The Office Party
“I wish you a
hopeful Christmas,
I wish you a brave New Year…”
‘Twas the night
before Christmas, and at the firm of Madison and associates the traditional
Christmas Drinks party was in full swing – much to the chagrin of Diana as she
stood with a glass of cheap red wine in her hand. She really did not want to be there, but she
had no choice in the matter…
She was wearing
a long grey dress, with darker grey horizontal stripes and capped sleeves, over
a black cowl necked jersey, her high black leather boots coming up to just
under the hem of the skirt, a black beret perched on her blonde hair which was
styled like the Princess. The boots had
squared brown heels, perfect for stamping on the feet of those she didn’t want
to dance with.
People like
Steve Madison, the son of the head of the firm, and a man who thought her was
the pick of the crop. He was in his
early twenties, and was wearing a tailor made three piece pinstripe suit, the
gaudy tartan tie tied with a large knot under the collar of his white silk
shirt. He looked ta Diana and walked
over, smiling as he said “so what are your plans for the holiday? If you haven’t got any, I can show you a good
time…”
“No, thank you
– I’m meeting my family,” Diana said with a forced smile. She truly had no plans, save for the Turkey
Dinner in her fridge, but even that was better in her mind than spending the
day with someone who reeked of an after shave that was out of date five years
ago.
“Well, if you
change your mind,” Steve said with a drunken grin as he walked to the other
side of the room, Diana watching as he walked towards Camilla. Her colleague was wearing a similar dress, although
hers had long sleeves and red stripes, and the dress had the cowl neck. She was also wearing high black boots, with
black heels – and she looked about as comfortable with Steve as she had a few
minutes before.
“Can you
believe that guy? Just because his
father owns the company…”
“I know,”
Astrid said as she came alongside, “but I wouldn’t’ worry about it – he won’t
get anywhere with Camilla either.”
“Why not,”
Diana said as she looked at her colleague, wearing a short black evening dress
with a band of sequins from shoulder to hem.
They both watched as Steve talked to Camilla – and then received a slap
on the cheek for whatever he said as she walked off, her heels clicking on the
wooden floor.
“Maybe I should
check she is all right,” Diana said as Steve rubbed his cheek, smiled and walked
to the other side of the room.
“She’ll be fine
– excuse me a minute,” Astrid said as she put her glass down and left the room,
but Diana went in the other direction, making her way to the ladies restroom
and walking in to find Camilla standing by the sinks, looking in the mirror.
“Hey,” she said
as she closed the door, “Are you all right?”
Camilla looked
over at her colleague and nodded as she said “yeah – I just lost my temper with
the boss’ son though. Think I’m in trouble?”
“Not with me –
you just did what I wanted to do a few minutes before. I know guys think they can get away with that
sort of thing, but I’m glad at least one of us really showed him what he is.”
“I don’t have
time for anyone like that – it’s Diana, isn’t it? I like your dress.”
“Likewise,”
Diana said as she looked at Camilla. “Do
we shop at the same boutique?”
“No idea – so,
want to go and get another drink?”
“Why not,”
Camilla said as they left the room, and walked down the corridor towards the sound
of the music – but Diana stopped and looked a way down the long straight
hallway.
“What is it,”
Camilla said quietly.
“Someone’s in
the main office – I can see the door is open and the light is on,” Diana said
quietly, “we’d better check it out.”
Camilla nodded
as they walked past the meeting room, but as they got closer they could hear
voices in the office.
“You go that
safe open yet?”
“Just about –
there we go…”
As Diana looked
in, she saw two men by the door to the secure safe, the door to which was open
as they put documents into a bag.
“shit,” she
whispered as she looked in, “we ned to raise the alarm.”
“No you don’t.”
Diana turned to
her side to see Astrid behind Camilla, her colleague slowly raising her hands
as she said “she… She’s got a gun.”
“I do indeed,
Diana – both of you, walk in there and keep those hands in the air.”
Swallowing,
Diana walked in, the two men turning and looking at the as Astrid closed the
door. “You idiots nearly spoiled
everything,” she said quietly, “but I covered your derrieres. You two – sit in the chairs, and put your
hands on your head.”
“What the hell is
going on,” Camilla said as she and Diana sat down, the hems of their dresses rising
to reveal the tops of their boots. One
of the men opened a second bag, saying “at least we came prepared” as he took
out two skeins of rope, handing one to Astrid before he shook it free, doubled
it over, and wrapped it round Diana’s waist, forcing her against the wooden
back of the chair as it was tightly tied.
Her arms were then pulled round the chair back as she felt him bind her
wrists together – and she could see Astrid doing the same thing to Camilla as
she sat there.
“Astrid – what
the hell do you think you are doing,” Camilla said as the rope was pulled tight
around her arms.
“Robbing the
company -what do you think it looks like,” she said as he took more rope and wrapped
it round Camilla’s arms and upper body, forcing her further against the chair
back as her dress was pulled over he chest.
Diana could feel the same thing happening to her as she wriggled round,
and then the man knelt in front of her, putting rope around her ankles and
forcing them together as he wrapped it around and between her booted legs.
She tried to
move her legs, as the leather squeaked, before he pulled them to the side and
bound them to one of the front legs. She
watched Camilla as the same was down to her, the grunt clear before their legs
were secured below their knees, the man and Astrid folding their skirts back to
do so, and then back over
“thanks – I
think,” Camilla said as she looked at Diana and smiled.
“What?”
“Don’t you find
this a little – exciting?”
“Terrifying, if
truth be told,” Diana said as she tried to move, with little success, “but – I guess
it is, yeah, but what happens now?”
“Now,” Astrid
said as she took from the bag a roll of brown sticking plaster, and tore a
strip off, “you put your lips together.”
“Why did I see this
coming,” Diana said quietly before the cloth was pressed firmly over her mouth,
firmly stopping anything beyond mumbles coming from out of her mouth as she
watched the brown fabric been pressed over Camilla’s mouth. The brunette looked ta her, an eyebrow raised
as Astrid looked at the two men.
“Finish off
here,” she said as she picked up the bag they had loaded items into, and walked
out, Camilla and Diana looking at each other as the two men cleared the last
things out of the safe.
“Hey.”
“What?”
“We got a few
minutes – how about we have a little bit of fun before we go?”
Diana and Camilla
looked at each other, the two of them shaking their heads as the two men stood Infront
of them. “They’re a little plain,” the
one in front of Diana said as she rubbed her chin, “but I’m in the mood.”
Diana shook her
head and closed her eyes as he loomed over her, afraid of what was to come…
“Get your dirty
hands off them!”
She opened her
eyes to see the man pulled back, as Steve felled him with a left hook to the
chin, another of her male colleagues tackling the second man as Camilla stared,
her eyes wide. As the two men were
dragged off, Steve leaned over and peeled the tape away from Diana’s mouth.
“Are you all
right,” he said as he put his hand on her cheek.
“Yeah – how did
you know?”
“I saw Astrid
leaving with a bag, and followed her with a security guard. We caught her, she told us about you two –
and we decided to play Jason King.”
“Without the
‘tach and sideburns,” Camilla said as she rubbed her wrists.
“Yeah – and
with without the swarm from earlier.
Sorry about that – get you two ladies a drink?”
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