After her long night with an exhausted but surprisingly responsive Nicasio, Daniela made it back by taxi to her parents' house just in time to shower and dress for work. In their parting she had promised him that she would begin the negotiations with her supervisor, Mr. Cuomo, to take a leave for at least a week. Knowing that in the end the proposal would be accepted through the intervention of her father and his connection to the advertising firm's fellow owners, she worried little what her lecherous boss would have to say at her meeting that day.

As she entered the tall building from the parking garage and exited the quiet elevator onto the floor of her graphic arts studio, this celebrated meeting would come sooner than she thought. Mr. Cuomo was already waiting for her as she stepped out of the lift and practically herded her back into the elevator for the short ride up to his office on the next floor.

"You want to do what?"

Daniela had saved time and energy as she entered the posh office with her immediate request to leave work temporarily, catching her boss completely off-guard.

"This is what you are asking me now, Daniela . . . to leave? And I have just brought you in here to announce a great opportunity to expand your position with the firm?"

Daniela had really not even allowed him to explain the purpose of the meeting, when she dropped her own request in passing on him. She qualified her request quickly at first, as the need to take a much needed break from her duties.

"Listen, Daniela. Tomorrow at eleven 'o'clock the managing director of a high definition streaming video firm will be coming here to propose a venture with us. This connection between his company and our agency for future projects could be . . . the bomb!"

"The bomb?" She looked at him really for the first time that morning. He seemed truly possessed by something. For once he was not staring at her legs or breasts.

"Yes. This could be a huge opportunity for us. And for you, of course. To expand into this whole embedded streaming ads thing, so popular now with handheld devices is just what we're looking for. Were talking connecting HD video productions to merge with our ads. Right on your Smartphone or your tablet! You know . . . the type that pop up onto your screen while you're surfing or looking at anything else?"

"Yes, Mr. Cuomo. And personally, I hate those things."

Her boss looked at her in disbelief.

"So. . . Mr. Cuomo. I really wasn't aware of why you asked to see me this morning. And I do apologize about refusing this offer. But you see . . . something pretty important has come up . . . and I really must . . ."

"You're refusing this offer?"

She suddenly found herself fighting off returning to her spineless, ingratiating former self again.

"Daniela. I'm personally very excited about this venture. And you should be too! It will involve your computer talents and artistic savvy! Capeche? It's the newest, high tech end of the ad industry. Smart pop ups ads in high D! All navigated in by cookies, which we purchase about the consumer! Brilliant!"

She suddenly felt trapped by a madman.

"It's a whole angle we've totally neglected until now. We're talking online ads for our firm. Clips that just jump into your tablet or phone in streaming video. Instantly.Unannounced! These can be injected into thousands of people's homes, offices, while they're commuting or just chatting. You name it! What ever our clients want to put out there. It's all pre-plugged-in, don't you see? Automatic. The bomb for us!"

Daniela held her breath and gave back an unimpressed and rather disgusted look. Though afraid of Mr. Cuomo's moods, she was still feeling incredibly sleepy from her all-night of lovemaking with Nicasio.

You don't get this? Imagine, Daniela! An unsuspecting, captive audience. Super targeted invasive campaigns. Suddenly . . . there's our ad. Your ad. Right in their face. Whamo! The real works for us!"

"OK. But Mr. Cuomo. . .you see. . ."

"I don't want you to even think about leaving right now, Miss Collins. You got that?"

"Sir, I didn't say I wanted to leave the firm for good . . . just to take a couple of . . ."

Mr. Cuomo slammed his hand down on the desk and then was quiet. Unmoving. He stood and began pacing the room as he always did when he didn't get his way. She watched him cautiously as he stopped next to the door and turned, dramatically.

Daniela could sense he was now staring at her legs intermittently. He had started to look at her in the old familiar way. She also realized she hadn't had time to fasten her hair up tightly into her usual pedestrian, 'I'm-a-meaningless-employee look.' It was an image she was comfortable with in the studio and one she knew somehow helped to not provoke her boss' lecherous intentions. On this morning, however, her hair was unfortunately free and full from the night before. It accentuated her face, innocently expressing something hidden.

Her relaxed and sleepy countenance also unknowingly communicated her very real involvement with a private life, to which Mr. Cuomo always inquired about but received no answers. Her looks, though still sleepy, radiated that morning of a certain, unselfconscious glow. The look was characteristic of a woman in Mr. Cuomo's mind who had, quite possibly, just earlier experienced a long, satisfying session of intense pleasure.

"Yes . . . I realize you didn't say that, Daniela. And I'm telling you that . . . even a temporary leave at this particular point in time . . ."

He suddenly took his eyes off of her.

"That is in light of our future association with StreamStar Video Productions, istotally out of the question!"

"But sir. . ."

"You must be involved in this from the beginning," he said, staring back now at his desk. "You are computer-literate . . . and saavy to what's out there, Ms Collins. I consider you on the front lines of all this."

Daniela could see he was now struggling.

"You're the youngest, most energetic illustrator-designer we have here . . . at least at present, anyway. And I'm not looking to hire anyone else right now for our computer graphic production. Do you understand?"

"Mr. Cuomo, I am grateful for these words of compliment and your trust in me. But this leave . . . is also extremely important. I have to report to Europe in a few days and be away for at least a week."

"Not granted!"

"I promise to return in seven days at the most, no more. And without pay, of course."

"Out of the question! I want you to be right here tomorrow, composed, and ready to meet with these people at eleven 'o'clock. That's final, Miss Collins!"

"Mr.Cuomo . . . this isn't fair! You can't just spring this on me. Don't I have the right to accept or decline any kind of promotion?"

"No. You don't. And yes, I did spring this on you . . . right now! If you think about what it all means, you'll accept it in any case."

He was pointing his fingers from both hands at her now.

"I'm expecting you in this office at eleven'o'clock tomorrow. Sharp, Daniela!"

She looked out the window behind him. The myriad of buildings in the city were kaleidoscopically picking up the morning sunlight on their glass surfaces. The traffic was continuing to coil up on the streets below like a mesmerizing knot of multicolored snakes. All the human entropy which contributed to the City's dynamism was going about its early routine. And all of it was displayed unrequested from Mr. Cuomo's large, dirty windows.

He continued, more composed.

"You will be meeting with a Mr. . . Mr. . ." He looked down at his desk calendar and squinted his eyes. "Schrader. Mr. Robert Schrader. Tomorrow!"

Daniela was speechless. She was becoming resigned to the duty expected of her at this meeting. Nothing else could really be said at that point which would not have triggered in her boss one of his notorious bouts of childish anger.

He stared back at her in a challenging way, glancing only once at her midsection.

"That will be all, Daniela. I'll see you tomorrow in the Board Room."

As she walked out of the office she could feel her supervisor's eyes perusing up and down her backside as she had expected. She quickly shut the door behind her and hissed out a derogatory name she had over time reserved only for him.

* * *