Page 16 of Role Play

Chapter Thirteen

Jane

The audition had lasteda lot longer than I expected. I felt good about it and they seemed happy with my reading, but it had made me an hour late for my job at Bulk Mart. And the day manager, a woman named Hilda, was not easy going like the night manager.

I slipped into the employee room unnoticed and quickly opened my locker. My phone buzzed with a text from Russell. "How did it go?"

My fingers flew over the screen. "It went well but I'm an hour late for work. And Horrible Hilda is on the floor."

"Shit, that's not good. Good luck with that." Another text came through before I could put the phone in my locker. "How is it going cohabitating with the big handsome guy who barreled through your door?"

I smiled down at the screen. Russell's text had brought back the cheek warming memory of my erotic escapade in Aidan's lap. It had been awhile since I'd felt that good in a man's arms. I don't know what took me so long to leave Brock. I had been so complacent about it all, as if I'd decided that passion wasn't all that big a deal. Aidan had reminded me that passion was indeed a big deal, and I had been missing it. I needed desperately to make up for lost time. And then, as if my thinking about him had triggered it, the phone rang.

Aidan's name was on the screen. It had been the first time his name had shown up on my phone. Instantly I felt that thrill you felt in a brand new relationship when you got the first phone call. I looked around. Aside from two of the warehouse guys eating lunch, the room was empty.

"Hello."

"Hey, how'd it go? Did your excellent practice partner help you nail the part?"

"Well, it's a little more complex than that. This was only the first read. I have to wait to see if there's a call back. But if it helps my practice partner's ego, I think he made it a very successful first read. Now I'm late for my drudge job. I've got to get out on the floor before my boss comes in and drags me out by my ear."

"OK, I'll let you go. I just wanted to see if you'd be interested in going to the beach on Sunday. The company beach house is mine for the weekend. I know you have to work on Friday and Saturday, but I thought we could get away for a day."

"That sounds amazing." I heard angry clacking footsteps outside the locker room. "I've got to go, Aidan. My boss is coming."

"All right. Have a good day." He hung up.

"Briggs!" Hilda's sharp tone rattled the lockers.

I tossed the phone into my locker and grabbed out my smock.

"You are sixty-eight minutes late."

"I know. I'm sorry. I had an audition."

She loomed over me as I buttoned the smock. "I don't care where you were. We were short out on the floor, and that's your fault. Three times last week, you were back late from lunch because you were busy studying those silly scripts."

I turned to face her. "I was never more than two minutes late."

"Two minutes that the other employees had to cover for you on the floor. This time I'll have to write you up."

I nodded. "Yes, I understand."

"Don't let it happen again. There are at least thirty names on the waiting list to work at this store. You can be replaced with one phone call."

I took a deep breath to keep myself from saying something I'd regret. "Yes. Fine. Should I get to my post now?"

Her nostrils flared at my impertinent tone. She stepped aside. "Oh, and I need you to work Sunday," she grumbled as I passed by.

With my work at the Murder Mystery event, Sunday was my only day off. And I was about to spend it at a beach house with a guy who was starting to sneak into my daydreams. Hilda knew it was my only day off. She grinned. "Well?"

I couldn't risk losing my job. "That's fine. Sunday is fine."

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