For a moment, I had to stop and question whether I was really doing this. She was an employee at a bar, and I was her boss. I didn’t want her to make a move on me just because I could advance her career. But on the other hand, she was beautiful, fun, and into me. When she pulled me to her bed, I could hardly refuse.
I took my suit jacket off and flung it toward a chair, my mouth still glued to hers. I kicked off my shoes and laid her on the mattress, feeling her soft skin. She got to work on my shirt buttons as I caressed her breasts. After pulling my shirt off, she quickly unbuttoned my pants, her hands finding my sensitive areas immediately. Mia was bold and went after what she wanted. I liked that quality in a person.
She leaned over to her night stand and tossed me a condom from the drawer. As I put it on, she took off her undergarments, absolutely stunning in the nude. I pulled her on top of me and entered her as she grabbed onto my shoulders. She rode me eagerly, vocalizing her pleasure and her want for more. I flipped her onto her back and took on the work, getting off on the pure elation on her face. After we finished, we lay side by side on our backs, satisfied smiles on our faces.
“I don’t normally do this,” she said sleepily.
“Me neither.” I chuckled, trying to remember the last time I had gotten with a girl. I honestly couldn’t remember.
Soon after the deed was done, she fell asleep beside me. Knowing that it wasn’t really my place to stay overnight, I quietly put my clothes on, left a note about how much I enjoyed dinner and our conversation, and went out to my car.
4
Alexander
Chuckling to myself as I flipped through documents sent over to me by my accountant, I couldn’t help but feel like an evil villain. If I remained patient and continued building my case against Maximo, I would be able to remove him from the bar, and hopefully, my life.
He had been nothing but unhelpful during the past week as I tried to sort out The Little Black Dress’s finances. Even the most benign question was met with resistance. At one point, I mentioned that the alcohol vendor he was using had lost their license, making our operation illegal if we continued to buy booze from them, and instead of giving me his vendor’s contact information so I could cancel future orders, he shredded his invoices from them. Later, I suggested we pay for a brief learning session with a world-renowned mixologist so the girls could brush up on their cocktail-making skills, and he screamed in my face.
Documents proved that he took shortcuts at every turn. As a business man, I was not opposed to working hard for the good deals. But I always tried to do so ethically, using knowledge as a negotiation tactic. The alternative was to use fear and threats, which is what Maximo tried with me.
The more time I spent with him, the happier I was that he hadn’t closely read our contract when I bought half of his business. Tucked within the text, it clearly states that if any illegal activity is committed in such a way that the business is harmed, the guilty party will give up their share to the other owner. Of course, this barred offenses that took place in one’s personal life, like illegal gambling and drug use on personal time. But crimes like embezzlement and using company funds to pay for illicit services would be enough to kick a partner out the door.
“It looks good, but I don’t know if it’s enough to bump him from your contract,” my lawyer said over the phone. “I don’t know if your civilian detective work will be approved by whichever judge presides over this case. It would be helpful if criminal charges were brought against him. Then, it would just be a matter of presenting the same case in civil court. Sure, the guy is clearly shady and your business is bleeding money from a mysterious source, but a judge can’t objectively decide a case with that information. You can’t suggest that he’s part of a criminal organization because he fits a stereotype.”
“So you’re saying I have to wait around until the FBI busts his ass?” I groaned. “Is there any way to expedite the process?”
“Careful,” she said, lowering her voice. “If you have better evidence, then perhaps you can file a police report. But if you do anything to set him up, you’re going to find yourself in trouble, too. My recommendation is to be patient and try not to go to the police until you’ve really got something on him.”
I sighed dramatically. I didn’t want to deal with that man any more than I absolutely had to. The sooner I could get him out of the way, the sooner I could make some real money. I knew he was stealing from the business, but I didn’t have any way to prove it.
Luckily for me, Maximo celebrated working a handful of days in a row by going on vacation for half of the week. While he was in Miami, I took the opportunity to snoop around his office in hopes that I would find the evidence I needed. But after I entered the room, I discovered that many of the filing cabinets were locked, and a key was nowhere in sight.
I called my lawyer again and asked her if it would be legal to pick the locks, seeing as the documents inside pertained to our joint business. After she decided that it was in line with our contract to do so, I called a locksmith to open the filing cabinets and every locked drawer I could find.
Most of my search revealed nothing. But my old-fashioned friend did have a Rolodex with lots of names and phone numbers. I carefully scanned each contact and saved it to my cloud storage, just in case any of the business contacts turned out to be shady.
When I could find no other leads, I sat in his chair and poured myself a drink from his minibar. I would have to remember to go down to the bar, restock his stores of illicit alcohol, and leave no trace of my meddling. Everything I had done was above-board, but I didn’t want him to find any reason to void our contract.
I heard a knock at the door and jumped like a child caught snooping through their parents’ belongings. I composed myself after remembering that I had every right to be in that office and that Maximo wouldn’t be back for three more days.
Then I remembered that Mia was working. I ran a hand through my hair and breathed on my hand to check my breath. My mind raced with all the naughty scenarios we could get ourselves into in Maximo’s office.
But when I opened the door, it was a guy with a leather satchel, not a gorgeous blonde with the hots for me.
“Uh, is Maximo here?” he asked, confused to see a new face in the office.
“No, he’s on vacation. I’m Alexander, his business partner.”
“Oh,” he said, visibly relaxing. “I have a delivery for him. Can I come inside?”
I frowned. “Sure,” I said, my voice trailing off as the kid walked inside the office. He looked no older than college-aged, and he seemed a little nervous. I wasn’t sure why the courier was afraid of me.
He opened his bag and pulled out a cardboard box, wrapped heavily in packing tape. I had a sneaking suspicion that I knew what was inside. I had been around Vegas long enough to recognize certain packages when I saw them.
“Has Maximo been a long-time customer?” I asked casually. “I know he’s not great at paying bills on time. Do I need to remind him that he owes someone money? Should I pay you now?”
The kid smiled and shook his head. “No, it’s not a problem. He always pays me in Visa gift cards and adds money to them online. It’s harder to track, you know? And a few thousand in a little plastic card in my wallet is easier to conceal than big stacks of bills, you know?”
“That’s smart,” I said. “Is there any way I can contact you if I require your services?” I asked coyly.
The kid frowned. “Maximo’s your business partner and you don’t get a cut of the goods?” he asked. “That’s cold.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, playing dumb. “Here, let me make you a drink,” I said, reaching for a bottle of vodka.
“Nothing,” he said quickly. “I guess I misunderstood him.” He graciously accepted the cocktail. I bet I was much kinder to him than Maximo was.
“How so?”
He took a long drink before responding. “I swore I heard him say that this was a business expense. I a
lways imagined that it was for VIP customers. That’s what a lot of the other nightclubs do. Are you sure you’re his business partner?”
“I could show you the contract,” I said, grabbing the copy on the desk.
“Cool,” he said, looking reassured by my signature. “Well, I should be going. Thanks for the drink.”
“No problem,” I said, smiling at the young man. “Have a good night.”
When the kid left, I grabbed my phone and dialed my lawyer’s number for the third time that day.
“What’s up, Alex?” she asked.
“Lauren,” I said, feeling giddy. “What should I do if I’m nearly certain that a box filled with drugs arrived at Maximo’s office, and I know how he’s paying the dealer?”
I heard her gasp on the other end of the line. “Don’t open it. In fact, don’t even touch another thing in that office. I’ll be there in thirty minutes. I’m calling the FBI tip line as we speak.”
I hung up the phone and finished the rest of my drink before locking up and heading back to my room. I felt a little guilty that the drug dealer would likely get caught up in the mess, and I hoped that he would receive immunity for cooperating. I was glad I never caught his name. I didn’t want to lead the cops to his door when he had only provided me with very helpful information.
On the other hand, I felt no guilt for getting Maximo in trouble. If he was truly using company money to buy drugs, then I could easily get the bar to myself. After all, I didn’t want what was technically my money being used to purchase illicit items. Recently, the cops in Vegas were trying to crack down on serious drug use in the city after scores of tourists were winding up with overdoses. It was the perfect time to bust Maximo.
Back in my room, I had one more celebratory drink. Maximo wasn’t out of my life for good yet, but I was well on my way to getting his toxic presence out of my life and out of my business.
5
Mia
Though it was strange to wake up in the middle of the night, naked and alone, I didn’t blame Alexander for leaving after I fell asleep. We weren’t exclusive or even dating, and it was admittedly unprofessional for me to sleep with my boss after knowing him for just a few days. I just hoped that things wouldn’t be awkward at work.
Two days after our dinner, he walked into the bar while I was working, and I blushed so hard I could probably be seen from space. I saw him chatting to a few of the other bartenders as I took orders, and I wondered if I should go to the bar to fill the orders or just hide until he left. As much as our fling meant nothing, I still found him incredibly attractive and charming and knew that it would hurt if he had no interest in me.
Much to my surprise, he greeted me like an old friend, asking me how my day had been. I told him I couldn’t complain and asked about his. He said that he had been hard at work for the last few days, sorting through paperwork and stuff like that. He told me that I had been a lot of help and that he looked forward to consulting with me more in the future. If that wasn’t enough, before he left the bar, he leaned in and quietly thanked me for dinner again, mentioning how much he enjoyed the evening.
I didn’t know what to think, but I felt somewhat relieved. At least I wouldn’t have to hide every time he came around to check up on the place. Maybe our hookup wasn’t the mistake I was starting to make it out to be.
However, things only got more complicated as the week went on. I was so used to Maximo’s style of management that it was a shock to see Alexander so eager to learn more about the bar. The other girls even noticed that he talked to me the most, and they teased me for it. I did my best to shut down any rumors and promised that he only talked to me because he met me first and I gave him some useful information about the bar.
I still didn’t get the vibe the he was just my boss and I was a lowly waitress. He was very friendly with me. In fact, it seemed like he was openly flirty with me. Every once in a while, he would stop down with a simple question about something he was working on. Oftentimes, it didn’t appear that the question was asked in earnest, more of an excuse to talk to me. I had fun with it, though, and flirted back when the situation called for it. I often flirted with my male customers, but that was more a means to get better tips and pass my long shifts at the bar. Other than that, I hadn’t gone on a date in months. I felt like I was really getting to know Alexander better, and it seemed like he was into me.
Deep down, I suspected that it would never be more than flirting. After all, he was a billionaire and I couldn’t even land an internship in my field. He had no reason to take me seriously. I could see how it might be fun for him to have a fling with a younger woman, especially one who was always around to flirt with. He was a busy guy, so it made sense that he chatted up girls when he had the chance. He had the looks, the brains, and the money to get absolutely any woman he wanted. And ambitious people always ended up with people like them. He would certainly go on to date models and marry an heiress or executive in years to come. I would be long forgotten by then.
I knew that I should have my fun while it lasted, but the fact was, I was terrified of falling for Alexander. He was the total package, and I wished that in another universe, I could end up with a guy like him. The last thing I needed was to catch feelings. Hopefully, we could keep things cordial, and eventually, he could write me a solid letter of recommendation for a good job. That was the most I could hope for.
Eventually, after a few days of fun flirting, he stopped showing up. I even showed up early and stuck around the bar after my shift, just in case he happened to stop by at a different time. There was no sign of him. I’d casually ask around to see if he had purposefully been avoiding me, only to find out that he had maybe dropped in to print a copy of the payroll or to settle a schedule dispute. I couldn’t help but wonder if I had done something wrong to cause him to lose interest in me.
Then, one night, he showed up and walked right past me to go to the back office. I stood transfixed in my spot, disappointed that he didn’t even notice me as he walked just feet away from where I stood. In a week, he had gone from having sex with me in my apartment to completely ignoring me. Feeling like I was about to cry, I excused myself to the bathroom, where I sat in a stall taking deep, even breaths as loud music pounded in my ears.
I liked Alexander, but I didn’t need him. Our sexual interaction was amazing, but it was no different from any other one-night stand. He didn’t owe me anything, and I certainly didn’t owe him anything. I needed to move on from him. For a multitude of reasons, it just wasn’t a good idea to try to have a relationship with my boss.
After I regained my composure and got back to work, I saw him leave the office with a small smile on his face. He began walking toward me, and I quickly bussed my empty tables, hoping to look too busy to be bothered. But I made the mistake of glancing at him as he got closer and we made eye contact.
“Hey, Mia,” he said, placing his hand on my shoulder. “I wanted to talk to you. You’re about done with your shift, right?”
I looked down at my watch. I had just a minute to spare. He must have been checking out the schedule in the back.
“Yeah,” I said flatly, pretending not to be interested.
“Cool. Are you going home now?”
I walked my dirty glasses to the bin behind the bar and grabbed my purse. “Yeah, going home,” I said as I walked back toward him.
“Cool,” he said again. “Why don’t I give you a ride home?”
“Oh, it’s fine,” I said. “I’m just going to walk.”
“Walk?” he asked. “It’s too late for you to walk that far. Let me give you a ride. I insist.”
I was about to refuse his offer, but he was right about it being too late to safely walk home. And I couldn’t help it if I wanted to spend just a little more time with him.
“Fine,” I said. “Are you going home, too?”
“Sure am. It’s been a long week.”
“You seem to be in a good mood,” I pointed out as we walked toget
her to his car.
“I am in a good mood,” he said with a smile. “I can’t really get too specific, but things are finally looking up for this business venture.”
“Yeah?” I asked, wondering how it would affect me. “Congratulations.”
“Hold off on the congrats for just now.” He laughed. “Remember, you didn’t hear anything from me. Let’s just say that it’s been an exhausting but fulfilling week and leave it at that.”
“Okay,” I said as he opened the passenger door to his Tesla. I slid into the leather seat, realizing that I had never been in a car this expensive. Part of me hoped that he would just take us both to his apartment so I could see how billionaires lived.
On the short drive, we chatted about how the bar had been the past few days. He apologized to me for not being around much, as his mysterious work had him quite busy. I told him that I hadn’t even noticed, even though I had stressed over his absence for days. He didn’t need to know that, though.
When we got to my apartment, he stopped his car. I thought he was going to lean over and kiss me, but he only got out of the car and opened my door. He was being a gentleman, which was nice, but I would have preferred if he were a freak instead. Taking me by the hand, he pulled me from his car and walked me to my front door.
“Thanks for the ride,” I said awkwardly as we stood on my stoop. I couldn’t remember a time where anyone had walked me to the door. I didn’t know how to respond. I thought about inviting him up for a drink, but it would be too embarrassing if he rejected me. I didn’t want to take his generosity as more than just a ride home.
“Are you going to walk me to my apartment door?” I laughed as he opened the front door for me and led me inside.
“Is that a problem?” he asked.
“No,” I replied. “So chivalrous,” I said sarcastically.
“Some people like that,” he said.
His Long Island Iced Tea Page 3