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At my words, I expected her immediate gratitude and relief at not having to be under my scrutiny all the time, but instead, all I got from her was a heavy silence.
I turned then and couldn’t help but notice that for once she didn’t turn to meet my gaze. Instead, she was staring out the window wordlessly, almost as though she hadn’t heard me.
“Did you hear me?” I asked, and she still didn’t respond. After a few seconds, however, she turned to me and replied.
“Thanks,” she said, however, I didn’t miss the slight glistening of her eyes. I wondered why this was the case but decided then that it was best not to care. A few minutes later, however, and when I was relieved that the matter was dead and out to rest, she spoke.
“I really... I really didn’t do well?” she asked.
I considered this and told her the truth.
“You did. You've learned incredibly fast, and your work ethic is commendable.”
“So why?” she asked. “Respectfully. I mean if there’s something else you need me to do or a way you need me to improve, I swear I’ll do it. You just need to tell me, and I'll ensure that I improve as rapidly as possible.”
To the unobservant onlooker, it would seem as though she was just speaking, but I was well aware that she was pleading with me. And I didn’t want to ignore this.
“Are you really worried about going to work with someone else?” I asked; however, she didn’t respond. “If you’re worried about the pay difference, there’s no need to be. It's the same.”
“Um...” She smiled and once again turned away to gather her bearings. “No, I mean... yes, I meant it might look like a demotion.”
“It’s not. You aren’t being fired, plus not everyone gets to work with the managing partner.”
“Yeah,” she replied. “You’re right. To everything.”
After this, she didn’t say a word, and not wanting to poke unnecessarily, I let it go. Soon, we arrived at the restaurant and found that we were right on time as the men were just entering as well. We were here to discuss the purchase of an alcohol factory, and the owner was a long-time client of mine, so I needed to inspect the deal, question them on some concerns regarding the future of the factory and its current workers, and of course, drive up the price even further.
They spoke perfect English, at least their leader seemed to, so there was no need for a translator. After shaking my hands, I watched as their attention went to the woman by my side and didn’t miss the note of appreciation. She bowed respectfully, and they responded in kind, a bit too excitedly. Nearly rolling my eyes as their gaze lingered on her chest, I turned away and entered the private dining room.
I’d known this would happen, so I wasn't in the least bit surprised. Covering her up was worse because it made her breasts seem even more impossible, bigger. The men could barely look at me for even a minute, and I supposed for once I wasn’t annoyed about this effect she had on them because it made them a bit more loose and relaxed, and we were able to talk comfortably.
Mix in some traditional Japanese alcohol, and we were almost like old acquaintances sharing experiences and perspectives even though we had all literally just met. Soon, the food was served, and although I wasn’t the biggest fan of Asian cuisine, I wasn’t averse to eating it.
It was tasty and presented so beautifully it looked like a picture. However, when I swallowed a bit of noodle resting in a flavorful sauce, I soon realized what was wrong. The sauce was made with peanuts. With all the spices combined, it had been hard to detect, but as I began to feel the tingling at the back of my throat, I understood that I had made a mistake.
Sighing, I turned to Hannah and couldn’t help but feel upset about it. She had been the one to arrange the dinner, and as such, it was her responsibility to ensure that everyone was safe and wouldn’t be consuming what they shouldn’t from the menu. However, she hadn’t done this, and as a result, I was now more or less about to have a severe allergic reaction.
Sighing again and trying not to visibly show how mad I was so as not to throw a rock in the current ease of the room, I leaned toward her and whispered.
“Can you get me the black bag from the car, please? Raul will know where it is.” She turned to me surprised, and I wondered if I needed to ask her again. Without a word, she nodded and got up, and soon enough, I was left with the businessmen on my own.
Chapter Twenty-One
Hannah
For a very brief period of my life, I had been a smoker in college. However, I had quickly gained enough good sense to let go of the bad habit before it truly became a problem. Now, however, as I strolled out of the restaurant to head to the town car, I couldn’t help but want a stick right at this moment.
He had pushed me so far away that I wasn’t even on the horizon, and now he was just randomly telling me to get him a bag so I could be out of the room. I was confused because he didn’t have to do any of this. Even though he was transferring me to a different department or boss, whatever, the fact was that I was still his employee and technically he could order me to do whatever he wanted, so what was the guise of being polite?
He obviously wanted the space to discuss whatever he wanted that perhaps only the managing partner and his secretary, not a past secretary, should be privy to, so I took my time at the bar ordering a beer.
I loved Asian, and the assortment presented in this restaurant was especially delicious, but so far, I had been unable to enjoy it thanks to him. Sighing, I took my time consuming my beer, watching the other patrons eating peacefully at their table and generally enjoying their meals.
Suddenly, my phone began to ring, and I looked down to see that he was the one calling. I was instantly startled, but I guessed it was okay for me to return, so I got up and started to head back to the private room. I had just reached the door when I realized that I had forgotten to get the bag, but it didn’t matter either way, given that he didn’t really need it.
Knocking slightly, I headed in politely, and it was to my shock to see the concern in the room. He was noticeably redder than I had ever seen him and seemed so uncomfortable that even the businessmen by his side were concerned. They looked toward me with questions in their gaze while he stared at me and, as calmly as he could, asked, “Where’s the bag?”
I had no idea why he was asking me this.
