Chapter 5
Charlie
I’m the first one in line at the permit office on Monday morning. I grab a number from the ticket machine and plop down into an uncomfortable plastic chair in the waiting room.
Somehow, the four people who show up after me all get served before I do. I know what’s going on. Helena is up to her string-pulling and manipulation again.
My suspicions are confirmed when the clerk behind the service counter finally calls my number. Instead of just handing over the permit, she tells me that there’s been a problem in processing my application and directs me to Helena’s office at the end of the hall.
Fuck!
Pushing a smile to my lips as I step into the office is almost painful but I do it anyway.
“Hello Ms. Yorkville,” I say, injecting my tone with a hint of flirtation as I saunter into the room, chest all puffed up and swagger on point. As if the mere sight of her doesn’t turn my stomach inside out with revulsion. I drop into a chair opposite her desk.
She throws me a sultry stare as she rises from her seat and slithers toward the door, making sure to shake her hips as much as humanly possible in the process. I press my eyes shut and pull in a steely breath when I hear the rustle of the blinds flipping closed.
Dear god.
Helena comes and sits on the lip of her desk, one leg crossed over the other, hands planted on the table on either side of her, cleavage pushed up. “Well hello, yourself.” Her tongue traces a languid path along her bottom lip and my blood curds like stale milk. “It’s very nice to see you,” she drawls as she leans forward, causing her breasts to spill against the low neckline of her blouse.
I skip the pleasantries and go straight to business. “I heard that there’s been a problem processing my latest permit application. Just here to clear it up.”
She pouts, leaning back as she folds her arms. “So you’re not even gonna ask me how I’ve been?”
“Just looking at you, I can tell you’ve been very well, Helena.”
Without further chitchat, she throws her thighs open and the fabric of her skirt raises up enough that, if I shift my eyes in that direction, I’ll have a front row view of her entire reproductive machinery.
I don’t want that.
Not at all.
She mewls. “I’ve been lonely, Charlie. I’ve missed you.”
“Helena, we agreed. What we had was just a fling. I didn’t mislead you.”
“Well, I thought I’d changed your mind. Especially after you did that thing to me. That thing with your kneecaps and your pinkie finger. Remember?”
I sneak a peek at the clock on my phone. It’s almost lunchtime and I still haven’t made it to the worksite. I can’t believe I wasted my whole morning here. I’m running low on patience but I speak in my most diplomatic voice. “We were just having a little fun. Why complicate things?”
“Because I want more!” She pounds a fist into the table. “Last time you fucked me against a wooden frame in a gutted house on River Street and you left me standing there with my panties around my ankles. When are you gonna ask me out on a proper date Charlie? When are you gonna treat me like a lady?”
“Oh, Helena, you can do so much better than me. A man in a suit and tie. A man who drives a nice car. Me? All I do is put my dirty hands on you and leave boot prints all over your nice living room rug.”
“Mmm. That’s what I like, Charlie. You know I like it dirty. Just the way you do it.” She drops to her knees in front of me and goes straight for the zipper of my jeans.
“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” I leap up from the chair causing her to fall back onto her ass.
She looks at me with innocent, shining eyes. “What?”
Time to put this woman in her place. “Okay, look. You’re a really nice person and everything but we can’t go back to doing what we did before, okay? It was unprofessional. And wrong.”
“But it felt right. So right.”
“Feelings are unreliable, Helena.” I exhale and give her a soft smile. “You’re better than this. You know it. I know it.”
Instead of being flattered, she’s mad now. “Don’t you bullshit me, Charlie.”
“I’m not bullshitting. I’m just helping you see the truth.”
She leans forward and narrows her eyes menacingly. “Y’know what? Your building permits? Your demolition permits? They pass through me. Your livelihood depends on my benevolence. You don’t keep me happy, I'll have you rattling a tin can for coins on the corner outside of the Quickie Stop in no time. Rely on that!” With a huff, she rises to her feet and smooths her skirt into place.
I try to keep my cool in the face of her threats. She’s bluffing, right? She wouldn’t withhold my permits just because I don’t want to fuck her. Would she do something like that?
I need this demolition permit. The Silverberry Shopping Centre project is the biggest contract I’ve ever been awarded. Tens of millions of dollars are on the line. If I don’t get the permit, I can’t start the project and if I can’t start the project, I can’t get paid and if I don’t get paid, my men don’t eat. I can’t let them down like that. I scrub my hand over my scalp and down my face.
She’s sitting behind her desk now with her fingers steepled in front of her, the picture of class and professionalism. “How bad do you want your permit, Charlie? When you figure that out, let me know.”
I glare at her for a long moment, a thousand insults flying through my head, colliding with each other. But I’ve got to keep my cool. I just press my lips flat and stomp out of the room.
I’m done playing this woman’s games. But how the hell am I going to get this permit?