Laid and Leveraged (18 page)

Michelle
hurried
back
into
the
bedroom,
ignoring
the
food.
She
found
her
dress
still
on
the
floor
where
she
left
it
the
previous
night
and
slipped
it
over
her
head.
The
strap
of
the
dress
caught
on
something.
Michelle
felt
the
pearl
and
diamond
necklace
and
felt
a
new
pang
of
despair
as
she
thought
of
how
wonderful
last
night
had
been
and
how
it
meant
everything
to
her
and
nothing
to
Roger.
Tears
stinging
her
eyes,
she
tore
the
necklace
off
and
threw
it
across
the
room.
She
didn't
need
it!
She
wasn't
some
cheap
hooker
to
be
ravished
in
a
hotel
room
and
then
paid
promptly
for
her
services.

Dressed
now,
she
found
her
purse
and
fished
out
her
phone.
She
found
Becky's
number
and
hit
'send'.

“
Michelle?
”
Becky's
voice
sounded
sleepy.

“
Meet
me
in
the
office
in
twenty
minutes,
”
Michelle
demanded,
already
marching
down
the
hall.

“
Really?
But
I
thought
I'd
been
laid
off.
”

“
Not
anymore,
”
Michelle
informed
her.
“
I'm
going
to
need
your
help,
Becky.
Today
more
than
ever.
”
She
pressed
'end'
and
hurried
into
the
open
elevator.
She
really
was
going
to
need
her
assistant.
It
would
take
all
day
to
reverse
Roger's
policies.

Chapter
9.

“
I
think
that
about
does
it.
”
Michelle
slapped
the
last
of
the
files
into
Becky's
waiting
arms.

“
Are
you
sure
we
did
the
right
thing?
”
Becky
looked
nervous
as
she
juggled
the
files
against
her
rock
n
roll
camp
t-shirt.
The
t-shirt
went
with
the
faded
jeans
Becky
wore.
Michelle
didn't
bother
mentioning
the
dress
code
violation
on
account
of
the
last
minute
workday.

“
I
am
certain
that
the
only
way
to
save
Today's
Energy
is
by
not
letting
that
ruthless
man
sink
his
teeth
into
it.
”

Becky
seemed
skeptical
and
Michelle
hoped
she
was
right.
She
was
doing
this
to
save
Today's
Energy
and
not
because
she
wanted
to
get
back
at
Roger
for
using
her
for
sex,
right?

“
What
happened
between
you
two
to
make
you
hate
him
so
much?
”
Becky
dared
to
ask.

“
You
ought
to
hate
him
too,
”
Michelle
snapped,
ignoring
the
question.
“
After
all
he
did
fire
you.
”

“
No,
”
Becky
corrected.
“
He
laid
me
off.
Big
difference.
He
gave
me
nice
severance
and
a
letter
of
recommendation.
It
would
only
have
been
a
matter
of
time
before
I
found
something
else.
”

Michelle's
head
snapped
up.
Crossing
her
arms
over
her
chest,
she
asked
Becky,
“
Do
you
want
to
work
somewhere
else?
”

“
Naw.
”
The
girl
shrugged
her
slim
shoulders.
“
I
like
working
for
you.
”

Michelle
sighed
with
relief.
“
Well,
I'm
glad
to
have
you
back,
”
Michelle
admitted.
“
I'm
tired,
how
about
you?
”
At
Becky's
affirmative,
she
added,
“
Alright,
go
ahead
and
go
home.
I'm
just
going
to
finish
up
a
couple
more
things
and
then
I'm
leaving
too.
”

Michelle
locked
up
and
rode
the
elevator
down
to
the
garage.
She
had
the
keys
to
her
ancient
Volvo
when
the
doors
to
the
elevator
opened
up.
In
front
of
her,
a
familiar
black
limo
waited.
The
driver
holding
the
door
open
was
not
the
same
gentle
man
who
drove
her
to
Chartier.
This
guy
looked
tough
and
menacing.
Michelle
gulped.
Had
Roger
already
gotten
word
that
she'd
reversed
his
policies?

“
Get
in,
”
the
burly
driver
snapped.

Michelle
looked
around
the
deserted
garage.
This
limo
and
her
Volvo
were
the
only
vehicles
left.
She
didn't
like
the
way
the
driver
was
looking
at
her
and
Michelle
felt
her
blood
run
cold.
She
briefly
considered
her
options.
If
she
screamed,
no
one
would
hear.
If
she
tried
to
run
and
make
it
to
her
car,
this
guy
would
certainly
catch
her
as
he
stood
between
her
and
the
Volvo.
She'd
have
to
go
with
him
whether
she
wanted
to
or
not
and
hope
that
Roger
really
was
a
legitimate
businessman
and
not,
as
she
was
beginning
to
suspect,
a
member
of
the
mafia.