Drained: The Lucid (16 page)

A familiar, but not so welcomed face, walked up to the group. “Riley, it’s nice to see you again,” Ophelia greeted, her brow knitted together in feigned concern. “I almost walked right past you and your friends. You all just blended right in with the rest of them.”

“Hello, Blackwell.” Seven punctuated his words. His fists balled on his lap, and he straightened in the chair. “Why don’t you go on running along to whomever’s lap you’ll sit on today?”

“Sev.” Ophelia’s tone had a sharp bite to it. “It’s nice to see that you haven’t slit yourself with all the manscaping that you do. Would be such a shame to hear that you’ve bled out by way of narcissism.”

“Well, it’s nice to see that you—that your heels haven’t punctured—” Seven struggled to form an equally scathing retort.

“Seven,” Heather barked in warning before regarding her friend’s bewildering adversary. “Have a good day, Ophelia.” Heather’s voice was firm enough that Ophelia’s eyes narrowed. Each woman stared at the other, unblinking for a stretch of time. It wasn’t until someone called for Ophelia’s attention that she broke her gaze.

The group of friends watched as the woman sauntered off. Riley observed a mechanical smile cross her face as she greeted people along the way to her seat at the front.

“You need to control yourself around her,” Heather reprimanded Seven.

“I can’t believe you still let her crawl under your skin.” Aaron shook his head and a smile settled on his lips.

“It’s because he wants her to crawl
under
him,” James whispered to no one in particular. The comment earned him a slap, from Seven, to the back of his head.

“I don’t know why,” said Seven. His eyes locked on the back of the woman in the front row. “But I can’t help it. She drives me …”

“Insane?” Madison chimed in.

“Exactly.” Seven turned his attention to the blonde next to him. “You hit the nail right on the head.”

“Let’s not use the word ‘head’ today.” Madison’s face scrunched up.

“Working overtime, Mad Hatter?” Heather laughed.

Madison crossed her arms in front of her like a petulant child. “One of my new marks has an oral fixation,” she grumbled. “As in fixated on
my
oral.”

“That’s what happens when you do straight sex, Maddie,” Riley chuckled. “Isn’t it about time you give women a try?”

“Hmm. I wouldn’t say the fixation is exclusive to hetero pairings.” Heather smirked. “I hear lockjaw is rather common across the spectrum.”

“Oh, I know. I’m just giving Maddie a hard time.” Riley winked over at her blonde friend and leaned forward to whisper into Heather’s ear. “I would never suggest that two women couldn’t engage in the same thing—of course, with the aid of attachments. Visual stimulation, I hear that’s common, too.” She watched, a knowing grin on her face, as Heather shifted in her seat and smoothed the denim of her pants with a free hand.

On stage, the first speaker of the seminar took her place and tapped the microphone to gain the attention of the crowd. She wore a loosely fitted blouse and a grey pencil skirt. If she paid more attention to her hairstyle and stood with more confidence, she could have passed for a Trusics cubare.

“Good morning, everyone,” the woman addressed the active room. She cleared her throat a couple of times into the microphone, and the chatter of the room came to a halt.

“As you all know by now,” she began, “recently we have had a drop in new enrollment and a larger than average cancellation rate. To address concerns and the rumors that have been circulating, our esteemed branch director wanted to dedicate this day to every member of the Trusics family.” She looked down at the top of the podium. “A member of our public relations team will be first to speak. So please join me in a warm welcome for Kelly Myers.”

The room filled with applause as the next speaker took the stage. Riley recognized the woman’s face from a few company events, but they didn’t know each other well.

The PR employee wore an outfit that made Riley rethink her business casual wardrobe of denim and plaid. Kelly’s chiffon top was loose but flattering to her body shape, and a boyfriend blazer hung unbuttoned as the outer layer, the cinched sides revealed her feminine curves. Pleated cropped dress pants clung to her like a second skin, and her feet showcased peep-toe platforms. In Madison’s vocabulary, it was fab-fucking-tastic.

“In light of recent events, our PR team has worked countless hours to mitigate the false accusations that have been made against us.” Kelly’s fingers curled around the top of the podium. “It is unfortunate that lies and wild speculation about the security of our services can cause such damage to our reputation, but that is the world in which we live today.”

She went on to explain how they’d reached out to many reputable news partners to counteract the allegations of their customer database being used inappropriately.

“Customers will always fear that their privacy is being violated,” she continued in earnest. “But we would like to confirm to every member of this great organization that we do not sell our user information and never will. Everything is encrypted, and we make sure that the data sent through our company servers is protected from unwanted eyes. Selling user information to third parties is not our business and never will be a part of our future. Please continue what you’re doing and do maintain good relationships with the clients that we still have. This has not been a devastating blow, but it is a wakeup call to the mortality of our company as a whole. Thank you.”

Everyone clapped at the end of Kelly’s speech, and the emcee reclaimed the podium. She next introduced a representative from information technology to explain the security of the company servers. Riley could tell that the man was clearly nervous; he didn’t have the same air of confidence as the speaker before him.

He tapped the mic a little too hard and fumbled his way through his speech. He was not in his comfort zone. But as he spoke, he was able to confirm the security of the websites, servers, and the layers of encryption that were in place. Although his speech was a fraction of the time of the first speaker’s, he had managed to get his points across.

A human resources employee walked onto the stage after, a bright smile on her face. “It’s great to see so many familiar faces in this crowd. Although I bring nothing new to the table, I am here to remind you of our protocols.” Unlike the previous speakers, she had a sheet of notes to go through. With agenda in hand, the upbeat woman spoke nonstop for twenty minutes, during which Riley had to elbow Seven several times to keep him from nodding off.

“Lastly, with the drop in membership,” she wrapped up, “we would like to remind you that it is important that you report all nondatabase, client-like, experiences that require any kind of specialized services.” She gave pause and her eyes scanned the room. The action made Riley’s palms begin to sweat. “Every ounce of effort makes a difference in the long run. If any of you know that a fellow co-worker is in engaging in off-the-record activities, feel free to file a report and we will investigate. It is not our purpose to make your lives more difficult, but we need to remind you that these rules exist to benefit you as the employee and us as a family.”

Niall Price was the last person to take the stage. When he walked up to the podium, he stood tall, and his head was held high. His dark hair was cleanly cut on the sides with no more than an inch on top. A trimmed beard sparsely framed his jaw. Niall’s expression was nearly impossible to read. It was stoic, firm, and his angular features stood out. He cleared his throat when he reached the microphone. The glassy-eyed lull that had settled over the assembled crowd from the previous speakers crumbled away.

“Thank you for taking the time to be here today.” He flashed white, even teeth at the room of onlookers. “It is in times like these that we must unite as a company and work as a cohesive unit. Your support and devotion to Trusics is greatly appreciated, and it is because of that kind of attitude that we’re what we are today.” He stabbed his pointer finger against the top of the podium.

“In these past few months we have experienced a few minor bumps in our path to grander goals. In the next months, we will be restructuring the entire organization. Every branch will undergo the same changes, and it will be the dawn of a new and stronger company.” He balled his fist, and his eyes glowed with emotion. His energy was almost palpable, enough so that he had to take a calming breath. “The transition will be slow to ensure that all goes well. Each department will be notified of the changes that will affect them in the coming weeks. We expect that by the end of the first quarter of the next year, we’ll have completed the adjustments. Expect changes, but embrace the new and better future of our family here. Stay true to what and who we are, and you will
all
reap the rewards. Remember: live with ethics, respect the rules, and never stray.”

Without waiting for any questions from the audience, Niall turned sharply on his designer shoes and strode off the stage, looking as confident as his entrance.

A smattering of applause followed his exit, and slowly the assembled employees began to gather their belongings and take their own leave.

“Who’s up for lunch?” James rubbed his hands together.

“I’m not hungry, but I sure as hell could go for a drink,” Seven said with a nod.

“Riley? You coming?” Heather asked.

Riley shook her head. “Hyrum wants to meet with me.”

Madison made a juvenile noise. “Someone’s in trouble,” she sang.

“More like someone’s getting another raise,” Seven grumbled, sounding uncharacteristically bitter.

Riley gave her friends a brief wave in parting before she left the twenty-fifth floor to return to Hyrum’s office two floors below.

A second set of footsteps echoed in the stairwell on the way down to the twenty-third floor.  

“Josh!” Riley was surprised to see the Trusics techie. “My phobias aren’t rubbing off on you, are they?”

Josh shook his head and pushed his shaggy hair away from his forehead. “No. But with so many people in the building today, the elevators are a mess.”

She nodded sagely. “Yeah. I haven’t seen this kind of traffic since I got here.”

“I saw the webcast of the seminar.” Josh’s face became serious, and his hands naturally jammed in the front pockets of his jeans. “We’re restructuring? Do you know anything other than what Mr. Price told us?”

“Sorry. You probably know more than I do, what with your inside sources and all.”

Josh flashed a wide smile. “Hey, the men’s bathroom is a very reliable source.”

“I’m actually glad I ran into you. I have a favor to ask.”

“I don’t think I like the sound of that.” Josh frowned and his gaze dropped to the ground. “The last time I did one of those for you, I found myself in a lingerie store.”

“That was an emergency, I promise.” Riley grinned. “But anyway, back to my favor—I’ve got a mark I need some information on and I figure you’re the guy to help me.”

Josh beamed proudly. “Sure. What do you need?”

“This mark has been in our system for a few years and I’m curious about which other cubare have accessed her dreams in the past. I was hoping we could … compare notes.”

“You do that, too?”

“Sure,” Riley said, not really lying. Because of her personal success, she often had requests from other cubare at Trusics for feedback about certain marks. She herself, however, hadn’t reached out in some time. But she had no intention of ‘comparing notes’ with whomever had broken Morgan the way they had. “If it helps us extract more energy, why not? You heard Niall a few minutes ago, we’re like a big family,” she said, a little too brightly.

Riley chewed on her lower lip. She felt overwhelmingly guilty to be lying and abusing her friendship with Josh like this. Caution and proprietary told her not to dig into Morgan’s past, but her curiosity had won out ever since she’d learned that Morgan had been visited by another of her kind years ago. She could have told Josh the truth, but she’d done too many unorthodox things to keep Morgan’s uniqueness a secret. She wasn’t going to spoil that now.  

Josh nodded thoughtfully and played with the short tuft of hair growing on his chin. “It’ll take some digging, but I’ll see what I can do. E-mail me the mark’s profile number later?”

“As soon as I get home, I will.” Riley gave her friend a brilliant smile. “Thanks for doing this, Josh,” she said, as she continued down the stairs to meet up with Hyrum. “You’re the best.”

• • •

Hyrum looked away from his computer screen when he heard the soft rap of knuckles on his open office door. “Riley.” He smiled serenely. “Thanks for coming in.” He stood and walked around his desk.

Riley tried not to fidget. She hated being called in to Hyrum’s office. She’d never been reprimanded or received bad news, but every time felt like those moments in school when she heard her name announced over the PA system.  She’d also never done anything remotely unorthodox before when it came to Trusics’s policies. The employee manual had become her holy book the moment she’d been offered the job.

She moved in the direction of the chair on the opposite side of Hyrum’s desk, but her manager stopped her before she could sit down.

“I need to discuss something with you, Riley, but not here.”

Riley’s eyebrows furrowed. “Oh?”

Hyrum grabbed his trench coat from a stand-alone coat rack and pulled it on. “Did you have any other business to take care of in the building today?” He flattened his tie down his slightly protruding chest.

Riley shook her head.

“Good. Then follow me.”

Riley wanted to ask Hyrum what this was about, but she couldn’t muster the nerve. Instead, she solemnly followed her boss down the hallway towards the bank of elevators. She could feel eyes on her and she tried to keep her chin up and her face neutral like a defiant woman marching toward the guillotine.

When Hyrum stopped at the elevators and pressed the button to go down, Riley panicked. “Hyrum, I … I can’t go in there.”

Confusion briefly flickered across Hyrum’s unlined face before turning into realization. “I’m sorry, Riley. I completely forgot. How about I meet you down there?”