Chapter Seven
Eryx
He ordered a maple-pecan latte, a specialty of the incoming autumn season, while I stuck with my cortado. I wasn’t a flavored-coffee man, but when they delivered his latte to the table, I got a whiff and then ordered one for myself.
I also ordered two slices of quiche with sides of asiago peppercorn sourdough toast.
The omega was intriguing, to say the least. Lean. Beautiful skin and warm chestnut eyes that seemed to see right through me. He smelled like cinnamon rolls and pumpkin butter, and the scent peaked when he smiled. Quite endearing.
I felt for him, I did. I also respected the hell out of him for not giving up.
“Can you tell me why?” he asked, taking a sip of his drink. It left a bit of whipped cream on his top lip and I got the urge to wipe it off myself. With my tongue. Either that or kiss it away.
Both sounded tempting.
“I’m just starting out in this business.
I’ve got to invest most of what I have in revamping the theater, and I have to make a lot of my money from the concessions.
That’s how theaters work. They never make enough money off the tickets.
Some, yes. But most of the revenue is made off of the popcorn and nachos.
That’s why they don’t allow food to be brought in; it cuts them off at the knees in terms of making money. ”
“They would pay more for specialty popcorn. I make seasonal flavors. I could even develop more flavors based on new releases or special showings.”
Goddess, he was smart and innovative, and he wasn’t wrong.
But I wasn’t there yet. I still had to renovate the whole theater.
Buy new technology for it. Set up a website for ticket and concession sales online.
And my friend James, who was working on all of that, thought a movie membership would be a good idea.
A small discount that would let the customer see five movies a month.
That would mean more concession sales.
“And that sounds great on its face. It does. But in terms of financial soundness, I am going to have a profit margin of 80 to 90 percent by making everything in house and not having a middleman. Buying the product from you would cut that down to 30 percent, and that’s high-balling it.”
His expression turned sad, and I felt like shit for doing that to him.
The waiter delivered the food and Joaquin seemed surprised when I offered him one of the plates. “You ordered this for me?”
I nodded, laughing. “I know I’m not making a deal with you, but I’m not rude. We’re sitting here, having a discussion, and I was hungry. I have manners even though you might not think so.”
“Oh. Thank you.”
We ate for a few minutes in silence, and I really thought he would bring up the issue of his popcorn again, but, instead, he surprised me. “So, tell me what brought you to Oliver Creek.”
“I used to be a lawyer, in a city. I did it because every alpha in my family is an attorney, but I always hated it. One day, I looked around and realized I had no life at all. Long hours working for wealthy people who took more than their share from every transaction. I wanted something else. Disappointed everyone I knew and followed my childhood dream of opening a movie theater.”
“A lawyer,” he said with the attitude most people did. I no longer took offense. I didn’t really like the profession either, or myself when I was one.
“Yes. What about you? Have you always lived here?”
“I’ve lived here for a few years. Long enough to see how the place has changed, not long enough to know what it was when there weren’t many people. It was already somewhat bustling when I moved in.”
Joaquin had polished off his food before I did. Was he hungry? I couldn’t imagine the popcorn business on its own was that lucrative, but then again, maybe I was a snob and needed to rethink things.
“And the popcorn business?”
“Seems silly to most people. Flavored popcorn. I started by selling at farmer’s markets and at tables in front of drugstores. Oliver Creek was up and coming as a place for new foods and businesses. So…I took a shot and got the cart.”
“Something we have in common,” I added.
“Do you have a lot to do to get the theater ready?”
Not only was I interested in spending more time with this omega, but my wolf was as well. It made me think of the tiger the other night and how drawn he was to him.
I thought it over. “It’s a lot of painting. And I hate painting. I was actually thinking about hiring someone, I hate it so much.”
“Well, before the cart and before all the popcorn, I was a painter by trade, so, no, I don’t hate it and yes, I can do it.”
“I hate to take you away from your business, Joaquin. The theater needs a lot of work and I’m being very kind when I say a lot. It’s…I’m drowning just thinking about it.”