Claimed By My Boss

If this night could be skipped, if I could avoid it altogether, I would be the happiest girl in the world. But I cannot hide from this. The dreaded work Christmas party. Pure pain. I'm sure a lot of work Christmas parties are actually fun, but having chosen to work in law, good God, I can only imagine how dull it's going to be. There's a total of one person in that firm who knows how to have fun, and she can't come tonight. Everyone else there has poles up their asses. Especially my boss, Elijah. Just the thought of seeing him has me rolling my eyes. "You really need to learn how to control that face of yours!" Laughs Amee. My best friend came over to help me get ready and, of course, to join in on the pre-gaming. Honestly, she was probably paid by my mother to come here and make sure I go to this soirée! 'You need more friends, Lovey' or 'You don't want to leave a bad impression on your boss', is what she's been singing to me all week. Firstly, I don't need more friends, especially not the people I work with and secondly... f**k my boss! "You love my face," I stick my tongue out. "I seriously wish you could come with me. Then I would have fun. What good is an open bar when you're alone and surrounded by old farts and wet blankets?" "An open bar is an open bar, make your own fun, Grace. I'll be there with you in spirit. And not to play Devil's advocate, but your Mom is right. It's your first year with this firm, and you don't want to look like you don't care about your colleagues." "I don't." I retort. "Let me rephrase, you don't want your colleagues to know that you don't care about them." Amee raises her brows, daring me to argue the point. But she is right. Working at this firm isn't something that came easily to me. I had to fight tooth and nail to secure my position as legal secretary. There were over sixty people interviewed, and every round of interviews was as miserable as the people holding them. But I put on my business-polite face (I've become a pro), and I dazzled them all with my charm and my undeniable knowledge. I've been known to brag about being the best in my business. Because I am. "Fine!" I sigh exaggeratedly. "Do I at least look hot?" "You know you do." Amee winks at me in the mirror as she fixes the straps on my dress. I chose a red dress for the occasion, hoping it would give off the impression of festive joy. It's not that I don't like Christmas, I just think it's overrated. Growing up as an only child, all the attention was on me. I mean, it was great not having to compete with someone else for gifts or attention, but I grew tired of always having to prove how happy I was, how grateful. I was and still am the centre of my parents' world and even though I love them more than anyone, it's a lot of pressure. I check myself over one more time in the mirror. I know I look good, I'm just stalling. The dress I chose is short with spagetti straps, an open back that goes almost too low, and that's not helped by the fact that the neckline is basically non-existent, drooping between my breasts and showing off the girls in the best way. May as well give the old farts something to talk about. There's a soft knock at the door and my mom pops her head in. "Oohh, look at you!" She tries to hide her grimace with a smile. "So... red and Christmasy!" "Thanks, mom." I smile widely, letting her know not to comment further. I really need to get my own place, I think to myself once again. "So..." she twirls her thumbs like a nervous child about to ask for something. "Are you excited, nervous? I'm sure it will be a great night. You must work with some amazing people. And your boss, be sure to wish him a Merry Christmas. There was a time..." "Mom." I cut her off. "I don't even want to go. I'm not going to be wishing my boss a Merry Christmas. The man hasn't said more than ten sentences to me since I started. He's weird." "Grace! Don't say such things. I'm sure he's a great man. Don't be so quick to judge." "Quick? I've been his secretary for 10 months." I laugh. "He has a very large pole up his ass..." "Grace!" Amee and I stifle a laugh. My poor mom is so polite and so proper. Lord knows how she ended up with a daughter like me. "Sorry, mom. I'll do my best to be polite, okay." I hug her gently. "I better get going. There's fashionably late and then there's late. And we all know I love to be fashionable." I slip into my too high high-heels, grab my purse and kiss my mom before leaving my room and the house. I step outside and squeal. It's snowing. Of course it is. "Want to grab a jacket?" Asks Amee as she rustles for her car keys. "Nah, I'll be inside all night and will just have to carry it." I shiver. "Hurry up with those keys!" She finally unlocks the car and we dive inside. Looking in the mirror, I shake the snowflakes from my hair and check my make up is still in place. I put my long, brown hair into an up-do to keep it off my neck, and went with simple enough make-up, only choosing red lipstick to match my dress. The city isn't far from my house, but there's traffic because of the snow, and Amee is driving extra carefully after having a wine with me. God, I should have had another before I left. "Your Mom seemed very keen on you making a good impression on your boss tonight." Amee remarks. "And did you see her eyes pop when she saw your dress!" "Oh my God!" I laugh. "You know her, she thinks everyone else exists just for us to impress them, to appease them. I must have been modeled as the complete opposite to her." I giggle. "She'll probably be praying to the heavens all night that my ass doesn't fall out!" "So, is there truly no hotties there?" "No!" I wince. "Not unless assholes are your type. In that case, I guess some women might say that Elijah is decent looking." "Wait! What? You had me thinking he was some old fart headed for the grave. That's a small detail you conveniently happened to leave out during all these months of complaining about him!" Amee is shocked. "He's not worth mentioning. His personality cancels out any handsome feature." "Whatever you say. Maybe, just maybe, he's mean because he's keen!" "Absolutely not, because if that were the case, then he's keen on every single person he crosses paths with." I explain, directing Amee where to park. "Oh." "Yeah, just a straight-up drag! Anyway, wish me luck, and thanks for the ride, Love." "Good luck. Have a drink for me, and keep that ass where it belongs!" She shouts out the door after me. I lift my dress and flash her before closing the passenger door. We both laugh and she beeps her horn as I reach the entrance of the hotel. I'm already wishing I didn't wear these heels. Drink will solve that problem, and luckily for me, drink is going to be my one and only companion tonight. An usher posted near the reception asks if I'm here for the Kline & Co party then shows me to the function room. I can hear the old farts from outside the door and a sense of utter dread washes over me. Before I am ready, the usher opens the door to the hall and I have to quickly gather myself. A gigantic Christmas tree sits in the centre of the room, the star on the top almost touching the glass ceiling two stories above. I have to admit that it's pretty. I notice the bar next and make my way over there while scanning the large room. Most of the people are unfamiliar to me, clearly from other divisions or branches. Those are the people that seem to gawk at me the most. But I soak up that attention, giving them all my best smiles and finger waves. "Large glass of red, please." I ask the bartender, relieved to be getting another drink. I take a large sip from the glass then turn to ogle the crowd some more. My eyes are drawn upwards to the rail of the second floor that circles above. There stands Elijah. Some ladies are talking to him, flicking their hair and batting their eyelids. But he's not listening, he's not even looking at them. With his knuckles whitening around his glass of whiskey, he is staring directly at...me! And he looks more pissed off than usual. s**t!