It was a glorious day for all of them. The Trelleco board had met and came out to support the Indonesian project, and appointed Abalido and Quinaeros Inc. as their consulting partner. The decision was unanimous—Abram got the unity he wanted not only at the management, but also at the board levels.
Kronos had withdrawn their bid the day before when Aerlman—as Trelleco's COO—requested a clear list of key resources to be included in their counterproposal—as he did Abalido and Quinaeros. He acted on the advice Gina gave through The Boss. Surely enough that would have disclosed Kronos' intention to supply inadequate resources if they had not pulled out.
To the people who knew, Gina was the star of the private party that the two companies jointly threw together that evening. With the latest thing
"So, you’re finally letting her go," Abram said, seated comfortably, gnawing a cigar, with a drink in his hand—The Boss was doing the same. The Boss said, "I have to," from the mentally opposite side. "It was her decision." He brought to mind the day following their talk the evening after the celebratory party; she had called him to say she was seriously considering the offer, and needed a week to think—and thus his turbulent state of mind. She got back to him yesterday to confirm. Crushed—the seconds that passed tortured him all throughout the night. He met with Abram the following day—this day—to let him know. He forced himself to come to terms with her decision: she would take Abram's job offer and leave him.
She was not sure how to enjoy the glitz, attention, and admiration she received on the night of the lavish farewell party The Boss threw for her. She would leave for Jakarta as a Trelleconian the following day, and cease to call Georg her boss—and start calling Abram her boss, instead. Something she had never thought would happen. It was surreal—and not something she enjoyed at all. The Boss was her boss now and always—that stood no more. She saw he had spared no expense for her. He closed down the entire Eggs and Flowers for the party, and had them fill the room up with more flowers than what it already had. He made sure that not only the entire management of Abalido and Quinaeros were there that night, but also people who were dear to her. Rocco was there, and a couple of clients she had had cl
She looked out the window. It was raining outside. The plane was still taxiing, rolling slowly on the taxiway. This was it, the last time she would be in the land of her hometown for a long time. She had planned to go back no sooner than six months. If she was to start anew, then today should be her past, tomorrow should be her today, and yesterday should not be revisited too soon. She would not think about the people she left. Not her friends, nor those who were once her clients back in Abalido and Quinaeros—like Roy. Not even Rhonda, the last person she said goodbye to just an hour ago at the airport. And not The Boss—especially not him. She had to make room in her mind for new people, new acquaintances, and new kinds of relationships. She took out the card from her purse—Rhonda had saved
Her beauty was her problem. Always. She got away easily. She gained without effort, received without asking. She was forgiven without having the chance to say sorry. She didn't know what she could not bring down with a smile, what she could not calm by the wink of an eye. She was nature's gift to men, who always found reasons to flock around her, and a reminder of what one can never be to women who envied her. Was she blessed? Yes, but it also trapped her soul. The soul stayed asleep as the beauty had taken all care of—nothing that the soul must do, no struggle to enrich an experience, no battle to win and thus never a sense of achievement. Every time the soul tried to wake up, it was told it was not the time yet, and to go back to sleep. Eventually, she would be washed ashore, pushed to the shallow water before dying on the sand, an ornament to the white beach, a reminder of what once had been. But before it happened, she was saved.
The warm rays of the sun helped to fend off the occasional chill the blow of the wind carried. A little surprised at the appearance of the sun, she welcomed and enjoyed the mix of warmth and chill on her bare arms. Then it was obstructed, a shadow fell onto her and blocked the warmth. She looked up at the towering figure blocking her sun. "Hi Gina, it's been some time since I saw you last, hm? That doesn't bode well for business," Roy said, winking his eye as he came toward her and shook her hand. Gina was glad she could get Doxxan's VP of Finance to the table on short notice. And not only that, he was also a sight—an athletic, rather vain, good-looking man in his mid-thirties. At 6'1, he was four inches taller than Gina. He came with an entourage; with him were his accounting manager and the user representative of the project that Gina's company worked on. Except for Roy, these were the same people she had met with earlier in th
Still four hours until her meeting with Roy that evening. She called her assistant and asked if there was anything for her while she was out. Nothing, the assistant said. And what about the rest of my afternoon, she asked again. Still nothing. She was free for the rest of day except for her meeting with Roy later. It was Friday already. Time flies, she thought. She called Rhonda. It rang until the line went dead. Well, gym it is then. There was a gym near Roy’s building that she was a member of. She turned back and parked at the same building in the same spot next to the elevators. From the gym, she could walk to where she was meeting Roy. Only a few people were trying to keep healthy today. The gym was vast and empty. It was a nice walk toward the cardio section. Her long legs helped her climb onto the bike with little effort. She set it up for twenty minutes. As she pedaled the stationary bike, she recalled the promotion she go
Prodallos’ crowd was overflowing to the street. The upbeat music could be heard as she walked toward it. She spotted his tall and muscular physique turned in her direction, watching her as she neared. He was leaning against the bar with a drink in his hand. She could even see his smile. While it was clear she had seen him and was walking toward him, he nevertheless motioned her to come to him—he wanted to ascertain everybody knew the exquisite woman coming toward them was his companion. The place, Prodallos, was a hangout bar frequented by business people. Located at a street corner a block away from the building where Roy worked, the place was buzzing with life and full almost every night except on the weekends. There were only a few tables for diners, and those were indoors. Most people hung out around the bar, standing or seated on barstools in the open air. He had come early to secure them a nice spot by the bar. Roy was sufficiently polit
It was a Saturday morning, ten minutes to eight o'clock. She was dressed in a lovely swishy silk skirt, ankle-length black boots, and a floral print Gypsy top which showed off her bare, creamy shoulders. Her iridescent auburn hair cascaded over those shoulders. Nobody was more beautiful than her that morning. As she entered the building, her 5'9 figure swayed temptingly but also gracefully. Smiles greeted her all around. The warm-hearted girl that she was, she returned the greetings with a smile that drew people to her luscious lips. It was still morning, and she had everyone all worked up already. "Let me walk you over to his table, miss Blume," the concierge said as she entered the breakfast room. This was her umpteenth time meeting The Boss at Eggs and Flowers. As she made her way to the table, she was warmly greeted by the staff. She nodded and smiled in reply to the Good morning, miss Blume or to the Hi Gina, how are you doing? from a number of patrons
She looked out the window. It was raining outside. The plane was still taxiing, rolling slowly on the taxiway. This was it, the last time she would be in the land of her hometown for a long time. She had planned to go back no sooner than six months. If she was to start anew, then today should be her past, tomorrow should be her today, and yesterday should not be revisited too soon. She would not think about the people she left. Not her friends, nor those who were once her clients back in Abalido and Quinaeros—like Roy. Not even Rhonda, the last person she said goodbye to just an hour ago at the airport. And not The Boss—especially not him. She had to make room in her mind for new people, new acquaintances, and new kinds of relationships. She took out the card from her purse—Rhonda had saved
She was not sure how to enjoy the glitz, attention, and admiration she received on the night of the lavish farewell party The Boss threw for her. She would leave for Jakarta as a Trelleconian the following day, and cease to call Georg her boss—and start calling Abram her boss, instead. Something she had never thought would happen. It was surreal—and not something she enjoyed at all. The Boss was her boss now and always—that stood no more. She saw he had spared no expense for her. He closed down the entire Eggs and Flowers for the party, and had them fill the room up with more flowers than what it already had. He made sure that not only the entire management of Abalido and Quinaeros were there that night, but also people who were dear to her. Rocco was there, and a couple of clients she had had cl
"So, you’re finally letting her go," Abram said, seated comfortably, gnawing a cigar, with a drink in his hand—The Boss was doing the same. The Boss said, "I have to," from the mentally opposite side. "It was her decision." He brought to mind the day following their talk the evening after the celebratory party; she had called him to say she was seriously considering the offer, and needed a week to think—and thus his turbulent state of mind. She got back to him yesterday to confirm. Crushed—the seconds that passed tortured him all throughout the night. He met with Abram the following day—this day—to let him know. He forced himself to come to terms with her decision: she would take Abram's job offer and leave him.
It was a glorious day for all of them. The Trelleco board had met and came out to support the Indonesian project, and appointed Abalido and Quinaeros Inc. as their consulting partner. The decision was unanimous—Abram got the unity he wanted not only at the management, but also at the board levels. Kronos had withdrawn their bid the day before when Aerlman—as Trelleco's COO—requested a clear list of key resources to be included in their counterproposal—as he did Abalido and Quinaeros. He acted on the advice Gina gave through The Boss. Surely enough that would have disclosed Kronos' intention to supply inadequate resources if they had not pulled out. To the people who knew, Gina was the star of the private party that the two companies jointly threw together that evening. With the latest thing
The meeting with Waylor was in some place out of town, about twenty miles off Seattle—in Bothell. The diner restaurant was nondescript, and the patrons were scarce. She walked to the end of the room and recognized the other gentleman Abram had introduced her to during breakfast at Eggs and Flowers. He was not Waylor. He was casually dressed, fitting the atmosphere of the place—so was Gina. Waylor had told her what to expect from the place, "We would just be two suburbanites having dinner," his text to her said. He stood up as she approached, and formally introduced himself and they shook hands, unlike two intimate suburbanites. "I'm sorry Mr. Waylor cannot make it in the last minute but insisted this meeting with you
What The Boss did not want to reveal, was not a mystery hard to unravel. The four of them got together on the same evening after Gina met The Boss. She had expected something that would take much longer with him, but otherwise considered what had transpired during lunch as progress. Still in her jubilant mood, Gina told Rhonda, Linda and Rocco what she had learned at her lunch with him: The Boss' hands were everywhere in their affair on and before that fateful night. "Still, he wouldn't let me know how." Except in the case of Roy, which Gina knew from Roy himself—The Boss gave him a pass that was valid on the day their plan was to be executed. Cunning—the girls realized how shrewd their boss was. Rhonda shared what sh
The Sun peered now and then over the grey condensed water vapor. The wind slipped through between the buildings and trees and was quick to wipe out the warmth off the skin. One could see the windswept hair of the women as they went in and out of the shops, and smell the wafted scent of perfume as they passed one another. The afternoon was cloudy and cold. Her heart was joyous. The concierge at Eggs and Flowers was cheerful to see her back. He was quick to greet and usher her to her dining room. He left her at the doorway of the private room. "He's been waiting for you, Miss," he said, smiling before walking away. He stood from his seat the moment she appeared, and walked toward her
The vigor of their lovemaking had sated them and made them hungry. Roy thought it would be nice if they could have their after-sex meal together, and Gina liked the idea. She would not come to lunch with her boss that hungry, either. As she was whipping something up in the kitchen for them to eat, from the other side of the kitchen countertop he said, "By the way, I’ve informed your boss of the unfortunate thing that happened to you last night." What? She stopped beating the eggs. He continued, unaware of her surprise, "He did not say much, but from the few questions he asked I could hear his immense anger through his quivering vo
She observed the good-looking man lying beside her. Roy was still fast asleep. He brought her to his place following her sweet promise of a night together —although she had offered her place, too. That was an odd choice to make, she thought. For a man who was after sex, he should have preferred the female counterpart's place instead, so he could leave when he wished —usually a dent on the pillows was all that was left as the evidence of his ever being there, or maybe fleetingly longer if there was a last-minute subsequent loving-act. She had thought the vain Roy was merely interested in sex and scoring a conquest. She was ok with that, liked it even. It would be a tango. Now, after the night of lovemaking, she caught a different vibe from him. Though not in clear terms, she was sure he was in love with her.&