Chapter 3

"So, you guys think we're good?" Ruth asks across the small table they found amidst a bunch of people standing up.

"Yeah, fuck it, I'm pretty sure the work is solid," Philip says, barely able to hear himself with the noise around.

The After Eight bar is packed with people, and meeting there with Ruth and three other colleagues from the development team probably wasn't the best idea to wrap up their work for Ruth's presentation for tomorrow morning. Their beers and papers stacking up on the small round table are threatening to fall to the floor anytime soon with each bump on the table by passing people.

"I'm tired of busting my ass for these stuck-up executive wannabes! Hey! Another round here, please!" Daniel bursts out. "It's not only this fucking project, it's happened a few too many times for my taste! If my head is this burnt at 31 years old, Alzheimer is going to kick in in a year or two!"

"It's this Agatha! She's hell bent on having this shit for tomorrow. I couldn't believe my ears when she told us that on Monday! What a fucking bitch!" Philip exclaims, the fourth beer he drank pushing outside whatever he has in his mind.

"Ah, that hot MILF is behind this shit?" Daniel asks.

"Yeah, that bitch," Ruth remarks.

Daniel ponders for a while, his mouth leaning into the beer. "Well, whatever. I've heard she fucking did the same to some guys from the internal systems team in the map viewer project. Shit, I think that some of them even ended up without a job and without any kind of money compensation because they talked shit back to her and to the other stuck-up assholes. Just give this shit to her and let them all be fucking happy!"

"Guys, guys! C'mon, this is finished!" Ruth yells. "I've got a few projects that I can put you guys in after this, without having to take shit from any asshole in the company! For a while at least! Now, those beers!"

Philip tells himself that he deserves to drink all he wants. After all, he spent most of the week doing the gruesome work of coding all the pages from the portal and helping the development team integrate it with their own work until late hours each night.

Beer after beer takes away the extreme coldness from outside that creeps inside the bar, and shouts, jokes and toasts bring about a drunken cheerfulness to Philip and his colleagues.

"How much is it? Nine beers," Philip asks the bartender, with his head already spinning a bit more than he wanted.

"Hey! Where the fuck are you going?" Ruth leans against the bar, looking to Philip with a funny but surprised face. The usual jolt of excitement of seeing Ruth's sexy body runs through his dick. Her white Sacoor shirt doesn't reveal much, but those black soft wide-leg trousers outlining the nice shape of her ass arouse Philip across the alcoholic fuzziness of his mind.

Her ass is a bit bigger than Ilene's and she's probably a bit more toned than Ilene as well, Philip thinks, because he knows that Ruth goes to the gym quite a few times per week.

And like that, Ilene comes to his mind.

"Ah, Ruth, I have to go. I still have do some stuff tonight."

"What? What the fuck do you have to do?" she asks, giggling. "We're celebrating the project delivery! At least, you guys are!"

"Oh, I know, but I still have to make a money transfer to Ilene's mother. I do it every month and I forgot about it today because of this shit!"

"Are you kidding me? Do it tomorrow!" Ruth yells, rolling her eyes up and drinking another mouthful of beer. "Why the fuck do you send her money anyway?"

Philip doesn't reply immediately, but the alcohol pushes out the words "She needs it because she doesn't have much money. Almost all of Ilene's paycheck goes to her, to help her out in the treatment of her back. It's difficult for everyone, but she doesn't..."

"Ah, Philip! Fuck that! No sad stories tonight! C'mon, let me buy you a jagerbomb!" she abruptly interrupts.

"What? That shit will blow me away!" Philip laughs, forgetting about whatever he had to do a second ago.

"Yeah, you're a pussy or what?"

"Bring that shit! Hey! Two jagerbombs here! Oh, and three more to that table, let's get Daniel's Alzheimer going already!"

"Oooh fuck ... Shit ... I have to go pee!" Philip manages to say. Four jagerbombs later made everything around him look like a big loud mess of people and noises.

"Ha ha ha ha ... Go make room for more Philip!" Ruth laughs with a glass shot raised in the air.

"Yeaaah!! I'm here ... I'm here until it's time to go to the company!! Hahahahaha!!" Daniel says, leaning over to the other guys, completely drunk.

Philip drags himself through the cheerful crowed bar to the men's bathroom, not without some difficulty. With some clumsiness, he closes the door of the small and claustrophobic bathroom. Despite being disgustingly dirty and reeking of beer, it's a welcome refuge from the bar's loud mess and confusion.

Slowly and clumsily he lowers his pants and boxers, and an immense relief goes through his body as he pees a huge load into the urinal.