25
CARLY
I’ve already had three alcoholic beverages in half an hour. I am mad. I am fighting mad.
Why on Earth did Aiden try to screw me over?
Hallelujah that it didn’t work, that it backfired in his stupid jerk face. It would be karmic justice if that lead turned into Carmichael Consulting International winning over Babylon away from their rival competitor, Franklin.
Justice. Him knowing he tried to fuck me over and it blew up in his face.
Although, them winning that account would mean more success for Carmichael and he’s a Carmichael so it’d probably mean he’d wind up buying a new Ducati or something. I looked that bike up and it’s a $250K motorcycle. It’s black and shiny gold and sexy as fuck. And why on earth does he need it? Doesn’t he know there are starving children in Africa? Who needs an extravagance like that?
So, really, I’m getting the shitty end of the deal and it makes my blood boil. He’s doing wrong to me, but he’s still getting the un-shitty end of the stick. Why does he get the sugar-coated stick and I get the shit stick?
I’m so mad I could throw something.
Mr. C starts talking. “Can I have everyone’s attention, please? We’re gonna go on ahead and start the game. Team building isn’t just about building the team up, teaching us how to better communicate, but also team building is about having fun with your team. Being competitive in a healthy way. And at CC, we also love having a laugh together. What better way to laugh than to shoot one another with fake guns in the dark, right? We all work hard. We deserve to play hard, too. In addition to the fun tonight, you’re all, every single one of you, getting bonuses. They’ll be in your usual accounts Monday. We’ve just had a great quarter. An amazing year-end. It’s because of the hard work all of you put in. Please, have fun tonight. And thank you. Thank all of you who either have contributed or who are now part of the team because we saw potential in you. Veteran employees here, you’re all getting twenty-five percent bonuses for your annual bonus. Every single one of you has earned it. Brand new employees, the seven of you who have started in the past while, Carly, Ally, Meryl, Bianca, Helder, Jennifer, and Nathaniel, you each get a month’s salary for this bonus, so you don’t feel left out and so you see what working at CC is all about. We reward for results. I hand you all over to Melissa, here now, who will explain the rules for laser tag. Grab a vest.”
Everyone claps. I am stunned. There’s going to be over $7K in my account Monday. More than enough to pay my Visa off.
And I get paid again next Friday.
And I have a company credit card.
And, my article went viral today.
And, I helped Carmichael get a lead into a highly coveted account.
And I’m suddenly so giddy I want to dance. Joy is welling up in me.
But, then I spot him. Him. The asshole jerk who’s trying to ruin all this for me. My enemy.
He’s at the bar talking to his brother.
There are vests on hooks by each table. We put them on and write down on a clipboard what our vest number is. We clip ourselves in.
Melissa, a blonde camp-counsellor-looking girl speaks into the mic. “Hey everyone! You’re all split into three teams. Blue, red, and yellow. Put your vests on and you’ll get randomly assigned with a color. It’ll flash on your chest.”
Mine flashes red. Ally’s blue. Meryl’s yellow.
I look around and see I’m on Austin’s team. Meryl is on Mr. C’s. Ally has the same vest color as Aiden.
Melissa goes on to explain to us that if we get hit, we aren’t out this round; we just get a bit of a buzzy feeling and can’t immediately strike back at the person who hit us; there’s a short delay. The team with the most hits wins this first round.
We head in, single file by team, each armed with laser guns through three doors, marked with their colors on them. After I head through the red door, I find myself in a long black hallway with neon arrows guiding my way. Stacy is behind me. Bill from IT in front of me. At the end of the long hall, we turn a corner and find ourselves in a big arena-like room with a cave feel. There are fake rocks and fake trees, and paths that lead us through a labyrinth. Some areas have high walls, some half-walls. The ceiling is glowing with a solar system design.
Disco lights are now on, with laser beams pointing in many directions. My gun buzzes fast, I think that means it’s on. It startles me and then I’m further jolted by an assault of creepy sci-fi-like Dr. Who music that starts to play. I hear giggles and then a wolf-like howl. I think it was Austin Carmichael that howled like that. He’s leading our pack. More laughing.
And I start to see more, as my eyes adjust. I see the glow-in-the-dark of people’s vests. I shoot at someone in blue. I see their color block on their vest go brighter and begin pulsing and I know that means I’m making it vibrate. A hit!
This is fun.
I find myself at a dead end and then run around through the maze and I’m in an open area with all sorts of mirrors. Someone is coming!
I duck while running for cover behind a fake rock and peek over and see someone in yellow. I shoot. Their lights pulse, and I make a squee sound.
I step out from behind the rock and suddenly I’m buzzing, and it feels so strange. Not painful, just annoying, like a cell phone on vibrate but at three or four times the intensity.
Someone shot me.
I see Meryl waving at me from a bridge to my right. Oh! That wicked girl. She shot me! It’s always the innocent-looking ones.
I try to shoot back but nothing happens. I must be incapacitated temporarily.
I’m on the move. And I’m laughing.
Austin tries to corral all the reds to come up with a strategy, but I see Aiden. He’s tall so I make him out easily. He’s beside another guy who is in blue.
Oh good. I point my laser gun and squeeze the trigger hard. So hard. I hear nothing of Austin’s suggested strategy. My team spreads out and I’m still watching Aiden.
His vest flashes blue and I see him throw his head back and laugh that he got shot. I sidestep behind a fake tree.
His vest lights stop pulsing. I shoot at him again. It flashes. He ducks down and hides for a minute. I zip along a little, making sure I can still see him. I follow his movement and I wait. I wait and then he pops up and I shoot him again. I feel such a sense of accomplishment when the thing flashes again. And now the game is only about finding ways to shoot Aiden.
I’m stalking him. I’m getting shot at a lot because he’s my single-minded focus.
Shoot Aiden.
Recover from buzzing and wait for his vest to stop flashing. Shoot him again. Shoot the jackass in his stupid, mean ass.
Again and again. This is not the justice I’m due. But it’s a start because it’s giving me a whole lot of satisfaction right now.
It continues, and I’m an Aiden-stalking machine until he spots me, and someone else must’ve hit me because I’m currently disabled. The second the light goes out, it buzzes me again, because he shoots me.
He jerks his chin up and laughs.
Laughs. I glare. My eyes are laser guns, trying to melt him.
“Game one is complete. Everyone, back to the bar!” Melissa calls out on a portable PA mic.
We wind through the labyrinth, finding our way out, and there’s a huge spread of food waiting for us with the Rocky Theme Song being piped through the place. There’s a long table groaning with food: trays of pasta, wings, sliders, battered fried vegetables. And there are jugs of wine and Coke and beer at the tables and on the bar. And a huge cake with Congratulations Carmichael Consulting Inc. on a Fantastic Year End!
And I am ravenous. The adrenalin is high. There was a lot of running, ducking, and pivoting.
I’m not the only ravenous one. We’re all descending on the food like starving wolves on a felled fresh lamb.
The food is delicious. So is the wine. People are laughing and talking about hits they took or dished out and I decide that laser tag is the freaking bomb!
Alice starts handing out brand new nice and thick black CC hoodies to the men, pink ones to the girls.
“And your round one results, folks,” Melissa calls out and one of the big screens that was playing a baseball game switches to a big scorecard, divided by team, with scores against us and lists of who we shot and how many times. The numbers are all over the board. Except for my numbers.
Oh no.
My numbers are telling. Wildly telling.
And it’s obvious. I shot someone named Jen, who I don’t even know yet, and I shot Aiden. Many times. I don’t know how many times, but a quick scan of the screen and Aiden has the most hits and it says that they came mostly from me. I have the highest number of points for one person. I shot him a lot. A lot a lot. It’s glaringly obvious that I was literally gunning for him.
My eyes dart to him. He’s at the bar, drinking beer, talking to Austin, who’s eating a chicken wing. Aiden’s eyes scan the board and then they scan the room and find me.
And when he sees me, he bursts into laughing. His body is shaking hard as he’s laughing at me. He shakes his head and winks at me. Winks.
I am scarlet red. And angry. Because Aiden Carmichael in an unguarded moment of laughter? Every eye in the room can’t help but be on him, as he just looks like Mr. Perfect.
The blue team won that round, though, despite my mad gun skills, and every one of them gets a $100 Amex gift card.
Melissa tells us we’ll have round two in ten more minutes. This time, once you’re shot you’re down and out. You have to surrender your weapon and wait until there’s one man or woman standing. Winner gets a prize.
Everyone is laughing, eating, joking.
A few minutes later, I’m lifting a chicken wing and putting it to my mouth.
Aiden is suddenly in my space, holding out a red bottle of Tabasco sauce.
“Hot Sauce?” he offers.
I shake my head. I’m glaring with hate.
“First, I donate my gift card to you. VPs don’t keep prizes. You get this, because you had the most points that game.” He hands me the card and then he gets loud. “Everyone, Sniper Carly in marketing gets my blue team win for the most points against a single person.”
Everyone claps.
“It’s also a peace offering,” he says, in a whisper.
My eyes go round.
He leans against the bar I’m standing at. “I can’t share details, but I was given misinformation that you were trying to screw me over. I screwed back. And then I found out the tip that came to me was wrong.”
I stare at him. I am lost for words.
Ally leans over and refills my wine glass from the big jug while in mid-conversation with Bill from IT.
I give her a quick smile and my eyes go back to Aiden.
The room is filled with thirty plus laughing, drinking, eating and psyched-up people, and it’s like it’s only us two in the room. And I’m doing my very best to show him exactly how much I hate him with my eyes.
He holds his hands up defensively. “My bad.”
I blink. I give my head a shake and blink again.
My bad? MY BAD?
I shake my head incredulously, mouth in an O. My head is in danger of exploding.
He keeps staring at me while I gawk, open-mouthed, incredulously at him.
“Round two! Let’s go!” Melissa calls out. I grab my gun and glare some more at him as I storm to the red door, shoving the Amex card into my pocket. Because, damn right; I’m keeping it.
***
I’m shot within three minutes of the second round, so I’m out. It’s fun to stand back and watch people take one another out. I can’t see it all, but more and more people wind up on one side, behind ropes in an open area with some benches, watching whatever action we can see happening, and the vibe is jovial. I like these people. I like the vibe of this company so far. With the one exception…
It’s Austin and Meryl at the end and the music playing is The Final Countdown. She wins, hiding for a long time and finally taking Austin out with a sneak attack. Ally and I have huge smiles on our faces, watching this.
Meryl wins a $250 preloaded credit card and she’s stoked.
Game three, ten minutes later, is every CC employee for themselves, regardless of team color. I get eliminated ten from the end, so I zip out to go to the ladies’ room.
On my way back, I spot Aiden by the bar, talking to a tall and exceptionally handsome guy that looks like a biker. Inked. Bearded. Yummy. Totally Ally’s type, evidently. I don’t know who he is, I’ve never seen him at CC, but he and Aiden stop talking when they see me. I keep moving, heading back to the red door.
Aiden’s suddenly at my back, reaching to hold the door open so I can go through.
He’s following me.
“You’re on the blue team. This is the red door,” I grumble.
“Game’s nearly over,” he replies and follows me. “I’m no longer playin’.”
“Whatever.” I keep walking.
I’m halted. He’s got fingers looped through my beltloops at the back of my white jeans.
What the hell?
“Uh… you wanna let go?” I snap.
“No,” He says simply, and then I’m spun, and he’s got me pinned against the wall. Against the wall in this dark hallway with neon arrows and lasers zooming around.
His hand is on my face. Like it was in the elevator. Cupping my jaw in his palm. The pad of his thumb moves over my bottom lip.
Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa.
“Step back,” I order.
He moves in closer. His body is now directly against me.
My face goes red.
“Enough of this shit with us. I want you,” he says.
I choke on my shock. And I shove.
“Listen,” he commands, pinning me again.
“Get your hands off me,” I snap.
“Let’s go home. Get this out of our systems. We both want this.”
I shake my head. “I want nothing to do with you. I don’t want to live with you. I want to work for CC, but I’m very looking forward to reporting to George, looking forward to only having to hear your barking ogre voice on the phone because you’re back in New York. Now, if you don’t back the hell off, I’m reporting you to HR. And I’ll tell them what you tried to pin on me today, too, with that Lingo stunt.”
“Let’s go home,” he whispers in my ear. “I want to do very, very naughty things to every inch of your hot little body.”
“Get away fr---"
“Peaches...” He tries to reason, thumb skimming my throat.
“Now, Aiden! Let go of me. Or, I call the cops instead and have you charged with assault.”
He steps back but only about half a foot. “This is gonna happen.”
“You’re a piece of work.” I’m still against the wall.
“I fucked up today, Carly. I told you that.”
“You’re insane if you think your non-apology was anywhere near enough to erase what happened today. And even if it was, that doesn’t grant you access to touching me like that.”
“That what you want? A sorry from me? Will that get me into your pants, peaches?”
“Go fuck yourself.”
He slaps the wall beside me and I jolt.
“God, you fuckin’ make me hard with that attitude you try to throw.”
His muscles are bulging in his jaw as he grinds his teeth.
I look at his mouth. My heart is racing. His eyes, even in the dim lighting, are so intense. And then he’s on me. On me like he’s dying of hunger and I’m a plate of food.
His mouth hits mine, and then he’s got a hand against my jaw. It then slides and threads into my hair, not gently. Rough. Hungrily.
I gasp as his lips touch mine. I’m temporarily brain-dead, I think, because then he’s full-body against me. All of him. Every single inch of hard, muscled, sex-potion-scented inch of the front of him is seeking maximum contact right against me.
My gasp gives him an opening and so his tongue slides into my mouth just a little, and I let out a little whimper and then my hands are in his hair and my tongue is dancing with his.
“You’re so fuckin’ cute when you try to be badass,” he says against my mouth and then both of his hands are on my ass and he grinds up, right against me. Right against me.
My nipples are hard, my panties are soaked, and my brain is addled.
I go after his mouth with mine and I nip his bottom lip and then slide my tongue in. He growls and grinds against me again.
What’s wrong with me? What am I doing? We hear laughing and it’s coming closer. I shove him. But, it’s not soon enough.
Ally, Meryl, and Stacy are heading toward us.
They’ve seen it. Something. Maybe all of it. Whatever they saw, it’s obvious. It’s all over their shocked faces.
I’m chewing my lip, back against the wall, palms also against the wall, holding myself up. Aiden is casually standing in front of me, one palm on the wall beside my head. He’s looking at his feet.
His hair is messy, made that way by me. I’m probably a mess, too.
I’m looking at the girls.
Ally gives me wide wild eyes and they walk faster out of the area.
I haven’t said a word about that Lingo scam disaster thing he pulled to her or Meryl. Ally accused me of being Iron Mountain on the bus ride over here. I told her I had a rough afternoon and begged her to drop it. She let it go at that point and I’ve been stewing in my anger, processing.
Suddenly, Mr. C is coming down the hall with Austin and Ben, the VP of Sales.
“Hey,” Austin greets with a smile. His eyes are on us, and dancing with amusement. It’s so obvious something is going on here even if we aren’t in a lip lock like when the girls were coming. Mr. C is smiling, too, but not looking at us.
I straighten up and come away from the wall and rush out ahead of them, not smiling, not anything. I rush outside to the bar.
“I’m going,” I tell Ally.
She goes wide-eyed. “I’ll come.”
“No. I need some space. I’ll text you tomorrow.”
She nods and squeezes my hand. “Text me tonight if you need to. Any time. Any time, Carly, okay?”
I grab my string backpack from the table filled with bags and coats by the bar and I rush out of there.
The place is not in a great area. It’s kind of industrial. I go to the Uber app on my phone, standing under a parking lamp. I didn’t bring a coat and it’s a bit chilly out. I reach into my bag and put my new CC pink hoodie on, on top of my blouse.
Aiden is outside with me suddenly.
“Carly.”
“No. Hell no. Fuck off, Aiden.”
He’s coming at me.
“You can’t tell your boss to fuck off,” he says, trying to be light about it, but his eyes aren’t dancing or mischievous. He looks determined.
I put my hand up. “I just did. We’re outside business hours. And the shit you just pulled, you don’t get to say that to me. Don’t step any closer. We’re done. That was bullshit. Bullshit!”
“What do you mean?”
“It was bullshit. You’re trying to fuck with me again. Don’t do that. Leave me alone. I’m going home.”
“I left the other helmet at the office. I’ll…”
“I’ll get an Uber. Go away.”
“Peaches… go back in and have a drink. I’ll go. Then you can catch one of the cabs. They have ten cabs comin’ at midnight.”
I don’t have enough money in my account for an Uber. Maybe I’ll look up a taxi company number and use the gift card.
Or, if he’s going, maybe I can just go back inside. It’s almost 11:30.
“Fine.” I stomp back toward the building, but then he catches me by the elbow and stops me.
He’s looking down into my eyes.
I try to pull away.
“Carly,” he orders.
I look up.
“Go, have a drink, then meet me at home. Cool off. We’ll talk.”
“I have nothing to say. Lemme go.”
He lets go of me. “I’ll see you at home. We’re talking!”
He walks toward his motorcycle.
I turn and go back inside, not looking back.
I find Ally and Meryl in a huddle off to the side. Their eyes go wide.
“I’m gonna wait for a cab. I need a drink. And then I need to sleep on your couch when we go. Can I do that?” I ask.
They both nod.
“Fort Knox is closed up tight,” I say to Ally with my hand up. If you’re gonna be my bestie you’re gonna need to respect that sometimes I’m going to call for processing time. So… processing time. Okay?”
“How much processing time?” she asks, chewing her lip, looking dismayed.
“Twelve hours this time.”
She nods. “You got ‘till pancakes tomorrow morning. I make amazing banana chocolate chip pancakes.”
“Deal. Who won round three?” I accept the glass of wine she’s passing me.
Ally smiles big. “It got down to Austin and Meryl again. He won this time, but he hugged her, telling her ‘Good job’ and she looked like she was at a Beatles concert, circa 1960-something. She almost fainted.”
“Did not!” Meryl shoves her. Meryl has a glass of wine in her hand. And her eyes are glassy!
“Meryl’s drinking!” I say, shocked.
She laughs.
“She needed a drink after being in Austin’s arms,” Ally says softly and fans herself.
Meryl giggles and slaps Ally’s arm. “This is my first and only.”
“Only one tonight. We’re breakin’ you in. Tomorrow night’ll be a different story.”
Clubbing tomorrow night. Do I even want anything to do with that? I sip my wine.
Wait. So, he tried to fuck me over at work. He failed.
And then he tried to pay me with a $100 gift card to say sorry without actually saying sorry. And then he kissed me.
He kissed me!
And I kissed him back. Oh, and I might’ve grinded against him like a dirty ho.
I take a big sip of my wine. A big one.
I’ve had a rough first week at my new job, but I need to celebrate. I’m about to have enough money going in my account to pay off the debt my sister stuck me with. I have a CEO who thinks I’m worth a bonus (okay, so everyone got one, but still!) and I’m going to a marketing tradeshow next week in the Big Apple. I’ve lived in New York state my whole life and have only been to NYC twice. Once, passing through, another time, for a school trip. And this conference is a big deal for my industry.
I deserve good things. Fun things.
I need to kick back, dance, and be Carly 2.0, the non-doormat, the stronger person who doesn’t let people screw her over.
Do I want to go clubbing tomorrow night?
Yes. Yes, I fucking do. New Carly deserves some fun.
Rules for New Carly!
- Don’t be a doormat.
- Forgive and Forget are F-words. (No way is he getting forgiven for today!)
- Not everyone is pure of heart. Be suspicious of everyone. (Especially hot guys with alpha-male tendencies!)
- Never show weakness to a potential enemy. (Especially alpha male assholes)
- New rule. Above all… whatever you do, do NOT have sex with Aiden Carmichael.
I’m not going to sleep with him. I’m not going to even think of his lips on my lips, his body against mine, his hardness against my belly as his tongue danced with mine, my hands in his soft hair and that I might have even grinded a little against his erection.
Nope, no might have about it. I did that. He bent at the knees and gyrated upwards against me and I grinded against him.
My face burns red hot.
Rule number five is essential.
Essential!