by Ember Flint
My eyes go wide. She’s got to be kidding me. “Your present?”
Louise nods. “That’s right. I know my birthday is technically tomorrow, but see: I’m not going to be in town then.”
I clench my jaw. “You are not going to be in town for your birthday, so you decided to come over and search my place in order to get your present?”
She shrugs and takes a step closer to me. “Oh, don’t be mad, sweetie. It’s just that I really need it. I’m leaving for Aruba in the morning with some friends and I totally have to wear it,” she explains, twirling a lock of black, straight hair around a finger and attempting this sort of pouty-slash-sultry kind of look.
Damn, this is so idiotic it fucking hurts my brain.
“You need the lingerie you ordered me to buy for you so you can wear it for your friends in Aruba on a trip you didn’t mention you were going to take?”
“Oh, now, don’t be all cranky, it doesn’t really suit you, Charles. Truth is, I don’t think this is going anywhere, do you?”
I laugh. This is unbelievable. “Are you breaking up with me?”
“Well you are hardly giving me another choice, sweetie, considering how bad you reacted to my decision to announce our engagement publicly.”
“Really? You want to pin this on me? On my bad reaction to you spouting off about an engagement between us that was never there to begin with?”
She opens her mouth to try and spit more of her crap, but I stop her.
“Never mind, I don’t want to hear this. Your present is on the couch in the living room. Have a good birthday and a good life and, Louise?”
She smiles at me.
I don’t really think she gets the finer nuances of a sarcastic tone.
“Yes?” she asks prancing out of the room in this ridiculous catwalk-sashay that I presume is supposed to be hot.
As soon as she picks up the parcel with the lingerie, I show her the door.
“Please, forget you ever knew me,” I say and close the door in her face.
I take a huge breath, feeling suddenly exhausted, but also completely relieved and almost elated to be free.
Cora comes strolling out of her room.
“Did that really just happen? She got rid of herself for you? You are free and still get to be the standup guy, the great hero in this?”
I laugh. “That’s right, sis. That’s me. The happiest guy that was ever dumped in the history of dating.”
She giggles. “I wish I could stay here and tease you for like the rest of the night, but I really have to study, Charlie, sweetie,” she mocks me, in a very creditable impression of Lulu’s fake-haute, cultured tone of voice.
I flip her the finger, making her gasp.
“Laugh as you want, I’m free from her brightly-painted clutches and you can’t bring me down from that high.”
I turn on my heels and strode to my study, deciding that rather than spend another minute trying to make sense of my now ex-girlfriend’s actions, I’d better occupy my time more productively by reviewing the résumés of the two main candidates for the position of office admin that Aston and I are going to interview after the weekend.
Chapter 2
JESSICA
I feel my heartbeat kick up another notch as I slam the door of my boss’s office shut and run to my desk.
I take a look around and seeing the entire floor is plunged in darkness and there’s no one left at any of the others cubicles, I ignore the way my glasses are askew and falling down the ridge of my nose and through blurred eyes I gather my things, fling my laptop case on my shoulder, clutch my purse in one hand and race toward the rows of elevators, throwing a glance behind me to make sure Anton Powells, one of my bosses —the creepy pig who just propositioned me— is still seating tight in his office, stewing over the slap I just gave him.
I stare at the lift’s doors, begging them with my eyes to open and chanting ‘Come on, come on, come on’ in my head.
Shit, not even the cleaning ladies are around anymore.
I hear the ding and step inside the elevator, my finger insistently pressing on the first button I feel under the tip, not caring the floor it will get me as long as it gets me the hell out of here.
The doors swish closed and I lean my head back against the stainless steel wall behind me, finally releasing the breath I was holding.
I take a look at the control panel and see I selected to go only three floors below so I immediately press the button that will get me all the way down to the main lobby and then hopefully out of here without incidents.
I take off my glasses to clean them and sniffle a little trying to keep the tears at bay, my hands shake so badly that I almost drop them and my laptop case slides off my shoulder and down to my forearm. I let it gently drop on the floor.
I take a long breath, smooth my hair away from my forehead and slide the glasses back on.
God, I can’t believe I was so stupid as to agree to stay overtime this late.
It’s not unusual to be detained by a boss a little beyond office’s hours but not for so long and in a day so slow that anything could have been accomplished within a reasonable timeframe during normal working-hours.
I’m not his assistant, I’m the co-admin of the office so I knew that asshole was up to something, still there wasn’t much I could do, he caught me unaware and I wasn’t able to come up with an excuse to justify my need to leave, not without sounding completely rude.
God I wish the manners my mother’s taught me were not so ingrained right now. Had I been more like my sister Lara tonight, a very unpleasant scene could have been avoided and now I wouldn’t be facing the possibility of unemployment.
The sliding doors open again and I launch myself out of the elevator and through the main entrance with barely a nod for the security guards and then I keep on moving, aimlessly at first.
I just need to walk for a little bit to clear my head.
Since I started to work for Powells & Marshalls, a big law firm here in New York, as an assistant office admin three years ago, I always found Mr. Marshalls to be everything good you could picture about a lawyer and Mr. Powells to incarnate every possible sleazy stereotype of the profession.
On top of it, from the start he scanned me with these long, creepy once-overs that made me feel practically naked and more often than not he had a smarmy line for me —especially when his business partner was not there—, I know I should have reported him, but since he never went beyond what I suppose he would deem as flirting and I really love my job here, I never did.
Last year I was promoted co-admin and my interaction with Mr. Powells dwindled a bit —of the two, Eric Marshalls is the one more involved with the administrative side of their firm’s management— so while my interactions with him always made me feel ill at ease I figured I could live with them.
Then two months ago, Mr. Marshalls had stroke and things at the office started to change. Mr. Powells started to shoulder his partner’s responsibilities and that meant he had to spend more time with me and Corinne, the other office admin.
For a little while it was only stupid inappropriate jokes and lingering looks, but in the last month the atmosphere has started to deteriorate every day a little bit more, to the point of making my once beloved job nothing more than an unpleasant chore.
Mr. Powells doesn’t seem to understand when a woman is politely turning him down — nor when one is yelling at him to fuck off either apparently, if tonight is any indication.
A month ago I started sending résumés out and I have covertly done a couple of interviews already.
They went well enough but then there was someone more qualified for the position so nothing came of them.
This Monday I have another interview; a big edge fund firm has an opening for a senior office admin. The money is even better than my current salary and it’s the kind of job I’ve always wanted to do.
The preliminary interviews have been
great and their recruiting person in their Human Resources’ department, Claire Madison, called me two days ago and told me they have narrowed it down to me and another candidate so there really is a good chance the job could be mine if Monday goes well.
I really hope I get it, because I sure as hell am not going back to Powells & Marshalls after tonight.
I don’t really know what I’ll do if I don’t get the job at Henley & Spade, but I’d rather walk barefoot on broken glass than work for that pig for another day.
That bastard has creeped me out for the last time that’s for sure, I don’t want for things to escalate further and I don’t want to get stuck in the carnage making this public it would be
I would have certainly done it no matter how difficult if he had harmed me, but since it was just words, I won’t proceed with this: Mr. Marshalls would be hurt in the process if I did and he was always so kind to me, plus he is still in a very fragile state, I could never forgive myself if he took a turn for the worse because of me.
I take a deep breath and stop walking starting to scan around for a taxi.
I’m still on edge and completely bummed out and there’s nothing I would like more than calling Lara, my sister and best friend in the whole world and spend the night on her couch binging on ice-cream and marathon-watching Friends on Netflix, but I don’t want to worry her too much.
I usually tell her everything and she knows my boss has been unpleasant to be around, but she has been pretty low lately —feeling lonely and aimless— so I have not kept her up to speed with the more recent goings-on.
I will of course tell her soon, but I’d rather do it on Monday when —hopefully— I’ll have good news to share.
I think of the next best thing I could do if calling Lara is not an option and I realize the only thing I really want is to take a long, scalding shower.
Nothing happened with that jerk, but being in the same room as him and his lewd thoughts was enough to make me feel like I need a cleansing ritual; l maybe not even a ceremonial one with a high priestess and lots and lots of sage’s smoke would be enough to erase the memory of his overtly sexual leer.
Yuck.
And the man is even married for God’s sake, he makes me want to barf.
Shit, I really did not need this in my life right now on top of everything else.
I’ve been alone for over six months now and even before that there was no one serious in my life. I’m the type of girl that goes for all or nothing and needs feelings to be physically close to someone, so my life has been rather arid for a long time in the love department.
I decided to simply stop dating to… I don’t know, gather my thoughts, I guess and gain prospective on the things I want.
I recall with only too much clarity my wish to escape that lame routine of only meeting creeps and losers in an endless chain of first dates that never evolved into anything else, no trace of the spark I have been looking for since I stepped into the dating scene in my late teens and I still feel I did the right thing, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get lonely and right now I’ll give anything to have someone waiting at home for me, strong arms to hold me, a voice other than my own telling me that everything is going to be alright, someone to take care of me, someone to love. A real man.
Was it too much to have at least my professional life not to go to hell in a freaking handbasket along with everything else?
I shake myself out of my misery, it really is not the time or place to start to go down that road, not with the impending disaster that my existence is going to be if I don’t get the job Monday.
I see a cab coming to a stop and I hurry toward the end of the curb, raising my arm to signal the driver.
What I need right now, besides a shower, is a good night sleep, tomorrow I’ll think about the rest.
Chapter 3
CHARLES
I feel a grin stretch my lips, blinking away a little of my incredulity. I’m very happy for my friend, but I’m also having a hard time believing what he just told me really happened.
“So you guys spent the night together and you are still at Lara’s?” I ask.
When Aston doesn’t immediately answer I clear my throat and call his name.
I hear his sigh on the other end of the line. “Sorry, Chuck, what did you just say?”
I laugh. It really is something to hear my usually no-nonsense, serious friend sound so faraway and distracted.
“It’s okay, it was nothing. Anyway, am I correct if I think you won’t be joining me and Sterling for breakfast today?”
My friend chuckles. “You are kidding yourself if you assume you’ll be seeing Ster for breakfast, old chap, but yes: you’re right about me. I won’t be there.”
I smile. “Man, I’m so happy for you. This, whatever it is, it’s clear to me that it means something to you.”
“It does. I don’t know how to explain; I really don’t think there really is a way to make you understand. I just… she is just everything, Charlie. Everything I didn’t know I needed. I’m sorry I can’t be more clear, I only wish there was someone in your life that would give you what Lara has brought into my world.”
I look out of the window, staring at the glass jungle of skyscrapers surrounding me and sigh.
“You and me both, my friend. I don’t see it happening any time soon, but at least I’m a step closer to making it possible right now.”
“What do you mean?” Aston’s voice gets suddenly more firm, like my own tone brought him closer to the conversation at end.
“Lulu is no longer in the picture,” I explain.
“Finally! She was a poisonous lunatic cow, but when did it happen? You said you wanted to wait past her birthday, didn’t you?”
I laugh, but it’s a bit more bitter than I intended. “Oh, I did, but she didn’t apparently.”
“What? You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, I am… she broke up with me last night, she was none too pleased with me it seems.”
“What? Why on earth would she be upset with you?”
“Well remember that small matter of her talking with that gossip rag about us being engaged?”
Aston sighs, probably remembering all the headaches we shared during that week trying to keep the Board at bay. “Vaguely…”
“Well, it seems somehow I should have been happy about it, I don’t know take her to Cancun to thank her or something?”
Aston chuckles. “Preposterous! The nerve of that woman! We have now confirmation that she is the most nonsensical, ridiculous being that ever was. I can hardly fathom her behavior. Well, you’re better off without her. Good riddance, I say.”
“And you will be right in your assessment, my friend, but let’s talk about more important stuff. How is your Lovely Lara this morning?”
“Don’t even try, Charlie, you know I don’t kiss and tell.”
I laugh. “Alright, you keep on kissing and telling me nothing about it. I, on the other hand, can’t really promise I’ll keep this from Ster, major teasing coming your way Monday, I’m afraid.”
Aston chuckles. “Surprisingly, I really don’t care. You guys can mock me all you want.”
I smile. “Aww, aren’t you cute?”
“Fuck you, Charles,” Aston says, but I can hear the smile in his voice.
“You’re practically giddy, man, unbelievable!”
“Stop it,” he grumbles.
“Alright, alright, I’ll stop and you know what else? I’ll tell Ster all about it today so he’ll get over most of his jokes without you. What do you say, aren’t I the best of friends?”
“Absolutely! You’re a doll, mate,” he deadpans and we both laugh, concluding the call after arranging a time for meeting on Monday.
—*—
Two hours later I open the door to a flustered and disheveled looking Sterling.
“What’s up with you, man? Still jet-lagged?” I ask.
“Hardly,
I’m wide awake, famished and horny as fuck!”
I chuckle at his usual bluntness. “Well I do have your favorite scones in the kitchen. For the other thing, though, no can do, man, no matter how much I love you.”
“I really don’t need your bloody jokes right now, Chuck,” my friend grunts and he follows me in the kitchen where I have our brunch —or rather a half-Brit, half-American, heavy breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns, toasts, beans, fresh orange juice and Earl Grey— waiting for us.
Sterling looks down the length of his body with a disgruntled grimace on his face and shakes his head. “My dashed cock won’t go bloody down!”
I feel both my eyebrows raise. “Way too much information, pal.”
Sterling covers his face with both hands and sighs. “Charles, do be serious. I’ve been in your building for over twenty minutes now, but something unexpected, or rather someone unexpected delayed me in the lift.”
“What?” I ask laughing at the thunderstruck expression in his green eyes, peeking from between his spread fingers.
He slides his hands off his face. “I met this sexy bombshell in your bloody lift. She was stunning and so hot, my legs are still fucking shaking.”
I chuckle, taking a seat on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. “You sure it was a real woman and not a jet-lag-induced hallucination?”
Sterling sits in front of me. “Well if she was a bloody hallucination she was a pretty damn concrete one, ‘cause I stuck my tongue down her throat.”
I shake my head. “Again, Ster, way too much information.”
I look on as my friend downs a tall glass of water and practically slumps over the breakfast bar. “She was a fucking bloody vision of perfection, man…”
I smile at his wistful look. “Well, that’s great that you met her then. What’s her name?”
He shoots me a look I don’t understand.
“That’s the bloody fucking problem, Charlie. I don’t know.”
My eyes get as big as saucers. “What? You kissed her and you don’t know her name?”
