Top Floor E-Book

Kis Kiss

• Herausgeber: tredition
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Serie: Top Floor
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 368

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

"Kerstin Huebner (pseudonym Kis Kiss), author of a series of novels set in New York City, successfully spins a tale of five big-city women in this turbulent, contemporary novel full of emotion. They all have the same goal: They want to get to the top both professionally and personally, living their best life at that elusive TOP FLOOR of life. As fast-paced as a movie, this three-week adventure sweeps you up and places you squarely under the spell of these women." Isabel Schickinger, Managing Director of Germany's leading literary agency, Lianne Kolf. "This is a very tantalizing read." M. C., New York, (Literary Scout) Now read the 1st episode of this series of novels set in New York City and dive into the world of Sally, Bea, Celine, Jil and Jane.

Leseprobe

Five women from New York, each in her own way, fight daily to make it to the Top Floorboth personally and professionally.

Sally, 30, with her perfect looks, has managed to snare a top job. She thinks love is a waste of time and all she cares about is professional and social success. She would love to seduce her charismatic and attractive boss. But unfortunately she has a competitor in the form of the once-mousy Bea.

Jil, Sally’s wan assistant, spends hot nights with the successful, sought-after artist Michael while simultaneously being in love with Jesse, a sweet, cuddly, teddy bear of a man from her hometown of Bath, Maine.

Jane, Bea’s mother, thinks she has to steer her daughter off the wrong life path she finds her on, where a successful career is all that matters to hard-working Bea.

Celine, Bea’s cousin, becomes the assistant of the cold and arrogant Harry. Celine struggles against the force of his attractiveness, which she becomes increasingly powerless to resist.

And then there’s New York, with its gloss, lights, scenes, fashion, galleries, art and high society, with its magnetic pull that draws everyone into the never-ending struggle to attain that oh-so-desirable Top Floor of life

© 2021 by Kerstin Huebner

All rights reserved

Editor: Lisa Breitsameter

Cover design and layout: Zero Media, Munich, Germany

Kerstin Huebner

Luise-Ullrich Strasse 8

82031 Gruenwald

GERMANY

Email: info@kis-kiss

ISBN 9798513483977

CONTENTS

Week One

Sally

Bea

Sally and Jil

Bea in the Cab

Jane

Team Meeting

Rendevous with Harry

Single Lunch

Sally and Harry

Coming Home

Sally and Geoffrey

Jil

Extravagance

Bea and Celine

Dinner Talk

Jane and Robert

Weekend 1

Ji in the Metro

Encounter

Michael

Week 2

Welcome to New York

Celine and Bill

Celine in Stress

Bea and Geoffrey

Celine and Harry

Sally in Shock

Jane and the Surprise

Weekend 2

Sally and Berlin

Sally on Business Trip

Bea and the Transformation

Dinner for Two

Sally´s Nightmare

Jil and Jesse

Jane in a Bind

Sally´s Return

Bea and the Woman in Red

Celine and Verdi

Jesse and Michael

Sally up to the Stars

Bea´s Awakening

Week 3: Monday tii Thursday

Jane and What the Heart Desires

Celine´s Day After

Jil and Cupid´s Arrow

Sally´s Suspicion

Jane and the Lords of Creation

Bea and Celine over a Glas of Wine

Bea and Jil

Jil and the Lightness of Being

Week 3: Friday

Jil and the Savageness of Humanity

Bea in the Air full of Nutmeg

Celine and the Puppeteer

Jane and the Boat

Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf

Susan and Chris

Epilogue

End of Top Floor 1

Beginning Top Floor 2

Weekend Three

Jil and the Gummy Bears

Own Everything

Guilty

How does Top Floor 2 continue?

Acknowledgements

About the Author

»Alles, was die Seele durcheinanderrüttelt, ist Glück.«

( »Everything that rattles the soul is happiness.« )

Arthur Schnitzler

WEEK ONE

SALLY

Sally did everything she possibly could to look fantastic at age 30: slim, 5 foot 9, toned body, sleek muscles, long thick blonde hair, slightly tan complexion. Her image was so beautiful and perfect that she could hardly pull herself away from the mirror in the morning. But a glance at the clock reminded her to put an end to this admiration session. Even with those looks, her boss would not be happy if she showed up late in the office.

Sally had been working at a well-known advertising firm in Manhattan for two years, where she had quickly climbed the corporate ladder. She didn’t worry too much about whether it was because of her looks or her abilities. Sometimes she felt a little guilty when her colleague Beatrice was passed over once again, despite the fact that her suggestions were often very creative and intriguing. But Beatrice’s looks were anything but attention grabbing. It’s her own fault, Sally thought, not everyone can be as lucky to be born looking like me. And even if you’re not that lucky, you don't have to let yourself go, either.

One last look in the mirror, and, wow, the blue Cerutti suit fit like a second skin, as if made for her. But now it was time to go. A long day lay ahead of her: meetings, a quick lunch during her manicure, presentation of the new project, a workout at the hippest gym in the city, then a small dinner and a detox drink, and finally to bed, no later than 10 pm. She really couldn’t afford dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep.

BEA

The shrill 7 o'clock alarm was ringing in Beatrice's ears. »It’s hard to believe that the day is already starting again,« Beatrice grumbled from under her two thick pillows. Hadn’t she just fallen asleep, and now she had to get out of her nice warm bed again?

Outside it was still dark. But too bad, she had to pull herself together for an important meeting which she had been preparing for, for weeks. So eyes wide open – time to go. She heaved herself up and dragged herself into the bathroom. The next shock: the glance at the mirror. Her dark, unruly hair stood even more on end than usual. A thick sleep wrinkle dominated her cheek, and yesterday's mascara had migrated under her big brown eyes during the night. Well, that was a sight to behold! So what – it was time to start the renovation process to at least try to limit the damage. Off to the shower to scrub her hair and face, tie her wet hair back into a tight ponytail, and apply lots of cream to her face in the silent hope that it would dominate the wrinkle.

Time to get out of the bathroom, Beatrice thought to herself, as the next shock would surely take place in front of her closet. And right she was; that’s exactly what happened. The sight of her drab business suits, which looked like they were from the last century, did not exactly lift her mood. Yeah, whatever, I’ll wear the blue pantsuit. A firm decision with no ifs or buts is always best, she thought to herself, and before the poor pantsuit knew what hit it Beatrice had squeezed herself into it. Now, I just have to pull up the zipper, if those five extra pounds have nothing against it.

Damn, now the phone too. Who could be calling at this ridiculous hour? Beatrice quickly reached for the peace destroyer only to hear her mother’s lovely voice. »Bea dearest, do you have a minute?« »No, mother, I don’t. I’m completely stressed out,« Beatrice replied. »Oh, that’s a pity, so early in the morning. I was just reading the newspaper, and there’s such a good review of the new staging of Puccini’s opera ›La Bohème‹ at the Metropolitan. I thought we could go there together. What do you think?« »Mother, I don’t feel like seeing any opera right now. I have to hurry, otherwise I’ll be late!« Beatrice exclaimed. »But dear, it’s not just any opera.« Those were her mother’s last words as Beatrice hung up on her. She really has some nerve; doesn’t she realize that there are people who belong to the working population?

With a slightly guilty conscience she hurried back to the mirror to acknowledge that either the pantsuit belonged in the trash or she had to lose at least five pounds. She chose the first option. Half an hour later she rushed off to the office as she had done every weekday until then.

SALLY AND JIL

»Hi James,« Sally chirped to the doorman, who looked delectable in his black tailcoat. But there really was no time for that. She hurried to the elevator of the 28-story building and a few minutes later she was at the very top, in her elegant office overlooking the Hudson River. A lot of work was needed to make it here. Nobody understood quite how much, and she herself had forgotten or repressed most of it. Did she have a guilty conscience? Yes, once in a while, but more and more rarely. That would only hold her back from her life and her career and possibly also lead to sleepless nights, which at their worst would affect her beauty.

A knock at the door tore her away from her thoughts. Jil, her assistant, rushed in: tall, slim, pale, always looking a bit overtired. »Good morning, Sally, here are your documents for today’s meeting. I went over everything again. I’ll be really happy if you’re satisfied.« »Thank you, Jil, I’ll take a look right away. Be so kind as to bring me a green tea.« »No problem, Sally.« Jil continued: »I wanted to remind you of today’s meeting in an hour.« »Thank you, Jil, I know.« Unfortunately Bea will also be there, Sally thought, slightly disgusted. Jil left the room again. Poor girl, Sally thought, just too little sleep. Somehow she doesn’t have her life under control. OK, time to get to work. What? The tea was already on her desk? Great, and with that Sally dove into her documents to apply the finishing touches to the presentation due in an hour.

BEA IN THE CAB

My God, every morning the same stupid traffic. You really should have a helicopter in this city, but she, of course, was nowhere near that level. She was lucky to have her own office on the third floor, following a promotion she got as a reward for a very successful project that had lasted months, on which she had worked day and night. Years of toiling in an open-plan cubicle were over but not forgotten.

Beatrice thought of her mother, who had never known this kind of life. Here was a woman who had married very young, who had loved Beatrice’s father very much, and jetted throughout the world with him for professional reasons – studying art here and photography there – who took everything and also nothing at all seriously. The main thing was that they should always be together and never apart. What rare creatures: still in love, and that after 30 years! It was completely unnatural to concentrate only on husband and children. And at what cost to herself? She, Beatrice, did not want such a life, nor had she even ever had the choice. She didn’t know anyone of her generation who wasn’t interested in education, job, a career. Nevertheless, she thought repeatedly of her mother’s smiling face for brief moments at a time. Who reads reviews of the latest opera in the morning? It was simply ridiculous to start the day that way, but also somehow nice.

A sudden stop by the taxi driver tore her away from her thoughts: Oh, finally arrived, just get out quickly because the meeting with Geoffrey and Sally was in an hour. This was the opportunity to present her ideas for a cosmetics company. She paid quickly, gave a short thank you, and already was in the building, where James was still standing at his usual spot, wishing her a good morning. »Thank you, I hope you’re doing well.« »Yes, Ma’am, everything's fine, hopefully with you too?« »Oh, James, no time as usual, so much to do, have to get going, unfortunately.« Beatrice disappeared into the elevator, not all the way to the top, but at least to the third floor.

JANE

»Bea, are you still there?« But she was gone. Oh, the poor girl was stressed out again. But you don’t have to be so unfriendly, though, Jane thought to herself, somewhat shocked, as she gazed proudly at her huge garden, which was landscaped several times a week by her fantastic gardener, José. José had emigrated from Mexico years ago; Jane didn't know how or when, she was just glad that her garden looked the way it did. Besides, to her he seemed totally happy – he even sang while he worked. Oh no, once more she was being distracted by unnecessary thoughts; my goodness, now she was getting stressed out too!

A glance at her hands reminded her of her appointment at 10 am with Melanie, the best manicurist in town, the one with the endless waiting list. She didn’t care to imagine what would happen if she were late. Afterwards lunch with Carolyn at her urgent request, and then an appointment with Dr. Hatwick, the most famous psychiatrist far and wide. She hurried up the marble steps of her house to throw herself into her latest Armani clothing acquisition. My God, where are the car keys? Such stress, I’m already bathed in sweat! »Lucia,« she called out to her cleaning lady, »take Buddy out (her three-year-old Newfoundland) please be so kind! Unfortunately I don't have time, too many important appointments!«

She was already outside, giving Buddy, who lounged sleepily at the entrance door and hardly noticed her, a quick pat. »Hey there, chubby one, take good care of everything!« A glance at the clock made her get quickly into her car. »Bea is stressed – and what about me?« she muttered, roaring out of the driveway in her stylish Porsche 911.

TEAM MEETING

Everyone was on time at the mahogany conference table in a huge room with floor-length windows and a view of the Hudson River. Where are Geoffrey and that Beatrice, Sally thought to herself impatiently. At that moment, they entered together  ... together! I don’t believe it: Coincidence or on purpose? Sally felt herself getting warm, as if she were having a menopausal hot flash. Just the way that Beatrice shows up here. Far too fat in a tight, faded pantsuit. Bea gave her a quick glance and, thank God, sat down far away from her and Geoffrey. Yes, that’s where she belongs, Sally thought, at the end of the table, and already her focus had switched from Beatrice to Geoffrey. No, for real, how great does he look, Sally thought to herself. Dark blue Armani suit, snow-white shirt, and with it a Merlot-colored Hermes tie. His thick hair was perfectly coiffed but without looking purposely styled. His green eyes calmly studied those present.

Beatrice, on the other hand, seemed unsettled and insecure, with red spots on her face, glancing nervously at those assembled. Sally’s hot flash vanished suddenly at the sight. Instead she was feeling rather compassionate. Then she heard Geoffrey's calm, matter-of-fact voice: "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, today we're going to begin with the proposals for the new advertising campaign for Henssler & Co., the world's largest cosmetics company, and we're also introducing a new concept for a vegetarian fast food chain. »Sally, why don’t you get us started!« He looked at her kindly. »Sure, Geoffrey,« and already Sally was eagerly presenting her proposal, an anti-aging campaign for women over forty, that senseless fight against aging, with a concept to unconditionally, once and for all, win the battle against wrinkles with said products.

Sally presented in detail and with precision, using many visuals; she was completely in her element, like a fish in water. Bea watched Sally with fascination as she presented self-confidently, without a hint of insecurity, and with tremendous power of persuasion, as if there was only her and her suggestion and nothing and no one else. In contrast, Bea always had her doubts and reservations. With Sally, on the other hand, there was no hint of that. Unbelievable! She could only learn from her, and that’s what she intended to do. She wasn’t going to let herself be intimidated. Why should she? Also, she found the proposal for the new cosmetics line somewhat conventional and a little boring. It didn’t exactly knock you off your feet.

Sally then started with her presentation of the vegetarian fast food chain, to which she had given a new name, »Dreamy Vegetarian«, for the middle-aged customer. She also presented this concept flawlessly. In the end, she was very proud of herself. Her glance towards Geoffrey spoke volumes. Bea suddenly heard her name from far away.

»Bea, could you please start now.« »I – oh – OK. I’ll start.« My God, it was her turn! Beads of sweat stood out on her forehead, but a quick look at Geoffrey calmed her down a bit, which she couldn’t really explain. »So, the line of cosmetics that Sally just introduced, which is aimed more at middle-aged women fighting aging, is totally interesting, but I chose another customer group, the younger generation. They need their own new, younger product line. I’m calling it ›The Yellow Line‹, and to introduce it to younger people, I thought of yellow cosmetics boxes distributed to high schools, colleges, and universities. This distribution could initially take place over a span of three months, and then these products would only be available in specific stores or online."

Sally had turned a little pale. Her poisonous glare was directed at Bea, this Bea with no trace of nervousness, and on top of that she was presenting this great, interesting idea. Next she glanced at Geoffrey, whose face betrayed nothing, neither enthusiasm nor rejection. Bea wasn’t aware of any of this. She presented great visuals and concept sketches of what the product should look like. The Yellow Box looked delicious, irresistible, just killer! That stupid cow! Sally took the floor in a desperate attempt to avert the worst. »Well, I have my doubts, Bea, because distributing products for free for three months is a big investment.« »That's what I thought too at first, and then I calculated the costs,« Bea replied eagerly, and presented her cost estimates on a slide. Unfortunately, this showed that the costs were relatively low compared to other promotions. Sally gave up and hoped that Geoffrey would reject this proposal. But her hopes were not to be realized.

RENDEVOUS WITH HARRY

Sally left the office in a huff to treat herself to a quick lunch. That little go-getter Bea and her idea of this new advertising campaign would actually be well received by the client. What’s more, her boss Geoffrey was also thrilled with it, even though Beatrice looked ridiculous in her ancient pantsuit. And then there was that high ponytail for an important business meeting. Unacceptable! How can one show up like that? Does Geoffrey still have all his marbles? This chubby woman – hard to believe. He’s been staring at me for years, but today he was mesmerized by the scruffy Beatrice. Sure, her ideas were presented damn well and even quite self-confidently. She herself couldn’t have done any better. Also, well structured and exactly what the customer needed. Crap, a plan had to be made; before you know it, she moves up the floors, and before I even know what hit me she’ll be standing right in front of me. Unimaginable. A nightmare!

Oops, she almost slammed her forehead against the window of the super chic lunch restaurant, Charly. That’s all she needed – to be going back to the office with a bump on her head. What a shitty day, she cursed inwardly, and promptly tripped into the arms of Harry, a former friend from college. »Harry, I can’t believe it, haven’t seen you in ages, what are you doing here in New York?« Harry – tall, dark hair, cold gray eyes – smiled joyfully at her. »Hi Sally – my God, that was a long time ago. You look even more gorgeous than you did then!« Suddenly this shitty day has turned into a dream day, Sally thought to herself, and gave Harry her most beautiful smile, showing her shiny white teeth. "Hey, Harry, hard to believe it’s you,« she said as they embraced warmly. »Are you alone here?« Harry asked. »Yes, and you?« Sally asked sultrily. Harry nodded, took her hand, and already a pretty waitress was coming to lead them to their table.

Harry and Sally had met at Princeton University. At the time Sally was sitting in a marketing lecture. Bored, her gaze wandered through the lecture hall, and like an eagle discovering its prey, landed on the handsome Harry, who was listening attentively to the lecture and taking no notice of her. »That’ll change quickly,« thought Sally to herself with an inward smile, stretching out her slender, slightly tanned legs and trying to concentrate on the monotonous lecture. And that´s indeed what happened. They were very similar, inside and out.

SINGLE LUNCH

Beatrice felt like jumping high into the air in the elevator that was to take her from the 28th floor to the ground floor. And yet this day had started out so stressful and annoying. But now she felt like hugging everyone. What a day! Her boss Geoffrey was thrilled with her presentation. She never expected that. He thought her ideas were right on target and perfectly suited to the new client, Henssler & Co., who wanted to launch a new product on the market. All that work was not for nothing, she thought to herself. And once again she could see her boss’s calm, warm eyes in her mind’s eye, as he listened attentively to her presentation and looked at her admiringly, somehow. Or had she just imagined that? Well, with the five pounds too many on her hips and her gray suit right out of the Stone Age, it must surely be a fantasy.

On the other hand, he himself looked spick and span. Beautifully dressed, the upper buttons of his shirt casually open, revealing his lightly tan skin. On his narrow, masculine wrist he wore a cool watch (she didn’t know much about brands). His fine hands rested on the table. Everything about him radiated calm and serenity. Stop it, Beatrice! You’re not going to fall for your boss, she admonished herself. And before she knew it the elevator had dropped her on the ground floor and down to earth.

She quickly got out. She didn’t have much time left for lunch, just enough for a quick sandwich at the snack bar opposite Charly, the in-restaurant. »Hi,« said the server behind the counter, a nice young student who was financing his studies by working here at lunchtime. »What can I get you today?« »Oh, I’ll have a tuna sandwich and a water (she’ d have much preferred the cheeseburger, but the memory of that morning in front of the closet held her back). »All right, here you go, that’s six dollars.« »Thanks, keep the change,« said Beatrice and took her sandwich to stand at one of the four bar tables overlooking Charly’s.

There she saw a stylish couple sitting at the window, talking excitedly. Oh, that’s Sally! Of course, she knows only cool men and has the time and money to eat lunch there. Yes, Sally looked damn good and was super-successful. Beatrice had a sneaky suspicion that she might have something going on with Geoffrey, just because of the very familiar way Sally always spoke to and looked at him. Today at the meeting it seemed to Beatrice that Sally’s glances in her direction weren’t exactly friendly. Her eyes had looked cold and disapproving. Beatrice only noticed it in the background, as she was fully concentrated on her presentation. But now at lunch she realized in what a hostile way Sally had stared at her. Normally she would never even take any notice of me, Beatrice thought to herself.

Some months ago we met by chance in the elevator. The doors were just beginning to close. She saw me rushing to the elevator and graciously held the door open. I was in my crumpled suit per usual, she was in a super-chic light beige silk outfit. She looked me over from top to bottom. Then she turned to the elevator buttons and asked with a fake smile: »Third floor for you, right?« »Yes, that’s right,« I mumbled, »thank you,« and before I knew it I was at my floor, and she continued to glide up. We didn’t exchange another word at the time, just »Have a nice day!«

Now, enough of Sally! Bea urgently had to get back to the office. Geoffrey wanted some more tweaks, which she was supposed to discuss with him tomorrow. What a date he would be; the best date. Her heart was beating a little faster at the thought of him. She took one last look at the two of them, who were still sitting at lunch and apparently had all the time in the world. She, however, had to go, and before she knew it she was back at her desk and deep in her work.

SALLY AND HARRY

Sally ate an exquisite steak tartare with a glass of delicious detox water. Actually, Champagne would be appropriate to celebrate the chance meeting with her old college friend Harry after such a long time. »So, Harry, what brings you to New York, the city that never sleeps? I thought you were at Hambrecht & Co., that famous marketing firm in San Francisco.« She took a sip of water and looked at him with a smile. "Yeah, Sally, I was there for three years, but then this offer came from Lambert & Company to become a partner. I couldn’t resist, even though San Francisco is certainly a city worth living in. But since I had no other ties there – honestly, I hardly had time for friends, not to mention a relationship – few personal contacts – just no time. Actually, I only miss my psychiatrist. He really was damn good.« He sipped at his glass of water. »And how are you, Sally dear?" He raised one of his bushy eyebrows questioningly and looked at her intensely with his clear, somewhat cold eyes.

Actually, he wasn’t very interested in those around him, really not at all. Once he sat waiting in a doctor’s office, where the following saying hung on the wall: »The measure of all things is humanity.« He found this sentence so surprising. It seemed strange to him to dedicate one’s life to serving humanity. Were there really people out there who didn’t just think of themselves, who put money and career ambitions aside to serve humanity? For him, people were a means to an end. He would never have become a doctor. He liked people far too little for that. That’s what appealed to him about Sally: she was cast in the same mold as him. Sally laughed, a little embarrassed. »Yeah, I’m fine, I got exactly what I wanted; I’m a project manager at Mansfield & Strutton.«

Sally knew Harry pretty well. Something about him was cold, and he could be very arrogant with people he didn’t need but who needed him, like waiters, maids and coworkers under him. They all had to suffer. They were never praised. He was only interested in them carrying out their duties, not in their personal problems. The latter he found very annoying and he tried to distance himself from other people’s problems as quickly as possible. He hated employees who asked him stupid questions. That’s why he had a sign outside his office: »Think before you enter.« Once a colleague asked him where he was going on vacation. »My job is my vacation,« was his answer, and that’s how he felt. He couldn’t imagine doing something totally pointless and finding that relaxing. Unfathomably boring!

Sally didn’t feel that she herself was quite so selfish. But she had to admit that when it came to other people’s problems, she was not exactly the personification of self-sacrifice. Life had not been served to her on a silver platter. She had had to fight hard for everything, despite her extremely good looks. Her looks helped, but they were by no means a guarantee of success. Beautiful people often tended to reduce their ambitions on the assumption that their looks made up for a lot on their own. She most certainly didn’t want that. She set her goals very high: top grades, top university, top looks. She wanted to be married by age 30, of course only to a top stallion in the stable, and then have children, with a top nanny who spoke five languages to take care of them, hired before the first child was born. Nobody was going to stop her. Nobody!

She didn’t want a life like that of her mother, who had fallen head over heels in love with a German in Seattle and followed him to Berlin, or more precisely, to the small suburb of Spandau, where he worked in the city administration. There she became pregnant with Sally and lived as a housewife on the small salary of a government official. They only had one child, probably also for cost reasons. Every cent was counted twice and Sally’s clothes – which were »nice«, but only »nice« – were sewn for her by her mother.

She smiled thoughtfully at Harry. It was also hard for her to imagine taking a break, that is to say a vacation. She was in her element with her job, where everything revolved around her and her commands. She keenly sensed the admiration of others, which she relished and breathed in like it was pure oxygen. Wherever she appeared, this sense followed her and practically made her float. It was like a drug she couldn’t get enough of, which caused her to sink into her bed at night, numb and fulfilled.

»Darling, did you hear my question, or are you somewhere else altogether?« Harry asked impatiently. »Unfortunately I have to go. Super important meeting with the Chinese!« »Oh sorry, sure Harry, we should meet for dinner, hopefully before the end of the year. Let’s call to find a date. What do you think, can we manage that with our busy schedules?« »For you, darling, I have all the time in the world,« Harry replied with an admiring glance at Sally´s appearance, giving her his cell phone number. »Here you have mine; let’s see who manages to call the other first,« Sally said, smiling, and before she knew it, it was kiss, kiss, ciao, ciao, nice to see you, and already each of them was on their way to attend to their various responsibilities.

COMING HOME

»My God, I almost forgot,« Bea suddenly realized. Tonight was the dinner at her parents’ place in Greenwich Village, at 8 pm; it was already 6 pm, and she was still at the office. She quickly gathered together her documents. Thank God she had finished the tweaks her boss Geoffrey had asked for. But now came the much more difficult task of getting to her parents on time (now almost impossible) and enjoying a relaxing evening there.

It wasn’t always so easy to answer the questions, particularly those of her mother, without wanting to grab her by the throat. Alcohol sometimes helped, but too much alcohol made it worse. It was especially tricky when her mother also drank too many glasses of wine. Then there was the imminent danger of escalation. And since her father, once again lost in his thoughts, often didn’t notice what was going on, he usually failed miserably in his attempts to calm the combatants, causing the evening to fall apart even though it had begun so beautifully. And then the warring parties suddenly found themselves all alone: Bea on her way home and her mother in her bedroom with a migraine, after having reproached her bewildered husband: »You’re completely clueless,« or »you've ruined the whole evening.« Then she would blow into the bedroom, theatrically slamming the bedroom door, leaving fresh cracks in the walls of the villa. Unshaken by the racket, her father took the opportunity to finally light a nice cigar and retreat to the winter garden, enveloped in a cloud of relaxing smoke. Peace at last! Now, time for the 20-year-old Scotch; his head was already filling with his latest film score, which he had just composed for Warner Brothers.

»Fantastic, tonight will be a wonderful evening, and Daddy, this time you won’t have any opportunity to smoke your cigar,« Bea thought to herself. She wasn’t the only person invited; her cousin Celine, who was visiting from Boston for a few days to shop in New York for Easter, and who got along very well with her mother, would also be there.

Celine was successfully married to a dream son-in-law, already had two children and lived in a beautiful mansion in a suburb of Boston. That’s exactly what her mother had pictured for Bea. Instead, she was single, nobody in sight far and wide, far too much work for such a small salary, hardly any time to maintain her outward appearance. Bea herself sometimes didn’t understand why she had chosen a life like that. Her parents had never forced her one way or the other; especially her father hadn’t. He was a liberal guy, a successful composer of advertising music, who enjoyed his life and would never interfere with hers. He was simply happy when she was.

Her mother, on the other hand, was different. She couldn’t keep herself from exerting influence because she was convinced that she knew what was best for her. Not that her mother didn't appreciate Bea’s independence, but in the end she believed that true happiness came with starting a family, instead of being single and having a career. »Bea, your generation has a hard time reconciling everything and you don’t have unlimited time, because having kids at 40 is almost impossible,« she often said. But her mother obviously didn’t think about how hard it was to translate this into reality.

Bea had gotten to know several men and had even fallen in love. But in the end, being in love went away as fast as it came. Sometimes she didn’t even have a reason. None of them were Mr. Right. Maybe her expectations were too high. But was it the expectations or the chemistry that just didn´t fit? Sure, he was supposed to be funny, independent, manly, loving, handsome, intelligent, self-confident, interesting. Hmmm, is that too much to ask? Well, if she was to be totally honest with herself, it was probably a little too much to expect. But a girl can dream.

»Ma’am, excuse me.« The taxi driver’s voice brought her out of her reverie. »Unfortunately there are some traffic jams, but that’s OK. I’m taking a little different route. Is that alright with you?« »No problem. As long as I’m there by 8,« Bea replied. »I’ll do my best,« he said and already he was taking a shortcut. Bea had gotten directly from the office into a taxi, that was supposed to take her to Greenwich Village as quickly as possible without her having to change clothes (which her mother would certainly find fault with). And she did in fact make it to the door of her parents’ fancy villa on time.

She had barely gotten out of the car when Buddy came running up to her, wagging his tail and barking with joy. William, the butler, opened the front door with a kind greeting: »Miss Bea, nice to see you. Your parents are waiting for you.« Bea smiled at William, gave him a quick handshake with one hand and scratched Buddy’s head with the other. »Oh William, I’m glad to see you too. I’m so glad I made it on time.« And already the warm light of her home was surrounding her. All was right with the world. How cozy it is here! What an unbelievable contrast with her super messy, cold apartment, she suddenly thought to herself, spotting a huge bouquet of white lilies in the imposing hallway, whose delicate scent enveloped her like a gentle, warm mist; suddenly all the stress of the day was gone.

SALLY AND GEOFFREY

Sally was once again staying very late at the office, with her assistant Jil. The motto of a successful company is: »Seek and ye shall find«. And as they started seeking, they did indeed find work to do. Some things could have been postponed until tomorrow. But who knew which new project would suddenly arrive. »Postpone« was a dirty word here. They had made it to the 28th floor for a reason. The lights on the lower floors had long since been turned off, but not up here. Besides, this time Sally had been away for a long lunch, since by chance she had run into Harry, her college friend, an unexpected and uplifting encounter after the morning had started so unpleasantly.

Bea, the assistant from the third floor, was supposed to present a new advertising strategy to Geoffrey, Sally’s boss. Unfortunately Bea had already attracted attention a few months ago with her competent work. And Geoffrey had noticed; how exactly Sally didn’t know. So this time Bea probably had gotten the chance to work directly with Geoffrey. Sally herself was completely overloaded with work. Maybe that was the only reason why that awkward Bea had been granted an assignment like that.

Right after her lunch with Harry, Sally had rushed into Geoffrey´s office: »Hi Geoffrey, can I disturb you for a moment?« Geoffrey, who had just sunk into his paperwork, sighed: »Sure, what’s up? But please keep it short, Sally, I have to work on something,« he said, casting a quick glance at her beautiful legs. She would have loved to have an affair with Geoffrey. But it had turned out to be very difficult to translate this into reality. One thing was certain, as far as she was concerned, from the very first interview: I’ll get him for myself! First of all, he looks stunning, so there’s no sacrifice there. And second, it wouldn’t exactly hurt my career.

But she had imagined it would be easier; Geoffrey was playing hard to get. So she’ d had to pull out all the stops, like asking stupid questions that she could answer herself; but then she wouldn’t have had the opportunity to visit him in his office so often. And when she departed she left behind a faint cloud of her insanely great Chanel perfume. Strategy number two: walk super slow into the office, then slowly walk back out, giving Geoffrey every opportunity to admire her perfect figure. Strategy number three: always be the last to leave the office, or rather, wait until Geoffrey had left the office, hoping he’ d come back, which he very often did. »Sally, you’re still here? Is there anything else I can help you with?« »Yes,« Sally would say (thinking to herself: Just kiss me!). »Sure,« Geoffrey would reply, »what’s on your mind?« Certainly not talking about business, Sally would think to herself. Instead she would say: »I have a few more questions about the morning meeting.« She would then look at him with her most radiant smile, which would make her big blue eyes look even more sparkling. Geoffrey, on the other hand, would remain completely cool and business-like, as they went over the case yet again. »My God, he’s an iceberg,« Sally would sigh inwardly, doing her best to concentrate on the conversation.

So the months passed without anything happening. Every day Sally thought of a new strategy, but the block of ice stayed frozen below zero. Then came the moment when Sally thought she would surely be able to get him to melt. She was supposed to fly to San Francisco with Geoffrey to pitch a client. Geoffrey had come into her office and asked if she could please come along. »No, I can’t, since I'd rather sit here with Jil and twiddle my thumbs until you get back,« she wanted to call out after him as a joke. Instead, she coolly said: »Yes, Geoffrey, I’m sure it’s possible for me to find time somehow.« She looked at her calendar and thought to herself: The affair begins now. Then she exclaimed innocently: »Oh, it’ll be tight, but I'll do my best!« »That would be nice. It’s next week, on a Saturday, but the client is damn important. Unfortunately, it’ll only be the two of us, since Arthur (one of his partners) already has the weekend booked completely solid,« sighed Geoffrey. Oh no, Sally thought to herself, what a terrible situation! Me and Geoffrey alone in San Francisco! She was beside herself with glee. Now you can’t escape me anymore! »So, Sally, we’ll leave next Friday around noon. Hello? Are you even listening?« asked Geoffrey. »Yeah, that’s fine. By then I’ll have everything ready. Email me the documents,« Sally said calmly. But she was already preoccupied with Plan B: How do I seduce my boss?

JIL

»Jil, we still have some work to do. Everything has to be ready by the end of next week.« Jil sat at her desk tensing her shoulders and regarding Sally, standing tall and bursting with dynamism, through the open door. »Of course, Sally, we’ll get it done,« she replied. Jil was her personal assistant; you could have also said slave. Working in New York without making lots of money means that your day is one long race. Race to work. Race to lunch. The challenge is to swallow a sandwich in about 15 minutes, chase it with a bottle of water so you don’t choke to death, and then race-walk back to your desk.

Jil’s day in Brooklyn starts early in the morning, in her 160-square-foot studio with its view of the wall of the building next door. First she checks the weather by sticking her head out through the tiny window – ah, blue skies today – then she puts on a light jacket – and don’t forget the running shoes. Then quickly out the door to start the daily race – booking it to the train. Backpack with cosmetics and pumps strapped to her back, and it’s off to the races. All she needs is a starting gun. Makeup not until the office, because a sweaty face with runny mascara is not exactly what Sally is looking for.

Sally really intimidated her. She never dared to stand up to her, even when there was completely unfounded criticism or stupid tasks assigned in the late evening hours. Sally often just slammed these on her desk, saying goodbye with a smile: »Remember, Jil, if you want to get as far as I have, you have to work harder than anyone else.« With this she would march out the door, and if looks could kill, Sally would have been long dead.

Jil came from Bath, a small town in the state of Maine with a population of about 8,000. There she lived with her parents in a houseboat on the Kennebec River. She had a loving father, who went by boat every morning to his small boatyard, where he restored antique historic yachts with four employees. Even as a child, there was hardly anything that fascinated him as much as boats. Noteworthy historic sailboats were his passion. Using a small inheritance from his uncle, he realized his dream of combining his profession with his hobby. He took Jil with him on his boat when time allowed. When the cool wind of the Atlantic Ocean caressed her face, she was wide-awake and happy. She always remembered what her father once shouted to her onboard, out on the ocean, against the wind, when she was about 12 years old: »Life is too short to wait for happiness to come to you. Happiness only comes by from time to time; however, satisfaction stays every day, but only when you find your passion and make it a reality.«