The Night Operator

Asher

“You are completely untrustworthy, Ash,” Noah’s voice growled through the phone.

He was not fazed.

Untrustworthy, ungrateful, immature, irresponsible were only a few of the names his father and older brother had called him over the years.

He was twenty-eight and they still treated him like a child.

Truth is, he was still acting kind of rebellious, but all the negative qualities his family tended to associate with him applied only when it came to the family business.

He never wanted to be a businessman. It was not that he lacked the skills, because he did not.

But much to his father’s chagrin, he had no ambition to get involved with the highly successful company he had built from scratch.

His interests were very different from those that were expected of him. He loved music and photography, and although he was a mediocre musician, he was an awesome photographer.

He wasn’t conceited about it, but he found no harm in knowing his own worth, even if others insisted on ignoring it.

“You can always remove me from the position, brother. I never asked for it anyway,” he stated calmly.

“Oh, trust me, brother,” Noah spat with venom. “If it weren’t for Father’s stubbornness, I would have removed you already.

“Or I may have even granted your wish to make you an operator at our call center. You do not have the qualifications for anything more anyway.”

“My point precisely.” He faked enthusiasm. “Why don’t you convince Dad to hire me in a lower position? It will be the best for all of us.”

And it will get you off my back, ~he wanted to add but refrained from doing so.

“You think I did not try, dickhead? He won’t listen. He is positive that giving you what you want will cause a scandal.

“That’s why he gave you the position you have right now, but you managed to screw it.”

“It’s in my nature.” He shrugged though his brother could not see him.

“Change your nature, Ash. You are being moved to the main branch of our company as a CEO next month, so get your shit together.”

After he terminated the call with his brother, he raked his hand through his hair in frustration. He should have run away when he dropped out of college.

If he hadn’t chickened out, he would lead a totally different life right now.

But he wanted to please his mom. She was in the final stages of cancer, and she had begged him to stay and try to be a “proper” son for his dad.

She had promised that if he made that little sacrifice, all would be well and in time he would be able to do the thing he loved even as a hobby.

She had reasoned that without his father on his side, he would not make a name for himself easily.

And then she had died, and nothing went according to plan. He had let himself be trapped and regretted the moment he caved in and made that promise.

“Come on, bitch,” he patted his lap for his dog to come to him. “We both need a walk.”

They took a big walk around the park, and he let his eyes linger to memorize the place he was supposed to leave in a month.

He had come to love this city. It was noisy and calm at the same time. He hated that he had to leave so soon.

When he returned home, he sat at his computer to work on some pictures he had taken earlier that week.

No matter how busy he was, he always made time for photography, and he really had taken some excellent photos lately.

However, in the middle of uploading them, his computer got stuck. It was one of their own company’s.

It would be silly if they were using products from a rival company, although he was tempted to do just that, even if only to rile up his father and Noah.

Overcoming his irritation, he decided to finally test the tech services department of his father’s company.

They were available twenty-four hours a day, located in the main branch where he would go to act as the new CEO, so the time would not be a problem.

As he dialed the call center’s number, he waited patiently for the introduction to be over so he could be forwarded to an operator in tech services.

It was faster than he expected, and after a couple of rings he was connected almost immediately to a girl whose name he did not quite catch.

He explained his problem to her, and she started giving him instructions after a few seconds.

Judging by the distant sound of flipping pages, he realized she was searching through a manual to offer him solutions.

What the fuck?

The operators of the tech services department were supposed to be the ones with the most demanding training in order to provide the ultimate customer service experience.

She was reading from a fucking manual to him.

“Are you sure this is the right action?” he asked her, beginning to feel irritated. He had to have a word with Noah on employees’ training as soon as took over.

Printed manuals? Who relies on them anymore?

“After the description you gave me, it’s the only thing that fits. I can look up some alternatives if this does not work,” she said kindly.

“Well, you are going to have to find me something else because this does not work,” he lied smoothly.

He did not even bother to try. He went to fix himself a drink instead as he heard her flipping pages frantically.

She must not have realized her heavy and slightly panicked breaths were audible, and he did not make any comment on it.

He just downed one glass after the other, rejecting every solution she came up with.

It was turning into some wicked kind of fun, making her search for more. Perhaps it was because he was slightly drunk. And she had a nice voice.

And he hated to admit it, but her unconscious breathing kind of turned him on in this late hour.

All of a sudden, his high school pranks came to mind.

When he used to call his father’s company customer service late at night with his friends, pretending they had reached a sex line.

They made the operators uncomfortable, but he resented his dad so much he did not care. He meant no actual harm anyway.

He smirked. He was relaxed and in the mood to play again. Not out of spite, but need. Or maybe it was a little bit of both.

He had enough liquor in his system to not be able to tell them apart at the moment.

“That does not work either, sweetheart,” he drawled. “What was your name again?”

“Maggie,” she replied, trying to cover her frustration. “I do not mean to be disrespectful, sir, but you followed all the steps I gave you?”

“Yes, Maggie, I did, but sadly nothing worked. It would seem your software is not as advanced as you claim it to be.”

“I am so sorry for the inconvenience, sir, but I have run out of possible solutions as this is something that has not occurred before.

“I am going to have to send a request for further investigation, and we will get back to you as soon—”

“Tell me something, Maggie,” he interrupted her, a smile playing on his lips.

“Yes?”

“Do you masturbate?” he asked, barely suppressing a chuckle.

“Excuse me?” she stammered, startled.

“Do. You. Masturbate. Maggie?” he repeated, pronouncing each word slowly.

Oh, this was already entertaining. He could bet that she was blushing right now. She sounded like the type to blush.

“Sir, this is irrelevant and highly inappropriate,” she scolded, clearing her throat softly.

“Well, I don’t quite agree, sweetheart. The hour is right, and you kept breathing in my ear for the past twenty minutes, which frankly makes me wonder how you sound when you pleasure yourself.

“Are you a moaner or…?”

“Sir!” She raised her voice. “If you do not need anything else, I am going to have to terminate the call.”

“Since you were unable to fix the problem I called for, you could do something else for me,” he reasoned.

He was making a big effort to keep his voice neutral as he drained another glass. He expected a response, but she remained silent.

“I would like you to slip your hand inside your panties and touch yourself.

“I want to hear the sound you make when you come while your colleagues are nearby,” he whispered, mildly surprised that she had not cut him off yet.

As he heard the unmistakable sound of the line going dead, he let out a laugh.

He dialed the number again. His own sexual request had turned him on even more, and he still wanted to tease her.

As with the first time, he was connected immediately.

“Tech services department, my name is Leo. How can I help you?”

He hung up, cursing under his breath.

Damn spoilsport.