The Corporate Escape

*****

Elizabeth W. Drake

Kingdom Enterprises International

www.KingdomEnterprisesInternational.com

Arlington, Texas

Copyright © 2009 Kingdom Enterprises International

All rights reserved. Reprints in whole or part without written permission from the publisher is forbidden.

Printed in the United States of America.

For information contact:

Kingdom Enterprises International Publishing

P.O. Box 122181

Arlington, Texas 76012

www.KingdomEnterprisesInternational.com

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible New International Version Bible®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

ISBN Number 978-
0-9741274-3-9

Cover design and graphics are by Kingdom Enterprises International
.

*****

Dedicated to my Parents,who have modeled a good marriage for over 50 years

Written to honor Jesus Christ - My Eternal Groom - My everything!

May God be Glorified!

*****

“Oh Lord, when did I become a complainer?” Lynn thought sadly. “I use to be so fun loving, optimistic and positive. Now all I do is work and complain about how much I am working! This has to stop!”

Anyone watching Lynn Eastman would not have believed the thoughts in her mind and the convictions tugging at her heart. She looked the epitome of the successful, happy career woman. She was seldom less than cheerful, even when she had cause to be. Yet Lynn was dissatisfied with her life and with herself. She was a full-fledged workaholic. Her friends had become her acquaintances at work and her social life had become the parties and conferences that she attended representing the officers of her company. Her only outside contacts were her good friends at church. But lately even they were being ignored.

At 29, Lynn was seen as the woman with everything going for her. A vice president of an international corporation, Lynn was the envy of every career woman she met. But Lynn knew-better. The inner turmoil she felt was too vivid to ignore. She longed to return to the woman she truly was. The caring, loving, laughing woman, not the calculating business woman she had become. As Lynn left the boardroom, she felt her resolve build. She refused to become a shell of a woman for the success of her career.

“Ms. Eastman,” the woman behind the desk stated, “Mr. Carradine has called twice this afternoon, and requests that you call him ASAP.” Ms. Fleetwood handed Lynn the pink note messages with an apologetic look.

“He said to tell you it was about the Thompson deal. And to count on another late night,” she added.

Lynn sighed. Why was Mr. Carradine calling from Europe at this time of night? She picked up the phone and dialed the number of his London hotel. Bruce Carradine answered on the second ring. “

Where have you been?” he screamed into the phone. “I've been waiting all night for your call.”

“I've just gotten out of the Board meeting,” replied Lynn with as much patience as she could muster as her thoughts continued, ‘You know the one you scheduled until 6:00 PM on a Friday evening’, but she held her tongue.

“And what was the outcome?” he retorted. Lynn told him all the decisions of the grueling 10 hour session. The board reminded her that if the meeting schedule was as full as the one today was, that it should be a two day meeting. Bruce made no comment, as Lynn had made the same suggestion before the agenda was mailed. Bruce had refused. Once he was satisfied that she had controlled the outcome sufficiently, he cared to hear no more.

“Good news!” he stated. “I've arranged our meeting with the bank for 10:00 AM Monday morning. I met with the Thompson people today on the prelims and they are ready to sign. I'm flying back tomorrow and expect to have a draft of our proposal in my office by the time I get there. I expect you, John, Jeff and Steve to go with me to the meeting. I want all of you in my office at 7:00 AM Monday morning with all the revisions finished.”

The revisions of course would be the ones that he would make after he read the proposal on Saturday night.

“Right Bruce,” she replied with dread. “I'll call Steve, Jeff and John and let them know.”

“Good,” he stated with no recognition of what he was demanding. “I'll have my secretary drop the revisions off for you on Sunday. See you Monday morning.”

Lynn stared at the receiver. Good news indeed. This wasn't going to be an all nighter, it was closer to an all weekender. Reluctantly she pushed the intercom button.

“Susan, see who we can arrange to have here to help finish the proposal this weekend,” she barked at her secretary. “I'll need them here tonight too.”

“Yes, Lynn,” Susan Fleetwood replied.

Lynn was angry. No wonder she had no social life! All she had time to do was work. With the demands on her time from Bruce Carradine, how could she do anything else? Efficiently she got Steve, Jeff and John on the phone.

“The Thompson proposal has been moved up two weeks to Monday at 10:00 AM. The finished document has to be on Bruce’s desk tomorrow night for revisions by 7:00 AM Monday.”

The groans from both the men were audible. Steve was the first to loose his temper.

“Lynn,” he yelled. “May I remind you, that five analysts have been working on the numbers full time for a week already, to try to have this done by the latest accelerated due date? I refuse to have them all come back in on a Friday evening. Plus I'll have to call in more to finish up!”

“And graphics is having a major system cut over this weekend,” John joined in on the assault. “They can not, and will not be available to assist.”

Jeff made no comment.

Lynn, who was usually the peace maker, the soother of wounds, could take none of this in her current state of mind.

“Don't tell me you can't do it. I'm not thrilled about this either,” she yelled. “This wasn't my idea. I still have the entire case to rewrite once Steve gets the figures to me. And who do you think is going to be here dealing with graphics, that you say you can't get running? Me that's who! Will you be here all weekend John? I haven't seen it yet!”

The phone was silent. The men seemed in shock. Lynn seethed with anger.

“Listen, you guys just get your end arranged for, and I'II be here all weekend handling the rest. Got that?”

“Legal will give 100%,” said Jeff.

“And I’ll see what can be arranged for graphic support,” said John. “When do you need them?”

“It depends on Steve's numbers,” replied Lynn.

“That depends on graphics need for lead time,” said Steve.

“We'll need a minimum of six hours,” relayed John.

“OK. Numbers to me by 3, to graphics by 4, to Bruce by 10,” calculated Lynn.

“That's a lot for you to get done in an hour, Lynn,” Steve stated.

“I'II get it done,” Lynn sighed.

“You'll have the numbers by 3:00 PM,” replied Steve cautiously.

“Fine,” hissed Lynn. “Thanks for your cheerful support.”

Lynn stared at the phone she had slammed in to place. “How dare they talk to me like that?” she thought. Yet the real Lynn started to surface from beneath the anger, and she checked her thought. “How dare I talk to them like that?” she reflected sadly. Knowing that Jeff would be there to help brought some peace to Lynn.

Jeff Anderson was the youngest Senior Counsel that Lynn's company had ever had. He was a brilliant Harvard educated lawyer, and had risen quickly through the Legal department to his current role as Senior Counsel. By the time he was 29 Jeff was running the Legal Department.

Jeff had only been with the company for a little over a year when Lynn began her career there. Jeff was a tall blonde whose Grandparents had immigrated from Sweden. He had grown up on a small farm in rural Iowa, yet had wanted to be a Corporate Lawyer for as long as he could remember.

He had been quite smitten by Lynn when she began with the firm, and had pursued her. Yet she was very clear on her policy to not date anyone she worked with. Lynn had seen too many lives ruined by office romances. Broken hearts, sidetracked objectives, and even careers ended.

Jeff had finally agreed to respect her boundaries, and now they were the greatest of friends. He teased her that she was the younger sister he had always wanted.

She returned to the task at hand. Ruining the weekend of 10 to 20 people was not her idea of a good time. Most reactions were cautious, for they could sense her uncharacteristic reactiveness. Tension permeated her office. Her stomach growled and she glanced a her watch. 10:00 PM!

*****

Paul Dillard-Thompson was not pleased with the news he heard from his secretary Sandra.

“What do you mean the contract is going to be done by the end of the week?” he asked, from his home in Australia. “They were not to have it completed for another two weeks.”

“It seems that after the meeting in London today, they feel they can have the financing arranged for by Monday evening,” Sandra replied.

“How accurate can their numbers be if they throw together a proposal?” he yelled.

“That is why I called you sir,” said Sandra. “I felt you should personally review the information, due to their obvious acceleration and increased interest.”

“Thanks Sandra,” he said. “I'll look at it when I get back from New Zealand. That is if they truly are finished.”

“They sounded fairly certain sir.” she stated. “Bruce Carradine sounds like a very determined man. He was fairly perturbed that you weren't in the office today.”

“Oh, he was, was he?” questioned Paul. “I guess he doesn’t know me very well.”

As she hung up the phone Sandra looked at the it with longing. She once again wondered if her boss would ever see her as anything more than an efficient secretary. Her boss. Paul Dillard-Thompson.

Paul Dillard-Thompson was the President of a conglomerate of companies. At 35 years of age, Paul was probably the wealthiest bachelor in Sydney. His rise to the top had been accomplished completely through his hard work, perseverance despite what many thought. Many believed that his wealth had been handed to him on a silver plater since his Grandfathers, Paul Thompson, and Ralph Dillard had started what were now the two largest companies in the Corporation. Yet Sandra knew better. Both of the companies had been small until Paul took over the leadership.

Paul laughed as he hung up the phone. He thought of all he had heard about Bruce Carradine. None of which had been flattering. He had to admit, he was impressed with the mans obvious determination. Paul was certain that selling this subsidiary was going to be one of the easiest and most painless deals he had ever made.

Sandra continued in the thoughts of her boss. She wished again that he would notice her as more than an competent secretary. Paul Dillard-Thompson was the most handsome man she had ever met. He was six feet two inches of all man. He played racquet ball and ran on the beach near his home. He swam two to three miles a week, and was total muscle beneath the finely tailored suits he wore.

Sandra had nearly fainted when she had seen him at the office picnic last summer. He had looked like a Greek Statue. His golden brown skin, tanned from days at the beach, had sparkled with sweat in the noonday sun. She sighed heavily and tried to return to her work. She dreamed of being in his arms and staring into his grey blue eyes.

Her daydream was interrupted by the ringing phone and the squeaky voice of Christine. Sandra was instantly overcome with hate for the beautiful woman on the other end of the conversation Yet, she felt some satisfaction knowing that Paul was as uninterested in the wealthy Christine, as he was in her. She found true satisfaction in claiming no knowledge as to Paul's whereabouts at the moment. Christine then asked when he was to leave for Auckland, and Sandra answered her without thinking. Christine was thrilled to learn when he was leaving and bid the mousey Sandra good-day.

*****

There was a knock at Lynn’s office door. Susan had gone home hours ago, yet Lynn expected she had returned. Instead, clad in blue jeans and tennis shoes were John, Jeff and Steve. They each carried a pillow under one arm and a sleeping bag under the other. Their supportive jester was too much for Lynn to handle, and she put her head in her hands and cried.

“Not the reaction I expected,” Steve teased. “I thought she'd be overjoyed to see the newfound dedication she inspired.”

“Or at least a bit friendly,” said Jeff trying to hide his embarrassment. “Maybe Dragon Lady really would prefer to remain the martyr.”

With that comment Lynn looked up and dried the tears. “Dragon Lady?!” she reacted. She noticed the twinkle of amusement in Jeff's eye, and smiled. “Yep, that's me. The martyr Dragon Lady.”

“I always knew she had it in her,” said Steve. “Underneath that kind, caring, patient, always cheerful facade of hers, lies a true corporate Vice President ready to undermine the happiness of millions and the contentment of her fellow VP's.”

Lynn recognized the sarcasm in Steve's statement, yet it had a definite effect on her. She had become a Dragon Lady. And she didn't like it a bit.

“He's right you know,” said John. “You couldn't be a Dragon Lady for more than ten minutes if you had to. But Lynn, you care too much for others, and the inconvenience you'll cause them. You think too little about yourself and what you're demanding of Lynn!”

“So, before your vacation,” added Steve, “We decided we would pitch in and help. Just this once.”

“Vacation, what vacation?” asked Lynn.

“The one you're overdue for,” replied John. “The one you're leaving for Monday at 11:00 PM. Susan has arranged the whole thing, and we plan to inform Bruce of his lack of control in the matter Monday at 7:00 AM. He’s out voted on this one!”

Lynn was speechless. She had too much to get done next week. She couldn’t take a vacation. She had too many commitments at work. She was scheduled to speak at a stockholders meeting on Wednesday. There was a dinner for the Governor on Thursday, a Sales Conference on Friday and Saturday, with the awards banquet were she was the keynote speaker. There were simply too many things to rearrange for a week.

“But I can’t take a week off,” said Lynn. “There are too many commitments.”

“Oh, you’re not taking a week off,” Steve smiled deviously. “You're taking a month.”

“You have had no vacation for 18 months,” Jeff continued. “You are turning into a full time Dragon Lady, fire breathing and everything.”

“You'll be sick soon if you keep this up,” said John. “You're going on vacation and that is final. Now, I believe we have some work to do.”

And with that they turned and left. Lynn stared at the now empty doorway. She had started to protest that she had taken four days off over Christmas to visit her parents in Dallas. But that was a long weekend that everyone had off, not a true vacation. She felt overwhelmed. Yet she realized that Steve, Jeff and John were not going to listen to any of her reasons tonight. She would simply need to wait until Bruce got back. His wrath would be enough to undermine their impromptu plans. But for now, John was right, they had work to do.

At midnight, John announced to those in the packed conference room that reservations had been made for everyone at the hotel next door. He explained that they refused to let anyone drive home in their exhausted condition. Steve went to the big box in the corner of the room and began passing out the T-shirts they had made for the Sales conference.