CONTRACTUAL

"Tiffany," her boss's voice boomed across the room, causing her to jump in her seat. He was a large man with a commanding presence, and she couldn't help but feel small in his presence. He leaned over her desk, his hands flat against the wood as he spoke. "You are following me to the Lagos State medical summit tonight." Tiffany bristled at his tone. He wasn't asking for her opinion, he was demanding that she attend. She hated the way he perched himself above her, his eyes roving across her chest in a way that made her skin crawl. "Sir, I'll be really busy tonight," she began, but he held up his palm, cutting her off. "The gala begins at 7:00 pm, I'd come by your place to pick you up, don't keep me waiting." He said, turning on his heel and striding away. Tiffany glared after him, her fists clenching in frustration. She hated her job, hated the way her boss treated her like a disobedient child. With a heavy sigh, she checked her watch and frowned. It was already 4:30 pm - she had just enough time to rush home and change before the convention. Blaming her friend Stephanie for making her stay at the office so late, she hastily gathered her belongings and headed toward the exit. As she walked down the dreary halls of the hospital, a sick feeling churned in her stomach. She longed to stand up for herself, to tell her boss that she wouldn't be treated like a servant anymore. But every time she tried, her voice seemed to fail her. She was trapped, helpless, at the mercy of a man who had no qualms about using his power to bully her. She exchanged brief pleasantries with some colleagues along the way, her mind preoccupied with the thoughts of her bossy boss. Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice calling out to her. "Tiff wait up, are you leaving without me?" Stephanie's voice carried a hint of desperation as if she were afraid of being left behind. Tiffany turned around, her eyes rolling at the sight of her friend struggling with her bags and files. Stephanie was always one gust of wind away from being a disheveled mess, and today was no exception. Tiffany retraced her steps, hoping to lend a helping hand. "What's the matter, you were leaving the office without me?" Stephanie asked, sounding slightly out of breath. Tiffany took some of the files that Stephanie held, neatly tucking them into her oversized handbag. "Sorry," she muttered. "Mr. James has been giving me a lot of trouble recently." Stephanie's expression turned to one of surprise. "That guy is sick! So he is still on your case?" Tiffany sighed in irritation. "I just told you he has been giving me issues of late and you are asking me if he is still on my case." Before Stephanie could respond, Tiffany began walking away, her colleague following closely behind, eager to hear the details of her boss's shenanigans. Tiffany and Stephanie stepped off the sidewalk, the din of traffic filling the air. "Okay, I'm sorry. What I meant was, what issues has he been giving you?" Stephanie sounded genuinely concerned. Tiffany squeezed her face in mock disgust. "Why do you love gossiping this much?" she teased. Stephanie shot her a threatening look, and they both waved at an oncoming taxi. But the vehicle zoomed past them like they hadn't signaled for it at all. Stephanie shrugged and then turned to Tiffany. "Tiff, tell me about it. What has he been doing?" "Look, don't pester me with all these childish questions. He said I should follow him to a medical gala tonight." She said without looking at Stephanie whilst flagging another taxi down, this time the taxi slowly came to a halt in front of them and they got in. Stephanie gasped. "Oh, my God! But the dude has a wife. Why can't he go with her?" "You seriously expect me to answer that?" Tiffany replied with a raised eyebrow. "Come on, stop being sarcastic. This is serious. If he insists on taking you to the gala in his car, then the both of you will be alone for longer than you may want. What if he tries something?" Tiffany frowned a little, making her steel look much more serious. "He wouldn't try anything," she insisted. Stephanie shook her head. "And how do you know this? The guy ogles your body every single opportunity he gets. What would stop him from having his way forcefully with you?" Tiffany's eyes flashed with determination as she spoke. "If he does, I'd give him his last dance. I will run him to the ground and make sure he begs on the streets of Lagos." Stephanie let out a throaty laugh, and a smile played on Tiffany's face. She knew what was going on in her friend's mind. If she had the resources or connections to make a man as rich as her boss beg on the streets, then she probably wouldn't be going back to a job where she got constantly harassed because she had a body her boss considered sexy. "Look, Steph, I'm not a fool. If he tries to r**e me, all I need to do is get one scar on his body, and as a matter of fact, my phone is going to be on voice recorder the whole time." The seriousness in her voice made her friend chuckle. "So you are going to take the evidence to court and sue him for r**e to pay 5 million in damages, and that would ruin him? 5 million?" Stephanie's laughter grew loud. "50," Tiffany answered back curtly, drawing more laughter from her friend. "50 million for r**e? How much would he pay if he murders you?" A smirk danced on Stephanie's lips as she asked sarcastically, and they both laughed. "But on a more serious note, what are you going to do?" Stephanie asked a worried expression covered her face. "I'm going to go to the party with him, but if he tries anything stupid, then you'll hear about it later. I'm going to do everything I told you down to the letter." Tiffany's voice was firm, and her eyes glinted with determination. Stephanie threw her head back and laughed uncontrollably. Her friend was a no-nonsense lady whose brazenness had been unmatched until their boss started taking a liking to her. Tiffany was brave, but she was also cash-strapped, and that was the leverage he had on her. "So if anything goes wrong tonight, then I won't see you at work on Monday. Whoosh! That will be something." Stephanie joked, and Tiffany smiled weakly, knowing deep down, it could become her reality. If her boss tried anything silly with her, it could end up with her being jobless by Monday. Tiffany couldn't let that happen, so she prepared to face her fears head-on and put a stop to her boss's advances once and for all.