The team was out having drinks after work on a Friday, and while Liz had thought the guys would probably find the whole thing a chore because their boss had instructed for it to happen, in the end, the evening turned out pretty well, and I think the males managed to bond pretty good-- not sure about the women though, because they probably find Liz's presence a little overwhelming.
The thing about men is that after a while, once everyone understood the pecking order at work, all things fall into place, and I suppose it's all about showing you're the alpha male in the pack and why you deserve to be the leader.
With women, a whole set of other factors come into play, and I kinda thing between me and Liz, she probably has a harder time winning the support of the ladies in the office than I would with both the males and the females.
So anyway, by the time the initial round of drinks were done, people started opening up, and before long, the guys were sharing about almost everything under the sun. I guess it helps too, that for Singaporean males, there was always the convenient topic of national service that brings an immediate common bond in conversations.
I tried not to pay too much attention to Liz as we'd agreed never to act intimately in front of the other colleagues even though the two of us had a thing for making out in the office after work hours; still, there were little moments when we would find ourselves wandering off to some corner under the pretext of smoke breaks where we'd hold hands, hug and kiss...only to separate when we noticed someone coming up to join us.
One instance, one of our male subordinates came up and joined the smoking session, and I noticed the way he'd been looking at Liz on a number of occasions and guessed he was attracted to her. As soon as he came up, she excused herself and went over to chat with the other guys (totally ignoring the ladies), and the dude was still watching her as he lit up his cigarette.
"She's quite a woman, don't you think", I asked as I took a drag.
The guy nodded, then after some casual chat about other irrelevant things, he shared that he'd tried to ask Liz out on a number of occasions, only to be turned down.
"It's probably to do with the fact that I'm younger, and more junior", he lamented.
***
I guess deep inside every self-confessional alpha male is an elitist prick who takes a Machiavellian delight knowing he's outdone every other male in the room in one thing or another.
In the case of my subordinate sharing about his attraction to my deputy/his boss/my lover, and sensing the frustration of his thoughts of probably wanting to fuck her but couldn't, the inner devil was just screaming to say "That's why I'm your boss and fucking the woman you desire...and try harder."
Of course, it isn't about fucking women-- a bona fide alpha male goes only for the best in life, and is it any wonder then that the guys in power suits would almost certainly go for established car marques, dining at the nicest places in town, or going for luxury comfort on vacations? I've yet to meet an alpha who goes by without advertising his position and dominance, and I suppose everything factored in, it's no wonder then that we exude the kind of self-confidence and arrogant charm that many women are attracted to.
It doesn't help too, that La Femme is herself one of those power-suited women, the equal of the alpha in me; I guess that's why I may come across as having what one of my female subordinates called an "overbearing dominance presence".
My own observations are that women are generally attracted to men in power positions at work. Sure, there's always a chance for the meek and the sensitive new-age guys, but more often than not, throw the aggressive alpha into the picture, and SNAG's girlfriend ends up getting seduced by bad-ass alpha.
And the thing is: you don't get to be a true-blue alpha male until you get somewhere at near or at the top of the chain of command.
I started my career in the military, and in my opinion, that's where you learn about the natural pecking order of things and power politicking early on; as a young officer, I had to learn how to stroke the egos of colonels and generals, while establishing my own base with the specialists and other ranks. When I left the military, I was holding the rank of a major -- the prized middle-rank where you have a considerable amount of power and authority, yet far away from the firing squad when it comes to accountability, and we always joked that majors have more fun than any other rank in the army.
Anyway, I suppose the military experience forms the basis of my somewhat cocky attitude; but I think I balance that pretty well with ensuring I know what I'm doing at work, so much so I can safely say I do a pretty darn good job better than my subordinates would, and one way I established this very quickly was giving practical suggestions to solve problems. My guys now perceive their leader is able to come up with ideas to help them do their jobs better, and that's how I managed to build rapport at work in a short amount of time.
After yesterday, I guess the men would also realize that once out of the workplace, their leader was someone who'd throw all the problems at work aside, and go for the finer things of the moment; and since we were in a pub, the finer things would refer obviously to attractive women in the room.
I sense some of them would have probably guessed there was something going on between me and Liz, and it sort of puts a half-smile on my face knowing it's not just that one guy who came up to me and openly confessed his attraction to Liz, but probably most of the guys at work fantasize about having sex with her-- I already mentioned her penchant for going about braless under her work-blouses sometimes, and it's hard for guys not to notice these things and wish they could see more of her hot sexy body, taste and have her.
...And that's where I'd say "try harder, boys."
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| The snob in me says you're just a wannabe trying too hard... |
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