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Tuck shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
She nodded.
“We’ll meet in his office briefly so you can see some of the financials, and then I’ll give you a tour,” I said.
“I just need to see the paperwork.”
I ignored her as I led her following Tuck back to the manager’s office.
“Can I get you something to drink?” I offered as she sat in the chair by Tuck’s desk.
“No, thank you.”
I let Tuck lead, giving her an overview of the club for the last five years.
“That dip two years ago was when Ben decided to take a leave,” I said as her finger stopped over a figure that was smaller than the others.
“But I’ve got it back up and then some,” Tuck said.
“Yes, it’s quite successful,” she commented.
She sounded pleased, which I supposed she should be. It meant Ben was entitled to a tidy sum if he still wanted to sell. I frowned as I wondered if that was an issue. Did they need money? Their father had built a business empire as my father had. It didn’t seem likely that it was in trouble. And I still couldn’t figure out why Ben wasn’t here. I really should have been doing business with him.
“This all looks very good,” she said looking up at me. “I can let Ben know and we can come up with an offer.”
“You need to tour the club first. You know this is a good investment for him. Maybe he should consider keeping it. He can be a silent partner if he prefers.”
She shook her head. “No, he’s decided he wants to move on.”
I wanted to ask her why he wasn’t here telling me all this. Was he angry at me? Had he found out about me and Beth all those years go and was pissed I touched his sister? Or was something wrong with him?
I escorted her out, letting my hand rest on the lower part of her back. I itched to touch her and this was the safest I felt I could get away with.
“We have VIP areas for celebrities and other important guests,” I said as I showed her a few of the areas. “The glass allows them to see what’s going on, but if they want privacy, there is a technical curtain of sorts that tints the glass.”
“Your doing, I guess,” she said.
I shrugged. “I suppose tech geek and club owner don’t normally go together, but in my case, it works.”
She nodded. “You’re very clever.”
I led her to the bar and introduced her to the staff we had serving drinks this night. “Megan here was our first hire,” I told Beth. “Ben was quite smitten with her.”
“I believe there are rules about bosses and their staff,” Beth said.
I nodded. “And Ben always respected that.”
“It was easier for him when he learned I swing the other way,” Megan said from the other side of the bar. “What will it be boss?”
“Give us minis of all the signature drinks.”
“All?” Megan quirked a brow.
“All.” I didn’t want to get Beth drunk, but it would be nice if she loosened up a bit.
In a few minutes, Megan had set the first drink on the bar.
“This is the Benny and the Jet…named for Ben and the club, not the song. It has your brother’s favorite combos.”
A sadness swept over her face that made my heart clench. What the hell was going on?
She took a sip and smiled wanly. “Yes, he’d like that.”
A second drink was set on the counter. “This was one Ben and me created our sophomore year in college. To be honest, it’s not much different than the last one. We were pretty much lushes back then.”
Her breath hitched, and again, I wondered what was going on. Why would booze be making her seem so sad?
She tasted a few more, and then I urged her to order anything she wanted for herself. She opted for a glass of white wine. I was pleased that she ordered something. I got the feeling she was ready to leave from the moment she walked into the club.
I continued the tour, taking her into one of the raised VIP areas so she could look over the club and how it was set up. When she finished her wine, I brought her down to the DJ booth.
“We have one thing no other club has,” I said loudly over the music. “Another use of my geek skills.” I motioned to the DJ who nodded.
“Watsup everyone. The floor’s about to get crowded,” he said to the dancing crowd. Then he flipped a switch and the holographic dancers appeared.
Beth’s eyes widened in fascination. “Ben mentioned this but I couldn’t imagine it.”
“No one dances alone now,” I said. Taking a chance, I added, “Let’s join them. You can get the full experience.”
I guided her to the floor, keeping her close. Other men were looking at her, and there was no way I was going to let any of them get near her. She was mine. She’d always been mine. I supposed that was a sexist thought. And it was possible, likely even, that over the last six years, she’d been with other men. I pushed that away because it would only make me crazy to think about another man touching her.
