Chapter 12
The documents littered on my desk all say the same thing – the profit spike in March and April is by far the highest my company has made in one quarter in the last five years. I blink in disbelief. How did she do it?
When I had sat in on her meeting in March on deploying the family-centric campaign, I'd given my go-ahead without much thought of the possibility of chart-breaking sales.
Now, reading through the reports piece by piece, fine-combing it, I see Dora is a miracle worker.
I buzz Sally on the intercom, “Gather all the Heads of departments and their assistants for a meeting in the next hour.”
Sally’s chirpy reply spills through the speakers of my desk phone, “Yes boss, getting on it right away!”
I lean back in my chair and whistle long and low.
I'm buzzing with excitement for the new week and it’s only Monday.
Why hadn't Rory, the former VP of marketing, ever thought of this strategy?
He has more years of experience in the business than Dora, who is just twenty-four years old.
Still, I can't help but see Dora in a new light.
She's very smart. Dean hadn't been joking about this McLean treasure.
Dora’s marketing strategy is simple: get families to see how much their everyday products matter to us by showcasing we are a family-centric business.
She’d wanted us to highlight and focus on showing the public we are solving the problems of long lists of items that cater for the family as a collective unit and the individual members of the family.
On our window displays, product arrangement on endcaps, discounts and deals, and family-focused advertisement, we have somehow won everyone’s hearts.
I explain all of this in the boardroom a few minutes later.
The room is packed with all of Prime’s executives and other departmental heads, with their assistants.
An impressive mix of both males and females.
Dora is seated four chairs away from mine to the right and I can't hide the admiration when I look at her.
Her gaze flits away momentarily, and I know she's feeling shy.
“Now, ladies and gentlemen, let’s give it up for the one who chaired this campaign with vigor,” I begin, my eyes sweeping over the room.
There were smiles of admiration on some lips while a few others were still pouring over the figures in the document that lay on the table before them.
“Our new VP of Marketing, Miss McLean!” I announce with a flourish, gesturing at Dora.
The room breaks into applause and Dora beams with joy.
A few words of congratulations filled the air, targeted at Dora.
Some of the executives offer her congratulatory handshakes and she positively glows at the recognition of her efforts.
I ache to pull her into my arms, spin her around, and give her a big hug.
She deserves so much because she’d come from a company where she was never appreciated.
Right there and then, an idea takes root .
“This calls for a little celebration, don't you think?” I throw the question to the room, and a lot of heads bob in response. Dora, on the other hand, frowns in confusion. Oh, I'm going to enjoy this!
“Sally,” I bark, and she jumps to her feet. “We’ll be having a celebratory office dinner this weekend to honor Miss McLean’s great work. Liaise with the necessary departments and begin planning.”
Sally’s face breaks into an excited grin.
The girl loves to have a good time, and every event I've had her organize over the last two years has run without a hitch.
When I glance at Dora she looks rigid with shock.
Got ya! I think with glee. She can't weasel her way out of this one, not when she's the center of attention.
I conclude the meeting with some pep talk to boost morale and get the gears running even more.
As the conference room empties, Dora skedaddles out of the room, squeezing through the throng of people exiting the room.
I know she's trying to escape, so I hurry after her.
I find her alone at elevator three, waiting for it to come back up.
She doesn't want to ride downstairs with too many people.
“Why does it seem like you're running away?” She jumps at my voice and turns shocked eyes at me.
“Goodness! You scared me!” She says in an accusing tone.
I shrug at her accusation. “I didn't mean to. If you hadn't dashed out of the room like Sonic the Hedgehog, I wouldn't have had to chase you down. Or scare you, for that matter.” I give her a reassuring smile, and she responds with an eye roll as the elevator arrives with a ding .
“Well, thank you for the comparison. But as you know, I've got work to do, so…” she trails off and steps into the elevator. I grin. She can't get rid of me that easily.
“Yes, I know,” I begin, stepping in after her.
I almost laugh at the panic that enters her eyes. “And that's part of the reason why I'm escorting you to your floor.”
I press the button for the fourth floor and the door swishes close, locking the two of us in. Privacy, at last, I almost yell in relief. I turn to her and she shrinks away from me, fear replacing the panic in her eyes.
“Dora… What’s wrong? You know I’ll never do anything inappropriate or try to hurt you in any way.”
Her shoulders visibly relax at my reassurance, so I take a step back. “Okay?”
She nods, crossing her hands over her chest. I can't help but appreciate the blush-colored dress she has on. The buttons on top of her boobs make me ache to unfasten them and see what lies beneath. I tug on my leash of desire. I don't want to scare her away, I realize. I want her trust.
“Listen, I know you're not a big fan of large parties, but this is to honor your hard work.”
She begins to shake her head and waves my words away, “It's not necessary-”
I quickly cut in before she could complete her brush-off. “Oh, but it is! I know that your efforts and diligence were not appreciated at your last place of employment. I also know that other people took your glory and your former employer did nothing about it.”
Her eyes grow round with shock. “Did…”
I shake my head, already knowing her question before she can ask, “Did Dean tell me? No. I do a little digging on all my employees before hiring them.” She nods in understanding, discreetly eyeing the buttons of the elevator and I sense she's wishing it would get to her floor faster.
I press the emergency stop button, and she snarls in protest. “Hey! ”
“Will you relax, Dora? I'm trying to explain why you need to attend this dinner.”
She blows out a frustrated breath. “No need, I'm not going.”
I fight the urge to shake some senses into her. “Dora…” I say softly, changing my approach. “I only want you to understand that here at Prime, we see you. We see your hard work, and we recognize the time and effort you have put in. Heck, we appreciate your tenacity and ingenuity.”
With my eyes on hers, I close the space between us and cup her cheek. Her eyes are watery, and I smile. “You deserve to be celebrated because you have shocked us all. I want the entire company to know I've won the jackpot with you as my VP…”
Dora sighs, and to my greatest relief, she nods. I give her my best boyish smile. “I promise you won't regret it!”
She manages a small smile, turning her face away from my hand. I get the unspoken message and step back. “Whew! Now, I'm going to call your parents to tell them what you've done for my company. And to thank them for blessing the world with such an intelligent woman!”
She beams at my words, and I’m reassured I've said the right thing.
I press the emergency button to release the elevator.
With a soft jerk, we continue our ride down to her floor.
I don't step off the carriage when we arrive.
I wave at her and watch her walk away. The sway of her hips as she walks causes me to groan.
Dora will be the death of me if I can't find sexual release soon.