I stifled an awkward swallow. Luckily, she’d focused on her breakfast in that moment. For obvious reasons, I had to be selective with the details about Gabe. And so, while she munched away I explained to her that I had, in fact, won the competition. She was overjoyed for me, of course. But with all of the difficulties ahead, I didn’t share her enthusiasm. My lack of excitement didn’t go unnoticed. After finishing a crunch-filled bite, she set the remainder down on her plate.
Crossing her hands in her lap, she looked at me with concern in her eyes. “I would have expected you to be much happier.”
“I am,” I said, with what I hoped was a convincing nod. “It’s just… a lot of responsibility. That’s all.”
Her lips scrunched into a dismissive pout. She wasn’t buying it. “Well, when has that ever been a problem for you, Fiona? No. There’s more to this. What’s the matter?”
Well, of course there’s more to it…
Let’s see, Gabe had already affected me to such an extent that I masturbated at my desk not an hour before actually having sex with him. As if that wasn’t outrageous enough, I’m now in charge of two women who are insanely jealous and would rather see me fired, or worse, than do a single thing I tell them. I’ve not been there for even a month and now I’m in charge of an entire lab team for a multi-billion dollar biotech company. So yes, there’s much more to it, but what good would come of telling her any of that right now? I’d already worried her far too much. And in her current state, I didn’t see the point in making it any worse.
“It’s nothing I can’t handle, Grandmother.”
Her face brightened a bit. “Well that’s quite a change in attitude. What prompted it all of a sudden?”
“Hmm? Oh nothing. I’m just taking your advice to heart and not letting people push me around.”
A soft smile spread to her wrinkled features. “That’s wonderful to hear. When do you start your new position?”
“Today actually.”
“Oh Fiona, I’m so proud of you,” she began as her smile widened even further. “You’ve worked so hard for so long. You deserve it.”
“Thank you.”
She picked up a slice of toast from her plate. “And what about your boss? Gabe?”
“What about him?”
“Oh come now, Fiona. Don’t play coy. Is he still flirting and acting interested in you?”
Horrified at the lie I was about to sputter, I had to think quickly. “Here Grandmother, it’s time to take your medication.”
I reached down towards her nightstand where she always had a glass of water at the ready.
“In a second, Fiona. Now what’s going on with him?”
Desperate to avoid her question, I did a terrible thing and pretended to lose my grip on the glass, spilling water all over her in the process.
“Oh!” I shrieked. “I’m so sorry!”
My grandmother bolted into a full upright position, shaking a few random droplets from her arms as she did.
“I’ll be right back!” I yelped as I turned to leave. “Let me get a towel and dry you off.”
Thankful I’d avoided her cross examination but feeling guilty about what I’d done, I raced down the hall to the kitchen. As I hurried, I wondered what the hell was coming over me. I would never lie to her about a situation like this. Especially not with everything we stood to lose if it all fell apart. This just wasn’t like me. Even so, the idea of confessing what happened with him to her filled me with dread. At best, she’d scold me, or at worst demand I put a stop to it.
And while she might be right in both situations, I began to wonder if I could.
Reaching the kitchen, I snatched a towel from the counter and turned around to head back to her bedroom when I froze in place. Out of nowhere, my mind flashed back to my time with Gabe and I felt an awful need stir between my thighs. Even with my limited experience, it was plain to see that my body wanted him more than my mind cared to admit.
I’d have to tell her at some point. What would I say? I slept with my boss to get the promotion?
And then, an even more sinister idea occurred to me…
Could I live without the sex?
I didn’t have the answer to that either.
FIONA
Later that day, the first day of my new promotion in fact, I went to use the ladies’ room, and just as I was about to exit the stall, I heard the hydraulic swing arm hiss as the door opened. Around the same time, the distinctive sound of Amanda and Melissa laughing echoed off the tile walls as they entered.
“I’ll check…” Melissa said.
As gingerly as possible, and doing something I would never do under ordinary circumstances, I took a seat on top of the toilet and subtly hugged my legs to my chest. For several seconds afterward, and with teeth clenched, I held my breath tight in my chest as Melissa looked beneath the stalls for signs of anyone inside.