The Meeting
I was going places and nobody was going to stop me. I knew what I wanted and my plan so far was working though it was definitely a work in progress. Like all good plans, I totally get the need to change and adapt as per the dictates of life as long as my end goal was not compromised. I was on a mission and God help anyone who tried to stop me as waiting on tables and have truckies grope me was not an option any more. I was going to do something with my life but I am realistic enough to know that a 25 year old girl from the wrong side of the tracks has to start somewhere and I just happened to have lady luck looking over my shoulder when I walked into the first business on my list and straight into a hard chest.
"Sorry, Sir." I quickly apologised to the hard chest that my very discrete check identified as belonging to an extremely tall, lean and absolutely gorgeous hunk of a man.
"No, I should apologise." The Hunk responded in a deep baritone. Giving me a quick look over, he drawled "How can I be of assistance?”
I knew I looked good in my snug jeans that showcased my long legs and cute heart shaped butt to perfection. My jacket was smart and my entire ensemble, screamed out smart chic. Casually tossing my hair over my shoulder I reached into my bag and pulled out an envelope. With a flirty smile I held out the envelope to the Hunk, "Would you be able to give my resume to your HR Manager?"
"Looking for a job?" the Hunk queried.
"Yes. Do you know if the company is hiring anyone or if there are any positions available?"
Giving me a look that I could only decipher as speculative, he gave me another look over, before pulling out my resume. While he scanned it, I did my own looking. His profile was sharp and confident. In his late thirties, he was built really solid and had the most gorgeous eyes, like molten chocolate. Everything about him screamed out authority. This was substantiated by the way the worker bees in the offices were working as if there was a looming deadline or something, which made me re-assess the Hunk. He must be someone of importance within the organisation.
"Well, from what I can see, you don't really have much experience. However", he continued seeing that I was about to interrupt him, "I am a pretty good judge of character. I like what I see and I definitely see potential. How about we discuss this further and see if we can mutually benefit from you working with us. So Louise, do you have time now to have that chat?" he queried.
For a moment I wondered if I knew him. How did he know my name? Then it clicked, I had it printed at the top of the resume. Feeling slightly flustered and a bit overwhelmed at my small loss of control, I quickly composed myself. "I sure do", I replied whilst extending my hand out to him, "thank you for this opportunity, Sir."
"Evan, sir makes me feel old," he said, his mouth turning up at a corner in a small and utterly sexy smile. Taking my small hand in his in a firm handshake, he stepped aside and gestured towards a corridor. "Please follow me and we will continue our discussion in one of the meeting rooms."
My hand still tingled from where he had clasped it and the feeling unnerved me. Mentally shaking myself, I followed him to a small meeting room. After half an hour of general chat, I left the building with a job - a three month trial as the receptionist which had just become available. Mental fist pump! I didn't stop to think that the interview, if it could be called that, had revolved around my personal circumstances rather than on my work experience particularly in an office environment. I was just over the moon that I was getting a chance to prove that I was not just a pretty face.
I did not see Evan on my first day, nor the second or the third. In fact I didn't see him that whole week. I would be lying if I said I was not disappointed, however there was much for me to take in and the week went by surprisingly quickly.
I did learn that Evan was not a high level executive but instead was the owner of the business. He was married and lived and breathed the business. He was a fair employer and genuinely well liked. However, no one dared take advantage of him, as he was lethal when crossed. When I did see him again, he was charming and made a point to check if I had settled in ok and every time he passed my desk from then onwards, he always acknowledged me, making a point to stop and chat for a few minutes. I lived for those chats and they quickly became the highlight of my day.
As I was used to the hustle and bustle of a busy bar, the slow pace of answering phones and the occasional filing was doing my head in! During my three month probation period, I became indispensable to Betty, the Administration Manager. She was more than happy to hand ball all tasks over to me, brainstorm ideas with me and then take all the credit for it. Even though it annoyed me immensely, I knew that the time would soon come where my contribution would be recognised. I just needed to keep being patient and wait for that perfect moment and that moment took place through Macy.
Macy assisted Evan and I happened to get on really well with her. She did not take crap from anyone and ran the inner sanctum with an iron fist. To meet with Evan, you needed to have a fairly good reason even if it was fifteen minutes and although she accounted for every second of his time, he always seemed to have time for everyone else and made it a point to stop and talk to people on his way in or out. The only time, I saw him brush anyone away was when his wife sat waiting for him in the car, refusing to come inside the building while he wrapped up a meeting. She had called through to reception, asking for Macy and must have left a message with her as the line become free in less than 30 seconds as indicated by my fancy phone switchboard system.
That day, when Evan walked out, it was very briskly and every step seemed to reverberate with anger. His jaw was clenched tight and his lovely eyes were hard as granite looking neither left nor right but straight ahead. He didn't stop at my desk, as was his custom, instead strode to the elevator and furiously punched the keypad every few seconds not stopping until the doors opened to let him in. Others stayed out of his way did not pester him with queries or make small talk. From that day onwards, he seemed to be less carefree and the light seemed to have dimmed a bit from his eyes.
I offered to help Macy with some of her tasks and like Betty, Macy started to rely on me for some of the smaller tasks. Unlike Betty, she didn't take advantage of me and was quick to acknowledge my contributions and opinions. During the course of time, I got to know how the inner sanctum worked and that Macy would not gossip or even provide any information about Evan. She was loyal to the bone.
I know she spoke of me to Evan as he made a comment one day, whilst waiting for the elevator, about some research I had conducted for Macy. I was on a high most of that day. I wanted more. I wanted to spend more time with Evan. Wanted to get to know him on so many different levels. I felt alive when he was around and the few minutes, if that, spent when we crossed paths, was not enough. I wanted more!
Copyright Tia J. Lee 2014
All Rights Reserved.
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