The Thief in the Corner Office - Pt 10
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There was nothing unusual about the theft of Bill Haldeman's invention. Big corporations regularly reverse-engineer the work of independent inventors and steal it. Things changed when Haldeman found a way to fight back. In the final chapter of this 10-part story, we see the result of all of Bill's plans.
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"I'm nervous. Very nervous," Alice said during the drive to the fundraiser.
"Tonight will be a triumph for you. I'm sure of it," I told her, taking her hand. The limousine pulled out of Alice's driveway and headed to the annual fundraising banquet for the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.
No local social event is more important or prestigious, and it features many of the city's celebrities walking down a red carpet in the boldest new creations by top designers. It was a perfect venue for Alice to let the world see the fabulous body art she'd acquired.
"This is the most daring thing I've ever worn in public," she said.
I knew that meant she needed encouragement. Alice was wearing a lovely gown done just for her by an influential designer, but it exposed almost her entire body. Most of the fabric was sheer nylon that presented an unobscured view of Alice's new tattoos. The places that needed to be concealed - like her nipples and pussy - were covered by small patches of pure white cloth.
"You'll be the most beautiful woman there," I said. "No one will ever forget the moment they got their first look at what you've achieved. Your body is as sexy and gorgeous as a supermodel, and Venus decorated it with what must be the finest body art in the history of tattoos. You're going to make a big splash."
Part of the reason we knew Alice would attract a lot of attention was that she'd announced her resignation that morning. By lunchtime, the city was buzzing with gossip as people asked themselves why the celebrated CEO of Scient Analytica was stepping down from one of the top jobs in Silicon Valley. She released a statement to the press. This is what it said:
Alice Waresmith, the chief executive officer of Scient Analytica, will step down from her position effective immediately. Waresmith, who has run the corporation for seven years, appointed Vice President William Haldeman to succeed her as interim CEO.
"I have enjoyed my tenure at Scient Analytica, and I appreciate the support of the board of directors who gave me a chance to occupy the corner office. We've achieved a great deal in the last seven years, but the time has come for me to step away and spend more time with my family.
"I expect that Bill Haldeman will provide dynamic and effective leadership of Scient Analytica. In his time here, Bill has repeatedly demonstrated he has a clear vision of where the company should go. It's my recommendation that the board of directors make his appointment to CEO permanent."
That part about spending time with her family would raise some questions. Everyone knows Alice is unmarried and childless. They'd pay extra attention to her at the fundraiser, and since I was her escort, people would suspect I was romantically involved with Alice.
"There's only one thing I'm unsure about," I said. "Are you certain you want to wear your collar? A lot of people are going to realize it's a bondage collar. They will suspect it is a symbol of enslavement. Are you sure you want to put that on display on the same day you're announcing your resignation and unveiling your body art? It's a lot for people to digest all at once."
"Of course I'm sure, Bill," she said. "I'm proud to be your collared slave. I want everyone to know it. It's the perfect time to let the world know you are my Master."
I wasn't so sure. It seemed like a lot of information for the media to convey in one news cycle. By appearing in public with me while she was wearing a slave collar, Alice would also be announcing that the new CEO of Scient Analytica has a very unconventional relationship with the former CEO.
Would that complicate my future job? I talked about this with some folks I trusted in our public relations department, and they pointed out something I'd not considered.
Our culture views men and women differently. Although Alice was changing her image in a way that would disqualify her from being considered for future management positions, people would look at me differently. The idea that a man has a relationship with a woman who submits to him totally makes the woman look weaker and the man look stronger.
Looking virile and commanding is helpful to a male CEO. It's not fair that what makes a man look powerful makes a woman look slutty, but that's life. If people gossip about the idea that Alice is enslaved to me, it would bolster my public image and probably send our stock price higher.
Alice began to tremble when the limousine pulled up to the front of the venue where the banquet was held. "Just relax. Everything's fine," I said, squeezing her hand. I exited the car, walked around to the other side, and opened the door.
The crowd gasped when Alice stepped out. As we'd hoped, everyone was startled by the full-body tattoos created by Venus Van GoGo. There are a lot of tattooed celebrities in San Francisco, so the public is used to seeing photographs of people with large, prominent body art. But most of those people are musicians, athletes, movie stars, or other people in the entertainment industry.
Seeing so many tattoos on a woman famous as a tech CEO was startling. Camera flashes began exploding all around us the second Alice got out of the car. I took her arm and walked her down the red carpet slowly, pausing regularly so she could turn to wave to the crowd. I wanted the photographers to capture Alice from every angle, knowing that people all over the world would be poring over the pictures for the next few days.
One of the things I've learned about body art is that it has changed since I was a kid. Back then most of the big tattoos you saw were from people outside the mainstream. Prison inmates. Members of motorcycle gangs. People from the world of BDSM.
These days even suburban housewives have lots of tattoos. There are reality TV shows about tattoo artists and their clients. You can find photographs of particularly fine tattoos online or in magazines devoted to body art.
