The Office Mates

Author's Note:

To all my readers, thank you for your readership. Thank you for your patience in my long gaps. My chapters never go like I intend them to. My characters always stray off tangent and then it takes many more pages just to get them back to my intended ending. I'm sorry for the delays as it is the only way of keeping the story organic. When will the next installment be out? I don't know. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this installment.

The Office Mates Ch. 03

John slouched in his chair with his head propped on his left hand while mindlessly browsing the internet. A month had passed since John moved into Susan's house. Regarding the logistics of everything, nothing much had changed. His commute to work was about the same and there weren't any issues with Susan. There were added conveniences coming home and being able to unwind with her and eat dinner together, and they shared the duties without any fuss whatsoever. She never complained about the TV shows he watched other than making an observational comment here or there and even sometimes snuggling up to watch with him. The most notable thing she did that pleased him above everything else was she didn't mind him watching football on Sundays. As common as that was for all football fans and religion to some, it was something he was forced to give up when he got married. There was no doubt in his mind that that sacrifice was part of the reason why his marriage failed among other things.

"Hey. Why so pensive over there?" Eric said from his cubicle.

"Oh. Just thinking about stuff."

"Oh? Like what?"

"I don't know. Like moving. I'm all alone in a 3-bedroom home. I was thinking I could rent it out and make a little bit of side income."

"That sounds good, but where ya gonna live?"

"Anywhere. A studio or a one-bedroom apartment would be enough."

"Well, if you were selling, we could've just traded places."

"Really? You're ready to buy?"

"I've been ready to trade my rent payment for a mortgage payment. At least I can build some equity to my name."

"True," John said, "But there are a bunch of homeowner's costs to consider."

"Like what?"

"Your utility bills will be higher. A trash bill. HOA fees or a gardener's bill. What else? Oh, renovations. I'm sure you'll want to do some upgrades to the house, so you should factor those projects in as well."

"Hmm..."

"Yeah, I know. When you get hitched with the right lady, then it'll all seem worth it. Just be sure it is the right lady. Trust me."

As they were chatting, Megan walked into view and stopped between their cubicles. She was wearing black pinstriped slacks with a matching jacket and a simple white business shirt with the two top buttons undone. She looked professional as usual, but the black two-inch heels gave her that aura of sensuous femininity. Eric looked up at her smirking face and caught a whiff of her perfume that perked his attention.

"What are you two chin-wagging about?" she said.

"Nothing much. Just that Eric and I have noticed you don't wear skirts as much as you used to."

"That's true." Eric said, "We haven't seen your knees for quite a while now. We were wondering if you're covering up a bruise or a scrape or something like that."

"Oh. Well, I'm glad to hear that you are both so concerned about my well-being to speculate on my choice of attire."

"You know we are always concerned about you, boss. Do you think we want anything to disrupt this...this synergy?" John said swirling his clawed hand in a circle.

"I'm touched." She said, "Now, how much longer until the project is completed?"

"My part is done," John said.

"And I'm just about. I could send it over to you in a half an hour." Eric said.

"That's fine. I've got a meeting at eleven. I'll review it and let you know if I have any questions."

"Oh. So that's why you switched from skirts to slacks." Eric said.

"You know, a woman can appreciate other women regardless, right?"

Megan gave John a disgusted look and Eric and John laughed knowing who they were talking about. "I'll handle my wardrobe on my own, thank you. In the meantime, finalize the project and send it over ASAP. Thanks, guys." She said and walked off.

"You know, sometimes I think they made the right choice in promoting her over one of us," Eric said.

"Oh, you have your moments too, Eric. Don't discount yourself. In my opinion, they couldn't have made a bad choice."

The two of the went about their business and they traded emails back and forth with Megan about the project and made a few minor tweaks and adjustments per her request, which wasn't a problem at all. At noon, they both went out to lunch together and walked by the conference room, which was enclosed by a glass wall with a large 4-foot frosted strip around eye level for privacy. They could still see the room was occupied and Megan was standing and giving her presentation. Although they couldn't hear anything and she was nothing more than a ghostly image, her body language spoke with control and authority.

"Our girl is making us look good in there," Eric said.

"We made it easy for her to do so."

They were gone from the office for about an hour and when they returned, they notice the conference room was empty. John peeked in and saw it was also clean.

"Huh. Usually, there's still some food left after a lunch conference." John said.

"You're still hungry?"

"It depends on what might have been left over. They usually have a basket of cookies with some leftover."

"Oh well. You just saved some time on the treadmill." Eric said and began walking back to his cubicle and saw Megan walking towards them.

"So. How did it go?" Eric said.

Megan began nodding her head, "It went well. The data was solid, which made it easy for me to confidently present it to them. You guys both did an excellent job. So, thanks again for all you did."

"Anytime." John said, "So now what? How long is it going to take for them to make a decision?"

"Who knows?" she shrugged, "But don't worry. We did our part and the data is sound. As much as our model shows profitability, it's up to them if they want to allocate funds for it."

"Are there any cookies left from your lunch?" John said.

"It's in the break room," Megan said and John walked off.

"So. Busy tonight?" Eric said.

Megan slumped her shoulders and looked at Eric, "I don't know. I still don't feel right about it."

"What's not right? You're not guilty about the other night, are you?"

"I don't know. Maybe a little. We should tell John."

"It doesn't concern him, but if it'll make you feel better, that's fine by me." He said.

Meg sighed and then waved a dismissive hand, "I don't know. Let me think about it for a while. You're not feeling awkward about it, are you?"

"No." he said shaking his head, "I'm fine either way, but you're probably right. We should tell him as a courtesy."

"How do you think he'll take it?"

"Eh...he'll take it like a guy. He'll be mad at first. Beat himself up that he didn't do something more when he could. Then he'll feel sorry for missing an opportunity and then he'll be over it."

"And how long will this last?"

"I don't know...a day."

"A day? One day? He's going to go through all of those stages and be over it in a single day?"

"Okay, maybe two days," John said.

"Two days. Is that all we are worth to you?" Megan said.

"Don't get me wrong, Meg, and give John some credit. You know we were both attracted to you, but since you were already hooked up, we backed off. He didn't date you or even had the chance to date you so don't judge this like a couple breaking up." He said.

Megan didn't say anything but reluctantly accepted his reasons, "Besides," Eric said, "he's got someone else to keep his interest too."

Megan looked at Eric with a look of disgust and shook her head, "Just a day, huh?"

"Maybe two."

"Fine. We'll tell him at the pub after work. You'd better be right."

"Don't worry about that, boss. I'm sure of it."

"Enough to bet on it?"

"Oh?" John said with complete attention, "What do you have in mind?"

"One...no, five hundred bucks?"

"Five hundred? You sure?"

"Too much?"

"Deal," Eric said and offered his hand to her and she promptly shook it.

"Deal." She said and John returned holding a chocolate chip cookie in his hand.

"Deal? What's the deal?" John said.

"Nothing." Megan said, "You free after work? Drinks are on me."

"I'm free now."

"I thought you would be," Megan said walking away.

"So, what's the deal?" John said munching on his cookie.

"Nothing. Just another job well done."

John just shrugged his shoulders and took a bite of his cookie as they walked back to their cubicles. They finished the rest of the day without incident and at the end of the day, they both closed out their terminals. Megan stopped at the front of their cubicles wearing her black blazer and holding a small handbag waiting for them.

"All set, gents?"

"Absolutely," Eric said and rose from his seat taking his jacket and putting it on. John followed right behind and walked over to the elevator together.

"So. Did you hear any other feedback from upstairs? Were they impressed?" John said.

Megan winced, "They might be, but it doesn't matter. I'll tell you about it at the pub."

John and Eric looked at each other with piqued curiosity. They quickened their pace a bit, but couldn't get Megan to walk any faster than she was already going. As they got to the entrance, Eric pulled the door open and Megan and John walked in.

It was happy hour at the pub, but it was sparsely filled with TVs mounted playing various sports. They found a table away from the busier section and sat on their stools. A waiter came by quickly and took their drink orders.

"Chardonnay," Megan said.

"Moscow Mule," John said.

"Your IPA on tap," Eric said.

"Okay. Let's hear it." Eric said.

Megan started with a deep breath, "Since you guys did the number crunching, you know and I know, this is a profitable venture for the company. 20% profit margin on a conservative side? Honestly, how can they not be impressed?"

"You're preaching to the choir. Yes. We are in full agreement, so what's the 'but'?"

"But you guys know who my boss is, right? Becky." Megan said and John and Eric's head dropped almost in unison, "Yeah. So how do you think she'll take it?"

There was a long pause at first and then Eric spoke, "Maybe she..." he searched for the words, but couldn't convince himself of what he wanted to say.

"Okay. We know she's an idiot. I'm sure other people also know that she's an idiot. The presentation speaks for itself." John said.

"I can only hope they will see it like that." Megan said with a skeptical look on her face, "What worries me more is that this project was all mine. I didn't ask for her approval for this project and now she's probably thinking I'm trying to step over her."

"Were you?" Eric said.

"Well not intentionally, but anything we do makes it look like we're stepping over her," Megan said growing frustrated.

The waiter arrived and placed their drinks on the table letting some of the growing tension dissipate. John took a sip from the frosty copper mug and let the sparkling ginger beer mingled with vodka refresh and cool his mouth.

"We know you had only the best intentions of the company in this project, and we know you're a sharp little cookie, but did the project have anything to do with gunning for Becky's position?" John said.

"We're all looking to move up the corporate ladder all the time and if I do so because I'm qualified and deserve to be, then I have no regrets in doing so." She said.

"What about if one of us was Becky?" Eric said and took a drink from his pint glass.

"What about it? You two aren't dolts. What would you do if I presented to you what you two worked on for two weeks? Would you feel intimidated by it, or would you say let's move on it?"

John and Eric looked at each other and knew what she meant, "See?" Megan said, "You already know it's a no-brainer decision." She said and sipped her wine.

"Okay. You're right. 100%. Now what? If Becky axes it, what happens? Is there anything to worry about?" John said.

"For you two, no. For me?" Megan said with a sour expression, "At the very least, she'll be more wary of me, meaning she'll be more difficult to work with."

"And what about the flip side of that?" Eric said.

"Well, we'd all be busier and if I become the manager of the project, then they might branch us as a new division."

"A new division? You mean promotions?" John said.

"It's possible." She said.

"Now that's some sweet news!" Eric said and high-fived John.

"Don't get your hopes up yet. I only said it's possible. Nothing more. The chances of nothing happening is just as much as something. Probably more."

"Well, my dear, I like to look on the bright side of things," Eric said.

"I concur," John said and held up his mug. They all clinked their glasses, "I think it's fair for me to say this, but as you know, any one of us could've gotten promoted over each of us and as much as I think I would've done the same as you, we think you're doing a fantastic job as our boss."

"I second that," Eric said.

"Thanks, guys. It means a lot to me. Really."

"Think about it." Eric said, "Our division. Me with my unit and John with his and you at the top supervising. It would be like running our own little shop together."

"That would be so cool. Meg, as our boss, you got to be boss on this one, okay?"

"Yeah. The next time you see Martin, lean over his desk to give him some cleavage." Eric said.

"No. No. No. He's a leg man. Sit down in front of him and hike up your skirt to give him a little taste of your creamy thigh." John said.

Megan looked at them with disgust on her face. "Seriously? Is that how you guys think?"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but even Prince Charming's first thought at seeing Cinderella was wanting to bang her. The chivalry kicked in after the fact." John said.

"It's true," Eric said nodding.

"You're all pigs," Megan said.

"At your service, m 'lady," Eric said and John laughed.

They chatted for about an hour and ordered another round of drinks. As for co-ed co-workers, they all felt at ease speaking their minds and felt true comradery among them. With Megan being a woman, she was treated with kindness, but as a friend, she wasn't free from being the butt of their jokes. At times, she felt a sexual tension between them, but never felt threatened or did they ever put her in an awkward decision before.

"So, there's one more thing I need to say," Megan said. John looked interested, but Eric had no expression.

"What is it?" John said.

"Because we've all known and worked with each other for years now, I think it's only fair you know," Megan said. John said nothing but had a look of concern on his face. "Eric and I have been seeing each other."

"You and Eric?" He said surprised looking at them. "How long?"

"About a couple of weeks," Eric said.

"A couple of weeks. You two have been seeing each other for two weeks without telling me?"

"What's there to tell? Megan is only telling you because she felt you deserved to know."

"And you don't think I deserve to know?" John said.

"It's not about deserving to know, but more of nothing you need to be concerned about."

"Nothing I need to be concerned about? Why wouldn't I be concerned? My co-worker is dating my boss. How isn't that something to be concerned about?"

"Because it doesn't change anything. If I was dating another chick and Meg was dating some other guy, does that change anything? Well, this is the same thing." Eric said.

"Except you're the other guy and Meg is the chick."

"John. This doesn't change anything at work. I just wanted to tell you because I want to assure you that nothing will change just because we're dating." Megan said.

"Besides, you've been seeing that mystery girl anyway. You weren't in the game, to begin with." Eric said.

"And what if I wasn't?" John said.

"But you weren't, so it's kind of pointless to even talk about it now, right?" Eric said.

John looked at Eric and Meg and felt betrayed by the co-workers he trusted the most. He shook his head in anger and dropped off the stool and stormed off.

"John wait," Megan said, but John just trudged out of the pub. She sighed in disappointment.

"Don't worry," Eric said still completely without any emotion, "He'll be fine."

"After all that just happened? He'll be fine? One day? Seriously?"

"No. We agreed on two. It takes a little longer to get over the fine-looking ones."

"Pigs. All of you." She said.

"What girl doesn't like bacon, hmm?" he said.

John drove home stewing in anger knowing that Eric and Megan were dating. He remembered the time when he first met her. They were both new employees trying to make an impression. At the time, holding the job was a priority, but Megan was extremely easy on the eyes. As the days turned into weeks and then into months, not only was she sharp, but she was a joy to be around and if she had said she was available during that time back then, he would've asked her out.

A few months later, Eric was hired, and John worked right along his side doing the same tasks and all. They hit it off well together working always with the end goal in sight and as a team. The three of them began going to lunch together regularly always talking about work and always sharing the same direction as to where the company should move towards. They all had the same opinions on who were idiots and who were reliable, but it wasn't so much as they knew then it was that everybody at the company knew.

When the manager position became open, they all applied for it and they all hoped they would get it. They all knew they were fighting amongst themselves for the position, but they were friends and they said, "May the best person win."

Megan knew about a week before the official announcement was made and pulling John and Eric aside, she told them. It was only natural for John and Eric to be disappointed and even Megan felt a bit of guilt being in their way but was disappointed as they were, both were equally happy for her.

"At least it was one of us that got it." They said.

John parked his car and went into the house. Sue wasn't home yet as usual, and he turned the lights on and placed his keys in the blue crystal dish on the side table. He went to the bedroom where he stored his clothes and changed into a pair of gym shorts and a T-shirt and checked his phone. Sue sent him a text saying, "I'll be home the usual time, okay?" The usual time meant around 8 pm so he had plenty of time to have dinner ready and go for a ride.

In the kitchen, John pulled out a couple of filets of halibut and placed it on a long strip of aluminum foil. He placed a couple of pats of butter on top with a light sprinkle of salt and pepper and a couple of slices of lemon with some sprigs of dill. He covered and folded the foil tightly and placed it on a baking sheet next to another foil-wrapped bunch of green beans and placed it in the oven. He set the timer to be done around 8 and he was done.

John hopped onto his Peloton, which he brought from home along with a good portion of his clothes and other personal items. Susan had been utilizing it as well and it was such a popular item, they placed it in the corner of the living room so they could still enjoy each other's company. He set his ride for a 60-minute workout and began the warmup phase.

His mind drifted back to Megan and Eric again. He could feel the jealousy oozing through his veins as he gripped the handles tighter. Megan was fine. He knew it and most probably, everybody else thought the same. Being able to work with her directly gave him the excuse or the privilege to interact with her and get to know her and vice versa. He had a fast track to asking her out had only she were available. Her relationships were on again off again and it was too hard to tell in what state she was in, nor did he want to pry into her personal life by asking.