Page 25 of The Good Char (Soul Taker)

KIMMY

I lost track of how long I’d been working at The Good Char. They say time flies when you’re having fun.

“Kimmy!” came his low tenor, the one that made me want to obey immediately. “Get into the back room.”

“Yes, sir!” I squeaked, my heart palpitating.

Was it wrong of me to react in excitement and anticipation?

I had been having weird dreams about my boss.

It was so wrong of me. So naughty. I shouldn’t be thinking of him this way, not when he commanded the very air around me while we were at work.

But gosh, I wanted it to be true. These dreams were becoming more and more vivid.

I found myself waking up soaked with sweat, too embarrassed to visit my parents until I washed myself twice after work.

I had visited them once, after I had a landline installed in my apartment. I bought some pastries and came over with the news that I was fully out on my own but I wasn’t without means of reach.

My mother bawled while my father ranted about the bad influences of western culture. No matter how they tried to berate or guilt trip me, what was done was already done. I had my own place and everything was set up.

I slowly made my way to the back of The Good Char.

My boss… Dzik—these dreams would never allow me to look at him the same.

I wanted to be more than friends. I bit my lip, knowing I had been giving him extra smiles and touching his arm when we talked.

I was warring inside of myself because I knew he once mentioned that we needed to keep it strictly business. I had to respect that. Didn’t I?

Though the lines had blurred more and more the longer we were around each other. And maybe I was wrong, but it didn’t feel like it was solely me toeing on the other side of the forbidden.

Stop it, Kimmy. You’re letting your attraction cloud your judgment. I sighed. I should be thinking about other things besides having my head up in the clouds.

They still hadn’t found Cindy or the guys she was with. I had put up some missing person flyers around the area but no one had called my landline with any news yet.

Both Nicole and I hoped she would turn up soon.

I could use my best friend to talk about my feelings.

It was different with Nicole. We didn’t have that kind of relationship yet.

And with us both silently grieving, it was hard to try to establish anything.

The last time I saw her, she came by The Good Char to ask if I had heard anything. We both left a bit dejected that day.

I listened as Mr. Dzik turned off the neon sign and followed me into the backroom.

He was always strange that way, preventing anyone from lining up when he wanted me to give him time.

I secretly found it attractive, the way he did what he wanted, when he wanted.

He was so bad, and it made me squirm with need.

Sitting on the stack of flour, I thought back to the day he took care of me and flushed.

I liked the attention he gave, even if he was growling in my face. A mean man would have left me to tend to myself. Not Mr. Dzik. He swooped in without a word and made sure I was taken care of. Just thinking about it made me swoon again.

I saw through his exterior whether he realized it or not—and I continued to desire him more than an employee should.

I couldn’t stop watching the way his stubbled jaw would flex when he was around me, or the way his shoulders would tense up when I caught him looking at me too.

Like now.

He cleared his throat and shoved an envelope in front of me. “Your first couple of months went well,” he said with absolutely no emotion.

A new excitement bubbled up within me. I was excited to see how much was in the envelope he was handing to me.

Christmas was coming up and I had been feeling a little festive, but unsure of how much I could splurge on simple decorations for my apartment.

I ripped it open and my eyes widened at the numbers. “Three hundred dollars? Holy crap!”

This was way more than the hours I worked. He was so kind to me. Oh, why did he keep making me fall more and more in love with him?

“Thank you Mr. Dzik!”

He groaned, the sound vibrating through my chest and down my body until I pressed my legs together, shooting my eyes toward his. I watched his nostrils flare, finally connecting it to when I found my body reacting to something simple he would do that made me more attracted to him.

Did he feel it too? Gosh, I really hoped he did.

“About the mister thing, let’s just call me D or Dzik.

Drop the mister, for the love of hell.” His signature scowl quickly smoothed after a few moments.

It was something else I noticed about him.

He was different lately. Like right now, there seemed to be a mischievous glint in his eye. Was I missing something?

I smiled in response like I always did, but this time I could have sworn the crows feet at the corner of his eyes softened.

“If you keep working the way you do, I may actually be able to take a day off,” he chuckled.

I beamed at him. That would be nice. I wanted to do that for him. He deserved it. He gave me a chance when he knew nothing about me. In fact, I don’t even remember filling out any sort of application.

His voice cut through my thoughts. “Now get out of here, go have some fun.” When he cracked a smile, my heart raced and I felt flustered.

The world stopped and my eyes were glued to him.

It was the first time I had seen it and it was glorious.

No wonder he didn’t smile much. How would we get any work done if girls started flocking The Good Char.

I didn’t like the thought. Not one bit.

I gripped the check close to my chest and beamed at him again, letting him know how grateful I was.

He put a scowl back on his face as he pointed out the door.

I nodded, quickly took off my hat and apron and ran out the mall and got on my bike. This was more than my parents paid their cooks.

Hell yes! I’m a weiner dipper and I like it! Oh my god, I’m so freaking happy. He paid me so well. Now, what exactly was I going to do with this bonus money? I wanted to make sure that I made a difference and do some good with it.

I rode my bike up the street, my mind giddy, constantly thinking about what I could do with my money. Letting the breeze caress my skin under the Nevada sun, I snapped my head to the side when my eyes caught a glimpse of movement.

“What was that? Aww, it couldn’t be!” I turned my head to see several stray kitties. And I loved kitties.

I knew exactly what I could do. I could take them to the vet and get their shots and then I could get them adopted out. This would be the perfect way to spend some of my money to give back and I owed it all to Mr. Dzik.

I pulled up to the nearby local grocery store and ran inside, looking for a worker.

“Hi! Excuse me! Can I have a large box please, if you have one available?”

The worker looked at me perplexed. “What do you need a box for?”

“Kittens!”

He gave me a crooked smile, shook his head and went to the back, returning with what I asked for.

“Thank you!”

He was very nice. He was nice just like D. It felt weird calling Mr. Dzik anything else but maybe this was his way of us getting closer. I still didn’t understand why he thought pets were nonsense. Maybe if he had a cute little kitty, he wouldn’t be so grumpy.

I grabbed the box from the worker and my mouth turned into a little ‘o’ of surprise. It was a super large box. It must have once been filled with watermelons or something because it was just the right size and smelled good.

“Can I leave my bike here for a few minutes while I take these little guys to the vet?” I asked him before he could go back to work.

The worker looked at me for a few moments. “Yeah, of course.”

The mother cat was nowhere to be found when I returned. Oh no, she must have abandoned them. How could she do that?

“It’s okay little guys. I’ll take care of you.

I hope your mother is alright.” I looked around for a few more moments, hoping I could catch a glimpse of her hiding somewhere with no luck.

“I promise I’ll take care of your babies!

” I called out before I happily gathered up the little fellas one at a time, listening to their little mewls and reassuring them I was going to take care of them.

I quickly made my way down the street and to the vet. I struggled a little to get myself and the box through the door but I managed it with help from someone who was leaving.

Blowing my frazzled hair out my face, the person at the counter addressed me. “Hello, young lady. May I help you with something?”

Tightly gripping onto the box, the kittens began to tumble and play. “Hi! Yes, I found these strays and I would like to get their shots so I can help get them adopted.”

“Well, aren’t you just the sweetest?” she smiled before leaning over the counter to peek into the box. She handed me some paperwork, then took the box from me. She informed me I could come by and pick them up tomorrow and gave me the cost.

“That’s fine. My boss is an amazing man and I can afford it,” I cheesed so hard. She didn’t understand what I was talking about but that was okay. I knew in my heart what I was saying and I was proud to announce it to the world. I had the best boss on the planet.

It felt good to do something on my own, outside of buying necessities, without using money from my parents. I was also glad the kittens would get a chance to live a good life. I walked out of the vet’s office smiling and twirling with my hands up to the sky.

When I finally made it home, I went straight to bed.

I tossed and turned all night, wondering if they would ever find Cindy and if she was okay along with if the kittens would actually get adopted out.

I eventually dozed off to dream of my boss wrapping my arm lovingly in bandage and leaning in toward my face.