"Wait…come again? What the hell is this?"
"Sam calm down, you knew that I was having a baby."
"Yeah, in like three months. Why are you leaving now?"
"Because this pregnancy was harder on me than I thought it would be and between Will and my doctor, bed rest is an inevitability, not an option."
Sam looks around Emma's office, and does some quick calculations in his head.
"Well if we push the desk up against that far wall and turn those atrocious plants of yours into mulch we should have plenty of room to slide a bed in here."
Emma stared at Sam as if he grown two heads. If this had been anybody else she would assume they were joking but this was Sam. If she gave him even the slightest hint that she would be okay with his crazy plan her office would be turned into a bedroom before the work day was over.
"Sam! I am not going on bed rest in my office, that's just ridiculous."
"Well, what in the hell am I supposed to do?"
"What you're supposed to do is look at that file I gave you and pick out your favorite candidates so that I can interview them for this position."
"Oh, is that with this is for?"
"Yes, now if you'll just go through there and pick your top 5 I'll start the interview process immediate-Sam! What the hell are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?"
Emma marched over to Sam and snatched the file out of his hand before he could send it through the shredder that it was hanging precariously over.
"It looks like you're being a brat. Look, I get that this is all very sudden and it wasn't what we planned but this is my reality now. I love you and I love this company but I will not put my baby's health at risk over it. I've spent the last few weeks pouring over applications and resumes and I think I found a group of very well-qualified people. There should be at least one person that can live up to your impossibly high standards."
"There is, and I'm staring at her."
Emma blushed slightly at the praise but she knew a deflection when she saw one and she wasn't about to be deterred.
"How about this, I'll pick the one that I think will work best and then I'll do all the interviewing and background checks, etc. All you'll have to do is meet the person and if you like them then give them the position and if not then pass. But be fair, I know this isn't what you want but you need someone here and for right now it can't be me. I'll do my part and get you the absolute best candidate, if you do your part and give them a chance. Do we have a deal?"
Sam looked at Emma's small outstretched hand and he seriously considered refusing for a second. This was not how it was supposed to be. Emma was supposed to stay right up until she gave birth (he already had a cleaning crew on the ready for when her water broke at the office) and then 8 to 10 weeks for maternity leave, but that was it. He had already made his peace with the fact that he would suffer through whatever imbeciles the temp office sent but he was okay with it because he figured it would all be temporary. Now, he wasn't so sure. Even though Emma kept telling him that this was all temporary he still had a sinking feeling in his gut that it wouldn't be. Personally, the idea of children made his skin crawl he couldn't help but be excited for Emma and her husband Will. They had tried for years and years to have kids and finally it happened for them. Regardless to the fact that it severely screwed with Sam's life he was still happy that Emma finally got her miracle. So despite the sudden realization that it was the beginning of the end of their working relationship he held his hand out to her.
"Deal."
Emma smiled widely and after a quick hand shake she wrapped her arms around his waist. Sam grimaced slightly at the sneak attack hug that Emma gave him. He wasn't an affectionate person by nature and he knew that Emma was well aware of that but she didn't care. Despite his natural inclination to step out of the hug he returned her embrace instead.
"I'm going to miss you Emma."
Emma fought back tears, she knew that he knew she wasn't coming back.
"I'm going to miss you too."
It had been two days since Sam had made the biggest mistake of his life but there was no taking it back now. A deal was a deal so he would suck it up and meet whatever idiot Emma deemed most qualified to waste his time. Sam would do his part and he would hire whatever person came through that door but that was where his promise officially ended. He didn't suffer fools lightly and he had no doubt that whatever fool walked through his door would be walking right back out of it and towards the unemployment office soon enough.
Sam closed his eyes and rubbed his temples trying to thwart the raging migraine that was starting to bloom. He didn't need this stress right now, losing Emma was a far bigger blow than he wanted to admit. She put up with his crazy moods and she kept his life organized, they had a system and it worked. Why did she have to go and mess it up? Damn, he hated Will Schuester. That curly-haired bastard was always ruining shit.
Sam continued rubbing his head and praying that his headache would go away when suddenly the phone started ringing loudly in his ear. He groaned loudly and continued rubbing his temples harder as he waited for Emma to pick up the phone. After about the fifth ring he remembered that Emma was out and he would have to answer his own phone and the thought of that enraged him.
"WHAT?"
"Damn, bro did I catch you at a bad time?"
"What the fuck do you want, Stevie?"
"I just called to say I love you…what the fuck do you think I want? I was supposed to have the minutes from yesterday's meeting on my desk but they're nowhere to be found. What the hell is going on? Emma always has the minutes on my desk first thing, and she always answers the phone when I call. Where is she? Did something happen with the baby?"
"Emma quit."
"And…?"
"And that means that obviously she's not here anymore."
"What did you do?"
"What did I do? Why do you automatically assume that I had something to do with her quitting?"
"Because you're an asshole, that's why."
"Look, she thinks that she is going to be put on bed rest soon so she found a personal assistant to take her place."
"Oh, well okay then it's a temporary thing until after she's had the baby, right?"
"She says it is, but I know it isn't. She isn't coming back after she's had her baby."
Stevie felt a twinge of sadness at the thought of not seeing Emma's face every day. She had been with the company for over 10 years and she had been a saving grace for both he and Sam when their dad suddenly died. He would miss having her around, she was a sweet and caring woman and she somehow kept Sam in line.
"Oh no…"
"What, Stevie? Spit it out."
"I think I have some vacation time coming up that I need to use."
"How can you possibly have any time left, didn't you just get back from Cabo a week ago?"
"Fine, forget vacation time I think I feel a cold coming on…"
"Stevie, I don't have time to play bullshit games with you, what the hell are you talking about?"
"With Emma gone who's going to be around to keep your life in order and make sure you don't kill anyone? Who's going to call and smooth out all the ruffled feathers you create with your charming wit? Who's going to have an apology on paper ready to be sent out for the inevitable moment when you stick your foot in your mouth and say something offensive? Who's going to be here to save you from yourself?
Sam rolled his eyes at Stevie's dramatic statement. He knew he had his moments but he wasn't that bad and even though he deeply felt Emma's absence he knew that he would find his footing again. Now whether that was with the applicant that Emma chose or someone else down the line remained to be seen.
"Whatever Stevie, if you're doing acting like a drama queen get the hell off my phone. I have a meeting with this person Emma chose in 15 minutes."
"I would ask you to tell me how it goes but I'm sure I'll hear the hysterical wailing soon enough. Bye brother dear."
"Bye, bitch."
Sam hung up the phone to the sound of Stevie's laughter and started rubbing his temples again. He really, really, really didn't feel like messing with this PA bullshit today. He wished he had a magic wand so he could create and exact replica of Emma only without the will or desire to have children. Why was life never that easy?
After about 10 minutes of desperately trying to rub his headache away Sam finally gave up. He knew that he could easily pop a couple of Tylenol and be done with the pain but he remembered that popping a couple of pills here and there is what led his father down the tragic path that ended his life. Sam knew that a Tylenol and an Oxycontin were nowhere near the same thing but a pill was a pill to Sam. He shook the unpleasant thoughts of his dad's death away just as he received a call from the downstairs receptionist telling him that Emma's replacement was on her way up. The receptionist told him the name but all he caught was Jones. A few seconds later he heard the soft ding of the elevator in the lobby followed by the soft padding of someone's feet. Sam buried his face in his hands for a minute and tried to ignore the blinding pain shooting through his head. After the worst of it had seemed to pass Sam finally stood up and made his way to the lobby. He was not prepared for what he saw.
Ever since Emma had told him that she was finding him a new replacement his mind had went to two options. Either someone who was just like her or an older woman in her 50s, what he got was nothing like what he'd expected. The woman in front of him was stunning, even though she appeared to be a bit crazy as she talked rapidly to herself as she paced back and forth in the lobby. While the woman continued to be entranced by whatever conversation she was having with herself, Sam took the time to study her unnoticed. She had smooth chocolate brown skin that seemed to shimmer under the fluorescent lighting. The black dress she wore hugged every curve that she had and Sam had an instant vision of untying the bow at her side and watching as dress fell open to reveal what was underneath. Next, his eyes traveled down past her shapely legs to her feet which were currently encased in a pair of come-fuck-me heels with red bottoms. Once again a vision flashed in his mind of her but this time she laid out on his desk with her dress open and the red bottoms of her shoes pointed at the celling. The tightening of his pants brought Sam abruptly out of his fantasy. Sam couldn't remember the last time he got hard by just the idea of someone and just thinking about it made him irrationally angry. He knew he made Emma a promise, but she was just going to have to find someone else because this wasn't going to work for him. Above all else Sam Evans loved being in control and anything that threatened that had to be immediately dealt with. He didn't know this woman and he didn't want to know her. All he knew was that he needed to get out of his office and he knew exactly how to do it.
"Who in the hell are you talking to?"
Sam watched as the Jones woman whirled around in shock and she looked up at him with wide brown eyes. Sam ignored the weird tightening feeling in his chest and he tried to keep up his stern expression. When the woman didn't immediately answer he began to get frustrated.
"Are you deaf?"
The woman continue to stare up at him which did nothing but make Sam more and more pissed off.
"Do you understand English? I saw you talking to yourself earlier so obviously you can speak. Is there any particular reason way you refuse to do it now?"
Even as the words were leaving Sam's mouth he knew they were hateful and rude but they wouldn't stop coming out. They seemed to do the trick, at first because the woman looked wounded by then it was like a spark was ignited within her.
"Excuse me?"
"Ah, what do you know, it does speak."
If Sam that the spark that the woman exhibited before was impressive it was nothing compared to the flames that were literally beginning to burn behind her eyes.
"Excuse me?"
"Oh great, so now you only know two words."
Sam was an asshole and he knew and happily embraced it but there was something about seeing the tears start to pool in the woman's eyes that made him realize that being an asshole wasn't something to be proud of. He saw the woman shake her head slightly as if to her steel herself and then she said,
"No, actually I know a few more. Fuck. You."
She whirled around, gathered her things and headed for the elevator. There was a part of Sam that knew he should be happy that he was getting what he wanted but all he felt was a small bubble of panic start to build in his chest. He knew if the woman walked out the door that would be it, she would never come back no matter what he or Emma said. He didn't know why it was suddenly so important to get her to stay but he knew that he had to do some serious damage control to make it happen.
"It's locked."
The woman didn't turn around as she asked him what he was talking about.
"The elevator's locked. You can't go up or down unless I allow it."
Even though all he could see was the back of her head he could still practically feel her rolling her eyes at his comment. She whirled back around to face him and asked him sarcastically,
"Well, would you be so kind as to allow me to leave?"
Sam smirked at her sassy response and gave an inward sigh of relief that the tears seemed to be no more.
"I thought you were here for an interview?"
"I'm no longer interested."
Sam knew she wouldn't be after his earlier behavior but hearing it was still like a punch to the gut, but he refused to show it.
"And why not?"
"Because I don't want to work for an arrogant, rude, jackass like you."
Sam's eye widened at her remark. Not many people were that candid with him and even though the woman had insulted him straight to his face her honesty was refreshing. Sam decided that in order to get her to stay he was going to have to drop the asshole routine for a minute and turn up the charm.
"Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Sam Evans."
Sam hoped that by introducing himself it would force the woman to give him her first name but as he was quickly finding out she didn't act the way he expected her to.
"Good for you Sam Evans, now will you unlock the elevator so I can leave?"
"No. You came up here to do something so why don't you finish it."
Sam knew that if the woman were some shrinking violet she would have already been on her way down the elevator sobbing her eyes out. Instead, she was strong and feisty and although Sam may have hurt her feelings earlier he was nowhere close to breaking her down.
"Did you not hear me before? I don't want to work for someone like you. You can keep this job and shove it up your ass for all I care."
"Fair enough, I was an ass to you. I deserve that."
Sam watched in amused silence as she started a slow clap for him.
"Wow, how magnanimous of you."
Sam couldn't control his laughter anymore. This woman could clearly give as good as she got. Sam ignored the sudden tightening of his pants again as that train of thought quickly descended into the gutter. Sam tried to think of something that would get his mind on track and the first thing that popped into his head was Emma.
"You know what, Emma was right about you."
"Well, the same can't be said about you."
Though Sam would never admit it the idea that he may not have lived up to the person that Emma made him out to be hurt his feelings for a second but he quickly covered it up with a smug smirk.
"Look, Miss Jones if you want the job it's yours."
"Just like that? You don't care anything about my credentials, or previous work history, or what I can bring to the current position?"
Sam trusted that Emma had taken care of it so in all honesty he wasn't worried about it.
"Emma vouched for you so that's enough for me."
Sam waited patiently as he watched a variety of emotion pass over the woman's face. He knew the position was an excellent one, but at the same time he could see her weighing whether or not a great opportunity would be worth working with an asshole like him.
"Thank you for the offer Mr. Evans, but I think I'm going to have to pass. I don't think our personalities mesh well and it would be a waste of both of our time to try and pursue a work relationship."
That bubble of panic started to build in Sam's chest again and he crossed his arms in an effort to make it dissipate. He could feel her eyes on him before she abruptly spun on her heel and headed back towards the elevator. Before Sam could question the wisdom of his decision he blurted out,
"I'll double whatever salary Ms. Pillsbury promised you."
He watched as she stopped dead in her tracks and he prayed that it was enough. Even though her back was still to him he could see the wheels turning in her head and he couldn't help but wonder if they were working in his favor.
"Double the salary AND the paid vacation and I'll accept."
Sam let out a low whistle and gave her a look. Maybe he underestimated her?
"You drive a hard bargain Miss Jones."
"If you want me then you'll accept my terms."
Sam clenched his jaw tightly at her words. He knew that she wasn't hinting at anything sexual when she said that but since he had apparently taken up residence in the gutter since meeting her that is where his mind automatically went. Sam let his eyes rake over her from head to toe before saying,
"I definitely want you…"
He let that sexual innuendo hang in the air and he watched as she gave a slight shudder that she couldn't hide. To her credit whatever she may have felt at his words she brushed quickly aside and went right back to business.
"Do we have a deal Mr. Evans, or not?"
Sam stared down at her hand and wondered briefly if he were making a mistake. He like being in control and he had a feeling that he was going to lose a lot of that with her around. Sam didn't know if he would come to regret this later or not, he just knew that right now he couldn't imagine letting her walk out of that door.
"Deal."
Sam smiled slightly at the big, beautiful grin that took over her face. She could light up all of NYC with a smile like that. As the brought their hands together to seal the deal Sam felt a sharp zing go up his arm when his hands came in contact with hers. She pulled her hand away quickly and wiped it on the side of her dress as Sam tried to figure out what in the hell had just happened.
"Are you going to let me go this time?"
Ms. Jones' voice brought him out of his reverie and he smiled sheepishly at the idea that he had basically been holding her hostage this whole time.
"Sorry about that, I'll take care of it."
As Sam walked toward the elevator to put his key card he began to chastise himself for acting like a little schoolboy around this woman. He was the boss, not her and if they were going to have any type of normal working relationship balance had to be restored and they both needed to remember their places.
"Be here by 7:30 Monday morning and not a minute later. I like my coffee with 2 sugars and 1 cream, and I want it hot. You had better have all of your paperwork completed with HR by the Friday before because I don't want you wasting my time by trying to complete Monday."
Sam cringed a little inside at the harsh tone of his voice but he needed to make things clear to Ms. Jones. He watched as she stared at him wide-eyed after his little outburst but then she quickly recovered as asked,
"Is there anything else, Mr. Evans?"
Sam tried desperately to ignore the sultry tone of her voice and instead focused on her attire. If he was going to be able to concentrate around her she couldn't be dressed like she was today.
"Yes, as a matter of fact there is, from now on try not to wear such revealing outfits to work. This is a professional office, Ms. Jones."
He smirked and pushed the down button on the elevator. He watched in amusement as her scream of outrage was silenced by the elevator sliding closed in her face.
Sam took his cellphone out of his pocket and sent a quick text to Emma asking her what Ms. Jones' first name was. A few seconds later he received a response. He couldn't contain his smile at what he saw on his screen.
Mercedes Jones.
"Well, Miss Mercedes Jones," Sam whispered softly to himself, "let the games begin…"