Head Above Water

Author's Note:

A warm 'thank you' to my fantastic beta, Laura, without whom this part in the series would not exist. She advocated for character growth, and so Celine has become one of my most fleshed-out characters. This isn't a story for the strokers, but there is sex.

Special shoutout to Spyauth: sorry about the H in Aston Martin.

Hope you all enjoy. Cheers,

Nora

—

I was rubbing my temples, grimacing as I looked down at the referral reports thus far, overall six percent behind goal. At this rate we might just barely hit goal by the end of the month, and that was unacceptable. I'd never, ever, ever finished a month below goal. Even one percent set off the Dragon Lady.

"Celine—"

"Get out," I said. "Get out of my face."

It was one of the supervisors, Paul; another one of those that needed too much hand-holding. I really wasn't in the mood to answer some question that I'd probably answered a hundred times before.

"It's important," he said, his voice so small that I almost felt a little bad for him. Almost.

I looked up, knowing that I was probably glaring. I didn't bother composing myself. These numbers were the supervisors' responsibility to maintain. What the fuck were those team meetings for? It was his job to teach his agents how to approach our policy holders with referrals, how to make it sound like they were doing them a favor, how they were experienced and knew insurance so well that they knew exactly what the policy holder was missing. It probably wasn't Paul's fault since his agents typically hit their team goal, but his face was annoying me.

"This better be good," I muttered.

"I need you to walk someone out."

"Who'd you fire?"

"Felicity Copeland... except I haven't fired her yet."

Seriously? Did I have to do everything?

"Get her off the phones and send her to my office. And the next time you ask me to do something that you're perfectly capable of doing yourself I'll consider firing you too. Email me her referral stats and her employee record. What's the reason for the termination?"

Paul had visibly paled.

Yeah, yeah, Dragon Lady. Whatever.

"She showed up late again. She's already had three write-ups. This would be her fourth."

We always fired after three write-ups, regardless of the reason behind it. It may sound like I enjoyed this aspect of my job, but I really hated dealing with hysterical people. Felicity was probably going to cry. She was sweet, but shit at keeping track of time. I didn't have enough of a bleeding heart to let anyone affect efficiency though.

I checked my watch.

"Get her off the phones. Now. I'm going to pay her through the end of the day but I really don't want her working more than she has to. It's insulting. Get going."

"Right away."

I knew Paul was going to have trouble sending me her employee record because he still struggled with navigating the hub, so I looked it up myself, clicking through my computer screen and trying to compose myself this time. I really wasn't a bitch when it came to these things. I knew how much it sucked to be out of a job. I'm not as completely cold as people think I am. Just hardened. And easily annoyed.

There was a soft knock on my door.

"Come in."

"You wanted to see me?"

"Take a seat."

Felicity took a seat in one of the white leather armchairs across from me, wringing her hands, looking around my office. There wasn't much to look at. Most employees had pictures, superhero figurines, and stickers and whatever shit hung up in their cubicles. I didn't have anything. I didn't like looking at anything that could distract me.

"You know why you're here," I said, printing out her record.

"I'm so sorry. My class got let off late. I tried to make it here as fast as I could."

Jesus fucking Christ.

"Did you ring the employee Call-Out line? A late counts as one occurrence and you're allowed six before you get a write-up."

She looked relieved, like she'd been saved. I held up a finger and picked up my phone to dial the Call-Out line.

"Employee Call-Out line. This is Addie," said one of the few supervisors that I actually liked—no, loved. I

loved

this girl. That was saying a lot because the list of people that I loved was really, really, really short.

"Hey, Addie. It's Celine."

"Oh honey, you sound mad. Don't tell me. It was Paul. David. Rita. Bethany?"

I actually laughed. She was such an adorable idiot.

"Keep that up and it'll be you," I said, but not in a serious tone.

"Dragon Lady this morning, huh? Do you want anything from 7 Leaves? I'm on the coffee run today after George gets here. Might perk you up. You sound moodier than usual."

She could read me better than anyone.

"You're a godsend. You know my order."

"I sure do. That revolting black sea witch cream whatever drink. Disgusting."

"Stop judging me."

"Nah, never. What's the reason for your call?

"I need you to check the Call-Out roster for this morning."

"Sure thing. Who am I looking up?"

I glanced at Felicity. She didn't look so relieved now.

"Felicity Copeland. Do you have any record of her calling in late before her shift this morning?"

"Mm, let me check," Addie said. I could hear rustling papers on the other end. "I don't think so. I'll double check, though. Rita was on the line this morning, too. Can I put you on hold for a minute?"

"Take your time."

Felicity was now fidgeting in her seat.

"You want to tell me or am I going through this whole thing for nothing? You know I don't like having my time wasted."

"I don't think I did," she practically whispered. "I might have forgotten to."

"You

might

have? Well, let's make sure."

Paul's email came through as I was waiting for Addie. I was surprised he'd figured it out. He was so scatterbrained half the time. I wouldn't have promoted him in the first place, but he was especially gifted with his referral guidance, and he really did have a way of motivating his agents. Felicity's numbers proved it. She was the second highest producer on her team, eleven percent above goal only halfway into the month. She was five weeks away from a pay raise and a bonus. Fucking hell.

I printed out Felicity's stats, and filled out a termination letter on Adobe while I waited for Addie to get back on the line.

There was a knock on my door.

"Come in."

I could tell from the heels alone who it was. And the pencil skirt that just barely passed the dress code. And the blouse that probably should be buttoned two more buttons up. And that red hair. And those emerald green eyes. And that bright fucking smile.

It was Addie.

"I couldn't reach Rita on the phone. I think she went to the bathroom or something. I picked up the roster from her desk."

"I really do love you," I said, holding out my hand.

Addie beamed and handed me the roster sheet.

"Anything else? There are some donuts in the break room. Want one?"

"I'm trying to watch my figure."

She snorted.

"You have fast metabolism. You can eat whatever you want so don't give me that crap. I'll bring you one of those chocolate donuts with the rainbow sprinkles. I know they're your favorite even though you pretend like they aren't."

"If I get diabetes I'm sending you my hospital bills."

"Take it right out of my 401k. Have the donut. You need a little sugar to sweeten up your morning."

"Okay, but just one. And clear up your lunch schedule today. Feeling In N Out?"

"I'm trying to watch my figure."

"Shut up. Meet me at one thirty."

Addie left grinning with a little wave.

I looked over the roster, checking it twice, three times and then four. Yeah, no surprise. Felicity hadn't called. I put the roster down.

"So," I said. "How many write-ups have had so far, Felicity?"

"Um," she said, breathing heavily. "Three, I think."

"And they're all attendance-related."

It wasn't a question. We both knew the answer.

"Yes."

"Okay, I'm going to explain this very carefully so you understand. Listening?"

"Yes."

"You've worked here, what?" I checked her record. "About ten, eleven months now. You know how a call center works. Do you know what happens when an employee doesn't get here on time?"

"Yes," she said, looking down at her hands.

"I'll explain it in depth so you understand. You affect our hold times when you miss even a minute off the phones. The hold times are one of our monthly goals. You bring that down, and you affect everyone else's incentive payouts. You also put a strain on your fellow agents. They have to pick up the slack for you. We know exactly how many agents to schedule on the floor to handle the volume for the day. When you don't show up—or even show up late—your coworkers end up getting no breathing room between calls. Does that seem fair to you?"

"No."

"You know I hate to do this. And you know what I have to do."

She put her face in her hands, crying. Fucking hell.

I printed out the termination letter and slid it with a pen across the desk.

"I need you to sign this. I'll pay you through the end of the day and you'll get your last paycheck on the next payday. It'll have any accrued vacation time cashed out for you. Unfortunately, the incentive payout won't be on there since you won't be finishing the month with the department."

She lifted her head, her watery eyes bothering the hell out of me. I really didn't like doing this.

"Is there nothing I can do? I'm so, so, so sorry."

I shook my head, feeling like absolute shit.

"You're a good agent and I hate to lose you, but you know the three write-up policy. I'll write you a recommendation for your next job and I'll give you my business card so you can have them personally call me. That's about the most I can do. I'm sorry."

"Okay," she said shakily, reaching for the pen. She signed and dated the sheet of paper sloppily.

I took the termination letter back, signed and dated it as well, and scanned and printed her a copy. I made a third copy to put aside to have run down to HR later.

"Here's my business card," I said gently. "Honestly, if there's anything else you need just call me. I'll mail you the recommendation letter."

"Okay," she said. "Thank you, Celine. I really am sorry."

"What's done is done. Come with me. I'll take you to your desk so you can clear it out and then I'll walk you down. Make sure to take your badge to turn it into security."

I knew the kind of humiliation that came from being walked down the Floor after being fired. I fucking hated it, but it was protocol. Not everyone was cut out for the stress that comes from working in a call center. Our turnaround rate wasn't too bad since our agents received a whopping four months of training off the phones to prepare them, but it still happened every once in a while.

Agents stiffened as I walked the Floor with Felicity. The look of fear in their eyes didn't bother me. It was just going to push them to be on their best behavior and perform their job to the best of their ability. This was why I routinely did Floor walks. The supervisors did too, but they more or less just helped agents. I breathed down a lot of necks. Dragon Lady.

Felicity sniffled as she gathered her things. Paul brought her an empty box and gathered up her headset to take back to storage. He gave her a very heartfelt goodbye and told her to call him if she'd forgotten anything so he could get it back to her. I turned away because I didn't like watching shit like that. Instead, I checked in with the agents beside her desk, talking to them between calls to see how their morning was going. I could be scary when pissed, but I wasn't really mean to my agents. Their supervisors usually caught the worst of it.

Felicity had her head down as I led her down the elevator to the security desk. Every entrance had security, but I needed to go to the main one for the head security booth. It was a long walk. A long, humiliating, excruciatingly painful walk for a girl who really wasn't a bad person, just a bad employee. I put on my bitchiest face so that no one would dare to stop and talk to me. Even people I was on good terms with ended up walking past with a panicked look in their eyes—people that weren't even from my department. I guess I was Dragon Lady everywhere.

I didn't really have any words for Felicity but to wish her luck in her future endeavors. I watched her turn in her badge and leave the doors for the last time. Then I sighed and headed back up, knowing that I needed to go up to my office and let my hair down. Bobby pins were digging into my scalp from my elegant, twisted knot. I dressed like a serious woman at work, but I really wished I could just let my hair down more often. It was a deep rich brown color that some people even told me they were jealous of because of how thick, sleek and long it was. I guess it was coming down today. To hell with serious.

There was a donut, a styrofoam cup of shitty breakroom coffee, and a note from Addie on my desk.

'Sorry about the coffee! It's the best I could do. I'm heading down to 7 Leaves now so don't worry, you'll be on cloud nine soon. xoxo Addie'

God, I really did love that woman.

I was just barely settling into my chair when my office phone rang. I checked the extension and groaned. As if my morning wasn't already shit enough.

"Yes, David," I said.

"Hey, you lady, you."

God, what the fuck was wrong with this guy? What the hell kind of greeting was that?

"What can I do for you, David?"

"Just need for you to double check this amendment change request I got this morning. It's a pretty high liability increase request so you'll have to pull the call recording unless Audit has a transcript, but I doubt they've gotten around to it yet or will at all," he said.

Well, at least it was work-related.

"What's the policy number?" I asked, pulling up the insurance system on my computer.

"I just PM'd it to you. Check your Messenger."

"Got it," I said, and read out the name of the insured and their address from my screen when I'd entered it into the insurance system.

"That's the one. Check the most recent amendment request."

"Two million for a home policy liability limit? Are you even going to approve this?"

"We might. I'll have to see. Do you need to put me on hold while you pull the call?"

"Looks like the call is twenty-three minutes long. That's pretty short for a liability increase call. The insured probably called in for it. We don't have the agents referring this high of a liability increase. You and I both know the approval rate is five percent at best. I'll have to call you back. I'll need to give this one a good listen."

"Sounds good. You know more than anyone I know, Celine. And hey, how was that date? Was he a good guy?"

Ugh.

"Yeah, it went really well, actually. He's great."

"Is he smart? Only a really smart guy can keep up with you, Celine."

Double ugh.

"He's very intelligent."

And annoying. And arrogant. And sweet. And kind. And disgustingly good-looking. All things I didn't need to tell David.

"A lot of guys use Google these days to appear smarter than they are. You sure he's not one of those?"

"Pretty sure he's smart, considering that he's a surgeon."

I could almost hear David sputtering. This was kind of satisfying actually.

"Wow," he said, even though I could tell he was upset. "Good catch. On his part, that is. Any man would be lucky to have you."

"Thanks, David. Hey listen, I need to go listen to that call now. I have a busy morning. I'm barely going to be able to fit this in."

"Sure thing. And let me know if you ever wanna hang out. That offer's still there. Not as a date or anything. Just maybe catch a movie or something. As friends."

"I'll let you know if I'm ever free. Bye, David."

I hung up before he could drag the conversation any further. I knew he'd been gearing up to making me pity him enough to hang out with him. I didn't have time for it, this morning or any morning.

I rang Rita.

"This is Rita."

"Are you off the Call-Out Line route yet?"

"Yeah, just got relieved a few minutes ago. Why, what's up?"

"One of your agents sent an amendment request for a high liability increase. It bounced back from Underwriting. I'm going to need you to pull the call."

"Got it. Email me the policy number and I'll get right on it. Do you need me to follow up with Underwriting for you?"

"Rita, you are one of my favorite people right now. This is one of David's."

She groaned.

"Get him the answer when you're done," I said, trying not to laugh.

"You owe me a lunch for this."

"One thirty today. Addie and I are getting In N Out. You in?"

"Hell eyes. Just the thought of animal style fries has me salivating already."

"Stop saying 'hell' on my Floor."

"Come on down here and make me, boss lady."

I laughed. Like Addie, Rita was another one of my supervisors that I could call a friend. I wasn't as close to her as I was to Addie, but she did come in as a very close second. The three of us had a good understanding. Our friendship wasn't allowed to affect our work. They hardly ever overstepped those boundaries, save for times like these where Rita would try to get away with cursing on my Floor. I knew she hadn't said it loudly enough to carry over to the phones though.

"I'm firing you."

"Oh shut up. I'll see you at lunch. I'll take care of David in the meantime. Ughhhh bye."

"Bye, Rita."

I tried to keep a good relationship with my other supervisors as well. Some of them still pissed me the hell off, but I tried to include them when I could manage to deal with them without ripping my hair out. A dinner and drinks once a month was about all I could handle with the whole team together. The ones I actually considered my friends would hang out with me outside of work from time to time.

I tried to show my appreciation where I could though. I knew how important the supervisors were in all of this. They didn't need to be pushed as hard, save for the select few. They understood the importance of their jobs. Plus, their quarterly incentive bonuses were pretty generous. I made sure of it. I like to take care of my people.

I finally took my hair down after getting a chance to breathe.

"Ahhhh,"

I practically moaned. I'd needed this so bad. I'd done it at work before, but I never left my office without putting it back up. Everyone's jaw would probably drop to the floor so I didn't bother walking out like this. It'd just distract them.

I spent the rest of the morning doing actual managerial work, not bullshit phone calls and things that the supervisors could handle, like firing people. Delegating David's request out to Rita had really lightened my mood.

Something else lightened it even more.

My cell phone rang. I reached for it absently, finishing up an email, answering without even looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?" I said, distracted.

"How's my favorite mean avocado lady?"

Oh my god.

"Wes," I breathed. "Hi."

I felt like an idiot. I was suddenly feeling shy. We'd ended the night with too many kisses, too many "okay, I'm gonna go now"s that just ending up with us making out in the parking lot. He'd walked me to my car, and then he'd kissed me against the door until I'd gotten weak in the knees.

"Are you busy?"

"No," I lied. I checked my watch. "You're up pretty early."

"It's almost noon. Why is that always early to you?" His laugh twisted all my insides so pleasurably that it took me a moment to recover.

"You have a late shift. You should be sleeping."

"Aw," he said, and I could tell he was smiling. I could hear it in his voice.

"You care this much already, Celie?"

"Don't call me that," I said, even though I was smiling too. Hearing his voice was making my heart race.