Round the Clock by Dara Girard Read Free Book Online Page B

Marie stared at the woman, wondering if she should call the police. “Excuse me?”
    “I’m with The Black Stockings Society. May I come in?”
    Anna Marie opened the door wider. “Sure,” she stammered as the woman marched past her and sat on the bed. “Would you like anything to drink?” she asked. “There’s a vending machine and—”
    “No, I don’t need a drink.” The woman cast a nervous glance at the shoe box on the floor. “There’s something moving in those papers.”
    “Yes, Nika. My turtle. He likes to bury himself.”
    “I see.”
    “How did you find me?”
    “It doesn’t matter.” Sonia crossed her legs. “I’m sure your next question is why am I here?”
    Anna Marie leaned against the door. “I am curious.”
    “You violated an instruction.”
    “I’m sorry?”
    “Sit down.”
    She didn’t want to, but Anna Marie knew an order when she heard one. She sat on the bed near the headboard and faced Sonia. “Yes?”
    “In the contract you signed, you promised you would follow the instructions of the society and you did not.”
    Anna Marie searched her memory, but came up blank. “What are you talking about? I haven’t told anyone and—”
    “You cancelled your appointment at the salon.”
    “Oh, that. I told the receptionist I had an emergency.”
    “Twice?”
    “The emergency was bigger than I expected.”
    Sonia opened her handbag and pulled out Anna Marie’s signed contract. “If you look carefully at the small print on the back, it specifies that you are obligated to follow the rules. You are allowed one missed appointment but two are grounds for automatic dismissal.”
    Anna Marie read the information with dread,then looked at Sonia with dismay. “So I’m out before I’m even in?”
    Sonia folded the contract and replaced it in her handbag. “We discussed your case and decided to give you some leniency.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “You’re on probation.”
    “Probation?”
    “Just for a few weeks until you get a handle on things. We have to do this for some of our ‘special’ inductees. You need to know how the society works. Members know their worth. They don’t put people ahead of themselves at their own expense. There’s a distinct difference between being helpful and being a dishrag. I’ve been assigned as your trainer. Most people jump right into the society but others, like you, need trainers like me, so I’ll stay with you for a couple of days until you’re ready to go out on your own.”
    “But I am ready,” Anna Marie protested, terrified of the thought of having this woman or anyone staying in her life. “I love the stockings and I promise I will follow the instructions from now on.”
    “It’s too late.”
    “It’s just that something came up and—”
    “Do you want to be a part of this society?”
    “Yes.”
    “Then you’re stuck with me.” The woman stood and walked around the room. “First off, what are you doing here?”
    “I left my old apartment. I made a big mistake because I thought I was moving into this new house I had been told I’d inherited and that I was going to live on the money, too, but the lawyer canceled and—”
    “Did you reschedule with the lawyer?”
    “Yes, but he had to travel and he told me to call when he got back. I thought I’d wait a day or so because I don’t want to be a bother.”
    “So you’d rather stay in this dinky little motel when you could be in a house?”
    Anna Marie glanced around the room. “Well, when you put it like that, of course not.”
    “Then what are you going to do about it?”
    “I don’t know what you mean.”
    “You need to call the law office and tell them that you want an appointment as soon as possible. You can give them a specific date and if they cancel, let them know that you want someone else assigned to your case.”
    “Can I do that?”
    “It’s your money, isn’t it?”
    “Yes, at least I think so. I’m—”
    “Yes or no?”
    Anna Marie took a