by Rhea Wilde
“Now, get back to work,” he said. “Stay focused. How hard I fuck you or how often it happens won’t be affected by the quality of your work. But if that quality isn’t up to par, then I won’t hesitate to terminate you. You’ve already given me more than enough reason to want you out of this building and in a hotel room instead. You know that this is a big opportunity for you, Alice. Don’t throw it away like you tried to yesterday.”
He stared at me to express the seriousness of every point he was making. He was right though. I couldn’t let anything cloud my judgment. I had dreamed of getting a job like this for a long time and it wasn’t because I wanted to work for a man like him.
But I stared back at him and looked into his eyes, I could see it. I could see the desire there that made him vulnerable. The staunch businessman he always had to be was on display but there was something else inside of him. There was a pulse that let me know that he was alive. And when I realized it, I slowly began to grin. He smirked back at me and I breathed a sigh of relief.
I stood up out of my chair and began to walk out of his office.
“Alice, there’s one more thing I have to ask you.”
He called out to me and I stopped in my tracks. I turned around and he was already back in his seat.
“Yes?” I asked.
“Are you planning on going out this weekend?”
“I’m not sure.”
“You should. You deserve a chance to relax.”
“…Maybe I will.”
“There’s a new club opening in downtown. You should think about it.”
He winked at me then turned his attention back to all of the papers in front of him. I felt like I was walking on air as I made my way back to my office. My dream job had become even more perfect.
Chapter 21
I sat in the passenger seat of my friend’s convertible as we headed into downtown. The rush of the night air was blowing through my hair. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of the wind against my face. My lungs pushed a sigh from between my lips.
“It feels good to finally go out with you again,” Danica said to me.
“Yeah. It does feel good. I’m sure we’ll have a lot of fun tonight.”
“I’ll say. That’s quite an outfit you’ve got on there. Whatever happened to imagination?”
I was wearing a sheer black dress that hugged my body. The skirt was clinging to my ass and didn’t cover much else. Even with a modest pair of breasts, the top made my cleavage look like I had more than I actually had to offer.
“I finally realized men have terrible imaginations. You have to show them exactly what you have. Is that a problem?”
“No. I like it. I’m glad you finally came around and realized how much of a slut you are, Alice.”
I opened my eyes and turned to my friend. She winked at me with a smirk on her face. I began chuckling at her then shook my head. The light-hearted interaction with Danica was something that had been missing. I spent the entire week focused on work and nothing else.
I didn’t tell her what happened with Rafael. I told her that I was over him. The agreement I had with him was between us and us alone. And with all of the details and rules set, the thoughts of him no longer consumed me. His terms had been set and there was nothing else to negotiate.
The crowded club slowly came into view. The line of people waiting to get inside looked the same as it did whenever there was a new club opening. We quickly got in line with the other patrons and waited to get inside to enjoy the circus of alcohol and music. I looked around for anybody familiar, wondering if Rafael’s suggestion was anything more than that. But I didn’t worry about it. It was up to him whether he wanted it tonight.
As soon as we got into the club, Danica sank her claws into a man who looked like he had a lot to offer. His suit looked expensive and his grooming seemed adequate. Nights like these were no time for judgment though. It was about forgetting everything else and indulging in one night.
Because my friend disappeared onto the dance floor so quickly, I once again found myself standing alone at the bar. Every now and then a man would come up and talk to me but they just didn’t do it for me. There was something missing. Whatever it was, they didn’t have it. I stirred my drink with its straw and looked down at it, waiting for the right opportunity to present itself. Suddenly, I heard a voice whisper into my ear.
“This isn’t the place for that.”
I turned and looked up at the man standing next to me. He wasn’t smiling at me, just staring back at me with no expression on his face. It was a look I was all too familiar with. For a second, I was surprised to see my boss standing right next to me. He looked strange in a pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt. It was a reminder that I wasn’t supposed to see him that way. I quickly through the thoughts of my boss out of my head and turned my attention back to my drink.
“No place for what?” I asked him.
“Being bored.”
“What makes you say I’m bored?”
“You’re standing at the bar and lazily stirring your drink.”
“That’s not all I’m doing. Maybe I’m waiting.”
“And what exactly are you waiting for?”
I looked up at him and squinted my eyes. Despite how hard it was for me to fight the smile on my face, Rafael remained stoic and seemingly apathetic.
“You look familiar,” I said. “Do I know you from somewhere?”
“No. You’ve never seen me before in your life.”
His eyes shifted has he looked me up and down. He turned back to the bar and swallowed the rest of his drink. He slammed the glass down onto the table and began to walk away. As I watched him leave the club, I was still busy trying to figure out what exactly he was up to.
“Now what?” I muttered to myself.
I leaned up against the bar and pressed my palm against my chin. I looked down at the empty glass Rafael had left. There was something down next to it. It was smaller than the coasters scattered around it. I looked around to see if anyone was watching then reached for it. I picked it up and it only took a second for the smile to come across my face.
“What’s that?”
I jerked my head around and my friend Danica was suddenly standing next to me.
“I think it’s a hotel room key,” I said.
“A room key? Wow. You’re really putting it out there, Alice. He’s got some balls, whomever he is.”
“You’ve gotta admire that.”
“So, what? Are you actually going to go to this guy’s room?”
I bit my lip and looked back at my friend. The inquisitive look on her face was replaced with a smirk.
“It’s just one night, Danica. That’s all it is.”
“Hey, you don’t have to tell me, Alice. There’s a time for work and there’s a time for play. You’ve worked hard this week, I’m guessing. You deserve a night to get off.”
I flipped the hotel room key around in my hand. I wasn’t thinking about work or anything related to it. All of my stress was gone. All I was focused on was tonight.
“Yeah, just one night,” I said. “Sometimes you have to remind yourself that you still have a pulse.”
Author’s Note
Thank you for taking the time to read the story of Alice Pratt in Pulse. Loved it? Hated it? Leave a review and let me know what you think! See more of my work on Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/author/rheawilde
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