Page 24 of Devil's Queen
I head back to the office with a smile on my face. “Okay, fine. It was a good idea.”
“Told you,” Pike mutters. “You get any numbers while you were in there?”
“No, but I was propositioned by the older lady in the corner. What exactly did you offer them as a discount?”
Pike grabs his phone from beside him and opens the screen before handing it to me.
Get lubed at Ronnie’s Garage. Hottest mechanics in town. Ladies save ten percent on Tuesdays.
I blink twice. “Hottest mechanics in town?”
“Yeah.” Pike smiles. “Got the ladies here, didn’t it? These days, women like men who get their hands dirty. You could probably charge them more if the waiting room had windows out to the shop.”
“Jesus, man.” I laugh. “I knew you were an ornery son of a bitch, Pike, but this takes the fucking cake.”
“And brings in cash to keep Monte and the other old bastards in his corner off your ass. Money is money.” He shrugs. “I’ve done worse for less when money was tight.”
I shake my head in amusement, still turning the phrase ‘Hottest mechanics in town’ over in my mind. As I contemplate the idea, I realize there may be some truth to Pike’s strategy. Women seem to be genuinely enjoying themselves here, and the idea of a Ladies’ Day special could certainly draw more attention to our garage.
“You know what? I don’t want to know.”
“Trust me, son. You really don’t. But this Ladies’ Day thing might be something.”
“We’ll see how it goes, but I’m not promising any windows in the waiting room. And it’s never too late to reconsider the whole ‘Hottest mechanics in town’ thing, and I’ll put you to work out there.”
“An old guy like me would scare away the ladies. Can’t have that now that my idea is bringing us money. You can be the eye candy, and I’ll be the ideas man.”
“Speaking of eye candy…” I grin at Pike, “… you could use a little update yourself. How long has it been since you’ve been to the barber?”
Pike scowls at me, but there’s a hint of a smirk lurking beneath. “I’ll have you know that this beard has been my pride and joy for years.”
“Yeah, well, it’s starting to look like it could breed its own ecosystem.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Whose beard are you calling an ecosystem?”
“It’s just an observation, Pike. But we could always start a competition for the oldest beard at the garage, and you could be the reigning champion.”
Pike’s smirk deepens, and I can tell he’s considering the idea. We’ve always been like that—challenging and teasing each other, knowing that it’s all in good fun.
“I’ll think about it,” he says finally. “But don’t think it means I’m backing down on the ‘Hottest mechanics in town’ thing just yet. We’ll have to start a whole ad campaign to promote our beards, not just our mechanics. I’m thinking skintight jumpsuits. Maybe some stripper poles for mid-oil change shows. What do you think?”
“It sounds like a fucking OSHA or HR violation waiting to happen.” I chuckle at his suggestion. “But, as long as the cars keep rolling out of here, I’m willing to consider anything.”
“Exactly. And now we have a new customer base to boot. Ladies’ Day is going to be a huge success. I can feel it.”
I chuckle at Pike’s assessment and give him a playful pat on the back. “I’m calling dibs on the next promotion idea.”
Pike just grins, reaching for his crossword puzzle again. “Go ahead, kid. Knock yourself out. I’ll be here waiting for the next big thing.”
With that, I take a deep breath and stride into the garage. I can’t help but feel a sense of pride welling up inside as I see the busy, bustling scene around me in our garage—my legacy for legitimizing the club once and for all. Drugs may have bankrolled the club for the last several years, but I plan on changing that.
I make my way to the far corner of the garage, where Monte and two of our prospects are huddled together, talking. He glances up as I approach, and a scowl forms on his face.
“Told you this garage had potential.”
“You call this potential?” he remarks. “Oil changes aren’t going to be enough to sustain the business, Rex.”
I smirk, knowing that Monte is just bitter because the busier the garage gets, the closer we are to stepping away from the drug trade and his chances of usurping me.