Last Christmas Party Ch. 01: Tom

"And what does that evaluation entail?" Linda asked.

"For starters, we like to observe the executive and his or her spouse in their own environment for a while," Brenda said. "See how they interact with each other, how they perform as a team, that sort of thing. It helps to know how stable the home environment is before we take the next step."

"What about you?" Tom asked Jake. "Did you go through this evaluation before you were promoted?"

"Well, I've never been married," Jake said. Somehow, Tom wasn't surprised. Jake continued. "So there wasn't much to evaluate. I knew what I was getting into when I accepted my first promotion, however."

"Oh?" Tom asked, causing Brenda to look sharply at Jake. "What were you getting into? Exactly." Jake seemed a bit nervous for a moment, but quickly recovered.

"Only that I knew what was required of me before I signed on as a junior executive," he said. "You have to understand that being an executive in the Acme family is more than just a job -- it's a lifestyle that affects both the executive and his or her significant other."

"And that's why we like to thoroughly evaluate everyone who has the potential of becoming an executive within the Acme family," Brenda added.

"You've both mentioned the word family," Linda said. "Can you explain that a bit, please?"

"At Acme, we think of our executives -- and all of our employees -- as something of an extended family," Brenda said. "We share in each other's joy, and we all share each other's concerns. In fact, we share pretty much everything. That's what a family does. And we do so happily." Tom began to wonder what else they share and shuddered at what crossed his mind.

"I take it, then, that this dinner is part of that evaluation?" Tom asked.

"Of course," Brenda said. "Just as your meeting was earlier this week."

"And how long does this evaluation take?" Tom asked.

"In an established company like Tyndall, it can take several months, even a year," Brenda said. "Changing a corporate culture isn't exactly something that can be done with an interoffice memo. We've learned over the years that it has to be cultivated and nurtured to have lasting affect."

"Speaking of changes," Jake said, looking at Tom. "Starting next week, I'd like for you to start visiting your old clients, let them know about the merger. Feel them out a bit, maybe smooth over any ruffled feathers."

"You realize I haven't been in the field for 10 years, right?" Tom asked. "Isn't that a job better suited for the sales and customer service people?"

"Under normal circumstances, yes," Jake said. "But you were instrumental in getting these customers yourself. I think you should be the one to make the calls. And I'll expect you to continue carrying your normal workload at the same time. Delegate where you can, of course, but the work has to go on. Is that a problem?"

"No," Tom said, not happy. He looked at Linda and saw she wasn't happy either. He had quit traveling a long time ago as it was becoming an issue in our marriage. Fortunately, old man Tyndall was wise enough to see what it was doing to them and took Tom out of that role before things came to a head. Now, Jake wanted Tom to not only start traveling again, but he expected him to maintain his normal workload at the same time.

They finished the main course and Linda brought out dessert, a homemade apple pie. They each enjoyed a slice, keeping enough for the kids, who were spending the night with their grandparents. When they finished, Jake pulled out a cigar and began to light up, but Tom stopped him.

"We don't smoke in the house," he said. Jake put the cigar and his lighter back in his pocket.

"Sorry," he said. "Old habit."

"No problem," Tom said. "I used to smoke when I was in the Army, but I quit when I started dating Linda. I know how hard a habit it is to break." After they shared a last glass of wine, Jake and Brenda prepared to leave.

"Thank you for a wonderful dinner," Brenda said. "It was delicious. If it's okay with you, Tom, I'd like to stay in touch with your wife from time to time. Maybe a lunch here and there. Just for some girl talk." Tom looked at Linda and she nodded her head.

"Sure, I'll let you two work that out," Tom said. "Thank you for coming by."

"Thank you, Tom," Jake said. Tom noticed the use of his first name for a change, but he still had a bad feeling about all of this.

"You're welcome, Jake," Tom said, looking for a reaction that never came. "I'll start reworking my schedule on Monday."

"Good," Jake said. "I'd like to see you make at least one trip a week. Again, thank you for dinner. We'll be seeing you." With that, they left. Tom turned to Linda after closing the door.

"What the hell just happened?" he asked. Linda shook her head.

"I don't know, but I have a very bad feeling about all of this," she said.

"So do I," Tom said. "What did you get out of all that gobbledegook they were laying on us?"

"I think there's a whole lot more to this 'Executive Morale' garbage than they were letting on," she said. "And somehow I don't think it's anything we want to be a part of."

"I agree," Tom said. They went to bed that night and made love before going to sleep in each other's arms.

On Monday, Tom began making calls and adjusting his schedule. He hated the fact that he was now forced to go back on the road to make Jake happy. He also felt like he was stepping on the toes of the account reps who were charged with taking care of these customers, so he brought them into his office and explained the situation so they would understand what was going on. He felt as though he owed them that much, at least. They didn't like it, but they said they understood and thanked him for at least keeping them in the loop.

Then he brought in Julia, his secretary, and the rest of his immediate team, and explained the situation to them. Like him, they had a hard time accepting Jake's demands, but promised to do everything they could to help carry the load. By the end of the day, he had established a schedule that minimized his time away from home while achieving the objective Jake demanded.

Jake came into his office at 4:45 pm, 15 minutes before the end of the business day. Tom hoped this wasn't going to be a pattern.

"Well, have you worked up a schedule yet?" he asked. Tom handed him a printout of his schedule.

"Yes," he said. "I've also got it on your shared Outlook calendar. I've called the clients to let them know and I've informed their current account reps."

"Why did you do that?" Jake asked.

"It's something called, 'common courtesy' and 'not stepping on toes.' Google it sometime," he said. Jake gave him a sharp look and started to say something, but chose not to. Instead, he looked at the schedule.

"I see you don't have anything scheduled for the third week in July," he said. "Why is that?"

"I'll be on vacation that week," Tom said. "17^th wedding anniversary -- remember? Linda and I will be on a cruise that week. It's been scheduled since the beginning of the year and I've already paid for the tickets."

"I guess we can let that go then," he said, handing the schedule back while nodding his head in approval. "I take it you've already spoken to your team as well?" he asked.

"Of course," Tom said. "I didn't just start this job yesterday, you know."

"I know," Jake said. "I just wanted to make sure all your bases were covered. I see you scheduled your trips for Wednesdays and Thursdays. Any special reason why?"

"Yes," Tom said. "Those are the two lightest days of my week. I can do whatever needs done and be home for the weekend. I trust you'll approve the expenses, since I'll be using my company credit card. The next few weeks' travel has already been arranged, by the way."

"Of course I'll approve them," Jake said. "Good job, by the way, Johnson."

"Thank you," Tom said. "Now if you don't mind, I'll be heading home."

"Not at all," Jake said. "See you tomorrow." Tom left and met Linda at home. After dinner, he told her about his schedule.

"So you'll be gone Wednesday nights then?" she asked.

"Yeah," Tom said. "If I hit one customer a week, it will take until mid-November to meet them all. There's a possibility I can cram two clients in one trip, but I seriously doubt it. At any rate, I made sure I'd be home for most of the week."

"I'm glad you did that," she said. "I can't believe he's making you do this."

"I can't either," Tom said. "Will you be okay with this schedule?"

"Yeah, since it's only one night a week," she said. "But only if you promise to Skype me every night you're gone."

"Consider it done," Tom said. The next day, Julie gave Tom confirmations for the next several trips. That Wednesday, he flew out early in the morning after hugging Linda and the kids.

"I'll contact you by Skype this evening, after dinner," he told them. More hugs and kisses followed with Linda giving him her love.

The meeting with the client went well, however, the CFO was curious about the visit. Tom explained that his boss wanted to make sure everything was still on-track even with the merger.

"Well of course," the CFO said. "We don't have any issues, especially since your services are always well above par and your account representative has been very attentive to our needs. I honestly don't know why they felt it necessary to send an executive. Don't get me wrong. I always enjoy a nice lunch with you, at your expense, of course, but I don't really see the need for such a high-level visit."

After their lunch, Tom headed back to the hotel, wrote up his report and checked in to see what was going on. As he suspected, everything was going just fine with no intervention needed on his part. After dealing with his work, he ordered dinner from room service and texted Linda. He got a reply almost instantly, so he fired up his laptop and connected with Linda on Skype.

The first thing he saw were his two children, smiling as they waved and told him about their day. When they finished, he gave them his love and told them good night. After they left, Linda turned to the camera on her computer.

"Guess who called me this morning?" she asked.

"Either Jake or Brenda," Tom said.

"Yeah, Brenda," Linda said.

"Imagine that," Tom said sarcastically. "What did she want?"

"She wanted to meet me for lunch, so I went," Linda said.

"How did it go?" Tom asked.

"It went okay," she said. "We just talked. Brenda asked a lot of questions -- how we met, so on and so forth. I think she just wanted to get to know us a bit better."

"Hmm," Tom said.

"Don't get me wrong. I still don't trust her," Linda said. "But I figured it couldn't hurt to be polite. And she did pay for the lunch, so there's that."

"Free food is always a good thing," Tom said with a laugh. They talked for another hour about this and that before calling it a night.

"I miss you so much, Tom," she said.

"Bet I miss you more," he told her in response.

"Nuh uh," she shot back, imitating the kids. Tom laughed at that.

"I love you so much, babe," he said.

"I love you too, sweetheart," she said.

"My flight leaves at 8:30 tomorrow morning, so I'll stop at the office and be home at the normal time," he said.

"Okay," she said. "I'll see you then. Sleep tight. Love you."

"Good night, babe. Love you too," he said. The call over, Tom went to bed. The next day, he flew home, got in his car and drove to the office. Jake was out, so he dropped his report on the desk. When he returned to his office, he saw Brenda waiting for him.

"Hello, Brenda," Tom said. "What can I do for you today?" She followed him into his office and closed the door behind her.

"I take it Linda told you about lunch yesterday?" she asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, she did," Tom said. "I find it interesting you chose to invite her out on the day I'm out of town."

"There's nothing for you to worry about, Tom," she said. "I'm only doing my job."

"Your job?" Tom asked.

"Yes," she said. "Making sure things are okay when the executive is away from home is part of what my team does. The last thing I want you to worry about while you're gone is your wife."

"So, is this going to be the new norm?" Tom asked.

"Frankly, yes," she said. "Unless, of course, she objects. Look, Tom, it's only lunch. We talked a bit, and that's all it was. My goal is to keep you productive. The best way I can do that is to make sure your wife is happy while you're gone."

"And this is all part of your 'evaluation,' then?" Tom asked. Brenda smiled.

"Yes, it is," she said. "Trust me, Tom. Everything is going to be okay. The board likes your work and they want to keep you around."

"Thanks for saying that," Tom said. "Just remember one thing."

"What's that, Tom?" she asked.

"This evaluation business is a two-way street," he said. "While you're evaluating me, I'm doing the same. I want to make sure this is where I want to stay. And trust is a huge part of that evaluation. I have to know I can count on the people I work with. Including my superiors."

"That's very wise, Tom," she said. "I truly hope we can earn your trust." She turned to the door and looked back one last time. "We'll talk again, Tom," she added before she left. Tom sat down and went over the day's work. Satisfied that everything was up to par, he left for home.

The next seven weeks were repeats of the first. Tom went to visit clients, and Brenda would take Linda out to lunch where they would talk about this or that. It all seemed innocent, and Tom didn't suspect anything was amiss. When he got back from the eighth trip, Linda hit him up with a change in plans.

"Brenda wanted to know if she could come for dinner the next night you're gone," she said.

"Just Brenda?" Tom asked. "Not Jake?"

"Just Brenda," she said. "She says she wants to meet the kids. I don't think that'll be a problem, do you?" Tom thought carefully before responding.

"I guess as long as it's just dinner and it's only Brenda, that would be okay," he said. "You two seem to be hitting it off pretty well these days."

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I trusted her completely," she said. "I'm at the 'trust but verify' stage of all this. But yeah, we've gotten to know each other a bit better over the last couple months. Is that okay?"

"I guess, at least for now," Tom said. "I just want you to be careful."

"Don't worry about me, sweetheart," Linda told him. "I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself."

During that two month period, Tom noticed other changes. It seemed that Jake was increasing his workload, piling one report after another on his desk, with almost impossible deadlines. Tom delegated as much as he could, but increasingly found himself working overtime to complete one project or another.

He also observed the new executives brought in to replace the ones who had left. They were all established Acme employees and some had been newly-promoted into their positions. It didn't surprise him to see them form a clique, but he was a bit concerned at the way they treated Jake and the other senior managers.

It was almost as if they basically worshiped the ground the senior managers walked on. It didn't escape his notice that they never once questioned Jake or the others. Nor did it escape his notice that Jake would periodically fly a few of them back to New York for "team-building," whatever that meant.

The next week, Tom eagerly waited in his hotel room for the text from Linda telling him that Brenda had left. The text finally came at 10:00 pm, so he booted his laptop and launched Skype. After telling the kids goodnight, he spoke with Linda and couldn't help but notice the smile on her face.

"So, I trust you had a good evening?" he asked.

"Actually, yes we did," Linda said. "I gave Brenda a quick tour of the place. She really liked your shop, by the way." Tom had a small are in the garage where he did a bit of woodworking from time to time.

"I'm glad she approved," Tom said sarcastically.

"Of course she approved," Linda said. "She said it's good to know that you have a hobby you can get into now and then."

"So, what else did you talk about?" Tom asked.

"Just girl stuff," she said. She looked around to make sure no one was listening, then leaned into the camera a bit before speaking. "I've got a little surprise for you," she told him quietly.

"What's that?" he asked.

"You'll just have to wait till you get home," she said in a conspiratorial tone of voice. "But trust me, you'll like it."

True to her word, Tom did like the surprise she presented to him when he got home. After the kids were put to bed, she went into the master bathroom and came out a bit later wearing only a sheer nightshirt. After modeling it for him, she pulled it off and stood in front of her now-aroused husband.

"What do you think?" she asked in a sultry voice.

"It's... lovely," he said, taking in the sight of her newly-shaved pussy. He couldn't help himself, and instantly went down on her, savoring her sexuality. He had always wanted her to do this, but she balked, saying it was something only sluts did in porn movies.

"I take it you approve," she whispered as he eagerly tongued her slit.

"Oh yes," he said.

"Then do me, baby," she said. "And don't ever stop." Who was he to argue? Afterward, he held her in his arms.

"That was incredible, babe," he said. "What brought all that on?"

"Oh, it was just something Brenda suggested," she said.

"So you guys are now discussing our love life?" Tom asked.

"We talk about it from time to time," she said. "Brenda suggested I try doing something special for you -- something you had always wanted me to do. I know you always wanted me to shave, but I always put it off. Now that I've done it, I actually like the way it feels. Do you like it?"

"Oh yeah," Tom said.

"Good," she said. "You know I love you more than anything in the world, right?"

"Of course," he said. "And I love you more." She giggled and held him tighter. The next day at work, Brenda cornered Tom in his office again.

"How was your return last night?" she asked coyly.

"It was good, thank you for asking," he said. She smiled and nodded her head.

"I'm glad," she said. "You know, I suggested she do something very special for you. I hope you don't mind."

"Given the way things worked out, no, not at all," he said.

"Good," she said.

"Tell me something, Brenda," he said.

"What's that?" she asked.

"I've noticed that Jake and the new managers sometimes fly to New York for 'team-building' conferences and the like," he said. "What's up with that? And why haven't I or the original managers been included? Are we not part of the team here?"

"That's a fair question," she said. "To be honest, yes and no. Yes, you ARE part of the team here, but you're not fully vetted by corporate just yet. Neither are the other holdovers. The evaluation hasn't been completed yet."

"So there's a chance we might be let go, then?" he asked.

"Possibly," she said. "We won't really know for certain until the end of the year or so."

"I see," Tom said. "Do the other managers know this?"

"Yes, they do," she said. Tom nodded his head.

"So tell me, what takes place at these 'team-building' events?" he asked.

"Well, we don't talk about that," she said. "That's a hard and fast rule at Acme. You'll find out if and when the Board reviews and accepts your evaluation. Let's just say, these events are designed to help build loyalty and trust in the senior managers. Kind of a bonding, if you will."

"And the spouses are also involved?" Tom asked.

"Of course," she said. "In fact, they're a central part of what takes place. Trust me, Tom, when the time comes, you and Linda will learn all about it. And you'll both come to accept your roles." Tom filed that away in the back of his mind. Just one more bit of innuendo and double-speak. What are they hiding, he asked himself.