Writing Prompt

I saw a writing prompt recently, listing a handfull of made-up newspaper titles to start from, and was inspired. This is not my WIP, nor do I have any plans to make it a WIP. But it was fun to throw together :) Enjoy!

She was new to the building, and a blonde. Helmut always noticed the blondes. Especially the long-legged ones. She sat one one of the brown leather armchairs in the corner of the ground-floor Starbucks, calmly sipping steaming liquid with ruby-red, plump lips. Kissable lips. Her long legs were crossed primly at the knee, but her skirt had ridden up, revealing a tempting glimps of shapely thighs. One high-heeled pump dangled from her raised toe, playfully.

Helmut slid his laptop bag to the floor in front of him, and studied her surreptitiously as he slowly added sugar and a splash of milk to his dark-roasted coffee. Not too sweet, not too creamy, just enough to take the edge of bitterness off. Her hair color was probably natural, or a very expensive salon job. Platinum highlights around her face accentuated a golden tan that was slighlyt pink around the temples. He could picture her sunning herself on a beach, bikini top unhooked while he massaged tropical-scented oil into her supple skin. Helmut smiled to himself. This morning was turning out better than he thought.

He slung his laptop bag back over one shoulder, loosened his tie a touch, setting it slightly askew. He reached his hand up, and brushed the hair above his forehead, knocking a strand out of place. Perfect.

Helmut picked up his coffee, hunched his shoulders slightly, and walked over to the blonde, wearing the boyish grin that so many women had been able to resist.

"Excuse me, miss?" The blonde looked up, dazzling him with saphire blue eyes. "I wonder if you could help me a minute."

She sat her cup down on the side table, and studied him, her appraisal cool. This close, Helmut could see that she was a little older than he had guessed, probably late 20's or maybe 30. Her eyes were too knowing, her face too refined to be a college intern or fresh-faced secretary. Even better. Women her age always had strong mothering instincts. He congratulated himself on choosing the perfect ruse.

"I am meeting my new boss in a few minutes. How do I look? Is my tie straight?" Helmut tried to make his voice sound a little helpless. A bachelor in sore need of a woman's guidance.

"Trying to impress your boss? Your tie is crooked." Her voice was low and smooth, sexy. Helmut felt a tightening in his groin, and suddenly wanted, no needed, to hear that voice say his name.

He reached one hand up to fix his tie, deliberately knocking it offcenter the other way. "How is this?"

He watched her glance at her watch, then stand. "Here, allow me," she said, her expression polite but her voice amused. As she stepped closer to Helmut, her scent filled his nostrils, light and fruity with a hint of coconut. He held still and as her fingers brushed his lapels, deflty adjusting his tie.

"Much appreciated. My name is Helmut, by the way, Helmut Forester. And you are?" He reached out his right hand. She accepted it, and gave his hand a quick, businesslike shake. He did not immediately release her fingers.

"Claire," she looked down at her hand, and carefully extracted it from his grasp. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Helmut Forester, I must be on my way."

Helmut watched her walk calmly toward the bank of elevators, her posture confident, hips swaying lightly.

**

"Fifty bucks I get her in bed in two weeks."

"No way man, I don't bet on a horse I've never seen with my own eyes."

"Quiet, you two, the meeting is about to start." Martha from HR gave Helmut and Ben a withering stare. The woman reminded Helmut of his grade school principal, her steel gray hair combed into a severe bun, and dark-rimmed reading glasses hanging on a chain around her neck. Reflexively, Helmut sat up a little straighter and wiped the grin off of his face.

He flipped open the manilla folder sitting on the boardroom table in front of him, and scanned the pages. As the CFO of Hunter & Fox, he would be expected to present the current numbers to their new CEO, CJ Hunter, son of the newly retired James Hunter. Helmut had not yet met the new guy, but he understood that his new boss had been a rising star at his previous post. He'd taken an internet startup from his friend's garage to a multi-million dollar corporation in just under 6 years.

Hunter & Fox was a completely different sort of business, Helmut thought with a frown. All of the flash and hype of the internet wouldn't help the kid here. He was in for a rude awakening.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," began James Hunter, who now sat on the board of directors for the corporation, "Allow me to present your new Chief Executive Officer, CJ Hunter." The room errupted in polite applause as a long-legged blonde stood up beside old man Hunter.

"Shit," muttered Helmut under his breath and glanced back at Ben.

Ben looked from Helmut's shocked expression back to CJ Hunter, Claire James Hunter, and nearly burst out laughing. He picked up a pen and scratched something onto a sheet of paper, then pushed it over to Helmut.

"$1000, 2 weeks."

Helmut smiled slowly, recalling her scent, the way his name had rolled off of her tounge. He picked up his own pen, wrote his reply, and shoved the paper back to Ben.

"Deal."