Page 1 of Enzo

Prologue

Deja left her apartmentfor her daily walk around the neighborhood. There was a lot on her mind. A rumor was circulating that several people who worked jobs a lot like hers in doctors’ offices throughout Pittsburgh were being laid off. She did the medical billing and anything else that needed to be done. It wasn’t like it would be hard to replace her. Some companies had decided to outsource their billing. There were also rumors that the owner of her apartment building had been seen showing people around. It was enough to give her an ulcer.

When she looked up, she had no idea where she was. An electric feeling had gone through her. It made her feel as though she’d -been scanned from head to toe and then approved.

She was standing in front of what looked like a gentlemen’s club. She shook her head, wanting to get a grip on reality. Things in her head had been changing and she’d felt like maybe this was one long slide into mental instability.

She looked up once again, shivers going through her leaving goosebumps over her body and making anxious butterflies revolt in her stomach.

Deja backed away before speed walking back the way she came from. She didn’t know what was in that building except for the certainty that if she entered it her life would change.

Chapter One

You should have hithim.

Deja sighed and shook her head. This was part of the problem with her life.Keep making suggestions like that, and I'll put you in the cage with her.

That part of her that was prone to handle everything with violence shut up.

She looked down the street in her neighborhood; she was out job hunting. The job she had at a prestigious doctor's office ended two months ago. No hard feelings, they said, as they gave her two weeks' severance pay and told her she would qualify for unemployment.

Thanks, she thought privately, but how am I supposed to pay my bills on unemployment when I'm barely making ends meet with your stinking job? All right, maybe her thoughts had been a little more volatile than that, but she kept it together. She wasn't the only person who lost her job in this purge, and she refused to cry, slobber, and beg like some of her co-workers. Single co-workers with mouths to feed. Yeah, the thought made herwish she could make her ex-employers feel some of their pain. Instead, she was walking down the streets in her neighborhood looking for a job. Anything would help.

It's not as if she waited until the last minute to look for a job; no, she started the day after she found out. Jobs in her career were rare, and it seemed like every physician's office that might have hired her was going through an internal purge. "Times are hard," they said along with, "we're not hiring at this moment, but we'll keep your application on file."

Yeah, thanks, I hope I'm still around by the time you start hiring again.

That was her sarcastic side. Deja used to be normal, or at least she liked to tell herself that. She didn't have these different sides to her personality that liked to talk when no one was talking to them, but over the last couple of months, the strain was too much, and she was sure she snapped.

She stopped and ran her hand over what she was wearing. Tim's was a bar in need of a waitress. She was a woman in need of a job; it was perfect. Yeah, so she was a plus-size woman. That didn't stop men from commenting on her ass or her tits, so... why not give her the job? She was dressed in a very eye-catching outfit. The skirt was short and trendy, and her blouse pulled across her chest, emphasizing her breasts.

Tim's bar was on a busy street, but the bar itself was small and intimate. She knew that from listening to people who were patrons there. She never went to Tim's. The place was a concrete jungle with a large glass plate window, a neon sign that said "beer" and featured the silhouette of a curvy female, whatever it took to sell beer.

Ignoring the cigarette butts surrounding the side of the building and the smell of day-old beer, she opened the door and went in. She armed herself with a smile and confidence, thinking this could be her new job.

The lights were on low; she could barely see even though it was only three pm. There was only one customer occupying a stool talking to the bartender. The customer turned to look at her, giving her a once-over before turning away. She sighed; it didn't take much to know he didn't appreciate her extra curves.

"How can I help you, ma'am? You want a drink?" The bartender seemed nice enough, although he wasn't making her feel welcome. He stood somewhere under six feet with blue eyes that said he didn't care. He had muscles that said "try me"; she bet he also worked as the bouncer and had a personality that told her he found her an inconvenience. Buy something or leave.

She pulled herself up as straight as she could. Five-eight might not be intimidating until she put the force of her personality behind it.

"There's a help wanted sign out front, and I came to apply for the position."

The man sitting at the bar drinking his beer choked on it and was too busy trying to laugh to stop choking.

The different parts of her personality all stopped to watch him; it was all she could do at the moment.

"Sorry Ma'am," the bartender said. "We're not looking for your type."

Her type? Was he talking about the color of her skin or the size of her body?

"My type," she tried to repress her anger. "Can you be more specific? Is it the darkness of my skin or the size of my body that offends you?"

"As I'm sure you know, it's against the law to reject a potential hire based on the color of their skin or the size of their body. I, on the other hand, can look at you and tell you haven't had any experience in waitressing. We need someone with experience."

His manner was respectful, but his eyes and his demeanor said, 'Hell no, you won't be working here.'

"Of course, if you have references."

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