Uncompromising (Age Gap, gxg)

Chapter 29

"Yes, thank you so much, Mr. Ellefsen. I can't wait to work with you, and we'll see you after the new year." As soon as I hung up the video call, I leaned back in my home office chair, and let out an exultant scream. We'd just landed the deal with Telenor, and I'd be flying over with a small team in January to finalize their requirements and make sure they ended up with a winning solution that would give us some great publicity and let us move even more into European markets. We'd even signed all of the electronic signatures, so it was official!

Sore back or not, I almost glided into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of white wine as a reward, then went back into my computer. I quickly set up a meeting in another thirty minutes with Harlow, Clayton, and Tori so I could give the news because there was no way I was doing that in an email. I knew they'd be just as excited as I was, even if it was still going to be early on a Monday for Harlow. In the meantime, I had to start planning for my trip.

I had two great Business Systems Analysts I could bring with me, Ben, and Gail, and then I'd bring Zee too. I know, it was silly, and a little unprofessional, but if she was going to be an intern then what would be better to learn on than a project just getting off the ground so she could see it from beginning to end? Okay, and there might be a lot of snuggling, since Norway would be cold in January. Or more. Maybe?

Oh, shit! Did Zee even own anything for the winter? She was a Fort Lauderdale girl, and had everything she owned in a single duffel bag, so I doubted there was a heavy coat, gloves, or boots in there. Would it be wrong to spoil her with winter gear before we left? No, right? It would simply be me trying to be a good boss and make sure that she was equipped to handle the frigid temperatures there. Hell, I'd need some clothes for myself too. I'd been to Chicago in the winter a few times, but I was expecting that to be balmy compared to Norway.

I figured that I'd lay all the news happening out now. Tori and Clayton had already made their cases to not have to work with Elliot once I told them that one of them would have to manage him, so the fact that he'd be out of the company would only be a little less exciting than the Telenor news. I didn't need to tell them about the attack, only Harlow would know that, but it would still be a big positive for them.

When the meeting time started, I opened the virtual conference room and turned on my camera. I was wearing a lightweight turtleneck to cover the bruises on my neck that had darkened into an ugly green overnight, but hopefully nobody would mention that. What I hoped they'd concentrate on was the smile on my face, and indeed they did.

"Someone looks happy!" Harlow said, her eyes alight as she no doubt wondered what I might be there to tell them. I hadn't told them about the scheduled meeting with Gunnar Ellefsen, the CIO over at Telenor, so I was pretty sure this would be a shock to them all.

"Happy is a good thing!" Tori noted. "I guess we might get a bonus this year!" That was silly, I gave everyone bonuses every year, so she was just fishing for a hint of what the news might be.

"Nah, she's going to tell us that Elliot has to report to Harlow, so we're spared!" Clayton guessed. "At least, I hope so!"

"If you give me thirty seconds, I'll give you both items on the agenda, and I think you'll be smiling as much as I am." I could only chuckle at the three of them, though they always made me feel better in these meetings.

"Just spit it out then, because I need more coffee," Harlow grumbled.

I nodded quickly, eager to see their reactions to the news. "Okay, the first one is easy. Effective immediately, Elliot Meadows is no longer employed at KTLO Consulting." I let Tori and Clayton get their happy cheers in for a minute, but I could tell they were both thrilled that they wouldn't have to deal with him. "See, we're already off to a good Monday morning start!"