The Threat of Unemployment (Libraryman and Jezara)

[Libraryman]

The party was in full swing this Christmas after a long, hot, swealthering day in California. Everyone was cheering and dancing to the sound of the heavy music playing through the speakers, most of them with drinks in hand. Michael had splurged on the venue tonight, making sure that they were in a large building with several dance floors to fit all of the employees in his company in. And their families too of course, he couldn't forget them. That itself was the reason he had thrown so much money at the event after all. He needed them to bring their family members tonight. All so that he could find her.

A couple of months ago, the tech company had their yearly obligatory bring your kid to work day. This sort of event normally annoyed the CEO very much. Employees got less work done, and half the time annoying kids ran rampant in the offices. Not this time though. It was here that he saw her, the young daughter of one of his employees. She was gorgeous, so beautiful for one as young as she was. It was then that he decided that she had to be his.

And so, while others were enjoying the party, he was on the lookout. Standing next to the bar in one of the dance floors, the middle aged gentleman scanned the crowd for his target, a whisky in hand. It matched the look of his white silk dress shirt, black velvet vest, dark grey dress pants, and black dress shoes that shone with a deep polish. He always dressed to impress, but today he wanted to make sure that she noticed him. And if she refused his advances, well, he had other ways of convincing her.

 

[Jezara]

Jessica stood in front of the large full-length mirror in her room staring at the reflection that looked back at her. The red sequin dress fit her young form perfectly. It was late November when her father had told her about the company's Christmas party and she immediately began to search for the perfect dress. The short v necked cocktail dress caught her eye instantly. At first, her father argued that it was much too mature for a 16-year-old to wear, especially one who was as developed as she was. It took a little convincing but when she tried it on and he saw how her face lit up he knew that it would be acceptable.

He hated the thought of his little girl growing up but no matter how much he wished she wouldn't, she was turning into a beautiful young lady. She had paired the dress with a pair of red heels which made her feel so grown up. Her light brown hair had been woven into a beautiful updo with two tendrils framing her face. She wore very little makeup, mostly just some eyeliner, and mascara. She felt like an adult. In the car, her father lectured her on proper behavior. She rolled her eyes, wondering if there would be any boys her age there. There hadn't been many in his department the last time she had gotten to go to the office with him.

The venue was incredible. It was clear that no expense was spared when they planned it. She stared in awe at the glittering decorations and all of the beautiful people who milled about. Most of the adults were busy talking with drinks in hand, while their children sat around looking bored. Small clusters of them danced, laughing gaily as the music played loudly. Gavin kissed his daughter on the cheek and went to mingle. He was hoping that he would get a chance to have a conversation with his boss. There was a position opening up at the start of the year that he desperately wanted. It would mean a nice little raise as well as other benefits that he hoped to gain. Jessica made her way across the room toward one of the other girls that she knew. The two of them quickly made their way to the bar and ordered a couple of sodas.

As she checked out the various boys that were scattered about the room. Jessica also kept an eye on where her father was, at least as best she could. She certainly did not want him sneaking up on her if she happened to start talking to one. It was then that she noticed his boss. Despite how old he was, she could not deny that he was an attractive man. If she was older, she probably would have flirted with him. It was then that her friend, Eugenia, pointed out a particularly cute guy much closer to their age, causing her to turn away to check him out.

 

[Libraryman]

There she was, Michael thought excitedly, his foot shifting against the hardwood floor as a sign of anxiousness. Taking a deep swig of his choice booze to calm his nerves, the older man made his way towards her. He weaved through the crowd expertly, like a wild cat hunting for its prey in the forest. Not once did he bump into, or pause to move about some drunken dancer. It came with years of practice at this, Michael reasoned. During his younger days, he used to frequent pubs and parties, and as he got older, holiday parties for the business he built had become a necessity for moral. Today however, was more for his personal moral in particular. His hungry eyes locked in on the teen for which he craved. Her clothing did her no favors for protecting her from his yearning gaze as they wandered up and down her luscious form.

Oh, the things he wanted to do to that body. The ways he would use her.... If only he could just get her alone. Jessica had to of course find a friend, which would make this all the more difficult. Michael was about to give pause and wait, but then his keen eyes picked up on what, or rather who, they were looking at. Of course they were ogling out at a boy, he thought as he grew angry at the thought of another having his prize. So instead, the CEO straightened his jacket and marched confidently over to the two girls, getting ready to engage in conversation. He'd need to be careful as to not raise suspicion from the friend as he did this however.

"Hello you two, enjoying the party I hope? It took a lot of effort to organize this for everyone." Michael said to the two of them, flashing them both a charming smile, drink still in hand. "Please, let me know. I truly wish to make these events enjoyable for all, and something tells me that you two ladies know your stuff."

 

[Jezara]

Jessica and Eugenia continued to giggle. Despite their looks, neither of them would have much of a chance with the guy they were so conspicuously watching. He was too busy lusting after one of the girls a couple of years older than him that was an entry-level employee that had just started at the company a few months before. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her father's boss approaching them when he was only a few steps away. A hint of pink quickly kissed her cheeks as he greeted the two of them. She looked up directly into his eyes, mesmerized for a moment. The way he looked at her made her feel a bit exposed as if he could see what she had been thinking about the guy that she had been watching.

"Oh yes. It's amazing." She quickly blurted out before tearing her gaze away. The blush on her cheeks deepened. Eugenia was the braver of the two, mentioning some music that she liked better and how she would love something a little stronger to drink. The joking tone was enough to force a nervous giggle from Jessica's lips. She stole a glance at him once again, hoping that he took the comment as a joke. Deep down, she had wanted to run away, a little embarrassed by her companion's remark.

"I... I need to use the restroom." She said before quickly turning to Eugenia and giving her a look that pleaded with her to follow her as she grabbed her hand. "If you'll excuse us."

Jessica tugged on Eugenia's arm, causing her to spill the soda she had in her hand. She shot Jessica an angry look and followed her to the restroom. Once in the restroom, Jessica chastised her friend for the comment, reminding her that it was her father's boss and how it could result in him thinking she was trying to drink underage. Eugenia simply grew angrier with her friend and once she cleaned up the spill on her dress she stormed off. After several minutes Jessica regained her composure she exited the restroom.

Her eyes quickly scanned the crowd, looking to see where he had gone in hopes that it wasn't to find her father. She knew that her dad would ground her for life if she did something so stupid that could very well jeopardize his job. She was happy to see he was nowhere near her father. She took a deep breath, exhaled as she gathered her nerve before heading in his direction.

 

[Libraryman]

As he opened his mouth, just about to reply to Eugenia's question, Jessica quickly interjected to drag her friend to the bathroom. Michael let out a heavy sigh, thinking that he just lost an opportunity to get the girl more loosened up. If his targeted girl hadn't run off, the CEO could have let them off with a couple of drinks, made it easier to separate them and lure her away without her friend being suspicious. He watched as the girls entered the bathroom, knowing full well he could not follow them so openly.

However, he soon caught a glimpse of Eugenia storming out alone. Perfect, he thought. Now Jessica was alone. Finishing his drink, he ordered two more sodas from the bar of the same kind that the girls had ordered earlier. It took a while before she had exited the bathroom herself, and he saw her scanning the crowd for him. She seemed worried, probably about what her friend had said. Good, he could use that.

Waving to her to get her attention, the older man walked off to a corner away from the bar. Somewhere further from prying ears. Bartenders were always a good source of rumors for a reason after all.

"Where's your friend?" Michael asked Jessica, pretending to not have seen that she'd left her friend. "I grabbed a more... age appropriate drink for the both of you."