“Gather around, everyone, we have an announcement to make.”  Gabriel calls the room to order.  “I’d like to welcome everyone to theHydroAir wrap party.  Congratulations are in order to each and every one of you for working so diligently to complete the stringent demands of our company.  We are very pleased with the level of productivity and quality shown throughout the process.  With this deadline now passed, a new one approaches.  The first commercial flight ofHydroAir will begin taking passengers in less than five months.  Thanks to you, we are now fully prepared on the marketing front.  We would like to extend a special thanks to Ms.MelysaMakenzie for her design concept and execution.  Melysa has worked tirelessly since being presented with this task and has exhibited the utmost in professionalism.”  Applause echoes through the house.  “Dave, I think you have a few words to say?”

“Mr. Soileau, and the rest of the Soileau family,”  He starts, but with slurred, mumbling diction.  “It has been our privilege to present our work for you.  We’re all proud of what we’ve handed over to you and only hope we will be able to serve you for years to come.  I’d also like to thank Mr. Billie Tate for opening his home to us to enjoy tonight.  Everyone, give yourselves a round of applause for all of the hard work and long hours.  Make sure to grab a glass of champagne and a dance partner.  Let’s get this little party started.”  It’s quite possible Dave has already had one too many glasses of champagne.  This is a business wrap party, not a kegger.  The crowd disperses and continues with their individual conversations.

Gabriel walks straight back to me.  “May I have this dance?”

“No one else is dancing, Gabe.  We’ll look silly.”

“I just want an excuse to hold you close.  Seeing as how I own the company throwing this party, I’m willing to bet it’ll be okay for us to be the only ones dancing.  Besides, I bet everyone else is just waiting for someone to be the first.”  Tilting those dark eyebrows down at me, he drapes one of my arms over his shoulder and the other around his waist.  Skimming my left jaw line with his attentive fingers, he looks into my eyes with all the intensity in the world.

“Gabriel, people are staring.”  This could be embarrassing.

“Let them stare, Doll.  That’s kind of the point.  I’m yours.  I want them all to see.”  Is he kidding me right now?  I start to pull back and he strengthens his grip on me.  Brushing a few strands of hair behind my ear, he whispers.  “Melysa Makenzie, you are the most stunning woman in this room.  I can’t keep my eyes off you and I’m finding it really hard to keep my hands to myself.  Just dance with me, beautiful.  Okay?”

We are pretty much dancing already anyway, but I nod in agreement.  Being this close, breathing his cedar scent, feeling his heart beat, it’s all so soothing.  I quit thinking about the rest of the people here.  I quit thinking about the job I have and the job which has been offered to me.  I quit thinking about Seth and how the damage he inflicted on me is bound to rub off on this perfect Soileau family.  For this moment, it’s just the two of us.

Dave taps Gabriel’s shoulder and rips me from my perfect world.  “May I cut in?”  So much for that moment.  Gabe graciously bows out and allows Dave to step in.  Our dance stance is a little more formal.

“So, you banging the owner?”

“What?!”

He tightens his hold.  “Let me get this straight.  You actually win the contract over me when I’m obviously more qualified.  Acquire a car that isn’t even on the market and is bound to cost more than two years of your salary.  Now you’re dancing with him for all the room to see.  Hmmm.  If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck…”  His grip on me increasingly intensifies as do the black pupils of his eyes.  I’m pretty sure he’s going to leave bruises.  “That pussy must be some kind of good.  I think I’m just going to have to try it out for myself.”  The smell of whiskey on his breath is sickening and overpowering, but that isn’t what makes me feel nauseous.  One arm clutches me closer, crushingly.  His other hand drops down between us and begins groping at the material protecting my vagina.  Thank goodness I’m wearing the dress, otherwise, nothing would keep his hand from dipping between my legs.  “I’m gonna fuck that pussy ‘til it breaks.  Then you’re fired.  You hear me, cunt?”

“Dave, you’re obviously drunk.  Let me go!”

“I will do no such thing.  The least you can do, is admit to being a little money-grubbing whore.”

See, now this I’m more familiar with.  This is how men behave.  “I’ll admit to nothing, Dave.  If you know what’s best for you, you’ll let me go.”

“So, you take the money and the vacation and the rest of us are left to clean up after you once again while you’re away.  Is that how this goes?  I shouldn’t have even let you come back.”

“Let me come back?  Asshole, I put out more work in one week than half the people in your office combined.  And you clean up after me?  What the fuck?  You have no idea what happened to me.  You have no right to talk to me this way.”

Releasing the fabric of my dress, his hand moves quickly to slap me across the face.  From across the room, Gabriel sees the impact and the distress on my face.

“Take your hands off her.  Now!”  Whipping me around, he asks what Dave said to upset me.  Not wanting to start any drama, I just shrug my shoulders and tell him I should go.

“That’s right, run along, you greedy little whore.  I’ll see you on Monday and we can finish our discussion in private.  Maybe I’ll finally figure out what’s so special about that pussy while you’re riding my cock, bitch.”

 Wrong thing to say!  Right in the middle of everyone in attendance, Gabriel slugs him.  Within seconds, I’m surrounded by Soileau brothers.  Alex sweeps in and fists Dave’s collar.  “What’d he do, Gabe?”

“He disrespected Melysa.  He has two seconds to apologize or I’ll make him regret it.”

I pull on Gabe and beg him to let it go.  This can’t be good for business.  “He’s just drunk.  Leave it alone.  I’m sure I deserve what he said anyway.”  Fire rages in Gabe’s eyes.  His mouth curls like he wants to say something to me, but instead, he motions for Alex to drag the crumpled body out the back door.  Peering, nosey people are quickly amassing around the scene.  Their minds are on fire with everything from ‘I knew she was screwing him’, to ‘can you believe’, to ‘company…sue’.  I’m sure they’ll talk about this for the rest of the year.  I’ll never live it down.  Embarrassed would be an understatement.  Crawling into myself and disappearing is exactly what I feel like doing right now.  I stand stunned, watching Alex pull Dave through the back as Dave screams insults and slurs in my direction.  But Alex isn’t alone, he’s followed by the rest of the Soileau clan.  When I finally snap out of it, I follow them out back where I hear them all berating Dave for speaking to me in a less than respectful manner.  These men don’t even know me and they’re doing their best to make him feel two feet tall.  I wish they would’ve been around all the times I’d had random sharp objects shoved in my face by Seth.

“By the way, you dumb piece of shit, she works for us now.  Consider this her two hour notice.”  Joseph Soileau is turning in my two week notice in the form of a pummeling.  At least none of them heard what he wasn’t actually saying.  By the way they’re taking up for me from just the words that he spoke, leads me to believe he may not be left with a pulse if they could hear the things I am hearing from his mind.  “As of this moment, our contract with your company is terminated.  We do not do business with snakes like you.”

Leaving him slumped over in the back yard; they walk back toward the house.  Wayne pulls his phone from his pocket and tells the limo driver to be ready to pick us all up at the front entrance.  “Did you drive, Melysa?”  Still in shock, I can only nod my head at Wayne.  “Throw your keys to Alex.  He’ll drive your car back to Gabe’s house.  We’ll meet him there.  Is that okay?”  It’s not like my shaking ass is going to drive, so I agree and do as he asks.  Gabriel pulls my hand into his and walks me out the front door, accompanied by the rest of his family.  Alex runs down the circle drive to my car, hops in and takes off as the rest of us all pile into the limo.