Chapter 15: Applewood Smoke

Interlude: 25^th Anniversary

Cindy:

Meanwhile Dad was watching the Amish do what Amish do. There is this impression that the Amish are humorless and grumpy. Dad says they are just people with a different background. Doing without electricity does not make them stupid. It also does not prevent them from enjoying a party after a lot of hard work. Whatever else, you have to love their food.

Sean:

By one o'clock I decided to call an end, because I could dot only so many i's. I told Helen I was going to visit Sheila's new receptionist and then go home. I could be wrong, but I thought I caught a trace of relief. Helen's job would be easier when she could tell everyone I was gone for a week.

Sheila did not have an office yet. The room that would be hers needed conversion. However, she did have a receptionist's desk in front of the door. I made a small bet with myself that Roxanna would be doing something which would give me reason to scold her. Either I misjudged, she was lucky, or she had an early warning system. When I came into the room, Roxanna was taking a tutorial on our phone system. At a guess, someone in HR had gotten her started.

She earned another brownie point by not ignoring me. I may be the boss, but that has never stopped rudeness. Roxanna heard me coming and quickly gave me her full attention. I asked how things were going. There had been a great deal of press attention early in the day, but it died. Most likely someone tipped them that Sheila and Francine were out of town. Roxanna was using the time to learn the phone's recording functions.

I like initiative, so I called Emilia Lucann to get Roxanna set up with a battery of classes. It would give her something to do while we were gone. If the position did not work out, the knowledge would be useful to her. Then we talked about Roxanna's experiences at her last job. Ouch. I began to understand why Francine had paid to fly her across the country. I text Helen to get her enrolled in some counseling.

When I looked for them, I could see the signs of someone preparing to deal with abuse. It had been some time since I had needed to handle a serious sexual harassment issue in my own company, but it was a road I remembered well. My first two years as CEO had been full of angry meetings and fulsome departures. There was still a sampling of harassment victims I could call upon.

I called Emilia and asked her to send Barbara Johnson to the small conference room, with the sexual harassment package. I walked Roxanna to the door and told her to wait for Barbara. The initial portion would take about fifteen minutes, which gave me a chance to touch bases with Emilia and Helen. I did not think I would spend the day before my wedding doing a sexual harassment case, but these things have their own schedule.

I was tempted to get Sheila and CC involved, but they were in the City. Instead we did things by the numbers. Barbara Johnson had reason to know I was serious about protecting women. If Roxanna was worried about working with Sheila, we could deal with it, even if it meant moving her somewhere else. It was best to do it now, rather than give it a week to fester.

Helen was her usual efficient self. When I returned to my desk, there was a stack of related material waiting. Next to the stack was an unrelated issue, which I used to occupy my mind for the next hour. Then I returned to Roxanna's desk. Under the circumstances, this was a no-no, so I needed to use care.

I said, "Let's talk." Roxanna was nervous, but started to rise. I waved her back to her seat. Having the desk between us was important, so I pulled up a chair and did my best to reassure her. The problem was that Roxanna was in a unique position. She was the first person that would be working directly under Sheila—except CC Collingsworth. That was a potential issue. Several potential issues.

So I asked Roxanna straight out where things stood. She didn't know, which was scary. The relationship between Sheila and CC was bad enough, but Roxanna would be sharing a room with CC. Sheila would be both her boss and my wife. Behind everything was the Francine factor. I would not blame anyone for being intimidated.

I spelled out my thinking. Setting things out in the open often makes them less threatening. The first issue was Roxanna's new roommate. CC was odd by almost any standard, yet it had been her acquiescence that got Roxanna the job. I would not confide that detail, but it raised a point. I asked Roxanna why she thought she had been offered a position.

Her answer was no surprise. She thought it was a favor to Francine. That was true to a point, so I went with it. I talked about high school and the girl I had dated. Then I talked about the dance school and the relationship between Francine and Sheila. I did not need to tell Roxanna about Francine's business empire, so I pointed out that was one, built from the ground up. This built up to a point—it made good business sense for me to put her behind that desk.

That said, Roxanna had a job to do. The arrangement was like any other job—perform or face consequences. She had special experience that I could not get in the local market, but the skills were available. What I was looking for was a compatible member of a team.

I took a moment to do a quick read of Roxanna. She was Sheila's age. It went without saying that she did not have Sheila's maturity. Few did. The issue was whether she had any maturity at all. CC was almost ten years younger, but came across as more reliable. A tough standard, but one she needed to work with.

So I asked Roxanna if she wanted the job, or if she wanted something to carry her through while she looked for her own position. Then I waited for her to answer. To give her due credit, she did not blow me off. Instead she started to cry. I handed her a tissue and waited. When she finished, I told her that she had made a wise decision. I called Helen and asked for a disclosure package on the auction.

Several minutes later Roxanna and I were in the small conference room. Helen served as chaperone, standing by the open door. I told Roxanna that what she was about to see was confidential, though not for much longer. I then showed her some of the raw pictures of the auction merchandise, starting with ancient dildos and working up to the Hollywood bondage gear. When I reached that point, Roxanna gasped and reached for the page. She was a Hollywood insider. Of course she knew about it.

After a pause, I put down the image from the cover. Roxanna had seen it, which meant that she had seen the catalog. Interesting. I wondered when she had seen it, but deferred that question. Next I pulled out the image used for the credits. This she had not seen. I stopped and let things sink in. Questions were stirring behind her eyes, but none were voiced. That was not good enough.

I said, "What I have just shown you is in a published document. As such, confidentiality is loosened. What I will show you next is not published. It is closely held information, which is relevant to your position. I will not show it to you, unless you state, before this witness," I indicated Helen, "that you agree to be bound to a higher standard. Do you have any questions? Please answer aloud."

I might not have needed to go this heavy. In fact, I had not intended this conversation to occur til after the honeymoon. However, something needed to be done. LM Bujold wrote that nothing invites childish behavior as much as treating someone like a child. From what little Francine had told me, Roxanna's previous boss had treated her like a bimbo and received bimbo behavior. I chose to treat her as an adult and hope for mature behavior.

Roxanna said she had no questions. I told her to ask as soon as she had one, because each new element would involve greater responsibility. Roxanna looked torn. I waited. Helen smiled, then covered her mouth. I could not afford to smile, because Roxanna would misinterpret it. I waited.

Roxanna asked, "Why? Why me?" Those were two very good questions.

I answered, "The why is simple. The job requires it, so someone needs to know. If you choose not to see more, you will have a job here, but not the job I wish to put you in. The 'why you' is more complex. The simple answer is that Francine asked, but that would be misleading. Francine's request brought you only as far as we have already come. I would not take the next step on her say so. The same is true of Sheila. If her opinion controlled, she would be here and not me.

"The real answer is that I think you value your word. If you say that you will keep confidences, I believe that you will. I believe you are intelligent enough and focused enough that confidences will not slip from you accidentally. I also judge you are not mercenary enough to sell it. If you will not lose the confidence accidentally, or give it away or sell it, then you are trustworthy.

"I ask only that you commit your word."

Helen had smiled earlier, because she had heard this speech many times before. When I finished, she was not smiling. She was watching intently. Helen was the witness for good reason. Of all my people, only Sheila was more perceptive. I thought of Sheila, kneeling to offer me her favorite lash, and realized I was asking an oath of fealty.