Executive Sweet (A Sample)

Kay stopped walking and turned to look at Dan. "Support you? Most of the women I talked to tonight just want you in bed." Which I understand. "Even Orton thinks you're a fool to be working."

Dan exhaled and slumped his shoulders. "I warned you about that. I've grown apart from some of them since I started running Yorick. Still, my friends support me as well as they can. Don't forget, they've been surrounded by wealth their entire lives, so they have never had to do anything or know anything to survive. Many of them just party, but they do that very well."

"So what happened to make you want to work for a living?"

"I needed to give my life some definition, something besides partying. Everyone needs something to live for, even my rich friends. Big business runs in the family, so I figured I'd try the corporate life. Turns out I'm pretty good at it and I like it too."

You're also pretty good at looking hot. Dan was making her think way too many crazy thoughts, things she would never have imagined on her first day of work. Kay focused on her feet and tried to ignore Dan's presence as she walked the labyrinth.

"But before you judge my friends, let's not forget what you and I are doing-gaming executives and taking piles of money from them. Part of me is disappointed at how good you are at it. It shows that you're not much different than I am-or my friends. I guess I expected you to fail." Kay paused on the path and looked at Dan, her expression blank. He stopped walking and frowned, clearly unhappy with how that came out. "No, that's unfair. It's not about you. Truthfully, I didn't think anybody could really play this game." He resumed his walk.

"You know, Dan, the best part of this game is the incredible power trip. I get to take down some of the worst people on the planet-it's awesome. And it's a real challenge, too. I would never have believed it when you first asked me to do this, but maybe I am cut out for this. Maybe I really am the killer colleague." She paused to see if Dan would react, but he didn't so she went on. "Orton said something interesting. He told me that you're always searching for a woman who is 'killer.' He actually used that word."

That got Dan's attention and he stopped on the path, looking at her.

"Tell me more about the killer colleague, Dan. What else is she, besides a smart and pretty business partner?"