Employee of the Year - Pt. 01

Eleanor would occasionally bring Maya up in conversation, noting how impressed she was, and annoyingly, comparing her to her younger self. She gloated about how determined to succeed her newest fledgling was, and was pleased that Maya accepted that she had to work twice as hard as anyone else to make a name for herself.

From the few times Maya and I did speak, as uncomfortable as they were, I also got the impression that she felt like she had everything against her, almost with some kind of feminist-leaning, chip on the shoulder martyrdom complex. I'd often overhear her complaining that people didn't take her seriously because she was young, a woman and because she was attractive. She was plainly ignorant, as those were the only attributes that got her noticed in the first place.

As the days turned into weeks, Maya began to feel more and more at home in her new career. She made friends with Deborah in particular, and she had even been given her first client to solo on. When her review was up, I was unsurprised to stumble upon a little party with a cake at the centre; all of the office celebrating Maya having been given a permanent contract. Eleanor seemed particularly over the moon, while I gave a half-hearted clap. Part of me was resentful that I would have to put up with the lingering discomfort, knowing that I had to work with someone involved in my personal life.

Whenever I crossed paths with her throughout the subsequent weeks, I'd catch a sparkle in her eye as she seemed to delight in my discomfort. With everyone else I was my usually, cocksure self, but with Maya, I'd immediately drop quiet. The others soon noticed, and she seemed to flout this power she had. I'd flinch whenever her lips quivered, convinced she was about to tell of a secret that her sister had shared, a secret that would turn the tables completely in her favour.

Over the next few months, Maya became a constant bane in my existence. She was just so damn irritating, the same way she'd always been when I was dating her sister. Even though I made it obvious I wanted nothing to do with her, Maya began to amble up to my desk on a regular basis, apparently to 'pick my brain'. She asked me stupid questions regarding sales pitches, and I told her whatever she wanted to know, just so I could get rid of her.

Even though she had grown into an extremely attractive girl, sharing some of the same exotic features that had attracted me to her sister, I couldn't get past the fact that she was still the irritating brat I'd always known. Despite being easy on the eye, I wanted nothing to do with her, feeling like my reputation and image within the company was threatened whenever I had to interact with her. I just wasn't able to be my usual, cocky self around her, and I'd find my confidence abandoned me whenever I got into an argument with her about some stupid shit that she couldn't let drop. I couldn't simply deal her a killer blow, because she knew what I was like before I started at this company. She knew the way I used to pine after her sister, and more worryingly, she may even have known the way that I acted with her behind closed doors. Now a grown woman, she was annoying me in an entirely different way, threatening my career progress with her own, ever-improving performance.

On a few occasions, we even went up against each other for a pitch, with of course, myself winning out each time. Eleanor insisted she only wanted Maya there as a reserve, to get some confidence in her pitching, and to learn from my experience. However, I could tell by Maya's penetrating stare from across the meeting rooms, that she actually thought she was capable of snatching a client from me.

"What's this about an annual bonus?" Maya randomly asked me one day. She'd strode right up to my desk, not even bothering to knock, her gaunt tummy revealed in a totally unsuitable shirt. The question had been bluntly sprung at me without even bothering with any of the usual pleasantries.

"Good morning to you too," I said in a slightly annoyed manner. It was just another reminder of how much of an irritation she'd been during my relationship with her sister. Whenever I'd wanted some alone time with Piper, Maya always had to barge in the room and try to be the centre of attention. To my dismay, Piper always seemed reluctant to send her sister away, and I'd be left watching some crappy teen series while the two of them gossiped and messed around, boring me to death with talk of family that lived thousands of miles away. It seemed like she was completely ignorant to the fact that she wasn't welcome, and that appeared to be the case even more so now. My body language was plainly defensive, and I was uncomfortable whenever she was nearby, worried about the opinions of my colleagues as they witnessed my dwindling spine in her presence.

Maya was dressed in her usual tight-fitting pants, and despite the curves of her ass being evident, I found her too annoying to linger my eyes too long. She was still wearing those same booties she always did, and whenever she confronted me about something, my eyes would flicker down just to check. Just to check, nothing more. Immediately, I'd be put at ease, confirming to myself that she still didn't know. That Piper, as much as she clearly hated me, hadn't disclosed that final, vital piece of dirt on me.

"Why didn't you tell me about that on my first day?" she asked with obvious impatience. "Did you deliberately keep that from me?

I shrugged. "Well, you haven't been here that long, and it's not really my job to tell you about the pay structure, is it?" I pouted my lips, mocking her apparent hurt. "You're a big girl. You can figure it out yourself." I glanced at her freshly manicured fingers. "Or do you need me to hold your hand through everything?"

She immediately buried her fingers beneath her crossed arms. "Don't be a jackass, Dante. It really doesn't suit you. Remember, I know what you used to be like."

I let out a sigh. Here we go again, the subtle threats about disclosing my private life to everyone. Though I was fearful of that sort of information getting out, being incredibly secretive in regards to my life outside of work, it was becoming ridiculously tiresome. It was like her go-to comment whenever she was losing an argument. Perhaps it was time to fight fire with fire. "And I remember what you used to be like"--I gripped my nose and tugged on the tip--"Mozzy."

Maya blinked, before shrivelling up her lips in disgust. "You mean, when I was a child and you used to bully me for something I had no control over?" She too stroked her nose, and for a second, I caught an inkling of genuine insecure worry in her.

"Uh, yeah," I said, suddenly losing confidence in the direction I was going. "Anyway, why didn't you ask Disco Debs or whoever? You're besties now, aren't you?" I suddenly snorted to myself. "Oh, probably because she doesn't have a hope in hell of qualifying for it. Secretaries don't really get bonuses, do they?"

Maya crossed her arms, squeezing up the tiniest, most pathetic attempt at a cleavage through the tight-fitting shirt. Her thick eyebrows scrunched up in disapproval. "There you go again. We're having a normal discussion, and you've got to bring your usual chauvinistic, caveman idiocy into it."

"What? I never said anything about her being a woman."

Maya rolled her eyes. "You don't need to, Dante. That's the point. It's in the way you speak. It's in the way you act."

I sniggered to myself. "I don't discriminate against disabilities." Unsurprisingly, she didn't laugh, instead just looking at me with impatience. Still, I knew there was no point in getting into an argument with her, especially since my door was open and everyone else would overhear. "I just didn't think you'd be interested is all." I waved a hand at her. "It wasn't intentional. It just never crossed my mind."

Maya seemed taken back, immediately dropping her hands to her waist. "Of course, I'm interested. What happens if you win it?"

For a second, I thought about keeping schtum. I mean, it's not my job to educate colleagues on how to beat me in a competition, is it? That would be the most counter-productive endeavour of all time. However, Maya had only been here a couple months, and though she was performing a lot better than previous trainees we'd taken on, she was nowhere near the numbers I was putting out on a consistent basis. Plus, I still thought she was bloody hot, and I figured if I acted like I was willing to help her, then that might offer an avenue back in for me; one where I could freely gawp over the sexy, little minx without worrying about any comeback. Currently, I was harbouring some kind of frustration-filled anxiety towards her, and figured that maybe it was a result of sexual tension from her. Perhaps that's why she was always so confrontational with me? Maybe she actually had a crush on me and her sister had warned her off? Even though things would be awkward considering my previous relationship with Piper, it wasn't as if I was interested in anything serious. I mean, if Maya did actually want to get between the sheets with me, and I could mentally go through with it, she'd be just another notch on the bed post and, if anything, one I could rub in Piper's face if we ever crossed-paths again.

Ever since the break-up, Piper had been a total bitch amongst our mutual friends. Gradually, I'd had to cut ties with a lot of people because she'd caused a hostile environment and turned them against me. I constantly worried that she might tell them something I was uncomfortable being shared, and it was better for me to just ghost. I figured we were over that, but now, the hostility was seeping into my workplace through her sister. It was obvious they'd been gossiping and Maya had taken a similar dislike towards me. Maybe that dislike was compounded by the fact she actually did find me attractive, like a love/hate kind of thing.

Piper had fucked up my friend group, and I wasn't about to let her fuck up my career too. "There's an Employee of the Year competition," I said offhandedly. "Each month Eleanor totals up the commission for each of us, and the winner gets the month on their record. At the end of the year, whoever is in front gets the annual award."

"Who won it last month?"

"Me, obviously," I said with some arrogance. "I win it most months because no one comes close to my numbers."

"Did I miss the presentation or something?" She scratched her head. "I don't remember any awards being given out."

I squinted at her. "Are you blind or something? There's a bloody chart in the break room." I smirked. "Usually there's a cake shared out each month, but I don't give a crap about that, plus, why should everyone else get cake because I did my job well?" It was my turn to cross my arms this time. "That bonus has become a staple in my salary."

"Oh, that sounds awesome," she said, as her face seemed to light up. "Can all of us participate?"

"Well, yeah, but good luck with that." I screwed up my face slightly. She was so ignorant, and so blinded by the money involved, that she wasn't even paying attention to the fact that this was MY award and MY bonus.

Maya's face suddenly soured. "Why? You don't think I stand a chance?"

I rolled my eyes. "Well, put it this way, I've already got this year's nailed down. We're into what, July? And I already have five of the seven months of commission to my name. I only missed out those other months because I was on approved vacation. I wrinkled my forehead. "I even won the month when you screwed me over with that McAllister job crap."

Maya snorted. "How was that my fault? Own your screw ups, buddy."

"Well..." I thought about disclosing the fact I'd messed my times up and been in a rush because I'd bought her a coffee, but then retreated from disclosing such an embarrassing detail. I didn't want her to think I was actually interested in her in that way or anything. Crushes were for girls, not men. "Anyway, a couple more and I'm out of reach." I smirked slightly. "Maybe you can get involved next year?" I was simply being polite, as I was sure to run away with the annual bonus next year too, the same way I'd bagged it the past few years.

Maya simply blinked and her forehead wrinkled as she was clearly thinking about something. She lightly tapped her foot, before nodding her head as if she was counting. "So, I still have a shot then?"

I paused, looking her up and down with confusion. "How do you mean?"

She cocked her head. "Well, there's still enough months left for me to overtake you." She was staring straight at me through her thick eyebrows, and I was slightly unnerved by the serious nature of her point. "It's still up for grabs."

I scoffed, trying to play around with the joke. "Are you kidding? There's no way you can turn this around."

"No wonder you kept it quiet when you first showed me around. If I'd known about this months ago, we might already be level."

At that I blinked. "What? Are you taking the piss? You're not on my level." I looked her up and down in disgust. Even though she was pretty, she was chatting total shit and I wasn't about to let that stand. "You need to realise you're mucking in with the big boys now, young lady, and you're out of your league. How many contracts have you brought in recently?"

"Five," she said without any hesitance, "and a group project with Debs and Martin."

"See...wait...what? How?" I gulped in surprise, and did a frantic number-crunch of my own performance so far this month. Nestled in my back, my fingers popped up as I counted out each contract I'd finalised. There was seven so far, or was it six? Whatever it was, it was more than Maya, but marginally so. She was a bloody junior salesgirl though, how the hell had she managed to pull in five contracts already this month? "Are you bullshitting me?"

"Nope. Five solo deals, that's what I've brought in. I've hardly been in the office, to be honest, and I have a chance at another next week."

"Next week?" I stewed on the spot nervously. "The Sullivan pitch? I thought I had a lone shot at that one."

"Well, I guess not, Eleanor told me to prepare a presentation, just in case. She wants us to come at it from two angles. It's not just the stock this time, they want a full marketing pitch too. They don't want to do it in-house. We're going to promote for them as well. So, she doesn't want to put all our eggs in one basket." She sneered at me. "Just in case the client doesn't like your ideas."

"Wait, what? Why didn't she tell me that?"

Maya shrugged. "Maybe she did and you weren't listening?"

I scowled at the suggestion. "Now, listen here, young lady--"

"Don't call me that," she said with an annoyed tone. "I'm not a little kid anymore, and I have just as much right to go for that pitch as you. I mean, if you're as amazing as you say you are, then I'm not even going to get my turn, am I? The client is going to be so won over by you, that my pitch will be obsolete. Anyway, now you've finally told me the truth, well, I'm going to be putting in a lot more effort."

For a second, I was concerned that I hadn't been paying enough attention to Maya's performance. I only really cared about the contracts that I brought in myself, not really giving a fuck towards the deals that everyone else signed. As long as I got my signatures on the dotted line, everyone else's achievements were meaningless, or so I thought. Anyway, this was simply a wakeup call. I was more than capable of putting distance between the two of us. I'd simply been careless and underestimated her. "Like I said, good luck with that."

"Worried, are you?" she asked while lifting her head. "Won't that be embarrassing for you? You're already way ahead? Just imagine if I caught you up and overtook you in my first year." She chuckled to herself. "New girl Maya stealing the hot shot's thunder. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

I felt a little tingle in my spine, before I spluttered, "Yeah, right, like that will ever happen." Even though I was comfortably in the lead, and Maya was still, in effect, a newbie, there was something about her confidence that caught me off-guard and invoked a certain level of fear. Not so much because she was capable and I was actually worried, but rather, I was envisioning myself in the situation she was suggesting. It would be truly humiliating to be surpassed in such a way, and I could already hear the laughter of my colleagues if I lost the annual bonus to a girl still in her teens. I mean, imagine having to explain that one to my father? He constantly professed about the natural superiority of men over women, and if I lost to a girl, well, he'd probably disown me.

"Anyway, see you Monday," she said. "I'm off to see my family this weekend."

"Have fun," I said, turning back towards my monitor and bringing up the Sullivan pitch I'd prepared.

"Oh, I will, I'll be sure to tell my sister you said hi."

I grimaced at the thought of the two of them talking about me, but I wasn't about to let her know she was getting under my skin. "Yeah, you do that." I waited until she'd already left before I finished, "You snide little bitch."

The Monday morning, I breezed into the office and was taken by surprise as there was a petite girl I didn't recognise at the water cooler. Her slender figure was rather enticing, particularly her peachy bum that filled out the professional trouser-suit she was wearing. Her hair was straight, with hints of blonde highlights amongst its sheening length. But, more importantly, as my eyes dropped down, I caught a glimpse of bare skin just beneath the hem of her pant legs: her fleshy heels were visible and that got my attention. Such a rare sight in this office, between Disco Debs and her gross-ass flats, and Mozzy Maya and her boring booties. "Morning," I said, while ushering up from behind, getting a further good look at the roundness of her dainty little heels. I licked my lips and realised things were going to get a lot interesting around here. "Hey, good looking." I whistled while giving her a final look up and down. "You just started here? Eleanor didn't tell me we'd hired--"

It was only when she turned around, and her pretty little face became visible, that I realised who she was. I was immediately greeted with the sight of Maya scowling, those thick eyebrows clearly less than impressed.

"Oh, I, err," I mumbled. "Did you change your hair or something?"

"You're such a skeeze, you know that, right?" She cocked her head. "You think you're such a stud, don't you? You don't miss any chance to prey on some innocent girl, do you?"

"Geez, lighten up, will you? I didn't realise it was you." As I was staring down at her, I blinked while realising that for the first time since she'd started working here, I was actually looking upon her true height. She was a couple of inches shorter, just as I'd remembered her from when I was dating her sister, and immediately I gulped. A sudden realisation came over me, and immediately, my cool confidence was obliterated. Those were Maya's bare heels I'd just been gawping over.

No, No, No, I thought to myself, feeling a wave of apprehension wash over me as I resisted the temptation to look down again. Please, no, please, still be wearing those booties as usual. Please let my eyes have been playing tricks on me. Those weren't her bare heels. It was socks or something. I began to sweat, becoming nervous and losing my composure as I stewed on the spot, trying to protect myself from the bitter truth but knowing eventually I'd give in and look down. Please, don't be showing your feet, please, Maya, don't be showing your feet. I became fidgety, turning on the spot, about to retreat to my office, yet compelled by an invisible force to remain and satisfy my curiosity: what did Maya's feet look like...and...were they as pretty as her sister's? It was the one question I'd been completely safe from ever since she'd first shown up at the office wearing those booties. A simple glance down each day, had been enough to make me feel safe when I confirmed her feet were hidden away. Even through the discomfort of us having history together, I was able to go about my job without any problems because her feet were concealed inside those boring non-descript booties. Now, I was decidedly worried, and the longer I tried to avoid looking down, the more agitated I was clearly becoming.