Executive Sweet (A Sample)

***

Kay made a sharp turn after she left the dining room and doubled back through the kitchen, leaving the building through its service entrance. There in the street was Dan's car. I'm safe. Dan came out of the building, smiling broadly, and waved her toward the car.

They got in and turned to each other with shining eyes, ready to burst from excitement. A simultaneous victory yell soon turned to laughter, and Dan started the car. Kay was about to throw her arms out and give him a hug, but then she remembered that she wasn't supposed to go there so she just flopped down and sank into her seat, feeling her heart pound. "Wow! I did it." She shivered. "That whole scene was gross and embarrassing. Do you really think it will be enough to take Rosseau down?"

"Kay, you were awesome! From what I could see on the video, it's going to hurt him badly."

"Good. He deserves it." It had been a peak moment-the world was hers! I am powerful, the deliverer of justice. Obnoxious men like Walter Rosseau better take notice.

Dan and Kay drove for a while, excited, occasionally turning to look at each other. As planned, Doris was still back at the restaurant in a makeshift control booth, watching Rosseau's last minutes of pain on the video monitor. She even wanted to record the sound of his footsteps, fading down the hall. The perfectionist in her wanted a single, clean take, starting and ending with a silent, empty room. A valuable new movie for her home library.

"Doris and I watched your grand finale on the video monitor. You were so much in control that I was never worried you would need to call me back in. You kicked him expertly, too. We nearly fell on the floor laughing when we saw it." Dan pounded the steering wheel and snickered. "I wanted to stay and watch him writhe, but I came out to the car as quickly as I could. I can't wait to watch those final moments."

Then Dan became more serious. "So tell me Kay, how do you feel? Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine, thanks for asking. In fact, I'm feeling surprisingly good, considering. I think maybe I'm still a little numb. I can't quite believe I just did that."

Suddenly, Dan frowned and pointed his finger at her. "What's that you've got on the side of your head?"

Kay reached up, touched her ear, and then quickly pulled her hand away with a shiver. "Ewww. That guy was so much grosser than I expected." She opened and closed her fingers a few times, judging the consistency of the slime, a combination of drool and hair gel. She sniffed it and nearly retched. "Oh God! It even smells like him. I think I'm going to be sick."