switching bodies!"
Brad cupped his chin and stared off into nothing. "You think there could be a connection?"
I gulped. "Maybe, one strange occurrence begets another?"
He frowned. "Begets? Now we're using Bible terms. What the eff is going on?"
I cocked my head and chuckled. "I guess we have to go see Madame Soriano to find out."
" You're right. Let's go." He grabbed my arm.
I pulled my arm away. "Just like that. Don't you have to tell anyone we're leaving and why?"
" No, I'm my own boss now and you work for me."
" Hi Brad, Ms Allen."
We turned. It was Wally. "You haven't seen Lew have you? He got sick from something he ate at lunch yesterday and went home and now he's not here yet."
Brad nodded. "No, I didn't see him, but I did talk to him on the phone briefly this morning. He didn't say anything about being sick, but come to think of it he didn't sound like himself."
" Okay, thanks. How're things going?"
" Really great. I closed a big deal with a mutual fund manager yesterday."
Wally grinned. "Wonderful."
Brad grasped my hand again. "If you'll excuse us there's someplace we have to go."
Wally 's eyes seemed to glaze over. "Oh, to Madame Soriano's?"
I looked at Brad, who looked just as surprised as I was.
Brad shuffled his feet. "What do you know about her?"
Wally 's eyes narrowed. "Who?
" Madame Soriano. You just said her name."
" I don't know what you're talking about."
Brad whispered to me, "Let's get out of this asylum," and turned to Wally, "We'll talk later."
" Okay."
When the elevator door opened, I was surprised to see Steven Boyd, the Director of Human Resources, standing there. "Good afternoon Brad." He spoke to Brad, but his eyes covered every inch of me.
" Hello Steve. Have you met Ginger Allen, my secretary?"
Boyd directed a smarmy smile my way and held out his hand. "Well, hello, again." Still scoping my figure, he spoke to Brad, "Of course I met the lovely Ms. Allen. I hired her."
" Of course, I forgot."
" How are you, Ginger? I do hope Mr. Fairchild is treating you well."
I shook his hand and forced a smile. "Well, he hasn't given me a raise yet, but other than that he's a great person to work for."
He snickered. "Actually, I give the raises. Usually, we wait to give raises until after the annual performance evaluation, but…" He winked. I'll see what I can do." Then out of the blue, Steve's eyes, like Wally's, glazed over. In a monotone voice, he continued. "So where are you going? To see Madame Soriano? You know, she needs to talk to you."
Both of us were taken aback. "You know Madame Soriano?"
The glaze faded and his brow dipped low. "Who?"
I slid my lips to the side of my face and pursed them. "Nothing, forget I asked."
The elevator doors opened and we all stepped into the lobby. Steve said, "Brad, call me so we can go over Ms. Allen's performance."
Brad patted him on the back as we exited the elevator. "I'll do that."
Steve scampered across the lobby to the Human Resources office, then turned and waved, before entering.
Brad grabbed my attention and my arm. "We seem to be getting communications from this Madame Soriano, whoever she is, through unwitting messengers."
" I know. This is so weird."
As we walked by the security desk Claude the elderly security guard said, "Going to see Madame Soriano? She knows all."
Brad nodded and waved. As we exited the building, he flagged down a cab. When it pulled over to the curb we scooted in and Brad said, "222 West Canal Street."
I almost jumped out of the taxi, when the cabbie said as if he went there all the time, "Madame Soriano's, huh?"
I should have known better, but I asked, "You know her?"
He stared at me in the rear view mirror. "Who?"
Brad waved his hand in a forward motion. "Just drive on. We're in kind of a hurry."
Ten minutes later we pulled up to a four story office building. Brad paid the driver, while I approached the building. Suite 100 turned out to be a door sandwiched between a cocktail lounge on one
Brad cupped his chin and stared off into nothing. "You think there could be a connection?"
I gulped. "Maybe, one strange occurrence begets another?"
He frowned. "Begets? Now we're using Bible terms. What the eff is going on?"
I cocked my head and chuckled. "I guess we have to go see Madame Soriano to find out."
" You're right. Let's go." He grabbed my arm.
I pulled my arm away. "Just like that. Don't you have to tell anyone we're leaving and why?"
" No, I'm my own boss now and you work for me."
" Hi Brad, Ms Allen."
We turned. It was Wally. "You haven't seen Lew have you? He got sick from something he ate at lunch yesterday and went home and now he's not here yet."
Brad nodded. "No, I didn't see him, but I did talk to him on the phone briefly this morning. He didn't say anything about being sick, but come to think of it he didn't sound like himself."
" Okay, thanks. How're things going?"
" Really great. I closed a big deal with a mutual fund manager yesterday."
Wally grinned. "Wonderful."
Brad grasped my hand again. "If you'll excuse us there's someplace we have to go."
Wally 's eyes seemed to glaze over. "Oh, to Madame Soriano's?"
I looked at Brad, who looked just as surprised as I was.
Brad shuffled his feet. "What do you know about her?"
Wally 's eyes narrowed. "Who?
" Madame Soriano. You just said her name."
" I don't know what you're talking about."
Brad whispered to me, "Let's get out of this asylum," and turned to Wally, "We'll talk later."
" Okay."
When the elevator door opened, I was surprised to see Steven Boyd, the Director of Human Resources, standing there. "Good afternoon Brad." He spoke to Brad, but his eyes covered every inch of me.
" Hello Steve. Have you met Ginger Allen, my secretary?"
Boyd directed a smarmy smile my way and held out his hand. "Well, hello, again." Still scoping my figure, he spoke to Brad, "Of course I met the lovely Ms. Allen. I hired her."
" Of course, I forgot."
" How are you, Ginger? I do hope Mr. Fairchild is treating you well."
I shook his hand and forced a smile. "Well, he hasn't given me a raise yet, but other than that he's a great person to work for."
He snickered. "Actually, I give the raises. Usually, we wait to give raises until after the annual performance evaluation, but…" He winked. I'll see what I can do." Then out of the blue, Steve's eyes, like Wally's, glazed over. In a monotone voice, he continued. "So where are you going? To see Madame Soriano? You know, she needs to talk to you."
Both of us were taken aback. "You know Madame Soriano?"
The glaze faded and his brow dipped low. "Who?"
I slid my lips to the side of my face and pursed them. "Nothing, forget I asked."
The elevator doors opened and we all stepped into the lobby. Steve said, "Brad, call me so we can go over Ms. Allen's performance."
Brad patted him on the back as we exited the elevator. "I'll do that."
Steve scampered across the lobby to the Human Resources office, then turned and waved, before entering.
Brad grabbed my attention and my arm. "We seem to be getting communications from this Madame Soriano, whoever she is, through unwitting messengers."
" I know. This is so weird."
As we walked by the security desk Claude the elderly security guard said, "Going to see Madame Soriano? She knows all."
Brad nodded and waved. As we exited the building, he flagged down a cab. When it pulled over to the curb we scooted in and Brad said, "222 West Canal Street."
I almost jumped out of the taxi, when the cabbie said as if he went there all the time, "Madame Soriano's, huh?"
I should have known better, but I asked, "You know her?"
He stared at me in the rear view mirror. "Who?"
Brad waved his hand in a forward motion. "Just drive on. We're in kind of a hurry."
Ten minutes later we pulled up to a four story office building. Brad paid the driver, while I approached the building. Suite 100 turned out to be a door sandwiched between a cocktail lounge on one
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