Rebound (7 page)

“That is not what I meant and you know it!” 

“I know what you meant, but the ‘normal’ boys are so boring, not to mention horrible in bed. You would be surprised what a little crazy can bring to the boudoir.” He wiggled his eye brows at her. “Enough about me. What is new in your world and how are you doing?” he asked that last question in his serious voice. He was still worried about
her
emotional stability.

“I am doing really good. The divorce is final at last, so that has actually been a relief. That whole process was excruciating. And I got that job I was telling you about.”

“OOOOOOHHH, I am SO HAPPPYYY !!!” Tristan said with a screech and some hand clapping. 

She told him the details. But she excluded the ones about Mr. Abbot, both his attitude and his aesthetic attributes. The truth of the matter is she was sick to death of talking about him. They continued to gossip until Tristan was finished with her hair. 

She loved how she felt after getting her hair done. She always left the salon feeling good about herself, and bottom line was it just made her feel pretty. They hugged and promised to go to lunch soon. She would make sure they kept that promise.  He was full of fun, positive energy and she wanted to surround herself with people like that. Plus she just loved him to pieces.

Chapter 9

Monday morning the alarm clock went off way too early. 

“Just five more minutes.” And she slammed on the snooze. Why did she always think five extra minutes would be just enough extra sleep to give her the boost she needed to start the day? It didn’t do squat, but prolong the inevitable. 

BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP, slam.

“Okay, I’m up, I’m up!”

She took an extra-long hot shower, one of her favorite things in the world, and she felt ready to take on the day. She decided to wear a deep royal blue fitted dress. The cut was very conservative, scoop neck well above the cleavage line, capped sleeves, and the hem hit just below the knees. After what happened Friday evening, she wanted to make sure her skin was covered. She wore heels in the same shade. She opted against the matching jacket because it was so steamy. Even people from hell wouldn’t visit Texas in July, it was just that freaking hot.

She was finally able to park in the garage. It would be so nice not to get into a four-wheeled sauna after work. She pulled into 1502B. She noticed that the space next to her was empty. 

Thank god!
 

She was glad she always got in before him. Just as that thought crossed her mind, a car pulled in beside her into slot 1502A. 

“Ahhh crap,” was all she said, but that about summed it up.

The driver in question was behind the wheel of a very sleek silver 7series BMW. 

It didn’t surprise her that he had a fancy car as well as a nice motorcycle. He probably had a slew of drivers at his disposal, not to mention a private jet…oh, and probably a yacht in the Hamptons, or some other pretentious place like that. She knew she couldn’t avoid walking into the building with him and he probably had come to the same realization. She grabbed her purse and got out. He did the same, minus the purse part.

“Good morning, Mr. Abbot.”

“Good morning, Ms. MacNamara. I trust you had a nice weekend.”

“Yes, thank you. And you?”

“As well as can be expected, here.” he said in that tone she just loooooved.

They got onto the elevator. 

Great. 15 floors of strained small talk
. 

“This may not be New York City, but we have a lot to offer. Great restaurants, bars, live music, art, just about anything you can think of really,” Katrine said.

“You really believe that, don’t you.” 

It was like he was patting her on the head, saying “aaah that’s just so cute,” and not in a good way.

This Captain Condescension routine is getting really old! How would you like a size 7 right up your keister, you mother f...Calm down, too early for violent thoughts....

She didn’t retort and thankfully the ding sounded and the door opened to their floor. She plowed forward, leaving him in her dust and unlocked the door as quickly as she could.

She went to her desk and as he passed he said, “I need to see you in 20 minutes so we can go over this week’s agenda.” 

That was all and he went into his office. Katrine let out a huge sigh and sat down. 

She took out her iPod and little portable speakers. She was going to need some serious music therapy to get through the next two months. She reviewed the notes Ellenor had left for her and decided to go make some coffee.

The coffee turned out to be positively revolting. It tasted as if it had been brewed with water from the River Ganges. She was so going to stop and grab a cup on the way in tomorrow. She’d rather pay four dollars for overpriced coffee than drink this swill. 

Oh, I am in a splendid mood.

She didn’t have time to listen to a pep talk song, so there was nothing she could do but grab her notes and head into Darth Vader’s office. 

She hummed Darth’s theme music in her head.
 

du du du, du da du du da du, du du du, du da du du da du. 

LUUUKE, LUUUUKE, I am an asshole ...

That made her grin. Well at least she was having fun coming up with different names to call him. 

Here goes
....

She walked into his office and heard that he was on the phone. She paused and was about to walk out, but he waved her forward. She took a seat.

“Yes, that is correct. We should have the details finalized by the end of the month. No, I don’t anticipate any road blocks. Is everything going smoothly in Geneva? Good to hear. The new assistant
you
chose has just stepped into my office, so I will need to let you go. Yes, fine, good bye.”

He hung up the phone, closed his eyes, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. It was obvious his father made him tense.

“I trust Ellenor had given you an extensive list of details regarding the acquisition. She assured me you would be up to speed,” he said and paused.

Oh, he wants me to speak.

“Yes, Mr. Abbot. What is on the docket for this week, sir.” she said, getting her pen ready.

“Other than the items that were already on the agenda, I need you to add a meeting with the lawyers towards the end of the week. Their offices would be preferable. Also the managing partners will be meeting with me here, tomorrow morning. We will be working through lunch, so that needs to be catered. Some assorted sandwiches will suffice. I will leave that up to you. Make any necessary adjustments to accommodate the new meetings.” 

Xander paused and looked back to his computer.

“That is all for now, as far as my schedule is concerned. Ellenor should be emailing you some financial reports this morning. That is the main priority today. I assume with your finance background, you will be able to handle this task without difficulty?”

Is he asking me or is this one of infamous rhetorical questions?

She wasn’t sure, but she decided to answer him anyway.

“Yes, sir. I will be more than capable of reviewing the financial reports and I look forward to the opportunity.”

He didn’t respond, but she was relieved that he seemed to be listening. His cell phone rang and he reached to answer.

“That will be all for now,” he said and took the call.

She had yet again been dismissed by his highness. That was the most verbal interaction they’d had since her interview.

Maybe next time he will actually speak to me, and not at me.

Katrine sat at her desk and decided to make sure everything was scheduled and ordered for the lunch meeting. Then she tackled the other items from his agenda. Once the scheduling was off of her plate, she started to open the files for the asset reports. She was glad to be given something more substantial than making catering arrangements, so she dove in enthusiastically. 

She needed to compare the numbers on the balance sheets provided to AG with the data from the official quarterly statements for Smith Oil Corp. AG wanted to expand their market share in the oil and gas industry and Smith Oil was looking for some multinational exposure as well as some deep pockets to bolster their marketing strategies. The incumbent management team would retain control and this deal is what they refer to as a friendly acquisition. It was going to be advantageous for both companies involved. Some of the business elements were a bit out of her realm of knowledge, but she understood enough to get the job done.  

Katrine had feared she might be sluggish at first, but  it all came back to her quite quickly. She had a great eye for detail and numbers had always come easy to her.  Katrine felt exhilarated as her brain poured over the figures. She was in the zone. But as the second hour passed, she ran across something that caught her attention. 

“Hmmm, that doesn’t look right.”

She pulled up all of the previous files and went over every number and detail with a fine-toothed comb, including the charts, graphs, and spread sheets provided.

“There, right there.”

She found that the numbers in the international equity section of one of the reports provided to AG had been grossly overestimated. That would over value Smith Oil, therefore over inflating the purchase price. So in other words, she just found an error that would save the company over 5 million dollars!!  She ran right into Mr. Abbot’s office. He looked up from his computer, seemingly annoyed to be seeing her again so soon.

“Yes, Ms. Macnamara.”

“Mr. Abbot, I have found something that I know you will want to see immediately.”

She put the evidence in front of him and explained her findings in detail. 

He glanced at her and then looked over the reports.

“Are you certain this is accurate?”

“Yes. Mr Abbot. I checked and triple checked the data. I was quite thorough and I would not have approached you otherwise. See for yourself, sir.”

He took his time going over what she placed in front of him for a second time.

“Excuse me please.” he said, as he picked up the phone. She left his office feeling triumphant. She wanted to distinguish herself and make an impression. If she proved to be correct on this, which she was, it would be a momentous coup.

She was a little nervous because this was a pretty big deal. She heard him yelling from his office.

“Well it had better be an oversight, because if it is not and you were padding your figures to get more money out of my company, we will pull out immediately and the deal is off. You will be held accountable for all fees and expenses AG has incurred up to this point, not to mention a potential law suit. Yes, see that you do, and within the hour.”

He hung up the phone and shook his head. He could not believe what had just happened. His new assistant had made a very significant save. He started to feel a little guilty about how he had been treating her. He hated feeling guilty. Obviously she was intelligent and professional. She seemed tenacious and had a positive attitude. He felt that he should make amends in some way though. She deserved it after today’s accomplishment. He would have to think on it for a little while.

Katrine was updating the fourth quarter flow charts, when Mr. Abbot asked her into his office about an hour later.

“Ms. MacNamara, it seems that I have unfairly underestimated your abilities. Your diligence and attention to detail have saved me a substantial amount of money today. That, I do not take lightly, nor do I overlook. Please accept my deepest gratitude on behalf of AG Industries. You have proven to be an asset in an extremely short amount of time. With that said, I would like to propose to you a business opportunity… There is a charity event at the opera house downtown, this Saturday. Most of the collaborators on this merger will be in attendance. Hal Smith, the president of Smith Oil Corp., is on the board of this children’s charity and I am expected to make an appearance. It would be beneficial for you to be there. You have proven yourself today, and as part of the team it is only customary that our associates become familiar with you. I assume you can take care of any conflicts? It is a formal occasion. I am sure you can find something suitable?” he finished somewhat coldly. She decided to ignore the tone about the clothing part and said, “I would be pleased to attend. Thank you for including me. And don’t worry, I’m sure I can throw something together, sir.”

“Do you need me to send a car for you.” he asked.

“Thank you, but no. I don’t live very far. I can manage. Will that be all?”

“Yes, that is all for now.”

She nodded and walked out, riding the high from her accomplishment. 

The next day Mr. Abbot emailed Katrine some financial figures that needed to be included in a presentation later that week. She had to refresh her memory on the fly. She had not put together a presentation like this in a while and the software had changed since she last used it. But thankfully she muddled through. Before she knew it it was time for lunch. 

She knocked on Mr. Abbot’s door frame. By the look on his face she guessed he wasn’t expecting her to attempt communication.

“Excuse me Mr. Abbot, but if it is alright with you I was going to head out and grab something for lunch. Would you like me to pick you up anything? There is the
best Thai place just around the corner. The coconut soup is amazing and they have
the
yummiest spring rolls ever!” She realized she was doing her food geek-out thing and quickly composed her self.

He was looking at her like she had two heads.

Very smooth Katrine. He is
so
going to rescind that invitation.

He did something she had not seen yet, he smiled. It was slight, but she could distinctively see the sides of his mouth turn upward. She was not prepared for that one...

“I love Thai food. That sounds really good. Can you get me some drunken noodles with shrimp?”

She just stood there, stunned. 

SPEAK damn you!