by K. F. Breene
“You aren’t overdressed, no. In fact, the young admins are revealing a lot more than you.”
“So why are people staring?” She tried to smile, but the amount of attention she was getting made her nervous. She was trying for carefree and fun loving because if the predators knew the amount of insecurity she was drowning in, they would go in for the kill.
Sean looked down at her, concern evaporating at the look on her face. “You should have been an actor. They are looking because you are stunning, you are confident, and you are an anomaly.”
“And what we don’t understand, we fear.”
“Or kill. I am here to prevent the killing. Which is also why I have to be the Sean McAdams they expect tonight. Why I haven’t been by your side until now. I need to make you look good. Good cop, bad cop. Only, good girl, womanizing guy, might be more appropriate. It’s what older men expect of a young buck, and value in a young girl.” He shrugged.
“Life is a chess board, huh? And I am forever a pawn?” Sean’s head snapped to her, surprise and understanding taking turns flitting across this face.
He was about to say she wasn’t when she said, “Do me a favor, Sean?”
Krista stopped him before they crossed the last open seating area before getting to the bar and people.
“Anything,” he said seriously.
“Be discreet tonight, okay? I don’t want to hear about your conquests.”
Krista couldn’t see the misery warring on Sean’s face. She was strutting away, raising eyebrows with her confidence. Which was all well and good—upper hand and all-—but now she needed a friend to head toward, and those were few and far between.
She spied Blake standing by the bar, opening his body for her to head directly into it. Yeah right, like that was going to happen. Marcus was down the bar a few people, but when she made eye contact with him, since he was looking at her just like everyone else, he slightly shook his head ‘no.’ Janice wasn’t in sight. She was on her own again.
At least she was used to it.
Krista chose a hole in the spectators at the bar, made bigger by her proximity, and motioned for the bartender, who started to walk over immediately. It was then she heard her name.
Georgie was standing with Donald and some other guy away from the bar in a cluster. When she questioningly met his eyes, he waved her over. She was so relieved, she could have cried. In answer, she put a finger up to indicate she needed a minute, got a drink from an overanxious bartender, and joined them. Hopefully, she looked nonchalant the whole time.
“Hey guys!” She beamed.
Georgie blinked a couple times and stammered a hello. Donald tilted his head in greeting, as did the other guy.
Krista rolled her eyes. “It’s just a vagina, guys, it’s not that scary.”
They all three started laughing.
“Just not used to a career equal wearing a skirt,” Georgie said. “No offense.”
“That you know of,” Krista replied, looking around them. Sean was standing with Ron and the young admin from New York. She was cute and bubbly and, therefore, irritating.
“Krista, this is Mark,” Donald said, pointing out the guy next to him.
Mark had glasses, thinning hair, and a faded red shirt. She’d called him Comb-Over and shot him with a paintball in the back.
“Hey Mark. The rumors aren’t all true. Also, sorry about the paintball in the back,” Krista said, sticking out her hand to shake.
He smiled. His teeth were super white and perfectly straight. They looked like caps. They probably cost a fortune. Must be nice to be paid what you’re worth…
“I was surprised to see you in the dunk tank. Everyone else was a VP,” he said jovially.
“Yeah, why is that?” She asked.
“Because it is the worst place to be, so they take it upon themselves to endure it,” Mark explained.
Donald looked at him with that furrowed brow that said he didn’t understand. No compute. Georgie gave a grunt and a smirk. He wasn’t buying it either. They were too polite to say anything.
Krista wasn’t. “That’s a load of crap. It is probably a long standing tradition. Probably a couple VPs did it because they were the only ones man enough, and the rest thought they should do it, too, so they didn’t look like cowards. That’s what I’d bet.”
“Ron started it the year after he became VP,” Perry said as he walked up.
“Perry. Good to see you! Sad to see the ‘stach still intact,” Krista joked, making room.
He chuckled, his belly rolling. “I came to say hi and heard what you were saying. Slow mover, you know.”
“Aren’t we all, Perry. Aren’t we all. Especially after a night of drinking.” Krista looked down at the dredges of her mojito. She should slow down. Should being the operative word.
“What are you talking about? I saw you on that paintball court.” Perry turned to the other guys. “This girl and McAdams were sprinting around, gunning people down. Saw it with my own eyes.”
“Oh now, Perry. I was just saying all the rumors they heard weren’t true. If they think I am a female homicidal maniac, they might get a lynching party together.”
“Well anyway,” Perry continued, not to be deterred. “Ron was newly VP and they were trying to figure out who would do the tank. No one wanted to, obviously. The person that did it was always the least useful. So, Ron did it. Year after year he did it. Then everyone just followed suit.”
“Until I decided I was the least useful and broke the tradition.”
Suddenly Krista felt really, really bad for Sean. He would be seen as the VP who sacrificed his employee to win. Now he was off being a playboy. All because of her. She was ruining his reputation so he could save hers. How was that fair?
“Perry, don’t let her fool you!” Georgie said, trying not to laugh. “Sean tried to stop her and she bullied him. She isn’t the sweet little flower she looks.”
“Oh, I don’t think she’s a sweet flower at all!” Perry exclaimed. “I’ve been gunned down by her!”
“Me, too! In the back!” Mark exclaimed.
“Alright you guys, alright!” Krista laughed, trying to break up the slander fest. She noticed Sean break away from one of the cute little admins with a dress barely covering her crotch. He was headed to the bar. “I’m going to get a drink. When I come back—“
“I’ll get it,” Donald said, cutting her off. His beer was empty. “Another Mojito?”
“Yes please.” She watched Sean casually lean on the bar and say a couple words to the bartender. Two seconds later another young admin was next to him, making conversation. She sighed and focused on the guys around her. It wasn’t meant to be.
A couple hours into the night saw them finished with an okay dinner. They’d gotten the cattle call around seven, as promised, and all started making their way to the restaurant. There were no seating arrangements, so she sat with Georgie, Donald, Perry, and a few other guys Perry knew. Bob was thankfully avoiding her, and Dean only said a couple words to her all night, which was more than usual, so it wasn’t the end of the world.
She made a mental note to talk to Marcus about those two that evening, and tried to make it stick so she didn’t forget again. She’d traded Marcus for info, and so far the trade was only one sided!
After dinner the company sponsored portion came to a close. That didn’t stop the hordes of people heading to the bar, Krista included.
Donald and Krista were waiting to carry drinks for their dinner crew when Sean came up. She smelled him coming, his unique scent mixed with that mouthwatering cologne he wore, but still acted surprised when she turned and found him checking out her butt.
“Hi Geegee,” he said with a guilty smile.
Krista returned his look flatly.
He looked at Donald. “Donald. I wanted to let you and our team know that tomorrow we meet in the lobby at ten, sharp. We’ll be doing a ropes course, so don’t overdo it tonight, okay?”
Krista didn’t se
e what Donald did in answer to this, but he only got a glance, and she got a pointed look. It probably meant she should switch to champagne cocktails because she was already buzzed from the mojitos and not in the mood for stopping. They made ‘em potent and she was having fun with her new friends.
Since Sean was done talking, and he was technically the enemy, she turned away and heard Donald mutter a farewell as he followed. Sean was undoubtedly headed to talk to some tramp—Krista didn’t want to see the face of the one he finally chose for the night. Every time she thought of it ice froze over her insides.
Chapter Nineteen
The night continued. As the alcohol flowed, time went pear shaped, but in a good way. Krista was getting along with everyone. Their group got bigger. The laughter got louder. People started relaxing in her presence. As the night started waning, the Fat Cat himself came over.
“Krista.”
Everyone looked up at the looming shape of Ron Powers. And then, as if on cue in a play, all scattered.
“Jesus, Ron, that’s a neat trick,” Krista said as Perry made his escape.
Ron smiled without looking around. “I have been in this company a long time, Miss Fields. People know when to make themselves scarce.”
Ron had a serious expression and an air about him that was intimidating. He was the Fat Cat, alright. He was reigning over his empire, second only to Tory. He was Sean’s nemesis and his hero all wrapped in one. Not to mention a giant roadblock to Tory’s job.
“I was wondering if you would mind if I sat here for a minute?” he asked.
Krista shrugged. “Well, you scared away all my friends, so why not?”
He smiled and took the chair opposite her, previously occupied by Perry.
“Did you need another drink?”
Krista shook her head. She still had half of one left. What she needed was to get out of the bar pronto because pretty soon it would be drunk time and she would do something stupid. Most of the company already retired to get a good night’s sleep. Or because they, too, got drunk too fast. Krista needed to take a cue.
“You intrigue me, Krista Fields,” Ron started, looking at her as if she were a mouse he planned to trap. “I haven’t told anyone about the paintball game.”
“What about it?”
“That was an impressive move you did. I thought I had you. I certainly should have, but you moved so quickly and unexpectedly, I was off-put.”
“That was the plan. Sean and I figured that would break through the defenses. It seemed to work out okay, but I didn’t see you until the last second. It was a narrow miss!”
“Then you shot me. Fool me twice, so to speak.”
“I didn’t fool you, Ron. I bested you.” Krista countered the sting with a wink.
Ron leaned back in his chair. He had a snifter that was probably filled with expensive cognac. If he had a cigar, he would be right at home.
“You did. Takes a man to admit it. It was only paintball, of course. The sport of the young.”
Krista shrugged. “Live hard, play hard.”
Ron smiled, a big crater forming in his lined face. He seemed mildly put out that she wasn’t intimidated. “I underestimated you.”
“Join the club. All the boys from my region think I don’t belong.”
“It must be tough being the odd one out.”
“I am a woman in a boys’ club. What do you think?”
“But you’ve held on. You’ve kept a level head all weekend. You are competing like your male counterpart, and what’s more, you are winning. Impressive for one so young.”
“More so for a woman? Look, Ron, I know what I’m up against. Truth be told, I hate it. I’ve hated being here this weekend. It is not impressive to me. I know what I can do, and I strive to do a good job. It sucks that I have to prove it time and again, and still people think I shouldn’t be here. I don’t play the ‘my penis is bigger than yours’ game. In fact, in life outside of work, I judge that game. Maybe that freaks men out. But you have another think coming if you think a bunch of sexist, racist homophobes are going to get the best of me.”
Krista was getting heated, fueled by equal parts frustration and alcohol. She figured she might as well push her luck since her soap box was so firmly in place. She almost started with, and another thing!
Instead, she said, “You’ve been here a long time, Ron, as you said. And that is awesome. You molded things the way you liked them. That’s a great feat. But it’s a different world out there now. Your mold might not fit as snug as it once did. To keep your self-proclaimed empire, it might be time to reassess and flex. Move over bacon, something leaner is coming through. Know what I mean?”
Krista stopped talking and had a sip of her drink. Would she have been so bold sober? No way. Going a step further, she would probably regret all this tomorrow. She still had yet to find out what the guy wanted.
After a pause Ron said, “You are pretty blunt to your superior.”
Again with the intimidation tactics. It was irritating.
“You are a higher level than me, but you aren’t my boss. Nor my superior. And this isn’t company time. Maybe my edge has worn off dealing with this garbage en force all weekend. Regardless, I don’t make excuses for it, and I’m not planning on apologizing for it. Your ego is your problem, not mine.”
Ron’s eyebrows shot up. She was getting a little too reckless, perhaps. It was undoubtedly bedtime.
“Aren’t you worried that I can make your life hell?”
Had this man not met Sean McAdams? When it came to manipulation tactics, Ron Powers took a backseat.
“Worried? No. You want to battle on the work field, bring it on. That battle I will meet head on. You know what worries me? The comment Blake made today. Men that make comments like that, and get other men to think it’s okay, are men that date rape. All you’ve ever worried about is your job. Can you imagine also having to worry about your safety? That’s the game I am forced to play this weekend. So no, you don’t worry me. If I get fired, or fed up, I’ll just get another job. Like I said, it’s a different world out there now.”
“This conversation isn’t really going the way I thought it would. I still find you intriguing. And you are right, of course, it is a different world. Blake, though…”
“I don’t want to talk about that, if you don’t mind.” Krista cut him off firmly.
“Just know that he is not the norm. Anyway, I am impressed on how well you work with McAdams. You’re close?”
“We work well together, yes. Always have.”
“It surprises me because I have heard a lot of rumors that might say a girl as smart as you would be careful where she treads. Sean has a reputation, after all.”
“He does, yes. I only agreed to work with him if he would cut out the womanizer rigmarole. After he did, we’ve got on really well ever since.”
“So you worked with him before?”
“At my last job, yes. Marcus, too. A couple others that are in the L.A. branch. We all worked exceptionally well together. You just haven’t seen Marcus and me in action because he is off with the admins this weekend.”
“Didn’t Marcus meet Sean at Dexico? Did you work there, also?”
“I did. We were the team that handled our account—this company’s account, I mean. Tory brought Marcus, me, and a few others on, a couple years ago.”
Ron leaned forward with a puzzled expression. “I should have heard of you, then. There were two women in that team—an older one and a Marshall, if I am not mistaken. Were you more behind the scenes?”
“Ah, no—I am the Marshall girl. I had to change my name.”
Ron looked at her empty ring finger. He was clearly not connecting the dots.
“Long story short, I had a run-in with a crazy ex-boyfriend that had a habit of following me around. I had to move and change my name. I turned Tory down on the job offer, but then he offered me to work the L.A. branch. So…”
“And Marcus with you?”
; “Yeah, and Ben. You don’t know him. But yeah.”
“I’ve heard of Ben—he’s a part of your assessing team, am I right?”
Krista was sipping her drink, so she nodded instead of answering. This guy was well informed.
“But not McAdams?”
“They had their own thing going.”
“And you had no idea he would be assigned to L.A.?”
“We didn’t communicate after I left San Francisco. So yeah, the first I heard of him taking the job was when Tory announced it on stage at a company meeting.”
“But weren’t you close to him?”
“Before I left, yes. Very, as I am sure you know. I saw him six months before he moved to L.A., and still not a peep.”
“I find that very…surprising.”
“Surprising? Really? I found it infuriating. I very nearly quit, but decided, against it. I’ll beat him at his own game instead.”
“And how is that working out?”
“So far, dismal.”
“Yes, he is an intelligent young man.”
Krista sighed. “I know. I thought about messing with his desk, but figured he would know it was me.”
Ron grinned. “I see now why you weren’t worried about me.”
“Why? Because I am already battling? Or because I resort to more extreme forms of expression?”
“Both, I think.” Ron settled back. “I agree with you on the world changing. What would it take to get you to come to New York?”
“Everyone talks down to me for being a brazen b-word, but then they offer me jobs. I will never understand it.”
“I think a woman in your position has to be…that way in order to survive. I’ve seen the way you’re treated. I’ve seen what you are up against. You’ve never showed weakness. Not once. That shows merit. I admire that. To be frank, I want to use it. Plus, a lot more of our clients are women. I think they would prefer seeing another woman represent them.”
“You are right about that last part. But I’m afraid I am going to stay where I am for now. At least in L.A. That’s where all of my friends are. If I want to move on, there are plenty of options closer to home. If I want to stay with the company, then I won’t leave Sean. He’s never thought the way you have, despite his reputation. I trust that.”