“Sam! Wait!”
“No, let me finish—”
“No, you don’t understand. I think I know what’s going on with the purchase orders.” Jeanette quickly interjected.
“Oh! Wait, that was another thing I wanted to talk to about, but—”
“Sam, do me a favor, don’t tell anyone about this conversation, none of it. Adam and I will talk to you when we get back. Please.”
“Okay, okay, if you think you have something. But just remember what I was trying to tell you too. Trust me.”
Jeanette quickly disconnected.
***
Adam watched Jeanette as she got up from the floor. “What is going on? What was that conversation about? And what’s this about you know what’s going on with the purchase orders? You said you wasn’t going to saying anything.”
“I think I figured it out. Sam is just as clueless. I need you to tell me everything in detail about what happened when that stuff went down with you and the girl that you wanted to date.”
“What? What does this have to do with the purchase orders?”
“Everything.”
Adam shook his head. Yep this thing was getting crazier and crazier by the minute, but he complied and started from the beginning.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
At work the next morning, Adam, Jeanette and Kevin where having breakfast in the little café on the first floor of the office.
“We only have today and tomorrow here, Friday we have to spend the day packing,” Jeanette said, taking a sip of her café.
“That means Friday night you have to dine with Deena and myself. She would love to cook you an authentic French meal,” Kevin said, patting his stomach.
“It’s a date,” Adam said.
Adam sipped his coffee and watched Jeanette as she interacted with Kevin. He watched for any kind of reaction. Nada. Of course, Kevin could just be very clever. They would soon know Friday.
They knew once they told him they would be leaving the end of the week, he would invite them to his place. That would allow he and Jeanette to snoop around a bit. Just to see if there was a paper trail or some office goodies.
Later that morning, Adam was looking behind the system again. Since now he knew what he was looking for, it made things easier and he was able to scan every line faster.
When Jeanette told him she figured out there was a connection between the orders that were going to Alaska and his almost office affair, it threw him. He was confused at first, but he would go along with it. It was the only thing they had so far anyway.
When she broke it down to him, it clicked. That was the niggling feeling he had. When she first mentioned the Alaska office, it was then he felt something. At first he thought it was because he knew they were laying off at that office. But no, it was more sinister than that.
Now Jeanette was doing her usual snooping back at the purchasing desks. She knew what she was looking for and would give him any info she found.
They were also waiting for the day to end so they could call Renee and Noah. Now that they had something solid, they could tell them what to keep an eye out for.
Adam checked his watch and it was now eleven thirty. Good, almost lunch time; he was starved, even after that huge burger they had last night. It was something about foreign air.
He was shutting down the laptop when Jeanette came into the room.
“Found more goodies.” She placed some copies on the desk.
Adam picked them up and quickly looked them over. “Alaska, Alaska, Los Angeles, Dallas, Alaska.” Adam put the papers in his briefcase.
“This is kinda obvious, don’t you think?” Jeanette took a seat in front of him.
“Yes and no. This is the thing. I set up the original program when I first started working for the company.”
“Ahh.”
“But as things got more complicated and we got new vendors, I revamped it at least two times, not counting the time I had do reformat it for this mess that’s going on.”
“Which means….”
‘Which means, anyone could be doing this at just the right time and none of the new reformatted versions of the software will catch it.”
“Smart person. I hate to say this but even with the info I gave you, something tells me they are getting help from another IT person.”
Adam winced. He knew it could be a real good possibility; he just didn’t want to hear it. The thought of one of his co-workers and some of them, his good friends doing what is a crime, didn’t sit well with him.
He nodded in agreement however. “You got a point. I know one thing, when I find the punk I’m going to take him out to the parking lot.”
“Calm down, let the authorities take care of him or her. No point in you sharing a jail cell.”
“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t do anything that would keep me away from you.” He leaned over and kissed her fully on the mouth.
“Oh, la la.” Came a chorus of female voices.
Adam smiled as he saw Jeanette blush.
***
Jeanette was too through. This man didn’t care when or where he showed affection. Maybe that’s one of the things she liked about him. Heck, didn’t they have sex in her office with the blinds up, then in an elevator.
She concluded that he was an exhibitionist.
So what did that make her?
She mentally gathered herself together and went over and checked out the info she found. “What am I looking at here?” She asked pointing at the screen. All her eyes focused on were a bunch of lines that looked like scribbles on the computer screen.
“You see this line right here.” Adam pointed to line of code.
“Okay, doesn’t make sense, but I see it.”
“See where it says Alaska, then a bunch of symbols and codes in-between then Paris.
“Oh yeah.”
“That’s telling me that the originator was the Paris office and the end was the Alaska office. It reads backwards. I did it that way on purpose.”
“So this line…” Jeanette pointed to a line above that one. “Means it originated from New York and ended in Dallas.”
“Correct.” Adam scrolled the screen down. “Now look at this.”
“There’s something broken in the line of code. No….wait! It’s the phony number!”
“Exactly. But that’s not the worse of it. I developed the software to reject this.”
“But it went through anyway, which means—”
“Which means someone knows how to override the system.”
Jeanette sat down hard on the desk. So she was right. Another IT person was an accomplice to all of this. Now she had to ask that sensitive question.
“Who else knows how to work this software?”
“Only two other people.” Adam sighed.
Quitting time. Adam was stretching as Jeanette retuned with two more cups of coffee. “We’re going to need these. There’ just walking into the office in Los Angeles office. They’ll be calling us at the usually time tonight.”
“Hmm. Let’s not go to the hotel then.”
“What?”
“Remember The Bateaux Dinner Cruise, it rained Sunday, but it’s nice and dry now.”
Jeanette thought a moment. There was no harm in that. Besides, there would be a lot of people on the cruise. From what she remembered when she saw the boats sailing, they were packed.
“Okay, sounds good. Like I said, I never took advantage of going on one, and I’ve been to Paris at least five times.”
“Great. Tell you what. We’ll go to the hotel to change, it is a bit cold and getting colder. Then we’ll head on over and get the boat.”
Jeanette nodded. Innocent enough.
They got back at the hotel and changed into some warmer clothes. They checked their cells to make sure they were fully charged. The cruise was fours hours long and they departed at eight thirty. Renee and Noah would be calling, probably in the middle of eating.
“Ready?” Adam a
sked, as he buttoned up his jacket.
“Yep, I’m really looking forward to it. I will say this; it’s nice to do something other than work. If I look at another purchase order it will be too soon.”
“Amen to that.”
They left the room and joined what looked like ten other couples. The weather was damp but still nice. They could see the stars in the clear night sky.
Adam reached over and took her hand. It felt strong and warm. Other couples looked over at them and smiled. Everyone in Paris assumed they were couple.
She had to admit they did look like a cute couple standing there waiting for the boat. In fact, they were the best looking couple there, if she did say so herself.
“I can’t wait for this trip,” Jeanette said, rubbing her arm with her free hand.
“Are you more looking forward to the boat ride and meal, or the company that you are sharing it with?” Adam asked, as he reached over and pulled her closer to him. She felt the heat radiate off his body and melt into her. It was nice.
“Looking forward to both,” she said, glancing up and smiling at him.
The boat pulled up and the captain got everyone in an orderly fashion and they boarded. Adam must have managed to get he premium menu seats, cause they were right at the front of the boat.
Once everyone was seated, the boat sailed off. The sun was setting and it made for a picture postcard evening.
The first stop, La Pont Del’Alma ending with La Palais de Chaillot. The first entrée; smoked salmon steak with spices and herbs, sea urchin and taramasalata Brouillade.
Yeah, this was going to be a nice evening.
As they sailed down the Seine, different people came up to them. They chatted here and there, but Jeanette could tell that Adam wasn’t in the chatting mood. She suspected that he wanted her all to himself.
After they finished talking to one couple who were spending their honeymoon in Paris and their first time overseas period, Adam wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kinda steered her away from the rest of the group.
Yeah, he wanted everyone to know that he wanted to be alone with her, even though they were with ten other couples.
As Adam pulled her closer and about to lean in, her cell went off. She peeked on the screen. Renee. “I figured she would call about now, it’s lunch or after lunch in L.A. Hello girl.”
“Hey, you guys up?”
“Uh yeah, in fact we’re at dinner.”
“Oooh. Where?”
Jeanette prepared herself for the squeals of jubilation. “I’m on a boat with Adam sailing down the Sei—”
“Squeeee!”
Jeanette held the phone from her ear and rolled her eyes. Adam smiled a cocky grin. “Anyway,” Jeanette said, with controlled emphasis. “Did you find out anything more?”
“Yes, I checked every employee at the Alaska office.”
“All of them?”
“There are only twelve people. Hand me the list Noah.”
Jeanette sat there as she waited for Renee.
“What’s going on? What’s taking so long?” Adam asked, with a slight hint of annoyance. She was a bit annoyed too; she was actually enjoying her time with him here. And with the other couples she was able to relax a bit.
“She checked out all the—”
“Okay, here we go. Do any of these people sound familiar to you?”
“Wait, let me get a pen and paper. I’ll write down the names and show them to Adam.”
“Ohhh. I understand. Not hating. Okay, we have Brian, Jamie, Kirk, Heather, Lawrence, Nathan, Peter, Miriam, Freddie, that’s a girl. Veronica, Manny and Wesley.”
Jeanette wrote down the names quickly, then folded the paper. “Thanks, I show these to him. Anyone stands out?”
“Yeah, Miriam, Freddie and Wesley. I’m getting my guys at the office to look deeper.”
“Cool. Okay, talk to you later.”
“Uh-huh. You have fun.” She disconnected.
“Renee was busy I see. What was all that writing?” Adam reached over and a took a sip of wine.
“She had everyone checked out from the Alaska office.”
“Wow, she is efficient. Anything?”
“Three names stood out to her. Do you want to look at them now?”
Adam smiled. It was a smile that reached up to those gorgeous bedroom eyes.” “Um, it can wait. There’s nothing that we can do right this minute anyway.”
“You’re right.” He reached over and took her hand. “Besides who wants work to interrupt such a lovely evening,” Jeanette said, looking into Adam’s eyes for the first time without feeling nervous.
As they continued eating they watched the scenery as it slowly went by. It was breath taking. She glanced over at him again to find him looking at her intently.
“What?” She chewed on some lettuce.
“You look lovely. I don’t know what’s more spectacular. You or the view here.” He swept his hand out over the scene of the sunset.
Well damn! Right then, Jeanette felt like she was the only woman in the world—for him. Perhaps it was worth taking a chance with him. Maybe they could work it out so they won’t receive the wrath of the office women back home.
Maybe.
She felt something warm engulf her free hand. She looked down and saw his hand over hers. It looked nice and it felt safe. She gazed into his eyes and they spoke volumes. He didn’t have to word his concerns or fear…or hope. They said….take a chance.
She considered it seriously for the first time.
***
The boat sailed past the La Tour Eiffel. It was night now and the tower was beautifully lit. They were eating their dessert which was caramelized pear, sugar tart, and milk jam ice cream. The French know how to do desserts. Adam watched as Jeanette smiled as she slid the last spoon full of ice cream in her mouth.
Those lips drove him wild. His cock jumped at the sight.
“I’m so glad we did this. I would have regretted it once we got back to the States, if we skipped this boat ride,” Jeanette said, wiping her mouth with her napkin.
“Are you really glad?”
“Yes.”
“Are you open to anything else?”
He watched her face as several emotions went across. She was thinking about it. He can tell. Her defenses were breaking down. He did everything on this trip to show her one, how he felt and two, he really didn’t give a damn about office gossip. But he also acknowledged her concerns and tried to compromise.
Still he recruited outside help and now this trip. He was wearing her down. Good, cause he didn’t have anymore tricks up his sleeve.
“I…I would like to try having something with you.”
“Not something. I don’t do temporary.”
“But Adam, I don’t think either one of us even said I love you, except in the heat of passion.”
That hit him like rock hard baguette. Did he love her? He knew he loved being around her. He loved talking with her, holding her. Like now just being near her seemed to keep him centered, even with all this chaos around him.
He knew that whenever a man looked at her, he wanted to punch him in the throat. He spent every waking moment waiting for her to either come out of meetings, or talking to co-workers. It was like he didn’t have any other friends to keep him busy—and didn’t care.
So did he lover her? It wasn’t hard to fall in love with her that’s for sure. And since she mentioned it. Did she love him? Or at the very least have very strong feelings for him.
“Okay, that’s fair. But do we need to be in love with each other so soon? We can grow into this relationship. Look, all I know is I don’t want to spend another day not letting everyone know that I want to be with you. I want to give us a chance. I realize we started out hot and heavy and in all places the office. I should have learned my lesson from the last attempt at a relationship. But that one wasn’t meant to be. I know that now. You are my future, I hope that I’m yours.”
Jeanette took his ha
nd in hers and held it tight. It was the first time she took the initiative to touch him like this. He loved the warmth of her hand and the contrast of softness.
“I’m willing to take a chance. I do know that no other man makes me feel the way you do. I think about you all the time, mostly wrestling with feelings I can’t figure out.”
Adam wanted to do a high dive off the boat with a triple summersault. She did feel something. But she was so scared to voice it, afraid that they might take things too far. Maybe she was right for holding it back, cause if he knew this before they even left for Paris, he would have been careless and thrown caution to the wind.
That would have set off a whole new set of problems.
“I know you’re scared and so am I. So this isn’t ‘in love’ at first sight, but it is honest attraction and mutual fondness. Sometimes those are the relationships that last the longest. We can grow together.”
“I can agree to that.” Jeanette said, smiling. Her whole face lit up. He felt the weight of the world off his heart. It was beating freely again without hesitation.
“Great, then we can start all over.”
He took her hand and kissed the back of it. “Hello, I’m Adam Strathmore.”
“Hello, and I’m Jeanette Foster.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
They got back to the hotel real late; in fact it was one thirty in the morning. Jeanette was so tired she could barely take off her clothes. She stumbled to the bed and plopped down. She kicked off her shoes and took off her coat, then crawled in-between the sheets.
Adam quickly joined her, copying the same routine. Shoes then coat and in-between the sheets. He wrapped his arms around her and spooned.
She quickly fell asleep.
It was Thursday morning and the phone was ringing off the hook. She reached from underneath the sheets. “’Lo.”
“Bonjour madame. This is your wake up call.”
“Merci.” She hung up the phone. She wiggled out of Adam’s strong embrace and stretched. Letting out a huge yawn, she swung her feet around and onto the soft carpet.
Office Play: Freaky Geek Series Page 21
