Dawn wants to come out on top.

“Let’s hear what you have in mind before I agree to anything,” I say wanting to know what’s at stake, to begin with.

“If I win… you have to do me on the conference room table,” Dawn proclaims.

Her words causing me to veer off to the left slightly and rub the van's tires up against the roadside curb.

“And if you lose?” I ask for the flip side of the bet.

Dawn has to think for a minute. She’d never considered losing for a second. “I back off and never hit on you again.”

“You don’t have to do that Dawn. I kind of like how we are. It’s fun. Maybe don’t do it as forcefully as you normally do,” I say offering a compromise. Part of what makes Dawn herself, has been her spirited sexual advances. It would seem strange if she suddenly stopped.

“Then you don’t have to pay me if I lose.”

I shake my head at that. “No. If you’re working for me, I want you to be paid accordingly. Not that I know how much I’m paying you yet anyway.”

For almost the rest of the drive back to the office Dawn and I try and come up with an idea for what she would have to do if she lost. Finally, we’re able to at least agree on something.

“If you lose, you have to do one request from me that you can’t refuse to be determined at a later time by myself.”

“Ooh, I like the sound of that. Agreed. But it has to be a fair competition. You can’t go cheating to make Aor win,” Dawn says. Her eyes alight at the possibilities in her mind at what I might ask for.

Pulling up outside AORsome Spirit’s office, Dawn hops out of the van and is just arranging the bottom of her dress when Aor comes back outside with Nuk. She waits until I have got out too and come back around the other side to her before she asks, “So how is the van?”

Dawn answers before I get a chance, “we made a deal.”

Dawn and I went over the process for transferring the money to her account. She told me she’d get her dad to help her fill out the transfer papers. I told her it would need to be registered under the partnerships name I had set up with Aor.

Aor and I waited out the front to watch Dawn drive off in the van for now. She’d make sure it was dropped off tomorrow and arrange for me to get the keys.

As she pulled around the corner out of sight, I turned to Aor and asked, “how good are you at sales?”

I let myself in through the staff entrance to The Loft and take in the preparations for opening already in place. Bartenders are busy cutting fruit to be served in drinks while wait staff are setting out cutlery on the white linen topped tables in our dining section. I knock once on the security door to the office before swiping myself in with my electronic card.

Jessica has a dozen or more cash draws stacked up in front of her so that I can only see the top of her bleached head. Holly is filling out a stock ordering form, looking up as I enter.

“Hey! How are you doing?” she asks with a concerned look to her sweet face.

“Good. Busy. I’ve just come from the warehouse,” I tell her.

I hear, “uck, men!” from behind the tills.

“I mean with Piya being gone stupid!” Holly tells me off.

“Oh well I spoke to her this morning and I’m going to call her tonight to see how her first day went.”

“Well make sure you do. We can give you some privacy if you want to try some phone sex,” Holly giggles.

“Pfft! You’d be listening in at the door for sure,” I joke back.

“Yerp!” comes from behind the tills again before she moves them out of the way so she can see us and talk properly. “How’s the business going by the way?”

After getting everything set up, I had an email come through that afternoon that gave me the date to expect the shipment to arrive.

“Great! Full steam ahead. I have our delivery arriving on Tuesday next week.”

“That’s fantastic news!” Jessica replies, “put us down for 15 cartoons when you get them.”

“50!” Holly counters.

“What? That’s way too much,” her fiancée argues.

“How quickly did we sell out last time? And besides,” Holly says holding up the clipboard she’s been putting her stock orders into, “I’m in charge of the ordering remember!”

“Who’s in charge of the roster?” I ask.

“That’s me and Holly is about to get her hours cut,” Jess says poking her tongue out at Holly.

“Ha! More work for you to do while I’m not here then.”

I have the feeling the two girls have found the reason to have hot and steamy makeup sex after work tonight.

“Cool. Is there any chance we could keep Dawn off day shifts and just give her nights?”

“I don’t think that will be a problem. Why?” Jessica considers my request.

“Dawn going to be doing some sales work for the business,” I tell her.

“That’s a good idea. So, do I put our order through her now?” Holly asks.

“Or Aor,” I quickly add. “Aor and Dawn are both going to be doing the selling.”

With a little bit of time remaining before we open left, I head to the stock room to give myself some privacy and makes some calls. I bring up Yui’s contact information and place the call through to her.

She answers before the second ring, “Good evening, Yui speaking.”

“Hey, honey. It’s me,” I tell her.

“Oh, sorry sweetie! I’m at the gym. I’ve got my earbuds in so couldn’t see who’s calling. Phones in my pants.”

“That’s my favourite spot too.” Yui giggles at my words. “Did you want me to leave you to it? I’m just at The Loft. We’re opening in a little bit.”

“No that’s fine. I’m just running on the treadmill anyway,” Yui tells me. She doesn’t sound the slightest bit out of breath and I wouldn’t have known at all unless she told me.

“Well, if you save some energy for me, did you want to meet up later tonight?” I offer.

“Mister! Now you’re trying to be like my phone and get in my pants!” Yui chides me but I can feel the mischief behind her.

“No. Well, probably, but I was wondering if you wanted to bring over some of your videos I’d love to have a good long at them.”

“Awww, sweetie! I’ve got so much to show you! I’ll head around to yours before you close and make you some dinner. I can’t wait to see you. I love you.”

“I love you too. I’ll see you then.”

After hanging up on Yui I check my watch. It will be 8pm in Japan. Piya should have finished for the day by now so I ring her next. She takes longer to answer than Yui and I can hear a fair bit of background noise.

“Darling!” Piya calls out to me with a slight slur to her voice.

“Hello, my love. Out drinking, are we?” I say feeling a deep sense of warmth in my heart that Piya sounds happy.

“Yes! The other inductees insisted they take me out for drinks tonight. We’re in this cutest little ramen shop. It’s sooo good over here! I’d love for you to try it but then I’d have to let you leave my apartment and my bedroom!”

I laugh and it’s my turn to tell Piya off for trying to get into my pants. “Piya! What will your new co-workers say if they hear you talking like that?”

“None of them speaks any English so I could tell you exactly what I want to do to you right now and they won’t understand a word of it.”

“That won’t be necessary, I think. Just try and get a decent sleep tonight perhaps.”

“Oh no! They are taking me out for karaoke after this. Ah! Lala would love this.”

I’m happier knowing Piya is fitting in already and wish her well for the rest of the night and whatever else it may bring. She promises me she will video call me tomorrow and show me her apartment. I get another long slurring ‘I love you’ and head back out to the club in time for opening.