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By the time I woke up and got ready for the day, Lanie was already gone, which is a little disappointing. But she left a note thanking me again for a wonderful night and telling me she’d see me later.
Scrubbing a hand across my face, I let out a frustrated breath.
I had a hard enough time being a gentleman and keeping my hands off her last night. It was harder than I thought it would be, what with watching her walk around in those skin-tight yoga pants that showcased that perfect ass and a t-shirt that was stretched tight across her full, round tits. I think I deserve a fucking medal for my restraint.
After powering down a cup of coffee and a piece of last night’s pizza, I finish getting ready, hook Daisy up to her harness and leash, then head out for the day. As I walk out, the sound of my crew gathering for the day catches my attention, so I walk out to the back of the building to find them laughing and joking around with each other. When they see me and Daisy walking over to them, they straighten up.
“What’s going on, Boss?” Eddie, my longest-tenured employee and project manager, asks.
“Just wondering if you clowns are going to play grabass all morning, or if you’re planning on getting some work done today?” I reply.
He flashes me a grin. “Well, if playing grabass all day is an option, then I kind of think the answer is obvious.”
I chuckle. “Smartass.”
I look over the crew. Most of them I've known for years. Good, solid, hard-working guys. But I see somebody I don't know and the red flags immediately start waving in my head. Six-one with black hair, black eyes, and a strong, well-built physique. He’s covered in tattoos and I think what alarms me is that some of them are, without a doubt, jailhouse ink.
I’m a big believer in second chances and not letting a person’s past define their future. I’m a walking example of what second chances can do. But something about the guy just hits me wrong.
“Who’s the new guy?” I ask.
“That’s Deever. Greg Deever,” Eddie answers. “Brought him on a couple of days ago. He seems solid.”
“He looks like an ex-con.”
"Probably because he is," Eddie tells me. "But he's been upfront about everything. And I know you like giving second chances, so…"
I nod. “I do. Just… keep an eye on him, would you?”
“Sure… something wrong?”
“Not sure,” I reply with a shrug. “I just get a bad hit off him. So, eyes up.”
“Will do. You’ve got my word,” he replies. “Anyway, we should be ready to start digging the pool today. And I already have Tony and Benny leveling out the ground and marking the perimeter for the sauna and exercise room.”
“Good, good. How’s the timeline looking?”
“If all goes right, we should come in ahead of schedule by a week or so.”
“That’s good news.”
Back when I was a kid, I worked construction. I remember all too well humping all day in the heat and coming home at night too exhausted to eat. Not that my parents ever did much cooking anyway. Having bad parents is something Lanie and I have in common, it seems.
All those days busting my balls in the blazing sun though taught me a lot… both about work ethic and about the business itself. It also taught me the sort of boss I wanted to be—and didn’t want to be. I spent a lot of summers working for total assholes, and I vowed that when I started my own company, I wouldn’t be an insufferable prick.
Eventually, I was able to start my own construction company. It was small at first. But I put every ounce of my blood, sweat, and tears into it, and over time, it grew. I went back and got my contractor’s license, and today, my company is one of the most successful in Los Angeles. We’re sought out for projects big and small, from home renos to new construction for office space. It’s a testament to my will to create this company as well as to the people I have around me.
One of the first rules I learned was that you’re only as good as the crew you have around you. So, I’ve made sure I have a team of skilled, gifted, and passionate people on staff. Everybody from the secretaries in my office to the laborers I have doing the demolition. Although I don’t hesitate to cut out any cancers I find among my team, I treat everybody with respect and pay them well, which not only ensures loyalty but good performance. My company is one of the few that gets A+ ratings from customers as well as employees in industry surveys.
“Okay, good,” I say. “I need to check in at the office, so I’ll leave you to it.”
Daisy and I turn and start heading toward the parking lot when Eddie falls into step beside us. He waits until we’re out of earshot of the rest of the crew before he leans closer and pitches his voice low anyway.
“Hey, Boss, I'm not one to question your judgment or decisions or tell you what to do with your money or anything, but before we break ground here, I just kind of want to make sure this is what you want to do,” he says.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Well, I mean this place… it’s not in the greatest neighborhood and is kind of rundown—”
