"I'm sorry, Aaron," Evelyn Chamberlain said, looking up from her work. Her narrow, Asian eyes were hidden in the reflective glare in her glasses. "That kind of access is very restricted."
I grimaced. I had not expected anything more out of this request. As the head of IT for our office, Evelyn was a stickler for procedure and strict adherence to rules.
"I understand that, Evelyn," I replied. "Believe me, I do. But this is a project I am working on for Jack Warren."
"Well," Evelyn said, seeming to reconsider. "If Jack signs off on it, I suppose I could give you some temporary administrative access, but that's about the best I can do. With all the concerns about identity theft and the personal information we keep on our database, the board of directors is pretty insistent about security protocols."
I shook my head. "That's not going to work," I muttered. "Jack is gone on another one of his retreats overseas, and he wanted this done by the time he got back next week. Come on, Evelyn, you know me. I am not a dishonest person, and I know all the procedures to make sure that our information stays secure."
"It's out of my hands," she said, but I could tell I was getting to her. Her small frame shifted uncomfortably in her chair, and she set her eyes back on her monitor. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have a lot of work to do."
"This is my only shot, Evelyn," I said, desperate.
"What?" she asked puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"If I don't get this done for Jack, I am going to be stuck working for Desiree forever. I will never get out from under her, and you know what a bitch she is," I explained.
Evelyn nodded and smiled grimly. Desiree's reputation was renowned throughout the company.
"Although I hear she has a soft spot for you," Evelyn replied, her face trying hard to hide a blushing smile.
It was my turn to give a befuddled expression.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked.
"Nothing," Evelyn replied, but her enduring smirk said otherwise. I began to feel warm as the suspicion that my reluctant affair with Desiree had become public knowledge. "Just that she seems to like having you in her office quite a bit."
"It is hardly a sign of favoritism. She grills me about every little aspect of every one of my projects," I said. I was actually impressed with my ability to effectively lie on the drop of a hat. "You have no idea what it is like to be so micromanaged."
"Mary Ann used to be the same way," Evelyn replied, referring to her old boss.
"So you know how it is. So what do you say, Ev?" I pleaded. "Just let me look at the activity logs for just a couple of hours."
She shook her head, turning her attention once again back to her computer. She began typing.
"How about this: you can watch me do it and make sure everything is on the up and up," I proposed.
"Even if there weren't inherent privacy issues with that," she replied, "I can't afford to set a precedent like that. If I do that for you, then I have to do that for anyone who asks, and that defeats the whole purpose."
"You won't have to do it for anyone else, because nobody else will know," I argued. "Besides, I am not like everyone else. You and I are friends, right?"
"Oh, don't go playing that card!" she said, laughing.
"I introduced you to Frank," I reminded her.
Her husband of two years had been on my softball team and after getting to know Evelyn, I knew they would be a great fit.
"And I appreciate that," she said. "But it does not obligate me to break rules and risk my job for you."
"Of course it doesn't obligate you," I replied. "But it is just an example of the kinds of things that friends do for each other. You know, we help each other out. We are there to lend a helping hand when the other is in need."
"Well, what would I get out of letting you do this?" Evelyn asked. Suddenly, her tone had changed. Was it possible I had worn her down at last?
"The satisfaction of knowing you helped out a good friend?" I suggested.
She shot me a wry look. "Try again, hotshot."
"Okay, how about lunch?" I asked. "Wherever you want. Nothing is too good for my kind, giving, beautiful friend, Evelyn."
"Lunch is the best you can do?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow at me. "You buy me lunch every other week, anyway."
"But you wouldn't have to buy me lunch the following week this time," I said, smiling. "You see, it's very different."
"What you are asking for goes well beyond lunch," she said.
"Well, what do you want?" I asked.
She hesitated, and the conversation had suddenly grown awkward. Evelyn was cute and homely. Her body was thin, but well toned from her strict regimen of swimming. Her ebony hair fell just above her shoulders.
She always dressed conservatively, and her parents, who had immigrated to the United States from South Korea, had brought her up with discipline and a sense of ethics and dedication rarely found in this day and age. She had told me on several occasions that she had always been the quiet girl in school until she found herself in her final year of college.
It was not the first time I thought of Evelyn in a sexual manner, but it was the first time I actually thought it might be a possibility. It certainly seemed to be what she was dancing around.
Still, she was married, and Frank was a good guy.
"There is some stuff around the house that Frank needs some help with," she said at last. "Some home projects: putting furniture together and painting and that kind of stuff. I tell you what: if you help out Frank, I will get you what you need."
"Deal," I said quickly. It was not what I was hoping for, but if a little elbow grease and hard physical labor was what would get me out from underneath Desiree, both figuratively and literally, then I would do whatever it took.
We made plans for me to come over to their house that evening. As soon as I got off of work, I drove home, changed into a T-shirt and athletic shorts, swung by Cindy's apartment for a five-minute quickie (Alicia was at the library working on another paper; presumably she was doing her own work this time), and then headed to Evelyn and Frank's.
I knocked on the door and Frank answered. They were just finishing dinner, and I shook Frank's hand and walked inside.
