Love, Life, &... Promotions?

[Damian Prince]

The path to success in life is a capricious one. Some struggle to attain their goals, while others coast by without a care in the world. Incidentally, love is not much different. Some try so hard to hold on to what will never be, and others... well, they enjoy what will never be. So, what happens when the epitome of polar opposites collide? Well, there's only one way to find out.

 

[Damian Prince]

Theodore woke up with a start, a flash of lighting having woken him up. His partner, at least for the night, remained asleep, her endless legs dutifully wrapped around Theo. Ordinarily, he would have resumed his slumber, but his clock read 8:30 AM, which mean he would most definitely be skipping his morning run and would probably also be late to work. Knowing this, he took his time extricating himself from the tangled mass of limbs that was his one night stand and allowed the hot water of a shower to wake him up fully. Glancing at his watch after dressing in his usual sartorial manner, he grabbed his portfolio in one hand and stuffed a bagel in his mouth as he stepped out of his lavish townhouse on the Upper East Side of New York City. As soon has his foot hit the pavement, his driver hurried over with an umbrella, helping Theo to enter the car in the midst of the morning rain. With a tip of his hat, the driver began the daily route to the offices of Pierson Gordon Advertising.


Theo's daily newspaper and hot cup of coffee awaited him in the car, and as he took a tentative sip of the caffeinated beverage, his eyes were drawn to a news bulletin about a fire in one of the more expensive areas of downtown New York. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit at their plight; after all, most of those pretentious tenants only lived there because they couldn't afford Midtown, let alone the Upper East Side. The combination of rain and lack of rush hour traffic allowed the car to glide easily along the slick asphalt roads, and within a few short minutes, Theo had arrived at the headquarters of Pierson Gordon Advertising. With a practiced grace, he got out of the car as the driver held his door open, walked up the steps, and entered the palatial lobby. "Morning, Sarah. Did you do something with your hair, or were you always so gorgeous? Tell you what, if you're free for lunch, and by some mad twist of fate, you haven't been asked, why don't we get a bite to eat. I've heard wonders about the new bistro a few blocks down." he flirted. The new lobbyist blushed and nodded under the combined weight of Theodore's compliments and his charming smile. 'I've still got it.' he thought rather smugly as he rode the elevator alone to the main advertising floor. It was just then that he heard a familiar female voice ring out with authority, and his smirk grew broader. 'Let's see what fun we can have today, shall we, Mrs. Mira La'Mar?' he thought mischievously.

 

[FaithWynters]

Mira made sure to cover the dark circles underneath her eyes with her best make up before any of the interns arrived. She pressed her body tightly against the countertop in the bathroom, leaning over the sink to finish up her morning routine. She dropped the tube of mascara in the small bag. She pulled her hair up into a pony tail and pinned the loose ends into the back. She pulled her purse onto her shoulder and walked out of the bathroom.


What was not routine about this, was the fact that when she exited the bathroom, it was not the hallway of her apartment that she saw. Her heels did not click-clack across the hardwood floor, and she was unable to look out the window at the end of the hallway and see the city below. When Mira exited the bathroom, she found herself in the main hub of cubicles. Her office was across the large room. Two large glass doors looked out into the building. Sunlight from the windows inside flooded into the office. The interns would be arriving soon.


Letting out a quiet sigh, Mira walked the perimeter of the cubicles to make it to her office. She was very aware that her clothes might smell of smoke, and if she could get through the day without someone saying anything about her apartment, then she would be fine.


She groaned as she made it inside the office. The phone sat there, waiting for eight-thirty to roll around to begin ringing with questions and appointments and all the other things she did throughout the day. Her assistant would catch most calls, but some only she could answer. She saw movement outside, and she noticed a few more people sitting in cubicles outside. Today was going to be a long day.


Call him. You need to figure out your situation. Her head throbbed from the lack of sleep. She had been here since three this morning, and what little sleep she had allowed herself to enjoy was gone. She looked at the phone another moment, before reaching a hand forward and pulling the receiver to her ear. She dialed the number and waited.


“Hello, you’ve reached the voicemail of Dorian-“ Great… A quiet groan escaped her lips and she set the receiver down. She sat there for a while, her head sitting on her desk. Her mind would not be on her work today; she could tell that now. A door opened to her left and a small girl walked through the door. Mira pulled herself out of the chair, trying to match the girl’s smile.


“Miss La’Mar, Your coffee is in the meeting room.” How long was I sitting there for? She pushed herself into the meeting room past the girl with a comfortable grace. There was a group sitting around the table in their regular places.


“Alright people, we’ve got a lot of work to do today. Do you have the portfolios?” She was talking to the male closest to her, James, who busied himself with flipping through a file folder of papers. She came to her seat and sat down, crossing her legs. There was still one empty seat. Theodore. What a surprise.

 

[Damian Prince]

Theo walked authoritatively through the cubical area, which was filled with bright-eyed new interns who'd clearly primped and prepped for their work hours in advance. Of course, there were the associates, who were a bit more experienced, and if their demeanor was anything to go by, they'd realized that working for a multinational company was not a cakewalk by any measure of the word. Regardless, they all looked up as Theodore went to his office at the far end of the floor.


Opening the door to his office, he took in the view afforded by the full length glass windows that made up two of the four walls of the corner office. 'All perks of being the CEO's son, I suppose.' he thought wryly. He sat down for a moment, looking at all the associates. Some of them, mostly women, stared at him with some odd mixture of loathing and lust. Theo didn't have to wonder why; it was actually a wonder that the women didn't simply catch on to his capricious ways, but charm is charm, and he'd been born with it in droves.


'Actually, that reminds me. I wonder if she's still sleeping... I think her name was Alice... or perhaps, Alicia... She definitely had an "A" in there somewhere.' he wondered nonchalantly, referring to the woman he'd left in his bed at his apartment. She, like others before her, would probably either come in late or skip and come in tomorrow throwing furtive glances at Theo until she realized that he had no intention of spending any more nights with her. Then, the lust would turn to malice. 'Still, it doesn't matter. I've already got a rendezvous with that cute little number in the lobby.' he comforted himself. With that, he stood up from his desk, grabbed the files he needed for the meeting he was supposed to have been at half an hour ago, and exited his office.


Stopping outside the meeting room, he made sure he was obscured behind the polished wood paneling before looking into the room via the glass double doors. Theo saw the usual assortment of men in their billowing suits with gaudy tie bars and cuff links, all of whom were attempting to display their self-righteous and self-given "importance". 'And... there she is. Miss I-Want-The-Big-Office in her business skirt and power heels.' he observed with a small smile to himself. Mira La'Mar had started at the company at nearly the same time as him. However, unlike most, as he got promoted for his unconventional, yet strangely effective strategies, she climbed the ranks right along with him with that irksome work ethic, cavity-inducing earnestness, and desire to do her job to the fullest. In fact, she was the only woman at the firm who'd refused any of his advances. 'Which makes it all the more worthwhile to have some laughs at her expense' he thought as he entered the room, although not before he quickly fixed his hair in the reflection of the glass doors.


Glancing at the abundance of available seats, Theo noticed that Mira had taken a seat at one of the heads of the table, and it seemed the others had grouped themselves at that end. With a smirk, he proceeded to sit at the far end in the other head seat, kick up his legs on the glass desk that spanned the length of the room, and drop his portfolios on it with a loud thwack. "So, how's everyone doing this fine morning? You all still sane, or has Miss Busybody already swamped your week with clients?" he spoke, directing his comments at his colleagues, but looking directly at Mira. "I guess we should start with going over the portfolios." As he said this, he leaned forward, spreading his folders in a spread as if they were playing cards. "Pick one, any one. I assure you, they're all excellent." Once again reclining in his chair, he goaded Mira. "So, La'Mar. How are your clients coming along? If you need any help at all, I'm always here since I'll probably be done with my work. After all, what kind of future executive would I be if I didn't generously lend my time and expertise to those who need extra aid?" he suggested with mock concern. The others in the room either regarded the two with amusement at Theo's antics, fear of an outburst, or indifference. They'd all seen this scene play out countless times.

 

[FaithWynters]

The week had started off with a large vast of clients. Many of them were large corporations that trusted groups like this one at the table to increase their profit margins through advertising. It seemed like they had more and more work lately, and for most of them, the distraction of work was welcomes in their mundane lives. They had caught attention and now, they were working on larger projects. They all created portfolios to review. It was an easy way to get a web of ideas going. They all had their own ideas and all of them were good at one point or another. Mira made sure that their ideas stayed on track…most of the time.


“Alright, so we’re looking at this angle?” She pointed to a sketch of a beautiful woman, wrapped delicately in silks. The caption read something about ‘that’s Daddy’s little girl’ She was smiling and reading a book. They were pushing for a new type of infant formula that was supposed to assist in infant’s brain growth. She sighed, running a hand through the ends of the ponytail. Sometimes a few of the crew didn’t particularly understand the views of most.


“A father doesn’t want to see his little girl a sex figurine for men to ogle at” She pulled another portfolio across the table. She thought it would be a little more tasteful. Sarah had drawn out this sketch. This woman looked much more powerful. A dark haired, red lipped young adult smiled at the viewer. She sits behind a large mahogany desk, legs gracefully crossed; she was obviously in a place of power. There was a caption and it read simply ‘plan for the future’. Mira nodded, looking around the table.


“That appeals to more viewers: The mother and father that want their daughter to be successful; The deep animalistic instinct that most-“ Then the door opened. She stopped mid-sentence to look up from the sketch. There was Theodore: Almost an hour late as usual.


Just as he always did, he walked in with his haughtiness and his spoiled attitude and sat down like he owned the place at the head of the table—opposite of Mira—where the leaders should have sat. There were his portfolios, on the large table. She was surprised he came in today with work done, usually he was the opposition with nothing to show for himself. Either way, Mira kept a straight face, unlike the child who sat across the table, this was still a workplace and outright insults weren’t acceptable.


“These clients are the only reason we have jobs. I do not pick them, they are given to me. It’s the name of the game, Mr. Pierson and if you can’t take the heat, I suggest you get out of the kitchen” She pointed down to the two open folders on the table. She hated having to fill him in on things when he missed out. He was pretentious; it was aggravating. She picked up her coffee and took a slow sip from it.


“We are looking over ideas for Jameson Baby Formula” Mira set down her coffee, pointing to the second sketch. The others had been talking quietly between themselves about the project while Mira handled the child. When they noticed her again, one of the two began sketching out another idea.