As she stumbled through the door she cursed herself for drinking the night before.
She flipped through the file again to make it look like a natural stumble before the receptionist made it to her. ‘Why had she even agreed to this!’, she thought it wasn’t her idea but her friend was sick and needed her to do this interview for her. She wasn’t going to say yes to Sophie but she couldn’t help but feel sorry for her as she heard her coughing madly at the end of the phone. “Okay, Soph I will do it for you , Who am I doing the interview with?”, She had said to her.
She could hear her friend relieved that she could stay in bed and she had replied “Thank you so much Aylssa I will send the document over, bye”, Sophie said hanging up.
Aylssa knew now that she had been duped by her friend as she walked into the tall building. She felt her palms sweat and her heart race as she felt completely out of her depth. She walked up to the reception desk and she swallowed hard and said , “Hi I am here…..”.
The receptionist held her finger up to shush her and answered her phone, “Hello Taylors enterprise, Hold please”. She pressed a button and looked at the girl opposite her with disgust, “Hello how can I help you?”, she said with a smile on her face.
Aylssa stood quietly watching her and the receptionist coughed, “You, can I help you”, she said looking at Aylssa. Alyssa just wanted the ground to swallow her up as she realised her mistake. She cleared her throat and said, “Hi I am sorry I was waiting for … doesn’t matter I am here to see Mr Taylor”, Aylssa said.
“Name”, The receptionist said sharply.
“Aylssa Smith”, Aylssa said quickly.
“Humph, okay”, Receptionist replied.
Aylssa could feel all eyes on her and she wanted the ground to swallow her up right then and there. She licked her lips as she felt her mouth go dry, “Well I am sorry that the meeting got cancelled, did you not get the memo?”The receptionist asked, looking at Aylssa over her glasses.
“Well clearly not”, Alyssa answered annoyed.
She had spent the morning fighting traffic, then a flat tyre and she still made it in time for this silly interview that she didn’t want to do in the first place.
“Look, is there a way it can happen?, I have had a long journey”, Aylssa said.
The receptionist rolled her eyes and said, “Look, It was cancelled last night. Mr Taylor had important matters to tend too”.
The receptionist dismissed Aylssa and she felt angry that she had travelled all the way there.
As the receptionist went back to her calls and ignored her, Aylssa hands twitched and she shifted uncomfortably on the spot.
Aylssa looked at the lift and saw that it was just about to open and an idea came in her mind and before she thought logically about it she slipped in through the doors.
As the lift doors were shutting there was a hand that flew in between and the doors flew back open. A tall man entered with two assistants that were busying themselves over him. Aylssa rolled her eyes as she watched the woman drool over him and even though admittedly he was good looking she knew that type of man. There was no way he hadn’t noticed how he had made his assistants feel and he played on it she thought. As she stood in the corner unnoticed and observing these women hanging on every word she couldn’t help say ‘ oh please’ out loud. The man turned and stared at her with piercing blue eyes she felt he could see right through her. She knew his type though he knew he was attractive and he played that but right then his stare was intense and she could feel her body blush and she felt frustrated with herself. He smiled and said, “I don’t know you, What is your business here today?”.
Aylssa had no intention of engaging in conversation with this man and refused to talk with him. He waved his assistants aside as they looked rejected; they narrowed their eyes at her and she could feel the hatred penetrate her body. “Nothing you can help with sir”, Alyssa said politely.
He raised one eyebrow and smirked and said, “I wouldn’t be too sure if I was you”.
Feeling frazzled from her long journey and annoyed that her interview was cancelled she decided to blurt out, “Well if you must know, I have no idea why I am here. I was meant to do an interview but apparently it is cancelled and now I am in a lift thinking I could change his mind”, she sighed.
His smile changed to a frown and he furrowed his brow, “Who was the interview with?”He asked.
“Mr Taylor”, Alyssa answered.
The woman assistants gasped and he shot them a look as if to say be quiet. Alyssa watched as they acted like obedient dogs and she rolled her eyes again. “Well maybe I can help you after all?”, the man said.
“Really”, Alyssa said, folding her arms and narrowing her eyes at him.
He stretched a hand out to her “Let me introduce myself, I am Mr Taylor”, he said.
Embarrassment crept over her and she could feel her body redden in an instant.
“Alyssa Smith”, She said, holding her hand out.
He shook her hand and lingered a little longer than he needed too in truth.
She could see his crisp blue eyes stare at her intensely and she broke the stare, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be in the lift. I really didn’t think this through”, Alyssa said realising that she really should have left when the receptionist asked.
“Nonsense, you made it all the way here and even trespassed to make it to my office. It’s the least I can do is give you an interview”, He said with a smile.
She felt relieved she wasn’t going to get carted off by the police and she nodded and said, “Thank you, I know you are busy”.
He turned to his assistants and said, “Clear an hour in my schedule please.
With their mouths gapped open and looking stunned they nodded and got on the phone straight away making meeting moves. Aylssa, feeling uncomfortable, just smiled awkwardly as the lift doors opened and he looked at her and said, “Shall we?” gesturing to follow.
Aylssa stepped out of the lift but her heel got caught in the grate and she stumbled forward and the man spun around in an instant and caught her before she fell onto the floor.
Embarrassed Aylssa locked eyes with him and said, “Thankyou, I am such a clutz”.
She really wished she could beat Sophie up for sending her here.
“Are you okay?”, He said gently.
She watched as the assistants stomped off to their desks and she straightened herself up and nodded. She followed him into an office that was bigger than her flat, all one wall was all windows with glorious views of the Shoor city in front of her. She gasped at the beauty and she instantly felt drawn to it, she couldn’t believe that the city was this big but here it was laid out before her.
“Quite a beautiful view”, She said.
“Yes it is rather”, He said, staring at her.
