On a Fast Track

When young Chicagoan Chris Birk undertakes a short term consulting assignment to help a billionaire's daughter tackle an acquisition venture in Europe, little does he know that the road ahead is fraught with dangers. It takes all the intuition, talents – and luck – he can muster, to ward off disaster and to bring the venture to its successful conclusion. Back in Chicago he enters into a romantic relationship with his former client. He also accepts a job offer to become her personal advisor, in the large conglomerate in which she has succeeded her recently deceased father as CEO. Chris has been given the capability of retaining everything he reads, and he employs this talent to his full measure, to be on a fast track career path. They go to Italy on vacation, where they face unexpected and unwelcome adventures. Chris employs all his talents to rescue his lover and boss, and they become closer than ever. However, on the next business trip, to Singapore this time, they are faced with horrors worse than death. They manage to escape but their personal relationship is marred by what took place. By facing and overcoming more dangers and more obstacles, their love for each other prevails.

Emory Bartlett, a billionaire's daughter hires a young Chicago engineer, Chris Birk, to act as her consultant on a short term acquisition venture in Europe. Little did they know that the venture was fraught with life threatening danger. It takes all the young engineer's talent, capabilities – and luck – to keep his client out of danger and to bring the venture to a successful conclusion. Back in Chicago, Emory's billionaire father passes away, leaving her to run the large conglomerate he created. She hires Chris as her personal advisor on the recommendation of her deceased father, and she also enters into a romantic relationship with the young engineer. Chris has the rare capability to retain everything he reads, and he employs this talent to its full measure helping Emory to run the business. They go on vacation to Italy, where they face unexpected and unwelcome adventures. Again Chris employs his talents to rescue his lover and boss, and they return to Chicago closer than ever. Chris is clearly on a fast track in the corporation, but he slowly realizes big business is not for him. He hangs on as he cannot bear the thought of losing his fair employer. They seek another business venture in Singapore, where they face horrors worse than death. They manage to escape, but only after they have eliminated five of their captors. Chris has no problems with this, but Emory retains emotional problems from the ordeal. They drift apart, and Chris moves back to his original homeland, Norway, where he establishes a very successful consulting business specializing in strategic planning. Chris cannot delete the memories of Emory from his mind, and undertakes some discrete checking of her whereabouts. He finds she is in deep trouble, drops everything he has in Norway, and returns to Chicago. Employing some highly unorthodox tactics, he manages to locate her, and they realize they are still deeply in love. However they share something that has been taken away, and Chris travels to Singapore on his own in a desperate attempt to sort things out. He meets with one adventure after the other, each capable of ending his young life. Prevailing in the end, he reclaims what Emory and he had lost.

PETER OTTESEN is a retired businessman and software designer, who has discovered that writing fiction is exciting and fun. His next project is a science fiction story that will provide a unique view of our universe and our reason for being. Peter and his wife Lori divide their time between Bethlehem, PA and Boca Raton, FL.