Riley's Reckoning

by Claire Britain

  “Why, Ms. Armstrong, I believe I can!” Riley replied in her best Southern belle accent.

  Joanna smirked at her young girlfriend. “Good girl, now come take a shower with me and you can scrub my back!”

  “Ms. Armstrong! Why, you’re making my cheeks blush, so forward! This Southern girl may think you’re coming on to her!” Riley replied, feigning to fan her face.

  “Well, I’ll make your other cheeks blush if you don’t get a move on!”

  * * *

  “Helen had Cathy go through this lot,” Joanna said, motioning to the five stacks of portfolios now sitting on her office desk that Vinnie, the firm’s driver had just delivered.

  “Wow, we got a lot of applicants, that’s great!” Riley mused, as she started to open the first one.

  “Cathy put all the ones in this pile that have something we asked for, missing.”

  “Well, let’s get rid of them then, if they can’t follow simple directions, they have no business working here!” Riley replied.

  “Well, I’m inclined to agree with you, Riley, but Cathy said there were a few good presentations, so at least take a quick look. If there are any that make the top ten, we can reach out and get whatever is missing. Cathy attached a rating sheet to each folder and sent you a master spread sheet that you can fill in as you go. We assigned weights to each area, the most weighted is of course the presentation…”

  “Wait, hold on, who is we, and when were all these decisions made? This was my project, yet it seems I’ve been left out of the loop, what the fuck, Jo?”

  “Riley, watch your language, young lady. It may be your project, but Helen and I are still the senior partners and we feel we’ve made the right decision here. We met last week to come up with a scoring methodology but we are…”

  “So, I’m cooped up in here, while in the meantime you are taking over my whole project. What, are you assigning a fucking score to the prettiest picture too?”

  “Young lady, that’s enough!” Joanna said, spinning Riley around and landing a healthy swat to her rear. “Of course not, Riley, if you would listen to me…”

  “No, this is fucking bullshit, you want to take it all over, then knock yourself out. You and Helen can pick who the fuck you want, I’m out!”

  There was the line, and Riley just crossed it. Not only was she being disrespectful to her partner, but at the moment, her boss. Joanna was having none of it, after Riley had spiraled out of control the last time.

  “Young lady, if you would have listened to me and had an adult conversation without throwing a tantrum like a child, you would have seen that the decision on the scoring is entirely in your hands, but since you didn’t, I’m going to treat you as such. Now go and get the hairbrush and if you argue with me anymore, it will be the paddle, got it?”

  Riley glared at her girlfriend, mad, but more at herself than anyone, then headed to the bedroom to retrieve the brush. They had had a wonderful morning and now she had to screw it up.

  “Jo, look, I’m sorry, I just jumped to the wrong conclusion,” she said, when she returned to the office.

  “Yes, you did, now get them down and bend over the desk!” Joanna replied firmly.

  “What? But…” Riley started, before her lip began to tremble.

  Riley looked at Joanna pleadingly; she hadn’t been bent over Joanna’s desk since before the accident, before they were together. It didn’t feel right, and at the moment, Riley wanted desperately to be over the lap of the woman she had learned to trust, and the woman she had fallen in love with.

  As much as she hated it, Riley compliantly went to the end of the desk and bent over. It felt much like the first time Joanna had disciplined her, in her home office back in California.

  “Riley, I know these few weeks have been stressful and scary and I know this is hard being stuck here not able to go anywhere. It’s a little tricky being your partner and your boss but you will not disrespect me in that rude manner, in either context, young lady, and I think you forgot, I want those jeans and panties around your ankles now!”

  The words were not exactly cold but Riley felt the tears start to well in her eyes and anger started to rage in the pit of her stomach. She stood up, glaring at Joanna, undid her jeans, and pushed them down along with her underwear to her feet.

  “Happy?” Riley asked angrily, before she lowered herself back down over the desk.

  “No, Riley, I’m not happy! I’m not happy that you are acting like a child and I’m not happy you choose to disrespect me in such a rude manner. I’m not happy that at twenty-eight years old, you can’t seem to have a civil conversation when you disagree about something, and I’m not happy that I have to discipline you because of it!”

  Upon the ‘it’ Joanna cracked the brush down, not particularly hard, but enough to make Riley emit a small grunt. Riley felt the brush descend on her other cheek and Joanna began a steady rhythm of crisp swats, making Riley’s backside begin to burn.

  As the thick-backed hairbrush continued to land, Riley made a mental note to try to remember the pain she was already starting to feel before Joanna upped the ante and started to increase the force of the swats.

  “Ow, shit, Jo, that really hurts!” Riley yelled, as she grabbed the other side of the desk and grimaced.

  “Young lady, you should have thought of that before you were so disrespectful.”

  Riley was sucking in air desperately but each heavy thud of the brush became more unbearable.

  Swat after swat cracked down on Riley’s rear end until she gave in to tears and apologies.

  “Jo, I’m sorry, please!”

  Joanna finally stopped and put the brush down on the desk. She helped her penitent lover up and waited until she righted her clothes. Riley grimaced, as she pulled her jeans back up over her sore behind.

  Joanna sat down on the small couch in the office and invited Riley into her lap. “Okay, ready to try again?” she asked, as Riley buried her head into Jo’s chest.

  “Yes, I’m sorry, Jo, I was just a little on edge. I didn’t mean to lash out.”

  “It’s okay, it’s all over now,” Joanna soothed, rubbing Riley’s back. “But honey, you have to understand that Helen and I still run this firm and if we make a decision, you need to respect it and there is a right way to question things if you have an opinion.”

  “I know, I’m sorry, Jo. I didn’t mean to wreck our morning!”

  “Oh, honey, you didn’t!” Joanna reassured her as she held her tightly. “Now are you ready to take a look at the packets?”

  “Yes, if I can do it standing up!” Riley replied with a grimace.

  “Good girl, now up you get and I’ll let you get to work.”

  Riley set up her laptop on the opposite side of Joanna’s desk and diligently began reviewing the packets. On the first look through, she was easily able to weed out over half of them. She shifted uncomfortably every few minutes on her sore backside, making Joanna grin across the desk at her. Every so often they would confer on a packet and agree whether the candidate stayed in the running or was weeded out.

  “Okay, I’m down to thirty-three,” Riley said, getting up and stretching with a big yawn.

  “Did I wear you out this morning, my love?” Joanna asked with a grin.

  “You wore out my butt!” Riley said, giving her behind a little rub.

  “And I’ll do it again, if you give me cause like that again, young lady!”

  “No, ma’am, I won’t!”

  “So, are you ready to use the scoring tool?”

  “Yes, I think so, but I want a lot of the score to focus on the pitch and the challenge I gave them.”

  “Very well, Riley, you can make the weight for that at say, seventy percent and the rest of the grade can be the remainder of the packet, sound fair?”

  “No, I want eighty percent on the pitch presentation, that’s what’s going to get it done, after all!”

  “Very well, Riley, eighty it is, score away,” Joanna smiled.
>
  Riley sat back down at the desk and started reviewing the packets again. After a couple of hours, she was still engrossed in her task. When she opened the next packet for the second time, she remembered it. Hmm… Alice Parker, yes, this is a great concept, she is going be up there in the top few for sure.

  Riley started reading the packet more closely. Alice was attending NYU as an exchange student from Dublin, Ireland. Riley looked at the photograph she included and smiled. She liked her instantly. She didn’t know if it was the mischievous cocky grin or the messy strawberry blonde haircut or her tattoo that was poking out from under her rolled-up shirt sleeve. The question was, could she convince Helen and Joanna that this little rebel would fit in at Armstrong, Klein, Dixon, as she didn’t exactly fit the typical mold. But that was exactly what Riley wanted, someone edgy, and she certainly had to have a different perspective coming from the Emerald Isle.

  Lannister would love this concept, Riley thought, as she scrolled through Alice’s presentation and plugged in the highest score yet on her spreadsheet. After a couple more hours she had her top five picks, with Alice Parker taking the second spot in the rankings behind a guy named Sebastian Forsythe, then in the third spot was a girl named Andrea Jamison, both from Joanna and Helen’s alma mater and all three within two points of each other. Joanna had made it perfectly clear that she and Helen were in charge and Riley had to respect their opinions, but she couldn’t see them picking Alice.

  Riley thought for a few moments, staring at the three photos in front of her and an idea crossed her mind that just might work. She carefully unclipped the photos of Alice and Andrea and swapped them. If Alice was going to get passed over, then it wasn’t going to be about the way she looked. Riley was feeling quite pleased with herself; after all, no one was supposed to be evaluating the candidates based on looks, so Jo really couldn’t get mad at her for her little photo swap.

  Joanna had set up a meeting at four o’clock with David Lannister and Helen, where they would make the final selection.

  “How are you holding up, Riley?” David greeted her cheerfully as Joanna showed him into the apartment.

  “Hi, David, I’m okay, other than being on house arrest, thanks,” Riley replied, a little sullenly.

  “Well, let’s hope not much longer, huh? Any more news on the guy?”

  “They still think he’s lurking around the area. Several more people have come forward and reported sightings,” Joanna interjected, handing David a glass of scotch.

  “Thanks, is that right what I heard, he’s a doctor?”

  “Yes,” Joanna replied, taking a sip of her scotch and looking at Riley, who was rolling her eyes. “Apparently he was a plastic surgeon back in Kentucky. He was under investigation for sexual misconduct and he got his license revoked while they were conducting the investigation. He sexually abused his patients while they were under anesthesia. They had insurmountable evidence that he was guilty, but he disappeared before they could arrest him. A few months after, he apparently went on a killing spree. It had been a cold case until his DNA matched the recent killings.”

  “Shit!” David replied, giving Riley’s shoulder a squeeze.

  “Well, they need to catch this fuck, before I go stir crazy stuck in here,” Riley said, getting up and stomping to the wet bar to pour herself a glass of scotch.

  Joanna narrowed her eyes at Riley; she wasn’t pleased with her outburst in front of their biggest client but then she had heard worse out of David’s mouth, and he didn’t really seem fazed by Riley’s language. Joanna walked over behind Riley, as she was pouring her glass.

  “One more outburst like that, young lady and you’ll be sleeping on your tummy tonight. Got it?” Joanna whispered. “And wouldn’t you prefer a glass of wine, Riley, you’ve never been a scotch drinker?”

  Before Riley could answer, Joanna heard the front door and Helen arrived. Joanna was pleased when Riley handed her the glass of scotch she was pouring but then had a look of dismay again, as she confidently poured herself another one and strode over to the dining table where she had arranged the final ten packets.

  “Thanks, Riley, sorry I’m late,” Helen said, greeting David, who kissed her cheek. “Scotch? Riley, when did you start drinking that?”

  Riley rolled her eyes but quickly returned to the task at hand. She was eager to present her intern picks to her bosses and David.

  Riley took a cautious sip of her scotch, not really knowing what to expect as she tasted the amber liquid that was smooth and warm going down. Riley looked at her glass, gave an appreciative nod, and took another hefty sip.

  “Okay, I have the top ten candidates but I wouldn’t bother much with these,” Riley began, motioning to the taller stack of packets sitting on the table. “I’ve narrowed them down to these three. All three are outstanding and have some very innovative designs.”

  Riley began passing the folders around and watched intently, as she gave each of them some time to study the packets.

  “I’m inclined to agree with you, Riley, these are exceptional and two from Princeton. Jo, you have to like that?” Helen acknowledged.

  “Hmm, not too sure about this one, though?” Joanna said, pointing at the picture of Alice Parker.

  “What is it you don’t like, Jo? I thought her design was good and her step approach to the target audience was a good strategy, don’t you think?” Riley said with a grin.

  Joanna looked at Riley suspiciously. “Who’s your top pick, Riley?”

  “Easy, this one,” Riley said, pointing to the packet that belonged to Alice Parker with the photo of the preppy Andrea Jamison attached to the cover.

  “She’s an exchange student from Trinity College, in Dublin. Her pitch is tight and her graphics are some of the best I’ve seen. You have to like her, what do you think, David, can you see this as part of your campaign?”

  “It’s good, Riley, she may give you a run for your money if we bring her on board. What do you think, Helen?”

  “Yes, there’s no doubt she has the talent and it will be interesting to have a fresh European perspective. Her grades aren’t perfect but I think the design outweighs that, don’t you, Jo?” Helen said, sliding the packet to Joanna.

  “Yes, I have to agree. It’s settled then, Alice Parker is the first choice.”

  Joanna couldn’t help but notice that Riley was grinning like a Cheshire cat. She narrowed her eyes again; she could always tell when Riley was up to something.

  “What about these two? I’m inclined to go with Sebastian but they are both good,” Helen mused.

  Riley just sat back with a grin and watched the three discuss and debate their final selection.

  “Riley, who do you like?” David asked with a smile.

  “Andrea, of course. If you really look, her design has an edge over the Sebastian guy’s by a mile, you have to admit that.”

  Joanna looked at Riley again, then back down at the two packets in front of her. “I just don’t know…”

  “Then let me make it a little easier for you,” Riley said, as she began to take the picture of the feisty Irish girl off of Andrea’s packet and clip it back to the packet of its rightful owner. She did the same with Alice’s packet.

  “Meet Andrea Jamison!”

  “What do you mean, Riley, I’m not following you?”

  “I mean this is Andrea and this is Alice Parker,” Riley explained, as she pointed to the two packets.

  Joanna and Helen gave her a hard look and David just chuckled, as Riley sat back, satisfied that her little bait and switch plan had worked.

  “Well, ladies, I think we’ve been duped a little here, but at the end of the day I think we have the best candidates. Shall we call Alice and Andrea and congratulate them?”

  Joanna glared at Riley, as she brought the phone to the middle of the desk. She dialed the number with the phone on speaker.

  “Parker,” a voice answered abruptly, with an Irish brogue, on the other end of the phone.

  “A
lice Parker?” Joanna questioned.

  “Yeah, this is AJ?”

  “Alice, this is Joanna Armstrong from Armstrong, Klein, Dixon, we are calling about your application to our intern program.”

  “Oh, yes, sorry, I didn’t expect you to call is all.”

  “Well, we’ve reviewed your packet and we like to offer you the position.”

  “Really? Umm, sorry, I mean, that’s fantastic, isn’t it, it’s me dream really, to work for a firm like yours, ma’am.”

  Joanna looked around the table. Riley and David were grinning while Helen had a surprised look on her face.

  “Well, we look forward to seeing you, Alice.”

  “Oh, call me AJ, or Parker, no one much calls me Alice. Me mam, you see, she’s obsessed with the flipping thing. Got all things tea party and wonderland all over the flipping house! Me da says she going round the bend! Shite, I’m rambling, aren’t I? I get a little carried away when I’m excited, and I got to tell you, I’m thrilled for this opportunity, ma’am!”

  “Very well, AJ, I’ll have my associate, Riley Carrington, contact you with more details but the job is for all four months of the summer and comes with the apartment that is walking distance to the office.”

  “Thanks, thanks very much, goodbye now!”

  “She’s great, I like her already!” Riley announced with a grin when Joanna hung up the phone.

  Andrea Jamison was next and Helen took the lead on the call since Joanna was still looking a little confused about the last call. Riley wasn’t quite as enthused, as the preppy sounding Andrea Jamison introduced herself in a professional manner, and asked Helen and Joanna all the right questions.

  “Well, Riley, congratulations, I think you have your summer employees,” Helen stated, as she hung up the phone.

  “That’s great, if I ever get to leave this apartment.” Riley answered with a huff.

  “You will, hon, just be patient,” Joanna replied, squeezing Riley’s shoulder.

  Riley just gave a deep sigh, as she downed the last of her scotch. Patience was something she was running out of.