Rise (Alfie Solomons)

Chapter 2

Working for Alfie was by no means challenging for Shirley. She did the paperwork required of her, translated documents, kept track of his books. However, he kept her away from the dangerous aspect of his life, only allowing her to do indoor jobs. That's not to say she wasn't valuable. Her skills brought him many benefits, and she was faster and more efficient at math than Ollie was.

For most of the day, she sat alone in a small room connected to Alfie's office or sat at a desk directly in front of him when they talked business. He was beginning to grow on her. At first, she found him to be ferocious and borderline rude. However, the weeks they had been spending together brought them closer than either of them imagined.

Alfie hated to admit that he found his secretary attractive, especially when she would look up at him with her big blue eyes or touch his shoulder as she was reaching for something. Be that as it may, his favorite interaction with her was when she would make his tea or bring his food. Something about it made him feel loved.

When he would think about it, he would often laugh at himself for being so mushy. Alfie Solomons, the big, bad gangster, was going soft over a woman he just met. He shook off the feeling and went back to work.

Shirley tried her best to avoid the bathroom by not eating or drinking during work hours. She had to share the same toilet as the men, and the idea brought significant discomfort to her. Today, she slipped up and drank a cup of water resulting in her need for the john.

She took a small break and exited the office, not thinking it would be a big deal. When she turned the corner, she soon realized why Alfie had been so adamant about her rarely leaving her designated work area.

Growing up, Shirley's brothers and father had shielded her away from the horrors of life, making her naive. She never even knew her father was a gangster until she turned twenty-one and saw him beat a man to a pulp for owing him money. That day she cried and didn't look her father in the eyes for weeks.

When Alfie had warned her to be careful around the men who roamed his bakery, he wasn't kidding. It occurred to her that he was overly dramatic, that the world wasn't and couldn't possibly be the vile and evil place he made it out to be. However, when a heavy hand fell onto her backside and squeezed, reality soon rushed over her, and she immediately went into defense mode.

The greasy man laughed with his buddies, but Shirley felt humiliated. They took a few steps closer, making kissing noises, taunting her, but she booked it back to Alfie's office. Random men would never do that to her in New York if they wanted to keep their hands attached to their arms. Her brothers would have made him eat his fingers.

There was no night and shining armor in the real world, and Shirley would have to learn that the hard way. Shirley ran back to Alfie's office, not getting to relieve herself after all. When she opened his door, her breathing had increased a bit, and her heart raced fast. She held her hands over her face and let out a few silent tears, her body still trembling.

For a moment, she considered she was overreacting. It was just a slap, after all, but that man had invaded her personal space and touched her in a sacred place meant only for her future husband.

She considered quitting at that moment, but this job paid her so much money she could buy almost whatever her heart desired. Jobs don't just fall into your lap these days. Deciding to suck it up, she wiped the tears from her eyes and went back to work.

Alfie was back in his office within a few moments, looking over some business matters he wrote down. From the side of his eye, he could see Shirley in the next room looking distressed. Her eyes were puffy, and occasionally a tear would slip from her eye that she would quickly wipe away. He considered asking her what was troubling her but decided not to bother her.