Page 43 of A Shade of Evil

It has taken me two hours and the only thing I’ve learned is that every single fucking person here likes their coffee different. I never knew there were so many variations on a drink, and the dismissive way they supped the beverage and then pulled a face didn’t make me feel good about my barista credentials.

I make my way back to Simone’s office in the hope that was just the initiation and now she will show me exactly what I’ll be doing.

I tap nervously on her door, and she barks, “Wait outside.”

I catch the eye of her assistant, who offers me a small smile and a slight roll of her eyes. I smile and take a seat to wait, and it must be twenty minutes later her assistant says apologetically, “She will see you now.”

As I make to pass, she whispers, “Listen, if it’s any help, she made the last one wait until past lunchtime. She must like you.”

“I’m honored.” I grin and head to the door and open it tentatively.

Simone is poised, elegant and dressed in designer brands and her sleek blonde hair is styled in a sharp bob and her red painted lips are set permanently in a downward curve. She could be pretty I suppose but is ugly inside and it obviously affects her outward appearance.

I’m a little unnerved when she raises her eyes and stares at me long and hard and I detect disapproval in her eyes as she snaps, “Miss. Solomon has requested your attendance in the boardroom. Don’t keep her waiting.”

I’m a little surprised but expect it’s common practice to welcome the new staff and so I nod politely and leave, stopping only by her assistant’s desk to whisper, “Where is the boardroom?”

She says in surprise, “Wow. That’s unusual. I’ll show you if you like. I’m due my break.”

She holds up her hand and presses her intercom and says sweetly, “I’m taking my ten-minute break. Can I get you anything?”

She rolls her eyes and scribbles down the order and as she grabs her purse, she nods toward the elevator.

We step inside in silence and as the door closes, she says angrily, “Simone is a fucking bitch, and we have lost more good people because of her than anyone else.”

She grins and holds out her hand. “I’m Alice, by the way. Alice Springs and you will immediately realize that my parents hated me from birth.”

It makes me laugh and I shake her hand and say with a grateful smile. “Allegra Powell. Newest coffee making dogsbody at your service.”

She says sympathetically. “It gets better. She tries but can’t keep the act up for long. She’ll soon get bored and move you onto envelope stuffing or photocopying duty. It sucks being new.”

“How long have you worked here?”

“Five years. I was the lucky one. I joined when they were new, and Simone wasn’t here then. I worked for a great guy, Thomas O Malley, but he returned to Ireland and set up on his own. Simone replaced him and relied on me to make her look good. She still does.”

“Is she bad at her job?”

“I wouldn’t say that, but she’s the kind of woman who takes other’s ideas as her own. It’s why she’s still here. She saps all the good ideas from her staff and takes all the glory. Plus, she’s a good friend of Evangeline and makes certain that is one friendship she doesn’t mess with.”

She stares at me with interest.

“So, what brings you to this place of Hell?”

I shrug. “I’ve always been interested in public relations and thought this was the perfect training ground, although I may only be qualified to work in the coffee shop next door if it carries on like this.”

“It gets better, trust me.”

The elevator stops and she smiles. “Come, it’s down the hall. I’ll leave you at the door, but if you need anything, you know where to find me.”

She points to a door at the end of the corridor, and I smile gratefully.

“Thanks. I wonder what’s waiting for me.”

I make a joke, but inside my nerves are dancing because what if the great Evangeline Solomon hates me as much as her friend does?

* * *

I approachthe door nervously and wonder if I should wait to be collected. There is nobody here and so she must be waiting inside.

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