Page 20 of Sweet Little Thing

“Relax, Beulah. It was just sex. There’s no need to get all red and embarrassed. Now, this pile of shit you see on my desk is only yesterday’s crap that needs to be opened and organized some way or another. The rest is through that back door. I have fifteen fireproof filing cabinets and about ten piles of a complete fucking mess that needs immediate attention. When I offered you such hefty hourly pay, it was because this is a headache. You’re not going to enjoy it.”

I liked organizing. I could do it alone and focus on nothing but the work. “I can start now if you want.”

He went over to his desk, picked up the pile of papers, and then brought them to me in a heap. “Sounds good to me,” he replied. “Let’s get you in there and if you have any questions, try and figure it out. If you can’t, then ask, but honestly, I just need it organized. Do what you think will work best.”

We walked through a narrow entrance into a square room lined with filing cabinets. There weren’t any windows, like a walk-in closet, a rather large walk-in closet. In the center of the room were stacks of papers, more papers than I’d imagined. He wasn’t kidding about the mess.

“See, it’s not going to be easy,” he said as I looked at the job infront of me.

“I’ll get to work on it now.”

“Okay then, when you’re done for the day, I can get a car to take you home.”

“Thanks,” I replied.

He started to walk out, then paused, “I can pay you in advance this month if you need it.” The concern in his eyes was nice to see. Jasper actually cared.

“I don’t owe anything for two more weeks,” I answered in a grateful tone.

“I’ll make sure you have your first month’s pay.”

“That would be great. Thank you.”

He didn’t say anything else. Jasper turned and exited.

I looked down at the insane mess scattered on the floor and smiled. This would take time; I had plenty to do, and it would help Jasper. It wasn’t a handout because he felt sorry for me. It was a job, one he needed done. That made me feel much better about this situation.

The next couple of hours, I got lost in my task. When I glanced down at my watch, I realized I needed to get back to the house and do some things before I went to my job at the club. I enjoyed being tucked away in here. The idea of working at the club tonight wasn’t appealing in the least. But if I ever wanted to go to nursing school, then I needed to put back money.

Standing from my spot on the floor, I slipped my shoes back on and walked through to Jasper’s office. He was on his feet with his hands in his pockets, talking on the speakerphone. I paused and hoped he saw me. The call sounded like business with someone in Chicago from the brief snippet I heard. Jasper turned before I heard too much, “John, I have an appointment. We’ll talk later. . . go ahead and use Samantha for that particular area.” He then ended the call.

“You ready to leave?”

“Yes, please. I need to finish at the house before I leave for work tonight.”

Jasper frowned. “This is going to be a long day for you.”

“I’d like to think of it as productive,” I replied.

He grinned. “That’s a positive spin on things.”

The door to his office opened, grabbing both of our attention. Stone wasn’t dressed like he belonged here. His jeans and t-shirt combo was all I ever saw him in. His eyes went from Jasper to me, then back to lock on Jasper. “You ready to go eat?” he asked.

“I need to get Beulah home first. Let’s take her on our way.”

“Why is she here?” Stone asked, sounding more annoyed than anything.

“She’s organizing that shit back there. Stop acting like an ass.”

Stone didn’t look my way again. “Then let’s go. I’m starving. Hustle.”

“Always a fucking charmer.” Jasper was amused by his friend. I wondered if Jasper was his only friend, which was why he was always around. With a personality like that, I couldn’t imagine Stone was well-liked.

“How many jobs does she need?” Stone asked, flicking his gaze my way, but only for a second.

“Not any of your business,” Jasper replied, slyly winking at me.

“No, but it’s your fucking business and inheritance, so I hope you’re thinking clearly.” The way he said it made it sound like I was somehow using Jasper.

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