I woke up after the first good sleep I'd had in a while. Yeah, I passed out quite quickly after my battery operated boyfriend was put to work.
Was I a little ashamed?
Did I get off to the image of my stalker?
Would I do it again?
I added batteries to my shopping list. I was actually in a really good mood. It was a Friday, which meant Ben and I could have drinks and play games or binge Big Bang Theory.
I know, it's not partying till I can't see straight but it's my idea of fun. If I tried going to the club, I'd look like I ended up there by mistake. Laura got to work after me. After our mutual 'good mornings', she told me that Daniel had asked for me in his office.
"Did he say specifically who?"
I asked, looking to cop out of this one before Laura laughed.
"He said Anakin, your office-mate," she said smiling, "I'm pretty sure that's you, as much as watching you ignore him has made the last two weeks very entertaining for me,"
I took as much time as I could to get to his office, passing by the break room just to delay the inevitable. I wasn't too thrilled about being summoned by a man who didn't know if you were Stella or Vivian two weeks ago. A man you'd worked with for three years.
I imagined the conversation already: a forced smile, a coffee mug he doesn't drink from, a sprinkle of "We value you" bullshit maybe. Or maybe it was the opposite and they were slapping me with a warning for insubordination.
I knocked twice on Daniel's office before letting myself in. He set down the steamy cup of coffee- as I predicted, and leaned forward in his seat.
"Hey!"
he greeted in his usual boisterous manner. My guard went up immediately.
"Take a seat," he said as he gestured to the seat with his hand. I sat.
"There she is! How have you been?"
"Fine,"
"Great... great," he said, smile faltering at my lack of expression.
"Listen, Anakin-Not Skywalker. I've got something huge I need you on."
I arched my brow, "If you learned my name it must be serious," I said.
"Look, I know we've had a bit of a rocky patch, and I'm sorry, but this is big. Think Wilson Motors big. Bigger, even."
"I see. And you're assigning it to me because...?"
"Because you're good. And fast. You deliver."
"You flatter me, but I'm sure there's someone more qualified to handle a project of such magnitude though, I wouldn't want to risk it with such a client. Perhaps Vincen-"
"Vincent's not gonna be able to work on this project, Anakin," he said, his happy-go-lucky mask falling slightly, "he's currently swamped with team lead duties and another project."
I looked at him, not knowing what to say. I felt myself slipping back to a pattern I thought I was past. Suddenly, I had the urge to say that it was okay. That I would handle it, but I got distracted.
By the warm shiver that ran through my body. I tried to control my breathing, digging my fingers into my palms.
"Okay, fine then, what do you want?"
He asked after a moment, snapping me out of it. My senses returned to me as I thought of his questions. The fact that he was willing to negotiate surprised me. He was my boss. He could have just told me to do it...
"Full credit,"
I said, the answers coming easily since I'd thought of them only a bajillion times, "direct communication with the client. No middlemen and a bonus if we hit the target." I paused.
"And I get to present it. Myself." I said, figuring that I'd get the balls to do it when we got there.
He blinked, "That's... a lot."
I mastered a smile, "I'm sure I can take over Vincent's project so you could have him here..." Silence.
He looked at me like he was seeing me for the first time. I was also- seeing me for the first time.
"No, there's no need for that," he said, "You'll get what you asked for."
I reigned in my excitement.
"Lovely. I'll have a draft by Friday. If this project performs well, I think we can talk about a position that allows the management of such vital projects. I'm sure the higher-ups would like that momentum to continue."
He gave me a tight smile, "Of course."
"Great talk, Dan!"
Ben, Tim, Laura and I made small talk in the elevator as we were getting off work. Tim asked for my number, having realized that we hadn't exchanged those. It would have made connecting for our date the next day an awkward problem.
And now that I was on top of my game, connecting with Tim could really pay off. Don't get me wrong, my tools and hands were amazing at their job, but at the end of the day, a vibrator has the personality of a... vibrator.
And they didn't have the large warmth of- Nope, not going there. Hopefully Tim wasn't a religious moralist who would want to wait for marriage. If he turned out that way, I'd get lost before he could say 'Abstinence'.
Ben and I did have some drinks, but he couldn't overindulge since he had some tech convention to attend that he wanted to be "alive and present and not going through a hangover" for.
So when he left I began doing some research on Quantum Solutions, a tech company. Daniel really wasn't joking when he said it was a big project. Mobius was milling around. For a cat that didn't like my kisses hugs or any other form of affection, he sure did like hanging around me.
I was typing furiously, headphones in, coffee cooling beside me, when the screen of my laptop flickered once. I stopped typing, a frown marring my face.
No, no, no, no, noooo.
I tapped the keyboard, knowing well what was happening. It had happened once before, and Ben had fixed it for me. The screen went black, and a whirring sound came from it before it shut down. I hadn't saved my work.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and set it down. A static hiss echoed through my headphones for half a second before it cut to silence. I turned to find Mobius blinking at me like I'd disturbed his nap.
"Don't give me that look," I muttered.
"If I can't do this account research, we're both starving."
It was too late to call Ben. I'd have him fix it tomorrow. Luckily I hadn't made a huge progress.
***
It was 7.00 PM, and Ben was fixing my laptop in the living room as I prepared for my date. I had on a white mini dress and a pair of cowboy boots I didn't wear often. I stared at my reflection a moment longer, lipstick in hand.
My skin looked warmer under the bathroom lights. I wondered, briefly, where I'd gotten this confidence from.
Something inside me had switched off when I didn't get the promotion despite Daniel's promises. But that's not when I felt awake. At that point I honestly didn't give a fuck about anything. Things changed with that dream.
My fingers hovered over two perfume bottles before grabbing the one that smelled like spiced vanilla. Who knew the cure to depression was the good old orgasm. Mr. Giant Demon didn't even bother me anymore.
"Isn't that right, Mobius,"
I said picking him up into my arms for snuggles, "We kicked out Mr. Demon with our orgasm didn't we?"
He distanced his face from mine as if I was making him dirty and my masochistic ass kissed him. He snarled, and I put him down before he decided that actions spoke louder than hisses and snarls.
I didn't want to get too excited, it had only been two days, too early to declare myself a thriving member of the society.
"I'm done!!"
Ben yelled at me from the living room, "I'll see myself out!" and I yelled back a quick 'thanks' with a promise of lunch. I set some food for Mobius and checked to see that my laptop was working.
Good as new!
Ben was really a lifesaver.
A knock on the door signaled the arrival of my date. I rushed to switch off my laptop and check myself in the mirror one last time. I opened the door, a smile already on my face—
"Surely, you're not looking this delectable for that twitchy man?"
A voice spoke, its low rough edge dragging goosebumps down my spine. My eyes travelled upward slowly, my lips parting as I took in the man of my dreams and nightmares.
I was right.
He filled the entire doorframe. My head emptied itself of all thought as I stared into his haunting golden eyes.