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But, in the end, no one raised their hand, so he dismissed us with a wave of his hand, and just started to walk towards the door, not looking at us again. All I noticed as he headed out was how cold he seemed, like it was all gone, this man that had connected with me so deeply, even without having talk to me directly. In just the looks he gave me. In the way his voice echoed and resounded around the room. And, for that moment, I felt a large disconnect with him, one so deep it made me question if I would survive even up to three weeks at this job, because after all, my main aim was to aid and in many ways, abet, this stone-hearted mayor.
Well, it only took Ryan, of course, to snap me far away from my thoughts. If I had not taken note of his appearance and physique, I had no other choice to now, as he stood too close to me, making me look up at him like he was standing on the chair, or like I was on my knees. He had a muscly yet slender build, like the mayor could easily put him down and spank him on the ass, but only after a good fight of course. I instantly thought of how that would make a terribly nice reality show. His eyes were a dark chestnut that melded with his ashen blazer and umber tie. You could tell he really planned what he wore from how he felt in the morning; bitter, yet hopeful that the man he had been crushing on would finally acknowledge his presence. Sadly, that was not going to happen today, or maybe, forever.
“So,” he said, rather glumly. “You ready to actually do some work? Because we have tons of that and by tons, I mean millions. This is not a parade, or an amusement park or a museum where you just stare of course.” That fucking tone! But, I needed him on my side.
“Right, right. Sorry. Everywhere just looks really ornate. It is brilliant.”
“I guess I should say thank you. I was in charge of the renovations.” I actually knew that. The red-haired lady had told me when I couldn’t stop staring around, also how Ryan never wasted an opportunity to mention how he had single handedly manned the entire supervision.You would think he orchestrated the moon landing; she had said with a huge enough to light nations, and giggled. She seemed fun, again, then. But, something about her still put me off. Although I was not going to bother myself with that at the moment because I had a lot on my plate like making a big ass first impression that would be in the good side of their heads forever, all without marring my image in the process, I could not help thinking about it.
“So, are you ready to be a Manager Mayor-aide, Evelyn? Or have you got some more daydreams you need to wrap up?” Ryan’s sassy tone rang behind my ears repeatedly and it did not take up to a second before it jerked me to my feet.
“Always ready.” And, I was not kidding. I was ready, for anything.
ChapterThree
“So, what is the first thing I am to do?”
“The first thing you are to do, huh? First, let us get you to your office.” I walked briskly behind him, struggling to keep up. So glad I did not wear heels today, because how would I have survived this journey. Who knew the Manager Mayor-Aide’s office was almost a mile away from the mayor’s own? “Well, if you could not tell before, your office was just a random thing we had to quickly fix up. Unless you want to be at the open space with me in front of the mayor’s office?”
I did want that, but I had to try my best to not sound thirsty at all. “Yeah, I think that would be better. ‘Cos what if the mayor needs me. He would call me and I would have to walk miles just to get to him.”
Ryan chuckled, but I could tell there was something else underneath. Maybe a jab, I was not really sure. Or maybe I was being too paranoid and not everyone loathed me in some sort of subtle way. It was crazy that I always felt this way; attacked, undermined and despised. It always meant that I had to work harder and prove myself to people, prove that I could be the person they thought I could not be. And, if Ryan thought I was just some lazy brunette who thought she could sleaze her way into the office without any big qualifications and insert herself in the mayor’s pants, I would have to prove him wrong. And, that would mean, unfortunately, shooing the dirty thoughts that flooded my mind at the mere sight of him.
We walked back to the main office where the board room was, and then, my phone rang. I scoured through my bag and when I found it, I looked at it and of course, it was my mum, clearly calling to check how I had settled in. She always did that, that is why, unlike with most mothers and daughters, we had a smooth dynamic, where we listened to each other, and understood where we were coming from. I would rather not pick the call now though, because I knew her. I knew we would spend hours talking about what I had encountered, how my boss was, how he looked, and how I felt I would fare on the new job, so I left the call to ring, swearing I would call back later.
“Shouldn’t you pick that?” Ryan said, still walking.
“Uhm…” I hesitated. Maybe it was a prank to see how fickle I was. “It is just my mum. I can always call her back.”
“Alrighty then. So, here is your desk. Mine is just there if you need anything.”
I glanced at the brown desk before my eyes. It had a printer just above it, and a cabinet beneath for storing files, and even a computer on the table I could use to input files and critical confidential material. I did not like how Ryan explained all that I would be needing to do with all those things, making me feel like that was the first time I had seen those things in my life, when that could have never been the case. Anyways, I wasn’t going to get into that with him; if I had observed him very well, he thrived on demeaning people so I would just give him that satisfaction for today, as a newbie. So, I dragged my seat backwards and settled in. And, it was surprisingly comfy. I could tell Ryan was looking at me wiggling in the seat, looking for the perfect cushion side, but I continued, regardless. Whilst I was goofing off, I raised my head and I saw a framed image of the mayor hung above his door. A rather formal, yet raunchy image. Suddenly, I remembered how he acted earlier in the board room. How flickering his countenance was.
“What’s the deal with him?” I asked.
“What is the deal with whom?”
I didn’t know whether he was messing with me, but he sounded genuinely confused, and we were not in the terms of joking each other, yet, right? So, I whispered, “Uhm… the mayor.”
Ryan chuckled his subtle sort of chuckle, again. “First of all, your mayor’ s name is Luca Silvestri.” Damn. Even his name sounded ethereal, like it was ripped off a sultry romance novel. I made sure to not show how impressed I was by merely that.
“Oh, is he Italian?”
“Well, of Italian descent. Not really sure if he can speak, or has been there, even.”
“So, he just rocks the last name and sounds cool, huh?”
Ryan let out a giggle. “You could say that.” Then, he turned back to his computer, racing his fingers across the keyboard. And after, he turned to face me. “You know, he’s really been through a lot.”
“A lot? What do you mean?” I did not even know what to think. Maybe his life was also like a theatric romance. He’d had a twin brother that impersonated him and almost took his wealth and it almost cost him his life. Wait… let me listen.
“Very early last year, he…uh… lost his wife. You could tell how it took a toll on him. But he did not stop coming to work. He still came every single day and pressed on, despite having a daughter and son he needed to take care of.” Woah… he’s got children. “I think it helped him cope with his grief or whatever. And, I’m no therapist, but I think that was unhealthy as fuck. Anyways, he actually hasn’t broken down since then. And, I have also never seen him cry. He’s got to be like the least capable man of being vulnerable, ever. And, I would know. I am the most vulnerable man ever. I cried all through Paddington.”
I think that was a lot for me to stomach. I hope I am not showing it on my face. I look into the blanked computer and stretch my lips upward to a smile. No, crap, which creep smiles after hearing such a devastating tale. My lips fall in melancholy. “That is a lot.”
“Oh, it is.” Ryan scoffed. “I just wish he would talk about it more often you know? But he is such a workaholic, and he works all day. All night. Like you could never see him in a bar or a club. And I don’t know if he heads to the gym, ‘cos I am never there, but I bet he does. Right?”
“Uh... I suppose.” Damn, Ryan does talk a lot.
