When I left Phil's office, I could hear snickers from my coworkers, like they knew what had happened. Maybe some of them had exerienced the same thing.

The rest of that day dragged on like a typical Monday. Tuesday, however is the day of the usual staff meeting. Of course, Rita sat at the head of the conference table. Most of the discussion was about the various projects that were being worked on. The boss lady actually smiled when things were running smoothly, and under budget. She was pleased with the work Peter had done since being hired to straighten out the mess left by his predicessor. She was also pleased with the work Laura has done as her assistant.

She also announced that she would be going to San Francisco next week for a conference; she would return the following Monday. While she was gone, Rick the Vice-President would be in charge, His word was her word. He would keep her abreast of everything.

Everybody knew about Rick; he could be just as draconian as Rita; some cases even worse. Normally he was in charge of the project managers,making sure each project was on time and under budget. If there was any slip-ups, he would crack the whip, mostly figuratively, but in some cases literally.

Before adjourning, she looked at Laura and announced that she and Peter would accompany her to San Francisco.

Then she frowned at Phil. "Get your fucking ass in my office!" He gulped, "Yes ma'am."