Club Endless Fantasy (Haremworld)

“Yep, Erik and I are really interested in this pub. It’s going to be the cornerstone of a new business we’re investing in.” The one that had to be Olsen rubbed his hands together.

Okay, Erik on the right and Olsen on the left. Left for O. Right for E. I can remember that.

I went through my presentation fairly quickly. There wasn’t much to talk about, but I was able to confirm that it was still owned by the same man. I left out the part about him asking me on a date—and giving him my phone number. The main thing they cared about was the type of customer the pub catered to, how much business it did, and whether or not it looked like it was worth the investment. I wasn’t sure why they wanted it, especially since the pub was so far from the rest of the property Viking Developments owned. Somehow, I managed to get through my presentation without my wobbly knees giving out on me. That seemed like a small victory, considering how nervous I was.

“So, that’s about it.” I flipped to my final slide. “Hal’s Pub is just a regular bar where people on the South Side go to get drunk. I don’t think many of the customers will come back if you renovate the place and jack up the prices.”

“You’re saying it’s a bad investment?” Olsen tilted his head and his piercing eyes locked on mine.

“No.” I shook my head quickly. “I mean, if you guys want to invest in it, then you obviously have a plan.”

“We’re not talking about that.” Erik shook his head back and forth. “We’re asking what you think. Is it a good investment?”

It’s a test—oh fuckI barely got through the presentation and now I’m going to have my first real conversation with the bosses? What evil deity did I piss off by getting out of bed this morning?

“I…” I took a deep breath and just let my thoughts roll off my tongue. “I don’t think it’s a good investment, based on what I know about Viking Developments. Your—our—expansion plans do not generally follow this pattern. The two buildings beside it look like they will need a lot of extra work, and I’m not sure what purpose they serve.”

“Go on.” Olsen’s lip twisted into a slight smile.

Go on? I barely got that much out.

“Um, well—the building on the right used to be an apartment building, but it looks gutted. The building on the left was some sort of warehouse. It’ll be expensive, just because of the land it’s sitting on, and the building will probably have to be torn down because it doesn’t even look like it can be renovated. It’s in really bad shape.” I swallowed hard and put my hand on the table for support.

Please don’t ask me anything else. I don’t have anything else to offer….

“Gina, you’ve got a pretty good grasp on what we do here.” Erik’s face lit up and a smile spread across his lip. “I think we need to get you moved over to the purchasing department.”

“Purchasing?” I swallowed again, feeling a lump rise in my throat. “Like, to buy property?”

“Exactly.” Olsen nodded and looked at his brother. “I think you’ve done good work here, and I’m going to put you in charge of this account.”

An account? Already? I’ve barely gotten the seat at my desk warm.

“But I just told you it’s a bad investment.” I raised my eyebrows and continued to hold my hand against the table.

“Exactly.” Olsen leaned forward against the table and wagged his index finger at me. “The fact you understand that means you’re way ahead of the customer service desk. I want you making decisions.”

“I agree.” Erik nodded. “I hope you’re ready for some more field work, because you’ll be wearing the point off those heels very soon.”

“I’m—I’m honored.” I felt my throat tightening up as the lump tried to get bigger. “I’ll get right to work on this account. I won’t let you down!”

“We believe in you.” Olsen leaned back and nodded. “Very good work.”

It looks like I have no choice but to go on a date with Joaquin now—except we’re going to be discussing business instead of getting to know each other.

“This calls for a celebration.” Harmony ran over and hugged me when I told her about my new promotion. “Well, as soon as Luke is in bed.”

“I don’t think we can be a bad

influence on him yet. He’s not even walking.” I hugged her back and smiled from ear-to-ear.

“True…” Harmony giggled and broke from our embrace. “But you did promise to take me shopping at least once before I have to go back to New York.”

Harmony and I went downtown where the best shopping locations were, and I used my credit card like a woman dripping with money. If I was going to meet with clients, I practically needed a new wardrobe. The new promotion was going to come with a sizable increase in salary, and commissions each time I closed an account. The Rourke brothers treated their Purchasing Agents like royalty, and I couldn’t wait to have a throne of my own. I thought it would take me years to get to that point. I never dreamed that one meeting would change the direction of my life so drastically. I didn’t even need wine. I was buzzing with more excitement than alcohol could ever give me—still, I was definitely going to indulge myself once we got back to my apartment because I fucking deserved it.

“Oh shit.” I held up my phone as it started to buzz. “This is a South Side area code. It’s probably Joaquin.”

“Well, answer it, duh.” Harmony nodded quickly. “You have to go out on a date with him now that you’re going to buy his pub.”