Slipperless(8)

"I see. Is there any mention as to the reason for the anxiety and depression?"

Danielle stopped shuffling paper as I asked my question.

"Now Gabe, you know I can't reveal that information to you."

"What's wrong Danielle? Don't you trust me?"         

     



 

"Of course I do. That's not the issue. It's confidential."

"I understand." I said as I turned my back and leaned against the sun  warmed glass of my twentieth floor office window. "Well, if it's any  help, the project she's involved in here will likely require some  government clearance. If that's the case, I'll have to get access to the  records anyway."

Danielle moaned. "Ugh, really?"

"Yes. Really. If there's something serious in the file, I need to know, Danielle."

She hemmed and hawed for another moment or two. Finally, she let out a  deep exhale before she continued, "I wouldn't do this for anyone but  you, Gabe. This doesn't go any further than us okay?"

"Of course."

"All right." She said. "Well according to what it says here, the issues  underlying her anxiety related to health care costs for her  grandmother."

"Oh?"

"Mmm, hmm. Apparently she's been dealing with cancer off and on for the  better part of two decades. At some point, Fiona assumed financial  responsibility for her care."

"Wow. That's rough. How much debt are we talking about here?"

"Doesn't say. Something like that though …  It's got to be hundreds of thousands, at least. If not more."

"Hmm, true." I said, as I nodded in agreement. "Well, I could see why she'd be anxious. What about the depression?"

"Um …  let's see." Danielle leafed through a few more pieces of paper  until at last, she gasped. "Oh dear. Oh my, this is so sad. Poor thing … "

"What?"

Danielle stifled an audible swallow. After clearing her throat, she  continued, "Well, it seems her entire family, her parents and two  brothers were killed in a boating accident when she was young."

"Jesus." I replied. Well that certainly explained the depression. I  mean, losing your entire family at such a young age. It's  understandable. "So she survived somehow?"

"Um, it doesn't mention anything about what did or didn't happen to her."

We both fell silent for several seconds. I'm sure Danielle thought of  her own family in the moment and as for me, well, I had a new  understanding of my bright young lab hire, Fiona Matthews.



FIONA

Since I'd been caught in the midst of staring Gabe up and down as if we  were little more than a piece of meat in the conference room the other  day, I'd buried myself in my work, keeping to myself as much as  possible. Even so, the women who'd caught me ogling him, a couple of my  co-workers in the lab, Amanda and Melissa, prodded me about him and  what, if anything, was happening between us.

I can't explain it but something about the two of them made me uneasy.  Anyway, despite my misgivings, I made the decision to reserve judgment  about them, for the time being.

I put their annoying inquiries off until doing so any longer would make  them unduly suspicious, so when they asked me to have lunch with them a  couple of days later, I really had no alternative. I just hoped I could  keep them from asking too many questions because I had no idea if I  could trust them, or anyone else, for that matter.

Noonday sun streamed in from the skylights overhead, warming my  shoulders and upper back as we sat in the company cafeteria.  Regrettably, one of the many perks afforded us at Hawkins Biotech was  free food. And much to my dismay, all of it was delicious. Worst of all,  hand-made chocolate candy and more than a dozen flavors of fresh  churned ice cream tormented me on a daily basis.

So far, I'd managed to keep the temptations at bay.

Anyway, I sat hunched over a bowl of chicken noodle soup as the women  talked. I swallowed down the salty strands as what was supposed to be a  discussion about the Link Protocol devolved instead into a gossip fest  between Amanda and Melissa about my new boss. In the background, chatter  from two dozen other tables drowned out our conversation. Even so, I  left my planner open on the table in case someone happened by and  wondered what we were discussing.

"What would your husbands say if they caught you talking like this?" I asked during a brief pause in the conversation.         

     



 

They scoffed in unison.

"If he knew what was good for him …  nothing!" Melissa exclaimed. "Pssht,  all the things I do for that man. He's lucky I don't run and tackle Gabe  in a hallway."

Amanda giggled. "You're terrible."

Melissa wrinkled her nose as a mischievous smile flashed to her lips. "I know."

Shaking my head at their antics, I spooned another mouthful of soup as the women bantered with each other.

"What did you mean earlier, Amanda? Make waves?" I asked, in reference to something she'd said about Gabe.

As I spoke, Amanda took another pull of her iced tea through a straw.  After swallowing, she licked her lips and leaned in towards me, propping  her elbows up on the table.

"Well, it's not exactly a secret, Fiona. Everyone knows."

I arched an eyebrow. The muscles in my upper back and neck tensed. "What isn't?"

Amanda made a slow turn of her head and to make certain no one eavesdropped.

"You're good." Melissa said in low voice, encouraging her. "No one's listening. Go ahead."

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say the fox is in the hen house when it comes  to Gabe and the single women around here, but it's close..."

"I would." Melissa snorted, interrupting her.

Amanda pressed her index finger to her lips as she hushed her. "Shhh, quiet."

Melissa nodded and made a zipper motion across her lips.

As she finished, Amanda turned her attention back towards me. "And since  all of us girls in the lab are married, we only hear things."

I let go of my spoon and as I did it clinked against the inside of the bowl. "Things? Like what?"

Over the next several minutes, my jaw drifted open in disbelief as the  two of them relayed the tales of Gabe's conquests. The rumor was he was  an incredible lover. And, for those women who didn't demand anything  beyond that from him, perks aplenty followed his seduction.

I wasn't sure whether I should feel intrigued or disgusted. I sensed  both emotions at various times as they spoke. Office politics, gossip  about romance and the boss' sexual prowess were all new territory for  me. Frankly, they seemed to be …  infatuated with him.

As they finished, Melissa directed a comment at me.

"We both saw the way you looked at him in the conference room the other day. What was that all about?"

Still processing the meaning behind their story, I hesitated for a moment before I answered.

"What? What do you mean?"

"Come on, Fiona." Amanda added. "If there's something going on, you can tell us."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I hadn't given them any reason to  be suspicious. And besides, it's not like he expressed any interest of  the kind in me. What had happened so far amounted mostly to him teasing  me and being annoyingly charming at the same time. It was hardly the  start of a romance. Anyway, I didn't want to even entertain the notion  with them, and so I dismissed it.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not be involved in office innuendo about him. I need this job."

The women traded devious glances.

"It's not gossip if it's true, Fiona. And anyway, you can trust us," Melissa chided after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah," Amanda began. "You mean to tell me you don't think Gabe is just …  mmm."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing from them. These were grown women,  married no less! This was a professional lab in a company performing  some of the most groundbreaking work anywhere in biotechnology. But  right now, it felt as if I was in the midst of a group of silly high  school girls crushing on the captain of the football team.

And Gabe …  After he'd changed my opinion of him with his eloquent,  articulate manner in the conference room the other day, I felt confused.  By the looks of things, he did next to nothing to discourage this type  of chatter, if it was false. If it was true, well, then that was a whole  other thing.

But in any case, I had far too much at risk to get involved in any of  this. Whatever it took, I'd have to distance myself from his advances,  if they came. But I worried. What if he wasn't just teasing me for his  own amusement? What would I do if he really did try something? What  would it mean to reject him?         

     



 

Especially after what they'd said about ‘not making waves'.

I wasn't sure how I felt. Technically, he hadn't done anything wrong.  And yes, he was charming. And funny. And flattering. But he was also  annoying.

Even so, behavior like this would merit sexual harassment complaints in  most circumstances. Was he so irresistible these women would put aside  their common sense and good judgment for a silly fling with the boss, a  chance at it or just a smattering of his attention?