Set up:
Back in July, we met Tonya who is being harassed by an ex-boyfriend over some sexy photos she made. Her company is already in the lay-off mode and those pictures might be the final straw for her super conservative boss. Her best friend, Lynne, is unaware of her dilemma and tries her hand at matchmaking Tonya with Will, a divorce lawyer.
Today's prompt is ribbon. See if you can find it.
Excerpt
She studied the photo while listening to her co-worker’s grating laughter. Technically, everything was covered, but she looked nude. This wasn’t good. Her boss would fire her for sure. One of the accountant’s calendar with an attractive model in a mini skirt hit the circular file because Phyllis in HR claimed it was sexual harassment.
The lack of laughter had her deleting the photo. A creeping sense of horror had her erasing her history. Richard, the IT manager, informed her he could recover anything up to forty-eight hours if she deleted it. Forty-eight hours. She gulped. Here's hoping Richard's children have full calendars that required both parents driving them to various practices.
Tonya twisted in her chair, crossing and uncrossing her legs. Be rational, think logically, she lectured herself as her rapid breathing slowed. Pushing up out of her chair, she walked to the file cabinet and ruffled the files as if she were looking for something. Action often calmed her, more the thinking ever did.
Michelle breezed into the room. The co-worker’s purse landed on her crowded desk. Michelle searched for an empty place to sit her oversized soda. Shrugging off her coat, it fell onto a brightly colored plastic chair. Michelle pivoted on her stiletto boot heels to greet Tonya.
“Hey girl. Sorry I’m late, but my youngest had…” Her voice drifted off.
Her co-worker’s excuses were endless regarding her lack of punctuality. Her children figured prominently in them. It was odd to stop in the middle of a sentence.
“Hello, trouble with the kids, “she pushed out the words hoping her voice sounded ordinary.
“Yeah, something like that.” Michelle responded, not elaborating like she normally would. “Tonya, you’re as a white as a sheet. I mean I know you’re white and all, but…”
Normally, she might find Michelle’s discomfort amusing, but not today. Especially, since she wasn’t hiding her stress as well as she thought. Oh, she knew Clint’s plan. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t explained it in those first letters. It was a long ribbon of circumstances he’d put into play that would result in tying her to him, a non-consensual bondage scenario. Ironic considering he left her.
The shock of his sudden departure wore off after a couple of months. Lynne’s tired advice about the best way to get over an old man was to get under a new one, worked until Clint decided he wanted her back. Her lips twisted to one side as she considered their conversation. At the time, she might have even been a little happy to hear from him since she’d recently gave Brian his walking papers. but then he started all that demanding stuff. He had rules about how things were going to be, as if he owned her or something. Her mistake was laughing at him. Oh hell, her real blunder was not killing him when she met him. Sure, other problems would have resulted. The thought flitted through her mind as light and small as an early spring butterfly leaving behind a fleeting instance of euphoria.
Back in July, we met Tonya who is being harassed by an ex-boyfriend over some sexy photos she made. Her company is already in the lay-off mode and those pictures might be the final straw for her super conservative boss. Her best friend, Lynne, is unaware of her dilemma and tries her hand at matchmaking Tonya with Will, a divorce lawyer.
Today's prompt is ribbon. See if you can find it.
Excerpt
She studied the photo while listening to her co-worker’s grating laughter. Technically, everything was covered, but she looked nude. This wasn’t good. Her boss would fire her for sure. One of the accountant’s calendar with an attractive model in a mini skirt hit the circular file because Phyllis in HR claimed it was sexual harassment.
The lack of laughter had her deleting the photo. A creeping sense of horror had her erasing her history. Richard, the IT manager, informed her he could recover anything up to forty-eight hours if she deleted it. Forty-eight hours. She gulped. Here's hoping Richard's children have full calendars that required both parents driving them to various practices.
Tonya twisted in her chair, crossing and uncrossing her legs. Be rational, think logically, she lectured herself as her rapid breathing slowed. Pushing up out of her chair, she walked to the file cabinet and ruffled the files as if she were looking for something. Action often calmed her, more the thinking ever did.
Michelle breezed into the room. The co-worker’s purse landed on her crowded desk. Michelle searched for an empty place to sit her oversized soda. Shrugging off her coat, it fell onto a brightly colored plastic chair. Michelle pivoted on her stiletto boot heels to greet Tonya.
“Hey girl. Sorry I’m late, but my youngest had…” Her voice drifted off.
Her co-worker’s excuses were endless regarding her lack of punctuality. Her children figured prominently in them. It was odd to stop in the middle of a sentence.
“Hello, trouble with the kids, “she pushed out the words hoping her voice sounded ordinary.
“Yeah, something like that.” Michelle responded, not elaborating like she normally would. “Tonya, you’re as a white as a sheet. I mean I know you’re white and all, but…”
Normally, she might find Michelle’s discomfort amusing, but not today. Especially, since she wasn’t hiding her stress as well as she thought. Oh, she knew Clint’s plan. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t explained it in those first letters. It was a long ribbon of circumstances he’d put into play that would result in tying her to him, a non-consensual bondage scenario. Ironic considering he left her.
The shock of his sudden departure wore off after a couple of months. Lynne’s tired advice about the best way to get over an old man was to get under a new one, worked until Clint decided he wanted her back. Her lips twisted to one side as she considered their conversation. At the time, she might have even been a little happy to hear from him since she’d recently gave Brian his walking papers. but then he started all that demanding stuff. He had rules about how things were going to be, as if he owned her or something. Her mistake was laughing at him. Oh hell, her real blunder was not killing him when she met him. Sure, other problems would have resulted. The thought flitted through her mind as light and small as an early spring butterfly leaving behind a fleeting instance of euphoria.
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