Freaky Fuckday

Emily took back every cross thing she had said to Chris about Debbie. The attention Debbie showed him was clearly unwanted and Chris up to this point had handled the situation delicately and politely even though this girl was legitimately certifiable. Now Emily was faced with the impossible choice of either reciprocating the girl's affections and threatening Emily's marriage or denying Debbie her fun and potentially jeopardizing her husband's career.

Emily put her face in her hands and groaned with frustration.

"Fuck!"

~Chris~

Chris tried taking deep breaths to keep from growing too nervous as he waited outside the large conference room. He stood holding his wife's brief to his chest with a data stick that had Emily's slideshow saved on it held between his fingers. Chris had to use the bathroom multiple times beforehand due to his nerves. Going number two had never grossed Chris out before but for some reason the act seemed disgusting when using Emily's body. This opportunity for unique insight into his wife's life could have gone without that detail. Fortunately Emily had some wet wipes in her purse that provided a much more thorough clean than dry toilet paper would have. Chris also had to use paper towels to wipe the sweat off his armpits in a way that seemed unbecoming of a beautiful woman. Chris knew his wife's future at her company depended on his actions over the next hour and he would rather die than disappoint her. Hence the anxiety.

Drederick Wilson, a kindly old black man with a gorgeous pure white head of hair and matching beard approached Chris. Drederick had been something of a mentor to Emily when she started her career in Urban Planning and Development. Chris always liked Drederick for the way he treated Emily. Drederick was stern and demanding of his protege but always constructive and supportive in his criticism. Though they technically held the same position within the hierarchy of their company, Emily considered Drederick a father figure who helped fill a void in Emily's life from when her biological father abandoned Emily and her sisters when she was still a young child.

Drederick held two Styrofoam cups filled with steaming black coffee. He offered one cup to Chris while sipping from the other.

"You look like you could use a cup," Drederick said in his deep, gravelly voice.

"You have no idea," Chris said as he took a drink of coffee. "Wow, that's really good!"

Drederick chuckled and said, "You think I actually drink that slop that the secretaries brew for everyone? I have my own french press set up in my office."

"Well, I feel honored to be included in your clandestine caffeine operation," Chris joked.

Drederick laughed again but then his face turned serious. "Are you ready for this, Mrs. Jennings?"

Chris gulped and nodded. "As ready as I'm ever gonna be, I guess. Any last minute advice you can give me?"

Drederick showed surprise on his face and replied, "In the four years that we've known each other I don't think you've ever asked me for advice. You always listened to me of course, but never asked for anything. Guess that's about right for Miss Independent. You sure you're okay, Emily? You seem a bit off today."

Chris cringed a little bit. While he knew Emily wasn't close to very many of her coworkers he should have realized that Emily had a stronger relationship with Drederick than anyone in her life excepting Chris and some of Emily's closest family members. So stupid! He couldn't just act like himself and coast by simply looking like Emily and not expect anyone to notice Emily was behaving differently.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just nervous," Chris answered weakly as he tried to salvage the situation. "The most important meeting of my entire life is about to take place in there."

Drederick put his hand on Chris's shoulder. It was an affectionate, familiar gesture but not a romantic one. He squeezed Chris and said, "Hey, listen to me."

Chris met Drederick's brown eyes as his colleague continued, "You're going to do great in there, Emily. I've never told you this before but you are one of the most intelligent and capable women I've ever known. I've never had children, but I think of you like you're my own daughter. I'll always love you and be proud of you no matter what. But I don't have to worry about the 'no matter what' cuz I just know you're gonna knock 'em dead. Now get in there, you don't got much time to waste."

"Thank you so much, Dre," Chris answered.

Chris felt so touched by the love and support this man showed for his wife that he nearly teared up. Female hormones must be playing with his emotions. That had to be it. Chris only wished Emily could have been here to hear those kind words. Chris strode into the conference room like he owned the place, feeling sexy and confident while clad in his wife's attire.

There were roughly two dozen men and only one woman assembled around the massive oak conference table. Chris identified the only other female in the room as a potential ally but aside from Greg he appeared to be the only person in here under the age of fifty. The attendees were all conversing amongst themselves since the meeting had a few minutes left to start. Chris busied himself by getting the projection screen and slideshow set up while everyone waited.

After a moment, the CEO of Emily's company Richard Wilson stood up and cleared his throat. A hush that dulled all the conversations came over the room as his cough demanded the attention of all those assembled.

"Fellow executives, stockholders, city council members, and friends," Mr. Wilson announced. "Thank you for being here today. One of our most promising Production and Design Planners, Emily Jennings, has been working for months on a very exciting proposal that I believe you will find of great interest. The brief we sent everyone was a bare-bones profile that barely covered the details of the project. We didn't want this proposal becoming public before we were ready. I would like to turn this over to Mrs. Jennings so she can explain to us why we are all here today. Emily?"

Chris's eyes grew wide as he was addressed by his boss's boss's boss. He really hoped those assembled couldn't notice how badly Chris was shaking. Chris hesitated for a few seconds and heard Greg snicker from the back of the room with a shit-eating grin on his face. Chris thought of Emily and how much she meant to him. All of a sudden he felt his composure return. Chris put on his best smile and began.

"Lady and gentlemen, thank you for making time in your very busy schedules to meet with me today," Chris started.

Chris pressed a button on the remote held in his hand to dim the lights in the room and then pressed a different button to start the slideshow that illuminated the darkness as it projected onto a white screen. The presentation was titled in bold letters that read "Telephone District Reclamation and Refurbish". Chris pressed the right arrow button on the remote and a slide with pictures showing a rundown, dilapidated neighborhood with boards over most of the windows appeared next.

As Chris paged through more slides showcasing how run-down the district had become with abandoned warehouses and houses and apartment buildings that were falling apart he said, "As you are no doubt aware, the district that Central Telephone & Telegraphy used to occupy before they went out of business has been a blighted area in all but name for years now but no one has wanted to invest in improvements for the area or had any compelling reason to do so." Chris paused a few seconds for dramatic effect. "Until now."

Chris shifted to the next slide which played a video displaying animated 3D renderings of what the neighborhood would look like once it was refurbished. Chris found these graphics while searching Emily's computer and wasn't surprised at all to find she rendered them herself.

"Let me present to you the Telephone District. Empty warehouses and factories will become new storefronts and high-rise apartments along an avenue that will have restaurants, clothing and apparel stores, and a healthy bar scene. If the city is willing to declare this area blighted we will be able to purchase this property at an affordable enough rate to be able to either remodel if possible or else demolish and rebuild these buildings at a premium cost."

Chris moved to another slide which showed the old Central Telephone building as it is now side by side with an imagining of what it might look like after refurbishing.

"The local government has been looking for a new location for their central offices for years now but has not yet found anything suitable. The city does not have currently have the budget allocation necessary to allow for the construction of a brand new building," Chris continued. "You are looking at the former Central Telephone headquarters and possibly the future location for the local government's offices. Due to its downtown location and proximity to the courthouse this is an ideal site for the new office building. While the building is dilapidated after a decade without use, we've had inspectors verify the integrity of the structure and the stability of the building is sound. You would be able to gut the building and remodel it at the fraction of the cost of having to complete a brand new construction."

Chris continued, "In addition, we are negotiating with both local companies and large corporations about installing large counts of fiber optic cabling throughout this district utilizing the abandoned conduit formerly owned by the telephone company. Demo-ing any abandoned cable remaining within these conduits will allow plenty of room to install new optics. Any ISP who signs on to invest in this project will be able to deliver high-speed internet to the district and all the surrounding neighborhoods with only a fraction of the infrastructure cost typically required."

One of the city council members raised their hand and said, "This all looks excellent miss, but I'm having difficulty understanding exactly how this will all be paid for."

"Excellent timing, sir," Chris answered as an older woman circuited the conference table handing out manila folders. "Mr. Wilson's secretary is handing each of you a packet containing several documents I've put together. It lists all the investors who have currently shown interest in this area. This includes both private and public sectors. I've also included every city permit that would be required for redevelopment of this area which will expedite the process if we decide to move forward with this project."

One of the stockholders paged through the packet briefly and remarked, "Incredible. Every possible detail has been thought of and every potential conflict already dealt with."

Chris smiled as he heard murmurs of approval echoing throughout the room. While he had sold this, the Telephone District was Emily's baby. She had been working on this for two years now and Chris couldn't be more proud of her for how great it turned out. He just wished Emily were here to bask in this moment.

"Corrosive metals."

"Excuse me?" Chris asked. "Who said that?"

The interruption originated from the back of the room where Greg was sitting.

"Corrosive metals," Greg repeated with a smug look on his face. "Your excellent pictures (oh, and excellent job on those by the way) show a rail line running through the district right next to the old Central Telephone building. How can we be certain there are no contaminants left over from the previous occupants of this property?"

Drederick spoke up and asked incredulously, "We're sitting on a damn gold mine here Greg, and you want to kill or delay this project because of some minor environmental concerns?"

"It's a quite valid concern, Drederick," Mr. Wilson said gravely. "If the cost of cleanup and the disposal of oil and other leftover refuse or contaminants is too high the project may not be worth the investment."

"Look, I'm not trying to stall the project or embarrass anyone," Greg said apologetically as he held his hands in front of himself placatingly.

Except that's exactly what you are fucking trying to do, Chris thought as his eyes narrowed to thin slits.

"I just want to ensure we've performed our due diligence before committing to this," Greg continued. "As a key team member on this project I've read through all the relevant paperwork dozens of times but found not a single mention of any environmental inspection that ruled conclusively on the cost of this project."

"So you are just bringing this up now," Drederick said coldly. While the Telephone District was Emily's idea Drederick had worked on it just as hard as she had for the last couple years. "In front of everyone. Not two years ago, not two days ago, but rather on the day the proposal is made public."

Greg shrugged and grinned his stupid smile again. Chris couldn't wait to wipe that smile off of Greg's even stupider face.

"Actually, we did do an environmental inspection," Chris said. "Recently, in fact. If you could turn to the last two pages of your packet you'll see that while we did find evidence of some corrosion our inspectors informed us that the estimated cost of cleanup would not be a deterrent to moving forward with reclamation."

Greg and Drederick both looked at Chris with surprise before paging through to the pages at the back of the packet.

"This wasn't in the updated packet you gave us yesterday," Greg said with barely contained rage.

"Oh, I only added it at the last minute," Chris said with a pleasant smile. "I just received the final report this morning due to some unexpected delays on the inspectors part. I didn't want to include it unless I was sure of the information first."

While Emily had created all of this, that last addition had been all Chris. Fortunately, he realized the importance of the environmental report when he received it from the inspectors this morning. It only made it sweeter to personally embarrass the man trying to undermine Chris's wife. Fuck that guy. Chris glanced at Drederick and saw the older gentleman wearing a smug smile on his face. He had never liked Greg very much either. Drederick gave Chris a little thumbs up and Chris couldn't help grinning back at him.

"This presentation was excellent, Mrs. Jennings," Mr. Wilson said to Chris as he shook his hand. "Exemplary work. Nice strong handshake too. But you know we'll probably need a few days or weeks to deliberate before we come to a final decision."

"I understand completely, sir," Chris replied.

Greg jumped to his feet and bellowed, "Hey, a lot of people worked really hard on this! Just because some glorified secretary gave the presentation doesn't mean she was responsible for all of it."

"You misogynist piece of-" Chris started.

"Emily, you don't have to say anything," Drederick growled. He looked over at Greg and said authoritatively, "Greg, you need to either sit down and keep quiet or else go to your office to calm down."

"No, I want to say something,'" Chris said. Every head in the conference room turned toward him and Chris wilted. But he needed to say something for Emily.

"Since I started working here, I've had to deal with others treating me differently because of my gender," Chris said. "This isn't my first great idea, I've had several others. But it seems like when I come up with an idea versus when a man comes up with one generates a different sort of response. I'm not accusing anyone here of sexism, that's just how the world is. I've fought my way to a position that no other woman in this company has attained before me. I've not expected or received any accolades or commendations, but I've never complained. In the end, I knew that my work speaks for itself. So no, Greg. You do not get to take credit for what I've created. I had help for sure. I couldn't have done any of this without the assistance of my colleagues. But this is my plan, my vision, and my dream."

Chris could scarcely believe he had actually said all this out loud once he stepped down his soapbox. He had watched his wife struggle for years at this company as the only woman living in a world of men. Though Emily complained to Chris and often sought his comfort when she became frustrated, Chris didn't think Emily ever actually brought up her concerns to anyone at work. This speech was exactly what Chris wished Emily would've told her coworkers and superiors years ago. Chris gulped and simply hoped he hadn't utterly destroyed Emily's reputation at work.

Those gathered in the room sat stunned and speechless after Chris's outburst. The one female executive grinned at Chris and nodded her head in approval.

The CEO finally spoke up after clearing his throat and said, "I'm terribly sorry that you aren't feeling appreciated enough, Mrs. Jennings. You are one of our best employees and this company wouldn't be the same without you. Regardless of our decision on your proposal, you will be well rewarded for your dedication and tenacity."

Chris blushed, now feeling embarrassed by his outburst. "Thank you, sir."

"Others may need to be reminded of proper workplace decorum," said Mr. Wilson as he looked at Greg in disapproval. It gave Chris a perverse amount of pleasure to see Greg shrinking into his chair.

"I think we've seen enough, we are going to discuss this proposal for a bit if you and your team could please give the rest of us some privacy," said Mr. Wilson.

Chris nodded his assent and filed out of the room along with Drederick, Greg, and the rest of her team. As he left Greg turned back toward Chris with a glare.

"This isn't over by a long shot, you little bitch," Greg whispered so that only the two of them could hear. "It wasn't enough to take all the credit but you had to humiliate me too?"

"You humiliated yourself," Chris retorted.

Drederick stepped between the two of them and asked sternly, "Is there a problem here, Greg?"

"Nope," Greg replied. "No problem as long as everyone remembers their place."

Drederick stood up straighter so he reached his full intimidating height and suggested, "I think you need to go cool off, Greg. Take the rest of the day off if you need to."

"Fine by me," Greg said through clenched teeth. He gave Chris one final glare then stormed away to his office.

Drederick sighed and asked, "You want me to bring this up with HR? That guy is a menace."

Chris didn't feel like causing any more problems for Emily to clean up. "Let's save it till next week," suggested Chris. "He isn't worth the trouble."

Drederick smiled warmly and said, "That's right, you should be celebrating! You were magnificent in there."

Chris grinned and then shocked himself by kissing Drederick on the cheek. The older black gentleman looked even more surprised by this action than Chris felt.

Drederick rubbed his cheek where Chris had kissed it and asked, "What was that for?"

Chris blushed again and said, "I don't know. You've just always been so good to Em...to me. I wanted to thank you. For everything."

Drederick wrapped Chris up in his big arms for a bear hug and said, "Everything you've accomplished has been your own doing. But I like to think I helped you find your way."

Chris hugged Drederick back and said, "You did." Chris bid him farewell, saying he was going to get back to work.

"Well, don't work too hard," Drederick said. "You've done plenty enough for today. In fact, you should take off early. Go do something fun with the husband. Chris had better know how lucky he is to have you."

"Oh, believe me," Chris replied with an appreciative wink. "He definitely knows."

Chris wasn't sure if his new form was affecting him strangely or if he really felt this giddy. As soon as the door to Emily's office closed behind him Chris started screaming and jumping up and down while he clapped his hands. He did it!