You Are Ours

Chapter 43

N A T H A N

          I PRESS THE button for the 35th floor, heading up in the metal box to our offices and groaning in my head with annoyance. I really don't want to be here right now, but like my Grandfather to use always say, "you can't put food on the table if you don't go to work and if you don't go to work you can't build the buildings to even buy the food in the first place." He had a point and it was true. As architect's, if we didn't help build the world around us, how would we put food on the table? How would we have a roof over our heads? Only, I wanted to be selfish and spend the day with Ryan instead. Even for just one day to play hooky.
   If she didn't have plans with her sister and Sophie I would of sent a mass email, giving everyone the day off, but come to think of it, how many times would I be able to get away with that? Not many. I know already that I want my days and nights to be spent with her, and only her. I'm even happy to have Nic with us... on occasion.

"It's only a half day, stop huffing and puffing like a teenager. I know your annoyed," Nic says swatting at my shoulder.

"Alright. I'd just rather be at home with Ryan than here is all," I say, leaning back against the wall of the elevator. I title my head up looking into the bright panel lights above us and sigh heavily.

"You and me both brother," he chuckles. "Buuuut... you can't put food on the table if you-"

"Don't go to work and if you don't go to work you can't build the buildings to even buy the food in the first place," I say with a roll of my eyes then looking at him. "I know, I heard him in my head too," I say and Nic chuckles again.

When we reach our floor, the doors slide open and the big desk with our family name designed across the black shine welcomes us to our floor receptionist who greets us with a smile. "Afternoon," she says sweetly with a chirpy voice, eyeing my brother up and down with a lick of her lips like he's a meal, while I roll my eyes at her blatant obviousness.

She completely ignores me, doesn't even acknowledge my existence and if I'm honest, I prefer it that way. She's been after Nic since she first started here two months ago; always flirting with him and bringing him his messages when she knows full well that everything gets passed to Chris and Emma before us. She barges into his office unannounced when Chris and Emma are not there to stop her, and don't get me started on her clothes. The clothing she wears is completely inappropriate for a office space environment, I swear everyday her skirts are getting shorter and her tops are getting lower, just to catch Nic's eye. But if she knew the truth, that all her efforts to get my brothers attention is just a waste of time she'd stop her little game of cat and mouse.
   We've always had the rule, "never mix business with pleasure," and our track record is clean. Every client we've ever had or employee we've hired, even when our Grandfather and Mother were in charge, we've never crossed that line. We like to keep things professional, especially Nic and very few at the office has seen his true self.
   Molly isn't the first to try things with either of us, but she certainly is not understanding the hints we've thrown at her and quite frankly, even Nic says she is tiresome. I'm counting down the days till her probation period is up because we've already agreed we're not keeping her. She's only working for us still because of a clause in the probation contract. which was set in place by our Grandfather when he started the company. "All employees need to have a fair chance and contracts will not be terminated before their six month probation period. Their performance will be reviewed at three months and giving a further three to improve before a descision is made," we've been thinking to change the clause in the contract, but we always respect our Grandfathers decisions. Even if he's not with us anymore. If he was here, he would of given Molly a chance.
   But she's definitely one of the worse receptionists we had so far, even when our Grandfather and Mother worked here, they never had anyone this bad. Molly is constantly leaving her desk unattended, which has caused us to miss important phone calls and even though she's been here a short period, she's been caught gossiping with others when she should be working. We already warned her after her first month if things didn't improve we would have to let her go