Don't Let Go

by Sheryl Wright

  Lori huffed at that. “More like he wishes you’d bring a friend home to share.”

  “Don’t get me started on that,” Marnie replied casually. After paying the cover charge, she led them through the familiar local lesbian hangout. The Friday night crowd was packed a little tighter than Marnie liked but this regular exercise was about getting Georgie to socialize, not her own comfort.

  They managed to find a table near the back and farthest from the dance floor and the pounding rhythm pouring from the massive speakers. Trying to think and converse with loud distracting noises was very difficult for Georgie. Part of tonight’s exercise was to get her talking and keep her talking. Luckily, getting women to their table was Lori’s job. She was a regular and well-liked by the staff and patrons. The women who had socialized with them in the past were not what Marnie would categorize as optimal partner material, at least not for her sister. They were mostly young, around Zoe’s age, or very working class. Not that class would preclude anyone from Marnie’s secret list of perspective wives. She had a very clear picture in mind for Georgie’s happily ever after. She wanted someone a little younger, but mature enough to enjoy a quiet life. Someone she could trust with Georgie’s well-being, not to mention her money.

  As much as she loved her sister, she had, she reminded herself, a family and job of her own. It wasn’t as if Georgie took advantage of her time or energy. She was just incapable of a balance. Her entire existence was wrapped around work. That wasn’t such a bad thing, at least not as profits went, but as a life—not so much. Georgie worked seven days a week, and often around the clock. If she didn’t have to walk that dog, she would never even know if it was day or night. Marnie wanted someone for her who could provide a more balanced life. Someone of similar intellect but not some woman married to her own career. Or after her money. Marnie had her sights set on finding Georgie a real wife. Someone who could go toe-to-toe with her sister, and be strong enough to assume her care, and trustworthy enough to manage her estate. She also thought it paramount that any perspective partner be educated, or at least well read. Georgie had a voracious appetite for everything remotely literary. Her monthly personal reading purchases rarely came in below five hundred bucks, and that was just her Kindle downloads. Looking around, she knew they’d never meet the kind of woman Georgie needed in a place like this. But here at least, she would get a chance to converse with other women.

  That’s when she noticed Zoe across the room. She was on the edge of the dance floor, longneck bottle in hand and gorgeous in a red dress Marnie would have killed to be able to pull off for herself. She reached out to tell Georgie who she had spotted when she recognized someone else. Tyler Marsh was standing next to Zoe. She cut an attractive figure in her little black dress. Before she could let her sister know their niece and her new assistant were both there, Lori slammed four bottles down.

  “Guess who’s here?”

  Marnie watched as Georgie turned an anxious eye to her cousin. Before Lori could drop the bomb, a soft-looking blonde in too-tight jeans and a too-loose blouse threw her arms around Lori, planting on her a long showy kiss. When the woman pulled back, she leaned around Lori and stuck out her hand. “You must be Lori’s cousin. I’ve always wanted to meet you,” she said, slapping Lori on the arm. “Why didn’t you introduce us, you oaf! She’s cute! Now get out of my way so I can get acquainted.”

  “Back off, Jersey!”

  “What’s the problem? I thought you wanted me to meet her?”

  “Not that one, you dumb ass!”

  Confused, the blonde turned back to the table, seeing Georgie for the first time. “Oh—well…Is that beer for me?”

  Before Lori could say more, the blonde circled around her, pulling a chair up beside Marnie. It was at times like these when Marnie actually felt bad for her husband. Jack was roguishly handsome, fit and fun, and the women flocked to him wherever they went. Most would back off when they learned he was married but there were always a few who considered it a challenge. She had accused him of enjoying the attention a little too much but after being hit on by more than a few women, she had come to sympathize with her husband’s plight.

  Across the table Lori slid into her seat and putting an arm around Georgie, pointed to the dance floor. “Looks like our Zoe’s found herself a new babe. Wonder how long this one will last.” While Georgie’s eyes searched the dance floor for her young cousin, Lori took the chance to guzzle a third of her beer. “I wish I had her stamina,” she added. “Christ, if I could get my hands on a hot skinny piece like that, I’d nail her ass against…”

  Georgie had been combing the dance floor for a glimpse of Zoe. As Lori began graphically describing her interest in Zoe’s date, she spotted her and Tyler.

  Before Marnie could intervene, she grabbed Lori by the scruff of her neck and held on as she knocked them both to the floor. “STOP!” Marnie ordered. She had her hands on Georgie’s arm, pulling her back. “Georgie, let her go for Christ’s sake!”

  Georgie began to loosen her hold, but wouldn’t unhand Lori completely.

  When the bouncer pushed in to break it up, Marnie admitted defeat. Chalk up one more social disaster for her family. As the bouncer manhandled Lori and Georgie out the door, Marnie followed, after gathering coats and bags.

  Once they were clear of the entrance and the line of women still waiting to enter, Marnie scolded them both. “What the hell was that? You two embarrassed the shit out of me!”

  “You? What about me?” Lori challenged. “Old Bender here just got me heaved from my local!”

  Both women turned to Georgie for an explanation. Her face was pale and she looked cold.

  “In the truck!” Marnie ordered, wrapping Georgie’s coat around her shoulders. Once they were in the Navigator and welcome heat blasted from the vents, she turned to her cousin. “Lori, the young woman you were so graphically…graphic about, works for us. Actually, she’s Georgie’s new assistant.”

  Wide-eyed, Lori turned from the passenger seat to Georgie in the back. “Hey dude, I am so sorry! Way out of line there!”

  “She’s nice…smart. Educated…” Georgie trailed off.

  “And going out with Zoe? How does that work? No offense Georgie Porgie, but Zoe doesn’t do nice!”

  “Okay that’s enough!” Marnie warned them both. “What goes on between two consenting adults outside of work is none of our business. Is that understood?”

  “Hey, I’m cool,” Lori offered, raising her hands in surrender. “I was just pointing out the obvious. No hard feelings. Okay Bender?”

  “Yeah, cool,” she said quietly, before cheerily admitting, “Cannot remember…last time, kicked out of—a—bar?”

  Chapter Five

  Still shivering from the early morning cold, Tyler hung her winter coat on the back of her office door and retrieved her inside footwear from under her desk. She had been prepared to adjust her working style to suit her boss’s schedule but after three weeks at DME, she realized it was Georgie DiNamico who seemed to need time to adapt to her presence. Both women would get their best work done early in the day, and Tyler, now better acquainted with her boss’s trouble with keeping focus, knew Georgie preferred to not be disturbed unless needed. Tyler would wait until exactly eleven thirty each morning before sitting down with Georgie to review her afternoon appointment schedule. Georgie never took morning appointments, not even with Marnie. If Marnie needed something, she would wait like everyone else. Only one person continuously broke that rule. Well, two actually: Henry, who seemed to have some sort of sixth sense about Georgie’s vulnerability, and the chief financial officer, who didn’t appear to care if he was interrupting her or how his interruption might affect her work or her mood.

  While she was tucking away her insulated winter boots, Zoe wandered in with two coffee cups. Tyler smelled the happy aroma of the custom coffee blend long before hearing her workmate’s standard greeting, “Hey gorgeous! Ready for another kick at the can?”

  “Good
morning Zoe!” Smiling, she accepted the coffee, breathing in the aromatic steam, letting the hot mug warm her hands. Tyler did appreciate Zoe’s compliment; she just wondered why she continued flirting with her at work. For someone who was such a stickler for the rules, she seemed more than willing to bend them when it came to her own agenda.

  “You left early?”

  “One a.m. is not early. Maybe I’m getting too old to keep up. You’re not mad are you?”

  Zoe’s smile was more than salacious. “I was a tad disappointed. Don’t worry though, you can make it up to me. Next time.”

  Tyler nodded, sipping her coffee without comment. They had gotten together twice now and Tyler wasn’t sure she wanted a repeat. Zoe had been fun to party with but she was young and on the aggressive side when drunk. Their last date had taken them to the local lesbian bar where they had spent most of the night dancing. She was having a blast and couldn’t remember the last time she spent so much time on the dance floor. It was the reason she hadn’t noticed how much Zoe had drunk. Not until she cornered Tyler in the washroom.

  Grabbing Tyler possessively, Zoe had forced her roughly against the wall, kissing Tyler hard and forcing her tongue into her mouth. Pushing Zoe back, she was stunned by the fiery look that greeted her and Zoe’s undaunted aggression. Zoe pinned her hands behind her head and holding them in a painful grip, used her free hand to rake her fingers down Tyler’s neck and over her breast. It was exciting and upsetting at the same time and took all of Tyler’s strength to push her off. “Zoe, what the fuck?” Before she could stop her, the woman leaned back in again and painfully nipped at Tyler’s neck.

  “Next time,” she offered casually, turning for the door.

  Tyler followed her back to the bar. Not exactly sure what to do or say. The decision was made when Zoe ordered another drink.

  “Listen Zoe, it’s getting late. I’m going to head home.”

  Only half turning to acknowledge her, Zoe waved her off. “Whatever.”

  Tyler had been stunned by her attitude and pissed off by her behavior and intended to discuss it today over lunch. That plan had been shelved when Zoe called her Sunday afternoon to say she was sorry for being such an ass. While Tyler was more than happy to accept the apology, she wasn’t ready to consider another date. Pushing her feelings aside, she took a careful look at Zoe’s usually radiant features, only now realizing how tired she appeared. “You okay? You look beat.”

  Zoe seemed to study her over the rim of her cup. Like Tyler, she held it in two hands, showing off elegant, long fingers and perfectly manicured nails. “I was disappointed when you cut out early. I was hoping to make a night of it.”

  There was no denying it. Zoe was a beautiful woman. Tyler apologized again. She hadn’t been to the bar in some time but the mood, music and women were pretty much the same. She had danced and Zoe had flirted, both with her and with others, but it was something else that set off her warning bells. Zoe’s approach had felt like an assumption. As if she just assumed they would spend the night or perhaps the weekend together. Not that Tyler was adverse to a little romance but it hadn’t been romantic at all. There was a certain honesty about Zoe—well, about all the DiNamico/Phipps women she had met, but with Zoe there was a sexual current too. Tyler had felt it the day they met. She remembered the excitement of considering the woman’s advances. Until she finally accepted the Friday night invitation. It wasn’t until they were at the bar and both had a number of drinks in them that the truth of the situation came flooding in. Zoe was a player, and she, Tyler Marsh, PhD, was just the latest conquest. “I’m sure you managed without me,” she offered genially.

  With a wry smile, Zoe tipped her head, admitting, “After you left, I ran into my old mates from school. We ended up getting together again last night. I’m afraid we got into the tequila.” Stretching, moving to the edge of her chair, Zoe looked thoughtful. “I hope you’re well rested. I’m afraid we’ve a mess to deal with.”

  Before Tyler could even ask, Zoe gestured for her to follow, and led her through the private corridor to Georgie’s office. Ready to stop Zoe before she trespassed on her boss’s quiet time, she was caught off guard when Zoe suggested, “Better grab your tablet.”

  Tyler returned to her desk, checking the device for Georgie’s schedule to be sure of what they would be interrupting. The morning schedule had been blanked out with an unavailable tag beside the time block. Back in the hall, she showed Zoe the change. “This was not how I left things Friday.”

  “I know,” Zoe acknowledged, waving her hand over the security lock sensor.

  Tyler followed her in to the executive suite. With the office lights out the sunshine streaming through the windows lit the room well enough to see the space was devoid of its usual occupant. Since starting at DME, Tyler couldn’t remember ever being in this office without Georgie being present. Even when she took no interest in the comings and goings around her, Georgie was always there. Tyler had tried coming earlier and earlier in an effort to beat her boss into the office with no luck. She was beginning to think Georgie was always there. Not up in the condo she owned on the penthouse level but right there in that corner office, day and night. Only the daily change of clothing and the dog’s need for outings ever changed the routine. The woman had to be lonely. Could a walking computer be lonely? Even with the head injury there had to be more to life than work.

  Everyone, it seemed, wanted to see Georgie comfortable or simply gone from sight. For most of them, that translated into keeping her compartmentalized from everyone else. Georgie didn’t actually need quiet or privacy to do her best work. It was only the constant emotional jousts that would derail her concentration. Once she was interrupted, it would take her hours and sometimes a day before she could concentrate on a task, any task at all. It was the reason she kept her morning schedule blocked out. Tyler had learned that it was also the reason Marnie Pulaski had insisted Georgie be moved into Luigi’s old office. There were only two entrances. The first was the private corridor from Human Resources they had just used, and the other was the main entrance from the upper lobby which was guarded by the receptionist. No one, employee or visitor, made it past either gatekeeper without Marnie Pulaski knowing and there was usually hell to pay when it happened. Other than Marnie and now Tyler, only Susan Chan and Zoe were authorized to drop in on Georgie without an appointment. And everyone, from what Tyler had seen, respected that request. Everyone, except Lou Phipps. For some reason, Lou seemed to go out of his way to challenge Georgie over even the smallest financial details. He would bypass reception, ignoring any protests and launch into whatever had him so upset before Tyler, Zoe or even Marnie could intervene.

  Tyler looked around the empty office for signs of occupation since Friday afternoon. Before she could ask where Georgie was or what had happened, Lou Phipps charged into the office, demanding, “Where is she?”

  “Dad, please…”

  “Don’t you ‘Dad please’ me, young lady. I am at my wits end trying to deal with this outbreak of unprofessionalism! How on earth do you people expect me to run a company with, with this?” He waved his arm around the room as if proof of his claim were written on the walls.

  Tyler was stunned by his outburst but not enough to prevent her from defending her boss. “Mr. Phipps. If you have a need to meet with Ms. DiNamico, I will schedule an appointment. Perhaps later this week?”

  Turning to Tyler, he seemed almost surprised by her presence. Giving her an arrogant snort, he turned and left.

  Tyler watched him through the perimeter glass wall only noticing then that the glass appeared to be heavily smudged. That was new. Usually the cleaning staff kept the glass walls and doors pristine. Before she could take a closer look, Zoe picked up the remote from the coffee table and began changing the room setting. As the transparent glass switched to fully opaque, and the lights came on, Tyler turned from the door to reception to take in the entire glass perimeter. Every inch, top to bottom, for the entire length was cover
ed in writing. Most were diagrams, some looked like formulas or application coding. She wasn’t sure which. “What the…”

  “That’s what I said the first time it happened.”

  “So…” Tyler took a long sweeping glance at her boss’s creation, “this has happened before?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  “Does it happen a lot?”

  “What…no, no not a lot. But, I will warn you, when it does it usually spells a new project or patent. At least it has so far.”

  “That’s good, right?”

  “Good for the company. Good for profits. For you and me, not so much!” She pointed to the tablet pinned under Tyler’s arm. “Best you start snapping pics while I find the Windex.”

  Tyler did just that, carefully working from one side of the room to the other. She took her time, cautiously overlapping each picture and adding a description of the order and place each shot was captured. By the time she was done, Zoe had cleaned her way across one wall. “Why don’t you let me finish that?” Tyler offered.

  “I’ve got this. You can check and make sure everything’s been put back in its proper place. I don’t expect we’ll see Georgie much before noon but just in case…”

  “Got it.” Tyler opened the room setup chart Marnie had given her the first week on the job. Marnie was absolutely sure keeping things in exactly the same place every day would help her sister, ensuring she wasn’t wasting her time trying to remember basic things. From everything Tyler had been reading on head injuries, she wasn’t sure that was the best strategy but she wasn’t ready to challenge the misconceptions of the big boss. “I hate to ask, but what’s up with your dad?”

  “Oh, nothing really,” Zoe offered casually. “He has his ways. Georgie doesn’t take much notice but I guess that could change. I do wish she would try not to rile him so much.”