Mr. X always makes a point of bringing his Assistant, Marie a coffee from the corner place. It’s not that much of a hardship and he can almost hear her purring as she takes her first sip. He likes to do unexpected acts of kindness like that, because Mr. X thinks of himself as one of the good guys. He loves his wife Charlotte, within reason. He loves Marie, or, it might be more accurate to say that he loves the fact that a pretty blonde wants to be with him. Wants to spend her pre-Christmas with him. Marie confessed during her job interview that she had Daddy issues. (See: “That Skinny Lady” https://leewords.com/category/micro-fiction/stories-about-family/page/4) Mr. X, almost is willing to admit that he finds that oddly attractive as he struggles to break it off with her. He doesn’t like complications and lately, they’ve been accumulating. He’s noticed for instance that his suits are peppered with stray blonde hairs. So before having a drink with Marie on his way home to watch “The Matrix” with Charlotte, he orders three new suits. One for New Years with Charlotte. One for New Year’s Day with Marie. And one for the End of Year shebang with the Partners. Little do his partners know they’re soon to be one partner short.