Father & Son: Book two of the Jensen Family Series Read online

  “That’s all you ever do boy.” Michael snarled, a part of him glad that it was Paul who had spoken up, giving him the excuse he needed to tear a strip off the over confident little shit. “The only reason you are as successful as you are is because you have an excellent workforce to back you up. You are lazy and insolent. You think the world owes you a living and you think you can make that living off of my hard work. How dare you swan back into this family with delusions of grandeur and try and pull your siblings down to your level. Everything is peaceful when you aren’t here but within moments of you moving back in, the trouble starts and I have to contend with your attitude and lack of commitment to the family business. You need to buck your ideas up my boy; your imperious attitude simply will not be tolerated.”

  Paul lent back against the kitchen counter and crossed is arms over his considerable chest. It hadn’t escaped his notice that Tessa had stepped away from him and Matt had made to leave the kitchen but some ghoulish need to see his brother duke it out with his father had prevented him from actually leaving. Monica busied her hands by folding and re-folding his shirt and he realised that she wouldn’t make the mistake of trying to jump to his defence.

  “How my company, sorry, companies run are absolutely none of your business.” He began, “The fact that I pay my way and I am not in any way a financial burden to this family should be the things that really concern you but no, once again you have to try and pin all the ills of the world on me. Everything that happens isn’t my fault and neither do I have an attitude most of the time.” Paul pushed off from the side where he lent and walked towards Michael. “Have you ever stopped to think that perhaps you are the one with the attitude?” At his last words, he saw Matt’s jaw drop shortly before he proceeded to make the cut throat signal with one hand while gesturing towards the door with the other signalling that they planned to go out that night and Paul was well on the way to getting grounded.

  Red in the face and shaking with rage, Michael stepped closer to his son, bellowing “What did you just say to me?”

  “I said.” Paul stated calmly “That you are the one with the attitude, not me. You hate the fact that regardless of what you say to the world about me, people genuinely like me, that’s because I’m a nice guy Dad, unlike you. You try to pin the blame for absolutely everything on me and yeah, you know what? I’m not entirely blameless some of the time but I cannot be held responsible for things that are out of my control. You pointed the finger at me this morning when you saw we were late, you may have asked us all the same question but you were looking at me, you made it blatantly obvious that you thought I had made us late didn’t you?” Paul was slightly stunned that Michael hadn’t taken a swing at him yet but as he stepped closer he became fully aware of the reason.

  He towered over his father now and not only was he taller; he was undeniably wider with more muscle bulk than the older man had ever had. A look crossed Michael’s face that Paul hadn’t seen before, not fear exactly but he appeared to be a little weary now that Paul had invaded his space.

  Ignoring his son’s direct question, Michael stayed on the attack, stepping even closer to the boy, getting in his face “Explain why you were laying across a desk, not working and your lack of respect for the dress code.” He spat.

  “The girl was pretty and an easy target. I’d done all my work, I didn’t think taking five minutes out of my day to enjoy a little banter was a world ending crime and the dress code is bullshit. I don’t see clients therefore I see no reason to wear a tie and even if I did see clients, the fact that I was minus a tie wouldn’t reflect on my ability to do my job.” Paul spat back. “I’m tired of you trying to put me down all the time. I’m just as good at what I do as Tessa and Matt, perhaps even more so. I bet if you take a good hard look at the figures, you’ll see that Norm and I have generated far more profit in the last quarter than you three together so perhaps you should lay off a bit and actually thank me for keeping the company afloat.” He challenged.

  Michael was astounded that one of his children would talk to him this way. He clenched his fist, preparing to take a swing when Paul stepped closer and he looked up into the almost black eyes of his youngest child. That was when he noticed that he was looking up and had to ask himself when the boy got so tall. Paul’s anger and frustration was clearly written on his face and Michael didn’t doubt for a second that he would sorely love to release his rage and slam his fist into his face.

  Swallowing, taking a deep, calming breath, Michael took a slight step back, knowing he wouldn’t win this fight. The boy had parried his every move with skill and had called him out on his dubious attempts to lay the blame at his feet. He silently commended Paul on his courage but also knew the boy only showed his backbone as they had an audience. Now was not the time to pursue this, he would let him have this small victory and come at him from another angle at a later date.

  “Don’t get ideas above your station boy. You are a parasite and a burden, not financially but emotionally you pull this family in several directions at a time, it is extremely wearing. You need to think very carefully before you open your mouth to speak in future.”

  “Huh, yeah alright, whatever you say Dad. There’s only one emotion you have for me and we both know what that is.” Paul answered to his father’s retreating back. He turned away and reached for his freshly ironed shirt “Thanks Mum.”

  He knew Michael wouldn’t physically attack him unless he knew for certain that he could win which meant he wouldn’t physically attack him unless he was sure his son was in a weakened position and then Paul had no doubt his next hospital stay would once again be at his fathers’ hands. Although he had the physical advantage, he was in no way as vicious as Michael, he would defend himself but he doubted he would retaliate. He would have to proceed cautiously now where his father was concerned. Michael had let him walk away with this victory. When retribution came, it would be swift and violent.

  “Dude! What the fuck! You very nearly got yourself grounded.” Matt burst out when Michael was no longer in the room.

  “Matt, how about giving me a slap on the back and congratulating me for standing up to the old bastard?” Paul answered him. The argument had shaken him though he wouldn’t outwardly show it. He pulled Matt’s t-shirt over his head and replaced it with his favourite shirt, smoothing it over his body before fastening the buttons.

  “We both know how stupid it was to do that. You are going to have to work for your congratulations.” Matt grinned at him. “Still have the pulling shirt I see?”

  “Yep.”

  “The pulling shirt?” Monica asked. She wasn’t going to mention what had just happened; it had been brewing since Paul had been home and she was simply glad it was over and no blood had been spilled.

  Paul nodded. “I love this shirt and apparently so do the ladies.” He had spotted the shirt many months previously and bought it on a whim. Upon trying it on however, he had discovered that it was far too big for him but as it had been the last one in the shop, changing it wasn’t an option. He had cajoled his grandmother into altering it, a job she did with aplomb. The shirt now looked as though it had been made specifically for him. It moulded to his body, hugging his form, accentuating his muscled chest and clinging to his back. He had been touched up so many times while wearing this shirt that he had lost count.

  “I guess you intend getting laid tonight then?” Matt asked.

  Paul nodded “Several times.” He confirmed.

  “Paul!” Monica gasped, slapping her hands over her ears, “A mother does not want to hear such things.” She admonished.

  “Sorry Mum.” He laughed before bending to kiss her cheek.

  “Honestly, you boys and your hormones!”

  Both boys smiled at their mother as they retreated from the kitchen.

  “Hey Paul, do you know how to make a hormone?” Matt asked.

  “Yeah, don’t pay her.” Paul quipped.

  “That’s good. I like it.” Matt laughed.<
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  Monica, shaking her head at her son’s, returned to cleaning up the kitchen before settling down for a night of her favourite soap operas.

  Chapter Five

  Thanks to the argument, they arrived at the club later than they usually would. The place was packed to the rafters but still, on seeing the doorman, they were let in and after shirking their jackets, they headed into the main part of the club where they stood, surveying their territory.

  Paul lent close to his brother “You get the drinks. I just need to use the phone.”

  Matt nodded and headed to the bar, easing his way between two big breasted beauties and turning on his best “Hi, how are ya?” grin as Paul continued past him, waving briefly at Jez, the club’s manager before disappearing into the relative quiet of the rear hallway that led to the toilets and had several payphones attached to the wall.

  Paul made a habit of not bringing his phone with him when he came here just in case Carmen called, as even out in the stark hallway, the music from the club was audible and would lead to questions he simply didn’t want to answer.

  When he’d seen how packed the club was and realised he could be in for a very fruitful night, he knew he’d have to call Phil, his foreman as he had absolutely no intention of working tomorrow and wanted to pass the responsibility of the following days work over to the older man.

  Leaning back against the wall as he talked to Phil, he observed several lovely girls and likely candidates for his attention come and go from the ladies room. As he replaced the receiver and pushed off from the wall, one beauty who he hadn’t noticed walked towards him. Concentrating on something in her handbag, she almost walked into him and only stopped when his hands wrapped around her biceps, preventing the collision.

  “Oh, sorry.” She gasped as she looked up “Paul Jensen!” she exclaimed “Aren’t you a little young to be in this particular club?”

  Paul smiled on recognising the face looking up at him “WPC Holland, long time, no see. This is a pleasant surprise.”

  “Answer my question.”

  “Am I too young to be here? Probably, but dressed as you are and may I just say, you do look almost edible, I’m guessing that you are off duty and therefore unable to do a damn thing about it.”

  “You cheeky little shit.” She said but she couldn’t help smiling at his blatant disregard for the law.

  “Cheeky I may be but there isn’t one thing about me that’s little.” He answered. Still having hold of her arms, he turned her quickly and held her against the wall “Want to find out for yourself?”

  “I’m a police officer.” She stammered at his forthright manner.

  “An off duty one.” He pointed out.

  “I am also not a cradle snatcher, now let me go before I pull some official police moves and have you flat on your back in the blink of an eye.”

  Instead of letting her go, he moved closer, his breath on her cheek, his lips close to her ear. “I think I could handle being flat on my back with you on top of me.” He whispered before briefly pressing his lips to her skin.

  She couldn’t help it, she positively swooned, he smelt so good, his body so close the heat radiated off him, filling her vision and her senses and for the first time since she’d set eyes on him almost a year ago now, she fully understood why the teacher had fallen for him and what he’d meant when he said, he hadn’t given her a choice.

  There was something about him that was magnetic and it was painfully obvious that he knew it and used it to his full advantage. Giving herself a mental shake, she finally found her sense and her backbone and shoved him away.

  “Back off.” She warned “You may be irresistible to girls your own age but I am a fully grown, professional woman, your charms do not work on me. I won’t report you for being here this time but if I catch you here again, I’ll make sure this place is raided and you will never be allowed back in.”

  He released her from his grasp, smiling as he stepped back “Even my mother isn’t immune to my charms so I highly doubt you are.” He mocked. “Give it time and you’ll come around to my way of thinking.” He pushed his hands into his pockets, “Nice seeing you again Officer Holland.” He said as he began to walk away. “By the way, what is your name? I don’t think me calling you Officer out there,” he gestured with his head to the door that lead to the club “will go down very well.”

  “Emily. My name is Emily and you get to use it for one night only.”

  “We’ll see.” He called as he pushed back against the door, letting the heat and noise from the club wash over them both briefly before disappearing into the throng.

  Glancing around as she re-entered the club she spotted him talking to an older man at the bar. They were standing very close, speaking directly into the others’ ear, the loud music preventing normal conversation. Making her way to the bar, she caught sight of blond curls and massive shoulders under a white shirt and realised that Paul had brought his brother along as the behemoth currently blocking her way was none other than Matthew Jensen.

  Drinks in hand, Matt turned away from the bar and felt the hand of one of the girls he had been talking to, latch onto his arm. Score! He side stepped the woman trying to reach the bar, frowning as he thought he recognised her but shrugging as he figured she probably just had one of those faces. A quick survey of the club placed his brother talking to Jez and after catching his eye, their way of checking in with each other, Matt and the prettiness attached to his arm, made their way across the dance floor to one of the many booths situated around the club.

  Emily managed to snag a barstool and carefully sipped her cocktail as her eyes searched the club. She had come here tonight with the sole purpose of finding some young stud to take home for the night, not that she did this kind of thing on a regular basis but she hadn’t let her hair down for ages and felt getting footloose and fancy free for one night was well overdue especially as she turned thirty next week, there was only so much longer she was going to be able to live it up for.

  Looking to her left, she found Paul still talking to the man she had seen him with earlier, deep in conversation. She saw Matt on the dance floor rhythmically gyrating against the girl plastered to his chest while another had clamped herself to his back. It seemed he was every bit as popular as his darker twin. Someone bumped her shoulder, bringing her attention back to the bar and the petite but drop dead gorgeous blond who had hopped onto the stool next to hers, the two women smiled at each other before the blond lent over the bar to grab the attention of one of the staff and she went back to looking for talent.

  Paul’s conversation with Jez was proving most fruitful, the contents of which he had every intention of pursuing once he had a quiet moment alone with his mentor Norman. While he talked, he had the unerring feeling that he was being watched. Jez asked him a few times if he was ok, noticing the young man’s distraction but he had shaken it off, putting it down to the fact that he was aware a police officer had clocked him in an over 21’s club. Just as he began to relax, he smelt it; someone was wearing the same perfume that Suzanne wore, making him painfully aware of how much he had missed her.

  When Jez reached for his drink, Paul turned, his back to the dance floor, elbows on the bar, hand wrapped around the glass in front of him as he watched the antics of the bar staff. It amazed him that the club actually made any money with these people behind the bar who were far more interested in serving themselves drinks and copping a feel than serving customers. The fact that the bar had mirrors at the back of it giving all and sundry a panoramic view of their fondling really didn’t help.

  He looked into that mirror, watching the action on the dance floor behind him before turning his attention to the patrons waiting to be served and that was when he saw her, her eyes locked on his, boring into him and causing his heart to skip a beat. No one else was wearing that certain perfume that drove him wild. She was and she was staring straight at him, she only had eyes for him.

  Holding eye contact as she slid from
her stool, drink in hand, she made her way over to him. Leaning in close, those tremendous breasts pressing into him, she placed her drink on the bar as her free hand glided up his body, coming to rest at the back of his neck. No words were necessary. They both moved at the same time, she came up onto her tip toes as he bowed his head, their mouths meeting and reacquainting themselves. Everything around them ceased to exist; they were the only two people in the universe.

  Just as the fireworks began to explode behind his eyelids and his body jumped to life as it remembered the feel of her against him, a firm hand clamped onto his shoulder and Jez’s voice “take it away from the bar buddy.” In his ear had him crashing back to reality.

  Grabbing her hand, he dragged her away from the bar, not giving her chance to retrieve her drink as he pulled her onto the dance floor and into his arms. Other than pulling her from the bar he didn’t move. He held her tight against him, marvelling that she fit him so well as he looked into her big brown eyes.

  Suzanne looked up into that beautiful face she knew so well. It had knocked her for six when Tessa let it drop that he was home, it also had the knock on effect of making her examine her relationship with her boyfriend as the only person she could think about when he touched her was Paul. She promised herself that she would stay away from him, there would be no impromptu visits to the Jensen home on the pretence of visiting her best friend and yet, here she was, in his arms, looking into those sinfully dark eyes and reading just how much he wanted her in them.

  “Dance with me.” She mouthed and started a slow, sensual grind against him.

  Drawing a deep, shuddering breath and trying to prevent himself from getting them both naked in record time and putting on a the show of a life time in the middle of the dance floor, Paul slid his hands to her waist and began to move.

  “Did you come here looking for me?” He asked, his mouth close to her ear.

  “Yes.” She answered wrapping an arm around his neck. “I wanted to see if you were still as attractive to me.”