At 39, Joan was strikingly beautiful and she intentionally dressed in such a manner that made her look hard and immovable. She wanted that look to spark a little fear into the employees, making them wonder if at any moment, she would fly off the handle and fire them.
She had done so in the past leading to an unspoken respect for her from her team, but it was a rare occasion, dealing more with the issue of disrespect and insubordination rather than any lack of productivity. Joan could understand a downtick in sales numbers, but when they were followed by attitude and disrespect, it was too much to handle and she would, in fact, terminate someone’s employment for that very reason.
She walked into the conference room with her tablet, going through her list of agenda items, not looking up at the large oval table filled with her executive staff members. Her body was on autopilot, naturally going to her seat and setting her tablet down on the table, as she stood. She took a deep breath, looked around the room, and started.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,” she said loudly and her audience mumbled the same greeting back to her.
“I want to make this meeting as brief as possible, I simply want to discuss the departmental sales goals and revenue production.” She paused and looked around the room, making sure that everyone was paying attention.
“Nonprofit sales are up by 13%, revenue collected is up by 4%. Good job. The political department has increased efficiency by 6%, revenue collected is up by the same amount. Politics is a bitch, so congratulations. The commodities sales are down 4% and revenue collections are down by 9% and at this time of year, you should be up by at least 11%. This is completely unacceptable and I give you until the end of the month to get these numbers up or you’ll be replaced as the regional manager. Is that understood?”
The regional manager responsible for commodities sales (coffee packs, tea boxes, spices, etc.) answered affirmatively, but he was visibly angry. His face went from a fleshy pink to stoplight red in just a few seconds. It didn’t bother Joan that he was angry, in fact, it would serve to motivate the rest of the executive staff to put a fire under themselves and get to work.
“That does it for my part of the meeting,” she said, “are there any questions?”
No one answered, so Joan left the room, but unbeknownst to her, the regional manager was following her.
With the morning’s meetings over, and the follow up calls to be made, Joan marched to her office, breezed by her assistant and shut her office door behind her. Before she could reach her desk, one of her regional sales managers opened the door and began rambling loudly. His noise had gathered a small crowd, wondering what was taking place.
He took a deep breath and started over.
“Joan, you were unfair to me in that meeting,” he said through clenched teeth.
“My department has had two down quarters and that is all - yet you found it necessary to address it in front of the whole executive staff!”
Joan folded her arms in front of her and took a step toward the regional sales manager and stopped.
“I am going to give you a chance to check your tone with me and permit you to rewind and start again,” she said in a frustrated and cautious tone.
It was as though she had said nothing, as the manager completely ignored her and continued his rant, but adding expletives.
Calmly and casually, she walked over behind her desk and pushed a small green button on the side of her telephone. She then walked back toward her employee.
“It is standard protocol to discuss the progress of each division in those meetings, you mouth-breathing moron,” she said with clenched fists.
“You are fired and when security arrives, I expect no back-talk, no further insubordination or you’ll not receive a recommendation from me and maybe, just maybe your wife will get an anonymous tip about your horrifically inappropriate relationship with one of your clients.”
She paused, stared at him awaiting a response.
Security arrived and escorted him out of the building and he decided it was best that he not say another word.
Chapter 4
The exchange between Joan and her subordinate left her feeling unfulfilled and anxious. Joan’s leadership style was the type where unless she could inflict emotional pain, it just didn’t seem worthwhile. She was enraged that the regional sales manager had the intestinal fortitude to dare enter her office unannounced.
Security had escorted the belligerent former employee out the door and that would have to suffice for the moment. The altercation suddenly made her begin to doubt herself and her ability to maintain relationships. She had gained and lost four relationships quickly and aggressively and walked away feeling no guilt, no remorse.
What she did feel was loneliness.
Her march to the women’s room seemed to move in slow motion. Voices speaking and whispering in the background were distorted, the light in the office becoming bright and then dim, and then repeating itself. Joan’s mind began to wander and she began speaking to herself in her mind.
“You have failed,” she thought, “failed to create an environment where the fear of you is sufficient to keep subordinates in control. You don’t need friends, you don’t need people to like you, what you need is to generate revenue and increase productivity to put more money in your bank accounts.”
The voice in her head became louder, drowning out the sounds of the gossiping and chatter in the office.
“These people here are nothing more than a means to an end When you retire, then you can afford to care what people think of you and you can even attempt friendships. You did the right thing in firing that imbecile and making an example of him and now, others will continue to fear you.”
As she passed the reception area, her mind raced back to when she had friends - at least she thought she had friends. Staying out on the porch as the sun set, drinking warm cocoa in the living room when snow covered the ground, chasing each other around with a garden hose during the hot summer months - those were all memories that served her well, even if they weren’t actually hers.
The thoughts of her living a normal youth were a fantasy, something she created for herself though it had never taken place that way. As a child, her focus was grades, winning, achieving, driving, and being the best at everything she attempted. Most of the time, she was successful and as she looked around her and saw girls her age becoming interested in boys, she was busy studying for an exam.
The specter of young women fawning over boys and boys sniffing after them like dogs was bothersome to her but she knew that to fit in, to lend some credibility to her existence, it would be necessary to hang upon the arm of some Neanderthal. There were two young men she pursued, both of whom were the most popular in school. She gave them the sex they desired, she received the attention and upward mobility within social circles she demanded.
In her mind, it was a justified tradeoff.
The voices were returning to normal speed, the lights no longer flickering, she reached the women’s room door. Before entering, she took a deep breath as though to wash away all the negative self-talk.
She opened the bathroom door to find Lilly doing a final inspection of her makeup. Lilly stared at her, through the mirror, her piercing eyes startling Joan for a moment. She sensed the frustration and anger dripping out of every pore in Joan’s being. Joan allowed the door to close behind her, but stood frozen in place, somehow in awe in of the receptionist, the mousy little assistant. Who seemed to have changed into something more charismatic overnight. Joan could sense a renewed strength and confidence in her. It was intriguing.
Lilly turned and faced Joan and folded her arms in front of her as if she was standing in judgment, deciding whether or not to approve of what she saw. Her eyes opened wide, showing a fire therein that was stoked by the mere presence of Joan in the women’s room.
Joan’s shoulders slumped slightly, her posture changing. The strong, dominant, and awesome woman who had entered the bathroom had begun to
back down to someone with a much stronger spirit and personality. It was a new sensation for Joan, as she was the type of woman who received attention just by her entering a room. She was beautiful, strong, and elegant when necessary and now she was little more than a handmaiden in the palm of the hand of the receptionist.
Joan slowly withdrew eye contact with Lilly and shuffled in the direction one of the stalls. Just as she was to open the door, she heard a voice that wasn’t hers and it wasn’t one rattling around in the depths of her mind.
“Come over here,” said Lilly. Her tone was strong, confident, but quiet.
“Excuse me?” Joan did her best to appear incredulous and test the boundaries of whatever it was taking place.
“You heard me,” responded Lilly, “come over here.”
For a few seconds, Joan’s confusion, her inner turmoil was played out on her face. Her frown slowly departing, leaving a blank stare as she unconsciously began walking toward Lilly. There was something drawing her, enticing her and she was powerless to stop it.
They stood face to face so closely they could feel each others’ breath. It was a serene yet frighteningly intense for Joan. She had never felt so intoxicated and horrified at the same time. Her heart was racing, her eyes drawing her into those of Lilly, a warmth washing over her.
Lilly reached with her right hand and stroked Joan’s cheek and giving her a reassuring smile.
“Let it go,” Lilly whispered.
“You’re going to be just fine.”
Joan closed her eyes and leaned her face into the soft and warm hand of Lilly. It was a comforting, welcoming, protective feel on her face, and she didn’t want it to end. The blanket of security Lilly provided was overwhelming and a small tear streamed down Joan’s cheek. Lilly then leaned in to kiss the cheek of her boss when she heard a knock at the door. Joan and Lilly’s eyes stayed connected for a second that felt like an eternity.
Abruptly, Lilly walked over to the door, her heels clicking on the tile floor. She unlocked the door, flung it open to find Joan’s executive assistant standing with her mouth agape.
“Ms. Corley is taking a moment for herself and will be out in a moment,” said Lilly who then shut and locked the door again. She turned around and spoke to Joan.
“We can finish this discussion later, Joan, but for now, take your time to get your thoughts in order and go about your business without a word or even a hint that the former employee has gotten to you,” said Lilly with authority and then exited the restroom.
Joan stood for a moment staring at the closed door, her face flush and her nipples standing at attention. She shook her head as if to remove cobwebs and walked out of the restroom herself.
Chapter 5
Weeks had gone by and Joan and Lilly had yet to have that discussion Lilly promised, and the intrigue was making Joan struggle internally. She also found herself discreetly exchanging knowing glances with Lilly that excited and aroused her. She wasn’t sure what was happening, she had never been aroused by a woman before. It was all new to her, but this sexy, young, confident woman appealed to her senses.
For the first time in company history, Joan had begun to smile in the office. During staff meetings, she even made a joke or two, much to the amazement of the staff. Most of her employees attributed her mood swing to the positive side of the fence with her firing the nuisance of a manager and replacing him with an older, more mature and funny gentleman from another branch in Oklahoma.
The office had increased productivity by 8% in the previous weeks, and Joan had an exceptionally unorthodox idea to celebrate that flabbergasted the office.
She planned a branch picnic and barbecue.
The branch would cater the food, provide the drinks, have slides and bounce houses for the kids, and volleyball for the adults. It was a foreign concept for the staff, but they were glad to do it. She had selected a Friday wherein she could shut the whole office down just for the event.
Each department had their own T-shirts, each division had their own flag, and each had responsibilities to help with clean up afterwards.
Lilly had awoken something in Joan. Something Joan could not explain. So when a position opened up working as a sales assistant in the sales department the following week, Joan pushed Lilly to go for it. Lilly was apprehensive at first but eventually gave in and took the position.
Her desk was closer to the door of Joan’s office, giving them an opportunity to exchange glances, to observe the other secretly. Neither knew the other was interested, so would quickly look away when they caught the other gazing.
Though there was no dialog between the two about the happening in the women’s room just a few weeks prior, the curiosity between the two of them had evolved into a sort of cat and mouse game - Lilly being the cat, of course.
It was the day before the big company celebration, and all the preparations had been made. They had reserved Stephen’s Park for the day - from sunrise to midnight. There was plenty of parking, the sand volleyball pits were in excellent shape, there were ample picnic tables, a small area to speak from, and many trees and shrubbery that served well to give them privacy.
One of the accountants from the finance department was also a disc jockey in the city and had a perfect public address system for the event. He had volunteered to arrive early Friday morning to oversee set up and placement of all of the supplies and necessities for a great party.
The afternoon sales meeting had one swimmingly, and their sales projections were still looking better than estimated in the previous quarter. The sales directors were instructed to let their departments go home and prepare for the event. Joan returned to her office and immediately drafted an email to every employee to go home and relax and get everything prepared for the next day.
A few employees had volunteered to stay behind and ensure that there was someone to answer phones, emails, and receive any guests who came through the front door. Rather than enjoying a day with the company at play, they would be receiving a $100 bonus in their future paycheck. It was an agreeable arrangement that Joan had put into place herself.
Lilly had left and was well on her way home as Joan did her final walk through of the office, counting the number of people who had stayed behind and ensuring that they had everything they needed.
She went back to her office and gathered up her things and made her way to the elevators to the parking area. As the doors were almost closed, a hand slipped through and stopped them from closing and they promptly opened.
To her amazement, Joan found herself standing face-to-face with the man she had fired a few short weeks prior. They both stood frozen in time, their breathing slow and deliberate. Joan quietly and carefully slid her hand inside of her shoulder bag and squeezed the grip of her 9 mm semiautomatic she kept in her purse for emergencies. She was prepared; she had trained for hours upon hours for this very moment.
The doors closed behind him and he turned on his heels and faced the front of the elevator. They reached the ground floor without saying a word to one another, not even spring a glance in the other’s direction. They walked their separate ways, but Joan looked back and saw him enter the same vehicle he always drove and he had managed to find himself another job that gave him a reserved parking slot.
Joan unlocked the doors to her freshly polished black sports car and got in. She closed the door quickly and put her head in her hands and sighed. She had misjudged her former employee and her fears were unwarranted. She held her face up to her rear view mirror to check her makeup and an alarming knock on her window erupted.
She rolled her window down and again faced her former employee. Terror gripped her heart and she tried to scream but he stopped her.
“Joan,” he said quietly, “I am deeply sorry for the trouble I put you through and while going through anger management, I learned the error of my ways and with the new meds, I’m right as rain. Again, I just want to apologize.”
With that he walked away without saying a word and withou
t allowing Joan to formulate a response.
She fired up the engine and sped home as quickly as she could without putting herself or pedestrians in danger.
Chapter 6
Joan had packed her bag for the following day, placed her water bottles into the refrigerator, and glanced up at the brushed silver clock hanging over her kitchen sink. It was early and she wasn’t really that tired so she poured herself a glass of wine and sit back behind her laptop and surf the Internet a little.
As soon as her computer booted up, her mail application opened with notification of emails. She expanded the email program and found a few spam emails, but there was one from a “LillyBear” that immediately got her attention. Her heart started racing, her mind wondering if it was THE Lilly, and if it was, how did she get her personal email?
She opened it and read the email.
From: [email protected]
First Domination Page 2
