Master of Plagues by D. B. Reynolds (color ebook reader .txt) 📖

You see, if the chauffer, the doorman, the elevator operator, and security chief decided not to speak to their boss, they knew they’d lose their jobs. Like so many other people who sucked up to their bosses, they had to fake it in order to support their families by paying the rent, keeping food on the table, making sure the utilities stayed on, and clothes on everyone’s back. Once Anthony wasn’t in their presence, it was such a relief.
Anthony arrived on the thirty-second floor of the skyscraper. He stepped off with a presence as though he ruled corporate America. Clerks from the mailroom greeted him by each of them saying, “Good morning to you, Mr. Greenstein. How are you doing?”
As usual, he returned no reply. Copyeditors and graphic designers all greeted him with the salutation, “Hello, Mr. Greenstein. How are you doing this morning?”
To not a one of them did he say good morning. The thirty-one year old powerhouse CEO of Anthony Greenstein Enterprises didn’t have to speak back. He signed the checks. He did the hiring and firing. He endorsed the paperwork for all the supplies which came into his company.
Not speaking to your employees for no given reason wasn’t no way to run a corporation. Where did such arrogance originate? Some believed it was his father, the cheap and ruthless Aldolphus Greenstein. It’d been said how Aldolphus squeezed a penny hard enough until Abraham Lincoln screamed.
“Make people fear you,” Aldolphus once told his young son. “Once they fear you, then you control them. Once you control them, then you’ve given them no other alternative than to be loyal to you.”
Anthony knew that many of his employees were at the brink of the poverty level. He knew they had mortgage payments, car notes, and college tuition for their children. If they wanted to maintain a stable lifestyle, they had no other recourse than to be loyal to his empire. A rising sun dominated the Manhattan skyline.
Strutting domineeringly down the thick carpeted hallway, Anthony stopped at the desk of his favorite secretary. “Good morning, Elaine. How are you doing today?”
There she sat. All five-foot-seven inches, one-hundred and ten pounds of her, sitting in the most elegant manner. A pair of glistening eyes stopped men in their tracks. A head of long wavy brown hair and porcelain skin commanded the attention of any setting. Elaine Cameron was her name. For more than two years, she’d been Anthony’s prized secretary. Employees of A.G.E. often wondered why he went out of his way to speak to her. Wasn’t it obvious to any of them? Perform special favors for the boss and you climbed the corporate ladder.
“Good morning to you, Mr. Greenstein,” Elaine spoke in her usual pleasant tone. “Looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day.”
“Not as beautiful as you,” Anthony flirted, his voice laced with seductive tones.
“Well, thank you very much.”
“Listen, Elaine, I want you to hold all of my calls. I’ve got a ten o’clock meeting in the main boardroom with some of my associates”
“Will do, Mr. Greenstein.”
“See ya later?” he asked, a cunning grin on his face.
“Yes you will.”
Ten o’clock New York time came around. Anthony had long prepared for his meeting with top marketing and advertising executives coming in from around the tri-state region. Seated around the enormous conference table were a total of fifty men who felt they had lots to offer A.G.E. A seventy inch projection screen was rolled down to help kick off the meeting. Pamphlets explaining the latest projections for the company were placed before every executive in the meeting.
“Gentlemen, I’d like thank you all for being in attendance,” Anthony said to all of his constituents. “Anthony Greenstein Enterprises remains a full service marketing and advertising enterprise providing video production, graphic design, website design, adpromotion, and advertising services to New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts-based clients.”
Anthony took a sip from his bottled water and pressed the ENTER key on his laptop computer. The screen switched pages and he continued. “Here at A.G.E., we believe that a good idea is timeless, and that good marketing is timely. Question, gentlemen. What good is a great idea if no one knows about it? Marketing and advertising is the essential growth of any business organization. With an effective marketing strategy, any business or corporation can stand apart from the competition and customers will remember your name. A.G.E. can help spread the word about anyone who so desires.”
“Your plans for this are what?” asked an associate from the middle of the conference table.
“To start, our in-house television advertising and public relations services,” Anthony presented to everyone in the meeting. “Unlike newspapers, radios, and cable companies that offers one service, A.G.E. works with customers to determine the best medium to reach their targeted audience and to provide the best value. My firm has the best experience in letting clients know what works best for them. A.G.E. creates a brand for our clients, with cohesive graphics and messages that makes our clients stand out in highly competitive markets.”
An associate towards the end of the table asked, “What are some of A.G.E.’s strongest marketing and advertising tools?”
“You name it, we’ve got it,” Anthony answered back with pride. “Print, television, radio, web/e-mail, pay-per-click, pay-per-phone click, just to name a few.”
“How about secondary services here at A.G.E.?”
“There’s also direct mail, which includes list development, fundraising campaigns, brochures, postcards, and business replies.”
“What falls in line after that?” asked an associate closer to the front near Anthony.
“There’s e-marketing and event management.”
“Which includes which services?”
“E-newsletters, e-mail campaigns, web development, grand openings and open houses, community lectures and special events.”
Anthony pressed the ENTER key and pages were switched up on the projection screen. “Shares for A.G.E. have risen substantially within the last quarter. We’re looking for shares to double or triple within the next quarter.”
He pressed the ENTER button once again and a new page popped up. Samples of flyers and web designs and television ads were displayed. His business associates were quite impressed.
The meeting had been adjourned. It appeared as though Anthony moved in on strategic business ventures. Handshakes between the business associates were exchanged. His speech pleased them enough to invest their financial resources into A.G.E. The one-time bright Manhattan skies dominated by a glowing sun, now became skies blanketed by darkness. Nine o’clock New York time turned up.
Anthony and Elaine were the only two people left on the thirty-second floor of Greenstein Towers. Security personnel were ordered to shut off elevator service on the floor in which he occupied during after hours. Lights throughout the thirty-second floor offices were either turned off or turned down low. Anthony and Elaine went into his office and the blinds were closed. Elaine caught a quick second glance at part of the Manhattan skyline.
“Got something for me, daddy?” Elaine asked Anthony, using her girlish voice to entice him.
“Got it right here, mama,” Anthony smiled, pulling out a thin stack of fresh one-hundred dollar bills.
“Ahhhhhhh,” she purred, sliding the edges of the crispy bills across her thin nostrils. “There’s nothing better smelling than a stack of fresh bills.”
“There’s always lots more where that came from.”
“Yes, daddy, I know.”
“Wow! You look so good to me.”
Anthony knew Elaine didn’t come cheap. How else was she going to keep her condominium, her BMW Roadster, the diamond rings and watches, and the finest clothes from Saks Fifth Avenue and Nieman Marcus? Being Anthony’s sex toy helped her supplement money along with an already enormous salary he paid her. Standing right outside his office door was Stuart Duffelmeyer. How did he get inside Greenstein Towers and past security? Easy. He possessed special powers to make himself invisible and not be seen by other humans.
Stuart wasted no time. He shut his eyes tight and rubbed the middle of his magical talisman. The forces of the Universe were called upon once again. The cosmic glow formed around the talisman. Through telepathic powers, he summoned General Rahmaanteen and part of his army. The colossal, human-sized rats appeared and were eager to grant Stuart his any wish. General Rahmaanteen listened as Stuart whispered into his ear. The general smiled and bowed his head.
“General Rahmaanteen,” Stuart spoke in the lowest voice. “General, I want you and your army to take over the entire thirty-second floor of Greenstein Towers.”
“I obey, master,” General Rahmaanteen obliged, bending down on one knee in servitude to his master.
“I want you and several of your soldiers to run through this office like a pack of insanely wild dogs. I want you to ransack one end of Anthony’s office to the next.”
“Master, I obey your every command.”
Stuart stepped up and whispered into the ear of the general. The brilliant rodent smiled and nodded his head.
“Would it be a problem?” Stuart asked, snickering under his breath.
“Master, it would not be a problem.”
“General, go and perform your task.”
Back inside the spacious office of Anthony, Elaine tempted him by stripping down to nothing but her bra and panties. Anthony watered at the mouth while he sized up her luscious body. Elaine scooted across the desk and a recent copy of the “New York Times” fell onto the floor. She picked it up and an interesting editorial article flashed before her eyes.
“Well, look’a here,” she wooed. “This editorial says that some Wall Street investment banker claims that his condominium was invaded by giant-sized rats who could speak English.”
“Honey, put that away,” Anthony insisted, ready for a late evening rendezvous. “We all know that rats don’t grow to the size of humans and they don’t talk. It was probably written by some tabloid kingpin who interviewed a whacked out mental patient.”
“No, no, no. It says that he was beaten up and then his hands and feet were tied together by a humongous rat.”
“Elaine!” Anthony snapped. “Let’s not talk about rats, okay? I hate those damn creatures. Nothing on this Earth has given me the creeps like those stinking crawly critters.”
“Okay, let’s get back to our business-at-hand.”