Kristin's Demotion

Chapter Two-1

Chapter Two

Kristin Hartman was in high spirits as she turned her brand new red Mitsubishi Outlander into the underground car park. She hadn’t felt this good since her promotion and the reason was that today she was finally going to remove an annoying thorn from her side.

When Brian had given her the task of pruning the staff roster, her first instinct had been to put Henry Shepard on top of the list, just to make a point. Although Brian hadn’t told her as much, using a few subtle threats, she had learned that Henry was the one who had complained about her. She’d figured it was him anyway. The awful little man had been harboring a grudge ever since she’d been made vice-president.

She thought back to those tedious first weeks at OFS, when she’d had to endure sitting next to him in the conference room, hour after hour, as he explained his boring and unnecessarily complicated sales systems. The only thing she had been interested in of course, was ABACUS, the company’s newest proprietary financial software, but she couldn’t have told anyone that back then.

So she’d gone through the motions, feigning enthusiasm and trying not to gag at the smell of his cheap aftershave and pretending not to notice whenever his thigh ‘accidentally’ rubbed up against hers. If she hadn’t been so repelled by the man, she would have found it funny that he’d actually believed he stood a chance with her. Once, he’d even suggested that they continue their work over lunch - at O’Rourke’s Pub of all places!

At least he’d backed off after she’d put him in his place and then, once her plan had come to fruition, she’d had no need for him anyway. But even after she had moved into her office, she had never quite been able to put him out of her mind. He was like an itch she couldn’t scratch and she couldn’t figure out why. With the exception of Brian, whom for now, she needed to work on continuously, she had absolutely no interest in any of the company employees. She knew all the men wanted to have s*x with her. There was nothing unusual about that because most men did, and she could handle their attention easily. But there was something vexing about the way his eyes bored into her whenever she walked past.

Kristin was well skilled in the art of handling men of all ages. She knew how to get them to do exactly what she wanted. It was simple really. Men were basically animals, always thinking with their d***s, and she’d learned at a young age that she had what they wanted.

So, after beating Shepard to the vice-president’s job, she would ordinarily have dismissed him from her mind. But for some reason, he still niggled her. She had hoped he might have quit after he was passed over, but no, there he was in his little cubicle, refusing to go away. Despite the completeness of her victory, Kristin had to admit that she still regarded him as a competitor. Not that he was ever likely to threaten her position again as she had poor old Brian wrapped tightly around her finger.

Nonetheless, she wanted Shepard out of the frame. It’s just business, she told herself as she studied her face in the rearview mirror and applied a little more lipstick. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I just plain don’t like the man.

She got out of the car and took the stairs up to the lobby. It was ten after nine. In twenty minutes Shepard would be sitting in her office, sweating nervously as she discussed his future, and not even realizing that she had already decided his fate.

Kristin was pleased with the way she had engineered this. She’d needed to be clever about it because Brian still regarded Shepard very highly, and if she was honest, that was another reason why she resented him. So instead of simply letting Shepard go, she had consulted Brian about it first, and it had proved to be a wise thing to do.

Brian was, as she had anticipated, strongly against it at first, explaining that Shepard had been at OFS almost from the start. It had taken several private meetings, in which Kristin had been forced to use all her persuasive powers before she’d been able to wear Brian down. The numbers were conclusive, she’d argued. Shepard’s sales figures for the past year had been appalling. Brian had been forced to agree with that, but he’d also suggested that Shepard’s disappointment at not being promoted might have been a contributing factor, and of course the economic downturn had affected everyone’s results.

Finally however, when Kristin had even hinted that it might come down to making a choice between her and Shepard, Brian had reluctantly capitulated. He had wanted to break the news to Shepard himself, but Kristin had even managed to convince him that it would look better to the others if she did it herself. Poor Brian, she thought. He was so easy.

Kristin stepped into the lobby and caught sight of herself in the mirrored wall. As a final act of mischief - in order to make Shepard’s departure that much more painful - she had dressed for the part. Today she had chosen a sea-blue cotton blouse, under which her black lace push-up bra was clearly visible. She had left the top three buttons undone and had tucked it tightly into the waistband of her dark gray pencil skirt. Ordinarily on such a cold day, she would have worn thick tights, but today her shapely legs were encased in black nylon stockings and accentuated by the four inch red stiletto pumps on her feet. She’d gone a little heavier on the make-up than usual, and instead of her usual pony-tail, her hair hung loose over her shoulders.

She turned and appraised her profile. Yes, she thought, that will get some heads turning. Here you are, Henry Shepard. Take a good hard look at what you’re never going to have.

Kristin was so absorbed with her image in the mirror that it was a few seconds before she noticed George, the doorman, gawking at her from behind his desk. She couldn’t resist a smirk as she approached him. His face was an absolute picture.

“Good morning, Miss Hartman,” George said, standing up.

Kristin didn’t return the greeting. She noticed that George’s eyes kept involuntarily flickering down towards her chest.

“George,” she said. “Would you order two espressos and have them sent up to my office?”

She saw a brief look of indignation cross his face. He was a proud man, and old enough to be her grandfather.

“Of course, Miss Hartman.”

Without responding, Kristin turned, pushed through the glass doors of the OFS offices and crossed the thickly carpeted reception area. In the mirrors she could see George was still ogling her ass. Already, she could tell that this was going to be an enjoyable day.

Barely acknowledging the greeting from Angela, the receptionist, she strode through the research and development department, relishing the interested looks she was receiving from the staff.

She went into her office, sat behind her desk and took her laptop out of her briefcase. She had just started checking her e-mails when her cell phone rang. It was Charles Hayden-Reed, an attorney whom she had just started seeing.

“I miss you,” he said, by way of a greeting.

“Already?” Kristin smiled. “We only saw each other last night.”

“I couldn’t sleep, thinking about you.”

“Dinner was lovely. Thank you.”

“We should do it again.”

“That would be nice.”

“How about lunch?”

“Today?”

“Of course, today.”

“My, aren’t we keen?”

“I feel like a silly teenager. I can’t concentrate on anything.”

“I have a busy schedule today. How about dinner on Friday?”

“You’re killing me.”

“We could try Danielle’s? I can meet you there. Say, seven?”

“I have to meet a client, but I can drop the case.”

“Stop being an idiot.”

“Danielle’s then, on Friday. I’ll book the table.”

“I’ll see you there.”

“I think I’m in love,” Charles said, and rang off before Kristin could think of an answer. She looked at her phone for a few seconds, shook her head with amusement, and then returned her attention to her e-mails.

She ran down the list, opening the important ones, leaving the others for later. Then, with a jolt, she stopped as one of the messages almost jumped off the screen at her. It was from somebody she hadn’t heard from in a long while. Excitedly, she clicked on the message and read, ‘Am back in circulation and ready to do business again. I have acquired some more potentially lucrative information. If you are interested, contact me via the usual procedure. Clouseau.’

Kristin closed the e-mail and immediately deleted it. Clouseau was back! And what perfect timing! If this new information was anywhere near as a big as VIRGO had been, the company would once again be back on track, and Kristin would again be the savior. There was a knock on the door and Angela came in with the coffee. In a patronizing kind of way, Kristin had a little soft spot for the prim, smart redhead who was the epitome of efficiency.

“Put it over there, Angela,” Kristin said.

Angela placed the tray on a low coffee table in the corner of the office and Kristin went over and arranged herself in one of the armchairs.

The receptionist regarded her a moment, and then said, “If I may say so, you’re looking quite ‘different’ today, Miss Hartman.”

“Really?” said Kristin. “How so?”

“What’s the word? Glamorous, I should think.”

“And does it suit me?”

“Very much so,” Angela replied. “I’ve always believed that a woman with your looks should use them to her best advantage.”

Kristin couldn’t help but laugh.

“You surprise me,” she said. “I’d always regarded you as something of a feminist.”

“Oh, I am in many respects. But it doesn’t do any harm to utilize your assets in this business.”

Angela was one of the few people in the company who would have dared to speak to Kristin so candidly, but her manner suggested that she was being sincere.

“Well, I’ll take that as a compliment,” Kristin chuckled.

There was another knock on the door and Angela let Henry Shepard into the room. Kristin spotted a brief expression of sympathy pass across Angela’s face as she greeted Shepard before leaving them alone.

Kristin gestured to the vacant armchair and said, “Please take a seat, Henry.”

She crossed her legs allowing her skirt to ride slightly up her thighs.

Shepard hesitated before seating himself opposite her. He didn’t look too well. There were bags under his bloodshot eyes and he seemed tired. She thought back to a year ago when they had last been in such close proximity. Back then he had been full of enthusiasm and vigor, probably because he had harbored grand ideas of f*****g the new girl. Well, things have most definitely changed, she thought. And you’re the one, Mr. Shepard, who is going to be well and truly f****d.

Kristin offered Shepard a coffee, and then got down to business.

“As you know, as part of the company’s new austerity measures, I’ve been assigned to appraise each staff member’s performance to determine if their continued employment will be of benefit to the company.”

Shepard nodded, keeping close eye contact with her. He seemed afraid to let his eyes wander over the rest of her body.

“When I reached your file, I was surprised,” Kristin lied. “A red flag came up and as I am sure you are aware, your sales figures are well below expectations.”

Shepard didn’t reply.

Kristin said, “In fact, you’ve been underperforming for most of the year. I can understand short-term dips, especially during a recession, but other members of the sales team are at least achieving modest results.”

Still Shepard remained silent. His face had reddened slightly, and Kristin couldn’t determine whether it was through embarrassment or anger.

“Well, the purpose of this appraisement,” Kristin continued, “is to give you an opportunity to give your side of the picture. Perhaps there are some mitigating circumstances that you would like me to consider.”

Shepard’s eyes finally dropped fleetingly to her breasts.

He drew a breath and said, “I’m not arguing that my figures have been below par this year. What I would ask of you, taking into consideration my prior record, is to allow me some time to turn this around. I think the company owes me that.”

This is beautiful! Kristin thought. He’s virtually crawling!

“Well, Henry,” she replied. “That wasn’t the kind of answer I was expecting. You’re supposed to be giving me a reason to keep you on. I need something concrete. Do you have any leads?”

Shepard paused.

“Possibly.”

“What does that mean?”

“Well, nothing solid.”

“That’s it? You know, some of your colleagues have come up with a lot more than that. Why should I give you preferential treatment?”

Shepard suddenly appeared to be having trouble keeping his composure.

“Preferential treatment?” he blurted. “Come on, Kristin, we both know you’ve had it in for me ever since you got promoted. You’re angry because I spoke to Brian about you.”

Now it was Kristin’s turn to flush.

“I hope you’re not suggesting that I have some kind of personal motivation in making these decisions?”

“I think,” said Shepard, “that you’ve already made your decision.”

“You’re certainly not helping your cause by taking that approach.”

Shepard leaned forward and for one alarming moment Kristin thought he was going to lunge at her.

“Tell me honestly, Kristin,” he said, “that getting rid of me hasn’t been on your agenda the whole time. Yes, I’ve had a bad year, but my track record is well established. Brian knows that.”

“Brian and I have already spoken about this and he has left the final decision with me.”

That stopped him and Kristin knew she had calculated correctly. Shepard had always believed that ultimately he could count on Brian’s support.

Shepard asked, “How did you do it? How did you get to him?”

Kristin smiled. There was no need for any pretense now.

“The same way I got to you when I first came here. Men are so predictable.”

Shepard nodded slowly, now openly scrutinizing the shapely curves of her legs and causing her to involuntarily tug her skirt down.

“There’s something else I’m curious about,” he said. “How did you swing the Motoko deal? We all knew that ABACUS wasn’t advanced enough for a company of that size.”

His quick change of tack caught her off guard and if Kristin had ever held the slightest doubts before, she was now absolutely certain that Henry Shepard had to go. “That, as you know, is proprietary information,” she said stiffly.

Shepard pondered that for a minute, his eyes still roaming over her body. It looked to Kristin, as if he had already accepted his fate.

“I think you’re power-crazed,” he said finally. “You use your looks to get what you want and you’re obsessed with winning, no matter what. You’re a control freak who needs everybody to do exactly what you want them to.”

“I might remind you that you are talking to the vice-president of the company, Mr. Shepard,” Kristin said.

Shepard stood up abruptly, causing Kristin to instinctively lean back into her chair.

“Let’s cut the bullshit,” he said, looming over her. “Are you letting me go?”

“I think,” Kristin replied curtly, “that you’ve just answered that yourself.”