day1 love

chapter 12* I shouldn't have lied

The work week passed in a blur.
I had asked for and gotten an assistant, my girl Daze.
I knew her from my elementary days, probably around the 4th grade.
Some kid Billy was bullying me, and Daze saw it and stepped in.
She threatened him and actually smacked him, telling him to leave me alone.
Then she just became my friend as simple as that.
Our friendship continued through the years, I counted her as a friend who became more like family.
Daze, who's real name was Daisy, (although I knew nobody that actually called her that) was hood, thru and thru, but could also hob nob with bankers, and the elite, equally as comfortable in a crowded club as she was in a boring boardroom.
Possessed of a keen mind, one that computed numbers the way I did with words, took me up on the offer to come work with me.
She proved to be a definite fit at End of the Road.
She made short work of the shoeboxes, computing and tabulating everything with ease and dillengence. Her knowledge of financial matters that made Smythe even more comfortable with the idea of her working with us.

It was also a comfort to me to have someone I knew so well and another female around our boisterous crew of boys.
Because of her personality, and being quite used to being around the roughneck type that he employed, work was actually fun instead of a drudgery.

Smythe was a "last chance" equal opportunity employer, meaning he would hire those with misdemeanors and even felonies, giving them this "last chance" that most wouldn't.
He was no stranger to the life most of our guys had lived, or were currently living.
He had cleaned his act up, although I suspected the business was a way to launder his money, he was exceptionally good at making sure everything stayed on the up and up, beyond reproach and above board.
He had to actually, because of the number of ex convicts he had on payroll, law enforcement frequently sniffed around, so making sure everything ran smoothly was his number one concern.
I had never seen him anything less than debonair, polished, and professional, but knew for a fact, he too had edge.
He had a definite crush on Daze.
As each day passed I could see that they were going to have a thing soon.
That's what Sam referred to it as, saying that their "thing" was about to pop off any moment.
Big bro just had to work out the difficult moral dilemma he faced, and that was catching feelings and possibly dating someone in his employ.
I wished it would happen because
she needed someone as rock steady as him, as much as he needed someone fun and a live wire.
A beauty to his beast, as it were.

As for me, I got all but one file folder entered into the data base by Friday, and he couldn't contain his glee.
When he saw the front office remain immaculate, business booming, the way in which I repped his company, he was more than content with having me to continue on, as the face of End of the Road.
"Nikole," he shouted, pulling me out of my chair where I was plodding along charting new trends in salvage.
"You did it, I'm so happy with all the progress you've made in the short amount of time you've been here!"
He picked me up and spun me around in a circle, causing me to giggle in merriment, and of course Sam WOULD pick that moment to come thru the door, and see it.
"Yo, what the fuck, man, put my girl down! That's my domain!"
He said this, looking irritated, and grimaced a look of anger at his brother.
Smythe lowered me to my feet.
"Aw, shucks bro," he said back, "I was just thanking her for all the improvements around here!
There's no need to get all cave man on me!"
"Oh, you wanted to thank her, I see" Sam drawled sarcastically.
"Watch carefully, Smythe!"
He turned to me and said,
"Thanks so much for all your hard work this week. You are a big help"
Then turned back to his brother and said his words practically dripping with his ire, "See how that works? And look at that, her feet didn't leave the floor, WOW!"
Smythe stared at him for a moment, then held his hands up said, "My bad bro, won't happen again."
He dared not to look at me, shoved a hand in the pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a thick knot.
He peeled 5 bills off the wad and handed them to me saying only, "Thanks again Nic, we appreciate you"
I looked at the money in my hand, about to hand it back to him.
This was my actual job, and my biweekly paycheck would recompense me just fine.
Sam shook his head slightly, anticipating my next move, and I realized to hand this back to Smythe would be insulting.
I shoved it into my blazer pocket instead, soothed my below my knee black skirt, and sat back down, once again going back to my task.