Part 6
898 Words
SIX
On the screen, a bride glided down the church aisle on what Gaia presumed was her father's arm. All eyes, phones and flashing cameras turned toward the veiled image of virginity. A collective sigh sounded as the older man lifted the veil and kissed his daughter's cheek. Bridesmaids scuttled around her, settling her veil beneath her pinned curls. The groom's triumphant leer told the world that he didn't care for the veil or the dress, but the n***d girl beneath them, who he intended to do all sorts of things to as soon as possible.
The girl ducked her head in response, as if to hide her blush. She turned slightly to scan the congregation, a lost look on her face as if she'd suddenly realised she might not like losing her virginity.
The priest clicked on his microphone and cleared his throat.
The bride stiffened, as if she'd suddenly grown a spine, and she snatched the microphone out of the man's hands. "I don't want to do this," she said in a breathy voice.
Laughter erupted from the congregation.
"But thanks to this arsehole, I have to," she continued.
All laughter died.
"He wanted us to save ourselves for marriage. He swore if I would, he'd do the same. Did you, James?" She turned to the groom.
"Of course, Vee," he drawled.
"Lying through your teeth in a church, you lying sack of s**t. Just like you said you'd call off the wedding when I told you I knew you'd slept with a p********e a few weeks ago. You can stick this wedding up your arse, James, just like you did to her." The bride drew her bouquet over her shoulder, then let it fly. The ball of roses hit the ceiling in an explosion of white petals, before landing among the congregation. A scuffle broke out, but the noise was muffled by the bride with the microphone as she added, "Fire it up, Vi. Show them what he did."
A projector screen behind the altar burst into a blur of colour, which resolved into a sordid scene between a couple who looked like they were having s*x on a table.
"But I did it for you, Vee. She was showing me how to give you a good time!" the groom wailed.
"You aren't worth my time." The bride kneed him in the groin, then stormed out of the church.
Harrison laughed so hard he had to wipe his eyes. That's when he noticed Gaia standing behind him. "Have you seen this?" he asked her. "It's the funniest thing I've ever seen. The video of him having s*x went viral a few weeks ago, and it's like the next chapter. It's been up for a couple of days and already it's had over two million views."
Gaia didn't c***k a smile. "I can see why. You've already watched it four times. On company time."
Harrison's face fell. "Nah, I'm on my lunch break."
"It doesn't matter. Company policy on using office computers for pornographic material says it's instant dismissal," Gaia said steadily. "Goodbye, Harrison."
Harrison waved at the screen. "But...that's not p*********y! It's a wedding! Everyone was still dressed!"
"The s*x tape on the screen looked pretty pornographic to me. We can take it up with HR, if you like, and leave the definition up to them, or you can just resign." She kept her eyes on him. She wouldn't blink first.
Harrison hung his head. "I guess I could find another job in the next two weeks while I finish up here."
"I said instant dismissal. Pack your things and get out."
"But – " Harrison reconsidered and closed his mouth. He tucked his wallet and phone into his pockets, grabbed his coffee mug and slouched out.
Good riddance, Gaia thought. She hadn't expected getting rid of Harrison to be as easy as...the bride breaking up with the groom. If it had been her, she'd have set the guy up with the p********e, to test his loyalty. After all, the cameraman with the viral videos had been so conveniently in the right place at the right time. That was no accident.
"You're nothing like your mother," Harrison spat, appearing in the doorway. He must have found his balls outside, or some sort of courage. "She never would have thrown out family."
"Are we related?" Distantly, through marriage, perhaps, Gaia thought, but she didn't remember him from anywhere aside from the desk he'd just vacated.
"My father worked himself into an early death in your family's asbestos mines. I'm all Mum's got left, and the government won't pay for the medicine she needs to stay alive. She'll die if you fire me." He jutted a defiant chin for what Gaia suspected was the first time in his life.
She shrugged. "You should have thought of your mother when you chose to watch p*********y in the office. At least you have the luxury of a mother who's still alive. I'm not wallowing because my mother is gone, or wasting my time watching other people having sex." She didn't mention that she had just done so – four times, in fact, as a familiar heat grew between her thighs. She wondered what it would be like to be taken over a table like that. It wasn't something any of her male partners had dared to do to her. Ugh. Was she seriously considering s*x in such an uncomfortable position, without being in control? She needed to scratch that itch and soon.
"b***h," Harrison snarled, then stomped out.
Gaia didn't deign to reply. He was beneath her, after all. Would she ever meet anyone who wasn't?
- Writer
