Stepbrother Bad Boy's Baby Boxed Set(15)

"Yeah, Krystal? I'm downstairs."

"Oh, really? Okay. See you in a second."

I hung up my phone and went inside the lobby. About thirty seconds later, Krystal came out of the elevator, along with a cute little blonde that I didn't know. "Hi Julian," she greeted me, with only a hint of uncomfortable formality. "I'd like you to meet my best friend Kimberly. Kim, this is my stepbrother, Julian Castelbon."

"It's nice to meet you," Kim said, holding out her hand. I shook, and was surprised at how strong her grip was. Taking a closer look, I could see the short nails and hints of callus on the edges of her fingers that told me she wasn't the dainty type. Interesting. "I was just stopping by to drop off some books I'd borrowed from Krystal, and she said you were coming to visit. I figured I just had to wait a few minutes to meet you."

"Thanks," I said, feeling more at ease. I'm used to people going out of their way to meet me, it's been rather routine since I graduated high school. "So you and Krys know each other well?"

Kim rolled her eyes and glanced over at Krystal, which shook my confidence. "You could say that. We've known each other since her first day of college."

"So you're in the culinary field too?" I asked, somewhat surprised with myself. Normally I wouldn't have given a damn. I'm the epitome of the Internet meme and not a single f*ck was given that day.

"No, we actually met at a martial arts class. We were two of the very few women there so we kind of became friends. I'm.... into computers," Kimberly replied, giving me a knowing smile. I didn't know what the smile meant, but it rattled me again. What was going on? "I'd love to hang out with you two sometime, but I've got to get going. Client meeting at four I need to get to. Krystal, we'll talk later?"

"For sure," Krystal replied, giving Kimberly a hug. "Thanks."

"No problem. Julian, another time I hope." With that, Kimberly was gone, out the front door of the building and into the Chicago afternoon sun like a little blonde ball of energy.

I watched her go, then turned to Krystal, slightly confused. "She is....."

"Different," Krystal replied with a grin. "And as real as you can find. Come on, I'll show you my place. I'm warning you though, it's a lot different than what you're probably used to."

I nodded, and followed her into the elevator. As the doors closed, she pushed the button for one of the top floors, and we started up. "Krys...." I started, before she cut me off.

"Julian, do you like it if someone calls you Jules? Or J?"

I thought about the fact that the guys at the gym called me JC, but other than that.... "No, not really."

"Okay. Well, if you don't want me to call you Jules or maybe Julie, don't call me Krys. Now, I don't mind if you stay, but I do have some rules."

Oh boy, here we go. "Yeah?" I asked, already wondering if I'd made the right decision.

"Rule one is, no arrests. You get picked up by the Chicago PD, and you're on your own. You're not getting back into my place. And yes, this is my place. Rule two, no parties or women up here. You want to get your freak on, go do it somewhere else. Finally, rule three. You use something in my kitchen, you clean it and you put it in the drying rack. That's kind of a general one for all culinary types. Don't screw with our equipment."

"What happens if I do?" I joked, smirking. Krystal turned to me with those dark eyes of hers and looked up directly into mine.

"You do, and you'll find I know how to debone more than just a chicken."

I held my free hand up in a fending off gesture, and smiled. "Okay, just joking. I can barely make spaghetti anyway. You ever come to my place in Los Angeles, and you'll find a lot of instant meals, peanut butter, and supplements. By the way, you don't mind if I use your blender for that, do you?"

"As long as you wash it out. I have a stick blender you can use if you want, I find it easier for that sort of stuff. Here we are." The elevator doors dinged, and I stepped out into a small hallway, with only two doors, one on each side. "This floor only has two units, I have the one on the west side of the building. Which is great for me, it lets me sleep a bit later in the morning. The east side units get the sunrise right in your eyes."

She opened the door, and I was at first struck at just how middle class the apartment looked. Then I noticed that besides the kitchen equipment, the furnishings were downright Spartan. I didn't even see a television. On the other hand, the kitchen stuff looked strong enough to liquefy a brick, and cut through the steel beams of the high rise itself.

Krystal looked over at me and smiled. "Welcome to my humble abode, Julian. Make yourself comfortable."





Chapter 8





Krystal





At first, having Julian stay with me was about as weird as when we'd stayed in side by side bedrooms at Castelbon Manor. My apartment has three bedrooms and two baths, so I had Julian stay in the larger of my two guest bedrooms, on the opposite side of the apartment from me. After he set his bag on the simple bed that came with the place, he came into the living room and sat down on my sofa, stretching out. "So are you working today?"

I shook my head and headed into the kitchen. "If I was, you'd have gotten nothing but a voice message. I did have competition practice today, but I have the evening off."