"What?" Marcy near-shouted into the phone as Dunc stood beside me, his whole upper body shaking while he tried to suppress his chuckling.
"Needed to catch your attention, Marce. Cynthia told me you're looking."
"Cynthia?"
"Rothingham. PR Cynthia. From what she had told me, this is the perfect position for you."
"Perfect? Hah! Why would she think I'd want to join a struggling chain?"
"Not struggling. I'm well-funded, and I have Cynthia doing the full monty – PR, website, social media, everything. We'll be flying high in two weeks. I want you in from the beginning, Marce."
She snorted into the phone. "Sorry! But your confidence stunned me. Are you high on something?"
"High from pulling together such a fine team – from seeing all the pieces slide into place."
"Too many missing pieces for me, Gigi. Better I remain here, overworked and underpaid."
"Call Cynthia and have her tell you about us. Oh, and the salary starts at $125,000."
"What? You really are high on something."
"Call Cynthia. Then give notice, take your backlog of vacation and come join us."
She remained silent, so I continued, "I'm completely serious, Marce. This is the perfect position for you. And I want you in it. Call Cynthia."
"Hmmm, okay. When I get a minute."
"Now, Marce. I need someone now, and I don't want to have to work my way down Cynthia's list."
"You have her list?"
"That's how I discovered you're dissatisfied and looking. Call her."
"Okay, okay, okay. I will."
"Great! Then call me back immediately, so I don't have to start down her list."
When we had clicked off, Dunc said, "Wow! So powerful. There's no way she could misinterpret your offer, and waving $125,000 in her face was a great touch."
"When she mentioned overworked and underpaid, it seemed natural to drop it in."
"But leaving Cynthia to convince her – was that wise?"
"Cynthia had been doing Plimpton's PR all the way through its growth, and she's confident we'll be able to grab onto the residual momentum from August. Part of Hot Potato's story is that we're continuing the vision Arnie and Freddy had. Oh, and I need you to check the wording in the purchase contract – see if there's any proscription from our stating we're the former Plimpton's."
"There's none. While you were talking with Kira, I did a keyword search through ColeCorp's acquisition contract. Nothing, not even changing the name; that was a separate agreement. I made no reference to that in our contract, in case you wanted to use the name for marketing."
"Great! I should have guessed you'd do that. But the mentions of the name need to be handled delicately. Cynthia said that most will be sympathetic and enthusiastic, but some might think we're usurpers and opportunists."
"But, she's confident about your success?"
"Our success, Dunc. You're a huge part of this."
"Another sign you love me, Gigi."
"Ummm, yeah. I tingled as I said it. But yes, so confident that she said she'll charge no fee if it doesn't work."
"Wow! And she'll convey this confidence to Marcy."
"That's why I was so insistent on having her call. If Marce trusts Cynthia enough to tell her she's dissatisfied and searching, then –"
My phone's ringtone interrupted, and I smiled at Marcy's icon as I thumbed in. "Hi, Marce."
"Wow, Gigi. Just wow! Cynthia's so enthusiastic. And she confirmed you now own it."
"Not until noon tomorrow when the transfers happen – the money and the titles."
"Your grandma helping again?"
"A dear, generous soul."
"I can start immediately."
"Excellent."
"Where can I meet you?"
"I'm at the Olympic Village branch, 2nd at Crowe."
"Ten minutes or fifteen. I'll book off sick for the rest of the day. Give formal notice tomorrow and take my accrued vacation – far more than enough to cover."
After I had ended the call, Dunc chuckled. "I love your dear, generous soul. So quick and so honest."
"I love him, too." I nodded through the windows at all the chefs and cooks. "Far too public to even hint at showing how much."
After Dunc had rearranged his furniture, he said, "I should go back to the office."
"Why?"
"Marcy will soon be here, and she knows I've seen her – ummm – her privates. Watched her cavorting with you."
"Why would that matter?"
"Embarrassment. Hers and mine."
"But it was necessary – technical, not prurient. Besides, she's already accepted it."
"Yeah, okay. But I should go and sort out which of the offices will be best for her."
"Offices?"
Dunc pointed out into the dining rooms. "Three of them behind the planter screen at the back. I've not looked at the other two; Kevin and I have been using desks and computers in the first one as we dig through the books and files."
"Still digging? What else have you found?"
"Lots of little things. But Kevin told me about a biggie – two new Mercedes Sprinter cargo vans. One's been idle since the accident; the other was used daily to pick up food from the suppliers and distribute it from here to the branches. They're parked in the loading bay."
"Loading bay?"
"Through those double doors." Dunc pointed as I followed him through the kitchen.
"I hadn't even considered the logistics. Seems they had everything well and thoroughly organised."
"That's what I'm finding. The only thing I've seen wrong with the company was its thin leadership structure at the top; there was nobody to step in after the accident. But it appears they had set up here to hire admin staff to relieve Armie of some of the work."
As we entered the main dining room, I asked, "How so?"
"Kevin said the other two offices are filled with furniture and computers but not yet unpacked and assembled. Likely for Arnie and his financial, HR, IT and admin staff. Seems he wanted complete control until after the openings – then hire a staff. Maybe a cash-flow thing after all the setup expenses."
"Hmmm. I'll have to hire those."
"That'll be among Marcy's first tasks. Assemble the administrative team she needs to help her run the company. She'll know more about what's required than either of us do."
"But she can run her ideas through you. It's closer to general admin than to restaurant, and you know that stuff. Besides, you now have an understanding of our potential revenue and how much we can afford."
"True. We can work on it together." Dunc led me into the passage behind the screen, exchanging greetings with Kevin as we passed the first office.
Continuing along, I paused to look through the screen of plants. "I like this. Check on what's happening in the dining rooms without being obvious."
"Everything I've seen so far shows careful and thoughtful design." Dunc pointed onward. "The last office would be best for her, undisturbed by traffic in and out of the other two."
"Yeah, makes sense. I need a full tour. Been too focused on the kitchen and on all the meetings."
"That's exactly what you needed to be doing, Gigi – and me on the books. We'll have Kevin give us a thorough tour when Marcy arrives."
As we stepped inside the third office, Dunc pulled me into a hug, and I rose to my toes to receive his lips. The long, passionate kiss left Pussy purring and Dunc's trousers with a huge tent down the left leg.
He unbuckled his belt and unzipped. "Need to find underwear that directs it up across my hip, rather than trapping it down like this."
When he popped free, I knelt and gave Buddy a lick. "I can do a quick deflation if you wish."
"I'd love that, Gigi."
I giggled at the twitching. "Seems he would, as well. Push the door closed and depress the lock button, just in case."
After a minute or so of stroking, mouthing and tongue flicking, with Dunc into rapid breathing and beginning to tense, knocks sounded on the door.
Oh, God!
As I helped Dunc tuck away his throbbing erection and buckle over it, Kevin said, "Ms Wong is here, Chef."
I wiped the drool from my chin with the back of my hand. "Thank you, come in."
The knob rattled. "It's locked."
"Darn! The thumb button's in." l opened the door, the button clicking out as I did, then I spread my arms, offering Marcy a hug. "Thank you for accepting, Marce."
"Oh, wow, Gigi. Never thought I'd see you in a suit." Marcy wrapped her arms around me as she bussed my lips. "Sorry for doubting you."
"No problem. It must have sounded unbelievable." I took her hand and turned. "Come meet Duncan."
<><><>
Points to consider in this chapter:
Did Marcy's initial reaction to the job offer fit your image of her?
Does the revelation of the offices, the vans, and the other infrastructure give a better picture of the business pre-accident?
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