{"sf1_id":2086138,"sf2_id":"GnDbYzBe","title":"AU: Out of the Red","author":"Pyrethorns","words":15828,"posted_at":"2023-12-24T23:18:27.000Z","tags":["AU","Alcohol","Biting","Boss/Employee","Club","Crime","Fanfiction","Fighting","Genital circus","Human","Jax","Kissing","M/F","Oral","Pomni","Rabbit","Ragatha","Romance","TADC","The Amazing Digital Circus","Urban","extortion"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/2086138-au-out-of-the-red","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/GnDbYzBe","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/ac/4e/ac4ea778-c4de-45be-b8b6-7755623286c3","description":"There's benefits to not making too much of a scene. You can just coast on by as a small time criminal without making too many waves and get a bit of money. Jax thought that he'd have that sort of deal forever until well, he got caught. His punishment is simple, make a success story out of a club or get the axe. At least there are pretty dames and fine drinks to be had.   \n  \nBig thanks to Jolly B over at [https://twitter.com/rattleanal](https://twitter.com/rattleanal) for the inspiration to mess with my own alteration of this work. Though their work wasn't the only thing that inspired me, their burlesque AU was a driving factor of me trying in the first place. If you're reading this Jolly B, then you've got chops for days in terms of ideas and artwork.","content":"Being low on the food chain could have benefits in certain circles as long as you knew a trick or two to keep yourself from getting snagged. There was no sense in beating up a no-name crook on the button rung of a family’s ladder and a lot of the difficult things didn’t seem to get thrown over your shoulders. However, you had to keep everyone nice and happy without overperforming or underperforming. Always have a lighter on hand and maybe a pack of the most troublesome type’s favorite cigarettes, hell, maybe even carry a flask of something nice and sharp to keep their stomach warm and their attention off of you. Now, run a few petty scams or shakedowns and earn just enough to pay your dues but not enough that you were seriously under consideration for a promotion and you’d be set. Under the radar of most individuals while keeping everyone above you relatively happy. That’s how Jax liked it. He was a lean rabbit with a bit of tone but not really the type of muscle that got brought along to shake people down. His best punch was a sucker punch and his best trait was his cardio, for getting out of the rare tight situation. He wore slacks, average shoes and a white button-up complete with a tie and old coat to not stand out too much. Jax knew that he wasn’t the cream of the crop, but he did pride himself on his cleverness and maybe it was that pride that got him into trouble.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nThe main family office was located in an old brick building smack in the middle of a thriving commercial street. Near the top, the big boss had his personal study. Typically, it was a place where no one disturbed the big guy unless you had a good reason, or he invited you in. Sometimes those could be very happy individuals walking in there but Jax was not very happy standing in that study. Everything looked a bit too expensive for his own tastes. Wine-colored carpet lined the entire thing with polished wooden furniture including the desk that the boss was sitting behind. Maybe he could appreciate it a little bit more if he didn’t feel so roughed up. Sure, once he heard that the boss wanted to talk to him from two guys who looked like they could split him down the middle just by tugging on his arms like a toddler with a toy, he had tried to bolt. Turns out the two meatheads that had dragged him in hadn’t appreciated that. So now he was standing in front of the boss in his fancy office in a tattered coat with a scuffed cheek. Perfect. Maybe he could at least talk his way out of this one.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nYeah, it wasn’t too hard to figure out that him skimming a bit off the top of his earnings and pretending he was only doing average might’ve had something to do with it. What he didn’t know, however, was just how fucked he was. His boss was just sitting there quietly right now with a pen in hand passing through some paperwork as if he wasn’t there but he knew better than to interrupt. The man behind the desk was an old tom, an old tom that had been doing this for a long time. Dark fur, an old scar across the cheek, and eyes that were sharp enough to cut into you underlined by a far too-gentle smile. Sam Paolo was his name, and he preferred it simply as Mister Paolo. Not Don or anything like that, just Mister.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nThere were a lot of rumors about the guy, a lot of silly stories that you can sometimes hear about older men in this type of life.\u0026nbsp; Fellas talked about how he was the only survivor at a few nasty shootouts caked in the blood of others rather than his own, talked about how nobody could ever get the jump on him. He had some sort of sixth sense that let him see through people. And if he ever looked you in the eye during a firefight you’d lock up without even thinking about pulling that trigger. All of it sounded silly until you sat in front of the man himself and learned about the real stories. Assassination attempts failed. The police came to his office to sit down with hats in hand out of respect. And just because he said he didn’t like to get blood on his hands didn’t mean that he had never made anyone disappear.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax loved the guy, really did but the man was intimidating as all hell. He had wild ambition hiding under that cool surface, unlike Jax, and always kept quiet until he had something important to say. Now the old tom was leaning back in his chair and speaking while putting away his pen, “So, Jax. I like to keep ledgers. Books full of neat little information. Money leaves trails and you can find so many things if you follow those trails. Everyone who turns in some sort of profit to me has all of that money put in ink.” The man’s smile then seemed to shrink as he tilted his head, “With all that in mind, it wasn’t very hard to find a few problems with the numbers you were reporting compared to what you were spending on yourself.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nShit, how did he know what he was spending? He figured he had been so careful and so he opened his mouth to start pleading his case, “Boss you know—”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nMister Paolo held a hand up and breathed out, “I am not a fan of liars. I am a fan of ambition and what you’ve done tells me that you either have none, or too much. Tell me, how’s that new apartment treating you? Are you a fan of, white rum?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nDouble shit. Cornered and unsure of what to say, he opened his mouth and balked, “I mean, boss, I always paid my dues. Always what was expected of me, y’know?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“And yet, you could have done more and received that extra back as a gift from the family. You could have been promoted time and time again and found yourself in a cushier position.” The old tom began before shrugging, “Certainly, you’d have a bit more to do but a clever boy like you can do a lot of good with the right motivation. Right?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax averted his gaze while muttering, “I mean, I kinda like my position right now. Don’t really see much sense in changing it.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Oh, but we will be changing it.” Said Mister Paolo.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe heard a drawer opening and his ears raised on high. Mister Paolo was reaching behind his desk for something and there it was. His life didn’t flash before his eyes but he did consider the fact that this was his own damn fault. Jax now waited, waited to see that flash of black coming out from behind the desk. He waited to hear the crank of a hammer being pulled back before the thunder and crack of a gunshot roared through the air for a single second.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nInstead of a gun, however, Mister Paolo pulled out a piece of paper, “You’re coming up in the family. Through your service and through the results that you’ve been pulling in, in spite of your mischief, I’ve decided that you’re the perfect one to handle a little problem of mine.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nWhen the paper was set down and pushed toward him, he walked to it slowly and picked it up. Clipped to it was an old photograph of a building on the corner of a street complete with a sign that read the Velvet Apple. Quietly he muttered while narrowing his eyes, “So this place is your problem?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Newly acquired on the cheap from a rival family.” Said Mister Paolo before sighing aloud, “Our rivals had a lack of imagination and so they ran the place into the ground despite the perfect location. The address and a few other helpful little numbers and names are all on that paper.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe felt tension rising up his spine as his eyes scanned through the words and when it broke free through his mouth he coughed, “You want me to manage a cabaret club? Me?” Jax then looked at Mister Paolo’s unmoving expression with the same little smile before he continued, “Sir, I got all that money running nothing scams! Water filters, pickpocket gigs, rackets on the street with cards and quick hands. Nothing but a bunch of mildly clever garbage!”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nMister Paolo took his outburst without flinching before nodding slowly, “You are very clever, so very clever that I have a good feeling about you. I’m not often wrong about my judgments in character and I’m not typically wrong about giving second chances.” He then added while leaning in and clasping his hands together, mouth obscured now as those eyes watched him above the fingers, “I don’t give third chances. And I’ve already set the pieces so well that nobody could mess it up unless they were really trying, or were so stupid I might as well just kill them myself before they have the chance to be any more of a failure.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nThe weight of that last statement hung on his shoulders for a bit, his heart thumping a bit faster as he opened his mouth to protest weakly, “I don’t even know how to run a business.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Good for you I’ve hired someone to help you with that. They’ll be watching over you so play nice.” He said while plucking his pen up to start on his paperwork again.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax felt as if he could try to make some other excuse to try and get out of this but everything that could have been said had been said. This was his second chance, this would be the only chance he got to prove that he wasn’t a fuck up and that he could stay in the family. Typically, traitors were taken out back and dumped out into the ocean by the docks, or a random river but he’d been given another chance because Mister Paolo saw something in him. That was exactly what he didn’t want. He felt his gut curling, his eyes growing wide as he looked down at the paper in his hand.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nWhat broke him out of it was Mister Paolo’s voice humming, “Go on, you’ll have everything you need at your new office.”\n\n  \n\nThat was seriously it. Nothing to say about it except, yes sir, and move on. Except, he didn’t say even that as he stepped out of the study and back into the building. There were a few individuals who clapped him on the back and congratulated him on the promotion. One of the meatheads that had punched him in the fucking eye actually apologized and gave him a set of bills that could easily replace his coat. Courtesy of not only said meathead, but the boss too apparently. He looked at the money, found himself frustrated and annoyed, and decided, fuck it. Might as well spend a bit on himself.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nAcross the street from the family office was a tailor and he strode through the door while tossing his jacket off to the pavement. The owner was an old friend of the family, mostly human but he looked like he hit the graveyard shift a bit too much. Sunken eyes with heavy bags under them but sunken eyes that could see opportunity. He didn’t balk when Jax complained about the shitty state of his attire, didn’t complain while Jax bitched and moaned about having to get sized up, and didn’t even seem to care that Jax continued to complain while waiting for a few presentable suits to be shown to him.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe wanted something expensive to at least feel like he was owning the part and in control of his life in some sort of way. A new shirt, new suspenders, nice and black. A coat that looked black on the offset but it had a sheen of violet to it. He figured he’d look the part of being an evening dove if he was going to be running a cabaret of all things. He even picked out a new tie and everything. The money was enough for it and he even had enough to tip.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nOnce he had the rest of it tucked away, he breathed out, “Well, thanks for the service. I’ll come around again if I ever need somethin’ clothing related.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nThe tailor hummed and nodded slowly, “You do that, you do that, and good luck with whatever is troubling you. So long as you’re paying, you’re free to be as much of a pest as you want.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nDespite the jab, Jax found himself grinning as he stopped by the door, “Hah! I’ll keep that in mind.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nWith that, he was out the door and unfolding a piece of paper from his pocket to check the address to his new responsibility and head on down. Now that Jax had cooled his head a bit, he could take a chance to enjoy the weather a little bit. It matched the mood. Cloudy and full of gloom with that fresh chill that told him that snow might be on the way, or cold rain. He preferred it that way over the heat and usually, this would be the perfect weather to take a nap but instead, he was walking with the fat dick of responsibility tucked right under his cottontail. Bah, maybe he was sulking a bit too much. He had to look on the bright side, without really acknowledging the other stuff. Right, just keep smiling.\n\n  \n\nJax found the cabaret club without much of a problem. It was a few blocks away from the family office and just like Mister Paolo had said; the location was perfect. The building sat at the corner of an intersection full of commerce. There were restaurants, cafes, bars, and other little things attracting the eyes. Among them, he noticed there were a few buildings hidden beneath a few sets of steps with red signs hanging out on the sidewalk to point people to the right way. A miniature redlight district during the night if he had the right guess and well, he didn’t mind one bit. Now that he had to actually put his head to it, how the hell had anyone failed in an environment like this?\n\n  \n\nThe building itself looked fine on the outside and the sign appeared as if it were brand spanking new with two double doors hanging underneath beckoning him. He pulled open one door and headed on through unsure of what to expect and what he saw was mostly a dustbin. Old lounge seats and an old bar with an old stage. Everything was made of rotted wood and moth-eaten material. This certainly didn’t seem like a venture that was a shoo-in for success but first, he’d need to talk to that guy Mister Paolo hired to help.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nGrunting, Jax took a seat by the bar and leaned over to see if there were any drinks left over in this hovel and unfortunately, there were not. As he sighed and leaned back on his seat, he heard a feminine voice calling to him, “Ah, good, you’re here.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe looked up and noted that he had missed the fact that the club had a second floor. A shape stepped down with a dainty hand on the banister, his head craning to get a better look and maybe spot something nice through the rails but to no avail. Eventually, he saw her coming down the stairs. A woman or a doll of some sort with red locks wearing a black and yellow dress. She approached him while looking down at a book held in one hand.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“So, you’re a bit late but what matters is that you’re here now and I can give you the grand tour of your new property and get your input on your responsibilities.” Said the woman with a sigh.\n\n  \n\nJax grinned and put one leg over the other while chuckling, “Seriously? Figured that Mister Paolo woulda hired someone who seemed a bit more capable. Y’know, no offense to the fairer sex but you don’t really seem like much of a business wiz.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nThe book closed with a snap that caused him to wince and she fixed him with a wry smile and narrowed eyes as she hummed, “Yeah, and I thought he’d send someone who had enough brains to show up promptly instead of taking his sweet time making it look like he skipped out on town.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe looked at her little smile and kept on looking for a bit until he found his own grin fading, one of his ears twitching as he tilted his head and cleared his throat, “You uh, you’re just a business lady right? Supposed to help me keep the books and figure all this shit out, yeah?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Oh no.” She said with her own smile growing, “I’m your handler and I’ll be making sure that you don’t do anything too stupid. That includes embezzling funds or getting us in trouble with the law for any old reason. Of course, we’re not looking to be an innocent business but there’s no reason to attract Johnny and the boys.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHis handler leaned against the bartop with her arms crossed now and he cleared his throat, “Right, so we got off on the wrong foot but as you can see, I didn’t run and I’m here and dressed for the occasion.” He then put his hand out, old grin returning as he hoped to make a better impression, “Name’s Jax.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nShe looked at his hand for a second before taking it in a grip he hadn’t expected to be so firm before she rolled her eyes and sighed, “Ragatha. Now, let’s get to work.”\n\n  \n\nRagatha started walking away while he flicked the soreness out of his hand, the woman’s hips swaying just enough that he couldn’t help but watch, however, he decided to look elsewhere as he got up to follow while humming, “Sounds good, sounds good but uh, I don’t exactly know where we should be starting. Place doesn’t really look good enough to open.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Renovations are about to begin. Since you’re going to be the head honcho here, you’re going to decide what we do. We could even scrap the cabaret idea.” She said as she started up the stairs.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax rubbed his chin and started running the ideas in his head before he slowly replied, “Nah, I think we should keep it a cabaret. Guys with lots of money love spending on loose gals.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Oh? Sounds reasonable.” Ragtha hummed as they got to a door, “Well, we’ll be deciding all that in your office where we can get it in writing.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nRagatha opened the door to an old office room that looked just as ratty as everything else. He didn’t really care for the rat-nibbled wood or the chair that looked to be falling apart. The books were the cleanest thing in the room and they had all been cracked open leading him to believe that Ragatha had been hard at work before he even got there. Without a word, he moved to start reading through them. Ledgers. Old ones, new ones, and even a couple of inventories. There were purchases already made for alcohol, and expenses as well for girls that were going to be hired and he couldn’t help but hum to himself as he wondered how it’d be to run his own little house of dainty dames. All of them fawning and sighing every time he came around or maybe even quaking in their heels as he became a force to be reckoned with. He couldn’t help but snicker to himself at such a thought. Damn, maybe moving up in the world wasn’t such a bad thing.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nOf course, he took those thoughts out of his head when he noticed Ragatha giving him a look and a little frown. He instead focused on a few other details. There were example photographs along with numbers for renovations. Now it was his turn to frown a bit. He couldn’t help but notice that there was something already circled. A set of decorations and renovations that’d make the place look as fancy and clean as possible. He scratched his cheek and thought about what was right for this sorta place.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nAloud he started, “So, you get a real fancy place going. Get a bunch of stiffs coming in expecting the most expensive stuff but they probably won’t spend too much extra on the women. Hell, they might even try to cheap us out. Why make it too fancy when it's just gonna be a cost on ourselves? Nah, I say we make it more comfortable.” He then looked toward Ragatha, “So what really caused this place to bite the dust?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Couldn’t keep up with costs and a bit of a tussle with the local families.” She said as she held another book while writing in it.\n\n  \n\nHe scratched his cheek, “Nothin’ we can do about the families right now but— Hm, real estate is good but we gotta figure that whatever suckers we’re trying to pull aren’t going to be the richest. Not poor or anything but just some regular guys. Could get them to spend a little bit too much but going too crazy might not be the best idea. Get what I’m saying, doll?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nRagatha huffed, “First off, don’t call me doll. Secondly, yeah, I kind of do get what you’re saying. Already off to a good start considering I thought you’d fuck up before we even got going.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHuh, good reaction. He leaned against the desk and felt his smile growing as he winked, “See? This job’s not gonna be that bad, right? All we gotta do is keep this place in the green and coast on by. We’ll both get our pay and I get to keep my head.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nShe actually smiled a bit while tilting her head and looking toward him, “So that’s it? All we have to do is coast? Well, I guess that’s all right. If we go in the red then I just get dropped off into another business to try and make it work but you? Not sure you’ll get to keep your head.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nThey both chuckled but Jax found himself looking down at the ledgers, looking down at all the books and reported numbers from the old management and the few ones that belonged to Ragatha and now him. Maybe he couldn’t just coast this time. Maybe he had to put in a little bit more effort if he was gonna expect to get out of this one alive. Not for the first time, he felt the weight of that responsibility and felt it as a cage. Ragatha wasn’t just here to help him, she was here to make sure that he wouldn’t run away and no doubt she had her orders. Gunned down by a literal doll didn’t seem like a great way to go so no sense in entertaining the thought of getting away. Instead, he’d turn this anxiety and near-panic toward more productive means.\n\n  \n\nSo, a lot of what he had to do wasn’t so hard. He signed off on new decor, a new theme, and a look for the cabaret. Dim lights surrounded by shades of green. Booths with red cushions and tables of darkened wood kept nice and polished. The bar was of the same sort of wood. Whatever he decided, he was careful not to make things too fancy. No diamonds and glitter. No chandelier like the old place apparently had, and while he stocked up on a few bottles of very expensive alcohol, he mostly went for things that he knew people would know and buy, of course, at a reasonable markup. What was a little bit more difficult were the interviews. Jax could talk his ass off, but that didn’t mean he liked to. Still, he had to sit there with a fat smile on his face behind his newly renovated desk the day it had been finished and talk to a collection of people who were going to be working for him. Too many to count on his fingers, and too many for his liking. He had already lost track of the names by the time the band was out the door. Johnny, Joe, Jimmy…Ah, fuck it. He could get to know people over time and maybe then know their names by heart.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nMost of the staff that he had to interview and know were the girls. A lot of them were bright-eyed and hopeful with some of them dreaming of a beautiful future while some of them were more pragmatic about what they were getting themselves into. He had to lie his ass off just a bit here. He had to tell them all that he would be doing his utmost to protect them, his very best to keep men who were unwanted guests off of them to make sure that they could make their money in peace. If they wanted to get a bit more serious with the customers then they’d need to split that money and be honest with him, so he needed to cultivate a good image. Of course, he would try his best to keep any troublemakers handled but he wasn’t exactly an intimidating force on his own.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nWhen the door to his office shut and he was left there with only Ragatha at his side scribbling into some paper on a clipboard, Jax groaned and planted a hand on his aching head, “Was that the last one?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“No, but luckily the last one should be here soon.” She said to him while tapping on the clipboard with her pen, “And since you’ve done such a good job on handling everything and not making an ass of yourself, I can trust you can handle this last one on your own?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“If you’re gonna pinch drinks from the bar and skip out on work, can you at least bring one up for me after you’re done?” He sighed while drumming his fingers on the desk.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nRagatha hummed as she opened the door, “I’ll think about it. Good luck.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nAnd with that, she stepped out leaving him to his own devices. Interviewing one more girl didn’t seem like such a hard thing, didn’t seem all that difficult but at the same time, he was alone. He didn’t have to behave and didn’t constantly have dollface hanging over him. Of course, he had plenty of reasons to behave considering this was his only chance at moving up and not losing his head, but that didn’t mean he necessarily enjoyed being reminded of it. With the door shut and no one watching, he felt himself sinking in the chair, his head leaning back with the back of it touching the spine of the seat while his eyes shut. A stiff drink is what he could use, and maybe a nap or two but there was more work to be done. An interview and then, what else? Promotions. He could probably handle that himself but damn did he hate dealing with all of this.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nA knock came at the door, a dainty and gentle one that he expected to be his final interview. Breathing out, he opened his eyes and got on his smile while fixing the collar of his shirt, “Door’s not locked so come on in.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nThe door creaked open and in came a timid-looking thing. Pale with ruby eyes cut by sapphire. She wandered in wearing a dress of a similar color that reminded him of a maid’s outfit. The girl looked toward him and gave him a crooked smile before she headed on over and immediately he found himself uncertain if she was suited for this kind of work. As soon as she sat in front of him, he rubbed his chin and fixed her with a particular look. He kept his stare nice and steady. Not saying a single word and it was almost as if he could see the gears turning in her head, cranking and then shattering horribly while she tried to keep a straight face. Oh man, even if she wasn’t gonna pass then at the very least he’d have fun teasing her.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Well, gonna introduce yourself?” He asked with a small smile and a wink.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nShe cleared her throat and clutched her hands together before breathing out, “Right, so uh, my name is Pomni.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe nodded nice and slow before leaning back to make himself look imposing, bored, and very boss-like by getting his fingers in the shape of a pyramid to stare at her and hide his smile while he spoke, “Right, so what makes you think you’d be a good fit for this sort of work? Y’know, you’ll have guys gawking at you, sometimes even touching you, and hell, they’ll try and get under that skirt too if you give ‘em an inch or find the terms favorable.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nPomni’s cheeks burst with color as she coughed, “Oh! I mean, I don’t know about the sex but I can handle all of that kind of thing. Getting touched, or whatever, isn’t too much of a problem.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nDamn, this was way too easy. Jax clucked his tongue and leaned over with an arm on the desk now while shaking his head, “See, that’s not how it works. They can look, they can even touch if you’ve given permission and are in the VIP lounge upstairs but, you gotta have a little more moxie than that. You gotta really know you’ll be swimming with the hounds and how to handle yourself around that kind of attention. What would you do if a man just put his hand down that shirt of yours? Or hell, even a lady if we get one of those types?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nThe pale girl’s eyes seemed to swirl a bit as she searched for an answer before sounding it out, “Glass them?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe stared at her dumbfounded for a second before laughing, “Glass ‘em? Listen, an asset like yourself shouldn’t be doing anything dangerous like that. We have hand signals and special orders you’ll make if you’re feeling weird or wrong and need a bit of help.” Jax then sighed, “But c’mon, really, let’s be honest here. You seem like uh, the nervous type. Sure this pays pretty well and if this place succeeds it’ll keep paying but I feel like you’d melt within the first second of having to talk to a man who’s got his eyes on you.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nPomni shook her head and grabbed the edge of the desk while baying, “No, no! I can handle it! I really can. I get it, that it can be scary and that I’ll have to learn a lot but I really can. There’ll be guys who want meek girls, gals who can listen and uh, attend to them. Y’know? I’d be willing to do that and well, willing to do whatever it takes.”\n\n  \n\nWith an outburst like that, he could have sent her out, or he could have taken her at face value. It was his decision after all but a bit of mischief crept up as he leaned back in his seat with a leg over the knee, hand on his chin while he hummed, “Whatever it takes? Could have you demonstrate that since you’re so eager.”\n\n  \n\nShe grabbed the hem of her dress and she looked down. He expected her to get up and storm off or at the very least argue but she looked at him and muttered, “What do you want me to do, sir?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Huh, that easy?” He asked while tilting his head.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nPomni frowned and looked away while huffing, “I need this job and I mean, I kind of expected this sort of thing to happen.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHm, if that was the case then maybe she was more ready for the job than he thought. They weren’t in the habit of whoring out girls because that wasn’t particularly legal and could be easily noticed. At the same time, if a gal decided to take a bit of money for a date or for a few drinks off to the side then that was a different story if sex just happened to occur. Jax had told the girls that there might be times when it’d happen and that they wouldn’t be forced into it, but sometimes the premium alone on what they could earn was enough to get their dresses off.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nSome of the girls had been under the illusion that this wouldn’t be the case but the numbers didn’t lie and he had told Ragatha to mark down a few girls that were most likely not coming back by their reactions. He didn’t feel bad about it, and that was fine. Jax knew he was scum and he would accept any little sin that he was about to commit, all to keep his life and all to make sure that this stupid place ran as smoothly as possible. That being the case, why not sin a little himself? Why not enjoy his position a little?\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nWhile she was looking away, he pushed back to ease his seat away from the desk. That sound along with the noise of a zipper being yanked down caught the attention of the pallid girl. She looked toward him with a sudden motion that caught him off guard. Jax expected her to look at him with wide eyes like a frightened animal but instead, she just got up out of her seat and stepped around his desk while trying to not meet his gaze. He adjusted in his seat while spreading his knees to point them toward her and to give her room.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nA button popped, a zipper dragged down all the way, and a fly pushed apart. The material of his underwear was eased down to let his heat out into the air, his flaccid shaft drooping out into the cool air of the office. He didn’t close his eyes and recline in his seat, instead, he watched her with a little grin and waited while planting both of his feet on the floor to spread just a bit more. Her fingers moved and twitched but she grabbed his member without much hesitation and gently began to tug along the base while planting her lips on the tip. Brave enough to plant her lips on his dick when she barely knew him, but meek enough that anyone would underestimate her. Some kind of guys would really be into it. Poking fun at her and watching her twitch and writhe before giving her a good order and watching her sink into it.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Thinking about something pleasant?” She muttered while his erect member pressed against her cheek.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe looked down to see that her face was red, her eyes looking away from what he had expected to grow a bit more slowly. Maybe he could keep this one for himself. Somehow, the thought of keeping her to himself sparked an odd feeling inside of him. The attention was nice. Her lips on his shaft. Her fingers trailed up and down but at the same time, there was something more. The thought of chaining her as he had been chained made him tremble. Made his fingers tense against the arms of the chair he sat in.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax moved one hand to loop his digits through her hair, to push it back to let him see her expression properly. Shaky and trembling lips. She still did as told, still did whatever he wanted. Another trapped bird just like he was. Except, was she clever enough to make a profit out of it? What was her angle in being so desperate? He felt like these were important things to consider, important things to perhaps even question her about but he became obsessed with the thought of owning this little jester.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nWhat a stupid idea. Trapping someone as he had been trapped. What was he even thinking? He didn’t even know this chick. However, the frustration mounting from the dueling thoughts in his head urged him onward. He dug his fingers through her hair and gripped as soon as she placed her lips around the tip of his shaft. Jax then closed his eyes and brought her down nice and slow. Her hands grabbed onto his thighs, the purpose of this entire thing melting away as he felt her tongue grazing along the bottom of his shaft until that lovely warmth got to the base.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nPomni began to bob her head up and down with the movement of his hand tugging her head along, his eyes still shut as he drank in the pleasure of it and tried to ignore everything else on his mind. He didn’t hear the door creaking open at first but certainly heard her as Ragatha slammed it shut and cleared her throat aloud. His reaction was to hop a bit in his seat and hold Pomni’s head down while his eyes opened wide and his ears twitched.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nWhen he saw that it was just Ragatha, he leaned back and breathed aloud, “Oh, geez. Nearly gave me a heart attack. Thank goodness it's just you. Got me that drink?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nFor a moment, he saw that Ragatha’s cheeks seemed to turn pink as she crossed her arms and opened her mouth a few times before finally scoffing, “I can’t believe you. Seriously? You’re really doing this before the place even opens officially? What if she went to the cops!? What if she was a cop?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax rolled his eyes as he began to pump Pomni’s head up and down a bit faster, the girl’s sloppy gagging and sputtering soon sounding off in the room as he sighed, “Relax. I was just seeing if she could handle the workload. Seemed like she’d be easily spooked so she offered to do anything to show that she could keep up and as it turns out, she’s passing with flying colors. Ain’t that right Pom?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe pulled her head up, her lips popping off of his cock before she huffed, “You’re such a je—”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Now now, don’t be rude!” He said as he dragged her head back down, her lips surrendering to his cock despite her words.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nRagatha stared between his legs at Pomni for a second, her eyes twitching and wandering here and there making him wonder if she was checking him out before she took a deep breath and pinched her brow, “Right, so she’ll do fantastic as a hostess or a serving girl up in the VIP lounge.” She then paused and looked toward him again as he kept his hand moving, as he kept Pomni’s head moving and she snapped, “Can you stop for a second and actually pay attention?!”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Yeah, I’ll be with you in a moment, doll.” He said while grunting.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nTaunting Ragatha put a little joy in his gut and that joy was mixing perfectly with the pleasure. The other things that had been on his mind were far away with these lovely little distractions and he supposed that he’d just have to keep on chasing this kind of high to avoid his problems. Harder and harder he pushed and pulled, his hips jerking and a finger loosening his collar as he leaned forward to get into the thrusting. Pomni’s eyes had turned into half-lidded moons and it looked like she’d need to tap out at any second, but instead, she kept her hands resting on his lap while he pumped into her mouth. Her fingers did tense and twitch, however, as he began to blow his load into her maw and keep her nose firmly pressed to his crotch.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nShe shut her eyes tight while Jax groaned and blew his load into Pomni’s maw. When he settled back and let go of her head, he breathed aloud, “And there we go! I’m with ya now.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nPomni pulled off of his cock and coughed while Ragatha leaned down to help her up gently while muttering, “Listen, I’m sorry about the manager. He’s a bit of an idiot but he usually behaves a bit more than this.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nThe pallid girl cleared her throat and shook her head, “Whatever. I mean, if it gets me a job then I guess that’s fine. I didn’t expect a real great treatment with what you guys are anyway.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax tugged his underwear and pants back into place, zipped up, and even straightened his collar before speaking with a bright smile, “Well, you’ve more than earned your place but uh, y’know, if a guy pushes you into something then like I said, you don’t really have to do it. I mean, heck, you coulda said no right now and I probably would have realized you had the gumption for the position. See, I was just worried you’d be so meek you’d either get hurt or chicken out on the first day.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nPomni and Ragatha both glared at him before Ragatha took the girl by the arm and sniffed, “If she’s got the job then do the damn paperwork yourself. I’ll be getting her a drink on the house of anything she wants and since you’ve had your fun, you can balance the numbers yourself on the inventory.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe winced as Ragatha pulled Pomni out of the room and slammed the door shut after them before he had a chance to say anything. Jax was left sitting by himself and slowly he turned to the paperwork before him and he realized, maybe a blowjob wasn’t worth having to sift through working with numbers. Despite his mischief, he got to work and dealt with his punishment. He signed off on the wages for the staff and checked the numbers to make sure that everything would work out just fine before moving on to everything else. It was mind-numbing work but he could see how easily everything could fall apart. If they earned even a little bit less than what they needed then they’d be in the red and they’d start bleeding. Alcohol costs. Wage costs. And then there were the tributes to the big man himself. He remained quiet while staring at the books for a solid minute or so after finishing.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHow much time had he spent on this and how much time had been wasted on lingering on thoughts that didn’t matter? Nah, he had to think more positively, or else there went his head. Next was the promotion and he had a pretty good idea of what to do. The stores around here didn’t seem like big deals, none of them did but he wondered if he could do a little local business to sweeten the deal. He had a bit of spare cash so, why not spread the joy? That seemed like a good start and well, maybe a pretty gal on his arm would sweeten the deal. Heh, he could probably convince Ragatha to join him but could he get her to wear fishnets? Time would tell. She probably had cooled off enough, or maybe not.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nWith a sigh, he stretched wide and got up to free himself from the confines of the office and plunge into the rest of the cage. Jax headed to the steps while placing a hand on the rail, fingers feeling over the material as he turned on a heel and started down the stairs. When he got to the bottom, he looked toward the bar expecting Ragatha somewhere around that location but instead, what he found was that little pale girl sitting by herself with both of her hands around a glass.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nQuietly, he strode over toward her, and with a genuine attempt at having some kind of manners, he opened his mouth and said, “How’s it going there?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nShe hopped and turned in her seat, eyes wide as she looked at him and he couldn’t help but grin as Pomni sighed, “Hello, boss. Uh, I guess I’m doing fine. Jaw’s sore thanks to someone but Ragatha has been nice enough to get me something to cool off with.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe took a seat next to her and sighed, “Yeah, sorry about that. I got a little too excited. Y’know, stress of the job and whatnot.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nPomni raised a brow and sniffed, “Oh yeah, what do you have to get nervous about? Shouldn’t you just, I don’t know, move on to whatever big business thing if this falls through?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax rolled his eyes and put his arms on the bartop while sighing, “Yeah, I guess it might look like that but uh, you gotta understand that I’m being given an opportunity here that could fly south. Either I make something good out of this or I get nothing. Really, it's a gamble.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Huh, well, that doesn’t really mean you can’t just bounce off to the next project that fails.” Pomni said while tilting her head, “I mean, c’mon, they trusted you to manage a place like this so I’m guessing you’re pretty big in whatever family you’re in.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe put a hand on the back of his head and let his forehead tap the bartop before he leaned back all the way and hissed, “Not exactly. Like I said, this is a chance, y’know? My time to shine and really move up in the world! Before this, my greatest business venture was getting someone to think that a glass ring was made with real diamond.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nShe stared at him for a few seconds before taking a deep pull of her drink, her breath escaping in a huff as she set her glass down, “I thought you might’ve even been a big boss or something. Maybe even close to having your own family, your own goons.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax snickered and grinned, “Am I that handsome? I mean, I know I’m hung like a big man but I’m still just as little as you are in some ways. Difference being, I run this place and I sign off on your paycheck.”\n\n  \n\nPomni planted an elbow on the bartop and placed her cheek in hand while sniffing, “Guess that makes all the degrading stuff worth it, right?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Sure does!” He said while stretching.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nAfter that was said, Pomni planted both of her hands on the bartop and got up, “I think I should probably go now. Ragatha already filled me in one when opening night would be.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe looked toward her and opened his arms while chuckling, “Aw, c’mon, stick around! We haven’t even talked about your hopes and dreams. This is the part where we’re supposed to be bonding and all that jazz, right?”\n\n  \n\n“Bonding? With you?” Pomni said while gawking at him, “You’re my boss! And I mean, whatever if I have to then I will but I don’t think that counts as bonding.” Despite her words, she sat down again and puffed out, “Well, what do you want to know?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nWithout missing a beat he hummed while turning toward the back of the bar again, “Hm, not really sure. Never been in this position before. Usually, I’m sitting there giving someone with a fat head a light or telling them about how nice their new suit looks. So I guess you should compliment me and then tell me about why you’re taking this position. Got stars in your eyes? Looking to make enough cash to make it big?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nPomni placed a finger on the rim of her glass as she looked down into the near emptiness of it while muttering, “Already tried that. Don’t have the voice for it and well, I’m not exactly a beauty. Cute? Yeah, sure, but beautiful? Not enough for the stage. No, I’m just here to make some money and hopefully make enough of it that I can live comfortably.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I think you got a mug that belongs on stage. Could even get you dancing during certain performances.” He said with a grin while leaning toward her.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nShe closed an eye and leaned away but couldn’t hide that little smile on her face as she said dryly, “Oh yeah? Gonna dress me up in fishnets and parade me out in front of the crowds?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax chuckled and slapped the counter but froze for a second. Fishnets and performances. Hey, that wasn’t too bad of an idea. Slowly, he got up from where he was sitting while speaking aloud, “Y’know, that might not be such a bad idea. Up on stage under the lights, the pale princess dances the night away while the saxophone plays! See her in barely a thing at all while she lets her passions take her to wild places!”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe took a glance at Pomni while circling around her seat, the girl’s cheeks blazing as she kept avoiding his gaze, “H-hey, don’t get any funny ideas, mister.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nWith a wide grin, he grabbed her arm and pleaded, “C’mooon! Y’gotta go along with my crazy schemes or who knows how this’ll turn out! I promise you we’ll earn a lot more with this sort of thing and I’ll even throw in a bonus. See, I had half a mind to head on out and do a little advertising but you gave me the perfect idea not only for something to put up on stage but for a neat little advertisement. You come along with me while I visit our local businesses all gussied up and we slip in little hints and mental images about what we have on offer!” He then pulled her around as if he were dancing with her, a hand on her waist as he laughed, “Anyone who sees you in a bit of fishnet would be drooling in a second and wanting to know where they can get more of that eyeful. Hell! We could even put the other girls and Ragatha in that uniform!”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nA crooked frown touched her features while she stammered out, “A-and would you be wearing that too?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Hm, maybe? Think I’d look good in some fishnets? Maybe a vest and no shirt?” He said while looking himself over. When he heard her spitting air and chuckling just a bit despite keeping an annoyed expression, Jax asked quietly, “So how about it?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nShe finally met his gaze before rolling her eyes and turning away, her arms crossed as she muttered, “Fine.”\n\n  \n\nAnd with that, Jax started dragging her along to pull her into this little scheme. He hadn’t told her about just how important the success of the club was to him but figured he didn’t need to, and wouldn’t want her thinking about it. Nobody needed to know except the one handling him, himself, and the boss. No sense in stressing the help out.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nAfter a bit of convincing and finding a changing room behind the cabaret’s stage, he pulled Pomni out onto the streets wearing her usual dress but with a bit more fishnet. Her arms and legs were covered in the stuff outlining the right spots. Of course, her dress had been hiked up a bit to show just how far those fishnets went but that was part of the appeal. Jax’s idea to head to the little stores around the block and start spreading the good word of his grand opening began with the little shops. There were jewelers and other little accessory stores with workmen behind the counter who didn’t seem too pleased to see him there. However, their attitudes always seemed to change whenever they caught sight of Pomni’s attire and had a taste of his manners.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Just here to say hello since I’m fresh on the block.” He’d say with a big smile.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nMost of them opened up after that and the ones that didn’t appreciate his innocent manners soon caught a bit of interest once he started browsing their wares and putting down money. He got himself a nice little pocket watch but for the most part, what he did was run his mouth. Jax gave the impression of an eager man who seemed ready to give it his all and most were buying it, that being said, he didn’t want to appear too innocent because that just wasn’t realistic. On Pomni’s part, well, she was embarrassed but played her role well. She smiled at the interested fellas and dames, and introduced herself as a hostess while making sure to let on that there would be more that looked like her. Of course, she couldn’t pull off a fully confident promotion but hell, that just added to her appeal. Especially when he snuck in a pinch and got her to blush and squeak. Folk really seemed to like that one.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nTheir last stop was a bar across the street that turned out to double as a brewery. He sat at the bar while leaning in to tell the bartender that he’d be more than glad to source his inventory here. To that, the man brought out a taste of ale from another land and actually, it tasted pretty damn good.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“So, the place is in rubble and ruins and it turns out I’m the one that’s supposed to decide how it looks and what we’re gonna do. Fellah tells me that it’ll be easy, but hell, is it ever easy to do actual work instead of just sitting there behind a desk delegating? Except…That’s most of what I’ve been doing so what am I talking about?” Jax said and sighed to the patrons of the bar while he had an arm around Pomni.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nMost of the patrons hung on his words and snickered when he made a jab at himself. They didn’t look like the types that enjoyed guys in suits and fancy coats but they did understand good drink and hard work. He kept on talking, holding their attention until a few figures stepped through which caused the small crowd to turn to their drinks and look away from him. Even the bartender found something else to do.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nReading the room, he slowly turned on his stool to see a man in a suit stalking in with a cap on his head. Jax felt his neck shiver but he kept on smiling and set a few bills down while raising his bottle to the man, “Whatever the guy wants, buy it for him.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nThe man sniffed and nodded slowly before taking a seat next to Pomni, “Haven’t seen you ‘round here before. You wouldn’t happen to be the new manager of that cabaret across the street?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe nodded and maintained his calm, “Sure am, pal. Y’gonna come around? We got a lovely lineup that would be happy to see you on opening night.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Figured a guy like you would recognize a rival.” The man grunted.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nA rival? Oh shit. He kept his smile the same and began navigating as best as he could, “Apologies. Usually I don’t mess with the interpersonal affairs since I’m mostly small potatoes. But y’know, anyone is welcome to have a drink, right?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nEverything seemed to freeze over. Even Pomni who had been shivering seemed to lock up as if expecting something terrible to happen. The man then looked toward him and smiled slowly before bringing his bottle up, “Cheers to that, mister rabbit. I might tell some of the boys that the manager of the new cabaret is all right even if he runs with another family. Just you mind your manners.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax cleared his throat and tapped their bottles together before getting back to drinking. The tension fizzled and Pomni leaned over to gasp before turning to him to whisper, “Can we go now?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe suddenly found himself feeling a bit nervous as well, more than just a little bit but he kept his composure as he set down another bill and got up with a sigh, “Well, looks like me and the lady here should take off. Be seeing everyone real soon.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nA few patrons raised their glasses or bottles and he was glad to say that they did so amicably. He headed out the door with Pomni and breathed out as soon as they were on the sidewalk, “Holy shit, I forgot about that possibility but uh, good job! I’d say we did a good job. Enough that Ragatha won’t even mind that I got a bit tipsy. All thanks to you!”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nIt seemed as though she had a grievance on her mind but at the end of his statement, she simply smiled and crossed her arms, “I guess so, b-but uh, maybe I could just tell Ragatha you were doing your job? It might help ease things up with your gal.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe coughed and tried not to laugh, “Ragatha? My gal? No way, she was pissed because I was being irresponsible! Not because she was jealous. Well, who knows, I am quite the looker. Maybe she was jealous! But uh, we aren’t going steady. She’s helping me manage the place and has all the brains.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nPomni looked him up and down before shrugging, “Eh, I guess.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax stared at her for a few seconds before he grabbed her shoulder and shoved her gently with a huff while she giggled, “You guess?! O’course I’m a catch! C’mon, you can’t just tell your boss that he’s not hot!”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nShe laughed and started heading toward the club, “Fine, you win. You’re hot. Now let’s go.”\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nThat was good enough, he supposed. A victory of a kind when he wasn’t feeling all that victorious. He was going to die if this didn’t go well so he had poured everything he had into being a scumbag. Lying by omission, using cheap business tactics to manipulate the mind, and he had even made himself seem like a bit of a fool during a few of his conversations. Everything to get people to lower their guard so he could sell them a product. He didn’t really care, but it did feel like he should have been up on stage wearing a mask. It wasn’t so different from what he usually did but he had never been quite so desperate before, and he supposed it was just the iron rails of the cage closing in on him making him feel this way. Even though he had just had a sip of something warm to drink, Jax really felt as if he could use something a bit harder. Maybe a few shots of whiskey would do good for him.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nWhen they got back, as it turned out, a few shots of whiskey were just out of the question. Instead, he was sat at the bar and lectured. Ragatha had half a mind to pinch his ear and make sure he stayed put, had half a mind to make sure he understood that she needed to know that he was working instead of goofing around. Considering what Pomni was wearing, of course, she’d think that he wasn’t doing anything important and well, the high of pushing himself into promoting the cabaret had worn off leaving him drained. He just sort of sat there and nodded along with chin in hand.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nSurprisingly, it was Pomni who spoke up nearby quietly, “Uh, e-excuse me? We were out promoting the cabaret and um, we got some positive reception.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nRagatha blinked and looked toward Pomni, “So, you two were actually working?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax sighed, “Yeah, I was gonna tell you but then you just started chewing my head off. Even found out the little bar next door is a brewery and has a mean ale we could be selling for cheaper than the stuff we get that frankly just doesn’t taste as good. Told him to bring a crate over too so we could let folk sample it and decide which ones they preferred.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nAs she straightened herself and smoothed out her dress, Ragatha cleared her throat, “Well, guess I have to apologize for being so rude but you can’t really blame me after what I found you doing. Seriously, I thought you’d just pulled her off to have your way with her again.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“I still might.” He said with a chuckle while smiling a bit.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nAnd there the yelling started again while Pomni’s cheeks burst into flames. Actually, he preferred the anger over the expectations or the dread. Ragatha seemed like a pretty okay gal. She had to be lecturing him for a good purpose and though he wasn’t paying attention, she could have really just called the boss and said he was fooling around, or she could have let this place fail. Maybe it was out of self-preservation but he still found himself growing fonder for the doll rather than growing to hate her the more she huffed and puffed.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nWhen there was a significant pause in her lecture, he nodded nice and slow and hummed, “Thanks, doll.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nShe looked at him confused and sputtered, “Do you even have any idea of what I was saying?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Eh, no clue really but it wasn’t anything important. What is important is that you’ve been an extremely helpful partner. Honestly, you should be running this place instead of me and sitting in the manager’s chair. I should just be the guy behind the bar, or the guy helping you do what’s on your mind.” He said while tapping his cheek.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nRagatha’s shoulders relaxed and she crossed her arms slowly while sniffing, “That’s not up to me, or you. The boss made his decision and I’ll stand by it.” She then looked away and sighed, “Thanks. I appreciate having my efforts seen even if it’s by a lowlife.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nPomni brought her hand up slowly and muttered, “Can I go home now?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax laughed, “Yeah! Leave this old married couple to keep on arguing.” While Ragatha fumed and Pomni snorted, he got up to take Pomni’s hand to pull her in for a brief peck of lip-to-lip, “And hey, thanks for helping out with my crazy idea.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nWith that, he let her go and sat back down for another round of Ragatha wagging her finger at him. Pomni remained in place, frozen and looking toward him with big eyes for a few seconds. She smiled a bit once he winked and brushed her off and he saw her back just one more time before Ragatha entered his vision again with more music pouring from her lips in the form of a lovely lecture. He had to enjoy what he could in this sort of situation, had to make his own fun, and maybe pissing Ragatha off and making that pale gal blush were two things he was going to take plenty advantage of. If he had to be caged, then at least he’d make use of the toys that had been tossed in with him.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nOnce Ragatha had enough of chewing him out, he filled her in properly on what to expect. There were a few business owners who said they’d push things along toward their location since he had been so polite. He figured that there would be enough people for the opening night to have a full house, or well, that was the hope at least. However, he couldn’t help but feel that there might be more he could do, or more that they could do to keep people spending and keep them coming back. He kept his reservations to himself but couldn’t keep them hidden it seemed.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“What’s on your mind? Everything sounds like it’ll go well but you don’t seem too happy.” Ragatha said as she sat next to him with a breath.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax raised a brow with a small smile, “You’re forgetting that I need it to be a guarantee that this place will do well the first night, and the next, and the next. See, what else can we do? Risk the cops and add a gambler’s den upstairs? Find more ways to cheat people out of their money? Maybe even add a little menu of appetizers we could sell at a premium.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nAfter a bit of silence, Ragatha put her hands on her knees and nodded, “Good. Good that you’re thinking about that sort of thing. You’re putting your mind to good use instead of thinking of ways to dull your ambition.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Hah! Ambition she says. All I wanna do is make it to the next day.” He said with a long sigh.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“And as it turns out, making it to the next day for you means being ambitious enough to put your head to good use.” Ragatha said with a chuckle. She then got up and reached over to touch his arm, “We’ve got a big chance of success. The family will come over as a guaranteed set of clients. You’ve been promoting all over the block so we should have plenty of eyes on the club and plenty of customers as a result.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHearing her positivity didn’t exactly bring him immense joy, and it didn’t even feel like he deserved to be cheered up. Instead, he got up and stretched while turning away from her, “Yeah, well, we’ll see once opening night hits. Anyway, I’m gonna take a nap while trying to figure out a few numbers or something.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe started walking away and Ragatha didn’t say another word. Jax didn’t do much else until opening night, and it was agonizing. He spent his time doing a bit of extra advertising but that didn’t really count considering he already seemed to have the trust of the local businesses. Part of him had wished that they would have come to dislike him more, or that he would have slipped up just so he could have an excuse to keep trying. Without that, he was left just waiting around until the evening of their opening.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nOpening night he waited outside of his office looking over the rails of the second floor as everyone got into place. The band was getting their instruments together on stage and buzzing among one another. There were girls standing by prepared to greet people and all of them had followed his advice on what to wear. Casual dresses, short and nice, a few of them even donning fishnet in order to call the eye to what they were really about. He could hear the bartender moving bottles, and at his side Ragatha was watching with him. There were barkers outside of the door. Even despite that activity, he found that it was entirely too quiet. They had already opened but no one was showing up, and yet, it had only just been a few seconds.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nAs his frustrations continued to mount, they all ceased as they got their first few customers. Men and women were seated, coats were taken and drinks were handed out at the bar. A few chose to sit only at the bar for now but what he took note of was that more were coming inside. He grabbed onto the rail and couldn’t help but give a nervous grin as he kept on seeing people pouring on in. Ragatha gave his shoulder a squeeze and they shared a look for a second before he whistled and brought his hand up to signal the band to start playing.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nSmooth jazz began to fill the air. A cello plucked at a steady pace while a steel guitar joined in alongside a trumpet and the steady tap tappity tap of a drumset. The girls were finding their gentlemen to sit with and on occasion a dame. He could see that there were smiles all around and a few of the tables started to order. The doors opened to a man carting in a heavy-looking crate clinking with glass that caught the attention of folk before a cheer could be heard. That’d be the local ale. He had told the bartender to make sure to hand out samples to people to get a bit of feedback on what they preferred while knowing that the ale would be a hit.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nEverything seemed to be going well, and he couldn’t help but deflate. Arms resting on the rails, head over them as he shut his eyes and let out a breath, “All right, everything looks good for now.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nRagatha hummed, “Let’s keep watching.” When he looked toward her, she was giving him a bright smile as she added quietly, “But I’m really impressed. Your additions to the plan really knocked it out of the park. Keep up the good work.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHis reward for a job well done on the first night was a glass of whiskey clinking against his own. Ragatha even gave him a kiss on the cheek before departing to check on the ground floor. Hah! Well, he supposed he could relax a little as he leaned over. Every little thing that was going on was the result of his decision-making. Not everything but hell, he needed to take that credit right now to feel better. Maybe having a bit of ambition wasn’t such a good thing if he could see the fruits of his labor. And now, now the ideas were pouring through his head with a sense of joy and a bit of pride sprinkled in there. That gambling hall seemed like an easy addition since they had a few extra rooms upstairs that wouldn’t attract too much attention.\u0026nbsp; A casino was always risky but actually easier to handle than most would think. Especially if he could get the cops on his side with a few bribes.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nAbout halfway through his drink, he thought he caught something odd in the corner of his vision. Pomni was sitting at a booth in a neat little black dress with the fishnets he had been parading her around in. She looked nervous and kept on trying to bring her hand up slowly to call for an order but the man next to her would interrupt by jostling her with his arm around her shoulder, and his mouth opening wide to let out a bark of laughter. In his hand, the literal dog had a tall glass of something that must have been heavy to have him that red-faced already. Pomni kept on trying to get a waiter’s attention but seemed destined to fail. He frowned as he narrowed his eyes and noted the man’s hand on her shoulders tugging the strap of her dress down.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nQuietly he started down the steps while keeping a big smile on his face, greeting anyone that approached him while he made sure to keep moving toward Pomni’s booth near the wall. When he got to it, Pomni was visibly squirming, on occasion pushing the man’s hand away while gasping, “Excuse me sir, you’re not really allowed to touch here on the ground floor.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nThe man frowned for a second and looked as if he were about to give Pomni a mouthful but paused, ear twitching as Jax introduced himself, “Hey there, see you got my favorite tonight buddy. I’m the manager around here and just wanted to make sure that everyone is having a good time.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nThat frown deepened as the man took a pull of his glass draining every single drop before he set it down on the table to lean forward while huffing, “Y’got stingy girls but good liquor. Music’s not bad but you need to teach these women a few manners.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe wasn’t what you called an honorable man but there was something about Pomni’s demeanor that caught his attention. She was shaking like a leaf. Jax cleared his throat and added aloud, “I get you’re having a good time. We’re all here to have a good time but the girls are also here to have a good time too. Y’know? If the ladies and you here aren’t really mixing then maybe you need to take it easy.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nThe man rose and growled, “Telling me to cool my heels, cotton tail?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax bristled when he saw Pomni jerk away and he cut the courtesy for just a second, “Yes I’m telling you to cool your heels because you’re still in a public place, so how about you stop embarrassing yourself and behave for a second? You’re scaring the girl and making a fucking scene.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nIt looked as though the man had been slapped, his head pulling back for a second with wide eyes before his ears pinned back and he lunged. Now, it would have looked so much better if he would have avoided it. Really, might’ve been amazing for his street credibility but uh, that wasn’t the case. He caught a set of fuzzy knuckles across the cheek. Immediately he started seeing stars and hearing a dull ringing that told him that something had been knocked around up there. Jax heard several voices crying out all at once and he realized that this could ruin everything, so instead of falling, he stumbled a bit and controlled the desire to curse and yell about how much that had fucking hurt.\n\n  \n\nHe brushed a thumb across his lip where he swore he felt a bit of warmth before he stood up straight and cleared his throat as if he wasn’t in dull agonizing pain, “So, that’s the way you answer it then? C’mon, all I’m asking you is to behave. No one wants a rough night, right? Everyone here is here to have a good time to get rid of all that stress, so why are you doing this?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax immediately pinned every little problem happening on the guy and immediately there were murmurs all around as well as a few cries for the man to cool it or else. There were even a few brave souls that got up with dire looks. The man slowly seemed to recognize what was happening and maybe the attention sobered him, or perhaps punching Jax had done the trick. Either way, he slowly sat back down and put his wallet on the table.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Listen, I was out of line. Right? I shouldn’t be drinking so much and uh, if you could get me some water and let the entertainment keep going. I’ll order everyone a glass.” He said quietly.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nTo show that there was no harm while Pomni got up and slowly sidled out of the booth, Jax beamed while picking up the man’s wallet, “I’ll discount that so you don’t run in the red big guy, but I appreciate the effort.” He then turned to the people and waved the wallet, “C’mon everyone! Back to enjoying the first night at this fine establishment!”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nThere were a few cheers as the music began to pick up again, and he dropped the wallet off to a waiter and told them exactly what to do with it before he found himself being pulled away by Pomni and Ragatha. Right now, he was having a bit of trouble where he was going but his heart was pumping wildly and his vision seemed to be blurring at the edges. The guy had punched him so damn hard. Stupid meathead had fists made of cinder block or something.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe closed his eyes and kept on opening them to find that he’d taken a few more steps than he remembered until finally he closed them and opened them to an entirely different sight. Pomni was leaning over and dabbing his face with something cool. An ice pack? She pressed it to one of his eyes and he hissed but didn’t complain any more than that. The ice cooled his adrenaline rush just a bit and got his mind to start thinking again as he looked around.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Where are we?” He asked quietly.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nPomni blinked, “You don’t remember? Ugh, maybe we have to take you to the hospital.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax snorted, “Nah, I’m just high off adrenaline right now. Just tell me where we are. Is everything okay back at the lounge?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nShe nodded slowly before muttering, “Everyone is having a round on the guy and enjoying themselves. A few more customers came in and the idiot offered more drinks. The night is saved and well, so was I thanks to you. Ragatha’s out there taking care of everything and told me to make sure you’re okay. And well, we dragged you to one of the changing rooms.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe groaned while he felt his face aching dully, “Good, looks like the first night is gonna go off without a hitch, well, except for me getting socked.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nPomni smiled a bit, “I think it was really brave, very heroic.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Ugh, shut up. Don’t ever call me heroic.” He said while rolling his eyes.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nShe took the bag off of his face and chuckled, “All right but I mean, you did help me out big time. Who knows what that guy would have done.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe noticed that the changing room had a couch pushed against one of the walls and he sniffed, “Who knows what I’ll do now that we’re alone.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax gave her his best grin as her cheeks warmed visibly. She looked away with both of her hands holding onto the ice pack as she breathed out, “Well, I can’t really say no to the manager.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nAt first, he chuckled and took it as a joke. It took him maybe a minute to realize that she wasn’t joking and she really did just suggest that he could do what he wanted. He looked at her still garbed in fishnet and that short dress barely reaching to her knees. Getting punched warranted a reward, right? And yet, another thought occurred. He had put himself in danger just because he had seen her reacting oddly, just because he had seen her in danger. He wasn’t sure if he would have rushed so quickly if it were any other girl. Now that had to be the blunt trauma to the head. He barely knew this girl and yet, he kinda liked her. Jax liked the way she bounced and twitched at his touch and at his teases, liked the way she seemed to take in what was happening with a healthy dose of reality.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nBoth of his hands grabbed onto her waist as he muttered, “So, the couch?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nShe headed on over while kicking off her pumps as he got up with a grunt and stumbled a bit. Turns out he was still a bit dizzy from getting clocked but he wasn’t about to turn down a hero’s reward. More of a fool’s reward really. He could have called security, could have probably taken care of it in a more subtle manner but he supposed he just didn’t want anyone trapped in this cage with him suffering some stupid consequence just because of him. Well, at least not a serious one. If she tripped or if a customer was just being mildly annoying then he’d probably just hang back and snicker.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax shifted out of his coat and tossed it onto a nearby chair, his tie coming next and the buttons of his shirt popping one by one until he was sitting on the couch. She was on the couch next to him on one knee and he couldn’t help but bring his hand under her chin to guide her close for a kiss.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nTheir lips met without any resistance and without any complaint. He could taste some sort of alcohol on her tongue. Seems that she had been drinking and maybe that spoke for why she was so pliable tonight. Then again, he wasn’t pushing her into anything just yet. She could have said no and he probably would’ve been fine with that but just a little joke and she seemed ready to give herself to him. Jax would just have to accept this gift and enjoy the good luck while he could.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nThe warmth of her kiss parted as she slipped off of the couch. He leaned back to see what she’d do next and grinned as she tugged her dress down just a bit, just enough that her breasts were out. Plump and pale, two little handfuls that he would enjoy groping in time. She then brought her hands under her dress to tug her underwear down, thumbs hooked through the waistline of her panties as she pulled them further and further until she could step out of them. Pomni’s hands then moved to his lap as she approached him, her fingers trailing along his thighs through the material of his slacks.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nIn return, he grabbed her waist and thighs, felt up her dress to get a nice feel of her bare skin before he suddenly pulled her up onto his lap. She yelped as he began to manhandle her, as he grunted and moved her around to get her crotch on his chest and her thighs in his hands. Pomni started babbling, probably asking him what he thought he was doing but he leaned down to bite her inner thigh instead. He bit down hard to keep her quiet and she eventually stopped sputtering and started whimpering instead. Jax chuckled and rewarded her with a kiss on each thigh before he got his tongue out to slide down and all the way to that lovely heat of her’s between her legs.\n\n  \n\nShe tried to squirm away once he put the attention on her but his arms wrapped around her waist like a vice to keep her in place while his tongue kept on working. Hah! She even growled as kept on licking nice and slow, staggering his progress a few times before continuing on. Those sounds of irritation and surprise gave way to sighs and little moans interrupted by whispered curses that just added to the song for him. The muffled jazz added a nice little backdrop to that heated song, her voice sounding perfect for him now despite the fact that she had said her voice was no good for the stage. Of course, she probably wouldn’t want to perform like this in front of others.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nIt was just too good to let go and so he pulled his mouth away to purr aloud between her legs, “Such a pretty voice. You work in show business?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nPomni scoffed, “Shut up.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nAll he did was get to licking again, and again he earned a curse and a little bump of her leg on the side of his head. That hurt a bit more than it usually would but luckily her thigh was pretty much nothing but plushness with the added texture of the fishnets. With all of this attention he was giving her, and all the lovely little noises he could hear coming from her, his own body was responding in kind. Cock bouncing against the inside of his trousers begging for him to let it all out already.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nWhen he couldn’t handle it anymore, he pulled his mouth away and bit down on her thigh again before breathing aloud, “All right, get down on my lap and get ready.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe let go of her and watched as she crawled down to his lap shakily. At a certain point, he swatted her rear causing her to bounce, her entire body shooting up as she straddled his lap and peeked over her shoulder to give him a glare, “Did you have to do that?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nAgain he swatted her rear while chuckling, “Yup.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nDespite her grumbling, she brought her hips down and moved her hands to unzip his pants. He helped with the button and pushed them down along with his underwear to let his shaft out, her fingers soon feeling over the base to line the tip up with her warmth. Both of his hands moved to massage her thighs, his body shaking a bit as he felt the anticipation crawling over his shoulders. She lowered herself nice and slow, pressed that wet mound to his cock, and started to roll her hips to try and ease him inside.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nBit by bit he could feel her spreading for him, could feel that warmth swallowing him inside. He uttered a quiet curse and resisted the urge to pull her down while instead looking at her back, while instead looking at all her lovely curves through that pretty dress. His fingers tugged her dress up just enough that he could see her rear, just enough that he could spot their connection inching along as she shuddered and planted her hands on his knees. One of his hands then moved up to reach around to grab her chest, a thumb pressing along her nipple as he groped and kneaded.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nEvery little movement brought another utterance from her. A sigh, a moan, a shuddering gasp. Lovely little sounds that he drank in. His head still ached, still felt so odd as if he had been drinking much more than a glass or two but it did not detract from the pleasure he felt rumbling from between his legs up to his gut where it settled as a warm spot. Finally, he couldn’t take it any more and he had to tug her down while thrusting. He leaned in to plant his mouth against her neck, to get a better spot where he could hear her sighing as he pumped his hips up and up again and again until every inch of his cock was right where it belonged.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe couldn’t think much right now but he certainly could feel. Jax felt like he could do this forever, felt like bliss itself was coming down to bless him and he was more than glad to accept that blessing. Whatever happened in the club could be taken care of by that doll, and more than that, well, shit was going well. Why waste it on negative thoughts? So instead of wondering about things that might bring him down, he closed his eyes and breathed out against Pomni’s neck as he started to bounce her up and down.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nEven though he was excited, even though he had shown off such vigor and desire by flipping her around and manhandling her, Jax found that he felt just a bit tired. Good. It felt like he could stop for a bit and really enjoy things instead of constantly having to rush headlong into whatever this business venture was. He focused on the gentle slide of her insides on his shaft, the constant pumping and stroking pulling him deeper into that lovely pleasure while she continued to serenade him with her sounds of pleasure pouring all around him. The room felt hazy to him, his vision just a little bit blurry when he opened his eyes as if he were ready to fall asleep, but he simply shut his eyes again and chuckled as he started bucking his hips a bit faster. Peace. Ultimate peace. What a lovely thing.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nPomni on the other hand, seemed electrified and he loved what he was hearing, and what he was seeing whenever he opened his eyes. He leaned back to recline against the couch and to take a good look at her body. Everything else seemed out of focus, the bright lights on the mirrors along the walls barely a blip in his vision as he instead kept his attention on the pale woman riding him. His hand still held her dress up just enough that he could see the plumpness of her rear. He had stopped moving and found himself smirking a bit as he noticed that she was doing most of the work. She had used an excuse to try and pretend otherwise, but it looked like she was the one who had wanted this all along.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHer hips were bouncing up and down, her body shaking violently as she held onto his knees and moaned. Jax could feel his heart beating a bit faster, his arousal cracking through his utter bliss for a second as he felt heat racing through him. A breath escaped him full of steam and desire as he felt up her dress and along her side, as his other hand came to rest on the other side of her body at her hip. Both hands clutched her body but did not yank her down. He still allowed her to go at her own quick little bouncing pace. At the same time, he could feel the urge to drive himself inside of her as hard as he could growing.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nMaybe he could ask her if she wanted to go steady. The sudden thought caught him off guard, his eyes growing wide for a second and his body shuddering as he tightened his grip on her body forcing her to stop. No, he couldn’t do that. Probably didn’t deserve it. Fuck, there went his peace.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“S-something wrong?” She said quietly while turning her head.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nBefore she could look at him, he started bucking his hips, began bringing her up and down while clutching her body close to his. She gasped and groaned, her body trembling as he rocked into her as violently as possible. What had begun as such a loving and peaceful thing devolved into him burning his thoughts to fuel his desire, to keep the engine going so he wouldn’t have to turn around and face what he had just entertained. His arms were around her body now keeping her bound to him and her moans were growing louder as his throbbing desire buried itself inside of her cunt to reach her deepest spots. It felt like he was overheating, felt like his head was gonna pop from the warmth flooding him until it all went away in one go.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nA single thrust brought him to the edge and had him pouring out every drop of his heat inside of her. Each twitch of his member introduced another shot of cum to her body. Pomni’s insides were tightening around him, her moans interrupted by little squeaks. When he finished, he reclined on the couch again with his eyes shut, a hand on his face.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nPomni brought her hips up slowly and breathed out, “H-hey, are you okay?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax muttered, “Ah, sorry. That was great but looks like I might’ve done a little too much after that spill. Mind getting me something to drink?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nShe got up quickly while breathing out, “Yeah, yeah of course. Let me get that for you, anything else?” When all he did was shake his head, she stopped talking. He expected her to leave right away but she stopped for a second to plant a little kiss on his cheek before she whispered, “Thanks. Be right back, boss.”\n\n  \n\nHe couldn’t help but smile a bit at that, his eyes cracking open to look between his fingers at the girl who had just been riding him. Pomni fixed him with a little smile, her cheeks flushed bright and red before she got her pumps on and headed out the door. Maybe he should have told her to put some underwear on or maybe he could have told her that her tits were still a bit out but he decided to instead lie there and chuckle to himself while enjoying the joke. The joke that she’d be out there embarrassing himself, and the joke that he’d ever deserve being with her. Well, even if he didn’t deserve it, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to catch her, to trap her in this cage with him.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nThe door opened again and he looked through his fingers to see Ragatha wandering in. She paused for a second, a momentary flash of frustration touching her expression before she simply sighed and looked away while speaking, “You should be taking it easy after that. The guy’s a professional boxer.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Seriously?” He groaned, “Ugh, no wonder it felt like I was hit by a train. Can y’kiss it better?”\n\n  \n\nRagatha smiled a bit and shook her head, “No but I can tell you the boss called.” When he was about to sit up, she put a hand up to stop him and she said quietly, “Relax. He wants to subsidize the club. Give you a bit of breathing room. He likes the numbers you’re outputting on this night and he wants to see how you’ll do for the rest of this month. What he’s also so happy about is that our rivals in this neighborhood have been friendly, and one capo has said it was because of a dumbass rabbit, his cute girl, and a neat little club that our family is running. You can take it easy for the night. Let me take care of everything, all right?”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nHe breathed out nice and easy while chuckling, eyes shut as he spoke, “Damn, can’t believe of all the dumb luck. Turns out I’ve got some sort of talent instead of just being a useless mooch.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\n“Keep up the good work, sir.” Ragatha said before leaving.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nJax got a glimpse of her dress as she stepped out the door and he realized that her frustration from before was probably seeing his cock out. Well, that’s how she knew that he hadn’t been taking it easy. Embarrassment aside, she had called him sir. He smiled a bit and rubbed his chin. He could get used to that sound. Hell, maybe he’d have Pomni call him that. Right, he had to remember that it wasn’t all that bad. All he had to do was keep rolling with the punches, and maybe he’d get something done for once in his life. Whether it was the club, or in his love life.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nClosing time was a fun little affair. Ragatha had told him that he wouldn’t have to mess with the numbers for the first night so he sat on stage and said his goodbyes to the band and to a few of the girls that passed by. Actually, plenty of the girls walked on by and a few of them set flowers by where he was sitting. Even Pomni showed up to hand him a flower and he looked at it from side to side before remembering there was a florist nearby. Had they gotten him flowers?\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nWhile he was looking at the rose confused, Ragatha muttered from off the stage, “They appreciate what you did for Pomni. They’re just workers, just a bunch of assets for us to use but you showed them that you’ll try to keep them safe yourself. Even if it was a stupid decision.”\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nShe then walked away before he had a chance to react. He twirled the red rose in his hand and was about to set it down before he kept it pinched between his fingers. The last few employees stepped out and he got up wanting to find some ice for his aching head. Tomorrow was another day.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;"}