Read Online Enforcer: A Prequel Novella to the New Mafia Trilogy by E. J. Fechenda - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: E. J. Fechenda
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clouded my mind. It was going to be an interesting
night.
CHAPTER NINE
We all gathered around the bar nearest to the dance floor.
In total there were ten waitresses, fifteen bartenders, four bar backs, twelve
bouncers and then the five kitchen staff, plus Tara, the girl who worked the
front register. We waited for Marco to make his announcement and when he
stepped out of the office with Miranda behind him, my suspicions were
confirmed. We all stood a little straighter when Marco’s dark gaze passed over
us. Like usual, he got right down to business.
“Most of you know my daughter, Miranda.” Marco
grabbed Miranda by her arm and tugged her forward so she was standing next to
him. “Well, she’s the new manager for Crimson. What she says goes. You don’t
like it you can get the fuck out. Understood?”
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the small crowd. Marco’s
little speech was over and he started to walk away, concluding the staff
meeting when a strong, woman’s voice called out. “Now that my dad is done with
the introductions, I want you all to know that I’m not planning any changes.
You do your job and we shouldn’t have any issues.” I stood at the back of the
crowd with my arms crossed watching Miranda address her staff and admiring how
she took charge. She didn’t look down at her feet or fidget, her shoulders were
straight and she made eye contact with everyone. Suddenly her eyes were on mine
and she paused. I noticed that she pursed her lips, briefly pinching them into
a straight line before she moved on, but she couldn’t disguise the slight flush
that appeared on her cheeks.
After the meeting, some of the employees hovered around making
small talk with Miranda. Others went to their designated stations to get ready
for what was expected to be a busy night. I noticed Mike, one of my guys, roll
his eyes at something Miranda said before walking away. I was tempted to call
him out on it, but let it slide. I had a feeling Miranda could handle herself
just fine. Besides, I had other shit to deal with. A movie had just finished
filming in town and the wrap party was going to be held in the V.I.P. lounge.
Word got out to the local media and which celebrities were going to be at
Crimson so I had called in all of my guys to work security.
Once Miranda was alone, I made my approach. Her shoulders
tensed when she saw me and she gave me a hesitant smile.
“Hey, remember me?” I asked.
“Yes, of course.”
I stopped right in front of her, standing closer to her than
I would anyone else. An overhead light reflected on the top of her hair, making
the black appear almost silver. I remembered how it felt to run my hands
through those thick waves. Our gazes locked for a few heated moments before
Miranda took a step back and cleared her throat.
“Grant, what happened at the shore is in the past.
It was a one-time thing and can’t happen again. I’m the manager and need to
keep everything platonic; professional.”
“Understood,” I said, even though I was
experiencing a foreign sensation: the sting of rejection. “I just came over to
talk about tonight’s security detail and to run over procedures.”
“Oh, okay, good. Whatcha got?” she asked, relaxing
her stance once the topic returned to business.
We talked for a few minutes and I reviewed the emergency
evacuation plan in case anything happened. When I first started working at
Crimson, some asshole had smuggled in a can of pepper spray and released it
inside the club which caused panic and chaos. Before that we didn’t have a plan
for emergencies.
We wound up sitting on two of the bar stools lined up
alongside one of the bars and our conversation steered away from work toward
more getting-to-know one another topics. I found out that she had studied
business management at Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania and while
night.
CHAPTER NINE
We all gathered around the bar nearest to the dance floor.
In total there were ten waitresses, fifteen bartenders, four bar backs, twelve
bouncers and then the five kitchen staff, plus Tara, the girl who worked the
front register. We waited for Marco to make his announcement and when he
stepped out of the office with Miranda behind him, my suspicions were
confirmed. We all stood a little straighter when Marco’s dark gaze passed over
us. Like usual, he got right down to business.
“Most of you know my daughter, Miranda.” Marco
grabbed Miranda by her arm and tugged her forward so she was standing next to
him. “Well, she’s the new manager for Crimson. What she says goes. You don’t
like it you can get the fuck out. Understood?”
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the small crowd. Marco’s
little speech was over and he started to walk away, concluding the staff
meeting when a strong, woman’s voice called out. “Now that my dad is done with
the introductions, I want you all to know that I’m not planning any changes.
You do your job and we shouldn’t have any issues.” I stood at the back of the
crowd with my arms crossed watching Miranda address her staff and admiring how
she took charge. She didn’t look down at her feet or fidget, her shoulders were
straight and she made eye contact with everyone. Suddenly her eyes were on mine
and she paused. I noticed that she pursed her lips, briefly pinching them into
a straight line before she moved on, but she couldn’t disguise the slight flush
that appeared on her cheeks.
After the meeting, some of the employees hovered around making
small talk with Miranda. Others went to their designated stations to get ready
for what was expected to be a busy night. I noticed Mike, one of my guys, roll
his eyes at something Miranda said before walking away. I was tempted to call
him out on it, but let it slide. I had a feeling Miranda could handle herself
just fine. Besides, I had other shit to deal with. A movie had just finished
filming in town and the wrap party was going to be held in the V.I.P. lounge.
Word got out to the local media and which celebrities were going to be at
Crimson so I had called in all of my guys to work security.
Once Miranda was alone, I made my approach. Her shoulders
tensed when she saw me and she gave me a hesitant smile.
“Hey, remember me?” I asked.
“Yes, of course.”
I stopped right in front of her, standing closer to her than
I would anyone else. An overhead light reflected on the top of her hair, making
the black appear almost silver. I remembered how it felt to run my hands
through those thick waves. Our gazes locked for a few heated moments before
Miranda took a step back and cleared her throat.
“Grant, what happened at the shore is in the past.
It was a one-time thing and can’t happen again. I’m the manager and need to
keep everything platonic; professional.”
“Understood,” I said, even though I was
experiencing a foreign sensation: the sting of rejection. “I just came over to
talk about tonight’s security detail and to run over procedures.”
“Oh, okay, good. Whatcha got?” she asked, relaxing
her stance once the topic returned to business.
We talked for a few minutes and I reviewed the emergency
evacuation plan in case anything happened. When I first started working at
Crimson, some asshole had smuggled in a can of pepper spray and released it
inside the club which caused panic and chaos. Before that we didn’t have a plan
for emergencies.
We wound up sitting on two of the bar stools lined up
alongside one of the bars and our conversation steered away from work toward
more getting-to-know one another topics. I found out that she had studied
business management at Wharton at the University of Pennsylvania and while
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