Free Rude Boy USA by Victoria Bolton Page B

this some fucking joke?” he asked. “You hired a waitress to assist me at my job?”
    “Benjamin, this has nothing to do with you or your job. You put in great work. I need the help. This is not for you. It’s for me,” Bernie told him. “I am taking a sabbatical from the paperwork and want to go out there in the field more. I have plans. If both of us are out there, who will watch the fort? We got a girl, some of us know her well, and she worked in an office environment before. She’s pleasant.”
    “So you think John’s girlfriend, Jerome’s sister, cousin, or whatever, is the person for this job? No disrespect, and I am not questioning your judgment, for the most part, but I just don’t think she is a good fit for here. Where would a woman fit in here?” Ben asked. “No one discussed this with me. Don’t you think I should have some input on the matter? I’m the one who knows this like the back of my hand. That’s not fucking cool…Did they bring her here? You know they are taking over,” Ben said in an exasperated tone.
    “Who is ‘they,’ and what exactly are they taking over?” Bernie asked as he leaned forward.
    “Nothing. Forget it,” Ben answered.
    “She will fit just fine, and you will train her,” Bernie said sternly. “She is here now, and you will show her what to do. It won’t take that much time.” Bernie stood up and left the room. Pissed off, Ben kicked one of the cabinets and knocked over the pile of papers that had been sitting on top of it. He left the office for the rest of the day without sitting with Celia.
    Bunny walked into the office where Ben usually did the paperwork and bookkeeping. She anticipated him still being there but realized that he had left. She looked around at the unorganized mess. Papers were stacked a foot high in multiple areas of the room, even on top of the cabinet. She noticed some of the papers had fallen from it. She found three-ring binders full of papers with no tabs and no markings to identify what they were. Coffee cups lay everywhere. There was a chalkboard on the back wall behind the deskwith various writing on it, and books and more papers were stacked on the built-in bookshelves. Since Ben was nowhere to be seen, Jerome encouraged her to make herself at home and clean up if she must.
    She sat down in the chair at the desk after Jerome left the room. The black leather chair had a permanent dent in the seat where Ben usually sat. She made a mental note to order herself a new chair. She opened the drawers and found more junk. She rummaged through the top drawers and found a bag of cannabis and rolling papers. Bunny was not into drugs of any kind, and she only drank alcohol socially. She looked further and found rubbers and cigarettes. She quickly closed the drawer and continued surveying the area. As she was attempting to tidy up the office, John came to the door.
    “Welcome. This is where we work. Sorry about the mess. He’s a fucking pig,” John said.
    “Thanks,” Bunny replied.
    John closed the door so he could talk to her. “Look, I don’t want this to be uncomfortable for you, and I want to clear the air. I’m sorry. I never got the chance to say it,” he said. “I don’t want you to think that what went on between us was a farce. It wasn’t. I do care for you, and I don’t care about a lot of people.”
    “It’s OK; I’m over it. Things happen for a reason,” she responded. “I just want to get started.”
    “Are we still friends at least?” John asked as he extended his hand to her.
    “OK, we are friends. Here’s to a brand-new start,” she responded. She stood up to shake his hand. Instead of shaking it, he kissed the back of it.
    “See, I couldn’t do that at your old job,” he said and smiled. He walked out of the room. Although she was disappointed in John and the way their relationship had ended, she still found his swagger irresistible.
Control yourself
, she thought.
    The next day, Bunny decided to go into