Lost and Found (Growing Pains #1)(28)

“Are you sure it wasn’t something in the presentation itself?”

“Like what?”

“Fuck, I dunno. Are you sure you didn’t miss a slide or say some numbers wrong?”

“Even if I did, no one noticed, so it couldn’t have been a deal breaker.”

“And you’re sure you answered that question how you told me you answered it?”

“Not verbatim, but something like that. I know as much now as I did then, so the content is the same.”

“Well, I think that answer was fine, so I can’t see how that was it.”

“What else could it be?”

“This was that Sean guy?”

“Yeah.”

“Does he still want you?”

“He wants all women. He doesn’t want me any more than any other piece of ass in the company. Maybe less, actually. What does that have to do with it?”

“Maybe he’s pissed because you won’t f**k’im, and this is how he’s taking it out on you.”

A cold shiver went down Krista’s spine. He hadn’t actually asked her out, but he definitely wanted the poo-nanny. He wasn’t shy about that fact.

“Hmmm,” Kate said over Krista’s mental panic. “If it’s not that, I’ll be buggered, I have no idea.”

“I really did want that promotion, though.” Krista was promised a promotion and a raise if her first presentation went well. It was apparently how it was done in Research for new people. The promotion was a minor title change, and the raise was like half a percent or something stupid, but it was a much-needed start.

“Where the hell is Jasmine?” Kate asked, easily distracted on a Friday.

Kate got out her phone to text her as Krista ordered a beer for both of them.

Half an hour later Jasmine finally showed up, again looking like a painter. It seemed like these days she was doing more painting than numbers—it wasn’t her choice, and it wasn’t sitting all that well. She had started half-heartedly looking for another job.

At Kate’s behest, Krista retold the story to Jasmine, who listened intently, asking questions throughout, until the end. She then asked questions much like those Kate had asked. Krista gave the same answers.

“Then I just don’t know, you know? You’ll just have to ask,” Jasmine surmised.

“You think I should ask?” Krista directed the question to Kate. Jasmine tended to be the most truthful person on the face of the planet. If you asked her something, she would generally give you an honest answer. Often times it was a breath of fresh air because you really knew where you stood with her. Sometimes it was a curse because it turned out you really didn’t want the answer you were given.

Kate looked at Jasmine in thought. “I think you have to. If it turns out you totally f**ked up…well, at least you’ll know for next time. If that bastard doesn’t have a good reason for you falling on your face—well, I don’t know. We’ll have to plan that next step when we get there.”

“But what I am supposed to say?” Krista whined. “Hey Sean, how’s it going? Say, why did you kick me out of the meeting?”

“Yes, that is exactly what you say.” Jasmine nodded.

“No way, I’ll sound stupid.”

“Why would you sound stupid? Did he tell you beforehand he was going to have you leave after your thing?” Jasmine asked logically.

“No…”

“And did he give you any sort of explanation, anything at all, as he was doing it?”

“The Creep-O salesman did it.”

“Then why is it stupid to ask?”

“I don’t know,” Krista said petulantly, looking at her beer. “Because I don’t want to.”

“Well, then…”

The girls went back and forth on that idea for another couple minutes before Krista was resigned that come Monday, she was going to confront the problem.

She now had the whole weekend to fret about Monday.

Chapter Six

Sean sat at his desk, reviewing some numbers for Dell. He wasn’t actually on the account, but John wanted him up to date in case they were having a hard time pulling it off. It put extra work on Sean’s desk, but he wanted his name on all the big accounts, so he agreed to it without a struggle.

At five past five John came barreling in, his suit jacket long gone and looking harried. “Why didn’t you call when you got back to your desk?”

Sean put down the spreadsheets and leaned back in his chair. John was the most extreme micro-manager Sean had ever worked for. It was almost laughable, and also intensely annoying.

“I knew you’d come down about now anyway. I figured I’d just wait.”

“I like to know things as they happen. I need to be in the loop. You know that.”

“You just got out of Dell.”

John grunted. He was deciding if it was worth the fight. Finally he did a quick pace and switched to the next plan of attack. “How’d it go?”

“We’re in. I could have sold it by myself.”

John did an air pump then smoothed his greased back hair. “Good! Good. We’re in! That’s great news. What was the final number?”

“We are fifteen percent over what we hoped to get.”