The Boss Who Fired Me

Ashley’s POV Monday (31st July) Days like these are the worst. They make you want to rip your hearts out and finally escape from this godforsaken human world. A world where everything goes, particularly for those with power, wealth, and much more wealth – yes, I mentioned wealth twice! But not for me, though. Instead, I long to rip out the hearts of my tormentors. I walked into my office to meet my office phone ringing. Who calls this early when it’s not even the company’s opening hour yet? I glanced at the phone screen to see Mr. Jenkins’s name. “Good morning, Mr. Jenkins. This is Ashley speaking. How may I help you?” I went first. “What nonsense did you guys put out for me? A blackface in a video commercial meant for all age groups and races in this twenty-first century! What the heck was that? Are you guys trying to sabotage all my sweats over these years?” It was the CEO of DWK agency, our top client, speaking. I didn’t even have an idea of what he was implying. I only knew that my company, Hall World Global, had been working with his firm on an advertisement campaign ahead of their forthcoming featured video ad at the half-time Super Bowl show. So I tried to enquire more. “Sorry, Mr. Jenkins, for causing you so much trouble. We apologize for any mistake from our end, but can you please help me with exactly what the problem is about so I can make the necessary attempt to resolve it?” I asked in a very polite tone. Instead, my politeness only made the man angrier. He cursed at me and hurled out the vilest insults I had heard in a long time; most were outrageously sexist. Yet, I still kept my cool. “I don’t have an idea of what you are complaining about. That was why I asked for more specifics. Sorry if that got you angry. I will notify my manager about your complaints and get back to you, Mr. Jenkins.” I decided to end the call afterward. I couldn’t stand the insults anymore. It was no longer a conversation; instead, it was a one-way roast session that didn’t seem like it would end anytime soon. Immediately I cut off the call; I went through our directory to check on the last delivery to DWK agency, Jenkin’s company. After a few minutes of browsing through the large folders, I found all the info. We just did a recent low-profile ad for them, released yesterday night. I opened the video, and then I finally got it! Among the onlookers in a particular scene of the video was a blackface. The video editors must have missed it, but how come? It was too obvious not to see! I ran off to report the incident to my CEO, not wanting to wait any longer. Fear gripped me as I walked closer to his office. Finally, I reached the entrance of his glass doors, which had a large engraved plaque that read: Damon Hall, CEO, Hall World Global Inc. I took my time to gather all the courage I could muster before making an entrance. Mr. Hall’s office was at least five times the size of mine. Scores of awards littered across the glass cabinet on both sides of the room. The interior decorations of the office made mine look more like a storeroom than his. I met Damon at his desk working on his computer while speaking with someone over the speakerphone. He ended the call immediately. Our eyes met, and he frowned. Oh gosh! He was so handsome. Despite being in his mid-forties, Damon stood over six feet tall with a well-work-out muscular frame. He was the definition of masculine beauty, with the only negative about him being his visible gray hair. “What’s the problem, Ashley? Jenny said you have some information that needs my urgent attention.” Damon’s voice made me freeze just before I could sit at the opposite end of his table. With trembling legs, I stood there as I struggled for my following words. “Good morning, Mr. Hall. Yes, it’s an urgent matter concerning the recent DWK ad campaign. We made a big blunder with the Sunday delivery, and now Mr. Jenkins is all mad and calling for our heads.” My voice improved as I progressed, sounding more confident at the end. “Okay.” Damon continued frowning as he gestured to me to take a vacant seat. I resumed my speech by narrating exactly how the DWK agency incident happened minutes ago. I did my best to add my discovery about the blackface disaster from our videography team. I felt like I was doing the company much good until Damon shocked me. “Is that all?” He cleared his throat while waiting for my response. “Yes. I’ve covered the whole thing.” I stuttered back. “Well, I spoke with Mr. Jenkins on the phone before you walked in. His side of the story doesn’t fit in well with yours. I think your poor handling of Mr. Jenkins’ complaint led to the escalation of the matter, and your team’s lackadaisical attitude to work might also be why we missed the blunder before the call.” Somehow Damon managed to switch the whole blame to me. I was stunned and no longer afraid of his godly presence. “I don’t think that is the case. My team and I did our job….” “If you did your job, we wouldn’t have been in this mess then. But here we are now, in a huge problem that can cause us millions of dollars if DWK goes ahead with a lawsuit. You’re responsible for escalating such a minor problem to what it is now. So don’t try to play the innocent role, Ashley...” His deep, baritone voice cut me off. “...Our production team failed to spot the blackface, which is a terrible mistake. But it’s still understandable since over two hundred people were involved in the video, and it was shot with a public background rather than a paid crowd. The video got out on national TV last night. As the director of the Customer Service Department, it is within your jurisdiction to get feedback from our clients immediately after we release a product. You failed to do so, which would have helped discover the problem before Mr. Jenkins even heard of it. You also hung up a phone call on a top client of ours. Ashley, you’re very culpable for this mess.” Damon completed his speech as I looked on with teary eyes. I didn’t have much of a choice but to listen to his yapping. “I was cool and followed all due protocols on the call with Mr. Jenkins until he insulted me. He called me a bitch, a dumbo who had to sleep her way to get to my role, and other derogatory words. You can hear the whole thing since all company calls are recorded. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I had to hang up.” I protested, with a few tears escaping my eyes as I looked in disbelief. “That’s part of your responsibility as Customer Service. You’re obliged to hear customers’ complaints no matter how disgusting they can be, but instead, you snapped back and hung up the call. I have nothing else to say to you, Ashley. You’re fired.” His last sentence echoed in the room as everywhere went completely silent. I stared at his face for so long. Damon looked a bit remorseful even though he tried to keep a straight cold face. I had been scapegoated successively and couldn’t have done anything to remedy my case. The deed had been done, and my career with Hall World Global would end just like that. I stood frozen at the spot, unable to move my legs even by an inch. Damon returned to working on his computer and never bothered to say another word to me. After that eternity of misery, I finally got over myself and left that godforsaken office. Announcing my sack to my team members was the hardest part. They already knew what had happened when I returned to my department. After all, office gossip spread like wildfire. I got through the announcement speech. It could have been a better one. It was filled with pauses, weeping, and stuttering, but I eventually got through it. My colleagues sympathized with me. Their hugs felt nice, but I would have preferred if one had taken my place instead. That would have been the best gift, but no one would offer to do that. Moving my possessions out of the facility was also another challenging experience. I had many helpful hands to do most of the work. I tried to access the recording of the crazy Jenkins call, but it wasn’t in the records anymore. No doubt, Damon must have ordered a clean-up to avoid any hurtful ‘evidence’ against his firm. This day would begin my vengeful hatred for a man I once crushed on. Whatever love or crush I had for him was no more. All that had been replaced with hate. I took my final steps out of Hall World Global. Where would I go next? I had no idea, but one thing was sure: I would seek my revenge against the backstabbing pretty boy-man.

Damon’s POV Monday (4th September) I had just taken a tough decision, one that I had to fire a loyal employee of mine: Ms. Ashley Stevens. She was a hardworking employee, and I felt terrible having to fire her. But it was a necessary decision. Someone had to take the fall for the mishap. Not even one person; I had to fire two others after Ashley. Tony from the QC department got the chop, as did Larry from the video production team. Jenkins would have roasted my ass if I hadn’t done so. He needed a repercussion for the blunder, and I gave him one. Another thing that triggered my angry mood was the nature of the disaster. As a forty-five-year-old successful man who started from the bottom in an industry dominated mainly by old monies, I felt insulted seeing that video. How could my company churn out such a stupid video? What if it had aired during the half-time Super Bowl game? Wouldn’t that have spelled the end of my business - the fruit of my years of hard work? “I think I should give them a call, especially Ashley. She has spent about six years with us, unlike the others who joined like two years ago.” “That won’t be a good idea, Damon.” Lucas, my legal adviser, argued. “If we can’t gift them a severance package to make Jenkins believe it was a ruthless punishment for their blunders, then the least I can do in compensation is to call to thank them for their years of service rendered to our firm and wish them luck on their next new chapter of life.” “No, don’t do that! Any form of communication after the sacking would paint a remorseful picture. Would you have called them if they were sacked after costing us a fortune in damages? You only feel pitiful because Jenkins let the whole thing slide.” Lucas succeeded in making me ditch my ‘farewell calls’ plan. Three weeks passed after that incident, and everything slowly returned to normal. I had just finished another tough negotiation with a stingy client when Jenny, my PA, walked in to announce my next meeting. “This should be the last one for today. I want to go home and have a nice warm bath. Then sleep my soul away. Today has been hectic.” I let Jenny in on my plans for the rest of the day. “I don’t think so, boss. You have a cocktail fundraising event in honor of Judge Cook later today. Or have you forgotten about it?” Jenny was right. My mind must have skipped the event. While I would have loved to miss this one for a good night’s rest, it was also an essential gathering of the city royals, so it was an excellent opportunity to lure in big-paying clients. I already saw two possible targets – the Gabe family and Luciano Spalleti, the head of Exvram Technologies. “When does the fundraiser start?” I inquired. “It starts at seven with the red carpet event. But the real deal starts at eight, so you can still take a two-hour nap after you meet with Mr. Rose. That way, you won’t look tired at the event.” Jenny came up with a brilliant solution. She was a perfect assistant despite her apparent feelings for me. Jenny’s high intelligence was the only reason I never tried hitting on her despite the numerous clues she gave me during our first days together. While I considered her pretty, her intelligence was more valuable than her ass. “Okay, Jenny. Help me set up my clothes before then. Go for something not too fancy this time around. You can pick any smart but simple suit that can still sell my billionaire status. I trust you on that.” Then I went to the next meeting - which was a hellish experience. After that, I took a nap, just as Jenny had suggested. At past seven, the alarm clock woke me up. Everything I needed for the event was ready. I quickly bathed before getting into the Brioni three-piece suit Jenny had picked. I wore the black-leather Brian Atwood shoes and a round hat next. For my accessories, I decided against wearing my usual chain collections. Instead, I went for a more straightforward look. Two chain pieces and a silver band Rolex watch completed my look. Spraying a lovely fragrance all over my body followed next. I took a good look at the eight-by-four-foot mirror to check myself out. I looked stunning. Set for the event, I rode for Tribeca Rooftop, Manhattan. The red carpet show was almost over when I got there. I still had enough time to take pictures with other notable attendees. The crème de la crème of the city were present for this event. I passed through many famous people: celebrities, politicians, top judges, billionaire business owners, corporate moguls, sportsmen and women, and more. After our little fun outside, it was time for the main event. The venue for the fundraiser was the Tribeca Rooftop. While the name might suggest we would be on an open rooftop partying our life out, it wasn’t to be so. The fundraiser would take place on the topmost floor of Tribeca Hotel, a five-star hotel, but it was an indoor event. I was part of the last set of attendees to leave the entrance hall for the main party on the topmost floor. I preferred arriving at events when the fun has started rather than listening through long and tedious opening speeches. When most of the crowd dispersed, I finally left for the nearest elevator. When I jumped in, the elevator button was already set for the last floor. I turned sideways to see a tall female figure in a stunning red gown. She was facing the other end of the elevator, so I could barely see her face, yet I could bet that she was equally as beautiful as her dress from the little skin on display. Her skin looked so perfectly toned that my lower parts started imagining naughty things. “We’ll be arriving at the party just at the perfect time. Madam ‘I got a long story to share’ and Mr. ‘Endure my boring talk for the next 15 minutes’ should be done with introductory talks by now.” I tried to initiate a small talk with the lady. “I guess so” was the only reply I got from her. She sounded uninterested in whatever I had to say. I took her response as playing hard to get. I was also interested in knowing who she was. My initial bet was that she was some spoilt heiress of a wealthy business empire. Our destination was the 27th floor, so I feared my shot at wooing the beautiful damsel was slipping away with each rising floor count. “Did you come alone?” I tried a more direct line this time. “No.” “What careless date leaves such a damsel like you unprotected on a fancy event like this? Doesn’t he know there might be other eligible bachelors planning to steal such a treasure?” She only gave a sarcastic laugh as a reply. I felt stupid for wasting my time trying to engage someone just to be laughed at. I accepted defeat and withdrew my attention for the rest of the elevator ride. “17, 18, 19….” I counted each successive floor number until it reached number 24, and the elevator paused. The shock from the sudden halt threw me to the floor with my ass lying on the ground. The loud bang from the stop was so deafening that I could barely hear my screams. The snobbish lady got a worse reaction. I watched her tumble and fall like a pack of cards with her tiny high heels snapping out. She fell across me, and we remained on the floor until the elevator regained balance. I realized we were holding each other’s hands only after normalcy returned. Even worse, the frustrating damsel who got me sweaty was no heiress. Nor was she a mysterious New York socialite. She was someone so familiar that I rarely threw up on seeing her face. It was Ashley Stevens, the disgraced employee who got the chop from me a month ago. “What are you doing here, Ashley?” I stuttered aloud as I helped her up to her feet. Ashley could no longer wear her heels, for they were broken, so she remained barefooted. Her height felt so reduced now that she wasn’t in high heels, and her beauty was far less mesmerizing now that her mystery appeal was gone. She looked at me with a hint of disgust. I could tell that she already knew who I was as soon as I stepped into the elevator, which explained why she wasn’t receptive to my conversation attempts. “You could have at least said hi to me as your ex-boss rather than acting up like someone who hates men for a living.” I now had complete confidence in knowing who I was dealing with. “You’re probably the last person I would have expected to encounter at such a big party. How did you get an invitation?” I inquired again after Ashley ignored my first attempt. “A friend. I came in with a female friend. We aren’t like together. I meant that while we came in together, we weren’t together. I am just her date. But not like we’re dating in the real sense since I’m heterosexual.” Ashley was now stuttering as she struggled to explain herself out of this mess. I smiled as my charm continued its magic. After a long pause where Ashley gathered herself, she finally came up with a better explanation. “My friend, Katy, was picked by her company to be their representative at the event. When her co-worker, who was meant to be her partner, bailed out at the last minute, she begged me to replace him. So I had to be her plus one. That was how I found myself here with you, you fellas.” “Yet you managed to pull a ten out of ten with your killer dress despite the short notice. One can only imagine what you would have looked like if your friend Katy had picked you as her partner from the first day she got the company’s invitation.” I was genuine with my compliment. Ashley blushed a bit. She no longer had a long face. The building technicians had come to our rescue, and we could hear their voices from the microphone inside the elevator. “We’re all fine and safe in here. We’re just two people in the elevator without injury from the minor crash.” I answered their questions. “Just do your best to get us out of here ASAP, and we’re good to go.” I barked at them after hearing their repetitive apologies for the crash. “It was a minor issue with the levers. Just give us some minutes to fix everything, and the elevator will return running perfectly.” One of the technicians assured us before giving us back our privacy. I was enjoying my time with Ashley anyway, so I didn’t care how fast they fixed the elevator. “Have you got another job since you left Hall World Global?” I only realized how dumb my question was after that last word left my lips. “Left? You sacked me, remember?” Ashley sounded pissed off. “But I have found something worthwhile to do since then.” She added. I was happy with the good news. At least a new job should keep her less agitated about her dismissal. While we waited for the elevator to be fixed, I couldn’t help but check out Ashley’s figure. Her ass looked tight and perfect underneath her body-hugging gown. This was the best I had ever seen Ashley look. I was already scheming a plan for her later tonight. Meanwhile, Ashley just kept staring at the ground. I could tell she was shy around me. I was still contemplating my next move when another sudden jolt brought us crashing to the floor. I grabbed Ashley’s waist to stop her from a free fall to the ground. That way, she crashed across me rather than hitting the floor directly. She remained in my embrace for a brief moment of raging emotions. Then she eventually pulled away. That brief moment of feeling Ashley’s soft butt pressed against me while holding her soft hands was enough to bring out the lustful beast in me. I kept an intense gaze at her while letting out a cute smile. “Do you care to see a trick?” I asked with a smirk on my face. Ashley had a double mind but eventually gave in. “Okay.” I did the handkerchief folding trick on her twice. Ashley tried to prove how I did it by repeating the trick but failed woefully on both attempts. “It’s magic. Not something you learn.” I bragged. Ashley kept arguing against the existence of magic. I was enjoying this open version of her and plotting my finishing move on her. Just before I could pull any last trick, the elevator jolted back to life and started to move upwards. After the second crash, we remained on the floor, sitting with folded legs. But now, we had to get up and continue our ride to the final floor. More apologies broadcast from the hotel management came in through the microphone. They were still on it when we reached our final stop: the 27th floor. “I have to go look for Katy inside the hall now to get a spare shoe or something. Bye.” Ashley walked off in haste. Immediately, the elevator door sprang open. I wanted to call her back, but the onlookers outside the elevator meant I had to keep cool. “Bye.” I barely shouted in reply as I got off the elevator. Ashley’s steps were crazy fast, so there was no point running after her. I watched as she entered the main event hall barefoot with broken heels in her left hand and a mini purse in her right. I entered the main hall to meet a full house of dazzling people. The setting of the hall room compensated for the initial ‘venue’ blunder of the fundraising committee. The main hall was so sophisticated and alluring that I had to collect the event planner’s contact details before the night’s end. I searched around for Ashley, but she was nowhere to be seen. With more essential business dealings to seek, I returned my focus to the party. Once the main fundraising program started, a group of beautiful women servers walked around pouring champagne for any interested guest. I took a liking to the one that served me. Her butt was just the right size, so I sought to use it as my pillow later that night. My charm worked on her. She said her name was Maggie, Maddie, or Meggie - I never paid much attention while she talked. The name indeed started with an ‘M’ and sounded funny. She eventually had to leave my table to serve others. I watched her go as she walked off, swinging that cheeky butt of hers as she moved. It wasn’t as juicy as I had earlier thought. “Always check out the ass from behind.” My Big Uncle Jimmy would always preach to me. His words always remained golden. The server lady’s ass wasn’t worth my time, so I tore the paper on which she had written her phone number. Then I went back to scanning through the hall from my seat in search of a possible lay for the night. I couldn’t get any. Almost all the women at the event had tagged along with their husbands or boyfriends or a date at the very least. I couldn’t find any lady that looked like a loner. I decided to quit the search and focus on luring potential clients instead. So I took off from my seat and got down to business. I walked around and talked to almost as many people as I could. Most of them quickly deduced my game and cut our conversation halfway through. A few others had already known me, so selling myself was more challenging. The few newbies I caught were charmed by my pitch. I could tell from the head scratching and serious looks. I handed my business cards to everyone – both the receptive group and the non-receptive ones. Unfortunately, my two main targets, Luciano Spalleti and Gabby Gabe, fell into the non-receptive group. The donation round continued for a while. It was easily the most tedious part of the event. Seeing responsible grown-ass men and women scrambling for ego-tripping acknowledgment in the dick-measuring contest (apologies to those without one) was repulsive. I made my donations anonymously, as a normal person should. The whole caucus show was starting to feel unbearable, so I decided to head outside to the balcony for a breather. It was on the way out of the main hall that I sighted Ashley. She was headed for the restroom. I followed her from behind even though I had no use for the toilet. I couldn’t reach her before she entered the restroom’s female section. The image of the dazzling Ashley was still stuck in my head. She looked nothing like the freckle-faced newly-graduated lady I had once sat down with while reviewing her job application. I had always known Ashley to be a pretty woman, but at best, I graded her an eight out of ten. But the damsel I met at the elevator was no eight. She was the best ten I had ever come across since Jaja Blake, and that was years ago. Walking behind Ashley down to the restroom made me angry with my forty-five-year-old self. How did I miss such a tight ass under my jurisdiction all these years? My player instincts must have been wearing off, I concluded. I waited for Ashley to return from the restroom for as long as my patience could take. After my unsuccessful waiting attempt, I returned to join the fundraiser. A comedy performance by Ziggie Huffman was taking place. He was one of the very best of his time. I laughed at a few of his funny one-liners, but my eyes never went off from the exit door to the restroom. I kept a close eye on that door for a while, hoping to see Ashley again. She was taking too long for my liking. I scanned the hall again to double-check if she had joined in while my focus was away. There was no sign of Ashley. I almost panicked as I scoured through the hall, yet there was still no sign of her. My patience wore off after another couple of anxious minutes, hoping to see Ashley walking into the hall room. I decided it was stupid wasting my time in the fundraiser for some girl. It was already past my planned take-off time, so I called it quits and left the building for my car. I had some regrets about not ending things with Ashley on a high note. Still, there would always be another day - and I vowed to take advantage of such an opportunity.

Ashley’s POV Monday Night (4th September) My heart was shaky as I tried to catch my breath once I exited the elevator. Damon had me under his spell all through our time together. How could God give that much charming power to a mere mortal? I hated myself for falling hopelessly for a man I had been hurling insults at for over a month. Why did I lie about getting a new job? How did he make me feel this way every damn time? It was wild that I started our conversation in the elevator, thinking about how to bash Damon for my sack and possibly lay curses on him. Instead, I went into a frenzy upon seeing the enemy in person, like some teenager standing close to her celebrity crush. On meeting Katy in the main hall, I tried to talk to her about meeting Damon, but she needed to be more relaxed networking with like minds. She only had time to give me the spare flat outdoor slippers in her handbag. “I need to sell my pitch to as many folks as possible. We will talk once the party ends.” Katy dismissed my irrelevant rambling. I had to wear the slippers on the gown for the rest of the party. I felt stupid having to move around with all eyes staring at my feet! It got so bad that I had to rush into the restroom for a breather. I stayed there for so long until I started to feel so dull. I could have waited all night long at the toilet, pending when the party ended so Katy could take me home. But I feared some ladies would find it weird with my overdue stay inside the bathroom and maybe call security on me. So I decided it was best to leave and get home without Katy. The whole party was in a high mood when I got out. I looked out for Damon, but there was no sign of a greying brown-haired handsome single man among the dancing crowd. I sneaked through the backdoor of the hall and took the elevator to the ground floor. I had to check out of the party at the reception desk before leaving the building. Finally, I was free to return to my peaceful abode with my lovely kittens waiting for their momma. I had to stand close enough to the hotel building as I tried to flag down a cab. I also tried to book an online taxi, but the earliest arrival time I could get was a half-hour waiting offer. I went with the crappy deal but continued my luck of flagging down a local cab. “It would be hard to get a taxi from around here, miss.” A voice called out to me from behind. I had first ignored the voice, thinking it was another random horny New Yorker hoping to try his luck on an easy target. “You should have come with your car to the party. At such hours, Uptown Manhattan rarely gets patronage from taxi drivers since most folks here hire limousine rides for their fancy late dinner dates. I can give you a ride, though.” As the man talked more, I noticed the familiarity of his voice and turned around to get a glimpse at him. “Damon! Geez! Did you follow me out here?” I was shocked to see Damon Hall all alone with a big grin on his face. “Gotcha!” He teased. “I didn’t see you after you left me hanging in the elevator. Did you somehow turn into a ghost when you entered the hall? I later tried to look around for you, even down to the reception. I thought I had lost you for the night, but fate had something better for us tonight.” He smiled so hard that I had to laugh. “You went through all this stress just to find me?” I couldn’t stop blushing. “Yeah. I wouldn’t allow you to leave me without a goodnight kiss.” “A kiss? I don’t get it. Why would I kiss you?” I frowned. “A kiss of gratitude as a payback for keeping you company during the elevator crash. Just imagine if I hadn’t been there with you. It could have been way worse.” I imagined being alone in the elevator for a minute when the crash happened. Maybe Damon was right. I preferred his company over having to relive that experience alone. “Maybe a soft kiss on your hands or something? I often do that because of my frequent visits to Asia and understanding of the Hindu culture.” Damon pressed on with his silly demand. I could tell his explanation was just a brilliant lie to hide his real intention, yet I still found it cute enough to allow it to slide. “Okay. So how do we do that?” I pretended to buy his idea while laughing about the whole thing in my head. He took my right hand and caressed it before kissing my wrist softly. “Here you go. Namaste.” I giggled after. “So where are you headed to?” Damon was back with the questions. “Downtown Manhattan.” “That’s a far ride from here, but luckily for you, I intend to pass that way tonight. So how about I give you a ride? My limo is just down the street.” He pointed in the direction of where it was parked. “No, I am fine. I will take a cab.” I declined his offer since I knew the possible end game. Damon insisted I take his offer. “I don’t take no for an answer. You can’t get a cab from here at this hour, and even if you do, it might take so long to see one. That would mean you would have to stand here in the cold for as long as you can imagine. I can’t bear the thought of someone nice like you suffering all alone in this harsh cold.” I was still hesitant with my excuses. “It just doesn’t feel right taking a ride with you.” “You ride with me or stand in the cold until you get a cab. Your choice?” Damon smiled at me. I looked away shyly, but he was too bold with his approach. He held my left hand with his right as we stood for a minute. The sensation of touching his bare hand was killing me inside. My inner goddess cried for more while my body stood motionless without saying a word. Despite all the emotional triggers, it felt nice holding hands with him. “Would you take my ride now?” Damon threw the offer to me again, thereby breaking the awkward silence. I couldn’t live another second fueling my naughty mind with so many thoughts, so in a panic, I gave in cheaply to his request. “Yes. I’ll be taking the ride.” I conceded with a shallow voice. “Let’s get out of here then!” A jovial Damon announced as he led me to the opposite side of the street, where his exotic limousine awaited us. The electrical impulse running through my body as we walked hand-in-hand with the harsh breeze brushing through our faces made it a memorable moment. As soon as we got to his limo, Damon resumed our conversation. “So, Downtown Manhattan, right?” He asked me again. I nodded in return. We were the only ones in the passenger seat of the limo. I figured the man in the front seat with the driver must be his bodyguard. I was alone with a man I once greatly admired but now hated. It felt so weird. “More wine for the night?” Damon offered me a drink once the car started moving. “No. I have passed my threshold limit for the night.” “Are you drunk?” He seemed unhappy with the idea of my non-sober state. “No. I am just a little tipsy but not drunk.” I smiled back at him. We didn’t talk much again as we both turned our attention to our mobile phones. Not too long after, Damon made his first move for the night. “Do you have a boyfriend?” He yelled out of the blue. Holy-crap! Why did he ask that? His question came to me as a shock. I didn’t know how best to answer it, but I said the first thing that came to my head. “No. I don’t do boyfriends.” “Are you like a lesbian or something?” He frowned a bit. I got why he misunderstood me. It was such a dumb way to answer the question. “No, I didn’t mean it that way. I meant that I don’t want to keep boyfriends for now. So I am not seeing anyone now since I am not ready for such a distraction.” His frown immediately went away. “So how do you get your sex if you don’t deal with the opposite sex for now?” He grinned in anticipation of my next response. “Sorry, that’s none of your business. That information is private to me.” I felt disgusted that he was so upfront with the sexual talks. Damon didn’t flinch, though. “I can tell you about mine if you care. I don’t consider my sexual life private, and you shouldn’t. There is always more to learn about the beautiful act of sharing our sexual experiences. There is always something to learn from every story.” “I don’t want to hear about your sex life.” I rebuffed him. “I bet this is the best decision you ever took in a long time. I am dangerous, so my stories might scare you anyway.” He drifted further away from me. Now he had piqued my interest. Suddenly, I wanted to hear whatever scary story he had in store for me. “What kind of stories are they?” The curious me backtracked on my earlier stand. “I can’t tell. You made your decision. We should keep it that way.” “Can’t I change my decision?” “Nope. The deed is done. There is no going back.” Damon insisted, but his smile gave me a hint that he wasn’t being serious. While I wanted to forget about the whole thing, the allure of hearing about some billionaire’s personal sexual experiences made me push again. “Please just tell me already. I am dying to hear them. Please?” I dragged my last plea. My soft, vanilla voice worked its magic. “Okay. I could tell you the stories, but only if you do something in return for me.” His grin had grown more wicked. “What’s that?” “We play the usual truth or dare game. After just two game rounds, I will tell you my stories. Considering the heavy traffic ahead, we still have about half an hour before we get to your place.” I knew where this would possibly lead, yet I played on. I already knew about Damon’s playboy lifestyle and constant womanizing. He was coming hard on me, but my crushing heart failed to resist his games. “Okay. So you go first?” I accepted the challenge. “No, you need to go first. It’s always ladies first, remember?” Damon was clever with his proposal again. “Okay. Truth or Dare?” I asked him. “Dare.” I thought of something silly to request from him. After a quick brainstorming, I got a crazy idea. “I dare you to kick out your bodyguard from the car.” Damon smiled at my request. Then he switched on the driver’s speaker phone; he called in his bodyguard to get out of the car. “Just get out of this car and get a cab. This is an order, Jerry.” I barked at the poor man. The limo slowed down, and a front door opened. Next, the bodyguard jumped out of the car. I regretted making such a request, but the deed had already been done. “So now it’s my turn. Truth or Dare?” Damon resumed the game once the limo started moving. “Pick one.” “Dare.” I avoided picking the truth option because I thought he might ask something related to the sack. I didn’t want to resurrect that memory with how things were progressing tonight. I believed it would have ruined the fun and spoilt my mood too. “I dare you to give me a blow job, and I better cum while at it.” He laughed after finishing his silly request. I looked at him in surprise. “I’m not doing that.” I protested. “That is against the rules of the game. What’s the big deal with having some fun? Or don’t tell me you don’t give blows.” His frown was back. I thought about it for a while. If I refused to do it, I would come off as a dull lady. As he said, it was not a big deal since I had given blow jobs to men in college at parties and multiple times to men I dated. But I had never given one to a much older man before nor in a long time since my breakup with Jeremy, my hipster ex-boyfriend. I looked at Damon again to scan his facial expression before saying my next word. He was visibly disappointed by the refusal. “Damn it! Get little Damon out of his sack and let me taste him well.” I announced to a burst of giggly laughter from both of us. As Damon struggled with his pants, a part of me became scared of my possible woeful performance. It had been almost a year since I did oral sex. How would it be? Would he enjoy it? So many doubts filled my mind, but in the next few minutes, I would have the answers to my questions. So there was no point worrying about them. Instead, I brushed the doubts away and got down to business.