Roomies (A Standalone Novel) (New York City Bad Boy Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page B

coming in, but with this fucking economy—”
    “You’re closing down?” I
ask.
    I had no idea he actually
wanted to talk to me about something. Usually when he calls me into his office,
we end up taking a couple of shots and bragging about our exploits. Although,
come to think of it, his tales bear a striking resemblance to some of the
stories in Penthouse Forum.
    I wonder if there’s a
connection.
    “I’m trying not to,” he
says and sighs. “Look, I’ll keep you on as long as I can, but you’re going to
want to start looking for more work. I just can’t swing an executive chef right
now. I’m thinking of having your sous chef run the day-to-day—”
    “Cannon?” I blurt. “I
wasn’t joking about that French onion thing. The guy actually sent that out. I
didn’t even find out about it until—”
    “Yeah,” Jim says, “that
was actually a special request from a VIP—it doesn’t matter. What I’m trying to
tell you—”
    “Don’t tell me it was
that chick who wrote those perverted fantasy-romance novels for teenagers,” I
interrupt again, trying to lighten the mood.
    It doesn’t work.
    “Dane, I can give you a
recommendation, but I just can’t afford to pay you anymore.”
    “I just moved into a new
fucking place, Jim,” I snap. “How am I supposed to pay for shit if I don’t have
a job?”
    “You’re a great chef,”
Jim says, “but I’m out of options.”
    “What if I stay on at a
lower salary?” I ask. “Come on, man, I just need enough to pay rent and all
that. People are going to start coming back as soon as—”
    “What?” Jim asks. “People
are going to start coming back as soon as the economy recovers? The people who
have the most money aren’t fucking spending it, Dane. That’s why the economy’s in the goddamned tank.
That’s why l’Iris is circling the drain.” He puts his
hands together and leans forward. “Look, I’ve put in too much time, money, and
energy to let this place go under without a fight, but I’m getting my ass
handed to me, here. Trust me, letting you go isn’t an easy—”
    “So that’s it, then?” I
ask. “You’re firing me? I put this place on the fucking map, Jim. I’ve got just
as much blood and sweat in this hole as you do and you’re just going to throw
me overboard?”
    Jim takes a moment.
    “You’re not the only one
I have to let go, Dane, but you’re the one with the biggest salary. When things
get back on track—”
    “What?” I ask. “You’ll
condescend to offer me the same job that I’ve been doing six years in this clusterfuck of a city? You can shove that up your fucking
dick hole.”
    “Oh, for god’s sake, will
you grow up?” Jim yells. “Six years I’ve been listening to you screaming that
bullshit in the kitchen like you’re Gordon Fucking Ramsay and I’m sick of it.
If you were him, this place wouldn’t be falling apart, I’d have money in the
till, and we wouldn’t have to keep moving the tables farther from the kitchen.”
    “You know I—”
    “Will you just listen to
me?” he interrupts. “In spite of all your bullshit, I like you, Dane. You’re a
foul-mouthed asshole, but you are a
good chef. This isn’t personal, got it? I would have offered you sous chef just
to keep you on if I didn’t think—”
    “That it would be a slap
in the face and the kitchen staff would never respect me again?” I ask.
    “This is your problem,
Dane; you’re too fucking arrogant. If I thought you could work under anyone
other than me, I wouldn’t have to let you go, but you can’t,” Jim says, leaning
back in his chair. “I looked at the books, and I can keep you on for another
month or so, but that’s it. You’ve got to find something else.”
    “This is such—”
    “I don’t have a choice,
Dane,” Jim says. “I’ll give you a good recommendation. I’ll help you get set up
somewhere else, but I can’t keep you here.”
    “Yeah, don’t do me any
favors,” I say, getting up from my