AGENCY PROCEDURES; LUST and CORRUPTION

That bitch Sheba always landed on her feet, Pearl thought, and seemed to get the best of everything. Well this was one man Sheba was not going to get, Pearl would make sure of that.

At break time, Pearl, Rachel and Patricia sat in a corner of the lounge together.

"I'm gonna fix that bitch Sheba. You girls want to help me?"

"Mr. Dunn already gave me one warning and I'm not going to risk losing my job. He was pretty nice when I started all that sh-- about Shirley," Rachel declared she was turning over a new leaf.

Patricia still had it in for Sheba and when Rachel refused to help Pearl, Patricia volunteered her services.

"I'll help you, she gets on my nerves."

Rachel sucked her teeth loudly.

"Gets on your nerves, my ass. You were mad because Rafael was still chasing after her even when he had already screwed you. Besides, you and Pearl are breathing heavy over Bob Dunn. You ain't kiddin' nobody."

Pearl, upset because Rachel had seen through her game, snarled at Rachel, "Bitch, one of these days I'm gonna' whip your dilapidated ass. You can believe that."

"Any time you are ready." Rachel looked menacingly at Pearl.

Patricia looked at Pearl, waiting for her reaction to Rachel's response, Pearl had not expected Rachel to call her bluff. Both women were waiting to see if she was all talk and no action.

Pearl decided to ignore Rachel.

Rachel figured by Pearl's silence that she wasn't going to do a damn thing and went about the business of eating her lunch.

"What do you want me to do?" Patricia asked Pearl.

"At two-thirty, meet me by Sheba's office. I want you to talk to her for awhile, then tell her that I am down in the back room, screwing Mr. Dunn. She probably won't believe you, so convince her to come on down and see for herself.

Rachel sneered at Pearl.

"How the hell you gonna' get Mr. Dunn to screw you?'

"I'm gonna tell him that Patricia blacked out and is still unconscious and I can't find any- body to take care of her. He always rushes out of his office whenever there is an emergency."

"Then what?" Patricia asked.

"You keep Sheba there until we come out of the room. That's all she has to see, is me comin' out of that back room with her man. He won't be her man anymore. She knows very well what goes on in that back room, everybody knows. That's why you never see her go in there."

"You sure must have it in for her." Patricia said.

"She thinks she's better than everybody else. Won't drink, won't smoke, won't screw anybody, at least not before Mr. Dunn came here. I'll bet she's even making him wait, and he's gonna marry her."

"So? What are you so worried about?" Rachel snapped. "It's her ass!"

"I'm not talking to you. Mind your own business" Pearl answered.

"You got some damned nerve. Telling me to mind my own business, and here you are tryin' get into Sheba's business and Mr. Dunn's life."

Pearl rose to go and Patricia followed her out of the lunch room.

Promptly at 2:30, Patricia went into Sheba's office, after she watched Pearl, rush excitedly into Bob's office.

"Mr. Dunn, Patricia passed out and she's unconscious downstairs in the back room. I don't know what to do to help her. Please come down and help me."

Without questioning her further, Bob told his secretary where he was going and hurried out with Pearl. When they got there Pearl closed the door behind them.

Bob looked around the room.

"Where is she?"

"Oh, she must have come to when I left to get you. I tried to find some security guards, but they were all busy somewhere else, so I went up to your office."

"We'll have to try to find her, something serious could be wrong with her."

As he came out of the back room with Pearl, she made an elaborate gesture to straighten out her clothing, patting her hair into place.

Just then, Bob looked across the room, straight into Sheba's eyes, he smiled at her, but she seemed upset about something. She turned her back on him and walked away.

He stood there for a minute or so, puzzled, not noticing that Pearl had taken hold of his arm possessively. Then he saw Patricia.

She looked all right to him, but he walked over to her to check her out.

"What happened, Patricia?" he asked, concerned.

"It's nothing really, Mr. Dunn. About once a month, I get terrible cramps. Pearl thought I fainted, but I get that way for a few moments, that's all."

"Are you sure you are all right?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Bob left her and went up to Sheba's office, to find out why she had behaved so strangely. She wasn't in her office, he decided to wait until she returned. Her jacket and purse were still there, which meant she was coming back.

It was 3:30 when he sat down to wait at 4:44 he was worried when she still hadn't re- turned. He went looking for her.

Bob didn't know Sheba had seen him in her office and was deliberately staying away. She was really hurting.

When she saw him come out of that dreadful back room with Pearl, her eyes had flooded with tears and even her heart seemed to hurt.

Sheba hurried into the ladies' room and locked herself in one of the booths. She cried silently for what seemed to be ages.

She just couldn't stop crying. This was the second time a man at County Bureau #105 had hurt her and this time, the pain was deeper and tearing her insides and head apart. She was grateful for one thing, she was spared the sight of catching him in the act.

Yesterday, Sunday, she was ecstatically happy. The three of them, Donna, Bob and herself were painting Bob's house. They were doing this on weekends. They had something in mind for all nine rooms.

The spacious attic was going to be Donna's studio. The light in there was wonderful for an artist, also it would be a sewing room for Donna. Sheba and Bob would each have a den with wood-paneled walls and plenty of bookshelves. As for the three largest bedrooms, Sheba and Bob would share the Master bedroom, Donna would have her bedroom and there would be a guest bedroom. The remaining bedroom would be Sheba's sewing room. Bob was converting the huge finished basement into a workshop.

They'd behaved like three kids and had fun all day. But that was yesterday.