One

Harley

“I don’t understand why I even have to go. Isn’t there a rule about temps not being able to attend these kinds of things?” I stood in my red silk bra and panties that were dotted with candy canes for the holiday, staring at my best friend with the perfect pout on my face. She was excited about the office Christmas party because she had a place there, she belonged. Shannon was an analyst, while I was just a temp worker trying to work and save enough to finish my last year of college.

She, however, was totally unfazed. “Girl, please. The more sexy bitches that show up, the better it is for everyone, and you, Harley, are the hottest piece of ass in the building.”

Shannon’s gleaming smile landed on me, mischief burning bright in her big green eyes.

I shook my head at her silliness. “You’re crazy. There are at least three receptionists hotter than me, and that chick from accounting is like a twelve.”

“Oh please, Kara bought that nose and those tits. Your tits are better by far, and the Tammys pay for that sky rise apartment they live in by sugar daddying.”

“Shannon! Don’t spread lies.” My best friend was the most outrageous person I’d ever met in my life. She had no filter and never met a man who didn’t want her. I could learn a lot from her, especially confidence. She had it in spades, whereas I seemed to have none at all.

“It’s not a lie. Just ask them and they’ll tell you. Oh, hell no!” She lunged at me, tackling me to the bed until she’d torn the black dress that was half way on my body all the way off. “You cannot wear this!”

I frowned at her. “That’s a perfectly nice black dress, Shan.”

“I think that’s the dress my grandma wore for a one night stand with Giuliani back in the nineties. Or maybe Rudy wore it, who knows, but no one’s gonna bang you in a dress our former mayor wore. Try this.”

She flung a scrap of deep green velvet at me and I groaned. “Where in the hell did you get this?”

Shannon laughed loud and hard, clutching her belly as blonde waves fell forward and her hot pink bangs shielded her laughing green eyes. “You know it’s not mine. I couldn’t fit all this lusciousness into that dress if I tried.”

“So?”

“So I bought it for you. Put it on, hooker!”

I laughed, shaking my head as I stepped into the green velvet halter dress with the obscenely low V-neck. “Are you insane, Shannon? I can’t wear this, it’s indecent!”

“Exactly! We’re trying to get you noticed tonight so you can do something indecent. No more hiding that killer body behind frumpy skirts and baggy shirts. Tonight, you’re doing it up right!” Shannon clapped, looking far too pleased with herself.

“I’ll wear another dress.”

“No, you won’t. Wear that or you’ll hurt my fucking feelings.”

I laughed. “Your feelings don’t get hurt.” She was the toughest skinned woman I knew.

“Bullshit. Wear it.” She stood, hands on her hips as she glared at me. Then in one swift move she snatched my other three dresses off the bed and buried them in my laundry hamper.

“Hey, asshole, those are clean!”

She grinned and dumped my gym bag on top of it all. “Were clean. Whatever will you wear?” she asked coyly.

“Payback is a bitch, Shan.” That’s all I said as I looked at myself in the mirror. The dress was. . .a miracle. I looked like some sexy siren. An ebony haired Marilyn Monroe whose curves were encased in green velvet, I couldn’t look away.

“You can pay me back by taking Mr. Hot, Grumpy & Loaded for a wild ride tonight.”

I wish. She referred to our boss, Nick Steele, who I had a serious crush on from the day I started, six months ago. “I don’t know what you’re talking about but I won’t be riding anyone this evening.” Least of all, Mr. Steele, who didn’t know I existed, and even if he did, he was so far out of my league that we didn’t play on the same planet.

“Oh, please, you look at that man like he’s an ice cream cone on a humid August day. Like licking him all over is the only thing keeping you from dying of dehydration.” She shivered. “No wonder you keep fresh panties in your desk.”

“I do not!”

“Well you should. I’d bang that man like a screen door in a hurricane if I could. Tonight you can, so lose the panties.”

“Touch my panties and I will bite you.”

She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Go ahead, I might like it.” Shannon stepped into her red stilettos and cocked a Santa hat on her head. “Come on Harley, let’s get ready to do some damage tonight.”

I let her pull me out the door but I locked it because lord knows where she had keys, mad money or her phone in that sexy Santa dress she wore. “If you leave me alone to bang some rando Shan, I’m leaving early and putting the chain on the door.”

She laughed and wrapped her arms around me. “Sorry to tell you babe, but I’ll probably see you in the morning then. My pussy is hungry and she wants to feast on a rando.”

I laughed as we hopped a cab back to the office. Shannon was excited to get all dressed up, get drunk and have an inappropriate hookup with some random guy. I wasn’t really in the mood for a party but Shannon was right, I couldn’t wait until I finished school to have a life.

I had to start somewhere.

Sometime.

But as we entered the office building where the party would be held, I didn’t feel that here was that somewhere or that tonight was that sometime. Everyone was decked out in Christmas finery and the office had been transformed into a winter wonderland that rivaled the real-world one glittering outside.

“Here, take a swig.” Shannon handed me a flask with her name scrawled across the front in red crystals.

“What’s this?”

“This is liquid courage baby girl. Drink it up and let the magic do it’s damn thing.” Shannon clapped and smoothed her dress down as she scanned the crowd.

“You know we work with these men and the ones we don’t work with are someone’s plus one?” I took a long pull on the flask and handed it back.

“I’m aware but some of these fuckers clean up nicely. Case in point,” she groaned as the redheaded IT guy strolled our way.

“There is no outside alcohol allowed, for everyone’s safety,” he said, his dark green glare set on Shannon who thrust her tits out and gave back an equally forceful glare.

“Getting out of my face is also a safety measure.”

He grinned at her threat. “Oh, does the kitten bite?”

In shock, I took a step back and covered my mouth. No one ever called Shannon a kitten or anything else remotely cute and cuddly. Wary of her short and curvy stature, she worked hard to be seen as a hard ass, especially where men and work were concerned. “Don’t wait until a chunk of your ass is missing to find out.”

He laughed. “I can’t wait,” he told her and plucked the flask from her hands, shoving it into his back pocket. “Booze is coming out with the boss man, later.”

“Give that back!”

His eyes twinkled and he stood tall, towering over my friend. “Make me.” Before the words were out of his mouth, Shannon’s hand had cupped between his legs. “Shannon,” he warned.

“The flask, give it back.”

“No,” he told her and grabbed a handful of boob in reply.

The last thing I heard as I walked away was my friend’s outraged gasp, and I knew the IT guy had her number. Which meant I would be completely alone tonight. Wait, that meant I would be completely alone. I could leave early, change into my pajamas and watch really bad holiday horror movies. Thank you, IT guy.

This night was already looking up.