"Greta, Mr. Fraser would like to see you in his office today. I have scheduled you in at 4 PM, please do not be late."
"Oh fuck!" I can't help but think to myself. When it's Friday and the boss of the company wants to see you that afternoon, that's never a good sign. Not to mention that my pervert of a boss has been after me since I started 7 months ago. I knew I shouldn't have accepted this job when he was flirting during the initial interview, but how could I turn it down? The money was just too good to pass up, especially for an entry level accounting position!
When my husband and I moved to New York, it was a struggle. He's a writer, but the truth about being a starving artist isn't nearly as glamorous as you'd think. I had just finished my Bachelors in Accounting, but being a tall blonde woman, people tend not to take me seriously. The fact that my breasts are 34D's doesn't help. People don't see a smart woman when they look at me; they just see a bimbo, which is what I'm sure Mr. Fraser thought when he hired me. But I work hard, and I thought I was doing well, apparently that is not the case though, since I'm afraid I'm about to be fired.
I spent the day with my head down, just trying to stay busy and not worry about what was happening that afternoon. I cannot lose this job though, so I decided that I would walk in with my head held high, and face whatever I was being accused of. I'm a good employee, and I'm worth keeping around damn it! As 3:50 rolled around, I stood up, straightening out my skirt and checking my blouse for wrinkles. Satisfied with my appearance, I walked down the hall towards the boss's office, my high heels clicking announcing my arrival. Mr. Fraser's secretary let me go right in, with a smile on her face. That bitch probably knows what's coming, but I'm not scared, I can handle this!
"You wanted to see me Mr. Fraser?
"Yes Greta, please come in and sit down. I have been alerted to a situation, and I think we need to discuss things, and decide how to resolve this."
So far, so good! Sitting down in the large leather chair, I wait patiently for him to continue, confused as to what situation could possibly involve me. I watched patiently as my boss typed on his computer, before turning the screen towards me. I could clearly see the company's yearly budget graphed out, which I understood. What didn't make sense to me was that there was another graph which showed that a substantial amount of money had been disappearing every month, totaling up to just over $20,000 for the year. My accountant's mind was quickly able to put the situation together.
"Someone is skimming money from the company! You're right Mr. Fraser, that's a pretty serious issue. I can go back over the budget each month and see if I can find where the money is going, which should help us to identify who the thief is."
"That won't be necessary Greta, you see, my team has already gone over the numbers and we have discovered the crook. But you have probably guessed that by now." I couldn't help noticing at this point that Mr. Fraser is smiling in the creepy way he does when he is about to finalize a deal. "We have already figured out that you are behind the missing money Greta. We were able to track the transactions back through the system, and discovered that they had all originated from your terminal. This is a breach in your contract, as well as being a very serious criminal offense. Care to explain yourself before I call the police?"
As I sat there, I was in shock. MY terminal? How could it have come from my terminal? I've never stolen anything in my life! Then the rest of his words hit me. "The police?! Mr. Fraser there has obviously been a mistake, I didn't do this! Please, let me look at the accounts, I can prove my innocence. My husband and I can't afford for me to lose this job, and if I'm arrested for fraud, I'll never be able to find a job again! Please... We can figure this out!"
As I spoke, Mr. Fraser had made his way around the large desk to stand in front of me, leaning back and grinning as I tried to defend myself. My boss is not a bad looking man; he is tall with a decent body, and very imposing, especially looking down at me like he is now. Despite how hard I am trying to defend myself, I can tell that he has chosen to stand so close so he can exert his power over me. As much as I don't want it too, it's working. I am scared of losing my job. My lips are trembling and I'm fidgeting in the chair as he stares down at me.
"All right Greta, calm down. I'll be the first to admit that my team has made mistakes in the past, and you've never caused me any trouble before, so I'm willing to give you a chance to prove your innocence. But I will expect your complete cooperation during the investigation, as well as your assistance with another issue I am having."
"Really? Thank you sir, I'll of course do anything you ask. I swear to you I didn't do this! What else would you like me to help with? I'll be happy to help you if it means keeping my job!"