Jerry was a fucking prick.  She should have listened to her mother.  She'd come all the way to the city with him, sure he'd marry her and they'd have a life together, only to come home from a long day of waitressing and find him in bed with the red-head from downstairs.  Harlow had thrown every item in the place at him before she'd run out of the apartment with nary a thought to where the hell she was going to go.

Her mother had made clear if she left with that 'lazy good-for-nothing' she was never to return, disowned.  She had no cousins.  No siblings.  No grandparents...

Harlow spent every night during the first week in an all-diner on the edge of town.  They wouldn't let her sleep there but it kept her off the streets in the dark and she avoided the rain.  The second week, however, cash was low and soon without the money to keep even coffee coming to her table she was running low on options for a safe place to sleep or how to eat.

Deciding she had no better, safer options, she found herself sneaking into a home whose owners were clearly on vacation by the look of the over-flowing mailbox.  It was a real swell place, the sort she had hoped she'd own with Jerry one day... well, before the red-head that was.  Upon waking in the morning she realized the joint was sorely lacking in food and so it was she ran out to a local market.  

An apple from a cart here, a few grapes there... even a can of tuna!  It was just as she was picking up a box of instant pudding mix that she realized she was being watched by a stock boy, a little too closely.  She walked quickly towards the door.  The stock boy gave chase shouting "THERE SHE IS, THAT'S THE ONE!  THIEF!"

Harlow ran hard and fast down the street and rounding one particular corner she slammed into Levey_Posner, almost knocking him to the ground - losing all her food before continuing on hoping the cops would simply stop and grab up her goodies and forget to keep chasing her.

For three more blocks she ran until at last she came to the city park.  She found a bench and sat down sliding her foot out of her once pretty pink pumps.  She examined the blister and tried to ignore the complaining she heard in her guts.  

"Damn it."  She muttered, gently rubbing the sore spot.  Today was not shaping up to be a good day at all.

Levey continued to whistle as he walked down the street. The blonde had run in the direction of the park.

"Pretty good spot to hid out if you don't know where else to go."

She must be new to the city. Levey was not. It only took about ten minutes to find a woman sitting on a bench, nursing her feet, hiding behind the brush.

As Levey spoke he laid on his Texan thick, as he did to strangers.

"Well there little lady. I wouldn't have pegged you for a thief myself, and lucky for you, I don't think the police much care now that the stock boy got his groceries back. Not that he can re-sell the food, that all fell on the ground."

He smiled and extracted the lipstick from his pocket.

"I did manage to grab this for you though, looked like you were keen on it. And food, well, if you're hungry a man provides."

He tipped his hat to her, indicating exactly which man it was that would be willing to provide.

"I'm Lee. What's your name little miss?"

Harlow's eyes went wide at Levey calling her a thief, but she supposed that was what she happened to be so she didn't protest it.

Harlow took the lipstick when that was offered and smiled.  That wasn't stolen.  She had paid for before everything had gone bad with Jerry.  She looked at the Texan and her grin faltered as she wondered what a stranger might expect in return for an offer of help.

"Folks call me Harlow."  She said softly.  "Thank you for picking this up for me ... and for the offer of food but, um, I'm afraid I got no way to properly repay you for your generosity.  See I missed work last week because of a crisis that came up and then I didn't have a job anymore.  They gave it to some other broad name Judy."

She shook her head.  "I mean, eventually I will be able to pay you back, but not today.  I'm sure I'll find some work eventually.  Just... having a spot of trouble now, that's all."

Levey laughed.

"I don't think I asked you for nothin' miss. I just said I would provide. If you want to insult me by turning down my hospitality though. Well..."

He spread his hands then and in the process 'accidentally' dropped a twenty dollar bill on the ground.

"I don't know what to tell ya. Maybe God will provide, or your luck will change. Do you need a job? Maybe a place to stay? I can help you if you want, and all you've got to do is say yes. Hell, if you're real keen on the job Judy's got now, I can always get you that job back and find somethin' else for that gal to do."

He waved a hand in the direction of the downtown area of the city.

"Plenty o' things to do out there if you know where to look, or the right folk."

"You... you could get me my job back?"  She picked up the twenty.  "I mean, don't get me wrong, waitressing isn't glamorous work but... my boss is a real asshole.  I doubt real strongly you'd win him over and convince him to just let me come back.  He's a pretty big guy to boot!  I mean no offense to you, you seem real swell, but he's been known to get physical and real loud when he ain't happy.  I figured it was best not to put up a fuss about my job and just be on my way."

Levey nodded, and then started to shake his head while he was listening.

"I could get your job back, but I don't think you should be going back there then. Not if he's gonna rough you up for speakin' your mind, or for fightin' to keep your job in the first place."

He rubbed his chin then, he needed to shave. He could feel the stubble coming in, but the recent move from Chicago to Detroit, well it had taken a toll.

"How about this? I've been going through a few changes in my life myself and I could use a hand. I think back east in them big city's they call them personal assistants. Like a secretary, but a bit more involved ya see. What do you say? I promise it will pay better than bein' a waitress."

He held out his hand for her to shake and then hesitated.

"And if it don't work out in the first month, I'll get you any job in the city you got yer eye on."

Harlow looked at the ground.  Her brow furrowed slightly.  "I really don't know.  See, the thing is,"  She hesitated.

"I got family with pretty complicated pasts, I come with more baggage then you probably wanna get mixed up in.  I've been thinking about moving actually.  I don't know that Detroit is the place for me."

She drew a breath. "Being a secretary does sound real nice though..."  She paused.  "What do you suppose you'd have me doing?"

Levey nodded.

"Suppose that's a fair question. I would have you go shopping, first for you, then for me. Get the dry cleaning, make sure my schedule is always free for my friends, and for important people in the city. If I have a meeting, you're with me. If you don't have anything else to do, you're with me. We can work out a schedule for you, but I would like as much of your time as you're willing to give up, and in exchange I'm going to pay you handsomely for it."

He picked up a newspaper from a bench just across the way and opened to the business section.

"You see this here chart?"

He pointed to the previous day's stock chart.

"I've got real good at reading those, and I can show you the one for my business. What I do it's almost like banking, but not quite. I'm calling it a mutual fund. Some folks in Massachusetts came up with the idea, but I've been able to make it really work well for me and mine. So what do you say?"

He folded the paper under his arm and then sat on the bench next to her. He lowered his voice, and let some of the Texan slip silently away.

"How about instead of a month, we go for a week. End of the week I'll pay you a thousand dollars and you can keep whatever clothes and makeup and other things you buy for yourself while shopping for me. Then you decide at the end of the week if you want to be a waitress, and I'll go see if Judy wants to make a thousand dollars a week."

Harlow thinks about it a moment before offering her hand to Levey, "I can give it a week.  No promises though.  If another opportunity opens up, I'm free to take it with no hard feelings?  Right?"  She arches an eyebrow.

Levey nods.

"Course ya are, the hell kind of a guy would I be if I tried to lock you up and throw away the key?"

He stands then and gestures to the street.

"I didn't bring my car out with me today, but if you want I can get you a set of keys, or a car of your own. Come to think of it, you might need one. Let's stop there first and see what we can get for you. You do know how to drive right?"

Harlow blinked, "You're just gonna buy me a car?"  She was STUNNED.  "Um... well, yeah, I know how to drive.  Can't say I've done a whole ton of it but my father had an old Ford we used to piddle around in when I lived at home still.  Taught me how to drive it once I could reach the peddles."

She shook her head.  "So this money you make what did you call it... Mutual Fun?  What sorta business is that?"

"Fund and it's stock brokering. If anyone asks though, you work in finance, it's easier on the ears and people ask less questions."

They made their way down the street then and walked to a used car dealer that Levey knew. The guy, Rich, was a good salesman, but more importantly, he didn't pull the kind of tricks other guys might. He actually sold you a car, not a bill of goods.

"Mornin Rich."

Levey watched as the other man beamed at him.

"Lee! You didn't come by with more money for me already did ya? I feel like I'm a criminal every time you come by. You know I'm even looking at buying up that lot across the street and increasing my inventory. Maybe even buy up some brand new models to sell, what do you think?"

Levey made a show of looking across the street.

"Not a bad idea Rich, people can buy em new from you, then sell em right back to you as a used one, and you can sell em another new one. Meanwhile, you turn that used one around and sell it on this lot? Making money twice on the same car. You are a dog ain't ya?"

He chuckled and then gestured toward the woman next to him. He hesitated a moment realizing he had no idea what the woman's name was. So he improvised.

"Rich, this is my new assistant, she needs a solid set of wheels to get around with, and seeing as you're looking to expand, I was hoping you might..."

"Don't say another word Lee, I've got a Buick right here I'm sure she's gonna love. It's only had one owner, nice couple from Ohio, but they fell on hard times, gave her up. You don't mind the color blue do you miss?"

"Blue is a lovely color."  She admitted now getting excited.  She wasn't sure how being Lee's assistant might be, but it had to be better than living with the constant fear of the police over her head.

Harlow looked at the car, though admittedly she really had no idea what made a good car or didn't.  It was pretty and if it moved as good as it looked, that was good enough for her.

Rich let her sit in the front seat and honk the horn.  She laughed and bounced on the bench seat.  "It's fabulous!"  She said marveling at all the shiny chrome inside.  Reaching over she tried the knob on the radio which was the car's newest feature.  

"Would you look at that!"  She exclaimed.  "I bet this is gonna cost you your firstborn Lee, I don't know... this might be more than we need."

Lee shook his head.

"Not gonna cost me a dime, ain't that right Rich?"

Rich's smile faded quickly then but he nodded reluctantly.

"Uh, yeah Lee, that's right."

Lee clapped a hand on Rich's shoulder and laughed.

"Oh relax Rich, I'm not about to fleece you like that! Tell you what, I'll give you three quarters of your asking price on the back window there, you throw in a tune up, you know oil change and new tires. You do that, and I'll make sure that your next envelope has a bonus in it."

Rich nodded, then put his hand out to the young woman in the car.

"I think you've got yourself a deal young lady. Come by and pick it up tomorrow."

"We'll be back in a couple hours."

Lee interrupted him and then helped Harlow out of the car.

"For now, we've got to get some lunch and, do some shopping. Come on darlin'."

As they made their way down the street Lee turned to look at her.

"Alright, I don't want to run into that problem again, so what's your name miss?"

"Harlow."  She said simply.

"Harlow isn't business name though. I'm Mr. Posner. Get it? So what can we call you in public Harlow?"

"Miss Harlow."  She smirked and folded her hands in front of her, keeping pace as she walked.

"Tell me, Mr. Poser, do you normally go out into the streets grabbing up young woman, giving them jobs and buying them cars without knowing their names?"

Levey shook his head.

"No, but I also don't get run into very often. Do you make a habit of stealing and then coming very close to getting caught?"

He smirked and opened the door to a women's boutique.

"No, I didn't think so. Hello Francine!"

He called out, and a middle-aged woman with a thick french answered him back.

"Monsieur Posner, so good to see you. Oh! Is this a lady friend you have with you today? My my you have done lucky for yourself n'est pas?"

She turned and looked at Harlow.

"He 'as come to fit you for new clothes I see. And new shoes, yes? Come, let Francine turn you into a real woman."

Lee smiled at Francine's eagerness and watched as she took Harlow by the hand.

"Enjoy yourself Miss Harlow, and don't be afraid to say yes or no to anything, price is no option, and your opinion of yourself should be of the utmost importance."

He made his way to the shoes then and began to browse through them looking for a pair of pink ones much like the pumps Harlow currently was wearing.

"Find these in her size and in four different colors if you would. The pink, a nude, black, and something I think to go with whatever outfit she picks today."

He handed the shoes off to a younger woman who nodded and ran into the fitting room.

Harlow spent some time trying on a dozen or so dresses and a few slacks and blouses.  She wasn't sure which style she liked best, mostly soft pastels though.  With each outfit she came out and showed it off to her new boss and spun round for him to examine how it looked.  

Her items placed in boxes and bags, an hour after they'd come inside, the two exited the shop together.  The whole damn thing was seeming surreal.  Who did shit like this?  And more importantly, what did it say about her that she was just taking all this in?  There was no way in hell he was just giving her this.  He didn't know if she could write her name let alone type or answer a phone or make a cup of coffee... 

Harlow looked at him out of the corner of her eye, "I can type.  I know my way around a phone and a cup of coffee too.  If that's what you'll be needing me to do.  And ... you know you said a lot about spending time with you..."  she paused and considered the man who sounded like a cowboy but looked like a scruff from New York City.

"You trying to see something to people?  I ain't one to judge sweetie, what you do in your own time and in the privacy of your bedroom is your business, but if I'm supposed to be selling to folks that I'm your girl, well, I at least hope that you'll fill me in on that."

Levey blinked. Then he blinked again. The third blink came about thirty seconds later.

"Miss Harlow, you're supposed to be my girl Friday. Unless you're telling me that you'd like to explore some other avenue here, all I need from you is to earn a paycheck, keep my schedule, and once in a while I might ask you to brush people off I really don't have the time to talk to."

He crossed the street then and opened the door to a diner. It wasn't anything fancy, just a greasy spoon, but it got the job done every time.

"Hey Phil, can we get a couple of pastrami sandwiches in the corner booth please? And uh, water for now, but I'm sure we'll have a malt by the time we leave."

Phil nodded and Levey made his way to the corner booth.

"See that? That's what you'll do. When we walk into a place next together, I'm going to go straight to the booth, you're going to get the attention of whoever is in charge and make things happen. That's your job. It's pretty easy I think, don't you?"

He sat down on his side of the booth and then folded his hands on the top of the table.

"Now, did you want to discuss anything... else?"

Harlow listened as Levey explained what he was looking for out of an assistant.  She nodded and then asked him, "Can I have a buck?"

Levey only hesitated a second before handing the bill off to her.  Sprinting over to the nearest waitress she quickly exchanged the dollar for a note pad and a pen.  Then she settled into the booth with him making notes about what her job is to entail.j

"Okay, I think I can handle this.  You know, I couldn't help but notice you know the name of every shop owner in all the shops we've gone to.  How is that exactly?  You just... friendly with them or do you do business with all these people?"

Levey smirked.

"You can do both you know. If you have business associates, and you help them, they get to know you. You get to be friends with them, and they don't feel intimidated by you anymore, and they pay you for what you do for them."

As if on cue Phil brought out two pastrami sandwiches and laid them on the table. He spoke with a voice that unmistakably belonged to a man who had been smoking since the day he was conceived.

"Hey Levey, could I talk to you about some of them stocks you deal in. I was thinkin' maybe if I could scrape a little money together you could help me out. It would make paying Big Jimmy a little easier if you know what I'm sayin."

Levey's face frowned and he cocked his head toward Harlow.

"She's new Phil."

Phil put his hand up to his mouth and bowed his head a bit.

"Oh I... I didn't know Levey. Really? I thought, well, since youse came in with all that stuff that you was keen on her or somethin."

Levey did not raise his voice, but the tone changed drastically to one that would brook no talking back.

"And that make it better Phil? Now I have to explain a few things don't I? Dammit, would you get back behind the counter. If you're smart, you'll kiss Miss Harlow's ass right about now and see if she can pencil you in to my schedule so we can talk about those stocks you want to talk about. Cause from what I hear, Jimmy isn't all that happy with his envelopes getting smaller."

Phil nodded and opened his mouth as if to speak, but then his eyes darted to Harlow and he quickly scurried back behind the counter. The sound of a blender could be heard following very shortly after.

"Sorry about that Miss Harlow. Now, where were we?"