Jenny had just stepped out of the shower when she heard her cell phone. She quickly slipped into her pink robe having barely enough time to tie the sash. She answered on the fifth ring, "Hi Ian, what's up? I wasn't expecting your call tonight."
"Hey Jenny. Bad news. Things here are more fucked up than I expected. There is bureaucratic chaos here. I'm bummed that I won't be able to come to the City tomorrow. I was looking forward to our dinner date at that Asian Fusion place you rave about."
"Oh no, what's up?" quizzed Jenny.
"Sometimes working for the government sucks. The clichés are true. We are a jumbled hot steaming pile. But never mind that. Sorry for the late notice."
"Yeah, I was really looking forward to seeing you again. We know each other so, how should I say it, intimately. I was looking forward spending a night fully clothed and deep in conversation."
"Me too. Don't get me wrong, the 'intimate' stuff is great... I'm sorry. I didn't even think to ask if I interrupted anything. It's kinda late. I hope I didn't wake you," said Ian.
"No, I just got out of the shower. I'm a night owl. I'll be up till 1 AM."
"Yeah, I'm pretty wound up. I was thinking of going to the bar and ending the day with a good friend of mine, Jack Daniels."
"I'm up for some conversation. Let's spend some quality time now. We're guaranteed not to wind up fooling around like teenagers in heat."
"Okay, I'll grab a beer from the mini fridge, kick up my feet, and learn all those things about you I've been dying to know."
"Okay, you start. What's your first question?"
"All right, I don't even know what you do for a living," said Ian.
"Well, coincidently, I'm also in the securities industry. I'm an analyst at a boutique investment firm in Midtown. My primary responsibility is the Casino and Gaming Industry. I used to be a generalist and wrote about the consumer discretionary sector. But our firm is expanding and I was recently assigned my own industry."
"Cool, Vegas..." interjected Ian.
"I've never even been to Vegas. Can you believe it? I've got a trip planned for some time in June. I'll spend a few days at one of the MGM properties, a few days at Wynn, Las Vegas Sands and one of the Harrah's properties. It should be a lot of work," said Jenny.
"Yeah, a lot of work? In Vegas? Right! Try selling that somewhere else. I've been to Vegas, you'll be busy, but it won't be with work."
"We'll see, I've got a lot of fundamental analysis to do before I get there. I've got meetings scheduled every day during my visit. Maybe I'll have time for the pool."
"Time for the pool, time for clubbing, time for gambling, you'll have the time of your life," said Ian jokingly.
"I'll fly out on a Monday. Maybe you can meet me on the weekend."
"If that's an invitation, count me in. I hope like hell this investigation wraps up quickly." Ian continued, "Too bad we work on opposing teams. A lot of people consider us the bad guys. But that's not fair. My job is not to stop people from making money. My job is to find and prosecute crooks."
"We're not on opposite sides, or at least we shouldn't be. Madoff's Ponzi scheme gave the entire industry a huge black eye. We find it more difficult to do business with the bad guys running around. The financial crisis, Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers, hedge fund blowups, criminal bankers, and now, the Flash Crash. We need you guys to restore some order," pleaded Jenny.
"Madoff was bad for your business, but he was great for mine. Our budgets and staffs have been increased. There is a mandate from Congress, from the public, and as you know, from the financial industry, to eliminate fraud and make the system accountable and fair."
"Yeah," said Jenny in an uninterested tone.
"You're right, enough business," said Ian with a deep exhale. "Let's talk about you. Where are you from? Where did you go to school? Family, friends..."
Jenny had been contemplating this moment for quite a while. She knew that she had to be truthful enough so as not to get tripped up in a lie later on. But the truth? "I'm from upstate New York, went to school in Pittsburgh, and my family and friends are the most important thing to me."
Jenny spent the next forty-five minutes telling Ian about her childhood, her dreams, her accomplishments and failures. Ian was a good listener and nodded to himself and agreed often. Jenny's openness encouraged Ian to reveal himself completely. By midnight, Jenny knew Ian as if she'd known him from childhood. His guard was down and he found himself uncharacteristically candid.
"Wow, it's amazing how much we have in common. I'm glad we had a chance to do this," said Ian. "It's like I've known you my entire life."
Jenny grinned to herself. She was pleased that Ian thought he knew the real Jennifer DeBeaux. She heard keys rattling, high heels clicking on the hardwood floors and knew it was Emily returning home from a night of partying.
"Hi, are you home?" hollered Emily.
"I'm in here," replied Jenny.
Emily appeared in the bedroom doorway obviously drunk and giddy. "Hey baby, whatz up? Oh sorry, I didn't know you were on the phone."
