Laura called Sarah that night. “Hi, it’s me,” she said as she flopped on her bed, feeling completely drained.
“Hey, what’s up? I was wondering when I was going to hear from you.”
“I know, I’m sorry. Work has been nuts again. More overtime.” She grabbed a cushion and held it to her stomach. Jasper jumped up next to her, settling down on her comforter.
“Again? Is she ever going to pay you for all that overtime?”
“It doesn’t work like that,” Laura said. “I have to prove myself, work my way up the ladder. This is part of paying my dues.”
Sarah scoffed. “It sounds like she’s getting free labor for Kinetic Advertising and taking advantage of someone younger than her, who’s just building their career, just because she can intimidate them.”
“Yeah, that probably sums it up. She doesn’t even say thanks or offer to get dinner in.” Laura was twisting her hair with her fingers.
“You know, I’m starting to think less that she’s making you prove yourself, and more that she’s using you and holding you down.”
“Why would she do that?”
“Maybe she’s threatened.”
“By me? That’s ridiculous,” Laura said, sitting up on the bed. “I’m just a lowly worker-bee.”
“Who works like a dog, has good ideas, and can understand and apply good marketing techniques for clients. And you’re pretty and have a nice figure. Competitive, insecure women hate all that.”
Laura couldn’t help but smile at the pep talk. “I do work hard, and I know my stuff. I love this kind of work. But you’ve seen her. Raquel Sheridan is hot. A real Jessica Rabbit. Redhead and all. All polished and expensively put together and sultry. I’m more plain and a few pounds heavier than I should be,” she said, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead. “And she’s a partner in the firm. She couldn’t possibly be threatened by me.”
“You’d be surprised. Keeping you from owning your abilities and talents allows her to feel superior. Plus, you’re not plain, you’re just not flashy and in your-face about your attractiveness.”
“I don’t know…”
“You know a lot of men prefer a girl who is more natural-looking and approachable. Someone like Raquel comes across as self-involved, shallow, and arrogant, not to mention a high maintenance plastic surgery addict.” Sarah was getting herself worked up now. “She’s obviously fake. Fake boobs. Fake nails. Fake tan. Oh yeah, and her liberal use of Botox. Ugh.”
“Have you seen the women in Manhattan? It’s a cultural norm.”
“An even better reason not to drink that Kool-Aid. It’s poison. Be naturally beautiful and stand out by not trying to outdo everyone else in that twisted competition.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t. Couldn’t afford it if I wanted to,” Laura said jokingly, leaning forward and giving Jasper a scratch behind the ears.
“Ha ha ha,” Sarah said, “you know I’d punch your lights out if you ever got any of those ideas in your head.”
“Ditto, dear,” she replied.
“Good. Now that we have that cleared up, you need to show your worth in the marketing world, make your talent undeniable and impossible to be ignored.”
“But she also has teeth and knows how to use them,” she said as she now sat cross-legged on the bed. “I’m scared about crossing her. She’ll smack me down.” She bit her nails. A bad habit that crept up whenever she was especially nervous or stressed.
“Then, you need to be sneaky about it. Outshine her. But don’t let her see you coming.”
“I need this job though,” Laura said, examining her other nails. “It’s pretty cutthroat out there in the job market.”
“You can’t let this go on forever you know,” Sarah chided her.
“I know. Listen, there’s something else I want to tell you.”
“Okay, I’m listening.”
“I saw him again,” she said, waiting for a reaction.
“Oh, do tell!”
Laura relayed the encounter at Coffee Haven.
“Wow, he’s definitely interested. He’s stalking you. How romantic!”
“Or scary?”
“I don’t think so, he’s not some random creep off the street. He made sure you knew who he was. He’s an established businessman in the public eye. Besides, do you get a bad vibe from him?”
“No, just the opposite in fact. That morning I had a dream about him.”
She blushed a little at the memory of it.
“Ooh, a good dream was it?” she asked.
“Pretty good, definitely romantic. I woke up before it went too far though.”
“Bummer.”
“Tell me about it. I even tried to get back to sleep to pick up where it left off, but no luck.”
“Interesting. And then you bumped into him that same day? Sounds like the fates are trying to get you two together.”
“Maybe,” she said, staring down at Jasper. “Maybe I should just stick to Jasper. He’s the only man I really feel safe with.”
“Um, yeah, I think you’ll find a bit more fulfillment with someone like your handsome Greek suitor. You should call him.”
“No way,” she said, shaking her head. “He can call me. Otherwise I'll look desperate.”
“Nonsense, he went out of his way to see you again. That took guts. And determination.”
“I just can’t do it. I’ll wait for him to call.”
Sarah sighed. “You know, waiting around for things to happen to you isn’t always the best approach.”
“Says she who keeps making googly-eyes at Barry, but won’t do anything else about it.”
“Touché,” Sarah said. “Okay, so we both need to work on going after what we want.”
“So you do want him!”
Sarah sidestepped the comment. “Ahem, I meant that we need to come out of our shells a bit more. That’s the New York way, right? Take a big bite out of that apple?”
“Big bite,” Laura repeated, giggling. “Of a juicy, mouthwatering apple.”
“Now you’re talking.”
Laura walked into the office the next morning a little bleary-eyed and foggy-brained. She’d had trouble sleeping, wondering when or if Angelo would call, even though it had only been one day. He was already consuming her thoughts. As a result, she was running late and hadn’t had time to stop for a coffee. Not that she expected him to be there again. She was just longing for a good, strong brew. Raquel came charging around the corner, her high platform heels clicking on the warm, honey-colored hardwood floors that were present throughout the Kinetic offices, except for the corner offices and conference rooms. “Good, you’re here. Come with me. We have a big day ahead of us.” “What’s going on?” Laura asked as she followed her. She dropped her bags off at her desk as they passed by. She threw her coat on top of them and hurried after her boss. The walls of Kinetic were adorned with abstract paintings from local artists. It was one of the ways they supported the community a
Laura was dumbfounded. She felt like she was going to faint. Her face turned beet red and she felt herself starting to perspire again. Her mind swirled in a heightened state of shock and panic. Angelo made eye contact with her, the look of surprise clearly spreading across his face. His lips broadened into a smile. Laura just looked at him. She felt frozen in place. Angelo introduced himself to Raquel, holding out his hand. “Delighted to meet you, Mr. Tsarkopolis,” Raquel said, noticeably impressed. She took in his tall, well-built physique, grinning like the proverbial cat that was about to eat the canary. “Please, call me Angelo,” he said. His dark hair, still slightly mussed up,was tamed a bit for the meeting. “Of course. Angelo,” Raquel said in a low, seductive voice. “Welcome to Kinetic Advertising.” Laura's heart fell through to the floor. Jennifer stood there, wide-eyed, admiring the tall, dark and handsome, and obviously successful Mr. Tsark
That night after work, Laura picked up the phone and called her best friend. “Sarah,” Laura said, “it’s me. I hope you don’t think I’m crazy, but I need your help.” “Sure, with what?” “I need your reporter skills. There’s a problem I’d like you to investigate.” “Of course,” she said. “Are you in trouble?” “Not me, someone else.” She hesitated. She wasn’t altogether sure if she should be doing this. “Who then?” “It’s about Angelo’s business,” she said. “Say what?” “I don’t want to talk about it over the phone, can you come over?” “Yeah, of course, you’ve got me curious. I’m just having dinner, can I come by in about an hour?” “Sounds good, thanks,” Laura said. “See you then,” Sarah said and hung up the phone. Laura decided to make some notes while she waited. She sat down at her computer and did a search for negative news on Tsar Enterprises. She found over a dozen instances. All recent. All saying similar things. All anonymous. S
The next day Laura arrived for work on time, Coffee Haven coffee in hand. “Morning, Jennifer,” she said brightly. “Hi, Laura,” she said in a funny tone. She had a huge smirk on her face. “So, care to fill me in on the handsome Mr. Tsarkopolis?” Laura blushed. “Um, not yet. There’s not really anything to tell at this point.” “That’s a load of crap if I ever heard one. Spill it, girl,” she said, shaking a finger at her. Laura hesitated. “Not yet. But soon. When there’s something more to tell.” She gave her a playful wink, and then started to head towards her desk. “You’d better!” Jennifer called out after her. “Inquiring minds want to know!” Laura chuckled. She took at seat at her desk, turned on her computer and took a long sip of coffee. She savored it for a moment. The perfect blend. Just then, Raquel came sauntering by. “Laura, I need you to pull some information for me.” Again, no good morning, no how are you. Laura silently fumed. “
Laura slept fitfully that night. Her phone never rang. She had waited so long, hoping it would ring, that it was too late to call Sarah by the time she finally realized that Angelo wasn’t going to call. How did he think it was okay not to call her under the circumstances? With her boss brazenly hitting on him? she wondered. She was tied in knots. He obviously didn’t care. On one hand, she dreaded going into work that morning, and yet on the other, she was anxious to get there to get a sense of where things were at. She walked past Coffee Haven. She hesitated, considering going in, but decided to keep walking out of spite. He probably wasn’t in there anyway, she told herself. Just keep walking and don’t let them make a bigger fool out of you. She reached the office and went around back to see if Raquel’s car was there. It wasn’t. She set her shoulders and tried to quell the upset feelings that were gripping her. She’d definitely be calling Sarah tonight. She’d give her
Monday morning came and Laura was a bundle of nerves in anticipation of her first actual date with Angelo. She had spent the weekend agonizing over every detail of what had transpired so far and wondering about what was to come. She had played countless scenarios in her head about how things might go, what he was going to be like on a date. She had also been letting her insecurities play on her mind a bit, wondering if he really was on a weekend business trip or if there was something else he was doing. She thought about the rumors that Monday nights were usually reserved for low-priority, secondary dates, and that the important dates for people you were super interested in were always on a Friday or Saturday night. Not letting her worries deter her, Laura had spent a bit more time on her makeup and hair that morning, and dressed up a little for the occasion. Nothing too flashy since she’d be at work all day and they were heading to the park later. She wore a fitte
Her throat felt tight. “It’s fine.” “I missed you the other night,” he said, his deep voice soft, probing. She blinked. “What do you mean?” “At dinner. You didn’t show. You were working late?” “What?” “Raquel said you weren’t available.” Laura was furious. “She lied.” “Lied? Why?” “She told me I wasn’t invited. That it was a meeting just for the two of you.” He exhaled. “I see. That’s not what she told me.” “Mmmhmm,” she said. She was steamed. “And then when I didn’t call you…” “Yeah,” she said, feeling silly and gullible. She thought of Raquel and how manipulative and selfish and outright mean she was. She didn’t know how she was going to continue to work for someone like that. “Your boss is a piece of work,” he said. “I’ll have to keep my guard up. But she does seem capable of handling our campaign. I’d still like to work with you, if you’d be comfortable with that?” “Yes, yes, of course,” Laura replied, putting a hand to h
He waited for her to continue. He’d let her share whatever she felt comfortable with. She lost her appetite and pushed her plate away. “He left me for a girl we both had met at college. She was in one of our classes. The whole thing really sucked. Since then, I’ve just dated a bit here and there, nothing serious.” She felt embarrassed telling such a sorry tale to one of New York City’s most eligible bachelors. The absurdity that things with Angelo could ever go anywhere came surging forward in her mind. He read her expression. “I’m afraid he’s not a very smart fellow, then. To let such a beautiful and charming girl go.” She tried to muster a smile. He pushed his plate aside as well and reached out to hold her hand. “Some things stay with you, though, don’t they?” She nodded, averting her gaze. She didn’t want him to see how much that still affected her to this day. She’d been completely devastated when it happened. “I know,” he said. Just then the w