1— Miss Alvarez
Valeria Alvarez
"The news reporters are again targetting you, Ma'am. This time they are trying for a sting operation. They even visited the mines......."
"But found nothing. They never will, Dante. I am not new in this industry. I maybe the only woman in the industry. But I am not alone. My female instincts are always on point. And with me. What's the report on the strike that was getting out of hand last week? Are the workers ready to work now?" I asked my personal assistant, Paul Dante.
He shook his head, pushing a file towards me, and my eyes skimmed over the page, taking in every detail, making my eyes to narrow in displeasure. This is not how things were meant to turn out. If they continue to strike then I would have to take the charge. Not something I am willing to do right now.
"They want to meet you, Ma'am. They want to talk to you. They are adamant that they will only talk to you. They want to be close to their boss."
"Who's the manager there, again?" I asked him, my anger increasing and I saw him gulping before answering me.
"Layla Henry."
"And what's her take on this strike? Why is she unable to suppress this strike?"
"Because a rumor says that Layla Henry is the one who might have provoked this strike. Her promotion was denied for past two years. The theory also suggests that she might have done this to get your attention." Dante explained further, making me grunt my jaw in rage.
Fucking back-stabbers!
"She wanted attention, she got my attention. And get your work done on your theories, Dante. My business don't run on assumptions. Get me the file with her information and schedule a meeting with Layla Henry. She wants to talk about promotion, I'll promote to a good place." I said, my dark eyes staring dead at my assistant who licked his lips as he nodded his head.
"Is this meeting a regular one or the one with apple juice?" He asked me, curiosity peeking through his brown orbs and my lips curled up in a smile as I leaned back on my chair, crossing my legs as I started intensely at him.
"Not a regular meeting, of course. Layla Henry wanted my attention. And my kind of attention ends up with people being either in my bedroom or in my dungeons. And brunettes are not the bedroom type. So get her to the dungeons. And maybe you can just try a few techniques with her. Hm?"
"But, Ma'am, another disappearance from our office would create a chaos in the business world. The news channels are still not over the last disappearance of Mr. Kate." Dante said, worry lacing his voice and I chuckled darkly, shaking my head, taking a sip of my coffee.
"Like any of the previous disappearances made any difference. Plus, I need some fun in my life, Dante. Regular meetings get boring at times and Layla Henry is seeking for some attention. Maybe I can use it to amuse myself as well."
"As you wish, Miss Alvarez. The tickets from the tonight music show has arrived. They didn't had any seats from the VIP sections available. The artists seems to be youngster's new love. But after hearing your name, they arranged a seat for you." Dante said, producing the ticket. And a smug smile formed on my face as my ego was flattered from his words.
Ah, this power. How much I love being in control. Dominating this world. Ah, the taste of my powers is surely sweet, if not salty.
"Who's the artist?" I asked in interest. Young loves are not just weaknesses of teenagers. Some times even we love to taste the new flowers in the garden. To check if the nectar is sweet enough to be plucked.
Dante's eyes widened as if realising what my intentions were. After getting a smile from me, he gulped in fear, nodding his head as he removed his phone before typing something.
"Nolen Salinas. Twenty eight. Single. And a really good singer and guitarist. He can play piano as well. He often...... strips in his performance." Dante said, looking at me awkwardly as he played the music for me and my eyes looked at the man on the screen.
The woman inside me woken up after seeing the beautiful and gorgeous man singing for the crowd. My fingers itched to touch him. I cleared my throat, remembering the name. Nolen Salinas.
"Is he interested in performing personally for people? For me?" I asked him and Dante shifted in his shoes.
"I am afraid, I am unaware in this matter. I didn't knew you would..... you would show keen interest in a singer." He said, his eyes casting down and I sighed, shaking my head.
"Gorgeous singer, Dante. Adjectives play a very erotic roles in defining people's persona. And a woman needs her dose of spirit to live. Any handsome men are my dose. Did you forget your time, Dante?" I asked him, my eyes looking at my assistant with an intense gaze and he swallowed harshly, shaking his head.
"Look at me. And speak up, Dante. Have you forgotten your time? Our time?" I demanded him and he licked his lips, looking up as he shook his head.
"No... No, Miss Alvarez." He whispered and I smiled in satisfaction, knowing that I have the exact same effect on him, I used to have few months back.
"But I am over that period now, Dante. I need fresh distractions. Send Bethany in my room with her newest collections. Tell her Valeria Alvarez needs to look her best today. After all, first impression is last impression. No, Dante?" I asked him and the poor man looked at me with his eyes sad.
"Of course, Ma'am. As you wish, ma'am."
......
I looked at myself in the mirror. They say beauty is a weapon to lure your enemy. And mind is a weapon to kill your enemy. Beauty is a not rare quality but sharp mind is. But the combination of beauty with deadly mind is a very rare quality to be found.
My dark eyes kept staring at my reflection. The red dress moved down to my ankle, the slit of which showed a bits of my legs. My long hair were curled, letting them fall over my shoulders. The heels made me look taller than I usually am.
Oh, Nolan Salinas. The pain I need to endure to get your attention.
When I have my ways to lure the singer, I wanted to take certain efforts. It has been a long time I had been out with a man. A man as gorgeous as him. The media stress and the strike anger was too much to spoil my mood. I need someone to distract me from my miseries. And who could be better than a musician and singer?
"You look lovely in my creation, Miss Alvarez. Red is your color." Bethany said and I smiled at her, shaking my head, turning to look at her.
"Every color belongs to me, Bethany. My beauty is not the slave of colors. But I must say this, Bethany. Your dresses are lovely. I am thinking of investing in your business." I said, genuinely impressed with her dresses and her eyes widened as if she couldn't believe her ears.
"You're not kidding, Ma'am?" She asked me, her excitement making me scrunch my nose.
"Stop being loud, Bethany. And I never say things I don't mean. Meet me in my office next week and we can discuss about the collaboration between our companies. And I will fund your creations. Now, get out of my way. I am running late." I said, and she frowned but nodded her head.
"Of course, Miss Alvarez."
The car was ready when I walked out of the building. Dante was also dressed up in a suit. Dante was a handsome man. There was a time when he was the flower that fascinated me. But his presence in my life was shorter than the lifespan of a fly. He was a good assistant but a weak partner. He couldn't even keep me interested in me for more than a week. Not that it was any of his fault.
It's hard for me to stay at one when all my life I had been circulated to many, like a bloody parcel.
"You... you look gorgeous, Ma'am." Dante said, opening the door of the car and I looked at him, smiling proudly at him.
"I know, Dante. You don't look so bad yourself. Maybe you can also find someone fascinating in the show. Get going, Green. And don't stop before we reach the destination." I instructed my driver, who nodded his head respectfully, murmuring a low 'yes ma'am' before starting to drive.
"And did you get the information, Dante? Does he given personal performances? Tell him not to worry about the money." I said, looking at my assistant, who nodded his head.
"I did, Ma'am. He doesn't seem someone who would be greedy enough to accept the offer of private performances. He is earning pretty well. And he has never performed for someone's personal amusement. I am afraid if we offer him the price, he would speak it out loud in public." Dante said, expressing his fears out and I scoffed at him, shaking my head.
"Do not worry, Dante. Even if he speaks out in public, that would barely defame me. Everyone knows my interest in art and the artists. And he will not speak out in public. I'll make sure of that." I said and for the rest of our rides, all of us fell silent as I started working on my laptop, reviewing the files.
Some people are really asking to get fired with the amount of shits they do in the name of work.
"Review these files by tomorrow morning, Dante. And get me a list of people not doing their jobs right and fire them." I said, shutting my laptop and he nodded his head, taking it from me.
The stadium was quite big. It was astonishing to me how people find music so fascinating that they are ready to pay any amount of money to see them singing. And I wanted experience what they experience. But I wanted to experience more. I wanted to experience Nolan Salinas.
Suddenly the light went dim and the stage was ignited with fire, people were cheering as the back-dancers started lining up the stage before the singer did. And Lord, he was a fine human being. The finest in our species.
Dressed in a dark pant and a translucent white shirt, Nolan Salinas walked on the stage. He was tall. And his ocean eyes were enough to ignite the woman inside me in fire, burning me until I wasn't reduced into ashes. I could feel the burning in my body when he smiled at his audiance. And even the audiance was crazy for him. But I could see it now why they were all so crazy for him. For Nolan Salinas.
With slow, deliberate and alluring steps he walked till the edge of the stage, making the people out their to hold their hearts.
"Welcome to the night eve, people! I am Nolan Salinas and tonight I'll be your only man here!"
True, you'll be my only man here. And a small smile formed on my face when I leaned back on the chair and his eyes shifted to my side. His oceanic eyes stayed on me for a long minute. He was staring at me. Like he was reading me through before he started with his performance. I smiled to myself when he didn't even once glance at my side for the rest of the show.