Chapter ten: Office drama
Three Days Later
Nate walked into the office seeing the usual bustling about. He had been gone for three days and already wanted to leave for another trip.
He made his way towards his office and stopped just passed Sterling's office. He saw him talking to an intern handing her a file. Curiosity got the best of him and he knocked on the glass door.
He saw Sterling look up and gave him a gesture to come in. He pushed open the door and gave a nod of acknowledgement to the burnet in Sterling's office.
"Had a nice trip, Ford?" Sterling asked.
"I did. I see I missed a couple of things," Nate remarked. "Like the shiner on your right cheek. And what's with the intern?"
"Ms. Daniels is my intern," Sterling answered.
"Ah, wasn't she, Nigel's?"
Sterling sat the pen down and leaned back into the chair. Emily stood up and walked out the office. Nate shut the door and walked to the empty chair.
"Was Nigel's. I took her from him and made the pig suffer. He'll just get a new one anyway since he uses them like paper towels. The poor girl was thirsting to learn from someone who was ahead of the game." Sterling lifted the pen and signed his name.
"The point for an intern, Jim, is to start at an entry level job. Nigel's work is something she'll be starting with. What we do isn't what she needs to be learning yet."
"Come on, Ford, don't play the rule book card on me. I'm just helping the girl out. And if you ask me the only reason Nigel has someone like Ms. Daniels is to harass. I at least respect her."
Nate shook his head and stood up and glanced at the file on Sterling's desk. He pointed to the stuffed manila file.
"What's that?" Nate asked.
Sterling glanced at the file and lifted it up. "It's nothing. I requested some files from our London office. My school mate was so kind to have it mailed to me. Does it really matter, Ford?"
Nate looked at Sterling, he was different and he seemed more irritable. There was a major change in his friend and it was a little nerve racking.
"You better be careful, Jim, I mean with the intern. Nigel will do something about it." Nate started to walk to the door.
"I'd like to see him try. I can dig up some dirt on him, like the six harassment complaints he has. One more can send him out the door. I.Y.S is way too kind to the bastard."
Nate stopped short and looked over his shoulder at Sterling. There was a smug look on his face and cockiness just poured out of his pores. It was a chilling sight.
Nate walked out Sterling's office and looked at Emily.
"Mr. Ford, he was trying to help me," she said.
"I know," Nate sighed. "It was just how he did it that makes things a little uneasy around here. Just be careful, the work load isn't at all what you will do right away."
"I will." Emily smiled.
Nate walked off to his office and took a seat. He glanced around and reached for the office phone.
Around the rush of lunch hour Nate walked a few blocks to the café to see the one person that made his day worth it. He walked up behind her and kissed her cheek. She turned and smiled at him.
"I was able to get away, leaving a trail of tears behind me," Nate joked.
"I'm sure the office will survive without you for an hour." Maggie smiled.
Nate kissed her again and rested his hand on her stomach.
"You had company," he remarked.
"Very active company," Maggie answered. "The doctor said I'm on schedule."
Nate took a seat just beside her and grabbed her hand.
"What's wrong?" Maggie asked.
He glanced up at her and saw her brow slightly wrinkle. He shook his head and kissed her hand.
"Just the usual drama," Nate said. "Nothing to ruin our lunch."
Maggie smiled and leaned towards Nate. She kissed his cheek and gently rubbed his cheek with her hand.
"Good, I ordered our usual and I got you a salad. You need to start to eat a little healthier, Nate, if you're going to keep up with the baby." Maggie smiled.
"I eat healthy, just not when I'm out with guys," Nate smiled.
"That's exactly what I worry about." Maggie nudged him.
When Nate headed back to the office he returned to a break out of drama. And to no surprise just as he predicted tension broke.
"Sterling, you're a thief!" Nate heard Nigel shouting.
He stared at the scene unfolding as Nigel lunged at Sterling. Sterling stepped to the side ever so casually and let the angered man.
"Your intern came to me," Sterling said.
Nate folded his arms and looked at Sterling as he seemed without any remorse about the situation. But that was something that came with the cockiness he inherited from the fame of clearing big cases.
"I can't help it, Nigel, that your interns don't find you the least bit appealing. But I can understand you're a drunken, insignificant little incest I'd be happy to step on." Sterling folded his arms.
Nate shook his head at the mention of Nigel being a drunk. It was an ironic statement because he could recall several two am calls from Sterling to be bailed out of jail.
"I'll show you insignificant? Jim Sterling is calling me, Nigel Branson, insignificant, when you transferred from a shithole insurance agency from New York. You were a bottom feeder and I.Y.S. denied you three interviews. You are nothing more than a sleazy sales person trying to make back door deals with every criminal. Yeah, Sterling I ran a background check on you. Had to use your slutty little friend to pull strings to get one interview from I.Y.S."
Nate didn't really see Sterling as a violent guy, but if properly motivate he saw a different side.
"What did you say?" Sterling twitched.
"You heard me," Nigel remarked as he stepped up and got into Sterling's face.
Sterling chuckled a little and stepped back and turned on his heels. Nate looked at Sterling as he retrained himself from throwing the first punch.
"You are just a common criminal, Sterling," Nigel remarked still willing to provoke any kind of response. "A coward, hiding behind your computer plotting to stab another person in the back. Surprised, you haven't stabbed your only friend here in the back."
Nate narrowed his eyes and started to walk to confront Nigel, but someone grabbed his shoulder. He glanced over at another investigator.
"Don't get in the middle of this, Ford, Jim's got to handle his own problems. Sooner or later he was going to be a target," the older investigator remarked.
Nate looked back as Sterling turned back and face Nigel.
"What hurts more, Nigel, the idea that your intern came to me for help? Or the idea that you can't get it up and she came to someone who could get the job done," Sterling remarked.
It didn't take long for Nigel to react and lunge at Sterling. Sterling took another shot to the face, but in the end took the sleazy insurance agent down. It was his technique.
Nate watched as Sterling walked off and the others helped Nigel up.
"Now, Ford, he's one of us." The older man smirked. "You don't fully understand your strength until someone properly motivates you."
Nate found the wisdom was far from the truth. He walked off and headed to his office where he pulled a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. It wasn't too hard to figure out where Sterling went.
Nate climbed up the stairs and pushed the door open to the roof. He walked toward the ledge of the building and saw Sterling standing there. Hands stuffed in his pockets and just looking out.
"So, is it true?" Nate asked.
Sterling looked over his shoulder and smirked a little. "What?"
"Are you a common criminal?" Nate lifted the whiskey up.
Sterling chuckled turned to face Nate.
"Common, no," Sterling remarked. "Nor am I a criminal. I like to be on the right side of the law. Don't want to be on that side. I catch criminals and see that they pay for their wrongs."
Nate smirked and handed Sterling a glass. He opened the bottle and poured a glass.
"Nice form by the way, Jim, had practice?" Nate asked.
"Instinct, Ford, thinking on your feet." Sterling took a sip of the whiskey. "And a little bit of luck."
Nate chuckled and looked out into the city limits. He sipped the whiskey and let the liquid slip down his throat and eased the craving for a stiff drink. It was something that started to be a second friend of his when stressful times came around.
"Why don't you stay out here for awhile, Jim, until things cool down? I'm sure Nigel will make another attempt."
"He's an idiot if he thinks he can make my life miserable." Sterling looked at Nate.
Nate shook his head and gave Sterling's shoulder a pat.
"You look like crap, Jim."
"Just another war wound, Ford." Sterling smirked with a chuckle. "It's not like I haven't pissed off someone before."
"I'm sure it won't be the last, Jim." Nate downed the rest of the drink.
"Oh, I'm sure it won't."
After awhile they walked downstairs, but as they did, Sterling's phone rang. Nate looked at him as he reached into his pocket. He watched as his brow wrinkled before answering it.
"Hello, darling," Sterling said in a different voice, Nate was not use to hearing.
He walked ahead giving Sterling privacy.
As the setting sun was pushed out of sight, Nate headed home and arrived to smell a mouth watering meal being prepared. He sat his keys down and walked into the three bedroom house that brought the comforts of a future of joy.
"Maggie, I'm home," Nate called.
"I'm in the kitchen," Maggie called back.
Nate walked in and smiled as Maggie stirred something in a pot. He stopped to admire her, she had a glow to her. It was hard to ignore and Nate walked towards her.
"Smells delicious," Nate said as he walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her.
"How was your day?" Maggie asked.
"Well, had a little school yard fight today." Nate kissed Maggie.
"What happened?"
"Long story made short, Jim pissed off Nigel Branson and there was shouting and a few punches," Nate answered as he walked to sink to wash up.
Maggie shook her head and turned down the burner. She put the stir fry on the side and looked at Nate.
"What was the fight about?" Maggie asked.
"Stealing stole another man's intern. Jim went over Nigel's head and took his intern." Nate wiped his hands on a dish towel. "He had it coming, you just don't do that. There are rules."
"Nate, Jim doesn't think like you do. You have to realize that, he's more shoot now ask questions later." Maggie leaned against the counter.
Nate shrugged and walked over to her and kissed her.
"How was your day after lunch?" Nate asked.
"I verified some art and emailed reports. I set up the nursery a little, but I need you to baby proof the house. I can't do it all." Maggie rested her hand on her stomach.
"I'll do it this weekend, I promise. No work this weekend, expect for baby prep." Nate smiled. "We're ready for this little bundle."
Maggie smiled and kissed him. "Good, you better."