AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Adrienne grinned broadly.
“The job title is talent manager, and you’ll be reporting to Lloyd Cooper, but I’m sure you already knew that.” She waited for Adrienne’s response, and when Adrienne didn’t rise to the bait, she continued. “The starting salary is fifty thousand dollars per year.”
Adrienne gasped. That was twenty thousand more than her current salary. She could pay off her bills in no time. “Are you sure?”
Regina wordlessly handed the memo to Adrienne. “See Mary Gibbons in Human Resources to complete the paperwork.”
Adrienne stood up. “Thanks, Regina.”
Regina’s smile was frosty. “Good luck to you, Adrienne.”
Adrienne was headed out the door when Regina called out behind her. “Oh, one more thing. As soon as you’re done in Human Resources, Lloyd Cooper would like to see you.”
Adrienne rushed through her paperwork, barely listening to the Human Resources representative. Then she hurried to Lloyd’s office. She stood in the doorway. “So you worked it out with Mallory Guest. I’m not surprised. Thank you for the job.”
Lloyd smirked at her remark about Mallory, and then they grinned at each other just like the mischievous youngsters they used to be.
“When do I start?” she asked.
“Is tomorrow morning soon enough?”
The next morning, Adrienne stood silently in unit 6 and watched the men from Office Services load two cardboard boxes of her belongings onto a hand truck. Sherry sullenly watched the proceedings, too. “Don’t forget about us chickens still cooped up in the henhouse,” she said.
Adrienne smiled. “I won’t forget you since I’m sure you’ll be coming upstairs to visit me quite often.”
She waved good-bye to Sherry and followed the workers out of the cubicle and upstairs to her new office, which was directly opposite Lloyd Coope
r’s. She turned on the lights and was pleasantly surprised to find that the office was decorated in alternating shades of beige and mauve, with the desk, file cabinet, and floor-to-ceiling bookcase in a light shade of wood.
After the workmen left, Adrienne sat down in her brand-new chair and twirled around, waving her arms gleefully. When the chair stopped spinning, Lloyd Cooper was standing in her doorway, a playful smile on his face.
“Hey, there, gorgeous,” he said.
Adrienne placed her hands flat on the desk and assumed a crisp, professional air.
“Good morning, Lloyd,” she replied.
He beckoned. “Come with me. I’ll take you down the hall to Mallory’s office. She’s looking forward to meeting you.”
Adrienne gulped nervously. “I’m looking forward to meeting her, also.”
Lloyd sat down on the edge of her desk and caressed her cheek lightly with his fingertip. “Don’t worry, Adrienne, I’m ready to catch you if you fall.”
Adrienne pushed his finger away. What kind of payback did he expect in return for his generosity? “Lloyd, I’m a married woman,” she said sternly. “Please don’t forget that.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “I don’t expect you to sleep with me, for God’s sake. You gave me pity sex once. Let’s not add sexual harassment to the mix.”
Adrienne was mortified. She followed him down the hallway without saying another word.
Mallory Guest had flawless caramel skin, which set off to perfection the red outfit she was wearing. She wore her long, jet-black hair in thick, glossy twists that gently swept her shoulders and framed her perfect features as though someone had sculpted her face instead of letting it form on its own. When she smiled, her straight, white, even teeth seemed to glisten and draw even more attention to her curvy red lips. She carried her body with grace and self-assurance. Like a lady who has always had everything.
“Pleased to meet you, Adrienne,” she said. Her voice had an easy sweetness. Adrienne unconsciously smoothed her clothes.
Her office was beautifully decorated to resemble a studio apartment. It even had a hardwood floor instead of carpeting. A Luther Vandross CD played softly in the background. Mallory gestured toward an apricot-colored sofa. “Please have a seat. Lloyd, I’ll see you later.” It was a dismissal.
Lloyd left the two women alone.
They sat side by side. Mallory’s hands were folded in her lap, and her gaze was questioning.
