Chapter 19
FIRED
When
Johner looked up she was talking to a stranger; the man’s arm was around
her and he was looking down at her with familiar affection. Interested
but not upset, Johner got up from his desk and started across the office;
before he got halfway there her head had turned to him, and she motioned
to him to come to her.
"Johner, this is Howard Winters, an old friend. Howard, this is Johner. He’s my man." She looked from one to the other, smiling at both of them.
They were a study in contrasts: Johner tall, powerfully built, graying, his face scarred and ruggedly put together; Howard was tall also, but there the resemblance ended. He was blonde, with the regular features of conventional handsomeness and the smoothly built body of a swimmer; and he was ten years younger than Johner.
The men shook hands, and small talk was traded for a few minutes; then Howard departed, and Johner grinned down at Sarah.
"OK, what’s the story. He’s not just an old friend."
"No, he’s not. We had something going once, but that was a long time ago. He’s looking to hire us, Johner. Have you got a problem with that?" She was a little concerned.
"’She loves me. She wants me. She’s going home with me tonight.’" He smiled down at her with open tenderness. "No. I’ve got no problem; a job is a job." His grin broadened. "---But if he lays a finger on you I’ll kill him."
********
They were hired to protect a new product against corporate espionage until it was perfected and ready for patent. Word of it had got out; Howard suspected that someone in his organization was in the pay of his competitors.
The job was a complex one, requiring a considerable amount of consultation, and Johner began to watch the interplay between Howard and Sarah with more than passing interest. There was no doubt that Howard was looking at Sarah with a view to resuming their old relationship. His eyes followed her constantly, and there was a caress in his voice when he spoke to her. Johner and Sarah were settled in an office in the corporate building, so there was plenty of opportunity for Howard to pursue his objective, and he took full advantage of it.
As Johner got a handle on the job, he began to have a certain suspicion about the whole thing; he saw no evidence at all of any kind of espionage. He mentioned the matter to Sarah; she thought it was funny. "You mean you think he’s hired us just so he can get next to me?" Laughing, she shook her head. "Johner, I know you think I’m pretty special, but come on! that’s kind of extreme, isn’t it?"
"Maybe he wasn’t entirely focused on you. It’s possible that he really was concerned about the possibility of espionage, but there’s no evidence that it’s happened. You’ve said yourself that you don’t see why he’s so paranoid about this job; I don’t either, and his explanation of his suspicions is inadequate. I think that he could easily afford to hire us, so he thought he’d protect himself and at the same time he’d just see if he couldn’t get you back. It’s kind of a challenge for him."
"I just find it very hard to believe he’d go to all this trouble."
"Why? I went to the trouble of living in your house for six months, aching for you every minute, and without any hope of anything but looking at you and talking to you. But I got what I wanted so much; I still have it. He doesn’t have a prayer."
"You’re right. He doesn’t. I love you more now than I did during those six months, and that’s going some. I did some aching myself, you know."
"I know now, but it’s still kind of hard to believe. How did I get so lucky, Connor?"
"Wrong pronoun. How did we get so lucky?"
*********
Howard’s attentions to Sarah progressed to efforts to get her alone. More than once she was obliged to firmly reopen office doors that he closed behind them.
"Damn it, Connor, do I have to put a sign on your back saying ‘TAKEN’? He doesn’t take no for an answer, does he?" They were in bed, talking over the day’s events before going to sleep, as was their usual practice.
"Sorry about that , Johner. I’ve told him plainly that I’m not interested; he’s just not used to being turned down. He’s got a big ego problem; I couldn’t take that when I knew him before. He’s an OK guy otherwise, but he sure thinks he’s God’s gift to women."
"Well, I’m God’s gift to you; and he’d better believe it. I’m getting annoyed."
She smiled at him. "Johner, you are God’s gift to me. A gift that’s more than I ever expected. I love you. I don’t want you to be annoyed, but it’s kind of nice to know that you feel a little possessive of me. Just a little bit, mind you; and not if you’re going to be angry at me about it. We’ve had that!"
"I feel more than ‘just a little bit’ possessive! God damn it, you’re mine! When he looks at you the way he does, it’s all I can do not to grab you and kiss you, just to let him know who’s the one you love."
"That’s not such bad idea. You could do that right now. I wouldn’t fight it." She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes.
"Connor, are you flirting with me?"
"No. This is not flirting; this is a flat out invitation. Kiss me, Johner. Then we’ll see what else we can work up."
"I don’t have to work it up! Look, see that? And I haven’t even touched you yet."
"That’s impressive! And it looks very inviting. Can I feel it?"
"Please. Oh, yes, I like that a whole lot. You can do that for a long time---oh, Connor, that’s good---that’s so good."
********
The next day Johner had a heart to heart with Howard.
"I don’t want to be rude, Howard. You’re my employer at the moment, and I owe you a day’s work every day; but I do not owe you any liberties with my woman. You can talk, and you can look, but accept a friendly warning. Don’t touch her. I’ll break your spine." Johner smiled genially, and clapped Howard on the shoulder in a friendly manner for the benefit of anyone who might be watching, since they were standing in a large and busy office.
Howard smiled back, also conscious of curious looks. "I’ll keep your warning in mind. Of course, it all depends on what she wants, doesn’t it? I guess we’ll have to let her make the final decision. I don’t want to be unkind, but look at the two of us. Quite a contrast, in every way, isn’t there. If you were a woman, and had to choose between us, what would you do?"
"I’m not a woman. But she is, and she’s the best there is. I have no doubt that she chooses me; we’ve been together for more than two years, and I know her very well. Don’t touch her, Howard."
They parted, both still smiling.
********
"Why do I have the feeling that the friendly conversation I just saw between you and Howard wasn’t as friendly as it looked?"
"You’re right. It was a friendly threat. I told him I’d break his spine if he touched you."
She laughed delightedly. "No! Did you really? My hero! What did he say?"
"He made a comparison between us that he thought would put me in my place; but I knew who you’d choose, and I told him so."
"Dead right! Give you up for
that creep? Not likely!" And in the full view of the entire
staff, including Howard, who was 
standing
in front of his office, she reached up and kissed him with fervor and at
some length.
*******
They decided later that it was probably the kiss that did it. Howard had made no secret of his pursuit of Sarah; everyone knew about it. The conversation between the two men had been observed by practically the entire office force, and the consensus was that Howard had been warned off. Howard was not over popular with his employees, and when Sarah made it clear publicly what her choice was there was actually some applause.
Howard’s ego was bruised; he didn’t bother with subtlety. That evening Johner got a call from George, asking him to come with Sarah to his office in the morning.
"What the hell has been going on over there?" George was not happy. "We’ve been fired! In forty years in this business, I’ve never been fired. Sweet Jesus, what the hell happened? That asshole over there says he suspects you of stealing! Of all the stupid things I ever heard---!"
Johner couldn’t help it. He
began to laugh. "I guess you could call it stealing!" George’s
head snapped up. "He had a girl, eight years ago. Now I’ve
got her, and I wouldn’t give her back!" Sarah hooted, and in a minute
they were leaning against each other, helpless.
"Oh, for God’s sake! Is that what all this foofarah was about? Settle down now, you two. Stop it now! This is a business office!" George glared at them. "Connor, what is it about you? I don’t see the attraction, myself. Skinny little thing." This remark was not calculated to help them regain composure; their laughter redoubled.
George shook his head in disgust. "Damn it all, can’t you people act like grownups? Now get out of here; I got work to do!"