by Sloan Storm
By now, Fiona had nearly reached the conference table, and Holly thankfully disappeared from sight. As Fiona began to sit, she looked up at me.
“What’s going on with her? And what’s this about a surprise?”
I frowned and waved my hand in a dismissive manner.
“Oh that? It’s nothing. She’s been putting in some long hours recently.”
Fiona arched an eyebrow of suspicion at me as she slid into the chair.
“Why don’t I believe you?”
I shrugged and tried to be as nonchalant as possible.
“I have no idea, Fiona.”
Fiona never broke eye contact with me as I walked around the table and took a seat across from her and continued.
“But, what we need to talk about right now is far more serious than any perceived surprises on my part.”
My statement riveted her attention and Fiona snapped her posture upright.
“I don’t like the sound of that. Does this have something to do with lab work?”
I shook my head.
“I wish it were that simple, Fiona. I really do.”
“Gabe, you’re scaring me. What’s this all about?”
I took a deep inhale and leaned back in my chair, remaining silent for a moment or so. My delay only served to agitate Fiona’s worried state.
“Gabe… Please, just tell me. What’s going on?”
“Fiona, I won’t mince words. I’ve learned from Don Cabot that one of our rivals is apparently well on their way to development of a protocol which will compete with our technology.”
No sooner had I uttered those words than Fiona jerked her body forward.
“That’s impossible! How can that be?”
I nodded and gestured for her to calm down.
“These kind of things do happen in business, Fiona. Industrial espionage is nothing new.”
A deep frown creased Fiona’s forehead as she tried to make sense of what I said.
“Espionage? What do you mean? Are you suggesting there’s someone working on the project within the company who is trading our secrets?”
“At this point were still gathering information, so it’s too soon to tell exactly what’s happened. But, yes, the initial suspicion is our proprietary technology has been sold to the highest bidder.”
“Oh my God,” Fiona said, in a whisper. She drew her eyes up to meet mine once more. “Gabe, that’s terrible, I don’t know what to say.”
One of the things about being successful is sometimes you have to say and do things that are extremely uncomfortable. But business is a cruel mistress and demands absolute honesty and integrity at all times. There’s no room for deception if you want to be successful over the long run. And so, as much as I hated to do it, I had to. Losing the technological advantage of the Link Protocol to a competitor would be devastating at this point.
I really had no choice.
“Fiona,” I began, as I leaned my body towards the conference table, matching her posture. “You only have to answer this question one time. All I ask is that you be honest with me.”
Fiona frowned as I finished speaking.
“Gabe, what are you talking about?”
As difficult as it was, the fact remained Fiona had a true incentive for monetary gain. I’d never spoken of it to Don, but for whatever reason, he’d insisted Fiona at least be questioned.
“Just let me finish, Fiona.” I said, in the most reassuring tone I could muster. “This is a large company with many conflicting interests. And, even though I may be CEO, I’ve got people to answer to as well. For the record, I don’t happen to think that you’re involved whatsoever, but you are in a key position and you have had serious financial problems. So, I’m left with little choice but to ask you if you have any knowledge of this illicit activity.”
I hadn’t exactly been looking forward to this conversation since Don made me aware of the problem earlier in the day. In fact, I’d imagined any number of responses from Fiona. They ranged from hysterical crying to accusatory finger-pointing, all done at a shrill pitch. But, neither one of those circumstances manifested itself. Rather, as I finished asking the question, Fiona’s angry frown lines melted away. In their place, her skin smoothed and her complexion relaxed.
“Gabe, I would never do that to you. Not ever, and not for all the money in the world.”
From years of negotiation, I’d learn to become an expert at spotting a liar. Right then, I realized that I wasn’t sitting across from one. As I believed, she was innocent.
“Thank you, Fiona,” I said, as I locked eyes with her. “Not so much for your honesty but for the mature way you handled my question. I know it wasn’t easy to hear, and believe me it wasn’t easy to ask.”
Fiona looked away from me for a moment. As she did, she shook her head, almost as if she were disappointed.
Curious, I asked, “What’s the matter?”
“It’s nothing,” she mumbled.
“Well, it’s obviously something. You can tell me.”
Just then, she turned her head, looking at me once more. Only this time, when our eyes met, hers had begun to fill with tears. Given the way she’d so calmly answered my question, the last thing I expected her to do was cry.
“What’s this all about? Why are you getting upset?”
She just continued to shake her head and not long after, her cheeks began to glisten as tears rolled down them.
“It’s just… I’m so sorry my life is such a mess. If I weren’t in all of this financial trouble, you wouldn’t have to ask me these questions. I feel terrible you had to do that. I know how difficult it must have been.”
“Fiona,” I said, as I angled my body further in her direction. “What you did—the way you stood by your grandmother and cared for her—it was a wonderful, noble thing. This is not your fault. You are just in a position where questions have to be answered and nothing more. Believe me when I say that I never suspected you were involved, not for one moment.”
But my reassurances fell on deaf ears. Fiona wept at an inconsolable rate. Remembering Holly used some bar napkins earlier, I hustled over and grabbed a few, passing them to Fiona as I stood above her.
She took them from me and thanked me, but her emotions had gotten the better of her. Smearing away the tears as fast as they flowed, Fiona looked up at me through a grimace of ugly sadness and said, “I’m so sorry, Gabe. I’m so, so sorry.”
I moved my body close to her, wrapping my hand around her head and pulling it to my waist.
“Fiona,” I said, in as calm a voice as I could. “Our attorneys are working around the clock to file an injunction. All we’re dealing with is a temporary distraction. I promise. You don’t need to worry about any of this, okay?”
As I finished speaking, I knelt down, getting on one knee and moving my head until our eyes met.
“I need you to listen to me.” I said, as I arched my eyebrows in an expectant manner. “All right?”
Fiona sniffled and smeared away the remnants of her tears. Nodding, she looked back at me through watery eyes. “Okay.”
I spent the next several minutes reassuring her that under no circumstances would she have to answer any other questions about what happened. The only thing I needed her to do right now was to focus, complete her work, and get things ready for the presentation in St. Barth’s.
As the minutes wore on, it appeared as if she’d settled down. I reached up to her milky white, tender skin. As I caressed her cheek in the palm of my hand, Fiona angled her head towards me.
“Everything is fine, okay? I promise you.”
Without a word, Fiona nodded at me, pasting a sad smile on her face as she did.
“Finish your work,” I said, as I released my hand from her face and gently stroked her hair. “Make it the best work of your life.”
Fiona remained silent for a moment or so before clearing her throat. A look of determination overcame her features.
“I will, Gabe. I will.”
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FIONA
Less than a week after my conversation with Gabe in his office, everyone gathered in the islands once again. Gabe’s line of questioning caught me by surprise and for a period of time after, it affected me more than I suspected.
Yet, because we had to spend a considerable period of time preparing for the presentation, I realized he was being genuine and didn’t suspect me. I probably should have accepted what he told me as truth, but my emotions being what they were in the weeks since my grandmother’s death, I felt as if I did the best I could.
The good news was that since my personal life had been in such a state of upheaval, I’d almost reached a point of relief when it came to the presentation. Nevertheless, as the evening grew near for me to deliver it, I struggled with a bit of anxiety and butterflies.
Gabe and I stayed in the same suite we had before, which did add to my comfort level a bit. Putting the finishing touches on my makeup, I mentally rehearsed the highlights from the presentation over and over in my head. As I stood in front of the mirror mumbling my lines, I noticed Gabe’s reflection appear behind me.
Even in St. Barth’s, he’d insisted on a black tie affair.
As I drew my eyes up to meet his, I felt my breath catch in the middle of my throat. He stood there in a custom-tailored tuxedo, looking every bit the CEO of Hawkins Biotech. With his hands in his pants pocket, Gabe leaned his upper body against the wall in a casual pose as he looked at me.
“Wow,” he began, as he moved his eyes up and down the length of my body for several seconds. “You look… seriously fuckable.”
A rush of heat and a flash of red came to my cheeks in the wake of his unique compliment. I leaned in towards the mirror, painting my lips a dark crimson and smiling at him.
“You’re never at a loss for words, are you?”
“Not the ones that matter,” he said with a wink. “Just about ready?”
I slid my lipstick into my clutch and snapped it shut. Turning back to face him, I nodded and said, “Yes, I think so.”
He hesitated for a moment and using his shoulder, pushed himself off the wall and walked in my direction.
As he approached, I began to draw my hands together, crossing them in front of my body. As he reached me, Gabe extended his hands towards mine and swallowed them in the warmth of his grasp.
He nodded with his chin, specifically in the direction of my crossed arms.
“Everything okay?”
Unable to pretend, I shook my head as I looked into his brilliant blue eyes.
“No. I’m nervous.”
Gabe looked at me and smiled.
“Good… If you’d told me anything else I would’ve been worried. You’re going to be fine. You’re beautiful and brilliant. You know everything there is to know about the Link Protocol, and by the time you’re finished with the speech, we are going to be on the way to being hundreds of billions of dollars richer.”
I still hadn’t gotten used to hearing numbers like that.
Gabe threw them around as if they were nothing.
“Look at me,” he said. Squeezing his fingers around my forearms for emphasis, Gabe continued, “Forget about the money, forget about the science, forget about all that, Fiona. This night, this is about you. You can do this. Your grandmother believed in you. I believe in you. And now, there’s only one person left to convince…”
With that, Gabe released his grasp on me and pointed his index finger at me in silence. I looked at him and nodded.
“So,” he began, as he stepped back from me and slipped his hands inside of his pants pockets. “I’m going to ask you once again. Are you ready?”
After he asked me the question, I remained silent for a moment, reflecting and trying to get in touch with my true feelings. While the nerves were still present, the doubt wasn’t.
I looked at him—and smiled.
And then, before I realized it, the speech had come and gone.
For the first time in my entire life I was part of something that was going to be an incredible success. We spent several hours that evening celebrating and enjoying our time together as a team and with the investors.
Of course, I wished my grandmother could still be alive to share in the success. If everything went according to plan, the debts we shared as a result of her treatment would be wiped out in no time. Although neither she nor I ever placed a great deal of importance on money, it was a relief to have the burden lifted once and for all.
Yet, in spite of the overwhelming success of the evening, the fact was the hard work had only just begun. Now that the company had moved out of the fundraising phase, there were still many months, and more likely years, of work ahead to fully realize the market potential of the Link Protocol.
And so, as the festivities wound down, Gabe and I left the ballroom and began to make our way back to the suite.
“You were amazing tonight, Fiona,” he said, as we strolled, hands intertwined, beneath a tropical moonlit sky.
“Thank you,” I replied, as I tightened my grip. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Mmm,” he grunted. “Very true.”
I shook my head and smiled. “You are such a jerk.”
“Mmm,” he grunted. “Again, very true.”
We continued to walk in silence for several minutes. Overhead, the large palms swayed and rustled on occasion as a passing breeze moved through them. In the distance, I could hear the rhythmic thunder of the surf as it pounded along the sandy shore.
After clearing my throat, I said, “Well, I guess we’ve got our work cut out for us now, don’t we?”
Gabe nodded in agreement.
“Yes, we do. There’s going to be an awful lot of it ahead of us.”
“Yes,” I said with an exhale. “There’s no time to waste now. We’ve got to get back and get busy as soon as possible.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Gabe stopped walking, freezing in place. He reached for my arm, and after grasping it, he turned my body towards his as he looked at me in silence.
“What?” I said, as I stared at him. “Do I have something on my face?”
Gabe chuckled and grabbed hold of my hand, stopping me before I could reach my cheek.
“No, Fiona, you don’t have anything on your face,” he said, as he smiled at me. “What you do have—is a problem relaxing.”
“Relaxing? What do you mean?”
“Well, let’s put it this way. My earliest memory of you is of your day planner.”
Not certain where he was going with it, I interjected, “Well, my planner helps keep me organized and on schedule and…”
“Shh,” he said, as he pressed his index finger into my lips. “Don’t talk right now, just listen.”
I nodded, promising not to speak until he finished.
“We aren’t going anywhere right now. Understand?” he said, as he moved away from me and gestured upward, looking towards the star-filled sky overhead. “You and I are going to have the vacation we should have taken long ago. You are going to stay here and relax with me, or I will fire you.”
“And then what,” I said with a teasing tone. “Hire me back the next day and molest me on your desk?”
“Touché,” he quipped.
Just then, I looked up towards the heavens. Somewhere up there, far beyond a place my eye could see, were my loved ones. How would they feel about the choices I’ve made? Where I was in my life?
I looked at Gabe once again. Smiling, I said, “Okay, so long as we don’t go on a sailboat.”
A sly smile came to the corner of Gabe’s mouth.
“Deal. Come on, I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“A surprise? What is it?”
“Well, if I told you what it is, it wouldn’t be a surprise, now would it?”
GABE
Of course I hoped the small crowd of people I’d assembled in our suite during the presentation would manage to keep it down long enough so as not to ruin what I had in store for Fiona
. Pulling out my cell phone, I texted one of my friends to let them know we were on our way.
With Holly’s help, I’d managed to get all of Fiona’s friends on the island without her suspecting it. Now if my friends could just manage to not sleep with them before the surprise party kicked off, everything would be perfect.
Other than that, it was a beautiful evening for a walk.
It was hard to believe all of the things Fiona and I had been through together in the short time we’d known one another. With one hand interlocked in hers, I slid the other inside my pants pocket, running the tips across the suede covering of the jewelry box that contained her engagement ring.
I’d prepared myself for any outcome, but my expectation was, of course, she’d say ‘yes’.
Just then, we rounded the path leading towards our suite. As I’d instructed my friends, darkness shrouded the interior of the building. Without warning, Fiona tightened her grip, squeezing my hand a bit.
“Gabe, wait,” she said, as she stopped walking.
I looked at her as she hesitated.
“Yes? Something wrong?”
Fiona released my hand from hers and crossing her arms at her chest, she began to rub them with her palms as if she were cold.
“I feel strange all of a sudden.”
Fuck.
Her eyes never left the suite as she stared in the direction of the door.
“I don’t think we should go in there.”
Feigning disbelief, I looked at the door and then back in her direction.
“What? Why?”
Fiona remained frozen in place, seemingly paralyzed by a sudden twinge of paranoia.
“I don’t know, I can’t explain it. Something… it doesn’t seem right.”
Without a word, I reached down and snatched Fiona at the wrist. I grabbed her with enough pressure to get her attention but not enough to alarm her. After a gentle tug, I said, “You’re being silly. Now, come on. Let’s get inside and relax. I’m beat.”
As I nudged her along, Fiona’s first several steps were like ones she might take if she moved through vat of molasses. Without turning around to face her, I continued to pull at her arm with a study pressure, until at last, Fiona resumed a somewhat regular pace.