The Taming of the Shrew

Chapter 3

3
Miriam was irritated.  She lacked a full night’s sleep due to her tendency to worry over the unknown.  That didn’t bother her so much- that was what they paid her for.  She had reached as far as she was today because of her uncanny ability to anticipate future risks and prepare for them.  Unfortunately for her, as she well knew, finance was not like people.  And like I explained a while back, she had people problems.

What really irritated her was how her staff was acting.  She, like I said, looked forward to seeing her ‘underlings’ scamper off at the sight of her or the sound of her heels, looking silly.  Now today it seemed as though they wanted to see her.  While they did walk briskly, they looked right at her as they passed.  And their expressions!  If she didn’t know better, she would’ve sworn it to be poorly concealed glee.  The only constant was the collision with the Sanford intern.  At least her glare had an effect on one person, she thought, as he apologized profusely. 

Mark was waiting for her outside her office, which was odd, unless….
“The consultant’s inside my office, isn’t it?” Miriam demanded.
“Yes he is,” replied Mark, “and I expect exceptional behavior.”
“Aren’t I always exceptional?” remarked Miriam sardonically.  Mark simply opened the door and ushered her in.
A tall, dark haired male was standing at the window, blinds fully drawn, enjoying the view.
“I’d forgotten you had a view from here,” Mark said.  The male spun around, startled.
“I’m sorry, I was just curious,” he addressed the both of them.  Mark waved him off.
“No harm’s been done.  Let me introduce you to my Assistant VP, Miriam Jacobson.”
The male smiled, extending his hand.  “I’m Dexter Barnabas.”
Despite Miriam’s reluctance, she accepted his hand, “Nice to meet you.”
“It’s my pleasure,” he replied gravely.  Mark smiled at the both of them.
“Great.  I shall now leave you to both get acquainted.”  He threw a sharp look at Miriam before exiting.  Excusing herself, she followed her departing superior.
“You didn’t tell me he was a Yank!” she whispered furiously as she caught up with him.  Mark stopped midstride.
“Does it make a difference?” he asked.
“Yes!  He’s American, for crying out loud.”
“So’s the market we’re trying to conquer.  I swear Mary; sometimes you can be a bit daft.”
This statement annoyed Miriam immensely; she hated to be considered foolish.  It was so beneath her.
“Well, I don’t want to be considered a glorified tour guide,” she grumbled petulantly, “You know how they are.”  Mark simply patted her shoulder before returning to his office.  Sighing audibly, she did the same, finding the young male in front of the drawn blinds once again.
“Close the blinds please,” she said, a tad irritated.  He immediately did so, apologizing again.  She sat at her desk and rifled through some papers on her desk, deliberately ignoring him.  After doing so, she dug through her drawers, intent on not making eye contact.  He watched in amusement as she fidgeted at her desk.  Feeling his gaze, she looked up, a false smile plastered on her face.
“Mr. Barnabas, is it?  Would you like some coffee?  The percolator’s over there,” she gestured towards it.
“No thank you, Ms. Jacobson,” he smiled.  He was handsome, she noted, even more so when he smiled.  Too bad he was the consultant.  There was no way now that they could be friends.
“Suit yourself,” she shrugged, returning to her drawer.  He watched as she pretended to look for some important document.  She was going to be difficult, he thought, noting the obstinate set of her mouth.  What a shame; she was such a pretty thing.  He cleared his throat.
“Since we’ve been introduced, I’d like to suggest some tips.”  Miriam froze at his statement.  What audacity!  Slowly raising her head, she focused an incredulous gaze on him.
“Tips, you say?” she asked sarcastically.
“Well, that’s what consultants are usually hired for, Ms. Jacobson.  To improve the department in which they are assigned.  Tips are merely one method of achieving the final objective.”  He watched her bristle with a measure of satisfaction before continuing.
“Of course, I had planned to do so after I toured the department, to get a feel of it.  I see you prefer to get straight down to the business at hand.  As such, I wish to suggest some tips.”
Miriam couldn’t believe her ears.  Did he just talk to her like a simpleton?  Her eyes narrowed dangerously, then suddenly, she smiled.  ‘Two can play this game,’ she thought.
“You’re right, that was incredibly rude of me to not give you a tour of the department,” she said, managing to pull off an apologetic smile.  She picked up her phone, talked something rapidly into it and then hung up, smiling again.  The door opened, revealing a tall and pretty young black woman.
“Wanda, this is Mr. Barnabas.  Mr. Barnabas, Wanda.  Wanda, please give Mr. Barnabas a tour of the department.”  She smiled at Dexter, “I’d do it, but at the moment, I’m terribly busy.”  ‘Sure you are,’ he thought sarcastically as he watched her smirk in satisfaction while he exited with Wanda.
“Is she always like that?” he asked Wanda as soon as the door closed.  Wanda laughed.
“Boss lady give you a hard time already?” she teased.  He smiled down at her, appreciative of both her cheerful humour and good looks.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” he replied.  They were approaching a maze of cubicles.
“That’s the receivables area.  On the other side are the payables.”  Lower down was payroll and lastly the investment department.
“It’s like our very own asset management department,” Wanda explained.  He nodded.
“And here,” she said as they approached the water cooler, “is the communal information area.”
He raised his eyebrows.  “You have a designated area for your grapevine?”
“Well, it’s the spot I tend to be, usually,” she chuckled.
“So you’re the office gossip then.  Should I be intimidated?”
“I resent the term ‘office gossip’,” she pouted.  He laughed.  She looked adorable.
“My most humble apologies ma’am,” he replied gravely.  “Pray tell what I can do to make amends for my grievous mistake.”  It was her turn to laugh.
“I rarely turn down such offers, Mr. Barnabas.  If you were hoping otherwise, you have the wrong girl.”
“Well I must admit, it wasn’t a one-sided offer,” he said, giving her his most charming smile.  She smiled back, amused at his flirtatiousness.
“I guess we have a date Friday night,” she purred.  They began to walk towards the Assistant VP’s office.
“I can’t wait,” he rejoined in an equally seductive voice.  They were still chuckling and flirting with each other as they approached their stop.
“I guess I have to return to work,” Wanda said, sounding rather regretful.
“You do? Oh no!  Please say you won’t go,” said Dexter in a mock mournful tone.  They both laughed again.
“Don’t worry, it won’t be so bad.  Besides,” she winked, “we still have Friday.”  With a quick pat on his arm she was off, leaving him to watch admiringly at her departing figure.  Sighing, he turned towards the door.  Time to face the beast, he thought, as he opened the door and entered.