by Claire Angel
“Yes well, sometimes you have to swim with the sharks.”
His hand touched my outer thigh and I looked to him, trying to figure out what he was doing. There were still several people at the large, round table and I was sure that they would know what was going on. As much as I liked to talk a big game, that didn’t mean that I was very good at it. I wanted to believe that I was, but maybe I wasn’t as adventurous as I liked to believe.
“You have to stop.”
“Changed your mind again? Maybe we should go have a few drinks before we leave. Might make your panties wet and your fly home easier.”
I hadn’t even thought about the flight back. I was usually so afraid of flying, but now I was just preoccupied more than anything. Now I was thinking about wet panties. He’d already done that to me, more times than I could count.
“No, I think I will be okay.”
That made him frown, but I was okay with it. I was still processing the kiss and now he was distracting me solely with a light hand on my leg. The man was dangerous. I must have said way too much last night. He knew too much and now he was using it to mess with me. I didn’t want to be messed with though.
***
Getting away from Richard was probably one of the best things that I could do. He was playing me, like it was all the game. But it wasn’t a game. My life was hinging on this internship and it was going to go to hell in a hand basket without me being able to stop it.
When I left the restaurant and went back up to the hotel room, I had a couple of hours before I had to leave to get on the plane. Most of the other interns had other things to do with each other, but I was not in the mood to smile in Amber's face anymore. It was bad enough that I had to see her for brunch. That had taken everything in me not to attack her.
So instead, I packed up my bags and took another shower. I was still trying to wash away the hangover, but it didn't help as much as I had hoped it would. I was so tired when I got out of the tub, that I laid down with a towel around me. I was just going to rest my eyes for a moment. That's all I needed.
It was only when I heard my name and felt someone shaking me, that I realized I had even fall asleep to begin with.
Richard was standing over me and he abruptly stood up, looking to the side like he was seeing something that he wasn't supposed to see. I very quickly realized what it was. I was not wearing any clothes and the towel that had been wrapped around me, was now in puddles on both sides of me. He could see everything, and I felt my face growing red, as I pulled the blanket over my body.
“We really have to stop meeting this way.”
“Yeah. Sorry. What time is it?”
“It's time to go and you weren't answering the door. I hope you don't mind that I came in. This wasn’t what I expected.”
I sat up on the bed and told him that everything was fine. I really didn't want to talk to him right now. I was already embarrassed enough, because apparently, I was trying to show Richard everything. Again.
“I will be right outside whenever you’re ready to go. Everybody else is already at the airstrip, waiting for us.”
“Great, it will be just another reason for them to run their mouths.”
“You shouldn't worry about them Sarah. I have a feeling that everything is going to take care of itself very soon.”
I didn't know what that meant, but this wasn't the time to ask. I needed to get some clothes on and before I could really think one way or another, I knew that I needed to cover myself up. There was no way that I was going to be able to talk to him this way. Not when my heart was beating so hard in my chest and my hands are still shaking from the encounter.
He was out of the room and I was still having trouble getting him out of my mind. I must have been in the middle of a really good dream when he woke me up. Now my insides were trembling, and it was hard for me to focus. I threw some clothes on and ran a few fingers through my hair. What I wouldn't give for a straight iron. Right now, my hair was back to the natural curl that I tried to tame it away from.
When I got out of the room, Richard made a comment about my hair. He touched it softly and pulled one of the curls until it was straight and long.
“You know, I really do like your hair like this. It suits you far better than when it is straight.”
“Do you think so? I have never liked it this way. I always wanted to have straight hair like everyone else. But I ended up with this mess.”
We got into the car that was waiting for us and he gave the address to the driver. It took me a minute to realize that we were so close together and I scooched away a little bit. I don't know what was getting into me, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that the relationship between me and my boss had changed forever and completely.
“So why did you tell me not to worry about things?”
“I don't know. I think you just let Amber get underneath your skin too much. You know that she wins if she sees you like that.”
“I know, but at the same time, I can't help that. Have you ever felt that way before?”
“A lot. When I first got into business, I hated at least half the people I had to work with. I used to have an assistant, before I had Charles come in and help me. Every one of those assistants were horrible, and I did my best to spend as little time with them as possible. I let them get on my nerves and when they were gone, it was a sigh relief.
“Well I'll tell you what, I would definitely feel relief, if she were to just disappear.”
“Soon.”
I looked back at him and he was looking rather serious. I wanted to believe that what Richard said was true. That would certainly make my day. If Amber would just disappear, I knew that everything would be better. She had been a shadow that I've been trying to shake for over four years in college. The very fact that she had followed me to Grant Holding, made everything worse.
“Don’t tease me like that Richard.”
Chapter 19
Richard
This time I was able to get a spot next to Sarah. We ended up sitting in the front by the pilot, because I made it a point to show Sarah around. I figured maybe it wouldn’t be so scary to her, if she could see that everything was taken care of.
It did seem to help Sarah a little bit, and I was just happy to be in the jump seat next to her. So, we stayed there. We ended up having a couple drinks brought to us and for a little bit of time, it was just me and her. There was one moment where I almost kissed her, but Sarah had given me a look to say not to.
“Maybe I should go back in the back with the rest of the interns.”
I agreed silently with a nod to my head, and even though I didn't want her to go, I knew that she didn't want to be singled out, but I certainly wasn't going to sit next to the rest of them. I had learned my lesson getting stuck next to Amber on the way here. She’d never shut up and I needed some quiet.
Sarah got up and left me in the front. I could see a spot was open in the back with the rest of them. I could go back there and rally the troops as it were. It was a good conference and they had done us all proud. But I didn't want to be the boss. Right now, I was just a man, that wanted a girl. And didn't want to wait.
The rest of the flight wasn’t as good, but it wasn’t long at all. Before I knew it, we’d touched down in New York and everyone was going their separate way. I caught Sarah’s look for a moment, but I didn’t go to her. I knew that she didn’t want me to. I was just going to have to wait, something I was so unaccustomed to, that it physically hurt.
She waved to me before she got in her car and left. I was filled with desire and need, but something else. I’d came to a decision on the way back that I thought was going to complicate things at the office. It was going against Charles’ expert opinion, but this time, I thought he was wrong. I needed to make sure that nothing happened to Sarah and she needed Amber out of her life, to make that happen. I was hoping that with Amber out of the picture, whatever was going
on between the two of us would blossom. That’s what I was counting for.
***
“You know this is a really bad idea, right?”
“No, I don't know that this is a bad idea. I actually think it's a good idea. I think we should have shut it down when I first seen it happen. Then I wouldn’t be in the position I am in.”
Charles was not happy with me. He had been adamant that we were to keep everything about Amber and the presentation to ourselves. I don't know why, but the fact that she had actually used Sarah's presentation, in front of her, was more than I was able to handle. I knew that it had bothered Sarah deeply, but it also bothered me as well. I did not want to promote such vicious tactics amongst my interns. Business was already hard enough, without any extra crap.
It wasn't that I was too against doing what needed to be done to win. I certainly had done it more than once, but not to Sarah. I was not going to be able to get over what they had done to her.
“Well, I think that if you get involved, you're going to regret it. I know that you have been with a lot of women, but you still don't really understand them Richard. You think that everything just comes easily to everyone. It doesn't. I don't think anything is ever came as easily to me, as it has to you.”
“I don't really understand what that means Charles. I just want Amber out of here.”
“And you are going to fire her? Are you really going to fire her, because she was mean to your little girlfriend? You know that could be even worse than a harassment claim. She could try to get the company for unlawful termination.”
I shook my head and disagreed. “This is an at-will state. I can fire whoever the hell I want to.”
Even though I knew that my anger was displaced, it was hard not to point it towards Charles. He kept telling me that I couldn't do it and it just made me even madder. I didn't want to be told what I could do. I wanted him to tell me that everything was going to work out just fine. I didn't even care if it was true, all I cared about, was making sure that we were not left in the lurch.
“You can get mad if you want to Richard, but you know what I say is true. You are going down a very winding road. It may not end well.”
“I don't think I am going down the wrong path. I think that this is the only way to handle it.”
“So, you're going to fire her?” He was looking at me incredulously.
That's what I planned on doing and I told him so.
“Give her a talking to, even give her a warning if it makes you feel better in writing. That might be useful for later, if you want to fire her. But you can't just fire her for this. As much as you want to, Richard, you can't.”
I almost told him to piss off and I was going to do whatever the hell I wanted to do. This was my company after all. But I had to hold my tongue. It wasn't Charles’ fault. Far from it. He was just trying to do what was best for me and the company. That was why I always knew that I could trust Charles.
But right now, I didn't want to do what was best for the company. I wanted to do what was best for me and what was best for me, was to make it easier for me and Sarah to be together. That's what was supposed to be happening here, nothing else really mattered.
“It is all going to work out Charles. You have to trust me on this.”
“I hope you know what you're doing.” He didn’t look so sure.
“I will keep your option in mind. Maybe if I gave her a talking to and demote her or something, then maybe she'll just leave on their own accord. I am sure she can find another internship if she's tried. Her father could find her something else.”
I don't know if I said that to make him feel better or to make me feel better. I had a little bit of guilt, because I never had liked firing women. I could fire a man any day of the week, but once a woman started to get a little teary-eyed, which was most of the time in those situations, it was hard for to do it.
“I hope you are right Richard. I'm sure that it will be fine.”
“Don’t sound too sure about it.”
“Well I am about as sure about it, as you are. I hope that you know what you're doing. I have followed you this far, and nothing is going to change, even if I think you’re making a colossal mistake.”
“Duly noted.”
That was literally all I wanted to hear. I needed his loyalty, more than I needed his help. I had hoped that he would tell me that what I was doing was right. I knew that it was messed up and I was breaking a lot of rules, but maybe sometimes all of those things were worth it.
“Good, because you’re about to back me up. I don’t want to do this meeting by myself. You know that it would be best to have a witness.”
I could see that Charles still wasn’t clear if what I was doing was the right thing or not, but I didn’t really care, because at the end of the day, there was nothing that I wanted more, than to fix this. It would get me the girl and then I would be able to figure out what the hell she was doing to me.
“Great and when is this going down?”
“Right now. I want to get it over with.”
“You just ruined my day boss.”
“I know. But it’s like a bandage. We just got to rip it off quickly.”
He nodded solemnly and walked with me to my office. I sent him to go find her and bring her to me. This wasn’t going to be pleasant, but one way or another, I knew that it had to be done.
Chapter 20
Sarah
Monday morning was strange. There was a meeting between Charles and Richard, that had gotten pretty heated in his office. Everyone was looking around, unsure what to do. We weren’t used to the two of them having such outbursts. I didn’t know what to think about it, but I knew that there was no way that we could just let it go.
Then Richard stalked off, Charles followed. And then back again. Then, Charles came out and went over to Amber and brought her in to Richard’s office with them. I couldn’t imagine what it could be about, but everybody seemed to be in a very serious mood. I found myself using the copy machine that was closest to their office. There was a slit in the door, and I could hear voices.
“We want to talk about the conference Amber.”
“I thought it went pretty good, don't you?”
“Yes, but it just came to our attention, that you presented work that was not yours.”
“What do you mean?” Amber sounded different, her voice was higher pitch. I couldn’t see her face, but I didn’t need to. It wasn’t hard to imagine what she was thinking. Amber had been caught. I didn’t know that Richard knew about it. He certainly hadn’t said anything to me, when I was telling him about losing it.
“I think you know exactly what I mean Amber. Not only has it came to my attention that you took it and used it, but then I cross-referenced the cameras on the jet and caught you red-handed.”
That answered my question of how, but I still didn’t know how I felt about all of this. It was exactly what I thought I wanted to happen, but maybe it wasn’t. She apologized and sounded pitiful. I think she was actually crying, and I started up the xerox, so I wouldn’t have to hear it. I really didn’t want to.
“I am not saying that I am firing you Amber, just that you are getting a formal warning in writing. If there are any more problems of this nature or any other, you will be asked to leave.”
“There won’t be Sir, I promise.”
The copier had stopped and the last part I caught, told me what I needed to know. Amber wasn’t gone. Not yet, but there was certainly a path to her destruction now. I couldn’t see her keeping her nose clean. It’s just not how she was.
I hurried away from the door and back to my cubicle, because I didn’t want to be caught listening in. It was of course vindication for everything that had happened, but that wasn’t enough, not really.
As Amber walks out of his office, I decide maybe it is enough. She was crying. It wasn't just a little red eyed like I’d figured. A girl like her could conjure tears quite eas
ily. I thought that she would have just made herself upset to get sympathy. She had been caught red-handed and didn’t want to get in any more trouble, so of course she would go docile.
But this was something else. Amber genuinely was upset, so much so that even I felt bad about it. I didn’t want to see her that way and I made it a point not to look at her. I wasn’t the type that wanted to rub something in another person’s face, not even her. Amber was not the nicest person and she’d really put me in a spot, stealing the presentation, but it was hard to see anyone in distress.
Everyone in the office was quiet for a while. They wanted to know what had happened in there, flocking around Amber like she was somehow the victim. Amber just ate it up and took the sympathy. It was hard for me to feel bad about what I had heard, when I saw the smile that lit up her face. Amber wanted attention and it would appear that she didn’t care what kind it was that she got.
Doing my best not to run into her the rest of the day, I tried to stay away from her. It was successful, up until we got into the elevator. Amber and her friends Della were in the elevator. I almost got right back out of it, but then I saw Richard. He got in right behind me and there was no way that I could leave now.
The only good thing about all of it, was the fact that Amber didn’t dare to say anything in front of Richard, not when she had been talked to earlier. She was stupid, but not even Amber was that stupid. I wanted to believe that it would all work itself out, but I still wasn’t too sure of that.
“So, I was thinking that I was going to get some Italian. Did you want to come out with me Sarah?”
Everyone looked at Richard for a moment and I didn’t have to see their faces, to know how they felt about it. Amber had accused me of getting too close to the boss, but now he was asking me out in front of them. I was confused, more than anything else. I don’t know how I was supposed to feel about the fact that he had asked me right then. Why would he put our business out there like that? It just didn’t make any sense and I was left reeling, trying to figure out what I was going to say to him.
