Chapter 5 #2
Wil flips him the bird. “I worked a twelve-hour shift today, the second one this week. I think I’ve earned a night off.”
“Oh, poor Wil, such a martyr,” Eric says.
“Twelve hours!” I cry. “Why?”
“We’re short-staffed in media.” Wil finally looks at me. “Which is why we hired you.” He clenches his jaw. I haven’t seen him smile since I got here, not once. Wil after a twelve-hour day is not as friendly as Wil at a HollowPoint show. Still sexy, though.
“Great!” I smile but he doesn’t. “All the more reason for me to come in at six tomorrow. I will see you then. Do we have a server or…” I look around and flag down a guy in a black T-shirt and a Ground Round apron.
Sam nods. “Excellent, Abbey. That’s exactly how you handle him. He doesn’t always have the best judgment when it comes to product processing.”
“Or friends,” Wil says with a pointed look at Sam.
I’m still smiling. I have only a vague idea of what Sam means by product processing, but I’ll find out soon enough. In the meantime, I slide into the seat next to Wil and order a Rolling Rock. I do have to work at the ass-crack of dawn, so I’m going to hold myself to one beer.
“What’s Loss Prevention?” I ask.
John rolls his eyes. Rude. “Who hired this one? She hasn’t even started yet, and she’s already fraternizing with the team,” he says in an annoyed tone.
Wil says nothing, but Sam clears his throat.
The server sets my beer on a paper coaster. I drag my finger on the drops of condensation. “I’ve already memorized my employee number and filled out about fifty employment forms,” I say, “so I have technically started. Also? ‘Fraternize’ is a patriarchal and demeaning term.”
“A feminist,” John says with more than a hint of scorn. “What term would you prefer?”
“How about socializing? Getting to know my teammates.” I’m careful to use that term instead of coworker, as instructed at Team Training. “Does Hometown have some archaic fraternization policy? And isn’t that exactly what you’re all doing?”
Sam laughs and gives Wil a pointed look, eyebrows raised and head tilted. “Doesn’t look like this woman is going to take anybody’s crap. See you bright and early, Abbey. Jaws, you coming?”
“On second thought,” Wil says as he slides back onto his stool, “I’ll stay.”
“Is that right?” Sam grins and follows Eric out of the bar.
“Not sure I should leave this one alone among the wolves,” Wil grumbles to himself.
“I’ll socialize with you anytime, even if you are a feminist,” John says, leaning in. Then his eyes widen. “Unless you’re a dyke. Aren’t most feminist dykes?”
“You can’t be serious,” I say. “You shouldn’t say things like that!”
“John,” Wil says with warning in his tone.
“I’m gonna take a leak,” John says, and the next thing I know, Wil and I are alone.
“I’m so sorry,” he says. “That was inappropriate.”
“You shouldn’t apologize on his behalf, though.
” My voice shakes. Why am I suddenly a magnet for this kind of behavior?
Or have I always been surrounded by sleazebags and I’m just now noticing?
I swallow hard and pull myself together, waving my hand toward the techs. “Those guys don’t seem very wolfish.”
“Don’t fall for the stereotype,” he says.
“They are strategic, master manipulators. Take Ian, for example. Looks perfectly harmless but he’d have you bound and gagged in the back of a windowless van on your way to a remote cabin in northern Minnesota with no electricity or running water before you could say Lake of the Woods. ”
“That’s very specific.” I reach across the table for a handful of the famous Ground Round popcorn in its little cardboard boat. “And disturbing. Why is he kidnapping me and taking me to a remote location off the grid, anyway? Wait. Don’t answer that.”
He shrugs and slides the popcorn closer to me.
“And no way would that guy make it without electricity,” I continue. “He lives in Uptown! And he’s a gamer!”
“That’s what you’re taking away from this conversation?”
“I can handle that wolf pack. And besides—” I look up, straight into his eyes, darker blue in this dim light. Oh, yes. This is a topic I’d like to explore further: Wil’s eyes. “Ian’s not my type.”
“What is your type, then?” He lifts his bottle to his lips.
“Not a Muppet,” I mutter, and am rewarded with Wil choking on the sip he’s taken.
When John returns, even though I’m still leery of him, I ask a seemingly innocuous question (“How long have you worked at Hometown?”), which results in a long, detailed description of his “real” job at a security company and how he has recently started working concert venues and met Prince (lucky!) and a long list of names I don’t recognize.
He’s only working at Hometown to help out his buddy Donnie, the loss prevention team captain.
If he weren’t giving off such pompous and predatory vibes, I’d love to hear his stories about Prince.
“Have you ever met Hulk Hogan?” I ask with an innocent tone, and Wil chokes back another laugh.
“Hulk Hogan?” John repeats. “Why would I have met Hulk Hogan?”
“My mistake. Do you ever work at The Golden?” I ask. I can’t help but glance at Wil, who’s staring at his bottle. “I go there a lot. Have you seen HollowPoint?”
John scoffs. “HollowPoint is not my style.”
“They do an awesome cover of ‘I Would Die 4 U,’” I offer.
“I’m sure,” he says, then flags down the server for his check. Touchy subject, I guess.
“What’s your story, then, Wil?” I turn my attention to my new boss. “How did you end up at Hometown Electronics?”
John barks out a laugh. “Good one.” I don’t understand why he thinks that’s funny.
Wil stands up. “And on that note, I’ve got to get home. You should think about it, too, Abbey.”
I look around. The techs have thinned out, with only Ian and one other guy left. To be honest, I am tired, and getting up at 4:30 is going to be rough after two days of napping at the pool. I rummage through my purse for cash.
“Nah,” Wil says, “I got this.”
I look up in surprise. He’s my boss. He shouldn’t pay for my drink, especially if there’s a policy against “fraternizing.”
“Oh, no—”
John interrupts. “What about mine, Wil? You gonna pay for mine?”
“Nope. Sounds like you make so much money at your ‘real’ job, you should be buying ours.”
John glares at Wil and throws a few bills on the table. “That should be enough to cover yours, too, Abigail,” he says and walks away.
“Her name’s Abbey,” Wil calls after him. He pulls a twenty from his wallet and sets it next to John’s cash. “That guy’s such a jackass. I can’t believe he’s friends with Donnie. You ready?”
I stand and am surprised again when Wil places his hand at the small of my back as we walk, guiding me through the bar.
The contact sends that swirly, swizzly feeling through my veins, like a cool, frothy, tart margarita on a hot summer evening.
I shiver, and he must notice because he drops his hand.
This is so confusing. He’s your boss, I remind myself. No touching. No swizzle.
“I’m this way.” He points to the right after we step outside, opposite of where I parked.
“I’m over there.” I jerk my thumb over my shoulder.
“See you at six, Rhodes,” Wil says.
I suck in a breath. I like the way he says my name, gruff and gritty. I like it too much.
“See you at six.” I straighten my shoulders and walk to my car.