by Measha Stone
When he pulled out into traffic still remaining silent, she turned back to face the front of the car. Wasn't he going to say something, yell something, do something? He looked so irritated with her when she'd come out of her apartment, how could he say nothing? It was her apartment after all! She needed to shower. It made the most sense and she had left a few toiletries there just in case. He was being unreasonable.
"How did you know where I was, anyway?" She found herself demanding, as they drove closer to the club. Just a few more turns, and he'd be in the parking garage around the street. He still said nothing, but his jaw clenched tighter. "Did you sit outside the dinner all day like some stalker?" She was irritated that he continued to play silent games with her. "I don't do the Christian Grey thing." She threw at him when he pulled into a reserved spot near the elevator of the garage. Once the car was in park, she threw open her door and jumped out of the car.
"Alyssa. Come here." His deep even voice stopped her mid step before she was able to reach the elevator. He hadn't yelled, or even slammed his door. He merely gave the dictate. She took a deep breath and turned to him. She didn't want to screw everything up just when it was starting. She wanted him to be pleased, happy with her again. But she wasn't going to be anyone's doormat, not again, not ever.
Once she was within touching distance she stopped, crossing her arms over her chest. His jaw had released some of its tension, but his eyes were still dark, a storm brewing there.
"Did you enjoy my ignoring you?" he asked firmly.
"That was a game?" Great.
"No, no game. Did you enjoy it?"
"No." She answered honestly, her face becoming heated. She'd been doing just that all day with him. "I'm sorry I didn't text you back. I was working."
"I get that. Did I text you too much?"
"No, not really. It's not that."
"Then what?"
"I'm going to be late, can we talk later?" She asked pointing to the exit door. He shook his head.
"No."
"Fine." She looked him in the eyes and sighed heavily. "I don't really know why I didn't respond." She told the truth. It hadn't been a game, but she could see how he'd see it that way.
"And going back to your apartment?"
"I had to shower. I was late, and if I'd grabbed a cab back to your place I'd be even later."
"I know. That's why I wanted to pick you up and bring you back, so you'd have time."
"It's still my apartment, Alex. I can go there whenever I want." She was back to feeling defensive. "And how did you know I was even there?"
"I was on my way to pick you up from the diner. Since I hadn't heard from you, I figured you were really busy and might not have time to get back to the apartment. When I got your text about going straight to the club, I had already turned down your street. I saw you going into your building." He explained. The bubble in her chest burst. She'd been an idiot.
"So, no stalking?"
"No. No stalking. I was making an attempt at chivalry." His lip turned a bit in the corner, his eyes softening as she dropped her hands to her sides and let out a deep breath.
"I'm sorry." She said again. "I told you, I'm not good at this." The heat in her cheeks spread to her ears. He chuckled and reached for her, pulling her to his chest. He placed a kiss to her forehead.
"You don't have to be good at this, not yet. We'll work on it. Together. But I do want you to do something for me tonight. I want you to think about this, really think about why you want the submissive role. What appeals to you about it, why you enjoy it, or even if you enjoy it. Then we'll talk tonight." He cupped her chin and pulled it upward until their lips met in a warm, passionate kiss. It wasn't demanding like the others. The hunger was still there, but not as intense. This kiss was tender. It left her breathless and her heart racing. "Now. You're late for work. Let's get upstairs."
Once in the elevator, Alex picked up her arm with the white bandages wrapped around her wrist with a questioning look. "Oh. Just a little grease fire this morning. It's nothing." She pulled her arm back and went about adjusting the strap on her bag. The burn throbbed with heated pain, but she did her best to ignore it. She had an eight-hour shift coming her way, and she couldn't afford to miss it over as something as silly as a burn.
"When we get upstairs I'll look at it." He said, entwining his fingers with hers and pulling her from the elevator once they were on the main level of the parking garage.
She thought to ask about going up separately, but the squeeze from his fingers made her think better of it. "I don't want the staff to think badly of me because of us." She voiced her concern once they were again tucked away in an elevator, this time headed up to Top Floor.
He faced her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her forehead. "If anyone gives you any trouble, you tell me."
"Right. So my boyfriend the boss can deal with it." She rolled her eyes.
He sighed heavily. "No, so you and I can deal with it. I won't step in with the staff. They aren't my area, anyway. That's Bradley's deal. If you need him to step in, you go to him." He brushed a stray hair from her cheek, his knuckles igniting her desire for his touches as he did so. "I handle money and advertising."
"Cause you're an ad man?" She asked ruefully and received a pinch to her ass for her trouble.
"Yes, cause I'm an ad man." He kissed her and then moved away as the elevator rang their arrival. He winked at her as he held the door with one arm, and waved her through with the other. "After you,"
She wanted to laugh, but she noticed Brandon waving her over as soon as she stepped onto the floor. Forgetting about Alex wanting to look at her wrist she hurried over to the distraught bartender.
"What's wrong?" She asked, removing her bag from over her head.
"Did you know that Kerri was leaving?" He sounded devastated. "She's moving to Minnesota," he told her.
"No, she didn't say anything to me about it." She shook her head. Although she listened to Brandon as he listed all the reasons it was a disaster, she watched, from the corner of her eye, Alex making his way through the lounge heading for the office.
He appeared casual at first glance, but his presence was known as he strolled through the couples mingling. He stopped at a few tables to talk with customers, smiled and made conversation. Everyone wanted a moment of his time, and he gave each of them his undivided attention—when he wasn't sneaking a peek in her direction. Each time he caught her gaze on him, she felt her face flush. She'd never blushed so often in her life.
"You know they are hiring for Kerri's position." Alyssa heard Brandon say, just as Alex made his way into his office.
"Well, I would think so." She smiled. "Why don't you apply?" She suggested. The brooding look on his face quickly morphed into pure terror.
"Absolutely not. I'm no good at confrontation or being in charge. What if everything went to hell? No way."
"I think you'd do a great job." She rested her hand on his forearm. He continued to shake his head.
"Nope. But you should." His eyes went wide at the thought. "Yes. That's a great idea!" he smiled, seeming proud of his own idea.
Alyssa laughed. "Yeah, 'cause I've been here all of three weeks."
"What's so funny?" Kerri joined them, resting her tray on her hip. "I need two Bloody Mary's." She told Brandon who quickly went to work on the order.
"I was just telling Alyssa that she should apply for your job. You know, the one you're abandoning." Brandon pulled out two glasses from the cupboard.
"Abandoning?" Kerri rolled her eyes. "He's been like this all day. Robert got offered a great job, it would be stupid not to take it." She told Alyssa. "He's not wrong, you know. You would make a great manager." Placing the tray on the bar for Brandon to put the finished drinks on, she nodded to Alyssa. "Apply." With that she walked back toward her table with the drinks.
Alyssa shook her head and walked from the bar. She needed to get started and standing around talking about a position she wasn't ready fo
r wasn't going to help her. The lounge was already half full of couples and small groups discussing their plans for the evening and enjoying a drink before they moved to the play rooms.
As she put the small black apron around her waist she noticed the job positing for Kerri's position. She liked Kerri, as much as she'd been able to get to know her over the past few weeks, and seeing her go would mean letting go of her comfort zone. Kerri had taken her under her wing immediately, showing her many of the duties some of the other wait staff didn't handle. She'd taught her how to book private parties and how to upsell the packages. Alyssa had enjoyed the extra work; it gave her something to do other than slinging drinks and appetizers.
"There you are," Alex's voice caught her off guard and she gave a little yelp as he walked into the lounge. "Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you." His grin was anything but frightening. His eyes mirrored his smile. He looked too damn sexy to be so casual. Even in his well-made, recently pressed suit he looked laid back.
"You didn't." She finished tying her apron.
"I want to look at your wrist before your shift, come into my office." He didn't wait for a response, he simply walked away. She let out a sigh and followed, avoiding the eyes of anyone in the lounge as she walked toward his office.
"It's not that bad," she told him once inside his office and the door was closed. He pointed to the chair behind his desk and marched off to his private bathroom. "I already cleaned it." She called out to him as he reentered the room carrying new bandages.
"I know. I just want to see the damage." He laid out the clean wrappings, medical scissors, which she had a feeling were used for more than first aid, and tape. Once it was all ready, he turned to her, leaning against the desk and put his hand out.
She thrust her wrist out to him. "My shift started already." She said when his warm hand wrapped around her forearm. The slightest touch from him made her mind swirl, she needed to keep focus. They were at work.
"It's fine," was all he said. He slid the medial scissors beneath the bandage and cut away the wrapping, pulling it gently away from her skin. The grimace on his face told her that he knew how much it was hurting her for him to do it, but she fought against making any sound. She hadn't had any ointment at the apartment, so the bandages stuck to her skin more than she would have liked. The blister that had formed immediately after the accident had already popped beneath the bandage.
"This doesn't look good, Alyssa." He lifted her wrist to examine it more closely. A jagged red line covered the width of her wrist. The skin on the edge was loose from the burst blister and a clear liquid pooled around the edges. "This is a pretty big burn. We should go to the ER." He looked at her with concern.
"No, that's okay. It will heal. I just need to keep it clean, and put some antibiotic ointment on tonight." She shook her head and reached for the bandages. He pushed her hand away and looked at her more firmly.
"This is bad burn." He said again nodding in the direction of her upturned wrist in his hand.
"I'm aware of that." She agreed. "It's only a second degree burn. I need to get it bandaged so I can get back to work." She nodded toward the white strips of bandages on his desk.
"How do you know so much about burns?" She knew he already knew the answer. He'd seen her naked; he had to have seen the scars.
"Alex. I need to get back to work." She whispered keeping her eyes away from his. If she looked into them and saw the firmness there she would give in and she wasn't ready for that.
"Who?" He picked up the first bandage and went about the job of wrapping her wrist, but the question hung there just the same. "Your mother?"
"No." She shook her head.
"Your father?"
"No." She laughed. Her father hadn't been in her life for more than thirty seconds after she'd been born. He'd told her mother that he couldn't afford to leave his wife and that she'd have to raise her child herself. He promised to send money, but never did, and he moved his family away where she couldn't track him down. Alyssa was supposed to have been her meal ticket, but instead she'd let her down and was nothing but another mouth to feed.
"Who?" His voice was chilled, she looked up at his eyes and saw the stone in them. He wasn't angry with her, but he seemed very determined to know what happened, how she managed to have burn scars on her thighs. She'd hoped he wouldn't notice, or at least not mention them. They weren't very large or dark anymore, having faded a lot since she was a child, but they were still evident.
"One of her boyfriends," she whispered and looked away from him.
"It wasn't an accident, was it?" he said, no question lingering just a known fact.
"No." she pushed her shoulders back and straightened her spine. Squaring off with him. "Sometimes I got in the way." She looked him in the eyes as she spoke. "I didn't mean to, but I was only seven. My mom was taking forever to get ready for their "date", and I kept asking her questions about something. I don't even remember what now, he got tired of me, he grabbed the curling iron from my mom's vanity and, well, I stopped asking questions." Alex finished taping the bandage. He held her hand in his, his thumb rubbing gently on the inside of her palm.
"What did your mom do?" he asked quietly, with a reluctance she understood. Paul knew enough about her childhood, and he'd obviously mentioned it to Alex; there was no need to defend or explain her mother.
"She gave me an icepack."
"The scar on the back of your calf, I thought it was a birthmark."
She sighed. "No, it's not. I was much older with that one. It was worse, but I healed." She rubbed his arm and pulled her wrist from him. "And I will heal this time, too." She grinned at him. "I really need to get back to work." She stood from the chair and took his face in her hands. "Don't worry about things you can't change." Her lips brushed across his, and she started to walk around him and from the room, when he stopped her with his hand on her arm.
Before she could turn, he spun her around and slammed his mouth on hers. It was a hungry kiss. As though if he didn't have her that moment he would combust. Just as she began to melt into his hands, he pulled away and grinned down at her with satisfaction in his eyes. "You should get back to work. Enough dawdling." He gave her ass a playful swat and sent her on her way.
Just as she reached for the door handle it flew open, nearly hitting her in the face. Bradley made a quick apology and turned his attention to Alex. "We have a serious issue." He waved papers at him as he entered the room. Alyssa smiled at Alex as she closed the door. For the first time in a long time the smile she wore felt completely natural.
Once the door was shut she turned to head back to the bar and get herself going into her shift. Trying to maneuver through the crowd of people just arriving, she managed to step on a man's foot. "Oh. I'm so sorry." She apologized and turned toward her victim.
Stephen Manchester stared back at her with a wide eyed Cheshire cat grin. "No problem, baby, no problem at all."
Chapter Sixteen
"What's the problem?" Alex took the papers from Bradley and offered him a seat.
"The leger." Bradley waved his hand at the papers, ignoring the seat and walking to where Alex kept his whiskey. "It's all kinds of fucked up."
Alex sat in his seat grazing over the columns with his eyes. "I can't really tell. I'd have to do a full audit. But what is it that has you worried?" He tossed it on the desk.
Bradley put his glass on Alex's desk and pointed to the second page. "These expenses. Recognize the names?"
Alex sat staring at the numbers and the vendors listed. "Isn't that Travis's place up north? The little cabin in the woods or something? Why is that on our expense report?" Alex picked up the paper and peered over more of it. "And Salon 333? What the hell? Have you asked him about this?"
"No. How can I? The only time he's here is when he brings his party up for a play night. There are just as many discrepancies for John, too. They never show up for the meetings and now they are billing our company for all their playtime!" Bradley's eyes da
rkened as he finally sat in the chair offered to him earlier, by throwing himself into it and downing the glass of whiskey. "We need to buy them out."
"I'd love to. But all my money is already tied up here. The other two floors aren't making as much as we are, so the profits we are turning here are funding the other two. Which I've been meaning to talk to you about. We need better management on those floors. Better reporting of sale daily totals and such. I know our priority has been Top Floor, but we do own the other floors as well. "
"Right. Let's try to get Travis and John to sit down about all four floors and not just Top Floor. I'm sure that will work. Those two need to go. Or at least they need to repay the company this money." Bradley leaned over and stabbed the papers with a pointed finger.
"Did you talk with the accountant yet? I thought we hired that firm to watch this kind of crap." Alex got up and walked over to get his own drink.
"Yeah, they said it wasn't their place to question the doings of the owners. I pulled the last three P&Ls with details and found more of the same. They've been bringing us general reports that only show office expenses, but not an itemized list. That's our bad, our stupidity. But that stops now." Bradley's voice hadn't risen in volume once since he burst into Alex's office. In fact, just the opposite, it lowered, softened and remained completely level. Alex knew Bradley enough to know that was a very bad sign. He had reached his limit.
"Let's schedule a meeting with them. Let them go over these expenses and give them the chance to offer to pay back the company. If they won't, then we'll just take it out of their next distributions check," Alex said. He felt the anger in the room, and he shared in it. He'd invested a lot of money into the club, and although he was making his money back, he wouldn't tolerate theft.
He'd been considering ending his advertising career and putting all of his energy into the club, and the sudden turn of events only made him consider that option with more vigor. He could be there every day, working the books as well as working the marketing for the club and events. He could really push the club further. Not just Top Floor, although he had a lot of ideas to bring in more members and more revenue, he needed to also put more effort into the three floors beneath it. The dance floors made a little money, but weren't doing as well as Top Floor. True the line to enter each night did grow, but the door fee couldn't carry them. They needed more revenue on the inside as well.