Page 111 of Our Little Dove

Molly notices our arrival first. Her excitement is palpable as she rushes over to hug Alex. “You made it!” she exclaims.

Joel looks up from his phone with a smile lighting up his face. Behind him, a bartender works a small, but fully stocked bar,expertly mixing drinks for us. The large window in his office offers a view of the club below, the neon lights casting a colorful glow over the dance floor.

“Any news from Hush since we posted the video?” Kieran asks as he steps towards Joel, curiosity evident in his expression.

Joel gestures for the scrawny bartender to leave the office before eyeing us. He doesn’t speak until the door clicks shut, and the young man is out of earshot.

Joel’s eyes gleam with satisfaction as he responds, “People are sending payments to Hush and asking for more. Looks like the video struck a chord with our audience and more so the higher-ups. You three are making Hush history.”

He pours himself and Molly a drink and gestures for us to help ourselves before handing his girlfriend her drink and taking a seat behind his desk.

Alex raises an eyebrow at Joel’s words, a mix of disbelief and pride swirling in her gaze. “So what’s the plan now? What do we do next?” she asks, taking a seat in one of the chairs facing her cousin’s desk, her fingers drumming a nervous beat on the armrest.

Joel takes a sip of his drink before responding, his eyes glinting with excitement. “Now you capitalize on this momentum. You need to keep the audience engaged, keep them wanting more. You’ll need to brainstorm some fresh ideas, maybe even throw in some interactive elements to get viewers truly invested.”

“It’s unbelievable, but it seems like we’re onto something big,” Molly chimes in, taking a sip of her drink as she pulls up a chair and seats herself at Joel’s side.

“The buzz around your video is growing, and the demand for more content like this is rising. You’ve tapped into a niche that nobody on Hush has explored yet.”

I exchange a glance with Kieran and Alex as the gravity of Joel’s words start sinking in. This was more than just a one-time success; it is a potential game-changer when it comes to taking these fuckers down.

Molly leans in closer, her eyes shining with excitement. “We need to strike while the iron is hot. We should start planning our next move.”

“We?” Alex questions, leveling them with a look of confusion. She shakes her head before they answer. “No. I’m not letting you two get involved in this.”

Molly opens her mouth to say something but decides against it when Joel tilts his head with a smirk. “I’ve already scheduled a meeting with the higher-ups to discuss possible upgrades to the Hush platform.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, my voice coming out as a growl. Joel’s gaze travels to meet mine as I move to stand beside Alex. “Viewers are feral for more, and if I get them to add a tipping option to the site, you three will be rolling in cash,” he states with a prideful grin.

“And what’s in it for you?” Kieran asks as he stares out the window overlooking the dance floor.

“It’s simple. If you make more money, so do I. I’m sticking my neck out by even suggesting the change to their platform, the only thing I ask in return is that you keep Alex safe and stick to your plan.”

Kieran turns and stalks toward us as he takes in Joel’s words. He places his hands on mine and Alex’s shoulders as he stands between us.

“Sounds good,” he says, before leaving us and heading to the bar. “Shots?”

I walk over to him, rounding the bar and grabbing shot glasses, lining them up on the bar before Kieran pours.

Molly makes a beeline toward the row of tiny glasses and swipes up two of them, nearly spilling the contents.

Fuck, this girl really loves tequila.I muse to myself as she hands one to Joel when he nears the bar with Alex in tow.

We raise our glasses; Molly and Joel might be celebrating our video’s success, but I raise my glass in a silent toast to my partners in crime and what we are building between us.

Molly decided to take the role of being our bartender while Joel locked up after last-call.

That was a few hours ago.

My poor liver.

After having abouttentoo many tequila shots in Joel’s office, it is now four thirty in the morning and I am drunk. Molly gets pretty insistent when she wants to and I don’t know how she is able to still function but she has nearly managed to drink us all under the table.

Kieran seems to be the only one of us who is still seemingly in his right mind. Joel passed out on the leather sofa in the corner about twenty minutes ago, and by the looks of it, Fintan is as buzzed as I am.

“Babe, we should get going,” I say in a slur as I reach out and grab Molly’s arm, stopping her before she pours another round of shots. “Ah, really?” she pouts, placing the bottle down on the bar counter.

“M, it’s nearly five o’clock. We all need to get some sleep,” I say, gesturing to my passed-out cousin. He must have been working all day again because he always outlasts me when we drink together.

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