Chapter 10

I had needed four extra strength Tylenol and as many cups of coffee but I was killing it at work. My job had only recently lost its shiny newness and become the slog of wage slavery. That all changed when the fire nation attacked.

Not the fire nation, three beautiful colleagues.

Not attacked, looked at an electronic capturing of my sexual organs that got them going for me.

Not changed, it was the same work I had to do.

Anyway, what I mean to say is that life is good when beautiful people want to fuck you and want you to know they want to fuck you.

Lidie was there when we arrived. Nisha and I had come in together. Jess hurried several steps behind with coffees for the rest of the bank. We were greeted as liberators. It was shocking. Lidie’s eyes opening, her smile forming, her step bouncying as our gazes met. I was only on coffee number two and I was feeling great.

Lidie was all hugs. She couldn’t walk by me without running a warm hand over my shoulders. She couldn’t help herself from grabbing my ass or nipping my neck. She was so head over heels, Nisha and Jess declared that they’d have to ease off on the clock or the whole office would be talking.

Maybe. The three of them were the core of all female gossip. I knew from my boss and male colleagues that we kept that kind of jabbering off work hours. Plus we only slung that kind of talk with our non-work circles of friends. The girls’ fear of things was dead in the water.

Nisha hovered. She had her eyes on me a lot. She’d leave, breaking eye contact when I noticed her. I got three watch yourself warnings from the day manager, Nisha’s superior, and the older woman who handled mortgages and non business loans.

“She’s looking to cut her teeth on a scandal, sweetheart.” I was told. “And well, Lidie’s too sweet to get you in trouble but bureaucracy isn’t good at giving a shit what the people involved want.”

“I’ll be careful,” I lied. I knew what Nisha wanted and I knew how to give it to her. I was invincible.

Jess, on the other hand, was all in on professionalism. I had to get her attention. I had to chase her. I could tell by the coo her throat that she wanted to be pursued. I was happy to provide passing compliments. I was evil with semi-discreet touching. I was disappointed in an obvious sniff. She did smell like my shower products. She had better taste in those things at her own home.

Yet, I enjoyed the hunt. I liked giving the attention. I liked feeling like I was about to go full caveman and drag her off to the nearest dark corner and fuck her like an uncivilized animal. More coffee. The next two Tylenol. I was in no shape to be that caveman that morning. Plus, I had to admit, I’m glad I didn’t have to be the huntsman for all three.

“Clock out for lunch,” Lidie squeezed in at my hip. Her fingers tiptoed down my spine and she put a brown paper bag in front of me. “I made you something special.”

My stomach rumbled. I had avoided breakfast in my mild hangover. I ran my fingers over Lidie’s as she let go of the lunch she had made me. That’s when two women came in the front door.

Adelaide was scowling at her sister. My girlfriend had a brown takeaway tray of steaming coffee cups and a bright white paper bag stapled closed. She looked up and saw Lidie on me. Adelaide slowly smiled into brilliance. Her sister was dark fugue and all scowls. She stared daggers at Lidie.

“Looks like my date is right on time,” I told Lidie.

“Jesus, you swing for the fences,” Lidie laughed. “Sisters?”

“They are, but just the girl with the coffees for me.” I put up my shingle asking the next customer to go to Jess instead. “Hi Adelaide!”

“Hi,” my girlfriend beamed.

“I’ll leave you to it.” Lidie squeezed my ass before she hummed away on a bright cloud.

“Seriously?” The little sister ... Celeste! Her name came to me like a bolt from Zeus’s hand. Celeste shook her head. “You didn’t see that?”

“That’s Lidie,” I explained.

“Oh!” Adelaide took a happy sigh. “It’s OK, Cellee, I know all about her. You came, you saw, you scampered off so I could have lunch with my boyfriend?”

“What?” Celeste looked shocked. “Jesus. Seriously?”

Celeste was a shorter, bustier, darker, longer haired, unhappier clone of Adelaide. They dressed similarly. Adelaide had a couple more buttons unfastened. Celeste had brighter more vivid makeup.

“Unless you’re joining us?” I asked. “For lunch.”

Adelaide gave me a look that pleaded: “Only for lunch! Only for lunch! Only for lunch!”

“Nah, I can’t stop her from her bad choices. It was ugly to see you again, Bad Choice.”

“Lovely to see you as well.” I smiled. I logged out, clocking out. Adelaide waited as I left through the security door. Celeste had smugged away at an all but stomping gait.

“Thank you,” Adelaide said to me.

“Least I could do.” I shrugged it off. I took the food from her hands.

There was an office complex across the parking lot. I led Adelaide to a quiet corner of their cafeteria. I’d have eaten by myself in the break room but whenever I had a lunch meeting we had always held it over here. The place didn’t seem dismal and zombie-ish with Adelaide next to me.

“You already had a lunch.” Adelaide was worrying as she opened the bag from Lidie. I pulled the hot styrofoam cups and chinese boxes from her bag. “Oh shit! Is this homemade?”

Lidie had packed fried chicken, bowls of chili, and a big chunky brownie.

Adelaide sounded jealous as she put the chili in front of me. “And it smells so good too...”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” I asked.

“What?” She frowned. “She’s a cook too. I want to do this for my man but unless you want burnt toast...”

“I’m sure she’ll teach you,” I said.

“But--” That distressed her more.

“Look, all these girls,” I said. I wasn’t picking the best words to calm her down. “All of them. They’re going to make our lives better.”

“What do you mean?” she frowned.

“Fucking them’s kinky and fun.”

“Oh.”

“Let me finish,” I brushed her hair back. “But kinky and fun isn’t the only reason to have women in our lives.”

“So what?”

“Well, first, I think, we should start a pool a little bit from everyone’s wages,” I explained.

“Is that OK?”

“Maybe,” I shrugged. “Hell maybe this all collapses at the next full moon. I have no idea why you are even talking to me after what I did.”

“But, look, Will. I really like you. I really liked you. I did things with you that I really really really need to like someone to do. I’m not going to get mad over a picture of your penis.”

I laughed. I was talking about fucking everyone else. I smiled. She looked worried. I pulled her in for a kiss.

“So, we put together a pool of money. Maybe we buy a big house? Someone’s going to have to clean it. Wouldn’t it be nice that whoever’s in the kitchen knows what she’s doing in there?” I suggested.

“You want to take their money and put them to work,” Adelaide frowned. “That’s so mean.”

“Well, it’s not carved in stone yet,” I said. “What do you think we should do?”

“Oh ... You wouldn’t like it,” She sighed.

“You want to get rid of everyone but yourself,” I said. “I don’t think it’s that easy.”

“Well not everyone,” Adelaide sighed. “I’d like to keep Sherry.”

Adelaide was red as a firetruck. She was beaming with so much pride that she had admitted that. I kissed her hard. I leaned back.

“You are amazing,” I declared. “Don’t worry if I like it or don’t like it. What do we do?”

“Right,” she said. “One sec.”

She immediately took a forkful of chili and bit into the fried chicken. Her shoulders wobbled. She let out a bright and happy sigh. I watched with a smirk as she chewed. She finally swallowed.

“OK, what--”

She smirked and stopped me. She gestured with her index finger to buy an extra second. She took a bite of the brownie.

“OK, the kitchen’s Lidie’s,” Adelaide said. “Let’s talk to everyone about the big house before we make them give us money.”

“OK,” I agreed.

“And, what if ... What if they just have a lot of debt? I mean Talsy’s buried in her student loans, right?”

“Shit...” I frowned. “I’m good, which is because mom and dad paid off so much of my loan as I went,” I sighed. “How about you?”

“A couple hundred behind on my credit card,” she said. She sat up straighter. “I’ll be in the black after my next paycheck. Next Friday.”

“It’s OK,” I shook my head. “It’s not life or death or anything. I guess we’re lucky we have Lidie and Jess then.”