The Games We Play

Prologue

Kitty was nervous. She was sitting on one of the long cushioned benches in front of HR. The random sound of keyboards clacking inharmoniously and mouse clicking added to it.

Today was her interview at West Enterprises, a relatively new company headed by Alexander West, the owner of a vast five-star hotel and land corporation chain across the country. Kitty didn't know much about him: other than his money, and recently his good looks.

Judging from a portrait in HR's waiting area, CEO West is a good-looking late fifty-something-year-old man. Kitty retreated her gawking when she later noticed a CCTV camera refocusing on her. She mused to herself, tucking a black shoulder-length loose strand behind her ear and covering her chest. She thought the older man was there staring back at her behind the lens.

A short, forty-something, blond woman poked her head out from behind the open double-door glass frame leading to the work area.

"Miss Katherine? Katherine Doe?"

"Yes," Kitty said. She was shocked at how coarse her voice was.

"Mr. Lewis will see you now," she said, pulling the glass office door wider and cocked her head once for Kitty to follow her.

Kitty felt her feet lift her off the bench, causing a slight creak when she got on her feet. The sound of wood rubbing on terrazzo was irritating in the muffled waiting area. Her neck and shoulder tensed. She was embarrassed already before the interview started.

"This is it," she thought to herself.

Four years of college boils down to this moment. Kitty knew it was a long shot, but she was glad she mustered the courage to apply for West Ent. Out of the twenty emails she sent a week after graduation, West Ent. called her first.

Kitty followed the woman to the office adjacent to the waiting area. The morning light peeped through the partly raised blinds, entering the glass walls of the work area. The walls here are part glass and part cream-painted concrete. The dark carpeting made the room spacious. The workspace gave a warm, cloudy feeling amidst the cold pine fresh smell of the air conditioner.

The HR department was surprisingly quiet compared to the front lobby downstairs. There were rows of square cubicles facing one another in the relatively moderate room. HR and Admin clerks were slowly taking their stations. Only the faint sound of computers clicking, tapping, and they can hear the occasional buzz of a printer. Somewhere Kitty swore she smelled coffee.

The two paused in front of a one-way glass partition dividing a third of the department. A sign overhead reads Direct's Office.

Kitty undid a button on her blazer, fingers trembling. She was having second thoughts about what she was wearing. She wore semi-loose black slacks over a tucked v-neck blouse under a brown blazer.

"They might think I'm naked," she thought to herself.

Beside her, the older blond knocked on the glass door before opening it.

"Mr. Lewis, your 8 am is here," she said promptly.

"Thank you, Janet. One second please," replied Mr. Lewis.

Janet faced Kitty, "good luck," she said and left.

Kitty took a deep breath.

---

Twenty-six floors up, Keanu was irritated, well he often was, and today was no different. He furrowed his dark bushy brows as he pulled his brown locks back.

It was bad enough that his name wasn't or will ever tie to his father's company. West Enterprises was his, to begin with, but he's the only son that sadly came out of wedlock which made it more frustrating.

Luckily both father and son agreed to a compromise. Keanu gets a piece of his father's shares, given that his father fronts West Ent. and he works in the back as CEO but deals with minor affairs. To him, it was a mentorship rather than a partnership. It was still a blessing in disguise, and he wouldn't be the one doing all the heavy lifting. He would have the time to party or splurge if he wanted.

Keanu leans back on the black leather execute chair with both hands on either side of the armrest. Propping his legs on top of the hard mahogany brown desk and then crossed them. He grabbed the monitor remote and clicked a right arrow key on repeat, flipping through the different CCTV cameras scattered around the building. It was one of his minor tasks, being one with security.

BM CAM 1, 2,3,4: basement car park, check.

F1 CAM 5, 6, 7, 8: lobby, check.

F2 CAM 9,10,11,12: 2nd-floor locker rooms, check.

F3 CAM 13,14,15,16: the cafeteria and lounge rooms, check.

F4 CAM 17,18...There was a brunette looking in his direction.

Keanu nearly jumped but refocused his attention on her. They stared at each other intently; either one refused to blink. She was sitting crossed legs in front of human resources, waiting and probably staring at his old man's painting. Kean concluded that she was applying, sitting there early in the morning. The more he stared, the more he noticed, she wasn't looking directly at the camera but rather at the painting. Either way, she grabbed his attention.

The brunette had a pretty face with big eyes and small, slightly parted lips. Pleated black slacks flowed over the wooden cream bench. The way her blazer dipped to the top of her cleavage made her look as if she wasn't wearing anything under it, which kept Keanu on edge.

It woke something inside him, something primal. He wanted to see more of her. He wanted to smell her skin, her scent. He wanted to know how good her skin felt on him. He wanted more until she couldn't give.

From the corner of Keanu's eye, he reached for the intercom, grabbed the receiver, and pressed 1.

On the same floor, a few steps outside the CEO's office, a spunky bond in her late twenties was busy typing emails to and fro from finance. Her french manicured hands stopped as soon as she heard the phone ring and immediately picked it up.

"Good morning, this is Dina from head office. How can I help you" she said in a light tone.

"Ms. Lee, could you make me a file copy of employee applicants from HR?"

"Yes, Mr. West. From what date would I start-" Dina asked, jotting the request on a post-it.

"Just the ones applying today," Keanu said through a grin, eyes fixed on the monitor.

"Okay, I'll have sent it by the end of the day," she said.

"Thank you, Dina," he said, dropping the receiver.

On the screen, the secretary called the gawking brunette to enter the office. Keanu didn't want her to go, but one thing is sure, he likes the little kitten; he wants to be its owner.

---

In his office, Kenneth Lewis was preparing for the morning grind.

His glasses were wiped and placed on the right side of his organized desk. He sharpened his pencils. He managed his copy of applicant files in a manila envelope labeled Admin-Assistant Candidates. He flipped his desk calendar on the date today. His desk was spotless. Kenneth was ready to take in new applicants.

"After one applicant, I can go," he mumbled to himself.

Kenneth is not like the other department heads at West Ent. Those on the upper floors demand coffee from their assistants and whoever has a desk assigned to them, but he wouldn't dare ask Janet. He was fair to all his staff and didn't dare abuse his authority.

After the morning interview, he'll send himself down the elevator to the nearest coffee shop ASAP. He smirked approvingly at the idea.

He separated a folder labeled Katherine Doe from the scheduled pile on his table and opened it. He rolled his work polo sleeves neatly from his wrist halfway through to the middle of his forearm and proceeded to do it to the other pair.

At that moment, Janet knocked to let the file owner's presence be known to him.

After asking for a second, he pulled out a hand mirror from his desk drawer and checked on his pomade. Kenneth frowned for a split second, pulled out a thin comb for the same drawer, and pushed back the static blond strands. He thought twice if he applied sunscreen a little while back; he remembered and continued to apply lip balm on his thin lips. Finally, he put on his metal-framed glasses and adjusted his brown necktie.

Kenneth pierced his lips together, flipped open Kitty's file folder, and began skimming her credentials.

"There wasn't much on here," he thought to himself.

He then fixed his attention on her attached photo. Mid-length raven-black hair, round face, creamy complexion with prominent brown, curious eyes met his gaze.

"Very cute," he thought, smiling.

He then gestured for her to enter his office.

---

Today wasn't Kitty's lucky day.

The interview went smoothly. Mr. Lewis gave the usual questions Kitty was familiar with them during her mock interview before graduation. Just the basics; when did she know about the company, why West Ent., where she saw herself there in a few years, the typical. She answered each as best as she could.

"Okay, Ms. Doe, that's all the questions we have for you today." Mr. Lewis said, scribbling down a note on a post-it and sticking it to her file folder.

"Thank you for your time. We'll have Janet call you for the next step," he added, closing her file. He extended his right hand; Kitty knew the gesture and met his hand with hers for a shake.

"Thank you, sir," she smiled.

He stood, Kitty could see the bottom half of his work uniform hidden from behind the desk. Kenneth spun to the front, supposedly opening the door for the applicant to exit, but the unexpected happened.

Mr. Lewis found Kitty leaning against him for balance as her legs gave out as she stood from the chair. Blue eyes met Brown in that brief moment. Her face flustered to a light pink from the realization of what had happened. She went from nervous to calm and back again.

"Excuse me, I'm so sorry, sir," Kitty said, retracting herself from his chest. "I didn't know what came over me," she added.

Mr. Lewis smirked, which made her blush brighter. "It's okay, nothing to worry about," he said, curving his smooth lips to a smile. "She's cuter when embarrassed," he took a mental note.

"It's not every day I get to be trampled by my applicants," he said, playing coy.

"I'm very, very sorry, sir," she said, slightly bowing, hiding her reddened face. He shook his head, smiling.

"Why don't you join me downstairs for a cup of coffee," he suggested. "It'll show how sorry you are for inappropriate conduct on your part," Mr. Lewis added before Kitty could say anything.

She said nothing, then nodded. Mr. Lewis smiled and opened the door for her. They made their way out of the office and down the elevator to the exit.

Across the street, there was a commercial building with several shops, including a coffee shop. The inside was small but lively, with earthy shades complementing the smell of brewing beans. Mr. Lewis ordered a fresh brew over ice while Kitty got a soy latte. It was on his tab.

They sat down by the window facing each other. Kenneth glanced at Kitty then at his watch; it was ten minutes to 9 am. He had time to spare; his next applicant will be in by 9:30.

"Uh... Mister Lewis," she began.

"Please call me Ken."

"Mr. Ken?"

"No, just Ken, Miss Katherine," he said smiling.

"Just call me Kitty," she curved her lips.

"Kitty," Ken echoed.

She told him she was 23, which he knew from her file. He told her his. Ken didn't look 38, but it was only noticeable when he squinted. His blue eyes were as clear as the ocean, reminding Kitty of the beach. It was awkward for a few minutes, but the two got close. After nearly finishing her latte, Kitty realized that her potential boss had just asked her out on a date.

Meanwhile, a black BMW was parked nearby. Keanu saw everything through the pitch-dark windows. Fists clenched, he was too late.