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The sudden flash of anger behind his words made my stomach flip. “It’s a busy nightclub. Sometimes assholes walk out on their tabs—it’s part of the gig. We do our best to stop it, but it’s inevitable that some of those assholes slip through the cracks.” My eyes bounced back to the expensive-looking camera being fixed to the ceiling. “Please tell me how much you’re spending on all this.”
“It’s not cheap, but we can certainly afford it.”
I knew he was right. There was no way a security system cost more than what the club pulled in on a single night. But truthfully, I didn’t like that a decision like this was made without me. It felt like my control was already slipping, and control was the one thing I thrived on.
I must have been showing my frustration, because Leo added, “Look, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that we’re extremely profitable—something I’m sensing has a lot to do with you. If it bothers you this much for the business to pay for the system, then I’ll pay for it myself from my own private reserve of funds. But Mara, this is non-negotiable. I will not have you in danger here.”
Oh. “Well, I . . .” I stumbled over my words, having been struck right in the chest. “I just want to be a part of decisions like this. I’ve been running things here by myself for a long time, Leo.”
He nodded. “Noted. I apologize that I didn’t consult you first.” He paused. “I suppose I should also tell you, then, I’m planning on bringing in a new security team.”
My mouth went dry in a panic. “What?” I screeched. “You can’t do that!” My mind immediately jumped to Frank and Ethan and the rest of the team who worked so hard and cared so much about our safety here. I would burn this place to the ground before I let Leo mess with my team. “Robert said you couldn’t affect anyone’s employment like that?—”
“Mara,” he interjected, holding his palms up. “Slow down. I’m not touching your team. They can function as normal. I’m hiring a different kind of team. One that’s more . . . executive-level team, whose goal is to remain unseen. They’ll blend in with the rest of the patrons—you won’t even know they’re here.”
I opened my mouth to argue out some sassy retort . . . but my jaw snapped shut again when I realized I didn’t have one. He wasn’t doing anything that would affect the current team. If anything, additional security would benefit it. Especially if they were secret eyes. We could certainly use that.
I sighed. “Fine. But you’re paying for them, too.”
He smirked. “Done.”
Shaking my head, I turned on my heels and marched back toward the office. The door was unlocked—Leo must have already been in here today—and when I walked through the door I found a brand-new bag of hazelnut coffee from a local coffee shop I’d been loyal to since first walking in years ago. There was a ruby-red gift bow stuck to the top, and a sticky note pressed to the front of the bag.
Mara, I apologize for taking what wasn’t mine. I hope this can serve as a truce? Enjoy, Leo
I blinked as I stared at the bag, feeling both genuinely pleased and deeply annoyed. Trying to settle my nerves from battling with him, I decided that a cup of coffee sounded really great, actually. So I moved the new bag to sit beside the one that was currently open before I brewed myself a cup in my favorite green Larkspur mug and sat down at the desk to finish up the upcoming staff schedule.
There was a pile of papers at the center of the desk—a work order for the security system currently being installed. It listed Leo as the main contact. Well, it listed Leopold Callahan.
Leopold.
A grin grew wide on my face at the clear ammunition.
I shuffled the paperwork to the side, clearing a space for myself in front of the computer, and got to work.
Chapter Ten
212-555-1024
Good morning, Mara. I hope all is well. I have something rather important I would like to discuss with you at your earliest convenience. Would you be available to meet for coffee sometime this morning?Please let me know a good time.Thank you, Leo
I’d only been awake for approximately four minutes, and I was already rolling my eyes from where I was burrowed in my small but absurdly comfortable bed. The timestamp showed the text came in two hours ago, at seven-thirty this morning.
Does the man know what sleep is?
We left Larkspur at the same time—it was nearly four in the morning before we got things cleaned up and prepped for another long night—which meant Leo either only caught a couple hours of sleep, or he never went to bed at all. The thought of Leo going to bed sent my mind tripping into visions of him sprawled out in his king-sized bed, of soft gray sheets draping over the olive skin of his hips as he traced lazy circles on my shoulder with his fingers.
Fuck.
I hastily typed a response and sent it before I could think twice.
I’m not sure how you got my number, but I suggest you lose it.
I watched as a little text bubble appeared before swiftly disappearing, only to reappear again moments later.
212-555-1024:
Hello, Mara. Your phone number is part of your employee records, just as it is for everyone else on staff. I’d like to politely stress the urgency of this required conversation. There’s a coffee shop on the corner near my building called Blue Sparrow Cafe. Would you please meet me there? Soon? Looking forward to it, Leo
