The Adventures of James Dean.

13.

I wandered out into the space normally occupied by my appointed parade of web designers, marketing team, and the all important creative department. It was eerily silent in here, but oddly comforting. I owned this place, the success of the many cogs in this team, rested on my shoulders. But so would any decline in that success. I rested my linked palms on the back of my head, taking a deep breath and quieting the chaos in my mind.

I hadn't seen her before, studiously working at a computer, but I did now. Kennedy sat in Janine's seat, head cocked to one side as she worked at something. As I came closer, she handed out a file, and I took it. I recognized the grey cardboard extending folder, I'd passed it to Janine a year ago, or maybe more. Inside were the contacts I'd been chasing for some time, but who had declined our business. Some of which would be at the party tonight. Janine had been given a little side project, a $500 bonus for every client she was able to sweet talk into at least giving us a meeting. A face to face chance to explain why we could change their fortunes. Why we were their ticket to more interest, more sales and ultimately more cash.

I slid open the file, curious as to why Kennedy was passing it to me. Janine hadn't been able to get one bite on a lead, and I hadn't blamed her. I was under the impression her feminine wiles might succeed where my magnetic personality didn't. A tour de force of attack. My eyes fell on the list, twenty two names I'd wanted to work with. That I still wanted to work with now. I've always been like a dog with a bone when I want something. Six companies were now ringed in black ink. I raised an eyebrow, questioningly.

'Janine's been too busy to show me the ropes, so she gave me that......I stayed up last night, learning about the company, and everyone I've highlighted, wanted me to make some appointments so you could meet with them....'

'They want to see me?' I couldn't believe this. But something about my tone must have sounded negative, even though in actual reality, I was elated.

'I'm sorry, I didn't know what I was doing, and Janine, she seems lovely, she does, she's just so busy and....'

'Stop. Kennedy. You did good.'

'I did?'

'Fuck yeah!' I couldn't take my eyes off the page. 'You scored me six potential new clients, that's a buck load of cash, Janine couldn't do it but it looks like you have the Midas touch....'

'Or beginners luck?' She said, uneasily, and I dropped the file low enough to make eye contact with her. 'Dont be modest woman, you did good. Really good. I'm impressed.'

She gave me a half smile and stood from her desk. 'Thanks, I guess I'll be off to lunch now....'

I hated the discomfort between us, the awkwardness, the uneasy gait she adopted around me. I needed to do something to ease it. I didn't know what, or why, but I knew I'd feel better if she was less antsy around me.

'When you get back from lunch head into my office.' I gave her the brightest smile I knew how, 'I have another little job for you.'

...................

In her absence, I set up a desk in my office for her. Janine was doing fine at tending to clients, getting them coffee and pastries, answering the phone and filing, as well as liaising with HR regarding staff vacation time and other admin matters. But I had a back log of paper work. I had notes from two meetings that needed typing up and I needed a second eye to look over two commercials I'd overseen that week. I wanted to see what she could do, I was hyped up over her phone calls and I felt energized, like electricity pumped through my veins. The instant she stepped into my office I knew there was another reason why I'd chosen to situate her here.

Call it my feeble attempt to get to know the devil herself, she was an unknown entity and in part, yeah that excited me. The pregnant part, not so much, but today I was looking at her differently. She had thrown herself in at the deep end, she'd taken on tasks Janine hadn't savoured. It was admirable. Yet again, she looked uneasy, unnatural, and ungainly if I'm honest. She hung in the doorway like someone who was headed towards the electric chair. Honestly, that's how she looked. And it creeped me out a little.