Business Proposal

Chapter One

By Jessica Wallace
Copyright © 2008

One would think that working in an office would be extremely dull. Many times it was, but other times it could be full of dramatic events, with back-stabbing, gossip, romance and scandal.  Charlene rolled these thoughts around in her head, as she strolled on the beach in California. Without the tourists of summer, it was almost deserted. She often came down here to walk along the sand and think about things when she needed to unwind. Her favorite season had always been fall. The air was crisp and cool, and the wind blew in gentle gusts, sending her hair swirling around her face. The salty smell of the sea permeated her senses and cleansed her mind. Inhaling deeply, she enjoyed the moist air. It was difficult not to relax in this environment, as she felt tension drain slowly from her body.

Charlene sat on the sand, watching the horizon and trying to sort out her thoughts. Waves pounded the shore rhythmically, soothing her anxiety. Watching a lone sailboat in the distance, she tried to imagine who the people on the sailboat were and why they were out on such an unpopular day.  In the middle of a work week, during the fall, not many boats were out for pleasure. Whatever the reason the sailboat captain had chosen to cast off today, she was sure that it was a better one then she had for being there.

The churning of her stomach brought Charlene back to reality. Matt. What an insufferable jerk! Who did he think he was? How dare he treat her like a little girl? Involuntarily, she rubbed her sore bottom.

She and Matt had stayed late to put the final touches on a project. Charlene had been adamant that the presentation include statistics that he did not think were important. Accustomed to getting her way, she had pressed the matter until she was in a full blown tantrum.

“What kind of idiot would fail to include critical information in a project of this magnitude?” she had yelled. Letting her anger get the best of her, she had stood up and swiped the pile of papers in front of Matt onto the floor.

 Reliving the encounter with Matt sent shivers down her spine. What had followed, was a spanking she wouldn’t soon forget. She had never felt so helpless, not to mention the pain! Yet, against her will, a part of her was thrilled that Matt had taken control of her. No man had ever been able to tame her before. Her thoughts drifted back to the events that had led her here today…

Smith & Smith Medical Devices was a large company specializing in various types of diabetic equipment. The company headquarters were in Southern California, in a modern office building typical of the suburban sister cities to Los Angeles. S & S was proud of their flagship offices with a view of the nearby mountain range. This was not an impersonal, corporate campus. Pleasant tree-lined sitting areas adorned the flanks of the office to allow employees to enjoy the year-round good weather in California. Set in a large, quiet industrial area tucked behind the housing and amenities necessary to support a city full of soccer moms, it was not a bad place to work.  The exterior bubbling fountains, lack of traffic noise, and the chirping birds belied the intense atmosphere found inside the buildings of S & S.

The medical device industry was extremely lucrative and highly competitive. The pressure to compete with similar companies was carried over within S & S in the demands placed on the executives. Power was at a premium, and the way to establish oneself was by being seen. Given the talent in the company, elevating your position was not easy. Charlene was at the top of her game. With her golden reputation, she expected to make vice president within the year. Competing for that title was Matt Pryor. He was climbing the corporate ladder as quickly as Charlene, and she didn’t like it. She had been with the company longer, and she felt she had earned a place among the highest ranking officers. Fueling the rivalry between the two was the overlap of functions between their divisions.

The monthly executive meeting was meant to flush out and explore new ideas and trends likely to affect the business. Each department head and vice president was expected to produce project proposals at some point during the year. This was where leaders could showcase their work. Preparations for these meetings were made well in advance, and there was considerable pressure to produce a stellar proposal. Both Matt and Charlene planned to present at this month’s meeting, but neither one was aware that the other was presenting. Had they known, they would have contacted their respective inside people to uncover the subject of each other’s presentations. Armed with knowledge, they would be able to derail the other’s plan and focus the attention on their own accomplishments. The surprise presentations they were about to hear from each other were sure to instigate a barrage of seemingly well meaning counterpoints. When, in truth, each one would be livid upon hearing their colleague’s respective proposals.  

Charlene strode briskly over the beige carpet leading to the executive suite. She opened the door to the space occupied by executive assistants to the most important people in the organization.  The hallway leading to the boardroom boasted tasteful pictures lining the walls between the floor-to-ceiling glass windows in front of each Senior Vice President’s office. She noticed the view through the outside window and she couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to move her belongings here. Her own space on the second floor was very respectable, but it did not compare to the luxury that seemed to exude from the sixth floor.

Footsteps behind her caught her attention; someone was walking quickly, as though to catch up with her. She glanced back to see Matt Pryor. With an inward groan, she rolled her eyes before he stepped up beside her. “Hi, Charlene,” Matt greeted her cheerfully.

Charlene plastered an enthusiastic smile on her face and turned to him. “Hi, Matt, how are you today?”

Matt was well aware of the contentious feelings Charlene harbored for him and his department. He also knew that the heart of her dislike was the competition he posed for a vice presidency with the company. Despite Charlene’s short-sighted judgment of him, Matt couldn’t help the attraction he felt for her. He studied her hazel eyes as she attempted to make small talk with him. Without breaking eye contact, Matt took in her short skirt and trim jacket, which flattered her tall stature. Her black hair fell past her shoulders and contrasted nicely with her fair skin.

“I’m proposing a project to consolidate the Business Development Division and the Marketing Department. That will allow the departments to share expertise and leverage the industry analysis we have to increase our effectiveness,” Charlene continued.

His thoughts abruptly shifted back to her as he heard her mention his department. “Excuse me?” he sputtered. “That’s an intriguing idea,” he said carefully. “Though, I would think you would have asked for my input on this before you presented it here.” While his polished demeanor suggested this new development was merely an intellectual study, he was seething at the way she had blind-sided him. He knew that she was ambitious, but this attempt to sabotage his position in the company shed a new light on her personality.

As she patiently explained the benefits of her proposal, Matt used all of his self control not to take her by the shoulders and shake her. He could see the faint curve at the corner of her mouth confirming that this was an intentional attempt to undermine his position in the company. “Well, that’s very interesting,” he interjected. “Apparently, you and I were thinking along the same lines this month. I’m scheduled to present a project to purchase a Marketing software system. One of the key points is that it would automate many of the duties the analysts in your area are performing. There would be quite a return on investment, when you consider the number of employees, in both your area and mine, we could eliminate.”

Charlene fought to maintain control of her temper, but her anger got the better of her. “Really, Matt, don’t you think you’d be asked why you haven’t consulted me on this software?” Her voice was calm, but there was a distinctive edge to it. “You know I would need to approve any significant changes to the Business Development function at S & S. Don’t make the mistake of thinking I’ll support you in any way on this.”  With that, she strode through the open boardroom door and once again turned on her million dollar smile as she greeted the other executives.

Matt smirked to himself as she walked away in a huff. He was concerned about her project proposal and how that would impact his area. Nevertheless, he’d had the last laugh. His software proposal was much more devastating to her power base than her suggestion to combine their departments would be to his. After all, they might simply be assigned to work together to streamline the duties between the two departments.

The meeting adjourned, and some of the participants lingered for a few minutes to chat in small groups. Charlene maintained her business composure and discussed various inconsequential issues while she socialized with the other members of the group. Matt worked his way around the other side of the boardroom, chatting, laughing and talking about golf with his colleagues. The two of them miscalculated their exit and managed to walk through the door at the same time.

“That was an interesting twist,” Charlene said with a hint of bitterness in her voice.

“Yes, it was,” Matt shrugged. “It looks like you and I are co-leading a team to explore my proposal and your consolidation strategy. I wonder who will end up standing in the end,” he said with a gleam in his eye.

“I’m sure we’ll both do our best to complete a thorough and objective analysis,” she countered. “I know I will.” The sneer in her voice was barely contained.

This would be quite a challenge, Matt thought. She was acting like a petulant child about this, and he was extremely irritated to be forced to work on a final recommendation with her. Despite his reservations, though, he was looking forward to the opportunity to tame the wild beast. She had a reputation for excellent work, but she could also be a terror if her team was not fulfilling her high expectations. Between her temper and his refusal to be intimidated by her, this project team would be one for the record books.

“I’ll have my assistant set up a kick-off meeting,” Charlene said. She wanted to establish her leadership position of this project team right away.

He nodded. “Please work with my assistant to assemble all of the necessary team members. I would assume you would want to invite a representative from the I.T. department, someone from operations and a finance representative.”

“Of course.” She quickly took the ball. “I’ll create a list of suggested team members and send it over to you by email.”

“Sounds good,” Matt replied good-naturedly. “This project may actually be fun. If nothing else, we’ll soon be able to either justify the separation of our departments or save the company money by reducing in one of our areas.” He lowered his voice, leaned in to her and whispered, “Either way, we’ll get to know each other better.”

Charlene, oblivious to his personal interest in her, split off from the group and headed to her own office.

Back in her office, Charlene slammed her folder down on her desk.  It was time to strategize, she thought.  She walked to the Analytics Manager’s office and sat down in the visitor’s chair in front of the desk. “Hi Janice,” she said, “The meeting didn’t go nearly as planned.” 

Janice looked up from her computer and smiled in greeting to her friend and boss. Her smile faded somewhat when she noticed the look on her friend’s face. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“If you can believe it, Matt Pryor presented today, too.” As Charlene spoke, her temper started to rise.

“He’s pretty hot,” Janice interjected. Her mind wandered to the last time she saw him. An eligible bachelor that many of the single women in the company talked about around the water cooler, he had dark brown hair and blue eyes, the epitome of tall, dark and handsome at six-foot-two.  The hours he spent at the gym showed in his lean but well-defined body.

“Janice!” she exclaimed. “Get a grip; we’re talking about the enemy here.  Do you want to hear what happened at the meeting, or not?”

“Okay, tell me how the meeting went.” Janice gave in.

“He proposed adding a computer system for marketing and business analysis. Coincidentally, the software would perform the functions of a number of our analysts,” she rushed on.  “This is the first I had heard of this project, and obviously, I was annoyed that he would presume to re-organize my department without my input.”

Janice paused momentarily, “Uh, didn’t your proposal basically do the same thing with his department?”

“Well, yes, but I was only trying to save the company money and improve our ability to capture market share,” she said with less conviction then when she had started. “Listen, we have work to do.” Charlene changed the subject. “Let’s start working on how we want to shape this project team.”

Charlene left Janice’s office after a lengthy brain-storming meeting. She was exhausted. Why was Matt so impossible to work with? She pictured him pitching his idea in the boardroom that morning and remembered Janice’s silly crush on him. She had to admit that he was damn good looking, but come on! He was a huge thorn in her side and his confidence and sense of entitlement galled her. He didn’t seem to understand that she had been with the company longer than he had, and she had worked hard to earn her impeccable reputation. She didn’t need some egotistical man ruining her prospects at S & S. 

Wheels began turning in her head—she wasn’t bad looking herself. In fact, she was often asked out by the single men in the company. She might be able to use her charm with the opposite sex to her advantage here. If she flirted a little with Matt, he might be more inclined to see things her way. She knew it would be a low blow, but her career was on the line. Surely, that called for drastic measures?

She sat down at her desk and began putting together an agenda for the first team meeting. Even though she was focused on setting the tone and structure of the project, in the back of her mind, she put together another type of strategy: how to get Matt interested in her as a woman.

“Let’s go ahead and get the meeting started.” Charlene looked around the room to capture the team’s attention. The conference room was typical of what one might find in any office building. Three walls were painted a somewhat institutional off-white, while the fourth wall was a built-in dry erase board. The modest but tasteful mahogany conference table sat in the middle of the room with a teleconference speaker and several outlets for laptop access. Most of the team members had laptops in front of them with fingers poised on keyboards. Managers multitasked in meetings with one ear on the action in the meeting and the other on their email.

“I’d like to address a few housekeeping items.” Charlene spoke to the group with a smile. “We have a lot of important decisions to make, and I would ask that you keep the laptops closed while the team meetings are in session.” Several laptops slowly closed as she spoke. “Now, we have been asked to evaluate the project proposals in your handouts. One plan would require the purchase of a computer system to automate some of the manual analysis we are currently doing. The second project would consolidate the Business Development Department with the Marketing Department to create one department. The data analysis requirements of each department are similar. Combining the analytical resources of both areas would allow for greater efficiency and more cost effective overhead structure.” 

Restlessly, Matt interjected. “Let’s not forget that we’ll be evaluating the elimination of a number of jobs in the Marketing and Business Development departments. This is a decision the company, and Charlene and I take very seriously. Both projects have merit, and they would both mean a number of jobs would no longer be needed. This group is tasked with assessing each initiative and recommending a course of action.”

With a dismissive wave toward Matt, Charlene stepped in. “Thank you for the clarification, Matt; I think we should start by reviewing the initial proposals.”

Matt shot a placating smile at Charlene. “Yes, I agree, Charlene. I’ve put together a summary of the computer system proposal.” As he spoke, he tried not to think about how annoyed he was with her. She could be so patronizing and self-involved! It’s too bad she’s a colleague, he thought. He had a sure fire cure for insolent young ladies. He smirked as he pictured himself pulling her over his knee for a lesson in manners.

Interrupting Matt’s presentation as he was summing up his conclusions for the group, Charlene looked at him with her best genuine smile. “Thank you, Matt.” She turned her attention to the team. “Now, I will give you an overview of my consolidation strategy. I think this plan would save money without the initial investment cost of a computer system.” She delivered her pitch, contrasting the strengths in her plan to the weaknesses of Matt’s plan. With her gift for finesse, the team members did not pick up on her subtle condescension about his project.

Matt had no choice but to jump in and defend his proposal. “As Charlene has noted, there are both flaws and potential rewards with each project. Our job is to objectively analyze both ideas and make a recommendation to senior management.” He gave Charlene a meaningful look. “I think we can start by doing a SWOT[i] analysis of each idea. That should give us a basis from which to build.”

Charlene rolled her eyes at Matt’s use of the current corporate buzz word for studying proposals. The next thing you know, he’s going to go around and give some kind of personality test as a team building exercise, she thought. Then, we can pass out cute little plaques with our respective personality labels from the latest business “self-help” book on the market. She groaned inwardly, lamenting that this was the worst part of any team project—screwing around with organizing the group into a cohesive team. If only people could just figure out the basics quickly so that they could move on to the real work. Obviously, Matt was one of those corporate goodie goodies, ready to jump on board every time a new business fad rolled through the industry. She sighed and settled back into her seat, preparing for another long and boring meeting.

After two hours of discussion, the team had a plan to systematically explore the options before them. Each member left with assignments to complete before the next meeting in two days.

As Charlene gathered up her belongings, Matt approached her. “I’d like to speak to you privately as soon as possible, please.”

“Sounds good, set it up with my secretary,” she suggested evasively.

“Charlene, I want to speak with you now.” He was beyond mild annoyance at this point. “If you won’t come to my office, we can have this discussion right here and right now.”

“If you feel this is an urgent matter, I’d be happy to meet with you for a few minutes,” she said sweetly.

They walked silently down the hall to Matt’s office. The Marketing Office was a disheveled mess of boxes filled with various marketing trinkets and giveaways. There were pens, shirts, hats, little flashlights, measuring tapes and other obscure items, all with the company logo on them.

Glancing around with a grimace, Charlene thought the department was a pigsty. There were flyers in piles and file cabinets filled to overflowing, not to mention the rows and stacks of boxes filled with marketing gifts. I don’t know how they work in all of this chaos, she wondered to herself.

Opening the door to his office, Matt gestured for Charlene to enter first. Without invitation, she took a seat at the small conference table. “Now, what is this about?” she asked.

Matt pulled out a chair across from her and sat down deliberately. “I think you know what I’d like to discuss,” he said, and then paused. The intensity of his gaze betrayed his disapproval.

She merely looked at him with innocent interest. “I don’t know what you mean. I thought the first meeting was very productive.”

“My understanding was that this team was to be co-led by you and me. And yet, you seemed to dominate every discussion while managing to subtly belittle my suggestions at every opportunity.” Matt’s voice was calm and controlled. Wading his way through political landmines was his specialty.

She laughed in an attempt to lighten the mood. “I’m sorry you didn’t like the way I ran the meeting. My only interest is in making the best decision for the company. I certainly wouldn’t want to allow my personal opinions to weigh too heavily on the group’s final decision.”

“This is not a game, Charlene,” he said gruffly. “People’s jobs are on the line here. We need to make a good decision for the company and always remain mindful of the people whose lives are affected by this.”

Cringing inwardly, she thought she was not insensitive to the people affected by this change. She simply felt her proposal was the best strategy for the company. Admittedly, she had not been taking his project seriously. Perhaps she could be a bit more objective.

She noticed Matt looking at her with a disapproving frown. She felt a little tingle, thinking about the way he was making her feel a little like a naughty child. Matt was a very good leader, but she had never thought of him as an alpha male. Well, she thought, maybe Janice was right about him. He is pretty attractive.

“You’re right. This is a serious decision, and I’ll make a better effort to work as a team on this.” She smiled, trying to convey her desire for a truce.

“Thank you. I appreciate your willingness to have an open mind on this,” he said more cheerfully. “Now, what are the next steps?”

After wrapping up the discussion, Matt watched her leave his office. Against his will, his eyes traveled down to her rounded bottom displayed nicely in her designer skirt. His mind drifted as he watched her long, shapely legs stride confidently out of the room.

What a spitfire, he thought. He didn’t think he was going to be able to control his temper at the meeting. She had done everything possible to make him look like an idiot, and when he confronted her about it, she acted as though she had no idea what he was talking about. That innocent smile she put on made him want to either grab her by the shoulders and kiss her deeply, or turn her over his knee and spank the living daylights out of her. At this point, he was pretty sure she would need her fanny warmed before he would kiss her.

Restlessly, he considered the scene it might be.

She looks at him defiantly, as he scolds her for her disrespectful behavior. Sitting on the edge of his desk, he guides Charlene to face him and looks into her pouting face. He tells her firmly but gently that she needs an attitude adjustment. Before she can protest, he pulls her over his lap and holds her tightly in place, leaving her helpless to resist. Raising her skirt to her waist, her vulnerable bottom is revealed. Nearly losing his resolve, he sucks in a breath at the sight of her lovely backside. Her cheeks quiver as he lowers her panties and rests his hand on her exposed skin. Lifting his hand high, he begins the spanking of her life. Slapping her bottom in rapid succession, he watches her cheeks begin to go pink and then red.

Tears slide down her face, and she desperately promises to be a good girl, but he doesn’t relent. Her skin is hot under his hand as he continues the swats down her thighs to make sure she would remember this spanking for several days. Her perfect bottom dances beneath his hand, trying to find cover, but he spanks every inch, leaving a crimson outline of his fingers on her thigh as a souvenir. When he thinks she is sincerely sorry for her behavior, he tenderly rubs her bottom. Pulling her into an embrace, he strokes her silky hair and rubs her back. Trying to calm herself, she buries her head in his chest and apologizes for disrespecting him and herself.

Caught up in his fantasy, Matt felt his pants grow uncomfortably tight as he hardened in response. Damn! He needed to calm himself down and get on with business. He did his best to distract himself with thoughts of the more mundane tasks he needed to do today. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly and concentrated on catching up on his emails.

To Be Continued...

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