Page 41 of S.O.S. Mizzay

Prez looked like he was having some kind of internal debate with himself. Like, how much he could trust her, whether she was right for the job, and if she was as accomplished as she purported to be.

“Uh, Del, the boss, says he’s already got a likely candidate coming in to interview early this afternoon. But…”

Missy could see the minute he made up his mind.

“Okay. I’ll make you a deal. You tell me everything you know about your niece’s disappearance, and I’ll tell you when and where to apply for the job. Deal?”

“Deal.” She stuck out her hand, and with a big smile plastered on her face, they shook on it, and she began to talk.

****

“There’s no way you’re the receptionist,” the large man spouted in a baritone that would have terrified a lesser person. But Missy wasn’t the least bit ruffled as he angrily continued. “I have an interview in ten minutes.”

“Well, fuhgeddaboudit,” she snapped. “You can turn that well-toned butt right around and go home buddy. The position is taken.”

Left index finger jab to the chest.Boom.

Another large man, whom Missy immediately pegged as Del, the boss, stepped into the reception area from a back hallway, followed by Prez and a couple other men.

Del eyeballed Missy with a quirked brow. “I don’t suppose you’d care to tell me what’s going on here?” he inquired diplomatically, but with a hint of steel in his voice. “Since this is my company, I think I’d be aware if I already hired a receptionist.”

Without even blinking her eyes behind what people referred to as her Harry Potter glasses,andwithout taking said eyes from her job-nemesis who’d gone into a military “at-rest” stance, Missy hooked a thumb in Prez’s direction. “He told me about the job, and I decided to take it.”

“What?” Three voices raised at the same time. Del’s, Prez’s, and the subverted applicant’s.

There was a distinct chuckle, some coughing and shuffling behind Prez, but she ignored the men she didn’t know as the head of SOS continued.

“Uh, Ma’am? That’s not how things work around here.” Del gave her his best, boss-like look, but she’d worked for some tough cookies in the past, so she rolled her eyes in response before conceding semi-graciously.

“Fine. I’ll listen.” She made a hand motion as if to zip her lip.

Dark, penetrating eyes moved from her to the disgruntled applicant, then back again before he extending his hand to her pissed off opponent. “I’m Delancourt Songen. I’m the principle here at SOS.”

The guy brought one hand out from behind his back and took the grip Del offered. “George Seingold,” he said, but not happily.

“And I see you’ve met Missy Andriopolos,” Prez butt in, mentioning her name for the benefit of all.

George looked as if he still wanted to growl. “Yeah. We’ve met.”

“Good.” Prez turned to Missy. “And just to clear up what might have been a misunderstanding, Miss A,” It seemed that Prez was already tired of her five-syllable last name. “I said there was a jobopening. And like with every normal application process, you need to prove you’re right for the position.”

“Fine,” she snapped back at him, and moved alertly to the desk she’d already populated with her pocket book, a flower pot and a mug that read “get your own damned coffee”. She extricated a sheaf of paper from said purse.

“Here’s my resume.” She marched over and thrust the document into Del’s hands. It had taken a few phone calls to her old bosses first thing this morning, but each had agreed she could use them as references.

At the same time, Mister Seingold reached into his back pocket for some folded up papers of his own. He, too, offered them to Del. “This is mine.” He sent a glower in Missy’s direction.

“Thank you both,” Del allowed, tactfully. “And now if you’ll each have a seat and behave yourselves for a few minutes, I’ll go back into the conference room with my associates and review these.” He flicked the pages he held.

“Perfect,” Missy agreed with a self-satisfied smirk, and before anyone could stop her, she rounded the desk and plunked herself down in the receptionist’s seat as if it was already hers to take.

A big smile lit her face. She doubted whether Mister Seingold’s credentials could stand up to hers.

****

Thirty minutes later the door opened and the team of men walked out.

Missy held up one index finger, requesting silence as she finished up a call. She cheerfully assured the person on the other end of the line that she’d have someone get back to them as soon as possible, then hung up and gestured the boss closer, handing Del a neat stack of messages.

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