Rude Boy USA by Victoria Bolton Page A

advertised heavily in the New York area as an alternative to the snowy weather. The headline of the flyers read, “Jamaica’s more than a beach, it’s a country.” Celia had always wanted to travel, and she thought that since she was making decent money at Chimera, someday she would getto go. Celia and Jerome had cousins in Jamaica, and she thought it would be nice to visit them one day. She took the advertisement and pinned it to the wall next to her desk as inspiration. Celia had received her week’s advance check when she first started, and it had been more than her weekly check from the Playboy Club plus tips. However, she did not receive another check until a month later. Bernie informed her that he distributed money on a monthly basis, and the amount depended on sales and fluctuation of markets and trends, so she had to budget wisely. This was why they all needed to hustle hard. They had not yet told her about the company’s other activities. They felt that for now those were outside of her jurisdiction.
    Celia worked so many hours at the office, she had to put her plans for school on hold for the time being. She was not worried; the paycheck after the first month more than made up for it. For the first time in her life, she had received a four-digit paycheck. It would be enough that she would not have to move or even get a roommate once Rose left for good, which would be in a matter of days.
    Celia would go out with the guys on the lunch outings. The lunches were different, as the four men decided to maintain the rule of discussing only the nonsensitive items in the public and around her, keeping the big issues to themselves. Although no one on the team was massively overweight, all of the men ate as if they skipped meals for days. Celia was a light and delicate eater. Her diet consisted of lots of fruits and vegetables, with baked chicken for protein. She mostlyloved to snack on berries and grapes, a habit that did not go unnoticed by John. She had eaten the same things whenever they dined out while they were dating. He asked her about this out of curiosity. She told him that those berries had vitamins, kept you young, and made sure your body functioned properly. She said they were delicious and suggested he eat some. It was something that the women in her family had taught her. John was not sure what she meant by that. He declined and told her that he only put that stuff on hotcakes.
    Celia often found time in the office mundane. She spent most days alone as the guys went out and conducted their daily business. On occasion, she would be stuck with one of them on a slow day. Jerome and Bernie were always out. John and Ben were the two people of whom she spent the most time. Ben had slowly begun to warm up to Celia, occasionally saying something nice. At those times she figured either Ben was having a good day or his other activities had turned his attention elsewhere. She made sure not to make him feel like she was completely taking over, as she had sensed the tension from day one. Working at the Playboy Club had given her an understanding of the male ego, and she knew when it was appropriate to bruise it.
    Ben knew that the balance had shifted once Celia arrived. He felt that he had an ally in Bernie as John had an ally in Jerome, so the scales were even. With the edition of Celia, the scales tipped in John and Jerome’s favor. He had intended his aggressiveness toward her in the beginning to scare her away from the place. Now, with the increased, complicatedworkload, he needed her. He would not admit that he liked her personality, as it was not anything he had expected from someone like her. Ben would also not reveal to her that he had displaced some things with the accounting. He had not been completely honest with her the entire time. He’d forgotten over the years how much he had lost track of and why it had happened. If she were as good as they claimed she was, she would figure it out for herself,