“I’m working on it, but this kind of thing takes time. I can’t just meet with someone and ask them if they want to help us keep the illegal activities of the club under wraps so the cops don’t close us down. It requires a little more finesse than that. I’ve got a councilman I think might be able to help, but I need more time.”
I looked at Cash and Kane and shook my head. “I’m not fucking up what I have with Shay over this.”
Cash quickly put up his hands to calm me down. “We’re not saying you have to ruin anything, Stefan. We just need to figure out how to handle this. Lola isn’t happy, and now her father isn’t happy.”
“Well, then we need to think of something else because sleeping with Lola isn’t an answer anymore, Cash. I can’t do that to Shay.”
“We’ll take care of it. We always do, don’t we?” Cash said, trying to reassure me. “I think I speak for Kane too when I say we wouldn’t ask you to hurt someone for us or the club.”
I looked over at Kane and searched for the truth in his face. Did he agree with Cash or would he be that same guy he’d been for so long when it came to me?
Kane nodded. “Cash is right. No matter what I think of the mess with Lola, I don’t want to see you hurt Shay because of your past mistakes. She’s the only woman you’ve ever been with that didn’t disgust me.”
“I’ll make sure to tell her,” I joked. “I’m sure she’ll love the compliment.”
“But that doesn’t change the fact that the minute you and Shay let the rest of the world know you’re together, Shank’s days of helping us are over.”
“We’ve already decided to play it cool. No public displays of affection at the club here. No acting like we’re a couple.”
“I bet that was Shay’s idea,” Cash said with a chuckle.
“It was. In my opinion, I should be able to date whoever the fuck I want, but she didn’t want the rest of the staff to know and give her grief for it. Another one of the great parts of her—her brain.”
“I don’t think it matters if you put your relationship of display or not, Stefan,” Kane said somberly. “You’re not sleeping with Lola, which no doubt makes her unhappy. That will be enough for Shank, if she tells him.”
Cash and Kane continued to discuss the Shank problem, but I didn’t tell them that Lola had all but warned me that if things didn’t go back to the way they were between us before Shay that her father wouldn’t help us anymore. I’d been able to handle her that night, but I had to think of something else because sweet-talking her wasn’t going to work anymore.
I got up to leave, already sick of dealing with this Shank and his daughter bullshit for the day. “Let me know if you think of anything. In the meantime, I’ll try to be as busy as possible when Lola’s around so there’s no chance of her thinking we could be together.”
Cash nodded his head and smiled. “Mom’s being released this afternoon. You want to come with me when I go to pick her up?”
“Sure. Maybe I’ll hang out at the house until right before work tonight. That way I can make sure she’s okay and avoid Lola.”
“Good. I’ll find you on my way out in about an hour.”
I headed out to my office to relax and text Shay until it was time to go to the hospital. I already missed her more than I’d ever missed any woman before her, a new feeling for me but one I liked.
Hey, my mother’s being discharged this afternoon & I’m going to hang out with her until work. See you then.
She texted back immediately Tell her I said I’m happy she’s feeling better. Getting her more magazines? LOL
Never going to let me live that down huh? Better watch out or I won’t spoil you like that. :)
Uh oh. I better be nice then. See you tonight. XOXO
I stared at those letters on my screen as my smile grew larger. XOXO.
I heard my door open and looked up to see Shank standing in my office doorway. “Stefan, I’d like to speak to you. I think we need to talk.”
“Sure. Come on in,” I said as I put my phone aside.
He closed the door behind him and took a seat in the single chair in front of my desk. His greasy hair looked oil-soaked and even his clothes had a grimy look to them as I looked at him now. He really was a scumbag.
“What’s up, John?” I asked, forcing a smile, even though I guessed what this visit was for.
Shank rubbed his tongue over his teeth as if he was cleaning them and made a clucking noise. “I like you, Stefan. My daughter likes you even more than I do. You know that, don’t you?”
“Lola’s my best bartender, John. That’s why I made her head bartender over everyone else. I’d be lost without her. In fact, I just told her that the other night.”
“She said something like that. She’s a good girl, my Lola. A little too trusting, but she gets that from her mother, God rest her soul. Lola had to endure being brought up by me after her mother died when she was just seven. I’d hoped some of my suspicious nature would have rubbed off on her, but it doesn’t seem to have.”
“The members love her. She’s got a great look and when I put her up on the fourth floor all alone last week, she made a killing off a member who took a shine to her.”
Shank smiled, and I barely kept my stomach in check as my gaze settled on those disgusting half-rotten teeth of his on full display for me. “That’s nice to hear, Stefan, but you know why I’m here. Let’s not pretend you don’t. Lola doesn’t care about any members. She likes you, and until recently, you seemed to like her enough to sleep with her.”
And there it was. The truth of why Shank sat there in front of me at that moment. Nothing like pimping your daughter out, dude. I tried to control my expression, but I was sure my eyes were as wide as saucers. “Well, John…I don’t know what to say here. Lola is a very nice girl, but I’ve been warned by our lawyers that I shouldn’t fraternize with employees.”
Christ, I sounded like Cash. Even I didn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth, so it was no surprise that Shank didn’t believe them either.
Leaning forward, he tapped his palm on the top of my desk. “Do you think I’m a moron, Stefan?”
I shook my head. “Not at all, John.”
Moron? No. Scumbag who thought too much of his own power? Yeah.