Miranda Kim
Date: 10/9/2023,
Categories:
Reluctance
Author: jxa2012
There was a knock on the door of my bedroom suite and a moment later, my housekeeper entered.
“Didn’t I tell you not to disturb me, Stacey?” I said, irritated. “I know it’s the weekend, but I’ve got a busy morning. I’m getting ready to take Arabella to her tennis lesson, then I have to receive the ladies from the Garden Club.”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Kim,” Stacey said, her tone contrite. “But I have a woman downstairs, Farah Hojjat. She says it’s important.”
I knew Farah Hojjat was Jack Grierson’s long-time executive assistant. She began with Jack after my time with him, so I didn’t know her personally. Casey du Paige, the former Foncault Group Executive Vice President had arranged my care and support after the two times Jack had impregnated me. I’d only had a few phone and online interactions with Farah.
“Tell her I’ll be right down,” I said with a sigh.
I went into my boudoir and touched up my makeup. I plumped my breasts in my bra through my translucent silk blouse and put my hands on my hips. ‘I’m thirty-seven but everyone says I still look in my twenties,’ I thought. ‘I hope it’s not just flattery.’
I walked down the wide sweeping staircase to the reception room. Farah was standing by the mantelpiece. I shook her hands and led her to a comfortable set of club chairs in the large glassed-in alcove of the large reception. She sat down and looked out at the view of the manicured grounds. Our mansion was set on a rise, and we could see all the way down to the ...
... Hudson.
“You’ve done well,” she said without a preamble. Her clipped British accent sounded very formal. “Senior Vice President of Marketing of a Fortune 500 company, a seat on the board, one of the top management team. Last year, your pay and benefits on your company’s 10-k filing amounted to over a million dollars. And that doesn’t include stock options, which were estimated at over six million.” She paused to take a breath. “This mansion and estate with the view of the Hudson is valued at over twenty million. You drive a high-end Maserati.”
“I’ve worked hard for my success,” I said with a touch of conceit in my voice.
“I’m sure you have,” she said. I was surprised that her tone verged on unfriendly, and it showed on my face. “But you and I both know that eight years ago you were a junior sales representative on the verge of being fired for failing to meet your targets. With a sales manager that only kept you on because he wanted to fuck you.”
“My career has had its ups and downs,” I said, defensively. “Like everyone else. But I found my stride, and I –”
“Bullshit!” Farah’s voice was like a whiplash. “It was Jack Grierson that made your career. He bought your firewall software for all Foncault Group companies, a sale that netted you over a hundred thousand dollars in commissions. And he made calls to his contacts that enabled you to book millions more in sales. You were made regional sales director on the strength of those results, then national sales director. ...