Chasing Circumstance (10 page)

“What’s so funny over here, ladies?”  Chace came over to where we were sitting.  “This round is on me.”  Chace made Jo and Isabella each another drink and sat a pitcher of beer in front of me.

“Thanks, Chace.”  No one else said anything to him and it became awkwardly silent.

“I’ll let the three of you get back to your girl talk.  I can tell where I’m not wanted.”  Chace winked and pointed his finger at me before walking away.

“So, what did you do next?”  I was like a nosy neighbor trying to find out the local gossip.

“I was tired of hearing his bullshit, so I put the ball gag over his head and placed it in his mouth.  Once I made sure it was in place and tight enough that he couldn’t spit it out, I asked him if he minded if I turned on some porn and he shook his head.  So I walked over to the DVD player and started the video.  You should have seen his eyes when he saw that it was gay porn!  I almost lost it at that point.  I excused myself to the restroom, and when I came out, I was carrying a massive dildo and a container of petroleum jelly.  I thought his eyes got big before when he saw the porn, but they almost burst out of his head when he saw what I brought out with me.”  Isabella slapped her leg as she began laughing hysterically.  After taking a deep breath, she continued with her story.  “He started frantically shaking his head no and was trying to scream over the ball gag.”  She couldn’t stop laughing.

“You didn’t… You wouldn’t go that far.”  Jo looked utterly shocked at what she had just heard.

“Of course not.  I only used it to scare the shit out of him.”  Isabella shot Jo a look that if it had been a punch, it would have knocked Jo’s teeth loose.  I think she was upset that Jo would even ask such a question.  Isabella was an actress, not a monster.  “Anyway, I smeared petroleum jelly all over the dildo and left it on the bed next to him.  I then took the watered down mayonnaise out of my purse and put some by his mouth, on his stomach and over his thighs.  He was trying to yell at me the whole time but could only mumble because of the ball gag.  I told him he had been a bad boy and he should think about how he treats women in the future.”  Isabella drank more of her drink before continuing.  “I then told him I was leaving him there for the maids to find him in the morning and he should take the time to think about the kind of man he was and wanted to be. I went on to say he was a chauvinist and had earned everything that happened to him tonight.  When I figured he had enough, I went into the bathroom, changed my clothes and left.  I did keep the mask on though until I made it out to my car so that he wouldn’t realize that it wasn’t you, Amia.”  Isabella could hardly speak through her laughter.  Jo and I couldn’t help but to laugh either.  It was truly a hilarious mental image.

“Maybe I should go over there and pay him a little visit!”  Jo’s laughter filled the bar until she caught herself and put her hand over her mouth.

Isabella leaned in close to us and whispered so no one else could hear her.  “Oh, you wouldn’t want to do that.  As I was leaving, I was sitting in my car putting the address to this place into my GPS, and I saw a blonde woman going up to the room.  When she opened the door, she started laughing, took out her phone and started taking pictures!  I have no idea who she was, but after she snapped off a bunch of photos, she yelled at him calling him a fucking pervert, turned around, and left.  She even left the door open!  I felt so bad for him that I called the front desk and told them they may want to go up and check on room seventeen.  I made up a story and said I had been passing by and saw the door was open.”  All three of us burst out laughing, we simply couldn’t help ourselves.

“I can’t believe you two did this!  He’s in for one hell of a work day come Monday!”  Jo raised her drink in a toast.  “Now, here’s to plans that work and the man that regrets them!”  We all clinked glasses together and laughed again.  “So, that’s why you said those guys didn’t expect to see you here!  Brilliant!  Simply brilliant!”

“It was all Isabella’s idea.  I just sat back and watched the actress play her role.”  I finished my beer and smiled at Isabella.

“Need anything else, ladies?”  Chace strolled over to us and smiled at me.

“Yes, I could use an escort home and these two need cabs.  Hmm, I wonder where I could find a handsome, strong man that could walk me home and make sure I was safe.”  Smiling, I looked up out of the corner of my eyes as if I were in deep thought.

“Chace Cavanah at your service, Ma’am.”  He turned to talk to one of the other bartenders, “Hey, Max, would you please call two cabs for these ladies and make sure they get to them safely?  I’ll be back before closing.”  He took off his black apron and walked around the bar.  “Shall we, Miss Amia?”  Stretching out his arm, he took me by the hand, and helped me down from the barstool.

“Why thank you, Sir Cavanah.”  I turned and smiled at Jo and Isabella.  “Goodnight ladies.  It’s been a blast!  Call me tomorrow, both of you.”  I blew them both kisses as we walked away.

“It looked like the three of you had a good time tonight.  You never did introduce me to your friend.”  Chace held my hand and our arms swung back and forth a little as we walked to my place.

“Oh, I’m sorry.  I’ll be sure to do that next time.”  I looked up at him and saw him smiling.  “It’s been a while since I saw Isabella, so it was nice to catch up.”  We made small talk the rest of the way to my apartment.  When we reached my place, I took out my keys and unlocked the door.  “You know, in a couple of weeks, you won’t be able to walk me home.  I’m moving in with Jo.”

“Well, until then, it is my honor to escort such a lovely lady home safely.”  He turned to face me.  “Amia, would you like to go out for dinner when you have some free time?  Or maybe, if you feel safe enough with me, I could cook for you?”

“Sure, Chace.  Either way would be nice.  How about I let you know after I’ve moved and get settled in?”  I was glad there was only one street lamp near my front door so he couldn’t see the blush of my cheeks.

He reached up and put a hand on each side of my face.  “Until we see each other again then.”  He leaned in to kiss me.  I knew this was the moment I had been waiting for and held my breath as he moved closer.  I turned my face up to meet his, my lips quivered in nervous anticipation, and he kissed… My forehead.  “Goodnight, Miss Amia.”  He turned and walked away, leaving me there in a real life swoon.  I watched as he walked down the block and disappeared into the darkness of night.

I raced inside, threw my purse on the floor, and immediately pulled out my laptop.  I had to write in my blog before I was too tired to do so.

“Dear You,

Where does ego come from?  I would venture to say that some may use it as a form of self-preservation out of their own feeling of inadequacy.  If we are secure in ourselves, there is no need for ego, no place for it.

Why do we sometimes feel the need to tear others down or use them just to inflate our own sense of self-worth?  It feels wrong to me.  Think about those words, Self... Worth.  The words alone say it all.  It is something that comes from inside you, not something formed through anyone else.  That’s the difference between ego and self-worth. 

So tonight, dear readers, I leave you with these instructions… 

Love yourself.  Don’t worry about what others say, think, or feel about you.  They did not create you, do not own you, and therefore hold no power over you.  Do not allow your ego to replace your self-worth.

~ Amia”

CHAPTER TEN

I had never been so happy to wake up on a Monday morning as I was on this particular morning.  I even woke up before my alarm went off.  After taking a quick shower and dressing, I gathered my things and left for work.  I couldn’t wait to see what today brought.

I walked into my office, put my things down, and immediately went to get coffee.  As I poured a cup, I offered a silent thank you to the inventors of this magnificent drink.  I knew there were all kinds of legends surrounding its origin, but quite frankly, I didn’t care where it came from, just that someone had thought of it.

Jo met me in the break room.  “Heard anything yet?”  I poured her a cup of the magical brew as I asked.

“Nope, but I did see Elaina, that blonde chick from reception, with a bunch of the ladies that work with her this morning.  She was showing them pictures on her phone and they were all laughing.”  She accepted the coffee from me and blew on it before taking a drink.  “I put on my boss face and told them that no matter how funny the internet was it was time to get to work.  It was hard for me not to join in on their fun!  I know it’s bad of me, but I really want to see those pictures!”  Jo laughed as she nudged me with her shoulder.

“I know!  I do too!”  We walked out of the break room together and went to our separate offices. 

I kept watching the clock and waiting for Sam to show up in my office.  I knew he would have something to say to me, and I was prepared to deny it all.  After all, it wasn’t me in the hotel room that night, and I had witnesses to that fact.  I started growing concerned when ten o’clock rolled around and he had not shown up.

Grabbing another cup of coffee, I went to Jo’s office to see if she had heard anything.  “Hey, Boss Lady, have you heard anything from Sam?”  I sat down in a chair across from her desk.

“I was just going to call you and ask you to come to my office.  Did you see the email that Elaina sent out?”  Jo flipped her computer monitor around on her desk to show me the email.

“Oh shit!  Did she send that to everyone in the office?  I didn’t see it in my email when I checked earlier.”  The email had attachments of all the pictures she had taken and was entitled ‘Pig Gets Poked’.  She had also written about how there was a dildo on the bed, gay porn on the television, and that he was covered in cum. 

“No, I guess she only sent in to the women in reception, but one of them sent it to Human Resources, and they sent it on to me.  Elaina is being told at this very moment that her temporary contract is over, and we will no longer be in need of her services.”  Jo turned her monitor back around.  “One more thing, she sent it to Sam.  He called me and said he quit.  Amia, this turned into a big mess.”  She looked as though she was upset with me and I knew she had every right to be.

“Jo, this wasn’t supposed to happen.  I’m so sorry.  I honestly don’t know what to say, but if you want to fire me, I completely understand and won’t be upset.”  I looked down at my hands as I folded them in my lap.  I felt ashamed of what Isabella and I had done.  Though it wasn’t supposed to go down like this, if we hadn’t done it, Elaina wouldn’t have found him in that manner.

“No, Amia, I’m not going to fire you.  Elaina was an idiot and was only hired through a temp agency until we could find a permanent receptionist.  We’ll hire another one.  My only problem is that even though Sam was a misogynistic pig, he knew his job and was good at it.  Where am I going to find an editor on such short notice?  We need that campaign ready to go by Friday.”  Jo began to look through the contacts on her computer.

“I’ll do it.  I’ve done it before.  Sam took my job when you promoted me.  I’ll work whatever late nights and long hours it takes to make up for what I did.”  I looked at her, pleading with my eyes.  There was nothing I wouldn’t do to make this up to her.

“Really?  Amia, that would be great!  I’ll even stay and help you.  We’ll make a night or two of it.  It’ll be just like old times.”  She stood up, came around from the back of her desk and hugged me.  “Anyway, it’s about time we replace that chauvinistic pig!  He made my skin crawl.”  Jo pretended to shiver as she walked back around and sat at her desk.

“Who do you think you’re talking to?  I know better!  He made you quiver with all that good lovin’!  It’s okay; you don’t have to hide it.”  I laughed and then winked at her before drinking my coffee.

“You know, you don’t have to call me out on everything.  Don’t you have work to do?  How about we take the campaign over to your place tonight, order in food, and work on it there?”  Jo laughed and then waved me out of her office.

“Sounds like a plan.”  I turned to look at her to make sure she was alright before I closed the door.  As usual, she was hard at work as if she hadn’t a care in the world.  It would have broken my heart if my actions had hurt her in anyway.  She was more than a boss or a friend to me, she was like the sister I had never had.

Returning to my office, I picked up my phone and called Sam.  “Hey, Sam, I know you must be pissed off at me and…”

Sam interrupted me before I could finish my apology, “No, Amia, I’m not pissed off.  I had some time over the weekend to think about it and I was a fool.  There’s nothing left to say except goodbye.”  He hung up.  He was right, there was nothing left to say.

Again, I picked up my phone and called Griffin’s Modeling Agency.  I had to do something to make it up to Sam.  Though I felt he deserved what Isabella and I did to him, he did not deserve the final outcome of it.

“Hey, Rick?  This is Amia from Millian’s.  I overheard your secretary on the phone when I was there earlier and she was setting up interviews for a copy person.  I have someone you should talk to.”  I gave Sam’s information to Rick and he thanked me.  We exchanged a bit of small talk and hung up.

I busied myself with the energy drink campaign the rest of the day in an attempt to catch up before Jo and I had to work on it that night.  I even worked straight through lunch.  In the early afternoon, I took another coffee break, and checked my emails.  There was one from Sam.  He wrote to tell me that he had received a job offer from Griffin’s and wanted to thank me for the referral.  Breathing a sigh of relief, I let go of the guilt I had been feeling.  I guess the Universe really did know what it was doing after all.

Jo knocked on my office door at five o’clock.  “Are you ready to go?”  She walked in before I could answer her.

“Yep, just sending myself the last of the details so we have everything we need when we get to my place.”  I shut down my computer, gathered my things and walked with Jo into the hallway.  “Just let me lock up and we’ll be on our way.”  I locked my office door and we left.

Jo left her car in the parking lot and we walked to my place.  As we got closer to my apartment building, we saw someone walking toward us.  “Is that Chace?”  Jo strained to see if her assumption was correct.  “Yep, that looks like him.”

I handed her my things and quickly straightened my hair and clothes.  Accepting my bags back from her, we walked on as though we had not noticed him.

“Oh hey!  I was just on my way to check on everything at the bar.  I’m off tonight but thought I would check in anyway.  What are the two of you up to tonight?  Gonna go to the bar?”  Chace stopped to talk when he saw us.

“Hi, Chace.  No, we have some work to do.  We’re going to order in some food and burn the midnight oil.”  I shifted on my feet as I spoke to him.  I felt the butterflies beginning to burst in my stomach. 

“Order in?  Are you kidding me?  I have an idea.  Why don’t the two of you go up and get settled in.  I’ll run to the market, pick up some groceries, and come cook for the two of you.”  I didn’t hear a word he said, but instead found myself lost in his smile.

“Sure, that would be nice.  Wouldn’t it, Amia?”  Jo nudged me back to reality with her elbow in my side.

“Oh, um, yeah... Thanks, Chace.”  I felt my cheeks getting rosy red and I wondered to myself if he noticed it.

“Wonderful!  I will be back in about a half an hour.”  He started to walk away but stopped in his tracks and turned around.  “Do you have wine?” 

“Are you kidding?  Of course I do.”  I giggled a little at his question before brushing a loose piece of my hair off my face and tucking it behind my ear.

“Good, then we’re all set.  I’ll be back in a bit.”  He smoothed another strand of hair away from my face.  “Your face is too pretty to be hidden behind your hair.” 

Blushing an even deeper shade of red, I looked down and said, “Thank you.  We’ll see you soon.”

“If you can cook as well as you make drinks, I’m looking forward to it.”  Jo noticed the blush in my cheeks and cut in to help alleviate the awkwardness I was feeling at Chace’s very public attention.

“Even better.”  Chace smiled at Jo and then winked at me before leaving to do what he said he would.  Jo and I walked up the stairs to my apartment.

“Um, is there something you want to tell me?”  Jo put her things on the coffee table after we walked in.

“What do you mean?”  I set my things down and immediately began to straighten up my place.  I had just cleaned that weekend, but I felt the need to pick things up because Chace would be seeing my home for the first time. 

“He was awfully familiar with you.”  Jo walked over to my coat closet, took out the vacuum and plugged it in.

“Remember when he walked me home Friday night?  Well, he asked me out and I said yes, but only after I moved and got settled in.  Then… he kissed my forehead and left.  There’s nothing more to tell.”  I stacked some dishes in the dishwasher and wiped off the counter.

“Are you ready for this?  Are you ready for a relationship?”  Jo stood in the living room with the vacuum cleaner in her hand.

“No, and that’s why we’re taking it slowly.  I haven’t had a chance to talk to him, but I will when the time is right.  I’ll be right back.  I want to freshen up a bit before he gets here.  Thanks for doing that.”  I nodded toward Jo and the vacuum before going into my room to change my clothes. 

I heard the vacuum running as I changed into a pair of torn up blue jeans and a sweatshirt.  I didn’t want to look like I purposely dressed up for him.  After I changed my clothes, I went into the bathroom, washed my face, brushed my teeth, took out my contacts, and put some lotion on my face.  This would be the first time Chace saw me without make-up, and though it freaked me out a bit to reveal this much of myself, I wanted to see if he still felt the same about me in my natural state.

Jo was finished vacuuming and was putting it away as I walked into the living room.  “Hey, if you want, help yourself to anything in my closet or dresser.  You know where everything is.”  I went into the kitchen to take a few bottles of wine out of the cabinet and stick them in the refrigerator to chill before dinner.

“Thanks, I’m going to do that.  By the way, you look absolutely adorable.”  Jo winked at me before going into my bedroom to change.

Just as I was sitting down to pull out everything we needed to work on the campaign; my doorbell rang through the intercom.  I got up to answer it, “Yeah?”

“Hey, it’s me.  Let me in, please.”  Chace’s voice answered me back.

“Yep.  I’m up the stairs and second door on your left.”  I ran over to the mirror I had hanging by my front door, grabbed a rubber band that was lying in a dish on the side table under it, and threw my hair up in a quick ponytail.  Chace knocked on the door as I was putting my glasses on.  I stood there for a few seconds before opening the door.  I didn’t want him to think I was standing there waiting for him.  “Just a minute.”  I put on my prettiest smile and opened the door.

“Here, take one of these.”  Chace handed me one of the paper bags he was holding full of food.

“What the hell did you buy?  Three bags?  It’s just the three of us.”  I took the bag from him and walked toward the kitchen.

“I wasn’t sure what you had, so I picked up everything I needed to make my famous lasagna for you.”  He followed me into the kitchen, sat the bags on the counter and looked around.  “This will do nicely.”

“It’s small but it works for me.”  I was standing in the corner in front of the dishwasher.

“What works for you?”  Jo walked around the corner wearing one of my sweat suits.

“All of it.”  Chace smiled at me.

“Well, we have a lot of work to do.  Come on, Amia, let’s get started and let this man do what he does.”  Jo opened the fridge, grabbed a bottle of wine, opened it, and poured each of us a glass.  “I never did understand why wine needs to breathe.  It’s not like it’s alive.”  She laughed at her own joke as she walked into the living room.

“You heard Boss Lady… Get to it and let me do what I do.”  Chace playfully pushed me out of the kitchen.   I had never had a man cook for me in my own kitchen before, and though it felt a bit awkward, it was fun at the same time.  I felt myself really starting to fall for Chace.

“Okay, okay!”  I giggled as I picked up my glass of wine and headed into the living room.  I spread everything out on the coffee table, and I sat on the floor across from where Jo sat on the couch.

“Wow, Amia, you got a lot done today.  At this rate, we should be able to finish this up tonight.  I guess there was nothing for me to worry about.”  Jo thumbed through the photos and copy I had laid out.

“I worked most of the afternoon on it.  Sam had a lot of it done already, so all I had to do was put it together.”  I started changing around the order of some of the photos.  “Hey, what do you think about this?  I think it works better.”  I turned the pictures around so Jo could see them.