Carpe Diem Ch. 04

And they cast it all in the worst possible light! Twisting it all around and distorting it. Like he was some sort of predator.

Or maybe Amanda had distorted it. But why? What could she possibly have to gain?

Was she trying to save her own skin? Saying she was forced into having sex?

Here he thought he'd found greatest woman in the world. And now, she was trying to destroy him.

She was a fucking black widow.

Amanda and Marie were in a back booth in the kitchen, sitting opposite each other.

"I didn't share them with anybody," Marie was whispering. "I swear."

"Well, someone got a hold of our texts, and the pics I sent. And it sure as hell wasn't me."

"I would never do that," Marie insisted. "You know that."

Amanda's brain was going a hundred miles an hour.

Josh was standing in Frank's office. Frank was behind his desk.

"So, they seem to have developed this crazy theory that I preyed on Amanda while we were in Zürich. But it's complete bullshit. I would never do that to anyone, much less an employee."

"I know that, Josh," Frank said, "but we have to be super sensitive about these things in the current climate. And, there's the issue of the credit card too."

"But I haven't expensed anything yet," Josh said. "You can make personal purchases on the corp card as long as you pay for them yourself."

"I know that, but it's the appearance that's bad. It just smacks of bad judgment and the board is adamant about avoiding anything that smacks of bad judgment. Especially in a potential CEO."

"So you're saying this whole thing disqualifies me from being CEO?"

"I'm saying that, given a choice, the board's going to go with the least risky option."

"And who is that?" Josh asked.

"You know I can't tell you who the other candidate is."

"C'mon Frank, I'm fighting for my life here. I gotta know who I'm fighting against."

Frank shook his head.

"Look, the board is meeting on Monday," Frank said. "In three days. A fight is only going to hurt you. And the company."

"Who is it, Frank?"

The older man looked at Josh and sighed.

"Well, let's just say the Board's leaning towards someone with more marketing expertise."

Josh squinted his eyes as he took in this information.

In the main office, Josh found Amanda sitting at her desk. It was the first time their paths had crossed since he dropped her off at her apartment the night before.

"We need to talk," Josh said sternly.

Amanda stood and followed him out of the office. Her face felt flushed like a student being called to the principal's office.

He led her out onto the street. They walked a half block before he turned and spoke to her.

"I don't know what you told those lawyers, but they seem to have a pretty dim view of my character," he said.

She realized immediately he assumed she was the instigator of all this.

"What do you mean?" she said, a bit defensively. "I tried to have your back in there."

"Don't make me laugh," he scoffed. "Have my back? You mean, 'stab me in the back!'"

"Josh, I'd never..." she said.

"Saying I made you wear that suit? That I ordered you to sleep in my room?"

"I told them it was my choice," she protested.

"Well, they don't seem to be getting the message, Amanda," he said, acerbically. "For a person with your amazing verbal skills, you're doing a shitty job communicating."

"Josh, I want to help you," she said.

"Help me?" he said, his face etched with anger. "I don't think I can afford any more of your help."

"I could talk to Frank," she said. "Try to clarify things."

"Oh, and maybe share some more of your photos? Amanda, what the fuck?"

"Josh, it's not what you think," she protested. "I can explain."

Josh looked at her with arched eyebrows. He couldn't wait to hear this.

"During the trip," she explained, "I was texting with Marie. Sending her updates. I shared some photos I'd taken. Somehow they got out -- I don't know how."

Josh thought about this.

"Is Marie behind this?" he asked.

"I can't imagine. She wouldn't do that."

"Were you using your company phone?"

"No, my personal phone."

"Or our Slack?"

"No, of course not," she said. "I used Snapchat. I'm not an idiot."

"Well, that was a pretty idiotic thing to do. I may get fired over this. And the CEO job? No chance in hell. Chip's certain to get it now."

Amanda's hand covered her mouth.

"Oh, Josh, I'm so sorry."

"What the fuck were you thinking?"

"I didn't think...Josh, what can I do?"

"Just stop," he said, angrily. "You've done quite enough already."

With that, he turned and walked away, away from the office. Amanda was left speechless, her eyes welling with tears.

Back in the office, Amanda noticed Marie was sitting at her desk.

She walked by and gestured for her to follow her. They stepped into a utility closet.

"What's going on?" Marie asked, concerned.

"The shit's hitting the fan. I need to know. Did you say anything to anyone about any of this?"

"I told you. No."

"Are you sure?" Amanda asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. Jesus."

"Did you make any comment at all about us? Or did anyone ask about us?"

Marie thought a moment. Amanda sensed her hesitation.

"Marie? Who was it?"

"I may have said something innocuous. Like 'they seem to be having a good time'. But that's it. Nothing explicit."

"Who? Who'd you say it to?"

"Chip," Marie answered, sheepishly.

"Chip?" Amanda asked, dumbfounded.

Marie sighed.

"We kinda hooked up again while you were gone."

Amanda's eyes darted from left to right. She replayed the conversation she'd had with Chip in his office. He seemed to be trying to drive a wedge between her and Josh. Why he would do that, she had no clue.

Back on the floor, Amanda sat at her desk, thinking. She glanced over at Josh's office. Josh wasn't there. She looked over at Chip's office. He was sitting at his desk talking on the phone.

Her eyes were piercing, like she was hatching a plan.

Amanda sat down at her keyboard and typed a message to Chip. Then, she hit Send.

can we talk?

She watched him through the glass wall. He cradled his office phone on his shoulder and tapped his mobile.

A few seconds later, a message appeared on Amanda's phone.

over lunch?

Amanda thought a moment, then tapped a reply.

sure meet you downstairs in 5

She picked up her jacket, pushed in her chair, and walked out. Chip eyeballed her from his desk. A few minutes later, he grabbed his jacket and followed her out of the office.

At a noisy downtown bistro, Chip and Amanda shared a booth. She was sitting up tall, flashing her eyes flirtatiously. They both were sipping oversized glasses of white wine.

"So, what'd you want to talk about?" he asked, smarmily.

"I was thinking about the advice you gave me this morning. And the offer for help. I wanted to take you up on it."

He looked at her with a smirk.

"Glad to hear it. Sign of a comer. Recognizing an opportunity and then going for it. Are you a comer?"

She gave him a sexy look.

"I like to think so."

"I bet you are," he said, smiling.

"I hear there's going to be some shuffling on the management side."

Chip looked at her approvingly. She was as ambitious as he was.

"Frank may be looking to make some changes, yeah."

"I was wondering if there might be an opportunity for me."

Chip put down his glass.

"Is that right? What'd you have in mind?"

"Well, I haven't been in the company very long, but I've already had an impact. The Armani deal, for example."

Chip smiled.

"That's true."

She ran her finger along the rim of her glass.

"I think I've shown the ability to lead and to make things happen."

"I'd agree with that."

"If there was an opportunity to lead the Product team, I'd like to be considered for it."

Chip took a sip of wine.

"Why talk to me? Why not talk to Josh? He the head of Product."

She looked at him slyly.

"I'm not confident he's going to be head of Product for too much longer."

"Is that right?" Chip asked, smiling.

"And my instinct tells me you may be moving up."

She tickled the inside of his calf with her foot. Chip liked the way this conversation was going.

"And you think I might be able to help you?" he asked.

"I thought we could help each other."

He leaned back, sliding his hips forward.

"And how could you help me?"

She smiled at him.

"I think you know."

"Tell me."

She gave him a knowing look and played with the edge of her blouse.

"Well, first of all, it might be good to have a strategic partner on the Product side."

He gave her a sly grin.

"And?"

"And, I'd be a very appreciative strategic partner."

Her fingers toyed with a button on her blouse.

"And?"

She slowly eased the button through the slit. The top of her blouse fell open, revealing the top of her lacy bra and just enough cleavage to grab Chip's attention.

"And ... I always find ways to show my appreciation to my partners."

"I bet you do," he said. "Damn, you are a comer."

"You have no idea," she said, seductively.

Josh was in Frank's office, standing in front of his desk.

"All I want is more time. To clear this thing up," Josh was saying.

"I told you, the Board meeting is Monday. They can't move it because of the IPO."

Josh paced nervously.

"Look," Frank said, "I know this is disappointing to you. But you're young. There'll be other opportunities."

"It's just not right, Frank. I'm the most qualified person. You said it yourself."

"I know you are," Frank said. "But the Board can't afford a scandal right now. Even the appearance of impropriety could affect the valuation."

He put his hand on Josh's shoulder.

"It's just not the right time, Josh. I'm afraid that ship has sailed."

In the bistro, Chip and Amanda were among the last patrons after the lunch rush. They'd finished off several glasses of wine each.

"So, what do you say?" he said. "Wanna go back to my place and do a little market research," he said.

"Why?" she asked, playfully. "You've got a field study you want me to perform?"

She was leaning on her elbows now, teasing him with view of the tops of her breasts.

"I've got some big data I want you to take a look at," he smiled.

"Really?" she asked, sexily. "And how big is your data?"

"It's fuckin' huge," he growled.

"Well, I do like big data," she smiled. "I've been told my data analysis is mind-blowing."

"Jesus Christ!" he groaned, "you're so fuckin' hot!"

"All this talk about how big your data is making me hot," she said with a wink.

She made a show of unbuttoning another button on her blouse and fanning herself.

"I could cum all over those perfects tits of yours right now," he growled.

She leaned forward, letting him feast on the top of her lacy bra and her gorgeous breasts.

"You don't have any idea what my tits look like," she tsked.

He leaned forward, leering at her.

"Sure I do," he said under his breath. "When I saw you in that string bikini, I couldn't believe how great your tits looked. You got epic tits."

Amanda's eyes narrowed, imperceptibly, as she registered this.

"Well, thanks," she said, coolly. "I appreciate it."

Finally, Amanda was getting what she was looking for.

A few hours later, Amanda was standing in her apartment staring at the wall.

After lunch with Chip, the two of them headed back to the office feeling no pain. Amanda told Marty she wasn't feeling well, and then headed home early.

Once at home, she made herself some coffee and started thinking. Chip had given her an important clue. He had seen the selfie she'd taken in Josh's bathroom -- the one in the bikini. That meant he somehow had access to the pic or someone in the law firm had showed it to him.

She seriously doubted the latter -- the law firm made a big deal about the confidentiality of the investigation. No, her guess was that Chip had somehow seen the photo prior to the law firm getting it.

And that meant he could have been responsible for leaking it in the first place.

But figuring out how he did it, and proving it, was something else entirely. She felt like she was trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle -- without any idea what the final picture was supposed to be.

Which is why she was staring at the wall in her apartment.

Amanda decided the best way to figure it out was to diagram it. She was a logical thinker and she had learned in grad school that she was a visual thinker. She did her best when she could whiteboard problems, cluster things, and find relationships.

So, she got a stack of index cards, a Sharpie, a ball of string, and some tape and decided to diagram what she knew.

On the floor of her small bedroom, which doubled as her office, she wrote down every germane fact she could think of. One fact per index card. Then, she taped them on the wall.

After three hours work, she had about thirty cards taped to the wall with strings between several of them. After five hours, she had twenty more.

She started with a timeline. Day 1. Day 2. And so on. Branching off of it were clusters with the headings "Hotel" and "Spa", "Jules Verne" and "Armani". There was a separate area marked "SF" with clusters for "Marie" and "Chip". A string connected the two, with a label reading "hooked up?" There were even clusters under the headings "Flight to" and "Flight from".

Above it all, written in a red marker, were a series of cards with every text she'd exchanged with Marie.

She had an index card for every person they'd encountered on their four-day trip. The stewardesses on their flights to and from, Hans, the manager of the B2 hotel, Carlo and Guido, the ReSale employees who'd run into them at the Jules Verne bar.

On each index card she wrote questions -- things she needed to find out.

She worked methodically through the timeline, from the moment she and Josh rendezvoused in the first-class lounge on Sunday, to the moment he dropped her off at her apartment on Thursday night.

Jesus, she thought. That was just last night. So much had happened in 24 hours.

She had gone from feeling as high and as happy as she'd ever felt, to complete devastation and despair. She had scored the biggest success she could ever imagine by closing the Armani deal. She had carried her weight and more during the Europe pre-launch planning event.

And she had fallen in love with the most wonderful man she had ever known in her life.

And now, it was all coming apart.

Josh hated her with every fiber of his being.

He blamed her for ruining his chances of running the company he helped create.

But she wouldn't let herself dwell on that. Not now. There wasn't time. She only had until Monday to figure this out.

Amanda was, more than anything, a determined human being. She had succeeded in her life by applying herself, by learning how to focus, and persevering.

And that's exactly what she was going to do.

She got out her laptop and started to dig. Every detail she could think of. She would leave no stone unturned.

When it got late, around midnight, she started to work the phone. The day was just starting in Zürich after all. She called the hotel and talked to Hans, the manager. Had anyone called him asking questions? What did they want to know? What had he told them?

She was trying to anticipate everything that could be used against Josh. And, hopefully, find a way to salvage his reputation at the company.

It sounded impossible. Even to her. But, dammit, she was going to try.

The following morning, Amanda picked up where she left off. She made another pot of coffee and went to work on the puzzle.

She spent an hour pouring over every text she and Marie sent each other. Every photo she shared. She zoomed in to look at every detail in the shot, in case there was something incriminating, or exonerating, in it.

She fired off a text to Marie. She wanted to dig deeper on the chain of evidence. And she wanted to learn more about Chip.

call me when you can

She also sent a text to Josh. She thought about what to say to him. What could she say to him? Sorry for ruining your career? Have a nice life?

She decided that less was more.

I'd like to talk when you're ready

Not surprisingly, Josh didn't text her back. Not a call or a text. Nothing.

Marie did call her though. Within minutes.

"I'm piecing together all the information I can find," Amanda explained. "Can you come over?"

Thirty minutes later, Marie was at Amanda's apartment.

Amanda told her she needed to know everything about her conversations with Chip.

Marie said she first talked to Chip about the launch event on Tuesday afternoon.

"What'd you say, exactly?" Marie asked.

"Something about you guys getting off to a good start," Marie said. "I remember telling him you'd led one of the sessions on Tuesday."

"What else?" Amanda asked.

"That's it. And then he'd stop by my desk and just ask how things were going."

"You didn't mention that before," Amanda said.

"I didn't think it was important. They were just quick updates."

"I need to know everything, Marie. This is important."

And it went on like this for some time. Amanda wanted to know about every interaction, when it happened, and what was said. She was relentless.

"Now," Amanda said, "you told me you and Chip hooked up during this time. What happened?"

"He came by my desk and told me he had tickets to the Warriors pre-season game. He asked me if I wanted to go."

"What day was this?"

"Let's see. Wednesday, I think. Yeah. Wednesday."

"What happened next?"

"He took me to the game. We were sitting in the stands at Chase and I got your text about staying in Josh's suite. That's when I said 'they seem to be having a good time.' I remember, cause he said 'What?' and I had to, like, shout it."

"What'd he say?"

"He asked what was going on with you two. I just kinda rolled my eyes."

"What happened then?"

"Well, later, I got the one with the picture of you wearing that teddy, saying you were getting ready to give Josh a ... you know."

"Where were you?"

"In bed."

"With Chip?"

"Yeah."

"And did he know you'd gotten a text from me?"

Marie didn't answer for several seconds.

"Marie, did he know you'd gotten a text from me?"

"Yes!" she said, exasperated. "I was surprised to see you in that outfit. I just blurted it out."

"What'd you say?"

"'Oh my fucking God!' or something like that."

"Did you show it to him?"

"No!" Marie said, upset. "But he grabbed my phone."

"Marie!"

"I couldn't stop him! He wrestled it away from me."

"What happened then?"

"He put the phone down and said let's take a shower."

"Did you shower together?"

"Yes," Marie said. "I mean, he joined me after a while."

"He stayed in bed while you were in the shower?"

"Just for a few minutes."

There was a pause.

"Is your phone still set on that ungodly long sleep setting?"

"Yeah," Marie answered. "You know I hate having to wake it up all the time."

Thirty miles away, Josh was walking on a deserted beach off Highway 1, halfway between Santa Cruz and Davenport.

He was barefoot, walking along the shore's edge, amidst the broken shells and strands of kelp.

He was taking stock of all the ways his life had gone to hell.

The woman he loved had stabbed him in the back.

The position he had been working for was yanked away at the last minute.

He'd probably have to quit his job. If he wasn't fired. You don't come back from something like this.