She originally planned to take a 5:30 p.m. conference call, but rescheduled it when he told her that he needed her home by 6:00 p.m. He said that he had something “special” planned for her. The important call had taken two weeks to arrange, as it included several directors from agencies across the Northeast. She hated having to reschedule, but she knew better than to tell him “No” once he made it clear that he had made plans. She wasn’t exactly sure how things had gotten to this point, but she did the best she could give their dynamic. She worked it out so that the call would take place in the morning and now sat at her desk tapping her fingers, working out a plan. She could leave early, but her nerves were rattled and she was delaying the inevitable. She’d learned the hard was that with him, “special” didn’t always mean “good”. She didn’t allow herself to fall into memories of not-so-great times, so she turned her attention back to work.She finished sending off the emails she needed to get out in preparation for the conference call and, after another fifteen minutes or so, began to gather her belongings.
