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“Oh,” a female yelps, rushing to cover her chest with a cushion from the couch.
“Shit,” I curse, swinging back around, just as Nolan lands in front of me. I tilt my head, and he drops his eyes, ashamed. “So when the bosses are away, the kids will play, huh?”
He says nothing, and Brad wanders over, shaking his head. “What have I told you?” he asks, sounding like a reprimanding parent.
“No hooky with the girls,” Nolan says, sighing like an admonished child. “Hardly seems fair when Otto—”
“Never mention Otto’s previous dabbles with strippers,” I warn. Does this mean he’s still getting some with the girls?Not your business.“Understand?”
“Understand,” Nolan mutters, his dark eyes rolling a little.
I shake my head to myself, at the same time trying to reason with myself too. The kid’s barely a man, and here he is surrounded by all this temptation. I should cut him some slack. But still, he was told not to go there, and he went there. What else is he doing? “You need to deal with this,” I say to Brad. “He’s your prodigy.” The girl skirts past me, pulling on a denim jacket, and gives Brad beseeching eyes.
“Mr. Black, please, I need this job.”
Brad waves her off. “Go,” he orders gently, as I turn and step back into the office. Again, I come to a jarring halt when I register what I neglected to register before, when I had a half-naked, panicked employee before me. “The fuck?” I breathe, feeling Brad join me.
“Yes,” he says quietly, gazing around. “The fuck, Nolan?” He storms forward and waves a deranged hand around the office. The office that looks like a fucking slum. Okay, granted, it’s a show office, a decoy, an illusion, but still, smokescreen or not, it’s still a representation of the business.
I shake my head, looking back at Nolan, who looks pretty fucking sheepish, but I don’t get a chance to demand an explanation, and, really, it isn’t my job. Over to Brad, who swipes up a cushion and tosses it back on the couch where the blankets are strewn. Then walks over to the desk, where there’s a toaster, a kettle, a... “Is that a fucking smoothie maker?” he barks, poking at the glass jug that’s full of some familiar green slop. I pout. I haven’t had my morning juice.
“I can explain,” Nolan says, hands up, coming at us.
“Please do,” Brad yells, wafting his hand out and sending a few kiwis flying across the office. He perches on the edge of the desk and folds his arms over his chest, looking at Nolan with an expectant glare.
“I’ve got nowhere to go,” Nolan says, his shoulders dropping.
“What?” Brad barks.
“He said he’s got nowhere to go,” I chime in, lifting the glass jug off the base and taking a sniff.
“I fucking heard him fine,” Brad mutters, throwing me a scowl then a grimace when I tip the jug to my lips for a taste.
I hum. “This is quite good.”
“Thanks.” Nolan beams at me.
“What’s in it?”
“There’s a bit of broccoli, a kiwi, some celery and—”
“Ginger?”
“Yes, ginger.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Brad snaps. “So when I fire your ass, you can get a job atJoe the Juice.”
“Oh, come on, Boss.” Nolan gives pleading hands, and I take a pew and carry on sipping my way through the juice. “I work my balls off for this club. You know you can trust me.”
“Yeah, and I pay you for it. You can’t afford rent on an apartment?”
His eyes drop to the carpet. “I will be able to next month,” he says quietly. “I had some debts to settle.”
I look at Brad, the jug at my lips, and he scowls across at me. “What debts?” he asks. I can see he’s thinking what I’m thinking, and I’m thinking there’s a hidden office upstairs with millions of dollars of cash being cleaned. We wouldn’t miss a few bucks here and there. I set the jug on the desk and stand, making my way to the concealed door.
“I’ve not stolen from you,” Nolan calls, and I stop, looking back. The unmoving embarrassment splattered across his face speaks volumes. “I just needed to get my head down somewhere until my next paycheck.”
I look at Brad, assessing his disposition. I believe the kid, and I know Brad will. He’s always backed him. Fair dos, he’s overstepped the mark, with the womanandthe accommodation, but employees like him aren’t easily found and he runs the club like clockwork. Eager to please. Will only bring us a problem if it’s a real problem.
