The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster by Scott Wilbanks

Author:Scott Wilbanks
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781492612469
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2014-12-31T13:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FIVE

A Plan in Full Swing

Pardon me.”

The secretary for the investment division of New York Life glanced up from a pile of papers on her desk, looking somewhat put out. “Yes?” she asked.

“I have some order forms for Culler Enterprises that need to be dropped off.”

The secretary started at the word Culler and lowered her pen. “Your name?” she asked.

“Miss Aster.”

“Make yourself comfortable.”The secretary gestured to the seating area and hurried down the hall, only to return a moment later with an account manager in tow. She couldn’t hightail it back to her seat fast enough when she saw him take one look at the lounge’s occupant and run his fingers through his hair before arranging a pleasant and, to her mind, completely alien smile on his face.

“Miss Aster?” he asked, stepping into the lounge.

“I apologize for coming without an appointment, but my employer, Mr. Culler, insists that I deliver these order forms to you immediately.”

The secretary looked up with a start at the change in the woman’s inflection, and her mouth settled into a smirk as she watched from the corner of her eyes, torn between amusement and disgust while the woman proceeded to play the account manager like a violin. Handing over some order forms before leading him to a corner, the woman said, “Mr. Culler has received news from a very reliable source and is trusting to your discretion—”

Abandoning even the pretense of work, the secretary strained to overhear as the manager mumbled something, prompting Miss Aster to reply, “Yes, the highest regard. He also said that you might wish to share this information with your more discerning clientele.”

More heated murmuring was offset by perfectly timed laughter, and the secretary felt a bubble of grudging admiration for Miss Aster, who was making optimal use of her appreciable assets without any appearance of impropriety. He hasn’t got a snowball in hell’s chance, she thought.

She was right. In the end, Miss Aster and the natural order proved to be too much for the manager, and he escorted her past the secretary’s desk and to the exit. “I will personally attend to the details,” he said.

“You’re my angel,” Miss Aster purred.

After they had shaken hands, the secretary looked at the account manager’s retreating back with contempt. She smelled a rat but had no intention of telling him so. While men thought they ruled the world, she knew they were simply there to do the heavy lifting for women like Miss Aster.

As if reading her thoughts, the woman met the secretary’s eyes. Smiling faintly, she tapped her finger to her nose before holding it over her lips and stepped out the door.

The secretary watched Miss Aster’s progress as she passed from window to window on the front of the building and wondered what she was up to, hoping it added up to a little mud in her boss’s face.

She went back to separating carbons as Annie navigated a few blocks before slipping through the door at Cooks Brothers, nodding to the workers who followed her every step while pretending not to.

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