<strong>JAMIE TRESHAM</strong><br/><br/>Jamie let Alex tear apart Veronica with his words, not saying anything, letting him spew his venom with adroit skill, marveling at his vicious temper. She loved that about him. Never did a day go by when he wasn’t finding an incredibly inventive way of telling someone to go bugger themselves …<em>he’s a regular Picasso of the potty mouth,</em>Jamie thought admiringly.<br/><br/>When he was done, Jamie went up to Veronica. She still didn’t say anything. Instead, she simply reached down and helped the girl pull up her lacy knickers and her pants … not even trying to fondle or molest the girl, as she had earlier. When she was done, she simply stood and looked at Veronica, face to face, her nose just a few inches apart from the waitress’s.<br/><br/>Without warning, Jamie suddenly reached up and slapped Veronica hard across her soft, pretty face. The force of the vicious blow echoed with a resounding<strong>crraaack!!!</strong>throughout the kitchen. With her other hand, Jamie reached up and grabbed Veronica by the throat, shoving the insolent waitress back up against the wall. Jamie didn’t hold the girl’s throat tight enough to strangle or hurt her … but she applied enough force so that she couldn’t move, either.<br/><br/>“Now,” Jamie said, her cold blue-green eyes boring into Veronica’s face, “carefully attend to what I am about to say, for I will only say it once.” With her other hand, she reached up and slapped Veronica’s face again, although far more lightly the second time around.<br/><br/>“Believe it or not, you’ve been handed a fantastic opportunity,” Jamie said to the waitress. “We had over two hundred applicants for your job. I guarantee that none of them would be as thick or as eager to piss it away as fast as you. Shut up, work hard, do as you’re told … and kindly suffer the indignities this job will occasionally entail.” She slapped Veronica firmly between the waitress’s legs, as if to emphasize the point.<br/><br/>“But … if you do a good job … if you impress Alex, and perhaps myself … when you apply for a job at any other restaurant in the world, even the most posh restaurants in Paris, or Tokyo, or New York City … you’ll get the job. Without question. And everyone will know<strong>exactly</strong>how good you are, because Alex Fucking Snell recommended you, and they’ll know you can do anything and put up with anything … that you’re the very best at what you do. A mere word from that man over there will take you far in this world.”<br/><br/>Jamie dropped her hand from Veronica’s throat, and took a step back from the girl. “You have exactly two choices, sweetheart. Shut your face, stop complaining, and do as you’re told, and do the best job that you can. Or just get the fuck out of here and quit right now. If … I …<em>ever</em>… hear a whinging, spoiled little outburst like that again, you’re fired. And that means I have to do your job for the rest of the day, I will. I’ve done it before, and I can do it again without all the bratty sniveling.”<br/><br/>Jamie looked at her watch. “I’m giving you a minute to decide … if you’re still standing here in this kitchen one minute from now, I’m assuming you’ll do whatever Alex or I say without question, without complaint? Understood?”<br/><br/>She spun on her heels and turned to Alex, looking up at him. “Chef Snell … ? Think I’ll have that cup of coffee now, if you please … good fucking<em>lord</em>, I need one.” She closed her eyes and leaned back, folding her arms over her chest.<br/><br/>“And,” she shouted, “if someone could tell our other tardy slattern who tried to sneak in here without my noticing to get her lazy arse in here immediately, that would be fanfucking<em><strong>tastic</strong></em>. ”<br/><br/>Jamie took a few deep breaths … then turned around to see if Veronica was still in the kitchen.<em>And if you are, you insolent bitch, I’m not done with you yet,</em>Jamie thought angrily.