The Office Party
Chapter 1: Just An Average Day

Monday morning… at 7:45 a.m., Marvis Simmons, executive assistant to Carolyn Woodsmith, President and CEO of Paintwater Unlimited arrived at work and began her usual routine. Carolyn Woodsmith is the President and CEO of Paintwater Unlimited, a financial consulting firm whose clients are among the most famous and wealthy people in the town of Greenly Hills. As the elevator doors open on the sixteenth floor Marvis steps out and looks around the large, dark room. With a heavy sigh she steps off the elevator and walks toward the cubicle that sits just outside of Carolyn Woodsmith's office. Marvis pauses momentarily to turn on the lights for the floor. Arriving at her cubicle, Marvis opens her purse and removes a set of keys and unlocks her desk. She puts her bags down and opens the bottom drawer and places her purse inside. She closes the drawer, then opens the top drawer and removes a single key. The key ring has a small yellow tag marked Carolyn. Marvis grabbed the key and headed for Carolyn's office.
Marvis unlocked Carolyn's door and opened it to reveal a large, carpeted room that housed an oversized cherry wood desk with a black leather chair behind it. Carolyn's office also had two large windows that over looked the city. The walls were filled with awards that Carolyn had achieved for her work either in the industry or her achievements as one of the youngest, female executives in her field. Carolyn is a successful career woman, mother and loving wife. Her successful life made her a topic of several magazine articles related to women who balance personal and professional life. Carolyn was constantly invited to speaking engagements and received countless awards.
Marvis turned on the lights to Carolyn's office, started Carolyn's computer and opened her calendar to reveal the schedule of the day. She then left Carolyn's office and returned to her own desk. As Marvis started her own computer she heard the elevator doors open. Sasha Talas stepped off the elevator and headed for her office. Sasha is the Director of Marketing. It is her job to see to it that the Paintwater name remains in the public eye!
As Sasha headed for her office she ran into Marvis who was making coffee in the kitchenette on the floor.
"Good morning Marvis," Sasha said with a smile.
"Hi Sasha, did you have a nice weekend?"
"As a matter of fact I did." Sasha replied with a large smile.
"Good! Because today's going to be one of those days." Marvis said with a heavy sigh.
Nervous, Sasha nodded in agreement and continued on to her office. When Sasha arrived in her office she started her computer and heard the familiar "bing" telling her that she had e-mail. She sat down behind her desk and opened the first e-mail, from Carolyn Woodsmith. But, Sasha decided before she would read Carolyn's e-mail she'd probably better get a cup of coffee. So, she got her coffee cup from her credenza and headed for the kitchenette where she had originally seen Marvis making coffee. Sasha was surprised to see Marvis still standing at the kitchenette when she arrived.
"Is something wrong?" Sasha asked.
"Not, really… I just wanted to have a moment of solitude before I get started with Carolyn today. I know she's going to be tense when she arrives." Surprised by Marvis' response Sasha replied.
"You mean she's not here yet?"
Shaking her head Marvis answered, "I don't think she's ready for this, she worked all weekend." Marvis picked up her cup and headed for her cubicle. Sasha got her coffee and headed for her office as well. She sat down behind her desk and opened the e-mail from Carolyn.
________________________________________________________________
TO: Sasha Talas
FROM: Carolyn Woodsmith
SUBJECT: Monday Morning Meeting
Sasha, I need to meet with you and your team to discuss the upcoming lawsuit and how we can maintain a positive public image. Have your ideas ready. We'll meet in my office at 9am.
Carolyn
________________________________________________________________

"PERFECT!" Sasha screamed. She looked at her watch; it was 8:15am. Sasha was used to Carolyn's demands. She gave little and expected a lot. Annoyed, Sasha picked up her phone and dialed a four-digit extension.
"This is Curtis." The voice answered.
"Curtis, this is Sasha, Carolyn wants to have a meeting about the lawsuit. She wants ideas on keeping it positive for Paintwater."
"That'll take some time, that's a complicated case. Do you…"
Sasha interrupted. "We have 45 minutes, get Erika on your way to my office and I'll call Thad."
"Oh man… that's not enough time to even come up with a workable solution. What is Carolyn thinking?" Curtis asked.
Sasha was shaking her head when she responded.
"There's no time for that now Curtis, I'll see you in a minute."
Sasha's secretary, Juanita Smithson, had the day off; Sasha found herself wishing she had told Juanita that she couldn't take vacation. She realized it was going to be a difficult day.
Within minutes Curtis Flagnan, Senior Marketing Manager; Erika Parsons, Public Relations Specialist and Thad Haplin, Communications Manager entered Sasha's office. The team sat around a table that was near a large window. As each person took a seat, Sasha put a flipchart on a stand and removed the top from a blue marker.
As each team member entered the room Sasha looked them over. Curtis was tired as usual. Curtis Flagnan is a single man, in his 40's who never married. He stays out late and keeps a very busy schedule. Sasha always felt that Curtis stayed busy so he wouldn't have to think about his lonely life. Then she spotted Erika Parsons. Erika was also single, but she filled her evenings networking. Erika was always attending an event trying to meet important people. Similar to Curtis, Erika filled her days with work. Sasha sighed when she saw Erika follow Curtis into the room. If only the two of them could slow down their busy lives long enough to notice one another, she thought to herself.
Sasha sighed again as her eye made its way back to the door of the conference room. Thad entered and closed the door behind him. Thad Haplin and Sasha were friends. Although Sasha liked Thad, he could be difficult at times. Thad was a very cocky man, who desperately tried to force Paintwater into a strict corporate office environment. It annoyed him that Carolyn disagreed. Thad rarely spoke to secretaries and office assistants. He often referred to them as underlings, not worthy of his attention. Sasha often wondered how Thad would treat her if she weren't his supervisor. Thad took a seat and Sasha started the meeting.
"Alright, let's get started. We have less than 45-minutes to come up with a few ideas to present to Carolyn about this St. Glenn situation.
Paintwater was involved in a lawsuit; the client Beatrice St. Glenn lost a fortune when an investment (one that Paintwater suggested) went bad. St. Glenn was furious and decided to sue the popular firm when she learned that the person who recommended the stock option was not qualified to make the decision. She had also learned that Carolyn was aware of it. Beatrice St. Glenn was a wealthy woman with a lot of clout. She had contacted the media who had asked Paintwater for an official comment on the lawsuit.