by AA Lee
“Thank you so much! Of course I agree to show you whatever you want to see,” she exclaimed.
Angelo hugged her back with a hint of humor in his eyes. He did not know why he did it, but such excitement lured him to return her affection. He would not mind seeing her body at all; however, he felt it best to let her naivety go. Ella did not realize that she just thrust her body against him with no thought to what she did. Angelo smiled at the thought of her blushing cheeks if she had. A handshake would have sufficed.
CHAPTER 7
Four weeks’ time had made a miraculous difference in the weathered hotel. A double oak stairway replaced the single set of stairs, and Angelo’s fingers ran along the twisted chrome railing as he ascended to the balcony. Round marble tables now speckled the entryway with cushioned swivel stools around. A clear awning over crisscrossed beams replaced the dark panels from before. He did not know how Rafa pulled it off, but the transformation of the hotel into a club was coming along perfectly. He crossed his arms and gazed around.
“I was wondering when you were going to get here,” Rafa said as he pushed through the double doors of the entrance.
“It looks good…damned good.” Angelo nodded.
“I agree, and look at that view. The overflow out here might as well be permanent seating. I think a lot of the customers will want to stay outdoors.”
“You think…even with the dance floor and televisions inside? I guess we should add that rooftop balcony for those who want more privacy. I remember we talked about that.”
“Yes, it would be good for those who want a breather from the VIP room. They won’t have to come all the way downstairs.”
“All right, make it happen.”
“Already done.” Rafa handed over an envelope.
“Is this from Santiago’s?” Angelo asked.
“Yes, I still can’t believe you bought that place, but I really can’t believe you are having that woman run it with no prior management experience.”
Angelo shrugged and opened the envelope. “You can’t believe a lot of things I do,” he scoffed. “Besides, she deserved a chance to prove she could run the place. I don’t think anyone I found would have cared for it more.”
“No, they wouldn’t. That’s because you wouldn’t have bought something that insignificant. Why did you do it anyway?”
“It’s personal,” Angelo replied. “It’s my personal money and my business, but if it’s so insignificant, why do you care?”
Rafa let out an agitated breath. “I care because your father is going to care. He is going to ask you why, and then he is going to figure out that you bought it because of a woman.”
Angelo rubbed his head. Why did Rafa always have to point out the downside of everything? Why could Rafa not leave him to act on impulse occasionally? “I’m not marrying Gregorio’s daughter, Rafa,” he said.
“And you are interested in this woman?” Rafa asked.
“Rafa,” Angelo warned.
“Angelo, she is not the type of woman that you can fuck one night and send on her way. She’s a different class of women than you are used to.”
Angelo’s expression became sour. He opened his mouth; he could feel the insulting curses on the tip of his tongue, but a thought came to mind. Rafa had pointed out the obvious. Ella was not the same as the other women. That was where his interest stemmed.
“Rafa, you are absolutely right,” he said as his mind considered Ella’s favorable qualities. He considered her sincerity her greatest attribute.
“Which part am I right about?” Rafa asked.
Angelo ignored the question; instead, he shook his head at one sheet in particular. “This can’t be right. What was she thinking with this salary? I don’t have time to go to the restaurant and fix this today. She needs to come to me.” He took out his phone to dial her number when it rang before he could. “Yes,” he answered. “Yes, hold on,” he said and looked at Rafa. “Call Ms. Collins for me and have her come down here right away.” He gestured with his chin and started speaking into the receiver again.
***
Angelo thumped the end button and let his hand fall to the sofa, exasperated with the hours’ worth of calls. He looked around. Raw sheetrock and texture surrounded what would be the VIP room. The building had come a long way so far, but it still had a ways to go.
He walked down the circular hallway to the dark glass door that allowed him to look out but no one to look in. He preferred the one-way mirror. It would help keep the VIP room free of unwanted patrons.
As Angelo opened the door, he heard a loud, unwanted voice. Lila had better not be here too, he thought. He continued down the unfinished steps to the main part of the club and stopped. Ella was sitting on a chair at one of the tables with Lila and a man he did not recognize. He let out a breathy growl. Could Ella have not come alone?
Angelo snapped as soon as he saw Rafa. “What is Lila doing here, and who is that man with them? I wanted Ella to come alone. I’m not in the mood for this bullshit right now.”
“Ella asked if I wanted her to bring us food. I told her that would be fine. She brought them along to help carry it inside.”
“Well, that’s great. Now get rid of them and send Ella this way.” He pointed and walked off to the side. Yet even as he stood back a ways, he could see them. He watched closely as Ella smiled at the man. He did not want to see her look at the other man that way. It provoked something in him that he had never felt before, and he walked to the table to get rid of them himself.
“Mr. Tomassi,” Ella greeted and she immediately stood. She must have noticed the annoyed look on his face. Her smile vanished and she stretched out her hand to shake—formalities. “I was just finishing an interview. This is Seth. He will be a new bartender at Santiago’s.”
“I am going to train him,” added Lila as she slipped to her feet with Seth doing the same.
“Yes,” Ella said. “Seth will be joining Lila behind the bar; then I have one more bartender to hire after that.”
“Seth,” Angelo stated, not bothering to shake his hand.
Seth’s arm drew back to his side and he looked at Ella, avoiding Angelo’s probing eyes. “So when can I start, Ms. Collins?”
“Be at Santiago’s tomorrow at ten. Lila will meet you there and will show you everything you need to know. Plan for a long day. Normal shifts will be from six in the evening until after two in the morning when everything is cleaned and restocked. Does that work for you?” Ella asked.
“Yes, I can’t wait,” Seth said. “I’ll see you in the morning. Thank you, Ms. Collins.”
“I’m glad you are on board.” Ella smiled at him and shook his hand. The shake almost seemed too endearing for a new employee, and Angelo cleared his throat, hinting that their time with Ella was finished.
“If that is all, I have important business to discuss with Ms. Collins,” Angelo said. “Did all of you come in one vehicle?”
“No,” Ella answered for them. “We came in two.” Then she turned to Lila. “Lila, I will be back there in a little while. See you then.”
Lila stopped for a second. She looked at Ella and smiled, devising some remark in her mind until she glanced at Angelo. Her devious expression shifted with a raise of her brow, yet her smirk never left. “Business talk could be fun.” Lila could not help herself and whirled around from his glare. “Come on, Seth,” she said.
Angelo fumed at the mirth of her tone. She had better watch her mouth around him or she might not have a job. Employees like that were the first to go when business got tight.
After the doors closed, Ella looked back at him. His thoughts were still on the two who had left when he finally opened his mouth, but Ella interrupted him before he had the chance to speak.
“Mr. Tomassi, I never meant to keep you waiting. It’s that you were busy and Seth showed up when Rafa called. I brought him with me to help, but then I figured that I would get the interview out of the way.”
“That seemed a littl
e friendlier than the ordinary interview. You are running the restaurant and that was much too personal.”
“Yes, I understand that, but I feel like I will get the best work if I know everything about the employee. It’s just a method I used when leasing properties.”
“Not the type of method that you will use when running my restaurant,” he countered. “It is much different than persuading someone into spending their money, Ms. Collins. There is no room for befriending the employees. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I do,” Ella yielded with a frown.
“Good,” he said and sat down in one of the vacant chairs. “Let’s go over these numbers.”
“Were you not happy with them?” she asked as she sat down beside him. Angelo gave her a look that immediately stopped her from speaking more.
“I have a couple of questions. Is the restaurant any busier than it was last month?”
Ella shook her head. “A little, but nothing significant.”
“All right, then why is there a ten percent increase in profit?” Angelo turned the sheet around and slid it between where her hands rested. Her fingers clenched a little tighter with the closer he neared. It was subtle. She probably did not know she did it.
“The cameras caught one of the cooks on the night shift stealing food from the cooler. Two days later, I personally witnessed the bartender put money in his tip jar without ever entering an order in the computer.”
“Did you fire them?” asked Angelo. If she let the employees stay, Ella would not be suitable as manager.
“I had to. I don’t want the restaurant to fail. That money adds up.”
“Very true…I’m pleased that you did not feel sorry for them and let them stay. Then I would have had to fire them and you.”
“Mr. Tomassi,” she began. Another disappointed frown started to form on her lips. “I was saving up to buy the…”
“I wasn’t through, Ms. Collins,” he interrupted her. Her teeth grit back the words that she wanted to say as Angelo cracked a smile at her pout. “What did you base your salary off of, Ms. Collins?”
“Well, I took an average of what the highest employees were paid and added three percent.”
“What time do you get there in the morning?” Angelo asked.
“Around six in the morning.”
“And what time do you leave?”
“Sometimes I leave at closing, and sometimes I leave around ten. It just depends.”
“All right, Ms. Collins. Look, my point is this. You are available at any given time that the restaurant needs you. Plus, your hours are equivalent to a double shift and you aren’t being paid by the hour. Raise your wages by ten percent for now. We will discuss more at a later time.”
Angelo reached for the pen stashed in his shirt pocket as he pulled the paperwork back in front of him, but Ella’s eyes widened. “Are you sure that isn’t too much?” she asked as he marked through a few numbers on the reports.
“Are you serious? I swear, you are the only woman who would complain about earning more money. You have a degree. That is a fair amount, maybe even a little low. But I want to leave room for you to grow and improve.”
“Thank you, Mr. Tomassi. You don’t know what this opportunity means to me.” Ella’s voice was sweet and soft. Angelo felt her eyes glued on him as he put down his pen. Her expression said it all—a mixture of awe and genuine appreciation. There was nothing false in her gaze. He could tell that she was trying to make sense of his reason for helping her. Her transparency made her an easy woman to read.
“Rafa,” he said and raised his hand. Angelo knew that Rafa was close, keeping a lookout for him. He was probably still wondering what Angelo was doing with Ella. Angelo had to admit, his business with Ella was unusual behavior of him. Warming to her was completely against his nature.
“What?” Rafa asked and walked in front of them both.
“What day do I have open next week?”
Rafa nearly smiled as his brow rose. He looked at Ella and then back at Angelo. “You have Thursday open until one.”
Angelo stretched his neck and stood. “Isn’t Thursday the same day…?” Angelo did not finish and stood, brushing off any qualms about the day. “Fine, then so be it,” he huffed. “Come,” he said to Ella. “I’ll walk you out.”
It was a quiet, short minutes’ walk to her car. Ella did not speak. There were no words to inflate his ego, and no hint that his gesture to walk her out could mean any more than a show of decency—at least to her.
Angelo almost smiled as she unlocked the door to the car. He opened it and waited for her to step in; however, he held the door fast, not attempting to shut it back. Angelo hesitated for a moment before he said anything more; then Ella looked up at him with the most beautiful smile, questioning his reason for staring at her.
“I have Thursday morning open next week. I was thinking about taking a day cruise off the coast of Miami. Would you like to join me?”
Her smile only widened. Angelo thought that such a woman as Ella would be less threatening than the others he knew; yet in that instant, her simple smile and earnest gaze proved otherwise. Ella would be his weakness.
“Thank you, Mr. Tomassi. I would like that,” she replied.
CHAPTER 8
Ella ended a call and gazed at the rolling waves out of her office window. They were bold and beautiful under the setting sun, giving her a sense of independence. She had made the decision to go out with Angelo despite gaining her father’s approval. She did not ask permission. For once, she felt in charge of her life.
He was thinking about taking a day cruise, Ella recalled from their conversation the previous week. By himself? She smiled. Was that his way of asking her on a date? Ella looked at the screen to her phone. Angelo had just called to confirm their outing for eight the next morning. She wondered if he had ever asked a woman to join him. Her eyes looked to the ceiling. Whom was she kidding? Angelo was a gorgeous and intelligent man. He must have gone out with many women. It was only logical.
Ella sighed and turned the screen back on to her phone when a prompt for a passcode appeared. It confused Ella. She turned the phone around and inspected, as though she accidentally pressed a button on the back. She never needed a passcode before. She clicked it off and on again; then Ella restarted the phone. Still, the passcode screen showed up.
Ella took a breath and picked up the office phone. The real estate company stayed open until seven. She would have to get the passcode from the company. They must have added it for security on all employees’ phones.
“Hello,” she said. “Yes, I need to speak to Jacob Sullivan…. Okay, is Robert Collins in his office?” Ella slouched. Nobody was there. “All right, this is Ella Collins. I need to talk to someone who can tell me how to get into my phone. There is a passcode and I don’t know it.”
As the receptionist talked on the other end, Ella’s face became warm and then hot. She could not believe what she heard. “What do you mean I am no longer employed? My father owns the business.” Ella tried to stay calm but her frustration began to rise. “Nobody told me they were downsizing. Why would he get rid of his own daughter as an employee? Yes, I understand. I will definitely be calling him, thank you.” Ella hung up the phone and mumbled, “Yes, thank you for nothing.”
She laid her head on the desk with disbelief. Now her father was cutting all ties with her. He could not stand her so much that he fired her and did not bother to tell her himself. She had worked hard for him. He did not hand anything over to her free. She earned every penny, working for it much more than his other employees. How could he do that to her?
“Ella.” A knock came at her office door.
“Come in,” she groaned.
“My shift is over, and I wanted to kn—” Lila stopped mid-word. “What’s the matter?” she asked.
“My father fired me,” Ella replied. “And he didn’t even tell me. He cut off my phone and I had to call them.”
Lila gave her a sympat
hetic smile. “Why don’t you go out with me? I was just about to ask you anyway, and it will take your mind off your father. I’m headed to Miami to meet my friend Brandi. I think you will like her.”
“I don’t know. I have to meet someone at my house early in the morning, and I don’t want to be out late tonight. I might miss him.”
“Him,” asked Lila with a grin. “Are you actually going out on a date?”
“No,” Ella tried to lie. Why did she have to open her mouth? “It’s just a business relation—nothing big.”
Lila let out a laugh. “Business…right.” She smiled but did not say another word about it. “We won’t stay out late, I promise. Are you in?”
Ella looked around. She hardly ever went anywhere. Where was the harm in taking up Lila’s offer? “Sure, I’ll go, but I’m driving. I have to have my car with me.”
“Good, then I’ll ride with you.”
“All right, but you have to promise that we won’t stay too late.”
“I promise,” said Lila; but by the grin on her lips, Ella was not very sure.
***
Colorful lights flickered against the walls in the darkened room, and chairs filled with people cluttered the aisles, as Lila dragged Ella by the hand. She caught sight of a woman in a costume of red panties and tassels that covered her nipples. Ella had been intrigued by the bright red sign on the outside. Now she considered how appropriate the name The Flaming Torch was for the club.
“Lila,” she shouted. “I thought we were going to have a good time.”
“Oh, we are.” Lila looked back.
“This isn’t what I had in mind,” Ella replied as her eyes lingered on the dancer for a second. “I don’t exactly fit in.” Ella thought about the pinstriped skirt that she wore. Some of the other women they passed wore short dresses that left nothing to the imagination. Even Lila wore a thin-strapped tank and short shorts with heels.
