Chapter 11 CHAPTER 11
ALINA'S POV
When he said we're going shopping, I should've asked questions.
Questions like what kind of shopping? In what capacity exactly? How much time are we to spend, and how many shopping bags will I have to take at the end of it all. Cause by the time I finished, by the time HE finished, I couldn't believe my eyes.
I think the phrase; 'too many' would be just perfect here. To describe the state of my arms, shopping bags having to hang, squeeze and dangle as I try to make my way out of the cab and into the hallway that led up to my door.
"That bastard... He couldn't even help out in anyway!" I spat, breathing heavy as I paused. Sweating. "Just abandoned me after speaking with the attendants and dropping his card. Like I'm some stray getting washed up!"
The audacity he has.
I looked ahead again, the door at the end. Faded purple that didn't seem so far anymore. "You can do it, Lina. Just a little more, a little more and it's over."
I pushed myself forward again. Stumbling, arms raw, bags protesting and squishing I hit the door in one straight breath. Immediately searching for my keys before I lost my remaining energy. "Ughh, lord have mercy!"
Have mercy on me and-
"Lina!" My door suddenly sprung open. From the inside, startling me to the core. The force of it sending cool breeze to my sweaty face.
Cleo right in front of me.
"What, I got off work early today." She explained, seeing my surprised face. She was about to say some more when her eyes fell on my arms. The shopping bags.
"Eh? What are all these, have you gotten paid already?"
"Gotten paid??" I scoffed, pushing myself in and falling on the nearest bean bag. "Ah! My legs... I can't feel my legs."
Despite my cry of protest, Cleo just shut the door and turned me over on the bean bag. The shopping bags coming off since I wasn't trying to hold them all together anymore.
"Jeez, look at your arms! Why did you do this, Lina? What are these?"
"Work." I managed to say, "They're all from work."
"What? You're already GETTING GIFTS?! ALREADY?!"
Arghhhgg. So loud.
"They're not gifts, Cleo." I said, "They're more like... Uniforms or something. That bastard said I looked less than the staff, so... We went shopping."
Cleo blinked, staring at me. "Come again? You went what? With WHO?!"
I just sat up and released all the bags held up on my shoulders and upper arms. Both of us watching as they landed on the floor in a collective thud, expensive like the things in them that spilled out. And Cleo dove for them.
"Oh my world... Oh my- wait, are these designers? Design- DESIGNERS, Lina?!" She ripped one bag open, gasping. Loud. Dramatic.
"Oh my God! A bodysuit. An actual LACE BODYSUIT!!"
"Keep it down, will you? I still have neighbours." I complained. Not like she was hearing me though. Baby girl was far gone checking out the pieces in the mirror.
"Holy mother of God...this is-
"A uniform," I reminded her, "They're uniforms, Cleo."
"Uniform my foot! Do you know what this is?? This is a SIN. A holy, blessed, good sin. Look!" She held up a sheer black teddy against her body. "It even has a choker. For your neck, your neck my girl!"
I just rolled my eyes at her tease, watching as she dropped down again. Ripping off more bags and pulling out their contents. Excited. Thrilled.
"Okay wait, so we have lingerie sets, bodysuits, designer robes, 'i don't give a fuck about your mama heels!', accessories to match, cooperate outfits for daytime and... a makeup kit? A freaking makeup kit?!!!!"
"Oh, I'm quitting my job!"
"Oh God," I groaned into my palms.
"I'm telling you Alina, I'm done with Boldlines." She continued, "I'm coming over to Oxygen to get me a boss that will take me shopping! Shopping, girl. SHOPPINGG."
"Can we please focus here? Can we?" I cried out, "Cleo, this is Roman not some brand new boss from the land of goodness. You seem to have forgotten about that so soon, why?"
"He took you shopping, girl."
"And abandoned there." I said, "Yes, he took me there, but 3 minutes in, he was leaving! Dropping his card with the attendants and talking to them about me like I was some stray dog he brought for dress up! You think this makes me happy? No. I didn't even get to choose most of the stuff here cause he already did with the attendants."
"I just stood there, waiting to get my arms loaded and find my way out of the expensive as fuck environment, take those expensive cabs and then some buses before I could get home."
"Ohhh, that's why your arms are so red."
"Yes!" I literally cried out, "My heels are killing me too."
"Aww, sorry. Here," She cooed softly, applying a bit of ice on my arms. "They didn't swell though, that's good."
"Yeah, but I have more problems now. He trash-talked all my ideas today. Completely. Like I was some toddler scribbling with crayons. ‘Velvet Confessions' —he acted like I was naming a cheap lipstick brand.”
She snorted at that part. My eyes shooting her a look. "C'mon, that part is funny.”
“It's not.”
“It is a little...you know, like—”
“Cleo!”
“Okay, okay,” she rolled her lips, “Continue.”
I just rolled my eyes, pulling my arms away. “He mocked every title. Every concept. There were other staff there and he still did it. Like he wanted them to see, wanted me to see that saw. And after that he just dragged me out of the building like some dog and abandoned me there."
"Hmm, tragic. Real tragic really."
I turned to her, seeing she was already admiring a jewellery set close on the floor. “He remembered your size, Lina? These are all on point."
"Probably guessed.”
“Oof. So he remembers your body then."
“CLEO!”
"What," She cackled, collapsing back with a handful of silk panties. “Honestly, I think you should relax. He’s probably just testing you. Or he’s doing that dominant-asshole boss thing rich men do when they’re bored.”
Bored?
So he's bored and then takes it out on me?
“He could’ve done the project himself if he hates my ideas so much!” I argued, flinging the outfits close to me. “Why bring me in? Why pull strings and act like the world would end if I said no? He should've gotten someone else and taken his boredom out on. Not me!”
Cleo rose to face me, sighing. “For the money. For the office. For the job experience. Think about your future, girl.” She nudged. “Take the perks and breathe. Relax."
I sighed then, deep. "So what if he rejects an idea? We'll draft another one. Several, so he'll have choices."
"You're right, I guess." I grumbled, taking off the pins in my hair.
"I'm always right. But since I'm going to be spending the night assisting you... How about a little show for some stimulation?"
Stimulation?
She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, clearly insinuating I tried out the pieces she held up. "No." I said once, standing up.
"Oh God, Lina. Didn't we just say you'll relax?"
"Err, yeah? By showering, eating and resting my ass on my bed, Cleo. I'm not playing dress up."
"It'll only be for a minute, C'mon. C'mon."
None can do.
But still she followed me. Pulling me backwards as I tried to leave. Our voices rising and resounding down the hallway for sure.
First thing tomorrow morning, I'll be getting a noise compliant on my door for sure. My neighbours rolled like that.
Anyways, at the end. After showering and munching on the fried chicken Cleo came with, I played dress up.
Getting into those rejected ideas right after. That was the hard part though. Trying to think of something he couldn't possibly reject, even if I knew that was a long stretch. It was worth trying. At the end I had fresh sets of ideas ready for display and possible approval.
I headed to Oxygen the next morning. Cleo dropping me off since we left together, and by the time I reached my own office space. I was so ready to move onto the next thing for this project.
8:25am, I went to his private hallway. But what I got?
"—The boss is not on seat." Came the response from the security post guard.
The sentence was simple, direct, so I returned to my office. As at 10am, I went over again. But still, "The boss is not on seat."
I returned back to my office. Stayed extra three hours this time, and went back again. "The boss is not on seat."
"Not on seat how? Didn't he come to the office today?" I asked the security, getting fed up now.
"Boss never misses workday, miss." He said, "He is not on seat."
"Meaning he came and I'm the one coming at the wrong time to see him?" The security didn't respond after that. Just staring ahead, features solemn.
No doubt if I ever tried to run past, it wouldn't end well for me. He looked like he could easily pick me up and throw me down the elevator shaft with those arms of his.
Reluctantly, I went back. Did the same for the rest of the day but all got the same results. He wasn't in.
I'd thought it was just an absent day, but guess what? Same thing happened the very next day, and the day after that!
Roman was not on seat.
I wasn't meeting him, but somehow he was in the building! I talked to a few staffs and they mentioned seeing him. But not me. I didn't see him. No matter how much I tried, no matter how much pending approvals he had to make for me to begin my actual job! The same job he brought me here for!
"This bastard is doing this intentionally." I muttered, pacing in my office. "He's doing this intentionally to frustrate me. Make me go crazy! First he rejects my ideas, make me draft new ones and now won't check them out?"
Made me keep moving about like I was crazy. Searching for him. Wanting answers, and solutions to the problems he created by rejecting my initial ideas!
Somehow this all felt familiar. Strikingly familiar.
Me running around, panicking, searching, asking questions, asking people about him. Then getting nothing at the end of the day. It was just like I had done back then.
How I'd almost lost my mind sending him messages, calls, waiting at the bus station and even making the trip to his college and asking for him like some obsessive crazed girlfriend!
He was making me do it all over again. All over, and I couldn't describe just how disgusted that realization made me!
Absolutely disgusted! I called myself to order right then and there. Heading home!
No point searching for a person that didn't want to be found.
If a person starts acting crazy, you act crazy too! A person takes a step forward? You take 10 more steps ahead of that person!
No way was I running after a stupid bastard. I refuse to!
Reason why I made up my mind. Dared the skies and all the doors of Oxygen to keep me out as I headed there on a Saturday night!
It wasn't a workday for me, but they were open. He would be there. For sure he would, and I'll be right there also to eat him up! Him, and his stupid games!
The door of my cab slammed shut then. Driving off. The bold lights that spelt Oxygen reflecting down on me, the shiny black bodysuit underneath the coat I had on but that wasn't my focus.
The building was. The person in there.
"You think you're smart, Roman? I'm smart too. Crazy and smart!"
I'll show you.