Page 1 of The Orc That Got Away

1

RAGNAR

The chair I’m sitting in is way too small for me, digging into my sides and making me shift uncomfortably in what’s already a deeply uncomfortable situation. In fact, a large part of me is seriously considering standing up, taking the chair, and hurling it through the plate glass window at the other end of the office. I manage to resist the urge, but only because that’s what got me in trouble in the first place.

“…insulting a prospective partner, disruptive behavior, not to mention destruction of office property,” comes an exasperated voice, forcing its way through the wall of anger I’ve put up around me and into my roiling mind.

“It was just one chair!” I holler at Janet, the HR woman sitting across from me, who’s suddenly captured my attention.

She doesn’t even flinch and I get the feeling I’m not the first screaming orc she’s had to deal with today. I’d probably feel sorry for her if I wasn’t so flooded with stress and anger.

I shouldn’t be. I’m not even the first orc to get plastered across the front pages of newspapers. Another billionaire orc CEO in New York, a fella I’ve crossed paths a few times with named Orgoth, is going through the same thing.

It’s like they’ll never learn.

“It was three chairs, Ragnar,” she says, giving me a look that says I shouldn’t even try to mess with her. “And the wall you threw them through.”

She tilts her head a little, challenging me to argue with her but I already know I’m outdone. Instead I grip the arms of the chair I’m sitting in and let out a frustrated yell.

Again, Janet barely seems to notice.

“Look, you already know what I’m going to tell you. This is one too many times you’ve lost your temper in a negotiation. You might be the CEO but that doesn’t mean you get to throw a tantrum if things don’t go your way. You shouldn’t have lost this deal just because—” She shuffles some papers and then reads aloud from one.“Because the representative from Kline said he wanted to add a hiring clause to the agreement.”

“It wasn’t just that!” I retort, and I feel my cheeks grow hot. “He gave me this look!”

The guy’s smug face flashes back into my mind and I feel the rage boiling in me all over again. Before I know it, I’ve jumped up from my chair, my hand gripping the seat back, ready to propel it through the window, consequences be damned.

“Ragnar,” Janet says and she almost sounds bored, as if she’s dealing with a particularly unruly child that she’s getting tired of disciplining. “Stop it.”

I go to protest but her look immediately silences me. Besides, part of me knows she’s right, even if I don’t want to admit it. I manage to release my grip on the chair and, breathing heavily, sit myself back down with a minimal amount of grunting. The chair is still annoyingly small, but I don’t complain.

“Alright, I’ll stop throwing things,” I manage to say through gritted teeth. My hands are back to gripping the armrests and I can see dark green veins practically popping out of my emerald skin.

Janet must notice them too though, because she’s unconvinced. Or maybe it was the second chair-throwing attempt of the day that’s giving her doubt.

“That’s not enough,” she tells me. “You need some serious time off. This job is getting to you and you can’t keep running this company being so tightly wound. For your sake, and the sake of the company, the members of the board have decided you need to take some leave, and I agree.”

“What!” I scream, but the second I do, I know I’ve lost the last scrap of dignity I had left in this meeting.

Janet doesn’t even respond this time. Instead, she slides a piece of paper over the desk for me to sign.

“We’ve already arranged for everything to be taken care of while you’re away,” she tells me, tapping the pen at the bottom of the page before handing it to me.

“So what am I supposed to do?” I ask, the anger still edging my voice. “Just sit at home twiddling my thumbs?”

I make a point of not signing the form yet.

“Actually,” Janet tells me with thinly stretched patience. “I remembered you were telling me about your friend Gorlag a little while ago. Didn’t he go out to Green Haven for a vacation or something? Why don’t you go there? I’ve heard it’s lovely.”

I practically snort. Gorlag was pushed out to Green Haven because he was running from some scandal or another. And he didn’t just go for a short trip. In fact, he ended up shacking up with a human woman while he was out there and basically never came back.

“I don’t think so, Janet,” I tell her. “I’d rather be here in case the company needs me.”

Janet gives me a look. “Ragnar,” she says, and there’s a warning in her voice. “This isn’t going to be solved overnight. This is an indefinite period of leave, you understand? And Green Haven – or some place like it – isn’t a friendly suggestion, it’s a professional recommendation. If you don’t take some serious time to relax, you’re only going to draw this out further.”

I’m shocked by her words. I’ve lost my temper before and nothing ever came of it. But this time things seem to be different. And I think I know why.

The negotiation that ended with three broken chairs and a hole in the wall was a big one — a deal we’ve been working on for the better part of a year. And I messed it up.

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