by Wanda Edmond
The alarm clock wobbled again.
“Oh, shush,” Kristina smacked the clock.
Kristina realized the ding she still heard was coming from her desk.
“Ugh”. Kristina got out of bed.
Kristina zigzagged to the bargain cedar chest she’d found at a thrift store. She’d varnished it, added rollers and turned it into her personal work desk. She loved finding old knickknacks and fixing them up into something fresh and new. It was how she kept herself from imploding with all the work she had to do.
Like there weren’t always plenty of things to do. Kristina sat her bare bottom onto a wicker chair she’d refinished and she stared at her computer. She flipped the top up on her notebook PC and she had a ping on Skype. Everyone she knew was local and by her estimation each of them still should be in bed. The clock on her notebook said the time was 5:32. Kristina thrust fingers into her long blonde hair as she rubbed her unpainted nails vigorously over her scalp. Kristina had tried shaking her hair and tying it back from her face, but giving it a good rub, was how she shook herself awake. She stared at her desktop on her monitor, blank-faced.
Kristina shook her head, disbelieving she had a message. She tapped her desktop screen and scrubbed the pad of her finger left to right. Yep, she had a message, and she didn’t recognize the name. Kristina was about to block the sender when a note flashed in her Skype window.
Who would ping her at this unnatural hour of the morning? Couldn’t anybody who lived in or around Savannah see it was still dark? Why hadn’t she remembered to set her notebook on snooze?
‘Jasmine wants to connect, blah, blah, blah,” Kristina was really about to chuck the message, her brain still in a fog.
A second message alert flashed in her Skype page. “What?” Kristina stared at her notebook screen.
Suddenly Kristina she remembered she had a friend named “Jasmine”.
Kristina drew away her finger right before she was about to goose egg the name. A message from her friend Jasmine Javan popped into view.
.Kristina are you there? It’s Jasmine. Krissy, are you up?
Jasmine’s cute mahogany face filled up Kristina’s screen. “Krissy! Hi!”
Kristina wasn’t a morning girl. She saw Jasmine was dressed in a business suit and white shirt, bright-eyed and bushy tailed.
Kristina complained about the hour while Jasmine pinned her dark brown hair into a bun, her almond shaped brown eyes filling Kristina’s monitor.
“You think I look good with my hair up like this, or down?” Kristina watched her friend shake her Indian hair and pout like a model. “Should I go shabby chic, or uptight? Maybe demure?” Jasmine wrapped her manicured hands over her suit and she pushed out her breasts.
Kristina laughed. “You’ll make the Kardashians blush—.
Jasmine popped up a mini screen and Kristina saw her adding a coat of gloss to her lips. Jasmine, hang on, I’ll be right back,” Kristina said as Jasmine cheesed for the web screen.
Kristina tapped a second browser window. Her PR company Syren, slid into view. Crap. It was her boss.
Chapter 4
Before Kristina joined the video chat, she wet her lips; then she pinched her cheeks. She threw on an oversized shirt Anthony had forgotten to take with him.
Kristina remembered the fun she’d had with Anthony. She liked the way Anthony tilted his head to the side in his big Stetson and how his tight butt looked in his boot cut Levis.
He had been very attentive, and his gentlemanly manners had boosted Kristina’s confidence to the roof. Anthony felt good when he was inside of her. Kristina almost wished she believed in love, so she could convince herself that she wanted to see Anthony again.
Anthony was a complete gentleman, and Kristina was thrilled by his impressive use of his mouth and then his manhood. Maybe Anthony wasn’t right for Kristina, but he certainly knew how to get down to the nitty-gritty and do Kristina good. When Anthony asked Kristina if she had climaxed, Kristina lied, and said, “Yes”.
Kristina enjoyed making love. When the heat of the moment arrived, Kristina could never let herself go. She’d tried those do-it-yourself relaxation techniques. She’d practiced taking deep breaths in the shower. She’d tried thinking about sex on a plane, or maybe at a tropical beach. Nothing she fantasied about brought her to orgasm. Truth was, Kristina knew nothing probably ever would.
*****
Kristina knew she’d felt one tumultuous orgasm in her life. When she had she’d felt so embarrassed and ashamed, she promised she’d never let herself climax again—the experience was tumultuous and earthshattering. She’d come once, and it had been with the one person she knew shouldn’t have loved. Kristina had made love with her stepbrother, Ian.
Kristina let Ian touch her and caress her in places she hadn’t truly explored herself. Kristina believed her sheer embarrassment must have hardwired her head so yearned to love the one man she shouldn’t. She dreamt of romance with her stepbrother, Ian.
A sordid, tawdry affair was what Kristina wanted, and she craved to have it with a man she knew she could never have.
Kristina had dated many different kinds of men since Ian. A lot of the men were good guys. Some of them were even fun. Except none of them had touched Kristina’s soul like her forbidden love with her stepbrother Ian Hastings-Knight.
Kristina lost track of Ian after his mom and her dad divorced. Kristina had received letters from Ian, but she threw them away. If she hadn’t, she knew she’d let her feelings for Ian return. They couldn’t be together, but Kristina missed her brother. Secretly she hoped she an Ian would find their way to each other one more time.
*****
The hours Kristina worked at her promotions company Syren, were grueling. She got little accolades for the pressure-cooker work she did, and less sleep than she dreamed was possible. =
Anthony’s button down pearl Oxford Kristina found fit Kristina like a nightshirt. She slipped it over her head, relieved she’d found a little male comfort.
Kristina fumbled in the wee of the morning and she found her eyeglasses. She pressed them up the bridge of the nose, happy she had 20/20 vision. The glasses helped to reduce the eyestrain when she worked long hours at her notebook PC.
Kristina sat in front of her computer and she wet her lips again, smoothing her hands down the borrowed dress shirt, knowing she was nude from the shirttails down.
Elise Gentry flashed into her view. Elise was part of the original promotions team and the head now at Syren.
Kristina saw the older woman staring back at her, and Elise anything but blissed.
“Morning, Elise,” Kristina wished she’d had coffee. She made a mental note to get with Jasmine before work so they could have an espresso.
Kristina knew she wasn’t a barista’s delight; she always requested white chocolate with butter-crème. Not the usual Flat White concoctions the regular princesses ordered. Kristina liked her coffee the way she lived her lifestyle. Busy, but semi-sweet. Kristina liked to believe she wasn’t one of the YOLO, or ‘Can’t miss what’s new pack. She wanted more out of life…a lot more.
Too bad she had to scrounge and beg for pittance for every assignment she got.
Kristina knew promotions wasn’t supposed to have a meeting for weeks. Which meant Elise Gentry had something big on the PR table, or she wouldn’t be pinging Kristina the crack of dawn.
“Morning. You look like you haven’t slept.”
Chapter 5
Kristina had won at job at the prestigious Georgia flagship agency after interning on a lark. She never dreamed she would take to the role of PR assistant and be able to rock it into a permanent gig, but she did.
“You’re at the offices early.” Kristina decided not to share she had spent the night with a bronc rider having hot and sweaty sex. Especially since she had let pick her up because she was too stressed from work to sleep. “You look good.”
“I should, be saying that, to you—.” Elise was 50-ish and she wore slacks
and short-sleeved blouses under a rainbow collection of vests. Elise had helped Kristina fit in with the artsy promotions staff, and Kristina was eternally grateful.
Even if the long work hours bit the horse’s patootie.
Kristina received another Skype message from Jasmine. Kristina grabbed her smartphone and she held it out of view while she Skyped with Elise.
Can’t talk now Jasmine. E.G is on. Kristina texted.
I know. Will ping you with the Intel. Ping me right back. Texted Jasmine.
Okay. Kristina texted.
“We’ve got a crap load of new authors on literary agency’s roster. Jolie in the Lit Department just messaged me the list—.” Elise shared her screen.
“These are all best-sellers or with signatories up East and on the West coasts?” Kristina read the list and whistled. “How did you land all of these?”
Elise switched view screens and looked at Kristina. “Because of you, largely.”
“What do you mean?” Kristina said.
“You’ve brought us more than 80 percent of these newbies, Kristina. I wanted to get you some kind of reward, but you know the budget.” Elise tapped on her keyboard with a flourish. “I’ve sent you something, per the agency head, Leo.
Kristina looked at the link in her Skype message. “But isn’t this?”
“I know. Little kudos for a job well done. Take it. Use it where you can, and be sure to contact me when you get back, okay?” Kristina saw Elise put on her headset. “It’s nearly 6:00 and the West Coast is already chomping to see who we’re going to represent. When you’re back we’ll discuss some of the up and coming authors Syren will start to promote. Enjoy yourself, Krissy. Jasmine will be the liaison for me meantime. See you soon—.”
Kristina switched her Skype screen and she pinged Jasmine.
“You decent?” Kristina said.
Jasmine’s video screen popped up on Skype the next minute.
“Very funny, and no. You got Skyped at 5:30 in the morning?” Jasmine said. “It’s not even 9:00 out West.”
“That’s why Elise messaged. Boss Leo added 200 new clients to Syren.”
“Oh, great,” said Jasmine. “We’ve only started promoting last season’s adds…We’re supposed to juggle authors with the entertainment and new media too. Are they going signatory too?”
“Yep, if Elise is about to launch what she planned.” Kristina set her smartphone to vibrate. “She said to have a good time. I’m not going on vacation until tomorrow. One thing’s for sure. This promotions pitch is going to be huge.”
Kristina saw her phone hop. It hummed on the top of her desk, then six messages appeared.
“Why are you, Elise, and everyone texting me? I’m off after Noon today. It’s Monday, remember Jasmine? Can’t you guys do anything without me?
“Kris, it’s Tuesday.” Kristina looked up from her phone and she stared at Jasmine.
Kristina checked her PC clock. “What?” She looked at the time on her smartphone. “Oh, good, golly.
“That’s right. Elise, me, and the airline app on your phone have been messaging you—.”
Kristina leapt up from her wicker chair circling her room.
Jasmine peered into her monitor. “Kristina, are you buck naked—?”
Kristina lunged at her PC screen. “We were riding the mechanical bull at the Pig and Whistle, remember? Suki practically pushed me to go out with Anthony!” Kristina flung clothes from her armoire and over her bed.
“Anthony,” Jasmine repeated. “The tall guy, with the sleepy eyes, and the really big—?”
“Say it, and I’ll give your boyfriend Jonathan the details about how you snogged the bartender,” Kristina said in front of the Skype window.
“Not saying a word,” Jasmine threw her hands up, smiling. “Um, did you get your ticket?”
“What ticket?” Kristina tossed her sundress, a couple of Jackie Collins novels into her mini tote, and a bottle of lotion. Crap, Kristina was out of suntan oil.
“The ticket for your flight. 748 Gate 3,” said Jasmine. “Must have been some party at your house, Kristine Landry-Knight,” Jasmine smiled.
Kristina could see Jasmine grinning at her bare rump, shaking her head all the while.
“You’re not helping,” Kristina sang, looking for her jeans and her car keys.
“I’m coming to pick you up, remember?” Kristina turned to her notebook PC.
“You’re not home, J?” Kristina said.
“I’m driving now. See?” Jasmine leaned to the side, and Kristina saw she was in a car.
Good gosh, Jasmine was on the way to her home!
“I don’t know how I slept through an entire day.” Kristina ran into the bathroom. She spritzed water under her arms, added bar soap, then swiped at her pink skin with a bath towel.
“That Anthony must really know how to ride a cowgirl,” Jasmine grinned.
“Not funny!” Kristina tossed her stepfather’s silver necklace with a “K” around her neck. “And I am not a cowgirl.”
“That behemoth Oxford with the button-down pearls says otherwise,” Kristina ran back to her PC and gave Jasmine her best scowl. “I am at the curb, Krissy.”
“You can’t be,” Kristina slung her carryon and her purse over her shoulder.
Kristina met Jasmine outside of her Queen Anne apartment-styled flat.
“You could have told me I lost a day,” Kristina piled into the passenger’s side of the car rental. “Nice Lexus,” Kristina admired the interior. “Mm, comfy.”
“Everyone this side of the turnpike has been trying to reach you,” Jasmine pulled out and headed for the airport. “Elise said to give you this.”
Kristina took a manila folder from Jasmine. She read the contents and she turned to Jasmine. “These are the files Elise sent through Skype.”
Kristina saw her airline flight, and a complementary gift card.
“I messaged Elise’s grunts to send me Elise’s deets, so I could get them to you,” Jasmine merged into the heavy morning traffic. “I’d use that card if I were you.”
The card was from the new boss himself. “The company boss knows who I am?” Kristina said.
“You were top revenue chick across all departments, two months straight,” said Jasmine. “I checked the gift card. Want to know how much is on it?”
Kristina stared at Elise as they entered the throughway at the airport. “How much?”
Jasmine smiled when Kristina heard the plastic coinage. “A thousand dollars.”
“What?” Kristina said.
“Yeah. You’re a big PR assistant now,” Jasmine parked and helped Kristina with her bags.
“Two whole weeks without the stress and drama at Syren, and you get a card for expenditures the department lists as a ‘gift card’.
“Who crapped a load of Lucky Charms on you?”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Kristina made face at Jasmine running beside her as they ran through their checkpoint and to her boarding gate.
“Who cares? You’re on your vacay!” Jasmine handed Kristina a small green and white box. ”I’m envious.”
“What’s this?”
“Something from the team at Syren. Call it a personal thanks for making all of us look so great.”
Kristina hugged Jasmine.
“Don’t open it until you get to Miami!” Jasmine called.
Kristina nodded, waving as she boarded through the gate.
Chapter 6
Kristina got to her hotel and it was less than spic-and-span.
“Ooh, I can’t believe they run an establishment like this.”
Kristina turned in the small hotel lobby and saw a 5’2” woman wearing her one-piece Hawaiian-styled bikini and matching flip-flops hurry her husband through the lobby.
Kristina rolled her eyes and paused while she looked upward. The lobby ceiling was a reproduction of the The Creation, by Michelangelo. The art was done in a spray can motif. Kristina spun in a circle staring. She hadn’t
seen anything like the mural since her stepmom had found a paint-by-numbers art set at a flea market.
“May I help you, Miss?”
Kristina thanked the concierge and said, “No.” She had locked her bags in her tiny room with a bicycle lock. She hoped it would be enough to deter anyone who wanted a pair of skinny jeans or bottle of ‘SPF 1000’ Coppertone.
