Reining in Riley

by Claire Britain

  “So what’s the new girlfriend like anyway?” Riley tried to ask casually.

  Rae regarded Riley carefully. “She is drop dead gorgeous, legs forever, blond hair and blue eyes.”

  “Figures,” Riley pouted.

  “Why, you jealous?” Rae goaded.

  “Yeah, right, she’s my boss and the bitch who just suspended me, remember?” Riley replied in an irritated tone.

  Rae just smiled as she moved to tend to another customer. She knew Riley had a crush on Joanna Armstrong and understandably so, who didn’t; she was gorgeous, powerful, refined, and elegant.

  “Okay, keys, miss. You’re not getting on that damn bike tonight,” Rae demanded as she saw Riley drain her fifth beer.

  “Whatever,” Riley replied in a resigned tone.

  “Uh oh, boss lady at two o’clock, Riley,” Rae said as she shifted to attend to her new customers.

  “Fuck!” Riley said as she stole a glance behind her to see Joanna Armstrong and a gorgeous blonde enter the bar.

  “I’m out,” Riley said to herself out loud as she stood up and made a break for the side door of the bar.

  “Hi, Joanna, Cheryl, how are you doing, what can I get you?” Rae greeted her new patrons.

  “Rae, was that Riley who just left?” Joanna asked Rae in a worried tone.

  “Left, no, she’s… shit!” Rae swore as she turned to see an empty barstool where Riley had been sitting and a wad of bills on the bar in front of it.

  “I guess you know what went on this afternoon. How many has she had, Rae?”

  Rae held up a hand and extended all her digits. “Five!” as she tried to make a beeline for the exit after Riley.

  Joanna caught her immediately. “Rae, let me deal with her; you have your bar to take care of.”

  Rae was hesitant, but Tracy was inundated with food orders and she couldn’t just leave the bar.

  “Okay, but make sure she doesn’t get on that bike!”

  Joanna just gave her a thumbs up as she hurried out of the bar to the parking lot after Riley. Bike, what bike? she thought to herself.

  Her question was answered when she saw Riley in the parking lot putting on a helmet next to a sparkling black and chrome motorcycle. Riley was in blue jeans, black boots, and a black leather jacket and for a moment Joanna just took in the sight until she saw Riley attempting to leave.

  “Young lady, I swear to you if you get on that motorcycle, it will be the last thing you will want to sit on for the next few days!” Joanna exclaimed in an angry voice.

  Joanna’s outburst initially made Riley jump, but all the alcohol she had consumed was like liquid courage.

  “We’re not at work, you’re not the boss of me right now. Oh, and I’m suspended, remember?” Riley said boldly as she resumed trying to buckle the strap of her helmet.

  Joanna stormed over to Riley and glared at her. “Get that helmet off now; you are not going anywhere on that bike in the shape you’re in!”

  There was a long pause as the two regarded each other.

  “Ms. Carrington, you have exactly two seconds to take off that helmet and hand me those keys!”

  Riley had a moment of clarity and realized she was in no shape to drive her motorcycle. She didn’t want to damage it if she crashed. The new bike was her baby; she had only had it a few months.

  “Fine,” Riley said as she took off her helmet and walked away.

  “Riley, you are trying my patience. Now come with me and I will take you home!”

  “And who the fuck said I’m ready to go home?” Riley slurred defiantly at Joanna.

  Joanna took a deep breath. “You’re right, Riley, it is your decision. Let’s hope you make the right one!” Joanna declared as she turned around and strolled toward her Mercedes.

  Riley immediately regretted what she said. “Shit!” she said to herself out loud. “Can this day get any worse?”

  Riley leaned against the wall and slid down to the ground by her bike, putting her head in her hands. “Fuck, why am I always such an idiot?” she said as she slammed her fist behind her into the cement wall, which resulted in a sharp pain immediately searing through her hand, followed by red crimson liquid that ballooned on her knuckles.

  Springing from her car after seeing what Riley had done, Joanna bent down and put her hands on Riley’s shoulders. Hey,” she said gently, “it’s been a long day. Let me take you home, okay?”

  Riley didn’t respond; she just let Joanna guide her to stand and walk her to her car.

  “Let me see your hand,” Joanna said in a concerned, gentle voice as Riley slid into the passenger seat holding her wounded extremity.

  “It’s fine, really. I promise I won’t bleed over your Mercedes,” she said curtly.

  Joanna ignored Riley, realizing it was futile trying to talk to her right now. She was angry and drunk and that did not make for a good mix. Instead she handed Riley a couple of tissues from her purse and started the car.

  “A few more blocks, then make a right at Cliff,” Riley said in a pouty tone as she dabbed at her injured knuckles with the Kleenex.

  Riley calmed down during the ride home; the hum of the Mercedes and the effects of the alcohol lulled her into a sedate state. Joanna pulled up outside Riley’s apartment.

  “Thanks,” Riley said in an almost whisper as she tried to release her seatbelt.

  “Wait,” Joanna said, turning off the car and gently reaching to hold Riley’s arm to prevent her exit. “We have a few things we need to discuss, Riley. I want you to come to my home office tomorrow and we can talk, okay?”

  Riley was too exhausted to argue. “Okay.”

  “Eight o’clock, here’s my address,” Joanna said, handing her a card. “It’s only about five minutes from here and don’t be late!”

  “Ten four, boss lady!” Riley replied smartly as she closed the car door and walked with a slight sway to the door of her apartment.

  Joanna just rolled her eyes and shook her head as she watched Riley make her way to the door of her apartment, and started the car back up. She heard the chirp of her phone in her purse and looked at the screen before she pulled out. “Cheryl! Shit, I left her at the bar!”

  Chapter Two

  Her head pounding, Riley slowly regained consciousness to find that she was lying on her couch and was still in her jeans and tee shirt from the night before. She might have felt better if it hadn’t been for the couple more beers she’d drunk after she got home. Opening one eye, she saw the light of dawn slowly creeping in through her blinds, then suddenly panic shot through her as the memories of the night before started to come back. She bolted up from her couch.

  “Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!” she cursed as more of the details of the prior evening came back to her. Then she saw the business card with Joanna’s name and address on it on the counter. “Oh, God, I’m so screwed!” she said as she looked down at her bruised and swollen right hand.

  Her bike! Shit, it was still at the bar. She searched the pockets of her leather jacket for her keys. She could run down to the bar and pick up her bike before she had to show up at Joanna’s. No keys; where were they?

  “Rae, Rae, is my bike okay? Do you know where my keys are?” Riley pleaded desperately on the phone.

  “Riley? Are you bleeding or dying?”

  “Well… no?”

  “Do you know what frigging time it is?” Rae answered in a furious tone. “No, I don’t have your damn keys! Is that the only thing you’re worried about after yesterday?”

  “Umm…” Riley heard a slam then a dial tone.

  Riley looked at the clock on the kitchen wall; five-fifteen. Ouch, she thought to herself with a grimace on her face as she grabbed a water from her refrigerator and downed the entire contents. She needed to go for a run to clear her head. Even when she was hung over, she ran the beach most mornings. It was her escape, her time to think and this morning she especially needed some clarity to face the day ahead of her and Joanna Armstrong.

&nb
sp; Riley changed into her running gear and grabbed her iPod. As she ran along the beach path, she replayed the events of the prior evening in her head. She tried to convince herself it had not been that bad, but her conscience was telling her otherwise.

  After the fourth mile, Riley was tired and decided to call it a morning. What she needed now was caffeine, so she headed to her favorite coffee shop.

  “Better make it a double this morning, Pete,” she said to the barista taking her order.

  “You got it, Riley, double skinny latte coming up! Good run?”

  “Not really, bad night!” Riley replied.

  “Well, this should perk you up, babe! Have a better day, okay?”

  “Thanks, Pete,” she replied, then headed back to her apartment.

  Once there, she proceeded to change four times. She was nervous about facing Joanna after last night, not knowing what this meeting was all about, but she figured it wasn’t going to be good. First she tried her jeans and tennis shoes, which she decided was too casual. Then jeans and a linen shirt, but she finally settled on a pair of black slacks with a lime green blouse and black loafers. She tied her hair back in ponytail and applied a sparse amount of makeup.

  “God, you look like shit!” she said to herself out loud as she looked in the mirror and checked her watch. She didn’t feel much better either. Her run had only tired her out and her swollen hand and pounding head were both throbbing. Well, better get this over with, she thought and she picked up the car keys.

  Joanna’s house was easy to find; Riley had no idea she lived so close to her. The house was set up on the hill, a single-story, large bungalow style with a circular driveway leading up to a three-car garage.

  Riley parked on the street and took in the fantastic view of the ocean. She was early; it was only seven thirty-five, so she sat in her car staring out at the ocean, her stomach once again in knots.

  She checked her watch; seven fifty-one. It was time. Riley walked purposefully up the driveway ready to make an on-time arrival when the door of the house opened and Joanna casually stepped out, picking up the paper.

  “Come on in, Riley,” Joanna said in a somewhat cheerful tone.

  A little startled, Riley followed Joanna up the gravel driveway through the oversized double front door. Joanna was in full business attire and looked commanding in a red pencil skirt suit. She led Riley into the house to the first room on the left that obviously was the office. A floor-to-ceiling bookshelf sitting behind an elegant cherry wood desk boasted volumes of leather-bound books. A small leather couch with matching ottoman sat on the far wall next to a filing cabinet that matched the desk and had numerous inboxes on top filled with paperwork and files.

  “Sit.” She gestured to one of two matching leather straight-backed armless chairs in front of the desk. “How are you feeling, Riley?” Joanna asked dryly as she sat on the edge of the desk in front of Riley, folding her arms.

  The closeness made Riley uncomfortable. “I’ve been better, I guess,” Riley replied softly, looking down and then quickly covering her battered knuckles with her other hand.

  “I’m sure. You don’t look so good. Let me see your hand,” Joanna directed in a firm tone.

  “It’s fine, really, Ms. Armstrong. Look, I’m really sorry about…”

  “That wasn’t a request, Riley,” she replied sternly, cutting Riley off. “Hand!”

  Riley reluctantly offered her hand up to Joanna, who took it gently in hers and surveyed the damage. Riley’s face flushed; this was definitely out of her comfort zone. She wanted so badly for this all to be a bad dream or the floor to swallow her up or something!

  “God, you really did a number on your hand, Riley. Tell me if it hurts, okay?” Joanna instructed as she started manipulating each of Riley’s fingers up and down and side to side.

  Riley winced when Joanna got to her middle finger, which had taken the brunt of the wall. “Hurt?” Joanna asked. When Riley nodded her head, Joanna pushed gently with her thumbs down behind her knuckle.

  “Okay, move your finger up and down.” Riley complied gingerly. “Now side to side.”

  “Well, I don’t think anything is broken, just very badly bruised,” Joanna announced as she gave Riley her hand back. “So, Ms. Carrington, you have a new motorcycle, I see.”

  “Yes, I’ve had it a couple of months now,” Riley said guiltily. She had a feeling she knew where this conversation was going.

  “And do you often make a habit of driving it after you’ve been drinking?”

  “Uh, pretty sure my bike is in the same place I left it before I started drinking,” Riley said defensively.

  “Let’s not go there, Riley. You and I both know you would have gotten on that bike if I hadn’t stopped you. So exactly how many drinks did you have last night?” Joanna asked.

  Riley didn’t answer; she just shrugged her shoulders and looked down at her hands again.

  “Look at me, Riley, how many?” Joanna demanded.

  Riley looked up at Joanna. “I don’t know, two, maybe three?” Riley replied, looking back down at her hands midway through her answer.

  “Stand up, Riley,” Joanna demanded.

  Riley stood up, relieved the interrogation was over. “Turn around,” Joanna said as she stood up from the desk.

  Riley was a little confused but she complied, hoping it would expedite the meeting. What happened next took her completely off guard. She felt Joanna’s hand grab her left arm, then a sharp pain as Joanna began to pepper her backside with a series of sharp smacks that left her behind stinging through her black slacks.

  “The first thing you are going to learn, Riley, is that I won’t tolerate lying. Now sit back down!” Joanna ordered angrily.

  Riley sat back down in the leather chair in shock, her face burning hot from embarrassment trying to comprehend what had just happened. Rae had given her a few good swats through the years, sometimes in fun and sometimes when Riley had done or said something stupid, but this was her boss!

  “Now let’s try this again; how many drinks?” Joanna demanded.

  “Umm, five at the bar and maybe a couple more after I got home,” Riley replied sheepishly, still feeling the effects of Joanna’s displeasure on her backside.

  “Jesus, Riley, you drank more when you got home? Sit here, I’ll be back,” Joanna instructed in a softer tone.

  As Riley waited for Joanna to return, she started to survey the titles of the volumes on the bookshelf. Joanna had an amazing collection, all of Riley’s favorites. She loved the classics and Joanna had them all from Dickens to Bronte to Hardy to Austen.

  Joanna stopped at the door of the office when she saw Riley, her head traveling from one side of the shelf to the other as she surveyed the vast wall of books admiringly with a lopsided grin on her face and a small spark in her tired eyes.

  “You like books, Riley?” Joanna asked casually as she strode back into the office putting a tray on the desk.

  “I like these books; you have a fantastic collection,” Riley replied enthusiastically.

  “You like the classics?” Joanna replied in somewhat surprised tone.

  “Oh, yeah, I was an English Lit major in college until I realized I actually had to make a living after graduation, so I switched to marketing.”

  “Really, you have a favorite?” Joanna asked with a small smile on her face.

  “Austen,” Riley replied with a grin.

  “So Riley Carrington’s a romantic, is she?” Joanna said with a big smile.

  Riley felt her face flush at Joanna’s announcement; for a moment she had actually forgotten about her reprimand and the reason why she was at Joanna’s.

  Joanna retook her seat on the edge of the desk and began to unload the contents of the tray.

  “Here, take these, it will help with your hand and I’m sure your head,” Joanna said dryly as she handed Riley two aspirins and a glass of water.

  “Thank you,” Riley said timidly as she took the pills and downed the entir
e contents of the glass.

  “Good, now put this on your hand; it will help with the swelling.” Joanna said as she wrapped a dishtowel around a bag of ice and handed it to Riley.

  Riley began to feel uncomfortable again with the attention she was receiving, but when Joanna presented her with a steaming mug of coffee, she welcomed it happily.

  “Now, I have few things I want to discuss with you, Riley,” Joanna said as she picked up her own mug and moved behind the desk, sitting down in her chair.

  “I spoke to Helen this morning and we both agree that suspending you was necessary, but probably not the most effective form of discipline, given your self-destructive behavior and reckless actions yesterday.”

  Riley shifted nervously in her chair listening. She knew she had been an idiot yesterday and in retrospect lucky to still have her job.

  “I have a proposal for you, Riley. One that you may or may not accept but that’s up to you. First, let me make it clear that your suspension at the office still stands. You will not return to work in the office until Monday. However, you can choose to accept a punishment that I see fit, and frankly will do you the most good, and work for me for the next three days from this office. You will be paid your salary and when you come back to work, you will be working closely with me on some concepts for the new East Coast clients and hopefully you can stay out of Miles’ way for a while.”

  Riley was intrigued. She would have the chance to work with Joanna and not having to sacrifice her pay by working from Joanna’s office. Her finances would certainly be in better shape, so she asked the inevitable. “So if I’m already suspended and that’s not going away, what happens?”

  “Have you ever been spanked, Riley?” Joanna asked very matter-of-factly.

  Riley blushed at the question. “What, other than a few minutes ago? Sure, I guess, when I was a kid a few times, and I got a dose of my father’s belt on occasion when he was on one of his drunken benders and he could catch me. But don’t you think I’m a little old for that?” Riley asked in an almost amused tone.