Russian Roulette: Family secrets [2021 version]

Ch. 4: Watch your back. This will blow up

Two weeks had passed since she had begun looking over Granston's. Mackenzie split her time between her two major assignments; Granstons and The Becker Department Store. She liked both places, but somehow Granstons was more her scene, and besides that, she and Alyssa had talked a lot.

Alyssa was forty-two, whereas Mackenzie was thirty-seven.

They fit each other nicely. Both single, lived alone, and held demanding, well-paid jobs. If Mackenzie had to be honest, they were both good-looking women, and they liked to hit the clubs. Alyssa was like Mackenzie in many ways; they liked the attention but rarely went home with anybody.

"Are you ok?" Alyssa walked past the small office she had arranged for Mackenzie and spotted her through the open door, sitting at her desk and rubbing her temples.

"Just a small headache, nothing to worry about." Mackenzie tried to play it cool, but the fact of the matter was that she felt stressed to the limit.

The lease on her apartment would run out at the end of the month, which only gave her three weeks to find somewhere else to go.

Having already sold her car, and the money given to her mother, she took the metro to work instead. It was ok but took longer than she liked. It still paled compared to not having a roof over her head. The prospects of that had her wound too tight.

"To me, you look stressed," Alyssa exclaimed with an expression that clearly showed she did not believe Mackenzie. "How about we ditch this place and find somewhere to eat, and then go to my place for a few drinks?"

"We can't just leave? It's not the end of the day yet?"

"Technically, while here, I'm your boss, and what I say goes. Get your things, and let's get out of this place. If anyone asks, we're having a business lunch."

Sorely needing the change in scenery and something to do to preoccupy her mind, Mackenzie saved her documents and turned off the computer before grabbing her bag and following Alyssa to her office to get her things. She was not in the habit of ditching work or cheating on her hours, but it felt good just leaving for once.

They ate at a small Italian place Alyssa recommended and talked mostly about work, with some random chit-chat mixed in. Not until they got to Alyssa's apartment and sat with some drinks, did Alyssa take the bull by the horns.

"Listen, Mac."

Alyssa had called Mackenzie 'Mac' from the first day, and Mackenzie had called her 'Al'. It was a sort of inside joke about using men's names instead of their female ones. They both found it hilarious.

"I can sense something's up. I don't know what it is, but your vibes are crushing me at work sometimes."

"Oh, I'm really sorry. I try to leave it at the door. I'll be better in the future," Mackenzie mumbled, shaking her head, ashamed that people at work felt she had personal problems. It was unprofessional of her. Especially, as an outside contracted employee, who was supposed to evaluate them and their work.

"Fuck that. I'm not trying to reprimand you. I'm trying to help you. Talk to me. What's going on?"

Mackenzie sighed. "It's my mom. She married this douchebag, and I don't know what he's mixed up in, but he's always in need of money, and my mom pressures me to help her financially."

Once she got started, Mackenzie told Alyssa everything about her relationship with her mother, her mother's new husband, and his children. She kept her father's name and occupation to herself; Alyssa got the idea about her dad being rich and how her mother somehow expected Mackenzie to draw on that connection. It was like a dam broke inside her, and everything spilled out.