Christmas With the CEO

Let loose

** Trigger warning**

** Scenes of an attempted rape are in this chapter**

My world had imploded, all of the butterflies from the possibility of promotion had now turned to acidic slime causing my stomach to twist and turn as I reeled at the fact I was now unemployed. Francis abruptly got up without so much as muttering another word to us, while we all were frozen in time staring at the floor wondering what the hell we were going to do next.

"Okay, how about we just pause for a moment and go and get something to eat while we figure all of this out?" Said Christian, always the optimist...

"No offence Christian, but I don't really feel like eating right now." Said Rebecca, I turned to face her for the first time and she was as pale as a ghost. If I didn't know any better I'd bet she was about run to the bathroom to throw up. "Oh, sorry did I say food? I meant cocktails!" Yelled Christian as he pulled out a black card from his pocket. "It's on me!".

"Is that a company credit card?!" I asked him accusingly, "Why yes it is, I may or may not have hooked up with a guy from the accounts department who... In turn... Hooked me up!".

I burst into a fit of laughter as Christian tried to cover his own ass, "Well I guess if the company's going under anyway..." I managed to say through the giggles. Christian beamed at me, the other editors around me began to nod in agreement. As we walked to the elevator, my insides crumbled as I thought about having to ring my Dad to ask for help with the rent next month... My father had never been supportive of my journalist dreams, and was pretty much dead set against me moving away from our small town to the big city. I knew in the pit of my stomach he would for sure give me the biggest "I told you so." lecture I'd ever heard. As we went down to the ground floor I closed my eyes and thought about having to move back home, getting a job at the small local newspaper and living the "Small town life" all over again. It's times like this I missed my mom, I knew she would give me great advice and support if she were here right now. She would also probably tell me to go easy on Dad, I know he has my best interests at heart.

I would deal with the Dad drama tomorrow, right now I simply needed to drown my sorrows in a pitcher of martini.

By no surprise whatsoever, Christian took us to the fanciest cocktail place he could find on the upper east side. The whole place looked like something straight out of s*x and the city. It was filled to the brim with unhappy housewives bitching about their children and husbands, business men that were shmoozing their clients trying to close an important deal and now us... A bunch of unemployed journalists. We took a seat in the last remaining booth and the cocktails began to flow curtesy of Fredericks Publications.

The next few hours consisted of a variety of emotions from everybody, we laughed and cried and put the world right whilst consuming what should be an illegal amount of cocktails. Just as the evening was beginning to wind down, Christian decided that we all had to check out a club just around the corner. I really didn't feel like going but his excuse was that it was my birthday treat...

Once we arrived I instantly regretted it, it was jam packed full of 20somethings and younger which wasn't my scene at all. It may have been the hottest new club to open since god knows when but I just really didn't want to be there. After giving Christian a look he pulled me towards the bar, and ordered us some Tequila. After getting over the burn of that he proceeded to drag me to the dance floor where we started to dance. Christian was the definition of the term "Extra", leaving nothing from his drag routine out he soon became the centre of attention as he performed death drop after death drop. I watched on in a blurry haze, so proud of my friend for living his best life. I began to stumble aimlessly towards the bar, careful not to trip mid air on nothing. When I reached it, I saw I had to barge my way through a group of men in suits. "Excuse me, I'm sorry can I just pass through?" I tried to yell over the music but unfortunately it fell on deaf ears, leaving me with no choice but to try and squeeze through.

Just as I was about to reach the bar a pair of hands wrapped around my waist, "That was very rude of you, Princess." came a whispered voice in my ear that startled me, "Let go of me please." I said assertively back as i continued to try to push through to the bar. "Now that was even ruder." He said as he spun me around to face him, everything about this unfamiliar guy made me un easy. I tried to focus my eyes so that I could try to make a mental note of his face but the Tequila was winning this round. Without warning someone pushed me into him further "Woah, easy there- I better take you home." he said as he moved his hands up my body towards my arms where his grip grew tight. "No thank you I'm fine, now please let go of me." At this point I began to shout and tear my arms away from his grip, which would not relent. "Get off of me, GET OFF ME." I was now in panic mode as he began to drag me laughing towards the exit to the club. "Oh come on, you're practically begging for it! Stop being such a tease!"

"LET GO OF MEEE!" I screamed back at him, Just in time to see a fist collide with this jerks face knocking him clean to the floor. My eyes widened in shock, as I stared down at this pathetic excuse of a man, as he rolled around on the floor in shock clutching his jaw. I turned my face towards the man who had hit him and I couldn't believe my eyes, It was the same mystery guy I had bumped into earlier that day. This time his whole face was exposed, this man looked so familiar but I had no idea where I knew him from. He was flawless, like some sort of greek god...   

"We meet again." He said cockily to me as he raised an eyebrow at me playfully. I immediately started to sweat and yet again I couldn't seem to manage words, what was it about this guy?! 

"Do you want to get something to eat with me? You don't look so good." He commented while looking at me with his gorgeous furrowed eyebrows, this guy was really concerned for me huh? Despite what had just happened I felt like I could trust him, but then the reality of what could've happened to me set in. I started to shake uncontrollably, I think I'm in shock- I needed to sit down. As soon as I thought it, my body collapsed in probably the most unattractive heap this gorgeous man had ever seen. "s**t! Are you okay?" He said as he rushed to my side, "You... need... to call security, before... he leaves... he could... do it to... someone else." I managed to blurt out in between shaking.