by Louise Make
“Why do you push so hard?”
Langa turned to find Ben watching her with his hands in his pockets.
“Go home, Ben. Wouldn’t you rather spend your time with whoever’s waiting there than here with your boss?”
“No one’s waiting there for me. Turns out girls like having men who are around, not ones who work sixty-odd hours a week.”
Langa looked back out at the darkening sky. “You knew the demands of this job when you accepted the position. You know it costs a lot to stay ahead.”
“Is that what you tell yourself?”
Her eyes blazed at him. “Excuse me?”
He put up his hands. “I come in peace, boss, believe me. I do have one point, though: You’re fantastic at this job and leading your teams, but you need to remember to ease up sometimes so we can all recoup.”
“Do the others feel the same, like I drive you too hard?”
“I can only speak for myself.”
“I see.”
Ben picked up his briefcase. “Actually, I have a second point: You should set aside more time for eating. Starting with supper with me, right now.”
And so, half an hour later, Langa found herself devouring a scrumptious vegetable stir-fry in a small restaurant. Ben chatted easily while sternly following her eating progress.
Immediately after they’d paid their bill, Langa’s cellphone rang. She answered it without checking the caller ID and winced when Lazola’s deep tenor snarled at her.
“Where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you for hours.”
“I’ve been working late. We finished off with a long meeting this evening.”
“Interesting. I called your offices twice in the last hour and was assured that you’d left at seven.”
“Is there anything I can help you with, Lazola?” Langa asked tiredly.
“I want to see you tomorrow.”
Her heart thudded. “No. I have an impossible schedule tomorrow.”
“Saturday then.”
Langa took a few steps away from Ben. “Lazola, why now? You’ve been silent for two weeks – and I accepted that. I can’t keep going back and forth with you. I can’t give you what you’re asking of me. It’s too –”
“And what exactly do you think I’m asking of you, Langa?”
She hesitated. They were both acutely aware of the irresistible connection they shared, but Langa refused to be the one to bring it up. He’d never expressed any feelings deeper than lust for her and she did not want to give him an opportunity to ridicule her love for him.
So she opted for the lesser truth. “I’ve been neglecting my other clients while focusing solely on your account. I need to rectify that.”
During the brief silence that followed, Langa fully expected Lazola to challenge her diversion, but he didn’t.
“I’m not keeping you from your other work, Langa. You knew this would be a demanding campaign when you accepted the responsibility. Now, I expect to be granted a meeting with my marketing manager on Saturday, and that’s not negotiable.”
“Fine.”
Another pause. “Fine?”
“Yes.” Langa smiled slyly, enjoying her imminent victory, no matter how small. “Like I said, I need to focus on my other accounts. In future you will be dealing with Ben Nkosi – he’s now in charge of your campaign. I don’t know whether he’s available on Saturday, but if you hold on for a moment, I could ask him right now.”
“You’re with him?”
Langa pursed her lips. She hadn’t thought through the implications of telling Lazola she was dining with Ben.
“As I’ve mentioned, we were working late.”
“And you decided to reward him with a date?”
“It’s not a date.” Why on earth was she explaining herself to a man who hadn’t even bothered to mention his fiancée to her? “I’ll have him call you about making an appointment.”
“No.” The small word boomed across the line. “You are my marketing leader and I will not accept this change. I don’t care what it takes, but I expect you to call me soon with the date and time of our next meeting.”
The line disconnected.
Chapter 7
7
Langa checked her reflection in the lift’s mirrored wall and straightened her suit. Moments later Gordon Cohen’s assistant led her into his office, then brought them both coffee.
The office was enormous and while admiring the expensive furnishings, Langa wondered if they were picked for their beauty or impressive appeal. The little she knew of Mr Cohen told her he enjoyed showing off his success and using it to intimidate others.
She watched the man behind the desk closely. His slicked hair and expensive suit matched his surroundings well. He waited until his assistant had left them before turning to Langa with a minimal smile.
“I trust you’ve been well, Miss Cima?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Good. I’ll be short, I’m sure you’re wondering why I called you.”
“I was surprised, yes.”
His smile widened, but the hard gleam in it did nothing to settle Langa. “I have news on the job offer I made you. Our Hong Kong offices will be ready soon. That means I can officially offer you a starting date – the first week of January.”
“Oh.” Langa winced inwardly at her inept response. “That’s two months away.”
“Have you given my offer any more thought?”
“Yes.” She hoped she sounded more enthusiastic than she felt. “Though I hadn’t imagined I’d be expected to pack up my entire life in such a short time.”
“If you’re not interested in the offer, Miss Cima, then say so. While you are my first choice for the job, you are not the only one. I have seven weeks in which to assemble the remainder of my marketing team.”
“I will get back to you as soon as I can.”
“One week. I will have your answer in one week.”
Langa sat in her car a few minutes later, drumming the steering wheel and feeling more than a little trepidation. Her interview with Robert years ago had gone much differently. He’d woven personal chitchat into the conversation and she’d immediately been set at ease by his genuine smile and laughter.
She sighed. Not every career choice could be based on comfortable camaraderie. She joined the traffic, promising herself a hot bath and a quiet evening at home. Hopefully tomorrow would hold more sense.
*
“You need to tell him how you feel.”
A manic laugh slipped out before Langa could stop it. She gaped at Angela, who was looking back at her with a serious expression.
“You’re pulling my leg, right? Why would I willingly go tell an engaged man that I’m in love with him?”
“He’s not engaged,” Vuvu snorted at her.
“Not yet.” Langa sipped her cocktail. “But it’s only a matter of time. And that’s a train wreck I’d rather not witness, let alone cause.”
They were at a trendy cocktail bar. The plan for ladies’ night was dinner, drinks and then live music at a jazz club in the same area. For the first time in ages Langa had left her office at five o’clock.
“Sharing your love and clearing the air is not a train wreck in the making,” Angela admonished. “It’s cleansing, and that’s good.”
“Lazola isn’t interested in hearing about my feelings, Ang. All he wants is someone willing to warm his bed while his real woman isn’t around.”
“And he’s told you this himself?” Vuvu’s tone was becoming angry.
“No, he hasn’t. But he doesn’t need to. Haven’t his actions been clear enough? I’d rather skip the humiliation of actually hearing his rejection word for word, thank you very much.”
Vuvu eyed her sceptically. “You’re sure?”
“Of course I’m sure! Why would you even ask me that?”
“Well, you have to admit, sisi, you do end up in his bed an awful lot for someone who wants nothing to do with him.”
An
gela coughed. “Vuvu!”
“What?”
*
Langa’s other accounts had her travelling a lot over the ensuing week. One in particular, a textile and clothing partnership, had her flying abroad for two days before rounding back for progress meetings in Durban.
Her days were full – and yet her thoughts regularly wandered back to him. Lazola. Not being able to talk to him whenever she wished was turning out to be the hardest part. She’d grown used to sharing goals and ideas with him.
And now she had none of that. Not for lack of trying on his part. He had called her numerous times since their last conversation, but each time Langa had refused to take his calls and replied “no” to every email in which he demanded to see her. And now she was starting to panic. She knew Lazola would retaliate soon, but had no way of guessing how.
Robert had advised her to speak to him and try to stem his impatience. Langa knew that Robert had every right to order her to resume running the ROCH account; but he chose not to do so out of compassion.
It was with that thought in mind that she finally picked up the phone and dialled Lazola’s cellphone. As it rang, her body softly started buzzing in anticipation.
“Hello?” Smooth and dark.
“Hi. It’s me.”
Silence.
“Lazola?”
“Where are you?”
“I’m in Durban. A client of mine –”
“When do you return?”
“Tomorrow. Listen, I only called because –”
“What time tomorrow? I’ll send a driver for you.”
“No, wait, you must listen to me. I don’t want to see you.”
“Stop playing these games of yours, Langalethu! Why are you doing this? Every time we are together it’s unbelievably good, only to have you disappear on me straight afterwards. Why?”
“I’m not the one playing games here. If anything, you have been the unpredictable one. I’m not interested in the casual sex you clearly prefer, so please stop hounding me.”
“Casual sex?”
“I’ve allowed you to disrespect me by using me when you wish and moving on when I’m an inconvenience. I deserve better than that. I just want things to be normal again.”
“You think casual sex is all I am after?”
“I know it is, Lazola. I’m just calling to ask you to leave me alone. Ben is doing a really good job with your campaign, so there’s no reason for you to be dissatisfied with him.”
“He’s not you.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“I made my feelings clear from the night we met.”
Her response was a sharp laugh, somewhere between derision and pain. “You don’t need me in your bed any more than I need to continue wasting more of my time.”
“What are you so afraid of, Langa?”
My treacherous heart.
“I’ve been offered another job. In Hong Kong.”
He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t need to for Langa to feel like she was losing the unspoken battle. She pushed on as her agitation grew. “It’s what I’ve always wanted. I’m giving it earnest consideration and I figured it would make sense to ensure that all my current clients are taken care of. It’s all for the best, you see.”
“Sounds like you’ve accepted the idea already. If so, that would make this goodbye.”
Langa’s stomach clenched coldly. “Goodbye?”
“This would be one of those good things coming to an end, Langalethu. All the best for your future endeavours.”
He hung up immediately, which was a good thing. Or else he would have heard her break down. Langa hadn’t known the tears would arrive so fast, so she was still holding the phone when they started falling.
Why did I dare hope he would ask me to stay?
*
Langa went to meet with Robert as soon as she returned to Johannesburg. He was taken aback by her unexpected announcement, but she had dug herself too deep into the situation to make it look like anything other than her choice.
As the day progressed, she tallied up the reasons why her move to Hong Kong could be beneficial. The list was reassuring and she started thinking it might grow on her. By the time she left the office, her spirits were quite high.
Noluvuyo and Angela were pleasantly surprised when she agreed to a movie with them that evening. Langa munched popcorn and laughed in all the right places, and almost felt normal. Supper was takeaways and Langa watched her two friends argue over whether Angela was “cheating” by ordering a salmon-and-veggie wrap.
“Of course this counts as takeaway, Vuvu!” Angela said. “I took it out of the restaurant, didn’t I? It’s even in a carton and everything. It’s practically a burger, you know.”
“And how exactly do you figure that?”
They were in Vuvu’s lounge with the makings of a nutritionist’s nightmare spread out on the coffee table. Langa laughed as she watched Angela’s face blanch when Vuvu handed her a can of fizzy drink.
She was aware of them avoiding the topic of her job offer and was grateful in a way, since she hated the thought of leaving them. Vuvu pulled out albums filled with old photographs and they laughed at the memories they’d shared. No one mentioned how much the gathering felt like a goodbye of sorts.
“I saw Lazola today.”
Langa thought she’d misheard until she looked at Angela, who was studiously picking out bits of onion and tossing them back in her carton. Her friend was carefully avoiding making eye contact. Even Vuvu froze with her burger halfway to her mouth.
“You saw Lazola?”
Angela nodded. “A client came in for some treatments, a young woman. When she was done, he arrived to pick her up.”
A young woman.
Langa put down her barely eaten food and knew she would not be touching it again. So he’d really moved on. She’d known that he would. Why did the realisation still stab her so deeply?
“He looked rather glum. Maybe he misses you.”
“It’s more likely a bungled business deal. You just said he was with someone else, Ang.”
Angela made no response.
“Not that it matters any more what he does. Whatever we had is over. I’m just glad I put a stop to it all before things got completely out of hand.”
Chapter 8
8
Langa sat gaping at Robert, little resembling the composed lady to whom he’d grown accustomed. He’d invited her to join him for lunch – something they’d indulged in on rare occasions. He’d picked a very expensive restaurant.
A waiter in a crisp white shirt had taken their orders before disappearing discreetly. The first few minutes were spent chatting aimlessly until Langa had realised that the meeting had nothing to do with any of her accounts at work. Robert seemed to be in a particularly jovial mood, one that Langa put down to McMann’s recent successes.
Over dessert he squinted at her mischievously. “How’s the chocolate mousse?” he asked.
“Very good. I probably shouldn’t have ordered something quite so decadent, but I simply couldn’t resist.”
“Oh, live a little, Langa. It can’t hurt to enjoy the finer things in life once in a while. Besides, this isn’t aimless indulgence. It’s more like research.”
Langa’s smile turned a little sceptical. “Oh really?”
“Indeed. How else are you supposed to know which treats are your favourite? As my permanent Head of Marketing, you’ll be able to afford all sorts of luxuries. It only makes sense that you figure out your top list of favourites so you don’t go on crazy spending sprees in the near future.”
Langa gulped. “I beg your pardon?”
“Studies show that people tend to splurge when their income is increased. Unless they plan well, that is.”
“Permanent Head of Marketing?”
“Well, there’s still the formality of you first accepting my offer. I would like to present that to you now, if that’s alright with you? And make my apologies f
or not doing so sooner. I’d planned it as a sort of Christmas surprise, and then you went and swept the wind out of my sails when you told me about your other offer.”
“I wasn’t expecting this, Robert.”
“Fantastic. I love a good surprise. I have a contract here for you to go over at your leisure. I’ve arranged a raise and a few other perks. Take it home and get back to me if there’s anything else you need.”
“But my salary was already increased when I accepted the position on a temporary basis.”
“I know. But you’ve earned this with the way you’ve pushed yourself since day one. And you deserve something that’ll blow your other offer out of the water.”
“You do know that you sound like a boy trying to beat another boy at a game of marbles, right?”
Robert McMann winked at her before calling for the bill.
*
Walking back into McMann Marketing felt amazing. It all looked new again, better and brighter. What was familiar was the spring in Langa’s step. She felt the way she had when she’d first been hired. Back then she’d been nervous, excited and so proud of her tiny desk and squeaky chair.
Today she was walking into an office that had just officially been made hers. Permanently. She went to stand before the large windows, smiling down at the view. She knew she was where she was meant to be. She allowed herself a soft giggle in celebration.
“Hope you have enough joy to go around. I wouldn’t mind a share,” Ben said.
He was standing in the doorway, holding out a packet that Langa recognised.
“Chocolate croissants from the bakery down the road,” he announced, stepping in to deposit the packet on her desk.
Langa’s grin blazed again. “Thanks, Ben. Now why are you attempting to bribe me with sweet treats in the middle of the day?”
His eyes widened in feigned shock. “Bribe? I admit to no such charge. Can’t your favourite accounts exec surprise you once in a while without raising suspicion?”
Langa eyed him for a moment before nodding. “Alright. I apologise for thinking the worst. Please sit with me for a bit. I’d like to hear about the progress on your accounts.”
