Edge of Tomorrow by Wolf Wootan

case it was all real. On the
other hand, if the DDI was playing a joke on him, he didn’t want to
give him an opening to rub it in, either. He didn’t like the little
prick anyway. He went back to reading the documents in front of
him.
     

Chapter 9
     
    Triple Eye Headquarters, Langley,
Virginia
    Friday, July 27, 2001
    4:40 P.M.
     
    Jane Forbeson leaned back in the tall, brown
leather executive desk chair, spun it 360 degrees, then leaned
forward and put her elbows on the large, polished mahogany desk. In
twenty minutes this would be her chair, her desk, her office. The
current owner of the office and all that it signified, Van Lincoln,
sat in a comfortable visitor’s chair on the other side of the
desk.
    “You look good there, Jane,” Hatch said with
a wry smile. “How’s it feel?”
    “I can’t describe it! It’s close to an
orgasm! Are you sure about this, Hatch? You still have time to
change your mind,” she replied, breathless, beaming.
    • • •
    Downstairs, in the Triple Eye auditorium, the
press was in force, the caterers had done their thing, and all the
other Triple Eye division presidents nervously fingered glasses of
champagne, all awaiting the arrival of Van Lincoln.
    George Granger, Executive Vice President of
the Marketing Division turned to the man next to him—Allan Dexter,
President of Operations—and whispered, “Where’s Jane?”
    “ Probably upstairs giving him a quick
blow job,” Dexter snickered.
    “ That’s uncalled for, Dexter!” Granger
spat back. “In twenty minutes she’ll have the power to fire your
sorry ass! I hope she does!”
    Granger would be taking over as President of
the Marketing Division, replacing Jane Forbeson. He was one of her
staunchest supporters.
    At 5:00 P.M., Lincoln would announce that he
was stepping down as CEO of Triple Eye—retaining his Chairman of
the Board title—and his successor would be Jane Forbeson. Her new
annual salary would be in excess of $2,000,000 and her possible
bonuses could double that. Her perks would become unbelievable:
control of the company Gulf Stream IV; several choppers at her beck
and call; her own limo and personal driver; paid memberships in
numerous clubs, spas, and most anything else she might need to keep
her relaxed so she could handle the stress of running a
multi-billion dollar company. It was a job Dexter coveted, but had
not gotten.
    • • •
    Two crystal flutes half-filled with Dom
Perignon champagne sat on cork coasters in front of Jane and
Hatch.
    “Actually, I’ve already told the division
presidents, and of course Granger. I didn’t want them to be
surprised in front of the press. I want them to show complete
support for you when I make the announcement.”
    “And will they?” she mused. “Voluntarily, I
mean.”
    “Yes. They’re all very happy with my
decision, except for Dexter. I don’t know how he will act. He
wanted this job badly, but he still has the largest division and a
hefty salary,” answered Hatch as he sipped his champagne.
    “I know how you hate these very visible press
things. You could have done this by memo, but I appreciate you
doing this for me this way.”
    Jane clasped her hands behind her head and
leaned back into the soft leather as she considered Hatch’s comment
about Dexter. This action pushed her breasts against the thin
material of her pale green silk blouse. He could clearly see the
outline of a very lacy white camisole underneath, her nipples
prominently trying to escape their confinement. Her red hair was
cut short and had been coiffed that very afternoon. Her makeup was
impeccable, covering most of the light freckles on her oval face.
Her green eyes sparkled. Hatch marveled at what a voluptuous,
beautiful woman she had become, remembering the skinny, red-headed
Tech Writer he had hired in 1984 when he started Triple Eye. She
saw him admiring her chest.
    “What?” she asked, then noticed her nipples
were making themselves known. “After all these years, I