Synopsis: Sarah's college lover abandoned her and her baby, but she meets a man on the train who comforts her. On an impulse, she gives him a blow job. He asks for a date later in the week, but she has other things to think about.
Part II -- Sarah's Story
Chapter Five
Two days later, I received a strange summons to Mr. Bose's office. It was almost unheard of for a receptionist to be called to the third floor, so I was frightened, but at the same time, intensely curious because I knew that if I were to fired, that message would have come from Personnel, not the executive office suite. After calling Sally to relieve me, I hurried into the ladies to make myself as presentable as possible, sadly wishing I taken more care with my hair that morning and had selected a different ensemble. Then I entered the elevator.
This was the first time I had been to the third floor and I had no idea what to expect, but even so, I was surprised at how drab and unassuming the furnishings were. The only difference I could see between the furnishings on the first floor and the third was the beige carpet. Otherwise, like the first floor, a receptionist's desk faced the elevator. The same cluster of chairs and coffee table occupied a small space against the wall to the receptionist's left. A dark hallway opened on the right.
I gave my name to the gray haired woman behind the desk. She nodded briefly, and picked up her phone. Then she really looked at me for the first time. "Mr. Bose will see you now," she said. "Third door on your right," she added, nodding toward the hall.
I smiled, expecting a smile in return, but her stare was entirely neutral, which, in the circumstances, seemed very strange. Puzzled and slightly frightened, I tapped on the third door. A metallic woman's voice responded from a small speaker over the door. "Please enter."
I pushed the door open. "Miss Kincade?" A pretty blonde about my age was standing behind her desk.
Nodding, I swiftly surveyed the rich furnishings of this room compared with the drab austerity of the reception area. My surprise must have been obvious because the woman smiled. "You're not the first person to see the incongruity." Her voice took on a confidential tone. "It's Mr. Boses way of impressing our clients. Come this way, please."
She led me to an ornate door. She tapped briefly, then without waiting for an answer, opened it and ushered me inside. "Miss Kincaide," she said.
A heavyset man sat behind a large mahogany desk. "Thank you, Miss Johnson," he said. "Please sit down, Miss Kincaide." He waved his hand toward a chair facing his desk, as I heard the door behind me close.
Sunlight streamed though a tall window directly behind Mr. Bose, making it difficult to read his features, or even to see them very clearly. He appeared to be a man well into middle age with thick graying hair and a pleasant smile. "I'm sure you must be wondering why I asked to see you, Miss Kincaide." He paused briefly, then continued, "Before getting into that, however, let me see . . ." He was thumbing through some papers in a file. I suddenly realized, with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, that it was my personnel file!
"Let me see," he repeated, "you've been with us now for roughly two years. Is that right?"
"Yes, sir," I said, wondering where this was taking us.
"Are you happy, here?"
Dumbly, I nodded.
"I understand you're a single mother. I'll bet you'd like a raise, wouldn't you? And maybe find a career path with us?"
More puzzled than ever, I nodded again, this time more enthusiastically. "I like working here, Mr. Bose, and I'd especially like to plan a career."
"Tell me about your family. It says here that your mother passed away several years ago. What about your father?"
"I don't know anything about my father. I never met him."
"Brothers? Sisters? Cousins?"
"I'm afraid not."
"You're not planning to get married soon?"
A quick bitter memory of that awful moment in Toronto flashed across my mind. "Not in the least," I said firmly.
"Nobody even on the horizon?"
Mr. Bose was beginning to irritate me. He was asking highly personal questions that he had no right to ask, but the tantalizing thought of a raise kept me in my chair. I shook my head.
Evidently, he realized he had pushed me about as far as I was willing to go. "Believe me, Miss Kincaide, I have a special reason for asking these personal questions. You'll understand why in a moment." Then he pushed a legal looking document across his desk. "This is a non-disclosure agreement; the same agreement our agents sign before going into the field to audit and otherwise inspect our investments. In exchange for your signature, we will raise your salary $100/month. In addition, you may be paid production bonuses as appropriate.
"However, unlike the business related subjects covered in the agreements our agents sign, let me stress that this confidentiality obligation includes any internal conversations or discussions concerning your employment or job assignments. Do I make myself clear?
"One more thing," Mr. Bose added, "I want you to go into this with your eyes open. You should realize that if you were to breach this agreement by disclosing to third parties the substance of any of those conversations or discussions, that you would be subject to immediate dismissal with prejudice and in addition incur considerable civil liability."
I wasn't entirely clear about the implications, although I knew that "with prejudice" would essentially amount to a negative job recommendation, as though I were suspected of being an embezzler, but that extra $100 in my paycheck seemed like found money. I nodded my agreement.
Mr. Bose smiled benignly. "I thought you'd see the advantage of this opportunity. He pressed a button on his deck.
The door behind me opened, and I heard Miss Johnson say, "You called, Mr. Bose?"
"Yes. Come in please, and close the door. I want you to witness Miss Kincaide's signature." Both Mr. Bose and Miss Johnson watched intently as I accepted the pen he offered and scrawled my signature on the dotted line. That's how I became the company whore.
It didn't happen all at once, of course. It was that chance encounter with Jack Longdon on the return trip from Toronto that caused it to happen at all. After Miss Johnson was dismissed again, I learned that Jack had mentioned our meeting to Mr. Bose, and had expressed his disappointment that I had not called him at his hotel. I'm not sure how graphic his description of that meeting was, but evidently Mr. Bose had some idea what had happened.
If, during the next 15 years, I heard Mr. Bose say "A satisfied client is a happy client" once, I heard it a thousand times. But I heard it then for the first time. "Miss Kincaide, I suggest you give Mr. Longdon a call at his hotel today, and accept his dinner reservation. After all, a satisfied client is a happy client."
He paused and frowned. Then he added, "This is a bit awkward, Miss Kincaide, but I've been married long enough to know that women in general are much more concerned about their appearance than men, especially out in public. Therefore, please let me make this as easy for you as possible."
He opened his wallet and extracted four $100 bills which he laid on his desk. "Why not take the rest of the afternoon off so you can make proper preparations?"
Although Mr. Bose had framed his request as a suggestion, I knew it was a veiled order; that it was part of my new job. Feeling already soiled by my ready acceptance of his outrageous proposal, I accepted the money. Consequently, I called Jack Longdon at his hotel as soon as I returned to my apartment. I suspect he may have been expecting my call, but he had the good grace to act pleasantly surprised.
"Why Sarah," he had said, "this is a pleasant surprise! I thought you had forgotten about me."