They say when in Rome, do as the Romans do. But I’m not in Rome, I’m at level 4 of Maxforce Tower, and in this jungle of paperwork and power play, there’s only one rule: when the boss says ‘you’re in’, you’d best know how deep.
“So what's the game, Duke? The real one. Cause everytime I'm in your office, I either move up, down, or out.” I smirk, leaning back, blowing out a ring so cool even I'm impressed.
The slivers of light cast a solemn frame on his moustached frown as he gives me a look like he regrets ever hiring me. “Truth is, I need you, Rachel —” he gingerly pushes forward a small box, half of its wrapping paper ripped “— to explain this.”
“I don’t think I need to explain that anonymity is kind of the point of Kris —” I stop my witty response, midway through unwrapping it. My smile drops. It's a butt plug. Not just any run-of-the-mill one either. This was that premium ribbed shit that could seal even the straightest man into an eternal bliss.
I clear my throat before I continue. “Well, if you don't want it —”
“The problem isn't that I don't want it,” he replies, walking over to the window, a hand parting the blinds. “The problem is I do and I don't know how someone knew that. And I’d prefer to not open it in front of marketing’s cameras tomorrow. We’re not gonna fuck people over their insurances if it looks like I’m the one getting fucked. That's where you come in.”
“Me? I told you after the Roland case, I'm done. Why not ‘terrific Tracy’, since your secretary likes saying yes so much?” I roll my eyes, blowing another ring.
He sighs and lowers his head. “Because you're the only person I can trust. I can give you fifteen extra minutes of break time —”
“Yeah, I guess I’ll get to the bottom of it,” I respond extremely quickly.
****
“You know, it's funny,” I say from behind Tracy, finding her leaning over the restroom sink as usual. “When a girl says she's powdering her nose, it's usually not true…”
She groans and spins around, sniffing the remnants up her nose. “Rachel Rain, to what do I owe the pleasure?” she says, so sarcastically that even a rock couldn't miss it.
“Not pleasure. Last week you made a withdrawal. Tell me, is one-forty in petty cash really ‘petty’? What did you buy?”
She shrugs smugly. “Sure, I withdrew the money, but I had nothing to do with where it went. And, coming from me, I wouldn’t stick my nose in any further. Trust me, if a certain secretary happened to — oh, I don't know — misplace all your progress reports, then you’d know the meaning of petty.”
Wait. Only one person gives her my progress reports anyway; my supervisor, Jimmy ‘Two Staples’. Without realising it, the broad just gave away the culprit.
“... huh, right, thanks Tracy!” I shoot her a sly smile as I turn on my heel and leave her confused.
****
The cold rain pelts down across my face like little knives as I walk across the skybridge to the marketing department. I swipe my keycard at the door. A sad little jingle plays. Damn. Tracy must’ve given Jimmy a heads up I was coming.
I stand in the small undercover part of the doorway and sigh, pulling out a dart. I need to think.
A massive flash of lightning almost masks an approaching figure and her pleasant voice. “Need a light?”
“You’re the new dame from IT. Sally ‘Sticky Notes’, right?”
“The one and only,” she smiles warmly, pushing up her large circular glasses as she lights my cigarette. “Wow, you’re so wet. There’s a spare umbrella just inside.” She gestures to marketing.
Suddenly it all fits up my metaphorical mind’s ass. My keycard not working, the ability to log in to computers to impersonate others, the fact that an IT intern couldn't have known what the inside of the marketing department looks like. Oh my God. It’s her.
“You figured it out, right? You’re giving me that horrified realisation face,” Sally smirks. “Now you’re just wondering why?”
I nod in tentative fear at her strange confidence.
“2008. The Global Financial Crisis. I was just a little girl but even then I realised the evil of Maxforce when they wouldn’t pay my family for the very crisis they had a hand in creating. That’s when I made it my life’s mission to tell Duke to go fuck himself.”
“Yeah? Well, jokes on you, he’s into that shit.”
“Oh seriously? Fuck.”
As HR drags her out, I can’t help but chuckle. Funnily enough, I think the crinkled tag on the buttplug described it best: ‘The greatest surprises come from unexpected places!’
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