Page 18 of Dirty

“The incident. What happened that prevented you from calling in for over a week? Had you been hospitalized?”

My eyes fell to the floor. It was the third time in less than a week that I’d been denied a job. I looked up. “Kind of.”

He looked perplexed. “How were you kind of hospitalized?”

“It’s not something I’m willing to discuss,” I said. “You’ll just have to trust me.”

He stood. “Then hiring you is not a risk I’m willing to take.”

I reached for my purse. “Look. I’m not asking for a security clearance position at LAX or a job at the Oval Office. I want to wait tables. I have no idea who you have working for you, but it really doesn’t matter. You don’t have anyone that’s a better waitress than me.”

“That’s a bold statement,” he said.

I let out a laugh and stood. “Bold? Maybe. But, it’s true.”

His office door creaked open.

He peered beyond me, toward the sound. “I’ll be done in a moment.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. West. Sheri didn’t show up.”

He looked at his watch and then toward the voice. “Did she call?”

“No.”

I chuckled. “Better get out your axe.”

He let out a laugh, and then looked at me. “When can you start?”

“The second Tuesday of next month,” I said dryly.

His brow wrinkled.

“It was a joke,” I said. “I can start now. Right now.”

“Sandy,” he said. “Find Alexandra a uniform that fits.”

My eyes shot wide. “I’m hired?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

Having a job would allow me to live a close resemblance to a normal life.

I pumped my fist. “Oh, yeah!”

He rolled his eyes and then motioned behind me. “Follow Sandy.”

I turned around. A girl with sticks for legs, twigs for arms, and cantaloupe sized boobs stood in the doorway with a grin plastered across her tan face. Her hair was smooth and straight, and cascaded down over her monstrous chest like an ashy blonde waterfall.

“Hi,” she said. “I’m Sandy.”

“I go by Lex,” I said, forcing a smile.

She grinned and spun around. “Hi, Lex. Come on. I’ll show you where everything is.”

She was dressed in black slacks and a tailored white button down shirt that appeared to be missing the top two or three buttons. Frustration promptly replaced the excitement of finally landing a job.

If I was going to wear the same outfit she was wearing, I’d be begging for tips. I was built like a teenager who was a few months south of adolescence. Not really, but compared to her I was lacking.