Playing the Bosses

Oh, Forreal?

Eva was laying on her couch on FaceTime with her friend Naomi Laurent. They'd been growing closer over the past year or so and had reached the point of speaking on the phone at least weekly.

"I'm surprised you're calling me from your honeymoon, Mimi. Sebastien gave your kitty a break?" Eva teased.

"More like I gave him a break," Naomi replied. She turned the camera to Sebastien who was laying asleep on the bed.

"Ohhhh! Get it, Mrs. Laurent! He gon' start calling you NyQuil."

Naomi giggled and shook her head. "I wore one of the sets you put in that 'fun bag' you gave us for the wedding and he got a bit carried away."

"Wait. Which one? Was it the red piece?!"

"It was," Naomi nodded.

"Shit! I'd get carried away too! That was my favorite set I put in there. I was about to buy one for myself."

"You should!" Naomi agreed. "Anyway, how have you been since you got back to New York? Thanks again for coming out to the wedding and for all your help, girl. I really appreciate it."

"No need to to thank me. That's what friends do. And it's been... interesting. I've been helping Alexis out with some business stuff and just took on a big project. She's actually stopping by soon so we can talk about it."

"Oh nice! What are you doing for it?"

"It's a mix of administrative stuff and uh... research. A bit of competitive analysis. It's daunting right now, to be honest, but I have some ideas for ways to spice it up and have fun."

"Really? What did you have in mind—" Naomi was cut off when there was a loud knock at Eva's door.

"I know that SWAT team ass knock anywhere," Eva groaned. "That's Alexis. She's early... I'm sorry, Mimi."

"It's okay!" Naomi assured. "I'm about to take a nap myself anyway. I'll talk to you later, girl. Love you."

"Love you too," Eva replied before hanging up and going to open the door.

"Hey Alexis, you're early."

"Eva, you know I'm type-A. Am I not always early?"

"You right," Eva surrendered and turned to lead Alexis inside.

As she followed Eva into her apartment, Alexis' eyes went wide when she saw bouquets of roses on every surface. "Damn, Eva. I know you always have your fair share of suitors, but did all the men send the same flowers?"

"No," Eva groaned and rolled her eyes. "These are from Eric. I told his ass to leave me the hell alone, but as he did when we were dating, he ignored my requests. He's hell-bent on getting back together..."

"Wow. And don't you hate roses?"

"Yes! I told him that several times while we were dating. He never paid attention to shit I had to say."

"You'd think he would do better if he wanted you back so badly."

"That's what I've been saying!" Eva exclaimed. "Did you at least tell him to stop asking about me?"

"Why would I do that? I only see him once every couple of months anyway, so it's not like he's keeping tabs on your day-to-day."

"Yeah, you're right," Eva nodded. "I guess it's weird to me that we ended things awhile ago and he's still sending me flowers and cards and shit at least once a month."

"That is creepy," Alexis agreed as she relaxed on Eva's couch. "Just keep ignoring him and then maybe he'll finally move on when he realizes that you're not going back to him."

"Yeah, I hope so... Wine?" Eva offered.

"Do you have any sweet whites?"

"Of course I do. I keep a bottle chilled just for you."

"Oh, you're such a great little sister," Alexis teased.

"Mhmm," Eva hummed as she poured her sister a glass before joining her on the couch.

"So, how did your first week at PMC go?"

"Girl, that whole office is a mess! I swear the only reason they haven't been sued or exposed to the media is because of those ironclad fucking NDAs... And messiest of them all are the assistants. Do you know how much tea I've already gotten on like half of the execs? Nearly all of the married ones are cheating on their spouses! Hell, some of the men even have whole ass families that their wives know nothing about."

"Yikes!" Alexis cringed. "Do you think what you've seen already is enough to take them down?"

Eva shook her head. "Unfortunately, no... Hostile work environments are so common. They'd probably just bury it under other stories. And the personal life shit is juicy, but not really enough to take them down. We need to uncover some shit that'll piss off investors."

"Yeah, you're right. What other updates do you have? What are the three you work for like?"

"First off, Caleb is an asshole," Eva explained. "You can tell he's a spoiled rich boy who always got what he wanted. Plus, not only is he filthy fucking rich, he's also hot — which I hate to admit, but it's objectively true. I can promise that he has never experienced a consequence ever in his life, nor has he ever been denied what he wanted. But no one in the office cares because he is the play-maker and makes the company good money."

"Damn, he sounds like he was born to be a douche."

"Yup. And I'm stuck having to behave like a 'good assistant,'" Eva said mockingly. "What's fucked up is that by my third day, he was already throwing me curveballs and shit like he wanted me to fuck up. Like, he'd ask for his usual coffee, but when I return with it, he'd say he asked for something different and I know damn well that he didn't. He keeps playing these obnoxious games, but I got something for his ass in due time."

"You're probably right. And the other two?"

"Justin is very focused, it seems — business always comes first and after that comes his parents, and then his girlfriend. She's beautiful and a sweetheart, but something feels off about them. I can't really place my finger on it, though. It's probably rooted in him being a people-pleaser, which I've read right off the bat because he is constantly on edge about getting shit right and satisfying people."

"As for Adrian," Eva continued. "He's the coolest of the three and super courteous. He's like the polar opposite of Caleb. He greets me when he comes in and always has a warm smile on his face. He also calls me 'Ms. Eva' and not gonna lie, that shit kinda turns me on. There's also something about him that gives pleasure-seeker vibes, I bet he's a freak on the low. I'm surprised that I've never run into him at any sex clubs in the city. Then again, with traveling and all, I haven't been much into the scene."

"You gathered all of that in just a week?" Alexis gawked. "You've always been damn good at reading people to the point that it's scary... And I'm going to forget about that last part of what you just said."

"It's one of my many talents. But yeah, you're gonna owe me a lot of shit after I finish this mission you have me on, especially considering that I gotta deal with Caleb's rude ass."

"I thought you said you had something planned for him 'in due time?'" Alexis asked, raising a challenging brow.

"Yeah, yeah... But I still have to keep it tame, don't I? Like being on my best behavior or something?"

"You told me it seems like an anything goes culture," Alexis shrugged. "So if that's the case, then do you. I just need for you not to lose your job or get caught. And I trust you enough to know that you won't, especially since Thompson Luxe Group could possibly be on the line."

"Oh forreal?" Eva leaned in toward Alexis with an amused grin. "Then let the games begin."

+++

A/N: Thank you for reading!