Reggie raised his brow with a smirk. “You’re aware of why, right?”
I chuckled. “That they were sleeping together? I suspected. And based on their reactions, I also suspect it was more than just sex.”
Reggie sighed. “I wonder if that’s going to be a thing for Luka, or if it was a one-off.”
“Which is why you dial things back for him, let him move at a slower, less demanding pace, and watch him without being obvious,” I said with a little reservation. “Or have someone else do it.”
He frowned. “I can do subtle.”
“Mmm,” I hummed thoughtfully, jiggling the mouse so my computer dropped out of sleep mode. “I should get through the expense reports. Considering we might get some new inflow of money, it would be a good idea to hop on these so I can assess what the new budget will look like.”
“You aren’t fooling me,” Reggie growled, jabbing a finger at me. “You think I can’t be subtle!”
“I said no such thing,” I said blandly, carefully keeping my face still and hopefully innocent.
“Ohhh, you ass,” he said with a scowl. “You watch. I’m going to monitor him so subtly, not evenyouwill notice I’m doing it.”
“Okay,” I said, slowly blinking. “If that’s your plan, you won’t hear an argument from me.”
“You’re gonna swallow that doubt so damn much,” he said, heading for the door. “Just you wait.”
I said nothing, waiting until he was gone and watching my office door close before letting out the snort I’d been holding back along with my laughter. Seventeen-year-olds weren’t the only ones susceptible to a little manipulative reverse psychology.
REGGIE
“I did not realizethis was a thing,” Luka said, eyeing the table of liquor bottles, mixers, a bowl of ice, and coolers of beer on the floor. There were tables of food as well, from an outside company, because if I was giving the employees a weekend to cut loose, that included the kitchen staff. “I totally didn’t think booze was allowed, like, at all… in the main areas. Not your and Mr. Shepherd’s offices, that is.”
The noise of the party filled the cafeteria, and I knew it would bleed out to the rest of the resort. For some, the noise might have been alarming or tension-filled, but me? Well, everyone knew I was weird. The sound was relaxing to me. It was the sound of a season finished, with another right around the corner. A sound that signaled it was time to let loose and have some fun.
Forget about pills and smuggling, betrayal and failure. Hell, forget that, technically speaking, I was on the bad side of the man standing beside me eyeing the table. It was a weekend I made sure I gave all employees, to mark the end of one era and the start of another, every few months. One where we were all meant to have fun and make a few questionable choices.
A time to forget about time and even rules, and just…be.
I snorted, gesturing toward the table. “Help yourself, Luka, there’s no reason for you not to enjoy yourself too. Especially since the next season is right around the corner.”
He pulled a face, but whatever annoyed him, he kept to himself as he reached out, and I couldn’t decide if I was surprised that he grabbed the tequila first. “Is it a good idea to have a staff party only a couple of days before bringing in the next batch of guys?”
“There’s a reason we do this on Friday and Saturday,” I chuckled, deciding a beer was fine for me. Eventually the alcohol would kick in, and I would start hitting the harder stuff. It would be a miracle if I didn’t end up trying to go shot for shot with someone by the end of the night. Which wasn’t a good idea for someone whose hangovers were getting worse and worse every year. “Because then you can spend Sunday recovering. Don’t worry, we set up for the party, but we set up for the fallout too. My advice? Try the hot spring with your hangover; it’s a miracle cure.”
Luka snorted, dumping orange juice into the tequila and grabbing the grenadine to swirl on top. “When you gave me a couple of weeks off, I didn’t think I was going to come back to a full-on frat party.”
“Oh, come on,” I chuckled, looking at the staff as they made themselves plates or milled around with drinks in their hands. “You didn’t think I was going to let you miss your first staff party, right?”
Luka had missed the last one because he’d technically still been in training to be a Guide. I suppose you could call it being overly picky or harsh, but I didn’t let new employees join in the staff party until they’d gone through at least one full season, or in Luka’s case, close enough to a full one to count.
“I remember you mentioning it months ago,” he said, giving his glass a swirl and taking a sip before frowning and addingmore orange juice. “But this is, uh…not quite the staff party I was expecting. The ones I’ve seen are a little more…professional.”
I glanced sideways at him. “Would you believe me if I said this type of staff party was Marc’s idea?”
I couldn’t tell if he believed me, but he looked surprised. “Really? I, uh…I mean, I wouldn’t have thought this would be Mr. Shepherd’s thing.”
I looked around the room meaningfully. “I mean…have you seen him?”
He frowned. “I…no, I guess I haven’t. So, it was his idea, but he doesn’t come?”
“Sometimes he does,” I said with a shrug. “He always makes an appearance during one of the two days. Usually at the beginning, has a drink or two, and then goes back to his quarters right around the time the alcohol kicks in.”
“Not a party person, huh? That makes sense, I guess,” Luka said thoughtfully.
