“Exactly.”
“Got it.”
“But I should warn you, you should stop peeing in the company pool.”
“Look--” he looked into the mystical waters of his beer. “I’ll make you a deal. You keep out of my sex life, and I’ll keep out of yours. Okay?”
Krista nodded. She’d deserved that. “Deal.”
They shook on it. Krista felt like she’d just made a pact with the devil. They’d see how this would go. In theory, she could relax around the guy. If he wasn’t trying to get her into bed, then she wouldn’t have to constantly have defenses from following him like a mouse to a flute. Then again, he would stop trying to seduce her. Hot guys trying to seduce a girl always gave her a confidence boost.
No-win situation on that one.
“You know...” she said, wanting to change subjects. “If you’d just told me where the weaknesses were, I could’ve easily danced around those issues. On the presentation, I mean. That guy would’ve never even seen it.”
Sean’s business look was back. “How would you have done that? I mean, besides lie and change data?”
“Haven’t you ever heard of companies showing this result or that result for some study, then another group does the same study but with different parameters and finds a totally different result? All I would’ve done was add vagueness in the right places, and accentuated what would help the cause. Easy.”
“What if you were up against someone who speaks your language, like your boss?”
“If he was to catch it, and by catch it, I mean see that it could be refined and want more information, I would have to give it verbally in a meeting. Verbal recital leaves something to the imagination.”
“Okay, but what if someone smarter than you was asking the questions?”
“Are you implying that I am not functioning on genius level?”
“Forgive me, this is all theory.”
Krista smiled, “Someone smarter would be used to thinking everyone like me is an idiot. They would cut me some slack and assume I didn’t highlight the right data like the idiot I was/am …You know what I mean.”
“Okay ... what if you were up against you?”
“Ah. Some cynical bitch who knew all the tricks because that was the quickest way to get an ‘A’ in school, and who was only a math geek because it paid more than a hair and makeup specialist?”
Sean chuckled as he studied her, “Exactly.”
“Then I would be well buggered, I think. I would be as up front as I could, as truthful as I could, and we would have to use all your sales know-how when we were told to get them a report with better findings. It’s all about parameters and the way it is divulged.”
“Good answer. Unexpectedly good answer. I am suddenly extremely glad I found you for this team. I think you could do quite well in sales if you really wanted to.”
“If I really wanted to.”
“And you don’t?”
“Correct, sir.”
“Duly noted, senator. What’s next on the grudge list?”
“That’s it. Sexual part was the biggest gripe.”
“That’s it? There’s nothing else? Nothing else that you might’ve been promised or expecting, but since this change, haven’t heard anything about? Nothing like that?”
“Uh ...” she wracked her brain. “Oh. Promotion? Pay raise? Respect?”
“Just so. Do you no longer need those things?”
“Mr. Montgomery said he would work that into the deal with being on your team. Well, all except the respect part ...”
“Mr. Fatty, as you call him, has about as much clout as you do. And forgive me, but that is about, uh … none.”
She felt her face turn red at the nickname, “So umm, that’s bad news then.”
Sean laughed again, undoing the buttons on his coat. “It would be bad news … if you weren’t paired with the top salesman who does have clout. Stop by my office tomorrow morning and I will go over the specifics.”
“Nice doing business with you Mr. McAdams—no, wait; don’t take off your coat!”
Sean froze with his suit jacket half off. She could make out his meaty shoulders and the stronger man smell. His deodorant was working, but he was probably under the impression that if he kept the jacket, it wouldn’t last for long. He was probably right, but ...holy Lord, she didn’t know if she was strong enough to sit this close to the guy and not…do something.
He looked at her in confusion, wondering what the problem was. He didn’t suspect her, thank God.
“I was just going to say…you might get ketchup on it.”
Sean looked at the bar.
“See?” Krista pointed to a tiny droplet of red thickness. It was a terrible cover.
Sean followed her finger, saw the offending substance, and looked back at her, still confused. Then a beautiful smile lit up his face. He’d guessed the problem.
“I’m roasting, Miss Marshall. I have to. Shall I get a glass of cold shower for you?” Sean finished removing his damned jacket, his smile turning devious.
“Cold shower?” Krista scoffed, getting a freaking grip! “Hardly. What’s that jacket worth? I just figured you wouldn’t want to smear it on the bar and drape it over a nasty chair.”
Sean paused again, his eyes surveying the scene. He’d fallen for it—the jacket must have been worth a pretty penny because she was no actress. In the meantime, there were those arms. And that chest. Luckily it was all still contained in a long-sleeved shirt, but now it was Krista’s deodorant that was under pressure.
“Getting back to what we were saying, we have a lot more business to do yet, Miss Marshall,” Sean said, placing his jacket on the back of his seat with care. “You think you’re working hard now? Wait until we get into the thick of it.”
“I don’t.”
“What’s that?”
“I don’t think I’m working hard now. All I had to do today was a report on sports cars. I had the whole day to do it. It took me four hours from start to finish, and that was with lengthy email pauses and shopping sprees in between. I am earning money, yes, but the internet shopping is killing me!”
Sean’s eyebrows shot up to his hair line as he looked at her. She shook her head at him and said, “Before you pat me on the back, you should know my department’s best kept secret. And if you hope to have my loyalty, you will keep this a secret from everyone--John included. John especially I should say.”
Krista gave him a stern look. He gazed back, deciding if he wanted to put himself in this pot of hot water. Actually, he was probably wondering if he could find out the secret with that tip alone.
Apparently deciding he’d have to hear it from her, or seduce Trisha, he nodded for her to go on.
“We have excellent catalogers. Excellent. Always have had, actually. As far as I can see, anything our company has ever worked on has been stored in the archives. When electronic cataloging became available, all paper copies were uploaded. Most companies wouldn’t bother. The time and manpower it takes to do that sort of thing is usually not worth it. Ours apparently thought it was worth it, very much so.”
“So...what you’re saying is, all your department has to do in most situations is just search for the information then write it down?”
“Not even write it down most times. Pull up an old report, presentation, slide show, how about a speech? It’s probably in there. I gave my presentation slides from Friday to the catalogers. They’ve been stored for future reference.”
“But you did the slides on your own?”
“I looked up all the information for that topic in our databases, and created a report on historical information. The report was mine, but the information was from the past. Thinking on it now, I probably gave you shitty information—please excuse the language. I should have balanced our company’s information with other research. But…shit, sorry. There’s no excuse. I screwed up.”
Sean was looking at her with a mystified expression. “You… no. You didn’t screw up. That you thought of it at all—because I sure didn’t, is something. Incorporate that work ethic into this next chunk of research. Don’t worry about what you just did, though. That went over perfectly. But this database…it’s for the company?”
“What do you mean?”
“Reference information. Is it available across all departments?”
“Um...I don’t know, actually. Apparently not Sales, since you don’t know about it. But we would certainly have information on all clients we’ve worked for. But how we got those clients, I don’t know. We probably have a similar cataloging situation for the art department. I couldn’t imagine they would throw away designs. I would think the company would want to keep those for future contemplation, but I don’t have access to those systems.”
“What if you did?”
“Well...uh, I don’t need it. I just need numbers.”
“Now you just need numbers. But you have an eye for art. You also have a desire to use info in a new format. If you had access to art files, you could combine that with what you have, and go from there.”
“Not following.”
Sean’s head was visibly whirling, but Krista couldn’t tell in which direction. The guy was Morse code to a deaf person.
“No. Hmmm. I’ll have to think about this. But I will get you access. Count on that.”
“Oh good,” she said sarcastically. “I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”
“No. You shouldn’t have. Because now I am going to want all kinds of historical information on anything and everything to do with our big fish. Everything. And reports, graphs, summarized… I don’t know…” He was using his hands in wild circular motions with an air of excitement. “…lists. You just gave yourself a load of extra work, Marshall. A load of extra work.”
They passed into silence for a while, each sipping their beers. Krista checked the time and saw that it was 5:30 p.m. Workday was over by a half hour. The bar was starting to get crowded again for the after-work crew.
“Somewhere to be?” Sean asked, glancing over.
“Nope. Apparently I’m not very popular. You?”
“Here, getting to know my team.”
“Hmmm. Speaking of team--I thought you said Monica was your secret weapon?”
Sean softly sighed.
“You’re so going to get a Thump-Bird,” Krista said as she lifted her glass.
Sean snickered, “At least then I’d see what it was.”
“True. About Monica Devine…”
“For a secret weapon to be effective, it must be kept secret.”
“Which, Dr. Watson, rules her out.”
Sean nodded once, still looking into his beer. “Just so.”
“Then why did you call her a secret weapon?”
He half-turned to her, “Because she needs that distinction to function at her best. She needs to be singled out and put above everyone else. And I care to make that effort, before you ask, because she is excellent at her job, and when I need her, I don’t want to have to go through her manager to get her. I want her willingness, which means sucking up.”
Krista really, really wanted to ask about his personal history with her. What else did sucking up mean in his book? Where did the game lead that he was playing with her? But now she couldn’t ask because of their new deal. He was being so down-to-earth, so raw; she didn’t want to upset their newly formed comfort level.
Krista swallowed down the question, along with more Guinness.
“Okay then, this moves us to Mr. Ray Man. Is he your real secret weapon?” she asked.
“Ray Man. Ha! Good one. No. I wouldn’t call him a secret weapon, no.” Sean was still halfway turned to her, and now he turned his head fully to make up that last bit. He looked into her eyes, reading her again, searching for something. After another beat he said, “You entrusted me with a secret. I will now entrust you with one. You tell mine, or let your lips get loose, well then ...” He let the end of the comment float off into the air.
“Sounds fair,” she shrugged, intrigued.
He smiled with warmth, his eyes infused with a softness Krista hadn’t seen before. “Ray Man, as you call him, is my crutch. You have your mug, I have Ray.”
“Wait…” Krista looked at Sean hard. Analyzed. Referred back to what she’d already known about him. Looked again. “You’re--are you g*y?”
Sean laughed, “Ah, no. I do believe I have a reputation, earned, to the contrary…”
Yikes. That was definitely a straight man response. It was a womanizer response, actually—you didn’t get straighter than that. And not in a good way.
“Okay then, not following.”
“He was my mentor at the first company I worked for. Acting pays worse than hair and makeup for most of us.”
“You were an actor?” she giggled.
“Funny, is it? Hmm.” Sean turned back to his beer. Krista realized with one part horror and two parts gratitude that they had two more in front of them. This was the point that she either went crazy, or stopped.
She should definitely stop.
“Sorry. No, not funny.” She said, giggling some more. “Absolutely the least funny thing I have ever heard. Damn droll, really.”
“Hmmm.”
“Okay, okay. So you were an actor. Did you go to college?”
“I did. Majored in business. Minored in acting. Went on to an MBA while still acting on the side.”