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“Call me if you need anything,” he said. He stood behind Chuck so Chuck didn’t see the pointed look Razer gave me. “I mean, anything.”
I nodded. “I think I can manage.”
I gulped again.
“That was just business,” I said, starting to rearrange the bios in front of me. “Just business, nothing else. Of course, he shouldn’t be back here. I know—"
"So, have you thought any more about this competition," Chuck asked. "You're going to agree in the end so you might as well stop beating around the bush. You've made your 'feminist' stand and all that."
Maybe if I brained Chuck with a rock, all my problems would be over. I wondered what would happen to the club then. Would it be obvious if I started asking about his will and who his beneficiaries were?
No one had shut up about this competition since the idea had come up. Half the bar staff thought it was a brilliant idea and the other half thought I was right to say no. Babs, in particular, was against it. I suspected she had a thing for Alex herself.
Chuck looked at the sofa as though he wanted to sit down. I hoped he did. I hoped he sat right in the hole and got a stick up his butt. That'd teach him to hover around my office.
"The competition is stupid." I didn't really want to go into all my arguments against it again. If he hadn’t understood the first fifty times, he sure as hell wouldn't understand if I told him again.
"Violet, I don't think you appreciate the dire circumstances we are in."
"I don't think you appreciate how I've been working my guts out to get us out of those dire circumstances. And, to be frank, Chuck, I think you could do a bit more yourself. I'm not your clean-up crew. You're still driving that fancy car. Even if it is leased, it's still a financial drain. You can get a decent pushbike cheap."
"Have you done the rosters for this week?"
Typical Chuck, changing the subject when it looked bad for him. I nodded and handed them to him.
"And you've sent them out to the press?"
I nodded again. Of course I had. This was my job. I did it every week. Why was he suddenly here interfering? Why did he keep fidgeting? It made me uneasy. He was stalling for time and that meant he had unpleasant business. I owed Chuck and that debt went deep but he was the one who'd been so adamant about me not dating rockers.
"Good."
I looked at him, waiting for him to leave. I had work to do.
He walked toward the door and then paused. He’d done that on purpose, for dramatic effect. I waited for the bomb to hit.
"The way things are going, I'm going to have to get rid of some staff. If we don't have a big money-spinner like the competition, I think Carlie will be the first to go."
I gasped, his words hitting me like a blow. That shit pig, how dare he stoop so low? If I had a bolt-cutter, I'd cut his nuts off.
Chuck had a hard edge to his mouth, as though daring me to protest.
"That's blackmail."
"It's business. Sure, things are going okay now but it's not nearly enough. Increase profits or cut costs. That's the way of business."
"Why Carlie? She works harder than anyone."
"And I pay her more than anyone. Think about it, Violet. I'm not saying you have to do this but if your best friend loses her job, you’ll only have yourself to blame."
Nausea rose in my stomach. Chuck was willing to throw anyone against the wall to get his own way. If he got rid of Carlie, he'd be cutting his own throat. I was half-tempted to call him on it.
If I stubbornly stuck to my guns, he'd back down. Maybe.
But, Carlie? I couldn’t let her lose her job just to prove my point.
We’d been through so much together. She was like a sister to me. More than a sister. She was the one I went to with my problems. She'd always been there. Always willing to lend me a tenner to get through until payday and share clothes and listen to my bitching about Chuck.
That nausea worsened as Chuck stared at me. He had me against the wall and he knew it.
