The More, The Merrier

"Look at her, strutting about like she owns the place."

Though to be honest, that wasn't so far from the truth. As much as Olivia Lopez needed to grit her teeth to admit it, Alice Mirel was the darling of the office. To call them rivals would be more wishful thinking on Olivia's part than anything else. Yet, she refused to stop. To do so would be tantamount to giving up; letting go of the hope that somehow, some day, Olivia could win.

The two of them each ran a separate development team in a large software developer; most of their teams were men younger than them. Not that either of them were out of their prime by any stretch of the imagination: Olivia just hit 27 years. If she were to hazard a guess, she would say Alice was just a touch younger than that. Just another drop in the ocean of resentment she felt..

Olivia tried. By all accounts, she put up good numbers with her team. That was, except in comparison to Alice's. Worst still, she could never quite understand how. Olivia tried running things in a no-nonsense way: expect the best, while leading by example. Alice on the other hand seemed to bumble her way into success through what seemed like a combination of just the right kind of nonsense. She was the darling of both their company and any client companies or contractors, always able to draw out that little extra from anyone she needed it from.

Stupid bimbo.

Sure, Alice's hair was a deep red instead of the stereotypical blonde. Her eyes, a deep emerald. Both seem to complement her pale, porcelain skin. That grating British accent Olivia just knew was fake, even if she could never prove it. Worst of all was the work shirt that showed just enough cleavage to avoid reproach from any of the higher ups. Except, perhaps for how friendly she went out of her way to act. Sure, everyone else might have been wrapped around her finger. Even Olivia's own team. There wasn't a hint of malice in her tone, at least on the surface. Olivia was on to her, though. Her real thoughts.

Look at me. I don't even need to gloat.

That wasn't to say Olivia was completely on the up-and-up. Her breasts would never actually fill the D-cup bras she wore without padding, and her height received about an inch of assistance from the soles of her shoes. When faced with an opponent that everything seemed to go right for, you needed every advantage you could get. As always, it was never enough.

This would all come to a head as the year started to wind down, and the awards were being decided. That was, if they hadn't been already. Alice would just saunter her way into another hefty Christmas bonus without a care in the world. Olivia would be left high and dry. Again. No prizes for second place. Even with this job, her regular salary didn't leave her much room these days for luxuries. Too many bills. Not to mention inflation now.

One day left. Then Olivia could enjoy the closing weeks of the year off work. Not a whole lot she could do on her budget, though her large apartment took the sting out of that a little, along with the mortgage payments sapping her income every month.

Closing the door behind her, Olivia once again came to stop, staring at the forlorn looking almond-skinned woman in the mirror. With no judging eyes save her own, Olivia could fully loosen up. Her sleek black hair no longer tied, falling out of the tight bun and flowing past her shoulders. Her feet finally were able to breathe outside the tight shoes. Last, but far from least, her breasts were free from the stuffy padding. In truth, there weren't even that small; more than a handful at least from where she was standing. Too late for her to give up the charade in the office, though. "Fake it 'til you make it," and all that.

Though giving herself a cursory squeeze only helped to reveal how much she craved stimulation right now. That, at least, was a form of pleasure she could enjoy on the cheap.

No more tight office clothes. It was just her on her queen-sized bed, along with a box of tricks to help her along. That, and one more thing- her phone. Not for viewing material; the phone was far too small and Olivia didn't much care for that kind of thing anyway. She was after some stimulating conversation. About a year ago, she found an adult chat room to her liking, and never looked back. So far, at least.

A group session was feeling a little too chaotic for her tastes right now. A little one-on-one could work, though. She scrolled though the members. Time to find someone available.

You'll Do.

Chillichoc: Hey, how's it going?

UrOnlySunshine: Okay, you?

Olivia couldn't help but smile at that name. Probably imagined himself as quite the Casanova. On an adult chat room.

Chillichoc: Eh, tired.

Chillichoc: Finally about to take some time off work.

UrOnlySunshine: Oooh.

UrOnlySunshine: Going somewhere nice?

Chillichoc: With what money?

UrOnlySunshine: Oof.

UrOnlySunshine: You couldn't save any?

Chillichoc: Nah, prices too high. Pay kinda sucks now tbh.

Chillichoc: I might quit, try going somewhere else...

There was a ponderous pause in the conversation. Did they step out?

UrOnlySunshine: U serious?

Chillichoc: Aren't I always?

Chillichoc: Raises are razor thin. Never get a damn bonus. Promotion? Forget about it.

Chillichoc: With the people around, I'll be spinning my wheels in the mud until I'm grey.

UrOnlySunshine: Have u tried talking to them?

Chillichoc: Like that'll work.

Chillichoc: "Work harder work harder work harder work harder."

Chillichoc: Like I'm not doing that already.

Chillichoc: But you're not here to listen to me whine about life.

UrOnlySunshine: I guess not.

UrOnlySunshine: What are you trying today?

Chillichoc: Let's try a little pot luck.

Olivia pulled over the box of tricks: her plastic box of all her favourite toys and unclipped one side of the box. The box was an opaque white with a black top, meaning she couldn't peek fist. With a bit of aimless rummaging, she made a grab.

Chillichoc: Looks like it's the plug first.

UrOnlySunshine: Ah, old reliable.

It was true. The colourless, transparent butt plug was now a bit of a mainstay of her nights of lonely passion. With just a bit of lube, it- oooh. Slipped in. Next to no tension any more. No matter, this was merely an appetiser.

Chillichoc: One down. What should I go for next?

UrOnlySunshine: I thought u were going random.

Chillichoc: Only for round one. Any ideas?

UrOnlySunshine: Don't think you've clamped in a while. Did you ever get new ones?

Chillichoc: Again, money.

Chillichoc: I'll just have to make do.

They were a little trickier to find: a couple of rubber-tipped clamps, connected by a soft metal wire. Long enough to link up her nipples, but not nearly enough to reach further. Setting the phone aside, she placed them on each nipple, left then right. Pinching each one with a small gasp to attach the tips. Closing one eye and gritting her teeth, but only for about 30 seconds. She just got used to them too quickly if they just stood in place. She'd have to commit a hand to pulling on the string to keep the excitement going.

Her phone buzzed once in the middle of all of it.

UrOnlySunshine: U done yet?

Chillichoc: Am now. Still need more.

UrOnlySunshine: Oh? Why not work a little magic?

Chillichoc: Magic?

Chillichoc: Oh right.

Chillichoc: Going dark again.

The magic was her wand vibrator. Should still have a good amount of juice left. Olivia on the other hand- she would just need to see. She flicked the switch on the pink handle, and the white end came to life, giving a gentle buzz on the low setting. Reaching down, she started with a gentle glide along her folds. Back and forth. Back, and forth. Slowing down a little, just to really take it in...

No, this wasn't doing it for her. Time to take it up a notch. With a click, the vibrator whirred up to medium setting, giving a higher pitched whine. Olivia lowered it back down her body. Not to the front, though. With just a bit of contortion, she reached around the back.

Right onto the base of the plug sitting inside her.

"Ah, ah!" she moaned. At first, the vibrator was pressed against her by the bed. Then, she started to lift her ass up with her legs. She pressed harder all the same. This was something else. Olivia tried a vibrating plug once before, but this was something else entirely. The solid plug buzzing inside hit so much deeper. The intensity was in a league of its own. Almost every sweet spot of her body lit up. With each second, each limb started to tremble a little more. Her grip weakened. Yet, this still wasn't enough. With a final burst of mental fortitude, she managed to get her thumb on the vibrator switch one more time.

"AaaaAAAAH~" Olivia's voice would never otherwise reach anywhere near this high pitch. Sometimes she would wonder if anyone could hear. Her legs now stretched to their limit. Breaths heavy and unsteady. Surging ever further. Just a little more, and-

Oh. That was it? The moment of climax ended far more suddenly than Olivia expected. Than she wanted. She slumped back on the bed, trying to catch her breath. The cold air that seeped in over the course of the day sapped away any remnant of an afterglow. When she reached her phone, Olivia's online partner was already gone.

It was only her now, along with her small pool of liquid remains. Might as well freshen up for the night.

Half a day now. Then, Olivia could be free of this place, at least for a while. She could finally- well, that remained to be seen. It would be nice, no longer needing to set the alarm, at least. Well, there was also the chance to look for a new job. The announcement for who would be taking the prizes for the year were about two weeks away. Just about the perfect time for an announcement of her own. Maybe they would be able to link her sudden resignation to being snubbed once more. Didn't really matter. If they didn't know what they had until it was gone, that was their own problem.

Olivia tried to enjoy her late lunch in the break room. The latest patch on their flagship software had rolled out successfully; hopefully there would be no major bug reports to untangle before the day was out. All in all, it looked to drive another boost in sales numbers. Not that it would be enough for the grand prize, though. It never was.

Frustration and regret both ebbed and flowed within her. In truth, most of the people here were fine to work with. They got their tasks done, usually with only the lightest of fires lit under their rear. Their string of successful releases could attest to that, as did her team member's far better success at achieving the accolades for their level. Pfft- yeah, they would probably be fine without her. Still, leaving all of a sudden with no real reason-

"Liiiviiiiiiii~!" Right. That was all the reason Olivia needed. Alice sauntered over with a small bag of her own and set down next to her on the small lunch table. 'Livi' was her pet name pretty much from the get-go; Olivia gave up on the 'don't call me that' sometime in the middle of last year. Well, now she possessed her own way to put a stop to it.

"Good afternoon," Olivia said, barely looking at Alice. She scanned the room: fridges, vending machines, countertops- nothing she could really use to excuse herself.

Alice started pulling the contents of her bag out, while still giving Olivia a beaming smile. "How are we doing today?"

Ugh. Even with more of her lunch hour, Olivia really didn't have the time for the hairdresser schtick. Still, honesty was never the best policy. Wouldn't be professional, after all.

"I'm fine, thank you."

Alice's smile faded. "Is that fine fine, or 'I'm about two seconds away from hulking out' fine?"

Tipping ever closer towards the latter with each second. "What difference does it make?" Olivia focused on her food. The sooner it was all gone, the easier it would be to excuse herself.

"Livi, it's not healthy for you to bottle up all your feelings, you know!" Alice wagged her finger to illustrate her point.

She probably didn't know that if Olivia stopped doing so, it would be Alice who would be suffering health issues. "I see." She stuffed the last pieces of fruit into her mouth. "Well, this conversation has proven- enlightening. But I really should get back to it."

"You're leaving already? You just got here." Alice reached out of Olivia's arm as she attempted to get up, but stopped short of grabbing it. "You haven't even finished your tea."

Olivia shook her head. "I can finish this at my desk. Anyway, how do you know how long I've been here? Don't you have anything more important to do?"

Alice giggled, driving Olivia's blood pressure just a touch higher. "I just happened to notice you like taking late lunches whenever it's not a busy day. Especially after crunching for a while. Look, can't we talk a bit?"

Olivia stifled a groan, sitting back down. A few hours. Just a few more hours, and this would all be over. "What's going on?"

"Soooo-" Alice made a show of clearing her throat. "You're on leave starting tomorrow, right?"

"Technically, it's Monday. But yes, I'm going to be away for a while." A long while, the way things were going.

"Won't you miss the Christmas party next Friday, though?" Alice looked into her eyes with what Olivia could only assume was pretend concern.

"Unfortunately." What was the point in going, anyway? They didn't allow any alcohol. At a party. All there was left was the fake pleasantries and small talk, along with the announcement of the big winners for the year. All a waste of time. If Olivia's crowning achievement, the Frontiera map program wasn't enough for her to claim the prize, then patch 1.6 sure as hell wouldn't be. Why punish herself with false hope?

Alice placed a hand on Olivia's. Olivia couldn't be bothered to push it back off. "Are you sure you can't come? I think things might turn out a little differently this time."

Doubtful. Though that did make Olivia a little curious. "What might go differently?" Sure, she might have seethed over walking away empty-handed year after year, but to her memory, Olivia never told anyone about that.

"You know, the award ceremony." Alice was back to her trademark smile. "I have a good feeling that things are going to turn out differently this year, trust me."

"Trust you." Olivia gave a short, cold laugh. "No. I'm not going to waste my time and effort just so you can rub it in my face again. Now, if there's nothing else-"

"I don't want you to quit!" Alice blurted out.

Olivia felt just a touch dizzy all of a sudden. "What? Who said anything about me quitting?" This was accelerating way too fast. Tea. She needed more tea.

"Well, eheh~, you did," Alice said, waving her phone around. "Or should I say, Chillichoc told me."

PFFFFT. The whole table was now sprayed with vanilla tea, along with Alice's face. "What the FU-" Olivia slapped her hand on her mouth before she could finish. Even though no one else was around, she was supposed to be above all that. "That was you?! Oh, god-"

"Look, I didn't know it was you either. I just started talking and I noticed hey they have quite a bit in common with you so I sort of liked them and kept in touch but then I noticed maybe they have a little too much in common so I started maybe getting a little suspicious and then they or you said that you were thinking about quitting so I started to get worried and when I saw the way you reacted just now I was almost completely sure that-"

"Shut. Up." Olivia shot a glare that finished the job her cold words started. "So what happens now? Will you leak this if I leave?"

"What? No!" Alice finished wiping the last remaining tea from her face and shirt. "This doesn't prove anything on its own. Besides, it would implicate me as well. Look, Livi. I really do want to try and change your mind. Can you really not stand me that badly?"

"Everything I want, you get," Olivia grumbled, looking out the window. "Every award, every prize of real value goes to you. And for what? Because you give a smile, a wink and cutesy voice? I get things done around her. I have a killer app to my name. What do I have to show for it? Just more expectations. Whenever I talk about pay, the excuses pop up. Yet the moment I'm not grinding myself to dust, it's 'where's the Olivia I know? No excuses.' I'm being played for a fool, and I've had enough."

"There, there." Alice patted her on the back. "Don't you feel better now you've let it all out?"

"I'll feel better when I've let myself out of this poxy company; find a place that properly recognises my worth." With that, Oliva folded her arms, only keeping Alice in the corner of her vision.

"So that's what this is really about? Money?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, is that really so terrible? I can't pay back my bank with framed photos of myself on the office wall, or pats on the back. You think I'm going to be visited by three- sorry, four ghosts because I want to pay the bills and still have some left over?"

"So that's it? It's just about the money?" Alice asked, cupping her chin with a pensive look. "Okay, how about this. I'll ask around, see if I can't get some people around here to vote for you instead. If that doesn't work, I can just give you the prize, free of tax."

Olivia sighed. "Thanks, but I don't want a handout from you, and I certainly don't want your pity."

"Ahaha." Alice gave the first sly look Olivia ever remembered seeing from her. "I never said I'd do it for free."

The next week passed without incident. Only anticipation. Olivia attempted to maintain a 'time off' mindset; lying in, browsing the shops, even more liberally enjoying her drinks. There were even a couple of attempts to catch up with old friends, though they were still pretty busy at this time of the year.

All the while, the tentative deal made with Alive stuck in her mind. Was that serious? It could simply be Alice pulling her chain again. This was the last chance for any kind of redemption from anyone in the company. If this was just a prank, well- Olivia's search for greener pastures would become a whole lot less cursory. That was what gave her the most strength. Olivia definitely didn't need to stay there, she was sure.

Finally, the day was upon her. The Friday of the big Christmas Party. Olivia still elected to remain in her warm, cosy home instead of actually going. If she did invest all that time only for this whole thing to come to nothing, she probably would have said, or worse done something she would come to pay for. Wasn't as though she was the life of the party, anyway. Instead, she curled up on the sofa, switching her focus between the mystery show playing on television and her laptop. If what Alice claimed turned out true, then the confirmation would appear on the smaller screen.

At first, her nerves were fraught. Checking her inbox over and over, wondering when the confirmation would arrive, if ever. After a moment of reflection, she realised it might take some time, even if they were announcing her 'victory' at that exact second. Maybe she could relax a bit, only go checking during the ad breaks, of which there were no shortage. One episode went to the next. Then another. Tiredness started to set in, yet Olivia couldn't give up just yet. Her sleeping hours were already creeping back further and further, even though that would come with a price when work resumed. Just a little longer before she would turn in.