Chapter Three Fuel My Fire #2
He pulls me close, kissing me softly. “I’d like a blowjob later. Can you pencil that in?”
“I’ll see what I can do, Mr. McIntyre.” I pull away, grabbing my laptop. “Your next appointment is at two. Try not to be late. It’s with your father and uncles.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He smirks. Before I reach the door, he calls me back. “I love you.”
“I know, Caveman. I love you too.” My smile doesn’t nearly match the megawatt one blazing back at me.
Samantha
The MCI cafeteria is a familiar place. I’ve eaten here often with my co-workers and sometimes alone during the course of my two summer internships.
This summer, though, was the first I never ate alone.
If I wasn’t dining with co-workers, then I was eating with Joseph.
He would have preferred it that way every day, but he has a tight schedule, and lunch away from his desk isn’t always possible.
We’d eat in his office if we needed to, allowing us to spend time together.
I feel at home there. It no longer feels like the huge powerful office of one of MCI’s Vice Presidents. It feels like my fiancé’s office.
As I wait in line, I shoot off a text to Margot.
She’s not happy about my decision to remain in Dallas instead of returning to the University of Texas with her.
I don’t blame her. I wish I could pay for her to join me at SMU, but she has a full ride to UT, and it doesn’t make sense for her to blow that.
Luckily, my financial situation is different.
My dad set aside money for our college, and since I’ll graduate after only two years instead of the normal four, I have the extra funds needed for Southern Methodist University, which is a private school.
Besides the fact that going to SMU allows me to remain with Joseph, it also affords me the convenience of being close to our wedding venue as the planning progresses.
We’re getting married at a church on campus.
The Highland Park United Methodist Church is one of the prettiest churches I’ve ever seen.
It has a small chapel as well, but now that I’ve given in to the whole “big wedding” ideal, I really want the large church with its wooden pews, stone floors, arched wooden cathedral ceiling, stained-glass windows, and a magnificent Dobson pipe-organ that encompasses the entire wall behind the altar.
We’re getting married the Saturday before Christmas, not necessarily the best time for a wedding as everyone is already so busy with the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
It was the best time for us, though, to be able to take a honeymoon immediately after the wedding since I’ll have nearly a month-long break between the Fall and Spring semesters.
I order us lunch and wait. I never really felt out of place here at MCI until today. Now, I feel like I’m an interloper. I have to get over it. I love MCI and don’t want this one project blip to color my feelings about working here, even as Joseph’s temporary PA.
My phone chimes after I pay for and collect our to-go boxes.
Grabbing a chair at an empty table, I respond to Margot’s text.
She leaves this weekend to return to Austin, and I’m hoping I get a chance to see her before she goes.
Sadly, we didn’t spend much time together over the summer, both of us busy with our summer jobs.
We thought we’d have all year to catch up once school started, but that’s all changed.
As our texts bounce back and forth, negotiating the best day to meet up, my ears prick up at the mention of Joseph’s name somewhere behind me.
“He’ll never marry her. She’s just his plaything. Have you seen her?” one woman asks.
“No, but I hear she’s quite pretty. But Joe’s a hottie. There’s no way he’ll tie himself down to one woman. Even if they do get married, he’ll be getting some on the side. Guaranteed,” another woman responds.
Are they talking about me? Us?
“I hear the pool’s reached a thousand dollars,” yet another woman chimes in.
A pool?
“I bet fifty they won’t make it to Halloween.”
“I said they’d make it through Thanksgiving and call off the wedding the first week in December.”
Wow. I’m in shock. I stand to slip away. It’s obvious they don’t know who I am, or, if they do, they haven’t seen me yet. I hate slinking away with my tail between my legs.
“I hear she got Lydia fired.”
Shit. Now I’m getting blamed for that too? I can’t. I can’t walk out of here and not at least set that straight.
They never see me coming, too engrossed in their hateful gossiping. “That’s simply not true. What happened to Lydia was her own doing. And for the record, she was transferred—not fired.”
Four heads turn toward me.
“What—”
“Who are—”
“Shit. You’re her.”
“Yep, I’m her,” I respond.
“Who her?”
“The fiancée.”
“Shit.”
“I recommend the next time you decide to talk smack about your bosses’ boss’s boss, you remember who signs your paychecks and works hard to ensure you still have a job to come to each day.
” I lean forward, looking each of them in the eyes.
“But if I were a betting person, I wouldn’t bet against Joseph and me.
That’s a sucker’s bet, right there.” I turn on my heel and strut away, leaving them wide-eyed with mouths-agape.
I grab our lunches off the table on my way out.
I make it to the executive elevators before the implications of what I did hit me. Thankfully, a keycard is required for access, so I’m alone on the ride up. I hold on to the railing for support, feeling like I might pass out.
Hold it together.
What was I thinking?
Joseph
I’m fuming. Michael confirmed, through system logs, that Alex did in fact read Samantha’s email and even sent a response to Todd.
But there was no action taken to fix the code, at least none that I can see.
I can read code, but I’m not nearly as proficient as Samantha.
I trust her instincts. I trust her brainpower, her integrity, and her desire to see something succeed over her desire to be recognized for that success.
She’s not in it for the glory, at least not the individual glory.
She’s in it for the success of the company as a whole.
I’ve just gotten Alex on the phone when Samantha sets my lunch on my desk. She’s pale and avoiding eye contact. I go on alert. She halfheartedly smiles and slips back out as quietly as she entered.
That won’t do.
“Ten minutes, Alex. My office.”
I call my Managing Director. “Ron, could you be in my office in ten?”
He sighs. “Yes. Is this about Project Nemesis or a new issue?”
I shake my head, disliking that project name. Nemesis sounds so combative, nefarious. “Yes. I’ve asked Alex and Michael to join us.”
“Michael from Security? Is that necessary?”
“It is. I’ll see you shortly.” I hang up, not willing to address nor justify my decision to have my head of security join us. I have many reasons, none of which are Ron’s business.
Opening my office door, I see Samantha isn’t at her desk, and her lunch is in the trash. What the fuck?
I pull it out and examine the contents. Her chicken salad sandwich is untouched.
Samantha returns looking noticeably better, but still not her vibrant self. She glances at the container in my hands and down to her trashcan. “It must have fallen,” she offers.
Really? If she knew it fell in the trash, why wouldn’t she pull it out? Samantha, why are you lying to me?
“What’s wrong, Sweets?”
“Nothing. It’s been a trying day.” She maneuvers around me. “You’d better eat.” Her eyes hit my chest as she sits and starts clicking her mouse. “I’ve got some resumes to look through. And don’t forget your two o’clock,” she dismisses me.
“Michael, Ron, and Alex will be here momentarily. Please send them in.”
She visibly swallows. “Of course.” Her response is clipped.
My glare would tell her I don’t believe a word she’s said if she’d only look up and meet my eyes.
Dismissed? We’ll see.
My meeting is wholly uneventful and not nearly the tongue thrashing I anticipated giving. Once everyone is seated at the conference table in my office, Alex jumps to apologize before I can even voice my findings. A preemptive strike to my planned attack.
“I was wrong not to give Sam’s concerns the due diligence they deserved.
I should not have taken Todd’s word that the issue had been resolved.
Obviously, by this morning’s failed demonstration, the program has not been fixed as I was led to believe.
” Before I can respond, he continues. “It’s not an excuse.
I’m the project manager and should have confirmed for myself the app was working as designed. ”
Ron jumps in. “We appreciate your candor, Alex. I would like one of our other programmers to take a look at the code and make the required changes.” He looks to me.
“I know Sam could do this, but since she’s returning to school, I’d rather have a permanent employee who will be around to support it going forward and understands the changes needed. Would you agree?”
“Yes.” I do agree, but it chafes me that he doesn’t consider Samantha a permanent employee.
She’ll probably be his boss someday soon—at least if I have my way about it.
“However, Todd needs to move on. An honest mistake is one thing, but purposely letting a project fail out of pride or misplaced resentment is unacceptable. MCI is a business that thrives on new blood, new ideas with fresh perspectives. There’s no room for ego in product and development.
If we need a little housekeeping to ensure our team remembers that, so be it.
I expect this to be fixed by tomorrow morning.
And Ron, I want a plan by the end of the week to ensure this type of talent subterfuge doesn’t happen again. ”
I glance at Michael, who gives a stiff nod, acknowledging the topic we discussed earlier. I’m concerned Todd may be a problem for Samantha if he stays, and even more so if he goes. There is a darkness in his eyes that makes me uncomfortable.