New CEO
Author’s pov
It was Saturday morning, and Stephanie and James were lying on the bed, covered by a white blanket from their chests to their feet, and both were facing each other.
“Stop! Stop!! Stop tickling me,” she laughed. The blanket made it hard to see where James was actually touching her until Stephanie said,
“Is this how you used to tickle your ex?” She looked at James’s face and waited for his response.
“No, she never allowed me this kind of freedom with her body, and I hated that.”
“What’s one thing I could do to signal the end of this relationship?”
“Hmmm…” James shifted his legs and head.
“I’m waiting,” Stephanie used her left hand to stroke his beard.
“Depriving me of touching you when I want to?”
“Wait a minute, can’t you go without sex for a few days? What if I have to travel? Can I rely on you? Don’t act like you’ll die without it.”
“I won’t die, but please, don’t do it.” He smiled at her.
“What’s the worst thing you hate, the one thing you don’t want your partner to do to you?” James asked.
“Cheating on me. Not just cheating, but having sex with someone I know. It would degrade me, make me feel worthless. It would make all my physical attributes and efforts meaningless. That’s why I broke up with my ex, and he’s still begging to come back,” and then, the phone on the makeup table started ringing. Even though James knew it was his ringtone, he jokingly said,
“Probably your ex-boyfriend calling you since you mentioned his name.” They both laughed.
“That’s not my ringtone. It’s yours.”
“Please help me get it,” he said, and Stephanie, being closer to the table as she was lying at the edge of the bed, stretched her right hand. However, her fingertips were just inches away from the phone. In order for James to answer the call, Stephanie quickly stood up, still naked, and handed him the phone. As James looked at the screen before picking up the call, the call ended.
“Oh, it’s Michael, my very good friend,” he said, placing the phone on the bedside table.
“Aren’t you going to call him back?” Stephanie asked.
“Don’t tell me you’re suspecting me.”
“No, no, you just mentioned Michael, Michael is a male name.” Stephanie replied quickly, moving closer to James in an intimate gesture. Then the phone rang again, but this time, James was closer to it and he answered the call.
“Hello Michael. How are you doing, my cool guy?”
“I’m fine. How was your night?”
“Fine, actually, very good,” he shifted his body and sat on the bed.
“Have you checked your email?”
“No. I hope there’s no official work for me yet?”
“No, but something came up,” Michael said.
“What came up? Please tell me,” he said anxiously.
“Please check your email now.”
“Okay, let me check it.” James ended the call. He quickly got up from the bed, put on his nightgown to cover himself, and went to the living room where his laptop was. He turned it on and was thinking,
“What kind of message couldn’t Michael tell me? I really need this job to prove to my mum that I can be successful and the big corporation recognizes my worth.”
It was two weeks ago when he visited his mum and showed her the appointment letter. He printed it out and presented it to her. This achievement was crucial because his mum had been feeling down, thinking that her son, despite his degrees, hadn’t accomplished anything worthwhile.
“Mom, look at this. I’m very valuable. Out of the eighty-four applicants, I was chosen. I’m not a disappointment, Mum. I’m doing this to bring you honor.”
Those were the words he said to his mom. Surprisingly, his mum hosted a party in his honor with her friends, marking one of the significant achievements for James since his dad passed away.
Once the laptop booted up, he quickly logged into his email and hit the enter button with great intensity, as if the force could speed up the opening of his email. All of this was due to his anxiety, fearing that they had withdrawn his appointment, which was why Michael, who worked for the corporation, couldn’t tell him.
“Dear James Samson, you are required to meet the new CEO on Monday before you begin your duties. The meeting is scheduled for 9:00 am. This is another opportunity to showcase your capabilities to the new management…”
“Is this some kind of interview?” he exclaimed. “What if something goes wrong during the meeting with the new CEO? Oh my goodness,” he thought. He turned around, not realizing he didn't bring his phone with him when he came to the living room. Quickly, he returned to the bedroom, and his seriousness and pace raised concerns for Stephanie.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, but he didn’t respond and went back to the living room with his phone, dialing Michael’s number.
“Michael, I’ve read the email. Is this another type of interview? What if something goes wrong?”
“James, calm down. That’s why I sent you the email quickly. The secretary would have instructed you to wait and meet the new CEO before starting your work. It would have seemed like you were caught off guard. Prepare yourself, just like you impressed the selected committee as the most qualified candidate, and make sure to impress this new CEO as well. Your role holds significant importance in the company as the PRO, representing the organization’s image. If you had already started, this meeting might not have been necessary. Perhaps the new management wants you to enhance what you were doing.”
“Why the new management?”
“It’s all related to executive powers. When there’s a change in shareholding, it automatically affects the management.”
“So what you’re indirectly telling me is that I should prepare as if I’m going for a new interview? What if something goes wrong? My mum has already celebrated my employment. If it weren’t for her, I would have walked away. I hate being embarrassed. Hold on, is the CEO a male or female?”
“Female. There’s no need to be anxious. Just like you convinced the board of directors, you should do the same with her. I don’t know her yet, but be ready for any tough questions.”
“Okay…” he replied slowly.
“I need to go. I wish you the best. Bye.” Michael ended the call. As James was on the call, Stephanie didn’t interrupt him until he finished. As he removed the phone from his ear, Stephanie approached him.
“What’s going on?”
James didn’t answer immediately. He took a deep breath and sat down.
“Darling, what’s happening? Can’t I help?”
“No, you can’t,” he replied.
“Then what is it?” She became even more worried, and her heart filled with fear as she sat beside him. James covered his face with his hands and leaned towards the floor.
“My job is under threat.”
“How? They already gave you an appointment letter,” she said, and as she spoke, James lifted his face and placed the laptop on her lap so she could read the email from Michael. The room fell silent as Stephanie read through it.
“This is just to prove yourself capable for the PRO position,” Stephanie said while still looking at the laptop.
“Don’t you think the new CEO wants someone else for that role? Why does she want to see me before I start my office? If she had asked me to see her in the afternoon at her office, it would have been better. This job means so much to my mom. She even celebrated it with her friends. What if things go wrong? My mom would feel humiliated in front of her proud friends. It would have been better not to have the job at all than to have it and then be denied on the day of starting.”
“Now I understand the point you’re making…”
“To the extent that my mum insisted I should video call her during my break time, and I promised her I would. How am I going to manage that?”
“Darling,” she gently placed her hand on James’s right shoulder, “you need to stay positive.”
“Every company has its own hidden agenda, and my friend Michael secretly shared it with me. During the interview, I focused on the company's secret mission, and the interviewers were highly impressed. They voted in my favor.” Another moment of silence followed, and Stephanie stood up, facing him.
“Why don’t we practice for your interview? I can pretend to be the new CEO. It will help rebuild your confidence.” At first, Stephanie thought her suggestion was senseless because James gave her a skeptical look. But to her surprise, he said,
“That’s actually a good idea. When can we start?”
Upon hearing his response, Stephanie’s eyes widened, and she said, “Give me some time. I’ll prepare interview questions for the PRO position, and we can begin right away. There’s no greater joy than helping my man and standing by his side.” And so, the practice sessions began. James gave Stephanie a few hours as she set aside her weekend plans and started searching for potential interview questions he might face.
They rehearsed at every available moment on Saturday, Sunday, and even late into the night.
Finally, the long-awaited Monday arrived. James had spent all his time at Stephanie’s house and, very early in the morning, he took a shower. Stephanie quickly prepared breakfast for him, and he ate. As he was about to leave the house, Stephanie said,
“I wish you all the best.”
“Thank you, Stephanie. You truly are my soulmate.”
“Please don’t panic. We’ll both get through this.” They embraced, and Stephanie’s heart raced faster than James’s.
“Please give me a call once they confirm your acceptance,” Stephanie requested as she peeked James’s lips.
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