“Yes,” I agreed. “I've run into a bit of a snag and it doesn't look like I'll make it in.”
“Ms. Lang,” Ms. Khan interrupted. “Is there a point to this? You're far too professional to sound so flippant about canceling at the last minute.”
“Indeed,” I said. “Your secretary seems to be under the impression that my presence here is unwelcome.”
Ms. Khan muttered something under her breath that could have been a series of swear words. “I'll be right there.”
I ended the call, put my phone back in my bag and then gave the secretary a sugar-sweet smile. “It'll be just a minute.”
“Young lady,” she said, far from threatened. “And I use that term very loosely, if you don't turn around and start walking toward that door, I will call security and watch them haul your slutty little ass right out of here.”
A door at the end of the hall opened, then closed, and I took a step back from the desk. A flash of triumph crossed the secretary's face and I knew she thought she'd won.
“Sandra!”
I couldn't stop the smirk when I saw the secretary's face go pale. I didn't want her to get fired, but I'd have been lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to witnessing her bubble get popped.
“Ms. Khan.”
“Didn't Ms. Lang tell you that she had an appointment with me?”
The secretary glared at me, crossed her arms and turned back to her boss. “No, ma'am, she just marched right in here and demanded to see you.”
My smile disappeared. She was seriously going to stand there and lie? I glanced at Ms. Khan. The woman was impeccably dressed, as always, the picture perfect business woman. She didn't look at me, but I could tell her face was blank.
“Your job, Sandra, is to make inquiries in situations such as this, not prevent work from getting done. Something to keep in mind for the future.” Ms. Khan turned back the way she'd come, making an impatient gesture over her shoulder. “Come on, Ms. Lang. I'm not letting you bill me for the time you've wasted.”
I pressed my lips into a flat line and followed. I'd done four jobs for Khan and Associates and had always thought she'd been at least indifferent about me. Apparently, I'd been giving her too much credit. As we walked down the hallway to her office, I realized she was just a good actress. She'd been tolerating me because I was good at what I did and still new enough to charge a lower rate than my competitors. I didn't feel any anger though, just resignation. It wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last.
Fuck them all.
I didn't care. I was who I was. No one would ever change that.
Two
I finished up at Khan and Associates in good time, my annoyance at what had happened driving me to get done and get out as soon as possible. Fortunately, Ms. Khan left me alone to do my work, so I didn't have her condescending presence to deal with. Still, I was glad to leave. I wouldn't end my contract with the company over this, but I wasn't about to spend any more time than necessary hanging around.
The sun was going down as I stepped into the brisk wind. I headed for the bus stop, thankful it was only a couple yards away. I'd probably end up taking a cab home tonight. It was getting to be the time of year when I couldn't walk to all my jobs, which meant splitting my travel between cabs and buses. I wasn't fond of either, but didn't have enough money to buy a car yet, no matter how well I'd been doing financially. Still too much debt to pay off.
The driver gave me a once over and rolled her eyes as I climbed on board. I took the first empty seat and stared out the window as the bus made its way through Fort Collins. The software company I was going to was on the other side of the city, so I had at least thirty minutes, forty if traffic was bad. I ran through the checklist of everything I had to do. The repetition and familiarity of work kept me from thinking about anything else, and if there was one thing I avoided at all costs, it was thinking too much.
Archer Enterprises was in a fairly unassuming building considering it was one of the largest software companies in the country. I hadn't been here