“Until another time,” he gave his farewell as he opened the door for them both.
She noticed he’d locked them in after entering. That didn’t make her feel any better for what they’d done during office hours, but in her stupefaction Sam could only watch as he turned to the right. He walked down to the locked door which led the the twentieth floor. He opened it with his own key and turned to flash her a smile before he stepped in and let the door close behind himself.
Sam dumbly stood there with her hair slightly disheveled and her clothes still unbearably tight. She wasn’t sure how to think of what just happened. Her thoughts were scattered and confusing. She leaned her shoulder against the wall and just stared stupidly at the stairwell door.
“What are you looking at?”
Sam flinched and looked over her shoulder to see Slinky standing nearby. She had a cup of coffee in one hand and a donut in the other.
“I…um….it’s just…” She honestly wasn’t sure how to reply.
“It’s that door again, isn’t it?” Sam was glad Slinky always thought of some idea for what people were thinking. She moved to stand beside her. “Think it’s still locked?” Sam only nodded in response. Her friend frowned and lightly jabbed her with her elbow. “You feeling all right? You look kind of red.”
“No, I’m fine. Just maybe a…a little tired. You know, new job and all.” Her mind was leaving the fog and she could think more clearly now.
“Actually this is the only job I’ve had, and I kind of got it through my dad,” Slinky pointed out. She nodded back to where the break room was located. “I brought the donuts. Better get one while there’s still some left. Those piranhas will eat them faster than anything.”
“No, I’m not hungry.” She rubbed her stomach as she thought of their trysts.
“Stomach ache?” Sam just kind of shrugged.
“Something like that.”
“Well, whatever it is maybe you’d better go sit down in your chair,” Slinky suggested. She shoved the remainder of her donut into her mouth and herded her friend back to their cubicles. Her rough handling nearly knocked over the pile of folders still on Sam’s desk. “Damn stuff, when is that old hag want them back?”
“I’m not really sure.” Sam rubbed her eyes and sighed. She was tired and realized she had a new dilemma. She was covered in dry sweat and it was sticky between her thighs. Lunch was coming so she had some time to deal with it, but she didn’t have enough minutes to drive home, shower, and return without going over her lunch hour. “Is there a shower or something around here?” It was especially uncomfortable sitting down in her otherwise comfortable chair.
“There’s a place a few blocks down, or you could come home with me. I don’t live too far from here.” Slinky leaned over and gave her a suspicious look. “Why do you need one?”
“I didn’t have time to get one this morning.” It was true, but deceiving. She was, however, too uncomfortable to care whether she even lied to her friend or not. The truth couldn’t come out, anyway, not without her losing her job.
“I know I already asked you this, but are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Slinky put her hand to Sam’s forehead and frowned. “No fever, but your cheeks sure are red.”
“Maybe it’s too warm in here for me,” Sam suggested as she stood. She grabbed her jacket and purse as the clock struck the noon hour. Time for everyone to evacuate for some grub. “A shower would probably fix me up pretty good.”
“Good, I’ll have an excuse to show you all my stuff.” Slinky took her friends arm and led her to the elevators. “Just don’t try to eat anything in the fridge. They’re in rebellion right now and don’t taste too good.”
“I’ll remember that.” Sam cracked a smile, which in turn made her companion smile.
“That’s better. You look a lot better without that frown.”
Slinky’s apartment was within walking distance and they made the trip in under ten minutes. She lived in a posh penthouse well above the ground floor, so the view was great when they entered the brightly lit living room. The place was about twice as big as Sam’s apartment, and furnished far more handsomely. There was a couch and love seat situated in a pit with a fifty-two inch flat screen tv mounted on the wall. Looking to her left she could see a hall which led to a few bedrooms. To her right was the kitchen and a large dining area. The grand windows beyond the living room led out onto a full balcony which was littered with green plants.
“The bathroom’s in the there along with pretty much everything you’ll need,” Slinky announced as she pointed to their right. “Did you want me to try to see if any of my clothes will fit you?”
“Yeah, they couldn’t be much worse,” Sam joked as she pulled at her blouse. It snapped back against her bra.
“I’ll try to cook up something while you’re taking a shower, too, but it won’t be much.” She began rummaging around the kitchen as pots and pans tumbled out of disorganized cupboards. “I mostly just cook breakfast for myself and go out for everything else.”
“I could use some eggs and bacon,” Sam called out from the bathroom.
Sam really did find everything she needed in the shower, and more. For someone who gave off the appearance of a die-hard tomboy, Slinky had quite the collection of shampoos, conditioners and body lotions. She had her pick of towels ranging from large to small, and from pink to brown. When she pulled back the curtain after the refreshing water she found a neat outfit folded beside the sink. She was also glad to see her old clothes were still there. She wasn’t sure how she would explain all the tell-tell signs of a tryst to her friend.
The new blouse and skirt were still a little small, but she found they hardly fit worse than her original clothes. Sam stepped out of the bathroom refreshed and starving. She hadn’t had anything to eat yet that day, nor even to drink accept for that single cup of coffee. The smell of scrambled eggs came to her nose and the crackling of bacon reached her ears. Breakfast for lunch was soon served to her at the comfortable dining table and she did justice to the free and delicious food. Slinky was proud when her friend wolfed down her cooking. She was generally considered a walking disaster when it came to food.
“I’m guessing you liked it?” Slinky asked when her guest had finally put her fork down on her empty plate. She was almost disappointed Sam didn’t pick up the plate and lick it clean, but she’d done a good job, nonetheless.
“Oh, I suppose it was okay,” Sam teased. With food in her stomach her humor had returned. It was amazing what time and food could do to a person’s outlook. Before she could catch herself, she burped. Her cheeks blushed with embarrassment as she clapped her hand over her mouth. “Um, sorry.”
“Just okay, hunh?” Slinky returned with a laugh. She began picking up all the dishes and dumping them unceremoniously in the sink. There was already a large pile there, and the new ones sat precariously on the top. “Some day I’ll get to these, but right now we’d probably better get back to the office.” She glanced at her watch and sighed. “Man, I wish we got longer lunch breaks. An hour’s not even enough time to get some drinks down without someone smelling them on you.”
“Why do you work at all?” The question just popped out of Sam’s mouth. She slunk down in her chair. She hadn’t meant to be that blunt, now she had to provide herself cover. “I mean, your dad’s rich, isn’t he? Aren’t you supposed to be one of those jet-setting girls who fly around the world enjoying life?”
“My dad’s grooming me to take his place when he retires. Says it’ll give me character or something.” Slinky sighed as she walked back to the table and leaned against the back of her chair. “Besides, he doesn’t want me to be one of those lazy rich kids who don’t do much.”
Slinky looked forlornly out the window, and for the first time Sam was hit by how alienated her friend probably felt in the office. Some of the others on their floor had gotten their positions through influence, but a great many had climbed their way to the top through sheer determination. Some had even gotten a lucky break, like herself. Slinky, however, was the biggest beneficiary of the nepotism system. Every day she probably felt lost at sea amongst glaring eyes and accusing insults. Sam wondered how she kept up appearances with that smile. She wanted to make her friend feel better, and then a plan of action struck her.
“Well, you know the job pretty well now, don’t you?” Sam suddenly asked.
“As well as anyone else,” Slinky replied with a shrug.
“Well, that counts for something,” her friend pointed out. “And who’s the first to volunteer to help someone do something?”
“Usually me, unless it’s to drive somewhere.” She sheepishly grinned at Sam’s questioning glance. “I don’t have a license.”
“And do you leave early like a lot of the others?”
“Nope. My dad would kill me.”
“And do you take more than your fair share of breaks?”