I wasn't on schedule for today, but since I was a manager now, I had to come in for paperwork and to fill in for Katie, who was officially the general manager.
I dropped Noah off at Sadie's place. Out of all my bandmates, she was the most responsible one, so of course, I trusted her the most with Noah.
The theater was calmer today, and along with Lewis, Mack, another manager, was also on staff.
"Congrats on the promotion," Mack said when I walked into the managers' office. Katie worked quietly at a computer and didn't look up when I entered. "I heard about the chaos yesterday and how you came to the rescue."
"Thanks," I said dryly, and he laughed.
"See you out there. Good luck with the interview," he said before leaving.
Interview?
I turned to Katie to ask what he meant, but then she was already off the chair and pressing me against the door. Her lips found mine, and instinctively, my hands rested on her hips.
"I didn't get to thank you," she said through kisses. "For yesterday."
Her fingers slipped past my waistband and down my pants. I gasped at the feel of her fingers curling into me.
"What if someone walks in?" I whispered.
"That would suck, wouldn't it?" she said amusingly as her fingers slid in and out of me.
I gripped her shoulder tightly and leaned my head back against the door. She kissed my neck gently. My inner walls clenched around her fingers as pleasure bloomed between my legs.
"Mack said I have an interview," I panted. "Interview with who?"
"Charlotte," she answered against my skin.
And with that, my pleasure faded away, and my body went still. "What?"
Katie continued to finger me, but I pulled away. Her eyes fluttered open, and she frowned. "What's wrong?"
"What's the interview for?"
"For you to become a manager," she answered slowly. "I mean, you're technically already one, but Charlotte still wants you to go through the proper process."
I leaned back against the door. "So she requested the interview."
"Yeah," Katie replied and raised a brow. "Is there something wrong?"
I shook my head. "No. I just didn't expect one. I'm not prepared."
"Well, she won't be here until later," Katie said. She leaned forward to decorate my neck with kisses again, but I was still too distracted to feel anything from it. "Don't worry, she'll love you."
Remembering the anger in her eyes, I highly doubted it.
Katie reached for my pants again, but I shook my head and pulled away. "Sorry, I can't right now."
She sighed and sat back down. "Later tonight, then?"
"I have to pick Noah up after work. Sadie has a date tonight, so she can't watch him," I said.
"Damn." She smiled softly. "At this point, we're gonna have to start scheduling sex."
I laughed. "That might be the case with how busy we're both going to be."
"Oh fuck." She dropped her face into her hands. "You're so right."
Stepping towards Katie, I pulled her hands away from her face and kissed her gently. She moaned against my lips. Smirking, I pulled away, and she shot me a glare.
"You have a day shift tomorrow. Come to my show tomorrow night. You can grab dinner with me and Noah afterwards and spend the night at my place," I suggested casually.
Katie had never attended any of my shows, and for a while, I had stopped inviting her until today. I thought that maybe she would go this time, but then her face softened into the apologetic expression that I was too familiar with.
"Sorry, it's been a long week, and I just don't feel like going out tomorrow," she said. I nodded even though disappointment filled me. She took my hands in hers and squeezed them. "Next time, okay?"
I smiled tightly. "Yeah, of course."
-------
I left the office to help Lewis and Mack with manager duties. They showed me the ropes of what I was expected to do and how to do them. It was work that I had seen them do plenty of times throughout my year here, so I learned them easily.
Eventually, Katie called for me through the walkie. "Charlotte is ready for you in her office."
I was in the middle of switching out an empty syrup with Lewis, and I stood up and turned to him.
"How do I look?"
He looked me up and down. I didn't have that much clean clothes left this morning and had just thrown on black trousers and a white button-down that had been buried deep in my closet.
Then Lewis gave me a thumbs-up. "You look professional and clean. Don't worry. You got this."
I exhaled nervously and attempted a smile. If only he knew that it wasn't just the interview that was shooting up my nerves.
Once I finished switching out the syrup, I made my way down to Charlotte's office. I took my time walking down the hallway, but it didn't take long until I arrived at her closed door.
I willed my heart to calm before I knocked. A moment later, it opened.
Today, Charlotte was wearing a fitted black shirt with a knee-length skirt that accentuated her curves. With that, my heart was no longer calm, and I swallowed tightly as I stepped into her office.
"Have a seat," she offered as she sat down behind her desk.
I sat down across from her, and as she clicked around on her computer, I looked around the room. Unsurprisingly, it was a spacious office, and it seemed like it didn't take long for Charlotte to settle in. There was a leather futon behind me, next to the door, and I imagined that was where Noah laid yesterday. Her walls were decorated with framed paintings and her college diploma from Harvard.
"Katie didn't mention your name yesterday when she recommended you for the position," Charlotte said. She looked away from the computer and settled her gaze on me.
I straightened in my seat. "I didn't even know about it until she called me in yesterday."
"She said you are very reliable and hard-working. Is that how you would describe yourself?" she asked.
I nodded. "I believe so."
"Good." Charlotte's gaze was unwavering and her face remained cool and expressionless. It was very unsettling. "Your schedule, however, is a concern."
"What about it?"
"We need someone who can commit to working late nights, but your schedule says you don't usually work night shifts." She leaned back in her chair. "Is there a reason for that?"
My heart dropped. I had forgotten about the hours that were demanded from managers. With Noah and the band, I couldn't commit to night hours, and last night proved that more than anything. Noah was about to start school again in a month, which made it even more impossible for me to work night shifts.
Unless I got a babysitter, but the thought of that put me off. It took me a while to allow Noah to stay the night at Dylan's house, and it took me even longer before I was able to entrust him with Sadie.
"I won't be able to work night shifts because I have to be at home with my son," I said firmly.
"Okay," Charlotte said. Then she finally shifted her gaze off of me to type something into the computer.
I waited, but she didn't say anything else. "Okay?"
"Yeah," she replied. Finished typing, she looked at me again. "That's all I needed to know."
"Wait, I'm confused."
She raised a brow. "What about?"
I stared at her, but her expression remained unchanging. I couldn't tell if she was intentionally trying to infuriate me, or if she actually was unaware. I wouldn't put it past her to be petty enough, though.
"Do I get the position?" I hated that she was making me ask.
Then, the corner of her lips lifted into a smirk. "What do you think?"
