by Claire Adams
"She's right about the reports, sir," I said. "The buzz has been considerable, and I'm sure the sales will take off."
"Now, you I can understand, Rainer," the CFO said. "You were at the product launch party until the wee hours of the morning and spent the rest of the night God knows where. But you, Ms. Nichols. I'm surprised. Do you really have no idea what's happened with GroGreen?"
Tasha pressed her hand harder on the conference table. "I do, sir. I've watched it like a hawk since our first meetings. I don't understand why you don't think it will succeed. I can prove it to you."
The CFO held up both hands to ward off another pie chart. Then his expression broke and a surprising peal of laughter burst out. "Ms. Nichols, please, I respect your ardor, but you need to listen. I'm trying to give you good news."
"Good news?" Tasha asked, confused.
"GroGreen has far outreached our wildest expectations. Sales reached astronomical numbers late this morning. We are strategizing how this success will affect your team members, but as junior executives, you are automatically shareholders."
I leaned forward and caught Tasha's hand in mine. "We're automatic shareholders in a runaway success?" I asked the CFO "That is good news."
He laughed again. "More than that, Rainer. You and Tasha just made billions."
Chapter Five
Tasha
A loud buzzing took over my head. I could see the CFO's mouth moving, but the words couldn't reach me over the tsunami of sound. It built to a roar, and I shook my head. Finally, I could hear my own stuttering attempts at speech.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?" I asked.
The CFO smiled, as if it was one big joke. "I said that as junior executives, you are automatically shareholders in GroGreen. With the astronomical sales and our current projections, you and Rainer are now billionaires."
"No," I said, shaking my head again. He had to be kidding.
It was all just an office prank. That would explain the sudden appearance of Rainer and his flirting with me. Men like him hardly ever noticed me, and when they did, it was just to make lewd suggestions. Rainer had been interested. It made more sense now that I suspected it was a joke.
I turned to look at Rainer and was shocked to find I was clutching his hand. His grip tightened and he leaned closer. "This is good news, Tasha. Congratulations."
I searched his face, waiting for the punchline, but he only smiled and squeezed my hand again.
"We just made billions," Rainer said.
That broke the spell, and I tugged my hand away. Had he known all along and jumped on my project last minute just to get a giant paycheck?
Our CFO was explaining how the success would be shared out amongst the departments. As he coached the department managers on how to share the news and still keep order amongst the staff, I studied Rainer. A bemused smile came and went across his handsome face. I noticed he was pale and little beads of sweat had broken out on his forehead. No one came bursting through the door to yell 'gotcha,' and it started to settle in that this was real.
"I can't believe it," Rainer said.
Both our phones lit up with the sales reports, projections, and financials. He glanced at his phone and then flopped back in his chair.
I scoured the forwarded documents, looking for a mistake, or a hint at who pulled such a huge prank. There was nothing. All the numbers added up. The truth of the matter was that GroGreen was an instant success.
"I knew it," I said even though I still didn't quite believe it.
The beta-testers had loved GroGreen, and the word had spread before we even set a release date. I had purposefully kept my focus off sales, but even I had heard the volume of downloads and realized it was more than we usually saw. The top executives had kept the growing phenomenon to themselves until the foreign markets opened. That's when the numbers rocketed up into the stratosphere.
"So, I can see you might need a little more time to process this information," the CFO said.
Rainer gave a bark of laughter. "I'm going to need a little more time just to count the zeros at the end of this number."
The CFO chuckled as he headed for the door. "Take the rest of the day. Celebrate, relax, and enjoy it. Just keep in mind this will create quite a bit of excitement and chaos in the office. Be mindful to keep it to yourselves for now."
"Wait," I yelped. "Shouldn't your department set up financial advisement meetings? What are we supposed to do with all this money?"
Rainer laughed again and laid a hand on my shoulder. "You are the only person in the world who would think that right after the news we got."
He helped me to my feet, and I fought the urge to cling to him. Rainer might have conned his way on to my team, but he was the closest thing I had to an ally at this point. He was the only other person in the office who was in the same position.
My department managers rushed around the table and saved me from my own thoughts. After an excited round of handshakes and chatter, they too headed for the conference room door.
Rainer paused and started to shut the door. "You can take a minute; hell, you can take all day if you want," he said.
"Don't shut the door," I said. "I think we've given the office enough to talk about for one day."
His blue eyes lit up with amusement. "I was just thinking you needed a quiet minute, but whatever you thought I meant sounds like a lot more fun."
I frowned at him and pulled the conference room door open again. "I didn't think anything. I don't think about you. In that way."
A grin spread across his handsome face. "Well, then, what do you think about lunch? My treat."
I backed away from the magnetism of that smile, bumping back into the conference table. "I can't."
"Boss says we've got the rest of the day off," Rainer said. He advanced until he was just inches away. "Think about it, Tasha; no one could have done a better job. Your work here is done."
I held up my hands, prepared to shove him back, but I hesitated to touch him. There always seemed to be warm waves of heat whenever I touched Rainer. "I like my work," I said. "Besides, you heard the CFO: this news is going to cause chaos. I have to stick around and make sure I'm available for my team."
The distinct sound of a champagne cork popping sounded down the hallway. Rainer reached out and caught my hand. "Sounds like your team might have the right idea. It's time to celebrate. Come on, anywhere you want to go for lunch."
I found the strength to push him away but couldn't quite pull my hand out of his grip. "No, thanks. You go ahead. You earned it. Oh, wait. . ."
Rainer let go of my hand and didn't say anything until I reached the door. "Don't worry, Tasha, one of these days you'll let me make it up to you."
I had to get away from Rainer before I made a complete fool out of myself. In my rush, I bumped into the conference room door. I didn't dare look behind me, but I heard Rainer's chuckle. It sent pleasant tingles up the back of my neck. He was entirely too tempting, leaning there on the conference table. His dark hair had come loose from its slick style at some point during the meeting, and I longed to brush back the wayward waves. And look into those electric eyes.
"Get a hold of yourself," I warned myself as I started down the hallway.
Our floor looked more like a dormitory party than an office. People hung out in doorways holding plastic cups of bubbling champagne. Clumps of my colleagues stood around and laughed, their conversations loud with excitement and bright with the good news. So much for keeping the information quiet.
Between the news, Rainer, and the crowded hallway, I took a wrong turn and had to take the long way back to my office. All along the way people stopped me and shook my hand. Then there would be a funny pause as they didn't know what else to say to me. I used to feel like I was from a different planet every time I walked down the Hyperion hallways, but now I felt like a visitor from a different galaxy altogether.
It was a relief to hear my colleagues talking about the bonuses they received. Hyperion Ind
ustries was at least good at sharing its successes. Each extra-loaded check was immediately justified by my co-workers.
"Well, I did help approve the new logo," I heard one of the other junior executives say.
"So, what are you going to do with your bonus?" his buddy asked.
The junior executive grinned. "New car. First thing. Actually, a few of us are heading to the big dealership on Van Ness in ten minutes. You in?"
"I can't wait to see my wife's face when I pull into the driveway in a new sports car."
Those who weren't talking about cars were talking about vacations, new homes, entertainment systems, and boats. I only counted one interesting conversation that included interior design and art collecting. Not once in the entire length of the hallway did I hear anybody talking about investments or savings.
"Is there a party going on?" Amy asked when I finally reached my office.
"Aren't you going to get that?" I asked.
Amy frowned at the ringing phone. "It hasn't stopped ringing for the past half an hour. I didn't know how to answer anyone's questions, so I'm just letting it go to voicemail."
I gritted my teeth. "At least set it to go directly to voicemail so we don't have to listen to it ringing," I said.
"How do I do that?"
"Amy, please," I said, pressing a hand to my forehead. "Please tell me you read through the binder. I even included the phone instructions."
"Oh, sure, no problem, Ms. Nichols," Amy said.
"Thank you." I stopped in my office door and wondered at her sudden willingness to help. "Amy, what did you hear about the 'party' that's going on?"
Amy heaved the binder into the center of her desk and smiled up at me. "I heard that you made the company billions of dollars. I figured you'd be out celebrating, that's why I was letting the phone ring. Actually, if I were you, I'd head right over to Union Square. All the best stores are there, and now you can totally buy whatever you want."
So everyone knew. I wasn't surprised at how fast word spread, especially on our floor, but it was daunting. There was no telling if my fellow junior executives would like me more because of the success or have further reason to ostracize me. The weight of it was just settling onto my shoulders, and I couldn't listen to Amy's sage shopping advice anymore.
"Hold all my calls. I mean, just let them go to voicemail," I said. I started to shut my office door, but it popped open behind me.
"There's not a single closed door on this entire floor, yours can't be the only one." Rainer propped it back open with his shoulder as he carried two plastic cups of champagne. "I figured if you are feeling anything like I am, you might need one of these by now."
It was hard not to feel relieved at the sight of him. Still, I retreated to my desk in order to stop myself from leaning against him. It was only the camaraderie of our situation that I was feeling, and nothing else.
"Thanks, I guess it wouldn't hurt to have one glass," I said. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I owe you a billion bucks," Rainer said.
I laughed, and the fizzy champagne bubbles tickled my nose. "Thanks, but no thanks. I can't even wrap my head around the money that I've got."
"Exactly," Rainer said, leaning on the corner of my desk. "I keep checking my bank account every few minutes because it doesn't seem real."
"I thought you were all playing a prank on me," I said. I flopped down in my desk chair and took a long sip of the sparkling champagne.
Rainer's smile turned into a crinkled frown. "You really think it's us against you?"
"I know how corporate America works, and I didn't come to Hyperion to make friends," I said.
"Is that why I never see you out at the happy hours or parties?" Rainer asked.
I sat forward and turned on my computer. "No. I've just been busy. The work is more important to me than the socializing."
He nodded but pinned me with a serious look. "I suppose you just proved your own method, but I like to believe there should be a balance between work and building relationships."
"Relationships, whose got time for those?" I snorted and then realized I had spoken out loud.
Rainer laughed. "I hear you there, but I was talking about work relationships. You know, the whole networking approach. I could give you a few tips, if you'd like."
I scowled up at him. "No, thanks, I don't think I need advice from you. Your 'networking,' as you call it, isn't really the approach I want to take."
He stood up, frowning again. "A lot of that is just for show. You know that, right?"
"I don't know anything about you," I said. "You just showed up today, attached to my project, and now we're supposed to be a team. Well, I'm not buying it."
Rainer's lips were stiff, but he tried to smile. "Speaking of buying, I'm still offering to take you out to lunch. Then, maybe, you can get to know me a little better before you condemn me."
It was all too much. The entire morning had been a whirlwind, and I couldn't help feeling like Rainer was the cause of it. Ever since I saw him in my penthouse haven, he'd set the day on a crazy course. I jumped up, agitated, and paced around my desk to put some distance between us.
"No, thank you." I reached the door and held it open for him. "I don't need you to buy me lunch, especially not with the money you made today."
"Because I didn't earn it," Rainer said.
"Exactly."
He sauntered to the door and held up his plastic glass in a toast. "Then here's to my big chance to help your team."
"How are you going to do that now?" I asked.
Rainer's lips curved in a smirk. "GroGreen has succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams. With all the sales and media attention, you are most definitely going to need a good public relations man on your team. Luckily, you've got me."
"I've got you," I repeated, confused by the rush of excitement those words gave me.
Rainer grinned. "And maybe one of these days you'll learn to appreciate me."
"What I'd appreciate is a few minutes of quiet so I can get back to work," I said. I shoved him out the door and ignored the wide-eyed look Amy gave us both. "Have a nice lunch."
I shut my office door and stalked back to my desk, but I couldn't sit down. Instead, I paced around my small office and glowered at the gray building that blocked my view. Rainer had a great view from his office on the other side of the building, and it irked me that there might be something to his balance theory. Now, more than ever, I needed to watch my position at Hyperion. I couldn't let my billions force me into early retirement. This was not the zenith of my career, and there was no way I was going to lose my momentum now.
I paced around again and tried to shake off Rainer's words. He was right about having better working relationships than me, and he was certainly better on camera. And the real truth of the matter was that I was stuck with him. His name was now tied to GroGreen as much as mine, and, if I was smart, I would take advantage of that.
If it had been anyone else, I wouldn't have thought twice about it. There was just something different about Rainer. I could still see his eyes, and that faintly lost smile when we heard the news.
I wrenched open my office door and marched past a shocked Amy. "I'm heading home for lunch. Call my cell if anything else comes up. And read that binder."
"Yes, ma'am," Amy said.
I ignored her silly salute and headed for the stairwell. I needed to keep moving and paced around as the valet brought my dented old car to the front for me. I gave him a tip, then added more, fully aware that even the valets had heard the good news. It was going to be hard to learn how to spend money like I had millions.
Except I had billions.
My hands shook on the steering wheel and I pushed the thought out of my head. All I needed was to get home. It felt like I couldn't breathe until I'd driven across the bridge and put Hyperion behind me. By the time I wound up the hilly streets of my East Bay neighborhood, I was able to take a deep breath.
I let it all go in a long sigh whe
n I saw my sister trundling up my steep front steps. Barbie was six months pregnant, and the sight of her rounded belly suddenly put everything into perspective. She and her husband, plus the little life growing inside her, were the only family I had. Since our parents had passed away, my older sister was the only real contact I had outside of work.
She turned around on the top step and waved as I pulled into the driveway. "I brought you a geranium," she called. "The scent is good for stress."
I laughed and suddenly couldn't stop. Barbie heard the note of hysteria and started back down the steep steps. "No, I'm fine," I said. "I'm coming up. I'm fine."
"I didn't believe you after the first 'fine,' and now I'm definitely worried," Barbie said. "Let me guess; it's work again?"
"You have no idea," I said. I looked at my lovely sister through tearful eyes.
"And I don't care," Barbie said and pulled me into a fierce hug. "I've always told you that if it doesn't make you happy, you should quit. Who cares about the money? Ted and I can help you out; that's what family is for."
The hysterical laugh bubbled out again. "We don't have to worry about money ever again," I told her.
Barbie snorted. "So, what are you crying for?"
I sat down on the steps and sniffled. "Thank you for the geranium," I said.
My sister lowered herself carefully to the step next to me. "It's a cutting from my garden. Did I tell you that I transplanted the pink geranium from Mom and Dad's? It's been growing like crazy, and I thought you might like it."
I dropped my head to my hands and started sobbing. Barbie took it in stride, the same way she handled everything, and I leaned on her. My older sister was my rock and my inspiration. No matter what life threw at her, she turned it into magic. The same way she had taken the dried out lot at her house and turned it into a verdant, blooming garden.
It made me think of GroGreen again, and I felt another rise of hysteria.
"That's enough," Barbie said in a firm voice. "Tell me what happened."
"I made a billion dollars today," I said.
Barbie was the only person in the world who could hear something like that and just nod. She knew I was telling the truth and she saw straight through the news and right to the heart of the matter. "It's not too late for you to have it all. There's nothing that says you can't be rich, successful, and happy. All you need is the right match."
