Executive Sweet (A Sample)

Surfer Boy raised his eyebrows and called out his order. "Maker's Mark, also neat." He turned to Kay "You're going out with Danny?"

"We're just friends. But you seem to know him well."

"Known him since we were kids. I hear the poor fool is still working-thinks he can run a company. If you ask me, Danny should retire like me and enjoy himself. But no! He sits in his office and works all day. Doesn't even have time for women any more, from what I've heard." Surfer Boy looked around the room and then turned back to Kay with a grin. "You know, Dan's been with nearly every woman here who he's not related to."

That's a strange thing for him to tell me. Was he jealous of Dan, or merely trying to sell himself? Kay squinted at Surfer Boy, and he stepped back. "Sorry. Am I telling you something you don't want to hear?"

She patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I've heard about Dan. All the women here seem to love him."

"Yes, but he leaves a trail of broken hearts in his wake. Every woman here thinks he's going to fall in love with her. But nobody's killer enough for Dan, so he never settles down. Personally, I think he gives up on them too quickly."

Killer? What an interesting choice of words. Their drinks came and she shot her whiskey, letting its warmth burn away the crazy day. Surfer Boy beamed at her. "Come on-another dance." Sure, why not? The music was even better for the second dance, a post-punk song full of jangly guitars and raw energy. This was a fascinating look at the real Dan Avery-growing up with the powerful elite, the bored socialites, the spoiled children. Kay found it interesting that they all put him down for wanting to run a company. To her, being a CEO was beyond impressive, but for Dan, even the best job was some sort of guilty pleasure that he had to hide from his friends, lest they tease him about it. It went a long way toward explaining why Dan was playing this game with Kay, an openly irreverent stab at corporate life.

Then Kay thought more about Surfer Boy's use of the word "killer" to describe Dan's interest in women. The killer colleague. The word was too close to be a coincidence, especially from a man who had known Dan for so long.

She let the music wash over her. I'm the killer. She was dancing with Surfer Boy, but in her mind she was moving up and down Dan's body, grabbing him, kissing him, pulling him deep into her. Suddenly Kay snapped back to reality: Dan was right next to her on the dance floor, spinning and shaking with another woman. She wore a black leotard with bold red stripes, and she stared at Dan with familiar desire. Kay nodded at him and then turned back to Surfer Boy. Good for you, Dan. They'd each found someone else, so the pressure was off. It would be much easier to end the night if they had their eyes on other partners. Still, Kay watched him out of the corner of her eye.