Innocent Before, Guilty After

"I think it's time for the hot tub for me," Russ said. "Want to join me?"

Against her will, Sheila blushed again. This is ridiculous, she thought. Nothing's happened. He has a nice body. Why am I being so silly? Damn Dick and his stupid accusations.

"Sure. Might as well enjoy the few hours I have left here, right?"

They settled in on opposite sides of the tub, hitting the switch to turn on the jets. A few minutes later, a couple arrived, looking to join them in the tub, and then a third person followed. Russ moved around and was now sitting next to Sheila, chatting about next steps with the client. She was engaged with the business discussion and had put the uncomfortable moments of earlier behind her.

They went up to the room around four. Russ changed into jeans and a t-shirt first, then relinquished the bathroom to Sheila. She showered, dried her hair, and put on some makeup in preparation for her departure. When she was finished and packed, Russ went downstairs with her and helped her hail a cab. Flagging one down, he put her bags in the trunk. Sheila gave him a quick hug before getting into the cab.

"Good work today, Russ. We have this. There's no way we lose this one."

"Let's hope so," he said.

The cab pulled away, and they gave each other a wave. Russ turned and headed for the T, figuring he'd take the train to the North End. He settled on Mother Anna's for dinner, and had mussels for an appetizer along with a delicious veal dish for his entrée. Adding wine, espresso, and tiramisu, Russ was stuffed when he left to stroll the north end.

The remainder of the trip went well, and Sheila had received an email from Bob Jones that he was awarding them the contract. Russ returned to New York and began working on an implementation plan for their new client. Everything was great, or so Russ and Sheila had thought.

On Friday of the next week, Dick's assistant called Russ and asked him to come see Dick in his office. Russ finished an email he was writing, and then strolled over to see what Dick wanted. He entered the office, and Dick asked him to close the door behind him and sit down.

"What's up, Dick?" Russ asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing, Russ."

"Well, you know we closed the Boston deal, and it's about seventy percent we will close another. That turned out to be quite a productive trip."

Dick let out a nasty laugh. "Sure was. In every way, huh?"

"Excuse me?" said Russ, clearly confused.

"How long has this been going on with Sheila?"

Russ looked at Dick as if he were crazy. "How long has WHAT been going on with Sheila?"

"That's the way you're going to play it, Huh? Tell me Russ, are you really going to try to convince me that you don't find Sheila attractive?"

Russ gave Dick an inquisitive look. "What is this about, Dick? Of course Sheila is an attractive woman. There's not a man in this place that doesn't think you've hit the jackpot with her. So what? I'm not alone there."

"But you couldn't leave it at that, could you? You had to have her."

"Listen, Dick. I don't have any idea what in the fuck you're talking about," said Russ, raising his voice.

"You really pissed off that girlfriend of yours, Russ. Did you know that Liz actually paid a detective to accompany the two of you on that Boston trip?"

Russ burst out laughing. "She what? Wow. I thought she was normal, but I guess I was wrong."

"Oh, you were wrong," said Dick, pulling a letter sized envelope from his desk. He reached inside and pulled out a picture, placing it on the table. The picture showed Sheila with her hand on Russ' chest, and the two of them smiling. It was taken as they waited for the valet to bring the car, just after Sheila had plucked the lint from his jacket.

"That is an out of context picture, Dick."

"Oh? How about this one?" Dick asked as he took out a photo of Russ and Sheila clinking wine glasses in the bar. "Very cozy, no? Of course, it didn't stop there, did it? Oh, no." The next photo showed Russ with his arm around Sheila's waist, and several more as they walked out of the bar in that manner. "Did I mention the detective heard you call her honey?"

"Dick, I can explain every one of these pictures."

I'm sure you can," Dick said as he cut Russ off. The next picture showed them at the desk together, and the next showed them entering Russ' room together. Russ felt sick to his stomach as the pictures kept coming. The hot tub. Back to the room together. The hug as Sheila was leaving. The sheer volume of pictures told a story that was difficult to dispute, even though it was untrue.

"I have never laid a finger on Sheila, Dick. This isn't right. Did you even talk to her?"

"Oh I talked to her. Last night. Sheila has been served with divorce papers. She will leave this marriage just as she came into it, thanks to my prenuptial agreement. She gets nothing. Nothing. And she is out of a job. Not only is she out of a job, but I'm going to do everything in my power to see that she never works in this business again. Maybe she can get herself a job in a grocery store somewhere," Dick chuckled.

"You're making a huge mistake here, Dick. I mean it."

"No, Russ. You made the mistake. You and that slut soon to be ex-wife of mine. Needless to say, Russ, you're finished here too. No need to pack your shit up. That is being done as we speak."

"This is crazy."

"Get out Russ. Now. I don't want to see you on these premises again. Understand?"

Russ could see that any discussion was pointless, so he got up and left Dick's office. He grabbed his jacket from the back of his door and walked out amidst a mad buzz going through the entire floor.

**********

Sheila pulled the last cigarette from the pack, bringing it up to her mouth and lighting it with the disposable lighter. She exhaled a plume of smoke, then looked at the empty pack and shook her head. Eight years without a cigarette down the drain, she thought. Her sister Emily sat across from her wishing she had some way to make things better for her older sister. She shuffled through the pictures again and shook her head.

"Too bad it isn't true, Sheila. You could certainly do worse than this hunk," said Emily, not quite joking.

"Thanks, Em. That's not really what I need to hear right now."

"Sorry." Emily shrugged. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. Obviously, I need a job. Then I need a place to live. Then..." Sheila's words trailed off and she began to sob. "I just don't understand. Dick has always had a jealous streak, but nothing like this. Lately, he has gone over the deep end."

"Napoleon Complex, Sis. It was bound to come out sooner or later."

"Funny, Em."

"I'm serious. Men can be so damned insecure."

"I loved him. I still do. I just can't get over how he could believe I did something like this."

"I guess you're a victim of a perfect storm of circumstance. What with Dick's insecurities, your business travel with an attractive man, and that crazy ex-girlfriend of his, you've gotten screwed without even getting screwed."

"I'm still in shock."

"I know. You're welcome here for as long as you need, Sheila. We'll get you back on your feet. Don't worry honey."

"Thank you, Sis," said Sheila with a sigh. "I wish I could just have my life back." Sheila took a last drag on her cigarette, then stubbed it out in an overflowing ash tray. "I'm going to go take a nap, Em," said Sheila as she stood.

Emily could hear Sheila sobbing as she cleaned up the mess in the kitchen. Her heart ached for her sister as she felt an anger burning inside her. This little prick needs to pay for this, she thought. And pay dearly.

**********

Anger burned inside Russ as he pulled the weight from the floor, posting a personal best raw seven hundred pound deadlift. At least I got something out of being fucked over, he thought, realizing that he was able to turn that anger into performance. That thought began to take hold in his mind when his cell phone rang. Russ reached down and picked it up from the floor, deciding to accept the call when he saw the caller ID.

"Russ Abbott," he said into the phone.

"Russell. It's Bob Jones."

"Hello, Bob. What can I do for you?"

"I hear you and Sheila got yourselves in a heap of trouble over there, Russ."

"Actually, Bob, we may be in a heap of trouble, but we certainly didn't do anything to get into it."

"I heard some rumors," Bob explained. "You both got fired?"

"Yes, we did. Evidently it seems that the owner of the company, Dick, who also happens to be Sheila's husband, came to believe that Sheila and I were having a fling."

"She didn't strike me as the type to behave like that. She was all business."

"She isn't the type, Bob. It's a bit of a long story, but I had an angry ex-girlfriend who hired someone to follow us around and take pictures while we were in Boston. It seems that she took a handful of them and painted a picture of infidelity that just wasn't true. She swore that there would be repercussions to my ending our relationship, but I never would have thought her capable of something like this."

"I thought stuff like this only happened on reality television," quipped Bob.

"I wish that was true, Bob."

"Well listen, Russell. Let me get to the reason I called. We were ready to award the contract to you, but we're going to hold back for a while. It was you and Sheila I was impressed with. If you two aren't on the account, I'm not moving forward with that company. This isn't a rush thing for us. We can limp along with our current systems until you get yourself situated again."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence, Bob. I have to tell you, though, that the longer you wait, the more revenue you'll be costing your company. I really think this implementation is going to help you immensely."

"And that, my friend, is why I'm going to wait for you to get settled. It's rare to encounter that kind of honesty in the business world. It is rare indeed."

"Well, thank you Bob. I'll keep you up to date on what's going on with me."

"You do that, Russ," said Bob, hanging up the phone.

Russ finished his workout, while the beginnings of an idea brewed in his head. He shaved and showered, then walked out to his car. He had yet to speak with Sheila, and decided that he should at least apologize to her. After all, it was Liz that caused this, and she was his responsibility to deal with. Fishing his phone from his pocket, he dialed Sheila's number. The phone rang numerous times, and Russ figured it was going to voicemail.

"Hello?"

"Sheila? It's Russ."

"Oh, hi."

"How are you holding up?" Russ asked her.

"Not so good, Russ."

"I'm so sorry, Sheila. I...I'm sorry that you got caught up in the shrapnel of my bad relationship."

"It's not your fault, Russ."

"Yes, it is. Well, I mean, it's actually Liz's fault, but you're an innocent bystander."

"So are you, Russ. You can't control the crazy things other people do. Besides, it isn't your fault that Dick is so insecure that he was all too receptive to bullshit like this. I'm still in shock that the man I am married to had so little faith in me. It hurts, Russ," Sheila said, trying to stifle a sob.

"I can only imagine," said Russ. "What are you doing? Where are you staying?"

"I'm staying at my sister's house for a while. Drinking wine, smoking cigarettes, and crying. Very productive."

Russ sighed into the phone. "Look, if there's anything I can do to help, I will."

"Thank you, Russ. I guess I'm just going to need some time to mourn and mope before I get back on my feet."

"Yeah. It would be nice to be able to speed time up, wouldn't it?"

"I wish. Did you speak with that bitch Liz at all?"

"No. Fuck her. She isn't worth my time and effort. At least I know I made the right decision dumping her from my life. The fact that she went through the trouble she did says an awful lot about her as a person."

"Yes it does, Russ. I'm going to go. You keep in touch, okay?"

"Okay Sheila. I'm sorry again."

"Hush. Bye Russ."

"Bye."

**********

Sheila sat at Emily's kitchen table, mindlessly watching the smoke from her cigarette curl into the air as it rose up toward the ceiling.

"Three months," she said to her sister. "One interview in three months. A salesperson at the top of her game, and no one even wants to talk to me?"

"It's obvious that Dick has lived up to his name. He swore he would see to it that you wouldn't work again, didn't he? Clearly, he's doing it. You should sue his sorry ass."

"With what proof, Em? With what proof?" Sheila stubbed out her cigarette, then immediately lit another.

"Sheila. You need to stop. You are beautiful, smart and dedicated. You can do anything. Sitting around here smoking two packs of cigarettes a day and feeling sorry for yourself is getting you nowhere."

"I guess you're right Sis. Well, at least I can say that my love for that bastard of an ex is gone at this point. It's evolved into anger. And at this point, hatred. I hate that bastard."

Emily smiled at her sister. "That's a step in the right direction, Sis."

**********

Russ was once again sitting across from Bob Jones at the conference room table in Natick.

"I have a business proposition for you, Russell," Bob said.

"I'm listening, Bob."

"I want this project done, and I want you to do it."

"I don't have the resources, Bob."

"That's where the business proposition comes in. I'll provide the seed capital. I want you to build an organization and we'll be your first client. You grow the business, and we'll come up with a plan for you to buy me out when the time comes. As you've said in the past, win-win for everyone. Except maybe that prick Dick Ambery," chuckled Bob.

"It's funny that you should mention it. I've already been considering just such a thing. I understand that Dick has already lost a number of annual maintenance contract renewals. If I can provide an alternative, I'm reasonably sure he would lose a bunch more."

"Sweet revenge," winked Bob.

"Let's just say that would be an added benefit," replied Russ. "It's not in my character to go out of my way to fuck anyone, but I won't lose much sleep if Dick takes a beating."

"We have a deal then?" asked Bob.

"We have a deal."

They spent the remainder of the afternoon hammering out the details. Within a week, Russ emailed Bob a business plan and set of projections. After some back and forth, they had an agreement in place, and Russ worked with an attorney to create the company. Once the initial funding was received from Bob, Russ began to implement the business plan.

He needed to start by building a staff. His first stop found him sitting across from Sheila at Emily's kitchen table. It was now three months since Sheila had admitted and accepted her hatred of Dick. During that time, she had pulled herself together, ending the smoking and self-pity. She decided that instead of fighting a losing battle, she would go back to school and prepare for a different career.

Russ listened to her describe what had gone in her life over the past six months. It must have been hell for her, he thought.

"I have a proposition for you, Sheila. I've been in contact with Bob Jones, and he has provided seed capital for a business venture. He wants me to build an organization that can implement that project for him. They would be my first customer, and we can build the business from there."

"We?" repeated Sheila.

"I'd like you to come work for me. With me. I'd like you to be my partner. Equity ownership."

"I...I don't know what to say."

"The thing is, I know there is a need for us out there. In case you didn't know, Dick seems to be losing both clients and talented employees to his competitors. I guess not everyone bought his story about us. Anyway, the point is that we can build something, and possibly even screw Dick in the process."

"Oh my God," said Sheila with a smile. Emily put a hand on Sheila's shoulder. "Sis, if you don't say yes, I'm throwing your ass out on the street."

"In that case," said Sheila as she reached a hand out to Russ. "I'm in." They shook on it, and Russ left the two women, moving on to his next stop of the day.

"Wow," said Emily. "Wow, wow, wow!"

"I'm a little in shock," admitted Sheila.

"This is exactly what you needed, Sis. Ownership too? If only you had that with Dick."

"I have so much to do," exclaimed Sheila.

"There's only one question," quipped Emily. "Can you really work alongside Russ without dropping your drawers for him?" she giggled. "He is fucking hot!"

"I have in the past, Emily."

"You're a stronger woman than I am, Sis. I'll tell you that."

"You're a nut, Em," Sheila said with a chuckle.

**********

Russ and Sheila spent the next month building a team of people who immediately began working on the Jones account. They drew heavily on prior coworkers, drawing people from Dick's company as well as others that had already left. Dick was growing increasingly agitated that both employees and clients seemed to be leaving his company in droves. Russ was quite satisfied with the progress the team was making on the project, while Sheila had managed to close business on several new accounts and inked deals for a dozen annual maintenance contracts.

Russ found himself spending more and more time working on new business development with Sheila. Because of the nature of the business, the company didn't need to acquire office space. Russ considered it a wasteful expense, because most often employees were visiting client's sites. Staff members were more than happy to work remotely from home when not engaged with a client. Whenever they needed to have a large group meet together, they either met at Russ' Centerport home that overlooked the Long Island Sound, or they arranged space at a conference center.

Getting the business off the ground had consumed them both, leaving little time for anything else. Sheila was still living in Emily's home, but found herself spending less time there as the months went on. When they weren't traveling, Russ and Sheila worked out of his home. It was becoming increasingly common for Sheila to spend the night there instead of driving the forty minutes to Emily's house in Babylon. In fact, Sheila had taken over a closet in a spare bedroom, maintaining a small wardrobe and a bevy of personal items.

Emily quizzed Sheila on a daily basis about her relationship with Russ. In truth, she often found herself daydreaming as they worked, admiring the way he carried himself and moved about. He had a quiet confidence about him, but at the same time seemed humble and nearly clueless about his attractiveness, making him even more appealing to Sheila. When he looked at her, it was as if his eyes bored into her soul, and it made her panties melt. To her frustration, however, Russ remained a gentleman.

For his part, Russ was not immune to Sheila's charms. As time went on, he had found himself increasingly drawn to her. He'd watch her take off her glasses and lightly bite on the end of an arm when she was deep in thought, finding it adorable. In fact, Sheila had a number of quirks, and he found them all endearing. He spent far more time working than he ordinarily would have, because it afforded him the opportunity to spend time with her. As much as his feelings had grown for Sheila, he respected her enough to maintain distance between them. Of course, this was becoming an increasingly difficult task. During the evenings that Sheila stayed at his home, Russ often spent half the night staring at the ceiling, fighting his urges to go to her and wishing that Sheila would knock at his door.

On a night in mid-January, a winter storm had descended upon the area. Snow was piling up fast in near blizzard conditions, and it was clear that Sheila was spending the night at Russ' home. They were working on a proposal for a new customer when Russ cut the conversation short.