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“Good morning,” I greet and put out my hand to shake, just as he thrusts his forward, handing me a hot coffee. As our hands collide, the coffee flies out of his hand and off to the side, smacking against the bright white wall, the cup breaking on impact. The porcelain shatters into a million tiny white pieces as black liquid splatters against the wall, staining the white paint. It would look like a crime scene if it was red.
“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!” I gasp, internally cringing. I could not keep it together for more than five minutes… seriously? They will fire me before lunchtime, I am sure. I step forward and begin to squat down, attempting to pick up the porcelain pieces from the ground.
“No. Don’t worry about it. Sandra, call the cleaning crew to get this sorted, please,” Eddie says, looking around at the woman standing near reception who nods while she takes a call.
“It is fine, I don’t want you cutting yourself or anything,” he assures me with a smile. “Great to have you here! I did wonder if you would show up this morning, actually.” It appears that the charming gene runs in the family. He is broad and confident, just like Harrison, but more relaxed, almost jovial. And, of course, he’s good looking too, although not as handsome as I find his older brother.
“Oh, really? Why is that?” I ask, shaking his hand, trying to act professional and feeling anything but as I side-eye the mess I created. The impact of the coffee on the wall is a very real reminder to me that this is not a world where I belong.
“Harrison is my brother and I love him, but when he sees something orsomeonehe wants, he goes for it. I know this is all probably a bit sudden and new for you, that’s all.”
“I look forward to the challenge,” I say, ignoring his reference to Harrison wantingme, and grip my handbag a little tighter, my nerves already out of control. I need to try to stay focused. I need my mind on the job, not on the man whose face still features in my daydreams.
“Great! Sandra. This is Beth, Harrison’s new project manager. Beth, Sandra works here as part of our admin team. She is a tough cookie, nothing gets past her.” Eddie winks at her while making an introduction, and I smile at the casual nature. The older woman greets me with a big smile, while juggling a phone call and signing for a courier who just walked in.
“Great to meet you, Beth. Eddie, I will call the cleaning crew to sort that out. You two better get moving, I know you have a busy schedule today,” Sandra says with a smile, and my tense shoulders relax a bit.
“Right, let’s get started, shall we,” Eddie says with a flick of his head, and I follow him down a hall.
We pass a few offices, all with fantastic views. The office space is huge, taking up the entire floor, with floor-to-ceiling windows in every office we pass.
“This is my office here. Oscar Barone our campaign manager is right here next to me, and the staff amenities are farther down that way.” I eagerly look around as he gives me the tour, and my eyes widen as I take in the cleanliness and luxury of it all. I have visited a few city offices in D.C., many well established ones as well, but I don't venture into Baltimore much. This office is new, state of the art, and without a chair out of place.
“So you work with Harrison too?” I ask as we take a turn and walk down a hallway that is a little quieter. I try to take some deep breaths to steady my nerves, the mere mention of his name making my palms sweaty.
“For the moment, I just got back from traveling around Asia, so I said I would help him out for a few months before I take over our real estate portfolio.”
“Oh. That’s great.” I try to sound enthusiastic at their lifestyle. I can barely afford the rent on our two-bedroom cottage, which is crumbling down around us. A real estate portfolio is something I have no concept of at all.
“Well, I am lucky. My family has a few businesses, and I had a lot of benefits growing up,” Eddie says and then stops walking and looks at me. “We are privileged. We know that. Harrison, my brothers and me. But we also work hard, and try to give back where we can.” He is serious for a moment, and I stay silent, but nod. It is good that they at least can acknowledge it.
“Well, we’re here!” he says as he opens an office door, and we step inside. It is not dissimilar to his office down the hall, this one with great city views and a small sofa along the wall. A large desk sits in the center and one wall of the office is a full double sliding door that opens into another large office.
“Wow, this is great!” My eyes hurry to take it all in. It is different to D.C. Events, where I have the privilege of working in a large open-plan workplace. It feels nice to have my own office.
“This will be all yours to use when you need to, for the next three months. Feel free to make it your own. Mindy, Harrison’s assistant, is taking an extended break overseas, so she normally sits in here, but it is now all yours,” Eddie continues as I take a few tentative steps to the desk, reaching out and skimming the light wood, feeling the silky varnished surface under my fingertips.
“You have direct access to Harrison, his office being the one through there,” he continues, pointing to the huge office that I can see through the open double doors. It is currently empty, but there is a clear line of sight of his desk from mine.
I try to swallow, even though my mouth is suddenly very dry, and I brush the hair out of my face and begin to fidget. The nerves that had started to dissipate from before are now back in full force. How am I meant to work for the man when all I have been dreaming about is his hand on my waist, the desire in his eyes, or his rock-hard abs? It is something I haven’t reconciled yet. But I am many things, and a professional is one of them. Besides, they are stupid dreams, not ever going to be my reality, so I pull my shoulders back and force myself into work mode.
“Oh, here you are, Eddie.” A man walks in, dressed in a black suit, a stack of paperwork in his hands.
“Hi, Beth, I’m Oscar, Harrison’s Campaign Manager. We didn’t get to meet formally yesterday,” he says, extending his hand, and I take it in greeting.
“Great, now you’re here, let's start the briefing!” Eddie says as he takes a seat in an armchair in my office and pulls his laptop out, getting down to work.
“Of course. Great,” I say, remembering that this was my first appointment on my schedule today. Oscar takes a seat in the armchair next to Eddie, and I position myself at my desk, opposite them. Grabbing a pen and my notepad, I start to settle in. There is nothing like hitting the ground running.
Oscar kicks off the meeting by going through Harrison’s key talking points, upcoming speeches, and what areas are no go areas that we need to stay clear of. There is nothing too out of the ordinary, so I pick it all up quickly.
“Harrison will be giving a speech next weekend at the party,” he says, handing over a copy of the speech that he has already prepared.
“This is draft one. There will be a lot of changes between now and then, but it gives you an overview of the key points he will be making on the night, in case you have any ideas or issues.”
“So what is the party again?” I ask, my eyes already scanning the schedule for this month, trying to work it out. I did see an event next Saturday, but since I wasn’t sure if I was to attend, I paid little attention.
“Our mother has organized a party to kick off the campaign. We have a briefing with her and Lillian Harper today. There will be a lot of key people in the room, our funders, key businesspeople and the like, but also friends and family,” Eddie replies, jumping into the conversation.
