It was the latest in a long series of grueling late nights. All but alone in the sprawling halls of the R.E.I. building, Tina sat hunched over her desk with eyes glued to the computer monitor and fingers typing away at a breakneck pace. Before her was the latest in a long line of messages from Mr. Wilke, the contact from Amazon. Despite hounding the man for several days frequently enough to border on harassment, his messages remained patient, cordial, and willing to work with Tina to get this done. For that, she couldn’t be more grateful. 

Nobody was more aware than she was how annoying this must’ve been for the man; unfortunately, her hands were tied. The Board Meeting was tomorrow and Miss Rhodes was expecting her to have everything done by then. An impossible task perhaps, but since when did that ever stop Tina’s boss?

She was tired. So very, very tired. Her brown hair was an unruly mess, coffee stained the edges of her collar, and the reflection of light from the monitors only highlighted the heavy bags under a set of weary eyes. Work had ‘ended’ hours ago and the sun was now setting. The company building was almost completely empty save for the custodians, and yet here she was. Here she had been. Every day for the last couple weeks. 

It was so tempting to simply give up and throw in the towel. Head home, partake in a few drinks, and finally work up the liquid courage to tell her boss that she’d had enough. Lovely fantasies, but fantasies were all they would ever be. The simple truth was Tina didn’t have it in her to go through with it. Many a time she had looked into Miss Rhodes’ eyes as the woman handed out an unreasonable demand, frustration on the tip of her tongue. Yet, every time the scene ended the same way. A meek nod of Tina’s head and the three magic words Eva oh so loved. 

Yes Miss Rhodes.

Every time those cursed words left her mouth Tina kicked herself, always knowing she would come to regret it. Yes, blame lay with her boss but at some point it stopped being Eva’s fault and started to become her own. She was the one who had let it get to this point and there was no point in lamenting that. Sure, the looks people gave her these days were pitious more often than not, but it wasn’t all bad. There was something satisfying in bringing things together into a neat, finishing package. Besides, truth to tell she was close to a breakthrough. 

After some rigorous begging and bargaining, Mr. Wilke had proven receptive to the latest offers and with that the basics were more or less settled. What it boiled down to now was a formal written agreement both parties could be satisfied with. Which in a nutshell was the story of how Tina, a woman with no background in legalese, was burning the midnight oil working on a contract draft. Things like this was why they had a legal department, but lawyers took time and well...Time was the one thing they didn’t have. It was all at once something Tina absolutely shouldn’t do and something only she could.

By this point her fingers typed and her eyes remained glued to the screen, even as the words had long since devolved into meaningless sludge before her. Everything was a vague blur, written mere moments ago and forgotten just as quickly. Determination and an unhealthy amount of caffeine were the only things stopping Tina from crashing on the spot. She knew the health risks; even so, Tina pushed on. At this point, not even she could explain what drove her. Sunk cost perhaps.

At the very least it wasn’t a total disaster. She’d managed to obtain a copy of one of R.E.I.’s standard agreements from a friend in the legal department and was modifying it to suit Mr. Wilke’s demands. There was no way it’d be a perfect job, but it would get things done well enough for Eva’s purposes. The legal team could come in later and iron out the many kinks. For now, finishing was enough of a miracle to satisfy the young, overworked assistant. 

“Tina? You’re still here?”

Several moments passed before Tina realized that it was a voice directed at her. She lifted her head half expecting it to be a hallucination from lack of sleep. Instead, much to her own surprise, it was none other than Dana standing there. Another of the executive elite who kept this company going. 

“Ah, Miss Moore, you’re still here?” She greeted with a faint smile. “I’m surprised you’re still around. It’s getting late.”

“That’s my line.” Dana frowned.

“Oh...me?” Tina realized as an afterthought. “I’m fine. Just taking care of a couple little things. You know how I can be.”

A slight joke and some laughter did little to relax the blonde woman’s furrowed brow. Her eyes flicked almost accusingly towards the door adjacent to Tina’s desk. “Where’s Eva?” She asked. A question she certainly knew the answer to. 

“Miss Rhodes needed to go home for the day. She’s very busy.”

“I’m sure she is…”

Despite her obvious doubts, Dana didn’t appear to want to press the issue. She walked closer and brought her arms to rest at the edge of Tina’s desk, leaning on her forearms with a polite smile. Unlike a certain menacing Vice President, there was almost a comfort to her presence. A warmth that felt distinctly maternal and brought back nostalgia of simpler times in youth. 

“Tina.” She began blandly. “Be honest with me honey, how many days have you been working late?”

“Oh not too many. Just…-”

“Tina.”

“A-Almost two weeks…”

“That for all Eva’s projects, or just this one?”

“...”

A damning silence, but Dana’s lack of expression suggested this wasn’t a surprise for her either. Merely confirmation for something she already knew. The older woman appeared to deflate as she pursed her lips and mulled the information. Her eyes met with Tina’s own and seemed to want to say much. Though all that came out was Tina’s name followed by a heavy sigh.

“And lemme guess. This is for that Amazon deal Eva’s been angling for, right?”

So she knew about that too, Tina realized. A bigger surprise for her than it maybe should have been. For reasons unknown to her, Tina stiffened in her seat. That same acutely maternal impression Dana radiated coupled with her standing over the edge of the desk offered a sense of imposing dread. On some level Tina was not an adult in a work environment, but a child being lectured. It was all she could manage to nod her head in affirmation. 

“And you’re in a rush to do it because…?”

Tina swallowed, tension seizing her heart. “Well...It’ll be great for the company if we can have it done before the end of the quarter. Plus if it’s ready by tomorrow it can be presented at the next investor me-”

“You and I both know Eva doesn’t give a damn about investor meetings.” Dana said sharply. “You don’t gotta work yourself to death over something like this. You’re a professional Executive Assistant. Not Eva’s little bitch girl. Besides, that girl needs an attitude adjustment anyway.”

At first it was a shock to hear Dana speak so bluntly about her friend, then Tina realized. She could speak like that because she was Eva’s friend. The blonde was many things, but she was not blind.

She was right of course. About all of it. There was no reason for this urgency beyond Eva’s aspirations of being named R.E.I.’s CEO. Her ambitions were worn on her sleeve for the world to see, and she made even less effort to hide them in Tina’s presence. The mousy young woman had every right to tell Miss Rhodes to forget it and deal with whatever decision Mr. Broderick came to. Dana was absolutely, unequivocally right, but even so...

“It’s okay, I’m almost done.”

Tina’s words seemed to take the other woman aback. Tired as she was, she managed a serene smile. At the end of the day, it just wasn’t in her to leave a job half finished. Even one foisted on her like this one was. Foolish on her part maybe, but that was simply how Tina was. 

Dana’s jaw hung ajar for a moment, the blonde surrendering any further arguments once she saw the quiet resolve in Tina’s eyes. She shook her head and let out a resigned sigh. “You know she’s not gonna be named CEO right?”

Tina balked at that.

“You don’t really think Dan’s just gonna choose someone on a whim to take care of his baby do you?” The woman added skeptically. “He’s been planning who will take over the reins for ages. It’s not the sort of thing you just decide at the last minute.”

That was a thought that had crossed Tina’s mind, yes, but Miss Rhodes seemed so confident that this would work. Now another person seemed just as confident that it wouldn’t. Almost like…

Oh.

“You mean…” 

“Keep it on the downlow hun. The formal decision is tomorrow.”

Tina blinked, her addled mind barely able to keep up. It made sense of course. On a professional level Eva was good at what she did, but on a social one...Well, she was outclassed by literally anyone. For the best of both worlds, the answer was really quite obvious. No matter what accomplishments someone got at the last minute, that wouldn’t change.

That now in mind, the scramble to finish this contract now seemed rather silly. Tina looked at her screen and the lunacy of this whole enterprise was now plain to see. In the end it was all an egoist’s delusions of grandeur and her enabler left to carry them out. Nothing more.

“See? Now come on Tina. Go home and get some sleep.” Dana encouraged.

The young woman bit into her lip. It was tempting, so very tempting. “At this point...Might as well finish right?”

It was hard to say if it was the sincerity or the stupidity of the statement that made Dana laugh harder. She could’ve protested further or ordered her home if she wanted, but instead she shook her head with a defeated smile. “You’re unbelievable…...Haa...Alright, let’s see it then.”

“Huh?”

Before she knew it, Tina’s personal space was under siege. Dana had circled her desk and leaned over at her side, eyes now on the contract in progress. “You’re working on the agreement for Amazon, right? Show me. You’re gonna need someone to sign off on it before tomorrow aren’t you?”

Sign? What was she...Oh. Right. How could Tina forget? In order for any of this to matter she’d need at least one executive to sign off on it. Ideally after peer review from legal but that wasn’t happening. Tina on her own simply didn’t have the power to legitimize this agreement. Rather than await an answer, Dana busybodied her way in and already began to scan the contents of Tina’s monitors intently. Caught along in the blonde’s tide, Tina found herself naturally scrolling down the pages and guiding the executive officer along. 

At times Dana could come across as scatter brained, but it was in moments like this that it became clear why she had the job that she did. The pages were thick with dense text that her eyes expertly scanned over. She must’ve been tired as well, but none of that showed once it came time to work. It was honestly inspiring to behold; and it was an act that made it all too clear why she was chosen to take over. 

“There’s a few typos.” Dana noted suddenly. “Here, here, and….here.” Her finger pressed against the screen at key points. Perhaps the most glaring was an instance she’d named R.E.I. twice instead of naming Amazon with it. An agreement with the company and itself evidently. Tina felt heat rush to her cheeks as she made the corrections, and Dana kept reading.

“All in all though...This is good. An awesome deal for everyone honestly.” She glanced over at the smaller woman at her side. “You did this?”

“Yes…?” It wasn’t that big of a deal, was it?

“Good work.” Dana replied before going back to it. A small bit of praise, but it almost made it all seem worth it. 

Together with Dana’s help, things went both far more smoothly and quickly. Her presence had granted Tina a second wind, and her expertise made the delicate task of crafting a binding agreement between two tech giants surprisingly simple. There would be so much more to do beyond this point of course, but for a first step it was as good as it could hope to be. The remainder of the hour and a portion of the next went by in a flash, and before Tina knew it there was a printed piece of paper on her desk. She sat there as a witness while Dana signed it. There was a line beneath it for a notary, and that was when a pen was handed to Tina. She leaned over and offered her own signature in turn. With that done, she lowered the pen and could feel the weight finally falling from her shoulders.

“Hell yeah!” Dana cheered from her side with an offer for a high five. Tina lacked the energy to match her enthusiasm, but she did manage to press her palm into Dana’s nonetheless.

From there it was simply a matter of scanning and sending the contract over. All that was left was to await Mr. Wilke’s response. The sun had long since fully set and now the duo were bathed in the building’s dim evening lights. A perfect setup for an unsettling scene honestly; were it not for the company Tina had with her. Dana could’ve left whenever, but the fact she didn’t spoke volumes. Together the pair made for the break room and some celebratory snacks. In Dana’s presence all the fatigue and stress of the project went away, and even this impossible feat became doable. That was an accomplishment worthy of any celebration they could manage. 

Was this what it was like to have a boss you worked with rather than for?

The thought crossed her mind more than once as Tina talked with her about nothing in particular. Everything from what they were gonna do when they got home to Dana discussing her new routine at the gym to even gripes about Eva. Though with that final one, Tina wisely kept her mouth shut and let Dana lead on. Weariness tore down most of their filters as they spoke, but some walls wouldn’t come down so easily. 

It was only a few minutes of chatter, but it could’ve been so much longer and Tina wouldn’t have known. Suddenly there was a vibration from her phone on the counter. A trembling hand brought her to check the new message. Then…

“H-He…”

“He said yes!”

Relief seized the shorter woman and brightened her visage. All those hours paid off! She jumped for joy and found her arms wrapping around Dana, momentarily forgetting her own strength in one impressive bear hug.

“A-Ah hey Tina! Easy!” Dana winced.

“Oh! Sorry Miss Moore!”

“It’s no big deal.” The blonde remarked as she wiped at her sides. “And for god’s sake girl, nobody’s here. Call me Dana.”

“Sorry Dana. And...thank you.”

Dana smiled sweetly at her, nodding her head. “Anytime sweetheart. Now, I dunno about you but I am tired. Think we can push the rest of the party to another day?”

“Yeah.” Tina giggled. “I’ll be heading out soon too. I just gotta let Miss Rhodes know it’s all done so she won’t freak.”

That earned an eye roll from Dana, but who was she to stop Tina? She was much too tired herself to fret much over it at this point. “Just don’t let her rope you into anything else. I’m not gonna help ya again.”

Tina laughed. “I promise.”

Dana left in short order after that, and true to her word Tina wasted little time in typing out a final couple emails. One to the CEO, informing him of the situation, and another to her boss. 

“It was tough, but the deal has gone through. I’ve already sent Mr. Broderick the formal notification and he should be aware of it first thing in the morning.

Attached is a copy of the signed and notarized agreement in case you wish to verify.

Sincerely,

Tina Martin - Assistant to the Vice President of Business”

Once she hit Send, Tina could breathe easy. She’d done it. Somehow, she’d done it. She could finally relax as she shut down her computer and got ready to head out. The empty building offered naught but dim light and silence as she got into the elevator. On impulse, the woman flicked through her phone. The irony of checking her work messages when she had just finished work was not lost on her. 

Although, it was there near the top that she saw a personal email from Amy, a friend in the R&D department and fellow gym enthusiast. The elevator jerked to life and began to descend, and driven by curiosity Tina opened the message, marked as No Subject. It’s contents were...about what she’d expect from her red-haired friend.

“Oh god girl you aren’t gonna believe this!!! We just had a HUGE breakthrough!!!”

Short but excitable. That sounded about right. It came with an attachment that Tina opened. Whatever it was, she hadn’t expected much.

She couldn’t have been more wrong. 

It was a simple image of a computer monitor running some of the proprietary software the research team used to run simulations. An intimidating piece of tech that looked like something ripped right out of the 90s. Most of what it depicted was technical jargon and equations Tina couldn’t hope to understand. One part at the end, however, was impossible to misinterpret.

ORGANIC REDUCTION SUCCESSFUL

She read the words once, then again, and even a third time before nearly jumping in her skin. Tina’s fingers hurriedly typed a congratulatory response as the elevator came to a halt, the woman walking out. She’d known how long and hard the folks at R&D were banging their heads against this particular problem, and to see them finally succeed was so nice. She was happy for them. Another good note to end the day on. Just, she’d speak with her friend more when she had a bit of rest. Or indeed any rest at all.

As Tina left and walked across an empty parking lot, she approached her car and mused on the possibilities. Given everything, it was hard not to imagine a certain Vice President tiny and in her grasp. She giggled at the appealing, but ultimately silly idea.

“If only.”

--------------------------

A soft moan escaped Tina’s lips as her whole body relaxed into her bed. The lustful haze had fallen from her eyes as she stared dreamily at her ceiling. Lifting her fingers, the woman’s release formed a pink-hued membrane that connected a pair of digits. Three climaxes. It took that many before she could think clearly again. 

Today was quite possibly the best day of her life. She’d stood up to her boss and...shrank her. It was still so hard to accept. Though as unrealistic as it once was, the events of the day were fresh in her mind and they didn’t lie. In fact, they were all she could think about. How low Eva had been brought, how pitiful she now was, and how much the very idea sent her heart racing. While her rational side struggled to adjust, there was another side to Tina that relished in every moment of this new situation. This was a fantasy come to life - Her fantasy. 

Even so, she held back. Fears, doubts, concerns, errant thoughts. So many things that Eva had seized on to try and turn the tables - And nearly succeeded. The fact was Tina talked big game, but her new plaything was also the towering woman who had lauded over her for years. Reconciling the past with this new reality wouldn’t be easy, but it was necessary. 

Turning her head, Tina’s eyes fell lazily onto a purse on her counter. Not her purse, and not her keys next to it either; but they gave her an idea. One to thoroughly destroy the lingering specter of Eva Rhodes.

Yes, she held back today. Tomorrow, no matter what, she couldn’t allow herself to do it again. Not if she wanted this dream to continue.