Employee of the Year - Pt. 01

Whatever it was, I was still the one in the position of power, for the time being anyway, and I tried to cling to that as much as I could. "Excuse me," I said in a firm tone. "I don't think that's a very respectful way to speak to me, is it? Especially since you're here to shadow me and learn. If we know each other, I'd appreciate you enlightening me. I'm a busy man and meet a lot of people. I can't be expected to recall every single interaction." I grimaced while flicking my eyes over her unfavourably. "Especially with every little girl."

"I'm not just any little girl," she shot back immediately, before her eyes widened. "You really don't remember me?"

My heart quickened as I was put on the spot, and I wracked my brain trying to put a name to her face. But then, as I looked into her wide eyes through the clotted mascara: I noted the green tint. Along with the thick eyebrows and the wavy hair, and all presented in tandem with that thin, gangly body, my forehead tightened as a possibility unnerved me. "Maya?" I asked with hesitation. I sat up straight, and narrowed my eyes, barely able to believe what I was seeing. "Is that you, Maya?"

She almost seemed to blush and look a little shy herself, and instantly, at that moment as her hands met near her tummy: I recognised her completely.

My breath quickened slightly as my heart began to pound in my chest. "Mozzy Maya?"

Immediately, her face contorted. "So, you do remember me then?" She lightly brushed her nose, before glaring at me. "You know no one calls me that anymore."

I flinched, remembering how I used to tease her for having such a big nose, and how she always poked it where it didn't belong. Mozzy Maya I always called her, likening her presence to an irritating mosquito. Now, she had appeared to have grown into it and it was no longer so protruding, matching well with the rest of her soft facial features. "Oh, yeah, of course, but, errr, you're Piper's little sister, right?" I asked, scratching my ear and already feeling myself becoming flustered. I gulped nervously. Piper, the only girlfriend I'd ever had in my life, and the only girl that knew the truth about my sexual prowess, or lack of it, thereof. The only girl that knew the real truth about me. The dark truth that I tried to bury on a daily basis beneath my cocky bravado and cover up with rampant masculinity. The truth that would obliterate the reputation I'd carefully crafted for myself. My eyes dropped to Maya's booties again, almost as a measure of reassurance, before I looked up at her, adjusted my tie and smiled. "I can't believe you're little Maya."

She immediately straightened her back and made a show of lifting her heart-shaped head, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear; revealing a little dweebish pencil atop. There was the Maya I knew, always with that nose stuck in a book. "I'm not so little anymore."

Instantly, the way I'd been gawping over her feminine charms earlier felt broadly inappropriate. Even if she was a sexy and attractive girl, she was my freaking ex-girlfriend's little sister, the same girl I'd seen playing with barbie dolls prior to our dates. Piper had been a Middle Eastern beauty that I'd dated out of college, back when I was still trying to convince myself that there was a stud hidden away inside me. I'd always been a bit of a loudmouth when it came to guys, but ever since my childhood, I'd been intimidated and fearful of women and the way my body would respond to them. I'd always shy away from girls back then, seemingly terrified by the power they could easily hold over me and confused by my own sexuality. I'd known my particular sexual interests weren't normal for a while, and my shyness regarding a certain kink had left me as a sexual dud, despite what everyone else believed. As a result, I always went on the attack with any woman I found mildly attractive, continually goading them in order to draw attention. That was part of the reason why I always gave Disco Debs a hard time, because deep down inside, I wanted her to fight back.

Thankfully, Piper had been the one to ask me out, wanting to saddle up with local guy after her parents had emigrated over while she was still a toddler. On top of that, she'd made it clear that she was conservative and traditional, preferring to get to know each other before any 'funny business' as she'd put it. Also, she always wore boots to elevate her small stature, like her sister now apparently did, which made things a lot easier for me. Therefore, all pressure to perform sexually and as a normal guy had been lifted, and I'd been able to get to know a girl well for the first time. After a number of relaxed dates, where physical intimacy wasn't leaving me nerve-wracked, we had made things official. As our relationship had blossomed, I'd grown comfortable, and eventually, amidst true love, I'd disclosed my secrets and Piper had discovered the real me.

Now, while I stared at her sister in disbelief, I noted that Maya had grown into being a similarly exotic treat. It was such a disparity to the awkward teenager I'd recalled, with the unsightly braces and cheeks covered in acne. All of that had now been left in the past, as she stood here with immaculate skin and a smile that dazzled. Like her sister, she was somewhat lacking in the boobs department, but that just left her body looking modelesque svelte anyway. "Well, yes," I said after an uneasy quaff of my lukewarm coffee. "You've certainly grown up." It felt weird to be talking to a grown, attractive woman in place of the little tween that I remembered. But worse than that, I felt rattled as the barrier had been crossed between my personal life and my career persona. I'd built a certain image of myself as the confident and brash salesman, a duplicate that was a far cry from the actual guy I was underneath. A guy I was embarrassed about creeping out. For the first time in years, I felt threatened, because there was now a bridge between my two sides.

"It's been a while, huh?" she asked with a sureness that should have been mine. "One day you just stopped coming around." She took a step towards me and shrugged. "Piper said she broke things off, and that was that. Never saw you again."

My lips quivered slightly. "Did she...did she say why?"

Maya squinted beneath those thick eyebrows. "Why what?"

"Ummm." I looked away awkwardly. "Why she broke it off?" My back was sweating slightly, itchy with worry.

She shrugged. "Just said you weren't the one. You know how it is." She swung her handbag from her shoulder and eased it to the floor. "Anyway, how have you been?" Her eyes whizzed around my office, pausing momentarily as she checked out my trophies. "You seem to be doing well."

"I've been good," I said with a nod of my head. My eyes lingered down towards her booties again, and for a moment, my mind almost wandered to the dark place within me: Maya looked so much like her sister now, but, did they share other similarities too? Similarities that I would find rather hard to ignore.

Dante, I heard a voice whisper inside my head. This is Mozzy Maya. Cut the crap. I suddenly became flustered, and gawkily fiddled with my desk, almost knocking the mouse onto the floor. In my bluster, my eyes graced her booties with another look, and Maya, seeming to notice, too looked down.

"What is it?" she asked, while slightly lifting one foot. "Oh God, sorry, was I supposed to wipe them first?"

I tugged at my tie, but then clumsily waved at her. "No, it's fine." I then tapped the desk with my fingers, desperate to move things on. "I hope Piper is well too." I looked to my computer, scratching my head nervously. Unlike the previous occasions where I'd have to oversee the new starters, I now felt unsure how to proceed. Evidently, this would be different, considering I knew her on a personal level. I'd usually be abrupt and dismissive, but that was easy to do when I didn't know someone and could compartmentalise them outside of a private relation. I'd dated Piper for about three years, and got to know Maya a little bit during that time. However, her sister had broken up with me a good few years ago, and the parting had hardly been amicable; a lot of the blame laying with myself and my actions. Being in a relationship, and fully trusting and investing all of my emotions in one person had been a mistake, and having grown comfortable, I shared too many of my secrets with her. In some ways, I'd found myself too trusting of Piper and our relationship had progressed to a dynamic I had fantasised about since a young age, but actually living it had been a reality check. It had been a dynamic that tore at my masculinity and demolished any sense of self-pride. Gradually, as I had become addicted to my own sexual desires and needed more, I'd watched the love in Piper's eyes dwindle, till eventually, that love had turned to resentment. The end had abruptly arrived, and I'd not been close to a woman since, even if the rest of the office thought I was banging chicks on a weekly basis.

Maya must have gone through some kind of growth-spurt since I'd been booted from their lives, as I barely recognised her as that shy, awkward little girl that used to beg me to play video games with her. There were glimpses of Piper within her facial features, but whereas her sister was curvy and voluptuous around the hips, Maya was like a stick-figure. Obviously, I wished her no harm, for old time's sake, and for a moment, I actually wondered if I could nurture her as my own prodigy, just as Bruce had once did with me. Perhaps that could be the way I could make amends for forcing her sister to end things so harshly with me. I mean, I wasn't intent on bringing Maya up to my own level as I thrived on being Eleanor's pride, but I didn't hold the same disdain for her that I usually directed towards new starters. I mean, she'd been an annoyance to me, but she was young at the time. She was still young now, barely twenty as far as I could tell, yet, she'd matured, and no longer was there the same urge to bat her away like a persistent mosquito. I knew I should talk about work, but I couldn't resist the urge to check her opinion of me. To smooth things over, as it were. "Things just didn't work out with your sister," I said, feeling like I needed to explain. "It wasn't anything personal. We just grew apart."

"That's not what Piper said." She crossed her arms and looked somewhat assertive, despite her diminutive nature. "She said you could have been the one, but you made it impossible. She said you broke her heart." She shook her head with disapproval. "She said it was all your fault." I almost detected a slight smirk. "She said you were an asshole."

I felt my entire hairline shift and a shiver run down my back. What the hell had Piper been saying about me? Had she been bad-mouthing me to her family this whole time? I'd always got on quite well with her parents, despite thinking some of their cultural habits were bonkers, and though Maya was just a kid at the time, I'd been as nice to her as my own niece and nephews. I mean, I'd made it obvious I thought she was annoying, and lightly teased her, but like I said, that's how I treated my own family. Still, though part of me felt the need to defend myself, the last thing I wanted was her running back to her sister and the insults escalating. What if that led to Piper telling her the real reason we broke up? Being labelled an asshole was more favourable than the actual truth. "I didn't mean to be."

"Well, I kind of agree with her," she said with a shrug. "I mean, you didn't even say goodbye to me. That sucked." She suddenly pouted, and seemed to shrink in age as her pronounced cheeks ballooned. "I used to think you were cool"--she looked off to the side--"sometimes."

"Well, sorry about that," I said, not really realising the effect my abrupt disappearance must have had on her. Clearly, she was so young at the time, and dealt with things differently. But still, I didn't really owe her anything, did I? I'd been dating her sister, not her, and Piper and I were only in our early twenties anyway. It wasn't like we'd been engaged or married, or anything of the sort. Plus, Piper was the one that had got rid of me. "That wasn't my intention."

She lightly scratched at her wrist, before awkwardly clearing her throat. "Anyway, enough of the past. You're going to teach me some stuff, right?"

"Yes." I flattened my hands against the desk. I too cleared my throat, and tried to at least sound professional. "What kind of experience do you have?"

Maya squinted. "Dante, I'm eighteen. You know that. I don't have any experience. I finished with school a few months ago. I'm here on a month's probation because Eleanor knows my grandma, so, you know, it would be cool if you can help me out so that becomes permanent." She lightly toed the carpet with her boot, before batting her eyelashes at me, in a way that would have seemed absurd when we'd previously known each other. "Can you pull some strings or something? For old time's sake? Because, you know, I would really appreciate that." She looked up at me shyly. "I'll tell Piper you're not as bad a guy as she makes out."

Again, I felt like I was receiving unfair treatment with that added revelation. Apparently, Piper thought worse of me than I'd first realised. It seemed a bit of a cheek, considering she'd been a bit heartless in breaking things off when I was the one that had shared my vulnerability with her. I mean, I could admit I'd got a bit carried away, but I was just excited at being able to finally try things that I'd fantasised about so much. I'd allowed myself to act in ways that went against every natural instinct as a man, because I'd trusted her. From the way Maya was talking, it was like her sister had been painting me as the lone villain. As if I'd cheated on her or something, which couldn't be further from the truth. "Right," I said awkwardly. I'd been hoping she at least had been to college or something, but obviously she was even younger than I had remembered.

I looked towards the phone on my desk, and part of me just wanted to call Eleanor and tell her I couldn't do this. It just felt way too weird considering Maya and myself had history. There was a real concern that her mere presence was going to completely throw me off my game, raising doubts in myself that I had managed to keep out of the workplace. Did she know more about my break-up with Piper than she was letting on? I felt like I was in a perilous position, and that the bubble I'd surrounded myself with at work was at risk of popping. But, just as I was about to reach for the phone, I considered what excuse I'd actually come up with. Eleanor hated when personal lives got in the way of work productivity, and I could hardly tell her the truth about the emotional toil of my relationship with Piper. She'd probably burst out laughing and call me a wuss, such was her battle-hardened exterior when it came to things like that. She knew me as a confident, masculine behemoth that didn't let anything get in his way, and if the reality was unearthed, my image would be forever shattered in her eyes. I'd likely get sent back to the factory with my tail between my legs.

Therefore, my instinct was to try and maintain the status quo. The fallacy that I existed within the building, by treating Maya with the same indifference and tiredness that I usually treated everyone else with. That 'working as a team' was nothing but a thorn in my side. I was about to brush her off with my usual arrogant disdain that filled my work days, but she looked almost vulnerable and in need of rescuing while she peered over at me with a shyness, batting her eyelashes in some attempt to appeal to a sympathetic nature within me. I bit my lip and thought things over. I really didn't have the time to babysit Maya through the early stages of her career. I mean, I'd show her the ropes today, like I had to, but I just had this feeling that she was going to become very dependent on me. I still recalled the way she always wanted to hang out when I was visiting her sister, and constantly seemed like she wanted to impress me, even through my relentless teasing. As my eyes lingered on her, I felt a compulsion to redeem myself in some way, to prove to her that her sister was wrong in her assessment, and that I was actually a decent guy. It was annoying and went against my entire work belief, and how to treat my female colleagues, but already, I could see that Maya was going to be a problem for me.

"I'll see what I can do," I added, already feeling like I was going to regret helping her. "But first, we need to run you through the basics."

In a display of almost dorky, geekiness, that felt almost nostalgic while disregarding the bombshell she now clearly was, she took a notepad from her handbag, before fishing the pencil from behind her ear. "I'm eager to learn."

For the rest of the morning, I was sat at my desk with Maya closely at my side. She was rather attentive and listened carefully to everything I said, and occasionally would lean across me; the contact making me flinch. I'd be overcome with various sensations; about how wrong it was to find her attractive while at the same time feeling uncomfortable about being in such close proximity to my ex-girlfriend's little sister.

At moments, I'd feel a rush run through me, and I'd be overcome by troubling thoughts, temptations arising within me and compelling me to engage with her in the same way I'd interacted with her sister towards the end of our relationship. However, I quickly shook off such worrying urges, trying to keep things professional and focusing on the fact that the sooner she was up to speed, the sooner I could get back to my own work.

As I talked through certain procedures and explained some of the more technical terms, Maya noted down particular phrases with summarised points. I was quite impressed with her, and it seemed like she'd matured a lot from the hyperactive tween that constantly demanded attention. As we built a rapport, despite my best efforts, I felt like I actually wanted her to succeed, in a way that I'd never before directed towards any of the other trainees. Maybe it was because I kept noticing certain mannerisms that reminded me of her sister, and the relationship we'd once shared. Despite the way it had concluded, there had been moments where I felt like she may have been the one.

During my explanations to Maya, I cracked a few jokes to try and step away from the serious, professional nature of the exchanges, and I felt my temperature rising slightly whenever she giggled in response. It was just so cute and girlish. I'd find my breath quickening whenever I caught a whiff of her perfume or find my eyes drawing down her crossed legs to her bootie as it freely kicked whenever she got excited about something. However, whenever I felt my defensive attitude towards her waning, I'd recommit myself to putting up that barrier, trying to keep things professional and remembering how I'd become so successful in the first place: caring only about myself and getting the contracts signed.

"Thank you so much," she said, just as we were winding down for the lunch break. "I've learned so much already, and I'm excited to start properly."

"No worries," I said, and with that, I packed up my stuff and prepared to head out, intent on grabbing a sandwich at a local deli. However, as soon as I was out the door, I noticed that Maya was tailing me. "Umm, is there something else you wanted to know?" I asked, while pausing at the main entrance.

"What usually happens now?"

"Well, it's lunch, so you've got an hour to eat." I opened the door and was about to step through. "Have a nice--"

"Where do you usually eat?"

I tilted my head slightly and narrowed my eyes. I always ate alone at lunch, not wanting the distraction of my colleagues. Besides, on the few occasions that a couple of colleagues had come into my usual joint, I'd overheard them letting slip about potential clients and the like. I found that kind of behaviour to be amateur, and always kept my own leads close to my chest. I'd even capitalised on some of their loose-lips, so socialising and fraternising with my rivals wasn't something that I was really into.