by JT Kalnay
"I have to go,” Tonia said.
"What? Why?" Jay asked.
"I can't see you anymore,” she said. Tonia turned and in a flurry was gone. Jay thought to chase her but was too stunned to move, he became rooted to the snow covered roof. He leaned his head back and stared up into the snow filled Christmas sky. He stood there for quite some time, the snow sticking in his hair. When he could no longer take the cold and snow, he quietly retreated to his apartment.
The next day Jay woke with a sniffle and clogged nose that made his flight home physically painful as his ears would not equalize to the changing pressures. But it was his heart that was hurt the most. He spent the holidays at home trying, and failing, to get Tonia out of his mind.
Chapter
"I can't believe it's you,” Jay said into the phone.
"I'm sorry,” Tonia said.
"I've been trying to get over you,” Jay said.
"Have you? Gotten over me?"
"No.”
"Then come to my place for New Year's?" Tonia ordered.
Jay thought he heard a new note of longing and loneliness in her voice as it coursed through the phone wires from her Long Island home to Jay's parents house in Vinton County, Ohio.
"But I'm in Ohio. It'll take me all day if I can even get a flight. And I already told my parents..."
"Fine,” Tonia cut him off. "If you'd rather spend New Year's Eve with your parents instead of me....”
"No that's not it at all,” Jay protested. Tonia's end of the line was perfectly silent. He heaved a huge sigh and rolled his eyes back into his head.
"Once you lay out the options like that, New Year's Eve with you does look a lot better than here with Mom and Drunk old Dad,” Jay said. The line was still quiet.
"Tonia? Are you still there?"
"Yes,” came the one word reply.
"I'll be there as soon as I can,” Jay said.
"Good,” Tonia answered. Jay heard the warmth and life come back into her voice. He was like a puppy who knew he'd pleased his demanding and capricious owner.
"Uh Tonia?"
"Yes?"
"What about Angus?"
"What about him?"
"Well. Won't he be..."
"You let me worry about Angus,” Tonia said.
"Okay,” Jay answered.
"Jay?"
"Yes?"
"I know this is hard to believe but I think I'm falling in love with you,” she said. Tonia Taggert hung up before Jay could answer.
"That was perfect,” Angus MacKenzie said to Tonia Taggert. "Perfect. Almost a little too convincing if you ask me,” Angus said. “Are you sure you aren’t in love with him for real? It’s been known to happen on assignments like this before.”
Tonia looked at him and then at Stan Krantz. "Don't you ever feel bad about what we're doing to this kid?" she asked.
"Sometimes,” Angus MacKenzie said ponderously. "But then I think about operation Greater Good and what we're doing and I can justify it.”
"I just think about the money,” Stan Krantz added. "That's enough for me."
"I love you too,” Jay said into the now dead handset.
"Who do you love?" Mrs. Calloway asked. Jay wondered how much of the conversation she'd overheard. Probably all of it, he thought.
"Tonia,” he answered.
"The nice girl who called for you last spring?" she asked.
"Yes,” Jay answered.
"Well then I guess you'll be wanting to get back to New York early then won't you?" she asked.
"Thanks mom,” Jay said. He hung up the phone, walked over to his mom and kissed her lightly on the cheek.
"New Years is for lovers,” she teased, spanking his behind. Jay went red in the face so fast he felt the blood surge through his cheeks and into his forehead.
"How did you know?" he asked.
"A mother always knows."
Fourteen hours later, at 11:30 pm, Jay Calloway was deposited at the end of the gravel driveway of Angus MacKenzie and Tonia Taggert by the car service he'd hired at La Guardia. He figured the "trip from Hell" was over. He was in for a big surprise.
I wonder who belongs to all these cars? It looks like there's a party going on or something.
The house was lustrous with white and gold Christmas lights. New Year's Eve candles burnt in the windows and in globes all down the driveway. Jay was too tired from the trip to truly appreciate the beauty of it all. He exited the car, and walked past car after car, including a sedan with Virginia plates.
Must be friends over, Jay thought.
He walked up to the front door.
"Well here goes,” he said. As Jay lifted his hand to rap on the door, the inner door of the foyer swung open. Jay Calloway stood face to face with Angus MacKenzie.
"Jay. So glad you could make it. Tonia said you'd be here around now,” Angus greeted him warmly. Jay could see the flush of several glasses of champagne in Angus' face. Jay was dumbfounded.
I can't believe he's here, Jay thought.
"Come in and join the party Jay,” Angus said. He led Jay in through the front door and they were no sooner than through the foyer when a uniformed servant took Jay's coat and another servant presented Jay with a glass of champagne. Angus pulled a glass from the tray for himself.
"To your new job and to the New Year,” Angus MacKenzie toasted. It was all a bit too much for Jay.
I can't believe he knows I just got promoted, he can't pay that close of attention to all 45,000 MacKenzie Lazarus employees, Jay thought.
"Happy New Year Sir,” Jay stammered out.
"Jay, when we're at my house and you're Tonia's guest you can call me Angus alright?" he said in his Oxford accent.
"Alright sir, uh, Angus,” Jay replied awkwardly. The two men walked further into the house and as they did the sound of laughter and clinking glasses tinkled out to greet them.
"Maybe you would like to freshen up before you join the party?" Angus MacKenzie asked.
"Yes. That'd be nice,” Jay answered.
"There's a guest room at the top of the stairs and to the right. Some of my son's clothes are in there. Why don't you get a quick shower and try some of his stuff on. See if you can join us by midnight alright?"
"Yes. S... Angus,” Jay answered.
Jay walked up the stairs and found the guest room.
"Holy Cow,” Jay muttered as he perused the clothes in the closet of Angus MacKenzie's son. Polo by Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Tio Casmo, these were the names that leapt off the racks in the cedar scented closet. Images of Jay Gatsby and flying silk shirts came to mind. Jay picked an outfit and laid it on the king-sized bed. He stepped back to look at the clothes and caught a reflection of himself in the mirror.
"Son you need a shower,” Jay said to himself, mimicking Angus’ accent.
Jay walked into the bathroom.
"Oh my God,” Jay gasped. The room was opulent.
Their guest bathroom is bigger than my whole apartment.
Deep green Kohler fixtures and ebony inlaid tile seemed to draw Jay into the room. He undressed and bent over the tub, adjusting the water for the shower. When it was just right he stepped in. The warm softened water soaked luxuriously through him. He laid his head back in the delight that only a long hot shower can bring after 12 hours of travel.
Jay found himself thinking back to Maria in the shower, and then almost immediately to Tonia at the beach. “Uh oh,” he cursed. He flipped the hot water off and withstood 20 seconds of cold water stinging him. "Cold shower, cold shower,” he repeated.
"Towel,” he shivered out loud as he stepped from the shower. Warm thick towels seemed to have materialized while he was in the shower. Jay toweled off, combed his wet hair and went back into the bedroom to dress. The expensive clothes were almost a perfect fit. The grey flannel slacks, white button down oxford shirt, and blue wool blazer had been professionally tailored. Except for a little tightness in the waist the clothes could have been his.
"Looking good,” Jay said to himself. He headed down to the party. It was 11:55. Jay walked into the large ballroom just off the bottom of the grand staircase. Happy voices and joyful smiles greeted him at each turn. Jay shook hands and smiled and raised a champagne toast from a silver platter.
Where is she? he thought. Jay's eyes continued to roam around the glamorous party. "She has to be here someplace,” Jay whispered.
"Pardon me?” a chic looking woman asked.
"I'm sorry. I was talking to myself,” Jay said.
"That's especially tragic on New Year's Eve when you could be talking to me,” the pretty woman teased. Jay looked at her more closely. Her skin was pulled tight on her face, the result of one too many facelifts. Also, her skin had the unnatural glow of too many hours in a tanning salon and not enough hours out of doors. Jay excused himself politely and kept looking for Tonia. It was 11:58.
I've got two minutes to find her.
On a large screen television the lighted ball on Times Square started its descent towards the screaming throng. In the MacKenzie's ballroom people grabbed for drinks and jockeyed for position to get next to the person they most wanted to kiss at midnight. As the crowd paired off, Jay finally caught site of his beloved Tonia.
"Oh my God!" Jay exclaimed, stunned by her beauty on this enchanted night.
Tonia Taggert was miraculously radiant in a white lace dress that stopped well short of her knees. Her shoulders were bare, as was most of her back. Tonia's wonderfully toned body and clear healthy skin glowed in the crystal chandelier light of the room. A triple string of flawless pearls lay languorously around her neck. They dropped down to within a few inches of her breasts, which were just barely restrained by the diaphanous lace of her dress. Jay made his way slowly towards her.
"Five, four, three, TWO, ONE, HAPPY NEW YEAR!" the crowd exulted. Jay was within five feet of her, his hands had begun to reach out towards her and his lips had begun to lift up at the corners in the expectant smile of the summoned, reunited lover.
Angus MacKenzie took one step towards Tonia and swept her up in his arms planting a huge Happy New Year's kiss on Tonia's ruby mouth. Angus' hands worked on her bare back. Jay's eyes flew open wide, his mouth hung open in slack-jawed shock. Jay's eyes slowly fell from his love. His mouth pulled straight back in a grimace usually seen only on those most recently kicked in the groin.
He spun on his heel so Tonia wouldn't see the pain in his face. As Jay turned he caught sight of a man ducking quickly out of sight.
Who the hell is that? Jay thought. His pain was quickly transformed to anger.
"They wouldn't possibly have followed me in here?” Jay thought.
Just at that moment, the woman who had propositioned him stepped in front of him, wrapped one arm around his shoulders and another around his lower back, pulled him towards her, and began a lengthy, invasive kiss. Her hand squeezed his butt as her tongue forced its way into his mouth.
Jay fought the kiss, then gave in, hoping she would go away.
“Now was that so terrible?” she asked.
“I’ll be right back,” Jay lied. He crossed the room in long powerful strides just in time to see the figure exit through the front doors. Jay broke into a controlled indoors run, skidding to a stop just short of the open doors. He arrived just in time to see the sedan with Virginia plates spin gravel from under its wheels and fishtail out the drive. For an instant the light spilled out of the door fell full on the face of the escaping man.
"Stan?" Jay called out loud. The sedan passed out of the cone of light and sped away down the drive.
"Who was that?" Tonia asked. She had somehow appeared at his elbow. After the night on the rooftop, and then Angus’ possessive kiss, Jay thought he would never be this close to her again.
"I'm not sure. I don't know. Did you know everyone at the party?" Jay asked.
"No,” Tonia answered. She looked into his eyes and Jay forgot all about the mini chase. “But I know that cougar you were making out with…”
“That’s not my fault. She sexually assaulted me, there are at least a hundred witnesses.”
"Sure, sure. Whatever. I missed you,” Tonia said. Her well-manicured hand ran up his forearm. Jay felt the tingle of excitement dance up and down his spine.
"I missed you too,” Jay said. His eyes stole a glance over her bare shoulders. He saw no-one. He leaned in for a kiss. Tonia turned away from him.
"Not here,” she said. "Later. I'll come to you tonight.”
"How?" Jay asked.
"You're staying over in the guest room. Didn't Angus tell you?"
"Staying over?"
"Yes.”
"Oh,” Jay said. He thought for a moment to protest but then consciously surrendered to her.
"Whatever you say,” he said tiredly and obediently.
"Now come into the party and let me introduce you around. If you're ever going to have Angus' job there's some people you need to meet.”
"Angus' job?” Jay asked but Tonia was already leading him down the hall back to the party. Two hours later Jay had glad-handed or kissed the ass of half a dozen top executives at MacKenzie Lazarus. Angus was with them most of the time. By two-thirty Jay was almost out on his feet and at three he was in bed sound asleep still dressed in the new clothes while the party went on below.
Tonia slipped in to his room at four. She brushed the hair away from his forehead and brushed an angel's kiss across his lips. He stirred but did not wake.
"I really am afraid I’m falling in love with you,” she whispered. “My damn assignment. My beautiful, wonderful, tortured assignment.”
"That went well I thought," Angus MacKenzie said to Tonia Taggert.
"Very well,” an exhausted Tonia answered. Angus rolled over to her side of the bed and kissed her. An earthy grunt escaped his large drunken mouth. Tonia lay back and he took her. His pushing was careless, rough, and over quickly. It was anything but a fairy tale. He rolled off and instantly fell asleep.
Tonia got up quietly and went to the bathroom. She washed herself and rinsed out her mouth.
"I'm sorry Jay. I'm so sorry,” she whispered to the mirror. "I never knew it would be like this.” A tear ran down her cheek. She choked back a second tear and returned to bed.
Chapter
"Welcome aboard,” Hal Kreitzer said to Jay Calloway.
"Thank you,” Jay answered. "Let's see if I can start earning the $50,000 signing bonus okay?"
"That's what I heard about you,” Hal said. "All work and no play.”
"No play?” Jay asked, wondering just how many, if any, of his secrets Hal knew.
"Yeah. No friends at work, 12 hours of work a day, an hour of jogging every day. My kind of worker,” Hal said. "Let me get you started then.” Hal led Jay to his new office on the 20th floor. The view was breathtaking. Jay could see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. As he watched, the Staten Island Ferry made its stately procession across New York harbor. Jay took it all in for 30 seconds then took a deep dismissive breath and dug into his work.
Hal drifted out of the office and down the hall.
"Get a life son,” Hal muttered to himself when he was out of earshot. "But after we're done with you.” Hal laughed to himself.
Chapter
Two months later, Jay stood at a small podium in front of a small crowd.
"So with this new multiprocessing hardware and the fiber optic link with the data centers, as far as we can tell we'll have a 15% to 25% advantage over Gershwitz Brothers in the European market and a 25% to 50% advantage over our closest competitor in Central America,” Jay announced to the assembled crowd.
"We go live in Mexico tomorrow and Panama next week. We'll be ready to go into any other country down there on two weeks’ notice based on executive management direction.” Jay nodded at Angus MacKenzie as he spoke the last words. A year in the big city and he'd learned exactly how to kiss ass in the most effective yet inconspicuous manner.
"Any questions?" Jay asked
.
"Is all this legal?" someone asked from the back of the room. A few heads turned towards the voice but most stayed riveted on Jay at the podium. Jay's eyes fixed the questioner for a brief soul-searching moment then broke and scanned the room. A smile crossed his face slowly. It was an ugly smile, a smile that his friends and family would not have recognized, but a smile that Michael Milliken and Al Capone would know in an instant.
"I imagine that's a matter for our lawyers and the government isn't it?" Jay replied. Nervous chuckles and then knowing laughter spread through the room. The meeting broke.
Hal Kreitzer saddled up beside Jay to share in the credit for the system Jay and his team had implemented in two and a half months.
"How'd you do it?" a suit asked Hal.
"It was easy, really,” Hal started. "We just took existing technology, blended it together with the latest research from our partners at several Ivy League schools, and then kicked ass programming 20 hours a day, 7 days a week.
I don't remember seeing Hal in here on Saturdays or Sundays, Jay thought. I don’t recall seeing Hal in here at midnight, night after night. His eyes narrowed in concentrated study. Jay fought the urge to straighten Hal out right in front of the fawning crowd. Career common sense overcame his bruised ego. Jay continued to nod in the appropriate places as Hal carried on. After a few more minutes the hangers-on drifted out. Jay saw Angus MacKenzie at the door and caught his signal to join him in the hall. Jay excused himself and headed stealthily towards Angus.
"He's a pompous bag of wind,” Angus said to Jay once they were clear of the room. Jay said nothing in reply.
"No need to answer son. I can see it in your eyes. Anyway. If this thing works like you say you'll have his job in a week. I think Hal may have outlived his usefulness to the firm. He’s probably just getting in your way now. Slowing you and your people down. Costing us a lot of money.”
Jay cocked his head to the side and let a small grin catch his lips. It passed just as quickly.
"See you at the club for golf on Saturday?" Angus asked.