Too Good to Be True
Chapter 1
It all seems so hazy to me in hindsight, the last few weeks of my life. The whirlwind of activity: the court dates, the trial, the conviction, and now...my time of waiting...endlessly waiting, for the final curtain to come down. When i will be executed for my crimes. But it was not always so. That was, until i met her...
I was an out-of-work inventor who was trying to make ends meet, and nothing was panning out. The bills were piling up, and i at that moment, had no way to deal with them. The day this all transpired started off just like any ordinary day, with me getting up, checking my emails to see if anything had come through on my applications. Sadly, like most other days, the inbox remained empty except for the ever-prevalent scourge of spam that always seemed to infiltrate my mail. This was bad. The days were starting to run together, as if I had no past and no future, only the ever-prevalent and pessimistic present. And then my cell phone rang.
“Hello?” i answered somewhat anxiously. A female voice on the other side then said, “Good morning. May I speak with Wesley, please?” Damn my parents with sticking me with an uninteresting name, but whatever. “This is him speaking,” i replied. The female voice then became a lot more inviting. “Wesley, we all know the suffering that has been perpetrated by these economic hardships, but i understand that you were somewhat of an apprentice inventor. My company has taken an...interest...in coming up with revolutionary new concepts that hopefully will come to this economy’s aid in the near future. I understand that you have been without employment as of late, and you were very highly recommended by your previous employers, so I hope that i can persuade you to at least meet with me to discuss several possibilities.”
I am not sure why, but this woman’s voice is very enticing. I rationalize in my mind that i am out of work and need to take this opportunity, and the woman on the other end sounds very...desirable. “That would be fine. When did you want to meet?” The woman’s voice then replied, “I have cleared my schedule with the Board. I can meet with you this afternoon if you would like. Is that acceptable?” I am overjoyed to hear this but I try to maintain my demeanor. “Wonderful. I look forward to conversing with you.” The woman then says, “Very good then. Come to the Arturian Office Park at 3:00PM, and go to Suite 13. My security will show you in. By the way, my name is Nora, and i am the Chairwoman of our Board of Directors. I am VERY intrigued to find out what you have to offer to help our fellow countrymen in this time of economic strife. I look forward to seeing you.” I reply, “Thank you very much.” I then end the call, and i am overjoyed. Immediately I began to pick out my best attire: that flawlessly white shirt, those black slacks, and that power tie. Yeah, things are going to be different...
I pull up to the Arturian Office park about 10 minutes before my appointment with Nora. I am extremely nervous, as my palms are shaking. This is the first real opportunity i have had in what seemed like months. I gaze upon the structure of the building. It’s made out of black glass. The impressive structure reaches up almost endlessly. I go inside the front doors, and i immediately see a directory that will help me get to my destination. I then next go the main foyer, and i see the elevator that i need to take to get to Suite 13. As i walk along, i pass by a security guard, who is decidedly female. I ask her, “How is your day going?” although it comes out cheesy and nervous. She just smiles back at me with her stark green eyes, and says, “Very well, sir. Thank you.” My God, she has beautiful eyes. What’s a beautiful woman like that working...as a Security Guard? Surely, i would have to take her away from all this when i become rich and famous. I step into the elevator, and as the doors close, i wave back at her. She probably thinks i am an inept loser, i thought to myself. I hope my interview goes a lot better...
I feel the elevator begin to rise. Suite 13, according to the directory is on the 5th floor. I anxiously look at the number counter...3...4....now 5, and then the elevator stops. The doors open slowly, and i feel a sense of anticipation creep over me as i begin to step out. After stepping out, i see a hallway which seems almost endless. The floors are very nice, as they are covered in what appears to be a very expensive carpet. I look down the hall and i see a glass door with the number “13” on it, and with a sense of eagerness i approach the door.
Opening the door, i then step into what looks like a very professional setup. The foyer appears to be rather large as i look around the spacious structure. Several seats are here for those waiting for an interview, and along the walls there are very expensive paintings everywhere. Then i hear a female voice call out to me, “Sir may I help you? Do you have an appointment?”
I turn around, expecting some mousy girl with thick-rimmed glasses, but to my surprise, i find a very elegant brunette with olive skin, pouting red lips, and gorgeous brown eyes. I almost stumble across my own words when i answer, ‘Uh...uh..yes. My name is Wesley, and i have an appointment with Nora.” She looks down at a list of names on a piece of paper, and as she does, i can see the outline of her lace bra under her white blouse. She then says, “Ah yes, Wesley. She is expecting you.” She then picks up a phone and then says, “Nora, your 3 o’clock is here.” She nods a couple of times, and then says, “She is ready for you now.” I tell her thank you, and i proceed into the office.
When i stepped into the office, i expected an older woman in about her 50’s or 60’s. After all, she did say she was the Chair of the Board. But the woman i saw was not quite what i had expected. She had her back to me, but she was wearing an all white business skirt-suit, and the skirt went down to knee-length. As i moved my vision further down, i could see that her legs were very defined, and then all the way down to her white high-heeled pumps. She then began to turn around, and as she did i quickly moved my eyes up to meet hers. She had the most beautiful face, adorned with her wonderful sapphire blue eyes.
She then walked toward me with a very confident stride, her shoulder length blond hair bouncing wonderfully as she did. She had the collar of her suit up, and i wasn’t sure if she was wearing a blouse underneath, but she was definitely someone i could get comfortable working for. Her voice sounded almost angelic as she then said, “Hello. I am Nora. Please sit down. Can i offer you a drink?” I politely decline. I don’t think it would make a good first impression when drinking on the job, much less at the first interview. I sit down, and she sits behind her desk directly in front of me.
The next 2-3 hours is spent talking about my work history, and my aptitude for inventing things. I don’t realize that it is 5 o’clock. I then say, “I apologize for taking up so much of your time. Being 5:00 most executives are looking to go home and unwind from their day.” She leaned forward, folded her hands, and said, “Nonsense. Besides, Wesley, you sound like a very promising candidate. So much so, that i would like to advance you in the application process. One requirement i have is a very short evaluation of which it would consist of a hearing test and evaluation. Do you have a few moments?” I believe that i may have been blinded by joy at this point, and let’s face it, i had nothing better going, so i said, “Sure.” Nora began to pick up the phone, and then said, “Sonya? Can you put me through to Angela, please? Thank you.” She looked at me as she was getting ready to talk to Angela and then said, “This should only take a second.” She then went back to the phone and then said, “Angela. I am so glad i caught you. I have decided to accelerate the application process for one of our prospects, and i need you to run him through the necessary protocols and evaluations, please. Excellent, excellent. I will send him to you. I appreciate you, as always. Thank you.” She ends the call and then says, “Angela will be along to fetch you momentarily.” I think to myself, if this Angela is anything like the women i have met here, then i will enjoy working here. Little did i know...