#sh:nico

Lilian: Chantal, there’s someone I’d like you to meet. This is my sister, Julianne.

Julianne: I just wanted to thank you for coming forward with all of the information you had. It really helped my case. Now that Ambrose is responsible for paying my medical bills, I’ll finally be able to continue my medical treatments. And the award for pain and suffering will make up for the income I lost after losing my job.

Chantal: It was the least I could do. I’m glad you and the other victims can finally move on and that Ambrose will be paying for what she’s done.

Lilian: If you need anything let me know. I hope I’ll see you around.

Chantal: Sure, see you!

[Ambrose and Nico approach Chantal. David starts to walk towards them, but Solomon stops him]

Solomon: She can handle this.

Ambrose: You! You sneaky little rat! You were supposed to be on my side. You’ll pay for this, Chantel!

Chantal: My name is Chantal! And from what I hear, I think you’re the one who’ll be paying. I do want to thank you, though. I did learn a lot from you about how not to run a business. 

Chantal: [turns to Nico] And Nico, I want to thank you for teaching me what kind of man I don’t want. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a lot of big plans I need to focus on, and I’m not letting either of you stand in my way.

Chantal: [continues] Oh, and if you contact me again, you’ll be hearing from my lawyer.

David: We’re so proud of you honey!

Solomon: You did the right thing, and it really paid off.

Chantal: Yeah, I’m just glad some good came from this whole situation. This whole thing made me realize that I do have some trauma from my upbringing that I need to address. I’ve always tried to ignore it, but I think it’s time I started therapy.

David: I think that’s a great idea.

Solomon: I hope you feel more comfortable coming to us with your problems. 

Chantal: I do! Thanks for being there for me today...and every day.

Lilian: Thanks for getting those documents for me. The lawyer says it should be an open shut case. Have you talked to him yet?

Chantal: Yeah, I’m meeting with him next week. I’m a little nervous about it though. I’ve never dealt with the legal system before.

Lilian: Yeah, it’s stressful for sure. I hope you have a good support system to help you through all of this.

Chantal: My family is great, but I haven’t told them about everything yet. I wanted to handle it myself, but I’m just so overwhelmed.

Lilian: Well, maybe you should reach out to them. I’m sure they wouldn’t want you to go through this alone. I’d walk through fire for my family, I’m sure yours would do the same.

Chantal: They would. I’ll talk to my dads and see if they can come with me to the lawyer’s office.

Lilian: I think that’s a great idea! 

Nico: Hey, Chantal, can you come with me for a minute?

Chantal: Uh, sure.

[Nico leads Chantal to Ambrose’s office]

Ambrose: Good morning, Chantel. There’s something I'd like to discuss with you.

Chantal: Yes, of course. What do you need?

Ambrose: Well, I’m sure you’re aware of the nasty rumors a certain someone has been spreading about me.

Chantal: Oh, yeah, I’ve heard a little about it. I can’t believe someone would say such awful things.

Ambrose: It really is a shame. We used to be so close, but jealousy is an ugly monster. Anyway, it seems Kayla’s accusations have inspired some money grabbers to take advantage of the rumors and make some false accusations about the quality of my products.

Chantal: Oh, that’s terrible!

Ambrose: Indeed it is, and some of them have even brought lawyers to the matter. A shame for them since I can afford much better counsel, but you can understand I want to be prepared.

Chantal: Of course, do you need me to help in some way?

Ambrose: Oh, Chantel, you’re really such a doll! I actually could use some help. I’m very concerned about how all of this will affect my reputation, as you can imagine. I’m sure I’ll win the case, but the better I come off during the trial, the better chance I have of overcoming these vicious lies. I just need a few people to vouch for me on the stand and tell the jury that I’m not capable of such things. 

Chantal: Sure, whatever you need. I’ve learned a lot about you since working here, and I’m sure I know just what to say to sway public opinion in the right direction.

Ambrose: That’s great to hear Chantel! There are likely to be a lot of accusations thrown about, and you know how tricky those lawyers are. Sometimes you want to be honest, but they have a way of making the truth sound much more insidious than it is.

Nico: We need to know that no one’s revealing anything that could be misconstrued, whether it’s truthful or not. Some things are better left unsaid, you know? 

Chantal: Yeah, confirming something that makes the company look bad could really affect the outcome of the trial.

Nico: I’m glad you understand. It would be unfortunate if things at this company didn’t work out for you. It’s such a good opportunity. 

Ambrose: Yes, and especially after all the business about the review you wrote. It would be quite a task to get hired somewhere else after that. Not many people would be willing to overlook such an egregious mistake.

Chantal: I thought you said that the review would be forgotten about and everyone would move on?

Nico: That was before this became a legal issue. The stakes have certainly been raised now, wouldn’t you agree?

Ambrose: Yes, that sort of information could be advantageous in certain situations where blame needs to be placed on someone. Do you understand what I’m getting at?

Chantal: I think I do.

Ambrose: Then I can count on you to do the right thing here?

Chantal: Absolutely.

[Chantal is looking at her phone]

Chantal: Oh, shit!

Chantal: Hey, Nico, I’m glad I caught you before you left for the day. 

Nico: Hi, Chantal. Is everything ok?

Chantal: Um, no, actually. My review got published.

Nico: Oh no! That should’ve been handled. How long has it been up?

Chantal: Hours, I think.

Nico: God. Well, I think if we delete it now, we should get ahead of any potential downfall. After all, the product has been out for months now and not much has come of it. Maybe there was just a bad batch.

Chantal: Actually, I have some bad news. Someone took a screenshot of the review and has been posting it all over social media. They’re calling Ambrose a grifter.

Nico: Shit. Well that’s going to be a lot harder to mitigate. We can’t delete someone else’s posts. I’ll have to see if anyone on my team can stay late and help me come up with a distraction.

Chantal: I’m sorry, I feel like this is my fault. I knew I shouldn’t have written that review without trying the product myself. I–

Nico: Hey, hey, hey. None of this is your fault. You did what was asked of you, and you came to me as soon as you realized there was a problem. Someone else dropped the ball here, not you.

Chantal: Yeah, but it’s my name on the article. I’m getting comments on my social media calling me a corporate shill. What am I gonna do?

Nico: That’s for me to worry about. Look, I know this seems like a big deal to you, but I promise it’s nothing I can’t handle. That’s part of my job, putting out small fires before they get out of control. 

Chantal: You’re right, I should trust that you know what you’re doing. Thanks for all of your encouragement.

Nico: [laughing] You do! You’re smarter than I was in college, that’s for sure. 

Chantal: Thanks! Maybe I could stay and help out, if you want.

Nico: I'd like that.

[Nico gazes at Chantal for a few seconds, looking like he wants to say something]

Chantal: What is it?

Nico: It's just…every time I look at you, I just start thinking about our kiss. I guess some fires are a little harder to control. [clearing his throat] Well, I'll see who else is available for a late shift and check in with you later.

Chantal: Sure. See you later.

Nico: Thanks for offering to stay late and help out, Chantal. We need all the help we can get right now but unfortunately, some of the people on my team aren’t what you’d call team players.

Chantal: No problem! Thanks again for helping calm me down earlier. You were right, I was blowing things out of proportion. The nasty comments have already died down a lot.

Nico: What did I tell you? Trust me, I do know what I’m doing. I wouldn’t lead you astray, would I?

Chantal: Of course not. I guess I just have a lot to learn about how all of this works. 

Nico: It’s not intuitive, that’s for sure. You’re quite intelligent; I’m sure in time you’ll become more savvy to the ins and outs of the business world.

Chantal: I’ll definitely try! I’m glad to have the opportunity to work on something besides the reviews and broaden my skill set.

Nico: Well, I appreciate it. I know Ambrose does, too. She has her hands full with trying to stop production on the lubes that have been causing the reactions, as well as finding out what caused the reactions in the first place. As for me, I’m trying to shift the focus off of the lubes and onto some of our tried and true products. I’d like to take a more subtle approach than what the reviews were doing. Do you have any suggestions?

Chantal: Hmm, maybe you could write some articles that highlight some of the ingredients you use and how they’re sourced so you can show people that they’re trustworthy? 

Nico: I like that idea. It could show that the lube issue is just an isolated incident. I’ll gather a list of ingredients I’d like to highlight and we can start by researching potential benefits. If all goes well, you can get started with the articles tonight.

Chantal: You want me to write them? Really?

Nico: Sure, it was your idea! Of course, they’ll need to be approved like the reviews were, but I think you can handle it. Well, let’s get started. I’m sure neither of us want to be here all night. 

[A couple of hours later]

Nico: Great work so far! I think we might be able to pull this off.

Chantal: Thanks again for giving me the opportunity. I’m really learning a lot here. I’m really glad I took this job.

Nico: I’m glad you took this job, too. [Nico pauses] Damn. I wish I could get you out of my head. I’m going to get myself into trouble.

Chantal: I can’t get you out of my head, either.

Nico: God, you’re gorgeous. You better stop me before I make a mistake here.

Chantal: I don’t want you to stop.

[Nico and Chantal start kissing, and it appears that an unidentified person who's on their way downstairs may have caught a glimpse of the pair in action. Unaware of the prying eyes, Nico and Chantal continue, and end up having s*x a good time on Nico's desk.]

[Chantal is in the hall at work. Suddenly yelling is heard near Ambrose’s office. A crowd starts to gather and murmur]

Ambrose: That underhanded, conniving little bitch! I'm going to ruin her!

Chantal: [to co-worker] Lilian, what’s going on?

Lilian: Oh, you didn’t hear? Kayla Flemming went off on Ambrose in an interview. It's all over the internet.

Chantal: The fitness influencer? They know each other?

Lilian: Yeah, according to Kayla she and Ambrose started this company together, but Ambrose backstabbed her and kicked her out. She said Ambrose turned it into some “woo woo bullshit” and said she’s unethical…she really dragged her about it.

Chantal: Wow, no wonder Ambrose is upset. 

Lilian: [lowers voice] You don’t think it could be true, do you? I mean, Kayla’s saying Ambrose is cutting corners to save money. I would hate to find out that’s what kind of company we’re working for, wouldn't you?

Chantal: Yeah, hopefully it's just a personal grudge.

Lilian: I'd rather do more than just hope.

Ambrose: [yelling] Nico, do something about this. You know better than anyone what a vicious little snake she can be!

Nico: I'm on it.

[Chantal sees Nico heading to his office and follows behind him]

Chantal: I'll talk to you later, Lilian.

Chantal: Hey Nico, I--

Nico: It’s not a good time, Chantal.

Chantal: I know, I’m sorry. It'll just take a minute. I heard about what happened and I was wondering…well, I don’t need to be worried, do I? What Kayla’s saying isn’t true, right?

Nico: Look, let’s just say I wouldn’t put too much stock into anything Kayla says. Jealousy is an ugly trait. She’s just bitter because the company is succeeding and she can’t get any of her projects off the ground. That’s all this is.

Chantal: If you’re sure. She was throwing some pretty big accusations around, so–

Nico: Chantal, you’re obviously well educated, but the thing about academia is that it doesn’t account for more...practical matters. You have a lot of opinions for someone who still has a lot to learn here. Trust me, I know more about this situation than you do.

Chantal: Of course you do, I wasn't trying to say you don't know what you're doing.

Nico: [sighs] Hey, come here. Don't be sad, beautiful. You know I didn't say that to be hurtful. I just see a lot of potential in you and I don’t want you to waste it. 

Chantal: It's ok. Thanks for being so willing to teach me about this stuff.

Nico: No problem. Well, I have to figure out how to deflect all of this. Do you mind taking care of a few things for me? It would help a lot.

Chantal: Sure, whatever you need.

Nico: Thanks, you’re the best!

[Lilian watches Nico and Chantal intently from the hallway]

Johnny: What’s going on? You seem a little stressed.

Chantal: I’m itching. It’s that stupid lube.

Johnny: Uh, ok, that’s a little more information than I needed.

Chantal: I didn’t put it there. I had to write some reviews for some of SNOOT’s sexual health products, so I tested one of the lubes on my wrist to see if it seemed ok. But now my skin is all inflamed.

Johnny: Gross, are you allergic to it or something?

Chantal: I don’t know. I don’t usually have sensitive skin, and this seems different somehow. It’s almost like a burn.

Johnny: Weird! What’s in that stuff anyway?

Chantal: Here’s the bottle. I should’ve known Ambrose would be putting weird shit in her products.

Johnny: [reading on his phone] Uh oh. Looks like you’re not the only one having this problem. Listen to this review: “They should call this Satan’s Lube because my cooch is burning like hellfire.”

Chantal: Are you serious? Let me see! Oh, God. [reading] “This stuff gave me a bad chemical burn. My sex life is ruined!” What the hell? This is terrible! I can’t put my name on a positive review of something like this. I’ve gotta call my boss.

Johnny: Did they post your review already? 

Chantal: No, I sent it in for approval a little bit ago. Hopefully he sees where I’m coming from.

Johnny: Writing reviews for the company you work for seems sketchy anyhow. Have you asked your boss about doing something different?

Chantal: Not yet. He’s been pretty receptive to my ideas so far, but I don’t want to be too pushy.

Johnny: You don’t want to be pushy? You spent our entire childhood telling all of our teachers that their classroom management skills sucked and explaining how to run their classrooms for maximum efficiency.

Chantal: Well, this is different. If I play my cards right, I could be at this company for a long time. I want to make an impression, but I also have to know my place.

Johnny: Wait, your boss isn’t the guy that you have a thing with, right?

Chantal: I don't have a thing with him. We’re keeping it professional. Why does that matter anyway?

Johnny: I don’t know. I just hope you’re not doing the “cool girl” thing where you’re being overly agreeable so a guy will like you. That’s some dumb shit that Mom would tell you to do.

Chantal: That’s not what I’m doing. I just want to be a good employee. Besides, I don’t think being agreeable is a bad thing. A lot of guys get intimidated when they see how driven I am. Maybe I need a softer approach.

Johnny: That’s because those guys think they’re “alphas” and can’t stand the idea of a woman being independent and successful. You don't want that type of guy anyway.

Chantal: Oh, I didn’t realize I was talking to the World’s Best Male Feminist. You’re reading way too much into this. All I’m saying is it’s good to have a little balance. Why don't you go hang out with your girlfriend or something?

Johnny: Ok, I’ll go see my girlfriend that I respect as my equal. I hope playing it cool with your very professional boss works out for you.

Chantal: Oh, don’t worry, it will. Jackass!

Johnny: Love you, sis!

Chantal: Love you more, bubs!

[Chantal calls Nico]

Chantal: Hi Nico, I’m sorry to bother you, but I need to talk about my latest review.

Nico: Sure, Chantal. I just got it approved for publishing. What’s up?

Chantal: Well, I and a lot of other people experienced some unpleasant skin issues after using the Come Together couples lube set. I just figured Ambrose would want to look into the issue before any positive reviews are published. It wouldn’t be a good look for the company if something turns out to be wrong with the product, you know?

Nico: You’re right about that! Thanks for letting me know, Chantal. I’ll reach out to Ambrose so she can find out what’s going on and I’ll make sure the review doesn’t get published. Good looking out!

Chantal: Anytime!

[As Chantal makes her way to Nico's office, she overhears him talking to Ambrose about Kayla Flemming. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she stops to listen]

Ambrose: This whole thing has just been an absolute nightmare. I knew that bitch would become a thorn in my side at some point.

Nico: Well you can’t expect classy behavior from low-class individuals like Kayla.

Ambrose: I don’t see how you dated her for so long. 

Nico: Me either. Well, she did pretty much anything I asked. Until she started getting mouthy with me. I lost interest really quick after that.

Ambrose: Well, you dodged a bullet. So, what the fuck do we do?

Nico: I don’t know, I’m kind of at a loss. How did she even find out?

Ambrose: That’s what I’d like to know. The way she was talking, she has to know something. 

Nico: Maybe she has someone on the inside.

Ambrose: I wouldn’t put it past her. I’m just worried this will escalate to an official inspection. We’re not prepared for that. We need to make sure no one finds out that the ingredients don’t match what’s on the label. I knew we should’ve stuck with the old seller. He was a bit pricier, but at least his shit didn’t cause reactions.

Nico: Well, I gathered all the documentation I could find for any purchases that could arouse suspicion. Unfortunately I'll have to wait until the paper shredder gets repaired before I can dispose of them, which won't be until next week. 

Ambrose: We should be ok until then. You have them secured, right?

Nico: They’re locked in my desk drawer. No one has a reason to go in there, so it should be fine.

Ambrose: Good. Well, if we’re shredding documents, they’ll need to be replaced with something. If an inspector comes, we need to have something to show them. 

Nico: Already on it. I have Chantal writing some receipts for me.

Ambrose: The social media girl? What did you tell her?

Nico: Oh, I just said the originals were damaged and I needed them rewritten for tax purposes. You know, she reminds me of how Kayla was when we first met. Believes anything I say and does whatever I ask. It’s been fun.

Ambrose: Ugh, you’re not fucking her, are you?

Nico: [laughs] You know me too well. Don’t worry though, I’ll be done with her soon. I’m already getting bored.

Ambrose:  I really wish you’d stop fucking around with these college students. I know we don’t keep them for long, but it’s going to come back and bite you in the ass one day.  We don’t need to worry about this one, do we?

Nico: She does ask a lot of questions, but I just have to give her the puppy dog eyes and flatter her a bit. Then she's eating right out of my hand.

Ambrose: Hmm, we could use her as a scapegoat. She’s already on everyone’s radar after that whole review business went down. It would be easy to deflect some of the blame onto her somehow.

Nico: I thought about that, but I do need her. Like I said, she does whatever I ask, and she is good at the job. I’ve had her doing work that’s way above her pay grade for a while now and she’s none the wiser. Saves us from hiring some graduate who expects a high salary.

Ambrose: I guess if you need her we’ll have to think of something else then. 

[We see Chantal heading towards the exit looking upset. She makes a text]

Chantal: [texting] Hey, it’s Chantal. I think I’m ready to meet with you now.

Upon arriving at the bar, Chantal greeted Nico and ordered a drink, hoping the alcohol would help dissipate some of the nervous energy surging through her body. As predicted, the bartender didn't bother asking her for ID.

For a brief moment, Chantal questioned if it was really a good idea to go out for drinks with her boss. She quickly pushed the thought away. It wasn't really like her to make risky decisions without thinking of the consequences, but tonight she didn't feel like being cautious.

Nico was unlike anyone Chantal had met before. She was never interested in the boys she met in high school; she found them immature and unsophisticated. But Nico? He was a man with a successful career and unwavering confidence. He was intelligent, attractive, kind, and above all else, he liked her.

The drinks continued to flow and Chantal and Nico made their way to the dance floor. They kept getting closer and closer, until their fingers intertwined and she could feel his breath warming her skin.

Before long, Chantal's back was up against the wall, with Nico's body pressing into her body and his lips lingering close to her lips. Despite her efforts she still felt nervous, intimidated even; she tried her best to push the feeling away and just enjoy the moment.

Nico: I have a feeling this is a bad idea.

Chantal: I don't care.

Nico: Fuck it.

[Nico and Chantal kiss]