My phone lit up as it buzzed almost off the conference room table. It was just my 7 o'clock alarm telling me to get up. My stupid phone didn't know that I was up all night. No, not because I was enjoying the last few weeks of my 20s. It was because Alex Tribecc had an idea at 2 o'clock in the morning and demanded I help him brainstorm. I offered to help via the call, but he needed to see me in his" ThinkTank." That was what this asshole called his office. And the kicker in all of this, after about 4 o'clock, his ThinkTank wasn't helping him think anymore, so he suggested we go to the conference room where we could lay out ideas on the big screen with the projector. WHICH WE DIDN'T EVEN TURN ON! In short, I hated my job.
I clicked my phone off and watched as this man, who had stolen another night from my life, spewed his unorganized ideas.
"Come on, Charlotte, you are my Executive Secretary. I need your input on this. How do I approach the Stakeholders on this idea? I want VR technology involved in this." Alex said, his tone hyper, but his body relaxed with his feet stretched out on the conference room table and his hands folded around his chest.
"We can call it Virtual Dates," I said. I was exhausted but mainly annoyed. Instead of thinking of helping Alex, I was plotting ways to kill him. Should I just tip his chair over and hope his neck snaps on the way down? I could claim it was an accident and say he slipped all by himself.
"You already told me this idea. I don't like it. Come on. We are bringing 2 people from totally different parts of the world together." Alex riffed. I almost threw my now silent phone toward his head.
"Alex, I don't know. Can we please take a break? I have to get ready for a meeting with a vendor we are partnering with," I said, hoping he would realize that he had kept me here all night, feel guilty, and send me home to rest.
"Crap, it's 7:05. You're officially late to work." He tried to joke, showing me his perfect pearly whites. How many punches does it take to break each and every one of his teeth, I wondered. Too many, I figured, and I had no energy for that.
"Ha. And you're early for a change." I fake laughed.
"Actually, I am not. I am going to go see a Charlotte for breakfast. Different Charlotte, A lot dumber, but a lot more fun. We will be having breakfast in bed." Again he smiled.
"Why do you insist on telling me about your sex life? I don't care." I rolled my eyes at him. Alex always had a problem with boundaries when it came to me, even when I insisted on keeping things professional. Yet he continued because, for some reason, he thought we were friends.
"Char, I know you are interested in everything I do. I'll send you pictures. She is a knockout." He winked.
"Poor girl, she won't know what hit her when you sneak out while she is in the shower or something. Tell me something, is it just romantic relationships, or are you just shitty to everyone you meet?" I was so proud of my dig at him that I promised myself a donut with my coffee for my rushed breakfast today.
"I am only ever nice to you. That's why you do everything I ask you to do. So my niceness isn't a power I wield easily. I can only spend it on some people I meet. Or sleep with! " He said, now getting up and fixing his suit he had on since 9 am the day before, rubbing out some of the wrinkles that had probably formed through the night. As much as I hated Alex, there was one thing I couldn't deny, the man worked hard. He had meetings with Stakeholders and investors yesterday. He then came into work to talk to the application development team as they reviewed new UI changes in our company's app, Long D (It's not as gross as it sounds). Besides leaving for half an hour around dinner time, no doubt to see some chick he found on tinder, he was working 23.5 hours a day. That was great, but that usually meant I worked at least 20-hour days.
"Right, your so nice!" I sarcastically said. "If you didn't sign my paychecks, you would never see me." I threaten.
"Oh, so you love my money more than me?" He said, now putting on his jacket to prepare for the cold October morning.
"Yeah, just the money, and the price for that love will go up fast," I said. Alex gave me a sly smile, and I knew he didn't buy any of it. He knew he had me wrapped around his finger. It was dumb, but I always had difficulty saying no to Alex.
I started working for him 8 years ago as a fresh-faced 22-year-old. Still in college for a hotel admin degree, looking to make some extra cash. Then, he was a 27-year-old man with an idea and daddy's bank account backing him. He impressed me then, and it hasn't completely worn off yet. I still found his mind and personality quite remarkable. He was a smooth talk with great ideas, but more than anything, it was his passion for his work.
Long D was a dating app that was the opposite of tinder. It asked users to date people not from the same location but ensured that our users found people from across the globe. Our mission statement was to make sure couples didn't fall in love with people who experienced the same things they did. Alex wanted our users to date a different culture and experience a foreign country through the eyes of their Long D companion. More critical than this concept of the app was his reason behind it. His mother lived in the Philippines, and his father in the UK. They met on chance when his father was in the Philippines for business but felt sick and ended up at the hospital where his mother was the nurse. His father fell in love and decided to stay, explore and enjoy the country, all thanks to his mother.
"I'll see you later. I'll move the vendor meeting to the afternoon, go home, and get some sleep." Alex said, snapping me out of my awe, and walked out of the room. I watched through the see-through door of the conference room as Alex walked away. This was what he would always do. First, take me to my breaking point, then do something small and kind to reel me back. And I was such a sucker that I let him.
I quickly packed up and started making my way toward the subway. I just needed to take the L train to my Brooklyn apartment that I shared with my roommate and best friend since high school, Sugar.
***
"You fucking look dead! What is wrong with that man? What is wrong with you? Why didn't you just hang up on him? The worse he could do is fire you, and I hope he does! This job is the worse thing that's happened to you! Fuck him! Are you listening to me?" Sugar ranted, pacing in the middle of our small yellow kitchen while I napped on our smaller kitchen table in front of my hot cup of coffee.
"I hear you. I am too tired to defend myself so just say what you want to." I said, dejected.
"Ok, fine. Snap out of it. I know you've been in love with him for like 8 years, but it's not worth it. He knows, and he is using your affection against you." She advised.
"I am not in love with him," I said.
"Oh, please, you have no one fooled."
Fuck, did I not?
The thing was, I wasn't sure if I was in love with Alex. Oh, who was I kidding? No one in their right mind would do the things for their boss the way I did. I had picked up his laundry on demand, cleaned his house before he bought a new bimbo, and ensured he ate lunch, dinner, and even breakfast daily. Even worse, I was sure there was more I did for this man, but right now, I was too tired to beat myself over this.
"I admit, when I started working for him, I had a thing for him."
"Yeah, because he led you on. Kissed you and pretended nothing happened." Did I forget to mention that Alex and I, in the beginning, had a quick little flirtationship. Well, we did, but that was water under the bridge. One kiss and no recollection from Alex's side the next day. I, on the other hand, remembered everything. His soft caress and tender lips lingered before and after we kissed. The smell of his extra musky cologne that he wore to this day, and every time I got a whiff, it took me back to that night. Our company's first Christmas party was at a bar not too far from this apartment, with bright yellow lights and loud basketball fans, and that's where it happened, our first and last kiss.
"Can we not talk about this? I have to be at work in an hour." I requested.
"I thought you didn't have to go to work till the afternoon?"
"I have some work I need to catch up on. Plus, I want to leave early today. I need at least an hour to do my makeup. I need to convince this Ben guy that I have never had dark circles under my eyes." I said, mainly because I knew Sugar was interested in this topic, and that would get her to drop the your-so-in-love-with-your-boss conversation.
"That's tonight! Finally meeting him in person!" Sugar exclaimed and sat across from me. "You excited?"
"Yeah, we've been texting on and off. I don't think Ben is looking for anything serious since he is moving to Cali at the end of March, but we figure we meet up sooner rather than later."
"OMG! Cal and I are so excited. Cal told me he would be the perfect match for you. He is smart, works in tech, and is really nice! OMG OMG! If this works out, we four can double date!" Sugar gave a small clap.
"He kind of reminds me of Cal." I laughed.
"So what's wrong with my Cal? I'll be the first to say he is a nerd, but he is one of those hot nerds."
"Did I say there was anything wrong with that? We just have different tastes in men, that's all."
"Right! Where you have taste in men who manipulate you, I have taste in normal human men." She said, taking a bite of the donut I had left to eat after I finished my coffee. My double chocolate with chocolate sprinkles was no longer a donut. However, it now resembled the letter C drawn by a toddler still learning to write.
"I hate you!" I vehemently said.
"You shouldn't. I am the only one you can rely on to tell you the truth." Sugar nodded in agreement with her own statement and took one more bite, making my breakfast almost disappear.
"And eating is the only thing that gives me joy." I cried.
"Fuck, sorry!" Sugar apologized. Then smiled at me, "Come here. Let me give you some Sugar." Sugar then walked towards me and gave me a light peck on my lips. "Some action before you get real action today!" I licked my lips, disappointed because none of the double chocolate had transferred over to me. Still, I smiled because Sugar made me feel better. She always did, and I loved her for it.
"Thanks, Sensi Sugar! I'll use what I learned here today on Ben!" I laughed.
"You do that! Go get you some loving Char Char!" Sugar joined me, and for the next few minutes, my sleep-deprived delusional ass laughed for no goddamn reason. Unfortunately, that happiness only lasted a few moments as my phone started buzzing again. I saw "Alexander The Great" (I did not pick that name for him, he took my phone and programmed it himself) had texted. I let dread wash all over me but waited till the feeling of defeat faded before opening the message.
Couldn't reschedule the meeting. Need you here in 30!
FU-Uh-CK HIM!