More Than Lies (22 page)

“Are you leaving?” Sabrina pipes up, looking at Adam as if she’s mad. She’s probably beginning to realize this is the end of her run. She’s going to soon find out it’s not only the end of her stealing from me, but that ass is about to be canned.

It took long enough, but I finally have the proof I need to know she has been stealing from the company for nearly a year. Chance, my brother’s buddy in Vegas gave me some good advice. He owns and runs the tattoo studio he works in so he should know a thing or two about business.

“No, I’m not going anywhere, jeez.” I find it funny that he’s annoyed.

“So who’s the new owner?”

“I’m getting to that if you motherfuckers would shut the fuck up for a minute.” He runs his palm through his hair. “Fuck, you bitches talk too much.”

“I’m the new owner,” I pipe up letting Adam breathe. All eyes turn to look at me. Most looked stunned. Only Tara, Adam, and Kenny knew before this moment that I bought the place.

“Oh.” Sabrina voices her thought. It’s the way she screws up her face and rolls her eyes that piss me off. “Couldn’t that have been relayed via text or something? Email even? Did we all need to come in early for that news? I mean, really, it’s Shawn. He’s one of us. Nothing will change, except who’s name signed my paycheck.”

Adam shakes his head with the slightest of movements before he turns his head in my direction.

“I’m going to leave that one with you, brother.”

“What?” Sabrina looks at us both as if missing a key piece of information. She is.

“That’s where you’re wrong. All of you need to listen up. Things are about to change. That is one thing I promise you right here and now. I’m not saying anything Adam did or didn’t do was wrong. What I’m saying is that everything before this moment is irrelevant.”

“Irrelevant? Like how?” Sabrina chimes.

“Before today, I wasn’t your boss. I didn’t give two shits what you did, didn’t do, or how good any of the work was that you put out. Today, that changed.” I look each person in the eye, giving them time for my words to sink in. “A lot is about to change; probably fairly quickly too. Some of you, won’t make it, that I’m sure of. Others, I hope you’ll see this as an opportunity to improve not only your skill but yourself as well. We’re here to work, not shoot the shit.” I look at Adam when I deliver the last sentence. Tara has opened my eyes to things I hadn’t noticed.

“All right, boss,” Jon says so I turn my attention in his direction. He’s sitting onto of his table, with his legs crossed, looking me in the eyes. His expression is masked. I can’t tell if he’s on board with me or not. Jon isn’t a bad guy and from everything I’ve seen, his work is damn good. “Enlighten us on these changes.”

“First change is the name. It’s changing to Wicked Ink. I have a new sign on order that’ll replace the one in the parking lot. Shirts with our new logo should arrive by Monday. Commissions will stay the same, sixty percent goes to the artist with the shop obtaining forty percent.”

“So far, everything I’m hearing from you is sitting okay with me. What else?” Jon continues on.

“I’m going to meet with each of you on an individual basis at some point today, going over what my expectations are, answering any question you may not want to voice in this room.” I huff, breathing out air and taking more inside. “However, what I will say to all of you, here and now, is that if you want to continue working here, I expect your loyalty, to the business as well as to me. When I said some of you will not make it, I meant it. This studio will not put out low quality work. Every person employed here, will give one hundred percent from the moment you walk through the doors until the moment you walk back out.”

The end of today can’t come soon enough. All in all, I’m glad Adam decided to get this over and done with.

“Are you saying we don’t give a hundred percent now?” Tyler asks. He’s standing near Hunter. They are both good friends and both goof off together. Tara thinks she isn’t qualified, but she is, a lot more than I am. I need her and I see that now more than ever. She brought a lot of things to light for me. Especially, Tyler and Hunter.

“I’m not saying everyone isn’t,” I laugh because frankly that’s all I can do. “Several of you don’t even put in fifty percent around here. That will change. Know that and believe it. There are those of you that never have a full schedule. If you aren’t going to make the studio money, then I don’t have a place for you. Is that clear enough for you, Tyler?”

Crystal, boss,” He bites back.

Yeah, he will not be here much longer.

“One last thing I want to announce before you all get back to work is that I’ve made Tara the official studio manager, so she’ll—” I’m interrupted before I can finish.

“Wait a minute. That’s my job.” Sabrina jumps off the table she was sitting in.

I glance in Tara’s direction. I never actually got around to telling her that small detail. Her eyes are raised.

“No, that was never your job.” Adam barks at her. “Your job is to greet customers, make, change, and cancel appointments. Answering the fucking phone is your job. Run the cash register is your job. Never in your job description did it mention management.”

“Adam.” I call out. “Enough. I think I was clear, but to finish what I was saying, Tara is the studio manager. She’ll continue doing payroll, order supplies, and everything else she’s been doing. Nothing with Tara is changing; I’m just making it official. You all feel me?”

“Yeah, brother, we hear ya.” Kenny answers for himself and everyone else.

“Good deal. Y’all are free to get to work.” I lean off my table and walk toward the back office. I need a breather, away from these people.

When I reach the door, I open, walk through and shove the door with minimal force, but enough so that it’ll close behind. As I make my way to my desk, I realize the door never shut. Before I sit down, I see Tara propped up against the frame.

“Yes?” I question as I plop down. She just stares at me. “It’s just a title, you know. You were already doing the duties.”

“I know.” Tara turns and leaves without another word.

By the time the sun goes down, I’m ready to get the hell out of here, but I can’t. I have roughly three hours left. My last client should be here in about an hour and since I finished the last one earlier than I thought, I have an important detail to wrap up before then.

Sabrina Gold.

“Hey, you text me to come back?”

I look up from where I was cleaning my station to see Tara. I had sent her a text message thirty minutes ago, asking her if she could come back up to the studio tonight. Tara told me earlier today that she had decided since she’s been making more money working here that she doesn’t want to continue working at the bar. She spoke to Mac and he’s okay with her not returning as a waitress.

“Yeah, I need a favor.” I tell her in a low voice so that no one else will hear our conversation. I wave her closer and Tara immediately steps in front of me. The sweet and spicy scent of her perfume envelops me, but I keep my expression neutral, not allowing her to see the affect she has on me. And believe me, Tara has a lot of them. She just doesn’t know it.

“Sure, what do you need?” Her eyes dart all over the room. Trying to determine why I’m keeping my voice low, I’m sure.

“I’m about to fire Sabrina. Adam has agreed to be in the room with me, but I need you in there too.”

“Me? I don’t know anything about firing someone, Shawn.” Confusion is written all over her face.

“I don’t need you to actually do anything except be in the room.” I don’t know a whole lot about owning a business, but Chance made it clear, do not firer her without witnesses. He was adamant about at least one witness being a female so that in the event she tries to claim sexual harassment or anything else, I’d have people to cover my back.

“Oh,” Realization dawns on her. “You just want me to witness in case she tries to start something later?”

“Exactly. You okay with that?”

“Sure, it’s no problem, but what are we going to do about the rest of the week. Who’s going to work the front?”

I turn my warmest smile on her hoping she will throw me a bone.

“Me?” she questions, but before Tara can tell me no, I clarify. I know she’ll be returning for her last semester of school in January and I’m not asking her to manage the studio plus be the receptionist.

“Just tomorrow and Monday. When we get back from Christmas after next weekend, I’ll get someone hired, I swear.” I’ll beg, Tara, but please don’t make me, I silently project from my brain. If she only knew, she’s probably the only person on earth I’d beg something from, she’d know just how much I hide.

“I guess.” She doesn’t sound enthused.

“I’d do it myself, but I have a full schedule.” I wrap both of my hands around her shoulders. “I appreciate it, I really do and I’ll make it up to you, okay?” Her eyes fall to my lips. The moment lasts only seconds before her face heats. Quickly, she turns, making my hands falls from her from.

“Yeah, sure. Um…where should I go?” I don’t acknowledge her embarrassment or the reminder of the hot kiss we shared awhile back.

I look in Adam’s direction, giving him a quick jerk with my head in the direction of the office. He nods as he makes his way toward the back.

“Go wait in the office with Adam. I’ll bring Sabrina back there in a few minutes.” Tara doesn’t say anything else, but she does do as I ask, walking fast and following in Adam’s direction.

No sense in delaying this further.

I turn and walk toward the front. As I near, I notice Sabrina placing the deposit bag into her purse. This isn’t unusual as Sabrina has always been the person that handles taking the deposits to the bank. That was a huge error on Adam’s end.

“You got a minute?”

She glances up before retrieving her purse and lifting it onto her shoulder.

“Sure, what’s up?”

“You know I wanted to meet with everyone today. Let’s do that in the office before you leave, okay?” I keep my voice neutral and my face blank. No need to scare her or let her think there is a problem.

“Okay, but I was just headed out.”

“Your shift doesn’t end for another thirty minutes.” Wow, she really doesn’t give a rat’s ass about her job, does she?

“I know, Shawn.” She laughs, but there isn’t a lick of humor behind it. “I always leave a few minutes early so I can stop by the bank on the way home.”

“And here I thought the banks close at five.”

“Well, ours doesn’t.” Her reply is condescending. Did I know our bank or any bank for that matter stayed open passed five o’clock, no I did not, but the bitch doesn’t have to have an attitude.

“Fine, okay. Let’s go talk.” I don’t wait for her to argue further. Instead, I turn around and head in the direction of my office. Stupid bitch is going to wish she were a little nicer. This shit has been weighing on my mind all day. Thoughts from maybe she needs the money and didn’t see a way around not stealing. Hell, maybe she has major medical issues going on that we are all clueless about. But you know what, fuck that. Stealing is stealing and wrong no matter how you look at it.

I walk in and as I do, I open the door wide so that she can follow. Adam is leaning against one wall and Tara is seated behind the desk, leaving the two chairs in the room, vacant. I don’t opt for one of the seats. Instead, I round the desk and lean against the wall closest to Tara. She goes to stand, but I shake my head indicating I don’t want her to move.

“Um, what’s going on?” Sabrina has a worried expression masking her face, but I doubt she has a clue just how worried she should be.

“Have a seat, please.” I motion to the chairs. She closes the door before making herself comfortable. “I thought you and I were going to have a one-on-one conversation. Isn’t that what you said this morning, Shawn?”

“It is, but that isn’t what we’re here to do. I told you this wouldn’t take long and I meant it, so I’ll get right to the point, Sabrina. I know your stealing money from the company.” Her eyes widen in shock, but her lips remain sealed. “Have known for a while now, but I didn’t have the proof until two days ago.”

“Look, I don’t know who has been talking to you, but they are lying.”

“Save your breath, Sabrina. I said I have proof and I do. Wednesday I calculated all transactions, myself, against the schedule, when I had you run that errand.” Two days ago I sent her out on a quick run for the studio. She was gone just long enough for me to add up the money. “What was deposited into the banking account was six hundred bucks shorter than what you left with.”

“That…that can’t be right, Shawn. I didn’t do it. Someone else must have taken the money out before I left.” I can see the sweat form on her brow.

“Your just digging yourself a deeper hole so shut it.”

“I said I didn’t fucking do it,” her voice booms. I’m certain she could have been heard outside this room.

“Stop lying, Sabrina.” Adam chimes in. About fuckin’ time, too. He the one she’s started screwing over in the first place. He should be pissed.

“I’m not, why don’t y’all believe me?” She throws up her hands in a dramatic gesture before slamming her back against the chair she is seated in.