Think Outside the Boss - Olivia Hayle Page 0,15

scoring a trainee position here, when in reality they know absolutely nothing and are on the bottom rung of the ladder.

My instinct is to dig down deeper into this one, though. Much as it pains me to admit, perhaps he’d been on to something with his first email.

RE: A Thank You to the Troops

Freddie,

A wise course of action, if I wasn’t specifically asking you for your advice now. You seem to be under the impression that my employees are anything but excited about the Thanksgiving lunch. Tell me why you believe that’s the case.

Tristan Conway

CEO of Exciteur Global

I hit send and wonder if I’m being a heartless bastard, forcing it out of him. A nicer person would make it clear that he won’t face any repercussions for speaking his mind. But I don’t have the time to coddle employees, and he’s the one who emailed me, mistake or not.

I forget all about Freddie Bilson for the coming hours. There are too many fires to put out and not enough time.

Never enough time.

My mind drifts back to the past weekend, finding the contours of that Saturday night effortlessly. A Gilded Room party had never been this difficult to move on from before. The image of her dark hair unbound around narrow shoulders, the tight black dress and beckoning curves beneath, feels seared into my brain.

I close my eyes and see her naked in front of me, stretched out on the hotel bed. All the curves I’d touched, the crook of her neck, the ample breasts. The way she’d moaned without artifice or pretense.

Not to mention the way she’d looked while we’d talked. The confidence in her eyes, so at odds with the sudden bursts of nerves or shyness. Guests to the Gilded Room change often, and rare are the times I’ve slept with the same guest twice. But she better be at the next party.

And she better be looking for me, too.

Leaving her after only a few hours together had been a hard call. But I never stayed long at those parties, not when Joshua was at home with the sitter. I know he adores her and doesn’t miss me at all… but I can’t justify being away from home longer than necessary.

But it had been a close call with her.

Running a hand over my face in frustration, I re-open my email server. In the hours since I’ve last dealt with it, don’t you know, it’s grown again?

I swear, they breed in my inbox.

And wouldn’t you know, there’s one from Freddie Bilson waiting there for me.

RE: A Thank You to the Troops

Mr. Conway,

I am a new hire at your company, but I’ll give my best assessment of the situation, just as you asked. Your employees appear to be either intimidated or outright afraid of you. Whether this is due to your managerial style or your track record, I can’t say.

Management’s plan for a Thanksgiving lunch in the break room as a thank-you doesn’t seem to resonate with the staff, although I’ll admit I’ve only interacted with a limited sample. Perhaps they’d prefer a day off or a bonus, if the aim is truly to reward them for a year of hard work and anxiety?

That’s my solicited advice, Mr. Conway, based on less than twenty-four hours’ work experience at your company. I look forward to deepening my understanding of Exciteur and being of further use to the company. You won’t hear unsolicited advice from me again.

Best,

Freddie Bilson,

Junior Professionals Trainee,

Strategy Department

I lean back in the chair, crossing my arms over my chest. Well, he has balls, I’ll give him that. He’d responded to what I’d asked of him, short and concise, without unnecessary niceties and platitudes.

Except the last two sentences, that is. I recognized a blatant appeal to be allowed to stay when I heard one.

But I’m not planning on firing Freddie. What he said about the company’s employees rings true, even if I hadn’t wanted to admit it to myself. The last year has been brutal to many of the people who still work in this building. They’d seen co-workers laid off and positions re-shuffled. A lot had been sacrificed on the altar of ever-increasing profit margins. I know they’re intimidated and afraid.

I grin as I realize exactly what to do, reaching for my phone and dialing the familiar extension to Clive, the COO. Freddie is a trainee in Strategy, after all. If he wants to contribute to Exciteur… perhaps we’ll put him in charge of Thanksgiving.

6

Freddie

It’s been four days since the