Page 36 of Auctioned to the Billionaire Bodyguard

“Whatever. I don’t think you should wear that tonight, or the clientele are going to think you’re up for grabs in the VIP room.”

She rolled her eyes. “Is it five o’clock yet? I want a drink.” She glanced over at Nora and gave her a little head nod. Nora smiled and started mixing a drink.

“I called this little meeting to run something past all of you,” Nico said. “Obviously, only Carmen has a stake in this decision, but I trust the both of you with anything.”

Reynolds shot me another look. Nico’s softer side was freaking us both out a little.

“I’m thinking of starting to offer shared and monthly memberships.”

Carmen looked at him. “Explain.”

“I want to attract professional athletes, politicians, visiting celebrities, that kind of thing. Sharing would mean just what it sounds like. Two or three guys who were only in town for a couple of months at a time sharing a membership. That way guys who have different off-seasons and only live here for a few months of the year could share it since they wouldn’t be here at the same time. Monthly is self-explanatory. Of course, we could charge a higher fee for the convenience. I’ve already been in talkswith a couple of athletes who are local for part of the year. I was just talking to Jax Neely…”

“Damn! The quarterback? He’s considered the GOAT. How do you even know him?” Reynolds looked impressed.

“He went to West Bay University for a couple of years before he declared himself for the draft. He approached me. Anyway, Jax was saying he’d love to share membership with some famous golfer from Savannah…”

The sound of glass shattering made all of us turn.

Nora was standing near the table looking very pale. She’d dropped the margarita she’d made for Carmen. “Jax Neely?”

Nico stared at her. “Yes. Is that a problem?”

Nora shook her head as if clearing it. “No, no of course not. I’m sorry to listen in. Let me get a broom and clean this up.”

“Got it!” Nadine was already on it. She’d grabbed a broom and dustpan. I hid a smile. I bet she was the only mayor’s wife in Georgia who would jump in to perform that action before someone on the cleaning staff could beat her to it.

“Th… thanks,” Nora said, still clearly shaken. “Sorry. I’ll make you another one.”

“Do you know Jax Neely, Nora?” Carmen asked.

Nora swallowed hard. “No! I mean… yes. Just a little. He wouldn’t remember me.” Her eyes shot to Nico’s. “Don’t tell him I work here.”

We all stared at her, shocked. Calm, collected, level-headed Nora had never acted like this. And she’d been working at Sugar for years now.

She turned and hurried back to the bar after thanking Nadine.

Nico seemed hesitant to start talking again. “Well. Um, what does everyone think?”

“I think Nora knows Jax Neely better than she’s willing to admit,” Reynolds said in a conspiratorial tone.

“Not about that, Reynolds. Jesus.” He leaned forward and whispered, “I think we all got that clue. But I was talking about the shared or monthly memberships.”

“I like it, but we’ll be giving them cheaper options than our regular members,” Carmen said.

“It’s more expensive by the month, if someone ended up accidentally paying for all twelve months, it would be way more expensive than a regular membership.”

“But sharing would mean a two- or three-way split…” Carmen argued.

“As I said, the overall cost of a shared membership will be much higher than a regular membership because of the convenience it offers. And we’d have celebrities as members. That’s fucking huge. We already have local bigwigs. Now if we had some whose faces are all known nationwide, we’d be seen as more and more exclusive.”

Carmen nodded, looking thoughtful. “You’re right. Let’s do it.”

Nico grinned. “I thought that’s what you’d say.”

“That’s why I’m your favorite sibling,” she said, patting his shoulder.

“Shit. You heard that?”