Office Conflict: Part 1 - Monday
#1 of Office Conflict
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This story involves harsh language and suggestive sexual themes, if you are not comfortable with such themes in your reading please leave this page now. Further themes will be explored in later chapters.
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Monday
"This just isn't good enough James; you're supposed to be on top of your team and dealing with these situations!" Lisa barked down at wolf that looked utterly unsure of why he was being shouted at. She looked massively over bearing; an Alaskan Malamute Husky with a dark brown face and hair with creamy white fur at her cheeks that extended down her neck and back, leaving her paws and chest the same dark brown. Her eyes though soft brown in colour were stern and locked to the Timber Wolf, pinning him in his chair. Lisa was only a little over five and a half feet tall but wore four inch heels to give her a more commanding presence among her co-workers. She looked like a true professional office worker - pristine suit and perfectly groomed.
James just blinked as he processed the full one-sided conversation they had just had. It all sounded a wrong note in him, and not for the first time. "This isn't my team's area Lisa; I thought we covered this already."
"Don't get snippy with me Mister Leonard. Just get it done now!" Lisa growled then made a big show of storming back to her office.
After he heard her office door close; James threw her pen full force against his desk, shattering the plastic biro. The top of another co-worker's head slowly appeared over the top of James' cubical. "I swear she tries to wind you up on purpose." Came the hushed words of Dave; James' work mate, a Weasel who had worked with him for three years.
"I know." James growled deeply, causing others near by to whisper and mutter their concerns quietly among one another. "I've put up with this shit for eight months. Enough is enough!" James steadied himself and calmed his temper; he would save that for later. Now he just had to make things happen. "Dave can you start reordering that report and get me a draft before the end of the day?"
"Already started. The Ice-Queen barely mentioned it and I thought I'd take the heat off you."
James let a brief sigh of relief escape his muzzle. "Dave, you are a life saver." He said gratefully. Without another word Dave continued his work as James worked things through in his head. He opened his drawer and looked at an envelope that had been sitting there for several weeks.
James had not long turned thirty and was an I.T. Developer for a large company, but his new sector manager just seemed to have it in for him; he just didn't know why. The Timber wolf sat in deep thought as his tail slowly swayed from side to side. His short soft grey hair had recently started to turn sliver in places with the stress he was under. His once energetic hazel eyes had turned somewhat dull and tired as well; life just wasn't what it was after the 'Ice-Queen' Lisa Snow had arrived.
* * *
Lisa sighed contentedly and flicked her long dark brown hair as she sat in her comfy leather chair. She felt a little bad inside after tormenting James yet again; she knew full well both he and his team had nothing to do with the incident in hand, but she knew he could handle it. More than that, she had never been sure how to approach him on a more personal level. He was easy enough to get on with; he just seemed to have a barrier that Lisa found hard to break through. It wasn't as if she hadn't tried; she had made a deliberate effort to show off her more feminine side when she had first joined as the new sector manager. She certainly had the body to show off for it; she wasn't a slender female by any measure, but her well rounded hips, flat stomach and heavy bosom had definitely turned a few heads. The only connection she seemed to be able to make was when she was showing off her authority. She didn't like winding the Timber Wolf up in truth, but she just relished the chance day after day to be near him.
The remainder of the work day passed uneventfully, reports were filed, invoices sent, phone calls made. Just before five o'clock in the evening Lisa was disturbed by a knock on her office door. "Come in." she said flatly, to retain her air of control. James entered her office, a grizzly look on his face as he closed the door and stepped up to Lisa's desk. "Yes James? I got the new report through form you. Was there something you wanted to discuss about it?" There was a brief moment of silence as James' eyes narrowed and he flicked an envelope onto Lisa's desk. She blinked and then looked back up at the Wolf. "What's this?"
"That's my letter of resignation Lisa, I'm done here. You have a month to find a replacement. I'll finish off my current projects and prep Dave to take the initial work load while my replacement gets up to speed." His tone was dry and lacking in any real care.
Lisa's jaw dropped as he spoke and after a few seconds she got up pressing her paws over the closed envelope. "Now wait a minute James, can't we discuss this first?"
"What is there to discuss exactly? You've driven me to my wits end with your constant bitching about problems and issues that have nothing to do with either my team or myself." He paused for a moment to let his words sink in. Lisa was about to respond when James started again and raised his voice a little even though most of the other workers had already begun to leave. "I am tired of the stress you heap on me for no reason at all, and your bullying management tactics are only keeping everyone else on edge, not just me. The other teams are wondering who's going to be singled out for your exclusive treatment next."
Lisa had to butt in. "Hold it right there James. I know I can be a little harsh from time to time but I need to keep us moving forward. I keep the pressure on so we can stay ahead."
"And yet all you do is slow me down!" James growled in a low and sinister tone.
Lisa gave a worried sigh and for the first time since she had met James began to plead for him to stay. "James, can we talk about this? There's got to be a way to resolve this without you walking out."
James' gaze became pin sharp as he stared at his boss with venomous eyes. "Short of you resigning; I don't see it." He growled deeply then a smirk crossed his muzzle. "Or how about I tie you down and fuck you up the ass, then we'll talk about it."
Lisa gasped in shock; James never spoke like that in front of any senior management or executive, he had always remained perfectly composed and professional. She suddenly realized the last few months had been more than a little hard on the Wolf. She tried to find the words to say but he had caught her completely off guard and she suddenly seemed very vulnerable.
With a suppressed smile of triumph James turned around and headed to the door "You think about it Lisa, I'll be back same time tomorrow. Just do yourself a favour and keep out of the way tomorrow, it's busy enough without your interfering."
The door clicked shut shortly after James left her office and Lisa was left with a sudden sense of panic. James was no dullard and had likely prepared a report for the senior management and executives that he had either already sent or was keeping in the event their talk had broken down. How would she explain her actions? The thought troubled her as she looked at the envelope again before swiftly hiding it in her desk.
She trembled as she thought about the possible outcomes of the situations, but she couldn't help but feel a little pang of excitement rush through her for the briefest moment at the thought of him enacting his sexual threat. She was party disgusted and also enthralled at the idea; but he'd never do it, not after such harsh words. Would he?
Lisa sat alone in her office and turned her attention to resolving the problem as swiftly as possible before it became common knowledge. Her personal thoughts sidelined as she began to dwell on the problem.