Wendy Pt. 03

"Already!?" Jonathan laughed. "That's quick."

"I can't replace Wendy and do the receptionist's job without screwing something up, so I found someone," Mary explained. "She's got a job, but is willing to change, so she needs to come in on her lunch hour for an interview, 12:00. I hope that's okay."

"That'll be fine," Jonathan said. "Wendy?"

"I'm going to talk to the head hunters today about the executive chef position," Wendy replied. "Hospitalio Recruitment seems to be the consensus best head hunters for the Horeca industry, hotels and restaurants. "I'm also going to be working with the advertisers on the copy that will be in their publications for our ads. Where I have pictures that we can use, I will, but that's still a bit of a bottleneck. I'm going to talk to Fred about it, see what progress he made with the various managers."

"I'm also going to contact Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and have a preliminary discussion. In that same vein, I'm going to talk with Fred about the units that we'll be putting up for sale. I want to have a visual schematic made of each of the properties showing the individual units that we're going to offer for sale. I think that it will be good to be able to see the progress we make in turning the various units. I'm also going to touch base with Phil and Tom and see if there are any problems that they need help with."

"Now do you see why I made you the COO?" Jonathan asked. "For the first time, you're not reticent. You're not looking to me for approval. You know what needs to be done and you're just going to do it. If you need my help with anything, let me know. Who knows, I might even dust off my golf game. You're going to make me superfluous."

Wendy was deep in her computer when Mary knocked on the door and stuck her head in.

"Receptionist interview," she said, smiling.

"Oh, right," Wendy said, having totally forgotten about it.

Getting to her feet, she followed Mary out to the reception area and skidded to a halt, her mouth dropping open.

"Shirelle?" she gasped, taking in the impossibly short purple miniskirt and the lilac silk top whose buttons were straining against her big breasts pressing against it, her large dark nipples clearly visible. She was also wearing 3" heels.

"Wendy!" Shirelle gasped.

"Okay, I didn't tell either of you," Mary quickly stepped in. "Wendy's my boss, too. She's the COO. You'd be working for her and Jonathan both."

"And you," Wendy pointed out.

"And me," Mary agreed, smiling. "You said that it was important that we hire someone who would fit in. I'm sure that you'll agree that Shirelle will fit in. I didn't want it to be in the way for either of you if you knew about the whole work thing. Besides, she's way overqualified for the job, just like a recent PA that I recall."

"Well, let's go meet Jonathan," Wendy said. "He's going to love your outfit, by the way."

Wendy was hard-pressed to suppress a smile when she saw the look on Jonathan's face when he saw Shirelle.

"This is Shirelle Jones," Mary said nervously when they approached his desk. "Jonathan Hooks, the CEO and our boss."

"Hello, Shirelle," Jonathan said, getting to his feet and shaking hands.

"Hello," Shirelle replied, smiling. "You didn't tell me he was Mr. GQ," she said, turning to Mary.

"Well, thank you," Jonathan laughed. "Does it matter?"

"Would you rather work with ugly women?" Shirelle asked, deliberately turning to look at Mary, then Wendy.

"Point taken," Jonathan laughed. "In that vein, you'd fit right in. Please, sit," he said, waiting until they all sat before sitting down himself. "Is there an application or anything?" he asked, looking from Mary to Wendy.

"Never crossed my mind," Mary said, laughing.

"Well, tell me about yourself, Shirelle," Jonathan said.

"First thing you should know is that I've known Mary my whole life," Shirelle said. "We went to school together and graduated together. She's my best friend."

"That's a plus," Jonathan said, smiling when he saw her shoulders relax slightly. "I'm not sure what you know about us, but I like to think of us as family."

"Pretty naughty family, too," Mary said sotto voce, then smiled.

"When I graduated high school, I got a job with Chick-fil-A," Shirelle explained. "I've worked for them ever since."

"In what capacity?" Jonathan asked.

"I started out on the counter, then worked in every position they have," Shirelle replied. "I'm the assistant manager now, just over two years. I can type and my computer skills are above average. I know ordering and scheduling. I know how to track performance against income."

"Why would you want to go from being an assistant manager to being a receptionist?" Jonathan asked.

"There's nowhere else for me to go with Chick-fil-A," Shirelle replied. "Glass ceiling."

"But why?" Jonathan asked. "Are you capable of being a manager?"

"I do his job already," Shirelle said with some contempt. "He's a lazy ass kisser, but he's a man and he's white."

"I see," Jonathan said, disturbed by what he had just heard.

"I've never seen Mary happier than she's been since she started working for you," Shirelle said. "She never stops going on about how much she loves her job and working for you. Now she tells me that she got a promotion, that people are treated commensurate with their productivity, that there's no prejudice or anything."

"We value Mary highly," Jonathan said, "and because of that, we take her recommendation that we consider you seriously. There is no prejudice here that I've ever heard about and there never will be as long as it's my company. I do judge my people by their productivity and it's been years since I had to fire anyone and our attrition rate is almost non-existent."

"That's why I'm willing to change jobs," Shirelle said.

"Is this how you dress to work at Chick-fil-A?" Jonathan asked.

"No," Shirelle replied, smiling, then laughing. "I changed out of my uniform. Mary told me that you like your female employees to look hot, short skirts, see-thru tops, no underwear, things like that. I thought I'd show you that I'd fit in."

"And that doesn't make you uncomfortable?" Jonathan asked.

"Not even a little bit," Shirelle laughed. "I like to look hot. It's fun to turn people on."

"How much do they pay you at Chick-fil-A?" Jonathan asked. "You might be taking a pay cut to come work here."

"I don't care," Shirelle said. "I still live at home with my twin brothers and our Momma. "They pay me $24,000 a year."

"And you're the assistant manager?" Jonathan asked, aghast.

"That's right," Shirelle replied. "The manager gets $30,000 and he doesn't do shit. Sorry about that," she added, chagrined.

"Wendy?" Jonathan asked.

"Definitely," Wendy said, smiling. "She's perfect."

"I agree," Jonathan said. "The starting salary here is $30,000."

"Oh, my!" Shirelle gasped, bringing a hand up to her mouth.

"When can you start?" Jonathan asked.

"Right now," Shirelle replied firmly. "What would you like me to do?"

"Don't you want to give notice or anything?" Jonathan asked.

"They don't deserve it," Shirelle replied. "Fuck them. Sorry."

"I see that you and Mary have something in common," Jonathan said, laughing. "She's got an incredibly colorful vocabulary, too."

"Is that how you describe it?" Mary asked, smiling.

"Okay, then," Jonathan said. "She's all yours, Mary. Get her on the books and oriented, then it's up to you. If you need any help, just ask Wendy or me."

"Thank you," Shirelle said, the hint of tears at the corners of her big eyes. "You won't be sorry."

"I know that," Jonathan said, smiling.

"This is your lunch hour, right?" Wendy asked when they left Jonathan's office.

"Yes," Shirelle replied.

"Have you eaten?" Wendy asked.

"No," Shirelle replied. "I was too rushed and too nervous."

"Neither have we," Wendy said. "Mary, order lunch for the three of us. I'll be in my office."

It was just after 3:00 when Wendy saw Marge arrive and enter Jonathan's office. Her heart was pounding when he opened the door to her office, a smile on his face.

"Ready to sign your new contract?" he asked.

In spite of her excitement and nervousness, Wendy carefully read all three of the pages before signing, followed by Jonathan, and then by Marge as witness, two copies, one for her, one for the company's records.

"This is a certificate valued at 1% of the company's total shares," Marge explained, handing it to her. "That's worth about $150 million today, but of course you can't do anything with the shares for 3 years."

"Oh, wow!" Wendy gasped, almost afraid to hold the certificate, embossed with seals and stamps.

"That makes you the youngest COO ever of any of the Fortune 500 companies," Jonathan said. "Not bad for 2 months into your first job, I'd say."

"I don't even know what to say," Wendy said, shaking her head.

"Do you have a safety deposit box?" Marge asked.

"I don't even have a bank account yet," Wendy laughed.

"One minute," Jonathan said, picking up the phone and dialing. "Kent, this is Jonathan Hooks. Good, good, how about you? And Sally? That's great. Look, Kent, I've hired a new COO and she needs banking services. She's from California. I'm going to send her down. Set her up with everything, account, safety deposit box, credit card, the works, okay? Great. Thanks a lot."

"There," Jonathan said after hanging up the phone. "The bank's on the first floor of this building, Bank of America. You'll need identification."

"I have my passport," Wendy said.

"Driver's license?" Jonathan asked.

"Never got one," Wendy replied, blushing. "I like walking and busses are easy if it's too far, or trains. I just never needed one."

"How have you been surviving?" Jonathan asked.

"I just eat in the hotel's restaurant," Wendy replied.

"Do you have any money?" Jonathan asked.

"A little over $1,000," Wendy replied.

"That was quite the gamble, then, coming out here for the interview," Jonathan said admiringly.

"I had nothing to lose," Wendy said, shrugging.

"And now look at you," Jonathan said, smiling. "Wait, haven't you been paid yet?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Wendy replied. "I don't have a bank account."

"What the hell!" Jonathan said.

"I didn't really think about it," Wendy confessed.

"So, how do you feel not being the tallest woman in the office anymore?" he asked, grinning.

"If you had bothered tearing your eyes from her breasts, you would have seen that she was wearing 3" heels," Wendy said, smiling. "I've got her by a couple of inches."

"Okay, you win," Jonathan laughed.

"I have a question," Wendy said.

"Okay," Jonathan said.

"Where I'm staying, that was part of my 6-month probation," Wendy said. "I guess that's over now."

"You can afford to live wherever you'd like now," Jonathan said. "Buy a house, condo, whatever. With that stock certificate as collateral and your job's salary, you won't have any trouble getting a mortgage. Talk to Kent when you go downstairs and see what he says."

"I was thinking that I like living in the hotel," Wendy said. "It's close by and it has everything, even a restaurant."

"You want to buy one of the units that we're going to sell?" Jonathan asked.

"I want to be the first person to buy one," Wendy replied. "I want to back up my idea with my own money. It can even be part of the sales pitch, that it's such a good deal that Clandestine's COO bought one."

"I have no problem with that idea at all," Jonathan said, smiling. "Talk with Fred, tell him which unit you want, and I'll have Marge draw up the paperwork."

"I'd also like a favor," Wendy said nervously.

"Okay," Jonathan said, trying not to laugh.

"I'd like Clandestine to give me a three-year balloon mortgage using the stock certificate as surety for whichever unit I choose," Wendy said. "I'll pay the prevailing interest rate."

"Care to explain?" Jonathan asked.

"With a balloon mortgage, I don't have to make any monthly payments other than interest," Wendy replied. "I pay the full amount of the principle at the end of three years."

"But why with us and not a bank?" Jonathan asked.

"Can you afford to finance all of the units that we're going to sell?" Wendy asked.

"I'm not following you?" Jonathan said. "Make it simple for me."

"Most properties that sell for over $1 million are cash deals," Wendy explained. "The percentage goes way up when you get over $5 million. Why don't you offer one-stop shopping for those who want to finance one of the condos? The costs of running a program like that are negligible and you could make the interest income on the financing. If you ended up financing just 20% of the sales, that would be an approximate extra $5 million in pure profit. That would lower your loss in the form of sales commissions by approximately 30%."

"I'll talk with Tom and Marge about it," Jonathan said. "Anything else?" he asked, smiling.

"One other thing," Wendy said, smiling. "What are you going to do for an office space for Mary?"

"Mary? That's a good question," Jonathan said. "Before you, the PAs used my office when they needed a space."

"My office is big, bigger than I need," Wendy said. "Why don't we put another desk in there and let her have that? I'll be utilizing her the most and that will make it easier."

"You're the COO, Wendy," Jonathan said with a smile. "You shouldn't have to share an office."

"And neither should you have with the previous PAs," Wendy said, smiling. "I don't mind, really, and I think it will be the most efficient for many reasons."

"Well, as I said, you're the COO, so do what you think best," Jonathan said.

"Okay," Wendy said. "Thanks. For everything."

Wendy went back to her office, a smile on her face, and picked up the phone and called Fred.

"Fred, could you arrange a meeting for me with the manager of Destinations?" Wendy asked.

"Of course," Fred replied. "Any special reason?"

"I want to see the penthouse," Wendy replied.

"Are you thinking of buying it?" Fred asked, laughing.

"Yes," Wendy replied.

"Really! Well, you can afford it now," Fred said. "What brought this on?" he asked.

Wendy explained her thinking to him.

"When are you going to stop thinking of all of these great ideas?" Fred asked, laughing. "I think that's a brilliant idea from a marketing standpoint."

"I'll want to pay full price for it," Wendy said.

"But why?" Fred asked. "I'm sure that Jonathan would agree to come up with a special price for you."

"For marketing reasons," Wendy replied. "It would lessen the effectiveness of the whole thing if I got a sweetheart deal. If prospective buyers see that I paid full price, it will be all the more impactful. If we price things right, we can sell the units faster. We don't want to drag it out over a period of years. I'd like to see most of them sold within a year. That will also affect their sales attractiveness if people see them flying off the shelf. Even if we have to price them a bit less than we could, it's to our advantage to get them sold quickly for many reasons. Right now, those units are like albatrosses around our necks."

"I assume that you'd like to see him today?" Fred asked.

"If it's convenient," Wendy replied.

"Wendy, you're the COO," Fred laughed. "He works for you, not the other way around. Give me a few minutes and I'll get back to you."

"Thanks, Fred," Wendy said, hanging up the phone just as Mary and Shirelle entered with lunch.

"You look happy," Mary said as they sat down in the chairs facing her desk.

"I've never been happier," Wendy said, her smile threatening to split her face.

"That's what working here has been like for me these past five years," Mary said. "And it just keeps getting better."

"I still can't believe it," Shirelle said. "I cannot wait to tell my Momma. She'll be so happy. Uh, how does all of this affect our relationship outside of work?" she asked.

"Not at all," Wendy replied. "Work is work and our personal lives are just that. We just have to remember that when we're at work, that that's what we're here for, to work."

"Uh-huh," Mary said, laughing.

"He's incredibly hot," Shirelle said. "The boss. And he's obviously a horn-dog with his dress requirements for us. Doesn't he ever, you know, try anything?"

"Not with Wendy," Mary laughed. "She's miss prim and proper at work."

"It's hard enough being taken seriously being so young, and a woman," Wendy said. "If people thought that I was messing around with the boss, nobody would respect me."

"I'd fuck him in a heartbeat," Shirelle said. "So tall, so handsome. I guess he's married?"

"Wait until you meet Vera," Mary laughed. "She's the best."

"How does she feel about the way he makes you dress?" Shirelle asked.

"When I got here, I didn't have much in the way of a wardrobe," Wendy replied. "She took me shopping. This is one of the outfits she bought me. I'd never have dared to dress like this, especially not at work."

"She must be something else if she's not worried about a hot woman like you being around her husband dressed like that," Shirelle said.

"She is definitely something else," Mary laughed. "I can't wait to see her reaction when she meets you."

"Okay, I need to make some phone calls," Wendy said. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to take Shirelle down to personnel and get all of that out of the way, then start showing her what I do and where things are," Mary replied.

"Jonathan said that I can have an extra desk put in here for you," Wendy said, smiling at the joyous surprise on Mary's face as she and Shirelle got to their feet. "Who would I talk to about that?" she asked.

"You don't have to talk to anyone," Mary said. "That's my job now. I'm your PA, remember. I'll take care of it. No more bullshit mundane tasks for you. That's my job."

Taking a deep breath when they left, Wendy picked up the phone and dialed the number for Hospitalio Recruitment.

"Hospitalio Recruitment, how may I help you?" a pleasant woman's voice answered.

"My name is Wendy Rose," Wendy replied. "I'm the COO for Clandestine Group We're looking for an executive chef."

"Let me connect you with Mr. Reynolds," the woman said. "That's his department. One minute please."

"Richard Reynolds," a deep, mellifluous voice said a few seconds later. "How may I help you."

Wendy quickly explained what she was looking for after introducing herself.

"I wasn't aware that Clandestine had a COO," he said.

"I'm the first one," Wendy explained. "As of today."

"Well, congratulations," he said. "Clandestine is very well known to us. You've got seven Michelin-starred restaurants in your group."

"We want all of our restaurants to have Michelin stars," Wendy explained. "We need someone who can make that happen. We want to be as known for our dining as well as the luxury of our accommodations."

"There aren't too many people capable of doing that," he said.

"But there are people?" Wendy asked.

"Most assuredly," he replied. "But they won't come cheap. At least $150,000 a year."

"The salary is secondary in importance to us compared to the results that we're trying to realize," Wendy said. "We're prepared to offer a generous package that will reward results over and above whatever basic salary is agreed upon."

"That will certainly make the position more attractive," he said. "I can have some names for you in 2-3 days. Will that be satisfactory?"

"That would be great," Wendy replied, sighing with relief.

"I'll be in touch, then," he said. "We appreciate that you contacted us for this."

"I look forward to hearing from you," Wendy said. "Thank you."

Sitting back, Wendy realized that her heart was pounding. She had just taken her first big step as COO and the enormity of it hit her. Then her phone rang, startling her.