All That She Wants (Connor's Point of View Part 1) Page 3

  “Hello?!”

  “Heeey, Klaus! Connor again. I’ve got Dave Westerholtz on the line,” I said nonchalantly.

  Lily about had a heart attack on the spot.

  So she knew who the CEO of Exerton was.

  Good, she’ll REALLY enjoy this, then.

  Klaus was appropriately chastened, too. “M-Mr. Westerholtz – h-hello,” he stammered.

  “I’ve got you both on speakerphone, hope you don’t mind, but my hands are occupied at the moment,” I lied, and winked again at Lily.

  Westerholtz wasn’t fazed in the least. “No problem. Klaus, I want you to give Mr. – ”

  Oh shit –

  “Connor,” I interrupted forcefully, just as he was about to say my real last name. “Just call me Connor, Dave.”

  Westerholtz was quite pleased at our new-found familiarity. “Sure, Connor. I want you to give Connor any help he needs, Klaus – anything he asks for. Understood?”

  As expected, Klaus whined like a little bitch. “Well, Dave, I – ”

  “Mr. WESTERholtz,” Dave interrupted.

  Niiiiiiice.

  Good one, Dave.

  I looked over at Lily. She looked like she was taking this waaaay too seriously, so I gave her a fake OH MY GOD, NO HE DIDN’T! face.

  She seemed to like that, and had to put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

  Klaus went on whining. “Yes, Mr. Westerholtz, sir, you see, I’m actually out of the office – ”

  “Then go BACK to the office, Klaus. Whatever Mr. – ”

  Dammit –

  “Connor,” I reminded Westerholtz.

  “Right – whatever Connor needs, you make sure he gets it. Is that clear?”

  There was a long silence on Klaus’s end.

  “Of course,” he finally said, when what he really meant was Fuck the both of you.

  The best way to needle someone with that mindset is to be as upbeat as possible.

  “Fantastic!” I said. “Well, Dave, I know it’s late there in New York, so I don’t want to keep you too long, but thanks for your help.”

  “It’s my pleasure, Mr. – ”

  “Connor, Dave, it’s Connor!” I said, and forced myself to laugh like we were all just the best o’ pals.

  Westerholtz took it all at face value – which he should not have. Not as the CEO of a competing company with the option of a buyout on the table.

  As a CEO, your first priority is to protect the company at all costs – within the bounds of the law, of course, and taking into account your duty to your shareholders, your employees, and your customers. And that meant distrusting everybody outside of the company – especially anyone who might not have the company’s best interests at heart.

  Like me.

  As bad as he was, Klaus was much lower on the totem pole than Westerholtz, and his fuck-ups weren’t going to sink the company.

  Westerholtz’s just might.

  Like on Monday morning.

  “You got it, Connor. It was a real pleasure talking to you this afternoon, and I’m looking forward to working together in the future!”

  “Absolutely, Dave,” I said, with the slightest twinge of guilt. If I found what I was looking for tonight, Westerholtz would probably never speak to me again.

  I enjoy taking down ruthless competitors. What I don’t enjoy is hurting people who are basically good-natured at heart.

  But some good-natured people bumble their way into positions that are way over their heads. That’s not my fault. Business at Westerholtz’s and my level is a cutthroat affair. You don’t walk around in our world with your chin up and your guard down.

  Besides, there’s that quote: a man is judged by the quality of his enemies. And I had a feeling, after this was all over, I’d be looking over my shoulder for Westerholtz for the rest of my life.

  “Take care!” I finished up, wanting to get off this phone call.

  “You too!”

  Klaus tried kissing ass one last time.“Goodbye, Mr. Wester– ”

  But Westerholtz hung up on him.

  Too bad, Klaus.

  I was about to say something to my new butt-boy when Lily suddenly raised her finger tentatively, like she was back in first grade.

  “Hold on one sec, Klaus – don’t go anywhere!” I said, and put him on mute. Then I gave her my full attention. “What’s up?”

  “If you want him to come in, you’ve got to be nice and ask him,” she whispered. She’d just seen me put the phone on hold, though I figured it was her boss’s psychological hold over her that made her so timid. Or maybe she didn’t trust me entirely… which, if it was the case, impressed me even more. “I know what Mr. Westerholtz said, but if you order Klaus around, he’ll turn it into a… a pissing contest.”

  I grinned. She said ‘pissing contest’ like a sixty year-old nun.

  Plus, she’d just given me the best ammunition possible. And the path to the perfect endgame.

  I took the phone off hold and crowed, “Alright, Klaus, you heard your boss, get your ass back here right now.”

  It was worth it just to see Lily’s eyes bug out.

  It was doubly worth it to hear the outrage in Klaus’s voice.

  “W-well, ABOUT that – what EXACTLY is it you need me for?”

  “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about that, Klaus. You just get back over here pronto.”

  “I don’t like your tone!”

  “Yeah? Well I don’t like your attitude. Dave basically – oh, that’s right, that’s Mr. Westerholtz to you,” I said mockingly.

  I was having the best Friday night in months.

  Lily looked she was watching a movie, and she couldn’t decide if it was The Hangover or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

  I kept going. “Anyway, Dave basically said that when I say ‘Jump,’ you ask, ‘How high.’ And you’re not asking ‘how high’ yet, Klaus.”

  “This is – this – Mr. Westerholtz wouldn’t – ” Klaus sputtered.

  “Of course, if you want your assistant Lily to handle what I need, we could do that, too,” I said in as appeasing a tone as I could muster.

  Now Lily looked like she was definitely watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

  At the mention of his secretary’s name, Klaus went silent.

  “…is Lily there?” he finally asked.

  I could smell the fear through the phone.

  I winked at Lily, who was white as a sheet. “She’s over by the elevators. You want me to go over and let you talk to her?”

  “…yyyyyyes. Yes, why don’t you do that,” Klaus agreed in relief.

  The dumbass thought he hadn’t just made a fool of himself in front of his secretary.

  Too bad she already KNOWS you’re a fool, Klaus.

  “Okay, hold on,” I agreed, then held up a finger to my lips as I grinned at Lily.

  She nodded numbly, like she was now a guest star in the horror movie.

  I counted out about how long it would take to walk over to the elevators, then said, “Here she is,” and handed the phone over.

  “Lily?”

  “Uh, hi, Kl – Mr. Zimmerman,” she said, catching herself.

  She almost gave the game away.

  Of course, I had, too, back with the ‘Connor Brooks’ moment.

  Klaus was too dense to notice, though.

  “Thanks for NOTHING, Lily!”

  Seriously?

  What a prick.

  “Now this little – ”

  “Still on speakerphone, Klaus,” I said loudly.

  There was a pause as Klaus suddenly found his manners.

  “…ah, situation is a bit more pressing than I originally thought. I need you to take the gentleman back to the office and show him whatever he needs.”

  Lily looked astounded – as well she should have been.

  “Uh… anything?”

  So far, she was smarter than either Zimmerman or Westerholtz.

  “Well, I don’t know
about ‘anything’ – ”

  “‘How high,’ Klaus,” I said. “I’m not hearing ‘how high’ yet.”

  I had to clamp my teeth shut to keep from laughing.

  Klaus surprised me the tiniest bit. “There are too many confidential files, too many sensitive – ”

  But I was banking on him being a craven, lazy little twit… so I bet hard.

  “We can call Dave again,” I offered. “Or… you can come in and get the files for me yourself.”

  Aaaaaaand…

  I won the bet.

  He folded. Immediately.

  “The CEO has instructed me to give Mr. Brooks whatever help he requires, Lily. So do whatever he asks.”

  “Anything?” Lily asked, just to clarify – and she said it in a tone of disbelief.

  Smart.

  As fast as my opinion of Klaus and Westerholtz was dropping, my opinion of her was rising.

  “…anything,” Klaus said, obviously just trying to get off the phone.

  Lily looked unnerved, but still remained pleasant to the end. “Okay. Have a nice – ”

  And then the prick ignored her and cut her off, all at the same time. “Is that all, Connor?”

  You… fucking… douchebag.

  “No, it’s not,” I growled. “That was very rude what you just did to Lily.”

  Lily looked at me in shock, like No… oh no, no no no NO –

  “W– what?” Klaus asked, equally astounded.

  “Apologize to her,” I demanded.

  “That’s really not necessary,” Lily squeaked.

  Come on, Lily, don’t wuss out now.

  “Yes – it IS,” I insisted. “Klaus?”

  “This is ridiculous – I’m not – ”

  “Are you always that rude to everyone, Klaus, or just to the people you can get away with it? Employees, waiters, people you can abuse your power over?”

  I already knew the answer, but it was a great rhetorical question.

  “I’m not going to take this from – ” he sputtered.

  “I think I might call Dave back,” I mused aloud. “I know he’s very nice to his personal secretary Amanda. I think he’d be interested to know how you kiss up and kick down.”

  Lily looked sick.

  I wanted to pat her on the shoulder and say, It’s okay… I do this all the time. I ‘read’ people. I can pick out what they want, what they fear, what their strengths are, where they’re weak. I have to, in order to know where I can press for advantage, and where I need to tread lightly. Trust me – I know what I’m doing.

  Actually, I wanted to do a little bit more than pat her on the shoulder…

  Keep your mind on business, Templeton.

  Klaus took his sweet time on the apology.

  “…sorry,” he finally mumbled, so not sorry.

  “What was that? Couldn’t hear you!” I shouted.

  “SORRY, Lily,” Klaus seethed, then turned his anger back on me. “Is that all, Misssster Brooksss?”

  No, it’s not – I’d LOVE to get you fired, you incompetent asshole, but that’ll have to wait.

  Though maybe just till Monday.

  “It’ll do, I suppose. Have a good night, Klaus!” I said jovially, then reached over, took my phone back from Lily, and hung up the call.

  10

  Lily was staring at me like I’d suddenly started barking like a dog.

  “…what?” I asked.

  Then she let me have it.

  “What do you mean, ‘what’? What the hell was that?!” she yelled.

  “My only entertainment on a boring Friday night,” I grinned. I turned and offered my hand to Stanley. “Stan, a pleasure. Good to meet you.”

  I hadn’t looked back at him the entire time, but he seemed just as shell-shocked as Lily had been a minute ago.

  Apparently nobody ever challenged Klaus around here.

  Stanley shook my hand, and then I turned back to Lily.

  “Shall we?” I asked as I gestured to the elevators…

  …and put my other hand on the small of Lily’s back.

  Unnh.

  I’d been wanting to do that for the last couple of minutes.

  Just touching her made me want to touch her more…

  …so I did.

  My hand slipped down her back the slightest bit… but I stopped myself before I went any further than what was proper.

  I wanted to, though.

  Apparently she liked it well enough, because her voice sounded a little flustered again when she said, “…okay.”

  I pulled my hand away as we walked toward the elevators. I needed to keep my head in the game, and touching her was working against that.

  I pushed the UP button, the door opened immediately, and we stepped inside.

  “What floor?” I asked.

  “23rd.”

  I hit the button and the doors closed.

  As the elevator began to ascend, I watched her from the corner of my eye. The way the light was shining on her thick, lustrous hair… her soft skin… the pull of her clothes over her curves…

  Mmm.

  And I could smell her perfume now – something nice and feminine, but subtle.

  Mmmmmmmm.

  “Who the hell do you think you are?” she suddenly blurted out.

  I looked over in surprise. Where the hell had that come from?

  “What?”

  “I said, who the hell do you think you are?” she demanded.

  I broke into a grin. I couldn’t help it – she looked like she might start stomping on the ground any second. “Did I tell you before how adorable you are when – ”

  “ – I’m angry, yeah, yeah,” she snapped dismissively. “Do you realize you might have just lost me my job back there?”

  I’d already pondered the question before – but now I wanted an answer.

  A truthful answer.

  I stared into her eyes. “Tell me something, Lily.”

  “What?” she asked, clearly annoyed at me dodging her question.

  “Do you like Klaus as a boss?”

  She flinched a little. “What?”

  “I said, do you like Klaus as a boss?”

  She paused. I could see the wheels turning in her head, weighing her options, wondering if she should be truthful or politically smart –

  She decided on the right path. Maybe not the ‘smart’ one… but definitely the right one.

  “Not really,” she said quietly. “Actually, no. Not at all.”

  I felt a strange sense of relief. “Good.”

  She frowned. “Why ‘good’?”

  The elevator was slowing down. Any second the door would open.

  Now it was time for me to decide if I should be truthful, or politically smart.

  She had decided on the right thing… so the least I could do was return the favor.

  “Because you seem way too smart, talented, and interesting to be working for a jackass like that.”

  The doors opened with a chime. I walked out of the elevator, leaving her behind me to think about what I’d said.

  11

  She didn’t wait long, though.

  She followed me into the empty lobby, then passed me and swiped a badge across the magnetic reader. The locked door clicked loudly, and I opened it and gestured for her to walk on through.

  “You sure do have it in for Klaus,” she said as we entered the Land of Deserted Cubicles.

  “And you don’t?”

  “I have to work with him every day. What did he ever do to you?”

  “I had to suffer through a couple of conference calls with him.” I shook my head theatrically. “Forty-five minutes of my life I’ll never get back.”

  “Forty-five minutes?!” she exclaimed. “Try six months.”

  Jesus.

  Six months of her life… gone.

  Working for an asshole like that.

  “Which you’ll never get back,” I said, launching into rich-guy lecturing mode. “You really shou
ldn’t be wasting your time as his punching bag, Lily.”

  She looked unhappy to hear me say it.

  “That’s all very nice, but a girl’s got to eat.”

  That was always the standard reply.

  I’ve got to eat.

  I’ve got to pay my rent.

  I’ve got to (Insert Reason Here).

  I suppose it was true – but going on food stamps and sleeping on a buddy’s couch while you build your own business would be a thousand times preferable to working for Klaus Zimmerman.

  And there would be a hell of a lot more honor in it, too.

  Just to be clear, I have nothing against working for other people. Not everybody is cut out to be an entrepreneur or a CEO. Not everybody would want that life, either.

  I need Johnny and Sebastian. I depend on them. Maybe I’m a dick occasionally – but most of the time I’m really, really good to them. In a way, they’re the only real family I have anymore.

  Not to mention I pay them extremely well.

  All I’m saying is, if it’s a choice between working for a Klaus Zimmerman and suffering some other way… choose the other way.

  Now what did she say? ‘A girl’s got to eat – ’

  “That she does,” I conceded, just to avoid a fight. “But never take bread scraps when you could – and should – be dining out on lobster.”

  She drew herself up huffily. “I don’t know what world you live in, Mr. Brooks – ”

  Oh GOD.

  I’m only thirty years old. I didn’t want her thinking I was some old codger with grey hair.

  Although there wasn’t any reason I should care what she thought of me, as long as I got my hands on the exec comp reports.

  I mean, it’s not like I was going to try to sleep with her or anything.

  …right?

  And at that moment, things shifted.

  My perspective shifted.

  Because I decided I wanted to keep my options open.

  “It’s Connor,” I said. “My friends call me Connor. Klaus calls me Mr. Brooks.”

  She smiled at that.

  Ha!

  “Ah, I knew I could make you laugh,” I teased her.

  She immediately clamped down and got all serious again. Adorably serious.

  “That was a smile, not a laugh,” she insisted.

  “I’ll get there,” I said with a grin.