I was once Jonathan Cartwright - part 1 (Patreon)

Part 2: https://www.patreon.com/posts/i-was-once-part-110880794

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"Dammit, you idiots! What have you done?" Amanda screamed as the full realization of what had just happened! It felt as if she were having a panic attack; her heart raced, her palms were sweating and she wanted to scream even more! And the silly festive atmosphere and flying confetti seemed to only make things worse.

“Ah, lighten up, Mandy! It’s just a little fun, relax!” Chuck, the big, bumbling idiot of an employee, laughed heartily, pulling her into a tight, overly familiar hug. His breath reeked of cheap whiskey, and his laughter was just as grating as his obliviousness when his mouth pressed to hers in a kiss. She didn't even have time to do anything, just widened her eyes and pushed him away with difficulty before his tongue tried to enter her mouth. She nearly retched when he managed to smudge the red lipstick.

"Get off me, Chuck!" she hissed, squirming out of his grip, but the dizziness from the shock, the panic, and the ridiculous heels she now had to wear made her stumble, catching herself against the wall. Her mind was spinning, trying to process the horror that unfolded right in front of her eyes. That bottle… that goddamn bottle was the only thing that might return her to who she was - Jonathan Cartwright, CEO and owner of Cartwright Enterprises - and now this bottle was broken into hundreds of little shards!

She wanted to "return" from her "vacation" tomorrow and use her new knowledge about the employees that she'd gotten while being a nobody in her own company - a low-paid intern Amanda Fletcher who'd been hired in the company to work for just one month while Jonathan officially took a vacation.

"Aw, come on, Candy Mandy! It's just a bottle of booze!" Chuck slurred, his arm snaking around her waist again. "Let’s just have some fun, huh? What’s the big deal?"

"The big deal? The big deal? That bottle, you moron, was the only thing that could—" She bit her tongue, realizing she couldn’t let her true thoughts slip.

Chuck's hand slowly slipped down to her butt “Could what? You’re always so uptight! Just relax, babe. We’re just having a bit of fun. It’s Mike’s birthday, after all!” he leaned in closer, his breath hot and foul against her cheek.

“I’m not your babe, Chuck! And that bottle wasn’t just some forgotten decoration!” She wiped her cheek furiously, hating the sensation of his lips still lingering on her skin. "You idiot! Get that away from me!" She shoved his arm, her small, delicate hands barely moving him. God, how she hated this - being weak, being small, being...a woman. "I should fire you on the spot!"

Chuck blinked, then roared with laughter. "Fire me? Oh, Candy Mandy, you crack me up! You couldn’t fire me even if you tried. I’m your boss here, remember?" Chuck leaned against her, forcing Amanda to step back against the wall. The smile disappeared from his face "Why do you always gotta be such a bitch?" Chuck looked her in the eyes, his voice low and threatening. He was so big, so heavy.

She felt fear, fear not for the first time in this new life. If she had known that that stupid, always obedient idiot Chuck from the HR department would turn out to be such an asshole, she would never have decided that being an intern in his department was the best way to go! He was a jackass. A complete jerk.

All this time she was just playing along, more for the sake of a joke, because she was a silly 'Candy Mandy' and simply ignored his flirting, but now, when the bottle that would have changed her back to her male self was opened by her, now former, employees and she stuck like Amanda...now everything was different.

Amanda glared at the idiot, clenching her small fists in her skirt. "I don't care if you're my boss," she whispered in a low voice, but she was trembling with rage. "You will all regret that you opened that bottle."

"Oh, I'm sure that our big boss, the almighty Mr. Cartwright, will never notice a silly little bottle," he sneered. "Only if someone would call him, of course..." Chuck looked down at Amanda meaningfully and she shivered. "Hahaha! Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud! That was just a joke!" Chuck burst out laughing, grabbing his stomach "Let's go get a drink together! It's time to party, you priss!" Chuck grabbed Amanda and pulled her toward the party table, ignoring her weak resistance. "Hey, guys, get our sweet intern Candy a drink, will ya?"

She didn't really understand what happened next, but now she really wanted to drink... and not just drink, but to drink everything to forget what a shit this day was and is turning out to be.