Twenty

The Interview

Lala Longstreet didn’t want to meet with me at her Savannah offices. She told Duely to send me to her home, which was a four story townhouse in the historic district of Savannah. Duely had called shortly after I’d left Heath and Rathe in the parking lot of their apartment.

She had said to come as soon as I could, because she was heading to the airport at two for a showcase in Manhattan tonight. I did as directed and went right to the address he’d given me. Pulling up to the front, I looked around and wondered how much these places sold for. They were part of Savannah’s history and in a prime location. I hoped this meant she had the income to pay a salary that could afford my going to nursing school.

Even if she wasn’t going to offer me an amount that was more than what I made as a server, Duely had gotten me this interview. I was thankful for that. I wouldn’t have known to even apply for something like this. I’d planned on doing a little research on her before the interview, but there hadn’t been time. Now I was going in there, knowing only what Duely had told me. Which was very little.

I reached her front door and scanned for the doorbell. However, the door swung open before I could find the bell and ring it. A petite woman with wild curly dark blonde hair that brushed her shoulders, stood in front of me. Her lips were painted a bright red, her eyes were large round and brown. She could not be more than five feet tall and one hundred pounds fully dressed but something about her made her presence feel much larger.

“Fucking stunning! Duely told me so of course but I wasn’t prepared for this kind of stunning. The bastard lies when it works for him,” she said with a roll of her eyes and pursed her lips.

I didn’t get a chance to respond to that, thankfully. She stepped back and with a overly dramatic wave of her hand, she continued. “Come inside and I’ll pour you a drink. Before noon I’m a cosmopolitan girl. I move to the harder stuff after lunch. Will a cosmo work for you?” she asked walking through the large open foyer toward the first arched doorway to her left. I followed quickly because for someone with short legs, she walked fast.

“I’m more of a water before noon person,” I replied with honesty.

She stopped abruptly and stared at me in horror. Those already large eyes seemed even wider. “Water? Who the fuck has Duely sent me? Just go!” She pointed toward the front door.

I stood there frozen. I hadn’t been prepared for such a violent reaction to my request for water. I was too shocked to move.

Lala began to cackle with laughter. I continued to stand there and watch her. Was this woman okay? Had Duely gotten me an interview with a lunatic?

“You’re going to be fun. That shocked expression was priceless! I owe Duely one for this.” She was still laughing as she went into the kitchen. I didn’t know if I was supposed to be leaving or following her.

“Come on, Cat. I’ve still got to force a cosmo down you before noon. Water my ass. That’s just sad, girl.”

I went into the kitchen and she gave me a big white straight teeth smile. “When you grew up in a trailer that had no heating and air with holes in the floorboard that you had to keep stuffed with towels and hope the critters couldn’t push through them and get inside, you drink before noon. And you don’t fucking drink alone,” she explained, while shaking a pretty blue shaker that had the letter L in crystals on the front. “My momma was an alcholic, so this is the worst thing I could be doing, but it’s all about moderation, sweetheart. Moderfuckinration,” She said pouring the light red drink into two martini glasses. It appeared she wasn’t kidding about me drinking too.

I wasn’t confident this woman wasn’t certifiable, so I didn’t think declining the cosmo again was a good idea. She picked up one of the glasses then nodded her head at the other one. “Go ahead and get it,” she said then started back around the bar, waving her empty hand at the rest of the kitchen. “Great place, isn’t it? I love old fancy shit.”

I nodded in agreement then took my glass. “It’s a beautiful home.”

“Come, let’s go sit down and talk. I don’t have a lot of time. Barney booked this damn showcase without asking me, and it’s last minute. I’d tell Barney to go fuck himself, but he’s annoying when he gets in a mood. I would rather do this showcase and get it over and done with. Before he gets here to make sure I get to the airport in time, I am warning you that although you’re a headturner, he won’t be interested. He’s a gorgeous bastard and my last assistant embarassed herself trying to get his attention until I realized she had a thing for him. I should have told her in the beginnging it was a waste of time. Barney loves to have his dick sucked but not by the likes of you. He does enjoy it when Duely sucks his dick,” she said, as I followed her into another room. “Sit,” she instructed, pointing at the sofa.

I walked over and sat with my cosmo then took a sip. Lala’s excentric name no longer seemed odd. It fit perfectly. She winked when she saw me drink. “Good for the soul or just the brain. Terrible for the liver, I hear, but Betty White is kicking it just fine and is a vodka drinker. That’s the only proof I need of its magic. Now, I travel a lot. I don’t like it, but that’s the way it goes. This place is my main residence. The Lala Longstreet offices are outside the city but not too far of a drive. You’ll be given a corporate card for gas and for all other expenses. Company car is an Audi this time, I believe. Or did Barney say it was a Cadillac? I can’t remember. It’s a 2020, and I’m sure it’ll suffice. Numbers for anything I throw at you are here.” She reached for the bright pink leather journal on the table beside her then tossed it at me. I caught it without spilling my drink on the expensive looking white velvet sofa. I was perched on the edge of the sofa for fear of hurting it.

“Dry cleaners, personal shoppers, family,” she said that last one with a disgusted snarl on her lips. “They’re all bastards, so avoid them if you can. Your phone will have their names already programmed with warnings to not answer. You accidently talk to one of my relatives and you’ll be more careful next time. Trust me.” She took a gulp then went on talking. “Business associates, etc., it’s all in there. Also programmed into your corporate cell phone. Barney will have that, the extra set of keys to the house, office, alarm codes and instructions, and the keys to the car. Okay, that’s about it. Any questions?”

I had too many to count. “I-“

“Oh the salary, I forgot the most important thing.” She shook her head and took another drink. “It’s sixty five, and you can use the car for personal use.”

The car I was still trying to wrap my head around but now she tossed out sixty five like that made sense. Sixty five what? Sixty five an hour was impossible but sixty five a day I couldn’t make it on, even with the car perk. “Uh, I’m not sure if I understand the sixty five-“

“It’s just starting,” she cut me off. “Every six months, there is a chance for a raise. There are also bonuses when I need you to travel with me. Raises aren’t huge, and it’s accoriding to performance and shit. Barney can explain it better.”

That cleared nothing up. If she would let me get out a complete sentence, I might get some clarification, but I wasn’t sure I would understand this job if I had an entire day to discuss it with her. She was all over the place and didn’t stop talking for more than a minute.

“What I’m asking is... are you saying it’s sixty-five dollars a day? Is that what I’m understanding?”

She paused with her drink in her hand then burst out laughing. A loud deep belly laugh. I was starting to get annoyed with this entire situation. She was nice and definitely entertaining but I couldn’t accept a job I didn’t even understand. I had no clue what it was she wanted me to do or how many hours a day or week. If asking for her to clarify the salary was going to make her laugh at me like this then the other stuff would have her doubled over unable to catch a breath.

I waited and tried very hard not to let my annoyance show in my expression. This was Duely’s friend, regardless of her behavior, and he’d gotten me this interview. I owed him to be appreciative and not rude.

Finally, Lala wiped the tears from her face and beamed at me. “You’re going to be perfect,” she stated. I hated to tell her I wasn’t going to be anything. If I couldn’t keep up with her during a simple interview, I’d be lost trying to work for her.

“Sixty-five thousand a year, honey,” she said, still grinning.

Sixty-five thousand dollars. I stared at her waiting for her to burst out laughing again at her own joke. When she just drank and waited on me to say something, I began suspecting she may be serious. She was going to pay me sixty-five thousand dollars a year? How was this woman successful? She was mad.

“I’d think your silence meant it’s not enough but I’m guessing since you thought I was going to pay you sixty five dollars a day that you’re shocked speechless. I’m glad we can agree on salary. Now, Barney will be here in ten minutes, and I’m not dressed to go. I need to get travel attire on and then pack a bag or something. Barney needs to meet you, and give you all the things. If you hate the car, we can negotiate that too. I buy local, and I’m sure I can get the car dealer I use, Debo, to exchange it for something you prefer. Drink up, Cat. Explore the place until Barney gets here. I need to go get ready,” she said, jumping up out of her highback chair. “Welcome aboard,” she added then left the room.

I sat there with my cosmo, suddenly alone. I heard her feet hit the stairs, and if she hadn’t said sixty-five thousand dollars, I would be sneaking out right now. However, sixty-five thousand would give me independence. It would pay for nursing school. I wanted to be ecstatic but I had so many questions that I hoped Barney was going to answer for me. If I had some idea of what it was this job consisted of and an idea of weekly hours then I would know if this unreal offer was going to change my life or not.

It wasn’t ten minutes before the front door opened and footsteps made their way down the hallway. A tall man with dark hair expertly styled, a smooth face with such sharp features it was without a flaw, and full lips stopped at the doorway to the room I was in. This had to be Barney. He was too beautiful to be a man, but yet, he was. His creamy mocha skin was to be envied. The clear blue of his eyes were almost like seeing the sky on a clear day through glass.

“Hello, Cat. I’m here to interpret everything that Lala must have just tossed at you. Her artistic brain is sometimes hard to follow for everyone but me.”

I smiled then and sighed in relief.

“That’s very good to hear. I have several questions. Starting with, what does this job consist of exactly?”

Barney smiled. “Lucky for you, it doesn’t involve understanding anything Lala chatters on about,” he said then took the pink leather journal she had tossed at me. “We will start with this,” he began.