig, or Dalton when he was a boy, everything he needed.
Once clean, he switched the shower off and quickly dried his body, then dressed. Jogging back downstairs, he entered his kitchen and opened the fridge, scanning the contents and nodding. He had everything they would need for their evening together. Dalton preferred to have his food cut up into small pieces, and Jinx loved nothing better than feeding him and cleaning him after. But before any of that happened, he would help Craig become Dalton. With that in mind, he thought about the outfit he would have his boy wear. They’d watched the last Spiderman movie together and Jinx had bought Craig the pj’s. Perfect.
A knock on the front door signalled Craig’s arrival, and Jinx’s dick grew hard. Time to fuck Craig, then see to Dalton. With a smile on his lips, Jinx went to open the door.
Chapter Two
Craig Houston sat back in his chair and rolled his head from side to side, trying to ease the stiffness. As a drafter, he’d been using his software to convert an architect’s designs into technical plans. He had the initial plan done and was happy with how it looked so far. He now had the weekend to relax, then on Monday he could come back and go over the plans to see if he had left anything out, then get into the fine detail. He had to make sure there were no errors, and that process took hours. It was worth it, though. He loved his job. Loved seeing the technical details take shape. Loved seeing the finished product, knowing he’d been involved.
Standing, he made sure his plan and notes had been saved on his computer, then stretched. At five feet ten inches, his body didn’t like him sitting at a desk for hours at a time. To be fair, he was now thirty-one and a new part of his body protested on a regular basis. It was time to hit the gym and maybe do some yoga or Pilates to keep flexible. Use it or lose it was the saying,and Craig wanted to keep using it for years to come, so the gym it was.
Grabbing his bag and coat, Craig left his office and headed toward the elevators, only stopping when Flint called him. Closing his eyes, Craig took a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever it was Flint had an issue over, because Flint always had an issue over something. Turning to face him, Craig gave him a smile he didn’t feel. Flint strode over and handed Craig a printout. Glancing at it, he could see it was the plan he was currently working on. “What is this?”
Flint was Craig’s senior in the business and was only his senior because he was related to the owner, Simon Bonsall, through marriage. He had little to no idea how to run the department, and Craig grew tired of having to deal with him. Why did he have to work with someone who struggled to understand the basics of the job? Looking at the plan, then back at Flint, who glared at him, Craig somehow managed to keep his sigh to himself. “It is an unfinished plan. That’s why it has ‘unfinished’ in the corner.” What else would unfinished mean, and why did he have to explain this to Flint?
Flint’s dark blue eyes drilled into Craig’s. “Don’t get smart with me,” Flint snapped, waving the printout in Craig’s face. “What is it?”
“The plan I’m working on for the Simpson company. They are developing a new department store, and I was asked to do the technical side based on the architect’s design. I only began yesterday, but it’ll be finished on time.”
“Why was it given to you?” Flint waved the paper in Craig’s face again and somehow Craig managed to smile. How, he didn’t know, but he could feel the tension rising in his body. Dealing with this ignoramus on a daily basis wore him down so much that by Friday, he needed a break and a drink.
“Because I was asked by Simpson to draw up the plan. Is there some issue here, Flint? Is there a problem with the plan so far? I know it’s unfinished, but if you see—”
“No,” Flint snapped again. He flung the piece of paper at Craig, then spun around and stormed off. Craig could only assume Flint had been under the impression he would have been handed the Simpson contract, and not Craig. Not that Craig cared, but dealing with someone who was his boss but didn’t even understand the basics of the job irritated him.
Exhaling, Craig picked up the sheet of paper and left the office, heading for the elevator, and waited for it to arrive. He was alone, which he was thankful for. He needed a few minutes to decompress after the full-on week he’d had and dealing with Flint before he’d left the office had been the cherry on top of the cake.
When the elevator arrived, he stepped in and smiled at Lacey. Taking one look at her drawn face, he asked, “Long week?”
“How do you manage with him?” Lacey ran HR and had to deal with Flint, who Craig knew she was talking about.
“In small doses. At least it’s the weekend, so I can forget he exists.” Leaning back on the elevator wall, Craig closed his eyes.
“He’s put in another complaint about you,” she murmured.
“Hmm. He tried to create an issue as I was leaving.” Opening his eyes, he looked at Lacey. “I don’t think he’s happy I made the team on the Simpson contract.”
“He wasn’t. Simon had told Flint he would do the plans, but Simpson said no. You’ve done work for them before, and they wanted you.”
“That will explain his attitude.” Sighing, Craig put his bag on the elevator floor and pulled on his coat. “He is becoming difficult to work with. The attitude…” He stopped himself from continuing. Regardless of how he felt, Flint was his boss.
“Being the owner’s nephew…” Lacey shook her head. “He has an over-inflated ego and very little brain capacity. You have no idea how difficult it is with him being present in meetings. Simon needs to step in and speak to him, but he loves his baby sister, so Flint gets away with his atrocious behavior.” Lacey shuffled her bag, then muttered, “Keep a diary of how he treats you. With enough evidence, we may be able to change things.”
“He accessed my unfinished plan before I’d even left the office.” Craig blew out his breath. “It feels like he’s watching me all the time.”
“You and Jemima. He can barely tolerate her. His first complaint was about her taking too long in the bathroom. I had to sit him down and explain biology to him.” Lacey rolled her eyes. “I was not comfortable, but at least I got to see the look on his face as I began to explain certain facts to him.”
