Anchor Line

by Dawne Walters

  “What the fuck just happened?” Talia whispered. “You look like someone told you to take the puppy you just bought back to the store.”

  “I don’t know if I can tell you this early.” Addie whispered back, looking at her friend still in shock.

  “What do you mean you don’t know what just happened?” One of the other girls said.

  “I don’t know if he’s going to tell you or if I should.” Addie said.

  “Tell us what?” Another girl said.

  “Today’s Mr. Claymore’s last day.” Addie whispered even more quiet.

  It was said with such finality that everybody was stunned and nobody said anything.

  “So does that mean you’re taking over?” Jessica quietly asked excitedly.

  Addie looked at her not knowing she snuck up. “I… I suppose it does. Mr. Claymore said I’ll be in management classes and learning his job until Thursday” Addie explained.

  “This is so exciting!” Talia smiled, clapping her hands quietly. “I mean, I feel sorry for the misogynistic bastard and all. But, I think we all saw this coming sooner or later.”

  “I guess so.” Addie smiled. “But for now, let’s just keep this all on the download until a formal announcement is made.”

  Everyone was all smiles as they walked back to their desks. Turning around, she logged into her email, and took a few minutes to check it before she got ready for her meeting upstairs. Not wanting to be late, she left a half an hour early, going up to room 205 for her first supervisory meeting. Sitting in a leather chair before a large oval desk, Addie was extremely nervous. She watched as the other supervisors and bosses walked in and took a seat chatting amongst themselves. Finally looking up at the clock on the wall, Addie noticed the time that it was five minutes until the hour when Mr. Moore walked in and closed the doors setting his notebook on the table in front of him. He did not sit down.

  He looked around the room with a smile, “Good morning everyone. We have a new supervisor amongst us. I’d like to introduce you to Miss Addy Marshall, who will incidentally be replacing Mr. Claymore.” Mr. Moore extended his hand toward Addie and brought the other one up to clap his hands in congratulations. The rest of the supervisors and managers smiled and clapped along. After a short enthusiastic welcome, the meeting commenced.

  After about two hours, Addie was in information overload. As everyone was getting up to leave, some of them came over and shook her hand as she stood to congratulate her personally. It was heartwarming. Before she could move another inch though, Mrs. Jenkins, a short, thick woman with purple glasses that were her trademark, came over and stretched a hand out to Addie’s seat, silently asking her to sit back down.

  “I know that this is all very sudden. I’ll be training you in Mr. Claymo…in your new position Addie. May I call you Addie?” Mrs. Jenkins corrected herself.

  “Yes, please.”

  “Good, now that, that is all sorted, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.”

  Addie listened to Mrs. Jenkins give her the lowdown on her new position while she took notes. There just seemed so much to take in, but she was willing to take it on if it meant a huge pay raise. A bigger pay raise than she got being moved to a team lead position. They moved over to Mrs. Jenkins’s office and she watched as she opened the different applications and explained the things that she would need to do her job and forwarded the emails containing the spreadsheets and reports to her. Next thing they both knew, it was well after two thirty and that would explain why they were both hungry. Not realizing they’d worked through lunch Mrs. Jenkins called it a day and said to come up tomorrow at eight when she got in.

  “Before I leave, who will be taking care of the employees downstairs and records until I’m in place to help?” Addie asked at the doorway.

  “Why my dear, you are the new supervisor. What other way to get your feet wet than to jump right in. Mrs. Jenkins explained. “Just leave them my number so if there are any issues, you are reachable. You’ll get your blackberry tomorrow.” She smiled.

  Addie smiled and nodded and made her way out of Mrs. Jenkins’s office and down to the front desk and stopped in front of Jessica who is finishing up a phone call. The waiting room was empty nothing going but Fox News on low, so Addie leaned on the counter with her head in her hands.

  “Was it that bad?” Jess asked.

  “I wouldn’t say it was bad. Let me just say there’s a lot more to it than I realized.” Addie explained rubbing her face was both of her hands. “And the whole time I’m sitting there trying not to wonder what in the hell Claymore did to get fired so quickly.”

  “Rumor on the street has it, that he was doing a girl or getting it on with the soldier while his wife was at home playing Holly homemaker. But then again you never know.” Jess pursed her lips.

  “God just the thought of one person fucking that guy is enough. I can’t imagine somebody else would want to do it to.” Addie sighed. “I’m going to go grab my lunch. Has Claymore made it out of the office yet?”

  “He lugged the last of his boxes out of his office about half an hour ago.” Jess’s eyes got as round as saucers. “And was escorted by two MPs through the building with Mr. Moore. It was all very undramatic.” Jess almost looked like she was pouting now.

  “Wow. An escort with MPs. I imagine will find out soon enough, they’ll be some kind of training on it.” Addy’s sighed.

  “Go get your lunch girl. We’ll talk later. You can tell me all about Renner.”

  Addie had turned to leave when Jess dropped the Renner bomb. She knew exactly who had told her.

  “I plead the fifth.” And she smiled as she walked down the hallway to her cubicle.

  The rest of the day went quietly. Addie had moved all of her stuff out of her cubicle and into her new office. Which wasn’t very much. She had several emails from the IT folks saying that they were going to hook up her computer and switch all of her programs over etc. etc. So now all she had to do was wait. Getting up from her desk, she went to stand in front of the window that was in her now new office. Looking up at the gray skies, her first thought was of Conrad. Was he in the field now? Did he take care of his soldier’s issue? The last two nights surely caught her up in a tailspin of emotion and thoughts. She wasn’t really sure what the next month before he left for Pennsylvania was going to hold. She felt that she most certainly ruined everything with her comment this morning about Susan and the naked pictures on his phone. But she couldn’t take back what she had said, so she’d have to do damage control to fix it.

  That night she walked in her apartment with a sub sandwich and tea in hand, looking around her new digs. Turning on the living room and dining room lights, she put her dinner on the bar in the kitchen. Slipping out of her shoes, she grabbed them and walked down the hallway to her room. Spying Conrad’s t-shirt on the bed, she walked into her closet and slipped out of her her sweater and slacks putting her shoes up on the shelf, she slid her bra off tossing it in the top dresser drawer. Then she walked over to the bed and pulled Conrad’s t-shirt on. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath and immediately all images of Conrad fucking her or Conrad laughing at her, filled her head.

  Instant regret filled her as she walked down the hallway and picked up her sandwich and tea and took them over and sat on her sofa. Turning on the TV to bring some noise into the apartment, she ate dinner and sat back pulling the blanket over her legs until it was time to go to bed. No text messages, no phone calls, no voicemails from Conrad while he’s in the field or before he left. She figured he must’ve really been upset. Or, well hell, he was in the field. Even Charles would text her or phone her for a few minutes. But Conrad wasn’t her boyfriend. He did smile at her when she told him to be careful before he left. Looking at the time on the cable box, it was only seven forty-five. Deciding to call it a night, she turned off the TV, folded the blanket and put it up on the sofa, turned off all the lights, made sure the door was locked and walked back to her bedroom. Sliding under the blankets
and laying on the pillow that Conrad had used, again she took a deep breath, feeling surrounded by all that was Conrad. She thought she was going to go crazy when she decided to turn on ESPN, so that she could just go to sleep.

  The ding of her phone made her realize that she had fallen asleep. Reaching over to the night table, she picked it up and saw the text message icon. Swiping her phone she saw that it was from Conrad.

  CONRAD: r u sleeping in my shirt???

  ADDIE: No!!!

  CONRAD: The fact that u had to put three !!! tells me u r!!!

  ADDIE: Would that bother you?

  CONRAD: No, not at all. It’s pretty hot. Send me a pic.

  This was her moment of redemption. Flinging the covers off of her, she ran to the bathroom, turning the light on and close the bathroom door to face the full length mirror on the back of it. Before she could take the picture her phone dinged again.

  CONRAD: Don’t touch your hair. I like the sexy just fucked look on you.

  It was after this message that she finally looked at the time and realized that it was almost midnight. Smiling, she adjusted the phone so she could see herself in the mirror, took a few pictures to see which one was best, and sent it to Conrad.

  ADDIE: Feel better?

  It was a few minutes before she got a reply, but she did she laughed with relief.

  CONRAD: HOLY FUCK! I LIKE IT!

  ADDIE: :)

  CONRAD: I want a diff one tomorrow. One for each day would be great!

  ADDIE: Only if I get one in return.

  CONRAD: I can do that. :)

  Turning off the lighting and going back into the bed, Addie was about to lay down her phone when it dinged again. What Addie saw really surprised her. Someone else had taken a picture of Conrad holding his phone up and on its display was a sleeping Addie. She didn’t know what to say. He had taken a picture of her while she was sleeping, when had he done that? Smiling, she texted back to have a good evening and a great field problem and she would talk to him again tomorrow.

  And this was the way that Addie spent the two weeks that Conrad was in the field. She’d get up for work and go do her eight to five. When she was done, she would usually go home after getting something on the way, and eat by herself. Or Jess would ask her to come over to her and Carl’s apartment to eat there. The first weekend Conrad was in the field, she, Jess and Talia went out for dinner and drinks, talking about men and whatever else happened to come up. Each night, she and Conrad would text. Even if it was only to send a picture or say good night. Not knowing when Conrad was going to be out of the field, the second Friday, Jess asked Addie to go to the Messo with her. Jess inviting Addie to the Messo had come up more than once, so finally relenting, Addie told Jess that she would pick her up for dinner before they went to the Messo.

  Conrad wanted to surprise Addie when he came out of the field at six that Friday night. The Commander said that everyone had far exceeded the new Brigade Commander’s expectation, so he was releasing everyone a week early to go be with family. Packing up from the field problem was done expediently by everyone. Now, pulling into his apartment parking lot, he looked over and saw that Addie’s car wasn’t there. Looking up into her apartment, it looked like all the lights were off as well. Pulling his rucksack and other gear out of his truck, he made his way up the upstairs to his apartment. After a long overdue shower, Conrad stepped into his bedroom and saw that his phone was blinking from a text message. Hitting the button he saw it was from Carl.

  CARL: Party @ Messo in ur honor. Masked.

  CONRAD: Not wearing a mask dude.

  CARL: Kidding!! No masks.

  CONRAD: I’m IN!

  CARL: C U soon brother. Headed over now.

  CONRAD: RGR.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Opening the bottom drawer of his dresser he pulled out his leather pants. Unless Addie called or texted, he was going to go to the Messo and have a good time. They weren’t married, they weren’t dating, they were just friends who fucked each other a few times, shared a few pictures while he was in the field and hung out. Her comment before he left for the field was warranted. The only thing was, he had deleted the pictures of Susan from his phone. The only pictures he had on his phone now, were the silly pictures she’d send him while he was in the field. And those of his sisters and brother and dad in Pennsylvania. Black leather pants, black t-shirt, and boots on, Conrad was ready to go. First he’d text Addie to see what she was doing.

  CONRAD: Hey…I’m home. Heading out in a few. Where r u?

  Waiting for a few minutes, Conrad didn’t hear anything back so he went on his way to the Messo. After parking in the back lot, he tucked his truck keys in his front pocket and made his way into the Messo. He was greeted with well wishes from friends and congratulations on a new assignment to Italy from the people that he’d known for the past four years. Making his way from the vestibule into the long hallway and finally into the large ballroom, Conrad went up to the bar and ordered a rum and coke. He was going to miss the Messo and the excitement of half-naked women and sex. But he knew where the clubs were in Italy, having been there before. He’d just have to brush up on his Italian.

  “Hey man you made it.” Carl greeted him, shaking his hand.

  “Yeah dude. Wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Conrad smiled.

  “Jess is out with the girls right now, she’ll be along in a little while.” Carl offered.

  “Oh. Is she out with Addie?”

  “I don’t know man. Jess just said that she was out with the girls.”

  Conrad nodded his head taking a sip of his drink and looked at his phone one more time. With no texts or phone calls, he waited for Carl to order his drink and they went to have a seat on one of the dark gray leather sofas that were grouped along the dance floor.

  “Oh damn! Is that Susan and Lisa over there getting it on?” Carl asked trying to look through the dancers weaving and bobbing his head.

  Conrad looked over to where Carl was trying to look through the dancers, and indeed it was Susan and Lisa. “Yeah that’s them. You can always count on them to be here on a Friday and Saturday.”

  “That’s true.” Carl answered, “Jess doesn’t like them very much, and she says they are bitches.”

  “I would have to agree with you there. But they do have their uses.” Conrad chuckled.

  Carl raised his glass, as did Conrad, “Here’s to one fucking good party.”

  “Hell yeah.” Conrad smiled, watching the two women grind against each other and kiss as they danced.

  “I think I may need to hide from those two though.” Carl slid over on the sofa so that more dancers obscured him.

  “Why?” Conrad looked at his friend strangely.

  “Because I’ll get my ass kicked if Jess sees me anywhere near those two bitches. She doesn’t trust either one of them.”

  “Alright man, let’s just go upstairs and save your ass until Jess gets here.” Conrad shook his head and headed to the elevators with Carl in tow.

  Addie and Jess bid good night to Talia after dinner and made their way toward the Messo, with Addie driving and Jess giving directions. As Addie drove down the long gravel driveway that led to the Messo, she started getting really nervous. The building was an old palatial house that had a three-story vestibule and two long wings the size of football fields going out at an angle on each side. It had what looked like hundreds of windows. The face of the building was a dark gray stone. Addie likened it to the English castles almost. The grounds were immaculate, with tall green grass that you would want to roll in, shapely hedges and finials and gorgeous flowers and tall old oak trees surrounded the mansion and the parking lot. Jess instructed Addie to park in the front, this way they could get in sooner and she could see Carl.

  Looking down at her watch, Addie saw that it was nine thirty. She hadn’t realized that they’d stayed out that long after dinner. But, she was catching Talia and Jess up on all the latest gossip that she’d heard from Mrs. Jenkins, who�
��d taken her under her wing. Locking her door, she pulled down her short skirt just a little bit more, prompting Jess to tell her that she looked hot as sin. She felt uncomfortable in her short skirt that barely covered her ass and the tops of her nude thigh highs that she’d put on at Jess’s insistence. Not to mention the very low cut black blouse that she was wearing that practically bared her breasts. But what attracted you to her chest were the multiple strands of silver chain that formed a necklace around her neck that rested on her breasts. She completed her ensemble with her nude suede heels. Leaving her unruly curly hair long and loose. When she went to pick up Jess at her apartment, Jess had taken it upon herself to redo Addie’s makeup into a more sultry and dark look to fit the Messo’s theme.

  “You look fine, quit fidgeting.” Jess smiled as she pushed open the front door to the Messo. “In fact, I’ll tell you again, girl…you look pretty damn hot.”

  “I look like a hooker.” Addie replied. “I hope I don’t run into anybody I know.”

  “You think you look like a hooker? Great!” Jess smiled brightly. “You’ll fit in perfectly. As far as running into people, I run into people all the time from work, we work in personnel. What do you expect?” Jess said as she walked up to the coat check in. “Hey Tammy! I haven’t seen you in a long time. I need a visitor’s contract for my friend Addie here please.” Jess greeted the girl at the check-in, got an over-the-counter hug, and was given a paper attached to the clipboard and a pen for Addie to read and sign.

  As Jess was chatting with her friends that were behind the counter, Addie read over the ironclad contract that covered everything she was allowed and not allowed to do at the Messo as a guest. She was to be given a red band to be worn around her right wrist. This meant that she was a guest. Participation was of her own accord, given her consent. At which time, the Dom or Domme that she was going to play with would follow her over to the bar where she could change her wrist band from a red one to a whichever color she was going to need. Addie looked over what the different color wristbands meant a second time.