The day seemed to drag as Layla looked over the shelf of flavored syrups. Her eyes poured over the bottles till she was satisfied that the empty ones had been removed.
"I need the usual," Owen said from behind her.
"Large black coming right up," she replied.
"Been busy?" He asked while she filled the cup.
"We were earlier, but it was only people who work in the mall." She replied as she handed him the cup. "Typical weekday at the Java Shack. I'm glad Isaac has stayed in the office all morning."
"If he does anything, let me know. Even general managers are under the head of mall security." He said with a smile.
"I'll let you know," she assured him before returning to work.
The stockroom light flickered for a moment after she flipped the switch. She waited till the light returned to normal then stepped inside the small room. She looked over the shelves and was annoyed to see all the flavored syrups had been moved to the bottom shelf.
Who is the asshole that put them here?!
Layla thought as she stepped back to read the labels. None of the bottles at the front of the shelf were the flavors she needed. She got on her hands and knees to see what was at the back of the shelf. Dull pain radiated from her knees making her regret wearing a skirt. The bottles clinked as she moved them around, but soon she found the ones she needed.
"Maybe I need to take you to the office and have a talk about proper work attire," Isaac growled from behind her.
The sound of his voice made her jump to her feet, almost making her drop one of the bottles. He smiled as he looked over her body. His lustful gaze made her skin crawl. The bulge in his jeans made her stomach knot. The slight tingles of arousal she felt from it only made her more disgusted by him as he stood in the doorway.
"Are you going to let me through?" Layla snapped.
"Sure," Isaac replied as he stepped back. "When you're done stocking the syrups, take your break."
She stepped out of the room, but he pressed against her. His jeans felt rough against her skin as he pushed his bulge against her thigh. Chills ran through her as she felt his breath against her ear.
"Your ass looks good in those pink panties," he whispered.
Layla felt the disgust lump in the back of her throat. She quickly went to the front of the store before he could do anything else. His words replayed in her head as she stocked the syrups. The sensation of him pressing against her lingered in her mind.
Owen will help me put this fucker in his place!
With the last bottle in place she left the Java Shack to find Owen. Unsure of where he would be, she went straight to the security office. With a deep breath she tried to calm herself. The doorknob was cold against her palm as she turned it and stepped inside.
The office was different than she had expected. Her eyes danced about the room taking everything in. The large table in the center made it seem like a conference room. A wall of monitors on the opposite side of the room showcasing the security cameras throughout the mall. Each one rotated to a different camera after a few seconds. She saw the back of Owen's gray head and was relieved to see they were alone. He quickly turned to see who had entered the room.
"Hi Coffee girl. What brings..." Owen's eyes narrowed as he looked at her.
Layla shifted slightly from side to side, her eyes locked onto the floor.
"What happened? Did Isaac do something?!" He said as he stood up. The chair squeaked as he pulled it from the table. "Come, have a seat."
The concern in his voice reassured her. With a deep breath she walked around the table to him.
"Yeah it's Isaac..." she trailed off unsure of what to say.
"Oh we'll take care of this." He snapped as he grabbed the walkie talkie. "Randy, bring Isaac to the security office now," he ordered.
"Sure thing," came the reply from the walkie talkie.
The way Owen looked at her while she stood there made her feel more at ease. He'd always been so sweet and caring since she started working at the mall. He was like a father to her and she knew that he would take care of everything.
