“Oh,” she said. “I hadn’t gotten that far yet.”
“My father will own twenty percent of any venture his sons do. It’s just a given. He’ll put the money in and it’s allowed to stay under this umbrella, hence making benefits and payroll and all those HR things easier for everyone.”
Something he was grateful for and he knew his brothers were also.
“And you’re buying something for yourself.”
“It will be seventy percent me, my father his twenty, the other ten split between Eli and Egan. We work those things out depending on the amount of the investment.” He waved his hand. “Staff here will be delegated or hired, or transferred over from the company I’m purchasing. That stuff will happen once the sale goes through, if it does.”
“Can I ask what it is first?”
“Donuts.”
“Donuts?”
“Yes. There is this gourmet donut shop two blocks from here. My brothers and me, we can’t get enough. Eli thought it’d be great to have one in the casino. It’s close to the docks. People stop in there for all sorts of shops and small fast food at the courts while they travel to and from the island for many reasons, not only to gamble at the casino.”
“He didn’t want to just ask them to move in?”
“They can’t afford to do it and it’s struggling as it is. They’ve got three shops and are falling on hard times. Can’t keep their staff, isn’t managed well. Just poor decisions that a bigger company could handle and absorb.”
“And you want to do that or just want free donuts?”
He liked the humor on her face, the sound of it crowding her voice. “Well yeah, I want free donuts for life. Wouldn’t you?”
“Not if I want to fit into the clothes I own.”
“Those clothes look damn fine on you too,” he said. “Especially those pants. Hugging your—” He stopped when she pointed her finger at him. “Monday, got it. Fuck, this is harder than I thought.”
“Glad it’s not just me. As you were saying, free donuts for life.”
“It’s three stores, the fourth is going into the casino as fast as we can get it up after the sale.”
“If it goes through.”
“It should, but I’m not going to be bled any more than they want to be taken advantage of. We are working out what I think is a fair market value offer.”
“What will my role be in this?”
“Blair went through all the security checks I had coming in. Griffin does all of that for most Bond-operated businesses.”
“Blair had told me that. Guess he’s got a lot of reach. Even when it comes to giving someone the slip.”
He picked up his pen and tossed it at her, over her shoulder to not hit, but get her to duck. “It’s Monday,” he said, crinkling his nose.
Her upper lip disappeared into her mouth. “You had it coming.”
“I like it when you c?—”
“Alright. That’s enough for me to know there has to be a firm line in the sand. Not even a tiny crack of a joke or you’re off track.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t use to be this way.”
But it wasn’t as if he’d ever dated anyone who worked in the company let aloneforhim.
It was the one thing he avoided at all costs.
Yet here he was sleeping with the employee he was working the closest with.
