Page 13 of Duty

She didn’t have to think about how lonely her life had seemed before a Latina woman had stepped into her club only a year after she took over, looking for a job, but being very clear that she didn’t have papers. Haven had known that night, just with one look at Valeria, that the woman didn’t have very fucking much at all.

She gave her a job.

And a place to stay.

The rest was history.

Haven didn’t regret any of it.

Kicking her Nike sneakers into the corner with Maria’s bright pink rubber boots, Haven didn’t even get to the kitchen where her Bear Claw was waiting for her to devour it after her daily run. The ringing phone on the wall stopped her from getting her greatest treat.

Maybe that was why when she picked up the phone, she all but growled, “What?”

“Bad day?” a familiar voice asked.

Haven relaxed a bit at Jackson’s question. “No, I just got back from running. Something up with the club?”

Jackson handled a lot of the club’s business where the personnel was concerned—anything the girls needed, or the security. He kept their ship running smoothly whereas Haven handled all the paperwork, and making sure the business brought in a hefty profit.

She liked this arrangement.

It worked.

“Well, kind of,” Jackson said. “That order you made last week for the liquor—they called today and said something was wrong with it.”

“Nothing is wrong with my orders.”

“Tell them that. You know they won’t talk to me.”

Haven rubbed at the spot of tension starting to form in the middle of her goddamn forehead. “It’s supposed to be my day off.”

She didn’t get very many of those.

“Sorry—I’ll buy you coffee and a donut to make up for it before opening tonight. We can go to the shop you like down the road.”

She scowled.

Jackson thought he was sly.

He wasn’t.

“No, I’m good.”

“Come on, Haven.”

“Your sneaky attempts to get me out on a date still aren’t going to work, and you’ve been trying it for two years. I don’t shit where I eat—stop asking me to.”

“That’s … a disgusting analogy.”

“So be it; no dating employees. I’ll be there in twenty.”

Haven hung up the phone before Jackson could say anything more. She really wasn’t interested in hearing him, yet again, miss the entire fucking point of her refusing his offer. Jackson wasn’t a bad guy, and he was pretty harmless compared to some patrons that came into the club to watch the girls dance every night.

Still, he didn’t take a fucking hint.

And that was a problem for her.

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