Passion, Power, and Intrigue in An Enduring Family Drama

Thursday, January 3, 2013

A Stunning New Weight Loss Strategy

"I'd say the evening was an unqualified success." Bernard Morton leaned back in his large leather King Executive chair and laced his fingers behind his thick head of dark hair. "Wouldn't you agree, Mindy?"

"Hmmm," Mindy mumbled. No way was she going to agree that Kutrate Kemical's Christmas party had been a 'success.' It had been an embarrassment. Muscling in on those nice lottery winners the way Bernard had--the man had absolutely no shame. And then acting like he'd pulled of some kind of coup--he was practically preening as he sat behind his desk, a big fat smile plastered across his gorgeous face. How could someone so amazingly handsome, so Warren Beatty-esque, so broad shouldered and trim waisted be such a complete and total boob?

"The food was great, the atmosphere was lovely, the drinks were decent--and I saved the company a bundle. A b-u-n-d-l-e. Pay attention, Mindy. I was really doing your job for you so try and learn something from this lesson. Never buy anything when you can get someone else to pick up the tab."

"That's the lesson you want me to learn?" Mindy ached for her rickety office chair, her 1960s metal desk and her dwindling list of subscribers back at the newspaper. Running a newspaper was thankless but working for Bernard was like getting her teeth drilled without pain medication. "I noticed you and Mavis were having a nice chat. Is she going to invest in the company?"

"Maybe."

"How come? Do we have a new product coming out?" Mindy stumbled a bit over the word 'we' but she knew that her boss liked it when the underlings "spoke Kutrate Kemical" and acted like everyone collecting a paycheck there was all part of one large, overextended family. A highly dysfunctional family, but a family just the same.

"As a matter of fact we do."

Mindy's heart began to pound. Finally! A break in what was going on behind the laboratory doors at Kutrate Kemicals! "Oh? What is it?"

"It's pretty technical. I'm not sure you'd understand it."

Mindy swallowed her fury. It was important that she not blow it this far into the game. "Probably not," she agreed, "but maybe if you dumb it down for me I might be able to get a little idea of what it is."

"Well, one of our top chemists has come up with a room freshener that kills appetites along with odors. A couple of squirts and people aren't hungry any more. It's a stunning new weight loss strategy."

"You're kidding me! What does it smell like? Food?"

"No, Mindy," Bernard said patiently. "If it smelled like food, that would make people more hungry. I knew this would be too complicated for you."

"Then what does it smell like?"

"We're working the bugs out on that one. Right now it doesn't smell too...pleasant. But I have confidence that Fritz will solve the odor problem and we'll be on the market within the year. After that, the sky is the limit. Can you imagine? Fat loss in an aerosol can! I'm doing to die a freaking gazillionaire!"

If it was true, then he probably would. Spraying something in the air that made a person lose weight would beat the heck out of sweating at the gym. But Mindy couldn't help but wonder exactly what Bernard wasn't telling her. There had to be a downside to this miracle product and she planned on finding it as quickly as she could.

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