The It-Bitch

Author's note:

This is a stand-alone romance of roughly 18k words. As always, everything and everybody is fictional and any resemblance random.

As usual, I prefer to tell a story containing sexual acts instead of sexual acts driving a story so if you're looking for quick stimulation, I'm afraid this isn't the right story for you.

My thanks go to my editors Joffa and Anon. Their contribution makes my story readable. All mistakes you find happened only after their final input and are totally my fault and responsibility.

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Prelude

I stood in the back of the ballroom, listening to an uncharismatic speaker giving an uninspired laudation. His speech was totally underwhelming, considering the scintillating woman he announced. That was something I had to admit. Whatever you thought of her otherwise, she definitely wasn't a wallflower.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, now please welcome the director of the foundation, Tamara Hallford."

Unsurprisingly, there were no shouting or wolf-whistling. Instead, the distinguished crowd consisting of the who's who of the local society politely clapped their hands while Tamara stepped forward from behind the curtain, dressed in a whitish evening gown. She was as devastatingly beautiful as when I first met her, standing at one metre seventy-seven, a body most women would kill for with long, perfectly formed legs, wonderfully curved hips, a flat and trim stomach and breasts that were neither too big nor too small. Her face, framed with that perfect, blonde-brunette hair, still showed that same inexplicable, timeless beauty. But something was distinctly different. It wasn't a visual characteristic per se, it was more intangible. I don't know how many people would recognise it for what it was but I did so immediately, mostly because of our common history. She was at peace with herself. Something she hadn't been during our first encounter five and a half years ago.

Since I had decided to attend this fundraiser, I had thought a lot about how our paths had crossed a couple of years back. I had heard of Tamara Hallford long before I first met her. Everybody had. At the time, she was what used to be called an It-girl. Nowadays, she would probably be classified as a social-media-influencer. Famous for being famous. I never cared enough to try and find out if there was a reason for her renown. It wasn't as if I had expected to ever meet her.

Six years earlier

"Rick, can you come to my office, please?"

The phone had interrupted me and the caller had skipped straight past the preliminaries.

"You need me immediately or can I finish the Osmond-report first? I'm almost done. Just the last couple of paragraphs to edit. Another hour or so. I'd hate to interrupt. You know how it is..."

I received an affirmative grunt from Alan. Being interrupted at this stage was very inconvenient and he knew that.

"Any time today is fine. I've got a new assignment for you."

I groaned inwardly. I had announced a four weeks holiday, having worked every waking minute for nine months nonstop on the Osmond-project, right after finishing another five months assignment before that. Today, Thursday, I wanted to finish the project-report and the final invoice, tomorrow Friday, I would tie up the last few loose ends here in the office and on Saturday, I'd dress in my beachwear and take off for Mauritius.

Unfortunately, I'd be going there alone as my last girlfriend, Sabrina, had broken up with me, halfway through the Osmond-project. I can't say I was very surprised. When she left me, we hadn't seen each other for almost two weeks and the last time we had been intimate was even longer. It wasn't her fault either, it was mine. Working fourteen and more hours a day, six or seven days a week might be great for your career but it's definitely not boosting a relationship.

"You know I'm due for a holiday, don't you?" I cautiously inquired. Alan was usually up-to-date on these questions and I wondered why he would be giving me a new assignment so quickly. "It's booked, paid for, and there's a beach chair loudly calling my name."

"I know and you'll get your holiday. The customer is willing to wait for your return as long as they get you as the project manager, but for various reasons I need to inform you before you leave."

That was a sneaky approach. He knew very well that I would start working on the project plan while on holiday if I had an assignment waiting for me. He didn't even need to ask me, that's just my character. But there was also something concealed in that statement and there was barely hidden excitement in Alan's voice.

"Sounds like there's a salary negotiation coming up."

I was only half-joking, even though I couldn't complain about my current salary, either. I was a long way from earning the insane Wall Street-salaries and bonuses, but I couldn't remember the last time I had managed to spend more than half of my monthly salary before the next one came in. I didn't throw my money out the window but at the same time, I definitely didn't live frugally. A nice apartment, a luxury car, a cleaning lady that came twice a week, regular restaurant visits, the latest technologies, and the likes. Alan chuckled on his side of the line.

"Let's talk about that later. Is your calendar up to date? Can I ask Tracy to book something?"

"Sure. She doesn't even need to check back. As long as it's in the afternoon, I'm fine. Please ask her to just put an appointment into my schedule and I'll be there."

We ended the call and I sighed. I wasn't particularly happy with Alan's slightly underhand approach, but we were friends and as such he had earned himself some leeway, especially as there wasn't malicious intent. I believed him when he said he had reasons to talk to me before my holiday. I loved my job and I enjoyed working for this company. The people were great, the corporate culture was fantastic, and I was given the freedom I needed to perform.

The Osmond-project was a prime example of just how much of myself I was willing to invest in this environment. We had implemented our Customer-Relationship-Management-module for a two thousand headcount strong salesforce. We had started from scratch, evaluating their requirements, customising the software, coordinating the necessary hardware purchases with their IT-department, installing everything, migrating their old data, and training the sales representatives. I took great satisfaction from completing the project on time and eight per cent below budget. Now I was putting the finishing touches on the technical documentation as well as the project report, and I was preparing the final invoice to be sent out by the finance department.

There was also a nice performance bonus waiting for me. As I didn't really need the money, I had already decided to donate it to an organisation that fights racism. That has always been an important issue for me as I had closely seen what my sister had gone through. Natasha was adopted by my parents after their doctor had told them that they wouldn't be able to conceive naturally. Two years later, I proved that specialists sometimes get it wrong also. My parents, and consequently, me as well, are white but Natasha is black, and where we grew up, coloured people are uncommon enough to be noticed. Therefore, Nat stuck out. For me, it didn't and doesn't matter. Nat is my sister as I tell anyone who questions that and I will always have her back. The fact that we both have consciously decided that not being related by blood didn't hold any relevance for us, made our bond even stronger. I had been in more than one altercation in school when one of the dickheads went all racist on her.

I've since learned to curb my reactions but I still didn't let my sister get insulted just because she looked different. To this day, we have a very close relationship and no matter how much I work, I always make time for a Sunday evening call or, if possible, a visit. She is married to a great guy named Greg and has two children with him. At thirty-two she still looks fantastic and has several equally good-looking friends she regularly tries to match me up with. I think that my being unmarried is the one thing that makes her unhappy.

I shook myself out of these musings and dug back into the report. I finished both the review and the invoice just before noon. That left me with enough time to go running for an hour over lunch, take a quick shower in the corporate's locker rooms, and have an even quicker meal before I started preparing everything for my holiday absence. Shortly before four, I went over to Alan's office where I was welcomed by his assistant.

"Hi, Rick, he's ready and waiting."

"Tracy! You look better than ever. What have you done? Found the fountain of youth?"

I always took a minute before I entered Alan's office to chat with Tracy. She was about sixty and slightly overweight but she had a personality that made her a joy to spend time with. While we both knew that my compliments were, let's say, exaggerated, she still accepted them with a grateful smile. With me being twenty-eight and her being happily married since way before I was even born, there was nothing sexual in our flirtatious behaviour. We just both enjoyed being nice to each other.

"Thank you," she replied with a sheepish smile. "You charmer. But save it for a girl your age so that you can finally have children and spread those wonderful genes of yours. Mankind would sure improve if there were more of your kind."

Giving a theatrical performance deserving of the worst any critic could come up with, I impersonated a heart-broken gallant.

"Unfortunately, I was born a few years too late to marry you and you only have sons, so I'll have to put up with inferior quality."

Now I had her blush a little and we shared a laugh over our banter. Like my sister, Tracy took it as a personal offence that I was unattached. It had taken an intervention from Alan to get her to stop trying to hook me up with any of the single ladies at ALM or sometimes even our customers.

"You want coffee?"

"Please," I replied before knocking on Alan's door and entering his office.

Alan and I spent the first few minutes discussing the completed Osmond-project but there wasn't anything he didn't know yet. Alan was the majority owner, CEO and Sales Director of ALM, all wrapped in one. His partner, Leo, was responsible for everything regarding the products themselves like development, customisation, implementation and support and was on paper, my direct superior. Reality was a bit different though. In the organically grown organisation, I kind of reported to both but also to none of them. I had been one of their first employees and while I wasn't an associate, my input and opinion were always taken seriously into consideration and I was given a very high degree of freedom. Only after Tracy had served the coffee did he move on to the reason for this meeting.

"We haven't announced it yet, so you'll have to keep it a secret but Hallford Enterprises has agreed to buy our entire ERP-package. I'll meet with Felix Hallford himself next week to sign the contract."

That was flabbergasting news. The entire package?! Now if that wasn't a reference customer. I wondered how that would influence our bottom line, but without knowing how deep into the organisation our software would be distributed, it was impossible to tell. Alan interpreted my open mouth correctly.

"The entire package - all Finance modules, Projects, Inventory Management, Sales, Logistics, Supply Chain, Customer Relationship, Human Resources, and the Business Warehouse. Everything is to be fully integrated for the headquarters and all subsidiaries. Eighty thousand employees and something around seven thousand licenses."

"Holy shit!"

Alan's face-splitting grin told me that whatever my guess of the effect on turnover and profit was, it was way too low.

"That sums it up quite nicely. But Mr Hallford has one stipulation. He wants you as the project manager for the implementation. It seems as if the Osmond-CEO has been heaping praise on you when they met during a conference."

"What's your first guess? Twelve months? Eighteen? What's Hallford's take on it?"

I didn't think it possible but Alan's grin got even wider.

"He says to present him with a realistic timetable. In his own words," Alan modulated his voice to sound somewhat different in an attempt to imitate Mr Hallford, "I'd rather have a realistic timetable which is adhered to than a sales instrument that isn't worth the paper it's printed on."

The wheels in my head were already turning, starting to try and grasp the scope of this.

"How many subunits are we talking about? Every country for every subsidiary? Six hundred? And there must be thousands and thousands of inventory items."

"More like eight or nine hundred. Fifteen subsidiaries with an average of about three business units. Some companies operate only in a few countries but others in over a hundred. Mostly sales offices but also some production and logistic facilities. It sums up to forty-four business units and something around seven hundred and fifty to eight hundred country branches. I don't even want to think about all the possible cross-relationships between all these units."

"Fuck. There goes my holiday."

Alan raised his hands in a defensive gesture.

"No, no, no. Hold on. That's not going to happen. Seriously. Your four weeks on Mauritius are set in stone. You've more than just earned them. Hallford accepts that. He said he'd rather have you fresh and motivated. I didn't tell you before your holiday because you need to start on it immediately, but because I didn't want you to learn about this deal from the news. The media will be falling all over themselves as we've beaten the bids of both SAP and Oracle. This is it, Rick! This is our breakthrough! Today, we've become a recognised player in the ERP-market."

That was, in fact, a very important point. This deal would put us on the global stage and even more so if we implemented the system successfully. I promised to myself that I wouldn't do more than a little brainstorming while on holiday. It really didn't matter. A project of this size would take a long time to finish and I needed tons of information before I could even start to plan the time schedule.

"By the way, don't forget to check your mail tomorrow morning."

What a sudden change of topic. Alan has never been very subtle when approaching a new subject and a fluent transition in a discussion wasn't his forte.

"Why?" I replied hesitatingly, wondering what it was about.

"There'll be a letter, detailing everything I'm about to tell you next. Leo and I have decided that we need to strengthen the ties between you and the company. Therefore, you're receiving seven and a half per cent of the company's stock as a bonus. So in addition to a hefty hike to your already insanely high salary, you'll become the third biggest shareholder and receive parts of the distributed profits."

I would have chuckled at the jibe about my salary if I had been able to close my mouth. Seven and a half per cent? That alone was worth at least... Holy shit! And in view of the expected growth following this deal... Holy fucking shit!

"We will also start on a reorganisation. With Hallford Enterprises on board as our customer, Leo won't be able to handle all he does now. We have therefore decided to offer you a promotion to director of the newly created department of implementation and support, effective as soon as the project with Hallford is completed. It goes without saying that this includes a place on the executive board. This a win-win-win-situation. You get the recognition you deserve, Leo will finally be able to focus on what he likes and does best - development and customisation - and, last but not least, we hope that this will result in you staying with us for the foreseeable future. We will also reintegrate the back office and hire a Finance and HR manager, reporting to me, and add a couple of employees on that front."

I would have said a lot of things, 'thank you' for example, if my mind had been able to process all the information Alan was heaping on me. The way it was, the only thing I could get out was 'Wow'.

Alan gave me some more information on the planned reorg and the Hallford-deal, mostly to give me time to catch up mentally. He's never been stupid and he had known I would be overwhelmed at first. When I had finally recovered and expressed my gratitude, joy, and pride, he sent me on my way.

"Just remember! All I told you today is top secret until we make the official announcement. Not a word to anyone!"

"Sure," I replied, before starting to grin. "Fortunately, tomorrow is the last day before my holiday."

When I left Alan's office and walked up to Tracy's desk, she pulled out a party hat which she held over her head and a cheap paper air horn into which she blew once. That was her way of telling me that she knew what had just been discussed. Then she got up and embraced me.

"Congrats, Rick. No one deserves it more than you. Now we just need to find you a wife and all will be well."

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It was a good thing I was leaving for the holiday. Keeping my mouth shut for the rest of Thursday and Friday was one of the hardest things to do ever. It wasn't until I drank my first Mojito at the beach bar of the hotel on Mauritius that I came out of my trancelike state. From then on, I did all I could to distract myself from what was going to happen once I returned.

I went sightseeing, snorkelling, fishing, hiking, scuba diving, and, of course, I spent a lot of time at the beach babe watching. While short affairs really aren't my preferred kind of relationship, I remained open in case a holiday fling came along but it didn't happen. I met many interesting people though, locals and tourists, but no one who caught my specific interest.

Two weeks in, the deal with ALM and Hallford Enterprises made the news. Apart from a couple of emails from friends trying to get some first-hand information, I didn't get disturbed in my relaxation. My sister Natasha facetimed me in the evening, thank god for hotel Wi-Fi, and I gave her some more information about my coming promotion and the Hallford-project. Being the loving sister she was, all she cared about was whether or not I had somebody in my life to share the success with.

During the last week on Mauritius, I started some superficial online research on Hallford Enterprises, just to have an idea of what was waiting for me back home. I gained a rough overview of the Hallford business empire and started to think about different approaches to a project of this scope.

Upon my return from paradise, I was well-relaxed, properly suntanned, and ready to embark on an adventure of which I knew it would take over the next eighteen to twenty-four months of my life. I was really looking forward to this new challenge.

I arrived home on Saturday evening and used Sunday to catch up. I took care of the laundry, called my sister as well as my parents, talked to Alan and Leo, and so on. As I had been physically more active during the holiday than while at work, I had allowed my fitness regime to slide so a short run to ramp things back up again was also in order.

Fortunately, the time difference between home and Mauritius is only two hours, so jet lag was no concern, and by the time I went to bed, I was ready to tackle the future.

Monday morning was mostly spent receiving my colleagues' congratulations. In the afternoon and on Tuesday I caught up on my emails while for the rest of the week I dove into the preparation of the kick-off-meeting with Hallford at the beginning of the coming week.

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Mr Felix Hallford turned out to be a very distinguished, polite, friendly, and approachable person. Despite his position as the president of such a large, family-owned corporate conglomerate, he never seemed out of touch with the real world. He listened attentively to my ideas about the project and the rough estimates regarding time and cost. He asked some challenging questions about things I hadn't had the time to work out yet, a fact I didn't have any problems to admit, and also delivered some valuable input. It became very obvious that he possessed an outstanding intellect but he didn't need to rub it in our faces. He came across as a knowledgeable and interested participant and not once did he try to wrangle the lead of the meeting from me.