Page 70 of Devil's Deal

Shaking his head, Ollie walked up from behind and grabbed Chip around the waist before he could trip over his own feet. “I’m sure whatever you’re saying is phenomenal, but what would be even better is if we went home now. You need a bed.”

Chip waggled his eyebrows. “I gotta go, Bos—I mean, Romeo. My Daddy’s gonna sex me up.” He threw his arm up in victory.

Ollie snorted, and I bid them good night and went around and opened my door. Cory’s head rolled on the headrest. “Are you going to sex me up, Daddy?”

“Ab-so-lute-ly,” I said, knowing that he’d be passed out before we got home. That was okay, though, because, for the first time ever, I had a night like any normal couple with my forever boy.

Chapter

Nine

CORY

“You’re doing awesome,”I praised Harlow. We were in my office, well, our office now, going over administrative tasks that he would be taking over. This was the first time he’d done the schedule completely by himself.

He bit his bottom lip. “Thanks, but I feel like it took me forever.”

Chuckling, I shook my head. “You’re picking it up much faster than I did. When I first opened this place, I’d be up all night trying to make the schedule for the next two weeks. You’ll get faster as you do it. Lord knows, it’s one of the most repetitive parts of the job. There have to be employees on shift, or we’d be closed.”

He snorted. “That’s true, but what if we broke some of these departments down and gave them managers who scheduled for their departments?”

Relief flooded through me. I’d been worried that even though I told him to think about other employees that we could promote up, he’d behave the way I always had. As I’d been making an official list of the things I did that I’d like him to take over, it hit me why my sister always told me that I did too much. Why Mac had always tried breaking things down so I could delegate.

There was no way that I wanted Harlow to manage my way and overwhelm himself. He needed to have a life. Because of that, I listened to Romeo when he started moving things off the list that I planned to keep for myself over to the general manager’s responsibilities and then moving tasks on that list over to a blank column with a question mark next to it.

We needed one hundred percent more leadership. And while Mac had adored me enough to let me have my own way, Romeo took his job as Daddy so seriously that all he cared about was what was best for me.

We both looked up when there was a soft knock on the door. “Come in,” I yelled.

Charity stuck her head in the door, her face pale and tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry to bother you, but?—”

She stumbled forward as a man pushed past her. “I’m sorry to bother you,” he said, not looking sorry at all. “But there’s a problem at your front desk that I wanted you to be aware of.”

Charity backed up against the wall, shrinking into herself. What the hell was going on? Standing up, I rounded my desk and stood directly before him, staring him down. “What seems to be the problem?”

“She’s a whore.” He pointed at my sweet girl.

Harlow jumped up. “Excuse you.”

With a smug expression, the man adjusted his cufflinks. “It’s true.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I asked, “And how would you know?”

His eyes widened, then narrowed at my insinuation. “Excuse me?”

I began tapping my chin as Harlow went over and enfolded Charity in a hug. “You heard me. How do you know?”

Harlow turned his head, glaring at the man’s back. “That’s a good question since I checked you and your wife in.”

I quirked an eyebrow. “Your wife, huh? Now, please continue. What makes you think you can come into my place of business, speaking about one of my employees like you think she’s trash?”

“Because she is,” he said, raising his voice. “I’m telling you, I know for a fact that she’s a prostitute.”

“So what?” my favorite deep voice growled from the door.

This man spun around and found Romeo mirroring my pose. “Who are you?”

“I’m the reason you’re checking out of this hotel.”

---