Page 89 of Wrecked
“I can change my answer to one of those,” Wayne interrupted. “Yeah, he coerced me. Told me he’d kill me if I didn’t have sex with his wife.”
Silas started to laugh, but covered with a cough. “I’m sorry, Wayne, but today’s your last day with us.”
Wayne stood. “That sucks. I can’t believe you’re letting me go over this. This is bullshit, man. You’re gonna be sorry you fired me.”
Hawk stood. “We’ll escort you out.”
The elevator ride was filled with silence that Hawk wasn’t going to fill. This was all on Wayne.
In the lobby, laughter caught Hawk’s ear. His cousin, Tommy, was laughing it up with two of his receptionists and his general manager, Mags.
What the hell is he doing here?
13
THE LATE-NIGHT RENDEZVOUS
After escorting Wayne out, Hawk made his way over to the energetic group.
Tommy broke into a grin. “There he is!”
“How’s everyone doing?” Hawk asked his employees.
“Doing great,” said one of his receptionists.
“Busy day,” answered the second.
The third receptionist was on the phone, but she acknowledged him with a smile.
“Hawk, you didn’t tell me you hired your cousin,” Mags said.
Now what’s he gone and done?
His general manager, Margaret Larson—who went by Mags—had been through a lot during her recent divorce. Over the past couple weeks, she’d been smiling more, joking more too. She’d lost her dog in the custody battle, but had recently gotten herself a rescue from the local shelter. Hawk was relieved his GM was coming back from a challenging time in her life.
While he didn’t pry into her personal life, she confided that she put herself on a few dating sites. She’d been talking to a few guys, not looking for anything serious, just wanted to get back in the game.
Hawk regarded his cousin. He didn’t remember Tommy not having an “off” switch, but the guy was loose with his words. Too loose. He shouldn’t have stopped by and he sure as hell shouldn’t be telling everyone he worked there.
“When did you hire him?” Silas asked.
“He’s doing some consulting for me,” Hawk lied.
Tommy held up a large fast-food bag. “I brought lunch, cuz. How ‘bout a tour?”
Hawk had already pushed his morning meetings to accommodate his porn-star clients. No way could he burn through time with someone who didn’t actually work there.
“I’ll do it,” Mags offered.
Tommy grinned. “Great. And if you haven’t eaten, there’s a burger in here with your name on it.”
“Thanks, Mags,” Hawk said. “Tommy, let’s chat for a second.”
Hawk moved away from reception, forcing Tommy to follow, but not before he turned to Mags and shot her a smile. “Don’t move a muscle.”
Far enough away from prying ears, Hawk asked, “What’s going on, Tommy? Why are you even here?”
“Dude, it’s my cover,” Tommy murmured. “I need to see where I work, you know, in case someone asks.”
