Stay
away from the owner's nephew. What kind of advice is that to get on
the first day of work?
No worries
there. Jessica's had enough of men posing as boys to last a lifetime.
Enough to almost make her lesbian--almost. She'll have no problem
staying away from the owner's womanizing, drunken, hedonistic nephew.
No problem at all.
He's the guy they warn women to stay away from.
He's the guy they warn women to stay away from.
Rick's
an all-in kinda guy. All or nothing. His pursuits are drinking and
women. That's not completely true. He has a couple of other
interests, but he doesn't want anyone knowing about them. Can't go
around ruining the reputation he's expended a lot of energy earning.
Excerpt
“Stay away from
the owner’s nephew.”
I fight to keep the
look of confusion off, smoothing my black skirt—one of the few
professional garments I own—so I can keep my head down while
I plaster a blank look on my face. Of all the advice I could be given
on the first day at my new job, this is the last thing I expect to
hear. “No problem.”
What else can I say?
Don’t worry? I’m ass-deep in studies? I’ve had enough of boys
posing to be men to last me a lifetime? I’ve probably had enough of
boys posing as men to turn me toward lesbianism, except that female
parts don’t do it for me.
“I mean it.”
Raina, my self-appointed trainer and new friend at work puts on a
stern face, her sassy hairstyle belying the professionalism she wears
like a superhero’s cape.
This is more than a
little funny since she’s close to my age. I fight the smile that’s
threatening to come out, a smile that might make it look like I’m
laughing at her.
“I gotcha.” I
try to be reassuring, even though if she only knew how I feel about
men and how little time I have to dedicate to them anyway, she’d
stop worrying.
Curiosity gets the
best of me. “What’s the big deal with the owner’s nephew?”
“He’s a
man-whore. Girls drop panties. Like quick. Then there’s drama, then
they don’t work here anymore.”
“And that bothers
you why, exactly?”
“Seriously? It
increases my workload. I have to pick up their slack, then train
their replacement.”
“Don’t worry.
Would it help if I said I’m lesbian?”
Raina laughs, a
little too forced. Then I start to think what if she is? What if she
thinks I’m going to make a pass at her? What if she makes a pass at
me? Sometimes I wish I’d learn to keep my mouth shut.
“Let’s go to
lunch,” she announces.
I figure that will
be the time I find out if my little lesbian outburst actually means
something to her.
As it turns out,
lunch is just a get-to-know-you kind of thing. As friends.
Straight friends. And get to know me, Raina did. She asked one little
ol’ question and I start to blurt out shit like a geyser. Filling
her in on my dad’s death, between bites. My loser mother’s
decision to dump me and my brother and move to Florida with her
latest boyfriend is the topic during dessert—which I pass on since
I’m not exactly a beanstalk-skinny kind of girl. I rant on, about
how it’s up to me to support us. My brother’s a senior in high
school and I’m trying to make my way through college. Damn. Just
telling her my shitty life story wears me out. I hope I don’t push
her away or sound too pathetic. I hope I don’t make it sound worse
than it is. I mean now that I have this job, there’s light at the
end of the tunnel.
After two grilled
chicken Caesar salads, one sweet tea and one water—with lemon,
please—Raina and I are finished with lunch. And I’m finished with
my pity party.
“At least you have
this job now.” She smiles at me. She’s probably happy lunch is
finally over.
“And I don’t
plan to do anything to lose it. Don’t you worry.” Owner’s
nephew be damned. I beam what I hope is my most confident smile.
She picks up the
tab. “Ready to train? I have tons of paperwork. I’m totally
backed up. It’s been a bear.”
“Sure am!” I’m
appreciative of her paying the bill because until my first check I
have exactly $53.42 in my bank account.
As we leave the
restaurant, my last thought, for some crazy reason is the nephew must
be some kind of gorgeous to get women to give up jobs for him this
way.
Now why my brain
goes there again, I haven’t a clue.
About Elle
"For the most part, I'm an ordinary girl, who lives an ordinary life and has been lucky enough to be exposed (no pun, seriously) to many different walks of life. Some of the opportunities I passed up on quite unwisely, but if I'd taken them, then I wouldn't be here, now.
So, no regrets, right? Or so I'd like to think, because regretting what you can't change may be pointless."
www.facebook.com/elle.thorne.7
http://www.amazon.com/Elle-Thorne/e/B00JT3Z6C6
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