A Little Gift from ENCOM

Chapter 5: Party

 

 

Company celebrations at ENCOM… That was always fun to the extreme – since Sam Flynn was the boss. He knew how to keep his employees entertained and satisfied. He was young hearted and was considering his employees more as friends than as inferiors. And not least he just wanted to have fun himself. So there was no purpose, no deeper intention behind his parties such as keeping the employees in a good mood so they were able to work harder, or making them identify themselves more with the company. He was just doing it for the sake of fun.

And the employees loved his generous, extravagant and jolly parties.

 

So did Judith.

She just arrived on the top floor where the main banquet hall was, exited and with high spirits, stepping out of the elevator door, greeting some fellow employees standing there in the reception area.

Gloria was bouncing towards her in her high heels, a glass of champagne in her hand.

“Judith!” she was squealing enthusiastically. “You look so pretty! What a lovely dress!”

“Thanks”, Judith smiled broadly, feeling her cheeks getting warmer, for the eyes of everyone near her were instantly flipping over to her.

She was wearing a low-cut, airy, dainty, delicate and formfitting purple dress reaching the middle of her thighs. The perfect length. Not that short it would have been somehow revealing or salacious, but short enough to give the impression of sweet and lovely sexiness.

And her long, luxuriant, honey brown hair, usually tied up during work, she was wearing open for this evening and it was falling over her shoulders in shimmering waves.

She knew that this dress really suited her as if made for her, and she had enough self-confidence to know how pretty she was. And although a lot of men were looking at her as she walked into the hall, it was just one certain man she wanted to attract. The only one for whom she had dressed up like this, with the intention to challenge, to tempt and to tantalize.

She was aware that it might was a bit primitive to fall back on this kind of woman’s weapons, but it was a sinfully good feeling using them.

And maybe they were the last weapons left she could use to tear down Ed’s firewall…

 

 

The hall was high and very spacious, divided in two areas. The whole external wall of the main area was just one wide window front with a well-spaced balcony outside. Inside there where big round tables and enough seats for everyone, an overfull buffet lining the right internal wall and a stage in the front where a live band was playing pop and rock songs while there was some space left for dancing.

In the back area – which was a little separated from the main hall, almost a room of its own – Sam had arranged a colorful mix of different computer games, some old fashioned arcade games, some modern ones with rejections on big screens, as well as some interactive fun and skill games. There was even a karaoke stage for everyone who dared to make a fool out of him- or herself.

 

Finally Judith saw him. Ed. He was standing at the buffet, a glass of red wine in his hand, sternly talking to some other board members, not giving the impression to have any fun. Maybe he was even talking about some work-related topics, Judith could imagine.

Provocatively she was heading his way.

 

“Some more champagne, Gloria?” she asked her workmate, standing now in front of the buffet, in the area where the drinks were served out, Ed about four steps to her left.

And as she walked away with two glasses of champagne she passed him, greeting him and his conversational partners with some hearty words and a warm, broad smile.

Ed’s facial expression as he saw her… honey to her heart. Warm, sweet, golden honey gliding down her throat, sugaring her inside, making her drunk with sizzling joy.

He was only showing subtle changes – his body freezing as if holding his breath, his eyes widening a little, his gaze resting on her much longer than a usual glance, even slightly following her out of the corner of his eyes, flashing down her entire body for an second – but yet it was enough for her to feel the sweetest satisfaction.

And lifted with high spirits she was embracing this evening, was diving into the fun and the light and the colors, feeling like a teen girl at her prom, but she didn’t care. It was plain, pure, genuine fun.

 

Where ever she was, if enjoying some food, if dancing to the live band’s music, if joining some games or if just chatting with her workmates; she was always looking out for Ed, unobtrusively searching for his lean, edgy, striking shape in the crowd. And she realized with satisfaction that he always had his face turned to her, no matter where she was, no matter where he was. And from that point on every thing she was doing, she was doing for him, knowing he was watching. Every smile, every step, every gesture, every turn of her neck, every sway of her hips, every single movement.

 

They were dancing, she and some of her fellow female workmates, playfully, while laughing and giggling and having a blast. And as Sam Flynn was suddenly joining them, starting to dance and to flirt quite offensively with Judith, she just thought: Well, let’s see what happens.

She didn’t expect Ed to join. Sure not! He would never, and that she knew. She accepted and respected this part of his personality. But she was hoping he would at least fight for her, would try to catch her attraction, would do just something.

Soon she realized; she was wasting her time… Nothing was happening. Even more: Ed seemed to have disappeared.

Had she overdone her actions eventually? Her flirting, her making-him-jealous? She was afraid she had and felt a little sorry about that. And so she was leaving Flynn – although he was all nice and funny and charming – and started searching for Ed. Wanted to give him the attention he might doubted to deserve.

 

 

She finally found him, outside, leaning to the balcony with his arms on the railing, looking down to the city. Judith smiled at this sight, for Ed wasn’t the type of man who liked hanging around idly and enjoying some beautiful overview or a starry night sky.

 

“You don’t seem to like such parties, do you, Ed?” she said as she was approaching him.

He straightened himself as she saw her, leaving his casual position. “Is it that obvious?”

“It is to me.” She gave him a warm smile and leant one elbow on the railing, putting down her glass of wine, letting her glance glide over the skyline.

“For me, this is nothing but a silly circus…” Ed was muttering, taking a sip of his Brandy. “All that nonsense, that drinking and gaming and fooling around. And pretending everyone is ones buddy. Can’t stand it.”

“Some people just call it: Having fun!” Judith grinned, raising her glass to him, taking a demonstratively delightful sip.

 

“Listen, Judith.” Ed turned to her, his voice dry and sincere. “Maybe you should forget about me. I’m only going to disappoint you.”

Her smile was fading.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about”, she answered him, feeling her heart beating faster with slight agitation. “But… those kisses we shared… they weren’t disappointing to me! Were they to you?”

She held his gaze, craving for him to answer.

“No”, he said low. “The thing is; I’m not the charmer you are looking for. I’m not a lady’s man, if you get what I mean.” His voice was stone-cold, but there also seemed to sway a trace of bitterness underneath.

He turned away from her, staring up to the dark sky.

“I don’t mind, Ed! As long as you are honest and straightforward and you treat me with respect I don’t care what you are or what you are not.”

He looked at her again, a nuance of disbelief in his face.

Judith shook her head. “And what the hell makes you think you know what I’m looking for?”

“JUDITH! There you are!” suddenly someone was yelling. It was Gloria and a bunch of some other workmates appearing behind one of the several double doors that were leading to the balcony. “We were searching for you everywhere! Hey listen: Flynn wants to start a karaoke battle, but he said he won’t begin unless you have joined his team!”

“He says your voice is rexquisite!” someone else was giggling and everyone was joining the laughter.

“I’m on my way, guys! Just give me some minutes", Judith shouted back at them, waving and smiling.

And as they had disappeared Ed said to her, picking up their talk and referring to her former question, snorting a brief, dry laugh, pointing with his glass to the hall: “Well…It’s kind of obvious, isn’t it?” Then he took another sip, was staring up to the blackness of the night sky once more, motionless, as if wanting to become some kind of a gargoyle.

Judith grabbed her glass from the railing, and while walking, two, three steps backwards she spoke to him: “The only thing that is obvious is your inability to see the obvious…”

And without waiting for any reaction from him she was heading for the double door, diving into the light again. Into the joy, the color, the sweetness of live.

Leaving him behind in the darkness he seemed to prefer.

 

 

 

Much later that night.

Most of the people had left the party, and the ones who were still there were either sitting around and having a decent talk by some drinks or coffees, or they were enjoying the last bits left from the buffet. And in the back area there were still a lot of the younger people who just couldn’t stop gaming and having fun.

 

Ed returned from his office where he had disappeared for more than an hour. He had needed some time alone, some time away from the party bustle. Some time away from everything.

He was stepping into the hall now, his eyes scanning every corner of the room, unstrung. He spotted Gloria and hurried towards her.

“Where’s Judith?” he asked her in a stern, forceful tone. “I need to have a word with her.”

“Hey… It’s fun time tonight, not work time!” she replied loudly, obviously drunk, otherwise she wouldn’t have dared to speak to him like this.

“Where is she?” Ed insisted, slightly upset, his voice even harsher now.

“She went home.”

He remained silent, standing there moveless. The question “Alone?” was twitching his tongue, almost spoken out. But he swallowed it.

 

His jaws began to tense as he turned from Gloria and began to search for someone else now: For Flynn…

He couldn’t find him. He was neither in the hall, nor on the balcony, nor in the reception area. Even the toilets he was sweeping for him. And with every minute he was searching for him in vain his tension was increasing.

About to loose his patience, his nerves, his composure he was starting his harried walk around the whole banquet hall from anew.

Stepping into the back area with the games he saw him. At last. He was just taking off a helmet of some kind of old fashioned virtual reality game.

And for the first time and the last time ever, Ed was glad to see Flynn.

 

 

 

About half an hour later.

Ed was sitting in his office behind his desk computer. He had no lights on. Only the glow from what was going on on the screen was illuminating his face from below with a pale, cold blue shine.

 

Deleting process 5%

 

He was tapping with his fingers on the surface of the desk, continually, tensely. On his upper lip there were some tiny beads of sweat shimmering in the dim light and his weary eyes were blinking swiftly.

 

Deleting process 9%

 

Hastily he raised his restless limbs and rushed two steps towards the window front, alternately glancing over the skyline and glancing at the screen, and finally returning to the computer. Standing there with his arms resting on the desk he was staring at the process operating.

 

Deleting process 12%

 

Breathing hard he gazed at the percentage increasing slowly, but steadily. Then suddenly,  with a low pant followed by a silently hissed “Fuck!” he was typing in one quick command, almost aggressively:

 

Terminate process

 

The process came to a stop and Ed dropped back into the chair with a drained sigh, some moist stains still remaining on the keyboard where is sweaty fingers had been touching.

For some moments of calming down he remained just sitting there looking at the words on the screen:

 

Deleting process successfully terminated

 

He took off his glasses briefly to rub his eye lids and his forehead with his fingers. Then he stood up, turned to the window front again. With his left shoulder leaning to the cold glass he was gazing down to the city, for several minutes, his eyes focusing one certain direction: Judith’s home, the district of the city where her flat was. He knew exactly where it was located.

What was she doing? Was she in bed already? Was she sleeping?

 

He could have been with her, that night …