Excerpt: Blind the Messenger

As he picked up the glass, he felt someone’s gaze focused intently on him. He turned to see a young woman sitting on the stool to his left, watching him with gray eyes that did not seem to blink. For a moment, Jacob stared back, expecting a blush to overtake the woman’s cheeks as she turned away shyly. But she didn’t; she continued to watch him unabashedly, even as Jacob’s features crinkled in another sneer.

“Can I help you with something?” he asked coolly. The woman regarded him in silence for a brief second before lifting the corners of her plum lips in a smile.

“You can if you’re really looking for a job,” she replied. Her tone was smooth and unfaltering – a silken ribbon unraveling into a pile at bar stools feet.

With a roll of his eyes, he turned away from her and snorted, “Prostitution may be your thing lady, but I only sleep with women who don’t have to put out cash to get some,” He threw down his third shot; catching Mitch’s eye, he then raised his three calloused fingers for additional drinks. For some reason, the woman still hadn’t given up on him just yet.

“I’m not here because I’m looking for someone to sleep with,” she replied, her tone unusually even for someone who was just accused of being a whore, “I’m here because I’m looking for someone to hire,”

Jacob had hoped to dismiss the woman by ignoring everything she said, but what was coming out of her mouth was just too ridiculous for him to not comment about. He looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. “You’re hiring out of a bar? Glad to know that I’m not the most desperate one here …”

Again, she smiled coyly at him. “Well why not? In the current economic climate, it is clear that people applying for jobs is a system that’s not working; so what’s wrong with bringing jobs to people in everyday life?” Jacob didn’t say anything; he just regarded her coolly, suspiciously. Seizing the rare opportunity, she turned her body fully towards him and crossed her legs at the knee, resting her elbow on the bar.

“Care to hear my proposition?”