Message-ID: <7561eli$9801201634@qz.little-neck.ny.us> X-Archived-At: <URL:http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/Year98/7561.txt> From: Nick <nick@cassandra.demon.co.uk> Subject: Burning Bridges - Jenny's Story Part 4 (M/F (F) sexual politics) Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d Path: qz!not-for-mail Organization: The Committee To Thwart Spam Approved: <usenet-approval@qz.little-neck.ny.us> X-Moderator-Contact: Eli the Bearded <story-admin@qz.little-neck.ny.us> X-Story-Submission: <story-submit@qz.little-neck.ny.us> X-Original-Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19980119233054.00693fd0@pop3.demon.co.uk> Copyright 1998. This story may be copied for the personal use of the reader only. Any commercial interest must be communicated to the author: nick@cassandra.demon.co.uk. It may not be reposted without permission of the author. This is not suitable for people under the age of 18. BURNING BRIDGES - JENNY’S STORY –PART 4 5. I found myself in the boardroom, pulse racing, facing a formidable grey-heard old man. He was brusque and to the point. "I have decided to dismiss Kate Murphy following acts of gross negligence which have seriously jeopardised this company’s relationship with our biggest customer." I was dumbstruck - surely a few days absence could not have been that critical! "I need hardly tell you that if we were to lose this account then we will all be looking for a job! I want you to take it over and repair the damage this woman has done!" "May I ask the nature of Kate’s …er….. failings?" "Well, to some extent that’s for you to find out, suffice to say that I received a call this morning from my opposite number at Jobson’s saying that he regarded our company as unprofessional and…." and here he coloured slightly, "…indiscreet!" I could not believe what I was hearing! "I understand that she has taken some days off sick. Your first task is to notify her in person of her dismissal and tell her not to bother returning to the office! You will take her personal effects back to her of course." The old man could be extremely cruel when in the mood, and boy was he in the mood! When I got back to the office Jenny had gone. There was a note waiting for me. "Nick, I’m going away to sort myself out. I doubt you will ever see me again. I hope you’ll be happy with Kate, you two are way out of my league and I’m sorry to have caused any trouble. I’ve always loved you and always will. Jenny" I crumpled it slowly in my hand, crushing it until my knuckles turned white. Why, I wondered, did women make such destructive assumptions? 6. Kate smiled at me, but as I opened my mouth to speak, she started babbling. "How’s it been going? Have you been looking after things for me in my absence Nick? I guess there’s no need for me to worry, is there, then! Still, I’ll be in tomorrow, you know how it is! How is Jenny? Did you sack her for me?…." She tailed off as she saw the look on my face. "Everything IS all right isn’t it?" she asked querulously. "Kate its you who’s been sacked!" She was silent for a moment, then her face began to work. She looked as if she was about to burst into tears, but her face hardened. "You bastard!" she spat at me. "This is ALL your fault, you know that don’t you!" I had been ready to offer what support I could, but I did not need this! Her comment about sacking Jenny still rang in my ears. Then she did start crying. Pete was there behind her glaring at me. I felt safe, though (at least morally). I was just doing my job and delivering some bad news. If Kate had been up to her job, then this would not have happened. Even so, I started to feel uncomfortable. It suddenly dawned on me that maybe she had a point! Normally, this was a job that Kate would have had for breakfast, so how come it had all gone bad? If her jealousy for Jenny had been eating away at her - undermining her professionalism - then maybe I should be held responsible in part at least! I pushed such ideas out of my mind and handed over the box of her belongings. "Well, if you need anything, call me!" With that I turned and left. Epilogue -------- I spent several days, collecting together memo’s documents and e-mails - piecing together the extent of Kate’s failings. It was obvious that her mind had not been on the job for weeks - even months! In fact since that first fumbled night together! I still could not believe that it meant so much to her! Even so, this was a guilty secret I was not going to share with anyone. Jenny, on the other hand, had done a splendid job as Kate’s stand-in, but by the time she had taken control it was too late. Jobson’s had given her a really tough time, and it was no wonder she had felt she was not up to it! Poor Jenny, she thought she had failed, both at work and with me, but my admiration for her only increased the more I found out about her. I tried to contact her, but her phone was disconnected, and when I went to visit her, the house was locked up and dark. I wanted her back and the company needed her back - in a much greater capacity than as a secretary - but I could not even contact her! I had of course been making calls to Jobson’s Managing Director to ensure that he understood what actions we had taken to rectify the situation. I bought him lunch on a number of occasions to "keep him sweet" and also to satisfy myself that he was not looking for other suppliers. Fortunately he seemed more amenable as time went by, and it seemed that once more his custom was safe. As business got back to normal, I was reintroduced to the people down the chain who were responsible for the day-to-day project work with which we collaborated. Most of the people were familiar, but they had taken on a new head of "Security Systems" - the person who made most of the buying decisions. "We head-hunted this one!" the MD said, eyes twinkling. "It wasn’t easy to fill the position, but we are very pleased with her!" My heart skipped a beat as I saw the name on the office door for the first time. I went in. There in front of me were the familiar blue eyes, that twinkling smile and that mane of thick dark hair! "I’ll leave you two to get to know each other!" the old man said, closing the door as he left. "Hi Nick!" Jenny sat back in her chair, beaming brightly at me. "Remember this?" She pushed her chair back from her desk and uncrossed her beautiful legs. "I thought I’d show you this time, rather than e-mail you!" she cooed as I stared at the glistening blackness between them! THE END ------- Any comments, good and bad, welcome. Please e-mail me at: nick@cassandra.demon.co.uk -- +--------------' Story submission `-+-' Moderator contact `------------+ | story-submit@qz.little-neck.ny.us | story-admin@qz.little-neck.ny.us | | Archive site +--------------------+------------------+ Newsgroup FAQ | <http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/><http://www.qz.to/erotica/assm/faq.html>