Chapter 6

I have to admit that with living together, having intercourse was becoming harder and harder to stay away from. There were many nights that we thought we would finally do it, but common sense won out each time. After waiting this long, it seemed foolish to not wait for our wedding night. Bill had promised me to have full ready bottom sex one time before we left. We had bought all the little extras we would need. I looked forward to the night it might happen. This was the almost painless and most satisfying way to be inside me. I suspected we might save it for our last night together.

In the meantime, our life continued to be charmed. One day after the Wilson's left, Monday, I was having the worst day of the summer. The 2 other interns, who seemingly "worked" for me at Miranda's direction, had been great all summer. There was one on-going summer project they were to complete by mid-August. Each Monday they would submit their progress to me and I would pass that information along to Miranda. A week before the project was due for submission to the customer, Miranda pointed out that I had not submitted a progress report the previous Monday. I felt quite sure that I had and found the pair working in the secretarial pool that day. They worked real hours to earn real money to offset their "intern" hours. I asked them individually about the project and both blamed the other for not keeping up, and no, they hadn't submitted, or made any, progress in two weeks. I freaked out, partly because of their non-chalance, partly because I had let the ball drop and failed to follow up.

When I informed Miranda, she barely looked up at me. "You're giving me excuses, I need the product. Blaming someone else is no reason, and you are ultimately responsible. Their failure to follow up with you was your flag, and you missed it. That's pretty poor management, Carree. How are you going to fix it?"

I then made my first major blunder in my job, I answered without thinking.

"I don't know." I said.

Miranda stood, and walked to her door and shut it, turning to me.

"I didn't stick my neck out to get you here for the summer, get you good money, a great place to live and an offer of a career here to get "I don't know". You're here because you are supposed to know, Carree. Don't let me down; my ass is on the line here too. I'm one of four partners, and the other three are related, I'll have no other allies if this account goes down the tubes. I let an intern handle something she was well capable of and she dropped the ball. FIX IT! Go down and pull those 2 from the secretarial pool, and I don't care if they don't get their hours. If they run short the difference can be made up with YOUR non-billable time. Get it done, Carree. I told them I had my best person on it and you were way ahead, they will be here Thursday for the presentation. When you didn't report last Monday I thought it was done... and never let me hear "I don't know" again. You are paid to know, and IF you don't know, find out before you come up here looking for the answers from me. You let me down. Go, and see me before you leave tonight, and I'll be here very late." She said finishing with a finger point to the door.

I had never been bawled out like that by anyone. I freaked and thought I was going to cry. Then I let anger take over. I was angry with myself for not following up, I was angry with the two interns for glossing me over on this.

I went down to the secretarial pool and had an argument with that facilitator who said she needed them and couldn't spare them. I was about to accept that answer, when I turned to her.

"Those two are here for ME first and you second. They have a project for a client due and they muffed it. I'm taking them. I'm sorry. If you have a problem, call upstairs." I said in an angry huff.

"I'll call Mr. Arens, he won't sympathize with Ms. Ponds pet." She said trying to impress me.

"Go ahead, and when you do, be sure you mention the name "Meissner and West Lynn" to him. He'll want to know the name of the account I'm going to lose for us if I don't get my interns." I said turning on my heel to leave her office.

There stood Miranda Ponds waiting to speak to me. I was embarrassed and was about to turn red and apologize to her and the sec-pool facilitator.

"Don't let me stop you," Miranda said, "You're on a roll, don't stop."

I brushed by her and was off to get my 2 charges and I heard a door slam behind me. I, and everyone else in the outer office, heard Miranda shout from behind the door. "PET? Is that what I heard you say?... " You may have been able to hear more of that shouting match, but I didn't stick around. I had things to fix, like an account and hopefully, my job.

I found the first girl, Linda, and asked her what set up room she and the other intern, Naomi, had the Meissner project in.

"It's in the upstairs finish room, why?" she answered.

"Punch out and get up there, where's Naomi?" I asked.

I must have been pretty assertive or scary because Linda stood right up and closed her CRT screen.

"She's down the hall on her break, do you want me to get her?" Linda asked.

"No, just get up there and get the Meissner stuff on the table." I ordered, as I went to the break room. Naomi was alone.

"Naomi, punch out and get upstairs in the set-up room as soon as you can. We have to finish the Meissner account." I ordered.

"But, I'm on break." She protested.

I must have had a pretty good glare going, because she got right up and headed for the time clock.

Miranda Ponds told me from day one that I was going to be an account executive and part of the creative team. I was to dress the part and always be neat and stylish so that when I came into a room it would be apparent I was important. Miranda dressed to the nines everyday, and the 2 Mr. Arens always wore $800 suits, impeccably accessorized. My wardrobe could not match Miranda's, but I was a good shopper and in the right heels, I looked every bit as impressive as Miranda when she came in a room. This day, as I pounded my high heels across the tile floor, shoulders back and looking straight ahead I felt like I was that part. The office manager for that floor had just lost 2 workers, and she did not stop to question me.

When I got up to the set up room, Linda had the artwork laid out and the computer up waiting for someone to get creative. I came into the room and slammed my armful of things down and was short and sweet (not really that sweet).

"We fucked this up, now we have to fix it. We don't go home until we do, and we'll all go home if we don't. Show me where we are." I demanded.

Linda and Naomi jumped to get me up to speed and we all dove in. Luckily we had scripts and text suggestions from the pre-creative team to work with. The pre-creative team kept everything legal with what we had to spell out, what we couldn't say, could say. They roughed out every newsletter, brochure, and presentation in their most basic form to get the ball rolling. They just might save our ass today. In a couple hours I literally let my hair down to relieve some tightness I felt. We were making good progress, but I also remembered that I had my regular menu of things to get done that day. Once Linda and Naomi knew I was willing to jump in and take the blame for the screw-up and do any or all of the grunt work on the Meissner project, they began to work together pretty good, and had things to a point where I could take off for a short time to catch up with my own schedule