Luciana at the Success Party

"Oh, is he here?" I asked. "The IT people don't come to office parties often."

"Luciana, everyone is here today," said Drake. "The whole office has been talking about you and your bet. Just look around."

"You've been so focused on the work," said Winona. "Office chatter didn't reach you much."

"I guess so," I said. "Why isn't Brett with you?"

"Umm, he was," said Winona. "When this happened, I told him to go sit with his friends."

"Thanks, Winona," I said. "That was very thoughtful of you. But let's get him back here."

Drake moved his chair to make room. Brett nodded to me and sat opposite Amee. I looked at the stage, where a dozen people were dancing.

"Just past ten," said Lance, glumly, glancing at his watch. "Almost an hour more."

"You're growing old, Lance," I teased him. "Wanting parties to end quickly."

My team laughed, but not much. Winona looked at me. "We're all counting the minutes, Luciana. It's an awful thing to happen."

I nodded. "I'm glad you guys got this table."

"Hello, hello!" Benson came up to our table. He'd joined the company recently and worked in Francis's team. "You guys are monopolizing Luciana."

"We work together, we party together," said Drake coolly.

"You people are a good team," said Benson. He took a good look at my breasts before continuing. "I wish ours was as nice to work with." Nodding to us all, he moved on.

"Does he expect you to go table-hopping?" Amee sounded offended. "It's great that Luciana is staying at this party at all."

"Never mind, Amee." I put my hand on hers. "What did you do with my dress?"

"Lance is sitting on it," said Winona apologetically. "Guys were trying to grab it from Amee. Wanted to have pieces as souvenirs."

"What!" I was astounded. "Cut up my dress! How would I leave?"

"Jordan suggested it would be fun to send you home naked," Drake said. "And some others took it up. Lance and I had to escort Amee and your dress to our table."

Jordan had been in line for a promotion, but my strong sales over three quarters had seen me getting it. She'd always been cordial, but I realized resentment ran deep.

"Hi!" I looked up to see Bradley standing behind Lance, glass in hand. He'd joined Tanner's team a few months after me, and we'd worked together for two years. He nodded to everyone at our table. "Good to see your team around you, Anna."

"Luciana is always around for us," said Amee, smiling up at him. She sidled closer to me.

"She's the most helpful person I know," agreed Bradley. "Always." He swirled the wine in his glass and looked into it. "I'd invite you to our table for a while, but I guess you won't be moving around tonight." Nodding to us all, he moved off.

"Nice sort," said Winona, putting down her glass. "Didn't eat you with his eyes." She turned to look at me, grinning. "Or has he seen it all before?"

I shook my head, smiling. "We went out a couple of times last year. But it was only dinner and dancing."

Everyone knew everything in our office, I reflected. With less than seventy people, we all knew each other. Gossip traveled fast.

"Didn't get along?" Lance asked. "Brad seems to be a good guy."

"Oh, we were fine." I looked at my plate. "We went out twice, and things were going well. Then I got promoted to manager, and he didn't ask me out again." Lance and Drake nodded.

Amee looked at Winona and slowly shook her head. "Is he waiting for a promotion before asking you again?"

"I don't think he is close," said Drake thoughtfully. "There are lots of others doing much better."

"True," I said. "And you know what they say. Nice guys..."

"Finish last!" finished Winona. "But it's not true. The nicest of them all became manager." She put her arm around my bare waist and pulled me close.

"Thanks, love," I said, smiling. Her dress was smooth against my body, and being held felt surprisingly good. "But I'm not a guy, as you may have noticed."

Lance deliberately dropped his eyes to my breasts and then looked up, grinning. "Yep, we have noticed, sort of." I joined the others in laughing about my nakedness.

"Tanner's team has come apart," Brett remarked. He'd not spoken at all since joining us but looked carefully at whoever was speaking. "He's struggling to get things done."

I looked at Bradley's table, diagonally across from ours. Only he and Olivia remained, of the old team. Two people had left the company, and one had got married and asked for a transfer to another branch.

"Good show, Luciana!" Gene had stopped at our table. I wasn't sure if he meant the campaign or my show on the stage. "Party's going well, isn't it?"

"We're having a good time," I answered. "How about you?"

"Oh, yes!" Gene said. "Best party we've had, and I've attended every one. Great idea of Herbert's, this wager with you." He grinned at me. "You've found a good place to hide."

"He's even older with the company than Herbert," said Winona. "He was pretty ghoulish on stage with Luciana."

"Yes," I said thoughtfully. "But he's not a bad sort. Got carried away, I guess. Can you move a little, Amee?"

"What are you doing?" asked Lance as I stood up. "Guys are waiting to swarm all over you."

"Everyone seems to think I've found a place to hide and won't move," I said. "That won't do."

Winona knocked her fork on my glass. "How many of these have you had, Luciana?"

"I had one glass at the other table." I smiled at them reassuringly. "And this one Lance poured me. I'm all right, really." I squeezed myself around Amee's chair and moved around the table.

Two long strides brought me to Bradley's table before anyone could stop me. The table abruptly became silent as I stopped with my hands on Bradley's chair. I smiled around at the six people.

"Hi," I said as cheerfully as I could. I could see all of them holding their breath as they looked at my breasts above Bradley's head. "Room for me?"

"You want to sit at our table?" asked Grace incredulously. She was an intern in Cameron's group. I'd talked to her in the cafeteria a couple of times.

"Unless you have a strict dress code," I answered. The group laughed and shifted their chairs to make room. Bradley pulled a chair next to his for me.

"Welcome aboard, Anna," said Olivia. "We'd assess you for dress code, but there's insufficient data." She ran her eyes up and down my body, emphasizing my lack of a dress. I laughed along with the others.

"Thanks, Ollie," I said. "What have you named the baby?"

"We call her Hazeline," said Olivia, her eyes lighting up. She'd just returned from maternity leave. "Almost four months old now."

"You were at home for three months after the birth, I guess." Bradley scowled at her. "We struggled to run the team without you."

"She was doing more important stuff," I said, and Olivia nodded, smiling. "Is three months' leave enough?"

"My sister got only two months after her cesarean," said Felipe. Soon we were deep in a discussion of maternity benefits offered by different employers. It was a lively discussion, and I almost forgot my situation.

But not for long. Another of my coworkers passed our table, his head turning to keep his eyes on my breasts. I was reminded I was naked in a party full of people wearing clothes. My glass shook, and I spilled some water on the table.

"You've not done this before?" Grace asked me discreetly. The young girl had noticed my trembling, sitting next to me. "I mean, undressed at a party?"

"I've never had sex with the lights on," I confessed. "And that's only one guy."

I could have bitten my tongue as soon as the words were out. I was trying to show I was tough and unfazed by being naked, and now I'd confessed to the youngest person in the office.

"Oh!" Grace raised a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide as she looked at me. "Wow! You're amazing!" She placed her hand on mine on the table, and I gave her a grateful smile.

"Ten forty, Anna," Bradley murmured to me from my other side. "Only a little while more."

"Thanks for having me here, Brad," I said. "Your friends are as nice as you. I've felt comfortable."

"Are you leaving?" Olivia asked as I stood. "Thanks for joining us, Anna. It's been lovely."

"You were kind to me, all of you," I said warmly. "Thank you!"

I waved to people trying to shake my hand. I'd learned my lesson with Althea. Herbert was talking to Gene and Tanner, and they all turned to me as I approached. Cameron joined us.

"So you didn't make it," said Herbert.

"Kind of obvious, isn't it?" I said, lifting my hands. Gene and Cameron smiled as Herbert nodded.

"Still, you made a good effort," he said. "Only one other branch did better, by a couple of thousand dollars."

"Good for you, Herbert," said Gene. "You'll be invited to headquarters for the campaign wrap-up."

"Probably, probably," said Herbert, grinning. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves." He ran his eyes over me. "I'll be sure to mention your hard work."

"Half a million dollars," said Tanner. "No product has done that in the launch phase."

"I thought Luciana would be the one to break through," said Herbert. "That prize would have been from me. The company doesn't provide such lavish trips."

"Your money was always safe, Herbert. No launch has come close to that number," said Cameron. She smiled at me. "You tried, Luciana, but it was a mission impossible."

"I wish I'd known that when it was offered to me," I said.

"You should have looked it up before accepting," said Herbert. His gaze flickered over my breasts. "But the challenge got you going, didn't it? And your team."

I sensed a lot of people were waiting to engage with me but staying away from the branch head and three senior managers. The photographer approached, but Tanner waved him away. I wondered how many fully naked pictures of me he'd taken.

The restaurant manager came up to Herbert and talked to him. Herbert nodded and turned to Gene.

"You need to announce it, Gene. These people close in ten minutes." He ran his eyes over me again. "Might be a good idea to start looking for your clothes, Luciana."

"Good thought," I said and moved toward my team's table. But, of course, it wasn't so easy. Half the people on the way were on their feet to talk to me.

Climbing onto the stage, Gene clapped his hands and said, "Five minutes, people. This place is closing. Finish your drinks, everyone, and thank you for a great party!"

"Special thanks to Luciana," someone shouted. There was laughter, and then people started clapping. "Luciana, Luciana," the crowd took up the chant.

"No doubt, no doubt," boomed Gene. "Luciana, could you come up here and say a few words, please?"

"Nuts to that," I muttered to myself. Gene must be truly drunk, I thought, inviting me on stage to make a speech. Didn't he know I was naked?

I moved towards my team's table, my eyes fixed on Lance holding my dress protectively in his lap. But a dozen people on the way all encouraged me and even turned me around. Propelled by friendly shoves, I found myself on the stage.

"Er," I said, and it was the most well-received speech I'd ever made. The entire crowd clapped and whistled. "You go, girl," someone shouted. I stood and waited for the noise to subside as my coworkers ran their eyes over me.

"Thank you all, guys," I managed to say at last. "My team and I fought the good fight. I'm deeply grateful for their effort, but as you can see, we fell short." There was laughter and whistling as I waved my hands around myself.

"So, on to new challenges, everyone," I said. "Our branch is already number two nationwide for this launch. Next year, let's all aim for number one." The other managers were all standing with Herbert, and that group led the clapping and cheering this time. "Yes, take more such challenges!" someone called out to me.

I wagged my finger at the crowd, and they quietened a little. "Be careful what you wish for. Just the other day, someone told me, hope to see more of you, and..."

A fresh burst of laughter and cheering drowned me out. The wine had flowed pretty freely, I guessed. People were laughing at everything, which felt good, but it was delaying the few things I needed to say. And I was uncomfortably aware I was standing naked on a stage before all my coworkers.

I had to speak loudly to be heard. "And a huge thank you to my team, Amee, Drake, Lance, and Winona. For all your hard work and your support in difficult moments."

My team waved and cheered. "All the names in alphabetical order," someone called out. "Very managerial!"

I waited for the laughter to subside, conscious of sixty pairs of eyes on my fully exposed body. "Here's wishing us more success going forward. And let's meet our targets so I can afford a dress next time."

This was met by laughter and a few good-natured boos. The mood of the crowd had changed, I sensed. Now that I'd spent half the party naked, there was no animosity and a lot of goodwill.

I raised my hands, and the photographer blinded me with his flash. The lights in the restaurant dimmed in a strong hint. I waved to the crowd, and stepped off the stage. Lance was waiting for me, holding my dress. My team and Brett surrounded me as I slipped into it and Gene said loud goodbyes from the stage.

* * *

"How did you swing it?" Lance asked excitedly.

"I didn't do anything," I said. "If anything, I kind of avoided Herbert after the party."

"So he did this on his own?" asked Winona slowly.

"The other managers were saying pretty clearly that I'd had no chance of winning the Bahamas trip. No product in the introduction phase had ever touched 500,000. The unspoken implication was that Herbert had tricked me into taking off my clothes in public." I stopped as Lance banged his fist on the table.

"And so he did!" He sounded furious.

"That was a really dirty trick!" Winona sounded angry, too.

I felt myself tearing up. "Guys, your anger on my behalf is worth a thousand prizes to me."

"So he felt guilty?" asked Amee.

"No idea. But then I got invited to headquarters for the wrap-up meeting of this launch. Next day he sent me a message saying he'd decided to double my incentive. I messaged back that the whole team had worked for it."

"And he doubled for all of us." Amee spoke flatly and looked around at the others.

"It's like we're getting a payoff for the dirty trick and suffering." Winona still sounded angry.

Lance spoke, looking down at the table. "And Luciana is the only one that suffered."

"Get over it, fellas," I spoke cheerfully. "It was a bad hour, but your support felt so good. Amee wrestling with guys to save my dress, Winona asking her boyfriend to leave to save me from embarrassment, Drake and Lance physically saving Amee and my dress. And all of you looked miserable the whole time I was bare. I've never felt closer to anyone!"

"But still," said Amee. She sounded a lot more cheerful.

"You worked hard to get me the prize, didn't you?" I demanded.

"Which you were going to share," said Drake, but he was, at last, smiling.

"Forget everything, guys," I said. "Let's have a party of our own. This Friday?"

"Suits me," said Lance.

"And me," said Amee and Drake together.

"Brett and my place," said Winona. "We'll order from that new place on Second. Is it okay that Brett's there?"

"He's more than welcome," I said, and Lance nodded.

"Brett's a keeper, Winona," said Amee. "He was at the table when our gorgeous Luciana was bare, but he had eyes only for you."

"Brett's one of the good guys," confirmed Drake. "No question."

"Thanks, guys," said Winona warmly. "So eight o clock suits everyone? We have some good wine. I'll order food at nine."

"Sounds good," I said. "So, only one more question. Do you want me dressed or naked?