Page 60 of Corporate Escapades

Pushing away from her desk, she stretched deeply. Her body was not used to sitting so much as of late. Scanning her files, she looked to see if she’d left anything important unattended, but everything appeared to be in order. Her eyes moved over to the picture of Alli and Brody, and she stopped to admire her sister’s beautiful smile. Brody was pushing Alli on a swing at the park, and you could see the love in their eyes. Gently touching her lips, Paris kissed her finger and then pressed it to Alli’s cheek. “If you’re out there somewhere, I could really use your guidance on how to get back to my old life. I miss you.” Turning away, she headed out the door. She’d only taken a few steps when a friendly voice flagged her down.

“Hey, Paris,” called Mya. “Are you done for the day?”

Paris turned to look at her friend, who was rushing up from behind her. “Yeah, are you heading out too?”

“Probably in an hour. I have something I need to take care of,” replied Mya. “What’s your evening looking like? Want to hang out later?”

“Tom asked me to dinner. Work stuff, I think.”

“Or maybe more?” teased Mya. “Let me know how it goes.”

“Okay, we’ll catch up later,” she said and turned toward the main exit.

Mya stood and watched Paris disappear. She was nervous and glad to keep her conversation with her friend short. She knew Paris could see right through her, and she couldn’t handle any more questions. Marching over to the elevator, she pressed the button for the executive floor. The door opened, and she forced herself to get in. Cristo had requested she meet him after work in his office. He definitely had an agenda. She was not sure how she felt about it.

Over the past few months, Cristo had been pursuing Mya, and Mya had consistently rejected dating him. She had no desire to be in a serious relationship with someone as powerful as him. If things went south, she feared losing her job. She loved her job and the company. The executives were as much her family as they were Paris and Vic’s, minus Cristo. Cristo was far from parental to her. Their relationship was becoming more intense as time went on. Something had to change, but she was unsure which direction it needed to go, which made her feel uneasy.

Exiting the elevator, Mya noted that the floor appeared to be desolate. It was six o’clock, and everyone seemed to have left for the evening, which increased the size of the knot in her stomach. Earlier in the day, Cristo had thrown a tantrum when she rejected his request to meet her this evening, which provoked him to pound his fist on the boardroom door. Out of fear of making an even larger scene, she agreed to continue theconversation later that evening, as he had requested from the start.

Approaching his office, she paused for a moment to gather her composure. She had no idea what to expect, but she’d put up a wall and remain strong. She was a lady, and she had clout. She couldn’t give in to whatever he was looking for. Moving forward, she knocked on his door.

The door swung open, and Cristo met her with a grin. “I knew you’d come,” he said.

Mya stared at him. He wreaked of Scotch. “How much have you had?” her tone overflowed with disgust. You know I don't like talking to you when you've drunk so much,” she added, playing into the tone he had set.

“Only a few,” he replied, “but that’s the least of your concerns. Come inside.” He motioned.

She hesitantly stepped forward, and he closed the door, locking it behind her. She noted that all the blinds were drawn.

“Sit down on the couch,” he barked. “I have something to say.” He stepped forward and nudged her toward the couch.

Mya took a seat. “What do you want?” she asked, hoping he’d get to the point quickly so they could move forward with their evening.

“Now, Mya,” said Cristo, shaking his finger at her, “you’ve turned me down multiple times,” he slurred. “I’m a rich and powerful man. Why do you hurt me like that? You know I can give you whatever you want, and you wouldn’t even have to work anymore. Why do you want to hurt me? We both know you’re more than interested.”

“Cristo, you aren’t my type,” she replied flatly. “And you drink too much.”

“Well, that’s just mean,” he replied slowly. “Isn’t there anything I can do to get you to take me more seriously? I’ll treat you well.” Turning, he poured himself and her a drink. SloshingScotch over the sides of the glass, he handed it to Mya. “Whatta ya say? You want to change your mind and go on a couple of actual dates with me?” he urged. “Or do I need to show you how serious I am?”

“You couldn’t pay me to change my mind,” she replied coyly.

“Mya!” yelled Cristo as he threw his glass of Scotch to the floor. The crystal shattered, and pieces flew in every direction.

Always so dramatic,thought Mya as she watched him shuffle the pieces toward his metal garbage can. “Be careful. You don’t want to cut yourself,” she said with concern.

He turned to look at her. “See, there it is,” he stated. “Those feelings you try to hide. You can’t hide from me. I know you. Eventually, things will have to change.”

Mya inched backward, trying to put more distance between herself and Cristo. She dared not let him get too close for fear of what the result would be.

“You’re going to be my girl,” he said more calmly. Walking over to his desk, he picked up a file and held it in the air. “Do you know what this is?” he asked, waving it back and forth. Not waiting for a response, he said, “This is the end.”

“The end of what?” chirped Mya.

“The end of Paris and Vic’s time at ADG and Sense of Adventure. This file holds information on them that, when given to the press, will force the board to remove them from the business, as well as the family, permanently.”

Mya’s face contorted into a look of horror. Licking her lips, she asked, “Why would you want to do that?”He had to have come up with this scenario after he’d begun drinking, she thought.

“Because, my dear, I have my agenda, which you need not know about. The question is, do you want to be a part of this or go down with a sinking ship?”

---