He now thought, nonstop, about a possible business and pleasure relationship with Lucina Gallo. How exactly would that work?

A woman like her probably has a man already. Then again, maybe she’s strictly a businesswoman, he told himself.

So I could end up doing a partnership with Lucina and still have Ida right in the middle of things, collecting money at the door. How would Ida take that? Would she care? I know she has to feel some way about it. Lucina would end up being her boss.

As he continued to be distracted that morning, Dwayne Bellamy approached him at his cubicle and broke through his ruminations.

“Hey, Ivan, can I see you in my office a minute?” he asked.

Ivan looked up and snapped out of it. “Oh, yeah, just give me, ah, a few minutes.”

Dwayne nodded and walked off toward his office.

Ivan gathered himself for the meeting. I wonder what he wants.

As soon as he entered Dwayne’s office, he was told to close the door behind him.

Right outside of the door, Chip Garrett walked by and noticed the privacy. He wondered what was going on as well.

Ivan sat down in the chair across from Dwayne’s desk and continued to imagine what he was there for.

Dwayne, wearing a typical dark blue business suit, looked over at Ivan across his desk and nodded stoically. “So, what have you been up to lately, Ivan?”

Ivan shook his head, still wondering where Dwayne was going with this.

“Nothing much, man. Business as usual,” he answered.

“That’s not what I hear,” Dwayne commented. “I hear that you’re the new party man around town. IDPromotions.com, right?”

Dwayne was all smiles with it. But Ivan had no idea what his smile meant. His heart leaped into his chest as he felt blindsided. The last thing on his mind was the guys at the job figuring out his extra hustle that morning. Every other morning he had been prepared for it.

It figures. As soon as I let my damn guard down, I get the hammer, he thought. This is great fucking timing!

He played it cool and said, “Oh, yeah, well, you know, it’s a pretty good way to meet other professionals in San Diego.”

Dwayne continued to smile and nod. “I see,” he commented.

Ivan wondered if the fellow black man felt slighted. Ivan hadn’t invited him out to any of his functions. So he continued to wonder where Dwayne was going with this.

He said, “Yeah, I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it at the office. I didn’t want it being a distraction to anyone at the job concerning my work. Because I always get my work done,” he quickly defended himself.