High Stakes

"What made you want college so badly?"

"I'm ambitious. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents, I just wanted more. They gave me a great childhood. I never wanted for love or affection, we were just poor. I missed out on plenty of stuff. Seeing my buddies going off to camp and shit, while I stayed home was hard. I had to work."

When did you discover poetry?" I asked.

"I loved books and words from an early age. Loved reading anything I could get my hands on. I started writing when I was young, high school, actually. I don't have the patience for novels, but poetry, yeah, I love it."

"They are very good, Theo. I'm not being gratuitous, I like them a lot. If you are interested in publishing, I would love to help out."

"That's a bit nepotistic, isn't it? I mean, I am an employee?"

"I was not meaning we would publish, just that I would like to be involved."

"You want to be my agent?" he said with a hint of, what was that, cynicism, or was he making a joke?

"No, smart ass, I was just offering to help."

"Yeah, sorry. I get a bit defensive about the poetry."

"Why? It is actually very good."

"I guess, unlike work, these are creations, like a painter, or artist. They come from inside, and I'm a little unsure, I should probably have said insecure. However, I hate to think that way about myself."

We slowly feel into conversation, and it didn't take long for him to roll out his life story. He had a pretty hard life, not that it lacked love, or he was maltreated. Just that they were very poor, and he must have worked damn hard to break the mold and step into the world of business.

"You parents must be very proud," I remarked.

"Yeah, I suppose they are, but you know my Pop doesn't think much of my career choice. He thinks I should have followed in his footsteps. He doesn't trust anyone in a suit. He thinks we're all thieves and parasites, living of the blood of hard working Americans."

"What about your mother, what does she think?"

"Mom, oh she thinks I've done okay, she just doesn't think I will have made it until I'm married with five kids."

We both laughed, "What about you?" he asked.

I shivered a little. Was I really going to reveal that much of myself? As I peered into his steely blue eyes, I knew I had to, no, I wanted to. As my story rolled out, I watched intently as he took it all in. "Wow, I take it all back. Jesus, you are a hard ass." He chuckled.

"I'm a woman, in a mans world. I'm judged differently than you. Everything I do has to be better, just to be ruled equal to something a man created. Forget all that stuff about the new world of egalitarianism."

He nodded as we talked on, a few more drinks came and went, we admired a few of the poets, and I mocked a couple, although Theo never joined in. It didn't stop him from smirking at a couple of my comments.

As the show wound down, it was late and the crowd had dwindled. I said, "I better go, it is late."

"This was nice. Thank you for the compliments about my poetry. Thanks also for the conversation. It's nice to learn a little about you."

"I enjoyed it as well, I don't usually like to divulge to much of myself."

"Don't worry, Sage, your secrets are safe with me."

"I know that. I wouldn't have revealed myself to you if I thought you couldn't."

As we waited outside for a cab, he said, "Would you like to do this again?"

My heart raced a little, and I hesitated. "Do you mean as in a date?"

"Yeah, a date. Or am I below your standards?"

"That's actually very offensive. I don't choose who I date based on social standings. I date who I date because I like them, as a person. I am not sure that dating an employee is such a good idea, though. We do have protocols, procedures governing those things."

He gave me a rather funny glare. "So, if I didn't work for the company, you would go on a date with me?"

"Theo, I really enjoyed tonight. I cannot believe I am saying this, but I enjoyed your company. You surprised me with your passion. I think your poetry is exceptional. Yes, if we weren't associates, then I would go on a date with you."

"Okay then. Goodnight." He held the cab door open for me, and as I slid in, he said, "I really enjoyed your company, Sage. You are a very beautiful lady, and I don't just mean physically. Underneath that concrete exterior beats the heart of an intoxicating tantalizing woman."

His words caught me off guard, and again I felt my heart skip. "Thank you, Theo," was all I could manage.

The cab pulled away from the curb, and the cabby asked, "Where to, Lady?"

I found myself pacing my apartment. I couldn't settle; why did this young man get under my skin? Damn it, I was acting like a crazy teenager. My skin felt hot and sticky. I checked the thermostat. Damn, it was fine. This whole thing made me uncomfortable.

My dreams were weird Theo, appeared. He kissed me, and I kissed him back. In my dream, I wanted to kiss him.

I woke with a start, feeling just as tired as before I went to bed. It was a restless night's sleep. Thankfully, once in my office, the world was back in it's correct orbit. Things felt normal.

There was a lot going on, and I immersed myself in the new projects. It wasn't until later, when Theo walked in carrying two cups of coffee, that I felt myself slip.

"Good morning, Ms. Amanthas. I wondered if we could talk."

He passed the cup over, and as I sipped, I realized he had taken the time to research my favorite latte. "Yes, how can I help?"

"I have some ideas surrounding how we market products."

He outlined some marketing ideas, and they were solid suggestions, not ones he had to make in person to me, but they were good. They were, however, just a mechanism for him to be here in my office.

"Last night, you mentioned you were going to run a half marathon."

"Yes," I replied hesitantly.

"Which one are you running, if you don't mind me asking?"

"The Bay Shore half. Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering whether you would be interested in a bet?"

God, why did he have that silly grin. "What sort of bet?"

"Okay, just hear me out before you answer. The bet is, if I run and post a faster time than you, then you go out on a date with me."

I just about choked on my coffee. "Theo, I said last night. I cannot go on a date with you. I wrote those damn guidelines. I would look like a complete ass if I broke them and then tried to enforce them."

"Not even one date?"

"Theo..." I quickly glanced at the door, which was still open, and lowered my voice. "I enjoyed last night, you were great company, but I cannot break my own policies, I'm sorry."

He sighed, stood quickly and walked towards the door. "Just a question. If I wasn't an employee, would you take that bet?"

"I would." I tried to keep the smirk out of my voice. He had no chance, none whatsoever, but I didn't want to sound condescending.

The week went quickly, aided by a quick trip to Chicago. I got back in the office Friday, to find the place abuzz. Theo had proffered his resignation. It took me completely by surprise; he had become a trusted member of the team, and he was probably the best of the recent interns.

I couldn't help feeling it was because I had turned him down, and now he had sour grapes. The thought annoyed me. If he wasn't man enough to take that rejection, then perhaps he was not the man I thought he was.

I saw him standing with a group of employees at the coffee station. They laughed and joked. I ignored them as I walked down to Bill's office. I pulled the door closed behind me. "What the hell is going on? I heard a rumor that Theo has resigned."

He leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head. "Yes, I'm afraid so, Sage. He finishes up next week. I allowed him to use annual leave in lieu of notice. He was pretty keen to leave immediately."

"Did he say why?" I replied curtly. It wasn't Bill's fault, and I was trying to keep a lid on my temper.

"No, I did ask, but he just said he is ready for a change."

"Huh, ready for a change my ass."

I charged out of the office, and walked past Theo and his little entourage. I cannot explain why it upset me so much. I should have been happy, he aggravated me so much. The afternoon was a bust; I couldn't think clearly, his impending departure really got to me.

God damn it, I had fired enough people over the years, been let down by people I put faith in. Somehow, this got to me. I stayed late; I had no option really. I did actually have work to do.

It must have been nearly seven when there was a quiet rap on my open door. "Ms. Amanthas, are you busy?"

Angry, I snarled. "Come in."

He walked in and sat down opposite me. I swallowed the angry bitter riposte I wanted to sling, opting instead for, "I have to say, Theo, I'm disappointed. Leaving just because I refused to go on a date with you. That is particularly childish."

He nodded. "It's not as it seems. Yes, I'm leaving because you wouldn't take my bet. But it's not because I'm bitter, or angry. I really enjoyed our time together the other night. It may sound crazy, it probably is, but I like you and I would like to at least have a chance with you. I realize the company ethics don't allow for that. So, I decided to leave."

I felt my heart stop. I couldn't believe it. "You are leaving, and expect me to go on a date with you?"

"No, all I'm asking is you accept my bet. We run together in the half marathon, if I post a better time, then you have to go on one date with me."

I laughed, I couldn't help it. The whole thing was preposterous. "Theo, you know I'm a runner, we talked about it."

He nodded. "Yeah, I get it, my chances are slim, but I want that chance."

Shaking my head in disbelief, I said, "Yes, all right. I accept your bet, but I have to say. I am very upset that you're leaving."

"Yeah, me too. I didn't make that decision lightly. If I am totally honest with you, and I want that to be the case, I can't stop thinking about you. It drives me crazy seeing you every day. Dagnabbit, Sage, you're a beautiful sexy woman, and yeah. I know I shouldn't be saying this, but I like you, I want to date you."

Speechless, that was me. I sat there staring bug eyed at him. "Theo, you're, twenty years younger than me. I'm...

"Don't say it, just promise me that you'll run in the race and honor the bet?"

"Yes, I made that commitment."

He seemed to relax back in the chair, his body wilting. "What are you going to do, Theo? Do you have a job offer?"

"No, not yet, I sort of did it on impulse. I have started circulating my resume."

"Blast it, why didn't you talk to me?"

"I couldn't. I knew you wouldn't take me seriously, not while you were my boss."

"The problem is, I don't want you to go to one of our competitors. Damn it, Theo. I had high hopes for you."

"Yeah, well, I have high hopes as well. I don't care about the job. My aspirations changed. I came here looking for a road to the top. What I found was you, and the job now means very little."

"I may be able to help. If you give me a few days, I will phone some of my contacts and hopefully find you something."

He looked stunned. "You'd do that?"

"Yes, I like you, Theo. I think you have a lot of potential. I certainly don't want you working for a competitor. If I find you a position, it won't be with another publisher."

He chuckled. "Figures."

A short silence fell, neither of us able to find words. He finally stood up, and stuck out his hand. "Thanks for the opportunity, Sage." We shook hands and he walked towards the door. Just as he pulled it open, he turned and said, "There is something else, and now that I'm not an employee, it makes sense."

"Yes, what is that?"

"I have a book of poetry I'm thinking about publishing. Do you think you'd be interested?"

I giggled softly. "You already know the answer. We would be delighted to."

"Okay, once the paperwork's dry on my final check. I'll send it to you."

"Send it tonight. I can keep it personal until you have left."

He scowled. "Can I trust you?"

"Get out," I snapped playfully.

"Roger that, boss lady."

I collapsed in my chair after he left. My body drained. Damn it, he was insufferable, he managed to completely turn my world upside down. Why, damn it, why? I'm not a silly little girl, my life is planned out. There was no room for men, not permanently... Was there?

On his last day, we ended up at Broadway Dive, a nearby bar. Most of the staff came along. It wasn't our usual policy to put on leaving celebrations. It meant I personally paid for all the food and drinks. Watching Theo with all of the employees was a poignant moment. After a rocky start, he had managed to ingrain himself in our world, and it was obvious there was respect.

As the night progressed he approached me while I was getting in more drinks. "Boss, you don't have to do this, I can pay."

"No, it is fine."

"I hope you've been practicing."

I giggled softly. "I think it is you who needs to be practicing."

"Oh, don't worry Boss, I've been killing it. Running every night."

I raised my eyebrows. "Every night, hmmm, how many miles are you running?"

"Five miles."

"Theo, have you ever run a half marathon?"

"Nope, first one."

"Well, I think you're going to be surprised. What's the farthest you have ever run?"

"Don't you worry about me, you would be better off looking after your own training."

The barman slid over the tray of drinks, which Theo picked up and I slid my credit card over the bar. "Could you bring over another tray in about ten minutes please?"

The night was a lot of fun, and I made the decision to do more of this sort of thing. I learned more about some of my staff than I normally would. It amazed me how much more of themselves they were prepared to reveal away from work. It was not only enlightening, but darned good fun.

There were a lot of hugs as the party wound down, and Theo said his final goodbyes. I waited for the others to leave before I slipped a card into his hand. "Call this number, they would like to talk to you about a position with them."

He looked at the card, his brow furrowing. "Wow, Matox. Good company."

"When I talked to them and explained what you did for us. They were pretty excited. It's yours to lose, Theo."

He pulled me into a hug, his arms tight around my waist. "Thanks, Sage. I appreciate everything you've done for me."

We walked outside to wait for cabs. The bracing night air bit hard. "See you on race day," he said with a smile.

"I'll be there, after all, we are the major sponsor."

His smile faded a little. "Really?"

"Yep, that's why they always give me a good starting spot."

"Oh, I see, currying favors from the organizers. Typical."

"Hey, first rule of business, Theo, always do your research."

Later the next week, Theo's poetry arrived. It came as just a bunch of digital files, no manuscripts, no instructions, just the list of poems. I formatted and printed out all the sheets and bundled them into a binder. That night at home, I curled up on the couch with a nice glass of wine, and started to read.

They were every bit as good as I remembered. I savored every syllable. Like the fine wine I was drinking, the words flowed like smooth melted chocolate. No wasted words, but each one placed to trigger emotions, they were all there, tangled up in his carefully woven word fabric: the stories, the sentiments. The hairs on the back of my neck stood tall, my spine tingled.

How could that brash young novice of a boy produce these gems, these beautifully crafted masterpieces?

I knew by the time one o'clock in the morning rolled round and I had read every one at least once, That this was special, and it would earn the praise of far sterner critics than me. More than ever, I wanted to publish them; I wanted them for my company. The prestige would be enormous.

Leaving off the name of the author of the poems, I gathered together a small team to put together a package for our new writer. I couldn't allow them to be overcome by friendship and familiarity. I wanted it to be fair and equitable.

As we worked through the options, the whole team expressed their amazement. They, like me, couldn't believe this was the work of a novice. We discussed structure and arranging the works. Since this was going to be his debut, I wanted it to be perfect.

I needed to meet with him, discuss artwork, a cover and the structure, see if he liked the way we laid it out.

I had my own ideas about artwork. We had in-house artists, and after much consultation, we had a workable concept.

Once we had mock ups ready, I gave him a call. "Hello, Theo. Are you free for a meeting?"

"No, not today, but I would be free for dinner."

I smiled broadly as I saw through his sneaky plan. "Oh dear, I am rather busy tonight. I have some mock ups for your book of poetry. I was hoping to get your opinion."

"What about tomorrow night? I have a couple of interviews during the day, but I am free during the evenings."

His voice was even, no hint of untruth. "All right, have it your way. Tomorrow night, how about we meet at The Capital Grille at seven thirty? We could have a drink in the bar first, give you a chance to go over the artwork."

"Fine, see you there."

Why did it take me an hour to find something in my wardrobe? Why had I spent a small fortune getting a last minute hair appointment? Most importantly, why was I shaking? I had closed million dollar deals without this much anxiety. As I applied my mascara, I realized my hands were shaking.

With a final glance in the mirror, I was quite happy with how I looked.

I arrived, fashionably late, and he was already waiting impatiently at the bar. As I walked up he took an unhappy look at his watch. "Hello, Sage, sleep in did you?"

"Sorry, Theo, I had to wait for a cab."

"A likely story." He again glanced at his watch. "Thirty minutes for a cab?"

I smiled coquettishly. "Sorry, now, am I getting a drink or not?"

"Yes, what would you like?"

"I would like a passion fruit martini, thank you."

As he ordered the drinks, I asked, "How have you been, any luck on the job front?"

"Yes, I have been offered a position at Matox, which I think I will take. The money, and the prospects seem pretty good."

"Excellent, I am pleased you and Mark were able to agree to terms."

He nodded. "Do you know him well?"

"Yes, we have known each other for a long time. He is a very nice man, and very switched on."

"Yeah, he's onto it, all right. Very clever guy, at least from what I could tell."

I pulled the artwork mock ups out of my bag, and handed them to him. "If you could have a quick look and let me know what you think?"

He flipped through the pages, as I sipped my martini. He didn't give much away, but did not appear overly impressed. "You don't like?"

He peered up over the top of the pages. "No, not really. Not what I was expecting, really."

"Oh, sorry Theo. I thought they were darned good."

He took a sip of his bourbon, before saying, "It's not the quality, Sage. It's more the style. I wasn't expecting something so old worldy. It looks like it came from the eighteenth century."

"We did that on purpose, Theo. When we read the poems, we thought they spoke to those times. They are deep and emotional."

"Yeah, maybe, but I don't see them that way. I would prefer something a little more modern. I mean the language is hardly suited to that era."

"It is your work. I can speak to the team, we can change it up."

As the waiter came and escorted us to our table, he asked, "How's the training going?"

"I am ready. Expecting to run just under two hours. If I get a good start, I am hoping to run one hour forty eight."

I saw his expression pale, his brow furrowed. "Two hours, you're shitting me?"

"No, the last time I ran the Bays I finished in two hours, but this time, I have put in a little extra work. So yes, I am hoping to better that."