Being Me (BBW Romance) Read Free Page A

up again and there was a hat in her hand with scraps of paper inside. Her chest was puffed out and she proudly held her head up. If I would've had a needle I could've deflated her puffy chest. "You need to take a number," she commanded me.
    I blinked my eyes at her. "I need to do what now?"
    Delilah thrust the hat toward me. "You need to take a number. It's for the interviews Mr. Dunner is going to do today. Everyone gets called in by their number."
    I stared at her like she was mad. "You're joking, right? What's he doing to us, judging us like livestock?"
    A great scowl crossed her face as I dared question the great and powerful Dunner. "Just take it, I don't have all day." There were a couple of other people coming off the elevator, so I snatched a piece of paper and went on my way to my desk.
    After I'd plopped my butt down in my chair, I opened the paper. It read lucky number seven. Funny, I didn't feel lucky, just nervous. With the subdued voices all around me, apparently I wasn't the only one who'd come to the conclusion that maybe this was a way to fire some people who didn't pass muster with the new boss.
    At nine o'clock sharp, the door to Dunner's office opened and the devil himself stepped out. The whole floor went quiet, waiting in breathless anticipation for his godly word. Well, some of the women were doing that. He smiled and glanced over the cubicles. "Could I have number one come in here please? I'd like to speak with you."
    And so began the great interviewing process. One by one the people entered the office, never to return again. Just kidding, they came out with smiling faces and praise for our new overlord. Even with their encouraging words I was still nervous when number six walked out and Dunner glanced around the room. "Number seven," he called out.
    I took a deep breath and stepped out of my cubicle. His smile widened when he saw me coming down the hall toward me. "Good morning, Monica Collins," he playfully greeted me.
    "Good morning, Mr. Dunner," I returned. I wasn't angry with him anymore about the staring; my focus was too much on the interview and what questions he would ask me.
    He directed me to a chair opposite his large desk. I noticed that there were a few changes since Finner left, namely in the form of some plants and a long, wide couch to the right of the door as I entered. I seated myself and he sat opposite me on the other side of the desk. There was a stack of folders on one side of the desk and a few folders on the other; I realized they were the same color as the ones he'd taken home with him last night. He must have studied everyone on the floor, and now he was going through us one at a time like a conveyor belt of authority with the power of employment and unemployment in his hands. Kind of scary.
    Anyway, he got right down to business. "I've been reading your file and I have to say I'm impressed. Ms. Finner gave you a good recommendation before she left, and she noted all the extra hours you've put in for the company," he informed me.
    My face brightened up at the mention of Finner's name. "I'm glad to hear that, Mr. Dunner."
    Dunner smiled. "Please, call me Steven. Whenever anyone uses my last name it makes me feel old."
    Using a boss' first name was new for me, and thus kind of uncomfortable. I'd humor him long enough to see what everyone else was doing about this name change. "All right, Steven," I obliged.
    "Good, now what are your dreams for the future? I'm not just talking about with the company, but for yourself personally."
    I wasn't about to tell him my dream of a cat farm. "Well, I'd like to work my way up in the company to buy a nice house," I replied.
    "One in the country?" he guessed.
    I shrugged. "I hadn't really thought about it, but I don't think that'd be close enough to commute every day." Good ol' practical me.
    Dunner seemed to latch onto this theme. "But if you had a choice, would you live out in the country?" he persisted.
    This was all very confusing