"Oh, Brad, I'm sorry."
He shrugged. "I've managed to do enough to save my own skin since, but I'm certainly not a star like you. Anyway, I want to know what he has offered you, because no matter what it is, it's not enough."
"Thousands more as a raise, and a Junior Executive position."
Brad let out a low whistle. "You must have really wowed him then. But you are good, as Femme Fatale and Imperial have shown. And all the other accounts, I have to admit. I was so jealous, I couldn't help but steal your ideas. Please don't hate me. I needed a boost up after the long dry spell I went through after Sondra dumped me."
"I already knew. You don't have to apologize or explain."
He looked more than a little surprised. "You knew all along?"
"Yes, pretty much from the first."
His eyes widened. "From the first? And yet you still let me--"
"I want to create, not manage temperamental accounts. Don't worry about it. You did great with all of them, so no harm done."
He blew out a long whistle. "Wow, you really are one in a million. Talent, brains, beauty, and compassion to top it all off. I had no idea. I'm sorry. I thought you were a ball buster or another porcupine doing what you had to in order to get ahead. I can see I was really wrong about you now. You never ratted me out to Quentin the way most others would have done. You did me some huge favors when you had no reason to, even when you were the new girl and everything could have been riding on the success or otherwise of those campaigns."
"It was a calculated risk, but like I said, there was no real harm done to anyone, and it really helped us all. I might never have got to go so far with Imperial Foods and Femme Fatale otherwise."
"Well, like I said, I know I owe you, and so now I'm trying to do you a little favor in return. Take my word for it. Don't take the offer, Suzanna, no matter what he promises, and get out of here as soon as you can. Freelance if you have to, but don't let people like Elder pull your strings."
She nodded. "I have to make a decision, as he calls it, within two weeks, so that gives me time to plan my future," she said with a smile, now letting her sensible side take over and push the panicked one away. "He's so arrogant, he's probably convinced I'm going to jump at his proposition with both hands. But just remember, he has a partner. Won't Mr. Rubin be surprised to find me leaving?"
Brad nodded. "I can see you are one smart cookie. But if there's anything you need...."
She patted him on the shoulder. "I think I can sort this myself. I just need a bit more time to think. This is like a lightning bolt from the blue. I had no idea. But thanks for coming to warn me."
"The first thing to do is to have Quentin call Craig Rubin and tell him he doesn't want you replaced. I think Rubin will listen. Elder has overlooked one fact. The client is always right, and Imperial Foods and Femme Fatale Cosmetics have both requested you and Quentin as a permanent team. They are two of the biggest accounts we have, and although he doesn't act it, of the two, Rubin has more clout because he has more money invested in the company. That will keep you where you are for a time, and get you the raise too, I hope."
"Thanks, Brad, that's a great idea. I bet Rubin doesn't even know what the old boy is up to. And while he claims it is to take on all the new clients who want us to do equally successful campaigns for them as well, we all know a bird in the hand is worth two or even ten in the bush."
Brad nodded. "Smart girl. I can see you have this all handled."
"But I'm grateful you wanted to help."
He rose from the chair. "I hope you don't think I stepped out of line, Suzanna. Lord knows you have no reason to trust me, but you're a real classy lady, and I just wanted to come clean and try to help. I wanted to stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life by trusting that snake. You've never thrown anything up to me or spread any nasty gossip about me. If you had, I'd have known. Nothing can be kept secret around here. I owe a lot to you and Quentin."
"You've repaid the debt in full by trying to warn me."
"Glad to help. Let me know how it turns out."
"I will. And don't look so worried. Thanks for being my friend."
They shook hands, and Brad left with a wave.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
As soon as she was done with Brad and his confidences, and his strategy for dealing with that sly old snake Rubin, she went in to tell Quentin her news.
He went very still, and asked, "What did you say to his offer?"
Suzanna's heart turned over as she stared at him. He looked as though he feared the worst.
"I told him that I think I deserve a raise, but I'm not ready to accept that kind of responsibility, and that I feel I need at least another year as your assistant. That I'm more the creative than the managerial type, which is what you excel at."
"Thank you for saying that, even though I personally feel you are ready, and are good at both. What did he say?"
"That he hoped my feelings were not based on any personal involvement with you."
Quentin's mouth twisted into grimace of disgust. "That's a hoot coming from him. What did you tell him?"
"That it was nothing like that. I simply am not ready, and don't want to do any harm to the campaigns we do have just because of my own personal ambitions."
"What else did he say?"
"That I could have two weeks to clear my desk and make up my mind, and get ready to go to work on all the new clients eager for the same success as the accounts I've already worked on. And that I can keep this nice cozy office. He thought I was too smart a girl to turn him down. Now all we needed was a cubicle for your new assistant and I could take on my new, er, duties."
"I see. Did he say who it would be?"
She shook her head. "No. I guess he plans on letting you hire your own again."
His brows drew downwards threateningly. "And he planned to do all this without so much as telling me, let alone asking me about it?"
Quentin was livid, she could see that.
She adopted a reasonable tone. "It is high-handed, but I'm not going to take the promotion, so there's no point in being upset about it."
"But what really hurts is you spoke to Brad about it before me, didn't you! It makes me think there really was something between you all along."
Suzanna felt as though she had been slapped. After a few seconds of staring at him, and seeing that he was really serious in his accusation, she jumped to her own defence.
"That is not fair! He was looking for me, and ran into me at the elevator. He came to confess what he had done, about stealing my ideas, and wanted to try to make it up to me. He wanted to tell me the truth about all of it and what's been going on here. He said he was sorry for the way he had acted and I admitted I had known all along. He was really surprised, and grateful I hadn't blow the whistle on him and even fed him more campaigns. He was trying to be a friend and do the right thing at last. He came to warn me that Elder had been Sondra's sponsor, lover if you prefer me to come right out and call a spade a spade. He was just trying to help, in case I didn't know what Elder was up to with his supposedly generous offer.
"But I'm not that naïve. I've been dealing with randy old men all my life. I know what I'm up against. Now, are you going to help me, or just sit there glowering and flinging accusations at me?"
Quentin reached for her then, but she pulled her arm away.
"I'm sorry. I just can't stand the idea of anyone perving after you like that, that's all. I have all to do to not go up there right now and tell the old bastard just what he can do with his so-called promotion."
She folded her arms in front of her chest and shook her head. "We don't want an all-out battle. Elder is still one half of the company. We need to neutralize him, not attack him. I need you to go to Craig Rubin and tell him you don't want another new assistant. Point out that both Imperial Foods and Femme Fatale Cosmetics want us as a team on their accounts. They are the most valuable clients Elder and Rubin have, and the campaigns are making them
millions. How can I take on a whole bunch of new clients and still fulfill my modeling obligations to them for the spring campaign?
"Once all of this is pointed out to Rubin, I think he will see things our way. Otherwise, we can consider going elsewhere. Or at least I can."
"You are not being driven out by that old goat!" Quentin barked.
She looked him in straight in the eye. "I'm not being driven anywhere I don't want to go. I've worked damned hard, and I'm tired of being pushed around and pulled around like a rag doll by a bunch of male jerks.
"So maybe it's about time I started thinking about getting out of the rat race, away from companies where I have to get hit on by creeps. Or people who think just because I'm pretty, I have no brains, or brains, but no scruples."
"On the other hand, you have such a bright career ahead of you if you keep on the way you have been. Are you sure you don't want to take his offer?"
"How can you even ask me that!" she said, outraged.
He waved away the words at once and rubbed the back of his suddenly aching neck. "Forget I ever said it, my dear. I'm madly jealous where you are concerned and my brain is just going to pieces at the thought of this whole situation."
"I suppose I ought to be flattered, but all it means is you don't trust me," she said with a sniff.
"I didn't mean it that way. It's just that you've worked damned hard! You deserve a raise, certainly, but why not a promotion too, if I can work something out with Rubin?"
She shook her head. "I'm not asking for any favors from anyone, just credit where it's due. I've played this game straight up, and have no intention of getting any favors from anyone at this stage of my career, not even you. And certainly not after you accused me of being in cahoots with Brad."
"I was jealous—"
"Like I said, either the dumb bombshell, or the predatory female without scruples. One thing is for sure, you men lack imagination when it comes to sticking labels on people."
"Suzanna, I'm sorry—"
She held up one hand. "Spare me the apologies and let's get on with our plan of attack. Just tell Rubin what Elder has in mind, and if that fails to fend off the old octopus, in the meantime I have two weeks to find alternate escape routes."
She turned on her heel and stalked out, closing the door behind her with a decisive click.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
The next two weeks passed eventfully enough for Suzanna, still in complete turmoil over what Elder was trying to do to manipulate her into his clutches.
So far, she had not seen any signs of Rubin riding to her rescue, and Elder had contacted her to run a list of proposed new clients by her that most senior executives would have given their right arm for, let alone a new junior one.
She ate lunch with Sharon most days as usual, and confided in her as to what had happened. She also called her oldest friend Elsa, and even Jerry, to ask what his take was on sexual harassment in the workplace. They all agreed she should never ever consider taking the position, and Jerry said he would be happy to take her case if Elder ever did anything more overt.
"I sure hope he won't."
"I know, honey. You're very brave, but it's about time this stopped so you can get on with your life. You should have prosecuted that last jerk—"
"I told you, being Sexy Suzy as I seemed then, I would have been sunk. But now, with everyone seeing me transformed from Plain Jane to Femme Fatale, they can't say it's my fault."
"It's never been your fault. No woman's," Jerry said with true outrage.
She sighed. "I know, but stereotypes die hard."
"Well, I'll be happy to make Elder pay any time you say."
"Thanks, Jerry, I owe you one."
"No you don't. Bringing Sharon into my life so generously was the greatest gift anyone could have given me. So I owe you."
"I'm glad it's working out so well. Thanks, and take care."
She was cold to Quentin after their argument, and did not stay at his apartment once, and put him off whenever he tried to wangle an invitation. She was far too busy looking at her overall financial situation, and her portfolio and resume, and deciding what to do next with her life if she were to leave Elder and Rubin.
She was certainly not really lying to Quentin when she told him she was too busy to see him, for during his meeting with Quentin, Cyrus Reed has asked him to put Suzanna on a new project.
Imperial Foods needed a gimmick to boost their line of crackers and cookies. Suzanna bought a bag of their coconut bars, and one night she constructed a little log cabin out of six cookies and a batch of frosting. She cut the corners off the narrow sides of two of them to form a peak. Those would be the ends of her house.
Using frosting as if it were cement, she used two more cookies length-wise for front and back, then 'cemented' the two roof crackers in place on the peak. She used the cut off corners to form a chimney. She used a pastry tube with chocolate frosting to 'draw' on windows and door.
The result was a tiny Lincoln log cabin, perfect for the month of February and President's Day.
She took a small stiff piece of cardboard, covered it with foil and made a base for her house. Then she typed up on her laptop all the instructions as to how to make the perfect log cabin for parties at school, show and tell, or just a fun treat at home the whole family could make and eat together.
Suzy pointed out that it would be an inexpensive party favor or tabletop centerpiece. Best of all, they could be made ahead, and wrapped in plastic they'd keep for quite some time.
They could be varied by using different colored frosting. She adapted it to a gingerbread house with their ginger bars, and used red and green icing, and by changing the colored frosting again, it became a haunted house for Halloween.
Needless to say, Cyrus Reed loved them, and sales on coconut bars soared when a picture of the house, with a cut-out diagram appeared in women's newspaper supplements.
In addition to the ginger bread and haunted houses, she also came up with a Hansel and Gretel house for Christmas made of their crisp vanilla flavored Imperial Teas.
She also increased their ginger snap sales with her grandmother's trick of thickening pot roast or sauerbraten gravy with ginger snap crumbs, and also using them as an alternative to graham cracker crumb pie crusts for cheesecake and things like apple, lemon meringue and key lime pie.
Quentin never ceased to be amazed at her creativity. "You know, Suzanna," he said one night, when he had demanded to come over, and was watching her make a refrigerator cake out of chocolate snaps, lady fingers, whipped cream and maraschino cherries, "I wasn't giving Rubin a snow job when I told him I needed you. I do need you, and so do Elder and Rubin."
She gave him a long, level look, and turned back to her cake decorating. "We'll just have to wait and see. Other people might need me as well."
"I need you—"
"You thought I was in league with Brad."
He sighed heavily. "It was a stupid thing to say and I'm sorry."
"Yes, it was."
He ran his fingers through his hair. "So how long are you going to beat me up over it?"
"As long as it takes for you to see I'm a straight-up kind of gal."
"I do!"
She put down the bag of fresh whipped cream she had been piping and shook her head. "You say that now, but the fact of the matter is that it's pretty clear to me that you've never trusted me. Maybe it was the whole thing almost from the start with Brad stealing my ideas. Ask him yourself if you don't believe me, only please don't fire him.
"But it also goes back to the whole hot and cold way you were blowing at the start of our relationship. This last accusation was just the last straw. The fact is you've never trusted me. And I don't know if you ever will."
"That's not—"
"It is true. So since you trust me so little, it's obvious that it really is time for us to go our separate ways."
"Suzanna, no, I'm sorry—"
"I'm sorry too, Quentin. I thought things w
ere going so well, but it was all a fantasy. You've evidently come to your sense, and so have I."
He balled up one fist and thumped it against his own thigh. "Come to my senses? You're driving me insane!"
She sighed heavily and turned partly away from him so that he couldn't see the tears that threatened to spill as she prepared to say her next words. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen, but what's done can't be undone. It's like this whipped cream." She pointed. "Now that it's out, it can't be put back in the bag."
"But we can use it, clean it up, whatever you want."
Campaign for Love Page 23