by Bella King
I large ball of dust and hair rolled across the floor and grazed the top of my foot. I kicked it off. If I could get to a higher position in the company, then I would be able to leave the basement and work fewer hours. My grades were still the most important thing, and I liked to study on the weekends, which I was unable to do when I was sitting in a dingy basement for eight hours a day.
I wondered what Atlas was doing for the company. It couldn’t have been anything too advanced. He wasn’t even out of high school yet. He was 19, and that wasn’t old enough to do any serious legal work. I was sure his father had him in a cushy position where he did very little for way too much pay. It only made sense.
I pushed open the double doors to see considerably more mail sitting on the long metal table in the room. It was quadruple what I had done on my first day, but I had a lot more time to do it. There were four large blue bins stacked in twos with multiple labeled white bins for the mail.
Number one was for Montgomery, two was for Smith, and three was for everything else. I had a good enough memory not to forget, else I would be in trouble. I didn’t have anyone to remind me of what I was supposed to do. John was nowhere in sight.
The only company I had was the gentle hum of the AC unit down the hall, which got gradually louder as the day grew hotter. I would be thankful for how cool it was in the basement when it reached peak temperatures this summer, but right now I wasn’t enjoying it. My skin was covered in goosebumps for the entire day.
I should have brought a jacket, but I didn’t have one nice enough to wear. I had insisted on looking as good as I possibly could, which I was beginning to regret. Nobody but the secretary would be seeing me today. I could have come in wearing a t-shirt and jeans and probably have kept my job. The dress code was pointless.
I took my time sorting through the mail, daydreaming about the evening in the lake with Jennifer and Atlas. The decisions I had made that day set me down a new path, and now that the thrill was starting to wear off, I found myself wanting more of it. I wanted to see where this road took me, and that meant I had to confront Atlas again.
I would have never admitted this to any other the girls on the swim team, but I wanted Atlas to trying something on me again. I was craving confrontation in a way that I never had before. I wasn’t ever one to back down in the face of an adversary, but I also had never been the one to deal the first blow. That was new to me.
Every hour that passed where I didn’t hear his heavy footsteps coming down the hallway was an hour of secret disappointment. Was he not going to yell at me for pushing him into the lake? Was he afraid of me now, or was he just laying low, waiting for me to put my guard down so that he could strike with more effectiveness?
I tossed a bundle of letters into the third white bin and dusted off my hands. I was starting to get hungry. It was time for lunch, probably, but I hadn’t been keeping track of the time. I looked at my phone and was surprised to see that it was already 3 PM. I should have eaten three hours ago, but I was so distracted by my fantasies that I didn’t even think to. Time had flown past me, and I was already almost finished with work.
I looked over into the final blue bin that remained on the table. There was a small pile of mail inside of it, but not enough to keep me occupied for much longer. I guess a very long lunch break was in order.
I moseyed over to my purse, where I had stashed a few sandwiches and three cans of cola for me to drink while I was working. I had only had one this morning and was probably dehydrated. Damn, if feeling this good was making me so dysfunctional, I wondered if it wasn’t better to be moody and depressed instead.
I pulled out a turkey sandwich that was wrapped in foil and tossed it onto the metal table, coming over to it with an open can. I took a sip, savoring the fizz in my throat for a moment, then placed it down on the table and began to unwrap my lunch.
The foil that covered my sandwich was already ripped from being inside of my purse, my bread had a hair stuck to it. I always asked my father to buy thicker foil, because for some reason he was always choosing the thinnest stuff he could find. We weren’t saving any money by having me wrap my sandwiches in a thousand layers just to make sure the foil didn’t tear through, but he didn’t listen.
Maybe with the new money I was making, I would be the one buying the foil. It was only a few bucks at the grocery store.
I plucked the hair off, which I recognized as my own, thank goodness, and bit into my sandwich. As I chewed the cold turkey and cheese, I heard footsteps coming down the hall. I swallowed the bite in my mouth too fast, not chewing it properly first. It got stuck halfway down, so I grabbed from my soda, chugging it as quickly as I could before the visitor arrived in the room.
It was all for naught. The footsteps took a turn and entered another room in the hallway. I coughed, recovering from the crazy stunt I had just pulled so that I could look professional in front of whoever was going to enter the room. I was acting ridiculous, and I knew it was because I was trying to look good for Atlas.
That really bothered me. Who cared what he thought about me? I didn’t need to look good for him, nor did I need his approval. I mentally scolded myself for thinking that way. It was foolish of me to get sucked into his world. I was much better than the women that chased him around.
I picked up my sandwich again and took a large bite out of it. To hell with looking perfect. I was hungry.
Chapter 14
Charm is a skill that is powerful and dangerous in the right hands.
I was on my final hour of work, having finished the entire three bins of mail, and I had grown so bored that I drank all three cans of cola just to pass the time. After four trips to the bathroom, I wished I could just leave, but I was being paid by the hour. I needed to milk this job for every penny it was worth if I wanted to continue my schooling at Granite Hills.
Like clockwork, Atlas decided to pay me another visit at the end of my shift, just ten minutes before I was scheduled to leave. I recognized his footsteps immediately, slow and heavy, like he was wandering toward the door without any particular purpose in mind.
I jumped up onto the table, grabbing a few already-sorted letters out of the third bin so I would look like I was still working when he came in. I stared down at the names on the letters, ignoring Atlas when he finally did burst through the double doors.
“Well if it isn’t the girl with the freckles on her tits,” Atlas taunted when he came in.
I looked up at him. He was dressed like a full-blown businessman. I wondered what he had been up to today. I knew he didn’t dress that way for regular work. I raised on eyebrow at him, unphased by his taunt. “Hey, Atlas,” I said dryly, placing the letters in my hand into the white bin and hopping off the table.
“I think you should show me your breasts again, Virginia, since you were so eager to do it before. I didn’t get a chance to get a good look at them,” Atlas challenged.
I was taken aback by his sudden proposal, but that was obviously his intention. He wanted to have the upper hand this time, but I was learning quickly now that the best way to defeat him was to play the same game.
“I was wondering why you chose to swim in your clothes yesterday, but I figured out that it was because your dick was so small. Embarrassing,” I said, crossing my arms.
Atlas wasn’t fazed. “You pushed me into the water. I never did a damn thing to you. Hell, I even saved you from your lunatic ex-boyfriend, Jared. He dropped out, by the way.”
“What?” I said, stunned.
“Yeah, I made him drop out. He claimed he didn’t wreck my car, but I didn’t buy it. I said he was dead if he ever showed up at school again. He didn’t come back,” Atlas said, looking just as proud as he could be. His arrogance was something that was equally frustrating and charming about him. It was like everything in life belonged to him and was under his control. He genuinely believed that.
“I guess you did me a favor, but you don’t know if he was the one that fucked up your car,” I said
, feeling conflicted.
Atlas shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter, does it? I have too many enemies to figure out who was behind it. Are you sure it wasn’t you?”
I laughed. “I’m not stupid. I already told you I had nothing to do with your car. Jared lost his fucking mind, so for all I know it was him. I don’t go around pointing fingers and getting people to drop out of school over things I can’t prove though,” I replied.
“Well I do,” he said, taking a step closer to me.
I could smell the heavy scent of fresh cologne on him. He must have put on more before he came down to see me. Was he trying to smell good for me or something? This was starting to feel odd. My heart jumped up a few beats per minute when he got closer.
“I asked to see your breasts, Virginia. Or are you feeling too prudish now that you’re at work?” Atlas asked, his breath hot against my face.
I rolled back my shoulders, puffing up my chest and looking him dead in the eye. “Take it off, if that’s what you want,” I replied coldly, my eyes flickering down to the small pearl buttons that held my shirt together. They were the only things between Atlas and my bra, which would be easy to remove since it closed in the front.
Atlas smirked at me. “You know, this whole agreeing with me thing isn’t going to make me stop hating you. I told you not to work here, but you came anyway.”
“I don’t give a damn what you have to say,” I said defiantly.
Atlas placed a hand on my breast, looking quickly up to my face to see if I would flinch. I almost did, but I managed to maintain composure. This wasn’t the time to appear weak. Besides, the warmth of his hand actually felt nice through my shirt.
My feelings heavily conflicted with my thoughts. On the inside, dopamine was getting pumped into my brain, exploding in my synapsis like fireworks for pure chemical joy, but my conscious mind was screaming at me to stop this insanity. Atlas was the enemy!
Suddenly, Atlas tore open my blouse, sending little pearl buttons bouncing like marbles across the concrete floor. I gasped at his display of power, my mouth dropping open, plump red lips parting in a moment of thrill.
“Front clasp? Were you expecting me?” Atlas said, pinching open the clasp that held my breasts in place.
My bra fell open, my breasts dropping out with nipples already erect with excitement. Atlas grabbed one of them, pinching and pulling me toward him by the nipple. I nearly fell over into his arms, blood rushing to my extremities so quickly that I felt lightheaded.
“Atlas,” I managed to croak, my throat dry and weak from his actions.
“Shut up, Virginia,” he said, slapping my breast, then squeezing it hard in his hand. He brought his other hand around to my ass, grabbing it and pushing me to his crotch. There was a hard bulge between his legs, a signal of his lust toward me.
“What are you doing?” I managed to get out. My head was spinning. This wasn’t at all what I expected from him.
“I’m going to teach you a lesson,” Atlas said, unbuckling his dress pants while still grinding his manhood between my legs.
My eyelids fluttered, not wanting to stay open. I was so caught up in all of this that I wasn’t able to breathe properly. My therapist always said I had issues with that. Maybe I should have listened to her, because now I was blacking out from oxygen deprivation.
I wilted, my vision becoming narrow and my hearing dull. I could barely see or hear anything at all, and then, it went black. I had fainted.
Chapter 15
Vulnerability is both what brings people together and what leads us to ruin.
I awoke to a splash of water hitting my face and rolling down my bare breasts. My eyes flew open, and I found myself on my ass, leaning against the leg of the metal table in the basement of H & H Legal Services.
“Wake up,” I heard Atlas say.
I looked up to see him over me, his pants buckled back up and a worried expression on his handsome face. I had never seen him look like that before, but then again, he had never seen me faint before. It happened on occasion when I forgot to breathe, but it had been a while since I had experienced a situation intense enough to warrant that response.
I grabbed my bra and relatched it, trying to save face. I climbed up to my feet, refusing Atlas’s hand when he reached out to help me. I used the table as a brace instead. “Jesus Atlas. Next time warn me before you try to ravish me.”
“I didn’t think you were going to pass out like that,” he said, guilt and panic still on his face.
“I’m fine. Stop looking so clueless. It happens when I forget to breathe,” I assured him, shaking my head, partially at my own damn self.
“You forget to breathe? Isn’t that an automatic thing?” He asked, beginning to look amused.
I sighed. “Not everyone is as functional as you are,” I said, my voice regaining power. “Some people have bigger problems than picking who to bother at school.”
Atlas looked offended. His perfect eyebrows squiggled in distress. “I do have issues, Virginia. You just wouldn’t understand them. Girls like you only care about what they wear to school and shit like that. When have you ever had to struggle?”
I couldn’t believe him, acting like he knew me. He was filthy rich and a football star who seemed to be able to pull any girl in the school that he wanted. Instead of being a decent human being with all that he had been given, he chose to bully me. I was the one who should be taking my anger out on other people. I was the one who had been through hell.
“You’re fucking unbelievable. Do you know that? Unbelievable,” I said, shaking my head. “Do you actually think I would be working for your father’s stupid company if I had the choice? No, and don’t act like you know better than me.”
Atlas jerked his head back. “Why are you working here, then?”
“None of your business,” I spat.
“Are you broke?” Atlas asked, looking doubtful.
I took a deep breath, letting it out through my teeth. My jaw was clenched so hard that it was difficult for me to talk. “I need the money to pay for school, so stop harassing me about working here.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Your father is broke?”
I groaned. “He’s not broke, and neither am I. I just need more money to pay for school.”
He looked thoughtful at my response. “Interesting. I guess it’s fine if you work here then, just don’t mess anything up.”
“Why on earth would you think I would mess something up? This is like the easiest job in the world,” I said, attempting to button my shirt only to discover that all the buttons were missing. They were scattered across the floor. I let the shirt fall loose again.
“Maybe messing stuff up runs in your family,” Atlas said. There was meaning behind his words, but what it was, I didn’t know.
“Can you just stop bothering me? My father and I don’t mess things up. We both work very hard, unlike you,” I snapped. “Can I borrow your coat or something? I can’t leave with my shirt like this.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, looking mildly irritated. “Take this,” he said, slipping his jacket off his muscular shoulders and holding it out to me.
I took it, putting it over my shoulders. It was comically large on my small frame, but it covered my torso completely. The jacket was nice though, and I felt a lot warmer with it on. The fabric was like silk against my skin. In fact, it probably was silk.
“Thanks,” I said, pulling the jacket tight around my chest.
Atlas sighed. “Don’t fuck that up either.”
“Why do you think I’m going to mess things up? You’re the one wreaking havoc around here, not me,” I said, growing irritated by his empty accusations. Where was he getting this from?
“Do you know who I am?” Atlas asked, seeming to veer off in a completely different direction in the conversation.
I rolled my eyes. “Your name is Atlas Montgomery, you’re captain of the Granite Boulders and you apparently have a thing for my tits.”
“Do you know who my mother is?” He asked.
“No,” I said honestly. I hadn’t heard a single thing about her since I had met him. I assumed that she stayed at home.
“Well, I know who your mother is,” Atlas said, crossing his massive arms and raising his eyebrows.
My stomach dropped and I felt like someone had poured acid in my guts. I didn’t want Atlas to know about my mother. I didn’t talk about her. If he so much as said her name, I would rip his throat out. It would be pure evil for him to bring her up as an attack against me.
“Don’t say anything about my mother,” I said quietly, my body starting to tremble.
“Clearly, you haven’t been informed. For some reason, all this time I thought you knew about what happened to your mother. I figure you of all people would know.”
“I know what happened to my mother, you creep,” I shouted.
Atlas stepped toward me, blocking out the overhead light with his colossal frame. “But do you know what happened to mine?”
“No,” I said, confused and irritated.
“You’ve been living in the clouds so long, Virginia. It’s about time someone took you down a notch,” he said. “Your mother killed mine three years ago.”
His words were like a blade in my heart. They grabbed it, stabbing cold steel into the sensitive flesh. The wounds that had healed over into thick scars were ripped apart in an instant. I clutched my chest at what he said. It couldn’t be true.
“You’re lying,” I said, my voice trembling.
“Your mother was driving home after a few too many at the company party. It was raining. She swerved and crashed into my mother’s car, killing her,” Atlas said, his lip curled in an angry sneer.
“She wasn’t drunk,” I said, trying to defend her dignity.
“Did they lie to you about that too? She had a few too many drinks and fucking crashed her fucking car and fucking killed my mother,” Atlas said, spit flying from his mouth and sticking to my face.
