Chapter 3
Alexis sat at her desk and stared at her computer monitor. Her mind was completely off after reminiscing about her foursome with her best friend and two strangers, though she did always enjoy having a good time with Hannah. She sifted through some papers, trying to get a feeling of something to help jump start her day and get it rolling again, but after moments of nothing, she gave up. She leaned back in her chair and sighed dejectedly, looking out into the cubicle farm with a brief hint of dismay. Alexis had always been able to hold it together, not allowing things to bother her or her focus. No matter the hardship or distraction, Alexis prided herself on always being able to move forward; getting the job done with an efficiency and effectiveness that rivaled no one.
She knew she needed to get her thoughts back in check and she needed to do it quickly; else the day would be ruined. Although she was essentially finished with what she allotted herself to do, Alexis was already trying to get ahead and move the job forward. The goal was always to impress her superiors in an attempt to further her career and make a lot more money.
However, no matter how hard she tried or how many different methods she attempted, she couldn’t get her head on straight and get her thoughts organized. As much as it pained her to lean on people, she knew she needed to talk this out with the only person she trusted. She looked down at her cell phone, thinking how she hadn’t talked to Hannah in a few hours, and with this being her first time in the United Arab Emirates, Alexis started to get worried. She cycled through her contacts and called Hannah, one of the quickest numbers for her to find. The dial tone buzzed twice before she answered.
“How did you know I was thinking about you?” said Hannah as she answered the phone with the rumbling of the engine in the background and the sound of the tires rolling across the bumpy road. “Seriously, when I start to think about what my best friend is up to, she calls. Clearly everything must be going great, or everything has fallen to hell. What’s up?”
She chuckled as she stood up from her desk, walking out from behind it before stepping into the cubicle farm. “One second, I’m going to go somewhere private so no one can hear me. This is between the two of us.” She walked down the row with the phone up to her head, smiling as she her thoughts continued to wander. “Hannah, have you ever had a moment where your entire train of thought was derailed and you couldn’t get it back on course?”
“All the time, but that’s one of the many reasons I keep you around,” Hannah answered quickly, gripping the steering wheel tightly as her car hit bump after bump, testing the suspension as the wheel shook in her hands. “You are able to get me out of whatever funk I’m in and get me back on point. I think it’s why we’ve been best friends for the longest time.”
Alexis nodded. “Yeah, we’ve always been close, I’ll admit that, but I’m feeling off right now. I feel like I can’t get my mind on track to do my job effectively.”
“Oh, heaven forbid Alexis Matthews has a day where she isn’t one hundred percent,” quipped Hannah. “Look, you on one of your mediocre days is still ten times better than most people on their best, so don’t worry about it.” Hannah paused, letting the words sink in before speaking again as she continued to grip the steering wheel tightly. Dirt stirred around the car as she continued to drive at a moderate pace toward her destination. “What’s got you in such a fuss anyway?”
Alexis thought to herself, trying not to sound like a stupid girl while still relating her problem. She really wanted to talk this out but she didn’t know what all she could tell her friend without her jumping to conclusions. Finally, after a brief hesitation, she decided to just let it out. “I met a guy after you left that got me fairly turned on,” she blurted out. “And then it got me thinking of the last sexual encounter I had and how long it has been. I haven’t been able to think straight ever since.”
Hannah chuckled as the road started to smooth a bit. “You found a guy who got you a little hot and bothered?” she asked, before pausing, comprehending the second half of Alexis’s statement. “Wait, when was the last time you had sex? It wasn’t that time that…”
“Yep, sure was,” answered Alexis. “The last time I had sex was six months ago, when you and I had a night with two men that we have never seen or heard from again.”
“We used to do that more often,” said Hannah, referencing the past as Alexis walked into an empty hallway. “Though not very often with random strangers, which was still fun, but why did we stop fooling around all together? It used to be the staple of our week.”
“Because we both decided that we liked vibrators just as much and we didn’t have as much time to help each other relieve the stress and tension,” she answered. “Look, both of us have needs, and for a while, we both enjoyed making each other happy without having to deal with the whole romance thing. With our careers to focus on we didn’t need a man in our life and that quick, random encounters with strangers was just as effective at satisfying our emotional demands as anything else would have been. I mean, we’ve talked about this a lot.”
“Endlessly,” said Hannah as she saw her destination on the horizon. “And we both agreed that I am a voyeur, and you love to make me happy, giving in to my requests and admitting that you, as a functional human being, have needs just like everyone else. We also worked it out that if you and I tactically pursue two men together, our odds of success dramatically increased over waiting for men to pursue us individually. Did I pretty much cover it?”
Alexis pulled the phone away from her face as she bit her bottom lip, looking back at the doorway she walked through before bringing it back up to her face. “Yeah, but it was a lot of fun though.”
“Loads!” exclaimed Hannah as she gripped the steering wheel. “It was an amazing time. Perhaps while we’re in a place where women are typically viewed as second class citizens, you and I can get together and treat each other to an evening of commiseration and potential prowling for that release you desperately need.”
“Ha!” laughed Alexis. “Get me a few drinks and we’ll see what happens.”
Hannah pulled up to the fence, showing her credentials before being let onto the property. “I know what happens. You and I both end up naked with two strange, incredibly attractive men, followed by looking for each other’s panties in the morning. But hey, I love you dearly; however, I have to go try and intimidate some Italian guy into cooperating. Do you want to grab some dinner tonight? We’ve yet to really venture off into the city.”
Alexis paused briefly, looking off at the wall in front of her. “That actually sounds nice,” she acknowledged. “We can go hit one of the clubs and stumble into work tomorrow, still performing better than most of the people in this building.”
“That’s my girl,” said Hannah, closing the door to her SUV. “I’ll call you when I get back into the city.”
“Great. See you tonight.” Alexis hung up the phone, dropping her arm to her side with the phone tightly in her grip. She leaned against the wall and smiled, knowing that she and her best friend were going to have a great time that evening.