Bad Blood by Mary Monroe

knew that from day one. I was helping out as a favor to you and your mama.”
    â€œSister Beulah, I’ve known you since I was a little boy. I care about you, and I worry about you—”
    â€œYou don’t need to worry about me. I was just fine before I came to work for you, and I’ll be fine after I’m gone.”
    â€œOkay. I’m trying to be reasonable.”
    â€œReasonable? Boy, you don’t know the meaning of that word. Not to me or anybody else. I am not blind. I know what you’ve been up to with that gal that you lock yourself up with in your office. . . .” A mysterious look crossed Sister Beulah’s face, and that was another concern.
    â€œIf you’re talking about Darla Woodson, that’s none of your business.”
    â€œNo, it’s not. But I will tell you this much. If you think you need to worry about somebody, that somebody should be yourself and . . . Rachel.”
    â€œWhat about Rachel?”
    â€œYou think all I do is sit out here and type letters and answer the phone? You think the people who call here for you don’t tell me more than they should when I answer your phone? And the same goes for the people who come up in here to see you. Like that Darla woman! Don’t you know by now that most secretaries know just about everything there is to know about their bosses? Even their personal life . . .”
    â€œWhat’s that supposed to mean?”
    â€œYou ever wonder what Darla and I talk about when she’s out here with me, waiting for you to finish a call or come out of a meeting?”
    â€œAnything that Darla discusses with you in this office is confidential. Do I make myself clear?”
    â€œNigger, please! The only thing ‘confidential’ to me is my stretch-marked booty! You just better pray I don’t get mad enough to blab your ‘confidential’ business.”
    â€œYou will not discuss my personal business. Do you understand?”
    â€œI’ll discuss whatever I want to. If you don’t like it . . . sue me. Now, you have a nice day, if you can, boy. ”
    I was so stunned, I couldn’t say another word or move a muscle. I stood rooted to the same spot as my angry former secretary offered me a sinister laugh before she angrily marched out the front door.

Chapter 15
    Rachel
    I SPENT MY WHOLE LUNCH HOUR SITTING IN THE BREAK ROOM IGNORING the ham sandwich on the Styrofoam plate in front of me as I read a few pages of the latest issue of Black Enterprise. If somebody had come in and asked me what I’d just read, I could not have told them. My mind was on Seth and why he had changed his mind about marrying me.
    I was glad to see my desk telephone message-waiting light blinking when I returned to my office. My hand trembled as I retrieved my messages. The first one was from Mama. I interrupted her rant in mid-sentence because no matter what she was whining about this time, it could wait. The second message was from Lucy. She so sounded frantic, I called her back immediately.
    â€œWhat’s up?” I began. “How come you didn’t attend the staff meeting this morning?” Lucy was our head librarian, and she rarely missed a staff meeting.
    â€œI had a doctor’s appointment. Do you know that motherfucker I’ve been dating gave me an STD?”
    â€œThat good-looking Greyhound bus driver you’ve been seeing infected you? With what?”
    â€œHerpes!”
    â€œOh, my God. I’m so sorry to hear that.”
    â€œYou’re sorry. Honey, the person who is going to be sorry is Gary Franklin!”
    â€œHave you told him yet?”
    â€œI just found out this morning, and he won’t be back from his bus run to San Jose until tonight. Oh, when I see that son of a bitch, he’s going to regret the day he met me!” Lucy snarled. “I’m not coming in to work at all today. Can you meet me at Dino’s Restaurant when you get off work?