Player

by T. N. King

  She quickly looked down through the memo in front of her, licked her lips and answered after two rings. “Mr. Crawford’s PA. May I help you?”

  “Very good,” he said, impressed with her. “Uh yes, this is a suicide bomber. I have a meeting with Mr. Crawford?” he said in a nasally tone. Megan stifled a giggle and tried to act professional.

  “Can I place you on a brief hold, sir?”

  “Better make it quick. I wouldn’t want to be late for this one.”

  Megan laughed trying to come up with a witty comeback. Tristan hung up his phone and laughed.

  “I think you are going to be a good fit here.”

  “I hope so. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.” She turned her attention to her computer to study it some more. Just before Tristan left her office, she got his attention. “Excuse me, Mr. Crawford?”

  “Don’t call me that. Call me Tristan, please.”

  She smiled. “Tristan. You have an appointment this morning at nine thirty.”

  “Thank you. I’d like for you to join me, sit in on the meeting. Offer tea, coffee, pastries to the members who attend. Take minutes of the meeting and then transcript them into the computer.”

  “I will be there,” she smiled. She noted the room number after Tristan left and finished out the hour by getting familiar with everything else in her office and in her computer.

  Megan entered the conference room ten minutes early to see if she could be of assistance with set up. After initial introductions and playing waitress to the members, she sat next to Tristan as directed. Well into the meeting she finally got the hang of taking notes but made her own note to get a recorder so it would be easier for her to capture everything said.

  At first, everything went fairly well, but when they got further into the meeting, Tristan changed. He was very bossy and intimidating toward the others. He demanded results and actually fired a young intern for not giving him the results he was looking for.

  “You have been here how long?”

  “A little over a month, sir,” the young man said.

  “The only reason you have been here this long is because we aren’t paying you. You have failed to bring results that are warranted with this kind of company. I don’t believe this type of career is for you.” Tristan directed his attention to the paperwork in front of him with all intentions of moving on to the next piece of business at hand.

  “Mr. Crawford, with all due respect,” said the young man “the point of my internship is to learn about the industry and to get….”

  “The point of your internship is to get hands on fucking experience. The experience you are showing me is not up to my standards.”

  “I’m sorry sir.”

  “So am I. You are relieved of your obligation here. I’ll sign your paper to give you hours up to this point.”

  The young man gathered his papers and left with his eyes still on Tristan.

  Megan just sat there, her eyes glued to Tristan and her mouth slightly open in shock. She had never heard him talk this way to anyone, not even in Jensen’s office when things got heated between the two.

  “Now if you would all direct your attention to the Strategic Planning page in your folders….”

  Megan realised she had stopped taking notes. She quickly jotted down a few key words she would use to catch that part of the meeting, not that she could have ever forgotten it, and began a new page.

  “Steve?” Tristan looked up at the table.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “How are the preliminaries coming along for the Smithfield project?”

  “I should have them to you by the end of the day tomorrow.”

  “I want them on my desk by tomorrow morning. How about the….”

  “Sir, I just received them yesterday. I won’t have them finished by tomorrow morning.”

  “Why is this my problem?”

  Megan looked up from her note pad again, but only briefly. She didn’t want to miss too many notes.

  “Sir?”

  “And again I have to explain myself. I gave everything out to each of the group managers last week. If you are having a difficult time getting the shit you need to do your job, then figure out the problem or leave my company. I am not going to push my client’s meeting back because Joey-boy didn’t do his homework on time. Capiche? If you have to stay here all night long then so be it. I expect the preliminaries on my desk before I come in.”

  No one said a word. Megan looked at Steve and felt bad for him as his face turned red. When the meeting was over she shook her sore hand and quickly went back to her office. She didn’t want to get into the line of fire on her first day. She was transcribing her notes into the system when Tristan lightly knocked on her door. She stiffened up a little as he entered. He walked in with a smile and sat across from her, putting his feet up on her desk.

  “So, what did you think of the first meeting? Were you able to keep up?”

  “Yes,” she said quietly.

  “Very good,” he said, still looking at her. “Everything okay?”

  “Yes. You are so much different in your meetings.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Just…very demanding and….”

  “You have to be when you are in the position I am in.”

  “It just seems like you would have fired that guy behind closed doors.”

  “He wasn’t my employee. He was just an intern. Besides, if I did everything individually I wouldn’t get anything else done.”

  She lost some of the appeal she had for him. “I will have your notes put into the system very soon.”

  “Nope.” He got up and straightened his suit coat. “We are going to lunch.”

  “Should I bring my note pad?”

  “No, Megan. Lunch is done on your own time. I don’t expect you to work.”

  She followed him out of her office and out of the building. His Lincoln took them to a posh Italian restaurant a few blocks away and they sat at an intimate table off to the side. After they ordered, Tristan looked at Megan with a smirk.

  “That is all you are eating?”

  “I happen to like chicken salad.”

  “For an appetizer maybe.”

  “What did you order?”

  “Steak and vegetables. A hearty meal for a growing boy,” he said smiling. “So how do you like the job so far? Have you run into any problems?”

  “No, not at all. I am enjoying it so far. It’s a big change from what I was doing. Tell me about your company. How did you get started? What made you want to go into marketing?”

  The waitress delivered their lunch as they conversed back and forth.

  “My company is all about marketing for business, getting them involved and getting them together to make a brand name. We have graphic designers who create brochures and flyers, website developers, advertising and so much more. I look forward to working with you and teaching you about my business.”

  “It sounds interesting and I look forward to learning. How did you get started?”

  “Truthfully? I used to go to college with Jensen Dean.”

  Megan felt her heart ache at the sound of Jensen’s name but she didn’t let on that it bothered her.

  “We were the best of friends for a lot of years. Wanted to start our own business, so we got together, brainstormed and came up with some really great ideas. The preliminary stages went really well and just about when we were going to launch things, it all just seemed to fall apart.”

  “What happened?”

  “We started butting heads over business decisions and before I knew it, Jensen walked out.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I started my own company and it has been going very well.”

  “You seem resentful, even now.”

  “Oh, it definitely pissed me off, left me staggered. I hated Jensen for ruining something that was one of the best ideas we had, and it left me wondering just how good it could have been. I will never
know if it would have been a greater success than the company I run now.”

  Megan sensed that Tristan only cared about the power and the money that went along with it. She really had nothing to contribute to the conversation so she concentrated on her chicken salad until she couldn’t eat anymore.

  When the check was delivered to the table, Tristan automatically laid his credit card down on it.

  “How much do I owe you for my lunch?” she asked.

  “I’ve got it. Part of the perks of being with this company,” he said, winking at her.

  “Thank you.”

  Back at the office, Megan worked through the afternoon as the time flew by. She typed the minutes from the board meeting into the computer, set up some emails and made some phone calls. She printed out and made copies of documents that were left on her desk and reorganize things to fit her needs better. She learned quite a bit and looked forward to the next day. She wanted to stop by Tristan’s office to thank him again, so she finished what she was doing and walked to his office. His door was partially open and just before she knocked on it, his voice stopped her in her tracks. He was having a one sided conversation so she assumed he was on the phone, but his voice sounded angry. Megan knew she shouldn’t have been there but she was glued to the floor.

  Tristan was shouting, swearing and be talking about Jensen’s company.

  “Did you even look at his new marketing campaign? No! I didn’t think so! His fucking rates are lower than mine. How can that be? We did the research…. I don’t care what his package deals are! We need to be better! Just do it!”

  He slammed the phone down and screamed for Megan at the same time. She jumped, quietly trying to walk backwards a few steps. She waited a few seconds before entering his office trying to calm her nerves.

  “Before you leave this evening, can you please schedule an appointment with JD Marketing?” he asked calmly. Megan knew right away JD Marketing was Jensen’s company.

  “Of course. Would you like to schedule tomorrow in the morning?”

  “Yes, that will be fine, but later.”

  She nodded and smiled before leaving his office. Her nerves started messing with her stomach at the thought of calling him. She walked into her office, sat down at her desk, shook her hands to try to shake the nervousness from them and dialed JD Marketing’s phone number. “It’s okay, just ask for his assistant,” she said quietly.

  “JD Marketing. How may I direct your call?”

  “Good afternoon, I would like to speak to Mr. Dean’s PA, please?”

  “One moment.” After a few seconds, she heard the phone beep.

  “This is Mr. Deans PA. How may I help you?”

  “Good afternoon. Crawford Advertising would like to set up a meeting tomorrow morning with your company if possible, please?”

  “I’m sorry, did you say Crawford Advertising?”

  “Yes.”

  “One moment please. Let me transfer you to Mr. Dean.”

  Megan’s nerves caught fire and she thought about hanging up but she knew she had to make this appointment for Tristan. She felt a panic rise up inside of her when she heard Jensen’s voice.

  “This is Jensen. Who am I speaking to?”

  “Uh,” Megan lowered her voice. “This is Mr. Crawford’s PA. Mr. Crawford would like to have a quick meeting with you, regarding both of your companies.”

  Jensen didn’t respond right away. “What about?” His tone sounded more direct, much like it did when he used to demand things from her. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath.

  “I am not sure, sir. Would tomorrow morning at eleven be okay?”

  “No, it won’t be. Make it seven. I want to get this over with.”

  Megan sensed the hostility in his voice. “I will let him know and contact you with any problems.”

  “Oh, I’m sure he’ll have plenty of problems for me tomorrow. Excuse me, I didn’t get your name. Have I spoken to you before? Your voice sounds very familiar.”

  “Uh, no sir,” she said, lowering her voice again. “We haven’t. This my first day at Crawford Advertising.”

  “I apologise for the assumption. Tell Crawford I will see him tomorrow morning seven o’clock sharp.”

  “Yes, sir.

  “Have a good evening.”

  Megan hung up the phone, put her hand on her chest, leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath.

  Tristan came out of his office and saw her in the hallway. “Did you set up the meeting okay?”

  “Yes I did. I tried to make it for eleven tomorrow morning, but he insisted on first thing. Seven o’clock.”

  “You talked to him directly?”

  “Yes.” She watched his face. She knew he wanted to ask her something more but he never did. “I will have the information on your schedule.”

  “Thank you, Megan. Why don’t you finish up your day and you can go on home early?”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. Are you interested in coming back tomorrow?”

  Megan nodded and smiled. “Thank you again for the opportunity.”

  “It is always my pleasure.”

  As Tristan went back into his office, Megan gathered her things and walked to the elevators. She pressed the down arrow button just as her phone notified her that she had a text. She reached for it and her heart constricted when she saw Jensen’s name. She hesitated before reading it. As soon as she read it, she regretted it.

  I miss you. I miss your beauty. I miss your hair. I miss your scent. Your voice… Everything!

  Megan felt a flutter in her chest, even though she knew that her phone call to him that afternoon was the reason for his text. The elevator doors opened and she waltzed inside. She couldn’t stop thinking about Jensen and the way he used to make her feel. When Kristina entered her thoughts, her happiness went away. She was reminded of why she left him. She was reminded of the way he used her for sex. She deleted his text and when the elevator doors opened, she held her head up high and headed home.

  CHAPTER THREE

  “I’m going to do some shopping tonight. Wanna come along?” Megan had her mind set on getting some new dresses for work. She wanted to dress to impress and look the part.

  “I never turn down a shopping opportunity,” smiled Lorena, bouncing up off the couch. “Let me change really quick and grab my purse.”

  Just as they started walking out the door, Lorena’s phone rang. “Hello…. Oh! I completely forgot! Yes, I am on my way.” She hung up and looked at Megan. “I am a complete bimbo.”

  “What is it?”

  “I have a meeting with a friend of mine. I promised her, I’m sorry.”

  “No worries. We will do it again soon. I have this awesome discount card from the company that I now work for and we will use it.”

  “Sounds super cool,” Lorena said giving her a high five. She walked out of the building with Megan but they went their separate ways once they got outside. When Megan got to the clothing shop she spent the evening shopping and choosing an armful of dresses to try on. Every so often she had an odd feeling like she was being followed, but each time she looked around she didn’t see anyone that fit the bill. She shook it off and went to the fitting rooms to try on the dresses she chose. When she finished, she decided on four different dresses and three pairs of heels to match.

  “These are beautiful choices,” said the sales associate at the register counter.

  “I loved them all. It was difficult to choose.”

  “We have some lovely clutches and purses that would match wonderfully with these.” She pointed to the far wall on the side and Megan redirected her attention that way.

  “I do need my own messenger bag.”

  “I can hold your purchases for you while you shop.”

  Megan smiled, still looking at the wall. A man caught her attention as he stood just under the bags on the wall. Just when she made eye contact with him, he ducked behind a clothes rack. Curiosity got the best of her, since she
was certain the man who was standing there was actually watching her. She didn’t get a good look at him, but she swore she had seen him before. She quickly went over to the area but he was nowhere to be seen.

  “So odd,” she said. She picked a fairly large messenger bag off the wall and checked it out. When she decided to add it to her purchases she turned quickly, dropping it underneath one of the clothing racks. “Ugh, I’m such a klutz.” She bent down and reached for it but it had gotten underneath the rack too far. She got down on her knees and carefully reached for it. When her fingers finally located it she crawled out from under the rack and stood up. The man she saw from earlier was standing right next to her, with his back to her. She slammed her hand over her mouth and quickly ducked behind the clothing rack. He appeared to be looking for something…or someone. She kept her eyes on him until he turned around to where she could see his face. She gasped and ducked around the rack sneaking around to the other side of the register counter until she heard him curse and walk away in another direction. He pulled his phone out of his pocket just before he disappeared around the corner and Megan quickly snuck around to get closer to him. When she spotted him she hid behind the hosiery section and listened.

  “It’s Black…. No. I lost her.”

  Megan could hear the other voice through Black’s phone but couldn’t hear what they were saying. She crept around the display case and stopped just behind him.

  “I don’t know how I lost her. She was right in front of me one minute, then she disappeared.”

  “Keep looking. I want you to keep a close eye on her.”

  Megan recognized the voice and when she realised it was Jensen on the other end, she got extremely angry. She walked around to the front of where Black stood and yanked his phone out of his hand.

  “What the fuck?” he stammered. It was rare to startle Jensen’s body guard but Megan smirked when she did.

  “Jensen?” She blurted into the phone.

  “Megan?” He was definitely surprised to hear her voice.

  “What the hell do you think you are doing?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Are you going to tell me that Black is not standing right in front of me talking about losing me because of you? Why is he stalking me?”