Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 163

Chapter 163

You looked at Gemma. Gemma looked at Sabrina. Sabrina looked at Andy, then looked back at you since Andy was currently nodding off and didn't even hear the shouting.

"Should we...?" Gemma asked.

"What is goingon!?" you all heard coming from the hallway. It was Jack Baskin, one of the firm Associates who had an office near the conference rooms. "I'm on a call!"

The three of you didn't hear a reply, but you did hear Jack muttering to himself as he went back to his office. A minute later Eric walked back into the conference room looking a little red in the face and taking deep breaths.

"You OK, bud?" you asked him.

"She gotreally angry that I wouldn't sign her review sheet," he said.

"What did she try and say?" Sabrina asked.

"Other than accusing me of sexual harassment?" Eric started. "She said I do shit work, spend half my time on my phone which is wage theft, and based on the quality of my work she thinks I won't even graduate from my undergrad."

"I mean, most of that is pure bullshit," Gemma said. "Though you do spend a lot of time on your phone."

Eric started to reply, then stopped as his phone bingled and he looked down at it and then blushed. "Look, juggling dating apps looking for The One takes a lot of effort, OK?"

You smirked a little. "It's fine, Eric. You get your work done."

"You could try looking for someone not on an App or at a bar or club, though," Sabrina offered.

"Shit," Gemma sighed. "I've been summoned."

"Good luck," you said with a soft smile.

"Don't need it," she replied confidently. "But thanks."

Gemma left, and Eric continued to conversation. "Where the hell am I supposed to meet hot chicks other than on apps or at bars?"

"Well, you screwed up with me and Gemma right here at work," Sabrina said. "Try joining a social club or something for the next couple of months. Like a hiking club or something. Or volunteer somewhere."

"Or," Eric countered. "After my podcast appearances next week I could be swimming in DMs. I think I should just take my chances for now."

"Whatever works for you," you chuckled.

Gemma was gone for about fifteen minutes before coming back. She had a frustrated look on her face, but there hadn't been any shouting.

"Apparently," she said as she dropped into her chair. "I dress like a frumpy cow, I need to learn not to talk back to my superiors, and my productivity suffers because I'm too busy flirting with my co-workers even though it isn't working. She said, 'This is a place of business, not a dating app.'"

"Now that's funny and a little ironic," you smirked.

"I think you dress perfectly, by the way," Sabrina added.

"Thanks," Gemma said.

You wanted to reach over and give her hand a squeeze. Or, really, you wanted to kiss her and tell her how absolutely gorgeous she was, and how her business attire made her look professional and confident. Instead you settled with quickly texting her a heart emoji, and when she saw it she looked over at your and beamed a smile your way.

"Looks like I'm next," Sabrina said, standing up after receiving her own summons over the Slack chat. "If I'm not back in twenty minutes, come help me hide the body."

That got the three of us that weren't asleep laughing lightly to relieve the stress.

Sabrina was out for about seventeen minutes, enough that you were starting to check the clock and wonder if you would actually need to go check on things and possibly help Sabrina get away with murder. She came back clenching her jaw and walking with her posture ramrod straight, and she sat down in her chair softly perched on the edge.

"Sabrina?" you asked her.

She held up a finger and took a long, deep breath. She licked her lips lightly, breathed again, and then nodded to herself. "Apparently Joy thinks that I need to learn what work-appropriate attire is because everything I wear is too tight and revealing even though I have a boyish figure, and I need to smile more often because I give off an unpleasant air that makes people uncomfortable. I also need to figure out how to speed up my workflow because apparently this is a real business that can't act like colleges and give special considerations for people who are falling behind."

You stood up, intending to stop this now, by Sabrina shook her head as she looked over to you. "Just go with the plan, John," she said.

It took you a moment to nod, sitting down by sighing angrily.

Joy strutted into the room five minutes later, glaring as she saw Andy with his chin to his chest sitting perfectly still in his seat. It was late in the afternoon and the conference room was warm as hell - even with the stress, you were feeling your own eyes drooping a little. You didn't even feel any sort of way about Andy being asleep instead of working it had become so commonplace.

"Hey," Joy said, snapping loudly as she stalked up to him. He blinked awake and looked around with a confused expression. "Jerkoff, come on. It's your review time."

Andy got up, still looking like he wasn't sure where he was, and followed her out. We all hoped he remembered not to sign her bullshit review.

He came back not three minutes later, frowning.

"What happened?" Eric asked.

"She said I failed in every category," Andy said. "And I asked her what that meant and she just told me to get out of her sight so I did."

Your Slack chat pinged on your laptop and you took a deep breath. "Alright," you said. "I'm up."