“You’re soft-hearted,” he says with a smile. “I can see you don’t like the thought of him getting fired, but you need to understand, it would have happened eventually. The agency is going to be restructured, and anybody who can’t or won’t do their job won’t have one for long.”
I think about what he’s saying and consider the odds of me keeping my job once Jordan gets the boot. It’s not as if I can be PA to an empty office.
When our food arrives I have to force myself to let it all go and just enjoy the feast. I’ll probably never get into Starlight again, so I might as well make the most of it.
“I didn’t meant to upset you, Hannah,” he says after a while.
“You didn’t,” I say, sighing around a mouthful of meltingly tender duck. “I just don’t want to get fired is all.”
“You won’t. Get that presentation to Yates’ office first thing tomorrow, and it will be fine.”
“But Jordan isn’t in tomorrow. He left for a long weekend in the Hamptons.”
He smiles, and I get a sense of what he would be like in the boardroom. Ruthless. Relentless.
“All the better. Now eat up, darlin’, and stop worrying about your job. I can damn guarantee you’ll still have it come Monday morning.”
I obey and savor the meal, allowing myself a slice of chocolate cake when the dessert cart rolls around.
At this point gaining an extra pound or two is the least of my worries. How the heck am I going to look Jordan in the eye knowing full well he’s about to get the axe?
Chapter Nine
Surprisingly, Gregory had dropped me at my apartment without once making a move for more. Maybe he’d seen that I was in no mood for hanky panky by the time dinner was done.
Now, as I make my way up to Yates’ office on wobbly legs, I feel this morning’s coffee make a swirling re-appearance in my stomach. This is so wrong, going behind Jordan’s back, but as Gregory said last night, Jordan has gotten himself here under his own steam.
I’m just following orders, trying to keep my job.
“Hey, Han. What can I do for you?” Taz asks when I reach her office.
As PA to the big boss, she is the matriarch, the queen bee, and an all-round dragon when it comes to running this place. I beat her only in the fact that I am OCD about getting things done before they actually need doing. I’ve mentioned I’m a control freak, right?
Taz has a lot more to get through than I do, so I forgive a few slips here and there and generally don’t give her shit when she forgets that I’ve made an appointment to be here.
“Meeting with Yates. He wants the Lucas presentation.”
“Oh, right! Sorry, I’ll just give him a buzz.”
I sit on the sofa nearby and fiddle with the folder, reminding myself that everything is fine. I’m fine. It shouldn’t be too hard to give him the folder and make it back to my office in one piece.
It’s Friday, after all. Everyone’s in a good mood on Fridays.
“You can go on in, Han. Do you want anything to drink?”
Oh, no. If she’s offering me beverages it means I’ll be staying a while.
“Thanks. Maybe a water?” I croak, rising to my feet shakily.
“Don’t sweat it, kid. Just take a deep breath and pretend he’s human. That’s how I’ve gotten through ten years with the guy.”
Her calm reassurance settles me, and by the time I am inside and facing the founder and CEO I am calm enough not to be a blabbering wreck.
“Good morning, Miss Newman. Please, have a seat,” he says softly, and I sit as gracefully as I can with the monstrous folder balanced precariously on my lap.
“Mr Lucas told me you have a presentation?”
I nod and place the folder on his desk, sitting quietly as he flips through it, taking his time to read it all. I study him, seeing the slight graying at his temples and the lines at his eyes.
I fancy that means Mr Yates laughs a lot and cross my fingers that he’ll show the same sense of humor with me if the presentation’s not what he wants.
After a few minutes of nervous waiting, he closes the folder and rests his hands there, eyeing me curiously.
“This is not Jordan’s work. I should know, he’s been here almost as long as I have. How long have you been putting pitches together to save your boss’s ass?”
Um?
“I can see you’re worried, Miss Newman, but rest assured, you are not here for a reprimand or firing. I was curious to see what you’d come up with for this account, and needless to say I was furious when that little snot Farns pitched his usual dross to my newest…client instead.”
I agree fully, having seen the presentation this morning. Jordan should be selling suntan lotion, not working on campaigns for multibillion dollar corporations.