Page 82 of 12 Days

Chapter 33

Alyssa

The electronic tone of Beethoven's Fifth pierces the sexual tension in the room. Kelly and the other assistants gathered their shed clothing and headed out the door. Twenty-four pairs of eyes shift to my trench coat still on the floor.

My phone. That would be Homer’s ring tone. I don’t want to answer that right now. I’m not sure I ever want to answer that. The ring fades out and I realize that I was holding my breath. Kelly and Nico are both looking at me when the familiar tone starts again.

I feel like I am trapped in their gaze. My hands flutter to cover my breasts and my still-dripping pussy. I feel vulnerable all of a sudden. The tone fades out again. I look around. No one is looking at my coat now; they are all looking at me.

The women finish gathering their clothes and are filing out of the room, dressing themselves, when the phone chimes to life for the third time. Kelly isn’t moving. She looks at Nico. I turn to look at him and he nods. When I turn back, Kelly is holding my coat out to me.

I look at it like it might be a venomous snake. I don’t reach for the ringing jacket. The phone is silent again. Kelly places the coat on the table in front of me. Less than a minute ago, she was sucking cum off my fingers in that very spot. I feel cold.

DUM DUM DUM DUM booms out from the pocket for the fourth time. I gulp. Nico is behind me and reaches over my shoulder. He pulls my phone from the pocket and puts in on the table behind me.

The phone quiets, and I climb down from the table. The other men have already done it except Nico.He is standing over my phone in all his naked glory. His cock is half-hard already. The others start slipping into their pants, but Nico just stands there looking at me.

The phone starts up again, vibrating and singing out the ring tone I am seriously regretting picking for Homer. ‘Homer FDA’ blinks on the screen. Nico looks down at it as everyone else continues to stare at me. I pick up my trench coat from the table and wrap it around myself. I can’t do this naked. I would rather not do this at all but naked and dripping in cum is a step too far.

The ringing stops again. The men around the room look at me quizzically. I can’t ignore it again. I don’t want to answer it in here, but I also don’t want them to know that I don’t want to answer it here. Nico sits down on the table. The phone is between us. Suddenly the phone is everything that could be between us. It rings again. He raises an eyebrow. I have to do this.

“Hello,” I say, picking it up.

“Where the hell have you been?” Homer shouts into my ear. I know that the guys closest to me can hear. Homer is so loud I can’t even turn the volume down. I close my eyes. I can’t watch.

“I have been calling and calling you. What is happening over at True Love, Alyssa?” Fuck, he is so loud. I open my eyes and see Nico. He looks confused and a little sad. I think we’re all trying to forget why I was really here. I am the enemy.

The FDA is only the latest in many attempts to shut them down. They have been after these guys for months. I don’t want to have this conversation here.

“Nothing is happening, Homer. I’ll–”

“What!” I didn’t think he could get louder but he manages. Nico jumps a little. “This is the ninth day you have been there, Alyssa. What the fuck are we paying you for? I thought you were good at this.”

I flinch. I am good at this. I have just let myself get distracted. Tate is beside me now, putting a hand on my shoulder. I look over at him, and he is concerned. He doesn’t like hearing Homer yelling at me. My stomach sinks into my feet. I feel even worse with his gentle support.

“I’ll get you a report soon,” I manage to say, shrugging Tate’s hand off my shoulder and looking down. I stare at my bare feet, wishing I was home in my own apartment. I can’t do this in front of them.

“Three days ago you told me you were hot on the trail of their fucking breakthrough formula. I gave you three days more than I would have given anyone else because someone is breathing down my boss’ neck to shut these pricks down. Get me that report tomorrow, Alyssa. Tomorrow or you are finished. I will cancel your pretty little contract and you can go find some scummy little research job. Maybe True Love will accept your resume. I hope they do because then, I would get to toss you out all over again when we shut their shit down.” I feel a tear fall down my cheek and splash onto my foot.

“Got it, Homer” I try to make my voice light. “Report tomorrow condemning True Love or my ass is grass. Pleasure talking to you.”

I hit the button and end the call. I miss flip phones. It would have been so much more satisfying to flip the phone shut. Or better yet, slam it back down. There are just some things smart phones aren’t as good at.

I stand there for what seems like hours, my head down, trying to control my breathing. The men wait. They are watching me.

All of a sudden, the sides are clear again. We did such a good job of forgetting. I forgot they were the big bad corporation out to crush the competition and dominate the world, starting with the perfume industry. They forgot I was the government flunky looking for chinks in their armor to tumble them from their capitalist pedestal.

I have to tell them. I have to tell them I found one. Their formula is completely new and unproven. The FDA could, if it wanted, wrap them up for months in additional testing and licensing. Not to mention the fact that the formula would have to be made public.

I finally look up. Nico’s face is blank. I know they are all struggling with this phone call crashing into the little world we have built. Now they aren’t sure if they should comfort me because Homer was mean to me or show me the door to protect themselves and their business. The room seems split about six to six, but the sides keep changing. No one seems to be able to make up their minds.

I look around at all of them and take a deep breath. A shiver runs up my spine. “You all heard?” They nod.

“We all knew why I was here. We pretended really well, especially after I tried your new signature scent. But we can’t pretend anymore.” My voice catches. I don’t want this.

“Three days ago, you gave me a full tour of the True Love facilities.”

They nod. Simon scowls. He remembers taking me on the tour. He showed me everything, and we had such a good time trying out the new scent with Sean and Tristan. I close my eyes again. I want to hold on to that, but I have to tell them everything.

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