Natural Consequences Read Online Free PDF Page A

not spend as much time with her lovers as any of them might wish.
    Alex had responsibilities, too. Fewer of them now. It didn’t feel good.
    “Were you watching?” he asked, keeping his voice low. He could still count the number of people who’d ever seen her on his fingers. Fired or not, Alex didn’t want anyone walking in to see him talking to the wall. Somewhere out there was a security guard on the way.
    “Yeah, most of it . I felt her coming onto you. Figured as long as I was gonna get vicariously boned, I’d come get the visuals to match.” she grinned.
    “Sorry about that,” he muttered. “I feel like such an asshole.”
    “ Why? Your boss is the asshole here,” Rachel shrugged. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Between you and me, Olivia’s guardian angel says she’s always been like this. You’re not the first guy she’s hit with the fuck-me-or-you’re-fired bit.”
    “So you don’t think this I brought this on myself?” he fumed.
    “Oh, sure, ‘cause you come to work dressed like a slut, right?” the angel deadpanned. “Doesn’t matter how hot you are or if you flirted with her or not. If the genders were reversed, you wouldn’t even question who was in the wrong.”
    “ Still. Women never even hit on me before Lorelei came along.”
    “Hah! You mean you didn’t notice. Alex, your eau de succubus just advertises what a great lay you are,” she said with a melodramatic gesture. “It doesn’t turn anyone into a slobbering drone. There are four other chicks in this office who’ve fantasized about fucking you into the dirt, but they handle attraction like rational adults. You don’t see them tying you up and stuffing their panties in your mouth.”
    Alex blinked. “Freudian slip much?”
    “Maybe,” Rachel replied with her sweet, naturally innocent grin. “But still. As much as Stephanie wanted to jump you, she kept it under control, didn’t she?”
    “ Ugh. Yes, and I feel awful for her. I don’t even have her phone number or her email. Can’t even apologize.”
    “ It’s not on you to apologize. I’m telling you, this is about Olivia being a crazy bitch. Shit happens. You can’t make it all about you.”
    “Doesn’t mean I don’t feel bad.”
    “Fair. Hey, I’ll talk with Stephanie’s guardian. Maybe we’ll bend a couple rules about interventions to make it up to her.”
    Alex nodded and slumped down into his chair. He knew he should set to clearing out his desk, but fuck it. He was entitled to a few minutes for this to sink in.
    “Anyway, screw this job,” Rachel said. “You don’t actually need it. You can’t tell me filing all day long was a thrill a minute.”
    “I liked having this job,” he scowled.
    Rachel made a face. She looked at the file racks and the pile of papers in his in box. “For fuck’s sake, why?”
    “ Because after the way all my other opportunities coming out of high school fell apart, it felt good to at least have an adult job. This might not be exciting, but it beats working a register or standing behind a deep fryer. That’s all most people my age can find.” He paused and added, “It felt good to have a job to go to after all the other craziness in my life, too. Helped keep me grounded. Made it feel like I wasn’t just sponging off Lorelei.”
    “ You don’t need to stay grounded, love. What you need is a long, sustained stretch of party time. No, seriously,” she said as she saw the objection rise to his mouth. “You’ve had life after life of hard knocks and sacrifice. I know you don’t remember any details anymore, but it weighs on your soul. I see it.”
    “Other lives. They weren’t me .”
    “Yes, they were, dork-ass,” Rachel sighed, reaching out to nudge at his heart. “It’s all the same soul. It’s who you are .” The thought gave her a bit of a frown. “Nobody should have that kind of consistency, but there it is. You made all those choices. You carried all those burdens. It’s time to dump ‘em.