Chasing Circumstance Read online

  Shutting off my light, I closed the door to my office and noticed Sam by the water cooler with a bunch of the guys. When he saw me, he stopped talking and I knew he was telling them about the arrangements we made for the following night.

  I thought to myself, ‘Boy does he have a surprise coming his way.”

  Jo and I met at her car in the parking lot and decided to walk over to Brady’s since it was directly across the street. Parking was always hard to find in this part of town. That was the biggest reason I seldom took my car anywhere. It was considerably easier to leave it in the parking garage unless I had no other choice.

  Chace wasn’t at the bar, so we only stayed for a couple of drinks. It just wasn’t as fun without him there; plus, it was a work night, so hangovers were not allowed.

  I walked Jo to her car, said goodnight, and walked home. I hadn’t done any house work since I returned from Scotland and it was really starting to bother me. After putting away my work things, I changed my clothes, turned on the alternative rock station and began performing the duties on my lengthy chore list.

  I washed what clothes I could and got the rest ready to go to the dry cleaner’s. Dishes and vacuuming came after that because it was much easier to vacuum the hardwood floors than it was to sweep and mop them. The cleaning of the bathroom followed close behind. By the time I was done changing the linens on my bed, I was so tired I ordered in some Thai food, and sat at my desk eating while I wrote in my blog and drank a glass of wine.

  “Dear You,

  Inspiration sometimes finds us in the most unusual of places. We may be inspired by the beauty of a love song, the way the leaves rustle in the wind, or in the laughter of a child. Today, my inspiration came from that of a dear friend.

  Where would we be in life without the love and support of those closest to us? No matter how independent we may feel, none of us walk down life’s path alone. Sometimes we may not even consciously notice the things that influence our day, like that of a smile from a stranger, witnessing a good deed being done, such as a young boy carrying groceries for a senior, or a cabbie handing you a fist full of napkins when you’ve spilled coffee on yourself. These acts of kindness happen around us all the time and are the things that make our world a kinder place to live even when we can’t, or don’t, see it for ourselves.

  So tonight, dear readers, I leave you with these questions…

  What was the last thing you unselfishly did for someone else, and what will the next one be?

  ~ Amia”

  CHAPTER NINE

  It was Friday and the stage was set. I left work early with the excuse of having a dentist appointment, so I could meet Isabella at the hotel to help her set up and go over the plans one final time. She had taken care of everything and had borrowed some props from the theater. She was already at the hotel when I arrived and was setting up when I walked in.

  “Hi, are you ready for the big show?” I sat down on the bed, took my checklist out of my purse and began to look at it. We didn’t have much time before Sam was supposed to be there.

  “Yep, I’m just mentally getting ready for it.” Isabella went into the bathroom to finish getting dressed for her big debut.

  “And you’re sure we can’t get in any trouble for this?” My conscious was starting to get the better of me, but I fought back the guilt. After all, we weren’t going to hurt Sam. Our plans were to humiliate him as he had done to so many unsuspecting women over the years. We just wanted him to learn a lesson.

  “You’ll be at the bar with an airtight alibi, and he has no idea who I am. I’m sure, there will be no trouble.” Isabella came out of the bathroom in a full black leather body suit with six inch, thigh high, stiletto boots on. Across her face she wore the masquerade mask I had gotten at the ball in Scotland. “Well, how do I look?”

  “Wow, you look more like me than I do! That is, if I were to wear that outfit.” I couldn’t believe how much we looked alike and wondered why I had never noticed it before tonight. “Oh hey, don’t forget to give me that mask back.” I stood up and walked toward the door. “I better get out of here and over to the bar. Break a leg!”

  “Thanks, Doll. I’ll meet you at Brady’s when all is said and done to let you know how it went.” Isabella walked over to the door and closed it behind me as I left.

  I got in my car, drove back to the parking garage, and stopped at my place to change before heading to the bar. I wanted to change my clothes into something more casual with a hint of sexy because I knew Chace would be there.

  Looking through my closet, I decided on a pair of black, skinny jeans and a simple white, button down shirt with a black scarf. Leaving the top three buttons open to expose the lace at the top of my bra; I put the scarf over my shoulders, put on my Fendi heels, and walked into the bathroom.

  I had worn my hair up in a twist, so when I pulled the comb from it, it fell in soft waves around my face. I sprayed a little of my new perfume over my hair and down my body to freshen up before applying more make-up. Satisfied with my look, I locked up, and headed down to the bar.

  Jo was already there in her usual seat and was saving mine when I walked in. She picked up her purse so I could sit down. “Well, don’t you look scrumptious tonight? How did your appointment go?” She slid my drink across the bar to me.

  “Oh that, um, I didn’t exactly have a dentist appointment. I’m sorry I had to lie to you but there were people, well one person, in ear shot that couldn’t hear the truth.” I smiled at her and took a sip of my drink. “I’ll explain everything when Isabella gets here.”

  “Explain what? Why you look so amazing tonight?” Chace approached us. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but he looked different.

  “Hi, Chace. New haircut?” I attempted to distract him from his question. There was no way he could find out what was going on at the hotel as we sat there.

  “Yes, thank you for noticing. Does it suit me?” Chace ran his hands through his short blonde hair. “I got it cut this afternoon. I don’t usually wear it this short, but I thought it was time for a change.” He handed Jo and I each a coaster for our drinks. “Speaking of changing, you didn’t get all dressed up for me, did you?” He flirted across the bar.

  “No, she had a dentist appointment.” Jo cut into the conversation just in time to save me from having to lie to Chace. “You should see her dentist, he’s quite the looker.” Jo finished her first drink, all the while staring at Chace.

  “Oh is he now?” Chace poured himself a shot of Vodka and drank it. “Better looking than me?” He smiled at me as he asked.

  “No, Chace. No one is better looking than you are.” I rolled my eyes and spoke with as much sarcasm as I could manage at that moment. I meant what I said, but I didn’t want him to know it. I was still getting over the re-break up with Stuart and wasn’t ready to head into a new relationship. I liked Chace too much to make him a notch on my bedpost.

  “You know, lies are unbecoming of a woman as beautiful as you.” Chace laughed a little before turning away to wait on other patrons.

  “So, where were you?” Jo turned in her barstool so she was looking directly at me.

  “It will all be revealed soon. Have patience dear friend, have some patience.” Slyly, I smiled at her and sipped at my drink.

  “You know, I hate it when you do this, but I guess you’re not going to tell me just yet.” Jo turned back around in her seat to look at the crowd. “There are a lot of people from the office in here tonight. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this place this packed.”

  “That’s a good thing.” I scanned the crowd with her. The guys Sam had been talking to at the water cooler were all there. They were standing around a table and kept glancing over at me. I waved at them and smiled.

  “What’s that about? Or is that part of what you won’t tell me?” Jo lifted her empty glass to signal Chace to bring her another.

  “Let’s just say that none of those guys expected to see me here tonight.” I looked at my watc
h. “Isabella should be here any minute and then all will be revealed.” I set my empty glass on the bar. “You know what, I kind of feel like having a beer instead. Chace? Bring me a light tap beer, please?” I reached into my purse to retrieve my wallet, pulled out a twenty dollar bill and set it on the counter.

  “You? Drinking beer?” Chace brought me my glass of beer.

  “Yep, here, and keep them coming.” I slid the money across the bar toward him.

  “Something going on? Are you alright?” Chace actually looked concerned.

  “Yep, I’m fine. I just felt like having a beer. Something wrong with that?” I winked and smiled at him and then stuck my finger in the foam on the top of the glass and licked it off my finger.

  “Nope, nothing wrong with that. I like diversity in a woman.” Chace raised an eyebrow at my action, smiled, and then went to the other end of the bar to help fill drink orders.

  “His boss really needs to hire more help in here for nights like this.” I looked at Jo and offered her a sip of my beer.

  “Ew! No!” Jo recoiled from my offer. “You know, Amia, he is the boss. Chace owns this place.” She picked up her own drink and stirred it with the little straw in it.

  “What? How do you know?” I was shocked by her announcement and turned to look at Chace across the bar.

  “He told me when you were in Scotland. He doesn’t like people to know it though. He said they treat him differently. I guess he inherited it from his uncle in the beginning of the year, and before this, he worked in the back in either the office or the kitchen.” Jo still sat, stirring her drink and looking out over the crowd.

  “Hmm, I would never have guessed it.” I drank half of my beer and set it back down on the bar. I was starting to get nervous because Isabella was late, so I picked up my napkin and started tearing little pieces off of it. “Are you looking for someone in particular, Jo?”

  “Um, well… I know I said I would never fuck him again but he’s good!” Jo’s voice sound exasperated as she blurted out the words.

  “No, Jo! You promised. Anyway, I have a feeling he won’t be showing up here tonight. Just call it a gut instinct.” I giggled as I picked up my beer and finished it. Just as I was about to order a second one, Isabella walked through the door and came over to us.

  “Hi, Isabella, you remember my boss and best friend, Jo, don’t you?” I re-introduced the two of them.

  “Oh, yes. Hi, Jo, how are you?” Isabella reached to shake Jo’s hand.

  “Better now that you’re here and the two of you can fill me in on what’s going on.” Jo shook Isabella’s hand and smiled at her.

  “You haven’t told her yet?” Isabella sat on the bar stool next to me, so I was in between her and Jo. She reached into her purse and handed me my mask.

  “Nope, I was waiting for you to get here. Did everything go as we planned?” I scooted back my barstool so I could see both of them at the same time without turning my head too much.

  “Yep, it went exactly as planned.” Isabella sneered at us and then yelled across the bar at Chace to bring us a round of drinks.

  “What can I get you?” Chace nodded his head in recognition toward Isabella.

  “Oh, I’ll have a screaming orgasm, please.” Isabella smiled a flirtatious smile at Chace.

  “I’m afraid we’re out of Bailey’s just now. What else can I get you?” Chace didn’t respond to her flirting at all, but instead, looked at me and smiled.

  “Well, I guess I’ll just have a rum and coke then, please and thank you.” Isabella pouted because she did not get the response from Chace she was hoping for.

  “Coming right up, and how about you, Miss Amia and Miss Jo, are you ready for your refills?” He reached across the bar and touched my hand as he picked up my beer glass.

  “Sure, we’ll each take a refill, thanks.” I looked up at him and smiled as he pulled his hand away from mine.

  “Be right back then.” He winked at me before turning around to go make our drinks.

  “He’s fucking hot, and he’s got a hard-on for you, Amia.” Isabella was still pouting a little. She was used to being the one to get all the attention and I was sure that is why she had become an actress. Chace brought us our drinks and excused himself to the back of the bar.

  “Would one of you please tell me what the fuck you’re being so secretive about?” Jo raised her voice a bit.

  “Quiet, please, Jo.” I whispered to her. “I don’t want anyone in here to have even the slightest clue of what happened tonight.”

  “Then one of you had better start talking.” Jo picked up her drink and whispered back.

  “You know how Sam has been hitting on me and every other woman in the office since he started working there? And how he’s always spewing off such chauvinistic remarks? Well, we came up with a plan yesterday to get even with him, and we put it into action tonight. Isabella? Care to fill her and me in on the details?” I bit my tongue to stop myself from laughing. I then jumped down from my barstool and moved it next to Jo, so Isabella could look at us both while she told us what happened. Picking up my beer, I hopped back up on my barstool.

  “As I just said, it went exactly as we planned.” Isabella raised her glass in a toast. “Here’s to the plans that work and the man that regrets it.”

  “Enough of the bullshit... Get to it.” Jo seemed as though she was getting frustrated.

  “Okay, okay. So, I was in the bathroom when I heard him walk in and call your name, Amia. I told him to look on the bed. He didn’t even notice that it wasn’t your voice, or at least he didn’t say anything.” Isabella took a sip of her drink. “After a couple of minutes he said, ‘I’m not putting these on.’” Isabella did her best to impersonate Sam’s voice. “So I walked out of the bathroom and told him if he didn’t put them on then we couldn’t play. His jaw just about hit the floor when he saw me. He couldn’t move fast enough to get naked and put the leather shorts on.” She stopped and laughed a bit. “And get this, he turns to me and says, ‘I always thought you were a prude. I never would have thought you played like this.’ I almost lost it again!” She then reached into her purse, pulled her cell phone out and sat it on the bar. “Let me tell you, seeing him naked is something I could have lived without. How does he get all these women that he does? He’s nothing special to look at.” She finished her drink and set the empty glass down.

  “I can tell you from experience that he plays up to a woman’s ego. That’s how he got me anyway… Twice.” Jo looked at the floor as she spoke. It looked almost as though she was embarrassed.

  “What? You?” Isabella looked as shocked as I did the first time Jo told me she had slept with Sam.

  “Yeah, but this isn’t about me... Continue.” Jo looked at Isabella with such a stern expression on her face that it actually made Isabella cringe with fear of what would happen if she had said anything else about it.

  “So anyway, he put on the shorts, and I told him to lie down on the bed, which he promptly did. I stood next to him and kind of swayed my hips a bit and told him that we had to play by my rules, or we couldn’t play at all. He agreed so quickly that I swear I saw his head spin. Anyway, I opened the drawer of the night stand next to the bed where I had the cuffs and shackles stashed and put them on his wrists and ankles. He laughed a little and said something about having to tie him down because I couldn’t handle the sexual beast that he was. I ignored his comment and walked to the end of the bed, pulled out the chains on each side, and attached them to the shackles and then did the same with the chains at the head of the bed and the cuffs.” She picked up her phone to look at it and put it down again. “I made sure they were tight enough that he wasn’t moving. When I finished, he says, ‘What, are you afraid I’ll run away?’ I just looked at him and faked a smile.” The three of us started laughing loudly but caught ourselves so no one would hear what we were talking about.

  “What’s so funny over here, ladies?” Chace came over to where we were sitting. “This round is
on me.” Chace made Jo and Isabella each another drink and sat a pitcher of beer in front of me.

  “Thanks, Chace.” No one else said anything to him and it became awkwardly silent.

  “I’ll let the three of you get back to your girl talk. I can tell where I’m not wanted.” Chace winked and pointed his finger at me before walking away.

  “So, what did you do next?” I was like a nosy neighbor trying to find out the local gossip.

  “I was tired of hearing his bullshit, so I put the ball gag over his head and placed it in his mouth. Once I made sure it was in place and tight enough that he couldn’t spit it out, I asked him if he minded if I turned on some porn and he shook his head. So I walked over to the DVD player and started the video. You should have seen his eyes when he saw that it was gay porn! I almost lost it at that point. I excused myself to the restroom, and when I came out, I was carrying a massive dildo and a container of petroleum jelly. I thought his eyes got big before when he saw the porn, but they almost burst out of his head when he saw what I brought out with me.” Isabella slapped her leg as she began laughing hysterically. After taking a deep breath, she continued with her story. “He started frantically shaking his head no and was trying to scream over the ball gag.” She couldn’t stop laughing.

  “You didn’t… You wouldn’t go that far.” Jo looked utterly shocked at what she had just heard.

  “Of course not. I only used it to scare the shit out of him.” Isabella shot Jo a look that if it had been a punch, it would have knocked Jo’s teeth loose. I think she was upset that Jo would even ask such a question. Isabella was an actress, not a monster. “Anyway, I smeared petroleum jelly all over the dildo and left it on the bed next to him. I then took the watered down mayonnaise out of my purse and put some by his mouth, on his stomach and over his thighs. He was trying to yell at me the whole time but could only mumble because of the ball gag. I told him he had been a bad boy and he should think about how he treats women in the future.” Isabella drank more of her drink before continuing. “I then told him I was leaving him there for the maids to find him in the morning and he should take the time to think about the kind of man he was and wanted to be. I went on to say he was a chauvinist and had earned everything that happened to him tonight. When I figured he had enough, I went into the bathroom, changed my clothes and left. I did keep the mask on though until I made it out to my car so that he wouldn’t realize that it wasn’t you, Amia.” Isabella could hardly speak through her laughter. Jo and I couldn’t help but to laugh either. It was truly a hilarious mental image.