Emily's Dilemma

by Gabriella Como

  Emily's Dilemma

  by Gabriella Como

  Smashwords Edition

  Copyright 2014 Gabriella Como

  Chapter 1

  Emily Chastain gave instructions to her husband but he wasn't listening, par for the course for him. She told him where the kids' lunches were. She told him to check the calendar for their sports events. She told him where the checks were to pay for their school trips lay. He offered up "yeah...yeah...yep." He's a self-centered, vain ass, she thought. He just cares about himself and his workout routine. Thank God the kids are smarter than their dad. They'll know where everything is.

  Boarding the plane, Emily greeted the polite and helpful flight attendants and carefully made her way down the narrow aisle to her seat, 3C. Once there, she put her carry-on away in the above compartment, her but kept her iPad and earbuds. She sat and made herself comfortable. It was no small pleasure to sit down after all the walking she had to do to get through the airport to her gate. Getting herself situated, the tall, slender, handsome man with a salt-and-pepper goatee motioned to her with a bit of a smile that he had the seat next to her. "Excuse me," he said. "Thank you."

  "Hi, Robert. You just made it just in time, again," Emily told her CEO. "You are making sprinting in airports a habit."

  "It's good exercise and I don't get enough of it," he replied, chuckling. He was breathing heavily. "I should get in the kind of shape you are. But I can't seem to make the time."

  Robert Noble was the CEO of the startup pharmaceutical company named NobleCor. They specialized in heart conditions, particularly electrical pulses that drove the heart. Their most promising drug, X-3580, could make severe arrhythmia a thing of the past. Emily was his lead biochemist. Robert recruited her a couple years back from a dry, dreary career at a nearby giant company who had her work on commercialized compounds that they sold to pharmaceutical companies. Robert knew she was underutilized there, and offered a vision of what he intended to accomplish and how they were going to do it. She bought into his vision, because it meant working on a cure for something that could enhance the quality of life, if not extend it. That meant something to her, especially since her poor mother suffered from the severe arrhythmia the new drug in development would cure. She found purpose again. It reminded of a time in her past when she found such a purpose, pushing her to make a tough decision. The sacrifices she made back then were tough. That was long ago, and behind her. She didn't think about them anymore. She didn't want to remember those times at all.

  Casually looking over, she noticed Robert's long, lean legs stretched out with his feet hidden under the seat in front of him, the grace of his hands as they worked on his laptop. His wedding ring was simple and inexpensive. Robert was in his early fifties, she guessed, by the look of his hands and the shape his legs seemed to be in. He never told her his exact age. His look was one of confidence and ease in just about any situation he was in.

  Emily thought to herself that the idea of getting out of the office and away from her husband and kids was not such a bad idea. Her husband was capable of managing home life while she was away on business, although she usually did the lion's share of the housework. She relaxed, breathed in, and felt a slow release of tension leave her body. “The family will be fine. I can enjoy this conference, even if this conference is full of freeze-dried pharma people, it can be enjoyed.” She repeated in her head, over and over, almost trying to convince herself of this.

  He noticed her lean, well-muscled legs. He could tell the inner musculature that gave rise and shape to the proper parts of her. Her hands were pure, light, with a soft patina that suggested expensive skin lotion. He was balanced enough to turn his sexual impulses off, something younger men cannot possibly do. He knew getting hot and bothered by someone's legs is an energy suck and a waste of time. He liked that about himself. There's a time to turn it on; there's also time to turn it off and concentrate on the things at hand. Now he had a choice in the matter. He had that power; finally, it kept him in balance when he needed it. It didn't help that Robert's wife had intimacy issues. He respected and admired his wife, but it wasn't the perfect give-and-take marriage. Robert's wife had issues stemming from bad childhood experiences. She never sought treatment for them. Instead, she would insist they wouldn't define her. In the end, they certainly did. Robert's wife lacked sex drive. She hoped his sex drive would decrease over time to match up with hers. Then, both would be on the same page and she wouldn't worry. Robert compensated by diving into his work. His drive was always high.

  Emily and Robert both did their own thing, accepting hot towels and drinks from the flight attendants, and enjoying the comforts of first class flying. The movie came on, but they ignored it. The cabernet made her feel even more relaxed as she slipped off her shoes. He could smell her perfume. His vodka and tonic relaxed him as the battery charge in his phone quietly dissipated. He opened up his laptop to work on his presentation.

  ****

  Arriving at the hotel, Emily was exhausted but she knew work had to be done. She took the clothes out of her suitcase and hung up her suits. Her lacy underwear and running gear went into the dresser of her hotel room. Shoes lined up smartly inside the closet. Cosmetics and lotions went into the bathroom where she neatly arranged those things. Now that that was done, she needed to shower, then onto the meet-and-greet reception down in one of the smaller ballrooms. I'm glad the actual conference is in the same hotel, she thought, it makes it much easier to slip away for a quick run. As she closed the door to her room, she could hear the meet-and-greet underway through the open atrium. She looked down and saw dozens of people drinking, talking, laughing and meeting each other. Emily exited the elevator and walked around to the atrium, picked up her identification badge from the courtesy table, then stopped to get a glass of wine on her way to a group of people she recognized.

  Robert joined her later after he made some calls and worked on his presentation some more. He felt it needed just some final touches at this point. He was scheduled to present the results of the Phase 4 clinical trials for his company's promising new drug at the conference's key meeting. Physicians as well as other competitors were going to attend. This was potentially a game-changing drug for NobleCor.

  The two-hour meet-and-greet was drawing to a close as attendees slowly disappeared away to their rooms or to the bar to continue old friendships. He always had company around him, so she had mingled with others throughout the introductory event. She was getting her third glass of wine, a fine Sonoma cabernet, when she heard a voice over her shoulder.

  "Can we take this to the bar and discuss the latest in NobleCor's pharmaceutical innovations?" he joked with a huge, impish grin. Surprised by the voice and delighted he didn't bring along the crowd around him, she readily agreed. Secretly, Emily adored Robert. He had the mind of a scientist, a head for numbers, the drive to succeed, plus his charm and looks. Few people in their business had all those traits. Mostly, they were dry, by-the-book scientists, perhaps with some self-deprecating humor, but without any trace of charm.

  They found a somewhat private booth in the large bar away from the noisy and nosy. She offered to order another drink for him, but he shook his head, saying he was only drinking water now. He said he needed to be sharp and ready for the following day. They laughed and joked and talked. He certainly was loose despite not drinking, she thought. The wine definitely had loosened her up. It was past dinnertime by this time. They talked about the company and the final clinical trials, and submission to the FDA.

  After spending time in the hotel bar, she mentioned she hadn't had dinner yet and should soon. She told him she wanted to be in good shape for the next day's conference opening and the Robert's meeting. She jokingly thanked him for his time, and rose to
go up to her room, where she got into her pajamas and ordered dinner from room service. He stood as she left and said that he'll see her the next day, and said he hoped to find her at the meeting at which he spoke. "I hope you can make my presentation tomorrow. I worked so hard on it," he said, smiling. Again, both laughed heartily. She made a call home to see how her husband and kids were doing and to let them know she got there all right. After speaking to each one of them, she wished them a good night and went to bed. Of course, her husband needed answers for all the things she told him before leaving. As she turned off the TV and closed her eyes, her thoughts returned to Robert. Much was riding on tomorrow's meeting. She was sure he was going to deliver a powerful presentation of the clinical trial data. What they didn't know was who was going to be in attendance.

  ****

  The next morning she got up, made herself a cup of coffee, and checked her email. She put on her running outfit. She never thought too much about her looks. She thought she was plain and uninteresting-looking. Her love of running kept her in shape. She had been running since her first year at Georgetown. Her husband was a runner too, as it was something they had in common. That’s how they met years ago she reflected, when they literally ran into each other. Now, he was too busy working on his own body to notice hers. But to neighborhood men, her running was a welcome sight, especially in warmer weather when they could take in her legs and sigh, and daydream about what they would do with legs like those wrapped around them. Taking the elevator down she could see the atrium populated with early birds enjoying breakfast. Setting her runner's watch for a 20-minute run, she walked out of the lobby and through the automatic doors. After a few minutes of stretching, she looked around and planned her route. She started to run, slowly at first, and then picked up speed as she crossed the street onto the third block of her journey. The run was starting to make her feel good. She looked ahead to navigate the upcoming intersection when she saw a man running towards her. Robert slowed down as he finished his run and started his cool-down and with hands on hips, looked up and saw her. She slowed down as they approached each other.

  They exchanged greetings. He was breathing, but not heavily. A thin veneer of sweat covered his face. He was in a good mood, as the endorphins gave him his runner's high. He told her she didn't have to stop her run to say hello, knowing runners never stop to chat no matter what. She laughed it off and joked that he was a special case but not to let it go to his head. He noticed her nipples poking through her tank top, and how round and firm her breasts were. He tried to put it out of his mind. It's funny how men could still appreciate the female figure despite having things on his mind. His eyes went down to her narrow hips, wrapped tightly in spandex shorts that revealed how her athletic thighs joined her hips in that perfect manner that men like so much. Try as he might, he could not turn his sexual interest off. They continued to talk, and yet he couldn't help but enjoy the physical female form in front of him, smiling and laughing, in her revealing runner's outfit.

  Back in her hotel room, she peeled off her running clothes and climbed into the shower. As she felt the warm water coursing over her body, she caressed herself. She thought of Robert. She thought of his engaging presence in a room. She tingled when he paid attention to her. She remembered the specialness of being at the bar with him, just the two of them. At the time, she didn't think as much of it as she did now. It dawned on her she was, for the first time since getting married 10 years ago, that she was physically and emotionally drawn to another man. Although ten or twelve years older than she was, it didn't seem to matter to her one bit. He seemed to be everything she wanted in a man: charm, intellect, accomplishment, humor, and good looks.

  The mid-morning session featuring Robert neared. She entered the small ballroom, scanning to see where he was in the crowd of assembling people. He was up front near the screen, surrounded by admirers and curious attendees. He immediately saw her enter. She noticed his eyes making contact with hers. A shiver went up her spine. She slowly made her way to the middle of the ballroom, where the seats were arranged perfectly, with a main section flanked by two thinner sections on either side. She did not want to get up too near him. This might be seen as an obvious gesture on her part. She finally admitted to herself she was attracted to him, but this was a serious, professional environment, and she was a colleague. "Settle down, Emily", she told herself.

  As the hour-long session developed, he showed how charming, intelligent, moral, and how much he was in command of the complex data. She squirmed a bit in her cushioned seat, feeling a warm sensation between her legs. It was a reaction to Robert she had experienced quite a few times before. She experienced that sensation in weekly status meetings, in their lunches together in their conference room, and in the lab with him peering over her shoulder looking at her work. Her science mind and her flushed body collided: she understood everything he said, while loving the way he said it. It became sensory overload for her. He wrapped up his session with the typical Q&A, and after a few minutes, thanked the audience and told them he would be around for the duration of the conference. Now that his presentation was over, they could relax and enjoy the rest of the show.

  While she managed much of the clinical trials and assembled the data, it was Robert's job to bring it all together. Purposefully, she stayed away from him when he gathered all the data to put into a PowerPoint. She answered questions that he had, but then backed off. This was what he was so good at, and she wanted him to do his thing. So she assumed the role as an attendee, and not as a key component of his presentation. She rose from her seat and went to the lunch table in the back of the room. It wasn't lunch so much as fruit and healthy snacks, which she thought would make a perfect lunch anyway up in her room. Her agenda for the afternoon was to attend a session on new generic medicines. While making small talk with some of the other attendees, she arranged the fruit and snacks on her paper plate and grabbed an ice-cold bottle of water. She rounded the elevator bay and entered the open cab. In the elevator was Robert. He smiled widely, held up his plate of fruit and snacks, and said, "Howdy, stranger. Looks like we have the same idea." She laughed and complimented him on his session. Heading up to her 10th floor, she was about to say "See you later" but saw that he followed her out the door. They walked parallel for a while, and she thought he would take a right turn to his room–she assumed this was his floor, too–but instead took an easy, non-chalant left turn with her, when he exclaimed, "They must have put us near each other, just like the airlines." He chuckled, and she smiled nervously. She arrived at her room first as he walked past her to his room. His room was right next to hers. Again, they laughed at the coincidence.

  As he was using his key card to get into his room, he turned serious for a second. "If you'd like, why don't you come over, we can eat our healthy lunch, and we can discuss the conversation I had at the end of the meeting?" he said. She flushed and felt moist between her weakening legs. Instead of entering her room, she stopped, closed her door, and walked over to his smiling face.

  "I think I will." They both entered his room.

  They sat and ate their healthy lunch in the unreal atmosphere of his room. His presence permeated the room, and everything became fascinating, from the laptop on the desk, to the type of luggage peeking out from his partially open closet. He said he felt relieved his conference was over; he gave his talk, got great feedback and questions, and was around for the rest of the conference networking and getting the latest information on what the players in the industry are up to.

  "Tell me about the conversation you mentioned," Emily asked.

  "The COO from Millennium Pharma came up to me. Said his company's interested in buying X-3850!" Robert exclaimed. "Buying it. And soon! Do you realize what this means?"

  "Oh my God, Robert! That's wonderful! That company has deep pockets! I can see how it would fit into their portfolio...a perfect fit! They have the marketing and the distribution all lined up and their biggest product line is in the cardiac categ
ory. They're everywhere! You couldn't ask for a better capitalized company to buy it!" Emily yelled with a broad grin that showed her perfect teeth. "Who was the guy who approached you?"

  "I have his card here," he said as he pulled it from his jacket. He took the jacket off and flung it on the bed. Standing, he looked at the card. "Mitch Ashton, Jr., COO, Millennium Pharma. Short guy. Nice enough. His father is the CEO." The name did not ring a bell to Emily.

  "Emily, I've been so engrossed in the trials that I didn't even think this would spark any interest so soon. This could mean a lot of money. A lot. I mean, millions!" he said as he did a little dance in place, still looking at the card.

  Robert had given her shares in NobleCor when he recruited her. It was standard operating procedure when recruiting someone from a large corporation into a small startup, to get them motivated to join. Her shares would mean she would also reap the benefits of all their hard work on X-3850. She tingled with excitement.

  "Emily, this means you would also profit from this. Big time. I hope you realize that. Your work was instrumental in making the product work. The data proves it. The trials have gone smoothly and successfully. Your shares will mean you share in the success. Thanks to you, we might have a big winner here, and I mean financially!" Robert couldn't sit. He was too energized.