Chapter 11: Abby
“So, you did it? You, really did it?” Mary-Katherine sat down at my kitchen table and stared at me with a gleam in her eyes.
“I did...” I nodded. “I’m not a virgin anymore.”
“And you’re fine? You’re not in love with him or anything?” Mary-Katherine narrowed her eyes at me.
“I’m good.” I shrugged my shoulders. “It was sex. It was a lot of fun, but he’s Mr. Mistake. I can’t let myself become another victim pining over what I thought we had. I knew he was an asshole and I knew what he was about before I fucked him.”
“So, you aren’t going to even think about going out with him again?” Mary-Katherine tilted her head and smiled.
“No. He won’t ask and I won’t pursue him. It was a one-time thing.” I nodded, but I was mostly trying to convince myself.
“Good for you.” She pursed her lips and nodded along with me. “Trying to tame a man like that will just lead to heartache.”
When Mary-Katherine was gone, I sat on the couch and rubbed Sebastian’s head after he curled up in my lap. The soreness of being penetrated by Max’s gigantic cock still resonated within me. I was surprised he came back. I was fully prepared to never see him again, outside of a random encounter at the office, and I was a bit surprised when he showed up at my door with breakfast and coffee. It took a decent amount of willpower to say no when he suggested we go upstairs again. I just couldn’t get played by him. I used him—that was the end of the story. I just had to convince myself of that.
***
MONDAY MORNING BEGAN with all the normal stress of the day. Mr. Hawthorne was buzzing around the office, checking on the progress of our Energy Enhanced marketing strategy. It seemed like everyone had forgotten I was the one who came up with the idea of marketing the product to a different demographic, but I was fine with it as long as Mr. Hawthorne remembered it when it came time for my raise. I worked on the assignments I had been given until lunchtime when Mr. Hawthorne called an emergency meeting in the conference room.
“What is this about?” I leaned towards Gloria, one of the secretaries that always seemed to know everything.
“I don’t know. I think it’s a new hire.” She shrugged and walked into the conference room.
We got settled and Mr. Hawthorne walked into the conference room, flanked by a man I didn’t recognize. The women around me immediately started to comment on him. He stood about six four with broad shoulders tucked beneath his suit. He had blond hair and light blue eyes that scanned the room once he took his place behind Mr. Hawthorne. He didn’t look like one of the fresh-faced interns we brought in and he appeared to be too old for a starting position with the company. Mr. Hawthorne waited until everyone was seated before he raised his hands to get the room quiet.
“As you know, we’ve landed the Energy Enhanced account and it is a huge opportunity for us. I’ve decided to bring in a consultant on the project, someone who has worked with energy drinks and energy supplements in the past with great success. Everyone, I would like to meet Adam Rutherford.” Mr. Hawthorne turned to the stranger who stepped up and cleared his throat.
“Adam Rutherford?” Gloria leaned towards me in a whisper. “He’s a legend.”
“Thank you, Mr. Hawthorne. As he said, I’m Adam Rutherford. I got my start in marketing about ten years ago, and after several successful accounts, I started doing consulting work. Some of you may know who I am, but I assure you, I’m just here to be part of the team. I’ll be working closely with some of you as we design a marketing strategy that will put this firm on the map.”
“He can work closely with me.” Gloria fanned her neck and grinned at me.
When the meeting was done and the normal office gossip began, I started to hear more about Adam Rutherford. I seemed to be in the minority with my lack of knowledge about all of his heroic efforts. To hear the people around the office talk, he had single-handedly put numerous companies on the map—and that was after he did a tour of duty in Afghanistan when he was in the Army. He made his way around the office, talking with people and discussing strategy. When he came towards my desk, I figured I was next up for a hint of his expertise, but he skipped right over me and started talking with the woman to my right. Eventually he met with everyone he seemed to be interested in and disappeared. I decided that a cup of coffee was the only way I was going to get through the afternoon, and when I walked into the break room, I saw him pouring the last drop of it into his cup.
“Abby Grant, right?” He smiled and picked up his cup of coffee. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I was going to come see you after I got a pick-me-up.”
“You just violated our long-standing office rule of starting a fresh pot of coffee if you finish it.” I clutched my cup in my hand and sighed.
“Can you forgive me? I’m new here.” He grimaced comically and fumbled with the coffee maker.
“I’ll do it.” I walked over and opened the top so I could change the filter.
“I hear you’re the one who pitched the idea for the new marketing strategy.” He leaned against the counter and sipped his coffee.
“Yep, that was me.” I nodded and hit the button to start the coffee maker.
“I’d love to sit down with you and go over a few ideas I’m working on.” He leaned towards me. “Over drinks, maybe? Dinner if you’re hungry?”
“Oh.” I blushed and raised my eyebrows. “I... I can’t.”
“Boyfriend?” He asked inquisitively.
“No...” I admitted with a light sigh.
“Husband?” He raised his eyebrows and his eyes drifted to my hand, clearly searching for a ring.
“No...” I shook my head back and forth.
“So, you just don’t like me?” He nodded and looked at the floor. “I see.”
No, you idiot, my pussy still hurts from getting fucked for the first time.
“It’s not that...” I let my words trail off.
‘So, you do like me?” He grinned and sipped his coffee.
“I don’t even know you.” I felt my face twisting to match my bewilderment.
“That’s generally why people have drinks together and sometimes why they decide to sit down across from each other over food and call it a date—they want to get to know each other.” His grin remained firmly in place on his face and he had dimples along each cheek hiding behind light blond stubble.
“I’m just not ready for that.” I shook my head back and forth, focusing my attention on the coffee pot like it was the only thing I could look at.
“Another time then.” He sighed and started walking towards the exit. “We still need to sit down and talk through some ideas. Mr. Hawthorne has asked me to assemble a marketing team from the current staff and possibly even bring in some people I know to help. I’m nothing more than a consultant, but I was hoping the woman who came up with the idea for this marketing strategy would be the Team Lead.”
I stood there staring at the coffee pot while a tightness spread across my whole body. Adam wasn’t just attractive, he was smoking hot, and he dripped with charisma. He wasn’t forceful like Max and that was a bit of a relief. As I thought about the good qualities I had already discovered, I felt my stomach twisting into a knot. Did I really turn him down for a date? Prior to meeting Max, I was literally hoping against all that was holy for a nice, attractive man to ask me out. I walked back to my desk with my coffee and finished my shift. Adam avoided me for the rest of the afternoon, not even making eye contact. When the clock his five, I was already heading towards the exit, dialing Mary-Katherine’s number.
“Are you at home?” I walked towards the parking deck, stomping my feet rapidly as I tried to beat the crowd.
“Yeah, what’s up? Do you want to come over?” She extended an open invitation, which was exactly what I needed.
“Yes, I’m on my way.” I hung up my phone and hit the button to unlock my car.
***
“HE ASKED YOU OUT AND you said no?” Mary-Katherine’s mouth fell open as I filled her in on Adam Rutherford’s sudden arrival and even-more-sudden request for a date.
“How would I explain it to him?” I sighed and picked up the glass of wine she had poured for me. “Be careful if you try to put your dick in me because I’m still hurting from losing my virginity to a stranger a couple of days ago.”
“Maybe he’s not the kind of guy who likes to fuck on the first date.” She shrugged. “You said he was a nice guy.”
“He seems nice. Max seemed nice at first too.” I let a generous portion of the wine pour into my mouth.
“Are you going to compare every man you meet to Max?” She reached for the bottle and refilled my glass. “He was supposed to be a quick fuck so you could lose your virginity to an experienced man you wouldn’t have to worry about the next day.”
“I’m not comparing Adam to Max...” I took another drink of wine.
“You literally just did that. I bet you’ve already started making a mental list...” She tilted her head as she teased me.
“Fine...” I admitted with a drawn sigh. “It’s hard not to compare. Max represents everything I never want to experience again, so yeah—I guess I’m comparing.”
“Well, then let’s make a list of the things that aren’t the same about them. Max came into the break room at work and forced himself on you, kissed you, and demanded that you go out with him. Adam forgot to make coffee, had a fairly meaningful conversation if you’re not embellishing the banter, and wasn’t pushy when you said no.”
“He was a little pushy...” I ran my finger along the edge of the wine glass.
“Asking if you have a boyfriend or a husband isn’t pushy, it’s fairly normal.” She shook her head as she smiled. “You need to go out with Adam. Hell, if I wasn’t with Rolando, I’d be asking you for his number just based on what you’ve told me. He’s a former soldier? He’s a legend in your industry? He’s hot as fuck? Come on, Abby. This isn’t rocket science.”
“You’re right.” I ran my hand along the back of my neck as the wine made my upper torso warm when the alcohol started to settle in my veins. “What was I thinking?”
“You need to get used to this, Abby. You’re not a virgin anymore. Men will be able to smell the fact you’re down to fuck, so you should expect to have a lot more offers like the one you got today.” She grinned. “It’s pheromones or some shit.”
“Great...” I grumbled even though I knew she was just being silly.
***
I GOT TO WORK EARLY the next morning and started working on a couple of storyboards for Energy Enhanced commercials. It really wasn’t my area of expertise, but if Adam was going to want me to be the Team Lead, I would need to be involved in each facet of the campaign. I was feeling a bit excited when I saw them come together. The soreness was a lot less pronounced than it had been the previous day and it was almost non-existent unless I shifted a certain way. I decided that if Adam asked me out on another date, I was going to accept his offer. There was no reason to reject him. He seemed like he could be Mr. Right—a stark contrast from Mr. Mistake. I emailed the two storyboards to Adam and then started to scan my emails. My stomach flipped upside down when I saw one from Max Martin.
We should get together again. I had a lot of fun.
My fingers froze on the keyboard and I felt the hairs on the top of my head tingle. My throat started getting dry and when I tried to wash away the feeling with coffee, it just seemed to stick against the back of my throat. Max wasn’t supposed to ask me out for a second date. He was never supposed to contact me again. When I regained control of my senses, I hit the reply button and stared at the screen. I started typing a long response, bullet-pointing all of the reasons I didn’t want to go out with him again, starting with how much of an asshole he was and ending with a nice play on the word mistake, but after I read over it, I realized it was just nonsense and babble. I deleted everything I had typed and instead responded with just two words.
Not interested.