Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 152931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 765(@200wpm)___ 612(@250wpm)___ 510(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 765(@200wpm)___ 612(@250wpm)___ 510(@300wpm)
“Hang tight, Papi Chulo. Don’t get all bent. I’m telling you before I do it. That should count.”
The happy place he’d found after reading Arik’s hilarious message was on the fast track to crashing and burning as Thane sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Why?” he asked, instead of giving Julian the same dressing-down he’d just given this management team on the failures of flouting established protocol.
“Remember that kid I told you about months ago. My PT assistant, the one who got me into free counseling?”
Thane had to really think, which was kind of funny. Julian’s care had been grossly expensive. He’d have thought he’d remember someone who’d saved him so much money in free counseling. He shrugged, lifting his brows, giving himself a break. He could vaguely recall the key components. “Maybe…”
“He needs a job.”
“We don’t hire our staff like that, Julian. Remember your training. Your guys…”
“Boss, slow your roll. He’s a med student taking care of his family, and he’s hot as hell. His body alone’ll make the customers very happy. Happy customers equal more money.”
“Is he in your previous line of work?” Thane asked, completely confused and trying to catch up.
“Hell no. I want him for waitstaff at the club. I saw him last night, and he’s losing his job. He’s coming to the club tonight to take a look around. I’ll send his info off for a background check, but I’ll probably put him on the floor as early as tomorrow,” Julian stated matter-of-factly.
That was another huge issue he was having with Julian. The guy was a beast at work. He kept sticking his nose in every other manager’s responsibilities, causing all sorts of ill will. Julian was a man on a mission. He governed that club with an iron fist, all to try and repay Thane for the expensive care. “Have you talked with Dave about whether he needs more waitstaff?”
“Dave-the-douchebag quit today. You didn’t hear?” Julian said casually.
“What?” Thane pushed his fingers through his hair. Why was he just now hearing about this?
“Don’t worry. I got this. I’ll fill in until you figure out what to do. I, of course, think you just need to let me handle all personnel…”
“Stop, Julian. First, no one’s hired without passing a background check. I’m not watching anyone go through what you did again. And second, you better stop pissing off all my people. Until I talk to Dave and see if I can get him back, you can handle the waitstaff scheduling, but you aren’t…”
“Equipped to handle personnel issues,” Julian said, finishing his sentence. “Are you getting laid regularly? Because I’m pretty sure you’re not. You need to come on over here and bend me over this desk—”
“We have rules. I’m not having sex on that property, and I better not catch you having sex on that property!” Thane shot out, cutting Julian off.
“You’re a very difficult man, Thane Walker,” Julian replied, not missing a beat. “I’d say hard, but I have no way of truly knowing that.”
He ignored Julian’s baiting comments, absolutely refusing to go there with him again. “You need extensive leadership development before you jump in and take on some of these things, Julian. I’ll get a team out there to work with you for a few days. If Dave’s really gone, and my team assesses your ability and thinks you can handle yourself, I’ll give you a shot, but only if they agree.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You’re the best, yada yada yada. So, I’m gonna hire Levi. He needs the job and I owe him. Ciao.” The phone went dead.
Thane just sat there staring at the laptop screen. On one hand, he had the slug management team from hell right there with him in Saint Louis. On the other, he had Julian who was so overzealous in his need to prove himself that he couldn’t be stopped.
Okay. Yeah, he’d take Julian, but damn, he wished his life didn’t feel like his sole purpose on the planet was to babysit all these crazy personalities. Thane picked up his phone and texted Julian.
“Don’t go outside of policy.” Clear and to the point. He pushed send and waited. Julian texted right back.
“I understand.”
Thane nodded, glad he’d made his point. He lowered his laptop lid, packed the computer in its case, and grabbed his phone before opening the office door. He was surprised to see his regional manager, Blaze, standing across the walkway, leaning against the built-in freezer door. He looked up, and Thane nodded toward the exit, getting him to follow.
“Thanks for bringing this site to my attention,” Thane said quietly, walking side by side with the regional manager.
“You put the law down. That’s what I needed,” Blaze said, equally as quiet as they pushed through the back door.
“I’m scheduling workforce development to come here unannounced in the next seventy-two hours. Their expense will come out of this budget which will more than likely blow your bonus this year. It’ll be costly, so put something in front of me as to why I should exempt you of this expense,” Thane said, looking over at Blaze who had his head bent, studying the sidewalk as they slowly walked toward his car. The only response the guy gave was a slight nod before tucking his hands inside his slacks pockets. “There’ll be interval training for all of the restaurant’s staff. Front end first then kitchen staff. Management last. Whether that works or not doesn’t matter. Things are gonna change. Also, disciplinary actions are being prepared. I’m leaving here first thing in the morning, so I’ll video conference in, but you’ll need to be the one to administer their disciplinary action,” Thane added.