Cocky S.O.B.

by Vanessa Winters

  I groan. Daniela and I have been hosting a massive Halloween party since we were teenagers. It started in my parents’ basement our freshman year of high school and it has just continued to grow astronomically from there. Last year, the party took up all three floors of the house I live in. This year, Daniela has taken over hosting in her house. It’s not as much space as we’ve had in the past, but she has a finished basement and we’re hoping the weather is mild enough that we can have some activities outside.

  The thing about the Halloween party is that you’re not allowed in if you’re not in costume. The unofficial rule is that you should be in a couple’s costume. There are still a few stragglers who show up on their own, but in the over ten years we’ve been having this party, I have never been one of them.

  That might change this year.

  I might have to take Daniela up on her offer to find me a date.

  Daniela and I wrap up our drinks and head home. She has to be at the hospital at like four in the morning, so she needs her sleep. I’m glad my workday doesn’t start until five.

  I fall asleep almost instantly when I get back to my apartment. My job may not be physically taxing like Daniela’s, but it’s a lot for a brain to handle. It’s been almost a month since I left my last position, so getting back into a routine is hard.

  It’ll be worth it, though, when I learn everything there is to know about Snax.

  4

  Cameron

  Melody shoots me daggers when I walk into the office. I can’t say I blame her, considering how I treated her yesterday. I was an asshole. I went back and forth about apologizing, but in the end, I apparently decided to insult her even further.

  My brain doesn’t know how to function around beautiful women.

  “What did you do to Jack’s assistant,” Emma asks. “You didn’t sleep with her, did you?”

  “No, of course not,” I say, though I’d be lying if I said the thought never crossed my mind. Melody is exactly my type. Emma, who has become more friend than assistant, is well aware of this. “I might have snapped at her yesterday. In my defense, Jack was being an asshole.”

  “To her or to you?”

  “To me.”

  “So, you took it out on her,” Emma says. “Classy, Cam. Good luck sleeping with her now.”

  “I don’t want to…” My words are cut off when Melody approaches us. I’d been so distracted by Emma that I hadn’t noticed Melody stood up.

  She’s wearing a skirt just like yesterday. It hugs her hips and lands just at her knees. Today’s top is another button-up, but this time in a deep red that matches the leaves on the trees outside.

  “Hi,” I manage to say. Emma elbows me in the side. “Can we help you?”

  Melody doesn’t look at me, instead focusing her eyes on Emma. “I need to make some copies, but Jack never showed me the copy room yesterday. Could you take me there?”

  “I can show you,” I offer. We got off to a rough start yesterday, but there’s no reason we can’t turn that around.

  “That’s okay, I’d rather Emma do it.”

  Okay, so maybe there is a reason.

  Emma smirks at me. “No worries, Melody. I can show you the way.”

  The two girls head towards the front of the open office space to where the copy room is located. Aside from the copy room, our offices, and the conference room, the floor is completely open. We have couches off to the side for entertaining our less stiff vendors and investors. There’s also a small kitchenette hidden behind my office. I hate eating down in the cafeteria. I have no idea where that food has been. I prefer to prepare my lunch and eat it up here. Emma joins me every once in a while.

  My eyes wander towards Melody and Emma until they disappear behind the thick oak door, which matches the one on my office. I wanted the glass door that Jack has, but we played rock/paper/scissors for it and he won. Jack always wins. He’s older than me, he’s taller than me, he got better grades than me in school. In some subjects, anyway. Art and design have always been my strong suits, while Jack excels at math and science.

  Melody and Emma are giggling when they exit the copy room. Melody thanks Emma and heads back to her desk.

  “You two seem close.”

  “We were just talking.”

  “About me?” I ask.

  Emma laughs. “No, but you’re into her, aren’t you?”

  I shrug. “I barely know her.”

  “So you think she’s hot.”

  “Objectively speaking, yes.”

  “Hm. That could be interesting. You know, she’s not your assistant, so technically you could date her if you wanted to. Or just sleep with her.”

  I let out a breath. “I know that I could, technically, but we both saw how she reacted to me. I don’t think there’s any making up for my terrible first impression.”

  “Never say never.”

  “She’s on Jack’s side.”

  “There aren’t sides,” Emma says. “Not everything is a competition.”

  She means well, but Emma is wrong. Between Jack and me, everything really is a competition. It has been like that since we were kids. Our parents were great, don’t get me wrong, but they encouraged us to fight for what we wanted. Jack and I have been up against each other since I was old enough to walk. We tried out for the same sports teams, joined the same clubs, and even ran against each other for class president. I lost, because Jack is more of a people person than me. There have been very few competitions that I’ve actually won, come to think of it. First prize in every art show from elementary school through college, and the occasional sports trophy when Jack couldn’t be bothered to try. Other than that, it’s always been the Jack show.

  That’s why it was surprising that, five years ago, our dad said that he wanted us to be the Co-CEO’s of his company. He had been the sole-CEO, but decided he wanted to step down and take on a lesser role in the company. I wouldn’t say president of the board and majority shareholder is necessarily a lesser role, but don’t try explaining that to my dad.

  Jack had been working in accounting and I had been working in marketing when Dad made the decision, which is why the distribution of work was so easy. I cover the creative side while Jack takes care of the money side. We work surprisingly well together when Jack isn’t convincing the board not to listen to my ideas.

  I don’t think he does it out of spite. I think Jack just likes to win, and he doesn’t like when I win.

  The elevator dings unexpectedly. We don’t get many visitors to the executive floor, unless they’re invited. Jack could have an investor coming in or something.

  However, when the doors slide open, my dad appears on the other side.

  I practically run over to him. From his glass office, Jack catches a glimpse of our father as well and scurries over to join us.

  “Dad,” I say. “What brings you up here? I thought you were golfing today.”

  My dad golfs a lot. He tried to get Jack and I to love the sport as much as he does, but that was one thing my brother and I agreed on. Golf is boring, and we avoid it like the plague.

  “Can’t a man come visit his company without an ulterior motive?” Dad asks, a mischievous grin on his face.

  “A normal man can,” Jack says. “Not you. What gives? Is everything okay?”

  Dad waves Jack off. “Of course, of course. All is well. I’ll have you know, I did nine holes this morning.”

  I check the clock. It’s only ten, which means Dad was out on the course early. That’s another reason I can’t handle golf. They always play so early. I’m not a morning person. It’s a miracle I get to the office at nine, and I live right next door. The penthouse apartment is nice, but it’s also convenient when I need to roll out of bed five minutes before I’m expected at the office.

  “How did you play?” I ask. It’s best to feign interest when my dad starts talking about golf. I learned that years ago. “Beat the course record yet?”

  “You know I hold the record, Camero
n,” Dad says, but he’s laughing. “I played okay, but I was a bit distracted. There’s something I want to discuss with you. Can we take a seat in the conference room?”

  I nod and we follow Dad into the glass room. Dad takes his usual seat at the head of the table, so Jack and I sit next to him on each side. Normally we’re next to each other, but this isn’t a board meeting so there’s no assigned seating. That I know of.

  “So, Dad, what’s going on? Planning on retiring for real?”

  Dad chuckles. “Not for a long time, son. But I have been thinking about the company and how it’s run. When I made you co-CEO’s five years ago, it was never supposed to be permanent. It was more like a test.”

  That doesn’t surprise me, but Jack’s brows go up. Our dad has been testing us our entire lives. Why wouldn’t this promotion be a test, too?

  “You boys work well together, which was a pleasant surprise. You’ve always been at each other’s throats, but you’ve done great things for this company. That being said, I don’t think we need two CEO’s.”

  Jack gasps. I wait for Dad to continue. There’s always more to it when it comes to our father.

  “I ran this company on my own for thirty-five years. Even though the company is grown, I think it’s time we go back to the original model. Which means only one CEO.”

  “Dad, are you firing us?”

  “No, no,” Dad assures Jack. “I’m simply… motivating you. I’ve already discussed this with the board in a private meeting. Since it concerned you, the meeting was perfectly legal. I checked with counsel.”

  Of course, he did. Dad always covers his bases. I get that from him. It’s why I thought I had the solar panels in the bag. If I had Dad’s personality, too, then I would have.

  “I don’t want someone else to come in and try to take the reins from you. Like I said, I think you’ve done a great job as a team. Which is why I want one of you to continue on as the sole CEO, starting on November first.”

  That’s just over a month away. It also marks the switch from fall to winter in our campaigns, and the weekend of the team bonding day out. Dad sure knows how to pack a lot into one period.

  “So which one of is it?” Jack asks. His impatience has always driven Dad insane. Jack gets that from our mother, who won’t even wait in a line if there is more than one person already in it. I remember when I was little, we would go to the grocery store and she would only go to a checkout lane if the only person there was already almost done.

  Dad smiles. I know that smile. He’s up to something. “That’s the beauty of it, Jack. I don’t know who it will be!”

  “What?” I ask. “You’re going to make us compete?”

  Dad rubs his hands together. It’s far less annoying than the weird clapping thing that Jack does. “Yes, I’m going to make you compete! Come on boys, you expected nothing less from your father.”

  Jack meets my eyes. It’s true, we should have seen this coming. I suspected something of the sort, but I hoped I was wrong. I’d rather Dad just pick one of us and tell the other to go home. It’s not like we have to work. Between the trust funds our parents set up for us and the salaries we make as CEO, we’re well off enough that we could live out our lives comfortably. I’d go crazy, though, and Jack is far too into beating me to give it up.

  “So how is this going to work?” I ask.

  “I’m glad you asked, Cameron!” Dad says. He pulls a sheet of paper from his breast pocket. “We have four Fridays before November first. On each of those Fridays, I expect you to provide me with a proposal of no less than ten pages outlining something you would implement to better the company. It can’t be anything you have already brought to the board, though. I’m looking for new ideas. On the fourth Friday, you’ll present a full proposal with four different ideas, how you would implement them, and why they would make our company shine. I’ll decide, with the help of a few impartial judges, who has the best ideas. Whoever wins will be the new sole CEO.”

  It takes me a few minutes to process the game, but once I do, I know I have this in the bag. While Jack blocks everything I attempt, I’m the only one of the two of us who has actually tried to make any changes to the company. I have plenty of ideas stowed away on my computer that the board hasn’t seen yet. This is going to be a breeze.

  “Do you both understand?” Dad asks. His voice is stern, which means there’s no arguing. Jack looks like he wants to give it a shot, but smartly decides against it.

  “Yeah, we got it,” Jack says. “You’re going down, Cameron.”

  I look him in the eyes. For once, there’s no way Jack is beating me. This competition, and this position, are mine.

  “You’re on, Jack,” I say. “You’re on.”

  5

  Melody

  I’m flipping through the packet of papers Jack left me this morning when he exits the conference room. Cameron follows behind, and their father is behind him. What could they have been talking about? Is it normal to have family meetings in the executive conference room?

  I’m dying to talk to Mr. Colter and ask him about how he started his company. If I could get just twenty minutes of his time, I could probably have everything I need to achieve my dream.

  I shake away the thought. I’m here to learn, and that takes time. I can’t just take the easy way out. Besides, I’m pretty sure if I used Mr. Colter for information and then started my own company, I’d get sued for stealing trade secrets or something. I want to make it happen on my own without any legal gray areas.

  Cameron heads to his office with his shoulders high and what looks like an actual smile on his face. In the time I’ve known him, I’ve never seen that. It’s only been a day and a few hours, but still. Normal people smile a lot more than he does.

  Whatever the meeting was, it must have been good. For Cameron, at least. Jack doesn’t seem as happy when he makes his way back over. He walks into his office without a word to me, but he leaves his door open. I take this as a sign that it’s okay to go in.

  “Can I ask what that meeting was about?” I say, taking a seat across from Jack. “Is everything okay?”

  “My dad wants to combine Cameron’s and my roles into a single CEO position,” Jack explains. “And he’s making us compete to win the spot. We have to submit a proposal every week for four weeks on something we would do to make the company better.”

  My jaw drops. “Is that even legal?”

  “It is when the company is still technically family owned,” Jack says. “Dad can do whatever he wants. This is insane, but it’s not out of character for him.”

  “Well, you look worried, but I have no idea why. You have this in the bag. I saw the solar panel proposal you came up with. Is that going to happen? It was really well done; I can’t imagine it got shut down.”

  Jack scrunches his face for a second but recovers quickly. “The board thought the cost wasn’t worth it right now. We have too much going on. In a few years, though, we’ll probably do it. Did you really think that was good?”

  I nod furiously. I read over the ten-page booklet yesterday. It included a crazy amount of research, all the financials, testimonials for different solar panel companies, plus a full page of why it would make sense for a company that prides itself on being green to have their factories run on solar power. I would have voted yes if asked. I can’t believe the board voted no.

  “I hope it happens,” I say. “I think you have something here. Is this going to be one of the things you present for the competition?”

  Jack shakes his head. “I can’t. Dad said none of our submissions can have been seen by the board.”

  “No worries,” I say. “If you came up with this, you can come up with anything. Do you want to bounce some ideas off me?”

  Jack studies me. “Really? I know I gave you a lot to do today. Are you sure you have time?”

  I smile at him. He really is handsome in a rugged kind of way. Plus, he has a great personality. That’s what you need in a guy. If I’m no
t careful, I might start to fall for Jack.

  “I’m your assistant, it’s my job to assist you. So run some ideas by me!”

  My boss opens up his laptop and looks for something. I’m assuming he has a file of ideas on his computer, ready to present them to board when he’s ready.

  “Okay, so what about using recyclable paper packaging instead of the foil we use now?”

  I bite my lip. “It sounds good in theory, but the chips get kind of greasy. The bags would have to be lined with something. Maybe wax? But that would affect shipping, because if it gets too hot, it’ll melt. So I just don’t know if it would work.”

  Jack sighs. “Yeah, I think you’re right. What about shifting our focus away from pretzels and making our line entirely chips? They’re more cost effective to produce.”

  I cringe. “But Snax is known for pretzels! I think you’d lose too many buyers if you stopped making the pretzels.”

  “True. Okay, how about this one? We move production of packaging to the United States.”

  My face lights up. “That’s genius, Jack. The chips and stuff are made here already, so having the packaging made here would make the company even more appealing to US stores. You know you could get into those smaller chains that only take fully US-made products.”

  “Perfect! I’ll work on this one, then. Thanks, Melody. I’ll let you know if I need any other help.”

  Jack holds up his hand for a high five and I slap my palm against his. Did that really just happen? Was I part of his decision? Could I have possibly influenced the future CEO of Snax?

  There’s no doubt in my mind that Jack is going to win this competition. He has a brilliant mind, as made evident by the solar panel idea. Maybe, as sole CEO, he’ll be able to get more of his ideas put into practice. I bet Cameron tries to stop anything Jack suggests. He seems like the kind of guy who needs to be right all the time and hates when other people try to outdo him.

  I shiver. Cameron is the worst. For the millionth time in two days, I am grateful that I work for Jack. I just hope he keeps me on for the full two years in my contract when he gets promoted to sole-CEO.