by Dale Cadeau
“That means I’m the boss?” Clay rubbed his hands together gleefully. “I don’t know if we have any openings for a fellow down on his luck. Do you have references?” Clay laughed at James’s stunned look.
“Well, being new to the area, I have to hire the right people. We don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea about this business. If you’re going to work for me, don’t you think you better phone your tailor and at least get a suit?” Clay was now in full-out laughter. James always took the lead and it would look good for him to have to take instructions from someone else for a change. Clay thought this might just work out for his benefit. “Hey, I think the first thing I’ll do is give myself a raise.”
James just raised his eyebrows at the laughing Clay. “Like you need the money. Over the years we’ve made enough money to keep us all set for the rest of our lives. But if it floats your boat, go ahead, give yourself a raise. Just make sure the offer for the receptionist job is just padded enough so Avery will bite. I want her out of that apartment and diner as soon as possible so we can all look after her.”
Clay stopped laughing at James and thought back over the last 10 years. It had been a struggle for all of them at the beginning. Getting let go from the army had been a harsh blow to all their egos. They hadn’t done anything but follow orders James had received from the higher ups. But when the shit hit the fan, they were left holding the bag, and the discharges.
Their Intel had been flawed. The village they were to take over was supposed to be hiding an internationally known enemy the army wanted captured in the worst way. After the dust had cleared they saw it held nothing but a few women and children, no enemies. Angel had had a bad feeling that morning when the orders first came down. At his insistence, they stopped after only firing a few shots. Even so, one woman ended up injured. She had come out of the one bar that the small village had. She hadn’t looked like a woman with her hat pulled down over her eyes and wearing army fatigues in the enemy’s colors. Brad had winged her, thinking she was their target. How were they to know she was an undercover agent? Well, someone had known but hadn’t passed on the information to them. Thank God the woman had lived with damage being only to her shoulder. But the brass seemed to think they should have known. It was part of their job to be informed of all the operations going on in the area. Whoever had fucked up couldn’t be found. So being an elite covert unit, they had taken the fall.
At first they didn’t know what to do with their lives when they arrived back home. Their missions in the army had trained them well but their specialty was surveillance and stalking an enemy. James, always the group leader, had taken what money he had left from an inheritance, put it together with their meager savings and Braden Security was founded that day. It took a while but with each job and word of mouth, their reputation had grown and now they were known as the best. They were costly, but everyone seemed to think they got their money’s worth.
“I’ll pay you good, too. After all, I’m known for being a great boss to work with.”
James laughed back. “I’ll take it, and you’re right, I have to go and buy some off-the-rack suit. Hope I can find my size. Where would you suggest? I don’t think I’ve been to a mall in ages.”
“Oh, I don’t know that you need a full suit, just pants and a jacket. I would go to Wall-Mart.”
“Wall-Mart—isn’t that a chain store? I don’t even know where one is.”
“Well if you would look beside the off-ramp we get off of every morning, you would see one. I know you have other things on your mind, but man, it has a great big sign and lots of cars around it all the time. My brother’s wife swears by the bargains in kids’ clothes. I think they could probably have what you need within your limited budget.”
“Hope they have a very large men’s department.” James turned and walked out the office front door, skirting around the men just installing the sign. Looking back, he gave Clay the thumbs-up. This was going to work.
Chapter Four
Avery noticed the new sign as she walked home from the diner that night. She also noticed the sign in the window advertising for a receptionist. Avery smiled. Maybe this could be the break that she needed. Hurrying home, she thought of what she would wear for the interview and how she needed to update her resume.
Early the next morning, a very nervous Avery stood in front of the new investment firm. Pulling down her blouse over her skirt, again to make sure it was without wrinkles, she grabbed the front door and opened it to walk into the large reception area. Avery knew her mouth fell open as she took in the opulent surrounding. Were they kidding? You didn’t find places like this around here. This office belonged uptown in one of the many ritzy office towers. Whoever did this must have had more money than brains.
A noise from the rear had Avery’s mind back on track as she walked up to the front desk. A large Native American man was lounging in the small chair and looking like he could fall out of it at any moment. Sitting up, the man seemed to be assessing her with his black eyes, as if he could sum up a person just by looking. This increased Avery’s nervousness. Oh God, what if she failed to get this job. She had thought it was a sign—a new company in such an unlikely place, with a position open that she just happened to have the experience for. She hadn’t thought farther ahead and had already started dreaming of a better life. She would be able to live a little more comfortably with this job. Avery met his eyes and swallowed. He didn’t seem inclined to say anything, so she knew she would have to break the ice. After all, she was the one who had come in. Maybe he was the newly hired receptionist. He didn’t look like it would be a job he would take, but in this neighborhood, maybe the management was being smart.
Avery tried to stand taller and assume a confidence that she didn’t feel. Well I’ll never know if I don’t’ ask.
“I’m here to apply for the receptionist job. The notice is still in the window. Unless you’re the new receptionist?”
Angel’s hard face grinned at her and it made him look not quite so imposing. As he peeled himself from the chair, she gulped again. She looked up and up until he reached his full height of six foot five. His body language told her that clearly this man would never be an office worker. She was all alone in here. No one knew where she was or cared. Avery started to creep back to the front door with this thought. Just then the giant spoke.
“Yes, we have an opening. Do you have references?” He somehow settled his large body into a stance that said, “I’m harmless.” Avery scoffed at that. This man could never be harmless.
Lost in thought Avery took a while to respond. “Oh, sorry, yes, I do have a reference, but it is old. The company might not still be in business. It was some time ago that I worked as a receptionist.”
“I don’t think that matters. Do you have a job now?” the giant asked
“Yes, I work at the diner in the next block but have been looking for a new position.” Avery moved from one foot to the other and craned her neck up to see the giant’s face.
Walking around the desk, Angel crowded the space in front of Avery. Stepping back to give him room, Avery followed the broad back when he turned and crooked a finger at her.
“This way. The boss is in his office. He does all interviews.”
The short hallway had two doors on either side with a large two-door entrance at the back. Opening one of the back doors, Angel stood to the side to allow Avery to precede him into the office.
Another large but familiar man sat at the huge desk in front of a window. Looking up at her, the man put his pen down and rose to his feet with his scarred hand extended.
Avery walked up and clasped his very broad hand that seemed to swallow hers. Were they all giants that worked here?
“Hey, I know you. You’re the waitress at the diner down the block,” Clay said, trying to put Avery at ease. He could tell she was nervous by the way she skirted around Angel, giving him lots of room.
“Yes, that’s me. You said you were looking at property in t
he area, but I didn’t know you would settle this close.” Avery shut her mouth. This was not the time to rattle on.
“I said you were meant for better things. Are you here for the reception job?”
Avery stepped back from Clay’s handshake. “Yes, I would like to apply, if the position hasn’t been filled yet.” With that said, she glanced toward Angel. “It looks like you already have someone at the front desk.”
Clay looked at Angel, too. Angel just stood back near the door and looked like he might try to escape at any minute.
“No, Angel is one of our operatives. Sorry, I mean investment agents. He is just filling in until we can get somebody full time to take over. After all, we don’t want to scare our clients away.” Clay laughed at Angel’s grunt.
Clay motioned for Angel to leave, telling him he would take over, and Angel was free to go back to the front desk. Angel slid out the door as fast as the eye could see. If she wouldn’t have known he was standing there a minute ago, she might have thought it was her imagination, he disappeared so quickly.
“Please have a seat.” Clay waved at the chair in front of the desk as he sat back down.
Avery sat down and dug in her purse for the resume she had sweat over last night. Handing it to Clay, she sat back and bit her lip. This was it. Hopefully he wouldn’t notice the holes in it.
Clay took the offered document and intently scanned its contents. Avery was getting more nervous the longer he took and tried not to squirm in her seat.
Standing up, document still in hand, he asked her when she could start. Avery looked at him blankly. “Aren’t you going to ask any questions?” Her nerves were getting to her, she had blurted out the one thing she didn’t want him to do, and that was ask questions. She really needed to start thinking before she spoke.
“I mean, sure, I can start anytime. I have to put in my shift at the diner today, but there was never a contract with them, so I could probably leave right after I finish. I know the owner’s daughter wants to start working and that would leave a position open for her.” Shutting her mouth, Avery looked down at the carpet. “I guess you didn’t need to know all that, but—”
Clay put her at ease by carrying on as if she hadn’t said anything. “Don’t you want to know the wages, hours, and terms?”
“Yes, of course. What do you mean ‘terms’? What possible terms could there be with a reception job?”
“Well, we have some terms that come with the employment. Since we are in an area of town that, shall we say, isn’t the best, we need someone to stay close and guard the property.”
“What do you mean guard the property? Is this a night job? I thought it would be nine to five. I have an apartment down the block.” Avery was starting to panic.
“No, it’s not a night job. This job comes with a furnished apartment over these offices. We want the receptionist to live there and guard—make that ‘look after’ the building. We do have a security system installed, but if someone is living here, there would be lights on most of the time and movement, which would mean less chance of getting broken into.”
“Sure, I can do that, but would I still get paid on top of the apartment? I need enough to live on. I can’t take it if only the apartment and expenses are paid. I have bills and obligations that have to be met.”
“I’ll lay it all out then you can tell me if the terms are acceptable to you,” Clay told her in a calm voice. He didn’t want her more agitated than she was.
Clay laid out the wages, which were twice what she made at the diner. “The hours are nine to five, Monday to Friday, Saturday half day to noon. The apartment and all utilities are paid, and outside of the wages I just quoted. Do you think you would be interested? I can show you the apartment. That might help you make up your mind.”
Avery was still trying to take in the salary quote, but nodded that yes, she would like to see the apartment. Had she stepped into wonderland? Was this real?
Following Clay out the door and to another hallway that had a washroom and large kitchen, she saw stairs leading up to a second floor. The stairs and second floor had the same lush carpet that was installed downstairs. Taking a key out of his pocket, Clay unlocked the door at the top. Pushing back the door, he stepped aside to allow her to precede him into the apartment.
Avery’s mouth opened with a gasp. She stepped into a living room furnished with leather sofas, glass tables, and a large-screen TV attached to the wall. Turning her head to the left, she saw a small neat kitchen with stainless steel appliances and black granite counter tops.
Turning right, she saw a large bedroom down a small hallway. Her feet instinctively carried her along without realizing it. The bedroom had a king-size bed with cedar end tables, a large walk-in closet that seemed to take up one whole wall, with an en suite bathroom on the other. As she glanced in, she could see it would be women’s dream bathroom. It was richly appointed with a glassed-in shower and a separate large bathtub, big enough for two, with black-and-white tiles on the floor. The heated towel racks and fixtures were all in a bright silver that just sparkled with their newness. Avery finally turned back to Clay.
“This can’t come with the job. This apartment is too…too much. I can’t live here—there must be something else expected of me.” Avery was starting to have a bad idea what it was.
“And I’ll tell you right away that I can’t be bought.” Avery turned swiftly and started to make her way down the hallway. Clay caught up when she had reached the middle of the living room. Grabbing her elbow, Clay turned her around none too gently.
“Do you think I’m so ugly that I have to pay someone for sex?” Clay looked down at her from above through his steely gray eyes that said he was insulted by her remarks.
Avery raised her hand and covered her mouth and replied, “I didn’t mean to insinuate that you would have to pay someone. I can see quite well that’s not the case.”
Clay seeing her blush and embarrassed expression asked, “Why, don’t you think I can afford it?” Avery now knew from the grin that had broken out on Clay’s face that he was giving her a hard time and she realized she deserved it for jumping to conclusions.
“Sorry, I jumped in with both feet. But you have to realize that with all the perks of this job, it seems a bit much for just a receptionist.”
“Well you seem to be forgetting that looking after the place is part of the job.” Clay had a hard time keeping a straight face when he made that statement, looking down at her five-foot-nothing and too-thin-but-curvy body. No one in their right mind would think she was a threat.
The guard was going to be guarded within an inch of her life. She just didn’t know it. James had claimed her and that meant the rest of them were also on guard duty. They always worked as a well-oiled unit from their time in the army and the dangerous jobs they had taken on in the last ten years. They always had each other’s back and anyone that was close to one of them was also included as part of their family unit.
“OK, I’ll take the job if it’s still available. I trust you, and I seem to be having a hard time keeping my thoughts to myself and my mouth closed when you’re around. For some reason, you just seem to inspire confidence in me to tell you more than you probably want to hear.”
“Well I’ll take that as a complement after the bruising my ego got.” And Clay grinned down at her still-red embarrassed face.
“The job is still available, and you can start and move in anytime. I’ll have the guys move your stuff from your apartment, when you’re ready.”
“Oh you don’t have to do that. I don’t have much and can handle it myself.”
“No way, not in this neighborhood. If all the guys at once would be too overwhelming, I will send only one, and you can take my word for it, he can be trusted. James is a great guy. I think you’ve probably seen him at the diner. He came before me to scope out properties and took a shine to this area. Maybe you are part of the appeal. He did say he liked the diner down the block, and I know the food’s no
t that great, so it must have some other attraction.”
Avery looked up at Clay. “Do you mean the large—well maybe not to you—guy who for the last week has had coffee at the diner morning and night? Why then when you were in the other day didn’t you acknowledge that you knew him? You sat at the counter and didn’t join him at the booth he was sitting in.”
“You’re very observant. We like that around this place. Just another reason to hire you. James has been meeting with a lot of property owners, and I didn’t want our relationship to get out so anyone wouldn’t try to influence our choice. It seems like a lot of people don’t have scruples when money is involved. James, I didn’t have to worry about—I trust him. But others, not so much. Now that we have the building up and ready to open, he will be working with us on the day-to-day operations. In fact, he has the office just right of the reception area, so you two will be getting to know each other well. All I can say is if James tells you something, it’s the same as talking to me, so he will be helping you settle in and get a feel for the job. Any questions, just ask James. He won’t steer you wrong.”
“Well, the help would be appreciated.” Avery stared off into space, thinking of the yummy man that had been in her thoughts since she first spotted him sitting in one of the booths at the diner. Maybe she would finally get a glimpse of what was under his jacket. He seemed to be very well built. Maybe at the apartment she could try and think of something to get him out of it. Turning up the heat might even get him to strip off his shirt. God, what thoughts were going through her head?
Clay stood looking at Avery as she schemed. James had better watch out, this lady had plans for him if the glint in her eyes and the secret smile on her face meant anything.
Clay cleared his throat, snapping Avery from her muse.
