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White Male Page 3
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Not feeling very happy about facing Mr. Carter today, I did a very quick twenty minute run on the treadmill down stairs, then got ready; dressing in my favorite cream, sheath dress. If I got fired, I’d look good walking out of there.
While I did my hair, I reflected on the possible outcomes of our department meeting. He’ll likely try and show me up in some humiliating way, as a prelude to managing me out of his department and out of the company eventually. He’d already been trying to frustrate me for weeks. All those confusing prior incidents were falling into place as I saw clearly how he’d been intimidating me, so when the time came for him to make his move, I’d be ready and willing to comply. All I was to my boss was a convenient fuck that meant nothing, except an initiation for him to join the ranks of his predecessors.
I arrived at the office around 8.00am as usual, preferring to get in an hour early to avoid the humid, mid-summer, Georgia heat and get to our air conditioned office.
I had a cubicle in a space I shared with over forty other co-workers. Our entire Business Development department had around one hundred personnel working in sales, marketing, advertising, public relations and events. Mr. Carter's office was tucked away in a corner, with a panoramic view of the city. Since joining the department, I’d only been in there a few times; mostly when he called me to berate me, or when I was introducing him to a new client.
When I placed my bag in the cubicle, I noticed two other people had already arrived; the same two guys who often came early. One was setting up the coffee machine in the kitchen and the other was printing paperwork, obviously preparing for a long work day ahead.
As I walked towards the kitchen, I glimpsed Mr. Carter in his office, pacing up and down while talking on the phone. He seemed a little tense, like he might have been arguing with someone. He’d probably done that countless times before, but now after last night I was paying more attention and probably over-thinking everything. I shook my head, went to grab a mug and waited for the coffee to brew.
I prepared for my morning meeting, taking down relevant notes to present to the team and checking through responses I’d not followed up. By 8.45am, the pool office was full of company personnel preparing for the day. The same last two people to arrive in the morning were just walking in; a frazzled mother of three who’d recently divorced and a new dad whose red eyes from sleepless nights had been a daily feature for a few weeks.
By 8.55am we were all trekking to the conference room, with our notebooks and files. I sat down as far away as possible from where Mr. Carter would sit when he joined us.
The Senior Account Manager, Mr. Jack Baker, walked it at 9.00am sharp. After a brief good morning, he began to talk about our current figures, stats and information from the other departments that we needed to be aware of. A few minutes later, Mr. Carter opened the door and walked in. I tried to sink in my seat and be as small and invisible as possible.
He was radiating arrogance as usual, his brow slightly creased, a slim leather folder in his hand. He was wearing a black designer suit, cut in a trendy, slim-fit style; matching his black, slim tie. His muscular body was solid under his crisp white shirt. The entire look had the women and some of the men adjusting themselves when he walked into the room. I felt my nipples tightening as I remembered how last night I’d seen his six-pack tense and release as he powered into me on this very conference table. When he turned sideways to pull his chair out, I noticed his ass was firm and taut in his close-fitting pants. As usual, he disregarded that the meeting was already in progress and just simply took over to chair a meeting he was late for.
"Good morning everybody," he said without looking around the room.
He placed his folder in front of him and sat down at the head of the table.
"Jack, can we have the figures from Accounting about our progress this last week?"
Mr. Baker cleared his throat and repeated all the information he’d already told us, incorporating the additional information he was still to provide.
While Mr. Baker was talking, I looked up and stole a glance at Mr. Carter. He was concentrating on Mr. Baker and nodding along with some of what was being presented.
There was no hint of noticing me or anybody else for that matter. His focus was clearly on work matters.
I silently breathed a sigh of relief, but knew better than to let my guard down; he’d deal with me later, of that I was certain. I already suspected he’d likely send a letter with Janice his PA, or dismiss me through my immediate boss, Mr. Baker. Nobody got to hit their boss and kept working in their job. I silently kicked myself, wishing I hadn’t done something as stupid as sleeping with a member of the influential Carter family, then assaulting them. Getting on their wrong side was akin to ‘never working in this town again’. We still had to go around the room and individually discuss the key leads we were working on, along with progress on others. I’d decided to keep it to my top current prospect, to limit speaking for too long.
The meeting moved along and Mr. Carter began to go around the room asking each executive to discuss their premier clients. As we got closer to my turn, I began to squirm uncomfortably in my seat, although Mr. Carter did not so much as glance towards me. When he glanced in my direction, it was a sweeping look that covered everybody. I rarely lacked confidence, but this morning was putting me on edge.
Finally, Thomas, the guy next to me finished his report.
"Thank you, Thomas," Mr. Carter said. "Make sure you get the annual financial reports of your client so we can get more information on how they are doing."
"Thank you, sir," Thomas replied, rapidly scribbling his instructions on his notepad.
It was my turn. I waited for him to address me.
"Miss Williams," he said, looking directly at me for the first time that morning. "Let’s hear your progress."
Miss Williams? I wondered in bewilderment. He’d never addressed me as ‘Miss Williams’. He always called me Lena. And he didn’t address anybody else in the meeting by their formal title.
Oh so it’s like that, huh, I thought to myself. He is using a formal address because he obviously wanted to emphasize that this meeting was strictly business and would not be impacted by last night’s events; when he fucked me then I hit him. I played along.
"I have some great news," I began, feigning confidence. "The First Banking Trust is ready to partner with us to manage their unit trusts."
He interrupted.
"How many clients do they have?" I thought he sounded snappy.
"Err...," I shuffled through my documents to find the figure. From the corner of my eye I saw him appear impatient, leaning back into his chair as though I was wasting everyone's time. Normally I’d have all details prepared, ready to fire back quick answers; but our encounter last night had put me off balance. I tried to avoid glancing at the spot on the table where he laid me down and sucked on my clit hungrily, then turned me over to fuck me because he wanted to watch my juicy ass. I wondered where my underwear had gone...
"Miss Williams," he snapped, making me jump slightly. "I expect staff to prepare for these meetings and to be ready to answer all questions on the fly."
I looked up to see him showing obvious annoyance and looking at everybody but me.
"Sixteen thousand clients," I countered quickly. "They have sixteen thousand unit trusts consisting mainly of first time investors who will benefit from our advice and guidance. I believe we can convert a minimum fifty percent of those clients, bringing in an annual income of around $12 million dollars net."
The other account executives nodded and murmured their approval.
"Well?" responded Mr. Carter arrogantly. "That’s hardly our biggest client. However, what do you need the company to do to help you close this deal?"
I was alert and back on top of things, ignoring his belittling comment.
"I already took Mr. Baker and Mr. Wallace to meet with them and they’ve indicated they’re ready to sign, once we give them the additional paperwork they’ve
requested. I’d suggest a small cocktail event for them to meet with you and other senior decision makers in Strauss Carter in a social setting to form relationships; hopefully as soon as Friday before their Chief Finance Officer, Ernest Randall, goes on a major trip to the Himalayas."
I suddenly had his full attention for the first time since last night.
"How would you know their CFO is planning that?" he asked accusingly, his blue eyes narrowing coldly. “That’s something too personal for a person in that position to share.”
I didn’t understand why that’d upset him.
"When we met for lunch last week he told us about it," I answered, wondering why he was being a larger asshole than usual.
"Yes, I can confirm that," Mr. Baker interjected. "He mentioned that he was going on an expedition to Mount Everest for two months..."
"You were at the meeting?" Mr. Carter interrupted, looking directly at Mr. Baker.
"Yes, I was," he responded a little confusion showing on his face.
"Okay, then," Mr. Carter said, taking a deep breath. "Arrange the mixer, talk to the PR and Events teams. In fact, tell our guests to bring their wives or girlfriends or whatever, so we can turn on the charm."
He looked at me directly and added, "You should also all bring your partners, for a change."
"Sure, that sounds great," I replied, ignoring my heart flutter.
“Any other important news, Miss Williams?" He was no longer looking at me, focusing instead on the notes he was scribbling in his leather folder.
"The presentation you wanted yesterday; any further revisions?"
“No,” he replied curtly.
Chapter Four
When all the Account Executives had finished their Tuesday weekly updates, we all filed out of the conference room; headed for our cubicles. Mr. Carter remained seated with Mr. Baker in the conference room, having their own meeting. Most of the team was already preparing to head off to various client meetings offsite. I had a meeting in the afternoon so almost immediately began preparing the invitation list for the cocktail to pass on to the Events team before heading out. They’d handle everything including sending out invitations, arranging snacks and drinks and liaise with the hotel in the building next to us that we used for our regular company events.
After calling Events and giving them details, I had a few moments to think about Mr. Carter's behavior in the board room. He was being a total asshole, as usual. But today he was being particularly nasty. What was his problem? Okay, so we fucked and he regretted it; I understood that. I knew he disliked me from the moment I began working for him, seeing the way he was always so rude to me.
At the same time, I was trying to analyze his behavior last night; the way he’d speared my clenching sex with his tongue, giving me pleasure I’d never experienced in my life. He’d accused me of being a ‘cock-tease’; I’d never intentionally flirted with him, except for the embarrassing moment he’d caught me ogling him months ago, before I moved to his department. I cringed for weeks thinking about that incident, but it’d long since passed and he’d never mentioned it. All I knew was that this one-time hook up with my boss was something that would never happen again. I was lucky not to get fired on the spot, since he wanted me to proceed with a mixer for a client. What was I thinking last night?
Anyhow, I had to get past this and get back to work. He’d said we should bring dates to the mixer. I guessed it was part of his plan to scrap the time we spent together totally, if he wanted me to bring a date. I was okay with that; I didn't have a boyfriend, but there were lots of good guy friends I could bring. Beautiful black men were all over Atlanta and all I had to do was ask.
I found myself running a mental gamut over all the guys I knew might be available; guys I’d met at church or through my cousin Tamika when I first came to Atlanta. Jamal, perhaps? Mmm… he’d think we had something going on. I just had to call him to say ‘hi’ and he’d already start planning a hook up and pressuring me incessantly. Corey? Nah... He was gorgeous but a little too much on the casual side to be meeting business executives. That wouldn't be a big problem if he didn't talk too much. He’d probably shoulder bump my client, Mr. Randall upon greeting him. I thought about Big Ron... He didn’t work in formal employment but definitely lived a flashy life, driving a new Jag. Nope. If the clients asked him what he did for a living, it might get very awkward. I needed to think of someone in the corporate world who was polished, gorgeous and definitely black. My clients had to see that I was organized and my boss had to see that I had a beautiful future outside of him and his sexual advances.
Immediately, I thought of Gerry. He was my former colleague in Finance downstairs. He was 28 years old, had a Bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College and had also been recently promoted to Financial Analyst. We’d flirted a little but both of us had been too focused on advancing our careers to embark on a relationship, particularly because the company frowned on romantic relationships amongst co-workers. So the few dates we’d had and the single kiss we’d shared had fizzled out once I moved departments, with no hard feelings on both sides. It would also do him good to mingle with the company's top executives on a social level; I was certain he’d accept my invitation.
I called Gerry immediately and he was up for it. He sounded way more excited than I was, to be honest. I was sure my boss would be relieved I had a man in my life, despite Gerry and I being just friends. Mr. Carter and I probably both needed the pressure off, seeing as we’d both broken corporate rules of conduct. I was certain this was weighing heavily on his mind that he had sex with a subordinate, a black girl he employed. It was certainly something I was struggling with; I knew if it ever came out, the story would be about ‘the black girl who seduced the white boss to get ahead in the company’. All the work I’d done, my progress, my promotion, my list of clientele; would all be reduced to nothing.
Seeing as he wasn’t firing me just yet, I began thinking of sending Mr. Carter an apology for what’d happened; at least for the part where I’d hit him. I knew he was just as responsible for this as I was, but this was his company and perhaps I should break the ice. Maybe from there, we could truly move on with our lives as though this never happened. Right now, trying to just simply move on without addressing it was akin to the proverbial "elephant in the room" that nobody was acknowledging. I’d think of a way to solve this issue, while hopefully keeping my job.
Late afternoon, I made my way back through traffic from a client's office, glad the day was almost over. After last night's shenanigans, I’d decided not to work late for the rest of the week, to avoid bumping into Mr. Carter who also worked late quite often. He preferred to personally handle clients whose portfolios were in the billions, and that took a lot of work and planning. We all knew he put out as much work as he demanded from each of us, so a few of us had gotten into the habit of working longer hours to keep up. Being the youngest black female on the team, I felt I had to work twice as hard. Nobody told me I had to prove myself; I just knew it.
The office was winding down when I arrived back, with some people getting ready to leave, while others, also coming in from prospects looked like they were settling in for a bit longer, typing furiously on their computers.
I glanced towards Mr. Carter's office and noticed his door was shut. I asked my friendly colleague Justice, if he was still around, making sure I was deliberately nonchalant.
"Mr. Carter has flown to New York for a couple of days,” he told me, “I believe he’ll be back by Thursday evening."
Oh. Okay. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Tension I hadn't realized had settled over me slowly evaporated. For the first time in twenty four hours I felt relaxed and relieved. The fact that I had until Friday before I had to see him again, brought me much needed respite. When he came to the office Friday, he’d likely be too busy to be sitting around hovering over me. We had the mixer on Friday early evening for a couple of hours and that was it. Then I’d have the weekend to fully prepare myself for a complete
wipe and restart of this whole situation and by Monday, enough time would have passed and all would be forgotten.
With a spring in my step, I walked over to the network printer to fill it up with paper, getting ready to settle in for an hour of extra work.
"Hey, Lena," Justice called with a smirk on his face as he walked towards the exit. I turned around.
"Nice ass."
Wednesday and Thursday kept me busy with prospects, chatting to clients and following up on those who had queries and concerns. I was in close contact with the Events team, making sure everything for the mixer was on point. In comparison to the product launches, advertising campaigns and mega parties they often had to arrange, my cocktail mixer was a piece of cake and they had a standard arrangement ready to roll out.
We’d arranged an intimate crowd of thirty people, so it was small enough for everyone to get to chat with all who were invited. We had ten employees from our company along with our dates to make twenty. Five employees from First Banking Trust had been invited, together with their ‘plus ones’, bringing the total up to thirty. Each of us were meant to bring our partners to the event, although I knew a few would not.
First Banking Trust was sending their CFO Mr. Randall, together with some senior executives and assistants. Mr. Carter insisted that assistants and secretaries should always be invited to all high level corporate functions. He argued that they were often gatekeepers to their bosses, and when secretaries became friends with their counterparts, doors quickly opened, meetings with senior untouchables were much easier to arrange and tidbits of insider information would invariably reach us, giving us better preparation in negotiations.
Since my move to this department, I’d only been to one mixer for another Account Executive. Whilst I’d seen the value in arranging this type of event from the mileage we’d received and the relationships we formed, we hadn't been required to bring dates; so I knew my date would have to be just perfect seeing this was my client.