Chapter Three
Lucas
I shouldda known my cousin would still be the same interfering little shit as when we were small. ‘Come and work for me,’ he said, ‘managing my club’. He’d told me I’d be trained up. He had not told me that I would have a female manager. After the shit I had go down this last year this just wasn’t fucking happening.
It was goddamn typical. Meet an attractive woman in the lobby, get her in close proximity and then find out she was your boss. Well, I needed a job, but the quicker I learned the ropes and she was outta my hair the better. She needed to be kept at arms length.
Then I find out that it’s all informal there, first name terms and shit. Great. Mind you with the way she snarled when I asked her if she was a Miss or a Mrs., I think I’ll call her Princess Jenson just to wind her the fuck up.
I turned to my new assistant, Jess. “Jess, I can see you’re taking notes. Would you kindly come to see me after the meeting so we can go through making the arrangements for me to meet the other staff and get my passwords and security set up?”
“Of course, Mr. Hall.” She looked from me to Aidan. “Oh, that’s gonna be weird, two Mr. Hall’s.” She said smiling.
I liked her straight away. You could see she was an open book. “You’ll have to call me Lucas then.” I told her.
I caught Ash doing an eye roll. I stared at her again but she didn’t flinch under my gaze.
“Get him to make an appointment with me, Jess.” She told her. “You have my availability. I’ll meet Lucas whenever he’s ready to find out what happens around here.” The statement was loaded with the unspoken words ‘I’m in charge’. I had no problem with her authority, as long as she kept it professional.
You see I’d just gone through an ordeal at my last place of work, where I’d managed a bar and my female boss, the owner, had sexually harassed me. It had started with her standing a little too close, then accidental brushes of her arm against mine, before the final act where she’d called me into her office for a one-to-one. Unknown to me she’d locked the door behind her and proceeded to try to grope my cock over the top of my slacks. Then when I’d shown no interest she’d stripped off her top baring her breasts. Once she realized that even stripping I wasn’t going to do anything with her she’d ruffled up her hair and declared I’d attacked her. A long and drawn out investigation had yielded no evidence either way and her allegations were dropped. However Aidan knew all this and knew that a female boss was the last thing I wanted. So what was he playing at?
“Okay, so Ash. If this week you can get Lucas as self sufficient as possible and then set up meetings to chat with designers, focus groups and the project manager. Can you also work with designers on the apartments and ensure they have everything you both need.” He turned to Lucas. “So give her a list of anything you can’t live without, like a fridge large enough for lots of beer.”
Way to make me sound like a drunk player rather than a professional businessman, cous.
“I’ll dictate a list to Jess.” I said.
“Actually, I’d rather show you around the space so you can get a feel for the place.” Ash challenged. “Also, even though I’m running Abandon XL, I’d still like your input. We’re a team here and you may have useful past experience. Where did you work before?”
“I managed a bar in Queens.”
“Oh,” Ash replied. “Was it a large venue?”
“Does size matter? Surely it’s what you do with it?” I said and watched as her eyes blinked fast. I’d got her that time. Then I checked myself. If I made her feel uncomfortable then I was no better than that bitch, Jo.
“I apologize for that remark. It was inappropriate. Put it down to first day nerves.”
She ignored me.
Good.
“Well, I think that’s enough for you to be getting on with this week. I’ll leave it for you two to organize what hours you’re working between you. Just please make sure the club is covered. Henry is only ever at the end of the phone if you need him. He might have sold his club to me, but he still can’t quite let go.”
“Would you show me around upstairs, Jess?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks, Aidan. Nice to meet you, Ash. I’ll get Jess to fix up some time for you to show me around.”
She nodded but didn’t make any attempt to stand to shake my hand or anything.
I left the room, following Jess upstairs.
***
“You can tell me to mind my own business but what was with the frosty atmosphere between you two? You don’t even know each other do you?”
I sighed. “It was obvious, was it?”
“I was like shivering, it was Siberia in there.”
“I think we’re going to get along great, Jess. I like people being straight with me.”
“We’re a team here, like Ash said, so you’re going to have to start thawing that situation out, whatever it is. What’s happened between you?”
“Nothing.” I chewed on my lip. “I’m bringing baggage from my previous employment here and letting it cast a cloud over my first day. I’ll apologize to her later and start afresh.”
“Good.” Jess nodded. “I don’t want to end up being the middle guy in a boss war.”
Jess was fabulous. She introduced me to everyone I needed to know on the office floor and I spent the rest of the day getting set up with everything I’d need to start work tomorrow. What I hadn’t done was visit the club during opening hours so I figured I’d go get settled in my hotel room, grab something to eat and then return to the club later in the evening.
“Can you let Ash know that I’ll be around the club this evening?” I asked Jess. “If she has any time she could take me on a tour. If not, I’ll just look around myself.”
“Sure thing, boss.” She saluted and I laughed.
***
I was staying in a hotel that Aidan had recommended, just down the street from the club. I’d only had time to drop off my luggage and hadn’t even gotten my room key card yet. I got this from reception and took the elevator up to my room on the eighteenth floor. The room was great. With a king size bed, a desk, tv and WiFi - everything I needed for the foreseeable. I needed to get an estimate of when my apartment would be ready as I couldn’t live in a hotel for weeks on end, but this week, this would be my home and as I threw myself onto what proved to be a very comfy mattress, I felt satisfied that I’d made the move.
Aidan and I were close. He’d lost his brother in a motorcycle accident when he was fourteen and so our families had spent a lot of time together with our shared grief. As we’d gotten older and made our own way in life we’d not seen each other as much but text and called each other from time to time.
It felt good that we were back in each other’s lives. I didn’t have siblings and I admired him as a person, not just a family member. He’d promised we’d go for a drink soon, but my arrival had coincided with him jetting off to look for a new club venue. That was one thing about my cousin; his business brain never switched off. I was looking forward to meeting his girlfriend, Lori, too. The one who’d finally tamed him.
My stomach growled and I realized I needed to get some dinner if I was heading back to the club for hours. I debated on ordering room service but after traveling earlier I couldn’t rule out falling to sleep afterward, so the restaurant looked to be a better option.
After heading to the bathroom to freshen up, I grabbed my wallet and rode the elevator to the second floor on which the restaurant, Carlo’s , was located. The smell of tomato and garlic permeated the air and my stomach rumbled in anticipation. As I stood waiting for the Maitre D’ to allocate me a table, I startled when I saw Ash sitting by a table near the window. As if she detected eyes on her, she turned my way and I received an eye roll as recognition hit her features.
Shit. I was going to have to sort this situation out.
“I’m gonna see if my colleague will allow me a seat at her table.” I informed the Maitre D’ after giving him my room details and I made my way over to Ash.
“Well, I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” I asked. “Do you mind if I join you? We seem to have got off on the wrong foot.”
“Sure.” She shrugged in an ambivalent fashion.
I took a seat opposite her and the waiter came up and took my order for a beer. “Do you want anything?” I asked Ash.
“No, I’m good thank you.” She turned to the waiter. “Could you ask them to hold my food order until Mr. Hall’s is also ready?”
I didn’t want to delay her dinner and have her pissed at me for that too so I quickly picked up the menu and ordered the first thing I saw - a lasagna.
The waiter left us and I took a sharp inhale of breath before speaking.
“I want to clear the air. I’ve been an ass and it’s not your fault. It’s mine. I’m projecting shit from my past onto my future. I fucked up. I’m sorry.”
She sat up straighter at the table. “Look, Lucas. I don’t know anything about where you’ve come from. How you got the job. I’m clueless. Then you were fine in the lift but suddenly went artic on me. I’m committed to my job and you need to know that. I won’t play games, I don’t have the time. So if you have stuff to say, let’s hear it so that we can get on with our work.”
“You’re the consummate professional, huh?”
“Completely, so don’t mess me around.” Her narrowed eyes showed me that she wasn’t going to put up with any more douche behavior from me.
My drink arrived and I took a taste of my beer. It was heaven in a glass. While I drank I considered my position and I decided to be straight with her.
“I had issues at my last place of work.” I looked directly at Ash even though I found it difficult to do so. “I was accused of sexual harassment by a boss who actually sexually harassed me - a female boss.”
“Oh.”
“Aidan didn’t tell me that I was coming here and getting another female boss.”
“Hey!” She spat out sharply. I put up a hand to stop her.
“You don’t need to say anything. I’m not insinuating that you were going to molest me. It’s just been a very difficult year and I’m still sore over it, wary.” I decided I may as well be truthful. “Can I be candid, without you getting pissed at me?”
“You can try, but I’m making no assurances.”
“Look, when I saw you in the lobby this morning and held the elevator, well… let’s just say I wouldn’t have done it for everyone. When I then found out you were my boss - I reacted by going ‘arctic’ as you put it.”
She took a sip of her wine and sat back in her seat. “Well, that makes sense so thank you for explaining that to me, but you can be assured that I don’t shit where I eat. There’s a relaxed rule about staff dating at Abandon, but I made my own rule a long time ago. No work relationships. What you see with me is what you get. I’m hardworking, obsessed with making Abandon the best there is, and I don’t have time for relationships fucking with that. So can we draw a line under this now? I’m sorry that you had that happen to you, it must have been very stressful, but no matter how hot a man is, if they work for Abandon, they’re off the menu.”
“Are you saying I’m hot?”
She flushed. “No. I meant if they were hot.”
I started laughing and a smile finally broke across Ash’s face too. I raised my glass and held it out across the table.
“Here’s to a fantastic new business relationship.” I stressed the word business and we clinked glasses.
We chatted while we ate dinner. “So how are you finding your room?” She asked me. “What kind did you book?”
“Just a standard, to keep costs down for now. Can we prioritize getting our apartments done though?” I wiped my mouth with a napkin. “Do you eat here a lot? I guess it’s handy, being close to the club.”
“Oh I’m staying here. My treat for my promotion at work. I have the worst apartment, it makes you want to have a bath when you leave. So I decided I’d pay for a small suite for a week. I know I’m going to die when I get the final bill, but I have toweling robes, a jacuzzi bath, a huge flatscreen, a couch, desk, and the most comfortable bed ever. For once, I’m actually resenting having to go to work as I just want to starfish and eat chocolates - of which they left a complementary box on my bed.” Her eyes lit up.
“Hmmm, sounds a lot better than mine. So you’re a chocolate woman, huh?”
“Yes,” she patted her stomach. “Hence I’m not a gym bunny.”
There was nothing wrong with Ash’s body. She was tall, and willowy, with long brown hair but I refrained from commenting about her appearance. Just as we agreed, it was strictly professional.
She finished her meal and groaned. “Oh, I’m so full. I just want to go to my room and sleep for a week but work awaits. Jess said you were coming over tonight to look around. I have time to show you a working night.”
I indicated for the waiter to bring us separate bills. I would have paid for both but could guess that Ash would demand we pay our own way. We signed the tab and then got to our feet.
I pointed in the direction of the exit.
“After you, boss. You lead and I’ll follow.”
For now. I thought. Until I can run the floor my own way.