Chapter 9: Part 6 - Spiked Coffee and a Change of Job Positions
I woke up with a start and looked around confused. I was still in the parlour of the café but it seemed a lot darker. I was lying down on the couch with a pillow under my head and what looked like water and some pills on the table in front of me.
"Oh good, you are awake. I called my GP and he checked on you and said you were just passed out from the alcohol. Can you sit up?" I heard Heather ask me from across the table.
I slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. Heather pushed a cup of water and the pills towards me.
"The doctor left these for you, take two with some water, and your headache should subside a little"
I gratefully accepted the medication, popped two pills and washed them down with the water.
"Molestation, alcohol poisoning, do you want me to add anything else to the report?" Heather asked as she went back to typing into her open laptop across from me.
"No! No I…"I said and calmed myself " I wasn't resisting. I…I didn't…mind?" I said cautiously.
Heather slammed her laptop shut, startling me.
"You didn't mind? Are you out of your mind? So if I came over and jumped you, you'd be fine with it too?" She asked, furious.
"I mean no I…" I said and shrank back onto the couch, drinking more water and trying to think carefully about what I said next.
Heather rubbed her forehead. It seemed like a common gesture of hers at this point.
" Ok so, this is a workplace. At work, there is a standard of conduct that everyone needs to adhere to. This does change things if you are agreeable to Ms Jun's advances, however regardless of what you or Jun wants, this cannot happen on company premises" Heather explained, " However this is also Ms Jun's house, so I struggle with maintaining order here, because of how much Ms Jun is able to skirt the rules, being the sole owner of the premise".
Heather got up and started pacing, then she clapped her hands together.
"You know, what I need more than a cashier is help with data entry. How would you like to be a part of my team as an Assistant Data Analyst? That way I can keep an eye on Ms Jun's whereabouts, and she won't be able to get her claws on you while you are under my care" Heather said, turning to me "How good are you with Excel?"
"Average, however, I am a quick learner. It's just that I don't have any programming knowledge" I replied, putting down the empty cup of water.
"That's fine, I saw your application, as an assistant you will be handling the tabulated data after my in-house Data Analyst has finished his job. It's more about report writing than programming. Alright then it's settled, you'll work in the back office with me and I think I'll get Amber to handle the cashier permanently as she seems to be able to handle that position quite well so far" Heather said and walked towards the door " By the way, sorry for the late introduction, but please called me Heather. I will get the new contract ready for you to sign, so please wait here for a moment" Heather said and left the room.
I looked down at the offensive food that Ms Jun had served me. It looked like the cake had been completely smashed as if several people had examined it and left crumbs everywhere.
"Hey Sarah?"
I jumped and found Ms Jun leaning into the room from the doorway.
I immediately stood up, my hands clenched into a fist.
"Please, don't come near me" I said, trembling a little.
Ms Jun pouted and acted like she was going to slip out of the room, but at the last minute, stepped back into the room.
"Look. I'm sorry, actually, a lot of my speciality cakes have alcohol in them. I didn't think that you would get drunk on that bit of the cake" she said, walking slowly towards me.
"Yeah but what about the Latte? Heather said you added baileys to it" I pointed out.
"Oh! Well, I wanted you to relax, and it tasted really good didn't it? There was a I did add a shot of expresso in it as well, I promise, I just forgot to mention the baileys" Ms Jun replied, trying to look innocent as she kept moving towards me.
I crossed my arms. I could do this. I could have a serious talk, with another human being about workplace relationships, right?
"Ms Jun, I am really grateful for this job, however, how long have you been in business?" I asked.
Ms Jun stopped, and then thought for a moment " About five years"
"And who did you start it with?" I asked.
"Oh Heather, she is great, much better than me at running a business" Ms Jun said and smiled, taking another step forward.
"Then why are you trying to make it all go down the drain for a few seconds of pleasure? After all the work Heather has put in, is this really worth it? Ruining the business that both of you have worked so hard to create?" I snapped, staring at Ms Jun, trying to give off an air of unwavering resolve, but I was secretly quaking inside.
Ms Jun stopped, looking genuinely surprised, and then for the first time, she started to look nervous.
"No, I don't think….but we have, a connection, I can feel it. Don't you want me?" Ms Jun asked, bluntly.
I was taken aback. I never expected her to just come out and say it. But I was on a roll, I wasn't going to be shaken by my own desires right now. I needed the work, I needed the money, and Heather was right, there was a time and place for everything, and things like this were not the time and place!
When I got up my hair hand came loose, letting my curls fall around my face messily but elegantly. I ran a hand through my hair, flipping the few flyaway strands back to give me an air of confidence and said " I want the hardworking, strong woman that I met who offered me a job, not some predator waiting to pounce and ruin my chances at a successful career. What kind of job would this be if even the CEO is not serious about its success?"
Ms Jun's jaw dropped. She took a step back. Her ears turned red and she averted her eyes, looking as if she just been slapped.
"I. I'm sorry, you're right, I'm setting a bad example", she said in a low murmur.
"That's right, stick it to her" Heather said as she strode back into the room with my new contract in hand " You know what, I'm starting to like you Sarah" Heather grinned and walked towards us, kicking Ms Jun in the shin while she passed her.
"Oi! Damn it Heather, I need to be able to stand if you want me to run the kitchen" Ms Jun said as she hopped around, clutching the sore leg.
"I'll kick the other one if you don't hop out of here right now. Who told you to be such a damn embarrassment?" Heather chided and glared at Ms Jun.
"Alright alright I'm going," Ms Jun said and pouted as she hopped towards the door.
At the door she straightened up and looked back at me " From now on, I will strive to be the woman you saw in me, because, I want to make you fall in love with me" she said and grinned, and then left the room.
Heather rolled her eyes and handed me the paper " She. Says. That. To. All. The. Girls" she said, emphasising every word with a hand clap.
I sighed, and now I was the one rubbing my forehead. Of course, good looks, an over-confident attitude, flirtatious grin - all the marks of a smooth player.
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Author's Note:
Hello lovely subscribers, thanks to my one lovely Patreon supporter, I am still writing this story; however, since viewership is low, I've decided this story will be discontinued here as I am much further ahead on Patreon, and then release it in full on Amazon as a free-to-read ebook once I have finished writing it. If you would like to support my writing and see all the latest chapters, do subscribe to my Patreon.
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And lastly, thank you all so much for supporting my dream; I've always wanted to be a writer, but it's hard to get paid work, and it seems like an unattainable dream here on Webnovel, so I think I have to move on and look for opportunities elsewhere. If not for you guys liking and commenting, I wouldn't keep posting, seriously, but yeah, once I've written the last chapter officially on Patreon, the updates here will stop, because after that I'll release the story in full, uncensored, on Amazon Kindle so it wouldn't make sense to keep posting when you can just read the entire book for free in one shot.