"Hey, good morning, Maya," I heard the receptionist greet me.
"Good morning," I replied with a smile.
"What is it?" I asked as she entered my cabin. She handed me a booklet. I didn't understand.
"What is it?" I asked.
"It's an entry pass," she said.
"Entry pass to what?" I asked.
"To a Club," she replied.
I looked at her with a little anger and asked, "Why can't you tell me everything at once?"
She said, "You're the one not allowing me by asking short questions."
We both laughed!
She sat in front of me and said, "Vikram is throwing a big party tonight at Club Nirvana."
"Oh, nice," I said to her, hiding my emotions. "Party regarding what?" I inquired.
"Regarding his appointment as the new CMO. You must know, right?" she said.
I just nodded.
She smiled and said, "It's going to be so much fun."
"Of course it is," I nodded and joined her in laughter.
As she left, I lost in my thoughts. So, he is throwing a party, alright.
I opened my laptop to start my work, but I was not quite able to concentrate. Things started running fast in my mind: the new boss, his rude behavior, my crying, my touching myself, the pleasure. And now, I was feeling kind of drawn towards him. I was not feeling any anger or jealousy; rather, I felt being attracted towards him.
I wanted to catch glimpses of him, so I stood up from my chair and went out. I roamed around the office to see if I could find him somewhere, but I did not.
I was about to return to my place when I stumbled upon Meena. She said, "Hey, Maya."
I remember the mistakes in the report. "Meena, let's meet in my cabin now! Bring Vikas too," I almost ordered.
The three of us were in my cabin—Meena, Vikas, and me. I usually avoid shouting at my team members and prefer to encourage them to do their best. But this time, I had to be firm and use some strict words.
"How long have both of you been in marketing?"I asked them.
Vikas said, "Five years," and Meena said, "Seven."
"And still, you made a mistake in such simple things?" I looked at Meena and then at Vikas.
"Maya, it was just a typo. I have fixed it," Vikas said.
"It wasn't a typo. A typo happens with a single word. You entered an entire targeting and budgeting wrong. That is not a typo; that's a fucking mistake!" I was about to lose my temper, then I managed to stay calm with a deep breath.
"Go and fix it, and Meena, this time, don't mess it up."
I stopped Meena. "I'm not going to be part of this anymore. You handle it yourself and get the report ready. I want it done by the end of the day, with no errors. And this time, I'm serious," I added.
She nodded and left.
I had never been so harsh on her, but I couldn't help it. Without a little pressure, she wasn't going to take it seriously. I knew it.
I shook my head and tried to push the report out of my mind. I didn't want to lose my peace today. I was in a good mood!
"Vikram, where are you?" I said to myself.
I was still not able to see Vikram. It was almost half a day now. Is he not here today? I don't know. I went into the cafeteria for some lunch. I decided not to eat heavily as tonight there is going to be a party, and I know when there is a party, I cannot control myself with drinks and food!
I grabbed some wafers and sat to eat. Then I heard a group gossiping about Vikram. Someone said he is not at the office today.
"Oh," I said to myself. "He is not in the office."
I wanted to see him. Last night's events weren't going away, and I continuously had this urge to see him. I wanted to see him so badly. I don't know why.
I came back to my cabin, removed my phone, and started scrolling through Instagram feeds. I saw his post about his new car that he just purchased!
"Hmm," I said to myself. "Looks like he got some good bonus for the CMO position." I hit the like button on the post. I don't know why I did it, but I liked his post.
The day was moving really slowly. I planned to take my baby to one of our relatives' homes for the night as it would be late for me to come back from the party. I had already informed them that I'll drop Shreya off at their place.
After a few hours of work and meetings, I was ready to leave the office and pick up Shreya from her school and get ready for tonight.
When I was about to leave, Meena came along with Vikas and said, "Maya, the report is all set. We need you to look at it once."
I said to them, "Email me the report. I'll check it tonight." We all knew it wasn't going to happen as we'll be at the party. Some might pass out on the dance floor, some might sleep in the club only. The parties at our company are so freaking high and intense. I've witnessed some of the crazy office parties in this company.
We all smiled and said bye, promising each other to be on time at the party club.
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Please continue to the next part...
