Chapter 19: Lovers Triangle (based on Love Stories of Mary Worth No. 3 cover, Harvey Comics, January 1950?)

Ed is my boss in a very important financial business company. And I am Eva, his secretary and this is the story where I explain how I finally got hold of my man, with the help of someone that was also in love with him.

I worked for Ed since I first stepped down in the company, and right away it was ‘love at first sight’, at least for me. I had this deep crush on him and he was everything that I wished for a man: caring, gentle, cute, nice, handsome, charming ... and better: the ultimate bachelor!

But I wasn’t the only one who seemed to have an interest by Ed. Lana is one of the company chairman’s daughters and she was always there, working as supervisor of the board. Given her position, she had as much as me access to Ed and I caught many times Lana doing her moves on Ed, which upset me a lot. More in the way that she was everything I wasn’t: rich, alluring and more keen to move up her ways on him than I was.

I guess it was my shyness or the fear of hearing a ‘no’ from Ed, but I kept myself ‘under the radar’ for a while, feeling Lana as a threat for me on the grounds of my secret crush, because she was sexier than me and she wasn’t too held off to be near him where she felt she was able to mark her territory. For a long time, I felt that way until Lana told me other version of her story.

One day, she invited me to lunch with her. Me, a simple secretary, having lunch with an aristocrat and the biggest threat to you? I didn’t knew what to say, so I decided to accept and see wherever that thing would go. And what happened there was something I would never expect to hear about.

“So, Lana, seems you been pretty much around Ed lately”

“I am supervisor and my father’s ‘source’ at the company, so I gotta be around one of our best employees”

“I know, but what I am talking about is how much you have been CLOSE to him ... Are you and him...”

“Please, Eva ... it’s not what it looks like...”

“How come? I saw you kissing him in the cheeks!”

“Look, Eva, I’ll tell you something. If I ever had my way with him, I wouldn’t be having this conversation with you”

“So, you and Ed didn’t yet?”

“Look. Ed is a shy person. I tried myself hard to seduce him in many ways, like with clothes, voice and even mannerisms, but he never shown the red-blooded male thing I am looking to unleash him. Only God knows how I tried...”

“Ed? Shy? I cannot believe! And I was the one who thought I was shy in the first place!”

“What it’s supposed to mean, Eva?”

“I will confess you something, Lana, and better be only between us. I am also hooked by Ed, since the first day I walked inside his office. He is the perfect man for me, all I wanted on a guy personified in his figure. And you was there, being yourself and doing what you wanted to keep him away from me ... I felt terrible on not daring to speak about my love for him. I felt that I lost him for you, and now...”

“You don’t need to be angry about me, Eva. I didn’t knew that you had that crush on Ed. And if I knew, I would feel threatened, since you are his secretary, for God’s sake. I wish you to consider a friend, and I hope you can understand that I am sorry if I ever stepped to take ‘your’ man out of sight”

“I guess you won’t need, Lana. You didn’t knew I was in love with him and now I know that I couldn’t do anything to make him turn his eyes to me ... It would be worthless trying”

“Or might not”

“What are you supposed to mean?”

“Tomorrow, wait me near Ed’s office. I got a plan”

“B-But what plan?”

She then just gave me a full lip kiss and smiled to make just saying ‘you will know then’. After our lunch, I couldn’t resist on thinking on what Lana meant with a ‘plan’. What she had in mind? And why she gave me that kiss? And why I was bothering myself too mucch about it?

The next day came and, as we agreed, I stood right in front of Ed’s office door waiting for Lana. When she appeared she greeted me.

“Ready for the plan, Eva?”

“I am, I think ... but you never explained what plan is that”

“Follow me and I’ll lead you to it”

She said it and then we both entered Ed’s office, which was surprised to see both of us there. Lana again warned me to let all the leads on her