Page 91 of Corporate Escapades

“Not yet. I’ll share my takeout with you if you want?”

“Sounds great. I’ll bring popcorn and gummy bears.”

Paris smiled at Mya’s response. “You’re the best. See you shortly.”

Mya finished packing. She threw a bottle of sparkling wine in her bag, along with the snacks and Paris’s favorite movie. She had her own situation to discuss, and she wanted the night to be comforting for both of them.

A few minutes later, Mya gave a quick knock on the outside of Paris’s door and proceeded inside. Her friend was curled up on the settee with a full glass of red wine.

“Hey,” said Paris with surprise. “That was record fast.”

“I expected you’d want me here,” she smiled. “Look, what I brought.” She held up the movie,Bottle Shock,for Paris to see. “I also brought a bottle of sparkling wine. I thought we could celebrate your success.”

“Thanks, but aren’t we a little premature? We don’t know what’ll happen over the next week.”

“Trust me, you’ll be fine. You’ve made enough changes that the board will put the improvement plan to rest.”

“Improvement plan,” laughed Paris. “I guess this was an extreme form of an employee improvement plan, huh?”

“Definitely,” replied Mya as she grabbed her favorite throw and got comfortable next to Paris on the couch. “There’s something I need to tell you.” Her voice wavered. “I want you to listen and keep an open mind about what I’m about to say. I have to tell someone, and you’re the only person I can imagine who might understand.”

Paris looked at her with curiosity. Immediately, her stomach tightened. She hated that reaction, but it was a defense mechanism she’d adopted ever since Alli’s death. “Go on.”

“Obviously, you’ve noticed something going on between me and Cristo.”

“Yes. I’ve been quite concerned about you.”

“Right, and you know the type of men I go for.”

“Of course,” replied Paris. She waited for Mya to continue.

“This is difficult for me to explain.” She released a deep sigh.

“Girl, just tell me,” Paris pressed. “I want to know if I need to go out and kick some ass for you.”

“No, Paris, it’s not like that at all. I’m safe, but you may not comprehend what’s going on, so I’ll explain it to the best of myabilities, and then you can ask me whatever questions you feel are relevant.”

“Fair enough,” she replied.

“So, Cristo’s not my type. I’ve turned him down dozens of times over the years, which you know. He continued to pursue me, but over the past year, things changed. I don’t know if it was because of the loneliness of being without you and Alli or if my taste has changed, but I felt something different toward him. While I still continued to turn him down, I entertained the idea of being with him to meet an unfulfilled sexual desire.” Mya paused to see if Paris was following. Her friend nodded.

“Roughly six months ago, after one of our corporate schmoozing events, I lost the mental battle I was having with myself regarding the need to feel a human connection. The entire evening, Cristo stayed nearby. He brought me drinks, he danced with me, and he threw every compliment he could think of in my direction. I thought, why not?

“Maybe it was the alcohol, but I felt pretty bold that night. As he walked me to the car at the end of the event, I brushed the inside of his palm, placing a note there. He closed his hand, and I held up one finger to my lips to tell him not to speak. I got into the car, and the driver took me home. At one in the morning, a knock sounded at my door, and I knew exactly who it was.”

“What did the note say?” demanded Paris.

Mya turned a light shade of red. “It said:If you can keep a secret and tell no one of this incident ever, meet me at my place shortly, and I will entertain your desires.”

“So? What happened?” Paris felt like a teenager waiting for Mya to spit out the details.

“I met him at the door with a glass of Scotch for each of us. I took him by the hand and sat him on my sofa, and then, as if I had turned into some sort of wild animal, I threw myself into his arms, spilling his drink and pressing my mouth to his. Hetasted like Scotch and mints, but somehow it was what I was hungering for. With all the energy he’d stored during his pursuit of me, he nearly tore my clothes off. He couldn’t wait to touch me, but it wasn’t tender by any means. It was rough and dirty. We slammed into walls and fell over a table, breaking the legs. He threw me down on my bed and gave it to me hard. When we were done, I asked him to leave, which I could tell he found confusing. I think he thought I would want to cuddle or talk, but that was against the rules I’d determined in my head.”

“So, he left?” Paris was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“Yes, he left,” Mya exhaled.

“Is that all?” asked Paris. There had to be more to the story.

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