Page 24 of The Reluctant Hero

“So good of you to come in,” she says snippily.

“Yes, it is,” I agree sweetly, more than ready to take this mood out on someone. The shoes were a big mistake, the walk to work convinced me. I may be a Jefferson, but this idiocy isn’t worth the fight. I should have brought a different pair to change into.

“You’re late,” she tries to say in a low tone of anger, but I’m not convinced this stick-thin woman has it in her. I could crush her by sitting on her. No fancy fighting moves necessary. More proof that I don’t need that stupid class.

“On the contrary, I pride myself on showing upon timeand even clocking in. What can I do for you?” I ask in an overly sweet tone with a fake smile.

It feels so good to let the snark out. Like I’m releasing tension from a valve that’s been building for years. It’s about to blow if I don’t relieve some pressure.

“Your day starts at seven.”

Her imperious tone doesn’t cover that bullshit up at all.

“I can just imagine how much filing I’ll get done with the doors locked. I read my paperworkandmanaged to memorize my set schedule. Seven anything isn’t on it.” The fake sweetness has changed into dry mockery.

“Your attitude is another mark against you.”

I’m baffled that she thinks she can intimidate me because she can wear heels better than I can.

“Sure,” I agree without any concern. “Tell me what you want so I can get to work.”

“You aren’t working today. In fact, you’ve been called upstairs to speak to Mr. Matthias.”

The boogie man? What the hell does that rich asshole want? A file hand dipped in gold? Pass.

“It seems your highlighting technique of filing has caught his attention.”

My eyes fall to the floor where the folders should be, and my shoulders sag when I find it missing along with three other boxes. Fuck me with a Jake-sized dildo. It just sounds painful to me.

Sarah starts smiling smugly at my sudden defeat. “I guess you aren’t cut out for this type of work.”

That rallies me in a snap.

“Please. The only person who is going to suffer from this isyou. You’ll actually have to get off your ass and do something other than playing on your phone all day.”

And I’m going to have to look for another job ASAP. Unless I can talk the boogie man into letting me stay. I’ll swear off highlighters for the rest of my life if I have to. I need money. That means I need to get this grumpy show together and stop being an ass.

“I’ll escort you upstairs,” she says smugly and starts marching towards the elevators.

“Whatever,” I roll my eyes. That’s not keeping my cool. I’ll start as soon as I see the guy. I can be meek. I did it forsix fucking years,after all.

Outside the filing room, we pass the cubicles for data entry and make a right before the entry desk. Along the wall is aline of five sleek elevators. At the end of a small hallway is a side entrance I never noticed before probably because I’ve only been on the first floor.

She leads me to the farthest elevator in the line and swipes a card to open the doors. How fancy! Onlyspecialpeople get to ride on this one. I hate rich people. It’s confirmed.

They picked the wrong week to pull this shit with me. I’m torn between wanting to attack the first person I see with these heels and begging for money. No in-between. Sarah keeps up a running commentary on all my drawbacks as an employee. I have to stifle the urge to start using a lewd gesture to get her to shut up. It doesn’t help me maintain a calm attitude, that's for sure.

When we get to the top floor, I stomp off the elevator with my fists clenched and ready for war. The pain from each step amplifies my anger.

Mr. Matthias has the entire floor to himself, with a reception desk as a guard point and the rest a closed-up office with no windows to see inside his personal space. He’s probably an ancient grump wasting away where no one can witness it. There’s only one set of double doors behind the desk for entry or exit and an emergency door for some stairs.

“Amanda Jefferson?” The young, beautiful receptionist eyes me with distaste.

My ego takes a hit at the look, but I square my shoulders. I’m not super-hot, perfectly dressed with excellent makeup, and slim. Who cares? I mean, I do, but no one else should matter! She can roll her eyes in the other direction so the muscles stay even. She’s done at least three reps to the right since I got here.

“Yeah?” I give her a once-over of disdain to keep us on even footing.

She smirks at my attitude as if she can’t wait to see me get wiped out in the next room. As the last checkpoint before the boss battle, she isn’t very helpful.

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