Yours Forever

by Bella Winters

  “Uh, oh,” I laughed. “Banging the secretary. That’s pretty cliché don't you think?”

  “I’m not complaining,” she laughed. “Though I haven’t seen my paycheck.”

  “I’ve got your paycheck,” I replied rolling over and pinning her to the bed.

  She giggled loudly as my hands tickled her sides. I laid my head on her chest and breathed deeply, listening to her heart beat as she rubbed my back softly. I could have stayed there all day, or all year for that matter. Her soft skin under my face felt intoxicating, but she was wiser than I was and pulled herself out from under me, jumping from the bed and laughing. My head fell into the sheets, and I groaned, reaching out for her but hearing her laugh as she dodged my arm.

  “Come on,” she said. “I’m hungry, let’s eat breakfast and go do this so we can get back to our vacation.”

  “Alright,” I sighed again.

  While Ruby was in the shower and getting ready, I dressed and ordered room service. I sat down in the chair in the living room and scanned through my notes from the week before. I wasn’t looking forward to this day at all, but I knew I needed to at least see what was going on. I still didn’t want Ruby to find out about outsourcing and was glad to know the place would be toured during non-operating hours. When Ruby got done the staff rolled the card of food in, and we sat on the patio eating our traditional Indian breakfast. We tried roti, which was like a flatbread of sorts, dosas, lentil based crepes with a honeyberry chutney, and some spiced potatoes. It was delicious, and I practically stuffed myself, eating nervously and waiting for Chris to say it was time to go.

  When I received the text from Chris I groaned, and Ruby smiled, walking over and sitting down in my lap. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me sweetly, the smell of her shampoo wafting into my nose. She leaned back and stared me in the eyes, ready to get the day started.

  “The sooner we get this done, the sooner I can give you a blowjob,” she said smiling.

  “Well, let’s get this show on the road,” I said picking her up in the air and walking toward the door.

  Her laughter was contagious, and we both were giggling all the way to the bottom floor of the hotel. We jumped in the car waiting out front and sped off toward the building where Chris already was at, waiting for us to arrive. We pulled out of the upscale area of the city and through a very poor area. People stared as we drove by, standing outside of their one-room shacks or their tents, doing chores, some of the women holding tightly to their naked babies. I could see the sadness in Ruby’s eyes as we passed through, and I reached out and took her hand. She smiled quietly back at me, and I looked forward, seeing the massive building in front of me.

  The parking area we stopped in was very well kept, but I could tell it was not the employee parking lot. There was a gate and guard at the front, and the entire property was surrounded by fencing. I got out after Ruby and took her hand, walking across the parking lot toward Chris. We followed him along the building to the door where we would meet the guide. I looked up the side of the building at the large nets hanging down. I had read about those, though I thought they were in Japan. Those were nets that would catch employees when they tried to commit suicide. Immediately I did not like the idea of outsourcing in the least bit, and I thought about the conditions these people must endure to reach that kind of place in their lives. There was no way I was going to let my company take on that kind of moral dilemma, especially since it was halfway around the world and barely in my control. The company in India would handle the workers, and I would never even know who worked there.

  We walked in the front door and met the guide who took us on a tour of the facility. It was obvious they tried to clean as much as they could, but I could still see the dark footprints that trekked up and down the floors. The guide showed us all the areas of the IT “factory building” that we would be utilizing if we chose to outsource our work. I kept glancing down at Ruby who looked more and more confused as to why we were there. I knew I would have the discussion with her later, but right then was not the right time. I was pretty sure she sensed that something was weird since she was walking quietly behind me at all times.

  When we were done with the tour, I let Chris handle the wrap-up and walked with Ruby back outside. I didn’t even realize there was a strange smell in the building until the fresh air hit my face. What a way to have these people work. I couldn’t even imagine what the factories that were considered the bad ones were like. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, letting the hot sun beat down on my face. I could feel Ruby walk in close to me and put her arms around my waist, squeezing me tightly. I knew she was going to have questions, I was just hoping we could make it away from this place before I started to try to answer them. I opened my eyes and looked down at her smiling as I rubbed her back.

  “Nathan,” she said pulling away. “Why are we here? He was talking about people working here, the capacity for computers, and a bunch of things I didn’t understand.”

  “Can you trust me on this and I’ll explain everything when we get out of here?”

  “Yeah,” she said suspiciously. “I can do that.”

  Chris walked around the corner and sighed shaking his head. I gave him a death glare, but he seemed to not be phased by it. I looked over at Ruby and back at Chris, waiting for someone to say something.

  “What are you guys up to the rest of the day?”

  “I’m not sure,” I said, glad that he changed the subject. “Maybe some sightseeing, or some food.”

  “I’m going to head back to New York,” he said. “I’ll send the jet back when I get there.”

  “Sounds good,” I said shaking his head.

  “Hey,” Ruby called, still standing by the building and looking up. “What are those huge nets for?”

  “This work can be tedious,” Chris responded. “It’s for the employee’s safety.”

  “What kind of factory is this?”

  “An IT outsourcing building,” Chris said without much thought.

  “Wait, what?”

  “Ruby, let’s just get going, and I’ll explain.”

  “No,” she said, instantly angry. “I thought you cared about the morality of your company, Nathan! How could you even look at something like this? And you brought me here? Are you kidding me? I can’t believe you would do this.”

  “Ruby, please,” I said chasing after her.

  “Ride with Chris,” she barked turning around and stopping me in my tracks. “I’m going home. Don’t follow me.”

  With those words, she jogged to one of the two cars parked in the parking lot and got inside. The driver looked confused and got into the driver’s seat, hesitating for a moment and then pulling off. I stood there in complete shock, unsure of what to do from there.

  “Dude,” Chris said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even think.”

  “It’s not your fault,” I said. “I should have never lied in the first place.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ruby

  I wasted no time heading straight to the hotel and grabbing my luggage. I didn’t want Nathan to track me easily so I told the driver I would take a cab from the hotel. I went to the penthouse and gathered all my things, piling them into my suitcase. I knew that I should be hurt but all I could feel at that moment was anger and I needed to go home. I couldn’t believe I thought he was an ethical corporate owner. I guess I was too blind from caring for him so much and I missed the signs. I knew he didn’t know about my involvement with the protests, but he had to know I would not be okay with outsourcing at all. It didn’t take much to read who I was.

  When my bags were packed, I jumped into a cab and took it to the airport. I stood at the counter for a while, but they were finally able to book me on a flight back home. It didn’t leave for an hour, so I made it through customs and grabbed a cup of coffee from the Starbucks on site. I found my gate and sat down in a chair, staring out the large floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the runway. Planes w
ere arriving and others taking off. I pulled out my phone and dialed my sister’s number, needing someone’s guidance, or at least an ear to talk to. It would be expensive, but I felt so alone and upset.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey sis,” I said with a sigh.

  “Hey! How is India?”

  “Terrible,” I said. “I am at the airport waiting for my flight.”

  “Wait, what? I thought you flew in a private jet,” she said confused.

  “I did, but I left Nathan, and I want to get home,” I replied, a lump forming in my throat.

  “Okay, okay, calm down,” she said. “What happened?”

  “Everything was perfect, and then he had a work thing he took me to,” I explained. “It was this building where the people out here work. It was an outsourcing building with the nets and everything on the outside.”

  “Oh, God,” she said.

  “He never told me anything about this,” I said. “He knew how passionate I was for people and not only did he show me he never cared about the morality of his company, he brought me halfway around the world to shove my nose in it.”

  “Ruby,” she said calmly. “I don’t think he meant to hurt you.”

  “Well, he did,” I said.

  “Look, I have never heard you talk about a man like you do Nathan,” she said. “You can’t end this over something like outsourcing. You may never find another man you feel that way for.”

  “Then I’ll die alone an old spinster,” I said. “I am not going to budge on how I feel about this issue.”

  “I think you are making a mistake,” she sighed. “But I love you, and I support whatever decision you make.”

  “Thank you,” I said breathing deeply. “My flights about to board. I’ll call you when I get back.”

  “Okay, be safe,” she said before hanging up.

  I waited in line to get on the plane, drying my tears and sucking it up. I needed to hold it together, even though it was a shock I did not see coming at all. I still could not understand how a man like Nathan could consider implementing something like that. I boarded and stowed my carry on, taking my window seat. I buckled my seatbelt and waited for takeoff, staring out the window at the passing planes. I wanted this whole thing to be over with.

  After the plane took off I pulled my bag out from under my seat and rifled through it, finding my sleeping pills I had brought just in case. I took two of them and waited, knowing it would be a good hour before they kicked in. The flight attendant offered me a drink, noticing how upset I was, but I declined gracefully, knowing alcohol wasn’t going to help me at all in my situation. I pressed my forehead against the window, watching the clouds pass by as the plane headed back home. That had been the worst and shortest vacation I had ever taken, and I was starting to regret everything I had said and done. After a while, my eyes began to get heavy, and I drifted off to sleep, hoping that I would get through the flight without breaking down in tears.

  When I woke up, the sun was shining directly in my eyes, and I realized I had been asleep for over half of the flight. Good thing, since when I woke up my heart was aching, and I didn’t feel better in the least. I ate the airplane food and put my headphones in, staring blankly at the movies that streamed across the screen overhead. I started to feel numb, and I was okay with that. I had never had a broken heart before, and I already could tell that it was going to suck.

  By the time we landed back in New York, I was ready to get home to my house, take a shower, and turn on the television in my bed. I was hoping I could sleep the weekend away, not wanting to feel what I knew was coming. The airport was busy as usual, and it took me a while to retrieve my luggage, get through customs and immigration, and find a cab. It was raining in New York which fit my mood perfectly. The cabbie asked if he could help me inside but I smiled as best I could and thanked him, carrying my own bags up the steps. I opened the front door and walked inside, holding my bags in my hands and looking around the silent house. I stood there for several moments, not wanting to feel anything. I couldn’t believe I had let myself fall for him without finding out the true Nathan hiding deep inside.

  The house was empty, and I could feel it echoing through my chest. I took two steps forward and stopped, hearing a knock on the door behind me. I sighed and set my bags down, hoping it wasn’t the cab driver still wanting to be helpful. I walked over and flung the door open my face ready to burst into tears any second. I started at his feet and looked slowly up the designer pants and perfectly pressed button-down shirt. Standing in my doorway with a look of need was Nathan, and I didn’t know how to compute that in my brain.

  I had taken longer to get back because I took a commercial flight, and he must have gone straight to the jet and come home. I glanced behind him at the car sitting out front and wondered how long he had been waiting there. I looked back in his face and didn’t know what to say, there were no words. Yes, I was angry at him for considering outsourcing, but I was even more upset that he hadn’t been truthful to me about what his vision for the future of his company was. I held my beliefs and morals in very high regard, and though many people would say that was stupid, or that I was going to miss out on things for taking them so seriously, my feelings on how people are treated are the basis of who I was. By then, Nathan was sure to have known that.

  Everything I had done in my life was centered around helping others whether it was through direct contact or holding a sign and marching down the street. I didn’t work for corporate America, so no I wasn’t going to lose my job to outsourcing, but I was going to be affected by the economic effect it had. I would be affected by the people that lived in poverty around me, and I would be affected by the fact that my life was controlled by some greedy man in a big office somewhere. I had thought Nathan was different. I thought he was a man that I could look to and be proud to have at my side. How was I so desperately wrong about everything?

  I stood there in the hallway, tears welling up in my eyes, staring at him standing in the doorway. I couldn’t move or speak and had no idea how I was supposed to even hear what he had to say. I had protected myself for so long, and in the blink of an eye, I screwed it all up by falling in love with someone that I didn’t even feel like I knew anymore. I didn’t know what to do.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Nathan

  When she left, I knew that I needed to give her time to calm down, so I waited until she had collected her things from the penthouse, and then gathered my stuff. I could tell, as soon as Chris saw how upset I was, he felt awful. I wasn’t going to beat him up, he wasn’t the one who was truly at fault. If I hadn’t lied to her in the first place, none of it would be an issue. Chris had the plane chartered and ready to go by the time we got there, and we took off within minutes. I knew I would have about an hour on her, even though we had to stop before leaving and finish fueling. Either way, I figured I would get to her house around the same time she did. I knew she didn’t want to talk to me, but I was panicking. I couldn’t let Ruby go, especially not over something like that.

  I spent the entire plane ride staring out the window, watching the day turn into night, and back into day. My head was spinning through everything I wanted to say to Ruby, concocting the perfect speech, and knowing how I needed to handle it. All the preparation in the world was not going to help me get through the wall I instantly saw come up when she realized why we were in India in the first place. It was a bit of a surprise to me that she acted so passionately, but that was Ruby, a passionate woman that stood up for what she believed up no matter who she was facing.

  When we landed, I jumped in the car and headed straight over to Ruby’s house. That was where I was standing at that moment, in her doorway, staring at her as she stared back at me. She looked utterly distraught, totally heartbroken, and pissed as hell. I guess the nineteen-hour trip back wasn’t as calming as I hoped it would be. I suppose if I had to spend that much time on a commercial flight in coach I’d probably be agitated too. I needed to start t
alking, and hope that she listened to what I had to say.

  I stepped forward into the house and closed the door behind me. I looked at Ruby standing there in the hall, and I just wanted to put my arms around her. However, with the look on her face, I had stepped as far as I was going to get into the house.

  “Ruby,” I said putting my hands up. “I want to explain. Let me explain.”

  “Fine,” she said crossing her arms. “Talk.”

  “When I created Pope Financials I had a vision,” I began. “I wanted a financial institution that people could trust. I wanted a company that would help boost the economy. I wanted to run it like I wanted to run it, and I never wanted to be part of corporate America. When the company exploded on the market, I had no choice but to open a little to the idea of corporate mindset, but I fought it every step of the way. I want to expand, to take my services to other countries, but it is extremely expensive. Chris has been pushing the idea of outsourcing on me for months, and I have pushed it off repeatedly. Finally, when he came to me with the idea of me seeing the factories for myself, I agreed, knowing that at least when I turned him down, he knew I made the decision based on facts and reality not only my own thoughts and feelings. So, before the tour was even over I had already decided that outsourcing was not going to work for Pope, even if that meant expanding wasn’t possible for a long time.”

  “I don’t understand why you would even consider it,” she said.

  “I didn’t,” I replied. “But as the CEO of the company I had the duty to look at the information I was given and make an informed decision. I wanted to say no from the beginning, but I needed to have a backup and reasoning as to why I was saying no. I had to play politics with my shareholders so I could get what I wanted without looking dismissive or flighty. On top of all of that, I had no idea you were this passionate about the subject. I would have never taken you there if I had known. I am not interested in outsourcing, and I would never make a choice that would force me to give up my relationship with you. Money is not worth sacrificing happiness.”