Chapter 3: Monday

Getting up early he quietly completed his morning ablutions, dressed and left for the office before Susan woke. He wondered if she would go into her office today after the strain of the weekend. He wondered what her reaction to John Stickner would be when she saw him again. Would the pain of the week end dim and her vows that she still loved Early fade when she returned to Stickners sphere of influence and the pressure charged atmosphere of her office? He dreaded Susan returning to that environment. Realistically though he knew it was not only necessary for her to deal with those influences but that he too must be able to deal with her being there. Whatever happened, happened.

Arriving at work one-half hour before scheduled starting time Early read through the accumulated pile of correspondence he found in his in basket. Concentrating on the days work before him let Early push the situation with Susan to the back of his mind and gave him a respite from the turmoil of the past few days.

Halfway through perusal of a letter on office security his secretary came into his office with a smug smile on her face. After a cheery morning greeting and welcome back she reminded him of the Monday morning senior staff meeting and that it was important that he not miss it. There was to be an important announcement made by none other than the president of the company! The chairman of the board would be in attendance today as well. She also commented on his office being cluttered and somewhat shabby looking as she scurried around the room shuffling paperwork from one place to another.

May had been his secretary from the beginning of his employment at Intertech and at 15 years his senior in age had tended to mother him. Today it was more evident than usual and he wondered what bee was up her bonnet as she continued on straightening papers and chattering about the staff meeting. Something was obviously up. Well let's find out he thought as he grabbed a cup of coffee and headed to the meeting.

Most of the other senior staff had already arrived and as they exchanged greetings there were congratulations on his highly successful handling of the negotiations with RCP Industries the previous week. The reminder of the negotiations brought Early back to the events of the weekend and caught him off guard for a moment. His friend and corporate attorney Sam Tucker was setting next to Early and noticed the sudden change in his expression "Are you OK Early?"

Startled out of his black thoughts Early put a smile on his face "Yes fine thanks, just tired from a lack of sleep, I had a bitch of a weekend and didn't sleep well."

"Well, hang in there I think better things are about to happen!" Sam responded with a sly smile on his face.

At that time Dan Mattiuzzi the company president accompanied by Alex Neilson the chairman of the board came into the room and after greetings to everyone sat down. The rumble of casual conversation abruptly ended and the meeting started.

The meeting followed the normal Monday morning agenda with each department giving a brief overview of their current status and comments on anything extraordinary that happened during the previous week. Somewhat unusually Early was skipped and his report was the last made. When it was finally his turn he gave a brief outline of the successful negations in Los Angles the week before and in normal form minimized his personal performance in those negotiations. Finally the meeting was nearing its end.

Dan Mattiuzzi thanked Early for his report and took the floor. "I have an announcement that I have mixed emotions about. You are all aware of the added pressure on our company since the horrible events of September 11th. Sadly, due to recent events and e nature of our business plus our special relationship to the government, the Board of Directors and I believe it is necessary to take extra measures to protect our people and property. To this end we are creating a new Vice Presidents position within the company that will be responsible for this function as well as combining it with several others that currently exist. The good news is that we have selected someone within our own ranks that we believe is ideally suited to the position. He isn't aware of his nomination but I am sure you will all agree with the board and myself that he is the right person at the right time for this job."

Early wondered what this was all about but was having a difficult time following along as he kept wondering what Susan was doing and how her day was going. Would she change her mind today after being at work? Would Stickners influence tip the scale back to her focus on her career? God he wished he knew what to do, if only he could make her see...

"Gentlemen our nomination for the newest Vice President of Intertech is Early Conroy"

Jerking his head up at the sound of his name he wondered if he had heard correctly? He was going to be a Vice President of Intertech?

The other men around the table sat and watched as Early struggled for a moment to adjust from his previous thoughts to the here and now. For once in his life he was caught without something to say.

After a short few seconds of silence Dan Mattiuzzi said "Well Early, aren't you going to say something?"

Early had deduced some time ago that Intertec would have to come to grips with the need for increased security for its property and personnel. Incidents at two of their overseas operations and the nature of their contracts with the US Government made that a certainty. He had not suspected he would be involved.

"I am at a loss for words, a poor position for a person who "negotiates" for a living" Early replied with wry humor. Most of the others around the table chuckled at this remark. Early was viewed by his peers as a man with keen insights, an uncanny ability to communicate with and influence others and above all else he never lost his composure.

"I am flattered that you and the board have chosen me for this position and I thank you for the opportunity. Security is becoming increasingly more important given the worlds current political atmosphere and I have some specific ideas as to what we need to do. I look forward to this challenge and justifying the faith you and the board have placed in me."

"We look forward to hearing your ideas, in fact if there is no other business for this group I would like for you to meet with Alex and myself in my office and discuss where we are going with this and also your promotion."

"This meeting is adjourned"

At the adjournment of the meeting the other staff members in the room congratulated Early. After a few minutes of exchanging pleasantries Early excused himself and made his way to the presidents office.

Entering Mattiuzzi's office he could feel a palpable sense of purpose. This was what the seat of power felt like Early mused to himself. A seat was offered off to one side of the room where the President and Chairman of the board were already seated at a table with fresh cups of coffee. "Care for a cup of coffee?"

"Yes, thank you." Early replied as Mattiuzzi's secretary poured another cup and handed it to him. The coffee's pleasant aroma gave the room a relaxed and pleasant feeling. Early felt the best he had in days.

Setting his cup down Early's boss began speaking in a friendly tone but one that Early knew was dead serious. "Early, Alex and I have followed your career here at Intertech and have been enormously impressed with your ability to stay calm and deal with people, especially in less than ideal circumstances. Your handling of the negotiations with RCP Industries last week has put us in a position to accelerate our growth and marketing plan by several years. The concessions you got them to agree to are substantially better than we had hoped and the amazing thing is that they called and are extremely pleased with the deal they are getting. This ability is the first thing that influenced us to choose you to head this new effort. The second was your military record, especially in the area of security. The Pentagon wouldn't let us have your complete file but what we did get was impressive. Also, General McLean, your old commanding officer, gave you very high marks."

"That was very kind of the general"

As the three men talked on Early couldn't help but become excited at this new development. The pay increase was over double what he was now making plus the benefits that came with the title "Vice President". A new much larger office, company car, stock options and so on. This was the greatest day of his career and while remaining outwardly calm he was euphoric on the inside! He couldn't wait to get home and tell Susan! At that thought it was suddenly as if Early had run head on into a massive stone wall, his demeanor changed so abruptly that Dan Mattiuzzi remarked, "Are you OK Early? You suddenly looked as if you had swallowed something bad."

"No I am fine, just the excitement of the moment I guess, that and I didn't sleep very well last night."

"Well, take care of yourself, we don't want the newest vice president of Intertech to expire before he gets started." Alex Neilson commented with a smile.

The meeting continued then on a more serious note with exchanges between the three men concerning Early's new responsibilities and authority. Outlining the potential problems as he saw them, Early presented his ideas for dealing with them along with a gross estimate of the assets needed. The two older men generally agreed and finally the meeting was concluded with the decision that Early prepare and submit a detail plan for his new responsibilities and their integration into his existing group. The senior officers also suggested that Early take a few days off and go somewhere with his wife to celebrate his promotion and his success of the previous week. They felt he had earned it. This last suggestion caused Early to reflect on his current situation with Susan and his mood became serious and somber.

"I appreciate the offer, my wife's situation at her firm is in a state of flux and I may be needed to help her through it. I will probably be here the first part of the week and then perhaps when things are a little more settled I will take a few days and get away from it all." Early wondered what they would think if they knew how much of a turmoil things were really in at the Conroy household.

"Dan, I want to thank you and Alex for this opportunity and for having faith in me. I promise it will not be misplaced." And with that Early turned and left the room and returned to his old office. He anticipated that he would remain there for a few days until his new one was completed and his files and other personal items had been transferred.

Sitting alone in his office Early let himself relax and take time to ponder the current events taking place in his life. Here was the highlight of his career to date and the euphoria of achieving a major goal he had set for himself. On the other side was his marriage teetering on the brink of utter destruction. He was faced with loosing Susan, the most important thing to ever be in his life. These two events were like fire and ice in his mind, lifting him up and then crashing down like a runaway roller coaster. He sat and let his mind alternate between euphoria and despair. Finally after a few minutes he reined in his emotions letting just a hint of anger remain. There were things to do and now was the time to start.

Going to his office door Early looked at May, "Please ask Sam Turner and Jay Stockton to come to my office and when they get here I want you to join us. Also I don't want us to be disturbed unless it is Dan Mattiuzzi or Alex Neilson"

When Early's team members had settled around the oak table with fresh cups of coffee he took his place and looking at each one he began. "I'm going to discuss something with you that will be in strict confidence and is very personal, not business. What I'm going to ask you to do is outside of company operations and if you feel in any way you cannot be involved in this please let me know. You will be excluded from any further participation without any prejudice. Is everyone clear on this?"

Each person around the table nodded in agreement, each curious as to what was up.

"I want someone investigated".

The people around the table sat silently for a moment before Sam turner spoke up, "OK, there is nothing really new about this, we always do checks on the people and companies we negotiate or meet with if it is serious enough. Who is it we're talking about?"

"His name is John Stickner and he is a partner of the law firm "Jenson, Sharone and Anderson."

"I've heard of him, he's a fairly heavy hitter in the legal community around here."

"Is he untouchable?"

"No one is untouchable, depends on how hard you want to touch."

"What I want is to establish an advantage for dealing with this guy, I want leverage that will have serious influence on him personally."

Speaking for the first time Jay Stockton asked, "We still have credit with the farm boys from Virginia, do we need to go there?"

After a pause for consideration Early replied, "Not yet, if we can't get what I need on our own then maybe we will avail ourselves of that asset but I would prefer to not use that account up on this if we don't have to."

"Doesn't Susan work at Jenson, Sharone and Anderson, Early?" May asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes" was Early's short reply

"Early, we are your friends as well as your work associates, is there something going on that you want to tell us about?" May asked in an almost motherly voice while looking him directly in the eye.

"I can't discuss it right now. I know I am asking a lot to involve each of you in this but it is very important to me. I will tell you that a pivotal event in my life is occurring now and I need to deal with it. In a few days I will let you know how it turns out. Until then I will need your support and trust."

The other three people around the table exchanged glances and then stood up to leave.

"How long before we have something?" Early asked the retreating group.

Stopping at the doorway Sam turned and replied "Depends, but I would think we can have a first pass dossier by noon tomorrow. We can decide then if we need to go further."

Making no reply but nodding his thanks to Sam, Early returned to the task of preparing for his new position. Alone for the first time since the announcement of his promotion Early allowed himself to relax and embrace the excitement and thrill of the moment. "I am a Vice President of Intertech!" The realization of the achievement was intoxicating! After all the hard work and long hours he had at last arrived at one of his major goals in life. "I can't wait to tell Susan, she will be so thrilled!" At the thought of Susan he was jerked out of his euphoria and reminded of the reality of his tenuous marriage. With that lingering thought he began the task of preparing his new work plan.

Waiting until after Early had left before getting out of bed Susan began planning what she was going to do. She just hadn't had the energy to face him this morning In fact she was considering calling in to work and taking the day off... Reluctantly she decided that after missing Thursday and Friday of the previous week it wouldn't do to miss another day. Suddenly she was dreading facing John Stickner. She would have to tell John about Early discovering their "week-end" together. What if Early's assessment of John's attitude was correct? How would she deal with him if he indicated he wanted more? Would he really think he had some kind of claim on her?

"This should be one of the happiest days of my life" Susan thought sadly "I'm about to become a partner in one the most prestigious law firms in the Northwest, a goal I have strived for all of my adult life, yet I am the most miserable I have ever been."

Arriving several hours late Susan went directly to her office giving the receptionist as cheery a "good morning" as she could muster. The return greeting seemed less than friendly but Susan didn't dwell on it. As she went into her office her assistant Jennifer greeted her in an oddly formal manner advising her of the days schedule and the waiting work on her desk. Her tone definitely did not exhibit her usual upbeat personality. Susan felt a chill in the exchange and after setting for a moment at her desk she asked Jennifer to come into her office. Susan and Jennifer had become friends over the years she had been with the firm and had even socialized outside of the office occasionally with their husbands. Something was definitely not right.

"Yes Mrs. Conroy, is there something I can help you with?"

"Please sit down Jennifer" Susan answered as friendly as she could, Jennifer certainly was acting strangely and it gave her an uneasy feeling.

Jennifer sat Obviously selecting the chair directly in front of Susan's desk she replied, "Yes Mrs. Conroy?" Normally she would have sat at one off to the side when they were exchanging information, pleasantries or just having a "girl talk".

"What is going on Jennifer? You haven't called me Mrs. Conroy since the first week I came to work here and you were just a young girl fresh out of secretarial school."

Looking directly at Susan, Jennifer answered calmly "I have requested a transfer to another office and other duties"

Stunned for a moment, Susan sat staring at the other woman in astonished silence.

"God Jennifer, what on earth for?"

With a look that bordered on open dislike Jennifer replied in a direct and firm voice "Several reasons really, but put simply, I don't want to work with you any more."

This answer shocked Susan more than Jennifer's original announcement. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, Jennifer had always been great to work with and her loyalty was unquestioned. What on earth had happened to cause this?

"Why Jennifer, why don't you want to work with me? We have been friends and worked together for a long time. What have I done to make you want to quit?"

"Because I have always looked up to you and admired you as someone I wanted to be like. You're intelligent, you care about people, you're great to work with and up to recently you have been as honest as an attorney could possibly be. But working on the Melrose account has changed all of that and I don't want to be a part of it"

"How did the Melrose account change anything between us, what changed? There's nothing changed!" Susan was on the verge of openly weeping. First her marriage to Early was on the brink of destruction and now this. Susan didn't think she could deal with any more.

"Yes the Melrose account changed everything. We all worked our asses off getting that mess fixed but the only one that got any credit for it was that egotistical asshole John Stickner. He didn't even give you credit for doing the real work and saving the account. With you not here for the staff meeting this morning I was asked to sit in for you and go over the current status of our outstanding clients and workload. He gave a glowing account of his hard work and contributions, mentioned that you had made a worthwhile contribution and failed to pass on that the rest of the staff did anything."

"This can't be, John told me that I would get the credit for this as the lead and that the staff would get bonuses for their hard work." Susan replied in disbelief. "This is my chance at becoming a Partner, John said he talked to Mr. Jensen! Jennifer you know if I get moved up to Mahogany Row you go with me. Mr. Jensen practically promised me the position!"

"I wouldn't be counting on any promotions after what John Strickner said in the meeting this morning."

"There must be some kind of mistake, John wouldn't do that to me"

"The mistake was you believing the shit that Stickner was feeding you., Also, you might as well know, he has already leaked out that you and he had an "interesting interlude" on the days you were both out of the office last week. The office is quite abuzz with the rumors.

Shocked into silence Susan tried to come to grips with the implications of what Jennifer had just said. In just a few short days her life had gone from being on top of the world to coming unraveled at an ever-accelerating rate.

"What kind of rumors? What are people saying?"

"Basically that you have become a corporate climber without regard to the cost to the people around you. That you will do anything to make it to the top. I think the term "sleeping your way to the top" has been used".

"No, no I'm not like that, it can't be!! Susan replied emphatically, but looking at the expression on the younger woman's face told her that she was wrong.

"Then is Stickner telling lies? If so why would he do that? It could only lead to serious trouble for him even if he is an established partner in the firm." Jennifer's tone softened "Susan, what you do in your personal life is your business but please tell me these rumors he has started are not true. Please tell me you didn't sleep with that jerk."

Susan tried to respond to the other woman's question but she could only blink back the tears as she searched for a response.

"I see your answer is yes," Jennifer said in a softened voice and a look that bordered on pity. "I don't understand you Susan, why would you compromise yourself and your marriage for a promotion? What if Early were to find out?"

At Jennifer's question Susan burst into tears.

"Don't tell me! Early found out!" Jennifer blurted out in surprise.

" Oh dear God what am I going to do! This isn't the way it was supposed to be!" Susan was nearly in hysterics now and looked pleadingly at Jennifer.

"Well Susan, I do feel sorry for you. But I cannot respect what you have done. Frankly I think you are out of your mind to trade your marriage to Early for Stickner and a partnership in this firm. Careers aren't everything but a man and a marriage like you have is hard to find. You have changed since you took on the Melrose account and I don't want to be involved any longer."

"Jennifer you are my friend, please help me," Susan begged.

"No Susan, I'm not going t to get involved and I'm not going to help you cheat on Early, especially with a shithead like Stickner."

"I'm not trying to cheat on Early, I'm trying to get him back. The thing with John was a mistake in judgment on my part, a huge mistake. I don't care about the promotion; I just don't want to loose Early. Please don't do this to me Jennifer, I can't deal with any more right now and I am going to need your support if I am going to survive this mess and set things right."

After a long pause as if considering what had just been asked Jennifer replied in a deliberate voice, "OK Susan, because we are friends I will do what I can to help you. You need to understand though that I am doing this as much for Early as I am for you and at the first sign that you are playing "patty cake" with Stickner I am out of here."

Regaining her composure as much as possible she and her secretary continued talking asshe checked her make-up and fixed the damage caused by her tears. By the time Jennifer had returned to her desk Susan was calm and more determined than ever to straighten out the mess she had created of her life.

"Hey there good looking, we missed you at the staff meeting this morning." Susan heard John Stickner say as he was coming through the door.

"John, what are you doing here?" Susan replied in a wary voice.

"I work here remember?" John replied in mock surprise. "And how is the rising star of Jensen, Sharone and Anderson today?"

"Oh stop it John, I already know about your "report" on the Melrose account at the staff meeting this morning! Funny I don't remember you doing it all by yourself! You promised bonuses for the staff and that I would get credit for the save. Now I understand that there will be no bonuses and that my participation was described as giving efficient support to you! What are you trying to do John?"

Susan's pointed comments caught Stickner by surprise and for a second his friendly expression evaporated before he replied in a decidedly less friendly tone. "Why should the firm hand out bonuses to staff members for doing the jobs they were hired to do. Although bonuses may have been mentioned early on in the recovery process they were never promised and frankly I don't think their contribution was all that special"

Stunned at Stickner's declaration, Susan tried to respond but only managed to open and close her mouth in wordless protest.

"Don't look so surprised Susan, this is a competitive business we're in and things don't always turn out like in the movies. Besides, your stock went up with the Senior Partners, just not as high as you expected. I'm sure after you have worked "under" me a few more times that promotion you expected will materialize."

Stickner's innuendo was not lost on Susan and her face turned red in embarrassment as she groped for something to say in return to John. "I don't think we will be working together again, John" was all she could get out.

Looking at Susan in silence for a moment Stickner replied in a mocking voice "I think you are wrong about that Susan, you are way too ambitious to let anything get in the way of your career and I am your best chance of a fast track to the top in this firm. Besides, now that you have learned the ropes why would you want to jeopardize the gains you have already made?"

Horrified at what Stickner was saying Susan replied in indignation "I am not like that at all! I have worked my tail off to get to where I am. I'm a really good attorney and I care about the people I work with!"

"Yes Susan you are a good attorney, but your advantage over the other good attorneys is that you can work your tail in more ways than one, quite satisfactorily I might add."

"Get out! Get out of my office right now!" Susan screamed loud enough that Jennifer came to the door to see if anything was wrong.

With a smirk Stickner gave Susan one last knowing look and turning, left her office, nearly running over Jennifer in his departure.

"You should have told the son-of-bitch off Susan. That guy is a real snake-in-the-grass!"

"How could a man change so much in so short a time" Susan wondered aloud struggling to regain her composure. "He was always so helpful and friendly. What possibly could have happened to make such a change?"

"He didn't change Susan, you have. He has always been an arrogant asshole to everyone else. As sharp as you are in dealing with people I don't know how you missed that. Of course I'm sure the two-faced SOB was quite charming when he was trying to get into your pants."

Susan visibly flinched at Jennifer's comments "I can't believe I had never heard anything like this about John in the 6 years I have worked here. I would never have been so open and trusting with him had I known he was all those things you say."

The two women continued talking until the phone on Susan's desk rang, after a few words Susan hung up the phone and with a somber face announced "Mr. Anderson wants to see me in his office"

Without speaking further she checked her suit to make sure it was straight, reviewed her makeup and picking up her day-timer she left the office.

The trip to the executive level offices were seemed a lifetime to Susan. This was a trip she had looked forward to for years, visualizing being asked to come to the office of one of the Senior Partners and being offered a partnership. Making it to "Mahogany Row" had been her professional focus since she graduated law school. Now this short journey was filled with dread. "What does Anderson want?" " If what Jennifer told me this morning is accurate it certainly is not to offer me a partnership More likely I am about to be unemployed. How could I have been such a fool" she thought "and how did I not recognize John for what he is. Poor Early, what have I put him through!"

Anderson's secretary gave Susan a curt nod as she entered "Mr. Anderson is expecting you, go right in."

As she entered Anderson's private office he looked up with an expression of mixed regret and pity. Susan had always been a little in awe of this man, at seventy years old he was still physically fit, had a full head of hair and exhibited the energy and exuberance of a 35-year-old. He had a reputation of being ferocious in the courtroom but a person who cared about his subordinates. What had always held her attention were his eyes, they were always smiling but with a hard edge to them like steel behind a gossamer curtain. Today for the first time they reminded her of Early.

"Please, sit down Susan" Anderson said pleasantly as he indicated a chair at the side table in his office. "Would you like a cup of coffee or tea?"

"No thank you I am fine." Susan replied in as calm a voice as she could muster.

"You weren't at the staff meeting this morning, is there a problem?" Anderson asked matter-of-factly while stirring sugar into his fresh cup of coffee.

"No I wasn't and I apologize for that."

"Susan, is there something wrong? Something you want to tell me about?"

Sitting quietly for a moment Susan considered what she should say and then looking directly at Anderson she answered in a subdued voice, "I am tendering my resignation effective immediately. I am sorry if I am causing the firm any problems with this short notice but it is best that I leave now. I will clear out my things as soon as I return to my office and will settle up any financial matters on the phone."