Dean and Sam cautiously knocked on Bela's door. "Come in!" she called.
The two friends poked their heads in and glanced around the office, quickly noting that there was no sign of Castiel. That made Dean feel simultaneously better and worse. It was good he wasn't causing trouble in here, but where could he have gone?
Bela looked up and brightened. "Oh, hello, Dean!"
"Sorry," Dean said aloud. "Sam and I just wanted to check in here for a moment because I seem to have lost my trainee. He was looking for the men's room, but he's been gone for a while now. I thought maybe he got lost."
"Yeah, he doesn't seem quite right in the head," Bela commented. She'd gotten up and was coming closer, her eyes on Dean.
Sam stepped in front of Dean, grabbing the handle. "Well, if you haven't seen him, we'll keep looking. Thanks, Mrs. Lafitte!"
Sam tried to close the door, but Bela's hand shot out, holding the door open. "What was that trainee's name again? I've looked, but I don't see anything about getting a new employee."
"His name's Castiel," Dean called. "Castiel Novak."
Her brow wrinkled. "Castiel Novak. I don't even remember doing his interview, and I think I'd remember that! Very strange. Who hired him?"
"Someone else hires them. I just train them," Dean replied.
"Yeah, and then, apparently he loses them," Sam added. "Sorry to disturb you, Mrs. Lafitte."
Once again, Sam tried to pull the door closed. And once again, Bela pushed it back open. "What's the big deal?" she asked. "So he got lost. If he's gone too long, I'll dock his pay and he'll learn."
"Oh, no big deal at all," Sam assured. "It's just that this guy's a buddy of ours and it's not like him to be gone this long. So we're just concerned and trying to help him out, you know? It is his first day on the job, and he needs to make a good impression."
"He's done a bang-up job of it so far," Bela huffed. "I still cannot believe he actually told me to keep my hands to myself!"
Sam's face took on an interesting expression.
Dean clamped a hand on his shoulder. "Anyway, we'll get back at it," he said. "Later!"
"What, so now you're going to stop looking for him?" Bela asked.
"Oh, no, we'll keep looking," Sam said, again trying to pull the door closed. "We'll let you know if we don't find him."
Bela pushed her way out the door. "You keep looking, Sam," she ordered, reaching past him to grab Dean's arm. "I need Dean's help with something."
Dean grimaced. "I need to find my trainee. Besides, my lunch break isn't for another half an hour."
"Take an early one today," she advised, pulling him towards the door. "I have something I wanted to share with you."
Dean shot Sam a look, and Sam responded by grabbing Dean's other arm. "Mrs. Lafitte, I really think we should keep looking for Dean's trainee," he insisted. "We know the guy, and this really isn't like him to just wander off without saying anything to us. What if something happened to him?"
Dean nodded, looking concerned. "We can cover twice as much ground in half as much time with two of us."
"He's a big boy. He shouldn't be too hard to find." Bela frowned at Sam. "Mr. Winchester, is there some reason you're playing tug of war with me using Dean as a rope?"
"With respect, ma'am?" Sam said politely. "There are two of us on this particular rope. Is there some reason you're trying to drag my brother into your lockable, soundproof office when he's already made it clear he doesn't want to go?"
Dean sucked in his breath. While part of him wanted to cheer Sam on, this wasn't the time to confront Bela. Even if she didn't fire him, if she raised a fuss, Castiel would surely pop out from wherever he was hiding to investigate. That was a recipe for disaster. Alarmed, he looked at Bela, dreading her reaction.
Bela narrowed her eyes, even as her obviously-forced smile grew wider. Her eyes locked with Dean's. "Dean, I'm afraid I need to insist you take an early lunch and help me," she said. "Now, please?"
"What about Cass?" Dean asked, ready to start panicking. "Can't it wait until I find him?"
Bela indicated Sam. "Let him look for him. I need you. Now."
"Dean?" Sam was frowning at Dean.
Dean sighed, and pulled free of Sam. "Keep looking for Cass, would you? I'll be out in a few minutes."
Dean expected to receive one of his brother's epic bitch faces. But instead, Sam was sadly shaking his head. "Whatever, Dean. It's your life, buddy." He waited until Dean followed Bela back into her office. Then he slammed the door much harder than was necessary, making Dean wince.
Bela raised an eyebrow. "What's with him?"
"He's in a mood," Dean said with a shrug.
"I guess! Seems like everyone's in a mood today. Must be the official 'Be A Bitch To Your Boss' day." She crowded Dean, pushing him back against the door. "Lucky for me, you're here to cheer me up."
Dean's head had started to ache as soon as she'd grabbed him. Now the ache had graduated into a throb. Until now, Dean had been resigned to put up with whatever Bela demanded of him today. But the more she touched him, the more he resented it and suddenly, he didn't feel as if he could stand it any longer. "Bela, please leave me alone?" Dean pleaded. "I don't want to do this."
Bela's response was to lock the door and bury her fingers in his hair, trying to pull his head down for a kiss.
"Stop," Dean groaned. "I said no, alright? I don't want to do this again! Besides, I really am worried about my trainee. What's going to happen if Sam finds him and comes looking for me?"
"Door's locked." She had his tie now.
"Yes, but I'm his assigned trainer. I should be…"
She stopped his words when she succeeded in pulling him down and kissing him. "Dean, would you forget about your trainee for a bit?" she suggested. "Sam can keep him entertained. Right now, it's your job to keep me entertained."
"When do I get to be entertained?" Dean complained. "I'm so sick of this! Every day you drag me in here and I have to have sex with you, even though you know I don't want to do it. Why the hell won't you leave me alone?"
She laughed. "As if you don't like it!"
"I don't like it!" Dean exploded. "I'd rather fuck a knothole, splinters be damned! You're a controlling, demanding bitch and I cannot stand you!"
Bela rolled her eyes and mussed his hair. "You and your mouth, I swear! I'm half tempted to get you a gag."
"There is no way I am ever letting you gag me," Dean declared. "Fucking you is bad enough. You're not doing that weird shit to me, too."
As usual, Dean's complaints and insults only seemed to excite her more. "You're right. I know of a much better use for that mouth. But that's for another time."
He turned his face away as she tried to kiss him again. "Come on, let me go, Bela, I need to find Castiel."
"What is it with you and your damned trainee?" she complained. "Are you in love with the guy or something?"
"Yes," Dean told her without hesitating. "Yes, Bela, I am in love with him. And I don't know where he is, and I'm worried that something's happened to him. Now let go of my tie. I'm going to go find him."
Bela blinked up at him. Then her lips parted in a wide smile. "Really? You and that hot, blue-eyed hunk? Ooooh, that has so many possibilities! Let's go find him together, and bring him back here."
"Whoa, hold it!" Dean grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back as she reached towards the door. "What are you talking about?"
"I told you I wanted to try a threesome," she informed him. "You didn't care for my choice, but I'm good with yours!"
Dean sucked in his breath. "No way. No fucking way, Bela! You are not going anywhere near Castiel. Leave him alone!"
Her gaze grew cool as she looked at him. "Still going to say no on the threesome, even if we bring him in on it?"
"You're damned right," he told her. "You're not touching Castiel, and I will never do a threesome."
"Oh Dean, once again, you let me down!" Bela pouted. "Where's the fun of having a bisexual boyfriend if he won't do a threesome?"
He shook his head. "You know what, I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer."
She moved closer, her hands going to work unbuttoning his shirt. "And are you going to compensate me like you did last time?"
Dean grimaced. "Bela…"
"Enough talk." She wrapped his tie around her hand and started pulling him back into the office, heading not to the divan, but her desk.
"Um, no. I think I have had just about enough of your desk," Dean declared. "Look, I still have marks on my wrists, see?"
"Poor baby!" Far from sounding chagrined, Bela was practically purring. "I'll have to get padded cuffs. How about that?"
"How about no? You are never cuffing me again!"
She pulled him down by his tie to kiss him again, using her other hand to undo his belt. "After all the fun we had Monday?"
"I assure you, nothing about Monday was fun!" Dean exclaimed. "I told you that I didn't like it. You're not doing it to me again!" Dean planted his feet and pried at her fingers on his tie. In retrospect, Castiel might have had the right idea this morning about not wanting to wear one. The tie made an effective leash, choking him if she pulled on it the right way and making it all too easy to drag his head down for her kisses. Now that he thought about it, it really was a stupid article of clothing. For all women complained about high heels and tight girdles, at least they weren't walking around just asking to be hung.
"Deeeean?" Bela called, her voice singsong. "Come over to the deeeeeeeesk!"
"Not on your liiiiiiiife," Dean singsonged back. "Let go of my tiiiiiieee!"
"If you want a raaaaaaise, you'd better get on the deeeeeeeeeesk!"
"Seriously?" Dean exclaimed. "After everything that happened Monday, you want to put me back on that fucking desk?"
"Great choice of words!" She gave a yank on his tie.
Caught off-guard, Dean yelped and stumbled forward. "Stop it! That's it, I'm leaving. Hell, I quit!"
"We've been over this. We both know you can't quit." She turned him with the tie until he stood with his back to her desk, pushing on his chest with one hand while she held tight to his tie with the other.
Dean groaned as his rear bumped against the desk. She was right, of course. If he lost this job, it wouldn't just be him out on the street. Angel or not, Castiel had a human body that clearly needed food and warmth. A cardboard box and digging through a dumpster wouldn't cut it. "Don't do this to me again," he pleaded. "At least wait until after I find Cass?"
"Just shut up and get on the desk."
Resigned, he let her push him back onto the desk and climb on top of him. It's just sex, he told himself as she quickly pulled his shirt open and started rubbing his torso. You've done it before, you can do it again. Just get it over with so you can find Castiel!
But even as he thought this, he knew he wouldn't be able to go through with it, not this time. All he could think about was Castiel, and not in any way that could allow him to give the sexual predator licking at his throat what she wanted. He took her shoulders and pushed her away. "Dammit, why won't you ever listen to me? I don't want to do this again. Stop!"
"You don't get it, do you?" she called, pulling his hands off of her shoulders and pinning them roughly down on the desk. "What you want doesn't matter. I own you, baby! You're all mine, and I'll do whatever I want with you."
"For fuck's sake!" Dean yelled. "Get off of me and leave me alone!"
"Just relax and enjoy it," she soothed. "I'll make you feel so good, baby! And I won't even handcuff you this time, since you're being such a whiny bitch about it. But if you want to keep your job? Then you are going to stay here on this desk, Dean, and we are going to fuck!"
"That so?" called a low drawl from the door.
Dean and Bela froze, staring at the door. There was Castiel, standing just inside the door with his arms crossed, glaring at Bela. But it wasn't Castiel who had spoken. Just in the door behind him, looking simultaneously crushed and furious, stood Benny Lafitte. The man was larger than life, decked out in a fancy black suit with a checkered tie and a red handkerchief. He stepped forward, seeming to fill the entire room with his presence. "Ma chérie, I gave you everything!" he said, his Louisiana accent stronger than usual in his distress. "I treated you like a queen, and this whole time, you're doing this shit with one of my employees?"
"This isn't what it looks like!" Bela exclaimed, quickly climbing off of Dean and moving towards the door. "I'm so glad you're here, baby. You don't know how terrible it's been! He comes in here every day at lunch and forces himself on me!"
"What?" Dean yelled. "Bela, I still have the marks on my wrists from when you handcuffed me to your desk Monday! I was trapped there, hiding underneath while you two screwed on the desk right on top of me and then went to dinner. I got these marks because you left me there for over three hours! Now how in the hell did I force you to do that, huh?"
"I can't help it you're a kinky bastard," she defended. "And you certainly took it out of me later, didn't you?" Her eyes filled with tears, and her lower lip trembled. "You're so much bigger than me! Only an idiot would think I could force anything on you."
It was a convincing performance, with Bela displaying acting skills Dean hadn't realized she had. As Dean sputtered, she turned back to Benny, her eyes pleading. "Baby, please, you gotta make him stop!"
"Oh, belle femme, you don't know how much I want to believe you," Benny sighed. His eyes were brimming with tears as he indicated Castiel. "But this guy here told me the same story lover boy just did. And by the way, we were standing here in the door, watching you push him down on your desk. We heard him ask you to stop. And instead, you pinned him down and threatened his job?!" He shook his head. "I heard everything you said to that boy, Bela. You threw away your job and our marriage to fuck an employee on your desk? And handcuffs, you were never into that shit with me. I would have played any game you wanted, but I guess he's an x-box and I'm just an Atari, huh?"
"He made me say that! He's into weird shit, baby, and I was just playing along so he didn't hurt me!" She sobbed and threw herself at Benny, clinging to his lapels. "Please, big daddy, you believe me, don't you?"
"You know what?" Benny replied. "I started out with nothing. I worked my way up to where I am now. But for you, I would have begged and stolen, lied and cheated trying to keep you, trying to please you, 'cause being in love with your ass ain't cheap. You think if I was richer I'd still be with you? Ain't that some shit!" He snorted. "I pity the fool that falls in love with you, 'cause you're a gold digger. And I got some news for you, girl. I really hate your ass right now."
Bela gasped. "Benny!"
Benny sobbed. "Baby, why'd you wanna hurt me so bad? Forget you!"
"Benny, no, baby, I love you!" Bella raised her hands imploringly to him, lowering her voice a bit. "Baby, think about where we are. We're right in your office building, with everyone watching. Let's go somewhere private where we can talk, just the two of us. We can work this out." She gave him a weak smile. "After all we've been through together, surely we deserve to give each other that much?"
Benny wiped at his streaming eyes, shook his head, and visibly tried to reclaim his dignity as he nodded. "You're right. Ok. We can get through this like adults. There's a pain in my chest, but I still wish you the best…" He sobbed again and shook his head. "No, you know what? Fuck you!"
"No, Benny!" Bela sobbed.
"I could write a song about this shit!" Benny exclaimed. "Don't even bother getting any of your stuff. I'll have it bagged for you, and dump it on the curb." He pointed out into the hall. "Just go! You're fired, and we're through. Get out of my building and out of my life, and wait for the lawyers to call you."
"Baby, please!" she shrieked.
"We're done!" Benny roared. "Now get going before I have security escort your fine ass out!"
Bela fled.
Benny wiped at his eyes again. Then he turned to Dean.
Dean remained as he was, frozen, still lying back on his elbows on Bela's desk with his shirt opened and pulled out, his belt undone, his hair a mess, Bela's lipstick all over his mouth and neck and his tie askew. He swallowed hard, grabbed a tissue, wiped off the lipstick, and climbed down off of the desk, quickly buttoning his shirt. "I'll just pack my stuff and leave my name badge at the front desk on my way out," he called. "Excuse me."
The big man stood where he was, blocking Dean's exit. "You're Dean Winchester?" Benny asked.
Dean swallowed again. "Yes, sir?"
"Dean, did you lie on your application for this job, like Castiel here tells me?" Benny wanted to know.
Dean desperately wanted the walls to collapse, dropping the four floors above him onto his head, hopefully killing him instantly. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. "Yes, sir," he admitted.
"And just how long have you been fucking my wife?"
Why couldn't Bela's office have been on the twentieth floor? Then, if Dean jumped out the window, he'd fall to a certain death that would be far less painful than whatever Benny would do to him now. If Dean charged out the window here on the first floor, the best he could hope for would be that a shard of glass sliced his throat. Even then, Benny would probably somehow patch him up, keep him alive to take whatever punishment was in store. Dean stared at Benny, unable to speak, tensed and waiting for the first blow. In his mind, he pictured his tombstone: Here lies young Dean Winchester. Died from jumping Benny's claim. Didn't happen at the mining site, the claim he jumped was Benny's dame.
Benny pulled second handkerchief, this one white silk and probably costing more than Dean's entire outfit, out of his back pocket and wiped at his tear-stained face. Then he blew his nose into the silk, crumpled it, and shoved it back into his pocket. "You know what? I don't want to know," he declared. "It's obvious this isn't the first time, and that's all that matters. You know what I'm saying, Dean?"
"Yes, sir?" he answered quietly, hoping that was the right answer. But what did it matter? He was dead, so dead. Would they ever find his body? Or would Benny just feed him through a wood chipper into a river somewhere? Maybe he'd just take Dean out on his personal yacht, tie him to an anchor, and dump him in the Mariana trench? Or he'd just cut pieces off of Dean and use him for fishing bait, tossing whatever was left of him to sharks drawn by the scent of blood in the water?
But wait a minute. His guardian angel was here! Castiel was supposed to protect him, right? So why, instead, had he been the instrument of Dean's doom? Castiel seemed oddly calm as Dean faced imminent bloody demise.
Meanwhile, Benny was gesturing to Dean. "C'mon, Dean. All of your coworkers are eavesdropping here on things that aren't their business. Let's finish this conversation upstairs in my office."
((Song credit: "Forget You/Fuck You" by CeeLo Green
