Erik woke with sunshine in his eyes and Amber in a fetal position with her back to him, snoring gently. The covers of his bed were strewn about as if thrown off and kicked down and into the floor. He twisted his head to look around, trying to find a gentle way off of the bed so as not to disturb her, and found colored rope from last night, tied to the corners of the bed frame. That brought a smile to his face, remembering tying her into different positions... He'll have to do that again.
As gently as possible, moving slowly and keeping his breathing even, Erik slid one foot off the bed, then a hand and finally rolled the rest of himself over into the floor, and stood up. Amber never moved. Good. A few quiet minutes later after the bathroom and some clothes, he found his phone.
Tuesday 06:23 am it read. Okay, it was still super early. His stomach rumbled hard and he realized he hadn't eaten since sometime yesterday afternoon. Going to the small kitchen he found oatmeal and a few minutes later was stuffing the steaming oats into his mouth.
While eating, he took stock of his situation.
The club was set to reopen today. Deliveries were scheduled for the club today before they opened. He had to be there for those. He still needed to interview people for various positions. He also still needed to hear from Kay, his lawyer on the matter of his affairs.
Eight dancers worked tonight if everyone came in but it was the beginning of the week, he wasn't sure they would. He wouldn't blame them either.
Erik got up while chewing the sweet mush and found his jeans. Nearly ten thousand dollars still occupied the pockets and he brought it and his wallet out on the table. That much cash was bad to have on your person, he knew that, but had no idea what to do with it. He hadn't found an office or a safe and he wasn't even sure which bank his uncle had dealt with. He didn't remember.
He took a Mason jar he had, the only one with a lid in his cabinet, and divided the pile of cash in half without paying attention to the bills. Half went into his pockets then half went into his jar.
"You know, you really should at least sort that." Amber's voice made him jump.
"Fuck! You scared me."
Amber, wearing a pair of his boxers and her sports bra, sat down across from him, tucking a leg up against her chest. "You really should at least sort it by bill's, get an idea of your cash; but it's your money."
Erik looked for a moment and then agreed. He was being lazy. He pulled the cash out and started sorting it. Amber got a bowl of oatmeal herself while he started, then without a word began helping him. It took awhile to organize but he was able to properly divide the cash so that he really only held the most convenient amount and everything else went into the jar. The jar sat on his counter and they both stared at it.
Amber spoke first. "Hey, mind if I borrow some money?" She was smiling.
Erik assumed it was a joke and laughed. "I never thought I'd handle that much money in the world."
"It's no big deal when it's not yours," she said.
"Yeah I suppose that's right. Knowing it's mine is somethin' else."
"I want to follow you around today but I can't, mind if I shower and jet?" Amber asked, getting up from the table setting her bowl on the sink.
"I've got shit to handle too, so I get it but feel free to come over again," Erik said. He reached up and patted her ass when she walked by.
She yelped and jumped around the corner. He heard her say, "Yes Sir."
He had to get around somehow, so he decided to call a car rental company. After an internet search, he called Enterprise car rentals and spoke with Tim who had sharp, clipped tones but a jovial customer service voice.
"Yep. Erik, Ford pickup for a week. Pick you up on South street. See you in thirty minutes." Tim said.
"Sweet," Erik said and hung up. He went and found better clothes and got officially dressed for the world while Amber walked into the bedroom wrapped in a towel, her hair brushed into a wet ponytail.
"Are we a thing?" she asked.
*Uh, I hadn't thought about it. Up until now it's been sex. Do you want to be a thing?" He was tucking his legs into new jeans, his last clean pair.
"I like this. It's fun. Friends with benefits?" She dropped her towel and pulled on fresh athletic clothes. Pink, white, black, and Grey bled together on her leggings and a matching pink sports bra followed, then a black sporty tank top.
"Are you going to mind me working at a strip club and feeling up a dozen different women a night?" his grin was devilish but he hoped sarcasm came through. He was never sure if it did until after they laughed or punched him.
She grinned back. They both sat on the bed and put on footwear. His boots went on while she tied up running shoes. "Depends, can I feel them up too?"
Erik chuckled, "They will probably let you feel before me."
Amber kissed his cheek then stood up. "Oh I don't know, it's hot to fuck the boss sometimes. I'll text you later." In a blur of motion, she was out the door.
Erik went out a minute later and Erika grinned at him from the balcony, holding a cup of coffee. "She's cute."
"Kinky too. She'll probably play with you." Erik watched as a newer looking Ford pulled into the parking lot. "My ride is here, talk later." He waved going down the stairs.
Taking the rental car driver back and navigating to his lawyer's office put him in her office by 08:34. He felt he was making good time for the day.
Erik waited in the same room as before with the erotic art and large conference table. His black binder was under his hands and he tried not to drum his fingers in boredom.
