The Interview

Laura drove carefully as she made her way across town. She'd never been a fan of driving, but at this point, she'd drive for an hour to work every day if she could just land a job. It kept her up late at night to know that she was taking away from her son's future by not providing for them. She knew it wasn't her fault and that he was an adult, but she still felt responsible for them both.

"Tiny dancer in my hand," she murmured along to the song as she drummed her hands on the steering wheel.

Twenty minutes later, she was at the bail bondsman's office. She'd made good time and checked herself over the mirror to make sure nothing had messed up her hair or makeup. It'd been windy as she walked to her car, and she had to comb out her hair again. As she sat there waiting, she went over everything she knew about interviews and what questions they might ask.

"Hi, I'm Laura Palm, here for the interview with Tony," she said at the little table near the front of the office. A bottle-blonde young woman of about twenty looked up from her paperwork and just blinked.

"Oh, you're her," she muttered before searching around on the desk.

Laura hid her frown as she looked around the small office. Off-white, dingy walls and dirty carpet made her think she was in the wrong place. She wasn't sure what she expected, but this wasn't it.

"Accountant job," the bottle-blonde giggled. "Right, Tony said he wanted someone new. Here, take this form and fill it out. I'll let him know you're here early," she said before getting up.

Laura eyed the unprofessional girl's long legs and thigh-high stockings as she walked around the corner, presumably to get her boss. The forms were fairly standard but it also asked for her social security number, so she left that blank. The place was giving her all the wrong vibes.

Ten minutes later a stocky man with a mustache made popular in eighties adult films came around the corner and looked her over. "Mr. Yates?" she asked as she stood, offering her hand.

"Just Tony," he answered with a nod. "Got all the paperwork filled out? Good, come with me," he ordered.

Laura saw the receptionist give her a once over before shaking her head from the corner of her eye. She wondered what the little bitch found wrong with how she looked. The sudden spike of anger made Laura surprised at herself. She chalked it up to her nerves.

"Have a seat," Tony offered as he waved a hand at a narrow chair in the corner of his office.

Laura looked around and tried not to frown. If anything, the man's office looked even dirtier than the main lobby. Papers scattered across his wide desk as he seated himself in a quality leather chair. Awards and placards dotted one wall while pictures of scantily clad women hung from the wall where the door would be. It took Laura a moment to realize one of the women was the receptionist. Her worry increased.

"You're here for the accounting job," Tony provided, drawing Laura's eyes to him.

"Yes, I have several years experience in general business accounting and am a fully licensed CPA."

"Right, I need someone around the office to help with stuff like that. I'm good at my job, finding people and taking them down. I pay well and give bonuses out regularly depending on how well you perform. In this city, there is plenty of work for me and my team," he stated with a toothy smile.

"What will my duties be, working hours, and the like?" she asked.

"Well, I'll need to see how you do accounting. You'll work pretty closely with Tina out there, and we do need someone to help make sure things are clean. Our last helper left rather abruptly."

Laura hid a scowl. That didn't sound like he needed an accountant. More like Tony wanted a maid. Her eyes flicked to the picture of Tina wearing next to nothing.

"Do you think that might be within your skillset? I know you generally deal with computers, but I'll need a little more if I'm to hire you. Pay is a grand a week plus any bonuses you help with."