She had been active in many engineering organizations in university and had won awards for a few competitions. Her professors described her as “bright” and “driven.” IP Innovations was her first job out of school.
Her record was clear. No misdemeanors, or even parking tickets. She had dated sporadically since moving to the city, but nothing serious to note.
She was squeaky clean. Innocent…almost virginal, even. Her file said that she had visited a gynecologist nearby and had an active prescription for birth control that was renewed monthly, despite not dating regularly.
I liked women with experience. Virgins needed to be broken in before they learned to fuck well. The risk of them becoming too attached was high. I enjoyed my share of them, but nothing could compare to a woman who knew her way around a dick.
Amelia looked like a virgin on the outside, but when I took control of her, she knew exactly how to respond. She wasn’t afraid to want more. I had not planned on touching her again today at the office, but after cornering her at the club, I couldn’t resist. Something drew me to her whenever she was near.
When I found her being mauled by that motherfucker, I saw red. Rage took over and I wanted to beat the shit out of him. Then, when she stared at me with that innocent look, I needed to erase any evidence that someone else had touched her first.
Fuck, her skin was so soft, and my dick liked it. Having her bent over the conference table just a few hours ago had unleashed something primal in me. Hearing her call my name while she came had awakened something in me that I had not felt with other women. And she was intelligent. The way she spoke about her work turned me on. I was not used to women talking about something other than how they wanted to suck me off.
Jai sat back in the leather armchair across from me, enjoying his cigar while he checked out the view below us.
“Our guys found Manish’s body,” Jai said between exhaling rings of smoke from his mouth.
“Where?” I could feel my temper about to boil over.
Manish was one of our best men in India, our eyes and ears back home. He had gone M.I.A. last night while we were at the club. I had been on my way up to the suite to call my guys in private when I had found Amelia cornered by some fucker. She had distracted me.
“Abandoned train car in Bengal. His body was mangled. Missing fingers and toes. Slash wounds to the gut and throat. They say he bled out,” Jai responded somberly.
“Do we have a location on Tarun yet?” He was an expert at hiding and had been doing it for most of his adult life. We had planted men all over India, especially in Bengal, to find him. Unfortunately, none of them had been successful yet. Even with our best tracking software, we could not find a location.
“Once the tracking app from IP Innovations is complete, we may be able to locate him,” Jai offered. He was a tech genius, so I trusted his confidence.
The real reason we bought startups was so that we could keep tabs on all the players in our world, especially Tarun. We were able to gather various bits of data from different apps we acquired to put together full profiles of each person in our drug network, like a web of data of the underground.
Tarun’s profile had been more than difficult to compile. We were only able to find information from his teen years, when the internet first started collecting data from users. The most updated photo we had of him was from when he was eighteen years old. That was also the last time any of us had seen him in person. None of the information we found was helpful, since it was now outdated. He had been able to raise a tech team of his own to block the retrieval of his own data and cloak his photos so he couldn’t be tracked. He was elusive from photographs. He remained hidden away from anyone except his closest men to avoid recognition. To the rest of the world, he was still a fat kid with a double chin and a large, dark-brown birthmark on the left side of his neck. We hoped that with the app from IP Innovations, we could track him using their feature that altered images to find a hit. Amelia was oblivious to how useful she was to us by having created this feature.
To the outside world, Sethi Tech just seemed like another tech giant who bought over startups with innovative apps. However, the only apps we were interested in were tracking apps. Sure, we acquired some random non-tracking apps from other startups too, but that was just to throw off the public.
Tarun knew what we were up to and was trying desperately to block our advances. He was most likely unaware that he couldn’t trick the new software we had acquired. I had ordered Jason to push his developers to implement the feature and had him sign an NDA so he could not discuss it with anyone. We had made his staff do the same. They had assumed it was just regular paperwork that needed to be signed in an acquisition. All we needed now was a current photo of Tarun without any prosthetics or physical alterations to his face and a location of where the photo had been taken.
“His network in the States is still growing,” Jai said before he took another puff from his cigar.
This guy had some balls to think he could spy on us and then take our business. He had already lost his brother. Was he stupid enough to continue his dream of a takeover?
“Not for long.” His little fantasy did not stand a chance.
VIII. Amelia
The next week was a blur. All the developers were in a rush to complete our features. We were working on no sleep and copious amounts of coffee. Everyone wanted to do a good job to avoid being laid off.
However, I still had mixed feelings about possibly working for Sethi Tech. On one hand, I knew that something shady was going on in that company and that Shyam was responsible for it. My intuition told me that the rumors were true. But at the same time, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking of him. I secretly hoped he would visit the office again before we delivered our product, just so I could see him again. I also hated him for leaving me hanging twice, yet I couldn’t deny how he made me feel. My body always betrayed my brain when I was around him. It kept asking for more.
Friday came and no one had heard word about moving over to Sethi Tech. We felt defeated, even though we had miraculously completed our product on time.
Jason didn’t have an update for us either. He thanked us for our hard work and wished us luck in our “future endeavors.” I guess he didn’t care as much, since he was getting a huge payout for his software. He’d probably just create another startup like all the other startup CEOs and make even more money selling that one too.
When five o’clock came around, Nat and I said our goodbyes. We hugged and kissed each other as the reality of not working together anymore sank in. I was going to miss her. We promised to meet up for lunch soon so we could sulk about being laid off. I also bid farewell to the rest of my coworkers. The mood was somber as we all left the office for the last time.
It was raining when I left the building. How appropriate. It matched my mood—dreary and dismal. I could have called a cab, but instead, I chose to walk in the rain and just let myself feel my emotions.
This was my first job out of college. I had never been laid off before, so this type of rejection was new. I knew I was smart and felt confident when it came to my work, but this layoff had bruised my ego.
I reached my apartment door and inserted my key into the lock. The door pushed open before I even had the chance to turn the key. Huh? I thought I had locked my door when I left this morning. I looked around before entering. My place was so small that it was easy to scan without stepping inside. Nothing seemed out of place. And I had my most valuable item with me, my laptop.
I quietly stepped inside and slid off my soaked shoes so they wouldn’t squeak on the floor. Tiptoeing further into my apartment, I checked the closet and the bathroom. No one seemed to be hiding in there. I was being paranoid. I must have left the door unlocked by accident. It made sense, since my mind had been preoccupied lately.
I took a long, hot shower and changed into some pajamas for comfort. It had been a while since I had called my mom. She had lived alone since my dad passed an
d I moved to the city. Luckily, she still worked as a nurse, so she had something to keep her busy and distracted from the loneliness.
I plopped onto my bed and dialed her number.
“Hi, sweetie! I was just thinking about you!” Her voice always sounded bright and happy whenever I called home. It broke my heart even more that I had left her alone.
“Hi, Mom,” I said, pretending everything was okay.
“What’s wrong, dear?” I could never hide my mood from her. We were so close that we could always sense when the other was upset.
“I think I just got laid off from work. I guess I feel disappointed.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. I filled her in on the takeover and how none of us had heard any word about being rolled over to the new company.
“Amelia, you’re a smart girl. Feel what you need to feel right now, but then move on. Tonight, you can allow yourself to sulk, but tomorrow, start looking for something new.” She always pushed me to be strong. After my dad died, she realized how much she had relied on her husband. She was lost for a while and struggled to manage the household bills, since my dad had done everything. She didn’t want me to ever be in that position, so she always pushed me to be independent.
“You’re right, Mom,” I said with resolve. “I’ll start searching tomorrow.” I would find something even better than my last job and start a new chapter in my career.
“That’s my girl. You’ll find something fast. I just know it. You’re too brilliant not to.” Her voice was full of motherly pride.
“Thanks. So, what’s new with you?” I asked.
“Well, work is busy since it’s flu season. A lot of people are being admitted into the hospital.” Her voice sounded tired when she spoke of work. I wished she could retire, and I could support her financially. Maybe my next job would allow me to do so eventually.
“That’s rough. Be careful, mom. I wouldn’t want you to catch anything either.” She worked in the emergency department, so she was first in line to catch whatever infectious disease wandered in.
She laughed. “Don’t worry, dear. That’s my job.”
I sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted from the emotions of the day. “I miss you, Mom. I think I’m going to sleep now. I love you.” I hadn’t slept properly in forever because I had been working so much. Tonight, I would not work on code. I needed a mental break.
“I love you, too. You know you can always come back home to visit whenever you need to, right?”
A vacation sounded amazing, but I really did need to figure out my job situation before planning a trip.
“I do,” I replied. “Thanks, Mom. Bye.”
“Goodbye, sweetie,” she said before hanging up.
I lay back on my pillows and closed my eyes allowing sleep to take over my body.
****
The next day, I took my mom’s advice and started my job search. I had slept all evening and into the morning, and woke up feeling rejuvenated.
I was determined to find something even better than IP Innovations. I polished up my resumé and updated my LinkedIn profile. I found a few positions and submitted applications to be considered. I was excited about finding a new job. A fresh start.
I was about to take a break and make myself a sandwich when my phone buzzed with a text. I stared at the message in confusion.
Ms. Becker, please plan to arrive at Sethi Tech at 8 a.m. on Monday morning. Show your identification to security at the lobby to check in. – S. Sethi
IX. Amelia
Sethi Tech was located in one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture in the city. Panels of glass with steel supports towered high into the sky. So chic and modern. I was in awe as I stepped through the large glass doors.
The heels of my black ankle boots tapped against the black onyx floor of the lobby. I approached the front desk. The security guard asked for my identification as he made a phone call. I assumed he was letting someone know that I was checking in. As he hung up, he handed me a visitor’s badge, which I clipped to the lapel of my blazer. The guard inspected the inside of my laptop bag and its contents before he motioned for me to wait in the large seating area off to the side.
I took a seat on one of the gray leather couches and placed my bag next to me. I watched the men and women who entered the lobby. They were all dressed impeccably, despite working for a tech company. The industry was known for its casual work attire; programmers usually wore jeans and t-shirts to work. The college-student vibe was alive and well in my world. Employers valued performance over appearance. Some of our most brilliant minds were dressed in beat-up tennis shoes and hoodies.
Watching the parade of well-dressed people made me aware of how underdressed I was, though in my mind, I had dressed up this morning, wearing a burgundy corduroy blazer with a white blouse over black denim leggings and black leather ankle boots. I had even taken a little extra time on my hair and straightened it. My makeup was minimal: pink lip gloss, nude eyeshadow, and a little mascara for a clean and fresh look. I told myself that I had put the extra effort into my appearance because I wanted to make a good first impression, but inside, I knew that I’d most likely run into Shyam, and it was possible I was attempting to make him regret rejecting me. It was petty, but I was still bitter about him leaving me.
When I had gotten his text, I had been angry at how distant his tone sounded—impersonal and cold masked as “professional.” I mean, the man had had his hands down my pants, so I would have thought we were beyond formalities.
I had been about to send a reply of “screw you,” but reconsidered when I’d eyed the resumé on my monitor. It was short. Too short. I had a lot of accomplishments in college, but my post-college section was bare. It only included my job at IP Innovations. It would be difficult to find a better job with just months of experience at a startup. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t even have been considered for a job at a tech giant like Sethi Tech with my limited experience. But here the opportunity was staring me in the face, and I had been about to turn it down.
The industry wasn’t particularly welcoming to women as it was. It was an uphill battle to be taken seriously in interviews by the older men who ran these companies. The industry was a game, and you had to play it smart if you were a woman. It couldn’t hurt to see what Shyam had to offer me at Sethi Tech. Listing this job on my resumé would certainly jumpstart my career.
A tall woman dressed in a crisp white shirt and tight black pencil skirt that hit just below her knees stood in front of the waiting area. “Amelia Becker?” she called out as she glanced at my badge.
“That’s me,” I replied and stood up, bag in hand.
“Nice to meet you, Ms. Becker.” She extended her perfectly manicured hand to me. “I’m Jessica, head of Human Resources, and I will be conducting your orientation today.”
I shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, too.”
“Please, follow me and we’ll get started.” She released my hand and spun around on her four-inch black pumps. She walked with such poise and grace as she led me to a set of elevators. She was a model, and the world was her catwalk.
She tapped her badge to a chip reader on a panel adjacent to the doors. The elevator dinged before the doors opened. I followed Jessica inside and eyed the buttons for the floor numbers. Thirty-eight floors! I was used to working in a single-floor office with shared tables for workspaces.
Jessica pressed the button for floor twenty-five and the doors closed.
I was amazed as I peered out at the view outside of the glass elevator as we ascended. How did one ever get used to working in such a grand building?
“You’ll find that today will mostly be filled with housekeeping tasks. Orientation usually involves filling out paperwork, completing harassment training, and working with the IT department to set up your computer,” Jessica said as the elevator rose to our destination.
“I brought my own laptop, so I can work from that if it would be easier,” I offered.
“I am afraid we do not allow external laptops to be used, for security purposes. You will be given a computer that works on a higher bandwidth to customize to your liking.”
“Oh, okay,” I replied. At least my new computer would be faster than my laptop.
The elevator came to a smooth stop and the doors opened. “This is us,” Jessica announced as she exited with me in tow.
X. Amelia
After hours of paperwork and training modules on one of the HR computers, I was ready to set up my own computer.
Jessica led me to the elevators again. This time, she pressed the button for thirty-eight as I entered behind her. The top floor? I had assumed I’d be working on one of the lower levels. Surely, the top level was reserved for important people like board members, not a new programmer. If I was going to be working on the top floor, then that meant I’d run into…
Power: Power Series #1 Page 4