Bond Girl by Erin Duffy Read Free Book Online

though.”
    â€œGive her time, Chick. Give her time.” He then grabbed one of the last two sandwiches out of the box and offered it to me. “Hey, Alex. Welcome to Cromwell. Have a sandwich.” His hands, like Chick’s, were perfectly clean and smooth.
    I answered him politely, “No, thank you, I’m fine.”
    â€œYou don’t like the swine?”
    â€œExcuse me?”
    â€œThe swine. Bacon. You aren’t Jewish, are you? If you aren’t Jewish, then why don’t you fancy the swine?”
    â€œWhat? Umm, no, I ate already, thank you. But I don’t have a problem with the swine, no.”
    â€œSuit yourself, newbie. It’s probably better. If you start eating bacon every day, you’ll lose that tight ass of yours, and nobody here wants to be stuck looking at a pretty girl with a fat ass. Remember, for girls, eating is cheating.” With that he threw the sandwich back in the box and winked at me as he walked away.
    I looked for Chick to say something, anything, to defend me, but he didn’t. Instead, he removed his wallet and his BlackBerry from his drawer.
    He smacked me on the back as he stood. “I have a golf outing, but I’ll be in tomorrow,” he said as he struggled with the sleeves on his blazer. I watched him leave, feeling as if I was watching my lifeboat turn around while I was still treading shark-infested waters. One hour as a full-time employee at Cromwell and, so far, it was nothing like I had imagined.
    I stood helplessly clutching my chair like a security blanket, staring at my fellow team members, none of whom made a move to introduce themselves. I walked down the first row, feeling as if I was walking the plank, until a man who looked an awful lot like Andy Garcia intercepted me. He had the same tan skin, the same black hair, the same brooding eyes, and thankfully, a smile.
    â€œHey,” he said as he shook my hand. “I’m Drew. Why don’t you hang out with me today?”
    â€œOh really?” I was relieved, like a kid just saved from being picked last for dodgeball. “That would be great, thanks.”
    â€œPull up a seat . . . well, a folding chair. Whatever.”
    He slid his chair to the left, to make room for me. I stared wide-eyed at all the numbers, the scrolling headlines, the modeling systems, the Excel sheets, the various colors flashing spastically on his monitors. Drew smiled and said, “Until you get your own desk—and, knowing this place, that could take a year—you’ll just have to shadow people during the day. Here’s what you need to know.” I flipped open my spiral notebook and waited anxiously for my first sales lesson. “First, don’t put the chair in the aisle, that’s the fastest way to piss people off. Make sure your chair is pulled as close to the desk as possible.”
    â€œOkay, easy enough.” Not exactly the kind of lesson I was hoping for, but it was better than nothing.
    â€œSecond, don’t annoy people. When guys are busy, don’t ask them questions. Don’t try and make small talk with anyone. Until people get to know you, no one has any interest in talking to you. Sorry, but that’s just the way it is.”
    â€œDon’t talk to anyone. Got it.”
    â€œAnd whatever you do, avoid Kate Katz—a.k.a. Cruella—like the plague.”
    â€œWhy?” I glanced at the woman on the phone at the end of the row. He had to be referring to her; she was the only other female on the government bond desk. She didn’t look scary. She reminded me of my third-grade teacher, sort of. Only with more expensive clothes and a better haircut. Her short brown bob was tucked behind her ears, and her crisp white shirt was tucked into dark navy pants. She wore small diamond earrings, little makeup, and loafers. She wasn’t exactly what I would classify as intimidating. She looked friendly enough, I