by Young, M. L.
“We need to make it known that our platform isn’t at fault and it was a case of safety. We won’t blame the victim or make it seem like it was her fault, and we should also release some safety tips for anybody using the app. Possibly look into more security functionalities or an identity verification program to ease user tension,” I said.
“How in the hell do you come up with all this stuff? Do you even sleep?” Matthew asked, with a look and tone of awe.
“You don’t build a multibillion-dollar empire without having a few ideas,” I said with a smile.
“Well, I believe that’s all we have on the table for today. I wasn’t expecting Blake to have such great ideas so quickly. Vote to adjourn the meeting?” our timekeeper asked.
“Granted,” I said, before closing my envelope and walking out of the room and back towards my office.
I had a smirk on my face as I opened my office door and shut it behind me. I walked over to the window, tossed down the envelope, and looked out over my empire. At least one aspect of my life wasn’t complicated.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Penelope
As time wore on I saw a change in Blake that I was very happy to see. When we were together things were great, and when we were apart he would send me cute little texts and sometimes, if I was lucky, a picture of himself, and the sex—don’t get me started on the sex.
I felt comfortable exploring things with him that I never thought I’d explore in a million years. He blindfolded me, handcuffed me, tied me up with ropes, spanked me until my ass was red and sore, and so much more. He never did anything I wasn’t comfortable with, and when I wanted him to stop what he was doing, he did without hesitation. Most guys keep going even when you say no or that something hurts a little. It’s like they just want to feel the pleasure and don’t care about you or your feelings or well-being. Not Blake, though. Not him at all.
School started the night after his gala event. I was lucky I didn’t have any classes until eleven in the morning, which meant if the event ran a little later than planned it wouldn’t hurt me too badly. I could even stay with Blake that night and be totally fine.
The gala was in a few days, and to say I was nervous would be an understatement. Blake tried to console me by telling me I wouldn’t really have to talk to anybody and it would just be a bunch of people schmoozing with each other, but I thought it was also the fact that I was going to be in a high-class social situation and not just the social interaction part. What if I said something wrong, or stepped on someone’s dress, or ate the wrong way? These rich people did eat a certain way, and I’d give myself away as not fitting in with them if I didn’t match it.
I had my dress and shoes, and Blake even sent over a clutch purse he said would go with everything. I guess women didn’t just bring their normal ones, for whatever reason.
Nicolette was dying to do my makeup and hair, and I agreed, since I knew her work and if she did poorly, where she lived. Blake was set on sending someone over to do my makeup and hair, but I almost thought it was a little overkill, considering we weren’t going to the Oscars or anything. Hell, I doubted I’d even have one picture taken of me.
I still needed to get my books for school, which Blake said he’d cover for me, since he was getting my tuition already. My school wasn’t remarkably large, quite small actually, though I guessed it was large for an urban setting like this one. I always walked to campus during the warmer months, but I took the bus when it was colder. I didn’t set up anything with Gustav, as I didn’t want to waste his time on something like this. Besides, it wasn’t like he’d be driving me there when I had classes. I’d have to have my own transportation, and it was better to get into that habit now.
I had printed out my class schedule and supplies and book list from my online portal. I was going to map out my classes so I’d know how to get to them, get some basic supplies, and get my books. I had already priced my books at six hundred or so dollars online, and Blake handed me seven hundred in cash to get them and the supplies I’d need. I felt a little nervous walking around with this much money in my purse, but it was too late to order them online and have them shipped. I had been too lazy in that department.
All bundled up, I walked out and down to the bus stop that went in the direction of my school. It let me off about three blocks away, which was okay enough for me. The bus soon came and I got on and sat in a seat away from anybody else. With earbuds in, I looked out the window as I tried not to make eye contact with anybody else on the bus. I made the mistake once of looking at a crazy guy who then sat with me and told me stories about how he’d been abducted by aliens. Never again.
After about fifteen minutes we got to my stop and I exited the bus along with two older women, and then I started to walk to school. My school was comprised of a few buildings that were all converted. It was more of a satellite campus, as the main campus was a little too far for me to want to go to every day, even if it was better in every sense of the word.
I walked inside the main building, where the student center, bookstore, a tiny café, and other stuff were. Two of my classes on one of the days were in here, and in reality they were the only ones I needed to map out, since the other two classes were spread over two different days. I went up a few floors and found the first class, though the lights were off and the door was closed. The second room was on the second floor, and there was a small senior citizen workshop going on inside that I walked past.
I walked down the stairwell and towards the bookstore, which had shelves taller than me, with each class on a note card in front of the individual stacks of books. With my class list in hand, I walked up and down the aisles and picked each book, squeezing between other students who were all doing the same thing. It was rather busy in here, though I guessed it was to be expected considering the semester was about to start. Student workers in red shirts walked around asking if they could help you find what you needed, but I luckily avoided them and picked all of my books myself before taking them up to the counter.
The woman, an older woman who must’ve been the manager, rang me up and I paid her six hundred and five dollars, which greatly lessened the burden of carrying around this much cash. She put my books in a thick plastic bag before I tried to heave them over my shoulder and walk out of the store.
I was beginning to regret not bringing my backpack with me, as the handle of the bag started to stretch and press into my palm. I let go, grabbing the bag by the body itself, before walking like I was carrying a sack of gold. There was a school supply depot not too far from the bookstore where they sold all your basics. I went in, grabbed pens, pencils, notebooks, and folders, and as I saw that I had forty dollars left, I got a backpack.
I justified it by both the fact that Blake wouldn’t want me struggling to haul around this stuff with discomfort, as well as the fact that my other backpack was three years old and I got it when I started here. It was also something I could use outside of school for a variety of different uses. It was a good deal all around.
I paid the man, took my stuff to a table nearby, opened the purple backpack, and laid everything inside neatly. I didn’t bother opening the packs of pencils and pens, instead just shoving them inside, the cardboard packaging almost a little too long for the front pouch where I put them.
I threw away the plastic bag from the bookstore and slung the backpack over my shoulders. I tightened the straps before heading back out of the building and towards my bus stop to go home. Nicolette wanted to meet up for a quick bite for lunch, and I had just enough time to get home, drop off this stuff, and get downtown so she wouldn’t have a long trip to the restaurant and lose her parking spot in the process. I was a nice friend like that.
“So, are you going over there later tonight?” Nicolette asked at lunch.
“I don’t think so. He hasn’t asked yet or anything. I only go over when he asks,” I said.
“That’s odd. You don’t just go over and say ‘hi?’” she asked.
; “Nic, why would I? He’s the CEO of a huge corporation. He’s a billionaire. You don’t just pop in like he’s your grandma and you want to say ‘hi’ on your way to church,” I said.
“All right, all right, calm down a bit. I’m just saying I’ve done that before and it was never any big deal, especially if I brought food or something. Or sex. Or food and sex. Guys seem to love that. Just make sure you don’t do wings, though. That sauce is not fun down there,” she said, as she nonchalantly pointed towards her crotch.
“You’re insufferable,” I said.
We both ordered Thai chicken salads with lemon water, which she said was the best thing on the menu. She started to talk about some guy at work who was giving her the sexy eye while I looked out the window and said uh-huh to everything she was saying. She was good like that. If you just nodded periodically she’d keep going on and on forever until she was done. The best part was that she never said anything seriously important, and she never tried to quiz you later by asking some obscure question you would know the answer to had you listened to her babble.
It was a peculiarly windy day today, though I guessed that was in part because of where we were in the city. It was always a little windier downtown, as the buildings almost acted like a funnel for the wind coming off the water. I saw people using their gloved hands as shields for their faces as the harsh winter wind barreled through like it held a grudge.
I wondered what Blake was doing and if he was out at lunch as well. That café we met at wasn’t too far from here. I could pop over there instead of by his apartment like Nicolette would have me do. It would be fun to surprise him and give him a kiss. On second thought, I guessed I wasn’t really that kind of girl. He’d always contacted me when he wanted to see me, and besides, it was business hours right now. He was probably working in some capacity and I didn’t want to interrupt that, especially with the gala coming up. I was sure his coworkers, at least some of them, would be there.
“Here you are, ladies,” the waiter said, setting our salads in front of us.
“May I have another side of dressing, please?” Nicolette asked.
“Certainly,” he said before leaving.
“The dressing is so good, Penny. It has a little spice to it, but it’s not overbearing. I know how much you don’t like spicy foods,” she said.
I stuck my fork into it as I grabbed a piece of chicken, lettuce, some edamame, and the dressing. I put it in my mouth and chewed as Nicolette looked at me happily while she waited for her dressing, which soon came.
“So?” she asked.
“It’s good. I can definitely taste the spice,” I said, taking a sip of water.
“Oh no, is it too much? I didn’t think it would be,” she asked in a concerned voice.
“It’s fine, Nic. Just wasn’t expecting it,” I said, as I felt the tip of my tongue starting to burn.
She drizzled the extra dressing on her salad before using her fork to mix it up and spread it around.
“This is like sex in my mouth,” she said, with a mouth full of food.
“Yeah, well, the sight of you right now isn’t turning anybody on,” I said, as I furled my face.
“Bitch,” she said jokingly.
“So, I have a question for you,” I said.
“Yeah?” she asked.
“It’s about Blake,” I said.
“Ooh, tell me,” she said, like a kid on Christmas morning.
“Do you think we’d be a good fit together? You know, like a true relationship? Boyfriend and girlfriend?” I asked.
“Well, I don’t know. I don’t really know what he’s like. What I do know, however, is that he seems to make you happy. You’ve never spoken badly about him or had a fight with him or anything like that. Even when you’re first getting to know somebody and in that infatuation stage, you still have things about the other person you aren’t too crazy about, and if you had that I’m sure I would’ve heard about it by now. So I’d say yes, I’m sure you guys would mesh well together. Why? Has he said something?” she asked.
“No, he hasn’t. Well, not outright, I guess. He’s been hinting at some things, but nothing that would be super soon or anything. I guess I’m just wondering if I want to do it, you know,” I said.
“What? Are you fucking nuts? Why wouldn’t you?” she asked.
“Because he’s not a normal guy, Nic, at least in the life sense. He has a huge apartment, expensive cars, drivers, chefs, and everything else you can think of. I think he even has a jet or something. Normal guys don’t have those things,” I said.
“Screw normal guys! I’d kill for a setup like that,” she said.
“But that’s just it, Nic. I don’t. I don’t care about all the fast cars and nice things. I care more about the person,” I said.
“I care about that too, Penny. It’s just that it isn’t a negative to be dating someone who has those things. It can make your life a hell of a lot easier,” she said.
“Maybe, but in some ways I think it can also make it a bit more complicated. At least for me,” I said.
“To each their own. I just think if it comes to that point where you might date officially and be in a relationship, you should take it and run for the hills. At least experience it before you toss it aside,” she said.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. If it comes, I won’t toss it aside. I’ll see where things go,” I said.
“That’s my girl. Are you going to finish that?” she asked, as she pointed to my half-eaten salad with her fork.
I shook my head and pushed it her way before she tore into it like some kind of vulture. Bits of lettuce fell out of her mouth as time was wearing down and she was going to have to be back in the office within fifteen minutes. She motioned for the check, which was promptly brought. I insisted on paying my half, though she declined, saying she invited me out and it was her treat. After arguing for a minute, she let me pay the tip, but I thought it was only so I would shut up and she could get back to work.
I left seven dollars and we put on our coats and walked outside, where she gave me a hug and said she’d see me tonight. I suggested a movie night and she told me to go find one to rent and that we could watch it later after her bath when she got home.
We went in separate directions as I walked back towards the bus stop so I could get home in the sanctity of a slightly warm vehicle and not the icebox that was San Francisco.
There were seven other people waiting with me. The bus came and we all got on, only to notice just a few seats open. I let an elderly woman who was at the stop with me have the seat I was going to take, and she thanked me and shook my hand. She was cute, with her hair covered in some kind of plastic wrap so it wouldn’t get messed up, and she had on green knitted mittens that were clipped to her coat the same way you had when you were a kid. I wondered what it would be like, or will be like for that matter, to be old and not to have to worry about the same things as everybody else.
I bet it was nice to sit back and know you’ve done your part and you’ve had a good life. I guess the whole “I might die soon” isn’t that fun to think about, but I guess you really can die at any time. This bus could crash and burn and nothing could stop that. It really made you want to make each moment special, and to spend those special moments with special people, or a special person, in my case.
The bus let me off after what felt like forever standing there. My feet were starting to burn a little, and my hand and arm hurt from keeping myself upright through all the turns and speed changes. With my hands in my pockets and my chin down in my scarf, I walked to my apartment and checked the mail box, though it was empty.
Hurting my feet even more, I walked up the five flights of stairs, nodded to a neighbor going down, and walked into our warm apartment, which had a French vanilla scent because of Nicolette’s new diffuser.
I sat down on the couch, put my feet up on the coffee table, and turned on the TV to some trashy talk show. What a busy day.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
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Penelope
I woke up on Sunday, the day of the gala event, with pure butterflies in my stomach. Bits of sunshine found their way through my white drapes as I stretched all the muscles in my body like I usually did before looking over at the clock. It was nine already, which was far later than I ever usually woke up. I guess being on break and having nothing of any real substance to do for an entire month would do that to you.
I checked my phone, though there were no messages. I knew Blake had a meeting this morning, his workdays never following the typical Monday to Friday, and he should be in it right now. We were supposed to ride together to the event so we could get out together when the cameras started flashing, and he said he was going to pick me up with Gustav around seven. I had ten hours to shower, primp, and get dressed, and I knew Nicolette was going to make me be like a normal girl and spend half of those ten hours just getting ready to the point of what she thought was perfection.
She was already in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal when I walked out of my bedroom and slid across the floor in my pink fuzzy slippers. I grabbed a banana, made some toast, and slathered on some almond butter before slicing the banana and layering it on top.
“Don’t eat too many carbs today,” she said.
“Why?” I asked.
“I read in a magazine once that it can bloat you and make you retain water. Not sure if it’s true, but better to be safe than sorry. You don’t want to look like a whale in your dress,” she said.
“I eat this almost every day and have never had problems. I’ll be fine,” I said, before taking a bite.
“It’s your face in the pictures, not mine. If you want to look like a balloon, that’s your choice,” she said, rinsing out her bowl.
I rolled my eyes before continuing to eat my meal, not letting her get to me. I knew she wasn’t in the best mood after going out last night and seeing the guy she was talking to kissing another woman, so I thought it was best I just let her attitude slide. After all, I thought I’d be livid if I saw Blake out with another woman—especially if he was kissing her.