Boss (24 page)

Arriving at
Silverton Tower
before the cleaners and the receptionists was always a strange feeling for Ezra. Using his key card for one of the fire exits that was usually used for cheeky cigarette breaks, he made his way across the empty reception, the only sound came from his heels clicking against the tiles.

When the doors opened onto the top floor, he walked across the dark space, the sun still struggling to find its place in the morning sky. Outside his office, he paused when he thought he heard something inside. Carefully pulling his keys from his pocket, he gently placed them into the lock and he listened.

Sure it was just his imagination playing tricks on him, he opened the door and tried to shake the paranoia from his mind. It wasn’t paranoia.

Graham was sitting behind his desk, as surprised to see Ezra as Ezra was to see him. He fingers were firmly planted on the keyboard of Ezra’s laptop.

“You have ten seconds to explain what the fuck you’re doing before I open that window and feed you to the pigeons,” Ezra marched across his office towards Graham.

“I w-w-was just checking some things out,” he stumbled over his words as he shakily rose to his feet.

“In my office? How did you even get in here?”

His eyes shot down to a set of keys next to the laptop. Why did Graham have a set of keys for the whole building? He was nothing more than one of the nosey shareholders.

“I was just checking the figures for the Chinese deal,” Graham tried to straighten himself out but he looked like he could crumble any second.

“Why do you need to do this in here?” Ezra slammed his laptop shut, snatching it away from the desk.

“The other computers are locked,” Graham stepped out front behind the desk, “Yours is the only one not on the timer.”

That part was true.

“It’s not even seven yet,” Ezra looked at the watch on his wrist, “what are you up to, Graham?”

“I could ask you the same,” Graham’s stance toughened.

“I have a lot to catch up on. The Chinese deal is going ahead and I’ve been – distracted.”

“Hmmm, I bet,” Graham picked up his briefcase.

He dropped it onto Ezra’s desk, clicking it open. Before Ezra could stop him, Graham snatched a thick pile of paper from the printer. He stuffed it in the briefcase and locked it.

“When were you going to tell me that Bill’s son was working here?”

“It’s none of your business,” Ezra sat behind his desk as Graham headed towards the door.

“Quite,” Graham forced his lips into a smile, “I have a meeting I need to prepare for.”

He nodded his head to Ezra and turned to the door. He looked as though he was trying his best to hurry out without breaking into a run.

“Whatever you think you’re going to do to Joshua, it won’t work,” he called after Graham before he disappeared.

He stopped in his tracks, slowly turning back to him. An arrogant smiled picked up the corners of his drooping lips.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” the smile widened, “are you sleeping okay? You’re looking a little tired.”

“I know you’re up to something,” he pulled open his laptop, “and when I find out, you’ll hang for it.”

“I don’t -,”

“Shut the door on your way out,” Ezra sighed as he logged into his laptop.

Graham lingered for a second, as if he was going to fire back with something but he bowed out of his office, softly closing the door.

Opening up his laptop, he opened up his device manager and clicked on the printer icon.
Damn, what’s he need all of this for?
Graham had printed off all of the accounts, projections and profit spread sheets for the last twelve months -
No, the last fourteen months.
They dated right back to when Ezra took control.

What’s he planning?

As the next hour passed, he listened to the tower coming to life below him. The lights outside his office flickered under his door as the timer activated. A knock at the door let him know that his assistant, Becky was there, twenty minutes early, as usual.

“Morning, Mr. Steele,” she came in with a tray of coffee and the morning papers, “you’re early today so I thought I’d run you through the day -,”

“Cancel everything,” he stood up and snatched up his car keys.

“But sir, these are the meetings you cancelled last week. You’ve got a one o’clock lunch meeting with -,”

“Just fob them off,” he was already running towards his door, “if anybody can do it, it’s you. Enjoy the coffee.”

Before Becky could try to kick him into line he was running across the reception and towards the car park. The insurance company had given him a
BMW 3 Series
to drive while his
Lamborghini
was in the shop being fixed after Jade’s assault.

Glancing to the clock on the dashboard, he started to take the small roads and back alleys, not wanting to get caught in the usual morning gridlock. When he pulled up outside Violet’s, he let out a sigh of relief when he saw Joshua taking the steps two at a time with a slice of toast clamped between his teeth as he attempted to finish his tie.

“Going somewhere?” Ezra rolled down the tinted window.

Joshua had to do a double take to notice that it was him.

“Mr. Steele,” Joshua tossed the toast into the road and wiped his buttery fingers down the sides of his jacket, “I almost didn’t recognise you without your other car.”

Joshua leaned his hand on the roof of the car as he looked down to Ezra. A smile was tickling his lips, letting him know that he was happy to see him. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Joshua was going to disappear or retreat back into himself at any moment.

“Jump in,” he said.

“I didn’t know we were car sharing,” Joshua ran around to the passenger side and joined Ezra in the car, “It’s no
Lamborghini
but it’ll do.”

Joshua smelled different. A clear and biting aftershave masked his usual natural scent.

“Aftershave, for me?” Ezra winked as he started to reverse back down the one-way road, “You shouldn’t have.”

“It’s not for you,” Joshua pulled the seatbelt against his chest, “I just want to smell nice. Is that a problem?”

“No,” Ezra winked, “it’s just sweet that you’re trying so hard.”

“I’m not trying,” he grumbled.

As they drove, Ezra waited for Joshua to notice that they weren’t heading towards
Silverton Tower
.

“You missed the turn,” Joshua looked back, “you’re gonna get us stuck in traffic this way.”

“I thought we could skip work today,” Ezra shrugged, “do something fun.”

Joshua turned in his seat, a confused and fun smile on his lips.

“What did you have in mind?”

Ezra hadn’t thought that far ahead. He just wanted them to get out of the city, away from the company. He wanted them to be normal people without the baggage. They may have both been trying to ignore what was going on with
Silverton Industries
but he wanted to pretend for a day that it wasn’t going to bite them both on the arse.

“
Thorpe Park
is only an hour away,” Ezra suggested.

“You want to spend the day at a theme park?”

“Problem?”

“I’m just wondering why you aren’t already heading for the motorway,” Joshua laughed, “c’mon. Let’s go!”

They acted like excited teenagers as they sped along the busy motorway. Ezra couldn’t remember the last time he’d left the city, or the last time he’d felt so carefree.

With the window down, he pushed his shades up his nose and watched as Joshua’s blonde locks tangled in the wind.

I could get used to this.

Wrapping his tongue around the ice cream, Joshua leaned back into the bench as they looked up at the new roller coaster,
Delta Extreme
. He hadn’t been on one since his teen years so he was excited to try out the new rides he had missed out on, but they were slowly working their way up to
Delta Extreme
.

“I wish you’d have warned me,” Joshua tugged at the white shirt, “we look like Mormon Missionaries.”

“I think you look pretty sexy,” Ezra’s cheeks lifted under his sunglasses, “even if you do have ice cream on the end of your nose.”

With a gentle stroke, Ezra wiped the ice cream away, putting the finger straight into his mouth. Joshua wasn’t sure how he would react to such a public display of flirtation but the park was practically empty. Even if the park had been full, he wasn’t that sure that he would care anymore.

“Do I pull off the shirt and tie?” Joshua crammed the last of the cone into his mouth, “It feels like a walking coffin.”

“Anybody would think you were a regular city slicker.”

Isn’t that what I’ve become?
Even if they were avoiding the tower for a day, it didn’t mean they wouldn’t be going there tomorrow –
Unless he comes up with more fun things for us to do
. Joshua hadn’t figured out why Ezra had dragged him to a theme park on a Monday morning but as they had been queuing up for the ice creams he had looked over to Ezra and he was the most relaxed he had even seen him.

Before they had had sex, they had been at each other’s throats but that had suddenly melted away. They had both dropped whatever ego problems they had but it was clear Ezra wasn’t sure how long it would last. Tobias hadn’t stopped calling Joshua despite him rejecting him at every corner.

I need more time. I don’t know what I’m doing.

“What’s life like on the road?” Ezra stretched his arm around Joshua’s shoulder, resting it on the back of the bench.

“Stressful,” he squinted into the sun, “but fun. It’s one long party.”

“I bet this is a culture shock,” Ezra turned to face him, “life here must be confusing.”

“Something like -,”

Joshua’s phone started to vibrate in his pocket and they both noticed. He thought he had silenced it.

“Answer it,” Ezra’s arm quickly retracted.

He darted to the edge of the bench, leaning his elbows on his knees as he stared at Joshua. Behind those dark lenses, Joshua knew he was testing him. He pulled his phone from his pocket and relief surged through him when he saw Violet’s smiling face on the caller ID.

“I know you’re at work, but it’s urgent,” she sounded like she was somewhere with lots of people.

“I’m at
Thorpe Park
,” he put his finger in his other ear, “what’s up?”

“
Thorpe Park
? What are you doing – never mind. Is Ezra allergic to anything?”

Why does she want to know that?

“I dunno,” he shrugged.

“Well, is he with you?”

He turned to Ezra who was still staring at him from behind those shades, “Yeah, he’s here.”

“Can you ask him? You’re both coming for dinner tonight.”

“Violet, I-,”

“Did you hear that as a question?” she snapped, “It wasn’t! Just ask him, will you? I’m cooking.”

He didn’t know if he should be more scared about what Violet was planning or more scared that she was attempting to cook.

“Are you allergic to any food?” Joshua pressed the phone into his shoulder.

“Nope,” Ezra shrugged, “I’m pretty easy.”

“He said he’s easy.”

“I bet he is,” Violet chuckled playfully, “dinner will be served at seven.”

Before he had time to object, Violet hung up, leaving his imagination to work over time.

“I think Violet wants us both at hers for dinner tonight,” Joshua was already hinting to Ezra to say no.

“Aren’t things moving a little fast?” he suddenly sat up straight.

“That’s what -,”

“I’m kidding,” he slapped Joshua on the leg, “should be – interesting.”

Oh, God. This is really happening.
They awkwardly sat in silence for what felt like a lifetime as Joshua’s mind worked over time. His phone was still in his hand when it rang again. Without checking to see Violet’s pretty face, he pressed the phone into his ear.

“What now?” he sighed.

“Joshua!” it wasn’t Violet.

Hearing Tobias’ voice ripped Joshua from his carefree day at the theme park and planted him back firmly in reality.

“Now’s not a good time,” he turned away from Ezra but he knew he was listening to every word.

“I’ve been trying to call you all weekend,” the frustration sang through the speaker, “after you told me to fuck off, I was -,”

“I gotta go.”

Before Tobias could say anything more, he hung up.
Not today.
Ezra was right, we need a day of being normal.

“Who was that?” Ezra tried to sound casual but he couldn’t mask the suspicion.

“Nobody, wrong number,” he stood up, “I wonder if that kiosk around the corner sells shades. My eyes are burning -,”

Before Ezra could ask anything else, he practically sprinted to the tiny shop they had bought the ice cream from. Next to a stand selling personalised teddies with names stitched awkwardly into their stomachs, there was a tall rack of overpriced tacky glasses.

A couple were trying the glasses on, laughing hysterically as they tried on the comedy shades. Even from his distance, Joshua could smell the alcohol on them. Wandering over to the stuffed bear display, he started to scan the names, hoping they would piss off soon.

He wasn’t trying to listen to their conversation, but when he heard ‘
Jade
’, his ears pricked up. Peering at the mirror on the wall, he could see the side of the guy’s face. He looked unwashed and familiar. He couldn’t see the girl from that angle, so he stared at the guy’s face trying to place him.

He saw the guy pocket a pair of sunglasses as clear as day. Moving to the other side of the revolving display, he finally gave Joshua a clear view of the girl.

It was the woman from the church who had bricked Ezra’s precious car. She had known his name.
Is this Jade? Is this who Ezra had a kid with?
He looked her from head to toe. He tried not to judge but it was impossible. She was filthy. How did they even get in here? When he used to come with his friends, they would always go on quiet days and they had climb over the fences. Once inside they would find wristbands from bins and then claim that the staff gave them out of date bands. Mentions of Bill Silverton and lawyers usually got things sorted out and they would spend the day enjoying the free rides. It wasn’t because they couldn’t afford it, it was just fun to get away with things.

“What do you think, Brian?” she slurred as she tried on a pair of pink shades, “Suit me?”

“Nah, babe,” the East End accent was so thick it was practically indecipherable.

Joshua looked back to the bears. He plucked out a bear with ‘
Violet
’ stitched in violet thread. He took it over to the counter, the sunglasses the last thing on his mind.

Handing the money over to the teenage cashier who was more interested in his phone than the shoplifters, Joshua could still hear them laughing.

“They’re nicking your crap,” he said as he walked away with the bag.

It wasn’t until he got back to Ezra that he realised he had come out with a bear and no sunglasses.

“No shades? I’m sure I saw some. What’s in the bag?”

“A bear,” he couldn’t look at Ezra because the thought of him being with somebody like Jade turned his stomach.

“For me?” Ezra snatched the bag out of his hand, “’
Violet
’? I guess they ran out of ‘
Ezra
’ bears this morning. It’s sweet, all the same. I’ll treasure it forever and -,”

“Give over,” Joshua snatched it back, “C’mon. I can see the line for
Delta Extreme
getting longer.”

The line wasn’t that long but the longer they lingered around, the more questions Ezra would ask and he felt slightly safer in a line of strangers. Joshua wasn’t sure if he should mention that the girl from the church was at the park too. Part of him wanted to keep having a nice day but another part of him wanted to gauge his reaction.

They waited for the ride for about fifteen minutes and they spent most of that in silence. Ezra tried to force small talk about the park and the weather but Joshua’s mind couldn’t shake Jade. Escaping reality, even if it was just for one day, was harder than expected.
I’ve been doing it for seven years, so why is it suddenly so difficult?

When they were at the front of the line, they both kicked off their shoes. After he stuffed them into the slots with the bear, his phone started to vibrate loudly again. Ezra took his shades off and tossed them into his shoes as he stared at Joshua’s pocket.

“Answer it,” Ezra’s eyes pinned him into the railing.

“It’s fine,” Joshua rejected the call, “wrong number again.”

“Right,” Ezra dropped his head with a laugh, “do you think I was -,”

“Next!” the ride assistant cried.

Joshua darted forwards along the metal grill. He jumped into the front seat, quickly pulling the safety bar over his head. The foam blocked his view of Ezra as they sat there with their feet dangling but it couldn’t block the tension in the atmosphere.

The floor below them dropped and they slowly started to leave the station. The sun beat down hard on them as they slowly made their way through the trees and up the long and steep slope.

“C’mon,” Ezra cried, “why don’t you tell me who is really calling you?”

“Now isn’t the time,” Joshua shouted back as he felt the wind hitting him in the face.

When they were a hundred feet off the ground, the ride levelled out and Joshua braced himself for the drop. The rush of a roller coaster was similar to the rush of flying but he couldn’t enjoy it with Ezra next to him.

They turned and twisted, ready for the drop. Clinging onto the handrails he looked down at the ground below, waiting for it all to turn into one big blur.

It didn’t.

The ride shuddered and stopped. Joshua craned his neck back to the station, wondering if this was supposed to happen. They were tilted forty-five degrees towards the ground and gravity was trying to pull them from their seats. He knew they were locked in but he pushed himself into the back of the seat all the same.

“What’s going on?” somebody cried.

“We’ve fucking broke down!”

That was all that was needed for the panicked screams and shouts to start. Almost too calm, Joshua and Ezra sat at the front in silence.

A speaker crackled into life right next to Joshua’s ear to play a pre-recorded message: ‘
We are currently experiencing some minor technical difficulty. Please sit tight. Your ride will resume shortly.
’

“You’re fucking kidding me,” Joshua grumbled over the din of the panic.

He stared down at the ground in silence for the next five minutes but when they didn’t start to move, he knew it was only a matter of time before Ezra started.

“Tobias Cole,” Ezra said, “that’s who keeps calling you, isn’t it?”

“So what if it is?” Joshua felt the defensiveness rise in his voice.

“It looks like we’re going to be stuck here for a while,” he said.

Joshua was hoping and praying that the rollercoaster would have shuddered back into life but as the crowds of people gathered below to look up at the stuck ride, he knew they wouldn’t be moving anytime soon.

Telling Ezra about the plan he had with Tobias would mean telling him that he was going behind his back.
Am I still going behind his back?
He had been avoiding Tobias because he didn’t know what he was doing anymore. Being blinded by sex had pickled Joshua’s brain.

I’d been so sure Ezra was a snake…so sure…