[Part 2 - Before we start the party…]

[Part 1] - “Pay me my bonus!”

Jeff sat at the back of Mark’s office. He watched as the other team members walked in. There were 15 employees, but only five worked in this office building. Everyone else worked from home. Still, they had to come in every Friday for a team meeting.

The only thing on Jeff’s mind was coming up with a way to leave this meeting. He didn’t want to be there. He didn’t want to be anywhere near the office.

What he wanted was to embrace the only woman he craved.

Mark, the ‘main boss,’ held his hand up. The room quieted down. Mark cleared his throat and said, “I have some exciting news. Are you ready?”

A couple of people muttered, “Yes.”

“OK. So we have a new client.” Mark continued. “If all goes well, we will get the full deal - the site, the social media, the online ads, everything.”

Jeff looked around. Most of his colleagues seemed just as unexcited as he was.

Mark said, “A bigger company wants to buy ours. I want to sell. The sad truth is, they are mainly interested in our clients. This deal will help solidify the acquisition. And if you’re wondering what’s in it for you, here’s the deal.”

Jeff felt his ears perking up.

“If we land this client, you get 5% of the acquisition price. You’ll all share that money. But there’s a catch.”

“What’s the catch, Mark?” Steve shouted. The other team members all laughed.

“Thank you for that, Steve. The catch is we have to build a viral campaign for the client’s product. Nora!”

Nora wheeled in a table.

Jeff took in the scent of Nora’s perfume. He knew the fragrance. Often, he could tell she was around just by sensing her essence.

Nora took her time pushing the table. On top of the table was a box. This box was covered by a black velvet cloth.

Nora was wearing a black skirt and a red blouse. Jeff remembered that blouse. She wore it at the last office party.

“Oh, so now you’re doing magic tricks!” Steve exclaimed. A few people giggled.

Mark smiled at his team. “Ha. This product is as close to magic as it gets. Look!”

He lifted the cloth to reveal a glass cube. It was transparent and about a foot in length in each direction. Inside were three little bars of gold.

Mark nodded at Nora. She pulled out a sledgehammer from a drawer in the table. Mark took the hammer, lifted it, and slammed it on the glass box.

Jeff and the rest of his colleagues flinched and covered their faces. But the glass didn’t shutter.

Mark said, “Now that’s magic! This novelty safe has no obvious locks. But it can be unlocked with a special key card. Let me show you.”

He reached into his blazer pocket and brought out a small key card. He placed it on top of the box. Then, he lifted up the upper side of the box. He showed the square glass plate to everyone and placed it on the side.

He brought out one of the gold bars. “Here, hold it for a moment. It’s real. One hundred thousand dollars worth of gold, right in your palm.” Mark handed the gold to one of the graphic designers.

The designer pretended to put the bar in her pocket.

“Ah ah, not so fast Susan! Give it back!” Mark took the gold back from her and placed it in the box. He put back the top. The box once again looked like it was completely sealed, with no lock or any other kind of opening.?

“See, that’s why it’s so cool. You can’t break it, and you can’t break into it. But you can see what’s inside. Look, but can’t touch…”

Jeff found himself clapping with the rest of the team. As annoying as Mark was, he did have a knack for attracting interesting clients. And this safe was something to talk about.

Mark covered the box back with the velvet. “I’m sure you can create some ideas for a social media campaign. Plus, we have a surprise influencer coming to the party tonight. Get to know him. He will be available next week to shoot any videos you come up with.”

Jeff said, “Yeah, and then you’ll cheat us like you did with my bonus.”

Jeff walked out of the room without looking back.

[Read part 3 now!]