Deadlines & Desires

Ch 2

Kai

Lorelai Forbes will quite literally be the death of me.

It's amazing, how quickly this woman bounces off walls, runs around like a caffinated squirrel, and still manages to have a somewhat successful career at the New York Times. After our interveiw yesterday, and my expert doging at her questions, I presumed she wouldn't return, ok, well, maybe I did, but I didn't anticipate her returing looking...like that-

She burst the doors of my office open dramatically and strutted in, wearing a too-short for comfort, body-hugging white dress, with a beige overcoat and black knee-length boots, carrying her usual cup of coffee and notepad.

"Aren't you a little too overdressed for an interveiw?" I asked, trying not to let my gaze rove her body.

"Perhaps, what's it to you, Mr. Archer? Thinking of taking me out?" She smirked

"Hardly, I just think it's innapropriate to be wearing things like that for an-"

"Well if you must know-" She drawled, "I have a date afterwords" She smiled quickly and took out a tape recorder, "Everything from now must be strictly professonal from now Mr. Archer, no more...crude comments-" She said the word crude as if i'd said her tits were big or something. I almost scoffed, 

"Now, shall we get started?" She grinned devillishly and flipped open her notebook

I massaged my forehead and gestured for her to sit

"Get on with it then"

She pressed play on the tape recorder, "Well, first of all, since you doged my questions yesterday, lets start from the beggining, shall we?"

Of course. That's why she brought the damn recorder. Everything I said and did was now on the record. Perfect. She was smart, I'd give her that.

"Fine, yes, yes-"

"So, Kai," she began, leaning in with a grin that screamed 'I'm about to nail you to the wall,' "is there a secret handshake for surviving a company on the brink of collapse, or do you just wing it like a plot twist in a bad rom-com?"

I decided to humor her, I leaned back in my chair, attempting to maintain the composed exterior I was known for, though inside I felt like a contestant on a reality show, dodging questions that could easily unravel the fragile threads of my professional life. "I wouldn't really know," I replied, trying to keep my tone level. "We don't have those at Archer Security—just an extensive safety manual that no one reads."

 Lorelai's eyes sparkled with amusement, and I could practically hear the gears turning in her mind, ready to make another pop-culture reference that would undoubtedly sail over my head. "Right, because who needs a plan when your company is changing names faster than a Kardashian at a press event?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, instead opting for a measured response. "If only we could hire them for damage control."

 "Oh, come on," she shot back, leaning in, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "You could turn this whole disaster around if you'd just give me something more than corporate jargon. I mean, even the coffee in this place has more flavor than your last quarterly report!"

I inhaled deeply, trying to maintain my composure while the chaos of her fast-paced banter swirled around me. "Look, Lorelai, I'm not here to entertain you with pop culture references. I'm here to save a sinking ship. But feel free to take notes for your next article on how not to run a business."

She grinned, unfazed. "Trust me, Kai. This is going to be the best piece of investigative journalism since someone decided to ask if avocado toast is worth the hype. And with you as my subject, it practically writes itself."

She tilted her head, and I caught sight of a glimmering gold earring she was wearing, masked by the straight brown hair, she jotted some more notes and faced me again, intertwining her fingers on my desk,

"Give me something to work with here Mr. Archer" she groaned dramatically,  "humor me, for a minute, won't you?" she grinned, leaning back, "tell me, what's it like to be the CEO of a sinking ship? Is it like being on the Titanic, only instead of an iceberg, you're facing a tidal wave of... well, you know... bad business decisions? Or maybe it's more like the sinking of the Mary Celeste – a complete mystery!" She took a dramatic gulp of her coffee, the mug practically glued to her hand, "Except, in this case, the crew is still on board and the ship is just... slowly... sinking...."

 My patience, already stretched thin by the relentless onslaught of her questions and pop culture references I didn't understand, snapped. "The company is facing a challenging financial period," I stated, my voice flat and emotionless. "We're currently restructuring to ensure long-term sustainability."

She massaged her temples dramatically, "you're giving me nothing to work with here Kai..." she said in a fast, sing-song voice, "I won't embarass you in the article, I promise" but her smirk told me otherwise, "unless I really have to, of course-"

She recived a text on her phone, and after reading, quickly turned her recorder off. "Well I'll be on my way" she said, packing up her things, "date night awaits, have fun steering the Mary Celeste!" she gave a me a dramatic wave, before the loud clacking of heels were the only thing I could focus on until she closed the door with a flourish. 

I received a ping on my phone and picked it up. I nearly yelled in frustration as I saw the text:

Don't think I won't be back tommorrow Mr. Archer. This story is far from over :)

I could practically see her grin through the phone

How did you get my number!? I shot back, my fingers flying across the screen

A reporter never reveals her secrets:) Just kidding, it's written all over your buissness cards ;)

I left her on 'read' and slammed my phone on the glass desk. Goddamnit! This woman was going to me the death of me. No way would I let her find out what really happened. Not. A. Chance.