First story! Please let me know what you think.
Randy's little problem A conservative patriarch gets his comeuppance by becoming the human test subject for the project he tried to shut down.
Chapter 1
“That fucking bitch!” Randy exclaimed, as he shut the door to his office. His face burned red from embarrassment after the recent meeting to discuss Dr. Amy Dressler’s ongoing project. He sat down quickly and put his elbows down on the desk, tying his hands around his head to calm down.
Randy Covax is the chief financial officer for Pharmexa, a company that rose to success after the marketing of Andromax, an erectile dysfunction medication that increased physical sensation in addition to blood flow to the penis, making it the companies’ flagship medication.
Ever since then, Pharmexa has been looking for the next big project to invest in for when Andromax’s patent runs out. That’s where Dr. Dressler came in to the picture three years ago.
Amy Dressler was a fresh graduate from medical school, uninterested in the common monotony of clinic work or even “helping” people in any sense of the word. Her residency had been a bore for her, and while she did graduate, an ongoing comment was that her bedside manner left much to be desired. That’s when she set her sights on pharmaceutical research.
Her side project while in med school had been researching cellular growth and decay, trying to understand the process of aging, and how it could possibly be reversed. A bunch of bullshit, Randy had thought to himself when Dr. Dressler made her introductory pitch to them. If it were truly up to him, she would have never set foot back in there. But the CEO and shareholders were practically wetting themselves over her.
Over the last three years, Pharmexa had committed three billion dollars to Dr. Dressler’s research, with semi-annual meetings that all seemed to have a rotation of excuses for why there was no progress. During the meeting today, Randy had had enough of them.
“Dr. Dressler, with all due respect, we have given you three years to give us some kind of conclusive animal trials on this ‘miracle youth drug’ that you promised, but there always seems to be some reason why there haven’t been any kind of positive results.”
“And with all due respect to you, Mr. Covax, I would hope that someone who works in pharmaceuticals would understand that substantial progresses in humanities’ future takes much longer than three years. Not all drugs can be as simple as erectile medication.” This earned her a chuckle from the rest of the audience.
As can be expected, Randy and Dr. Dressler had clashed from the moment the company agreed to fund her research. Randy had disliked her willfulness and arrogance, and Amy had no problem making jokes at the expense of Randy’s conservative and religious leanings.
“You know, Dr. Dressler, I only have this company’s best interests in mind. It seems to me like this project is less about improving our return, and more about your own *ahem* vanity?”
“Oh, so you seem to think that this is all about benefitting me, Mr. Covax? If you want to know a benefit to yourself, why don’t we let your wife be the first to try it out? That way, she’ll be young enough to keep popping out those good Christian soldiers for you.” Randy was at a loss for words when the audience burst out in laughter.
“Who does that bitch think she is, insulting me and my family like that?” Randy fumed, as he went to grab his coat. “My wife may not be as educated, or have a fancy job, but she has ten times as much class as that cow!”
Randy did have to pause a bit to contemplate that sentence. While he loved his wife Carol, there was no doubt in his mind that if one were to compare the two women, Amy Dressler was not the one that people who call a ‘cow’. At 5’8, between her long legs and slim figure, most men would desire the young, but strong-willed brunette.
She was not a woman who let herself go hiding in her lab, either. Amy always liked to make sure that her hair was curled, her make-up immaculate, and her stockings flawless. Not even so much to attract men, as she seemed to spurn all advances. Randy had to wonder whether it was an intimidation tactic more than anything.
His wife, on the other hand, had no reason for intimidation. Raised in a proper, Christian home, Carol had always deferred to Randy’s wishes. If only her body would, Randy thought to himself. Carol had provided him with five children, each pregnancy leaving her slightly fatter than before. It left her with a wide rump, stretching the confines of the jeans at Lane Bryant while her belly formed a muffin top that would peek out if her tops were too short.
Not that she had to worry about that very often. Barely 5’2, his wife was not an imposing woman. At almost a foot taller than his wife, Randy found it easy to intimidate her into doing what he wanted. They even liked to make a little game of it, or at least Randy did.
He was so angry, that he was just going to leave early today. As he was walking towards the door, his secretary Melanie came in the door. She was so surprised that she almost spilled the coffee that she was carrying on him.
“Sorry there, Mr. Covax, I’m here with your 2 pm coffee.” Melanie said quickly, with her head down. She must have heard him ranting in his office, Randy realized as he smiled sheepishly. “I’m taking off for the day, Melanie, but I will take the coffee. Thank you.”
As he walked off, and took the first sip, Melanie started to feel guilty for what she had done. She had a definite feeling that what Dr. Dressler handed her was not the Splenda that Randy normally takes in his drink. She walked out of his office, and sat back down at her computer. “Oh, and Melanie, please have those reports on my desk by Monday”, Randy said as he approached her desk.
“Will do, Sir”. Melanie chirped. Randy took another sip, and glanced at her screensaver. “Is that, uh, you and a friend there?” Melanie was a bit crestfallen that Randy paid so little attention.
“Oh, that’s me and my partner, Jodi. We’ve been seeing each other for almost eighteen months now.” Randy looked a bit uncomfortable, but decided to offer his best advice in this awkward situation.
“Well, a nice and pretty girl like you will find the right husband some day”. Melanie wasn’t even sure that he registered the offended look on her face as he strolled out of the office, coffee cup in hand. All of a sudden, she didn’t feel guilty at all.