The door was flung open and I sucked in a breath as I took in Michelle’s appearance. She was obviously high on something and looked like she hadn’t showered in days.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I muttered, “I’m out there spending a shitload on your cat and you’re here shooting shit into your arm.”
“I didn’t ask you to look after my cat,” she snarled.
“Yeah, well someone had to do it or he would have fucking died.”
“I don’t give a shit about that fucking cat; he could have died for all I cared.”
She’s a chick, don’t fucking hit her.
I lowered my face down to hers. “You’re a fucking pathetic excuse for a mother. Women like you should have their fucking legs sewn together.”
Not waiting for her reply, I turned to leave.
“Anyone ever told you what an asshole you are?” she flung at me.
I turned back to look at her, “All the fucking time, bitch. And I’ll continue being one until you get your shit together and give Lisa the care she fucking deserves.”
I strode back to my car, still holding Monty in his cage. Fuck. I was going to have to take him to work with me until I sorted out someone to look after him. There was no way I was leaving him with Michelle now.
***
“A
cat? You brought a fucking cat with you?” J gave me shit when I hit Indigo twenty minutes later.
I placed the cat cage on the floor next to the desk in the office where we would be doing the interviews. “Michelle’s off her face, and having just shed some serious coin on him, I didn’t want to leave him with her. So yeah, brother, I’m bringing a fucking cat to work.”
He chuckled, and rubbed his chin. “That kid’s got you wrapped around her little finger.”
“Shit! Is Madison working this afternoon?”
“No. Why?”
I reached in my pocket for my phone. “I want her to go over to Lisa’s and let her know that I have Monty and that he’s okay. She’ll worry otherwise.”
“I don’t think she had anything planned so she should be able to do it.”
I was just dialing her when Velvet poked her head around the door. “Scott, you got a minute?”
J jerked his head in Velvet’s direction. “You go sort that out and I’ll call Madison.”
“Thanks,” I said as I hung up and slipped my phone back in my pocket. “What’s up?” I asked Velvet as I followed her towards the back storeroom.
“I think someone’s tried to break in. The lock on the back door has been tampered with,” she said.
“Fuck,” I muttered as I inspected the lock. She was right; it had been messed with.
“Yeah, not good. And there were some guys hanging around last night that I’ve never seen before. Nasty looking fuckers.”
I looked up at her. Velvet wasn’t one to exaggerate. And she’d seen some shit in her life, so if she thought they were worth bringing to my attention, they were worth me worrying about. “Okay, I’ll get Griff to take a look at the surveillance and I’ll get some extra guys in to keep an eye on the joint. You let me know if you see them again.”
“Thanks, Scott. And thanks for getting rid of Darrell.”
“Was my fucking pleasure. Anyone else you want me to get rid of? With the mood I’m in, I’d be happy to go a couple of rounds with anyone who needs sorting out.”
She laughed. “Mmmm, I think I’ll steer clear of you for the rest of the day.”
I watched as she walked away. Velvet was one sexy chick and our customers couldn’t get enough of her. She had curves in all the right places, a seriously good set of tits and a spectacular ass that her long brunette hair almost hit. I didn’t do staff though, so Velvet was firmly in the no go zone.
J entered the storeroom. “Madison can sort out the kid for you,” he said as he came towards me.
I closed the back door and locked it. “Good. Thanks for organising that. Someone’s fucked with the lock, and Velvet’s seen some guys hanging around that I need to get Griff to look into.”
“Christ, if it’s not one thing, it’s another,” he said what I was thinking.
“Feels that way doesn’t it.”
He nodded. “Our first interview is here. You ready?”
I clapped him on the back, and smiled, “Yeah, brother. Let’s see if we can pick a fucking winner this time.”
***
“S
o, I heard the interviews were a bust,” Griff said, as he came behind the bar where I was pouring drinks. “And why the fuck are you making drinks? Don’t we have staff for that?”
I finished pouring the beer and handed it to the customer. “Cheers,” I said to him, and then gave my attention to Griff, “Not enough staff. Two of them called in sick tonight and I couldn’t get hold of any of the others.”
“Well, I’ll leave you to it while I go and find out if we know these guys that Velvet mentioned. And, J said to tell you that Madison has that cat under control,” he said, and then added, “He’s pissed that it’s staying at their house which amuses me no fucking end.”
“Someone has to look after it because Michelle sure as shit won’t and I can’t have it here all night while I’m working.”
He nodded, a frown coming over his face, “Yeah, that bitch is a sorry excuse for a human,” he said as he started to walk away. “I’ll let you know what I find.”
I lifted my chin at him. “Thanks,” I replied before going back to my customers.
It was just after eleven pm; I’d been here for nearly nine hours now and I’d had enough. How people managed to do this shit for a living was beyond me. People were so fucking rude; I’d had to walk away a few times tonight to avoid punching some of them. I needed to find new staff real fucking quick.
“Scott, it’s slowed down a bit. Why don’t you leave me to the bar for a bit. Go and take a break,” Amy suggested. She was my only bar staff for the night and she was right. She could handle it on her own now so I left her to it.
I wandered over to the table that Nash was sitting at. He’d been here for about an hour and was kicking back, enjoying the show. Diverting his attention from the girls for a minute, he eyed me and asked, “Why the fuck didn’t you get one of the guys to work the bar tonight?”
“I’m running out of staff fast and I didn’t want to chance one of the boys pissing any of the girls off. We can’t afford to lose anymore staff.”
“At least it’s a quiet night.”
“Yeah, thank fuck because I couldn’t handle many more rude pricks tonight.”
I looked up as Amy made her way over to the table with a beer in hand. “That for me?” I asked.
She nodded, “Thought you could use it.”
“Thanks,” I said as I took it from her, throwing some back without hesitation.
She laughed. “No problem, I’ll get you another one after I serve these customers,” she promised before heading back to the bar where there were two guys waiting for service.
“Spent some time today with Marcus trying to sort out this shit between Blade and Black Deeds. It was one big dick around. I don’t think Blade’s going to halt his operation, and I think it’s going to end up in one big blood bath with us in the fuckin’ middle,” Nash said after she left us.
“Fuck,” I muttered, “I don’t trust him. Christ knows where this will all end up.”
“He’s unpredictable, that’s for sure. Not much more we can do though.”
I drank some more beer and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, and we’ve got enough other shit to take care of at the moment.”
We sat in silence for awhile, watching the girls do their thing. Well, I was looking in their direction but I wasn’t really watching. Nash was; he loved this shit, but it didn’t do much for me anymore. A man could get tits and ass anywhere he wanted; I craved something different these days. Problem was, I didn’t know what it was that I wanted; I just knew it wasn’t this.
Jodie, one of the strippers appeared in front of us. “You boys want a private show?” she purred, thrusting her bare tits forward, hands on her hips. I knew that Nash had gone a few rounds with her and judging by the disinterested look on his face, his dick wasn’t interested in any more from her.
“Not tonight, we’ve got club stuff to discuss,” I replied firmly so that she got the message to leave us alone. Jodie was well known for harassing club members when they were here, and I didn’t have it in me tonight to deal with her.
Looking at Nash, she said, “Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
It was time to hammer the message home. “No-one’s changing their mind so I suggest you get back to your pole. We clear?”
Now she turned her glare to me, and she didn’t look pleased. “You can be a real asshole sometimes, Scott.”
I stood up, and moved into her space. “Been told that already today, Jodie, and it’s completely fucking true. I employ you to shake your ass at our customers, not to throw your self at club members who aren’t interested. Now, get back to work before I find someone to replace you,” I thundered, letting loose the anger I’d been holding in for hours.
She was visibly shaken at my outburst but that was too fucking bad; I’d had it with people today. Taking a step back, she hissed, “You’re going to lose your best girls if you talk to them like that. The sooner you find a new manager the better.” She blasted me with a foul glare and then turned and stomped back to the stage.
Sitting back down, I placed my hands behind my neck, and stretched my aching back. “Fuck,” I muttered.
Nash chuckled. “She’s right, asshole. You need to rein it in if you’re going to manage this joint till you find someone else to do it. Dealing with people is not your strong point.”
I scowled at him. “I know, and I’m fucking trying here, okay,” I retorted, and then grumbled, “Shit.”
H
arlow
I looked up from what I was doing when the door bell sounded. It was Madison, one of my favourite customers. A nice way to start the day.
“Hey, Harlow,” she greeted me with a huge smile. She’d been coming here for a couple of months now and I always looked forward to her daily visits to collect coffee. Sometimes she came in with her brother, Blade, but he wasn’t with her today. I was thankful for this; he scared the crap out of me. They seemed so different to each other. Madison came across as a warm, fun person, whereas her brother seemed dark and serious.
I smiled at her. “How’s your day going?” I was already making her coffee because I knew from memory how she took it; skinny cappuccino, no sugar.
She dumped her huge handbag on the counter and sighed. “I haven’t been in the last two days because J’s back, finally. It’s so good to have him home but getting into a routine together is kinda hard. I’m working some long hours at the dress shop at the moment and J’s busy getting back into his work which is keeping him out at all hours. So, even though he’s home, I feel like I’ve hardly spent any time with him.” She paused and gave me a rueful look. “Sorry to whine.”
From what I could work out, her boyfriend had been away for a couple of months. Although she’d been upset about it, she’d still seemed upbeat and happy. I figured Madison was one of those people who made the best out of whatever life handed her; she seemed like a strong person and I really liked that about her. She didn’t complain about stuff too often so I figured she must really need to vent. “No, go ahead. Get it out.”
I placed her coffee in front of her and she rummaged in her bag for some money. She was always rifling through her huge ass bag and I often wondered why she didn’t replace it with a smaller one. After she found what she was looking for, she handed the four dollars over to me and I rang the sale up.
Waving her hand at me, she said, “I’ve finished; that was all I had to whine about.” She drank some of her coffee and a glazed look came over her face. “Seriously girl, you make the best damn coffee in Brisbane, I swear.”
“Thanks, love. I just wish more customers thought that too.” I bent over and leant on the counter. “Mum’s really struggling to make ends meet and even though we’ve picked up some new orders for cakes, I worry how she’s going to pay her bills.”
Madison contemplated that for a moment. “Maybe I can get my brother to consider using you to make the cakes for his restaurants.”
“I didn’t know that Blade owned restaurants.”
“No, not Blade. My other brother. He runs four restaurants. I’m sure I can twist his arm to take on your cakes. If not, I’ll get to him through J,” she said, winking at me.
“Is J close to your brother?” Her family sounded pretty close although I didn’t really know anything about them.
“God yes, they’re best mates. Sometimes it irritates the fuck out of me.”
A shot of jealousy ran through me. I envied people with extended family; my father had died when I was young and it was only my mother and I left after that. It would have even just been good to have a brother or sister. “Must be nice though. I mean, you hear stories about in-laws who hate each other and rip families apart, so for your brother and your boyfriend to get on that well would make it easier.”
She nodded. “Yeah, you’re right there. Hey, what you are you doing on Sunday?”
“I’ve got the day off. Why?”
“I’m having a barbeque at my house and I want you to come.”
This surprised me; we weren’t exactly friends. “Ah, sure.”
She laughed. “I know that we don’t know each other very well but I’d like to get to know you better. You up for it?”
When she put it like that, I realised that I’d like to get to know her more too. I didn’t have a lot of friends in Brisbane yet. “I’m in. What do you want me to bring?”
“Just yourself and anything you want to drink.”
“How about I bring some cake too?” I’d make one of Mum’s red velvet cakes. They were always a hit at parties.
“Sure, honey. That sounds great.” She started searching through her bag again, retrieving her phone. “I better go otherwise I’ll be late for work. Thanks for the coffee. I’ll probably see you tomorrow.” Swiping her keys off the counter, she turned to leave but then looked back at me. “Thanks for listening to me whinge. I don’t have many friends in Brisbane so it’s nice to have you. I’d better get your phone number and then I can text you my address.”