She pushes for a coffee. “I’m glad I caught you.”
“Oh, hi, 6.” There’s that note of caution in her voice again, but it’s different this time: there’s something else there, too. 6 straightens and frowns at the speaker.
“Julie, do you recall our last conversation?”
“Of course.”
“You did transcribe my message for Mr. Jamieson, right?”
“I—I wrote it down,” Julie says.
“And you gave it to Mr. Jamieson?”
Julie takes a deep breath, then answers in a voice that’s just a little too high-pitched. “Actually no, 6, I thought about what you said and I ... decided not to.”
6’s eyes narrow. She walks slowly back to the phone and rests her hands on her desk, either side of the phone. I wince in anticipation of the sizzling accusations 6 is about to sling down the line.
“That’s great, Julie. I really appreciate it.”
“Oh, you’re welcome.” Relief gushes from the speaker.
“But that’s not what I was calling about. Did Mr. Jamieson tell you about the meeting we’re having?”
“Yes ... does lunch tomorrow work for you?”
“Fine. Which room?”
“It’s not in the building. I’ll send you the address.”
6 pauses. “It’s not in the building? Why not?”
“That’s just the way it’s been arranged,” Julie says cautiously.
“Oh,” 6 says. “Right. Thanks, Julie.”
“You’re welcome,” Julie says quickly. I get the impression that Julie is particularly looking forward to putting down the phone.
6 says, “Oh, wait.”
Pause. Long, reluctant pause. “Yes?”
“I just need to ask one more thing. If you wrote down my message but didn’t give it to Mr. Jamieson ... who did you give it to?”
The speaker is shocked into silence.
“Thank you,” 6 says, and kills the call.
a surprise
“Wow,” I say. “6, I have to say, I am so impressed.”
“We’re fucked,” 6 says. She pronounces this very clearly. “We are so fucked.” She slumps into her ergonomic chair.
“You really think she gave your message to Sneaky Pete? Why would she do that?”
“Politics. He’s convinced Julie that it’s in her interest to take his side over mine.” She sighs. “He’s probably right.”
“Oh. Shit.”
“Yes,” 6 says. She leans forward and stares at me morosely, as if maybe this is my fault, too.
“Hey, 6,” I say. “It’s not over yet. So Sneaky Pete has found out that you were about to resign. Well, big deal. That’s irrelevant now. We’re just going to go into that meeting and tell Mr. Jamieson why we’re right for the job and Sneaky Pete isn’t.”
“Scat, if Sneaky Pete knows I resigned, he knows why. And in that meeting, he’ll tell Jamieson that we nearly killed the company.”
I open my mouth but there’s nothing to say. In the end I have to settle for: “Ah.”
6 leans back in her chair, watching me expressionlessly.
“So that’s a setback,” I say gamely. I’m so game that I stand up. “But this isn’t over. I mean, in the end, we came up with a campaign. It all worked out. And if Sneaky Pete wants to talk about what might have happened, well, it’s all just perception. We just need to position it in a ... positive light.”
6’s right eyebrow shoots up.
“It’s not impossible. Anyway, what has Sneaky Pete done, really? He’s just stolen ideas. Has he actually produced anything? We have.”
6 slowly leans forward in her chair. The gleam is back in her eyes. I lean toward her, resting my hands on her desk.
“Look, Sneaky Pete might have a knack for pulling the strings in the background. Maybe he’s brilliant at it. But this meeting will be us and him. No seducing secretaries or stealing trademarks ... no tricks. Just us and him. And he’s got to beat you, 6—he’s got to talk you into the ground. I don’t think he can do it. I think you’ll eat him alive.”
6 rises from her chair like she’s in slow motion, rises until she is inches from my face. Her intoxicating scent washes over me, and for a
“Oh, hi, 6.” There’s that note of caution in her voice again, but it’s different this time: there’s something else there, too. 6 straightens and frowns at the speaker.
“Julie, do you recall our last conversation?”
“Of course.”
“You did transcribe my message for Mr. Jamieson, right?”
“I—I wrote it down,” Julie says.
“And you gave it to Mr. Jamieson?”
Julie takes a deep breath, then answers in a voice that’s just a little too high-pitched. “Actually no, 6, I thought about what you said and I ... decided not to.”
6’s eyes narrow. She walks slowly back to the phone and rests her hands on her desk, either side of the phone. I wince in anticipation of the sizzling accusations 6 is about to sling down the line.
“That’s great, Julie. I really appreciate it.”
“Oh, you’re welcome.” Relief gushes from the speaker.
“But that’s not what I was calling about. Did Mr. Jamieson tell you about the meeting we’re having?”
“Yes ... does lunch tomorrow work for you?”
“Fine. Which room?”
“It’s not in the building. I’ll send you the address.”
6 pauses. “It’s not in the building? Why not?”
“That’s just the way it’s been arranged,” Julie says cautiously.
“Oh,” 6 says. “Right. Thanks, Julie.”
“You’re welcome,” Julie says quickly. I get the impression that Julie is particularly looking forward to putting down the phone.
6 says, “Oh, wait.”
Pause. Long, reluctant pause. “Yes?”
“I just need to ask one more thing. If you wrote down my message but didn’t give it to Mr. Jamieson ... who did you give it to?”
The speaker is shocked into silence.
“Thank you,” 6 says, and kills the call.
a surprise
“Wow,” I say. “6, I have to say, I am so impressed.”
“We’re fucked,” 6 says. She pronounces this very clearly. “We are so fucked.” She slumps into her ergonomic chair.
“You really think she gave your message to Sneaky Pete? Why would she do that?”
“Politics. He’s convinced Julie that it’s in her interest to take his side over mine.” She sighs. “He’s probably right.”
“Oh. Shit.”
“Yes,” 6 says. She leans forward and stares at me morosely, as if maybe this is my fault, too.
“Hey, 6,” I say. “It’s not over yet. So Sneaky Pete has found out that you were about to resign. Well, big deal. That’s irrelevant now. We’re just going to go into that meeting and tell Mr. Jamieson why we’re right for the job and Sneaky Pete isn’t.”
“Scat, if Sneaky Pete knows I resigned, he knows why. And in that meeting, he’ll tell Jamieson that we nearly killed the company.”
I open my mouth but there’s nothing to say. In the end I have to settle for: “Ah.”
6 leans back in her chair, watching me expressionlessly.
“So that’s a setback,” I say gamely. I’m so game that I stand up. “But this isn’t over. I mean, in the end, we came up with a campaign. It all worked out. And if Sneaky Pete wants to talk about what might have happened, well, it’s all just perception. We just need to position it in a ... positive light.”
6’s right eyebrow shoots up.
“It’s not impossible. Anyway, what has Sneaky Pete done, really? He’s just stolen ideas. Has he actually produced anything? We have.”
6 slowly leans forward in her chair. The gleam is back in her eyes. I lean toward her, resting my hands on her desk.
“Look, Sneaky Pete might have a knack for pulling the strings in the background. Maybe he’s brilliant at it. But this meeting will be us and him. No seducing secretaries or stealing trademarks ... no tricks. Just us and him. And he’s got to beat you, 6—he’s got to talk you into the ground. I don’t think he can do it. I think you’ll eat him alive.”
6 rises from her chair like she’s in slow motion, rises until she is inches from my face. Her intoxicating scent washes over me, and for a
Similar Books
