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Killian slowly shook his head. “Uh, not that I’ve ever heard.”
There it was…the truth.
Dahlia steeled her emotion and ground her teeth. “Can I take my break?”
“Yeah, sure, Dahl,” Killian said and rested his hand on her back, lowering his voice. “You okay?”
The world needed fewer Rods and more Killians. She nodded, ducked her head, and walked away. She hurried her steps through the crowd and ducked into the break room. It was empty. It was the only silver lining. She took a seat at the table. That asshole! Rod knew exactly what he was doing, and as Trey said, she’d complied.
Dahlia rested her elbows on the table and dropped her face into her palms, rubbing her eyes. At this point, she didn’t even care about her makeup.
“What’s wrong?”
She’d recognize Sloane’s voice anywhere. And her touch. Sloane’s hand slid over her back in a soothing motion. Dahlia drew in a breath, released a heavy sigh, and sat back in her seat.
“Dahlia?”
“I hate men!”
“They do suck sometimes. What happened?”
She snorted, shaking her head. “Rod told me to address him as ‘sir.’ I thought it was a little over the top, but I’ve never worked here before, so I just assumed everyone did that. Turns out I’m the only fool. According to Trey, I complied, proving that I really am an idiot.”
“No, you’re not!” Sloane furrowed her brows. “He’s your supervisor, so if he tells you something, of course you’ll comply.
Right, Sloane? ’Cause that’s the way it works. Why couldn’t Trey see that?
“There are one hundred people working here, and I’m the only one calling him ‘sir.’”
“But you didn’t know. He’s the jerk here.”
“Yeah, and now Trey thinks I’m the moron who just bowed down, and ya know what? There’s a part of me that agrees with him.”
Sloane’s lips flattened. “You’re not a moron. You were doing what you were told. Dahl, you’re really smart and kind, and you know your way around the bar better than the majority of employees.”
She slouched in her chair. “Great, I’m a highly skilled moron.”
“Dahlia.” Sloane rubbed her arm.
“I just don’t understand what I did. It’s as if Rod has some vendetta against me or something.”
“He’s probably holding his grudge against East and taking it out on you.”
What? Dahlia jerked her head, looking up at Sloane. “Why would he have a grudge against East?”
“I think he was hoping to prospect. He hung around a lot, according to Blade, but they didn’t think he’d be a good fit, so no one was willing to sponsor him. You don’t remember him?”
What the fuck? Dahlia turned in her seat. “When did he hang around East?”
Sloane glanced up at the ceiling and twitched her nose. “About six months ago, I think.”
This was news to her. Or was it? She didn’t remember Rod, but that didn’t mean much. She’d partied at East for a while and bartended a long time at the club. There were always people coming in and out, thousands of them.
“You gonna be okay?” Sloane squeezed her shoulder.
Dahlia nodded. Sloane smiled and walked out, leaving Dahlia lost in her memories.
Rod had tried to prospect for East? Dahlia thought back to her first day here. There had been a slight feeling of familiarity. She couldn’t quite place him, and his hostility seemed unnecessary. It had struck her as odd at the time, but she’d brushed it off. She hadn’t thought about it again. Until now.
