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“People just drink your liquor?” I asked, unable to disguise the surprise in my voice.
“Every damned day.” A hint of exasperation laced Holden’s tone.
“Sounds like you need to clean house, then. If I were you, that’s exactly where I would start: getting rid of the people that aren’t respecting your business and the bottom line.” I stood and sat in the chair again, wiping the remaining tears from my face. “If it’s a perk, then that’s one thing.” I crossed my legs and grinned at him. “Not having a cast on… I can cross my fucking legs!” I threw my head back and laughed. It was funny how I’d taken that fundamental movement for granted.
“Keep talking, babe.”
“Huh?” I shot him a quizzical look.
“Perks. What were you saying?” Holden grabbed my ankles and lifted them into his lap. He gently massaged my calf.
“Well, are bottles walking off or do you have an idea who it is?”
“Both. Liquor is where we make our money,” he explained.
I drummed my fingers on the table, my brain kicking into gear. “If you don’t know how the alcohol is disappearing, it sounds like you need to update your camera system as well as security. It would really depend on how much money you’re losing and if you would regain it by paying additional employees. If not, then security doesn’t make sense.”
A smile spread across Holden’s features. “How do I stop it?”
“Employee perks. For every one thousand dollars in sales, they get a free bottle of mid shelf alcohol, or some shit like that. Reward your good people, and the ones who are mediocre, allow them to earn rewards. Cash bonuses or their choice of alcohol.”
“I like it. A lot.” He gently moved my pant leg up and massaged my calf.
My eyes rolled into the back of my head. “Oh my God, that feels amazing.” I allowed myself a minute, then I remembered what I was going to say. “I have a question for you, though.”
“What’s that?” A spark of intrigue flickered over his handsome features.
“You bought the club and turned it around in a year, so why do you have an employee problem? I mean there are assholes everywhere, I get that. But you’re business smart, so why are you asking me when you already know what to do?” I tilted my chin up, waiting for his response.
“I only found out about it a few days ago and I haven’t had time to figure out what I want to do.”
“Gotcha. So, do you think my suggestion could work?” I wiggled my foot as the massage shot tingles through me.
“I do. I’m going to look over the financials and compare the cost of hiring security versus the loss due to theft. It might be worth it for a while regardless. I definitely like the incentive idea. But ...” He pursed his lips. “Your business sense is impressive. Maybe I should hire you to consult and help me fix some things that I haven’t had time to do. We would work together.”
I narrowed my eyes at him in disbelief. “Really?”
“Why not? You just helped potentially solve a situation in five minutes. I’m pretty sure we can do more. Forget the back office. Work with me, River. I pay well.” A wicked grin spread across his face, and he wiggled his brows at me. “Very well.”
I giggled, loving what he was implying. Nearly giddy, I nodded and let out a little squeal. “Oh my god. I’m so excited to be on the inside of this business. The clubs, membership ... It’s fascinating.”
Holden leaned over, his heated gaze falling on my mouth, then rising to my eyes. “You’re fascinating, River Collins and I’m the luckiest man alive to have you by my side.”
The sound of my heart melting reached my ears, and I blushed. “And to think I could have slept in someone else’s recycling bin.”
We sat in silence, grinning at each other like lovestruck teenagers.
Holden straightened his long legs in front of him, his jeans hugging his muscular thighs. “I know we have a small plan for my dad, but I don’t know if I feel better.”
“Just find out when he’s leaving. Worst case scenario, I’ll stay with Brynn.” I patted his arm, attempting to reassure him. But it was difficult when I didn’t feel comfortable with the situation either.
“I don’t like the idea of being away from you at night, though. I should ...” A mischievous glint flashed to life in his expression. “What if we moved in together?”
Chapter Thirty
I shot him a questioning look. “We live together already.”
Holden laced his fingers behind his head, a cocky smile spreading across his face. “There’s space on the floor above this conference room. It’s huge. I’ve always wanted to make it my penthouse. I even have the architectural plans for what I want. What if we go over it and you tell me if you’d like to see changes? You can add anything you want, then we can start on construction. Once it’s done, we’ll move in upstairs.”
