Joanna stopped by my desk on a Friday afternoon, three weeks after the cabin weekend.
"Rachel, I want you to meet me at the club after work so we can have a drink and talk. Itās important. Can you be there by six?"
She just stood there, staring at me.
"Ok," I said.
The "club" was just what we called the closest bar to our office building. Joanna and I sat at a small table and ordered drinks. When they arrived and weād had a few sips, she said "Rachel, I felt bad about something that happened when we were at my cabin."
I felt a flash of anger. I had mixed feelings about what had happened. Some of it had been fun and intensely erotic, but later I had regretted allowing myself to be pushed around and used like a rag. I hadnāt spoken to Joanna since.
"You should feel bad about a lot of things that happened at your cabin," I snapped.
"I donāt feel bad about what happened. I feel bad because I lied to you. I want you to know that I wonāt ever lie to you again."
"Why donāt you just never speak to me again? That would solve the problem."
"The truth is, I disconnected the wires to the cameras while you were sleeping, and hid the video recorder and the tape before you got up."
"Youāre lying!"
"Rachel, calm down. Think! Thereās a lot at stake, for you. Donāt do anything foolish. If you get up and walk out of here now, Iāll come in early one day next week and leave copies of that tape laying all over the office."
"There is no tape, Joanna!"
"Do you want to see it?"
I just stared at her.
"Come on, letās go watch it right now. My apartment is only 10 minutes from here."
"Iām not going to your apartment with you."
"Rachel, youāre not thinking. You have to know, donāt you? Your career depends on whether I have the tape or not. Itās a simple matter to find out, and thereās only one way youāre going to know. Donāt challenge me on this, Rachel. Donāt make me do something I donāt want to do. Now finish your drink."
This is a nightmare, I thought. Here she was, ordering me around again, in that same tone of voice sheād used at the cabin. As if were a little girl.
I did finish my drink and then leave the club with her, though, because she was right--I had to find out whether she had the damn tape or not. Maybe she hadnāt copied it yet. I didnāt know what to think.
We drove to her apartment in her car, went in and took the elevator to her floor. As soon as we were inside her apartment, she locked the door and turned around. Then she stepped toward me and slapped my face so hard that I was knocked to my knees.
Stunned, I held my hand to my stinging cheek and just looked up at her.
"Donāt you ever talk to me like that again!"
I burst into tears.
I canāt put into words everything I went through in just the first few seconds, in Joannaās apartment. The sound of the door being shut and locked sent a shudder through me. I suddenly realized I was trapped. I was alone with Joanna again, as alone as we had been at the cabin, for all practical purposes. At once, I felt helpless. If there was going to be any clash of wills, I had no chance.