I hope that this story finds you all well. The first Falling For A Girl is finished. It is not going to be easy to write this one. There will be more drama. Life changes as time passes. It has been 10 years since the girls were in college. Some things change for the better, while some things fall into disrepair. Please comment and vote, it is the life of the story. Also, I encourage you, contact me directly through my literotica page to discuss the series. Ask questions, voice concerns, or just shoot-the-shit (so to speak). I welcome it all.
(*) denotes a new segment or chapter if you prefer to think of it that way. Enjoy.
-BenevolentDCC
*****
*Sands of Time
The wind rose out of nowhere on the frigid September morning. Small puffs of white signaled the exhales of the Lexington denizens as they bustled across intersections, racing against time to clock in for work. Women clamped their hands atop the hats and scarves, protecting the styled hair beneath. Men's business jackets flapped in the wind as their hard-soled shoes tapped a sharp cadence on the sidewalk.
James Williams blended in to the masses, his hands were scorched by the fresh Starbucks coffee his boss had ordered; his face, stinging from the bitter winter air.
"Hold the elevator!" He called out across the wide modern art-deco foyer of the Kronos business center. He made it just in time to slide his foot between the almost closed doors. He looked around at the emotionless faces, "thanks. Jerks." James said. "55."
No one moved.
"Will someone press the goddamn 55 button?!" He lifted the coffee cups, signaling no free hands. "Jesus Christ!"
The button lit up and the small, overcrowded carriage began to move up.
James did not like heights. At all. Period. It bewildered him, almost daily, that he had become the secretary to one of the most powerful women in the business industry today. Most days he controlled his height anxiety, by recalling the history of his boss's rise to power. She was meteoric by al standards. The lighted numbers scrolled by as the elevator continued it's skyward journey.
Forbes magazine heralded her as the beginning of the end for corporate America. Her ideas were revolutionary. She had forced the modern world to evolve it's practice, both foreign and domestic.
Actively, the business she had created - Kronos - funded orphanages, homeless programs, disaster relief funds, and the development of new, more effective medicines to change the battlefield of modern medical practices. She accomplished all this at the age of 31 by establishing firm philanthropic standards when her communications business was only out of conceptualization. Oh! And she had established a stock portfolio which had, in the past 6 years, cut the national debt by 83%.
The elevator doors opened on the 55th floor and James stepped quickly from the box, rejoicing as the ventilated air blew a cooling breeze upon his face. At this height, the heat was unbearable. Maybe it was just his perception.
"Look alive people. I'm heading up. We go live in fifteen minutes. She will be making her rounds at 8:15. Conference call at 8:45 sharp. Do NOT be late!" James didn't bother looking at the faces as he passed by, they had been through this ritual everyday for the past 3 years. If they fucked up today, he wouldn't be held responsible.
He pressed open the stairwell doorway and climbed the last four flights of stairs to the Executive office. There was only one desk up here. Only one executive. This company would never go public. She demanded control in all aspects of the business.
There were no express elevators to the top. No floors between 55 and what would be 60. Instead, it had been her genius idea to build a buffer of floors between the employees and what she termed, "high value targets." It never failed to amaze him that she had planned for the possibility of a terroristic power-play. What did she think this was? Die Hard?
He pressed his back against the push-bar at the top of the stairs and took one last calming breath before forcing his way through.
The Executive office was a massive amount of space for so little decoration. The walls were floor to ceiling glass affording an uninhibited view of the city. The desk was presidential in presence, unwieldy for the paltry amount of paperwork that actually passed across the unmarred cherry surface. Her back was to him as she considered the world around her thinking about . . . whatever executives of her stature think about. What did he know, he just fetched her coffee.
"Missus Miles." He spoke clearly, but not loudly. He waited for her acknowledgement.
She swiveled her chair around to face him. Her dark silky hair was pulled back in a tight bun. She considered him through the lenses of her simple, black-framed spectacles. A smile danced in her eyes and bloomed magnificently on her lips. With the sunlight at her back, she may have been a goddess. Her caramel colored skin seemed to glow in the morning light. "This," she said softly, "is going to be a wonderful day." The word 'wonderful' came out like a purr.
James forgot about the height. He forgot about the coffee scorching his hands in the bitter winter morning. He forgot about climbing four flights of stairs. Suddenly, there was no place he would rather be.
Too bad she is taken. He thought to himself as he looked menacingly at the wedding band on her hand.
"Is that for me?" Spencer asked, indicating one of the cups in his hands.
"Oh!" James moved to her desk and sat down the Venti White Chocolate and Hazelnut Cappuccino. "Yes, this is for you." He pulled the iPad from his messenger satchel and handed it over to his boss. "And here is the schedule for the day. The important meetings are in red. The secondary meetings, which we can press back until next week are green, and the meetings you will most likely cancel are in yellow."
"You know me soo well." Spencer replied. "But, no need to jump into things right now. Take a moment, drink some coffee, and relax. I know those stairs don't get any easier."
James loved his boss. Literally loved her. She could be ruthless if needed. Would not bat an eyelid to fight dirty if it meant she could accomplish a goal. But she was good to her employees, making sure they were well-paid, had plenty of support for the complex tasks she often assigned, and provided for their futures through company investment options. Since her company was estimated to be worth $500 Billion in private stock options, and since employees were able to purchase into those stock options, it was a good idea to stay on her good side.
James sipped cautiously at his coffee while relaxing in a stylish, comfortable armchair. He considered what his boss's life must be like. He assumed she had a gorgeous husband who was evolved enough to handle the fact that his wife made astronomical figures on her pay stub. Someone tan with sun bleached hair. Probably well over six feet tall. Most likely comes from "old money."
While James was lost in his thoughts about some hypothetical person, Spencer made use of her free time by texting her lover. At 5'9" with blonde hair and blue eyes, there was no one in the world (in Spencer's opinion) who could ever compete with Callie. The beautiful, feminine, absolutely squeeze-till-your-arms-hurt-and-you-become-one-giant-smile, knock-down-drag-out-undisputed-featherweight-goddess-of-the-cosmos, woman she loved with all her heart and soul.
"I always sleep so well next to you. -S"
Her phone vibrated.
"D'awwww! That's so sweet. I really miss the nights when we didn't sleep though. Can't wait to see you. Till then, I had better start educating the future generations of the world! Love you more -C"
"I'll make it up to you." Spencer replied. "I promise."
