“Hey, you heard anything yet?” Roy, my co-worker, asks, peeking over the half wall that divides our desks. I sigh and shake my head, tossing my pen down on the desk. I haven’t been able to focus all morning as I wait to hear if the job is mine.
“No, not yet.”
He lets out a heavy sigh, rolling his hazel eyes as he shakes his head. “Listen, everyone here knows that you should get that job, and we’re all pulling for you. I have no idea what Klein is thinking with Chelsea.”
“Oh, I think you know what he’s thinking,” I reply, shooting him a look, and he laughs.
“They really should be more discreet, shouldn’t they?”
Chelsea started off in the mailroom a little over a year ago but she caught Mr. Klein’s eye, and it wasn’t long before she was moving up. Every single person in this office knows exactly what’s going on when she goes in to “get her article approved.” Not to mention that just last month, they weren’t all that quiet in their activities.
I shrug. “He is the boss. What are any of us going to do about it?”
“I miss Mr. Carlyle. He never would have let this shit fly.”
I nod in agreement. Mr. Carlyle was the one that originally hired me but he never had kids so when it came time to retire, he had no one to leave the paper to, and he had to sell. Since Mr. Klein took over two years ago, things have been steadily going downhill. Sadly, this paper is starting to resemble a sinking ship, and it may be time to jump.
“Honestly, I have a feeling that today might be my last.”
“Honey, Carly showed me your article, and I don’t blame you. Being pit against Chelsea, who doesn’t know the difference between their, they’re, and there, would have been enough but then to have to go on those dates? I’m surprised you’re still sitting here.”
Just as I’m about to agree with him, Mr. Klein pokes his head around the corner and motions me over. Sucking in a nervous breath, I stand and smooth my hands down my skirt. “Well, looks like it’s time,” I say to Roy, and he looks over at our boss before turning back to me and giving me a thumbs up.
“Good luck.”
I scoff because he and I both know luck has nothing to do with it. Hell, every person in this office right now knows that I’m probably not getting this job. It feels a bit like I’m walking to the gallows as I make my way over to Mr. Klein and follow him to his office. People whisper or flash me encouraging smiles as I walk down the hallway, and something clicks into place inside me. No matter what happens with the job, I won’t be working here anymore. One part of me is terrified but the other can’t figure out what took me so long to do this. I haven’t been happy here, and I’m so tired of not being happy.
Mr. Klein goes into his office first with me trailing behind him, and when he sits down behind his giant desk, he motions for me to sit in the one empty chair across from him. Chelsea looks up at me from the other chair, a smug smile on her face as she crosses her legs demurely and places her hands in her lap. It’s hard to hold in my laughter at the sight of her trying to look proper when she’s probably spent more time on her knees in this office than in a chair. I sink down in my chair and look to Mr. Klein, eager to get this over with.
“Well,” Mr. Klein says, smiling widely as he runs a small comb through his salt and pepper hair, brushing it off to the side, “I first want to thank the both of you for all your hard work.”
I bite my lip, dropping my gaze to my lap as I try to remain professional, but in my head, I’m like a teenage boy, twisting everything he says into sexual innuendos aimed at Chelsea. It’s freeing, in a way, knowing that I’m done with this place.
“Both of your articles were excellent, and you certainly made the decision difficult for me,” he continues, and I mentally shake off my inappropriateness. I’m only going to be employed here for a few more moments, the least I could do is act like a twenty-seven year old college-educated woman.
“Thank you, sir,” Chelsea practically purrs, and I force a smile to my face as I nod in agreement. He leans back in his chair, folding his hands across his large stomach, the buttons of his vest straining and I worry that one’s going to burst and take my eye out.
“With that said, I must say congratulations to Chelsea! Your article was exactly what I was looking for.”
I can’t hold back the laughter anymore, and both of them turn to look at me with puzzled expressions.
“Oh, I bet it was. Tell me, Chelsea, how do you read an article to someone with a dick in your mouth? You’ve really got to teach me that so I can snag the next promotion.”
She gasps in shock, which only makes me laugh harder, and I look to Mr. Klein, whose face is bright red with anger.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he seethes, glaring at me from behind his desk, his fat cheeks resembling tomatoes. I stand and cross my arms over my chest, and his gaze falls to my tits, his tongue poking out, and I consider ramming my heel into his eye.
“Me? Absolutely nothing. I’m just done with this bullshit. I’ll go pack up my things.”
He stands, arrogance rolling off him as he places his hands on the desk and leans forward, looking at me in disdain. “Miss James, that’s enough. This is quite dramatic for just losing out on a promotion.”
“You’re absolutely right. If it was any other situation, this would be dramatic, but you and every other person in this office knows that I should have never been up against her. I’m the more talented writer, and the only reason I’m not a columnist right now is because she’s the one sucking your cock.”
He just stares at me in shock for a moment before pointing to the door and shouting, “Out.”
“Oh, gladly,” I shoot back, adrenaline racing through my veins as I spin to stomp out the door.
“You’re fired, Alison, and you’ll never work in this town again.”
Stopping, I slowly turn back to him, hatred in my gaze as I glare at him. Anger is replacing the humor I found in this situation just moments ago, and all the frustration I’ve been feeling for the past year is about to come pouring out of me. “First off, you can’t fire someone who just quit, and secondly, you’re giving yourself far too much credit if you think that you have anywhere near that kind of influence. Mr. Carlyle did but you’ve taken what he spent his life building and run it into the ground because you’re thinking with the wrong head.”
I let my gaze fall to his crotch to make my point, and without another word, I turn and march out of his office with my head held high. Goddamn, it felt good to finally say all that to him. When I walk into the bullpen, Roy stands up and rushes over to me.
“That. Was. Epic,” he says, grabbing my shoulders, and I laugh at his excitement, glancing around at the smiles in the room.
“You guys heard all that?”
“Well, his secretary may have ‘accidentally’ turned the intercom on, and we may have ‘accidentally’ heard every single word. And can I just say…” He trails off as he drops to his knees and fans the floor like I’m the Queen of England, and I laugh.
“Miss James,” Mr. Klein barks out, and everyone turns to look at him, “you have five minutes to gather your things before security escorts you out.”