Page 178 of Cheap Heat

Corey heaved a great sigh and wrote something in his binder, in no rush as the rest of us waited in silence with bated breath. Then he put down his pen and picked up his martini glass, taking a delicate sip.

“I’ve come to a decision,” he announced long moments later, setting his glass back down. “Vince. Crossbody.”

Vince exhaled slowly and lifted his head to look at Corey. Crossbody’s throat bobbed, but he remained poised and regal as he waited.

“This is my ruling. For the time being, you will not speak to each other. You will not interact in the workplace. At all.”

“Can he really enforce that?” I whispered to Taylor, who shrugged, looking worried as he chewed on his lower lip.

“And if any of you”—Corey swept his gaze over the other wrestlers—“see them speaking or even standing near each other, you will come to me immediately.” He looked between Vince and Crossbody with a frown. “If Holt chooses to team you up for matches, I will oversee the rehearsals to ensure you remain professional. You will remain professional at all times. This is your place of work. This is your job. Start acting like it.”

A flush was staining Crossbody’s throat, and he was struggling to keep his face clear of emotion while being chastised so thoroughly in front of all his co-workers. Vince was so tense it looked like he might snap.

“I’m afraid I must speak to Holt about this,” Corey said solemnly, and everyone gasped. “This goes beyond my jurisdiction. He has a right to know that two of his performers are so incapable of remaining professional that it might start to affect the bottom line.”

“It won’t,” Crossbody said quickly. “We would never let it go that far.”

To my surprise, Vince was nodding frantically in agreement.

“I would never let it affect my work,” he told Corey.

Corey raised a brow at him. “You already have.”

Vince flushed. “Once. One time. I was just… having a bad day. Everyone has bad days. But I would never let anything affect my performances. And…” He clenched his jaw, forcing the words out through gritted teeth. “I know Crossbody is professional and wouldn’t either.”

Crossbody blinked a few times in quick succession, clearly stunned that Vince had said something even marginally positive about him.

Corey was obviously surprised too, eyeing Vince with a raised brow. “Well, that’s something.”

He fell silent and thoughtfully sipped his martini again as everyone waited, then he wrote something in his binder, taking his time. Vince was fidgeting restlessly while Crossbody let out a slow breath and kept his chin held high.

“I have decided to change my ruling,” Corey finally declared, looking up from the binder to shoot both of them a stern frown. “I will give you one more chance—one—before taking this matter to Holt for it to be escalated. I’m sure he’ll find out what happened here today anyway”—Taylor flushed bright pink beside me as Corey glanced at him—“but he will know that I am handling it.”

“So what does that mean?” Vince said through gritted teeth.

“It means I am giving you both one last chance to learn how to be civil. To resolve this without our manager having to step in and get involved.”

“How are we supposed to resolve it if we aren’t to talk to each other?” Crossbody asked tightly.

“By not exploding at each other for no reason!” Corey exclaimed incredulously, as if it was obvious. “By not making snarky remarks about each other. By not glaring at each other every time you’re in the same room. You’re not to interact, but that doesn’t mean you can’t at least begin the healing process.”

“Fine,” Vince gritted out quickly. He clearly didn’t want this to be escalated to Holt.

Crossbody’s nostrils flared as he nodded once.

“But if I see or hear even a hint of animosity between you two, I will be taking the matter to Holt immediately. Is that understood?”

“Yes,” they both muttered.

“And are we all in agreement?” Corey looked around at the others. “We give them one last chance to prove that they can coexist in the workplace in peace.”

The other wrestlers hesitantly murmured in confirmation. Crossbody’s jaw was clenched tight, and Vince’s hands were flexing repeatedly into fists.

“Good. Now.” Corey heaved a longsuffering sigh and sat back. “Let’s take a moment to remember the love we have for each other. Even those currently in turmoil.”

Vince and Crossbody scowled at each other and quickly sat down. Dan immediately leaned in to murmur in Vince’s ear, his brow creased with concern.

“Breathe in, and out,” Corey was saying in a soothing voice. Then he picked up his martini glass and drained it, before pointing at it and mouthing to Seb, Another, darling.