She's A Lady

1

I looked in the mirror one last time, psyching myself up for the day. My locks fell in waves around my head, framing my heart shaped face. A little eyeliner and lip gloss was all I usually wore to work. Picking up my shoes, I made for the door before I was late. My purse swung on my shoulder as I slammed the door shut.

"Hey Erin! You're going to be late if you don't get a move on." My neighbour Liz says as I pass by her door.

"Yeah I know. Late night." She nods in understanding as I slip into the stairwell to the parking garage. My alarm beeps and I slip into the cool leather with a sigh. The Mercedes ML growls to life and I back out of my spot. Traffic is moderate between the apartment and my work. When I slide the beast into my parking space I have minutes to get inside and scan in. I jog as much as my heels will allow to get inside on time.

I scan in with one minute to spare. Sighing in relief, I make my way to my desk. Grouped in fours around a central filing system, we each have eight feet of desk in an L-shape for eight hours a day. Eight hours of making phone calls, placing orders, filling out forms and filing them away. Oh, and dodging my boss so I don't get hit on. Speak of the devil.

"Erin, sweetheart, cutting it a little close don't you think?" He leaned against the side screen with a smirk on his face. Arrogant prick thought he was God's gift to women. Imagine his surprise when I didn't fall on my knees in gratitude when he asked me out.

"On time as always, Bill. I need to call V Corp right away so if you will excuse me." I put on my headset and started up my computer. I would like this job so much more if Bill didn't exist. The deadlines, the irate customer calls, even the disgusting orange walls were better than him. I was tired of seeing him standing just to the side, watching me like a creeper, day after day.

Hours later and I was buzzing with excitement. I landed a great sale with V Corp and then fixed Frenzin Inc.'s issue with their order from last week. That should put me in good standing for the end of the month numbers and it was only week two. I was relieved to be ahead in my work and planned to celebrate with a nice meal at the café down the street... until Bill showed up to try and get a lunch date with me.

"Sorry Bill. I told you before, I'll say it again: I'm not interested. I would appreciate it very much if you would stop asking me. Excuse me." I grabbed my purse and pushed by him to leave. My ire increased when he followed me to the stairs, I pushed through the door and hurried down them. On the landing he grabbed my arm.

"Bitch, you think you're better than me? I tried to be nice, you know. Now give me a fuck or I'll have your ass fired." I tried to pull away but his grip was tight. He swung his other hand and hit me.

"Let me go. Right now. If you think for one second that I am not going to report this..." I was deadly calm and glared at him.

"Go ahead. You think they're going to believe you? Good luck. I am a senior employee with more experience and credentials than you. You can kiss your job goodbye." He made a kissing motion and threw me away from him. I stumbled down the short stair and groaned from the scrapes and bruises I felt from the fall. I still picked myself up and continued down to the fourth floor, Human Resources.

The girl at the front gasped when she saw my bleeding hand. I was bustled into a break room to get cleaned up. I was still too angry to speak. My panty hose was ruined. I would have to take them off to avoid questions from the people in my department. My shoe was scuffed too, and that had me fit to hit something. When the head of HR came in to talk to me I was slightly calmer.

"Was it really necessary for me to nearly get pushed down the stairs?" I growled. He winced.

"Sorry about that. Did you get it?" He smiled apologetically. I sighed, slipping my hand into my purse and taking out the recorder. He took it and played the whole thing from the beginning. His frown deepened near the end of it.

"Well? What now?" I rubbed my elbow. It still throbbed.

"Now you get the rest of the day off, paid of course. In fact, take the rest of the week. Get some rest. I didn't think he'd actually hurt you. Feel free to contact me if you need anything. I can promise you when you come back next Monday, he will be gone." He smiled again and patted my shoulder as he stood to leave.

"Thanks John. I'll see you later." Guess I didn't have to take the hose off after all. I grabbed my purse and headed for the stairs. Thank god I wasn't expected to swipe out in the main lobby. That would have been torture. The plan had all gone accordingly, except for the little push down the stairs, and now I could finally breathe again.

I sat for a few minutes in my SUV before pulling out. Letting the comfort soothe my nerves was a good idea, as my hands were much steadier as I drove home. I changed the station to classical to try and put myself in a better mood. Then I gave up and switched it back to Metallica on Octane. Tapping along and humming the refrain did wonders. I was smiling again when I pulled into the garage back at the apartment.

It felt like I was just here. Playing the day in reverse like a demented movie. The way back up felt longer than it did yesterday. My hand throbbed, my elbow was sore, I had a pretty good bruise forming on the side of my knee and a scrape down the side of my ankle. Not what was planned. At least we got the bastard though. I wanted to nail him for weeks, after what the others had told me. Thankfully John had taken me seriously when I spoke to him about the harassment.

Bill had a record of female employees quitting, being fired, and complaints to HR. It was all leading up to today, John said. I guess taking a little hit for the team made it worth it in the end. Plus, it felt cool because I was now a super top secret spy. My mission was complete and I was headed home for rest and relaxation. I chuckled to myself as I came in the door and then shrieked when a person came around the corner.

"Lord, girl, is that any way to greet your best friend? What are you chuckling for any how? You get the bastard?" It was my best friend Max and I got a tight hug and tsked at when they saw the state of my clothes.

"Yeah we got him. It's about time, I've had that recorder in my bag for a week now. I think John was pretty pissed when he found out I got pushed down the stairs though. Gave me a couple extra days off. Means my bruises will be nice and green by the time I go back." I laughed and stripped off my shoes and hose. Putting my feet up on the ottoman and closing my eyes to relax, Max put a cold drink into my hand and patted my head like a puppy. I growled.

"Well, at least it's over with. Now, do you want to watch Netflix or play video games with me?" I looked over to see Max curled up on my couch like they weren't going anywhere any time soon. Sighing, I sat up and took a sip of the drink. I spluttered a bit.

"Really? Max? Vodka at this time of day? I need to change into something more comfortable." I muttered as I left the room. I heard them laughing behind me and shook my head. A nice warm set of sweat shirt and pants later, I was ready for some serious video games.

"Halo love?" Max said, handing me a controller.

"It's on." I challenged and logged in.