Kristin's Demotion

Chapter One At just before eight o’clock, on a chilly November morning, Henry Shepard sat in his cubicle at OFS Software and opened his laptop. The large open plan office was empty, with the rest of the thirty-strong workforce not due to start trickling in for another hour. The only other employee in the building at that time was the doorman, George Hobbs, friend and confidant, who had just presented Henry with a cup of decaf roast and an apple bran muffin which he’d acquired from Starbucks downstairs. George knew the reason why Henry was in early this morning - he needed time to mentally prepare himself for a meeting with the company vice-president, Kristin Hartman. As Henry peeled the plastic lid from his coffee, he noticed that his hands were shaking. Once again, he tried to convince himself that there was no need to worry. He was still a valued member of the sales team and he had been at the company far longer than the relatively inexperienced vice president. Indeed, Henry had taught her most of what she knew about the company. Even so, no matter how hard he tried to rationalize it, the simple fact remained that he was apprehensive about this meeting - because he had a gut feeling that today he was going to be fired. How different things had been a year ago. Henry had been the top sales executive in the small, but upwardly-mobile company, and the CEO, Brian Waterman, was paving the way for Henry to step up as his number two. But all that began to change the day Kristin Hartman arrived. Henry should have smelled trouble the day they were introduced in Brian’s office. He had already been informed that he would be working closely with this new hot-shot sales kid who had recently come over from one of their competitors. What he hadn’t been prepared for was the fact that his new colleague was not only female, but also an absolute knockout. He vividly recalled the moment when they first shook hands and he was instantly struck by her poise and bearing. Even though she was dressed in a conservative business suit, it was clear that the young lady had a body to die for. Her skin was pale and flawless, and her hazel, almond-shaped eyes were the most captivating Henry had ever seen. His first reaction had been that things were looking up. How wrong could he have been? Over the following months, Henry had guided Kristin through the inner-workings of the company. He’d reveled in the envious looks he was receiving from the other male employees as he went about his day accompanied by this voluptuous and well-heeled brunette. Certainly, Henry had initially entertained ideas of developing their relationship further. Who wouldn’t have under those circumstances? But Kristin had established the ground rules quickly. Through her polished manner, she had quickly made it clear that their association would remain strictly professional. Admittedly disappointed, Henry was both old enough and realistic enough to understand that the girl was way out of his league. Apart from that side of things, Kristin proved to be bright and inquisitive. So much so, that after a few weeks, a little alarm bell had started ringing in Henry’s head. Since joining OFS some four years earlier, he had been unrivalled in the sales and marketing department. Now he realized that he might have some serious competition here. With the recession in full swing and clients everywhere tightening their belts, Henry’s own figures had taken a bit of a downturn. He was not unduly concerned because situations like this, he knew, were cyclical by nature. But just over a year ago, three things had occurred which Henry had had no control over, and from which he had never recovered. The first, which he observed to his dismay but not complete surprise, was the way Kristin used her considerable charms to influence the decisions of Brian Waterman. He was not the only one to notice, and in fact everybody could see what was going on. After her initial induction period, Kristin swiftly began to disassociate herself from the rest of the sales team. She spent more and more time in Brian’s office and soon barely even acknowledged Henry - which he found both insulting and embarrassing, Tongues started to wag, although nobody suggested that anything untoward was going on. Brian Waterman was after all, nearly forty years Kristin’s senior, a happily married man, and a professional. But - as was often discussed during staff coffee breaks - any red-blooded male, when subjected to the proximity of such a well-proportioned woman, would be happy to receive her attentions, if only on a platonic basis. Then, as a portent of things to come, Kristin asked for, and received, her own office next door to Brian’s. Henry was devastated and the rest of the employees were shocked. Could it be that after all his years of good service, Brian was going to pass him over? In a state of gloom, Henry had briefly pondered tendering his resignation, but there were two things that stopped him. First, he was making a decent salary at OFS and he was pretty much allowed to dictate his own working conditions. The second reason was much more basic - fear. In this game, being head-hunted by a competitor was one thing, but if he actually started offering his services elsewhere, how would he be received? This was a highly competitive and secretive business sector and it was also a very small world. Word got around quickly and reputation was everything. How would he explain his reasons for leaving? That he was jealous of a fellow employee’s success? So, still smarting from how unfairly he felt he had been treated, Henry decided to sit tight. There was still after all, the issue of the upcoming vice-presidential position to consider. That’s when the third thing happened. Motoko Heavy Industries, a giant Japanese conglomerate, was in the market for a new financial software package. The potential earnings from this contract were enormous and all the big Silicon Valley players were competing. Although OFS had a program that was suitable, Brian was of the opinion that the company was not big enough to take on such an undertaking, and Henry was inclined to agree. Kristin however, had other ideas. Without authorization, she approached Motoko with a sales package promising a far more advanced system than OFS could offer. When she’d first told Brian what she had done, he’d been shocked and surprised at her recklessness. Henry, on the other hand, was secretly delighted. It looked like the arrogant b***h had finally overstepped the mark. There was no way she could deliver. But what unfolded next was cloaked in mystery. The research and development department suddenly became mysteriously off-limits to all but a select few. When he attempted to see his programmer friend, Miles Bishop, Henry discovered that his pass card no longer gave him access. When he queried Brian about it, he was fobbed off with some vague explanation about ‘sensitive work on a new application’ and promised that he would be fully briefed ‘when the time was right’. Henry even tried to pick Miles’ brain over an after-work beer, but the shy and retiring young programmer was even more reticent than usual. Henry sensed that something was not quite right. Eventually, a few days before Christmas, the news broke. Brian decided to use the occasion of the Christmas party to announce the good news - OFS had won the Motoko package! They were moving into the big-time. There would be a healthy bonus for everyone and they all had Kristin Hartman to thank for it. While everybody was celebrating and congratulating Kristin, Brian had buttonholed Henry in his office. “I wanted you to know before I made the announcement, Henry. I’m making Kristin vice-president.” Deep down, he knew he should have guessed it was coming but Henry was shell-shocked nonetheless. “What she’s pulled off,” Brian had continued, “is beyond anything this company has ever achieved. If I don’t reward her for this, I’d be a fool.” Henry could only nod dumbly. “Of course,” Brian had added, “you’ll be getting a handsome salary increase. I do hope you’ll support my decision.” By the New Year, Henry had grudgingly accepted the situation. OFS, now cash-rich, were taking on extra staff while other companies were laying theirs off. With Kristin now working closely with Brian full-time, Henry tried to suppress his resentment. The girl had class, he had to admit that. She was always dressed in smart suits, but she was never dull. In fact, she had an innate knack of being able to project her sexuality without overdoing it. She wore heels, though not too high, and her skirts were always just above the knee, enough to provide a glimpse of her shapely legs. Likewise, her blouses were always buttoned respectably but were well-fitting enough to accentuate her narrow waist and ample chest. As Roger Levine, the project manager, once observed, “She knows what she’s doing. You can look, but you can’t touch.” The year wore on, and the recession bit deeper. After the initial mood of optimism, sales started to dry up. A couple of competitors closed down, but OFS was in a position to ride it out thanks to Kristin’s sales coup. However, with no new business on the horizon, the pressure was starting to build. Both the research and development and programming teams were still being kept busy maintaining the Motoko software, but the sales department had virtually ground to a halt. It was about then, in the early summer, that people started to notice a shift in Kristin’s demeanor. She had always been somewhat aloof, but now that she was settled into her vice-president’s role, she had started to become downright bossy. Her attitude to the rank and file employees quickly deteriorated from one of disinterest to zero tolerance. Nothing it seemed was good enough for her any more. She became snappy and started chewing out staff members in public. In particular, she seemed to take great pleasure in belittling George, the doorman, who was an amiable old guy, simply counting down towards his retirement. One time, George had remarked, “If it wasn’t for my pension, I’d give her ass a good spanking.” “And that is one sweet ass to spank,” Henry had replied. The upbeat atmosphere in which the year had begun, had all but evaporated. To make things worse, Brian was spending more and more time ensconced in his office and appeared to be leaving the day-to-day running of the company to Kristin. As she became increasingly demanding and inflexible, the working environment grew tense and uneasy. People talked about leaving, but in the current economic climate, there was really nowhere else to go. In September, Kristin finally went a step too far when she fired a junior clerk for returning five minutes late from her lunch break. As the company’s longest-serving employee, Henry was asked to approach Brian. “It’s starting to seriously affect moral,” Henry had explained. “If there were other jobs available, I think we would have already lost quite a few key members of staff.” Brian had nodded thoughtfully. “I realize that Kristin can be somewhat domineering,” he’d replied. “But you have to understand that she is under a lot of pressure right now. We can’t continue living off the Motoko contract forever. In fact, I’ve been talking with our accountants and we’re going to have to start cutting costs if we don’t land some new deals pretty soon.” “I understand that,” Henry had replied. “But everybody is feeling the strain and this cloud of gloom that Kristin has created is just not helping. Can’t you ask her to let up a little?” “Very well, I’ll speak to her. I know that Kristin’s not your favorite person, Henry. But please remember that if it weren’t for her, we’d probably be out of business right now.” Henry had come away from that meeting wondering just how much influence Brian retained over his dictatorial young sidekick. However, Brian did have a chat with Kristin, and to the relief of the rest of the OFS workforce, she did indeed wind her neck in. Other staff members expressed their gratitude to Henry, which helped raise his self-esteem to its highest level for a very long time. Although it wasn’t exactly sweetness and light, at least a certain stability had descended upon the office. Kristin’s general behavior had switched from vocal and aggressive, back to cool and distant - except where Henry was concerned. Now she blanked him completely. Even necessary communications were effected by e-mail or through a third party. Henry found this both childish and a little disconcerting. Brian surely wouldn’t have mentioned Henry’s name but somehow Kristin must have figured out that he was the one who had complained about her. Ordinarily he would have found her reaction slightly amusing but he was still very much aware that as the vice-president, she was technically his boss. Fall gave way to winter and still the market remained stagnant. Finally, Brian’s warning about cost-cuts came to fruition. At a staff meeting, he announced that the accountants had informed him that to ensure the company’s survival, the payroll needed to be trimmed by a third. Then came the bombshell. Brian went on to inform them that reductions would be implemented on a case-by-case basis and that Kristin would be overseeing the staff reductions. While they were receiving this worrying news, Henry had caught Kristin’s eye but instead of ignoring him as usual, she had held his gaze and, Henry was almost certain, smiled at him. That had been two weeks ago. Since then, one by one, various employees had received ominous-looking e-mails from Kristin summoning them to her office for ‘meetings’. And one-by-one, they had packed up their belongings and vacated the premises. As the days ticked by, Henry had held his breath. He wondered if he had misjudged her and maybe she wasn’t the sort to hold a grudge. But then yesterday, the dreaded e-mail had arrived, requesting his presence in Kristin’s office the following morning at nine-thirty.