10

brENDA

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We all say the same things every single year.

‘Where has the time gone?’

‘How is it December already?’

‘Can you believe it’s almost Christmas again?’

I’ve certainly said it a few times recently, and I’ve heard it a lot too, especially in this office. I’m definitely hearing it a lot now as we all stand up from our desks and make our way down to the Christmas tree in reception to do what has now become an annual tradition here.

It doesn’t feel like it’s been twelve months since we played Secret Santa.

But it has.

That means it’s time for more gifts.

As I join my colleagues around the tree, I see the organiser of this game standing beside it. Mariah is here, front and centre, ready to distribute the gifts again, and just like last year, she is joined by the person she runs this company with. But it’s not Michael because, of course, he lost his life twelve months ago.

Instead, there is a new man in his place.

Frank is now the person standing beside Mariah, the person who was hired to replace Michael after his death and a person we have all got to know well since then. Some people here have got to know him better than others, and as I watch the way Mariah laughs at one of Frank’s jokes, it’s clear there is more going on between them than just a working relationship.

It was the worst-kept secret in this office that these two were a couple as well as working alongside each other, and it was confirmed when we heard they had arranged a shotgun wedding in Las Vegas a few months ago. Theirs is certainly a whirlwind romance, and Mariah has certainly moved on quickly from Michael, which only makes it more obvious to me that she killed him and got away with his murder.

But we’re not here to judge our bosses and what they get up to in their private lives. We’re here to open our gifts, and as I receive the wrapped present with my name on it, I tear it open, intrigued to see what I have received this year. Unlike last year, when I got a gift with sentimental value that turned out to be laced with a shocking truth, all I have this time is a pair of fluffy socks. It’s a benign present, a sweet and simple gift, and I smile so that whichever one of my colleagues bought it for me will see that I am happy enough to receive it. Then I look over at Kirsty as she opens her gift because I’m the one who bought it for her.

It was a relief to draw my best friend’s name out of the bowl rather than my boss’s, because it certainly made shopping for a present less stressful. I bought Kirsty a cup with the words ‘Office Babe’ written on the side of it and an image of a frazzled-looking woman, which is supposed to signify that it’s impossible to look our best here with the stressful workload. It’s the cringeworthy, lame type of humour that one comes to expect working in an office, and Kirsty regards the present in the manner it was intended, rolling her eyes and forcing a laugh, and that will do for me. Then I look over to Mariah, who is opening her present, and as I watch her unwrap a scented candle, she seems happy enough with her gift too.

I’m happy that she is happy, which might seem strange because Mariah slept with the man I loved and then told me about it. I also feel like she has gotten away with the murder of two people, so her having a big smile on her face hardly feels like justice. Especially not now she has already moved on with the hunky new guy here.

Unlike last year, this game of Secret Santa has been far less stressful and dramatic, or so it would seem. But the reason I’m in such a good mood is because I know that, just like last year, the secret gifts don’t end underneath the Christmas tree. There is always time to leave presents on people’s desks, and there is another one waiting right now on Mariah’s, just like there was last year.

I can’t wait for her to open it.

Once the gifts have been distributed, we all return upstairs to our desks, but as I reach mine, I notice something waiting for me. It’s a present wrapped with a neat little red bow, and while I didn’t see who left it here, I have a pretty good idea who it came from. That’s why I make sure to open it discreetly, out of the sight of Kirsty and any of my other nosy colleagues, and I do that because I have a feeling it is something that could start a lot of gossip if anyone but me sees it.

I unwrap my secret gift in the privacy of a locked toilet cubicle, and I smile when I see the lacy, red lingerie inside. This might seem like a very inappropriate thing to receive in the workplace, and it is, but I don’t care because I know who it came from.

This gift is from Frank.

That’s right, my new boss, and Mariah’s new man, has just secretly gifted me a very naughty present. But I’m not shocked. I’m actually laughing.

I can’t wait to wear it for him, and the best part of this is, I won’t have to wait long.

I won’t even have to wait for a time when Mariah isn’t around.

That’s because when she opens the secret gift on her desk, she isn’t going to be around for very long...