It was the morning of the offsite, and as I arrived at the office, I could see the team already boarding the bus. I spent most of Sunday thinking about Nicola and what a great time we had together, not wanting to come to terms with another working week. Perhaps Nicola was right. I should look for another job and take my chances that Beth wouldn't bother trying to railroad my attempt to leave by discrediting me to a prospective employer. I thought again. Who was I kidding, given all the shit she had done to me? I was sure she would fuck me over without a moment's thought with those videos she had. Deep in thought, I bounced between these contrasting perspectives as I boarded the bus.
Beth was at the front of the bus and sat next to Grace, registering people as they got on. "There you are, Wimp. Glad you could make it. The offsite wouldn't have been nearly so much fun without you." Beth's sadistic teasing was already up and running, and I had just gotten on the bus. What have I let myself in for? I asked myself.
"Thank you, Miss Constance. I will try my best to meet any expectations you have of me," I replied, and as I started to walk away, she stopped me.
"You'll do better than that, Wimp. You will do every fucking thing I tell you to, and thank me for it. I still haven't forgiven your disloyal fucking arse yet."
Grace then added, "Damn fucking right!"
"Yes, Miss Constance," I said, feeling dejected, and walked through the bus, looking for a seat. There was only one double seat left on the bus, and I knew my luck was out when I saw who was sitting behind me, the Deneuve twins. Across the way, I could see Yuki and Seraphina, already deep in conversation. I hoped their presence would prevent Karine or Mireille from trying anything.
I smiled nervously at the twins as I went to sit down, hoping for a positive response. Instead, they stared at me coldly before Karine stuck her middle finger into my face. "This what you are looking for?" she sneered. I thought it best not to answer and sat down.
The bus got underway not 5 minutes later, and Beth stood up to address the team. "Ok, we will be on the bus for a little over two hours. This week has no work objectives, but I won't stop you from checking your email! Wimp will serve drinks and snacks throughout the journey and carry out whatever menial duties you need taken care of. Grace and I will be at the front if you have any questions."
Fucking great, I thought. Already I am going to be a travelling waiter for the next two hours and set off to find the refreshments. Yuki and Seraphina were sniggering at me after this putdown. Having located the drinks, I served the ladies from front to back with their order, and only Yuki saw fit to thank me. Ok, I thought just Karine and Mireille left, then I could get a little downtime.
"Hello again Karine and Mireille. Can I offer you a drink and snack?" I said in a somewhat meagre tone.
"2 fresh orange juices. You have 7 seconds before they need to be in my hands or else," replied Mireille.
I lost 2 seconds in shock trying to process the obvious 'or else' consequences before I jumped into action and ran up the bus to fetch the drinks. Spilling some orange juice on the floor in my haste, I returned with the drinks in approximately 10 seconds. Surely they will accept that I hoped. Unfortunately, hope and I were on different planets when it came to these bitchy twins.
"Late, Wimp! Now, you must pay the consequences! On the floor! You can be our footrest for the rest of the journey."
I looked round at Yuki and Seraphina, who were staring intently at the proceedings, waiting for my response. Fuck, I thought, if Yuki and Seraphina saw me do that, they would already start to think I was a pathetic idiot.
I laughed nervously and waited, not knowing what to do. Mireille, who was nearest me, then grabbed my neck and started choking me. "Something funny, Wimp?" she seethed.
"No, Mireille," I replied in a desperately soft tone, trying to gather breath.
"Then get on the fucking floor now!" she seethed.
"Surely you will not make the poor boy lie on the floor under your feet for the entire journey, Mireille?" Seraphina asked.
"Why not, Seraphina?" Mireille responded. "He has a massive thing for feet, so he will love it down there."
"Really?" said Seraphina, "That's fucking perverted."
Yuki giggled, trying to mask her laughter with her hand. She was still trying to protect my dignity but couldn't help but laugh at my circumstances with reciprocal embarrassment.
"I know, but trust me. He won't be enjoying this foot session."
With that, Mireille started to drag me onto the floor with the hold she had on my neck. Once close to the floor, she picked up her leg and kicked me in the chest to set me in position.
Following that, Karine and Mireille put their feet on top of my face, chest and legs and started to press their sneakers down hard, trampling me into the floor of the bus. I started whimpering with the pain when Yuki interjected. "The boy is crying. Can't you give him a break, Mireille?"
"He doesn't deserve a break, Yuki," Mireille responded.
"Please, Mireille. Have a little pity on him," Yuki pleaded.
"Only if you insist, Yuki, but I can tell you he doesn't deserve a reprieve," Mireille responded.
"Then I insist, please," Yuki said.
The twins lifted their sneakers, and I started to get up. Mireille then grabbed my neck again and whispered, "This isn't fucking over yet, Wimp!" before pushing me away. As I sat down, rubbing my sore neck, I looked over and thanked Yuki for saving my arse.
She just nodded quickly back at me and smiled. Seraphina looked disappointed that the boredom-breaking spectacle was over already.
Apart from several service runs and the odd order to fetch stuff out of bags like MP3 players or books for people and distribute magazines, the rest of the trip was pretty uneventful, to my great relief.
After just over two hours, we arrived, driving through the gates of a posh country estate. Wow, I thought. Beth has pulled out the stops for this offsite. This must have cost a fortune. After a further 10 minutes, we pulled up at the front. Beth then got up and addressed the team again.