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Edited by Peter Gaskin https://reedsy.com/peter-gaskin
CHAPTER 1
ZANE
Ever since I walked in to Club Syn, I’ve been itching to punch someone. If I had to take a wild guess, I’d say it has something to do with the messages that have been blowing up my phone for quite some time now. They’re from an unknown number and have been keeping me awake at night. But I’ll save that story for another time since I have a shit ton of things to do before heading home. My staff has been avoiding me at all costs. Given that, I’ve been barking orders the moment I arrived and that was eleven hours ago. Luckily, they only need to put up with me for a little longer.
Damn it if I don’t need a cigarette. Without thinking, my hand naturally reaches inside my breast pocket. Empty. Right. I quit smoking almost four months ago. Well, there’s no one here to stop me from starting right back up again. And I know exactly where I can find a pack of smokes—Ariel keeps hers hidden underneath the bar.
I quickly push away from my desk, open the door, and a few seconds later I’m fighting the crowd. It’s crazy insane in here and the only visible bartender is Ariel. Where the hell is Brett? My vice is soon forgotten as I roll up my sleeves and jump right in to bail her out.
I can’t help noticing Ariel peeking at me out of the corner of her eye. “Hey, thanks for helping out, boss. Appreciate it.”
Why would she be alone at this time of night? I force myself to take a few deep, calming breaths to get my heartbeat under control. When my temper’s finally at a simmer I ask, “Where the hell’s Brett?”
“He left a while ago to get more cocktail napkins from the supply room. He should have been back by now.”
“Call Drew so he can finish helping you out here while I go find Brett.” He better have a damn good excuse for leaving Ariel alone during rush hour.
My hand doesn’t even touch the doorknob of the supply room when I hear a husky moan. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the person on the other side of this door is not in any pain. Oh, quite the contrary. It sounds like a very pleasurable experience. My instinct is telling me to fling open the door but my subconscious is telling me to be very, very quiet.
I do love the element of surprise.
Slowly, I push open the door to find Brett with his pants down around his ankles—while delicate hands with blood-red nails hold his ass in place. Hmm, no one mentioned Rachel was missing too, but clearly she has her hands as well as her mouth full right now. Shit just got real and they’re about to join me in having a bad day. I quietly step inside, only to slam the door behind me.
A loud POP resonates throughout the room as Brett quickly bends down to pull up his pants, revealing a wide-eyed Rachel when she realizes her cover’s been blown.
Pun intended.
Calmly, I reach inside my jacket and pull out my cell phone. It’s time to call Mike, better known as the Terminator. “Could you please meet me in the supply room, we have a situation on our hands.”
“Right away, sir.” See, no questions asked. At least some of my employees respect me.
Since his back is facing me, Brett startles at the sound of my voice. I guess he was hoping that Ariel might have ventured out to find him instead of me. I don’t utter a word, I just glare at the two guilty parties and wait. I’m not going to get into an altercation until I have a witness of my own. Right now it’s two against one. And I won’t fuck around with a sexual harassment lawsuit.
“Please, Mr. Sinclair, let me explain.” I hold up my hand to stop Brett from making a complete ass out of himself. Besides, what’s there to explain? How his cock just so happened to land inside of Rachel’s mouth? Please! If he thinks he can talk his way out of this one, then he’s dumber than I thought.
Rachel begins sobbing when there’s a knock on the door. She should have thought of the consequences before she gave Brett a blowjob at work. Mike’s wearing his game face when I open the door. This is not his first rodeo and I’m sure it won’t be his last. “Mike, could you escort Rachel and Brett to their lockers? They’re to clean them out. And make sure they only take their personal belongings. Anything that belongs to the club remains here. I want them to leave the building without any disturbance.”
“Absolutely, Mr. Sinclair.” He points to the two perps and says, “You two follow me.”
“Please don’t do this, Mr. Sinclair. I’m a single mom and I have a daughter that depends. . .”
How dare she try and lay a guilt trip on me.
I slowly spin on my heels to confront the groveling bitch. “In case you’ve forgotten, Rachel, Club Syn has a no fraternization clause in place. You can’t deny you’ve broken that clause because I just witnessed it with my very own eyes. You’re both fired. Pack up your belongings and get the hell out of my sight. It’s a hard lesson to learn but one you’ll not soon forget.”
I watch as Mike escorts them both out of the room before shoving my hands inside my pants pockets. I have a sudden urge to punch the wall and I’m hoping this will stop me from doing so. Now I need to hire and train two new employees when we’re already short-staffed.
Now is definitely a good time for that smoke.
It’s hard not to notice everyone staring as I saunter back into the bar. Well, I can’t stop Rachel and Brett from running their mouths, but they will never hear a peep out of me. “Ariel, give me your cigarettes.”
Her head snaps up so fast, I think she might have given herself whiplash. “Boss, you quit, like, months ago.”
