Shady Blue

Adrian Tank’s mean eyes glare insidiously at me.

“Know what, Ally? One more blunder from you and you’re out!”

I cringed but bit my lower lip, focusing my mind. Sure, I could use my innocence as a tool. Perhaps Adrian would fall for it. But, whatever it was, my mother and brother couldn’t go hungry.

I am Ally Shale, a high school graduate working in A City as a junior reporter. Adrian Tank is my boss. And, I probably should tell you that it’s tough for me to find a job because I do not possess college qualifications. I am also an orphan working to feed my family members. But, I can’t lose this job, I remind myself.

So I decided to play innocent with Adrian.

“But Sir, I have just been here a few weeks,” I pleaded, nodding my head. “I have mouths to feed at home; I know you won’t be that heartless, Sir.”

I put on the sweetest look I can manage on my face. He gloats, grabbing my collar.

“Maybe there’s one thing you can do, Ally.” A glint of evil flashes in his beady eyes.

I don’t like that he is using that tone on me. I thought of the other girls whom I work with, Stephanie, Shirley and Sandi. I had once accidentally seen Sandi performing a senseless act on him, kneeling before him while having his pants unzipped. Before I could take a closer look, I accidentally kicked a chair in front of me, causing them both to pause and look for the source of the noise. Fortunately, none of them saw me, so I escaped unscathed.

“I know you just turned eighteen a few days ago. It’s been a long time since I had a fresh one begging me to take her,” he intimidates me with his dark tone.

He tore open my collar, pulling hard on my blouse that the buttons popped. He feasted his eyes on my exposed cleavage and slurped his lips pervertedly.

The mere look of Adrian makes me sick. He was bald and in his forties. In addition, his beer belly just turns me off, and I cannot imagine his filthy hands on me. Damn, that bastard!

I took my chance and begged him using my doggy eyes. “Please, Sir, not here. The others will see!” The blinds on the window of his room were open. ence, anyone could have a glimpse of what was happening at any time.

He grabs my ponytail and yanks on it hard. “Do you think your colleagues could have stayed on for so long without giving me any benefits? And now, it’s your turn to give me some benefit. I’ve been watching you for a very long time, Ally. Your mother and brother, who do you think was the one who provided for them all this while?”

I winced and scoured my brain quickly for a solution out of this.

“I’m on my period, Sir!” I exclaimed, pulling myself out of his grasp. “You surely don’t want to have a stinking mess on your body and hands, Sir! And in your office!”

Adrian threw a disgusted look at me. “Ally Shale, you win this time. But don’t think you will be lucky all the time. Since you insist on it and this is the only time I can allow an exception, then I entrust you with this task.” He let go of my hair, granting me relief.

I quickly buttoned my blouse, nodding obediently. “Yes, Sir, I’ll do my utmost to make Tank Publishing proud!” I felt lucky to have avoided a bullet. But, unfortunately, Adrian was not the person I was willing to surrender my innocence to! He was also divorced and had many affairs even while he was married.

“Go downtown and buy the sexiest dress in your size you can find, Ally. Tonight, I have news that Tyler Banks, the CEO of Zeusolutions, will appear at one of his assets, the Zeus Club. Catch his attention and seduce him with all you can. You need to find out at least one of his secrets.”

I knew failure was not an option and neither did it exist in Adrian’s dictionary. But it was the first time I had heard of Tyler Banks. Albeit being a reporter, I knew naught of the most reputed businessmen in the world. Before arriving at Tank Publishing, I was a model student in a rural neighbourhood. My aim in coming to work in the city was to earn enough money to get to university since I did not qualify for a scholarship. Besides saving money for my studies, I also needed it to put a roof over my family’s heads: my mother’s younger sister: my little aunt, who is just a few years older than my younger brother.

He warned me with a stern, no-nonsense tone.

“You have to put your life on the line. The bosses know about your aunt and your younger brother. If anything goes out about us, or if you fail in your duty, they will never live another day of peace. And your aunt, I’m sure she has never been touched before in any way...”

What is this, an underworld society? I question in my head, barring the tears from drizzling down my cheeks. How could Adrian? It was enough that he had tried to harass me in the office sexually, but now he was threatening me using my family! But above all, I was afraid that Adrian would easily bend my aunt to his will, given her naivety and childishness.

Be strong, Ally. I tried to tell myself and refrain from sobbing. But there was no use. Even going to the authorities was not of any help because I was not a registered employee of the company. My employers paid my salary under the tables. I had no employee benefits. If I went to the police, my family would be in danger. Tank Publishing paid me a handsome salary, much more than any company out there would be willing to pay an undergraduate.