Chapter 6
Erik, one of my new bosses, is giving me a tour of the premises. Everyone seems very kind, and things are quiet because it”s morning. He seems in good spirits, and from what I”ve gathered, Keith talked me up quite a bit. So, my feelings are leaning towards the positive. My heart, however, is messed up in ways I can”t even begin to describe.
”Okay, so I”ll show you your office after you meet our CEO, Mr. Lewis. If he seems angry, don”t mind him. He”s in a bad mood today. You won”t be dealing much with him, so don”t worry about it.”
We stand by the door, and Erik knocks softly. There”s no answer, but he just walks in and I follow behind him. The office is large and has some monitors that show different areas of the club. I”m one step behind him, and when I hear my name, I move to the front with my hand held high to shake Mr. Lewis”s hand.
Except, Mr. Lewis is Max. My Max.
I start sweating, wishing for the earth to drag me down into its bowels. My face feels locked in a look of terror, and my hand comes down back to my side. There”s fury in Max”s gaze, and I hesitate to move. I”m not really paying attention to what Erik is telling him, but when Max nods, Erik takes me by the arm, and we retreat from the lion”s den.
”That went well,” Erik chuckles.
He ushers me to a few doors down the hall from Max”s suite and opens a much smaller office. It”s perfect for my needs and he starts telling me about the computer and log-ins and other stuff that I don”t really care about.
Max is my boss! I thought I would never see him again, and now he”s here and he”s angry. Of course, he”s angry. I left him without a word.
As soon as Erik finishes his spiel, I nod to him and smile as if I understood everything he just told me. But my mind is going a mile a minute, and I can”t help myself.
”Is the CEO always that intense?” I ask him.
”Maxwell is very dedicated to our business. Sometimes, he takes it and himself too seriously, but don”t tell anyone I told you that.”
”Okay. If I need you, how do I get a hold of you?”
He looks at me strangely but then smiles. This is probably one of the things he told me while I wasn”t listening.
”I”m next door. Extension 127. You look nervous all of a sudden. Are you okay?”
”I guess it didn”t hit me that I was starting this awesome job until just now. Thanks for showing me around. I”ll work hard to catch up to what you”ve been doing. I already have a few ideas for promotions we can run to increase clientele.”
”I”ll let you get started, then. Remember to go back to HR sometime this morning to finish your paperwork.”
”Okay, I”ll do that. Thanks, Erik.”
Once Erik leaves my office, I start freaking out. Will I be fired the same day I start my new job? What am I going to tell Max when he comes looking for answers? Because from what I saw in his office he”s going to be here soon. I start pacing in the small area behind my desk, and I pull my phone out of my purse.
My friend Julie is on speed dial, and thankfully, she picks up on the second ring.
”Hey! How is it going on your first day?”
”I think they”re going to fire me.”
”What? No way, whatever happened, Keith can intercede for you. You”ve got this.”
”I made a big boo-boo, Julie. I accidentally slept with the big boss.”
”How did that happen?”
”It”s too long of a story to get into right now, but it”s not just that. I lied to him. You know how I get when I”m under pressure.”
”God, Anne. I thought that was just a phase.”
”Even worse, Julie. I really liked him, but I snuck out of his place without leaving a note or anything last night, thinking I was never going to see him again. Then today, I find out he”s the CEO of Midnight Heat.”
”Okay, first take a breath. Then, are you sure he”s going to fire you?”
”No. But he”s really angry at me. I saw it in his eyes.”
I”m still pacing behind my desk when I feel a presence in the room—a big, hard, gorgeous presence with a scowl on his face.
”Um, Julie. I”ve got to go. Talk to you later.”
I hang up the phone and place it on my new desk.
”You lied to me.”
I look up and his intense expression makes me tremble. I say the only thing I can. The truth.
”I lie when I feel pressured. I”m sorry.”
”Did you know I owned the place before you hit on me?”
”Excuse me, that was a two-way street. You hit on me, too. And, no. I didn”t know who you were, just that some women were gossiping about the hot dude in the VIP section, and I guessed it had to be you.”
”You left. No note, no anything. Why? You didn”t enjoy our time together?”
”This conversation isn”t appropriate for the workplace, Mr. Lewis. All I need to know is, are you going to fire me?”
”Right now, I”m too angry to make any decisions. Besides, our partner hired you, and I”d need a pretty good reason to fire you before you even start. You haven”t answered my questions.”
”I…”
There”s a knock at the door, and Erik comes rushing in.
”Annette, try to talk to HR soon. Oh, Max, what are you doing here?”
”Telling our new employee that she”s to report to me directly.”
”But you don”t care about marketing,” Erik says.
”I do now.”
Max turns around and exits the office, leaving Erik and me in shock. He squints his eyes at me.
”I”m sorry. He never takes an interest in marketing and social media. I don”t know what”s gotten into him. Just, whatever you”re going to report to him—report to me first.”
”Right.”
”Welcome to Midnight Heat.”
The next few weeks are a struggle for me. I try to stay in my office as much as possible, but part of my job is to be on the floor at least twice a week to see if my promotions bring in customers. But there”s a big possibility that I can run into Max there, and I want to avoid interacting with him as much as possible.
Max, however, won’t let me hide. He comes by every day and demands a report from me. I”ve already told Erik about it, but he”s just as flabbergasted at his partner”s behavior. Max’s visits are all the same. He comes into my office, sits down, and stares at me. He does this even though I send a report each morning to avoid him coming here.
Then, the same words come out of his mouth.
”Tell me something true about yourself.”
I blush and try to find something innocuous that I can tell him about me. I don”t dare lie to him, though. The problem is, I”m starting to look forward to these visits. Even though he hasn”t made a move on me, the fact that he wants to know about me hits me right in the feels. Plus, every day, he looks hotter. I love him in jeans and a t-shirt, but when he”s got on a suit, he rules the underworld. Or rather, my underpants.
Today, I”ve had enough, and when he comes in and sits down before me, I interrupt his little routine by asking him a question.
”How about you tell me something about yourself, Mr. Lewis.”
”I”ve told you to call me Max.”
”It”s inappropriate.”
”I”ll decide what”s appropriate or not.”
”And coming to interrogate me every day is appropriate, according to you?”
”Does it bother you?” He raises his eyebrows.
”Yes.”
”Good. I can tell you one thing about me. I don”t like liars.”
”I”m not…”
”You lied to me.”
”You were a stranger that I wanted to hook up with. I knew nothing about you! It was a fake name kind of situation.”
”I don”t know if I can trust you, Annette.”
”It”s Anne. My friends call me Anne.”
”Are you going to be on the floor tonight, Anne?”
”Not tonight, no.”
”Then I”ll come by at six to take you home. I think we need to talk.”
He gets up and leaves, and I”m left clueless about what he wants. I mean, we”ve been talking every day, what more can he want from me? I briefly think of calling in sick for the rest of the day, but that would just be another lie and he would catch me on it and lose whatever trust I have gained the past few weeks.
I pick up my phone and text my friend Julie.
Me: 911
Julie: What”s going on? What do you need?
Me: He just told me he”s taking me home tonight and then ”we need to talk”
Julie: That”s good, isn”t it?
Me: I don”t think I can be alone with him at my place and not do whatever naughty thing he tells me he wants to do
Julie: Still not seeing the problem
Me: You”re no help sometimes. I gotta go. Will text later with details
I turn to my computer and start working on a new strategy to attract customers to the nightclub. Around noon, there”s a soft knock on my door, and in comes my new friend Cassie. She works at the restaurant next door and sometimes brings me treats when she delivers food for one of our security guys.
”Hey Cassie, come on in.”
”Hi, Anne. I brought you some wonton soup.”
”Oh, that sounds delicious, thanks. Sit down for a minute.”
She does as I ask but looks a little nervous.
”Are you okay, Cassie? Is it Jason?”
”He caught my ex manhandling me last night, and now he”s being extra protective. Now I have to wait for one of your security guys to chaperone me when I bring his food here. Tuck is waiting downstairs to take me back.”
”Did your ex hurt you badly? Do you need help? Why didn”t your brothers step in?” Cassie had shared with me enough that I knew several details about her life.
”It all happened too fast. Let”s not talk about this. Hey, are you seeing one of the owners?”
”Wait, what? Did someone say something?”
”No, it”s just you jump whenever someone says Max’s name. I thought there must be something going on.”
”Can you keep a secret?”
She mimes zipping her lips and throwing away the key.
”We had a one-night stand the weekend before I started working here. I lied to him about my name and profession, and he took it hard. Now, things are tense between us.”
”You”re the first person he”s been interested in since I”ve known him.”
”Really?”
”There are rumors that he lost someone close to him, and after that, he”s never looked at another woman—until now, I guess. Listen, I got to go. We should go out and do something together.”
”We”ll do a spa day at my house. We can paint each other”s nails and gossip some more.”
”Perfect. Take care, Anne.”
She leaves my office without knowing how she has turned my world upside down. Is this why Max never kissed me? Who did he lose? He seemed so happy and carefree that weekend we had together, but the man I”ve seen since then is very self-contained and direct to the point of being rude. Let”s face it, he”s a big grumpy ol” bear and the staff has to put up with it because he”s the owner.
I spend the rest of the afternoon looking at the clock, waiting for it to be six. When the time comes, he walks into my office like he owns it – which he does – and just looks at me. But his eyes don”t show the usual anger or impatience they usually do. His stare is intense, and a shiver runs through my entire body. I follow him, and we go to the parking lot behind the club”s building.
His car is sporty and expensive and I”m reminded of that Friday night when we went to his house. He opens the passenger door for me and I take a seat. Before I know it, he buckles me up. His masculine scent is a reminder of all the sexy times we had together and I clasp my hands tightly in my lap.
”Where am I going, Anne?”
I rattle off my address and am glad that I”m good at straightening up after myself and that my house is clean.
”Max, what are we going to talk about? I mean, we”ve been talking every day? What more is there to say?”
”Tonight, we”re going to talk about us, kitten.”
The endearment sends heat straight to my core, and now I can”t wait to get home.