Page 44 of Bless This Hot Mess

Emma-Lou sighed, already standing from her desk to greet him, “Yes, I can see that. Hello, Rino.”

Rino Ferrari strode in confidently, dressed in a sharp, emerald suit that fit him as snugly as a second skin, his olive complexion radiant under the office lights. “Emma-Lou, I’m sure you’ve got a lot to catch up on. Let me bring you up to speed. We usually drop on Thursdays, but we’ve had a heavy week, and I need to deposit early.”

Japheth and Carrington simultaneously chimed in, their voices overlapping, “I’d like to volunteer to help lighten his load.”

Carrington shot Japheth a sideways glance, “Oh, I seeyou Japheth.”

Ronald raised an eyebrow, “If you two are just gonna argue, I’ll be a gentleman and help him out; would be my pleasure.”

Carrington’s eyes narrowed in Ronald’s direction, “Ronald! I giveth and I can taketh away. Do you want Hanukkah days off or not?”

Rino chuckled, seemingly amused by their bickering, but his tone turned serious as he unzipped the large black duffel bag he carried. “I’ve been saving up, it’s gonna be a big deposit.” ZIP!

Rebekkah’s eyes widened, “Holy Mary, mother of… is that body bag full of cash?”

Ronald took a step back, hands raised, “I’m gonna bow out. Getting BDSM vibes from that body bag. Sorry, not really my scene, as much as I’d like to help.”

Japheth blinked, visibly confused, “I admit, I thought we were talking about something else; something that might start with a cocktail and end with a bubble bath. But I’m still happy to be of service.”

Rebekkah smiled sweetly at Japheth, “That’s very charitable of you, Japheth.”

“A kindly man benefits himself. Proverbs 11, verse 17,” Japheth recited, nodding sagely.

Rebekkah placed a hand on his shoulder, “May His joy rain over you.”

Japheth grinned, raising his hands in the air, “Fingers crossed!”

Rino smirked and turned his attention back to Emma-Lou, “Have you ever been on a cruise, Emma-Lou? They’re just magical. Such a fantastic way to travel. My family sent your parents on their little trip to Bermuda. It’s a real shame what happened. Just heart-breaking. But business is business, right? We gotta keep moving forward.”

Emma-Lou tried to maintain her composure, “Exactly, that’s what we were just talking about.”

“Glad to hear it,” Rino continued smoothly, “My family likes your station; we’ve liked it for a long time, seeing as we’re Catholic.”

Japheth leaned in, his eyes dropping to Rino’s chest, “I noticed from the crucifix in your dark, swirly, generous display of chest hair.”

Rino let out a chuckle, “Speaking of generosity, my family has been very generous to WWJD and Emma-Lou’s family for many years, but lately, we’re missing the gratitude in return.”

Japheth, still unsure where this conversation was headed, frowned, “I’m sorry, we’re in the dark here. We just started working at WWJD.”

Rino’s smile was patient, but his eyes had a hard edge, “Let me illuminate it for you. I’m solving their economic crunch with a weekly donation in cash. Then all they gotta do is return that donation to me the next week with a bank draft. And around and round we go! WWJD stays afloat, and no one disappears.”

Rebekkah stiffened, her voice a whisper, “No one disappears…?”

Emma-Lou’s face paled, “But Rino, how will we repay the, umm… loan so quickly? One week is…”

“Generous,” Rino cut in, his tone silky but menacing as he fixed his gaze on Japheth. “Wouldn’t you say…?”

Japheth quickly stepped in, his voice tight, “Japheth.”

Rino pointed at him, grinning, “Right. Right. Nice to meet you Jamiroquai. Not a loan, Emma-Lou. It’s a donation… on rotation. Now that we understand each other, I gotta split. Le Château Menswear, follow me, and I’ll give you the rest of that deposit. Ciao.”

With that, Rino zipped up the bag and turned, his heavyfootsteps in fine Italian leather boots echoing ominously as he strode out of the office. The door closed behind him, leaving a suffocating silence in the room.

Japheth blinked, his brow furrowed, “Me? Did he mean he’d give it to me?”

Ronald gave a quick glance at Japheth’s outfit, “You’re the only one in silver pants.”

Carrington arched an eyebrow, “And a pleather vest.”