"Kate Thornton - Too Stupid To Live" - читать интересную книгу автора (Thornton Kate)

I kept myself from laughing. "Not that I know of," I said with a straight face. "But you know it's never a good idea to fish off the company pier."

He looked confused, then brightened. "Uh, yeah, uh thanks, Miss B."

After he left I shook my head. I hoped he wasn't interested in Dawn. And I certainly wasn't going to include advice to the lovelorn in my job description.

Bennie at least had the excuse of being young. But Corbett Stuyvestant, a Vice President over in Marketing, was certainly old enough to know better. Nonetheless, he took to spending a lot of time in the Finance Department after Dawn came to work with us. He was an average-looking pedigreed pup with a Harvard degree, a silver Volvo and a high-powered wife at a downtown law firm. It didn't take Albert Einstein to figure out that he was headed for trouble with Dawn.

I watched them make a few dates--Dawn was remarkably indiscreet and Corbett was remarkably smitten--and decided to put a bug in Corbett's ear before his wife stuck something more annoying into it, like a divorce or a screwdriver. Of course, they didn't notice me watching them, not even when I followed them at lunch one day to the small city park a few blocks away. They smooched not more than ten feet from me.

But they weren't invisible, and soon word of their amorous lunch dates in the park got around the office grapevine. Reluctantly I asked Corbett to meet me in my office under some financial pretext and had it out with him. He was, after all, the more intelligent of the two. Or, at least, he would have been if he'd been thinking with his brain.

"Corbett, I need to speak to you about something rather delicate," I said when he showed up that afternoon. He paced around my office like a nervous lapdog, sniffing and pawing at everything.

"It's about Dawn," I launched right into my prepared speech. "The whole office is aware of your park trysts, so how about putting the brakes on before your wife gets wind of it?" Hey, I was only trying to help.

Corbett didn't want help. "This is none of your business!" he exploded. "What I do on my own time is no business of yours! Why don't you find something constructive to do, instead of following other people around and spying on them. What are you, some kind of sickie? Yeah, that's it," he said smugly, "you just want the thrills. Well, get a thrill out of this!"

He lunged at me, and I'll admit I was so surprised I didn't step out of his way. He grabbed at my throat with both hands, and if it hadn't been for Bennie from Accounts Payable barging right in for my signature, Corbett might have actually hurt me.

"Hey, Miss B.," Bennie said. "I need you to sign right...Jeeze, Stuyvesant, what the hell are you doing?" He dropped the papers and gently removed Corbett's meaty paws from my neck, then twisted them up behind his back with an audible crack. Corbett yelped. "Are you, like, nuts, man?" Bennie asked incredulously. "Fuckin' nutcase, Miss B.," he said to me. "What should I do with him? Do you want me to call Security?"

Corbett was pale and gasping as Bennie exerted enough pressure to keep him quiet and listening to reason.

The last thing I wanted was Security and investigations and people finding out that Dawn was my niece. "Uh, no, thanks, Bennie. Just leave him here. He won't try anything."

Bennie did not look convinced, but he picked up his papers and left. "Call me for anything, Miss B., I'm here for you."

Corbett collapsed in my chrome and black plastic visitors' chair, still gasping and red in the face.

"Not smart, Corbett," I said. "Manhandling department personnel in front of witnesses is a no-no. Do you really want to lose your job over this?"

Corbett shook his head.

"Well, do you really want to lose your job over Dawn?"

His face got even redder and he shook his head again. He opened his mouth to say something but I didn't give him the chance.

"Look, she's trouble, you seeing her is trouble, and if I catch you at it again, I'll go straight to Personnel and get Bennie in as a witness that you assaulted me." I folded my arms across my chest and smiled. "Corbett, I am doing this for your own good."

I wasn't. I didn't give a flying rat's ass about Corbett Stuyvesant's own good. And I certainly didn't care that much about Dawn, either. In fact, I made a note in my day timer to fire her before I had any more unwanted intrusions into my workday. As it was, I was so far behind I would have to take work home.

Corbett slunk out of my office and disappeared. I sat down hard in my chair and reached for a bottle of aspirin before loading my date stamper and a file into my large purse.

After work I took a detour past the park. I had a feeling I would spot Dawn out there and I did. A small crowd of young guys in oversized pants and with their caps on backwards appeared to be doing some sort of mating dance in her direction. Even the hookers stared at her.

I sighed. No one noticed me as I sat down on a bench and watched her. She paced back and forth in a small area and seemed to be waiting for someone. I wondered if Corbett would show up. I spotted Bennie at the edge of the park, evidently headed for home.

I waited for about twenty minutes and then went home. Dawn was still waiting.