By the time I extricated myself from Sarah's yammering about her latest obsession Diego, her new salsa teacher, it was close to 6a.m. I couldn't help but chuckle as the elevator doors closed. I knew Sar, she may complain about him now but, odds were that she would be riding him by the end of the week. I could practically hear the conversation that was coming.
"Hey boo, so aahmm…you know that salsa instructor I've been talking about?" A devilish smile would stretch across my face, "you mean Diego?" Her voice would be contrite, and her eyes would roam my apartment as if she hadn't seen it before. "Um yea that one. Well, you see… I was getting extra lessons from him, and one thing led to another, and before I knew it, we were doing a horizontal salsa." I would laugh until my belly bottom hurt because I expected no less. I would tease her mercilessly before hugging her and tell her to have fun and to be careful.
Truth was, I enjoyed seeing her embrace her sexuality, especially after a past that was sick and twisted. Caught up in my revue of the antics I knew were bound to come, I almost missed it when the elevator reached the parking lot. In my rush to get off before the door closed, I walked straight into something hard. As I clutched my smarting nose and looked up to apologize, I was pulled deep into a pair of amethyst eyes. "Ma'am" his voice was whiskey smooth, and everything south tightened.
"Oh, pardon me; sorry about that." Quickly sidestepping him, I continued toward my car fighting off the urge to glance back and look into those eyes again. It had been a long time since anyone had triggered a response like that in me, but work was more important.
It was time for me to face the world. All the emotions and uncertainty that plagued me, in my quite moments, needed to be placed in a box until I was safely back in my home. As I drove toward work, I repeated the ritual I had taught myself years ago as a way to cope with the outside world. It began with a deep breath that I held for a count of five before expelling it in five puffs. With each puff, I placed a part of me in my 'feelings box.'
It may sound silly but after everything I had lived through, I found that the best way to deal with the world was to be unfeeling and unshakeable which meant putting all my weaknesses in a mental box and locking it away.
It was close to seven7a.m. when I pulled into the parking lot of ADS ready to work, only to be intercepted by the breath-taking sight of a young, yellow, ball rolling in between high-rise buildings on an invisible path. Its warmth and radiance blazed through the fluffy, dusky looking, clouds bathing them in pink, orange, and purple so soft and soothing. Majestic! I was enthralled.
I became lost in a world of peace and tranquility that tugged open my box of emotions. I was floating in a sea of happiness when the jarring sound of a door slamming pulled me back to reality. I was at work! This was not the time nor the place to be looking absentminded. As quickly as I could, I performed the ritual again and allowed the Ice Queen to emerge.
I already looked the part of an uptight executive with my hair pulled into a severe bun at the base of my neck, a touch of nude makeup, a black pants suit, and low pumps. From this moment, until I left the office parking lot at the end of the day, my resting bitch face was the only countenance anyone would see.
My reputation as the youngest illustrator in one of the most well-known publishing company often preceded me. My appearance is how I threw people off. It never failed, they were always surprised and a little off-balance. I enjoyed the slight widening of the eyes, the flush that spread across their faces, and the stammering that ensued.
I quickly made my way into the building and into the elevator, my mind solely on all the things I had on my list for today. The hum of a printer greeted me as I stepped into the office. Someone had beat me to work, which was rare. There were no impending deadlines, so there was no reason for anyone to be here this early. As I walked toward my door, a blond head of hair came into view. My new secretary, Kevin, a sharp jawed, thin lipped, baby blue eyed, skinny, man sat at his desk clicking away.
Three weeks ago, I had fired my third secretary in a month. Although I had been going through their employees like a hot knife through butter, the temp agency had sent him over on short notice and with high recommendations. So far, he had exceeded all my expectations. He was diligent, disarming, never complained, and was overall a great asset to my busy schedule.
As I stepped past his desk, Kevin greeted me without looking up. "Good morning, Ms. Grant. I put the latest drawings of Annie, fresh from the printers, on your desk. Your computer is turned on, ready to go, and your first meeting isn't until 11:30a.m. Agendas for all of today's meetings are on your desk as well as a cup of green tea with three sugars."
Three hours later
"Ms. Grant?" My intercom buzzed startling me out of the review of my latest project. It was about a little black girl who was becoming a superhero. I was just delving into her hairstyle - two puff balls - and I hated being interrupted.
"There is a mandatory emergency meeting on the 28th floor. Mr. Argos would like all the department heads to be there in 10 minutes, and by 10 minutes he means right now."
An annoyed scowl crossed my face followed by a few colorful words, at the sudden summons. However, by the time I swept through my office door, it was almost like my little tantrum had never happened. As I walked the twenty or so paces from my office to the elevator, I noticed a flurry of activities, and nodded in satisfaction.
I rarely left my office in the middle of the workday. The last few times I did, it was to fire some lazy employee. Since then, productivity had risen 6%. The idle wandering around the office to chit chat had also subsided. The gossiping, however, was still out of hand; much to my annoyance.
The current rumor was that I am screwing Daniel and having his baby. It hadn't bothered me at first but my last secretary, upon being fired, had screamed nonsensically that my tight pussy would not always guarantee me a position here. Since then, the rumors had gotten crazier and crazier. Worse, the gazes of my co-workers were constantly boring into me; watching to see if my stomach was growing. I was already a plump girl who had a hard time saying no to sweets. A little weight gain here and there was normal for me but now I was making sure to watch what I ate to avoid gaining even an ounce in an effort to stop the wagging tongues.
I had to constantly remind myself that the rumors were shit. I had earned my spot through hard work and a few judgmental people were not going to cast a shadow over my success.
I had hardly pressed the button for the elevator when the doors whooshed open revealing the mouthwatering sight of a tall, silk suit wearing, man who rivaled Adonis. Had it not been for years of practice in keeping my face expressionless, I am sure I would have been gawking. Instead, I gave him a quick once over, stepped into the elevator, and promptly dismissed him. At least I tried to but, in the time it took to get to Daniel's floor, I struggled to stare straight ahead. I found myself taking short peeks at my co-passenger the entire ride.
He had bulging arms, big hands, a broad chest, and rouge-colored plump lips but the real prize was his eyes. They were a piercing green with a ring of grey; exotic and memorizing. They could tempt even the purest among us to delve into a cesspool of sin just to get a glance from them.
Lost in the raunchiness of my thoughts I failed to notice the elevator doors open. His voice grabbed my attention, "I believe this is your stop, no?" Of course, he sounded like sex; voice raspy and deep like he had just woken up. I could picture him in my bed. Oh, the passion he would orchestrate with his hands while he whispered my name and unraveled in me.
My breath caught at the vivid image my mind painted and not for the first time, I was extremely grateful for my dark skin. It did a great job of hiding the blush that spread through my body and rose to my face.
With a jerky nod, I started to rush off the elevator but caught myself just in time, paused and strutted out instead. I was the Ice Queen, after all. It would not be a good look to be seen running off an elevator. I had to maintain my composure…at all times.
Giving myself a mental shake, I prepared to get down to business. Shooting the secretary a look of disdain as I strode by her, I entered my boss' office without knocking and sat down. I had always liked Daniel's office. The big windows paired with his oak themed furniture was somehow inviting, comforting, and conveyed a sense of strictness all at the same time.
Time ticked by as I sat and waited quietly for the rest of my colleagues to arrive. Who knew what was going on for Daniel to call a meeting on such short notice. The door opened and in walked my Adonis. With a heart-stopping smirk, he closed the distance between us and extended his hand. "I did not realize you would be a part of this meeting. I am Carmo Anthas, the new C.E.O of Amici Degli Scrittori."
Shock and fear ricocheted through my body and for a moment, I allowed the anger to roam my mind. Then, just as quickly, it evaporated leaving a deceptive calm. "Oh, I wasn't aware that there had been a change in management. Especially without the approval of the board."
Carmo chuckled, "to be honest, it is only temporary. I am here as a favor to my godfather…" He continued to make polite conversation as the room filled with executives but I was mentally reviewing my contract and calculating how many of my authors I could take with me, when I left. I had read about too many companies going through this type of change. They always said it was temporary but, more often than not, it was a precursor to a merger or buy out. I would not allow myself to be caught in this mess.
Daniel soon entered the room and gave a brief explanation for the sudden meeting as well as his intent to take a few months off. In order to protect the company's stock prices, it was decided that someone should take over his duties temporarily. He then called Carmo to stand up and introduce himself.
I paid the meeting no mind, I was still making plans when suddenly I heard my name being called. "Cyrena, will you please stand. As you all know, Cyrena has been with us for only a short few years but she has demonstrated time and time again that she is indispensable to the agency. Because of this, the board has voted to allow her to join Mr. Anthas as the Co-CEO until I return. They, and I, thought it would help morale to keep a familiar face around, as well as assure you that nothing will change while I am gone."
No one was more shocked than me but I stood, nodded my assent, and waited patiently for the meeting to end so that I could speak to Daniel alone. The doors had hardly closed on the last executive before I was firing questions at Daniel.
"What was that? When did you decide to leave the company? Seriously, what is really going on?" With a shake of his head, I watched as the man I had come to know since moving to Houston dropped listlessly into his chair.
I took a hard look at Daniel. He seemed to age right before my eyes. His hair was completely gray, the bags under his eyes looked like a small coin purse, and the mischievous aura that usually surrounded him was noticeably missing. He looked worn and tired. It filled my heart with sadness that I had missed his decline.
"Cyrena, I am sorry I didn't want you to find out this way, but I was under strict orders from the board. The truth is, I got myself in bit of trouble. I have a gambling addiction. I lost all of my saving several months ago and Miriam found out. She told me in no uncertain terms that if I didn't get myself together, she would take the children and leave." I chuckled a bit. Their children were four pug dogs that were probably as old as me in dog years.
With a small nod he continued, "Carmo's father, Antonio, is a longtime friend and has agreed to buy me out, temporarily. His son, my godson, has been looking for a change of pace and decided to step up in lieu of his father. Once I'm done with rehab, I will be taking back my company."
Anger clawed at my throat, but I was too well practiced in keeping my emotions in check to let it show. "Why didn't you tell me you were in trouble?"
I watched with growing concerns and a tinge of anger as Daniel's body sagged and shame flowed across his features. "I didn't want you to be disappointed in me. And what father tells their child that they are struggling? I couldn't do it."
I nodded in understanding, "that was foolish. I am well aware that you are human and nowhere near perfect." "Hey, now-" Daniel started to respond but I continued, "that being said, who is this godson you've brought in? I could have handled this on my own. Does he even know anything about publishing?"
Daniel laughed as a "humph" came from behind me. I hadn't realized that Carmo had come back into the room. I turned to face him expecting to see anger, instead a sexy smirk graced his lips and his eyes twinkled. "Ms. Grant while I may not know much about publishing, I do own and run three companies successfully -"
"Good. Then you are not needed here. I can handle things by myself; your help is not necessary." At my words, the seductive air that had been oozing off of him evaporated and the smirk on his face faltered.
Intense eyes pinned me in place and demanded I succumb to his will. With a challenging stare of my own, I stood up and made my way to the door.
I wasn't really interested in taking over as CEO and Daniel knew that but, I couldn't help but try out my new 'boss'. I was being purposefully snarky hoping to not only kill the sudden sexual desire I had for him, but to also kill any notions he may have about me.
As I went through the door, I made one final jab; unable to help myself, "let me know when your last day is Mr. Clarke. I will be sure to help baby publisher here with his responsibilities. Besides, it isn't that hard to be the pretty face that talks to the board." Daniel let loose a loud belly laugh as I slammed the door shut behind me but what was most satisfying was the blushing anger on Mr. Anthas' face. I knew men like him. They hated when their competence was questioned and would, in turn, lash out. I was certain any wayward thoughts he had about me had vanished.