Page 114 of Size King

“I’ll hire your friend, too,” says Dustin.

“What?” I say, flabbergasted.

“I’ll take you both,” Dustin offers. “I’ll hire you and Kelsey right now if you’re interested.”

“Could you really afford to hire two new people on your staff?” I ask, trying to be kind. “I mean, Jacob has been stealing a lot of your business.”

“I don’t think I’ll have to worry about Jacob stealing anything else from me here in the next week or so,” says Dustin cryptically.

“What do you mean?” I wonder.

“Like I said, I’ll hire you both right now, and I’ll give you a quarter raise on top of whatever Jacob’s paying you both now.”

“Shut up,” I say in shock. “Are you serious?”

“You have my word,” he says with his hand extended.

I shake Dustin’s hand, still skeptical about what he is offering, but I can’t hide how enticing it sounds to me.

“I’m not agreeing to work for you,” I say firmly. “Keep that in mind. That handshake is you promising your word as law.IfI come and work for you,ifKelsey came with me, you’d really pay memorethan what Jacob pays me?”

“Cross my heart,” says Dustin.

“Well, I still need to think about it a little while longer,” I tell him. “Jacob hired me, you know? I just need to think about it.”

“That’s fine,” says Dustin. “Think about it. Remember that I’d pay you more, and make your decision soon.”

“How much time do I have?”

“Two days,” he says with a smile. “Is that not reasonable?”

“That’s fair, I guess,” I say after I take a sip of water. “Why are you so insistent that I leave the ‘dangerous’ Ultra-Cycle, anyways? Even if Jacob is into some shady shit, why does that concern me? He’s never involved me.”

“Yet,” he stresses. “Look, the less you know, the better. You’re too sweet; you shouldn’t be involved with him. You should get out now.”

“You’re being so mysterious and vague,” I say in frustration. “Is there something I should know about where I work?”

He takes a breadstick from the middle of the table and dips it in the olive oil we have in the center of the table.

“When I know more things for sure, I’ll tell you as soon as I know,” says Dustin. “There’s a lot going on. It’s hard to explain. I swear. When Icanexplain, I will.”

“Okay…”

We eae for a couple of minutes in silence, enjoying our entrees. I have lasagna and grilled vegetables. Once I feel satiated enough, I return to him.

“So, tell me about the kind of girl you usually date,” I say.

He chuckles and pounds a shot of whiskey. “I don’t usually date.”

“What do you mean?” I wonder.

“I haven’t been in a serious relationship. I haven’t been with anyone for a couple of years. I haven’t thought about dating all that much, to be honest. You’re different. I like you, Megan.”

“So, you haven’t… had sex in a couple of years?” I ask.

“I haven’tdatedin a while,” he clarifies. “I’ve had a few one-night stands over the past year or so, usually girls that hang out with us at the clubhouse.”

“Ah, so I’m your favorite ‘biker girl’ now,” I surmise.