Slipperless(9)

By the way Amanda and Melissa talked, the answer was an unequivocal  ‘yes'. They made no mention of harassment or abuse of any kind. In fact,  it was the complete opposite. They almost seemed disappointed he hadn't  tried anything with them!

I sighed. Without responding, I gathered up my things.

"I have to get back to work."

With reluctance and a bit of grumbling, they obliged.

Later that same afternoon, I was back at the lab. I happened to be going  over some perplexing results when, during a moment of deep thought, I  glanced up towards the entrance. As I did, I noticed Gabe enter the  room. I looked at him for a fraction of a second before looking back  down at my paperwork. It was the first time I'd seen him since he winked  at me in the conference room.

I listened as he began to walk around and chat with my coworkers. In  addition to rumors about his dalliances, I'd heard other things about  him. One of those being that he made a regular habit of doing walkabouts  to motivate and encourage his employees.

Which of the two was this visit?

I swallowed hard, hoping he'd ignore me. Afterward, I reached for my  pen, determined to not let myself get distracted by his presence. But my  resolve didn't last long. Right away, I fretted my way through a number  of scenarios in my mind. All of them ended with me being humiliated as  the lone object of his attention.

Usually, solutions to problems came quickly to me, and without fail they  were accurate. When it came to him though, my thoughts randomized and  failed to follow logic. Just as often, I found myself less sure of my  response than when I started.

It was unusual, to be sure. I grimaced at my inability to control it.

The sound of him chatting with my coworkers broke the relative silence  of the lab. Hearing the tone of his voice focused my plan of action and  sharpened my focus. If he happened to come over to me, I'd have to be  ready.

No matter what, I'd keep it professional …  no more teasing and flirting.  I'd have to put an end to it before it went any further. Not that it  would, mind you. He might still press on with his behavior, but I didn't  spend all this time and energy to ‘fool around with the boss'.

This was it.

But then, all of a sudden, Gabe was upon me. I hadn't even heard him  approach. For no sooner had I steeled my resolve than he stood mere feet  away.

Damn lab booties.

Gabe made his way around my workstation, and I glanced up to see if  anyone happened to be looking. Not only was everyone watching but  Melissa and Amanda were grinning like idiots.

"Lab coat fits to your liking I see." Gabe said as he gestured towards  my partially covered hands. "And here I thought you'd turned a corner."

I tried not to smile at his comment. Instead, I twisted my expression into a face of displeasure.

"So this is how it begins … " I muttered.

Gabe paused for a moment and did a double take. "What's that?"

"Hmm?" I said as I looked up at him. "Oh nothing."

While a part of me felt a sudden urge to challenge him, my more  pragmatic side thought better of it. And anyway, even though our banter  had been playful, I had no idea how he'd respond if I accused him of  wanting to involve me in an office tryst. In fact, when I realized how  close I'd come to being caught at my attempt at an insult, adrenaline  coursed through my veins with a fantastic shock.

It terrified and thrilled me at once.

In spite of my internal reaction, Gabe seemed unaware or unaffected.  Either way, he shifted the interaction to the work I'd been doing. We  discussed the issue I had with the lab results in good bit of detail. I  wasn't sure why, but once again, Gabe's knowledge impressed me.

It was going to take some getting used to. You know what they say about  first impressions. Still, I'd have to get past it and the sooner the  better. After all, he was the CEO.         

     



 

More so, by the time we'd finished our discussion, he had me doubting my  own conclusions about the tests. That just didn't happen. Not in the  lab. Not to me.

Ever.

"Well, all right then, enough of that for now." Gabe began as he leaned  away, pointing at my results in the process. "You know what you've got  to do?"

I nodded in agreement as he spoke, making notes in my planner.

As I scribbled, Gabe walked around behind me, disappearing from view. As  best I could, I traced his movements with my peripheral gaze, as I  didn't turn my head to follow. Perhaps sensing it, once he'd vanished  from sight, he stopped.

"How are things going so far?" he asked. I stopped breathing as he paused. "Are you enjoying it here?"

I nodded but didn't dare turn. I had the strange sensation he was  looking me up and down. Searching my mouth for moisture, I flicked my  tongue across my lips before I replied.

"Yes. Thank you."

"Mmm, hmm," he replied.

Gabe lingered behind me for a moment or two longer. If this had been any  other man in any other situation, I would have spun around and gotten  to the bottom of his disappearing act. The seconds crept by. I froze in  place as uneasiness came over me. What the hell was he doing?

Suddenly, he spoke once more.

"Seems as if you've attracted some attention from the other ladies in the lab."

As he finished, I drew my eyes from the charts filled with numbers and  looked in the direction of Amanda and Melissa. But no sooner had I done  so than they looked away. Gabe reappeared in my peripheral vision. I  turned my head in his direction as he entered my line of sight,  smirking.

"Everything okay, Fiona?" he said as he narrowed his eyes at me. "You seem …  tense."

I swallowed and tugging a strand of hair behind my ear, I broke eye contact with him and looked back down at my lab work.

"Yes," I muttered. "Everything is fine."

"Lying again, I see."

My eyes darted towards Gabe. His flickered with a mischievous glimmer.

"I can always tell when you are, Fiona. So, don't make a habit of it."

As he finished speaking, Gabe turned and began to stroll away from me.  Lifting my eyebrows, but not my head, I watched as he meandered through  the lab workstations until eventually he reached the doorway and exited  the room.



FIONA

Gabe hadn't been gone for the lab for more than ten or fifteen seconds  before Amanda and Melissa descended on me. Weak kneed, I collapsed into  my lab stool as they surrounded me on both sides.

"What. The. Hell. Was. That?" Melissa demanded.

"Yeah," Amanda said as she nodded her head in agreement. "Gabe made a beeline for you. What did he say?"

As they peppered me with questions, I felt the room start to spin. I  didn't want any of this. I just wanted to do my job and be left alone.  Nothing was happening between us. I wasn't encouraging him to do  anything. After propping my elbows up on my workstation, I dropped my  head in my hands.

My eyes fluttered closed.

"Please stop," I mumbled.

They cackled at my request. I felt indignation rise up inside of me.  Even though I didn't suspect they were trying to be cruel per se, the  situation was more than I wanted to deal with at the moment. I fell  silent and drew inward, squeezing my fingernails hard into my scalp.  They chuckled and carried on for a few more seconds until they went  quiet as well.

"Fiona honey?" Amanda said after another moment or two. "What's wrong?"

"Yeah," Melissa added. "We were only teasing you. Are you okay?"

"Mmm, hmm." I muttered as I allowed my hands to fall away from my head.  Afterward, I began to stand from my lab stool, scooting it with a groan  across the floor. Amanda and Melissa moved aside, giving me room to make  my way.

"Are you sure?" Amanda asked. "You don't look so great."

It was the last thing I remembered.

When consciousness returned, my eyes flickered open. Glancing down, I  noticed I lay flat, on what looked to be a leather sofa. Directly  overhead, florescent lighting buzzed and illuminated a harsh glow as I  squinted up at it.

Lifting my hand to shield my gaze, I rolled my head to one side to try  and figure out where I was. I didn't see anyone as my eyes adjusted to  the brightness, but as I looked around, I noticed an assortment of  medical and monitoring equipment.         

     



 

I exhaled and closed my eyes once again as the glare grew to be too much  to bear in that instant. While I rested my head, I heard a pair of  footsteps squeak as they approached until they'd drawn to within a foot  or so of me, when they ceased.

"Fiona," the voice of an older woman whispered.

As she finished speaking, I opened my eyes once again.

"Oh. Oh good," she began. "You're awake."

My eyes darted around the room as I attempted to get my bearings in the unfamiliar surroundings.

"Do you know where you are, Fiona?"

I blinked as I felt awareness begin to return.

"Fiona?"

"Hmm?" I replied as I looked up in her direction. An instinct to move  overwhelmed me, but as I tried to sit upright, the woman bent at the  waist and pressed her palm flat into my shoulder, holding me against the  couch.