Status: All Done
Mad Men
A Midsummer Evening's Phone Tap
It was a gorgeous summer evening in Pittsburgh. The sun wouldn’t be setting for another few hours, and it cast a beautiful glow over the city skyline. It wasn’t too hot that day, and the bright blue sky was spotted with plush white clouds that moved slowly overhead. A gentle breeze blew through the flags hanging from buildings and street lights, adding life to the already bustling downtown, and the rush hour traffic was full of cars with the windows down, drivers eager to get home and start the weekend. Dogs could be heard barking as they headed towards PNC for pups in the park night. A group of barges floated down into the Ohio River. It was one of those evenings that allowed no foul moods and no unhappiness.
It was something everyone should have been experiencing. James Neal was not one of them.
It was a regular, if not duller than usual, day in the office in downtown Pittsburgh. There was one window, which couldn't be seen from James’ desk. For all he knew, it was raining. Of course, that would have made his work easier. Instead, he was forced to listen to his boss go on and on from his office just across the way from James about his plans for the beautiful weekend ahead; a ball game, fishing, swimming in his brand new in-ground pool.
James didn’t hate his boss; he was an okay guy. But he was one of those people that just never knew when to stop talking about his perfect life.
The office’s cubicles were low rising and James had a view of the desks around him as they were slowly vacated. Fridays were the worst for him; he and his coworkers were permitted to leave for the weekend as soon as they finished their work. James always finished late, tallying his numbers from the rest of the week and trying to make sense of everyone else’s as well. He readjusted the eyeglasses on his face and flexed his hand, taking a small break from all of his writing. The picture on his desk of he and Lisa on their wedding day made him pick up the pen and keep going.
If it weren’t for her, James would have quit his boring job long ago; without the guarantee of a replacement job, he couldn’t do that to them. He recognized long ago his problem was that he didn’t know what he wanted. Without any other ideas, he’d taken the first office offer he’d gotten. A few years later, and he was ready to drop. It wasn’t making him happy, and he wasn’t living the dream life he’d wanted for himself and his wife. James wanted his boss’s life; a giant home, a swimming pool, huge amounts of cash in the bank. Lisa said she didn’t care about that stuff, but James didn’t believe her.
The seemingly endless list of things to finish in front of him caused James to let out a very frustrated sigh. He sent a quick text to Lisa that he would be home pretty late, and got back to work. The weekend couldn’t come soon enough.
xxxxxxx
The good citizens of Pittsburgh were not the only people enjoying the fine weather that evening. Across town, three men in suits entered an emptying office building. They were all over six foot, and one was sporting a fresh shiner on his left eye. It fit his dark, brooding complex. He walked to the front desk without hesitation. A crooked smile with glimmering white teeth gave him an illusion of innocence.
“Hey beautiful.”
The secretary at the desk giggled.
“Um, hi. I’m sorry, but if you’re looking for someone, all the executives have already left for the weekend. Is there anything I can do for you?”
The other two men watched out of sight down the large marble hallway as their accomplice sweet talked the woman behind the desk. She was escorting him down a perpendicular hallway within 5 minutes.
They worked quickly, the dark haired one taking the woman’s seat and pulling the wired phone up before taking the bottom off and slapping a small circular device into the blonde man’s hand.
“Make it fast.”
The blonde man made quick work of the wires on the phone while the other fidgeted with the alarm system located under the desk. He then began flipping through the sign in book located on top before ripping out one of the pages.
“Got it.”
The pair speedily returned the objects to their original positions before leaving the office, and their partner, behind to blend right back in with the rest of the suited men and women walking hurriedly along the sidewalk.
It was something everyone should have been experiencing. James Neal was not one of them.
It was a regular, if not duller than usual, day in the office in downtown Pittsburgh. There was one window, which couldn't be seen from James’ desk. For all he knew, it was raining. Of course, that would have made his work easier. Instead, he was forced to listen to his boss go on and on from his office just across the way from James about his plans for the beautiful weekend ahead; a ball game, fishing, swimming in his brand new in-ground pool.
James didn’t hate his boss; he was an okay guy. But he was one of those people that just never knew when to stop talking about his perfect life.
The office’s cubicles were low rising and James had a view of the desks around him as they were slowly vacated. Fridays were the worst for him; he and his coworkers were permitted to leave for the weekend as soon as they finished their work. James always finished late, tallying his numbers from the rest of the week and trying to make sense of everyone else’s as well. He readjusted the eyeglasses on his face and flexed his hand, taking a small break from all of his writing. The picture on his desk of he and Lisa on their wedding day made him pick up the pen and keep going.
If it weren’t for her, James would have quit his boring job long ago; without the guarantee of a replacement job, he couldn’t do that to them. He recognized long ago his problem was that he didn’t know what he wanted. Without any other ideas, he’d taken the first office offer he’d gotten. A few years later, and he was ready to drop. It wasn’t making him happy, and he wasn’t living the dream life he’d wanted for himself and his wife. James wanted his boss’s life; a giant home, a swimming pool, huge amounts of cash in the bank. Lisa said she didn’t care about that stuff, but James didn’t believe her.
The seemingly endless list of things to finish in front of him caused James to let out a very frustrated sigh. He sent a quick text to Lisa that he would be home pretty late, and got back to work. The weekend couldn’t come soon enough.
xxxxxxx
The good citizens of Pittsburgh were not the only people enjoying the fine weather that evening. Across town, three men in suits entered an emptying office building. They were all over six foot, and one was sporting a fresh shiner on his left eye. It fit his dark, brooding complex. He walked to the front desk without hesitation. A crooked smile with glimmering white teeth gave him an illusion of innocence.
“Hey beautiful.”
The secretary at the desk giggled.
“Um, hi. I’m sorry, but if you’re looking for someone, all the executives have already left for the weekend. Is there anything I can do for you?”
The other two men watched out of sight down the large marble hallway as their accomplice sweet talked the woman behind the desk. She was escorting him down a perpendicular hallway within 5 minutes.
They worked quickly, the dark haired one taking the woman’s seat and pulling the wired phone up before taking the bottom off and slapping a small circular device into the blonde man’s hand.
“Make it fast.”
The blonde man made quick work of the wires on the phone while the other fidgeted with the alarm system located under the desk. He then began flipping through the sign in book located on top before ripping out one of the pages.
“Got it.”
The pair speedily returned the objects to their original positions before leaving the office, and their partner, behind to blend right back in with the rest of the suited men and women walking hurriedly along the sidewalk.
♠ ♠ ♠
This one is short, but I really wanted to get an introductory type of chapter out there now! I'm very excited for this story :-) I'm gonna try to work most of the Penguins in here some way or another. Be sure to check out the song linked in the summary because it sets the tone for this story very well!