Bad Romance

I'll kill that Zhang He. The throbbing of music and strobes would be more than enough to disorient even the hardiest of men. I, however, am in a very compromised position. Those small pastel tablets He offered me at the beginning of the night were apparently quite a different type of drug than what I expected. They have long since hit my nervous system full force. I turn in a panic as an unrecognizable form momentarily presses against me. In my disconcerted and disconnected state I curse and mutter at all the events that lead to this: the extra hours and work I put into ensuring a good quarterly report for Wei, Cao Pi's (unwarranted) arrogance upon seeing that profit. Another obscured form presses on me and I jerk toward the counter; the maledictions being thrown around my mind intensify. I damn everyone at that blasted firm for having gotten so obscenely happy over our business that the fools insisted on going out celebrating. I berate myself and everyone else for not raising an objection when Zhang He suggested a club . I curse Cao Pi for green lighting the whole damn thing. I look around and see blurs, realizing the death wish I had when I got in a car with He and Pi. I'm in danger? There is no recourse left but to start yelling out the Wei officers names. When Cao Pi grabs my shoulder I nearly fall from the stool. I spin my body to find his face quite close to mine. His mouth is moving but it's all drown out by the music booming through the air. The noise is of that ubiquitous singer, the one who's wardrobe makes Zhang He seem demure. I see Cao Pi's mouth move more quickly and yet only thing I hear is a woman singing about some card game. I see Cao Pi's mouth press shut, and he grabs my arm and yanks me from the stool. He pulls me through a kaleidoscope of a crowd to put us both at a dimly lit table and chairs in an alcove. Cao Pi pushes me into the seat furthest in, sits himself and turns to address me again. Before he can speak I cut him off. "Where are we? What club I mean?" I think he moves closer, I can't tell as my eyes won't focus. He begins to speak again, slower and loud: "Zhang He's usual one. If you want the name you'll have to ask him. What happened to you? You okay?" I slide down in my seat and Pi's arm somehow appears around my shoulder. My mind's blank as I formulate that urgent question for him: "are we near my place? Take me home. Now."

Pi shifts to place his mouth by my ear, to be heard over the din. "No, Yi. If I walk out of here with you like this I'll have to put up with a rumor mill about how I drugged and took advantage of my chief financial officer. Now calm down and relax." I try to jerk away but manage only an uncoordinated movement before responding to Pi. "And yet you decided that having He drag us all to a club was a good idea?"

Pi sighs and moves closer, pressing me to him. Cao Pi is rather lucky I'm this out of the world. He starts rubbing my shoulders and moves to speak into my ear, again. "One of us is getting checked out, so if you don't want to spend the rest of night greeting strangers I'd suggest you play along. Try to look like a couple, you know." I silently concede the point and let my weight rest on him as my strength and coordination give way to the chemical in my blood. I nearly scoff at how good Cao Pi is at pretending when that noise starts blaring again.

I want your love and all your lover's revenge.

You and me could write
a bad romance. Want your bad romance.

Caught in a bad romance.

The moment that singer comes to this state I'm strangling her. I have to tell Cao Pi. "Pi, go shut that noise off. It's killing me; Zhang He already plays her nonstop, at the office on the speakers. Get fucking rid of her." Cao Pi deadpans, "the PA is the club's." "Then pay them to shut it off." Once again, in his flat tone of voice: "they'd lose their business for the night, and that's a huge sum, so no. You're already drugged; can't you just sleep through it?" Cao Pi's a bitch. I scoff. Pi asks if I'd want a drink to calm my nerves. I point out that given my intoxicated state his offer seems like a thinly veiled attempt to kill me. Pi runs his hand through my hair and starts massaging my back. Everything else seems a disconcerted mess; damn Pi, damn He and his pill. I pray I won'tremember this tomorrow morning.

Ah, yeah: a Lady Gaga themed chapter! Sima's a bit OC, but it's too tempting to put a dazed Sima in a night club.