Working With The Enemy

by Raquel Belle

  “Honestly? I was lonely. I didn’t want to live with roommates anymore but having an apartment with just me in it… It felt strange. Empty.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean,” I nod, sipping on my latte.

  “Do you think you could live with a dog?” He asks, eyeing me sideways.

  “Depends,” I say casually, “on the kind of dog.”

  “Say a young black lab with an annoying amount of energy but a super sweet demeanor,” he nods and smiles towards Pepper who is frolicking with some rambunctious puppies in front of us.

  “I could maybe manage that.”

  “Oh, and the dog comes with a guy, too.”

  “Oh yeah? What kind of guy?”

  “Tall, athletic, handsome. Funny. Successful. Great in bed. Sexy as hell.”

  “That guy sounds pretty full of himself,” I respond laughing.

  He grins. “Did I also mention he makes some excellent blueberry pancakes?”

  “Prove it.”

  “Let’s head back to the apartment and I will.”

  We corral Pepper and stroll back to Jake’s place, stopping briefly at my apartment on the way so I can grab an outfit for Monday.

  He’s right about the blueberry pancakes; they’re delicious. He whips up a batch for our late breakfast. After that we spend most of the day in bed, barely coming up for air. It’s not until I notice that it’s dark out that I realize how many hours have passed.

  “What time is it?” I ask him.

  “Almost seven. You hungry?”

  “Starved.”

  “What would you like for dinner?”

  “Honestly,” I pause before admitting it: “I’d be happy with more pancakes.” I hide my face in my hands as he laughs.

  “I told you they were good.” He gives me a wink.

  I sit at the counter in his kitchen while he cooks, checking the messages on my phone. It’s been a full 24 hours since I last looked at it; without a doubt, that’s the longest I’ve gone without even peeking at my notifications.

  Amanda followed up the live stream of @LuxeOnLex by posting a video clip of our flash mob — it now has over 50,000 views. As I watch, I realize that she’s included not just our flash mob but also Jake’s. I start giggling as I watch the whole thing over again.

  “What’s so funny?” He comes over, curious, spatula still in hand.

  “Just reliving yesterday’s magic.” I show him the screen; it’s a shot of him dancing, flowers in hand.

  “Ugh man, did I look like a complete idiot trying to dance and carry those roses at the same time?”

  “Yup,” I tell him, laughing.

  “Well, it seems to have worked in any case,” he gives me a quick kiss before turning his attention back to the stove.

  He’s only wearing a pair of athletic shorts and I watch his broad muscular back from behind as he flips the pancakes. And then I get an idea.

  “Hey, I hope you don’t mind.” Jake looks over before I snap a quick shot of him and post the photo to @LuxeOnLex with the caption “Cooking with the enemy (and yes, we’re having blueberry pancakes for dinner)”. I tag @Jake_And_Pepper as well.

  Jake’s phone is lying on the counter and it gives a loud ding after I post the picture. He checks it and sees I’ve tagged him.

  “What are you up to, Miss Luxe?” He smiles as he looks and then starts laughing. “Well at least my followers can now rest easy knowing that you’ve forgiven me.”

  “Mine too. A lot of random strangers were rooting for us to get together.”

  “Yeah, it’s sort of weird, right?” He slides some pancakes onto my plate and puts the syrup in front of me. “I mean, I got all kinds of comments. Some of them were super nice but others…”

  “Not so nice?” I smile. “Me too. I had random girls getting pissed at me for not forgiving you and other random girls getting pissed at me for even considering forgiving you.”

  He shrugs. “Well, all that matters right now is us two.”

  “True.” I glance at my phone; my post is quickly racking up likes on Insta. “What about turning our phones off completely until Monday morning?” I ask him.

  “Tired of tracking your Instagram account constantly?”

  “Yeah. The competition is basically over — ”

  “And you’ve definitely won it,” he cuts in. “As you should have.”

  I feel my cheeks color. “You could still catch up with some fresh followers over the weekend.” It’s unlikely though. I have at least 5,000 more than him by now.

  He shakes his head. “Probably not. Plus, honestly, you deserve that job, Sarah. I’m just glad that I’ve got you. So it’s no problem for me to leave my phone alone until Monday. I want to spend the next 24 hours focusing on you, not work.”

  “Then let’s do it.” I reach over and turn off my phone, breathing a sigh of relief as I do. “I just want to focus on you this weekend too.”

  Pepper gives a little yip from my feet.

  “And you too, Pepper.” I smile and reach down to pet him.

  We spend the night binging Game of Thrones before heading to bed. It all seems so natural, so right, so simple. I feel perfectly at ease, fitting into his bedroom, his apartment, his life. Why did we waste so much time getting here?

  Sunday morning as I’m in the shower I realize just one problem: Jake is a guy and, of course, he is sadly unprepared in terms of shower products.

  “I don’t suppose you have any shampoo that isn’t Head & Shoulders?” I call to him from the shower.

  “Nope, sorry princess,” his voice comes to me from the other side of the shower curtain. “But I can definitely stock up on whatever fancy hair stuff you need for future.”

  “Okay, I’ll live with this for today.” I’m just lathering up my hair when I hear the shower curtain draw back. Jake steps in and joins me.

  “Sorry about the subpar shower products,” he says smiling.

  “It’s fine,” I answer. But I’m totally distracted, staring as the water runs down his chiseled body.

  “Rinse that shampoo out and give me a kiss,” he nudges me. “You have no idea how sexy you look all wet and soapy.”

  “I was just thinking the same about you,” I tell him. I close my eyes and rinse my hair rapidly. When I open them again I see that Jake has clearly been enjoying the show; he’s ready for action.

  We kiss urgently, the water streaming over us. He pauses for a moment and then gently turns me around, moving my wet hair to the side so he can kiss the back of my neck.

  I put my palms against the shower wall in front of me and brace my feet against either side of the tub. The showerhead above me is angled so that the water goes over my head and just hits my back, running down over my butt and legs.

  He puts one hand firmly around my waist and braces himself on the sidewall with the other one. “You okay?” he murmurs in my ear. “Don’t slip.”

  “Just go,” I urge him. I want to feel him now. He angles my hips towards him a bit, then slides into me from behind. I let out a low moan, the sound matching his own groan of pleasure. For a few minutes it’s only us and the sound of the shower, a sexy symphony that plays on as the steam rises around us.

  “Nothing like getting dirty while getting clean,” Jake jokes as he hands me a towel to dry off afterwards.

  “Ugh,” I groan, “what a cheesy line.”

  “But you’re smiling,” he points out.

  “I’ve been smiling this entire weekend,” I tell him.

  “I know. Same here. This has been amazing.”

  I nod. There’s no need to say anything else. We fit together now even better than we did in college. In the years we’ve spent apart we’ve both grown, matured, gotten more confident.

  We both know what we want: to be together — just as we have been these past two days. That perfect mix of comfort and excitement, one minute snuggled into each other’s arms, the next tearing each other’s clothes off. This is exactly what I’ve been waiting for.
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br />   Chapter 18

  Jake

  My weekend with Sarah was just as awesome as I expected. Scratch that. It was better than I expected. This girl… This woman. Wow. There’s not much else to say. Oh, and bonus points for the fact that my dog loves her. By the time Monday morning rolled around, Pepper was more interested in cuddling with Sarah than me.

  “Who’s a good boy? You’re a good boy! Yes you are! The best boy!” I watch, smiling, as she roughhouses with him in my kitchen. His tail is wagging so wildly I’m afraid he’s going to knock over the furniture and hurt himself.

  “Man, I wish I got that kind of pep talk in the mornings,” I tell her. “You know I need it more than Pepper does.”

  “Yeah, but Pepper actually deserves it,” she shoots me her devilish grin.

  “Ouch! And hey, I’m going to need some serious comforting soon,” I nudge her, “because I’m about to get my ass handed to me by Serena.”

  “You’re not going to get your ass handed to you; you’re just going to find out that you lost the competition — and that I’m your new boss.”

  “Yep. I lost despite making a complete fool of myself dancing to Justin Bieber’s ‘Sorry’ in a full-on tuxedo in Washington Square Park.”

  “Hey! I thought that wasn’t about the competition,” she jabs me in the ribs. “I thought that was just for me.”

  “Ouch! You’re right.” I stoop down to kiss her. “That was only about getting you back. So actually, I succeeded. And I honestly don’t care what Serena has to say to me.”

  “Anyway, we don’t know for a fact that I won. Should we do the deed and check?”

  “What, you mean turn our phones back on and scope out how many Insta followers each of us has?” Since shutting down our connections to the outside world earlier in the weekend, neither of us has checked back in.

  “Yep. Shall we?”

  “Fine,” I sigh. “@LuxeOnLex definitely has more fans than @Jake_And_Pepper. But I guess we can check and make it official so you can have the valuable opportunity to gloat.”

  “I’m not gloating,” Sarah retorts. But her entire face is beaming with anticipation as she pushes the power button on her phone and waits for it to come on.

  “No, you’re shining,” I tell her. “But you look all the more gorgeous for it.”

  I turn my phone on as well and wait for it to power up. I bypass the 100-plus notifications that start streaming in and open Instagram immediately. I knew it.

  “YES!” Sarah squeals next to me and jumps up happily, throwing her arms in the air. Pepper gives a bark of support.

  “I told you so,” I take a quick peek at the numbers. @Lux_On_Lex has a total of 72,000 followers — that flash mob really gave her a boost. @Jake_And_Pepper scored some more points over the weekend as well, netting 64k followers total. Not a bad showing — but not good enough to beat out my amazing girlfriend.

  “Congratulations babe,” I open my arms wide and she jumps into them, planting a huge kiss on my cheek.

  “Thank you,” she pulls back to look me in the face. “Will you survive the embarrassment of losing to me?”

  “Oh yeah. With you by my side, I can survive anything.”

  “Good. So, let’s get to the office!” She starts eagerly throwing her stuff into her giant purse.

  “Excited to get that promotion, huh?” I smile. She’s so pumped; it’s pretty cute.

  “Hell yes! I want it made official.”

  I laugh aloud: “Fine, fine. We won’t make coffee here. Let’s expedite the process and grab some Starbucks to go before we hop on the L train. My treat.”

  “Perfect.”

  We give Pepper all the pets he can handle before we head out the door. He whimpers softly as I lock it behind us.

  “Poor little guy, he must get lonely during the day when you’re not around,” Sarah remarks.

  “Yeah, I definitely feel guilty sometimes,” I admit. “I’ve actually considered getting him a pal.”

  “Another dog?”

  “Yeah. I mean, the apartment’s big enough. But honestly one dog is enough work for me. Two would be too much to handle alone.”

  “Sure, you don’t want to be outnumbered.”

  We buy our coffees at the Starbucks on the corner of my street. I’m just grabbing my to-go cup and preparing to head out the door when Sarah stops me.

  “I have an idea.” She’s rummaging in her purse, looking for something. Seconds later she pulls out a giant black sharpie. “Give me your cup.”

  “Jeez, you’re bossy this morning. Are you going to be like this all the time once you take charge?” I grin as I hand my latte over.

  “Hush. Probably. I have a great idea.” She takes my cup and scribbles @Jake_And_Pepper on the side. Then, handing it back to me, she takes hers and writes @LuxeOnLex on it.

  “Seriously, Sarah? You already won!”

  “Shush, this is just for our fans. We’re each going to post the exact same photo to our accounts; just our hands holding our coffee cups.”

  “Cute.” I have to admit it. “What about the caption?”

  “Monday mornings with the enemy.”

  “Oh man,” I groan. “You’re never going to let me live that down are you? I’m going to be labeled the ‘enemy’ forever?”

  “You know it. Now, put your hand up next to mine and take your phone out so you can take your own photo.”

  “There’s no arguing with you today.” I do as I’m told, smiling all the while.

  We post our respective pictures and then head towards the subway, holding hands as we walk. I could get used to this. Monday mornings just got a whole lot better, I think to myself, as I look over at Sarah walking briskly next to me, her blonde hair shining in the autumn sun. Damn, I’m lucky.

  I’m in such a good mood that the usual commute to work doesn’t even bother me. I don’t see the rats and trash and homeless people in the subway station. I don’t notice how packed the subway car is. I don’t even care that the guy next to me is in serious need of a shower. Life is good.

  When we get to the office, I notice a murmur of whispers rushing across the open space. This time, though, I’m not embarrassed. I’m not groveling at Sarah’s feet to apologize; I’m walking in with her by my side. And even though I’ve lost the competition, I’ve never been prouder.

  Amanda’s familiar curly head pops up from behind her desk and she gives us a huge smile when she sees the two of us walking up to her together.

  “How was your weekend?” She asks slyly as we approach.

  “Good,” Sarah flushes slightly as she answers.

  “Fucking awesome,” I tell her.

  “You ready to answer to your new boss?” Amanda asks me as she nods in Sarah’s direction.

  “Oh yeah. She’s already been bossing me around all morning.”

  Amanda laughs and opens her mouth to ask another question — but before she can get it out:

  “Sarah! Jake!” It’s Serena, poking her head out from her office. While us minions get to share an open space, the senior employees get their privacy. “Step into my office please.”

  She seems pissed off but then Serena seems pissed off a lot of the time, so I don’t think much of it.

  Sarah, eager to collect her prize promotion, scampers ahead of me. I follow her, aware that everyone in the office is staring — and not caring.

  “So, the competition has come to an end.” As usual, Serena dives right in. I’ve barely put my butt in my chair before she starts talking at us.

  By now I know better than to even respond to the boss lady when she’s in a bad mood. And clearly Sarah does too. We both just stare at her, quietly.

  She goes on: “I assume the two of you have already checked the numbers, so what I’m going to say won’t be a big surprise to either of you.”

  Sarah squirms in her chair slightly; she can probably barely contain herself. I’m a bit worried she might actually try to jump up and hug Serena with excitement when she actually
makes this promotion official.

  Serena is still droning on: “According to the rules of the contest as set forth by P&B’s HR Department, technically the winner and future VP of Social Media is…” she pauses: “At ‘Luxe on Lex’.” She puts air quotes around Sarah’s chosen Insta handle and enunciates each word, as if she’s saying somebody’s actual name. I manage to turn a chuckle into a cough.

  “Thank you so much, Serena,” Sarah starts spouting her gratitude. But Serena holds up a hand to silence her.

  “I’m afraid there’s more to it,” she continues.

  Sarah stops mid-sentence, her mouth still open. I give her a glance; she looks slightly taken aback and confused. I’m pretty sure my face is mirroring hers right now. Serena is known for being frosty but why is she copping such an attitude right now? She’s treating us like we messed up but nobody broke any rules. Not lately, anyway.

  “There has been some chatter about the uh… personal relationship developing between the two of you.”

  Jeez, Serena, I’d say that’s an understatement. Anyone following either of our Insta accounts and this competition obviously knows what’s going on and has had plenty to say about it. I keep my mouth shut and shrug my shoulders wordlessly.

  “I personally don’t have any issue with this… relationship,” she arches one eyebrow, as if she’s silently questioning that we are actually in a real relationship. “However, it has been brought to my attention that intra-company relations are actually not permitted. Actually someone contacted the board directly. They went over my head.”

  “What?!” I lean forward, jolted to life by this piece of news. What kind of puritanical corporation is P&B?

  Sarah doesn’t say a word but her skin has lost all its color. Her face is a deathly white and her eyes look completely shell-shocked.

  “I’m afraid it’s an old rule in the company bylines that hasn’t been updated to fit with our… more modern image,” Serena tries to explain. “I had no idea, to be honest with you.”

  I sit back, dumfounded.

  “If I had known, I would have given you both a word of warning much sooner. When the uh… The photo of the bra was posted a few weeks ago.” I’ve never seen Serena stumble over her words. She really must have been blindsided by this.