26 February, 2012

500 WC Chapter Eight

500 Word Challenge
Word Count: 506

Colton left in the early morning. He hadn’t been into the office for days and his secretary was sending him increasingly frantic emails.
He turned in his seat to watch his house shrink behind him. Rosa and Mancini would make sure she rested today.


His secretary, Alice Cho, waited at the main door, her heeled foot tapping.

“You have some explaining to do,” she snapped, glaring at him from behind her sparkling glasses. She always wore the most outrageous clothing. Today was a pinstripe suit in pink and blue, her heels a jarring yellow. She enjoyed her lavish salary to the fullest.

“Yes,” he agreed. She didn’t know the half of it.

Her shriek was deafening in the elevator. Colton winced as she shouted at him.

“Married?” She demanded. “You got married?”

“I had to!” he protested. She hit him with her stack of folders. Several times.

“What were you thinking!”

“I fell in love with her,” he lied.

“That’s no reason to go Vegas on me!” She snapped, leading him into his office overlooking the business park’s central plaza. He’d had to tempt a very grumpy CEO with a very large check to get these offices. It was worth it for the view. “Who is she?”

“Renee White.”

Alice jerked to halt, spinning to stare at him. “That woman on TV? Who tackled the terrorist?”

Colton nodded, grinning in spite of it. “I married her at the hospital.”

“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?” Alice thundered. She continued to yell at him, slamming documents and papers down on his desk, shutting the files with sharp jabs. The phone rang, pitiful under her bellows. “Don’t think this is the end of it, Colton!” She lifted the receiver and said sweetly, “Savage Corporation, how may I help you?…I’m afraid he isn’t available at the moment, may I take a message…yes…yes…thank you, ma’am. Good-bye.” She banged the phone down. “And what are you going to do about Felicia?”

Colton winced. He’d forgotten about her. “Just call her, I guess-”

“Call her?” Alice repeated. “That will go nicely. ‘Hi, Felicia, sorry I have to cancel. I know I said I’d take you to Milan for the spring show, but I got married instead.’” Alice threw her arms out and glared at him expectantly.

He shrugged. “Something like that.”

“I want to meet her.”

“Who?”

“Your wife,” Alice said nastily. “I want to meet her.”

“Okay.”

“Who is she? The news says she’s American.”

“She was on vacation.” Colton explained.

“What does she do? Where’s she from?” Colton winced again.

“I don’t know.”

Alice’s disgust was beyond words. She stormed out, slamming the door shut behind her.

Colton took a deep breath and went to his desk.

Alice refused to speak to him the rest of the day. She relayed her messages by email or text. Colton considered refusing to check it, making her talk to him. Then he decided he didn’t have the energy. He’d been up most of the night. Changing the sheets hadn’t worked.

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