“Of course not,” Melody says. “I wouldn’t expect you to just give him your ideas.”
“I wasn’t saying… I didn’t mean…”
“I know it was my fault, okay? I’m sorry. I’m the one who switched the proposals. I won’t do that again, I swear.”
I put a hand on Melody’s shoulder. It’s awkward from where I am behind my desk, but it seems to get her attention. “I don’t blame you. Jack asked you to do something and you did it. That’s literally your job.”
She nods, but she still looks unsure. “Still, he probably wouldn’t have gone to your office himself…”
“We agreed to move on, didn’t we? Look to the future?”
“Yeah, okay.” I can tell it still bothers Melody that she facilitated my brothers cheating, but I don’t have time to dwell on that. Jack won’t be gone long. “So, I was thinking, that you can keep an eye on Jack. Make sure he doesn’t try to steal from me again.”
“You want me to spy on him?”
“No, no,” I say, though the answer is really yes. “You’d be more like… a double agent.”
Melody considers this for a second. “What exactly does that mean?”
“I’m thinking you’d still act like you’re on Jack’s side, but if he asks you to do anything sketchy, you’ll report back to me. Emma told you about our messenger, right? Jack doesn’t use it. We could communicate that way.”
Melody bites her lip. “I’m not so sure this is a good idea. Jack is still my boss and I don’t want to lose my job…”
She shifts around in her seat as her words register in my brain. I sit up straight. “I think we’re done here, then.”
“Cameron,” Melody says. “What just…”
I shake my head. “Jack will be back soon. You should be at your desk before he gets here.”
Melody nods and leaves without another word. I was harsh with her, and while I feel guilty, she deserves it. She made herself clear.
Melody doesn’t want to help keep an eye on Jack because she wants to keep her job. Which means she wants Jack to win the competition.
Which means she doesn’t really care that he’s a cheater.
11
Melody
I feel like the asshole now.
Cameron was asking me for help and I completely blew him off. Why? Because I’m afraid of losing my job? I don’t deserve to work here, anyway. Jack shouldn’t be a co-CEO at all. He shouldn’t have a job. He blatantly stole his brother’s work!
How long has this been going on? Cameron made it seem like Jack has always taken credit for as long as they’ve been co-CEOs. Did he do that when they were kids, too?
If this is what it’s like to have a sibling, I don’t want it. I’d much rather be an only child. Sure, it got lonely sometimes, but at least I never had a brother taking credit for my hard work.
I sigh so loudly that Emma looks over at me, concern painted on her face. “Is everything okay?” she mouths. She points to her laptop, indicating that I should get on the private messenger system she and Cameron have been using.
I shake my head. I don’t want to talk to anyone right now, let alone Cameron’s assistant. She was right about him the whole time. If I had listened to her, we wouldn’t be in this position.
Jack pops out of his office to ask me to go see Damian in accounting. I’m grateful for the escape. I can’t exactly avoid Jack since he’s my boss, but I don’t want to be around him anymore. How I ever found him attractive, even for a second, I have no idea.
“Afternoon, Melody,” Damian says when he sees me. “How’s it going?”
“Good. What do you have for me?”
Damian shrugs. “Jack asked me to get you the cost sheets for the factories with a special breakdown on wages. I’m not sure why, but it’s all yours.”
I scrunch my brow. What could Jack be doing with this? It probably has something to do with his next proposal.
I can’t let him steal whatever Cameron’s idea is, which means I need to know what Cameron is working on.
When I get back up to the executive office, Jack is gathering his coat. “Hey, can you make sense of those cost sheets and send me the spreadsheet? I have meetings out of the office for the rest of the day, but I want to take a look at that in the morning.”
“Sure thing, Jack Is there anything else you need me to do this afternoon?”
Jack thinks for a second. “No, that should be it. I think it’ll keep you busy. There are a lot of employees at each of the factories.”
A lot is an understatement. The spreadsheet Damian printed for me is a hundred pages long.
That gives me an idea. As soon as Jack is safely tucked into the elevator, I make my way over to Cameron’s office. Emma gives me a strange look, but nods to let me know he’s there. I knock and he lets me know I can come in.
I hold up the stack of papers to Cameron. “It’s not enough for a full proposal but imagine how much money you’d be saving if you didn’t print out every single spreadsheet.”
Cameron stares at me for a few seconds. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Every day since I started, Damian has given me a printed-out spreadsheet. Why can’t he send me the email? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Savannah preferred hard copies,” Cameron explains. “But you’re right, it is a waste. I’ll try to talk to them about it, but I don’t think it’ll be of any use. Jack doesn’t listen to anything I say.”
“I want to help you,” I blurt out.
Cameron blinks. “I thought you came to complain about wasting paper.”
“I did,” I admit. “But I also want to help you. He’s looking into the wages of factory workers. I don’t know why, but I bet it has to do with his proposal.”
“That asshole,” Cameron mutters. “My proposal is on adjusting employee breaks at the factories so they get more breaks staggered throughout the day. He’s probably looking at the wages to see if the changes to breaks will affect the cost of the employees.”
“He’s smarter than I thought,” I say. “I’m not going to help him this time. I swear.”
“I believe you. I never thought you did it on purpose. Well, I did at first. I don’t anymore.”
I nod. “So I want to help. Tell me how I can help make sure he doesn’t get your work.”
Cameron types something on his computer. A few seconds later, Emma is joining us in the office.
“What’s up, guys?” she asks.
“We need to come up with a plan for protecting my proposal.”
“Well, we’re already keeping it under lock and key. You’re not using your work email to talk about anything related to the proposal. I don’t know what more we can do.”
“It’s not enough,” I say. “Jack will find a way. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has keys to your desks.”
Cameron’s eyes widen. “Wait, did you see him with keys?”
I shake my head. “No, I’m just saying. He’s devious. He got me to switch out the proposals. Who knows what else he’s capable of.”
“She’s right,” Emma says. “We need to be extra vigilant for the next month.”
We think for a few minutes. I’m beginning to think it’s useless when the solution comes to me.
“We should hide a dummy proposal.”
“What?” Emma asks, blinking a few times. We’ve all been lost in thought for at least ten minutes. It takes a second for us to come back down to Earth.
I start to pace around the small office. “It’s perfect. Cameron, keep your real proposal at home. Don’t bring it here at all. But you and Emma work on a small, fake proposal here. Lock it in your desk, but make sure Jack knows where it is. He’ll either take the bait and turn in the fake proposal, or he won’t get his hands on the real one because it’s at your house.”
Cameron thinks over my plan. “This could actually work, except there’s one problem. I barely have time to work on the real proposal, and Emma has to plan our employee day out. I don’t thin
k we’ll be able to come up with a fake plan on top of my real one.”
“I already gave you the fake plan!” I say, grinning. “Just bullshit ten pages on why we should stop wasting paper in the office.”
“Wait, that’s genius,” Emma says. “I can do that easily. It won’t take me more than an hour. Then we can just fake work on it, handing it back and forth, until Friday.”
I nod, but Cameron still looks unsure. “Jack is smart, you guys. I don’t know if he’ll fall for this.”
“That’s the beauty of it,” I say. “It doesn’t matter if he falls for it. If he does, then great, he’ll turn in a shitty proposal. But if he doesn’t, he’ll just have to turn in his own work. We all know it won’t be as good as yours, Cameron.”
If I wasn’t sure that Cameron is not the blushing kind, I’d think there were pink spots forming on his cheeks. “Do you really think this will work?”
Emma and I both nod. “I really do,” I say.
He studies me for a few more seconds before finally agreeing to give it a try. “It’s better than nothing,” Cameron says. “Emma, get the proposal ready. Make it look decent but not so good that it has any chance of winning.”
“On it, boss!”
Emma leaves the office immediately. Cameron and I look awkwardly at each other.
“I should get back to work,” I say. “Jack left me a hundred pages of spreadsheets to go over.”
Cameron winces. “I’m sorry. Do you need help?”
I shake my head. “I’ve got it. Thanks, though.”
I go back to my desk and work until five thirty, which is when I finally manage to get through the spreadsheets. I’ve created a different sheet for each factory, and I’ve highlighted the wages, putting a special focus on hours and breaks. Jack is going to be thrilled. The thought makes me sick.
As I’m getting into my car to go home, my phone rings.
“Drinks tonight?” Daniela says as soon as I answer. “I need girl time.”
“Sure. I’ll meet you at the Pub.”
Less than a half hour later, Daniela and I are enjoying beers at our favorite table at the Pub.
“So what’s up,” I ask. “Is everything okay?”
Daniela laughs. “Yeah, yeah. It’s just, there are so many male doctors at the hospital. Then I come home and it’s just George. I’ve been in testosterone land for too long. Please, share your estrogen with me.”
“That’s a weird thing to say,” I tell her. “But yes, I’m here to share my estrogen. How are things at work?”
“Boring,” she says. “Let’s talk about you. We both know you can’t handle it when I start discussing my work.”
That’s true. I’ve always had a weak stomach. When we were in college, Daniela told me, in detail, about a procedure she had to do on a cadaver. I threw up all over her living room carpet. She’s never forgiven me for that.
“Well,” I say. “My work actually has been pretty exciting.”
“No more spreadsheets?”
“So many spreadsheets,” I say with a laugh. “But there has been drama.”
I haven’t seen Daniela since our last trip to the Pub because she was on call all weekend, so I fill her in on what she missed. She gasps when I tell her Jack stole the proposal from Cameron.
“So, yeah. It turns out my boss is the actual jerk in the office. Cameron really isn’t that bad.”
Daniela studies my face. “You like him.”
“What?” I sputter. “Out of that whole story, that’s your takeaway?”
She smirks. “You didn’t say no.”
She has me there.
“I don’t like him. I find him attractive, that’s all.”
“Oh, right. That’s all.”
“I’m serious!” I say, my voice a bit too loud. The three other patrons in the Pub on a Monday night stare at us. I continue a bit quieter. “I was wrong about him, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to date him.”
Daniela is skeptical, but she lets it drop. At least until we’re leaving, and she says, “Hey, maybe you won’t be dateless to the Halloween party after all.”
It takes me a few seconds too long to realize she’s talking about Cameron. By the time my head catches up, Daniela is already in her car on her way home, so I don’t even have a chance to tell her she’s wrong.
Though, if I’m being honest, a big part of me hopes she might be right.
12
Cameron
My legs shake under my desk. Dad is out golfing today, which means he won’t be collecting our proposals until this afternoon.
I check the clock for the hundredth time today. It’s only noon. Emma and Melody should be leaving for lunch right about now.
Outside my window, I catch a glimpse of the two young women exiting the building and heading for their favorite food truck. Melody is wearing the same type of outfit she wears every day, but she looks extra beautiful today.
My heart thuds in my chest. Since Monday, Melody and I have been spending more time together. She comes to sit with Emma regularly, and she gives me a sweet smile when I make an excuse to leave my office. I’ve gone on random supply runs all week. Emma rolls her eyes every time I walk by, because she knows what I’m doing. I haven’t needed ink for my printer or new pens or copies of an outdated ad. What I have needed is Melody.
I blow out a breath. I have no idea if she’s feeling the same as me. I’ve never had to wonder so much with women. Unfortunately, most are after my money, but Melody isn’t like that. She could not care less about my billionaire status. That makes it harder to know if she cares about me at all, though.
At quarter after twelve, it’s time to put our plan into action. Melody, Emma, and I decided that we needed to make sure Jack has a chance to take the bait we left. He knows where I locked up the fake proposal. Now I need to leave my desk long enough for him to steal it.
“Do you want anything from the taco truck?” I ask Jack through his open door. “I’m starving.”
Jack laughs. “Yeah, get me three chicken. Thanks, man.”
“No problem.”
The plan is in motion. I make my way downstairs and out to the park where the taco truck waits for me. I really was starving. I order some tacos for myself, and the three for Jack, and start back towards the building. Pretending like I hadn’t seen them, I turn and notice Emma and Melody sitting on a bench. I walk over to chat with them.
Jack is probably watching us. I want to give him enough time to get in and out of my office.
“Enjoying lunch?” I ask Emma and Melody.
“Yeah. How about you?”
I hold up the bag of tacos. “I’m eating up in the office. I have a lot of work to do.”
The women nod. “Do you think he’s watching?”
“For sure,” I say. “I think we need to give him five more minutes. What else can we pretend to talk about?”
“The weather sure is nice,” Melody says. “I love fall.”
I chuckle. “I love it, too.”
We look around to take in the colors of the trees and the cool air. It’s sweater weather, which is the best weather in my opinion. Melody seems to agree.
As she continues to stare at the scenery of the park, I find myself staring at her. Her clothes hug her curves perfectly. Her face is soft and sweet. Her lips are kissable…
“I think my five minutes are up,” I say. “He’ll get suspicious if I’m gone too long.”
“Good luck. Don’t check until we get back,” Melody says.
It’s hard, but I avoid the drawer until Melody and Emma get back from lunch. Jack scarfed down his three tacos and then left for a meeting with a vendor. Melody, Emma, and I are alone.
“Are you ready?” Melody whispers from her desk.
Emma and I laugh. “You don’t have to whisper,” Emma says. “He’s gone.”
“It feels more official if we whisper.”
“Fine,” I say, my voice low. “We’ll whisper. Now get over here.”
<
br /> Emma joins us and it’s finally time. We stand behind my desk and stare at the drawer. It’s still locked, but that doesn’t mean anything. I keep the key on my desk.
“Do it,” Melody says. “He might come back soon.”
Her impatience is endearing. I unlock the drawer and open it. There’s a proposal inside, but it’s not the one we left.
“He fell for it!” Melody cries, abandoning her whisper.
We flip through the proposal. It’s the same basic ideas that we made up, but not as developed. Jack expects me to turn this in to our father? I may have fallen for his trick once, but it’s not happening again.
I high five Melody and Emma. “It worked!”
We hug and cheer, but the elevator causes us to jump apart. My dad walks into the executive office with a wide smile on his face.
“Good game?” I ask.
“One of my best,” he says. “I expect your proposal is better this time around?”
I hand him the real proposal on factory breaks. “I think you’ll find it all in order.”
“Thank you, son. Jack said he left his in a folder on his desk. I’ll be in the conference room until I’ve come to a decision.”
It takes my dad two hours to go over the proposals. My palms sweat. Did Jack somehow come up with something better? Did he trick us into thinking he fell for our scheme?
Jack doesn’t seem nervous. He came back an hour ago and now he sits nonplussed in his office.
Finally, Dad emerges from the conference room. I pretend like I was working, and not just pacing outside my office waiting for him.
Dad comes over to me first. “Well done, son. This plan is excellent. I think I’ll bring this to the board next week and have them implement the staggered breaks.”
“Really?”
He nods. “This is the kind of work I expected from you, Cameron. Keep it up. You win this week.”
“Yes!” I say. Emma and Melody jump.
Dad goes to give Jack the bad news. He’s pissed, as I knew he would be, and storms out of the office. Dad only shrugs and leaves, too.
Cocky S.O.B. Page 7