Chapter 9

“You’re a lot more relaxed now Theo.”

Trish took off her coat and put it over the arm of a chair, then sat down. She crossed her legs and kicked off her heavy black boots.

“I’m still mad, but… I don’t know. We can’t really do much.”

“We can tell the cops, I guess,” Trish said, “for all the good it’ll do.”

“They’re not even cops,” Sam said, “just CaliaCorp security.”

Sam was looking at Trish’s legs. She wasn’t wearing her usual fishnets, instead a pair of sheer black tights, red miniskirt and a white tank top. With the boots on, she looked like she was about to kick someone’s butt. Without them, Sam had a hard time thinking of anything besides kissing Trish’s feet. Her red-painted toenails showed through the sheer fabric, like candies gleaming in the dimly lit room.

“I hope he’s ok, wherever he is. Poor Ben,” said Trish.

Sam nodded with her agreement. Theo pursed his lips, let out a popping sound, and turned on the TV.

-eryday comforts you can have in a CaliaCorp Tower. Swimming pool, gym, restaurants, cafés, and so much more at no additional cost.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” groaned Theo.

He changed the channel.

So good, yes, keep going Mommy. Please Mommy I need it so badly.

Theo held the remote, as if he wanted to change the channel, but lingered, staring at a woman in a suit pegging a man whose trousers were around his ankles.

“Jesus Christ,” muttered Trish with a mixture of disgust and admiration.

Sam just stared.

You naughty slut, so desperate for Mommy, aren’t you? Beg me to go harder you filthy pig.

“Theo, change it,” Sam whispered.

Mommy, please fuck me harder. Harder please Mommy!

Theo snorted. The man on screen oinked. The doorbell rang. Theo turned off the television with a jump.

“I’ll get it,” Sam said.

She got up and opened the door. Marc stood in the hallway, leaning against a wall, breathing heavily and sweating profusely.

“Marc? You ok?”

Marc put a finger in the air, needing a moment to compose himself.

“Ran… ran all the… all the way here.”

“Come in, sit,” said Sam.

She helped Marc to the couch, and he took some longer, heavier breaths. Trish got him a glass of water which he gulped down, then almost spat out as he tried to speak far too soon.

“Found out, Ben, where Ben went.”

“What?” said Theo, “where?”

“Calia… CaliaCorp. Job.”

“Wait,” said Sam, “for real?”

“For real,” said Marc, finally breathing normally. “I got into his C-mail. He applied a month ago. Interviewed a week ago.”

Theo leapt to his feet.

“What the fuck? CaliaCorp? How could he even think about working for them?”

Trish put her boots back on. Sam kept looking between her three friends. The tension that was there at Ben’s place was back, worse. Her stomach tightened.

“Where did he go though, where is he now?” demanded Trish.

“He went for something at their headquarters. He’s gotta be there.”

Sam leaned forward, looking down at the ground.

“Do you think… Do you think he’s happy?”

Everyone turned to look at her.

“Excuse me?” snapped Trish.

“The fuck, Sam?” sniffed Theo.

“It’s just, he must have wanted the job, if he applied. He must want to live in one of those nice towers.”

“He hated CaliaCorp until what, a week ago? If even. Sam, something’s up here,” said Marc.

“And if he was there of his own free will, why hasn’t he contacted us? Where’s the message saying he got a job? Where’s the call to invite us to his swanky apartment?” Trish added.

“There’s no way, Sam,” Theo said, “Ben isn’t like that.”

Sam looked up at Theo with a half-smile.

“Then we’d better go find him, right?”