Daphne

(20) The Go-fer

Mr. Flynn brought Daphne to his office and poured a chilled bottle of water for her into a mug. Terri and Virginia followed.

"Ladies, please," Flynn said, waving to the seats in front of his desk. After everyone was comfortable, he continued, "You know about the offer I extended to Ginnie, here, yes?" The women nodded. "I asked you here just to ask you not to make the offer public."

Ginnie spoke up. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Flynn, but it was too good not to talk about, and I've told my family and some friends. You didn't say I couldn't."

Flynn smiled and nodded. It was good news and what else could I have expected?

"Ginnie, don't worry about it. You're right. It was very good news, wasn't it?"

She nodded but looked worried anyway.

"Look, I just don't want every girl I meet thinking I'm handing out jobs. Could each of you just keep this between us, for now?"

The women agreed.

"Thanks"

"So we're OK?" Ginnie asked.

"Better than OK. There is a second reason I asked you up. Could you take a leave from Leo's during the summer so you could intern here? There'll be a salary, but it probably won't match Leo's money. But it'll be good experience for later and would look good on your professional resume, even if you do't end up here after graduation."

"Sir, you surprise me every time we meet! Don't take this the wrong way, but I have to think about it."

"Perfectly fine. Summer break is still a few months away, and you have my card. Let me know as soon as you can, OK?"

"I promise!"

"I've got a spare room," Daphne offered. "You can stay at my place this summer."

Later, when Leo found out about the offer, he absolutely insisted that she accept it.

"Daphne, I'm glad you're here. I've re-assigned Farnsworth..."

"What? You didn't fire him?"

"Absolutely not. I offered him a ten-year contract just before the meeting and he hardly read it. He just flipped through the pages and signed it wherever there was a line with his name under it. So he's going to be staying with us. Or, perhaps a better way to put it, he's not going anywhere. Anywhere."

"I don't understand, Sir."

"I'm assigning him to you. He's your lap-dog, go-fer, whatever you want. His role in this company is to serve you or anyone else you loan him to. Just make damned sure he does nothing that might look even remotely favorable on a resume, do you understand? He's going to leave this company with absolutely nothing to show for it; a big-fat ten-year-long bottomless-pit black hole in his work history. If you get tired of him curled at your feet, you can give him to your secretary to warm hers. Or, better yet, I think Ginnie will be here in a few months and you can give him to her; I'd be happy to 'promote' him from gofer to the executive staff to gofer for a summer intern – imagine that in his personnel file!"

"Sir, I'm pretty sure I don't want him. I'd always be looking over my shoulder, afraid he'd poison my coffee or something. Frankly, since he's already shown his true colors as an opportunistic lying back-stabber, I'd be surprised if anyone would take him."

"That's precisely the reason we can't cut him loose, don't you see?"

"Can't we just take him back to Leo's and let Cecil and Harvey play with him for a week or two?"

Mr. Flynn was about to ask who Cecil and Harvey were when he saw horrified expressions on both Terri and Virginia's drained-white faces; wide-eyed, they shuddered and shook their heads; Ginnie seemed to be re-living some particularly painful experience, squeezing her legs together and tenderly caressing her crotch and inner thighs unconsciously.

Apparently, Cecil and Harvey leave deep, lasting impressions.

"Er... Daphne, I, ahh... don't think we necessarily want the guy dead..."

Daphne looked back through two thin slits where her usually joyful eyes normally were. "Speak for yourself..." Icicles hung from her words. "Besides, they've never actually killed anyone... Not that I know of, anyway."

"Make 'em wish they were dead, though..." Ginnie added, still squirming. Terrie nodded in agreement.

Sam shivered. "Look he tried to destroy your career. Why don't we just satisfy ourselves with obliterating his, OK?"

Daphne sighed. "Oh, Sam, you're no fun at all. OK, you win. But I'll bet if Cecil and Harvey ever find out, they'll be really disappointed. Leo too; he's got a whole other product line that he hardly ever gets to demo. And I was looking forward to Leo finally having a Ladies' Night..." The other girls all giggled.

Virginia perked up: "Say, I just read about a guy who stuck someone in a closet in the basement and then bricked-over the opening..."

Sam: "I know that story. Poe. You're in an American Literature class I presume?"

Ginnie nodded, smiling. "Last semester..."

"Figured. As satisfying as that proposal sounds, as CEO I'll have to veto it. I still think our best move is what I proposed at the start. All in favor"

Varying levels of disappointment: "Aye" "Aye" "Oh, allright. Aye"

"Motion carries. Daphne, here's the file documenting this whole mess." Sam produced an inch-thick pile of paper. "Here." He tossed it in Daphne's direction and it slammed on his desk. "I want you to know that these are internal company records, and it would be a violation of the rules if any of this 'accidentally' leaked right before we let him go... I would be compelled to have a stern talk with whoever did that..." The tone of his voice indicated the 'violation' would be overlooked.

Terri piped up, "Do you mean something like..." She turned to Daphne and with a stern look on her face, shook an index finger at her. "Bad girl! Bad, bad girl!"

Daphne started to laugh and covered her mouth with both hands, letting out a snort through her nose.

"Something like that," Sam said, semi chuckling, "but perhaps not quite as terribly harsh as that..."

"Oh, Terri," said Daphne, "it's so good you don't have any kids. If that's your idea of discipline, they'd all be delinquents!"

When the laughter faded, Sam continued, "Anyway, he's probably curled at your secretary's feet by now. Be creative – but please, not too creative, if you get my meaning. I want him to survive until we boot him out to the gutter, OK?" General nodding. "OK! See you later Girls."