Meri

Transferring to a new city, a new location, was the most exciting thing I had done in my life. The furthest I had ever been from my hometown in Kansas City was across the border into Kansas. When the new branch opened in Georgia and they needed qualified and experienced people, I leapt at the opportunity. My boyfriend of four years and I had just broken up and I was ready for a brand new start.

It didn't really start out nearly as adventurous as I had hoped. I had arranged everything online and over the phone, got my apartment sorted near my work. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I quickly discovered that moving to a place all by yourself is very... lonesome.

Also, starting at a company that is opening from scratch, no matter how long I have been doing it, is a pain in the ass. It didn't help that I felt completely put off by my new boss. He was around my own age, tall and skinny, nerdy looking and worse of all, he was the owner of the company's kid. I was going to have to babysit and teach my new boss the ropes.

The upside of it was that I became too busy to really be lonesome. I made tentative friends with another girl in the office who had also transferred from another location, though she had brought her husband with her. The first month seemed to fly by.

As the time went on, my boss was icking me out more and more. He didn't bother with a secretary and he moved my desk to where a secretary's desk should have been and I could sense him watching me all day. My desk was turned so that he could always see my profile. I was happy to note that he was actually a smart guy and he needed little to no babysitting. His father had apparently taught him well.

He came out of his office on a friday afternoon and paused, looking over at me.

"Miss Phelps?"

"Yes Mr Schrier?"

"I have been meaning to talk to you about your emails and memos. At first I thought they were typos, but I thought I should let you know that you are constantly spelling my name wrong."

I glanced at the huge silver letters on the wall involuntarily. Schrier Industries. I was fairly sure I was spelling it right. His eyes followed my glance and he looked back at me, blushing.

"Miss Phelps, are you under the impression that I am related? It's S-h-r-y-e-r, no relation."

I blushed this time, horrified. "I'm so sorry! I heard it and assumed! I will correct it straightaway."

"It's not a huge issue, it's all in office, but I thought you should know."

He left, his head down and his face on fire. I felt sort of bad, but not really. He was still a creeper even if he wasn't the owner's kid.

When he came back from lunch, he hesitated at my desk again. "Miss Phelps?"

"Yes Mr Shryer?"

"May I call you Mary?"

"No! No sir, sorry. I... I don't mean to sound rude. Merietta is my first name, but I go by my middle name. Ruby. My Gram calls me Meri, but she is the only one I let call me that."

"I see. May I call you Ruby then?"

"If that is what you prefer," I answered, wishing I felt like I could say no.

"Good. I am Wesley, but you can call me Wes."

'Weaseley' it is.

"Thank you, sir," I said with a nod.

He went into his office, his face going red again. Several minutes later, he turned his lights out and I wondered who he thought he was fooling. I knew exactly what he was doing in there with the lights out so no one could see in.

I tried to ignore it, though it did make me remember to change his contact info in my phone, correcting the spelling. He was one of two people I knew in Atlanta and I didn't have Helene's number yet. We had only just become facebook friends.

That evening, he came out and hesitated once again. "Do you have plans for the weekend, Ruby?"

"Oh, no sir, not really. I got a couple books delivered, that's probably it."

"If you would like to have dinner, I discovered a nice Thai place close by."

"Sorry, I'm not into spicy food and I have a fridge full of leftovers so I don't have to get dressed or leave my apartment all weekend," I lied with a fake, vacant smile.

He looked down and away, half nodding. "If you change your mind, we could go somewhere else instead," he mumbled. "You still have my number, right?"

"Yes sir, you gave it to all of us the very first day."

"Yeah, I wasn't sure if everyone kept it," he said breathlessly, blushing harder. "And you can call me Wes."

"Thank you, sir," I said pointedly.

He nodded, a jerk of his head and hurried away. With a sigh, I began getting ready to go. Helene came over. "I wondered how long it was going to take him to work his nerve up," she said with a smile. "He is crushing hard. He's kind of nerd cute if you can get past the creeper vibe he puts off."

"Yeah, not something I can get past. I think... I am fairly certain actually, that he jerks off in his office while watching me. He turns off his light sometimes so he can see out but no one can see in."

"Holy shit. Hello HR!"

"Yeah, I can't prove it, but I am pretty sure."

"Check his trash, see if he has tissues full of spunk."

"Yikes, wow, no thanks. Just thinking about that makes me want to vomit."

Helene laughed. "Want me to?"

"Maybe if it becomes a huge issue. I don't really want to rock the boat over something that isn't a huge deal. He's just looking, right?"

"And asking you to dinner now."

"I said no, he will get the hint."

He did get the hint, but that didn't stop him from asking the next Friday, or the Friday after.

I gave him another vacant smile. "Sorry Sir, I really am just boring on the weekends. I like to stay home and read. It's my 'me time'."

That particular Friday, it was an outright lie. I had seen flyers for an art show/open mic jam at a coffee house that looked interesting near my apartment. I had every intention of going.

Alone. In the hopes to meet people like me.

He hunched in on himself and left and Helene gave me a tight smile as she left right behind him. She was of the opinion I should give the guy a chance. Easy for her to say. He wasn't constantly looking down her shirt or talking to her breasts and legs or turning off his light to jerk off to her.

I dressed up to go to the coffee house and showed up a little early with my book to get a good seat. It was cozy and quaint and the vibe was very laid back and trendy. I liked it. Even better, the coffee and muffins were amazing.

When it started getting crowded, I was glad I had come early. A man moved close to me and leaned in. "Hi, do you mind if I sit with you? There's no seats left!"

"Sure," I answered, smiling. He was cute in a hipster kind of way and he had a charming smile. He sat down, leaning in to see what I was reading.

"Fantasy huh? I'm a Kerouac fan myself."

I gave him a less genuine smile. Of course he was. I was betting he couldn't name a single book by Kerouac, it was just the cool thing to say. Still, he was cute and might be ok company for the evening. And maybe he would turn out nice once he stopped trying to impress me.

"I like anything good," I replied, closing my book and sipping my coffee. "But I do prefer more action. Fantasy, sci-fi, anything with a good story."

"Oh, yeah, like Heinlan?"

I smiled. Another name drop he had probably never read. "I loved his Foundation series," I said, sipping again.

"Right? It was amazing!"

I nodded. Foundation was Asimov, not Heinlan.

"My name is Lief."

Of course it was. "Ursula le Guin," I lied, knowing he wouldn't catch the reference.

"Cute name. Not one you hear often. I've never seen you in here before."

"I just moved here. I need to step to the ladies room, could you watch my seat?"

"Of course!"

I went to the bathroom and wished I hadn't drank so much coffee. I washed my hands and fixed my make-up and thought about leaving. Lief wasn't what I was hoping for as far as meeting someone. I took a deep breath. The night might get better? I went back out and sat down, returning his bright smile with a small one.

The music started and I sat and listened to the good and the bad, sipping my coffee more slowly and trying to enjoy the music despite Lief.

He leaned in. "This guy comes every month, he's pretty good. You like folk?"

"Some," I answered, feeling hot. The place really was too crowded.

He got up and brought me another coffee. I smiled, but knew I shouldn't have any more this late. I was going to be up until dawn as it was.

The caffeine was starting to make me jittery and a little nauseous. Light headed.

Lief leaned close. "You feeling ok? You need some air?" he asked, his hand on my back. He slid it around to my waist, like he was holding me up. "Let me take you outside for some cool air," he said, helping me stand.

I panicked, my mind trying to swim out of the fog. I pulled away and went to the bathroom quickly, stumbling and staggering. I half fell on the girl at the sink. "He drugged me," I said desperately. "Help me!"

I went to my knees, my head swimming as another girl came rushing out of one of the stalls to look down at me in shock.

Lief came in and I saw him talking as the world seemed to slip out of fucus.

I opened my eyes, confused and disoriented. I was in a bed in the emergency room and Wesley Shryer was sitting next to me, his face pale.

"What is happening?" I asked, my voice sounding small. I looked at the IV in my arm.

He sat up from his phone, leaning close. "Hey! How do you feel?"

"Tired. Gross. What happened?"

A nurse came in, smiling knowingly. "You are a very lucky girl! It was smart of you to get away the second you knew something was wrong, most girls aren't so lucky. That was a large dose he gave you for as small as you are, very fast thinking on your part. Those young women got you safe and got you right here."

"What happened?" I asked again, trying to clear the fog.

"A man drugged you," Wesley said. "Date rape drugs," he continued, sounding offended.

"Can you ID the man?" the nurse asked. "The police are here and waiting for you to wake up."

"I just met him there and I think he gave me a fake name," I said, starting to remember. I looked at Wesley. "Why are you here?"

He blushed again, looking away. "Mine was the only local number on your phone."

"Oh. Thanks," I said, feeling bad for sounding so bitchy about him being there.

He shrugged.

"Do you feel up to talking to the police?" the nurse asked. "We pumped your stomach and we are flushing your system, you should be good to go as soon as you are feeling strong enough."

"Is that why my throat hurts so bad?" I asked with a sigh.

Wesley jumped up and got me a drink, holding it to my mouth for me. I took a drink, trying to hold it myself, but he held it for me, being solicitous.

"I can talk to the police," I said to the nurse tiredly.

Wesley sat down again, scooting closer and petting my hair back off of my face. I swallowed, biting back an angry remark about touching me.

"Sorry they called you," I said softly when the nurse stepped out.

"Oh, I don't mind at all! I am happy they did. The girls were super upset about what was going on and they didn't know who to call. I am happy to come. They said you would need a ride home?"

"I can call an UBER."

"I am already here and I am happy to do it."

"I don't want to keep you."

"It's cool, I want to. And I'm not doing anything else, I was just gaming online. And I want to make sure you are ok. Sorry this happened to you."

I didn't press the issue. I talked to the police, gave them a description of Lief and the name he gave me.They left, then I was released. As tired as I was, I let Wesley take me home and get me up to my apartment with no comment. He tucked me into bed and I was asleep almost before I had the blankets over me.

I woke what felt like seconds later to motion. A hand groping my bare breast, panting and the bed shaking. I was in my own bed, I recognized the smell of my sheets. There was a small light, the light from a phone shining on my breasts as Wesley straddled my waist, jerking off over my breasts.

My shirt was shoved up to my neck and I fought a panic. I wanted to scream, roll away and get away, but I forced myself to remain calm and still. How would he react if he knew I was awake? Would he freak out? What would he do to keep me from telling on him or filing charges?

I stayed still, pretending to be asleep and feeling awful from head to toe. I ached, I felt sick and I was tired. And there was a creep jerking off on my tits and fondling me in my sleep.

I heard a pic snap on his phone as he groaned and squeezed my breast harder. Did he not understand that they had flushed my system of the roofies? That I would wake up with this sort of handling?

Maybe he didn't care. Maybe he knew I wouldn't stop him or do anything. I was here alone and my job was all I had, what was I going to do?

He groaned again, then came, shooting all over my breasts and the valley between. He took more pics, a lot more, then left the room. He came back and wiped my chest off with a warm washcloth, then pulled my shirt back down.

He leaned over my face, then kissed me. I was repulsed, but didn't turn away, I pretended to sleep through it, even as he pushed my mouth open with his and kissed me more deeply. It was hard to remain still.

He moved down, kissing my cheek, then my jaw, then just below my ear. "I am going to take such good care of you, Ruby. You'll see. I will make you fall in love with me," he whispered. "I am going to make you so happy you will never look at another guy again."

I shifted slightly, as if moving in my sleep and let out a sleepy sigh and he jerked back quickly. He left me alone after that, but he stayed close, sitting near me and looking at his phone.

When I woke up in the morning, he was asleep in the chair next to my bed.

"Mr Shryer?" I asked sleepily.

He jumped up, blinking and looking around, disoriented. "Yes? Yeah? You are awake! How do you feel?"

"Ok... why are you here?"

"I stayed to make sure you were ok. I have your things in your bathroom, all ready for you to get a shower. I knew you would want one, here let me help you up. You take a shower and I will make you breakfast, ok?"

"You don't have to do that, I am fine. I feel ok, just sore and groggy. I will probably just sleep today. You can go ahead and go home. Thanks though."

"No, it's ok! Really, I want to! You get your shower and I will make you pancakes," he said, trying to rush me into the bathroom so I couldn't object again. He pulled the door shut and I sighed again.

I got in the shower and scrubbed my chest raw, then went out to my bedroom. He had laid out a flimsy tank top and yoga pants, so I found a big hoodie to pull on over it as I turned the AC down to 52. I grabbed my comforter and my book and went out to my couch.

He brought me a plate of pancakes.

"Thanks, Mr. Shryer, really, but..."

"Wes."

"I don't feel very comfortable with you here doing all of this for me. Really. I am just going to curl up and rest."

"I would like to stay close, just in case, and I really enjoy doing this for you. Let me make sure you are alright. You can curl up and read and I will just stay close. What would you like to drink? Coffee? Milk?"

"Listen, Wes," I said, finally using his name, hoping to get through to him. "I want to be alone."

"They said you shouldn't be alone, remember? That someone should watch you?"

I knew he was lying, but I just sighed. "Wes..."

"Coffee? I know you have coffee in the morning at work. I will make you some." he hurried back to the kitchen to make coffee, not letting me tell him no. He brought it in my favorite mug and set it on a coaster, creamer already in it. "It's getting a little cold in here, you want me to turn the heat up?" he asked.

"No thanks, I have it where I want it. I..."

"You go ahead and eat and I will clean up the mess I made!"

I was getting frustrated. "Wes! Stop! Please! Just stop. I want you to go. If I start feeling bad I will call, but I want to be alone, you are stressing me out running around trying to cater to me."

"Sorry... I... I will just sit down out of the way then. I really do need to stay and make sure you are alright, but I will sit over here quietly."

"No, Wes, you need to leave. Thanks for coming to the hospital and bringing me home, and breakfast, but you need to leave now. No arguments, just go please."

He drew up on himself, looking offended and upset, but he ducked his head and left without even saying goodbye. I let out a sigh of relief and curled up on the couch, drifting back off to sleep in moments. I was exhausted.

When I woke up, I could tell by the light coming in the windows that it was late afternoon, early evening. My stomach growled noisily and I tried to sit up. My body ached. Why did I ache so much?

"I will make you some dinner," Wesley said, standing from the corner of the room.

I jerked and turned, blinking at him. "Wes, what the hell? I told you to leave!"

"I did! I left and I texted later to see if you were ok and you didn't answer. Then I called and you still didn't answer, I got worried."

"I was sleeping! And I left my phone in the bedroom! How did you even get in?"

"I didn't lock the door when I left," he said, pulling things out of my fridge. "I brought groceries so I could make you dinner. Spaghetti."

"I don't want you to make me dinner, Wes!"

"I don't mind and I know you are hungry. I'm a great cook! You'll see."

I gave up, too tired to keep trying to make him understand. "Wes, you have about ten seconds to get out of my apartment before I call the cops," I said angrily.

He froze, looking at me in shock. "Ruby?" he asked uncertainly. "I am only trying to help?"

"Five seconds."

"I have been helping you! I got you home safe! I came and got you at the hospital even after you lied to me!"

"I don't owe you anything, Wes! Not an explanation, nothing! Get out!" I yelled, getting up to go to my room to get my phone.

I went to my nightstand and looked at the empty charging cord, then around the bed and on the floor. It wasn't there. I turned and Wes was in the doorway to my bedroom, his face red. "I took it out there and put it on your end table, right next to you," he said softly. "So you could hear it next time if someone called you."

I marched to the door, intending to push past him to get my phone, but he blocked the door, catching my arm.

"Ruby... Why are you treating me this way? Haven't I been nice to you? Taken care of you?"

"That's not the point, Wes! Not at all! Your attention is unwanted, is that clear enough? I don't like you. At all. You are a total creep! You don't even talk to me most the time! You talk to my tits or my legs! You stare at me! You jerk off in your office with your lights out! You jerked off on me when you thought I was too drugged to know it! No matter how many times I say no to you, you keep pushing it! No is no asshole! Now get out before I turn you in!"

"Ruby!" he said desperately, taking hold of my wrists as I tried to push him out of the way. He pushed me back into the room, guiding me by my wrists. I kicked at him and he spun me and shoved me down over the edge of the bed, planting a hand between my shoulders to hold me down. "Just stop!" he said, his voice full of fear. "Please! Just... Just give me a minute to explain! I'm in love with you Ruby... God, I really hate that name. It doesn't suit you at all, it's a whore's name. You aren't a whore, not at all. Stop fighting! Stop. Just be still a minute and let me think."

"Look, Wes, if you just go right now, we can forget this ever happened. We can go back to work and just let it all go. All of it. I won't tell anyone anything at all."

"I love you."

"You don't! You don't know me! You only know what you see!"

"No, I know everything about you. Everything. The first day I met you, I fell so hard for you. I found out everything I could. I know your family, your friends, your ex, everyone. Stop fighting Merietta! Meri. I will call you Meri too. It suits you more. Small. Classic but with a unique twist. Quiet and subdued but beautiful, like you. I like that better. I will call you Meri."