“Yes, it should,” he said, remembering what they were building.
Most of the government and many other companies would do just about anything to get their hands on something impenetrable, and he had amassed the people to make it. It hadbeen a decade-long hunt, but he’d finally assembled a team that could work magic.
With cyber threats from enemies, Benson felt it was not only his goal, but his duty to make something that would help other companies and the country.
“What is it going to take to get it done sooner?”
“Like I said, we’re working night and day, sir. If we had a few more coders, maybe we could do more shifts so my people could rest and then…”
He could be manipulated easily. People who saw only the good in others were susceptible to that. Joyce had told him a hundred times that if he felt like someone was doing it, they likely were, but she was also paranoid.
“Will three be enough? I still have the resumes of the people who came in second to all of you.”
Kurt lifted his face at last, and he actually smiled through his tears. “Sir, that’s very generous.”
“The bonuses will rise to five hundred thousand for each of your team and a million for you if you get this done by the end of next week.”
Kurt got up and groveled, “Sir…sir, this is…I can’t accept. I don’t want the bonus, as I haven’t earned it, but with the extra team members, we can get this done. I swear to you.”
Like anyone who did what he did, Kurt was a small guy, thin as hell and had the strangest hair, like a brown mop on his head, but he was sincere. Benson could see that.
“Thank you. Get to work, and the new team should be here soon.”
He watched Kurt leave the office on a much higher note than he’d entered, and as he suspected, the door didn’t fully close before Joyce was inside it. “What did you do?”
“I’m hiring three new members for the team.”
“Benson, that is a lot of paperwork, attorneys, NDAs, but…it’s necessary.”
Shocked, he laughed and asked, “You knew we needed them?”
“Yes, but he’d never ask. He’s on salary, and long hours, well…if they could have gotten it on their own, our bottom line looked better.”
Benson lost his smile immediately, and for once, the frown came naturally. “Joyce, that is not how I work, and you know that! Work/life balance is important to me.”
“And the finances are important to me.”
“Joyce, I know you have the best interests of the company in mind, but the people here mean more than the money. Don’t forget that again. If we need more employees, then we’ll get them. Do. You. Understand?”
She smiled sweetly. “That’s the boss we need around here. Yes, Benson, I will keep that in mind.”
She left, and he felt as if he’d been had. “That…woman. I think she was put on earth to make me crazy.”
The intercom came on, and it was Joyce, reminding him of their date. “Boss, we have those tickets to the play tonight.”
He stared out his window, which was actually the eastern wall of his office, and smiled again. “The play.” After pushing the intercom, he said, “Is my tan suit dry-cleaned?”
“No, I had your navy pin stripe done. The tan would clash with my dress.”
Of course. “Good thinking, Joyce. And before I forget, happy birthday.”
“Thanks, boss.”
He laughed, as he knew that when she called him boss, she was sucking up, but still in control.
The play was something they had both agreed on, and one of the few things. It was a new play, off-Broadway, but climbing the charts. The lead actor was one of the handsomest menBenson had ever seen, but his acting had reviewers falling over themselves to compliment him.
The rest of the cast was great too, at least from what he’d read online, and he had a friend that could get him backstage to meet them. The lead actor…it was rumored he was gay, though he wasn’t big enough to confirm or deny that, so he wanted to find out for himself.
