Chapter 2
But Here's the Catch
Junior was greeted by a ray of impossibly bright sunshine crashing into his retina upon opening his eyes, and he rolled over with a groan.
Ooooh, God, what time is it?
He glanced up at the clock on the nightstand where "11:37AM" flashed across the screen.
Oh crap, I totally slept in! Why did I stay up all night doing…doing…
Suddenly it all came back to him: the sweat, the moans, the passion. He sat up and glanced next to him. The bed was empty. She was gone. He climbed out of the besmirched sheets and started to gather up his clothes. He noticed that Tulip's were nowhere to be found, further evidence that she was likely long gone. Out in the sitting room the bottle of champagne stood open, its contents now warm beyond acceptable drinking parameters. It seemed like a shame to waste such expensive stuff, though, so he poured himself a small bit while searching the rest of the room for a note, or something that might indicate that what he remembered from last night was not just some alcohol fueled dream.
No, it felt way to real to be a dream.
Still, he found nothing, and was beginning to feel a bit hurt. Sure, the whole thing may have been just a one-nighter, but he thought that they had been getting along really well. They could've at least gone and gotten breakfast together. With a disappointed sigh, he finished dressing (though he didn't bother putting his jacket or tie back on) and headed down to the lobby to check out.
"I trust you enjoyed your stay, sir?" Asked the man behind the counter as Junior handed him the room key.
"Yeah…I guess." Junior said halfheartedly.
As he was leaving, however, a voice called out.
"Mr. Junior!" The distinct accent behind it told him who it was immediately.
"Mr. Alvirez…" Junior turned to see the Mexican businessman approaching and forced a smile. "…How was your night?"
"Very well, but probably not as well as yours." Alvirez replied with a wink. Junior felt his stomach drop into his lower intestine.
"I…I don't understand…"
"I saw that pretty little chica that you left the bar with. She seemed most…voluptuous."
By now the panic lights were going off in Junior's brain. If his father found out about the evening he and Tulip and spent together, instead of a promotion Junior would be receiving his soup and bread from an attendee at the soup kitchen.
Just play it off cool. He only saw you leave the bar with her. The rest he's just assuming.
"Actually, we parted ways in the lobby, nothing happened." Junior lied, hoping that his poker face held out, despite the voice in his head reminding him he was terrible at poker.
The look that Alvirez was giving him didn't indicate whether he had swallowed the line or not.
"I see. Well, inform your father that we will have the first shipment of boxes under our new agreement sent to him by the end of the week." He said at last.
"I will, thank you senor." Junior gave an internal sigh of relief as he shook Alvirez's hand one last time.
Out on the street, he was preparing to hail a cab when his phone began ringing. A glance at the caller ID indicated it was Toady, and he groaned.
Oh no…
"Hello?"
"Your father wants to know where you are, you were supposed to be here almost four hours ago." Toady's irritated voice drawled.
"Tell him I'll be there soon, I'm just leaving the hotel."
"You can tell him why you're so late when you get here." With that Toady hung up.
"Go to Hell you little…" Junior growled into his now dead speaker. With another sigh, he put his phone away and went back to the business of getting a cab.
He was not looking forward to facing the boss.
The main Cornerstore production facility was built upon a cliff overlooking the sprawling metropolis that it had originally served for so many years. Eventually, that service area had been expanded to include the whole state of California, and then the whole nation. As the cab pulled up the long drive to the gate, Junior told the driver that he could walk the rest and payed him his money (plus a healthy tip for which he thanked him profusely). After showing his ID badge to the guard, Junior entered the complex and headed for his father's office. It was located at the top of the factory floor, a massive booth constructed of glass giving the captain a full bird's-eye-view of his ship. The younger Hunter approached the wooden door adorned with a golden plaque that bore his father's name and the title: CEO. There was always something intimidating about entering this room. Junior's memories of the office stretched all the way back to his childhood. He had both good and bad, and, truth be told, the bad outweighed the good. Mr. Hunter was a hard man, who believed in discipline and obedience from his workers. He expected no less from his child, who he was not shy about taking a belt to when the need arose. Several of those whoopings had taken place in this very office, and the memories of them were enough to make his stomach clench as he knocked on the aged oak door.
"Enter!" Hunter's deep voice boomed from within, the dark tone telling his son instantly what sort of mood he was in. Junior was glad that no one was around to see his hand shaking as he turned the knob.
Inside, the boss was seated at his desk with a Bluetooth piece in his ear. Upon seeing who his visitor was his face grew even darker (if that were possible from the already foul mood he was in), and he gestured firmly for Junior to take a seat in one of the chairs before him.
"Jack, I'm telling you, rumors are just rumors, you should know better than to believe everything you hear…well of course they're saying that, our stocks are going nowhere but up once we go public; they have to try and curtail us if they want to keep their own viable…Jack…Jack, trust me, it's going to be fine. I'll call you back in fifteen minutes, alright?"
Junior tried to swallow the lump in his throat as his father terminated the call and turned his full attention on him.
"Where have you been?" despite the obvious displeasure in his eyes, Hunter kept his voice relatively calm.
"I'm sorry dad, I…"
"YOU WILL REFER TO ME AS 'SIR'! IS THAT UNDERSTOOD!?" Hunter's temper went off like an atomic bomb as he stood up and towered over his son, roaring out at the top of his lungs.
Junior scrunched down into his chair, wishing he could just fall through and disappear into the earth. "Yes, sir!"
"You are four hours late, I expected you here bright and early, Junior! If I am to rest knowing this company is in capable hands, then I need to know that you will take your duties seriously."
"I always have, sir!"
"Really?! That's why you met so many of your business associates last night?" There was bitter sarcasm behind Hunter's words.
"I met a few…"
"You met Balvinni and Alvirez. I asked around and no one else had spoken to you all evening. Just what were you doing?!"
"I…"
"You were drinking, weren't you? I swear to God, if you're becoming an alcoholic I'll throw you out on the street myself and let you spend the rest of your days begging for booze money on the side of the highway!"
"I'm not, I promise…I...I'll never touch another drop again."
"See that you don't. This is a new world of business you're going into; you have maintain an image; not just your own, but Cornerstore's too!"
"I understand, sir."
"Good…" Hunter seemed to have calmed down considerably as he pressed the button on the intercom box in his desk. "…Beckley, get in here, and bring your dossier on that problem we were discussing earlier."
"I've told Hanson to cover your shift on delivery routes today. I have something more important for you to do." Hunter explained as they waited for Toady to arrive. "There's been a rash of thefts from the mechanical sector. A number of parts and tools have gone missing."
"How many?"
"Beckley will have a more detailed breakdown, but I'm told it all equals up to about ten-thousand dollars in losses."
Junior was stunned. "Ten-thousand?!"
"Yes, most of the components have gone missing from the mechanics' shop's storage area, so I'd start there. I want you to go through every storage room and take a detailed inventory. Then I want you to question every one of the mechanical staff, find out who has keys to the part rooms and the tool boxes."
"Do we have a list of all the mechanics?"
"Ask the head of the mechanical department about it when you get down there, I'm sure they can get you one. If not, go to HR."
"What about security footage? Aren't the storage rooms monitored?"
Hunter shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Not at the moment, no." He admitted, "With the company going public soon, I felt it prudent to upgrade all the security systems. The camera network is currently non-operational while they replace them with the newer models, which is information I'd like to not leave this office. If word gets around, thefts will probably increase tenfold."
A knock at the door announced the arrival of Toady, who gave Junior a stack of paper as thick as a hero sandwich (the lack of breakfast was starting to get to him).
"Here are the previous inventory reports that were logged in the past several months, as well as a list indicating everything that has gone missing upon cross reference of the new inventory reports." He said as he handed off the hefty tree graveyard, "On top of that, I took the liberty of requesting the criminal records of all the mechanics. The police department assures me they will have them to us by tomorrow. I'll have them sent to your office as soon as they arrive."
"My office?" Junior didn't have an office. The closest thing was the breakroom where the other delivery drivers gathered for coffee and lunch.
"Yes, I have set aside office number eighteen for you in the marketing sector." Hunter revealed, "It's only temporary, of course, but it'll do until you can move in here."
Wow, my own office… Junior had to admit, the idea was gratifying.
"Thank you, Beckley, I'll be by Human Resources later so we can go over those new employee applications." Hunter dismissed his simpering little boss's pet, who half-bowed to him and gave Junior his customary dirty look before departing.
"Alright Junior, I suggest you get to it. I expect you to have questioned the mechanics and started those new inventories by the time you leave this evening, are we clear?"
"Yes sir!" Junior stood to leave, but as he was about to head out the door, the boss's voice stopped him.
"And Junior…" he paused to looked back up at him, "…if I were you, I'd consider this a test of your managerial abilities. Beckley has already proven his."
There was heavy silence as Junior processed the subtle threat. "Understood." He said at last, then left. Nonetheless, his father's words weighed on his shoulders as he trudged down the long hallway that led to the main elevator.
He'd probably rather have Toady running this place than you. Well that's fine! That snotty little suck-up can have the job for all I care. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, however, then he instantly felt angry. Why should Beckley have it? Junior was a Hunter, wasn't he? He was just as good, if not better, at running a business than his father, surely. Why couldn't he do it? Why not? As he walked, his stride became wider and his confidence grew. He'd show his father, he'd show them both. He was perfectly capable of running Cornerstore.
And I'll prove it first by figuring out who the fellow in the mechanical department with the sticky fingers is.
He entered the main elevator and headed down into the bowels of the beast. Well, that wasn't quite fair, but it always felt to him like Cornerstore was swallowing him whole whenever he went this far in. The mechanical rooms were at the very bottom of the building. They consisted of a body shop where the delivery trucks and other Cornerstore vehicles received repairs if needed, two massive storage rooms filled with every mechanical part the vehicles could possibly need, a couple of miscellaneous workshops equipped with every tool a mechanic could dream of, and, of course, a breakroom with fully functional coffee machine. This was where Junior stopped off first upon reaching the floor but, finding it empty, he followed the sounds of voices toward the body shop.
"If they don't want the batteries running down, they should buy better ones. These crappy things can't hold charge for shit in the heat, and that's why they keep burning out without the trucks even being on. Stupid drivers just park 'em out in the sun and it cooks the charge right out." One of the mechanics, a tall, lanky fellow sporting a pair of glasses named Charlie, was holding a truck battery and ranting to his fellow co-worker, a fat little fellow with balding brown hair named Patrick.
"You really think Hunter's gonna pay anything higher than bottom dollar? The guy's wallet is screwed so tight you'd have to pry it open with a damn crowbar." Patrick joked as he took the battery from Charlie and turned it over in his hands.
As he approached the pair, Junior noticed the third mechanic, a guy by the name of Eddie with long hair that reached down to his shoulders and a well-trimmed beard, walk out from behind a truck parked nearby carrying a battery of his own.
"Is that one dead too?" Charlie demanded.
"No idea." Eddie admitted as he shook the battery as though it were a Christmas present who's contents he was trying to ascertain. "You know, my mom used to say that if I wanted to see if a battery was charged I should just lick it, and if it shocks me, then it's charged."
Patrick and Charlie grinned at each other. "You wanna test it for us, Ed?" Charlie suggested.
"Sure!" Eddie agreed enthusiastically, before sticking out his tongue and moving it toward one of the electrodes.
"Ahem!" Junior cleared his throat loudly, deciding that now was probably a good time to intervene. The three men looked over at him.
"Excuse me, I'm…" Junior began, but was cut off by Charlie.
"Yeah, we know who you are, Mr. Junior. What do you want?" he demanded in a disdainful tone.
How about a little more respect from you, for starters? Junior thought irritably, but couldn't bring himself to give the admonishment out loud.
"I've been sent down to address the recent thefts." He decided to say instead, thinking it might strike some fear into them if one of them was indeed the crook.
"You got a warrant?" Charlie demanded defiantly.
"A warrant? Why would I need a…?"
"Never mind! So, what do you want from us then?"
"For starters, I'd like to see whoever is in charge."
The three men exchanged glances. "Fine, follow me." Charlie gestured for Junior to do so as he spoke.
He led him through the body shop, dodging in and out of tools and parts scattered about like a military man running an obstacle course he had run about a thousand times before. It was more than could be said for Junior, who nearly tripped and fell about four times.
No wonder things get stolen so often, look at the state of this place! They don't even lock their tools up properly.
Their trek through the mechanical jungle came to an end at a delivery truck that was parked at the far end of the shop. Junior could see a pair of legs clad in the standard light brown work boots and brown overalls of a Cornerstore mechanic sticking out from underneath the truck.
"Hey, Tulip, one of the guys from upstairs is here to see ya."
Wait, what! Junior's heart skipped a beat. No, it couldn't be.
"Hang on just one second, Chuck." An all too familiar voice called from underneath the vehicle.
No,no,no,no,no…
Junior's brain was screaming as she slid out from under the truck to reveal the blazing red hair and green eyes, the curiosity within them turning to recognition and surprise when she got a look at him.
"Oh, hey!" she smiled broadly as she got to her feet. Her face was stained with smudges of grease, as were her clothes, and she wiped her dirty hands on a rag she had stuffed in her back pocket as she approached.
"Y…you…you…" Junior was so dumfounded he couldn't even get more than one word out of him.
By now both Charlie and Tulip were looking at him in confusion.
"You…work for Cornerstore?" The future manager finally managed to ask.
"What, you two know each other?" Charlie inquired, looking utterly confused now.
A fresh wave of fear gripped Junior's chest. If anyone found out what had happened the previous night, word would inevitably get around, and it was a guarantee that Toady would hear about it from somewhere and run straight to Hunter. Tulip must have seen the panic in his eyes, however.
"Chuck, why don't you go help Ed and Pat finish changing out the batteries in those trucks?" She suggested, her eyes never leaving Junior's.
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I got this."
Charlie shrugged before plodding off, leaving the pair alone with the awkwardness in the air so thick you could cut it with a butter knife. All Junior could do was stare, utterly stunned by the realization that he had slept with one of his own co-workers last night.
Not just a co-worker, she's gonna be you're employee soon. Oh Jesus…
When it became apparent that he was far from breaking the ice, Tulip seemed to conclude that she would have to make the first move.
"Listen, about this morning…I didn't want to be late for work, and you looked like you were sleeping pretty sound, so I just showed myself out. I didn't mean to be rude or anything." She said apologetically.
Junior blinked a few times as she looked at him, expecting some sort of answer. "You…you lied to me." It probably wasn't the smartest thing to say at the moment, but it just sort of slipped out, and the consequences were his to live with. They came quickly; Tulip frowned.
"When?"
"Last night you said that you build things for a living."
"No, I said that was a hobby. I said I fix things for a living, which was perfectly true."
"You fix trucks at Cornerstore."
"Well, yeah."
"And you didn't think that was something I needed to know?"
"You know what, I told you as much as I felt comfortable sharing. It's not like you were very forthright last night either, Mr. Wall Street Wolf."
"I never said I was in stocks."
"You said you 'handle stock.'" Tulip chastised him, making air-bunnies with her fingers. "Is that your clever way of saying you're a delivery man?"
"I didn't…wait, how do you know I'm a delivery man?"
Tulip rolled her eyes. "Pleeeease, I knew who you were the second I laid eyes on you. Your dad owns the company and you work in deliveries. Everyone here knows that, Junior."
"So then why didn't you say anything?"
"Because…because I thought that if you knew I was just a mechanic at your dad's company you wouldn't talk to me." Tulip admitted softly, "I mean, we seemed to be getting along so well…"
"Meaning what? That you were just after some tail?" Junior's eyes narrowed accusingly.
"Excuse you? I had no intentions of 'getting tail' when I walked into that bar. I was forced to go to that stupid conference and was bored, just like you."
Junior shook his head with a sigh. "You know what, it doesn't even matter. It was a one night fling, and I see no reason why we should let it disrupt our work relationship, especially since I'm gonna be CEO in a week."
"Wait, really? Oh, that 'promotion' you were talking about?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, congratulations!" Tulip's brilliant smile was back.
"Don't congratulate me yet, I've still got a long way to go. Speaking of which, I came down here to ask some questions about the…." Junior attempted to switch the subject to the reason he had ever entered that damned garage in the first place, but his voice tapered off when a sudden realization hit him.
"That…that thing you used to open my bottle last night…"
"The automatic bottle opener?"
"Yeah, where'd you get the parts to make it?"
"H…here and there, why?" Tulip's face dropped like a rock, and Junior saw a look of nervousness overtake her features.
Of course, she loves tinkering, but she's broke. Where better to work then a place where she'll have access to all of the parts and tools she'll ever need?
"Do you guys have personal lockers?" He asked.
"Yeah, but…"
"I wanna see yours, now."
"What!? You can't…"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I can. The agreement you sign before joining company staff states that you give us full legal right to search any personal storage provided on company property without notice. Now take me to it, or I'll call security and have them come open it for me." Junior's threat seemed to strike a chord, and Tulip hung her head in defeat.
"Fine…" she muttered, before leading him to a row of lockers in the breakroom. She stopped at the locker on the far-right end of the row and fiddled with the combination lock. It popped open and she removed it, but abstained from opening the door itself. That was just fine with Junior, who was more than happy to do it himself. Inside was revealed to be some basic clothes: a white t-shirt, pair of blue jeans, and some tennis shoes. At the very bottom of the locker, however, was a pile of parts: spring, pipes, and wires. There was also a whole ratchet set.
"So, you're not only a liar, you're a thief too." Junior growled.
"I'm not a liar!" Tulip shot back angrily.
"Yeah? Well that still leaves thief on the table. You've stolen ten-thousand dollars' worth of equipment and tools from the company!"
"I never steal the tools! I only borrow them when I need them, and I always bring them back." Tulip was on the defensive now.
"And the parts? You bring those back too?"
Tulip had no response. Junior gave a satisfied nod.
"I'm going straight to HR to report this. You can think of some more excuses while we're waiting for the police." Junior turned and started for the exit.
"Good idea, think I'll go with you." Tulip called after him, causing him to stop short. He looked back at her with a puzzled look.
"What?"
"I've been meaning to go to HR." She said nonchalantly as she pretended to study her fingernails, "I want to tell them about one of my co-workers; the guy's a real creep. Not only did he buy me alcohol last night, even though I'm underage, but he also took advantage of me during my intoxicated state and made me have sex with him."
Junior was utterly dumbstruck. He just stared at the redheaded siren as she gave him a look of fresh confidence.
"And, get this, he's fourteen years older than me."
"You wouldn't…"
"Why not? I'm a dishonest thief, aren't I?"
"They won't believe you…"
"They don't have to. There're witnesses: the bartender, the guy who delivered the champagne, and I'm sure the doctors could find plenty of evidence of our…ahem…activities last night."
Oh no, no, no, no, no…
"No, no, no…" the mantra he was chanting repeatedly in his head began to leave his mouth as he walked back and stood before her, jabbing his finger into her chest, "No! That's not how it went down! When I found out how old you were I tried to stop it. You were the one who wanted to keep going! You came onto me!"
Tulip grinned and raised an eyebrow. "I wonder how many judges have heard that one before?"
His mouth dropped open. He was speechless, utterly speechless. How could he have allowed this to happen? Tulip let out a laugh as she shut and relocked her locker.
"Look, you seem like a smart businessman, just like you dad. Why don't we make a deal?" She suggested, turning back to him and placing a hand daintily on his cheek. "You forget what you saw in my locker, and what happened in the hotel room, stays in the hotel room, alright?"
Junior offered no response. He was in complete shock. Tulip just smiled and leaned over to kiss his nose before moving around him and out the breakroom door.
"Why did you do it?" Junior called after her, unable to formulate any other thought.
"Well…" replied Tulip, turning to look at him one more time, "…don't take this the wrong way, but…you're kinda handsome. Plus, I thought it would make a cool story to tell around the watercooler, you know? 'That time I banged the boss's son.'"
"You're sick!"
"I imagine the jury would probably see it the other way around. Thanks for coming by, Junior. It's always nice to see you." And with that, she was gone, leaving him to stew in regret and utter misery.
Oh God, what have I done?
Poor Junior, I actually felt kind of sorry for him while I was writing, lol. Here's a little Easter egg that you lot may not catch. The office number that Junior was assigned wasn't just randomly selected. I chose eighteen because Andy Samberg, the guy who voices Junior in the movie, was born on August 18, 1978. Hope you enjoyed the second chapter, even if there wasn't any sexy time in this one. Any comments or question? Please leave them in a review. A big shout out to wally's girlfriend for the review. I appreciate the feedback, and I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Happy reading and writing everyone!
