Resisting the Boss

by Humphreys, K. L.

  "That's great, I'm so pleased it helped."

  "Helped? Wendy, I'm shadowing her today. I get to actually observe her work."

  Pride fills me, she's doing fantastic. "Make notes Alth, make sure you catch everything she does, that way you can help her if she needs it. That's what an assistant does. Have an eagle-eye."

  "I'm already on it. I've been making loads of notes. Not only that but, she's set up a few meetings and forgot her diary. I did what you've done for Jameson and started a calendar online and she's over the moon. I think I could really have a chance here." She's talking a mile a minute, she's the happiest I think I've ever perceived her.

  "That's great. I'll catch up with you later?"

  "Of course, I'll see you tonight. I just wanted to call and say thanks."

  "Anytime Alth, love you. Have a great day."

  "You too," she responds.

  The elevator dings, announcing it's reached this floor. I put my phone down in time to spot Babette walking into the foyer, her hands full of coffee and food.

  "Hey Babette, you're a lifesaver. Thank you."

  She shakes her head, "Girl, are you for real? I need to thank you. That new receptionist is driving me crazy. Not only is she a know-it-all, she wears way too much perfume and it gives me a headache."

  I've heard stories about her, even Keeva doesn't like her. "Oh, she's still being a pain?"

  "Pain?" she chokes, "Wendy, the woman is a bitch plain and simple. She had the cheek to criticize my outfit this morning."

  I glance over her outfit. I don't notice anything wrong with it. She's wearing black pinstriped wide-legged pants, with a cool pair of black studded boots. A white blouse and a black blazer jacket. Much the same as most of the other women in this office. "Your outfit’s amazing, what's wrong with it?"

  She laughs, "It's too bland."

  I roll my eyes. "God." I have no other response than that.

  "Yep, now I'm off to spend even more time with her."

  I giggle. "Have fun."

  She glares at me as she enters the elevator. "No such thing when she's around." The doors close behind her.

  I press the button on the phone, it's to call Jameson's office. "Yes, Wendy?"

  "I have your coffees here." I reply.

  "Okay, please bring them in." I discern talking in the background, he must already be on the call.

  I quickly pick up the things Babette brought up and walk into his office. Both Jameson and Callum are sitting down on the sofa, talking to someone on Jameson's laptop.

  I quietly place their coffees beside them and leave the bag of food on the table.

  "Thank you." Jameson says softly as I walk out of the office.

  Turning to face him, I realize his eyes are on me. I give him a soft smile and a little nod. He's polite today, he's usually not like this, so I’m not complaining. I’m able to be more productive today.

  Four

  Jameson

  "So, are you going to tell me what happened last night?" Callum asks and I want to throttle him.

  "Nothing happened."

  He tuts, "Since when have you been tight lipped about things?"

  I sigh, "I'm not, I'm telling you the truth, nothing happened. Belinda is married. Her husband walked into the bar after you left."

  His eyes widen. "Oh, shit."

  "Yeah."

  He laughs, "What's going on with you and Wendy?"

  I should have accepted that he wouldn't let this lie. "Nothing, just as she explained to you."

  "Bull."

  I hold my hands up, "Honestly, there's nothing going on."

  He stares at me in disbelief, "But?"

  I glare at the fucker. "But, nothing."

  "You're a bad liar, Jameson. Spill it."

  "Piss off."

  He laughs, "Oh, you want her."

  I ignore him and finish up typing out this email to my accountant.

  "Ha ha, this is priceless. One of America's top bachelors is pining over a woman."

  "Shut the hell up. Now tell me what's going on with you and Claudette?" He's not said much since that day and I'm curious as to what he has planned.

  "I’ve said to her that she was full of shit. That if she's pregnant it definitely isn't my kid." His voice is full of regret.

  "Okay, what did she say to that?" I must be missing something.

  "She confessed that the stress of me calling her a liar and telling her I never want anything to do with her caused her to have a miscarriage."

  Fuck. "Callum, please tell me you're not actually taking her word for it?"

  He shrugs. "What am I supposed to do?"

  For a man that is the biggest playboy I know, he sure is naïve when it comes to women. "Get Derek on it. Tell him you want to verify if she was actually pregnant in the first place. I'm betting she wasn't."

  He shakes his head. "He's already probing into it. At the moment he's not found anything to corroborate her story so it's appearing as though she's a liar."

  "Nothing new there. That woman is searching for a man to trap. You seriously need to open your eyes and realize that."

  He waves me off, "I was shocked. Imagine someone telling you that they're pregnant with your child. How would you react?"

  A sinking sensation hits me. "Yeah, I'd probably be crying."

  He laughs, "Yeah, well I wasn't that bad."

  "Shall we celebrate?" I suggest.

  "Of course. We're now going to own the biggest company in the world, what's not to celebrate?" He's so cocky.

  "It's not the biggest."

  He shrugs, "It will be soon though. What with your developmental skills in all things electronic and my brain for finance and business. There's no way our business won't be the best, or biggest in the world."

  "How about getting it up and running first?"

  He glares at me but relents. "Fine, talk to R&D and find out if they can get it into Beta testing soon."

  "Already spoke to them and it's due for Beta testing in three weeks. We have three weeks to get everything in motion because if it's a hit during that Beta stage, it's going to go viral."

  He smirks, rubbing his hands together. "I can't wait." He gets to his feet. "I'm going to go home and get changed. I need to call Cecily, tell her that she's got the weekend off."

  "That woman needs a damn raise." He uses her as his personal slave. Even on the weekends she's doing work for him, whether it be getting him food or dry cleaning to even tidying his house.

  "She'll be getting one, don't you worry about my employees. Worry about your own."

  "I don't need to worry about my own, as much as I'm an ass, they actually get well compensated for it."

  He laughs as he walks to the door. "They need hazardous pay working for you."

  I flip him off.

  "Wendy, it was an absolute pleasure meeting you. I hope that we'll see each other really soon."

  Hearing his words anger me, I have to remind myself that she's my employee not my woman and she's free to do anything she wants.

  "Goodbye, Callum," she says with humor.

  "You wound me."

  "Your ego maybe." She fires back and I laugh, she sure is quick to give as good as she gets.

  "Until next time."

  "Um, we'll see," she giggles.

  The elevator door dings, and Callum's laughter dies when the doors close shut. Getting to my feet, I walk out of my office and into the reception area.

  "Wendy." I call out, she's got her head down and is typing away furiously.

  Her head lifts, a small smile playing on her lips. "Yes, Mr Theroux?"

  "I'll need you to accompany me tomorrow."

  Her eyes widen, "Tomorrow?"

  I roll mine, "Yes, tomorrow."

  She blinks, "But tomorrow is Saturday."

  I smirk, "Yes, I'm well aware of that. Will that be a problem?"

  She immediately shakes her head. "Oh, no, Mr Theroux."

  "Good, please ensure that you have suitable atti
re to wear."

  She tilts her head to the side, studying me. "Um, Mr Theroux, may I please be advised where we'll be going?"

  I turn and walk back toward my office as I reply. "We'll be going to the Hawthorn Gala."

  I discern her gasp, but she doesn't say anything else. I figure that she won't have anything to wear, if what she wears to the office is anything to go by. She's always in clothes that don't flatter her body at all. They're all baggy and outdated. She really needs a new wardrobe but she's smartly dressed so I don't say anything.

  Calling downstairs to reception, I hope that it's Keeva that answers, that new girl has to go. She's too flirty for my liking. "Limited Fractions, Keeva speaking, how may I help you?"

  "Keeva, I need you to do some shopping for me."

  "Of course, Mr Theroux."

  "Do you think Sally would be okay if you and Babette left her alone for an hour or two?" I question, if she replies no, then she's going.

  "I don't believe so, Mr Theroux."

  "Okay, that's fine, I'll send Meera down to babysit her. I need you and Babette to get a dress and shoes for Wendy. She'll be attending the Hawthorn gala tomorrow."

  "Of course, sir, is there any design in particular you're seeking?"

  "No, just make sure she appears respectable and for the love of God, nothing baggy." I end the call and glance out into the reception. I don't like this layout anymore, I'm unable to observe Wendy's desk. That needs to be changed. Picking up the phone I dial Meera.

  "Hello, Mr Theroux. What may I help you with today?"

  I’m mindful that she's waiting for me to tell her I need a new assistant. "Meera, Keeva and Babette are going to run an errand for me, please go downstairs and babysit Sally. Once the ladies get back, please fire Sally."

  She's silent for a beat. "You want me to fire Sally?"

  "Am I not speaking English?" I ask through clenched teeth, hating that my authority is being questioned.

  "Of course, Mr Theroux, I'm just curious as to why you're firing her."

  I take a deep breath, reminding myself that Meera does a lot for me. "Meera, that woman flirts with me every time I'm close to her."

  A laugh escapes her but she tries to cover it up with a cough. "As do a lot of women."

  "Yes, that is true but a lot of women don't work for me. Nor, when I ask their co-workers if they'll be able to run things while they're gone, do they say no. So I'll say it once again, please fire her once Keeva and Babette get back."

  "Sir..."

  "Meera, are you seriously questioning me?" There's absolutely no mistaking my tone. I'm fucking pissed.

  "No, sir, but Sally is Parker Kincaid's daughter."

  I grit my teeth. "Meera, I wouldn't give a shit if she was the pope's daughter. She's fucking useless and I want her gone. If Parker has a problem with that, then I'll drop him and his company as the official sponsor for Picture That." They’ll lose their biggest client. Picture That is the fastest selling platform game in history.

  "Okay, Mr Theroux, I'll fire her once the ladies are back from running your errand." She's placid now, she’s aware that she fucked up.

  "Oh and Meera, question me again, and I'll fire you too."

  She intakes a sharp breath, no one is irreplaceable. "Of course, sir."

  I end the call, my mood turning from joy to utter annoyance. "Wendy!" I yell.

  She rushes into my office, gazing around in search of a fire. "Yes, sir?" Her voice is breathless and I close my eyes as my cock starts to stir.

  "Please, can you contact Deanna? The number should be in the Filofax, call her and tell her that we need a new receptionist."

  Her eyes widen as she bites her lip. "Of course, sir."

  "Wendy, your job is safe. I promise you that."

  Her shoulders slump forward in relief, "Thank you, Mr Theroux."

  I nod, "Also, please get me a coffee, the place where you usually get them."

  She smiles, “Of course, sir. It’s called Holm’s Coffee House, you can order online and they’ll have it ready for you when you arrive.”

  I nod, that's actually a fucking good idea. "A coffee and one of those donuts that you've been getting for the ladies downstairs."

  She blushes, "Of course, sir. Any in particular?"

  I shake my head. "Any is fine." She scurries out of my office, just as my cell rings, glancing down at it, I see that it's Marlon Lexington. I wonder what the hell he wants.

  "Mr Lexington, how may I help you?" He never usually calls my cell. He'll make an appointment with reception when he wants to meet with me.

  "Christ Jameson, how many times have I told you to call me Marlon?"

  I sigh, "Marlon, how may I help you?"

  "Word around town is that you may be considering mentoring an up and coming developer?"

  I frown, how the hell does he know that? "Who have you been talking to?"

  He chuckles, "Jameson, you're in a cutthroat business, although you're a standout. Everyone wants to be you and those that can't, want to know you. Word is, you're considering investing in businesses and that you'll mentor a young gun."

  "Young gun?" I'm only twenty-four.

  "That's how they're putting it," he replies, not catching the warning in my tone.

  "Who's putting it?"

  He chuckles again, "Jameson, you're trending. You’re all over the Internet.”

  Oh for fuck’s sake. What asshole has spilled their guts? Hmm? That's what I want to find out. There were only five people in that meeting when I announced my new initiative. It was to help those kids that had the talent and ideas to start a business. I know first-hand how hard it is to grow a business, but to do so without any start-up capital or anyone willing to take you seriously. If you don't have investors, then your business is dead in the water before it even starts up.

  It's something that I learned very early on. It wasn't as hard for me as it is for most. I had a lot of friends who were already business owners or that were starting up. They invested in me, I made sure that I had a clause in all the contracts that if in the first three years my business grew that I could buy my investors out, with interest of course. Within the first six months, I was able to do just that. My profit has tripled with each year that passes.

  "Tell me something Marlon, why are you calling me?" He's been trying to get me to invest in his business and while I do think he has a great idea, and that his business will be a success, I'm not going to invest in something I have no experience in. He's a great salesman and if he applied the amount of graft he's put into me into others than he'd have investors eating out of the palm of his hands.

  "I'm telling you because I need your help." That's one thing about this corporate business. Everyone has an agenda, no one does anything for the sake of it.

  "Oh and what may that be?"

  "My son, Talan. He's searching for an internship. I was kind of hoping you'd take him on board."

  I roll my eyes, always with this shit. "Tell me Marlon, why would I offer your son an internship?"

  "He's graduating MIT, he's top of his class and he's a fucking genius with computers."

  I'm shocked, I thought he'd be following in his old man's footsteps. "Okay, I'll have my assistant set up an appointment with him. Email Ms Evans with your son’s details and we'll set the interview up."

  "Thank you, Jameson."

  "This doesn't guarantee your son an internship or a job here, Marlon. It just means that I'll be talking to him and deciding if he's as good as you make out."

  "Of course, I'll email Ms Evans now. Thanks, Jameson."

  "Now, who has been talking?" I question him, as much as he's an ass, he knows everyone and their business too.

  "Gordon did. He's seeking to take a cut of those that are applying."

  Rage fills me, how fucking dare he. "Thank you."

  "Anytime. Talk to you soon, Jameson."

  I end the call and call Marcus, I need him to get me all the details on this and now.

  "James
on," he answers gruffly, the man is always gruff.

  "Marcus, have you seen social media?"

  He laughs, "Yeah, it’s going crazy. You're going to be inundated with applicants."

  "I concur, this shit was leaked. I wasn't planning on releasing my plans yet. Find out what the hell you can about Gordon."

  "On it, I'll have info for you in a couple of hours. What are you going to do about the leaked news?"

  "Not much I can do right now, I need to put out a statement. Fucking asshole doing this. Greedy fuck."

  Marcus chuckles, "Told you from the get go, kid. Money is the root of all evil and people would kill their own fucking grandmas to get some."

  "Fucking gold diggers." My jaw clenching, Gordon is fucked, I'm going to make sure that I ruin him.

  "Don't sweat it. Remember, all publicity is good publicity. I bet your game sales and shares skyrocket today."

  That is the upside to all this, whenever I make the news, my sales rise.

  "Call me when you find out something."

  "You got it." He ends the call and I continue glaring at the wall. I need to figure out what my next plan of action is.

  Five

  Jameson

  "Have you really invited Wendy to be your date for the evening?" Callum asks, shocked.

  "Of course, why wouldn't I?" It makes no sense having an actual date to these things, it's all about networking plus Wendy is polite and friendly. She makes a great first impression and she knows her stuff. She can hold her own in most conversations.

  "I thought you'd find an actual date?" he questions and I glare at him. "What?"

  "Callum, this is a business gala, business and pleasure should never mix."

  He shrugs, he doesn't have that line, if he did he'd have crossed it a long time ago. He's slept with a lot of his previous assistants. His board has told him that he's not allowed to do that anymore, or they'll replace him.

  "Wendy will make a great impression on people."