Meeting Of The Minds

Wednesday, April 26, 2017
New York City, NY
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The limousine ride was a fairly smooth one, considering the legendarily infamous New York City traffic. The luxury interior more than made up for what would be an otherwise jarring and frustrating ride through the city. The destination? The famed One World Observatory. It was a place where tourists and native born New Yorkers alike gathered to get a glimpse of unparalleled views of the city, get a glimpse of what it took to build such a massive structure, and more importantly, honor those who were lost on that horrible September day in 2001. Standing within the confines of the elevator that was climbing towards the top of the building was the passenger of the limo and a familiar face to the Future Shock community, Brianna Singer. Dressed in a simple yet stunning sleeveless purple dress and black heels, she twirled a card between her manicured fingers. It was the same card that she had received days earlier, an invitation to the Big Apple and to dinner. She had no idea who sent her this invitation. Nor did she know who sent her the diamond Rolex or the diamond necklace, both of which she was currently wearing. She was also equally stumped as to the identity of who flew her out her on a luxe private jet and put her up in an impressive suite at The St. Regis. She had all of these unknowns, all of these reasons that a normal person would turn away from. Yet here she was, a far from normal woman who was taking what some would view as a risk.

The elevator came to a stop and the doors pinged open. Brianna took a second before stepping out into the lobby area of the restaurant, the card still clutched in her hand. Stepping into the main dining room, her eyes grow wide as she glances at the kind of setting and elegance that one would find in Europe. She notices that the entire dining room is void of any patrons, which causes Brianna to glance around even more. It was then that she thought she heard the faint sound of footsteps approaching.

"Ms. Singer. Glad you could make it."

A woman's voice captures the attention of Brianna, giving her the implication that whatever questions she may have to satisfy her curiosities about who's behind of this hospitality is about to be answered.

“I have to admit that it was a somewhat of a challenge to see if you would come through. But my instincts knew that your persistence and curiosity would win you over."

Brianna turned around upon hearing the voice and is greeted by the sight of The Latin Goddess herself, Valentina Lozano, also looking stunning as she is sporting a grey dress and matching grey heels to accentuate her shapely athletic figure. A small smile begins to form on her face as she slowly nods her head.

“You would be correct in assuming that.” Said Brianna. “Your instincts are as impeccable as your style.”

She glances around the restaurant once more before turning her full attention back to Valentina.

“It is good to finally meet you face to face, Ms. Lozano.”

Valentina smiles at Brianna, letting her know that she acknowledges her comment.

"Please, call me Valentina." she says. "It's not like we're complete strangers right?"

Brianna pauses for a brief second before nodding slowly. “You are correct. I meant face to face” She says with a small smile.

"Hope your appetite is on point." says Valentina. "We have a dinner that's to die for being prepared for us. By all means..."

Valentina signals in two suited restaurant staff members to come in and escort the ladies to their seats. When the ladies are settled in, a waiter, young and good looking, appears to approach them and give them a large drink menu.

"What do you suggest to drink while you wait? He says.

Valentina takes a moment to take in the view of the waiter, admiring his appearance before briefly looking at the drink menu and providing his question with an answer.

"Hummm, you have some good choices here. What do you think Brianna? It is at this point Valentina focuses on her guest. “What do you feel like tonight?" The redhead takes a moment to decide on her choice of drink. “I’m feeling like a nice Pinot Noir.”

Valentina raises her eyebrows as she gives Brianna a positive look of positive impression. "Very good choice." She says to her before going to the waiter. "What the lady says."

The waiter nods his head and excuses himself to his duty, leaving the ladies alone.

"I can never get enough of this atmosphere." Valentina says as she looks around to admire the beautiful setup of the restaurant. “Especially in this city. I'm sure that the décor is the last thing on your mind. You may have a lot of questions to ask me right about now do you?"

“That certainly is one way of putting it.” Brianna said as she sat a little ways back in her chair. She glances around at the restaurant, and then looks at her glimmering watch and necklace. “The necklace and the watch…..I don’t have to guess that they were from you,”

Valentina tries to play it off that she doesn't know what Brianna was talking about. But she wasn't going to entertain it further for she comes to the conclusion that she's onto it.

"Guilty as charged." Valentina replies "But not guilty when it comes to appreciate someone who has been so supportive…

Valentina makes herself comfortable as she continues to keep contact on an attentive Brianna.

"…and who is quite admirable. And as you know around Future Shock, they are hard to come by; women who I can see who are on my level when it comes to being driven to succeed. So the way I see it; those women need to be recognized for it. Don't you agree?"

“One hundred percent.” Brianna said. “There are too many people around Future Shock who are perfectly content to coast by on whatever brought them here in the first place. Those are the ones I see cluttering up social media with endless and meaningless tirades of no importance or significance.”

Brianna steadies herself to prevent off on a tangent in front of her host. “But the ones with the drive…..they are the ones who should have the spotlight.” Just as Valentina is about to respond, the waiter returns, rolling a cart that has a stainless steel bucket on top of; with a bottle of Pinot Noir inside of the bucket, being chilled by ice. He pours the wine to the glasses, to the approval of the ladies, and again gives them their peace as he made himself scarce.

"Couldn’t have said that better myself. Well played, Brianna." Says Valentina as she picks up her glass. Brianna smiles in response as she follows suit in picking up her glass. "To women who have drive; the real movers & shakers in society." says Valentina. “To the ones who will get whatever they set their mind to.” The ladies toast their glasses and proceed to take a drink from their glasses, savoring their drinks. Before long Valentina places her glass down and looks on at Brianna.

"I just don't get it. I mean Future Shock has so much potential in being something greater than it is; especially on a large scale. But of course it wants to settle to being mediocre. They have two women who always bring the numbers to their shows in myself and Isis and they have the audacity to say we're stunting of their growth; thinking that we're breaking their "harmony". Valentina rolls her eyes in a moment of annoyance. "You have no idea what we have to go through with these idiots’ time & time again. They wouldn't know a good thing for business if it jumped up and bit them in the ass."

Valentina starts to feel a bit frustrated when talking about how she and her partner are being treated in Future Shock. But she comes to when she realizes where she is and her guest who has her attention, she keeps herself in check by calming herself down.

"I'm sorry about that Brianna. It's just that it gets me so damn mad sometimes. Dealing with these fans, the other women in the locker room. I can get more satisfaction by talking to a wall. But not you though. And from my view, you really do have a mind for this business. Have you done any management in other leagues or something?”

“You have nothing to apologize for, Valentina. You are completely justified in feeling the way that you do.” Brianna said with a sympathetic nod. “That is one of the things that subtly irks me as well. Why’d have so many women who have potentially bright futures ahead of them settle for mediocrity? It isn’t something I quite get.” She takes a small sip of her wine as she sets the glass down with a soft thud. “You and Isis have been far too good for far too long to be treated like this.”

She runs her fingers through her red curls and cocks her head slightly to the side.

“Now, onto your question. Being here and being involved in Future Shock isn’t my first rodeo. I’m the former co-owner of the Global Division of Wrestling, which is sadly no longer around. Then, I took a somewhat advisory role out in a certain company that was based out of San Diego, where I was minority owner.”

Valentina smiles after putting some of her hair behind her ear, feeling quite pleased about Brianna's resume. "And what did that feel like to you? Having that much pull in those companies and the like." Valentina picks up her glass and takes a sip of the drink as she looks intently at Brianna.

The smile that had started to form on Brianna’s face had grown, becoming a tinge more devilish as she folded her hands in her lap. “Honestly? The power that I had…….felt amazing. There was nothing anyone could do to top me. I was the true alpha female. What I said and did was pretty much the law of the land.” She said, sort of staring off. “Granted, there are still those who hold grudges because of my actions. It is all pars for the course, really.” She reaches for her glass and takes a sip of her wine.

"Yeah, I admit. Being in power does have its perks and pleasures." Says Valentina. Before she can say another word, the two waiters approach the table, carrying large trays. "Speaking of which..." Valentina says while Brianna looks on. Before long the waiters place the trays on the table and uncover them, revealing an impeccable steak & lobster tail dinner, with the lobster freshly imported from Maine. Brianna can’t help but lean forward a bit and glance at the spread set before her. This was a prime example of haute cuisine. She felt spoiled in a way, but deep down, this was something that she had earned, something that she felt that she deserved. “This…..this looks divine.” She says, finally finding her words.

"Well, I had to make your trip worthwhile right?" Valentina says with a slight giggle. "To a feast fit for a Queen." Brianna smiles in response, showing her agreement. The ladies toast their glasses once more and begin to partake on the delicious meal and, of course, enjoying each other's company.

---------------

After taking in a fulfilling dinner, Valentina & Brianna are walking along the main observatory deck, admiring the fantastic panoramic view of the city in the night sky while engaging in conversation.

"You know what the best advice I ever got is?" Says Valentina. "My mom told me to always push to get what you want. Never settle for anything. And if anyone gets in your way, step on them. And if you're the last one standing, you get the glory. My mom had her nose to the grindstone when she was interning at a movie studio back in Toronto and now she's one of the most powerful film executives in Hollywood. Same goes for my dad before he got his success in real estate. I guess you can say their drive kind of rubbed off on me."

Brianna nodded slowly as she processed what Valentina was telling her. She could immediately tell where the Latina got her work ethic from, and it showed. “My parents always told us to never settle for anything. You have to work to get what you want out of life. My mother worked hard her entire life in the field of dance, and now runs one of the top dance studios in Southern California. My father is a prominent lawyer. They made sure that we weren’t handed anything nor took anything for granted. It’s something I try to live up to.”

"Exactly." Replies Valentina. "Even if I wasn't wealthy, I would still be pushing further. Most people don't understand that about me. They would rather pigeonhole me as some snobby rich bitch who loves to watch people grovel at my feet, which, I must admit; I do get a kick out of. Valentina lets out a little giggle to accompany the sexy smirk she carries. “The point is I've worked hard to get where I am today. To be a woman who loves a challenge because I can love it even more when I kick it down. And to be honest, Brianna, that's what I see when I see you.”

“That’s probably because they don’t actually know you.” Brianna said, somewhat matter of factly. “You want what you want and get it at all costs. To me, that is admirable. And thank you kindly for the compliment.” She was genuinely pleased that someone of Valentina’s status and stature gave her a high compliment. Valentina nods her head; greatly appreciated that Brianna has accepted what she was saying.

"I don't want to be too nosy." she says. "And feel free to let me know if you don't want to talk about it. But I can't help but to be curious about this. What's it like working with Adam (Grant)?

Upon hearing the name of the esteemed Future Shock director, Brianna gets a little smirk.

“Working with Adam? It’s enjoyable, really. Working with someone who is as passionate about what he does as he is, the enthusiasm can be a bit contagious.”

Valentina takes a moment to observe Brianna's enthusiasm when she's talking about her boss. And though she has her issues with him, Valentina kept it at bay for Brianna's sake. It is at this point they stop walking and end up standing on the observatory's famed Sky Portal.

"Adam is a competent businessman, despite some of the dim sided decisions he makes from time to time and his obvious vengeful crusade to annoy Isis & me." Says Valentina. "But I can see your point about his passion and you seeing that working with him is a rewarding experience. But given all that you have done in the past, don't you feel a little unfulfilled in your current position?"

Brianna thought about that for a second. Sure, she was comfortable in her role as Executive Assistant, but the thought of attaining more power and clout was something that was sort of stuck in the back of her mind. It wasn’t until Valentina made mention of this that it came to the forefront. “I never gave it serious thought, but I have moments where I’m wondering if what I am doing is enough. In a way…….I am.”

Valentina can see Brianna feeling a bit disconcerted and draws closer to her. "It's not like you haven't felt it before." Says Valentina. "Once you get a taste of it, it never goes away. It's just like this diamond."

Valentina then points at the snowflake pendant necklace Brianna is wearing to drive her point across. "It is forever.” She continues. “Just like whatever you strive yourself to be. And you made it clear to me where you want to go."

The redhead nodded. Her drive to be better than what she was, better than everyone around her, was kicking into gear. She basically wanted the world.

"Basically what I'm saying Brianna is for a while now you have been looking up to people like Adam.” Says Valentina. “Isn't it about time that they should really be looking up to you?

There was a sense of sincerity behind Valentina’s statement. For the longest time, Brianna had played the role of second fiddle, albeit not by her own design. All she wanted was the same sense of pride and respect that those around her were given. All she wanted was her chance to shine. Maybe that was coming soon.

Then, Valentina takes Brianna hands and holds onto them as she looks into her eyes.

"I appreciate you accepting this invite, Brianna." She says. "And accepting the gifts. And I will go so far to say that I am completely honored to spend time with you...Alpha Female. See you around."

Brianna nods her thanks as she watches Valentina leave the deck. As Brianna looks around, her attention is now drawn to her feet, more specifically the view of the city 100 feet below from the Sky Portal to which she stands upon. She looks as the people and vehicles all bustle about, looking very much like ants at her feet. The feeling of practically towering over everyone gave Brianna a bit of a rush. The world felt different from the top, that was for sure. The more she looked down, the more Valentina’s words sunk in. Maybe it was about time for Brianna to take control of more than what she was given. Maybe it was time for her to grab more power for herself. Maybe it was time for a much needed change. It was something that the redhead would be thinking about very deeply in the days and weeks to come.