Miss McKinsey , as if word had spread and the perceptions had
changed already.
Her
stamp on the business, however, wouldn’t be seen immediately. She didn’t want to go in half-cocked, making
sweeping changes, until she had a chance to fully review the company’s inner
workings. She planned to take a few
weeks to totally immerse herself into that private part of Trammel that had
been off limits to her, that part where only Jillian and Tommy were familiar
with. And then she could go full
force.
But
when she stepped off of the elevator on the top floor, and made her way toward
the reception area that stood in the round, with the offices of senior
management, including Grace’s office as chief of staff, were housed, Jillian
was already in destroy mode.
She
stood at the reception desk, giving some order to Carol, the receptionist, when
Grace headed her way. Instead of Jillian
accepting her fate, Grace could immediately see that she was raging against it. And she wasn’t trying to hide that rage,
either.
“So
here she is,” Jillian said. “Not Miss
America. But Miss Asshole.” Even Carol smiled at that, and the eyes of
the few senior managers in the round, moving from office to office or holding
conversations with each other, quickly looked at Jillian.
Grace
didn’t care for confrontations, and she would have preferred not to make a
scene in front of staff. But Jillian,
she knew, had other plans. “Are you
speaking to me?” she asked her former boss.
“Yes,
Miss Asshole, I’m speaking to you,” Jillian said without hesitation. “I’m speaking to you and you alone. You’re the only asshole in here so it most
certainly is you of whom I speak.”
Jared,
Nayla’s partner in crime, hurried out of his office near the backside of the
round as soon as he heard Jillian’s profanity. When he saw that her laced tongue was directed at Grace, his heart
soared. He had been hoping for fireworks
between the two ladies, mainly to keep the spotlight off of his own lack of
productivity, but he was thrilled beyond words that he, for a change, would get
to witness the sparks for himself.
“Let’s go into my office,” Grace told Jillian.
“Oh
really now?” Jillian responded, to Jared’s delight. “What if I don’t want to take it up in your
office? What if I see you for what you
are, and don’t want my sterling reputation to be tarnished by hanging out with
the likes of you?”
“I’m
not going to stand out here and argue with you, Jillian.”
“Who
cares about what you’re not going to do? You’re nothing but my servant, who do you think you are? You’re the got damn help! Just because
you let Tommy Gabrini fuck you blind, doesn’t mean I’m blind. He hasn’t been fucking me! And just because he enjoyed laying you out so
much that he foolishly turned over his shares to you doesn’t make you suddenly
some captain of industry, honey. It
still makes you a whore.”
Many
of the managers, including Jared, couldn’t repress their grins. They covered their mouths, or turned their
bodies slightly away, but it was obvious they were enjoying this smack-down
immensely.
But
Grace was far from amused. She, in fact,
was determined. “Jillian Birch,” she
said, without any hesitation of her own, “you’re fired.”
Although
Grace had only spoken four words, it shook the room. The receptionist was stunned. Every manager
in the round was stunned. Every grin
left every face, and the satisfaction in Jillian’s eyes suddenly pooled into
disbelief.
Grace
looked at Carol. “Call Security,” she
said to the receptionist. “Put them on
notice. If Miss Birch hasn’t left my
building in the next thirty minutes, tell them to come up here and escort her
out. And if any member of Security
refuses to obey my order,” she said, “then make it clear to them that they’ll
be fired too. There is a zero
changed already.
Her
stamp on the business, however, wouldn’t be seen immediately. She didn’t want to go in half-cocked, making
sweeping changes, until she had a chance to fully review the company’s inner
workings. She planned to take a few
weeks to totally immerse herself into that private part of Trammel that had
been off limits to her, that part where only Jillian and Tommy were familiar
with. And then she could go full
force.
But
when she stepped off of the elevator on the top floor, and made her way toward
the reception area that stood in the round, with the offices of senior
management, including Grace’s office as chief of staff, were housed, Jillian
was already in destroy mode.
She
stood at the reception desk, giving some order to Carol, the receptionist, when
Grace headed her way. Instead of Jillian
accepting her fate, Grace could immediately see that she was raging against it. And she wasn’t trying to hide that rage,
either.
“So
here she is,” Jillian said. “Not Miss
America. But Miss Asshole.” Even Carol smiled at that, and the eyes of
the few senior managers in the round, moving from office to office or holding
conversations with each other, quickly looked at Jillian.
Grace
didn’t care for confrontations, and she would have preferred not to make a
scene in front of staff. But Jillian,
she knew, had other plans. “Are you
speaking to me?” she asked her former boss.
“Yes,
Miss Asshole, I’m speaking to you,” Jillian said without hesitation. “I’m speaking to you and you alone. You’re the only asshole in here so it most
certainly is you of whom I speak.”
Jared,
Nayla’s partner in crime, hurried out of his office near the backside of the
round as soon as he heard Jillian’s profanity. When he saw that her laced tongue was directed at Grace, his heart
soared. He had been hoping for fireworks
between the two ladies, mainly to keep the spotlight off of his own lack of
productivity, but he was thrilled beyond words that he, for a change, would get
to witness the sparks for himself.
“Let’s go into my office,” Grace told Jillian.
“Oh
really now?” Jillian responded, to Jared’s delight. “What if I don’t want to take it up in your
office? What if I see you for what you
are, and don’t want my sterling reputation to be tarnished by hanging out with
the likes of you?”
“I’m
not going to stand out here and argue with you, Jillian.”
“Who
cares about what you’re not going to do? You’re nothing but my servant, who do you think you are? You’re the got damn help! Just because
you let Tommy Gabrini fuck you blind, doesn’t mean I’m blind. He hasn’t been fucking me! And just because he enjoyed laying you out so
much that he foolishly turned over his shares to you doesn’t make you suddenly
some captain of industry, honey. It
still makes you a whore.”
Many
of the managers, including Jared, couldn’t repress their grins. They covered their mouths, or turned their
bodies slightly away, but it was obvious they were enjoying this smack-down
immensely.
But
Grace was far from amused. She, in fact,
was determined. “Jillian Birch,” she
said, without any hesitation of her own, “you’re fired.”
Although
Grace had only spoken four words, it shook the room. The receptionist was stunned. Every manager
in the round was stunned. Every grin
left every face, and the satisfaction in Jillian’s eyes suddenly pooled into
disbelief.
Grace
looked at Carol. “Call Security,” she
said to the receptionist. “Put them on
notice. If Miss Birch hasn’t left my
building in the next thirty minutes, tell them to come up here and escort her
out. And if any member of Security
refuses to obey my order,” she said, “then make it clear to them that they’ll
be fired too. There is a zero
Similar Books
