Category: a to z challenge

Dana tried, oh my god she’d tried, but the man was insidiously short sighted and and “stupid!” she yelled out loud though there were none to hear.  The campaign hinged on the elegance and possibility, the nuance of romance in an idyllic setting.  It wasn’t supposed to be staged with robotic men and women.  No one would buy that, ever!

They needed a man oozing charm, elegance, refined but edgy.  A woman sitting nonchalantly at a table enjoying the setting sun, looking out across the horizon, possibly dreaming of meeting someone special.  A man worth sharing her life with, dependable, the essence of stability, reliability but with charm and grace. A chance meeting, unexpected, surprising, delightful.

Marshal’s idea was staid, dry.  They needed to kick it up a notch, they needed bold dynamic excitement, hinted at, suggested.  These clients were edgy but enjoyed a hint of romance in their advertising.  They weren’t into scantily clad men and women.  This was a step beyond what they expected but it was perfect.

Yet he second guessed her every step of the way.  He was impossible!  What’s more, she’d allowed him to rattle her, for the first time in her career.  She knew she was right.  Her senses were always on target. She’d study previous advertising campaigns, get a feel for the direction they were going. Her intention was pushing them a little past their previously comfortable outlook hoping to capture a fresher audience without alienating the classic long time clients.

Standing straight she marched into his office.

Sandy stood quivering on the water’s edge, oblivious to the gentle lapping at her feet.  She wasn’t cold.  She wasn’t overheated.  She wasn’t fearful. She was excited. Her husband was returning from overseas. Six long months he’d been gone, forced to finish up loose ends before joining her.

They’d never been apart this long.  Although they lived busy productive lives, their time together was simple, relaxed, intimate and pure.  She pictured it now, the renaissance of old and new.  A mixture of his world and hers combined into one.  Surprising how much she’d missed those moments of sharing.  Sometimes combative, sometimes coalesced, sometimes unforgettable. Always passionate.

Standing facing the setting sun, she waited patiently and impatiently counting down the  moments until he’d be by her side, the beginning of something new and fresh in a land so distant from anything they’d known. An adventure they’d chosen together.  It was time.  She hurried back to the house, slipped her feet into flip flops, grabbed her bag and keys and rushed to the car.

When Malcome arrived, the house was empty. Where could she be? He toured the house, peered out the windows. He couldn’t find any sign of her.  Surely she’d have gone to the dock to meet him.

His phone rang and he answered the unknown number.  “Mr. Greyson?”

“Yes.”

“I have some terrible news for you.”

He listened in horror.  The phone fluttered from his grasp as he fell on his knees to the floor.  She was gone. It couldn’t happen it couldn’t! His love his one and only taken from him? He sat shaking, the quivering wouldn’t stop.  Tears dripped from his eyes as silent racking sobs shook his body.

Maria’s staff was holding together well, optimistic to the end.  Heads held high, they continued their work as per normal.  Today was D-day.  Except for a select few, no one knew what the board’s decision would be.  They held the fate of all the employees working at Lord’s in their hands.

Although a well-known name, their product had taken a nose-dive with the advent of the latest upcoming “upstart” as her boss called Fjord’s.

Maria had to give their advertising department credit.  Although pandering to the younger market with trendy new and promising motivational speaches had managed to steal away several of Lord’s top accounts.  “Reach the Unreachable” was their motto.

Lord’s catered to the experienced seasoned climbers, those with chutzpah and panache who climbed some of the noblest of peaks and conditions considered unscalable.

The marketplace had grown exponentially over the last 10 years but was currently experiencing a down-turn no one could explain therefore the market place was smaller.

All heads turned expectantly when her boss walked through the door.  No one was more surprised than she at witnessing his companion.  A hush fell over the entire group for standing beside her boss was none other than Damian Ranguild, head of the advertising department of the “upstart” company and bain of their existence.

As eye-candy went, he was luscious.  Some women smiled coyly but his eyes continued to scan the room until his eyes met hers.  She wasn’t sure whether to walk to greet him or make him suffer the walk of shame to her desk.  Maria waited.  Her boss’s face was flushed and he huffed and puffed behind the long ranging gate that was Ranguild.

Interesting, she thought.  Standing she held out a hand.  Instead of shaking hers, he held on firmly and kissed her fingertips.  If he meant to surprise her, he succeeded.  A knowing smile lit his face.