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Charlee walks out the door and my head starts spinning again. Her legs are flawless in those heels. They are smooth and straight and my mind instantly flashes back to last night, when she put them around me and…
Looking up at her face, I catch her watching me. She has this… disappointed look in her eyes. Almost disgusted. Before I can say a word, she walks to the staircase, down the steps and out of the building.
Get a hold of yourself, Harrison. This is embarrassing, even for you.
On the drive home to my apartment in Upper East Side, my phone starts ringing. It’s Roscoe. Great. Just the final slab I need on my head today. I switch to hands-free and pickup.
“Hey there, CEO and biggest boss of the year! How goes it?” Roscoe’s voice bellows out as usual. I often wonder if he never runs out of energy and social battery.
“What’s up, Big Man? Calling to know if I’ve sold your company and absconded with the money? Don’t worry. I haven’t done it yet.” Roscoe laughs out loud and I smile. Teasing my brother is always fun. Our father may be a natural rift between us but we get along, regardless.
“So, how was your first day?” he asks, sounding like he’s chewing crunchy nuts over the phone.
“It was great. We did all our onboarding meetings with six small business owners and they all signed up immediately. We were anticipating some back-and-forth in the coming days, but they were eager to come on board. We have four more coming in tomorrow.”
“Wow! Bro! Look at you out there killing it and making shit happen!” Roscoe’s approval warms my heart up so much that I start laughing, heartily. It feels really good to be seen and trusted with such a big deal.
“Thanks, Bro. Uh, how’s the old man? I hope he’ll be as happy with me as you are when he hears of my progress.” Asking after my father is always weird, but I just need to know.
Roscoe hesitates for a long moment. And that’s weird because Roscoe is never unsure of what to say.
“Uhh, don’t worry about him. He’s all good. What matters right now is that I believe in you, the clients believe in you, the staff trusts you, and you believe in yourself. Don’t let anything else bother you. I have massive faith in you.”
We chat a little more and he hangs up.
That painful discomfort returns to my stomach, making me dizzy and nauseous. I tighten my hand on the wheel and start pacing my breath. It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since I started and my father is already dishing out his never-ending disapproval.
Who could really blame him, anyway? It may look like I’ve done well today, but I went ahead and slept with one of the most important people in my company, and still ended up embarrassing her several times at work today. Will things ever stop being annoyingly awkward between us?
Damn. Bullshit like this can’t keep happening to me. I have to be more aware. I have to regain control of my life. I can’t afford to mess this up. I just can’t afford that.
I turn on the music player and continue pacing my breath as the soothing rhythm of country music fills the car.
A little calm in the chaos that is my life.
5
CHARLEE
With the way I’m feeling so great this new week, I might just finally try a new look.
Maybe cut my hair down to a short bob, dye it a bright blonde shade, wear a white pearl necklace, and go for six-inch smart-cut heels. After all, I’m growing into such an absolute boss now. I should dress like one, too.
But no, that’s just some really wishful thinking. I would never find the confidence to wear my hair short. The waist length draws attention away from my fluffy figure. Heels would make people scrutinize everything else about me. I would bulk under that kind of pressure.
Either way, I’m thoroughly enjoying my new role at Building Bridges.
It’s been one week since we kicked it off, and it seems like we hit the ground running. We’ve had nineteen new businesses come in to get set up within seven days. I’ve been drowning in so much work lately–onboarding calls, in-house marketing campaigns, clients’ marketing campaigns, social media strategy, local media strategy–everything concerned with getting our brand and our clients out there. There’s a lot going on, and as a divisional head, I’m in the spotlight a lot. However, I’m enjoying the experience. I have a lot of people looking up to me to come up with objectives while they execute.
So far, I think I’m doing a good job. Within just a week, I’ve already absorbed so many new leadership values, I can’t imagine what the next year will bring. I’m excited for all of it.
This morning, my first meeting has gone off without a hitch.
“And that’s all for today. Tyler, get to work on that infographic. I want it concise but not flighty. Play with the colors. Don’t make it too serious or boring. Janice, you can finish optimizing the LinkedIn page and get back to me by the end of today.”
My intern, Tyler, and social media accounts manager, Janice, both nod to their assignments. I’d scheduled them for a quick regroup this morning. Sometimes, I like to rendezvous with my division in small groups and not as an entire pack. During my time at Bridges, I learned that meeting in smaller divisions gives everyone a chance to express themselves without feeling too small to speak up.
“Did you see the new TV series Loan Dolphin are sponsoring? It’s a super-fun comedy show about entrepreneurship. We should do something like that,” Janice suggests, swiping through her Instagram as we walk out of the conference room.
