Over the Moon

It’s Wednesday morning and I am heading into the office early. I have a meeting with Thrive Group to discuss the plans for a national project that we have been working on for the last six months. The project is to design and develop autism resource centers all over the US. To win the contract, we had to prove to Thrive that we were up to the task and understood their mission. I spent a month on the proposal, and we won because of my hard work.

It’s easier to be passionate about a project when you believe in it. I had spent a lot of time working with a local resource center, Autism Hub, to understand the needs of the clients, both children, and adults, across the spectrum. Autism Hub’s director, Sasha Dixon, and her husband Elijah were instrumental in my research, allowing me to see the purpose and need for centers like theirs. Sadly, their facility and lack of funding are very concerning.

I arrived at work just before six-thirty and was greeted by Lola who was waiting for me at my desk. ‘Girl! You look fabulous!” She scans my outfit. I am wearing a pencil skirt that hugs my hips and thighs, a white blouse, and red heels. My brown hair hangs down my back in huge waves and I topped it all off with red lipstick. You know, to match my shoes. Ever since I left Derek, I have been able to free myself from hiding underneath loose-fitting clothing. There is no one at home to make comments about my body anymore.

I love my body, it’s strong and sexy. I won’t let any man tell me what I can and cannot wear ever again.

“Why thank you,” I curtsy. Then we both burst out laughing.

“You better get running. Rory is in the conference room already. They need that presentation ready to go for seven o’clock.” Lola isn’t part of the project. Her role at Ledger Hayes is a little bit of everything. She is involved in everything and nothing at the same time. She was the first person I met when I was hired almost three years ago. I was stuck at a dead-end internship at Scout & Murphy and had no promise of making Junior. I still remember coming back to Chicago after my trip home for the race thinking it was time to move on. I wasn’t back more than twenty-four hours before I started applying to other firms. Only took a week or two for interviews to start. I must have done eight to ten in total. There were so many I am pretty sure I had interviews with companies I didn’t apply for. It was a little crazy but, in the end, I got six offers and chose Ledger Hayes.

“On it!” I dropped my purse into the bottom drawer of my desk and grabbed my laptop and the coffee Lola set on my desk before I got in. “Thanks for this.” I lift and motion to the cup.

“No problem, now go get ‘em, slugger!” She slaps my ass as I walk past her. I turn and see her giggle to herself as she struts toward Rory’s office to speak with his assistant, Clark.

I make my way to the conference room and find Rory Finnegan fiddling with the project folders I made up yesterday. Rory is one of the firm’s partners and has been with the company since the beginning, fifteen years ago. He is a tall man, with salt-and-pepper hair, and a slightly crooked smile. This is my first time working under his mentorship and I have to admit, he can be intimidating. The rumors about him purposely sinking contracts because something doesn’t go his way is always in the back of my mind and doesn’t help with my nerves.

“Hey, Rory. Happy with the folders?” He stops fiddling and looks up at me, that crooked smile crosses his face. “Good morning, Aubrey. Everything looks good. I hope this works.” He motions for me to set up my laptop for the presentation which takes me just a few moments.

Just before seven o’clock, the Thrive Group representatives arrive along with a few other Ledger Hayes team members. The presentation regarding the existing location renovations, our timeline, and the financial needs is well received, and I even get a congratulatory nod from Rory. Score!

“Aubrey, you have done an excellent job on this. We at Thrive are looking forward to getting underway and then exploring the expansion of new resource centers. We really need to get this right and with Ledger Hayes in our corner, I am sure we will,” says Kelly Sutton, the CEO of Thrive.

“Thank you, Ms. Sutton, we are confident that we will be able to meet the needs of your clients while still satisfying any concerns that you or your board of directors may have. With that said, there is a matter I would like to discuss with you and your team,” I say, trying to sound more confident than I feel.

“Certainly, Ms. Bishop. Perhaps it has something to do with these folders?” asks Lyle MacDonald, one of the board of directors’ members.

“Ever astute, Mr. MacDonald.” I wink and smile at him. Lyle is a tall man with a full head of gray hair, I assume in his early sixties, and is a flirt. A little flirty banter with a silver fox to brighten your day. He smiles back at me. I catch Rory’s eye and he looks a little irritated. I think he must be a little nervous about what I am about to propose.

“Before we get to the folders, I would like to tell you about Autism Hub. Is anyone here familiar?” I ask. Most of them shake their heads, the rest waiting for me to continue. “Autism Hub is a local autism resource center that is completely funded via fundraising. I have spent a lot of time at their facility, getting the know the staff and the clients. It was because of the time I spent there that I was able to bring a well-rounded perspective to this project. I know that you have merged with other agencies, and I would like to propose that you merge with Autism Hub and make it your flagship location. Since you choose to go with a Chicago firm and are planning on relocating your head offices here from Seattle, I think this is a solid business decision. Rather than developing a new facility from scratch, you can renovate and build upon what they have. Since their funding is limited, they are not able to provide what I know we are capable of doing for them. If you will indulge me, please review the folders in front of you and let me know if this is something you will consider.” I take a deep breath. Each board member picks up their folder as they start to file out of the conference room. Kelly and Lyle linger a few moments and meet me and Rory at the exit.

“Excellent job, Aubrey. I am pleasantly surprised by your proposal, and I believe there is something there. I will review this during the flight and will connect with you later today.” Kelly shakes my hand and turns to Rory. “Thank you, Rory.”

He responds with a nod and a handshake. “Have a safe flight back.” Kelly and Rory walk out of the conference room together.

It’s just Lyle and I left behind. I stretch out my arm for a handshake, and his warm hand envelops mine as he looks me directly in the eyes. “It has been a pleasure working with you, Mr. MacDonald,” I say, still keeping the flirting light. He takes our handshake and turns slightly so that now my fingers are in his hand. He brings the back of my hand to his lips, his eyes still on mine, and he presses his lips to my hand. They are warm and soft and make my insides flutter a bit.

“The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Bishop.” He lingers causing me to smirk.

“You better go before you miss your flight, Lyle.” He perks up when he hears his first name come from my lips. Damn it. This man is old enough to be my father. We leave the conference room and Lyle catches up to Kelly who is waiting with the other members at the elevators. Rory and I see them off and make our way to his office.

As we enter his office, I leave his office door open since he has an open-door policy, literally. Even when he is on serious business calls, his door is always open. He walks over to the bar cart and motions to the decanter. “Care for some gin?”

“It’s a little early for me, sir.” I lift my coffee. “Still working on this. I believe that went well. I was nervous about the proposal,” I say as I sit. Rory pours two fingers of gin and sits behind his desk.

“You did great. And the proposal is solid. Just be prepared for a late night or two hashing out any of the kinks since they are a few hours behind us.”

I sip on my coffee, thank goodness it’s still hot. “My evening calendar is clear. Thank you for your guidance on all of this.”

“You are welcome, Aubrey,” he says, sitting back in his chair and savoring his drink. It’s too early for alcohol, at least for me it is. “I’ll figure out a way you can make it up to me,” he says with a light chuckle.

I smile. “As long as it isn’t filing paperwork, you let me know. I better run. I have a ton of emails I need to get to, and I want to make sure I am available when Ms. Sutton reaches out.

“Sounds good. I have another meeting shortly as well.” I nod and leave his office.

A few hours later, Lola and I are back from our run, and I am just settling back at my desk. My work phone rings, and I pick it up on the third ring. “Ledger Hayes, Aubrey Bishop speaking,” I say automatically.

A young soft voice speaks, “Good afternoon, Aubrey. This is Mia from Thrive. Just looking to set up a conference call with you and Mr. Finnegan for this evening.” Ah yes, Kelly’s secretary.

“Certainly, Mia. The evening is open. What time are you looking for?” I hope this is a good sign.

“Ms. Sutton has meetings all day, so we are looking for around eight p.m. Central. Will that be too late?”

“Not too late at all. You send the invites and Mr. Finnegan, and I will be available at that time,” I say excitedly.

“Excellent, the invites will go out shortly. Have a good afternoon,” she says cheerfully.

“You as well, Mia,” I say and then I hang up the phone. I nervously wring my hands. The quick response on this makes me nervous that they are turning down my proposal. I want to give Sasha & Elijah the good news.

Well, all I can do is wait. I need a snack! I get up from my desk and head to the kitchenette. I open up the cupboards and look for the best cure for work anxiety, Oreos. I find them in the first cupboard I open, grab a few and head back to my desk. This should tie me over for a bit. When I get back to my desk Lola is there. “I heard you have a conference meeting with Thrive tonight. Let’s get dinner before you have to be back here.” Wasn’t my call with Mia only five minutes ago?

“Damn, word travels fast!”

“I told you, I know everything,” she says with sweet arrogance.

The day went by much quicker than expected and before I know it Lola and I have finished a late dinner and I am walking the two blocks from the restaurant back to the office alone. My mind is somewhere else when I accidentally bump into a tall man. “Oh goodness, I am so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention,” I stammer.

“Henry! Fancy running into you downtown.”

He chuckles. “Literally.” Funny guy. “You still happy with the apartment?” he asks as we start walking together.

“Yes, the place is amazing. I bought some houseplants. The place feels like home now,” I say.

“Happy to hear it. This is your building, isn’t it?” he asks just as we turn the corner where the Ledger Hayes offices are.

“It is! I am just going in for a late conference call.”

“Then I won’t keep you any longer, have a great evening.”

We smile our goodbyes and I head inside to meet up with Rory.

“In here, Aubrey!” Rory calls to me when I get off the elevator. I walk over to his office and enter. “I figured we would have the conference call in here. I have it all set up and ready to go.” He motions to the office phone that is playing annoyingly soft hold music. I hang up my coat by the door and drop my purse on the table next to his office love seat and make my way over to his desk where he is sitting, an almost empty glass of gin in hand. “I got a good feeling about this, Aubrey,” he says. Before I have a chance to respond there is a voice coming from the phone speaker, You are now entering the conference, and then a loud tone.

“Hello everyone.” I recognize Kelly’s voice.

“Hello, Ms. Sutton. You have Rory and Aubrey on the line,” Rory says to announce that we are there.

“Excellent, I am here in the office with Lyle and my secretary Mia is here as well. I know that it’s late there, and I don’t want to take up much of your evening. So, I am going to jump right to it. Aubrey, your proposal regarding Autism Hub was beyond impressive. You certainly did your work and on behalf of Thrive, I want to thank you for bringing this center to our attention. This is exactly the initiative we were looking for when we signed on with Ledger Hayes. You and Rory did not disappoint.”

“It was all Aubrey, Ms. Sutton,” Rory says as he pats my hand twice and then lets his hand linger over mine.

“The proposal has a certain flair to it, I see now that the flair is Aubrey. With that said, we want to make it official. Thrive wants to take Autism Hub under our wing and make it the flagship location. Of course, we will need to set up meetings with the director. We want to make sure they know they have a choice in the matter and that we are not looking to fire and hire new staff. We will have Mia start setting up some meetings, but we will wait until you both have a chance to talk to Autism Hub first. You let us know when we can get started,” Lyle says. I can feel my face start to flush with excitement.

“That is fantastic news. I will reach out to Sasha & Elijah first thing tomorrow morning. Thank you, thank you very much,” I say.

“No Aubrey, thank you. Let’s get you back to your evening. Again, thank you for meeting with us so late,” Kelly says.

“Good evening,” says Rory, and we all disconnect from the call.

I let out a deep breath and say, “I think I will have that gin now.” Rory laughs as he removes his hand from mine and walks over to his bar cart. I stand up, a little shaky, knowing that it’s just the nerves from the day. I flop down on the loveseat and close my eyes. When I open them again Rory is standing in front of me with my drink.

“Here, take this. It will help take the edge off.” I take the drink from his hand and sip. It burns going down, but I like it. Rory walks over and shuts his office door and then comes to sit next to me. When he sits down his right side is touching my left side, hip to knee. My knee is exposed as I am still in the same outfit as this morning. I get an anxious feeling in my gut, but I ignore it. It must be the gin.

I focus on the drink, the lack of color, the smell, and the way it tastes after the burning dissipates. I breathe in through my nose and out of my mouth, blowing the anxiety away. We did it. I did it! I started connecting the dots months ago, it just makes sense that Thrive merges with Autism Hub. I am so glad they thought so too. “You did a great job, Aubrey,” Rory says as his right hand, which was resting on his knee, has moved ever so slightly to brush mine.

“Thanks, Rory.” I’m not sure where this is going. Or perhaps I do. He quickly removes his hand, like he just realized where it was.

“Do you like older men?”

I almost spit my drink out.

Rory turns to me. “You seemed to enjoy Lyle staring at your breasts all through the presentation.” I am shocked at these words and the accusation. I stand up.

“Excuse me?” I can feel the flush back in my face, not sure if I am mad or embarrassed or really what to feel at this point. What I do know is that this conversation is not appropriate.

“Your tits, Aubrey.” He stands up and takes a step toward me. “He had his eyes on your body the entire time. I am sure he was wondering what you look like with your skirt around your ankles and your tits in his hands.” I take a step back. Is this really happening?

“Is that what Lyle was thinking? Or was it you, Rory?! What the fuck are you talking about?”

He empties his glass, sets it down on the table, and does something I should have been prepared for. He lunges at me, pushing my back up against the wall, his hot gin breath against my cheek. “Watching him watching you was the most erotic and irritating thing I have ever been through. Do you know how long I wanted to touch this body? Grab these hips?” One hand grabs my hip while his chest is pressed up against mine, holding me in place. Panic starts to bubble up inside me. He is stronger than I am. His head turns toward me. “To taste this dirty mouth of yours?” he says, as he slams his mouth against mine, his tongue forcing its way in like a slimy worm. The taste of gin makes bile rise from my stomach. My arms are pinned to my sides, his hands gripping just above my elbows. I’m completely trapped.

His mouth and tongue are still assaulting me as he loosens his grip and grabs one of my breasts. His body shifts and now I can feel his erection pressing against my stomach. I snap and bite his tongue hard enough to taste blood. He jumps back screaming as his hand goes to his mouth, blood dripping down his chin. I step forward and knee him in the balls and a right hook catches his chin as he goes down. “You bitch!” he cries from the floor. I grab my things and run out into the hall, almost knocking Clark over in the process.

I don’t stop to see if he is alright, I have to get out of here. I make it to the exit, swing open the heavy door and barrel down the stairs. Minutes later I am in the lobby of the office building and then out on the street that is bustling with patrons heading to local restaurants and bars. I bump into a few people, but I am too panicked to care. I turn to look behind me, walking backward trying to get space between me and the building. I don’t see Rory anywhere. I turn back around and walk to my place as quickly as I can.

I reach my building in record time. It isn’t until I shut the elevator panel doors that I truly take a breath. Then another, and another. As I unlock the door to my unit I look up and see one of the security cameras. I have never felt safer knowing they are there. I open the door, shut it, and lock both the doorknob and the deadbolt. I walk into my bathroom and look in the mirror. My right arm is red and purple from where he held me. The red lipstick that I reapplied after dinner is smudged all over my face. I can still smell the alcohol in my nose. I strip down and get in the shower. The water is scalding hot, but not as hot as the tears streaming down my face.

Thirty minutes later, feeling empty and numb, I get out of the shower and wrap myself in my bathrobe. I slowly walk to the kitchen, grab a bottle of water, and curl up on the couch. I am physically and mentally exhausted but there is a question that keeps spinning around my head. What the fuck do I do now? My boss assaulted me. He touched my body, violated me! He won’t get away with this. That son of a bitch will pay. I can feel my anger returning with a vengeance. Then something hit me. That fucker ... he shut the door. He. Shut. His. Door! This was planned. He knew what he was going to do. The bile makes a valiant return, I drop to my knees and throw up on my hardwood floors.

I take a deep breath, trying to steady myself. I need to get my shit together. I stand up and grab some cleaning supplies. Once the room is back in order, I sit back down with my bottle of water and sip it. Now is not the time to have a lot in my stomach.

What are my options? I can call the police. Will they believe me? Other than the bruise on my arm, I have no evidence. Jesus, I think I hurt him more than he hurt me. The fucker. I can go to HR. Yes, I should go to HR, and they will fire his ass. Wait, can they fire a partner? How does that work?

Oh no! What about the project? If I go to HR and make a complaint, there is a good chance that any of his projects will get farmed out to someone else. I can’t guarantee I will get to work on it. Shit! I worked my ass off for this project. It’s mine! What if I go to HR and they do nothing? Rory will tank the project just to spite me. I know it, I can feel it in my bones. I sit there between a rock and a hard place. Go with your gut, Aubrey. Tomorrow morning, I will file a complaint with HR.