Page 52 of The Operators

I should have known better than to think that would be enough to deter him.

“Yeah, so?” he asks. “You call me at work all the time.”

“It’s not my fault you allow that. Just don’t answer.”

He laughs almost to himself, thinking for a moment. “I’m always going to answer when you call, Thea Marie.”

I hate the smile on my face, so I remove it. “You’re being charged by the minute.”

“I’d pay if I was being charged by the second.”

“Goodbye, Mack!”

Seconds after I hang up, my phone buzzes with a new text.

Mack:This isn’t over.

???

Monday

“Mack? Are you fucking serious? Stop wasting your money,” I practically scream into the phone.

“Is this how you answer the phone for all your clients?” he asks.

He’s so fucking smug. I can tell.

“You’re not a client. Stop before I have to report your account.”

“Am I supposed to be scared? I’m not worried about being banned. You’re the only person I need to talk to and I know where you live, so…”

“We don’t need to talk.”

“Thea, look, Derek gave me the gift certificate as some kind of douchey joke, and I…I…”

“Goodbye, Mack!”

Click.

???

Tuesday

I lean my head side to side, stretching out my neck before my next caller. I’ve been on a run of returning clients, so I’m annoyed at the new client information. I should be happy. The more clients the better, but I’m not in the mood to coddle some fucker who doesn’t know what he’s doing. It’s so much easier just jumping right into things.

I plaster a fake smile on my face because that somehow helps with my fake enthusiasm as I answer the phone.

“Well hello,” I answer, trying to sound inviting enough that maybe he’ll jump right in.

“Hi,” the man says, using one of our voice masks.

I resist the urge to sigh, knowing I’m probably going to have to get it going. “I’m Molly, what’s your name?”

“Thea, just give me a few minutes at least. Please.”

“What the fuck?” I shout, double checking the profile. “Mack? Are you fucking serious?”

“Me? Why haven’t you called me back?”

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