“What’s that about?” she asked, soaping up his chest.
“Oh, nothing. I’m just very happy to be me right now.” He hugged her and she squealed when his soap coated her breasts.
On the way to his office that morning, Edward was startled to see Mrs. Dowd and two secretaries emptying out the storage closet. Boxes of pens and reams of paper were stacked up on two carts as the women busied themselves.
“What’s all this?”
Mrs. Dowd turned to him, pushing her glasses up against the bridge of her nose. “Oh! Mr. Caudry! We’re making this into an office.”
“An office?” It looked hardly big enough for a desk and a chair.
“Yes, we’re bursting at the seams here—haven’t you noticed?”
He nodded. He had been aware the company’s income had increased in the last year, largely due to him. That was good news. But putting people in storage closets would only be a temporary situation. Bonham Industries would have to expand—and soon.
“Yes, I guess I have,” he said. He moved on toward his office.
Emily was already there. They had come separately because he had another late meeting. He nodded at her but did not ask her in. He was lost in thought as he breezed by, barely mumbling a hello.
At his desk, he stared at his calendar on the computer. He had a lot of appointments outside the office—as he did every week. It gave him ideas. Wonderful ideas that seemed to dovetail neatly together. He picked up the phone and dialed an extension.
Mrs. McDougal answered, three floors above his. “Mr. Andrews’ office.” Her voice was distant and imperious.
“Hello, this is Caudry. Is Mr. Andrews available today?”
“Oh, hello, Mr. Caudry!” Her voice softened at once. She knew who the top performers were in the building. “May I tell him what this is about?”
“Uh, no. Just that I’d like to meet with him.”
“Oh! Well. Let me check.” The phone was put on hold and Edward listened to some classical music for a few minutes.
“Hello, Mr. Caudry? Mr. Andrews said he could see you this morning at ten, if that’s all right with you.”
He checked his calendar. “Yes, that will work. I’ll see him then.”
He hung up and glanced at his watch. Nine-ten. He buzzed Emily.
She came in at once, her eyes expectant. She waited in front of his desk, her hands already hovering over the buttons on her blouse, waiting for his command.
“I’d like a cup of coffee please,” he said.
“Oh! Of course, Ed-, I mean Mr. Caudry.” She turned and hurried out.
When she returned a few minutes later, Edward simply thanked her and dismissed her. She went out, her face showing her confusion. She missed giving him his morning blowjob, he realized. That was good. However, he was far too satiated to need one.
He made some phone calls and dictated one letter before it was time to go upstairs. He glanced at his image in the mirror and straightened his tie. He stepped out and told Emily he would be back in a half-hour or so.
Edward rode up in the elevator feeling giddy and excited for the first time in years. He realized he was finally over his disappointment and anger at losing Adriana. Emily was the only woman he wanted now. They were a much better fit.
He stepped off the elevator and strode to Mrs. McDougal’s desk. She was a prune-faced woman in her mid-fifties, but highly competent. Her stern demeanor softened at once when she saw him.
“Hi, Mr. Caudry! Mr. Andrews is expecting you. Go right in.” She even managed to give him a smile, but her face clearly wasn’t used to it and she looked like a bride trying to smile for the congregation after her groom failed to show up.
He went past her to the thick oak door, turned the brass handle and went in. Mr. Andrews was sitting at the far end of his huge office, behind a desk the size of a pool table. He was a heavy-set man of about sixty, wearing a tight-fitting suit and Hermes tie. He had a full head of gray hair that some whispered was a toupee—if it was, it was an expensive one. When he spotted Edward, he stood and spread out his arms.
“Edward! So nice to see you again. I want you to know that I’ve been following your numbers and we couldn’t be prouder of you!”
Edward came forward and Andrews stepped around his desk to shake Edward’s hand. He had a firm grip, one expected of a captain of industry. “I hope everything’s going well for you. Is there anything you need?”
“Well, yes, there is, Mr. Andrews. That’s why I’m here.”
“Well, sit, sit!” He waved his hand at two chairs flanking his desk and he took one of them. Edward sat and straightened his suitcoat. Their knees almost touched. “Now, tell me what’s on your mind.”
“I know Bonham has been expanding rapidly in the last few months—”
“Thanks you to, my boy!” He puffed out his chest.
“Yes. I know you’re running out of space for new workers.”
“It’s a temporary problem, Edward. I can’t go into details right now, but we’re working on something. We’re hoping it will come together sometime next year.”
“That’s good to hear, but I have something that might help you in the short term.”
“Really?” He leaned forward. “What is it?”
“As you know, I spend a great deal of my time out of the office on calls,” he began.
“Yes, yes—and we really appreciate it! I know you’re on track to reach two hundred percent of your sales quota this year!”
“Thank you, sir,” he said. “But I got to thinking: Why do I need that fancy office?”
Andrews’ bushy eyebrows shot up. “You want to give up your office?”
“Yes—if I can work out of my home.”
Andrews sat back. “Really? How would that work?”
“I would ask the company to remodel my den at the front of my house—it would only need a minor upgrade, really. I’d put in a computer connected to the company’s server and bring my secretary in to work from there. I’d need another phone line too. Then I could handle my appointments and do all the same things I do now, only in much more comfortable surroundings.”
His boss frowned. “That’s, um, unusual. What about coordinating with customer service after the sale?”
“I do most of that by phone anyway. Or I meet the rep at the client’s office. Trust me, I’ve thought about this,” he said, not telling Andrews that he had thought about it for about an hour. Still, he knew it would work. He especially liked the idea of having Emily with him and away from the prying eyes of co-workers. “You could monitor my sales and if they dipped, you could recall me.”
“It’s unusual,” he said, templing his fat fingers.
“It would make me happy,” Edward went on, closing the sale. “And it would free up space. It’s really a win-win. And I know you’d like to reward the salesmen who have been doing well—I’d suggest you give my office to Determan.”
Andrews nodded. Edward knew Frank Determan had been selling over his quota as well, although he was still stuck in the cubicle farm. Perhaps that closet was being cleaned out for him.
“You’ve made an interesting point, Edward. But I wouldn’t want your sales efforts to fall off. I mean, I couldn’t very well move you back if I gave your office away, now could I?”
“If I failed, which I have no intention of doing, you could always put me back in a cubicle. That would spur me to make my quota, now wouldn’t it?” He laughed and Andrews joined in.
“Well, you make a strong case. I’m not much one for telecommuting—I’m old school, as you know—but I have to say, Edward, you’ve earned the right to try something bold like this.” He stood and Edward knew the meeting was over. Andrews shook his hand. “Let me mull this over and talk to legal and I’ll get back to you.”
Edward thanked him and left, feeling a little bit taller. He knew Andrews would approve it—he’d have to or risk alienating his top performer. It would free up an office and give the company a little breathing room before they had to move to larger headquarters, which was a very expensive proposition.