The Devil’s Angel

of thinking and although she hated to admit it, maybe she really wasn't giving this her best. There was a big difference between trying to settle into her role as a receptionist and res

inute now!" She whispered furiously. Sam sighed and dropped his phone on the table with a dull clonk. "Mom's gone. She had to leave for some place or the other this morning and she won't be back until the day after tomorrow" he announced with a small smile on his face. His statement made her pause for a moment. "She left?" She had seen her mother packing a bag the night before but it had not occurred to her that her mother would be gone on another trip so soon after her trip to Paris ended. "But still..." "Calm down. You just have to help me cover it up. Don't tell Mom about this and I won't tell her about the money you gave that slimy boyfriend of yours" he said and with a a wink, he added "This is what I call a win-win situation". She scowled and turned away from Sam. What was it to Sam or her mother that she had given money to her boyfriend? It was her money and she could use it any how she deemed fit. Having already lost her appetite, she held tightly on to her bag and walked away. "Sis, do something about that perpetual frown on your face. You'll get wrinkles" Sam called after her. *** Work was exhausting as usual but she was doing better than the day before. Even the head receptionist could not find anything to complain about. She answered the phone expertly, gave correct answers to questions and even managed to smile when greeting the guests. She liked the impressed look on the face of the hotel supervisor. At least, if her mother called to ask about her progress at work, there would be good reports about her. Although, she did not know how long she could keep up with this. It was draining and made her feel like a bird on display. She hated the way some of the guests smiled and lingered around her even after she had attended to them or the way some of them held on to her hands longer than was appropriate even after she had given their room keys to them. It was even more embarrassing because the head receptionist seemed disgusted by all this. The head supervisor did not seem to care though. He teased her about it at any opportunity he got. "You are the face of Kimbaki. Maybe we should frame a photo of you and put outside to attract customers" he would say. This objectification vexed her to no end but she knew that he meant no harm and it was easier to ignore him anyway. "Hey pretty" a male voice sounded in front of her. She looked up and threw her pretentious signature smile at him and he smiled back at her. He looked incredibly delighted for some reason. "How may I help you, sir?" She prompted. He had been staring at her with a dazed expression as if he could not believe that someone as pretty as she was was standing before him. "Oh, yeah. I made a reservation" he said, seeming to have regained consciousness. She nodded. "Okay, just a moment.