Commission for MrPebbles! In Part 1: After the events of Sing 2, Suki is put in charge of Crystal Entertainment. Her receptionist friend Karen invites her out for drinks to celebrate.
The fantastic art for the story is by https://www.furaffinity.net/user/misterfyrryman/ !

Featuring: SFW, Wholesome, WLW, Crushes, Slow Burn

Chapter 1 of 4

First Chapter: You Are Here!
Next Chapter: Coming Soon!

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CEO & entertainment mogul Jimmy Crystal had been arrested, thanks to Suki, and things were looking pretty bad for him. Buster Moon was pressing charges against him, and many other abused employees were coming out of the woodwork and ensuring that, when he was eventually convicted, Mr. Crystal would be in prison for a very long time.

This meant that things were changing at Crystal Entertainment. Suki, Mr. Crystal’s secretary and a wonderful talent scout, was the board’s top pick for the next CEO. This was because of her hard work over the years, and her resistance to Mr. Crystal’s continued abuse, trying to control the damage in the ways she could, also helped win the board’s favor. The vote for who would sit in the CEO’s chair was taking place at that very moment, and everyone in the company anticipated the announcement of who would gain the position.

One person who was especially invested in all of this was Karen, an antelope who was Crystal Entertainment’s talented receptionist—and Suki’s best friend. She was delighted to see that it looked like Suki would be given the ultimate recognition for her hard work—Suki was someone she admired a lot. In fact, Suki was the reason Karen had this job in the first place, referring Karen to the receptionist position after the previous receptionist had quit without warning, leaving the position suddenly open.

What Suki didn’t know was that Karen had had a crush on her ever since they were children . . . not that Karen would ever admit it. She was just waiting for the right time! Which wasn’t right now, that was for sure. . .

Karen blushed, then tried to put her crush in the back of her mind as she approached the lunch room. Suki was sitting at a table there, and the dog waved her over. Karen walked up and sat down with her food.

“Hey!” Karen said to her friend. “How are you feeling? I’m sure you have a lot to be excited for. . .”

“You know it!” Suki replied with a gentle laugh. “I’ve been told I’m a shoe-in for the vote, but many other talented people are going to be considered, too. . . I hope I get it, but I’m worried I won’t.”

“I’m sure you will!” Karen exclaimed. “You’ve always been a natural leader. Being the CEO would come naturally to you!”

“Thanks,” Suki said. “I typed up a list of changes I want to make if they end up making me CEO. . . I hope I’m not putting the cart before the horse, but there are a lot of things that need fixing around here. Though I suppose if I don’t end up getting the position, I can pass on the list to the person who does?”

“I guess that’s a positive way of looking at it!” Karen told her with a smile. She took a bite of her egg salad sandwich, gazing longingly into her friend’s eyes. . . Then she caught herself and looked away, blushing.

“Um . . . are you ok?” Suki asked awkwardly.

“Yeah, of course!” Karen replied quickly. “Yep, I’m fine! Nothing wrong here!”

“You were kind of staring at me. . . There’s not something on my face, is there?” Suki asked.

“Oh no, not at all!” Karen exclaimed, laughing a bit too loudly (it caused others in the lunch room to turn towards her). “I was just, um, kind of staring into space! I guess I’m a bit tired. . . Um, I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Suki said, taking a bite of her chef’s salad.

Karen shrugged. “Hey, what can I say? It happens! Anyway. . .”

The two continued to chat & laugh together through the lunch hour. Just as they were wrapping up, an announcement came over the loudspeaker. “All employees, please come gather in the auditorium.”

“That has to be the result of the vote!” Suki exclaimed.

“Come on, let’s go together!” Karen said.

The two quickly made their way to the auditorium, and got their fairly early. They were able to find two good seats in the front row. Standing on stage was Harold Cohen, a pig who was head of the board.

It took about ten more minutes for all of the employees to arrive, and once everyone was seated, Harold tapped the microphone and cleared his throat.

“I am here to announce the results of the board’s vote this afternoon,” he said.

Karen held her breath, and turned to Suki to see a nervous expression on her face. Harold continued, “The vote was overwhelmingly towards one candidate . . . nearly unanimous, I’d say. And now, I want to share the results to you.

“Crystal Entertainment’s next Chief Executive Officer will be Suki Lane!” Harold announced. Everyone clapped & cheered, and Karen hugged Suki in excitement.

“We announce the news to the press in an hour,” Harold said. “Suki, let’s go to the front of the building and prepare for their arrival!”

He stepped off of the podium, and Suki turned to Karen. “Oh boy, I’m so nervous!” Suki exclaimed.

“Don’t worry, you’re going to do fine!” Karen encouraged her. She hesitated, then shyly suggested, “I can come with you, if you want. . . I’m sure Emerald could hold the desk during the press release.“

“Yeah, that would be great, thank you thank you thank you!” Suki exclaimed. She took Karen’s hand and pulled her along. “Come on!”

Karen blushed as Suki’s fingers wrapped around her own, and she smiled to herself. Then she let her friend lead the way.

About an hour later, Harold was giving an empassioned speech to the press about the sins of their former CEO and Crystal Entertainment’s vow to change course and uphold the company’s values. Backstage, Suki & Karen were waiting for Suki’s cue, which would begin when Harold said, “The board has voted on our new CEO: Suki Lane!”

“Now I’m even more nervous,” Suki muttered as Harold continued to speak. “Do you think I’ll make a good impression?”

“Of course! Who wouldn’t love you?” Karen asked in disbelief. “You’re one of the most liked people in the entire company. The press is going to eat this up!”

Suki smiled. “Haha, thanks.” She took a deep breath. “I can do this. I /will/ do this. And I’ll do it excellently.” That was her mantra.

“That’s my girl!” Karen praised her. “You got this!”

“. . . and after a lot of deliberation, the board has voted on our new CEO: Suki Lane!”

“That’s your cue!” Karen whispered, gently pushing her friend towards the stage.

Suki walked on stage, waving at the press as cameras flashed and words were scribbled on notebooks. Harold continued, “Suki has been with the company for over eight years, and has been one of the most influential voices on the new talent we have brought in. We believe she is ready to lead the show. And now, a few words from Suki Lane.”

Harold stepped away from the podium, and Suki took his place, smiling at the press and saying, “Thank you, Harold.” She cleared her throat, and then said, “I want to usher in a new era for Crystal Entertainment. One where we take more chances on the talent we acquire, so that more acts like Buster Moon’s can shine. One where employees feel safe and not threatened by their superiors. One where people like Jimmy Crystal aren’t protected from consequences.

“It’s a shame that all of this happened. Crystal Entertainment became an environment of fear for many people, including myself, thanks to the actions of our CEO. My goal is to become everything Jimmy Crystal wasn’t, because that’s what this company needs.

“My first act as CEO will be to tighten our policies on harassment. Once I can ensure that our company is a safer environment for all, I plan to sign on Buster Moon and his crew to create more wonderful theatrical experiences for Crystal Entertainment. This company is going to do big things for so many people. Thank you.”

Suki went backstage as Harold took over the podium to wrap up the press release, saying some finishing lines and taking questions. “You did a great job!” Karen whispered as her friend approached.

Suki smiled. “Thanks,” she said. “I was pretty nervous, but I think I came across as confident, which is what really matters.”

“Yeah, you did,” Karen praised her.

She took a deep breath, trying to gather her courage, and then said shyly, “Um, well, we should celebrate! Maybe we can get some drinks at the Crystal Hotel Lounge or something? Our employee pass gets us in, after all! And something like this deserves some kind of celebration!”

Suki thought for a moment, and then nodded. “Ok, let’s celebrate!” she agreed with a smile. “Though I want to go home and freshen up first. We can meet there—would 7pm be ok with you?”

“Absolutely!” Karen agreed, her heart pounding excitedly in her chest. “I should probably freshen up too, so that’s a good idea. . . Let’s do it!”

Suki smiled. On stage, Harold concluded the press release, and people began to disperse. He walked backstage and patted Suki on the back. “You did an excellent job!” he said with an approving nod. “Hopefully that will help put us in the press’ good graces after everything with Jimmy. . . I definitely think you can change the company for the better, Ms. Lane “

Suki smiled. “Thank you, sir,” she said. “That means a lot to me.”

“Of course,” Harold said. He put an arm around her and lead her away. “Now, let’s go discuss a few final things in my office. . .”

As he continued talking, Suki turned around to Karen and mouthed, “See you later!” Then she turned back to Harold, and soon, the two of them were out of sight.

Karen made her way back to the reception desk and said to Emerald (a possum), “Thanks for covering for me! I can take over from here,”

“Alrighty!” Georgina said cheerfully, getting up from the desk.

As Karen sat back down, a feeling of warmth excitement ran through her, showing as a blush that reddened her cheeks. She let out a happy sigh, then put the feeling aside so that she could finish her workday without too many distractions.