by M. Malone
But, it wasn’t to be. So we had turned into best friends instead. Which was great. Awesome. I depended on Hunter. Honestly, I’ve learned so much from him already. He had been a life saver ever since my first day of work.
When Dent was driving me crazy, it was almost always Hunter who could calm me down and remind me of the benefits of working with a seasoned professional like Dent. Honestly, he’d become extremely important to my happiness here.
It’s because you have the hots for him.
Okay yeah, I totally had a crush on him. It’s kind of embarrassing actually. I spent an insane amount of time being preoccupied with what he was doing and when I was going to see him again.
It had to stop. I knew it had to stop. There was no way in hell I could ever tell him how I felt. It would ruin everything. He took his job here seriously. And I did, too. It didn’t matter how good his ass looked in those dark wash jeans.
“No guys. I wish.”
“Ugh! Total bummer, but you know what? When I get there, it’s going to be awesome. School is going to be a blast. I can’t wait for a fresh start with my bestie, ready for my new life.”
“You betcha! I can’t wait to have you here either.”
I hung up with her, and saw that I’d had two texts come in.
Hunter: Shoot, Shag, Marry, Tyrion Lannister, King of the Dead, or Little Finger?
I smiled, unable to contain my grin. I replied immediately.
Me: I can’t even do this. The dead guy is, well, dead, so eww! Little Finger also eww! I do think Tyrion is deliciously dirty though.
Hunter sent back an eye roll emoji, and I chuckled as I got undressed for bed. Now all I had to do was remind myself that he was my friend. Those little thoughts I harbored about him, would ruin everything. So eyes on the prize.
Hunter, wasn’t on the menu.
Hunter
It had gotten to the point that I knew exactly where Bailey was in the room without even having to turn to look at her. I could feel the energy vibrating between us. The moment she walked into the conference room, my gaze snapped to hers and I gave her a broad grin.
Yes, like a sap, I’d saved her a seat. You have it so bad.
Yeah I did. I had since I’d met her. But, what was that saying about shitting where you eat? I sure as hell wasn’t going to do that. Except, I wanted to be the kind of guy who didn’t bow to the rules. I wanted to be the guy who could just say fuck it, and take the risk. We could be adults, right?
It didn’t have to be some big drama. The two of us could handle it. We could be total adults about it.
Who was I kidding? I wanted her. When she knew it, things would be awkward. Awful. Impossible. There would be no way to maintain our friendship. It didn’t stop me from wanting her though.
Maybe this was the time to shoot my shot. Hell, I was feeling lucky. After my conversation with the bank, the one in which they’d assured me the deposit in my account was legitimate, I was feeling very lucky.
Someone had known I needed that money and had gone to great lengths to make sure I was taken care of. Obviously I was doing something right. Even if I still had no clue who’d sent it.
They’d gathered half the company inside of the conference room. Even though Bailey was clearly making a beeline for me, she kept her gait casual, as if she was in no hurry.
As if I wasn’t dying from wanting to be next to her. From wanting to breathe her in.
Clearly you are the only one feeling this way. Pull your shit together.
“Hey.” She said exuberantly.
I longed to take her, pick her up, and cuddle her tight. Yeah, just like a friend.
“Hey yourself.”
“Do you know what this is about?”
“I don’t know. All they told us was new policies. So that’s all I got.”
She nodded. “Okay. You all right?”
Had she possibly noticed that I was holding my breath, trying hard not to breathe in her scent?
“Yeah, I’m fine.” The lies fell smoothly off my tongue. Because I was the kind of guy who wouldn’t lie to his best friend.
The president of the company, Phil Lawrence, came on the screen. “Hello everyone, thank you for taking the time out of your day to join me for this meeting… “
He went on and on about the strength of the company, how he cared about every single one of us, how he regarded us as a family. Then he paused and I suddenly had the distinct feeling that this was no ordinary briefing.
“In light of recent sexual harassment complaints and concerns, we will be employing some new policies.”
I sat up straighter. Complaints? What the hell? Had someone noticed me staring at Bailey’s ass? Was that what this was about?
Don’t be a dumbass.
My first irrational reaction aside, I knew that I’d spent more time keeping my eyes off Bailey than on, so it was unlikely that anyone else would have noticed it.
Phil continued. “There will be a strict, no fraternization policy between subordinates and superiors. So that means, anyone on the executive level, shall not carry on a relationship with anyone subordinate to them. There will be no exceptions.”
Oh hell, there it was, all laid out in black and white. I was a junior executive. Bailey was an intern. I could only swallow, and any hope of actually having her as mine vanished without a trace.
“Special concessions will be made for prior relationship status. But by and large, this will be the new company policy.”
Ugh, how was this even possible?
But he wasn’t done. As he went on and on, it became clear that some idiot had abused his power and made someone else feel uncomfortable. So, thereby ruining it for all of us.
Bailey leaned over. “Do you know who he’s talking about specifically?”
I shook my head. “No, honestly, it could be anybody. Half these guys are pervs.” Yourself included.
She slapped my arm. “Be serious. You have no clue?”
I shook my head. “I mean, okay truth, marketing girls seem to be young and very pretty, so I have no doubt in my mind that some idiot thought he could get away with abusing his power. I just don’t know who it could be. Half the guys here are married. Not that that would stop anyone. But I honestly have no idea who it is.”
“This is going to get complicated. So many people meet at work. I’m not sure how this is going to go down.”
I bit my tongue. “Dating someone you work with is tricky even if you’re not a douchebag.”
She nodded. “Yeah. It’s what happens when you break up. Things always get ugly.”
I nodded. She was right of course. But I just knew that for us, it would be worth it. But before I could open my mouth again, Phil Lawrence continued. “Any and all new relationships, will be violating the policy. Any attempt to circumvent the policy, will be met with strong punishment.”
Would I be the only one punished? If it was just me that might get in trouble, hell, saying something might be worth the risk. But if Bailey could get in trouble, then no, I could be her friend. I could be good old Hunter. Even if it hurt.
“Well, I’m glad we have each other to lean on. I’d be completely lost here without you,” Bailey whispered.
I could tell she meant it. “I feel the same way, kiddo.”
Kiddo? Oh yeah, real smooth.
What was wrong with me? But she was right. In such a short time, she’d become one of my closest friends. Maybe that was better than having her as a girlfriend.
Who are you kidding? Having her for even one night would be better than not having her at all.
Well, as true as that might be, it was never going to happen. So I’d better let that go.
And figure out how to treat her like my friend.
3
Bailey
One year later…
I smiled to myself as yet another text came through.
Hunter: Get your ass down here now
It was Friday night and the rest of the office had already
knocked off to go down to Happy’s, the bar right down the street from our building. It was our favorite spot for happy hour, thanks to the cheap drinks and terrible music. I’d be right there with them if I hadn’t gotten so behind on my work today.
Or if my asshole boss hadn’t dumped project busy work on me just a few hours ago. I wasn't even assigned to any of these projects specifically. Who did that?
Hunter: Charles from Legal is on the bar dancing. I think he’s trying to twerk.
I snorted at the mental image of the older man trying to shake his ass. Our firm was a pretty conservative place and when I’d first started interning here, I’d been really intimidated. Everyone seemed so busy and professional, like they all had their shit together, while I was just trying to figure out what I wanted to do after college. But this was my second summer interning with the company and after a few Friday nights hanging out with the office crew, I’d discovered that even the most conservative types had a wild side.
Not that I wanted to picture the nice older man who always helped me with legal questions trying to gyrate his nonexistent ass. I giggled at just the thought.
Hunter: Seriously, where the hell are you?
Fed up, I finally responded. Damn, he could be such a drama king sometimes.
Me: Trying to finish all this work Mr. D gave me at the last minute. I could finish faster if you’d stop texting me!
I returned to my computer screen and squinted at the small column of numbers. I sighed. Numbers weren’t my thing. I’d thought I was safe by majoring in marketing, but apparently even marketing majors needed to know how to adhere to a budget for their projects. My boss, Mr. Dent, didn’t really seem to understand the budget all that well himself, though. Probably why he’d dumped this on me at the last minute.
After making a few minor changes to the numbers I’d entered earlier, I saved the file to the project drive and printed. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best I could do. What the hell could he really expect at the last minute on a Friday? It was already eight o’clock, and no one else had stayed this late. If I was lucky, Mr. Dent had fallen asleep at his desk again, and I could just slide this into his inbox without having to interact with him.
I hated having to talk to my creepy older boss, a man who still thought a comb over was preferable to just being bald, especially when there was no one else there to act as a buffer. It wasn’t any one thing he’d done that made me uncomfortable; there was just something about the way he looked at me. I shuddered as I gathered my things. He looked at me like he wished he could see through my clothes. I sighed, realizing his cringeworthy gazes were the only action I’d seen in months.
I walked down the hallway toward Mr. Dent’s corner office. My handbag thumped against my thigh as I walked awkwardly, trying to type a text to Hunter at the same time. Maybe if I hadn’t been distracted, I would have heard the noises before I got to the doorway.
“Oh yes, that’s it. Suck that dick.”
I halted in the doorway, the hand that was holding my phone going up to cover my mouth. My brain was in such shock that I tried to cover my mouth and my eyes simultaneously, but I couldn’t block the grotesque image playing out right in front of me.
The light was off in the room but Mr. Dent had a large picture window right behind him and the late evening light was more than enough to illuminate what he was doing. He’d pushed his chair back from his desk and sat with his legs spread, creating more room for him as his meaty hand tugged at the short, stubby penis protruding from his pants.
I clutched my phone tighter, my mouth opening and closing in shock. I knew I should probably move, but what if he saw me from the corner of his eye? So far, he hadn’t noticed me, and I definitely didn’t want to do anything to draw his attention.
“Oh fuck yeah. That’s it. Yes. Yes. Bailey!” He shouted my name and let out a long, agonizing groan.
His hand moved so fast it was a blur, but there was no missing the stream of white that sprayed everywhere as he continued to groan out my name.
My name.
Horrified, I backed out of the room slowly. Luckily, Mr. Dent still had his eyes squeezed closed as his hand continued to pump absently at his now deflated mini-sausage. There was an expression of complete and total satisfaction on his face.
OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod.
My heart was practically beating out of my chest as I trotted down the hallway, my phone still clutched in my hand. What the hell was that? Had he actually said my name?
I squeezed my eyes shut as a wave of revulsion swept through me. The elevator was right in front of me, but I was scared to hit the button. What if he heard me? Then I thought, Fuck it, and hit the button to call the elevator. If he hadn’t heard me running down the hallway, then I was probably safe.
The entire walk over to Happy’s, I replayed the last five minutes. It felt like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. This was my boss! I had to go back to work on Monday and look him in the eye like nothing had happened! I almost gagged just thinking about all the times he’d come up behind me at my desk and put his hand on my shoulder.
For the rest of eternity, I’d have a new image of exactly where his hands had been. Shudder.
Hunter texted me again. Without even reading his message, I typed back.
Me: I am traumatized. There better be a drink waiting for me when I get there.
Suddenly the phone in my hand rang. I answered with a shaky “Hello?”
“What the hell happened? Do I need to kick someone’s ass?” Hunter growled.
I clutched my bag tighter as I sped up. The front door of the bar was now visible. “It’s so much worse than that. I’m almost there. And Hunter?”
“Yeah, baby girl?”
“I was serious about that drink. In fact, make it two.”
Hunter
The things I did for the friend that I’d been crushing on for what felt like forever…
It was hard to believe that we’d only known each other a year. She’d started interning at my company the prior summer. There was a slight age difference—she was still in college, after all. But I didn’t think that twenty-six was too old. There were advantages in dating a guy who was a little older. Advantages like the ability to not come in the first five minutes of sex and knowing what the clitoris was capable of.
I had mastered both in college and was a much better man for it. If only Bailey would let me show her. But she didn’t see me that way. I was the charming guy who worked a floor above hers and was always up for a coffee run, not the one she wanted to drag into the supply closet and make out with.
As soon as Bailey appeared in the doorway of the bar, I could tell something was seriously wrong. She obviously hadn’t been exaggerating when she said she was traumatized. Her eyes darted around the room wildly, like she’d just seen a ghost, and her hands shook as she tried to straighten her hair. That was another clue. Bailey always looked perfect. I’d never seen her with a hair out of place, but the bun she always wore was falling down and her hair hung loosely around her neck. When she saw me, her eyes lit up, which made me feel about ten feet tall.
Bailey pushed her way through the crowd and dropped into the chair across from me. Tables were always at a premium, so there were several other people I didn’t know at the other end of the table. Bailey snatched one of the vodka shots from in front of me and tossed it back. I watched in amazement as she winced and then blew out a breath. Then she reached over and took the other one, the one I’d been saving for myself, and drank that too.
“What the hell happened to you?” I finally asked.
“Oh God. I don’t even know where to start.” She dropped her head into her hand.
I’d seen that she texted me some random video earlier, but I hadn’t had a chance to watch it because her other texts had come rushing in. Knowing Bailey, she’d probably sent me another blurry video as she walked around the office. I’d never met a person worse with technology than Bailey. She also managed to butt-dial me fre
quently.
Finally she leaned closer. “You can’t tell anyone this. I’m serious.”
I pantomimed locking my lips with a key. “I’m a vault. Come on, Bay, you know I’m not a gossip.”
She leaned even closer. “I saw Mr. Dent jerking off in his office.” She took a really deep breath. “And then when he… you know, finished... he said my name. Several times.”
After a long moment spent staring at her, I stood and went over to the bar and held up two fingers. A few minutes later I returned to the table with two more vodka shots. I sat down and slid one across the table to Bailey, who took it gratefully. She tilted her head back, and I watched her throat work as she swallowed.
Heat climbed my face. Damn, I was just as bad as her boss. Mr. Dent wasn’t my manager, but he was the one who managed the intern program. He was a crotchety older man, the type who liked to argue just to hear the sound of his own voice. The thought of that dude wanking and fantasizing about Bailey was enough to turn my stomach, so I could only imagine how she felt. I took my own shot, hoping the alcohol could clear the image.
“Shit, you weren’t kidding when you said it was traumatizing.”
“Yes! Oh my God, how the hell am I supposed to go to work on Monday?” Bailey’s loud screech drew some attention from the strangers at the end of their table. She shrank under their stares, lowering her voice. “And now I’m acting like the drunk crazy girl in the bar. This is just great.”
Her words slurred slightly and I figured that was a sign. Bailey was a petite thing, so three vodka shots in close succession probably wasn’t the best idea. But if any situation could benefit from a little alcohol-induced memory loss, this one qualified for sure.
“Come on, let’s get you home.” I pulled up the taxi app on my phone and called for a car. It showed one two streets away. I stood and held out my hand to Bailey.
She stood. “You don’t have to do that. I appreciate you listening. I didn’t mean to make you leave early.” She hugged me, wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her head right over my heart.
