SCREAMIN' in Pain

by Cynthia Pegram

  Brody is a very nice looking man. Average height, skinny, brown hair with green eyes.

  “Hey, Brody.” I extend my hand to him. He takes my hand holding it, pulling me in for another big hug.

  “Come; let me show you to your office.”

  We proceed into the elevator. He is still holding my hand. My office, I think about that. I did not know I was getting an office of my own. I honestly did not think it would be this easy. I thought I would have to interview or something. I did not have to. I really should not be surprised. Thanks to Giovanni for making it so easy. I do not feel as nervous now.

  We leave the elevator on the sixth floor. The reception desk is there as soon as you get off.

  “Mariah, this is, Kristy.” She cut her eyes at me.

  What the hell! So much for getting along with everyone. I guess there is always going to be that one person.

  Mariah is short with very short black hair, brown eyes, golden skin, and a total bitch. I can already tell she is.

  “Hi, Mariah. It’s very nice to meet you.” I had definitely lied to her.

  “Hey!” she snaps at me.

  “Let’s go to your office,” Brody tells me as he pulls me away from her.

  We walk down the hall stopping in front of a door. He moves aside so I can go in. The office has pictures of famous singers and bands on the walls. It is big - nicely decorated.

  “Everything you need is in your office. File cabinets and computer access to it all. If there is something you need don’t be afraid to ask, Kristy.”

  “Is this Giovanni’s office?”

  “No, this is your office. His office is next door. Giovanni has told me many good things about you. I am really looking forward to working with you.”

  “Brody, where do I start?” There is a knock on the door. We both look up.

  “Aw, just in time. Kristy, this is, Trenton, he is Giovanni’s assistant. He will tell you what you need to do. My office is on the fifth floor. I am more into the movie side of things. If you need me, I am number two on the phone. Of course, Giovanni is number one.” He shakes Trenton’s hand, then leaves.

  “Trenton, it’s very nice to meet you.” He is checking me up and down.

  “Nice to meet you too, Kristy. Mr. Tuscany left a file in the top drawer he would like you to go over it.”

  For some reason, this dude did not seem too happy with me being there. Oh well. I tried to open the drawer except I find it locked. Just as I was going to ask Trenton if he had, the key Brody came back in.

  “Sorry, Kristy. I forgot to give you these.”

  He hands me a set of keys. I take them thinking there a few of them on the ring. Brody turns back to Trenton, “can you give us a minute, please? I just need to have a word with her.”

  “I will be in my office. Third door on the left,” Trenton tells me, as he gets ready to leave. Once at the door he turns to give me another look then he walks out.

  I sit behind my desk with Brody taking the chair in front of me. He looks like the big boss he is. He almost makes me feel like a scared little child sitting there. I am sure that is not the case.

  “Giovanni wants you to keep those keys close to you. He said to put them on your key ring. Never leave your purse out in the open. He left instructions on what he would like you to do.”

  I shake my head feeling as if I am on some secret mission. I am wondering if someone is going to rip me off. Brody leaves my office again.

  I put the keys on my ring then go to unlock the drawer. When I am done, I hide my purse way back in a bottom drawer. There is a big envelope sitting in there. I take out the envelope opening it up.

  The first page is a note from Giovanni, “hey, my love. I need you to go through these employees files. They are being reviewed when I get back there. Just look for something out of place. If you see anything that concerns you, call me. You can go on the computer to employee’s files. That will help you out also. Do not be nervous. I have confidence in you. I love you enjoy your first day.”

  I can do this I tell myself! There is a radio on the table by the window. I walk over to turn it on. It is on a seventies station. I leave it there and start to work.

  There are twenty employees on the sixth floor. I look through them one at a time. I am writing on the outside of their file if I think there is a problem. If there is no problem, I write clean.

  Two employees have excessive tardiness. One employee has missed a lot of work. There is not a reason why she has. It takes more time than I think it will. There is a knock on the door. I look up to see Trenton standing there.

  “Kristy, it’s one o’clock. Are you going to lunch? Or would you like me to pick something up for you?”

  “Thanks, Trenton, but I’m good.” He seems to act nicer to me now. Which to me is a good thing? He leaves and I get back to work.

  There is something about Mariah I cannot put my finger on it. Her file seems like someone has changed things. I check her employee file repeatedly! I still come up short. I go over to the computer files. When I read them on there they make her seem like an angel. Something is not right. I can feel it in my gut! I am going to find out what is going on.

  Standing up I look out the window. I have a great view of the beach. What can be so out of place? Hearing a knock on the door, I stir out of my thoughts.

  Turning around I say, “Come in.” Brody comes through the door.

  “Hey, Kristy. Just want to see how your first day went.”

  I look over to the clock seeing it is almost five already. Looking at him, I wonder how much he can be trusted. I guess I am going to have to find out.

  “Brody, could you close the door for a minute, please.” He closes the door taking the seat in front of my desk. “What’s going on, Kristy?”

  “Who takes care of the budget books?”

  “That is Trenton’s job. Why? Is something wrong?”

  “I don’t think there is anything is wrong! I just have a feeling about something. That is all. What is the deal with, Mariah? I look at her files and they make her seem like a saint.”

  Brody busts out laughing, “trust me she is no saint. She is a bitch. I do not trust her. When she knows a review is coming up, she goes into her file changing things. We do not know how she is doing this. When we ask her about it, she denies doing anything. We have never caught her so we cannot do anything about it. Kristy, the only thing I can tell you, is, watch her. Let me have your cellphone.”

  I hand it to him. He programs his number in my phone. Next, he programs my number into his. Setting my phone on my desk, he turns to leave. “Kristy, don’t be afraid to say something if you think something is going on.”

  Angelo comes in a few minutes later, “are you ready to go, ma’am?”

  I gather up my things and leave for the day. We get into the car. Whatever is going on is giving me a headache.

  Angelo looks into the rearview mirror at me, “having problems, ma’am?”

  “No, I’m good. Just a long day at work.”

  I think all the way home. I am not going to stop looking into this until I can figure out what is going on. If anything at all is going on.

  We arrive at my place in no time. I get out of the car, “Angelo, Giovanni told me I would have a car here. Do you know where it is?”

  “Yes, ma’am, follow me.”

  I follow him inside the front door of the building. We walk past the elevator going out a back door. That brings us into the parking garage. We walk a little ways then he stops.

  “Ma’am, this would be your car. Do you like it? If not Mr. Tuscany will get you a new one!”

  I smile big absolutely loving it! A burgundy Cadillac Escalade. Just like Giovanni’s except his is black. It is definitely a sweet ride. Angelo hands me the keys.

  “Yes, thank you so much for everything, Angelo. I appreciate it.”

  “You are so welcome, ma’am. If you need anything, call me. Giovanni put my number into your phone. He wants to make sure you
are safe when he isn’t around.”

  “Thank you again, Angelo.”

  He leaves me standing there looking at my car. I open up the car door looking inside. Yes, it is sweet ride!

  CHAPTER 20

  I wander up to my place. When I get inside, I make a drink. I take it to the deck thinking about, Mariah.

  I take out my laptop looking up Mariah on Facebook. No surprise, she is there. She has many pictures on there. She has expensive taste in the things she buys. She brags a lot about shopping. How can she afford all those nice things on her salary I wonder? She must have a sugar daddy or something.

  I look at her information. It says she is in a relationship. I assume that is why she has such nice things. Maybe all of this is just in my imagination. Maybe there is not anything there. I shut off my computer feeling a little silly. Oh well, I will look into it tomorrow.

  I climb in the tub still thinking about my day when my phone rings. I had left it sitting on my bed. I will call whoever that is back. I soak in the tub trying to release the thoughts of my day. I really want to sleep tonight. I know if I cannot shake this off, I will be up all night thinking about it.

  I get out of the tub drying off. I slip on some pajamas. Looking on the phone, I have a missed call from Giovanni. I make myself a drink. Taking it to the patio, I dial Giovanni.

  “Hey, my love. I tried to call you, but you didn’t answer.” Giovanni tells me when I pick up the phone.

  “Hi, Giovanni. I was in the tub.”

  “Oh. You sound exhausted. How was your day of work?”

  “My day was pretty good. I am still going through the files. I thought I would have gotten it done already. Hopefully, I will tomorrow.”

  I spent so much time on this Mariah thing when I should not have. I might have the reviews done if I did not spend time looking into her.

  “There is no need to rush this. Take all the time you need. I want things right. That way when we give our reviews there won’t be any mess ups.”

  I thought how I could ask him without him getting mad at me. Oh well, I do not care if he gets mad. I have things I want to know.

  “Giovanni, I know this isn’t any of my business, however, is there something going on with you and Mariah?”

  “Are you having problems with her?” I want to tell him I do not like her except I cannot do that. I do not really know her.

  “No, I was just curious.”

  "Kristy, we had a Christmas party about three years ago. We got drunk and I ended up fucking her. She assumed we were going to have a relationship. When we didn’t she freaked the fuck out.”

  I sit quietly for a minute thinking. I feel my stomach turning. I cannot be mad at him for that. That was before he knew me.

  “So, did you tell her you were going to have a relationship or did she just assume that?”

  I could tell he really did not want to talk about it except I did. If we were going to have a relationship, I wanted to know.

  “Of course, she assumed we would. I told her it was a one-night stand. Nothing more than that. She got possessive though.”

  “Does she think you two have a chance?” I am almost afraid to hear the answer.

  “Yes, she does! She does not take rejection lightly.”

  Shit, I tell myself. This could be a problem. He is so hot I am sure she has more than just a crush on him.

  “Okay G, I was just wondering.”

  “G, huh I like that. Kristy, you do not have to worry about her. I love you.”

  “One more question Giovanni, then I won’t ask you anymore of them. Does she know about us?”

  “Baby, everybody knows about us. I talk about you all the time.”

  So that would explain why she does not like me I thought.

  “If you have a problem with her, Kristy let me know. If I have to, I will fire her. I don’t have a problem with that.”

  “Why have you let her work there for so long?”

  He starts to laugh, “Kristy baby, I thought you said no more questions.” He continues to laugh. He is teasing me.

  “Sorry G, you don’t have to answer that.”

  “I felt sorry for her. She and her boyfriend are on again, off again. She was afraid of having no money if he left her for good.”

  Wow! He is playing on her sob story. I know he has a soft heart but, really. Jeez, I would not have cared.

  “Well thanks for answering my questions. I feel tired and I am going to hit the hay. Oh, wait one more thing. What are all the keys for?”

  “You found the one for the file cabinet. One is for the front door to the building. The last one is for my condominium. I live in the same building as you except on the top floor. I just want you to know I am not invading your space. I already had that condominium. Please Kristy, do not ever think that I would spy on you. I want you to have access to me when I am in town. That is why I am telling you.”

  “Did Heather already know that?”

  “Yes, she did know. She figured you would choose a condominium on the beach. She knows your taste, my love. When she found out I lived there, she was relieved. She didn’t want to have to worry about you.”

  I wish people would realize I do not need to be worried about. I am a big girl. I can take care of myself.

  “Good night, G.”

  “Baby, don’t be mad at her. She just loves you and cares for you.”

  I do not respond to him. I am getting tired of people treating me like a child. He must have known I am not happy.

  “Good night, my love. I will talk to you tomorrow. I love you.”

  We hang up. I am irritated and pissed off. I know deep in my heart that something is wrong with Mariah. I am determined to find out what.

  I have come up with a new routine every morning. I get up at six to take a run on the beach. After that, I go to the gym in my condominium. I would go in there to lift some weights. I would go home start the coffee and get ready for work. I have been at my job for a week now. I was getting lots done although I am still looking into Mariah. Giovanni had planned on coming over this weekend although he cannot get away. That was okay I knew I would see him soon.

  This is my first free weekend being in California. I think about doing some sightseeing. I seriously love being here. I feel safe in my home. I have not felt that way in a long time.

  I take my coffee to the patio deciding not to sight see. I decide to work instead. I get my laptop out sitting it on the patio table. I get into the employee files again. I know Giovanni will be back in California on Tuesday. That is when he is going over reviews.

  I thought about yesterday at work. Mariah and Trenton seem close when I was watching them. I get back on Facebook to look up Trenton. Again, no surprise he is on there also. I look at his status. He has a wife with no children. His life seems very normal. Nothing stands out. He has nice things still nothing out of the ordinary.

  I spent hours looking and staring at the ocean. Looking at my computer screen, I am searching into everything I can on her. I cannot quit thinking. Then it hits me like a ton of bricks. "Oh, shit! Do nothing until I am sure," I tell myself. I feel sick to my stomach. I close my laptop deciding on taking a run.

  When I finished my run, it is early in the afternoon. I make myself a drink. Then another one and another. I wish Giovanni was here with me, but he was not.

  I spent the rest of my weekend doing laundry and watching movies.

  When Monday rolls around, I am ready for work. I get to the office around nine. Everyone is just arriving except Mariah. She has been there for a while. Trenton has come into my office.

  “Good morning, Kristy. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

  “Good morning, Trenton. Yes, I would love one. Thank you.” He leaves coming back within a few minutes. He hands me my coffee.

  “Kristy, is there anything you need from me now?” I shake my head no.

  “I have a few errands to run this morning, Trenton. Thanks for checking in though.”

 
; I take my coffee staring out the window. When I am done with my coffee, I grab my purse to leave my office. I am going to take care of some business. As I am walking past Mariah, I feel her staring at me.

  I head down to Brody’s office to talk to him. His receptionist Jordan greets me, “hi, may I help you?” She smiles at me.

  “Yes. I need to see, Brody. Can you please tell him Kristy is here?”

  “I have heard so much about you. I am glad I finally get to meet you.” She holds out her hand to shake mine. She asked me to take a seat in the waiting room. A few minutes later Brody comes out to get me.

  “Hey Kristy, come on back.”

  I follow him back to his office. His office is set up like mine except bigger. He has pictures of himself and movies stars on the walls. He takes a seat behind his desk. I sit in front of him.

  “What can I help you with, Kristy? Do you like your job?”

  I shift in my seat feeling uncomfortable. “I think I might be on to something. I need a little help if you can. Is there any way to find out how much money someone is making? I tried to find out except I don’t have access to it.”

  I do not answer the second part of his question because I am not sure if I like it yet.

  “Yes, who are we talking about?”

  “Mariah.”

  He quickly gets on his computer looking up her agreement when she was hired. He wrote down the information giving it to me.

  “You know, Giovanni holds a lot of stock in the bank we use. If you need more information I am sure they can help you.”

  “Thanks, Brody.”

  He looks up at me confused but he does not say anything or ask any questions. I get up and leave.

  I reach the bank and they will not give me any information. I walk outside to call Giovanni.

  “Hey G, I hope you aren’t too busy.”

  “Never too busy for you, my love. What’s going on?”

  “Giovanni, I am at the bank and I need some information. They won’t help me.”

  He is very quiet for a minute. I know his brain has to be turning. What a bizarre question.

  “Is everything okay, baby?” I can hear the concern in his voice.