Taken

by Mia Ford

  Instead we had a BYOB policy and I paid for a fleet of cars to get people home if they needed it. So far it had continued to be a success.

  “Mr. Reid, we’ve got to get your schedule ironed out or you won’t have a clue what you’re doing today.” My secretary Denise yelled from outside my office. “Not that today should be any different from yesterday.”

  “Yes, yes, Denise. Let’s go then.”

  “Okay,” she stomped into my office as if she had a war to fight. “You’ve got a conference call with Patrick at 9:45. You’re supposed to respond to Ireland’s proposal.”

  “Push that back for me, Denise. At least a week. There’s no hurry for that right now.” The truth was I just wasn’t interested in the articles Seymore Ireland was asking me to contribute to. It was more of a headache than it was helpful.

  “You’ve got an appointment with your chiropractor at two o’clock today.”

  “That’s one bright spot in my day. Other than seeing you, Denise.”

  “Mr. Reid, I’ll be sure to tell my husband of thirty-eight years you said so.”

  “Thirty-eight years? How do you do it, Denise? What is your secret?”

  “Separate beds and separate bathrooms. Now, are we going to continue on or do you need me to explain the birds and bees to you, too?”

  “Denise, we have work to do. Don’t tempt me.”

  It was always funny to get Denise to laugh. She had the other secretaries terrified of her since she was in her sixties and rarely smiled during business hours. She knew how to use a computer better than most of the new hires coming right out of college but because she carried around an old stenographer’s pad, some of the girls thought she was just some fossil waiting for retirement. They’d quickly learn that she was as sharp as a tack and twice as painful if you got stuck.

  I had hired her after I inherited the business from my father. He had built up this corporation by slowly buying off bits of businesses and selling them for a profit. Then he realized some of the businesses were just poorly managed and took a stab at running a few by himself. Whatever it was in his fingers, it seemed whatever he touched turned into gold. Heading out before the sun rose and getting home long after it set made my father a successful businessman.

  He also had a way of smoothing over the most hardened, crusted over hearts of the stingiest misers around by pouring on the kindness, inquiring about their wives and children, offering sound advice and laying all his cards out for them to see. Dirty deals were for insurance agents and ambulance chasers he’d say. He had nothing to hide from any man so they always knew where they stood with him. It was a good way to do business. And because of the old man’s brilliance I still did work with the sons of some of those men.

  In fact, I was supposed to play golf with Morton Susberg, the son of Michael Susberg who loaned my father enough money for him to crack his first million. The Susbergs were good people and I liked Mort a lot. He had an excellent business sense and often had a couple of insider investment tips for me. So far, he was five for five on the stocks he told me to invest in, more than tripling the value of my portfolio.

  But sadly, my schedule was too full right now. And I knew when I could finally come up for air Mort would be on some big-name trial working thirty hours in each twenty-four hour period.

  “Some good news for you.” Denise said, snapping me out of my daydream of golf.

  “Good news? That’s a switch. Tell me.”

  Denise smiled and the wrinkles pushed up to fold her skin around the corners of her eyes.

  “First,” she said as she looked at the steno pad. “Mr. Carson confirmed he will be able to join you for the Knick’s game.”

  “Of-course, he will.”

  Her face scowled a little and she rolled her eyes.

  “And what is that all about?”

  Taking a deep breath Denise folded her thin arms over her chest and looked at me from beneath her heavily eye-shadowed eyes.

  “You’ve been trying to get a meeting with him for how long? You, the fifth wealthiest man in the country and now he can meet with you because you’ve got game seats on the floor. He’s got to be able to smell their jocks…”

  “Denise!” I said pretending to be shocked.

  “Oh please.” She waved me off with her hand. “You know how I am, Marty. I have to call it as I see it and I’m just not sure much good will come from cozying up with Carson.”

  “It’s the nature of the beast, Denise, you know that.”

  “That doesn’t make it right, Marty. What would your mother think of a guy like Carson?”

  I smiled as I let Denise’s words sink in. My mother was a tough old broad. She had to be. From the beginning my father probably had to work hardest for my mother. Not because she was mean or ungrateful. But because she always reminded him of what was really important and made him pay attention. In between business meetings he came to the hospital for me to be born and every baby afterward.

  He made it to a handful of school plays, a couple of dances and of course high school graduations. He may not have been around for everything but he made his presence known.

  When it came to business deals my father would run almost everything past my mother. Especially if it was going to require he put in extra hours or travel anywhere.

  And as the bank account continued to grow so did the schools of barracudas that circled the old man in an attempt to get their hands on some of it. And some of those barracudas were of the female persuasion to which my mother made it very clear. My father only got one chance. If he screwed that up his stuff would be packed and on the stoop before he could say “honey please”. There was no gray area.

  She told me a story about one of my father’s uncle’s who had a girlfriend in Palm Springs that he would visit once a month.

  Uncle Charlie thought no one knew a thing about this other woman and for years would talk about Palm Springs as if it were the breathtaking pyramids of Egypt or Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.

  “He was always so serious as if trips to Arkansas made him worldly and a cut above the rest of us.” Mom would say. “But the truth was Aunt Colleen knew all about it.”

  “Why didn’t she say anything to him? Why didn’t she kick him out?” I remember asking.

  “Because she didn’t want to be on her own. She’d rather be made to look like a fool than to go without. Charlie was a good provider. Of course he was. He was paying off his conscience. Aunt Colleen could always have a new mink every year, a new car, the newest appliances because she knew Charlie would give it to her out of guilt.”

  “Isn’t that smart, though? I mean, she wasn’t being a total chump, right?”

  I’ll never forget the look my mother gave me when I said that.

  “How old do you think Aunt Colleen is?” She asked me. In my teenage brain everyone over twenty looked old so I just shrugged my shoulders.

  “Your Aunt Colleen is fifteen years younger than me.” Mom said.

  “What?” I shouted in shock. Aunt Colleen had a face that was so wrinkled and so gray it was like a faded piece of wooden lawn furniture that had been left in the elements over a particularly cruel winter.

  “That is what she traded for a few mink coats. Her youth is gone, wasted trying to stay one up on a man who should have had the shit beat out of him and then tossed out with the garbage.”

  My mother never cussed. So you can imagine I was very interested in seeing how she acted toward both Uncle Charlie and Aunt Colleen at the next family gathering.

  My parents set a good example for me but it was definitely a hard act to follow.

  “I’d love your father whether he had all the money in the world or not even two nickels to rub together.” I remember her telling me when I was just starting to take an interest in girls.

  “How come?” I asked.

  “Because your father makes me laugh.”

  Both my parents had passed away. First my mother died four years ago and then my father almost
six months later to the day. I had already been running the business but I was touched to see how many people from the beginning remembered and called my father an honest businessman.

  It was hard to be an honest businessman these days. Especially with guys like Carson around who had something I needed but wanted to play all kinds of games and make me jump through hoops in order to secure his commitment. It was worse than politics.

  Maybe Denise was right. I knew exactly what my mother would say about a guy like Carson.

  “For a lesser known client you could get a one hundred percent backing instead of settling for a possible fifty percent backing from Carson. Give it a month and see if he hasn’t changed his mind.”

  My mother always said to give things a month.

  “Your flunking science, give it a month to really work hard and you’ll see a change.” “Emmy Lou Perkins doesn’t want to go out with you? Give it a month of ignoring her completely and you’ll see a change.” “Thomas Carson will only talk to you if you get him Knick’s tickets. Give it a month and take his competitor to the game and see if you see a change.”

  And Denise knew my mother well enough to know the weight of making that suggestion.

  I looked at her while she blinked her eyes looking over her long thin nose at her notes as if she were studying something huge she had to present to me next.

  Denise was not here to play games. She took pride in her job but she was not a yes man. I had plenty of those whether I wanted them or not. My secretary, on the other hand, had insider knowledge of just about everything that went on in my twenty-eight story building. I valued her opinion more than even the most seasoned members on the board of trustees.

  “Why don’t you let me worry about Carson?” I said, buying myself some time to think. “What’s the second bit of good news?”

  “We’ve got Bonnie’s replacement.”

  “You’re kidding?”

  “Nope. She was just interviewed by phone this morning and will be coming in tomorrow for a face to face. But according to Mrs. Ogawa she is perfect.”

  “What a relief.” I rubbed my temples. “What a train wreck Bonnie was.” I squeezed my eyes shut and could see the face of the red-headed beast that had worked here until just two months ago.

  “That’s what happens when you have a man do a woman’s job.” Denise snapped, folding her pad over as if to indicate the conversation was over.

  “Denise, you were having your gallbladder removed. I had two choices. I either send all the applicants to the hospital while you were recuperating or I interview the candidates myself. I chose to do it myself.”

  “To make it easy on me?”

  “Exactly.”

  “So, making it easy on me is hiring a bimbo with dollar signs in her eyes every time she looked at you who couldn’t spell Administrative Assistant, let alone be one. Thank you, Marty. Thank you for making it so easy on me that I almost went back to the hospital with a stroke.”

  “It wasn’t that bad.” I said, laughing.

  “I am still finding files that she mismanaged and she’s been gone for two months.”

  “Now don’t just make up stories, Denise.”

  “Believe me, I wish I just made up Bonnie.” Denise said standing up and smoothing out her skirt before she went back to her desk outside my office. It was now 8:12 and I could hear the secretaries chirping away getting caught up on the evening events before Denise made her rounds making sure they were all at their desks and working.

  I looked at the only photo I had on my desk that was of my parents. My dad was about twenty-four years old wearing a suit and tie. My mom was two years younger and in a pretty dress that had polka dots and a wide skirt. They stood in front of a 1960 Lincoln Continental convertible. They had been married about a year when the old man bought that car. It was a gift for my mom.

  The picture was faded and the clothes were terribly out of style but I liked how real they looked. It was hard to find that kind of authenticity today. Just like Carson as Denise had said.

  She was right. My mother would not waste her time on a guy like that. But he had the money I needed and for the backing of an overseas venture that could prove to set Reid Industries apart from the rest of the struggling and climbing competitors in the industry.

  Sometimes good business meant making difficult choices and an unsavory partnership could end in a successful gamble. But was it worth it?

  “Do you need me for anything else?” she asked seriously.

  Looking around my desk I shook my head.

  “Maybe while I’m at the chiropractor you could straighten up this desk.”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” Denise said turning and marching back out of my office. “And one more thing. I’ll be training Bonnie’s replacement this time because, well, I want things done right. So you will have to share me with her. Nicole will be helping to pick up the slack but I’ll still be handling all the confidential transactions and monitoring your schedule.”

  I nodded my head. As if a switch had been flipped I began to run through the other things that needed to be tended to before noon, today. There was a meeting on Wednesday with the board of Directors and that was like getting my gums scraped. They were worse than a group of coffee-clutching old ladies but a necessary evil in this business.

  I had heard through the grapevine that some lobbyists were going to approach Senator Goodwin about new legislation that may impact some of my overseas acquisitions so I needed Tom Harris to pay the Senator a visit and find out what was going on.

  In the quiet of my office, when things started to flow and I settled into the work of the day I was amazed at the number of things that needed to be accomplished and even more amazed how many of those things did.

  I called Harris who was already on his way to the Senator’s office.

  The secretary to Mitchell Sanders on the Board confirmed everyone would be attending and they hoped to have breakfast served like last time. Priorities, I thought to myself.

  There would be some major rescheduling I’d have to discuss with Denise if she was going to be busy training Bonnie’s replacement.

  Denise was right. How I could make million dollar decisions three times a day and come up a winner each time yet not be able to hire a secretary competent enough to file in alphabetical order was beyond my ability to understand.

  I guess I was sort of like Einstein that way. He couldn’t handle the most basic math because it was to boring and easy to make careless mistakes. But give him calculus and theoretical physics and the guy was a genius.

  Yes, it is sort of egotistical to compare myself to Albert Einstein, but in this case it fits. Except even the greatest mind of modern times was able to find a woman and make her his wife.

  I looked at the picture of my parents again. Had I not been born into this good fortune would I have found her by now? Isn’t that just sinful that I would question my good luck because with all I have I still don’t have everything. And isn’t it selfish of me to expect even more? I’m not sure but what kind of woman wants to be with a man who works all the time?

  The Bonnie’s of the world, that’s who. And that was not a comforting thought. She didn’t even try to hide her gold digging nature. She’d plant herself in my office as if we were pals and try and tell me about some guy stalking her or how she just hated to be alone. And then there was the whole braless incident that will go down in Reid Industries history as the most desperate act made by a woman ever. It made me embarrassed for her every time I thought of it. But she didn’t seem to be phased.

  Where does a woman learn to act that way?

  Standing up from my messy desk I crossed my office to look out at the city. It was raining. Round orbs of all different colors hustles along the street like a weird video game but they were just the umbrellas of the pedestrians hurrying along.

  “Coffee, Mr. Reid?” Denise called from the door.

  “Yeah, please, Denise. Thanks.”

  I thou
ght about Carson and Bonnie and the Board meeting. So much to follow-up on. Still I needed to get a hold of Morton Susberg and see what his schedule looked like. I rubbed the center of my back and was glad I’d be seeing the chiropractor later today.

  After a few minutes Denise returned with a hot steaming cup of black coffee.

  “Also, Ray Peppers called. He said he’ll have your tuxedo in the limo for the fundraiser tonight.”

  “SHIT! I forgot all about that.”

  “I don’t have any fundraiser on your schedule for tonight.” Denise said looking at me as if I had to be wrong if she didn’t have it on her schedule.”

  “No, you wouldn’t. I offered to do it for a friend of my mother’s. She’s a nice old lady who runs an animal shelter that is more luxurious than some day spas I’ve been to. I promised to make an appearance.” I shook my head. “Tuxedoes are so uncomfortable.”

  “Well, maybe you’ll meet a nice girl there.”

  “Doubt it. No one will be under the age of sixty five.”

  Denise laughed as she turned to leave my office.

  “Denise, one more thing. Who is Bonnie’s replacement?”

  Her name is Natasha Morgan. She comes highly recommended.”

  I nodded my head and looked back out the window while sipping my coffee.

  NATASHA

  "I'm not trying to sound like a snob." I said to my best friend, Diamond. "I'm really not."

  "No, of course not. I know that. I'm just really jealous and want to live my life vicariously through yours. Details, girl. I want the details." Diamond said before taking another sip of her martini. For the past couple of years that we had worked downtown together we met for drinks at least once a week. For the past eight weeks I have had to cancel because my work life and social life had...well...exploded.

  In just that short amount of time I was fired from my job, tried to drown my sorrows in a three dollar bottle of beer only to be rescued by a drop dead gorgeous man who gave me a business card that resulted in my new job. And like the icing on the cake, I started dating the drop dead gorgeous man.