Bev: The Interview Read online

  The whole office seemed to hold its collective breath until the chairman finally took a deep breath, turned tail and made a beeline for his office. He didn't even pause to talk to Bev. Not that she could face him right now. He just held up two fingers to signal that he'd be with her in a few minutes before retreating behind the large doors leading into his office. Bev let out the breath she’d been holding in and ran a hand through her thick, zaffre blue, silky smooth and claw resistant hair. She gently tilted her head away from the staring crowd and her long bangs rolled forward to cloak her face. She was glad she'd worn her hair loose today. She hadn't witnessed anything so painfully embarrassing since she and her brothers had watched a three-legged, one-eyed Zedrovian chicken trying to ride on the lava lizard’s back.

  Bev willed the clock on the wall to hurry up. A good impression was the last thing on her mind right now. She just wanted to get the heck out of there. A sick slimy voice crept along her skin like a Gravian leach. Apparently the shark had squeezed out from under his rock, and made haste back to that sweet secretary girl. Miss Paisley, the chairman had called her.

  "Come on, we'll go tonight after work. It’s the hottest restaurant in the city. Of course with my connections I can get us a table easy." His voice was rubbing Terran desert needle bushes on Bev’s nerves.

  The girl still seemed quite put off by him, but less domicile than before. "I'm sorry Mr. Quagmire, but I'm very busy this evening, as I am now. So please excuse me but I have work to do." The secretary spun away from the lech and Bev beamed, feeling a sense of pride when the little woman told him off. That's right sister!

  The vice president backed off, and it seemed like little Miss Paisley had come out on top this round. That is until he smacked her on the ass before sauntering away. The girl's face darkened five shades of gray -or red- and her shaking fists drove her shoulders up next to her ears. Bev's own blood began to boil while her eyes narrowed. Oh she definitely knew how to deal with the likes of him. In her days before becoming the refined executive director of what was currently the Syalantian Empire’s premier honeymoon destination, he would've been little more than a glistening stain on the ground. Splinters from both armrests of her chair littered the floor – razor claws and everything.

  Bev was in mid stand when the massive doors of the chairman's office opened and Mr. Azule beckoned her in. She had just enough time to glower at the shark. He looked her up and down and then sneered. Was he kidding? Even her baby sister could literally eat him for breakfast! Bev ground the two rows of her serrated teeth, but acutely aware of the chairman watching behind her back, Bev stiffened her spine, straightened the jacket of her outfit and glided into Mr. Azule's office.

  Chapter 3

  Bev made a mental note to be impressed later by the chairman's lack of strain while he held the massive -even for her size- Larskin wood door open for her with one hand, sans antigrave hinges. She was too busy enjoying the fact that one of the richest, most powerful males in the quadrant was a true gentleman as her best friend would say. Walking through the huge doors into his office, she was quite surprised.

  For a corporate Mongol’s office, and the head of one of the most powerful and successful corporations in the Syalantian Empire, she expected sleek and ultra modern; lots of metal, maybe colored glass, haphazardly peppered with bizarre statues meant to cause more mental confusion than please and comfort along with abstract art paintings replete with squiggly lines and single color paint circles occupying the walls.

  Instead, his office was warm and inviting. The dark, wood furniture inside was thick and plush, yet tasteful as if inviting you to sit down and relax. The decor of the office was done up in complementing hues of navy, cornflower and Duskanite blues. She turned to eye him speculatively, and his faced darkened two shades. He had done this just for her. Nice.

  The coup de grace came when she lowered herself comfortably into the plush, out of place, over-sized, high-backed, phthalo blue chair he undoubtedly had pulled in just for this meeting. It was perfect for her 7’6’’ frame. Never before had a boss been so thoughtful. The soft smooth fabric hugged every part of her in just the right way and the color offset her own skin so nicely she felt like a princess. The chairman's own desk was made of Galorian wood, heavy and thick but far from oppressive. His walls were tastefully decorated with scenes of Syalantian mythology from the great masters demonstrating honor, piety and service. The Pavilto Nexeem in the center may even have been an original. The walls closest to him seemed to be adorned by photographs of a younger chairman flanked by what she guessed to be two very happy parents. Other frames also held pictures of what seemed to be friends or perhaps more family members. Bev smiled to herself, this male was the real deal. Lucky girl.

  "Good day Miss Bevrion. I trust you had a pleasant trip." He motioned his hand towards a large carafe completely filled with a grayish blue liquid on a small carved spiral stand next to her chair.

  "The flight was long, but the accommodations on board the Astiari were more than adequate.” Bev licked her lips and nodded her head vehemently at his offer of the drink. "I believe that ship is the newest in our fleet, correct?"

  Mr. Azule upended the carafe into a tall thin glass, overly careful not to spill any of its highly acidic content on to his person. "One of three actually, all interstellar class, fully armored and loaded with every convenience any head of state could ever want. Not yet deployed for official service."

  "Looking to score some royal clients are we?"

  "Always looking to satisfy whatever client may come to us," the chairman responded offering her the glass.

  Bev took the flute with a gracious nod, then proceeded to down the rich smoky Zedrovian Tiger’s blood liquor in one long drawl. She hadn't experienced anything so delicious since leaving her home world. “Mmmm... this is exquisite.” Smacking her lips and closing her eyes, she took a moment to savor the sweet burn. This man was clearly on top of things, she had to admit .

  “Only the best for my star employee,” he nodded, satisfied by her appreciation of the drink. Next he pulled two pieces of actual paper off a small shelf next to his desk. "Miss Bevrion, I'd appreciate it if you would sign both of these documents in the light blue highlighted quadrant."

  He produced a living Genarian crystal pen from his jacket pocket for Bev to use, and she let it reform in the size of her hand while she read over the documents. Standard keys of the kingdom stuff, transfer codes that would allow her complete and total access to everything in the hotel on Titan, from bank accounts to maintenance keys. She scribbled her long unpronounceable name -for most species outside Zedrovia- in both marked quadrants.

  "Excellent." He stared at her signature on the papers for a moment, silently nodding to himself.

  No way he could possibly read it, but it was cute to watch him try. He then pulled out a tablet, typed out a few things on the screen and handed it to her. "Now I need you to put your hand here on the scanner."

  Bev did as he asked, and the portable scanner recorded not only her hand print, but the entirety of her biometrics. The chairman took the tablet back, added his thumbprint as a signature and then placed both papers and tablet back onto the small shelf next to his desk.

  "That's it." He beamed, crossing his arms and leaning back on the edge of the desk.

  "That's it?" Bev scowled. "You had me fly and day and a half in hyperspace, during my training, in the middle of my transition week just to sign some papers and get biometrics from me that I know you already have on file?"

  He moved to sit in a smaller blue chair opposite from her. He granted her a gorgeous, heart-warming smile, "Not at all Miss Bevrion. I also wanted to personally thank you and present you with this." The man must've been a magician. From behind his back he produced an Oktovitan platinum engraved plaque. Her full name was arduously carved into the precious metal which probably cost them twice her new yearly salary and denoted her exemplary service to the company, transfixed with both the Extravagance Corporation and offici
al Royal Syalantian letter of merit seal.

  "You went above and beyond the call of duty, not only for your hotel and the Extravagance Corporation, for which we can never thank you enough, but for the galaxy at large and the entire Syalantian Empire. We want you to know that Extravagance has every faith in you and your ability, and we're very excited to have you behind the helm of one of our largest and most profitable establishment, and our first official business in the Sol system, birthplace of the Empire's new Queen. We believe you are not only perfect for the job, but I see even more room for advancement in your future." He folded his hands together as a warm, genuine smile lit up his face. He was obviously pleased with himself. "We have every confidence you'll run a tight ship."

  Bev felt truly appreciated. Inexplicable moisture blurred her eyesight and her breath was caught on her throat. For almost a whole minute and possibly the first time in her life, ever, she was speechless. She fought the urge to stand up and give her boss a big Zedrovian kiss with teeth and all. Instead she decided to do much better than a kiss. She stood up slowly to her full height, looking down at her boss.

  "Thank you Sir. I appreciate greatly your recognition of my services,” she said as the corners of her mouth pulled into a big smile, revealing the double rows of razor sharp teeth. “And for that my response to your last comment is, yes, I’ll run a much tighter ship than what you've got going on here, Sir." Bev scoffed as she flicked her thumb and forefinger together. Small sparks burst between the two razor-sharp nails and her challenging gaze leveled with his.

  The chairman's eyes blazed. His lips pursed and his thick, deep blue brow furrowed, ruffling his previously calm poise. His words came slow and somber, "A forthright person such as yourself is highly esteemed in our business and quite rare." Just the barest hint of edge to his voice. He took another moment to straighten his perfectly straight Aqualaian silk tie.

  Bev's look remained steady, impassive and wholly unimpressed. "Is that why it took an intergalactic incident to get rid of Hoofsmear?"

  "Her continued employment was a… regrettable oversight. Having said that, your comments here today give me pause… Maybe we were too hasty with our choice of general manager if this is the type of attitude you feel is appropriate for –."

  Bev held up a large menacing hand to cut off his rant. Men are so sensitive. "Whoa there cowboy, hold your razor-fanged horses." Bev made a mental note to remember to tell Emery she used her cowboy quote. "You know I run a tight ship, and you also know about my skill in dealing with people. All kinds of people. Now, tell me about that little secretary girl that you done talked to you a few minutes ago."

  Suddenly the confident, sure of himself chairman was at a loss for words. Bev watched as his bluster faded rapidly, and oddly his skin tone darkened a few more shades of gray.

  "I see," Bev says. "So that's how it is. You like that little girl don't you? It's okay, you can tell Bev."

  The chairman responded with more silence. Bev scooted her chair over, getting closer to him, sat and placed a motherly hand on his knee, careful not to slice through his pants or his muscular thigh. Wow! This male had muscles on top of muscles. Yum! "Go on sugar, your secret won’t leave this room. I promise I won't tell nobody."

  He stammered and hem hawed, the whole time looking around the room presumably for an escape route. But Bev fixed him with soothing blue eyes. "You ain't never gonna get her like that, sugar. It's like you've lost your blue, as we'd say on Zedrovia. You need to step up, alien up and go talk to her. Life is too short not to." She punctuated her speech by slapping him on the knee. This time, hard.

  "But, but…" The chairman stammered, "I can't pursue a relationship with her, I can't even ask her out because she works under me. It's company policy." He turned to her with pleading eyes.

  She put a single razor tipped finger to her bottom lip, and tapped. "So tell me, if she was in a different department would it be fine?"

  "I guess so, yes, why?" He held up both hands.

  "Don't you worry about that none sugar. Now move your little heinie off the desk."

  Bev stood up and stepped around the confused chairman. She lifted the plush blue chair she was sitting in with one hand and dropped it flush up against the side of his desk. With a single great sweeping motion of her massive blue arm, she swept everything off the desk -terminal, papers, assorted knick knacks- except for the phone tablet which she tossed into the chair.

  The chairman gawked wide-eyed, his mouth agape. "Miss Bevrion!" He managed to blurt out before Bev shushed him. She then proceeded to sit on the desk herself. Picking up the phone tablet she pressed 00 for the corporate operator. Her look of fierce determination the only thing at the moment keeping her from the unemployment line.

  The phone rang through and Bev opened up, "Hello, who my talking to? Susie? Why hello Susie I hope you're doing well today. Yes. Why I am too, thank you so much dear, that's so sweet of you to say. Well Susie, I'm calling from the big boss's office, and I've got a little problem up here. I need you to connect me with somebody in Alien Resources who can help us deal with this right away. Sure Susie, I'll be happy to wait on the line, take your time baby, I'm not in a hurry."

  She took notice of the chairman still standing right where she left him, mouth hanging open catching Churchu rain flies. She put a hand over the phone speaker while waiting to be connected to AR. "Close your mouth sugar. Oh by the way, I thought you should know that not everybody in your organization plays by the same rules."

  The chairman flustered more than a man of his stature could normally take narrowed his eyes. When he spoke his voice was gravelly and heavy. "What on Syalantia’s green plains do you mean exactly, Miss Bevrion?"

  Bev gave him an exaggerated eye roll, and made a show of swishing her tail back and forth across the desk. "I mean that not all of your executives hold themselves to the same high standards as you, Mr. Azule. Let me tell you about our little girl out there, our Miss Paisley, and the attention she's getting; attention she most definitely didn't ask for."

  Chapter 4

  "I told you no," Victoria stiffened when she realized her escape route had been cut off by the back wall of her cubicle. The last things she wanted were causing a scene or losing her job but she had simply endured enough of the sleazy VP’s relentless, boorish, daily advances these last few months. She leveled her gaze on him, hoping she could somehow negate the confrontation. She spoke slowly but loudly enough to be heard by the entire office, "And I'd appreciate it if you'd please leave my area and let me get back to my work."

  The VP of marketing smirked then flashed a set of laser polished pearly whites. "Come on baby, I see the looks you give me every day. You know you want me."

  She turned away from him and his advances but the shark was far from put off. His eyes widened at the sight of her backside. He slid his hand up the back of her leg and pinched one of her healthy cheeks.

  SLAP!

  An enraged Victoria breathed heavily, while still holding her rapidly reddening hand in the air. There were a lot of things she tolerated in her life, but his greasy hands on her person were most assuredly not one of them.

  His smirk turned into a sneer. "That freaking hurt bitch!" He struck out like a snake wrapping his long gnarled fingers around her wrist. He squeezed until he could see pain dance across her face. "I'm well within my rights to fire you right now, so why don't you admit that this is what you really want. Why else would you wear such tantalizing clothing for me and shake that extra juicy ass every time you pass by me. Just admit it Terran slut."

  Victoria bristled, anger burned in her sapphire blue eyes but all she did was hold her head up high and say nothing. In spite of the crushing hot pain on her wrist she didn’t flinch, she didn’t cower. She refused to give him the satisfaction. Instead she shot him a look of sheer contempt that only seemed to infuriate the shark even more.

  “You ought to know your place female,” he barked, veins threatened to pop on his head. Evidently, he thought it was w
ell within his rights to show her what that meant because he raised his left hand and pulled it back to strike.

  Victoria’s leg took off, her John Fluevog’s Resurrections came to life aiming for the deranged VP’s genitals when the sudden release of her wrist jarred her out of balance.

  She looked up at the VP’s wincing face as the sleazy shark’s shoulder was nearly wrenched from its socket. The predator whirled his menacing head back with a roar ready to pounce on his attacker. His dark, cold eyes went wide and the snarl that curled his upper lip froze in his sullen face. He seemed quite surprised to find his wrist being crushed in a vise like grip. A grip that belonged to the chairman of the board.

  The smaller fish tried to backstroke. "Mr. Azule! I...I just caught this woman trying to break into the company database, eh... obviously looking to steal insider information to sell to our... – Mr. Azule?"

  The vice president of marketing, Lassiter Quagmire, slipped off of whatever level of surprise he was currently skating on and dove headfirst into unbridled astonishment. His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when the hand holding his wrist began to turn a mustard yellow, and grow. And grow. And grow...

  "Huh," the blue female said out loud for all to hear, approaching the scene and coming to a stop next to Victoria. Her self-preservation alarms wailed as the blue female’s daunting frame towered way high above her head. "I didn't know the chairman was part Texidate," the female offered.