The party didn't brighten her spirits any, nor did the booze, but Geralyn couldn't bear the idea of going home alone to that empty, silent flat.
"Hey Hol." Geralyn caught the woman's attention and placed a slender, pale hand on her shoulder
"I think I'm just going to head back to my office. Get some work done you know…" The blonde sighed and eyed the merry party. "I guess I'm just not as up for a party as I thought."
Holly frown but placed her own hand over Geralyn's and rubbed in gently. "Alright. But don't over work yourself huh? Remember, it's Christmas."
Geralyn forced herself to smile a bit and nodded.
The party dragged on, but Geralyn stopped drinking halfway through her bloody mary, deciding she was mean enough sober.
Holly's husband, John, came into the mix soon after Geralyn abandoned the crowd and retreated the sanctum of her office, locking the door this time.
"So who's next door?" John asked, standing between the en suite bathroom of the office and his wife.
"Oh that's Geralyn Weiss." Holly looked at the wall between the offices.
"Working on Christmas?"
"She's pretty into her work" Holly laughed.
"Hunh, seems pretty intense. You're not going to turn into that are you?" John half joked and Holly cast him a scalding look.
"She's going through a bit of a rough patch right now, but she'll get through it. Geralyn's one of the toughest people here." Holly praised the woman who trained her in the art of the deal six months ago.
She and Geralyn had become extremely close over the past few months, she had at first worried that the older woman would see her as a threat but instead of alienating her the German immigrant welcomed her with open arms and a helping hand.
Holly actually felt a little sorry for Geralyn, who had apparently been separated from her husband in Berlin for nearly three years. She lived in a modest but comfortable apartment alone, without even a pet to keep her company, and had a reputation in the office and in her field of being a stone cold bitch who lowered her standards for no one.
After getting settled in, Holly set to defrosting the frigid ice queen. She invited her over for dinners at the house or out for drinks on a Friday night, but it took a few weeks before Geralyn finally accepted an offer.
Geralyn had met the kids and the house keeper, and heard all about her husband John, and somehow Holly weaseled out Geralyn's story of woe involving her elusive husband, whom she called Henry.
"I was young and stupid" she dismissed with a wave of her hand one day, "he was handsome. Charming. He asked and I said yes." She smirked a little and looked at Holly. "But that's pre-history, lamb. There are no written records or survivors."
Lighting another cigarette, Geralyn sat in her chair and as soon as she did there was another knock at the door.
"Christ." She hissed and stood up, making for the door and opening it quickly. "Yes?"
Ellis jumped back a little at the harshness of her tone but regained his sense of self. "Hey, uh. You seemed pretty shook up when you left the party…"
"I'm fine Ellis, thank you." She began to close the door again but he began to sputter.
"A-are you sure? I-I mean I could…"
Geralyn paused and thought a moment before letting her shoulders sag slightly and taking a deep breath.
"You know what? What the hell? Come on in Ellis." She let him in with every intention of pursuing a momentary affair that would end with her feeling momentarily satisfied if not all together better about her situation.
Ellis grinned and clapped his hands before flinching at the loud sound and looking around to see if anyone notice.
Locking the door, Geralyn made quick work of her jacket and small, ruby blouse buttons and permitted Ellis to entertain himself with the tops of her breasts and collarbones while she closed her eyes and tried to pretend that it was someone else's bearded face buried into her flesh.
It wasn't long before Ellis was fumbling with her bra clasp and she rolled her green eyes in frustration. "Ellis?"
"uh huh?"
"I'm having a really rough night, so if you could just…"
"Workin' on it babe."
"Well work faster."
"Hm." Ellis grunted, finally managing to unclip her brassiere, "I love it when you get bossy."
However before they could get too far into their tawdry escapade, a commotion outside the office called Geralyn's attention.
"Ellis…." She tapped his head, "Ellis…!" She had to push him off of her and fumbled to pull on her red blouse and button it up quickly.
"Wha…?" Ellis began to protest until there was a furious banging on the office door. The familiar rattle of rapid gun fire could be heard and the distressed screams of the patrons told them that whoever was on the other side of the door was no friend to them.
"Get down." She whispered at the door was nearly knocked off its hinges and Geralyn dove for her purse under the desk, fumbling to pull out a tiny revolver out of her purse and loaded it with six rounds she stowed with it for emergencies.
However it proved to be of very little use to her as she heard the door being broken down and Ellis wailing in terror as a pair of hands yanked her out from under the desk.
Thrashing and growling like a wild animal, Geralyn managed to flip on her back and make use of her claw-like nails to rip and scratch her assailant's hands and face as she kicked her long legs violently.
Soon enough though, the attacker had her flung over his shoulder with an arm firmly gripping her thighs while he escorted Ellis out at gun point.
As they left the office, the main lobby was in chaos, with men all armed with automatic rifles corralling partygoers as if they were sheep into the middle of the room.
Geralyn was dropped off with Ellis, who was panicking at this point, by Holly and Mr. Takagi next to a stone uplift in the middle of the gathered crowd.
"Geralyn!" Holly rushed for her and embraced the pale woman firmly until Geralyn pulled away.
"What's happening?" she asked in a tense whispered and Holly shrugged and led her over to the stone steps to sit.
Soon the panic began to die down as a voice called over the crowd and the armed men began to spread around them like a circle of guards.
But it wasn't the words that made Geralyn tense up so much that Holly looked at her with genuine concern, it was the voice.
That smooth voice, dark like tinted glass and deep like a rumble of thunder from a far off storm.
It commanded respect and usually got it from anyone.
Geralyn couldn't make herself look up, she could not cast her gaze to the front of the room for fear of seeing what she knew would be there.
"Geralyn?" Holly whispered as the normally stoic, icy woman began to tremble by her side. Holly wrapped an arm around her waist and Geralyn looked at her, shocking the younger woman with a gleam of genuine distress in her eyes.
"It's okay, we're going to get through this." Holly muttered encouragingly but Geralyn looked at her and swallowed.
"That's not what I'm afraid of."
Before she could say more the figure at the head of the room began to speak once more, causing Geralyn to try and shield her face.
"Now…due to the Nakatomi Corporation's legacy of greed around the globe, they are about to be taught a lesson in the real use of power… You will be witnesses." He looked around the crowd and closed his book calmly. "Now, I am looking for two particular people. And hopefully they will be brave enough to step forward on their own."
He began to walk through the crowd, which parted for him like the Red Sea as he inspected every face he passed.
"Geralyn Ann Weiss…and Joseph Yashinobo Takagi."
As soon as the names were said both parties felt a sinister chill run down the length of their spines as Geralyn felt Holly's grip around her waist tighten and she reached forward and took Takagi's arm.
"Takagi born…1937. Family immigrated to San Pedro, California 1939." He eyed every Asian man in the room then spied the face of every blonde female as he continued. "Geralyn Weiss born 1948, Munich, to Johanna and Fritz Weiss…A schoolteacher and factory worker….5 feet and 5 inches tall"
Geralyn swallowed and began to shift a little, causing Holly to look at her in alarm.
"And Married 19…
"Stop it." The blonde stood up suddenly and glared daggers into the man.
"68." The handsome man stared back at her, amused by her fury. "Hello Sweetheart. Miss me?"
"Cut. The. Shit. Hans" She hissed through her teeth as he looked past her slightly before brushing by her.
"That would make you…Mr. Takagi." He offered his hand to the furious Japanese man who stood up to face the intruder. "How very nice to meet you."
Hans motioned for the man who followed him, a beefy looking blond in all black, to take Takagi to the elevator while Geralyn began to slip away from Hans only to feel his large hand snap forward and grip her forearm tightly, pulling her back to him.
"Now that was rude, Dearest." He scolded her gently with an intolerably smug smirk, "After I came all this way just to visit?"
Geralyn scoffed and began to jerk away again, frustrating Hans this time instead of amusing him and he pulled her back rougher this time before clamping his arm tightly around her waist.
"Now that's enough of that." He hissed lowly, "You're going to behave yourself and come with me calmly, or I will carry you myself…your choice."
Geralyn looked at him and made no attempt to cover the hate in her eyes as she stopped struggling and swallowed hard.
"Fine" she muttered and Hans nodded with satisfaction, loosening his grip on her slightly as he led her to the elevator where the armed man and Takagi waited.