oss but damned if the man wasn't an expert on pissing off women i

ut my hours because you think, as a woman, I n

f his sandwich into his mouth, "yeah. I think a beautiful woman like you needs to get a man. Yo

four months. Either you give me the hours I have been working without your sexist rhetoric or I will be callin

need to get h

ar cheeks or any of the other bullshit names you spout. Fam

Robbie need

n I q

re's no need to get bent out of sh

rs won't pay my re

other job. Robb

ime a dozen. I can go find another one and be working in an hour. When you're not fussy about the work and have a flexible schedule, most employers wi

g at the counter as a sense of déjà vu hit her hard, but

t quit. You need

e walked behind the counter and grabbed her purse. "I'll be by on Friday to collect my earnings." She

pulled her arm away from him. "I don't h

has a dick and I don't," she didn't miss the stunned expression on the man's face at the c

han

rinking expensive black hot coffee on a Sunday morning whil

r the gas," he questioned looking at Ja

rgh area, which he ran with an underpaid skeleton crew, he made a mint, but he never shared his profits or bathed. It proved money did not make the man. She wrinkled her nose as she realized she'd g

I'll give you y

ken a sick day, vacation day or been late once. I've never had a raise and I've never asked for anything other th

g you a favo

like you would a manager doing your bank deposits, inventory, and the cash floats, but you still only pay me minimum wage. You made me train the little pissant you gave my hours to, and you had me cover

m and introduce you. He told me he's desperate for staff. He had one girl leave to go to school out of state and another went into labor last night.

to walk away from a person in need. She stalked around the counter and took his credit card an

He'll train you if you ha

been in there. I can walk down there now. If you could call him and l

a huge favor from a few months back and if I bring you in,

not all Black men looked the same, but his features were so eerily like Prince's features, she had to stop herself

hose faces

he six o'clock news this place has CCTV, and my brother w

ave. She liked his laugh. It came right from his belly and hugged

at the exchange.

tch

our wages ten

er door open for her, and she gave him a smile, "thanks." She tucked herself into the leather seats, clutching her winte

kes me drive here to pick it up. He gave up life on Wall Street to run a handful of coffee sh

e stress of Jack melting away. "And y

e is Royal and yes, I work on Wall

car, and job. Sh

ng to name her children in a wa

it w

ll you it's the foot he kept planted firmly

comment. "I bet there's more t

ith hard work and loads of sleepless n

smi

have fami

nger than me. He's a senior in high s

er famil

jobs to make sure my kid brother has food to feed his teenage body. I

nod. "Yes. I have a fiv

was angry at her. Famke reminded herself getting into cars with str