Page 276 of Tease Me


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“You can sleep through. We don’t have to meet for lunch today.” Would she go back to the coffee shop now that her job wasn’t just around the corner? “But will you call me when you wake up?”

“Yes. I want to know how things went at Crimson.”

“Thank you, baby. Sweet dreams.”

Boyfriends in the past, for the most part, tended to only half listen. Demetri especially. Xander wasn’t like that. Engaged, aware, proactive, he was more than a go-getter. He’d been there and got everything there was to get. Yet, he still cared about her. Was it because they were at the beginning? Would he care as much after six months? After six years.

Picturing their life together was difficult. What did she want? How could they make it work? It wouldn’t be business as usual, not for her, and not for him either, if it involved a home base. They’d figure it out. If something was important enough, people made it happen, and Xander Gauge was definitely worth it.

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“It’s so big!” she said, opening her arms as she turned on the spot.

Most of the internal construction upgrades had been done, yes, but it was far from club ready. From the bare walls, wires hung from holes, and there wasn’t a bar or stage in sight.

More than half a dozen individual spaces made up the club, some bigger, some smaller. It was difficult to picture how it would look at the end, but Roxie said there were plans and renderings to help.

“New York is the flagship venue,” Roxie said, “but every Crimson is important. We don’t do things by halves.”

“No, I see that.” The construction guys had left them alone at Roxie’s request. “So what do you think? Do you want to take it on for me?”

“I’m clumsy.”

“We’re not asking you to do the actual work, just supervise it. I don’t know exactly how long it will take to finish. These things tend to take on a life of their own. But it will need a manager too, once it’s up and running. And someone will have to deal with the launch.”

Sounded exciting and fun and way better than a stagnant customer relations job, but she had to be honest. “I don’t have a lot of experience with running nightclubs. Any experience actually. My experience comes from dancing in them, not managing them.”

“You’ll learn, and I’m always at the end of the phone. Though, truth is, I don’t have experience managing nightclubs either. Zairn has a lot of contacts. A zillion of them. We can help you employ a strong team, people who will support you, no backstabbing and Shakespearian games, promise.”

“You’re doing this because of Xander. Did he ask you to do this?”

“No one has to ask me. I’m an excellent judge of character… most of the time. Z and I have been talking about it for a while. It’s difficult for me to maintain a close eye on things while we’re zipping around all over the place. Think of it as being my eyes and ears, if that helps. Once you have your sea legs, we’ll take off the training wheels. Phew, that’s a lot of idioms.” They shared a smile. “If you hate it and you don’t want it, that’s fine, say that. But don’t think Gauge is the be all and end all. I met you, I like you, I trust you.”

“You must know other people in Chicago.”

“Yeah, my family, but there’s no way I’d let my sister near this. Her or her freeloading boyfriend. My girls, Jane and Toria, are on opposite sides of the country. It’s no easier for them than it would be for me to keep a handle on it.” Roxie came to take her hand. “But you’re not tied down by this either. If things with you and Gauge move on or involve traveling or relocating, your happiness is what’s most important. This won’t restrict you. It doesn’t have to restrict you.”

“And if things don’t work out with Xander? If we have a fight and hate each other?”

“Then he can fuck off to some far-flung corner of the world. Yes, we like to keep things in the family, but we’re not the mafia. We don’t cut people off because they stop having sex with a specific person.” Except they hadn’t had sex. Was that relevant? Something she should tell her new employer? “And Zairn has other friends anyway. If Gauge turns out to be an asshole, I’ll send you another.”

The broad grin on her new friend’s face wrought a laugh from the back of her throat. “It’s tempting…”

“You don’t have to decide right now. Take a few days, a week, to think about it, weigh up any other offers you have. You don’t have to jump in the deep end straight away. We’re not ball-busting employers either. Most everything can be undone, providing you don’t kill anyone, nothing is unfixable. We pay really well too.”

“I’m not playing hardball, I just don’t want to let you down. I want everything to be perfect for you.”

“Perfect can take many forms,” Roxie said. “Think about what’s best for you… And you can stay at my place too, for as long as you need to stay there. You and Gwenie. I can’t say we won’t drop in and visit every once in a while, but you won’t have to pay rent.”

“Oh, I would definitely—”

“Zairn wouldn’t accept it.”

She frowned. “I thought Knox owned your place.”

Roxie waved that statement away. “We don’t care about that shit in our group. Wouldn’t it be fun to be part of the Crimson adventure? We have clubs all over the world. As soon as you have your security pass, I’ll authorize it everywhere and… Oh! I almost forgot.”

Dropping her hand to walk away, Roxie went to her purse on a workbench and rummaged inside before returning with something hidden behind her back.

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