Trying to Throw my Arms Around the World

Stakes

Stakes

I crashed down onto my bed well after midnight, sufficiently hammered to get a few hours of fitful sleep. I didn’t fear tomorrow’s hangover the way Joan, in two short weeks, had taught me, because, just like that, Joan was out of the picture. I could go back to eating pizza for lunch, accompanied by a glass of wine, without worrying how it would affect my work-out. I texted Alex and asked him to share one with me for lunch the next day. He was my best friend and my only chance at redemption with Lou. Now that my job was secure, she was my only focus. I had to get her back. I had to somehow un-dramatise myself and transform into someone irresistible to her. She’d set her principles aside for me once, I had to hope that she would do it again. I had to.

“You slag, what have you done now?” Alex asked me on the phone. It was eight AM and I was still in bed, barely awake and unprepared for this wave of unfiltered Alexness. “You text me at two in the morning on a bloody Monday night. This cannot be without consequences, Leesbian.”

“Sorry, I had a bit too much. It happens to the best of us. Can you meet me at one for lunch?”

“One? Isn’t that gym time with Joan?”

“No, I’m done with that.”

“Fine, but we’re having salads.”

“As you wish, homie, as you wish.”

“Shall I bring Lou?”

“You can try, but I doubt she’ll come.”

“Oh Lee.”

“Oh yeah.”

When I arrived at the office at nine, Annabelle was hovering around my cubicle.

“Lucy wants to see you asap,” she said. “She wanted me to stake out your desk. It’s that urgent.”

“OK.”

“There sure have been a lot of closed doors involving you of late,” she said. If she wasn’t as dumb as she looked, and I was certain she wasn’t, she would put two and two together sooner rather than later. “Lucy must really like you. Maybe it’s those blazers. Where do you get them, anyway?”

“I have them custom-made, just to please Lucy, of course.” Lucy would have to be careful, and she would have some explaining to do about the deal with Joan falling through as well. I hoped this whole episode wouldn’t come back to bite her in the ass because, no matter from which angle you looked upon it, she had rescued me because of her feelings for me. If one of the guys had slept with Joan − not that Joan would ever touch them, not even with one of her whips − and had jeopardised the deal, they would be on the street by now.

“I almost believe you, Lee. Isn’t that funny?” I followed Annabelle to Lucy’s office and shut the door in her face.

“You need to keep an eye on that one. She suspects something.”

“Oh, she’s harmless. She just likes to stir a fuss. Don’t mind her.”

“If you say so.”

“How are you? Managed to get some sleep?”

“Some. Look, Lucy, thanks again for−” She held up her hand and shook her head, indicating that my expression of gratitude wasn’t necessary.

“I have a meeting with Joan in half an hour. Is there anything else I should know?”

“She has a lot of torture devices. She really gets off on that.”

“Anything useful?” She shook her head again, this time hiding a smile as she kept her gaze on some papers on her desk.

“She’s not the devil. She’s actually quite a nice person, but she really really likes to be in charge.”

“OK, wish me luck.”

“Thanks, boss. I owe you one.”

“You owe me more than one, Lee.” The freckles on her nose seemed to come alive again as she winked. “And don’t worry, these kinds of meetings, the ones where you go head to head, a lot is at stake and seemingly irreconcilable differences need to be bridged, are my favourite. You know that.” I liked this bitchy über-sexy version of Lucy, but, since what seemed like months − or almost forever − I liked Lou so much more.

To be continued…