Executive Affair

by Ber Carroll

  ‘That Michael was a bit of all right,’ Emma commented as they waited for Robert.

  ‘Did you think so?’ Claire said with a forced smile.

  ‘You bet I did. Did you know him well when you worked in Dublin?’

  ‘Yes,’ Claire’s tone was ironic, ‘I knew him very well … I went out with him for three years.’

  ‘Really? Sorry – sometimes I have a big mouth … and a big foot.’

  ‘Sometimes?’ Claire asked and they were laughing when Robert finally returned with the drinks.

  He chatted easily to Emma. It was too noisy for Claire to hear what they were saying so it was hard for her to join in on the conversation. She watched Emma’s progress with her drink carefully, matching her pace so they could leave together.

  ‘Claire?’

  She turned around when she heard the familiar voice behind her.

  ‘Den!’ she said, beaming as he gave her an affectionate hug. ‘I didn’t recognise you. I’ve never seen you wear a suit before. You look very respectable … very like a lawyer.’

  ‘Now, don’t start!’ He threatened her with his finger. ‘How’s Fiona?’

  ‘She’s great.’

  ‘Is she still seeing that bloke you work with?’ Den was doing a poor job of sounding casual.

  ‘Yes … how’s Jackie?’

  ‘We finished a few weeks ago.’

  ‘Sorry.’

  ‘I’m not sorry … I don’t know what I was thinking. I had a great thing going with Fiona and I messed it up.’

  Claire agreed with him. He had messed up.

  ‘You don’t know what you’re searching for until you’ve lost it …’ he muttered, half to himself. ‘I’d better go – tell Fiona I said hello.’ He kissed her cheek before disappearing into the suited crowd.

  Claire turned back to Emma and Robert, who were still chatting.

  Then Emma put down her half-empty glass. ‘I have to go, my girlfriend will be waiting for me on her own. I’ll see you guys Monday.’

  Claire watched her departing back in panic. She couldn’t think of anything to say to fill the silence after she left.

  ‘You seem to be rather subdued tonight. Is everything okay?’ Robert asked, leaning close so she could hear him.

  ‘Oh … I’m just a little tired. I’m looking forward to a quiet weekend,’ she lied quickly and smiled at him to prove that she wasn’t subdued at all.

  ‘I hope you’re not planning on working tomorrow.’ He sounded concerned.

  ‘No. I caught up on my backlog while you were in New Zealand.’

  ‘So you’re more productive when I’m not around to bother you. It’s nice to know you missed me in some way,’ he laughed.

  There was a lull in conversation and she was about to say it was time for her to go home when he spoke.

  ‘Did you enjoy your day off after the kick-off?’

  She felt her face get hot. ‘No. I didn’t feel very well …’

  ‘You went home early,’ he said, giving her an enigmatic look.

  ‘I didn’t want to make an even bigger fool of myself.’

  ‘Don’t be silly. You were just a little wobbly. It was cute.’

  Oh God! Is he flirting with me or just being friendly? Claire thought.

  ‘Is Michael Lehane the one?’ Robert asked suddenly.

  She knew what he meant but still said, ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘Is Michael Lehane the reason you left Ireland?’ His voice was sympathetic, coaxing an answer she didn’t want to give.

  ‘Yes, Michael is my ex–boyfriend. It was very perceptive of you to figure that out,’ she said, and took a large mouthful of wine.

  ‘It was your body language.’

  His calmness made her more agitated. ‘Great! I’m totally transparent.’

  ‘No, you’re not. I think I know you well enough now to tell when you’re on edge.’

  He waited a few moments before changing the topic. ‘Was that a good friend of yours earlier?’

  ‘Den? He used to go out with my flatmate, Fiona. She’s seeing James now.’

  ‘James Ladbrooke?’

  ‘Yes. James is nice but I’m not sure if he’s as right for Fiona as Den was. They were like peas in a pod.’ Claire was glad to be back on safer ground.

  Robert nodded absently. ‘I’m going sailing on the harbour tomorrow,’ he said, his tone casual.

  Why are you telling me? Are you going to ask me to come?

  She looked away from his gaze, afraid that he would see how much she wanted to spend a day sailing with him, how much she liked him.

  ‘Well, I had better get going. I don’t like waiting in the train station too late at night,’ she said in a rush.

  ‘Let me drive you home,’ he offered, finishing his drink.

  ‘Oh no, I couldn’t … I’m sure it’s totally out of your way,’ she protested, horrified at the thought of being alone with him in his car.

  ‘It’s no problem,’ he insisted.

  They walked outside.

  ‘Look, there’s a free cab. I’ll grab that and save you the trouble.’ She hailed it down frantically. ‘Thanks for the drink … Have a good weekend!’ She opened the door of the cab.

  ‘And you make sure you have a rest over the weekend.’ He squeezed her arm lightly before walking away.

  It was Monday morning and Claire was sitting in her office reading through her inbox, her nerves on edge at the thought of seeing Robert. There was a message from Tony Falcinella. She hadn’t heard from him since early July, when Robert arrived. The message had been sent on Saturday night.

  Hello Claire,

  How is everyone in Sydney? I hope the workload has eased with Robert’s arrival. I can’t say the same for me. The entire Hong Kong office has been working on an applications outsourcing tender with Cathair Pacific. If we’re lucky enough to win, the deal will be the second largest that Amtech has ever done worldwide. Donald Skates has announced that all staff involved in the tender are to make it their number one priority. Unfortunately, we are seriously short of resources and when I was talking to Robert over the weekend he suggested that you may be able to help us out by coming up here. The tender response is due by the end of next week and I was hoping to have some help on board by next Monday. I apologise for the short notice but can guarantee that it will be great experience to contribute to a landmark deal for Amtech.

  Looking forward to seeing you,

  Tony

  PS: Hong Kong is a great city (almost as nice as Sydney).

  A free trip to Hong Kong, a city she had always wanted to see! The only problem was missing a whole week of work. She thought of the tasks she had planned for next week and convinced herself there was nothing critical on the list. She presumed that she could access her email from the Hong Kong office and would be able to keep up to date with her messages at least. If she worked like crazy this week and the week after she came back, she should be able to manage it.

  She had just finished typing a response when Robert came in, closing her door behind him. He stood beside her desk and her eyes were level with his black leather belt, the narrow divider between his white shirt and charcoal trousers.

  ‘Claire, I need to discuss something with you.’

  He was so close she found it hard to think, let alone discuss anything. ‘You mean Hong Kong?’

  ‘Yes, have you been talking to Tony?’

  ‘He sent me a message over the weekend. It sounds like he’s working around the clock on this Cathair tender.’

  ‘Can you go at such short notice?’ Robert appeared unusually anxious.

  ‘I’ve just sent him a message saying that I will – it’s too good an opportunity to miss. I may have to let a few things slip here, but I guess they’re not a priority next to this.’

  ‘Yes – a contract like this will send the stock price soaring.’

  ‘That should make you rich,’ she said, grinning.

  ‘Me and the rest of the VPs and, of course, the s
hareholders,’ he admitted with a smile.

  Even though she found his presence very disconcerting, it was still easier to be around him in this environment than the bar on Friday night. In the office, he had his role, she had hers, and the lines between them were clear. ‘I’m not exactly sure what Tony wants me to help with. His message was vague on that front.’

  ‘Tony is seriously short of talent up there. For the first few days I want you to drive our due diligence on Cathair, and towards the end of the week it will be all hands to the deck to get the pricing finalised. You could be doing anything from making coffee to negotiating with the third-party contractors.’

  ‘Sounds like a challenge. You do know that I have no experience of pricing an application outsourcing deal like this one?’ she said, risking another look at him.

  ‘Very few people in Amtech have the right experience. We’re only just breaking into the outsourcing market – that’s why Tony is so desperate for talent.’

  She watched him run his hand through his hair. ‘I’m looking forward to it. I’ve always wanted to go to Hong Kong,’ she said to fill the small but unsettling gap in conversation.

  ‘It will be a fantastic opportunity and it will increase your visibility in the US. All the VPs, including Donald, have their fingers on the pulse of this deal. If we win, it will pitch the company into a market that has huge growth. If we lose, our share price will undoubtedly drop – we’ve spent millions on the pre-sales effort to get this far, the shareholders won’t tolerate failure.’ He sounded both excited and worried.

  ‘Is anyone else from Australia going?’ she asked, tensing as she waited for his answer.

  ‘Brian Brooker is already there and I’ll be flying out tomorrow.’

  Claire found it hard to stay focused for the rest of the day. She couldn’t stop daydreaming, images of herself walking the crowded streets of Hong Kong never far from her thoughts. And Robert was going too. That brought images of a completely different, dangerous kind.

  Fiona was duly impressed and envious.

  ‘You lucky thing! What’s the weather like there at the moment?’

  ‘Dunno. Where’s the paper? That should have the temperature,’ Claire said, looking around the room and spotting the Sydney Morning Herald under the coffee table.

  ‘This is Saturday’s temperature, but at least it’ll give me an idea. Mmm … thirty degrees, eighty per cent humidity … and raining. What the hell do you wear in a climate like that?’

  ‘I’ve no idea. Lots of deodorant, I suppose.’ Fiona was practical, as always.

  Claire, sprawled across the couch, mentally went through her wardrobe.

  ‘I’ve nothing to wear. I’ll have to go shopping to get some clothes. You know, Robert is going to be there as well.’

  ‘Are you buying new clothes to impress Robert Pozos?’ Fiona asked, very quick to pick up on Claire’s subconscious intentions.

  Claire faltered with her reply. ‘I think I might be …’

  ‘I thought you didn’t even fancy him!’

  ‘I know. But his charm has sort of crept up on me. Now I’m a nervous wreck at the thought of being in a foreign city with him.’

  Fiona had been sitting on the floor. She stood up, her face serious. ‘I don’t want to sound harsh, Claire, but the last situation you need here is the one you left behind in Dublin … Remember what it was like to work in the same place with Michael after you split?’

  ‘You’re absolutely right. It’s just a crush, that’s all, and I’m quite sure it’s not reciprocated. Nothing will come of it …’ She gave Fiona a wry smile and changed the subject. ‘What are you doing after work on Thursday?’

  ‘You know I hate shopping … and I told James I’d meet him on Thursday night.’ She relented at Claire’s pleading look. ‘All right, I’ll go shopping if you come for a drink with James and me afterwards.’

  ‘Okay, but I can’t have a big night. I’ll have a busy day on Friday, trying to get everything in order before I leave,’ Claire said, frowning as she thought of all the work ahead of her.

  ‘You’re not leaving for good, you know. It’s only a week,’ Fiona reminded her.

  Claire left work early so she could meet Fiona at five. It wasn’t fully dark yet and the mood of the late-night Sydney shoppers was upbeat. Fiona was not a patient shopper and was easily aggravated by any dithering on Claire’s part.

  ‘If you hesitate when you buy, then that means you’ll most definitely never wear it,’ she stated, as she always did, whenever they were shopping, in case Claire should forget.

  Claire suspected Fiona’s advice was biased and knew she would happily skip the shopping to go straight to the pub. She found what she wanted within thirty minutes and with a minimum of fuss. She was happy with her purchases and Fiona was happy that the ordeal was over so quickly.

  Claire’s good mood evaporated when they walked into the Hero of Waterloo.

  ‘You never told me that Paul was going to be with James. Thanks very much,’ she hissed to Fiona when she saw that James was not alone.

  ‘I honestly didn’t know. James never told me. I’ll kill him for this,’ Fiona replied with gritted teeth as they approached their table.

  ‘I ran into Paul at Circular Quay and invited him to join us,’ James explained, looking awkward.

  Claire shot him a discreet but venomous glare to show him that she didn’t believe a word.

  ‘I hope you don’t mind … I felt like a celebratory drink. I had a big win at work today,’ Paul said with an engaging smile.

  Claire couldn’t bring herself to lie and allowed Fiona to reply, ‘Of course we don’t mind.’ She resisted the temptation to ask him about his ‘big win’.

  ‘Did you girls have a successful shopping expedition and blow those credit-card limits?’ James asked, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

  ‘You must be joking, not with Fiona counting every minute, her tongue hanging out for a drink.’

  Claire’s acerbic response made the others laugh, even though Fiona tried to look offended. James stood up with his empty glass.

  ‘Can I get you a beer?’ he asked Claire.

  ‘No, thanks, big day at work tomorrow … I’ll have an orange juice, though.’

  ‘I’ll have a beer,’ Fiona said with zeal.

  ‘Tell me something I don’t already know.’

  They all laughed again; Fiona didn’t even attempt the offended look.

  ‘Are you looking forward to your trip to Hong Kong, Claire?’ Paul asked. ‘James told me you were going,’ he added when he saw her quizzical expression.

  ‘I can’t wait. It’s an important tender for Amtech. It sounds as if it will be hard work and long hours but I still feel as if I’m going on a holiday.’

  ‘Who’s the deal with?’ His question was so natural she almost answered it without thinking.

  ‘You know I can’t tell you that,’ she said, with a small smile to take the bite from her words. She saw Fiona from the corner of her eye, watching them both with interest.

  ‘It’s evidently a big tender if the company is willing to fly people up from Sydney. The pre-sales costs must be enormous,’ he persevered.

  ‘Paul …’

  He heeded the warning in her voice and leaned back in his seat. ‘How will Amtech Australia survive without you for a whole week?’

  She couldn’t tell from his face if he was being sarcastic or not.

  ‘I’m sure I’m dispensable, just like everybody else,’ she replied, giving him a defiant look.

  James returned, leaning between Claire and Paul to put the tray of drinks on the table.

  To her surprise, the initial tension dissolved. They had another round of drinks before moving to the upstairs restaurant for a leisurely dinner. Claire was taken aback to see it was midnight when she checked her watch.

  ‘I hate to break up the party.’ She stood up to leave. ‘I have to get up early tomorrow.’

  ‘Hang on, I’m coming too,’ Fiona sai
d, finishing her drink in a rush.

  ‘You don’t have to come. I’ll make my own way home,’ Claire protested.

  ‘You’re not the only one with a busy day tomorrow!’

  When they went outside, James and Fiona walked ahead to get a taxi.

  ‘It’s good to see you again,’ said Paul. ‘You’re looking really well.’

  ‘Thanks.’

  They were underneath the Harbour Bridge, the steel clacking as a train went over their heads. They walked further down the Rocks, past bars that were still full, music and voices spilling out.

  ‘You may be interested to know that Digicom won the Queensland government deal. We signed the contract today.’

  So that was the ‘big win’ he was talking about.

  ‘Congratulations … Frank never said anything about us losing.’

  ‘Oh, the news is hot off the press, I’m sure he hasn’t heard about it yet,’ Paul responded quickly. ‘Look, I’m sorry about that day in the office, you were right to do what you did.’

  He was referring to the day she had escorted him and James to the foyer. That seemed like a long time ago now.

  ‘What were you doing there on a Sunday afternoon anyway?’ she asked.

  ‘I was bored. I don’t have a girlfriend to distract me any more. I have too much time on my hands for hanging out with James … and I’m hoping you’ll feel sorry for me and take me back.’

  ‘Sorry, Paul. I’m happy with the way things are.’

  ‘It was worth a try.’ His shrug was nonchalant.

  Claire was piqued by such a lazy attempt on his part to get back with her. She was about to take him to task when Fiona secured a cab further up the street and shouted at her to hurry up.

  Chapter 14

  The doctor had a strong face, chiselled cheekbones and lips. Her tan was faint enough to look healthy and her clothes were sober to prove her mind was on the job. Julia relaxed; she always felt at ease with females who were not better-looking than herself.

  Dr Linda Stearman came well recommended by a friend of Cherie’s. Julia had gradually warmed to the idea of seeing a shrink and was hoping this session would give her some badly needed clarity. Some days her head hurt so much she couldn’t think clearly, half-formed murky thoughts about herself and Robert and their future never making it to the surface.