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“Throw me a bone and tell me why?”
I refrain from my usual expression of disgust and turn to face him. “You’re cocky.”
“Confident,” he corrects.
“Like I said, cocky, arrogant, egotistical, conceited, self-righteous, and a douchebag. You come in here and magically make your way up to the top ranks and haven’t put in nearly half the work I have to attain my position. I guess fucking the boss’s daughter has its privileges. Oh, wait. Maybe it’s a different kind privilege.”
“I know you’re not playing the race card. Our boss, the CEO, the lineage of this company, is African-American, so race doesn’t apply.”
“No, but sexism does.”
“You honestly think Carver Armstrong would be a person of that caliber?”
“No, but you would. You’d play any card to get what you want. But this will be a battle you will not win.” I open the door and find people scurrying around trying to appear busy when you know damn well they were eavesdropping.
My email tone goes off, advising my order is ready for pickup. I return to my office and schedule a team meet up for brainstorming and fact gathering. We meet in the conference room that unfortunately puts me in the path of him. As I casually stroll by his office, I see he, too, has assembled his staff. They are laughing and having a grand time. I mean, why is he even competing for this account? Look at him, just smug, and cocky, and overconfident. Armstrong knows this should be my account. Lucas catches me glaring, and I flip him the bird while I continue to my destination.
“Okay, what do we know about Clemet?” I ask, starting the impromptu agenda while my team settles down.
“They’re a startup software company and have amassed millions in the last quarter since their IPO went public,” Deshaun says, beginning the round of fact revelations.
“Specializing in security software for schools ensuring predators aren’t able to access the information on children and cross-referencing it with social media accounts to find their targets,” Terri adds.
“Yeah, they also work with hospitals to help encode the sensitive health records as well,” Roshanda continues.
While the information is shared, I take notes and use my tablet to pull the facts and highlight the points sharing them on the drop-down overhead. “Okay, these are a good start, but what about the founding member or members? What do we know about them? I mean, I know a few of them are adrenaline junkies, and some golf, which is why I’m going to hit a few balls when I leave.” I get smiles for my last comment.
“Leo Rauch is the founder and president of the company. He maintains a hands-on approach, not wanting to see his ship sink if he left all decisions in the hands of his board, which is also his family. His wife, Janelle, sons Toddrick and Leo, daughters Ayanna and Kristen head up the directors, but they have others as well,” Manny adds to the discussion.
“Good intel. Family man, family-run business. That lets me know he takes his company and money very serious, and for us to manage their investments is gaining a big trust factor.”
We brainstorm ideas and even do a mockup of what we should emphasize during my presentation tomorrow. I send a few people out to gather industry bites about the company and get some real-time quotes from a few the users of their product. We are working at a good pace when the door suddenly pops open, grabbing my attention.
“Excuse me, but are you going to hold your little meeting any longer? I need the conference room.” Lucas asks annoyingly.
“You have some nerve to barge in here like you own the place, Lucas. Go use the conference room down the hall. It’s available, and I’m working.”
“Yeah, it’s closed for an air conditioner issue. So, you need to pack up, Greene.”
There are times when I can keep the craziness down. This isn’t one of those times. “You have the fucking audacity to interrupt my meeting and then talk shit to me in front of my team, our colleagues, like it ain’t nothing? If you don’t get the fuck out of here, Lucas…”
“Oh, so what, are you threatening me? Go ahead, try me.”
He encroaches my personal space, the one thing that pushes me overboard. I draw back to hit him, and my hand is caught by my assistant.
“Stop it, you two. Why are y’all always going at each other’s throats?”
“Umm, Armstrong is heading this way, and he looks pissed,” Janice says.
For the sake of my job, and I’m sure he was thinking the same, we all scramble and make it look like we were leaving and his team is settling in for their meeting. I need the fresh air anyway.
“What the hell is all the screaming down here? Sounds like my kids when they were growing up.”
“Oh, we’re sorry. We were having team Lucas and team Simone battle cheers. You know, like in high school. Good ol’ team spirit.” Even I didn’t believe it, but I had to spin it. It’s no secret we don’t get along.
“Yeah, Mr. Armstrong. Simone here is a real screamer. Did you know she was captain of her squad in high school?” Lucas says while he snakes his arm around my shoulders like we’re friends or some shit.
“Very well. Be sure to keep it at a minimum.”
He turns and walks back to his office, and when he gets out of earshot range, I stomp Lucas’ foot and get right in his face.
“Don’t fucking touch me ever again!” I grab my things from the conference table and walk back to my space.
“Whew, that was close,” Tanya says when she enters.
“The absolute nerve of him. I mean, he interrupts my meeting, demands we leave, and then…touches me. Like, the balls on that fucker are huge.” I pace incessantly, trying to calm down but find myself becoming more enraged. “How does he think it’s okay for him to just…ugh. I need to get out of here before I break something. Call me on my cell if you need me.” I pack up my bag and head out to cool off and do more research—i.e. go to a driving range—and then head home.
