On the one hand, there was a high probability that the director would be able to personally observe the behavior of this client, our work and the unfounded claims that the complaint book was full of. And on the other hand, a feeling of flight when you get hooked and fall into the mud. You fly face down, and before you land, you know in a split second that you will be dirty.

But the old scorched fox, as if sensing a possible trap, behaved decently for quite a long time, allowing just a little - only to stroke my legs with his eyes. He might have come out that day dry from the water, if not for alcohol.

Gradually and slowly, flooding his eyes, Sergei Valentinovich eventually lost his vigilance.

- How are you, Sashenka? asked with a smile.

- Good. Thank you. She replied with a glance in his direction.

Where's the beautiful smile? Come on, show me your sugar teeth.

Suppressing her anger, she didn't react. Before, I would have already left, in an attempt to buy at least a little time from the forced communication with this type, but now I could not, because of the presence of Mark Yanovich.

The last one sat, completely ignoring us. He fiddled with his fingers on the phone, sometimes called someone or answered an incoming call. He asked Masha for a cup of espresso and a glass of still water, after which he drank alternately in small sips.

- Sashenka, what would you advise me for dinner tonight? - Seeing my gesture in the direction of Luda, with which I called her, waved it off: - No, I want you to serve me. Make an exception ... - He asked in an unctuous tone.

Taking orders was not part of my direct duties, and I had to help the waiters with a large influx of visitors, if they could not cope. At the moment the room was half empty.

- Of course. - She smiled tightly and took the menu in her hands, went to him.

This was followed by the usual fifteen-minute exam on the knowledge of the dishes offered, the composition and method of preparation. He would have fooled me further if the list hadn't ended. As a result, I settled on a portion of Parma ham and ravioli with mushrooms.

Returning from the kitchen, she was detained by him again.

- Another cognac repeat, please.

- Oh sure. One hundred? Two hundred?

- Sashenka, you should already know my tastes and habits.

Oh, how I hated my name coming out of his mouth! Like a hiss. Disgusting.

- Two hundred?

- Yes. And order for yourself. Cocktail there, or what. - I offered, knowing in advance that I would refuse.

Thank you, but you know what's at work...

- So maybe we can talk after work? When do you finish?

- Sorry. No.

- Why are you so intractable? - became irritated.

I went to the bar, trying to keep my cool. There was no doubt that the director heard our dialogue perfectly. And the more unpleasant it became.

When she returned, Ryleev asked:

- So what time do you finish? And I didn't hear...

- We have an irregular work schedule, Sergey Valentinovich.

- Until the last client?

- Quite right.

- I can give you a ride after work. Want?

- Thanks, no.

- Don't play with me, Sashenka. You don't have to straighten up. Be gentle and you'll see how much I can be... generous. His tone of voice was gentle and menacing at the same time.

- Sorry. Without commenting, she went to the counter.

Mark Yanovich got up from his seat.

- Alexandra Anatolyevna. For two words. With a nod of his head, he pointed to the exit, slowing down next to me and skipping ahead.

As soon as we got outside, a security guard appeared out of nowhere.

- Understand. - The manager ordered briefly and silently walked towards one of the buildings. I stopped, not knowing what to do next.

- Follow me. - Without turning around, he gave the command to me.

As a result, together we came to the supply manager.

- Book of complaints. - Ordered, barely looking at the subordinate. Having received a new magazine, he took it and handed it to me.

Turned around at the door:

- Get back to work. And for the future. If any problems arise, we have a security service, which receives a salary in order to solve such issues. - He said, chasing with irritation, and, turning around, left.

I stood batting my eyes as if I had been spit on. The words, the tone of his voice, the cold squint, the expression on his face - all this blocked the feeling of gratitude, destroying it on the go. He helped and reprimanded at the same time. Hands trembled, and tears welled up in his eyes. It became so offensive that a burning lump suddenly formed in his chest.

Swallowing, she went to the restaurant. Direct fire flew into her office, brushing off the girls:

- Then. All later!

She sat down at the table and burst into tears. In fact, his notation was unfounded. How could the guards help me? When this whole epic with Ryleev was just beginning, I asked. According to their instructions, intervention is possible only if the client dissolves his hands or behaves violently, and Sergey Valentinovich, apparently, is a sparrow shot in such matters. He kept himself within the limits, allowing the surplus only verbally ...

Thanks to his act, Wulff gained respect and sympathy from our employees. The news quickly spread throughout the club. But my warmth and interest, which for some reason I previously felt for this person, suddenly disappeared.

About a month later, I tried not to catch his eye and not to shine at all. At meetings and meetings, she would hide somewhere in a corner. All correspondence at work, reports and requests were sent on time and to those who directly touched on the necessary issue.

Nevertheless, not communicating at all, of course, did not work. He periodically looked into our location. Silently drinking coffee. He was briefly interested in whether everything was fine, and, having received an affirmative answer, he left.

For my birthday, I took a couple of extra days off, swapping with my second in command, Kira, who had been off vacation for several weeks by then. She, unlike me, was more fortunate in this regard. She managed to walk him off before the innovations.

‍​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‍The day before, a wedding was held in our location, and therefore we had to spend the night at Sofitel. For such cases, a mini-hostel was equipped in the hotel complex, since getting from the suburbs in the middle of the night or in the morning is, to put it mildly, difficult.

I woke up at one in the afternoon thanks to the alarm clock, and, having taken a shower, went to the beauty salon with our girls - craftswomen, with whom I agreed the day before. Since the rest in Turkey was covered with a copper basin, my girlfriends and I decided to postpone it to February-March and go to Egypt. In the meantime, there was a nightclub ahead with a disco, cocktails and a break from all problems.

Hair coloring, haircut and make-up took quite a lot of time. So I rarely dared to mock myself. I have light blond hair, which fades very quickly in the sun, and therefore there is no particular need for dyeing in summer, but the hairdressers, of course, did not agree with this, convincing them to make additional highlights. As a result, I looked like I had just returned after a month at sea: not a blonde, but somewhere very close. Persuasion not to be too zealous with makeup, since the holiday is tomorrow, were ignored and thanks to the dark gray shadows, the blue eyes seemed even more transparent than before. And in response to my statement that red lipstick does not suit me, the girls skillfully explained that it suits everyone, you just need to choose your shade. In general, looking at my reflection, I suddenly realized that there was still gunpowder in the powder flasks.

She went out into the street, threw her backpack over her shoulder and stomped to the exit, dialing the number of a former classmate on the phone, whom she occasionally met, chatting about life over a bottle of beer. He bought a new car, and therefore came for me to show off and enjoy the trip once again. And although I don’t understand these goodies, since I didn’t know how to drive a car, I was only delighted with his proposal.

- Antokh, I'm free. Where are you? At the entrance? Right or left? Already going. Quickening her pace, she shook her head nervously as the wind tried to force its own hair into my mouth. And just a few meters later I ran into the director, who was walking from the administrative building to the parking lot.

- Alexandra? He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

- Good afternoon, Mark Yanovich.

The manager stopped, looked at me, and stared at my lips. I felt his interest in me, as if at the snap of his fingers. This is not how employees are treated. The wave emanating from Wulf seemed to be touchable.

- It suits you ... red ...

- Thanks. - Suddenly I remembered how he looked at me at the first meeting. Similar. This made me tense.

- Why are you ... - He narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking. - Do you have a day off?

- Yes. - Tucking the side strands behind her ears, she swayed, taking a step further. The desire to run away arose at one moment. - Sorry, I'm in a hurry.

After walking a couple of meters, I heard in the back:

- Can I give you a ride?

- No thanks. Turning around for a moment, she shook her head and quickly walked away.

Oh, the universe! I actually ran away. Walk very fast, trying not to run. And only outside the Sofitel was she able to exhale. Mom dear! Didn't it seem to me? Well, why is all this?

Anton stood propping up the new snow-white Audi Q8 with his ass. Seeing me, he whistled:

- Wow!

- And you thought! smiled back.

- San, you really look gorgeous. Toha hugged me, pecking on the cheek. I did the same, trying not to smear it with lipstick. - Hi.

- Hi.

- You are now exactly like Korikova in her youth.

- Like who? - I did not understand at first.

- Actress. She played in "Poor Nastya". he explained.

- You're scaring me. – Laughed in response. - Just don't say that you watch serials on the sly.

- What more. I lived with my mother and two sisters. They left me no choice. - He grimaced in response.

- Come on. Show off. She nodded at the car.

“Now you can see for yourself. He took my hand, led me to the door and opened it, helping me to sit down.

- Wow. Pulling the pleasant smell of the new salon with her nose, she looked around. - Antokh, are you sure you don't want to marry me?

He neighed back and walked around the car, heading for the driver's seat. At that moment, I saw that the car of our director was not far away. Wulf pulled up at the exit and looked in our direction, holding his gaze a little longer than expected. Excellent. So it didn't seem like it. A lump of unpleasant tension formed inside. Only this was not enough for me!