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Freshly showered, wearing my dress for tonight, and feeling much less stressed from earlier, I went to the main room where the bar was being stocked by two men I didn’t recognize. Bottles of expensive liquor were loaded onto the higher shelves.
“Is that Maestro Dobel?” I leaned over the bar.
“It is.” The guy said.
I spoke to Jill, but he’d answered instead.
“Who are you?” I squinted.
“I’m with Beni.” He said before going back to stocking.
I sighed. Here we go.
“Simone, he came in while you were in the shower. The truck loaded up to the dock. There’s new glassware, spirits, and fruit. I told him to wait for you, but he insisted that everything be loaded now before we open.”
“Where is he?” Why did this man insist on being my headache today?
“In the storage room.” She said.
I hissed. I was more than a little anal about the stock. I wanted things so neat in there that it was obvious if someone was stealing. No boxes, just shelves of orgAmized bottles and supplies. It cost me a pretty hefty penny for the system I’d created, but it was worth it. I lost very little month over month, and I didn’t let anybody in there without me or Cara present.
“You left him alone?” I asked her.
“I came looking for you.” She admitted.
I hurried in that direction to see Beni in there with four of his men.
“There aren’t any boxes in here so you’ll need to unpack those and load them onto the correct shelves. The system is easy enough. Clear, brown, blushes, and supplies over there. Let me know if you run out of room and I’ll get more supplies ordered.” He was saying as I entered.
Stunned again at the amount of care the men were taking and his orders, I paused only a minute before going into action.
“Beni,” I said with folded arms. “What are you doing?”
He smiled my way, before finishing his directions. He stepped outside into the hall with me where he inhaled sharply.
“I’m bringing in more money. You have a VIP section that needed even more reason to be exclusive. These are sold by the bottle only and increase the likely hood of bottle service instead of glasses of whatever they order. Whatever they sip that out of needs to be a reflection of that same image of wealth we’re painting. The club will start to attract bigger names and you have to be able to cater to them.”
“Okay, but you didn’t think that was something that you should talk to me about first?”
“I don’t want to dwell on technicalities. I don’t have to talk to you about anything. You’ve made solo decisions from the beginning and while that’s kept this place afloat, there are some upgrades you need to make. That’s what I plan to do.”
“The keyword in this arrangement is partnership, Beni.”
“Why can’t you trust that I’ll do whatever needs to be done? I don’t need to ask for permission.”
“I’m not saying ask for permission. I want a discussion so that I’m not blindsided. It’s the same courtesy I’d give you.”
“Is it? Because you said it yourself, Marcus was a silent partner. I’m not.” He nodded at something that one of the guys said and then he refocused on me.
“We need to discuss changes.” I firmly stated.
He raised his eyebrow and I wanted to knock the horribly sexy thing to the floor.
“Communication is key in a partnership, Beni.”
“It is. I’ll communicate if you do,” he firmed.
“Good.” I sighed, feeling happy that we can finally agree. “I don’t allow anybody in here alone that isn’t myself or Cara,” I informed.
