Samantha in Singapore

by Alex Jamieson

  I set aside my concerns about their lifestyle as a taxi took us to the high-rise office tower that serves as the headquarters for Smithson-McDougall. In the lobby, we gave our names at the reception desk and were told we were expected. Within minutes a stunning young Asian woman came out of the elevators and, with a wide smile, she exclaimed “Mr. and Mrs. Fielding, what a great pleasure to meet you. I’m Lin, Mr. Smithson’s P.A. Let me take you up to the executive suite. They are waiting for you up there.”

  She ushered us towards the elevator bank, one of which had a sign saying EXECUTIVE SUITE ONLY. The doors opened, and once inside, the elevator seemed to hurtle skywards at an alarming rate. According to Lin, who was chatting away happily as we felt our breakfasts lurching in our stomachs, we were heading for the 55th floor. When the doors finally slid open after about ten seconds that seemed like ten minutes, we were confronted by the hub of power for Smithson-McDougall. The first impression was one of elegant minimalism. Clean lines, smooth surfaces, light colors, and massive windows that looked out over the spectacular cityscape of Singapore. We could see Tony sitting behind a massive desk in a glass-walled office in front of us. He had a phone to his ear but still gave us a warm smile and a wave.

  Charlotte came out of an office to the left of us and immediately came in for a hug. Did she treat all their employees this way?

  “You look great, Sam.”

  “All your doing, Charlie. You were the one who convinced me on the “sexy boss” outfit. It was hardly my normal style.”

  She and Tony seemed to have taken us under their wings to a remarkable extent. As I was pondering the situation, Tony came striding from his office. It struck me that here, as master of his domain, he exuded raw power. His amazing looks, his imposing height, and his conspicuous confidence all combined to create one of the most imposing human specimens I’d ever encountered. Just like Charlotte, he took us both into warm hugs without any sign of self-consciousness. At least on his part. I think it’s fair to say that Jake and I felt a little uncomfortable. Not because it felt sexual in any way but just because this was our new work environment and we were unsure of protocols.

  “Do you want coffee or water or anything,” he asked, “or do you want to get this show on the road.”

  “I, for one, am eager to see my new office and meet my team.”

  “Good for you Sam… come on then, let’s go.”

  We stepped towards the elevators, and this time, we didn’t take the dedicated one that shuttled between the executive floor and the lobby. The four of us rode down to the 35th floor. Tony strode purposefully ahead, and I did my best to keep up while Charlotte and Jake brought up the rear.

  “This is where you will be Sam. The financial and risk analytics department has this whole floor. You will have six direct reports, and the whole division is almost thirty people strong. Everyone is expecting you today, but they know you won’t be allowed to start work for two months. I hope you’ve put together a few well-chosen words of motivation for everyone this morning.”

  Well-chosen words! Holy shit. I wasn’t told that I was expected to address my staff, but, if I thought about it, I suppose it was the natural thing to do. I’d only really worked with a couple of other people and certainly never had a staff of thirty. My knees almost buckled at the thought of making a speech. Jake glanced over at me, sympathetically. Neither of us had given much thought to what this meet-and-greet would entail.

  “Let’s introduce you to your direct reports first.”

  Tony stuck his head into several offices and one by one my senior staff assembled in the reception area. A couple eyed me warily; the body language of another indicated genuine animosity, and I recall wondering if he had applied for my job and been passed over. Two of them were immediately open and friendly, while the last one looked as if he was on an entirely different plane of existence and had no idea what he was doing there. The joys of leading a team of mathematics geniuses.

  The six quants who would report directly to me were a truly international bunch. I was disappointed to see only one female member of the team. She was a plain young woman named Liliane, who was a Cambridge-educated, math genius from London. As I shook her hand, I asked if I may call her Lily.

  “No, I’m sorry, but that’s not acceptable.”

  Off to a good start with Liliane then.

  What is it about so many exceedingly smart people? They often seem to have poorly developed social skills.

  Next up, I met Nathan, an American from Boston, who was a Rhodes Scholar.

  Once I’d shaken hands with all six, the reality finally sunk in. I’d just met some of the brightest minds in the field of risk analytics, and I was supposed to be their boss? Shit!

  Despite some of the reticence that radiated from some of the team, Nathan and one of the other guys, Pete I think his name was, were really welcoming. I was strangely aware, for the first time ever, of how their eyes raked over me as I chatted with them, dressed in the new “sexy-boss” outfit that Charlotte had convinced me to buy. They saw me as their boss, but it was obvious they also saw me as a woman. This Singapore opportunity was really opening my eyes to my own power.

  “Do you have any words of wisdom for your new team, Samantha?”

  Tony had put me on the spot, and after making a few clichéd comments about teamwork, I noticed Liliane rolling her eyes. Not the most auspicious of starts.

  #####

  “I don’t want you to be disappointed about the space where you’ll be working Jake, but the ideal location for a full virtual reality studio turned out to be the basement. It works from a soundproofing viewpoint but also for the privacy that’s needed for the development of adult content.”

  Tony and Charlotte took us down in the elevator, and we noticed that the buttons indicated only three possible stops… BASEMENT, LOBBY, and EXECUTIVE FLOOR. When we arrived in the depths of the building, we stepped out of the elevator and into a state-of-the-art studio, apparently comprised of three areas. An amazingly equipped control room that looked like something from NASA, a large administrative office that adjoined it, and the performance studio itself. The control room had a window that looked down on the performance area, which was effectively a large matte black box. Black walls, black floor, and black ceiling. The contents of the room seemed to be all comfortable furnishings in a plain, mid-grey color. As Tony led us into the control room, we could see the perspective of the performance studio from that of the director of the action.

  He explained that the control room was equipped with multiple screens, maybe ten in all, to show the action from the dozens of special VR cameras positioned in the studio to capture every possible angle of the action.

  “We have decided philosophically that our business model needs to be highly focused on the tether-free, more expensive end of the market that requires more powerful systems that deliver high-quality experiences. We don’t really see the opportunity in the cheaper systems that work with mobile phones. We’d love to find the killer app that consumers simply can’t live without. To that end we’ve invested in the most expensive equipment on the market and Jake, it’s all yours to work with as you see fit.”

  “The company has also invested in several V.R. multiplayer rooms here in the city. They can be used as testing grounds with a select group of gamers who have been recruited for the purpose.”

  I could see from Jake’s face that he thought he’d died and gone to heaven. His perfect job. But what did I think of my husband getting to watch “adult action” from such a close-up point of view? Let’s face it, you could call it whatever you liked, but at the end of the day, it was porn. Whether it was to be soft-core or hard-core hadn’t really been defined as far as I was aware, but I wasn’t naïve enough to think that Jake wasn’t going to be watching naked people getting intimate.

  The glass viewing window slanted at an acute angle to look down on all the action in the studio. Looking down, we could now clearly see that the room was dominated by an enor
mous bed that looked the size of two conventional king-size beds pushed together. Two sofas, an ottoman, a straight-backed wooden chair and a few oddly incongruent Doric columns, were the only other contents of the space.

  As Tony was proudly explaining the exceptionalism of the equipment in the facility, a door at the back of the control room opened. I hadn’t even spotted it before we heard the click of the handle. Through the open door a good sized office was visible; presumably the administrative office for this new venture. I could feel my eyes go wide as two exceedingly handsome young men came out of the office with the most welcoming smiles on their faces. A bit different to the welcome I received up in the Risk Analytics Department.

  “Jake. Let me introduce you to your team. The entire team will be just three people as V.R. is not a labor-intensive pursuit. To support your vision, we have recruited two of the best V.R. software engineers in the world. Guys, why don’t you introduce yourselves to Jake.”

  The first young man stepped forward to shake Jake’s hand and, as soon as he spoke, I recognized a definite French accent. He was very tall, maybe six four, and looked to be athletically muscular under the plain white T-shirt and jeans he was wearing. Extremely dark-skinned, he explained that he was a second-generation Frenchman of West African heritage. He had grown up in Paris, and his parents were both doctors.

  “My name is Jean-Claude Ondega, but people usually call me either JC or just J. I’m happy with either.”

  I stepped forward to meet him as well, and he took my hand, that seemed tiny and pale against his, firmly is his large grasp. He looked me directly in the eyes and made an appreciative sound that’s hard to put into words, before telling me what a pleasure it was to meet me. For no apparent reason, I found myself blushing with embarrassment, and I caught Charlie looking at me quizzically. I stepped back quickly but couldn’t resist another quick glance at the exceedingly handsome young black guy with model-like good looks who had made me blush just by looking me in the eye and shaking my hand.

  As I regained my composure, I realized that Jake’s other handsome colleague was being introduced. He had a very Mediterranean look about him with wild black hair curling back to his shoulders surrounding a Romanesque set of exquisitely chiseled features. He was undeniably very good looking but in much more of a quintessential techie nerd sort of way. Black-rimmed glasses added to the academic look of him. He introduced himself as Paolo Pinetti and told us he was from Milan. He’s of more average height… maybe around six feet tall, like Jake. When Paolo took my hand, he tilted his head expressively, and I was dreading that he was going to kiss it in some display of Italian chivalry. Luckily the knowing head tilt didn’t develop into anything further.

  #####

  “Lunch.” Charlotte was back in control. “There’s a great place for dim sum about two blocks away. Then when we’ve gorged ourselves, I want to take you to see the two potential apartments. Tony has to get back to his office, but my driver will take us to the two properties.”

  #####

  Once we were seated and comfortable at the opulent Chinese restaurant that Charlie had suggested she started peppering us with questions.

  “So, what did you think to your teams?”

  I decided to be completely honest.

  “Well, let me weigh in first. I didn’t find my group to be the warmest of individuals. Admittedly I’ve worked in this field for long enough now that I recognize how remote many mathematicians can be. Nathan and Pete seemed nice, but I think Liliane and I got off on the wrong foot. And what was the name of the guy who kept glowering at me during the whole introduction session?

  “That’s Clive. He applied for your role, but we turned him down. He’s not a happy camper, and I suspect he may be gone before you officially start work. Even the most antisocial quant gets job offers constantly, so I think he’s likely to jump ship.”

  Tony was being honest in return, which was a good sign.

  “When it comes to Jake’s team, I don’t really know what to say.”

  “Of course you do,” laughed Charlie, “J is the hottest thing you’ve ever seen, and even Paolo is enough to make a woman tingle. You probably wish you’d gone into V.R. rather than quantitative analytics right about now.” She threw her head back a let out a snorting laugh that seemed so uncharacteristic of her.

  “CHARLOTTE. I don’t…”

  “You don’t what? You don’t agree?”

  “I never said that but…”

  I caught Jake looking at me questioningly and saw him as my only salvation.

  “What did you think of your team, Jake?” Not a particularly subtle segue but at least I’d deflected Charlie’s embarrassing questions.

  Tony too seemed to sense my discomfort, and he stood up.

  “I’m afraid I need to get back to work. I have a meeting with the Finance Minister this afternoon. Good luck with the apartment hunting. Don’t let Charlie influence you too much. This will be your home, and it’s important that it’s what you want, not what she wants you to want.”

  His wife slapped him playfully on the arm.

  “You make me sound like a manipulative control freak.”

  He just raised his eyebrows and stared at his stunning wife. We all dissolved into laughter.

  “If you don’t like either of the properties there are thousands more out there. You don’t need to decide this afternoon. Even on this quick trip, you’re still here for another nine days. Plenty of time. I’ll see you both soon. He leaned in and gave me another warm hug.

  I really liked this couple.

  #####

  Charlie’s driver was magically right outside the restaurant when we came out after lunch. I’d seen no means of communicating with him, but he was right there waiting.

  “Robertson Quay first, I think. It’s the closer of the two,” she instructed her driver. As we weaved through the traffic in the CBD, she told us a little about the place we were going to see.

  “It was Tony’s home before we were married and to be honest, I think it screams bachelor pad. It’s a beautifully laid out penthouse apartment, but the location to me seems custom-designed for singles.

  “Now listen to me, I’m doing exactly what Tony told you I’d do, and giving you my perspective without letting you make up your own minds. Sorry.”

  “It’s fine,” laughed Jake,” we want to get all the perspectives we can… we’re strangers here remember.”

  When the driver pulled up at a complex right by the river, we could immediately see what Charlie had been talking about. The area was crammed with high-rises and at street level was a huge array of restaurants, nightclubs, bars, and shops. The place was a hive of activity. We walked into the gleaming lobby of one of the buildings, and an elevator took us to the top floor, the 40th, where a set of double doors were the only thing in the sleek elevator vestibule.

  Charlie pulled an electronic key card, like the ones in hotels, from her bag, and opened the door to the apartment. It was huge. We entered directly into a seemingly vast, open-plan living room/dining room/kitchen that was enclosed on three sides by floor-to-ceiling windows. The views down to the river below were unbelievable and looking further out we saw the entire CBD, down-river. The unnerving thing, however, was that there were so many other high-rises around us that it was a bit like being in a goldfish bowl. Jake and I looked at each other, and we both knew, without looking at the rest of the place, that this wasn’t our style.

  Out of politeness, we toured the master suite and two other bedrooms and bathrooms; we listened to the details of the on-site gym, and swimming pool, and we nodded sagely at the parking details.

  As the tour came to an end, Charlie just looked at us with a half-smile as if to say I told you so.

  “Okay. So now it’s Ardmore Park.”

  And off we drove again. We recognized Orchard Road as we crossed the city and entered the Tanglin area. The whole feel of the neighborhood was different. Tree-lined streets with little commercial development
and, strangely, for being in the center of a major metropolis, a sense of peacefulness. We pulled up in front of a building that looked to be about twenty stories tall, and as soon as we got out of the car, we were struck by the quietness. It was like an oasis in the middle of the sensory overload that is Singapore.

  Charlie took us into the building, and the two, impeccably dressed, guys on the front desk seemed genuinely happy to see her. Of course, this had been her home before she married Tony.

  “Miss Charlotte, Miss Charlotte,” the older of the two Chinese men exclaimed. “How wonderful to see you. What brings you back to see us?”

  “Well Stanley, I’d like you to meet my friends Jake and Samantha Fielding. It’s possible they could be moving into my old apartment, so I would rely on you to make them feel at home.”

  “We would treat them as if they are your family, Miss Charlotte,” gushed Stanley.

  We hadn’t even seen the apartment, but we were in love with the place already.

  When we reached the top floor penthouse, we barely needed to look at the layout of the place. We were just blown away by the view. There were few high-rises in the area, and the expansive panorama took in wide swathes of green. Charlie pointed out the proximity of the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

  “It’s the most serene place in the city, and it’s one of only two gardens in the world to have a UNESCO World Heritage Site designation. The orchid garden is my favorite… it’s almost emotional in there.”

  The privacy of the place was diametrically opposed to the experience in the Robertson Quay apartment. For a city as crowded as Singapore, this home provided privacy and tranquility.

  We toured the rest of the apartment, and there was nothing we could find to cast any doubt on the fact that this felt like our home. When we discussed it later, neither of us could believe how lucky we were to have an opportunity to live somewhere like this.

  At the end of the tour, I looked over at Jake. He was smiling broadly, and I could intuitively sense how he felt.

  “We don’t need to look any further Charlie. If you’re sure you can give up your old home, we would love to live here. It’s perfect.”