by MJ Riley
They passed glass-walled laboratories where he could see techs in the midst of their work, going through various rounds of trial and error with sample products. He managed to catch a glimpse of a whole room of designers, who were hard at work, when a door opened as they passed. Finally, they came to a long, sparsely-decorated conference room with six velour chairs all situated about a round table.
A small woman sat in one of the chairs, appearing close to his age. She hosted fiery red hair that was cropped at her shoulders and piercing green eyes. David knew she was the head of Mathers Incorporated’s tech department, Adeline Reynolds. She was tough and brilliant. Standing before her, he was slightly intimidated.
“Mr. Marscomb.” Her voice was pleasant, if slightly aloof, as she gestured to the table before her. “Please, take a seat. Margery, I'll inform you when I'm ready for the next candidate.”
At those words, the younger girl left him alone with the woman who was single-handedly responsible for bringing Mathers Incorporated into the newest technological age.
At least that is what everyone had been allowed to think.
With little hesitation, David took the seat right next to Reynolds, setting his briefcase on the table and sitting back to give her space. He had long since learned that his long limbs and powerful physique could intercede on the personal space of others without his noticing—not that women usually minded. However, Adeline Reynolds was no ordinary woman.
“Welcome to the Tech Research and Development Department, or TRDD, as we call it. I'm Adeline Reynolds, and I run this floor. I'm sure you're aware that we like to keep abreast of the newest technological trends. Do you have any information on any projects we're currently working on?”
At her question, David's lips curved slightly. She didn't waste any time. The company wanted to know if the candidates were doing their research.
He had researched for years.
“Well, I read from your last press release that you're working on the second generation model of the Web Glass, upgrading it to be compatible with regular laptops via bluetooth and wireless outlets. I've also heard that you're starting production on a prototype that had been rumored to be a far more advanced version of the Google glass, called the Mathers Seeing Eye. Provided that there are no final kinks to be worked out, you hope to see both products on the market by early 2016.”
The woman before him betrayed little with her expression, but a slight twitching of her hands let him know that he had spoken quite a bit more expansively than she had expected. “I see. Well, you've certainly done your homework. Can you tell me which of these products you think will be the most successful and why?”
These questions were child's play for him.
“Though I'm personally more fond of the Web Glass as a web-browsing device, the modern age is moving rapidly into a hands-free era. Since the Mathers Seeing Eye is supposed to have twice the processing power of the Google Glass at half the price, I can only imagine the public would eat it up as an outlet.”
“Interesting.” This time, a faint smile crossed the redhead's lips, and inwardly, David groaned. He had no idea if the answer he'd provided her had pleased her or not when she performed such gestures. He realized that she had probably done so to keep him from feeling as if he had the upper hand.
All these years...and he was getting cocky. His father would never have approved. He couldn't afford to let his overconfidence ruin him. “So, Mr. Marscomb, could you tell me why you decided to apply for the position of Senior Tech Advisor. I see from your resume that all the positions you've held have been entry level—despite the fact that you graduated at the top of your class from MIT with honors.”
Her appraisal of him made him repress a wince at her insensitivity. He may have graduated at the top of his class, but it was harder to find a tech job that he wasn't overqualified for than one might think. Additionally, David had started small. He'd wanted to learn the ins and outs of start-ups and small firms so he'd be better able to understand how Mathers Incorporated had made their millions. He'd done grunt work for years but now, God willing, he was ready.
“I believe that you have to pay your dues at the bottom before you rise to the top, Miss Reynolds,” he finally said, choosing his words carefully. “I applied here because I believe I have the experience, the intuition, and the drive to take this company's designs to the next level. I may have worked white collar all my life, but now I know the white collar man and his needs. That was my ultimate goal, and I believe that the knowledge I gained is invaluable.”
For a moment, Adeline merely stared at him, her intense green gaze scrutinizing as she looked him over from head to foot. Briefly, David worried that perhaps she might see a long lost face within his features, but no. He was sure that no one in the company, after so long, would have dug so deep.
His worries were assuaged when the woman finally said, “Alright, you've piqued my interest, Mr. Marscomb. Show me what's in that briefcase of yours.”
With a slight curve of his lips, he complied. Cracking open his briefcase, he retrieved three manila folders containing his most impressive prototypes—the ones he'd spent a lifetime on. These were projects he hadn't even hinted at with any company he'd worked with for fear that they'd try to take them from him.
However, for Mathers, he'd give his life's work.
He did, after all, intend to take it right back.
For a moment, the woman flipped through each folder, her expression unreadable. All told, she took about twenty minutes carefully perusing the detailed plans that he'd accumulated. Finally, when she closed the folder and looked up at him again, her gaze held more than a hint of admiration.
“Mr. Marscomb, this is interesting stuff.”
It was as close to a compliment as he'd ever get from the Reynolds woman, and he knew it. Her reputation as an icy taskmaster preceded her.
“Thank you, Miss Reynolds.”
“Call me Adeline. We must be about the same age.”
The woman gave him another careful once over before her gaze finally rested on his face. “You were wasted when you spent all those years on white collar work.”
Deciding to take chance, David made his move. “If you give me an opportunity, I can prove to you that I wasn’t. What I learned during those years is what's going to help me make the difference between you and your competitors.”
Glancing at the folders in her hands once more, the woman appeared to contemplate what she wanted to do. In that moment, David knew that he had her. Turning him down would mean she'd never get ahold of those designs again, and they were too juicy to let go.
Reluctantly, she slid the files back to him. “You have no problem directing others, I assume?”
“None.” Though he had never been an office manager in his entire life, David had always known that one day his designs would lead him to teach others about his tech. He relished the idea, especially since it would be at Mathers.
“When can you start?”
He suppressed his smile and said, “As soon as you'll have me.”
Adeline Reynolds chewed her lip contemplatively, drumming her fingers on the table, before she finally said, “Mr. Marscomb....David...I can't officially hire you until I've seen the other candidates; but, comparing the prototypes they've submitted with yours...I can't see that I'll be very much more impressed. You won't get a call from me until later today. But,” she extended a pale arm lined with lean muscle, “let me be the first to unofficially welcome you to Mathers Incorporated.”
This time, David was unable to hide the grin that split his face as he shook the woman's hand vigorously.
He was still sporting that same smile as exited the office and headed into the elevator bay once more.
He'd made it.
He was in.
This was the first step in a long plan that he had been contriving for years, but one step was better than none at all. Atop that, precious Mathers Incorporated money could finally be put to good use. His mother cou
ld start seeing a doctor, and they could begin to slowly climb their way out of debt.
It was eerie how, suddenly, as it had been for his father decades ago, the company was now everything.
However, David would be damned if he'd depend on it to hold him up.
He would keep his head down, and he wouldn't make waves...at least not visible ones. Then, when he was finally ready, he would strike.
As he waited for the elevator, the young, dark-haired woman who had accompanied him back to his interview, Margery, suddenly appeared behind him. She looked about the small, deserted section of the floor discreetly before approaching him to extend a thick, dark folder bound tightly with an 'M' stamped band. “Ms. Reynolds wanted me to pass this to you. She'd like you to start filling out the paperwork immediately...discreetly, of course.”
With a small smirk, David took the pro-offered papers. “Of course.”
Their exchange was interrupted as an advertisement for the company bloomed on the pristine, high definition screens on either side of the elevators before them. For a moment, David was transfixed, as equal measures of envy, intrigue, hatred, and curiosity assaulted him.
“Here at Mathers, we put the interests of the customer first. We're on the clock twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, to ensure that you get excellent customer service and the most highly rated and up-to-date software. We're constantly innovating, and our prototypes are some of the highest scoring with diverse audiences in blind trials. With our quality money-back guarantee and our bold design team, you can be sure that every Mathers product you buy will be of the highest quality and lovingly made. So, choose Mathers for all your tech needs. Remember, if it isn't modern, it isn't Mathers.”
She was exactly five years younger than him.
When David had been nine, she'd been a toddler of four, and for the past 27 years, he had watched her grow and flourish while he had struggled in every facet of his life.
Charlotte Mathers was the poster child for Mathers Incorporated. As Emerson Mathers' daughter and only child, she had grown up in the business. After her father had retired five years ago, he'd turned it over to her.
David remembered watching the media follow her rapidly climbing family, as she'd played in the sprinklers on their fifty-acre estate, or was nearly buried under a mountain of birthday presents when she'd reached the age of fifteen. When she'd turned sixteen, her father had given her a Lamborghini for her birthday, and upon reaching eighteen, she'd been shipped off to England to attend Oxford—all padded by her father's expansive mounds of cash.
All the while, David's father had slipped further and further away from him.
He remembered despising her honey-blonde curls and bright blue eyes. He had wanted to turn the television off, as her tennis matches were documented and she'd spoken at charity functions. He'd fought, even through his adulthood, not to crumple the numerous magazines that sported her image on their covers.
She had everything that he'd been robbed of.
But now, oddly, as he looked upon her on the screen, strolling the top floor of the Mathers building as she spoke into the camera, he realized that no amount of dislike could detract from attraction he felt at the sight of her.
The woman was tall, almost six feet, with lightly tanned skin that spoke of careful exposure to the sun and legs that went on forever. In the ad, her curvaceous figure was poured into a deeply-colored pinstripe suit that matched her dark crimson lipstick perfectly. Curls he knew to be unruly and wild, spilling almost to the small of her back when freed, were bound in an elegant up-do. Her perfectly manicured hands gesticulated elegantly, as she expounded on the assets of her company.
“Isn't she wonderful?”
He glanced down as Margery proceeded to gush, starry-eyed, over the woman on screen. “She's so much more beautiful in person, and one of the most intelligent woman you'll ever meet.” Her smile turned slightly mischievous, as she looked up at him teasingly. “As one of the heads of your department, you'll get to work closely with her.”
He thought that piece of information was interesting. Charlotte Mathers was the exact reason why he'd come, after all. Her father had retired, so it would be almost impossible to meet with him face-to-face; but, now that he knew that he would have easy access to his daughter—that was the best news of all. He would work side-by-side with Charlotte Mathers. He would flatter her, woo her, and he would win her heart.
Then, he would break her. He would expose her and her company for the frauds they really were. Then, finally, his father would be able to rest in peace.
Chapter Four
“So, how'd it go?”
To celebrate his success, David visited the independent chocolate shop that had sprung up near his house. To his surprise and delight, the place didn't only sell chocolate, but chocolate drinks and specialty coffee, as well. He'd settled down at one of the tables with a black coffee and a piece of German black forest cake when his phone rang.
He extracted the device from his pocket, a little piece he'd modified himself from one of the older Uphone models, and saw that his friend Marshall was calling. He'd mentioned to him that he was going out for the Mathers Incorporated position today—despite the fact that he and his friend had been growing apart for at least the last decade. David understood that the man was only trying to help him, but it was slightly disheartening when every time they got together he ended up trying to push a loan on him. Nonetheless, he answered, and, of course, Marshall immediately wanted to know what had happened at the interview.
“Fine,” David answered casually, taking bite of his cake. He found it to be pretty heavenly and resolved to take a piece home to his mother. She might not even touch it, but she'd appreciate the gesture. “I'd say it went pretty well.”
“Oh, come on. Don't leave me hanging.” Despite the fact that Marshall had a successful career as a stockbroker, he seemed to live vicariously through the ups and downs of David's life—something the slightly older man had always found amusing.
“Well...” Purposefully teasing him, David paused, taking another bite of the confection he'd ordered, “I got the position.”
“Ha! I told you. I knew they wouldn't be able to resist you.”
“Please, Marshall. This is a multi-billion dollar company, not some girl at a bar.”
“Same thing.” His companion's statement made him smirk slightly. He supposed, in some facets, they were the same. However, to his merit, he'd never been as callous with a woman as he planned on being with Mathers Incorporated. Indeed, he couldn't even imagine a woman wronging him as much as the company had, nor having such a long lasting effect. “Either way man, you're going to knock them dead. You always do.”
He could only hope. After all, taking the company off the map was exactly what he wanted.
Chapter Five
“He's brilliant.”
As Charlotte stared across her desk at Adeline Reynolds, the hard-assed ice queen, she arched a brow. Her voice sounded incredulous, as she said, “Brilliant. Really? Coming from you that’s—”
“You didn't hear it from me,” Adeline said, cutting her off almost immediately. Her green eyes narrowed to reflect the danger of besmirching her strict persona. “In any event, I'm not the only one who thinks so. For Christ’s sake, the man's designing circles around most of the rest of the team. They can hardly keep up.”
“But he is teaching them, right?” Charlotte cut in, her blue eyes gleaming in interest.
“Teaching them? Charlotte, he's blowing their goddamn minds.”
Charlotte couldn’t help but think that the information was interesting. Since her father had started Mathers Incorported over two decades ago in a building that needed massive renovations, their company had always sought to employ the finest tech designers, individuals who could not only create blueprints but build and improve upon them as they worked.
Emerson Mathers' shortcoming had been that he'd been able to design the plans, but not to execute them. It wasn't enoug
h to be able to simply put the technology together. One had to be able to grow and expand with it, anticipating new directions. It sounded like her new employee had those skills in spades.
David Marscomb had barely been on the tech floor a week and already word of him had spread throughout the entire building. He'd fixed the wiring during a spontaneous blackout in minutes. Plus, in the five days that he'd worked at the company, the department had turned out plans for no less than six new prototypes, and all of them could put the products in their current line to shame.
Who was the man?
Charlotte had gone over his resume personally to see what all the fuss was about, and aside from graduating at the top of his class at MIT, he hadn't had any huge amount of relevant experience at any competing firms. In fact, he'd worked white collar all his life.
The realization had led her, for the first time, to question one of her managing executive's choices. However, before she'd even had a proper meeting with Adeline, the man's work had begun to speak for itself. Now, she was simply trying to calm the woman down before she flew off the handle. Charlotte didn't think that the redhead had ever encountered a situation where one of her staff could out-think her, and she was quite visibly flustered.
“What's he like as an employee?” Charlotte twirled a pen through her slender fingers, her eyes still concentrated on her companion. “Big headed? Cocky? Insufferable?”
“He's humble, Charlotte. The man barely accepts praise for fixing the copier. It's the oddest damned thing I've ever seen in my life.”
It was odd indeed for a man who never worked in a large firm to have such amazing skills and to be discovered at thirty-five. She supposed that his humility could be explained by his lack of upper level positions, but brilliance? Brilliance only came from hard work.
This man could double Mathers Incorporated revenue within the next two years. She knew that her father would be pleased.
Despite the fact that he was supposed to have turned over the CEO position solely to her five years ago, he could never stop meddling with her methods. As far as she knew, she had never lost the company thousands, screwed up a business deal, or insulted any of their partners; but, her father still seemed paranoid about the way the company was run, especially the tech department.