Fight to the Top Read online

  “George, you awake?” Julia opened the door.

  Ohhh fuck. She was in the doorway with the light shining through the partially opened door. Wearing only the T-shirt of the PJ set Georgia had given her, resting at her thighs. Georgia coughed, trying to ignore the outfit, or lack thereof. “Yes, are you okay?”

  “Yeah, your room is bloody boiling, and I can’t reach the window. Seriously, why the hell do architects these days make these funky city centre buildings so weird?” She laughed. “I was going to sleep in the lounge but I couldn’t find a cover, sorry to wake you.”

  Georgia laughed getting up. “I have another spare room,” she said, walking out of the room.

  “Well, I didn’t want to go into your rooms. You may have some kind of S&M room in there for all I know. Although, I wish I had of now, had I known you were going to come out half naked. I definitely would have opted for the former,” she said looking Georgia up and down.

  Georgia looked at her solicitously before responding. “Yes, of course. I don’t have time to eat or have a social life. However, I have regular ‘live in’s’ whom are holed up in my very own Christian Grey, red room.” She shook her head. “There you are. Is that wide enough for you? The suns on it all day, and because it is predominantly windows, this room particularly gets like a greenhouse.” She turned around looking at Julia.

  “Well, whatever floats your boat, I don’t know what you’re in to. You aren’t much different to Christian Grey, high earning super exec that works too much. What’s it they say? ‘All work and no play, makes ‘you a very dull person’? Plus, I don’t know that isn’t your release?” she said engagingly.

  “You need to stop misbehaving. My release…for the record, is exercise,” Georgia said, walking past Julia.

  “Misbehaving? Me? Best behave, or you may just have to discipline me,” she said alluringly. “And exercise is a good release. You know what the best form of exercise is don’t you?” Julia said walking back over to the bed.

  Georgia sighed, feeling the pull and knowing it was wrong of her to even consider what she was considering. She was the boss. She was the senior person and she was condemning the guys earlier for fucking about with the young women from the office. Equally, they were all married and in relationships. These two…well, they were both single adults. She turned to Julia, raising her eyebrow as she saw her sitting on the bed with her knees slightly raised, giving off the very slightest view of her right buttock and thigh. She looked straight back up to Julia’s eyes, who was smirking, having caught her looking. Fuck, Julia was up for this just as much as Georgia was. They were both adults. And she wasn’t hurting her if she didn’t actually have feelings for her anymore, right? Georgia walked quickly over to the bed, pushing her down against the mattress, with her hands on either side of her head.

  “You are so bad. You know this can’t happen. I’m your boss. You liked me, I don’t want to hurt you,” Georgia said more of a question.

  “You’re the one half naked, holding me down, with your knee between my thighs. Rendering me powerless to you, no less,” she raised an eyebrow. “FYI, ‘Liked’ are the key words here, George. I don’t care that you’re my boss. I have no interest in sharing this information in the next board meeting. Simply put, I am drunk and horny, and Erm, not blind,” she said, looking down at Georgia’s body. “You are hot, especially right now. Being all sexy, toned, and dominant. Plus, I’m pretty sure,” she paused confidently. “Frustrated as…”

  Georgia kissed her hard. Sod it; like she said were both adults.

  Houston, USA

  Chapter Seven

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come out to celebrate? It’s been a hard-going couple months,” Tim said to his boss

  “Don’t I know it? No, I’m good. You go. I am just as good going and celebrating with my favourite girl. And at the moment, sweats, a jersey, Frozen, and a Luigi’s Mexicana.” She smiled.

  ***

  Erika got in her car and punched in Taylor’s number. “Hey, I’m gonna stop by Luigi’s. You wanna stay and have dinner with us, or do you have big plans tonight?” she laughed into the phone to her nanny.

  “Seriously! You don’t even wanna joke about that. I’m pretty sure my future is dark and gloomy, and this dating game is just plain mean,” she sighed. “Is Dan not home?” Taylor asked.

  “No. Working late. So, game? How’s Dulcie?”

  “She’s great, we have only watched F...R...O...Z...E... N once today, and I even promised a trip to the mall to treat her to any movie she wants to pick out. Yeah sure, I’ll stay over for pizza, and I’ll give you the update on the public humiliation from last night’s date. Are we celebrating? Should I open a bottle? Ohhh, we can watch a grown-up movie,” Taylor said excitably.

  Erika started laughing “Oh, I can’t wait for this. We can celebrate, yes,” she said shyly. Erika was sad that it was only her nanny that had remembered and bothered to comment. “Cool, I’ll be home soon.” She hung up, and punched in another number.

  “Hey, it’s me; is Dan there please?”

  “Hey you,” Dan responded, distracted.

  “Hi, how’s work been? So, how late you working? I was gonna swing by Luigi’s on the way home and grab takeout.”

  “Ohhh, I’m sorry sweetie; I just have so much going on at the office. You guys do it without me, I will order something here. I’ll be late, baby, don’t wait up. Look I need to go, or I won’t be home at all; have a good night, give Dulcie a kiss from me.”

  “I lo…,” yeah, I love you too, she said sarcastically into the dead phone line. She rested her head in her spare hand against the car window as she continued her drive to Luigi’s.

  ***

  Erika parked her car in the garage and carried the pizza boxes into the house. “I’m home,” she shouted to the house.

  “Mommy, Mommy,” Dulcie said, running into her.

  “Ohhh, easy kiddo. Mommy’s got dinner,” she said, handing the boxes over to Taylor, who had come to her rescue.

  Erika picked up her daughter, in her frozen pajamas. This kid is obsessed, she thought. “Hey baby, good day at school?” She kissed her, before putting her own down.

  “Nooooo, not really,” she said sadly, concerning Erika. “It was really kinda tough,” she sighed, with her hands on her hips. “They gave us a test,” her little feet trying to keep up with them into the kitchen.

  Erika spun around looking confused at Dulcie’s serious face.

  Taylor was behind Dulcie smirking and shaking her index finger to Erika, whispering that it was her who’d got the unexpected test. “Wow, for real?” Taylor picked up Dulcie and put her on the countertop. “That’s so weird, Dulcie, me too. I went to school and they gave me a surprise test,” she shook her head, pouring two glasses of wine and one glass of grape juice.

  “You did? Wow, I mean isn’t that odd. Do you got Miss Addison to?” Dulcie asked.

  “Maybe I got Miss Addison’s mommy. I guess you need a glass of wine like mommy and I too huh?” Taylor asked, giving the grape juice to Dulcie.

  “Yeah, I do. It’s been a long, hard day,” she sighed sipping her juice. “Hmm, fruity.”

  Taylor and Erika turned their backs from Dulcie, smiling at the little girl’s words. “So, little lady. You have been bathed, ate dinner, and this is your last drink before bed. Now go, you have 15 minutes only, okay?” Taylor said, lifting her down. “Go watch the last of your TV show, then you can have a bedtime story from mommy.”

  “Ohhh, but I wanna stay up with you guys,” she whined.

  Erika looked at her daughter. The ‘behave’ stare, always worked a treat; whether that would remain when she became a teenager, who knew?

  “Mommy, can you come watch TV with me for a short while before I go to bed?”

  “Of course, baby. Go get our seats warm and I’ll be right in,” she said, gently kicking her daughter’s butt; evoking a small scream and giggle from her, as sh
e ran off to the second living room.

  “How about you go relax and have some time with Dulcie? I’ll keep this warm for us, plus I gotta make a few calls. Then we can sit down for dinner, movie, drinks and gossip.” Taylor said.

  “You are a godsend. Thanks, Tay. Listen, don’t feel the need to babysit a lonely old woman on a Friday night. If you have better options, go. Go, have fun,” Erika said seriously.

  “Well, at this moment in time. Unless George Clooney was to come whisk me off on a private jet to Italy, for a real Italian pizza, I’m pretty confident this is the best offer I have had for a long time.” She smiled to her boss and friend.

  Erika gasped. “Wash your mouth out,” she said, covering the sides of the pizza boxes. “Luigi will be most offended,” she smirked.

  “Mommy, where are you?” Dulcie called, poking her head around the door.

  Taylor held her hands up in surrender. “I apologise to the great Luigi and anyone else I have offended,” she smirked. “Go, her ladyship has summoned you,” she said in her best British accent, taking a bow, cleaning the kitchen up from the cake they had been baking earlier.

  ***

  Taylor could hear Dulcie’s sniffles. Walking into the room she watched the girl crying in her mom’s arms, sniffing heavily that she didn’t want to go to bed yet. Erika was a wonderful mom, and she worked her ass off. Taylor knew how hard it was for her to leave her daughter every day and not spend every waking moment with her. But as she frequently said, she wanted to make sure that Dulcie knew it was important to dream big, have a solid experience of strong independent women, and provide her with a stable upbringing. Equally, she could feel her pain every time she said goodbye to her baby girl. “Hey, Dulcie; come here a moment, I have secret.”

  Dulcie looked up at her nanny, still sniffling. “No, I don’t wanna,” she cried a little more.

  “Oh, that’s a shame. I have a surprise, and I thought you might like to help me with it?” she said, slowly walking out of the room.

  Dulcie looked up at Erika, who shrugged to her daughter. “I don’t know, baby. Maybe you gotta go see?” she said.

  Taylor stopped and held out her hand for Dulcie to go with her. They walked into the kitchen and Taylor put her on the countertop. “Did you forget the celebration cake we baked today for mommy? I think we should do it now, then you gotta go to bed like a good girl, ok? Mommy needs to have some dinner and then when you wake you guys have the whole weekend together. No work.” She smiled.

  “For real? No work?” Dulcie said, slowly coming around.

  “No work, baby.” They both looked around to see Erika standing at the doorway in her pant suit, resting her head against the doorframe. Dulcie had the biggest smile on her face, and Taylor’s chest tightened.

  “So, tell mommy to go sit back down so we can surprise her,” Taylor said with her hands on her hips.

  Dulcie’s sad face suddenly burst into the biggest of grins. She giggled and kicked her feet excitably. “Go away, Mommy. We got a surprise for you,” she said, wiping her eyes.

  “You do? Okay, I’ll leave. But Dulcie, seriously, it’s getting late, you have to go bed then, okay?”

  “Okay,” she said quietly, turning back around to Taylor.

  Taylor smiled to Erika as they watched her leave. They opened the fridge and grabbed the chocolate cake they had made earlier. The plan was to write ‘Congratulations Mommy’ on it, however, Dulcie was adamant that she should write the words, and as such they had ‘congratulati’. She guessed she could say it was Italian. They have a lot of words that end in ‘I’, and as Erika was Italian, that could maybe work, she thought. “Okay, you wanna go switch the lights out? I’ll light the candles and bring it in,” she said, lifting Dulcie down.

  “Tay Tay? What do we sing?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, we can’t sing happy birthday. Because it’s not her birthday,” she said seriously.

  “Erm, how about we don’t sing. We just go in and shout congratulations, or congratulati.” She smiled.

  Dulcie ran into the second living room. She pulled her children’s seat over to the light switch, standing on it, and switched it off.

  “What are you doing, baby?”

  “It’s a surprise,” she said, running out of the room again.

  They walked into the room with the chocolate cake and both shouted congratulations. “Wow, what’s this?” Erika said, taking the cake so that Taylor could switch the light back on.

  “It’s your celebration cake. We made it all by ourselves today,” she gleamed.

  “You did? For me?” Erika said, confused by the word ‘congratulati’ written across the middle of the chocolate cake.

  “Don’t ask.” Taylor smiled, shaking her head.

  Chapter Eight

  Erika came back downstairs after showering and putting her daughter to bed. She was feeling relaxed with the comfort of her hair tied back in a high ponytail, and her Brown University vest top and sweatpants. It was a warm spring night, and the seasons were about to change, which was noticeable now. She walked into the lounge and could see the movies laid out on the floor alongside the wine and pizza boxes on the coffee table.

  “I feel much better now; my feet have officially fallen out with me. And possibly my stomach. I’m starved,” Erika said, sitting on the couch on one of her feet, reaching for her wine and a slice of pizza. Taking a big bite of the pizza she leaned her head back on the couch. “Ohhh, yes, yes, yes. Everything is right with the world. Thank you, Luigi,” she mumbled through the mouthfuls.

  “You are seriously having some kinda love affair with a pizza, you know, that, right?”

  “Heeeey, I’m Italian,” Erika smirked. “How rude. Salut? Apologies, I needed food,” holding her glass up.

  “Cheers,” she clinked her glass. “I guess you didn’t eat again then, no?”

  “I know, I know. Please no more lectures. I can’t take it today,” she said, rubbing her temples.

  “You need a spa day, and no lectures. Two full time stressful jobs. The stress of the job you do, combined with not eating, isn’t good for anybody. I’m just saying,” she said, holding up her hand to stop Erika from speaking. “And now; I’m not saying. So… today? Hit me,” Taylor said, leaning in for a slice of pizza.

  ***

  Taylor and Erika discussed all the details of the day’s events. “You want to open another bottle?” Taylor asked. “Celebrations and all that? Alternatively, I can call a cab.”

  “Hell no, I am yet to hear the latest dating escapades. You fill a sad old woman’s life with so much comedy. I’ll grab another bottle,” she said as she picked up another slice of pizza and walked to the kitchen, putting the bottle in the ice bucket. “Fancy champers. Celebrations and all that?” she smirked.

  “For sure. But, you really do need to stop with the whole old woman BS. Seriously, you are only a few years older than me. Also, you’re a total MILF, so you can’t pull the ‘old’ card out. Deal?”

  “MILF?” she laughed. “Yeah right, in my sweats and hair pulled up? Real sexy.” She shook her head and popped the lid of the bottle, pouring them each a glass.

  “Lots of people like the relaxed look. And you pull off a very good work look. Today’s was a particularly good one,” Taylor laughed. “Here’s to… sexy, over 30, who still got it,” she said, clinking Erika’s glass.

  “You have turned out to be one of the best friends I have ever had you know that?” Erika clinked back. “And here’s to over thirty.” She smiled.

  “Well, I’m guessing the fact you put me through school and have never tried to hit on me, made me a little more than just the babysitter,” she smirked.

  “I cannot believe you have just said that to your boss,” she smirked. “FYI, I didn’t put you through school, I invested in my best friend.” She smiled. “Anyways, this is all becoming very deep, after, too little alcohol. Tell me about last night’s prince
charming.” She grinned.

  “Prince charming? Seriously? Ohhh, you will love this. So, he showed up, looked me up and down, turned to the restaurant, and walked through the door. He didn’t even hold it open for me.”

  “Creep,” they both said in unison, laughing.

  “So, we sit down, he looks me up and down again, and tells me the ‘profile picture looks like you’re blonde.’ I mean, I know people are specifically attracted to certain types, but to be so rude about it? I have never thought I was too bad on the eye, but really?” She took a sip of the champagne. “Long, story short. He was a jerk. I decided I would be equally as rude, so I responded with ‘maybe it’s your sight that’s going as opposed to my profile pic. I’m light brown and always have been, and had you asked anything about me, then maybe we would have established this fact and not wasted either of our times.’” She paused to take some more wine. “I basically said, ‘I’m suddenly not very hungry, so I’ll let you get the drinks after wasting my time and being so utterly arrogant,’” she said, looking to Erika.

  “You didn’t?” she laughed.