by J. L. Ryan
She didn’t know what she was feeling. He was kissing her back and her head was spinning. He was nipping at her mouth when the kiss finally broke. He looked at her with a sad look on his face.
What had she done? He was disappointed. She had crossed a line and would probably ruin their friendship. He just stood there looking at her.
“Alex, I’m so sorry. I just got carried away.” She tried to sound reasonable.
“I understand Brie, you just had one too many drinks is all.” He turned around to go back to making coffee. He dismissed her entirely. She had hoped…hoped for what? He would suddenly think of her as a girl and not one of his friends? She was a fool. She had to get out of here. She started for the door.
“Brie where are you going?” He saw her at the door. She wouldn’t look at him.
“I can’t stay Alex not now, I don’t know if you can work through this or not but…I just don’t know anything.” She left the room and headed downstairs. Alex let her go. He called the driver and told him to take her wherever she wanted to go. What was he supposed to do? She never thought of him as anything other than a friend. Now he felt his heart all twisted up just like it had been 15 years ago. Why did she kiss him? Why now? He took a long drink of the coffee.
He sat down in the chair. Was it a game? It made no sense at all. The only thing he could do was try and figure it out.
An hour later he was still plagued with the reaction she caused in him. He buried that a long time ago and one kiss and she drags all of it back out again. It wasn’t fair. He stood and grabbed his jacket and called his driver. He needed answers.
Her apartment was on the other side of town. He stood in front of her door and knocked. When she opened the door, he could only stare at her. Still in his pajamas, she braided her hair and washed her face. She looked just like she did years ago, all braids and freckles. She blinked and he shook his head.
“Listen brat I’m not 13 anymore. I don’t know what’s going on with you but we need to figure it out because I'm all twisted up all over again. He frowned because this was not what he planned to say.
“Thirteen, Alex? What are you talking about? At that age, I was following you around and you didn’t even know I existed.” She crossed her arms and continued. “I knew all about the bet at the dance and how you all planned to keep me from becoming a girl and all that, Mary Jenkins told me. It's ok, I understand. I’ve had the crush so long I just got overly excited and kissed you, that’s all.”
He stood there. Bet? What the hell was she talking about and she had a crush?
“First of all there was no bet, Mary Jenkins liked me and told you that to keep us apart. I was half in love with you already then and you just went into tomboy mode as soon as we got there.”
He sat down on her couch and she followed. They both sat and thought about it for a while.
“You loved me then?” she whispered it.
“I have always loved you brat.” He looked at her.
“I’ve loved you too Alex, I just wanted you to be happy and you deserved something, someone better.” She shrugged.
“There is no one better Brie, this whole time I thought you just saw me as your friend, and I had no idea.” He put his hand over hers.
“I thought the same thing Alex.” She looked up at him and he smiled before leaning in for another kiss.
This time is was longer deeper and meant more, it held a promise of a future where they could both be less lonely and find happiness and peace. When they separated, Alex began to chuckle.
“What’s so funny, mister?” She frowned.
“I think we owe Brandon 6 bucks.” They both started laughing and he pulled her into his arms again, this time for good.
The Billionaire's Addiction
Marisa stared down at the eviction notice, reading it a second time as her eyes skimmed over the letter. “You are hereby ordered to leave the premises in one week,” she read out loud. She could feel the tears stinging the back of her eyes.
She knew that it was only a matter of time, being two months behind rent and no sign of when she could catch up, she was just thankful that they waited this long. She put the letter in her purse and got out of the car. She could only hope that hours at her waitress job would begin to pick up.
She entered the restaurant, passing through the dining area to get to the time clock. She nodded to the occasional regular customer, giving them her best smile. She didn’t want to show the outside world just how much she was struggling.
When she got in the break room, she headed to the table that always held the new schedule. She looked around and saw that her friend, Chad, was there. “Hey, Marisa, the schedule isn’t out yet.”
“Oh…” her face fell, then went to the hallway where her boss’ door was wide open. “Is Frank in a good mood?” she asked, with a lighthearted laugh.
Chad shrugged, “Haven’t really had to talk to him.” He stood up from the table and smiled her way. “See ya around.”
She nodded, “Bye, Chad.”
She headed down the hallway and peeked inside to find that he was looking down at some papers and she wondered if it was the schedule. She knocked and he looked up briefly, then his head went back down. “Hello,” he mumbled.
“Hello,” she nervously looked around the office. “May I talk to you for just a minute?”
He seemed to groan, as he looked back up. “Sure.”
“Well…I don’t exactly know how to approach the subject.”
He rolled his eyes, “Just say it.”
She sat down in the chair that was facing him. His expectant stare was nerve wracking. “See, I was hoping that maybe next week I could have some extra hours, anything that you can give me.” She was pleading, but she was desperate. She didn’t want to tell him about the eviction notice, so she hoped that it wouldn’t come to that.”
He looked away from her. She saw a pained expression in his eyes. “Marisa, we need to talk.” She didn’t like the sound of that, but she just nodded. “I was going to tell everyone this in a couple of days, but there really is no reason dragging it on. You have been a valuable employee for the last five years and I owe you that much.”
Her jaw dropped, it didn’t sound like happy news that he was about to share. “What are you trying to say, Frank?”
His eyes feel to the stack of papers on his desk. He leaned forward, ruffling through the stack. When his hand landed on a paper, he removed it and handed it to her. She looked down at the pink slip. She skimmed through the notice stating that she was being fired. She looked up at him, but couldn’t find the words. “I’m sorry, Marisa. If I had any other way…I would take it.”
“You’re firing me?”
“I’m closing the restaurant,” he slowly spoke. “It hasn’t been good for us. You know the lack of hours and I don’t foresee it getting better.”
“When?” she asked, hoping that the tears wouldn’t start falling.
“The buyer wants us out in two weeks.”
She covered her face. She was at a loss for words. “So, you have already sold it?”
He nodded, “I didn’t want to spring it on you guys.”
She stood up from the chair, angry that her world was spinning out of control. She couldn’t fight back the tears much longer. “Spring it on us? Frank, we all have to look for jobs. Did you think of that?”
“I know, but…”
She brushed away a tear that had fallen down her cheek. “I’m sorry, but you don’t know.” She looked away, “I have to clock in.” She turned from him.
“Marisa, wait…” he began.
She just shook her head and glanced back toward him. “I need time to think.”
“Please don’t tell anyone.”
She turned around and sighed heavily. “Really? You want the rest of the staff to be shocked by the news more than they already will be?”
“I need to tell them and I will tell them.”
She nodded, “Fine. I’ll give you t
wenty four hours,” she headed out of the office and slid her badge through the time clock. She let out a slow breath, to calm down her nerves, before pushing through the break room door. She needed to figure out what she was going to do and she had no time to waste.
***
Marisa walked in her apartment and headed for the kitchen. She reached for the bottle of wine to pour herself a glass. She needed something to unwind with. When she poured the glass and lifted it to her lips, she found herself thinking about what she was going to do. She put the glass down and left the kitchen.
She went to her room and grabbed her laptop and then took it back to the kitchen. She took a drink and then turned the computer on.
She punched in a website to search for a job. As she narrowed it down to places that were based on location, she gradually looked down the list. She sipped her wine, taking in the positions. Many of the places she wasn’t qualified for, but then her eyes fell on a few positions that were in search of secretaries, assistants, or receptionists.
She jotted down their information, then closed her laptop. She figured it was too late to do anything about the eviction, but she needed to find a job. She downed the rest of the wine and put the dish in the sink.
She headed upstairs and turned on the water in the bath, pouring in his some bubbles. She pulled her clothes off and got into the bath, sinking down so that the bubbles were covering her completely. She could feel the tears falling down her face and she sniffled.
She hated feeling this way. She was alone and losing everything that was important to her. As she wiped a tear from her eye, she heard her cellphone ringing. She grabbed a towel, wiping her arms off and then reached across to her pants, where she removed the phone. She saw on the caller ID that it was her mother. She groaned, but quickly answered the call. “Hey, Mom.”
“How’s it going?” She asked. Her voice was cheerful, causing Marisa to try to push away her worries.
“Oh…same ol’ same ol’,” she lied. “How have you guys been?”
“We have been good. We were hoping you would come home for the Independence Day Barbeque this year.”
When she was living at home, she loved the barbeque. However, she was now twenty-five and had moved away nearly seven years ago. She only went home for the occasional Christmas when she didn’t have to work. “I think I’ll have to work that day and won’t be able to come back.” Again, she stated a lie.
There was a long pause on the other end, before her mother spoke up. “Please try. Your sister has some news and we would love to see you.”
News? Marisa thought. “I’ll see what I can do. I have two weeks to see if I can work it out.”
“So, you are going to try?” Her mother sounded hopeful.
“I said I would, but I can’t make any promises,” she snapped, then felt bad that it came across that way. “I’m sorry Mom. It’s just things have been busy.”
“I understand,” her mother replied and Marisa knew that she really had no idea. “We just really miss you.”
“Yes, I know. I miss you guys, too.” When she lived at home, her best friend was her sister, who just happened to be only five years younger than her. It was tough on all of them when she decided to take off right out of high school. “Hey, I better go. I hear the doorbell.” She spoke, just wanting to get off the phone.
“Goodbye, Mom.”
“Goodbye, Honey. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Okay,” she quickly hung up the call and pushed her phone away from her. She didn’t have time to worry about her parents, too. She sighed, closing her eyes. She prayed that she would find a job quickly and all of this could be put behind her.
She stepped out of the tub and wrapped herself up in a thick, warm towel. She would get some much needed rest and then spend all day job searching, if necessary, until she had the perfect one.
***
She crossed off the second job on her list and glanced over the openings. She wasn’t having the best luck, but she still had several positions open that she could apply for. She drove a few blocks and turned a corner, where a large law office stood in front of her. She parked the car and crossed her fingers, heading up to the door.
When she entered, she looked around until she saw a wall that had several names on it. She walked over and glanced down at the listing. “Martz, Tucker, and Bradley Law Firm,” she whispered and then glanced up at the wall and noticed the name in gold letters.
She headed in the direction the arrow pointed, to where she was brought to a narrow hallway.
She saw the glass door with the name of the law firm and she went inside. She looked around to find a lot of bustling going on and people on the phone, talking over copy machines. She noticed a blonde woman, staring at her computer, but she didn’t seem too distracted by other things going on. So, she approached her.
When she didn’t look up, she cleared her throat. Finally the woman looked up, clearly annoyed. “May I help you?” She snapped.
“Uh…” Marisa looked down at her chicken scratch on the notepad. “I am interested in applying for the job.”
The woman rolled her eyes, “You and every other teeny bopper.”
“I’m not teeny bopper. I’m twenty-five and…” she began, but that made the woman appear even more annoyed.
“Yeah, did I ask?” She replied, rolling her eyes.
Marisa felt awkward in that moment, nearly stepping back, apologizing for wasting her time, and leaving. “Um, I—“
“Go through that door,” she interrupted, “until you will find a large desk and you can ask about the position there. This is a mail room only and we don’t handle such things. If you would have come through the other door, you would have clearly noticed that.” She laughed with sarcasm and then went back to her work.
Marisa wanted to say, did I ask? However, she refrained from being sarcastic and headed toward the door. She opened the door to find a much more reserved area. She walked up to the desk and a middle-aged redhead looked up and smiled. “Hello, may I help you?”
“Yes, I would like to apply for the position that I saw online.”
The girl nodded, “Of course. The way interviews are being handled is by being interviewed on the spot. It usually lasts about a half an hour. Are you free to stay?”
Marisa’s eyes got big and she nodded, “Of course.”
“Great. I will see if the boss is available. Please, have a seat over there,” she pointed to the chairs and Marisa went and took a seat. She found herself extremely nervous, as she scrunched the paper in her hands and waited for a response. It was about five minutes later, when she was walking back to her. “You may follow me.”
Marisa attempted several short breaths, to gain her composure. When they reached a door, she noted that she was still as nervous as ever. The woman opened the door, allowing her to walk into an office. The moment she got inside, she saw a tall, dark, and gorgeous guy sitting at his computer.
Her voice escaped her, as he looked up. He had the most magnetizing blue eyes, with brown wavy hair. His smile was charismatic and she was completely gone. “Hello. Please have a seat.” He motioned to the chair in front of his desk.
She sat down, unable to function while looking at him. He smiled, cocking an eyebrow and giving her a peculiar look. “Why don’t you start off with something about yourself.”
She searched for the words, realizing that she had to say something. “Um…my name is Marisa Jamison.”
“Ms. Jamison, it is a pleasure meeting you.” Again he smiled and she was caught off guard. “My name is Jeffrey Bradley, one of the lawyers here.” She smiled, still unable to speak. “Why don’t you tell me about your experience.”
She looked down at her hands, then slowly her eyes went back to him. “Well, I don’t really have much experience. I currently work at a restaurant.”
“For how long?” He asked, taking down notes.
“Five years,” she replied, hoping to soon start breathing regularly again.
“It is true that this is different from a restaurant, but you have to have customer service skills.”
“I definitely have that,” she spoke, suddenly feeling a bit better.
He smiled, “Tell me why you would want to work in a place like this?”
“Well, the restaurant I work in is getting ready to close and a lot of positions that I was looking at require more experience. I think this would be an interesting job.” She shrugged, “I am a quick learner.”
He took down some more notes and then looked up. “Well, there have been several applicants. Some more qualified than others. The pay is competitive and we offer a strong benefits package. You would start at $55,000 a year.”
