Page 32 of Wrecked By You
I pulled into the parking lot, spying Johannes’s car parked in its usual spot. As I’d hoped, the rest of the lot was empty. Thank goodness. From what I’d gleaned during my short tenure at Level Nine, he often came in far earlier than anyone else, and on this occasion, my guess had paid off.
As I made my way to the staff entrance around the side of the club, my courage fled. I almost turned around, got back in my car, and drove home. Only a deep-rooted need to say my piece, to set boundaries, stopped me. Didn’t stop my hand from shaking as I tried the door. Dammit. Locked. I should have expected this. If I were working alone in a nightclub filled with booze, I wouldn’t leave the door open either, even though Level Nine was in an exclusive neighborhood.
I rapped on the door a of couple times, then waited. After a minute went by with no answer, I thumped again, harder this time. A few seconds later, Johannes’s face appeared in the small window in the door. I expected a frown or his trademark bored expression. Instead, his lips curved into an almost smile as he opened up to let me in.
“Ella. I wasn’t expecting to see you. How’s Chloe?”
“Better, thank you,” I replied stiffly. “I need a word.”
“As long as that word is ‘I’m back on shift tonight,’ then sure.”
Was that a joke? Knowing Johannes, unlikely. “That’s five words, and no.”
His almost smile faded. He stood back to let me in, then shut and relocked the door. I followed him to his office, closing the door behind me despite us being the only people in the building.
“Doc worked out, then?” He sat behind his desk, motioning for me to sit, too.
It seemed churlish to remain standing, so I sat, perching my butt on the edge of the chair. “I need to get something straight.”
Johannes arched a brow, gesturing to me. “Floor’s yours. Spit it out before you burst.”
Jerk.
I sucked in a deep breath and went for it, hands clenched into fists in my lap to stop my fingers from trembling. “I am not at all happy that you took it upon yourself to send a doctor to my house. My daughter is not your responsibility, and nor am I. You are my boss. I am your employee. That is where our relationship begins and ends. I will not be indebted to you, or to anyone else. I may be poor, Mr. Kingcaid, but I am not a charity case. I will find a way to refund you every penny for Chloe’s care. I insist upon it. In the future, I’d appreciate it if you would keep out of my business.”
I was almost panting by the time I’d finished blurting out his multiple discretions. I steeled myself, prepared for a terse comeback, or worse. When it came to the man sitting opposite me, his reaction to any situation was impossible to guess. I didn’t regret saying my piece, or standing my ground. But I hoped it didn’t blow up in my face.
Johannes cocked a brow. “Have you finished?”
I rubbed my lips together and tried to slow my galloping heart rate by taking another deep breath. I blew it out between pursed lips. “Yes.”
“Good.” He leaned forward, his linked hands resting on his messy desk. “What I did had nothing to do with being charitable. The last shift you worked was Thursday night. Today is Monday. You already missed an entire weekend, and I had to pull someone in from one of my other clubs, which meant leaving them shorthanded. And while I’m not an expert in childhood illnesses, from what I saw of your daughter, if we’d left her immune system to fight on its own, it would have been at least another week before you graced my club with your presence. I can’t afford unplanned staff shortages for that length of time.”
Oh. My lips parted, my brain scrambling for a suitable response. Iknew it!Of course he’d sent help for his own selfish requirements. Nothing to do with seeing a sick little girl and wanting to make her better. Nor had his supposed benevolence had anything to do with my financial status and inability to afford a doctor for my child. It had all been about his business and staffing levels.
If I weren’t so stunned, I’d have laughed.
Johannes, though, continued with his special brand of motivation.
“I need you back at work, pronto, or I’ll have no choice but to hire a temporary bartender to fill in. And as you’re just starting to be useful, to have another trainee fucking things up would be a royal pain in my ass.”
Charming.
“Well.” I stood and slipped my purse strap over my shoulder. “I’m glad we got that all cleared up.”
“Sit down. I haven’t finished.”
I sat, my shoulders tense, half regretting my decision to come here at all. I should have let things be, waited for Chloe to recover, and then returned to work as if nothing had happened.
“How is Chloe doing?” he asked softly.
His change of direction couldn’t have surprised me more if he’d slapped me across the face with a wet fish. “She’s doing much better. Thank you.”
“What was wrong with her?”
I wrinkled my brow. “The doctor didn’t tell you?” I’d have thought, since Johannes was paying, he’d have gotten a report or something.
“Chloe is his patient, and as her mother, you’re his client. Anders would never breach confidentiality.”