The Plaything Ch. 01

At five minutes to five on Wednesday, Rich stopped by Dani's cubicle, coffee in hand, and leaned one elbow on the flimsy wall.

"So, Dani, what are you up to this weekend?"

Dani took off her headset and thumbed the button that logged her out of the phone bank. She tried to contain her mild annoyance. He pulled this stunt every day past Tuesday, always working up to inviting her out, always ending in him getting shot down. Rich wasn't bad-looking by the relatively unwashed standards of the Internet service provider where she worked tech support, and they worked well as friends — but he always came off just obnoxious enough to keep her from saying yes to a date.

She sat back and gave him what she thought would pass for a dirty look. "How did you know it's my weekend?"

"You marked Friday on the calendar as a day off," Rich said. "Big weekend plans?"

"Oh yeah. No, I just want to use up some comp time," she said, crossing her legs. "I'm going out to drinks tonight with Nicole and the girls. Tomorrow, I'm taking a half day. Beyond that, I'm not sure yet. What about you?"

Immediately, one part of her brain started chastising the other. Why was she asking? Did she care?

He shrugged. "No real plans. So, hey, me and Mike and Todd are gonna hit Whalen's later if you want to shoot some pool..."

"I don't play pool," she said, smiling sweetly.

"Cool, we could make it a betting game," Rich said. "Maybe strip pool? What do you think?"

She sighed. "Rich, you're going to make some sexual harassment lawyer very happy someday."

Dani didn't actually mind his stupid innuendos — they were too cheesy for her to find offensive. The working atmosphere at the ISP was so Wild West to begin with, Rich's saucy remarks barely registered. Nick, the owner, only had one rule — don't show up to work drunk, high or naked. Beyond that, he didn't care what people did, as long as the work got done and the customers were happy.

In the nine months she'd been working for Nick, she'd gotten asked out by about half the guys in the phone pool. She knew she fit the geek-girl stereotype in a lot of ways — slim, small-waisted, short black hair dyed with bright purple highlights, black-rimmed smart-girl glasses, geeky tee shirts that showed off just enough décolletage to get attention — but she had little interest in dating inside the company. It made things too complicated.

Rich gave her a smarmy grin. "You know I'm just kidding, right?" he said.

"Yeah, I'm sure if I said yes to strip pool, you'd tell me you'd totally say 'just kidding.'"

Suddenly, he looked eager. "Well, would you?"

Dani rose and slung her backpack over one shoulder. "No, Rich. But thanks for asking."

"Anytime. See you tomorrow."

She rolled her eyes at him, not unkindly, as she left. She didn't bother telling him that it was her birthday this weekend, and she planned on spending it alone.

# # #

"So, what are you planning for your big twenty-two?" Lisa asked Dani over drinks.

There were four of them at the table in all: herself; Lisa, her friend since grade school; Nicole, who worked the front desk at the ISP; and Melody, Nicole's old college roommate. The three of them were the closest friends Dani had, although Lisa was the only one who truly knew her well.

"I'm not planning anything," Dani said. "I want to sit at home under a blanket and turn off the phone and watch some bad TV."

"That's bullshit," Nicole said. "You can't just sit at home watching Star Trek the rest of your life."

"Excuse me," Dani said. "I'm a Doctor Who fan, thank you very much."

Nicole ignored the correction, most likely because she had no idea what it meant. "You need to go out, do something wild and crazy. You're twenty-one, Dani, you need to go nuts."

Nicole had drawn most of the attention at the ISP for a long time — she was tall, blonde, blue-eyed, stacked, and gorgeous, and was nice to all the guys. When she'd started dating Steven, though, things had changed, and Dani had found herself fielding more come-ons than usual.

"I'm not really a go-nuts kind of girl," Dani said.

Lisa snickered as she sipped her drink. Lisa was a tiny slip of a girl with bright red hair and glossy, pale skin. Whenever Dani and Lisa went out together, it was Lisa got most of the attention.

Dani narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"Come on," Lisa said."It's the quiet ones you always have to watch out for. The people who say they're wild are never as wild as they claim to be. It's the ones that keep to themselves. They've always got something amazing creeping under the surface."

"I don't have any creeping," Dani said.

"I'll bet you do," Nicole chimed in. "Seriously, why don't you go out with one of the guys at the office?"

"For the last time, I have no desire to date Rich," Dani said. "Speaking of creeping."

"Oh, come on, he's nice," Nicole said.

"Pass. He tries too hard."

Nicole shrugged, undaunted. "What about Mike? He likes you." Mike was one of the network admins, tall and lean and muscular for a guy who worked with computers all day.

"Mike has never said so much as two words to me," Dani said. "I don't think he likes anybody."

"That's just how he is. Oh! What about Todd?"

Dani choked on her tequila sunrise. "Todd's like twice my age, Nicole. It would be like going out with my uncle."

Lisa shrugged. "Some girls like kind of thing."

Dani laughed. "Yeah, I don't think so."

"I think he's pretty hot for an older guy," Nicole said.

"Look, I'm not going out with anybody at the office, okay?"

"What do you have against it?" Melody asked, nursing a beer bottle, which was already mostly empty. Melody was a short, curvy brunette with adorable bangs and what even Dani had to admit was an amazing rack. "It's not like you have to get serious."

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning you could have a meaningless office fling, get laid a few times, and dump 'em."

"That sounds awkward."

"Doesn't have to be," Melody said with a shrug.

"I'm not really the type to fuck and walk," Dani said.

"Okay," Lisa said, sipping at a tall gin and tonic. "But what if you were? Who would you fuck?"

Dani rolled her eyes. "This is a stupid conversation."

"No, I want to know, too," Nicole said.

"Who would I fuck?" Dani asked, incredulous.

"Yeah," Lisa said. "If there were no consequences, no office romance, no emotional attachment."

"Um." Dani shrugged. "I don't know."

"Would you do Mike?" Nicole asked.

Dani laughed. "Sure, I guess."

"What about Rich?"

"Oh, God," Dani said. "If there was no relationship, sure, I'd do him once. I'd even do Todd once."

Nicole and Melody burst into laughter.

"She'd do Uncle Todd!" Lisa said with glee.

"Now it's coming out," Melody said. "So, what about Joe? Would you do Joe?" Joe was Melody's husband. Melody had made no secret of the fact that she and Joe had brought other people in on their relationship more than once. Whether they identified as polyamorous, or were just swingers, had never been fully revealed.

"Oh no, I'm not touching that one," Dani said.

"No, go ahead," Melody implored. "I won't get mad, I promise."

"Well..." Dani bit her lip and finished off her drink, starting to feel a pleasant buzz. "Yes, okay, I would."

Melody gave a knowing smile and flagged the waitress for another beer.

"What about my boyfriend?" Nicole asked. "Would you do Steven?"

"Oh my god, what's with the obsession you guys have with me doing your significant others?"

"We're just curious," Lisa said. "We're trying to see what kind of wild side the shy little geek girl has."

"For fuck's sake," Dani said with a laugh. "Yes, okay, Steven is hot. I'd do him."

"Interesting," Lisa said.

"Is it?" Dani sipped her drink. Her face felt hot. This conversation embarrassed her.

"It is," Nicole confirmed.

"So here's a question," Lisa said. "Speaking of no consequences. What if you could fuck any or all of those guys?"

Dani looked at her skeptically. "Like, what, at the same time?"

"Whatever. Just say you had the opportunity. Would you take it?"

"I don't know," Dani said. "I don't think I have what it takes to propose something like that to... well... anybody."

"You could fuck my husband if you wanted," Melody said mildly. "We have an open relationship. I don't mind."

Dani blinked. "Okay, that's... I don't even know what to say to that."

"Want me to set it up?" Melody asked.

"Yeah," Lisa added. "What if someone set that up?"

"Set what up?" Dani asked.

"Like... took care of all the details."

"I don't know," Dani said. "That's a really odd question."

"Well, look," Lisa said, a preparatory drink. "You're obviously a lovely girl with a healthy sexual appetite—"

"Oh, Christ," Dani groaned, facepalming.

"—but you're not naturally outgoing," Lisa finished. "So maybe you need a facilitator. Someone to take control of the situation."

"What do you think, Dani?" Melody asked. "Do you like it when other people take control?"

Dani felt her face growing hot. "Okay, I am not comfortable having this conversation in public."

Lisa over her shoulder. Their table was off in the far corner, and there was no one in earshot. "Come on, Dani. This is a safe space. No judgment. Tell us your wildest fantasy."

"Yeah!" Nicole said eagerly, nodding. Dani laughed at Nicole's sudden burst of enthusiasm.

"All right, I'll tell you," Dani said.

The three girls leaned forward, listening.

"If you get me way more drunk than I am now," Dani finished.

Nicole and Melody groaned. Lisa grinned wolfishly and made for the bar.

# # #

"Okay," Dani said, slurring a bit after her third vodka and cranberry. "Are you ready to hear this?"

"So ready," Melody said.

"Absolutely," Nicole agreed.

Lisa just sipped her gin and tonic.

Dani swallowed, winced, then hesitated. "I'm not sure—"

"Oh come ON," Lisa said. "Out with it. Nobody's going to judge you."

"Okay! Jesus." Dani took a deep breath. "My wildest fantasy would be to be in a room full of guys—"

"How many guys?" Melody asked immediately.

Dani bit her lip. "I don't know. Six?"

Nicole raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Okay."

"Yeah," Dani said, blushing. "And I'd be naked, and, well... they'd just take turns on me. I'd be their plaything for a day. No consequences."

"Like, fucking you?" Nicole asked.

"Well, or forcing me to blow them," Dani blurted. "Wow, I cannot believe I'm telling you guys this."

"Forcing you, even," Lisa said thoughtfully. "Interesting choice of words."

"Well, obviously I'd be into it, they wouldn't really be making me," Dani said. "It'd be pretend."

"Huh," Lisa said, taking another drink.

"Six guys," Melody said. "That sounds really messy."

Nicole burst into loud giggles at that.

"Well, that'd be part of the fun, right?" Dani said, feeling encouraged by their positive reaction. "It'd be messy and kind of nasty."

Melody nodded in approval. "Who knew, Dani's a closet exhibitionist."

"Yeah, I don't..." Dani shook her head. "I wouldn't even know how to make something like that happen. And the fantasy is probably better than the reality anyway."

"How would you know unless you try?" Nicole teased.

"So I have a question," Lisa piped up. "Which six guys?"

Dani blinked. "What?"

"Have you thought about which six guys it would be?"

"Um, I don't know," Dani said.

"I'll bet you have," Lisa said. "Do any of the guys from work make the rotation in this fantasy?"

"God," Dani said, burying her face in her hands. "I am not answering any more questions about this. I'm embarrassed enough."

"That's a big yes!" Melody said with a laugh.

"Interesting," was all Lisa said, with a thoughtful look in her eye.

# # #

Dani's Thursday hangover was, thankfully, not too brutal. She woke up at ten, took some ibuprofen, hydrated, put on a tank top and jeans, and rolled into work at one for her half-day.

It was a slow day on the phone bank. It was warm out, and that meant people were outside, away from their computers. That meant plenty of time to think, and Dani found herself getting distracted by the conversation she'd had with the girls the night before.

Do any of the guys from work make the rotation in this fantasy? Lisa had asked.

The question haunted her. While surfing the Internet on the long waits between calls, she found herself thinking about wandering over to Todd's cubicle, kneeling in front of him, unzipping his pants, and sucking him off to pass the time. She imagined the look of surprise on his face. What it might feel like to have him come in her mouth. Or on her body. Or her face.

Good grief, he's old enough to be your dad, she thought. But still, she found the thought more entertaining than she'd anticipated. As the dull hours went by, she began to indulge her imagination more and more, pushing her own boundaries with new fantasies.

She imagined getting taken by Mike in the server room, kneeling on the floor, her wrists tied up in cat 5 cable as he fucked her from behind. She imagined Nick, the ISP owner, calling her into his office and ordering her to strip off her clothes. Blowing him while he had a conference call, strutting naked afterward through the phone bank, all the guys looking. Getting naked with blonde, statuesque Nicole and making out with her while the guys looked on, hooting and whistling—

"Hey, Dani," a voice said, shocking her out of her reverie.

She jumped in her chair, tearing off her headset. She realized she'd been staring blankly into space. She looked up to see Rich standing over her, coffee cup in hand.

"Hi!" she said, a little loudly, feeling awkward.

"You okay? You were kind of spaced out there."

"I'm fine," she stammered. "Sorry, a little hung over from last night, you know?"

"I heard that," Rich said. "You know, that offer for Friday is still open, if you want to come out for pool."

"I appreciate that," Dani said.

Her imagination, still in overdrive, followed up with another, unspoken sentence. I don't play pool, but how about I suck your cock right here? She blinked away the thought, and the lurid image that followed.

"Okay," Rick said, giving her an odd look. She wondered how much of her inner thought process was plastered on her face. "Have a good one, Dani."

"Bye, Rich," she said, her heart inexplicably pounding.

Fantasizing about her co-workers. She needed to get out of here.

# # #

Friday came and went, and Dani spent it alone, like she'd planned. She lounged, made tea, watched television (a Doctor Who marathon on DVD), and caught up on her reading. Only every once in a while did she think about whether there was something — or someone — she'd rather be doing.

She thought about the conversation they'd had at the bar, and every time she did, she'd wince a little in embarrassment. Talk about an overshare. And worse yet, she was haunted by the sudden fantasy that had popped into her head the day before.

Briefly, Dani even considered getting in on that game of pool. Sure, she didn't know how to play, and the guys would probably leer at her and make their stupid jokes, but still, maybe it would be fun...

The impulse passed, and she stayed home.

Early Saturday morning, Dani's phone beeped, waking her out of a late-morning doze. She groped for her phone, found it in the dark, and opened one eye blearily to read the message. It was from Lisa.

[happy birthday!]

Dani scowled at the phone as if it had personally defied her and typed in a reply, still half-asleep.

[fuck off]

She slapped the phone back on the beside table and attempted to go back to sleep. Thirty seconds later, the phone beeped again.

[nope you need to get up]

"God damn it, Lisa," Dani mumbled. Opting for brevity, she texted:

[wtf?]

The reply came back:

[be at yr house in 35 min! Shower and get dressed. put on some nice makeup.]

"Fuck. Lisa, why?" Dani buried her face in the pillow, then rolled out of bed.

# # #

She showered as quickly as she was able, then threw on some capri pants and a gray tank top. She combed her hair just enough to bring out the purple highlights, and applied lipstick and mascara, as Lisa had requested. Why Lisa would request such a thing, Dani had no idea. She only knew that once Lisa got an idea in her head, she stuck with it until she got her way.

The June morning was already warm when Lisa arrived to pick Dani up at her apartment. She showed up at Dani's door in battered jeans and a shirt that read JUSTICE in metallic letters, her bright red hair tied back in an unruly knot.

"I have come to abduct you," she said, eyes wide in faux menace.

"I see that," Dani replied humorlessly. "Can we stop for coffee on the way to this abduction?"

She shrugged. "Sure."

"Is this some stupid birthday party thing?"

"Pretty much," Lisa confessed.

"I told you I didn't want anything like this."

"Actually, you didn't, but we'll get to that in a little bit."

Dani put on her shoes and followed Lisa downstairs. They took Lisa's car downtown to the coffee shop, where Lisa bought her a tall Americano and refused to answer every question Dani asked.

Dani sipped her coffee as Lisa drove the car across town to Nick's place. Nick, a software developer, had made a ton of money programming early mobile apps, and had been living indolent and alone in his big house ever since. The ISP where Dani worked was little more than a hobby business for him — which was why everyone could get away with murder there.

As they approached the house, the morning sun rose over the hills, making them both squint as Lisa pulled into the driveway. Several cars were already packed in a compact line, some of them familiar. She was sure she recognized Joe and Melody's car, at the very least.

"What's this all about?" Dani asked.

Lisa smiled. "You'll find out in just a few minutes."

Dani finished her coffee and left the empty cup in the cupholder; an empty act of defiance that brought her no satisfaction. They got out of the car and walked to the front porch. As they reached the front door, Lisa suddenly turned on her heel.

"Okay," Lisa said. "Now, before we go in, I need you to listen to me. This is serious. Are you listening?"

Dani made a confused face. "Sure. Yes, I'm listening."

"I put something together for you. But I want to be very clear, if you don't feel comfortable with it, you can just leave. I don't want you to do anything you don't want to. So, if you feel uncomfortable with this, or start out okay and then change your mind, just say the word, and it's over, no hard feelings. Understand?"

"Sure, but what—"

"No, seriously. I'm saying this now because I'm not going to say it later. Do you understand?"

Dani blinked. "Um. Sure. Yes. Whatever, I understand."

"Okay. Remember you said that." With a smile, Lisa opened the door for her and gestured for her to go inside.

Dani's stepped into Nick's expansive front room to find it full of people — most of them close friends, people she'd known for years.

Her old friend Adam sat in the big red chair, legs crossed, looking comfortable in his tee shirt, battered jeans, and boots. On one of two black leather couches sat Melody and Melody's husband Joe. On the other sat Nicole and her boyfriend Steven, and Nick himself. A series of empty chairs sat in a line off to the right.

As she walked in, the whole room burst into a noise of greetings and applause.

Dani stood, looking stunned, as Lisa shut the door and locked it behind her. As she looked around the room in surprise, Dani noticed three things right away. One, everyone seemed dressed very lightly. Two, the large glass table had gone missing from the front room floor, leaving a large, carpeted area in the center of the room. Third, Nick's expensive digital camera, mounted on a tripod, was set up in the background.