Standing in front of the register, I place my purse on the bottom shelf, and an eerie feeling settles in the pit of my gut.
Mr. Arthur walks by, wearing a crisp shirt with a pair of black slacks. He glances in my direction and smiles, and I return it.
Throughout the day, I ring up customers and text Viper in between. I do recalls on orders and stack books on the shelves and sort out the damaged books from the new arrivals.
Aunt Savannah sends me a text letting me know Viper is taking her to the airport and she’ll call me when she gets home. My mind reels over what she said and how I shouldn’t be wasting my time on a relationship and how I need to focus on school. She’s so afraid I’m going to turn out like my mother, that I’m going to fall head over heels for a man who is going to end up ruining my life. Sometimes, I wonder if I’m making the right choice. It’s been on my mind ever since she brought it up. Like how are we going to work with his lifestyle? I don’t know. I want to make it work.
When I glance out the window, the sun is sinking below the sky, and nighttime is already approaching. Mr. Arthur taps the button on the neon Open sign and locks the glass door before he strolls up to the counter. He doesn’t look happy as he straightens his back.
Oh no, he’s about to fire me. I fiddle with the hem of my shirt and bite my lip.
His gaze drops down to my chest, then back to my face. “Autumn, come with me to my office.”
Without a word, I follow behind him with my head up high. If he’s going to fire me, then I’ll walk away jobless but with my dignity intact, and he’ll be an even bigger pig than I thought.
Once we’re inside the small office, he perches on his desk, resting his hand behind him.
“I expect you to come in here and make sure you do your job right,” he snaps as a vein throbs in his forehead.
He’s never raised his voice to me, nor talked to me in a disrespectful tone before.
“If you want to keep your job, then I expect certain things from you.”
He loosens the buttons on his cotton shirt.
I clear my throat. “What do you mean, sir?”
“I dream about being with you,” he says, licking his lips. “Wondering how tight your pussy is. It’s been so long since I’ve been with someone young. I hope I can keep up.”
“I—”
“You want to keep your job, then you’ll have to sleep with me.”
I can’t believe I allowed myself to be so fucking stupid.
“Is that why you were always extra nice to me? Giving me books for my birthday and giving me raises in hopes of me sleeping with you?”
His silence and the way his shoulders stiffen is all the answer I need.
“I quit.”
“Please, just one time,” he begs.
“With all due respect, sir, but I already told you I have a boyfriend.” My tone is higher than normal.
“You deserve someone better for you.” His voice is filled with sadness. He stands up from the desk and takes a step toward me, but I take a step back.
“Let me show you how a man is supposed to make you feel. Let me get one little taste of you.”
My heart flip-flops in my chest. I twist on the heels on my ankle boots and rush to the door, but he blocks it. My pulse jumps in my neck, and anxiety claws at my throat.
He grips my chin, rubbing his thumb on my bottom lip.
“P-please, let me go,” I stutter.
“Just one kiss and I’ll leave you alone.”
Swallowing hard, I say, “No.”
