Submission To Black

by Rice, Rachel E.

  “If you make a mistake in this business, this company can lose millions. A misplaced comma could cost you your job. So if you value your job, you will listen to me and consult me if something is vague or you don’t recognize a signature.”

  After she had given me the usual speech that all newcomers received, Marianne sent me down to pick up a packet of paperwork for new employees and sign off on my pay scale. I was happy to be working a day job and not spending my nights in a cocktail lounge. What other choice do I have? I rationalized. The cocktail job paid more than most day jobs I was interviewing for, but that would not have helped me in family court with Max. Now I have a career that pays a good salary and I feel great about everything.

  Waiting for the elevator to arrive, I felt a sense of euphoria and freedom wash over me. A careful smile slid over my face. I stepped nervously into the elevator, not looking around, and faced the door. The elevator was large and filled with men and women. I heard their chatter and the word St. John. Then I heard a voice cut through the bodies standing behind me. “Ms. Bishop, I see you made it, and by the look on your face you are happy to be working with our family.”

  I turned, embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Mr. St. John, but I didn’t see you.”

  “I know. But you are happy to be in my employment?”

  “Indeed I am, Mr. St. John.”

  “Call me Charles.” I felt eyes apprise me and just as quickly avert their glances. One woman standing behind Charles nudged her colleague in the side.

  A small smile crossed my lips, and I said, “Well, Charles, this is my floor.”

  I heard him say, “Have a terrific day, Ms. Bishop.”

  Before the door closed, I blurted out, “Call me Alex.” And the door eased slowly closed. I caught sight of his handsome face, his blue eyes lingering long over me. He had chosen to let his staff see that he had an interest in me. That didn’t put a damper on my day, but the call from Max did.

  I picked up my phone without checking it.

  “Alex, I tried contacting you. What are you doing now? My security officers said that they saw you entering St. John’s private jet. Are you all right?”

  “I’m perfectly fine. As a matter of fact, I haven’t felt this good in years.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve been unhappy with you, Max. You know what the problem is. I don’t have time to go through this again. We have been down that road too many times.”

  “If you want me to change, I will. Tell me what to do.” I could hear the desperation in his voice, but I had heard it more times than I cared to think about. Nevertheless there appeared to be a hollow in his heart that he could not fill. I would not risk trying to fill his need because it would lead to an unending circle of circumstances.

  “It’s more than that. I want my son with me and I need time away from you.”

  “Come back and we will discuss Maxim.”

  “I can’t come now; I’ve just started a new job.”

  “Who gave you a job?”

  “No one gave me a job. You see? You think someone had to give me something.”

  “Was it St. John?”

  “I have to go, Max.”

  “I’m flying my…” I didn’t wait to hear the rest of his conversation. I had to get to work and I didn’t need the bad karma.

  Glancing over the papers on my desk, I was careful to read each one thoroughly, but before I could complete them, Marianne entered my office. “Are you ready for lunch?”

  “Yes. Where is the employees’ cafeteria?”

  “Honey, only nerds and the seriously underpaid people eat there. Have you seen what your starting salary is? Anyone who gets up to this floor is paid an obscene amount of money. In three months you will be making what I make, and we are talking six figures, my dear.” My eyes opened wide. “Now get off your pretty ass, and let’s go to lunch.” She practically pushed me out of the door. We climbed into the elevator with all the other seriously overpaid men and women exiting the building. Some of them went left, but we went right.

  We walked one block west and entered into a lobby. Inside the lobby a large sign read, blackstone. “Are we eating here?” I asked, feeling uncomfortable.

  “Yes, they have some of the best steaks in Seattle. Besides, you will not see anyone from St. John’s businesses because of the feud going on between Mr. Blackstone and Charles. I hear it’s about a woman,” she whispered.

  “How is it that you brave the treacherous waters?”

  “Hey, I like that,” she said. “You and I are going to get along great.” We sat at the bar. I felt exhilarated, so I ordered a glass of red wine at Marianne’s insistence.

  “We work hard, and we play hard. On Fridays a few of us will go out dancing and drinking. It’s expected. It’s our team-building night. Are you game?”

  “Sure.”

  Since I turned twenty-one I’d had Maxim, college, and getting a job to worry about, which left little time for anything else. Now was the time to enjoy my life, but the guilt of leaving my child with my parents and not disclosing who the father was weighed heavily on my conscience. There is freedom in disclosure but not peace. Since Max discovered that he was the father, my life felt as if I had fallen into a cauldron of boiling water.

  A waiter showed us to a table, where he promptly brought our drinks. Marianne had an infectious personality and was a regular there, and she knew everyone from the bartender to the busboys. I wasn’t sure if she had invited me to garner deep, dark secrets for Charles or if she was just trying to be kind to the new hire at Charles’s command.

  Marianne loved wine, and she ordered from the wine list, an expensive, decadent wine that cost plenty and was sure not to get us drunk no matter how many drinks we consumed, she assured me.

  After the first glass was poured and I watch Marianne drink, I asked her a question.

  “Tell me about Mr. St. John.”

  Marianne looked at me and paused. “All I know is he is a damn good boss.”

  “I heard he lost his wife.”

  “Yes, she was a saint. A beautiful young woman when she died. Not even forty years old when she got cancer. He was such a wreck when that happened. His hair turned gray. He became a recluse for a time. That was four years ago. For such a virile and attractive man, he never tried to date or marry again. I guess he couldn’t find anyone to replace her. Until now, I hear.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I understand that he is head-over-heels in love with a twenty-year-old. The gossip by the cooler is that he met her in his restaurant. Can you imagine that?” She took another gulp of wine, and her steak and my shrimp salad was set on the table.

  “No, I couldn’t imagine that happening to anyone.”

  “It gets better. There was an altercation between St. John and Blackstone over this little waitress, and Blackstone left in a huff. St. John took the waitress home and has been seeing her since then.”

  “Really? Are you sure this information is accurate and not just office gossip?”

  “Well, darling,” she drawled, “you never can be sure. You know how gossip is. Believe half of everything you hear.”

  “And it travels on a fast horse,” I said. Marianne glanced up at my comment, and then she cut her steak into small pieces, throwing a glance at me with each bite.

  Chapter 3

  Friday hurried along at a feverish pace. Learning the ins and outs of the job and forgetting everything else, I focused on what was important—keeping my position in this company. I hadn’t heard from Max, which was refreshing. I had turned off my private phone and found some peace. I invited Crystal and Joshua for a drink on Tuesday and asked them to meet me at the bar on Friday, when the team-building night was scheduled. I hadn’t seen or heard from her in a few days. She was obviously staying at Joshua’s place. So I called her early Friday morning from my desk.

  “Crystal, are you meeting me for drinks and dancing?”

  “Sure, but I’m not sure Josh can
stay.”

  “OK. Just wanted to make sure you were there. I didn’t want to go home alone. You and Joshua appear to be getting on well.”

  “He’s a terrific guy, but he’s leaving soon.”

  “Where is he going?” My heart began to race. As long as I had Joshua I felt a sense of security. Now to hear that he might be leaving gave me a sudden headache. I wondered why he hadn’t bothered to tell me.

  I guess I knew the answer to that question. Crystal had been taking up his time, and he was sick of hearing about me and Max. I would be too. That appeared to be all I talked about lately. There was more going on in the world, Josh had stated. We never talked about Joshua’s life. Just me.

  “I think he said something about King Kong.”

  “No, Crystal, that doesn’t appear to be right. You are referring to a movie.”

  “Yeah?” Crystal said, still not knowing the difference.

  “It’s Hong Kong. Tell Joshua if he’s able to stop and have a drink, it would make me happy.”

  In the background I heard Crystal yell, “Josh, honey, Alex said to drop by the bar for one drink.”

  It was all set. It was going to be a night out with the girls. Crystal would meet me and Marianne. I had dressed in a short black knockoff of a Herve Leger dress. It fit me in all in the right places. I grabbed a fitted jacket so as not to call any attention to myself at the office.

  Because I wanted to have all my work completed before I left, I worked through lunch. I was famished and needed a drink at the end of the day. Marianne passed by my desk and stopped, and then she told me what I already knew, “You look tired.”

  “I’m more hungry than tired.”

  “Come to my office. I have something to munch on and something to drink,” she said with a big smile, showing her straight, white teeth. “You need a full stomach for serious drinking.”

  I followed her down the hall and into her office. I hadn’t expected it to be so lavish. Looking around, I was amazed at the space and the desk. She had a view of the harbor that I would kill for. She walked up to a mirror and hit a button, and a hidden bar moved around to face us. Under the bar was a fridge, and she reached inside and took out two chilled glasses. “Do you want beer or wine?”

  “I’ll have beer.”

  “Very well, but I need wine. I’m planning on getting drunk today. Oh, I almost forgot.” She showed me a platter with a dozen small sandwiches and loads of fruit, which she placed on a large table in the center of her office.

  “I like this.”

  “This is nothing. I plan on being on the top floor, right next to St. John someday, and you will probably get this office when I move up.” She drank a second glass of wine and revealed her secrets of how she planned on moving up. “There are two more floors before I’m sitting on top of the world.”

  Peeping at my watch, I looked up. “It’s time to go. I have some friends who are going to meet us,” I said, cutting her off. Clearly she was ambitious and she would probably reach her goals because I had never seen a woman so bent on making it.

  I thought my ambitions were lacking in the work department. Maybe I should aim for the top. Hanging around Marianne could be good for me. Maybe some of that ambition may rub off.

  “Let’s go, girl. I bet you have never been to a place the likes of the one we are getting ready to go to.”

  “Why? What is different about it?” I asked as we were walking out the door.

  “Here. This is our ride,” Marianne said with excitement in her voice as if I had never ridden in one before, and she would be the first person to introduce me to the finer things in life.

  “A limo? I’m tired…” I wouldn’t complete the statement.

  “It’s St. John’s car. I asked him to let us use the company car for relaxation and recreation.”

  “Why would he…?”

  “Because I know where all the bodies are buried. Now get in.”

  As usual my selective hearing came into play. All I heard was bodies, and I thought of Max and the body of a young girl.

  The limo stopped in front of steel-and-glass building. There were no signs saying Blackstone, so I breathed easy for a minute. “What is so special about this place?” I asked, surveying the crowd. There were young men and women standing outside, waiting in an outrageously long line. We exited the limo and eased our way to the ropes, where the bodyguards raised the ropes and we stepped into the crowded entrance. I was following Marianne, who had the good sense to wear sensible shoes. My six-inch red-sole heels would probable render me incapacitated if I stepped the wrong way or on someone’s foot. “Hurry. Keep up.”

  “How will my friends find us, or for that matter get into this place?” I questioned.

  “I gave security their names, so don’t worry they will find you.”

  We were led through the building into one of many rooms and into a large room where there were individual spaces for dancing and drinking and smoking. Marianne pointed to a room to the side. “You don’t want to go in there. Even if you see me enter, don’t follow. You aren’t ready.”

  “Ready for what?”

  “That room is for the people at the top floor. It’s only for employees that are in top management.”

  “You aren’t there yet,” I said, sounding like a complete fool.

  We sat at a large booth and before we could order, we had a round of drinks; choices of drinks were sent to the table. “Everything is free. We don’t have to pay for anything. It’s part of the perks of working for St. John. Friday and Saturday we have this club to socialize and get drunk if we desire. No one judges. We work for different companies under St. John, and we all come together on these nights.”

  Marianne kept looking around as she downed a few drinks. With a bored look, I glanced around the room. I spied Josh and Crystal and raised my hand.

  “I see my friends.” I waved, and Crystal caught my eye.

  “Great. I didn’t want to leave you alone, so you just sit and enjoy. Remember, everything is paid for. I’m going into that room. Don’t come looking for me. If I’m not out when you’re ready to go home, then take the limo. I’ll get home.”

  I didn’t see which door she entered, and I didn’t care. I wanted to see Joshua. He and Crystal made their way to the booth.

  “Wow, this is great,” Crystal said, swaying to the music and meeting the eyes of every man that passed near the booth.

  Joshua came around and gave me a kiss on the cheek. He sat on my left, and Crystal sat next to him on the outside. “You look great. You even look happy with that smile on your face,” Josh said, holding my chin in his hand.

  “What is this about you going to Hong Kong?”

  “Max finally trusted me enough to manage his Asian properties. I’m working under a mentor,” Josh admitted.

  “So am I. A very ambitious one,” I said, rolling my eyes.

  As we were talking, a guy came up to Crystal and asked for a dance. Crystal looked at Joshua, and he gestured for her to go. He looked at me. “It’s not as if we’re engaged, Alex. She knows the score, and so do I. We have nothing to bind us. We are what you call independent contractors. You and Max have your son. That will have you at each other’s throats for years.”

  “Well, thanks a lot, Josh, for painting a morbid picture when I was feeling upbeat, and for me that comes once a year now.”

  “I didn’t mean that. How about a dance, and how did you get here?” I held out my hand, and Josh took hold and led me to the floor.

  We walked on the dance floor, and the small band and piano player banged out, “I Will Always Love You.” It was slow, and I felt a sense of quiet and peace in Joshua’s arms. “Where is your friend from work?”

  “She left to rub elbows with the rich and not so famous. You know, the one percent of the one percent.”

  “I know my architecture, and this is one of St. John’s buildings,” Josh said, looking around.

  “It is? I didn’t know,” I said, trying to be c
onvincingly surprised.

  The song came to an end and we stood talking. Crystal didn’t come back to the table. “I’m working for St. John.”

  “Doing what?”

  “You act as if I’m not qualified.”

  “You are well qualified, Alex, but I never knew that you were interested in anything that had to do with banking.”

  “Well, I’m with the insurance side of banking. Billions of dollars come through my department.” Joshua gave a judgmental look with a raise of his eyebrow.

  “All I can say is, watch your ass, Alex.”

  “Please, Joshua; it’s not what you think.”

  “It is what I think.” At that moment, Crystal walked up and stood near Josh. We slid into the booth and I ordered a round of drinks. I heard a voice.

  “Is everything OK, Alex?” We all looked behind us, and standing on a platform glancing down was Charles St. John, looking handsome, all of six foot two with mingled gray hair and steel-blue eyes. He was dressed in a suit by a European designer, and no one could miss his taut body.

  “Mr. St. John, this is a wonderful place,” Crystal said in a breathless tone. He gestured and acknowledged with his head that he heard her. His eyes were focused on me, and then they scanned Josh.

  “Mr. St. John, this is…”

  “We have met,” Joshua stated and he stood and took Crystal’s hand. Crystal stood alongside him. “I have an early flight tomorrow, and we have overstayed our welcome.” Joshua leaned over and kissed my cheek. Charles glanced at him, and Josh gave him an ominous glaring glance with knitted eyebrows.

  “It appears that your friend doesn’t care for me.”

  “It’s not you. It’s men with money,” I said, trying to apologize for Joshua’s rudeness.

  “I suppose he doesn’t object to Max’s money. He is being paid generously to watch over you for Max.”

  “I don’t think Max paid him. He’s a good friend and would do that anyway.”

  “Can I sit next to you?”

  “You don’t have to ask me, Charles. It’s your place.” I stared at him, hoping that he would sit next to me. I didn’t like to be alone, especially since Marianne had deserted me and disappeared into one of the rooms with directions not to follow.