His expression darkened with concern.
“Um, no, not really. Is there something you’re not telling me Gabe?”
I shook my head. “No. Not at all. It’s just that this a critical time for the company and I need people I can trust without question to keep the work on track. That’s it.”
Andrew nodded. “Well, okay, but why me? Why not Colin? It’s his lab, his team.”
As he spoke, I interlocked my fingers on the desk in front of me. “True. But Colin’s gonna be buried deep here soon with other work surrounding the project. And anyway, you’re not a substitute for Colin, Andrew, you’re my first choice here. Okay?”
Andrew considered my request in silence for a moment or two before he started to nod.
“Um yeah, okay Gabe, sure. Whatever you need. What did you have in mind?”
I smiled as he agreed with my request.
“It’s real simple. If anything unusual happens in the lab, I need you to let me know.”
“Unusual how? What do you mean?”
“Um, anything out of the ordinary that’s not directly related to work on the project. For example, like Fiona’s fainting episode. Strange behavior, gossip, what have you. It's for the good of the project and if we’ve got any instability in the team, it needs to be dealt with right away. I’ve got something I’m going to be discussing with everyone later. Bottom line is it could create in a change in team dynamics and if it does in a way that’s harmful, I need to know about it.”
As I finished elaborating, he remained quiet for a second or two before speaking.
“That’s a bit mysterious but um, okay, not a problem, Gabe,” he said at last. “You can count on me.”
Unlocking my fingers from each other, I placed my palms flat on the desk and a moment later, pushed myself into a standing position. I extended my hand towards his shaking it with a firm grasp.
“Excellent, Andrew. Excellent.”
A few hours after my talk with him, I summoned the lab team to the conference room for the meeting I’d mentioned to Andrew earlier. I had a notion about how to get more productivity out of them and ease Fiona out of her comfort zone a bit. If my hunch about her was correct, I sensed she'd rise to my planned challenge with enthusiasm. And so it was I stood before them at the head of the conference room later that day. Rubbing my hands back and forth with an easy rhythm, I began to speak.
“Before I get to the details of why I’ve gathered all of you here, I just want to tell you how pleased I am with the progress you’ve made on the Link Protocol so far. That said, I’ve been through similar fund raising efforts in the past. Time seems to have a knack for getting away from you when it’s needed most and even though we’re doing well, there's room for improvement. In short, things have got to move more quickly.”
I paused for a moment to gauge them for any immediate reaction. Seeing none, I continued, as I was sure what came next would get one.
“So, what I’m proposing is an idea I believe will enable us to achieve our goals much sooner and… have a bit of fun in the process. In short, I'd like to hold a competition among you. The winner of this contest will receive a significant prize. I intend to create a new position, Director of Lab Research, which the winner will assume. In this role, you will report directly to me and be involved in the company’s future projects in addition to key lab initiatives. In essence, along with me, you will be integral in shaping the direction of Hawkins Biotech. It’s an incredibly exciting opportunity for whoever gets it. Not to mention a dramatic increase in your salary.”
I paused once more and glanced around. Expressions changed as I did. Postures shifted to attention as they started to lean forward in their seats in unison.
“I know this is the first you are hearing of my plan. Anyone have questions so far?”
Amanda raised her hand.
“Go ahead,” I said, nodding in her direction.
“Gabe, how will our performance be evaluated? After all, no two of us are working on the same aspect of the project.”
“Excellent question, Amanda.” Before I answered her, I spent a moment looking around the table. “Anyone have a similar concern?”
Within a second or two, most everyone nodded their head.
“All right then. Well, the answer is simple. Each of you will have key performance metrics specific to your role in the project upon which you will be evaluated. Whichever one of you shows the most improvement in the shortest time frame possible will be the winner. In this way, the playing field is leveled, since each of you are measured by your individual accomplishments.”
As I finished, I fixed my face in an expectant gaze. “Any other questions?”
For a few seconds, I glanced around the table at them. After it became clear there weren’t any more, I began to wrap things up.
“Very well, I’ll get with Colin on the timeframe. Beyond that, I’ll leave it to him to set your individual benchmarks. Remember, this is about speed and efficiency. I realize it’s not the ideal pathway to good science but we’re under the gun right now and we need some big jumps in progress. All right then, everyone, good luck. Let's get to work.”
As I finished speaking, the assembled group began to stand from the conference table and exit the room. I remained at the head of it, giving nods of encouragement to the passersby until Fiona approached.
“Fiona,” I said as I gestured with my head for her to follow me. “A word.”
After we’d gotten out of earshot, I turned and looked at her. With fingers half-covered in her lab coat, Fiona stood before me clutching her planner at the waist. Her blond hair wrapped around her face, partially concealing her blue eyes beneath a few wayward strands. Perfect lips tinted with a rose-colored blush stood in stark contrast to her flawless, milky skin.
“Yes? What did you want to tell me?” she said after a few moments.
Even in a room half-filled with people, I couldn’t stop it from happening. For another moment, I stared at her, my jaw flexing as I battled a sudden urge. Out of nowhere an instinct rose up inside of me.
Tell her? What did I want to tell her? I didn’t want to tell her anything.
No.
What I wanted to do to her didn’t involve words unless grunting was considered a language. Speaking was the last thing on my mind all of a sudden. Because in that instant, I wanted to grab her, throw her down on the conference room table, spread her legs and…
Easy Gabe. Easy bud.
Of course, I didn’t.
Instead, I raised my hand to my face, dragging it across my lips as I beat my carnal self into submission. Once I had it controlled, I spoke.
“Yes, Fiona. There is something I wanted to say to you.”
Her expression changed only a little as she looked at me. It became plain enough to see my desires went undetected, for now.
“Okay,” she said as she shifted position a bit. Sliding her fingers through her hair, she tucked it behind her ears. “What was it?”
I swallowed as her neck came into view. Inhaling, I looked away from it and back towards her eyes. “Simply put. I expect you to win this competition.”
“You… do?”
“Yes, absolutely. In fact, anything less would be a huge disappointment to me.”